20 Feb 2012

Infographic On The Greatest Gun Salesman In America: President Obama


Tyler Durden's picture
American firearm sales and concealed handgun permit applications are at all-time highs since the 2008 election of President Barack Obama. President Obama's perceived hostility towards gun owners has been one of the key factors behind the multi-year financial boom the firearms industry continues to enjoy. In fact, the National Rifle Association (NRA) is actively preparing to work to defeat President Obama's 2012 re-election campaign, according to Wayne LaPierre, the CEO of the NRA, who recently said the following at the 2012 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington, D.C.:

"Lip service to gun owners is just part of a massive Obama conspiracy to deceive voters and hide his true intentions to destroy the Second Amendment during his second term. We see the president's strategy crystal clear: Get re-elected and, with no more elections to worry about, get busy dismantling and destroying our firearms' freedom, erase the Second Amendment from the Bill of Rights and excise it from the U.S. Constitution...When the sun goes down on election day Barack Obama will have America’s gun owners to thank for his defeat.” -
Wayne LaPierre, CEO of the NRA, February 10th, 2012
Ironically, the perceived hostility towards gun owners by President Obama has actually helped the firearms industry tremendously. Since the 2008 election, more Americans than ever before are purchasing firearms & ammunition. This has meant massive increases in sales by firearm & ammunition makers, billions more in federal and state tax collections related to guns & ammo, increased membership in the NRA, and hundreds of thousands of new Americans carrying concealed handguns.  Therefore, should the firearms industry support President Obama for a second term or not?

Facebook + Stasi: Social snitch network

In this episode, Max Keiser and co-host, Stacy Herbert, discuss London bars and cafes introducing Facewatch for criminals on the lower ladder of crime while Mayoral candidate, Ken Livingstone, proposes an all together different solution to end the banking crime wave higher up the ladder. They also discuss Greek heists and tweets from Syntagma Square. In the second half of the show, Max talks to Zeus Yiamouyiannis about Greek tragedies and Greek solutions. Source

Bob Janjuah: "Markets Are So Rigged By Policy Makers That I Have No Meaningful Insights To Offer"


Tyler Durden's picture
Bob Janjuah is back.
Bob's World: Monetary Anarchy
Since my last note from early January I have spent the last few weeks assessing data and price action, as well as spending a lot of time talking to clients and trying to analyse the words and deeds of policymakers. In no particular order, my takeaways are as follows:
1 – Greece (and the whole eurozone story) continues to lurch about, seemingly perpetually, from Farce to Tragedy. Policy seems to be focused on protecting and preserving vested interests, with little consideration given to the dreadful conditions the people of Greece and other "peripherals" are being forced to live with. However, it seems that eurozone leaders may be about to pour even more taxpayer money down into the black hole that is Greece, primarily to help the banks in Europe, at the expense of perhaps a decade of suffering by the Greek populace. For my part, I am now consigning the Greece/Peripherals/Eurozone story to the box marked "self-serving political debacle" and from here on in I will simplify Europe as follows: Until, and unless, Germany signs up to full fiscal union, a eurozone breakup is likely. And depending on how long we can continue to "kick the can" down the road in order to protect the eurozone banks, the eurozone will be consigned to an extended period of weak growth, which in turn means ever decreasing debt sustainability. Ultimately this means that the end game will simply be more devastating for us all the longer we are forced to wait. Investors should be fully aware that "home" bias amongst real money investors is now "off the charts". This is not a good development for the eurozone, unless of course our leaders are preparing for break up, or at least considering it as a viable option.
2 – I am staggered at how easily the concepts of Democracy and the Rule of Law – two of the pillars of the modern world – have been brushed aside in the interests of political expediency.

Invincible Me: Israel drums up for Iran strike and clashes with US

The US and Britain have warned Israel not to attack Iran's nuclear facilities, urging diplomacy instead. Tehran, currently being visited by UN inspectors, denies accusations it's developing atomic weapons, saying its programme is peaceful. But as RT's Irina Galushko reports from Tel Aviv, Israel could now be on an unstoppable path to a military strike...

Slaves to Euro: Greece at austerity abyss


Greece is waiting for the EU to decide whether it has done enough to qualify for the 130 billion euro handout that's been dangling for months. The government's approval of 3 billion euros in cuts to public spending led to violence on the streets of Athens. And as RT's Jacob Greaves reports, the rage within disheartened Greek society is growing stronger with every measure the government takes. Source

Pulling Back the Curtain on the Financial System - Fitzwilson on KWN

If you view Greece as the figurative “pinky finger” of the body, the fear (and the reality) is that a default/write-down could trigger a financial “infection” that could have unknown and potentially catastrophic consequences for financial systems and economies around the world, i.e. the rest of the body. 

'Ron Paul right, US deep into fascism'

United States presidential contender Ron Paul has warned that his country is slipping into a twenty-first century fascist system with a broke government ruled by big business. Stephen Lendman, radio host and author agrees that current US policies are evidence that the country has indeed developed a fascist system. Source

Timeline For Greece Following Today's FinMin Meeting


Tyler Durden's picture
Today's FinMin meeting in Brussels is supposed to be "the one", as Greece's fate is finally decided, and Belgian caterers are forced to apply to the EFSF for a bailout (or maybe China will roll them up?) as prospects for further local summits, meetings, shindigs, tete-a-tetes, teleconferences and what nots are severely curtailed. Maybe - maybe not. We will reserve judgment until the end of the day, because, as shocking as it may sound, Europe is not the best when it comes to making decisions on short notice. Or any decisions for that matter. Especially ones which leave Greece in the same predicament as before, and when the country will certainly need more bailouts down the road, because "cutting" debt down to only 129% of GDP does leave some things lacking. In the meantime, assuming everything goes according to status quo plan, here is a timeline and breakdown of events in the aftermath of today's meeting.

Greek Fury Runs Deeper + Protesters Vent Anger At Police

Greeks protest as lawmakers in parliament discuss the details of the implementation of additional austerity cuts in jobs, wages and pensions, eager to legislate the full package over the next three weeks, starting on Monday with the axing of pensions.

US, UK warn Israel against ‘premature’ attack on Iran

The US and Britain are urging Israel not to attack Iran’s nuclear sites. The countries’ top officials believe a strike would be ‘unwise’ and it will not halt the Iranian nuclear program.

US military officials are not fully convinced that Iran is gearing towards creating nuclear weapons, the Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Martin Dempsey, explained in an interview to CNN.    


“On that basis, it would be premature to exclusively decide that the time for a military option was upon us,” he said.

Big Brother aims to screen all online activity in UK

British security agencies are pushing for a law, which would allow vast amount of private data to be collected and stored, according to media reports. Big Brother will know who you call to, what sites you surf and how you play video games.
The government wants details about text messages, phone calls, email, visited websites, Facebook and Twitter exchanges and even online games chats, British media report.
According to the initiative called the Communications Capabilities Development Programme, the data will be stored for a year and will be available to the secret services. The security scheme requires Internet providers, landline and mobile phone operators to police their clients

Making a Killing: The Untold Story of Psychotropic Drugging

This video provides the facts about psychotropic drugs and the huge profits they create for the pharmaceutical industry. These drugs are not safe and have not been on the market long enough to provide sufficient long term studies regarding their effects. These drugs do cause addiction, however most "doctors" would call this dependence because you do not have to take an increasing dose over time. They are completely fine with you being addicted to the same amount of any given drug on a daily basis. Over half of the people that commit suicide in the United States are prescribed to psychotropic drugs. (Ex: Paxil (Paroxetine), Zoloft (Sertraline), Prozac, Wellbutrin (Bupropion), Effexor, Seroquil, Ultram (Tramadol), etc.) Source

Hoarding Gold, Food and Friendship - Chris Martenson on Freedomain Radio

Chris Martenson (www.ChrisMartenson.com) talks with Stefan Molyneux of Freedomain Radio about the impending wrenching economic changes, how to navigate and survive them, and how peak oil, the demographics of aging, the collapse of the Euro and the mismanagement of the Federal Reserve is driving US policy with Iran, China and India. Source