The Wonderful Ways We Track Financial Transactions

Watch out terrorists! We know about every penny you transfer from account to account! Or, maybe not ... because

according to a report in the Wall Street Journal on Monday, June 28 more than $3 Billion in cash had been flown out of Kabul airport in the past three years, and U.S. investigators think that some of the money flown out to safe havens is diverted U.S.aid ...

Well, I'll be darned, I thought they (the Homeland Security guys) had this nailed ... but I guess Dollar Bills do not show up on Body Scanners. Shucks!

Common (or Horse) Sense, of course, says: There could be a way to track these few dollars, couldn't there?

Bashing Europe's Finances

I am getting very tired of listening to my neighbor (a college professor) and our financial advisor (a life-long investment professional) who claim that Europe's finances -starting with Greece- are on the brink of disintegrating. The same people never mention our own precarious situation, I mean that of the United States of America's financial system. Just finished reading "Is there a Global War between Financial Theocracy and Democracy" by Les Leopold (Common Dreams website), who thinks the same way. "Do not throw stones when sitting in a glass house". If anybody is 'living above their means' it is the Americans. I have never met a Western European who had an average of eight (probably maxed out) Credit cards in his wallet! And very few young mothers over there drive their offspring to school in a conspicuously oversized SUV. But back to high(er) finance. Why are the deficits of European countries so much more evil than ours? As far as I know most European nations still produce saleable goods. Something we cannot claim for ourselves unless it's weaponry. Their workers have unemployment benefits and most still have pensions coming. And those who work can afford nice long vacations. Something the American workers have never known.

Is this Europe bashing a diversionary tactic? "Look over there, how terribly they have managed ..." as opposed to "Wow, what will be the next crisis here?" - something serious writers have addressed frequently but is not picked up by the media with enough emphasis (I think). I personally am worried about the countries' financial future much more so than about Europe's. Let's put the attention where it belongs. Common Sense? Yeah ...

Basic Human Values? Honesty, Ethics, Morals?

After reading all the fluff in our media about the Israeli attack on the Freedom Flotilla I wonder where basic considerations of human values have vanished to. Issueing "regrets" over the loss of life (when we, the US, are in the killing business??) seems lame. Demanding "independent, unbiased and thorough" investigations has become such a meaningless gesture - we know where that leads to - see Warren Commission Report, 9/11 Commission Report, Goldstone Report, all the investigations into war crimes in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan - have they come up with the "truth", has anything happened afterwards? Other than more white-washing and/or disregarding them and calling them biased.

The people taking the supplies to Gaza, risking their lives in the process, are making a statement that our government refuses to make. Why? Because our President and our representatives want to be re-elected and spared the defamation by the Israeli lobby. When will we have leaders who put common decency and common sense above their vain, self-serving motivations? I am convinced that if President Obama would stand up and say very clearly that we do not tolerate such behavior, as demonstrated in the Israeli attack(s) -let's not forget Lebanon and Gaza!- and send some ships and planes to underline his remarks, his chances for re-election would soar!

Frankly, we should be more afraid of the Israeli nuclear arsenal than of the "maybe in five years" Iranian bomb, since the Israelis have demonstrated over and over that they are willing to attack whenever they feel threatened.

Common Sense? YES! Who reasons that way? Nobody, really, except a few voices in the desert ...

We have a new "poodle"!

Remember when British Prime Minister Tony Blair was called G W Bush's "Poodle?" I am beginning to think that President Obama has become Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu's "Poodle". If he does not make a strong statement followed by some strong action regarding Israel's attack on the Freedom Flotilla I am done with him. And I did have so much HOPE! It's all evaporated - over his handling of Israel/Palestine Peace Negotiations, Iraq, Afghanistan, Citizens Rights, Bank Bailout, Financial Reform, Oil Spill, and even Health Care! I was convinced he could do better.