Where's the GOLD?

So, this morning, March 8, 1933, Americans received the news that all GOLD had to be turned in to the Fed.  Didn't matter what is was, bullion or trinkets, you had to turn it in.  The Fed promised it would be returned to you at the time that the banking crisis was over.  Remember this is the Depression.  The banks are in trouble because there has been a run on the banks.  Banks traditionally had a 10% reserve of cash to handle customer cash demands.  But, somehow, the remaining 90% was lent out and the demands exceeded the cash reserve.  Therefore, everyone had to turn in the GOLD to assist with the emergency.  Nobody, not the Fed or the banks, explained how or why the GOLD would circumvent the emergency.  The price of GOLD meant that the cash you were given was not equal to the value of the GOLD.  Who set the price of GOLD, none other than the Fed in the person of the Secretary of the Treasury and (hold the applause) the President...Franklin Roosevelt.  How did they determine the price?  Well, maybe they looked outside and it was a sunny day so let's make it $20 an ounce.  Oh, it's raining today so maybe $25 an ounce.  So, would you want to deal with a GOLD standard that had no standard?  Essentially the value of money the very next day was not based on anything but the Fed determining value.  And has been ever since.  No GOLD was ever returned and in fact it was not until the 70's that the ban was lifted.  Today the value of your money is set at the Fed level, which is unconstitutional.  The Constitution does not allow the value of money to be set by the Fed, it only grants the Fed permission to coin money and value it.  So they just print money and nobody know or cares what the standard is.  Thus inflation is at the whim of the Fed.

Anyway, does anyone know where the GOLD is?  Fort Knox?  If it is in Fort Knox what is it being used for?  We no longer place the value of a dollar as a certain amount of GOLD.  So why does the Fed need to store our GOLD in Fort Knox?  If it really is there.

Paterno NO

Below are a few of my thoughts concerning the Joe Paterno statue at Penn State:


It's not my decision, of course, but in the name of decency and compassion for the victims Penn State needs to take it down.


Another thought. Imagine the kids that will now be wearing the PSU uniform this football season. Remember that these are young people and attending football games at other schools will be for them like, pardon, feeding the Christians to the lions. If PSU has any heart at all, it will suspend the football program, request of the NCAA that all players on scholarship be allowed to transfer to other schools without being penalized, and accept full responsibility for their actions, or lack of action. I realize this may be a bit much, but I pity the kids when they go to play at Ohio State, etc. They may get cheered at Not-So-Happy Valley, but terror awaits them on the road. What is the point? Suspend the program now, but don't punish the innocent players who will be ashamed to put on the uniform of a disgraced university.


In response to another post by someone defending Paterno:


Ken: You must remember that it was Paterno's responsibility to not just look the other way. I was an educator for 32 years, 30 of them in Philadelphia. I cannot tell you how many times we were instructed to report any suspected abuse. It was always to protect children, and if we erred on the side of an adult being innocent rather that than what happened at PSU. You are being a bit naive to think that it is acceptable to go to someone and take their word for it that it was innocent. Innocent or not, you have to live with yourself and the knowledge that it might not be so innocent. All the positive things he may have done no longer matter. This is enough to negate all of it. I also respect what you are saying but we will have to agree to disagree. A hideous error cost many children their normal lives. Please don't forget that and place yourself in that situation. I don't think you would be so forgiving.


I ask:  Is Pennsylvania State University a school or a feeder program for the National Football League?  Do the 80 or so players on football scholarships count more than those attending for an education rather than a place on the team?  The bottom line here is the bottom line.  Without the football program PSU would not be in the Big Ten.  Without the football program PSU would lose millions of dollars.  Without the football program alumni would not build buildings.  Without the football program the other sports would not be funded.  What would be left?  A place of higher education, that's what!  Paterno looked the other way for one reason and one reason only.  If he shouted from the rooftop the school would be embarrassed and the program would crumble and with it his reputation of being a football god.  But guess what, by not saying anything he comes out far worse than he ever could have imagined.  By shouting we would all be praising his courage rather than damning him.  He and the others not only looked the other way, they ruined it for the kids attending the university, the future of the university, and caused so much harm to those victims of evilness.


Take it down!!!

Best Buy needs to think about customer service

So off we went to Best Buy to pick up a Toshiba Ultrabook.  Nice computer for Anna; light, powerful and very nice looking.  The Best Buy Mobile store in the Indian River Mall had it on sale at a very attractive price.  I had seen it beforehand and Anna decided to go for it rather than a much more expensive MacBook Air that had almost the same specs.  We went to the BB Mobile and were approached by a salesgirl who was quite friendly, and happy that she didn't really have to sell us anything.  We knew what we wanted.  But, they didn't have one in stock and thus the trouble started.  She checked the inventory at the nearby BB store, the regular retail outlet which sits only yards from the mall.  She noted they didn't have one either, but the manager on duty suggested she call over and sure enough they said they had one.  The manager indicated that she would be happy to walk over to the store and pick it up for us.  I was okay with that, and she had the salesgirl call back to verify is that was okay with them.  She then found out that since she was the manager on duty that she could not leave the store.  So, another call.  Each call took several minutes since it seemed as though no one in the BB wanted to deal with the Mobile store.  I over heard the conversation and that the BB manager, Mark, was busy but he would bring the Toshiba to the Mobile location.  This is about a five minute walk if you go slowly.  The sales girl and the Mobile manager asked if we were okay with the plan, and we were so we decided to run an errand and then come back.  This had already taken most of an hour due to the BB store being slow to respond.  We did leave and then return within about 30 minutes.  Upon returning we learned that neither the Toshiba nor the manager had come yet.  The salesgirl then called the BB to find out why Mark had not brought it yet.  Again a long wait for someone to pick up the phone.  That someone should have been Mark, but apparently he was too busy to comply with the request.  It would now be two or hours before he could bring the Toshiba since he was busy.  This was really annoying.  You might ask why I just didn't go pick it up myself: 1) I greatly dislike that particular BB 2) I didn't think it was fair to the salespeople in the Mobile store to lose the sale after how gracious they had been 3) I greatly disliked the arrogance of Mark 4) the Mobile manager told me they really were slow that day and the sale would greatly help.  But, now we either walked out or waited for Mark to show up.  It kept crossing my mind how little respect Mark gave to both a waiting customer and his fellow workers in the Mobile store.  They all work for the same company, yet it seems this was not the first time that Mark and the BB employees acted this way toward the Mobile outlet.  What a shame.  We left!

Anna called the Melbourne, Florida BB and they indicated they had the Toshiba in stock.  We decided to make the 60 mile round trip and get it.  When we arrived at the store the salesgirl was quite friendly, the Toshiba anxiously awaiting our arrival.  I told the salesgirl why we were there and of course the usual "wow that's terrible" reply came.

This reflects very poorly on Best Buy.  I posted on their customer service site and one of their trollers replied with a "that should never happen blah blahs."

It has a happy ending in that Anna loves her new Ultrabook.  It's name is Vespa.  Don't ask.

Zimmerman, Martin and Gardner

No, they are not a law firm. No, they are not a rock trio. They are "news" of a sort.

First, there is Zimmerman. His guilt or innocence is not what I will write about. What concerns me about him is why he would feel the need to arm himself, because if you carry a gun and are a community watch person then surely something bad will eventually happen. Obviously I was not there the night he shot Mr. Martin. Are we to believe that Zimmerman just randomly walked up to Martin and shot him in cold blood, or did he feel the need to defend himself against an attack of some sort? The jury will decide. The Fed is looking into this as a racial conflict. Give me a break.

This leads into my next rant...

A few days ago in a place called SCHERERVILLE, ILLINOIS, three thugs murdered a young mother named Jacqueline Gardner. They stole $85 from her after following her home. They shot her in cold blood. Have you heard about this on the news? Have any politicians called her family to express their condolences? Has Al Sharpton shown up to express his sorrow over this heinous crime which has left two small children without a mother? Has the White House spoken to her parents? Is the Fed going to investigate this as a racial murder, a la Zimmerman? No? Why not? Maybe I'm naive, but Ms. Gardner was white. The three thugs are black. Could that be why Mr. Sharpton has kept his mouth shut for a change? Could that be why we don't see a memorial popping up at the site of her murder? Could that be why there are no comments on CNN, USAToday, Fox, etc crying for justice? In a colorblind America the reaction to her murder would be just as vocal as that which we heard from the Martin killing. Dead is dead.

Here's the heads up on one of these fine gentlemen: "Stephen Lee Henderson, who is still at large and considered armed and dangerous, was arrested by Hammond Police in 2007 for cocaine dealing. He pleaded guilty in 2009 and received a six-year sentence. Typically, Indiana offenders serve half their sentence."

So, he deals cocaine, gets six years, serves three, then murders this young woman. Has anyone EVER heard of someone killing a person, robbing them, and being a first time offender? I haven't. They usually, or probably ALWAYS, have an arrest record that is downright frightful. Maybe what we need is jails that are punishment instead of recreation.

Or am I politically incorrect?

Speaking of which: Have you been to an airport lately? I mean since September 11, 2001? I have. Let me tell you what I saw. As I entered the Orlando International Airport I was immediately struck by a very odd scene. There was a large group of ducks going through security. Each duck had to take off their shoes, empty their little wing pockets, and go through tight security. And they were no longer ducks. They were now "animals" as described in the latest TSA Manual of Political Correctness. And all animals were subjected to rigid security just as though it was a Great White Shark. Why? Because, Ducks and Great White Sharks are indeed animals. And all animals are treated the same. Thus, Ducks and Great White Sharks are lumped together as potential threats to both the airline and national security. Both the Ducks and the Great White Sharks have relinquished their Fourth Amendment Rights of probable cause in the name of national security and airline safety. The Ducks asked for a warrant but were warned that they might lose a few feathers if they did not submit (they were not told they couldn't get on the airplane since they could already fly). The Ducks then asked what was the probable cause as mentioned in the Fourth Amendment. The TSA agent was becoming annoyed, since he just had lifted a 90 year old lady out of her wheelchair so he could check the seat for dangerous weapons like false teeth or maybe a bootleg copy of the AARP Monthly. So, he mentioned that his favorite meal was Peking Duck and that shut them up.

Now I am sure you are aware that both Ducks and Great White Sharks are equal in the eyes of the TSA. But, even the TSA cannot stop a shark from being a shark.

Little by little, and sometimes no so little, the Constitution is being destroyed by the Federal government. 

Article IV (4th Amendment): "The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effets, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon PROBABLE CAUSE (my caps) , supported by Oath, or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."

Amended by me: Except when you are in an airport or now at the discretion of the National Counterterrorism Center. Who?

Read this and weep, and consider what "terrorists" did to the rights of each and every American citizen...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/new-counterterrorism-guidelines-would-permit-data-on-us-citizens-to-be-held-longer/2012/03/21/gIQAFLm7TS_story.html?wpisrc=al_national

New counterterrorism guidelines would permit data on U.S. citizens to be held longer

www.washingtonpost.com

How History Repeats Itself: Part One "IRAN"

Way back in the day, the 1820s to be exact, President Monroe (yes him again) and his Secretary of State John Quincy Adams, declared the Americas as a zone forbidden to future encroachment by foreign powers.  Russia and Great Britain were, at that point in time, the main targets that the United States was aiming this at.  We know it today, if we know it at all, as the Monroe Doctrine.  To sum it up, most of the countries of South and Central America were established as republics in that era.  They had been Spanish possessions but Spain was no longer able to maintain control in this part of the world, as witnessed by the US grabbing Florida and other territory on the continent.  But Great Britain was to our north in Canada and Russia was nipping at our heels in the Pacific northwest.  So Monroe and Adams declared it all off bounds, with the one exception being Canada.  What does this have to do with 2012?  Well, take a look at a world map:

Do you notice something striking about Iran?  Now I know the Iranian leadership is half crazy and the other half is out of their minds.  But, let's all become Iranian for just a moment.  I won't get in to the Shah and all of the nasty political stuff prior to his removal.  I am just referring to the now.  Okay, to the west is Iraq, where there are American troops and advisers, to the east is Afghanistan where there are American troops and advisers, to the southeast is Pakistan and it's nukes, to the southwest is Saudi Arabia an ally of the West.  Then you have the volatile Persian Gulf.  Now color me crazy, but as an Iranian I would be a bit nervous about where I live, and would be preparing myself for doom and gloom.  One look at the map, and one look at the US in 1820 and I fully understand why the Iranians are planning to defend themselves in any way they see fit.   Back in the day we Americans were quite nervous about our neighbors.  Remember, we are talking about an America still in it's birth pangs, just less than 10 years from the War of 1812 where foreign troops marched into Washington and burned the White House to the ground.  We really were still powerless to stop any foreign country, or let's say Russia and Great Britain, from grabbing territory on the North American continent.  We had little fire power on the land or the sea.  Nevertheless, Monroe declared both North and South America as off bounds to foreign incursion.  We didn't want those nasty foreigners and imperialists treading on our scared soil. I suppose the Iranians feel the same way.  It's difficult to see the other side of the coin when it comes to Iran, North Korea, and other countries that we see as "against us."  But perhaps we need to read some history and consider the rest of the world as independent of American and Western hegemony.

It was requested by someone very dear to me (cough "Xinxin" cough) that I restart my blog.  So here it is, back and better (maybe) than ever.  Hopefully someone somewhere will follow this stream of unconsciousness.

I have been reading a biography of James Monroe for the last bit and thinking how much history repeats itself.  By the way, Monroe was not Marilyn's brother, as someone said (cough "Xinxin" cough).  He was the 5th president of the United States.  Maybe one of the least known, except that lots of people might think he was related to Marilyn.  No, instead he was the last of the Virginia Quartet: Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe.  Now there was a brain trust.  Where are these guys now that we really need them.  Dead, of course. But their legacy, both good and bad, is still with us.  First, the bad parts everyone wants to blame them for, namely slavery.  What most people don't know, or wish not to know, is that slavery was quite common in the northern states.  Our friend Ben Franklin was said to own three slaves, and there is archaeological evidence right in downtown Philadelphia that many of our Founding Fathers brought their slaves with them even while writing "All Men are Created Equal."  But that's another story for another day.  The fact is that our republic was born on two opposite sides of a political coin.  On one side was the agricultural south, dependent on trade with Europe.  On the other side was the manufacturing north, much more self dependent than their cousins to the south.  Thus, you had Jefferson and Madison thinking of a nation of states with their own set of laws and relatively free of a strong central government.  On the other side, essentially controlled by Alexander Hamilton (if you don't know who he is take a look at your $10 bill), were the Federals who wished for a strong central government ruled over by a monarch-like president.  The Federal(ists) linger to this day, and in fact our government has it's stamp on every facet of our lives.  The Federalists of the late 1700s to about 1820 faded from the scene, but their concept/view of a domineering government was reborn when the Civil War erupted.  The Southern states demanded their rights as originally conceived in the Constitution.  Lincoln and the north did not see it that way, and our nation and the federal government was changed forever.  The intent of the Founders, particularly Jefferson and Madison, was a federal government with only those powers specified in the Constitution.  If it was not written in the Constitution then the states had that power.  But the Federalists saw it differently, thus the federal government obtained implied powers.  As soon as the Constitution was dry the Founders found ways to circumvent the stated powers, and again it continues to this day.  As an example just think about what happens when you go to the airport.  The 4th Amendment says, to paraphrase, no unreasonable search and seizure.  The intent was that you are innocent until there is proven guilt.  But when you enter the airport, in the name of safety, EVERYONE IS GUILTY AND SURRENDERS THEIR 4TH AMENDMENT RIGHTS.  As Franklin said, and he was paraphrasing someone else whose name escapes me, "A nation that surrenders it's rights in the name of safety deserves neither."  But we all roll over in the name of safety.  So, by the time Monroe became president in 1817 the Constitution was just a piece of paper that was ignored according to which way the wind was blowing.  Thus, when General Andrew Jackson felt like invading a foreign nation for reasons of national security (did they have weapons of mass destruction?), mostly on a whim, he did so without any ramification.  Oh, in case you don't know, the foreign nation he invaded was Spain.  Yes, it's true.  The Spanish territory he invaded and pretty much stole was what we now call...ready for this...Florida.  Yep, Florida.  Was he recalled or punished for this provocative action?  No.  Somehow he was deemed a hero and the federal government used the implied powers as a shield.  Hmm.  So does history repeat itself?  In the words of Sarah Palin "You betcha!"