The Coltons Point Times

The Super Bowl Coaches

noreply@blogger.com (Jim Putnam) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 08:25:00 +0000

Long Time Friends and Former Teammates

While much has been written about the Super Bowl I can share with you my personal experience and it concerns the two coaches of the Super Bowl gladiators. Back in the decade of the 1980's I had the pleasure of working for Tom Kean, Governor of New Jersey.

It was during that time newly opened Giants Stadium at the Meadowlands Sports complex was home to the New York Giants and Jets and the Giants, who had struggled for years to regain the stature of past teams, recruited a young New Jersey native Bill Parcells to lead the team back to greatness.

Indeed he did leading them to Super Bowl championships in 1987 and 1991 before moving on to the Dallas Cowboys and then New England Patriots. Since the Giants stadium was owned by the State of New Jerseyand the governor and designated state commissioners were on the Meadowlands Board on occasion I got to represent the governor at meetings during the first Super Bowl season.

Through this unusual opportunity I also got to meet Coach Parcells on several occasions and his assistant coaches. Over the years I became great fans of Parcells, along with two of his many successful assistant coaches Bill Belichick and Tom Coughlin.

These are the same people who are now head coaches for this year's Super Bowl teams, the New England Patriots and New York Giants. Their individual success stands as a testament to Bill Parcells and the many assistants who went on to head coaching and successful careers. All should and will be in the NFL Hall of Fame.

They once worked toward the same goals: Win a Super Bowl as an assistant coach. Become a head coach. Become a Super Bowl-winning head coach.

For Patriots coach Bill Belichick and Giants coach Tom Coughlin, those were yesterday’s dreams. Based on their successes, each has had to readjust their career objectives.

On Sunday, they will again have the same achievement in mind. However, only one will leave Indianapolissatisfied.

“He’s a good friend of mine that I’ve been with a long time,” Belichick said last week when asked about Coughlin.

For three years, from 1988 through 1990, they worked together on Coach Bill Parcells’ Giants staff. Belichick, who had been with New York since 1979, was the defensive coordinator, while Coughlin acted as the wide receivers coach on a staff that included the likes of Romeo Crennel, Charlie Weis and Al Groh.

Following a Super Bowl XXV victory over the heavily favored Bills in January 1991, each jumped to head coaching positions: Coughlin to Boston College, Belichick to the Cleveland Browns.

Twenty-one years later, they meet in the Super Bowl for the second time, branches of Parcells’ coaching tree getting tangled up once again. They first met in 2008 when Coughlin's Giants stunned the odds makers and beat the Patriots.

The three coaches will have coached in 10 Super Bowls, winning 6 after this game, a remarkable record for three members of the same Giants coaching staff.

Right now, one man sits alone among NFL head coaches in the Super Bowl era. That man is Chuck Noll, the legendary former head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers and the only NFL coach to win four Super Bowls.

Enter Bill Belichick.

Even if he loses Super Bowl XLVI and never wins another game, Belichick's legacy will still be strong. With a victory this weekend, the Patriots' coach will tie Noll with four Super Bowl wins, and, in essence, elevate himself to a status only Noll has known.
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Spirits in the Sky - Remembering Legends

noreply@blogger.com (Jim Putnam) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 07:03:00 +0000

Buddy Holly - The Day the Music Died

Pioneering rock 'n' roll musician Charles Hardin Holley, known as Buddy Holly, was born in Lubbock, Texas on September 7, 1936. He died in 1959 in a plane crash in Iowa. The youngest of four children of Lawrence and Ella (Drake) Holley, Buddy became one of the greatest legends of rock music.

His father worked as a tailor and salesman in a Lubbock clothing store, and though Lawrence did not play an instrument, he and Buddy's mom encouraged their children's musical skills.

At age five, Buddy appeared with his brothers in a talent show in the neighboring town of County Line. They won five dollars singing "Down the River of Memories." At age eleven Buddy took piano lessons, but quit after nine months. He started studying steel guitar, but eventually taught himself to play on acoustic guitar. At Hutchinson Junior High he and a friend, Bob Montgomery, formed a country music duo that later performed rock-and-roll music.

In the autumn of 1953, the duo added bass player Larry Welborn and started playing weekly on Lubbock radio station KDAV. The program was called "Sunday Party." At Lubbock High, Holly studied printing and drafting. He also worked part-time at Panhandle Steel Products. He stayed focused on his dream, however, of making his living as a musician.

In 1954 and 1955 the band made some demo records in Wichita Falls, but in 1956 Decca offered only Buddy a contract. Decca tried to turn him into a country artist. Two unsuccessful singles later, the label and Buddy parted ways.

Holly returned to Lubbock still determined to make it big in the music business. In February 1957 Holly, Welborn, who was later replaced by Joe B. Mauldin, Jerry Allison on drums, and Niki Sullivan on guitar went to the studio of an independent producer. Norman Petty's studio in Clovis, New Mexico, is where the band adopted the name the Crickets and formed its unique style. Holly's upbeat, pop sound became the transition between the raw rockabilly of Sun Records and the sophisticated pop rock music that would follow in the decades to come.

The Crickets soon signed a contract with Brunswick Records and Buddy signed a solo contract with Brunswick's Coral label. Holly's vocal style, with hiccup-like patterns, extra syllables, abrupt changes of pitch, and what one critic termed a playfully ironic, childlike quality. The Crickets first single, "That'll Be the Day," with "I'm Looking for Someone to Love" on the flip side, was released May 27, 1957. By June, it charted third on the pop charts and second on the rhythm and blues charts. It made Holly virtually an overnight success. His popularity quickly rivaled that of Elvis Presley.

Holly and his band were thought to be black by those who only heard them. In 1957, they traveled with black artists and performed at predominantly black theaters like the Apollo in New York and the Howard in Washington, D.C. The Apollo audience was indifferent at first. But on the third day there, the Crickets started with a "Bo Diddley" song which thrilled the crowd.

The band was soon on television's "American Bandstand," "The Arthur Murray Dance Party," and "The Ed Sullivan Show" and on tour with the biggest rock music acts. Holly's second solo single, "Peggy Sue," with "Everyday" on the flip side, topped out at third on the charts. The Crickets' second single, "Oh Boy!," with "Not Fade Away," sold nearly a million copies.

Guitarist Niki Sullivan quit the band, and the Crickets toured Australia, Florida, and Great Britain as a trio before a new guitarist, Tommy Allsup, joined them. Their third single, "Maybe Baby," with "Tell Me How" on side two, charted in the top 100.

In the summer of 1958 Holly met Maria Elena Santiago, a receptionist at a music company. Buddy asked her to marry him on their first dinner date that night. She accepted. The wedding was on August 15, 1958 in Lubbock.

Late 1958 brought a slow period in Holly's career. In October, he decided to move to New York City. Allison and Mauldin wanted to stay with Norman Petty in Clovis. Holly agreed to break up the Crickets and go solo. But in January 1959, Holly was accompanied on a tour by Allsup, bassist Waylon Jennings, an old Lubbock friend who became a country music star, and drummer Charlie Bunch. Promoters falsely billed them as the Crickets.

After a February 2 show in Clear Lake, Iowa, Holly and his band, along with Ritchie Valens, and J. P. (the Big Bopper) Richardson, were to take a tour bus on a 430-mile trip to Moorhead, Minnesota, but Holly chartered a plane to fly him and his band to Fargo, North Dakota, near Moorhead. Jennings and Allsup gave up their seats to Richardson and Valens.

The red Beechcraft Bonanza, named "Miss American Pie," took off from Mason City, ten miles east of Clear Lake, at around 1:50 AM on February 3, 1959. The weather was cold and snowy. The plane crashed just after taking off, eight miles from the Mason City airport. The pilot, Valens, Richardson, and Holly, who was found twenty feet from the point of impact, died.

Shortly following Holly's funeral in Lubbock, his pregnant widow, Maria, had a miscarriage. The last Buddy Holly single, "It Doesn't Matter Anymore," with "Raining in My Heart" on the reverse side, which had been released a few weeks earlier on January 5, hit the Top 100 on the day of the crash.

Holly's music was a major influence for such rock music legends as the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, the Grateful Dead, Linda Ronstadt, Bruce Springsteen, and Elvis Costello. In 1971, Don McLean released a song calling February 3, 1959, "the day the music died." The song was called "American Pie," and it became a number one hit. The following quote is just a sample of its lengthy, poignant lyrics:

A long, long time ago,
I can still remember how that music used to make me smile.
And I knew if I had my chance
That I could make those people dance,
And maybe they’d be happy for a while.
But February made me shiver
With every paper I’d deliver.
Bad news on the doorstep.
I couldn't take one more step.

I can't remember if I cried
When I read about his widowed bride.
But something touched me deep inside
The day the music died.
So, bye bye, Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levy
But the levy was dry
And them good old boys were drinkin’ whiskey and rye, singin’:
This'll be the day that I die
This'll be the day that I die.

The movie The Buddy Holly Story was released in 1978. This movie version of his life and contribution to music started a major revival of Holly's short, influential career. The city of Lubbock soon realized the financial benefits of promoting Buddy Holly's hometown as a tourist attraction.

In 1979 the city commissioned a bronze statue of Holly by sculptor Grant Speed. It was unveiled in 1980, near the Lubbock Memorial Civic Center. Lubbock later celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of Buddy Holly's birth with a concert featuring Bo Diddley and Bobby Vee.

A 1990 auction of Holly memorabilia in New York raised over $703,000. Gary Busey, who played Buddy in The Buddy Holly Story, bought his guitar for $242,000. The Hard Rock Cafe bought Holly's trademark eyeglasses for $45,100.

Bibliography: Ron Tyler, ed., The New Handbook of Texas, Vol. 3 (Austin, Texas: Texas State Historical Association, 1996) pp. 666-67. The Ultimate American Pie Website, American Pie by Don McClean. National Public Radio report on the 40th anniversary of Buddy Holly's death, February 3, 1999. Michael Bane, Who's Who in Rock (New York: Facts on File, 1981) p. 99.

The Holy Trinity of GOP Politics?

noreply@blogger.com (Jim Putnam) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 14:55:00 +0000

Not so fast Newt. I'm with Romney and you've been Trumped.

So what does the President think?

Can Corporate America Help Defend America? If They Care About America!

noreply@blogger.com (Jim Putnam) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 14:48:00 +0000

Can the incompetence of Congress, the indifference of the Obama administration and the impotency of the political parties, both Democrat and Republican, open the door for the American capitalist system to do what the others choose to neglect?

Two things are clear this election cycle. First, politicians have no intention of stopping the influx of millions and millions of corporate and union dollars into the political process through Super Pacs and all the other gimmicks that have been left untouched by our elected representatives in Washington, D.C.

In spite of the universal complaints by leaders of both parties about our broken campaign financing system, nothing is being done about it and nothing will be done about it this year because the same politicians expect to benefit from the Super Pacs.

The second thing clear this election cycle is that the news media, especially network and cable television and the vast Internet, have totally crossed the line between defending the First Amendment right to a free press and using the free press argument to distort the news media reporting.

In other words, our TV and Internet companies have dropped all pretense of being fair and balanced in their coverage and instead have become ideological piranhas whose defense of their particular liberal or conservative philosophy sees no problem in distorting stories, taking any statement out of context, and smearing anyone they don't like in an effort to destroy their career.

Like it or not the media has decided they want to manufacture your news just like the politicians want to manufacture what you should believe about government.

Congress was supposed to be a watchdog for the people to keep an eye on government.

The political parties were supposed to be the watchdog for the people to make sure political partisanship did not dominate fair government.

The news media was supposed to be the watchdog for the people to make sure the politicians and political parties were not manipulating government for their own partisan purposes.

All now have their own agenda, it is not fair and balanced, and it is entirely self-serving. Who is going to protect the people from all our toothless watchdogs?

The lesson is clear, MONEY now rules in America. The politicians, political parties and news media are hopelessly addicted to money and live to serve money. Much of the private sector is a willing partner to this national disgrace and use the politicians and parties to get what they want, that is make more money.

For example, we have all heard the Democrats and ideological news media like NBC or the NBC puppets like MSNBC use an endless stream of liberal reporters and outcast conservatives who have sold out the conservative cause to maul Mitt Romney, the only candidate for president who is neither a professional politician nor dependent on the government or media to make money.

The way every word Romney says is taken out of context and every policy is distorted by the NBC mouthpieces is ludicrous and the various NBC programs proudly interview a select gang of liberal assassins to annihilate the Republican frontrunner.

Yet the very same NBC is owned by General Electric who made $15 billion profit last year and paid not one dollar in taxes. Romney made $21 million personally and paid 15% in taxes, then gave 15% more to charitable causes.

How can he be a suspicious rich elitist in the eyes of the NBC media and many others like CNN when he pays far more in taxes than the corporate giant that owns NBC, who made $15 billion and paid NO TAXES?

Who is it that most benefits from the Obama administration and their push for "Green" environmental and energy causes while refusing to fix our ridiculous tax code that gives unconscionable tax breaks to corporate America? President Barack Obama, who made the CEO of General Electric his appointed liaison to the business community.

The statutory federal tax rate for big corporations in America is 35%, among the highest in the world. GE makes a $15 billion profit so, if the federal tax law was really the law, GE would pay $5.2 billion in taxes, 35%. Yet thanks to Congress and our benevolent president they pay NOTHING.

What does our president says about this. NOTHING. But he does say billionaire Warren Buffett's secretary pays more taxes than her billionaire boss. To be correct, she pays a higher rate but no where near as much in taxes as Buffett. If Obama compared what she pays to what his political corporate benefactor GE pays it might be a little more honest.

Now corporate America can change the way business is done in the media. It can help protect the people from the politicians, political parties and news media. There is no law that forces corporate

America

to spend advertising dollars with the very media who are trying to control the national agenda.

America, even the liberal media, are dependent on advertising dollars to keep their stranglehold on the direction of this country. Corporate

America

should use the most valuable contribution they have to make, their money, to balance the political playing field.

Stop advertising on media that distort the news. Stop patronizing networks whose agenda is undermining the principles of freedom in

AMERICA

. Stop underwriting the Internet social networks that are stealing every last freedom in

America

by trampling on citizens rights to privacy.

Corporate America is being painted as a villain by liberals because of their money, so use the money to bring fair and balanced news and reporting back to America. Stop advertising and you will stop the bitter politics, stop the lies and distortions that now dominate our political debate, and stop the hijacking of America.

Defending freedom is not just the responsibility of the people, or the military on behalf of the people. It is also the responsibility of corporate

America

who benefits from the capitalist system empowered by capitalism, which is empowered by our Constitution.

Nine Years Ago Today the Columbia Shuttle Exploded

noreply@blogger.com (Jim Putnam) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:25:00 +0000

Last Launch of Columbia 2003

From The New York Times

When the first space shuttle, Columbia, blasted off in 1981, the craft were meant by NASA to be the workhorses of a new era in space exploration. When the program came to an end in 2011, the shuttles had come to be synonymous with tragedy — the accidents that destroyed the Challenger in 1986 and Columbia in 2003 — and a great leap forward in our ability to understand the universe.

Unlike the rockets that brought astronauts to the moon, the shuttles were orbiters designed for repeated use on missions into space. Each shuttle also had the ability to carry satellites and other large payloads into space, and could transport astronauts to and from the International Space Station.

After decades of use, the shuttles had just about reached the end of their useful lives. The Bush administration announced in 2004 that it would bring the program to a close.

First Shuttle Launch 1981 - Columbia

The end came as the space shuttle Atlantis rolled to a stop just before 6 a.m. on July 21, 2011. During its 13-day mission, Atlantis had ferried 8,000 pounds of supplies and spare parts to the International Space Station; with the retirement of the shuttles, the space station will now rely on Russian, European and Japanese rockets to bring up supplies.

In all, NASA built five shuttles for space flight — Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis and Endeavour. The first flight was made by Columbia on April 12, 1981. Three of the shuttles still exist today.

Columbia Explodes Before Landing

The Challenger exploded after takeoff on its 10th mission in 1986, killing all seven astronauts on board, including a New Hampshire civilian. And the Columbia broke apart as it was reentering the atmosphere in 2003, also killing its seven astronauts. After both disasters, review panels issued scathing reports, saying that pressures to complete missions and a more general culture of complacency had led officials to underestimate risks.

End of an Era

The program leaves behind a giant question mark over the future of manned space flight, with a replacement a distant reality.
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At the direction of the Obama administration and Congress, NASA is developing a large new rocket to send deep into space. No destination has been selected, however, and money is tight. NASA is also trying to nurture a commercial industry that will loft astronauts toward the stars. But the ventures, which involve partnerships with private-sector companies like SpaceX and Boeing, focus on hardware development and so far have no declared goals beyond low orbits around the planet. The shuttles did that for decades, starting in 1981.

NASA is also counting on two commercial companies, the Space Exploration Technologies Corporation of Hawthorne, Calif., and the Orbital Sciences Corporation of Dulles, Va., to begin cargo flights in 2012.

Debbie Wasserman Schultz - She's No Sarah Palin

noreply@blogger.com (Jim Putnam) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:22:00 +0000

Obama's Democrat Mouthpiece Toes the Obama Line

If you are not a professional politician or member of the Lame Street Media then by now you must be missing the over-shadowing presence of one Sarah Palin from the daily campaign scene. No one politician has ever rattled the cages of the establishment and liberal media like Palin and it did not matter if she did or said anything. As long as she was a viable spokesperson for the Tea Party, the Momma Grizzlies or any other group of anti-establishment people, she riled the liberal media and Democrats like no one could.

By the end of the 2008 campaign the GOP lost the election but by only 7% of the vote. With Obama running against the most unpopular president in history, the economy in a shambles, America in decline, two endless wars killing our youth, millions losing jobs and millions more losing their homes, it is hard to believe Obama could not win by a landslide.

Palin was most responsible for keeping the GOP ticket in the race, a fact that will never be agreed to by the media and Democrats whose faces still turn red with hatred or envy when they think of this shotgun toting Alaska firecracker.

Well Obama must have wanted his own Sarah Palin knowing that she was the only thorn in his side during the campaign so he named his answer to Sarah, a Congressional Democrat named Debbie Wasserman Schultz from Florida.

In some ways she has seemed to parrot Sarah Palin because she has demonstrated an ability to polarize the public, to annoy the Republicans with her half baked arguments against anything relating to the GOP, and with her total disregard for Republicans, Independents and reality.

However, she is just an Obama spokesperson and no Obama spokesperson is allowed to have a mind of their own or a concern for anything non-Obama. If one were to fact check her stream of consciousness blurted out in sound bites over the liberal media every day it would take a virtual encyclopedia to correct the record. Then again, she uses the traditional political party spokesperson model of throwing truth to the wind when talking to the people. Forget the facts, just stick with the party line.

Wasserman Shultz is no Sarah Palin and her attempts to emulate the success and power of the conservative media star of the Tea Party have about as much chance of succeeding as the Obama economic recovery program.

Many a politician tried to control Palin and failed. Even the McCain campaign could not silence her and her ideas on what was wrong with America. Long after she lost the election her bitter enemies continued to try and destroy her reputation and her life but she survived attack after attack and made herself into something of a folk hero for standing up to the ruthless establishment in Washington, D.C.

Slowly the Obama party line voiced by Debbie Wasserman Schultz may just draw the real Sarah Palin back in to the presidential campaign as a counter point to the deluge of babble and we most surely could use the common sense and lightning impact of Sarah in offsetting the billion dollar re-election campaign promised by the president.

Stay tuned...

Obamaville - February 1 - Florida Primary Recap

noreply@blogger.com (Jim Putnam) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 14:32:00 +0000

GOP Candidates Take Aim at Obama Economy

The people spoke and once again the pundits are wrong. Just last week The New York Times said Newt Gingrich had a 73.3% chance of winning the Florida primary. He got buried by 14% by the Romney organization. But the real story which should be of concern to Obama's Chicago campaign team was the breakdown of the vote.

Romney strengthened his position in nearly every important demographic including women, the Tea Party, Catholics, conservatives, Latinos and others who make up the core of the Independent vote in America. Slowly but surely, as if a slumbering elephant coming back to life, the message of Mitt Romney is starting to resonate with the voters.

America's future is about jobs and strengthening the economy. It is not about excuses. It is about promises broken and policies gone wrong. It is about a regulatory assault on small business and the American economic engine. It is about a president who chooses to ignore the reality of capitalism and who pins his hopes on three years of failed social engineering.

It is about a track record of enthusiastic promises, followed by dismal results. In a word, it is about the difference when the president of the United States fails to provide leadership, even when he controlled the congress. The president blames Republicans for all his many woes yet he did nothing to change the massive problems he so successfully articulated when he controlled the House and the Senate for two years with a solid Democratic majority.

A $16 trillion national debt. A trillion dollar budget deficit every year he has been preisdent. No strengthening of Social Security or Medicare. An increase in unemployment. A recovery that has failed to restore 5 million jobs lost in the recession. Stimulus and bailouts that failed to generate economic growth. A failuire to even address the need for energy independence. A health care reform program, Obamacare, that has seen health care costs and health insurance premiums continue to soar. The collapse of the housing market and failure to address the foreclosure nightmare.

For the first time in post election speeches the three major candidates focused on the president and not each other. Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul each gave passionate and quite different attacks on the president's performance since being elected and laid out a wealth of ideas on how the president is vulnerable.

Romney won the primary handily and there is evidence the GOP is coming together in their mission to stop Obama from further damaging the America the people want to see restored. No matter how much trivia the media and White House throw at Romney and the other candidates, no matter how negative the campaign ads may get, all Republicans and about 50% of Independents are becoming united in the determination to throw out the politicians including President Obama.

The worst fear of the president is that he might have to run on his record as president. Because when it comes to domestic issues there is no record. You cannot defend doing nothing and contributing to the malaise in our nation's capitol.

Stay tuned for the next efforts of the media and Obama administration to try and divert attention from the record. The Congressional Budget Office (non-partisan) and many others keep warning us that we are far from out of the economic danger and we are doing nothing to address the long term problems facing our nation.

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Health Care in America - Where Politicians Fear to Tread

noreply@blogger.com (Jim Putnam) — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 17:10:00 +0000

The Broken American Health Care System

Do you notice something wrong with the following statistics?

Chldren 3-17 years of age ever diagnosed with ADHD: 5.2 million

Cildren now on prescription drugs to treat ADHD - 16 million

Adults with Type 2 diabetes in 2010: 25.8 million

Adults treated with Metformin HLC for diabetes: 48.3 million

Adults with chronic pain: 56 million

Adults prescribed Vicodin for chronic pain: 131.2 million

Adults with high cholesterol: 36 million

Adults prescribed Zocor for high cholesterol: 94.1 million

Adults with high blood pressure: 75 million

Adults prescribed Prinivil for high blood pressure: 87.4 million

Adults prescribed Norvasc for high blood pressure: 57.2 million

Adults prescribed Hydrodiuril for high blood pressure: 47.8 million

Adults prescribed just 3 drugs for high blood pressure: 192.4 million

We have a problem in America, a problem people and politicians do not want to hear or think about. America spends more money than any other nation on health care, far more than most nations, yet we have a mediocre health care system.

Health care costs have been rising for several years. Expenditures in the United States on health care surpassed $2.3 trillion in 2008, more than three times the $714 billion spent in 1990, and over eight times the $253 billion spent in 1980.

In 2008, U.S. health care spending was about $7,681 per resident and accounted for 16.2% of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP); this is among the highest of all industrialized countries. Total health care expenditures grew at an annual rate of 4.4 percent in 2008, a slower rate than recent years, yet still outpacing inflation and the growth in national income.

The following chart shows how much we spend on health care.

We now spend about $2.6 trillion on health care. The average cost of a family health insurance policy offered by employers was $13,375 this year, up 5% from 2008, the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Health Research & Educational Trust survey found.

So where does this spending leave us in terms of the quality of our health care system compared to the rest of the world?

Here is the ranking:

Americans spend twice as much as residents of other developed countries on healthcare, but get lower quality, less efficiency and have the least equitable system, according to a report released on Wednesday.

The United States ranked last when compared to six other countries -- Britain, Canada, Germany, Netherlands, Australia and New Zealand, the Commonwealth Fund report found.

How about in terms of developed and undeveloped nations?

France

Italy

San Marino

Andorra

Malta

Singapore

Spain

Oman

Austria

10.

Japan

11.

Norway

12.

Portugal

13.

Monaco

14.

Greece

15.

Iceland

16. Luxemburg

17.

Netherlands

18.

United Kingdom

19.

Ireland

20.

Switzerland

21.

Belgium

22. Columbia

23.

Sweden

24.

Cyprus

25.

Germany

26.

Saudi Arabia

27. U.A.E.

28.

Israel

29.

Morocco

30.

Canada

31.

Finland

32.

Australia

33.

Chile

34.

Denmark

35.

Dominica

36.

Costa Rica

37. United States

Astonishing! Our quality of health care is not even as good as nations spending ten times less per capita as we do. That is not a logical problem, or a cultural problem, it is a criminal problem that our profit driven health care industry and our corrupted political system perpetuate.

There are ways out of the mess. They will not come from Washington, D.C. however. Not when billions of dollars are being spent by the industry to protect what they own.

For the past three years and the next four years insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies, HMOs and other healthcare profiteers will spend billions in advertising and more billions in lobbying to convince us that we have the BEST healthcare system in the world. The truth is far from that claim.

That is why I am starting a series of articles on the broken American Health Care system, and what it will take to give us the quality of health care we deserve for the money we spend on health care.

Obamaville - January 31 - The Beginning of the End

noreply@blogger.com (Jim Putnam) — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 15:15:00 +0000

4 States Down - 46 To Go

With just four states having now voted and nine more months of campaigning in the 2012 presidential election what have we learned?

The lessons may fall on deaf ears but a lot has been exposed about the character and nature of this race for the White House. To really understand the significance we must first identify the motives of the voices trying to influence the election outcome.

Make no mistake, the clearest message so far has been that there may be no objective media left in America as the news services, network and cable stations and newspapers are now dominated by ideological and political dogma, not but any concern for giving us a fair and balanced report on the candidates or campaigns.

It seems as if there can be no one left in Americawho is for what is good for the nation just what is good for their favorite party or politician. Things have gotten so far from reality that so called news stations like MSNBC and CNN have condemned Romney for singing "America the Beautiful".

Last week Obama did a couple of second sound bite of a song by the Al Green , without a doubt a great gospel and soul singer, and the media wanted to put Obama on American Idol as the next king of soul.

Yesterday Romney sang an entire stanza of America the Beautiful, perhaps one of the most beloved patriotic songs in America, and he was condemned by television news media. Since when did it become bad for our political leaders to sing patriotic songs?

These must be the same voices that have been trying to rid America of the "Pledge of Allegiance", remove "In God We Trust" from all mention, and ban the Nativity scene from all public places. Next they will try to remove the words from the Constitution saying people "are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights".

Having been involved in music I can say that Romney's a cappella performance of a very difficult piece of patriotic music displayed more guts than any politician in a long while and was much closer to pitch than many performances by professional singers who have butchered the Star Spangled Banner at sports events.

So before Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski from MSNBC and Soledad O'Brien, CNN and all the other news celebrities condemn our politicians for being patriotic they should sing their own version of God Bless America or the Star Spangled Banner to thank the nation for letting them be successful.

Then there is Obama and his dog. As if the Republicans can't get in enough mischief by themselves the liberal media has served us up their version of patriotism thanks to the president's top campaign advisor, Chicago aide David Axelrod.

He took a nasty swipe at Romney who earlier said his family dog liked to ride in a kennel on the roof of the car rather than inside the car with five kids. I was in a family with a bunch of rowdy kids and I would have paid to ride on the roof away from the chaos.

But Axelrod says we don't love our dog unless we treat them like Obama and he tweeted a photo of the president and his dog Bo riding in the presidential limo. Somehow a Chicago city boy like Axelrod or Obama thinks pets belong in limos, which most Americans don't have, with the president holding them by the neck.

That might be the problem with America. Our leaders want to keep dogs locked in a limo with their hands around their neck. The same way they want to control people. All my dogs loved freedom and would have bit anyone strangling them for a photo op. Given a choice, I can't imagine a dog that would rather be strangled in a limo than in the back of a pick up or even in a cage if they are a hunting dog on the way to the fields for they live for the freedom, not for confinement.

Enough for the silliness brought to you by the news media. Long ago we learned not to seek the news from the news people.

The campaign got rather nasty but no true American ever ran from a fight. Before Florida the media said Romney did not defend himself, now they say he was too aggressive. The people voting will tell us what they thought.

One thing the media really forgot is how Florida is the microcosm of America. There is no other state more representative of Americathan the Gator state. Southern Florida is more like New York or New Jersey than many places in New York thanks to the many retired Yankees. Northern Floridais more southern. The Hispanic vote is equally split with Cubans south and Puerto Ricans north.

There are eight very different television markets, it is the fourth largest state, it has nearly double digit unemployment, leads the nation in foreclosures and exemplifies the nation in religious diversification. There are more seniors, more rich and more poor than most places.

Tourism is huge, environmental issues are crucial, the space program is essential, and of course it is the entertainment capital of the country. In politics we have elected officials ranging from the most conservative to liberal, from Marco Rubio, US Senator and GOP Vice Presidential favorite, to Debbie Wasserman Schultz, mouthpiece for Obama and the liberal Democratic party.

In fact, Florida is so diverse that the New York Yankees have spring training camp there and the Miami Heat rule the NBA press machine with a team built around a Cleveland native, Lebron James. If that isn't enough, Florida has everything from the super rich in South Beach to the alligators of the Everglades.

I say the media should just sit back and report the news and let the Americans of Florida make the news. History will always teach us that when the media and politics fail we always can count on the people to show us the way to the light. Just give the public the chance to make sense of the election and they will. That is the power and strength of America.

Obamaville - January 30 - Florida Primary Eve

noreply@blogger.com (Jim Putnam) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 22:19:00 +0000

Any Surprises Tomorrow?

In a word, no. Romney, as expected before the media driven Gingrich surge, has equaled his surge in the polls with a retreat about as dramatic. In the process he has left a lot of people perplexed.

The volatile Republican candidate who wants to take on our Democratic President, in which there would have been a clash of wills over who is the most intelligent, most knowing and most scholarly, has fallen by the wayside in spite of media efforts to prop up his flailing campaign.

The problem is Newt can never live up to his exaggerated opinion of himself. The second problem is he might be a senior member of the establishment, but it was an establishment that lost control long ago.

While the media wants him to remain in the race to rip Mitt Romney apart and leave Romney vulnerable to the expected billion dollar attack by the president this fall, I believe the media, Obama and his Chicago gang are way out of touch with the public.

Newt's petulant and insolent attacks on Romney just make Newt look smaller and smaller in the eyes of the public. He shows no signs of being interested in what the public wants, only satisfying his raging animosity toward a candidate who is simply walloping the schoolyard bully.

Revenge, anger, and jealously are hardly becoming a GOP candidate for president and the more he sho9ws his true colors the faster his fall from grace in the eyes of the public.

As for Romney, he is getting a Harvard education in the primary because as soon as he wins the nomination, the Harvard president will try the same tactics only then Romney will have the experience and class to keep the election focused on the economy.

Barack Obama, through his mouthpieces in the media and campaign, is doing everything possible to encourage Gingrich because the biggest obstacle to his re-election is not Romney, it is the truth. This president has failed to address high unemployment, his $1.3 trillion a year deficit, and his ballooning nearly $16 trillion national debt.

As a result, there is no growth in the economy and no way health care costs can be controlled, Social Security can be saved, and Medicare can be protected. We are in a whale of trouble is the president is not held responsible for what he didn't do, and what he shows no signs of wanting to address in the immediate future.

ObamaCare does nothing to reduce health care or health insurance costs, and most certainly will not make Americans healthier. Just tell us the truth, that the problem is greater than they thought and is not being addressed.

The same with the unemployment, deficit and debt. We are not over the recession, but we could be, if the White House would admit they failed with social engineering to solve our problems and now must listen to the people who want less government, less regulation and most certainly a lot less hot air from our nation's capitol.

There is nothing wrong with admitting we still have a problem. Honesty is always better than cover ups, misinformation and distortion. We have had three years of intellectual thought. We need solutions, not theories. We need a will to take on the problems, not ignore them. We need foresight to tackle issues like Social Security and Medicare reform, not act as if they will take care of themselves.

Right now Romney is the only candidate relentlessly pursuing an agenda of the concerns of the people. Yes, he must deviate for a short time to secure the primary nomination and if that means to defeat Gingrich then so be it. But rest assured he will focus on the issues, the national issues, and that is the president's Achilles heel.

Now as I mentioned before, at this time the last campaign Obama and Hillary were in a brutal battle over the attempts (according to Obama) by Bill Clinton to use the race issue to defeat Obama. Now that sounds a lot meaner than today when Romney's tax returns showing $3 million in taxes paid and $3 million in charitable contributions seems to be the big concern?

Need I remind us all that maybe we need a president that can't be bought. Maybe we need a president who spends his time on the people's business instead of campaign fundraising. Maybe we need hope and change. Maybe we can get it this time.

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The Moon over Mihammi, Florida that is...

noreply@blogger.com (Jim Putnam) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 13:13:00 +0000

For someone who spent his entire lifetime as a Reagan Republican Newt Gingrich has some views of the world, or is it universe, that don't seem to follow the Reagan doctrine. During the Florida primary campaign he has spent a good deal of time talking about his promise of the day, what used to be called pork barrel, in which you promise something to the voters of every place you go.

In the last campaign Barack Obama made about 546 such promises, most of which have now been deferred until a second term. Newt has a habit of doing the same whether it is new shipping ports, highways, cleaning up the Florida Everglades, or whatever. In fact during the last debate Mitt Romney rattled Newt by asking him how he could be making all these promises when he knows the nation must cut spending radically.

But in recent days and during the debate Newt hit a new pinnacle of promises in an effort to win over the NASA Space community, which has a huge presence in Florida. Since our current president has virtually abandoned the space program and we now have to hitch a ride with the Russians to the International Space station, NASA is in trouble.

Newt's promise is totally John F. Kennedyish and beyond. For those of you not familiar with modern history when Kennedy was sworn in he promised to land a man on the moon before the end of the decade. Since we had barely got a man into Earth orbit at the time it was a bold promise but fulfilled when Neil Armstrong landed on the moon in 1969.

Never one to miss a chance to one up history, Gingrich promised Florida he would build a space colony on the moon and 13,000 people would live there. And he promised to have it built by the end of his second term. Now Kennedy promised one man in a decade, Newt 13,000 in eight years.

Of course there are a few problems like we don't even have a way to get one person to the moon since the Space shuttle program was scrapped by Obama. It would take years just to have a new shuttle, let alone the vast fleet of shuttles to move a city and 13,000 people to the moon. Not to mention the trillions and trillions of dollars involved when we are nearing $16 trillion in debt today.

Newt has grandiose visions, but this one might be, well, out of this world. Still, you have to acknowledge that Newt has done his best to give us all something to think about, and that is sharing a colony on the moon with the other aliens of the universe.

Jon Stewart, on The Daily Show immediately after the debate had the crowd rolling with the image of Newt Moon Face you see in this story and his proposal to make Ron Paul a cabinet member moon minister.

Ron Paul might have had the best answer to Newt's dream. His response, I don't know about a moon colony but I know a lot of politicians I'd like to send there. Add Mr. Moon and his moon colony to the entertainment we have experienced in this political season.

Obamaville - January 26 - The Last Florida GOP Debate Recap

noreply@blogger.com (Jim Putnam) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 11:14:00 +0000

Thursday President Obama took off on a five state junket stretching from coast to coast. It was his government financed non-campaign trip to critical campaign swing states in an effort to sell his non-campaign State of the Union message where he laid out his election campaign platform. Duh???

Anyway, he's out of town so the Republicans held their 18th debate of this early primary season. Don't forget, there are still 46 more states to decide. I, for one, think we have reached the point of intellectual saturation and constipation from this many debates. Doesn't the media have anything else to do? Why aren't they covering some hard news instead of trying to manufacture political news?

Maybe half a dozen would have been tolerable by this point, but one and a half dozen seems like gross over-kill. They may serve a psychological purpose in giving that good old liberal lame street media a chance to dig deeper and deeper in trying to find weaknesses in the GOP field, and they burn up GOP financial resources thus saving Obama campaign money.

But Obama is going to have a billion campaign dollars to spend! That is like a federal stimulus program. Only two presidential campaigns in history have cost more than $270 million and they were both his, which just proves the point we are getting the best politician money can buy. He will spend $1.8 billion in two elections to win a job that only pays $400,000 a year, or $3.2 million over 8 years.

As for the Republican debate that took place.

There were two winners in the last Republican debate before the Florida primary Thursday night. First was Marco Rubio, the rising Republican star Senator from Florida as both front runners, Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich, said they are considering him a leading candidate for a higher position than cabinet if they win the nomination.

Now the only job higher than the president's cabinet is vice president, so there is a very good chance the Republicans will be the first political party in American history to nominate a Hispanic for vice president. A background story I did on Marco Rubio a couple of years ago follows this story.

The second winner was Romney who clearly won the debate even though Gingrich and Santorum gave him plenty of jabs. He countered their attacks, stood his ground, and firmly and decisively controlled the outcome.

Of course he has a few more answers and positions he needs to fine tune before he takes on Obama in September but he made a giant step forward in fulfilling the uncomfortable role of aggressor in the debate.

More important, he began drawing sharp contrasts with Obama on the issues Obama cannot defend like his handling of the economy, jobs, health care, housing and energy. After three years in office the president has little to show and a lot to promise.

Ron Paul was much sharper this debate although the moderators continue to ignore him much of the time, especially when follow up comments are given. Still, his jokes kept thing from getting too intense and when Wolf Blitzer, the CNN moderator, pressed him about the problem if he was elected that he would be the oldest president in history, Paul shot back, be careful with your question, we passed an age discrimination law in America and you are close to it, to the laughter of the crowd.

When asked about his medical condition he replied he was healthy enough to challenge anyone on stage to a 25 mile bike ride across the Texas desert. There was much more laughter.

Rick Santorum gave his best and most passionate but his responses were too complicated for viewers, at least me, to understand while others flat out disagreed with the typical person watching the debate. Though it was his best effort, one could sense that his hopes for winning this time are rapidly fading and he is turning his attention to laying the groundwork for a 2016 campaign.

Ron Paul has clearly won the admiration and respect of Romney and Gingrich. As Paul continues to attract youth and Independents, he becomes a potential crucial ally to the GOP winner because Paul can keep votes away from Obama.

Since Ron Paul really has no illusion about winning the presidency and is committed to building popular support for his agenda for America, he will be a winner. People are hearing and believing in his message of eliminating debts, deficits, wars and foreign aid. His individual freedom and fear of a massive central government bureaucracy, which is pretty much what we've got, are resonating with about 20% of the voters across both party lines and with Independent.

Newt Gingrich seemed almost asleep on stage. Gone were the rapier slashes and sharp barbs. Last debate NBC silenced the crowd and Gingrich just doesn't make it with his one liners when there is no response from the crowd. There were no excuses in this last debate, CNN allowed the crowd to respond. It was far more entertaining, interesting and informative than the clinical and sterile exercise NBC gave us last week.

Yet the master debater and historian seemed stunned by Romney's attacks and counter attacks and never got into a grove with the audience. If he was slipping in the polls before the debate he stumbled in this chance to recover.

All four candidates managed to get in some good discussion about President Obama and his failed policies and to identify a far different approach to government they supported.

Mitt Romney was far more at ease in this debate than previous ones and this time the attacks inspired him as his responses and counter attacks were pretty much effective. In the end he was the clear winner no manner what those radical socialist liberal and radical right wing conservative commentators on network and cable news say.

Now it is a long ways to the Republican National Convention in August and to the 1,144 delegates the winner needs at the convention so a lot could happen. The news media also seems to forget that by the end of the Florida primary next Tuesday we will have only heard from 4 out of 50 states.

The following is a reprint of my earlier story introducing Marco Rubio to my readers. You should learn about this young man and his family because he may play a big role in the future of the nation.

Wednesday, November 03, 2010

Rising GOP Stars - Marco Rubio, Cuban American Tea Party Patriot

Highly regarded for his principled, energetic and idea-driven leadership, Marco Rubio won a three way battle for U.S. Senate fighting off numerous trips by Obama and leading Democrats and efforts to split the GOP vote in 2010. His humble and honest acceptance speech after the victory was one of the highlights of all speeches by candidates. Take a moment to listen to this 39 year old rising star.

In 1971, Marco was born in Miami to Cuban-born parents who came to America following Fidel Castro’s takeover. When he was eight years old, Rubio and his family moved to Las Vegas, Nevada where his father worked as a bartender at the Sams Town Hotel and his mother as a housekeeper at the Imperial Palace Hotel. In 1985, the family returned to Miami where his father continued working as a bartender at the Mayfair House Hotel until 1997. Thereafter he worked as a school crossing guard until his retirement in 2005. His mother worked as a Kmart stock clerk until she retired in 1995.

Rubio attended South Miami Senior High School, graduating in 1989. He attended Tarkio College in Missouri for one year on a football scholarship before transferring to Santa Fe Community College and then graduating in 1993 with a bachelor of science from the University of Florida. He continued his studies at the University of Miami where he earned his juris doctor, cum laude, in 1996.

From 2000-2008, Rubio served in the Florida House of Representatives. During this period, he served as Majority Whip, Majority Leader and Speaker of the House, effectively promoting an agenda of lower taxes, better schools, a leaner and more efficient government and free market empowerment. Rubio also helped spearhead Florida’s congressional and legislative redistricting effort. He chaired the House Select Committee on Property Rights, which crafted national model legislation to protect private property rights following the U.S. Supreme Court’s Kelo v. City of New London decision that opened the door for eminent domain abuse.

During the two years prior to assuming the speakership, Rubio traveled around the state hosting “Idearaisers” to solicit Floridians’ input on ways to strengthen Florida. The 100 best ideas were compiled into a book entitled “100 Innovative Ideas for Florida’s Future” which served as the basis for his term. All 100 ideas were passed by the Florida House. Fifty-seven of these ideas ultimately became law, including measures to crack down on gangs and sexual predators, promote energy efficient buildings, appliances and vehicles, and help small businesses obtain affordable health coverage. Former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich hailed the effort as “a work of genius.”

In addition to these ideas, Rubio championed a major overhaul of the Florida tax system that would have eliminated all property taxes on primary residences in favor of a flat consumption tax. The effort garnered national attention, with Grover Norquist, president of the fiscally conservative Americans for Tax Reform, praising Rubio as “the most pro-taxpayer legislative leader in the country.”

During his legislative career, Rubio also promoted efforts to develop a world-class public school curriculum, increase performance-based accountability, enhance school choice and target the socio-economic factors affecting chronic academic underperformance. He is also widely credited for blocking the expansion of gambling in Florida and shepherding the passage of historic energy legislation based on market incentives rather than government-imposed mandates.

Since the end of his tenure as Speaker, Rubio has resumed his law practice as a sole practitioner. He has also served as a visiting professor at Florida International University’s Metropolitan Center, worked as Florida Chairman of GOPAC and as a political analyst for Univision during the 2008 election cycle.

He has also continued his community and civic involvement, serving on the boards of the Latin Builders Association and Alafit International, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting global literacy. He also remains engaged in the West Miami community where he served as a city commissioner prior to being elected to the state house.

Rubio and his wife, Jeanette Dousdebes Rubio, have been married since 1998. They are the parents of four children: Amanda, Daniella, Anthony, and Dominic. They currently live in the working class city of West Miami, just four blocks from the home his parents moved the family to in 1985.
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North America for Americans - Friends and Neighbors

noreply@blogger.com (Jim Putnam) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 14:56:00 +0000

The United States, Mexico and Canada - 500 Years of Shared History

Nearly three and a half years ago I wrote an article calling for a North American for Americans that outlined a program to unify the United States, Canada and Mexico through a comprehensive treaty to share and protect each other in the areas of energy independence, human rights, economic collaboration, agriculture production and safety and justice for our citizens.

Since our discovery 520 years ago the three North neighbors have grown up and evolved in ways that will forever keep us tied together culturally, economically, politically and from a national security standpoint.

We have thousands of miles of common borders and millions of people have moved back and forth between these three nations. In spite of our differences, there is much that binds us together. Yet these closest and most consistent of allies have never embraced a policy that can serve the benefit of all three neighbors.

Our problems are common from economic stability to natural resource management, from national security to energy independence. If we shared resources there are numerous ways the three could benefit from the relationship.

Even our national priorities are similar. We all seek energy independence, security for our citizens, quality health care, better education, improved human rights, freedom to achieve success without financial or cultural discrimination, and the ability to pursue an American Dream.

We complement each other in ways we seldom appreciate. Canada has excess oil and we have excess natural gas. Mexico has oil but needs better health care, education and economic development. All three have abundant natural resources and the ability to share those resources and make all of us independent in a variety of ways.

Our problems are often ignored by politicians but obvious to compassionate citizens. Since I wrote the article nearly 45,000 innocent Mexican citizens have been brutally murdered in drug wars along the border with the USA. They were caught in the crossfire of criminal elements intent on controlling the huge illegal drug trade in the United States.

For some odd reason the number of Mexican deaths seems to have been ignored by the American media and politicians. So let us put it in perspective. Our total military deaths in Iraq, 1,887, and Afghanistan, 4,484, is 6,341 over the past decade. In less than half that time SEVEN TIMES as many Mexicans, 45,000, have been killed in a war for control of our southern border. Included are men, women and children, not soldiers.

We should be ashamed of such a travesty taking place under our very noses. Of course there is corruption in Mexico, just like on Wall Street and in Washington, DC. America is founded on the principle that crime does not pay and criminals should be hunted down and locked up. Why do we turn a deaf ear to the American crime that has settled just across the border to avoid the reach of our laws?

Immigration, or illegal immigration is another common problem between neighbors. If we helped Mexico develop an economic development program that provided fair wages and benefits to Mexican workers, there would be no need for them to cross the border illegally to seek a better life in America.

Much of the economic pressure on America comes from foreign dependence on oil and the price manipulation of crude oil and gas in world commodity markets. While we have reduced oil dependence to about 50%, largely because of the reduced use of gasoline in America due to the recession and economic instability, we still import 50% too much.

If congress and the president had the guts we could be energy independent already as the combined oil and natural gas resources of the US, Canada and Mexico are more than sufficient to meet all our energy needs for now and the future.

Obama blocked off shore drilling, has not supported natural gas development, and rejected the Keystone pipeline from Canada, three ill-advised moves that have undermined the hopes for US energy independence. It is time to get real. Our economy and our high standard of living, the envy of most nations, depends on abundant energy at reasonable prices. We have neither.

Our first economic concern should be energy independence from foreign control and manipulation. There must be an American strategy that includes our neighbors to the north and south, Canada and Mexico. Between the three (USA, Canada and Mexico) we have more than enough reserves of oil, natural gas and alternative energy capacity to meet our needs forever.

Between the three we have the technical skills, exploration capacity, financial resources and the spirit of freedom needed to create our own cartel to meet our future needs, to control inflation which is now driven by oil prices, to offset problems in one area (hurricanes) with increased production in another area (Canadian shale reserves), and to finally gain independence from foreign manipulation.

There should be no more Dubai's financed with the blood money from American consumers. In the future the horrendous transfer of wealth from the Americas to Arab and other nations including hostile energy producing nations, must stop, keep the massive wealth in America.

If the United States, Mexico and Canada decided our shared interests were far more important than our differences, that our heritages are bound together through generations, that our borders touch and that if the citizens of all three countries had good homes, good health and good jobs, there would be no need for illegal immigration, then we could all live in peace and harmony.

Well the money we wasted buying inflated oil could have accomplished just that and isn't it about time we used that money to do some good for the Americas? Stop pointing fingers and building walls and work together. Mexico and Canada have incredible oil and natural gas reserves like the United States. We all have a need and desire to help each other grow. And we sure don't need the rest of the world to interfere.

Years ago when we passed NAFTA our biggest mistake was not that it went too far, it didn't go far enough. Oh we moved jobs to Mexico and US manufacturers saved money, but at what cost? We didn't protect the workers down there like we protect them here. We didn't make sure the people of Mexico got a better standard of living, decent homes, food and housing and a better education for their children.

Maybe it is time we stepped back and did it right. Maybe we need an agreement based on a shared interest in creating energy independence for all three nations. One that assures that excess profits are invested in the people, in their standard of living and quality of life. Maybe we should stop glamorizing the excesses like the development of Dubai and start focusing on the real world which is the people living in our three countries in substandard conditions with inferior education and jobs in the wrong place.

Do our politicians acknowledge that gasoline prices have doubled since Obama was elected? Because of that our recession has been exasperated. How about the fact the American public knows what to do and have reduced the use of gas dramatically so they can afford to survive. We have seen the greatest decline in gas usage in history?

Do our politicians know while they spit out ideas like machine gun bullets and fail to take any action on anything, the people have said enough is enough and stopped driving so much, turned down the thermostats, got rid of the gas guzzlers, and reduced the amount of travel and entertainment?

Something is terribly wrong with the system. All the nuclear reactors in the world and all the alternative energy in the world will not overcome corruption in the marketplace, unfair business actions, malicious price manipulation of the futures market, and the evil intentions of oil speculators. Still the price of gasoline continues to rise.

Nuclear reactors, contrary to the vast experience of McCain, are still dangerous. Three Mile Island and Chernobyl were not jokes nor movies, they were real. I was at TMI for the multi-billion dollar clean up of that "harmless" accident. If $5-7 billion is harmless what is the world coming to? As for Chernobyl, I met the kids that were victims of radiation poisoning, the kids that must remain in the hot zone for life because they can contaminate other people. Of course a full life for many of them was about 10-12 years.

Of the radiation that was released by Chernobyl, over 70% fell onto the population of Belarus resulting in 800,000 children in Belarus and 380,000 in the Ukraine being at a high risk of contracting cancer or leukemia. It will be another 24,000 years before the land is safe and the children no longer suffer.

Since the disaster there has also been an increase of 800% in the incidence of cancers in children living near to the reactor plus there has been a dramatic increase in the rate of babies born with substantial physical disabilities. Babies born limbless, deformed and with severe brain damage.

Chernobyl Children’s Lifeline and other groups in Britain help deprived children living in heavily contaminated areas affected by the Chernobyl disaster (primarily Belarus and Ukraine) by bringing them to the UK for a month-long respite holiday where they benefit from, among other things, clean air, good nutrition, physical safety and an environment free of radioactive contamination. I met the kids in Scotland. Is was estimated the month long holiday extended the lives of the children up to a year.

There is an accident in the Ukraine, in Eastern Europe, and sheep die a thousand miles away in Scotland. Land from nuclear testing over the years is a dead zone for hundreds of years. Nuclear waste at our nuclear plants sit stored at the plants, vulnerable to terrorist attack, because congress cannot get a nuclear disposal facility built. When a nuclear plant wears out, and they do just like everything else, the plant must be decommissioned and that cost is now more than the cost of building the plant in the first place. Nuclear has a role but must be used with great caution.

On the other hand, there are known reserves of oil and gas in North America sufficient to meet the our needs for 300 more years. We are not running out of oil tomorrow. The price manipulation of oil has nothing to do with the supply and demand, the normal supply and demand. Off shore drilling, even the very limited Alaskan drilling, can only help us be more independent. But we need refinery capacity to make the various types of gas and oil we need if we get the crude locally.

Together the three nations should develop and implement a long term North American Energy Independence plan that makes all known and unknown reserves available to the producers including the Gulf, Atlantic and Pacific deep water reserves, the limited areas in Alaska that should be developed, and the many other known reserves in the countries.

As new territory is made available for drilling refining capacity must be expanded in the Americas to produce the products we need. There must be substantial incentives for alternative energy efforts but we must not be so foolish as to think alternative energy can meet much of our current and future energy needs.

Significant savings can be generated by energy conservation programs. For example, energy savings of 50% or more can be made in our older housing stock. Multiply that by a few hundred thousand homes and a real dent in energy demand can be realized.

A meaningful partnership is needed between the three bordering nations, the energy companies in those nations, the conservation and alternative fuel companies in those nations, and the building code enforcement authorities in those nations. Such a partnership will protect and create jobs, stop foreign trade deficits, stop the transfer of wealth to Arab nations, and stop the out of control oil and gas prices.

Beyond that an economic partnership can raise the living standard in Mexico, end illegal immigration to the USA, ensure long term economic development in Canada, and provide the citizens of all three countries with better education, food, housing and security. Such a partnership can also end the senseless killing of tens of thousands of innocent Mexicans caught in the crossfire of America's drug war.

Isn't it worth the effort to make this happen? Won't this prove to the world that America is not only our brother's keeper but partner as well. Don't you think our closest neighbors and long term partners who helped build America should share in the goodness and glory of America? Together we have a chance to change history.

Obamaville January 25 - The State of the Union

noreply@blogger.com (Jim Putnam) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 15:52:00 +0000

No Debt or Deficit?

President Obama finally took the spotlight from the Republican debates with his third State of the Union address to the nation last night. Once again he proved that he is a master of the teleprompter and his Harvard delivery is intact.

Our often time ethereal president softened his political attacks for the moment and changed his rhetoric about the decline and fall of our empire. Seems his aides have finally figured out Jimmy Carter negativism does not help one get re-elected.

On the other hand, the vision he outlined for America was not real clear. One thing about politics and politicians, there is a fine line between working up a head of steam and being lost in a fog. On the surface they look almost the same but in truth they are opposites. It is often hard to determine which role Obama plays.

As I predicted, his economic plan was based on the Buffett principle, not proven economic strategies or techniques. I was a little disappointed Obama had Warren Buffett's secretary in the President's box and not Warren Buffett himself but rumor has it he was busy playing his ukulele in China.

After three years in office and with little to say in terms of accomplishments on the issues of most concern to Americans, like protecting Social Security and Medicare, slashing the $15 trillion national debt, cutting the trillion dollar annual deficit, or reducing the high unemployment rate, one must embrace the ethereal to avoid the real.

There were no new or even old proposals to address any of these issues but he did offer an unusual assessment of how he had turned around all our economic problems in what must be some Harvard Business School secret code because I did not understand it. Obama said:

"In the six months before I took office, we lost nearly four million jobs. And we lost another four million before our policies were in full effect.

Those are the facts. But so are these. In the last 22 months, businesses have created more than three million jobs."

Now I realize my handicap in being from the Midwest yet I still have not figured out how losing 8 million jobs as he said, then gaining 3 million jobs as he said, which leaves us 5 million short of where we started, is a sign we have recovered from our economic problems.

He also offered some curious proposal on how he would help the millions of people who are in housing foreclose because they could not afford what they bought because of fraud in the first place, or they lost their jobs. Some unfortunate folks have lived in homes up to two years or more without making payments.

Rather than help them move to homes they can afford, he wants Uncle Sugar to pay billions of dollars to keep them in the homes they can't afford. Well, that means those that have made their payments and met their obligations will have to fork over even more money to subsidize those living beyond their means.

I thought the people subsidizing those who lived beyond their means was a discussion of the difference between taxpayers and politicians like the president and congress. So I guess since we have done such a good job of subsidizing the runaway national debt of our politicians we now must pay off the mortgages for those who can't afford the homes to begin with. I think these are the types of proposals that cause polarization.

One thing did change in his speech. He used to define the rich at first as those making $200,000 a year, then $250,000 a year, then $1 million a year, and now it is not clear if he says the enemy are millionaires or billionaires. We only know it is not Warren Buffett's secretary.

The fuzzy math of the White House policy was apparent also in terms of defense spending and cuts. In his speech he said:

"That's why, working with our military leaders, I have proposed a new defense strategy that ensures we maintain the finest military in the world, while saving nearly half a trillion dollars in our budget."

And he said:

"Take the money we're no longer spending at war, use half of it to pay down our debt, and use the rest to do some nation-building right here at home."

Now that sounds great but does it really mean what he said? The failure of Congress to pass any kind of deficit reduction plan last November automatically triggered a forced budget reduction calling for cutting $1.2 trillion over the next ten years, 2013 through 2022. Of that, about $492 billion must come from the defense department.

Wait, Obama said he and his generals worked out a half a trillion dollars in defense savings. What he forgot to say was he had no choice. The failure of congress and the president to pass a budget or address the deficit and debt automatically triggered the cuts, no matter what Obama and the generals had to say about it.

That is not all. The Obama deficit is now running over $1.3 trillion a year. Our total defense budget is about $1 trillion a year. Does that mean we are cutting 50% of our defense budget to lower the deficit, as he seems to suggest in the speech, without sacrificing our defense capability? That would be great but is not true.

The half a trillion in defense cuts he proudly exclaimed are over ten years, not one. That means a cut of $50 billion a year in defense, not half a trillion. But even that is based on a foundation of quicksand. What it really means is the government will reduce future increases in defense spending by $50 billion a year so our actual defense budget will go up while we are cutting half a trillion dollars.

Remember, he also said half of the cuts will go to reduce the deficit. That means $25 billion a year will go to deficit or budget reductions. Our annual deficit is now $1.3 trillion. It does not even make a small dent in the annual deficit. More than that, we still have the national debt of $15 trillion. Did he forget what got us into this mess in the first place?

If that is modern math Pythagoras would be turning over in his grave and declaring it is time for an end to the American Empire because we are so caught up in our falsehoods, misrepresentations and distortions we can no longer tell the difference between having a head of steam or being lost in the fog.

Rome burned while Nero fiddled. Let's hope Obama doesn't take up the ukulele like Buffett and pluck away while America goes up in flames.

Will someone out there please help the people strengthen Social Security and Medicare, reduce the national debt, cut the annual budget deficit, get people back to work, and then get out of our lives thank you very much.

Obamaville January 24 - The Millionaire's Club

noreply@blogger.com (Jim Putnam) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 22:55:00 +0000

With the President about to come on television and give his State of the Union address tonight I need to get a few thoughts on paper regarding the presidential c ampaign.

Last night we had the 18th out of what seems like 40-50 potential debates between the GOP candidates and if nothing else, it was quiet by comparison to the others. What a change when the normally rowdy audience has to be quiet. It was like March Madness without cheerleaders. Eerie...

In the last 24 hours Gingrich released his contract with Fannie Mae and Romney released his taxes for two years. Considering the massive hype by the media in demanding the information, most analysts had no clue how to analyze the information. How could they, they didn't know anyone but Buffett could make that many millions a year.

It seems it took about 400 pages for the Romney taxes to get done under the existing tax laws and the jealously among liberal pundits was obvious. After reviewing the material all day they are still distorting the information, twisting the facts and mangling the analysis.

Of course that is minor compared to the outright lies by Democratic spokespeople but lies have become institutionalized under the current Administration. So let me just ask this because I think Obama is a nice guy but ill-prepared to be president, and that is after three years on the job.

Why is it nearly every single Obama economic policy staff member he brought into his Administration is gone, disappeared, silenced? Why is it the only economic mouth piece for the president are political hacks from the campaign, and not an economist from the White House Council of Economic Advisors? And why is a multi-zillionaire from Omaha the only economist the president mentions?

Now I like Buffett and I lived in Omaha but he doesn't work for the president, he seldom talks to the president, and even he must be wondering after three years what in the heck is the kid doing in the White House?

About the Romney return, he may not be Buffett but he is definitely the richest candidate for president since John F. Kennedy and I am delighted we finally have a candidate for president who can't be bought because he has all the money he needs.

Obama, the Democrats and even the Republicans have been talking about the need for tax reform. So why has nothing been done for the last three years? As I recall, Obama and the Democrats had veto proof majorities the first two years, and controlled the White House and Senate all three years. So what is the problem? Probably the same problem as the fact the Democratic controlled Senate has not passed a federal budget for over 1000 days, sheer lunacy in these trying times.

Romney paid about $3 million in taxes and gave $3 million in charitable contributions in 2010, and did about the same in 2011. Like I said in an earlier article, he gave more to charity than all the other candidates and Obama combined. Virtually all his income came from investments, was not earned income under tax laws, so it was taxed at 15%. There is nothing in his return to raise any questions, only jealously from political and media pundits.

I would think the American dream would be for anyone to have been so successful in business that they make $21 million a year from investments, investments in many other companies in our country. Still, the Democrats will condemn it. For some reason "making it" in America is a bad thing.

As for Gingrich he may have more to explain than his super rich opponent. Newt made well over $1 million with a consulting contract with Freddie Mac, the agency behind the collapse of the housing market. While Freddie was driving more people into foreclosure than any time in our history to the tune of hundreds of billions of dollars in tax losses, Gingrich was walking away with over $1 million.

Now I agree with Obama on one thing, only the super rich can tell us how to fix the tax code. Obama has Buffett and I have Romney. The question we must ask is do you want someone outside the government making these monumental decisions like Buffett, or do you want someone in the presidency who has the knowledge and experience and works for the people of the United States?

Solar Storm Update - Prepare Yourself

noreply@blogger.com (Jim Putnam) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 15:50:00 +0000

Since I started writing the Coltons Point Times in 2006 I have tried to warn readers of the threats from Mother Nature that could upset the planet in devestating ways. These articles ranged from super volcanoes to earthquakes, sun storms to floods, tornadoes to hurricanes.

With the exception of the super volcano articles nothing has the potential for more mass destruction than solar flares from sun storms and we are now in the beginning of the worst storms in our history. The media has chosen to ignore these threats over the years though back in 2006 NASA predicted 2012 would shatter records for solar activity.

The beginning of the worst solar season we have ever seen started just yesterday, January 23 with a massive eruption on the sun. Let me again point out this is just a precursor to what can be expected to increase in intensity throughout 2012 and peak at year's end, about the same time the Mayan End Times prophecy takes place, December 21, 2012.

While the End Times may not happen, the solar storms are very real and you need to know what to expect. The following is a very good report fom the website solarstormwarning.com that has been following these developments and has some pretty sobering news about the potential. Do not take this lightly.

NASA ISSUES NEW WARNING TELLING US TO PREPARE FOR A ONCE IN A LIFETIME SOLAR STORM

http://solarstormwarning.com/

Award winning astrophysicist Alexia Demetria says our solar system
is entering an interstellar energy cloud that will soon bring global catastrophe

Update: 12-15-2011. With well over a half million visitors 'per-hour' to this website now, you most likely have heard about NASA warning the public, "to get ready for a once in a life time solar event". But since we first published this update back in early 2010, a lot more information has since unfolded. Soon we will add some additional NASA footage here that is very troubling, that gives cause to exactly why NASA is so concerned.

Additionally we have been inundated by email asking us about other pending issues expected in 2012-2013. IE: Meteorite storm, sudden pole shift, Nibiru (aka planet-x), extreme weather, earthquakes, volcanic activity and the oceans of the world sweeping across the continuants of the world resulting from a sudden pole shift.

All we can say is that there is so much conflicting data out there, that it's hard to know what to believe. But no doubt that 2011 smashed all modern world records when it comes to the most natural disasters in a single year, breaking some three thousand records. That alone says something. Should this trend escalate greatly 2012, mankind will have to start taking the 2011, 2012 warning signs very seriously.

Though we publish a Solar Storm Survival Guide, we have delayed it's release in updating it to better cover other possible world calamities. There is no need to panic. Simply prepare yourself as best as you can, and hopefully nothing serious will happen. But in case something does, you will have a head start in being prepared. We must keep in mind that should any one or more of these events actually happen, each and everyone of us will have no choice but to fend for our own food and water as well as protection from the elements and would be predators for months, possibly for years to come. If you are way up in your years, most likely you really don't care at this point, that is, unless you have family you might be concerned about.

As we originally stated...

In light of recent news, the following information is paramount. On July 14, 2010 we learned that our sun is passing through an interstellar energy cloud which excites/energizes the sun. NASA, along with The National Academy of Science and other world renowned scientist are so concerned about this up and coming solar maximum in late 2012, that way back in March 10, 2006 NASA issued a solar storm warning (in writing) for 2012. What NASA omitted in their 2006 solar storm warning is what prompted NASA in the first place to issue a 2012 solar storm warning four years in advance? Then in 2010, NASA again warns the general population of a pending solar storm, telling the population to get ready for a once in a lifetime solar storm. Despite that news agencies and websites like this one are beginning to cover this developing story, no high government official has yet to stick his or her neck out to make an official announcement about the catastrophic implications as to allow the global population to begin preparing.

The following scientific data revealed by Alexei Dmitriev further supports NASA's original 2012 solar storm warning issued back in March of 2006.

Astrophysicist Alexei Dmitriev says that both Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 satellites reveal that our sun, as well as our entire solar system, is now moving into an interstellar energy cloud. Opher, a NASA Heliophysics Guest Investigator from George Mason University says this interstellar energy cloud is turbulent. Dmitriev explains that this cloud of energy is exciting the atmospheres of our planets and especially our sun. As this interstellar energy cloud continues to excite/charge the sun, it causes the sun to become more active, resulting in greater output from the sun. IE: Bigger and more frequent solar storms and CME's resulting in the Carrington effect. This interstellar cloud of electrical energy is also absorbed by the Earth, and scientist have found that it results in more earth quakes, all while dramatically effecting our weather here on earth. When asked how long will it take our sun to pass through this interstellar energy cloud, Dr. Dmitriev replied, "I don't know. But If I had to guess, I would say somewhere between two thousand to three thousand years." This interstellar cloud is a wispy band of charged particles through which our solar system is slowly moving through.

When Dr. Dmitriev was asked what are the implications of all this for earth he replied, "Global catastrophe! Not in tens of years from now, but in ones of years" ...in that this global catastrophe is basically right around the corner setting the stage for NASA's latest solar storm warning 2012-2013.

Dr. Dmitriev is talking about the Carrington Effect which can knock out electrical power and all modern forms of communications world wide for months on end, even years. When that happens, global anarchy and mass looting will soon begin as the food chain will become paralyzed/crippled in modern countries, while water shortages will quickly become a threat to our very survival because electricity is what runs the pumps that gets the water to our homes and offices. If you are not prepared prepared to be self efficient for one to two years, then you and your family will be at risk of dehydration and starvation during a time when drinking water, food and toilet paper will be more valuable then money itself.

Despite that high profile scientist along with NASA and the National Academy of Science are all warning us about solar storms in 2012-2013, we ourselves have no way of knowing one way or the other if any catastrophic events will take place such as solar storms, great earthquakes, super volcanic eruptions, pole shifts, planet crossers and so forth. There by we do not imply or make any such claims of pending catastrophic events, rather we simply report on the facts as we find them. This website gathers it's scientific data information information that is gathered from US government websites, including independent sources such as the National Academy of Science, NOAA, NASA, CNN, BBC, CBS News, NBC News, ABC News, MSN News and other space agencies whenever possible. Please note that when we express our opinion on something, we make sure that we state that, "it's our personal opinion that..." this way the reader knows we are not trying pass-off our personal opinion as fact. In the event something does happen within the next few years, we have put together a Solar Storm Survival Guide which can be downloaded. This is not a scare tactic, rather everyone should be ready for any kind of national emergency regardless as to whether or not 2012 or 2013 holds any real threats.

As you may know, on March 10th, 2006 NASA's own website issued a solar storm warning for 2012. Then in June of 2010 NASA reinforces their original 2006 warning telling the public to get ready for a once in a lifetime solar storm. Dr Richard Fisher, head of NASA's Heliophysics Division said: "We know it's coming but we don't know how bad it's going to be." However, "the next solar maximum should be a doozy" says Dikpati. NASA say's the sun storm will be in full swing around 2012-2013, however the National Academy of Science says, "The solar storm could start any day now." "Who ever is right, the storm is coming!" says NASA.

But what NASA is not telling the general public, is what we should be doing to prepare only that they tell us to do so. Unlike hurricanes and snowstorms, most have no idea what they could be doing to prepare for a sunstorm.

By now you should have begun to notice major news agencies as well as talk radio are starting to cover this slow developing story detailing exactly what NASA's warning actually means to the public. If it turns out that NASA, along with other world scientist are is indeed right, "The Economic Damage In The United States Alone Will Be Twenty Times Greater Then Hurricane Katrina that hit New Orleans" says NASA. *Keep in mind that mankind is in uncharted water when it comes to knowing for absolute certainty what the long and short term effects will be, that is, should a super solar storm clash with modern civilization.

If the earth in fact gets a direct hit by a solar storm producing x-class solar flares, (Coronal Mass Ejection or CME) ...it can cripple the world in more ways then we can possibly imagine, as it will cause nearly every electronic device to no longer work until it gets fixed. Imagine no more working cell phones, cars, trucks, planes, ships, computers, navigation systems, TV, radio, iPods, or game machines, let alone no more advanced medical services. *Since more then likely there will be no electric power in most of the world for many months on end, there will be no modern banking system in place, no New York Stock Exchange, credit cards will be worthless and what cash, silver and gold you have will be king. Food stores will soon be looted in the name of survival, most gas stations can't pump gas for what cars and trucks that might still be working. All forms of radio communication will no longer work during this period, making it difficult if not impossible for local law enforcement to maintain law and order, and National Marshall Law = (Rex-84) will be ordered that the public will be mostly unaware of.

Before you know it, the the city water and sewer system will stop working. If you are on an electric well pump, you lose your water right away, (unless it's a hand pump) where as those in the city might have a few days to a week or so before they lose all their water pressure. Even worse, those who don't have at least twelve to twenty four months of secured food and water, starvation will set in, which stands to kill hundreds of millions world wide if not billions; where as third world countries will not be as adversely effected. *Remember... most of the world population no longer supply their own food and water, rather people buy it. If food trucks don't run, then they cant get the food to the stores. Even if somehow cars and trucks still worked, gas stations will be without power for months and thus unable to pump gas without having to run a costly generator. No doubt what gas their is available will be top dollar, easily exceeding ten US dollars per gallon in many locations world wide.

It will be one big nightmare if the earth takes a direct hit from a super CME, thus changing billions of lives forever. Leading countries like the US would be temporally setback well over a hundred and fifty years. But there are numerous things we can do to easily survive the coming solar storm rather then us becoming a victim. To better understand why NASA and other's are forecasting a "doozy" , "once in a lifetime solar storm" in the first place, be sure to visit, Insights From The Author for full details found below highlighted in yellow.

We must keep in mind that it will take years to fully repair the damage electrical grid and power stations resulting from a direct hit of a perfect solar storm. This once in a life time solar storm event that NASA is warning everyone about is not to be taken lightly, especially if NASA and the National Academy of Science is indeed right. It's not so much that the solar storm itself is the real threat where as starvation and anarchy/chaos is the bigger threat. Yes, some say that a direct hit from a massive CME could do environmental damage as well, possibly causing the side of the earth facing the sun to climb to unthinkable temperatures, possibly causing fires. But we think that might be a bit far reaching to think that way. Nevertheless, there are a lot of unknowns here and we will just have to see what happens, and just how bad it really gets. Taking shelter in a cave near you or underground shelter could in the end be your best bet, that is, if you want to play it on the safe side.

No one at an official level such as world leaders, are going to make any special announcement about the pending danger to earth, as to do so, would instantly cause world wide panic. People such as yourself who learn about the coming super solar storm now, are the ones that have any real chance at protecting themselves and family against this potential looming disaster that may begin to unfold at any time now. As for everyone else? For the most part the rest of the world population will be clueless and wont have any idea at first what happen when their electronic world comes crashing down around them.

NASA warns public to prepare for a, "once in a lifetime super solar storm event." This event can start at anytime with little to no warning.

NASA's Heliophysics Division said: "We know it's coming but we don't know how bad it's going to be."
Are you ready and know what to expect, let alone how to prepare?
Do you know how to make a special safe room to protect you and family from prolong electromagnetic radiation which can be deadly?
Do you understand that most anything electronic will no longer work? This effects computers, phones, satellites, hospitals, even the electronic ignition system for cars and trucks.
Do you know what steps to take to protect your car from permanently breaking down from a powerful super solar storm?
Did you know that a super solar storm would knock out most power world wide for months and take years to repair it all, costing trillions in damages world wide?
Are you prepared with at least twelve to twenty four months of previsions for food, water, medicine and heating?
Are you aware that a killer super solar storm would lock down modern countries like the United States, Europe, Asia, and Canada for months?
Are you aware of that countries like the U.S. have an Anti Hoarding Act that effects you during a national crises? ((Learn how not to have your food purchases tracked))
Are you ready to fend for yourself as food stores most likely will not be in operation for months because of looters, gangs and no power, and especially a lack of food supplies?
Well... are you???

Download the Solar Storm Survival Guide to learn how you can easily protect yourself and all of your electronics, as well as your car. It's a condensed manual that can make the difference between becoming a victim or a survivor. Simply said; the guide offers lots of things that you wish you never new about, but will be glad you did should NASA and the National Academy of Science have this right.

Happy Chinese New Year - Year of the Dragon

noreply@blogger.com (Jim Putnam) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 21:17:00 +0000

One of my favorite ancient cultures celebrates the New Year of the Dragon today just as it has since before western calendars were ever created. The Chinese have held onto beliefs and practices from asrtrological to medicine, art to music longer than most people can even imagine. We should all take time to learn and explore the Chinese people and culture.

If we did we would find in many ways the Chinese have contributed to the march of mankind. Many people in America are concerned that made in China is a bad thing but one must remember those things made in China for export to America are made to specifications given to the Chinese by American companies.

There are many things in medicine, herbs, art, culture and history where the Chinese origins represent the highest quality in the world. We owe them a debt of gratitude for these many contributions. So I say to you and my many Chinese friends:

Please enjoy the photos from the celebrations of New Year across China in this, the Year of the Dragon, beginning January 23, 2012.

Obamaville January 23, 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Jim Putnam) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 17:39:00 +0000

The Games People Play Now

What a week in America we just experienced. NFL payoffs led to heart-stopping games and the New York Giants and New England Patriots in the Super Bowl. With the bitter rivalries between teams and their location in two of the best media markets in the nation is should be a Super payoff for the teams, for the advertisers and for Indianapolis, host of the Super Bowl.

On the never ending political front Omaha continued raising millions of dollars in non-stop campaign events. Here in the land of the free and home of democracy you could have dinner with the president for about $38,500 a ticket.

Not bad for economic stimulus. You and your wife, or girl friend for some politicians, could go out to dinner with the president for just $77,000. That means your tickets cost three times the average annual personal income and one and a half times the total annual household income of all Americans.

No indication of class warfare or political elitism in those numbers huh? Are you ready to spend three years working to buy dinner for two with the president?

That is just part of the problem with politics in America. It is not the politicians but the parties that are behind the illusion. Or is it?

Only once in our history did we elect a president from NO political party, our founding father George Washington. So what gave rise to the power of the Democratic and Republican parties?

Historically, the Democrats got their start in the 1830's and Republicans in the 1850's. Both began as policy differences with those parties that did win elections. The following were all legitimate parties, most of which elected presidents, in our early history. One other thing they have in common is all are extinct.

Federalist Party
Democrat-Republican Party
National Republican Party
Anti-Masonic Party
Whig Party
Liberty Party
Free-Soil Party
The Know-Nothing Party
Greenback Party

Politics, however, entered the national scene by the 1796 when Washington decided he'd had enough of public service. You should know, however, that the people who would make politics an American institution were all involved in the debates regarding who would succeed George.

In the middle was Alexander Hamilton, the 1st Treasury Secretary of the US under Washington. Then there was John Adams, the Vice President under George who became the second president after George. Thomas Jefferson, the Secretary of State under George who lost to Adams in 1796 for president but beat Adams in his re-election campaign in 1800 becoming our third president.

Finally, Aaron Burr, former governor and senator from New York. who ran for president in 1800 against Jefferson but settled for vice president under Jefferson. He might have become president in 1808 as well had he not challenged his bitter enemy Alexander Hamilton in a duel and killed him in 1804. By the way, in 1800 Burr and Jefferson tied, both beating incumbent John Adams, as Hamilton now mastered the backroom deal and brokered the election in the House of Representatives.

So, we have always had political parties trying to manipulate our politics and elections. However, until the 1900's there were many parties fighting it out and presidents from many of them. What happened next, and please rest assured I know this is an over simplification but necessary to keep from losing the interest of readers, the states, who have always controlled the elections, began trying to manipulate the elections.

This was done so the states could protect themselves from special interests in Washington and probably started with the anti-slavery issue, then the economic issues like the gold standard. As states watched the federal government get bigger and bigger as we went from 13 to 50 states, the power of the states slipped away.

With so many political parties controlling the policy agenda, the states wanted a stronger role. So after the modern Democrat party was founded in the 1830's and modern Republican party in the 1850's, states tried to manipulate the election outcome through the use of primary elections and caucus's which remain in place to this day. Both were efforts to allow the states to limit parties by increasing the complexity and cost of running for office.

Abraham Lincoln was the first and only third party candidate in our history to win the presidency as he led the four year old new Republican party to victory in 1860. Ever since the two major parties have controlled the outcome through the caucus and primary strategies. Though third party candidates like Ross Perot in 1992 and Teddy Roosevelt in 1912 most likely changed the election outcome by their presence.

So what is the conclusion in how to get America back from the political parties and fat cats who control or influence the parties? Realistically, it won't happen. It hasn't happened since the founding of our country and it may be integral in order for our style of limited democracy to succeed.

There are three powerful forces who can lose sight of the public good and use our political system for their own gain, power and greed. First, those People with a lot of money. Make no mistake, money and greed are a part of every political party and a temptation to every politic candidate.

Second the political parties who lust for power and control and do this by convincing various demographic, social, class and cultural groups that their particular party is good and the other is bad. These two parties use every federal and state technique possible to make it impossible for third party candidates to succeed.

Finally, there are the politicians who do get corrupted by the system, the money People, or the political parties. Now before you protest I know there are many politicians in both parties or Independents who are dedicated, honest and actually do try to serve the public good. They haven't got a chance right now however.

I believe we don't need institutional change to make our system responsive, useful, and a lot more concerned about the American people than their own ideological followers. In spite of our many problems we still have the most successful nation on earth and we remain the envy of most everyone.

We can strengthen our system and reduce the tremendous influence of Fat Cats and corruption, whether financial or moral, with two simple legislative initiatives that won't cost the government a penny to approve but could change the face of government forever and for the good.

First we need meaningful campaign finance laws which President Obama and our political parties refuse to address because it is the very corrupt system that got them in control and elected in the first place. Second we need conflict of interest and ethics laws passed for our politicians that stop them from figuratively and literally getting in bed with special interests.

They will be the topic of future stories.
.

South Carolina Primary - Gingrich & Palin versus ABC & CNN

noreply@blogger.com (Jim Putnam) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 14:37:00 +0000

Winners and Losers

Well the final days of the South Carolina primary have been everything we can expect from a state that started the American Civil War. There was so much smoke blowing over Fort Sumter in Charleston yesterday it may take weeks for the politicians and media to emerge from the fog.

There are times you have got to love the rough and tumble world of democracy American style and there are times you have got to love the Constitutional freedoms America has protected that leave the rest of the world in shock.

If you want a show come to America and watch the elections because there is not a country on Earth that does it like America. Now, if you listen to the Main Street or Lame Street media reports you would draw two conclusions. First the Republicans are self-destructing and second that Obama is going to be anointed to a second term.

Fortunately, the American people long ago knew better than to believe the media as long before politicians hit the bottom of the list of least respected occupations the media were right at the bottom, next to lawyers.

There is a reason no more than five million out of 310 million people watch a network news show every night. There is a reason newspapers are dying, while network and cable television news continue to decline in viewers every year.

People don't trust the media any more than they trust politicians. That may very well be the saving grace for our nation.

The media would have you believe the Republicans are destroying each other in South Carolina and there is no chance they can recover in the general election. Did they forget that just four short years ago the same thing was happening to the Democrats?

In 2008 Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama were brutally fighting it out in South Carolina as Obama accused former President Bill Clinton of fanning the flames of racism to win over votes for his wife. Did the media today forget how nasty the 2008 Democratic show had been?

Well Obama did win the primary but he did not become the consensus leader until June 3, 2008, and Hillary did not withdraw until June 7. That is over four months from now yet the media acts as if this Republican primary campaign should be over. Nonsense! It will be over when the people, not the media, decide.

So ABC News, along with the Washington Post, tries to trash the Romney and then Gingrich campaigns in the final days before the primary with much hyped exposés and CNN jumps on the band wagon when two days before the primary John King, CNN moderator, opened the last presidential debate by asking Gingrich if he told his ex-wife in 1999 that he wanted an "open" marriage so he could continue an affair.

When ABC and CNN take the lead and are blindly followed by most of the lame street media in allowing such babble to dominate the presidential campaign coverage there is a serious disconnect with reality.

Gingrich, being the gregarious opportunist that he is, promptly blasted the CNN host, the national media, and the liberal universe drawing two standing ovations before the debate had hardly begun. It was a performance equal to anything the legendary populist Huey Long of Louisiana (Democrat) achieved on the national political stage 75 years ago.

Like him or not old Newt fanned the flames and rallied the people against the media and in the process, the media obsession with protecting President Obama may have backfired. Just two days before the debate Sarah Palin came out of mothballs to help save Newt from the "elite" media with a "kind of" endorsement Sarah Palin style.

Just when the liberals were certain Palin had been blasted into oblivion by three years of media massacre of her and her reputation, Sarah comes to Newt's defense. It is very likely when the dust settles after this primary Gingrich will turn around his imminent collapse according to the media and win the primary, and the liberal media will have awakened the Momma Bear of Alaska.

There you have it, the winners and losers, and the primary is not until tomorrow. South Carolina gave us Obama, Hillary and Bill Clinton tossing charges of racism four years ago. Now they have given us an energized Newt Gingrich and Sarah Palin. It could be an interesting year.

Lyme Disease - the Secret Pandemic Sweeping America

noreply@blogger.com (Jim Putnam) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 02:34:00 +0000

The following are links to the seven part series on Lyme Disease that appeared in the Coltons Point Times. If you know anyone suffering from the disease or with symptoms this series may be of help.

Part 1 - http://lymediseasesecretpandemic.blogspot.com/2010/12/lyme-disease-secret-pandemic-sweeping.html

Part 2 - http://lymediseasesecretpandemic.blogspot.com/2010/12/lyme-disease-secret-pandemic-sweeping_20.html

Part 3 - http://lymediseasesecretpandemic.blogspot.com/2010/12/lyme-disease-secret-pandemic-sweeping_61.html

Part 4 - http://lymediseasesecretpandemic.blogspot.com/2010/12/lyme-disease-secret-pandemic-sweeping_2895.html

Part 5 - http://lymediseasesecretpandemic.blogspot.com/2010/12/lyme-disease-secret-pandemic-sweeping_7907.html

Part 6 - http://lymediseasesecretpandemic.blogspot.com/2010/12/lyme-disease-secret-pandemic-sweeping_21.html

Part 7 - http://lymediseasesecretpandemic.blogspot.com/2012/01/lyme-disease-secret-pandemic-sweeping.html

Obamaville - Campaign 2012 - A Millionaires Delight?

noreply@blogger.com (Jim Putnam) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 16:37:00 +0000

With just two days until the GOP primary in South Carolina a new player has unexpectedly joined the Republican fracas as the Obama White House has officially broken a promise to stay on the sidelines of the GOP primary politics.

Apparently the Obama advisors just can't resist a chance to influence the vote and for the first time this election the White House Press Secretary, Jay Carney, used the podium of the White House to blast Mitt Romney over his personal income tax comments.

To be fair, Romney was left unprotected and unprepared by his campaign staff on the issues relating to releasing his income tax records. For a campaign that has maintained a sharp focus on the economy for the long haul and the battle against Obama for the presidency, this was a serious media blunder.

Sensing blood in the wind, the Chicago gang of Obama simply could not resist joining the effort to distort and smear their probable opponent. In perhaps a blunder on their own part, it was rather odd they left the hatchet job to the White House Press Secretary, paid for by US tax dollars, when all the good Obama mouthpieces are with the campaign and not on the government payroll.

But then they also have President Obama, also on the taxpayer payroll, racing around the country raising hundreds of millions of campaign dollars while acting like a president. In another related development the Obama campaign is starting to air political campaign commercials in battle ground states even though he is unopposed and the GOP opponent will not be selected officially until the end of August. By my calendar that is still six months away.

So Romney comments on his probable tax rate of 15%, speakers fees of $300,000 and is ill-prepared to defend his right to be successful, make a lot of money, and be an example for others.

Carney used the White House podium to say Romney is evidence of the need for the millionaire's tax to prevent the rich from paying lower tax rates than middle class Americans. This is what he had to say.

“The president feels very strongly that everybody needs to pay their fair share and that everybody, therefore, gets a fair shot at the American dream,” the White House press secretary Jay Carney said at his press briefing.

"That includes millionaires who might be paying an effective tax rate of 15 per cent when folks making $50,000 or $75,000 or $100,000 a year are paying much more,” Mr. Carney added.

Though he tried to keep Obama out of the fray by saying his comments were not "specifically" discussed with the President, anyone with any knowledge of the workings of the White House knows nothing is said by the Press Secretary without the approval of the President.

One might consider this politics as usual but there are a couple of potential issues that might benefit Romney as his taxes are released.

First, most of his income came from investments, not salary, just like Obama advisor Warren Buffett and most millionaires. There is a fixed tax rate of 15% for such income so that is the law. Romney has supported comprehensive revision of the entire tax code.

While the capital gains tax, which is lower than individual tax rates, favors the wealthy, it was set up to encourage the investment of such funds into building businesses which generates jobs. If anything, reinvestment in America seems to be a good thing.

Romney is the only presidential candidate who has called for a means test to limit capital gains to only the rich, $200,000 plus income. The media and political pundits forget that many Americans are subject to this tax for their mutual funds and other investments.

According to U.S. News almost half (42%) of all Americans use 401(k), IRA, Keogh or other type of retirement account. A record low 23% of Americans expect to receive pension income, while 20% expect stocks and mutual funds to be a major source of retirement income. Withdrawals from retirement accounts are taxed as normal income while stocks and mutual fund withdrawals are taxed at the lower capital gains rate.

In addition, when the Romney taxes are released don't be surprised if it shows Romney gave more to his church than anyone else, quite possibly more than all the other candidates and President Obama combined. His other charitable contributions may also dwarf the other candidates.

Taxes are complex. There are thousands of pages of US tax code. It needs an overhaul but attacking classes of taxpayers and calling for the redistribution of wealth is no way to achieve it. All candidates and both political parties must work together to make the system fair and just.

Lyme Disease - the Secret Pandemic Sweeping America

noreply@blogger.com (Jim Putnam) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 18:39:00 +0000

Lyme Disease - the Secret Pandemic Sweeping America

Part 7 - The Final Chapter

It has now been 2 years since I began my personal journey with Lyme Disease and 20 months since I wrote the first of the "Lyme Disease - the Secret Pandemic Sweeping America" series in the Coltons Point Times.

Many people including friends strongly opposed my commitment to seeking out a natural cure for a disease the medical community virtually ignores, a disease that is sweeping the sleeping nation.

The path was far more difficult and painful than I expected in that the practitioners in the various alternative medicine disciplines knew little more than the traditional medical people about the disease, yet they were far advanced in testing potential treatments and cures.

Here in America the entire drug approval system and federal regulation favors the pharmaceutical giants to the extent of making it nearly impossible to get US approval for new drugs including natural compounds from small business or health practitioners.

So here was my personal case history. Lyme Disease markers were found in my system 24 months ago. By June of 2010 I was unable to function physically with numb hands and arms, aching joints, and an inability to balance when I tried to walk. In October and November of 2010 over 100 gallons of propane leaked into my house from the propane tank just outside the kitchen window. It killed my 240 pound Irish Wolfhound and nearly killed me.

I did not discover the propane leak until late December.

By November my only treatment for Lyme was natural and required 15,000 mg of vitamin C and 15,000 mg of salt every day. My nutritionist, Michael Guidry of Alexandria, Virginia, was guiding me through a series of natural treatments and procedures that seemed to be having a positive effect.

At the same time I was going to my Chinese doctor, Dr. Shi-hua Wu in Chinatown, Washington, D.C., who provided a custom herbal tea (24 different herbs) and acupuncture. Dr. Wu is a well known teacher and master of Eastern Chinese medicine, he is a master herbologist, and has performed acupuncture for 55 years since leaving China.

My sudden turn for the worse, unbeknownst to me, was the propane poisoning.

My brothers from Kentucky, sensing I was far sicker than I admitted, came to Maryland and literally carried me to the SUV for a mad dash to Lexington, Kentucky. There waited Dr, Debbie Alsheimer, a practitioner of functional health. I had no clue what that meant. Yet in my condition and pain anything would have been better.

She used a combination of bio-feedback, identifying nutritional deficiencies, physical therapy and exercises, and plain old intuition to give me a program to attack the many treacherous tentacles of Lyme.

Because of my inability to exercise, let alone even walk, I found out that between January of 2011 and October of 2011 I also pinched five nerves in my neck to shoulder region, nerves that controlled things like the blood and oxygen flow to the brain and caused false readings from my sensory preceptors. Doesn't that sound academic?

It means my senses went haywire. When my hands touched something hot it felt frigid. Large areas of my torso would suddenly become hot, or cold, for no reason. I could pick up a scalding hot pan on the stove and not feel the heat.

By October of 2011, on another of my trips to Kentucky for treatment and analysis, a chiropractor who specializes in nerves, Dr. Mark Miller, found the five pinched nerves and started releasing them. This will take a few months but I am well on the way to full recovery.

Today, after recent blood tests and physical exams by western doctors, I am free of any Lyme, there is no permanent nerve damage, no traces of the gas poisoning are left in my blood, and a program of traction, physical exercise, very limited dietary supplement and will power has me well on the way to full recovery.

Through it all I remained true to my goal of seeking only a natural cure for the disease.

Why me? I mean why should I get well when millions of people are painfully and often permanently suffering from the little understood Lyme Disease pandemic that is sweeping our nation?

I can't say but this much I know. What I have learned from the hundreds or maybe thousands of readers of my stories is that people need to know there is hope and there is help to conquer the disease.

So many people emailed me after reading the story telling me of the tragedy of the treatments and lack of results they achieved in their own battles against Lyme. Even when a massive dose of antibodies did finally overcome the bacteria of Lyme we are yet to know the consequences of such a massive jolt on our immune system.

Over the years many forms of treatment actually wind up hurting us like how antibodies destroy our immune system, how chemotherapy treatment will destroy your organs and the long term consequences of massive radiation from cat scans, MRI and excessive x rays.

I had a team throughout it all consisting of Michael Guidry, a nutritionist from Alexandria, Virginia; Dr. Shi-hua Wu, Eastern (Chinese) doctor, herbologist and acupuncturist from Chinatown, Washington, D.C.; Dr. Debbie Alsheimer, a functional health expert from Lexington, Kentucky; and Dr. Mark Miller, a chiropractor who knows nerves from Winchester, Kentucky, just outside Lexington.

On the mystical side I had LaKotahasie Frazier, a powerful Native Medicine Woman, healer and teacher, we call her Lakota. Her Indian name is Buffalo Woman Comes Running and Lakota is of Abanaki, French and Lakotah descent.

I have long been a believer in Eastern Chinese medicine and Native medicine and prayers as a result of my friendship with the Hopi Indians of Arizona. Medicine Wheels, sweat lodges and other Native ceremonies, like the Chinese practices, have been used for thousands of years to heal.

Of course there were others not of this dimension like Jesus and the Holy Mother Mary, endless sources of hope through faith and prayer. Never underestimate the power of faith and prayer in life and healing.

In addition to the aforementioned there was one other thing unusual about my quest. It was the use of an ancient Chinese herb used for thousands of years to heal. Recently it was discovered this natural compound could do what the federal health authorities acknowledge has never been achieved in Western Medicine, provide a mechanism that results in the destruction of drug resistant cells in people.

Information from the company behind this natural compound will be released in the immediate future and a way for all Lyme victims to get immediate access to this compound through a clinical trial will be announced.

Ironically, virtually all those members of my team and the natural treatments and herbs they used to heal me ARE NOT ALLOWED OR COVERED under conventional health insurance programs or Medicare in the

USA

although they are allowed in the rest of the world.

If our politicians are serious about health care reform they will allow such time tested practices and herbs and redirect our health care system to heal the body, not just treat an illness or injury.

If you know anyone suffering from Lyme Disease please let them know about this series of stories and that an announcement is imminent about a natural way to overcome the disease with no harmful side effects. Many suffer, a number have died, and we are all living in a sea of confusion about Lyme. I hope I have helped people get through the maze and I want people to know there is real hope.

As Harry Chapin immortalized in words through the magic of music, we are all just travelers on the road to Kingdom Come. We need not be victims as well.

Finally, I have created a blog containing the complete Lyme Disease series of seven articles I wrote so you can read them in one place. The link is

http://lymediseasesecretpandemic.blogspot.com/ /

and please share this link with anyone who might benefit from the series.

Back to Lyme Index:
http://lymediseasesecretpandemic.blogspot.com/
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Obamaville & GOP Primary Campaign

noreply@blogger.com (Jim Putnam) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 20:21:00 +0000

Obamaville January 17, 2012

With the presidential election just 9 1/2 months away and the South Carolina primary this weekend perhaps it is a good time to review the current state of affairs.

On the GOP side Romney is headed for the nomination although watch for Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum, Rick Perry and Ron Paul to keep things lively for a few more primaries. None have a chance to catch Romney but the news networks are working overtime to keep them in the race both to damage Romney's position against Obama and to keep up the already rather dismal TV ratings.

Truth is Romney wins in South Carolina and Florida this month could end the contest. No doubt Ron Paul will stay in, probably until the convention. While Obama campaign leaders want Romney to be bloodied by Paul and the others, me thinks the Chicago backroom boys are miscalculating the Paul impact.

Truth also is Ron Paul is not costing Romney votes. Paul pulls the youth (Democrats) and Independents and those are the two groups that gave Obama his narrow win in 2008. The longer Paul stays in the more votes he costs Obama and the general election is already too close to call.

At least the primaries so far have seen Romney withstand a withering and blistering stream of attacks from his opponents, the Obama thugs, the news media and the Democratic pit bulls.

Conventional wisdom from the Democratic pundits and news media is Romney can't win the conservatives or Christian right therefore he is the best opponent for the billion dollar kid, our President Obama.

Do they really think the conservatives or evangelicals could embrace Obama over a Republican after the three year on the job training record of Obama? The Obama boys from Illinois may know what makes Chicago tick, I mean the last two governors of that state are in jail, but they do a very arrogant and horrible job of reading Joe Six Pack.

As if the economy alone, yes Obama's economy, is not enough to toss the gang out of the White House and Congress, and the billion dollars Obama will spend to get re-elected is not insulting to the whole concept of democracy and free elections, they have bigger problems than Romney.

When Obama took office in 2009 crude oil sold for $36.51 per barrel and the cost of a gallon of gasoline was $1.85. Just three years after he took control of the economy the price of crude oil is now $101.56 a barrel and gasoline is $3.44 a gallon. According to conventional math that is a 278% increase in crude oil and 186% increase in gasoline in just three years. Some management of the economy.

That means the price of not just gasoline but everything derived from oil like cosmetics, plastics, fertilizers, and thousands of other items people use every day will continue skyrocketing right up until election day. We won't be better off under Obama, we will be broke. Of course he can blame that on Congress but Obama doesn't even have an energy policy for independence that Congress can vote up or down.

So besides the lack of much of anything in the record of the Obama team, the still sputtering economy, and in spite of the billion dollar campaign war chest built up by Obama while he was supposed to be governing, what else could go wrong for him?

How about a Republican National Convention surprise? One of two things could happen at the GOP convention that could radically alter the election in November. If Romney wins the presidential nomination as expected he could pick either Chris Christie of New Jersey or Marco Rubio of Florida for Vice President.

Christie would not just solidify the conservative and social conservative vote but would energize them with his no holds barred campaign and governing style and it has been a long time since we have had a leader like Reagan not afraid to stand up and fight for the people.

Rubio would seriously erode Obama's need to maintain the Hispanic vote in order to win, and he would also pull the conservative, evangelical and Tea Party voters. Yet another potential powerhouse ally for Romney, both Christie and Rubio would also appeal to a lot of Independents.

So in spite of what the Obama campaign says there may still be a lot of surprises ahead for the those who think the White House is for sale to the highest bidder.

Pray for Japan - Pray for the World

noreply@blogger.com (Jim Putnam) — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 00:07:00 +0000

Earthquakes - Nature's Fury or Mankind's Folly? Our Celestial HAARP

noreply@blogger.com (Jim Putnam) — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 15:03:00 +0000

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The Military's Pandora's Box - The HAARP Secret Weapon

The High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP) is a project of the United States Navy and Air Force with the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, which built a prototype for a ground based "Star Wars" weapon system located in the remote bush country of Alaska.

It is the HAARP system a super-powerful radiowave-beaming technology that lifts areas of the ionosphere by focusing a beam and heating those areas. Electromagnetic waves then bounce back onto earth and penetrate everything -- living and dead.

It's uses range from those claimed to be academic to far more dangerous secret military purposes including weather control that can cause earthquakes to electro-magnetic interference to shut down electrical grids, and it can alter the earth's atmosphere in a far more destructive way than anything carbon based. It is also the HAARP system that could cause the electrical interference that could disrupt the computer systems that operate cars (Toyota) and have many other devastating effects.

This is not science fiction as there are four HAARP systems currently in operation around the world but none with the capacity of the US facility in Alaska. The HAARP technology evolved from the work of the greatest inventor, mechanical engineer and electrical engineer in the world, Nikola Tesla, whose work on electromagnetism and electromechanical engineering was pioneering along with his contributions to the establishment of robotics, remote control, radar, computer science, ballistics, nuclear physics and theoretical physics.

The following excerpts are reprinted from an article prepared to provide a summary of the contents of a book written in 1995, Angels Don't Play This Harp - Advances in Tesla Technology, by Dr. Nick Begich and Jeane Manning, that describes an entirely new class of weapons.

HAARP Boils the Upper Atmosphere

HAARP will zap the upper atmosphere with a focused and steerable electromagnetic beam. It is an advanced model of an "ionospheric heater." (The ionosphere is the electrically-charged sphere surrounding Earth's upper atmosphere. It ranges between 40 to 60 miles above the surface of the Earth.)

HAARP publicity gives the impression that the High-frequency Active Auroral Research Program is mainly an academic project with the goal of changing the ionosphere to improve communications for our own good. However, other U.S. military documents put it more clearly -- HAARP aims to learn how to "exploit the ionosphere for Department of Defense purposes." Communicating with submarines is only one of those purposes.

Press releases and other information from the military on HAARP continually downplay what it could do. Publicity documents insist that the HAARP project is no different than other ionospheric heaters operating safely throughout the world in places such as Arecibo, Puerto Rico, Tromso, Norway, and the former Soviet Union. However, a 1990government document indicates that the radio-frequency (RF) power zap will drive the ionosphere to unnatural activities.

Looking at the other patents which built on the work of a Texas' physicist named Bernard Eastlund, it becomes clearer how the military intends to use the HAARP transmitter. It also makes governmental denials less believable. The military knows how it intends to use this technology, and has made it clear in their documents. The military has deliberately misled the public, through sophisticated word games, deceit and outright disinformation.

The military says the HAARP system could:

Give the military a tool to replace the electromagnetic pulse effect of atmospheric thermonuclear devices (still considered a viable option by the military through at least 1986).

Replace the huge Extremely Low Frequency (ELF) submarine communication system operating in Michigan and Wisconsin with a new and more compact technology.

Be used to replace the over-the-horizon radar system that was once planned for the current location of HAARP, with a more flexible and accurate system.

Provide a way to wipe out communications over an extremely large area, while keeping the military's own communications systems working.

Provide a wide area earth-penetrating tomography which, if combined with the computing abilities of EMASS and Cray computers, would make it possible to verify many parts of nuclear nonproliferation and peace agreements.

Be a tool for geophysical probing to find oil, gas and mineral deposits over a large area.

Be used to detect incoming low-level planes and cruise missiles, making other technologies obsolete.

The above abilities seem like a good idea to all who believe in sound national defense, and to those concerned about cost-cutting. However, the possible uses which the HAARP records do not explain, and which can only be found in Air Force, Army, Navy and other federal agency records, are alarming. Moreover, effects from the reckless use of these power levels in our natural shield -- the ionosphere -- could be cataclysmic according to some scientists.

HAARP History

The patents described below were the package of ideas which were originally controlled by ARCO Power Technologies Incorporated (APTI), a subsidiary of Atlantic Richfield Company, one of the biggest oil companies in the world. APTI was the contractor that built the HAARP facility. ARCO sold this subsidiary, the patents and the second phase construction contract to E-Systems in June 1994.

E-Systems is one of the biggest intelligence contractors in the world -- doing work for the CIA, defense intelligence organizations and others. $1.8 billion of their annual sales are to these organizations, with $800 million for black projects -- projects so secret that even the United States Congress isn't told how the money is being spent.

E-Systems was bought out by Raytheon, which is one of the largest defense contractors in the world. In 1994 Raytheon was listed as number forty-two on the Fortune 500 list of companies. Raytheon has thousands of patents, some of which will be valuable in the HAARP project. The twelve patents below are the backbone of the HAARP project, and are now buried among the thousands of others held in the name of Raytheon. Bernard J. Eastlund's U.S. Patent # 4,686,605, "Method and Apparatus for Altering a Region in the Earth's Atmosphere, Ionosphere; and/or Magnetosphere," was sealed for a year under a government Secrecy Order.

The Eastlund ionospheric heater was different; the radio frequency (RF) radiation was concentrated and focused to a point in the ionosphere. This difference throws an unprecedented amount of energy into the ionosphere. The Eastlund device would allow a concentration of one watt per cubic centimeter, compared to others only able to deliver about one millionth of one watt.

This huge difference could lift and change the ionosphere in the ways necessary to create futuristic effects described in the patent. According to the patent, the work of Nikola Tesla in the early 1900's formed the basis of the research.

For a time, HAARP researchers could not prove that this was one of the intended uses for HAARP. In April, 1995, however, Begich found other patents, connected with a "key personnel" list for APTI. Some of these new APTI patents were indeed a wireless system for sending electrical power. Eastlund's patent said the technology can confuse or completely disrupt airplanes' and missiles' sophisticated guidance systems. Further, this ability to spray large areas of Earth with electromagnetic waves of varying frequencies, and to control changes in those waves, makes it possible to knock out communications on land or sea as well as in the air.

The patent said:

"Thus, this invention provides the ability to put unprecedented amounts of power in the Earth's atmosphere at strategic locations and to maintain the power injection level particularly if random pulsing is employed, in a manner far more precise and better controlled than heretofore accomplished by the prior art, particularly by detonation of nuclear devices of various yields at various altitudes... "

"...it is possible not only to interfere with third party communications but to take advantage of one or more such beams to carry out a communications network even though the rest of the world's communications are disrupted. Put another way, what is used to disrupt another's communications can be employed by one knowledgeable of this invention as a communication network at the same time."

"... large regions of the atmosphere could be lifted to an unexpectedly high altitude so that missiles encounter unexpected and unplanned drag forces with resultant destruction."

"Weather modification is possible by, for example, altering upper atmosphere wind patterns by constructing one or more plumes of atmospheric particles which will act as a lens or focusing device.

... molecular modifications of the atmosphere can take place so that positive environmental effects can be achieved. Besides actually changing the molecular composition of an atmospheric region, a particular molecule or molecules can be chosen for increased presence. For example, ozone, nitrogen, etc., concentrations in the atmosphere could be artificially increased."

Begich found eleven other APTI Patents. They told how to make "Nuclear-sized Explosions without Radiation," Power-beaming systems, over-the-horizon radar, detection systems for missiles carrying nuclear warheads, electromagnetic pulses previously produced by thermonuclear weapons and other Star-Wars tricks. This cluster of patents underlay the HAARP weapon system.

Related research by Begich and Manning uncovered bizarre schemes. For example, Air Force documents revealed that a system had been developed for manipulating and disturbing human mental processes through pulsed radio-frequency radiation (the stuff of HAARP) over large geographical areas. The most telling material about this technology came from writings of Zbigniew Brzezinski (former National Security Advisory to U.S. President Carter) and J.F. MacDonald (science advisor to U.S. President Johnson and a professor of Geophysics at UCLA), as they wrote about use of power-beaming transmitters for geophysical and environmental warfare. The documents showed how these effects might be caused, and the negative effects on human heath and thinking.

The mental-disruption possibilities for HAARP are the most disturbing. More than 40 pages of the book, with dozens of footnotes, chronicle the work of Harvard professors, military planners and scientists as they plan and test this use of the electromagnetic technology. For example, one of the papers describing this use was from the International Red Cross in Geneva. It even gave the frequency ranges where these effects could occur -- the same ranges which HAARP is capable of broadcasting.

The following statement was made more than twenty-five years ago in a book by Brzezinski which he wrote while a professor at Columbia University:

"Political strategists are tempted to exploit research on the brain and human behavior. Geophysicist Gordon J.F. MacDonald, a specialist in problems of warfare, says accurately-timed, artificially-excited electronic strokes could lead to a pattern of oscillations that produce relatively high power levels over certain regions of the earth ... in this way one could develop a system that would seriously impair the brain performance of very large populations in selected regions over an extended period."

" ... no matter how deeply disturbing the thought of using the environment to manipulate behavior for national advantages, to some, the technology permitting such use will very probably develop within the next few decades."

In another document prepared by the government, the U.S. Air Force claims: "The potential applications of artificial electromagnetic fields are wide-ranging and can be used in many military or quasi-military situations... Some of these potential uses include dealing with terrorist groups, crowd control, controlling breaches of security at military installations, and antipersonnel techniques in tactical warfare. In all of these cases the EM (electromagnetic) systems would be used to produce mild to severe physiological disruption or perceptual distortion or disorientation. In addition, the ability of individuals to function could be degraded to such a point that they would be combat ineffective. Another advantage of electromagnetic systems is that they can provide coverage over large areas with a single system. They are silent and countermeasures to them may be difficult to develop... One last area where electromagnetic radiation may prove of some value is in enhancing abilities of individuals for anomalous phenomena."

Do these comments point to uses already somewhat developed? The author of the government report refers to an earlier Air Force document about the uses of radio frequency radiation in combat situations. (Here Begich and Manning note that HAARP is the most versatile and the largest radio-frequency-radiation transmitter in the world.)

The United States Congressional record deals with the use of HAARP for penetrating the earth with signals bounced off of the ionosphere. These signals are used to look inside the planet to a depth of many kilometers in order to locate underground munitions, minerals and tunnels. The U.S. Senate set aside $15 million dollars in 1996 to develop this ability alone -- earth-penetrating-tomography. The problem is that the frequency needed for earth-penetrating radiation is within the frequency range most cited for disruption of human mental functions. It may also have profound effects on migration patterns of fish and wild animals which rely on an undisturbed energy field to find their routes.

As if electromagnetic pulses in the sky and mental disruption were not enough, T. Eastlund bragged that the super-powerful ionospheric heater could control weather.

Weather Control

Avalanches of energy dislodged by such radio waves could hit us hard. Their work suggests that technicians could control global weather by sending relatively small 'signals' into the Van Allen belts (radiation belts around Earth). Thus Tesla's resonance effects can control enormous energies by tiny triggering signals.

The Begich/ Manning book asks whether that knowledge will be used by war-oriented or biosphere-oriented scientists.

The military has had about twenty years to work on weather warfare methods, which it euphemistically calls weather modification. For example, rainmaking technology was taken for a few test rides in Vietnam. The U.S. Department of Defense sampled lightning and hurricane manipulation studies in Project Skyfire and Project Stormfury. And they looked at some complicated technologies that would give big effects. Angels Don't Play This HAARP cites an expert who says the military studied both lasers and chemicals which they figured could damage the ozone layer over an enemy.

Looking at ways to cause earthquakes, as well as to detect them, was part of the project named Prime Argus, decades ago. The money for that came from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA, now under the acronym ARPA.) In 1994 the Air Force revealed its Spacecast 2020 master plan which includes weather control. Scientists have experimented with weather control since the 1940's.
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