Archive for August, 2010
News Journal: Number 10, August 10, 2010: Pushing On A G-String–No Job Recovery And Declining Prices Results In Federal Reserve Buying Govenment Debt To Spur Economic Growth By Expanding Money Supply–Videos
“…Pushing on a string is a metaphor for influence that is more effective in moving things in one direction than another – you can pull, but not push.
If something is connected to you by a string, you can move it toward you by pulling on the string, but you can’t move it away from you by pushing on the string. It is often used in the context of economic policy, specifically the view that “Monetary policy [is] asymmetric; it being easier to stop an expansion than to end a severe contraction.”[1]
…”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pushing_on_a_string
G-string humor
http://www.shadowstats.com/alternate_data/inflation-charts
http://www.shadowstats.com/alternate_data/money-supply-charts
http://nowandfutures.com/key_stats.html
http://money.cnn.com/2010/08/10/news/economy/fed_decision/index.htm
Fed To Buy More Government Debt; Rates Remain Low
Federal Reserve to buy long-term Treasury debt, keeps target rate unchanged
Bob McTeer – FOMC Meeting
Bob McTeer – Deflation
Quantitative Easing Only Tool Left for Fed
Paulsen Says Tech, Consumer Stocks May Be Poised to Rise: Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vdnZ5GNMnY
Fed Looks to Spur Growth by Buying Government Debt
O’Sullivan Sees Pressure on Fed to Signal Policy Easing: Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJ4hMc8QTY8
Reinhart Sees New Round of Quantitative Easing by Fed: Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECF9B3zQIv8
David Rovelli Discusses Investment Strategy, Fed Policy: Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFTXR7WHa0Y
Jim Rogers on The Federal Reserve
The Federal Reserve recognizes that a jobless recovery is not a recovery at all and the Bush Obama Depression is only continuing and getting worse.
The Federal Reserve statement is misleading when it comes to the state of the economy and future prospects:
Information received since the Federal Open Market Committee met in June indicates that the pace of recovery in output and employment has slowed in recent months. Household spending is increasing gradually, but remains constrained by high unemployment, modest income growth, lower housing wealth, and tight credit. Business spending on equipment and software is rising; however, investment in nonresidential structures continues to be weak and employers remain reluctant to add to payrolls. Housing starts remain at a depressed level. Bank lending has continued to contract. Nonetheless, the Committee anticipates a gradual return to higher levels of resource utilization in a context of price stability, although the pace of economic recovery is likely to be more modest in the near term than had been anticipated.
http://www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/press/monetary/20100810a.htm
Fully expect unemployment rates measured by U-3, the official unemployment rate, to exceed 9% and by U-6, the real unemployment rate, to exceed 15% for the next two to three years.
This means that between 14 and 24 million Americans will be unemployed over the next two years.
During the worst months of the Great Depression in 1933, the number of unemployed Americans was about 13 million.
This would indeed be a very modest recovery in the near term.
Actually it means the Bush Obama Depression will last well into 2014.
Yes there will be positive economic growth in terms of output or production.
No there will not be a recovery in terms of jobs for the “near term”–two or three years!
Disregard all the nonsense about a double dip recession, we are in a depression with over 20% of the American work force looking for full time work.
The Federal Reserve bears much of the responsibility for creating this mess or financial crisis by having an expansionary or easy money policy to promote the profits of the commercial banks during the real estate “boom” or “bubble.”
Bernanke: Why are we still listening to this guy?
Peter Schiff on Ben Bernanke Confirmation
The Federal Reserve will leave the Federal Funds rate at a target rate of between 0% to .25% for the foreseeable future.
The Committee will maintain the target range for the federal funds rate at 0 to 1/4 percent and continues to anticipate that economic conditions, including low rates of resource utilization, subdued inflation trends, and stable inflation expectations, are likely to warrant exceptionally low levels of the federal funds rate for an extended period.
http://www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/press/monetary/20100810a.htm
This statement only confirms that the Federal Reserve fully expects the Bush Obama Depression to last another two years or more.
The Federal Reserve will gradually expand the money supply by engaging in open market operations by buying Government Treasury Notes with Federal Reserve Notes on the interest earned from its existing portfolio of assets.
To help support the economic recovery in a context of price stability, the Committee will keep constant the Federal Reserve’s holdings of securities at their current level by reinvesting principal payments from agency debt and agency mortgage-backed securities in longer-term Treasury securities.1 The Committee will continue to roll over the Federal Reserve’s holdings of Treasury securities as they mature.
http://www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/press/monetary/20100810a.htm
Over the last two years the Federal Reserve purchased over $1 trillion in debt securities backed by mortgages and government-sponsored mortgages from such firms as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
Debt and Deficits
On Tuesday the Federal Reserve announced it would reinvest principle payments from these maturing securities into long-term Treasurys by purchasing 2-year and 10-year Treasury Notes. The amount purchased over the next year will amount to about $100 billion in additional purchasers of Treasurys.
Unfortunately, this expansionary monetary policy is not going to work.
The Fed is pushing on a string, the G-string of Giant Government.
The real problem is the uncertainty being generated by the Obama Administration in the form of government intervention into the U.S. economy including mandated health care plans, financial regulation, energy regulation, and proposed new taxes on energy and higher tax rates by letting the Bush tax rate cuts expire at the end of 2010.
Both small and medium size businesses see that the Obama Administration is expanding the size and scope of government.
The only conclusion is this can only lead to more and higher taxes that will largely come from small and medium size businesses that create the jobs and wealth.
As a result most small and medium size businesses are simply not hiring and many are still laying-off employees as business declines.
What will it take for an expansionary monetary policy to work.
Fundamental changes in fiscal policy on both the spending and tax revenue side.
A major reduction in Federal expenditures would require the shutting down of ten Federal Departments.
Milton Friedman on Libertarianism (Part 4 of 4)
President Obama simply will not cut spending by closing down entire Federal Departments.
President Obama wants to do the exact opposite by expanding or increasing the budgets of most Federal Departments.
Obama lacks both a constrained vision and courage to even attempt such a fiscal policy.
The only thing left then is tax reform.This would require the replacement of all existing income and payroll taxes with a broad based national consumption sales tax such as the FairTax.
The FairTax: It’s Time
Again President Obama simply does not have the courage to take on the base of the progressive radical socialist Democratic Party.
Instead President Obama wants to add new taxes, either a cap-and-trade energy tax and/or a value added tax on top of all existing taxes.
These taxes if passed would only make the Bush Obama Depression last well into 2014.
This is much like what President Franklin D. Roosevelt did in the 1930s by increasing income tax rates and expanding consumption taxes on certain goods and service.
As a result the U.S. economy did not recover from the Great Depression until 1946.
Robert Higgs on Economic Prospects for 2010
To summarize, the Obama Administration’s fiscal policies will only make the recession last much longer.
Thus Obama’s fiscal policy dooms to failure the Federal Reserve’s expansionary monetary policy.
Until the current political regime is changed, expect no recovery and little confidence by businesses and consumers.
More taxes and more government spending is not a plan, it is an economic catastrophe.
The result will be an inflationary depression–The Bush Obama Depression!
Time to end the banking cartel of the Federal Reserve System whose only function is protect banking profits and pass along banking losses to the American people.
Gary North, an economist, knows and understands that the Federal Reserve System is a banking cartel and really does love to push the string while over 30 million Americans look for a full time job:
“…The FED knows it is pushing on a string. It loves that string. Why? Because that limp string – no commercial bank lending – delays the advent of price inflation. This has enabled the FED to achieve the following by doubling the monetary base (the FED’s balance sheet):
1. Bail out the big banks (asset swaps)
2. Keep the banking system from imploding
3. Bail out the Federal government
4. Bail out Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
5. Keep real estate from collapsing
6. Slow price inflation to close to zero
7. Keep T-bill rates under 0.5%
At what cost? Unemployed workers. That is a small price to pay if you are a high-salary central banker with a fully funded pension.
The FED’s policies have not failed. They have succeeded beyond Bernanke’s wildest expectations. Greenspan’s bubbles are all popped. Price inflation is gone. There is no price deflation, either. For the first time since 1955, the FED has attained its mandate from Congress: price stability. …”
End The Fed Now!
The Cash Drop
Background Articles and Videos
Pushing on a String
by Gary North
“…The FED knows it is pushing on a string. It loves that string. Why? Because that limp string – no commercial bank lending – delays the advent of price inflation. This has enabled the FED to achieve the following by doubling the monetary base (the FED’s balance sheet):
1. Bail out the big banks (asset swaps)
2. Keep the banking system from imploding
3. Bail out the Federal government
4. Bail out Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
5. Keep real estate from collapsing
6. Slow price inflation to close to zero
7. Keep T-bill rates under 0.5%
At what cost? Unemployed workers. That is a small price to pay if you are a high-salary central banker with a fully funded pension.
The FED’s policies have not failed. They have succeeded beyond Bernanke’s wildest expectations. Greenspan’s bubbles are all popped. Price inflation is gone. There is no price deflation, either. For the first time since 1955, the FED has attained its mandate from Congress: price stability.
Greenspan’s FED never attained the power over the economy that Bernanke’s FED now possesses. The FED has been given almost complete regulatory control over the financial system. Congress buckled. Bernanke has been given a free ride. The Federal government now owns General Motors. Keynesianism is having its greatest revival in 30 years.
So far, the FED has won. Yet deflationists argue that the economy is in a deflationary spiral that the FED cannot prevent. They do not know what they are talking about. They never have.
CONCLUSION
The Federal Reserve can re-ignite monetary inflation at any time by charging banks a fee to keep excess reserves with the FED.
Anyone who predicts an inevitable price deflation does not understand that the present scenario is the product of legitimately terrified bankers and the Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors. At any time, the FED can get all of the banks’ money lent. But the FED knows that this will double the money supply within weeks. This will create mass price inflation.
This is the central fact in the inflation vs. deflation debate. Until the deflationists answer it with a unified voice, they will remain, as their predecessors remained, people with neither a theoretical nor a practical case for their position.
So, the FED waits. Meanwhile, the Federal government’s share of the economy rises relentlessly because of the deficits. This is not going to change in the next few years.
We are seeing Keynesianism’s last stand. When it fails, the FED will force the banks to lend. Then we will see mass inflation.
Mass deflation? Forget about it. …”
http://www.lewrockwell.com/north/north722.html
Federal Reserve System Crisis
End The Fed! – Why the Federal Reserve Must Be Abolished!
Fiat Empire – Why the Federal Reserve Violates the US Constitution 1 of 6
Fiat Empire – Why the Federal Reserve Violates the US Constitution 2 of 6
Fiat Empire – Why the Federal Reserve Violates the US Constitution 3 of 6
Fiat Empire – Why the Federal Reserve Violates the US Constitution 4 of 6
Fiat Empire – Why the Federal Reserve Violates the US Constitution 5 of 6
Fiat Empire – Why the Federal Reserve Violates the US Constitution 6 of 6
“…Release Date: August 10, 2010
For immediate release
Information received since the Federal Open Market Committee met in June indicates that the pace of recovery in output and employment has slowed in recent months. Household spending is increasing gradually, but remains constrained by high unemployment, modest income growth, lower housing wealth, and tight credit. Business spending on equipment and software is rising; however, investment in nonresidential structures continues to be weak and employers remain reluctant to add to payrolls. Housing starts remain at a depressed level. Bank lending has continued to contract. Nonetheless, the Committee anticipates a gradual return to higher levels of resource utilization in a context of price stability, although the pace of economic recovery is likely to be more modest in the near term than had been anticipated.
Measures of underlying inflation have trended lower in recent quarters and, with substantial resource slack continuing to restrain cost pressures and longer-term inflation expectations stable, inflation is likely to be subdued for some time.
The Committee will maintain the target range for the federal funds rate at 0 to 1/4 percent and continues to anticipate that economic conditions, including low rates of resource utilization, subdued inflation trends, and stable inflation expectations, are likely to warrant exceptionally low levels of the federal funds rate for an extended period.
To help support the economic recovery in a context of price stability, the Committee will keep constant the Federal Reserve’s holdings of securities at their current level by reinvesting principal payments from agency debt and agency mortgage-backed securities in longer-term Treasury securities.1 The Committee will continue to roll over the Federal Reserve’s holdings of Treasury securities as they mature.
The Committee will continue to monitor the economic outlook and financial developments and will employ its policy tools as necessary to promote economic recovery and price stability.
Voting for the FOMC monetary policy action were: Ben S. Bernanke, Chairman; William C. Dudley, Vice Chairman; James Bullard; Elizabeth A. Duke; Donald L. Kohn; Sandra Pianalto; Eric S. Rosengren; Daniel K. Tarullo; and Kevin M. Warsh.
Voting against the policy was Thomas M. Hoenig, who judges that the economy is recovering modestly, as projected. Accordingly, he believed that continuing to express the expectation of exceptionally low levels of the federal funds rate for an extended period was no longer warranted and limits the Committee’s ability to adjust policy when needed. In addition, given economic and financial conditions, Mr. Hoenig did not believe that keeping constant the size of the Federal Reserve’s holdings of longer-term securities at their current level was required to support a return to the Committee’s policy objectives. …”
http://www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/press/monetary/20100810a.htm
Quantitative easing
E5. Introduction to Monetary Policy
Quantitative Easing
“…The term quantitative easing (QE) describes a form of monetary policy used by central banks to increase the supply of money in an economy when the bank interest rate, discount rate and/or interbank interest rate are either at, or close to, zero.[citation needed] A central bank does this by first crediting its own account with money it has created ex nihilo (“out of nothing”).[1] It then purchases financial assets, including government bonds and corporate bonds, from banks and other financial institutions in a process referred to as open market operations. The purchases, by way of account deposits, give banks the excess reserves required for them to create new money by the process of deposit multiplication from increased lending in the fractional reserve banking system. The increase in the money supply thus stimulates the economy. Risks include the policy being more effective than intended, spurring hyperinflation, or the risk of not being effective enough, if banks opt simply to pocket the additional cash in order to increase their capital reserves in a climate of increasing defaults in their present loan portfolio.[1]
“Quantitative” refers to the fact that a specific quantity of money is being created; “easing” refers to reducing the pressure on banks.[2] However, another explanation is that the name comes from the Japanese-language expression for “stimulatory monetary policy”, which uses the term “easing”.[3] Quantitative easing is sometimes colloquially described as “printing money” although in reality the money is simply created by electronically adding a number to an account. Examples of economies where this policy has been used include Japan during the early 2000s, and the United States and United Kingdom during the global financial crisis of 2008–2009. …”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantitative_easing
Open Market Operations
“…Open market operations–purchases and sales of U.S. Treasury and federal agency securities–are the Federal Reserve’s principal tool for implementing monetary policy. The short-term objective for open market operations is specified by the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC). This objective can be a desired quantity of reserves or a desired price (the federal funds rate). The federal funds rate is the interest rate at which depository institutions lend balances at the Federal Reserve to other depository institutions overnight.
The Federal Reserve’s objective for open market operations has varied over the years. During the 1980s, the focus gradually shifted toward attaining a specified level of the federal funds rate, a process that was largely complete by the end of the decade. Beginning in 1994, the FOMC began announcing changes in its policy stance, and in 1995 it began to explicitly state its target level for the federal funds rate. Since February 2000, the statement issued by the FOMC shortly after each of its meetings usually has included the Committee’s assessment of the risks to the attainment of its long-run goals of price stability and sustainable economic growth. …”
http://www.federalreserve.gov/monetarypolicy/openmarket.htm
The Discount Rate
“…The discount rate is the interest rate charged to commercial banks and other depository institutions on loans they receive from their regional Federal Reserve Bank’s lending facility–the discount window. The Federal Reserve Banks offer three discount window programs to depository institutions: primary credit, secondary credit, and seasonal credit, each with its own interest rate. All discount window loans are fully secured.
Under the primary credit program, loans are extended for a very short-term (usually overnight) to depository institutions in generally sound financial condition. Depository institutions that are not eligible for primary credit may apply for secondary credit to meet short-term liquidity needs or to resolve severe financial difficulties. Seasonal credit is extended to relatively small depository institutions that have recurring intra-year fluctuations in funding needs, such as banks in agricultural or seasonal resort communities.
The discount rate charged for primary credit (the primary credit rate) is set above the usual level of short-term market interest rates. (Because primary credit is the Federal Reserve’s main discount window program, the Federal Reserve at times uses the term “discount rate” to mean the primary credit rate.) The discount rate on secondary credit is above the rate on primary credit. The discount rate for seasonal credit is an average of selected market rates. Discount rates are established by each Reserve Bank’s board of directors, subject to the review and determination of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. The discount rates for the three lending programs are the same across all Reserve Banks except on days around a change in the rate. …”
http://www.federalreserve.gov/monetarypolicy/discountrate.htm
Federal Funds Rate
“…In the United States, the federal funds rate is the interest rate at which private depository institutions (mostly banks) lend balances (federal funds) at the Federal Reserve to other depository institutions, usually overnight.[1] It is the interest rate banks charge each other for loans.[2]
The interest rate that the borrowing bank pays to the lending bank to borrow the funds is negotiated between the two banks, and the weighted average of this rate across all such transactions is the federal funds effective rate.
The federal funds target rate is determined by a meeting of the members of the Federal Open Market Committee which normally occurs eight times a year about seven weeks apart. The committee may also hold additional meetings and implement target rate changes outside of its normal schedule.
The Federal Reserve uses Open market operations to influence the supply of money in the U.S. economy[3] to make the federal funds effective rate follow the federal funds target rate. The target value is known as the neutral federal funds rate[4]. At this rate, growth rate of real GDP is stable in relation to Long Run Aggregate Supply at the expected inflation rate.
U.S. banks and thrift institutions are obligated by law to maintain certain levels of reserves, either as reserves with the Fed or as vault cash. The level of these reserves is determined by the outstanding assets and liabilities of each depository institution, as well as by the Fed itself, but is typically 10%[5] of the total value of the bank’s demand accounts (depending on bank size). In the range of $9.3 million to $43.9 million, for transaction deposits (checking accounts, NOWs, and other deposits that can be used to make payments) the reserve requirement in 2007-2008 was 3 percent of the end-of-the-day daily average amount held over a two-week period. Transaction deposits over $43.9 million held at the same depository institution carried a 10 percent reserve requirement.
For example, assume a particular U.S. depository institution, in the normal course of business, issues a loan. This dispenses money and decreases the ratio of bank reserves to money loaned. If its reserve ratio drops below the legally required minimum, it must add to its reserves to remain compliant with Federal Reserve regulations. The bank can borrow the requisite funds from another bank that has a surplus in its account with the Fed. The interest rate that the borrowing bank pays to the lending bank to borrow the funds is negotiated between the two banks, and the weighted average of this rate across all such transactions is the federal funds effective rate.
The nominal rate is a target set by the governors of the Federal Reserve, which they enforce primarily by open market operations. That nominal rate is almost always what is meant by the media referring to the Federal Reserve “changing interest rates.” The actual Fed funds rate generally lies within a range of that target rate, as the Federal Reserve cannot set an exact value through open market operations.
Another way banks can borrow funds to keep up their required reserves is by taking a loan from the Federal Reserve itself at the discount window. These loans are subject to audit by the Fed, and the discount rate is usually higher than the federal funds rate. Confusion between these two kinds of loans often leads to confusion between the federal funds rate and the discount rate. Another difference is that while the Fed cannot set an exact federal funds rate, it can set a specific discount rate.
The federal funds rate target is decided by the governors at Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meetings. The FOMC members will either increase, decrease, or leave the rate unchanged depending on the meeting’s agenda and the economic conditions of the U.S. It is possible to infer the market expectations of the FOMC decisions at future meetings from the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) Fed Funds futures contracts, and these probabilities are widely reported in the financial media. …”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_funds_rate
Money Supply
“…In economics, the money supply or money stock, is the total amount of money available in an economy at a particular point in time.[1] There are several ways to define “money,” but standard measures usually include currency in circulation and demand deposits (depositors’ easily-accessed assets on the books of financial institutions).[2][3]
Money supply data are recorded and published, usually by the government or the central bank of the country. Public and private sector analysts have long monitored changes in money supply because of its possible effects on the price level, inflation and the business cycle.[4]
That relation between money and prices is historically associated with the quantity theory of money. There is strong empirical evidence of a direct relation between long-term price inflation and money-supply growth, at least for rapid increases in the amount of money in the economy. That is, a country such as Zimbabwe which saw rapid increases in its money supply also saw rapid increases in prices (hyperinflation). This is one reason for the reliance on monetary policy as a means of controlling inflation in the U.S.[5][6] This causal chain is contentious, however: some heterodox economists argue that the money supply is endogenous (determined by the workings of the economy, not by the central bank) and that the sources of inflation must be found in the distributional structure of the economy.[7] In addition to some economists’ seeing the central bank’s control over the money supply as feeble, many would also say that there are two weak links between the growth of the money supply and the inflation rate: first, an increase in the money supply can cause a sustained increase in real production instead of inflation in the aftermath of a recession, when many resources are underutilized. Second, if the velocity of money, i.e., the ratio between nominal GDP and money supply changes, an increase in the money supply could have either no effect, an exaggerated effect, or an unpredictable effect on the growth of nominal GDP. …”
“…Money is used as a medium of exchange, in final settlement of a debt, and as a ready store of value. Its different functions are associated with different empirical measures of the money supply. There is no single “correct” measure of the money supply: instead, there are several measures, classified along a spectrum or continuum between narrow and broad monetary aggregates. Narrow measures include only the most liquid assets, the ones most easily used to spend (currency, checkable deposits). Broader measures add less liquid types of assets (certificates of deposit, etc.)
This continuum corresponds to the way that different types of money are more or less controlled by monetary policy. Narrow measures include those more directly affected and controlled by monetary policy, whereas broader measures are less closely related to monetary-policy actions.[6] It is a matter of perennial debate as to whether narrower or broader versions of the money supply have a more predictable link to nominal GDP.
The different types of money are typically classified as “M”s. The “M”s usually range from M0 (narrowest) to M3 (broadest) but which “M”s are actually used depends on the country’s central bank. The typical layout for each of the “M”s is as follows:
Type of money M0 MB M1 M2 M3 MZM
Notes and coins (currency) in circulation (outside Federal Reserve Banks, and the vaults of depository institutions) V[8] V V V V V
Notes and coins (currency) in bank vaults V[8] V
Federal Reserve Bank credit (minimum reserves and excess reserves) V
traveler’s checks of non-bank issuers V V V V
demand deposits V V V V
other checkable deposits (OCDs), which consist primarily of negotiable order of withdrawal (NOW) accounts at depository institutions and credit union share draft accounts. V[9] V V V
savings deposits V V V
time deposits less than $100,000 and money-market deposit accounts for individuals V V
large time deposits, institutional money market funds, short-term repurchase and other larger liquid assets[10] V
all money market funds V
M0: In some countries, such as the United Kingdom, M0 includes bank reserves, so M0 is referred to as the monetary base, or narrow money.[11]
MB: is referred to as the monetary base or total currency.[8] This is the base from which other forms of money (like checking deposits, listed below) are created and is traditionally the most liquid measure of the money supply.[12]
M1: Bank reserves are not included in M1.
M2: represents money and “close substitutes” for money.[13] M2 is a broader classification of money than M1. Economists use M2 when looking to quantify the amount of money in circulation and trying to explain different economic monetary conditions. M2 is a key economic indicator used to forecast inflation.[14]
M3: Since 2006, M3 is no longer published or revealed to the public by the US central bank.[15] However, there are still estimates produced by various private institutions.
MZM: Money with zero maturity. It measures the supply of financial assets redeemable at par on demand.
The ratio of a pair of these measures, most often M2/M0, is called an (actual, empirical) money multiplier. …”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Money_supply
“Ben Bernanke Has Never Gotten Anything Right,” Peter Schiff Says: Fed Officials Respond
The Dollar Bubble
Peter Schiff Calls Fed Reserve Chief Ben Bernanke A Liar
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )News Journal: Number 09, August 9, 2010: President Obama’s Big Arrogant Despicable (BAD) Lie On Immigration and Enforcement Of Immigration Laws–Back Door Amnesty For Illegal Aliens!–Aiding, Abetting and Promoting Crime In America–Obama Visits Two Sanctuary Cities–Austin and Dallas Texas!
In 1986, President Ronald Reagan signed into law the Immigration Reform and Control Act.
The bill granted amnesty to about 3 million illegal aliens, mostly from Mexico.
“It’s high time we regained control of our borders and his bill will do this.”
~President Ronald Reagan
“If you grant amnesty, the message that you’re sending is that if you come in this country and stay here long enough, we will let you stay. And no one will ever come through the legal process if you do that.”
~Marc Rubio, Florida Republican Senate candidate
“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States where men were free .”
~Ronald Reagan
Immigration Excerpt from President Obama’s Interview on the CBS Early Show
Obama’s Backdoor Amnesty Plan?
Here comes Backdoor Amnesty ,To Bypass Congress , Gibbs Lied !!!
Obama’s Scheme to Provide Backdoor Amnesty in the Works
Gov’t Memo Proposes Amnesty for Illegal Immigrants
Amnesty Plan in the Works?
All Presidents of the United States take the following oath of office in accordance with Article II, Section I of the U.S. Constitution:
“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”
http://www.usconstitution.net/const.html
One of the primary responsibilities of the United States government is to protect each of the states against invasion:
U.S. Constitution, Article 4, Section 4
Section 4 – Republican government
The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government, and shall protect each of them against Invasion; and on Application of the Legislature, or of the Executive (when the Legislature cannot be convened) against domestic Violence.
http://www.usconstitution.net/const.html#A4Sec4
http://www.usconstitution.net/const.html
While nobody knows the exact number of illegal immigrants in the United States, past estimates have ranged from a low of 10 million to over 30 million illegal aliens living and working in the United States.
The United States population in 2010 is about 310 million including illegal immigrants.
Thus illegal immigrants represents between a minimum of 3.3% to over 10% of the United States population.
However, illegal immigrants tend to live and work in and around so-called sanctuary cities.
Sanctuary cities do not permit their police departments and other municipal employees to enforce Federal immigration laws by asking illegal immigrants any questions regarding their immigration status.
Below is a map of just some of the United States largest sanctuary cities:
For a more detailed and inclusive state by state map go to this web page:
SANCTUARY CITIES AND STATES ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT INFORMATION RESOURCE
http://www.sanctuarycities.info/
The two major sources of illegal aliens in the United States are those who entered the United States legally with a visa and then over stayed their visas and those crossing into the United States from Mexico, primarily Mexicans and those from other Latin American countries.
For the last twenty years the United States has been invaded by millions of illegal aliens crossing from Mexico into the United States illegally.
Thousands are entering the United States each day by crossing from Mexico.
The Mexican government is actually encouraging their citizens to go to United States and work.
If this is not an invasion, then what is?
The Federal Government under both Republican and Democratic administrations have simply refused to vigorously enforce existing Federal immigration laws for political reasons.
Both Presidents Bush and Obama have failed to honor their oath of office and enforce existing immigration laws.
Why?
The Republican Party wants the financial campaign contributions from businesses that benefit from hiring illegal immigrants.
The Democratic Party also wants the financial campaign contributions from these businesses as well as unions but also the votes of illegal immigrants once a “pathway to citizenship” or amnesty for illegal aliens is passed into law.
Both political parties and the ruling political elites are ignoring the will and sovereignty of the American people who want Federal immigration law enforcement.
The American people want the removal from the workplace of all illegal aliens and their deportation to their country origin.
There are currently over 30 million American citizens looking for full-time employment in the United States.
This is more than twice the 13 million Americans who were looking for work during the worse months of the Great Depression.
There are currently between 10 million and 15 million illegal aliens working in the United States.
Again, nobody knows the exact number.
If the current immigration laws were vigorously enforced and the illegal aliens deported, many of these 10 million to 15 million jobs would require the hiring of currently unemployed American citizens by employers.
President Obama, knowing he is acting like a demigod,would rather accuse those who are insisting that the Federal government enforce immigration laws–as being demigods themselves.
This is a classic example of psychological projection.
Projection, Part 1
Americans are not anti-immigration.
Americans favor controlled limited legal immigration.
Americans oppose uncontrolled unlimited illegal immigration.
The distinction between legal and illegal immigration is one that President Obama never mentions.
The reason is quite clear, President Obama wants all immigrants, legal and illegal to become United States citizens.
Americans are for the rule of law and the enforcement of the law.
The President knows this and so do the American people.
The President completely misrepresents what is actually occurring by not making the critical and important distinction between legal and illegal immigration.
The American people oppose illegal immigration by margins of 3 and 4 to 1.
A big arrogant despicable lie by a President of the United States is broadcast to millions of Americans.
This is done while his own Administration plots to undermine consensual representative government in the United States by seriously considering an executive order to grant amnesty to million of illegal aliens.
The President knows that local, city, county or state government and their police forces cannot deport any one that is arrested or detained.
Instead the detainees must be turned over to the Federal government for deportation.
This leaves a record of how many were turned over to the Federal government and how many were eventually deported.
This is a record that the Federal government apparently does not want to create and report to the American people.
Instead, Obama’s Department of Justice challenges any and every state that seriously enforces Federal immigration laws.
Hence the challenge to Arizona’s new law pertaining to immigration law enforcement which mirrors the Federal government’s immigration laws.
Arizona Ruling an Abomination
The American people only want the enforcement of immigration laws by the Federal government.
The Federal government under both Presidents Bush and Obama simply would not vigorously enforce these laws for essentially political reasons.
Instead both Presidents wanted comprehensive immigration reform which at its core is simply amnesty for illegal immigrants.
Both Presidents are substituting the rule of the few for the rule of law.
The American people will not let this tyranny of the ruling elites in Washington D.C. stand.
First the Republicans were turned out in 2006 and 2008 and this November and in 2012 the Democrats will be turned out of office.
President Obama uses strawman arguments and projection to accuse others of what President Obama is actually doing, refusing to vigorously enforce immigration laws and refusing to deport millions of illegal aliens.
The American people want results not a summary of how many resources the President has sent to the American/Mexican borders.
The American people are not so easily fooled or intimidated.
Arizona Should Sue the Department of Justice…
Sheriff Joe Arpaio Bounty…
When Mexican drug dealers put a bounty on an Arizona sheriff for enforcing immigration laws, one begins to wonder why are these drug dealers are on the same side of the argument as President Obama and not the American people.
Whose side is Barack Obama on anyway?
The American people or the criminals?
Americans are beginning to wonder out loud.
Illegal immigrants are not undocumented immigrants–they are illegal aliens or more precisely criminal aliens.
They are criminal aliens who have broken several U.S. laws.
First, illegal aliens enter the United States illegally–crime number 1.
Second, they purchase fraudulent identification documents that they use to obtain employment–crime number 2.
Third, they work for businesses or organizations in the United States–crime number 3.
Fourth, the businesses and organizations who employ them are aiding and abetting criminal activity–crime number 4.
Criminal aliens should be arrested, tried and if found guilty, deported to their country of origin.
The majority of the American people simply want the illegal aliens to go home on their own accord–self-deport.
The roads in America run in both directions.
If you are here illegally, please just leave.
The majority of the American people want enforcement of existing immigration laws.
The majority of the American people oppose amnesty for illegal aliens and a “pathway to citizenship”–you do not reward criminals, you punish them.
The majority of the American people oppose sanctuary cities.
Sanctuary cities are those who refuse to allow their own police to enforce Federal immigration laws which the cities are required to do by Federal law.
Sanctuary cities include Washington, D.C., Chicago, Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, Miami, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Denver, Houston and Dallas to name just a few.
These are cities who refuse to enforce Federal immigration laws and are therefore aiding and abetting criminal activity!
Every day millions of American citizens are unemployed, while millions of criminal aliens are working for employers who benefit from the hiring of illegal aliens.
For example I am writing this post in the sanctuary city of Dallas.
I attended a local community college who in the last ten years constructed two new buildings on its campus.
These buildings were constructed largely by illegal aliens or criminal aliens from Mexico who worked for considerably less money than American construction workers.
Today, these two new buildings and the remaining buildings on campus are cleaned by a janitorial staff consisting mainly of illegal aliens–Mexicans.
The campus police were and are well aware that these workers were and are illegal aliens but did absolutely nothing about it.
Dallas is a sanctuary city or more accurately a criminal city that actively discourages its police officers from enforcing Federal immigration laws by asking any questions about immigration status.
This same situation is repeated in hundreds of towns and cities across the United States daily.
Both Presidents George Bush and Barack Obama broke their oaths of office by refusing to vigorously enforce current immigration laws.
Both were corrupted by power and arrogantly thought that they knew best what was good for the American people.
Instead both Presidents sought comprehensive immigration reform, a code word for amnesty for illegal immigration, despite the opposition of the majority of the American people to illegal immigration and amnesty for illegal immigrants.
Who got hurt?
Take the preceding example of the community college.
American citizens should have been hired to construct the two buildings and to clean them once they were built.
These are jobs Americans have done in the past and today still do despite the repeated lies of the American ruling class that these are jobs that Americans will not do–give me a break.
Yes the ruling political elites may not do a job that an illegal alien does, but believe it or not there are millions of hard-working Americans who have in the past and will today do them to earn a living instead of becoming dependent upon the Government for handouts and welfare.
Multiple this by the millions of jobs across the United States over many years and you begin to see the problem.
The ruling political elites of both political parties simply do not give a damn that the American people are demanding–enforcement of existing immigration laws.
Particularly hurt are young hispanic and black Americans where the unemployment rates are extremely high:
Standing up for Jobless Hispanic Americans
HISPANIC AMERICANS STAND AGAINST ILLEGAL ALIENS !!!
The ruling political elites only care about power and staying in office.
Vote these professional politicians of both parties out of power.
Start by voting out of office those in your city, county, school, college, and state government that are aiding and abetting criminal aliens by employing them.
If they are for comprehensive immigration reform or amnesty and open borders, just vote them out of office.
The job you save just might be your own.
Sanctuary Cities Getting Free Pass?
54% Favor Justice Department Action Against Sanctuary Cities
“…Fifty-four percent (54%) of U.S. voters say the Justice Department should take legal action against cities that provide sanctuary for illegal immigrants. Even more think the federal government should cut off funds to these “sanctuary cities.”
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 30% say the federal government should not take legal action against cities that offer illegal immigrants various forms of sanctuary. Fifteen percent (15%) more are not sure.
The findings are in sharp contrast to voter attitudes about the Justice Department’s decision to challenge a new law in Arizona that attempts to help enforce federal immigration law. Fifty-six percent (56%) oppose the Justice Department’s decision to challenge the legality of Arizona’s new immigration law in federal court. Sixty-one percent (61%), in fact, favor passage of a law like Arizona’s in their own state. …”
Today, President Obama is in Dallas and Austin Texas, two of the many sanctuary cities that refuse to enforce Federal immigration laws.
Has the Department of Justice ever sued any of the so-called sanctuary cities for their failure to enforce the law–no they have not!
Texas Sanctuary Cities
TEXAS HAS ONE OR MORE CITIES OFFERING
ILLEGAL SANCTUARY
Austin, Texas
Baytown, Texas
Brownsville, Texas
Channelview, Texas
Denton, Texas
Dallas, Texas
El Cenizo, Texas
Forth Worth, Texas
Houston, Texas
Katy, Texas
Laredo, Texas
League City, Texas
McAllen, Texas
Port Arthur, Texas
San Antonio, Texas
http://www.sanctuarycities.info/sanctuary_state_texas.htm
Sanctuary Cities – Has the government ever sued them?
Questioning of Arizona Attorney General and ICE Official at Homeland Security Hearing
Mark Levin – Obama To Back Door Amnesty For Illegal Immigrants
Alex Jones: Obama Threatening To Pass “Immigration Reform” By Executive Order
Obama Takes Sides With Illegal Alien Invaders AGAINST Americans!
A Video Fisking of President Obama’s Immigration Speech
Virginia targets illegal immigrants
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NS6OsWfXJvM
“If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or your arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen.”
~Samuel Adams
Background Articles and Videos
Desert Invasion – U.S.
Illegal immigration invasion numbers analysis by Fred Elbel
“…The idea for the following analysis is based upon the article titled Could There Be Twenty Million Illegals In The U.S.?”, by D.A. King, THE AMERICAN RESISTANCE FOUNDATION, published on VDARE, August 7, 2004.20 The purpose of this analysis is to present illegal immigration numbers that are more realistic than numbers being presented by the federal government – the very entity responsible for the tidal wave of illegal aliens entering our nation.
This analysis demonstrates that the December, 2003 Department of Homeland Security estimates of 8 million to 12 million illegal aliens in the United States and 700,000 new illegals entering and staying per year represent significant undercounts. This analysis shows that it is reasonable to state that at least 20 million illegal aliens reside in the United States and that up to 12,000 illegal aliens enter the United States every day, or, as Arizona Senator John McCain reports – more than 4 million per year.
This analysis also demonstrates that the proposed White House “guest worker” amnesty proposal of January, 2004 resulted in at least a 25 percent increase in the number of illegal aliens entering into the United States.
The precise number of illegals entering the United States and the exact rate at which they cross our borders is unknown. Official government numbers are often hard to come by and are routinely sanitized. The estimate of the number of illegals who enter depends on Border Patrol apprehension rates and estimates of the number that “got away”. The following sections presents a methodology to estimating the number of illegals and the impact of amnesty proposals on illegal immigration numbers. …”
“…Conclusion
Intentionally low, static, and misleading official government estimates claim that 8 million to 12 million illegal aliens reside in the United States and that 700,000 new illegals enter and stay every year. Based upon the analysis presented here, it is likely that in mid-2005 more than 20 million illegal aliens presently resided in the United States, with roughly 12,000 additional illegal aliens entering every day.
No one can say with certainty how many illegal aliens enter and reside in the United States because the precise data simply are not available. The methodology used in this analysis is presented as an alternative approach to estimating illegal alien numbers. Because it depends on factors that are not known with great accuracy, it produces a wider range of estimates than traditional estimates, but can be used to present another perspective on illegal immigration numbers.
Further analysis is certainly warranted. However it is important to recognize the magnitude of the numbers in order to recognize the seriousness of the crisis and urgency for a return to the rule of law and secured borders that the United States Constitution demands.
http://www.desertinvasion.us/data/invasion_numbers.html#conclusion
NO PAROLE OR DEFERRED ACTION FOR ILLEGAL ALIENS, HATCH, 7 OTHERS TELL OBAMA
“…In their letter to the president, Hatch and the other senators wrote that the Obama administration’s immigration policy should not be misused to usurp Congress’ authority.
“While deferred action and parole are Executive Branch authorities, they should not be used to circumvent Congress’ constitutional authority to legislate immigration policy, particularly as it relates to the illegal population in the United States,” the senators wrote.
Sens. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa; Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga.; David Vitter, R-La.; Jim Bunning, R-Ky.; James Inhofe, R-Okla.; Thad Cochran, R-Miss.; and Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., also signed the letter to the president.
A copy of the letter to the president is attached and follows:
June 21, 2010
President Barack H. Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, D.C. 20500
Dear President Obama:
We understand that there’s a push for your Administration to develop a plan to unilaterally extend either deferred action or parole to millions of illegal aliens in the United States. We understand that the Administration may include aliens who have willfully overstayed their visas or filed for benefits knowing that they will not be eligible for a status for years to come. We understand that deferred action and parole are discretionary actions reserved for individual cases that present unusual, emergent or humanitarian circumstances. Deferred action and parole were not intended to be used to confer a status or offer protection to large groups of illegal aliens, even if the agency claims that they look at each case on a “case-by-case” basis.
While we agree our immigration laws need to be fixed, we are deeply concerned about the potential expansion of deferred action or parole for a large illegal alien population. While deferred action and parole are Executive Branch authorities, they should not be used to circumvent Congress’ constitutional authority to legislate immigration policy, particularly as it relates to the illegal population in the United States.
The Administration would be wise to abandon any plans for deferred action or parole for the illegal population. Such a move would further erode the American public’s confidence in the federal government and its commitment to securing the borders and enforcing the laws already on the books.
We would appreciate receiving a commitment that the Administration has no plans to use either authority to change the current position of a large group of illegal aliens already in the United States, and ask that you respond to us about this matter as soon as possible. …”
Examiner Editorial: White House provides back-door amnesty
Examiner Editorial
August 2, 2010
Read more at the Washington Examiner: http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/White-House-provides-a-back-door-to-amnesty-1006426-99725574.html#ixzz0w9JfGWRZ
“…The memo sheds light on why the Justice Department finds Arizona’s immigration law so odious. The law, popularly passed by the state Legislature and signed into law by the governor, is an effort to address the flow of illegal immigrants into the state by allowing Arizona police officers to detain illegal immigrants. But the police are not empowered to deport the illegals — instead, the detainees are referred to the federal government. This would create a record of the illegal immigrants the administration refuses to deport, making transparent the White House’s efforts to undermine current immigration law.
The memo is clear on this point: The federal government can use “deferred action” at its discretion in halting a deportation indefinitely (usually for a humanitarian reason). “This would permit individuals for whom relief may become available in the future to live and work in the U.S. without fear of removal.” But to do so would require justification and a paper trail, two things the administration has worked hard to avoid. The memo reveals as much: “While it is theoretically possible to grant deferred action to an unrestricted number of unlawfully present individuals, doing so would likely be controversial, not to mention expensive.” It’s controversial because it would attract attention, unlike other stealth measures proposed in the memo that could be implemented without alerting the public — such as expanding the definition of “extreme hardship,” which would enable virtually any illegal immigrant to qualify for an exemption from deportation.
There is one bright side to this scandal. If politicians continue to ignore the democratic process and the voters, the voters will use the democratic process to have their say in November.
Read more at the Washington Examiner: http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/White-House-provides-a-back-door-to-amnesty-1006426-99725574.html#ixzz0w9JHgpZY
Nationally, 60% Favor Letting Local Police Stop and Verify Immigration Status
“…Arizona Governor Jan Brewer last week signed a new law into effect that authorizes local police to stop and verify the immigration status of anyone they suspect of being an illegal immigrant. A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey finds that 60% of voters nationwide favor such a law, while 31% are opposed.
Seventy-seven percent (77%) of Republicans support the law along with 62% of voters not affiliated with either major party. Democratic voters are evenly divided on the measure.
At the same time, however, 58% of all voters are at least somewhat concerned that “efforts to identify and deport illegal immigrants will also end up violating the civil rights of some U.S. citizens.” That figure includes 29% who are Very Concerned about possible civil rights violations.
Voter support for empowering local police comes at a time when most voters (56%) believe it is unlikely Congress will take action to gain control of the border. Only 31% say Congress is even somewhat likely to take such an action. That figure includes just 10% who believe Congress is Very Likely to act. …”
Michael Savage- Obama’s Immigration Speech
Immigration to play a factor for November elections
Discussion #3: Brand Loyalty–Brand and Price–Some examples
Hello Everyone!
For shaving cream I buy Barbasol.
For diet soda I buy Big K at Kroger because it is cheaper than Coke.
For peanut butter and bread I buy Kroger’s cheapest.
Kroger has a value brand category that is the cheapest.
For breakfast cereal I buy the Kroger brand for corn flakes and fruity rice crisps.
For batteries I buy Ravovac because they are the cheapest.
I usually do not buy a national brand because they are usually the most expensive and you can invariably find a product of equal or greater quality and much lower price.
Compare Kroger prices with those of the national brands and you will see what I mean.
You can get a box of saltine crackers for less than $1 or pay nearly $2 for a national brand name. I buy the Kroger discount value brand for this as well.
I just noticed this new discussion topic after I posted the one due at 5.
Raymond
Discussion #1: Raymond T. Pronk
Please state your name and why you are taking this course! Also, some information about yourself, such as interesting hobbies, year in school, etc…
Hello. I am Raymond Pronk and have lived in Fort Worth from 1978 to 1983 and in Dallas from 1983 to the present.
My interests include reading, writing, making videos and blogging.
I took this course to learn more about advertising since it is the primary revenue source for both commercial radio and television broadcasting and a major source of revenue for internet web sites.
My goal is to have my own talk radio show on current events, business, economics and politics.
I have already completed two associate degrees from Richland College in business application programming and web design.
I have earned several other degrees including a Bachelor of Science in Economics from New York University, a Master of Arts in Economics from the University of California, Berkeley, a Master of Business Administration from Wright State University and a Master of Professional Accounting from the University of Texas at Arlington.
I am currently searching for a new career position with a leading radio/television talk show or with a leading ad agency as a researcher/writer.
‘The purpose of learning is growth, and our minds, unlike our bodies, can continue growing as we continue to live.’
~Mortimer Adler
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Discussion #4: Jumping To Conclusions About Shirley Sherrod
Ag Secretary Offers to Hire Back Ousted Worker
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAsJS_E8EKE&hl=en_US&fs=1
Robert Gibbs on Shirley Sherrod: Mistakes Were Made
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bA18AEXQkNQ&hl=en_US&fs=1
Shirley Sherrod explains racial remarks
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KosReihC8Ts
USDA Reconsiders Employee’s Job Over Race Remark
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iV0u2RwwoIM&hl=en_US&fs=1
Shirley Sherrod Defended by White farmers Wife; Eloise & Rodger Spooner
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEGp2ni6B1I&hl=en_US&fs=1
White farmers at the center of Shirley Sherrod controversy: ‘No way in the world’ she is a racist.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUcH0ABKDII&hl=en_US&fs=1
shirley sherrod reveals her past racism
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrNWw7TGkjo&hl=en_US&fs=1
Andrew Breitbart Defends Shirley Sherrod Story
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kMfCAoVPx0&hl=en_US&fs=1
Krauthammer on Shirley Sherrod
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZeTVQE45ko&hl=en_US&fs=1
John King-Andrew Breitbart Shirley Sherrod Interview, Part I
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rU2igzWD5Ms&hl=en_US&fs=1
John King-Andrew Breitbart Shirley Sherrod Interview, Part II
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVs_dyguHBY&hl=en_US&fs=1
Politics of Race: NAACP vs. Tea Party
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkOc8ZKYUeQ&hl=en_US&fs=1
NAACP Says Tea Party is Racist…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eY4dyCiP9b4&hl=en_US&fs=1
Black USDA Official Caught Making Racist Remarks About White Farmers !!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ahot8jCeaGU&hl=en_US&fs=1
Glenn Beck-07/20/10-A
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTAm4tBN1mU&hl=en_US&fs=1
Glenn Beck-07/20/10-B
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9W9UokKAzAM&hl=en_US&fs=1
Glenn Beck-07/20/10-C
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obUd4BWpMeQ&hl=en_US&fs=1
Glenn Beck-07/20/10-D
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5yJEPTWG_M&hl=en_US&fs=1
When an employee is accused of racisim, it is always good policy to first check that the complete context and all of the facts of the situation are detailed in a written report and the written report be fully coordinated with all appropriate departments including human resources and legal.
The person accused of racism should always be given an opportunity to explain their side of the situation.
Had this be done, none of the bad publicity from this case would have taken place for clearly Sherrod should not have been asked to resign.
Once the mistake had been made of asking for her resignation, the Secretary of Agriculture, finally did the right thing and made a public apology and an offer to rehire her.
The Secretary of Agriculture and The President Of The United States were poorly served by the staff members who initiated this firing or forced resignation.
Panicing and jumping to conclusions only leads to more problems.
One should not respond to blog posts, videos on YouTube or television commentary without first being sure of the facts in the case.
Panicing and jumping to conclusions only leads to more problems.
Glenn Beck was right, context is very important.
Andrew Breitbart should have waited until he got the complete tape from his source.
I suspect he was being set up when his source only gave him part of the video.
Brietbart should have suspected this and held the video until his source provided him with the complete video.
Apparently the NAACP had the complete video.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Unit 6–Part 2-Careers in Advertising
How To Get A Job In Advertising
Matryoshka Dolls with Olga & Dema
“When you are appointed to head an office in the Ogilvy & Mather chain, I send you one of these Russian dolls. Inside the smallest you will find this message: ‘If each of us hires people who are smaller than we are, we shall become a company of dwarfs, but if each of us hires people who are bigger than we are, Ogilvy & Mather will become a company of giants.’:
~David Ogilvy, Ogilvy On Advertising, page 46.
A conversation about advertising, with David Ogilvy
David Ogilvy interviewed by John Crichton in 1977. Realized by the American Association of Advertising Agencies AAAA. David is seen as the “pope of advertising”. This is the complete interview version.
While in the past I have never considered a career in advertising, I recently read the late David Ogilvy’s books, Confessions of An Advertising Man and Ogilvy On Advertising to learn more about career opportunities in advertising and advertising agencies.
I highly recommend reading both books for any one interested in a career in advertising or mass communications and for business owners and executives interested in growing their businesses.
David Ogilvy started his own advertising agency in 1948.
Today Ogilvy & Mather is one of the top ten marketing communication firms worldwide and employs over 15,000 people in 450 offices around the world with a tradition for training and developing their talent. Ogilvy & Mather is part of the WPP family of companies.
Ogilvy & Mather
http://www.ogilvy.com/Careers.aspx
According to Ogilvy advertising offers four different career paths:
-
You can join a television network, a radio station, a magazine or a newspaper and sell time or space to advertisers and their agencies.
-
You can join a retailer like Sears Roebeck, and work as a copywriter, art director or advertising manager.
-
You can join a manufacturing company like Procter & Gamble, and work as a brand manager.
-
You can join an advertising agency.
Source: Ogilvy On Advertising, page 31.
I would most likely pursue the career path of working for a leading advertising agency such as the following:
All of the above advertising agencies are owned by British marketing giant WPP http://www.wpp.com/wpp/companies/
Since I live in Dallas, Texas I would also be interested in working for a local Dallas advertising agency such as the Richards Group http://www.richards.com/index.html# or the local Dallas office of ReachLocal http://reachlocal33-px.rtrk.com/ .
There are several jobs in advertising agencies including the following:
-
Account executive
-
Art director
-
Copywriter
-
Creative director
-
Media director
-
Researcher/Analyst
-
Program Director
Actual job or position descriptions from the Ogilvy & Mather web site are provided at the end of this essay.
With over twenty years of experience in the financial services industry, sales, and running my own firm, the positions that most interested me are account executive, copywriter, researcher/analyst and program director.
An account executive or in earlier times the contact man is responsible for representing the agency to the client and getting the best possible work from the various agency departments for the client.
A copywriter is responsible for writing interesting prose for print media and dialogue for broadcast media ( television and radio).
Media director is responsible for all aspects of client’s media services.
A researcher/analyst conducts surveys, writes reports and provides answer to questions.
Market research is information on the market, competition, prospects, distribution and pricing.
Advertising research is information directly related to an advertising campaign including the development, pretesting, and evaluation of the actual advertising campaign or materials.
A program director is responsible for assembling and managing teams to deliver work.
Since I do not know anybody that works in an advertising agency to interview, I decided to first interview Marshall Siegel, the Advertising Advisor for Richland College, School of Human & Academic Development, who has over thirty-seven experience in advertising with a trade magazine publisher where he had numerous positions in all departments except media.
Marshall Siegel is a graduate of the University of Missouri, School of Journalism. After college, his first job was with the Chicago Tribune, formerly self-styled as the “World’s Greatest Newspaper” (for which WGN radio and television is named). When the Korean War broke out, he was called up by the U.S. Army and served in Korea as a private first class. Siegel subsequently joined the Army Reserves and retired years latter as a Major.
After completing his active duty military service, he returned to the Chicago Tribune. At the time he was paid only $35 per week and decided for financial reasons to take a higher paying position selling advertising space for a firm that publishes trade magazines.
After thirty-seven years with the trade magazine publishing company, the company was sold to a British firm for forty million dollars in cash.
Siegal retired soon thereafter when the British firm wanted one of their executives to manage the company.
Siegel now assists students at Richland College as an advertising and writing coach and as Advertising Advisor to Richland College. When advertisers want to post their ads on the Richland College campus, he is the person you go to get your ad approved and stamped. Place you ads only on cement walls and be sure to take them down after two weeks!
He loves owning and driving Porsches and carries photos of his “babies” in his wallet.
Siegel recommended that with my financial services and sales background I approach an advertising agency about selling advertising of financial publications to prospects and clients of the advertising agency.
He suggested I go to the main library in Plano or Dallas and look up the names of the agencies that I was interested in working for in the Advertising Red Books to determine who the advertising agency’s clients were.
“…The Advertising Redbooks Standard Directory of Advertising Agencies January Edition (S11) 2010
Each Volume 1 Advertisers $ 1495.00 AS LISTED TO BE ORDERED FROM THIS SECTION
Each Volume II AGENCIES $1495.00
CD-ROM; CONTAINS Both These Volumes is $1995.00
PLEASE CALL AT 905 946 9588 OR EMAIL US at sales@ippbooks.com
The Advertising Redbooks’ defines useful agency-to-advertiser relationships for prospecting and competitive intelligence research. …”
http://www.ippbooks.com/store/advertising-red-book-advertising-agencies-of-the-usa.html
Siegel also recommended that I obtain for selected financial publications their advertising rates from the SDRS directory at the library:
“…”For 90 years, SRDS has built and maintained the largest and most comprehensive database of media rates and data in the world, including:
-Magazines
-Newspapers
-Television & Radio Stations
-Online Sites
-Out-of-Home Venues
-Direct Marketing Lists …”
http://www.wpp.com/wpp/companies/companydetail.htm?id=532
WPP acquired SDRS in 2009.
SRDS Portal
http://www.srds.com/portal/servlet/LoginServlet
Siegel also recommended that I send a letter or e-mail to the founder or head of the advertising agency expressing by interest in working for his agency.
I indicated that I was more interested in a creative position in advertising such as copywriter for I write every day on a blog and have published over sixty videos on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/user/raymondpronk and designed and developed a number of web sites on famous artists
The one agency in Dallas that most impresses me is the Richards Group founded by Stan Richards.
2010 JA Dallas Business Hall of Fame Laureate – Stan Richards
I still remember participating in a focus group one evening for The Richards Group.
A group of individuals in the financial services were there to review the advertising and marketing materials for a financial services client of The Richards Group.
I will be reading his book next:
Another firm that interests me is ReachLocal that is relatively new and has just opened an office in Dallas.
ReachLocal has a unique system that gets prospects for advertisers.
ReachLocal Vision
ReachLocal Promo – What We Do
ReachLocal Promo – How It Works
How It Works: The ReachLocal Platform
Job Descriptions
From Actual Job Open Positions At Ogilvy & Mather
Account Executive
“…Responsibilities:
- Responsible for the smooth week-by week running of the account and the effective management of all Client projects
- Develops positive, proactive relationships with Client and Agency team creating a stimulating environment within which the best work can develop
- Begins to develop people management skills by coaching and developing their reports and by demonstrating an ability to effectively delegate both up and down.
- As the Account Executive moves towards promotion to Account Supervisor he/she will begin to show leadership and drive in thinking of innovative solutions to business/strategic problems and in merchandising the Agency’s services
- Understands challenges facing Client’s business in the short-term
- Makes it their business to know all aspects of competitive activity
- Develops an understanding of the motivations/behaviour patterns of consumers in the marketplace by attending focus groups/ quantitative debriefs, store visits etc.
- Goes to lengths to gain a thorough understanding of all aspects of the brand – from reading reports, visiting factories/stores and talking to sales force to using/experiencing the product/service
- Supports planners in developing ideas and stimulus for research
- Actively contributes to discussions on strategy and advertising development
- Works with Account Director and Planner to develop inspirational briefings for Creatives
- Keeps in regular contact with Creatives during development of ideas, keeping them supplied with any useful stimulus and helping to ensure they remain motivated and enthusiastic
- Keeps Client involved in the development process to build their confidence and enable them to buy braver ideas.
- Has mastered a range of presentation techniques and works with the Account Director to identify the most appropriate and inspiring way to present and sell each piece of creative work
- Be a sound judge of creative work, able to coherently argue the case for or against creative work based on the brief and factual accuracy, both internally and with the Client …”
Art Director
“…Responsibilities:
- Generate original concepts in partnership with copywriter
- Manage multiple deadlines/projects
- Present creative to senior management, account teams and clients
- Be a brand expert and steward for clients and Ogilvy
- Cast (or assist with casting) talent for TV/radio/photo shoots and attend production/editing
- Liaise with production companies, photographers, typographers, designers and printers
Copywriter
“…Responsibilities:
- Generate original concepts in partnership with art director
- Write strategically sound headlines and body copy for digital, print and broadcast deliverables
- Manage multiple deadlines/projects
- Present creative to clients
- Keep breast of cultural and industry trends
- Become a brand expert and steward for both clients and Ogilvy
- Cast (or assist with casting) actors for TV/radio/photo shoots and attend production/editing
- Liaise with production companies, photographers, typographers, designers and printers
http://careers.ogilvy.com/private/myjobs/openjob_outside.jsp?a=3jdo4jjibi1r49wrf9pgq9n9b2pvqyz45f4wjbysqnrh3rk24g6avteuh5ueleox0&from=COMP&id=2325396&SearchString=Copywriter&StatesString=
Media Director
“…Responsibilities:
- Oversight on all aspects of client’s media services
- Responsible for overall media objectives and strategies that fulfill client business objectives
- Lead creation of all important plans and presentations
- Demonstrate thought leadership and innovation for enhanced media plans and results
- Foster cross-agency relationships with account, production, and outside partners
- Train, motivate & develop Media Supervisors, Media Planners, Assistant Media Planners
http://careers.ogilvy.com/private/myjobs/openjob_outside.jsp?a=3jdo4jjibi1r49wrf9pgq9n9b2pvqyz45f4wjbysqnrh3rk24g6avteuh5ueleox0&from=COMP&id=2280700&SearchString=Media+Director&StatesString=
Researcher/Analyst
“…Responsibilities
•Assist senior analytic staff with various analytic projects for experiential , shopper, and promotional campaigns
•Retrieve raw data gathered from field or market activities and synthesize it into usable forms for account team usage
•Join multiple sources of data into one, normalized dataset
•Provide analysis beyond reporting basic facts, such as regression, cluster and factor analysis, and simple tests for statistical significance
•Maintain library of analytics case studies used to develop industry benchmarks
•Produce analytics reports from both custom and template designs
•Manage time spent against multiple projects, ensuring deadlines are maintained and met
•Assist in writing of reports
•Some client-facing responsibilities …:
Program Director
“…Responsibilities:
- Will work primarily on the digital side of the business, including such projects as:
- Tutorials
- New product launches
- Various TWC.com site initiatives
- TWC online Applications
- Scoping new projects and recognizing changes to current scope
- Should be familiar with key disciplines and their processes for delivering work (IA, Creative, Content Strategy, Project Management, Strategy, Engineering, Usability, etc.)
- Working with other disciplines (especially digital project management) to assemble and manage teams to deliver work
- Project plan development and risk planning
- Reviewing actuals to track profitability of projects and course correct if necessary
- Day-to-day client contact and advisement
- Presentation writing and presenting skills, meeting facilitation skills …”
“The biggest problem which besets almost every agency is the problem of producing good campaigns. Copywriters, art directors, and television producers are easily come by, but the number of men who can preside over an agency’s entire creative output – perhaps a hundred new campaigns every year – can be numbered on the fingers of one hand. These rare trumpeter swans must be capable of inspiring a motley crew of writers and artists; they must be sure-footed judges of campaigns for a wide range of different products; they must be good presenters; and they must have a colossal appetite for midnight oil.”
- ~David Ogilvy, Confessions of an Advertising Man, 1971, New York:
David Ogilvy made it very clear what he wanted when he advertised for a Creative Director for Ogilvy & Mather International:
Trumpeter Swans
In my experience, there are five kinds of Creative Director:
1. Sound on strategy, dull on execution.
2.Good managers who don’t make waves…and don’t produce brilliant campaigns either.
3. Duds.
4. The genius who is a lousy leader.
5. TRUMPETER SWANS
who combine personal genius with inspiring leadership.
We have an opening for one of these rare birds in one of our offices overseas.
Write in inviolable secrecy to me,
David Ogilvy, Touffou, 86300 Bonnes, France.
Signed David Ogilvy
~Source: Ogilvy On Advertising, page 48
Ultimate Animal Dads: Trumpeter Swans
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnqkfglZI2Q&feature=related
The Trumpeter Swan
A Trumpeter Swan looking for a new career opportunity with an advertising agency.
Background Information
The Pope of Modern Advertising – David Ogilvy
http://www.hulu.com/watch/46488/the-david-susskind-show-the-pope-of-modern-advertising—david-ogilvy
David Ogilvy: We Sell or Else
David MacKenzie Ogilvy
“…David MacKenzie Ogilvy, CBE, (June 23, 1911–July 21, 1999), was a notable advertising executive. He has often been called “The Father of Advertising.” In 1962, Time called him “the most sought-after wizard in today’s advertising industry.” [1] He was known for a career of expanding the bounds of both creativity and morality in advertising. …”
“…The Ogilvy & Mather years (1949–1973)
After working as a chef, researcher, and farmer, Ogilvy started his agency with the backing of Mather and Crowther, the London agency being run by his elder brother, Francis, which later acquired another London agency, S. H. Benson. The new agency in New York was called Ogilvy, Benson, and Mather. David Ogilvy had just $6,000 in his account when he started the agency. He writes in Confessions of an Advertising Man that initially, he struggled to get clients. Ogilvy also admitted (referring to the pioneer of British advertising Bobby Bevan, the chairman of Benson) “I was in awe of him but Bevan never took notice of me!” They would meet later, however.[3]
Ogilvy & Mather was built on David Ogilvy’s principles, in particular, that the function of advertising is to sell and that successful advertising for any product is based on information about its consumer.
His entry into the company of giants started with several iconic advertising campaigns:
“The man in the Hathaway shirt” with his aristocratic eye patch which used Baron George Wrangell as model; “The man from Schweppes is here” introduced Commander Edward Whitehead, the elegant bearded Brit, bringing Schweppes (and “Schweppervesence”) to the U.S.; a famous headline in the automobile business, “At 60 miles an hour the loudest noise in this new Rolls-Royce comes from the electric clock”; “Pablo Casals is coming home – to Puerto Rico”, a campaign which Ogilvy said helped change the image of a country, and was his proudest achievement.
One of his greatest successes was “Only Dove is one-quarter moisturizing cream”. This campaign helped Dove become the top selling soap in the U.S.
Ogilvy believed that the best way to get new clients was to do notable work for his existing clients. Success in his early campaigns helped Ogilvy get big clients such as Rolls-Royce and Shell. New clients followed and Ogilvy’s company grew quickly.
In 1973 Ogilvy retired as Chairman of Ogilvy & Mather and moved to Touffou, his estate in France. While no longer involved in the agency’s day-to-day operations, he stayed in touch with the company. His correspondence so dramatically increased the volume of mail handled in the nearby town of Bonnes that the post office was reclassified at a higher status and the postmaster’s salary raised.
Ogilvy & Mather linked with H.H.D Europe in 1972. …”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Ogilvy_(businessman)
Russia-Matryoshka doll class
SRDS sale gives WPP an unfair advantage
“…This affects the direct marketing industry because SRDS provides a research system that is used for making mailing list purchasing decisions and formulating media plans. List managers use SRDS to promote their lists. List brokers and mailers use SRDS to make list selections.
WPP Group is a huge advertising agency holding company with an estimated 100,000 employees and £6.18 billion revenue in 2007. A big part of WPP’s revenue is commissions from media purchases done by their stable of advertising agencies. It’s a good strategy for WPP to buy SRDS because it will give them better insight into media purchases that happen outside of WPP. They can use SRDS’ database to better calculate their market share and to develop laser-focused strategies to acquire the share they don’t already own.
If I were a list broker, I’d be really nervous about this.
After all, list brokers compete with WPP agencies for their commissions (i.e. their livelihood). If WPP owns their list research system, it would provide WPP with powerful insights that enable them to steal the business away from list brokers and move those commissions to WPP agencies.
Imagine if your competitor could see all your research and proposals before you publish them. They would eat your lunch! …”
http://blog.nextmark.com/2008/11/srds-sale-gives-wpp-an-unfair-advantage.html
The Richards Group
“…The Richards Group is an American advertising agency. It is the largest independently owned agency in the country.[citation needed]
Based in Dallas, Texas, The Richards Group reports annual billings approaching $1.25 billion. Memorable work includes the iconic Chick-fil-A Cows (“Eat Mor Chikin”)[1], the Motel 6 campaign featuring Tom Bodett, and the dialogue-free Corona Beer TV commercials set on tropical beaches.
Major clients include Baby Magic[2], Fruit of the Loom, Home Depot, Sub-Zero/Wolf, and Zales. The agency handles advertising, public relations, and promotions for dozens of clients nationwide, in addition to sports/entertainment marketing for colleges and universities.
In the 3rd quarter of 2009, PODS signed The Richards Group as their creative agency.[3]
The Richards Group is associated by common ownership with Houston advertising agency Richards/Carlberg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Richards_Group
Trumpet of the swan – Ogilvy & Mather Chairman and CEO Rochelle Lazarus
“…In 1994, IBM stunned the marketing world by consolidating its $500 million advertising account, parceled among 40 agencies, into just one. It was the largest account switch ever and at its center was Shelley Lazarus, then the president and COO of WPP Group’s Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide.
Named chief executive last fall, on April 30 Lazarus inherited the chairman’s baton from Charlotte Beers, the 61-year-old dynamic Texan who became the first female chief executive in O&M’s history in 1992. Heading the $7.6 billion agency that legendary adman David Ogilvy founded in 1948, whose clients include Duracell, Ford, Kimberly Clark, Shell Oil, Jaguar, Sears Roebuck, Eastman Kodak, and American Express, makes Lazarus the most powerful woman in advertising – not bad for someone who couldn’t find work 25 years ago.
“Other agencies wouldn’t hire me, claiming they didn’t want to alienate the wives of account executives with whom I’d have to work late,” Lazarus recalls. But O&M took her on in 1971 as an assistant and a few years later – when she was six months pregnant – named her its first female account executive. With the exception of a hiatus in 1974 to follow her husband on a two-year posting at a Dayton, OH, Air Force base and care for their newborn, she has spent virtually her entire career at O&M. On returning to New York, she rejoined the firm and was soon running O&M Direct, the unit responsible for “junk mail.” Considered “off-the-path” at the time, Lazarus found direct marketing “a specialty with enormous profit potential,” and parlayed the job into a launch pad for posts as president of the New York office and president of Ogilvy North America. …”
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m4070/is_n124/ai_19694503/
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( 1 so far )News Journal: Number 08, August 6, 2010: Bush Obama Depression (BOD) Progressively Worsens With Over 25 Million Unemployed Americans–No Jobs Recovery On The Economic Time Horizon!–Videos
Dan Mitchell – The Bush/Obama Years
The Road Ahead: Unemployment, Poverty and the Recession
The Unemployment Game Show: Are You *Really* Unemployed? – From Mint.com
Employment Level
During the last year of the Bush Administration the employment level fell from 146,421,00 in January 2008 to 142,221,00 or about a 4.2 million decline year to year in the number of employed persons in the United States.
During the first year of the Obama Administration the employment level fell from 142,221,00 in January 2009 to 138,333,00 in January 2010 or about 3.9 million decline year to year in the number of employed person in the United States.
From the start of recession/depression in December 2007 through July 2010, the employment level fell from 146,173,00 in December 2007 to 138,960,000 in July 2010 or about a 7.2 million decline in the last 31 months.
Series Id: LNS12000000 Seasonally Adjusted Series title: (Seas) Employment Level Labor force status: Employed Type of data: Number in thousands Age: 16 years and over
| Year | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 136559(1) | 136598 | 136701 | 137270 | 136630 | 136940 | 136531 | 136662 | 136893 | 137088 | 137322 | 137614 | |
| 2001 | 137778 | 137612 | 137783 | 137299 | 137092 | 136873 | 137071 | 136241 | 136846 | 136392 | 136238 | 136047 | |
| 2002 | 135701 | 136438 | 136177 | 136126 | 136539 | 136415 | 136413 | 136705 | 137302 | 137008 | 136521 | 136426 | |
| 2003 | 137417(1) | 137482 | 137434 | 137633 | 137544 | 137790 | 137474 | 137549 | 137609 | 137984 | 138424 | 138411 | |
| 2004 | 138472(1) | 138542 | 138453 | 138680 | 138852 | 139174 | 139556 | 139573 | 139487 | 139732 | 140231 | 140125 | |
| 2005 | 140245(1) | 140385 | 140654 | 141254 | 141609 | 141714 | 142026 | 142434 | 142401 | 142548 | 142499 | 142752 | |
| 2006 | 143142(1) | 143444 | 143765 | 143794 | 144108 | 144370 | 144229 | 144631 | 144797 | 145292 | 145477 | 145914 | |
| 2007 | 146032(1) | 146043 | 146368 | 145686 | 145952 | 146079 | 145926 | 145685 | 146193 | 145885 | 146483 | 146173 | |
| 2008 | 146421(1) | 146165 | 146173 | 146306 | 146023 | 145768 | 145515 | 145187 | 145021 | 144677 | 143907 | 143188 | |
| 2009 | 142221(1) | 141687 | 140854 | 140902 | 140438 | 140038 | 139817 | 139433 | 138768 | 138242 | 138381 | 137792 | |
| 2010 | 138333(1) | 138641 | 138905 | 139455 | 139420 | 139119 | 138960 | ||||||
| 1 : Data affected by changes in population controls. | |||||||||||||
Civilian Labor Force
Every month about 150,000 new entrants into the labor force are seeking employment.
Thus a minimum of about 150,000 new jobs is needed each month to keep the unemployment from rising.
A .1% decline in the unemployment requires about a 300,000 new jobs to be created during a month.
Unfortunately the United States has been adding about 100,000 new jobs in 2010.
This is not a jobs recovery but a jobs recession.
The Civilian Labor Force hit a high of 154,849,000 in October 2008 or about 155 million under the Bush Administration.
The Civilian Labor Force hit a high of 154,956 in May 2009 or about 155 million under the Obama Administration.
If the economy had been growing since October 2008 instead of declining the Civilian Labor Force through July 2010 would be about 160 million and not 154 million.
Both the stimulus spending of Presidents Bush and Obama have been abject failures in growing the economy and the Civilian Labor Force.
The Civilian Labor Force is again declining.
Series Id: LNS11000000 Seasonally Adjusted Series title: (Seas) Civilian Labor Force Level Labor force status: Civilian labor force Type of data: Number in thousands Age: 16 years and over
| Year | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 142267(1) | 142456 | 142434 | 142751 | 142388 | 142591 | 142278 | 142514 | 142518 | 142622 | 142962 | 143248 | |
| 2001 | 143800 | 143701 | 143924 | 143569 | 143318 | 143357 | 143654 | 143284 | 143989 | 144086 | 144240 | 144305 | |
| 2002 | 143883 | 144653 | 144481 | 144725 | 144938 | 144808 | 144803 | 145009 | 145552 | 145314 | 145041 | 145066 | |
| 2003 | 145937(1) | 146100 | 146022 | 146474 | 146500 | 147056 | 146485 | 146445 | 146530 | 146716 | 147000 | 146729 | |
| 2004 | 146842(1) | 146709 | 146944 | 146850 | 147065 | 147460 | 147692 | 147564 | 147415 | 147793 | 148162 | 148059 | |
| 2005 | 148029(1) | 148364 | 148391 | 148926 | 149261 | 149238 | 149432 | 149779 | 149954 | 150001 | 150065 | 150030 | |
| 2006 | 150201(1) | 150629 | 150839 | 150915 | 151085 | 151368 | 151383 | 151729 | 151650 | 152020 | 152360 | 152698 | |
| 2007 | 153117(1) | 152941 | 153093 | 152531 | 152717 | 153045 | 153039 | 152781 | 153393 | 153158 | 153767 | 153869 | |
| 2008 | 154048(1) | 153600 | 153966 | 153936 | 154420 | 154327 | 154410 | 154696 | 154590 | 154849 | 154524 | 154587 | |
| 2009 | 154140(1) | 154401 | 154164 | 154718 | 154956 | 154759 | 154351 | 154426 | 153927 | 153854 | 153720 | 153059 | |
| 2010 | 153170(1) | 153512 | 153910 | 154715 | 154393 | 153741 | 153560 | ||||||
| 1 : Data affected by changes in population controls. | |||||||||||||
Labor Force Participation Rate
While the labor force participation rate varies from month, the rate is usually around 66% plus or minus 1%. and usually rises in a growing economy or boom and falls in a declining economy or bust.
The labor force participation rate has been falling for the last three months and has now hit a new low of 64.6% which equals the past low in December of 2009.
This reflects the fact that those seeking employment for many months are so discouraged that according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics they have withdrawn from participation in the labor market.
A more accurate interpretation is the discouraged workers cannot find a job after applying for hundreds of jobs where hundreds of unemployed have also applied for the one job opening.
Series Id: LNS11300000 Seasonally Adjusted Series title: (Seas) Labor Force Participation Rate Labor force status: Civilian labor force participation rate Type of data: Percent or rate Age: 16 years and over
| Year | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 67.3 | 67.3 | 67.3 | 67.3 | 67.1 | 67.1 | 66.9 | 66.9 | 66.9 | 66.8 | 66.9 | 67.0 | |
| 2001 | 67.2 | 67.1 | 67.2 | 66.9 | 66.7 | 66.7 | 66.8 | 66.5 | 66.8 | 66.7 | 66.7 | 66.7 | |
| 2002 | 66.5 | 66.8 | 66.6 | 66.7 | 66.7 | 66.6 | 66.5 | 66.6 | 66.7 | 66.6 | 66.4 | 66.3 | |
| 2003 | 66.4 | 66.4 | 66.3 | 66.4 | 66.4 | 66.5 | 66.2 | 66.1 | 66.1 | 66.1 | 66.1 | 65.9 | |
| 2004 | 66.1 | 66.0 | 66.0 | 65.9 | 66.0 | 66.1 | 66.1 | 66.0 | 65.8 | 65.9 | 66.0 | 65.9 | |
| 2005 | 65.8 | 65.9 | 65.9 | 66.1 | 66.1 | 66.1 | 66.1 | 66.2 | 66.1 | 66.1 | 66.0 | 66.0 | |
| 2006 | 66.0 | 66.1 | 66.2 | 66.1 | 66.1 | 66.2 | 66.1 | 66.2 | 66.1 | 66.2 | 66.3 | 66.4 | |
| 2007 | 66.4 | 66.3 | 66.3 | 66.0 | 66.0 | 66.0 | 66.0 | 65.8 | 66.0 | 65.8 | 66.0 | 66.0 | |
| 2008 | 66.2 | 66.0 | 66.1 | 66.0 | 66.2 | 66.1 | 66.0 | 66.1 | 66.0 | 66.0 | 65.8 | 65.8 | |
| 2009 | 65.7 | 65.7 | 65.6 | 65.8 | 65.8 | 65.7 | 65.4 | 65.4 | 65.1 | 65.0 | 64.9 | 64.6 | |
| 2010 | 64.7 | 64.8 | 64.9 | 65.2 | 65.0 | 64.7 | 64.6 |
Unemployment Rate U-3
When President George Bush left office the official unemployment rate measured by U-3 was at 7.7%.
Since President Barack Obama entered office the official unemployment rate measured by U-3 has risen from 8.2% in February to a peak of 10.1% in October 2009 back down to a July 2010 unemployment rate of 9.5%.
I fully expect the official unemployment to again rise above 10% in the next six months due to the continuing fiscal economic policies of President Obama.
Increased Federal Government spending and deficits have place a heavy weight or drag on the economy.
Series Id: LNS14000000 Seasonally Adjusted Series title: (Seas) Unemployment Rate Labor force status: Unemployment rate Type of data: Percent or rate Age: 16 years and over
| Year | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 4.0 | 4.1 | 4.0 | 3.8 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.1 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 3.9 | |
| 2001 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 4.3 | 4.4 | 4.3 | 4.5 | 4.6 | 4.9 | 5.0 | 5.3 | 5.5 | 5.7 | |
| 2002 | 5.7 | 5.7 | 5.7 | 5.9 | 5.8 | 5.8 | 5.8 | 5.7 | 5.7 | 5.7 | 5.9 | 6.0 | |
| 2003 | 5.8 | 5.9 | 5.9 | 6.0 | 6.1 | 6.3 | 6.2 | 6.1 | 6.1 | 6.0 | 5.8 | 5.7 | |
| 2004 | 5.7 | 5.6 | 5.8 | 5.6 | 5.6 | 5.6 | 5.5 | 5.4 | 5.4 | 5.5 | 5.4 | 5.4 | |
| 2005 | 5.3 | 5.4 | 5.2 | 5.2 | 5.1 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 4.9 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 4.9 | |
| 2006 | 4.7 | 4.8 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.6 | 4.6 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.5 | 4.4 | 4.5 | 4.4 | |
| 2007 | 4.6 | 4.5 | 4.4 | 4.5 | 4.4 | 4.6 | 4.6 | 4.6 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 5.0 | |
| 2008 | 5.0 | 4.8 | 5.1 | 5.0 | 5.4 | 5.5 | 5.8 | 6.1 | 6.2 | 6.6 | 6.9 | 7.4 | |
| 2009 | 7.7 | 8.2 | 8.6 | 8.9 | 9.4 | 9.5 | 9.4 | 9.7 | 9.8 | 10.1 | 10.0 | 10.0 | |
| 2010 | 9.7 | 9.7 | 9.7 | 9.9 | 9.7 | 9.5 | 9.5 |
Unemployment Level
The unemployment level of 14,599,000 persons for July 2010 still exceeds the worse month of unemployment in the Great Depression, March 1933 of about 13 million.
While the unemployment rate of 9.5% is usually announced on news casts, it surprising how few times any mention is made of the actual number of unemployed.
Keep in mind the official unemployment of 9.5% as measured by U-6 actually grossly understates the actual number of unemployed because it excludes the marginally attached workers and those discouraged from trying to find a job and failing to do so.
Series Id: LNS13000000
Seasonally Adjusted
Series title: (Seas) Unemployment Level
Labor force status: Unemployed
Type of data: Number in thousands
Age: 16 years and over
| Year | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 5708 | 5858 | 5733 | 5481 | 5758 | 5651 | 5747 | 5853 | 5625 | 5534 | 5639 | 5634 | |
| 2001 | 6023 | 6089 | 6141 | 6271 | 6226 | 6484 | 6583 | 7042 | 7142 | 7694 | 8003 | 8258 | |
| 2002 | 8182 | 8215 | 8304 | 8599 | 8399 | 8393 | 8390 | 8304 | 8251 | 8307 | 8520 | 8640 | |
| 2003 | 8520 | 8618 | 8588 | 8842 | 8957 | 9266 | 9011 | 8896 | 8921 | 8732 | 8576 | 8317 | |
| 2004 | 8370 | 8167 | 8491 | 8170 | 8212 | 8286 | 8136 | 7990 | 7927 | 8061 | 7932 | 7934 | |
| 2005 | 7784 | 7980 | 7737 | 7672 | 7651 | 7524 | 7406 | 7345 | 7553 | 7453 | 7566 | 7279 | |
| 2006 | 7059 | 7185 | 7075 | 7122 | 6977 | 6998 | 7154 | 7097 | 6853 | 6728 | 6883 | 6784 | |
| 2007 | 7085 | 6898 | 6725 | 6845 | 6765 | 6966 | 7113 | 7096 | 7200 | 7273 | 7284 | 7696 | |
| 2008 | 7628 | 7435 | 7793 | 7631 | 8397 | 8560 | 8895 | 9509 | 9569 | 10172 | 10617 | 11400 | |
| 2009 | 11919 | 12714 | 13310 | 13816 | 14518 | 14721 | 14534 | 14993 | 15159 | 15612 | 15340 | 15267 | |
| 2010 | 14837 | 14871 | 15005 | 15260 | 14973 | 14623 | 14599 |
Total Unemployed Rate U-6
The real or total unemployment rate as measured by U-6 was 16.5% in July unchanged from June.
When President George Bush left office the real or total unemployment rate as measured by U-6 was 14.0%.
Since President Barack Obama entered office the total unemployment rate as measured by U-6 has risen from 15.0% in February to a peak of 17.4% in October 2009 back down to a July 2010 total unemployment rate of 16.5%.
Series Id: LNS13327709
Seasonally Adjusted
Series title: (seas) Total unemployed, plus all marginally attached workers plus total employed part time for economic reasons, as a percent of all civilian labor force plus all marginally attached workers
Labor force status: Aggregated totals unemployed
Type of data: Percent or rate
Age: 16 years and over
Percent/rates: Unemployed and mrg attached and pt for econ reas as percent of labor force plus marg attached
| Year | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 7.1 | 7.2 | 7.1 | 6.9 | 7.1 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 7.1 | 7.0 | 6.8 | 7.1 | 6.9 | |
| 2001 | 7.3 | 7.4 | 7.3 | 7.4 | 7.5 | 7.9 | 7.8 | 8.1 | 8.7 | 9.3 | 9.4 | 9.6 | |
| 2002 | 9.5 | 9.5 | 9.4 | 9.7 | 9.5 | 9.5 | 9.6 | 9.6 | 9.6 | 9.6 | 9.7 | 9.8 | |
| 2003 | 10.0 | 10.2 | 10.0 | 10.2 | 10.1 | 10.3 | 10.3 | 10.1 | 10.4 | 10.2 | 10.0 | 9.8 | |
| 2004 | 9.9 | 9.7 | 10.0 | 9.6 | 9.6 | 9.5 | 9.5 | 9.4 | 9.4 | 9.7 | 9.4 | 9.2 | |
| 2005 | 9.3 | 9.3 | 9.1 | 8.9 | 8.9 | 9.0 | 8.8 | 8.9 | 9.0 | 8.7 | 8.7 | 8.6 | |
| 2006 | 8.4 | 8.4 | 8.2 | 8.1 | 8.2 | 8.4 | 8.5 | 8.4 | 8.0 | 8.2 | 8.1 | 8.0 | |
| 2007 | 8.3 | 8.1 | 8.0 | 8.2 | 8.2 | 8.2 | 8.3 | 8.5 | 8.4 | 8.4 | 8.5 | 8.8 | |
| 2008 | 9.1 | 8.9 | 9.0 | 9.2 | 9.7 | 10.0 | 10.5 | 10.9 | 11.2 | 11.9 | 12.8 | 13.7 | |
| 2009 | 14.0 | 15.0 | 15.6 | 15.8 | 16.4 | 16.5 | 16.4 | 16.8 | 17.0 | 17.4 | 17.2 | 17.3 | |
| 2010 | 16.5 | 16.8 | 16.9 | 17.1 | 16.6 | 16.5 | 16.5 |
A real or total unemployment rate of 16.5% multiplied by the current total labor force is 153,560,00 means there are at least 25,337,400.
Several economist believe the Bureau of Labor Statistics statistics on unemployment rate understands the actual rate of unemployment.
Using an alternative unemployment rate of 20% multiplied by the current civilian labor force of about 153,560,00 means there are over 30 million Americans currently unemployed:
Economist John Williams on Real Unemployment Rate
Both President Bush’s and Obama’s economic stimulus packages have been a complete failure in creating jobs and wealth.
Expect the official unemployment rate measured by U-3 to exceed 10% and the real total unemployment rate measure by U-6 to exceed 17% over much of 2011.
Keynesian Economics Is Wrong: Bigger Gov’t Is Not Stimulus
Obama’s So-Called Stimulus: Good For Government, Bad For the Economy
Saltsman Says Minimum Wage Leads to Teen Employment Drop: Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCcgoiemEBY
Background Articles and Videos
News Update: US Unemployment Rate Holds at 9.5%, 71,000 Jobs Added in June
Unemployment Statistics – John Williams on Economics 101
Jobs Picture Worsens With 131,000 Losses; 9.5% Rate
“…Non-farm payrolls fell 131,000 the Labor Department said on Friday as temporary jobs to conduct the decennial census dropped by 143,000.
Private employment, considered a better gauge of labor market health, rose 71,000 after increasing 31,000 in June. In addition, the government revised payrolls for May and June to show 97,000 fewer jobs than previously reported.
Analysts polled by Reuters had forecast overall employment falling 65,000 and private-sector hiring increasing 90,000.
The unemployment rate was unchanged at 9.5 percent in July for a second straight month, just below market expectations for a rise to 9.6 percent. The steady jobless rate largely reflected a drop in the labor force as discouraged workers gave up the search for jobs. …”
http://www.cnbc.com/id/38590746
Employment Situation Summary
Transmission of material in this release is embargoed USDL-10-1076 until 8:30 a.m. (EDT) Friday, August 6, 2010 Technical information: Household data: (202) 691-6378 * cpsinfo@bls.gov * www.bls.gov/cps Establishment data: (202) 691-6555 * cesinfo@bls.gov * www.bls.gov/ces Media contact: (202) 691-5902 * PressOffice@bls.gov THE EMPLOYMENT SITUATION -- JULY 2010 Total nonfarm payroll employment declined by 131,000 in July, and the unem- ployment rate was unchanged at 9.5 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statis- tics reported today. Federal government employment fell, as 143,000 temporary workers hired for the decennial census completed their work. Private-sector payroll employment edged up by 71,000. Household Survey Data Both the number of unemployed persons, at 14.6 million, and the unemployment rate, at 9.5 percent, were unchanged in July. (See table A-1.) Among the major worker groups, the unemployment rate for adult men (9.7 per- cent), adult women (7.9 percent), teenagers (26.1 percent), whites (8.6 per- cent), blacks (15.6 percent), and Hispanics (12.1 percent) showed little or no change in July. The jobless rate for Asians was 8.2 percent, not seasonally adjusted. (See tables A-1, A-2, and A-3.) In July, the number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks and over) was little changed at 6.6 million. These individuals made up 44.9 per- cent of unemployed persons. (See table A-12.) The civilian labor force participation rate (64.6 percent) and the employment- population ratio (58.4 percent) were essentially unchanged in July; however, these measures have declined by 0.6 percentage point and 0.4 point, respec- tively, since April. (See table A-1.) The number of persons employed part time for economic reasons (sometimes re- ferred to as involuntary part-time workers) was essentially unchanged over the month at 8.5 million but has declined by 623,000 since April. These in- dividuals were working part time because their hours had been cut back or because they were unable to find a full-time job. (See table A-8.) About 2.6 million persons were marginally attached to the labor force in July, an increase of 340,000 from a year earlier. (The data are not seasonally ad- justed.) These individuals were not in the labor force, wanted and were avail- able for work, and had looked for a job sometime in the prior 12 months. They were not counted as unemployed because they had not searched for work in the 4 weeks preceding the survey. (See table A-16.) Among the marginally attached, there were 1.2 million discouraged workers in July, up by 389,000 from a year earlier. (The data are not seasonally ad- justed.) Discouraged workers are persons not currently looking for work because they believe no jobs are available for them. The remaining 1.4 million persons marginally attached to the labor force had not searched for work in the 4 weeks preceding the survey for reasons such as school attendance or family responsi- bilities. (See table A-16.) Establishment Survey Data Total nonfarm payroll employment decreased by 131,000 in July, reflecting the departure of 143,000 temporary Census 2010 workers from federal government pay- rolls. Total private employment edged up over the month (+71,000). Thus far this year, private sector employment has increased by 630,000, with about two-thirds of the gain occurring in March and April. (See table B-1.) Manufacturing employment increased by 36,000 over the month. Motor vehicles and parts had fewer seasonal layoffs than normal for July, contributing to a season- ally adjusted employment increase of 21,000. The industry had added 32,000 jobs in the first 6 months of the year. In July, employment in fabricated metals rose by 9,000. Manufacturing employment has expanded by 183,000 since December 2009. Health care added 27,000 jobs in July. Over the past 12 months, health care em- ployment has risen by 231,000. In July, employment in transportation and warehousing edged up by 12,000. Since a recent low in February, transportation and warehousing has added 56,000 jobs. Mining employment rose by 7,000 in July, with the gain concentrated in support activities for mining. Mining has added 63,000 jobs since October 2009. Employment in professional and business services was little changed (-13,000) in July. The number of jobs in temporary help services showed little movement (-6,000) over the month. Employment in financial activities continued to trend down in July, with a decline of 17,000. So far this year, monthly job losses in the industry have averaged 12,000, compared with an average monthly job loss of 29,000 for all of 2009. Construction employment changed little (-11,000) in July; 10,000 construction workers were off payrolls due to strike activity. Employment in other private-sector industries, including wholesale trade, re- tail trade, information, and leisure and hospitality showed little change in July. Government employment fell by 202,000 in July, largely reflecting the loss of 143,000 temporary workers hired for Census 2010. Employment in both state and local governments edged down over the month. In July, the average workweek for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls increased by 0.1 hour to 34.2 hours. The manufacturing workweek for all em- ployees increased by 0.1 hour to 40.1 hours, following a decrease of 0.5 hour in June. The average workweek for production and nonsupervisory employees on private nonfarm payrolls increased by 0.1 hour to 33.5 hours in July. (See tables B-2 and B-7.) Average hourly earnings of all employees on private nonfarm payrolls increased by 4 cents, or 0.2 percent, to $22.59 in July. Over the past 12 months, average hourly earnings have increased by 1.8 percent. In July, average hourly earnings of private-sector production and nonsupervisory employees increased by 2 cents, or 0.1 percent, to $19.04. (See tables B-3 and B-8.) The change in total nonfarm payroll employment for May was revised from +433,000 to +432,000, and the change for June was revised from -125,000 to -221,000. __________ The Employment Situation for August is scheduled to be released on Friday, September 3, 2010, at 8:30 a.m. (EDT).
http://bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm
Related Posts On Pronk Palisades
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )News Journal: Number 07, August 5, 2010–Federal Judge Rules California Proposition 8 Same Sex Marriage Ban Unconstitutional–Videos
“…CONCLUSION
Proposition 8 fails to advance any rational basis in
singling out gay men and lesbians for denial of a marriage license.
Indeed, the evidence shows Proposition 8 does nothing more than
enshrine in the California Constitution the notion that opposite-
sex couples are superior to same-sex couples. Because California
has no interest in discriminating against gay men and lesbians, and
because Proposition 8 prevents California from fulfilling its
constitutional obligation to provide marriages on an equal basis,
the court concludes that Proposition 8 is unconstitutional.”
~VAUGHN R WALKER
http://www.scribd.com/doc/35374462/Prop-8-Ruling-FINAL
Federal judge throws out California gay marriage ban
Same-sex marriage ban overturned, California’s Prop 8 ruled unconstitutional
Mark Levin on California same-sex marriage ruling
Michael Savage – Crazy Judge Struck Down California’s Ban on Same-Sex Marriage – (August 4, 2010)
In about two years the Supreme Court of the United States will finally decide whether the ban on same-sex marriage is constitutional or unconstitutional.
The majority of Americans and the world’s religions and societies consider marriage to be between a man and a woman.
The Executive, Congress and the Judicial branches of the Federal government are ignoring the will of the people on a number of issues including illegal immigration, health care, government spending and taxation.
Consensual government does require the consent of the governed.
The political elites have been exceeding their power for eight decades believing the people are not paying attention.
Unfortunately, the political elites were right up to a point.
The American people are paying attention now for the simple reason over thirty million Americans are looking for full-time employment and are not finding it.
The American people have concluded that governments, especially the Federal Government is the problem and not the solution.
The Republican Party lost big in 2006 and 2008 primarily because of excessive Federal spending and deficits and the failure in the enforcement of immigration laws and the Democratic Party will lose big in 2010 and 2012 for doing the same plus mandating or forcing Americans to purchase health insurance plans that do not want.
Repeated and continuing attempts by progressive radical socialists of both political parties to dictate their own individual political preferences on the American people will lead in time to a revolt of the people at the State and Federal levels.
The time for a new political party to replace either or both the Republican or Democratic parties over the next ten years is a distinct possibility.
The majority of the talk show radio hosts are supporting the Republican party candidates and the majority of the television and big media are supporting the Democratic party.
The tea party movement must establish a new political party and find allies in talk radio, online and eventually on television and the print media.
The sooner this happens the better.
However, both major parties will do everything in their power to stop this from happening.
The same-sex marriage issue is largely supported by progressive radical socialist in the Democratic party.
The opposition to same-sex marriage is mostly from those who practice their faith and for religious reasons oppose same-sex marriage.
The issue of same-sex marriage should be decided by the people of each state and not by either Congress or the judiciary.
A civil union for those of the same-sex who want to maintain a long-term relationship was about as far as the majority of Americans were willing to go.
Now, the insistence on same-sex marriage will result in a backlash from the majority of Americans who oppose same-sex marriage as well as many who supported civil union between the those of the same-sex.
The American people must wait another two years before the Supreme Court finally agrees to hear the case.
Plaintiffs have demonstrated by overwhelming evidence
that Proposition 8 violates their due process and equal protection
rights and that they will continue to suffer these constitutional
violations until state officials cease enforcement of Proposition
8. California is able to issue marriage licenses to same-sex
couples, as it has already issued 18,000 marriage licenses to same
sex couples and has not suffered any demonstrated harm as a result,
see FF 64-66; moreover, California officials have chosen not to
defend Proposition 8 in these proceedings.
Because Proposition 8 is unconstitutional under both the
Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses, the court orders entry of
judgment permanently enjoining its enforcement; prohibiting the
official defendants from applying or enforcing Proposition 8 and
directing the official defendants that all persons under their
control or supervision shall not apply or enforce Proposition 8.
The clerk is DIRECTED to enter judgment without bond in favor of
plaintiffs and plaintiff-intervenors and against defendants and
defendant-intervenors pursuant to FRCP 58.
IT IS SO ORDERED.
~VAUGHN R WALKER
Background Information
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30VhC9rw_dE&feature=related
“…The judge’s ruling marked another remarkable turn in California’s six-year-old legal and cultural war over the right of same-sex couples to marry. Gay-rights
groups hailed the decision and Proposition 8 supporters blasted it for thwarting the will of the voters. The ruling, which could ultimately force the U.S. Supreme Court to address the gay-marriage issue, was based on a historic trial in January in the first federal court test in the nation of a state’s right to forbid same-sex marriage.
In the coming months, it is likely to ripple into the political arena, from the midterm elections in Congress to California’s governor’s race, where Attorney General Jerry Brown has argued that Proposition 8 is unconstitutional and Republican rival Meg Whitman has supported the law.
In the meantime, supporters of Proposition 8 vowed to appeal Walker’s order to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Prop. 8 backers said in court papers that a stay of Walker’s ruling is “essential to averting the harms that would flow from another purported window of same-sex marriage in California.”
http://www.mercurynews.com/bay-area-news/ci_15677141?source=rss&nclick_check=1
Timeline of same-sex marriage
“..This page contains a timeline of significant events regarding same-sex marriage and legal recognition of same-sex couples worldwide in modern history, followed by a timeline of notable same-sex marriages and unions.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_same-sex_marriage
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( 1 so far )News Journal: Number 06, August 3, 2010–Cordova Community Center With Mosque Approved For Ground Zero–Videos
Opponents plan lawsuit on Mosque near ground zero
Ground Zero Islamic Center Debate
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJRMsxEgyK0&feature=fvst
9/11 Mosque Fury
‘Ground Zero’ mosque approved
Ground Zero Mosque Sparks Fight
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nV4owcjKJuc&feature=related
Tim Brown Takes on CAIR & the Ground Zero Mosque
Mosque At Ground Zero Approved by Comunity Board despite massive protests
Mosque at 9/11 site – Must be stopped
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPKf4BOgG8A&feature=related
No mosque at Ground Zero
Mosque Built at Ground Zero…
Ground Zero Mosque in NYC
“Government being, among other purposes, instituted to protect the consciences of men from oppression, it certainly is the duty of Rulers, not only to abstain from it themselves, but according to their stations, to prevent it in others.
~ George Washington, letter to the Religious Society called the Quakers, September 28,1789,
quoted from Albert J Menendez and Edd Doerr, The Great Quotations on Religious Freedom, also in Gorton Carruth and Eugene Ehrlich, The Harper Book of American Quotations (1988)
Just because you can do something, does not mean you should do it.
There are over2,000mosques in the United States and over 200 in New York City and New York State.
The United States of America is a very religious tolerant nation with a strong tradition of separating state from religion.
The United States is the exception.
In many countries around the world, there is no separation of state and religion nor is there toleration of other religions.
In Saudi Arabia only the Islam religion can be practiced and no other religion ares tolerated:
Religious Freedom Saudi Arabia? – CBN.com
Islamic Saudi Textbooks Teach Students to Hate
Saudi Arabia does not permit the building of churches in their country.
The building of a 15 story, $100 million Islamic community center, only three blocks from ground zero, is perfectly legal but completely insensitive to the family and friends of those who died on September 11, 2001.
Early plans call for a 15-story building Islamic community center that would have an art studio, auditorium, basketball court, cullinary school, library, meditation rooms, swimming pool, mosque and a memorial dedicated to the victims of the 9/11 attacks.
The community center should not be built so close to ground zero.
Relocate the community center to another location several miles away from ground zero.
Background Articles and Videos
Controversial ‘Ground Zero Mosque’ Gets Green Light From NYC Landmarks Commission
By AARON KATERSKY and SARAH NETTER
“…The controversial Islamic center proposed to be built near the site of the 9/11 terrorist attacks won a major victory today when a New York City board voted unanimously to allow the demolition of a building to make way for construction.
Approval to build a Muslim community center a half block from WTC sparks debate.The city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission’s vote rejected the landmarking of a 19th century building with its Italian Renaissance Palazzo style that most recently served as a Burlington Coat Factory. That designation would have prevented its demolition and foiled plans to build a 13-story Islamic community center that includes a prayer room.
The vote was the last municipal approval needed to start development on the site. Developer Shanif al-Gamal declined to give a date for construction to start, but said they still have $100 million to raise. …”
John Esposito, Islamophobia, and the Ground Zero Mosque
By Stephen Schwartz
“…Esposito asks, “Why should Muslims who are building a center be any more suspect than Jews who build a synagogue or center or Christians who build a church or conference center?” Answer: Neither Jewish nor Christian houses of worship are overwhelmingly financed from outside U.S. borders, and neither the Jewish nor Christian faith communities in America are overwhelmingly dominated by radicals. But too many of the major mosques in America are financed by Saudi Arabia’s ultra-radical, fundamentalist, and supremacist Wahhabi sect, while the “Wahhabi lobby” of extremist groups — the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), and the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) at the forefront — crush American Muslims, suppressing any dissent from radical ideology. For these reasons, as I wrote in the Canadian National Post in April 2010, American Islam is intellectually impoverished. Esposito, as an academic chieftain in Middle East studies, has contributed to this sad condition.
- Insensitivity toward non-Muslims. American Muslims — especially their leaders and the large body of Islamophile academics led by Esposito — have a great deal of work to do to convince a significant share of non-Muslims that Islam can function alongside other faiths in the panorama of American religious communities. Traditional Islamic guidance calls on Muslims living in societies with a non-Muslim majority to avoid giving offense to their neighbors. The Koran states (29:46), “Be considerate when you debate with the People of the Book” — i.e., Jews and Christians. Could anything appear more offensive and less considerate of American non-Muslims than erecting a large Islamic building close to Ground Zero?
- Disregard for the security of American Muslims. Islam teaches that a Muslim’s first interest is to obtain security for his or her family and fellow Muslims. Al-Gamal and Rauf have argued that the intent of the Ground Zero project is to further understanding of Islam and to help heal the collective wound inflicted on 9/11. But rather than a patient, calm effort to advance conciliation, the Ground Zero mosque project appears to be a heedless venture that will inexorably increase suspicion of Muslims. What could do more to undermine the security of American Muslims than an insult, intended or not, to the memory of the dead of 9/11?
- Radical and otherwise suspect associations maintained by Rauf. It has become widely known that Rauf is a leading figure in the so-called Perdana Global Peace Organisation, which is headed by one of the Islamic world’s most offensive Jew-haters, former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir bin Mohamad. Perdana was instrumental in organizing the Turkey-based attempt to run the Israeli naval embargo of Hamas-run Gaza at the end of May. The group’s roster of “Role Players & Contributors” begins with Mahathir, listing Rauf as second below him. Incredibly, the same list includes Michel Chossudovsky, a Canadian leftist professor known for his ardent defense of Slobodan Milosevic, the late Serbian demagogue. What could be more Islamophobic than to join in a public enterprise with such an individual?
http://www.americanthinker.com/2010/08/john_esposito_islamophobia_and.html
Group to Fight Ground Zero Mosque Ruling
“…Plans for an Islamic community center and mosque near ground zero moved forward as a city panel opened the way for developers to tear down a building that was struck by airplane debris on Sept. 11.
Even as the project’s backers celebrated the decision, a conservative advocacy group founded by the Rev. Pat Robertson announced it would challenge the panel’s vote in state court Wednesday.
Brett Joshpe, an attorney for the American Center for Law and Justice, said the group would file a petition alleging that the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission “acted arbitrarily and abused its discretion.”
The panel voted unanimously on Tuesday to deny landmark status to a building two blocks from the World Trade Center site that developers want to tear down and convert into an Islamic community center and mosque. The panel said the 152-year-old lower Manhattan building isn’t distinctive enough to be considered a landmark. …”
http://www.newsmax.com/InsideCover/US-Ground-Zero-Mosque/2010/08/04/id/366528?s=al&promo_code=A6C2-1
Controversy over Mosque at Ground Zero- Fox and Friends [AIFD]- Fox News Channel, May 26, 2010
SAUDI ARABIA – UNDER THE VEIL
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )News Journal: Number 05, July 26, 2010, Wikileaks and Julian Assange
“Government is not reason; it is not eloquent; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master. ”
“If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter.”
~George Washington
Wikileaks Paint Grim Afghan Picture
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfQZm4vWYoY
Wikileaks Releases Secret Afghan War Documents
Wikileaks founder Julian Assange: PFC Bradley Manning is effectively like a Guantanamo detainee
EXCLUSIVE Julian Assange on the Afghanistan war logs + Links + Downloads + How to video
Wikileaks Afghanistan War Logs: Massive leak of secret files exposes truth about war
WikiLeaks 90,000+ Secret Military Docs Part 5/7 – Democracy NOW!
Glenn Greenwald on Wikileaks Hunt – June 17, 2010 Democracy NOW!
Assange/Ellsberg/Jonsdottir on ABC-News Pt.1/3
Assange/Ellsberg/Jonsdottir on ABC-News Pt.2/3
Assange/Ellsberg/Jonsdottir on ABC-News Pt.3/3
Julian Assange: Why the world needs WikiLeaks
Wikileaks – Iceland
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCmjmDXp7TI
Daniel Ellsberg fears a US hit on Wikileaks founder Julian Assange
WikiLeaks editor on Apache combat video: No excuse for US killing civilians
Pentagon vs. Wikileaks, GATA vs. CFTC, Police vs. Everyone – Sunday Update
Amy Goodman Reports on “Collateral Murder” WikiLeaks Video
Alex Jones Discusses Wikileaks Release Of Pentagon Snuff Video
Wikileaks on the Culture Show – Friday 29th January 2010
Julian Assange
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julian_Assange
The Whistleblower 1 of 2 – Julian Assange report on SBS’s Dateline by Mark Davis struth1969
The Whistleblower 2 of 2 – Julian Assange report on SBS’s Dateline by Mark Davis struth1969
Wikileaks Releases Thousands Text Messages From September 11, 2001
Wikileaks….
Ron Paul: A New Hope
“Observe good faith and justice toward all nations. Cultivate peace and harmony with all.”
~George Washington
“The essence of the interventionist policy is to take from one group to give to another. It is confiscation and distribution.”
“Economic nationalism, the necessary complement of domestic interventionism, hurts the interests of foreign peoples and thus creates international conflict. It suggests the idea of amending this unsatisfactory state of affairs by war.”
~Ludwig von Mises
Government intervention in the domestic economy and government intervention in other countries invariably leads to more government intervention to correct the problems created by previous government interventions. The root problem is government intervention.
People want to be left alone to lead their lives, but the government or state run by political elites cannot leave the people alone. The political elites or political class needs to justify their existence by imposing their views or ideology on others. Nearly nine years after 9/11 Americans soldiers are still fighting and dying in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The American people demand results not new laws limiting free speech or the prosecution of leakers. The American people demand that government intervention both abroad in the form of nation building or at home in the form of wealth redistribution be stopped.
The American people demand that the American family comes first and the Federal Government be limited in both scope and size. Bring all of America’s professional soldiers home.
Just Do It. Instead the American political class of both political parties are demanding that the receiver and publisher of the leaked information be indicted and jailed.
If he broke U.S. law, just do it.However, it is the gross incompetence of both the civilian and military commanders that enabled these documents to be leaked in the first place.
Yes, the lives of individuals and their families who assisted American and NATO forces are now at risk from the Taliban and Al-Qaeda.This is exactly why access to this information should have been tightly controlled.
While those who leaked this sensitive and secret information should be prosecuted, so too should the heads of major Federal departments and agencies who failed to adequately supervise access to these documents.Instead those who make the information known are now the villains.
Building other nations is neither the function nor role of the United States Government.
Repeating this mistake over and over again is insanity.
Government intervention is the problem, not the solution.
“All this passionate praise of the supereminence of government action is but a poor disguise for the individual interventionists self-deification. The great god State is a great god only because it is expected to do exclusively what the individual advocate of interventionism wants to see achieved.”
“An essential point in the social philosophy of interventionism is the existence of an inexhaustible fund which can be squeezed forever. The whole system of interventionism collapses when this fountain is drained off: The Santa Claus principle liquidates itself.”
~Ludwig von Mises
Background Articles and Videos
Victor Davis Hanson (1/6)
Victor Davis Hanson (2/6)
Victor Davis Hanson (3/6)
Victor Davis Hanson (4/6)
Victor Davis Hanson (5/6)
Victor Davis Hanson (6/6)
The George Bush You Forgot
THE BEST DEFENSE: Preventive War
Thomas Barnett: The Pentagon’s new map for war and peace
Mission Impossible? Deconstructing Counter-insurgency in Afghanistan
Victor Davis Hanson: War in the Post Modern World – why the new laws of conflict are surreal
Julian Assange: Is WikiLeaks Biased?
WikiLeaks Release 1.0 (1/7)
WikiLeaks Release 1.0 (2/7)
WikiLeaks Release 1.0 (3/7)
WikiLeaks Release 1.0 (4/7)
WikiLeaks Release 1.0 (5/7)
WikiLeaks Release 1.0 (6/7)
WikiLeaks Release 1.0 (7/7)
Wikileaks
“…Wikileaks is an amorphous, international organization, based in Sweden,[1] that publishes anonymous submissions and leaks of sensitive documents from governments and other organizations, while preserving the anonymity of their sources. Its website, launched in 2006, is run by The Sunshine Press.[2] The organization has stated it was founded by Chinese dissidents, as well as journalists, mathematicians, and start-up company technologists from the U.S., Taiwan, Europe, Australia, and South Africa.[3] Newspaper articles and The New Yorker magazine (June 7, 2010) describe Julian Assange, an Australian journalist and Internet activist, as its director.[4] Within a year of its launch, the site said its database had grown to more than 1.2 million documents;[5] while the “Collateral Murder” video is one of its most notable releases.[6][7] It has won a number of new media awards for its reports. …”
Wikileaks went public in January 2007, when it first appeared on the Web.[8] The site states that it was “founded by Chinese dissidents, journalists, mathematicians and start-up company technologists, from the US, Taiwan, Europe, Australia and South Africa”.[3] The creators of Wikileaks were unidentified as of January 2007[update],[9] although it has been represented in public since January 2007 by non-anonymous speakers such as Julian Assange, who had described himself as a member of Wikileaks’ advisory board[10] and was later referred to as the “founder of Wikileaks”.[11] As of June 2009[update], the site had over 1,200 registered volunteers[3] and listed its advisory board as consisting of Assange, Phillip Adams, Wang Dan, CJ Hinke, Ben Laurie, Tashi Namgyal Khamsitsang, Xiao Qiang, Chico Whitaker, and Wang Youcai.[12] Despite appearing on the list, when contacted by Mother Jones magazine in 2010, Khamsitsangs said he received an e-mail from Wikileaks, but never agreed to be an advisor.[13]
Wikileaks states that its “primary interest is in exposing oppressive regimes in Asia, the former Soviet bloc, Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East, but we also expect to be of assistance to people of all regions who wish to reveal unethical behavior in their governments and corporations.”[3][14]
In January 2007, the website stated that it had over 1.2 million leaked documents that it was preparing to publish.[15] An article in The New Yorker said that “one of the WikiLeaks activists owned a server that was being used as a node for the Tor network. Millions of secret transmissions passed through it. The activist noticed that hackers from China were using the network to gather foreign governments’ information, and began to record this traffic. Only a small fraction has ever been posted on WikiLeaks, but the initial tranche served as the site’s foundation, and Assange was able to say, “We have received over one million documents from thirteen countries.””[16] Assange responded to such statements by saying “the imputation is incorrect. The facts concern a 2006 investigation into Chinese espionage one of our contacts were involved in. Somewhere between none and handful of those documents were ever released on WikiLeaks. Non-government targets of the Chinese espionage, such as Tibetan associations were informed (by us)”.[17] The group has subsequently released a number of other significant documents which have become front-page news items, ranging from documentation of equipment expenditures and holdings in the Afghanistan war to corruption in Kenya.[18]
Their stated goal is to ensure that whistle-blowers and journalists are not jailed for emailing sensitive or classified documents, as happened to Chinese journalist Shi Tao, who was sentenced to 10 years in 2005 after publicising an email from Chinese officials about the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre.[19]
The project has drawn comparisons to Daniel Ellsberg’s leaking of the Pentagon Papers in 1971.[20] In the United States, the leaking of some documents may be legally protected. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that the Constitution guarantees anonymity, at least in the area of political discourse.[20] Author and journalist Whitley Strieber has spoken about the benefits of the Wikileaks project, noting that “Leaking a government document can mean jail, but jail sentences for this can be fairly short. However, there are many places where it means long incarceration or even death, such as China and parts of Africa and the Middle East.”[21]
The site has won a number of awards, including the 2008 Economist magazine New Media Award,[22] and in June 2009, Wikileaks and Julian Assange won Amnesty International UK’s Media Award 2009 (in the category “New Media”) for the 2008 publication of “Kenya: The Cry of Blood – Extra Judicial Killings and Disappearances”,[23] a report by the Kenyan National Commission on Human Rights about police killings in Kenya.[24] In May 2010 it was rated number 1 of “websites that could totally change the news”.[6]
Suspension of activity, fundraising
On 24 December 2009, Wikileaks announced that it was experiencing a shortage of funds[25] and suspended all access to its website except for a form to submit new material.[26] Material that was previously published was no longer available, although some could still be accessed on unofficial mirrors.[27][28] Wikileaks stated on its website that it would resume full operation once the operational costs were covered.[26][29] Wikileaks saw this as a kind of strike “to ensure that everyone who is involved stops normal work and actually spends time raising revenue”.[30] While it was initially hoped that funds could be secured by 6 January 2010,[31] it was only on 3 February 2010 that WikiLeaks announced that its minimum fundraising goal had been achieved.[32]
On 22 January 2010, PayPal suspended Wikileaks’ donation account and froze its assets. Wikileaks said that this had happened before, and was done for “no obvious reason”.[33] The account was restored on 25 January 2010.[34]
On May 18, 2010, WikiLeaks announced that its website and archive were back up.[35]
As of June 2010, Wikileaks was a finalist for a grant of more than half a million dollars from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation,[36] but did not make the cut.[37] Wikileaks commented, “Wikileaks was highest rated project in the Knight challenge, strongly recommended to the board but gets no funding. Go figure”. Wikileaks said that the Knight foundation announced the award to “’12 Grantees who will impact future of news’ — but not WikiLeaks” and questioned whether Knight foundation was “really looking for impact”.[37] A spokesman of the Knight Foundation disputed parts of WikiLeaks’ statement, saying “WikiLeaks was not recommended by Knight staff to the board.”[38] However, he declined to say whether WikiLeaks was the project rated highest by the Knight advisory panel, which consists of non-staffers, among them journalist Jennifer 8. Lee, who has done PR work for WikiLeaks with the press and on social networking sites.[38]
On July 17, Jacob Appelbaum spoke on behalf of WikiLeaks at the 2010 Hackers on Planet Earth conference in New York City, replacing Assange due to the presence of federal agents at the conference.[39][40] He announced that the WikiLeaks submission system was again up and running, after it had been temporarily suspended.[39][41] Assange was a surprise speaker at a TED conference on 19 July 2010 in Oxford, and confirmed that WikiLeaks was now accepting submissions again.[42][43]
Staff and funding
According to a January 2010 interview, the Wikileaks team then consisted of five people working full-time and about 800 people who worked occasionally, none of whom were compensated.[30] Wikileaks has no official headquarters. The expenses per year are about €200,000, mainly for servers and bureaucracy, but would reach €600,000 if work currently done by volunteers were paid for.[30] Wikileaks does not pay for lawyers, as hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal support have been donated by media organisations such as the Associated Press, The Los Angeles Times, and the National Newspaper Publishers Association.[30] Its only revenue stream is donations, but Wikileaks is planning to add an auction model to sell early access to documents.[30] According to the Wau Holland Foundation, Wikileaks receives no money for personnel costs, only for hardware, travelling and bandwidth.[44] An article in TechEYE.net wrote
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )As a charity accountable under German law, donations for Wikileaks can be made to the foundation. Funds are held in escrow and are given to Wikileaks after the whistleblower website files an application containing a statement with proof of payment. The foundation does not pay any sort of salary nor give any renumeration to Wikileaks’ personnel, corroborating the statement of the site’s German representative Daniel Schmitt on national television that all personnel works voluntarily, even its speakers.[44] …”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikileaks
Julian Assange
“…Julian Paul Assange (English pronunciation: /əˈsɑːnʒ/; born 1971) is an Australian internet activist and journalist best known for his involvement with Wikileaks, a whistleblower website. Assange was a physics and mathematics student, a hacker and a computer programmer, before taking on his current role as spokesperson and editor in chief for Wikileaks. Assange has said that “you can’t publish a paper on physics without the full experimental data and results; that should be the standard in journalism”.[1]Julian Paul Assange (English pronunciation: /əˈsɑːnʒ/; born 1971) is an Australian internet activist and journalist best known for his involvement with Wikileaks, a whistleblower website. Assange was a physics and mathematics student, a hacker and a computer programmer, before taking on his current role as spokesperson and editor in chief for Wikileaks. Assange has said that “you can’t publish a paper on physics without the full experimental data and results; that should be the standard in journalism”.[1]
Early lifeAssange was born in Townsville, Queensland in 1971.[2] Assange has said that his parents ran a touring theatre company, and that he was enrolled in 37 schools and six universities in Australia over the course of his early life.[3] During his childhood years, he lived on the run with mother and half-brother. They were avoiding his half-brother’s father who was believed to belong to a cult led by Anne Hamilton-Byrne.[2]
An article in The New Yorker has written that Assange was married to his girlfriend in an unofficial ceremony at the age of 18 and had a son.[2] The article says she left him while he was being investigated by the Australian Federal Police for hacking, and took their son.[2]
Assange helped to write the 1997 book Underground: Tales of Hacking, Madness and Obsession on the Electronic Frontier which credits him as researcher.[4] It draws from his teenage experiences as a member of a hacker group named “International Subversives”, which involved a 1991 raid of his Melbourne home by the Australian Federal Police.[5][6] Wired, The Sydney Morning Herald, and The Sunday Times have pointed out that there exist similarities between Assange and the person called “Mendax” in the book.[7][8][9] The New Yorker has identified Assange as Mendax and explains its origin from a phrase of Horace. Assange was reported to have accessed various computers (belonging to an Australian university, a telecommunications company, and other organizations) via modem[10] to test their security flaws; he later pleaded guilty to 24 charges of hacking and was released on bond for good conduct after being fined AU$2100.[5][6][8]
According to the Personal Democracy Forum, Assange founded a civil rights group for children called “Pickup”.[11]
Computer programming
After the hacking trial, Assange lived in Melbourne as a programmer and a developer of free software.[8]
In 1995, Assange wrote Strobe, the first free and open source port scanner.[12][13] Strobe inspired Fyodor to develop the Nmap port scanner.[14]
Starting around 1997, Assange co-invented “Rubberhose deniable encryption”, a cryptographic concept made into a software package for Linux designed to provide plausible deniability against rubber-hose cryptanalysis,[15] which he originally intended “as a tool for human rights workers who needed to protect sensitive data in the field”.[16]
Other free software that Assange has authored or co-authored includes the Usenet caching software NNTPCache[17] and Surfraw, a command line interface for web-based search engines.
University studies and travel
Assange studied physics and mathematics at the University of Melbourne until 2006, when he began to focus heavily on Wikileaks.[2] He has been described as being largely self-taught and widely read on science and mathematics.[8] He has also studied philosophy and neuroscience.[11] On his personal web page Assange described how he represented his University at the Australian National Physics Competition around 2005.[18]
Assange has said that it is “pretty much true” that he is constantly on the move, and that he is “living in airports these days”.[2][19] Assange has lived for periods in Australia, Kenya and Tanzania, and has visited many other places including Vietnam, Sweden, Iceland, Siberia, Belgium and the United States.[2][19][20][21][22] Assange began renting a house in Iceland on March 30, 2010, from which he and other activists, including Birgitta Jónsdóttir, worked on the collateral murder video.[2] In May 2010 upon landing in Australia, his passport was taken from him, and when it was returned he was told that his passport was to be cancelled. The Australian Customs Service stated that such confiscation was only because his passport was worn, and that Assange was otherwise free to travel.[23][24]
In 1999, Assange registered the website, Leaks.org; “but”, he says, “then I didn’t do anything with it”.[21]
WikiLeaks
Wikileaks was founded in 2006.[2][19] Assange now sits on its nine-member advisory board,[25] and is a prominent media spokesman on its behalf. While newspapers have described him as a “director”[26] or “founder”[5] of Wikileaks, Assange has said “I don’t call myself a founder”,[27] but he does describe himself as the editor in chief of Wikileaks,[28] and has stated that he has the final decision in the process of vetting documents submitted to the site.[6] Like all others working for the site, Assange is an unpaid volunteer.[27]
Assange was the winner of the 2009 Amnesty International Media Award (New Media),[29] awarded for exposing extrajudicial assassinations in Kenya with the investigation The Cry of Blood – Extra Judicial Killings and Disappearances.[30]
Julian Assange at New Media Days ’09 in CopenhagenIn accepting the Amnesty International Media Award 2009, Mr. Assange stated:
It is a reflection of the courage and strength of Kenyan civil society that this injustice was documented. Through the tremendous work of organizations such as the Oscar foundation, the KNHCR, Mars Group Kenya and others we had the primary support we needed to expose these murders to the world. I know that they will not rest, and we will not rest, until justice is done.—“WikiLeaks wins Amnesty International 2009 Media Award for exposing Extra judicial killings in Kenya”.[31]He has also won the 2008 Economist Index on Censorship Award; and various other media awards.[32]
Assange says that Wikileaks has released more classified documents than the rest of the world press combined:
That’s not something I say as a way of saying how successful we are – rather, that shows you the parlous state of the rest of the media. How is it that a team of five people has managed to release to the public more suppressed information, at that level, than the rest of the world press combined? It’s disgraceful.[19]
No real bombshells in Wikileak Afghan docs
Rick Moran
“…As for the question of should they have been published? Of course not. Anyone who gave that anti-American nutcase Julian Assange – an Australian by birth – access to those documents should be arrested, tried, convicted, and sent to jail for a very long time. Untold damage is being done simply because no one knows what use of this information will be made by the enemy. What intelligence can they glean from its contents? Certainly the Taliban can figure out some of our weaknesses by reading through these documents. For that reason alone, Assange himself should be relentlessly pursued and arrested. It is highly likely that this irresponsible release will result in additional American casualties.
A related point to this release of documents is the way in which the government classifies information. You don’t have to be a free speech extremist to look in askance at much of what the government considers “classified.” Millions of documents every year are hidden away – some of them for no other reason than they would be politically damaging to someone. There have been bills in Congress introduced to set up committees or boards to review many documents from agencies not related to national security who get the “classified” designation but nothing has come of such proposals as yet.
However, this is not the time for any such debate. The New York Times and the other media outlets who published this material will get away with it because of our expansive freedom of the press traditions and laws. Even their claim that they withheld some documents because, in their opinion, they were too sensitive is ridiculous. Who are they to make that determination? The bottom line is that laws were broken in handing these documents to an irresponsible source who also broke the law in giving them to the press.
…”
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