Recent Readings

Two items of interest lately.  First, these is the story of one Charles Worley a "pastor" in a North Carolina church.  He gave a sermon recently (May 2012) saying that gays and lesbians should all be gathered up the put behind electrified fences and left there until the die off.  They should be fed-he is not a total barbarian-but because they are gay they will not mate with the opposite sex and thus gays will eventually die off.  He means to put the men and women in separate fenced in areas.  When Anderson Cooper-on his TV show the other night-asked a member of the church about the fact that other gays will be born to the outside community she seemed totally flustered and had no answer.  The site of Worley's church is near Charloteville, where the Democratic Convention will be held this summer.   

The second, it the news that our "ally" in the mid-east, Pakistan, has convicted a Pakistani doctor for helping the US capture Osama bin Laden.  He has been given a 33 year prison sentence.  The doctor is Shakeel Afridi.  As we might remember bin Laden was found in the same town as the Pakistani version of :"West Point" and only a two hour drive from the capital of Islamabad.  (Some ally)

(Source for the second item:  "Doctor guilty of treason for helping US on bin Laden" by Alex Rodriguez of the LA Times.  In The Record on 5/24/ 2012).

Income Taxes

Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont states that some US oil companies are the richest in the country and instead of paying federal income taxes, some are not and some are even getting refunds.  ExxonMobil made $ 40 billion in 2006, $ 41 billion in 2007 and $ 45 billion in 2008.  In 2009 ExxonMobil "paid zero in federal income taxes" and received a refund of $ 156 million.  Chevron made $ 10 billion in 2011 and received a refund of $ 19 million.  Valero Energy got a refund of $ 157 in 2009.  This source says nothing about what they might have paid in taxes just the refund they got.  It is possible they paid too much in taxes and that is what got them the refund.  It is also possible they, like ExxonMobil, paid nothing while getting the refund.  Sanders also claims that the money the oil companies are making is not going into renewable energy or "to prevent oil spills".  

(Source:  "Take on the Corporate Bullies" by Senator Bernie Sanders.  The Progressive Dec 2010 Jan 2011)

Health Care

I played golf today with a man from Boston-he in the medical supply business-and I asked him about the Romney health care plan that has been in effect in Massachusetts for a few years now.  He said he didn't know of many people complaining about it and said he thought people must be required to pay something or they will continue to rely on the old method of having the rest of us pay for their care.  He did not see that there was much difference in Obama's health care plan and the one Romney got his state to accept.  The question then, how can republicans be critical of the Obama plan while saying nothing of the Romney plan.  This gentleman said he was not a liberal.

Pilfer Update

I have taken the liberty of making a slight change in the wording of our organization.  I have dropped the "for the" and changed "finding" to "finders".  Thus the new name reads "Preserved Items League: Finders of Eclectic Relics".  I have also decided that a version of the classic re-cycling symbol would be a good and true representation of our motivation.  If any of the founding members of this organization are opposed to my decisions I would gladly changed them.  This message posted by "Curmudgeon".

PILFER

On the steps of the Charleston, SC private library on May 13, 2012 an organization was founded.  It is called "PILFER" which stands for "Preserved Items League for the Finding of Eclectic Relics".  It is a quasi-secret group because its doings, rituals and membership are not public knowledge.  The founding members are "Curmudgeon", "Illini" and "Master".  The spouse of the latter is an "unwilling co-conspirator", while the spouse of the former has participated in some of the rituals thus is a "co-conspirator" but, as of yet, not a member.  I am posting this request of the "Curmudgeon" and claim my first Amendment right to "shield" the source.  

If interested in joining or learning more about "PILFER" please respond and identify yourself by a code name.  But be aware, the CIA, NSA, and DIA-to mention a few-are more than likely reading this.  Please provide your e-mail address to receive further instructions.  

CIA

I've been thinking and reading again about the activities of the CIA and their actions regarding US anti-communist foreign policy.  It seems to me there have been three truths regarding this policy.  First, some of the people we have funded over the years have been truly anti-communists.  Second, some of the people we have funded have been anti-communist because we paid them to be or because there was money to be made.  Third, some of the actions taken by the CIA in this area have not been worth the price we have had to pay in our national reputation.

I am now reading "The Secret History of the CIA" by Joseph J. Trento written in 2001.  Some of what he reports is very disturbing; one might hope they are not completely true.  I will attempt to post some of Trento's points in this blog under the heading of  "The CIA".