The sky is falling, the sky is falling

While the attention of most Americans has been sidetracked by the circus that is the Presidential campaign, our economy has taken a nose-dive.

It is said that once you hit rock bottom, there is nowhere to go except up. We aren't at rock bottom yet and I'm afraid our country's financial well-being will continue to erode. You will now see that erosion become much swifter and have a much larger impact on regular Americans in the near future.

Small banks have been closing their doors in record numbers and now, even the larger banks, once thought to be immune to the changing winds of the American economy are starting to lock their doors.

I hope you are not counting on the FDIC promise to insure your deposits, as they too are on the verge of being defunct.

A September 5 piece in the Executive Intelligence Review provides a healthy understanding, in clear language, of the challenges we face. You may read the article by clicking here.

If you need to hear the news from a more familiar name, Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan is even allowing that the financial crises we are facing is a "once in a century event" and expects the failure of more financial institutions to follow. You can read stories from Bloomberg by clicking here and from CNN by clicking here.

Bottom line? We're broke guys. I'd tell you to start stuffing your money into your mattress, but it won't do any good if those little pieces of paper are no longer worth anything.

Deep Breath Before the Plunge

My apologies, once again I have been horribly slack in keeping this blog current. I promise to do better as there are a great many issues unfolding before us that will have a significant, and decidedly dangerous, impact on our future.

Headlines

You can tell a lot about the state of our nation, the state of our humanity, by the headlines that bombard us every day. Here's a quick sweep of latest US headlines that tell me all is certainly NOT right in the world:

• Florida Girl, 14, Pins 5-Year-Old to Wall With Car in Fatal Joyride
• Man Charged With Severing Wife's Arm With Ski Boat Propeller
• 12-Year-Old Girl Says Father Forced Her to Dismember Mother's Body With Circular Saw
• 13-Year-Old Boy Pulls Knife on Teacher, Demands Money for Video Game
• Couple Arrested for Putting Days-Old Baby Up for Sale On Craigslist

Yet here we are, taking God out of schools, out of government and out of our daily lives.

Terrorists long for nuclear attack, Russia & China won't be any help to us

I doubt that anyone can continue to deny that terrorists (Islamic extremists in particular) are hell-bent on wreaking as much death and destruction on us here in the west as possible.

However, if there was any doubt in your mind as to the scale of the crisis we face as they lodge their jihad against us, this should put it into perspective for you.

A London paper is reporting today that an Islamic extremist's website is now boasting doctored images portraying the destruction that would be left behind in our nation's capitol if their hateful minions succeeded in waging a nuclear attack.

You can read the story and view the picture here.

And please, do not allow yourself to be lulled into the false sense of security that such an attack is simply not possible. Nukes are no different than drugs or guns. The law may prohibit them, but people can still get their hands on them relatively easily.

Of course we must also keep in mind that, thanks in large part to the growing nuclear program in Iran, the entire Middle East region is headed for a nuclear arms race. Read that story here.

And we can certainly not forget "our friends" Russia and China. Russia is a staunch supporter of Iran's nuclear program, so much so, that they are the ones shipping the nuclear fuel to Iran. Read that story here. China has firmly backed that deal and continues to work with Russia in an effort to keep Iran free and clear of UN Security Council oversight. You can read about the most recent attempt here.

Both Russia and China are entrenched in a great deal of trade with Iran and you can be assured that their allegiances do not lie with America.

Iranian President wants to meet with the Pope

Iranian President Ahmadinejad Requests Meeting With Pope

This was a recent Fox News headline. Am I the only one who finds this a touch unsettling? After all, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is the one who has repeatedly called for the total annihilation of Israel...could it be that he feels the need to confess his sins or does he have something more sinister up his sleeve?

You can read the full story here.

This is especially concerning when you consider that, at the same time he is requesting an audience with the Pope, he is also ordering the arrest of newly converted Christians in Iran. You can read that story here.

Pardon the interruption

My apologies for my extended absence. Sometimes you just need a break.

I am a curious creature, as most of us are, so I have continued to ask questions, tell the stories of other people and take an insider's look at the political arena.

This country — our government, our political machine — is about to collapse. I can say this with frank certainty.

We are no longer a government by and of the people. We are, and have been for some time now, a government by and of a corrupt political machine, driven by greed, power, and sometimes, plain old stupidity.

It's fall is inevitable. We are a young nation, built upon the backs and dreams of those who longed for freedom. Yet when those freedoms are granted, we wish to be free of the responsibility they bring. We trade that responsibility to the government in exchange for a modest amount of our freedoms.

It is long past time for the American people to wake up and take immediate steps to saving our nation. We cannot continue to expect our government to do it for us. If we truly want a government by and for the people, we must be willing to accept the responsibility it brings.

Reporting suspected illegals said to be racial profiling

A Sheriff in Arizona is coming under fire by civil rights groups for setting up a hotline to enable folks to report suspected illegal immigrants.

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio has said he will not shut down the hotline, which was just launched on Friday, in spite of Latino civil rights groups denouncing the hotline as racial profiling.

Sheriff Arpaio is used to such accusations, in light of several sweeping changes he has instituted in jail operations since being elected in 1992. Among those changes that affected inmates were the following: began serving inmates surplus food (not as tasty but much cheaper and enough to keep them alive), banning salt, pepper and coffee, removing pornographic materials and weightlifting equipment, banning smoking, reinstated chain gangs and the black and white stripes historically worn by inmates.

But perhaps Sheriff Arpaio is most notorious for "Tent City". Having grown tired of watching convicted criminals released early from jail because of overcrowding and not having $70 million to build a larger facility, Sheriff Arpaio spent around $100,000 on military tents, cement pads, fencing and fans and set up "Tent City" to accommodate more inmates.

During the summer of 2003, when outside temperatures exceeded 110 degrees Fahrenheit (higher than average, even for scorching hot Phoenix) Arpaio said to complaining inmates, "It's 120 degrees in Iraq and the soldiers are living in tents and they didn't commit any crimes, so shut your mouths" However, inmates were given permission to wear only their pink underwear. (According to a July, 2003 Associated Press story.)

Somehow I doubt the civil rights folks will be able to do anything about the hotline...

As for the racial profiling, I for one am sick to death of hearing that phrase. I'm sorry, Latinos are the ones sneaking over our border by the millions, of course they would be at a greater risk for being reported as possible illegals in Arizona. . Odds are good Latinos will be the ones suspected of being here illegally. I hardly consider that racial profiling just as I hardly considered it racial profiling to more carefully search Middle Eastern people attempting to board a plan after 9/11.