More signs of the economic "End Times".

I was reading this column about Seymour Hersh:

http://www.commondreams.org/views04/1126-10.htm

It's about the war and Bush's apocalyptic desire to see it through:

<snip>
Hersh's message is simple and frightening: "(George W.) Bush is an ideologue, a Utopian," Hersh said. "He wants to clean out the Middle East and install democracy. He doesn't care how many body bags come back home. There's nothing more dangerous than an ideologue who is completely bonkers and no one is going to tell him."

Bush is committed to perpetual war, Hersh said.

"He risked his presidency on this war," Hersh said. "He could have gotten more votes if he backed off. But he insisted he hasn't made any mistakes."

Hersh has talked privately with many in the military and CIA, including some who have recently resigned. All told him that if the Iraq war had gone "right" - say, if the Americans had been greeted as liberators - our military would have marched "right and left" - to Syria and Iran.

Oil is a big factor in this war, Hersh said, and so is Israel, but to Bush it's about ideology: "Whether this man communicates with God, or is on a crusade, or really is a neo-con, or if he thought that his father's not taking Baghdad was a mistake - in any case, I think he is absolutely committed to staying in Iraq to the end."
</snip>

But it's this part that's really scary:
<snip>
The United States cannot afford this endless war, Hersh said. The dollar is already falling against the Euro, and the Chinese and Japanese hold trillions of dollars of U.S. debt.

"Soon China and Russia will start buying oil in Euros," Hersh said. "They'll stop buying American in Europe because they hate us so much - Disney in Paris is already going down. Large American corporations doing business abroad are going down. We could see more anti-American violence abroad. The dollar will fall. Billionaires are now telling other billionaires to get out of the stock market and buy foreign currency and stocks."
</snip>

The rich know it's coming - they're pulling their money out now. God save us from this idiot.

exactly that, get out of the Stock market and American securities and turn to Europe

I am so frustrated they don't listen, becuase when the crash comes, they are in their eighties...

on edit listening to one of those programs for us poor and middle class people... the message is... INVEST in the market

Though he just mentioned that the S&P is overvalued and will overall go down... MAJOR MARKET IS NOT A PURCHASE

tons of extra money to prop up the market. Someone's gotta buy this crap before it sinks. How else will the insiders get their pprofits out?

is what I was always told.

We have got to do something, and fast (although I think that it may already be too late).

How much you want to be that those in our government, including the dems, have already invested heavily in Euros? They know what's coming and they have the connections and money to save their asses.

For some crazy reason, all this reminds me of a Kurt Russel movie that I always hated 'Escape From New York City' or something close to that.

including Dems, are abandoning the dollar. Dollars are for fools like us! "The little people." Actually, I have some money in mutual funds and this week am meeting w/my financial advisor to look into converting to funds held in Euros. No WAY am I gonna go broke for these clowns if I can help it.

Personally, I have no money in stocks or bonds, but I am keeping a supply of basic foodstuffs. I'm getting my solar system and getting the house fixed up. We have already made contacts with others so we can cooperatively help one another with food and shelter and fixing things.

that our house that will be mostly off grid is still in the planning stage. We are going to get our shit together, sell our house soon, move into a rental while we can still get the price we need to build the new house on the farm. Lots of room for a big garden, root cellar for storage, I have learned how to can and store most food (anyone know of a good resource to learn dry canning?). The farm community we are moving to is a real mix but there are enough of us like minded folks that we should be able to take care of each other just fine. Back to community living, lots to be said for that but it is a shame it is coming for the reason it is. Buy gold if you can.

maybe I can help, as I've been doing it for years. Have an electric food dryer, but you can also do it off grid. Get an old screen window, preferably with non-aluminum screening (we had a window with copper screening, believe it or not, salvaged from a house demolition). Hook it up above your wood burning stove, cut your apples or pears, and let them dry. The benefit of the electric dryer is that it can be used in hot weather for drying things like peaches, strawberries, and watermelon.

but thanks. No, this is a storage method used by the Mormon church to ensure that each family has a years supply of food. I heard about it but never learned. It is a method of storing already dry food. It is possible that it is nothing more than storing food like rice, beans. grains to keep moisture and bugs out. That I can do but it had to be more than that since they made a big deal out of doing it. I can't contact them since I am a Jack Mormon and I want to stay that way without having "visits". I have searched for the info but have found nothing. It may be that it is nothing more than what people usually do but they did it en masse so it was a bigger deal involving social interaction. Just wondering.

Around here it is hard to dry fruit outside, I tried with the use of multiple screens to try and keep the bugs out. It was a loss. I never thought of using a wood burning stove because I do not have one yet but will in the new house. I never wanted an electric dryer but it may be the best to get one. I am really unhappy that a real wood burning cook stove is not in my future, I had no idea they were so darned expensive, prohibitively so and I am sad since I really thought that would be wonderful.

And bush's Social Security reform consists of people being allowed to invest in certain companies in the stock market instead of the Social Security fund? Ownership society, yeah, right.

You can hear the stampede if you put your ear to the ground. It's the sound of the Four Horsemen coming to America.

have and will continue to damage the most vulnerable elements in society-the poor, the elderly, medical patients, children.

bush never had a chance: the mediawhores were so busy spitting in the face of 'liberalism' they kept encouraging geeb (brother of jeb) until, like so many tyrants throughout history, he and we 'crossed the rubicon' and put our fates into the hands of gods no one even believes in.....
http://www.fromthewilderness.com/free/ww3/112304_economic_armageddon.shtml
btw watching that idiot spielberg's 'A.I' (artificial intelligence) last eve and it said in reference to the post apocalyptic future that to paraphrase, 'the rich went where they were safe while most of humanity died off from the results of global warming etc...' spielberg maybe believes that the life biosphere we enjoy is a natural phenomenon that exists for the likes of spielberg and not a freaky impossible mystery thing in the context of an infinite mathematical universe....spielberg maybe stupid or he may be too fukkin smart for his own good...once civilization collapses life must peter out...rich piggy included.
> 'economic armageddon' spoken aloud by the head of morgan-stanley
banking conglomerate and no one says anything? amazing, truly

Hersh is assuming we are having fair elections.

Here's what I found so far:

T. Rowe Price International Bond Fund, symbol RPIBX, largely in EU government debt, denominated in Euros & other foreign currencies:
http://quicktake.morningstar.com/Fund/Snapshot.asp?Country=USA&Symbol=RPIBX&hsection=quote&pmts=
Largest holdings are govt bonds of Germany, Italy, Switzerland, etc. Average maturity 6 years. 3 star rating overall, 4 star in last 3 years.

New gold tracking stock GLD is NOT BACKED by bullion. It is a central bank ruse to divert gold demand into paper contracts.
http://www.kitco.com/ind/Turk/nov222004.html

Central Fund of Canada, symbol CEF, holds billions in real gold. Nearly a pure play on gold backed by real assets.
http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=cef

Best gold to have is still bullion (American Eagle, Krugerrand, etc. coins) stored securely.

Everbank offers deposit accounts and CD's in various currencies.
http://www.everbank.com

Got into CEF a couple months ago, RPIBX a couple weeks ago, sending initial deposit to Everbank & will visit gold dealers for coins. Almost bought GLD before finding the true story.

If anyone owns a house in the US, these investments will just balance your USD exposure. Most people don't have investments that exceed the equity in their house.

If I could, I'd sell the house & move to France, but have too many obligations here.

"...he is committed to staying in Iraq to the end". What end? The end of all the people in Iraq? Or the end of us? Or the US treasury, which is rapidly running dry.

The US is facing a crisis of confidence. No one believes in us any more. The fact that the rest of the world believes the dollar will go down even further will cause a spiral effect. Everyone's rushing to buy Euros. This pumps up the Euro even more.

What's the old saying? Think Locally, forget Globally.

to NOT move out of the US, then nothing will.

dangerous "rogue nation," the safety factor of remaining in the US goes down, it seems to me.

Can you recall even one incidence of "anti-American" violence in the streets of Europe in the last... say, 3 months? Then check if any "furriners" been hassled in Amurikkka recently. Hell, they don't even need to be furriners; how 'bout that cross burning on that miscegenatin' couple's lawn on L.I. I DO hope your tongue was FIRMLY planted in your cheek as you typed that post. :silly: