Taiwan protests:

http://news.yahoo.com/thousands-taiwan-protest-china-trade-deal-124304655.html?vp=1

"I'm not against free trade, but the government should come up with policies to protect local industries before they open the door," said a protester …..

Which is actually funny because this is EXACTLY the same argument that Chinese business leaders use when blocking agreements with the US. They, like their protesting counterparts in Taiwan, don't want to be overwhelmed by big businesses from the US and the EU. What is stranger even yet, is that apparently no one sees this …

President Hamid Karzai recently told the United States its soldiers can leave at the end of the year. http://news.yahoo.com/karzai-says-afghanistan-doesnt-us-troops-110618616.html

Good.. Lets get out now... Besides, our troops will be needed in more important places real soon, and they'll need some rest between wars...

Zuckerberg calls Obama:

"I've called President Obama to express my frustration over the damage the government is creating for all of our future. Unfortunately, it seems like it will take a very long time for true full reform," Zuckerberg wrote. (NOTE: If Zuckerberg called, how much do you wanna bet the NSA listened into THAT conversation? ? )

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/03/22/us-usa-surveillance-obama-idUSBREA2K1JX20140322

Barrack Obama, the president of the United States of America, the most powerful man on the planet (probably), can make a slight change to the ACA, without even blinking an eye, but he can't make any changes to the NSA practice of collecting phone data every American's phone calls, and each and every email ? ? Nearly a full year after it has been disclosed ? ? ?

'People around the globe deserve to know that their information is secure …'

Some of the largest U.S. technology companies, including Google, its rival Yahoo Inc, social networking site Twitter Inc and others, have been pushing for more transparency, oversight and restrictions to U.S. government's gathering of intelligence. . . . Read this as 'Hey Mr. President, we're losing business overseas....

From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic an "Iron Curtain" has descended across the continent. W.Churchill, March 1946, at Westminster College.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_Curtain

 So now it must be: From Narva in the Baltic to Sulina on the Black Sea, a New Iron Curtain is descending across the plains of Eurasia.

Apparently the only differences with Winston's 1946 version and the current 2014 version is that this 'iron curtain' has been moved significantly to the east. Which in general is a good thing. No longer are Warsaw, Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Budapest, Belgrade, Bucharest and Sofia under the Soviet thumb. OK, well maybe Belgrade and much of the old Yugoslavia area is still under the influence...

"We will bury you!"

Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev while addressing Western ambassadors at a reception at the Polish embassy in Moscow on November 18, 1956 …

"Russia is the only country in the world realistically capable of turning the United States into radioactive ash," anchor Dmitry Kiselyov said on his weekly news show on state-controlled Rossiya 1 television...

http://news.yahoo.com/state-tv-says-russia-could-turn-us-radioactive-212003397.html

This is starting to sound all too familiar. We (US) as usual, are out of position and currently out of bullets.... There was virtually no way America could respond militarily to this crisis in the Crimea without reining MIRV's down from the sky – although one has to ask if even those are still operational. So we had to act diplomatically as best we could. We have near zero assets close enough to have made any impact at all in the short run, and I'm sure old Putin is quite aware of this. BTW, someone might have asked, where was the NSA and the CIA during all this? Too busy spying on the US Senate, and the American people to know what is going on in eastern Europe?

If there was ever a time to invest in our own future, that time is NOW....

Everyone can have an opinion, but the FACTS are the facts....

For some reason, I allow myself to get taken in by comments that some people make on different news websites. Then I usually spend the next couple of days, going tit-for-tat with some bozo, who surprisingly has gotten my ire up fairly high. What gets me the most tho, is those commentors who don't have very good reading and comprehension skills, and those who are quick to put labels on people when they make replies. They instantly want to label me 'lefty' or a 'right-winger'... and I think wow... how could I possibly be both. I mean, I've been so, so middle of the road all of these nearly 70 years, that I have so much trouble understanding that concept... Has the educational level in the US fallen that far?.....

Another NSA story..

I know, I know... If I keep writing about the NSA, they'll start to monitor me, read my email, listen to my phone calls – oh.... wait.... they're already doing that....

So I have trouble understanding why some of these journalists don't ask the right questions.... Look at this one...

http://news.yahoo.com/outgoing-nsa-director-not-mission-spy-everyone-world-163029511.html

'NSA analysts have searched for information on fewer than 300 phone numbers in the telephone database...'

This cannot be the truth.... This does not even make sense... Think about it... If this were true (Big IF)... there would be no need for a secret court, giving secret judgments against secret people. They could simply get 300 search warrants the regular way. 300 is not that big a number....

No.... This is much bigger than three hundred. The three-offs (and now only two-off?) alone would account for much more than 300...

What Kathryn Callaghan, the organizer for Restore the Fourth Chicago, should have said was; If you don't call the collection of phone records for 30 million people everyday 'sensational', then what do you call that ? I'd call it effin Amazing?

The only good thing about the NSA, is that they are the only branch of government actually listening to the people...

I cruise around the internet alot - mainly because I'm old, and don't really have that much to do in the winter.... So I read a lot of comments on various sites (Yahoo, Reuters, CNN, etc.) There is a guy (at least I think it's a guy) named Bob, who is a frequent commentor on Yahoo. A few days ago a story appeared about some political event or some political statement by some Tea Party pol, and Bob offered this comment. I found it to be both humorous (which I think was the intention), and scary at the same time. I copy it here, giving all credit to Bob, whomever and wherever he is....

REASONS WHY I SUPPORT THE TEA PARTY:
I believe the bible should be taught in our schools instead of science.
I believe our government should put corporations first and people second.
I believe others should pay taxes but not me.
I believe Jesus believes in 50 round clips and concealed carried.
I believe those who don't think like me should not have a voice in society.
I believe "The majority rules" doesn't apply if I don't agree with the majority.
I believe healthcare should be only for those who can afford it.
I believe if I've got mine, then that's all that matters.
I believe I have the right to tell a woman what she can or can't do with her body.
I believe I have the right to know what goes on in the privacy of your bedroom.
I believe my beliefs should be everyone's beliefs.
I believe in the death penalty but I also believe "Thou shalt not kill".
I believe liberals are evil because they're open minded, educated and know facts.
I believe everything Fox News tells me because I don't believe in facts.
I believe it's ok for our Government to torture prisoners if a republican is President.
I believe it's ok for our Government to spy on it's citizens if a republican is President.
I believe I'm a super patriot even though I never served in the armed forces.
I don't believe in a minimum wage.
I don't believe in work place OSHA safety regulations.
I don't believe in the luxury of clean air or water if it affects corporate profits.
I don't believe in holding corporations accountable for illegal business practices.
I don't believe in compassion, charity, understanding, or a lifestyle other than my own.
I don't believe the Government should help people unless it's me that needs the help.
I don't believe a black man should be in the WHITE House.

Here's another feel good story for the sheeple to believe that the justice system works in America. Just in case you missed it....

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/01/25/us-bankofamerica-probe-idUSBREA0O0DC20140125

The dept of justice is investigating BoA. These guys helped bring the world economy to the brink of disaster, with their shenanigans back in 2008, and no one went to jail.... There has been a lot of public outcry, so the DoJ announces that another investigation has begun... BoA employee's shouldn't worry tho. No one went to jail the last time, and no one will go to jail this time either....

Can you imagine the audacity of a politician: Sen. Bob Corker said at a recent press briefing hosted by the Christian Science Monitor, 'I would never say something I didn’t believe to be a hundred percent true.'

Now honestly... Does any American actually believe ANY ( D or R) politician when they say this? ? ?