Re: Klebnikov
I would guess it was probably someone who got pissed off at having their hidden income reported in Forbes' 100 Richest in Russia list. Or it could be someone in the Chechen Mafia angry at his depiction of Nukhayev. Or a combination therefof. Who knows? This is really, really sad. Klebnikov was a great journalist. --- Michael Perelman [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: NPR also blames it on the oligarchs. -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu __ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail - 50x more storage than other providers! http://promotions.yahoo.com/new_mail
Defeat of invasion of Iraq
It is not Stalingrad, in that US troops are not surrounded, and the news is spun heavily to make each retreat sound like a success for the US-UK coalition, but the language of commentary is slipping towards the language of defeat. Yes, the US is mighty enough to use awesome force to destroy any minor regime militarily, as in Afghanistan or Iraq, but it cannot impose a new regime. This week the total of deaths of coalition troops went over 1000. Last night CNN had an item from an Arab or Middle East commentator. I did not catch the name but for the first time I heard the formula: there is no military solution. He was arguing that the insurgency is more than Al-Zarqawi and the remnants of the Baath regime. It is an extensive movement, and it will only be pacified by political negotiations which widen the consensus of forces behing a new regime. Allawi is already talking of amnesties. While the details are open to debate and are subject to misrepresentation and random misreporting that broad picture seems likely. It is confused by smaller groups that may have their own agenda - probably the spate of bombings against alcohol stores are of this nature - jostling for position about how secular and how islamist the balance of forces will be. There are acts of terrorism, and there are well targeted attacks eliminating allied security personal which we may not hear much about. A muslim Pakistani just released claims he was originally detained as being a secret agent, but he was let off. He reports he saw three others beheaded. There are softer targets like Iraqis who help the invaders, perhaps in the role of translators. But broadly this is no longer an insurgency, as the hegemons politely call it: it is a systematic war of resistance that will defeat the invaders. There is no military solution. This defeat of US hegemony could be even more significant than the defeat in Vietnam, because after that the cold war still continued in other forms. This defeat will be a signal that no power can dominate the world without some show of international legitimacy - That is my suggestion, but events are unfolding. Chris Burford Niall Ferguson ended a prophetic article in Newsweek at the turn of the year, based on the Terminator analogy - rather journalistic but basically correct - The United States has the capability to inflict appalling destruction while sustaining only minimal damage to itself. There is no regime it could not terminate if it wanted to-including North Korea. Such a war might leave South Korea in ruins, but the American Terminator would emerge more or less unscathed. What the Terminator is not programmed to do is to rebuild anyone but himself. If, as seems likely, the United States responds to pressure at home and abroad by withdrawing from Iraq and Afghanistan before their economic reconstruction has been achieved, the scene will not be wholly unfamiliar. The limits of American power will be laid bare when the global Terminator finally admits: I won't be back.
Re: Klebnikov
BTW the oligarchs and the Chechen Mafia are not mutually exclusive. Berezovsky's links to the Chechen militants are well-known. In fact, Klebnikov wrote a couple of whole books about it. --- Chris Doss [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I would guess it was probably someone who got pissed off at having their hidden income reported in Forbes' 100 Richest in Russia list. Or it could be someone in the Chechen Mafia angry at his depiction of Nukhayev. Or a combination therefof. Who knows? This is really, really sad. Klebnikov was a great journalist. --- Michael Perelman [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: NPR also blames it on the oligarchs. -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu __ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail - 50x more storage than other providers! http://promotions.yahoo.com/new_mail __ Do you Yahoo!? New and Improved Yahoo! Mail - 100MB free storage! http://promotions.yahoo.com/new_mail
The US's inevitable dictator
(It was bound to come to this - something which always eludes liberal imperialists like George Ignatieff and Thomas Friedman, seduced by the promise that US intervention abroad, however messy, will yield democratic results. The Pentagons widely discredited choice for strongman, Ahmed Chalabi, was forced to give way, so to the CIAs nominee, Iyad Allawi, was the only possible alternative. Now the repression-with-an-Iraqi-face will begin in earnest. What Allawi would seem to have going for him is the understandable longing for stability and orderly development by the mass of the Iraqi population. But, like Chalabi, he is an exile who hasnt a base, unlike most dictators who emerge from the armed forces or a mass fascist movement, and, as the article indicates, he will face formidable opposition from both from the anti-occupation resistance forces and from Shia and other rivals within the US-appointed puppet administration.) --- A Tough Guy Tries to Tame Iraq By Dexter Filkins New York Times July 11, 2004 BAGHDAD, Iraq Throughout this war-ravaged land, where facts are hard to come by, rumor and innuendo can often serve as the most reliable measure of the Iraqi mood. Consider the lurid tale about Iyad Allawi, the new Iraqi prime minister, that made the rounds in the Iraqi capital last week. Late one night before taking power, the story went, Mr. Allawi was not to be found cramming for his new job but instead was in the innards of a Baghdad prison, overseeing the interrogation of a cabal of Lebanese terrorists. No one was talking. Bring me an ax, the prime minister is said to have announced. With that, the story went, Mr. Allawi lopped off the hand of one the Lebanese men, and the group quickly spilled everything they knew. The tale passed from ear to ear, much like the rumors blaming the Americans for the many explosions that mar the capital. But in this case, the remarkable thing was that the story about Mr. Allawi was not greeted with expressions of horror or malice, but with nods and smiles. After months of terror and anarchy here, many Iraqis are only too happy to believe that their new prime minister is a tough guy who is on their side. Mr. Allawi's hard-nosed reputation, even the unearned parts, is indicative of the unusual ways in which the country's interim government, which took over on June 28, appears to be acquiring a measure of legitimacy among the Iraqi people. Unelected, headed by an exile and chosen largely by diplomats from the United States and the United Nations, the new Iraqi government nonetheless appears to be enjoying something of a honeymoon, even as Mr. Allawi has quickly embarked on a series of sweeping and potentially draconian measures aimed at quelling the guerrilla insurgency. Yet Mr. Allawi also faces a conundrum in the coming months: as he tries to assert Iraqi control and bring a degree of order to this country, thereby gaining the gratitude of many Iraqis, he will risk alienating the very group, the country's Sunni Arab minority, from which an overwhelming majority of the violence here has been generated. Among Iraq's three major groups, it is the Sunni Arabs who are still most broadly resisting the American-sponsored framework that is designed to lead the country toward democratic rule next year. Iraq's Shiites, the country's largest group, are hungry for elections that promise them their first real shot at political power. The Kurds, America's closest friends, seem to be planning to hunker down and watch events from their stronghold in the north. Without the support of the Sunni Arabs, a minority that has dominated the country for five centuries, it seems unlikely that Mr. Allawi will make much headway in bringing a measure of stability in time to hand over power to a democratically elected government next year. Indeed, without some success in winning over the towns and villages of the Sunni Triangle, the area north and west of Baghdad where the insurgency is still churning, it is conceivable that the nationwide elections scheduled to be held by January might have to be postponed or even forgone in significant parts of the country. In some ways, Mr. Allawi seems to be the perfect man, under the circumstances, to bring this fractious country together. As a Shiite, he is a member of the country's largest group, and although he is thought to be a largely secular man, his ascension to the post of prime minister was not opposed by Iraq's most powerful religious leader, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani. Mr. Allawi is known for his decade of work in trying to topple Mr. Hussein, but he is a former Baathist himself, with suggestions among those who regard him with suspicion that he once engaged in thuggish work on the party's behalf. That tough-guy past, even his former association with the Central Intelligence Agency, seems to warm the hearts of many Iraqis who miss Mr. Hussein's iron-fisted ways. That Allawi worked for the C.I.A. may be a
Correction
Sorry. Michael Ignatieff. George was his dad, a Canadian diplomat.
Re: Klebnikov
How did they use each other? On Sun, Jul 11, 2004 at 05:06:28AM -0700, Chris Doss wrote: BTW the oligarchs and the Chechen Mafia are not mutually exclusive. Berezovsky's links to the Chechen militants are well-known. In fact, Klebnikov wrote a couple of whole books about it. -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
Re: Oil surprises
Auerbach writes: The reference to Hubbert's peak -- after the geologist who first made the case for depletion dynamics in the oil patch -- omits to note that the prediction was highly controversial inside and outside of the oil business until the 1980s, when it was proven correct. no prediction can ever be proven correct. Just because someone predicts that it's going to rain tomorrow -- and then it does -- doesn't mean that his or her prediction was correct. The prediction can easily be right for the wrong reason, for example, based on astrology or assuming that oil issues can be reduced to mere geology. A better test would be to see if the person is correct _repeatedly_. Unfortunately, outside of physics and other physical sciences, that's pretty difficult. jd
Re: Oil surprises
Oh Jim, you are much too generous. The Hubbert Peak theory, far from even being randomly correct has been shown to be internally inconsistent, and externally inaccurate. - Original Message - From: Devine, James [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Sunday, July 11, 2004 9:30 AM Subject: Re: [PEN-L] Oil surprises Auerbach writes: The reference to Hubbert's peak -- after the geologist who first made the case for depletion dynamics in the oil patch -- omits to note that the prediction was highly controversial inside and outside of the oil business until the 1980s, when it was proven correct. no prediction can ever be proven correct. Just because someone predicts that it's going to rain tomorrow -- and then it does -- doesn't mean that his or her prediction was correct. The prediction can easily be right for the wrong reason, for example, based on astrology or assuming that oil issues can be reduced to mere geology. A better test would be to see if the person is correct _repeatedly_. Unfortunately, outside of physics and other physical sciences, that's pretty difficult. jd
Re: Oil surprises
kinda like astrology? Jim Devine [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://bellarmine.lmu.edu/~jdevine From: PEN-L list on behalf of sartesian Sent: Sun 7/11/2004 1:19 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [PEN-L] Oil surprises Oh Jim, you are much too generous. The Hubbert Peak theory, far from even being randomly correct has been shown to be internally inconsistent, and externally inaccurate. - Original Message - From: Devine, James [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Sunday, July 11, 2004 9:30 AM Subject: Re: [PEN-L] Oil surprises Auerbach writes: The reference to Hubbert's peak -- after the geologist who first made the case for depletion dynamics in the oil patch -- omits to note that the prediction was highly controversial inside and outside of the oil business until the 1980s, when it was proven correct. no prediction can ever be proven correct. Just because someone predicts that it's going to rain tomorrow -- and then it does -- doesn't mean that his or her prediction was correct. The prediction can easily be right for the wrong reason, for example, based on astrology or assuming that oil issues can be reduced to mere geology. A better test would be to see if the person is correct _repeatedly_. Unfortunately, outside of physics and other physical sciences, that's pretty difficult. jd
Re: Oil surprises
Egg-zackly. - Original Message - From: Devine, James [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Sunday, July 11, 2004 10:21 AM Subject: Re: [PEN-L] Oil surprises kinda like astrology? Jim Devine [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://bellarmine.lmu.edu/~jdevine From: PEN-L list on behalf of sartesian Sent: Sun 7/11/2004 1:19 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [PEN-L] Oil surprises Oh Jim, you are much too generous. The Hubbert Peak theory, far from even being randomly correct has been shown to be internally inconsistent, and externally inaccurate. - Original Message - From: Devine, James [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Sunday, July 11, 2004 9:30 AM Subject: Re: [PEN-L] Oil surprises Auerbach writes: The reference to Hubbert's peak -- after the geologist who first made the case for depletion dynamics in the oil patch -- omits to note that the prediction was highly controversial inside and outside of the oil business until the 1980s, when it was proven correct. no prediction can ever be proven correct. Just because someone predicts that it's going to rain tomorrow -- and then it does -- doesn't mean that his or her prediction was correct. The prediction can easily be right for the wrong reason, for example, based on astrology or assuming that oil issues can be reduced to mere geology. A better test would be to see if the person is correct _repeatedly_. Unfortunately, outside of physics and other physical sciences, that's pretty difficult. jd
Re: Africa should not pay its debts - Jeffrey Sachs
I have not followed Sachs closely in most recent times but I think he would strongly object to being called a 'man of the left'. maybe I was being too charitable on this point ... I'd say he's a man of the left in the same sense in which Brad DeLong is; ie, the plain man would identify him as being a dangerous pinko subversive but by the relevant community standards of PEN-L, he's a lackey of capital. Oddly enough I mean by this no criticism of either BdL or PEN-L dd
Re: Fw: [stop-imf] Africa should not pay its debts - Jeffrey Sachs
One of the interesting things about the whole imbroglio is that very, very few African states have material debts to privately owned capital. It's almost all government-to-government debt or IMF debt apart from SA, Botswana and a bit of trade finance (which IMO shouldn't really be analysed as debt as it is self-liquidating working capital). dd Comment Correct again . . . to suggest that my debt be suspended because I have proven that I cannot and will not pay it is hardly radical . . . which was my real point. Africa really does not have a debt problem . . . the financial institutions - capital, have a debt problem.
Re: Klebnikov
It's a useful corollorary (?) of social network theory that almost all bad lads are joined up together, via a smallish number of connected node individuals. The North Korean government's forged $100 bills ended up financing the ecstasy trade in Birmingham, via the Libyans, the mafiya and the Official (Maoist) IRA. dd -Original Message- From: PEN-L list [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Michael Perelman Sent: 11 July 2004 16:51 To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: Klebnikov How did they use each other? On Sun, Jul 11, 2004 at 05:06:28AM -0700, Chris Doss wrote: BTW the oligarchs and the Chechen Mafia are not mutually exclusive. Berezovsky's links to the Chechen militants are well-known. In fact, Klebnikov wrote a couple of whole books about it. -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
Re: Africa should not pay its debts - Jeffrey Sachs
Paul wrote: I have not followed Sachs closely in most recent times but I think he would strongly object to being called a 'man of the left'. I have heard him point out that his macroeconomic views are thoroughly mainstream (akin to his Harvard ex-colleagues) and that indeed starting in Bolivia and Poland he argues that liberalization and market reforms had to proceed *faster* and more comprehensively than the IMF or the WB had thought possible (hence the appellation 'shock therapy'). I have refrained from saying anything about Jeffrey Sachs or (Joseph Stiglitz) being more to the left than other economists, especially in their role as window dressing at Columbia University--my employer. But one of these days, probably after I retire, I'll have plenty to say about the shock therapy that can go on at a place like Columbia University under the noses of these people. -- Marxism list: www.marxmail.org
Cozying up to conservatives
LA Times, July 11, 2004 THE RACE TO THE WHITE HOUSE Kerry to Reach Out to 'People on the Right' Candidate's new strategy embraces conservatives. He seems unconcerned about ruffling liberals By Matea Gold and Mark Z. Barabak, Times Staff Writers ALBUQUERQUE Counting on his liberal base to stick by him, Sen. John F. Kerry plans to aggressively court more conservative voters with a message that emphasizes traditional values of service, faith and family. Following his pick last week of a running mate with potential appeal to rural communities, the presumed Democratic presidential nominee said he was not content to target the narrow band of swing voters that the two parties were expected to fight over in roughly 20 swing states. I'm going to talk to people on the right, Kerry told The Times on Friday during a joint interview with his vice presidential pick, Sen. John Edwards. I want to talk to conservatives. full: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-na-kerry11jul11,1,2864401.story?coll=la-home-headlines -- Marxism list: www.marxmail.org
Re: Africa should not pay its debts - Jeffrey Sachs
From: Louis Proyect [EMAIL PROTECTED] I have refrained from saying anything about Jeffrey Sachs or (Joseph Stiglitz) being more to the left than other economists, especially in their role as window dressing at Columbia University--my employer. Come, come. You're not threatening a crime against Columbia U. property a la 1968 -- occupying the president's office, smoking his cigars, etc. Just offering a bit of candor about one of the local all-stars. Surely Kings College can't be *that* repressive these days ;-) Carl _ Get fast, reliable Internet access with MSN 9 Dial-up now 2 months FREE! http://join.msn.click-url.com/go/onm00200361ave/direct/01/
Re: Klebnikov
In a message dated 7/11/2004 1:20:45 PM Central Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: It's a useful corollorary (?) of social network theory that almost all badlads are joined up together, via a smallish number of "connected node"individuals. The North Korean government's forged $100 bills ended up financing the ecstasy trade in Birmingham, via the Libyans, the mafiya and the Official (Maoist) IRA.dd Comment Explain the context of "bad" and why one would link the government of North Korea with the Mafia . . . although I have no moral gripe with counterfeit money. It is my understanding the biggest counterfeiter of currency is the world today is the US government. Is not fiat money counterfeit by definition? Why is this important or rather what is the meaning? I have no principle opposition to counterfeiting . . . only bourgeois property. Do you mean Birmingham in Alabama or England? Just curious. Does it follow that without the North Korea government there would be no ecstasy trade in Birmingham? If not . . . what is the point of this? Dope as consumption always drives private accumulation of capital . . . going back to the evolution of spices and sugar as items of trade. Molasses . . . liquor and opium came later . . . but its all dope . . . converted into a "need" diving private accumulation. Is this a moral position on how the IRA raises money? Is it better to rob banks . . . cheat the tax man . . . or put a few products in ones purse while shopping? I am all ears. Melvin P.
Re: Africa should not pay its debts - Jeffrey Sachs
From: Daniel Davies [EMAIL PROTECTED] I have not followed Sachs closely in most recent times but I think he would strongly object to being called a 'man of the left'. maybe I was being too charitable on this point ... I'd say he's a man of the left in the same sense in which Brad DeLong is ... [In other words, a man of the left as perceived by someone who needs a hit of clozapine. Here, chosen at random, is a recent selection from Brad-the-Celebrated Lefty's windy blog:] It may be because Barbara Ehrenreich is a typical voice of the American left that it will in all probability be a waste of ink and paper to put her on the Times op-ed page, but a waste of ink and paper it will most likely be. I agree that Barbara Ehrenreich is a very smart and graceful writer, a keen analyst of American culture and society--she is worth, say, ten of David Brooks. But her brand of left-wing politics is an infantile disorder. [More, much more, at: http://www.j-bradford-delong.net/movable_type/] Carl _ Check out the latest news, polls and tools in the MSN 2004 Election Guide! http://special.msn.com/msn/election2004.armx
Reply to Rick Perlstein
Hi, Rick, I am cc'ing Marxmail and PEN-L on this. I doubt that the howling extremist mob on the former would have much interest in how the Democrats can become a majority party again, but I know that PEN-L is very tuned in to this topic. To start with, everybody should take a look at Rick's Boston Review article which is titled How Can the Democrats Win? at http://www.bostonreview.net/BR29.3/perlstein.html. There are also replies by well-known leftists and liberals such as Robert Reich, Adolph Reed and Stanley Aronowitz. To start with, I found your discussion of Boeing quite interesting. I had the chance to look at the development of the 747 in some depth as part of an examination of airline deregulation a few years ago. I relied heavily on a book by John Newhouse titled The Sporty Game that appeared originally in the New Yorker when the magazine was worth something. I was much less sanguine about viewing the development of the 747 as an unqualified success, at least on capitalism's own terms: In the same year that Newhouse's book appeared, a report on Competition and the Airlines: An Evaluation of Deregulation was submitted by staff economists David R. Graham and Daniel P. Kaplan to their superiors at the Civil Aeronautics Board. Given its internal character, the authors make no effort to depict deregulation as progressive legislation motivated to make air travel affordable. Instead it is declining profits that occupies center stage. In fact they openly admit that air travel had become a mass consumer phenomenon without the help of Senator Kennedy's trust-busters. They state that between 1949 and 1969, air traffic grew by more than 14 percent a year. During this same period, average air fares actually fell by 2 percent while the consumer price index rose by 50 percent. In other words, air travel was cheap relative to other consumer goods. What concerned the economists was the fortunes of the airline companies rather than those of the consumers. With all the money spent on 747s and other oversized jets, empty seats became a much more serious problem given the economies of scale. Full: http://www.columbia.edu/~lnp3/mydocs/economics/airline_deregulation.htm Turning now to your recommendations to the Democratic Party leadership: Any marketing executive will tell you that you cant build a brand out of stuff the people say they dont want. And what do Americans say they want? According to the pollsters, exactly what the Democratic Party was once famous for giving them: economic populism. All I can say is that this not quite the Democratic Party I am familiar with, at least in broad historical terms. Keep in mind that the Democratic Party was originally the party of the Southern Bourbons. While Arthur Schlesinger Jr. portrays Andrew Jackson as some kind of plebian democrat, he owned slaves and saw his role as promoting the interest of the same class he belonged to. The Republican Party emerged as a revolutionary opposition to the Democrats and only withdrew from the task of uprooting racial supremacy in the South when Northern liberals, particularly those grouped around Godkin's Nation Magazine, persuaded party bosses that they were encouraging developments in the USA that might turn out like the Paris Commune. David Montgomery details all this in The Death of Reconstruction. I myself stumbled across this sordid tale while preparing a critical review of the Nation around the time that Hitchens had become a turncoat and Marc Cooper was perfecting his own redbaiting skills. I learned that hostility to radicalism was not an invention of Katrina vanden Heuvel, but something rooted in the magazine's hoary past. On December 5th 1867, the Nation wrote: It must now be confessed those who were of this way of thinking [namely that the Radical Republicans were going too far], and they were many, have proved to be not very far wrong. It is not yet too late for the majority in Congress to retrace its steps and turn to serious things. The work before it is to bring the South back to the Union on the basis-of equal rights, and not to punish the President or provide farms for negroes or remodel the American Government. After the great compromise that ended Reconstruction, challenges to the big bourgeoisie were mounted not from within the Republican or Democratic Parties but from 3rd party efforts like the Populists. Then, as today, efforts were mounted to either co-opt or destroy these movements. If you compare the programs of the Democratic and Republican Parties from the period of the end of Reconstruction to FDR's election as a *balanced budget* realist, you'll find about as much to choose between as George W. Bush and John Kerry. (I must say that for all your eagerness to assert that beating George W. Bush at the ballot box in November...is imperative to the future health of the United States, you don't seem at all that interested in explaining why.
Re: Klebnikov
Michael was just asking how the Russian oligarchs would go about making use of Chechen freedom fighters; my point was only that, in general, there is a surprisingly efficient global community of violent men and no particular instance of thugs of two kinds working together ought to necessarilybe regarded as surprising. The Korea-Birmingham(UK) connection was the subject of an episode of Panorama a couple of weeks ago, which is why it stuck in my mind. NB that the "Official" IRA is not the same thing as the "Provisional" IRA which put the bombs in pubs (and neither is the same as the "Real IRA" which is the only currently active nationalist terrorist group), and that the Officials have been basically dormant since the 1980s. dd -Original Message-From: PEN-L list [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]On Behalf Of [EMAIL PROTECTED]Sent: 11 July 2004 20:13To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]Subject: Re: Klebnikov In a message dated 7/11/2004 1:20:45 PM Central Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: It's a useful corollorary (?) of social network theory that almost all badlads are joined up together, via a smallish number of "connected node"individuals. The North Korean government's forged $100 bills ended up financing the ecstasy trade in Birmingham, via the Libyans, the mafiya and the Official (Maoist) IRA.dd Comment Explain the context of "bad" and why one would link the government of North Korea with the Mafia . . . although I have no moral gripe with counterfeit money. It is my understanding the biggest counterfeiter of currency is the world today is the US government. Is not fiat money counterfeit by definition? Why is this important or rather what is the meaning? I have no principle opposition to counterfeiting . . . only bourgeois property. Do you mean Birmingham in Alabama or England? Just curious. Does it follow that without the North Korea government there would be no ecstasy trade in Birmingham? If not . . . what is the point of this? Dope as consumption always drives private accumulation of capital . . . going back to the evolution of spices and sugar as items of trade. Molasses . . . liquor and opium came later . . . but its all dope . . . converted into a "need" diving private accumulation. Is this a moral position on how the IRA raises money? Is it better to rob banks . . . cheat the tax man . . . or put a few products in ones purse while shopping? I am all ears. Melvin P.
Re: Klebnikov
In a message dated 7/11/2004 3:13:15 PM Central Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Cynical jaded New Yorker wants to know: When you lend someone counterfeit money, are you still doing that person a good turn? Should expect repayment, with interest? In real or counterfeit money? Comment Actually a friend of mine . . . a comrade . . . did a 5 to 10 year bit in Mississippi for counterfit 20s in the late mid 1980s. JHe got caught up in the "New African thing" and the "Black Liberation Army" and literally named his first born male SinQ. I was like . . . "damn brother . . . don't you think you carrying this thing a little to far?" Counterfeitwas never my thing as such and I figured if I could not win at the poker table . . . or . . . 7 days 12 hours was enough for me. Then the first wife worked at the old Cadillac plant on Michigan . . . not the Fisher plant on Fort Street. :-) Counterfeit and its exchange rates depends on what is being exchanged. And yes you can get interest on it in all the secondary markets. Counterfeit money is no different from when a section of Soviet society - the secondary economy, was using Marlboros as a medium of exchange. The only objection to counterfeit in the world exchange markets is the governments and banks that prevents its conversion. You can circulate counterfeit within a certain market framework forever and it develops its own logic. Is not the real question the counterfeit nature of fiat money versus species money? I read some book twenty years ago . . . that I honestly forget . . . that placed quarters as the most counterfeit money. The only problem anyone in society has with counterfeit money is the point at which its conversion is blocked. No one really cares. Ok . . . I stop by your house and we go get some beers and watch the Yankees on the big screen. I set the bar up a couple of times and lose the bet and set the bar up again paying with good counterfeit . . . that cannot be detected with a brown colored pen. (I did work in a Casino and they have tough procedures. Only governments detect good counterfeit produced by other governments with similar technology). The barkeep cannot detect the counterfeit and it completes a transaction. This counterfiet is passed - unknowing to the barkeep, as change for his customers. Really we talking about the value relationship. I cannot think of the book I read years ago but it had a story about a guy in the late 1890 who literally painted 50 dollar bills. When he got busted . . . the judge let him off over a dispute about who could issue legal tender. I hate it when I forget what I remember. Melvin P.
Tax Dollars At Work
I hate to say I told you so department: Tom Ridge asking Ashcroft to look into what it would take to postpone the November elections... No joke. Hmmh.. what comes to mind? Declaring everyone enemy combatants? Simple exercise of executive privilege? Resolution of Congress authorizing the president to take all necessary actions? Declaration from White House counsel that since 9/11 the Constitution need not apply? -- or how about a Bush favorite...withdrawing from the Constitution since it was agreed to by prior administrations? Well that will resolve the old lesser of two evils argument. Me? I called this over a year ago, and I got a passport and an open plane ticket
Spam fraud moves up a notch
Usually I get requests from the families of disgraced dictators. Now look who writes me. - Forwarded message from [EMAIL PROTECTED] - Date: Sun, 11 Jul 2004 17:26:31 +0100 From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Assistance from you Office of the Chairman The Independent Committee of Eminent Persons 20 rue de Candolle (3rd Floor), 1205 Geneva, Switzerland email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]www.icep-iaep.org : web My name is Paul A. Volker, Chairman Independent Committee of Eminent Persons (ICEP), Switzerland. ICEP is charged with the responsibility of finding bank accounts in Switzerland belonging to non-Swiss indigenes, which have remained dormant since World War II. It may interest you to know that in July of 1997, the Swiss Banker's Association published a list of dormant accounts originally opened by non-Swiss citizens. These accounts had been dormant since the end of World War II (May 9, 1945). Most belonged to Holocaust victims. The continuing efforts of the Independent Committee of Eminent Persons (ICEP) have since resulted in the discovery of additional dormant accounts - 54,000 in December, 1999. The published lists contain all types of dormant accounts, including interest-bearing savings accounts, securities accounts, safe deposit boxes, custody accounts, and non-interest-bearing transaction accounts. Numbered accounts are also included. Interest is paid on accounts that were interest bearing when established. The Claims Resolution Tribunal (CRT) handles processing of all claims on accounts due non-Swiss citizens. A dormant account of ORDNER ADELE with a credit balance of 35,000,000 US dollar plus accumulated interest was discovered by me. The beneficiary was murdered during the holocaust era, leaving no WILL and no possible records for trace of heirs. The Claims Resolution Tribunal has been mandated to report all unclaimed funds for permanent closure of accounts and transfer of existing credit balance into the treasury of Switzerland government as provided by the law for management of assets of deceased beneficiaries who died interstate (living no wills). Being a top executive at ICEP, I have all secret details and necessary contacts for claim of the funds without any hitch. The funds will be banked in an offshore bank which will be a tax free, safe haven for funds and we can share the funds and use in investment of our choice. Due to the sensitive nature of my job, I need a foreigner to HELP claim the funds. All that is required is for you to provide me with your details for processing of the necessary legal and administrative claim documents for transfer of the funds to you. Kindly provide me with your full name, address, and telephone/fax. I will pay all required fees to ensure that the fund is transferred to a secure, numbered account in your name in an offshore bank, of which you will be capable of accessing the funds gradually and transferring to your country and other banks of choice in the world. My share will be 60 percent and your share is 40 per cent of the total amount. THERE IS NO RISK INVOLVED. You can find additional information about unclaimed funds through the internet at the following websites: www.swissbankclaims.com http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/europe/9902/09/germany.holocaust/ www.avotaynu.com www.icheic.org www.livingheirs.com www.wiesenthal.com The Holocaust Claims Processing Office has put funds in Escrow awaiting submission of valid claims for necessary disbursement. I find myself privileged to have this information and this may be a great opportunity for a lifetime of success without risks. Due to security reasons, reply to me via email only. You may reply to me securely on the following email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Thank you for your prompt response. Paul A. Volker. - End forwarded message - -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
Re: Klebnikov
Cynical jaded New Yorker wants to know: When you lend someone counterfeit money, are you still doing that person a good turn? Should expect repayment, with interest? In real or counterfeit money? - Original Message - From: Daniel Davies To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Sunday, July 11, 2004 12:30 PM Subject: Re: [PEN-L] Klebnikov Michael was just asking how the Russian oligarchs would go about making use of Chechen freedom fighters; my point was only that, in general, there is a surprisingly efficient global community of violent men and no particular instance of thugs of two kinds working together ought to necessarilybe regarded as surprising. The Korea-Birmingham(UK) connection was the subject of an episode of Panorama a couple of weeks ago, which is why it stuck in my mind. NB that the "Official" IRA is not the same thing as the "Provisional" IRA which put the bombs in pubs (and neither is the same as the "Real IRA" which is the only currently active nationalist terrorist group), and that the Officials have been basically dormant since the 1980s. dd -Original Message-From: PEN-L list [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]On Behalf Of [EMAIL PROTECTED]Sent: 11 July 2004 20:13To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]Subject: Re: Klebnikov In a message dated 7/11/2004 1:20:45 PM Central Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: It's a useful corollorary (?) of social network theory that almost all badlads are joined up together, via a smallish number of "connected node"individuals. The North Korean government's forged $100 bills ended up financing the ecstasy trade in Birmingham, via the Libyans, the mafiya and the Official (Maoist) IRA.dd Comment Explain the context of "bad" and why one would link the government of North Korea with the Mafia . . . although I have no moral gripe with counterfeit money. It is my understanding the biggest counterfeiter of currency is the world today is the US government. Is not fiat money counterfeit by definition? Why is this important or rather what is the meaning? I have no principle opposition to counterfeiting . . . only bourgeois property. Do you mean Birmingham in Alabama or England? Just curious. Does it follow that without the North Korea government there would be no ecstasy trade in Birmingham? If not . . . what is the point of this? Dope as consumption always drives private accumulation of capital . . . going back to the evolution of spices and sugar as items of trade. Molasses . . . liquor and opium came later . . . but its all dope . . . converted into a "need" diving private accumulation. Is this a moral position on how the IRA raises money? Is it better to rob banks . . . cheat the tax man . . . or put a few products in ones purse while shopping? I am all ears. Melvin P.
Re: Klebnikov
JK Galbraith referred to it as "the bezzle" -- the increment to national wealth during that period when the conman knows he has got the mark's money, but the mark is as yet not aware that he has been dispossessed of it ... -Original Message-From: PEN-L list [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]On Behalf Of [EMAIL PROTECTED]Sent: 11 July 2004 22:37To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]Subject: Re: Klebnikov In a message dated 7/11/2004 3:13:15 PM Central Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Cynical jaded New Yorker wants to know: When you lend someone counterfeit money, are you still doing that person a good turn? Should expect repayment, with interest? In real or counterfeit money? Comment Actually a friend of mine . . . a comrade . . . did a 5 to 10 year bit in Mississippi for counterfit 20s in the late mid 1980s. JHe got caught up in the "New African thing" and the "Black Liberation Army" and literally named his first born male SinQ. I was like . . . "damn brother . . . don't you think you carrying this thing a little to far?" Counterfeitwas never my thing as such and I figured if I could not win at the poker table . . . or . . . 7 days 12 hours was enough for me. Then the first wife worked at the old Cadillac plant on Michigan . . . not the Fisher plant on Fort Street. :-) Counterfeit and its exchange rates depends on what is being exchanged. And yes you can get interest on it in all the secondary markets. Counterfeit money is no different from when a section of Soviet society - the secondary economy, was using Marlboros as a medium of exchange. The only objection to counterfeit in the world exchange markets is the governments and banks that prevents its conversion. You can circulate counterfeit within a certain market framework forever and it develops its own logic. Is not the real question the counterfeit nature of fiat money versus species money? I read some book twenty years ago . . . that I honestly forget . . . that placed quarters as the most counterfeit money. The only problem anyone in society has with counterfeit money is the point at which its conversion is blocked. No one really cares. Ok . . . I stop by your house and we go get some beers and watch the Yankees on the big screen. I set the bar up a couple of times and lose the bet and set the bar up again paying with good counterfeit . . . that cannot be detected with a brown colored pen. (I did work in a Casino and they have tough procedures. Only governments detect good counterfeit produced by other governments with similar technology). The barkeep cannot detect the counterfeit and it completes a transaction. This counterfiet is passed - unknowing to the barkeep, as change for his customers. Really we talking about the value relationship. I cannot think of the book I read years ago but it had a story about a guy in the late 1890 who literally painted 50 dollar bills. When he got busted . . . the judge let him off over a dispute about who could issue legal tender. I hate it when I forget what I remember. Melvin P.
Re: Klebnikov
In a message dated 7/11/2004 5:02:03 PM Central Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Galbraith referred to it as "the bezzle" -- the increment to national wealth during that period when the conman knows he has got the mark's money, but the mark is as yet not aware that he has been dispossessed of it ... Comment Hahahahahahahahah hahahahah hahahahahah hahahahah. One born everyday. I am glad I was not born today. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH Whatever the market will bear . . . bear. There was a period in the early 1980s when the government barred IBM from selling a copying machine it put on the market because of its high quality reproduction capacity and color quality that allowed it to copy and reproduced money at a scale that the average merchant could not detect. I sued to follow these things coming up in the propaganda apparatus and all. Counterfeit is huge. Counterfeit insurance certificates was a boom industry when the first wave of "no fault insurance laws" were passed in the late 1970s. Then there are the counterfeit CDs and DVDs . . . most of which are not small producers but coming out of the back doors of the large manufacturers. I had a guy on the street offer me a copy of "I-Robot" last week for 10 bucks. If I had come counterfeit I would have paid for it on the spot.:-) Enough . . .hahahahahahahahhahahaha. The bourgeoisie is all screwed up . . .man . . . and cannot get out of this one alive. Melvin P. Melvin P.
new radio product
Just added to my radio archive http://www.leftbusinessobserver.com/Radio.html: July 8, 2004 Lakshman Achuthan of the Economic Cycles Research Institute and co-author of Beating the Business Cycle, on cycles in general, this odd one specifically, and the likely slowdown by yearend * Norman Kelley, author of The Head Negro In Charge Syndrome, on the crisis in black politics it joins July 1, 2004 Phyllis Bennis, lead author of Paying the Price, on the human, economic, and environmental costs of the war on Iraq * Joe Garden, Mike Loew (both of The Onion), and Randy Ostrow, authors of Citizen You!, a manual of patriotic duty (some of the original audio was lost - details at the top of the show) June 24, 2004 Michael Hardt, co-author of Empire, on the state of the empire in the light of the Iraq war * Stonewall segment: Julie Abraham, professor of LGBT studies at Sarah Lawrence, on why she's no fan of same-sex marriage June 17, 2004 Jomo, the Malaysian economist, on the Asian economies and their recoveries from the 1997 crisis * Seth Kleinman of PFC Energy on the state of the oil market June 10, 2004 DH on the demise of Reagan * Rick Perlstein, historian of conservatism and author of a bio of Goldwater, on the emergence of the right the role of Ronnie * Ralph Nader, talking to the ruling class at the Council on Foreign Relations (20 minutes out of a one-hour appearance), about foreign policy, globalization, and his contribution to electing George Bush May 20, 2004 Marathon Special: State of the Empire Gary Younge, New York correspondent of The Guardian, on U.S. reactions to the torture photos, comparisons with British and other European imperialisms, and race in the U.S. vs. the UK * Cynthia Enloe of Clark University, famous for her feminist analyses of the military, talks about masculinity in the Bush administration, the oil industry, and military prisons * George Monbiot, author of Manifesto for a New World Order, on offshoring as reparations, the WTO, the limits of localism, and the democratization of global governance along with -- * Chalmers Johnson on the U.S. empire * Jagdish Bhatwati on globalization * Bill Fletcher on war and peace * Slavoj Zizek on war, imperialism, and fantasy * Naomi Klein on Argentina and the arrested political development of the global justice movement * Keith Bradsher on the SUVs * Susie Bright on sex and politics * Richard Burkholder of Gallup on that firm's Iraq polls * Anatol Lieven on Iraq * Laura Flanders on Bushwomen * Carlos Mejia, deserter from Iraq * Joseph Stiglitz on the IMF and the Wall St-Treasury axis * Lisa Jervis on feminism pop culture * Nina Revoyr on the history of Los Angeles, real and fictional * Joel Schalit on anti-Semitism * Robert Fatton on Haiti * Ursula Huws on work and why capitalism has avoided crisis * Simon Head on working in the era of surveillance and speedup * Michael Albert on participatory economics (parecon) * Marta Russell on the UN conference on disability * Corey Robin on the neocons * Sara Roy on the Palestinian economy * Christian Parenti on Iraq and surveillance * Tariq Ali, Noam Chomsky, and Cynthia Enloe on the then-impending war with Iraq * Michael Hardt on Empire * Judith Levine on kids sex * Walden Bello on the World Social Forum and alternative development models * Christopher Hitchens on Orwell and his new political affiliations -- Doug Henwood Left Business Observer 38 Greene St - 4th fl. New York NY 10013-2505 USA voice +1-212-219-0010 fax+1-212-219-0098 cell +1-917-865-2813 email mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] webhttp://www.leftbusinessobserver.com
counterfeit currency
It is my understanding the biggest counterfeiter of currency is the world today is the US government. Is not fiat money counterfeit by definition? no. in a system of fiat money, the state defines what's counterfeit and what's not. If you disagree, they've got more guns than you. by the way, I've wondered for awhile: what does the NRA think of Saddam's Iraq, where every household had an automatic weapon? isn't one gun per house supposed to defend the populace against tyrrany? if so, does that mean that Saddam wasn't a tyrant? jd
Re: Spam fraud moves up a notch
Michael P wrote: Usually I get requests from the families of disgraced dictators. Now look who writes me. Office of the Chairman The Independent Committee of Eminent Persons 20 rue de Candolle (3rd Floor), 1205 Geneva, Switzerland email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]www.icep-iaep.org : web My name is Paul A. Volker, Chairman Independent Committee of Eminent Persons (ICEP), Switzerland. ICEP is charged with the responsibility of finding bank accounts in Switzerland belonging to non-Swiss indigenes, which have remained dormant since World War II. Jim C: I get the same--and also usually from families of disgraced dictators. But I didn't get this one from Volker, mine came from another source: My name is Mr Hanks Moss a member of Independent Committee of Eminent Persons (ICEP), Switzerland. ICEP is charged with the responsibility of finding bank accounts in Switzerland belonging to non-Swiss indigenes, which have remained dormant since World War II. It may interest you to know that in July of 1997, the Swiss Banker's Association published a list of dormant accounts originally opened by non-Swiss citizens. These accounts had been dormant since the end of World War II (May 9, 1945). Most belonged to Holocaust victims. The continuing efforts of the Independent Committee of Eminent Persons (ICEP) have since resulted in the discovery of additional dormant accounts - 54,000 in December, 1999.The published lists contain all types of dormant accounts, including interest-bearing savings accounts, securities accounts, safe deposit boxes, custody accounts, and non-interest-bearing transaction accounts. Numbered accounts are also included. Interest is paid on accounts that were interest bearing when established. The Claims Resolution Tribunal (CRT) handles processing of all claims on accounts due non-Swiss citizens. A dormant account of ORDNER ADELE with a credit balance of 45,000,000 US dollar plus accumulated interest was discovered by me. The beneficiary was murdered during the holocaust era, leaving no WILL and no possible records for trace of heirs. The Claims Resolution Tribunal has been mandated to report all unclaimed funds for permanent closure of accounts and transfer of existing credit balance into the treasury of Switzerland government as provided by the law for management of assets of deceased beneficiaries who died interstate (living no wills). Being a top executive at ICEP, I have all secret details and necessary contacts for claim of the funds without any hitch. The funds will be banked in the Cayman Island, being a tax free, safe haven for funds and we can share the funds and use in investment of our choice.Due to the sensitive nature of my job, I need a foreigner to HELP claim the funds. All that is required is for you to provide me with your details for processing of the necessary legal and administrative claim documents for transfer of the funds to you. Kindly provide me with your full name, address, and telephone/fax. I will pay all required fees to ensure that the fund is transferred to a secure, numbered account in your name in the Cayman Island, of which you will be capable of accessing the funds gradually and transferring to your country and other banks of choice in the world. My share will be 60 percent and your share is 40 per cent of the total amount. THERE IS NO RISK INVOLVED. You can find additional information about unclaimed funds through the internet at the following websites: www.swissbankclaims.com http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/europe/9902/09/germany.holocaust/ www.avotaynu.com www.icheic.org www.livingheirs.com www.wiesenthal.com The Holocaust Claims Processing Office has put funds in Escrow awaiting submission of valid claims for necessary disbursement.I find myself priviledged to have this information and this may be a great opportunity for a life time of success without risks.Due to security reasons, reply to my via email only. You may reply to me securely on the following email,[EMAIL PROTECTED] Thank you for your prompt response. Mr Hanks Moss
Re: Spam fraud moves up a notch
The Claims Resolution Tribunal has been mandated to report all unclaimed funds for permanent closure of accounts and transfer of existing credit balance into the treasury of Switzerland government as provided by the law for management of assets of deceased beneficiaries who died interstate (living no wills). __ OK, I'll ask... isn't dying interstate a federal offense, and thus falls under jurisdiction of Fumblers, Bumblers, and Idiots?
Re: Spam fraud moves up a notch
Should be reading dying intestate or without a will. Jim C. -Original Message- From: PEN-L list [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of sartesian Sent: Sunday, July 11, 2004 6:57 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [PEN-L] Spam fraud moves up a notch The Claims Resolution Tribunal has been mandated to report all unclaimed funds for permanent closure of accounts and transfer of existing credit balance into the treasury of Switzerland government as provided by the law for management of assets of deceased beneficiaries who died interstate (living no wills). __ OK, I'll ask... isn't dying interstate a federal offense, and thus falls under jurisdiction of Fumblers, Bumblers, and Idiots?
Re: counterfeit currency
In a message dated 7/11/2004 5:48:40 PM Central Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: It is my understanding the biggest counterfeiter of currency is the world today is the US government. Is not fiat money counterfeit by definition? no. in a system of fiat money, the state defines what's counterfeit and what's not. If you disagree, they've got more guns than you. Comment You are Correct. Trying to be clever never works . . . especially when you have very few guns . . . or power. :-( Melvin P. PS. Does this mean to get rid of my counterfeit that works?
Re: Spam fraud moves up a notch
New that Jim, it was just a joke... interstate, Volker can't wait to send this guys my CC number - Original Message - From: Craven, Jim [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Sunday, July 11, 2004 4:03 PM Subject: Re: [PEN-L] Spam fraud moves up a notch Should be reading dying intestate or without a will. Jim C. -Original Message- From: PEN-L list [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of sartesian Sent: Sunday, July 11, 2004 6:57 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [PEN-L] Spam fraud moves up a notch The Claims Resolution Tribunal has been mandated to report all unclaimed funds for permanent closure of accounts and transfer of existing credit balance into the treasury of Switzerland government as provided by the law for management of assets of deceased beneficiaries who died interstate (living no wills). __ OK, I'll ask... isn't dying interstate a federal offense, and thus falls under jurisdiction of Fumblers, Bumblers, and Idiots?
Re: counterfeit currency
Gresham's Law says that you should spread the counterfeit money quickly. There should be more counterfeit currency as a percentage of currency in circulation than in people's hoards of cash (unless it's recently been printed). a friend once found that his $20 was fake. He was so frustrated, feeling ripped off, that he immediately put it in a vending machine and bought a bunch of stamps. Jim Devine [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://bellarmine.lmu.edu/~jdevine PS. Does this mean to get rid of my counterfeit that works?
pen-l archives on csf shutting down
After many years, the csf archives -- in fact the whole csf system -- is going to disappear. We all owe a debt of gratitude to Don Roper Michael Yount for keeping it going. http://csf.colorado.edu/pen-l/ Some of you have not subscribed to pen-l directly, but only though the CSF site. You will need to directly subscribe from the [EMAIL PROTECTED] Fortunately, Hans Ehrbar has created another archive at http://archives.econ.utah.edu/archives/pen-l/index.htm -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
recovery fading
The New York Times is suggesting that the Bush boom might be fizzling. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/12/business/12slow.html -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
