China Finds Jose Cuervo, Michele and Sarah, Smarter Than A Sixth Grader?

Ayad Allawi
Robert Kennedy

"Let Libya be engulfed in flames," - M Qaddafi

It looks like neither the US or the EU will be leading the way out of the current global economic crisis. Major European banks, yep, those that are considered "too big to fail," are still lobbying for more relaxed regulations, along with their American counterparts. To counter the pressure, citizen groups have suggested that the first $26 million of each banking loss come out of the CEO's paycheck... It was revealed yesterday that over 25 top US companies pay their CEO's more than they pay in income tax. The kicker is, most of these CEO's aren't smarter or more talented than you or me; the biggest decision the CEO of General Mills has had to make was determining the amount of sugar to put on your kids cereals...

So, the marketing of upscale goods is on an upswing in China and Asia, especially those parts that get US economic aid. Asia Times reports that: "China is second only to the United States for sales of Mercedes, Jaguars, Land Rovers and similar up-market cars while branded luxury bags, shoes and similar affluent appurtenances are selling so well that many of their makers are listing on the Hong Kong Exchange to tap local enthusiasm." Tequila companies have opened marketing offices in Shanghai. The bad part to this is having a nation think that Jose Cuervo is top notch tequila. The good part is that the Chinese can't produce a cheap tequila knockoff...

A recent report from the bi-partisan Wartime Contracting Commission said that the process of giving contracts to third party companies in a war zone is fraught with waste, abuse, and fraud, almost on the level of FEMA contracts to Rosemary Barbour... I've been posting this for over a year now, it's good to have it officially validated. The commission goes on to say that these types of abuses will continue on indefinitely into whatever war zone we interject ourselves, unless Congress acts quickly to change to contracting laws. There isn't any way to oversee the projects paid for, or trace the flow of the money to see where it goes, so a lot of it ends up in the Kabul Bank or Dick Cheney's trust account at Halliburton, or ends up paying for some retired general's farm in Virginia... Some of the money goes to fund our enemies in Afghanistan, we are the insurgents second largest funding source after the heroin poppy. Afghan warlords threaten violence to a subcontractor unless they are paid for protection, causing the subcontractor to ask for a few million more. Or, you can just fly in pallets of $100 bills in cash, like Paul Bremer did in Iraq, then pretend that he didn't recall where it all went... Or, it could be worse, if they were administered by the UN; then they'd be trading more than food for sex...

Michele Bachmann will be coming out with her memoirs in November. I believe that is also when Sarah Palin's next book is due, Tea Party for Dummies... I don't know why we consider someone an author who has used a ghost writer to actually write their book. Talking into a tape recorder for five hours makes you resemble Barbara Cartland more than an actual writer. We need a new section in the library and on bookshelves for these fake books, perhaps Revisionist History?

I'm waiting to see both Michele and Sarah together, where they are asked easy questions about history, geography, and foreign policy, if only they'd sign on to the next season of Who's Smarter Than a Sixth Grader?, or to revise it for the current political scene, Who's Smarter Than a Texas High Schooler? Texas has one of the highest drop out rates in the country, which is sad because the Texas school system does a poor job of educating their kids, anyway. When my sister's grandkids were going to school here in Colorado, they were having a hard time and getting C's and D's. When they went back to Texas, they didn't have to worry much about homework, and are cruising through with A's and B's... I think one reason that Rick Perry has jumped into the national spotlight is because the stagelights are growing dim for him in Texas. People are tired of the way he does business and his mean, bragging personal style. Hey Rick, you used federal stimulus money to balance your state budget how many times???

"Why should I go and do something like that? But the Lord says, 'Be submissive wives; you are to be submissive to your husbands." -Rep Michele Bachmann

"Well what I want them to know is just like, John Wayne was from Waterloo, Iowa. That's the kind of spirit that I have, too" -Rep Michele Bachmann

"I wish the American media would take a great look at the views of the people in Congress and find out: Are they pro-America or anti-America?" -Rep. Michelle Bachmann

"He who warned, uh, the British that they weren't gonna be takin' away our arms, uh, by ringing those bells, and um, makin' sure as he's riding his horse through town to send those warning shots and bells that we were going to be sure and we were going to be free, and we were going to be armed." -Sarah Palin

"But obviously, we've got to stand with our North Korean allies." --Sarah Palin

"We used to hustle over the border for health care we received in Canada. And I think now, isn't that ironic?" --Sarah Palin