Yeah, I miss Monty's regular DOOM posts here -- he had some of the best links and commentary on the various economic disasters on the horizon. I like to think that Monty is now in a repurposed missile silo somewhere in North Dakota, sitting on a stack of saddlebags filled with Krugerrands, looking up at the monitors every now and then when the motion sensors detect a jackrabbit or antelope. Sigh.

In the meantime, this article by Ambrose Evans-Prichard -- while not easy to read and chock full o' obscure jargon -- makes it clear that (a) Spain in on the brink economically and (b) the fault lies not with Spain but with the behavior mandated by the European Central Bank (ECB).

The damage from this double-barrelled contractionary shock on a fragile Spanish economy is before our eyes, conforming with precision to textbook time-lag theories. Private sector credit has fallen for 18 consecutive months. Industrial output fell 7.5pc in March. Brussels expects the economy to shrink 1.9pc this year, with the crunch yet to come.

Unemployment has reached 24.4pc, or 32pc in Extremadura. More than 1.5m households have no earner at all. They have exhausted their benefits, surviving on savings and - for now - on €420 a month in back-stop support.

Faced with such woes, any sovereign country would call for full engine reverse with every policy lever. The Faustian Pact of EMU allows no such escape. Europe has ordered premier Mariano Rajoy to cut the budget deficit from 8.9pc to 5.3pc in a single year, four times the therapeutic pace.

He cannot devalue. He cannot cut rates or print money. He cannot mobilize a lender of last resort to eliminate all risk of sovereign default. He can only lament. "Europe has to come up with an answer because we can't go on like this for long," he said.

While the common (and largely correct) wisdom is the the PIIGS were living high off the Northern European hogs, Evans-Prichard's contention is that Spain, at least, was denied the monetary policy tools it needed to restart its economy or at least glide it in to a soft landing. Instead, it appears to be in full nosedive mode, with someone else's hands locked onto the controls.

Ever seen those videos where someone throws a brick or other heavy object into a washing machine? Slow one down by a factor of 100 or so, and that's what's happening in Europe. It's precisely the slowness of the destruction that keeps people -- including those in charge in the European Union -- thinking that things might turn out OK after all. But the slo-mo demolition is going on regardless, and we're just about at the point in the video where another piece of the washer is going to go flying off at a tangent. Put on your safety helmets, boys and girls -- we're not a safe distance from the washer. ..fritz..

Posted by: Open Blogger at 06:08 PM | Comments (53)
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Chris Somebody at MSNBC in a show nobody watches cannot overcome his leftist bent on Memorial Day. He's uncomfortable with the concept of Memorial Day and "heroes" (his words follow), "why do I feel so uncomfortable about the word 'hero'. It seems to me that it's so rhetorically proximate to justifications for more war."

Something like that. I got lost in his pansy bullshit.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and suggest his crawfishing about valor and "hail of bullets" blah blah, "I really do respect the troops" bullshit is exactly that.

It's incoherent crap.

He doesn't want to desecrate or disrespect their memory. Because it means nothing to him.

So how could he? He can't. He's powerless to do that. All he can do is wimp around on a television screen, waffle in the obvious trap that ensnares all leftists, and accomplish nothing, in front of dozens of viewers.

He can't take anything from anyone. He's a powerless douche.

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Posted by: Dave in Texas at 01:32 PM | Comments (292)
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A now common idea spread around the leftosphere is that the polling for Walker, which puts him clearly ahead of Barrett, is overstating Walker's support, because it did last cycle.

Well, here is the Real Clear Politics recap from 2010:

Now, at first it looks like the left is right: Walker averaged a lead three points higher than the margin he actually enjoyed. But that isn't the implication of the meme. The meme is that Walker's support is overstated in the polling, and that isn't true. The polls almost nailed it.

Per the polling average, Walker was projected to get 52% of the vote.
He won 52.3% of the vote. In fact of all the polling sampled only two polls out of over the last dozen overshot: by .7%. Barrett's share was underestimated, but not at Walker's expense. The margin of victory narrowed, but Walker's expected take actually grew.

Let's look at the current polling:
We Ask America: Walker 54%
DemGovAssociat: Walker 49%
Barrett's latest int: Walker 50%
Marquette Law: Walker 50%
PPP(LV)/Kos: Walker 50%
RasmussenPolls: Walker 50%
Reason-Rupe: Walker 50%
WPR/StNorbert Walker 50%
Polling Average: Walker 50.375%

If the same "overestimate" effect that happened in 2010 happened again, Walker still clears 50%, Barrett's share grows...and Walker would still win.

Posted by: CAC at 12:51 PM | Comments (45)
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"I certainly didn't expect to be talking about Saudi Arabia again so quickly, but my last video about that country being a gay volcano on the brink of eruption got quite a heated response from a few people there."

Pat provides these links.

• The kingdom in the closet
• Saudi Arabia is 'biggest funder of terrorists'
• Saudis fund sale of children trained as terrorists and suicide bombers
• Saudis export anti-Christian and anti-Jewish textbooks across the world
• Saudi high school text book preaches hate
• The UK's 'Undercover Mosque' scandal

Video below the fold. Some strong language.
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Posted by: rdbrewer at 11:17 AM | Comments (60)
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Changing of the guard ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, below the fold. At around 2:36 you will hear rifle fire in the distance, and you'll know what that meant.

The soldiers of the 3rd Infantry Regiment based at Ft. Myer perform this honor day and night, 24x7, 365 days a year. I've seen it many times, it is somber, but uplifting.

From wiki:

The soldier "walking the mat" does not wear rank insignia on his or her uniform so that they do not outrank the Unknowns, whatever their rank may have been. Non-commissioned officers (usually the Relief Commander and Assistant Relief Commanders), do wear insignia of their rank when changing the guard only. They have a separate uniform (without rank) that is worn when they actually guard the Unknowns or are "Posted".

It doesn't matter what the weather is doing. They perform this honor in rain, snow.. hell they've stood this watch in a hurricane.

21 steps. 21 seconds.

Arlington is a beautiful, but sober place. I hope you have the opportunity to see it one day. You will not regret it.

Posted by: Dave in Texas at 10:47 AM | Comments (40)
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Sweden won the Eurovision song contest, a yearly competition held among member countries of the European Broadcasting Union. You can see why in the opening paragraph of this Reuters report.

Sweden's Loreen won the Eurovision Song Contest in Azerbaijan on Sunday before an international TV audience of 100 million, days after angering Azeri authorities by meeting rights activists critical of the host country's human rights record.

(Emphasis added.) You see, Azerbaijan is a hellhole, and some genius decided the contest should be held there. So a performer had to be a triple threat to win: singing, dancing, and acting like you knew about the poor and downtrodden in Azerbaijan before you arrived there a few days ago.

Loreen Doing Her Spooky Halloween Sweat Act

Lucky for Loreen, she got a heads up, after 76 year old Englebert Humperdinck was mauled on the street by a crusading reporter. The reporter wanted to know how Humperdinck could possibly be performing in Eurovision when Azerbaijan has such a miserable human rights record.

Eurovision hopeful Engelbert Humperdinck was left furious after being confronted about host nation AzerbaijanÂ’s shameful human rights record.

Panorama reporter Paul Kenyon stunned the British entrant when he approached him and asked him why he was taking part in this weekendÂ’s competition, screened by the BBC.

The 76-year-old singer stayed calm and smiled throughout the incident but he and his entourage were said to be fuming. The scene will be shown on the BBC documentary tonight, despite pleas from within the organisation to drop it.

It's almost as if Humperdinck chose the venue. So this hero reporter decides to ambush an old man on the street and damage his prospects... to enhance his own. What a douche. Humperdinck was there to sing, not fight evil.

So Englebert came in 25th. The online poll at that link indicates a majority of people in the UK think it's all about politics, not Humperdinck's age or talent. Some in the UK are wondering whether they should simply withdraw from all future Eurovision contests.

And when another suggested we needed Robbie Williams to fly the flag for us to give us a chance, the This Morning presenter replied: "Not even Robbie could win it for us, it's too political."

Commenting on Mirror Online, reader Beryl Douglas agreed. She wrote: "It's time to end the farce which is called 'Eurovision Song Contest', it's out of date now.

"The voting is political and has nothing to do with the artist, the voice or the song.

I think the UK should send Englebert Humperdinck back every year. Stick it to 'em. He's perfect for it, anyway. There is no better showman or voice. According to my mom, that man can croon.

All he has to do next time is identify the oppressed people and check the concern box.

Let me propose a new name for the contest: the Eurozone Political Posturing & Primitive Display Contest.

(Inspired by mom.)

Follow me on Twitter.

Posted by: rdbrewer at 10:30 AM | Comments (75)
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Afternoon my friends, Zakn here leading up the Team.

I work Nights Sunday-Thursday, so today Is Memorial Day for me. Most people are celebratory. I'm not. I tend to lay in bed and be a morose mfer.

Take a moment of your day off and realize that it was because some Mothers Son died fighting in a random shithole so your dumb ass could BBQ. I'd rant, but 'm a Gaming Moron.

(edit...I think this published too early. Putting it back up... Zakn) more...

Posted by: Gang of Gaming Morons! at 10:20 AM | Comments (37)
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Walker wins by a margin in the mid-single digits.

Since those far more professional than me at this have started changing their official calls, time to go ahead and do it here, jinxing be damned.

Currently, including the Democrats' own numbers, Walker has led in ten straight polls. His lead per the Democrats is as narrow as 2 points, per public polling firms, as high as 12. I expect the truth to lie around 5-7 points. We have seen a drive by Democrats to get their voters to the polls early, and so far over 3500 voters have cast in Milwaukee county. Before that scares you, consider that is barely 1% of all votes cast in the county in 2010. They are driving to get as many of their voters out now to help build some momentum and get those who may lose interest. Most of Walker's voters will show up on election day or via absentee.

I am in pretty solid company with my projection. Election trackers and prognosticators at the New York Times, Politico, and Larry Sabato of the Crystal Ball all agree that Walker will end up beating the recall. Even the amateurs at Dave Leip's Election Atlas are calling it for the governor by a very wide margin.
Just to beat out the guy who gets in before the troll, Intrade had Walker at 93% earlier this morning.

We will see at least one poll, probably a Democratic one, showing Barrett up or tied before this week is out. It happens every cycle, and it will get a lot of attention and press because it sells papers and makes for a good story (a blowout win loses a lot of media interest). It will likely get the "uh oh" web-traffic-magnet posts on a few conservative blogs by people who should know better. Don't let it discourage you from doing your duty if you live in Wisconsin. Barring a shock landslide of data erupting this week and contradicting everything we have seen, this race is Walker's supporters' to lose.

Volunteer to drive voters to the polls.
Volunteer to poll watch.
Vote.

Don't fuck it up.

Posted by: CAC at 07:56 AM | Comments (164)
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In Memory of Those Who Served

Good morning, morons and moronettes, it's time once again for the wildly popular Sunday Morning AoSHQ Book Thread.

I would like to take a moment on this Memorial Day weekend to thank all of those rough men in our Armed Forces who stood by, and were willing to do violence on my behalf so I could sleep soundly in my bed, especially those who paid the ultimate price for doing so. I cannot express my gratitude adequately enough for such men.

Here are some books on the Vietnam War that are well worth reading, and they've probably been already mentioned back when Monty was in charge of this thread:

Stolen Valor : How the Vietnam Generation Was Robbed of Its Heroes and Its History. This truly is a monumental work.

The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Vietnam War

And then there's The Big Story by Peter Braestrup, which is an analysis of American media coverage of the 1968 Tet Offensive. For those of you who may not know, the Tet Offensive was a tremendous American/ARVN victory that, for all intents and purposes, destroyed the Viet Cong as a fighting force, but which was presented to the American people as a defeat by the lying rat bastard commies in the MSM/MBM/MFM/DBM/etc. There were a number of reasons for this and, surprisingly enough, not all of them were due to the lying rat bastard commies in the MSM/MBM/MFM/DBM/etc., although many of them clearly were.

And did I say that even back in 1968, the MSM/MBM/MFM/DBM/etc. were a bunch of lying rat bastard commies? This point cannot be emphasized enough.

I think Braestrup's original analysis of Tet media overage was 2 volumes; this appears to be an abridged version.

And for expert analysis of historical conflicts, you can't go wrong with Victor Davis Hanson. He's written a ton of books, but for a taste, try Carnage and Culture: Landmark Battles in the Rise to Western Power for starters.

As always, book thread tips may be sent to aoshqbookthread@gmail.com

Note to you moron authors who have asked me to mention your books. I've been accumulating these requests and I'll put 'em all up on next week's thread.

Hopefully, you all have been reading some good stuff this week.

Posted by: Open Blogger at 07:00 AM | Comments (92)
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War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself. ~ John Stuart Mill

Posted by: andy at 06:25 AM | Comments (28)
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