The "Pro-America" Crowd From the "Pro-America Regions of This Great Land"

These are the faces, words and actions of the 'Pro-America' crowd from the 'Pro-America' regions of this great land. If this is how people act in public, what does the underbelly of America really look like? I think my understanding of what really goes on in this country, and the opinions truly held, is woefully uninformed. I'm not certain any amount of reading will correct my ignorance.

I'm sure Pericles may post something as equally ugly as this from some individual or group on the 'left.' Honestly, I would not be surprised that they identify on a different side of a vague political spectrum. I would be surprised at how universal this nonsense is. Let us not forget that the anti-intellectual, student bashing, hippie-skull beating, 'silent majority,' Archie Bunker racists are the same union members dedicated to voting and raising money for whomever the Democratic ticket may throw up there, but also let us not equivocate.

The point of this post is not a partisan one. I really don't care if a person identifies as 'red' or 'blue.' The point of this post is one of shock surprise and disappointment at how ugly this nation, and possibly this world, and the opinions and views held therein really is. What, if anything, will begin to end this sorry state? Stoking the flames of ignorance and hatred at political rallies and members of Congress blindly and vaguely calling other members of Congress 'anti-American' is certainly not the path to enlightenment. What has worked in the past, if anything, at making large groups of people more thoughtful, careful and concerned? Whatever those things may be, they have not touched the people seen and heard in the video above.

Jeffrey Goldberg & Bruce Schneir Examine Security Theater

Goldberg must be a wealthy man and has clearly purchased a private jet for his own use, because he will never fly commercially again. From the article:

During one secondary inspection, at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago, I was wearing under my shirt a spectacular, only-in-America device called a “Beerbelly,” a neoprene sling that holds a polyurethane bladder and drinking tube. The Beerbelly, designed originally to sneak alcohol—up to 80 ounces—into football games, can quite obviously be used to sneak up to 80 ounces of liquid through airport security. (The company that manufactures the Beerbelly also makes something called a “Winerack,” a bra that holds up to 25 ounces of booze and is recommended, according to the company’s Web site, for PTA meetings.) My Beerbelly, which fit comfortably over my beer belly, contained two cans’ worth of Bud Light at the time of the inspection. It went undetected. The eight-ounce bottle of water in my carry-on bag, however, was seized by the federal government.

On another occasion, at LaGuardia, in New York, the transportation-security officer in charge of my secondary screening emptied my carry-on bag of nearly everything it contained, including a yellow, three-foot-by-four-foot Hezbollah flag, purchased at a Hezbollah gift shop in south Lebanon. The flag features, as its charming main image, an upraised fist clutching an AK-47 automatic rifle. Atop the rifle is a line of Arabic writing that reads Then surely the party of God are they who will be triumphant. The officer took the flag and spread it out on the inspection table. She finished her inspection, gave me back my flag, and told me I could go. I said, “That’s a Hezbollah flag.” She said, “Uh-huh.” Not “Uh-huh, I’ve been trained to recognize the symbols of anti-American terror groups, but after careful inspection of your physical person, your behavior, and your last name, I’ve come to the conclusion that you are not a Bekaa Valley–trained threat to the United States commercial aviation system,” but “Uh-huh, I’m going on break, why are you talking to me?”

The article goes on:

Schnei­er and I walked to the security checkpoint. “Counter­terrorism in the airport is a show designed to make people feel better,” he said. “Only two things have made flying safer: the reinforcement of cockpit doors, and the fact that passengers know now to resist hijackers.” This assumes, of course, that al-Qaeda will target airplanes for hijacking, or target aviation at all. “We defend against what the terrorists did last week,” Schnei­er said. He believes that the country would be just as safe as it is today if airport security were rolled back to pre-9/11 levels. “Spend the rest of your money on intelligence, investigations, and emergency response.”

Anti-American Left? Say it Ain't So.

From Berkeley, California

Is It Hyperbolic To Be Frightened By This?

The final quote:

"What I would say is that the news media should do a penetrating expose and take a look. I wish they would. 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? I think the American people would love to see an expose like that."

Barry Ritholz Has Become the Most Bullish Guy In the Room

This is just plain odd, and surreal, and possibly a true buy signal into these wacky markets. For those of you who don't know, Ritholz is the CEO of FusionIQ and one of the primary posters on The Big Picture blog. He's been right, from a completely different perspective, right along with Roubini on a lot of this mess. Now he says:

1) For most of the past 2 years, I have invariably been the most bearish guy in the room. This has been true whether I was at a meeting or conference, on TV, in print, or simply out having dinner. The lone exception were anytime Nouriel Roubini was also present. Then I would be the 2nd most bearish person in the room.

Lately, I am the most bullish guy in the room -- and I have to tell you, that is just plum weird to me. This week, there were 4 separate occasions when I was in meetings, on TV, at a lunch, at a private dinner. Its very odd.

He is advising his clients to allocate up to 10% of their cash positions into nibbling in at equities. Even with a long recession likely to be ahead, it is possible and historically analogous that there may be a lot of sideways trading from here (as opposed to continued decline) before the sun is seen again. In short, a buying opportunity for those with the money.

I want to make clear that I am not advocating this position, as it is also possible that we'll see continued decline, but it is noteworthy that there are serious voices coming out of the bear mindset and into one of cautious buying.

Relationships

Never have I seen the 8 phases of dating described so succinctly.

Brilliant Farewell Letter