July 4th!!! We the PROUD babes of the COTILLION Salute our Brave Military Bloggers

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY !!
This is my most favorite holiday.............happy as hell am I to be  a red blooded  American

and  as a smallbut deeply felt show of love and respect, we, the  bodacious babes of the Cotillion are saluting the milblogs (military bloggers).

On the blog Signaleer a  US Army Signal Corps soldier blogs about the Army, radios, Defense Transformation, politics, terrorism, organized crime, and anything else that comes to mind.

Who knew these big strong burly hunk o'men were so smart.........grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

A credit based economy is more subject to inflationary pressure. But, a credit based economy is flexible with regard to inflation where a gold (or any other commodity) based economy is decidely not--not unless you can adjust, rapidly, how much of that commodity you have on hand in order to account for inflation.

At the begining of the twentieth century the general population discovered credit in a big way. It was easy to buy on credit. Stores were eager to extend "store" or "book" credit to prevent customers going to competitors.

But the value of the dollar was fixed by the value of the gold held by the US federal government. But more "dollars"-- in small bits and pieces--were being created ex nihlo. The small bits added up. In twenty years time inflation drove teh value of the dollar into the ground. The inflation index in teh US in 1900 was around 7%. By 1920 it was 17%. Over the period from 1820 to 1900 US inflation had only risen about 1.2%!

Gold couldn't handle 10% in 20 years. FDR, finaly took decisive action that would help--the Federal Reserve idea hadn't, intereat rates hadn't, credit couldn't be banned--he made the ownership of gold illegal and pulled in all the gold in the US to the federal government, massivly increasing the US' gold stocks. Then he took a further step, Roosevelt re-defined the U.S. "dollar" from 25.8 grains of 900-fine gold to 15.375 grains of 900-fine gold, and starts paying off the 20 billion dollar federal debt in these new smaller "dollars". Again increasing the supply of the commodity the economy was based on. It was litterally the only way to fix the problem AND stay on the gold standard.

It worked for a while. But gold prices themselves became too volatile as industial uses for this excellent conductor were found and applied and the US had more silver than gold anyway....
So in 1963, we went to the silver standard. In 1965, the mint stopped making dimes and quarters from silver and half dollas were now only silver coated copper. You see why, right?
Finally seing the pattern for what it is, the silver standard was abandoned in 1969-not soon enough to forestall the "stagflation" of the '70s.

In 1981, Reagan is inaugurated, defict spending takes off, inflation comes under control, and the advent of cheap plentiful computers is upon us (rembember the 8080?) The combination of a large debt (credit rating) to base the economy on and a massive increase in productivity of the computer age bootstrapped us into this new economic OS.

And this will work. Until, that is, the debt becomes large enough that we can't make the payments. That A+ credit rating is the basis of the money. Allowing that to fall will debase the currency just as theft of the gold in Fort Knox would have in 1911.

Over at Chaotic Synaptic Activity "I've lived all over the world, beginning my travels with my father's work in 1962 to Okinawa. For the rest of my life, I have grown roots an inch deep all over the world. I am retired career Navy and now work in the recycling world."

A Message from the Ghost of Patton

 

This is a flash presentation worth seeing...

General George S. Patton updated for the new millenium, complete with recent pictures and salty languages to get his point across...

 

eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeha!
Next up, we can't forget those fabulous babes that keep those soldiers juiced! An Army Wife Life, describes her life this way: "This is my life....married to an active duty soldier. We are stationed in Germany but he is currently fighting the Global War on Terrorism in Operation Iraqi Freedom. "
She is hysterical when she writes the following

I am soooo a real woman!!!

Ladies- If you accidentally over-salt a dish while it's still cooking, drop in a peeled potato and it will absorb the excess salt for an instant fix-me up.

Real Women- If you over salt a dish while you are cooking, that's too damn bad.
Please recite the Real Women's motto:
"I made it and you will eat it and I don't care how bad it tastes."

Ladies- Cure for headaches: Take a lime, cut it in half and rub it on your forehead. The throbbing will go away.

Real Women- Take a lime, mix it with tequila, chill and drink. You might still have the headache, but who cares!

Ladies- Stuff a miniature marshmallow in the bottom of a sugar cone to prevent ice cream drips.

Real Women- Just suck the ice cream out of the bottom of the cone, for Pete's sake, you are probably lying down on the couch, with your feet up anyway!

Ladies- To keep potatoes from budding, place an apple in the bag with the potatoes.

Real Women- Buy boxed mashed potato mix and you don't have to worry about the potatoes growing arms and legs.

Ladies- When a cake recipe call for flouring the baking pan, use a bit of the dry cake mix instead and there won't be any white mess on the outside of the cake.

Real Women- Go to the bakery- they'll even decorate it for you!

Ladies- Brush some egg white over pie crust before baking to yield a beautiful glossy finish.

Real Women- Sara Lee frozen freaking pie directions do not include brushing egg white over anything, so don't do it!

Ladies- If you have a problem opening jars, try using latex
dishwashing gloves. They give a non-slip grip that makes opening jars easy.

Real Women- Go ask the very HOT neighbor guy to do it!

Ladies- Don't throw out all the leftover wine, Freeze into ice cubes for future use in casseroles and sauces.

Real Women- What leftover wine???

*Finally the most important*

Ladies- A good friend will come and bail you out of jail.

Real Women- A true friend will be sitting next to you saying,
"Damn.....that was fun!"

You go grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrl!

Over at Arklahoma Boy, A Confederate Okie in Connecticut's Court..........you'll find a soldier's take on that Supreme Court Abomination:

Thanks, guys.

"A divided Supreme Court ruled Thursday that local governments may seize people's homes and businesses against their will for private development in a decision anxiously awaited in communities where economic growth often is at war with individual property rights."

I guess the Supreme Court has more faith in the Good 'ol Boy system of gummit than it does in the Constitution. Now anyone you picked on in high school can run for city council and ruin your life.

"At issue was the scope of the Fifth Amendment, which allows governments to take private property through eminent domain if the land is for 'public use.'

Susette Kelo and several other homeowners in a working-class neighborhood in New London, Conn., filed suit after city officials announced plans to raze their homes for a riverfront hotel, health club and offices.

New London officials countered that the private development plans served a public purpose of boosting economic growth that outweighed the homeowners' property rights, even if the area wasn't blighted."

My apartment isn't too far away from the area in question...take it from me - a hotel, health club, and office complex aint gonna do a damned thing to improve that dump.

The way I see it, the residents only have two options left on the table: stick it to THE MAN© a la Muley, or accept this opportunity as a gift from God Himself. Cause -- as bad as it sounds -- they're guaranteed compensation from this. And when the base shuts down in a few years, New London/Groton will be a ghost town. This could be a good chance to get out while the getting is good.

You tell'um cowboy!

And last but nevuh least Argh! The Home Of Two Of Jonah's Military Guys,
they are very  funny

and they are very serious,  commenting on the flag burning legislation before congress

 

The Armorer is *not* for the Flag Burning Amendment. The flag, like it or not, *is* a symbol of the American polity. That shoves it over into the 'speech' arena for me.

The best counter for flag-burners is quiet contempt, or amused, raucous laughter. I prefer the second. Counter speech with speech. Criminalizing the act only enhances the burner's street cred with his or her peers. They'll wear it like a badge of honor. How many Civil Rights protestors, Anti-Globalization protestors etc, *don't* wear their arrests and subsequent convictions as proof of their commitment to the cause? Why give these bozo's a badge of honor to wear? Just exercise your speech right back at them. A little trick I've used before in a dissolute youth was small, magnetic American flags attached to the offender's vehicles in not-likely-to-be-noticed locations. Besides, I just don't like incremental erosion of the Bill of Rights for emotional reasons. Bad enough we keep doing it to the Second Amendment, let's not turn our attention to the First.

As long as they are burning flags they bought or made, I don't care. Burn mine, well, that's a property crime. Trespassing, theft, destruction of private property. Sic the Police on them then. Burning their own, at best it's 'burning without a permit' or 'creating a public nuisance'. At least if ya slap 'em with property crimes, they'll have to do some 'splainin' when those job interviews come around. "Flag Burner" isn't likely to cause those people problems in the places those kinds of people like to find jobs. Just sayin'

Since veterans seem to be accorded a 'more special' voice on this issue, I'll lend mine. I've worn the flag as an aiming reference point for people who hate what it stands for, like this young soldier of Raven 42 did (and does). I've marched behind it. If I'm out and about on post at 5PM, I stand and salute as it's lowered for the day. I've draped it over the caskets of family, friends, and comrades-in-arms. I'll drape it over my father's casket when the time comes, and someone will drape it over mine. In a shadow box rests the flag I was presented the day I retired, that had flown over 5th Army Headquarters at the Quadrangle the day before. I know about the symbol and what it means. My family has shed blood (mine only in training) and caused blood to be shed while serving under that flag.

And if we are going to go after the Burners - can we also go after the people who use the flag as clothing? Even for 'patriotic' reasons? That bugs me as much as burning it does. And don't get me started on car dealers.

So, I say no. No Amendment. And have sent the same sentiment to my Senators, Roberts and Brownback.

Because nothing the burners can do:

will undo what people like this have done, and continue to do

Read it all, it's that great

So please let me thank you for your service, devotion, clarity, honor, unambiguity and loyalty.
I thnak you, my kids thank you, the nation thanks you
Pamela aka Atlas Boogieing for the boys..................hoooha!

This ones for you THANK YOU , YOU FINE DELCIOUS EXAMPLES OF THE BEST AMERICA IS AND CAN BE, Wish I had married one............................