I like it!

Mr. Tsipras says that, if push comes to shove, Greece can manage on its own. By not paying its debts, the country will have enough cash to pay its workers and retirees, he says. He also proposes cuts in defense spending, cracking down on waste and corruption, and tackling widespread tax evasion by the rich.

"Whatever we do, things will be difficult. But it will also be difficult at the same time for all of Europe because the euro will collapse" if Greece's funding is cut off, says Mr. Tsipras. He adds that both sides should step back "before we reach that point" and find a "European solution."

Now you're screwed Christine Lagarde, Merkel and the various ECB wonks.  They figured it out over in Greece.

You have crap cards and Tsipras has a Royal Straight Flush. 

Now he may be lying, but if he's not he knows that he can pay the workers and retirees -- if he walks on the debt payments.

This means he holds the trump hand.  He can operate internally and tell you all to stuff it.  And assuming he's telling the truth and really has run the numbers, the ECB, Merkel and the rest of the Eurozone is stuffed on trying to force anything down Greece's throat.

He also wants to nationalize the banking system.  Now, if he goes further and forces a "One Dollar of Capital" standard for all banks inside Greece, then the game-playing stops but so does the systemic risk -- inside Greece.

Now what's left for the rest of Europe?  They've got a problem -- a big problem.  By nationalizing the banking system he flushes the private parties that would otherwise play "hand grenade" with the economy and government.

This doesn't mean that Syriza won't screw it up, of course.  He might. 

But it leaves the door open to solve the problem and stabilize the banking and monetary system in Greece going forward.

It's about damn time.

Another awesome episode!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z29rE2J01DI

Oh, sweet Trayvon was -- possibly -- high the night he died?

Trayvon Martin, the 17-year-old who was shot and killed by a neighborhood watch volunteer, had the drug THC in his system the night of this death, according to new information obtained by ABC News.

....

The autopsy report shows traces of the drug THC, which is found in marijuana, in Martin's blood and urine.

Not metabolites, but THC itself?

The distinction is important.  THC itself is metabolized within a few hours by the body; you cease being "high" when the THC has been processed.  What remains, and is typically detected by cheap drug tests, are the metabolites of THC -- that is, the chemical byproducts that your body winds up with when it breaks down THC.

Those byproducts can stay in your system for a month or more, which is why you can get "busted" for smoking a joint two weeks ago on a drug screen.

But assuming the actual substance THC was found in the tox screen then we have a different situation -- Trayvon was probably actively high at the time he got into the altercation.

Why is this important?  It's critically important!  If you're drug-addled then you are not in your right mind -- by definition.  And that, in turn, means your judgment is impaired.  And one of the more-common side effects of marijuana use is paranoia.  Maybe enough paranoia to lead you to attack someone who you think -- without any reasonable belief -- is "out to get you"?

Oh, and as for the witness statement who actually saw the assault?

One resident told the investigator that he heard a commotion and when he investigated, "he witnessed a black male, wearing a dark colored "hoodie" on top of a white or Hispanic male who was yelling for help. He elaborated by stating that black male was mounted on the white or Hispanic male and throwing punches "MMA (mixed martial arts) style." He stated he yelled out to the two individuals that he was going to call the police. He then heard a "pop." He stated that after hearing the "pop," he observed the person he had previously observed on top of the other person (the black male wearing the hoodie) laid out on the grass.

Gee, Trayvon was mounted on Zimmerman and punching him "Mixed Martial Arts" style?  But but but..... he was shot in cold blood according to the media.

Hmmmm... and again, Martin had THC in his system. 

So when Zimmerman told the dispatcher on the 911 call that he thought Trayvon "looked high", he was factually correct eh?

More when I can get to the (swamped and inaccessible) web site and get the document trove for myself.

Good luck explaining this one....

This is the problem with all the frauds we've suffered as a nation over the last two decades.  The really big ones don't seem to matter any more.  And isn't this a really big one, one way or the other?  Whether Obama was born in the US or not?  Is not claiming you weren't (for special privilege and recognition) fraudulent exactly as is representing you were when you were not?

Isn't the question here much more than simple eligibility?   Where are Obama's student records, to ask just one of many questions?  Did he receive foreign student aid, for example?

The authenticity of the booklet appears to have been established.

Now try to explain this one away folks, even though Breitbart is playing "hands off" on the legitimacy of the claim of birth.... in Kenya.

Whether Obama was born in Hawaii or not, this booklet establishes that Obama's key attribute is that he likes to spin "Tall Tales" about rather important things -- like where he was born -- whenever and wherever it will suit his particular purpose of the day.

And that, my friends, is a problem.

There's dumb and then there's real dumb.  This is in the latter category:

During the 2012 election cycle Democrats are positioning themselves as the “defenders of the middle class,” and Sen. Bob Casey Jr. is honing that message by attacking the top .001 percent of income earners, including Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin.

Along with NY Sen. Chuck Schumer, Casey is introducing a bill that would prevent U.S. citizens from renouncing their citizenship in order to avoid taxes.

Good luck Senators.

People with enough money to care about this also won't care about your bill.  They'll leave, take their money with them, and never come back.  You can chuckle about how "you got them" but the truth is that they got you, and all of America.

There's a point where people get what is commonly called "fuck you" money.  As the name implies it enables them to say exactly that to anyone they disagree with and who pisses them off -- including petulent little Senators and their petty games.  Facebook's co-founder has no reason to come back into the United States, and you can't reach him beyond our borders, so what I expect you'll see is a giant middle finger erected in your direction -- from Singapore.

There is no material revenue impact from this bill that will be forthcoming.  There will, however, be a capital drain that will accelerate and harm America.

And when it does, it will be your fault.