NC Renegades | State collapse is inevitable when a society’s leaders are insulated from the negative consequences of their bad decisions. Mike Shelby | Page 1727

What’s Next for World Oil as Lower Prices Extend Into ‘15

Posted on December 31, 2014 by DRenegade

The oil price decline of 2014 upended the geopolitical chessboard. Worth watching in 2015 will be who can recover and dominate play — OPEC, Vladimir Putin or U.S. shale drillers.

Oil’s international benchmark price dropped as much as 49 percent in 2014. Those looking for a quick rebound may be disappointed, as world consumption growth slowed to the least since 2009, U.S. companies pumped more than they have since the 1980s and a price war broke out among members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries.

“It’s a turning point in the way people perceive OPEC, that this so-called cartel is not really driving prices,” said Jeff Colgan, a professor at Brown University’s Watson Institute for International Studies who researches the geopolitics of energy. “The real story is going to be about the fracking industry. How much pain can North American producers take?”

Posted in Editorial, Energy | Comments Off

Obama releases five more Gitmo prisoners overnight

Posted on December 31, 2014 by DRenegade

U.S. military guards walk within Camp Delta military-run prison, at the Guantanamo Bay U.S. Naval Base, Cuba, June 27, 2006. (Associated Press) ** FILE **

President Obama released five more prisoners from Guantanamo Bay Naval Base overnight, Fox News reported. They were held for more than a decade and were sent to resettle in Kazakhstan.

…

Fox News also reported an expensive school will be built at Guantanamo Bay costing $65 million dollars.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

$65 million fore 130 prisoners is $500,000 per “student”. I suspect that if we gave them each the money with the stipulation that they never attack the US, it would be better spent. But then we would not need the guards for the hen house.

David DeGerolamo

Posted in Editorial | 1 Comment

More non-Mexicans were apprehended by the Border Patrol in 2014 than Mexicans

Posted on December 31, 2014 by DRenegade

Image source: Pew Research Center

More non-Mexicans were apprehended by the Border Patrol in 2014 than Mexicans, according to a new analysis of data by Pew Research Center.

Drawing on more than 60 years of Border Patrol data, Pew concluded that apprehensions of Mexicans had fallen to historic lows.

According to Pew, about 229,000 Mexicans were detained in 2014 compared to 257,000 non-Mexicans.

Posted in Editorial, Immigration | Comments Off

Possum Drop Will Go On, Without a Live Animal

Posted on December 30, 2014 by DRenegade

An opossum in a box last year.

There will be no live opossum at an Appalachian community’s Possum Drop this New Year’s Eve, after concerns by animal-rights groups spurred an agreement between the festival organizer and a state administrative law judge.

The community of Brasstown, population 240, has been lowering a plexiglass box containing a live opossum from a pole at Clay’s Corner Convenience Store at midnight on Dec. 31 for the better part of 20 years. Organizers call the Brasstown Possum Drop a hillbilly homage to the ball drop in Times Square. Animal-rights advocates say it is a cruel act to a shy creature that not only must be left out in the cold mountain air but also can be easily startled by the festival’s fireworks and brass band.

Festival organizer Clay Logan said Monday that the show will go on, even with no live animal at the party in mountainous Clay County, about 100 miles southwest of Asheville. “We’ll probably just lower some other form of possum, a dead possum, road kill maybe, or possum stew,” Mr. Logan said. “It is the Possum Drop after all.”

Posted in Editorial | 3 Comments

The American People Are Utterly Clueless About What Is Going To Happen As We Enter 2015

Posted on December 30, 2014 by DRenegade

Wrong Way - Public Domain

The American people are feeling really good right about now. For example, Gallup’s economic confidence index has hit the highest level that we have seen since the last recession. In addition, nearly half of all Americans believe that 2015 will be a better year than 2014 was, and only about 10 percent believe that it will be a worse year. And a lot of people are generally feeling quite good about the people that have been leading our nation. Accordingto Gallup, once again this year Hillary Clinton is the most admired woman in America and Barack Obama is the most admired man in America. I don’t know what that says about our nation, but it can’t be good. Unfortunately, when things seem to be going well common sense tends to go out the window. A couple days ago, the Guardian ran an article entitled “Goodbye to one of the best years in history“, and a whole lot of people out there are feeling really optimistic these days. But should they be?

Sadly, what we are experiencing right now is so similar to what we witnessed in 2007 and early 2008. The stock market had been on a great run, people were flipping houses like crazy and most people were convinced that the party would never end.

But then it did end – very painfully.

The signs of trouble were there, but most people chose to ignore them.

Sadly, the exact same thing is happening again.

Posted in Editorial | Comments Off

Bail-Ins Appear to Be Beginning

Posted on December 30, 2014 by DRenegade

On Monday, one man that I personally know recently attempted to transfer a sizable sum of money (i.e. $110,000) from savings to checking to cover a check he had written for a large purchase. He attempted to move the money through online banking, which nobody should ever engage in, and was unsuccessful. He went to the bank and was subsequently told that there was a problem with his account and he could only transfer about 10% of what he intended to transfer from savings to checking. He inquired as to what the problem was and he was told that the branch did not have access to that information, only that he would not be permitted to make this transfer of funds “at this time”. Today, the charge will hit the bank and the check that he wrote is likely to bounce and will have serious ramifications to his credit. He told me that he is returning to his bank, Chase, with his attorney.

In a more serious situation, a man who has direct deposit from his employer to his bank account, has failed to receive his latest check. The money was due to be paid into his account on December 20, 2014. He called his employer’s accounts payable and was told that the credit had posted on the evening of December 19. Yet, the bank has told this desperate man that they have not received his check. The check also included an end of year bonus and as such is sizable (e.g. in excess of $60,000). This means that the bank has had his money for nine days and cannot account for the money. I have advised this Bank of America account holder to contact the FBI and report this as a crime.

h/t Kathy P

Posted in Editorial, Financial | 2 Comments

The Revolutionary Communist Party, USA

Posted on December 30, 2014 by DRenegade

So who is revcom.us that is printing the signs in the above picture promoting the cessation of police violence?

Without a revolutionary party, you can’t have a revolution

Making revolution against a powerful and vicious enemy—and going on from there to bring into being a whole new world, without exploitation and oppression—is an incredibly challenging and complex process. Such a revolution requires leadership; it requires an organization with a sweeping vision, a scientific method to analyze reality and how to go about changing it, and serious discipline. An organization that can awaken and unleash the revolutionary potential of the masses of people, direct their outrage against the real enemy, and loft their sights to the emancipation of all humanity. An organization that can chart the path through the difficult twists and turns of the revolutionary process. That organization is the revolutionary vanguard party.Only with an organization such as this can the masses rise to the historic challenges, and win their emancipation.

Do you believe that the communist party has a sweeping vision? Do you believe our government has a sweeping vision to bring about fundamental change? Do you believe these two entities are mutually exclusive?

David DeGerolamo

h/t Carolyn and Ed U

Posted in Civil Unrest, Domestic Enemies, Editorial | 1 Comment

Unconventional Warfare Strategies – Negotiation Skills 101

Posted on December 30, 2014 by DRenegade

Here is another gem, in my opinion the best, from AnalyticalSurvival’s YouTube site.

It is very easy for a member of the prepper/patriot community, especially us fellows, to get caught up in the “Go to guns first” mentality. You got to admit, there’s nothing sexier than that new DS Arms FAL SA58 mini OSW. Talk about a “woodie”!

That being said, UW is a thinking mans war and very often what you say, or don’t, and how you say it, or don’t, can impact the long-term outcome of a situation, to your groups benefit, far more effectively than what kind of long gun your carrying and how fast you can do a mag change.

Posted in Editorial | Tagged DanMorgan76 | 2 Comments

California Mosque Christmas Day Attack Turns Out Not as Police Expect: It Was a Muslim

Posted on December 30, 2014 by DRenegade

Screen Shot 2014-12-30 at 12.43.55 AM

he myth of islamophobia is an industry, the big lie, to silence critics of jihad and Islam. And every time another mosque is “attacked,” media heads explode with cries of racism (Islam is not a race) and hate. They never report the follow-up story — the kicker — that the perp is Muslim. More often than not, the attacker is Muslim — so as to give proof to the lie of islamofauxbia.

The mosque attack in California this week is not any different from what we have come to expect. It was done by a Muslim. And this is the second time this week that an attack on a mosque was discovered to be committed by a Muslim or Muslims.

Posted in Editorial, Radical Islam, Religion | 1 Comment

Indonesia: Bodies found near site where AirAsia plane disappeared

Posted on December 30, 2014 by DRenegade

Update:

While the plane has yet to be found, and the possibility of finding survivors is slim, the Indonesian navy said some 40 bodies had been recovered as dusk fell.

Six bloated bodies and debris seen floating in Indonesian waters Tuesday painfully ended the mystery of AirAsia Flight 8501, which crashed into the Java Sea with 162 people aboard and was lost to searchers for more than two days.

The bodies were found about 160 kilometers (100 miles) from land and 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the plane’s last known coordinates. The plane vanished Sunday on its way from Surabaya, Indonesia to Singapore after encountering storm clouds.

The six bodies were recovered, swollen but intact, and taken to an Indonesian navy ship, First Adm. Sigit Setiayanta, the Naval Aviation Center commander at the Surabaya air force base, told reporters. The corpses did not have life jackets on.

Posted in Editorial | Comments Off

Next year, what’s at the top of your agenda?

Posted on December 29, 2014 by DRenegade

Friend —

In a few days, the final Congress of my presidency will take their oaths of office.

I’m committed to working with anyone from either party to put the American people first. Still, I know there will be plenty of obstacles in our way.

We’ve never let it stop us before — on so many of the big issues we’ve taken on, from health care to immigration to climate change, we’ve made real, undeniable progress.

And we’re not done, as long as we keep fighting together.

We all have a motivation that drives us to fight for change. That’s not something anyone else can decide for you — tell OFA what’s at the top of your agenda for the months ahead:

http://my.barackobama.com/Take-the-OFA-2015-Survey

Thank you,

Barack Obama

Posted in Editorial | 3 Comments

What is Order of Battle?

Posted on December 29, 2014 by DRenegade

Guerrillamerica

A very traditional task of the Intelligence Analyst is building and maintaining the Order of Battle (OB) for adversary, neutral, and friendly forces in the given Area of Responsibility. The Order of Battle, sometimes referred to as OrBat/ORBAT, is an intelligence product detailing the command, strength, disposition, and equipment of military units. There’s a likely an OB product for every military in the world sitting at the Pentagon right now. Order of Battle products are updated periodically to reflect the most current design and health of the adversary or potentially adversarial military. The OB is one of the most important of all intelligence products when facing a known adversary, and it costs nothing but time to produce.

Typically, Military Intelligence Analysts are assigned to a particular country or region. If I was in a unit at Southern Command (SOUTCHOM), maybe I’d be looking at a nation’s military, or maybe I’d be focusing on terrorist groups or drug cartels. Either way, one of my first tasks would be to become intimately familiar with those forces. I would become the subject matter expert, and when there was a flashpoint or an event that required expertise, I would be called on to answer the questions of senior-level military or political leaders.

Posted in Editorial | Comments Off

Scottish Government Confirms Ebola Diagnosed In Glasgow Patient

Posted on December 29, 2014 by DRenegade

We wonder if England will be reconsidering the secession vote?

*SCOTTISH GOVT: CONFIRMED EBOLA CASE DIAGNOSED IN GLASGOW
*SCOTLAND: PATIENT IS A HEALTH CARE WORKER, RETURNED FROM SIERRA LEONE DEC. 28

After Japan’s stock market slid overnight following reports of Ebola in Tokyo, one wonders what a recurrence of Ebola headlines will do to risk complacency this time?

Posted in Editorial, Health Care | Comments Off

Mr. Obama

Posted on December 29, 2014 by DRenegade

h/t Wes R

Posted in Domestic Enemies, Editorial | Comments Off

The War in Afghanistan Is Over

Posted on December 29, 2014 by DRenegade

War in Afghanistan officially over after 13 years

U.S. General John Campbell (right) and ISAF General Hans-Lothar Domroese salute during the small ceremony that officially ended the American-led war in Afghanistan.

The war in Afghanistan is over for US and NATO troops. So why is the end of a war not at the top of the news cycle? Your pResident has declared that al Qaeda’s core leadership has been devastated. I would suggest that it has just relocated to Iraq and Syria but then I do not receive the intelligence briefings that he has access to. If he cared to attend them.

What do the Taliban say about the end of the war?

The Taliban responded scornfully Monday to the formal end of NATO’s war in Afghanistan, describing the U.S.-led mission as a “fire of barbarism and cruelty” that had drowned the country “in a pool of blood”.

The insurgent group issued the statement in English a day after NATO marked the closure of its combat mission with a low-key ceremony in Kabul, arranged in secret due to the threat of Taliban attack.

“We consider this step a clear indication of their defeat and disappointment,” the Taliban said.

“America, its invading allies… along with all international arrogant organizations have been handed a clear-cut defeat in this lopsided war.”

As we saw in Iraq, American blood and treasure will not secure the future of Afghanistan. The consequences of a weak pResident with no foreign policy are self-evident.

David DeGerolamo

Obama: US ‘safer, more secure’ because of Afghanistan War

President Obama is marking the end of the U.S. combat mission in Afghanistan with a statement that says he is bringing the conflict to a “responsible conclusion.”

In his statement, Obama argues that the United States is safer and more secure because of the 13-year conflict, the longest war in U.S. history.

He argues that troops and intelligence personnel have devastated al Qaeda’s core leadership, delivered “justice” to Osama bin Laden, disrupted terrorist plots and saved U.S. lives.

Posted in Editorial | Comments Off