Globalization in Pictures: Courtesy AT & T

By InsightAnalytical-GRL

Since I seem to be always thinking about the demise of the dollar and the march of power and wealth to the East (China, in particular, with India and other S. E. Asian countries joining in the fun), this flyer really reminded me of what’s going on a lot closer to home.

We’ve discussed in the past the “North American Union” scenario and things like that “super highway” plan and the new Mexican seaport which will probably hurt West Coast ports.  Drug cartels are now talked about all the time.

But the ad I received yesterday really was so “in your face” that I couldn’t resist sharing it with you.

AT & T is one of those companies that is billed as a safe-haven investment during this rough economic time, offering some growth and dividends to help increase a retiree’s income.  It’s American as apple pie…but, like most multinational corporations, it’s “reaching out to touch someone” somewhere else bigtime.

Living about 50 miles from the Mexican border, I have to say that I enjoy the food (eat salsa every day, tortillas constantly, and do green chile) and the many lovely Mexican immigrants and long-time citizens  that I’ve met over the last decade. We’ve got about 5 Spanish television stations and the radio is full of Mexican music from here and directly from Mexico, which is really fun to listen to (sort of like polkas in Spanish!). I know lot of folks who cross the ordeer for affordable dental care and I’ve visited a Mexican pharmacy myself. The culture is wonderful and the people are warm and friendly, but, of course, the poor from the other side of the border want to come here.  I’ve met women who’ve left their families to come here in the hopes of being able to send money home and also to escape extreme poverty and danger.

Even the local Walmart features  several services to send money to Mexico.

This is the way it is, a fact of life in these parts. There’s nothing inherently wrong with having lots of cross-border activity…heck, if we were in Europe it would be exactly the same thing.  I recall visiting the Gallup Organization in London when I was working for the parent company in Princeton, N.J. years ago (before it was sold to a big outfit) and how fascinated I was that one of the women in the same job there that I had in the U.S. was prepping for a trip to about 5 countries as if it were nothing out of the ordinary…sort of like the way I prepped to do a big job out in California, I guess.

It’s just that normal back and forth has been supplanted by something a lot more complicated than families visiting relatives. We’re now in globalization mode and it’s on steroids.

And here’s what AT & T is marketing to exploit the situation…

Outside of the AT & T advertising...

And, when you open it up, there’s a pop-up, just like one of those children’s picture books with pop-up pages:

A pop-up ruin...

I don’t have relatives in Mexico but I know people who do. I hope it helps them to stay close to them via phone and enables them to save money.

But, still…it does show how the globalization train is pretty far down the tracks, at least in these parts…

***

Related Posts

El Paso Media Conference Pushes “Newspapers as Change Agents”; Interesting Background of Organizer (February 20, 2009)

Secy. of Defense Robert Gates Downplays Possible U.S. Role as Fears of Mexico Collapse Mount; Don’t Be Fooled, There’s A Bush-Era Agenda Still Going On Here… (March 6, 2009)

THE PROPOSED NORTH AMERICAN COMMUNITY/NORTH AMERICAN UNION: 2010 Is Just Around the Corner (March 9, 2009)

What’s Going On North of the Border: The Canadian Economy and Stimulus Plan (March 11,2009)

Mexico Plans World’s Third Largest Seaport, Will Impact U.S. Ports on West Coast; Citigroup to Help Finance? (Updated 1X More on TARP $$ Going Overseas) (March 12, 2009)

Obama on the Border: The Language Shift & Plan to Use Executive Orders–Tying It All Together (Security, Trade, Immigration ) (March 13, 2009)

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the North American Union: A Layman’s Overview of the Coming New World Order (March 17, 2009–by Grail Guardian)

Canada Follows the U.S. Terms for GM/Chrysler; Harper Still Worrying About the “Eased” ‘Buy-American’ Clause in Stimulus Package

~~By InsightAnalytical-GRL

About a month ago we posted on the subject of how GM and Chrysler were begging from bailout money from the Canadian government. (See: The SCANNER–International/Political Edition, 2/24/09 (Which Deficit is Obama “Halving”?; Canada Rubs U.S. Nose into Its Stable Banking System; GM/Chrysler Beg for Bailout Help in Canada, Too; Half of Foreign Criminals in Canada Are Fleeing to the U.S. [???]).

Here’s the relevant excerpt:

GM, Chrysler ask for billions in Canadian aid

General Motors has outlined a restructuring plan that would cut its Canadian workforce to 7,000 and seek as much as $7 billion from the federal and Ontario governments, while Chrysler is requesting around $2.8 billion in aid.

GM didn’t specify how much it will ask for, but Reuters quoted federal Industry Minister Tony Clement as saying the company is asking for between $6 and $7 billion.

The Canadian government doesn’t seem to want to bailout CAW pensions…time will tell.

MORE

Here’s an update on what’s going on now…right in tandem with what the Obama Administration is doing:

GM, Chrysler scolded but given more time to restructure

Canada, Ontario provide $4 billion in loans to troubled manufacturers

Political leaders on both sides of the Canada-U.S. border are giving General Motors and Chrysler extensions on deadlines to come up with viable restructuring plans, saying the auto manufacturers fell short in their first attempts.

(SNIP)

Disappointment in Canada

Canadian politicians also expressed regret that GM and Chrysler could not come up with viable plans.

Federal Industry Minister Tony Clement, along with Finance Minister Jim Flaherty and Ontario Economic Development Minister Michael Bryant, said GM has 60 days to come up with a plan for its Canadian division, while Chrysler has 30 days to reach a deal with the Canadian Auto Workers union and with Fiat.

At the same time, Clement said the first of the $4 billion in interim loans to the two companies is going out. Chrysler will get $250 million on Monday of the $1 billion allocated, while the first of $3 billion in funds for GM will begin to flow in early April.

“We are making this strategic investment to support an orderly restructuring of a critical industry with [the] goal of ensuring that Canada maintains its 20 per cent production share in the future,” Clement said.

(SNIP)

Canadian Auto Workers president Ken Lewenza said the union won’t reopen its collective agreement with GM Canada despite pressure from politicians that more cost restructuring is needed.

“We did it once 10 months ago and we did it again less than a month ago,” he said. “Opening up bargaining won’t resolve this problem.”

Lewenza said the union is still trying to work out a new collective agreement with Chrysler in advance of a March 31 deadline.

The email newsletter I receive from Radio Canada International sums it all up this way:

OTTAWA: GOVERNMENT OFFERS INTERIM HELP TO AUTOMAKERS

Two struggling Canadian automakers, Chrysler and General Motors, were offered help on Monday by the federal government and the government of Ontario. The two companies will receive bridge loans totalling CDN$4 billion to help them to survive. Chrysler would receive CDN$1 billion and General Motors would get $CDN$3 billion. Further government loans will depend on whether the two companies can present acceptable restructuring plans. Tony Clement, Canada’s industry minister, has rejected plans that were submitted earlier, saying that they fail to ensure the companies’ long-term survival. General Motors has until the end of May to present its new plan. Chrysler has until the end of April. Chrysler’s plan must include the company’s merger with the Italian carmaker, Fiat, that was announced on Monday. The plans will depend in large measure on negotiations with the company’s unionized workers. The Canadian Autoworkers Union welcomed the Chrysler/Fiat merger as long as it preserves the Canadian auto industry. CAW’s negotiations with Chrysler will continue, but the CAW refused to renegotiate a deal with General Motors that was arranged within the past month. The CAW also welcomed the government’s insistence that the two American-based companies commit to maintaining 20 per cent of their North American production in Canada. The government offer also requires that company executives agree to limits on their compensation.

Now, here’s another rather ironic bit from the same newsletter, considering how tightly bound together Canada and U.S. are.  (See: What’s Going On North of the Border: The Canadian Economy and Stimulus Plan & THE PROPOSED NORTH AMERICAN COMMUNITY/NORTH AMERICAN UNION: 2010 Is Just Around the Corner)

WASHINGTON: PRIME MINISTER EXPRESSES CONCERN OVER GLOBAL PROTECTIONISM

Prime Minister Stephen Harper says the danger of protectionism is one of his major concerns in the global economic crisis. He’s worried that if protectionism becomes a global option, the world could face a depression similar to the one in the 1930s when countries introduced trade barriers to save homegrown industries. The measures only accelerated and deepened the global economic downturn. Mr. Harper is concerned that the United States stimulus plan includes Buy-American clauses for recipients of government bailout money. Such a plan could hurt Canadian exports to the United States. Mr. Harper made his comments as he prepares to attend a Group of 20 summit in London this week.

In early February, the Senate “eased” the Buy-American” clause as Obama proclaimed he didn’t want a “trade war”…The EU, Canada, and Japan had protested; only the UK hadn’t complained at that point.

US Senate eases “Buy-American Provision in Stimulus Package”

(SNIP)

The measure had sparked fears of retaliatory measures by US trading partners and a possible spiral of protectionism in an already reeling global economy.

The requirement to favour US-made supplies to be used in infrastructure projects, included in a nearly 900-billion-dollar package being considered by the Senate, was softened to allow for exceptions as required by US trade agreements, broadcaster MSNBC reported.

Apparently, Harper isn’t completely satisfied with the changes to the clause. Maybe he doesn’t trust Obama or the U.S. Senate…probably a wise stance to take.

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the North American Union: A Layman’s Overview of the Coming New World Order

~~By Grail Guardian

As a follow-up to American Lassie’s excellent article last week I have expanded on a comment I made. As I stated then, I had just listened to a Blog Talk Radio show that had our good friend Diamond Tiger (from Logistics Monster) as the featured guest; use the link to the archive in the post. It’s well worth the listen! I also strongly recommend you check out this piece linking to clips from the movie Zeitgeist for an overview of the ties between today’s political climate and the events of the past. (Wikipedia notes that the term “Zeitgeist” refers to the ethos of an identified group of people that expresses a prevalent world view at a particular period of socio-cultural progression.) But one of the most important points Diamond brought out in the interview is that Barack Obama was chosen (and one could even argue created) by TPTB (The Powers That Be) as a distraction. We spend so much time focusing on his being a usurper and his buffoonery that we don’t watch what’s happening “over here”. She is 100% right, and I applaud her along with everyone at InsightAnalytical for not falling for the distraction. This excellent research is exactly what TPTB are hoping no one does.

I am convinced that Citibank is a huge player in this, and I was struck by their volte face last week (going from being nationalized to turning a profit in just about 2 weeks). Following the money will show just how much fiat currency is mixing and mingling between the 3 members of the proposed North American Union, and I predict that you will continue to see Citi mentioned in small bits buried in obscure places. Of course, Citibank (aka Citigroup, or just plain Citi) is the current rendition of National City Bank of New York (one of the early players in the Federal Reserve System originally run by protégés of John Jacob Astor), so we’re back to the same group of bankers doing the same thing they always do: pushing for global domination in an indirect way.

The plan is to take everything over quietly while they distract us with the Obama show, and by the time we realize what’s happened,  it will be too late. Our banks will be owned by Canada; our real estate will be owned by China; our jobs will be owned by Mexico, India, and Indonesia; and our souls will be owned by the central banks. We will have glass tracking chips implanted under our skin in the name of “National Security”; we will have video cameras recording every moment of every day in public and in private (think about the more than 10,000 public cameras located throughout London;  not to mention the way that webcams are now being built into every new laptop PC and will soon be standard equipment);  each mouse click or keystroke on our computers will be tracked by software that’s been perfected over the past few years disguised as viruses and spyware,;  our mileage will be monitored and regulated electronically via GPS systems built into our vehicles (why else would the government buy the automakers?);  our guns and ammunition will be monitored and eventually the attempt will be made to take them away (although I am convinced that this will fail and likely be their downfall–America will not give up her firearms or Second Amendment rights); and how many Americans will be caught playing with their Obama “Yes, we can” messages on cell phones and Ipods when the civilian police force comes knocking at our doors?

The real message to remember here is one I must again attribute to Diamond Tiger (and of course the late, great Douglas Adams):

Don’t Panic.

[For those of you unfamiliar with this classic, I highly recommend listening to the original BBC radio version in a darkened room with surround sound!] at:

http://www.sadena.com/BBC-Radio/H2G2/

That’s what will set us apart from the masses, and if we spread the word far and well enough, it might be what averts the pending disaster TPTB have planned for us. So in the style of H2H2, just remember a few basic points:

1. Nothing is what it appears to be. If something draws your attention left, look to the right for the real story.

2. “Zaphod Beeblebrox” Obama is just the dancing hot dog that’s there to entertain and divert you until the real show starts.

3. Don’t believe the media about how bad things are. They’ve been lying to us for years; why would they stop now?

4. Hope for the best, but plan for the worst. Be sure you and your family are prepared for whatever might happen. And don’t forget to bring a towel.*

5. You are not alone. No matter how much the Oborg tries to convince us otherwise, there are way more than a dozen PUMAs that are worried about America’s future. Hell, there are way more than a dozen countries that are worried about America’s future!

6. We are Americans. We will come through this, one way or another. That’s what we do.

***

*From The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy: “A towel is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have”

Obama on the Border: The Language Shift & Plan to Use Executive Orders–Tying It All Together (Security, Trade, Immigration )

~~By InsightAnalytical-GRL

I had to laugh when I went to the Albuquerque Journal‘s website yesterday and saw story about how the story I looking for had been linked to Drudge, complete with screen capture from the Drudge Report site!

Journal Query Sparks Screaming Drudge Headline – 9:05am MDT

Journal Washington Bureau reporter Michael Coleman asked President Obama a question.   (Albuquerque Journal staff report)

This story links to all the fanfare in the various papers in the Southwest were invited to hear The One speak on border issues.

But it’s the print version of the story that I was interested in…Here’s the headline from the ABQ Journal:

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Border Violence Concerns Obama

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama vowed Wednesday to help prevent Mexican drug violence from spilling over the U.S. border and said he would consider using National Guard troops to protect Americans.

SNIP

“I am interested in creating the kind of partnership with the Mexican government that ensures the safety of U.S. citizens, ensures the safety of Mexican citizens and allows for the kind of trade that is so critical to the region,” the president said.

SNIP

The president said that although reviving the U.S. economy is his top priority, border and immigration issues also are on his radar screen.

He noted that Calderón was the first foreign head of state he met with after being elected. And last week, Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, met with Mexican officials to offer U.S. intelligence and training.

Obama said that the collapse of U.S. housing construction industry “has slowed the flow of illegal immigrants coming into the country” but that it “remains a serious concern.”

The president said he hopes to make changes in U.S. immigration laws through executive actions first, then look for a new legislative path on Capitol Hill.

“We’ve started to talk to … both parties involved here in Washington about prospects of taking legislative steps, but obviously we’ve got a lot on our plate right now,” Obama said. “So, what we can do administratively, that’s where we’re going to start.”

MORE

Ah, there  are  the real money quotes in bold!!  It’s that “executive order” business that raised my antennae.  And the comment on trade. And the one on immigration…

Let’s look back at some of the research we’ve posted here over the past week and how it ties in to Obama’s interview.

Start with Secretary of Defense Robert Gates declaring that we’d just be “cooperating” with Mexico on intelligence, but offering some vagueness on the troops on Meet the Press a couple of  weeks ago (a point repeated by Adm. Mike Mullen head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff).  Here’s the quote from the transcript:

MR. GREGORY:  You mean providing military supporting?

SEC’Y GATES:  Providing them with, with training, with, with resources, with reconnaissance and surveillance kinds of capabilities; but just cooperation, including in intelligence. But it clearly is a serious problem, and, and–but what I think people need to point out is the courage that Calderon has shown in taking this on, because one of the reasons it’s gotten as bad as it has is because his predecessors basically refused to do that.

Full discussion here:

Secy. of Defense Robert Gates Downplays Possible U.S. Role as Fears of Mexico Collapse Mount; Don’t Be Fooled, There’s A Bush-Era Agenda Still Going On Here…

Now, we’ve got Obama opening the door a bit wider in his interview, employing the “protect Americans” angle and mentioning the National Guard…It’s the subtle fear card again, that nice touch of Bush that Obama uses so well.

Then let’s consider the business about trade:  On the horizon, the Punta Colonet seaport which we discussed just yesterday. Here’s a review of the key issues: Citicorp bailout/our money and American jobs as the economies meld:

Citicorp has been meeting with high-level Mexican officials to discuss participating in the financing of this project.

SNIP

In the current world economic recession, many people question the timing for Punta Colonet. Previously, the capacity and the ability of the mature U.S. West Coast ports to handle increasing ocean cargo was a major concern, but the volume at the Los Angeles and Long Beach Ports has recently decreased by up to 30 percent because of the economic crisis, and the capacity issue has become less important. Many people, particularly players in the U.S. and California, are worried that bringing such a large port on line would further depress and dilute the ocean cargo business.

Full discussion here:

Mexico Plans World’s Third Largest Seaport, Will Impact U.S. Ports on West Coast; Citigroup to Help Finance?

And now for the wrap-up: the plans for a North American Community and the various goals that were in the original plan, with the target date of 2010 for putting them into place.  There is so much in THAT story, but let’s mention immigration, since Obama seems to be planning to use executive orders before getting around to “legislative steps” that are apparently being crafted , with “BOTH parties involved,” right now. Here are just a few of the points in the piece we posted a couple of days ago which are of special interest. First, quotes on military cooperation and easing trade, then a bit on immigration and the borders.  Quotes from the Council of Foreign Relations report:

LAW ENFORCEMENT and MILITARY COOPERATION (Pages 10-12)

The Task Force proposes an expansion of NORAD and “information and intelligence-sharing at the local and national levels in both law enforcement and military organizations.”

OPEN SKIES AND OPEN ROADS (Page 25):

“Governments should consider the benefits of allowing North American transportation firms unlimited access to each other’s territory, including full cabotage (trade between two points within a country; for example, a Canadian trucker hauling freight from Chicago to Los Angeles, or an American Airline carrying passengers between Mexico City and Monterrey) for airlines and surface carriers.” This would mean Mexican trucking companies could contract for hauling business in the United States or Canada totally inside what we now call U.S. and Canadian borders.

“TESTED ONCE” FOR BIOTECHNOLOGY AND PHARMACEUTICALS (Page 25):

A product tested in one country would meet the standards set by another, or to establish a North American testing center with personnel from each country, integrating protection of food, health and the environment.

Also included: the development of  a unified North American Border Plan with “a North American Border Pass with biometric identifier to allow its bearer expedited passage through customs, immigration, and airport security throughout the region.”

Full discussion here:

THE PROPOSED NORTH AMERICAN COMMUNITY/NORTH AMERICAN UNION: 2010 Is Just Around the Corner

Don’t those references to  “biometric identifier” and “expedited passage through… immigration” grab you? How about “unlimited access to each other’s territory“? I’m not sure if Obama will bring up the trucking issue again; the “Bush administration initiative to allow Mexican-licensed trucks to operate outside of commercial border zones” was cut from the omnibus spending bill that was passed on Tuesday (3/10) and signed by Obama.

But who knows?  Trade, immigration, the U.S. military waiting in the wings…and that executive order power in the hands of Obama.

And those Mexican trucks may just start rolling again if the “open roads” REALLY open up…and would you be surprised? I wouldn’t be…

The Past Week: March 1-7, 2009 (More on Sinclair Lewis; Canada-EU Free Trade?; China Eyeing the Big Three Automakers’ “Juicy Bits”?; Palin’s “Troopergate” Foe Winds Up In Obama Administration)

~~By InsightAnalytical-GRL

This week’s post on Sinclair Lewis (see below) drew a lot of attention, so I thought I’d point readers in the direction of a site devoted to Lewis that is really a great place to start if you want to find out more about “It Can’t Happen Here” and all of Lewis’ work.  Here’s the link:

http://www.squidoo.com/it-cant-happen-here-sinclair-lewis

***

Friday I received the daily newsletter from Radio Canada International and once again there were squibs included that I couldn’t find at either the RCI site or when I searched around the CBC’s news area.

Read these with an eye to several posts that will be starting tomorrow, with American Lassies’s post entitled “THE PROPOSED NORTH AMERICAN COMMUNITY/NORTH AMERICAN UNION: 2010 Is Just Around the Corner.”

OTTAWA: CANADA, EU AGREE ON FREE-TRADE AGENDA

Canada and the European Union have agreed on a framework for negotiation of a free-trade accord after six months of discussions. Canadian Trade Minister Stockwell Day says the two parties will discuss goods and services, investment rules, intellectual property and free circulation of workers. The minister says Canada’s provinces will take part in the negotiations. Bilateral trade last year was worth $90 billion, an increase of seven per cent over 2007.

***

Chicago Correspondent Leslie emailed me during the week about a report she heard on the local Chicago PBS station:

Late last night (3/4)I was watching “France 24 News” (http://www.france24.com/en/) on one of the public teevee stations here. They were covering the auto show in France and interviewed a spokesperson for the Chinese car line called “Brilliance” . This company is partners with BMW. The reporter inquired about the possibility this auto would enter the US market in the near future. The answer was: this auto line doesn’t meet the emission standards of the US. It is a big polluter. BUT,

They are looking at the auto industry in the US, and are realizing the financial distress of the auto manufacturers may make them – particularly GM – interested in having this Chinese company buy them out.

Of course, I wanted to jump up and email you all right away, but I’ve been having some sleep problems and decided to try to stay in bed.  Glad I did. Because This Morning I heard:

GM is now talking about filing for Chapter 11.

(Maybe you all have heard all this before, but I had not and wanted to just tell you before I start ruminating.)

I did a bit of poking around and it was easy to find articles from November-December 2008 on the subject. And, apparently, it’s not just GM that’s involved in buyout speculation.  The following post that I found at The Truth About Cars blog seemed to sum it up nicely:

China Buyout Watch: SAIC Sets Sights On Saturn

By Bertel Schmitt
December 12, 2008

After last night’s Congress cruelty, there might be government help after all. From the Chinese government.  In China, the interest of Chinese automakers has grown far beyond the rumor stage. Today, government-controlled China Daily (THE English speaking news outlet for the official party-line) runs a long article on the Chinese aspirations to snap up juicy bits of Detroit. Actually, as China Daily sees it, it’s Detroit that’s making the advances to China. The headline says it all: “Big 3 look for Chinese medicine.”

SNIP

Folks, take my word for it: If China Daily writes something like this, then the matter is way beyond the idle chatter stage. There will be denials, or milquetoast “no comments,” but if it’s in China Daily, something is definitely in the bush.

***

Remember “Troopergate” that marred Sarah Palin’s reputation during the Presidential campaign? Well, guess what? From the Anchorage Daily News:

Legislator takes job with Obama administration

Longtime Juneau Democrat Kim Elton resigned from the state Senate on Monday to take a job as director of Alaska affairs for the U.S. Department of the Interior.

“This job is the funnel through which the Alaska issues are going to be addressed,” Elton said in an interview after an emotional farewell speech in the Senate.

SNIP

Elton was chairman of the Legislative Council, a bipartisan panel that voted unanimously last summer to investigate Palin’s removal of Walt Monegan as public safety commissioner, as well as the allegations she pressured public safety officials to fire a trooper who was her ex-brother-in law.

SNIP

Palin and Elton have also been at odds, and Palin greeted the announcement of Elton’s new job with the terse declaration that “Senator Elton pledged his allegiance to President Obama last summer.” Palin also said in her written statement that she hopes Elton will use the job to Alaska’s benefit.

An earlier story in the Juneau Empire offers more details:

Elton was head of the Obama campaign in Juneau, but has one other attribute which may help him get the Interior position. He’s a close friend of Pete Rouse, a former Alaskan who served as chief of staff for Obama’s Illinois Senate office. Rouse also serves as chief of staff for Obama’s transition team. “Every time we go back to D.C., we stay with Pete,” Elton said. The most recent visit was three weeks ago, to attend the inauguration of President Obama.

How about them apples?  Now, where did those 30 or so Obama lawyers go who were reported to have  turned over every part of Alaska to find dirt on Palin?

THE PAST WEEK

*By Kenosha Marge

Saturday Sanity: The Antidote to the Madness (March 7, 2009) (The Many Faces of Pansies and Other Garden Delights; Tico Goes Belly Up!) Pics!

Secy. of Defense Robert Gates Downplays Possible U.S. Role as Fears of Mexico Collapse Mount; Don’t Be Fooled, There’s A Bush-Era Agenda Still Going On Here…

*STANDING TALL: DECLARATION OF AN INDEPENDENT

URGENT PRESS RELEASE March 4, 2009 from W.A.M. RE: Expiration of the “E-Verify Program” Which Screens Employment of Illegal Aliens

“It Can’t Happen Here” by Sinclair Lewis: Well, It Sure Seems Like It IS Happening Here…

IL State Treasurer/Obama Ally Giannoulias Planning to Challenge Roland Burris–Report from Our Chicago Correspondent; Medicare Musings

An Interesting Theory on Superpower Collapse: U.S. Going the Way of the Soviet Union?

The Past Week: February 22-28, 2009 (Laura Bush Lives On; Budget Director Peter Orszag/Robert E. Rubin, Iceland Bankrupters; China Taking Advantage of U.S. Weakness As It Looks to Buy Foreign Oil Companies?; U.S. Deaths Spike in Afghanistan; Baracus Caesar Obamacus Meets Barackistanis)