Jackson Jambalaya

Question it. Rock on, Naomi!

Wolf has been a few cards short for a while now, unfortunately. She was never as sharp as, say, Susan Faludi - The Beauty Myth was lightweight & the books didn't get better from there.

Didn't read all of it. But Naomi Wolf is dead right about one thing. Those " beheading" videos are laughably fake.

1:49 - not for the person who's head was lopped off, nor their families.

I'm not a fan of a lot of her work, but she IS plugged into how the Military Industrial Complex uses propaganda to promote its own interests and those of the rich & powerful plutocrats who "own" the Congress through AIPAC and other well-funded politically powerful PACs.

The American people gave fallen for these types of propaganda campaigns so many times because of the "Generals" that line up for the lucrative jobs as "Senior Military Strategists/Consultants" whenever it is time to bang the drums of war.

Anyone remember CNN's propaganda machine during Desert Storm with the "chemical weapons" masks props, etc done from sound stages? It was a joke, and their own on-air personnel were filmed joking off-air about their production of slick, scary propaganda to promote immediate fear and a sense of chaos, entropy and desperation.

Also, remember the "nurse" Nayirah al-abba who testified before Congress that Saddam Hussein's troops were stabbing babies in the hospital with bayonets? She was not even a nurse but instead, she was the daughter of the Kuwaiti Ambassador enlisted to help "sell" the war. The testimony was then further leaked purposefully to the media.

Just two examples of many. If there is big money involved, and the war biz is huge, then the media is a tool and a willing participant. Nothing new at all. Those who are against the effort are pushed into the background or are discredited by having falsehoods leaked to them which reduce their public trust.

Whether Naomi is right on these particular instances or not, this is business as usual, regardless of political party. It's bigger than one political party or one president anyway. Eisenhower tried to warn the American people. He was right and the results have been predictable. I can't see anything on the horizon that will change the MIC influence on our lives within my lifetime. If one is to live and thrive in our society,there's no point in denying reality as it exists.

No heads were " lopped off". The videos are childishly fake and a wealth of intelligence, investigative and medical data from many sources back that up. "Top British forensic experts concluded that the video was likely staged using “camera trickery and slick post-production techniques.”

“After enhancements, the knife can be seen to be drawn across the upper neck at least six times, with no blood evidence to the point the picture fades to black,” an analyst said.”I think it has been staged." Also, not one bit of jerk, flinch,muscle tightening etc from the "victim". Hell, I jump more ( and bleed more) from a shaving cut!

War is an extension of politics, yes. The President is trying to get his approval ratings up before November. War is also an extension of weapons development. The military gets to test out the F-22, and likely the latest updates to the Apache helicopter, with a low probability of losing any aircraft to an ill-equipped enemy. ISIS is like the Comanches; they are mobile and crafty and committed. For now. But history is not on their side. Beware manufactured crises.

3:59 -- Do you also invest yourself in other "conspiracy theories"???? Maybe 9/11 was coordinated by the US Military, or George Bush ........ hmmmmm.

6:53 pm

3:59 here. Perhaps you inferred something from my comment based on your own experience, but I don't "invest" my time pondering conspiracy theories. But I do include defense sector stocks in my investment portfolio. Those companies---which have guaranteed high-margin contracts with the biggest customer in the world and also have their payments guaranteed by the full faith and credit of the wealthiest nation in the world--- are much better hedges against inflation than most other growth companies which are overpriced relative to historical P/E ratios. Also, since the "defense" and "security" industries have a constant demand provided by contiguous and overlapping world conflicts involving the US military since WWII, their business is less cyclical than other corporate behemoths which depend on a healthy economy to meet its growth demanded by the markets. Even when their end product is a dud or obsolete by the time it starts full production, the product is purchased and stockpiled whether it is actually needed at that point or anytime in the future.

This isn't a conspiracy theory. This is just big business in the MIC. Conflicts around the world are funded by our government and our military, and sold through the mass media using similar marketing techniques ever since large newspapers were the major source of news for the public. I could suggest some reading on Hearst Corp, News Corp, GE, et al. to see how they have been used as vehicles for the messages to spread the propaganda to boost their ratings. Whether it is sensationalism created by the medium or real dead bodies and an "evil" adversary "if it bleeds, it leads".

BTW, I didn't mention George Bush, but I did mention that the MIC is bigger than any individual or political party. But if you think Dwight D. Eisenhower was completely full of shit on the subject, I can't see investing any more time pointing something out that has proven to be true over the past 50 years of my lifetime. But you are free to continue denying reality and keep that chip on your shoulder at all costs.

Seriously though, you might consider expanding your own sources of current information these days in addition to a study of US History from the beginning of the 20th Century to the present.

I wonder if Ms. Wolf is also a Holocaust Denier...?

9:36 -- I am assuming you are a supporter then, of the military industrial complex, since your "portfolio" includes defense sector stocks. Either that, or a person with no moral compass, who believes in the might of the dollar, over his personal crusades against how he makes it. Also -- you have no clue who I am, what my background is, nor what I invest in or support. You might be surprised. We of course, have been enlightened by your in-depth overview of who you are, how well read you are, and how well invested you are. In closing -- you sir, seem to have the chip on your shoulder, since no one can deign to oppose your opinions without receiving a lecture. When opposed, you become oppositional. Divest yourself of those stocks, or keep them and choose to come to grips with the fact that you are making money off what you deign to abhor.

10:43

You're merely a troll and I took your bait, unfortunately. But I'm calling you out on your bullshit that you continue tossing in defense of your ignorant suppositions.

I'm not on a pretend internet mission to eliminate the MIC. You seem to want to deny its existence, but can't bring yourself to say the words. That's fine if you "believe" it's all a "conspiracy theory". State your opinion if you want to. If you honestly believe Eisenhower was just a paranoid "conspiracy theorist", just say it. He seemed fairly qualified at the time he made his address to the American people, given that he was serving a second term as POTUS following a successful career in the military. Accordingly, we might need to better screen our leaders better so paranoid whack jobs are neither promoted to a 5-star general nor elected to a position whose duties include serving as CIC of the armed forces of the strongest military on Earth. Real men like Ike take care of real things so experts like you can just throw rocks at those like myself who aren't afraid to discuss something that affects all of us, whether we deny its existence or not. FYI, I (and most others) live in the real world where people invest their money to maximize their financial return over the long term, not to seek some warm & fuzzy feeling of self-importance, enabling them to be able to act self-righteous at a Code Pink protest or whatever your own personal pretend social/financial strategy might be.

I simply made a comment on KF's blog regarding Naomi Wolf's commentary. You connected it to conspiracy theories and George Bush. You are correct that I do not know anything about you other than the comments you've made here. Based on those comments, with consideration to the statements that prompted your replies, it appears you have difficulty with either discussing this particular subject matter or at least staying on topic, so you instead flame and try to find a way to criticize others.

Have fun coaching others on how to invest for their social concerns rather than their financial future. However, Rule #1 in providing advice is to consider that person's goals before you begin your tutorial. There are dozens of other considerations, including educating yourself regarding the tools of the trade and the appropriate risk profile of your "pretend" clients. In conclusion, you've punked yourself here, whether you realize that you have or understand why. Enjoy the anonymity KF allows you and save yourself the personal embarrassment by not offering your platitudes and unqualified advice in person to anyone who can easily discern from your own words that you are totally full of shit. And boring. Good night.

1:27 -- Armchair investor and defender of ROI --- other than reading a lot, and educating yourself on "Finance 101" have you ever put ONE boot on the ground and worked in any 3rd world country, in a combat or PKO environment, beside those MIC companies you so easily attack? Educate yourself on BRAC, RIF, and the effects of stretching a military across the world, in an attempt to support missions that require a robust military we no longer have. Safety? Terrorism? Have you researched what those MIC companies supply in support of those missions either through research, intel support, or contractors in support of a mission.....my guess is no. You're a great investor obviously, because you face the danger daily of should I hit ENTER or not. YOU might want to read a bit more, or more importantly educate YOURSELF on facts, beyond theoretical intellectual discussions of the MIC, while sitting on your couch reaping the rewards of that you obviously disdain. No Troll -- I seldom respond on this blog, but when pomposity is obvious, and you feel you need to educate all of us - I feel the need to step in. Someone overindulged you a long time ago -- you appear to be educated beyond your intelligence. Good day!

Interesting to see two intelligent people who apparently aren't intelligent enough to realize that BOTH can be right. Likewise there are occasions that two intelligent folks can both be wrong.