Bangkok, Thailand (CNN) -- Thailand's army chief said the military -- one of Thailand's most powerful institutions -- would not step into the current political crisis, saying that the country's laws were enough to confront deadly protests that have punctuated a three-month power struggle. In a televised address, Gen. Prayuth Chanocha said the military did not want to exacerbate an already volatile situation. "If we use full military force, there is no guarantee that the situation would return to normalcy," he said, in an address widely seen as a signal to the Thai public. "The current conflict has spread wider than in 2010," he said, adding that the political impasse had more complicated conditions and involved more disparate groups. "The military does not want to use weapons and forces against our own Thai (people)," he added. "Under the current situation, constitution laws are perfectly effective. If there is a continuation of a loss of life, the country will fall." War of words Meanwhile, Thailand's rival factions continued their war of words. Camera catches attack on Bangkok cops Thai tensions erupt into gunfire, 4 dead Life in Bangkok amidst political chaos Protest leader and former deputy prime minister, Suthep Thaugsuban, warned that his rivals in the red-shirted United Front (UDD) were planning a coup. "At the UDD rally they also discussed the possibility of a separatist movement, dividing Thailand into two," Suthep said. "But we have never entertained this notion. We are fighting to keep Thailand united as one. They can rally around the 'red flag' but we will continue to salute our tricolor flag." At the "war drum" rally on Sunday, Jarupong Ruengsuwan, the Pue Thai Party Leader, said that violence threatened to escalate. "Let me leave a warning to all people and to those who want to harm the country and the People of Thailand that Thais own 10 million guns in this country," he said. "Whoever wants to insult the power of people, they will see." On Tuesday, violence simmered in the capital Bangkok where police said a series of blasts and gunfire took place in the early hours of the morning near Lumpini Park. Two people received minor injuries in the incident, police said. Attacks condemned Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra on Sunday condemned weekend attacks that killed four people -- three of them children -- and pledged to bring the perpetrators to justice. A six-year-old-girl, a four-year-old boy and a woman of about 40 died when a bomb exploded at an anti-government rally outside a shopping mall in the Ratchaprasong area of Bangkok, the Erawan Emergency Center reported. The children were siblings. The 22 wounded included a pre-teen boy who was in critical condition, said Lt. Gen. Paradon Patthanathabut, Thailand's national security chief. On Saturday night, a 5-year-old girl was killed by a stray bullet when attackers opened fire on an anti-government demonstration in eastern Trat province, police Col. Jirawut Tantasri said. Another 34 were wounded, he said. Patthanathabut said police think the two incidents are connected. "We believed that there is an element which is armed and prone to use violence mean to achieve their goal." What's behind the Thai unrest? The deaths were the latest to punctuate three months of protests against the Shinawatra government. In a statement issued Sunday night, Yingluck said her government "will not tolerate terrorism" and would prosecute the killers "without exception." "I would like to ask all sides of the political divide that we may see things differently and there are many ways to express those differences," Yingluck said. "But the use of violence that lead to deaths are not the civilized way of the living." Protests to continue Both the Ratchaprasong and Trat demonstrations were organized by the opposition People's Democratic Reform Committee, which vowed to continue protests despite the attacks. On its Facebook page, the movement called for supporters to donate blood at hospitals that were treating the wounded from the Ratchaprasong bombing. "Although we have lost several friends in these attacks, I would like to insist that we follow our course of peaceful, unarmed, and nonviolent demonstrations," party leader Suthep said in a statement on the Facebook page. "We are on the right course. We are fighting the good fight. Please carry on as we have." In Trat, about 300 kilometers (186 miles) east of Bangkok, Jirawut said the girl who died was eating noodles with her grandmother when two cars passed the demonstration of about 1,000 people. The attackers threw grenades from the first car while the occupants of the second began shooting into the crowd, he said. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon issued a statement Sunday condemning the violence and calling for it to end. He "urges the parties to respect human rights and the rule of law, prevent any new attacks and engage in meaningful dialogue toward ending the crisis and advancing reform," the statement read. He added that he is ready to "assist in any way possible." Calls for change The People's Democratic Reform Committee has called for the democratically elected Yingluck to be replaced with an unelected "people council," which would see through electoral and political changes. Yingluck is the brother of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a military coup in 2006 and now lives in exile. Yingluck's critics accuse her of being a proxy for her brother, who was convicted of corruption charges in 2008 and sentenced to prison in absentia. Yingluck's government was largely stable until her party attempted to pass a controversial amnesty bill in November, sparking the current wave of protests. The bill would have nullified Thaksin's corruption conviction and allowed him to return to the country. Also Sunday, a group of protesters called the Red Shirts joined in the protesting. Between March and May 2010, thousands of opposition protesters known for the color of their shirts occupied parts of the shopping district in central Bangkok. For the most part, the Red Shirts were supporters of Thaksin. They wanted the resignation of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and a new general election. In 2011, up to 30,000 Red Shirts descended on the same area , this time demanding a thorough investigation of a deadly government crackdown that May, along with the release of protest leaders, some of whom had been held in jail on terrorism charges for months. On Sunday, the Red Shirts gathered in Nakhonratchasrima, about 100 miles from Bangkok. There were about 3,000 protesters in the mostly peaceful protest, according to Paradon. The Red Shirts encouraged the government to prepare in case it needed to set up an exile office in the northern or northeastern parts of Thailand. The leaders of the protest asked members in each province to set up and train their own people in security techniques and be prepared for prolonged protests
Look at what's been uncovered lately : Morally and financially bankrupt western governments have resorted to direct confiscation of people's bank accounts. They have used their tax services to bully political opposition groups. They have used their intelligence services to surveil their own citizens and press. They have completely destroyed any vestiges of the free market. They have insidiously pillaged people's savings through inflation. They have indebted future generations who will not be born for decades. They have manipulated the price of money, thus creating massive distortions and bubbles across ALL financial markets. The list of egregious offenses by these governments reads like a modern day version of the Declaration of Independence, in which Thomas Jefferson so eloquently lists the British King's "long train of abuses", including: He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance. He has obstructed the Administration of Justice He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments Sound familiar? We've been talking about solutions in our daily letters and premium publications for several years. And it makes a LOT of sense to consider holding precious metals overseas, establishing a bank account in a stable foreign country, shipping your retirement account abroad, etc. But if you really want to declare your own independence and take back your personal sovereignty, sometimes this means getting out of dodge. Because if history is any indicator, it's only going to get worse. This is just the beginning. History shows that desperate, insolvent nations almost INVARIABLY resort to vain attempts at despotic control-- capital controls, wage and price controls, border controls, people controls. And the worse things get, the more destructive the tactics become. It really makes a lot of sense to have a place to go. Or at least, to KNOW where you and your family would go if you ever felt urgency need to leave town. Candidly, this is much better approach than waiting around for Revolution 2.0 to begin. If you really want to help, you're going to be in a much better position to do so from overseas, with your family and savings in tact. The world is a big place, and there are a lot of great options, including Chile. It would be prudent to start thinking about these options now... because the time to start researching isn't while you're packing your suitcase. Average: 3.285715 Your rating: None Average: 3.3 ( 14 votes) Tweet - advertisements - Login or register to post comments 5176 reads Printer-friendly version Send to friend Similar Articles You Might Enjoy: Ron Paul: "It's Going to Get Much, Much Worse" The Only 2011 Forecast With A Bizarro Chance Of Getting It All Correct Plaza Accord 2.0: Is It Coming? Is It Here? Guest Post: If The US Goes, Won't The Rest Of The World Be Even Worse? Guest Post: Are There Any Currencies Backed By Gold?
Visualizing The Dead-Weight On The Global Economic Recovery Submitted by Tyler Durden on 04/25/2013 18:48 -0400 Credit Suisse recovery Unemployment Youth unemployment has become a worrying phenomenon with 74.6 million young people unemployed globally in 2012. Rising youth unemployment has a detrimental effect on economic growth, political and social stability as well as on the ability to exploit the potential demographic dividend. Young people who are neither in employment nor in education or training (NEET) are a particular social concern. The economic and social impact of a growing number of NEET young people aged 15 - 24 has raised concerns as they represent a dead weight burden . 15% of US youth population is 'dead-weight' Source: Credit Suisse
Forget Class-Warfare; It's Age-Warfare We Should Worry About Submitted by Tyler Durden on 10/10/2012 13:52 -0400 Demographics Savings Rate As class-warfare implicitly breaks out - trumpeted by our political leaders - it seems that there is another, much more relevant, trend that is occurring that strikes at the heart of our nation. With Friday's jobs number still fresh in our minds, Citi's Steve Englander takes a look at one small slice of the demographics subject and found a rather concerning and little discussed fact. Employment-to-population ratios among older individuals have gone up in recent years, in contrast to the so-called prime-aged 25-54 cohort, where employment-to-population is much lower than earlier . It seems the real divide in this nation is not between rich and poor but old and young - as the 55-plus (and even more 65-plus) are forced to stay in the workplace as retirement remains a dream (thanks to ZIRP and Keynesianism's excess crises from boom-to-bust leave median wealth well down - even if the rich are 'ok'). Via Steve Englander of CitiFX, Figure 1 shows the percentage point change in the employment to population for the three age groups since 2007. One characteristic which is striking is that the employment-to-population ratios for older people based very quickly after the financial crisis hit . In fact, it barely moved in 2007-09 among the 55+ age group. The trend in the 25-54 age group is more sideways than up so far. (As a side comment, it suggests that the drop in the overall employment-to-population probably has a modest demographic component since the lower participation rate of the elderly is being offset by the additional jobs they are finding.) It is hard to tell what is driving this upturn in older worker participation. We suspect it is a combination of: pure demographics – older people are healthier than in the past; structural retirement issues – it is hard to retire at 65 (or younger) and beyond 80 when the gross national savings rate averages around 15% and the net national savings rate around 3% (and negative since Q4 2008!); the wealth effect – even if QE3 has propped up asset prices, personal wealth is still far off where it was at the beginning of 2008. For the USD the increase in older people’s employment is probably a modest positive rather than a negative. Compare two situations: a) early retirement and consumption out of wealth and; b) later retirement and consumption out of production rather than wealth. The imbalance between national consumption and production (often called absorption) is lower in the second case than the first. If the trend to spend out of income rather than wealth continues, the US current account balance would tend to fall. That said, the actual USD impact thus far is probably modest since the actual shifts are small. A sharper increase in participation rates among the elderly could contribute a stronger USD effect . The second conclusion is that this may be another avenue by which QE weakens the USD . A big positive impact of QE is via the wealth affect because QE forces lower the discount factor that is applied to any stream of returns. If this pure wealth effect supports consumption because individuals who feel richer consume a portion of their wealth, we have exactly the opposite effect – more consumption but no additional production. This would increase external funding needs . Once could also argue that the lowering interest rates also discourages the inflow of capital, so successful QE will very likely be a USD negative, even if the weaker USD is not the explicit intention of the Fed. (As a last concern, there is the dependence of this wealth on a low discount factor rather than faster topline growth, but we will leave this aside for now.) Average: 3.666665 Your rating: None Average: 3.7 ( 3 votes) Tweet Login or register to post comments 10410 reads Printer-friendly version Send to friend Similar Articles You Might Enjoy: America's Demographic Cliff: The Real Issue In The Coming, And All Future Presidential Elections Two Reasons Why the Global Economy Will Slow and Government Promises to Retirees Will be Broken Guest Post: The Chart Of The Decade The twin lost decades in housing and stocks The US Labor Market Is In A Full-Blown Depression
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-reich/the-selling-of-american-d_b_1671479.html Who's buying our democracy? Wall Street financiers, the Koch brothers, and casino magnates Sheldon Adelson and Steve Wynn. And they're doing much of it in secret. It's a perfect storm: The greatest concentration of wealth in more than a century -- courtesy "trickle-down" economics, Reagan and Bush tax cuts, and the demise of organized labor. Combined with... Unlimited political contributions -- courtesy of Republican-appointed Justices Roberts, Scalia, Alito, Thomas, and Kennedy, in one of the dumbest decisions in Supreme Court history, Citizens United vs. Federal Election Commission , along with lower-court rulings that have expanded it. Combined with... Complete secrecy about who's contributing how much to whom -- courtesy of a loophole in the tax laws that allows so-called non-profit "social welfare" organizations to accept the unlimited contributions for hard-hitting political ads. Put them all together and our democracy is being sold down the drain. With a more equitable and traditional distribution of wealth, far more Americans would have a fair chance of influencing politics. As the great jurist Louis Brandeis once said, "we can have a democracy or we can have great wealth in the hands of a comparative few, but we cannot have both." Alternatively, inequality wouldn't be as much of a problem if we had strict laws limiting political spending or, at the very least, disclosing who was contributing what. But we have an almost unprecedented concentration of wealth and unlimited political spending and secrecy. I'm not letting Democrats off the hook. Democratic candidates are still too dependent on Wall Street casino moguls and real casino magnates (Steve Wynn has been a major contributor to Harry Reid, for example). George Soros and a few others have poured big bucks into Democratic coffers. So have a handful of trade unions. But don't be fooled. Compared to what the GOP is doing this year Democrats are conducting high-school bake sales. The mega-selling of American democracy is a Republican invention, and Romney and the GOP are its major beneficiaries. And the losers aren't just Democrats. They're the American people. You need to make a ruckus. Don't fall into the seductive trap of cynicism. That's what the sellers of American democracy are counting on. If you give up on our system of government, they win everything. This coming Monday, for example, the Senate has scheduled a cloture vote on the DISCLOSE ACT, which would at least require that outfits like the Chamber of Commerce and Karl Rove's "Crossroads GPS" disclose who's contributing what. Contact your senators, and have your friends and relatives in other states -- especially those with Republican senators (who have been united in their opposition to disclosure) -- to contact theirs. If the DISCLOSE ACT is voted down, hold accountable those senators (and, when and if it gets to the House, those House members) who are selling out our democracy for the sake of their own personal ambitions.
The Asian-American Arms Race In Charts Submitted by Tyler Durden on 07/18/2012 18:43 -0400 China "Asia is a study in contrasts. It is home to economic freedom and political liberty; it is also home to political instability and tyranny. Some of Asia’s borders are unsettled and volatile. And military budgets and capabilities are expanding, sometimes faster than economic growth. The rise of China as a great power presents both sides of this equation. It is being watched carefully by all the countries of the region. It is the U.S. that is recognized as the catalyst in ensuring a prosperous peace over conflict. America is a Pacific power. That much is a matter of geography and history. But the facts – and America’s principles and interests – demand more than resignation to geography. They call for continued American leadership, commitment, and the predominant comprehensive power that has enabled Asia’s very welcomed, opportunity-laden rise." Thus prefaces the Heritage Foundation its Asian 'Book of Charts', which summarizes most of the key economic, financial, trade, geopolitical, most importantly militaristic tensions both in Asia and, by dint of being the global marginal economic force, the world itself. And while we will present the complete deck shortly, of particular interest we find the summary in 7 easy charts how Asia is slowly but surely catching up on that accepted by conventional wisdom GloboCop - the United States. We present it in its entirety below. Average: 3.7 Your rating: None Average: 3.7 ( 10 votes) Tweet Login or register to post comments 5400 reads Printer-friendly version Send to friend Similar Articles You Might Enjoy: Third US Aircraft Carrier Returning Unexpectedly To Mideast Ahead Of Schedule Introduction To The Road Through 2012: Revolution or World War III Iran Outlines Key Steps And Actors In A Potential Straits Of Hormuz Closure Guest Post: Pakistan And India To Go To War Over Water? Complete Chinese War Preparedness And Military Update
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