Presentation Handout Current Events
All support documents in Adobe PDFHeader

Third Saturday Seminar 2011-2012
Return of the Elders, Unleash your Wisdom

Session 04

21 January, 2012
9:30AM til 11:00 a.m.

Room B-102, Lone Star College – Montgomery
3200 College Park Drive – Conroe, TX – 77384 – 936.273.7000
(Note we are back is our regular venue – B-102)

DON’T (be) PANIC(ked)

Curt Gibby
There will be a special (abbreviated) session of the Third Saturday Seminar this coming Saturday before the

MCALL Spring Open House

which starts at 11):00 am. We will be meeting in B-102 (A Short walk from the Open House)
My apologies for the short notice.

Some of you may have noticed that for the last year or so I have closed these meeting notices with “DON’T(be) PANIC(ked)”, and some of you likely recognized that I had shamlessely plagerized the “DON”T PANIC” from the work of Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

I has the temerity to modify what was Douglas Adams’ very satisfactory and useful phrase, by adding the (be) and the (ked), simply because it came to me that in this digital and media driven world, you would not be as likely to panic on your own as you would be induced to panic because to quote from the catalog course description , “our world is in interesting times and individual citizens are assaulted with a blinding array of propaganda from every conceivable source. The Third Saturday Seminar is about demystification of what is going on around us.

For your edification and for those who have read “Hitchhiker,”I have excerpted a couple explanitory paragraphs from here

“Don’t Panic”

In the series, DON‘T PANIC (always uppercase) is a phrase written on the cover of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.^[31] The novel explains that this was partly because the device “looked insanely complicated” to operate, and partly to keep intergalactic travelers from panicking.^[32] It is said that despite its many glaring (and occasionally fatal) inaccuracies, the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy itself has outsold the Encyclopedia Galactica because it is slightly cheaper, and because it has the words “DON’T PANIC” in large, friendly letters on the cover.^[31]

Arthur C. Clarke said Douglas Adams’ use of “Don’t panic” was perhaps the best advice that could be given to ^[33]

Knowing where one’s towel is

To see a Towel with the words “Don’t Panic”, click here

Somebody who can stay in control of virtually any situation is somebody who is said to know where his or her towel is. The logic behind this statement is presented in Chapter 3 of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy thus:

So, fellow Seminarian grab your towel join us Saturday Morning and I will attempt to share some reassuring thoughts about what’s going on in our galaxy.

For those that like to “read ahead:”

Keep in mind:

“We the people of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.” The preamble to our Constitution.

Also keep in mind that with the following links I am only giving excerpts from the articles, for context please check out the links

The Coming Accidental War with Iran, Lyric Hughes Hale

Now that America’s withdrawal from Iraq has been formalized, and Osama bin Laden, Hosni Mubarak, Muammar Gaddafi, Ali Abdullah Saleh, and Zine el Abidine Ben Ali have all been vanquished, after a year of unbelievable changes throughout the Middle East, my prediction is that Iran is about to regain center stage in the region. As a result of the US withdrawal, Iraq could be prone to more violence, and the Iranian leadership must certainly have taken note that none of the toppled leaders, including Sadam Hussein, possessed formal nuclear capabilities.

The first act is already being played out in Syria, the only Arab state to align itself with Iran, and in the streets of Bahrain, its neighbor under Saudi control. The Saudis and the Israelis are mulling diplomatic as well as military options to stop Iran from developing a nuclear weapons capability in a revolutionary neighborhood. How successful have their covert operations been in 2011.

Timeline: The Major Events Of The Arab Spring

The Arab world has undergone more upheaval in the past year than in the past several decades. Here is a look at the most important events in the region, which remains in a state of transition.

Superfail: Why D.C.’s Fiscal Clown Show May Still Yield Results, Daniel Gross

If Congress and the White House simply argue, grandstand, and refuse to come to an agreement over the coming year, some $7.1 trillion in deficit reduction could be on the way. This is what Washington Post columnist E.J. Dionne dubbed the do-nothing option. The full details are here. There’s $3.3 trillion from letting the Bush-era tax cuts on income, capital gains, and dividends expire at the end of 2012. The alternative minimum tax isn’t indexed for inflation. And so each year, it catches more people up in its maw, unless Congress enacts a temporary patch. Simply doing nothing on the AMT would raise $700 billion over the next several years. A law passed in the 1990s cut the reimbursement rate for Medicare providers.

Does money buy elections?  Interview with Stephen Dubner, Marketplace for Wednesday, January 11, 2012

   Transcript here

Dubner: Yeah. No politician’s going to step forward and say: ‘Please don’t send me you money. I don’t want it. I will not use it.’ Look, campaign fundraising has become an arms race, and as is any arms race, the first casualty is logic. Right? But let’s look past New Hampshire back to Iowa last week. Here’s some good evidence for these politicians. Rick Perry spent $4.3 million on advertising there, which is nearly triple what Romney spent — and he got 10 percent of the vote. Rick Santorum, on the other hand, spent only $30,000 for ads in Iowa, and he lost to Romney by just eight votes. So much for the money argument.

Ryssdal: All right. So far this is a lot of you talking about politicians and money. Did you actually talk to any politicians about money?

Dubner: Well, do you think they’re actually going to come out and say, ‘Oh I don’t need the money.’ Well…

The Indefinite Detention Bill DOES Apply to American Citizens on U.S. Soil

Even at this 11th hour – when all of our liberties and freedom are about to go down the drain – many people still don’t understand that the indefinite detention bill passed by Congress allows indefinite detention of Americans on American soil.

The bill is confusing. As Wired noted on December 1st:

It’s confusing, because two different sections of the bill seem to contradict each other, but in the judgment of the University of Texas’ Robert Chesney — a nonpartisan authority on military detention — “U.S. citizens are included in the grant of detention authority.”

A retired admiral, Judge Advocate General and Dean Emeritus of the University of New Hampshire School of Law also says that it applies to American citizens on American soil.

The ACLU notes:

Don’t be confused by anyone claiming that the indefinite detention legislation does not apply to American citizens. It does. There is an exemption for American citizens from the mandatory detention requirement (section 1032 of the bill), but no exemption for American citizens from the authorization to use the military to indefinitely detain people without charge or trial (section 1031 of the bill). So, the result is that, under the bill, the military has the power to indefinitely imprison American citizens, but it does not have to use its power unless ordered to do so.

But you don’t have to believe us. Instead, read what one of the bill’s sponsors, Sen. Lindsey Graham said about it on the Senate floor: “1031, the statement of authority to detain, does apply to American citizens and it designates the world as the battlefield, including the homeland.”

Another sponsor of the bill – Senator Levin – has also repeatedly said that the bill applies to American citizens on American soil, citing the Supreme Court case of Hamdi which ruled that American citizens can be treated as enemy combatants:

Lockup Everyone Daily Show Tuesday January 3, 2012

Contrary to his promise to veto, The last thing Barack Obama did in 2011 was sign a bill that eliminates due process for anyone suspected of terrorism in America.

He justifies the signing of the NDAA as a means to combating terrorism, as part of a counter-terrorism agenda. But in substance, any American opposed to the policies of the US government can –under the provisions of the NDAA– be labelled a “suspected terrorist” and arrested under military detention.

“Moreover, I want to clarify that my Administration will not authorize the indefinite military detention without trial of American citizens. Indeed, I believe that doing so would break with our most important traditions and values as a Nation. My Administration will interpret section 1021 in a manner that ensures that any detention it authorizes complies with the Constitution, the laws of war, and all other applicable law.”

Obama is a lawyer (a graduate from Harvard Law School). He knows fair well that his signing statement –which parrots his commitment to democracy– is purely cosmetic. It has no force of law.

The signing statement does not in any way invalidate or modify the actual signing by President Obama of NDAA (H.R. 1540) into law.

It will in force regardless who the next President is …

Defend the Homeland and Provide Support to Civil Authorities. U.S. forces will continue to defend U.S. territory from direct attack by state and non-state actors. We will also come to the assistance of domestic civil authorities in the event such defense fails or in case of natural disasters, potentially in response to a very significant or even catastrophic event. Homeland defense and support to civil authorities require strong, steady.–state force readiness, to include a robust missile defense capability. Threats to the homeland may be highest when U.S. forces are engaged in conflict with an adversary abroad.

Records: Federal Reserve Officials Foresaw, Joked About Housing Bubble in 2006 (Video 8 minutes)

TIMELINES OF THE GREAT DEPRESSION:
 It starts in the 1920’s, Fills in many historical blanks.
1945  — The top tax rate is 94 percent. It will stay at least 88 percent until 1963, when it is lowered to 70 percent. During this time, America will experience the greatest economic boom it had ever known until that time.

Tax Policy Center – to see the actual tax Brackets from 1944 to the present (in either PDF or Microsoft Excel format)
Individual Tax Rates in PDF
Individual Taxe Rates in Excel

It is about time we took our lives back and that means “Unleashing our Wisdom!”

How about a Crowd of Wisdom?

Let’s Talk about it Saturday!

Current Events: As usual we will start out with a short current events  session  Greece, Italy, Football and the rule of law

Third Saturday Seminars

To refer to an ancient Chinese saying, our world is in interesting times and individual citizens are assaulted with a blinding array of propaganda from every conceivable source. The Third Saturday Seminar is about demystification of what is going on around us. Time will also be spent on current events. Class meets 1/21 (special session),
2/18, 3/24 and 4/21. 3 sessions. No fee.
LSC-Montgomery B102
16199 Sa 2/18, 3/24, 4/21 9:30AM-12PM Gibby

Come, join the discussion! Let’s see if there is hope!

ALL Montgomery Spring Schedule

Montgomery College Maps

Registration
How do I register for a class?
You can fill out a registration form and submit it to us: (Attend the MC ALL Openhouse After this Session and sign up there)

• In person: LSC-Montgomery (3200 College Park Dr., Conroe, TX 77384), Continuing Education/ALL Office Building E (Room 205)
• Phone: 936.273.7446
• Fax: 936.273.7262
• On-Line

See you Saturday — Thanks for your support!

DON’T (be) PANIC(ked)

Curt Gibby
Director, Third Saturday Seminar

http://northstarinst.org/TSS/

P.S. As usual if anything in this notice doesn’t make sense, please let me know. (You won’t be the first, I will appreciate it and say, “Thank you,” Curt)