George Soros Conspires with United Nations to Kill Second Amendment

(KurtNimmo) – In the video below, we learn that Rebecca Peters, director of of the International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA), is working with the United Nations and governments around the world to grab guns. Peters and IANSA are funded by the globalist George Soros.

Kurt Nimmo
Infowars.com
March 15, 2010

“Rebecca Peters was Chair of the National Coalition for Gun Control, which campaigned to tighten Australia’s gun laws in the 1990s,” writes the Umut Foundation, an organization dedicated to “Individual Disarmament” in “harmony” with the European Union. “Her research and advocacy helped bring about sweeping changes, including uniform gun laws across the eight states, a ban on semiautomatic rifles and shotguns, and a year-long buyback that destroyed nearly 700,000 weapons. Among the awards she received was the 1996 Australian Human Rights Medal, her country’s highest human rights honor.”

Prior to working with IANSA, Peters worked for Soros’ Open Society Institute.

Soros has dedicated a large percentage of his income gained from manipulating international stock and currency markets to push for gun control. He exploits the usual “liberal” useful idiots to push his gun-grabbing agenda.

“Directly and through his organization Open Society Institute (OSI), he has funneled cash to various anti-gun groups, such as the Tides Foundation, the HELP Network and SAFE Colorado. He and seven rich friends founded their own political committee — Campaign for a Progressive Future — and spent $2 million on political activities in 2000, including providing the prime financial backing for the Million Mom March. OSI has supported UN efforts to create international gun control regulations and has singled out the United States for failing to go along with the international gun-prohibitionists,” notes the NRA.

“The bottom line is that international gun banners want every gun — every single gun worldwide — to be under U.N. and government control,” notes Wayne LaPierre of the NRA. “And that includes your rifle, your shotgun, your handgun, and even family heirlooms that have been handed down from generation to generation.”

As noted by Lou Dobbs before he was forced out of CNN (see video below), the Obama administration stands behind CIFTA, the Inter-American Convention Against Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms. Obama and crew are pushing this treaty under the pretense it will disarm drug cartels and criminals.

Every aspect of the treaty, however, introduces major required gun controls, most of which will affect average citizens and nullify the Second Amendment.

In 2009, Obama told Mexican President Felipe Calderon he would do everything in his power to get the U.S. Senate to pass the treaty. Under the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, international legal obligations are superior rank to national law. If the CIFTA treaty is ratified, and not having defined the exceptions to its many requirements within our Constitution, it would usurp U.S. sovereignty and open the door to additional legislation to support its application in U.S. law.

“Obviously, the United Nations, from its very inception, has been one of the world’s most ardent gun control proponents. As anyone who has ever driven by the U.N. building in New York City knows, a huge statue of an American-made revolver with its barrel twisted in the shape of a pretzel greets every visitor. The CIFTA treaty is one of the U.N.’s pet projects in order to achieve this long-held ambition,” writes Chuck Baldwin.

In October of last year, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told the United Nations the U.S. would support negotiations of an Arms Trade Treaty to regulate international gun trafficking. Two weeks earlier, the U.S. joined a nearly unanimous 153-1 U.N. vote to adopt a resolution setting out a timetable on the proposed Arms Trade Treaty, including a U.N. conference to produce a final accord in 2012.

“Over the past decade, the UN has waged a campaign to undermine gun rights protected by the Second Amendment of the US Constitution,” Rep. Ron Paul wrote in 2003. “Secretary Annan is not the only globalist calling for international controls on firearms. For example, some world leaders, including French President Jacques Chirac, have called for a global tax on firearms. Meanwhile, the UN Security Council’s ‘Report of the Group of Governmental Experts on Small Arms’ calls for a comprehensive program of worldwide gun control and praises the restrictive gun polices of Red China and France!”

Soros, the United Nations, and the globalists are diligently working behind the scenes to dismantle the Second Amendment and grab your guns under international treaty. As should be expected, the corporate media — with the exception of Lou Dobbs, who was unceremoniously bounced earlier this year — is not covering this important issue.

VIVA ICELAND! VIVA LA REVOLUTION!

IF ONLY AMERICANS COULD BE AS DEFIANT AND FREE. FUCK AMERICA I'M MOVING.

ICELAND REFUSES TO PAY A DIME TO BAILOUT THE FUCKING SPECULATORS AND BANKS THAT RUINED THEIR ECONOMY!

(UKPA) – 19 hours ago

Icelanders have resoundingly rejected a plan to repay £2.3 billion in savings to the UK, prompting Chancellor Alistair Darling to state that the British Government could be "flexible" over repayment terms.

With all but 2,500 of the 143,784 ballots counted, 93% had voted "no" with

just 1.8% in favour of reimbursement to the UK and Holland governments
following the collapse of savings bank Icesave.

The Treasury was understood to be "disappointed" but "not surprised" at the result.

Mr Darling insisted that getting the money back was the "fundamental point" but added that it could take some time.

The UK was forced to compensate tens of thousands of UK savers after the collapse in 2008, and Mr Darling said it was likely to be "many, many
years" before Britain was repaid by Iceland.

He told BBC One's Politics Show: "You couldn't just go to a small country like Iceland with a population

the size of Wolverhampton and say: 'Look, repay all
that money immediately'.

"So we've tried to be reasonable, the fundamental point for us is that we get our money back - but on the terms and conditions and so on, we're prepared to be flexible."

The British and Dutch governments want reimbursement for the 3.8bn euros (£3.4bn) they paid out in compensation to customers in 2008.

Talks between Iceland, Britain and the Netherlands to come up with a better deal to try to avert the referendum broke down at the end of last week.

Many voters in Iceland have objected to the tough terms of the deal imposed by the debtor countries, not the idea of payment itself. It would
seemingly require each person to pay around 135 dollars (£89) a month
for eight years - the equivalent of a quarter of an average four-member
family's salary.

THE LAST PART OF THIS ARTICLE IS OUT RIGHT SPIN THERE IS A GIGANTIC MOVEMENT IN ICELAND AND THEY DON'T WANT TO PAY A DIME,I'M TEMPTED TO TAKE THAT BIT OUT BUT THAT WOULDN'T BE RIGHT.

As we all know Iceland forced their government into collapse last year and now with this latest move Id say they can rightly be called the most defiant people of Europe or even the western hemisphere,God bless them for it!

What is Fascism?

John T. Flynn in his classic study "As We Go Marching", originally published in 1944, explains the idea and the movement called Fascism. Whether fascism was capitalist or anti-capitalist, labor or anti-labor, no one could say until the leaders themselves decided upon a course of action. It was improvised as the movement went along. It is government system that accepts responsibility to make the economic system work at full energy, using the device of state-created purchasing power effected by means of government borrowing and spending, and which organizes the economic life of the people into industrial and professional groups to subject the system to control under the supervision of the state. http://mises.org

John T. Flynn biography

Congratulations, Bankers -- You're Rich Again

Just in case your blood pressure is not high enough today, here are a few news bulletins on how the world works. Generally, these bulletins all come under the heading of, "The Golden Rule: He Who Has the Gold, Makes the Rules."

You will recall that a few years ago the banks and investment banks of this great land were making money hand over fist by making loans that, even at the time, gave off the powerful aroma of danger and recklessness. The fees for those loans were immense though, and so the banks made them -- for mortgages, for private equity deals, for mergers, for refinancings, for anything where they could employ the vast pools of liquidity Uncle Sugar was throwing onto their laps.

As bank profits skyrocketed, the pay of bankers reached unbelievably high levels, with immense percentages of the national wealth being paid to a few thousand bankers in New York City.

Then, as happens with Towers of Babel, it got so high it simply fell down with a resounding crash. Since the major banks had borrowed many times their equity capital, pretty much all of them -- with a few exceptions -- were in danger of failing. The government allowed one of them, Lehman Brothers, to fail, and the results were catastrophic in terms of lending and consumer and business confidence.

So, the government decided to take heroic measures to keep any other big banks from failing. The government bought immense amounts of stock in the banks. That raised their levels of equity capital. The government guaranteed the banks' borrowings. That allowed the banks to stay afloat. The government greatly lowered the banks' cost of borrowing by lending directly to the banks at levels far less than normal, levels approaching zero percent.

All of this was done in the name of creating a far sounder national banking system and one that would resume lending, especially to consumers and home buyers, to "hit the reset button" as President Obama likes to say, on previous obscenely selfish behavior by bankers. The bankers promised they would be a whole new kind of banker and would act in the unselfish public interest.

The government completed the circle of bank rescue by not only letting the banks borrow at almost zero, but then by allowing the banks to invest the money they borrowed in totally risk free Treasuries at roughly 3.6 percent. It was shooting fish in a barrel for the banks and for the investment banks, which were allowed to call themselves banks.

The very predictable result: The banks started making staggering profits again. With free money furnished to them by the Federal Reserve, and the taxpayers paying them hefty interest on the money they got for free, how could the banks lose?

A Little Help Here?

So, what has the banking sector done with the profits and their new found health? For one thing, they have not loaned to home buyers. Just try to get a home loan today on the security of the home. It hardly can be done.

Yes, you can get one on your whole portfolio of assets, but not on the "security" of a home. (As one banker told me, "After what we've seen in the past two years, we just don't know what the value of real estate is.")

But the hoped for -- and lavishly paid for -- boom in real estate lending has not happened. It will, but not so far.

Guess what has boomed? No, exploded. Bankers' pay and bonuses. At some big banks, these are back to pre-crash levels. Bankers now -- again -- routinely take home $5 million to $10 million bonuses just for doing an ordinary job. That's while we in California have an almost 12 percent unemployment rate and the national rate hovers near 10 percent. At Goldman Sachs, bailed out by the taxpayers a scant few months ago, secretaries and bookkeepers are making hundreds of thousands in bonus.

The beautiful part, if you follow this, is that these bonuses are often (not always) being paid directly by the taxpayers. The taxpayers pay the interest on the trillions (yes, trillions) in Treasury bonds that allows the banks to make the lollapalooza profits they are making on their free money.

So, what do we have right now? A banking sector looking out entirely for itself, bailed out by all of us, at wild expense, and not lifting a finger to help end the mortgage and housing crises. Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner was recently quoted as saying that for all of the taxpayers' blood, we now had a functioning banking sector again.

Yes, indeed. But functioning for whom?

Monsanto admits their technology doesn’t work!

Reyes, one of our agriculture campaigners in India, shares her immediate thoughts on this 'first-of-its-kind' admission by Monsanto

This was my Saturday's lyrics to breakfast in sunny Bangalore: Monsanto has decided to tell the truth about something: its technology doesn't work!, reports The Hindu. I'm going to need a second cup of chai to digest this, Monsanto speaking honest!? Indian farmers and scientist have been seeing this in their Bt cotton fields for a few years: pests become resistant to Monsanto's genetically engineered toxins and thus farmers apply huge amounts of pesticides. Monsanto has always denied this, has the recent massive rejection of its Bt brinjal in India woken up its senses?

For years Monsanto has been shouting that the main - read only - benefit of Bt cotton in India (the only genetically engineered crop planted here) was the reduction in pesticide use. Well, it seems they have just admitted this is not true. Pink bollworm, a serious pest for cotton farmers in India, is now resistant to the toxin in Bt cotton. Meaning that this bug is now sort of a super-pest that farmers will have to work harder and harder to avoid.

What is Monsanto's solution to this? Maybe you have guessed it: use Monsanto's next weapon – same technology - Bt cotton 2.0. With double the amount of toxins (and almost double the price of non-Bt seeds). Hmmm? I need another cup of chai! This is looking too much like an arms-race, which due to rapid pest evolution of resistance could reach a battle of infinite proportions... followed closely by Monsanto's profits, of course. Indigestible! -my stomach shouts-, because along with Monsanto's profits from selling their special seeds I see also the struggle of debt and the threats to the livelihoods of the many farmers I've met.

Bt cotton troubles don't end here. A few weeks ago, a pro-GE scientist from the Central Institute of Cotton Research (CICR) in Nagpur, Dr. Kranthi, spoke about other 'wonders' of Bt cotton. According to Dr. Kranthi, Bt cotton has increased, yes increased, the use of dangerous pesticides and now other ferocious pests, like mealybug (never seen before by Indian farmers), are destroying the harvests. Wonderful! Monsanto makes money and the farmers risk huge debts and family health from the massive use of pesticides. My breakfast is tasting very bitter this morning.

But I have also spoken to many Indian farmers that are not so desperate. Last November I spent a few weeks travelling around the cotton fields of Andhra Pradesh. In the mist of a lot of very worried Bt cotton farmers (drought, debts, mealybugs, loans at 50% interest rates, etc), I also met many more cheerful farmers -- the organic ones!

Organic farmers work with several NGOs and farmers associations to develop ways to fight pests without health risks and without money! Yes, without or with very little money. Chetna, one of these farmer associations, support farmers in Karimnagar and Adilabad (very poor areas in Andhra Pradesh) and work with them in making the whole farm, not just the crop, resistant to pests. India is so lucky too, the Neem tree, a wonder of anti-insecticide and many other medicinal properties, grows naturally in almost every farm... its fruits are free and very effective in protecting against pests. Chetna and the rests of the organisations promoting ecological cotton farming, know that the answer is not in a single bullet. The answer is biodiversity - growing a variety of different natural strains and using methods that deal with pests ecologically and with very little investment (and thus less debt for farmers) - like using the Neem tree fruits.

There is hope out there in the dry cotton fields thanks to the hard work of these organic farmers' associations and thanks to Indian biodiversity. My Indian breakfast dosa was a bit hard to swallow, but ended with a very sweet organic chutney!

Moodys Downgrade: Should We Care?

Click this link ...... http://eclipptv.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=10788

We're Doomed and Washington Can't Do Anything About It - Marc Faber

Click this link ...... http://eclipptv.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=10789

Tax hike merited in Sterling Heights

Sterling Heights administrators will ask the City Council later this month to approve a 1.9-mill property tax increase. Given the city's financial condition and eroding property values, the request is reasonable -- and prudent -- if Sterling Heights wants to retain core services that will attract and retain businesses and residents.

Falling property values and cuts in state revenue sharing are squeezing cities across Michigan, including the state's fourth largest city. This community of 130,000 has lost $26 million in revenue sharing since 2002 and $23 million in property taxes. Over the last three years, residential assessments have dropped a third.

The proposed rate increase would recover only about 40% of the property tax revenue Sterling Heights has lost in the last three years. It would cost the owner of a typical $150,000 home about $143 a year. But given the city's falling assessments, most homeowners would still see a decrease in property taxes, averaging roughly $190.

Up to now, Sterling Heights has protected core services like police, fire and public works, while eliminating 75 positions, negotiating shared-service agreements, approving user fees for nonresidents, and cutting benefits, overtime, library hours and recreation programs. Without a 1.9-mill property tax increase, however, the city will have to cut another $9.46 million, amounting to 120 positions, or 20% of police and other departments.

Because the proposed tax-rate increase is less than the city is legally allowed to levy, it requires no vote of the people. Since 1988, the council has reduced the millage rate by 20%. Sterling Heights residents enjoy one of the state's lowest property tax rates. Even with the proposed increase, the city would still rank near the bottom.

City Manager Mark Vanderpool and Finance Director Brian Baker vow to continue looking for ways to cut, including more shared services. With property values falling, however, Sterling Heights must increase its tax rate now if it wants to continue providing a safe, first-class community.

More than half of mortgaged homes in St. Lucie, Martin are 'under water'

More than half of mortgaged residential properties in St. Lucie and Martin counties are “under water,” a recent report by a company that tracks home sales, price trends and foreclosures shows.

The report by California-based First American CoreLogic found that 56 percent, or 62,696, of all residential properties with a mortgage in the Port St. Lucie Metropolitan Statistical Area were in a negative equity position for the fourth quarter of 2009. That’s more than double the national rate of 24 percent.

The Port St. Lucie Metropolitan Statistical Area encompasses St. Lucie and Martin counties. First American did not report similar data for Indian River County.

Another 3 percent, or 3,345, in the two-county area had equity of less than 5 percent.

Negative equity, often referred to as “under water” or “upside down,” means a borrower owes more on the mortgage than the home is worth. Negative equity can occur because of a decline in value, an increase in mortgage debt or a combination of both.

First American CoreLogic also reported that more than one-fourth of home mortgages in St. Lucie County are at least 90 days delinquent.

The report found that 26.6 percent of residential mortgages were severely delinquent in St. Lucie County, the third-highest rate among Florida’s 48 most-populous counties. A year ago, 19.7 percent of St. Lucie County mortgages were more than 90 days past due.

Indian River County’s mortgage delinquency rate is 16.6 percent, up from 10.3 percent a year ago. In Martin County, the rate is 11.8 percent, up from 7.1 percent.

Foreclosure rates in January in the Treasure Coast were up compared with the same period last year, according to First American CoreLogic, which analyzes data from 47 million properties with a mortgage, or more than 85 percent of all mortgages in the U.S. The foreclosure rate is the percentage of loans in some stage of the foreclosure process, from 90-day delinquencies through properties sold at auction.

St. Lucie County had the highest rate among the three counties at 15.1 percent, up from 11.7 percent a year earlier. St. Lucie County’s rate was the fourth highest in the state behind Miami-Dade (18.1 percent), Osceola (17.8) and Hendry (15.3).

Indian River County’s rate was 9.7 percent, up from 6.5 percent a year ago. Martin County’s rate was 6.9 percent, up from 3.6 percent.

The national foreclosure rate for January was 3.2 percent.

“Negative equity is a significant drag on both the housing market and on economic growth. It is driving foreclosures and decreasing mobility for millions of homeowners,” said Mark Fleming, chief economist with First American CoreLogic. “Since we expect home prices to slightly increase during 2010, negative equity will remain the dominant issue in the housing and mortgage markets for some time to come.”

Negative equity continues to be concentrated in five states: Nevada, which had the highest percentage negative equity with 70 percent of all of its mortgage properties under water, followed by Arizona (51 percent), Florida (48 percent), Michigan (39 percent) and California (35 percent).

Among those five states, the average negative equity share was 42 percent, compared with 15 percent for the remaining states.

Jacksonville mortgage delinquencies rise above 10%

Mortgage delinquencies of 60 days or more are now above 10 percent.

The number of Jacksonville homeowners who have fallen behind on mortgage payments rose steadily over the past three years and today stands at more than 10 percent, according to a national credit monitoring company.

Mortgage delinquencies of 60 days or more were 2.2 percent at the end of 2006 - a figure that grew to 10.3 percent by the close of 2009, according to TransUnion LLC, a company that maintains credit histories on about 500 million people internationally.

Although that's lower than the percentages of mortgage delinquencies in the state's other metropolitan areas and the state as a whole, it's likely to continue rising through 2010, Jacksonville foreclosure specialists said.

Scott Lehmbeck, real estate agent for Real Estate Asset Disposition Corp. in Jacksonville, sells homes that already have been foreclosed against and appear on the market as bank-owned properties, or REOs. He said business has been picking up in recent months.

Dmitry Mikhaylov, owner of Jacksonville investment company Komelot Real Estate Solutions Group, agrees with Lehmbeck in saying that the number of Jacksonville mortgage delinquencies likely will grow in coming months.

His company, which used to attract home sellers with "we buy houses" signs, has retooled its business model to accommodate the realities in the current market, he said.

"We've been buying cheap, renovating and putting houses back on the market," he said. "But business has changed dramatically. There are a lot of properties available, but not so many qualified buyers."

His company's efforts have turned in recent months to targeting buyers as it renovates and resells foreclosed properties. In cases when a homeowner wants to stay in their home, his company works to help through mortgage renegotiations, he said. But as layoffs continue, he said, he expects more people will "walk away" from homes worth less than their mortgages, moving somewhere else and simply letting the abandoned homes fall into foreclosure.

Michael Linkenauger, short sale Realtor for First Coast Realty Associates, said he wasn't surprised to hear of the upswing in mortgage delinquencies since 2006. He said the climb in delinquencies is part of a larger crossing of trends that have conspired to punish the real estate industry in Florida. And unemployment - at 11.8 percent statewide and 11.3 percent in Jacksonville - is only partly to blame, he said.

"Other factors, such as over-development, high-risk loans and the economy in general, have all created the perfect storm," he said. "As long as we see the continuing decline in pricing, we are likely to see an increase in mortgage defaults."

Although reduced prices have spurred higher sales volume, it's bargain-hunters snapping up good deals, he said.

Other Florida cities have more widespread mortgage delinquency issues, Trans-Union data shows. Miami's delinquency rate, for example, has climbed from 1.73 percent in the fourth quarter of 2006 to 22.6 percent in the fourth quarter of 2009. Statewide, the rate has risen from 1.73 percent in the fourth quarter of 2006 to 14.93 at the end of 2009.

Foreclosure starts up nearly 20 percent in California

• But despite foreclosure inventories, foreclosure sales drop

• ‘The disconnect between delinquencies and foreclosure sales continues to widen’

After reaching the lowest level in a year last month, Notice of Defaults, the start of the foreclosure process, increased by 19.7 percent in February, according to a report Monday from ForeclosureRadar Inc., a Discovery Bay-based foreclosure information company that says it tracks every California foreclosure.

The number of properties scheduled for foreclosure sale remained near record levels in February, yet foreclosure sales, either “Back to Bank” or “Sold to Third Parties,” dropped by 11.9 percent total.

“The disconnect between delinquencies and foreclosure sales continues to widen,” says Sean O’Toole, founder and CEO of ForeclosureRadar.

“While efforts to slow foreclosures are clearly working, it remains unclear that anything has yet addressed the core problem of excess household mortgage debt,” he says.

After four consecutive months of decline, Notice of Default filings bounced up by 19.7 percent to 31,004 statewide. Filings of Notices of Trustee Sale, which sets the date and time of the foreclosure auction, increased slightly as well, rising 3.6 percent to 28,195 filings, according to ForeclosureRadar.

Foreclosure sales are the last step in the foreclosure process and result in the property being transferred from the homeowner either back to the bank, or to a third party, typically an investor.

Foreclosure sales decreased 11.9 percent in February, with the portion going “Back to Bank” dropping by 14.3 percent and the portion to third parties dropping by 2.7 percent.

“Despite our prediction that we may see a wave of cancellations as the [Obama] Administration pushed to make trial loan modification permanent, cancellations remained flat, likely indicating that the Home Affordable Modification Program conversion drive is failing,” says Mr. O’Toole.

Despite the increase in Notice of Default filings in February, ForeclosureRadar’s estimated number of properties in Preforeclosure dropped 8.0 percent due to the relatively high number of Notice of Trustee Sale filings, it says.

Properties exiting the foreclosure process nearly matched the number of new Notice of Trustee Sale filings, leaving the number of properties scheduled for sale in February flat compared to January. Year-over-year, the increase in properties scheduled for sale “is a dramatic 126.3 percent, as more and more homeowners have found themselves on the brink of foreclosure,” the report says.

Banks continue to resell their bank owned (REO) property in “a timely manner,” with their inventories also flat from January to February, says ForeclosureRadar.

The courthouse steps remain highly competitive with discounts to market value dropping from 17.5 percent in January to 15.2 percent in February, the report says. “Despite fewer foreclosure sales overall in February, as well as smaller discounts due to competitive bidding, third party investors purchased more foreclosures, at 23.2 percent, than at any other time since we began tracking trustee sales in September 2006,” it says.

If you feel this story was of value to you, please consider a cash donation to Goodwill Industries of the San Joaquin Valley, our designated nonprofit. Thank you.

Md. foreclosure filings skyrocket in February

Prince George's County saw nearly 1,800 foreclosure filings last month -- about one-third of Maryland's total -- as state and federal officials scramble to find a solution to the unrelenting mortgage crisis.

Nine of the 10 Washington-area ZIP codes with the most foreclosure filings in February were in Prince George's. The county's filings increased 71 percent from last February, pushing Maryland to the 10th-worst rate in the country, according to the online foreclosure tracking company RealtyTrac.

Just a few years ago, Northern Virginia was ground zero for the foreclosure crisis; Prince William County had more than 6,500 actual foreclosures in 2008, according to data from the county's assessments office. Over the past 16 months, though, the crisis has shifted from the Virginia suburbs to Maryland.

Up the river

February foreclosure filings in the Washington area:

Jurisdiction	Number of filings	Rate	Change from Feb. 2009
District	178	1/1,603	-53.03%
Montgomery County	676	1/540	-3.43%
Prince George's County	1,789	1/180	71.03%
Alexandria	63	1/1,119	10.53%
Arlington County	48	1/2,147	-21.31%
Fairfax County	575	1/684	-29.88%
Loudoun County	226	1/461	-29.38%
Prince William County	407	1/335	-35.70%
Source: RealtyTrac

In November 2008, the 10 ZIP codes with the most foreclosure filings were in Virginia. By November 2009, nine of the top 10 were in Maryland.

The collapse in the housing market hit Virginia harder at first, and now Maryland is lagging, said Andy Bauer, a regional economist at the Baltimore branch of the Richmond Federal Reserve.

Whereas Prince William suffered more from an overbuilding problem, much of the trouble in Prince George's arose from subprime mortgage lending in established neighborhoods, Bauer said.

To combat the crisis, Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley has introduced a bill that would require lenders to prove they attempted to modify a loan before foreclosing. A judge would determine whether lenders fairly considered a loan adjustment. If a judge ruled against a lender, the company would be required to work out the terms of the loan with the homeowner.

"Anything that increases borrowers' awareness of their options is a good thing," Bauer said.

Some analysts, though, have panned the idea, arguing that it could drive mortgage lenders out of the state.

At the federal level, the Obama administration is also rolling out a program that provides financial incentives to homeowners who sell their homes at a loss -- a transaction known as a short sale -- rather than let them go into foreclosure.

Foreclosures are still on the Rise in Illinois

Foreclosures in Illinois increased 22% in February, 2010. The high foreclosure rate can be attributed to the high unemployment rate and declining home prices. With the declining market many people are finding themselves underwater in their homes. Meaning . . . they owe more on their home than their home is worth. Illinois unemployment report is 11.3% for the month of January, up from 11% from December 2009. With such a high foreclosure rate it is no surprise that foreclosures are on the rise as well. In order for properties is see appreciation in the market place, foreclosures and short sales need to be absorbed into the market first. Only then will the state and the country see appreciation in the real estate market.

Lucky for those that live in Illinois, the state had the lovely distinction of having 17,312 properties in foreclosure, which is the fourth-highest state nationwide. California ranked number one

Metro Atlanta foreclosures set new monthly record

Metro Atlanta’s foreclosure problem keeps getting worse.

The number of foreclosure notices this month — 12,568 — set a new record for metro Atlanta, according to data just released by Equity Depot.

Foreclosure notices in the 13-county metro area jumped 22 percent when compared with February and 24 percent compared with March of last year, Alpharetta-based Equity Depot said.

This month’s number also is greater than the previous monthly record of 12,318 notices, set in September of last year.

Barry Bramlett, president of Equity Depot, said in an e-mail that the number of foreclosures is “obviously impacted by both the lingering sub-prime [mortgage] mess and [the] economy.” He said there are “increasing commercial [real estate] foreclosures of every business nature.”

The foreclosure notices published this month are for public auctions scheduled on April 6. Bramlett explained that he expected a “bump” this month, partly because the foreclosure auctions on the county steps occur nearly a full week into next month. That extends the cutoff time to place foreclosure ads.

Still, the situation so far looks worse than last year, when an annual record was set of 117,107 notices.

“I like to look at quarter to quarter, and it is still slightly trending upward,” Bramlett said. For this year’s first quarter, there were 31,067 notices. That compared with 29,317 for the fourth quarter of 2009, he said.

This month, Gwinnett led the pack with 2,648 foreclosure notices, followed by Fulton with 2,455. DeKalb was third (2,046), followed by Cobb (1,430) and Clayton (1,012).

Credit Agency Warns U.S. and Others of Risk to Top Rating

PARIS — Major Western economies have moved “substantially” closer to losing their top-notch credit ratings, with the United States and Britain under the most pressure, Moody’s Investors Service said Monday in a reminder that the global debt crisis is not limited to the small or weak.

The ratings of the Aaa governments — which also include Germany, France, Spain and the Nordic countries — are currently “stable,” Moody’s analysts wrote in the report. But, it added, “their ‘distance-to-downgrade’ has in all cases substantially diminished.”

“Growth alone will not resolve an increasingly complicated debt equation,” Moody’s said. “Preserving debt affordability” — the ratio of interest payments to government revenue — “at levels consistent with Aaa ratings will invariably require fiscal adjustments of a magnitude that, in some cases, will test social cohesion.”

That difficulty has been well-illustrated recently in Greece and Portugal, with strikes and protests as citizens hit the streets to oppose tough austerity measures that directly reduce entitlements and state benefits.

“It was to be expected that attention wouldn’t long be restricted to Southern Europe but would shift to other countries with big debts,” Michael Heise, chief economist for the German insurer Allianz in Munich, said.

The United States, Britain, France and Germany have always been rated triple-A by Moody’s, with the United States first rated in 1949.

Pierre Cailleteau, managing director of sovereign risk at Moody’s, stressed that none of their ratings were “threatened so far.”

But he did differentiate among the top countries, noting that Britain and the United States are in the toughest position.

“The U.K. and the U.S. are more tested than, say, Germany or France,” Mr. Cailleteau said in an e-mailed response to a question. “Their rating relies, more than in other countries, on their ability to repair the damage caused by the crisis on public finances.”

Without a stronger recovery, governments could encounter serious trouble in phasing out government support for the economy, Arnaud Marès, the main author of the report, said in a statement. That “could yet make their credit more vulnerable,” he said.

Credit ratings are important because higher-rated governments are typically able to borrow at lower costs. Last May, Moody’s cut Japan’s Aaa rating to Aa2, as the market grew increasingly uneasy with Japan’s debt burden.

For now, the U.S. debt remains affordable, Moody’s said, as the ratio of interest payments to revenue fell to 8.7 percent in the current year, after peaking at 10 percent two years ago. If that trend were to reverse, the Moody’s analysts said, “there would at some point be downward pressure on the Aaa rating of the federal government.”

The administration of President Barack Obama estimates that the U.S. deficit will rise to 10.6 percent of gross domestic product in the current fiscal year, the highest since 1946, and federal debt will reach 64 percent of G.D.P. Government expenditures are expected to rise to a postwar high of 25.4 percent of G.D.P.

In Britain, Moody’s said, the risk is that the growth outlook proves too optimistic and tax receipts don’t match forecasts, as the government of Prime Minister Gordon Brown has little room left to maneuver. In that situation, the debt — which the government already predicts will stabilize at around 90 percent of G.D.P. — could balloon, undermining the credit rating.

In comparison to both Britain and the United States, the report noted, households in France and Germany entered the crisis with relatively low indebtedness, and hence the governments have a little more room for maneuver. Yet both countries will find themselves under pressure to maintain financial discipline in the event that growth does not pick up.

Mr. Cailleteau, managing director of sovereign risk at Moody’s, noted that “discretionary fiscal adjustment” — cutting programs or raising taxes — had become “the principal means of repairing the damage that the global crisis has inflicted on government balance sheets,” and it remained to be seen whether governments were capable of carrying out the painful measures necessary.

“Growth will support some governments’ adjustment plans more than those of others,” Mr. Cailleteau said in the report, “but no government can rely on it.”

There is also a danger that, with governments unwilling or unable to begin withdrawing stimulus, central banks could take the initiative to raise interest rates before the economy is ready, the report found. Such a situation might “quickly compound an already complicated debt equation, with more abrupt rating consequences a possibility.”

Moody’s praised Spain’s recent efforts to address its finances, although “its adjustment process will undoubtedly be drawn out and painful.”

As for the Nordic countries, the agency said the region entered the crisis in relatively good shape, and their credit ratings appeared to be well protected.

Survey: 31% of Europeans blame economic crisis on Jews

Anti-Defamation League poll conducted in seven European countries shows almost half of Europeans believe Jews more loyal to Israel than countries they live in, 40% say Jews have too much power

Anti-Semitic attitudes still prevail in Europe: An Anti-Defamation League report published on Tuesday showed that nearly half of the Europeans surveyed believe Jews are not loyal to their country and more than one-third believe they have "too much power" in business and finance.

The study further showed that 31% of the respondents across Europe blame Jews in the financial industry for the current global economic crisis.

The poll was conducted between the dates December 1 and January 13 among 3,500 adults in seven European countries: Austria, France, Hungary, Poland, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom.

Overall, 40% of Europeans in those countries believe that Jews have too much power in the business world, with more than half of Hungarian, Spanish and Polish respondents agreeing with that statement.

The findings were similar to those of a 2007 ADL survey that found significant percentages of Europeans continue to believe in some of the most pernicious anti-Semitic stereotypes.

"This poll confirms that anti-Semitism remains alive and well in the minds of many Europeans," said ADL Director Abraham Foxman.

"It is distressing that there seems to be no movement away from the constancy of anti-Semitic held views, with accusations about Jews of disloyalty, control and responsibility for the death of Jesus," he added.

"In the wake of the global financial crisis, the strong belief of excessive Jewish influence on business and finance is especially worrisome," Mr. Foxman added.

"Clearly, age old anti-Semitic stereotypes die hard, particularly on a continent which is witnessing a surge in violent attacks on Jews and Jewish institutions following the war in Gaza."

'Jews talk about Holocaust too much'

A comparison with the 2007 survey indicates that levels of anti-Semitism have remained steady in six of the seven countries tested.

The United Kingdom was the only country in which there was a marked decline. Meanwhile, the percentage of those believing that Jews "have too much power in the business world" increased by 7% in Hungary, 6% in Poland and 5% in France.

Overall, nearly half of those surveyed in the seven countries believe that Jews are more loyal to Israel than to their own country. A majority of respondents in Germany, Poland and Spain believe that this statement is "probably true;" in Spain, it is 64%.

Large portions of the European public continue to believe that Jews "talk about the Holocaust too much." Overall, 44% of those surveyed believe this statement is "probably true". A majority of respondents in Austria, Hungary and Poland believe it to be true.

BILL MOYERS JOURNAL | William K. Black | PBS

Click this link ...... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rz1b__MdtHY&feature=player_embedded

Mother Jones Cover Story on Oathkeepers: 'Age of Treason'

The magazine is on newsstands now. Not exactly favorable coverage, but it is getting the message out.

THE .50 CALIBER Bushmaster bolt action rifle is a serious weapon. The model that Pvt. 1st Class Lee Pray is saving up for has a 2,500-yard range and comes with a Mark IV scope and an easy-load magazine. When the 25-year-old drove me to a mall in Watertown, New York, near the Fort Drum Army base, he brought me to see it in its glass case—he visits it periodically, like a kid coveting something at the toy store. It'll take plenty of military paychecks to cover the $5,600 price tag, but he considers the Bushmaster essential in his preparations to take on the US government when it declares martial law.

His belief that that day is imminent has led Pray to a group called Oath Keepers, one of the fastest-growing "patriot" organizations on the right. Founded last April by Yale-educated lawyer and ex-Ron Paul aide Stewart Rhodes, the group has established itself as a hub in the sprawling anti-Obama movement that includes Tea Partiers, Birthers, and 912ers. Glenn Beck, Lou Dobbs, and Pat Buchanan have all sung its praises, and in December, a grassroots summit it helped organize drew such prominent guests as representatives Phil Gingrey and Paul Broun, both Georgia Republicans.

There are scores of patriot groups, but what makes Oath Keepers unique is that its core membership consists of men and women in uniform, including soldiers, police, and veterans. At regular ceremonies in every state, members reaffirm their official oaths of service, pledging to protect the Constitution—but then they go a step further, vowing to disobey "unconstitutional" orders from what they view as an increasingly tyrannical government.

Continue:

Anti-Semitism makes it to China?

Book alleging Jews run the world and control global wealth becomes bestseller in country

BEIJING – Who's to blame for the current global financial crisis? According to a bestselling book in China, which is leading the sales charts in the country, the answer is clear: The Jews.

In the eyes of most Chinese, Jewish people are considered "smart," "rich" and "good at making money." Bookstores in China offer a variety of self-help books titled, "How to make money like Jews," and "The secret of Jews' global success."

Until recently, the notion that Jews and money were inseparable carried no anti-Semitic undertone in the country, but a relatively new book called "Currency Wars" threatens to change all that.

The book's author, Song Hongbing, claims that behind world-changing events like the battle of Waterloo, Adolf Hitler's rise to power, President Kennedy's assassination, and the deep recession in Asia during the 1990s stood an intricate conspiracy aimed at increasing Jews' wealth and influence.

Song, a Chinese computer engineer and history buff who resides in the United States, writes that almost every defining historical moment has been instigated by Jewish bankers, and mainly the Rothschild family, which Song says dominates the global banking system, including the US Federal Reserve System.

'important publication' or 'nonsense'?

Song's book was published in China about a year and-a-half ago, and initially sold an insignificant number of copies. But in recent months the global crisis has turned the book into a hit. Estimates put sales of "Currency War" well over a million, not including hundreds of thousands of illegal copies that can also be downloaded off the net.

Responses among readers vary; online discussions about the book reveal that many are convinced this is the most important publication ever written, as it "exposes the truth behind global economy." However, others claim that this is "nonsense" and say that Song, who has never studied economics, simply pieced together a theory made up of several delusional conspiracy theories published on the internet.

Song's publishers, a subsidiary of a state-owned publishing house, boast the fact that the book has been read by all leading financial executives in the country, as well as state leaders.

Song himself has become a local celebrity in China, and is often invited to lecture at financial conventions and is interviewed on TV as a famous financial analyst.

Social Security Marks First Deficit in Decades

Social Security is going to start paying out more in benefits this year than it's collecting in taxes -- close to $29 billion more.

It will be Social Security's first deficit since it was over-hauled under former President Ronald Reagan in the 1980s. Since then, the program has been taking in more money than it has been spending.

The problem is that the government has not been saving that extra money, it has been spending it.

"This is not just a wake-up call, this is it. We're here," said Mary Johnson, a policy analyst with the Senior Citizens League, an advocacy group. "We are not going to be able to put it off any more."

Now Washington will have to start borrowing money, much of it from foreign governments, to pay for the Social Security program for its senior citizens.

The government is expected to post a record $1.5 trillion budget deficit this year, with trillion dollar deficits to follow in the years to come.

The deficit begins just as baby boomers start retiring and some are worried it will lead to reduced benefits. Experts say that Social Security is projected to drain its trust funds by 2037 unless Congress formulates a plan of action.

Don't Tell Me There aren't Jobs out there for Americans!

Do you need a job? Here are some great career opportunities from companies that really care about their employees. I've compiled a list for those interested in a life of adventure and spreading the cause of freedom across the globe.

Just a word of warning - you may be asked to travel to areas designated as "high threat level." But don't worry - things will probably be A-OK. Rest assured - these patriotic American companies understand that their employees are their most valuable asset.

Aegis Defense Services

DynCorp

Blackwater

Kellogg, Brown and Root

Olive Group

Oh yeah - you may wish to review this extremely limited list of reasons the last guy quit.

List of Employees "No longer with the company"

Pssst - Avoid working as a Cook/Cleaner for Morning Star Co. (Jordanian services firm) - very hazardous duty indeed. Also - working for "Unknown" appears to be the most hazardous duty of all.

If after viewing the above list you don't think that is the career for you - perhaps you might find a career with the military forces less brutal? (Judging from the differences in the "reason for quitting" category as depicted in the list below.)

CLICK HERE for similar list from the US military - pay attention to the milder environment it appears they work in - judging from the difference in the "reason for quitting" category as compared to above.

by Jack Rabbit

Peter Schiff 03/12/10 Dollar, Yellen, Geithner, retail sales, unemployment

Chick this link ......... http://eclipptv.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=10784

Primetime Panic: Spoof report sparks fear and protests in Georgia

Click this link ....... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cWMbWJRokE&feature=player_embedded