American Hypocrisies

Last month as we discussed the New and Full Moons of November and December, it seemed obvious that just as there had been many troubling news stories surfacing around this beginning and mid-month time period in recent months, in November too further revelations would follow. These stories center around the various hypocrisies that are currently going down in American (and Western) society. Are we hard at work fixing the environment or just talking? Are we a nation that bails out the poor and those not covered by health care or are we perhaps (dare to say it) a nation built mostly for the rich these days that bails out Wall Street first? Then there is the military presence that could build up in Afghanistan (and that continues in Iraq) and that has been discussed for many weeks now. Is our military presence in these regions designed to help the people there and protect us from terrorists or to help ourselves to important resources? Time will tell, but it does seem like the lessons of Vietnam were only imperfectly learned...

Last month the 2nd and the 3rd – around the time of the Full Moon – provided these stories...

From National Geographic:

Unless humans act now, seafood may disappear by 2048, concludes the lead author of a new study that paints a grim picture for ocean and human health.

According to the study, the loss of ocean biodiversity is accelerating, and 29 percent of the seafood species humans consume have already crashed. If the long-term trend continues, in 30 years there will be little or no seafood available for sustainable harvest. See National Geographic.

In other news from the November 2nd Full Moon period, Hamid Karzai was declared the winner of the Afghan election. This story has been brewing for months, but the subtext was the election leading up to the proposed run-off, which was declared fraudulent by the world community. Karzai's opponent feared the same for the run-off, hence his resignation, allowing Karzai to coast to undisputed victory. Nevertheless Karzai's ascension was hailed as legitimate by the U.S State Department. Sec. Of State Hillary Clinton had this to say: "With respect to Afghanistan and Dr. Abdullah's decision, I think that it is his decision to make. Whatever went into that determination is obviously his choice. But I do not think it affects the legitimacy."

Other news stories from this November 2nd Full Moon period were regarding the financial sector:

Goldman Sachs Secretly Bet on the US Housing Crash

An investigation by the McClatchy Newspapers has found that banking giant Goldman Sachs made secret bets on an imminent housing crash while selling off billions in soon-to-be-worthless securities. In 2006 and 2007, the bank reportedly peddled more than $40 billion in securities backed by at least 200,000 risky home mortgages, but never told the buyers it was secretly betting that a sharp drop in US housing prices would send the value of those securities plummeting. See The Consumerist.

Meanwhile the December 10th issue of Rolling Stone , release in mid-November, came out with an article that accused President Obama of staffing his Treasury and related departments with former Goldman-Sachs directors and associates, listing a total of 14 names from Treasury, NEC (National Economic Council) and State.

And of course the biggest story involving the military this past month also emerged in its first week, namely the shooting that left 13 dead and 30 wounded on Ft. Hood. The shooting took place on November 5th.

In the wake of the November 16th New Moon, we expected to see similar stories, such as:

Gates Blocks Release of Torture Photos

Defense Secretary Robert Gates has blocked the further release of any photographs depicting abuse or torture of foreign prisoners, saying their release would endanger American soldiers. Federal courts have repeatedly rejected the government's arguments to block the release of the photographs, but Congress voted last month to give Gates new powers to keep them private. See Democracy Now.

US Military Suicides at Record Level

A top US military officer has confirmed Army suicides will reach a new record annual high. General Peter Chiarelli, the US Army Vice Chief of Staff, said Tuesday the number of soldiers to take their own lives in 2009 has already matched last year's record of 140. The figure does not include an additional seventy-one soldiers who killed themselves this year after leaving active duty. See Democracy Now.

And – on November 18th

Wall Street Headed for Record Profits in 2009

New government figures show Wall Street is on pace to have its most profitable year to date. On Tuesday, the New York Comptroller Office said Wall Street profits are set to exceed the record set three years ago, before the onset of the nation's financial meltdown. The four largest firmsóGoldman Sachs, Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley and JPMorgan Chaseótook in $22.5 billion in profits through September. The top six banks set aside $112 billion for salAries and bonuses over the same period. In a statement, New York Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli said, "The national economy is slowly improving, but Wall Street has recovered much faster than anyone had envisioned." See also The Huffington Post, and The Rolling Stone.

And also after the November 16th New Moon we had this story:

World Leaders: No Binding Deal on Climate Change Until 2010

President Obama and other world leaders have conceded that a binding deal to combat climate change won't be reached until at least next year. Asia-Pacific leaders, including President Obama, have backed a proposal to only reach an interim political agreement at next month's climate talks in Copenhagen while postponing contentious decisions on emissions targets, financing and technology transfer until sometime in 2010. The delay has frustrated those who feel time is running out to prevent calamitous levels of climate change. See Democracy Now.

Next month, the December 1st Full Moon once more aspects the U.S. Chart, aligning with the Ascendant and with U.S. Uranus while transiting Uranus continues to square and oppose U.S. Mars and Neptune even more closely. President Obama is scheduled to make an important announcement December 1st regarding troop build-ups in Afghanistan. Since Uranus is involved, there could be surprises there. Other sensitive dates in December include December 16th, when the New Moon squares U.S. Neptune and also from the 21st to the 24th, when transiting Pluto and Saturn in aspect to the U.S. MC will be highlighted.

With Pluto and Saturn still square to each other and Uranus about to join them, the first half of 2010 looks to be even dicier than November has already demonstrated. Fasten your seat belts, and continue to spread awareness.