The morning's drop-and-pop has given me a nice entry point on the GDX for a short sale. I'm setting my stop at 34.87.

A couple of days ago, the New York Times had on its front page a story about how Wall Street paychecks had quickly returned to the peaks they had been in 2007.

Simply stated, it's like nothing ever happened.

What impresses me about this is that, bluntly stated, Americans are complete sheep. And they can't scale what real theft is.

If some poor soul breaks into a person's house and steals $50 in cash, no one in this country has a problem with the homeowner blowing the burglar's head off.

But if a group of senior banking executives effectively steals $50,000 from every house in America, no one says a word.

Well, that's not quite right. They do say a word. By Jiminy, they hoot 'n' holler for at least several days. Stern words are spoken! Firms editorials are printed! Goodness gracious, they get spitting mad! Let's see how long it lasts:

The graph above captures what I'm trying to say. It shows the instances of news attention focused on the 90% tax that was contemplated against AIG bonuses. Do you remember that? Yep, it was only a month ago, and hardly anyone remembers it. Because no one talks about it. Because outrage in America is measured in hours, not months.

I don't blame the Henry Paulsons, Vikram Pandits, or Lloyd Blankfeins of the world. I mean, look, if you can (a) run your business any way you like (b) be absolutely guaranteed, to the tune of trillions of dollars, that nothing you do will have any lasting consequence (c) know that the average citizen doesn't have the intelligence or patience to sustain any energy against you, wouldn't you just keep ripping everyone off? We are economically rational beings, after all. If this is a nation of sheep, why not simply keep fleecing them?

And so we shall continue to be. Because as long as Americans can get their $3 hot dogs at Costco (with unlimited refills on the accompanying soft drink), they're just fine and dandy.

There are a few folks I do feel sorry for, though. Those AIG executives who got guilted into returning their multi-million dollar bonuses out of fear that they'd be taxed out of them. Boy, I bet some of them feel really stupid. Because they actually thought Congress and the public would follow through! Wow.

Why do I think that? Because we're mashed up against the undersides of Fibonacci retracement levels and/or fan lines every which way you turn.

Well, this has nothing to do with charts or the markets. I just wanted to say something about Roy Orbison.

And it isn't because it's the day of his birth, or the day of his death, or that he's in the news. I just happened to watch (yet again) a little 20 minute video about the making of the Traveling Wilburys, and I am always struck by what kind of person Roy Orbison seemed to be.

First off, he had an incredible voice. Everyone recognizes that. But he endured an incredibly tragic life. One snippet, drawn from his Wikipedia entry, reads:

Orbison endured a great deal of tragedy in his relatively short life. His first wife, Claudette Frady, died in a motorcycle accident on June 6, 1966 in Gallatin, Tennessee. On September 14, 1968, the Orbison family home at Old Hickory Lake in Hendersonville, Tennessee, burned to the ground while Orbison was touring in England. Two of his three sons, Roy DeWayne (b. 1958) and Anthony King (b. 1962), died in the fire. His youngest son Wesley Kelton, who was three at the time, was saved by Orbison's parents.

I mean, can you imagine – – losing your wife and two sons in the span of two years? And he still managed to go on and be creative and productive.

What strikes me most about him is that, simply stated, he just seems so nice. Any time I see him from a show or documentary, he just seems so gentle and kind-hearted. He seems to me the best of what a person can hope to be – – talented, strong, and kind.

Oh, and it wasn't a bad day in the market either!

Renewed control from the bulls this week could push this to 165 easily, but my stop is so close – -153.42 – – that I am entering this short at current price levels.