Isn't it funny how the right always seems to have the "right" answers for everything... and it never involves the right? Nope, the banking troubles... caused by the left, the war, the deficit the decline of our society and all its ills... yep, liberals... the disgusting state of our union with its unregulated and unprecedented power and wealth-grab by the aristocracy, the systematic deconstruction of our rights and freedoms... caused by socialists.
Do they really think they can just will away reality and truth? Did they watch the Wizard of Oz so many times they think they can just click their heels and wish themselves back to Oz? Well you'd certainly think so round here.
They've fabricated a world that makes the yellow brick road of Oz, with its flying monkeys, talking scarecrows and witches from the four directions, seem par for the course. But even so, they seem as spellbound as the wicked witches minions when it comes to following commands... O wee O, oh waaay oh...
The financial troubles we face today had nothing to do with 8 years of right-wing ideology and their regulators asleep at the wheel... O wee O
Extolling a vibrant fiction of scary trees throwing apples, flying monkeys and goons, they forget the fact that it was right wing leadership who passed the bankruptcy act for the credit industry and has emptied our nation's pockets to pay off the very crooks who stole our nation... oh waaay oh
Or that their privatization policies and consolidation principles allow multinational corporations to hold us hostage for more ransom daily... or face millions of jobs lost... their foreign policy of imperialism has helped corporations expand to middle eastern oil fields, chinese labor pools, latin american resources and simply condoned diabolic chaos and genocide throughout the world and even within our secret "detention centers". O wee O, Oh way Oh!
Not even a wizard behind a curtain serving up their style of sensationalism and grandeur seems to be able to break the spell cast on these "fiscal con-servant-ives". They handily regurgitate hate-speak and lies while forming a fabric of conviction to justify every ill that befalls their little world of make-believe.
As our nation crashes into the very chaos that I and so many "rational lefties" have been warning about for years, these right-wing minions have assumed the costumes and garish colors of Oz and seem to prefer them.
They no longer cling to their true fiscal conservative (black and white tv) roots... they've traded them in for technicolor HDTV realities of consumption and consent. Ignoring the harshness of a desperate truth, they are content with their lazy-boys and surround sound, they enjoy visions of munchkins, and lollypops with occasional visits from witches and wizards.
Well we grayscale farmhands have tried again and again to awaken our "dorothy" friends who fell in with a pen full of pigs and their slop. Awaken them to the reality of the world they truly live in... which ain't no technicolor fantasy. Its troubled, suffering and in dire straits. But even in the darkest moments, our community -our nation- has proven we can, not only seek that sliver-lining in those dark clouds, but we can sew together a world of cooperation and community if only we can all learn to face the truth; that we're not lions, scarecrows, tin men and wizards, but people struggling together to make a just and sustainable future. And that in that struggle, we build tighter bonds and stronger communities than anything in make-believe.
I pray that our Right-wing Dorothies realize there's no place like home... and no benefit to clinging to their technicolor lifestyles of consumption and greed. For it is but a dream, and no wizard or witch can can keep them from realizing there's no place like hope... and no better time than now to awaken to it.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Thursday, November 06, 2008
The Time for Action is Now
To understand the meaning of the U.S. election results, it is worth looking back to the moment when everything changed for the Obama campaign. It was, without question, the moment when the economic crisis hit Wall Street.
Up to that point, things weren’t looking all that decisive for Barack Obama. The Democratic National Convention barely delivered a bump, while the appointment of Sarah Palin seemed to have shifted the momentum decisively over to John McCain.
Then, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac failed, followed by insurance giant AIG, then Lehman Brothers. It was in this moment of economic vertigo that Obama found a new language. With tremendous clarity, he turned his campaign into a referendum into the deregulation and trickle down policies that have dominated mainstream economic discourse since Ronald Reagan. He said his opponent represented more of the same while he stood for a new direction, one that would rebuild the economy from the ground up, rather than the top down. Obama stayed on this message for the rest of the campaign and, as we just saw, it worked.
The question now is whether Obama will have the courage to take the ideas that won him this election and turn them into policy. Or, alternately, whether he will use the financial crisis to rationalize a move to what pundits call “the middle” (if there is one thing this election has proved, it is that the "peoples" middle is far to the left of its previously advertised address). Predictably, Obama is already coming under enormous pressure to break his election promises, particularly those relating to raising taxes on the wealthy and imposing real environmental regulations on polluters. All day on the business networks, we hear that, in light of the economic crisis, corporations need lower taxes, and fewer regulations—in other words, more of the same.
The new president’s only hope of resisting this campaign being waged by the elites is if the remarkable grassroots movement that carried him to victory can somehow stay energized, networked, mobilized—and most of all, critical. Now that the election has been won, this movement's new missions should be clear: loudly holding Obama to his campaign promises, and letting the Democrats know that there will be consequences for betrayal.
The first order of business—and one that cannot wait until inauguration—must be halting the robbery-in-progress known as the “economic bailout.” Author, Activist, Journalist, Naomi Klein, has spent the past month examining the loopholes and conflicts of interest embedded in the U.S. Treasury Department’s plans. She's just published feature articles in Rolling Stone, The New Trough, and her column in The Nation, Bush’s Final Pillage.
Both these pieces argue that the $700-billion “rescue plan” should be regarded as the Bush Administration’s final heist. Not only does it transfer billions of dollars of public wealth into the hands of politically connected corporations (a Bush specialty), but it passes on such an enormous debt burden to the next administration that it will make real investments in green infrastructure and universal health care close to impossible. If this final looting is not stopped (and yes, there is still time), we can forget about Obama making good on the more progressive aspects of his campaign platform, let alone the hope that he will offer the country some kind of grand Green New Deal.
Klein's best selling book, The Shock Doctrine details how terrible thefts have a habit of taking place during periods of dramatic political transition. When societies are changing quickly, the media and the people are naturally focused on big “P” politics—who gets the top appointments, what was said in the most recent speech. Meanwhile, safe from public scrutiny, far reaching pro-corporate policies are locked into place, dramatically restricting future possibilities for real change. Wonder where Cheney's been since the "collapse"... busy busy busy...
But it’s not too late to halt the robbery in progress, though it cannot wait until inauguration. Several great initiatives to shift the nature of the bailout are already underway, including bailoutmainstreet.com. I added my name to the “Call to Action: Time for a 21st Century Green America” and invite you to do the same.
Stopping the bailout profiteers is about more than money. It is about democracy. Specifically, it is about whether Americans will be able to afford the change they have just voted for so conclusively.
(lifted from Naomi Klein)
Up to that point, things weren’t looking all that decisive for Barack Obama. The Democratic National Convention barely delivered a bump, while the appointment of Sarah Palin seemed to have shifted the momentum decisively over to John McCain.
Then, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac failed, followed by insurance giant AIG, then Lehman Brothers. It was in this moment of economic vertigo that Obama found a new language. With tremendous clarity, he turned his campaign into a referendum into the deregulation and trickle down policies that have dominated mainstream economic discourse since Ronald Reagan. He said his opponent represented more of the same while he stood for a new direction, one that would rebuild the economy from the ground up, rather than the top down. Obama stayed on this message for the rest of the campaign and, as we just saw, it worked.
The question now is whether Obama will have the courage to take the ideas that won him this election and turn them into policy. Or, alternately, whether he will use the financial crisis to rationalize a move to what pundits call “the middle” (if there is one thing this election has proved, it is that the "peoples" middle is far to the left of its previously advertised address). Predictably, Obama is already coming under enormous pressure to break his election promises, particularly those relating to raising taxes on the wealthy and imposing real environmental regulations on polluters. All day on the business networks, we hear that, in light of the economic crisis, corporations need lower taxes, and fewer regulations—in other words, more of the same.
The new president’s only hope of resisting this campaign being waged by the elites is if the remarkable grassroots movement that carried him to victory can somehow stay energized, networked, mobilized—and most of all, critical. Now that the election has been won, this movement's new missions should be clear: loudly holding Obama to his campaign promises, and letting the Democrats know that there will be consequences for betrayal.
The first order of business—and one that cannot wait until inauguration—must be halting the robbery-in-progress known as the “economic bailout.” Author, Activist, Journalist, Naomi Klein, has spent the past month examining the loopholes and conflicts of interest embedded in the U.S. Treasury Department’s plans. She's just published feature articles in Rolling Stone, The New Trough, and her column in The Nation, Bush’s Final Pillage.
Both these pieces argue that the $700-billion “rescue plan” should be regarded as the Bush Administration’s final heist. Not only does it transfer billions of dollars of public wealth into the hands of politically connected corporations (a Bush specialty), but it passes on such an enormous debt burden to the next administration that it will make real investments in green infrastructure and universal health care close to impossible. If this final looting is not stopped (and yes, there is still time), we can forget about Obama making good on the more progressive aspects of his campaign platform, let alone the hope that he will offer the country some kind of grand Green New Deal.
Klein's best selling book, The Shock Doctrine details how terrible thefts have a habit of taking place during periods of dramatic political transition. When societies are changing quickly, the media and the people are naturally focused on big “P” politics—who gets the top appointments, what was said in the most recent speech. Meanwhile, safe from public scrutiny, far reaching pro-corporate policies are locked into place, dramatically restricting future possibilities for real change. Wonder where Cheney's been since the "collapse"... busy busy busy...
But it’s not too late to halt the robbery in progress, though it cannot wait until inauguration. Several great initiatives to shift the nature of the bailout are already underway, including bailoutmainstreet.com. I added my name to the “Call to Action: Time for a 21st Century Green America” and invite you to do the same.
Stopping the bailout profiteers is about more than money. It is about democracy. Specifically, it is about whether Americans will be able to afford the change they have just voted for so conclusively.
(lifted from Naomi Klein)
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Paulson's Dirty Litle Secret
In an article recently, Joe Nocera the economic writer for the NYTimes, revealed what he calls "the dirty little secret of the banking industry"--namely, it has no intention of using the [government bailout] money to save small business. Its essential aim was to engineer a rapid consolidation of the American banking system by subsidizing a wave of takeovers of smaller financial firms by the most powerful banks." In other words, our money is being given to help the financial aristocracy consolidate their wealth and destroy our society.
Paulson, the former CEO of Goldman Sachs, wants to help his friends the speculative banks to acquire as many smaller, more stable savings banks as possible and is using his power to inject capital (our money) to force a new and hostile round of bank consolidation.
Nocera cites an employee-only conference call held October 17 by a top executive of JPMorgan Chase, the beneficiary of $25 billion in public funds. Nocera explains that he obtained the call-in number and was able to listen to a recording of the proceedings, unbeknownst to the executive, whom he declines to name.
Asked by one of the participants whether the $25 billion in federal funding will "change our strategic lending policy," the executive replies: "What we do think, it will help us to be a little bit more active on the acquisition side or opportunistic side for some banks who are still struggling."
Referring to JPMorgan's recent government-backed acquisition of two large competitors, the executive continues: "And I would not assume that we are done on the acquisition side just because of the Washington Mutual and Bear Stearns mergers. I think there are going to be some great opportunities for us to grow in this environment, and I think we have an opportunity to use that $25 billion in that way, and obviously depending on whether recession turns into depression or what happens in the future, you know, we have that as a backstop."
As Nocera notes: "Read that answer as many times as you want--you are not going to find a single word in there about making loans to help the American economy."
Later in the conference call the same executive states that they will tighten credit and actually SHRINK loaning which will drive up the rates for loans... and their profits.
Paulson and other Treasury officials have made public statements calling on the banks that receive public funds to use them to increase their lending activities. That, however, is pure propaganda. The bailout program imposes no lending requirements on the banks in return for government cash.
The wealth consolidation is already starting to appear, early this month, (in a nearly unnoticed move) Paulson put in place a new tax break worth billions of dollars to his friends, allowing the acquiring bank to immediately write-off any losses on the books of the banks they take over. This will in fact, encourage bank mergers.
We already know the credit crisis bailout has prompted the takeover of Bear Stearns and Washington Mutual by JPMorgan, Merrill Lynch by Bank of America, Wachovia by Wells Fargo but last Friday, National City Bank was aggressively acquired by PNC ( a Pittsburg-based financial giant)
The Wall Street Journal on Saturday called the acquisition of National City a "strong-arm sale", but also provides a taste of what is to come. Paulson and his Treasury Department sealed the fate of the Cleveland-based National City bank by denying them any government bailout. But then it then Pittsburgh-based PNC $7.7 billion from to help takeover National City. Now PNC can write off all the debt of National City with Paulson's new tax write-off on mergers.
All of the claims that were made to justify the bank bailout seem to be as truthful as the lies BushCo gave for invading Iraq. President Bush, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and Paulson told the Democratic congressional leadership and Barack Obama that the bailout had to be passed, and passed immediately, despite massive popular opposition. Those who opposed the plan were denounced for jeopardizing the well being of the American people.
Though this time, several Republican leaders, like Jim Sensenbrenner, held out for and additional $150B in earmarks—but more importantly, they now are on record as opposing the bill so when Americans finally realize this deception... these Congressmen will look like Russ Feingold did after the Patriot Act was exposed— as heroes of the people!
What a sham, what a clever move in a well- constructed plan to topple our rights and freedom.
In a nationally televised speech delivered September 24, in advance of the congressional vote on the bailout plan, Bush said it would "help American consumers and businessmen get credit to meet their daily needs and create jobs." If the bailout was not passed, he warned, "More banks could fail, including some in your community. The stock market would drop even more, which would reduce the value of your retirement account.... More businesses would close their doors, and millions of Americans could lose their jobs ... ultimately, our country could experience a long and painful recession."
One month after his bailout was enacted... and all of the dire developments he said the bailout would fix--banks and businesses disappearing, the stock market plunging, unemployment skyrocketing- are happening with accelerating speed.
While Obama talks about the need for all Americans to "come together" in a spirit of "shared sacrifice" what he doesn't want to say--is that this bailout is sucking any and all money he might have used for his social programs.--meaning drastic cuts in Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security in addition to not affording universal healthcare, better schools and infrastructure.
But so too, would McCain find this "crisis" will also make it impossible for him to give the wealthy tax cuts and bailout plans he's been touting.... The darker side being... his handlers may actually push the tax cuts through and accelerate the collapse of our nation.
As Naomi Klein theorized in her book "The Shock Doctrine, the "economic rescue" plan is a scheme to plunder society for the benefit of the financial aristocracy. The American ruling elite, utilizing its domination of the state and the two-party political system, is exploiting a crisis of its own making to carry through an economic agenda, long in preparation, that could not be imposed under normal conditions.
The result will be at least greater economic hardship for ordinary Americans but possibly herald the death of Democracy. The few newly consolidated mega-banks will have near absolute market control to set interest rates and provide credit to workers, students, families and small businesses. The government is organizing a restructuring of the financial system that will enable a handful of mega-banks to have ultimate power over society.
How is this not unlike the same aristocratic elite plotting the wealth consolidation and overthrow of our government in 1933 during the last economic collapse?
This time, it seems they may well have succeeded.
Paulson, the former CEO of Goldman Sachs, wants to help his friends the speculative banks to acquire as many smaller, more stable savings banks as possible and is using his power to inject capital (our money) to force a new and hostile round of bank consolidation.
Nocera cites an employee-only conference call held October 17 by a top executive of JPMorgan Chase, the beneficiary of $25 billion in public funds. Nocera explains that he obtained the call-in number and was able to listen to a recording of the proceedings, unbeknownst to the executive, whom he declines to name.
Asked by one of the participants whether the $25 billion in federal funding will "change our strategic lending policy," the executive replies: "What we do think, it will help us to be a little bit more active on the acquisition side or opportunistic side for some banks who are still struggling."
Referring to JPMorgan's recent government-backed acquisition of two large competitors, the executive continues: "And I would not assume that we are done on the acquisition side just because of the Washington Mutual and Bear Stearns mergers. I think there are going to be some great opportunities for us to grow in this environment, and I think we have an opportunity to use that $25 billion in that way, and obviously depending on whether recession turns into depression or what happens in the future, you know, we have that as a backstop."
As Nocera notes: "Read that answer as many times as you want--you are not going to find a single word in there about making loans to help the American economy."
Later in the conference call the same executive states that they will tighten credit and actually SHRINK loaning which will drive up the rates for loans... and their profits.
Paulson and other Treasury officials have made public statements calling on the banks that receive public funds to use them to increase their lending activities. That, however, is pure propaganda. The bailout program imposes no lending requirements on the banks in return for government cash.
The wealth consolidation is already starting to appear, early this month, (in a nearly unnoticed move) Paulson put in place a new tax break worth billions of dollars to his friends, allowing the acquiring bank to immediately write-off any losses on the books of the banks they take over. This will in fact, encourage bank mergers.
We already know the credit crisis bailout has prompted the takeover of Bear Stearns and Washington Mutual by JPMorgan, Merrill Lynch by Bank of America, Wachovia by Wells Fargo but last Friday, National City Bank was aggressively acquired by PNC ( a Pittsburg-based financial giant)
The Wall Street Journal on Saturday called the acquisition of National City a "strong-arm sale", but also provides a taste of what is to come. Paulson and his Treasury Department sealed the fate of the Cleveland-based National City bank by denying them any government bailout. But then it then Pittsburgh-based PNC $7.7 billion from to help takeover National City. Now PNC can write off all the debt of National City with Paulson's new tax write-off on mergers.
All of the claims that were made to justify the bank bailout seem to be as truthful as the lies BushCo gave for invading Iraq. President Bush, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and Paulson told the Democratic congressional leadership and Barack Obama that the bailout had to be passed, and passed immediately, despite massive popular opposition. Those who opposed the plan were denounced for jeopardizing the well being of the American people.
Though this time, several Republican leaders, like Jim Sensenbrenner, held out for and additional $150B in earmarks—but more importantly, they now are on record as opposing the bill so when Americans finally realize this deception... these Congressmen will look like Russ Feingold did after the Patriot Act was exposed— as heroes of the people!
What a sham, what a clever move in a well- constructed plan to topple our rights and freedom.
In a nationally televised speech delivered September 24, in advance of the congressional vote on the bailout plan, Bush said it would "help American consumers and businessmen get credit to meet their daily needs and create jobs." If the bailout was not passed, he warned, "More banks could fail, including some in your community. The stock market would drop even more, which would reduce the value of your retirement account.... More businesses would close their doors, and millions of Americans could lose their jobs ... ultimately, our country could experience a long and painful recession."
One month after his bailout was enacted... and all of the dire developments he said the bailout would fix--banks and businesses disappearing, the stock market plunging, unemployment skyrocketing- are happening with accelerating speed.
While Obama talks about the need for all Americans to "come together" in a spirit of "shared sacrifice" what he doesn't want to say--is that this bailout is sucking any and all money he might have used for his social programs.--meaning drastic cuts in Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security in addition to not affording universal healthcare, better schools and infrastructure.
But so too, would McCain find this "crisis" will also make it impossible for him to give the wealthy tax cuts and bailout plans he's been touting.... The darker side being... his handlers may actually push the tax cuts through and accelerate the collapse of our nation.
As Naomi Klein theorized in her book "The Shock Doctrine, the "economic rescue" plan is a scheme to plunder society for the benefit of the financial aristocracy. The American ruling elite, utilizing its domination of the state and the two-party political system, is exploiting a crisis of its own making to carry through an economic agenda, long in preparation, that could not be imposed under normal conditions.
The result will be at least greater economic hardship for ordinary Americans but possibly herald the death of Democracy. The few newly consolidated mega-banks will have near absolute market control to set interest rates and provide credit to workers, students, families and small businesses. The government is organizing a restructuring of the financial system that will enable a handful of mega-banks to have ultimate power over society.
How is this not unlike the same aristocratic elite plotting the wealth consolidation and overthrow of our government in 1933 during the last economic collapse?
This time, it seems they may well have succeeded.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Disaster Capitalism
We’re seeing another very dramatic example of the Economic Shock-Thearapy right now with this extortionist kind of tactic playing out in Washington. BushCo says “Sign this blank check, or we’re all going down, Wall Street, your savings pensions and 401ks—you know, The Sky is Falling!!!”
Just like the days following 9/11 when BushCo pushed through the USA Patriot Act and forced Congress to vote on a (still hot from the duplicator machines) 597 page rewrite of the Constitution before noon that day! I think most every American can agree there are many parts of that "book" that turned out to not be in the best interests of freedom and democracy. But in his rhetoric, Bush said 'yer either with us or against us' and barring our own Russ Feingold it passed nearly unanimously.
Well here we are at the autumn of the Bush residency... and here again we're facing another "sky is falling—pass this by friday" shock doctrine. The game is the same, use fear to keep the flock in line. Scare America into doing the wrong thing because its their ONLY choice... and its gotta happen by tomorrow- or else!
So what is this Economic Shock-Therapy? Milton Friedman coined it as a way to bring about radical economic changes that would normally be highly controversial—Disaster Capitalism. Following a disaster, the citizens are softened up and rally behind perceived leadership. Precisely the time to slip-in radical changes (like torture, spying, wars, deregulation and consolidation) wrapped in the form of a security blanket (or flag).
Naome Klein has written a book detailing many historic examples of this technique and its use. The Shock Doctrine gives perhaps the blueprints for todays financial shock treatment delivered by Bush's Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson.
It’s interesting who Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson is, he served as an assistant to Richard Nixon’s assistant, Watergate "plumber" John Ehrlichman. From there he moved right to Goldman Sachs, where he became the head of it.
BusinessWeek magazine ran an article just after Paulson was appointed by Bush in 2006, Mr Risk Goes to Washington, It says, “Think of Paulson as Mr. Risk. He’s one of the key architects of a more daring Wall Street, where securities firms are taking greater and greater chances in [their] pursuit of profits. By some key measures, the securities industry is more leveraged now than it was at the height of the 1990s boom." When Paulson took over Goldman Sachs in 1999, they had $20 billion in high-risk gambles—When he left, they had $100 billion.
Henry Paulson isn't speaking for Main Street, he's bailing out his colleagues for some of the very debts that he himself accumulated.
Last night the pResident addressed the nation urging Congress and the citizens to immediately accept and implement his Economic Plan. A plan he said his economic advisors have been working on for weeks. Well Folks, its all of three pages long.
Paulson said that he thought it would be presumptuous to put in clauses calling for regulation. But this is absolute nonsense. Section 2 of the same document talks about how they have the right to hire contractors to administer this huge operation, and we know that that means contracting with some of the very firms who are going to be bailed out. And then it says that it would be—they would be contracting them without regard to any other provision of law regarding public contracts.
Hello??? What are we, Iraq? This document grants complete immunity from oversight and prosecution that the contractors have in Iraq, if not more. Basically what they are saying is that Paulson can contract with private companies AND exempt those companies from the existing law. No conflict of interest, no whistleblowing, in fact way to prosecute them if we learn in six months that they've broken every law on the books.
...in times of crisis, when people are panicked, we’ve seen again and again the right push through radical pro-corporate policies, what they call “free market reforms,” precisely because it is in a crisis where the space for debate rapidly closes, and you can invoke this state of emergency to say we have no choice.
They’re getting this—they’re lobbying for this huge bailout, obviously, but this bailout is a kind of a time bomb, because it’s all these bad debts, and they are going to explode on the next administration. I mean, we know that the Bush administration has already left the next administration with huge debt and deficit problems. They’ve just exploded those, expanded them. And what that means is that whoever the next president is is going to be inheriting this economic crisis that is being exacerbated by this bailout.
Welcome to Disaster Capitalism -
and the next installment of The Shock Doctrine.
Just like the days following 9/11 when BushCo pushed through the USA Patriot Act and forced Congress to vote on a (still hot from the duplicator machines) 597 page rewrite of the Constitution before noon that day! I think most every American can agree there are many parts of that "book" that turned out to not be in the best interests of freedom and democracy. But in his rhetoric, Bush said 'yer either with us or against us' and barring our own Russ Feingold it passed nearly unanimously.Well here we are at the autumn of the Bush residency... and here again we're facing another "sky is falling—pass this by friday" shock doctrine. The game is the same, use fear to keep the flock in line. Scare America into doing the wrong thing because its their ONLY choice... and its gotta happen by tomorrow- or else!
So what is this Economic Shock-Therapy? Milton Friedman coined it as a way to bring about radical economic changes that would normally be highly controversial—Disaster Capitalism. Following a disaster, the citizens are softened up and rally behind perceived leadership. Precisely the time to slip-in radical changes (like torture, spying, wars, deregulation and consolidation) wrapped in the form of a security blanket (or flag).
Naome Klein has written a book detailing many historic examples of this technique and its use. The Shock Doctrine gives perhaps the blueprints for todays financial shock treatment delivered by Bush's Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson.
It’s interesting who Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson is, he served as an assistant to Richard Nixon’s assistant, Watergate "plumber" John Ehrlichman. From there he moved right to Goldman Sachs, where he became the head of it.
BusinessWeek magazine ran an article just after Paulson was appointed by Bush in 2006, Mr Risk Goes to Washington, It says, “Think of Paulson as Mr. Risk. He’s one of the key architects of a more daring Wall Street, where securities firms are taking greater and greater chances in [their] pursuit of profits. By some key measures, the securities industry is more leveraged now than it was at the height of the 1990s boom." When Paulson took over Goldman Sachs in 1999, they had $20 billion in high-risk gambles—When he left, they had $100 billion.
Henry Paulson isn't speaking for Main Street, he's bailing out his colleagues for some of the very debts that he himself accumulated.
Last night the pResident addressed the nation urging Congress and the citizens to immediately accept and implement his Economic Plan. A plan he said his economic advisors have been working on for weeks. Well Folks, its all of three pages long.
Paulson said that he thought it would be presumptuous to put in clauses calling for regulation. But this is absolute nonsense. Section 2 of the same document talks about how they have the right to hire contractors to administer this huge operation, and we know that that means contracting with some of the very firms who are going to be bailed out. And then it says that it would be—they would be contracting them without regard to any other provision of law regarding public contracts.
Hello??? What are we, Iraq? This document grants complete immunity from oversight and prosecution that the contractors have in Iraq, if not more. Basically what they are saying is that Paulson can contract with private companies AND exempt those companies from the existing law. No conflict of interest, no whistleblowing, in fact way to prosecute them if we learn in six months that they've broken every law on the books.
...in times of crisis, when people are panicked, we’ve seen again and again the right push through radical pro-corporate policies, what they call “free market reforms,” precisely because it is in a crisis where the space for debate rapidly closes, and you can invoke this state of emergency to say we have no choice.
They’re getting this—they’re lobbying for this huge bailout, obviously, but this bailout is a kind of a time bomb, because it’s all these bad debts, and they are going to explode on the next administration. I mean, we know that the Bush administration has already left the next administration with huge debt and deficit problems. They’ve just exploded those, expanded them. And what that means is that whoever the next president is is going to be inheriting this economic crisis that is being exacerbated by this bailout.
Welcome to Disaster Capitalism -
and the next installment of The Shock Doctrine.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Obsession: War on the Truth
Sept 14, 2008 should most certainly be heralded as the day the term "Liberal Media" was finally exposed for the fiction from which it was coined. Yesterday a half-million of copies of a propaganda video were distributed in 75 newspapers across the US...
The Swiftboat-like 501c3 organization, the ClarionFund, paid an undisclosed amount for the inserts to be distributed in Key Swing States including the Milwaukee Journal/Sentinel, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and prominent papers within Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Florida, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Iowa and Nevada.
careful this is a loud and dramatic piece of propaganda...
click with care!
Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West, a hate-film touted as a documentary, produced in Israel by several right wing groups, who are also financial supporters of the McCain Campaign. The film played on FOX and CNN television during the run-up to the 2006 elections and has been repeatedly shown at the bush-controlled CIA and Pentagon as "learning tools" for new agents.
This propaganda is the latest stunt pulled by the right and its media partners. By reaching out to millions of readers with this ready-to-eat propaganda, they controlled the entire message without anyone being able to respond, review or refute the lies, deception and misinformation. Some newspapers who've already been inundated by angry subscribers have responded that the inclusion of paid advertisements with samples are not new.
But as one subscriber noted, "A box of cereal? Toothpaste? Does a box of cereal or a tube of toothpaste encourage me to look with hatred and suspicion on my law abiding neighbors who have a different religion than mine? The trailer for this video is about hate, pure and simple, and shows the video has only one goal -- to instill fear and hatred of neighbor against neighbor."
Touting ridiculous "awards" from right-wing film festivals like the Liberty Film Festival, this slick piece of Israeli propaganda stops at nothing to use the very techniques its sites as the "ways radical Islam and Nazi Germany" fooled their countrymen. It even goes so far as to co-opt several historic quotes by people who spoke against the very schemes and techniques THEY are using... to rally support.
People, you should be outraged. This is a blatant propaganda piece sponsored by a foreign nation, used to coerce the voters of the US to throw another election. If this is what we can expect from for-profit papers and media consolidation, this will become the future of propaganda.
Rich elitists, Multinational Corporations and Foreign Nations with deep pockets, can fabricate lies and deception with flashy packaging and full motion video to reach millions of voters. People, if we tolerate this violation of our public trust, we've truly lost our democracy.
What are you going to say to big media? Will you hold them accountable for the information they provide- or will you quietly sit by and watch fourth branch of government become as corrupt as the rest?
The Swiftboat-like 501c3 organization, the ClarionFund, paid an undisclosed amount for the inserts to be distributed in Key Swing States including the Milwaukee Journal/Sentinel, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and prominent papers within Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Florida, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Iowa and Nevada.
careful this is a loud and dramatic piece of propaganda...
click with care!
Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West, a hate-film touted as a documentary, produced in Israel by several right wing groups, who are also financial supporters of the McCain Campaign. The film played on FOX and CNN television during the run-up to the 2006 elections and has been repeatedly shown at the bush-controlled CIA and Pentagon as "learning tools" for new agents.
This propaganda is the latest stunt pulled by the right and its media partners. By reaching out to millions of readers with this ready-to-eat propaganda, they controlled the entire message without anyone being able to respond, review or refute the lies, deception and misinformation. Some newspapers who've already been inundated by angry subscribers have responded that the inclusion of paid advertisements with samples are not new.
But as one subscriber noted, "A box of cereal? Toothpaste? Does a box of cereal or a tube of toothpaste encourage me to look with hatred and suspicion on my law abiding neighbors who have a different religion than mine? The trailer for this video is about hate, pure and simple, and shows the video has only one goal -- to instill fear and hatred of neighbor against neighbor."
Touting ridiculous "awards" from right-wing film festivals like the Liberty Film Festival, this slick piece of Israeli propaganda stops at nothing to use the very techniques its sites as the "ways radical Islam and Nazi Germany" fooled their countrymen. It even goes so far as to co-opt several historic quotes by people who spoke against the very schemes and techniques THEY are using... to rally support.
People, you should be outraged. This is a blatant propaganda piece sponsored by a foreign nation, used to coerce the voters of the US to throw another election. If this is what we can expect from for-profit papers and media consolidation, this will become the future of propaganda.
Rich elitists, Multinational Corporations and Foreign Nations with deep pockets, can fabricate lies and deception with flashy packaging and full motion video to reach millions of voters. People, if we tolerate this violation of our public trust, we've truly lost our democracy.
What are you going to say to big media? Will you hold them accountable for the information they provide- or will you quietly sit by and watch fourth branch of government become as corrupt as the rest?
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Whats right on Free Sppech
Andy Griffin tells Opie what the 4th Amendment means... Too bad our Justice System is too busy trampling the Constitution to watch... Do you care?
Some say that the rules have changed since 9/11...
I say yes... with the military Commissions Act and the covert actions of this admnistration the rules certainly hve changed... we're a police-state on the verge of bankruptcy. We're an agressor nation with Imperial motives... oh the bushies tell you we only want to make democracy for all nations. Hello? their definition of Democracy means sujugate that nation and take its resources. Prop up a ficticious government and have multinational corporations run the operations.
Some say that the rules have changed since 9/11...
I say yes... with the military Commissions Act and the covert actions of this admnistration the rules certainly hve changed... we're a police-state on the verge of bankruptcy. We're an agressor nation with Imperial motives... oh the bushies tell you we only want to make democracy for all nations. Hello? their definition of Democracy means sujugate that nation and take its resources. Prop up a ficticious government and have multinational corporations run the operations.
Monday, June 23, 2008
George Carlin RIP
He always played with our sense of the obvious...didn't he?
Were'nt we an interesting lot, for him.
Gonna miss his clarity and wit.
George Carlin Nails It
Were'nt we an interesting lot, for him.
Gonna miss his clarity and wit.
George Carlin Nails It
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Monday, June 09, 2008
gMail's dirty lil secret!
Google, once a fantastic example of all that is good about Free Market Capitalism and the American Dream... now just another multinational publicly traded corporate monster. Yes Sergey Brin and Larry Page, the darling 20 somethings who, met at Stanford and decided conquer the world... Along the way they were offered an obscene amount of money to sell off their idealism to the devil... tell me, who could resist a $24 Billion IPO?
Fast forward, the company who claims its motto is "do no evil" has some interesting preactices in it gMail division... Yes as the giant internet corporations vie for total control of information, plenty of questionable evil is leveled on an increasingly uneven playfield. Lets look at their email program, which encourages people to keep their private email stored on their online servers as long as they like... because Google has so dog-gone much server space. no biggie!
They tell you to leave you mail on their system and tease you with an "our servers feel unloved" tag if you don't acquiese. But what do they really mean when they say this? Why would anyone encourage us to be messy, to not bother emptying trash cuz they got such big wastebaskets?
Well if the reason they want you to leave your private correspondence is so their internet bots and spiders can back up all your email into their "secure" servers... would you feel like loving their servers? True THEY may have the best of intentions for snooping on your mail... They say its only to help make a better internet experience for you... AdSense and the googleplex idea has been to learn your habits, your friends, your favorite sites and keywords... to help you find more online... And I believe them.
But ever since Dick Cheney gave Retroactive Immunity to the Telcos for giving the neocons access to our emails and browsing logs.... I really have no love for their huge servers. But I believed Google was still an honest corporation... not EVERY one is evil....
But now, their latest email feature has really got me wondering. Custom Time is is a way to backdate your emails so now you can send people emails and claim it went out on time. Have a deadline? not any more! How bout a birthday you missed? never again. Didn't file you eTaxes on time? send it dated April14th!
What the heck is this... Permission to lie? I think "do no evil" has been replaced with "allow for evil" - and thats just not cool. And look who's been invited to attend the ultra-secret shadow world government Bilderberg Group Meeting held last weekend in Virginia... Eric Schmidt, Eric-Chairman of the Executive Committee and CEO at Google. No conspiracy or collusion of world corporate interests there... just a myspace party...er thats murdoch's social website.
Fast forward, the company who claims its motto is "do no evil" has some interesting preactices in it gMail division... Yes as the giant internet corporations vie for total control of information, plenty of questionable evil is leveled on an increasingly uneven playfield. Lets look at their email program, which encourages people to keep their private email stored on their online servers as long as they like... because Google has so dog-gone much server space. no biggie!
They tell you to leave you mail on their system and tease you with an "our servers feel unloved" tag if you don't acquiese. But what do they really mean when they say this? Why would anyone encourage us to be messy, to not bother emptying trash cuz they got such big wastebaskets?
Well if the reason they want you to leave your private correspondence is so their internet bots and spiders can back up all your email into their "secure" servers... would you feel like loving their servers? True THEY may have the best of intentions for snooping on your mail... They say its only to help make a better internet experience for you... AdSense and the googleplex idea has been to learn your habits, your friends, your favorite sites and keywords... to help you find more online... And I believe them. But ever since Dick Cheney gave Retroactive Immunity to the Telcos for giving the neocons access to our emails and browsing logs.... I really have no love for their huge servers. But I believed Google was still an honest corporation... not EVERY one is evil....
But now, their latest email feature has really got me wondering. Custom Time is is a way to backdate your emails so now you can send people emails and claim it went out on time. Have a deadline? not any more! How bout a birthday you missed? never again. Didn't file you eTaxes on time? send it dated April14th!
What the heck is this... Permission to lie? I think "do no evil" has been replaced with "allow for evil" - and thats just not cool. And look who's been invited to attend the ultra-secret shadow world government Bilderberg Group Meeting held last weekend in Virginia... Eric Schmidt, Eric-Chairman of the Executive Committee and CEO at Google. No conspiracy or collusion of world corporate interests there... just a myspace party...er thats murdoch's social website.
Sunday, June 08, 2008
ChangeCongress.org
Lawrence Lessig's speech at the National Conference on Media Reform in Minneapolis. Lessig has the best interactive presentation style today... and his message is no less important. Here his point that without a fair Congress, how can we begin to reform Media? Washington DC Lobbyists have DOUBLED since BushCo took office... even though an increasing majority of citizens are against Media Consolidation... Congress continues to consolidate media to Corporations.
Before we create fair Net Neutrality Laws, we need PUBLICALLY FUNDED ELECTIONS for Congress, State and Local Government, and for our Justices...
Get Big Business out of our Business!
Before we create fair Net Neutrality Laws, we need PUBLICALLY FUNDED ELECTIONS for Congress, State and Local Government, and for our Justices...
Get Big Business out of our Business!
Saturday, June 07, 2008
Moyers @ Media Conference
Minnesota Media Reform Conference has Bill Moyers' 40 minutes of truth... like light in a dark shadowed corporate vaacuum... here we are now....
Communication Revolution
We are at an historic moment in our history where we are at a confluence of events that will determine the fate of free speech and access to information for generations to come.
The 2008 Media Reform Conference in Minneapolis is the epicenter of the resistance to Corporate-Owned Media and its newest attack on public property, namely to privatize the ownership, regulation and content of the internet.
Many citizens are as of yet unaware that all forms of communication content will soon be delivered via the internet: Telephone, Television, Movies, Video-links, Information Resources, Commerce, Websites, Blogs, Magazines, News, Games and adult entertainment.
Heretofore separated into a variety of government regulated mediums, like telephone, broadcast and commerce... this new medium, "a series of tubes" as the esteemed head of the Senate department who oversees the regulation of the internet, Republican, Sen Ted Stevens, calls it, is right now having its regulatory future decided by our politicians.
The model for conducting business is migrating to online delivery and now the rules for conducting that business, the policies and regulations are being formed in Washington. So this is the time for the citizens to help guide our leadership to create responsible and fair rules to govern the use, ownership, access and content distribution of the internet going forward.
Already, mighty Corporate Communications giants are heavily lobbying Congress to privatize the internet, granting them free reign to censor, limit and control access to information and content. They are trying to erase all the regulatory laws that have governed their use of telephone and television space by rewriting the internet laws at their discression.
This revolution is going on unbeknownst to the average citizen as these same Communication Giants are doing everything in their power to squelch, censor or discredit any effort to inform citizens and policymakers to keep the internet neutral and regulated.
This is the most important battle of our time. For without neutral access to information, truth can be concealed, access can be denied, ideas can be squelched and our future can be narrowed to fit in the pocketbooks of a small number of multinational corporate feifdoms who will have ultimate control of not only our nation, but our planet.
The 2008 Media Reform Conference in Minneapolis is the epicenter of the resistance to Corporate-Owned Media and its newest attack on public property, namely to privatize the ownership, regulation and content of the internet.
Many citizens are as of yet unaware that all forms of communication content will soon be delivered via the internet: Telephone, Television, Movies, Video-links, Information Resources, Commerce, Websites, Blogs, Magazines, News, Games and adult entertainment.
Heretofore separated into a variety of government regulated mediums, like telephone, broadcast and commerce... this new medium, "a series of tubes" as the esteemed head of the Senate department who oversees the regulation of the internet, Republican, Sen Ted Stevens, calls it, is right now having its regulatory future decided by our politicians.
The model for conducting business is migrating to online delivery and now the rules for conducting that business, the policies and regulations are being formed in Washington. So this is the time for the citizens to help guide our leadership to create responsible and fair rules to govern the use, ownership, access and content distribution of the internet going forward.
Already, mighty Corporate Communications giants are heavily lobbying Congress to privatize the internet, granting them free reign to censor, limit and control access to information and content. They are trying to erase all the regulatory laws that have governed their use of telephone and television space by rewriting the internet laws at their discression.
This revolution is going on unbeknownst to the average citizen as these same Communication Giants are doing everything in their power to squelch, censor or discredit any effort to inform citizens and policymakers to keep the internet neutral and regulated.
This is the most important battle of our time. For without neutral access to information, truth can be concealed, access can be denied, ideas can be squelched and our future can be narrowed to fit in the pocketbooks of a small number of multinational corporate feifdoms who will have ultimate control of not only our nation, but our planet.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Condi Must Go!
Rove Must Go, Rummy Must GO, Ashcroft Must Go,
Libby Must Go, Tenet Must Go, Abermoff Must Go,
DeLay Must Go, Gonzalez must Go, how many must go?
before the quietly content consevatives begin to add it up?
This administration is going... piece by piece...
when are people going to accept the reality that the leadership
MUST GO.... NOW!
This is the perfect example of what you get when you look the other way instead of confronting the truth... now these leaders have become so familiar with their lies and propaganda that they forgot the web they weaved to get to this point... and make careless mistakes....
But no slip of the tongue can compare with the slip of judgment the conservative right are content to accept in order to continue their comfortable lifestyles - at any cost. Well the cost is our freedom, our nation and ... yes... our lifestyles.
This administration has been AGAIN caught in lies. Caught in acts of treason that are punishable- not by simply firing a few close allies- but by jailing and perhaps executing the leadership... if capital punishment is good for minorities and small time offenders... then isn't it good for politicians, businessmen, military leaders and the media leadership guilty of treason?
Yes Condi Will Go... but only if you take action... because the mainstream corporate media is not covering this issue... they are on Pope-a-Dope watch... and this story is being silenced but for a few mentions to keep the illusion of balance.
As long as this administration- CHENEY and Bush, remain in power... amnesty, immunity, and pardons are given away like treats at the dentists office. We can expect no justice or ethics to come til someone hangs like Saddham from a rope.
So much for conservation or belief in ethical moral conduct...
Conservative (as it is presented today)- MUST GO!
<
Libby Must Go, Tenet Must Go, Abermoff Must Go,
DeLay Must Go, Gonzalez must Go, how many must go?
before the quietly content consevatives begin to add it up?
This administration is going... piece by piece...
when are people going to accept the reality that the leadership
MUST GO.... NOW!
This is the perfect example of what you get when you look the other way instead of confronting the truth... now these leaders have become so familiar with their lies and propaganda that they forgot the web they weaved to get to this point... and make careless mistakes....
But no slip of the tongue can compare with the slip of judgment the conservative right are content to accept in order to continue their comfortable lifestyles - at any cost. Well the cost is our freedom, our nation and ... yes... our lifestyles.
This administration has been AGAIN caught in lies. Caught in acts of treason that are punishable- not by simply firing a few close allies- but by jailing and perhaps executing the leadership... if capital punishment is good for minorities and small time offenders... then isn't it good for politicians, businessmen, military leaders and the media leadership guilty of treason?
Yes Condi Will Go... but only if you take action... because the mainstream corporate media is not covering this issue... they are on Pope-a-Dope watch... and this story is being silenced but for a few mentions to keep the illusion of balance.
As long as this administration- CHENEY and Bush, remain in power... amnesty, immunity, and pardons are given away like treats at the dentists office. We can expect no justice or ethics to come til someone hangs like Saddham from a rope.
So much for conservation or belief in ethical moral conduct...
Conservative (as it is presented today)- MUST GO!
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