America Embraces Communism, Russia Chuckles
Dave
Correction from prior email:
Virtual march is Saturday the 24th (not Thursday the 24th).
http://www.350kc.org/ music @2 by Checkered Past; your priceless presence requested for group photo at 3:30
http://www.350.org/ now at 4317 actions in 171 countries. That’s up from 3559 registered actions in 161 countries, three days ago. Leveraging efforts and magnifying yourself by supporting grass roots activism like this can make all the difference.
Come an experience this neat idea with peeps across the world. Come and explore for yourselves how you may be able to utilize/adapt this virtual march idea for your other social justice projects.
Dave
5 segments below:
Goldman
Attachment, links, It Takes a Pillage
“script”
What to do about politicians?
Invitation to add your voice to GKCDFA or just to attend “This I Believe” Wed., Nov. 4
Reported Oct. 16 on MSNBC’s Morning Meeting: Goldman gets 2nd best earnings in its history.
Reported Oct. 20: Goldman to pay $23B in exec bonuses, which is largest payout (looting) in US history
Goldman gets record earnings as a result of investing the
$63B that gov played 3 card monte/shell game w/ your taxpayer dollars.
Without those funds, Goldman would actually be defunct instead of (like AIG)
now giving out record bonuses (thanking the den of thieves for their mismanagement
fiasco that opened the doors for them and gov to legally steal your money
>> communism/rose by any other name?).
In short: Goldman, your “public-trust” elected/packaged representatives, and Wall St. screwed up (or not really “screwed up” and is just the latest defrauding of the public?) and laughed all the way back to their own banks.
Neighborhood home values and assets worldwide plummeted.
Nation in biggest financial bind of their lives are taxed some more.
Funds given to these (unapologetic) firms to invest in Main St.
They instead invest in Wall St. (duh!!!) buying up your rock bottom homes and assets.
They have orgy with Fed/Congress/AIG…
They buy low (as a result of the crisis they created) with your dollars!
They keep credit markets frozen and ride the wave as the assets and homes increase in value (assets good people no longer own; record high foreclosed homes people no longer live in), with DOW now again topping 10,000.
They continue payoffs to lobbyists.
Goldman and lobbyists payoff politicians at fancy fundraisers (and with not-publicly-spoken promise of lucrative positions awaiting the politicians, for when they get promoted from their “minimum wage/entry level jobs” of learning how to bankrupt the Public).
Every man, woman, and child just got $38+K in debt that they would’ve otherwise spent differently --like keeping their homes (instead of AIG execs sunning themselves on retreats/”trainings”/bonuses). Your money, their pockets (“communist” oligarchic reallocation/rose by any other name).
3-card Monte and Shell Games from “Wall-Congress St.” successfully lighten your wallet again.
Your head is spinning.
You’re too dazed and tired to send an email, attend a meeting/organize, speak to your neighbor, or try to do something about it.
This may go down as the biggest mass theft in history. I say “may” because if the electorate doesn’t make some noise (just as this scandal makes the last S&L scandal look like chump-change), are you willing to afford to let them do it to you again for more?
R U paying attention?
You’d report it/go to trial/do something if someone did that to you at gun point. Why be silent about it just because of the complexities of them doing it by pulling puppet strings behind the scenes (unelected lobbyists both suggesting and directly writing legislation and budgets, elected Congress going along and signing it into law and getting huge pay raises when they leave “public” service)?
When did “the Land of the Free” become “land of quiet sleep while being robbed blind”? Only in the politician-Wall St. scratch each others’ backs bizarro-world can they go from “the sky is falling” to astonishing record earnings a year later. Champaign corks flew for less than 1% of America, with foreclosures/unemployment/illness/suffering as the price tag for everyone else. Not too long ago in France, they did not allow the nobility to continue rewarding themselves for being so egregiously disrespectful with the masses.
Jefferson (or Tocqueville? anyone know exact quote?) said that it will take eternal vigilance and that you’ll need to keep re-earning your Democracy (or doomed to lose it). Have they successfully worn down your will to keep trying to do something about it?
Let ‘em know you’re still awake and haven’t been totally numbed by their obscenities.
http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml
Dave
PS America Embraces Communism, Russia Chuckles --see “script” below. Hollywood (having no shortage of writers who have escaped abuses in Europe) knows that truth can be stranger than fiction, and over the decades has already made many movies with related themes.
As a guy fortunate enough to have an immigrant’s perspective of the blessings of “the land of opportunity” from my family escaping the abuses of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communist_Romania when I was child (in ’74, long before their downfall in Dec. ’89), who’d have guessed what I’m seeing today? American oligarchs/capitalists/politicians clearly think that communism has good ideas to blend into US gov’s relationship with favored firms.
Attachment in this email is a forwarded email for “Hey, Republicans, It’s A War!” by Anton K. Jacobs [scheduled to be published in The Record, 22 Oct. 2009]. It’s interesting read about repubs, healthcare, and irony of hundreds of billions spent for losing 3k on 9/11 (because of military industrial complex manipulating a huge payday), and looking the other way from 44k dying annually.
____________________________________________
Nomi
Prins is author of It
Takes a Pillage: Behind the Bonuses, Bailouts, and Backroom Deals from
Washington to Wall Street (Wiley, September, 2009). Before
becoming a journalist, she worked on Wall Street as a managing director at
Goldman Sachs, and running the international analytics group at Bear Stearns in
London.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-10-15/goldman-strikes-gold-again/?cid=tag:all3
This morning Goldman Sachs posted near-record trading profits and bonuses. But
behind the giddy numbers, Nomi Prins argues, are signs that the bank hasn't
learned any lessons from the downturn.
Nomi Prins on “It Takes a Pillage: Behind the Bailouts, Bonuses, and
Backroom Deals From Washington to Wall Street” http://www.democracynow.org/blog/2009/10/6/nomi_prins
Nomi Prins, Economist, journalist and senior fellow at Demos. Her latest
book, coming this fall, is It Takes a Pillage: Behind the Bonuses, Bailouts,
and Backroom Deals from Washington to Wall Street. She has worked for
Goldman Sachs and Bear Sterns, and her earlier books include Other
People’s Money and Jacked: How Conservatives are Picking Your
Pocket.
____________________________________________
Moore calls it the equivalent of them burning down your house and getting sent a tax-payer check thanking them for doing it. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31510813/#33323945 A home is foreclosed every 7.5 seconds.
Report: Goldman Sachs on Pace to Pay Out Record Bonuses this Year http://www.democracynow.org/2009/6/22/report_goldman_sachs_on_pace_to
For interesting background on money matters that make us
tick:
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/ascentofmoney/featured/watch-the-two-hour-the-ascent-of-money/24/
In THE ASCENT OF MONEY, Niall Ferguson traces the evolution of money and
demonstrates that financial history is the essential back-story behind all
history.
http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/blog/2009/10/wall_street_vs_reform.html
America Lulled Into Communism, Russia Chuckles
Your Money, Their Pockets
While America sleeps, Communism blankets the Country.
What Russia failed to do with nuclear arsenal and decades of Cold War,
bankers/lobbyists/politicians achieve the formerly unthinkable (while
simultaneously eroding civil liberties and distracting the masses).
Capitalists have come out of the shadows and unabashedly start to openly wear hammer-sickle on their lapels. They pronounce that corporate welfare and Wall St.-communism indeed can be very lucrative. They decide that they don’t even have to pretend at trying to do a good job anymore. In fact, the more they mess up, the more they can steal. They just get lobbyists/politicians/cronies to manipulate Congress/Fed/Public to direct national budget and funds from your assets/accounts/homes to their mega-accounts. Plus, with their version of communism, they don’t have to waste any of “their” money on jobs/homes/healthcare for the masses.
Congress: What’s the matter Goldman?
Goldman: Why haven’t you fired more regulators, slashed their budgets even more, and eliminated more regulations? Why hasn’t anyone sung the “Too Much Regulation” ditty today?
Congress: People aren’t liking that song so much.
Goldman: Keep playing it. It’ll be a classic tune and anthem everyone will be made to learn to love. Our lobbyists have your back and will soon be releasing a musak version for elevators and TV ads.
Congress: What’s the matter Goldman? Your account appears to be becoming negative and overdrawn.
Goldman: Yes. What’s taking you so long to do something about it?
Congress: What do you mean?
Goldman: You don’t think we contributed to your campaigns, wine and dined you, hosted lavish events for nothing, did you?
Congress: But our quid-pro-quo wasn’t supposed to be this blatantly obvious.
Goldman: Look, we’ve been too busy going to corporate retreats with lobbyists to learn how to be better thieves, and we fired employees that dared say we need to actually be delivering on responsible financial services. We did our part. Now it’s your turn.
Congress: OK. We’ll figure out some way to sell it to the public, or distract them with war. They’re all mostly asleep anyway.
Goldman: Get us some funds soon. We’ll pay our lobbyists as much as we can to try to help you out.
Congress: Thanks. By the way, tell your execs and your lobbyists that my campaign fundraiser will be next weekend. To whatever people you bring as your guests, please extend my apologies for the foreclosed neighborhoods they’ll have to drive through from the private airport to the event. Maybe bring them in extra-tinted limos?
Congress to Congress: Maybe we should pass a law to take away torches and pitchforks from John Q. Public. How long can this go on?
Congress back to Congress: Don’t worry. We can use Twitter to reduce their communications and lull them. Who’d have guessed that they could be distracted with what Suzie Celebrity is wearing tonight? They don’t have the patience for real discourse anymore. There’s too much on TV, for them to show up for any real organizing any more.
C to C: What if a reform candidate tries to expose us?
C to C: We’ll destroy ‘em, and the machine will produce new “reform” candidates that will appease and fool them for another round. Then, we’ll take our turn at jobs at lobby and law firms at a 4000% raise.
C to C: Where does that money come from?
C to C: Bailouts, a percentage of every healthcare monthly premium, 0% loans from the Fed, your “tributes” when you become a lobbyist or partner in a law firm, hunks of pie from whatever the next gov/national scandal may be…
C to C: What about actual reformers?
C to C: We’ll attend the fundraisers of those reformers and tempt them… cough, cough. I meant to say teach them how it’s done. If they don’t play ball, we’ll bury them (and fool the public) with our own “reform” candidate.
C to C: How long can this go on?
C to C: Forever, I hope. Don’t worry. We’re messing with their healthcare. They won’t live long enough and won’t be healthy enough to resist.
C to C: Enough chat. Let’s get going to our meeting.
Congress, Aides, Fundraisers, Lobbyists, Law Firms, Sycophants wanting to rub elbows with them, Wide-eyed innocent well-meaning activist (who doesn’t realize that the “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” Suit standing next to him has just stolen his wallet and still has the gall to ask to be mailed a check for the privilege of being “invited” to Smith’s next Fundraiser)… all chanting in unison at rally: All pigs are equal, but some pigs are more equal than others. Oink. Oink. (meeting ends with dash to slop trough)
>>> Now re-read the Goldman facts in the beginning of this email and realize that the above “script” can be found between the lines of pretty much any day’s headlines.
How do the “un-poisoned” politicians survive? Can they ever remain untainted?
How do we attract good candidates to public service (like http://www.airick.com/phil/, Justus http://www.senate.mo.gov/07info/members/mem10.htm, and http://jasonkander.com/ -- http://www.kansascity.com/276/story/1515806.html)? How do we help them to keep their sanity and protect their souls?
What system did Obama use? Gamaliel Foundation, Michelle, his daughters… must’ve been great support and a good reminder for him to take off his shoes before he tracks in the slime from Springfield, IL (one of the dirtiest capitols in America). Though many politicians use their children and affiliations (for organizations and causes that are more about face-time) for props and photo-ops, Obama actually carried water and was in service of progressive good works.
How many of you know candidates/politicians that weren’t in it with you elbow-to-elbow to do the nitty-gritty of your non-profits, grass roots groups, and social justice organizations (before or after their candidacy or election)? Simple rule: if you haven’t seen them carrying water (for much longer than an election cycle or two), give them the benefit of the doubt, treat them politely, offer them the bucket that’s in your hand, and watch them (before you consider giving them your attention/hours/dollars/vote).
If they make excuses and squirm away from “in it together” work, then feel confident to PERMANENTLY not listen to them no matter how attractive their silver tongues may be (or their message get refined). If you see blisters (or better yet, calluses from years of efforts), then support them and help them to continue to stand straight (because where they’re going, they will get tired).
The ones that haven’t/still-don’t carry buckets of water (whether they’re in office or not) but ask you for your hours and dollars to support them and then they’ll start to work for reform, well,
they’ll be the first ones to duck and dodge real work/real reform,
line their pockets (for themselves, cronies, next campaign…),
play it safe (with less controversial matters, or for elbow room for whatever higher office they may be really after),
and position themselves for their post-elected-office payoff.
They’re the ones that can’t be bothered with doing the right thing now, and they self-serving make excuses that they need to first get more influence, funds, more legislative colleague votes, tit-for-tat dealings… before they can really stick their neck out. Problem is that most don’t realize that already puts them too far down the slippery slope (and consciously/unconsciously reinforces self-justification rather than real public service).
That’s how you get a Dem Party that tells you that you need to support them,
they have historic win and control three branches of gov,
they little by little whittle away the best chances at real societal progress (and continue their part in decades of HUGE transfer of wealth to special interests and limited few -while simultaneously telling you there’s no money for the Public good),
they lose the majority (and later hope you have a short memory when they tell you that they would help you if they could),
and try to continue to fool you that they still need more of your hours and dollars to try to serve you.
Note: you can sign up for Hope @ HOAP at http://groups.google.com/group/hoaprogressives?hl=en.
Leaders of progressive groups are invited to get involved. At a minimum, please invite and encourage others to sign up for HOAP, which is a service started by http://dfha.org/. HOAP is a limited-email listserv with only a handful of authorized senders (so you don’t get many emails daily and so the people you invite who favor fewer emails won’t get reply-all emails from the entire membership).
Members can communicate freely through listservs at Democracy for the Heart of America (http://groups.google.com/group/DFHA), Greater Kansas City Democracy for America (http://groups.google.com/group/gkcdfa?hl=en), and Building Sustainable Earth Community (http://groups.google.com/group/building-sustainable-community?hl=en). All are open discussion, moderated listservs where you are free to send your events, actions, organizing…
One option to share with people you invite is to tell them that they can sign up and change their settings to “daily digest,” which is maximum one email per day that summarizes all emails from the prior day.
Please consider inviting others to add and magnify their voice through these groups. Organizing and standing together is the only way to withstand some of the muck that happens out there.
From:
Paul...@Earthlink.net [mailto:Paul...@Earthlink.net]
Sent: Sunday, October 18, 2009 6:49 PM
To: dave...@kc.rr.com
Subject: Reflections GKCDFA meeting 100709
Reflection - Greater Kansas City Democracy for America meeting, 7 Oct. 2009
The meeting was called to order shortly after 7:00 PM.
The main feature of the October meeting was a panel of media professionals discussing the need for media reform.
Meeting attendees were first given the opportunity to look at student handmade thank you cards from the kids of McCoy school. They thanked us for the school supply donations collected for them in September.
Before turning over the mike to the media panel, we presented a glimpse of the assignment for the November meeting. Fashioned after the NPR THIS I BELIEVE series we are asking members to prepare a 2 to 3 minute THIS I BELIEVE presentation of their own. Julie Rola offered an example by presenting her BELIEF that gifts of time and shared experience have much longer-lasting value than gifts of material stuff.
It was then onto the media panel moderated by Anne Pritchett, who introduced the panel guests:
- Lewis Diuguid: Columnist for the Kansas City Star.
- Carolyn Szczpanski: Reporter for the Pitch Weekly.
- Tom Klammer: Host and producer of KKFIs TELL SOMBODY
- Sharon Lockhart: host of the KKFIs EVERY WOMAN
- Blue Girl and Michael Bersin, Internet Bloggers.
- Mike Nellis: On Line Director of the Kansas Democratic Party.
In the course of their opening remarks and answers to questions each member offered different insights into the media changes and deterioration of the news, over the past 50 + years. There was consensus within the panel that media, does and should set the tone of the debate, whether good or bad. And without it, we have no objective way to view the facts or make decisions nationally or locally. Or as Tom Klammer put it Access to information is essential to democracy. It helps citizens make informed decisions, and assures that elected officials uphold that democracy. Subconsciously, media dictates much of our life: it tells us what to buy, what to watch, movies to see, sporting events to embrace. It feeds our prejudices, and persuades our politics; it fills great expanses of time in our life. It replaces actual experiences with virtual experiences. On the other hand it can foster ideas, and educate; expand our knowledge and awareness of the world around us.
In recent years, the impact of corporate media has reduced objectivity of the media substantially by drawing attention away from local news to cheaper, packaged national news. Corporate control has narrowed perspectives and steered reporting to serve the corporate viewpoint. Lewis Diuguid pointed out that McClatchy News, while it has continued to substantially increase profits over the years, it has reduced its workforce by 1/3rd. This has given rise to the sound-bite era, reduced access to and availability of reporters, and a general dumbing down of news. All panelists suspected this may have been the intention of corporate owners.
Enter, the blogging era, the not necessarily trained journalistic folks, who gather and report what they can find on the net. They fill the gap; the gap that corporate media avoids because it is contrary to corporate goals. Bloggers seek out the obscure, the hidden stories that need to be told. They bow to no-one and speak freely. They, like independent radio, can feature those stories and commentators who the mainstream media chooses to ignore. They are the voice of the people who haven?t yet found their voice; the voice that must rise to create reform within the media so it reflects our values, our way of life, our democracy.
Yes, we are pummeled on the right by the Rush Limbaughs, the Hannitys, O?Reillys and the great white hope, Glenn Beck. But as Mike Bersin put it, 295 million people get up every morning and don?t listen to Rush and his cronies, so they don?t set the entire tone. There is a great thirst for information, that is not being fulfilled for lack of independent sources. Thus it is up to us, the people to make our voices heard in matters like: expanding independent media, reducing corporate control, and safeguarding Net Neutrality. Like so many facets of our life, WE have to get involved and stay involved to outweigh the domination of the rich and powerful.
After the panel discussion ended, Jackson County Prosecutor Jim Kanatzar, Legislator Theresa Garza, and Sheriff Mike Sharp were introduced. They urged renewal of the Combat anti-drug Tax in Jackson County. This program is up for renewal on Nov. 3rd, 2009. Combat has been a highly successful program with a 99% success rate, rehabilitating 1600 people. Instead of simple prosecution and incarceration it is part of a nationwide movement of preventions, treatment, drug counseling and education for children. We all must get out and support Combat by voting for renewal Nov. 3rd.
We look forward to seeing and hearing everyone on Wednesday Nov. 4th. Please bring your 2 to 3 minute THIS I BELIEVE statement to share ? or just come and listen.
December = a holiday party and silent auction. Just for fun!
Submitted,
Tom Huffman