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Author Topic: Corruption in Government  (Read 70225 times)

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AGelbert

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Re: Corruption in Government
« Reply #45 on: December 09, 2014, 06:19:51 pm »
Outstanding comment by Spencer at Truthdig.
It's a keeper for anyone interested in the sad truth in our Fascist Country.


NOTE: Many of the non-video links below are BAD. I chased them down and the proper links are on the next post after this one.  8)


Spencer  answers Tom Raquer   December 7, 2014
For a moment, I'm going to pretend you're not a privileged, ignorant troll...One or more cases? Most professional police force? You think these are isolated incidents? You think a misdemeanor doesn't turn into a felony when a corrupt cop needs to cover his/her as* for brutally assaulting/murdering someone "in the line of duty"?

Try doing some of your own research instead of being spoonfed data from the very entities (NYPD) that perpetuate the injustice that their biased research helps conceal.

You are wrong in so many ways, your logic is severely flawed, and your arguments are fallacious as hell...below is the tip of the iceberg of what cops are getting away with all across the country and the justice system is either impotent when it comes to holding them ACCOUNTABLE or downright facilitates criminal cop's impunity to being held RESPONSIBLE for their actions (there's your evidence...go educate yourself and in the meantime, politely f**k off...or perhaps you'll be educated by the next cop you run into...I sincerely hope not, but if you continue to pretend that this isn't a problem, eventually that problem is more likely to come knocking down your door):

Cops murder Kelly Thomas, a gentle homeless man with schizophrenia, because they didn't want him sitting in that area and threatened to “f--- him up” before killing him:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KU0Imk2Bstg&feature=player_embedded

Cops threw flashbang into baby's crib (with children's toys all around the yard of the house and with no police work to justify the warrant).
http://www.salon.com/2014/06/2...

Cops shoot and kill a 7 year old girl who was asleep during a midnight home raid (while film crews were filming for TV):
http://countercurrentnews.com/...

Cop kills unarmed man holding baby:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMDIK4bOpwk&feature=player_embedded

Cops shoot to kill without even identifying the target:
http://www.hlntv.com/article/2...

Cop shoots and kills homeless Albuquerque man for no reason:http://www.theguardian.com/wor...

Cop kills innocent, unarmed father in a stairwell because he claimed the stairwell was dark:http://www.cnn.com/2014/11/21/...

Cop’s record cleared for accidentally shooting boy in head:
 http://www.informationliberati...

Cop shoots boy in chest when he answered the door, mistaking a Wii controller for a gun: http://www.wsbtv.com/news/news...

Cops beat delusional man to death as citizens watch:
http://atlasleft.org/washingto...

Cops unleash attack dog on innocent college kid already being restrained on ground by numerous officers, no punishment to officers:
http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/02/...

Cops shoot and kill elderly man in his own garage at night while checking out the wrong address:http://www.theblaze.com/storie...

Cops shoot at man in streets in NY, hit bystanders:
http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/15/...

Cops lied to obtain a no-knock warrant and shot and killed a grandma in her own home, then planted drugs to cover up the crime:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K...

Cops shoots and kills honors student at college campus:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/new...

Cops shoot and wound man getting cigarettes from his own car at his own house for no reason at all:
http://gawker.com/unarmed-man-...

Cops kill man by compressing him while arresting him while he was distraught:http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/26/...

Police shoot diabetic man after his wife called for medical help, they claim he picked up a knife:http://reason.com/blog/2013/10...

Cops shoot man holding a toy gun in walmart with no warning and lied in their report.http://www.whio.com/news/news/crime-l...

Covert officers assault girls for buying bottled water, cops thought it was alcohol: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetw...

Cop shoot elderly man reaching for cane:
http://www.cnn.com/video/data/...

Cops kill man with garden hose using a shotgun and no warning:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6S7LRrCru8&feature=player_embedded

Florida man survives 13 shots by officers while sitting in his car: http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/21/...

Cops almost shoot and kill a hospital-worker in her own home with a warrant for an entire apartment complex and screaming at her door: http://www.heraldtribune.com/a...

Cops raiding small friendly poker games with militarized tactics, accidentally killing people-- dying man says “Why did you shoot me, I was reading a book.”:http://www.salon.com/2013/07/0...

Cop beats handcuffed teen and is acquitted because video ‘should only be used to protect cops, not prosecute them.’ http://intellihub.com/2013/07/...

Cop purposely holds onto door handle so he would have the right to shoot and kill a Sunday school teacher who was driving away from the cops.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSPhC916GQM&feature=player_embedded

Cops shoot girl who was backing up, lied to claim self-defense: http://www.nydailynews.com/new...

Cops converse with then shoot man with sword in the back several times, witness accounts claim the man was not threatening, cop never turned on camera: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...

Cops use dubious excuses to justify lethal force: http://www.allgov.com/news/us-...

Cop shoots homeless man who was deaf and doing woodcarving: http://www.nytimes.com/1998/01...

Cop shoots man in back several times, then stands over him and shoots again to kill him—questionable whether the man actually was armed or not—conflicting evidence given.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=159PM7ZKcv0&feature=player_embedded

Cop attacks random people in crowd and punches NY judge, judge shocked that cop not charged:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...

Drunk NY cops shoot at people:
 http://nymag.com/daily/intelli...

Cop with dismal record shoots 12 year old boy with toy gun:
http://www.theguardian.com/us-...

Cop shoots and kills handcuffed man:
https://news.vice.com/article/...

   


Article this comment was posted on:

http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/truthdigger_of_the_week_mychal_denzel_smith_20141206
« Last Edit: December 09, 2014, 07:46:08 pm by AGelbert »
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

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Re: Corruption in Government
« Reply #46 on: December 09, 2014, 07:32:03 pm »
Shoutout to u/biopterin:   

Links for anyone interested… I have about 50 more pages of links to these stories of cops killing innocent unarmed people, and cops never get in trouble (at worst let go from the job)…. Cops murder Kelly Thomas, a gentle homeless man with schizophrenia, because they didn't want him sitting in that area and threatened to “f--- him up” before killing him:


Cops threw flashbang into baby's crib (with children's toys all around the yard of the house and with no police work to justify the warrant). http://www.salon.com/2014/06/24/a_swat_team_blew_a_hole_in_my_2_year_old_son/

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-watch/wp/2014/05/30/drug-task-force-that-burned-a-toddler-this-week-also-killed-an-innocent-pastor-in-2009/

Cops shoot and kill a 7 year old girl who was asleep during a midnight home raid (while film crews were filming for TV):
http://countercurrentnews.com/2014/11/aiyana-stanley-jones/#

Cop kills unarmed man holding baby:


Cop shoot elderly man reaching for cane: http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/us/2014/03/14/mxp-sot-deputy-shoots-elderly-mane-reaching-for-cane.cnn.html

Cops shoot to kill without even identifying the target:
http://www.hlntv.com/article/2014/04/11/john-winkler-shot-dead-police-mistaken-identity-tv-producer?hpt=hp_t2

Cop shoots and kills homeless Albuquerque man for no reason: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jun/10/albuquerque-ordered-pay-6m-wrongful-death

Cop kills innocent, unarmed father in a stairwell because he claimed the stairwell was dark: http://www.cnn.com/2014/11/21/us/new-york-police-shooting/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

Cop’s record cleared for accidentally shooting boy in head:
http://www.informationliberation.com/?id=44700

Cop shoots boy in chest when he answered the door, mistaking a Wii controller for a gun: http://www.wsbtv.com/news/news/local/attorney-teen-was-shot-having-wii-controller-hand/ndSrL/

Cops beat delusional man to death as citizens watch:
http://atlasleft.org/washington-man-cries-for-help-as-hes-beaten-to-death-by-police-video/

Cops unleash attack dog on innocent college kid already being restrained on ground by numerous officers, no punishment to officers at all:
http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/02/us/police-beating-video/

Cops shoot and kill elderly man in his own garage at night while checking out the wrong address: http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/07/27/police-shoot-dead-grandfather-72-while-searching-the-wrong-home-for-burglar-blame-poor-lighting/

Cops shoot at man in streets in NY, hit bystanders: http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/15/justice/times-square-police-shooting/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

Cops lied to obtain a no-knock warrant and shot and killed a grandma in her own home, then planted drugs to cover up the crime:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kathryn_Johnston_shooting

Cops shoots and kills honors student at college campus:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2519842/Valedictorian-honors-student-shot-dead-college-campus-cop-routine-traffic-stop.html

Cops shoot and wound man getting cigarettes from his own car at his own house for no reason at all: http://gawker.com/unarmed-man-shot-by-deputies-inside-his-own-car-outside-949237195

Cops kill man by compressing him while arresting him while he was distraught: http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/26/justice/oklahoma-arrest-death-video/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

Police shoot diabetic man after his wife called for medical help, they claim he picked up a knife: http://reason.com/blog/2013/10/07/woman-says-she-called-911-for-an-ambulan

Cops shoot man holding a toy gun in walmart with no warning and lied in their report. http://www.whio.com/news/news/crime-law/special-grand-jury-selected-john-crawford-case/nhRwM/

Covert officers assault girls for buying bottled water, cops thought it was alcohol: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/07/02/198047492/felony-arrest-of-student-who-bought-water-riles-many-in-virginia

Cops kill man with garden hose using a shotgun and no warning:

Florida man survives 13 shots by officers while sitting in his car: http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/21/us/florida-shot-by-mistake/index.html

Cops almost shoot and kill a hospital-worker in her own home with a warrant for an entire apartment complex and screaming at her door: http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20130718/COLUMNIST/130719612/2256/NEWS?p=1&tc=pg

Cops raiding small friendly poker games with militarized tactics, accidentally killing people-- “Why did you shoot me, I was reading a book.”:
http://www.salon.com/2013/07/07/%E2%80%9Cwhy_did_you_shoot_me_i_was_reading_a_book_the_new_warrior_cop_is_out_of_control/

Cop beats handcuffed teen and is acquitted because video ‘should only be used to protect cops, not prosecute them.’
http://intellihub.com/2013/07/05/judge-finds-cop-not-guilty-of-assault-after-refusing-to-watch-video-of-assault/

Cop purposely holds onto door handle so he would have the right to shoot and kill a Sunday school teacher who was driving away from the cops.


Cop shoots man in back several times, then stands over him and shoots again to kill him—questionable whether the man actually was armed or not—conflicting evidence given.

http://www.reddit.com/r/Libertarian/comments/2o79z1/no_indictment_for_cop_who_killed_father_of_6_eric/
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

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Re: Corruption in Government
« Reply #47 on: December 10, 2014, 08:55:21 pm »
Posted by me at Thom Hartmann's web site December 12, 2014.

Thom, HOW do you expect ANYTHING to change in this Fascist Police State when you NEVER discuss the FACT that we DO NOT have a Representative Republic? If we had the representation granted voting citizens by our Contitution, we would have over SIX THOUSAND representatives in the House! And YEAH, we can do that with modern technology EASILY!

Fascism isn't coming to the USA; it is HERE! There is no way in hell that we are going to get our government to do what we-the-people want UNLESS we can have and elected Representative for every 30,000 to 60,000 citizens, PERIOD!

You are always quoting the founding fathers and our Constituion, yet you NEVER mention that our vote is worth ONE SIXTEENTH what it was worth in 1800. WHY NOT!!!?

THAT is the KEY reason the corporations OWN OUR GOVERNMENT! Don't tell me it is "impractical" to have an electronic congress where we-the-people tell our 7,000 Reps what we DEMAND in no uncertain terms.

The Pentagon has secure connections all over the world. A congress can do the same thing and meet ELECTRONICALLY while they STAY in their districts where we-the-people can keep them from getting bought and paid for. You KNOW that! Yet you pooh pooh the idea of having 7,000 or so Representatives in the House of Representatives and one third as many senators.

You IGNORE the CRUCIAL (for the preservation of democracy against oligarchic elite corruption) fact that it would be really hard for corporations to buy that many elected politicians.

As long as we DO NOT have appropriate representation in our government, there is not a snowball's chance in hell that torture, war profiteering, dirty energy welfare queen give aways called subsides and police state privacy violations, brutality and racist murders will stop.

Things are the way they ARE because the people in our government REPRESENT the WILL of the oligarchic predators that WANT IT that way, PERIOD!

If you are still reading (grin), here are the details:


The issue is FASCISM. Our "Jews" just happen to be African Americans and the poor of all colors. But the Evil in Fascism is ALWAYS a growth industry and those pretending they will not be eaten alive by this predatory profit over people and planet fascism are just plain Wishful Thinking COWARDS.

We are in the throws of Inverted totalitarianism. Chris Hedges explains that in detail. I think you are familiar with that but if you want to refresh your mind, just Google it and Chris Hedges.

And YEP, it IS a police state but it is CLOAKED with the Color of LAW (see definition of Color of Law) with all the trappings (pure theater) of a representative republic.

Around the year 1800, the power of a (white, land owner) American citizen's vote was reasonable (if all the adult citizens had been allowed to vote). At that time a NEW Rep could be added to a state if the Congressional district exceeded 60,000 population.

 In 1918-19 the COUNT of reps was UNCONSTITUTIONALLY frozen. You'll never get a lawyer to fight that, either. The historical record is quite accurate as to the unconstitutionality of that legislation. You probably know all about how the unconstitutional income tax was pushed on us. But the BIG BETRAYAL was the frozen rep count. This assured a fascist takeover because corporations would get MORE influence while the individual voter would get less.

At present your vote is worth one SIXTEENTH of what it was in the year 1800! Representative Republic, my ARSE!

And if some learned counsel would pound the table about the "progressive reform" of electing senators during the same period (early 20th century) so state legislators couldn't be bought by big wig money bags types, then tell them that it was a FICTION.

Why? because it was ACCOMPANIED by freezing the rep count! What's that got to do with it? Tell said learned counsel to look up the word "senate". The senate is NOT, and never was, a democratic, representative or otherwise, of the PEOPLE; it is a representative of the wealthy ELITE Powers That BE.

It is BALANCED (at least in theory) by the HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. Remember it has the SAME power as the House (except it isn't supposed to be able to INITIATE legislation - like it unconstitutionally DID in 2008 with the bailout!) with one third less members when this country got started.

As the number of reps got greater and greater from a population increase, the elite influence increased on a senate with less and less members in relation to the exploding population of the states. I.e. LESS DEMOCRACY in an already undemocratic senate - concentration of POWER in fewer hands!

In order for the proper balance to have been preserved with the, admittedly more democratic process of electing senators instead of having state legislators "elect" them, they HAD TO keep the same ratio of senators to representatives!

They did not do that! They pulled a fascist one-two punch (one-two-three if you count the Federal Reserve ripping the power to print money away from the gooberment).

Keeping the, already pro-elite senate at two per state made it EASIER to BUY THEM. Freezing the house count did the same thing.

I wrote an article explaining all that several years ago. Here it is.

I'm talking about the sound bite of all sound bites, "No taxation without representation". We can all agree that representation is essential in a representative form of government, right? Yes, we are a republic and the founding fathers abhorred pure democracy.

But they did write into the Constitution that for every 30,000 citizens, NO MORE THAN ONE representative would be elected to the House (but AT LEAST ONE per state).

You can see this is dated stuff. The constitution needs to be CLARIFIED to reflect modern technology. The constitutional clarification/amendment would be:

1) AT LEAST ONE representative for every 31,000 citizens.

2) The 'AT LEAST ONE representative per state' can be dropped because it is ridiculous and outdated to even consider a state with less than 30,000 citizens.

The corporatocracy would fight this tooth and nail because this amendment would make our House of Representatives a democratic organization for the first time EVER (in 1787 Native Americans, women and African Americans were excluded - In 1911 when they UNconstitutionally froze the rep count at 436, Native Americans, women and most African Americans could not vote).

Since 1911 we have been in a time warp where corporate power grew as our population grew. The fix was IN. Now do the math. Assuming 2/3 of the population can vote, that means 200,000,000 votes. If you get one rep for every 31,000 voters, the House gets 6451 representatives.

Consider, for a moment, how your vote has been watered down through the years. The 65 reps back in 1787 represented about 2 million white men. In 1911 the 337 or so that voted to freeze the upper bound of the number at 436 represented 90 million mostly white men - NO WOMEN.

Now DAMNIT, PEOPLE! That was one of the most corrupt congresses we have ever had! That was THE Rockefeller congress! That was the Railroad baron congress! That was the congress that, in 1913, brought the federal reserve crooks into being! We went from one rep for every 30,000 to 60,000 white men in 1787 to one rep for every 500,000 voters in 2010.

Think about that. YOU and 15 other voters have the same power that ONE WHITE MAN had in 1787!

And with the Citizens United Supreme treason, you are ACTUALLY getting one rep for every (assuming 10,000 public and private large corporation pacs) 22 rich corporations. THIS IS THE REALITY.

There is no valid argument for limiting the number of reps. NONE.

We want a representative republic. We don't have one. This is not a 'progressive' issue. This is about DEMOCRACY!

I wish to add that every single issue of importance to the people in the USA which has been ignored, disdained, ridiculed or trashed by the media and/or the government owes its' continued repression to our lack of representation in congress.

 The single argument against it is very old. I cede the floor to Patrick Henry:

Quote
"But we are told that we need not fear; because those in power, being our representatives, will not abuse the powers we put in their hands. I am not well versed in history, but I will submit to your recollection, whether liberty has been destroyed most often by the licentiousness of the people, or by the tyranny of rulers.

I imagine, sir, you will find the balance on the side of tyranny. Happy will you be if you miss the fate of those nations, who, omitting to resist their oppressors, or negligently suffering their liberty to be wrested from them, have groaned under intolerable despotism!

Most of the human race are now in this deplorable condition; and those nations who have gone in search of grandeur, power, and splendor, have also fallen a sacrifice, and been the victims of their own folly. While they acquired those visionary blessings, they lost their freedom."

I imagine that Patrick Henry, who is famously quoted as saying he smelled a rat in Philadelphia (the constitutional convention), would have preferred one elected representative for much fewer voters than 30,000.

He wanted to keep a sharp eye on the reps way back when. He would probably be outraged and leading a revolution today. Today we have the technology for an electronic congress. This congress would not be the pampered tools for corporations we have now. Their numbers would make OUR voices stronger than corporate voices.

They would be more approachable and more willing to listen to us with the 31,000 voters per district. We would HAVE A VOICE! Our reps would rule for us.

Patrick Henry's rat was eaten by a Rockefeller T-Rex. We need to kill this dinosaur. The damned thing will kill us all and then start on it's own tail.


 "People talk sometimes of a bestial cruelty, but that's a great injustice and insult to the beasts; a beast can never be so cruel as a man, so artistically cruel. The tiger only tears and gnaws, that's all he can do. He would never think of nailing people by the ears, even if he were able to do it." Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Brothers Karamazov

"I think the devil doesn't exist, but man has created him, he has created him in his own image and likeness." Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Brothers Karamazov

"If you were to destroy in mankind the belief in immortality, not only love but every living force maintaining the life of the world would at once be dried up. Moreover, nothing then would be immoral; everything would be lawful, even cannibalism." Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Brothers Karamazov

"We as a nation must undergo a radical revolution of values… when machines and computers, profit motives and property rights, are considered more important than people, the giant triplets of racism, materialism and militarism are incapable of being conquered." -- Martin Luther King, Jr. April 4, 1967

The wheels of "fascist progress" were turning fast and furious in those first 20 years of the 20th century. But we had Bernays to put lipstick on that fascist BOOT in our face. The media was instrumental in keeping the lipstick in place throughout the 20th century and this century (see 911 lock step dumb playing). The lipstick is coming off.

THE ABOVE SHOULD BE IN YOUR "SCREWED" SEGMENT DAILY!


 
http://www.thomhartmann.com/blog/2014/12/torture-not-american-value#comment-rm
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

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Re: Corruption in Government
« Reply #48 on: December 18, 2014, 08:38:46 pm »
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

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Re: Corruption in Government
« Reply #49 on: December 19, 2014, 04:04:46 pm »
If you haven't read how hard some fascists that work for BIG OIL are trying to SHAFT Russia, you will find much food for thought in this article.

Please remember these are the very same politicians that cannot allow us to get a proper cost of living increase, correct inflation computation, infrastructure repair and adequate unemployment insurance, workmen's compensation, welfare payments, poverty level computations and social security pensions because THERE AIN'T NO MONEY... 

SNIPPET: (ANOTHER SUBSIDY for Fascist Fossil Fuel BROWN SHIRTS!)
Quote

4. Provisions for privatization of Ukrainian infrastructure, electricity, oil, gas and renewables, with the help of the World Bank and USAID.

5. Fifty million dollars to assist in a corporate takeover of Ukraine’s oil and gas sectors.

6. Three hundred and fifty million dollars for military assistance to Ukraine, including anti-tank, anti-armor, optical, and guidance and control equipment, as well as drones.

7. Thirty million dollars for an intensive radio, television and Internet propaganda campaign throughout the countries of the former Soviet Union.

8. Twenty million dollars for “democratic organizing” in Ukraine.

9. Sixty million dollars, spent through groups like the National Endowment for Democracy, “to improve democratic governance, and transparency, accountability [and] rule of law” in Russia. What brilliant hyperbole to pass such a provision the same week the Senate’s CIA torture report was released.

Three Members of Congress Just Reignited the Cold War While No One Was Looking


http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/three_congressmen_just_reignited_the_cold_war_while_no_one_was_looking_2014
« Last Edit: January 16, 2015, 07:48:06 pm by AGelbert »
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

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Re: Corruption in Government
« Reply #50 on: December 20, 2014, 06:53:33 pm »
Wednesday, 17 December 2014 Citigroup Democracy By Mark Fiore

Now that the secret back room dealings are done and the latest budget bill passed Congress (of course, at the 11th hour), we can see the thumbprints of Wall Street once again. Actually, more than thumbprints, Citigroup actually wrote part of it. They managed to gut “Section 716” of Dodd-Frank. Sounds obscure and weird so who cares, right?

Wednesday, 10 December 2014 Cheney’s Torture Anthem By Mark Fiore

Even though Dick Cheney isn’t the only one responsible for the stain of torture on the United States, he’s the most, shall we say, colorful? If you think the awfulness of Bush-era torture is behind us, think again. Thanks to the just-released Senate torture report, we now know of all kinds of new and awful ways the CIA and Bush Administration screwed up the hunt for Al Qaeda and disgraced this nation
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

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Re: Corruption in Government
« Reply #51 on: December 20, 2014, 08:47:33 pm »

Fascist Fun  >:(
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

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Re: Corruption in Government
« Reply #52 on: December 26, 2014, 07:35:54 pm »
Unstoppable: The Emerging Left-Right Alliance to Dismantle the Corporate State by RALPH NADER


By  Stephen E.  on April 15, 2014

Format: Hardcover
Polling data shows that Americans are disgusted with their government. Some of us blame the Right. Others blame the Left. Obviously, as one of American History's great progressives, Nader is not neutral in the battle between Right and Left. Far from it. I am not neutral either. I am a conservative, but I cheer this new book by Ralph Nader!

His still-supple mind and pure heart give him the ability to see what would be more obvious to the rest of us if it were not for the partisan hate machines and self interests that maintain our corrupted political system.

Whether on the Left or Right, we know that our government has been captured by the self interested. Super-majorities of Americans - comprised of citizens on the Right and Left - want an end to the legalized bribery and extortion now a the heart of our political system, the restoration of citizen government, fair elections, fair trade, a reasonable and constitutional foreign policy, and a break-up of the big banks. If we would only compartmentalize the areas where our disagreements are intractable, we could then turn and work together to solve many of the nation's critical and massively debilitating problems. We would be, as the title of Nader's book suggests, "Unstoppable."


Comment SNIPPET:
By  Alan F. Sewell  on April 29, 2014

The existing situation stifles all patriotic love of country, and substitutes in its place selfish greed and grasping avarice.

Government, instead of being the embodiment of equality, is but an instrumentality through which especial and individual advantages are to be gained.


By  Robert Krebsbach 
on May 17, 2014

Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase 
A short way into this book, it became clear: Corporatism is the enemy that lovers of democracy, freedom, and justice must unite against. The right/left, conservative/liberal labels are petty distractions that keep us from uniting to stop corporate tyranny.

I thought I was progressive until reading this book, but I resonated so completely with the thoughts of the Greats of conservatism that Nader quotes, that I could just as easily regard myself as conservative. That's how little it matters in the face of corporate economic globalization.


Pat Choate   on May 25, 2014

First, this is a very good book. It is also, I suspect, a disturbing book for those who label themselves as either a "Conservative" or as a "Liberal." As Ralph Nader effectively demonstrates, repeatedly, these epigrams are tools that others use to shape, if not control. the actions of large numbers of such self-identified people. And a major way these actions are shaped by such labels is to keep people from working together on policies and actions where there is agreement.

And the quickest way to ensure discipline and prevent joint action is to brand someone's actions as violating Liberal or Conservative principles.

As Nader documents with numerous examples, Corporations exert a powerful influence in shaping our national policies so that they and their owners are exempt from laws and regulations that hold them accountable. In recent years as these corporations have extended their influence into other nations, they have devised means and ways to use the U.S. Government to exert their influence into those other countries as well. The International Monetary Fund and the World Trade Organization are examples that immediately spring to mind.

Nader also subtly points out how defunct ideas and ideologies are parsed by Think Tanks and indentured intellectuals to protect Corporate interests and convey to voters a sense of powerlessness by the electorate. Nader provides examples of why that need not be so.

Ralph Nader has been a powerful influence in American public life for more than a half century. Whether you believe that his efforts are a force for a more democratic nation, or not, (I do), what is obvious is that he understands the reality of why and how the processes work, or increasingly do not work.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1568584547/counterpunchmaga#customerReviews


The question, rather, is WHO are the Madame Defarge's of TODAY  KNITTING?...                             

He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

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Re: Corruption in Government
« Reply #53 on: January 09, 2015, 02:25:21 am »
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCjMdOo7KkY&feature=player_embedded
Interview of Chris Hedges: "America is a Tinderbox"
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

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Re: Corruption in Government
« Reply #54 on: January 15, 2015, 07:20:43 pm »
The Thom Hartmann Program Thu 15 January 2015
     
Time To Lock Up The Lobbyists

There was a time when corporations didn't have anything close to the power they do over politics in America.

From the time of the Progressive Revolution at the beginning of the 20th century up until the mid-1950's, most states had laws that explicitly barred corporations from buying off politicians and spending millions to influence legislation. In fact, there were laws on the books in virtually every state, often from the mid-1800's to the mid-1900's, that made it a crime for corporations to give money to lawmakers, political parties, or political committees. Until 1953, Wisconsin had one of those laws.

Wisconsin's law against political contributions by corporations read in part, "No corporation doing business in this state shall pay or contribute, or offer consent or agree to pay or contribute, directly or indirectly, any money, property, free service of its officers or employees or thing of value to any political party, organization, committee or individual for any political purpose whatsoever, or for the purpose of influencing legislation of any kind, or to promote or defeat the candidacy of any person for nomination, appointment or election to any political office."

So, what were the punishments for a corporation or corporate executive caught violating that law? If it was an in-state corporation that violated the law, that corporation could be dissolved - it would get the corporate death penalty. If it was an out-of-state corporation, it could be barred from doing business in the state. Meanwhile, people acting on behalf of a corporation who were caught faced stiff fines, up to five years of prison time, or both. 

On top of that, Teddy Roosevelt got the Tillman Act passed in 1907 that made it a federal crime for a corporation to give money to any candidate for federal office. The Tillman Act, by the way, was blown up by five right-wing justices on the Supreme Court with the Citizens United decision.  >:( Unfortunately, over time, laws like the one in Wisconsin were wiped from the books, and slowly but surely, corporate corruption and bribery have found their way into our political landscape.

The fallout from Nixon's crimes - including him accepting personal bribes while Vice President and President - brought some new reforms in the mid-1970's, but most of those have been rolled back by the Supreme Court as well. That brings us to today, where corporations have unprecedented power, influence, and control over our political landscape.   

Read more here.

-Thom
 
 
 
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

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Re: Corruption in Government
« Reply #55 on: January 15, 2015, 08:09:25 pm »
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXsmj6bX54I&feature=player_embedded

The above Criminal Mens Rea Modus Operandi of our NON-Democratic Fascist Government was laid out CLEARLY by George Carlin years ago. We DO NOT have freedom of choice!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dY4WlxO6i0&feature=player_embedded
We-the-people are NOT in the CLUB.

WTF is it going to take for everybody out there to stop with the BALONEY that we "elect" the president and Congress? WTF is it going to take for everybody out there to understand that we-the-people DO NOT decide when this country goes to war or why it goes to war?

This massive corruption and disdain for we-the-people IS NOT a new development!


The following quote from a peer reviewed book is of extreme importance to all Americans:

Dilworth (2010-03-12). Too Smart for our Own Good (pp. 399-400). Cambridge University Press. Kindle Edition.

Quote
"As suggested earlier, war, for example, which represents a cost for society, is a source of profit to capitalists. In this way we can partly understand e.g. the American military expenditures in the Persian Gulf area. Already before the first Gulf War, i.e. in 1985, the United States spent $47 billion projecting power into the region. If seen as being spent to obtain Gulf oil, It AMOUNTED TO $468 PER BARREL, or 18 TIMES the $27 or so that at that time was paid for the oil itself.

In fact, if Americans had spent as much to make buildings heat-tight as they spent in ONE YEAR at the end of the 1980s on the military forces meant to protect the Middle Eastern oil fields, THEY COULD HAVE ELIMINATED THE NEED TO IMPORT OIL from the Middle East.

So why have they not done so? Because, while the $468 per barrel may be seen as being a cost the American taxpayers had to bear, and a negative social effect those living in the Gulf area had to bear, it meant only profits for American capitalists. "

Note: I added the bold caps emphasis on the barrel of oil price, money spent in one year and the need to import oil from the Middle East.

This totally unjustified profit, never mind the needless lose of lives, then increases the power of the fossil fuel corporations to perpetuate a biosphere harming dirty fuel status quo. How? By "funding" politicians with rather large "donations" to keep renewable energy from competing with dirty energy.

If all this was just about power politics, I might not be that concerned. Humans, particularly the overly ambitious and aggressive ones, have always fought and schemed to control and fleece the population at large.

But now we know the future of our biosphere is at stake. Now we know the entire edifice of dirty energy is a knife in the back of the biosphere that will destroy our species and many others.

TPTB are dooming mankind to extinction. STOP supporting them. STOP believing their lies. STOP investing in dirty energy. STOP using dirty energy as much as is possible.

IGNORE the lying fossil fueler propagandists that say if you do not totally stop using fossil fuels right this minute, you have no legitimate claim to criticizing wars for oil, fracking and so on. BALONEY! Dilworth makes it crystal clear in the quote above from his PEER REVIEWED book that it is BALONEY!

You HURT big oil by every gallon you do not buy. You HURT TPTB that won't stop supporting dirty energy by reducing your carbon footprint. You HURT fascism by removing credibility from the mendacious government propaganda.

And you HELP future generations by doing all the above. 
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

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Re: Corruption in Government
« Reply #56 on: January 16, 2015, 07:42:42 pm »
Take a gander at this bit of CLEVER doubletalk from the media:

Quote
The consumer-price index dropped 0.4 percent, the biggest decline since December 2008, after falling 0.3 percent in November, a Labor Department report showed Friday in Washington. The median forecast of 89 economists surveyed by Bloomberg called for a 0.4 percent decline. Excluding volatile food and fuel, the so-called   core measure was unchanged  , failing to rise for only the second time since 2010. 

Consumer Prices in U.S. Drop Most in Six Years as Fuel Falls

Remember when we were being raked over the coals with MASSIVE INFLATION while the Fed ALWAYS IGNORED food and energy and FOCUSED, along with all the media cheerleading reprobates, on the CORE inflation as "PROOF" that inflation was "under control"!!!? As anybody with a lick of sense knew then, it wasn't! As the more stupid Homo SAPS among us know now, housing bubbles and cheap money for Wall Street were/ARE eating main street alive. 

And now these lying presstitutes have the brass to use the "so-called" (i.e. silly, unimportant, not credible, etc.  ) handle on CORE inflation.

The hell of it is that now they are right! Core inflation is only important for people that don't eat and use energy! It was a PRETENSE  that the BLS (Bureau of Lying Statistics  ) gave to Greenspan et al to claim there was NO INFLATION.

Well, all that has changed you see.   Now we must all be scared to death of deflation because the CORE inflation don't mean nuttin' no more! Ah the smell of world class PERFIDY in the air.

The OWNERS want YOU to SPEND. DON'T DO IT! Don't get sucked in. Be frugal. Be extremely frugal. It's the only non-violent tool we have to bring down fascism in general and dirty energy in particular.

HOMO SAPS do not have a future if TPTB continue to do their thing. YOUR lack of consumption will severely inhibit TPTB from doing their civilizational suicide, get it? 

Use what you've GOT or enjoy your suicide! 
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

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Firefighters for 911 Truth KNOW the Score
« Reply #57 on: January 16, 2015, 08:28:32 pm »
Firefighters for 911 Truth KNOW the Score
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxGB2YoGV-I&feature=player_embedded
Quote
"NIST conducted a CRIMINAL investigation to cover up a crime"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOb92R34jxo&feature=player_embedded
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

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Re: Corruption in Government
« Reply #58 on: January 31, 2015, 04:19:29 pm »
Eighty four percent of $5.3 trillion (ONE DAY  :o in currency markets) = $4.45 trillion. If you can rig that market, HOW MUCH do you think you can skim off the top EVERY DAY? HUH?

Let's be conservative and say 12 banks can collude their way to just one MILLIONTH of $4.45 trillion a day (I'm CERTAIN they do a LOT better than that!). One millionth of $4.45 trillion = $44.5 million (A DAY!).  :o  And the twelve banks caught with their mens rea hands in the Currency cookie jar say: See ya in court, CHUMPS!   
 

JPMorgan to pay $99.5 million to resolve currency rigging lawsuit
By Jonathan Stempel

NEW YORK (Reuters) - JPMorgan Chase & Co, the largest U.S. bank, agreed to pay $99.5 million to settle its portion of an antitrust lawsuit in which investors accuse 12 major banks of rigging prices in the $5.3 trillion-a-day foreign exchange market.

Made public on Friday night, the settlement is the first in the nationwide litigation and resolved claims over JPMorgan's role in alleged collusion among banks since January 2003 to manipulate the WM/Reuters Closing Spot Rates, known as the Fix.

It followed the New York-based bank's agreements last November to pay roughly $1 billion in civil penalties to resolve related claims by U.S. and European regulators.

Investors including hedge funds, pension funds and the city of Philadelphia accused the 12 banks, which controlled 84 percent of the global currency trading market, of having impeded competition by conspiring to manipulate the Fix in chat rooms, instant messages and emails.


The JPMorgan settlement could form a basis for other settlements. It followed mediation with Kenneth Feinberg, a lawyer who also oversees General Motors Co's program to compensate drivers over faulty vehicle ignition switches.

In an affidavit, Feinberg called the JPMorgan settlement fair, reasonable and adequate.  ;)
"Although such analysis is preliminary, it does appear to be consistent with Class Lead Counsel's evaluation of JPMorgan's role in the FX market and JPMorgan's market share over the class period (6%)," he said.

JPMorgan did not admit wrongdoing, and the settlement requires  ;) court approval. The bank did not immediately respond on Saturday to a request for comment.

The other bank defendants include Bank of America Corp, Barclays Plc, BNP Paribas SA, Citigroup Inc, Credit Suisse Group AG, Deutsche Bank AG, Goldman Sachs Group Inc, HSBC Holdings Plc, Morgan Stanley, Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc and UBS AG.

On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Lorna Schofield in Manhattan refused to dismiss currency-rigging claims against them. Five of those banks have also settled with regulators.

The $99.5 million payment includes $500,000 for notices and administration. Lawyers for the plaintiffs, led by Hausfeld LLP and Scott & Scott, plan to seek legal fees of up to 30 percent of the settlement funds, court papers show.

The case is In re: Foreign Exchange Benchmark Rates Antitrust Litigation, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 13-07789.
(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Kevin Drawbaugh and Stephen Powell)
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/jpmorgan-pay-99-5-million-163554717.html


Agelbert NOTE: $99.5 million NOT called an AWARD or a FINE because,  SAINTLY J.P. Morgan DID NOT agree to having engaged in "WRONG DOING". No mens rea here, folks! LOL!. Let's call it an EX CURIA "settlement" or NO CURIA "settlement" or J.P. Morgan IS the BIG DOG in the CURIA "settlement"!

Let's see how 99.5 million dollar "justice" was "done" here:

0.5025% = Notices an Administration (I.E. Paper pushers 'R' us) = $500,000  ::)

30%
= Lawyers for the Plaintiffs = $28,850.000  ;D

69.4975%
= Plaintiffs (NOT we-the people who got shafted a LOT MORE than some Investors including hedge funds, pension funds and the city of Philadelphia) = $70, 150,000

0 % = WE-THE-PEOPLE

A FASCIST government is one that operates under the COLOR OF LAW.  The actions of facsist governments are LEGAL but NOT LAWFULWE ARE THERE.


What is UNLAWFUL?
That which is contrary to law. “Unlawful” and “illegal” are frequently used as synonymous terms, but, in the proper sense of the word, “unlawful,” as applied to promises, agreements, considerations, and the like, denotes that they are ineffectual in law because they involve acts which, although not illegal, i. e., positively forbidden, are disapproved of by the law, and are therefore not recognized as the ground of legal rights, either because they are immoral or because they are against public policy. It is on this ground that contracts in restraint of marriage or of trade are generally void. Sweet. And see Hagerman v. Buchanan, 45 N. J. Eq. 292, 17 Atl. 946, 14 Am. St Rep. 732; Tatum v. State, 66 Ala. 467; Johnson v. State, 66 Ohio St. 59. 63 N. E. 607. 61 L. R. A. 277, 90 Am. St. Rep. 564; Pinder v. State, 27 Fla. 370, 8 South. 837, 26 Am. St. Rep. 75; MacDaniel v. U. S




So, when your read that J.P. Morgan believes Russia is DOOMED (see link at Knarf's channel) you KNOW that J.P. Morgan and friends in fascist forkdom will do everything in their power to make it so and then blame Russia for it.
  Have a nice day. 
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

AGelbert

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Re: Corruption in Government
« Reply #59 on: February 02, 2015, 06:57:06 pm »
 


Every year, the NFL rakes in around $9.5 billion in revenue. Its commissioner, Roger Goodell, meanwhile, has an annual salary of $44 million. And while those numbers might make sense for any big business, the NFL isn’t a business - not technically, at least. According to the Public Law 89-800, it’s a 501(c)6 tax-exempt non-profit.

That’s right, a non-profit. 
In other words, the NFL, one of the most lucrative organizations in all of sports, is subsidized by you and me the taxpayers  >:(.

If that sounds ridiculous and absurd, that’s because it is ridiculous and absurd.
There’s absolutely no reason why the NFL needs taxpayer subsidies to stay in business.

Other sports leagues, like Major League Baseball, stopped taking handouts from the government years ago, and are doing just fine as far as making money is concerned. But juicing the public is what the NFL is all about. And even though individual franchises are taxable for-profit businesses, they all find ways to bleed taxpayers dry. - See more at: http://www.thomhartmann.com/blog/2015/02/real-nfl-scandal#sthash.2dVpNvMj.dpuf
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Matt 10:37

 

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