How Anonymous Saved America and the World

Posted on by

Thank You Anonymous Headerby Benjamin T. Moore, Jr.

How Anonymous Saved America and the World

Those of us who’ve been paying attention to our electoral process have noticed some very disturbing trends and subsequent anomalies. I am probably giving some indication of my age, but I grew up in the era of real voting booths, curtains, tabs and levers.

Pulling that voting lever

One of the most important levers you will ever pull.

I remember as a child holding my mother’s hand in a voting booth and watching her flip the little tabs and then pull the lever which opened the curtains and registered her vote. My personal belief is that all parents should take their children to vote with them. It is good training and exposes them at an early age to the most important of our civic responsibilities.

I am not a technophobe. I fully appreciate progress and the role technology plays. Our population is growing, more and more people are voting and we still expect to know the outcomes of our elections on election night. The notion that we could count these votes by hand and still have timely results has become an unreachable proposition.

Enter Computers

Using computers to record and count the votes makes receiving timely results easy. If properly deployed, you could know the final count from any precinct the moment the last person in line votes. Computers are machines, they’re non-partisan and they’re extremely efficient crunching numbers.. or are they?

Computer Scientist Ed Felton at work

Computer Scientist Ed Felton uncovering a computer flaw in a New Jersey voting computer.

The facts are, computers have vulnerabilities too. For one, they will do whatever they’re programmed to do. If the person programming them is partisan, computers can be programmed to return partisan results. Computers can also be hacked. They can be given a virus which rewrites their code. I can look at another human being and tell if something is wrong with them. They may appear feverish, sluggish, their speech may be slurred, their eyes may be red. There are thousands of subtle signs we pick up allowing us to know that one of our fellow human beings is just not right. Computers? Not so much.

A computer can be programmed to switch votes to any candidate a programmer, hacker or virus writer chooses and the persons casting their votes would be none the wiser. In many jurisdictions which have now gone to all electronic voting, they have also passed laws mandating the destruction of the paper trail. Those places that use paper ballots where you darken in a circle beside your choice, feed them into an optical scanner, many of those jurisdictions have passed laws mandating the immediate destruction of the paper ballots. The question is why?

Hacking Democracy

Joseph Stalin On Voting

This has always been the hard reality of democracy.

In the words of Joseph Stalin, “those who vote decide nothing. Those who count the votes decide everything.” The way things work today is, you cast your vote either using a “touch screen” computer system or a paper ballot you’ve filled out and fed through an optical scanner. At the end of voting those electronic votes are sent over the internet to a central computer where the votes from all the precincts are tabulated and the election results are published.

Sounds simple enough. However, there are problems. As I’ve  pointed out, what if some or all of the precinct computers… or, for that matter, the main frame computer doing the final tabulations gets hacked or gets a virus? What if the data is intercepted and changed while being transmitted to the central computer?

Manufacturers of these voting systems have gone to great lengths to assure the public of the security of their systems. They have lied! Bev Harris of Black Box Voting.Org has gone to great lengths to highlight and document these problems. No matter whether you are a Democrat, Republican, Conservative, Liberal, Libertarian or Independent, your vote matters and your vote should count. Our democracy is no stronger than the confidence our citizens have in our electoral process. How difficult is hacking some of our voting machines? Would you believe me if I told you it was so easy a Chimpanzee could do it?

If this disturbs you? It damn well should! What Baxter the Chimp just did was edit or alter the audit log on a Diebold GEMS voting system. Why is this important? According to Diebold for one, this is supposed to be impossible. Clearly a flat out lie. For two, this is one of their security selling points. They claim that should anyone attempt to alter the results of the votes, it would be caught in their audit log. Thus if you could edit the audit log, you can go in and change votes at will, then go back to the audit log and delete any evidence that you’d done anything. Think, stealing the “Hope Diamond” and replacing it with a cubic zirconium replica. The guards, the people filing by the display case would never know the difference.

The Man In The Middle Attack

Suppose you and I were working for an advertising agency and we were competing for the same client. However, unbeknown to you, I had hacked both the email account of the client and your email account. Not only could I read the mail going back and forth between you, I could intercept it and change it.

Man in the middle attack

Bilateral communication between the server and the victim is actually being routed through a third party, unbeknown to either of them.

Imagine if the client sent an e-mail inviting you to a lunch meeting at “Joe’s Bistro” at 1pm. I intercept his e-mail and change the time to 3pm. You get an email you believe to be from the client inviting you to a luncheon meeting at 3pm. I show up at 1pm, close the deal and steal the client. You show up at 3pm and of course, the client is not there. This is a minor variant of the “Man In The Middle” attack. It is very powerful and difficult to detect.

Now let’s apply this to electronic voting. Suppose I have a server set up in… I don’t know, let’s say Tennessee. I hack into your voting system and reroute all precinct votes to my server in Tennessee where I massage them and then send them on to your “voting central” computers. You believe you’re getting them directly from your precincts when in truth, they’re coming from my servers in Tennessee.

The beauty of this approach is, I don’t have to hack any of your voting machines. I merely have to hack into your network or your routers. In so doing, I’ve compromised all the computers in your network from a safe distance and if I do it right, I’m going to be difficult to detect and trace. Has anything like this ever happened? As it turns out, yes it has. There is evidence it happened in 2004. Thom Hartmann gives a very clear presentation on his radio progam.

Those of us who remember watching the election returns back in 2004, may recall that fateful night when it appeared that Kerry was winning. Then suddenly the numbers shifted and the news agencies calling the election simply attributed the sudden change in numbers, to uncounted precincts dumping their numbers all at once. We had no idea that the servers had gone offline for better than 60 seconds. Some of us, had we known, may have become suspicious back then.

Did Karl Rove Try To Steal The 2012 Elections?

I thought about this one long and hard… well, for about 10 minutes, before the evidence convinced me. I was not at all surprised by the election results because I do not get my news from Fox News, and I follow Nate Silver’s 538 blog. Nate has been the most accurate pollster out there for the past several election cycles. If I know this, Karl Rove and the rest of the Republican political strategist certainly know it as well. This brings me to my first point.

Come to find out, on the night of the election, Mitt Romney had not even prepared a concession speech. Yes, I know everybody believes they will win, however prudence demands that we prepare for all eventualities. You cannot become successful in business and rise to the top of the corporate arena without understanding fully how to implement a “Plan B” in the event your first plan doesn’t pan out.

It bothered me that Mitt Romney was so sure of winning what in his own words, he admitted would be an extremely close race, yet he did not prepare a concession speech. This really surprised me. Did he know something, none of the rest of us knew?

When I saw Karl Rove begin stuttering and disputing the election results for Ohio, this clinched it for me. There were two things to note about this. The first is, Mr. Rove seemed to have no problem with the returns in Florida or any of the other States for that matter. Why Ohio? As it turns out, President Obama could have lost both Ohio and Florida and still won the election. Given these facts, why would Mr. Rove nearly lose his composure over Ohio? If everything is fair and in the hands of the voters, why would you dispute the results unless, you believed you had some form of control over those results? Perhaps the truth is finally coming out?

Enter The Hacker Group Anonymous

There exists a group of elite hackers who goes by the name “Anonymous.” Nobody knows who they are. They seem to be distributed world wide so nobody knows where they are. The term “Hacktivist” was invented for Anonymous. It is beyond the scope of this piece to regale you with tales of their exploits, but suffice it to say, they’ve got skillz!

It seems that they have been watching our political system and in particular our elections. On October 22, 2012 a message to Karl Rove and his compadres from Anonymous, was posted on YouTube. Either Karl didn’t see it or didn’t take it seriously.

After the election,  the following letter was released, presumably from the group, “Anonymous.”

Letter supposedly from anonymous

This is a letter supposedly released by Anonymous following the elections explaining what they did and why.

Our Elections Affect The World

Whom we elect to the office of President of these United States, affects the World. Is there any doubt had Al Gore prevailed and George W. Bush not been appointed President by a U.S. Supreme Court, stacked by his daddy or if John Kerry had been elected, that our world would be different? With intelligent, competent leadership from a United States President, we would not have had an economic meltdown. Our housing market would not have crashed, causing world wide repercussions.

The integrity of our electoral process is not just of concern to each United States Citizen, our election outcomes also affect the rest of the world. Did Anonymous protect our elections? Personally, I believe they did. They identified the problem in advance, – October 22, 2012 – they posted a YouTube video announcing their intentions to prevent any attempted election fraud.

We know the night of the election, Mitt Romney and his wife Ann were nearly in “shell shock.” If I didn’t know that Mormons abstain from liquor, I would have bet that Ann Romney had one drink too many. I base this on the way she was moving when she finally joined Mitt on stage that night. She had that doe in the headlights look in her eyes.

Mitt had the foresight to have his transition website up and running, but no concession speech? Really? That showed a supreme amount of confidence in what should have been an unknowable outcome. When you add in Karl Rove’s reaction to losing Ohio, it all fits the claims of Anonymous. Karl Rove thought he was flipping a coin with two heads. He was smug as he called “heads.” When the coin came up tails, you could have bought him for a penny.

I am not a religious man, but in this instance I will have to say, “thank God for Anonymous.” I’m glad they were flying cyber- cover for this election. In a democracy, we say that people get the government they deserve. That is only true if their elections are untainted. Getting a government I deserve, I can live with. Getting a government given to me, is intolerable.

My Open Response To An Open Letter To Black Evangelicals

Posted on by

My Open Response To An Open Letter To Black Evangelicals

by Benjamin T. Moore, Jr.

 I recently came across a letter by Dr. Michael L. Brown. It was entitled, “An Open Letter To My Black Evangelical Friends.” Dr. Brown is a “converted” Jew who is on a mission to lead other Jews into accepting Jesus as their Messiah. Dr. Brown holds a B.A. in the Hebrew language and a Ph.D in Near Eastern languages and literature. He has written a number of books.

Those who know me may be wondering why I as a Devout Agnostic would take the time to respond to Dr. Brown’s letter. Well, for 30 years of my life I was an “Evangelical” and as it turns out, I happen to be Black. Without further ado, I present Dr. Brown’s letter.

Dr. Brown’s Letter To Black Evangelicals

Michael Brown: An Open Letter to My Black Evangelical Friends

Published on Tuesday, 13 November 2012 14:00
Written by Michael Brown

michael-brown

I am not writing this letter to accuse but rather to advance understanding. And even though I am white, I am not writing as an outsider but as a fellow evangelical, part of the same spiritual family. May I pose some candid questions?

Are you guilty, on any level, of blind allegiance to the Democratic party? And, on Election Day, did any of you compromise your convictions out of racial solidarity?

I have been very open in my criticism of white evangelicals, pointing out how we often put our trust in the Republican party and how we look to the latest candidate as some kind of political savior, only to be disappointed time and time again, complaining that the Republicans wanted our votes but did not stand up for our values. “We won’t get fooled again,” we say, only to repeat the same cycle four years later.

On Election Day morning, I posted an article entitled “A Warning to Moral Conservatives,” raising concerns that if Mitt Romney was elected, we would be making a grave mistake in looking to him to advance our moral and social agenda. I even wrote an article in June entitled “Mitt Romney Is Not the Answer,” and I often told my evangelical radio listeners that I would not argue with them if they could not vote for Romney because he was a Mormon. So, I do understand black Christian reticence towards Romney (for these reasons, among others).

I simply do not understand how my black evangelical friends who so staunchly oppose same-sex “marriage” and who stand against abortion could cast their vote for the most radically pro-abortion, pro-gay-activist president in our history.

Was there no moral compromise involved in voting for him? Are there no issues that could disqualify him in your eyes? And must Barack Obama be elected and then reelected in order to make up for past injustices, as one black evangelical woman claimed?

In the last few months, black Christian leaders came on my radio show to express their disapproval of the president’s policies, urging their parishioners not to vote for him (without endorsing Romney). And in a recent article, my colleague Bishop Harry Jackson went as far as to say that, “President Obama has become a personality akin to the biblical figure ‘Ishmael’ for the African-American community instead of the ‘child of promise’ we had hoped for. In a nutshell, he has attempted to create a new, unbiblical standard of social justice that promotes abortion, same-sex marriage, a distrust of Israel, and a diminishing of religious liberties.”

Yet when it came to time to vote, the same percentage of black Americans who voted for Obama in 2008 did so again in 2012 (roughly 95%). How can this be? Again, I am not attacking, I am inquiring.

And I am not the only one inquiring. I have been receiving emails and calls from other African American evangelicals asking these same questions.

More disturbingly, some of these black Christians have told me that they have been cut off from family, friends, church members, and even pastors because they opposed the reelection of President Obama. To ask again, how can this be?

One black pastor explained to me that he is convinced that “many African American believers compromised God’s Word during the election in the name of Obama Care and social program such as foods stamps etc.” Is there any truth to this?

If so—and again, I am asking, not accusing—this is not only wrong, it misguided, since Democratic policies have hardly advanced the economic well-being of black America. As noted by Congressman Allen West, “Since 2007, black median household income has declined by 11 percent—the largest decline of all major racial and ethnic groups … In 2011, the poverty rate among black Americans was 27.5 percent. The poverty rate among blacks living in families headed by women is 41 percent.”

To be sure, Republicans have done little to win the confidence of black Americans, and I understand the history of distrust in recent decades. But does this justify the overwhelming black allegiance to the Democratic party?

According to the BlackDignity.org website, “A black baby is three times more likely to be aborted [than] a white baby.” (The BlackGenocide.org website claims the figure is substantially higher; that website should be visited.)

BlackDignity.org also reports that, “Twice as many African-Americans have died from abortion than have died from AIDS, accidents, violent crimes, cancer, and heart disease combined.” And today, in New York City, 60% percent of black babies suffer the fate of abortion, never to see the light of day.

Does it trouble you, my black evangelical friends, that the Democratic platform, not to mention the Democratic National Convention, was almost a celebration of abortion?

In 2008, I warned my listeners that Mr. Obama, if elected, would support the goals of gay activism, including redefining marriage, but many listeners did not believe me. Now that President Obama has actually abused the teaching and example of Jesus to advocate same-sex “marriage,” how could you vote for him again?

One caller to my program on Monday told me candidly that he was shaking in the voting booth, knowing that he couldn’t support President Obama’s pro-abortion, pro-gay-activist policies. Yet, he confessed, he voted for him because he was black.

Was he alone in doing so? Again, I am not accusing. I am only asking.

Michael Brownis the author of The Real Kosher Jesus and the host of the nationally syndicated talk radio show The Line of Fire on the Salem Radio Network. He is also president of FIRE School of Ministry and director of the Coalition of Conscience.

My Response

First of all, I find Dr. Brown’s concern heart warming, and highly suspicious. Black people are only 13% of the population. Not all Black people are “Evangelicals.” When you drill down even further, yes President Obama received better than 93% of the Black votes, you must remember that not 100% of the Black population voted or is even eligible to vote. Census data includes everybody, including children.

Thus, for some peculiar reason, Dr. Brown finds himself not only concerned but feels compelled to address his concerns to an extremely small subset of society. I love his rhetorical flourish wherein he claims to be “one of us.” When did that happen? I do make a point of knowing the people sitting around my dinner table. He doesn’t look familiar. If in fact he was a “family member” he would not be asking the questions he is asking.”Advancing understanding” is a euphemism for setting us Black Folk straight, by bestowing upon us his version of the proper understanding.

Blind Allegiance And Racial Solidarity

Here revealed, are his real concerns. Frankly? I find this highly offensive… and it is racist! What he is really saying is that we poor Black folk – Evangelicals in particular – are blind. We are limited in our vision and understanding. We poor Black folk don’t know what’s best for us and Bless God! Deliverance has come! A converted Jew is going to lead us into that promised land! Hallelujah! NOT!

Too add insult to injury, we’re voting for President Obama merely because we’re Black and he’s Black. Did white Evangelicals vote for Mitt Romney merely because he’s white? Well, truth be told, most of them did!

Hypocrisy

In an effort to rehabilitate his argument, Dr. Brown really puts his foot in it. In classic polemic style, he endeavors to strike a balance by declaring that he warned the white Evangelicals against believing that the Republican party would advance their goals or that Romney would support their aims. This smoke screen is a false equivalence. Why? It lacks the interjection of race. It is like that spoonful of sugar to make his rather bitter medicine go down. Look! I made similar claims about Romney and the Republicans! Actually? No you didn’t! A similar claim would be asking if they were voting Republican and voting for Romney because he’s white? Those words did not pass his lips and the presumptuous assumption – though unstated – is that white people are above voting for a candidate based entirely on his color.

Abortion, Gay Marriage, Activism And Other Nonsense

The mantra that President Obama is the most activist, pro-abortion, pro-gay marriage President in history is a claim made out of either ignorance or intentional mendacity. Roe v. Wade has been a Constitutionally protected law since 1973. On Inauguration day in 2008, we and the entire world watched as President Barack Hussein Obama, placed his hand atop a Bible and swore to uphold the Constitution of the United States.

The Constitution does not define marriage but it does call for equality under the law. Today there are laws forbidding discrimination on the basis of race, creed, gender and sexual orientation. These are the laws President Obama swore to uphold and this is exactly what he’s doing. He could have ended DADT with an executive order. He did not. He allowed it to work it’s way through the congressional process

Clearly Dr. Brown needs to take a refresher on basic civics. He should have learned how our government works when he was back in high school. Presidents sign Bills into law – or they veto them – after they are presented to him by the United States congress. Activist? One of the main complaints from the “Left” was that President Obama was not out selling either his programs or his accomplishments. While the “right” has been calling him an activist without citing examples, the “left” has been complaining that he has not been activist enough! Know what that means? He’s probably got it just about right!

Please do not come crying to the Black Community about your abortion problem. Yes, that’s right! It is your problem. White people, Evangelical or otherwise haven’t given a damn about Black people since we’ve been here. Our roots in this country go back to 1619. How far back do yours go? One half of my family was here to greet the Pilgrims, the other half was brought over as cargo. We have a long an ugly history when it comes to our interactions with white people.

The only religious institution that took a principled stand on the abortion issue from the very beginning was the Catholic Church. They were against it from day one. The Protestant faiths, uttered not a peep until the “bean counters” did a study in the mid 80’s and discovered two things that shocked them.

  1. More white babies were being aborted than any other race.
  2. By 2050 white people would become a minority in the USA.

It was then that all hell broke loose! I was there sitting on the front row when Jerry Falwell’s “Moral Majority” was brought on board with Dobson’s “Focus on the Family,” The Schaefers, both Francis and Franky, to crank up the religious opposition to abortions. For 10 years not a peep. Then overnight, abortions became the sin of our nation.

I know abortions came from the Eugenics Movement of Nazi Germany. Margaret Sanger, the founder of “Planned Parenthood” was a fan of the Eugenics movement and fully supported the reducing of what they called the “undesirables” in society. When abortions became legal, clinics began popping up in minority/Black and depressed communities all around the country. You never find an abortion clinic or a Planned Parenthood office in an affluent/white community. This isn’t by accident. This is by design. What they never counted on was the fact that white women would go wherever they had to for abortion services.

I actually break all of this down at length in my piece on Abortion Myth-Direction. You’ll have to pardon my schadenfruede. When people create a program designed for my genocide and it backfires and gets them instead? Yeah, I’m going to smile and probably feel pretty good about it.

The Mendacity of Dr. Brown’s position is further buttressed by his ignoring of the Republican positions on what we do to preserve life after it gets here. Let’s call a spade a spade. What this things is all about, is forcing white women to get pregnant and have more babies. In essence lets turn them into breeders…in Jesus’ name amen! Why do I say this? Look at what they’re now taking issue with. Birth control? If your issue is with decreasing the number of abortions, making access to birth control readily available is a no-brainer! But of course abortion is only half of their problem. What they really want is to get the white birthrate up. Good luck! Black people, Evangelical or otherwise are not going to become the tip of your spear in the war to preserve a white majority in this country. Not going to happen.

Theological Implications

Let us be frank. The Bible says that the hope of the hypocrite shall perish. It is the very height of hypocrisy to promote the theory that God is sovereign and in control, to pray that his will be done in this election and them to throw a tantrum because things didn’t go your way. Have you stopped to consider, perhaps the problem is, you’re not on God’s side? Either God is in control or he is not. Of course, I could be getting this all wrong and perhaps you believe that Black people are more powerful than God and that we – our 13% – can thwart the very will of God merely by voting. I begin to understand all the voter suppression attempts we had to endure just to cast our votes.

The deeper issue is the fact, Dr. Brown and other Evangelicals believe the Government should be used to enforce their beliefs on a secular public. They are really admitting that the Church has failed in it’s mission and probably ought to be allowed to wither into oblivion. We do not live under a theocracy and it is not nor should it ever be the Governments responsibility to support the ideology of any religious institution. Yet we see religious institutions fighting tooth and nail to seize governmental power and bend the government into alignment with their particular brand of theology.

The fact abortions are legal doesn’t mean you have to get one. I could fly to Las Vegas tonight and spend the evening at a legal brothel. It is legal and I certainly have the means to do so. I am happily married and I have no desire to do so. The fact that it is legal doesn’t mean I have to do it.

In the Bible, Jesus said, “if I be lifted up, I will draw all men unto me.” Was Jesus lying? If not, then the Church must not be lifting him up. It is not the Government’s job to lead people to Christ, that’s the Church’s job. Preachers get paid a lot of money – dare I say too much money – to now be whining about the Government.  We did not elect a “Pastor in Chief.” We voted for and elected an “Commander in Chief!” Don’t get it twisted!

While we’re on the subject of theology… I noticed no where in Dr. Brown’s polemic where he actually addressed the problems with Mormonism.

Galatians 1:8

King James Version (KJV)

8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.

Perhaps Black Evangelicals refused to vote for the Mormon because they know their Bibles better than Dr. Brown does? Perhaps they take issue with a candidate who is a Bishop in a church that taught for years, Black skin is a curse from God. Perhaps they couldn’t vote for the Mormon because they do not believe God came down and had physical sex with Mary to create Jesus. Perhaps Black Evangelicals do not believe that Jesus and Lucifer are brothers. The irony is, Christianity was forced onto African Slaves. Now their descendants believe in it and practice it more devoutly than the hypocrites who forced it on them originally.

Black Delusion – When Hatred Wears a Black Face

Posted on by

Black Delusion Headerby Benjamin T. Moore, Jr.

Black Delusion – When Hatred Wears A Black Face

Bill Maher hosting Politically Incorrect

Bill Maher hosting Politically Incorrect

I first became aware of Tavis Smiley back in the late 90’s when Bill Maher was doing his show – “Politically Incorrect.” Whenever we see a Black face on televsion that is not in some comedic role, but is present to speak for and represent a Black point of view, I tend to pay attention.

The format of the show was a topical panel discussion, with a diverse group of guest. On the night in question, somehow the subject of African Slavery came up. One of the white male guest made the assertion that Slavery benefited Black people. As you might imagine, the hairs on the back of my neck snapped to attention and I sat up. I wanted Tavis to do one of two things or possibly both! I wanted him to first, knock this comment out of the park. It was like a slow ball pitched right over the center of the plate. “Swing for the fences Tavis!” Second, it would have warmed the cockles of my heart and put a smile on my face if Tavis had jumped from his seat and begun whipping some Ass right on national television!

Neither of those things happened. Instead of dissecting that comment with an insight bred of the experiences of our culture, Tavis chose instead to mug for the camera. He looked shocked as though he could not believe what he’d just heard. Wrong response! I was finished, through, done with Mr. Smiley from that point on.

State of the Black Union

State Of The Black Union

State of the Black Union – Annual symposium put on by Tavis Smiley to discuss issues of concern to Black America.

Mr. Smiley introduced himself to me again, some years later with his “State of the Black Union” project. The reason I watched was because of the guest roster. Mr. Smiley had managed to put together an impressive array of impressive guests from various segments of society who presented their views. It was intelligent, informative and it was well done. I began to soften my view on Mr. Smiley, but he remained on probation.

It was at these annual “State of the Black Union” symposiums that I was exposed to Dr. Cornel West and Dr. Michael Eric Dyson. It was a pleasure to hear Black Ph.Ds articulate the issues and concerns of Black people in America. They made my heart smile. I had no idea whom Alexis de Tocqueville was or what he wrote. However, – as is oft the case – Cornel West quoting from some long dead French philosopher made him sound like a genius! The reality is, he might as well have been quoting the janitor down the hall. But he sounded good.

Cast of the TJMS

Cast of the TJMS when Tavis was a contributor

Tavis Smiley connected with Tom Joyner of the Tom Joyner in the Morning Show. Mr. Joyner is probably one of the best known and most listened to Black Radio Personalities. His show is syndicated all across this nation. If you’re Black and you’re driving to work in the morning with your radio on, chances are it’s tuned into the TJMS broadcast. Tavis began appearing as a weekly contributor offering “timely commentary” on the days issues.

Trouble In Paradise

When author Toni Morrison said that Bill Clinton was the “first Black President,” we knew what she was getting at, but evidently some people took her literally. Evidently, Tavis and Cornel West were two such people. I say this because their loyalty to the “Clinton brand” – don’t get me wrong, I first became a millionaire on paper under President Clinton, but George Bush dialed that back a bit – has surpassed all rhyme or reason!

President Bill Clinton

President Bill Clinton

Were the policies of President Clinton beneficial to Black people? Absolutely! However, they were also beneficial to white people. Yes, rich white people got a lot richer under President Clinton. You may recall the “Dotcom Boom?” That wasn’t from a lot of minorities and Black people opening businesses in “Silicon Valley.” Bill Clinton was a good President and one of the reasons Republicans hated him so, was because his policies and the success they brought to the country showed Republican policies to be a lie. The National Debt was on it’s way to being paid off in approximately 15 years and we had surpluses.

Hillary Clinton

Hillary Clinton

Then came George W. Bush and all of that went away. When Hillary Clinton ran for the office of President, she was a known quantity to not just Black people but to a majority of Americans. She was loved by Democrats and hated by many Republicans. A lot of Black people threw their support behind Hillary… up until Barack Obama won Iowa. That changed everything. When Black people saw that white people would actually vote for Barack Obama, many of us pivoted and threw our support behind his historic candidacy.

Breaking Up Is Hard – For Some – To Do

The irony is, it was enlightened white people in a part of this Country where you might least expect to find them – Iowa – that showed the rest of this nation – Black people included – the way! The result was, that those Black leaders who felt that they had inroads into a Clinton presidency, suddenly found themselves starting from square one with everyone else. Some of them did not take this well. Tavis Smiley signalled his unease about this paradigm shift in his comments and weekly commentary on the TJMS broadcasts.

When he hosted his annual “State of the Black Union symposium” that year, he invited then candidate Obama. Candidate Obama opted not to show for clearly strategic reasons. He did offer to send his wife, Michelle Obama. Tavis threw a “hissy-fit” and refused his offer. Those of us who are politically astute, understood that candidate Obama was running to be President of all these United States. He was facing slurs and innuendos designed to make white people feel that he would be just the President of Black people. The optics of his being involved with a symposium which had featured Min. Louis Farrakhan, not once but several times, would not have been helpful.

Cornel West and President Obama during happier times.

Cornel West and President Obama during happier times.

Cornel West seemed to understand the political dynamics and he did in fact campaign for and with Senator Obama. His falling out with the President – according to West – was caused because he did not receive tickets to the inaugural celebrations. A slight? An oversight? Who knows? His explanation for the genesis of his dogged criticisms of President Obama stem from him getting his feelings hurt because he wasn’t given tickets! Really? Had he been given tickets, I suppose everything would be just dandy now?

Un-Anointed And Self-Appointed

Smiley and West

Tavis Smiley and Cornel West – The New Odd Couple?

We find ourselves today with brothers Smiley and West on a mission to critique any and everything President Obama does. They are struggling desperately to make themselves relevant to the on-going conversation in this nation on race, minority issues and issues specific to the Black community. So determined was Tavis Smiley to make himself the designated “watchdog” of President Obama’s policies, it led to his leaving the Tom Joyner in the Morning Show. The audience wasn’t feeling it and frankly? Tavis was embarrassing himself.

Tavis Smiley

Un-Anointed, Self-Appointed Presidential Watchdog

There is a difference between constructive criticism and criticism that comes from the petty frustration of not having gotten one’s way. The majority of the American people – based on these latest election results – know that President Obama has been doing everything within his power to make things better in these United States for all Americans. Further we know that he has had to fight an unprecedented Republican opposition, who’s stated objective was to make him a one term President… even if they had to destroy our nation in the process! When President Obama’s policies help poor white people, they help poor Black people too. When out of work white people get jobs, out of work Black people get jobs.

Black Delusion

I have been Black for these past 55 years. I do not recall in my lifetime, ever being invited to, or ever hearing about a secret meeting of Black people wherein we vote on and elect our approved Black leaders and spokesmen. If this has happened, I did not get my invitation. For my white readers, pay close attention. Black people have no official Black spokesmen or leaders… well, that is up until 2008 when we and the rest of these United States elected President Obama. The irony? The only official Black leader and spokesperson happens to be the officially elected leader of these United States. Thus, the leader of Black people, is also the leader of White people.

Any Black person who believes that they are a self-appointed, self-anointed spokesperson for Black people is suffering from a “Black Delusion.” This goes for Cornel West and Tavis Smiley. To show the extreme state of his delusional thinking, Cornel West has now attempted to pick fights with Rev. Al Sharpton, Dr. Micheal Eric Dyson and Dr. Melissa Harris-Perry. Why? Apparently simply because they

Poverty Tour Bus

Wonder how much this tour cost? Could that money have been better spent actually helping the poor?

are relevant and he is not! Yes, I heard about the Smiley-West “Poverty Tour.” It was cute. They spent God knows how much money touring this country on a bus talking about poverty and endeavoring to Blame President Obama. What did they accomplish? Not much! Both of these men are millionaires. The problem with poverty is, it’s like the weather. Everybody talks about it. Nobody does anything about it. Their time and their message would have been better spent had they opened a series of Smiley-West soup kitchens or homeless shelters. However, that would have actually required an investment. Paying lip service to an issue costs a lot less. Have they become irrelevant? Yes, they have. I suppose they could get a show on Fox News now? There are a lot of irrelevant people over there.

Outsourcing – The High Cost of Low Price

Posted on by

Outsourcing - The High Cost of Low Priceby Benjamin T. Moore, Jr.

Outsourcing – The High Cost of Low Price

Ask almost anyone in these United States, “what are the top 3 issues facing our nation” and you’ll get pretty much the same answer: Jobs. Jobs. Jobs. What there is little agreement on, is the cause of the problem and the solutions to the problem. Axiomatically, before one can solve a problem, one must define the problem. To define the problem one must understand the problem. It is time to take a hard look at how and why we find ourselves at this point and place in our history.

Greed Is Good – Gordon Gekko – Wall Street

A basic foundation of our Democracy is Capitalism. One of the fundamental premises of Capitalism is that people will do what is in their own selfish interests. Where they work, what they buy, how they vote, the fundamental premise is that people will look out for “number 1” before all others. You raise capital because you have an idea you believe is profitable. I invest in your idea – give you capital – because I’m anticipating a nice – ROI – Return On my Investment. Or, as Gordon Gekko says, it is all about “greed.” I’m greedy to make more money without having to do anything but loan money. You’re willing to go into debt to me and other investors because you’re anticipating all of the money you’ll eventually make.

Government’s Role

The 10th Amendment which recognizes that any powers not specifically enumerated within the United States Constitution, remain within the province of the various States, has as it’s basis the premise that local government being closer to the needs/greed, issues and concerns of the citizen, is much more responsive and reflective of those needs.

It does make a certain amount of sense. Farmers in Iowa are going to have a different set of issues and concerns than bankers in New York. People who work in a Steel Mill in Cleveland are going to have a different set of concerns than peanut farmers in Georgia or cotton growers in Mississippi. The theory is, communities govern themselves much more efficiently than a centrally located federal government. Again we embrace the theory that greed or selfishness with regard to issues works best when it comes to government.

Corporations

Ayn Rand

Ayn Rand High Priestess of the Virtue of Selfishness. Darling of Paul Ryan and Guru of the Republican philosophy

The problem of course is, when you take the “virtue of selfishness” – thank you Ayn Rand – turn it into a fundamental principle and apply it across the board. Suddenly you have businesses and corporations operating on this exact same premise. To wit: do what is best for the corporation and everything else will take care of it’s self. This requires quite a leap of faith, since there haven’t been any real studies done – at least that I’m aware of – which have actually studied the effect on society of a “me first, damn everyone else, philosophy.” 

Corporations exist for two purposes only. The first is to become as profitable as possible. The second is to grow as large as possible. These two objectives may not be what is best for our planet or it’s population. Balance is critical to the health of all living organisms. Make no mistake about it, our planet, this Earth is a living Biosphere. When things get out of balance, whatever it takes, balance will always be restored. One way or another.

Usually the largest cost for any corporation is labor. It is also the one cost over which management of the corporation can exercise the most control. The cost of supplies, raw materials, the building, land etc., are fixed costs. The labor however, can be manipulated relatively easily.

Unions Fight Back

Child Labor

Children Working in a Textile Mill

Collective bargaining – Unions – were created to protect the workers. Before Unions you worked 7 days a week. You had no vacations, no sick days, no benefits, no healthcare. Children could work in factories, mines and scampered along the steel girders of “sky scrapers.” There was the very real danger that going off to work in the morning might be the last time your family, wife and children would see you alive.

You were paid a pittance for your labor and the company owner – usually a “robber baron” – kept all the profits. Unions changed everything. The conditions for the workers improved. Children no longer could work when they were supposed to be in school. Profits were shared with the employees and the “middle class” was born. Prior to Unions, there was little to no upward mobility within our society. If you were not born rich, chances were you were going to die in poverty.

The only people who could afford a higher education were the wealthy. Thus, one could not better one’s self through education. It simply was not available. Remember the “Gold Rushes” in the 1800’s? The only chance you had for upward mobility was to strike it rich. People were willing to endure unbelievable hardships for the opportunity to have financial security. Unfortunately, without the education to go along with it, there were a lot of people who became millionaires but still died penniless. They did not know what to do with their money. They did not understand how to invest it or what to invest it in.

Return of the Robber Barons

“The Strong Takes From the Weak and the Smart Takes From the Strong.”

The “Robber Barons” and their bastard offspring, the modern mega- corporations have not forgotten their “Golden Age.” They are doing everything they can to return to those times of rapacious profits and the labor force is their primary target.

Labor Union Strike

Union Workers On Strike for a Living Wage.

Unions and collective bargaining have always been their arch enemy. Their technique and methodology has been subtle and insidious. The first thing they did was get the government to pass laws to protect workers. This may seem counter intuitive until you realize, by doing this, they’ve been laying the ground work to make the argument that Unions are obsolete. We now have OSHA laws to protect workers in the work place. We’ve got child labor laws to protect children. You get the picture. The next step was to use their media outlets to begin disseminating the idea that Unions were the reason for the high costs of goods and services.

You must never forget, our media is totally corporate owned. The stories you read, programs you watch are controlled, approved and directed by powers and people with agendas you never see, never hear about and do not know exist. As a friend once advised me, “whenever I hear something in the media, I always ask myself, why do they want me to believe this.”  I’ve found this to be invaluable advice. Everything that happens, happens for a reason. For every effect, there is a cause. There are no coincidences.

“I will build a car for the great multitude. It will be large enough for the family, but small enough for the individual to run and care for. It will be constructed of the best materials, by the best men to be hired, after the simplest designs that modern engineering can devise. But it will be so low in price that no man making a good salary will be unable to own one — and enjoy with his family the blessing of hours of pleasure in God’s great open spaces..” __Henry Ford

Henry Ford

Henry Ford

Looking out for and treating workers fairly has always been good for business. Henry Ford realized this and built Ford Motor Company on the principles of paying his workers enough money so that they could afford to purchase the products they were assembling. Thus, he had a built in customer base.

Somewhere along the line, businesses, corporations and industry rejected Henry Ford’s wisdom. It has become “open season” on the American workforce.

Globalization – That New World Order

I was a virgin when I got married for the first time at the tender age of 23. I heard you were supposed to talk and really get to know one another during the courtship phase. To that end, my prospective wife and I talked about anything and everything. From how many children we wanted, to finances – always an important issue – and of course sex. “Oh,” she said, “once we’re married, why you can have it any time and as often as you’d like!” Damn! That sounded good! As those of you who have been married already know… Boy was I in for a surprise!

What was promised, sold and delivered… turned out to be nothing like what I had envisioned. Thus it was with the promises made when it came to the wonders of globalization!

President Nixon greets Chairman Mao

President Nixon greets Chairman Mao

In 1972 when President Richard M. Nixon went to China, all the talk was about how a whole new market was being opened up. There would be billions of Chinese just waiting to buy American products. Our economy would boom trying to keep up with the Chinese demand for American goods and services. So, how’d that turn out? Like my first marriage… not well!

Sleeping With The Enemy

Nike Sweatshop in China

Young woman in a Chinese sweatshop assembling Nike shoes

To be fair, it has turned out pretty well for the “neo-Robber Barons” of today. We began to get our first intimations of what was going on back in the early 80’s. Some of you will remember? There were a series of news stories that exposed the working conditions in 3rd World countries where some of our popular athletic shoes were being manufactured. Nike was heavily criticized for their practice of manufacturing and assembling shoes for sale and distribution here in America, that were made in 3rd World “sweatshops.”

Nike Air-Max-Fly

A popular Nike shoe

The new model was make it there and sell it here. Because of their extensive marketing campaigns we did not seem to mind that their $80 – $150 dollar shoes only cost about $5 dollars to make and were being manufactured by – in some cases – children working 14 hour days for $50 cents an hour. Nike shoes became a fashion statement and we just had to have them.

Other companies took notice. If you could manufacture your product in a part of the world without minimum wage laws, without having to pay for benefit packages such as healthcare, payroll taxes, social security etc. what a deal! The steady exodus of jobs began.

Why Congressional Bills Are Written By Lawyers

Contract On A Napkin

Believe it or not, short, simple contracts are often the hardest to break.

If you’ve ever looked at a piece of congressional legislation, I’m sure you found it long, wordy, hard to read and even more difficult to understand. This of course is by design. It accomplishes several things. The first of course is the insertion of loopholes. Lawyers and our courts would be out of business if laws and contracts were written in plain English. There would be no dispute over our intent. If you and I wrote up a contract saying, “You were going to paint my house for $1,200 and I was going to supply the paint.” We sign and date it and it’s an enforceable contract. It could easily be written on a napkin.

IRS Tax Code

IRS Tax Code

When you have a bill that’s 500 pages or more long, you’d best believe there’s plenty of chicanery buried in that bill. Who’s responsible? Lobbyist are. This is what they get paid big bucks to do. Our tax code is an excellent example. It would take you longer to read all the way through it than it would take you to read your King James version of your Bible… twice! What’s worse? It’s much more difficult to understand. Buried within our tax code are such gems as:

  • A Foreign Tax Credit.

Companies pay taxes on their profits to foreign nations, usually at a reduced rate because of tax incentives given them by that nation to open a manufacturing plant there. Then they get a deduction from the IRS for foreign taxes paid.

  • Reinvestment In The Foreign Location.

The American company has the option, or loophole as some have called it, to reinvest the profits made in the foreign country back into the foreign location. If the profits are never transferred to the company in the United States, the company is not required to pay taxes on those profits. These profits are used to expand overseas operations and remain not taxable by the IRS. The IRS calls this money, “Unrepatriated Earnings”, and the total of unrepatriated earnings reaches well into the $600 billion range.

  • Savings On Payroll Taxes

For many corporations in the United States payroll expense represents half of their total expenses every year. Overseas companies do not have the employer contributions, unemployment taxes and the minimum wages that contribute to the large expenditure that it is in this country. Coupled with the literally thousands of people in other nations for whom a $7.00 per hour job would be a windfall, many companies see these tax benefits as more than making up for the negative publicity and the constant campaign against outsourcing.

Hitting The Snooze Button

The alarm clock has been ringing and the American people are starting to wake up! As the “Middle Class” sees it’s self decline, along with a shrinking job market, they’re becoming concerned. They should be! If you’ve been paying attention, you’ve noticed sleeping potion has been delivered through our media. The first concoction was a dose of “the American worker is not competitive on the World Market.” This was back during our trade war with Japan.

Rising Sun Movie Poster

Rising Sun Movie Poster

The movie “Rising Sun” (1993) starring Sean Connery and Wesley Snipes, based on a book by Michael Crichton, was a fictional account of the very real business philosophy of Japanese corporations. They were in essence dumping products onto our markets to gain market share. It wasn’t until our Government began fighting back that things evened out. The Japanese wanted to sell their cars in our market. Thus we demanded that they not only open their markets for the sell of American made and manufactured cars, but that they build manufacturing plants here in America and employ American workers.

There was some hemming and hawing at first, but things got better for both countries when the doctrines of fairness and fair trade were introduced into the equation. Nevertheless, at first the excuse for the imbalance in trade was to blame the American worker for not being as competitive and competent as his Japanese counterpart.

Blame It On Mexico

The next dose of sleeping potion has been to place the blame for the loss of American jobs, on illegal immigrants. The party line is, they’re sneaking across our southern border at night to steal our good American jobs.

Undocumented Workers

Undocumented Migrant Workers

It is not that I wonder whether or not there is intelligent life in the Universe. I wonder if there is intelligent life right here in these United States! I really have to take my hat off to the corporate propaganda machine that has silly “Red Necks” screaming about building a fence across our entire southern border and staying up all night with night vision goggles and walkie-talkies trying to catch Pedro. Waste your time on any and everything except, rounding up and arresting corporate CEO’s who hire and employ undocumented workers. It’s lunacy. It’s like watching someone try to go up the “down escalator.” After you’ve had a good laugh, you really should take them by the hand and lead them around to the up “escalator.”

Untouchables Movie

Scene from the Untouchables starring Costner and Connery.

It is like that scene in the movie “The Untouchables” starring Kevin Costner. I’m referring to the scene where Sean Connery’s character is giving him the “how far are you prepared to go speech?” Everybody knew where the booze was. The problem was that the money had corrupted, government, law enforcement and the courts. Sort of sounds like what we’ve got going on today doesn’t it?

They know where all the factories, meat packing plants and farms employing undocumented workers are. The problem is, our prices are now based on exploiting the cheap – though invaluable – labor these workers provide. The equation is simple. The lower the labor cost the higher the profits. The more profitable the company the larger the compensation package for the CEO.

Stop and think! When is the last time you or someone you know, filled out an application to pick fruit on a farm? When is the last time you or someone you know filled out an application to work in a meat packing plant? How about cleaning an office building at night? It is all smoke and mirrors. A shell game. It is based on misdirection. Focus on the undocumented workers simply trying to make enough to get by. Pay no attention to the owners of the corporations!

Outsourcing

One China is Enough

One China is Enough

The average annual salary of an American middle class worker is right in the neighborhood of $48,000 dollars. The average annual salary of a Chinese middle class worker is less than $7,000 dollars U.S. See the problem? There is no way that the American worker can compete with a Chinese worker. To do so America would have to become like China. I don’t think this is what we want. Truth be told, it’s not what “big business” wants either. Why? Because people making $7,000 a year cannot afford the products they must sell to remain profitable.

Sensata Employees Protesting Plant Closing

Sensata Made over $450 million in profit during their 4th quarter. It wasn’t enough and the plant is being moved from Illinois to China.

Outsourcing will ultimately bring down American corporations. Outsourcing is like heroine being injected into the veins of corporate America. It may feel euphoric at first, but eventually there is going to be a fatal overdose. As more and more Americans lose their jobs to outsourcing, the American market will contract and there will be no one able to purchase those new iPads, SmartPhones, automobiles or new homes. Families will be unable to send their children to college. Indeed it becomes pointless to obtain a college education when there will be no jobs guaranteeing you can pay back your “student loans.”

Colleges and Universities will begin to fail and we will no longer produce the people necessary to maintain our society. Doctors, teachers, engineers, scientists, computer programmers, the people who have designed and invented American society and culture will vanish.

The Future Of The Path We’re On

Damage from Hurricane Katrina

Damage from Hurricane Katrina

Those post-apocalyptic movies we’ve all seen about a dystopian future will become prophetic. It is already happening around us right now. Hurricane Katrina devastated our Gulf Coast. That was seven years ago and we still haven’t fully recovered and rebuilt. What’s worse, the hi-tech preventive measures that need to be put in place, have not been because we simply cannot afford it. When your philosophy is to shrink government to the size you can drown it in a bathtub, you discover that nature and the oceans may drown you first.

Hurricane Sandy Devastation

A dystopian future is a great setting for a movie… but not in real life. This is how Hurricane Sandy left a portion of New Jersey. Can we rebuild?

Now we see that New York is equally at risk. Hurricane Sandy dealt a devastating blow to an area of the Country that has basked in the delusion that they were largely immune from the types of storms that hit the Gulf Coast . We need  “Storm Surge Barriers” similar to the ones in Amsterdam. These types of projects require significant government expenditures. Where does the government get it’s revenue? From taxes, both corporate and personal.

Storm Surge Barriers in Amsterdam

They’ve got Storm Surge Barriers in Amsterdam. Why can’t we build them here? Oh, right! That might involve raising taxes…

When corporations outsource jobs to China and other places, American workers lose their jobs. If they’re not working, they’re not paying income taxes. When corporations take advantage of loopholes in the tax system, when rich people are not paying their fair share, we do not have the revenue stream to repair and rebuild after a natural disaster.

Let’s say you live in Wyoming or somewhere and you feel that hurricanes are the least of your worries, where is your money invested? Where is your pension fund? What stocks are held in your mutual fund and or annuities? You may not live on the Atlantic seaboard or on the Gulf Coast, but believe me, you took a sizeable hit along with everyone else. We’re all in this together and yes, you’re affected too.

Outsourcing Our Way To Poverty

Small Business Owner Opening for the Day.

Small Business Owners are affected when their customer base becomes unemployed. We’re ALL in this together.

You may feel relatively secure because you are self-employed or own your own business. What you need to understand is, in order for you to survive, you need a customer base. When people in your community are out of work, your business takes a hit. Think about this the next time a factory closes and ships it’s jobs overseas.

You just lost a percentage of your customer base. Yes, outsourcing affects you. When people have to make those hard decisions with regard to rent/mortgage, food, clothing and transportation, there is no money left to patronize your “ice cream parlor,” car wash, or whatever your business is. You need to be concerned and you need to not only support those workers who’ve lost their jobs due to outsourcing. You need to become an activist.

Greed

CEO Pay 343 times the average worker's pay.

Is this fair?

Let’s go back to where we began. Believe it or not, it actually is in your own selfish best interest to look out for your fellow man. The better he does, the better you can do. The more he achieves, the more you can achieve. I’m not talking about those CEO’s who are raping the profits from their companies and giving their employees the down elevator shaft. They’re not putting their money back into the community any ways. This is why painting them as the “job creators” is such nonsense. If I give $100,000 dollars to a poor person, that person is going to spend it to buy goods and services. If I give that same $100,000 to a millionaire, they’re going to tuck it away with all their other 100’s of thousands of dollars and it will not be circulated back into the economy.

The people who will spend that money – the poor and middle class – are the ones patronizing your business and creating demand for your products or services. It is that demand that causes businesses to have to hire more people and that is what creates jobs!

Do me a favor, the next time one of your Republican associates starts reciting his silly talking points and mentions “illegal immigration” as a huge problem, ask him how many American jobs Mexicans have outsourced to China? Enjoy the ensuing silence.

The Truth About Job Creators

FOUR MORE YEARS!

Posted on by
99 Problems but Mitt Ain't One!

Do you feel me?

by Benjamin T. Moore, Jr.

FOUR MORE YEARS!

The lessons of this election? RACISM NO LONGER WINS ELECTIONS! You cannot simply play to white people and ignore all the other groups in our multicultural nation. Non-racist white people are cool with this because they see themselves as Americans FIRST. They embraced their brothers and sisters of all races and sent a powerful message to the less enlightened. WE ARE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER! We must never forget this simple truth.

Mitt Romney believed he did not have to release his tax returns. He believed he did not need to give any specifics on any of his plans to actually fix the economy. He did not lay out any foreign policy agendas. He promised 12 million new jobs – ironically the same number economist forecast would be created if we simply continued on the path we’re on – but gave no specifics as to how he would create these jobs. He said he would repeal “Obama Care,” – a program growing more popular by the day – without saying what he’d replace it with… if anything!

He promised a $5 trillion dollar tax cut. Again no specifics about how he would actually achieve this figure or how it would be paid for. Evidently the”peasant class” doesn’t need to know these things?

Mendacity aka Lying!

Mitt and the truth evidently are not even passing acquaintances. I’ve been around for 55 years now and I’ve seen a few election campaigns. I am familiar with the fact that lying and politics is like ham and eggs, peanut butter and jelly or smoke and fire. When you see one, you assume the other is in the immediate vicinity. However, Mitt Romney’s campaign took things to a whole other level! In fact, there is strong evidence it may have been the “bridge too far,” “the straw that broke the camel’s back.”

In 2008 when our economy was in free fall and our automotive industries were on the verge of collapse, Mitt wrote an “Op-Ed” entitled “Let Detroit Go Bankrupt.” Without going into the mechanics of the theory of how in certain cases, bankruptcy could be a good thing. I will say, for there to be any chance of a bankruptcy leading to a positive outcome, there has to be some entity out there willing to buy the distressed company, reorganize it and take on it’s debt. Suffice it to say, there were no entities capable of doing this for our automotive industries. Thus, what Mitt was proposing would have been the total end of the American automotive industries. Not just the “Big – 3,” but all the other industries that support and rely on our automotive industries. Put another way? He was proposing manufacturing Armageddon for the United States.

Fortunately, President Obama took a different approach and the United States Government stepped in to save our Automotive industries. Mitt’s big lie came into play when he attempted to take credit for what happened by pretending that what the President did was exactly what he was suggesting. No it wasn’t! Mitt never suggested that the Government bail out the Automotive industries.

The lies continued. When our embassy in Libya was attacked, Mitt tried to get as much mileage as he possibly could from it by claiming that the President – yeah, the same President that killed Osama Bin Laden – was either too inept or trying to cover up something, to call it an “act of terrorism.” I’m not sure what he was trying to get at. Perhaps he was trying to say that the President has been faking it with regard to our successes taking out Al-Qaeda’s leadership? Nevertheless, he was severely embarrassed in the 2nd Presidential debate when he was “fact-checked” in the middle of his lie. Turns out there is video tape of the President calling the attacks terrorism the very next day in a “Rose Garden” press conference.

Mitt’s most egregious lie had to be his “Hail-Mary” pass at the end of his campaign where he claimed that Chrysler was secretly going to move the production of Jeeps to China. He released television and radio ads to this effect based on – far as I can tell – absolutely nothing! What he did was force Chrysler to weigh in and call his ads a lie!

October Surprise!

This years October surprise was delivered – if by anyone – God! Although tragic, Hurricane Sandy revealed all the lies the Republicans have been telling. The American people saw a President extend his hand in a bi-partisan way to a Governor who was one of the leading attack dogs for the Mitt Romney Campaign. Governor Christie did not have the luxury of playing partisan politics and showed himself to be grateful and appreciative of the Presidents competent handling of the disaster.

Barack Comforts Lady

A Real President

One of the many lies told by certain Republican nitwits was that the President – who’s mother was white – doesn’t like white people. The American people saw our President holding and comforting a white lady who’d lost everything in the storm and promising her that he personally and the Federal Government would be with her and all those who suffered catastrophic loss, every step of the way until they recovered. This is the way things should be and the way they’re supposed to work.

FEMA

Ironically, during his primary campaign, the question of FEMA and “Disaster Relief” came up. Mitt’s Response? “We should do away with FEMA and send it back to the States and if possible privatize it. As you might imagine, Hurricane Sandy put Mitt’s position on FEMA front and center. Instead of giving a response or answering the questions, Mitt chose to duck, avoid and ignore the questions of the American People. Evidently, In Mitt-land, we don’t deserve any answers from his majestic presence.

I’M THE WHITE GUY!

When you add it all up. The only real argument Mitt Romney’s campaign delivered was, vote for me, I’m white and wouldn’t you really rather have a white president? That message may have been enough 10 years ago. However, America is different. It is more mature. It is definitely more brown and we are much more sophisticated. You can no longer simply assume that because someone is white, they share your views on race.

I am pleased to report, we have finally reached the place where many white people are not only put off by racism, they’re not afraid to call other white people out for it! If I must say so, the future of our nation is looking very bright indeed. When we all come together, there is absolutely nothing we cannot achieve.

How A Real President Responds To Crisis

Posted on by

How A Real President Responds To Crisisby Benjamin T. Moore, Jr.

Faced with how a real President responds to a national crisis, Republicans are running around with their hair on fire! One is forced to ask, are they really that unpatriotic? Or is it that their hatred for our first Black President is greater than their love for country or their concern for the welfare of their fellow American citizens?

A Tale Of Two Storms

Woman picks through the rubble of her home after Hurricane Katrina

Woman picks through the rubble of her home after Hurricane Katrina

Hurricane Katrina and it’s aftermath is still fresh in our collective psyches. For the first time in our modern technological history, a portion of our nation took on the optics of a 3rd world nation. We seemed powerless to help our fellow citizens and this impotence was hammered home day after day, night after night by our 24 hour news coverage.

Hurricane Katrina Victims

Hurricane Katrina Victims signalling for help

We watched as the people of New Orleans – those fortunate enough to make it to their roofs – stood on their roofs, some waving t-shirts, other’s spelling out the word “help” with whatever debris they could get their hands on, all begging for rescue. News helicopters unequipped to be any more than a photographer’s platform, filmed the horror with the unblinking eye of the camera… and we watched. We saw men, women and children endure what none of us could possibly imagine ever happening in the United States of America.

We pride ourselves on coming to the aid of other nations to bring relief and rescue. Suddenly it appeared that we, the worlds last remaining “Super Power,” needed aid. It was a blow to our pride, self-esteem and wounded our delusion of independent self-reliance. The notion of “American Exceptionalism,” was laid bare for the myth that it is.

Michael D. Brown

Michael D. Brown – Head of FEMA under George W. Bush

When Katrina hit, Michael D. Brown – an appointee of G.W. Bush – was the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA. This was a curious appointment because Brown had absolutely no experience in emergency management of any sort! He was a lawyer and a radio personality. The only management responsibility on his résumé was his time as commissioner for the International Arabian Horse Association. Bush might as well have made him “Surgeon General.” He was just as qualified for that position.

To his credit, following the Katrina débâcle  a video tape emerged showing Michael Brown warning George Bush that Katrina “might be the big one.”

Unfortunately,  being able to perceive that the light at the end of the tunnel might be a train, doesn’t necessarily mean you know the way out of the tunnel. In short, from my perspective, Michael Brown did the best he could, he was just in over his head.

George Bush in his pick-up truck on his ranch in Crawford, TX.

George Bush in his pick-up truck on his ranch in Crawford, TX. Secret Service wouldn’t let him drive it on the streets.

George Bush had been vacationing at his ranch in Crawford, TX. On the Monday the storm hit, he was attending a ceremony in California. He did not return to Washington until Wednesday following the storm and did not visit New Orleans until that Friday. It was 5 days before he arrived on the scene of what he called “our worst natural disaster in history.” 

FEMA Trailers

Unusable FEMA Trailers – Contaminated with toxic levels of formaldehyde.

FEMA under the Bush administration had given a no bid contract to Bechtel. They were to provide trailers to be used to house victims of major disasters until they could return to their homes. The problem was these trailers had toxic levels of formaldehyde. The people who were moved into them became ill. Of course law suits were filed. Needless to say, this gave FEMA a “black-eye” in the view of the public.

To sum things up, the government’s handling of Katrina was worse than a Chinese fire drill. People died who could have been rescued. The perception that the government was ineffective and more hindrance than solution, was reinforced in the minds of many.

When Hurricane Sandy struck we all, I included, expected the government response to be similar. No, I did not think it would be anywhere near as bad as it was under the Bush administration. Cronyism and incompetence simply oozed from the pores of the Bush administration. However the differences in the responses between the Obama administration and the Bush administration have been stunning!

Craig Fugate

Craig Fugate – Head of FEMA under President Obama

The first notable difference is, when it came time to select a Head of FEMA, President Obama hired the director of Emergency Management from the State of Florida, Craig Fugate. Why? Florida is in the line of fire 6 months out of the year during Hurricane season. Florida gets hit frequently. Thus when he hired Craig Fugate, he was hiring someone with actual experience in crisis management and disaster mitigation. Yes, competence makes a difference.

In the aftermath of Sandy, in the words of Dawn Zimmer, the Mayor of Hoboken, NJ, “I put out a call for help and within 90 minutes, FEMA and the National Guard were here.”  The other difference? The day after the storm, President Obama was on the scene, viewing the damage, finding out what was needed and giving physical and emotional comfort to those who’d lost everything. George Bush? 5 days. President Obama? Next day. There is a difference.

A Real President

I’ve heard some make the claim that the President does nothing other than show up for “photo-ops.” The explicit implication – I know, borders on an oxymoron – is that the President is using a tragedy for political gain. While there is little doubt this has happened in the past, with President Obama this is clearly not the case. Sometimes it requires an “Act of God,” to cause people to realize what is truly important.

President Obama meets Governor Christie

President Obama meets with Governor Christie in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy

Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey has been an outspoken supporter of Mitt Romney and an ardent, vociferous, bombastic critic of the President. When Hurricane Sandy devastated New Jersey, that was his “come to Jesus” moment. Partisan politics went out the window and Governor Christie found himself in the awkward position of needing the help of the President of the United States for the people of New Jersey. When your home gets blown away, you don’t give a damn which party the person helping you belongs to. You’re just happy someone is extending you a helping hand.

President Obama Comforts Woman

President Obama Comforts Female Victim of Hurricane Sandy

Having a real President show up clearly means a lot in a time of despair. It clearly meant a lot to the people who’d lost everything. When President Obama took that woman in his arms and told her that everything was going to be alright and that our government was going to help her put her life back together, it carried the weight of a President who means what he says and says what he means.

Say what you will about President Obama, there’s one thing that is beyond dispute, whatever he says he will do, he does. He said he would defeat Al-Qaeda, he’s done that. When the question was asked in the primary debates, if he would go into Pakistan to get Bin Laden if he had actionable intelligence, he said he would and he did. He said he would pass healthcare reform, he did that. So when he tells a grieving lady that everything is going to be alright and that the government was going to be with her every step of he way, she tends to believe it and takes hope from it.

Aircraft Carrier Turning

Aircraft Carrier turning

What can a real President do? First of all, he can cut through government “red tape” like a hot knife through butter. President Obama gave instructions that he didn’t want any hold ups or impediments to government aid. He can do a lot more. This is what I believe stunned Governor Christie. When the issue came up of helicopters coming in to bring supplies and assist in search and rescue missions, the problem was where to land them. President Obama picked up the phone and ordered 3 aircraft carriers to station themselves off the coast of New York and New Jersey, to act as mobile bases for the helicopters that would be needed.

C-130

C-130 being loaded

Getting the power back on? We’re Americans. When one State is in need, all of the United States pitch in to help. States all around the nation began rolling crews, equipment and trucks toward our Atlantic seaboard. California sent crews. When President Obama heard they were driving all the way from California to New Jersey and New York, he told them to divert to an airport where he would have C-130 military transports waiting to pick them up, trucks and all.  This is what a real President can do. I’m damn glad we’ve got one.

He Delivered

He Delivered

Hurricane Sandy Destroys Republican Ideology

Posted on by

by Benjamin T. Moore, Jr.

“FrankenStorm?”

As I write this, we are in the middle of an unfolding natural disaster the likes of which most have never seen. A few hours ago, “Hurricane Sandy” made landfall off the coast of New Jersey. To give you some perspective on the size of this storm, it would take a jet liner 2 hours to fly from one end to the other. As is our custom, some have named it “Frankenstorm.” It is a monster of a storm to be sure. Ironically, this type of storm is predicted and fits perfectly within the oft denied “Global Warming” model of climate scientists. Thus far there are 8.2 million power customers without power.

Power Outage Blackout Candles

This is the only light some people have right now.

New York is flooded. Public transportation has been suspended and the Subway’s have been shut down due to the tunnels being full of salt water. Wall Street was closed today and will be closed tomorrow as well. The American marketplace, the engine of our economic system has been suspended while we all listen to a sermon from “Mother Nature.” All our technology, ingenuity and current “know-how,” has been placed in it’s proper perspective by a power greater than ours.

Power Outage Truck

Power Company Truck – Ice Storm

Every State in the path of this monster is experiencing power outages and devastation from high winds and flooding caused by driving rains. It gets worse. A dip in the Jet Stream has allowed a blast of Arctic air from Canada to come down to join the party. Where the moisture meets the cold, you have extremely heavy snowfall and ice formations. Because this storm has hit at a time when leaves are still on the trees, we’re now looking at even more devastation from trees icing up and limbs breaking. The limbs falling on power lines is bound to increase the number of power outages exponentially.

Power Outage in the Northeast

Power Outage and it’s growing

It would be folly at this point to attempt to project the extent of the devastation we’re facing. Thus far at least 48 people are reported as casualties of this storm with more reports coming in. We do know that a hospital’s generators failed. As yet we have no idea what ramifications this may have caused. We are being reminded in the most fundamental way of how truly fragile our technology based society actually is. You turn on the faucet without ever considering that somewhere there is a pump driven by an electric motor, pumping that water into your home. If the power goes down at the pumping station, nothing but a distressing gurgle will flow from your faucet.

Refrigerator

Modern Refrigerator

We no longer have “ice boxes,” what we have are refrigerator/freezers. Unlike our ancestors who had to spend a good portion of each day, either hunting, gathering or harvesting what they were going to eat each day, we now avail ourselves of supermarkets and grocery stores and buy food for the week. We store it safely in our refrigerators freeing up the hours in our days to pursue careers and other endeavours. When the power goes out, the clock starts ticking and that food we counted on is at risk of being lost. When the power goes out, the most disturbing thing is the absolute silence. You live each day surrounded by that 60Hz hum. You’ve become so accustomed to it, You don’t even notice it. That soft background hum is like the soundtrack to our lives. When it’s gone, the silence is deafening.

The Myth Of Self-Sufficiency

Dave Canterbury

Dave Canterbury of the Pathfinder School. He’s no fool! He teaches survival but it’s a business. He gets paid to teach people how to rough it.

Most evenings, I listen to a radio program called, “Coast to Coast with George Noory.” The show covers a wide range of topics with an ever growing number of guests. There are a few guests who have become “regulars.” Depending on the news du jour, there may be a segment with a guest who’s written a book or has a website dealing with the particular hot topic of the day. Needless to say, tonight there were several guest who are into self-reliance and preparedness.

Survival Lean-to Shelter

Survival Lean-to Shelter made from brush. If it comes down to this, you’ve got a lot of problems.

Back in the early 90’s I wrote a piece for a Usenet news group on being a survivalist. It was entitled, “The Realities of Being a Survivalist. (Getting Past the Bug-Out Mentality.)” Much to my surprise it is still around and referred to from time to time. It was written around the time the movie “Red Dawn” was in a lot of people’s minds. Many people had the mindset, that in the event of TEOTWAWKI – The End Of The World As We Know It – the thing to do was grab your “Bug Out Bag,” your guns and head for the hills. Live off the land, hunt and forage for food and survive like a hero from a Mad Max movie.

Sounds exciting, but it’s not very realistic. The gist of my article pointed out many of the fallacies of that type of thinking. For one, I’m not at all interested in running around in the woods with a bunch of other armed people all hunting for that same damn deer. My suggestion was to make your own home your survival retreat. Yes, I preached self-reliance. Food stores, water, a backup generator, certainly the ability to protect yourself and your family, with the added admonition of giving some thought to where you were living and relocate now to a safer, more strategic location. You probably wouldn’t want to be in the heart of a metropolis in the event of a crisis. We’re seeing some of the problems with this unfolding right now.

Food_Supplies

Desperately Needed Food Supplies

There are a lot of people in New York. In a day or so, they’re going to need access to food and fresh water. With transportation shut down and limited, bringing supplies to that many people is going to present a problem the likes of which may rival or surpass the problems caused by Hurricane Katrina. One thing in favor of the denizens of New York, the administration of President Obama is much more competent than that of George Bush. Nevertheless, it may be weeks or even months before New York and the rest of our eastern seaboard is back to normal.

Toilet Paper

Nobody ever thinks about toilet paper. How much do you have stored up?

Yes, self-sufficiency is good. Having supplies on hand is a great idea and everybody ought to have enough on hand to last at least 72 hours without assistance. A week or two would be even better. However, let’s be realistic. We cannot maintain our quality of life on our own. “No man is an island.” Even if you have a generator, eventually it is going to run out of gas. With the power out, if you can make it to a gas station, those pumps will not be working. How much food can you store? Toilet paper? How long can you stay or would you want to stay if you could not flush your toilets? Is it winter? How long do you think it will take for your apartment or home to reach the same temperature as it is outside? Is it summer? How long can you go without air conditioning? Excessive heat can be just as dangerous as freezing cold.

Ayn Rand

Ayn Rand High Priestess of the Virtue of Selfishness. Darling of Paul Ryan and Guru of the Republican philosophy

The Republican ideology of the virtue of selfishness begins to fall short when faced with the reality of the survival of a society. For years now the Republican mantra has been, “Government is the problem.” They’re right! Bad government is the problem. They fail to make this distinction. There is a reason human beings invented government. We exist today and have achieved what we’ve been able to achieve, even with all the setbacks and missteps, because we learned that working together in a coordinated fashion increased our chances for survival.

Frontiersman

It was a hard and rugged life out on the frontier. There was nothing glamorous about it.

Species who’s survival strategy focused purely on distinct individual achievement are no longer here. They’ve gone extinct. Wolves hunt in packs, whales swim in pods, fish swim in schools, bees, ants and other insects have hives and colonies. The coordinated efforts of a group increases efficiency and effectiveness. In our recent history, early 1800’s, the era of the self-reliant outdoors-man, frontiersman, the average lifespan was just 40 years old. Think about that for a moment. You reached 40 years of age and died of the natural cause of old age. Why? Life was hard. It was brutal. It was dangerous. Your caloric intake was low. You suffered from malnutrition. You died.

The things we enjoy today and take for granted come to us because we’ve learned to work together much more efficiently than at any other time in our recorded history. We have become a society of specialists. We make the education of all our children mandatory. Not just the aristocrats or plutocrats. All our children. Why? Because genius and innovation are not the exclusive province of the privileged and wealthy. We develop all minds both male and female.

We realize that you cannot be a productive, contributing member or society if you’re tethered to your home, armed to the teeth to repel thieves, robbers and invaders. Thus, we have professional police officers and if need be a military. You do not have to rely on folk medicine and remedies handed down by your family traditions. We have hospitals, emergency care facilities and emergency response personnel. They are specifically trained to quickly and efficiently respond to all medical emergencies.

Gas Main Explosion

Gas main exploding in a residential neighborhood.

Should some disaster strike, or your home or business catch fire, we have professional firemen and first responders. In times past, should your home or business catch fire, or some natural disaster befall you, you were largely on your own. To be sure, some of your neighbors may have come to help after they saw to their own needs, but professionals with equipment they were not! Because of our combined efforts – coordinated by Government – to care for and meet the needs of everyone in our society, we have experienced progress heretofore unknown in recorded human history.

Climate Change Anyone?

Global Warming Statistics

Notice a trend?

The Lunacy in the way the Republicans and the so called conservative movement, have dealt with the issue of “Global Warming” has been simply appalling. They have treated this issue as though the planet is sick and you can go shop for a doctor until you find one that will give you the opinion you want to hear. Scientist after scientist has sounded the warning. “We’re in serious trouble if we don’t do something now.” “We’re nearly at the tipping point.” I’m sure you’ve probably heard all the warnings. They haven’t exactly been keeping things a secret. The prescription has not been that severe. Reduce our use of fossil fuels. Invest in more wind and solar. Incorporate hydro-electric wherever possible. Develop wave powered tidal generators. Increase batter efficiency. Increase fuel efficiency standards in automobiles to bridge us over.

What the Republicans did was turn to their own scientist – most on the payrolls of the energy industry – who say, “Global Warming” needs to be studied more. Or, “we’re not sure how much of this is caused by man.” Really? You’re kidding me right? It’s like that commercial that says, “4 out of 5 dentist agree…” and they turn to that 5th dentist for advice. We simply cannot afford this.Too much is at stake. Remember the GOP convention where they were chanting “Drill Baby Drill” as though it were some Buddhist Mantra? I want you to hold that in your mind and hear it as you look at the devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy.

Two huge lies. The first is, that the global supply of oil determines your price at the pump. The price per barrel is set by oil speculators who are trading oil futures like Day Traders trade “penny stocks” on the Stock Market. It’s pump and dump. They don’t give a damn about consumers, they’re in for he quick kill and you pay for their profits.

Oil Derrick

Coming to a National Park Near You?

Lie number two: We can drill our way to lower energy costs. The United States has a little over 2% of the World’s proven oil reserves. We consume roughly 20% of the World’s oil. Do you see a problem? I do. Simply put, if we were at peak capacity we’re not able to produce as much oil as we consume. It’s like being behind on your mortgage and coming up with the brilliant idea that going through you couch cushions looking for change, will solve your problems. The humor is muted by the tragic reality. You’re going to lose your home.  If you were lamenting to me that you were facing foreclosure and I asked you if you’d checked your couch cushions for change, I’m pretty certain you’d have to suppress an impulse to bust me in my eye. Hell! I wouldn’t blame you if you did! I have the same impulse whenever I see or hear a Republican talking about “drill baby drill.”

The reality is, our planet is heating up. How many “100 year storms” have we had in the past decade? They’re coming almost every two years now aren’t they? Coincidence? I don’t think so. To those who lamely try to make the argument that “Man” is not involved, look at it this way. If you were coming down a mountain and you tapped your brakes and they went all the way to the floorboard, what would you do? Would you throw your hands in the air and say, “oh well, there’s nothing I can do. Might as well floor it and go out in a blaze of glory?” Or would you down shift and try the emergency brake? Would you look for a place to drag your car along the side of the mountain to slow and stop it?

The Republican Lie

Republicans have as one of their confessions of faith, “Government is the problem.” “We want Government so small you can drown it in a bathtub.” What about now? When disasters strike like Hurricane Sandy, Hurricane Katrina, Mt. St. Helens erupts, Earthquakes, God forbid, Yellowstone’s super Caldera lets loose, you’re going to want Government there with all the resources necessary to return our lives to some semblance of normalcy.  this is why we pay taxes. This is why whom we elect is so critically important! Everybody complains about taxes… until their home is under 6′ of water or on fire. When your child gets lost in a National Park while you’re out on a picnic, you couldn’t afford the cost of the search and rescue effort that the government – we the tax payers – will mount to reunite you with your child.

Irony KKK being treated by all Black Trauma team.

Irony – It’s a Bitch isn’t it?

If your home is on fire, you don’t want the fire department to show up with a clipboard and ask you, “will this be cash, check or charge?” Same thing if you were having a heart attack. These things we take for granted, are the very services that cause people to want to live in our country. No matter whom you are. No matter what you’ve done. If you’re in trouble, society will come together to save your life and help you get back on your feet. We call it “Our Social Contract.” It is what makes us Americans. There is a cost associated with this contract and we cover this cost by paying taxes.

Ever hear the phrase,”all roads lead to Rome?” There is a reason for that expression. The Romans knew that to build and maintain an empire, they needed to be able to quickly move and supply their armies to any location within their empire. Thus they built roads. These roads made marching easier and faster. They made it possible for wagons with supplies to accompany their armies. People spend a lot of time talking about the Roman phalanx, armament and use of the short sword to explain their military success. True their tactics and use of equipment played a large part, however the most important part in my opinion were the roads they built that increased their logistic efficiency and made it possible for reinforcements to quickly arrive on the scene of a conflict.

Collapse of a bridge in Minneapolis in 2007

Collapse of a bridge in Minneapolis in 2007

At one time, we knew this. At least we acted as though we did. We spared no expense to connect our country, first with rail lines and with the invention of the automobile, our interstate highway system. Our roads made commerce possible and caused towns and cities to spring up and grow along these thoroughfares. Power lines, roads, rail systems, bridges all these things make up parts of our infrastructure. If we do not maintain them, they will crumble and fail. It always costs more to rebuild something than it does to maintain it. Don’t like paying taxes? Think about this the next time you’re crossing a bridge. Saving money can be expensive.

Hurricane Katrina broken levee

When Katrina struck, the Levees broke.

How expensive? Hurricane Katrina really wasn’t all that bad by the time it came ashore. It had greatly weakened. The problem was the levees. They knew there was a problem with the levees and in fact money had been set aside to address this problem. However, instead of that money going to fix the levees, because of decreased revenue caused by cutting taxes, that money went to take care of other things. A levee is sort of like a parachute. You can fly 1,000 times and never need one. However, when you do, you need it to work. Again, infrastructure like those Roman roads, gets ignored until it crumbles or is no longer there.

Privatizing Profits, Socializing Costs

David Cay Johnston

David Cay Johnston – Author of “The Fine Print.”

In his book “The Fine Print,” David Cay Johnston lays out how we’ve arrived at our sorry state of affairs. We have deified the private sector to the point we damn near worship corporations as gods. We have allowed such aphorisms as, “the business of America is business,” or “what’s good for business is good for America,” to filter into our collective psyche. We accept these pronouncements as divine truth. We do not question them or actually analyze them. Perhaps we should. First of all, the government of the United States is not nor should it be considered a business. When the Constitution speaks about “promoting general welfare,” it is not talking about corporations or business interests. It is talking about the welfare of the citizens. Quite often what is best for corporations is terrible for citizens.

To paraphrase Sherlock Holmes, “the game is afoot!” It has been afoot for quite awhile now. Step one in the game plan? Promote the idea that taxes are bad and that they’re too high. This part is easy. When you tell people they’re paying too much, who is going to disagree? Everybody has been convinced that paying more for something than you have to is a sign of a mental defect.

Step two in the game plan? Convince the State that the “private sector” can provide the same services cheaper and more efficiently. Has anyone ever studied this leap of faith? Yet, because you’ve got the citizens up in arms over paying taxes, this suddenly looks like an attractive alternative. Utilities which used to be owned by the commonwealth have been turned over to private companies. Of course, they’re going to need some assistance and incentives in the way of tax abatements, but hey! It’s off the State’s books. Did you catch that? “tax abatements?” What that means is these companies won’t be paying State income taxes. Thus, the revenue of the State has just been decreased. The State also has lost control over vital parts of our infrastructure.

Here’s what this means. One of the reasons Hurricane Sandy has caused over 8 million people to be without power, is because, power lines have been knocked down by the high winds of the storm. There is a really simple solution to this. Bury the damn lines! Because power companies are now privatized, they’re not interested in incurring the cost of burying the power lines. What’s in it for them? If they cannot justify the cost – translation: make a profit burying the lines – it’s not going to happen. Had the power lines been underground where they should be, our power grid would have been largely unaffected by Hurricane Sandy.

Isn’t it interesting that Mitt Romney wants to get rid of FEMA? Right now when people’s lives and the restoration of their property hangs in the balance with FEMA standing between them and total unrecoverable loss, Governor Romney wants to get rid of FEMA. Hear him in his own words.

Just as he showed abysmal judgement when it came to – in his words – “Let Detroit Go Bankrupt!” Drawing from the same arid well of wisdom, he has prescribed doing away with FEMA. I don’t know how to say this any other way… but the man is a dangerous idiot!

Hurricane Sandy Destroys Republican Ideology

I am not a religious man, but it seems that some form of divine intervention may have occurred. “October Surprise?” This one may have come from higher up than we’d like to consider. For the past four years, Republicans have been trying to paint President Obama as divisive, partisan and refusing to work with Republicans. The reason they’ve been so successful in selling this nonsense is that their base only watches FAUX News. In point of fact, President Obama has alienated his own progressive base by reaching out to Republicans.

The Affordable Care Act called “Obama Care,” went before the U.S. Supreme Court over one issue. That issue was “the individual mandate.” The “individual mandate” was a Republican idea. Republicans have added “poison pills” to Bills and proposed them. When President Obama has said, “okay, we’ll do it your way,” they then turn and vote against the very Bills they’ve written and proposed.

President Obama with Chris Christie

President Obama with an extremely grateful Chris Christie, Governor of New Jersey

The devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy has made it necessary for Republican ideologues such as New Jersey Governor Chris Christie to have to put aside partisan politics and seek Federal Aid from the President of these United States. Right about now, Chris Christie is damn glad that Barack Hussein Obama is the President of these United States. He has been effusive in his praise of our President. One can only imagine how things might have been had the Republicans acted like grown-ups from day one and participated in governing instead of collecting tax payer checks for doing nothing?

The Monk, Monastery, Basket and Rope

A traveller visiting an ancient monastery was surprised to discover that the only access was by an elevator up the side of the cliff in a basket pulled up by a rope. As he rode up he noticed that the rope was frayed. He turned to the old Monk and asked how often they replaced the rope? The Monk replied, “each time it breaks.” This describes the way we currently handle business.

Rather than raise taxes and spend the money maintaining, repairing and improving our infrastructure, we will wait until it breaks. Had the levees in New Orleans been fixed and maintained as they should have been, the flooding from Katrina would have been minimal. The loss of life would have been greatly decreased. If our power lines were buried underground as they should be, we’d have very few power outages.

Had the Republicans extended their hands in a willingness to work with our President, instead of coming to him in their time of need, imagine what things would be like today.

The Republican Fascination With Rape

Posted on by

Radical Republican Views May Stab Romney and the GOP in the Back

by Benjamin T. Moore, Jr.

It is interesting to note, in all my years of watching the news, never before has the subject of rape been so thoroughly discussed… and in such a disturbing manner. One of the most troubling aspects of this discussion has been the association of a rape with some sort of divine plan. Although rape is discussed within the context of the abortion debate, nevertheless the degree to which those in the “Pro-Life” movement trivialize it should give any thinking female of the species, much cause to pause.

Rape

50 Shades of Grey

It’s a work of FICTION! Don’t get it twisted

Contrary to the apparent opinion of some Republican males, rape is not some variation of a scene from “Fifty Shades of Grey.” There is no romance. There is no acquiescence. Ironically, it is the total abrogation of a woman’s choice and freewill. Whether the method be through the intimidation of violence, brute physical force, the application of an intoxicant or any other means, rape is not consensual sex and there is always a victim.

Battered Teen Girl

Try telling her, “Oh and by the way, you’re pregnant and you have to carry the baby to term.”

Rape has nothing to do with the BDSM games some adults engage in. Those are games between consenting adults. Note the consent part. Rape is not about sex. It is about power, control and domination. It is often as brutal as it is insidious. Women who are raped often take years to recover if they ever recover. It takes something from them that can never be returned. It reshapes whom they are and often is devastating to their current and future relationships with men. Thus, the men is their lives, partners and future partners also become the victims of their rape. The physical wounds may heal with time, but the wounds to a woman’s psyche may fester like a hidden cancer for years. Some find their lives irreparably altered. Some become chemically dependent. Others end their lives.

When Republicans trivialize rape by calling it “just another means of conception,” they display a callous disregard for women, equal to, if not greater than the rapist’s. When they attempt to inject their twisted theology into the matter by bastardizing religious dogma, it rises to the level of blasphemy! The very notion that because something happened, God must have intended it has been used to justify nearly every atrocity since the inception of Christianity.

Using this logic, if someone backs a moving van up to your home while you’re on vacation and robs you of everything you own, fret not! God must have intended it. Why have a legal system? Why punish criminals? After all, they can only do what God intends.

Guilt By Association

Needless to say, the Romney campaign has found it difficult to split the baby so to speak when it comes to maintaining support from the radical “Pro-Life” wing of their base, while  appealing to potential female voters. The problem? It is a Sisyphean task to convince right thinking people that a woman who has already suffered a rape, ought be forced to carry the baby of her rapist to term. I suspect that proponents of this lunacy are merely paying lip service to a vacuous ideal because the chances of such a cascading series of tragedies becoming a reality for them is vanishingly small.

Almost all of those promoting this nonsense are male. Most of them are of an age where they’re children are either grown and married or soon will be. They bask in the illusion of security provided by their privilege, which has no relationship to the reality the rest of us must contend with. Of course, this is stunningly consistent with those born into money chiding the rest of us for our lack of industriousness. If we just work harder, sacrifice more, apply ourselves more astutely, we too can achieve just a portion of what they were born with. Personally I have no problem with the rich, wealthy and the privileged. What I have a problem with is them offering commentary on a reality none of them have experienced.

Where do men get the notion that their opinions on what women do with their own bodies, are worthy of consideration? As a man I have no idea what it is like to feel my body adapt, adjust and shift to accommodate a budding human life.  All I can do is plant the seed. The important part of the process of human reproduction is the sole province of the woman. I am comfortable abiding by her wisdom and judgement.

Todd Akin

Todd Akin Senate hopeful from Missouri

Thus, when we hear such nonsense from the likes of Missouri Senate hopeful, Todd Akin, that in cases of legitimate rape, the female body has ways of shutting down and preventing conception, I can only stare with slack jawed amazement. How on earth did he graduate from high school, let alone college without even a rudimentary understanding of human biology and the reproductive process? He could not have sounded any more ignorant had he said, “in such cases, the Stork simply refuses to deliver the baby!” Surely some college or university wants their diploma back?

Roger Rivard

Roger Rivard Wisconsin Legislator

This moral hemorrhaging didn’t end with Todd Akin. Enter Roger Rivard. Close friend of Vice Presidential Candidate Paul Ryan. This fellow has quite an interesting take on rape. In his own words, “some girls rape easy.” Although, taken in context his words are not an admonition to rape, nevertheless they display a mindset that trivializes rape and begins with the premise that women will cry rape when none actually occurred. Does this ever happen? Certainly. Just as people falsely claim to have been robbed or in the case of students, “the dog ate my homework.” People lie. Yet, when someone picks up their phone and dials “911,” the operator on the other end does not and must not question the veracity of the caller. If you say you’re having chest pains, the “911” operator doesn’t speculate that you may have eaten something that disagreed with you and suggest an antacid. The ambulance is sent immediately.

Paul Ryan

Vice Presidential Candidate Paul Ryan

In point of fact, this entire rape problem goes all the way to the top of the Romney – Ryan ticket. Vice Presidential candidate Paul Ryan also believes that rape is “just another method of conception.” If you’re beginning to see a pattern here, you’re right! What is it about the Republican party that allows the trivialization of such a heinous crime to be acceptable? They pitch more of a fit over rich people being asked to pay 4% more on their taxes, than they do over an innocent woman being raped! 

Camel

The Straw that broke the Camel’s back?

The straw that just may have broken the Camel’s Back is Senate hopeful from Indiana, Republican Richard Mourdock. Not only did he trivialize rape as just another means of conception, he injected God into the equation! Yes, should you get raped and get pregnant, take heart! God intended for it to happen! When pressed on the idiocy of his comments and the suggestion that God intends rape, he did backtrack slightly… and in the process made things worse! “God didn’t intend the rape… but since it happened, why not take advantage of things and throw in a pregnancy!

Here again is one of the reasons for my Agnosticism. I can hardly think of a higher insult to the divine than to make the “Almighty God” a party to the crime of rape! The fact that God hasn’t dusted off that whole smiting business he made much use of in the Old Testament causes me to have my doubts. Surely if there ever were a need for a good old fashioned smiting, this would be it.

Richard Mourdock

Indiana Senate hopeful Richard Mourdock

As it turns out, these comments by Richard Mourdock may just be that bridge too far. It may turn out that by endorsing Indiana’s Richard  – “I love to inflict my opinions on others” – Mourdock, Mitt Romney may have allowed the Senate hopeful from Indiana to not only stab him in the back, but the entire GOP. Let’s hope so! Women? Are you paying attention? They also say you can’t rape the willing. Do not be a willing participant in your rape. There’s too much at stake. Hold these fools accountable. The abortion debate is really a “Myth-Direction.” This is about what it’s always been about. Control. Absolute, dictatorial control. Or as Richard Mourdock says, “inflicting his opinions” on you! Vote wisely. Friends don’t let friends vote Republican.

TREASON How America Was Bought, Stolen and Sold

Posted on by

by Benjamin T. Moore, Jr.

Treason

trea·son (trzn)
n.
1. Violation of allegiance toward one’s country or sovereign, especially the betrayal of one’s country by waging war against it or by consciously and purposely acting to aid its enemies.
2. A betrayal of trust or confidence.

It has been said that a Democracy will only last as long as it takes the citizenry to figure out they can vote themselves money out of the treasury. I would like to add my corollary to this: A Republic will only last as long as it takes the Plutocrats to figure out a way to buy the Democratically elected Representatives. This pretty much sums up where we are today. But how did we get here? It was not always this way. While a thorough examination of the history of this nation is beyond the scope of this article, there are some milestones, some key indicators that show an America that might have been had we not allowed the greed of a few to seduce us from the path of progress.

The Bankers

You can see how much of the world lives in poverty, merely by looking at the lights.

What is the biggest concern in the world today? Food? Medical care? Access to technology? Education? Clean water? All these things are vitally important to be sure, but none of them are within reach without access to energy. Energy makes modern life possible. When our Earth is viewed from Space at night, you can tell where the wealth, industry and technology centers are merely by looking at the portions which are lit up. You can tell where poverty is by noting the darkness. Imagine what this planet would look like, where we’d be if people everywhere had access to abundant free energy. It almost happened.

Nikola Tesla and Wardenclyffe Tower

Nikola Tesla and Wardenclyffe Tower

In 1903 Nikola Tesla was finishing up work on his “Wardenclyffe Tower.” It was built with the backing of financier J.P. Morgan. Yes, the same J.P. Morgan now associated with the J.P.Morgan/Chase name. It was nearing completion when Mr. Morgan learned that it would transmit electrical power for free through the air. Upon learning this, he was stunned. He immediately withdrew his backing causing the project to halt just prior to completion. Why did he do this? As it turns out, J.P. Morgan was heavily invested in copper and had anticipated making a fortune off of the copper wiring needed to bring electricity into each and every home and business. Had Nikola Tesla’s project come on line, Morgan’s profit stream would have vanished like a light fog on a windy day.

J.P. Morgan

J.P. Morgan

We were that close! Imagine a world with no power outages. A world where electricity was free. A world where power could be brought to every hamlet and village without the need to run wiring. Power to run pumps for water. Power to run your electric vehicle with no need for a battery. Power to run factories and food processing plants. Think of how much cleaner the air would be. Mountains and hilltops that have been strip mined for coal would still be in their pristine condition. Streams that were defiled by slag and run off from the mining process would be clear and clean. There never would have been a BP oil spill because we wouldn’t need oil except for the production of some polymers. Our demands for that could be easily filled by the oil wells we already have.

The banking houses were not finished with us by a long shot. There has been a war for primacy which has been going on between banking houses for maybe 1,000’s of years. It started in the “Old World” and moved here. Just as with the Hollywood serials we grew up with, Banking Houses have been having showdowns and shoot-outs with the American economy caught in the crossfire. Make no mistake, this game is about global domination and in the words of the Highlander, “there can be only one.”

Think of the movie Underworld. The movie about a war between Vampires and Lycans. Society was blissfully unaware – as sheep often are – of the battles raging all around them. Though unstated in the movie, the ultimate prize was to have the human population as a prey item all to themselves. The banking houses like packs of Werewolves were battling between themselves using full automatic weapons and hand grenades. It occurred to some of them that in their fight for supremacy, the very people who’s harvested money made their profits possible were being destroyed. The “Great Depression” was symptomatic of this.

Run on the American Union Bank during the Great Depression

Run on the American Union Bank during the Great Depression

Stock manipulation, insider trading, leaking of false information caused bank stocks to plummet and the blood letting was fierce. J.P. Morgan and others were behind this. In the process people lost everything. So vicious were these internecine banking wars, people were rapidly losing confidence in the entire banking system. The only purpose for banking – particularly at that time – was the assumption that it was safer to store your money at a bank than under your mattress at home. It was being proven in the most poignant way possible that this was simply not the case. If people began taking their money out of banks, the entire banking system would collapse and none of the Banking Houses would make any money. In fact, like a virus this realization could spread to Europe and the global game for world domination could come crashing down. Something had to be done and it had to be done quickly.

The Not So Federal Reserve

Just as smart farmers practice crop rotation and soil conservation, the Banking Industry needed a set of rules and guidelines to protect the crop of human sheep they depended upon for economic sustenance . Think about how bad things must have been for natural rivals, foes and in some cases outright enemies, to come together and put in place rules and regulations limiting to what extent they could “gut” the American people.

J.P. Morgan family's Jekyll Island Resort

J.P. Morgan family’s Jekyll Island Resort

In 1910 a group of high ranking banking cartel members met on Jekyll Island – a resort island off the coast of Georgia owned by J.P. Morgan – to draft the plans for a “Central Bank” that would serve to regulate how much blood letting banks could do and protect the crop of American sheep so desperately needed for their profits to continue. Although there were several fully owned, bought and paid for Congressmen present, the Federal Reserve law was crafted and written in it’s entirety by the Banking Houses. It was a law for the Bankers, of the Bankers and by the Bankers. The U.$. citizens were being sold into slavery. The dollar sign actually stands for the “slave behind bars.” Fitting.

President Kennedy

President Kennedy

Think about it this way. If I owe you a sum of money… but the only money you will accept in payment is money I have to borrow from you, will I ever be able to pay off my debt? This is the Federal Reserve System in a nutshell. Back when the national debt was only $400 million dollars – owed to the Federal Reserve – President John Fitzgerald Kennedy realized the scam being perpetrated on the American people. On June 4, 1963 he issued Executive Order 11110. This order brought the printing of money back under the Federal Government. These dollars printed became known as “Red T-Notes” or “Red Treasury Bills” instead of the “Green Treasury Seal” you’re so accustomed to seeing, the seals on these bills were printed in “red.” President Kennedy paid off our national debt and America was debt free. 5 months later he was dead. One of the first acts by President Lyndon Baines Johnson was

Red Treasury Bill issued under President Kennedy

Red Treasury Bill issued under President Kennedy. Did it cost him his life?

to put us back under the Federal Reserve. Coincidence? Only if you believe in the “accidental theory of history.” To my Republican friends, that’s right, the only time in living memory when the entire national debt was paid off was under a Democratic President. I suspect it cost him his life.

Treason

The Banking Houses are by no means the only villains we’ve had to contend with. Wealthy Industrialist, owners of some of the largest corporations of their time, were supplying and supporting the NAZI war machine at the same time our boys were fighting and dying to stem the tide of Nazism and liberate Europe. Below is a partial list of some of the companies and industrialist that supported Hitler and supplied the Nazi war machine with much needed goods and services.

  • J.P. Morgan
  • Rockefeller
  • Henry Ford
  • Prescott Bush (Grandfather of President G.W. Bush)
  • General Electric Company
  • Standard Oil
  • National City Bank
  • Chase Manhattan Bank
  • Kuhn Loeb and Company
  • General Motors
  • Ford Motors
  • DuPont
  • Warburg Manhattan Bank
  • Brown Brothers Harriman (BBH)
  • International Business Machines (IBM)

These are but a few of the companies and industrialist who put profits above American lives. Did they have to wring the American blood from those dollars before stacking them in their vaults? Isn’t it comforting to know that these things are no longer happening today? Or are they?

Same Game With Players Added

First it was just the Banking Houses playing for total Global domination. The Game hasn’t changed. The goal is still the same. All we’ve done is added more players. No matter how it goes. No matter whom wins, for you the end objective remains the same. Your destiny is to be a totally controlled slave. Your only reason for existence will be to benefit and power their wealth. Nothing more. Nothing less. Here is the hard truth put in a way that is easy to understand.

All one need do is look around. What you see happening is not happening by random chance. It is not the chaos principle rolling the cosmic dice. What you see is the result of planning and scheming. When you’re not a part of the plan, chances are better than average, the plan doesn’t benefit you!

Grazing Our Way to the Slaughterhouse

Judas Goat leading Sheep into a Slaughter House

The Judas Goat leading sheep into the Slaughterhouse

Anyone who’s ever taken “Economics 101,” was taught three seminal principles. The first is that the self-regulating “Invisible Hand of the Market” is the best, most efficient way to run an economy. The second is “Supply and Demand.” As supply goes up, demand goes down and vice versa. According to your instructor this is what causes the fluctuations in price. The third principle is what is known as the “Guns vs. Butter Paradigm.” The more you spend of your Gross Domestic Product on “guns” – hard items, infrastructure what have you – the less of your GDP you can spend on “Butter” – the luxury items – such as entertainment, ball games, nights out to the cinema or more relevantly, PBS, Sesame Street and Big Bird.

It makes sense. It is easy to understand. It can be regurgitated on demand for tests… and it’s all a total fantasy! I can prove it to you right now. Consider the price of gas. Republicans will tell you that gas is so high because President Obama won’t let Big Oil drill in our National Parks and other precious federal lands. Yet, when you look at the actual facts – something Republicans run from like they’re the plague – Oil production is at an all time high. Thus the supply from the United

US Domestic Oil Productions Vs Gasoline Prices

Note the wild fluctuations in gas prices? They’ve got nothing to do with oil production.

States – which by the way only controls 20% of the worlds oil reserves – is higher than what it was under the Bush Administration. If the price of gas had anything to do with the supply of oil from the United States, our gas prices should be hovering around $1.40 per gallon. One myth down. Two to go.

The Not So Invisible Hand Of The Market

The Not So Invisible Hand Of The Market

What about the “Invisible Hand of the Market?” The problem with this myth goes to the definition of “Free Market.” Take the Stock Market. Is the Stock Market free? Of course it isn’t. To be free everybody would have to have equal information. Equal ignorance and equal opportunity to buy and sell. You only make a profit in the stock market one of two ways. You have the luck of the Irish – not that the Irish have ever been particularly lucky – or you know something your fellow traders do not yet know. For example. A buddy of mine calls me up and gives me a stock tip. A company he’s working for is about to bring a new widget to the market. Their stock is about to “spike” up significantly. I call my broker and buy 5,000 shares. Sure enough, within a month I’ve tripled my initial investment. Is this the Free Market at work? Of course not. He could have just as easily told me that he’d gotten word that the profit and loss statements due to be released were going to show a loss for the quarter and that I should sell.

Stock Market Analyst - Jim Cramer of Mad Money

Stock Market Analyst – Jim Cramer of Mad Money

They’re not even bashful about things any longer. They pay analyst huge sums of money to predict what a stock is likely to do. Investors live by those reports. It never occurs to them, these analyst might be getting a check under the table to upgrade or downgrade a stock to benefit the bottom line of some huge corporation. Is the Market free? Of course not! If I know something you don’t know then I have an advantage. When it comes to money there is nothing some people and corporations will not do to gain an advantage. Am I saying they are all corrupt? No, of course not. However, how do you know which ones are and which ones are not?

Guns Or Butter?

What happens if I use my gun to take your butter?

The “Guns vs. Butter” paradigm is probably the most easy to see through. Sure it makes sense in the civilized confines of the economics classroom. It’s an excellent exercise in erudition to juggle the numbers, plug them into spreadsheets and watch the colorful graphs and projections tumble across your screen. The real world is quite a bit different however. What happens if I simply spend all my GDP on guns, then come and take your butter? This worked for Russia and led to the formation and consolidation of the Soviet Union. It worked for Hitler and brought us WWII. In point of fact, this is exactly how many countries in the real world work. All that stuff they taught you in school is just a fantasy. It gives you just the background trivia you need to become a trainable drone for the corporate machine.

TREASON! How America was Bought, Stolen and Sold!

In my perfect world, all those who worship at the altar of capitalism would be rounded up and put into an institution for the criminally insane. Sound harsh? Perhaps. However, when we look at some of the things that have been done to the American people in the name of Capitalism and the free market I think my response is actually rather mild.

Fly on mashed potatoes

Hey Waiter! There’s a Fly in my mashed potatoes!

In truth when one examines American corporations and their history, one might be looking at a book review for “Angels and Demons.” There have been some corporations that have been very beneficial to these United States and whom were essential for it’s growth and development. However, if I set before you a steaming bowl of mashed potatoes with a large pat of butter melting in a pond on top… and you look down and notice a large green housefly swimming in that butter, what do you see? All those nice fluffy mashed potatoes? Or that hideous housefly? Suppose I told you to just eat around the fly, would you? Perhaps if you merely fished the fly out? Would the potatoes be all better now? Somehow I get the feeling that the entire bowl of mashed potatoes would have to go.

So it is for me when I look at some of the horrific things corporations have done to the American people and the American Economy. It is not my purpose to give an exhaustive list, but I will hit a few highlights or perhaps we should call them “low-lights?”

ENRON a Tragedy in 2 Parts

ENRON Logo

ENRON Logo

Remember Enron? This mega-corporation nearly cornered the American Energy Market. Be it electrical, gas or oil, Enron had it’s fingers all in it. Things got so good for them, they began creating the demand to justify raising their prices by creating “rolling brown-outs” on the west coast during the height of the summer heat. These brown-outs were artificially induced. They caused auto-accidents and people died!

 The first part of this tragedy is what was done to the entire west coast of our nation. The traffic accidents, people who died because ambulances couldn’t reach them in time or couldn’t get them to the hospital in time, What price would you place on those lives? What if it were a family member? Your grandmother suffering in the heat of an apartment or nursing home with no power. The only reason? To artificially inflate the price that a vastly overvalued stock was being traded at, and to artificially inflate the cost of energy. Had a foreign nation done this, we would have considered it an act of war. However because it was an American corporation, we bowed at the altar of Capitalism.

What Enron did in California and up the West Coast was the “bridge too far” that brought about their ultimate ruin. Market analyst were already noticing anomalies with their stock price. They began digging a little deeper. Once you come on the radar, people notice and start to investigate. The house of cards was starting to crumble. This response by then CEO of Enron, Ken Lay, to columnist, Paul Krugman on Mr. Krugman’s New York Times column pointing out that Enron was the quintessential example of why we need more regulation, Mr. Lay said the following:

“The broader goal of [Krugman’s] latest attack on Enron appears to be to discredit the free-market system, a system that entrusts people to make choices and enjoy the fruits of their labor, skill, intellect and heart. He would apparently rely on a system of monopolies controlled or sponsored by government to make choices for people. We disagree, finding ourselves less trusting of the integrity and good faith of such institutions and their leaders. The example Mr. Krugman cites of “financialization” run amok (the electricity market in California) is the product of exactly his kind of system, with active government intervention at every step. Indeed, the only winners in the California fiasco were the government-owned utilities of Los Angeles, the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia. The disaster that squandered the wealth of California was born of regulation by the few, not by markets of the many.”

Here is a company who’s accounting practices were so corrupt they brought down Arthur Anderson one of the largest and most reputable accounting firms in the nation. They were hiding money in dummy companies all around the globe, they were transferring losses from Enron to other dummy companies and it all came crashing down when they attracted intense scrutiny because of their criminal conduct in managing the power and dealing with their customers on the west coast.

This brings us to part 2 of the tragedy. Many people had an awful lot of Enron stock in their portfolios and pension plans. A whole lot of people lost their shirts. If you had an IRA or a Pension plan back then, you probably took a hit as well. Although you may have never even considered buying Enron stock, the mutual funds that pensions and IRA’s invest in often have holdings investors are not aware of. One pension fund in Florida lost over $300 million when Enron’s stock dropped to $1. If you’re in your 20’s and just starting out, no big deal. However if you were close to retirement, that type of loss to a pension fund would be devastating.

Outsourcing

Uncle Sam working on a line in Chinese workshop

Uncle Sam in a Chinese work shop

There’s nothing quite like buying a brand new American Flag, reading the tag only to discover it was made in China! Here are a few facts. The average median income here in America is right around $48k per year. The average median income in China is around $6,700 per year. There is no way we can compete with those labor rates nor should we.

When an American worker makes $48k, out of that money comes taxes which support our schools, roads, infrastructure, police and fire departments, hospitals etc. Also, out of that $48k groceries are purchased which help the American farmer. Products are purchased at shopping malls which help other businesses. Cars are bought and maintained and the money that is paid to the American worker is circulated all throughout our economy benefiting all of us.

When that American worker’s job is outsourced to China, yes he’s in a world of hurt, but the reality is, all of us are hurt. Yet, many continue to graze like dumb sheep. The wolves grab one of their brethren and their position is, “well, at least it wasn’t me. He/She must have done something wrong.” This is a recipe for ultimate disaster. One by one the sheep are picked off until they finally get around to you. You are on the menu and they will get to you eventually.

Let’s say you’re retired and living happily on your pension and Social Security. The Social Security fund is set up on the premise that people who are currently working and paying their Social Security are funding the program for you. As more and more jobs are transferred out of the country, the Social Security fund will shrink. This is true for Medicare as well. No matter where you are, where you live, you are affected by factories closing and those jobs being sent to other countries. Even if you’re self-employed, you’re affected.

The Real Reason Jobs are outsourced.

The Real Reason Jobs are outsourced.

The only way to compete with China is for us to become China. One China is enough. We do not want to lower our lifestyle to that of the people of China. You wouldn’t want to live here if we did. Thus when they talk about the American worker not being as competitive on the world market as the Chinese worker, understand what they’re really saying. What they’re saying is they don’t want to pay American wages period.

Sensata is a company in Freeport, IL. In the 4th quarter of 2011 they had a net revenue of $453.4 million dollars. This was up 16.9% from the 4th quarter of 2010. They were acquired by Bain Capital – Mitt Romney’s Company – and Bain decided that they could greatly increase their profits by moving operations to China. How much profit is enough? Do we sit quietly by while the wolves pick those employees off one by one? At what point do we rise up and say enough is enough? With each job shipped overseas we move one step closer to becoming a 3rd World Nation.

Corporate Misdirection

Make no mistake, the corporate objective is no different than the big banking houses. They too are playing a zero sum game for total global domination as well. If you’ve ever watched Survivor on CBS, this should be familiar to you. In the beginning of the game alliances are formed. People work together to eliminate other people in the group. The problem is, there can only be one winner. Thus you know at some point in the game, treachery will ensue. Someone is going to get stabbed in the back. I suppose some find this entertaining which is why the show is still on.

Right now corporations and industrialist are working together. They’re working to break up the Labor Unions that made the “Middle Class” possible. They’re working together to buy congressmen and by extension they’re stacking the courts, getting rid of regulations and slowly their noose is tightening around the necks of the American people. They’ve been working on their plan for years now. There has been a steady stream of propaganda that goes out over the talk radio networks they own, vilifying Labor Unions. Drip, drip, drip it’s been going on for years now. Most people have a dim view of Labor Unions. They forget that Labor Unions are the reason they only have to work 40 hr. weeks. Labor Unions are the reason that kids aren’t working in factories. It was Labor Unions that forced corporations to profit share with their employees. Labor Unions are the reason you have health care. Paid vacations? Labor Unions. Yet, many people now believe that Labor Unions have outlived their usefulness.

Tea Bag Hat

She’s angry about the wrong things.

Corporations spend copious sums of money lobbying and advertising. It’s all about control and if you think they’re not spending equal amounts of money to frame and shape the debate and conversation, you’re naive. The “Tea Party” is an excellent example of this. TEA Party = Taxed Enough Already Party. Most of these people aren’t even paying taxes to speak of. They’re out fighting against the very revenue stream that benefits them and will help them make it into the Middle Class or remain there if they’re borderline Middle Class.

A tax is a fee for services provided by the government. If your issue is all about how much you’re paying, shouldn’t you be focusing on the corporations that are gouging you at the gas pump, grocery store, interest rates and all those other things we purchase everyday? We can elect our public officials. We cannot elect those corporate board members who make the polices that really gouge our pocketbooks. The only agency that can protect us from them, is our government.

I’m not going to tell you that government is our saviour because it’s not. However, government is not our enemy. It is there to protect and serve the people and we do have control over our government through our vote. The large corporation that’s charging you usurious interest rates? The only advocate you have against them is government. This is why they’re trying to use you to hamstring government by putting the people they’ve already bought into power.

This is a zero sum game. The wolves are hungry and you’re on the menu. It has always been about the control and enslavement of the world. Unless you’re sitting in a spaceship with some sort of a warp drive, you don’t have a lot of options. We outnumber them. This is why one of their main techniques has been “divide and conquer.” Black against White against Latino. Man against woman, pseudo-rich against the poor. It’s all a game but it’s played “for keeps.”

TREASON! How America was Bought, Stolen and Sold

Think about the contrived “undocumented worker” problem. Why is everyone up in arms about shutting down our borders? It is an expensive, wild goose chase that won’t be effectve. Undocumented workers come here to work. If they really wanted to stop them from coming, there would be no need to play hide and go seek along the border. All you’d have to do is start arresting CEO’s and business owners who hire people who are here illegally. It is simple and cost effective and it would solve the problem with in a month, two months at the most.

The truth of the matter is, this is yet another case of corporate misdirection. They’ve got you looking at the border for the people who they’ve got working in their back rooms and factories. They’re telling you that the reason your pay check is so low is because of the people they’re hiring illegally. Instead of picketing these businesses and demanding the arrest of these employers, we’ll get shirt tail militias to sit in lawn chairs watching the border.

We complain about how bad things are and make noises about our jobs being shipped overseas and then go shop at Wal-Mart where most of their inventory comes from China. We have the power to choose. We should use it wisely. Don’t bank with banks who don’t have your best interests or this nation’s interest at heart. Don’t buy things not made in America. Don’t elect politicians who are owned by corporate America and for God’s sake! Do not vote Republican. At some point in the future? Maybe. However, right now, the Republicans have been co-opted by corporate interests that are antithetical to what is best for this nation.

I don’t want to live in a 3rd world nation. If I did, I could move to one. I like children having good schools. I like teachers to make a decent living. I like fire fighters, police and medical responders to be well paid. I like having our roads cleared in the winter and potholes filled in the spring. I think Social Security and Medicare are just fine the way they are. I believe we owe the young men and women who serve in our military a job when they get back and the peace of mind knowing that their families are well fed, cared for and bills paid while they’re gone. Gosh darnit! I want the pilots who are flying the plane paid well enough that they’re not distracted by thoughts of making ends meet while they’ve got my life in their hands at 30,000 feet. I’m not interested in a race to the bottom. I want us to race to the top. How do we do all this? The first step is you’ve got to wake up.

Follow the money