First, I really want to believe that Obama will be the answer so many of us had prayed for. Perhaps many of my statements are interpreted as being anti Obama... I am happy Bush(its) term is over! But I am an individual and make my mind up on that basis rather than being a cheerleader for one party or the next!
With all that being said a few facts that have come out recently have driven me nuts:
Obama was the largest recipient of "donations" from guess which company:
a) AIG
b) AIG
c) AIG
That's right he got over 104,000 dollars from them. They donated a total of 600,000. Guess who was number two, just a few dollars less than Obama... the answer Dodd from Connecticut. Very interesting considering recent mainstream news stories...
Out of the 600,000 given out by AIG, most were given after they got the initial TARP funds... meaning that even Obama got a bonus. Guess which party did put a clause in stimulus monies that did NOT want to stop multi million dollar bonuses? If you said the Democrats than you are correct. Guess which party knew two months ago about the bonuses and tried to cover up that fact... if you said Democrats again than you won. Why should millionaire executives get shielding from our Government when everyday laborers have to get their contracts revised to cut their pay?
I am not a fan of autoworkers and their contracts but this is crap. The allegations that are coming out by the minute are unbelievable. I am trying to keep up to date on the interrelatedness of all these current scandals... from Madoff to AIG. They are so connected. The winners.. the rich and elite... the losers - poor indebt folks like me.
I truly wish and hope that someday in my lifetime that we as a people will retake control of OUR government. Obama is doing many wonderful things and I support and encourage him in that. But we need to write letters and protest the inequities that govern most of our lives... let's all unite as humans, Americans and demand equal rights and justice for all!!!
Holbrooke Served on AIG Board
Meanwhile, a top Obama administration official is coming under scrutiny for his ties to AIG. Richard Holbrooke, the US special envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan, served on AIG’s board from 2001 until early last year. Holbrooke is believed to have collected up to $800,000 during his AIG stint.
and...
AIG Sues for Return of $300M in Taxes
As AIG faces the loss of its bonuses, it’s quietly filed a lawsuit to recoup more than $300 million in what it says are overpaid taxes. The company says it overpaid the government in charges for using offshore tax havens. The suit effectively means AIG is using US taxpayer money to sue its majority owner, the US taxpayer. The government owns an 80 percent stake in AIG following its $170 billion bailout.
and...
Probe: Bailout Firms Owe $220M in Taxes
In other bailout news, a congressional probe has found the top thirteen firms to receive bailout money owe more than $220 million in unpaid federal taxes. Congress member John Lewis of Georgia, the chair of the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Oversight, says two of the companies owe more than $100 million apiece. The review only looked at the top twenty-three bailout recipients, leaving open the possibility of further owed taxes from nearly 450 remaining companies. The inspector general overseeing the federal bailout says he will investigate whether recipient companies misled Congress on their tax obligations.
Citigroup to Spend $10M on Exec Offices
The bailed-out financial giant Citigroup, meanwhile, is coming under scrutiny for a $10 million plan to build new offices for top executives. Citigroup has received $45 billion under the taxpayer-funded bailout.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Friday, March 20, 2009
WE NEED PEACE, NOW!!!
Peace, not War
I was so saddened to hear the news reports this morning talking about the continued atrocities committed by the Israeli government against innocents during their brief but deadly war in Gaza. The subject of the story was an Arab doctor who practiced in Israel whose house was viciously attacked by the Israeli Defense Force. A group of tanks surrounded his house and commenced firing upon it. Dr. Abu al-Aish, a noted gynecologist and peace advocate, had never engaged in any attacks on Israelis, housed or supported militants or even questioned their right to a homeland. The first rounds of tank shells destroyed his house and killed his daughters’ twenty-one-year-old Bessan, fifteen-year-old Mayar, and thirteen-year-old Aya—as well as his niece Nour, who was age fourteen. Another daughter Shada, who was wounded, was crying for her father having her eyes blown out of their sockets. The second round of tank shells decapitated his children showering the house in pools of blood and brain matter. We will never achieve peace thru violence! Bombing for peace is like fucking for virginity. It simply is a failed policy.
The mainstream news in America does not fairly publish the stories of war. We seem to be so scared to confront our Israeli friends about the daily atrocities they inflict. Instead of calling for worldwide peace and being outraged at acts of aggression we condoned their actions demonizing average Arab citizens in our daily biased spoon fed news reports. Two days ago, in the first pages of the San Francisco Chronicle published a story of an Israeli soldier who had been captured by militants and has been held for nearly three years. They gave wonderful background information about his family and his story. When America’s mainstream press talks about Arab casualties, either in Iraq, Palestine or anywhere else we never get the same in depth stories behind their lives or even their names. We simply get body counts.
The same day the paper ran coverage of the captured Israeli soldier, American citizen and noted Peace activist Tristan Anderson was brutally shot point blank in the head by an extended range tear gas canister while peacefully demonstrating with Palestinians against the great barrier wall Israel has illegally built on Palestinian lands. Even George Bush in perhaps his only moment of clarity described the Apartheid Wall as a problem and a major interference in further peace talks.
The fact of the matter is that every American ought to start reading books, newspapers, and blogs and begin educating themselves on our policies and their effects worldwide. If we ever want to find true peace we need to step forward as the citizenry of the dominant world power and demand that our elected officials practice peace and equal rights for all people. We could all take a lesson from DR. Abu al-Aish. Even after the devastating and brutal killing of his entire family terrifyingly recorded on live TV in Israel, he stated publicly and loudly that “Military ways proved its failure. We should look for other ways to give each other its rights. We don’t want to speak about peace. Peace is—you know, this word lost its meaning. We should find something else: respect, equality, justice and partnership. That’s what we should look for.”
“Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace”
- John Lennon
for more information on this story please go to: http://www.democracynow.org/2009/3/20/palestinian_doctor_peace_advocate_recounts_israeli
For more information on the Wall please find the film called “The Iron Wall” produced by the Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committees at www.theironwall.ps\
For a fantastic book providing fair and equal coverage of the conflicts in Mideast please read Jimmy Carter’s amazing book entitled Palestine Peace not Apartheid.
For horrific coverage of Tristan’s attack please go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dE--quy2N9s
note: before someone calls me an anti semite let’s please get a correct definition. A Semite is “A member of a group of Semitic-speaking peoples of the Near East and northern Africa, including the Arabs, Arameans, Babylonians, Carthaginians, Ethiopians, Hebrews, and Phoenicians.”
I suggest writing President Obama at the White House and voice your desire for PEACE... despite Hillary's statements concerning Palestine since joining Obama's team we need to reopen the dialogue, enforce UN resolutions already in place and follow the roadmap to peace!!!
I was so saddened to hear the news reports this morning talking about the continued atrocities committed by the Israeli government against innocents during their brief but deadly war in Gaza. The subject of the story was an Arab doctor who practiced in Israel whose house was viciously attacked by the Israeli Defense Force. A group of tanks surrounded his house and commenced firing upon it. Dr. Abu al-Aish, a noted gynecologist and peace advocate, had never engaged in any attacks on Israelis, housed or supported militants or even questioned their right to a homeland. The first rounds of tank shells destroyed his house and killed his daughters’ twenty-one-year-old Bessan, fifteen-year-old Mayar, and thirteen-year-old Aya—as well as his niece Nour, who was age fourteen. Another daughter Shada, who was wounded, was crying for her father having her eyes blown out of their sockets. The second round of tank shells decapitated his children showering the house in pools of blood and brain matter. We will never achieve peace thru violence! Bombing for peace is like fucking for virginity. It simply is a failed policy.
The mainstream news in America does not fairly publish the stories of war. We seem to be so scared to confront our Israeli friends about the daily atrocities they inflict. Instead of calling for worldwide peace and being outraged at acts of aggression we condoned their actions demonizing average Arab citizens in our daily biased spoon fed news reports. Two days ago, in the first pages of the San Francisco Chronicle published a story of an Israeli soldier who had been captured by militants and has been held for nearly three years. They gave wonderful background information about his family and his story. When America’s mainstream press talks about Arab casualties, either in Iraq, Palestine or anywhere else we never get the same in depth stories behind their lives or even their names. We simply get body counts.
The same day the paper ran coverage of the captured Israeli soldier, American citizen and noted Peace activist Tristan Anderson was brutally shot point blank in the head by an extended range tear gas canister while peacefully demonstrating with Palestinians against the great barrier wall Israel has illegally built on Palestinian lands. Even George Bush in perhaps his only moment of clarity described the Apartheid Wall as a problem and a major interference in further peace talks.
The fact of the matter is that every American ought to start reading books, newspapers, and blogs and begin educating themselves on our policies and their effects worldwide. If we ever want to find true peace we need to step forward as the citizenry of the dominant world power and demand that our elected officials practice peace and equal rights for all people. We could all take a lesson from DR. Abu al-Aish. Even after the devastating and brutal killing of his entire family terrifyingly recorded on live TV in Israel, he stated publicly and loudly that “Military ways proved its failure. We should look for other ways to give each other its rights. We don’t want to speak about peace. Peace is—you know, this word lost its meaning. We should find something else: respect, equality, justice and partnership. That’s what we should look for.”
“Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace”
- John Lennon
for more information on this story please go to: http://www.democracynow.org/2009/3/20/palestinian_doctor_peace_advocate_recounts_israeli
For more information on the Wall please find the film called “The Iron Wall” produced by the Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committees at www.theironwall.ps\
For a fantastic book providing fair and equal coverage of the conflicts in Mideast please read Jimmy Carter’s amazing book entitled Palestine Peace not Apartheid.
For horrific coverage of Tristan’s attack please go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dE--quy2N9s
note: before someone calls me an anti semite let’s please get a correct definition. A Semite is “A member of a group of Semitic-speaking peoples of the Near East and northern Africa, including the Arabs, Arameans, Babylonians, Carthaginians, Ethiopians, Hebrews, and Phoenicians.”
I suggest writing President Obama at the White House and voice your desire for PEACE... despite Hillary's statements concerning Palestine since joining Obama's team we need to reopen the dialogue, enforce UN resolutions already in place and follow the roadmap to peace!!!
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Letter to the Editor of the San Francisco Chronicle
François de Mélogue
Rancho Navarro, CA
To whom it may concern:
I am writing in response to your recent article entitled “Why bailout funds go to banks, not us” by Carolyn Lochhead. As an ordinary person I am outraged in her defending the corporations that got us into this mess and not sticking up for plain folks that make up the country. What we need is voice questioning the apparent corporate takeover of our government and our daily lives not another voice in the choir justifying the further pilfering of the average Joe.
Mrs. Lochhead constantly hides behind quotes from official sources and offers only lame commentary proclaiming giving average people money probably wouldn’t prevent a major financial meltdown. President Obama held a pathetic press conference announcing that the mission was accomplished touting the fact that his policy saved 25 police officers from losing their jobs in Ohio. 25 jobs saved for one year while hundreds of thousands are losing jobs. Well, so far giving money to the large corporations has accomplished zero. Instead of average people being able to buy food, pay bills, fend off creditors, fight credit card companies that constantly boost percentages higher and higher and generally survive she seemingly advocates giving multimillionaires even more money in the form of bonuses, office redecorations and other elaborate spending.
The Wall Street Journal reported that executives at Citigroup and Morgan Stanley are trying to figure out how to keep bonuses and not tell us. Wells Fargo, recipient of 25 billion dollars of OUR money simply increased base salaries as to avoid the issue completely and continue rewarding it’s executives with the fleecing of the American public. The Treasury Department has released a report stating that banks are actually lending less and less. The 21 top banks in the country, all of whom received OUR money, have drastically lowered the amount they loan for first mortgages. In December, they loaned out 162 billion and in January they lent out less than half of that.
She defends her flawed stance with would the average person want a loan from the government that they would have to repay. The answer is hell yes! I am currently jobless, homeless and camping on a friend’s property because I do not qualify for any of the government’s bailouts, unemployment or other programs because I am not a home owner and I worked seasonal. My credit card masters did not get the memo that we the people are now partners in their failed institutions and should work hard to keep America solvent and prosperous by offering lower credit card rates and actually lending money to people in need. At some point soon I will have to file for bankruptcy to protect myself and meager possessions from my employees, the overpaid executives in the failed banking and insurance corporations. That $10,714 per person she calculated would save me from financial ruin and offer me a chance to recoup and get back on my feet.
I believe we ought to live in a world where failure is rewarded with losing your job not million dollar bonuses. I think Timothy Geithner ought to be fired and replaced with someone who isn’t a Wall Street insider. Obama ought to think deep and hard about actually returning to the principle that our government was founded by the people and for the people. This should be a clear message to the powers that be that we the people are NOT going to take this abuse of power anymore… that revolution in the streets could happen, even in America.
I AM MAD AS HELL AND NOT GOING TO TAKE IT ANYMORE!
François de Mélogue
Rancho Navarro, CA
To whom it may concern:
I am writing in response to your recent article entitled “Why bailout funds go to banks, not us” by Carolyn Lochhead. As an ordinary person I am outraged in her defending the corporations that got us into this mess and not sticking up for plain folks that make up the country. What we need is voice questioning the apparent corporate takeover of our government and our daily lives not another voice in the choir justifying the further pilfering of the average Joe.
Mrs. Lochhead constantly hides behind quotes from official sources and offers only lame commentary proclaiming giving average people money probably wouldn’t prevent a major financial meltdown. President Obama held a pathetic press conference announcing that the mission was accomplished touting the fact that his policy saved 25 police officers from losing their jobs in Ohio. 25 jobs saved for one year while hundreds of thousands are losing jobs. Well, so far giving money to the large corporations has accomplished zero. Instead of average people being able to buy food, pay bills, fend off creditors, fight credit card companies that constantly boost percentages higher and higher and generally survive she seemingly advocates giving multimillionaires even more money in the form of bonuses, office redecorations and other elaborate spending.
The Wall Street Journal reported that executives at Citigroup and Morgan Stanley are trying to figure out how to keep bonuses and not tell us. Wells Fargo, recipient of 25 billion dollars of OUR money simply increased base salaries as to avoid the issue completely and continue rewarding it’s executives with the fleecing of the American public. The Treasury Department has released a report stating that banks are actually lending less and less. The 21 top banks in the country, all of whom received OUR money, have drastically lowered the amount they loan for first mortgages. In December, they loaned out 162 billion and in January they lent out less than half of that.
She defends her flawed stance with would the average person want a loan from the government that they would have to repay. The answer is hell yes! I am currently jobless, homeless and camping on a friend’s property because I do not qualify for any of the government’s bailouts, unemployment or other programs because I am not a home owner and I worked seasonal. My credit card masters did not get the memo that we the people are now partners in their failed institutions and should work hard to keep America solvent and prosperous by offering lower credit card rates and actually lending money to people in need. At some point soon I will have to file for bankruptcy to protect myself and meager possessions from my employees, the overpaid executives in the failed banking and insurance corporations. That $10,714 per person she calculated would save me from financial ruin and offer me a chance to recoup and get back on my feet.
I believe we ought to live in a world where failure is rewarded with losing your job not million dollar bonuses. I think Timothy Geithner ought to be fired and replaced with someone who isn’t a Wall Street insider. Obama ought to think deep and hard about actually returning to the principle that our government was founded by the people and for the people. This should be a clear message to the powers that be that we the people are NOT going to take this abuse of power anymore… that revolution in the streets could happen, even in America.
I AM MAD AS HELL AND NOT GOING TO TAKE IT ANYMORE!
François de Mélogue
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