The end: a redistribution of wealth and social engineering already made vulnerable by a vapid culture and distrust of financial institutions and corporations.
On Feb 1, 4:09 am, "\"Lone Wolf\"" <[email protected]> wrote: > I stopped believing in the tooth fairy in the womb. > > Change we can all believe in Right! And I have a Brooklyn Bridge I’d > like to show you. > By Stephen Lendman > > WEDNESDAY, JUNE 04, 2008 > > http://www.bestcyrano.org/THOMASPAINE/?p=739#more-739 > > Each election cycle, hope springs eternal. Candidates promise change > and voters buy it. Intelligent ones. People who know better or should. > The current campaign highlights it. A surge is building for Obama, not > for what he is. For what people think or hope he is - a populist, > progressive, man of the people, a new course for America. > > After the final June 3 primaries and “rush of superdelegates,” > according to The New York Times, they’re stuck with him. The Times > reports that he crossed “over the threshold (to) the 2118 delegates > needed to be nominated….” Obama marked the occasion as his chance to > “bring a new and better day to America (as) the ‘Democratic’ nominee > for president of the United States of America.” > > It’s not how John Pilger sees him. In a recent article, he calls him > America’s “great liberal hope.” He compares his campaign to Bobby > Kennedy’s in 1968 and says: “Both offer a false hope that they can > bring peace and racial harmony to all Americans.” Kennedy spoke of > “return(ing) government to the people” and giving “dignity and > justice” to the oppressed. “Obama is his echo” with familiar promises > of change, charting a new course, sweeping government reforms, > addressing people needs, and “ensur(ing) that the hopes and concerns > of average Americans speak louder in Washington than the hallway > whispers of high-priced lobbyists.” > > He claims to be an up from the grassroots activist. In fact, he cashed > in on opportunism all the way - to the Illinois Senate in 1996. Then > after failing to win a US House seat, it was up a notch to the Senate > in 2005 after his November 2004 election. He promised hope but > delivered betrayal. He’s beholden to power and doesn’t relate well to > ordinary constituents who backed him, including his black community > base. > > If he’s nominated and wins in November, Marc Crispin Miller’s “Fooled > Again” will apply but in this case to promises made, then broken. > Miller’s book refers to the stolen 2004 presidential election. Kerry > won big, Bush remained president, Kerry admitted to the author he knew > he’d been had, then disavowed he ever said it in reverse “profile of > courage” fashion. > > An Obama victory will go Lincoln one better. It’ll prove that the > electorate can be fooled “all of the time” - at least enough of them > to matter. And that leaves out election fraud in an age when: > > • candidates are pre-selected; > > • big money owns them; > > • independents are shut out; > > • the media ignore them; > > • they keep people uninformed; > > • issues aren’t addressed; > > • voter disenfranchisement is rife; > > • machines do our voting; > > • losers are declared winners; and > > • not just for president. It’s democracy American-style, a long- > standing tradition, and Chicagoans know it well. They remember an > earlier mayor urging people to “vote early and often.” They also > recall the pol who “want(ed) to be buried in Chicago (when he died) so > (he could) stay active in politics.” > > In an age of technological wonders, why not. The Democrat machine is > so entrenched, it hasn’t had real opposition since Republican mayor > “Big Bill” Thompson lost to Democrat Anton Cermak in 1931. And the > Daleys (father and son) practically own the office it’s controlled for > 40 of the last 53 years with no visible contender in sight and a new > generation upcoming. > > The only man truly WORTH voting for, assuming that our votes did > count, which is a mighty iffy proposition. > > On the national level, it’s just as bad - a one party state according > to Gore Vidal: the Property or Monied Party with two wings. The > criminal class in Washington is bipartisan. Democrats are > interchangeable with Republicans. Differences between them are minor. > Not a dime’s worth to matter. Whoever wins in November, the outcome is > certain. Voters again will lose. They’ll get the best democracy money > can buy but none of it earmarked for them. > > Wars of aggression won’t end. Repressive laws won’t be repealed. > Corruption will stay deeply embedded. Privatizing everything will be > de rigueur. Monied interests will be hugely rewarded. Militarizing and > annexing the continent will go forward. Voter interests will go > largely unaddressed. And promises made will again prove empty. > > Obama’s Record - The Measure of the Man > > He preaches change but supports the status quo. He’s beholden to power > as a stealth DLC member that’s essential for any Democrat aspirant. It > makes him gallingly disingenuous, deceitful to voters, and “safe” for > corporate supporters who back him. He says individual donors supply > most of his funding, that he gets none of it from lobbyists, and that > they won’t crowd out working Americans if he’s elected. > > In fact, big money owns him. He raises over $1 million a day. Wall > Street lords love him. So do corporate law firms; other finance, > insurance and real estate interests; the health industry; > communications and electronics firms; various other businesses; and > the Center for Responsive Politics reports that his top five donors > are corporate lobbyists - the same ones he claims to take no money > from. > > He preaches opposition to NAFTA and wants it renegotiated. It’s a > “charade” says Nader. “There’s no way he’ll touch NAFTA or WTO.” His > health care plan puts insurance companies in charge and lets Big > Pharma price-gouge consumers. He’s beholden to corporate interests. > “If he wins, his appointments will give “lobbies and PACs (what they) > want.” He knows how Washington works; was fully briefed to be sure; > and he “made his peace with that.” He’s a political animal like the > others. Big money is comforted, and why not. No one gets top > Washington jobs unless they’re “safe.” For president, it’s practically > a blood oath, and Obama qualifies. > He’s party line all the way, not a “transforming leader,” and his > running mate, Matt Gonzales, goes further. He calls his voting record > “uninspired.” Appalling would be more descriptive. While still in the > Illinois legislature, he opposed the Iraq war. Then as a 2004 US > Senate candidate, he switched and claimed “There’s not that much > difference between my position and George Bush’s….” When elected, he > proved it. He supported every defense budget and war supplemental and > as president will “expand and modernize the military.” He voted to > confirm Condoleezza Rice as Secretary of State despite her falsifying > justification for war. > There’s more. He: > > • supports Homeland Security funding; like the Patriot Act, it > centralizes unprecendented military and law enforcement authority > under the executive; it subverts constitutional rights and furthers > global dominance in the name of “national security;” it created the > Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) that functions like a > national Gestapo; > > • backed reauthorizing the Patriot Act in July 2005 with its police > state provisions; > > • campaigned in 2006 for Joe Lieberman against anti-war candidate Ned > Lamont; > > • supports permanent occupation of Iraq; stops just short of saying > it; refuses to back a timetable for withdrawal; and wants to add > 100,000 combat troops to the military; > > • caved to Israeli Lobby pressure; receptive to attacking Iran, > removing Hugo Chavez, but says he’ll talk to them first; then maybe > not; he’s double standard on most issues - rhetoric to voters; > assurances to backers; > > • in a May 23 speech, showed deference to Miami’s Cuban exile > community; one source described him as “electrifying;” a year ago he > supported ending the embargo; no longer unless Cuba becomes a willing > client state; > > • voted with Republicans for the Class Action Fairness Act (CAFA); it > gives federal courts jurisdiction over fairer state ones for many > class-action lawsuits over $5 million; corporations wanted it; Obama > obliged; > > • equivocates on controversial issues like “No Child Left Behind;” > it’s a corporate scheme to privatize education and end a 373 year > tradition; he says the law “demoralizes our teachers (but) the goals > of this law were the right ones” - translation: he supports ending > public education; > > • opposed an amendment capping credit card interest rates at 30%; it > was wholly inadequate but would have set a precedent to lower them > further; > > • supporting medical providers in wrongful injury cases; > > • letting mining companies strip mine everything; practically steal > government lands to do it; and cheat taxpayers out of public revenues; > > • voted for the Bush administration’s 2005 Energy Policy Act in spite > of criticizing it in campaign rhetoric; it was drafted in secret; > provides huge industry subsidies; $6 billion to Big Oil and Gas; and a > cornucopia of other industry handouts; > > • backs nuclear power; loose industry regulation; $12 billion in > subsidies; and numerous other benefits to promote a dangerous > technology; > > • harmful biofuels production and other agribusiness interests, > including multi-billion dollar subsidies; > > • opposes universal single-payer national health care, the hundreds of > billions it would save, and the huge need for it among tens of > millions of uninsured and underinsured; > > • claims opposition to NAFTA, but campaigned in 2004 for more deals > like it; > > • voted against a 2005 Commerce Appropriations Bill amendment; it > would have disfavored offshoring jobs by stopping companies doing > business abroad from denying workers organizing rights, minimum wages, > and other protections; > > • assured AIPAC he’s uncompromisingly pro-Israel; supports continued > annual funding; and backed off from earlier promises about a just end > to the conflict; > > • supports the death penalty and brutish prison-industrial complex; it > affects his people mostly in the world’s largest gulag; > > • voted for repressive immigration legislation; it enhances border > security; (selectively) penalizes employers; deploys National Guard > troops to the border; and imprisons and deports undocumented workers > without due process; > > • voted to confirm Robert Gates as Defense Secretary, John Negroponte > as Director of National Intelligence, and Michael Chertoff as > Secretary of Homeland Security - a deplorable roguish threesome; > > • voted against the Military Commissions Act of 2006 but supports > kangaroo court military tribunals for Guantanamo detainees; > > • appointed billionaire Penny Pritzker as his campaign finance > chairperson; she and her family were involved in predatory lending > schemes, including subprime ones; she also served on the Board of the > failed Pritzker family-owned Superior Bank in Hinsdale, IL; because of > poor lending practices, sloppy bookkeeping and likely fraud, it cost > the FDIC $700 million and depositors $65 million; > > • equivocates but his rhetoric and body language are clear; he > supports the Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention > Act (S. 1959); it’s called the “thought crimes” act; it passed the > House overwhelmingly last October and awaits final resolution in the > Senate; > > • firmly opposes impeaching Bush and Cheney, and > > • on June 1 matched John Kerry with his own reverse “profile of > courage” act; he resigned from Chicago’s Trinity United Church of > Christ; it followed “controversy” over Reverend Jeremiah Wright’s > nobility; he spoke truths too “uncomfortable” for Obama to embrace; he > demurred at first and now is firm; political opportunism outweighs > righteousness as prime time campaign 2008 approaches; > > This is the same JFK/RFK incarnate, a fresh new face, the “great > liberal hope,” the smooth-talking campaigner who understands who > butters his bread. The same goes for Clinton and McCain. > > On Jan 31, 5:40 pm, studio <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > On Jan 31, 1:08 am, "\"Lone Wolf\"" <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > Obama’s calculated anger over Wall Street bonuses > > > By Tom Eley > > > 31 January 2009 > > > > On Thursday, President Obama publicly criticized Wall Street bankers > > > who awarded themselves more than $18 billion in annual bonuses even as > > > their banks collapsed, driving the US and world economy into the > > > greatest economic crisis since the Great Depression. > > > Obama wasn't the only one doing the calculating... > > Wall Street usually gives the bonuses in January, but this year they > > did > > it in December. > > > Obama is simply putting them on notice that won't be tolerated > > anymore, > > and indeed may force them to give it back or be out of business.- Hide > > quoted text - > > - Show quoted text - --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ * It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls. * Read the latest breaking news, and more. -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
