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Vote in the National Cheney Impeachment Poll http://www.usalone.com/blogvoices.php?Cheney%20Impeachment%3F Add this text to your own email and blog signatures! > > Dot's Information Service Hotline > "Unbossed and unbought news and information you can use" > Visit The DISH online at www.thedish.org > Vol. 10 No 34...Dedicated to the Dialogue on Race... 08-24-07 > ******************************************************** > > > > Table of Contents > > > > 1. Venue for an Artist...George W. Bush is a Saint...By Victor Forsythe > 2. Disgruntled > 3. Intuit's Vibe...Deception...By John Burl Smith > 4. News You Use...Wells Fargo Sued > 5. Bit of History...Bertrand Arthur William Russell (1872 -1970) > 6. Hood Notes...Subprime Loans = Primetime for Vampire Lenders...By Jim > Hightower > 7. Mailbox > > > > > ****************************************** > > > > Venue for an Artist > George W. Bush is a Saint > By Victor Forsythe > > > > Bush was scheduled to visit the Episcopal Church in NW Washington as part > of his campaign to restore his 28% approval rating in the polls. > > > > Karl Rove made a visit to the Bishop and said, "We've been getting a lot > of bad publicity because of the President's position on stem cell > research, the Iraq war, Hurricane Katrina, and the VA Hospitals. But, > we'll make a $500,000 contribution to your church if during your sermon > you will say that the President is a saint. The Bishop thought it over > for a few moments and finally said, "The Church could really use the money > - I'll do it." > > > > The following Sunday, President Bush showed up for the sermon, and the > Bishop began: "I'd like to speak to all of you this morning about our > President, George Bush. He is a liar, a cheat, and a low-intelligence > weasel. He took the tragedy of September 11 and used it to frighten and > manipulate the American people. He lied about weapons of mass destruction > and invaded Iraq for oil and money, causing the deaths of hundreds of > thousands and making the United States the most hated nation on earth. He > appointed cronies to positions of power and influence, leading to > widespread death and destruction during Hurricane Katrina. > > > > He awarded contracts and tax cuts to his rich friends so that we now have > more poverty in this country and a greater gap between rich and poor than > we've had since the Depression. He has headed the most corrupt, > bribe-inducing political party since the Teapot Dome Scandal. The national > surplus has turned into a staggering national debt of 77.6 trillion > dollars, gas prices are up 185%, which the people of America cannot > afford, and vital research into global warming and stem cells is stopped > cold because he's afraid to lose votes from the religious right. He is > the worst example of a true Christian I've ever known. But compared to > Dick Cheney, George W. Bush is a saint." > > > > About Me: Victor Forsythe is the author Birth of an Angel --A futuristic > vision of Eden...A total tantric union with the divine. "Let it birth the > vision within you. The more we are as angels, the closer we are to > heaven." For more about Forsythe's work, see www.birthofanangel.com. > Forward comments to [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > > > > > > Disgruntled says: In July, William Wise, a Cobb County, Georgia police > officer, fatally shot Tyciris Jordan, a thirty-year old black man, after > trailing him from Cobb to Douglas County. Routinely, the officer was > placed on paid administrative leave. While the police department's public > statements support the officer's murder of an unarmed man, because "he > felt threatened," they have not released the video recording from the > patrol car's camera. The release, ostensibly, is pending further > investigation; Jordan's family is not buying any of this. It has happened > too many times; it is the modern-day lynching of the black man in the USA. > > > > Disgruntled wants to know: Every day, the impeachment movement grows. > The Internet is full of sites that provide lists of the crimes and > misdemeanors committed by George W. Bush and Dick Cheney. The question > many people are asking is, what has the possibility of Democrats losing > their majority control of Congress and/or failing to recapture the White > House have to do with holding the Bush administration accountable for its > actions? > > > > Disgruntled feels: Greedy! The housing bubble is the result of unbridled > greed. And, despite the momentary lull created by the liquidity the Fed > is pumping into financial markets, eventually, we will have to pay the > piper. Let us hope the greedy people and not their victims do the paying. > > > > > > > > > Intuit's Vibe > Deception > By John Burl Smith > > > > A fiery voice thundered as an angry God spoke, > "Wake up my son! > Edifying thoughts are being delivered on the wings of fate." > Desperados wearing faces of angels speak with tongues that beguile the > faithful. > Besieged by fear and guilt, the intellect builds its prison. > Not an innocent child crying in the night, > but a thief stealthily hiding in the mind. > A well-protected bushwhacker lies in wait > to steal tomorrow's joy by killing today's promise. > Whose face does this gnome wear but my own? > Disguising deception with good intentions, > he turns golden dreams into ash gray nightmares! > > > > Taught by circumstances the purity of the spirit, > while underlying greed paints life's actual reflection. > Given a saint's zeal for righteousness, > the desperate nature of men > impales them on a crucifix of deception. > Although wise beyond his years, > self-indulgence deludes heavenly schemes > consumed by pride's self-adulation. > In the end undone by self-betrayal, > man's prison of passion > is a dark den of lust and envy. > > > > Convinced of the good in what he does, > he does not see evil in his choices. > Championing honorable causes is the claim > to justify the means employed and victims uncounted. > Drawn to these depths, not by an invisible hand, > but by slavish devotion > to those demons that command the man. > Maybe not as profound for the world as for me, > a prisoner in a mental dungeon, > a captive of greed, muses, > will humans learn the lessons of the mustard seed? > > > > > > > > > News You Use > Wells Fargo Sued > > > > Earlier this month, black homeowners Nancy and Johnny Jeffries filed a > discrimination lawsuit against San Francisco-based Wells Fargo & Co, the > second-largest US mortgage lender and fifth-largest U.S. bank. Court > documents show, Mortgage Direct Inc, an Elmhurst, Illinois mortgage > broker, is also named as a defendant. > > > > According to the complaint, the southwest Chicago couple refinanced their > home twice last year, not knowing that the interest rates they were paying > were "a combination of an objective, risk-based calculation and a totally > subjective, discretionary component." When Wells Fargo marked up the > mortgage interest rates or added fees to loans for black borrowers after > agreeing to lend based on objective criteria such as credit histories and > home values, it violated the federal Fair Housing and Equal Credit > Opportunity Acts. > > > > In July, a similar lawsuit was filed in a Massachusetts federal court > against Countrywide Financial Corp, the largest U.S. mortgage lender. > According to Robert Rothman, a partner at Lerach Coughlin Stoia Geller > Rudman & Robbins LLP, the plaintiffs' attorney in both cases, "A black > applicant is almost five times more likely to get a high-rate loan than a > white applicant at Wells. This is because of the discretionary pricing > policy that results in loan officers adding points and fees to black > borrowers." > > > > The plaintiffs want Wells Fargo to halt all race-biased lending practices, > improve employee training, reimburse unfair charges and pay punitive > damages. The lawsuit seeks class-action status, so if you have a Wells > Fargo mortgage and feel you were charged an excessively high interest rate > and/or points, complete the form at > www.lawyersandsettlements.com/submit_form.html?label=wells-fargo-race-mortgage&forward=319246. > > > > The lawsuits against Wells Fargo and Countrywide differ from those > targeting "predatory" lenders accused of charging excessive rates or fees > on subprime home loans made to low income borrowers with weaker credit > histories. A 2006 study conducted by the Center for Responsible Lending > found that when creditworthiness and credit risk were equal, blacks were > more than 30 percent more likely to receive higher rate, more expensive > sub-prime loans than whites. In addition, the National Community > Reinvestment Coalition revealed that lenders on average made high-cost > sub-prime loans to higher-qualified blacks 54% of the time, compared to > 23% of the time for whites, even when the white applicants were less > qualified. For more on mortgage companies accused of predatory lending, > see www.mortgagedaily.com/Predatory2004.asp. > > > > (Note: On-line community activist James Neusom provided links and > empirical information for this article. > > > > > > > > > Bit of History > Bertrand Arthur William Russell (1872 -1970) > > > > "The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so > certain of themselves, but wiser people so full of doubts....Not to be > absolutely certain is, I think, one of the essential things in > rationality." Bertrand Russell > > > > Bertrand Russell was born on May 18, 1872 at Trellech, Monmouthshire, > Wales into an aristocratic family. His father, John Russell, Viscount > Amberley, and his mother Catherine were quite radical for their times; > they had an open marriage and Russell's father was an atheist. > > > > Russell's mother died in 1874 and his father died in 1876. Bertrand and > his older brother Frank were placed in the care of their grandparents. > John Russell, 1st Earl Russell, his grandfather, died in 1878. As a > result, the Countess Russell, their grandmother, became the dominant > family figure for the rest of Russell's childhood and youth. A religious > conservative, her influence on Russell's outlook on social justice and > standing up for principle remained with him throughout his life. Her > favorite Bible verse, 'Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil.' > (Exodus 23:2), became his mantra. > > > > Home-schooled by tutors, Russell won a scholarship to Trinity College > (1890). Having distinguished himself in mathematics and philosophy, > Russell graduated with a B.A. in 1893. He earned a fellowship at Trinity > in 1895. > > > > In 1896, Russell published German Social Democracy and taught at the > London School of Economics. Initially subscribing to idealism, by 1898 > Russell had become an empiricist. Some of his most important works > related to logic and mathematics (Principles of Mathematics, 1903) > > > > A politically active member of the Fabian Society, he unsuccessfully ran > for Parliament. At age 36, he became a fellow of the Royal Society. After > his conviction under the Defence of the Realm Act (1916) for engaging in > pacifist activities during WWI, he was dismissed from Trinity College. On > a later conviction involving his opposition to conscription, he was > sentenced to prison. > > > > After the war, Russell traveled to Russia as part of a British government > delegation to investigate the effects of the Russian Revolution. He met > Lenin and left Russian with the impression that Lenin was similar to a > religious zealot, cold and possessed of "no love of liberty." Later that > year he published The Practice and Theory of Bolshevism and gave a series > of lectures in Beijing, China. On his return to Great Britain, Russell > wrote The Problem with China (1922) > > > > Russell supported himself during this time by writing popular books > explaining matters of physics, ethics and education to the layman. He > wrote On Education (1926) and with his second wife Dora Black, he founded > the experimental Beacon Hill School (1927), where he put some of his ideas > on the subject into practice. > > > > After WWII, Russell taught at the University of Chicago (1938) and > lectured at the University of California, Los Angeles (1939). He was > appointed to a professorship at the City College of New York (1940), but a > public outcry over his opinions, especially those on sexual morality in > Marriage and Morals (1929), led to its withdrawal. He lectured as a > fellow with the Barnes Foundation until his relationship with Albert C. > Barnes soured. Russell returned to Britain (1944) to rejoin the faculty > of Trinity College. > > > > During the 1940s and 1950s, Russell participated in many broadcasts over > the BBC. His work A History of Western Philosophy (1945) became a > best-seller. In 1949, he was awarded the Order of Merit, and the > following year he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. > > > > A prolific writer, Russell wrote some forty books. Vigorous proponent of > nuclear disarmament and anti-war activist, he was an outspoken critic of > US military intervention in Vietnam. In 1963, he became the inaugural > recipient of the Jerusalem Prize, an award for writers concerned with the > freedom of the individual in society. On January 31, 1970 he condemned > "Israeli aggression in the Middle East," saying that "We are frequently > told that we must sympathize with Israel because of the suffering of the > Jews in Europe at the hands of the Nazis. ... What Israel is doing today > cannot be condoned, and to invoke the horrors of the past to justify those > of the present is gross hypocrisy." > > > > Philosopher, historian, logician, mathematician, advocate for social > reform and pacifist, Russell was born at the height of Britain's economic > and political ascendancy; when he died on February 2, 1970, the British > Empire had all but vanished, its power dissipated by two world wars and > the end of the imperial system. As directed by his will, Russell's ashes > were scattered after his cremation three days later. (Sources: > http://en.wikipedia.org, www.quotationspage.com and www.geocities.com) > > > > > > > > > Hood Notes > Subprime Loans = Primetime for Vampire Lenders > By Jim Hightower > > > > One of the most dramatic stories from the New Testament is of the time > that Jesus encountered money changers in the temple. Enraged by their > usury and sacrilege, he went on a tear -- overturning their tables, > physically driving them out and chastising them for converting the temple > into a "den of robbers." The Bible doesn't say where these bloodsucking > lenders went, but now we know: They have re-emerged in recent years to set > up their tables right here in America, working a dark alley of homeowner > financing called the "subprime mortgage market." The what? Don't be > deterred by the finance industry's jargon (which is intended to numb your > brain and keep regular folks from even trying to figure out what's going > on). At its core, this is a classically simple story of banker greed and > outright sleaze. And the astonishing part is that nearly all of the rank > injustice perpetrated by today's money changers is considered legal and is > practiced by supposedly reputable financial firms. > > > > That's when avaricious mortgage hucksters and high-finance manipulators > looked upon this broad pool of needy, vulnerable castoffs and suddenly > shouted, "Eureka, GOLD!" With interest rates remarkably low, housing > prices seemingly on a nonstop rise, and (this is the Big One) practically > no regulation of this low-income market, the money changers promptly began > to devise clever, Enronian schemes to entice such "subprime" borrowers > into high-interest, high-fee loans. Never mind that these families really > could not afford (and mostly did not understand) the level of debt being > piled on their backs. That was a matter for manana. Today was for raking > in profits from the poor. > > > > The subprime schemes are run through an intricate, intertwined system of > loan brokers, mortgage lenders, Wall Street trusts, hedge funds, offshore > tax havens and other predators. To entrap borrowers, the industry created > an arsenal of arcane financial devices and maneuvers known by such exotic > names as "exploding ARMs," YSPs, teaser rates, low-doc mortgages, loan > flipping and equity stripping. Ultimately, these schemes are scams, > extracting high payments from the families, sucking out any equity they > might build up and stealing their homes. > > > > This is one of those economic stories, like the savings-and-loan scam of > the 1980s, that are usually buried back in the business section of > newspapers. But, just as with the S&L collapse, this debacle is growing > too big to contain, and all of us need to be paying attention. The > built-in traps of the subprime mortgage market have already taken the > homes of more than a million people in just the past year, and the dangers > are quickly rising for millions more. This collapse in homeownership for > the working poor has begun seeping into the rest of the economy, causing > thousands of job losses, shaking the soundness and reputations of some > major Wall Street firms, and slowly -- ever so sloooowly -- forcing > lackadaisical bank regulators and clueless politicians out of their > laissez-faire stupor. (Note: For the complete article, which explains how > the subprime business works, see www.alternet.org/story/60183/. > > > > > > > > > Mailbox: E-Mails, Faxes and Telephone Calls > > > > Email www.apwire.com Lending industry job cuts grow.... Capital One > Financial Corp. shut down its GreenPoint mortgage business, which > specialized in making loans to people who did not fully document their > income and assets. And Scottsdale, Ariz.-based 1st National Bank Holding > Co. closed its wholesale mortgage unit and cut 541 jobs. Last week, > Arizona mortgage lender First Magnus Financial Corp. shut down its > operations and laid off nearly 6,000 workers. Since the start of the > year, more than 37,000 workers have lost their jobs at mortgage lending > institutions, according to recent company layoff announcements and data > compiled by global outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc. > Meanwhile, construction companies have announced nearly 20,000 job cuts > this year, while the National Association of Realtors expects membership > rolls to decline this year for the first time in a decade. > > > > Email [EMAIL PROTECTED] ..The Crash of 1929: Are We on the Verge of > a Repeat?...By Scott Thill...[A senior adviser to President Bush] said > that guys like me were "in what we call the reality-based community," > which he defined as people who "believe that solutions emerge from your > judicious study of discernible reality." I nodded and murmured something > about enlightenment principles and empiricism. He cut me off. "That's not > the way the world really works anymore," he continued. "We're an empire > now, and when we act, we create our own reality. And while you're studying > that reality - judiciously, as you will - we'll act again, creating other > new realities, which you can study too, and that's how things will sort > out. We're history's actors ... and you, all of you, will be left to just > study what we do." - Ron Suskind, "Without a Doubt," New York Times] News > flash: The American economy is a hyperreality engineered by Ph.D.s working > hand-in-hand with colluding media multinationals, political officials and > some of the biggest names in business - and the banks that invest in them. > In other news, greed is still good. > > > > Email [EMAIL PROTECTED] ...Iraq's unions say the draft oil law is a threat > and threaten "mutiny" if Parliament approves the bill. "This law cancels > the great achievements of the Iraq people," Subhi al-Badri, head of the > Iraqi Federation of Union Councils, told the al-Sharqiyah TV station. He > referred specifically to laws that nationalized Iraq's oil sector. "If the > Iraqi Parliament approves this law, we will resort to mutiny," he said. > "This law is a bomb that may kill everyone. Iraqi oil does not belong to > any certain side. It belongs to all future generations." > > > > Email www.legitgov.org Key Exxon Mobil benchmark for Iraq in jeopardy: > Secret Report: No Iraq Oil Deal by September 20 Jul 2007 A confidential > intelligence report prepared for U.S. officials this week concludes a key > U.S. benchmark of progress in Iraq, a law to divide oil revenues equitably > among the provinces [Yeah, right!], "will not be agreed by September, even > if cosmetic legislation is put in place." > > > > ********************************************* > For comments or to unsubscribe, email [EMAIL PROTECTED] > ********************************************* > > > > > -- > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG Free Edition. > Version: 7.5.476 / Virus Database: 269.12.4/969 - Release Date: 8/23/2007 > 4:04 PM >
