Brief review of some of the idiocy being promulgated primarily by various politicians

Politics is basically a flawed profession.  Why?  It often enables too much corruption, lying, and deceit.  It plays to the dark side of individuals who seek power above all else.  Finally, it too often utilizes propaganda which benefits Oligarchs/Plutocrats at the expense of Main Street.  While it's true we (all around the world) do have some politicians who are honest and ethical, unfortunately it seems they are far and few between, or perhaps reticent to speak out against the characteristics described above.

By any measure of common sense, I would think the scenarios below - brought about by various "Leaders" - are idiotic---

A Few Examples

1.  The current Israeli Leadership still is bombing/attacking structures in Gaza where CHILDREN are being sheltered, thus killing or maiming some of those innocent children.  Israel apparently believes such action is justified because Hamas people supposedly are in the same schools, houses, refugee shelters, etc.  These war crimes are being aided by munitions from the USA.

2.  The Biden Administration and probably most Republicans seem to believe Israel is NOT committing war crimes.  I believe most of the world (including me) disagrees.  The reasons for such disagreement should be blatantly obvious.  Yes, Hamas also commits war crimes; however, that's not an ethical justification for doing the same.  There is no justification whatsoever for war crimes.

3.  ALL governments which produce and maintain (or host) nuclear weapons are dangerous idiots.  Past posts on this blog have explained why.  Here's only one of them:

Public Awareness of ‘Nuclear Winter’ is Too Low Given Current Risks

Here's another:

The Ecological Ignorance of U.S. Presidents REDUX

4.  Due to adherence to the secular "religion" of neoliberalism (the Market will handle any problems), most humans on Earth now have PFAS (the "forever chemicals"), micro- and nano-plastics, and other toxic substances in their blood.  PFAS, in particular, have been linked to various health problems (including cancer) and the altering of reproductive hormones, as well as other hormones.  This all has been reported in scientific studies published in professional journals.

All the above is part of Ecological Overshoot, the main cause of our current Meta-Crisis.  Too many politicians everywhere seem to NOT be paying enough attention to this complex issue.  Those who are appear to be focused on only one of the symptoms of Overshoot:  Climate Change.  Other interconnected symptoms - biodiversity loss, soil degradation, toxic pollution, water availability problems, shrinking forests, overharvesting of fish, etc. - receive scant concern.

So, What Can Be Done?

A common sense response to the above-described human predicament would be to vote politicians out-of-office who promote the idiocy.  Exercise some due diligence and vote into office those people who at least favor the elimination of Eco-Overshoot.

Given the power of Edward Bernays style Propaganda and how dogmatic most voters seem to be, the above response doesn't appear to be likely.  But here's the thing:  NO ONE can predict the future with 100% accuracy every time.  In other words, we should not quit promoting common sense just because the implementation of it seems unlikely.  History shows that many proposed scenarios which were deemed to be "hopeless" eventually took root and came to fruition.  Such is especially true in the political arena.  Without "hope" for a better future, we're just marking time.

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Not only my opinion.  Happy Trails

U. S. Government's Lip Service to Climate Mitigation, and Planet Wreckers Report REDUX

 https://www.democracynow.org/2023/12/1/headlines/biden_to_eschew_cop28_as_us_opens_another_oil_and_gas_leasing_auction

According to the Center for Biological Diversity, the Biden Administration's actions re a new round of oil and gas leasing auctions could potentially "erase" any climate gains in the Inflation Reduction Act.  The USA is now the world's largest oil producer, and in 2022 66% of our oil came from the fracking of shale.  Often called shale oil, it's also referred to as "tight oil".  As you may know, drilling for it often has resulted in big problems (all of which usually are denied by the industry).

At the global level, we now have twenty countries (including the USA) planning to expand oil production for twenty-six more years. 

https://priceofoil.org/2023/09/12/planet-wreckers-how-20-countries-oil-and-gas-extraction-plans-risk-locking-in-climate-chaos/

In addition, COP 28 (which started today) is being run by the CEO of one of the largest oil producers in the world.  Do you think there's any conflict of interest in such a scenario?  Seems likely, eh?

As pointed out previously on this Blog, we do need to use fossil fuels in the immediate future in order to construct and distribute massive numbers of Green energy gizmos and new electrical power lines.  I don't know for how long, but surely not twenty-six more years.

Is it not yet clear that the Establishment is on the wrong path?  And not yet clear that voters keep electing politicians to high office who favor consumerism over ecological principles?  If this whole business weren't so tragic, it would be laughable.

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Not only my opinion.  Take Care

The Pandemicene: especially for humans who think they are separate from & above Nature

 Climate Change/Disruption (along with wildlife habitat damage/destruction by humans) is causing many animal populations to find a new home.  The result is an increase in contact and sharing of new viruses among different animals.  A new study in the journal, Nature, shows how that scenario likely will result in more pandemics in the human population.

https://www.democracynow.org/2022/4/29/ed_yong_pandemicene

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-022-04788-w

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-01198-w

Meanwhile, too many national Leaders around the globe appear to be working on window-dressing solutions to Climate Change, or simply kicking the can down the road in other ways.  On top of that, Leaders in a few places have launched wars during this time of an existential threat labeled the socio-eco-econ-ethical crisis.  Having done so, they exhibit monumental ignorance.  It's no wonder that many Main Street people are losing faith in the capabilities of national politicians...all across the political spectrum.

Not all, but most of the progress toward solutions to the crisis are happening below the national level.  Such is orders of magnitude better than nothing, but it will not suffice.  In fact, more is needed than just national efforts.  The crisis is global, not only national, or provincial, or city-wide.  Global planning and cooperation is crucial if civil society is to survive and thrive.

To those who may be concerned primarily with their national territorial imperative (see the book by Robert Ardrey, The Territorial Imperative) and the freedom of independence, please consider the following points---

1)  Neither of those two concepts will do you much good if you have insufficient food, potable water, clean air, unpolluted soil, etc., or if we all are ravaged by viral diseases, or have collapsed economies, or exist in a neofeudal society with only the very Rich and the relatively Poor, or if we're sick from a toxic environment.

2)  Cooperating to combat/mitigate/alleviate an existential global crisis does NOT have to mean losing nationhood or freedom in general.  Some sacrifices will have to be made by all of us, but you won't become a slave.

3)  In a real sense, the current system is making you a slave--- to Debt, and to the Rat Race of unlimited economic growth + overconsumption...while polluting our limited/finite habitat.  Who benefits?  Overwhelmingly, it's the Super-Rich, the Upper Crust, the new aristocrats.

Bottom line:  stop drinking the Propaganda Kool Aid coming from the State-Corporate-Financial Complex.  Ignore the sound bites and the molding of the public mind.  Question everything.  Ignore the Bread & Circuses.  Dig deep when you study an issue.  Think out of the box we've all been put into.

The public and private Powers-That-Be want you to believe technology is going to save us from the existential threat we're facing.  Without a paradigm shift in values/ethics, it won't.

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Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Politicians Are a Lot Like Diapers

They need to be changed often, and for the same reason.  😄

The above is from the movie, Man of the Year, with the late, great Robin Williams...

and it's so true.

In 1975, the "liberal" Think Tank, the Trilateral Commission (founded by David Rockefeller and Zbigniew Brzezinski) published its first book-length report,  The Crisis of Democracy: Report on the Governability of Democracies.  The Report was written by Left-leaning/Liberal authors.  Their conclusion was this:  the crisis is that democracies have too much democracy, and that's what makes it difficult to govern them.  According to the authors, that had to change.

Since 1975, in the USA we've had an increase in the pace of the fairly steady march toward total Oligarchy and Plutocracy, and a fairly steady retreat from genuine, participatory democracy.  One, and only one, of the reasons for that is:  voters don't vote out politicians often enough.  People such as McConnell, Cornyn, Pelosi, Schumer, and the like all should be returned to private life.

Politicians are a lot like diapers.  They need to be changed often...

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Another Reason People Are Pissed Off

Yesterday I drove to town to RENEW my Driver's License.  I hand the lady my license, & she says she also needs my BIRTH CERTIFICATE, SS CARD, & TWO PROOFS OF RESIDENCE.  And something else...I've already forgotten what.  I drive back home, get my portfolio of docs that I keep handy, & drive back to her office...for the 2nd time.  She looks at an official County doc titled "Proof of Residence" which I had to get when I moved here (almost 5 years ago) and says, "This is no good."  And I say, "Why not?"  She replies, "I need two proofs of residence that are no more than 60 days old.".

It used to be that getting a Driver's License meant you already had established your ID and place of residence, so when license renewal time came up, you simply were asked if there were any changes.  According to the lady I dealt with, the "Real ID Act" changed all that.

[Thank you so much, DC Repubs & Dems:]

The County Office guy who issues the County-required "9-1-1 Emergency Proof of Residence" official document wasn't available when I was at the County Courthouse yesterday.  [The County Courthouse is a few double-wide mobile homes strung together.]  So, the MVD lady (in New Mexico, it's MVD, not DMV:) sent me to the local phone company & also to the place where I buy propane for my home.  I was told to give them my "this-is-no-good" County Proof of Residence, & then they would print out a copy of my last receipt...with my physical address on it, not just the mailing address.  Though by now I was somewhat exhausted, frustrated, & pissed off from all this running around, like a good member of the Herd, I did all that.  Then I drove back to the MVD Office for the 3rd time.

I don't blame the local bureaucrats here; they don't pass the Laws or make policy.  But this whole scenario is only one tiny reason why the Fake Populist wound up in the White House.  [Hillary, too, is a Fake Populist; way back when, she wasn't, but has been since becoming a multi-millionaire.]  Too many people in this country are frustrated with, & angry about, public institutions.  Never mind how bad it is with private institutions.  They wanted a massive change.  Unfortunately, they're not going to get one...at least, not the kind they want.

I could write a whole piece on why the "Real ID Act" is an abomination, but very few folks seem to care, so I won't bother...or bore you.    Just keep in mind, it was passed into Law by both Repubs AND Dems.

There is a wrinkle to my story.  When "Real ID" was passed (in 2008, I think), many States basically said, "This is hogwash...we're not doing it."...New Mexico has been one of the very last to finally comply.  This State is right in the middle of complying; that may be why I had this License Renewal nightmare, & someone in a different State hasn't recently experienced the same thing.

The MVD Branch Office is 10-15 minutes from my home.  The 3 times I was there yesterday, there were only 1 or 2 people ahead of me in line.  It took me 3 hours to get my license renewed.  In the not-so-distant past, it took about 20 minutes.  The people at the phone company and propane business told me that they print out receipts like the ones I got at least 5 times per day...all year.

This is no way to run a railroad.  

Today, a friend in CA told me that Commercial Driver's Licenses there soon, as part of SMART ID, will have a yellow/gold star on them.  Really, a yellow star?...what a lack of historical perspective.  Good grief.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Anarcho What???

Below is my response to an organic farmer friend who responded to the last blog post here with the statement that our country is a Republic, not a Democracy.  [I did some minor editing...nothing important.]
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Precisely.  Too bad 99.99% of politicians keep saying it's a democracy, trying to deceive people...here & abroad.  Telling people that in America every vote counts.  It's plain that's not true. 

I don't know why folks in CA even vote:  Trump was declared the winner long before all the CA votes were counted... fully one-third of those votes had not been counted when the Don was announced as winner... and there were uncounted votes in many other States as well.  Every vote counts, my ass.  Politics & politicians are despicable.  Now ask me what I really think.    [It's a rhetorical statement:]

Despite the propaganda to the contrary regarding Anarchism, what would be better is Anarcho-Syndicalism---an organizational form of direct democracy... and have it go all the way up to the national gov't level.  Then every vote would count.  Of course, we'll never see that in our lifetime.  [Oligarchs would be the big losers, even though property rights still could be protected.]  The majority of Main Street Americans probably don't even know what Anarchism really is; I'm not criticizing them, just stating a fact.  All they know is the propaganda saying it's chaos & destruction.  Not true at all.

Apparently, we'd rather stick with the "Meritocracy" concept.  When that term first was coined, it was in a negative, disparaging way... as it should be.  It bespeaks elitism loud and clear.  At that time, it meant not only selection of rulers based on merit, but also based on membership in the aristocratic class.

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Not only my opinion.  Be Well

The Most Dishonest Profession in the USA

I was going to title this piece, "The Sleaziest Profession..."; however, that might be a bit too harsh...but not by much.  Also, be aware that this is a generalization on my part.  There are usually exceptions to a general rule, but they rarely ever prove a generalization to be false.  What do you think...is it that of a drug dealer?  Nope...a good contender for the title, but that's not it.  How about that of a Mega Bank CEO?  Another good contender, but that's not it either.

The most dishonest profession in the USA is that of a high-level, national politician and/or bureaucrat.  Those at the highest levels.  [I include high-level appointees in the term "bureaucrat".]  I came to my conclusion after keenly observing U.S. politics for well over half a century, and most recently, watching the documentaries Money for Nothing, Silenced, Secrets Politics and Torture, Losing Iraq, United States of Secrets, To Catch a Trader, The Untouchables, and many more.  [The 1st two currently are on Netflix (& probably elsewhere online); the remainder are available at the PBS Frontline website.]

Before I offer evidence for my assertion in the paragraph above (the 1st sentence), let's be clear:  the following people are/were not always dishonest, or even sleazy.  Had they been, it would have been too obvious.  Liars work much in the same way as does Propaganda:  there's always a small element of truth to be found.  That's what makes the person or the idea seem credible.  Finally, I could have made the list below several pages long, but there's really not much use in doing that.  Plus, I don't have the time to spare.

Evidence for the contention or assertion---
0.  J. Edgar Hoover
1.  Richard Nixon, Spiro Agnew, and Henry Kissinger
2.  Alan Greenspan and Ben Bernanke
3.  Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, and Madeleine Albright
4.  Robert Rubin and Larry Summers
5.  Dubya Bush, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz, Karl Rove, Douglas Feith, John Bolton, John Yoo, Hank Paulson, Michael Hayden, Scooter Libby, Richard Armitage, & others too numerous to mention
6.  Barack Obama, Tim Geithner, Eric Holder, Susan Rice, Robert Gates, John Kerry, James Clapper, John Brennan, & others too numerous to mention
7.  Rahm Emanuel
8.  Donald Trump
9.  Ted Cruz
10.  Chuck Schumer
11.  Harry Reid
12.  Nancy Pelosi
13.  Jim Inhofe
14.  Tom Delay
15.  Jim Traficant
16.  James G. Watt (Secretary of the Interior under Reagan)

All the above is my opinion...and presently, all the high-ranking politicians that promulgate the anachronistic Repubs v. Dems paradigm in American politics should be included.  They essentially are all on the same Team...that of Neoliberalism.  We the People have been snookered by Edward Bernays style Propaganda into ignoring the real political paradigm in this country:  the Rich & Powerful versus the rest of us.

Be Well

Notice How the Corporate Media Take a Terrorism Story...

and beat it to death...over and over...day after day.  I'm not saying these fanatical, philosophically ignorant, "true believers" are not dangerous (whether it's "jihadists" or some nut attacking Planned Parenthood), but the fact remains, you have more chance of being killed by lightning than by a terrorist.  Plus, while the stories of terror attacks are "in-depth", there's hardly a peep from the Corporate Media about how the U.S. Govt's military misadventures (especially drone attacks) are generating terrorism, not preventing it.

Here's what we all really should be afraid of---
1.  Neoliberal politicians---such as McConnell, McCain, Obama, Schumer, etc. ad nauseam---who are backing policies and laws that are destroying this great Land economically.
2.  The fact that we are in a deep Recession with an imploding economy.
3.  The fact that the world economy is in deep trouble...mostly because the Powers-That-Be still are shifting wealth from the Lower & Middle Classes to the Upper Crust...at an astounding pace.
4.  The Fed Reserve engenders Boom-Bust economic cycles; it doesn't prevent them.
5.  The true unemployment rate in America is somewhere between 20% and 40%.
6.  The fact that Edward Bernays style Propaganda continues to mold minds to the benefit of the Rich and Powerful, and to the detriment of the rest of us.

I vote for some in-depth reporting on those fearsome items.  I realize that the true economic situation may not be "flashy" news, but it's much more valuable than the fact that the latest nutcake criminal pledged her allegiance to ISIS...which I've heard on the Corporate Media now for about four straight days.  Who gives a damn about to whom she pledged anything?  Yes, Terrorism poses a danger of sorts; but Neoliberalism is a much greater danger.  Bizarre financial derivatives and Financialization are much greater dangers.  Wall Street still running amok is a much greater danger.  Economic/Financial Bubbles bursting are a much greater danger...especially now.  A Police State is a much greater danger.  Outright lies by politicians and bureaucrats such as Clapper and Brennan and Obama and Trump are a much greater danger.  Blatant Propaganda is a much greater danger.  Criminal Mega Banks (whose CEOs think they are Masters of the Universe) are a much greater danger.

The Corporate Media are complicit with other Powers-That-Be (both public & private) in distracting, dividing, and in general, conquering Lower & Middle Class Americans, thus completely destroying the "American Dream".  They all do it not just for money, but for power and control as well.  Finally, once again, it's not any kind of grand "conspiracy".

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

National Politics in the USA is Utterly Disgusting...and Harmful

Again, I emphasize that I'm not a Republican or a Democrat... thank "God".  With the world's greatest library (the internet) at our fingertips and a fairly good grasp of both History and Logic, it's beyond my comprehension how anyone could belong to a limited, specific political group.  To do so almost certainly would require one to be an idealogue, a blindly partisan advocate & adherent... not a good thing.

Here's why national politics in the USA is both disgusting and harmful---

1.  Wall Street runs the show.  Anyone who still doubts that either is not paying attention, or is propagandized beyond the point of no return, or both.  Not only does the Financial Sector run the show, it is waging war on both workers and industry.  The USA rapidly is being reduced to a NeoFeudal State.

2.  With the help of politicians at the highest levels, Mega Banks continue to run amok.  Wealth continues to be transferred from the poor and middle classes to the upper crust at an unprecedented rate.  This is being accomplished largely by Financialization, which extracts income from the 99% and then does not use that money for the creation of jobs.  Instead, funds are invested in bizarre financial derivatives, or foreign currency speculation, or foreign capital investments in manufacturing overseas, or socked away offshore to avoid taxes, or in raiding existing domestic companies & then downsizing or dismantling them.

3.  There's a revolving door between private corporation, CEO (& lesser) positions and appointed, high-level U.S. Government positions.  Men such as Hank Paulson, Tim Geithner, Robert Gates, and others should have been disqualified from government service due to conflict of interest.  Especially Paulson, who previously was Goldman Sachs' CEO, and then essentially gave mega banks billions of taxpayer $$$.  [Ben Bernanke, a non-corporate appointee, topped Paulson:  he made $13.1 TRILLION available in loans to mega banks at POINT 25% (.25%) interest just before TARP.  That makes one wonder why the banks needed the "paltry" TARP funds.]

4.  Politicians at the highest levels (in general) are notorious liars.  They say anything to get elected.  Obama is a prime example.  The 2008 Obama-worshippers have to be the most disappointed people in American political history.  Obama, the corporatist and warmonger... posing as some sort of Leftist.  Obama, who (contrary to the Constitution) chooses which people (including Americans) are to be killed by drone attacks.  Obama, who is waging war on US workers and industry.  Obama, persecutor of Fed Whistleblowers.  Obama, who joins with McConnell to push for the TPP abomination.  Obama, who fines crooked mega banks billions & billions of dollars for FRAUD, but jails not one of their top execs.  And on & on.  The guy is the greatest flim-flam artist in the history of our politics.  Bar none.  He even beats out Bush-Cheney for that title... which I didn't think was possible.

5.  Politicians at the highest levels (in general) mostly ignore about half the U.S. Constitution, especially Article I Section 8, Article II Section 2, and the First, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Ninth Amendments.  Each therefore is violating his/her Oath of Office.  Put bluntly, essentially they are Outlaws.  Where the hell is Law Enforcement?  Where is Justice?
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So, what can we do?  Here's a start...just a start---

1.  Ignore the Edward Bernays style Propaganda.  Don't automatically believe anything a high-level politician says until you check it out using multiple, diverse sources.  Additionally, stop relying on one or two sources for your national news.  For one thing, the Corporate Media outlets (ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, etc.) omit so much that you can't possibly have an accurate picture of what's going on if you rely only on them.

2.  This one seems counterintuitive, but don't vote in national elections.  A national election is a Rigged Game; don't play.  That's the best way to make the Oligarchy pay attention to We the People.  Everyone who is a "true believer" in some political ideology (& thus a "voter") is perpetuating the Rigged Game.  The Neoliberal Coup that has taken place here and throughout most of the world cannot be overturned by voting.  National candidates for office are selected from the top down, not the bottom up.  Even if, by some miracle, a "genuine Populist" or a "good person" gets elected, that person will be marginalized completely by the Rotten System.  That won't be true forever, but it certainly is now and for the near future.

3.  Educate yourself and others.  With the world's greatest library in front of you, you have no excuse not to.

4.  Be an Activist... organize around just causes.  Do something, something peaceful, even if it's anonymously and by yourself.  If group protests are not your bag, there's nothing wrong with that.  There are plenty of other things that can be done:  boycotting, writing, all types of Art, discussions, commercial ads, speeches, stickers (Street Art), flyers, business-type cards (of a political nature), videos, or ???  Be imaginative.

5.  The Neoliberals have won because basically they have distracted and divided us.  That has to end.  I'm guessing that most of us don't want pointless war, or jobs shipped overseas, or an ever-intrusive Surveillance State, or unsafe food, or a completely debased dollar, or stagnant wages, or economic bubbles, or de-industrialization, or never-ending debt, or ever-increasing price inflation, or the ridiculously high cost of higher education, or a war against workers, or inferior, meaningless jobs, or the rip-off, add-on fees imposed upon us by Big Business, or major rivers & rainwater owned by corporations.  If that's all true...that we don't want those things, then we have to stop being so fragmented when it comes to politics.  Democrats AND Republicans have brought us to the point where we are now.  They need a message sent to them...and quickly.

Not just my opinion.
Happy Trails

US Combat CONTINUES in Afghanistan

Not too long ago, President Obama announced that the US combat mission in Afghanistan "has ended".  Like many of his utterances, this one also proved to be untrue.  It wasn't long after the announcement that the NYT reported this:  Obama had signed a secret order authorizing the remaining 10,800 troops to engage in combat.

Most recently, just the other day, the NYT also reported that combat night raids by US Special Forces had increased... now that the "combat mission in Afghanistan has ended".

Another lie from a Fed politician... go figure.

If there ever has been a President begging for impeachment, it is Barack Obama.  The man truly and literally is incredible.  Not only does he lie, but he violates the Constitution over and over.  [I've detailed such violations in several previous posts.]  Of course, he most likely won't be impeached because Republicans commit the same violations.  None of the DC politicians want a public discussion of why the President is not permitted to put this nation at war.  Only the Congress has the power to do that.

Not just my opinion.  Be Well

Part 3: Paying Homage to Gonzo

Not counting aggression and violence, mega banks have to be the most vile, obscene permutation in the Universe.  Take J.P. Morgan Chase & Company, for instance, the largest bank in the USA with $2.4 trillion in assets...that's enough by itself to qualify as an obscenity.  The bank recently was fined $13 BILLION in a civil suit by the Fed Gov't for fraud related to the mortgage meltdown.  To be fair, 70%-80% of the wrongdoings were committed by Bear Stearns and Washington Mutual, which had been acquired by J.P. Morgan...which further proves my point about mega banks.  Bank of America, Goldman Sachs, and several others were fined huge amounts as well...a few were over a billion dollars each.  Here's the kicker--- no criminal prosecutions as yet, and they're all still in business.

$13 billion...are you kidding me?  And they're still in business!  I realize full well that the value of today's dollar is only about three cents as compared to the 1913 dollar, but still...something's amiss here.  A mega corporation is worth $2.4 trillion, had an income in 2012 of $32 billion (or so), and is fined $13 billion.  In my view, there's some criminality going on there.  Those dollar figures are atrocious.  Many countries don't have those numbers of dollars.  Something is grossly wrong when that kind of inequality exists.  Don't blame Capitalism...only SMALL businesses practice that in this country; the Big Boys & Girls have Gov't puppets as Cronies...a situation that true Capitalism abhors.  Besides, pencils don't misspell words, and economic systems don't swindle people---individual people do that, and they do it under any system.

Many mega bankers are not the only criminals involved.  Criminal politicians were and still are responsible for setting things up so that their Cronies in Mega Banking could/can scam investors and the public in general.  Think:  who tore down Glass-Steagall?  As to the fairly recent financial regulatory "reform"---are you fracking kidding me...that's a complete joke, pure window dressing to mollify an already distracted public.

So, why is any of this history important today?  Simply put, there are not sufficient restraints in place, nor has sufficient punishment been meted out, in order to prevent something similar from happening again...probably sooner than later.  Do you really believe that the greedy Mega Bankers have "learned their lesson"?  Please.

By the way, I heard a rumor in New Mexico that the Wall Street criminals involved in the monumental scam are all on the South American drug, Ibocaine...still.  This would seem to make sense because Ibocaine causes one to lose integrity and become a scumbag.  It also makes sense because the effects of the drug are very long-lasting.  Not only that, but Ibocaine (I'm told) gives one an Imperial sense of one's own self, the feeling that there are the "small people", and then there's your group.  One of my investigators is looking into rumored use of the drug on Capitol Hill.

Here's another great documentary:  "Gonzo".

Just my opinion.
Dr. Gonzo 

Syria and Our Constitution

Here we go again. Read the Constitution---there are only two uses of the military permitted: 1. to repel invasions; 2. to quell insurrections. To get around that, Presidents have been relying on the War Powers Act to use our military pretty much whenever they see fit. The trouble is...laws do NOT supercede the Constitution. Using our military as the world's police force, no matter how justified, is unconstitutional. There is no legitimate authority for that use.  Yes, what's happening in Syria is an obscenity, but that has nothing whatsoever to do with constitutional use of the military.

An Amendment is required to change the situation, but politicians just pass laws instead. [It's easier to do that than to get 3/4ths of the States to ratify a new Amendment.] That's called "Legislative Absolutism", a term coined by Justice Harlan in 1901; it means passing laws with no regard for the limitations placed upon the Feds by the Constitution.

Let's not forget that Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, Pinochet, & others all had "laws" in place to justify their actions, too. The Constitution is the Supreme Law of the Land. Change it if you must, but do not simply ignore it. Changing it must be done by amendment or a constitutional convention; no other ways are permitted in our system of government. None.

As always...just my opinion...after ~ 50 years of serious study of the U.S. Constitution, probably the most plainly written document ever put forth by a government.