Occupy Wall Street describes them as “major banks and multinational corporations... the richest 1% of people that are writing the rules of an unfair global economy that is foreclosing on our future.” They are what John Perkins coined as the “corporatocracy,” an oligarchy comprised of the CEOs of multinational corporations, major financing and banking firms, and the heads of governments. They are those who practice what Naomi Klein calls disaster capitalism: orchestrated raids on the public sphere in the wake of catastrophic events, combined with the treatment of disasters as exciting market opportunities. It is undeniable that government officials serve the interests of these corporations at the expense of the people and our environment.
Banking and Finance:
Fannie Mae
Bank of America
J. P. Morgan Chase
Citigroup
Freddie Mac
Wells Fargo
Goldman Sachs
Morgan Stanley
Weapons of Mass Destruction:
Lockheed Martin
Academi (Formerly known as "Blackwater")
Boeing
Northrop Grumman
General Dynamics
Raytheon
Industrial Oil:
Shell
Exxon Mobile
BP
Chevron
Halliburton
Industrial Car Manufacturers:
Toyota
General Motors
Volkswagen
Ford
Nissan
Honda
Industrial Bio-engineering & Food Processing:
Wal-mart
Monsanto
Cargill
Archer Daniels Midland (ADM)
Junk Food:
McDonalds
Pepsico Inc.
Nestle
Kraft Foods Inc.
Tyson Foods Inc.
Mars Inc.
Coca-cola Co.
Hershey Co.
Entertainment & Propaganda:
General Electric
Disney
News Corp
Time Warner
Viacom
CBS
Spy Networks:
AT&T
Verizon
Microsoft
Comcast
Sprint Nextel
Google
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
10 reasons to vote for Ron Paul
10) Gov. Jesse Ventura and Kelly Clarkson endorse Ron Paul.
9) He is a long distance bicyclist (at age 76) and was the high school Pennsylvania state champion for the 220 yd. dash.
Riely, Kaitlynn. "Ron Paul's Roots Stem to Green Tree, Dormont." 23 Oct. 2011. Web. 28 Feb. 2012.
8) He is not bought by mainstream party "fat cats". (i.e. even though Paul is nominally part of the GOP, he knows when GOP lawmakers and pundits are out of line and he is not afraid to call them out.
7) He is a physician who has delivered over 4,000 newborns.
Burton, Danielle. "10 Things You Didn't Know about Ron Paul." US News, 23 Mar. 2007. Web. 28 Feb. 2012.
6) He is a veteran who served in the United States Air Force and National Guard. He has received more support from veterans than all the other candidates combined including Obama.
Novak, Viveca. "Military Donors Prefer Ron Paul." Web log post. Open Secrets. 5 Jan. 2012. Web. 28 Feb. 2012.
5) He has consistently defended constitutional principles. (eg. he opposed the patriot act.)
4) He firmly grasps the history of our country and our country's economy. He advocates for a sound monetary policy INSTEAD of printing money out of thin air which is what the federal reserve (unconstitutional entity) has been doing for the last 100 years.
United States Constitution Article I Section X
3) He has consistently voted for peaceful foreign policy and diplomacy. (eg. he opposed invading Iraq over and over from the very beginning.) video from 1998-2002
2) He is a staunch supporter of states' rights and plans to repeal the 16th amendment.
"End the Income Tax, Abolish the IRS." Ronpaul.com, 15 Apr. 2009. Web. 28 Feb. 2012.
1) He is a family man who has been married to the same woman (Carol Wells) for over fifty-five years. They have 19 grandchildren and 5 great grandchildren.
9) He is a long distance bicyclist (at age 76) and was the high school Pennsylvania state champion for the 220 yd. dash.
Riely, Kaitlynn. "Ron Paul's Roots Stem to Green Tree, Dormont." 23 Oct. 2011. Web. 28 Feb. 2012.
8) He is not bought by mainstream party "fat cats". (i.e. even though Paul is nominally part of the GOP, he knows when GOP lawmakers and pundits are out of line and he is not afraid to call them out.
7) He is a physician who has delivered over 4,000 newborns.
Burton, Danielle. "10 Things You Didn't Know about Ron Paul." US News, 23 Mar. 2007. Web. 28 Feb. 2012.
6) He is a veteran who served in the United States Air Force and National Guard. He has received more support from veterans than all the other candidates combined including Obama.
Novak, Viveca. "Military Donors Prefer Ron Paul." Web log post. Open Secrets. 5 Jan. 2012. Web. 28 Feb. 2012.
5) He has consistently defended constitutional principles. (eg. he opposed the patriot act.)
4) He firmly grasps the history of our country and our country's economy. He advocates for a sound monetary policy INSTEAD of printing money out of thin air which is what the federal reserve (unconstitutional entity) has been doing for the last 100 years.
United States Constitution Article I Section X
3) He has consistently voted for peaceful foreign policy and diplomacy. (eg. he opposed invading Iraq over and over from the very beginning.) video from 1998-2002
2) He is a staunch supporter of states' rights and plans to repeal the 16th amendment.
"End the Income Tax, Abolish the IRS." Ronpaul.com, 15 Apr. 2009. Web. 28 Feb. 2012.
1) He is a family man who has been married to the same woman (Carol Wells) for over fifty-five years. They have 19 grandchildren and 5 great grandchildren.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Congress underwriting a national health epidemic
Our country has too many overweight and obese people. We maintain our weight through exercise and a healthy diet (metabolism from our genes also plays a role). Obesity is undisputedly correlated with
i) diets high in fat and sugar
and ii) lack of exercise
Obesity is also undisputedly associated with type 2 diabetes (or adult onset diabetes), heart disease, arthritis, and a host of other health problems.
The Farm Bill allocates 10-30 billion tax-payer dollars each year for giant farms to grow corn, wheat, & soy beans. The largest, wealthiest 10% of all farms receive 75% of the total allocated funds. The large majority of these crops are either fed to livestock or processed into (high-fructose) corn syrup and partially hydrogenated soy bean oil. These junk food ingredients too often comprise our sugar-laden, fatty diets. Junk foods with these ingredients are artificially cheaper because these ingredients have been subsidized by tax payers.
Here is a thorough US Farm Subsidy Database.
The Farm Bill gives farmers the incentive to maximize efficiency and production while discouraging responsible farming practices such as crop rotation, polyculture, poison-free farming (organic farming). The Farm Bill gives farmers incentive to exploit and erode the soil. This is the opposite of stewardship.
With our country facing tough budget choices right now, the last thing we should be doing with our tax dollars is helping to make ingredients for twinkies. We have an opportunity to end these handouts to giant agri-businesses. Urge your representative in congress to stop subsidizing junk food!
i) diets high in fat and sugar
and ii) lack of exercise
Obesity is also undisputedly associated with type 2 diabetes (or adult onset diabetes), heart disease, arthritis, and a host of other health problems.
The Farm Bill allocates 10-30 billion tax-payer dollars each year for giant farms to grow corn, wheat, & soy beans. The largest, wealthiest 10% of all farms receive 75% of the total allocated funds. The large majority of these crops are either fed to livestock or processed into (high-fructose) corn syrup and partially hydrogenated soy bean oil. These junk food ingredients too often comprise our sugar-laden, fatty diets. Junk foods with these ingredients are artificially cheaper because these ingredients have been subsidized by tax payers.
Here is a thorough US Farm Subsidy Database.
The Farm Bill gives farmers the incentive to maximize efficiency and production while discouraging responsible farming practices such as crop rotation, polyculture, poison-free farming (organic farming). The Farm Bill gives farmers incentive to exploit and erode the soil. This is the opposite of stewardship.
With our country facing tough budget choices right now, the last thing we should be doing with our tax dollars is helping to make ingredients for twinkies. We have an opportunity to end these handouts to giant agri-businesses. Urge your representative in congress to stop subsidizing junk food!
Sunday, December 11, 2011
In Response to George F. Will
Dear Mr. Will,
I appreciate your historical reflecting in your opinion piece. I must point out a few flawed assumptions you've made regarding Mr. Paul's candidacy. First, you dwell on a highly speculative and hypothetical independent bid instead of his real, growing, GOP candidacy even though Paul has repeatedly stated that he's not considering an independent move. You say, "his ceiling is low". Why would you say that unless you're buying into the system that enables wealthy, establishment candidates to selfishly use media organizations as puppets? Mainstream media polls such as MSNBC, ABC, CNN, NYT, WP, FOX...are all firmly nestled in very liberal areas, their CEOs operating under the requisite biases.
We have never had an election (in the past 150 years at least) when a third party candidate spoiled votes away from one of the established two parties. In fact the mainstream party candidate takes votes away from the third party candidate in all cases. This is very obvious from the data, look at John Anderson, Ross Perot, Ralph Nader. Nobody supporting Gore voted for Nader instead. There were thousands of Nader supporters who voted (insincerely) for their second choice. The same was true with Bush and Perot.
You say that Ron Paul's votes would "come at the expense of the Republican nominee." But I say any electoral system that gives voters strong incentive to vote insincerely is wrong. This is one way politicians keep power to themselves. Republican and Democrat politicians are in the same damn club.
I appreciate your historical reflecting in your opinion piece. I must point out a few flawed assumptions you've made regarding Mr. Paul's candidacy. First, you dwell on a highly speculative and hypothetical independent bid instead of his real, growing, GOP candidacy even though Paul has repeatedly stated that he's not considering an independent move. You say, "his ceiling is low". Why would you say that unless you're buying into the system that enables wealthy, establishment candidates to selfishly use media organizations as puppets? Mainstream media polls such as MSNBC, ABC, CNN, NYT, WP, FOX...are all firmly nestled in very liberal areas, their CEOs operating under the requisite biases.
We have never had an election (in the past 150 years at least) when a third party candidate spoiled votes away from one of the established two parties. In fact the mainstream party candidate takes votes away from the third party candidate in all cases. This is very obvious from the data, look at John Anderson, Ross Perot, Ralph Nader. Nobody supporting Gore voted for Nader instead. There were thousands of Nader supporters who voted (insincerely) for their second choice. The same was true with Bush and Perot.
You say that Ron Paul's votes would "come at the expense of the Republican nominee." But I say any electoral system that gives voters strong incentive to vote insincerely is wrong. This is one way politicians keep power to themselves. Republican and Democrat politicians are in the same damn club.
Sunday, October 9, 2011
The Shock Doctrine
Naomi Klein throws a massive critique against the United States federal government in this 500 pager. Her real target, though, is economic architect, Milton Friedman (and company). A few key definitions:
The Shock Doctrine: "Only a crisis--actual or perceived--produces real change. When that crisis occurs, the actions that are taken depend on the ideas lying around. That, I believe, is our basic function: to develop alternatives to existing policy, to keep them alive & available until the politically impossible becomes politically inevitable." -Friedman, Capitalism & Freedom
Disaster Capitalism: Orchestrated raids on the public sphere in the wake of catastrophic events, combined with the treatment of disasters as exciting market opportunities.
Chicago School Economics: Friedman's economic program in opposition to Keynesian economics. The Chicago School consists of three pillars:
1. Privatization of all industries
2. Deregulation
3. Cutbacks in government public spending
and two cherished claims:
1. The triumph of deregulated capitalism has been born of freedom.
2. Unfettered free markets go hand in hand with democracy.
Klein sets the mood of this critique with a detailed report of the work of Ewen Cameron, a "shock doctor" who literally electrocuted his "patients" to erase their memories and begin anew with a clean slate. The CIA would later employ very similar tactics to "break" their captives. She uses torture as a metaphor: "After being traumatized, people renounce what they would have previously fiercely defended." Klein continually compares this torture with the actions of the USA fed. and extremely wealthy multinational corporations. She refers to this conglomeration as the "disaster capitalism complex," John Perkins refers to the same thing as the "corporatocracy". Just like Dr. Cameron tried to shock his patients into a clean slate, so too has the disaster capitalism complex applied Economic shock therapy. It started in Chile.
The people of Chile democratically elected the socialist, Salvador Allende, in 1970. He strongly supported nationalizing a number of resource industries previously run by US and other foreign companies, most notably copper mining and telephone companies (such as ITT). Because these companies had a lot to loose, they conspired with the White House and CIA under the administration of Richard Nixon as well as Chilean military leaders to plan a coup to oust Allende. Gen. Pinochet, the authoritarian dictator, appointed Chicago economists to financial positions and began implementing free market strategies. Shortly after, local manufacturers went out of business, cost of food and basic necessities soared. Healthcare and education took the biggest hit from extreme budget cuts. The country entered a severe 10 year recession. Even in 2007, the economic stability is not really a success given how unevenly the wealth is distributed.
She goes on the describe what happens when economic shock therapy is applied in:
China after Tienanmen Square Massacre (1989)
Russian under Boris Yeltsin (1993)
Iraq after United States' and G.B. invasion (2003)
Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina (2004)
What emerges in all of these places?????
A powerful ruling alliance between a few very large corporations and a class of mostly wealthy politicians with hazy and ever-shifting lines between the two groups. Klein says the timing to impose their new order is crucial, because a crisis is a gap in politics as usual when the need for consent and consensus do not seem to apply. But unfettered free market ideas have been so unpopular that they had to be enforced by police, military and martial law.
The United States has not declared war since 1941. That's because war is unpopular and expensive. But that obviously hasn't stopped US. forces from fighting them on executive orders. Wars are incredibly lucrative for business whose business plans bank on selling guns, helicopters, barricades, tanks, etc. And guess who funds these warmongers? The federal government (ie. taxpayers).
Consider for a moment these corporations and how they benefit from active warring (especially in nations holding vast caches of resources):
Yukos Oil
Bechtel
Halliburton (Dick Cheney)
Lockheed Martin (Lynne Cheney)
Gilead pharmaceuticals (Donald Rumsfeld)
Exon Mobile
Chevron
BP
World Bank
International Monetary Fund
Economic ideology and political ideology are often separated so that the first will not be tainted by the crimes of the second. Take Chile for example. The economic ideology in play was Friedman's Chicago School Economics. The political ideology was the word of Gen. Pinochet. But in this case and so many others, the economic agenda is the purpose behind political upheaval. Without the promise of fattened wallets from foreign investors, dictators and military leaders are much less likely to bring a civil war to their country.
Execute power moves have been rampant in the last 30 years. We need to start impeaching presidents who go to war unapproved by congress. If you want public decisions to continue moving away from congress and toward the white house, vote for Perry, Romney, or Obama.
As Alexander Hamilton warned in The Federalist Papers, "It is of the nature of war to advance executive power at the expense of legislative authority."
And remember Eisenhower's warning, "Beware the industrial military complex."
The Shock Doctrine: "Only a crisis--actual or perceived--produces real change. When that crisis occurs, the actions that are taken depend on the ideas lying around. That, I believe, is our basic function: to develop alternatives to existing policy, to keep them alive & available until the politically impossible becomes politically inevitable." -Friedman, Capitalism & Freedom
Disaster Capitalism: Orchestrated raids on the public sphere in the wake of catastrophic events, combined with the treatment of disasters as exciting market opportunities.
Chicago School Economics: Friedman's economic program in opposition to Keynesian economics. The Chicago School consists of three pillars:
1. Privatization of all industries
2. Deregulation
3. Cutbacks in government public spending
and two cherished claims:
1. The triumph of deregulated capitalism has been born of freedom.
2. Unfettered free markets go hand in hand with democracy.
Klein sets the mood of this critique with a detailed report of the work of Ewen Cameron, a "shock doctor" who literally electrocuted his "patients" to erase their memories and begin anew with a clean slate. The CIA would later employ very similar tactics to "break" their captives. She uses torture as a metaphor: "After being traumatized, people renounce what they would have previously fiercely defended." Klein continually compares this torture with the actions of the USA fed. and extremely wealthy multinational corporations. She refers to this conglomeration as the "disaster capitalism complex," John Perkins refers to the same thing as the "corporatocracy". Just like Dr. Cameron tried to shock his patients into a clean slate, so too has the disaster capitalism complex applied Economic shock therapy. It started in Chile.
The people of Chile democratically elected the socialist, Salvador Allende, in 1970. He strongly supported nationalizing a number of resource industries previously run by US and other foreign companies, most notably copper mining and telephone companies (such as ITT). Because these companies had a lot to loose, they conspired with the White House and CIA under the administration of Richard Nixon as well as Chilean military leaders to plan a coup to oust Allende. Gen. Pinochet, the authoritarian dictator, appointed Chicago economists to financial positions and began implementing free market strategies. Shortly after, local manufacturers went out of business, cost of food and basic necessities soared. Healthcare and education took the biggest hit from extreme budget cuts. The country entered a severe 10 year recession. Even in 2007, the economic stability is not really a success given how unevenly the wealth is distributed.
She goes on the describe what happens when economic shock therapy is applied in:
China after Tienanmen Square Massacre (1989)
Russian under Boris Yeltsin (1993)
Iraq after United States' and G.B. invasion (2003)
Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina (2004)
What emerges in all of these places?????
A powerful ruling alliance between a few very large corporations and a class of mostly wealthy politicians with hazy and ever-shifting lines between the two groups. Klein says the timing to impose their new order is crucial, because a crisis is a gap in politics as usual when the need for consent and consensus do not seem to apply. But unfettered free market ideas have been so unpopular that they had to be enforced by police, military and martial law.
The United States has not declared war since 1941. That's because war is unpopular and expensive. But that obviously hasn't stopped US. forces from fighting them on executive orders. Wars are incredibly lucrative for business whose business plans bank on selling guns, helicopters, barricades, tanks, etc. And guess who funds these warmongers? The federal government (ie. taxpayers).
Consider for a moment these corporations and how they benefit from active warring (especially in nations holding vast caches of resources):
Yukos Oil
Bechtel
Halliburton (Dick Cheney)
Lockheed Martin (Lynne Cheney)
Gilead pharmaceuticals (Donald Rumsfeld)
Exon Mobile
Chevron
BP
World Bank
International Monetary Fund
Economic ideology and political ideology are often separated so that the first will not be tainted by the crimes of the second. Take Chile for example. The economic ideology in play was Friedman's Chicago School Economics. The political ideology was the word of Gen. Pinochet. But in this case and so many others, the economic agenda is the purpose behind political upheaval. Without the promise of fattened wallets from foreign investors, dictators and military leaders are much less likely to bring a civil war to their country.
Execute power moves have been rampant in the last 30 years. We need to start impeaching presidents who go to war unapproved by congress. If you want public decisions to continue moving away from congress and toward the white house, vote for Perry, Romney, or Obama.
As Alexander Hamilton warned in The Federalist Papers, "It is of the nature of war to advance executive power at the expense of legislative authority."
And remember Eisenhower's warning, "Beware the industrial military complex."
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Thoughts on commissioning ants to carry my fingernail clippings
After clipping my fingernails, I took a moment to bask in the feeling of accomplishment for a job well done. There were ants roaming about the tile floor and I had a flashback to when I smothered a small platoon of tiny scavenger ants feasting on one giant ant which I had previously smothered. I did not intend it as bait, and I'm not a cruel person, but cannibalism just doesn't sit right with me.
Anyway, I noticed a single ant lugging one of my clippings--about four times its length--but running into setbacks. For example, the nail's jagged edge was getting caught in the grooves between tiles and each time the ant had to reposition its grip to make any progress. Other times the size and shape of the nail hoisted the ant into the air like a child on a teeter-totter, but with no friend the ant had no counterbalance, and again, had to drop and regrip.
I said to it, "It looks like you could use some help."
I took the silence as frustrated agreement.
The next closest ant was wandering at a determined pace but was getting nowhere. It had passed the same barren route three times, four times. It was looking for something important to do but didn't know how. I stretched out my nail clipper and invited the listless insect to make a difference in its community. I held it close to the one carrying the nail so it could smell the sweat and desperation. The fresh legs were a welcome boost and I immediately ferried on my clippers a third, fourth and fifth ant to the delivery crew.
The cargo was hot. Already six of the ten clippings had been discovered and were en route to the whole--what seemed to me the front door into their home. By the time a nail got there, between five and ten ants were carrying it and five to ten more joined in the effort to slide it inside. Like super efficient movers getting a couch through a door frame, they spun and twisted back and forth until the perfect angle allowed them to enter. When it was all said and done in a matter of fifteen minutes, not a single clipping was left outside the walls of their fortress.
I don't know if they have nutritional value, but the ants were pretty excited. Maybe they're making bunk beds in there! <3
Anyway, I noticed a single ant lugging one of my clippings--about four times its length--but running into setbacks. For example, the nail's jagged edge was getting caught in the grooves between tiles and each time the ant had to reposition its grip to make any progress. Other times the size and shape of the nail hoisted the ant into the air like a child on a teeter-totter, but with no friend the ant had no counterbalance, and again, had to drop and regrip.
I said to it, "It looks like you could use some help."
I took the silence as frustrated agreement.
The next closest ant was wandering at a determined pace but was getting nowhere. It had passed the same barren route three times, four times. It was looking for something important to do but didn't know how. I stretched out my nail clipper and invited the listless insect to make a difference in its community. I held it close to the one carrying the nail so it could smell the sweat and desperation. The fresh legs were a welcome boost and I immediately ferried on my clippers a third, fourth and fifth ant to the delivery crew.
The cargo was hot. Already six of the ten clippings had been discovered and were en route to the whole--what seemed to me the front door into their home. By the time a nail got there, between five and ten ants were carrying it and five to ten more joined in the effort to slide it inside. Like super efficient movers getting a couch through a door frame, they spun and twisted back and forth until the perfect angle allowed them to enter. When it was all said and done in a matter of fifteen minutes, not a single clipping was left outside the walls of their fortress.
I don't know if they have nutritional value, but the ants were pretty excited. Maybe they're making bunk beds in there! <3
Sunday, September 4, 2011
As participants in a representative government...
...preparing for an election, what topics should be going through our minds and circulating in our discussions? What questions ought we be asking?
Human power schemes employ coercive tactics in your face and behind the scenes. Fascinating speeches woo the hearts of leaches, perpetually unsatisfied, gullible and self-serving. I'm speaking of the whole human species, broken and scattered into pieces. While these candidates dish promises the Lord of truth sets a feast, a meal to turn the tables of authority. Will you take a seat? See, a seed planted in good soil takes root. Sky cries, sun shines and the plant grows fruit. Votes when we already have a king seem moot. So and so's up for re-election, he wants the prestige and the loot. What's her face stole your money at gun point, she didn't have to shoot. Rise up, rebel, learn righteousness from a servant on a tree, practice jubilee! FORGIVE! Be who you're supposed to be! LOVE!
Human power schemes employ coercive tactics in your face and behind the scenes. Fascinating speeches woo the hearts of leaches, perpetually unsatisfied, gullible and self-serving. I'm speaking of the whole human species, broken and scattered into pieces. While these candidates dish promises the Lord of truth sets a feast, a meal to turn the tables of authority. Will you take a seat? See, a seed planted in good soil takes root. Sky cries, sun shines and the plant grows fruit. Votes when we already have a king seem moot. So and so's up for re-election, he wants the prestige and the loot. What's her face stole your money at gun point, she didn't have to shoot. Rise up, rebel, learn righteousness from a servant on a tree, practice jubilee! FORGIVE! Be who you're supposed to be! LOVE!
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