William Greider Is Impassioned and Sober on Subject of Wall Street Power

As William Greider says in this week's Bill Moyers Journal program, we the people need to say to the politicians in Washington, including Pres. Obama, that we see through the latest Treasury plan to buy up "troubled assets." Already protests are happening and more are planned over this outrageous corporate give-away scheme.

Before tonight's broadcast the other well-known writer to speak out on the general subject of the economic swindling now rampant has been the economist James K. Galbraith.

It is clear that scholars and average Americans alike are waking up to the corporate take-over and shake-down of this country. I heartily invite you to view the Greider interview for some solid and inspiring information.


http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/03272009/profile.html

Secret Bush Memos Amount to Treason, Says Constitutional Scholar

A look at the secret Bush memos recently released shows men at the top levels of power in the process of enacting a coup d'etat against the United States. Of course, the world regarded the coming to power of G. W. Bush following the 2000 election fiasco as a coup d'etat in and of itself, though Americans generally did not realize it at the time.

We desperately need an official accounting of matters so this will not be attempted in the future. We had become so used to Constitutional government in the United States we forgot, if we ever knew, how common such coups are in world history. May those guilty of crimes or even treason be held accountable in a near time.


http://www.truthout.org/032609L

Pithy Quote from James K. Galbraith

There is no way the project of resurrecting the economy by stuffing the banks with cash will work.


-- James K. Galbraith

(See post below.)

James K. Galbraith's Enormously Useful Article on the Economy

I have just started reading James K. Galbraith's article in the March/April 2009 Atlantic Monthly. Since I have not yet finished the article I will save definitive comments for later. However, this article is extremely informative and most useful in understanding what is going on with the young Obama Administration.

What is clear from the opening paragraphs are two points: First, the stimulus package was based on assumptions of the Congressional Budget Office which may be seriously out of date. And, second, the components of the stimulus package were based on consensus, a strategy which was not valid in this case.

President Obama has around him certain advisers who are acolytes of Robert Rubin, the Wall Street tycoon and purveyor of market solutions in the Clinton Administration. Their philosophy is What's good for Wall Street is good for Main Street. If there is any philosophy which has been thoroughly soiled it is this one!

If the pro-market approach of the Wall Street crowd continues to dominate White House policy our economy is doomed for the foreseeable future.

That is one reason I was on the phone with the office of Senator Dodd (Head of the Banking Committee) today opposing the latest bail-out announced on Monday by T. Geithner, Secretary of the Treasury.





http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2009/0903.galbraith.html

New Ways of Relating in Tough Economic Times

Russian-American, Dmitry Orlov, having experienced the economic crisis in Russia following the break-up of the Soviet Union in the early 1990's, has an unusual ability to describe the current economic crisis in the West, especially in the United States. He lays out a vision of the future which is rather frightening. I must say at the outset that I do not see this vision as inevitable. However, I do see it as likely given the path we are currently on. And with the size of the economy, the ingrained habits of persons and institutions, it is all the more likely that conditions will deteriorate further.

What makes Orlov truly different is his view that certain changes are permanent. The current crisis is not some temporary "slow-down," a "bump in the road," a "slump," or any other innocuous-sounding temporary situation. What he is saying is we will have to have a different way of relating to each other in order to get ourselves through this crisis. As Orlov says, justice will have to be part of everyday life, not a government department. This is very interesting, and valuable reading.


http://www.cluborlov.blogspot.com/

Former Vice-President Cheney Connected To Death Squads: Seymour Hersh

In an astounding on-line article, Raw Story is reporting that respected writer, Seymour Hersh, has alleged that former Vice-President Richard Cheney had a secret assassination squad reporting directly to him. The details are at the link below (or you may click on the title of this post above).

We are still waiting for further information on this startling allegation. Knowing everything else I know, it would not surprise me. There has been "mission creep" in this area for decades. There are and have always been people willing to skirt around our Constitutional system for reasons of private gain. It is more evidence that the Founders were right when they advocated eternal vigilance on the part of the people over their government.


http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Hersh_US_has_been_running_executive_0311.html

Give Me Liberty Redux

I am currently re-reading Naomi Wolf's fine book, Give Me Liberty. I was very much taken the other evening with her section on public demonstrations. She points out that what happened in the street demonstrations of the Civil Rights era and the Viet-Nam war era would now be illegal due to the stopping of traffic. In terms of a tactic, then, the ordinances which make the stopping of traffic must be reversed or made inert. Ironically, one way to accomplish this would simply be through having a street demonstration stopping traffic. Of course, only those willing to suffer the humiliation of arrest should consider doing this. Otherwise, the regular route of lobbying should be employed.

Court Cases Against Barack Obama Still Alive

In one sense it is amazing that the several cases against Barack Obama which Philip Berg has brought to court are still alive. Considering everything against them, it is a wonderment. At the same time, it tends to add credibility to their merit. You may see the latest news about these cases at this web link:

http://www.obamacrimes.info/

Alternatively, you may click on the title above.


See also previous posts on this subject on this blog.

Civil Wars Looming?

Here is one of the most important articles I have seen recently. Certainly I strongly urge you to read it and act accordingly. I have been doing a fair amount of checking into the world-wide economic crisis. The article linked below is an excellent summation of the current status of things. Particularly troubling is the assessment of the situation in the U.S. with the presence of so many guns.

I do not wish to be an alarmist. At the same time, I don't want people to say later I did nothing to warn my fellow citizens of danger. There is one thing I am absolutely convinced of: the current world-wide economic crisis is extremely serious -- worse than we are being told. This is not like a normal "downturn." There is not going to be a standard "recovery." It is going to take much, much work to make the economy solvent and sound again. I believe many people in government know this, but are hoping somehow things will "blow over." This is foolish thinking.

So again, there is no need to panic; that wouldn't do any good, anyway. However, simply going along blithely in an unconcerned fashion is, to me, the height of irresponsibility. So you can read and be informed. As the aphorism says, Information is power -- now more than ever.


http://www.truthout.org/022709F