Debate scorecard: Bullshit wins

Reality has always been an afterthought to Republicans and during Monday's debate they proved it again. The bullshit meter kept rising until someone finally decided to check out the alleged “facts” that were being tossed around. The result was what one would expect. Bullshit.

“The accusations were fast out of the gate in the latest Republican presidential debate, and reality got tromped in the process.”

http://news.yahoo.com/fact-check-gingrich-flubs-history-gop-debate-030803027.html

State of Union: New Wall Street unit?

The proposed settlement with Wall Street's biggest crooks is in limbo due to resistance by the state AG's that want justice instead of a petty fine. It appears that while the President has often disregarded the wishes of his supporters, he may not be willing to confront those state AG's over the merits of the settlement proposal. Here's something new from the President's State of the Union address last night:

“He also said the new unit would lead the state attorneys general probe to expand its investigations into abusive lending practices that led to illegal foreclosure practices by the nation's largest mortgage servicers. State and federal officials are approaching a deal with top banks to settle those claims.”

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/25/us-usa-obama-speech-financial-idUSTRE80O07020120125

Maybe the question should be whether or not those state AG's want to be “led” by a federal investigative unit. They are, after all, dealing locally with the residual effects of the bank crooks, especially in California where Kamala Harris has watched hundreds of thousands of families tossed out on the street through illegal foreclosures.

The Feds are far-removed from the actual pain and suffering caused by the criminal element functioning with the banking industry, (except when it's time to negotiate a settlement with them), and therefore don't have much experience with the residual costs inflicted on state and local governments.

Keep in mind that the costs associated with poverty are often borne by local governments, charities and food banks and so forth. Where are the Feds when these costs are passed along, and more to the point, where are the crooked bankers that caused it?

They can usually be found vacationing somewhere in their winter homes paid for with salaries and bonuses that wouldn't be possible had it not been for the taxpayer-funded bailouts that reward them for not only failure within their own sector, but for criminal conduct as well.

We'll see what comes of the President's proposal. There has been no reaction so far from the state AG's so far.

From Robert Reich: Exporting jobs

“The Commerce Department says U.S. based global corporations added 2.4 million workers abroad in first decade of 21st century, while cutting their US workforce by 2.9 million.”

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-reich/the-state-of-our-disunion_b_1224410.html?ref=daily-brief?utm_source=DailyBrief&utm_campaign=012412&utm_medium=email&utm_content=BlogEntry&utm_term=Daily%20Brief

Occupation Los Angeles?

LOS ANGELES (CNS) - “Joint military training exercises will be held evenings in downtown Los Angeles through Thursday, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

“The LAPD will be providing support for the exercises, which will also be held in other portions of the greater Los Angeles area, police said.”

http://www.kfiam640.com/pages/NEWS.html?article=9653697#.Tx5IUdRDkRU.twitter

Military Exercises to be Conducted in the Downtown Area: LAPD speaks

Los Angeles:   “Multi-agency tactical exercises are to be conducted during evening hours around the downtown area January 22-26, 2012.

“The Los Angeles Police Department will be providing support for a joint military training exercise in and around the great Los Angeles area.  This will be routine training conducted by military personnel, designed to ensure the military’s ability to operate in urban environments, prepare forces for upcoming overseas deployments, and meet mandatory training certification requirements.  

“This training has been coordinated with local authorities and owners of the training sites.  The training sites have been carefully selected to ensure the event does not negatively impact the citizens of Los Angeles and their daily routines.  

“Lastly, safety precautions have been taken to prevent risk to the general public and the military personnel involved. 

“As such, this training is not open to the public.”

http://www.lapdonline.org/newsroom/news_view/50045

Open to the public? You mean the deployment of military assets in an urban area is supposed to be inconspicuous? The video of these “exercises” would be something to behold, probably much like what we saw in Iron-Curtain Eastern Europe and Tiananmen Square. But since the NDAA 2012 was passed nothing seems surprising any more.

It appears America is preparing for war against its own citizens. Don't know how else to put it. If someone can make a suggestion for another way of interpreting this, please do.

Stop, or I'll occupy!

http://youtu.be/9-nXT8lSnPQ

Military exercises by themselves wouldn't be that noteworthy except for that which precedes it. Passage of the NDAA 2012 authorizing indefinite detention without charges, the $34 billion spent arming local police departments with military equipment and armor, moves by Homeland Security that appear to be preparations for war, and the aggressive, sometimes illegal responses by police to peaceful protests. The message is clear.

But if we look to see how the military governs its own, how it conducts military tribunals, this is what we find:

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. (AP) — “A Marine sergeant who led a squad that killed 24 unarmed Iraqis will spend no time in confinement, despite a military judge's recommendation Tuesday that he spend three months in the brig.”

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2105281,00.html

It has become obvious that the notion of civil rights in America is an outdated misconception. Many of us in the alternative media have tried to compensate for the negligence of the mainstream media have found all kinds of obstacles including threats, harassment, theft, intimidation, false arrests, bogus charges, and physical attacks by proxies. Apparently, groups like the Central City Association has made its voice heard via “lobbyists” who basically function like mafiosi in the political arena.

Let's be honest. America is only shrouding itself, hiding behind a facade of civil rights which serve no purpose to the business community. The poor, disenfranchised, disabled, dispossessed, have about as much value to the business model that perpetuates commerce as any other form of garbage that no one wants to see or think about. If you are not willing to be subservient to the financial institutions that govern the legal systems and lives of the people, you are targeted for removal, just like any other form of trash.

Do Newt Gingrich or Mitt Romney give a damn whether people are literally going hungry, living on the streets while city ordinances prohibit them from using tents, or “camping” which is the new buzzword for anyone that tries to find warmth and comfort in a hostile urban environment? Do the bankers who routinely award themselves eight-figure bonuses give a damn about whether the victims of their crimes suffer needlessly when the shelters are full and the hospices are out of money?

Nope. Not even a little bit. The cops are expected to do the dirty work, clear out the encampments, make the arrests, but it is the banks and their subservients in the government that call the shots. And useful tools like Carmen “Nuch” Trutanich are always available to bring charges against anyone that points it out while the mainstream media conspicuously avoids the subject.

And now we see that civilian police aren't enough to contain the sentiment that has been gaining support amongst everyone except for the 1%? Now they are willing to declare war on American citizens to keep them in their place? What is the word I'm looking for here? Please leave suggestions below so I don't appear to be exaggerating.

“Riot police” defined by OpEd News: Sergio Ballesteros arrest

“I'm drowning in irony.  First, given Southern California's history of troubled race relations, and the long-term institutionalized racism of the Los Angeles Police Department, I suspect that city had its fair share of lynching in the 19th and early 20th century, and that this law provided the victims with virtually no protection because the police did not enforce it.  Second, given the heroic pacifism of the Occupy Movement in the face of mounting police violence, I doubt any of the cops holding the demonstrators in their custody could legitimately be called 'peace officers.'  Finally, as far as I can tell from the video it was the police, not the demonstrators, who were rioting.”

http://www.opednews.com/articles/Occupy-Protester-Guilty-of-by-Robert-Meeropol-120124-809.html

For what it's worth department:

The End the Fed folks along with the Ron Paul followers frequently state that the Fed prints money. This is not exactly true, but their point is well-taken. The center of power is actually the Treasury Department, specifically the Secretary, which controls the money supply. The following article clears up a few misconceptions but it also makes a good point without actually stating it.

“So while the Fed doesn't technically (or actually) print physical dollars, it has an enormous impact in the amount of money and credit in our economy. The real scandal is the banks pretty much have to do what the Fed wants, which makes Ben Bernanke the equivalent of a Godfather' figure in the world of high finance.

“And you thought Wall Street was powerful?”

http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/daily-ticker/no-fed-does-not-print-money-just-explain-150433185.html

Banks merely distribute money for which they are charged a ridiculously low rate. In effect, their product for lack of a better term is supplied to them for next to nothing, and they profit on the redistribution of it at their own whim and fancy.

Of course, we also know that they have found any number of ways to manipulate that access, to generate phony securities, establish artificial valuations, trade in currencies, leverage their positions and engage in trading that often shows a profit for them but not always their customers and depositors.

Igloos go up in Davos

http://youtu.be/vsEScRTScXw

Report from frankc on court proceedings:

"Thanks Sue. The information is correct for the Brice who is 31 years old. I talked to the Court clerk and he said that Mondays sentence was for 365 days. Today was a plea-bargain on the second case that was ,I believe ,190 days and the previous 365 days was removed as part of the plea.His total is now 190 days and he has been in jail since November 17th.These Jurors are frightening in all cases I have been at. Thank God for the Judge in div 52, he seems to be fair. When I was at West Covina, the attorney was threatened with contempt for violating his pre-trial rules that there would be no mention of 1st amendments rights, etc. I thought this brilliant Public Defender was going to jail because she told him earlier in the trial that first they denied her client his 1st amendment rights and now he wanted to do the same to her.The Attorney in the Brice trial's closing statement was so passionate saying that look at what is happening in these court rooms. Our way of of life in our country is in jeopardy. It was something like that. She was also brilliant."

http://occupylosangeles.org/?q=comment/9664#comment-9664

Thanks to another tenacious citizen journalist for the update.

Grumpy