To be free

Freedom from Alaska!

Month: November 2008

Investigation shows that government conspired with banks to suppress silver and gold prices to conceal bank losses. The effect continues today.

By

On November 16, 2008

In $Money$ ToBeFree

From: SilverSeek

There is compelling new proof of a silver (and gold) price manipulation. The evidence connects the investment bank JP Morgan Chase, the dominant force in world commodity trading, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), the primary commodity regulator, and the U.S. Treasury Department, the arranger of every conceivable bailout. […]

My analysis shows that Morgan has made many billions of dollars, perhaps tens of billions, from their downward engineering of silver and gold prices from their combined COMEX and OTC short positions. They have used that engineered price decline to buy back as many short positions as possible. If investors are wondering what caused the destruction of billions of dollars in gold and silver values, metal and share price alike, look no further than JP Morgan, and the government officials who enabled them.

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Clips from 2006-07: Peter Schiff Predicts Collapse As Paid Media Pundits Laugh and Boohah

By

On November 13, 2008

In $Money$ ToBeFree, Media Bias Exposed

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2I0QN-FYkpw]

Ex-Hitler youth’s warning to America: ‘Every day brings this nation closer to Nazi-style totalitarian abyss’

By

On November 13, 2008

In Police State, The Greatest Depression?

From: World Net Daily

“Every day brings this nation closer to a Nazi-style totalitarian abyss,” writes Hilmar von Campe, now a U.S. citizen, and author of “Defeating the Totalitarian Lie: A Former Hitler Youth Warns America.” …

He writes: “The most painful part of defining National Socialism was to recognize my own moral responsibility for the Nazi disaster and their crimes against humanity. It boiled down to accepting the truth that ‘as I am, so is my nation,’ and realizing that if every German was like me, it was no wonder that the nation became a cesspool of gangsters. This realization is as valid today for any person in any nation as it was then, and it is true for America and every American now.”

Von Campe’s message is that political freedom and democratic rules alone are not sufficient to govern humanity justly.

“Democratic procedures can be subverted and dishonest politicians are like sand in the gearbox, abundant, everywhere and destructive,” he writes. “What I see in America today is people painting their cabins while the ship goes down. Today in America we are witnessing a repeat performance of the tragedy of 1933 when an entire nation let itself be led like a lamb to the Socialist slaughterhouse. This time, the end of freedom is inevitable unless America rises to her mission and destiny.”

Von Campe says he sees spiritual parallels among Americans and his childhood Germany.

“The silence from our pulpits regarding the moral collapse of American society from within is not very different from the silence that echoed from the pulpits in Germany toward Nazi policies,” he explains. “Our family lived through the Nazi years in Germany, an experience typical of millions of Europeans regardless of what side they were on. We paid a high price for the moral perversions of a German government….”

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Bob Chapman: Expect The Recession To Increase In Severity

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On November 10, 2008

In $Money$ ToBeFree, The Greatest Depression?

From: The International Forecaster, November 8 2008

The dichotomy between paper and metals, US owes 3 trillion to foreigners, the wiemarization is coming, more banks go belly-up, gold manipulation poses problems for economic stability, consider the recent rallies to be as good as it will get

Read More

Nick Begich: The Gifts of the Holy Spirit Demonstrate What’s Possible for Human Beings

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On November 10, 2008

In Freedom, Nick Begich II

“For all of those that are scripturally oriented:
1 Corinthians chapters 12 – 14.

Read those chapters again about the gifts of the Holy Spirit…
what’s possible in terms of human beings
if we come to a different awareness,
a different realization.”

– Nick Begich

Transcribed by Jeff Fenske from Nick’s discontinued show on GCN Live, 3/8/07

Chuck Norris: “We seem to have lost…our place in the world”

By

On November 9, 2008

In Freedom

From: Human Events Book Service

“America…seems to have lost its way.

As a people, we seem more divided than ever before. Switch on the television and it’s clear we’ve lost our moral compass.

Our economy, once celebrated as a guarantor of freedom and prosperity, now seems corrupted by greed, materialism, and uncertainty.

Other countries that used to envy us, now despise us. We seem to have lost not only our sense of ourselves but of our place in the world.”

-Chuck Norris

Read Entire Review for: Black Belt Patriotism / The Audacity of Deceit, by Chuck Norris & Brad O’Leary

Mind-Control on ‘Coast’ Tonight, 11/9/08 | My Theory | Recap

By

On November 9, 2008

In Mind Control, People Cursing People, Secret Societies

From: Coast to Coast AM’s Schedule

Hosted by
Ian Punnett

Guest(s)
Tracy Twyman

Sunday, November 9
Ian welcomes journalist and occult expert Tracy Twyman, who’ll discuss the shocking stories from her new book, Mind Controlled Sex Slaves and the CIA.

Coast to Coast AM is live nightly from 10pm to 2am Pacific.

__________________________________

My theory

I studied this subject in depth in the late ’90s, horrified by the prospect of this being done to innocent people, starting from even while they still in the womb. I also became somewhat convinced that unless this project wasn’t dealt with, Y2K could take us down, because of their strategic placement.

I came to learn, through my research and by attending a S.M.A.R.T. seminar (where I met Brice Taylor and others), that a significant amount of the programming was demonic. And I believe it’s likely that it was mainly prayers that broke these totally injust, hiddeous curses off of these innocent victims. And that is why we’ve heard little about this type of mind-control since Y2K. See: Nick Begich: The Gifts of the Holy Spirit Demonstrate What’s Possible for Human Beings

Perhaps only God knows for sure.

It will be interesting to see Tracy’s take on this, to see how much of this she thinks is still going on. I haven’t heard of her before, so I can’t vouch for her credibility. Some of what’s out there is intentional disinfo.

incidentally, Mel Gibson played Jerry Fletcher, who was a mind-controlled assassin who went rogue in Conspiracy Theory, with Julia Roberts. Both Manchurian Candidate movies are also about mind-control. If I remember correctly, the first was banned for awhile after JFK’s assassination, ie.: Lee Harvey Oswald….

Freedom for the people!

Jeff

____________________________________

Coast’s Recap

Mind Control & Project Monarch

Journalist and occult expert Tracy Twyman discussed the shocking stories from her new book, Mind Controlled Sex Slaves and the CIA. She covered a number of infamous accounts within this realm, such as the story of Cathy O’Brien, the Franklin Cover-Up, and the disappearance of Johnny Gosch. Reflecting on the more credible stories she has researched, Twyman said, “They don’t seem like they’re seeking attention. They don’t even seem like people who have read Internet conspiracy theories. They seem like they’re talking about the experiences they had.”

Looking at where these stories may have originated, Twyman detailed Project Monarch, which purportedly was part of the notorious CIA mind control program known as MK Ultra. According to her, Monarch “always involved a nexus of child sex abuse, mind control programming, Satanism, and the intelligence community.” Such practices were allegedly used to create multiple personalities within the victims and, in turn, make them programmable government pawns. Based on her research, Twyman said “when this technique was mastered by the intelligence community, they used it to create mind controlled sex slaves.” She postulated that the motive behind such devious pursuits was twofold: the slaves were either for personal use by powerful individuals or, more often, used to blackmail powerful people [especially politicians – editor] who partook in their services.

Read Entire Article

Related: Top 13 Illuminati Bloodlines & their Mind Control (Fritz Springmeier at The Prophecy Club) – 2:37:43

Dr. Stanley Monteith: “You can’t have limited government unless you have moral people”

By

On November 8, 2008

In Dr. Stanley Monteith, FreedomQuotes

Transcribed by Jeff Fenske from Radio Liberty, 11/05/08, Open Lines

“America was great not because we have fields of waving grain, and we’ve got a great big country with a lot of natural resources.

America was great because we had a system of government based upon a belief in God, that man’s freedom came from God, and the power of the government was to be limited over the lives of the people with the realization that if you had moral people you could have limited government.

Unfortunately when you have immoral people you’re going to have unlimited government. That seems to be the way we’re going. …

You can’t have limited government unless you have moral people.”

– Dr. Stanley Monteith

Obama’s Anti-Gun Agenda Spurs Record Firearms Sales

By

On November 7, 2008

In 2nd Amendment, Barack Obama, Self-Defense

From: Prison Planet

Record gun sales across the United States are not a result of misplaced paranoia, as the media would have it, but as a sensible response to Barack Obama’s virulent hostility to the second amendment, which is on the record and documented.

Many fear that Obama could move to disarm American gun owners, potentially utilizing the “civilian national security force” that is “just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded” as the U.S. military he promised to create during the campaign. Obama’s intention to re-instate the expired Assault Weapons Ban is partly behind the nationwide rush to purchase firearms.

“Sales of handguns, rifles and ammunition have surged in the last week, according to gun store owners around the nation who describe a wave of buyers concerned that an Obama administration will curtail their right to bear arms,” reports the New York Times today.

Obama’s disdain for the Constitutional right to keep and bear arms is clear – though he later denied it, in 1996 during his run for the Illinois State Senate, Obama told non-profit organization Independent Voters of Illinois that he supported a ban on the manufacture, sale and possession of handguns, a de facto national annulment of the second amendment.

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Inside Job: David Dees Illustrations to Don Henley’s Tune

By

On November 7, 2008

In Illustrations, Music Videos

Most of this is excellent. But the Z stuff??

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dm2SYlwd8nY]

David Dees’ political satire illustrations set to the tune of Don Henley’s [The Eagles] “Inside Job.”

[Audio] Mysterious Death of Congressman Sonny Bono: Bob Fletcher on ‘Coast to Coast AM’ 10/4/08

By

On November 7, 2008

In CIA Drug Running/Assassinations, People

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRqgzzQOluM]Part 1 of 12

The Assassination of Sonny Bono
Ian [Punnett] was joined by investigative researcher Bob Fletcher, who discussed the mysteries surrounding Sonny Bono’s death and why he believes the former entertainer-turned-politician was assassinated.

Fletcher began by providing background on the toy manufacturing company he started in Marietta, GA in the early ’80s. Fletcher said he merged his operations with a man he’d met at a marketing show in New York, and soon discovered that his new business partner was using the toy company as a front to supply armaments for covert NSA/CIA operations.

Fletcher left the partnership, tried to sue, and began an investigation into the activities of high ranking U.S. military and government officials, who he claims were involved not only in secret weapons dealings but in drug smuggling as well. Fletcher said he’d sent Bono his documentation and the congressman had looked it over and decided to go after the people mentioned in the report. A week and half later Bono was dead.

Fletcher went over the unusual circumstances of Bono’s death, noting that the evidence surrounding the fatal ski accident does not make sense. …

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The Price the GOP Paid for Backing the Wrong Horse — Media Bias Against Ron Paul Demonstrated

By

On November 7, 2008

In Media Bias Exposed, Ron Paul

From: The Wom Blog

The strategy of the GOP in deciding their presumptive nominee will be the stuff history is made of. They chose as their darling, first Rudy Guiliani and painted him to be a hero of 911. But his legend was never realized. Widows of 911 and survivors’ families would follow him around his speaking engagements and expose his grievous errors in the tragedy, kind of a buzz kill for a mythical hero. The International Firefighters Association made up of the nations firefighters even created a video regarding the faulty radios Rudy never fixed because he gave what should have been a for bid contract to one of his buddies as a no bid contract. Many heroes lives were lost on that faithful day all to cronyism and abuse of power; all signatures we’ve come to know of the GOP. That’s one of those points even the nightly news couldn’t hide. And the final straw which threw the GOP into an emergency powwow in an attempt to prop up another phony hero as the presumptive nominee was Rudy being booed at Yankee Stadium. If the big apple can’t stand him, forget about the rest of the nation.

[They brought in Fred Thompson to defeat Ron Paul and billionaire Mitt Romney, who didn’t catch on – editor].

So they moved on to plan b, McCain. The other GOP candidates once out of money, moved aside expect one; Ron Paul. His campaign was moving along like a freight train. Now at this point in the game, Ron Paul had set an all time record for fund raising in one day, had the most contributions from active military of any candidate and was pulling voters from all parties into the GOP fold. But the GOP acted as though this ten term Republican Congressman from Texas didn’t exist. On the GOP website when listing potential GOP candidates many states didn’t even list him. They turned their back on a party candidate and they turned their back on potentially millions of new voters to the party. Most polls didn’t even offer him as a choice. The nightly news treated him with disdain and barely mentioned his speaking engagements where tens of thousands of people showed up to listen. I was personally at the University of Michigan where 4,000 people showed up and it didn’t make the news.

An interesting Google labs look into what Americans are searching for reveals some telling information about what Americans wanted and what the news and the GOP delivered. …

You can even watch spikes in McCain news coverage and spikes in searches relating to what users probably saw on TV, peaking their interest to learn more and going to the web. Paul had no such luxury. He was barely a blip on the radar of American election news coverage. Yet Americans were searching with no prompting from their nightly news.  He gained amazing support with a complete media black out.  This chart is from Google trends. To do your own search go to the Google home page, click more, click even more, click labs, click Google trends, or click here.

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HeartQuotes: Live

By

On November 6, 2008

In HeartQuotes

“Live as if you were to die tomorrow.
Learn as if you were to live forever.”

– Mohandas Gandhi

Click for the Big Sur, Bixby Bridge Version

Demopublican Republocrats: Two Wings of the Same Bird

By

On November 6, 2008

In Illustrations

The globalists control both sides.

deesvote

Censorship in Western Media: What they Don’t Want You to Know

By

On November 6, 2008

In Media Bias Exposed

From: Global Research, November 5, 2008

The Western media has recently outdone itself in censoring important stories – stories which contradict the policies and interests the media seeks to uphold.  Western publics have been systematically misled in recent weeks on vital issues related to war-and-peace, human rights, the financial crisis, and more.  Only a few examples can be set out here.  But it should be enough to indicate the extent to which world reality is being filtered by the media. …

Another financial crisis article that western media blacked out is a tough-worded critique of U.S. financial policy from the front-page of the Chinese version of People’s Daily, the official newspaper of Chinas’ Communist party. ‘

‘U.S. has plundered world wealth with dollar…’ made it onto the Reuters wire service. The article proposed that, as a starting point, all trade transactions between Asia and Europe should be settled in Euros, Pounds, RMB, and Yen. But no western world writer or media published or alluded to the article, with one exception: Cuba’s Fidel Castro paid tribute to it in one of his weekly news columns in Cuba. Given that this article appeared on the front page of the official newspaper of the governing party of China, failure to relay it to western publics is a serious ommission.

You can read the story here:
http://www.reuters.com/article/GCA-CreditCrisis/idUSTRE49N1XX20081024

Read Entire Article

Third Party results — Scroll over the states.

By

On November 6, 2008

In Chuck Baldwin

It looks like most of the religious right voters voted for whom they thought was the lesser of two evils, again.

Click Here

Recession Nation: All but Alaska at Risk

By

On November 6, 2008

In $Money$ ToBeFree, Alaska

From: ABC News

No state is immune from falling into a recession, except for one: oil-rich Alaska.

What started out as a housing problem in a few states has now exploded into a full-fledged recession, with a majority of states now in or dangerously close to recession.

At the end of September, 30 states were in recession, according to Moody’s Economy.com. Back in March, only five states were in recession: Arizona, California, Florida, Michigan and Nevada.

Even in the last month, the picture has grown more dire. At the end of August, 27 states were in recession and a few were still expanding. But now, Moody’s has determined that Hawaii, Minnesota and Utah have fallen into recession.

Colorado, Massachusetts, Montana, New Hampshire and Texas are also no longer classified as expanding economies. They now are at risk of falling into recession.

The just leaves one part of the country — Alaska — with a still-expanding economy.

Read Entire Article

[Charts] Is the Sun Changing?

By

On November 6, 2008

In Climate Change

From: Data4Science.net

For many months our nearest star has been incredibly quiet with regard to sunspot and CME (Coronal Mass Ejection) activity. Proton and electron flux has also been quiet. This is somewhat strange, since in 2012 it will reach the peak (solar max) of the 11 year solar activity cycle. Strangely enough, we haven’t observed a corresponding increase in sunspot activity which was expected to increase about a year ago.

The chart below shows just how quiet and relatively uneventful proton and electron emissions have been.

[…]

…we so no real increase in sunspot activity. There are however, very unusual right-angled patterns that have appeared with no explanation.

Read Entire Article with Charts

Nick Begich: Founding Fathers on Iraq — People Have a Right to Self-determination

By

On November 2, 2008

In Freedom, Nick Begich II, War

Nick Begich:

“If you go back and look at the Founding Fathers’ view, it was…the idea that people had a right to self-determination.

We’re in a conflict in Iraq, as an example, and we’re there to win the hearts and minds and spread democracy. But that’s not what the people apparently want. They want a theocracy. And if that’s what they want in their own right to self-determination, maybe we need to recognize individual sovereignty as long as they keep it within the boundaries of their country, and learn to leave people alone.

We’re the only country in the world with 800 bases and stations around the world to monitor and interfere with everyone else’s politics….”

Later, Nick responds to an irate caller who threatens Nick with “I want to see your face!”

“The idea of succumbing to the issue of fear and letting that drive this country’s entire domestic and foreign policy is ridiculous on its face.

The idea that we’re’ sitting in Iraq for four years, shoving democracy down the throats of people who prefer a theocracy to a democracy, violates the very essence of self-determination as our founding fathers looked at it, which was to stay out of people’s domestic affairs and mind our own business.

The idea of international terrorism: I believe we should deal with them swiftly and rapidly, and the fact of the matter is that we have not been doing that when we oppress American citizens….”

Transcribed by Jeff Fenske from Nick Begich on Coast to Coast AM, 12/10/06

Joe the Plumber’s Reverse-Freedom Logic: Iraq war is “like someone coming to Jesus and becoming saved”

By

On November 2, 2008

In Revival, War

From: Think Progress

“I’m not sorry that we’re in Iraq. … We’ve liberated another country. I mean, you know, freedom. …

I don’t know if you guys are Christians or not, but it’s like someone coming to Jesus and becoming saved. These guys have freedom. …

Has it kept us safe? Absolutely. I believe in that 100 percent.”

Read Article/Watch Video

THE FACTS:

• Over 1 million Iraqis dead — men, women, children, unborn, old folk. Where are they now?

• Many millions displaced, out of work, can’t walk the streets safely.

• Millions of Christians have fled the country

• Hatred of the US quadrupled, worldwide

• Dislike for American ‘Christians’ multiplied worldwide, even in the US

• America is broke, financially and more than ever, morally — blood on our hands and many evangelicals  unwilling to change heart

• Saddam wouldn’t play ball anymore with the globalists, so we took him out — just like the CIA and our military does over and over again. Liberation was the sell after the WMDs weren’t found

• Iraq was under intense sanctions and inspections. The weren’t a danger to anyone, with or without WMDs

• We gave Saddam the biologicals, many of which we blew up in Bush War I. 2/3 or US Desert Storm troups became ill

• How would Joe like it if a country did to us what we did to Iraq? Would he still say it felt like getting born-again — if he survived?

• And people who get born-again do so voluntarily, out of their own free will. No one can force someone to become a Christian. It’s a heart thing. And now ‘Christians’ think they can force their idea of liberation on entire nations without being invited, and it’s like we’re born-againing them???

• Notice, I didn’t mention yet the 4,000 US troops killed, with many thousands maimed and psychologically wounded. How can ethical human beings only mention the casualties on our side — especially since they didn’t do anything to us to warrant invasion. This isn’t a game. All people are precious. We are so selfish.

• Oh, yeah. Now, we torture detainees, holding many indefinitely

Our day is coming.

What have we become, when ‘Christian’ pastors vote for 4 more years?

We should be ashamed.

Related:

Nick Begich: Founding Fathers on Iraq — People Have a Right to Self-determination

FreedomQuotes: Vigilance

Australia to implement MANDATORY internet censorship

By

On November 2, 2008

In Freedom

Coming soon to US? What else will be and already is censored?

From: Herald Sun

AUSTRALIA will join China in implementing mandatory censoring of the internet under plans put forward by the Federal Government.

The revelations emerge as US tech giants Google, Microsoft and Yahoo, and a coalition of human rights and other groups unveiled a code of conduct aimed at safeguarding online freedom of speech and privacy.

The government has declared it will not let internet users opt out of the proposed national internet filter.

The plan was first created as a way to combat child pronography and adult content, but could be extended to include controversial websites on euthanasia or anorexia.

Read Entire Article

EPA: Diesel Exhaust Probably Causes Lung Cancer

By

On November 2, 2008

In Health

From: Mindfully.org

[EPA Study Executive Report below]

WASHINGTON — Diesel exhaust from large trucks and other sources probably causes lung cancer, the Environmental Protection Agency concluded Tuesday in a report that buttresses a push to reduce truck emissions through stricter requirements for cleaner diesel fuel.

The EPA report concludes that uncertainties remain about long-term health effects of exposure to diesel exhausts. It said, however, that studies involving both tests on animals and occupational exposure suggest strong evidence of a cancer risk to humans.

Read Entire Article

If you think you are unhappy, look at them?

By

On November 2, 2008

In Freedom

Voted the Best Email of the Year

AUDIO: Ron Paul Supports Bob Bird on Eddie Burke Show, Anchorage, Alaska 10/30/2008

By

On November 2, 2008

In Ron Paul

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqAYK8wJGag]Part 1

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0Vzqh39wUY]Part 2

Ron Paul appeared on the Eddie Burke Show on KBYR in Anchorage, AK on October 30, 2008 to talk about the election and to endorse Alaska Senatorial candidate Bob Bird.

Nader: President George W. Bush is guilty of at least 5 impeachable offenses that go on day after day

By

On November 1, 2008

In George Bush Family

From: VoteNader.org

  1. Criminal use of force against Iraq. The Iraq war was unlawful from the start, and the occupation continues to be unlawful to this day. First, it was a violation of the Constitution, as war was never officially declared by Congress. Second, it was a violation of the UN Charter, as it was not approved in the Security Council, nor did the war amount to an act of “defense” in any reasonable estimation. The war to date has resulted in the deaths of over 1 million Iraqis, over 4,000 U.S. soldiers, and injured and debilitated tens of thousands more.
  2. Condoned and approved systemic torture. Torture is a violation of international treaties and U.S. domestic law. In addition, it has been shown to illicit faulty intelligence, and it makes U.S. military personal vulnerable to torture in turn.
  3. Arresting Americans without charges. Under Bush, and the unconstitutional Patriot Act, thousands of Americans have been arrested without charge and denied their habeas corpus rights. In addition, their conversations with their attorneys have been monitored, violating their attorney/client privilege.
  4. Signing more than 1000 signing statements. George W. Bush has issued the greatest number of signing statements of any president in U.S. history. The signing statement is a provision that dates back to the founding of the country, typically reserved for making rhetorical statements at the time of a bill’s passage into law. Bush has used these statements in a way they were never meant for: to preclude himself from having to follow the laws he signs.The American Bar Association has condemned Bush’s use of signing statements, calling it a violation of the separation of powers defined under the constitution, which only allows a President to either sign or veto a bill; the constitution does not permit a President to obey a law only when they feel like it. …
  5. Systematic spying on Americans without judicial approval. Spying on citizens without judicial approval is a violation of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (FISA).

Read Entire Article

Michael Moore: “For the money that we’re spending in Iraq in October, we could provide clean drinking water to most of the people that don’t have it”

By

On November 1, 2008

In Freedom

From: Democracy Now!, 10/31/08

AMY GOODMAN: Michael, your sixth presidential decree for the next president’s first ten days is to feed al-Qaeda and the next generation of America-haters by building wells.

MICHAEL MOORE: Well, there’s over a billion people on this planet that don’t have access to clean drinking water. You know, what if we made it an American mission to make sure that the entire third world had clean drinking water? One of the statistics I read was it would cost about $10 per person in the third world of people who don’t have the clean drinking water right now. So, that’s—geez, that’s $10 times a billion people? $10 billion. That’s just October in Iraq. For the money that we’re spending in Iraq in October, we could provide clean drinking water to most of the people that don’t have it. And I, as an American, would rather be known by the people who are struggling to survive in the third world as the country that gave them clean drinking water or gave them other things that they need to help them in their daily existence to survive. I think most Americans would rather be known for that. Instead, we’re known as the invaders and the occupiers and the people who prop up the regimes in these countries, and I’m tired of that. I’m really tired of it.

Read/Watch/Listen to Entire Interview

Ralph Nader *2002*: Businesses are Supposed to Sink or Swim No Matter How Small or Big

By

On November 1, 2008

In Freedom

Originally from: washingtonpost.com Thursday, July 18, 2002; Page A29, entitled ‘Corporate Socialism’

The relentless expansion of corporate control over our political economy has proven nearly immune to daily reporting by the mainstream media. Corporate crime, fraud and abuse have become like the weather; everyone is talking about the storm but no one seems able to do anything about it. This is largely because expected accountability mechanisms — including boards of directors, outside accounting and law firms, bankers and brokers, state and federal regulatory agencies and legislatures — are inert or complicit.

When, year after year, the established corporate watchdogs receive their profits or compensation directly or indirectly from the companies they are supposed to be watching, independent judgment fails, corruption increases and conflicts of interest grow among major CEOs and their cliques. Over time, these institutions, unwilling to reform themselves, strive to transfer the costs of their misdeeds and recklessness onto the larger citizenry. In so doing, big business is in the process of destroying the very capitalism that has provided it with a formidable ideological cover.

Consider the following assumptions of a capitalistic system:

[…]

2) Under capitalism, businesses are supposed to sink or swim, which is still very true for small business. But larger industries and companies often have become “too big to fail” and demand that Uncle Sam serve as their all-purpose protector, providing a variety of public guarantees and emergency bailouts. Yes, some wildly looted companies that are expendable, such as Enron, cannot avail themselves of governmental salvation and do go bankrupt or are bought. By and large, however, in industry after industry where two or three companies dominate or presage a domino effect, Washington becomes their backstop.

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