Chuck Spinney: Jeff Madrick on The Age of Greed and Failure of Government to Check Private Sector Greed

03 Economy, 07 Other Atrocities, 09 Justice, 10 Transnational Crime, 11 Society, Articles & Chapters, Commerce, Commercial Intelligence, Corruption, Cultural Intelligence, Government, IO Impotency, Money, Banks & Concentrated Wealth, Power Behind-the-Scenes/Special Interests
Chuck Spinney
Here is a review of my friend Jeff Madrick's important new book, Age of Greed: The Triumph of Finance and the Decline of America, 1970 to the Present

Book review: ‘Age of Greed’ by Jeff Madrick

By David Greenberg, Washington Post Outlook, 29 July 2011

David Greenberg is a professor of history and of journalism and media studies at Rutgers University. He is a fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars for the 2010-11 academic year.

EXTRACTS

“Age of Greed” chronicles how Americans ended up with the highly unregulated financial system that produced the meltdown of 2008 and the fallout that lingers three years later. What’s most novel about the book, which relies heavily on other secondary accounts, is that unlike other recent treatments of the financial crisis, it traces the origins of the problem not to the Bush or Clinton or even Reagan years, but all the way to the late 1960s.

. . . . . .

The real scandal revealed by Madrick’s important book is not the well-known tales of dastards such as telecom analyst Jack Grubman or Internet stock promoter Frank Quattrone, but the more elusive — and more consequential — story of how the government came to abdicate this supreme responsibility.

Read full review….

Secrecy News: Court Slams Justice & NSA on Drake

07 Other Atrocities, 10 Security, Blog Wisdom, Corruption, Government, IO Impotency, Law Enforcement
Steven Aftergood

SECRECY NEWS
from the FAS Project on Government Secrecy
Volume 2011, Issue No. 72
July 29, 2011

Secrecy News Blog

**     HANDLING OF DRAKE LEAK CASE WAS “UNCONSCIONABLE,” COURT SAID

The government’s treatment of former National Security Agency official Thomas Drake was abusive and akin to acts of British tyranny in pre-Revolutionary War days, said Judge Richard D. Bennett at the July 15 sentencing hearing which concluded the Drake case, one of the Obama Administration’s record number of anti-”leak” prosecutions.  A transcript (pdf) of that hearing was prepared at the request of Secrecy News.

 

and in related public interest news….

**     FORMER ISOO DIRECTOR SEEKS TO CHALLENGE SECRECY OF DRAKE DOCUMENT

Today, the Drake defense team filed a motion (pdf) to remove the court-imposed restrictions on one of the documents that Mr. Drake was accused of unlawfully possessing so that the purported classification of the document could be formally challenged by one of the defense’s expert witnesses — who is none other than the former head of the organization that oversees the entire classification system.

Phi Beta Iota:  At multiple levels and in multiple forms, we consider the US Government abuse of secrecy–and its abuse of human beings behind the veil of secrecy, to fall into the “Other Atrocities” category among the ten high-level threats to humanity.

See Also:

Review (Guest): No More Secrets – Open Source Information and the Reshaping of U.S. Intelligence

Review: No More Secrets – Open Source Information and the Reshaping of U.S. Intelligence

 

DefDog: Who Lent to America? America, Not China

03 Economy, 07 Other Atrocities, Budgets & Funding, Commercial Intelligence, Corruption, IO Impotency
DefDog Recommends....

Who owns America? Hint: It's not China

A close-up look at who holds America's debt.

, July 20, 2011 17:45

Truth is elusive.  But it's a good thing we have math.

Our friends at Business Insider know this, and put those two principles to work today in this excellent and highly informative little slideshow, made even more timely by the ongoing talks in Washington, D.C. aimed at staving off a U.S. debt default.

. . . . . . .

America owes foreigners about $4.5 trillion in debt. But America owes America $9.8 trillion.

Phi Beta Iota:  Details below.  The lies and misrepresentation from all sides in Washington are reprehensible.   The distance between the truth and those in power has never been greater.  It turns out the US owes the largest chuck (30.3%) to the US Treasury and the Social Security fund; next up is 6.6% to US households, and then a plethora of banks and funds that could easily be stiffed for a year.

US holders of US debt:

Continue reading “DefDog: Who Lent to America? America, Not China”

Marcus Aurelius: Joe Scarborough Tries to Scare on Debt

03 Economy, 07 Other Atrocities, 11 Society, Articles & Chapters, Budgets & Funding, Corruption, Cultural Intelligence, Government, IO Impotency
Marcus Aurelius

Below is an excellent example of scare-mongering and ideologically-rooted media froth.

The morning after

Joe Scarborough

WASHINGTON, D.C.— Aug. 3, 2011

It was a financial storm that even an economics professor could see coming. The debt crisis that had gripped Washington for a month came to a sudden, horrifying climax that left America’s economy looking like a nuclear wasteland. Credit markets suffered life-threatening seizures as the stock market dropped a staggering 25 percent. U.S. Treasuries plummeted as Moody’s and Standard & Poor’s downgraded the United States’ credit rating — instantly adding trillions of dollars in interest costs to the national debt. Only gold was on the rise, and its price exploded past $2,000 an ounce.

Read rest of article….

 Phi Beta Iota:  The only people who benefit from raising the debt ceiling are the banks that destroyed the economy in the first place, and the industrial complexes from medical to military that have grown the profligate entitlement and earmark society.  Nationalizing the banks and closing down the Federal Reserve are both viable alternative strategies.  The fact of the matter is that the truth is not on the table.  To WHOM does the US Government owe money in violation of the Constitutional mandate that it be the steward of the full faith and credit of the Republic?  Triage among sovereign powers, banks, and individual investors should reveal a wealth of alternatives.  This is, as one TV commentator called it, a “food fight.”  Intelligence and integrity are lacking within Washington–neither the Republicans nor the Democrats, the Congress nor the Executive, are demonstrating the needed character during this time of tribulation.

Dolphin: Libyan Rebel – We Want the Green Flag Back

05 Civil War, 07 Other Atrocities, 08 Wild Cards, 09 Justice, 10 Security, 11 Society, Articles & Chapters, Civil Society, Corruption, Cultural Intelligence, Government, IO Deeds of War, Military, Movies, Peace Intelligence

How many times has the West encouraged rebels–going back to the Warsaw ghettos–only to leave them to die in the lurch?  When motives are less than pure, both those being supported and those doing the supporting are on shaky moral ground, and opening Pandora's Box, which always includes third parties with their own agendas, empowered by Western destabilization to muck about on their own.

Libya , Ashraf General Younis son : We want the green flag back

Abdel Fatah Younis Assassinated By Rebels: Rebel Officer

Witnesses: Commander Killed by Fellow Libya Rebels

Libya rebels say Younis killers were ‘Islamist element'

Close Friend Claims General Younis was Betrayed

NATO bombs Libyan TV transmitters

Koko: US Government Suspends Scientist For Integrity Inquiry – Who Suspends the USG?

03 Environmental Degradation, 05 Energy, 07 Other Atrocities, 09 Justice, 11 Society, Articles & Chapters, Corruption, Cultural Intelligence, Earth Intelligence, Government, Politics of Science & Science of Politics, Power Behind-the-Scenes/Special Interests
Koko

Arctic scientist who exposed climate threat to polar bear is suspended

US government conducts ‘integrity inquiry' on federal biologist amid lobbying by oil firms for Arctic permits

, US environment correspondent

guardian.co.uk,

It was seen as one of the most distressing effects of climate change ever recorded: polar bears dying of exhaustion after being stranded between melting patches of Arctic sea ice.

But now the government scientist who first warned of the threat to polar bears in a warming Arctic has been suspended and his work put under official investigation for possible scientific misconduct.

. . . . . .

Some question why Monnett, employed by the US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement, has been suspended at this moment. The Obama administration has been accused of hounding the scientist so it can open up the fragile region to drilling by Shell and other big oil companies.

DefDog: Completely False Story from Coalition on Taliban

03 Economy, 04 Inter-State Conflict, 05 Civil War, 07 Other Atrocities, 10 Security, 11 Society, Articles & Chapters, Corruption, Cultural Intelligence, Government, IO Impotency, Media, Military, Misinformation & Propaganda, Officers Call
DefDog Recommends....

This story is completely false.  NightWatch's compilation of data reveals that “March saw the highest level of fighting up to March 2011 and May was higher still. July looks down, but much more focused and lethal against senior officials.”

Just more of the aversion of truth that permeates Washington…..it also goes against all the previous reporting of having the Taliban on the ropes…..

Coalition holds line on Taliban attacks, data show

By Jim Michaels

USA TODAY, 28 July 2011

For the first time in five years insurgent-initiated attacks in Afghanistan have not increased with the start of a new fighting season, suggesting that a surge of U.S. forces has blunted Taliban momentum, according to the coalition forces.

Read full story…

Continue reading “DefDog: Completely False Story from Coalition on Taliban”

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