The truth at any cost lowers all other costs — curated by former US spy Robert David Steele.
Prof. Stiglitz is a Nobel Laureate, former Chief Economist of the World Bank and former head of the Council of Economic Advisors to President Clinton.
Related:
Open video is the idea that the moving image should belong to everyone. This vision requires not only free and open video technologies, but also that viewers are empowered to go beyond just watching—creating, sharing, and engaging in the multimedia public sphere they now inhabit. The Open Video Conference (OVC) is a multi-day summit of thought leaders in business, academia, art, and activism to explore the future of online video. The first Open Video Conference was host to over 800 guests, including 150 workshop leaders, panelists and speakers.
One of the better points of this video:
How serious is the Federal government about justice in regards to the largest financial crisis in American history? Look at the number of persons investigating and prosecuting mortgage fraud and securities fraud. And until those numbers increase, we will not have justice.
Interestingly, Rep. Marcy Kaptur of Ohio stood on the House floor and encouraged citizens to not leave their homes when they were being forced out.
Good quotes from the movie:
+ Jack Abramoff was the “perfect marriage of idealism and corruption.”
+ “Campaign finance is a system of legalized bribery.” What also comes to mind is Danny Schecter saying “I used to think of Wall Street as a financial center, now I think of it as a crime scene.”
One interesting part of the movie mentioned a court order that was issued just to force the Bush administration to hand over copies of photos of Bush & Abramoff in Malaysia. Video clips of George W Bush show him lying about not knowing Jack Abramoff.
Conclusion:
Corruption has become normal in Washington DC politics. Parasitic behavior of lobbyists such a Abramoff (despite him being “one of a kind” as far as his deceptive charismatic mastery was concerned) are the result of relationships with “willing hosts,” politicians open to bribery and betrayl of public service, perpetually seeking more money and more power.
On an interesting note, this documentary has a segment on the Mariana Islands when they were a loophole for textile manufacturers. Abramoff had links to their government and industry and became a bridge between them and US politicians willing to deny inhumane treatment of workers. The day I saw this documentary (May 7) I received a text message from the twitter feed of the Government Accountability Office mentioning the Mariana Islands immigration issue.
Related:
284 terrorist attacks occurred in the five boroughs of New York City between 1970 and 2007. Terrorist activity is not new to New York City, with almost three-fourths of these attacks occurring in the 1970s. 2813 individuals were killed by terrorist activity between 1970 and 2007 in New York City, with 98% of those fatalities occurring as a result of the dual attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.
Related:
WikiLeaks has released a classified US military video depicting the indiscriminate slaying of over a dozen people in the Iraqi suburb of New Baghdad — including two Reuters news staff.
Reuters has been trying to obtain the video through the Freedom of Information Act, without success since the time of the attack. The video, shot from an Apache helicopter gun-site, clearly shows the unprovoked slaying of a wounded Reuters employee and his rescuers. Two young children involved in the rescue were also seriously wounded.
(2003- 2009: 139 journalists killed)
Related
Congressional Research Service Report: Iraqi Civilian Deaths Estimates (August 2008)
It’s thought a single pillow killed a Hamas operative in Dubai this January. Yet this astonishing spy story involved 27 secret agents, some pilfered European passports and countless security cameras.
On January the 19th, an unremarkable parade of foreigners passed through Dubai’s cosmopolitan airport, strode from one CCTV camera to another, and then assassinated Palestinian resistance fighter Mahmoud Mabhouh in his hotel room. For Mossad – the Israeli Intelligence agency thought to be behind it all – the operation was a success. Yet the maelstrom of ugly consequences for the agency, Israel, and the hapless citizens whose passport details were used, have left many baffled. “To describe this as anything other than a fiasco, I don’t see how you can do it”, says former CIA agent, Robert Baer, “why would you sacrifice 27 people?”. Israel’s iron-fisted approach is embedded in its history as a state, constantly defending its survival. There is some speculation that Israelis with dual citizenship may even have agreed for their passport details to be used. “The Israelis want to seem to be invulnerable”, says Baer, “you kill us we kill you – we don’t get caught, and there’s no international condemnation”. Whether or not the killers are to be called to account, a death squad has had its cover blown and a legendary spy agency has been all but outed.
ABC Australia
