by cameron | Jul 1, 2008 | US politics
I’ve expressed my doubts about the Cult of Obama here a few times. I spotted this video in a Twitter comment today who said it was “racist”. What?? I don’t see how it can be called racist. I think it points out the obvious – that in order to win the Democratic Party’s nomination for President, you have to be a “player”, that is, you have to be part of the system, accepted and acceptable to the corporations that run the United States. And if you are part of the system, you have already sold out to the rich, white guys that run things. He is pwned.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jovq9j8cJSc&hl=en]
by cameron | Apr 18, 2008 | US politics
Barack Obama yesterday confessed that if he becomes President of the USA, he’s committed to keeping the US’s #1 military base in the Middle East, aka Israel, open and functioning.
Key quotes:
“As president, I will do everything that I can to help (Israel) protect itself … We will make sure that it can defend itself from any attack, whether it comes from as close as Gaza or as far as Tehran.”
TRANSLATION: “I’m also being controlled by the American military-industrial complex and I’m going to continue our sponsorship of terrorism in the Middle East by supplying Israel with weapons with which to continue their occupation of Palestine.”
He also promised that if he were elected president, the United States would continue to veto anti-Israeli resolutions at the United Nations.
TRANSLATION: “It doesn’t matter what the majority of the world’s governments think about Israel’s occupation of Palestine and state-sponsored terrorism, the United States will continue to support it, using our veto vote on the United Nations Security Council to ensure no action is taken against them, thereby making sure our #1 military base in Oilsville, stays open.”
“Hamas is not a state, Hamas is a terrorist organization.”
TRANSLATION: “I have as little respect for democracy as George Bush. I don’t care if Hamas was voted in by the majority of Palestinians in the January 2006 popular elections. I only like democracy when people who agree with the United States’ interests win.”
Hamas is a Palestinian Sunni Islamist militant organization and political party. It currently holds a majority of seats in the legislative council of the Palestinian Authority. In January 2006, Hamas won the legislative elections, and thus replaced Arafat’s Fatah as leading party of the Palestinian people.
by cameron | Mar 24, 2008 | capitalism, Iraq, Uncategorized
I’ve been having a discussion over email with a friend about Barak Obama, based on my post the other day where I said he’s just like Bush (for denying that the USA has caused the terrorist problem by interfering in the government of other countries). My friend forwarded to me an email from Obama’s mailing list where he talks about troop withdrawal, suggesting he’s one of the good guys. I replied:
“Get Out Of Iraq” is an easy story to sell to the American people at the moment. There is enough support for it with enough corporations that he can get away with it. So Obama gets no points for telling that story. And while he continues to deny that America has caused most of the problems they are facing around the world at the moment, I don’t think he can actually change the underlying problems. At the end of the day, Obama works for the same people that Bush or Hillary or McCain does – the rich white guys. And to get power he has to agree to represent their interests just like anyone else. The two-party system in the US (as in Australia) is there to give us the illusion of freedom of choice. But the system is inherently biased to represent the interests of the people with wealth and power. Look at Ron Paul – most people don’t even know he exists. Why? He’s been getting a massive amount of the primary vote. It’s because the media, and his own Republican executive, have completely ignored him. Why? Because he says the things they don’t want people to hear. If you speak the truth, you get ignored. Anyone, including Obama, who is operating inside the system is bound by the same rules. Say what we want you to say. Don’t say anything you’re not allowed to say – or suffer the consequences.
Like this from Ron Paul:
Of course, while the supporters of increased regulation claim Enron as a failure of “ravenous capitalism,” the truth is Enron was a phenomenon of the mixed economy, rather than the operations of the free market. Enron provides a perfect example of the dangers of corporate subsidies. The company was (and is) one of the biggest beneficiaries of Export-Import (Ex-Im) Bank and Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) subsidies. These programs make risky loans to foreign governments and businesses for projects involving American companies. While they purport to help developing nations, Ex-Im and OPIC are in truth nothing more than naked subsidies for certain politically-favored American corporations, particularly corporations like Enron that lobby hard and give huge amounts of cash to both political parties. Rather than finding ways to exploit the Enron mess to expand federal power, perhaps Congress should stop aiding corporations like Enron to pick the taxpayer’s pockets through Ex-Im and OPIC.
Now, THAT isn’t going to make him many friends in corporate America.
Then my friend asked me why I thought Obama works for the rich, white guys. Here’s why.
It’s simple. Where do you think Obama’s campaign finance is coming from? Poor black people in Louisiana? Let’s see – he’s raised $16 million to date for his campaign. Let see who this came from.
Top Contributors
| 1 |
Goldman Sachs |
$535,678 |
| 2 |
JPMorgan Chase & Co |
$333,337 |
| 3 |
UBS AG |
$306,880 |
| 4 |
Kirkland & Ellis |
$304,264 |
| 5 |
Exelon Corp |
$299,011 |
| 6 |
University of Chicago |
$293,481 |
| 7 |
Lehman Brothers |
$288,197 |
| 8 |
Skadden, Arps et al |
$282,841 |
| 9 |
Sidley Austin LLP |
$279,857 |
| 10 |
Citigroup Inc |
$278,336 |
| 11 |
Harvard University |
$267,541 |
| 12 |
University of California |
$251,194 |
| 13 |
National Amusements Inc |
$237,050 |
| 14 |
Jenner & Block |
$213,907 |
| 15 |
Jones Day |
$212,525 |
| 16 |
Morgan Stanley |
$212,276 |
| 17 |
Google Inc |
$201,107 |
| 18 |
Mayer Brown |
$184,333 |
| 19 |
Credit Suisse Group |
$171,800 |
| 20 |
Citadel Investment Gro |
$171,650 |
This is LITERALLY the list of people he works for. Follow the money, people, follow the money. These people don’t “donate” money to a campaign. They “invest” in it. They expect to get something in return for their contribution.
Let’s look at the top one, Goldman Sachs, one of the world’s largest investment banks. You have to ask – what would Goldman Sachs want to get for their investment? Healthcare reform? Perhaps. They also have a private equity arm. What are their significant holdings?
Major Assets (GS Group)
- Ayco L.P. – (Financial Advisory)
- Cogentrix Energy (Energy)
- American Casino & Entertainment Properties (Casinos)
- Coffeyville Resources LLC (Refinery)
- Myers Industries, Inc. (Plastic & Rubber)
- USI Holdings Corporation (Insurance & Finance)
- East Coast Power LLC (Energy)
- Zilkha Renewable Energy (Energy)
- Queens Moat Houses (Hotels)
- Sequoia Credit Consolidation (Finance)
- Shineway Group (Meat Processing)
- Equity Inns, Inc. (Hotels)
- KarstadtQuelle property group (Retailer)
- Nursefinders Inc. (Healthcare)
- Latin Force Group, LLC (Media)
They have a healthcare investment. They will want to make sure it does well, so whether or not they want reform depends on what their business needs. They have an investment in renewable energy. Think they care about oil?
The Google investment is interesting. What do you think they expect to get for their money?
BTW, the above listings are from a terrific site called Open Secrets. Check it out.
by cameron | Mar 16, 2008 | Uncategorized
And there you have it. From the below BBC report, it’s clear that Obama isn’t any different from Bush. When it was reported that his pastor made critical remarks about the US’s track record in international affairs, Obama distanced himself from them, saying he denounces any statement that disparages “our great country”. He can’t or won’t be honest about the USA’s track record in sponsoring state terrorism around the world. If he can’t do that, ow can he change things? If a Presidential candidate isn’t willing to speak honestly, what hope is there that he is genuine about changing things for the better?
See how the Democrats and the Republicans are just the same party? Nothing is going to change until we find a way to re-engineer the system, folks.
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In a sermon on the Sunday after the attacks of 11 September 2001, Mr Wright told his congregation: “We have supported state terrorism against the Palestinians and black South Africans, and now we are indignant because the stuff we have done overseas is now brought right back to our own front yards.
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“America’s chickens are coming home to roost.”
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“I categorically denounce any statement that disparages our great country or serves to divide us from our allies,” he wrote.
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