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HE SPEAKS TO US STILL... "We may congratulate ourselves that this cruel war is nearing its end. It has cost a vast amount of treasure and blood. . . . It has indeed been a trying hour for the Republic; but I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and causes me to tremble for the safety of my country. As a result of the war, corporations have been enthroned and an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money power of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until all wealth is aggregated in a few hands and the Republic is destroyed. I feel at this moment more anxiety for the safety of my country than ever before, even in the midst of war. God grant that my suspicions may prove groundless." The passage appears in a letter from Lincoln to (Col.) William F. Elkins, Nov. 21, 1864. "These capitalists generally act harmoniously and in concert to fleece the people, and now that they have got into a quarrel with themselves, we are called upon to appropriate the people’s money to settle the quarrel." speech to Illinois legislature, Jan. 1837. See Vol. 1, p. 24 of Lincoln’s Complete Works, ed. by Nicolay and Hay, 1905)
John "The Plumber" Maenpaa



Last Updated: 3/11/2009

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Gender: Male
Status: Single
Age: 46
Sign: Aquarius

City: AUSTIN
State: Texas
Country: US
Signup Date: 2/12/2006

Blog Archive
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Thursday, July 09, 2009 
Bruce Springsteen & Arcade Fire - State Trooper (Ottawa ..07) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kwW2U19sYg
Thursday, July 09, 2009 
Palin's Peculiar Family Values Washington Post - Sally Quinn - ‎11 hours ago‎ I did not understand one word of what Sarah Palin said in her 18-minute resignation speech the other day. I really tried. What I got out of it is that she ... Find the rest here: http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/panelists/sally_quinn/2009/07/palins_peculiar_family_values.html
Saturday, July 04, 2009 
Bruce Springsteen - Johnny 99

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2aQogGfYtY






Saturday, July 04, 2009 

With Palin Leaving, National Spotlight on Alaska Is Likely to Go, Too

New York Times - William Yardley - ‎1 hour ago‎
Long before she became governor, Sarah Palin startled fellow Republicans when she called out the state's Republican leader for ethics violations. ...

Find the rest here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/04/us/politics/04alaska.html?ref=politics



Saturday, July 04, 2009 

The Great American Bubble Machine

Matt Taibbi on how Goldman Sachs has engineered every major market manipulation since the Great Depression

MATT TAIBBIPosted Jul 02, 2009 8:38 AM


Photo

Illustration by Victor Juhasz


In Rolling Stone Issue 1082-83, Matt Taibbi takes on "the Wall Street Bubble Mafia" — investment bank Goldman Sachs. The piece has generated controversy, with Goldman Sachs firing back that Taibbi's piece is "an hysterical compilation of conspiracy theories" and a spokesman adding, "We reject the assertion that we are inflators of bubbles and profiteers in busts, and we are painfully conscious of the importance in being a force for good." Taibbi shot back: "Goldman has its alumni pushing its views from the pulpit of the U.S. Treasury, the NYSE, the World Bank, and numerous other important posts; it also has former players fronting major TV shows. They have the ear of the president if they want it." Here, now, are excerpts from Matt Taibbi's piece and video of Taibbi exploring the key issues.

Matt Taibbi On Goldman Sachs' Big Scam

From Matt Taibbi's "The Great American Bubble Machine" in Rolling Stone Issue 1082-83.
The first thing you need to know about Goldman Sachs is that it's everywhere. The world's most powerful investment bank is a great vampire squid wrapped around the face of humanity, relentlessly jamming its blood funnel into anything that smells like money.
Any attempt to construct a narrative around all the former Goldmanites in influential positions quickly becomes an absurd and pointless exercise, like trying to make a list of everything. What you need to know is the big picture: If America is circling the drain, Goldman Sachs has found a way to be that drain — an extremely unfortunate loophole in the system of Western democratic capitalism, which never foresaw that in a society governed passively by free markets and free elections, organized greed always defeats disorganized democracy.
They achieve this using the same playbook over and over again. The formula is relatively simple: Goldman positions itself in the middle of a speculative bubble, selling investments they know are crap. Then they hoover up vast sums from the middle and lower floors of society with the aid of a crippled and corrupt state that allows it to rewrite the rules in exchange for the relative pennies the bank throws at political patronage. Finally, when it all goes bust, leaving millions of ordinary citizens broke and starving, they begin the entire process over again, riding in to rescue us all by lending us back our own money at interest, selling themselves as men above greed, just a bunch of really smart guys keeping the wheels greased. They've been pulling this same stunt over and over since the 1920s — and now they're preparing to do it again, creating what may be the biggest and most audacious bubble yet.

Find the rest here:

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/28816321/the_great_american_bubble_machine?utm_source=weekly-newsletter&utm_medium=email



Saturday, July 04, 2009 


Bush-Cheney Linked to CIA Leak Case
..filing in a federal court case also makes clear that Cheney was at the center of White Housemachinations rebutting criticism from former U.S. Ambassador Joseph Wilson, who charged in summer 2003 that the Bush administration had "twisted"� intelligence to justify invading Iraq in March 2003. While seeking to discredit Wilson, administration officials disclosed to reporters that Wilson's wife, Valerie Plame, worked for the CIA

Find the rest here:

http://www.opednews.com/articles/Bush-Cheney-Linked-to-CIA-by-Jason-Leopold-090703-731.html



Saturday, July 04, 2009 

Toon Thursday : Tickets for Lasseter / Miyazaki event go on sale ...

Jim Hill Media.com - ‎Jun 24, 2009‎
Where John Lasseter will play host to Japanese animation master Hayao Miyazaki at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science If you're an animation fan ...

Find the rest here:

http://jimhillmedia.com/blogs/jim_hilll/archive/2009/06/25/toon-thursday-tickets-for-lasseter-miyazaki-event-go-on-sale-today-at-9-01-a-m.aspx



Saturday, July 04, 2009 

Israel is losing the PR war so badly that even evangelical support ...

Jerusalem Post - Brian Schrauger - ‎Jun 14, 2009‎
Among evangelicals the religious equivalent is a movement led by people like Brian McLaren, author of A New Kind of Christian; Stephen Sizer, ...

Find the rest here:

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1244371097449&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull



Saturday, July 04, 2009 
Motorhead - Just 'Cos You Got The Power

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x8jff7_motorhead-just-cos-you-got-the-powe_music

Saturday, July 04, 2009 
CBO-KAY! Senate HELP Bill Rebounds
By Tim Foley
Change.org
Click for source


Republicans have made hay for the past few weeks on how Ted Kennedy's bill cost too much ($1 trillion dollars) and covered too few (only an additional 16 million).  Of course, that score was on a partial bill, one that the Congressional Budget Office itself claimed "[does] not represent a formal or complete cost estimate for the draft legislation" (italics theirs.)  It also lacked the details on the individual mandate, the employer "pay or play" mandate, and the public health insurance option.  But Kennedy and Chris Dodd have kept at it, undeterred from the catcalls, and have finally delivered the goods.  According to Jon Cohn on The Treatment, the new, full bill is in.
Read more here

http://healthcare.change.org/blog/view/cbo-kay_senate_help_bill_rebounds



Saturday, July 04, 2009 

Charges fly over Rainbow Gathering

The Rainbow Gathering and the U.S. Forest Service continue to trade charges over the festival that is expected to draw 10000 people to a ...

Find the rest here:

http://www.santafenewmexican.com/Local%20News/Charges-fly-over-Rainbow-Gathering



Saturday, July 04, 2009 
Praying only for oneself is like...refusing to assist fellow citizens in the repair of their walls...In a congregation, one makes up for the defects of the other. - Judah Halevi, "Cuzari," 1135
Saturday, July 04, 2009 
The Alternative Protest to Teabag Day: Million Can March Posted: 03 Jul 2009 06:45 AM PDT In case you haven't heard, the Million Can March is a counter protest to the teabagging protest redux scheduled for the Fourth of July. Good luck wi dat, teabaggers. Since the news cycle is spinning the Missouri legislator who thinks summer nutrition programs for kids de-motivates them, the Million Can March is all the more timely. And should we remind the leading Tea Party advocate in the Senate, David Vitter, that food banks also need donations of disposable diapers? But seriously, I'm already in the process of cleaning out my pantry and getting some food over to the local food bank. The idea is to do something positive in response to the Teabagger business. The instigator of this project, Rev. Phat of Les Enrages, points out: This all started with a vague notion that we should do something more than just have a good laugh at the next round of tea parties scheduled for July 4th. I thought that if teabaggers are so afraid of socialism, maybe we could show 'em socialism on a national scale. And what is more socialistic than sharing our food with others. And in the spirit of forgiveness, Rev. Phat invites conservatives to provide the drinks: dry packaged drink mixes and other non-perishable beverages are welcome at food banks, too. For bloggers/webmasters the flash image above is free to copy here, and there's a free-use set of non-flash images on Flickr courtesy of Tengrain. There's also a Facebook group (login req.) for those wanting to promote the activism. Donate a can or two to your local food bank this week. Feeding America has a food bank locator if you need help finding one in your area. Thank you. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now http://crooksandliars.com/bluegal/alternative-protest-teabag-day-million-can
Saturday, July 04, 2009 
Not disparaging, not injuring, restraint in line with the Patimokkha, moderation in food, dwelling in seclusion, commitment to the heightened mind: this is the teaching of the awakened.- Dhammapada, 14, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu





Saturday, July 04, 2009 
Quick session ends 2-1 Bills to keep five agencies operating, let state issue road bonds pass - but toll-road bill dies. Find the rest here: http://www.statesman.com/news/content/region/legislature/stories/2009/07/03/0703session.html