>> ^shuac:

This guy essentially figured out that fence-riding allows you to sell books to everyone! Hooray for ambivalence!


How about criticizing religious violence while advocating state violence, is that fence-riding?

Hedges is spot on here. Atheism has become the new state "religion". Religion at it's core is about mind control, and the new Atheist movement is no different.

Media Silence on Kent State Revelations
http://www.counterpunch.org/2007/05/07/media-silence-on-kent-state-revelations/

by accident, @marinara?

How do you accidentally open fire on protestors?


This is an excellent article on the events:
New Kent State Video Evidence Points Towards FBI Provocateuring


The word “Guard!” can be heard around 11 seconds. “All right, prepare to fire” begins at around 20.5 seconds. “Get down!” is spoken at 23 seconds. The final “Guard!” is at about 25 seconds, and the gunshots begin at 27.5 seconds.


The order to fire directly contradicts claims from guard commanders who testified that there was no order to fire and that troops unloaded their weapons only after receiving incoming sniper fire.

The tape was given to Yale in 1979 for its Kent State archives by an attorney who represented students in a lawsuit filed against the state over the shooting. It was originally recorded by a student named Terry Strubbe who put a microphone at the window of his dorm, which overlooked the rally.

Subsequent analysis of the tape also uncovered an altercation and four pistol shots a little over one minute prior to the Guard gunfire. It is believed that the shots came from Terry Norman, who was at the time believed to have been an FBI informant.

Despite attempts by Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich to pave the way for a new federal investigation, the evidence has remained largely ignored.

* commercial

Something's fishy here.

Real Free Market Capitalists Demand that Financial Fraud Be Prosecuted
http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2011/11/real-free-market-capitalists-demand-that-financial-fraud-be-prosecuted.html

Adam Smith, Leading Austrian Economists and Other Free Market Advocates Are For the Prosecution of Fraud

There is a widespread myth that free market supporters are against regulation or prosecuting fraud.

In fact, Adam Smith – the father of free market capitalism –
was for regulation of banks, and believed that trust is vital for a healthy economy. Because strong enforcement of laws against fraud is a basic prerequisite for trust, Smith would be disgusted by the lack of prosecution of Wall Street fraudsters today.

Some relevant essays:
http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2010/10/fraud-caused-great-depression-and-this.html
http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2011/07/theres-no-recovery-because-government.html
http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2011/08/real-reason-sec-has-been-shredding.html
http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2011/11/obama-prosecuting-fewer-financial-crimes-than-under-either-bush-presidency.html
http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2011/11/real-free-market-capitalists-demand-that-financial-fraud-be-prosecuted.html
http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2011/11/i-will-never-do-business-in-the-united-states.html

http://videosift.com/video/Ron-Paul-Defends-Occupy-Wall-Street

"When spontaneous movements occur in a country, the Johnny-come-latelies like to join and redirect the original intent of the Tea Party movement, and the original intent of the Occupiers. So for that reason, the political people get involved and they try to grab hold of the message. And I think that's been the case on both sides."

>> ^littledragon_79:

>> ^marbles:
Barney Frank: The epitome of corrupt politicians.
For all you knob gobblers drooling over Frank, you do realize Frank was front and center to the Wall Street corruption in Congress? That he was one of the main enablers of Wall Street creating a system of fraud and collusion?

Screenshot or it didn't happen..


I'm assuming you're kidding. I'll link some articles if you want. Or you could try doing some research on your own instead of being spoon-fed what to believe.

@Winstonfield_Pennypacker

Gotcha this, gotcha that. Reporting corruption is gotcha journalism, haven't you heard?

>> ^Drax:

While I believe this to be real (and seriously; best wishes to this person).. I don't get 1:29.. does he just happen to have the same name, or is it a very dark showing of a sense of humor, or..?
Edit-Ok, I guess part of me quietly (and sincerely) wishes this was some sort of ARG like viral thing.. but I guess I just have to assume he has the same initals and last name.


I'm guessing it's a joke.

http://videosift.com/video/Barney-Frank-scolds-media-for-lack-of-substance-to-her-face

Hey guys, isn't Barney Frank AWEsome?


Pseudo-intellectual's guide to Wall Street:
1. Support corrupt politicians
2. Blame capitalism
3. Attack and ridicule anyone that points out your blatant hypocrisy

>> ^dystopianfuturetoday:

I learn so much about what I believe when I talk with you. And here I thought I wanted to reform our election system so that corporations could not so easily subvert the democratic process. And here I thought I wanted to reform our economic system so that corporations were held responsible for their actions and not allowed to siphon and hoard societal wealth. Who knew that I was such a fan of the global corporate empire? And who knew that removing all barriers to corporate wealth and power would result in liberty? It sounds so unintuitive and absurd on it's face that I would not have believed it had I not learned it from someone in possession of such formidable mental prowess. Your advanced wisdom is truly indistinguishable from magic. Expecto Patronum Mano Invisablo!

That's twice now you've put words in my mouth or argued I position I didn't make. And you have the gall to pretend I'm misrepresenting you? LOL

Keep ignoring the core of the corruption. And keep supporting Wall Street solutions to Wall Street created problems. It's worked beautifully so far.

Barney Frank: The epitome of corrupt politicians.

For all you knob gobblers drooling over Frank, you do realize Frank was front and center to the Wall Street corruption in Congress? That he was one of the main enablers of Wall Street creating a system of fraud and collusion?

>> ^dystopianfuturetoday:

^The more we deregulate, privatize, cut taxes for the wealthy and cut services for the rest, the worse things get. Unregulated capitalism has become its own worse enemy. If we want to save capitalism from itself, we need regulate it, so that it can not be used as a weapon to subjugate the working poor, the middle class and labor. The economic reforms you call for are the same reforms called for by corporatists and plutomists like the Kochs, The Scaifes, Luntz, Norquist among other corporate elites. How is it that you can rail against crony capitalists and regurgitate their propaganda in the same sentence? In my opinion, it is be you are being manipulated to put for an agenda that appeals to your base nature by people who could not care less about you.
Unregulated capitalism has brought us:
-Vast Income Inequality
-High Unemployment
-Wage Cuts while productivity continues to rise
-Endless War for profit, oil
-Massive political corruption at every level of government
The 'free market' you dream of is a pie in the sky, no different from St. Peter and the Pearly Gates or 72 Virgins. "Free" Market ideology has been at work in American Government for over 30 years, and it has resulted in the creation of a global corporate state that is anything but free. Stop making excuses for failure. It's OK to admit you were wrong. Being wrong only becomes problem when your foolish pride hinders you from assessment. Pull your head out of the sand. @marbles


Good Job. I link an essay that specifically identifies the problems and you respond with hollow partisan talking points that ignore the problems. Nationalizing risk by the big banks and privatizing profits is not free market capitalism, no matter how much you claim it to be.

Free market ideology didn't create a global corporate state. Putting our economy in the hands of a select few did. The Federal Reserve is an above the law private banking cartel. And whether you believe in a free market or not is irrelevant. Believing that Wall Street politicians are going to solve the problems that they help create is the real delusion.

Banks have taking over the government. Your solution: Support Wall Street puppets and regurgitate their talking points.

Banks have taking over the regulatory agencies. Your solution: Pass more Wall Street written regulations.

Government uses our tax money to bailout corporations and wage war around the world. Your solution: Give them more money to funnel to the top and fund more death and destruction.

So who's really being manipulated here? The corporate shadow government is erecting bars around your glass house and you're busy parroting their talking points. Good job pal.

Don’t Blame Capitalism for Wall Street’s Corruption and Lawlessness:

When Mahatma Gandhi was asked what he thought about Western civilization, he answered:

I think it would be a good idea.

I feel the same way about free market capitalism.

It would be a good idea, but it is not what we have now. Instead, we have either socialism, fascism or a type of looting.

If people want to criticize capitalism and propose an alternative, that is fine . . . but only if they understand what free market capitalism is and acknowledge that America has not practiced free market capitalism for some time.

...

People pointing to the Western economies and saying that capitalism doesn’t work is as incorrect as pointing to Stalin’s murder of millions of innocent people and blaming it on socialism. Without the government’s creation of the too big to fail banks, Fed’s intervention in interest rates and the markets, government-created moral hazard emboldening casino-style speculation, corruption of government officials, creation of a system of government-sponsored rating agencies which had at its core a model of bribery, and other government-induced distortions of the free market, things wouldn’t have gotten nearly as bad.