Posts Tagged JP Morgan

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Feb26

WHY WE SHOULD GIVE A DAMN

by Calico Blackie on February 26, 2013 at 3:07 pm
Posted In: A Dose Of Reality, Media Bias


 

Greetings from Calico Blackie!

Have we been wrong all these years?

I’ve been hearing “Who gives a damn?” more often lately when I discuss current events and politics with young people I know.

The last time I mentioned “Occupy” in a conversation, I was told: “Who cares? People are sick of Occupy. It’s old news.”

There’s too many distractions going on around us for us to focus on the issues. Instead, it’s as if we’re becoming a nation of ADHD addled idiots and it seems as if we like it that way.

Immediate gratification and a short attention span is the norm these days.

This photo of Maggie Trudeau (First Lady of Canada) caused a small scandal in the late 60s. Could you imagine the media circus if the media got a photo such as this of Michelle Obama today?

We get fed a steady diet of bullshit news that doesn’t matter, yet it’s dressed up by the media as if it’s important.

We’re allowing ourselves to be stupefied.

Most of us spend much of our time being so distracted by the meaningless shit in life that we forget to live our own life as it happens and we miss it.

Anyway, that’s the end of the sermon for today.

Let’s see what’s in the news.

Here’s an item from the Ministry of the Fucking Obvious……..

Not-so-golden years: Over 75, burdened by debt

The golden years are supposed to be a time when you can live off the wealth you’ve accumulated over a lifetime, not feel like you have to take on more debt to make ends meet.

But new research shows that Americans ages 75 and over appear to have grown more burdened by debt in recent years, and experts say a likely culprit is medical expenses.

Calico Blackie says:

THIS is how the medical industry and the banksters see you and when you’re empty, you’re useless

What a surprise! Don’t people realize that today’s system is designed to bleed a person as dry as possible before they’re kicked to the curb?

It’s not just medical expenses.

It’s also the upward spiraling high cost of living that keeps going skyward every year you’re alive.

What seemed to be a good pension or retirement fund 30 years ago doesn’t even amount to a poverty-level allowance these days.

The article continues with:

A new analysis of government data, released earlier this month by the Employee Benefit Research Institute, found that between 2007 and 2010 people who are 75 and older were more likely to have debt, and their average debt levels increased significantly.

Link is here:  http://lifeinc.today.com/_news/2013/02/26/17090279-not-so-golden-years-over-75-burdened-by-debt?lite

Calico Blackie says:

All I can say is if I’m lucky enough to make it to 75 and if my wife goes before I do, the credit companies had better just watch out.

By the time I’m reading this book, I won’t care about my credit rating OR my debt load!

You see….

I never had kids and there would be nobody left for them to go after when I die with that BIG smile on my face, knowing that I stiffed ‘em all!

I just wonder how many of those debt ridden over 75′s out there still think they live in the greatest country in the world and dismissed the Occupiers as “dirty hippies“ when Zuccotti Park was in fashion?

I wonder how many of them will still blame whoever happens to be the President when they hit their decrepitude, instead of blaming a SYSTEM THAT IS DESIGNED TO WRING EVERY LAST DROP OF BLOOD OUT OF YOU in the name of maximum profit?

I wonder how many of them will say: “I thought I’d adequately prepared for my retirement years, but found out I wasn’t expecting the cost of EVERYTHING to go up so high” when some smug asshole tells them:

This is how I feel when some asshole starts talking about “poor decisions in life”!

“You made poor decisions in life and you should’ve saved more and prepared more“?

HOW CAN YOU SAVE WHEN IT TAKES EVERY STINKING DIME YOU MAKE JUST TO KEEP YOUR HEAD ABOVE WATER?

I’m not talking about “the little extras” and “luxuries”.  I’m talking about SURVIVAL. Rent, food, clothes, transportation, etc.

But, oh well…..

Why should we give a damn?

Because, someday we’ll all be that old and if things keep going the way they are going, there will be no more “dirty hippies” left to care enough to help you out.

Speaking of poor decisions……

I hear the SS is going to lay off some of their people!

JPMorgan Chase to cut up to 4,000 jobs in 2013

JPMorgan Chase & Co plans to cut 3,000 to 4,000 jobs in its consumer bank in 2013, representing about 1.5 percent of the company’s overall workforce, as the bank tries to improve the profitability of its branches.

Here’s those bank employees before the layoffs were announced welcoming Jamie Dimon when he walked in to the room

The cuts will come mainly through attrition, spokeswoman Kristin Lemkau said. The bank’s branches have 63,500 employees, representing about a quarter of JPMorgan Chase’s total employees.

JPMorgan is one of the few big U.S. banks that is still adding branches to its network, but…

to boost profit it plans to scale back the tellers it has on hand for routine transactions…..

and to add some salespeople for products and services like wealth management that can boost revenue.

The net effect will be to reduce staff per branch by 20 percent through 2015, the company’s head of consumer banking, Ryan McInerney, said in a presentation to investors.

Here’s one of the laid-off tellers being escorted off the premises after the bank was through with her

In JPMorgan Chase’s mortgage business, the company reiterated its previously announced plans to shed 13,000 to 15,000 jobs by 2014.

The bank is hoping to focus on selling more to wealthy depositors.

Calico Blackie says:

FUCK ‘EM. GOOD ON THEM. I feel about as sorry for a laid off JP Morgan employee as I would for a laid off Nazi concentration camp guard or secretary. THEY’RE THE ONES WHO MAKE IT POSSIBLE FOR THE BANKSTER’S MACHINERY TO KEEP RUNNING.

They can all just go fuck themselves.

Yet, why should we give a damn?

Because we still accept the excuse of “I need a job and the banksters were hiring. I’m not guilty. I was only doing my job (just following orders).

Link to story is here: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/26/us-jpmorgan-jobs-idUSBRE91P0GX20130226

Oh, then there was this little gem in the news this morning…..

South Africa study finds donkey meat sold as beef

Truth in advertising? It’s a thing of the past. Deception is what’s now in vogue

A study published by the local Stellenbosch University found that 99 of 139 samples contained species not declared in the product label.

It found soya and gluten were not labelled in 28% of products tested, undeclared pork in 37% and chicken in 23%

This was mostly in sausages, burger patties and deli meats, it said.

The disclosure comes at a time of a growing scandal in Europe about horsemeat being sold as beef.

On Monday, Swedish company Ikea withdrew meatballs from sale in 14 European countries after tests in the Czech Republic found traces of horsemeat in a batch made in Sweden.

Leading supermarkets in the UK, including Tesco and Sainsbury, have also withdrawn beef products from shelves after they were found to contain horsemeat.

Link is here:   http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-21588575

Calico Blackie says:

Why should we give a damn?

Because we’re being consistently lied to and nobody seems to care. The shit Monsanto is feeding us is one hell of a lot worse than ass meat. Can you imagine what’s in OUR food?

And, finally……

6 Leaking Tanks Are Hanford Nuke Site’s Latest Woe

“IT’S PERFECTLY SAFE. THERE IS NO CAUSE FOR ALARM”

Federal and state officials say six underground tanks holding a brew of radioactive and toxic waste are leaking at the country’s most contaminated nuclear site in south-central Washington, raising concerns about delays for emptying the aging tanks.

The leaking materials at Hanford Nuclear Reservation pose no immediate risk to public safety or the environment because it would take perhaps years for the chemicals to reach groundwater, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said Friday.

But the news has renewed discussion over delays for emptying the tanks, which were installed decades ago and are long past their intended 20-year life span.

“None of these tanks would be acceptable for use today. They are all beyond their design life.”

“None of them should be in service,” said Tom Carpenter of Hanford Challenge, a Hanford watchdog group.

“And yet, they’re holding two-thirds of the nation’s high-level nuclear waste.”

Link is here:  http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/gov-underground-hanford-nuclear-tanks-leaking-18571628

Calico Blackie says:

Why should we give a damn?

We should give a damn because this is the only planet we’ve got.

THIS IS “GIVING A DAMN”!! THIS IS WHAT WE NEED TO DO!!

When the banksters and their minions/politicians have destroyed enough of this earth so that they then retreat to their private and unspoiled islands or lands with their millions, leaving us to wallow around in an irradiated and polluted cesspool, there will be nothing left for us or left for our descendants.

Wall Street will have done it all for the dollar…..

AND THEY DON’T GIVE A DAMN.

That’s why we should give a damn.

WE ARE THE ONES WHO SHOULD GIVE A DAMN BECAUSE WALL STREET AND THEIR WHOLLY-OWNED SUBSIDIARY IN WASHINGTON DC SURE AS HELL DOESN’T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT US.

Do you give a damn?

Calico Blackie   @kidakita

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May17

IF FREEDOM ISN’T FREE, What Does it Cost?

by Calico Blackie on May 17, 2012 at 11:48 am
Posted In: A Dose Of Reality, Big Brother, Bread and Circuses for the Masses, Media Bias


 

Greetings from Calico Blackie!

The other day on Twitter, I read the comment:

“If you’re reading this, you’re not poor.”

Oh, good Lord!

This person has renounced the use of reason.

Obviously, to me, this comment was made by a smug and comfortable person who must have no idea of what is happening in this country, but is perfectly willing to keep their head in the sand and ignore/excuse the fact that the 1% keep getting richer at a record pace, while WE, the People get poorer.

"I dunno, Bill. Just like you, I'm just saying what I've been told to say by my masters. Heck, it makes us money""

The other comment that got my attention was from Dennis Miller (the washed-up comedian), that tool and mouthpiece of his 1% masters, which harped on the “cost” incurred by cities across America for putting down the “occupy” protests.

What does he expect for spouting this propaganda?

Maybe a pat on the head and a few extra bucks from Jamie Dimon on Wall Street?

Or, maybe he expects to increase his popularity among the willfully ignorant and thereby fleece those suckers for even more money.

Maybe brutally putting down peaceful protests with a militarized police force does cost money, but what about the other costs?

What about the cost to OUR FREEDOM AND LIBERTY if you don’t protest?

Dennis Miller in the "old days." I wonder if he would have objected to being held down and bullied while Mitt Romney cut his hair?

The Millers, Nugents and other Archie Bunker types don’t want you to think about that.

Remember….

FREEDOM ISN’T FREE     SPEAK UP!

If you’re not speaking up….

If you’re not protesting the steady erosion of our rights and our standard of living…..

If you’re a member of the “silent majority” that refuses to see the writing on the wall…..

You might as well bend over and grab your ankles now.

That is….

Unless you’re too fat to reach them.

But don’t worry. The way things are going, Big Brother will have you slim, trim, and squealing like a pig in no time flat!

Pretty soon, it will become illegal to be overweight.

Here’s the latest report, courtesy of KTVL in Medford:

Report: Obesity rate doubles in Oregon

Yep. We'll endlessly be told about how fat people cost us money, but what about the crap additives the manufacturers put in our food that is killing us? How much is THAT costing us? Oh wait. Big business profits from this, so it's ok

“A report released by the Oregon Health Authority this week says 60 percent of adults are either overweight or obese, and researchers blame poor nutrition and a lack of exercise.”

“The authority says the rate of Oregonians considered overweight has increased from 32 percent to 36 percent since 1990 while the rate of people deemed obese has more than doubled — from 11 percent to 24 percent.”

“A 5-foot-4 adult is generally considered overweight if he or she weighs at least 146 pounds.”

“Those weighing more than 175 pounds are labeled obese.”

“According to the report, obesity-related chronic diseases cost Oregonians about $1.6 billion in annual medical expenses.”

“The average annual medical costs for an obese person are an estimated $1,429 higher than for the non-obese.”

Link is here:  http://www.ktvl.com/shared/news/top-stories/stories/ktvl_vid_857.shtml

Calico Blackie says:

It's called "freedom of choice"

Oh great. So pretty soon we’ll all be skinny and healthy and live forever?

What will we eat?

Aspartame?

Soylent Green?

It would solve the problem of us having to pay the future medical costs of all the old folks that lived much longer because they were skinny.

In the near future, poor people will stay healthy because we will be forced to constantly bend over & grab our ankles. We’ll have willingly given up our freedom of choice along with all our other freedoms.

In the near future?

How about now? While punks in the media and in the entertainment industry are crying to us about the cost of crushing patriots who speak up for freedom in our country, this was in the news: 

JPMorgan’s Dimon gets his $23 million pay package

He's worth it. After all, he works harder than you and is smarter than you. HOW DOES IT MAKE YOU FEEL TO BE TOLD THAT? Is he worth more to us taxpayers than a cancer researcher?

“Even as he apologized for a $2 billion trading loss, shareholders approved JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon’s $23 million pay package Tuesday at the bank’s annual meeting.”

“The meeting comes just days after the bank disclosed the loss, an event that led to the departure of its chief investment officer and forced its CEO to repeatedly apologize for the bank’s actions.”

“This should never have happened. I can’t justify it. Unfortunately these mistakes were self inflicted,” Dimon told shareholders just after the meeting began.

Link is here:  http://money.cnn.com/2012/05/15/markets/jpmorgan-shareholder-meeting/index.htm?hpt=hp_t1

Calico Blackie says:

23 MILLION DOLLARS FOR DOING A SHITTY JOB. Well, he works harder than you and is smarter than you! If a con man screws you out of your money, do you bend over and grab your ankles figuring they conned you because they were smarter than you?

OR DO YOU DEMAND JUSTICE FOR GETTING CONNED SO THAT THE PREDATOR DOESN’T SHAFT ANYBODY ELSE?

Speaking of getting conned…..

US: Iraq reconstruction billions ‘may have been stolen’

That money didn't just disappear. Where did it go? How much longer are we expected to take this crap?

“Some $6.6bn (£4bn) flown into Iraq eight years ago may have been stolen, according to a US official investigating fraud in the country.”

“The missing money may represent “the largest theft of funds in national history”, investigator Stuart Bowen told the Los Angeles Times newspaper.”

“A third audit is being conducted to find the money, which was shipped from the US between 2003-2004, he said.”

“The cash, which belonged to Iraq, was intended to pay for reconstruction.”

Link is here:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-13768882

Calico Blackie says:

How come Dennis Miller and the other corporate ass kissers aren’t saying anything about this? 6.6 BILLION DOLLARS MISSING? HOW DO YOU “MISPLACE” 6.6 BILLION DOLLARS?

While we’re at it, where’s the Bill O’Reilly, Sean Hannity, Limbaugh and Coulter outrage over us paying Pakistan to be our friend?

Fuel Tankers Parked in Pakistan

Where in the hell is the outrage?

Pakistan’s price: US to pay $365 million more a year to reopen supply lines

“The cost of the US-led war effort in Afghanistan is about to rise by $365 million annually under an agreement that would reopen a key NATO supply route through Pakistan that’s been closed for nearly six months.”

“The accord, which the Pakistani government announced late Tuesday, would revive the transport of vital supplies of food and equipment from Pakistani ports overland to land-locked Afghanistan.”

“In return, the US-led coalition will pay Pakistan a still-to-be-fixed fee of $1,500 to $1,800 for each truck carrying supplies, a tab that officials familiar with negotiations estimated would run nearly $1 million a day.”

Link is here:  http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Asia-South-Central/2012/0516/Pakistan-s-price-US-to-pay-365-million-more-a-year-to-reopen-supply-lines

Calico Blackie says:

I'll bet Fox "news" has stock in the company

Where’s the outrage? So we, the people, have to pay 365 million dollars to use what amounts to a toll road just to supply our troops?

BRING THEM HOME.

The use of the road costs 365 million dollars. That figure doesn’t even count our costs for the thousands of tractor-trailer rigs, the drivers, and the fuel itself.

Hell even the cost of the bloody tires for these vehicles must be astronomical.

And just think, where are we getting the fuel from to run these trucks?

How come Fox news, CNN, MSNBC and the other corporate ass kissers aren’t saying anything about this?

But that’s ok. While we’re being fed crap by the mainstream media and their mouthpieces, this is sneaking by under the radar:

‘Big brother’ lamp posts can hear, see and bark ‘Obey!’ at you

Who's paying for these? YOU AND ME. We're paying for our own chains

“America welcomes a new brand of smart street lightning systems: energy-efficient, long-lasting, complete with LED screens to show ads.”

“They can also spy on citizens in a way George Orwell would not have imagined in his worst nightmare.”

­“With a price tag of $3,000+ apiece, according to an ABC report, the street lights are now being rolled out in Detroit, Chicago and Pittsburgh, and may soon mushroom all across the country.”

“Part of the Intellistreets systems made by the company Illuminating Concepts, they have a number of “homeland security applications” attached.”

“Each has a microprocessor “essentially similar to an iPhone,” capable of wireless communication.”

Is this what we want? Or, would you rather have freedom?

“Each can capture images and count people for the police through a digital camera, record conversations of passers-by and even give voice commands thanks to a built-in speaker.”

“Ron Harwood, president and founder of Illuminating Concepts, says he eyed the creation of such a system after the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the Hurricane Katrina disaster.”

He is “working with Homeland Security” to deliver his dream of making people “more informed and safer.”

Link is here:  http://rt.com/news/big-brother-street-lamps-286/

Calico Blackie says:

More and more we are seeing our freedom of choice being eroded.We’re being bombarded by advertising and corporate spokespersons telling us what to buy, what to believe, how to dress, and what to say. And we’re being watched to see how we’re reacting to this “new world order.”

Heck, we’re seeing ALL of our freedoms being taken away from us.

OCCUPY WALL STREET

How are you reacting?

Are you reacting like a patriot and speaking out against these new rules, regulations and oppression?

Are you speaking out like a patriot against corruption and the death of democracy?

Or are you sitting back buying into the lies we’re being fed by the corporatocracy?

Be a PATRIOT FOR AMERICA.

FIGHT! FREEDOM ISN’T FREE

OCCUPY WALL STREET

Calico Blackie  @kidakita

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May14

UNICORNS, MERMAIDS, SCAPEGOATS and other MYTHICAL CREATURES

by Calico Blackie on May 14, 2012 at 12:53 pm
Posted In: A Dose Of Reality, Bread and Circuses for the Masses


 

Greetings from Calico Blackie!

A mythical creature

Ah, the crap we’re fed.

The news has been full of stories about “mythical creatures” lately, each designed to distract our attention away from the real animals we should be worrying about.

These creatures are used by the propaganda machine as scare tactics to whip us into a frenzy over problems that are real, but get blown way out of proportion with regards to the real threat they pose to our lives.

For example, every year we’re saturated with “Bird Flu” or “West Nile Virus” or “Shark Attacks” or “Hantavirus” or “Killer Bees” or “Mayan Calendar”, or the occasional “chupacabra”, or……

You get the picture.

Always something that screams: OH MY GOD! IT’S GONNA KILL US ALL.

Real problems and/or mysteries that need to be solved, to be sure, but they get WAY more press than they deserve. Then we’re fed the “mythical creature” stories of mermaids, unicorns and rainbows that tell us everything is going to be alright. Everything is getting better.

If our leaders on Wall Street (forget Washington DC. They’re irrelevant) and their puppets in the mainstream media see that we’re not buying into their “mythical creature” and “killer plague” stories, they unleash  the ultimate mythical creature on the masses.

We've fallen for this tactic for years

THE SCAPEGOAT.

The scapegoat comes in many shapes and sizes and from all walks of life.

Illegals. Minorities. The poor and homeless. The weak and easily kicked. “Occupiers.”  Working class pensioners. Dirty hippies. The old. The young. The commies. The gays.

Each other.

Ad infinitum.

And, instead of working together to identify and solve our REAL problems,  we keep falling for the blame game.

Why?

Because Wall Street knows that if they keep giving us scapegoats, it will take the glare of scrutiny away from them. Away from their unbridled greed and maximum profit at any human cost mentality which is the main cause of us all being in a fix.

So, what scapegoats are getting kicked today?

Police removing protesters from Cal property

From ABC Local News:

OH NO, YOU DIRTY HIPPIES. YOU CAN'T USE THIS GROUND TO GROW FOOD FOR THE HOMELESS. YOU'RE DESTROYING AMERICA!

“University of California at Berkeley police are moving in on the Gill Tract this morning to enforce the removal of protesters who have occupied the university-owned piece of land in Albany in recent weeks, university officials said.”

“Two protesters were arrested and several more left the parcel of land near Marin and San Pablo avenues voluntarily a short time after 6:15 a.m., when UCPD officers moved onto the field and issued a dispersal order, university spokesman Dan Mogulof said.”

“One protester, Anya Kamanskaya, said there were roughly 50 police officers in riot gear standing outside of the parcel of land just before 7 a.m.”

“There are literally seven people on the sidewalk not doing anything and they’re telling us it’s an unlawful assembly,” she said.

Link is here:  http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/local/east_bay&id=8660506

Here is another news story about “the farm”:

Activist to UC Police: No Need to Escalate the Situation

We MAY bash your skull in too, ya dirty hippie

“Lt. Eric Tejada, University of California Police Department spokesman, told Patch by phone that, ”Our operation this morning was simply to control unauthorized vehicle traffic moving in and out of the (Gill Tract) area. Our operation was not to remove individuals. We did say if you assault an officer you will be subject to a use of force that may include pepper spray or the use of a baton. We did not say we would go in and spray willy nilly.”

“A bit earlier in the day, we caught up with Ulan McKnight, an Albany resident who has supported the activities of Occupy the Farm from the beginning.”

“McKnight is part of a newly-formed group called the Albany Farm Alliance. The group, which McKnight said is made up of 35-40 families, announced itself publicly at the Albany City Council meeting on Monday night.”

“McKnight said Wednesday that he was somewhat dismayed by the police announcement earlier in the morning that authorities would use chemical agents against people who interfered with their efforts.”

(Police blocked off access to the west side of the Gill Tract early Wednesday, locking the fence and installing a concrete barrier on Jackson Street.)

Remember, if you refuse to come with us, it's "resisting arrest" and we MAY legally pepper spray you AND bash your skull in

“McKnight said the police announcement about chemical agents was unnecessary, as members of Occupy the Farm had informed the University of California earlier this week that they planned to vacate the Gill Tract and set up camp to the south.”

“We’re pleading with police not to escalate this,” he said.

“Until now, the reaction to police here has been peaceful. Police have been peaceful.”

“Why would they want to put out a statement that would escalate that?”

Link is here:  http://albany.patch.com/articles/gill-tract-activists-uc-locks-gates-threatens-use-of-chemical-agents

Calico Blackie says:

Why is it that every time an “occupy” camp springs up, it is threatened with violence from those who have sworn “to protect and to serve” and then brutally crushed if deemed necessary by the “powers that be”?

Could it be because we are calling attention to the REAL problems of poverty for the masses and exposing the greed and corruption at the highest levels in our government?

Could it be because the “occupiers” represent a huge cross-section of the population, from every walk of life?

Does this makes the 1% uncomfortable?

Anyway, speaking of greed, scapegoats and the 1%…….

Here’s a prime example for you.

JPMorgan Investment Chief Out

“JPMorgan Chase announced Monday that Ina Drew, the firm’s chief investment officer, has left the bank after revelations of a $2 billion loss sustained over the past six weeks.”

“A statement issued by the company said Drew made the decision to retire, a move that was widely expected after the company disclosed the unit she managed had suffered a major loss.”

“Despite our recent losses in the CIO, Ina’s vast contributions to our company should not be overshadowed by these events,” CEO Jamie Dimon said in a statement.

Ina Drew. Scapegoated and screwed by Jamie Dimon, but 15.5 million dollars buys a lot of lube

“One of the highest paid women in the financial industry, Drew made $15.5 million in 2010. She has spent more than 30 years at JPMorgan.”

Link is here:  http://money.cnn.com/2012/05/14/news/companies/jpmorgan-drew-retires/index.htm?hpt=hp_t1

Calico Blackie says:

So, she gets paid 15.5 million dollars a year for doing a real shitty job AND THEN GETS TO RETIRE ON A BIG FAT SALARY/PENSION?

I guess scapegoats don’t come cheap if you’re Jamie Dimon. How come he isn’t in jail for screwing people out of 2 billion dollars? After all, wasn’t he ultimately responsible for this fiasco?

Oh wait…

What he does is legal. It’s what Al Capone would have done too if he had been able to write the laws in Chicago back in the 1930s. Our system, Wall Street, and our politicians are all nothing but organized crime run amok and put in charge of the hen house. THEY GET TO MAKE THEIR OWN RULES.

But the United States isn’t the only country to use media distractions and scapegoats to keep the masses ignorant and compliant.

What’s going on “across the pond”? Heck, in England, they even bring their buildings into play!

From the BBC:

Is Buckingham Palace ugly?

“It is a mongrel of early 19th and early 20th Century elements around an early 18th Century core,” says Elain Harwood, English Heritage’s leading expert on 20th Century architecture. “But it doesn’t matter as it occupies such a very important place in the public imagination. Indeed, nobody ever seems to notice. It works.”

There's Pippa Middleton, one of the "Royals." Pull her finger to hear a message to the "commoners" from the Royal Family

“For many years, the palace has been the focal point for celebrations and commiserations. “Buckingham Palace is a symbol of the monarchy, the capital and Great Britain,” says Seward.

“It was from the balcony of Sir Aston Webb’s facade that Winston Churchill waved to the crowds at the end of World War II. It was where Charles and Diana and William and Catherine kissed for the crowds at the time of their marriages.”

Link is here:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-18056612

Calico Blackie says:

Yesireeee! Those silly Brits and their Royals. What’s with them? Here in America, we call our inbreds “Hillbillies.”

Well, while the BBC is reporting on drab palaces, and I’m posting pictures of farting princesses, what was in the “Left Wing” (Russian) press?

This was interesting.

From RT News:

UK rolls out LRAD sonic gun for London Olympics

"What's that? The Kremlin says to report on England and Washington?" "OK Vlad!" Says Lauren Lyster

“The UK Ministry of Defence has confirmed a device that can be used as a sonic weapon will be deployed at the London Olympics. The US invention is capable of projecting an ear-splitting sound beam of 150 decibels and was used in Iraq.”

­“The Long Range Acoustic Device (LRAD) was spotted being fastening onto a landing craft on the river Thames this week. The Ministry of Defence says that its primary function will be as a powerful loudspeaker to halt boats traveling along the river.”

“As part of the military contribution to the police-led security effort to ensure safe and secure Games, a broad range of assets and equipment is being used by our armed forces,” the MOD spokesman said.

“But he refrained from mentioning whether or not the LRAD would be used for riot control during the Olympics.”

Lauren and Alyona on RT. Biased, but at least they DO give us another perspective

“As well as acting as a loudspeaker the device can also deliver localized verbal warnings. When employed at close range, it is capable of emitting pain-inducing sound waves at its target.”

“At full power the device can produce a piercing 150-decibel beam of sound, just 10 decibels away from the force needed to rupture an eardrum.”

“The US police have put the LRAD to extensive use, issuing officers in Chicago with versions of the device in preparation for the NATO summit this month.”

“It was also used to disperse demonstrators during last year’s Occupy Wall Street protests although US police maintained they were primarily used as communication devices.”

Link is here:  http://rt.com/news/sonic-weapon-olympics-security-084/

Calico Blackie says:

Sound cannons, pepper spray, tear gas, rubber bullets……

What’s Big Brother going to think of next to screw us?

Uh, have you seen this?

From KTVL Medford, Oregon:

Oregon investigates tracking mileage for road tax

Lindsey Matherly reporting the Medford news. Lindsey, we're getting screwed. Will you please report on that?

“Oregon’s expected drop in fuel tax revenue is sending officials into new directions for assessing road user tax.”

“A task force working on the issue in the Oregon Department of Transportation in 2006 looked at a GPS-based system that could track the miles a vehicle was driven.”

“The idea drew opposition because drivers feared it could be used for surveillance.
The group is now looking at mileage measuring systems that already exist, such as one used by an insurance company that bases fees on how much someone drives.”

“The answer may be in measuring mileage and giving drivers a choice in how it’s done.”

Link is here:  http://www.ktvl.com/shared/news/top-stories/stories/ktvl_vid_802.shtml

Calico Blackie says:

I love how “The answer may be in measuring mileage and giving drivers a choice in how it’s done.“  It’s as if they’re saying: We’re gonna rape you anyway, so how do you want it done, citizen?

Coming to the US soon (if it’s not already here). Here’s some news from Italy for you:

Two Italian widows who's husbands have committed suicide due to the economy. QUICK, PEPPER SPRAY THEM! Break out the sound cannons

In debt or jobless, many Italians choose suicide

“On Tuesday, Generoso Armenante, a 49-year-old former security guard at a convenience store in the southern town of Salerno, left home after having lunch with his wife – and quietly found a secluded spot where he hanged himself.”

“Armenante had been fired more than a year ago, and had been struggling to find another job ever since.”

“Next to his body he left a letter: “I decided to end it because I am a failure. I can’t live without work.” 

“Unfortunately, he is not alone. Tens of other Italians have also chosen to take their own lives in response to the strain of the economic crisis and the consequent austerity measures.”

http://worldblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/05/09/11621840-in-debt-or-jobless-many-italians-choose-suicide?lite

Calico Blackie says:

You do realize that an article much like this one was published a few months ago, only it wasn’t about suicides in Italy. It was about suicides in rural America due to the economy. THAT that story was buried under American Idol, Katy Perry and Pippa Middleton’s butt.

No one gives a damn about rural Americans.

Austerity for us at the table

Austerity for you and me, while the 1% continue to reap record profits.

When will it stop?

WHEN?

When we start caring less about Unicorns, Mermaids, Scapegoats and other Mythical Creatures and care more about EACH OTHER, it will begin to stop.

When we start going after the REAL dimons (uh, demons), it will begin to stop.

BUT…………

It will never stop unless you and me stop it!

And that means speaking up and protesting.

Even if it means leaving your comfort zone.

FOCUS! WE'RE SO EASILY DISTRACTED

What have you done today for freedom?

FOR LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL…….

OCCUPY WALL STREET

Calico Blackie  @kidakita

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Apr15

Re-Thinking the World?

by Calico Blackie on April 15, 2012 at 11:05 am
Posted In: A Dose Of Reality, Divided We Fall, Media Bias


 

Greetings from Calico Blackie

Willful ignorance WILL kill our country

I’ve said it before, and it bears repeating:

There are serious changes to be made in our thought processes and how we view society and the world in general.

So, what can we do?

The first thing we need to do is make an attempt to educate the Not-Sees in America and then let our examples and teachings be seen throughout the planet for the rest of the world’s inhabitants to either accept, or reject.

After all, it’s their world too and many people in this country seem to forget that what’s good for The United States and what can work here doesn’t always work in foreign lands.

Mass grave for the American Indians killed at Wounded Knee in 1891

Maybe we’re seen as interfering with cultures that have stood the test of time for thousands of years.

Maybe the people in the rest of the world know what happened to the American Indians when our government signed all those treaties and made all of those promises.

Maybe they just plain don’t want us nosing around in their business.

Maybe we’ve always been a society and culture of gold-diggers, though not as individuals.

No. As individuals we’re just as human and humane as people anywhere else in the world.

It’s our leaders on Wall Street and in DC that shamelessly exploit and ruin lives and entire cultures for one thing and one thing only……THEIR PROFIT.

Same as it ever was

When have we ever given foreign aid in the true charitable sense without expecting the receiving nation to sell their souls to the profit machine that is now crushing us?

If you were living in a foreign land and the United States offered to help your country, wouldn’t you be just a little bit leery of their intentions, especially when you can see what America does to it’s own citizens in the name of the dollar bill?

Wouldn’t you be a bit leery when you know the aid will end up in the hands of the greedy few leaders and kingpins that sold you out in your own country, instead of the aid going to the people who need it most?

Now, before you foreign readers get all smug and jump on the America-bashing bandwagon, let me say this……

Remember these guys? They were there in India, China, Afghanistan, America, Africa, and the entire world. Fighting and exploiting for the expansion of the Empire and the Pound Sterling

It’s been going on for centuries and just about every strong society in history has had their turn with exploiting other peoples in the name of gain.

That’s how they got strong.

It’s all about greed and profit, foreign and domestic.

It’s about governments and the powerful money-changers that control the governments of the world.

So, how can we begin to work together as people to change the way a dominant society will exploit those less fortunate or less aggressive when we reward aggression and greed, calling it ambition?

WE did this. WE sat back and allowed it by equating success with money. WE must change our way of thinking and CHANGE AMERICA

We need to examine how our definitions of words and concepts such as ambition, success and power became bastardized in American and Western society.

We need to stop equating those words and concepts solely with the acquisition of obscene amounts of money and possessions at any cost.

We need to re-examine and EDUCATE.

That being said……

We have to begin by educating the Not-Sees in America.

So, you ask…….

Who are the Not-Sees in America today?

Look around you. They’re just like you and me.

It's easier to let someone else think for you

Only, they’re the people who willingly and conveniently (for them) don’t know what is really going on. They let others do their thinking for them.

Why?

Because it’s convenient. It’s as if they don’t want to know the dirty little secret that enables them to enjoy their lives.

They’re the people who will decry the excesses of the 1%, big oil, big polluters, and the greedy pigs that are ruining this country, but….

They’re also the people whose retirement funds are tied up in investment portfolios that include stocks and bonds in the very industries and corporations they claim to be against.

They’re the ones who will loudly complain about the outsourcing and offshoring of American jobs, then get into their Toyotas and drive to Wal-Mart to save money by buying goods made in China.

Yet, those are the very people we have to educate. There’s hope for them. They can still be saved.

What about the greedy pigs who don’t care if they cause misery and poverty throughout the country as long as they “get theirs” and reap their maximum profit blood money?

We’re trying to educate them, but it will take decades before they finally “see the light” if ever.

We need to focus on the issues. We need to change our attitudes and change the attitudes of those around us.

I'm sure it was really tough for Ann to raise her kids. I'm sure she knows the problems faced by poverty stricken mothers. I'm sure.

For instance, a few days ago, it was said “Ann Romney never worked a day in her life.”

This unleashed a firestorm of comments from “both sides” of the political fence.

Perhaps the best comment I read about this was on twitter:

From:

@emilylhauser

“One thing always strikes me: We think stay at home moms are GREAT – unless they’re poor & on welfare. Then they’re TERRIBLE. Get a job! Hmm.”

See? We HAVE to re-examine our society and the way we define success in this country.

Jamie Dimon. CEO of JP Morgan-Chase. Just think, this guy is passing on his genes and greedy ways to his children

Who would you describe as more successful?

A rich greedy pig who ruthlessly shafted their way to the top and now owns the big car, big house, and sends their children to private schools and inflicts misery and spoiled brats upon society.

A person who passes on their “Screw them all. Just get yours” genes and teachings to their offspring.

Or, the welfare mother who stayed at home and successfully raised her kids to be decent and caring human beings?

It’s time to re-define society. It’s high time we change our way of thinking, seeing and learning things.

It’s time to take back our country from the greedy pigs.

They’re strangling our country and the world with their greed, and there’s no good reason for them to do so. It’s a societal defect for them to desire more than they can possibly spend in 1000 lifetimes.

Educate the Not-Sees in our country.

Because, after all…..

In the end, we're all the same

In the end, we’re all the same.

It’s the best we can do for the future.

Occupy Wall Street

Keep the faith, Occupiers

Calico Blackie  @kidakita

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Apr06

Welcome to Bizarro World!

by Calico Blackie on April 6, 2012 at 5:00 pm
Posted In: A Dose Of Reality


 

***WARNING***

There is a Not Safe for Work (NSFW) image in today’s column.

Greetings to all from Calico Blackie!

Everything is the opposite of the way it SHOULD be

When I was a kid, we used to trot down to the corner store to get the latest Superman comic book. Once in awhile, the issue was about a strange place.

A REALLY weird place.

Everything in this place was the exact opposite of the way we perceived things are here on earth.

The exact opposite of the way it SHOULD be.

It was called Bizarro World.

As kids, we laughed at their strangeness and stupidity.

We laughed at how backward those citizens of Bizarro World seemed to be.

We laughed at how wrong their society was.

Today, when I hear people casually make remarks such as:

Buying that blanket if he couldn't afford it was a bad decision. When you belittle and hate someone for needing help, YOU are part of the problem

“People are poor because they want to be poor.”

“People are poor because they made bad decisions in life.”

“Why should I help these bums? I worked hard all my life. They can too.”

“If student loans are forgiven, and foreclosures are halted, then I want my car loan and mortgage forgiven.”

“A CEO deserves their big salary and bonus because they work harder for their money.“

When I hear people saying these things, I think to myself….This IS Bizarro World.

"Full of pathetic, stupid creatures"

First off, no-one wants to be poor.

Oh yes, there are lazy and worthless people out there who will con and take from other people with a minimum of effort on their part.

Wall Street (if you’re privileged) and the prisons (if you’re not) are full of such people.

Second, of course people make bad decisions. It’s called being human and making mistakes.

It’s just that some people get lucky and don’t have to pay as high a price for their mistakes. Or, they screw and hurt other people to get out of the messes they’ve created for themselves.

We call these people ruthless.

Jamie Dimon. JP Morgan-Chase CEO. A ruthless, pathetic creature. He doesn't care about his country. He only cares about money

We call them CEO’s.

We call them “good businessmen.”

We give them huge bonuses and big salaries for being ruthless and pathetic creatures.

We reward their evil willingness to shaft their fellow humans in the greedy pursuit of money.

We are falsely led to believe they are the “job creators” and “pillars of society” in our Bizarro World.

Third, you should help those less fortunate than you. Help those people that were unfortunate enough to make those bad decisions because it’s the HUMAN thing to do. It’s one of the major things that sets us apart from the animals.

Which leads me to……Fourth….

"I want my mortgage forgiven too, even though I've got plenty of money. Screw those poor students"

YOU don’t deserve the car loan forgiveness or mortgage forgiveness because YOU DON’T NEED IT.

You’re just being a greedy pig with your “me too” attitude.

Some people need help. When only the wealthy could afford a college education, college tuition is too high.

Screw ‘em if they’re poor, you say? Let them work at McDonalds, you say?

Well buddy, the next time you get sick, just think….  Maybe the kids that served you your Big Mac and were working in the service industry because they couldn’t afford college might just have invented the cure for YOUR cancer if they had been given the chance to go to college.

Anyway…..Fifth…..  Saying a CEO deserves an obscene amount of money because they work hard for their money is a big slap in the face to every working person in America. It implies that YOU don’t. Did you ever think about that?

But, back to this Bizarro World we live in.

Not safe for work because two out of the three people in this image can be classified as "obscene" in our Bizarro World".

We are a confused species.

A bizarre species.

Our values and priorities seem to be screwed up and I don’t know why.

Our perception of what is or isn’t obscene is downright bizarre.

This leads me to question whether or not our perception of right from wrong is completely askew.

What is obscene? Three people walking topless on the beach is obscene because two of those people happen to be female?

And yet, the 1% sitting on more money than they can ever hope to spend in 100 lifetimes while the middle class gets dismantled in this country is not obscene?

Safe for work image: Murdered Dead Twins scene from the movie "The Shining".... Not obscene?

Is it because of our puritanical roots that we have this bizarre perception of obscenity?

Who knows?

All I know is that it’s time for a serious re-definition of our society and what we regard as civilization.

Women’s breasts are obscene, but chopped-up children are just fine and dandy?

Being poor and/or homeless is bad and should be punished, but money is speech and corporations are persons?

Greed is rewarded and compassion for your fellow humans is seen as a weakness?

GOOD LORD, PEOPLE!

Again, back to Bizarro World……….

Have you seen this story?

Rents keep rising as home prices stagnate

They buy the house for less, so they can charge you MORE! Time to re-examine our societies morals

“Renting used to be cheaper than buying. But in many U.S. cities that’s no longer the case, as rents continue to climb and home prices stagnate.”

“While asking prices for homes declined 0.7% over the past 12 months through March, rents rose 5%, according to a report released Thursday by real estate listing site Trulia.”

“A lot of people who were owners lost their homes in the bust in these places,” said Kolko. Many of them turned to the rental market, boosting demand and driving up rents, he said.”

“Meanwhile, asking prices for homes nationwide crept lower over the past 12 months, according to Trulia. That, along with record low mortgage rates, has made buying a home more affordable than it’s ever been and a bargain compared to renting. However, many Americans will not be able to seize this historic opportunity to become homeowners, said Kolko.”

"Supply and Demand" is nothing more than an excuse for the rich to exploit the poor. It is evil. FIGHT EVIL

“Unemployed, too broke to come up with a down payment or with credit scores too battered to qualify for a mortgage, many people simply cannot qualify to buy a home right now, according to Kolko.”

“With fewer consumers able to make the leap into homeownership, rents could continue to climb higher, he said.”

Link is here:   http://money.cnn.com/2012/04/05/real_estate/buy-rent-home-prices/index.htm?hpt=hp_c1

Calico Blackie says:

THIS IS EVIL. This is the people with money exploiting and screwing those less fortunate. In our Bizarro World, it’s called the law of supply and demand. Maybe this is WRONG. It’s time for a serious re-definition of our society and what we regard as civilization.

But, it gets even more bizarre! Look at this story…..

Oakland Police Department Sees Itself as a Victim of Occupy 

Just look at those poor cops being "victimized" by that woman!

“Nearly six months have passed since the Oakland Police Department raided Occupy Oakland’s camp in Frank Ogawa Plaza, and the dust has yet to settle.”

“Much of the fall and winter were marked by mass demonstrations, repeated clashes between law enforcement and demonstrators, and hundreds of arrests.”

“As both sides gear up for what could be a momentous May Day action — and an equally large police response — at least four investigations are still probing law enforcement’s use of force on the evenings of October 25 and November 2.”

“Three of the inquiries are being conducted by OPD’s Internal Affairs Division, its Criminal Investigation Division, and by the Frazier Group LLC, a consulting firm hired by the city. The Frazier Group, headed by former Baltimore Police Commissioner Thomas Frazier, was retained to prepare an independent analysis of OPD’s handling of last fall’s protests.”

Just look at Scott Olsen "victimizing" the Oakland Police!

“The report also portrays OPD as a victim of violent Occupy Oakland protesters.”

“The report goes into significant detail about alleged “assaultive” behavior by Occupy protesters on the night of October 25 and how a group of officers had been surrounded by angry demonstrators that evening at 8th and Washington streets before being “rescued” by fellow cops.”

“These officers exhibited a great deal of restraint while surrounded by an angry, assaultive crowd,” the report states.”

Link is here:  http://www.eastbayexpress.com/ebx/opd-sees-itself-as-a-victim-of-occupy-oakland/Content?oid=3167707

Calico Blackie says:

Of course the Oakland Police Department is going to say they are victims.

Such a nice, warm human being. He saw himself as a victim too. Mayor Quan...Is this your police chief?

It’s the same thing Heinrich Himmler said of the Nazi SS concentration camp guards when he said in a speech that the SS really had a tough job and that it was hard for them to retain their HUMANITY while participating in the mass murder of millions of people.

It’s a Bizarro World alright when the cops can flagrantly deny the PEOPLE their constitutional rights.

Can beat, severely injure, rubber bullet and pepper spray citizens……..

And still claim that THEY are the victims.

BULLSHIT.

We know better.

And we will not forget who you are.

It’s time for a serious re-definition of our society and what we regard as civilization.

It’s time to change this “Bizarro World” that has been forced upon us by the 1%.

It’s time to stop allowing ourselves to be manipulated by the corporate media and our leaders who tell us what is or isn’t obscene and/or right.

It’s time to RISE UP!

I only hope that the Occupy Movement hasn’t come ten years too late and that we still have the time and numbers to force a change for the sake of all of our futures.

Let "JUSTICE" win the day!

I also hope that apathy has not replaced optimism and determination.

WE’VE GOT TO FIGHT!

Keep the faith, Occupiers

MAY 1st! FIGHT!

OCCUPY WALL STREET

(Oh, by the way…We “made the rent, barely, this month, so we’re good for another 30 days!)

Calico Blackie  @kidakita

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I support the OCCUPY movement