criminals go free, while good men die like dogs
Posted by howard in nyc
(that is from something, right?)
from the swamp:
i don't want to be too tedious. nor do i want some recent events to pass completely without comment. three to be specific.
the whitewash that is goldman sach's slap on the wrist for a major securities crime. no admission of wrongdoing. a fine that looks huge in the headlines, but amounts to only 3% of the pool of bonuses they paid last year. and, of course, no personal responsibility of the individuals who committed the crimes.
the worse whitewash of the latest round of aig crimes exposed. bigger headline fine. but, and this is just so obscenely silly, the $725 million fine paid to the sec will be effectively paid by the owners of aig--the american taxpayer. ditto on the lack of personal accountability of anyone.
finally, wacovia. money laundering. drug money from mexican criminals, cleansed for a profit through this bank. how many deaths can be laid directly at the feet of this crime? a fine and a promise to never do it again. why is this bank still in business? at least, make them change the signs to wells fargo (who owns and controls wacovia) and make a big show about how such criminality will not be tolerated.
no, not even empty gestures. this is just routine in the united states of america. major, significant crimes are barely paid lip service. this is embarrassing. such a state of affairs is, i believe, strongly indicative of how incredibly corrupt and amoral our government has become.
it has not always been like this. no fucking way would this shit have flown as recently as 20 years ago. the fact that today it is no big deal is ominous. ominous for our immediate future.
i do not know how you can reach any other conclusion if you think it through. please don't take my word for it, but at least consider these are important events, even though abc news devotes but a couple of minutes to them.
this crap angers me beyond words. the state of our nation angers me beyond words. if there were anything i could do to alter our course significantly, i surely would. the only rational action i can see clear to take is to think, to prepare, and try to inform friends and family. and ignore the noise/propaganda/distractions, keep focused on what is real.
fuck the criminals running our country, and their enablers who are supposed to be arresting and jailing the bad guys. fuck em all.
darn right it is from something:
"The TV business is uglier than most things. It is normally perceived as some kind of cruel and shallow money trench through the heart of the journalism industry, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free and good men die like dogs, for no good reason. There's also a negative side."
~hunter s. thompson, doctor of journalism
he also said, "It's a strange world. Some people get rich and others eat shit and die."
