Mitt Romney’s Issues (that He Doesn’t Want Discussed)

In the upcoming Presidential election, Mitt Romney faces a serious problem: there are three major issues that relate directly to him --- and he wants to discuss none of them. First is his record in the one elective office he has held, Governor of Massachusetts. He does not want to discuss that because his major achievement was --- ohmygosh - creating the template for the Affordable Care Act. Ooops! He likely also doesn't want to discuss it because by the end of his first term his popularity in the state had fallen so low that he decided not to seek re-election. (See also: Romney Economics: It didn’t work in Massachusetts, and it won’t work now.)

Second is of course the matter of Bain Capital (1). Actually, as is becoming ever more apparent, Romney is bi-modal on this one. He likes to talk about his experience as a businessman as qualifying him to deal the economic problems facing the nation.  But he doesn't want any details of what Bain actually did to be the subject of discussion. In fact, when the Obama Campaign does just that, Romney characterizes it as a "personal attack" (and some good old-fashioned DLC "Democrats" like Cory Booker, Ed Rendell, and Harold Ford, Jr. oh-so-delightfully have backed up the GOP on that). Nevertheless, the Obama people do want to make Bain the bane of Romney's existence --- and for good reason.

The major problems of US industry since the advent of Reaganism have to with "downsizing" (firing workers), "outsourcing" (otherwise known as exporting capital and jobs), and organized bankruptcy. And what did Bain do? It "downsized," "outsourced," and organized bankruptcies, all in such a way as to maximize its own profits. When the President actually points this out, the Romney campaign and its media echo-chambers go nuts. "He's attacking the basis of capitalism." Too bad he wasn't, but he wasn't.  He was only pointing out what Bain in particular is in business to do: make as much money as it can for itself and its stakeholders, like (still) Governor Romney, following the business plan outlined above. Even The New York Times characterizes this kind of fact-based political advertising as “negative attacks” (1a).

But it is the third issue that Romney doesn't want discussed that is perhaps the most critical one in this election: that he is a Mormon. Is this a matter for legitimate concern? Well, for those of us concerned with the central political issue of the separation of church and state and the ever-expanding intrusion of religious doctrine into the law and politics, in a word: yes. According to Frank Rich (as far back as last January), late of the New York Times and now of New York Magazine, "[Romney's] great passion [his Mormonism] is something he is determined to keep secret" (2). It is well-known that many Right-wing Christians (usually referred to by the polite name "evangelicals" even though there are many evangelicals who are not right-wing) refer to Mormonism as a cult, and the evidence contained in the Book of Mormon (3) (see also [4]) to the contrary notwithstanding, "not Christian." But such complaints generally don't make it to the national stage.

Then came The New York Times article about Romney, Mormonism and his personal Mormonism (5). The information contained in it, drawn from friends, colleagues and fellow Mormon activists (and he is, or at least has been, a Mormon activist), raise some serious concerns. The claims of the Radical Religious Right to the contrary notwithstanding, the US Constitution clearly established the separation of church and State and one doesn't need to delve into the correspondence of the Constitution's chief author, James Madison, to determine that. It's right there in the plain language of the "no religious test for office" clause of Article Six and the "no establishment" clause of the First Amendment. Further, neither the word "God" nor the word "Christian" appear anywhere in the document.

In historical Mormonism, the church and state were fully integrated in the person of Brigham Young. Of course, it has not been, on paper at least, since 1890 when Utah made its deal to join the Union. But the important point now is, where does Romney stand on this question? To my knowledge, he has not answered it directly. But what he has said in the vicinity of the question must give pause for thought to those of us concerned with maintaining that separation. (Some would say, given, for example, the Hyde Amendment on abortion rights for the poor and its progeny, and the homosexual discrimination laws on the books in about 30 states and Federal statue as well, see DOMA, that we need to be concerned with re-establishing it). Consider the following.

1. Romney's Liberty University Commencement Address (6) contains such phrases as: "Marriage is the relationship between one man and one woman," a definition that is derived from religious texts (and of course one to which the Mormon Church did not adhere until 1890 [but that's another story]). And "But from the beginning, this nation trusted in God, not man." (Tell that one to Tom Paine, whose Reasonist pamphlet Common Sense sold in the hundreds of thousands of copies back then [!] and fueled the Revolution, Mitt.) And "there is no greater force for good in the nation than Christian conscience in action."

2. Ms. Kantor tells us (5) that "Every Presidential candidate highlights patriotism, but Mr. Romney's is backed by the Mormon (emphasis added) belief that the United States was chosen by God to play a special role in history, its Constitution divinely inspired" (which last would have come as a shock, I am sure, to the Deists who wrote it). According to a friend, quoted by name, "He is an unabashed, unapologetic believer the America is the Promised Land" (which must come as a shock to both Christian and Jewish Zionists).

3. Finally, again according to friends and colleagues quoted by name in Ms. Kantor's article, Romney prays frequently, feels that he has a direct connection to "God," and indeed engages in conversations with "God," asking for guidance in making decisions, even about matters of investment. Now, one would have no objection to Tevye talking with "God" in "Fiddler on the Roof." But for someone who would be President of the United States the questions do arise: what is the nature of these conversations; how often do they occur; what influence do "God's" answers have on his decision-making, does "God" accept the principle of the separation of church and state and if so, how does Romney find that his conversations with "God" are consistent with the principle.

Oh dear. From what we have heard, the Obama Campaign has decided not to put the "Mormon" issue on its political agenda. But it has now become apparent that with Mitt Romney, we have much more than a Mormon issue. We have a church/state separation, power of religion and which one, issue. These are issues that Romney himself has put on the agenda with is Liberty University speech. And that, my friends, should be on everyone's political agenda, including that of President Obama, should get onto the national political agenda somehow, before it's too late and our beloved country is on its way to becoming a theocracy.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

References:

1. ThinkProgress War Room, "Why Mitt Romney's Time at Bain Capital Matters."

The Progress Report (http://thinkprogress.org/progress-report/), May 23, 2012.

1a. Jeff Zeleny, “Obama Strikes Back with Negative Advertisement,” The New York Times, July 28, 2012.

2. Rich, Frank, "Who in God's Name is Mitt Romney?" New York Magazine, Jan. 29, 2012.

3. The Book of Mormon, Salt Lake City, Utah: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints

4. Tarisco, V., "Former Mormon: What American Need to Know About Mormonism," Alternet.org, March 26, 2012.

5. Kantor, J., "Romney's Faith: Silent but Deep." The New York Times, May 19, 2012.

6. Mitt Romney Press, May 12, 2012

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------.

An earlier version of this column was published on BuzzFlash@Truthout on 05/24/2012.

A Martian Takes a Second Look at Earth

The Martian orbited and slept for many earth-hours before resuming his studies of the vast historical data on earthling behavior. He found that lies perpetuated to cause a desired result made some earthlings be Christians, not Muslims, and Republicans, not Democrats. The Holy Wars and Crusades of an earlier time on earth, the alien read, was set off by a series of Roman Catholic Popes who for over 100 years encouraged soldiers and knights from Europe to attack Muslims who had taken over the Holy Land in or about Jerusalem. Groupings of knights such as the Templars were famous in doing God’s work in the Holy Land, it seemed. Yet they managed to sack and steal much of the treasures there as well. But it was God’s work they were about so they were good. 

These same Popes gave Spain and other religious wing nut rulers in other Christian countries the right to hold a Grand Inquisition to drive Satan out of the Church even if it led to the tortuous death of Christians. And Moors. And Jews. Somehow in the spiritual purging, many Jews lost their fortunes, their properties, and their very lives during this Christian Inquisition to boot. Imagine that.  The Martian smelled a rat. It was simple. The popes lied. That they wanted control and power was obvious, the Martian concluded. But Jesus and preaching fear of the eternal damnation of an earthling’s soul was good for business. Jesus and fear provided a source of income the likes of which the earth has never seen. Earthlings were a stupid lot, thought the Martian, and he felt sorry for them for not being able to detect the ruse or the pope behind the curtain. 

It took an alien creature to know that they were not at all like their lord, Jesus.  They were about the riches, not the saving of souls. Also the Church encouraged the rape of American Indian cultures such as the Aztecs and the Incas to turn their hearts toward Christ and away from their heathen ways. As they burned the Indians alive to drive out the demons of savagery and convert them, dead or alive, mind you, the European conquerors took the Indians’ gold. All of it they could grab. Melted it down and sent it across the Atlantic Ocean to the national treasury of the Kings who ruled the nations of Europe. All you had to do was to say it was God’s will when you pillaged the savages (converted them to Christianity) and robbed them of their land and gold.  It was in the service of the Almighty, this no-see-um deity that earthlings were quick to conjure up whenever an ulterior motive or hidden agenda like stealing gold was in the offing. Or sacking the turquoise that they forced the Indians to mine until they died from exhaustion and disease.  All this he studied through the Martian osmosis books of data from his spacecraft databanks as he drifted round and round the earth, dozing off at times.

On the third orbit, the Martian awoke. The ways of earthlings were heavy on his mind. What a paradox, these creatures! But now as the Martian resumed his pre-contact reconnaissance he wondered if all the billions of earthlings who were fed this obvious irrational fiction in the name of religion or some unseen deity in the universe were aware of their fatalistic folly. Or how politicians used religion to capture votes. He wondered if earthlings really did love each other. After all, they preached love to each other while raping the planet and their fellow man of his belongings, his job, his assets, and his very essence. And how, he thought, could earthlings justify attacking and killing others of their species in the name of Jesus when He told them all to turn the other cheek and to “love thy neighbor?” What a paradox, indeed. But then lies did help. Joseph Goebbels, Hitler’s Propaganda Minister, he learned was a hero of sorts to many students of earth political science even now.

Was this unbridled human anger a condition of the universe, and unseen force that causes all creatures to harm each other, and in so doing harm the planet and the solar system itself?  This might prove interesting information for his paper. Maybe it was an affliction not just of earthlings but other beings in the known universe as well.  As he circled the planet again and again, he watched with a hollow stare the unnatural explosions and constant flares. He knew the colorful fires all over the globe were man’s aggression bursting lives apart as earthlings struggled to survive.  Many of them were non-combatants and innocents caught in the crossfire. All the chemical and nuclear bursts, it was beyond doubt, were killing the planet. The residual mess of war was indeed fouling the earth and those who breathed the very air. This human activity caused a metamorphosis that rendered earth a planet beyond the point of no return for the long term survival of life forms. Sadness began to take the Martian. For what could be logical about serving up an early death sentence for yourself and your own kind?

The Martian orbited and studied the vast data on earthling behavior. He found that lies and false information were easy to spread and to have whole nations swallow as the truth. The hot blood within, the anger for revenge set the stage for an American president to attack Iraq based upon the lie that Iraq had nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction pointed at US cities. The desire to lash back at al Qaeda for killing 3,000 Americans during the 911 massacre sent us to attack not al Qaeda nor a country that helped al Qaeda hurt us, but Iraq and Saddam Hussein who had nothing to do with Osama bin Laden or al Qaeda. Or the 911 tragedy. 

Americans did not flinch much at such a grandiose and heinous act on the part of the American government. Making a note of his data files the Martian was sad to realize that many times earthlings lash out at the “most convenient targets” of their own kind for no good reason. Dress up the anti-Muslim rhetoric and hatred toward those who have different cultures and religions and you got instant war games. And if you are in the war corporation complex you can make absurd amounts of money borrowed from China by your president as Commander-In-Chief on a holy mission. Sounded crazy to the Martian, but the facts were there and would not go away. It had been over a million earth years since the Martian and his species had evolved away from such barbarism toward their own kind.

But now as the Martian continued his pre-contact reconnaissance he wondered if all the billions of earthlings who were fed this obvious irrational tripe in the name of pleasing God or some other unknown, unseen entity in the universe were aware of their fatalistic folly. Surely they had to know. It is a popular means to starting a war for all earthling countries to damn their enemies with invoking the name of God who just so happens to be on our side, not theirs. Besides there would always be too much money and greed in the equation of blowing each other up for any earthling to claim ignorance in the matter. They knew what they were doing alright. 

When the Martian awoke he was ready to descend into the abyss of humanity awash in the sea of wars, lies, and greed deep within the blue planet. Anger and killing was the norm. Claiming God’s own hand in directing aggression seemed to be the tricky part. But it was nothing a few billion propaganda dollars spent here and there would not solve. Maybe such anger and aggression pervaded the entire solar system. Maybe all creatures were made of the same angry stardust. Maybe this anger was a condition of the universe, an unseen force that causes all creatures to harm each other. And perhaps earth would someday implode and go “poof” into the oblivion of the darkest corners of the galaxy. Thinking about it made the Martian’s head hurt.

As the Martian descended into earth’s atmosphere he felt an uncontrollable fear of such that he had never known. He, too, would be in peril of these earth creatures if anything went wrong with his invisible screens. If discovered he would be shot or maybe tortured as an unknown entity in the universe, yes, a threat to the earth, in short an alien. That was it. These earthlings feared and killed all that they could not understand. And a real alien from Mars would be enough to set earthlings to quarreling amongst themselves, setting up trillion-dollar earthland security government agencies to protect earthlings from alien invaders from other worlds. Because the cause was righteous, God could be invoked to help the creatures of earth against those aliens from another world that most likely prayed to their false alien gods as well.

The Martian’s middle green finger slipped slowly toward the ABORT button on his instrument panel. Touching it slowed the invisible ship to a much slower speed, and small jets fired sideways and set the little ship into instant orbit once again, only closer to the earth this time. At this point he could see the torn faces of earth, the misery, the people cowering in fear of governments, both foreign and domestic. He saw private armies in black helicopters shooting up the countryside of Iraq for sport. He saw the street demonstrations all over the planet of earthlings out of work, out of food because the governments of every sovereign country had borrowed too many trillions of dollars and printed too much free money that had become worthless. At the supermarkets in America a loaf of bread had soared to over $100, and no one could afford gasoline at then a price of $78.00 per gallon. Crumbling infrastructure in world cities would never be repaired because there was no more money that would buy anything. And the Martian saw in the eyes of these earth creatures, a defeat like no other he had seen in all his travels in the universe.

He had seen enough. It would live with him for the rest of his life, all the images of earth and its human beings. He decided not to go in for a closer look. He activated the automatic pilot system to blast him out of earth’s orbit and into a straight line back to his home. He was going back to Mars. He would not speak of his visit to planet earth as it would force him to relive the overwhelming sadness. It was not worth reliving, he thought, as the pure darkness of space seemed to cleanse him of the earth’s predicament and bleak future as a planet. He figured that earth would implode in the near future and that it would be like turning off a light in the universe. 

He would rethink his dissertation and perhaps choose another subject. He had plenty of time to think about it. He was shedding the shackles of despair now as he drifted silently back toward his home. He was now looking forward to his return and later, perhaps some fishing in the silver rivers on the northern latitudes of Saturn’s largest moon, Titan. It would be something to look forward to. Something good to hold in your two hearts.

What If Reagan Had Warned of Climate Change?

Record-breaking heat across the states this summer invites a retrospective question: What if a conservative, like Reagan or some other revered rightwinger, had prophesied climate change before Gore had a chance to be crowned forerunner? Before Al became their object of derision with climate science butchered as collateral damage, what if a Reagan or even one of the Bushes had sounded the alarm? From the day climatologists (i.e., “intellectuals”) and Democrats (i.e., reviled “liberals”) heralded the cause, Republicans, rather than getting onboard to solve the crisis, have dismissed climate change as a hoax perpetrated by the left to influence redistribution of wealth.

The issue isn’t climate change, but conservative insolence. Unless they think of it, it can’t be done (or won’t be allowed to go forward in any practical manner). And even if they originally propose ideas (if the left agrees and attempts to follow through as the right advises initially), Republicans reverse course forthwith.

The nation’s crumbling condition is a casualty of rightwing immaturity coupled with leftwing passivity.

Nothing of crucial importance can be solved in America today due to the right’s spoiled-child syndrome. This statement sums up why the nation is sliding into the Third World and why the world speeds to catastrophe. Republicans today are children unwilling to play fairly with others while vandalizing the playground if not granted full control. If not leading, they’re destroying.

It was interesting one day at the dentist’s to observe a mother and her young son. Two seats were empty: a bigger chair for an adult and a smaller one child-size. Immediately, the spoiled son impulsively flung himself into the bigger seat, then threw a loud tantrum when his mother asked him to move. Mom (the Democrat) finally gave in and squatted awkwardly into the little seat, almost breaking it in the process. (Moral: Conciliatory Democrats reinforce bad behavior on the right which leads to the worst possible outcome for all.)

That’s the current picture of America and how Obama has repeatedly attempted to appease the spoiled child at the expense of the country’s best interests. Republicans will never cooperate but are willing to sacrifice the country for control. Their constant refrain is “Party and politics above people.”

Why don’t’ we have the Dream Act? Why can’t jobs bills be passed? Why no practical, affordable health care system like other industrialized nations? Why do we pay more than any other nation and get less? Why is the government in total gridlock and the country reeling from a bad economy?

These are actually questions with one simple answer: rightwing obstruction. If the spoiled brat can’t get its way, it’ll throw a tantrum and destroy the whole playground.

All Democratic presidents are demonized, no matter what race, sex or regional background. Clinton was scoffed as a barefoot hick from Arkansas until they found ammo in womanizing – enough to impeach. (As if they never indulge in similar secret escapades.) Obama has dark skin. The right doesn’t need much more than that to inflame bigots, their base. The lies about the man never cease.

If Hillary would have been elected, anti-women themes and chain emails would be floating around about the first female president (and will, as soon as she’s elected in 2016). These are trademarks of the Republican Party’s never-ending campaign. It’s war, actually. They exist to destroy, not construct. Thus, America is caught in the crossfire. Banana Republic USA is not far away.

Meanwhile, it gets hotter and hotter with no relief in sight. Obama’s hands are tied. Congress is just a sounding board for religious fruitcakes (hypocrites) and fake patriots that can only pass meaningless, repetitive resolutions. Republicans had rather see the nation lose than Obama win. He gets credit for nothing good, blame for all bad. They openly promise to sabotage the economy as part of their campaign.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell reaffirmed recently, “The Republican Party’s number one goal is to deny Barack Obama a second term.” How more straightforward can it get?

The only tool to accomplish this is economic sabotage, meaning damage to America. How patriotic is that? Republicans attempted similar in the Great Depression with FDR. If only Democrats studied the past. Republicans historically are partisan schoolyard bullies. That should be uppermost in Democrats’ minds when dealing with them.

Maybe if one of their own would have suggested solutions for climate change, more would have been done. Perhaps we’d be on the road to saving the planet. Only the spoiled brat can lead America. Otherwise, he ruins it for everybody. Republicans can’t play second fiddle.

On the other hand, the problem becomes more than climate change, fabricated wars, deficits, or a depressed economy. It’s a singular crisis brought on by poor attitudes and mythical world views.

The child needs an ass whoopin’, and the weak mother that caves into every one of the child’s selfish fits of rage needs some serious corrective action. If that doesn’t work, progressive punitive action should be issued (including suspension, then removal).

It’s simple, really. 

BANKSTERS IN THE DOCK. Too Big to Jail?

In the immediate aftermath of last summer’s riots in English cities, Deputy Assistant Metropolitan Police Commissioner Stephen Kavanagh, told the BBC on August 11 2011 that he was unhappy with the light sentences the courts were handing down for looters. The message must have got through to the magistrates pretty quickly. On August 12 a 21 year old student with no previous convictions received the maximum permitted six months sentence for the theft of bottles of water valued at £3.50.  On August 31 an eleven year old boy was sentenced to an eighteen month youth rehabilitation order for stealing a waste bin. These are just two of numerous similar sentences, some much harsher, that have been handed down since then.

The Banksters, of course, are most definitely not in the dock - except in the metaphorical sense that they stand arraigned in the court of public opinion – a plight that doesn’t seem to trouble them overmuch.  But, in the actual system of justice, they await prosecution. Since the onset of the great financial crisis in 2008, which brought the global economy to the brink of collapse and visited increasing hardship and misery on the millions who have been made to pay the price for their criminality, not a single bankster has gone to jail in Britain. The most recent example of the egregious greed and impunity that characterizes these permanently impenitent masters of the universe, has been evident in the Libor scandal, and, in particular in the behaviour of Barclays Bank’s former chief executive, Bob Diamond. But before saying more about this latest revelation in the sleazy saga of malfeasance, malpractice, corruption and criminality that passes as Business as Usual for Britain’s Big Banks, it is worth recalling an earlier episode involving Barclays.  Representatives of the corporate and political power elite who have been exposed to public scrutiny for wrongdoing of one kind or another, like to think, and hope, that most people have short memories; what may capture the headlines for a day or two will be forgotten in as many weeks. As Tony Blair was fond of saying about the Iraq fiasco, ‘It’s time to move on.’ Or, as Diamond himself said in 2011, ‘There was a period of remorse and apology for banks and I think that period needs to be over.’ Time to move on. Because the earlier episode, now more than three years old, has been largely forgotten, it is worth reprising it in some detail.

On April 5 2009,  Letter from the UK dealt with an attempt by the Structured Capital Market’s department of Barclays Bank to cover up complex tax avoidance schemes which made the bank between £900 million and £1 billion (The Great Financial Crisis: What the people need to know but must not be allowed to find out.) A whistleblower at SCM had passed documents detailing these operations to Vince Cable, who was then economics spokesman for the Liberal Democrats. (Cable has since become secretary of state for business in the coalition government and is markedly more cautious than he was then). Cable passed them to The Guardian. On March 17 the paper ran a front page article and a double page centre-spread plus an editorial on the story. The secret documents were posted on The Guardian’s website. Barclays’ lawyers woke a judge at 2.10 am that morning and persuaded him to impose an injunction on the paper forcing the removal of the documents from the website. The case went to the High Court the next day and the court ruled in favour of Barclays. The documents had to be removed from the website. Ridiculously, the judge also ruled that The Guardian be banned from providing information about the documents and from ‘inciting’ or ‘encouraging’ others to view evidence that was publicly available, about the bank’s massive tax avoidance schemes. A few days later The Guardian published copies of seven documents with the text blacked out. Beneath was a summary of the contents, followed by comments from the paper’s tax expert. On March 26, the Lib Dem’s Treasury spokesman, Lord Oakshott, taking advantage of parliamentary privilege of freedom of speech, told the House of Lords that the documents were widely available on internet sites such as Twitter, Wikileaks.org  etc.

The whistleblower provided evidence of a scheme codenamed Project Knight. In summary it showed that the SCM sought to put about $16bn into US loans via a complex scheme involving companies in the Cayman Islands, US partnerships and Luxembourg subsidiaries. Tax benefits would be generated through a £4bn deal with North Carolina Branch Banking and Trust Co. Two larger schemes were identified by The Guardian involving loans of $6bn and $7bn. The whistleblower claimed that the sole purpose of SCM was to make profits from ‘tax trades’. Apparently in one year ‘the SCM made between £900 million and £1bn profit from tax avoidance.’ All this was legal. So why was Barclays so desperate to hide these activities from the public?

The April 2009 article went on to note that, unlike other banks, Barclays had avoided seeking assistance from the government. But it had applied to participate in a government insurance scheme which would provide taxpayer protection against loses of about £80bn of toxic assets. This was the reason the bank needed to conceal the scale of its tax avoidance. It employed highly paid lawyers to devise the schemes that would remain undetected by the government’s revenue office – HMRC. Lord Oakshott famously described HMRC’s attempts to detect the bank’s tax avoidance as resembling ‘a fat policeman chasing a speeding Ferrari’.

How does this relate to the Libor scandal? Unlike RBS and LloydsTSB/HBOS, Barclays turned down a cash injection from the government in 2008. Referring to the ‘strength of its well-diversified business and existing capital base’, the bank announced that it planned to raise £6.5bn from the market. But this was hot air. It is now clear that between 2005 and 2009, Barclays (and no doubt many other banks world-wide now under investigation) rigged the inter-bank lending rate for Libor (London inter-bank offered rate). Its traders manipulated  the bank’s submissions when dealing with other banks’ traders to their own and the other traders’ personal pecuniary advantage.  In 2008, during the banking crisis, the Libor submissions were rigged in order to make the rate look lower than it actually was, thereby reducing concerns about the bank’s stability. In one way or another, these scams, involving a £350 trillion market, operated for nearly five years and adversely affected the cost of borrowing for millions throughout the world.

During these years Bob Diamond, was CEO of Barclays Capital, the investment division of the bnk, where the scam was operating.  At his appearance before the less than rigorous interrogators of the Treasury Select Committee in early July, shortly after being fired as Barclays CEO, he said how sorry he was that the illegal rate-fixing had occurred but denied that he had known anything about it. It had, he claimed, all been perpetrated by 14 rogue traders. This was all too reminiscent of the claims by News International’s executives that phone-hacking had been confined to a few rogue reporters. The rogue traders in question, who were not named, had all been either dismissed or they had moved on. No-one has been arrested.  Barclays has been fined nearly £290 million (£59 million in the UK and £230 million in the US) – peanuts when set against the astronomical sums involved in the illicit trading over many years. Diamond himself has announced that he will forego this year’s £2 million bonus. For all except those as corrupted as Diamond is by the unfathomable culture of corporate greed, it is difficult to keep a straight face. Since 2006 he has been paid £98 million and it is estimated that he could walk away with as much as another £22 million in free shares and contractual bonuses. Lesser, but still eye-watering sums are likely to be awarded to his deputy, Jerry del Missier, who has also resigned. It’s as well to remember that we are no longer in the realm of untenable claims about the need to pay ‘top salaries for top quality executives’ to staff a ‘financial services industry second to none’. This is a world where, in Will Hutton’s words ‘men and women with little skill and no moral compass can become very rich very fast’.

The 2009 Letter from the UK concluded with these observations about the Structured Capital Markets division of Barclays:

‘The whistleblowers describe a hierarchical, macho culture of bullying and callous insensitivity. Those at the top of the pile display all the worst characteristics associated with power and extreme wealth – arrogance, contempt bordering on sadism for subordinates, and megalomania. The avoidance of tax by means of exploiting loopholes is seen as the raison d’etre of the unit.’

That was three years ago. The revelations that have emerged so far in the Libor scandal show that nothing has changed. Those who perpetrated the SCM tax-avoidance schemes, and those who still defend such practices, argue that as they are not illegal there is no case to answer. Moral questions are for moralists, not for financiers. We now know that the banks have been covering up organized illegal practices on a colossal scale. Claims that their operations are essential in the interests of economic growth are now threadbare. ‘Investment banking’, says Will Hutton, ’is an organized scam masquerading as a business.’

Have the revelations that have emerged so far, and the further revelations surely still to come, brought us to a moment of truth about the intrinsic nature of finance monopoly capitalism, and the deepening crisis of that system? It is tempting to think it has. But one should never underestimate the determination of the 1% - the corporate, financial and political power elites - to hold on to their power and to shift the burden of their crisis onto the rest of us – the 99% who are now expected to pay the bill. It has been estimated that every  ‘man, woman and child in Britain has already handed over £19,271’ to the banks. (Aditya Chakraborrty 03.07.120 ) It is becoming clearer by the day that this is the worst crisis the global capitalist system has faced for a century.  A few weeks ago, thousands of people, young and old, gathered in London for the annual ‘Festival of Marxism’. It was an uplifting event, extending over five days. Many crucial issues were addressed by an impressive array of speakers. There was animated discussion and great enthusiasm. It showed that there is a deep desire to understand what has led to this crisis and a determination to do something about it.

But the burning question is- to coin a phrase - What is to be Done? If the crisis is to be confronted and overcome in such a way as to ensure that the system is changed root and branch, a clear-sighted mass movement will have to be built. It will need to formulate  demands which challenge the unsustainable status quo and the power elite whose interests it serves. If such movements can be built here and throughout Europe and beyond, in the coming months and years, there is reason to hope that the 99% will prevail. 

The Science of Ghosts and Things That Go Bump In the Night

Joe Nickell is one of my favorite investigative reporters if not debunkers, though I find him too polite and charitable toward flim-flam artists and the obviously deluded. “The Science of Ghosts: Searching for Spirits of the Dead” by Joe Nickell (Prometheus Books, Amherst, NY 2012) follows his well-worn trail producing works that document the scrutiny of dubious phenomena.

Among his other books of a similar nature are:

* Tracking the Man Beasts: Sasquatch, Vampires, Zombies and More.

* Real or Fake? Studies in Authentication.

* Adventures in Paranormal Investigation.

* Psychic Sleuths.

* Looking for a Miracle and

* Secrets of the Supernatural.

The Science of Ghosts: Searching for Spirits of the Dead explores a wide range of questions most readers probably don’t pause to ask. A few examples should suffice:

* Are ghosts real?

* Are there truly haunted places?

* How can we know?

One problem with such questions in terms of book sales might be that most people probably don’t ask such questions, that is, they don’t allow for such possibilities. Nor do they ask themselves, “Can pigs fly? Do trolls live under bridges? Does the Blessed Virgin appear in cookies or on storefront windows?

Sure, some people believe these things but does 99 percent of it warrant scientific inquiry? I don’t think so. Nor do I think that an mind need necessarily entails an absence of reason or common sense to deter wasted pursuits, that is, spending time disproving things for which there never has been the slightest evidence. On the other hand, if Mr. Nickell’s methodical, “fair and balanced” scrutiny leads some who believe in foolishness to read this book, then the book will serve a worthy purpose. 

Yes, throughout history and continuing today, many people do pretend they can make contact, channel and otherwise talk with spirits of the dead. As Michael Shermer and others have noted, lots of people can talk to the dead, in fact, anyone can do it. The trick is to get the dead to respond. There is no evidence for ghosts, man beasts, paranormal powers, haunted places or virgins blessed or otherwise that magically self-represent on windows (or on cookies, tacos, etc.). Yet, many poorly uneducated, vulnerable, pious and superstitious people embrace such matters and others equally farfetched. We don’t need Mr. Nickell’s first-rate investigative reports to feel justified in dismissing such jejune foolishness, though he makes reading about such things interesting. It is quite enough to read this book in order to discover in detail how a skilled skeptic objectively examines claims for the unlikely.

In The Science of Ghosts, the author looks for evidence of ghosts and other such matters and assesses what evidence there is (i.e., none) - including eyewitness accounts, “mediumistic productions” (e.g., spirit photographs), ghost-buster detection equipment and so on. He also explains why so many people have such interests in the first place.

The book is organized in four parts, each containing a dozen chapters, give or take a chapter. (There is also an interesting afterword, an extensive appendix, notes, references and an index - Nickell is a scholarly ghost buster.) A sampling of key points emphasized (there are hundreds) and specific phenomena explained include the following:

* Some folks have a 'predisposition' to 'want to believe' in the non-physical, as we know from the continued popularity of religions. Some of this must be due to a need to carry on after death, though I can’t see how being a ghost, witch or vampire forever (barring having a stake driven through your heart) is much of an improvement on hell itself.

* A scientific look at famous (infamous?) spoofs, frauds, pseudoscience claims, folk legends, delusional epics and related case histories - these reward even the skeptics like myself who are not disposed to give so much as the time of day to the whole ghost-related arena. Accounts of human folly are sufficient reasons to spend time with this book, even for those who do not think the whole business deserves the labors of so distinguished an investigator as Joe Nickell. 

* Why Occam was on to something in insisting upon the simplest explanation as the most viable of options to explain nearly everything, though of course simplicity does not always afford the best explanation possible.

* An overview of the role of ghosts et. al. in history and popular culture - there is much entertainment value in all this, especially for movie goers who enjoyed not only 'Ghost Busters' but also 'Ghost' (with Patrick Swayze) and TV dramas (e.g., 'Ghost Hunters') about such apparitions.

* A recognition that a better understanding of the human brain can inform how humans process information and thus believe. Nickell provides ample clues based on modern science and our 'center' of consciousness and interactions with drugs, sensory input and changing bodily functions.

*  The nature of investigative techniques for assessing paranormal claims is shown in the context of  cultural and psychological influences - and the limits of reason and critical thinking are better understood as a result. Readers of this book, while not likely to suffer greater affection for those who follow ghost lore too seriously may, like myself, come away with a little more compassion for them. Placed in their circumstances (having had their DNA, culture, education and so on), any one of us might or surely would be just as taken by illusions and poppycock.

Well, the spirits are telling me this is enough - I don’t want to give much more away else I might spoil the plot, reveal the ending or extend a sense that there’s no need to read the book. If the topic excites you, I do recommend it.

Be well, enjoy life today and try not to frighten anybody - the world is scary enough as it is.  

A Martian’s Voyage to Planet Earth

Once there was a Martian, green-skinned and with orange leopard polka dots on his arms and face as he throttled down and glided smoothly through the outer tangent of earth’s atmosphere in his exploratory mini space ship. Coming in closer he saw the great blue marble of a planet with all its silvery clouds. He smiled as he selected an orbital trajectory for his cursory preview of planet earth. He had all the latest equipment, e.g., atomic cameras that could see through anything, including close-ups that would rival earth’s own electron microscopes. Such cameras could also penetrate solid matter, and the little green Martian could see Washington, D.C., Moscow and Beijing all at the same time. Oh, and did I mention that his spaceship was also invisible both to the human eye and to earth’s most sophisticated radar detectors? And that his mission was to write his PhD Dissertation on the evolution of earthlings and their fitness for survival and continuing the Homo sapiens specie?

He selected a quintessential golden laser heat detector as his first choice to probe the activity on the blue planet. Selecting an easterly orbit, the Martian, snug in his invisible little ship, passed over South Africa and the Cape of Good Hope. To the far north he noticed much heat and fire generated in the desserts of Iraq and Afghanistan.  Many explosions took place constantly without a pause, without a sound, and he realized immediately that these millions of white and red light flashes registering on the heat-o-meter were high- explosive chemicals igniting as armies of humans clashed in skirmishes on the ground, air, and sea in that vast area of planet earth. There were tanks and machines and soldiers, battling it out in cities and in the sandy wildernesses. Smart bombs laser-guided from aircraft, Tomahawk Missiles, and vast numbers of artillery shells exploded round the clock, night and day. His instruments saw up close how the red liquid life force streamed out of the wounded men, soldiers, women, and children and turned them into corpses in the dirt. Special, close-up, movement detection radar gave him a blow-by-blow view of the war maneuvers and of the humans engaged in mortal combat. Curious as to what events might have brought humans to such a brink of mutual and total destruction, the alien pondered it all. He checked his historical records of planet earth for clues to the savage behavior of these earthlings. He would study it more before entering the earth’s atmosphere.

It seemed plain enough to this little green visitor that such a clash had specific causes such as the older newspaper accounts of the airplanes that crashed into the NYC Twin Towers about 11 earth-years ago. Of course the emotion of revenge had been known to Mars, too, for eons, so he could understand the need to set the books straight. But by blowing each other up? Why some of the most heinous punishment ever doled out on the red planet was a sentence to spend a few earth-weeks working as a slave for your ex mother-in-law. That seemed a far worse punishment than going to hell in the mind of a Martian.

The behavior of these bizarre creatures called humans intrigued him. They seem to revel in heating up the planet with exploding fire weapons all over the globe. Why? It seemed conclusive to him that earthlings were captured by what Martians called “robba yo asspocketa.” In other words, “religion.” Yep. 

On several subsequent orbital passes the alien attempted to connect the dots. He witnessed several religious television programs that seemed dedicated to gathering trillions of earth dollars as ransom money for an earthling’s being able to pass into the eternal life of the kingdom of heaven. All you had to do was tithe, contribute even bigger bucks for bigger favors in the afterworld, and you were set up for the future life in heaven for all of immortality. In addition, the television preachers all had their enemies. These were the devil religions skillfully chosen to demonize and attack and even destroy. Many Christians were taught by earth Evangelists like Franklin Graham to preempt the teachings of Jesus. Instead of loving thy brother as Jesus had taught, you as a Christian should beware the Muslim Brotherhood that Graham swears is out to destroy us Christians. And Christians believed that Muslims were out to kill all Christians as a duty of their religion as defined in their holy book, the Koran. Ask any earthling about all the virgins a Muslim might be awarded for blowing up non-believers such as Christians.

This paradox confused the Martian. What was the truth? Who hated who and why? Upon further study, the Martian found that nobody knew what truth was. Truth was an illusion. It was what you could convince your fellow earthlings to believe and to accept as truth. Nothing to do with reality or rational thought behind it. Truth was whatever these religious leaders could convince their followers to accept. As they laughed all the way to the television studios in their Bentleys and Mercedes automobiles.

The Martian discovered the same dishonest defect with politics and government on planet earth. No one knew the truth nor cared. What was paramount was how much money a politician could gather to get elected to office. Ifen he could present a Billy Bob image of himself on camera to where you would want to have a beer with him. Lordy. And getting there the more money a politician the more lies money could buy. And the more people would tend to hear it enough times that they would swear it was the truth. Bingo. And more money meant more votes. Truth was what you could convince earthlings to believe. And money was the key to success. Every time. In every country on planet earth.

And so it was with politics, power, and nations who went to war on the planet earth. A great wrong was created by one country against another, and all the humans from the wronged country would close ranks against the country who committed the fault or the crime. Why earthlings even learned how to hate countries who would not agree with or support them, France, for instance. When America invaded Iraq and France would not allow the United States to fly over its own country to conduct operations in Iraq, Americans began to hate the French. Changed the name of French Fries to Freedom Fries. I know that had to hurt the French.

Martians knew very well the ancient history of serving unseen religious spirits to kill their fellow Martians. These spirits told them to kill, conquer, steal all the gold and oil (Mars never had much of either). Or so they believed at a time very long ago. As on earth, no Martian ever heard these unseen gods speak or saw them, if the truth were known. But on Mars it was once as easy as it is on earth to fool the intelligent organisms to believe the lies, follow a cultish religion, to follow religious leaders, give them most all their money, and to kill your fellow creatures of your own kind.

This discovery intrigued the little Martian. As he descended in many more orbitals toward the earth’s surface, he tuned into earth television stations to study the eye of religious leaders and evangelists who moved billions of humans to obey whatever the particular creed demanded.

Earthlings were angry all right. And in showing their anger and revenge they were rapidly destroying their home planet earth. The pyrotechnic heating up of the planet created numerous problems. The water was evaporating for one. And the greenhouse effect of polluting planet earth with extra heat each year and big increases in the normal amounts of carbon dioxide compounded earth’s problems. Much of this heat was felt by the big smokestack industries of planet earth as well. Instead of harnessing the power of the sun as Mars had done millions of earth years before, earth still relied on burning fossil fuels for the production of electric power. Of course this added heating up of the planet did a lot to create new problems, e.g., unclean air for all earth’s respiratory creatures to breathe. Millions of new cancers each year became the norm. 

Another catastrophic effect insured that every sea and freshwater creature on planet earth inherited the acid rain, coal ash, and other unfiltered smokestack earth factories became dangerously polluted in the fatty tissues with the element Mercury. Today these pollutants have an affinity for the fatty tissues of fish. Knowing this, the alien soon found on earth’s Internet, caused the fish and food regulatory agencies all over the world to issue scary warnings. No more than a few ounces of fish could be eaten by earthlings per earth month. And in some cases such as in pregnant earth women, they could eat none at all. The element Mercury, the Martian knew, would produce brain damage and cause serious birth defects regardless of biological anatomical differences between species of all creatures, including those from other planets and galaxies in the vast universe.

And why would earthlings choose to destroy their neighbors by destroying their planet and their race as well? By employing nuclear-tipped artillery shells why would these earthlings choose to needlessly produce radioactive isotopes that would be scattered about the planet and human backyards, water sources for billions of years? Were earthlings not the stewards of their own environment and their own kind?

It had been a long journey so far for the Martian. For the next few orbits he might relax and drift into sleep above the blue marble backdrop outside his port hole. He would doze off thinking on his discoveries and attempting to reconcile many of the inconsistencies and paradoxes of the human race. He would sleep on it.