When you accept a job offer, you might be joining a startup or a speculative business. That's what I usually do. I think that in order to do something significant, I have to accept some risk.
But ten years ago, when you or someone you know joined a company as a worker, if you were offered stock options as a benefit you accepted a risky proposition. By contrast, if you accepted a retirement package or a defined-benefits pension, you got a contract, legally executable in the United States as specified in the Constitution.
I believe companies offering these pensions owe those pensions. Stockholders on the board are there for the risky possibility of a boon. Salaried employees made a square deal. Defaulting on that deal without taking some of the damage is unforgivable.
I want a law. I want the SEC to require quarterly pension fund reports from every company offering a pension. And for each quarter in which managers or board members are compensated, or for every instance where profits are distributed aside from dividends to common stockholders, they must meet their pension obligations. Any underfunding of a pension fund will be met with cash from the pockets of the management, or else their shares of the company will be sold to make up for the shortfall.
Executives have been above justice too long.
Wednesday, June 15, 2005
Ignoring the middle
Our politicians are applying their trade in a way that increases polarization and pathology. As an extreme moderate, I think the Christian Right has turned satanic, failing to recognize the impiety, arrogance and pride they express when they deny the omnipotence of their deity.
Of course God can create the universe. And of course evolution can happen by design. But it happens, and to deny it is stupid! More properly, the Fundo-Mentals deny God's ability to do more than they can imagine.
And the progressives fail themselves by creating their platform as a reaction to the right. We should be proud to practice altruism and proud to protect our families', friends' and neighbors' jobs, lives, standing. And some of the stuff being done in the name of art and liberty is pretty yucky.
But the whole government is trying to master the wedge right now, Republicans tweezing social issues apart in a way that forces people to choose between Constitutional reality and should-be-hypothetical abberations.
Democrats are scrambling to find their own wedge, something they can apply to shave membership off the big dumb block of the bare-minimum majority. But they both have momentum, and we're getting more polarized. They practice extreme rhetoric because they can't contribute in society. They can only find their place seated ABOVE us.
Of course God can create the universe. And of course evolution can happen by design. But it happens, and to deny it is stupid! More properly, the Fundo-Mentals deny God's ability to do more than they can imagine.
And the progressives fail themselves by creating their platform as a reaction to the right. We should be proud to practice altruism and proud to protect our families', friends' and neighbors' jobs, lives, standing. And some of the stuff being done in the name of art and liberty is pretty yucky.
But the whole government is trying to master the wedge right now, Republicans tweezing social issues apart in a way that forces people to choose between Constitutional reality and should-be-hypothetical abberations.
Democrats are scrambling to find their own wedge, something they can apply to shave membership off the big dumb block of the bare-minimum majority. But they both have momentum, and we're getting more polarized. They practice extreme rhetoric because they can't contribute in society. They can only find their place seated ABOVE us.
Tuesday, June 14, 2005
More on Brown, or Moron Brown
Judge Brown was on my mind again today. She called the New Deal a Socialist victory, remember? Fitting. People on her side, the opponents of freedom, deliberately overlook the irony of their leader, the worst American President ever, has handed to China the keys to our kingdom, even blowing 5 decades of work started by their favorite dead president, Nixon.
We've been trying hard for 50 years to help Taiwan and Hong Kong maintain some independence from Communist China. But since these Bet-it-All-on-Red-and-keep-betting-'til-it's-gone versions of what used to be Republicans are presiding over a runaway train, a stampede of the unwashed, they must live in fear that China will cash in their US Bonds and bury the Dollar.
The Republicans mean death to us all.
We've been trying hard for 50 years to help Taiwan and Hong Kong maintain some independence from Communist China. But since these Bet-it-All-on-Red-and-keep-betting-'til-it's-gone versions of what used to be Republicans are presiding over a runaway train, a stampede of the unwashed, they must live in fear that China will cash in their US Bonds and bury the Dollar.
The Republicans mean death to us all.
Those pathetic fucks: Rough draft- might get rougher.
They can't prosecute Enron for destroying thousands of retirement accounts, swindling entire states. They can't convict Andersen for cooperating with them. They can't do anything successfully when it's worthwhile, but those pathetic fucks sure know how to put a damper on culture.
Some things should be free, or at least public. But have you seen any deliberate attempt to protect municipal water supplies, even though they're listed as top terror threats? Well, the Republican leadership (and maybe some Democrats) don't want public water. They don't want to pay for it unless it helps their religious wackjob consituency (not the voters- you don't have money) achieve their goal of continental domination.
If it advocates appreciation for diversity, if it criticizes powerful positions, if it doesn't beat the drum for marching neo-Christianics, there's no room for it. Is that the argument? Or is it more a case of simple resentment of the critical unbiased reporting? Is it because Cookie Monster is Blue and Bert and Ernie live together?
If our leaders reclaimed 10% of the money simply lost by Halliburton in Iraq, a few decades of Clifford the Big Red Dog would help children learn about getting along with the other dogs. I want every leader in Congress drawn and quartered, but I'll settle for their financial ruin if it means their spouses and children turn to drugs and prostitution.
This isn't what Christians do. This is what the Nazis, the Communists and the Islamists have done. Sesame Street. Really.
If you're a Republican, you probably didn't get this far. You should be ashamed of yourself, at least enough to write your representative or senator. At least enough to vote America back. I'm not interested in making a rational appeal for calm and sober reconsideration. This is an emotional issue- HOW BAD ARE THESE REPUBLICANS? How bad can a human be? Empowered by religion, they descend into Lord of the Flies, demanding restrictions on their behavior, but if their mothers weren't evil they would be able to control themselves. But they are, so they can't.
Some things should be free, or at least public. But have you seen any deliberate attempt to protect municipal water supplies, even though they're listed as top terror threats? Well, the Republican leadership (and maybe some Democrats) don't want public water. They don't want to pay for it unless it helps their religious wackjob consituency (not the voters- you don't have money) achieve their goal of continental domination.
If it advocates appreciation for diversity, if it criticizes powerful positions, if it doesn't beat the drum for marching neo-Christianics, there's no room for it. Is that the argument? Or is it more a case of simple resentment of the critical unbiased reporting? Is it because Cookie Monster is Blue and Bert and Ernie live together?
If our leaders reclaimed 10% of the money simply lost by Halliburton in Iraq, a few decades of Clifford the Big Red Dog would help children learn about getting along with the other dogs. I want every leader in Congress drawn and quartered, but I'll settle for their financial ruin if it means their spouses and children turn to drugs and prostitution.
This isn't what Christians do. This is what the Nazis, the Communists and the Islamists have done. Sesame Street. Really.
If you're a Republican, you probably didn't get this far. You should be ashamed of yourself, at least enough to write your representative or senator. At least enough to vote America back. I'm not interested in making a rational appeal for calm and sober reconsideration. This is an emotional issue- HOW BAD ARE THESE REPUBLICANS? How bad can a human be? Empowered by religion, they descend into Lord of the Flies, demanding restrictions on their behavior, but if their mothers weren't evil they would be able to control themselves. But they are, so they can't.
Thursday, June 02, 2005
Oy, these Judges !
Dear Senator Specter,
Brown's all wrong. Mr. Specter, she's so far out, she's so far right she's left right.
The New Deal was not a victory for Socialism. It was a victory for SOCIETY, in which People live among us. Her inability to grasp that nuance should disqualify her from any role in government of the people, whose authority rests in the consent of the people.
And Pryor! Wow. Imagine believing the Constitution and Bill of Rights don't apply to People. And then, imagine believing in Jailing the gay people for what they do in bed!
Senator Santorum, you can leave the room, if the door isn't too complicated for you to operate. I know how you feel about individuals and their right to privacy, and how you think Americans are incapable of guiding their own lives. It must comfort you or something. But really, Senator Specter, you have to understand how completely inappropriate these people are to be sitting on the court where individuals appeal for their rights to be protected.
Vote against both of these nominees, and bounce Bolton, and get on with your work. This administration can't last forever. Just seems like it.
Thank you,
Joe
Brown's all wrong. Mr. Specter, she's so far out, she's so far right she's left right.
The New Deal was not a victory for Socialism. It was a victory for SOCIETY, in which People live among us. Her inability to grasp that nuance should disqualify her from any role in government of the people, whose authority rests in the consent of the people.
And Pryor! Wow. Imagine believing the Constitution and Bill of Rights don't apply to People. And then, imagine believing in Jailing the gay people for what they do in bed!
Senator Santorum, you can leave the room, if the door isn't too complicated for you to operate. I know how you feel about individuals and their right to privacy, and how you think Americans are incapable of guiding their own lives. It must comfort you or something. But really, Senator Specter, you have to understand how completely inappropriate these people are to be sitting on the court where individuals appeal for their rights to be protected.
Vote against both of these nominees, and bounce Bolton, and get on with your work. This administration can't last forever. Just seems like it.
Thank you,
Joe
Wednesday, June 01, 2005
Judge Janice Rogers Brown
Judge Janice Rogers Brown decries the New Deal as a 'Victory for Socialism', but she's an idiot. It was a victory for SOCIETY. The New Deal was a triumphant expression of our culture too.
But you know what is a victory for socialism? The fact that through the absurdity of the Bush administration our flaccid economy is currently underwritten by robust communist China.
Way to go, conservatives, you can't even see it, can you?
But you know what is a victory for socialism? The fact that through the absurdity of the Bush administration our flaccid economy is currently underwritten by robust communist China.
Way to go, conservatives, you can't even see it, can you?
Globally mediocre idealist fish seeks pinheaded bicycle
Can John Bolton be good for the United Nations? Ironically, yes. But predictably, he will not be good for us.
A sworn enemy of the UN, Bolton can be expected to take the battle to it, and carry with him the elitist psychopath attitudes toward everyone on the planet best expressed by President Bush and the Republican Party. Voinovich didn't vote against him, he held his nose and did the opposite of what his proper upbringing told him. And rather than advise and consent, this Senate Rubbers and Stamps to curry favor with the moneybringing juggernaut of the GOP. He is the worst person for the job of Ambassador to the UN, and illustrates a pattern.
Bush's decisions have disgraced Colin Powell as a marionette, who must be bound and gagged in some Foggy Bottom basement right now. So the UN knew what to expect when Condosleasa Rice earned her Secretary of State job by ignoring the PDB titled "Osama Bin Laden is Going to Hijack Planes and Crash them into Major Sites in the US". Hey- isn't she the Russia expert presiding over the security apparatus of the US? The same one who helped Bush stop securing portable Russian Nukes? The one in charge of State when Russia got a new Oil Pipeline because despite their terrible mideast relations they're better than ours are? And hey- she has Africa experience, sitting on the Chevron board when the machine-gunned all those dangerous Nigerians.
But good for the UN; Bolton will be singularly ineffective in furthering our interests but a uniter of our competitors. He already disgraced our partners in the North Korea project so badly the State Department stopped letting him speak for himself. The only interest he serves is conflict. There's a difference between tough guy and asshole, and this guy is the latter.
The secret CIA documents Senate Democrats are rightly demanding probably indicate the name of the CIA operative the Republican Party leaked to Novack. Since we'll probably be needing the UN to unite to protect us from the oligarchy being cultivated- Andersen's aquittal by the Supreme Court and inaction in the Cheney/Enron task force case indicate our best chance for justice will be the International Criminal Court. And we can expect our international neighbors to fight hard FOR strengthening it and AGAINST Bolton.
When are the sane Republicans going to redeem themselves and jettison this administration? Not until China stops underwriting Bush's insane spending and bounced us from the Security Council as obstructionist paupers.
A sworn enemy of the UN, Bolton can be expected to take the battle to it, and carry with him the elitist psychopath attitudes toward everyone on the planet best expressed by President Bush and the Republican Party. Voinovich didn't vote against him, he held his nose and did the opposite of what his proper upbringing told him. And rather than advise and consent, this Senate Rubbers and Stamps to curry favor with the moneybringing juggernaut of the GOP. He is the worst person for the job of Ambassador to the UN, and illustrates a pattern.
Bush's decisions have disgraced Colin Powell as a marionette, who must be bound and gagged in some Foggy Bottom basement right now. So the UN knew what to expect when Condosleasa Rice earned her Secretary of State job by ignoring the PDB titled "Osama Bin Laden is Going to Hijack Planes and Crash them into Major Sites in the US". Hey- isn't she the Russia expert presiding over the security apparatus of the US? The same one who helped Bush stop securing portable Russian Nukes? The one in charge of State when Russia got a new Oil Pipeline because despite their terrible mideast relations they're better than ours are? And hey- she has Africa experience, sitting on the Chevron board when the machine-gunned all those dangerous Nigerians.
But good for the UN; Bolton will be singularly ineffective in furthering our interests but a uniter of our competitors. He already disgraced our partners in the North Korea project so badly the State Department stopped letting him speak for himself. The only interest he serves is conflict. There's a difference between tough guy and asshole, and this guy is the latter.
The secret CIA documents Senate Democrats are rightly demanding probably indicate the name of the CIA operative the Republican Party leaked to Novack. Since we'll probably be needing the UN to unite to protect us from the oligarchy being cultivated- Andersen's aquittal by the Supreme Court and inaction in the Cheney/Enron task force case indicate our best chance for justice will be the International Criminal Court. And we can expect our international neighbors to fight hard FOR strengthening it and AGAINST Bolton.
When are the sane Republicans going to redeem themselves and jettison this administration? Not until China stops underwriting Bush's insane spending and bounced us from the Security Council as obstructionist paupers.
Newsweek
What will Newsweek do? I may stop reading because they're doing anything to apologize for their indictment of the Administration's disgusting behavior. Turns out it was kinda true, that the Koran was involved in the psychological torture practiced at Guantanamo.
A few dozen people died protesting behavior now shown to be at least substantially close to the truth. Big deal. Bush and his liar cabal got it nowhere near the bulls-eye and killed over 1,600 Americans. And they won't admit a thing.
Newsweek, I'm offended you're entertaining this false indignant posturing from the administration. You're endangering us. We need an independent media, and you did the right thing.
But since you brought it up, what will the administration do to make up for killing 1600 of us over false accusations?
Nothing, because they know their constituency, and their constituency wants liars to kill Americans.
A few dozen people died protesting behavior now shown to be at least substantially close to the truth. Big deal. Bush and his liar cabal got it nowhere near the bulls-eye and killed over 1,600 Americans. And they won't admit a thing.
Newsweek, I'm offended you're entertaining this false indignant posturing from the administration. You're endangering us. We need an independent media, and you did the right thing.
But since you brought it up, what will the administration do to make up for killing 1600 of us over false accusations?
Nothing, because they know their constituency, and their constituency wants liars to kill Americans.
Friday, May 27, 2005
Develpmental DeLay
I understand DeLay was a simple exterminator before turning to the public for his livelihood. Interesting a boy who likes to kill bugs would turn out to be the most powerful man in the House of Representatives. Misunderstood only by his supporters, it might not be all his fault.
The companies he wants us to give up our sovereignty to make things the educated among us want to curb, things like poions, pesticides and weapons. In DeLay's case, intense exposure to pesticides understood to negatively influence the development of the fetus he so dishonestly claims to protect may have had a role in turning him into the drooling power-mad retarded idiot he is today.
Stop laughing- that's a bad thing. His drive, channeled into Christian projects like feeding the hungry or loving his neighbors would be pretty effective, no? Instead, he's been desensitized to the plight of others by prolonged exposure to poison.
But since he's on the wrong side of every issue, the only down side to his toxic career is that he's probably built up an immunity. Interesting his Texans for a Republican Majority broke Texas law to ultimately put more idiot Texan Reps on the Hill for all of us to suffer.
The companies he wants us to give up our sovereignty to make things the educated among us want to curb, things like poions, pesticides and weapons. In DeLay's case, intense exposure to pesticides understood to negatively influence the development of the fetus he so dishonestly claims to protect may have had a role in turning him into the drooling power-mad retarded idiot he is today.
Stop laughing- that's a bad thing. His drive, channeled into Christian projects like feeding the hungry or loving his neighbors would be pretty effective, no? Instead, he's been desensitized to the plight of others by prolonged exposure to poison.
But since he's on the wrong side of every issue, the only down side to his toxic career is that he's probably built up an immunity. Interesting his Texans for a Republican Majority broke Texas law to ultimately put more idiot Texan Reps on the Hill for all of us to suffer.
A little bit true, huh?
So it's a little bit true that US citizens working at Guantanamo abused the Koran. Of course it is. We all knew it, because we all know the administration and its operatives are liars.
It's also true that as subordinates of superiors appointed by Americans elected by other Americans, they've done it in our name and dragged us into it.
But it hasn't been true yet that the Administration can't control its minions. Everyone in GOPDC (a subsidiary of GOPAC) has been in lock-step unison since 2000. When Abu Ghraib happened, we all knew perfectly well the place was set up to humiliate and torture the bad guys, that there would be a small show, and that a few peons would take the fall. Rumsfeld knew that, and so did our Attorney General. Humiliation and power trips are part and parcel of their policies, as demonstrated by the demands for 100% acceptance of the 'President's' nomination wish list.
So Newsweek called it right. In every instance of official communication from this administration and the Republican Party leadership, I look to the exact opposite of what is said and then look for the intended object of the communication to find the truth. They are evil satanic liars and only have interest in achieving their goal of armageddon, when they believe they'll be sucked into outer space.
I'm all for that.
It's also true that as subordinates of superiors appointed by Americans elected by other Americans, they've done it in our name and dragged us into it.
But it hasn't been true yet that the Administration can't control its minions. Everyone in GOPDC (a subsidiary of GOPAC) has been in lock-step unison since 2000. When Abu Ghraib happened, we all knew perfectly well the place was set up to humiliate and torture the bad guys, that there would be a small show, and that a few peons would take the fall. Rumsfeld knew that, and so did our Attorney General. Humiliation and power trips are part and parcel of their policies, as demonstrated by the demands for 100% acceptance of the 'President's' nomination wish list.
So Newsweek called it right. In every instance of official communication from this administration and the Republican Party leadership, I look to the exact opposite of what is said and then look for the intended object of the communication to find the truth. They are evil satanic liars and only have interest in achieving their goal of armageddon, when they believe they'll be sucked into outer space.
I'm all for that.
Thursday, May 26, 2005
Wow, he must be bad
Wow. Tom DeLay's private grease company was found IN TEXAS to have BROKEN TEXAS LAW.
Did you read what I just read? IN TEXAS, the most Powerful Texan, Tom DeLay, was found to have BROKEN the LAW of his HOME STATE.
That is, Tom DeLay is a CRIMINAL, not just an ASSHOLE.
Spread the word: It must be the LIBERAL TEXAS JUDGES CONSPIRING AGAINST THE HOLY MAN TOM DELAY, since HE THREATENS JUDGES AND ENCOURAGES VIOLENCE AGAINST JUDGES.
But there are no liberals in Texas. Just good upstanding marching folks, who elect people to write and uphold LAWS TOM DELAY BREAKS.
Wheee,
Joe
Did you read what I just read? IN TEXAS, the most Powerful Texan, Tom DeLay, was found to have BROKEN the LAW of his HOME STATE.
That is, Tom DeLay is a CRIMINAL, not just an ASSHOLE.
Spread the word: It must be the LIBERAL TEXAS JUDGES CONSPIRING AGAINST THE HOLY MAN TOM DELAY, since HE THREATENS JUDGES AND ENCOURAGES VIOLENCE AGAINST JUDGES.
But there are no liberals in Texas. Just good upstanding marching folks, who elect people to write and uphold LAWS TOM DELAY BREAKS.
Wheee,
Joe
Monday, May 23, 2005
The Spectre of Specter?
Senator Specter,I heard some disturbing things when the venerable Senator spoke about the filibuster and nominees. You rationalized the Republican position and called the Democratic effort payback for poor treatment during the Clinton administration. True, your colleagues (and you by extension, as their team member) acted like children then, but they didn't grow up when handed the keys to the kingdom.
You used the word Repugnant, but also said Nuke You Lar instead of the word we English speakers use, where an L comes after the C. You're speaking Texan.
Clearly, the Republican putsch to skew the courts further with activist judges has nothing to do with principle, but rather is another results-based effort they see as their interest. No matter what, the minority will be silenced.
It is true, Mr. Specter, the party straitjackets are on. But the real problem with these nominees is their nature. A slap in the face. A demand for prostration. More evidence the Republicans are bent on humiliating opponents. And you are in the jacket as well. Too bad such a distinguished career had to go this way.
None of these judges are qualified. Democratic efforts to forestall the coming shutdown are the only efforts being made, and they're willing to sacrifice some dignity in the interest of the country.
By cooperating with you betters in this argument, you will rename yourself the Fundamentalist Tool from Pennsylvania, apparently in an effort to hold your seat in the event the Toomey campaign maintains its anti-freedom and anti-Pennsylvanian momentum for the next Senate race.
Do the right thing, oppose the President. He and his cohort are wrong.
Joe
You used the word Repugnant, but also said Nuke You Lar instead of the word we English speakers use, where an L comes after the C. You're speaking Texan.
Clearly, the Republican putsch to skew the courts further with activist judges has nothing to do with principle, but rather is another results-based effort they see as their interest. No matter what, the minority will be silenced.
It is true, Mr. Specter, the party straitjackets are on. But the real problem with these nominees is their nature. A slap in the face. A demand for prostration. More evidence the Republicans are bent on humiliating opponents. And you are in the jacket as well. Too bad such a distinguished career had to go this way.
None of these judges are qualified. Democratic efforts to forestall the coming shutdown are the only efforts being made, and they're willing to sacrifice some dignity in the interest of the country.
By cooperating with you betters in this argument, you will rename yourself the Fundamentalist Tool from Pennsylvania, apparently in an effort to hold your seat in the event the Toomey campaign maintains its anti-freedom and anti-Pennsylvanian momentum for the next Senate race.
Do the right thing, oppose the President. He and his cohort are wrong.
Joe
Thursday, May 19, 2005
Balkanism Notes
What can we do to find the Republicans who hate each other on political grounds?
There must be hundreds in DC who wouldn't stand for being locked in a small room together with some of their colleagues.
Who are they, and why do they persist in perpetrating this disgraceful action against our country and way of life? Who wants to be a subject?
There must be hundreds in DC who wouldn't stand for being locked in a small room together with some of their colleagues.
Who are they, and why do they persist in perpetrating this disgraceful action against our country and way of life? Who wants to be a subject?
With a Broad Brush Broadly
Journalists have come under fire recently for reporting information without corroborating with an excess of sources, albeit only when challenging the administration.
The GOP has developed a technique I call Pile Shit, in which they start throwing crap until it reaches eye level. Repeating the lie drums it into the receptive, and by simply stating it repeatedly they enter it into the record.
I'm not like that. I came to this moment with my strong opinions, but my vanity makes me want to be sure I'm right. My lumping of Accenture with Andersen and Enron was questioned, and I'm prepared to defend that lump as an ACTUAL pile of shit. My point is that the entire Republican Party is best described as its worst elements, because they function as a unit without question: the Accenture/Andersen/Enron lump should have been ostracized and hasn't been. Accenture just closed a $10 Billion dollar deal with the Republicans.
On the Virginia Tech alumni page we see a list of folks who worked at Arthur Andersen, in their consulting group known as Andersen Consulting, later Accenture :
Mark K. Snead (MGT) was promoted to associate partner with Andersen Consulting, Arthur Andersen & Co.
...(Deleted about twenty names from this list. The preponderance is still there, but I hope less tedious. )
That's pile 1: Since Arthur Andersen owned Andersen Consulting, one suspects some association between the two firms. AA employed these folks in a division.
Arthur Andersen, parent, aligned itself with Enron in its campaign to deregulate the energy industry. Many dollars were contributed to Bush in Texas and at the National level by AA and E. In 2000, Enron paid AA ~$52 million. Twenty-seven million came from consulting services, $25 million from auditing services. Accenture apparently wasn't officially spun off until 2001. So the three have done business together. Pile number two.
Meanwhile, in pile 3, Andersen at large gave the GOP $240,000 for the 2000 race. Accenture employees gave $170,000. Enron gave over $1,000,000. Accenture did the election vote auditing for us and cooks our books. Enron was in our Energy Task Force.
So there you have it. A pile of piles. A preponderance. If the standard of truth is defined by the Republican Party, then I've over-proven my case and have some time to exhibit one of the scoundrels who ripped off the country and helped fund its takeover:
D. Stephen Goddard Jr Katy TX
Arthur Andersen
Bush Pioneer
Goddard manages the Gulf Coast office of this huge global accounting and business services firm where he specializes in servicing multinational energy companies. He sits on the board of Texas A&M’s George Bush School of Government.
Political Contributions:
Bush Gubernatorial Races: $1,250 Republican Hard Money: $3,750 Republican Soft Money: $0 Democratic Hard Money: $0 Democratic Soft Money: $0
Federal PAC Hard Money: $3,637 Total Contributions: $8,637
Soft Money from Employer: $250,408 to Republicans: $238,908 to Democrats: $11,500
Some of the references used for this quickie blurb:
http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/VTMAG/v14n2/page26-32.html
http://www.public-i.org/report.aspx?aid=218&sid=200http://www.opensecrets.org/softmoney/softcomp2.asp?txtName=Accenture&txtUltOrg=n&txtCycle=2000&txtSort=name
http://www.opensecrets.org/softmoney/softcomp2.asp?txtName=Enron+Corp&txtUltOrg=n&txtCycle=2000&txtSort=Date
The GOP has developed a technique I call Pile Shit, in which they start throwing crap until it reaches eye level. Repeating the lie drums it into the receptive, and by simply stating it repeatedly they enter it into the record.
I'm not like that. I came to this moment with my strong opinions, but my vanity makes me want to be sure I'm right. My lumping of Accenture with Andersen and Enron was questioned, and I'm prepared to defend that lump as an ACTUAL pile of shit. My point is that the entire Republican Party is best described as its worst elements, because they function as a unit without question: the Accenture/Andersen/Enron lump should have been ostracized and hasn't been. Accenture just closed a $10 Billion dollar deal with the Republicans.
On the Virginia Tech alumni page we see a list of folks who worked at Arthur Andersen, in their consulting group known as Andersen Consulting, later Accenture :
Mark K. Snead (MGT) was promoted to associate partner with Andersen Consulting, Arthur Andersen & Co.
...(Deleted about twenty names from this list. The preponderance is still there, but I hope less tedious. )
That's pile 1: Since Arthur Andersen owned Andersen Consulting, one suspects some association between the two firms. AA employed these folks in a division.
Arthur Andersen, parent, aligned itself with Enron in its campaign to deregulate the energy industry. Many dollars were contributed to Bush in Texas and at the National level by AA and E. In 2000, Enron paid AA ~$52 million. Twenty-seven million came from consulting services, $25 million from auditing services. Accenture apparently wasn't officially spun off until 2001. So the three have done business together. Pile number two.
Meanwhile, in pile 3, Andersen at large gave the GOP $240,000 for the 2000 race. Accenture employees gave $170,000. Enron gave over $1,000,000. Accenture did the election vote auditing for us and cooks our books. Enron was in our Energy Task Force.
So there you have it. A pile of piles. A preponderance. If the standard of truth is defined by the Republican Party, then I've over-proven my case and have some time to exhibit one of the scoundrels who ripped off the country and helped fund its takeover:
D. Stephen Goddard Jr Katy TX
Arthur Andersen
Bush Pioneer
Goddard manages the Gulf Coast office of this huge global accounting and business services firm where he specializes in servicing multinational energy companies. He sits on the board of Texas A&M’s George Bush School of Government.
Political Contributions:
Bush Gubernatorial Races: $1,250 Republican Hard Money: $3,750 Republican Soft Money: $0 Democratic Hard Money: $0 Democratic Soft Money: $0
Federal PAC Hard Money: $3,637 Total Contributions: $8,637
Soft Money from Employer: $250,408 to Republicans: $238,908 to Democrats: $11,500
Some of the references used for this quickie blurb:
http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/VTMAG/v14n2/page26-32.html
http://www.public-i.org/report.aspx?aid=218&sid=200http://www.opensecrets.org/softmoney/softcomp2.asp?txtName=Accenture&txtUltOrg=n&txtCycle=2000&txtSort=name
http://www.opensecrets.org/softmoney/softcomp2.asp?txtName=Enron+Corp&txtUltOrg=n&txtCycle=2000&txtSort=Date
Wednesday, May 18, 2005
Four Ger EEEE!
Four more years! Four More Years!! FOUR MORE YEARS!!!
When was the last time you saw a forged document? The Bush administration had a bunch- the phony doc meant to throw suspicion on Hussein with accusations of yellowcake shopping in Africa despite active investigations of experts in that country reporting the opposite.
And the Reserve docs they forged to silence Dan Rather. And the leaks into Newsweek to diminish the field of potential critics.
And what else?
Remember, there's an election coming up.
When was the last time you saw a forged document? The Bush administration had a bunch- the phony doc meant to throw suspicion on Hussein with accusations of yellowcake shopping in Africa despite active investigations of experts in that country reporting the opposite.
And the Reserve docs they forged to silence Dan Rather. And the leaks into Newsweek to diminish the field of potential critics.
And what else?
Remember, there's an election coming up.
Go figure: A Republican Hypocrite!
Shouldn't come as such a surprise, but with their claims of moral authority you'd think they'd be better at lying.
Turns out For-Profit Hospital Chain Magnate Bill Frist voted for a filibuster against a Clinton appointee. http://thinkprogress.org/index.php?p=906
Schumer called him on it, and he was flummoxed. Confronted with documentary evidence, they always fall apart. Just like Dennis Hastert lost when questioned during the feast of many cuts, "Why aren't we calling on Americans to sacrifice, this being wartime and all?" He said "Glubhluchtie, uh, I'll tell you where the sacrifice is, it's the men and women in uniform!" He stormed out after saying we were sacrificing the men and women in uniform.
Shouldn't come as a surprise, but when Cheney demonized Kerry for voting in favor of a federal tax on fuel, he neglected to mention his own support for a $0.50/gal gas tax when he worked in the representative part of government.
Personally, I've found a method for finding truth in Republican statements. I look for the precise opposite of what is said, and then direct it toward a group unrelated to the audience.
Turns out For-Profit Hospital Chain Magnate Bill Frist voted for a filibuster against a Clinton appointee. http://thinkprogress.org/index.php?p=906
Schumer called him on it, and he was flummoxed. Confronted with documentary evidence, they always fall apart. Just like Dennis Hastert lost when questioned during the feast of many cuts, "Why aren't we calling on Americans to sacrifice, this being wartime and all?" He said "Glubhluchtie, uh, I'll tell you where the sacrifice is, it's the men and women in uniform!" He stormed out after saying we were sacrificing the men and women in uniform.
Shouldn't come as a surprise, but when Cheney demonized Kerry for voting in favor of a federal tax on fuel, he neglected to mention his own support for a $0.50/gal gas tax when he worked in the representative part of government.
Personally, I've found a method for finding truth in Republican statements. I look for the precise opposite of what is said, and then direct it toward a group unrelated to the audience.
Dude, where's our surplus?
President Clinton did two things I hold grudges about. It doesn't bother me too much that he used a swing to the middle and coopted the positive planks of the Republican platform. It does suck that the GOP has abandoned them as tainted by populism, but it's not his fault they worship confusion.
But he let his guard down and succumbed to a weak will. Rule #1 for a guy is Don't do a chubby girl who writes poetry and wears a beret. She's likely to be co-dependent in general, and you can't trust her unless you marry her. She needs someone to talk to, and if you stress her emotions you won't enjoy her confidence. Monica was a very expensive gift, considering the recipient didn't deserve gifts so much as a spanking. I'm angry at Clinton for giving aid and comfort to the enemy.
The second complaint I have with Clinton is the surplus. It was a great idea to balance the budget, but it went too far. He left a wad of cash on the table, and the bad guys were going to win. Gore had a chance in 2000, but ignoring his environmental record, leaving his home state orphaned, and hiding from his Clinton connection left him without a consituency.
The surplus gave them something to go to war for. Overnight, the Republicans took the megaBillions surplus of cash on hand and took it home to fatten their terrible Republican Glassy-Eyed Armageddonist families.
But he let his guard down and succumbed to a weak will. Rule #1 for a guy is Don't do a chubby girl who writes poetry and wears a beret. She's likely to be co-dependent in general, and you can't trust her unless you marry her. She needs someone to talk to, and if you stress her emotions you won't enjoy her confidence. Monica was a very expensive gift, considering the recipient didn't deserve gifts so much as a spanking. I'm angry at Clinton for giving aid and comfort to the enemy.
The second complaint I have with Clinton is the surplus. It was a great idea to balance the budget, but it went too far. He left a wad of cash on the table, and the bad guys were going to win. Gore had a chance in 2000, but ignoring his environmental record, leaving his home state orphaned, and hiding from his Clinton connection left him without a consituency.
The surplus gave them something to go to war for. Overnight, the Republicans took the megaBillions surplus of cash on hand and took it home to fatten their terrible Republican Glassy-Eyed Armageddonist families.
Tuesday, May 17, 2005
Compromise the Courts?
Q: Should Senate Democrats compromise on the endless stream of unacceptable nominees ?
A: Absolutely not.
That the Bush administration is so giddy with hubris and contemptuous of the other side is itself unacceptable. That they wouldn't choose new nominees is also terrible. It's a terrible choice, but filibuster is the right thing to do to prevent the marginalization of the minority this Republican putsch fights so hard for. The Republican Party is calling for the rest of us to kneel and kiss the ring, and any Democrat crossing the aisle is as guilty of treason as the opponent.
That the Senate approved Bolton's nomination is indicative of the bad behavior of the Republican Party at large. Most members of the Foreign Relations Comittee agree with me: Bolton is a dick, and he can't speak for the nation because we can't trust him to speak for himself. I watched the end of hearings on C-Span. Approval means a rubber stamp, because as one of the brain-dead enemies of our State said, the President is owed complete obedience from his lessers. Whatever he wants, including the missing $9,000,000,000.
So I say, "Do it." Filibuster these creeps. And if they change the rules of America to say the minority shall have no voice I say, "Do it." Freeze everything. Shut down the government, just like the Republicans did when Newt didn't get to sit up front with Uncle Bill in his airplane.
The Congress only functions as a tool anyway, and every piece of legislation they've generated has been another bone in my throat. Stop the mayhem. Stop the budgets. Stop the presses, we're shutting the place down.
A: Absolutely not.
That the Bush administration is so giddy with hubris and contemptuous of the other side is itself unacceptable. That they wouldn't choose new nominees is also terrible. It's a terrible choice, but filibuster is the right thing to do to prevent the marginalization of the minority this Republican putsch fights so hard for. The Republican Party is calling for the rest of us to kneel and kiss the ring, and any Democrat crossing the aisle is as guilty of treason as the opponent.
That the Senate approved Bolton's nomination is indicative of the bad behavior of the Republican Party at large. Most members of the Foreign Relations Comittee agree with me: Bolton is a dick, and he can't speak for the nation because we can't trust him to speak for himself. I watched the end of hearings on C-Span. Approval means a rubber stamp, because as one of the brain-dead enemies of our State said, the President is owed complete obedience from his lessers. Whatever he wants, including the missing $9,000,000,000.
So I say, "Do it." Filibuster these creeps. And if they change the rules of America to say the minority shall have no voice I say, "Do it." Freeze everything. Shut down the government, just like the Republicans did when Newt didn't get to sit up front with Uncle Bill in his airplane.
The Congress only functions as a tool anyway, and every piece of legislation they've generated has been another bone in my throat. Stop the mayhem. Stop the budgets. Stop the presses, we're shutting the place down.
Texas Morality: All Values Deeply Discounted
I was raised with the belief that Chivalry, and not Realpolitik, should guide our behavior toward others. So I've been disturbed by lawmakers and executives claiming some bizarro moral high ground as they do exactly what I'm teaching my son to not do. I call it Texas Morality, or Wal-Mart Morality: All Values Deeply Discounted!
Mercy is a value I was surprised to see expressed by the normally cynical, ruthless and mercurial GOP-controlled Justice Department. It came as a surprise that despite the GOP's strong support for the death penalty and the executive's predeliction toward killing women, crazies and simpletons, a man's life was spared.
He was the star of a popular television show for about 10 years, and he was on the run from authorities in Dukes of Hazzard territory. Acting on principle, this lovable raff affected the lives of people around the world. The show was America's Most Wanted, and the Bush Justice Department handed him a plea deal to prevent the states from executing Eric Rudolph. Remember, he used domestic terror tactics- Bombs, to kill his philosophical opponents. He placed bombs in the middle of the Atlanta Olympics to kill people he disagreed with, with no regard given to the innocent.
His real beef was probably with abortionists, gays, the international community and athletes, but surely he shares with McVeigh the anti-establishment leaning used to justufy the mass murder of strangers in Oklahoma City. But these are both criminals against our society who used indiscriminate weapons to commit capital crimes, crossing state lines in pursuit of their victims.
Bush and his friends have tacitly endorsed his violent behavior toward the rest of us who value liberty and demand the responsibility to make our own decisions. He and Das Republikbureau are preparing to warehouse Mr. Rudolph in a prison at our expense where he will have access to media, a law school, and hero status within the nutso community.
Since the Republicans hired Arthur Anderson (Accenture) to keep the books after AA helped Enron rob their customers and ruin the futures of their employees and stockholders, it is perfectly clear that this deeply-discounted value system and poorly-accounted record keeping is consistent with the Bush Plan to kill random Americans and ruin the futures of the rest. And they lay claim to the moral high ground.
Mercy is a value I was surprised to see expressed by the normally cynical, ruthless and mercurial GOP-controlled Justice Department. It came as a surprise that despite the GOP's strong support for the death penalty and the executive's predeliction toward killing women, crazies and simpletons, a man's life was spared.
He was the star of a popular television show for about 10 years, and he was on the run from authorities in Dukes of Hazzard territory. Acting on principle, this lovable raff affected the lives of people around the world. The show was America's Most Wanted, and the Bush Justice Department handed him a plea deal to prevent the states from executing Eric Rudolph. Remember, he used domestic terror tactics- Bombs, to kill his philosophical opponents. He placed bombs in the middle of the Atlanta Olympics to kill people he disagreed with, with no regard given to the innocent.
His real beef was probably with abortionists, gays, the international community and athletes, but surely he shares with McVeigh the anti-establishment leaning used to justufy the mass murder of strangers in Oklahoma City. But these are both criminals against our society who used indiscriminate weapons to commit capital crimes, crossing state lines in pursuit of their victims.
Bush and his friends have tacitly endorsed his violent behavior toward the rest of us who value liberty and demand the responsibility to make our own decisions. He and Das Republikbureau are preparing to warehouse Mr. Rudolph in a prison at our expense where he will have access to media, a law school, and hero status within the nutso community.
Since the Republicans hired Arthur Anderson (Accenture) to keep the books after AA helped Enron rob their customers and ruin the futures of their employees and stockholders, it is perfectly clear that this deeply-discounted value system and poorly-accounted record keeping is consistent with the Bush Plan to kill random Americans and ruin the futures of the rest. And they lay claim to the moral high ground.
Science OR Intelligent Design
Intelligent design is a very convenient short cut to the conclusion desired by the enemies of science and progress. But it's not science. It's not testable, and not reproducible.
That's easy for me to say, since I can accept that an omnipotent being can do anything. I'm not terribly pious, but I can't clip the wings of the Deity and prevent it (Him?) from creating an evolutionary universe where change is the constant and black and white television yields to color. I like the fact that experimental science has led to sterile surgeries, long life spans and low infant mortality. I like the bright colors in my wardrobe, the car I use to transport my body, the Thai foods I wouldn't know about if other cultures hadn't evolved independently of mine.
So test your theory. And remember you can't walk into the laboratory with your results. The Bible can't be used to justify your conclusions, because it is the experimental subject. And when you do attempt to create the universe, make sure you have fresh underwear on.
That's easy for me to say, since I can accept that an omnipotent being can do anything. I'm not terribly pious, but I can't clip the wings of the Deity and prevent it (Him?) from creating an evolutionary universe where change is the constant and black and white television yields to color. I like the fact that experimental science has led to sterile surgeries, long life spans and low infant mortality. I like the bright colors in my wardrobe, the car I use to transport my body, the Thai foods I wouldn't know about if other cultures hadn't evolved independently of mine.
So test your theory. And remember you can't walk into the laboratory with your results. The Bible can't be used to justify your conclusions, because it is the experimental subject. And when you do attempt to create the universe, make sure you have fresh underwear on.
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