The Zeitgeist Addendum

For those of you who still have not heard of it, The Zeitgeist Addendum is a Lugubrious look at government and control in our modern era. Film maker Peter Joseph exams modern reserve banking systems, religion, and warfare, and comes up with a not-so-staggering conclusion: We. Be. Fucked. 

As nations  across the globe continue to move towards amalgamation and globalization one cannot help but notice the waning emphasis on nationalism, and the continuing trend towards international 'unity.' Zeitgeist's message is that there are nefarious forces at work who's goal is to enslave you through capitalism actuated by your own blind consumerism, with an end game of creating a world government by which to exercise that control. 

On the whole it is a pretty radical claim, but we live in radical times. 

Whether or not you believe his assertions (I fact checked what I could and it was on-point, specifically about the way that our economy works) , The Zeitgeist Addendum  will likely stir up some provocative thinking in the most complacent of minds. 

Don't take my word for it. Watch it yourself for free. 

TriMet Receives $1M From TSA

TriMet is not just giving away a shit-ton of money, they are also receiving it. 

TriMet general Manager Fred Hansen announced monday that TriMet will be expanding its security measures throughout their rail system. The plan includes hiring 15 additional transit cops, expanding contracted security officers, lobbying for a change in legislation that would increase fines and make it a felony to assault passengers, as well as doubling the amount of fare inspectors on-duty. 

But all of that isn't what has OregonLive! blogger Larry Norton up in arms. It's the security cameras.

TriMet plans to install additional security cameras throughout the max system and Norton is wondering what sort of 'quid pro quo' the TSA is asking for in return for funding. The agreement mentions sharing access to the CCTV systems with the TSA during an "...attack or emergency." Norton wisely ponders: "Who defines 'attack' and 'emergency?"

The Little Engine That Filed Chapter 11

TriMet's new people-mover project, WES, (originally slated to be up and running this fall) has now been delayed until at least February of 2009. 

TriMet has had to pay out an additional $3 Million to the manufacturer of the heavy rail diesel powered trains planned for use with WES to help the company avoid an impending bankruptcy. "It was all and effort to get the cars. They're the only manufacturer of this kind of car in the country" TriMet spokeswoman Mary Fetch said wednesday in an interview with KPOJ. 

It looks like Oregonians get to pay for two corporate bail-outs this year. How progressive. 

Ellen DeGeneres: Vegan?

Ecorazzi has reported today on their website that Ellen DeGeneres has gone vegan. Ellen - a long time vegetarian - celebrated her recent nuptials to Portia De Rossi with vegan fare, and has since allegedly 'came-out' as a vegan at the Proposition 2 benefit in Las Angeles. 

This leads me to ask: What about all those made-from-dead-animals-tested-on-live-animals cosmetics that you are hawking for CoverGirl (produced by the fiendish Proctor & Gamble)? Also, if you are a vegan does that mean you can no longer eat Portia's... Well, okay. I won't go there. 

But, Ecorazzi writer 'Parrish' hopes that Ellen's new veggie status will perhaps help convince P&G to ditch current animal testing practices in favor of more humane options. To me this sounds like a double-standard on the part of Ecorazzi. I thought us vegans were the ones who were through deluding ourselves? This appears to be another example of celebrities putting money before morality, and Ellen shouldn't be immune to criticism in regards to her actions. If Ellen wants to persuade P&G to do the right thing then perhaps she, as spokeswoman, should publicly decry P&G's actions in the national media, and perhaps even *gasp* resign and give back all that dirty money. 

According to a 2005 census by Forbes, DeGeneres's personal net worth is an estimated $65 Million.

Kucinich Watch: 2008

America's favorite vegan - Dennis Kucinich - was a minority as a Democrat who voted down the Bush administration backed bail-out bill. Read his statement, below, explaining why he voted against it:

Yesterday marked a day that will go down in history, when Congressional Democrats and Republicans alike took on full responsibility to protect the interests of taxpaying Americans, and defeated the deceptive bail out bill, defying the dictates of the Administration, the House Majority Leadership, the House Minority Leadership and the special interests on Wall Street.
Obviously Congress must consider quickly another course. There are immediate issues which demand attention and responsible action by the Congress so that the taxpayers, their assets, and their futures are protected.

We MUST do something to protect millions of Americans whose homes, bank deposits, investments, and pensions are at risk in a financial system that has become seriously corrupted. We are told that we must stabilize markets in order for the people to be protected. I think we need to protect peoples' homes, bank deposits, investments, and pensions, to order to stabilize the market.

We cannot delay taking action. But the action must benefit all Americans, not just a privileged few. Otherwise, more plans will fail, and the financial security of everyone will be at risk.
The $700 billion bailout would have added to our existing unbearable load of national debt, trade deficits, and the cost of paying for the war. It would have been a disaster for the American public and the government for decades and maybe even centuries to come.

To be sure, there are many different reasons why people voted against the bailout. The legislation did not regard in any meaningful way the plight of millions of Americans who are about to lose their homes. It did nothing to strengthen existing regulatory structures or impose new ones at the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Federal Reserve in order to protect investors. There were no direct protections for bank depositors. There was nothing to stop further speculation, which is what brought us into this mess in the first place. This was a bailout for some firms (and investors) on Wall Street, with the idea that in doing so there would be certain, unspecified, general benefits to the economy.

This is a perfect time to open a broader discussion about our financial system, especially our monetary system. Such a discussion is like searching for a needle in a haystack, and then, upon finding it, discussing its qualities at great length. Let me briefly describe the haystack instead.

Here is a very quick explanation of the $700 billion bailout within the context of the mechanics of our monetary and banking system:
The taxpayers loan money to the banks. But the taxpayers do not have the money. So we have to borrow it from the banks to give it back to the banks. But the banks do not have the money to loan to the government. So they create it into existence (through a mechanism called fractional reserve) and then loan it to us, at interest, so we can then give it back to them.

Confused?

This is the system. This is the standard mechanism used to expand the money supply on a daily basis not a special one designed only for the "$700 billion" transaction. People will explain this to you in many different ways, but this is what it comes down to.

The banks needed Congress' approval. Of course in this topsy turvy world, it is the banks which set the terms of the money they are borrowing from the taxpayers. And what do we get for this transaction? Long term debt enslavement of our country. We get to pay back to the banks trillions of dollars ($700 billion with compounded interest) and the banks give us their bad debt which they cull from everywhere in the world.

Who could turn down a deal like this? I did.

The globalization of the debt puts the United States in the position that in order to repay the money that we borrow from the banks (for the banks) we could be forced to accept International Monetary Fund dictates which involve cutting health, social security benefits and all other social spending in addition to reducing wages and exploiting our natural resources. This inevitably leads to a loss of economic, social and political freedom.

Under the failed $700 billion bailout plan, Wall Street's profits are Wall Street's profits and Wall Street's losses are the taxpayers' losses. Profits are capitalized. Losses are socialized.

We are at a teachable moment on matters of money and finance. In the coming days and weeks, I will share with you thoughts about what can be done to take us not just in a new direction, but in a new direction which is just.

Damn straight. We don't need no water let those motherfuckers burn.

Happy World Vegetarian Day!

So, I uh, dropped the ball a little bit. Today is world vegetarian day, not yesterday as I had originally posted. I was just so *excited.*

For ALL Creatures Great and Small

The RSPCA, the division of the SPCA (Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) has elected a new leader, who in turn is asking for a 'radical' change in the organizations mission statement. Former Animal Liberation president, and new RSPCA presidentPeter Adamson has submitted a list of resolutions to include:

RECOGNISING egg, milk and chicken, pig and rabbit meat production "inflicts high levels of physical and psychological suffering on tens of millions of animals each year".

ACKNOWLEDGING a vegetarian or vegan diet was "the most effective way to significantly reduce cruelty to animals farmed for meat, eggs and milk".

ASKING RSPCA members to consider changing to a vegetarian or vegan diet.

Adamson asserts that eating meat contributes to the suffering of billions of animals every year, and if the RSPCA's stated goal is to address animal suffering and cruelty then an advocacy of a vegan diet is a natural evolution of that goal. One RSPCA member, opponent of the proposed resolution, and veterinarian Andrew Carter has said the proposed statement "would put off middle-of-the-road people and have a negative impact on membership...The message from that resolution is the RSPCA is trying to tell people what to do . . . but I don't think becoming a vegetarian will solve problems of animal cruelty."

Adamson also admitted to being labeled a 'food nazi' during meetings, and is surprised at the intensity of the push-back on the issue. I think that perhaps he should consider introducing more widely appealing resolutions, like changing their motto to "For all animals great and small (unless they are tasty)" which would definitely fall more in-line with current thought processes within the organization. 

The RSPCA's traditional role has been as a pet advocacy group, but recently members have begun to acknowledge that the meaning of 'animal' transcends the traditional definition of 'cats, dogs, and horses.'