All For Profit

Moves by the new U.S. Federal Administration to deify profit & aggrandize market economics are dangerous. The powerful who now control resources will gain more. The great majority will lose everything valuable (which now is not much). Social Darwinism is unsustainable!

All government operations are being reinterpreted as potential business opportunities. Troublesome information is being hidden, data gathering discontinued, and regulations dismantled in areas such as conservation and human services.

So sad.

How Dirty is the FBI?

For many or most in my generation, the FBI was admirable. They upheld the law without falling into the squabbles, nepotism and petty politics of local sheriffs and police departments. The "G Man" was highly-trained and above corruption. FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover reportedly was highly concerned with the Bureau's reputation, even interviewing and organizing training for Efrem Zimbalist Jr. for his TV role depicting the FBI.

For Boston & New England people, the saga of James "Whitey" Bulger and his brother Billy dirtied the FBI's reputation. Whitey was collaborating with the Bureau even as he murdered people, and FBI agent John Joseph Connolly, Jr. provided the tip-off allowing Whitey to escape justice in late 1994.

Subsequently, Bulger was highlighted as America's "Most Wanted" by the FBI for awhile, but it became clearer his insider knowledge of important people's dirt may have led to him being "America's least wanted."

We common folk will never know the full truth. Yet there remain troubling points:

1) Was Mr. Bulger truly captured? If so, where's Whitey now?
We're told this infamous criminal is safely locked-up (in US Federal Penitentiary Coleman II, Florida). But is he really there? Whitey & the Feds did bad shit together. The government should supply periodic photos & updates of his alleged incarceration.

2) Whitey was on the run for 16+ years; thousands of tips & leads were supposedly tracked, and the FBI offered a US$2 million reward for Bulger's capture. In 2008, Keith Messina reported seeing Whitey in Santa Monica, California. Three years later, a more precise tip by an Icelandic woman led the FBI to the doorstep of Bulger & his fugitive girlfriend. Perhaps the FBI could easily disregard domestically-generated tips, but an Icelandic TV crew finding Bulger would surely be a black-eye to the Bureau -- they needed to act. The Icelandic tipster was paid her reward, but her name and personal details were leaked to media & publicized. Nasty take-away lesson: collaborating with the FBI is very dangerous! Surely policing is more effective when working together with the public. Government promises of confidentiality must be enforced.

U.S. Senate Confirmed

During the Senate confirmation hearing for a new U.S. Attorney General, the senior Senator for Massachusetts, Vice Chair of the chamber's Democratic Caucus, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, was officially rebuked by the Republican majority. The measure barred Warren from speaking further during Sessions' nomination hearing.

Warren was slapped-down for questioning past motives & conduct of a Senate colleague, Jeff Sessions from Alabama.

Ultimately, this confirms the U.S. Senate is doing a poor job. The Senate is entrusted with offering advice, and must consent to the appointment of key nominations. For the national interest, the confirmation process is not meant to be a whitewash, and should allow debate. It seems ridiculous when historical documentation and negative background of potential Cabinet appointments cannot be mentioned.

Regardless of the fitness of Sen. Sessions to become U.S. Attorney General, this incident was a black-eye for the U.S. Senate and underlines the shoddy tenure of Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

We Know Things Are Bad...

It's 40+ years since the (link) 1976 film Network ...

We carry-on as string puppets controlled via media.
Parasitic corporate interests suppress community & suck dry the output of each modest life.

Did YOU get free public money from the bipartisan Bush/Obama bailout? If not, you're simple normal social scum -- a badly connected outsider. Deplorable.

USA = 99% Deplorable

 ... enjoy this audio clip ( link )

Who Won?

This posting will evolve, but the key concept is wondering:
Who won the 2016 Presidential Election?

First, it seems (somewhat) clear Hilary Clinton LOST -- while the Democratic National Committee was LOST from long ago

My Question is not the choice of A or B, but rather X
 - did Russia interfere & actively intervene?
 - is Trump working for Russia?
 - why did / (does?) Trump want the job of President?
 - why was there no recount in the key states where requested?
 - is American DEMOCRACY an illusion?

Selling a Pollution Pit

Entergy is the fat corporation owning Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Plymouth, Massachusetts. They've sucked revenues from the nuclear reactor, but have no proper plan for dealing with the dirty aftermath.

Now they suggest selling the aging plant to another (newly formed) corporation.

Some support the sale. Former Massachusetts State Sen. Daniel Wolf (D) is quoted as calling the potential transaction "really exciting news." (link)

SUCKER !

A similar process is happening at the Vermont Yankee Nuclear plant. There's no reasonable vision for optimism. Entergy would exploit profitable decommissioning, if there were such a thing. They instead plan to wash their hands by passing the muck to a newly-formed shell corporation.

This new firm may perform correctly, but tens of millions, maybe billions of dollars urge them to default, defect, and pass most costs to the public.

Don't let Entergy off the hook for their obligations.

Cruelly Corporatist Korea

Gangjeong Village is among the furthest points from Seoul as exist in South Korea. Some 480 km from Seoul and far from mainland troubles, Gangjeong sits on beautiful Jeju Island's southern coast. Threats to develop the region were first put aside through legislation and edict. (link) The coastal area was designated a Cultural Protection Zone by the South Korean government in 2000 and 2004. In 2002 South Korea's Ministry of Land defined the region a Marine Ecosystem Conservation Area, and that same year it also became a UNESCO Biosphere Conservation Area. In 2006, the government of Jeju Island named the Gangjeong Village zone a Marine Provincial Park, and the central government's Ministry of Environment designated it an "Ecological Excellent Village"; in 2007, the Jeju Island government identified it as an Absolute Retention Coastal Area; and in 2008, the Ministry of Environment designated it a Natural Park.

Then, against the wishes of the local people, distant militarists decided to develop the area as a strategic naval base. Both the Korean Government in distant Seoul and the U.S. Government in Washington D.C. pushed to reclassify the area for development, overturning all objections. Jeju Naval Base (제주 해군기지) is now operational.

But serious struggles continue (link). Many local people and their supporters were arrested & fined. Worse, because construction was slower than expected due to local opposition, the large private-sector chaebol construction companies demanded compensation for the delays, Seoul's right-wing government is forcing the local villagers to pay these costs (link).

In other words, refusing to quickly stand aside when government tries bulldozing your neighborhood will lead to bankruptcy. Forcing the local population to pay restitution & indemnity is horrible -- closer to fascism than a democratic process. Shame on Korea's politicians!

Artist Carlos Latuff (Brazil) supports Jeju villagers against the menacing naval base

Unfortunate blowback from a global imperialist alliance is deployment of foreign military forces in places otherwise peaceful, thus distressing the local population. Korea, Japan and Hawai'i are in a feudal relationship with Washington D.C., forced to accept American military installations into such places as Jeju's Gangjeon coastline, Okinawa's Yanbaru forest, and O'ahu's delicate Mokapu Peninsula. Tough.