Name that tune

                                         

WHISTLE-BLOWING , 

LEAKING , 

AND THE PUBLIC’S NEED TO KNOW THE DIFFERENCE : WHAT’S IN A NAME?

Before the entire world gets all warm and fuzzy with the term “whistleblower”, they need to have some idea of just what a “whistleblower” is, both figuratively and literally. We tend to jump to the Figurative definition when we hear of anyone telling secrets, or uncovering wrong doings, no matter the situation and no matter the accusations. With so much leaking of secrets, governmental, industrial and corporate, the lines between “leaking” and “whistleblowing” are getting blurred. Literally speaking, the act of “whistleblowing” is initiated by an individual who feels he/she has been told to do something that he/she feels is, at best, not legal, or injurious to others. It really is no more complicated than that.

With this literal definition in mind, a number of folks in the News are exempt from this category. This would include Bradley Manning, Ed Snowden, Mark Klein, Samy Kamkar, Russ Tice, and Babak Pasdar. These are but a few of the people who had daily access to very sensitive documents the Government would rather you and I not see. In neither instance were any one of these people asked to do anything that was harmful, or illegal, to themselves, or anyone else. They have absconded with information entrusted, or available, to them by their employers and have chosen to share said information to the general public much to the dismay of their employers.

When it comes to the inner operations of the U.S. Intelligence Agencies, there appears to be a heightened degree ego protracted across the breadth of management in these Agencies. This sense of entitlement to self-importance is usually spurred on by zealots and hawks in the Legislative and Executive Branches of the U.S. Federal bureaucratic maze. With regard to the egos involved, one needs simply to watch C-Span to get a feeling of the total arrogance not only of the leadership, but also the “Assistant, Deputy, Under-Secretary, Pro-Tem’s”, especially of the Intelligence community. I only point this out because of the apparent direction of deception our Federal Government is going. Think about it. We have so many “wars” on so many subjects and issues that the American Public is being driven into accepting secrecy as the normal way we conduct every day government. Take a moment, and try to make a list of the “wars” the United States is currently waging. I did, and came up with over fifty of them before my head started to hurt and I had to stop. To wit; war on drugs, war on women, war on guns (whaaat?), war on obesity, war on abortion, war on voters rights, and on and on and on and on!

So, we are left with the task of coming up with a new name for the folks who leak “Classified, Top-Secret, Sensitive” government documentation to a democratic public who has paid good money for an open form of said government. Calling them “Leakers” seems so plebeian and mundane. The terms “Outers” may confuse them with the LGBT Community (certainly not a parallel worthy of making). Something along the lines of “UDL – Ultimate Down Loader” may be an apt moniker.

Bradley Manning – DoD UDL

Ed Snowden – NSA UDL

Russ Tice – NSA UDL

Samy Kamkar – TELECOM UDL

Babak Pasdar - TELECOM UDL

Mark Klein - TELECOM UDL

So let’s hear it! Send in your own suggestions. Keep those cards and letters coming.

The ones you didn’t hear much about:

 Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_whistleblowers

2003	Babak Pasdar	United States Government	Computer security consultant performing contract work for a major telecom carrier, revealed that a U.S. government office in Quantico, Virginia had direct, high-speed access to a major wireless carrier's systems, exposing customers' voice-calls, data packets and physical movements to uncontrolled surveillance. Pasdar executed a seven-page affidavit for the nonprofit Government Accountability Project in Washington.
2007	Mark Klein	National Security Agency	retired communications technician for AT&T, revealed the details of his personal knowledge of the secret 2003 construction of a monitoring facility in Room 641A of 611 Folsom Street in San Francisco, the site of a large SBC phone building, three floors of which are occupied by AT&T. The facility is alleged to be one of several operated by the National Security Agency as part of the warrantless surveillance undertaken by the Bush administration in the wake of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
2005	Russ Tice	US Government	Former intelligence analyst for the National Security Agency (NSA), the U.S. Air Force, Office of Naval Intelligence, and the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA). Most recently he is one of the sources used by the New York Times in reporting on the NSA wiretapping controversy. He had earlier been known for reporting suspicions that a DIA colleague of his might be a Chinese spy.[citation needed]
2010-2011	Samy Kamkar	Apple, Microsoft, and Google	Computer hacker who exposed the illicit, global mobile phone tracking of all users, regardless of GPS or Location Services settings, on the Apple iPhone, Google Android and Microsoft Windows Phone mobile devices, and their transmission of GPS and Wi-Fi information to their parent companies, which led to a series of class-action lawsuits and a privacy hearing on Capitol Hill.

AND, THE MARIONETTES DANCED UNTIL DAWN!

Who’s pulling the strings?

We know who the puppets are, but the big question is, “Who’s pulling the puppet’s strings?” With a remarkable number of whistle-blowers, this Century has gotten off to a very inauspicious start. The “Bush Years” didn’t seem to spawn very many of these leakers. During Obama’s reign, however, the leaks seem to be coming at a fast and furious rate. When a rash of these occurrences happen back to back to back, you have to put some distance between yourself and the events. Only then can you have a shot at seeing the big picture. Without much effort you can begin to notice possible patterns of what appear to be irrational, illogical situations. You start having some “Ah-Ha” moments, as you look at the time-lines and the events as a continuum of some sinister plot. We’re not talking James Bond, The Bourne Identity, or Maxwell Smart. But, at some point, you have to ask yourself, “What the Hell is going on here?”

Brad Manning

Julian Assange

Ed Snowden

Since 2008, there has been a truck load of stupidity emanating from Washington, DC. I stopped counting how many times the House of Representatives voted to strike down the Affordable Health Care Act. I stopped counting out of sheer disgust for our body Politic. There was this little thing they called the “Fiscal Cliff” which went the way of the old “Y2k” scare. The President still hasn’t been allowed to fill over half the open judicial positions in the Federal Court system; they have to be voted in by Congress. Guantanamo Bay Penitentiary is still in business for absolutely no reason. We pulled out of Iraq, beefed up our presence in Afghanistan, and, now, we’re taking a serious look at Syria. We’re repeating events that aren’t even history, yet. The U.S. Congress doesn’t consider the fact that the Country is still in an Economic Depression, so they won’t vote for any job creating stimulus Bills; I think the Democrats have simply thrown up their hands and walked away from that effort. Apparently the Country doesn’t need any Abortion Clinics, or Doctors who are willing to provide that service. And, while we’re at it, let’s make damn sure Women continue to make sizably less money for performing the same job as a man. By denying the LGBT Community their Civil Rights, are we upholding the Biblical rendition of marriage? Oh, I’m sorry. I forgot that over 50% of “traditional” Biblical marriages end in divorce, but, dear God, don’t let that stand in your way when voting for the Defense of Marriage Act. Do I remember correctly that someone put together a Bill that would require the sellers of lethal weapons to run background checks on their buyers? Silly me. What chance would a Bill like that have in our wonderful, upstanding, and worthy Congress?

Johnny Boehner

So, you see, it’s not just the whistle-blowers making all the noise. Our Elected Officials are off drumming to a different tune, also. If I was looking at a period of time that spanned decades, perhaps none of this would be cause for concern. But, all this, and more, and in such rapid succession has lead me to believe that "something’s rotten in Denmark"; so the saying goes. The question I keep coming back to is, “Who’s pulling the strings?”

Dickie Cheney

Donnie Rumsfeld

Jaime Diamond, CitiCorp

Jeffery Immelt, GE                              

Koch Brothers

Bobby Stevens, Lockheed

Rex Tillerson, Exxon-Mobil

Stevie Kandarian, MetLife

……………………………………. And the list goes on!     

POINT / COUNTERPOINT

 With the entire World going to Hell in a hand-basket, I thought I might give this a whirl. I “cherry picked” some of the Headlines

from articles in the New York Times, Vol. CLXII…No. 56.167. Friday, June 14^th, 2013. Read ‘em & weep!

                 NY Times Headline:                                                “We The Peeps 1” Interpretation:

“Justices, 9-0, Bar Patenting Human Genes”	The Supreme Court never does anything 9-0. Who on that Court even knows what a Human Gene is? But, what the Hell, they’ll vote on it anyway.
“Push To Prepare City’s Buildings For Next Storm”	I’m guessing that President Bloomberg is going to deploy the Defense Department’s “Iron Shield”. Why not; it worked so well in Israel (not!).
“Suit Over Who Owns A Song”	We can’t pray in schools. We can’t say Merry Christmas. And now, we can’t sing Happy Birthday!?? Oh, come on.
“China-Japan Dispute Brews”	Oh, crap…..not again! Can’t anyone tell China to shut up and sit down?
“Murdoch Files For Divorce”	Before he’s all done, good old Rupert will eclipse Liz Taylor in failed marriages and failed News Agencies.
“Bloomberg Reporters’ Tactics Become Crucial Issue”	I’m not in the 1%. I didn’t know that Bloomberg Reporters were getting hung out to dry. I didn’t have to read half the Article to realize all the hullabaloo is about Insider Trading; only, we can’t use that term for these folks. It’s time to man up and call it what it is.
“ Turkish Protestors Say Talks With Premier Lead To A Tentative Agreement”	Good! Now we won’t have to watch them burn down Istanbul on the nightly news. And, things better quiet down some before all those U.S. Service Men and Women arrive. Hey, I can see Syria from my back porch. How about them apples?!
“Citing Chemical Warfare, U.S. Is Said To Be Ready To Send Arms To Rebels”	I just love Red Lines. Don’t you? The biggest line we’re going to cross is that of starting another senseless Armed Conflict in the Mideast. I hope our Army likes Turkish cuisine.
“Nicaragua Approves Building Its Own Canal”	Oh, this ought to fun to watch. I know they’re hard working; but, a Canal? I don’t think so.
“Hague Court Turns Down Abuse Inquiry”	Please don’t tell me the Vatican has the World Court in its pocket. A parent has to be crazy to allow one of their children to step foot inside a Catholic House of Worship.
“Greece: Unions Stage a General Strike”	Who cares?!!
“Inspector Commits Suicide After Building Collapse”	It’s time someone took ownership of their bad behavior.
“Agency’s Crusade Against Leaks of a Potent Greenhouse Gas Yields Results”	Yep…we got your depleted ozone layer, global warming, climate change, super storms, major draughts….that Crusade is doing some mighty fine things, I’d say.
“A Promise Of Changes For Access To Secrets”	Well, correct me if I’m wrong, but that kind of makes them NOT secrets anymore. I know the logic is hard to follow, but we pay these folks big bucks to dazzle us with BS.

I will leave you with these sweet little morsels. There were more, but I would run the risk of putting you to sleep, if I continued.

Oh, wait, I’d end up putting myself to sleep, too.

Secret Global Offshore Banking Scheme Exposed!

Now this from: The Progressive Press

   And all of you thought I was talking out of another orifice than my mouth!?

Secret Global Offshore Banking Scheme Exposed!

Posted by Emine Dilek on Thursday, April 4, 2013 · 

Former chief economist, and a board member of the Tax Justice Network, James S. Henry’s research reveals that an estimated $21 trillion to $32 trillion in private financial wealth is tucked away in offshore havens, roughly equivalent to the size of the U.S. and Japanese economies combined.

These offshore havens are managed by the world’s 50 largest “private banks” –considered legal and legitimate-, and their coffers grew from $5.4 trillion in 2005 to more than $12 trillion in 2010.

Now, twelve diligent and patient journalists of International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) organization, and 86 journalists from 46 countries, sifting through millions of leaked files, emails and account ledgers, uncovered who these people are and where do they hide their cash to easily evade taxes or launder money.

ICIJ released their findings in a report titled “Secret Files Expose Offshore’s Global Impact”, discovering more than 120,000 offshore companies and trusts that conduct hidden dealings with politicians, con men and the mega-rich. The scheme extends to more than 170 countries and territories.

ICIJ reports that, during an interview with the CBC, Arthur Cockfield, a law professor and tax expert at Queen’s University in Canada, who reviewed some of the documents, said “I’ve never seen anything like this. This secret world has finally been revealed.”

According to the article, “Government officials and their families and associates in Azerbaijan, Russia, Canada, Pakistan, the Philippines, Thailand, Mongolia and other countries have embraced the use of covert companies and bank accounts.”

Moreover, “They include American doctors and dentists and middle-class Greek villagers as well as families and associates of long-time despots, Wall Street swindlers, Eastern European and Indonesian billionaires, Russian corporate executives, international arms dealers and a sham-director-fronted company that the European Union has labeled as a cog in Iran’s nuclear-development program.”

Report’s key findings explain how these tax advantages, the mega-rich use, are not available to the average people, and how the complex offshore structures allow them to purchase and own mansions, yachts, art masterpieces and other assets without having to pay any tax on them.

However, the scheme is not only about wealthy citizens trying to avoid paying taxes, it also exposes that savvy swindlers and drug lords have been taking advantage of this clandestine money hiding operation. Ponzi schemers, large-scale fraudsters, mobsters and oligarchs routinely use offshore havens, to not only hide their money, but in many cases also to launder it.

A well-paid industry of bankers, accountants, middlemen and other operatives help these customers to hide their identities and money, under the supposed legal guise of international and national laws, through an elaborate financial web that spans countries, continents and hemispheres.

Despite the efforts of several tax justice groups, and few international economic justice organizations, to reduce the secrecy and get tougher on money laundering, the offshore havens remain as a “zone of impunity” for anyone determined to hide their money, engaged in money laundering and tax fraud.

In the USA, most states have minimum mandatory sentencing of 1 to 5 years for robbery. Of course, the fancy world of “offshore” banking is not considered petty theft when it comes to international banking, because we all know bankers wear suits and ties, and that makes them legitimate.

http://www.progressivepress.net/

I rest my case. Anyone care to redirect?

The Real March Madness: Part Deux

The Real March Madness: Where does all our money go?

I have chosen to look at 15 of the largest U.S. Corporations that have effectively stopped paying taxes. These Corporations are, at the same time, cutting jobs across the board using the current “sequestration” and the Depression as an excuse. It's time for the corporate sector to report their first-quarter earnings.  windfall profits. So, why don't our biggest corporations pay more taxes?

Because they don’t have to: thanks to our wonderful Corporate Tax Structure. The real March madness is here, and my personal bracket for the “f-you fifteen” is as follows.

1.      General Electric: The worst tax record  with $81 billion in profits and a $3 billion refund.

2.      Boeing: $21.5 billion in profits in addition to receiving a refund.

3.      Exxon Mobil: Made $??? , by far the largest profits in the group, but paid less than 1% in U.S. taxes.

4.      Verizon: Second worst tax record, with a refund despite $48 billion in profits.

5.      Kraft Foods: Received a refund (bailout) from the public despite $13.5 billion in profits.

6.      Citigroup: One of the five big banks who are estimated to get a bailout/refund from the American public amounting to three cents from every tax dollar.

7.      Dow Chemical: Received a refund despite almost $10 billion in profits.

8.      IBM: Paid less than 3% in taxes.

9.      Chevron: A meager 4.3% tax rate and a share of oil subsidies.

10.  FedEx: The company paid less than 5% in federal taxes while relying on the publicly-funded Post Office to deliver thirty percent of its ground packages.

11.  Honeywell: Less than 6% in taxes.

12.  Apple: Where to begin? They are among the leaders in using what is termed  "Double Irish" to transfer profits from  around the World to Europe then, to Bermuda,

13.  Pfizer: Cash rich and one of the leaders in stockpiling untaxed profits overseas.

14.  Google: Along with Apple, a  master at the "Double Irish" revenue shift to Bermuda tax havens. Recognized as one of the world's biggest tax avoiders.

15.  Microsoft: Named as one of the biggest offshore hoarders. ^[1]

Since 2008, these Corporations have, for practical purposes, stopped paying their taxes. But, as business got better and their stock values went through the roof, they never even tried to restore their tax obligations. (Dow Jones Industrial Average in January, 2009 = 8,000.86: Dow Jones Industrial Average in January, 2013 = 13,860.58) The shareholders were getting richer. Corporate upper management was getting a lot richer. And, the stock brokers were getting filthy rich. Is there any thought given to Social, Moral, or Ethical standards? Apparently not!

Who wins at this game? No one wins this game in the long run. Financially they do (in the short term), but the gains are outweighed by the greed and irresponsibility of tax avoidance. All these companies use our infrastructure, technology, research facilities, higher education and national defense to build incomparably successful businesses. They do everything in their power to avoid paying anything back, using write-offs, exemptions, and loopholes to cut their tax bills to almost nothing. On top of all that, some of them get whopping Tax Refunds and juicy Government Subsidies to line their greedy little pockets.

[1] http://www.alternet.org/corporate-accountability-and-workplace/16-giant-corporations-have-basically-stopped-paying-taxes