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In reply to the discussion: Obama calls critics of TPP secrecy 'Conspiracy Theorists' [View all]Octafish
(55,745 posts)194. ''if and only if social welfare is improved by doing so.''
Comforting, comforting words. Not to defuse the fact that no one I can think of would ever use government service to enrich their cronies by "concealing their roles." As if that could ever happen every day!
Carlyle Group owns and operates NSA contract spy house Booz Allen Hamilton.
Carlyle is War Inc merged with Washington DC, personified.
Background from days when 92-percent of the country stood behind Smirko Bush:
War Is Sell - Washington Elite Benefits from War
Christopher Bollyn
October 31, 2001
War has always been a profitable money machine for shrewd investors with foresight, but the extremely close connections of the Carlyle Group, a Washington-based private equity investment firm and major war profiteer, to the Bush and Bin Laden families raise unavoidable questions of waging war for profit.
Established in 1987 the Carlyle Group was founded by David Rubenstein, a former staff member in the Jimmy Carter White House, and his two partners, Dan D'Aniello and Bill Conway. Today there are 18 partners in the firm and one outside investor. The Washington Post has described Carlyle as a "merchant banking firm" set up "to serve corporations and wealthy families." From the beginning the founders of Carlyle have recruited former politicians as consultants: former President George H. W. Bush is among them, along with a host of other Bush family cronies.
The Bush connection to the Carlyle Group is nothing short of a scandal, according to Larry Klayman, a notable government watchdog best known for pursuing the scandals of former President Bill Clinton. Now that the United States is bombing Afghanistan and allocating huge sums of money for defense, including $40 billion for the "war on terrorism" and more than $200 billion [1994 dollars] for the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), the conflict of interest is "direct," Klayman says. "President Bush should not ask but demand that his father pull out of the Carlyle Group." Carlyle owns many of the companies that will share in the $200 billion JSF deal.
"Carlyle is as deeply wired into the current administration as they can possibly be," Charles Lewis, executive director of the Center for Public Integrity, said. "George Bush is getting money from private interests that have business before the government, while his son is president. And, in a really peculiar way, George W. Bush could, some day, benefit financially from his own administration's decisions, through his father's investments. The average American doesn't know that. To me, that's a jaw-dropper."
CONTINUED...
http://www.bollyn.com/war-is-sell-washington-elite-benefits-from-war
Turning the NSA on the American people is what Sen. Frank Church (D-Idaho) warned us in 1976. That was about the last time the United States Congress stood up to the intelligence agencies and enacted reforms.
Wonder what Sen. Church would say about a privatized intel?
PS and most importantly: Thank you, OnyxCollie!
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Looks like the world is filled with them, no? But then, otoh, we have seen some of what is in that
sabrina 1
May 2014
#11
But is that a bad thing? Throughout history many Conspiracy Theories turned out
rhett o rick
May 2014
#21
I wonder why there's a "lack of knowledge of what is going on in the negotiations"
arcane1
May 2014
#2
Good on you. So, why do TPP negotiators get multi-million dollar bonuses from Wall Street?
Octafish
May 2014
#15
conspiracy: the act of secretly planning to do something that is harmful or illegal
Tierra_y_Libertad
May 2014
#7
Stellar post. I wish you would break this down and make an OP, or several.
woo me with science
May 2014
#19
I knew he was a corporatist from the beginning, and wasn't even in my Top 3 to vote for, but he
Ghost in the Machine
May 2014
#42
debbie was-shultz said the same thing about people claiming the gop was rigging elections
leftyohiolib
May 2014
#26
He should have directed that to the tea party and its New World Order conspiracy theorists.
pampango
May 2014
#30
Oh, they all strung those three words together. I think that tea partiers take those words to mean
pampango
May 2014
#51
But you can't criticize Republicans, you have to reach across the aisle and work together!
Scootaloo
May 2014
#40
Yeah, got to be 'bipartisan', I guess. But it causes much consternation among liberals who
pampango
May 2014
#55
What makes you say that? Conservatives rely on conspiracy theories much more than liberals.
pampango
May 2014
#209
Just because there's a conspiracy theory doesn't mean there's no conspiracy... nt
backscatter712
May 2014
#34
For the side show of irrelevance: He also indicated the Democratic Party has conspiracy theories.
Octafish
May 2014
#48
You are right, nothing we say matters in DC. That is obvious, and that paragraph is amazing.
sabrina 1
May 2014
#90
Okay, put in corporatism where I said capitalism. Same deal for the rest of the post. n/t
Tobin S.
May 2014
#70
Boy, you can really tell when a Third Way type doesn't need your vote anymore. /nt
Marr
May 2014
#45
What was that about being more free to pursue his agenda during the second term?
woo me with science
May 2014
#68
Setting aside conspiracy theories, the reality in these trade agreements is that they
JDPriestly
May 2014
#46
Maintaining jobs is also important in a global market. Like I said, things could be worse doin nutin
Hoyt
May 2014
#233
Wages were flat for 20 years (fell for 7 years right) before NAFTA, rose from 1994-2000 then
pampango
May 2014
#226
Doesn't really matter what is going on in negotiations. Congress must approve any proposed agreement
Hoyt
May 2014
#111
So you're OK using far-rightwing sources to support your criticisms of the Obama administration?..nt
SidDithers
May 2014
#206
I don't agree with the TPP, but I disagree that the US Government criminal or evil
davidpdx
May 2014
#123
Nothing theoretical about it. It is harmful, and they are trying like hell to ram it through.
GoneFishin
May 2014
#126
And, that might be overly kind. It's amazing he remains so cool with some of this criticism.
Hoyt
May 2014
#139
Of course people have a "lack of knowledge" -- BECAUSE HE AND HIS F'n CRONIES WONT REVEAL ANYTHING
Armstead
May 2014
#136
What was wrong in NAFTA? It preceded the only increase in real wages in the past 40 years.
Recursion
May 2014
#138
My 3D game job got shipped to India or China. There was an operation in our company
Phlem
May 2014
#147
They started offshoring in the 1960's. How did NAFTA signal that 30 years before?
Recursion
May 2014
#155
Wow, he just called anyone who believes it is correct to question our leaders an "N" word.
fleabiscuit
May 2014
#159
One reason, it's not finished. I don't think any of it has been presented to Congress.
Hoyt
May 2014
#182
So all the Unions who worked so hard to get him in office are now conspiracy nuts ?
classykaren
May 2014
#179
Nobel Prize went to the fired economist who pointed out the real issues in global finance.
Octafish
May 2014
#185
People, you really need to read the actual quote instead of slurping the spin of this 'article'.
brett_jv
May 2014
#193
When a group conspires to keep and enact something in secret - that is a conspiracy
on point
May 2014
#202