Nobody Is Above the Law.

"If you're caught with an ounce of cocaine, the chances are good you're going to go to jail. If it happens repeatedly, you may go to jail for the rest of your life. But evidently, if you launder nearly a billion dollars for drug cartels and violate international sanctions, your company pays a fine and you go home and sleep in your own bed at night...I think that's fundamentally wrong."  ~ Senator Elizabeth Warren - U.S. Senator from Massachusettes
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2013/03/elizabeth-warren-comes-out-swinging-banks-regulators.php
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HSBC to pay $1.9 billion U.S. fine in money-laundering case
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/12/11/us-hsbc-probe-idUSBRE8BA05M20121211
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"I am concerned that the size of some of these institutions becomes so large that it does become difficult for us to prosecute them when we are hit with indications that if you do prosecute, if you do bring a criminal charge, it will have a negative impact on the national economy, perhaps even the world economy. And I think that is a function of the fact that some of these institutions have become too large." ~ Attorney General Eric Holder.
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Not one of the Wall Street crooks who drove our economy off a cliff has gone to jail. And now we know why.

http://act.credoaction.com/campaign/jail_bankers/index_split_name.html?r_by=56093-1329289-LmbDLex&rc=mailto-n1
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All Of The Sudden, Bashing Wall Street Is Becoming A Hot Bipartisan Pastime In Washington

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/eric-holder-wall-street-too-big-to-jail-2013-3#ixzz2NjLn28qF
=====================================================================
How HSBC hooked up with drug traffickers and terrorists. And got away with it
 http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/gangster-bankers-too-big-to-jail-20130214#ixzz2NjMTA0gK

Follow us: @rollingstone on Twitter | RollingStone on Facebook
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/gangster-bankers-too-big-to-jail-20130214
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And the unions are waiting in line, too.  It's payback time.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/aug/31/barack-obama-i-owe-those-unions/

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The Cost of the Royal Family

With most Americans struggling in this weak economy, many without employment, this is immoral.

The Cost of the Royal Family

What can you buy for $1.4 BILLION a year?

You can buy the most luxurious and costly royal presidency in history. Taxpayers spent $1.4 billion dollars on everything from staffing, housing, flying and entertaining President Obama and his family last year, according to the author of a new book on taxpayer-funded presidential perks. In comparison, British taxpayers spent just $57.8 million on the royal family.

Author Robert Keith Gray writes in "Presidential Perks Gone Royal" that Obama isn't the only president to have taken advantage of the expensive trappings of his office. But the amount of money spent on the first family, he argues, has risen tremendously under the Obama administration and needs to be reined in.

Gray told The Daily Caller that the $1.4 BILLION spent on the Obama family last year is the "total cost of the presidency" factoring the cost of the "biggest staff in history at the highest wages ever," a 50 percent increase in the numbers of appointed czars and an Air Force One "running with the frequency of a scheduled airline."

Perspective: $1.4 BILLION is equal to spending seven times Mitt Romney's entire net-worth every year. If Romney had to pay for Barack and Michelle's lifestyle this year, he would have been bankrupted by the third week in February.

Now, can we please get back to talking about the evil, freeloading rich, "who didn't build that?"

 

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President's family costs US 20 times what royal family costs UK

9/30/2012

U.K. newspapers are having a little chuckle about a new book reporting that Obama's family cost U.S. taxpayers $1.4 billion last year alone, whereas the royal family cost the U.K. a measly $57.8 million – more than 20 times less than the First Family. Obama's expenditures include the salaries of his staff and Secret Service, as well as the maintenance of Air Force One, which he's required to take (and has been using increasingly in this election year). The comparison is being emphasized to advertise "non-partisan" author Robert Gray's book "Presidential Perks Gone Royal." Still, before you get too hot under the collar, if you estimate the current number of taxpayers in the U.S. at around 216 million, that's roughly $6.48 per taxpayer.

 

http://now.msn.com/president-obamas-family-costs-the-us-20-times-what-royal-family-costs-the-uk

 

http://dailycaller.com/2012/09/26/taxpayers-spent-1-4-billion-on-obama-family-last-year-perks-questioned-in-new-book/

 

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Big-spending Obamas cost 23 times more than British royal family

 

http://www.bizpacreview.com/2013/03/12/big-spending-obamas-cost-23-times-more-than-british-royal-family-55129

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Media scrubs Malia Obama vacation story.

http://www.politico.com/blogs/media/2012/03/media-scrubs-malia-obamamexico-story-117970.html

 

The AFP, the Huffington Post and other websites have scrubbed a report about first daughter Malia Obama's school trip.

 

Snopes

 

Had to look it up on a Spanish website > http://www.elmundo.es/america/2012/03/20/mexico/1332271085.html

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"Neither President Obama nor first lady Michelle appear to give a damn about perception. They won the White House and, by God, they’re going to enjoy their time there, no matter the cost. And who cares what you think, anyway?"

CURL: The Obamas live the 1 percent life

http://p.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/mar/31/curl-the-obamas-live-the-1-percent-life/

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Sad State of Affairs

I'll have to title this post later, as I just don't know how to put a name on it.

This goes way back so far, that I don't know where to begin. If time and resources permit, I'll try to pick a starting point without telling the whole history of Portsmouth and how it became what it is today.
This is just the latest in the saga from the article in the Virginian-Pilot Newspaper (Pilot-on-Line) on the recent City Council meeting.
Tempers Flare Portsmouth As Council Delays Hirings

"Portsmouth's City Council should hire the most qualified candidate to be our permanent City Manager, not let the decision be influenced by special interest groups. I fully support a transparent and equitable application process and look forward to ensuring no outside organizations attempt to illegally influence City Council."  ~ Danny Meeks

"For too long, special interest groups have sought to control Portsmouth through its City Council. I am determined to stop these lobbying efforts so Portsmouth's City Council can make unbiased decisions that benefit all our citizens." Honorable Danny Meeks, City Councilman, Portsmouth, Virginia

 ( Danny Meeks is a member of the Portsmouth City Council, receiving over 23% of the total vote count in the 2012 election cycle.)

It's no secret what has been going on in Portsmouth for years. Ask anybody in the city, the region or the State, for that matter. It has lived up to its reputation. There are a few good citizens who have tried to preserve the quaint uniqueness of my Hometown, and have put everything they have into public service, but it's been a hard row to plow.

I'll be updating this post until they carry me away. Anything you can add will be appreciated. No personal attacks, please. We'll know who you are referring to by the content of your post.

Links to Older News Articles >
http://hamptonroads.com.nyud.net/2013/02/portsmouth-manager-attorney-jobs-suddenly-uncertain
Portsmouth manager, attorney jobs suddenly uncertain (?)

http://hamptonroads.com.nyud.net/2013/02/sirens-norfolk-portsmouth-part-shipyard-drill#comments
This has nothing to do with the general situation except that it just shows how inept our "Powers Who Think They Are" operate. It would have been nice to alert the public in advance. "There is no actual emergency," spokesman Jeffrey Cunningham said. "It's just routine training that we are conducting."

This was not a regular "Drill" as they said. It's the sign of bigger things in the mix. Who are the stoopid ones here? Us for believing it, or them for thinking that we do? Wake up, America.

 http://hamptonroads.com.nyud.net/2013/02/shuttered-ccdi-will-cost-portsmouth-more
A shuttered nonprofit that has cost the city $569,000 since November 2011 will end up costing it even more.

http://hamptonroads.com/2013/02/portsmouth-weighs-tighter-leash-school-funding
Portsmouth weighs tighter leash on school funding. See below.

http://hamptonroads.com.nyud.net/2013/01/source-grand-jury-investigating-portsmouth-surplus
Is ANYBODY paying attention ?  $52 million ? Pocket change.

Is it any wonder ?
http://www.portsmouthcitywatch.org/videos/
Portsmouth City Council Meeting Deleted Scenes
By direction of the Portsmouth City Council, effective January 8, 2013, the Non-Agenda Speakers portion of regular meetings is no longer televised on PCTV nor available for viewing at the city website and on the YouTube “Portsmouth VA” channel. As a public service, PortsmouthCityWatch.org is recording this important portion of our community conversation and intends to continue doing so until council rescinds its censorship policy. To date only Council Members William Moody and Elizabeth Psimas have expressed support in public for resuming the televising/webcasting of council proceedings in their entirety.

The Keystone XL Pipeline

Reject the Keystone XL Pipeline ?

http://keystone-xl.com/

http://www.nycga.net/events/forward-on-climate-rally-in-d-c/

A project of 350.org, The Sierra Club and the Hip-Hop Caucus.

http://www.nrdc.org/energy/keystone-pipeline/?gclid=CMqoweiJvrUCFel7QgodfSQAMA

The Shooter

Recent articles of the Bin Laden shooter and follow-ups.

"The Shooter will discover soon enough that when he leaves after sixteen years in the Navy, his body filled with scar tissue, arthritis, tendonitis, eye damage, and blown disks, here is what he gets from his employer and a grateful nation:
"Nothing. No pension, no health care, and no protection for himself or his family."
~ Phil Bronstein, the former editor of The San Francisco Chronicle and now the executive chairman of the Center for Investigative Reporting, is previewing a profile of the man he says is the Navy SEAL who killed Osama Bin Laden.


http://www.esquire.com/features/man-who-shot-osama-bin-laden-0313

http://www.nbcnews.com/id/3036697/ns/msnbc-hardball_with_chris_matthews#50775369

http://news.yahoo.com/actually-man-shot-bin-laden-free-health-care-135000508.html

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/02/11/171708839/esquire-magazine-bin-laden-shooter-on-his-own-no-pension-no-healthcare

http://www.stripes.com/blogs/the-ruptured-duck/the-ruptured-duck-1.160117/esquire-article-wrongly-claims-seal-who-killed-bin-laden-is-denied-healthcare-1.207506

http://www.navytimes.com/news/2013/02/gannett-esquire-story-uncertain-future-navy-sealteam-six-member-osama-bin-laden-shooter-021113/

Dishonored and Disrespected

Obama Disarmed US Marines at Inaugural Parade

 

http://www.bob-owens.com/2013/02/dishonoring-the-corps-marines-in-inaugural-parade-had-bolts-removed-from-their-rifles/

http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2013/02/dishonored-and-disrespected-obama-disarmed-us-marines-at-inaugural-parade/

http://www.examiner.com/article/disabled-marine-rifles-at-inauguration-signal-shift-administration-policy

http://blurbrain.com/marines-marching-in-inauguration-parade-had-disabled-rifles/

 



Mandating disabled parade participant rifles was not deemed necessary in the 2009 Inaugural. Credit: U.S. Navy Band

An Interesting Find

While researching a quote, supposedly said by both Hitler and Bush, I stumbled across this:

http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Adolf_Hitler

Union Banking Corp. of NY Seized through the trading with the enemy act, for
among other things, laundering Nazi money in the midst of WW 2. Director and
vice president was,  Prescott Bush , George Sr.'s father.

"An evil exists that threatens every man, woman and child of this great nation. We must take steps to ensure our domestic security and protect our homeland."
Adolf Hitler
When announcing the Gestapo to the people of Germany


"An evil exists that threatens every man, woman and child of this great nation. We must take steps to ensure our domestic security and protect our homeland."
George W. Bush
When announcing the Patriot act to the people of the USA
I remember that speech! Do you?

I've often wondered how a single man could get a nation to follow him into such a war as did Hitler. Germany enjoyed many of the freedoms that we American's often brag about; however, how did Hitler cause his people, who bragged about so many freedoms and tolerance to all, to unilaterally support his hatred against so many people? The German people were no less ignorant or stupid than the majority of modern Americans, how did he do it?? He did it the same way our own government has been doing it to us... It may be too late, but hopefully we, as Americans, never become apathetic to the point that we are blind to the dangers of those who lie to us for our own welfare. 5 stars for sheer honesty, and the brilliance of how to control a society so effectively.
-- Logan, Memphis, TN

Click on the red link at the top for more.