You poor kids. You are basically asking to be supported and taken care of by Mommy and Daddy. Wake up, kids. Wall Street is you, with all of your wants and needs and wishes, only they have the balls to go out and work for it. Sometimes they are crooks and sometimes they are fools -- but you know what? So are all of us. (Ben Stein – American Spectator)Time has named him one of the Five Most Colorful OWS Celebrity Critics. Among his observations are that yes, he hates crony capitalism too, but sleeping in tents and crapping in parks doesn’t really do anything about it. He wishes the protesters would take more productive steps like doing actual investigative work. As for the outrage at the greed, he observed that you might as well get angry at people for breathing in too much air.
7 Deadly Sins -- Why Stop at Just One?
"You know what the worst deadly sin is? Spiritual pride or thinking that you're morally better than other people," Stein says. "That's what the Occupy Wall Street people are all about; thinking they're better than other people and that's a sin, too." (Ben Stein – Yahoo)I agree. Have the OWS screamers looked in the mirror? Wrath and Envy are not pretty either. And why just focus on greed? Let's go after all the deadly sins! Wrath, Sloth, Pride, Lust, Envy, Gluttony, and of course, Greed are all corrosives, eating away at our society and destroying our souls.
The seven deadly sins, or cardinal sins, are so identified because they are believed to be the root sins from which all worldly iniquities branch out. As the plethora of morality systems throughout the ages testify, these sinful seven have haunted our human existence since the dawn of time. The beauty of this list is that one does not have to be a member of the big three (Christianity, Judaism, Islam) to agree that they are bad. More importantly, if we could restore self-control to its rightful pedestal, we would have the moral authority to tell Big Government to go to hell next time it scolds us over salted french fries.
Make Yourself Useful
Stein used to write 7,000 word in-depth exposes on corporate fraud. "They were a lot of work but they eventually got some people prosecuted," Stein says. "They got some money recovered for stockholders." Stein offers that if the OWS crowd wants to do something helpful they should do the research necessary to direct and inform their discontent. (Ben Stein – Yahoo)I would be cheering them on, and maybe joining them, if instead of extolling the virtues socialism and using bank lobbies as toilets, they hired lawyers and went about investigating the crony crapitalists and the politicians who love them. Stein has posited the possibility of grand internet clearing houses of information where tens of thousands of independent investigators could submit what they've found. Lawyers and accountants could then collate the information and connect the grimy dots, shine a light on malfeasance, and perhaps get some crooks indicted.
The human bowel movement in the Guy Fawkes mask is losing steam anyway…
When Public Policy Polling took the temperature of Occupy Wall Street in October, “voters were split, with 35% supporting the movement’s goals and 36% opposing them.” As of today, the “split is 33-45, 11 points worse.” And it’s worse among everybody. The percentage of Democrats opposed to the movement “has risen from 16% to 24%. Meanwhile, both Republicans (from 13-59 to 11-71) and independents (from 39-34 to 34-42) have moved 13 or 14 points against O.W.S.” (Reason)For every thousand lice-infested protestors beating the leaves, there is one dogged investigator hacking at the root
Maybe OWS could grow up and make itself useful like Steve Croft at 60 Minutes. He's now braving a firestorm of criticism from Big Government's praetorian guard in the press over his expose on Congressional insider trading. See Big Journalism’s takedown of Politico, tongue bath giver to big government. That Democratic Party web site lashed out at Croft with an especial wrath, exposing it as the shameful purveyor of putrescent progressive porn that it is.
The first step to getting to the bottom of something is to face facts. The left has not yet done that.
Links to responsible journalists exposing crony corruption and congressional get rich quick schemes:
WaPo – Crony Capitalism Exposed
The Wonk Who Slays Washington
The Get Rich Congress
From Politico: Rep. Michael Grimm, a Staten Island Republican, has a message for the protesters of Occupy Wall Street: buy some soap, you dirty hippies, and get out of my city. Grimm’s office just issued a press release for the two month anniversary of the protests—but it wasn’t exactly commemorative. “These people have overstayed their welcome and it’s time they get the heck out of New York City. Between the filth, the smell, the incessant noise, and threat to public safety, they have done nothing but cause a nuisance to the people who work and live in Lower Manhattan. They’ve cost the city and surrounding businesses millions of dollars, and it’s time these people find a more productive use of their time. New Yorkers have had ENOUGH!,” Grimm said in the release. “The people I represent are the hard-working ‘99%’ who simply want to go to work, do their jobs, and get home to their families without being hassled along the way, he continued. “They already face one of the longest commutes in the nation without having to deal with this mob. It is reprehensible for these lowlifes to overrun the Staten Island Ferry or the subways to Brooklyn and add further hours to the trip home.” The congressman also commended Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the New York Police Department, under some criticism from the protesters for their clearing of Zucotti Park earlier this week, on their efforts at “managing a potentially violent and destructive situation.” “They have done a tremendous job!” he said. “However, it has been two months and now it’s time for the OWS protesters to pack up their tents, buy a bar of soap, and head home.”
ReplyDeleteAnd I for one happen to agree.
did you see how one of the 'leaders' of the NYC OWS bunch spent the night at the W HOTEL to the tune of $700?
ReplyDeleteThe movement (you should pardon the expression) ruined whatever good they were doing in two ways; publishing that ridiculous list of demands including a $20 minimum wage and worse; and acting like people who were raised by wolves. Great way to get attention to some important changes: Defecate on peoples' doorsteps and smoke so much dope I heard you could practically get high walking by the park. Oh, and chasing after children yelling "Follow that kid!"
Odd, isn't it? When the Tea Partiers were accused of having a few creeps amongst them, the media and the left (but I repeat myself) screamed about how the Tea Parties would be better respected if they cleaned out those who are 'over the top' Remember the left's reaction? "how can they have a serious movement if they ALLOW people like that there?"...suddenly, we have mostly leftists doing really disgusting stuff the TP movement never thought of doing, but that's okay.....'they're just a group exercising their first amendment rights. oh, the continued hypocrisy.
I like Stein. He's a good man and a great writer.
ReplyDeleteAnyone remember reading about the Bonus Army and how they were treated?
ReplyDeleteIt was brutal, and they had a legitimate grievance against the government.
What happened to their "First Amendment Rights?"
Should we go back to they way our Constitution was interpreted by those in power in the pre-Civil Rights era?
It certainly was more effective in ridding us of gatherings that threatened to be come a public nuisance, wasn't it?
What have we lost?
What, if anything, have we gained -- and was it worth the cost?
~ FreeThinke
Shame on us, we tolerate this crap.
ReplyDelete"...raising the millions of dollars in campaign funds they'll need just to hold onto a job that pays $174,000 a year."
"Few of them are doing it for the salary and all of them will say they are doing it to serve the public."
Really, I suppose you would say that, wouldn't you?
On a more random note... I stumbled across this site and found its existence somewhat humorous.
http://www.ows-ammo.com/store/
Cheers!
"They were a lot of work but they eventually got some people prosecuted," Stein says. "They got some money recovered for stockholders."
ReplyDelete-----------
Absolutely precious. if Ben gets stiffed he hires a lawyer. If the U.S. working class gets stiffed ... well that might take more than a 7000 word friend of the court brief. What a freaking maroon.
We're sorry not to have a detailed fully costed plan to revise the world economy, Ben. But you don't have anything either so maybe you should shut up.
That's right, Silverfiddle, folks who are out of work are going to hire lawyers to take on Goldman Sachs. Keep thinking, Sundance, that's what you do best.
Oh I don't know Ducky, last time I heard they had somewhat north of $500,000 in their coffers.
ReplyDeleteAnd given Michael Ratner, Margaret Kunstler, Alan Levine, Michael Boyle... seems like OWS already has a team of lawyers.
Keep up the dezinformatsiya, it's what you do best.
Cheers!
We're talking citizen investigators, Ducky. With all the information at our fingertips, along with some volunteer lawyers, it's possible.
ReplyDeleteBut screaming and beating drums is so much more effective...
I sure can't add much to that. But even the occupiers who get it as in the Fed buying 30-40 trillion of worthless mortgage paper in returning good treasuries (our money) are 3 years too late.
ReplyDeleteIn the end they want something for nothing. And yes, most of them have no idea how things work. In that regard though, they haven't been given any clue about it in their entire educational life in at least the last 4 decades and most of hem have actually gotten communist indoctrination instead.
The OWS thugs have raised more than half a million dollars, Finntann's right.
ReplyDeleteMaybe they can put their money where their mouths are (if they can get the joint out from their lips long enough?) and pay these people back?
http://townhall.com/tipsheet/danieldoherty/2011/11/13/ows_costs_local_businesses_in_nyc_nearly_$500,000
That's right, Silverfiddle, folks who are out of work are going to hire lawyers to take on Goldman Sachs. Keep thinking, Sundance, that's what you do best.
ReplyDeleteGuess they didn't have much spare change from #OCCUPYING$700.00HOTELROOMS.
Pfffttt.
However, I see Spain is all goo-goo eyes with your Socialism. Workin' like dream for them, eh?
*cough* 22.6% unemployment *cough, cough*
Oh,.....wait...
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45378321/ns/world_news-europe/#.TsmEY_LNm4Y
I guess it's not.
""You know what the worst deadly sin is? Spiritual pride or thinking that you're morally better than other people," Stein says. "That's what the Occupy Wall Street people are all about; thinking they're better than other people and that's a sin, too."
ReplyDeleteBen, BEN! Stop stealing my material, Ben. That's mysong you're singing, bro.
Oh well, I guess I should be grateful you're singing so well in tune, right?
A concept worth stealing is concept that deserves to be shared with everybody, so I'll forgive you.
After all, there's no money in rectitude, so we might as well give it away in hopes that eventually it will catch on.
God bless you, Ben! If there's anything worse than a pious fraud, it's a ragtag, bobtail, unwashed army of the reeking muthafuggas.
~ FreeThinke
Free Thinke, your last post reminds me of one of my favorite quotes, "The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness."
ReplyDeleteLook in the mirror, man. You're an Occupier par excellence by your standards.
JMJ
JMJ
No, Jersey,
ReplyDeleteI honestly do give away one quarter of my income each month to people I know who are in desperate trouble. My income is not all that high, so it's a sacrifice, but I'm glad I have enough to be able to give some away -- where I know it will do the most good.
I get no tax deductions for the kind of charity I exercise either, so it really is charity and not some sort of business deal.
Are you prepared to make a claim like that?
You'd be surprised how many of us "selfish," cold-hearted, bigoted, racist, hate-filled conservatives do things like that quietly every day without making a holy show of themselves in the process.
If the Progressives had their way, however, it would no longer be possible for private charity to exist, because we'd live in a world of mutually shared deprivation where everyone would be dirt poor and beholden to a stingy, mean-spirited, crooked, inefficient, wasteful, double-dealing Government bureaucracy.
Read The Consul or The Castle by Franz Kafka. Read the Machine Stops by E.M. Forster. Read The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. Read Animal farm for Christ's sake.
You need to get out of Wonderland and get a grip on Reality.
I guarantee you'll feel better if you do.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING, Jersey!
Count your blessings. It always helps.
~ FreeThinke
Silverfiddle said...
ReplyDelete"We're talking citizen investigators, Ducky. With all the information at our fingertips, along with some volunteer lawyers, it's possible.
But screaming and beating drums is so much more effective..."
___________________________________
Don't forget the masturbation and crapping in public. But worst of all is those gosh awful "V for Vendetta" masks and the stupid variations of them. Sheesh.
Bush and Obama are both complicit in crony capitalism. But then, it is a tendency of human nature to follow the golden rule - he who has the gold makes the rules. Bush is gone so its Obama's turn and despite his promises, he sure hasn't slowed the pace down any. His people with ties to AIG or Goldman Sachs etc. includes Tim Geithner, Bill Daley, Jim Milstien, Peter Orszag, Greg Craig, Gary Gensler, Lawrence Summers and Henry Paulson. Admittedly some came from Wall Street to the administration, some left to go to Wall Street - but the incest and influence remains the same. And let's not forget Princess Pelosi's credit card scheme. Drat that far right - winger news program '60 Minutes' for daring to bring that up.
And the administration in the meantime sprinkles its pixie dust on the protesters, or as Nancy Pelosi would say, "God bless em for their spontaneity." Washington tries to have it both ways - pander to the money folks who finance their election campaigns, and suck up to those protesting the money folks.
At some point that charade is not going to work. And from the remarks and actions of some of the leaders of the OWS, Obama, Pelosi & Reid may find out they don't have the control or influence they thought. It's hard to control the pit bulls back once you've sic'd them and they've tasted blood.
If the mainstream media didn't glorify the Occupiers, these bands of miscreants would have abandoned their protests long ago.
ReplyDeleteFollow the money to learn who is behind the Occupy "movement."
From The Other McCain, in the section "Marxism by Osmosis":
ReplyDeleteThese young people have not been taught Marx and Lenin. Rather, they have had their heads stuffed with nebulous ideas about “equality,” “rights” and “social justice” by teachers (and journalists and movie producers) who cherish romantic mythology about the righteous glories of Sixties radical movements.
Know that that reminds me of? How the Old South glorified slavery via certain nebulous ideas and multiple myths about the institution of slavery. The Old South romanticized slavery and created a myth about chivalry, the latter based on Ivanhoe, interestingly enough.
That's excellent analysis, AOW, explaining how so many of us have become de facto Marxists without even realizing it.
ReplyDeleteMarxism by Osmosis. Yes. That' describes almost perfectly.
Thanks, AOW, and HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
~ FreeThinke
FreeThinke,
ReplyDeleteI wish you a blessed Thanksgiving.
Thank you, AOW.
ReplyDelete~ FT
Keep being a lapdog for the corporate right who have sold our democracy to a handful of lobbyists who couldn't care less about the needs of a middle class.
ReplyDeleteThe OWS people may need soap, but you all need brains.
Yeah, corporate lapdogs are always calling for investigating crony crapitalism.
ReplyDeleteCorporate right? Is that the corporate right that funds Obama and the democrat party in return for big bailouts and paying no taxes?
Come back when you're not high on drugs.
Liberal's claims have nothing to do with democracy.
ReplyDelete"Have the OWS screamers looked in the mirror?"
ReplyDeleteThey're waiting for someone else to pay for one and give it to them.
To be frank, who gives a damn what they're caterwauling about anymore. They're just vermin who won't achieve anything and are only there because their masters told them to go there and shit everywhere, distracting people from the real scumbags.