The term “Vampire Squid” is taken from a very insightful article by Matt Tiabbi, that accurately shows in detail the practice Goldman Sachs has of manipulating markets to the detriment of the rest of humanity.
But so what? Don’t Paulson, Geithner, Rubin, Summers, Thein, Steele, Cramer, Bolten and Blankfein all have the Freedom to be as rich as they want to be? Who cares that it is an oligopoly backed up with taxpayer dollars to such a degree that Smith’s Perfect Free market competition does not apply. Who cares about the rest of us are getting hosed by their various pump and dump schemes (tech bubble, housing bubble, gas price bubble) and then paying for their bailout with tax money. They have a right to be rich! And if those dirty hippies protesting don’t see that…why then they can just go…go…go…get a job at McDonalds’s! And don’t cry when the police come and bust your heads you…you…you commies!
Clearly the rights of Blankfein and company to as much wealth as they can cheat out of the system are more important than a protester’s rights of Freedom of Assembly. That’s what the Constitution says! And if it’s not what the Constitution says then that’s what it means! You…you…you commie, fascist, socialist Obamanazis!!
I’m going to stop the ventriloquist act I was doing out of my own asshole for the past few sentences to get serious. (Coming up with such asinine rhetoric is exactly that easy) Violence in defense of these oligarchs is a serious matter. To recap recent events-
On October 28, Oakland police assaulted protesters with tears gas, flash-bang bombs, rubber bullets and bean bag projectiles. In this assault they critically injured Scott Olsen, a two-tour Iraq War veteran, giving him a concussion.
On November 5, Oakland Police injured two-tour Iraq War veteran and local businessman Kayvan Sabeghi with repeated blows from police batons.
There have been many arrests of people who have been obeying the terms of their particular permit. The fact that the First Amendment rights of these protesters have been so grievously abridged is highlighted by the other fact that many in the media who decry them have used the Constitution as a mere buzzword in their past rhetoric.
But I think that the hypocrisy of the media that defends the Vampire Squid is well established. But what of those who have sworn an oath to serve and protect and wind up committing these atrocities in defense of the Vampire Squid?
If you are sympathetic to those who committed these acts of violence and are reading these words please consider that wonderful things have happened when soldiers have stood down and refused to act against their own populations.
For example, during the 1991 Soviet coup attempt, Major General and hero of the Soviet Union, Viktor Karpukin was ordered to enter the Russian White House and assassinate Boris Yeltsin. He refused to do so when he saw the civilian casualties that would entail. The direct result of this was the fall of tyrants who had attempted a coup on Mikhail Gorachev.
Consider also how far this corporate dominance had gone already. Wells Fargo, one of the largest banks in this country, has recently been implicated in financing drug gangs in Mexico. Those same drug gangs doubtlessly have allies and members in Oakland and other cities. Police have to deal with those allies on those days when they are not attacking Americans in parks for using their Freedom of Assembly.
That is correct, the institution the police are defending is bankrolling their most organized enemies.
And on the other hand of the War on Drugs is the privatized prison complex. These are companies who have one customer-the taxpayer. Adam Smith’s Perfect Competition does not apply for that reason alone. Like Defense contractors, they can and do take a small amount of the tax money they get and lobby for more tax money and against any serious reform of the current situation. Although not formally a part of the Vampire Squid that police are defending right now, they profit from the burden of police departments of drug offenses and immigration.
By the way, were we to legalize marijuana, we would take away the market from these violent thugs, decrease the police workload, open up a new tax base, and have less tax money given to privatized prisons. Sounds like a great idea to me. So, of course, it has no elite political support. The only thing that historically changes public pressure like that has been exactly what the protesters are doing now-activist organizing!
On each of a policeman’s uniforms is an American flag, The Constitution that flag represents clearly allows for Freedom of Assembly and the right to petition the government for a redress of grievances. Allowing the Vampire Squid more freedom than a citizen/taxpayer/protester is an abomination. Enforcing the “rights” of the Vampire Squid at the expense of those protesters is telling the world and posterity that the cop in question does so do not take the flag on his uniform seriously.
Not only that, but if these tyrants remain unchallenged, humanity is in serious danger. Leaving aside Nuclear War, Ozone Depletion, Permafrost melting, feeding and watering 7 Billion people and the other long term dangers of human survival-let’s concentrate on one Soil Erosion. If we keep up blind subservience to short term traders and do not adjust for reality, we will not be able to feed the human race. (Pages 8-15)Will it be easier or harder to change things in a future where we ignore the actions of these tyrants?
Various Occupy Wall Street groups have advocated similar demands. Among those are measures to protect humanity from this Vampire Squid that will eventually kill us all. If you are part of the human race, you should be on their side.
If we can’t break free now, when will we?
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