Tag: FBI

Will That Be Cash Or Charge?

My regular readers know that I have a tendency to find stuff that just pisses me off….and to the point that I must rant…..and I found an absurd report…..

Until recently, I had always paid cash for just about everything I bought…you know computers, groceries, everything…..but all that changed after I was badly hurt after Hurricane Katrina….I was forced to retire with a disability and had to have my check direct deposited…..I have NEVER been one to use a lot of credit cards….I guess I am from the old school of economic thought…..if I wanted something I bought it when I had the money to cover the cost….I still pay cash but it is in the form of a debit card and not a pocket full of greenbacks…..

I had a rude awakening when I went for pain management…..they did not take cash!  I had to be insured or NO help……my leg had been crushed and I now have about 70% use of it….I was not insured because NO company will insure a broke person, both physically and monetarily, and I am not old enough for medicare….all of it has been resolved but a recent story I read made me think about the ordeal from the past….

I know we are told by the government that we should be on the lookout for any suspicious behavior….but really?

It seems that cash is still a dirty word and could make you a person of interest to the authorities if you pay in cash…..I know…what the Hell am I talking about?

the White House announced a community-based approachto combating terrorism in the United States, the FBI and other agencies are asking managers of surplus stores to spy on their customers, watching whether they pay in cash, make “extreme” religious statements or purchase products such as waterproof matches.And the request from the government also is going to gun shops, fertilizer suppliers, motels and hotels, authorities say.

Earlier this month, the Obama administration announced a new plan titled “Empowering local partners to prevent violent extremism in the United States.” In it, Obama wrote, “Communities – especially Muslim American communities whose children, families and neighbors are being targeted for recruitment by al-Qaida – are often best positioned to take the lead because they know their communities best.”

“The best defenses against violent extremist ideologies are well-informed and equipped families, local communities, and local institutions. Their awareness of the threat and willingness to work with one another and government is part of our long history of community-based initiatives and partnerships dealing with a range of public safety challenges,” the report says.

So once again….if you pay cash for stuff you could be deemed a “suspicious” person and subject to an FBI check and harassment…..
Why is cash a dirty word?  Could it be because few make any profit off the transaction?  There is NO service charge for using cash….at least for now!

The Government Is Coming For You

For years we have thought that those on the Right that were concerned about the government becoming a dictatorship and doing unmentionable things like home invasions, gun confiscation, literature confiscation, and so on….we have looked the other way when it was against people that we deem ‘terrorists’ and then in the same breath condemn it when it is someone like those that support the Tea Party and its affiliates…..but the truth is that it could very well be a real concern and NOT an unwarranted fear…..

This from the wsws.org website……

The raids carried out by the FBI against antiwar activists last week are an ominous warning to the entire working class. The police-state tactics show the extent to which basic democratic rights—including the right to free speech and political association—have been undermined in the US.The Obama administration ordered the invasion of the homes of several individuals—primarily members of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO)—and the seizure of documents, computers, cell phones, cameras and other personal and political material. Those targeted have been summoned to appear before a grand jury on October 12 and may face criminal prosecution for “material support” for terrorism.

What is the rationale for these actions? There are vague and unsubstantiated allegations of visits to groups that the US government officially designates as “terrorist.” These designations are entirely guided by the requirements at any given time of US foreign policy—that is, organizations are deemed to be “terrorist” depending on whether they are supporting or opposing US interests in the Middle East, Latin America or other parts of the globe.

Under attack is not simply one organization. The government and its array of military-police agencies aim to expand the criminalization of dissent in the United States.

The move by the FBI and the Obama administration is intended as a trial balloon. They seek to create a precedent as well as gauge the reaction from the public and from the media. On the last score, the administration is no doubt pleased with the response: near-universal silence. The newspapers have buried the story, and the television news has not covered it. The New York Times, the voice of the liberal establishment, printed a small article on its inside pages.

Why are there so much fear and loathing on the Right……and why is there NOTHING said about an obvious attack on civil rights?  Civil Rights are NOT just for those who think like Michele Bachmann or O’Donnell……..This whole episode takes me back to the days in the 70’s during protests when COINTELPRO was used to set aside people’s civil rights in the name of security…

Can you smell that?  That is the smell of approaching civil unrest…….

The breakdown of American democracy is inextricably linked to the growing social crisis in the United States itself. Inequality in the US is at record heights. The financial aristocracy has exploited a crisis of its own making to vastly enrich itself. It is now demanding that the bill be paid by the working class in the form of wage cuts, mass unemployment and austerity.

Something has GOT to change!  And the upcoming elections is NOT going to be that change!

I Feel Safe With The FBI On The Case!

Daily Agitator

First of all the title is…….. SARCASM!  Second, the FBI has been nothing but a political tool for decades….other than that…there are some stories in the news that deserve a special post….and this one rates that special thing….

We entrust our security as a people and as a nation to many agencies among which is the FBI….in the past I have said that it is a real shame that an agency like the FBI needs TV shows like “Most Wanted” to their jobs for them.  I mean there was one guy that had been on the lame for 20 years and he just got tired and turned himself in.  A cracker jack team of crime fighters.

But now there is a new “threat” out there and the FBI is hard on the trail of this dastardly criminal:

An elderly, grey-haired man known as the Geezer Bandit is suspected of robbing five California banks beginning in the summer.

The man, who is believed to be in his 70s, has been robbing banks at gunpoint in the San Diego area, FBI investigators say.

He most recently held up a Bank of America branch on Monday, demanding cash and then taking off on foot.

FBI spokesperson Darrel Foxworth said the septuagenarian stick-up artist is believed to have robbed four other banks in the county since Aug. 28.

He often wears a hat or cap, and was seen lugging around an oxygen tank during one of his capers.

Police aren’t saying how much money the man has stolen so far.

There is a $16,000 US reward for information that leads to his arrest and conviction.

Okay….re-read it!  The man is OLD and dragging his oxygen tank while committing the robberies…..

Now let us talk about it……if these idiots cannot catch this robber…..how confident are you that they can protect us from terrorists?  I have my doubts……you?

FBI Enters Into The Crisis Picture

Federal investigators have opened preliminary probes into the financial troubles of four high-profile companies that are at the center of the current financial turmoil that the Bush administration says requires an unprecedented proposed taxpayer-funded bailout to clean up.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s preliminary inquiries are focusing on whether fraud helped cause some of the troubles at Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. and American International Group Inc., according to senior law-enforcement officials.

Pressure is building for the FBI and regulators to hold top executives accountable for the crisis that has crippled the nation’s finance sector. In meetings on Capitol Hill, some lawmakers raised concerns with Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson that by taking large stakes in some financial firms, the government may be limiting its ability to exact penalties for wrongdoing, according to people familiar with the matter.

The FBI says that the corporate probes are part of an effort to pursue allegations of higher-level fraud more sweeping than the retail-level infractions that have been at the center of most cases brought so far.

During the Savings and Loan bailout 20 years ago, federal prosecutors brought more than 600 cases against 1,000 defendants. But the complicated securities at the heart of today’s crisis make comparable prosecutions more difficult, investigators say.

Maybe we will be that lucky again and make the people who caused this to be held responsible…NOPE…I would only be dreaming.