America needs a war. The Nation is just begging for another “shock and awe”. Conservative politicians are aching to flex some political muscle (and make money for contractors). Meanwhile the Obama Administration would love to wipe the name Edward Snowden from any Media outlet possible. Yes America is looking for a new conflict. With Iraq no longer an issue and Afghanistan winding down the prospects of no war after 13 years seem like a looming reality. To Hawks in Government and in the private sector it can be a disaster in the making. However there is still one hope left, one Bad Boy that can be brought down with much muscle and might, Another strongman that can be brought down in dynamic fashion to be gleefully reported by [patriotic embedded reporters. So what is the cure to the lack of war? Syria is the perfect antidote.

 Invading Syria has been a Conservative’s wet dream the last year or so. The country is in the midst of a violent civil war, with many attempts to mediate peace and some sort of an end to the conflict. However the war rages on and both sides fight on. However something miraculous happened this weekend. As the government has currently been dealing with little loathsome projects like Project Prism and its existence, there have been gleeful reports stating that the Syrian Government has been using chemical weapons on its people. The announcement through the Corporate Media brought a smile to the faces of warmongers everywhere. Suddenly the magic word had been spoken, as this Nation does not tolerate chemical warfare! Armed with this new found revelation the Conservatives in Congress have begun to step up the pressure, and have started to beat the drums of war slightly harder than before.

The Obama Administration upon hearing about the chemical warfare imbroglio decided that they would respond by setting forth a plan to arm the rebels who are trying to overthrow Assad. The mood has been shifting as the Obama Administration has been announcing aid being sent over to the rebels who are fighting Assad, the aid which is not specified in concrete terms is already showing a willingness of the Administration to look into the possibility war. While the Administration at the same time while sending the aid is  continuing to insist that this will not become another Iraq and that there will be no full fledged assault on Syria. While at that moment this is proving to be true the Hawks in Congress will undoubtedly continue to pound the door in an effort to somehow force the Obama Administration into making a decision that can throw our Nation into War.

A war historically can also be used as a distraction for other issues that may be happening on a domestic level. For example the first Gulf War was too distract from a weak economy, Afghanistan and the Second Iraq War were used to distract from a stolen election and a domestic agenda full of giveaways to the wealthy and corporations. War is a great distraction as during times of war Americans become irrationally patriotic in behavior and this can eventually lead to hostile and unnecessary conflicts. War is used by leadership to forget current or pressing issues, one such issue which has currently been raging is the NSA leaks. In fact President’ Obama’s approval numbers have even been directly affected by the current situation and the nature of what has been revealed by the NSA leaks. This is why an invasion of Stria or escalated involvement in the next few months should not comes as surprise.

War is a hobby of America. As the most powerful Nation (and Empire). America always finds its necessary to flex its military muscle. Because of a lack of targets more often than not intervention has to happen whenever the opportunity comes up. Because of the current issues happening in this Nation  a war is something that current political leadership on sides of the aisles would be in favor of. Americans have to deal with class inequality,mass corporatism, and now being spied on by a government who swears to protect. The American people need to be distracted from the issues of what is happening at home and an invasion of Syria is just what the doctor ordered for the current leadership .We the people must however stay strong and try see past the facade.

What is the purpose of Government? Is government to be “small and limited”? Is our government suppose to be a monolith providing a wealth of services for the people of this Nation? Americans have a love hate relationship with government. More often than not the core debate is how we the people are to govern and be governed in return. The social contract between the people and government is more or less established by the Constitution but the way governing works more often than not deviates from the ideal. So what should government do? Is it it even possible that it is helpful? Should it be discarded?

The idea of limited government is venerated by the Right. But what do they actually mean by limited government? The Right’s idea is to make government and oppressive police form which control the social behavior of its citizens, watches for violence, protects corporate interests and has us taking adventures in Imperialism. Government more often than not in America is presented a a bellicose institution who is there to make Weapons Contractors money and flex its military might all around the globe (sequester or no sequester). The United States Government loves its military and might and loves to throw it around at other Nations. Meanwhile back home the love for a militarized government never strays too far. Homeland Security and Domestic Surveillance have now become the accepted norm. Citizens seem to think it is the job of government to spy upon the citizenry so that we can be safe from all the people we bully around the world. Tax payer money is often used to further subsidize the m war/espionage monolith. The Right-Wing meanwhile finds this to be a form of “limited government” despite the excessive amount of money that goes into projecting and maintaining this Imperial image.

Corporations, the job creators of America. The Right-Wing truly feels that by subsidizing Corporations America prospers. Government should be limited and not intervene in the social agenda of a Corporation however Government should use its power when it comes to fully subsidizing these enterprises. Government should allow these Corporations to engage in the systemic abuse of its employees, however Government should intervene on behalf of these Corporations whenever one may be “struggling in the marketplace” and may need some bankruptcy assistance. Protection of Corporations is a must in a state of Limited Government, and it is imperative.

Social behavior and morals, are supposed to be the domain of the Government. In a limited Government it is imperative that women have no reproductive rights, Gays and Lesbians are not allowed to exist, Christianity reigns Supreme and Drugs are illegal etc. Control of social behavior and creating fine Conservative Citizens is a function of “Limited Government”. People of America must follow Christian ideals in order to live a sound and happy life, and it is the only path for the American Citizen. Government has the duty to impose the will of the Conservative upon the people as it should be in a state where Government is severely limited.

With the functions of Government set forth, what then is this Big, Bad Government which Conservatives loathe? The answer is anything that is done by Government to serve the people. Social programs, to help the poor, old, sickly, need to be eliminated. The idea of Universal Health Care and Education a waste of tax payer money. Environmental protection and preservation a job killer. A diverse society where people are free from surveillance and not engaged in a constant state of panic and war (something which must not happen). Big Government basically equals anything that is done in the Public interest and to help the Citizens of this Nation prosper, this is the very definition of Big Government and it is the one thing that Conservatives fear more than anything else in the world a Just, Free, and Rational Society.

 Edward Snowden, has become Public Enemy #1. In a mere matters of days this young man has been vilified by the Media, attacked by Political Leaders of all stripes and faced several scathing attacks surprisingly by individuals who identify themselves to being Left Wing. Snowden has been branded a traitor, coward, miscreant and the PR War being waged by the United States Government has been hot and heavy. Eric Snowden’s decision to flee the country has also become a subject of debate, theories have been flying around about whether he is a “mole hired to steal our secrets”. Eric Snowden is grievous of a terrible crime! He is guilty of shedding light on our Government spying on our own people! Edward Snowden must be an Al Queda Operative and he must be stopped.

The leaks on the NSA were made for the public good. A young intelligence analyst who with his own eyes has seen the capabilities and power of the NSA, who worked with the NSA in collecting data on the American people. A young man who discloses that the ultimate power of the NSA to have complete and utter surveillance over the American people. This leak was not done by an individual theorizing about what goes in the National Security process but instead it is being disclosed by someone at one point was part of this process. The average American however in seeing an individual taking a keen interest in defending their liberty reacts not so obviously. Rather than defending and celebrating Mr. Snowden’s courage and integrity (because what is integrity in today’s America), the American people instead have blindly and viciously in some cases attacked Mr. Snowden’s character, throwing out wild allegations of a political agenda or flouting theories about how he might be an operative working for another Nation. The American people rather than accept the dark truths that someone from the inside has brought to light are blindly wrapping themselves up in a perverted patriotism and actually standing behind the NSA. Meanwhile the Media in seizing the moment and in justifying a surveillance state even went as fart as to claim via polling that the American people are accepting and ok with surveillance.

What is it that makes the American people defend privacy violations? What condition or events can be brainwashing Americans who would typically value their freedom and privacy towards a slavish obedience to cloak and dagger chicanery? The answer once again lies in the “War on Terror meme”. The average American believes there is a “terrorist” beneath every bed just waiting to do our Nation harm. The American psyche still suffering from 9/11 shock, still buys into the whole line that trading your freedom for security is the one and only way to go. This manipulation is possible through fear instilled in us by leadership and propaganda set forth b a compliant Corporate Media. The average American has bought the story and believe that the Ghost of Osama Bin Ladin is bound to rise one day and haunt us, a wailing Banshee still seeking the Blood of Americans. The surprising attack on those who promote freedom and liberty however is not coming from the predictable Right-wing circles or Neocon crowd, the most vicious,insidious attacks are actually coming from Democrats and supporters of the President.

Since the election of President Obama and his subsequent reelection, Americans who voted for him have become comfortable accepting, war, domestic spying and violation of civil liberties. Instead of continuing the same skeptical outlook and disdain for these things, those who voted for the President are blindly agreeing with the policy simply because they do not want to admit that the Obama Administrationn can be capable of something so wicked or vile. However in questioning the current Administration they are creating a state of hypocrisy. How can individuals who fought so hard against things like the Patriot Act and the War on Terror, suddenly be compliant and understanding of the same domestic spying which Bush was attacked over? This is simply an unacceptable double standard and the same way Bush was admonished so should the Obama Administration until they can correct this problem and pardon Edward Snowden for simply trying to be a Good Citizen.

Edward Snowden has displayed amazing courage under fire. Another example of a Millennial who has decided that enough is enough and many times we cannot be compliant with gross violations of our rights. It is this sort of mindset and integrity that helps make a Nation better an, stronger and more ethical. It is this type of action that helps bring integrity to government. However a great majority of Americans fail to see that. This group of Americans will continue to attack Snowden with false allegations, and slander and ask for his blood. Somewhere in the Heart of Texas a Cowboy cackles in the darkness, The Terrorists have won!

Privacy is Dead! Long Live the Patriot Act. A piece of legislation created ostensibly for “our protection”. Long Live the Patriot Act a legislation which transcends partisanship and completely enslaves politicians of both sides of the aisles. Two different Presidential Administrations one Republican the other Democrat yet both have continued to use this piece of legislation to its fullest extent. Several opportunities have come and gone for this legislation to vanish, several chances passed up for modifications or protection of civil liberties. When it comes down to it at the end of the day the Patriot Act reigns supreme and as it has been uncovered recently continues to ensure that we live in a society that Orwell foretold in his prophetic work 1984. Yes folks Big Brother has been here for a while and he is definitely watching.

“In the abstract, you can complain about Big Brother and how this is a potential . . . program run amok, but when you actually look at the details, then I think we’ve struck the right balance.”

The words above were spoken by President Obama in his vigorous defense of Domestic spying. It is a telling moment and a strange one. A former Constitutional Professor, defending the ability to violate the Constitutional Rights of Millions of Americans. (especially those who happen to use Verizon for their mobile communication needs). The Court order unveiled by the Guardian to the American Public is not shocking news, but its still a painful reminder of the power of the Patriot Act. The Act was rammed through Congress, it was officially the first act of the “War on Terror” a war which has for all intents and purposes defined life in America. Politicians have all become heavily influenced by the terror meme. This latest flap shows that the War on Terror despite some aesthetic changes is still raging. This week also shows that domestic spying on Americans continue. Besides the Verizon flap there was also also revelations about the
 about the Prism program  in which the Government has been obtaining data from large corporations regarding their customers. These two incidents again hearken back comparison to the world of 1984 and the very idea of Big Brother.

The Obama Administration rather than trying to change things has instead been doubling down. Using the old canard of “ National Security” and of course the old “protecting Americans card”. (because naturally protection comes from domestic spying and infringing on liberties rather than ceasing on declaring war on sovereign Nations).This is deeply ironic and unsettling considering how much of the same criticism of breaching our privacy was labeled upon President Obama’s Texan predecessor. The Bush Administration did in fact introduce this dark legacy to the world, but the Obama Administration rather than put a stop to it has decided to continuing using the Patriot Act to the detriment of our society. The current Administration has also had the chance and opportunity to repeal this flawed piece of legislation and restore a little bit of sanity and repair some of our civil liberties. Instead this Administration has decided to stay the course and keep the status quo and continue to wage a war against “terrorists” by trading in the liberties of the American people for a sense of false security.

Where is the Post 9/11 leadership? The United States is in desperate need of leadership that has not fallen for the whole 9/11 War on Terror sham. The United States is crying out for leadership that truly has an interest in restoring the civil liberties of the people, and will rescind the Patriot Act upon taking office. The current Verizon flap and order to spy on Americans would have been an illegal act under Federal law without the aid of the Patriot Act which made it legal for the Government to wantonly spy on the American people. How long before this leadership comes into office and finally ends the nightmare that was the George W. Bush War on Terror. We need leaders who want to break free of this mold and restore this country into being a great and rational Nation once more.

The Bradley Manning Trial is underway. Witness the desperation of a Government, leveling charge, after charge against an individual who ultimately was doing the right thing. Witness the spirited testimony with an attempt to humiliate, denigrate and ultimately bad mouth Manning simply because he stood for something which lacking in this Nation as a whole ( a little principle). While one notes the amazing aggression to make an example of a young man who genuinely cares about his Country , then also note the stark contrasts on how those responsible for the actions against the people of this country are absolved. Why is it that Bank CEOS are not being prosecuted with the same zeal? Why are the Heads of Wall St. Firms not being grilled for the creation of derivative default swaps that left so many lives broken and tattered? Why do Corporate Ceos get away with destroying our food supply? Mistreating workers and violating their human rights? While the farce that is the prosecution of Bradley Manning goes along there many other Corporate Criminals which continue to live their daily lives and bask in freedom.

The United States of America has got its priorities all wrong. The battle this Government seems to be utterly fascinated in waging is an all out assault on Bradley Manning (Public Enemy #1). His crimes were very simple, The Young Manning decided to expose some crimes committed by his own Government against people around the World. Bradley Manning simply felt t compelled to action by the duplicity in a Nation that was promises freedom and justice but instead was engaging in actions that were anything but. He is accused of aiding and abetting enemy (among a myriad of things), yet the actions he exposed did not give away any “secrets” nor disrupted National Security. What these actions did however was expose “The Heart of Darkness” of a Nation which has lost a sense of Humanity and all Compassion towards fellow man. It is a well known fact as well that much of the abuse leveled at Manning is also an attempt to try and get a Wikileaks founder Julian Assange who they keep vainly trying to connect to Manning and turn it into some sort of “Conspiracy” against the American Government and its Military apparatus. The sad truth is that the information that was released was not a security breach but instead it expose dark war crimes which people in a Democratic and free society should be made privy to.

While Manning continues to fight for freedom, by contrast witness those responsible for the economic collapse to still walk free. Within the last few years we have been treated to various exploits about how the banks engaged in predatory subprime lending. We have learned about exotic default swaps which ended up causing much economic devastation. The people of this Nation eventually even had to bail out banking institutions so that they could continue to find new ways to cheat the people of this Nation. Senators like Elizabeth Warren have continually called fro prosecution of Big Bank executives and have asked the Justice Department to step in, however the Justice Department has shown an unwillingness and flat out inability to go after any of the parties that were responsible for the economic collapse of this Nation, a collapse which till ths day the average individual is still trying so desperately to recover from. While Bradley Manning fights for his freedoms there a myriad of bank executives who have defrauded and toyed with the lives of millions of Americans, these individuals still continue the fruit of their ill gotten gains with not even simple inquiries done into the nature of their schemes. While Bradley Manning is prosecuted companies like Monsanto are instead rewarded for their devastation of our food supply. The Supreme Court in a recent decision even enforces their ability to patent the seed. Corporations in general continue to violate labor laws and mistreat its employees, by squelching attempts to unionize, refuse to pay overtime and force extra labor, provide working conditions which violate OSHA (among many others). Yet these individuals like the banks are beyond scrutiny, they go beyond any prosecution from the Justice Department.

In America today Justice has become inverted. Those with a conscious who want to better the overall nature of this Nation are prosecuted, while those who simply want to destroy American society are given a free pass and often than not are given access to helping create legislation. While a young man who put himself on the line for this Country is fighting for his very freedom. Those who have actually cause much economic devastation remain at large and enjoying their freedom. This sort of inverted situation makes a mockery of Democracy and creates a certain sense that Justice only seems to be on the side of the corrupt and the criminal rather than those who seek and strive to make America a better place. America needs to stop prosecuting people like Bradley Manning and begin to finally prosecute Corrupt Bankers and Corporate CEOS gone astray!
 


 
 

Attention College Graduates per Corporate America your degrees mean nothing! You may have placed a lot of your valuable time in honing your research skills, writing papers, solving equations, working on scientific projects, and spending a lot of money (or for most poor and middle class students borrowing) to put into an ultimate reward which basically is nothing more than a piece of paper which entitles you to nothing,. Graduates, please forget that for years and years your parents, teachers, prospective employers (Career Day anyone?), would talk up the importance of this piece of paper and how once you were done because of all your “hard work” you would have the ability and be rewarded financially for your efforts. Just forget everything because it was all a lie.

Growing up we all heard the sales pitch, and once “Mission is Accomplished” the song and dance we were told about suddenly takes a different tune. Ready and eager to work in fields that we have long dreamed of making a difference the College Graduate naively prepares to not just have personal fulfillment, but actually get paid enough to be able to do away with that nasty high interest loans (now growing and growing thanks to Conservatives in Congress), Upon entering the illustrious workforce recruiters (who have gotten theirs and are loving life) have now flipped the script. Suddenly a College Grad only has a “useless” piece of paper. Suddenly they find themselves with “no experience” the buzz words keep flying away at the College Grad as they sit their and see their entire academic careers flash before their very eyes. Suddenly “Pomp and Circumstance” becomes a funeral dirge. Now what happens? Some College Grads may actually have a family, a mortgage, or rent and bills to pay. Suddenly that diploma on the wall doesn’t mean anything and the calls keep coming from the hucksters at Sallie Mae and other fine institutions of loan sharking. College Grads have been viciously yanked from the Matrix (especially by Private Sector Employers) and have had their dreams crushed and career fulfillment destroyed in the name of Capitalism and Wage Slavery.

Reality has been hard and unkind for the College Grad. Student Loan Debt is getting wildly out of control because the students need to survive on their newfound meager salaries and unfortunately day to day living becomes a priority. Then the student loan is also impossible to discharge via a bankruptcy and many times leads to garnishment of meager salaries that are barely enough to support the new Grad. In essence the real winners in this game are the Universities who profited handsomely from the years of paying tuition, lab fees, sports fees, activity fees etc they got paid by the loan sharks who provided the loans to the students. The other major winner is the banks and lenders, as they now look to collect on loans that cannot be discharged and are salivating at raising the interest rate even higher.

 War has been declared on the College Grad. Suddenly all the hard work sacrifice, and finances are basically not worth it. Suddenly the College Grad is being told that it was nothing more than a sales pitch, the joke was on them from the very get go. There also those who go out of their way and feel no pity for the college grad. These individuals still want to claim again reason and logic that a degree is still worthless regardless of the time spent pursuing. The only thing such a mentality accomplishes is that it allows Corporations to continue to make wage slaves out of very sharp and qualified individuals, and secondly undermines and demeans the entire notion of a system of education, because after all if the College Degree is worthless why bother pursuing it all? This is why all Graduates or those currently in the process need to rise up and let their voices be heard! We need to demand that Education be recognized, we need to make them accountable to all the years of promises that are ultimately being broken because of greed. The time has come for Graduates to stand up and end this War that is being waged against them.

“We are not going to take it anymore”. In the immortal words of Dee Snider, the people are fed up! The people of this Nation for too long have been held thrall to the whims and fancy of Corporations and their political lackeys. Every day sis a struggle we are bombarded with negativity the media speaks of the end of the middle class, the inequality gap , Corporate Control! The messages come loud and clear and beat the average American down, the cacophony is enough to beat down even the strongest. We are getting poorer, our economy is still in shambles and the housing recovery is nothing more than a gift to Private Equity Funds. The regular people meanwhile, are downtrodden, living in an environmentally tattered planet, our food supply is tainted our politicians have been sold to the highest bidder, everything is bleak we reach out for hope only to pull a few grains, this past week amidst the disaster that is life in America a few hopeful events emerged. On one hand we saw a City stand up with others to the Dark Money, which is controlling our political future. The second event was a worldwide action speaking up against a Corporation who has placed a stranglehold on our food supply.

 Citizens United has elicited a counter response by the people! In the last two years since the Supreme Court has allowed the takeover of our electoral process and opened the floodgates for Corporate rule, the people have been launching a sustained attack. There has been drives to try and right the wrong that the Court brought down up on us. For two years petitions have been circulating in the digital world eventually translating to real world results as 150 Cities around the Country have all been fighting to have a Constitutional Amendment which will override the Citizens United debacle. This week the City of Los Angeles California has joined the movement. The people of Los Angeles with 77% of the vote backed a measure Proposition to have their politicians support a Constitutional Measure to stop the wild Corporate spending. Similar moves have been made have happened in about 400 localities around the Nation and along with this Thirteen State Legislatures have passed resolutions or sent letters to Congress. This action has not appeared from a void but it has been due to the rising tide of discontent of the average American as they have seen for the last three years an unprecedented rise of unchecked corporate power when it comes to political spending and activism. A Corporate power with no limitations that is constantly nurtured, coddled and protected by the Corporate Supreme Court.

A second show of force by the Citizens of the World was evident this Saturday. In a large and coordinated global event the people of World went out on the offensive against Corporate Giant Monsanto! Monsanto who recently has been coddled by the Supreme Court and emboldened by their unanimous victory have been on the road to abusing power. With the head of the FDA a former Monsanto operative, the Corporate Beast is getting ready to truly control our food supply not just Nationwide but worldwide. The people who have had enough went on the offensive on Saturday with over 400 simultaneous protests where they simply and straightforward let Monsanto know that the people will not take it. The marches where energetic and angry as the people have grown tired that a Chemical Company is dominating our most vital of resources, We the people need to take our food supply back from this Corporate beast and Saturday is a good indicator that we are not going to be sitting still and allow Monsanto turn unchecked.

The people are awake, and we are angry. This anger is not been channeled into positive activism to try and change things. Clearly the political systems are failing us. Our politicians refuse to listen to our will, Corporations are handed a license to plunder and many times create our legislation. Our society is not being run by government by the people for the people, instead it is in the hands of unchecked Corporations who have not simply married with government, but have possessed it. We the people though have awoken and will do everything in our power to preserve our society and ensure its survival into future generations.

With the IRS “targeting “ of the Tea Party being the hot in thing. There was recently uncovered a letter that was sent to the IRS from a very irate member of the Tea Party who feels he has been wronged by the IRS merely because he is a member of the Tea Party. This individual belongs to a small Tea Party offshoot that was looking to become tax exempt but was turned down as being overtly political. The offshoot is called American Patriots For Liberty and Justice. They feel they should have been tax exempt and their wealthy operatives are pissed. Below is a letter sent to the IRS the words will speak for themselves……

Dear Big Guvment People,

We are flat out pissed off, W e are sick of being taxed over and over again. Every day you want us to send you money to support the big guvment agenda but we have had it. My group was all about America. We wanted to create a group that would help teach people about freedom and justice. When we were turned down because we wanted to send money to the Koch Brothers and Heritage Foundation we felt wronged. When we were turned down because we wanted to rise money to run a strong candidate that would be for us, you said we were trying to cheat the system. Shame on you!

We the people of American Patriots for Liberty and Justice are tired. We are sick of Socialist Agendas that want me to pay for health care for people. We are tired of socialist agendas that want to give lazy minarities and Mexicans free money. They come to our shores and take our land while they use up our resources. Wh pays all the taxes to help these brown people? We do! Yes IRS, we want our money for important things like fighting AL Queda, stopping abortion, and helping Christ the Lord reclaim his Rightful throne. We are tired of a big guvment Socialist Machine running our very lives.

This is nothing more than an Obama conpiratsy and the reason why minarities should (especially those who are Kenyan Muslims ) should be banned from being President.

IRS we are sick of you and like Thomas Jefferson said in the Constitution we have the right to dissolve you at will. You are an illegal Socialist invention that has no place in a Democracy! The time has come to stand up and take America back! Restore our values around the world, and go kick some ass, We are Americans and we will continue to fight the opression, we will continue to seek tax exemptions because by God we deserve them because we are Patriots! This scandal is a disgrace to our four fathers, and the Media needs to expose this for the world to see how the Tea Party is being cheated from tax exempt status we will not stop until you are shut down.

Sincarly,

Ralph Williams

CEO of American Patriots For Liberty and Justice

Corporations, they love to cheat, lie and exploit workers everywhere. Corporations dub themselves job creators, when in fact they re nothing more than another attempt by the privileged few to exploit those who are not so privileged. What follow is a brief but sordid tale. A real world example of how a large Corporation lies and cheats in order to deny employees or former employers their benefits. The story in this case is 100% true name, in order to protect the identity of this individual from any reprisal and for privacy reasons names have been changed.

Central Florida the “Land of the Mouse” and cheap labor. Jobs are often scarce in this area with hospitality being the largest source of employment in Orlando Florida. We follow a man who for all intents and purposes will call Brian. Brian took on a job with Marriott selling those lovely little time share vacations over the phone. The job itself was menial and offered a low wage, but since Brian lived with the reality of being part of the working class in an economically dilapidated part of a state which is not known for its high wages and great living standards, Brian would grin and bear it. The Marriott time shares like every other Corporate monstrosity had in a place a panoply of employer friendly policies and ridiculous quotas exerting under pressure on its employees from the very get go. However Brian is a master salesman, highly experienced who during his tenure with the company one many awards and achievements. However with every passing day Marriott in an effort to pay less commission and further exploit its labor started to impose higher quotas and standards to be met by its sales team. The raising of the bar created many employees to fold under the pressure, and even someone as experienced and talented as Brian was having a hard time selling a much maligned product (time shares) during an economic recovery. Naturally with the new standards in place and the pressure Brian was fired from the company.

The next part of the story should be mundane Brian files for unemployment from the state as he searches the meager Central Florida job market looking for a new source of income. Sounds simple right? Well the story now takes a different turn for Brian. Brian begins to receive letters from Florida’s unemployment office and curiously enough the paper work states that Unemployment benefits are being challenged and appealed by Marriott. The reason cited was that they claim Brian was fired for “misconduct”. This came as a shock to the system for Brian what forced his separation was nothing more than the inability to continually meet a ridiculously high sales quota of time shares. Brian had been a highly praised and touted employee, he never stole or defaced company property, never took any illegal substances while working, in reality his behavior and work ethic were often rewarded and praised. However now his unemployment benefit is being denied because the company was flat out lying and citing “misconduct” as a termination reason.

The conflict continued to escalate in an attempt to clear his name and reputation Brian was told about a telephonic hearing that would happen regarding the issue. During this Hearing he would represent himself against a few representatives from Marriott they will both tell their sides of the story and ultimately a decision will be made. When the hearing started Brian read a statement clearing the air and explaining that he had never engaged in anything that could be even construed as misconduct, he spoke about his past rewards and the reason for his termination from the company. When it was Marriott’s turn to speak the representatives hesitated to identify themselves as being from Marriott. They had in fact represented themselves to the Unemployment Agency as being a “ generic telephone room”. The representative who was conducting the telephonic hearing had never received any advanced warning or paperwork that she would be dealing with Marriott because they declined to give the company name, once Brian had outed them during the course of the Hearing the Marrriott’s representative began to sing a different tune. Suddenly there was a retreat on the whole “misconduct” situation and the word never came up again during the entire Hearing, their bluff had been called and it was over. Needless to say Brian ended up winning the unemployment decision and ended up earning benefits which should have never been challenged in the first place.

This once again shows the depravity and immorality of Corporate America. Firstly to deny this man his right to unemployment they lied about the reason of separation. Secondly the company declined to give its own name because they were completely aware the whole “misconduct charge” was a fraud from the very get go and did not want to have the “Marriott’s reputation” ruined. This is a micro example of something that tends to happen on a regular basis in America. Employers lie about the status of former employees and try to bluff themselves out of paying out unemployment benefits. What the Marriott was really hoping for was for Brian to ignore the letter he was receiving and that he would blow a deadline leading to an administrative type of default victory. Marriott knew it was lying about his job status but was hoping that they would be able to fly under the radar. Once again another tale of Corporate Lies., one that has become too common in the United States today.

Note to Readers: If you or a loved one have been denied unemployment benefits because of a similar lie and would like to share your story on our site please send us your story to alberto.pupo@hotmail.com so it can be featured on the Blog of Progress. Thank you.,

Let us now start the Pity Party for the Tea Party. The current “IRS flap” is a telling example of the Right-Wing Bias in the Corporate Media and double standard in this Nation. President Obama is even on an apology tour in favor of the Tea Party calling the behavior “inexcusable”, Congress is calling for heads to roll at the IRS, while the Corporate Media is stroking the “hurt feelings of the Tea Party”. Yes it seems like the last few days has been nothing more than a little game of purer hypocrisy and confusion to the average American. The Tea Party are being painted as “innocent victims” who are have been targeted by the IRS since 2010 (coincidentally around the time of Citizens United). Meanwhile the average American is channeling some sort of anger, but why are they angry? So what is really the big deal? Should there be an apology? Is the Tea Party truly innocent? Or is this another example of how the Right-Wing gets away with everything.

Tea Party Activists emboldened by Citizens United started creating Non-Profits. The current controversy claims that non-profit status was being denied, or delayed for groups which used words like Patriots, Tea Party, Taking Back America ,9/12 project etc… 2010 was the beginning of this so called “witch hunt”. The Tea Groups believe that they were singled out by Big Guvment, and were not given their rightful non-profit status. Sounds like a travesty of justice? Or was it just a sound investigation process by the so called rogue agents? While using code words to single out groups may at first blush look like a foolish move let’s take a few things into consideration. Firstly, the Tea Party organizations are really and truly enamored with Revolutionary Americana. This is evident especially as their get togethers seem to depict a Revolutionary Gathering (or a facade of it). Secondly there is the nature of the non-profit exemption. This is simple to be a non-profit you must work in charitable, non political functions, straightforward political activism does not qualify to give one non-profit status. After the Supreme Court opened up the flood gates in 2010 , using the new rules of the game these groups are seeking tax exempt status to be able to not only collect more money taxation free, but also pocket some of the funds and skim of the top. The Tea Party groups all have an overtly Political Agenda, sorry but getting a nut job like Ted Cruz elected is not a charitable cause. Without any scrutiny from the IRS these groups would simply abuse the tax code so that they can get themselves a sweet deal by declaring themselves non-profits, in fact the scrutiny that was done by this group of “rogue agents” most likely stopped some Tea Party offshoots from simply abusing the system and enriching themselves and their radical agenda in the process.

Hypocrisy is also the theme of the week. While nothing was done about prosecuting members of the Bush Administration or Wall St. for the wanton destruction of our economy and the American Middle Class. The Tea Party is actually getting apologized to by a President who they often depict as an African tribesman or hanging from a tree. Meanwhile Republicans who were mum on Wall St. Robberies are now asking for full investigations and trying to humiliate and disgrace IRS agents who were doing their job properly and going after Tea Party shell organizations who were wantonly cheating the system. Meanwhile Corporate cheerleaders compare this incident to the “apocalypse” and state the average American should be angry.. however we are expected to forgive the wealthy who use tax haves, the bankers who swindled us and those who committed war crimes. In fact these “rogue members of the IRS should be rewarded for having the nerve to stand up to corruption and true abuses of the system like what the Tea Party organizations were doing by pretending to be social welfare organizations that in itself is the true crime, yet no one in the Corporate Media has the nerve to point that out.

So was the Tea Party really unfairly targeted? The answer is a resounding not at all. These groups were vetted with care because firstly they subscribe to a philosophy that refuses to pay taxes. Secondly even though the Tea Party hates the government they still have the nerve and gall to ask for exemption from taxes from a government they despise. The truth is that these IRS agents should not be admonished they should be recognized for their efforts in fighting the corruption that is the Tea Party and taking it head on while our Government coddles and protects them instead of caring for the well being of the poor and the middle class. The time has come for the people of this Nation to stop buying the Corporate Media bait and switch , write to the Treasury Secretary and have them continue to investigate these Tea Party groups who wrongly claiming non-profit exemptions as they attempt to funnel more money to their agenda and personal pockets.