1776 vs. 2013

The Government-Corporate Monstrosity offers this fresh message from Booz Allen Hamilton's Chairman and CEO:

The most significant news of the past quarter was the abhorrent actions of former employee, Edward Snowden, who had worked at Booz Allen for less than 10 weeks. I spoke to all of our employees at a townhall meeting the week following his announcement that he had leaked highly sensitive national security information. I'd like to share with you something I said to our people that day. I told our employees, Mr. Snowden was on our payroll for a short period of time, but he was not a Booz Allen person and he did not share our values. We cannot and will not let him define us. That is the most important message I can convey. You define us. The work we do for our clients defines us.

Now in that regard, we continue to do everything possible to support our clients' mission and the United States government's law enforcement investigation. Within the firm, we're being vigilant and are supporting our employees, especially those working with the intelligence community. And on a personal note, I've been touched by the words of support from those in the business community and especially from our clients, showing that our long-term clients know the kind of company we are.

I'd like to leave that subject behind now and talk about the things we can control. First and foremost, we're serving our clients with the highest-quality work and commitment to their mission. We're supporting our people and the communities in which we work and live, and are delivering value to our stockholders through effective management of the business and capital deployment choices. And we're making some exciting plans to recognize Booz Allen Hamilton's 100th anniversary year, which begins in January of 2014. 

Ralph W. Shrader - Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer, President, Chairman of Executive Committee, Chairman of Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee, Chairman of The Board of Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corp, Chief Executive Officer of Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corp and President of Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corp - made these remarks in today's Booz Allen Hamilton earnings call.

How far has the United States come since our founding?  Recall a more mature Thomas Jefferson turned down an inheritance that would've free his slaves, later putting those same slaves up as collateral for a huge loan. 

After 237 years the little people remain. 

"Don't Talk to Listed Terrorists" but Pentagon Won't Share List

The universal defense to the myriad of domestic spying programs is "If you're not talking with terrorists, we're not violating your privacy."  Operationalized, this turns into "if you're not connected to terrorists by three intermediary relationships, think Seven Degrees of Kevin Bacon, we're not looking at you."  Those relationships could be as simple as someone reading a blog, Twitter feed or Facebook page.  HuffPo reported:

President Obama said again and again that the U.S. is at war with “Al Qaeda, the Taliban, and their associated forces.” 

The Pentagon refused to identify with whom America is at war:

A Pentagon spokesman said revealing such a list (of associated forces) could cause “serious damage to national security.”

“Because elements that might be considered ‘associated forces’ can build credibility by being listed as such by the United States, we have classified the list,” said the spokesman, Lt. Col. Jim Gregory. “We cannot afford to inflate these organizations that rely on violent extremist ideology to strengthen their ranks.”

Americans are supposed to avoid people who know people who might talk to someone who "might be considered associated forces," but those groups are a secret.  And Americans can't look up on a public database and find when Congress declared war and on whom.  Does this make any sense?  Only in today's world of abysmal leadership, spin and hyper-complexity.

No Need for "Get Out of Jail Free"

The Guardian's Glenn Greenwald reported:

...the most powerful political officials cannot commit crimes or engage in serious wrongdoing. The only political crimes come from exposing and aggressively challenging those officials. How is it anything other than pure whistleblowing to disclose secret documents proving that top government officials have been systematically deceiving the public about vital matters and/or skirting if not violating legal and Constitutional limits?

The same applies to the most powerful private officials, specifically the big money boys, many of whom are private equity underwriters (PEU's).  The Carlyle Group somehow avoided a bad name for:

1.  Bilking Medicaid for unnecessary and/or poor quality dental procedures on kids.  - Church Street Health Management
2.  Bribing Detroit City Councilwoman Monica Conyers, wife of Rep. John Conyers (D-MI).  -Synagro Technologies
3.  Twenty five patient deaths in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.  -LifeCare Hospitals

Carlyle cofounders David Rubenstein, Bill Conway and Danny D'Aniello settled with the New York State Attorney General for $20 million to get out of a pension "pay to play" investigation.

Neither politicians, appointed officials or their financiers are held to account for their misdeeds, much less charged with crimes.  They're insulated and protected by fellow members of the Government-Corporate Monstrosity, Eisnehower's Military-Industrial Complex on trillions in federal steroids.

General James Clapper defended the Government-Corporate Monstrosity by vilifying Snowden and anyone who might show actual concern.  Clapper defended his three years as a Booz Allen Hamilton executive and his subsequent enrichment via the GCM.

(In 1995) Clapper worked as executive director of military intelligence programs for defense contractor Booz Allen Hamilton. In 1998 he moved on to Intelligence Programs director for SRA International, another government contractor.  In October 2006 Clapper was hired as chief operating officer for DFI Government Services, a national security consulting firm. DFI was soon acquired by Detica which was, in turn, bought out by BAE Systems. Also in October 2006, Clapper joined the board of directors of 3001 International, a prime contractor of the NGA that was acquired by Northup Grumman in September 2008.

The GCM has an all out war on whistleblowers, the public servant and private employee kind.  Whistleblowers face a monster wave of retaliation. The politically powerful, who lie with no conscience, face no consequences.  Image must be maintained at all costs.

Chinese "Happy Ending" Massage Freedom

The AP reported on a national discussion in China of the legality of male orgasm at the hands of female masseusses:

Now courts, police, prosecutors, lawyers and academics are being quoted discussing oral sex and other types of sexual services facilitated by body parts excluding genitals, typically taboo topics that have captured the public's attention.

The question is whether such services can be considered prostitution if there is no intercourse.

American President Bill Clinton redefined sex as non-intercourse while in the White House.  "Happy Ending" Bill, that's fitting. 

Freedom to Be Spied Upon

"My understanding is that espionage means giving secret or classified information to the enemy. Since (Edward) Snowden shared information with the American people, his indictment for espionage could reveal (or confirm) that the US Government views you and me as the enemy." - Congressman Ron Paul, M.D.

Shortly after President Obama took office I sensed he wanted to parent the country.  Snowden, like other leakers, incited the wrath of a President consumed with image management.  I predicted Snowden would face a monster wave of retaliation.  That materialized and shows no signs of ending until Snowden is extradited or dead.  

Snowden worked for Booz Allen Hamilton, an affiliate of The Carlyle Group.  President Obama recently held an intimate dinner for Carlyle co-founder David Rubenstein.  Rubenstein loaned The White House his copy of The Emancipation Proclamation, which hung in Obama's Oval Office.  It would be no problem for Rubenstein to share his anger and desire for payback for Snowden denting Booz's value.  

Note that no one is angry about Carlyle pulling nearly $1.2 billion in cash out of Booz via special dividends.  As the government provides over 99% of Booz's revenue, taxpayers ensured Carlyle's billionaire co-founders got even richer.  Booz paid Carlyle its special dividends via borrowings, which causes Uncle Sam to bear increased interest costs.  

President Obama, numerous Congressmen and other government officials want payback in the worst way for Edward Snowden.  They will get their way,  The Government-Corporate Monstrosity, Eisenhower's Military Industrial Complex on trillions in federal steroids, will ensure it. 

The Bilderberg Paradox

A number of democratically elected leaders, who promised to run open and transparent governments, have one greater commitment than their promise to the people.  It's fulfilling their promise of secrecy to the Bilderberg Group   The UK's Mirror reported:

David Cameron has been slammed for attending a meeting of the shadowy Bilderberg Group tonight.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman claimed that he was still committed to lead the world’s most transparent government.

But the spokesman refused to say who the PM was seeing or what they would be discussing at the secret gathering of world leaders and global business chiefs.

The gathering, held here for the first time, was a private event even though Mr Cameron was invited as the Prime Minister of the host country, the spokesman insisted.

The spokesman claimed: “That doesn’t mean that he is not determined to lead the most transparent government.”

Someone tell Cameron's assistant that one failure of a theory requires its modification.

The British Prime Minister is latest poster child, but virtually every major Western chief executive or "want-to=be" offered fealty to the Bilderbergers.  Candidate Obama attended Bilderberg in Chantilly, Virginia during his heated primary campaign against Hillary Clinton in 2008. After being elected President Obama promised to beat his predecessors on openness:

My administration is committed to creating an unprecedented level of openness in Government.  Transparency promotes accountability and provides information for citizens about what their Government is doing.

Despite President Obama's promise Treasury Chief Tim Geithner attended Bilderberg in 2009 and OMB Chief Peter Orszag in 2010, prior to his retirement. Recent stories of government spying on reporters and Verizon phone users call into question Obama's transparency "commitment."

2012 President candidate Mitt Romney was the virtual face of the Bilderberg Group's private capital camp.  Many Bilderbergers are worth billions, whether it be dollars, euro's or pounds.

Despite their outsized wealth they gladly accept taxpayer donations:

There is anger that taxpayers are being left to pick up the tab for the huge security operation being mounted to protect the global elite at their love-in at the Hertfordshire retreat.

Bilderbergers want more countries opened for American-branded multinational corporations to ply their goods or access critical resources, energy, human and otherwise.

Bilderbergers' business-oriented governments offer a slow motion race to the bottom on taxes and regulations, even allowing industries to self regulate.  The Obama administration's response to BP's Oil Spew and the Tennessee coal ash spill catered to massive polluters, current and potential.

Bilderbergers incite western militaries to "free" desirable countries, while the less desirable are left in debilitating quagmires.  The globe is something to be tampered with.  Bllderbergers David Petreaus (KKR) and Michael Gfoeller (The Chertoff Group) have direct experience in this regard. 

Bilderberg attendee Alex Karp's Palantir Technologies works on the integration and analysis of large quantities of data, or as Palantir likes to say, helping to solve the world's biggest problems.  According to the NewYorker, Palentir's software "helps government agencies track down terrorists, fraudsters, and other criminals, by detecting subtle patterns in torrents of information." .Palantir Technologies was co-founded by another Bilderberger Peter Thiel.  Palantir means "seeing stone" and its niche is cyber security, offense and defense.  It's likely on the case for this Bilderberg meeting. 

Absolute power corrupts absolutely.  Absolute secrecy is a form of absolute power.  If sunshine is the best disinfectant, Bilderberg is a dank, cesspool.

Update 6-11-13:  Is Palantir on the case of Edward Snowden, the Booz Allen Hamilton leaker of NSA secrets?   The NSA is as open and accountable as Bilderberg.  Absolute secrecy is a form of absolute power.  Snowden broke secrecy and must pay.  His revelations lost The Carlyle Group nearly $80 million in Booz Allen stock holdings in two days.

Update 7-9-13:  The Guardian covered Bilderberg before they covered NSA's global spyweb.  

Freedom to Protect Western Oligarchs

Mail Online reported:

British taxpayers will have to foot the bill for the ‘exceptional costs’ of policing of the clandestine Bilderberg meeting to be held in Watford next week.

The annual meeting of royalty, prime ministers and business chiefs - famous for being shrouded in secrecy - is taking place in Britain for the first time since 1998.

Given the amount of – so far unnamed - prestigious people set to attend the event at the luxury Watford hotel in Hertfordshire, local police have been forced to step up security, which will be part-funded by the government.

The cloak of secrecy surrounding the meetings, which ban journalists from attending, has fueled various conspiracy theories, including that attendees are plotting world domination.

The Telegraph expects the security bill to be in the millions.  The public, despite paying a chunk of the freight, has no right to know what Bilderberg's spooks, wankers and PEU bankers are up to. 

More British papers are reporting on the event.  in year's past The Guardian was the only major to send a reporter.

At least Brits know how to throw a protest.  It'll be interesting to see how this turns out. Western oligarchs know how to protect their secrecy. It's something the average citizen cannot afford.