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First off, G.W.Bush and Doug Feith should be held accountable for torture.
David Stern-top foreclosure lawyer.The forclosure process was and is a "virtual morass" of fake documents, paperwork that went missing. The Attorney General also is looking at whether Stern paid kickbacks to big banks. Fannie Mae-mortgage giant-is a gov-backed agency that provides market stability for mortgage lenders, named Stern to it's exclusive attorney network. That meant Fannie directed banks to use Stern's firm when foreclosing in Florida.
In 1998, Stern was named in a class action lawsuit alleging he padded fees on foreclosed homeowners.Stern settled for $2.2 million. Fannie continued referring cases to Stern.
Stern was sued again for sexual harassment.
2002, Florida Supreme Court reprimanded Stern for "submitting potentially misleading" fee affidavits.
Fannie fired Stern on Oct. 22nd.
arrests issued for owing on credit cards... is not a legal procedure i have ever heard of and owing on a credit card is not a violation of law as far as i know.
so what is really happening and where?
I have thought for a long time that we were returning to the time of the "robber barons". Republicans only have a love for the rich and for the corporations and NOT for the people. They work overtime to protect the rich and even more to destroy the middle-class and the working poor. All the progress that was made in the 1900's is being lost by the people now thanks to the Republicans. Also, too many of the Democrats in Washington, D.C. are helping the GOP to destroy the the USA. The Democrats need to get a backbone and stand even stronger for the people. There is still hope for the people with individuals like Thom Hartmann standing in the gap.
This is actually funny ! The ultimate anti corporate resistance would be for at least half of all people
regardless of their credit rating refuse to pay so overcrowding in prison would become preposterous and the cost of housing millions would be an overburden on the state tax revenue. But...that will never happen because that is more like something conservatives would do to liberals. Liberals will just not put themselves on the line for their fellow citizens or their democracy. Liberals really have to buckle down and become intensely radical like in the late sixties. Debtors prisons could really become a rally point to cause some serious grief. There is just nothing greater than massive passive resistance. I'll go first if it comes to that in my state of Oregon and I hope the rest of the brave and free will follow.
"there are over 20 million lawsuits filed in any given year. Only 5000 were "jailed" as purported. "
Ah. Having some background in Statistics, I'd like some more details.
For example, how many of those 20 million lawsuits were for people who had been bitten by dogs, found a mouse in their soft drink bottle, etc?
And how many were lawsuits against a credit card holder ? We know 5,000 were jailed.
We don't ACTUALLY know that these were all from failure to appear triggering Contempt.
If there were 20,000 lawsuits against card holders and 5,000 went to prison, that changes your odds calculation quite a bit.
The writer of this article completely misrepresents how the "debtor" ends up in jail.
Anyone can can go to jail for "contempt-of-court" if they disobey a court order. Nobody goes to jail for being a debtor. They went to jail for disobeying a court order.
Typically, it's an order by the court to present themselves to see if they have any assets. If they do not present themselves, a contempt of court order can ensue. If they have no assets, they have no assets. All the bank can do is what is allowable by law, such as a garnishment of wages.
A contempt of court order can be issud for ANY violation of a court order.
The writer should do their homework or retract the article because it's a gross misrepresentation of the legal system and it creates a false sense of panic to readers during these troubled times.
Just for some perspective, there are over 20 million lawsuits filed in any given year. Only 5000 were "jailed" as purported. That's a .00025 chance of being "jailed" from any lawsuit which is just above the chances of being struck by lightning over your lifetime which is .00016.
Of course we have returned to the time of Robber Baron's, but do you think the majority of American's will take pause from their consumption long enough to do anything about it? Some in Wisconsin did, as well as a few other states, but we have got to come together as a Nation and FIGHT BACK! I have been participating in a study group at our local Democracy Unlimited that is using the study guide provided by the Women's International League For Peace and Freedom. I believe that if every American was enlightened with this information we would have our revolution. Please encourage people to check out this study guide and discuss it with friends and neighbors, even their enemies! We are going to HAVE to put partisan BS aside and focus on corporate power and government misuse of power. Otherwise, we'll never have anything that even resembles a democracy. http://www.wilpf.org/CPOWER/10_sessions
Thanks for discussing Governor Rick Scott. However, I believe you understate his efforts to obtain ill-gotten gains from his postion as Governor. I believe his company his company Solantic does drug tests that were mentioned in your show today. But there is much more as detailed in the following link. I hope someone will start talking about this.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/money/gov-scott-shifting-clinics-to-his-wife-raises-1317326.html?page=4&viewAsSinglePage=true
In 1929 germany these same neo-cons (fascists) took over and destroyed a country! Costing the lives of millions of innocent people on both sides! And these werent just of the jewish faith!
They had their followers right up to the end just as we have! These are not the true republicans of our fathers--they are neocons--nationalists--fascists--they work hand in hand with corporations just as Nazi Germany did.
um...my comments were addressing my wanting derrick jensen on, too. and agreement with 'strong words' that include cold assessment of reality and the accuracy of chris hedges assessment of bill c.
THANK YOU FOR SUCH STRONG WORDS; I COMPLETELY AGREE.
yes!
maybe the GOP are so stupid they thought jonathon swift really meant we should eat children of the poor...
ps--just wanted to agree with thom's comment today that he could listen to leonard cohen all day long...i just purchased a 2nd copy of leonard's 'i'm your man' because i think the entire album's a masterpiece; not very political--but 'jazz police' is hilarious and prescient re 'patriots act' among other things--like escalating war on the poor. (couldn't find my vinyl copy....pretty large item to misplace, huh?)
also got his 'essential leonard cohen' too--fantastic compilation from 'suzanne' thru to his recent ones.
just felt like responding to Thom's remark that lightened the listening to horrible news of nuclear nightmare, another war, and the poor guy who's making sears richer by their sin of usury...aesthetic works from those like leonard cohen--and each of our own creations--help keep us human(e).
pray for peace AND fight for justice...
"It's Very Important For Us To Start to Build a Culture of Resistance"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0dT_x1XQuQ
Dominant Culture is Killing The Planet
Derrick Jensen has been called the poet philosopher of the ecological movement. He has written some 15 books critiquing contemporary society and the destruction of the environment. His many books include "A Language Older Than Words," "Endgame," "What We Left Behind," "Resistance Against Empire" and, his latest, "Deep Green Resistance. "This is Part I of a Democracy Now's conversation with Jensen.
Derick Jensen - Endgame http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9os1GFuWJ0
Please give voice to the Radical Left, the way you give voice to the Right Wing. I want to hear Thom debate Derrick Jensen for an hour. Please Have Derick Jensen on!
It is our task to remember that all of the great correctives in our history never achieved political power, ever. Not The Liberty Party, The suffragettes, The Labor Movement, The Civil Rights Movement.
We have to regain that form of resistance. And it’s hard and it’s lonely. But, Simple Pride should keep us from being used by the Democratic Party again. There has to be a breaking point. There has to be a moral line that can’t be crossed.
It is our job to coldly assess reality. If we can’t understand the reality around us then we cannot even use the word hope. You have to respond to the real not the imaginary. Bill Clinton is the Poster Child for Bankrupt Liberalism. - Chris Hedges
Its is possible that the States make more money from you while you sit in jail then they can get from your taxes each year? Cruel, Causing more sffering. Then again free meals and a roof over your head that is if one happens to be homeless. But I am sure no one wants to sit in jail right? That doesn't help anyone. Again It seems like we all have to pay for the mistakes our leaders, science and know it alls who think they have the answer to everything ~ One of their great master designs ,the Nuclear Plants and the thought, to put one of these things in each neighborhood around the world. I can't wait ! The people always pay in many ways for their crimes against humanity..
Apparently Pres. Obama is going around Congress in holding suspects without giving them Miranda Rights.
This is from Jonathan Turley's site:
http://jonathanturley.org/2011/03/24/obama-orders-limits-on-miranda-righ...
Another fire shows the Triangle fire only made a difference in the law books, but not much in the actions of criminal corporations:
Food Plant Fire Kills 25; Exits Blocked : Disaster: Chicken workers in North Carolina are trapped in a facility that had never been inspected for safety. Another 40 workers hurt.
http://articles.latimes.com/1991-09-04/news/mn-1427_1_north-carolina
Both Meirs and Rove refused.
I am searching for sources supporting the use of force in implementing compulsory school in the United States. If anyone can suggest newspaper articles, books, pamphlets, or any other reputable, citable sources from that period it would be greatly appreciated!
(They do not have to be specific to Massachusetts)
Thanks!
That sounds about right mathboy. Thanks for the correction.
Wendy, I think it was Karl Rove that refused to appear.
Umm, didn't Harriet Meirs refuse to appear in court when she was subpoenaed? Not sure if I have that right but I know that someone around Bushs did.
Guess you just have to appear in court when your yearly income is below a certain level.
Well, we all knew after the bankruptcy bill a few years ago that the Republicans would try to bring back debtors' prisons. They really do have an 17th-Century attitude.