BIG BEND BIKERS FOR FREEDOM

Riding with the Breeze memorial run 2010

RGnostic@gmail.com (rc) — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 21:59:00 +0000

Judging by the turnout for this years
Ridin with the Breeze Run, put on by the Roadrunners this is quickly going to become of the the areas main events.

It was obvious that all were having a good time and the Homeless Shelter was on hand to offer thanks for the money raised to help them help others (what was the last "charity" run you wrote in where a representative of the charity was there to thank you?).

They say however that a picture is worth a thousand words so click her for the pics and once again, "Thumbs up Roadrunners".Add to Technorati Favorites

ABATE of Florida featured on Bikers of America Blog Talk Radio

RGnostic@gmail.com (rc) — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 21:45:00 +0000

Last night on Bikers of America blog talk radio was interesting talk about ABATE of Florida that included comments by a number of activists around the country. Though the title of the post might should have been, "how did ABATE of FLorida get so fucked up?" So we thought why not add it to the sight in case anyone was interested. So we did. Scroll down if you care to listen. Bikers of America Blog talk Radio is on every Thursday eve. at 9pm. It's a two hour show that either has featured guest or just anybody who wants to call in and gripe.Add to Technorati Favorites

Ride for the Breeze tomorrow

RGnostic@gmail.com (rc) — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 21:15:00 +0000

The late MC member Breeze was an integral part of the motorcycling community in this neck of the woods and many look forward to paying their respects by participating in this run. The added benefit is the money goes where it is sorely need, the homeless shelter here locally that is always in need. Many of the people that the homeless shelter serves are veterans who have fallen through the cracks. In these current economic times any help to the homeless is needed. After all many of us are only a paycheck our two away from it ourselves. Click on flyer to enlarge:

Their are times when we must choose, where would we like to ride and where we should ride. Ride Free.

From Tony "Pan" Sanfillipo Bikers of Lessor Tolerance

RGnostic@gmail.com (rc) — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 00:21:00 +0000

BOLD ITALIC"S is our emphasis. Tony is the Founder of B.O.L.T (Bikers of Lessor Tolerance) and been and has been involved in the Bikers Rights Movement in many capacities for most of his life:

RC: you hit it right on the head about golf cart jockeys like Doc who are running ABATE today. I have been doing battle with ABATE of Illinois and Wisconsin on similar situations, although nowhere near as serious as in Florida. What I'm finding is current leadership in the right's community is moving from representation of the membership to a more dictatorial regime. "We all need to get along" is their mantra, yet what it really means is shut up and get in line. Anyone who opposes, questions or speaks out against any policy is immediately put up for scorn and told they do not know better than leadership. There is a movement toward restricting what information the members are "allowed" to hear. By controlling the newsletters, they can accomplish that goal easily. Sadly, most members follow along like sheep or as you indicated, have a cult-like loyalty to leaders. Maybe it's because they're that dumb. I don't think members are dumb as much as they are lazy or apathetic. Nobody questions these things because they're to lazy to do something about the problem. It's the old story, "let George do it' syndrome. I hope you guys are successful in removing Doc and his puppet strongarm posse. I have a friend who was going to present or speak at the upcoming NCOM convention. She does not like Doc, and when she spurted out that she actually liked BOLT and some of its people, Doc took her off the program. She's from California and not a happy camper. She's also not one to bite her tongue, so it should be interesting if she shows up, which she intends to do. Anyway, good luck and I'll be keeping track of what goes on down there.Add to Technorati Favorites

Biker Rogue on the proposed stiffer penalaties bill-Florida

RGnostic@gmail.com (rc) — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 15:30:00 +0000

Florida Legislature Is In Session

Like many areas of the country Florida’s Legislature is in session. That means there will be a lot of new laws proposed and passed.

I try to pay attention to these proposed laws and how they will affect, motorcyclist, friends, family and me personally. I also try to let others know so that they can look at these proposed laws to see how they will affect them. There will always be different opinions and rightfully so and everyone should look at the pros and cons of each issue.

Any law that is passed will affect all of us in one way or another at some time in our lives so serious consideration should be given to all of them.

I have talked with many legislators through the years about legislation and do not remember a time when I was not asked “What will be the financial impact on the state” That means will this legislation cost the state money or will it make the state money!

There are many people that believe fines are just another form of taxation. There are the sin taxes for tobacco and alcohol and then traffic tax usually referred to as a fine for violation a rule while operating a vehicle. Technically what ever these things are called it is the government taking your money. Some of the reasons are justified and some very questionable at least.

Once the government has this money the question is what they do with it. Okay they spend it but on what?

In 2008 the State of Florida increased the fee for a motorcycle license by $2.00 saying the money would go to motorcycle safety and awareness. Now there was already money in the licensing fee for that and I for one never got a good explanation how that was being spent.

In the beginning of 2009 this money was taken and used for other things to try and balance the state budget. I should note that this is not the first time that money set aside for this type of thing was taken and used for things other than designated.

There are numerous laws pending this year that will affect motorcycle riders in Florida. Information is available on these laws from the State of Florida, the American Motorcycle Association and ABATE as well as numerous other sources.

One of the laws that I am particularly interested in is

Florida House Bill 875, sponsored by rep. Greg Evers (R-Milton) and Senate Bill 1918, sponsored by Sen. Dave Aronberg (D-Fort Meyers) would enhance penalties for those who commit a moving violation that causes serious bodily injury or death to a person operating or riding in/or a motor vehicle or motorcycle. For causing serious bodily injury, the bill calls for a fine of not less than $500, a minimum of 30 days incarceration, a mandatory driver improvement course and revocation of the offender’s driver’s license for not less than 30 days. In those cases resulting in death, the bills seek a fine of not less than $1,000, a minimum of 90 days incarceration, mandatory attendance in an advanced driver improvement course and revocation of the offender’s driver’s license for not less than 1 year.

When first reading the above it sounded pretty good until I read it a couple of more times. The first thing I noticed was that it did not state mandatory incarceration but did for driver’s improvement. That should be easily correctable.

Then I realized that there was no mention of the victim and or their family receiving anything. The money from fines would be going to the state. It just does not sound right to me that the State of Florida should benefit from the injury and or death of victims.

I will be contacting my elected officials and request they try and have these bill changed so that the money from fines goes to the victims and or their families in case of death.

This could happen directly from the court proceedings or the money goes to a victims fund and people apply to it for assistance. I would also request that a stipulation be added that these funds can not be used for other purposes.

Hopefully those that agree with my suggestions will also contact your legislators and voice their opinion on this pending legislation.

If you do not know who your legislator is go to American Motorcycle Association web site at http://www.amadirectlink.com/legisltn/rapidresponse.asp

There is another bill SB 328 by Senator Dockery that deals with texting while driving that I am sure most people will want to support

Motor Vehicle Operators/Text Messaging: Prohibits a person from writing or sending a text message on a electronic communications device while operating a motor vehicle. It provides for enforcement, exceptions and penalties.

No matter what your feelings on these bills and others are it is important that everyone takes the time to contact their legislators and let them know. Do Not Let Others Speak For You!

ROGUE

Rogue

Sturgis Freedom Fighters

Motorcycle Hall Of Fame Member 2005Add to Technorati Favorites

COMMENTS on ABATE of FLorida and President/Lobbyist James Doc Reichenbach

RGnostic@gmail.com (rc) — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 15:20:00 +0000

Pic taken by Banshee jo aka little redneck

There is a glitch in our commenting system. Although they arrive in full in my mail they are truncated on the site. A number of comments are coming in related to our Posts on the Ongoing screw ups by ABATE of Florida. Until we can find and fix the glitch we will copy all comments coming in to this page and keep this page up front until the comments stop. We encourage Comments from ABATE of Florida members. PLEASE KEEP COMMENTS RELATED TO THE ISSUES:

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "COMMENTS on ABATE of FLorida and President/Lobbyis...":

As a life member and a former board member of a former chapter, we saw first hand his tirate and self rightious nature, always taking or making every suggestion or change a personal attack on him, and now its come back to haunt him, we knew the time would come when Doc would reveal his true side, and everyone would see him for what he was. He's had a free ride with ABATE for far too many years, with chapters handing him cash mone at state meetings, so called(FOR THE CAUSE)he's let/or forced the members to support him, good or bad. As one of the state board members stated at an April state meeting I attended, a few years back, You have to pad the pockets to make things happen, LOL well that was something, as a chapter we refused to do. and so we as a chapter were black balled from then on. My chapter was a hard working chapter, very much involved in the safety program and we set booths up at EVERY available function to get ABATE out to the public, our membership more then tripled in the 6 years I served on our chapter board, and we were proud, Our president at the time, had more knowledge, facts, concern and appreciation for what the organization was, as a whole, but no one on the higher levels wanted to listen, to anything new or new ideas, and none of the other chapters wanted or had the gonads to go against the mighty Doc, Im glad to see some of them are waking up to his tirate and belittling of other members. I hope its not to late for the organization. I havent been much involved in ABATE since our chapter DECIDED TO DESOLVE, but I have kept up with the goings on. It saddens me to think all the work we did locally was for nothing because I have nothing good to say about how its presently run.
Posted by Anonymous to BIG BEND BIKERS FOR FREEDOM at March 18, 2010 5:19:00 PM EDT

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "President of ABATE of Florida is the result of it'...":

great article, i,m in full agreement. i have always been opposed to the president also being the lobbyist. it gives the lobbyist free hand to float his personell agenda.
big dick
life member independence charter
Posted by Anonymous to BIG BEND BIKERS FOR FREEDOM at March 18, 2010 5:14:00 PM EDT

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Gulf Coast Chapter ask For the resignation Of FLor...":This is "the Little Redneck" who caught Doc verbally assaulting and being physically aggressive with RC at the Freedom Rally held at The Volusia Fairgrounds on Feb 27th 2010.

I just happened to have walked outside to talk to a friend between speeches I was covering as a photojournalist. And as I looked to my left, I saw RC, whom I had just met an hour before, being surround by people wearing ABATE patches and a couple of them in orange "security vests".

Now being the noisy soul I am, after all I do get paid to investigate the news, I wandered to a point where I could clearly hear what was being yelled about by a man later identified to me as "Doc" the paid president of ABATE of Florida.

I was so impressed that I swung a camera up and starting taking pictures of Doc's aggressive stance towards RC as he just leaned against a pole and let him carry on what I can only refer to as rant about something another speaker may have said the day before at a public Rights Rally event that the president of ABATE apparently could not be bothered with attending.

In a later set of Lies issued by Doc, he tries to twist the events and make RC the aggressor. Sorry Doc, you were caught on film and the pictures speak in volumes.

You claimed I worked for RC. Lie! I had just met the man. You claim he was being aggressive. Lie! He simply leaned against that post with one friend by his side and let you make a public (in my opinion) ass of yourself. You claimed he and his group of friends surrounded you. Lie! The pictures clearly show otherwise.

And I heard your offer to resign and I believe the words were go "Old School?".

I was an innocent bystander with no connection to ABATE. Again in "my opinion" you acted like a thug and I sure would never want my name connected with anything you were President of.

I thought ABATE was rights group but after reviewing my film, you and your members were nowhere to be seen at a Rights Rally? What's up with that? You were all camped within walking distance. Or do you all require a golf cart and security guards to attend a Rights Event? What happen? You did not have enough carts to go around to transport you to the pavilion for the Freedom Speeches and to meet the candidates running for public government offices that were there to meet and greet everyone?

I may be just "the Little Redneck" but guess what Doc? Tag, you are it, it is all on film and you emailed your own proof of your Lies from coast to coast.

pictures can be seen at: http://www.thelostsoul.com or Facebook, Plaxo, MySpace, and almost every Freedom Blog and Site out here.

I am glad to see that ABATE is finally waking up and smelling the coffee. And I hope next time you offer to resign there is a Sgt-at-Arms there to accept it and remove you from office on the spot.

We are out here doing for free and taking money out of our own pockets to undo what you do in secret behind closed doors on a salary paid to you by the organization you are president of. Do you set your own raises and expense account too? I bet that would make for some wonderful reading.

As Always - the Little Redneck

March 18, 9:21am

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "President of ABATE of Florida is the result of it'...": Although I'm not impressed with Bruce Arnolds tactics and would never vote for him due to those tactics, It is time for Doc to go! it has been time for a long time, I left abate some time ago because of the lies, not informing their members on very important issues.

what has it done for FL? kept insurance rates outrageous, kept us from getting good insurance
they also gave us 300.00 MANDATORY MSF courses! ABATE what are you really for!

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Gulf Coast Chapter ask For the resignation Of FLor...":
It is past time for Doc"The Carpetbagger" to move on and let ABATE state to recover and grow instead of losing 50+ members every month.Doc is rotten to the core.
Posted by Anonymous to BIG BEND BIKERS FOR FREEDOM at March 18, 2010 8:41:00 AM EDT

March 18, 8:43am
Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Gulf Coast Chapter files formal complaint against ...": Time for Doc "The Carpetbagger", to get his ass out of ABATE for the good of the org. This is unacceptable to anyone.

ABATE of FLoridas stiffer penalties bill-is it really theirs??? Who wrote it?

RGnostic@gmail.com (rc) — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 07:42:00 +0000

Following is the stiffer penalties bill ABATE of Florida Claims here is theirs. We would ask you to pay close attention to the highlighted sections.

HB 875 2010
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb0875-00
Page 1 of 2
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
A bill to be entitled 1
An act relating to traffic offenses; creating s. 318.195, 2 F.S.; providing criminal penalties for a person who 3 commits a moving violation that causes serious bodily 4 injury to, or causes or contributes to the death of, a 5 person operating or riding in a motor vehicle or operating 6 or riding on a motorcycle; requiring that the person pay a 7 specified fine, serve a minimum period of incarceration, 8 and attend a driver improvement course; requiring the 9 court to revoke the person's driver's license for a 10 specified period; providing that the act does not prohibit 11 the person from being charged with, convicted of, or 12 punished for any other violation of law; providing an 13 effective date. 14
15
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 16
17
Section 1. Section 318.195, Florida Statutes, is created 18 to read: 19
318.195 Enhanced penalties for moving violations causing 20 injury or death.— 21
(1) A person who commits a moving violation that causes 22 serious bodily injury, as defined in s. 316.1933, to a person 23 operating or riding in a motor vehicle or operating or riding on 24 a motorcycle commits a misdemeanor of the second degree, 25 punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083, and, upon 26 conviction, shall pay a fine of not less than $500, serve a
minimum of 30 days of incarceration, and attend a driver 28

HB 875 2010
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb0875-00
Page 2 of 2
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
improvement course. The court shall also revoke the person's 29 driver's license for not less than 30 days. 30
(2) A person who commits a moving violation that causes or 31 contributes to the death of a person operating or riding in a 32 motor vehicle or operating or riding on a motorcycle commits a 33 misdemeanor of the first degree, punishable as provided in s. 34 775.082 or s. 775.083, and, upon conviction, shall pay a fine of 35 not less than $1,000, serve a minimum of 90 days of 36 incarceration, and, in lieu of the requirements of s. 322.0261, 37 attend an advanced driver improvement course. The court shall 38 also revoke the person's driver's license for not less than 1 39 year. 40
(3) This section does not prohibit a person from being 41 charged with, convicted of, or punished for any other violation 42 of law. 43
Section 2. This act shall take effect October 1, 2010.

If you will read under the reckless driving statute currently in law that can be found here, You will see the following:

a)  Upon a first conviction, by imprisonment for a period of not more than 90 days or by fine of not less than $25 nor more than $500, or by both such fine and imprisonment.
(b)  On a second or subsequent conviction, by imprisonment for not more than 6 months or by a fine of not less than $50 nor more than $1,000, or by both such fine and imprisonment.
(3)  Any person:
(a)  Who is in violation of subsection (1);
(b)  Who operates a vehicle; and
(c)  Who, by reason of such operation, causes:
1.  Damage to the property or person of another commits a misdemeanor of the first degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083.

2.  Serious bodily injury to another commits a felony of the third degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084. The term "serious bodily injury" means an injury to another person, which consists of a physical condition that creates a substantial risk of death, serious personal disfigurement, or protracted loss or impairment of the function of any bodily member or organ.

Note the similarities as to what ABATE of Florida is proposing and what is already in law.
You must read these statutes carefully and ask yourself is ABATE increasing or decreasing penalties.
We noted them because we are familiar with another Florida statute:

316.1923 Aggressive careless driving.

How is it that we are familiar with Aggressive careless driving statute and the highlighted numbers.

Because last year when Doc's bill failed because he failed to write the bill properly, those of us who he accused of killing the bill met with Representative Evers on 4-7-09 and provided him with a rough draft of a bill. Although the following is not an exact copy (we gave that to Rep Evers,) it is similar:

After consulting with various departments we have made changes to the law as previously posted. This was done to insure that we did not conflict with existing law. We believe this should be the final revision, further revisions may be made to language for legal compliance as long as it does not change the intent.

316.192 Reckless driving.--
(1)(a) Any person who drives any vehicle in willful or wanton disregard for the safety of persons or property is guilty of reckless driving.

(b) Fleeing a law enforcement officer in a motor vehicle is reckless driving per se.

ADDITION:
(c ) Driving while willfully and wantonly distracted and/or willfully and wantonly using a distracting device resulting in the violation of any the following:

(1) Exceeding the posted speed as defined in 316.183, 316.185, 316.187, 316.189, 316.1893, and 316.1895.
(2) Unsafely or improperly changing lanes as defined in s.316.085.
(3) Following another vehicle too closely as defined in s. 316.0895(1).
(4) Failing to yield the right-of-way as defined in s. 316.079, s. 316.0815, or s. 316.123.
(5) Improperly passing as defined in s. 316.083, s. 316.084, or s. 316.085.
(6) Violating traffic control and signal devices as defined in ss. 316.074 and 316.075.
is reckless driving per se.

(2)Except as provided in subsection (3), any person convicted of reckless driving shall be punished:
(a) Upon a first conviction, by imprisonment for a period of not more than 90 days or by fine of not less than $25 nor more than $500, or by both such fine and imprisonment.
(b) On a second or subsequent conviction, by imprisonment for not more than 6 months or by a fine of not less than $50 nor more than $1,000, or by both such fine and imprisonment.

(3) Any person:
(a) Who is in violation of subsection (1);
(b) Who operates a vehicle; and
(c) Who, by reason of such operation, causes:
1. Damage to the property or person of another commits a misdemeanor of the first degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 and s. 775.083 (ADDITION: which for the purposes of this statue shall carry a minimum of no less than 30 days imprisonment.)
2. Serious bodily injury to another commits a felony of the third degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.0 84 (ADDITION which for the purposes of this statue shall carry a minimum of no less than 6 months imprisonment.)

The term "serious bodily injury" means an injury to another person, which consists of a physical condition that creates a substantial risk of death, serious personal disfigurement, or protracted loss or impairment of the function of any bodily member or organ.

ADDITION:
3. The death of another person commits a felony of the third degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084 which for the purposes of this statue shall carry a minimum of no less than one year imprisonment.

Representative looked over the draft we gave him and said, "ya know, this could work". Note all the references to the 700 numbers. The problem was to get jail time while not having the charge raised to felony level which we knew the senate would not pass.
Now if you really want to see how eerie this gets, go to the site Stop Florida Highway Killings now where the following proposed bill is posted as follows:

316.192 Reckless driving.--

(1)(a) Any person who drives any vehicle in willful or wanton disregard for the safety of persons or property is guilty of reckless driving.

(b) Fleeing a law enforcement officer in a motor vehicle is reckless driving per se.

ADDITION:
(c ) Driving20while willfully and wantonly distracted and/or willfully and wantonly using a distracting device ~~proven to be distracting~~ resulting in the violation any of the following:

(1) Exceeding the posted speed as defined in ss. ~~322.27(3)(d)5.b~~ 316.183, 316.185, 316.187, 316.189, 316.1893, and 316.1895.

(2) Unsafely or improperly changing lanes as defined in s.316.085.

(3) Following another vehicle too closely as defined in s. 316.0895(1).

(4) Failing to yield the right-of-way as defined in s. 316.079, s. 316.0815, or s. 316.123.

(5) Improperly passing as defined in s. 316.083, s. 316.084, or s. 316.085.

(6) Violating traffic control and signal devices as defined in ss. 316.074 and 316.075.

is reckless driving per se.

(2) Except as provided in subsection (3), any person convicted of reckless driving shall be punished:

(a) Upon a first conviction, by imprisonment for a period of not more than 90 days or by fine of not less than $25 nor more than $500, or by both such fine and imprisonment.

(b) On a second or subsequent conviction, by imprisonment for not more than 6 months or by a fine of not less than $50 nor more=2 0than $1,000, or by both such fine and imprisonment.

(3) Any person:

(a) Who is in violation of subsection (1);

(b) Who operates a vehicle; and

(c) Who, by reason of such operation, causes:

1. Damage to the property or person of another commits a misdemeanor of the first degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or and s. 775.083 (ADDITION: which for the purposes of this statue shall carry a minimum of no less than 30 days imprisonment.)

2. Serious bodily injury to another commits a felony of the third degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.0 84 (ADDITION which for the purposes of this statue shall carry a minimum of no less than 6 months imprisonment.) The term "serious bodily injury" means an injury to another person, which consists of a physical condition that creates a substantial risk of death, serious personal disfigurement, or protracted loss or impairment of the function of any bodily member or organ.

ADDITION:
3. The death of another person commits a felony of the third degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084 which for the purposes of this statue shall carry a minimum of no less than 1 year imprisonment.(go to the site to read the rest.)

This was posted on the internet in July of 2009. We know this because we paid for the site it was posted on. We know this because we posted it and then sent the link out to many organizations.

Now a major difference that we can spot right off is that when we wrote this bill we included pedestrians and bicyclist as we do not feel it right to advocate for the rights of one group of people over another. That's an ABATE of Florida gig.
Now we can't say that the ABATE of Florida Lobbyist stole the bill we wrote because there are enough differences to say, hey these bills are not exact. But then again there are enough similarities, and Evers and Reichenbach had accesses to the info, and Evers did say this would work.
But then we find ourselves thinking about how ABATE of Florida says they got the Helmet law abolished, when in fact it was Chico Yasko, an abate member, who took the law to court and won his case without help from ABATE of FLorida.
How many have done the work that Doc takes credit for????Add to Technorati Favorites

open letter to ABATE of FLorida-Back it up or SHUT UP!

RGnostic@gmail.com (rc) — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 06:10:00 +0000

On 3-1-10 We posted an open letter sent to the ABATE of Florida State President and the ABATE of Florida State Board of Directors in response to the Press release that we responded to here. The press release is still on the main page of the ABATE of Florida website here as of this date. Should they take it down it can still be found here on GoldIron in its entirety.

In the Press Release ABATE of Florida accuses Biker Rouge and myself of a history of making false and slanderous statements against ABATE of Florida:

Rogue” and “RC”, individuals known for publicly making false statements against ABATE of Florida and its President, James “Doc” Reichenbach, spoke at Rhonda Welsch’s rally to a crowd, allegedly again making slanderous statements towards ABATE of Florida.

In our response linked above we refuted the allegations. Not only did we refute the allegations but presented photos and eye witness reports substantiating that ones lying are in fact, "ABATE of Florida."

We have documented many misrepresentations of the truth by the president of ABATE of Florida here and on Bruce and rc's Biker Forum and on more than one occasion invited them to provide "proof" that we have been wrong. We have even stated that we would print any "proof" that they may have that we have intentionally lied about or slandered ABATE of Florida.

In our last open letter to ABATE of Florida we stated the following:

Might I suggest you list the slanderous statements you may be referring to. I will be glad to post them. Just as we have posted a number of "truths" re: ABATE of Florida!

It is now approximately 16 days since we have offered them this last opportunity to publicly address
the "lies and slander. Again as in the past, the sound of their silence is like thunder.

We stand by every "truth" we have written about ABATE of Florida and it's President but as experience has taught us, unless surrounded by his minions we will hear little from the "Golf Cart Man". Of course the membership of ABATE of Florida will hear much about how his failures as a lobbyist are to be attributed to the likes of me, Bruce Arnold, Diana Woods, Papa John, Biker Rogue and others he refers to as "internet cowboys."

We will even help you out Doc. The following Links will lead your membership to the truth. Unless
you can prove we are lying.

ABATE of FLorida
President of ABATE of Florida
Lobbyist of ABATE of FLorida
James d. Riechenbach

Hang on ok cause we got more
ABATE of FLorida

The sad thing is, so many of his misrepresentations of the truth were to his own members.
Sadder yet, they believed him, were afraid to confront him, or assisted him!

No compromise, no retreat, no surrenderAdd to Technorati Favorites

President of ABATE of Florida is the result of it's members.

RGnostic@gmail.com (rc) — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 21:48:00 +0000

In the two following posts we provide info on the Gulf Coast Chapter of ABATE of Florida calling for the resignation or removal from office of ABATE of Florida's President/lobbyist after he allegedly "assaulted" one of their chapter members.

Our questions would be, is anybody surprised by the actions of the President/lobbyist of ABATE of Florida James D. (Doc) Reichenbach? Along with, is there still anybody out there that might believe that this is the first time that the President of ABATE of Florida has engaged in or attempted to engage in bullying tactics such as those reported? And why have the members allowed it to continue?

For at least the last four years members and former members such as myself, Bruce Arnold at ldrlongdistanceriders.com, Mike "Radar" Price at Floridabiker.com http://www.floridabiker.com/resignation.html, Biker Rogue at BikerRogues, Former Whitesands ABATE chapter President Diana Woods and Long Time Former Panhandle Chapter President "Papa" John have spoke out against the president during meetings (when we were members), been targets of his lies, and presented evidence thereof on multiple websites and publications. Yet the membership has almost "cult like" followed behind the little round man as if he were a god.

We are not inclined to believe that every member of ABATE of Florida has had his or her head in the sand.

In fact we know of the many, including current and past state board members, chapter presidents and members of the general membership that have witnessed the violations of by-laws, Roberts Rules of Order, individual rights and liberties, who have witnessed such and sat quietly allowing it to go on.

Whether out of fear and/or complicity ALL members of ABATE of Florida share some of the blame for the actions of the man they have chosen to follow.

ABATE (A Brotherhood Against Totalitarian Enactments) at one time was a bikers rights organization that generated some respect.

It appears that it has now become A bunch of golf cart riding Motorcycle Club wanna be's trying to lay claim on the state of Florida. The whole time infringing on, or at least attempting to do so, on the rights of others. Until of course it happens to one of them. Then the crying starts.

James Doc Reichenbach is paid to go to the capital and proclaim that "he" (note on the times I have heard him speak he use the "I" word more than "ABATE") is the voice of the Florida Biker. In the meantime ABATE of Florida loses members, and chapters and the remaining members allow one man
to discredit their whole organization.

Unfortunately, by allowing the current situation to develop they have brought discredit to themselves.

Their were those who took a stand and quit ABATE of Florida (some were thrown out) who hoped that someday ABATE of Florida would throw off the shackles that stifled freedom rather than encouraged it and become the force, not just in "bikers rights", but in all persons rights, that it could have been.

Those illusions have long ago been shattered by an organization of people who would stand and watch the rights of others violated as well as their own. All to often these days we find ourselves quoting Samuel Adams:

If ye love wealth greater than liberty, the tranquility of servitude greater than the animating contest for freedom, go home from us in peace. We seek not your counsel, nor your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you; and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen.

Shame on you ABATE of Florida. For you have shamed your history and violated y our covenant.
The shame is multiplied by the very fact you knew you were doing it the whole time!

For just a few of our posts on ABATE of Florida go here
and then go to LDRLongdistanceriders.com click on Bruce and rc's Biker Forum and search ABATE

Cancel your freedom rally you have yet to learn to define Freedom!Add to Technorati Favorites

Gulf Coast Chapter ask For the resignation Of FLorida ABATE president James Reichenbach

RGnostic@gmail.com (rc) — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 20:44:00 +0000

Following is a summary of a 6 page document submitted by Gary "Satch" VerCrouse asking for the resignation of the ABATE of Florida President/lobbyist James 'Doc" Reichenbach. He further asks that if Mr. Reichenbach does not resign that he be removed as per the by laws. We have summarized the pertinent facts due to space. You may obtain the pdf document here.
http://www.floridabiker.com/resignation.html

We have reserved comment for a separate post.

The Gulf Coast Chapter of ABATE of Florida President Gary “Satch” VerCrouse submitted a formal complaint to the board of directors of ABATE of Florida.

In this report it is alleged that he was contacted on the morning of March 5th 2010 by both his chapter
Sgt of Arms and the State president (James “DOC” Reichenbach) regarding an incident involving the state president and a gulf coast chapter member at the security gate the evening before.

It is stated in the grievance that The ABATE of Florida/President reports he had interaction with a Gulf Coast Chapter member working the gate resulting in the chapter member throwing his membership card and security pin at “Doc”. This resulted in Doc's words as “Doc having to snatch him up.”

It is reported that Doc made the statement that “nobody is going to talk to him that way.”

Gulf Coast Chapter contends that the statement that the member through his security pin at “Doc” is false.

The Gulf coast chapter does state that an “unlamited” membership card was thrown at “DOC”.

The Gulf Coast Chapter President then spoke with the chapters MSAP director and the members wife who had both witnessed the events.

The Gulf Coast Chapter president also reports having phone conversations with others who had witnessed either all or part of the events in question. The Gulf Coast Prsident writes:

“he final acts of aggresion and battery by the state president”

The Gulf Coast President also state he had a phone conversation with the State Sgt of Arms who states
he was present at least for the final incident.

The state Sgt of Arms states he saw a membership card and “what appeared to be “Pin thrown in the direction of the state president. He further states that he stepped in to break up the “physical attack”
on the member by the state President.

The member in question had retreated to his vehicle and was leaving the scene when the State President reached through an open window and grabbed the member. The State Sgt of Arms forced the The State President back and the member left in his truck.

The Gulf President writes that “miscommunication” resulted in excessive disrespect to be shown to the members of the Gulf Coast Chapter by other members and the State President.

The Gulf Coast Chapter president arrives at the conclusion that there may in fact have been two incidents of battery against his member when the member was only trying to leave the situation.

The Gulf Coast Chapter president also states the State President used the term “I'll kick you ass.

The Gulf Coast Chapter is calling for the State President to resign and if does not do so then the Board of Directors convene and remove him from office as per the by laws of ABATE of Florida (aricle Xl paragraph J revised december 13, 2008).Add to Technorati Favorites

Gulf Coast Chapter files formal complaint against ABATE of Florida President/lobbyist to resign

RGnostic@gmail.com (rc) — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 19:44:00 +0000

Apparently we were not the only ones James D. Reichenbach was accosting during bike week. The Gulf Coast Chapter of ABATE of Florida, long one of Doc's staunchest reporters has filed a formal complaint against the President/lobbyist of ABATE of Florida

We are currently reading the report and will post the relevant facts as it is
quite long. stay tuned for next post.Add to Technorati Favorites

America, do not fear socialism, fear the oligarchy

RGnostic@gmail.com (rc) — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 18:27:00 +0000

At tea party gatherings and other grass roots movements advocating for a return to smaller government I often hear the term "Socialism" thrown about as that which we must fear. Fear it we must, however if one were to stop arguing over health care for a moment and take a macro view of the current staus of America they would see that for the most part, we are already socialist.

Below we have provided a number of ways that the government is already financially intertwined in our lives in a socialistic manner. There are few jobs left in this country that are not touched in some manner by federal, state or local monies. One might wonder how many jobs would collapse were those of us (and yes I am one) who want a constitutional America were to succeed.

To the extent that we feel like chicken little hollering "the sky is falling" we must again admonish people to at least attempt to substitute some intellectual reasoning for what is increasingly becoming an emotional knee jerk reaction with no real solutions.

Remember the solution our constitutional forefathers had was to throw a revolution. History would demonstrate that people on the so called right will holler about it while people on the so called left will do it.

Below we offer two definitions. One for Socialism and one for an Oligarchy. You will see that if we are on the road to "socialism" then we are already at #3. But #1 has not occurred as the "community as a whole" is no longer involved in the decision making process.

Now read the definition of Oligarchy. Does that not sound more like what is currently happening in America. Because, as we have mentioned in to many post to list the reality is that wealth in this country continues to trickle up to the top. While we suffer the consequences of the illegal schemes of Bankers, the bankers continue to award themselves multi-million dollar bonuses.

It is not just limited to bankers. It includes politicians who continue to find ways to take from one class of individuals for the benefit of another class. Many middle class feel like they are being taxed to support programs that benefit the poor. What is rarely looked at is how the rich (and by rich we are talking about people who are beyond what any of us would consider wealthy) are benefiting by creating a poor servant class. Remember. The middle class maybe shrinking but the rich continue to get rich.

I leave to read (knowing that few actually read anymore) what follows and then ask if I am wrong. THE ENEMY ARE THOSE THAT WOULD CREATE A CLASS NATION BUILT ON THE BACKS OF THE OPPRESSED!

Socialism:

–noun

1.a theory or system of social organization that advocates the vesting of the ownership and control of the means of production and distribution, of capital, land, etc., in the community as a whole.

2.procedure or practice in accordance with this theory.

3.(in Marxist theory) the stage following capitalism in the transition of a society to communism, characterized by the imperfect implementation of collectivist principles.

From Wikipedia:

Socialists generally share the view that capitalism unfairly concentrates power and wealth among a small segment of society that controls capital and derives its wealth through a system of exploitation. This in turn creates an unequal society, that fails to provide equal opportunities for everyone to maximise their potential,^[6] and does not utilise technology and resources to their maximum potential nor in the interests of the public.^[7]

noun,plural-chies.

1. a form of government in which all power is vested in a few persons or in a dominant class or clique; government by the few.

2. a state or organization so ruled.

3. The persons or class so ruling.

Despite the current uproar over health care we already have a heavily subsidized health system.
Count those without insurance who use emergency rooms, those with insurance who do not pay their share of the bill, and the numerous Public Health Departments around the country and other agencies that receive federal subsidies. See Health care in the United States for a good discussion of the state of health care in America.

Home builder bailouts:
Insurance company bailouts:

Pension plan bailouts:

Automaker bailouts:

Bank bailouts

Federal subsidies to industry:

In February, employment in the federal government edged up.

There are almost 22 million people employed by the government   This is about
16% of the workforce.

Editors note: the following number come from the Federal Government.

These numbers only count those directly employed by the Government and not those who

receive all or part of their  income as a result of federal subsidies and grants.

The BLS has the numbers. The government employment numbers are in this series:CES9000000001.
Total employment by industry can be found at: http://www.bls.gov/webapps/legacy/cesbtab1.htm

The current ratio is 22 million government employed / 136 million total employed = 16.2%.

The federal government employs about 2.7 million people.

State governments employ about 5 million people.

Local governments employ about 14 million people.

Sources: http://www.bls.gov/

In 2008, according to the Census Bureau, 39.8 million people, or 13.2 percent of the Nation’s population, lived at or below the official poverty level. In 2008, about 8.9 million adults were among the “working poor,” 1.4 million more than in 2007. Bureau of labor and statistics

We have been unable to find what believe to be an accurate number for those employed by the "Public" school system (in most cases paid for by property taxes). We wonder if discovering that number on a national level is even possible.

Some Programs that will not survive without cuts in benefits, tax increases or both.

Social security, Medicaid, medicare, food stamps.

See also:

(links)

The government says recovery, we say Bullshit!

The Florida "Ruling Class" screw us as they feed fish bottled water

Who is Phillip Davis and why you should know who he is.

Proof of the US Oligarchy and the need for a new REVOLUTION

The recovery-A lie to insure bondage to the new Oligarchy

America, now a Kleptocracy:

no tea parties, patriotic missions or legislative sessions ...

the new american aristocracy

Ride Free huh!Add to Technorati Favorites

The government says recovery, we say Bullshit!

RGnostic@gmail.com (rc) — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 22:42:00 +0000

We have referred to Phillip Davis before in post here and here. For those who, to their loss, haven't read these posts, briefly Phillip Davis is a money man. He makes a living making money. And I'm not talking about money as you and I may understand it. I'm talking about REAL MONEY.

But it isn't for his money making prowess that we reference him, as to make REAL MONEY now days you have to have REAL MONEY to start with. Alas we can dream. We reference him because he appears to be one of the few people with REAL MONEY that understands how current governmental/corporate policies will insure that those of us who do not have REAL MONEY never will!

Now as a person who has lived in poverty and like many others, keeps looking over his shoulder for when it might bite him in the ass again, we understand how MONEY=FREEDOM.

I really don't want to define poverty in America here, as the statistics are usually behind, can be easily skewed by poor reporting and in regards to poverty, are relative. As oxymoronic as it may sound there are poor rich people. Go here for a good discussion on poverty definitions.

We do know that when ones every action or thought is directed towards how one will feed the kids or
keep a roof over thier heads they are not FREE. We would also argue vehemently with those who have never had that experience who exclaim if they worked harder they wouldn't be that way.

In his recent postNew Billionaires Are Doing Great, How About You?

We believe Phillip Davis makes some points that bear out our contention.

Thanks to an unprecedented concentration of wealth, the World’s supply of Billionaires jumped 27% in 2009 and the 1,011 people in the club accumulated an AVERAGE of $500M more Dollars EACH! Isn’t that great? That’s $505Bn, or 65% of America’s TARP spending handed over to 1,011 people who are, according to Forbes (The Capitalist’s Tool), clearly better than us.

A lot of positive economic statistics are skewed by our top 1%, but even the top 1% is blown away by the top 450 (0.00014%) who are sitting on $3.6Tn of our nation’s total household wealth - 8% or 27M times more than the average citizen. Wow, I guess they are better than you - better in fact than 307,000,000 of you!

So when the Government is reporting that we are entering an economic recovery. Keep in mind that they are including the wealth increase of Americas wealthiest in their "averaging".

America has become a real wealth-building machine that funnels every last cent off the bottom of the pyramid and sends it straight to the top.

What we call "trickle up" economics. Which may in fact be a more accurate term for Reagan era "trickle down" theories.

Presidents under whom the national debt was actually lower when they left office:

Truman Dem. -23.9%

Eisenhower Rep. -10.4%

second term 7.9%

Kennedy/Johnson Dem. -6.7%

Johnson Dem. -6.8%

Nixon Rep. -5.4%

Nixon/Ford Rep. -0.9%

Carter Dem -2.8%

Ronald Reagan Rep +7.3%

Term 2 +11.2%

Bush 1 Rep +12.2%

Clinton Dem +3.0%

term 2 -9.8%

Bush 2 Rep +5.6

term 2 +6.3%

We will leave you to study a bit on the above.

From Davis:

So congratulations to the Forbes winners, especially from the 462,000 of us that got pink slips last week as the primary driver of wealth in 2009 was corporate cost cutting and increased productivity (and government hand-outs), which allowed those at the top to make more while giving back less than at any point since the roaring 20’s

And there in lies a very scary statement. "was corporate cost cutting and increased productivity (and government hand-outs), which allowed those at the top to make more while giving back less than at any point since the roaring 20’s"

Which of course means despite high unemployment which equals a smaller "American" workforce corporations have not only been able to increase productivity, but profit as well.

Of course they have only been able to do this reducing employment and/or by shipping more jobs overseas at reduced cost of labor, import through Visa's more foreign workers at reduced costs of labor, and squeezing more blood out of whats left of the American labor force as those who still have jobs are deathly afraid of losing them.

The current situation having being the final nail in the coffin of the American workers only mouthpiece, i.e. Unions, which of course Ronald Reagan hammered the first nail into. The Unions however did themselves no favors by remaining silent as the corporations engaged in these job killing actions leaving one to conclude that maybe the Unions had been bought off just as our government has.

Davis goes on to say:

25% of Americans feel this country is heading in the right direction according to the latest Rasmussen Report, and that’s a poll of people who still have homes - and phone service. 71% believe this nation is on the wrong track despite the 70% jump in the markets, and I know that comes as a surprise to many of you who had a great year, but a lot of people aren’t in the markets and all this wealth building of the past 12 months has sadly passed them by.

only 48% of the people surveyed believe it is possible for a person to work his or her way out of poverty, and again, don’t forget they are polling more people like you and me than they are people who are actually impoverished.

Perhaps they are concerned because unemployment was up in 30 states in January with California (12.5%), South Carolina (12.6%), Florida (11.9%), North Carolina (11.1%) and Georgia (10.4%) posting new post-Depression records. Michigan’s unemployment rate is still the nation’s highest, at 14.3%, followed by Nevada, with 13% and Rhode Island at 12.7%. When one out of 10 people you know can’t find work - it’s hard to get all excited for survey questions, isn’t it?

Which validates one of our above references that working oneself out of poverty is only a dream for some folk. And that was before the crises. Not all are as blind as Texas Republican and crook Tom Delay who believes many people are out of work because they want to be. See: Tom Delay (R,tx), Needs to be unemployed and gagged

Anthony Scaramucci of Skybridge Capital has a different theory: "I don’t think inflation will hit the nation without real wage growth, and we’re not seeing wage growth. Also we’ve got excess global capacity in manufacturing."

Translation: Low wage growth, excess global capacity = longer high rates of unemployment and more poverty. Keep in mind the impoverished working class is counted as part of a "recovery"!

Do not think the government is not aware of this gigantic shell game. Davis writes:

like Americans, the Chinese still aren’t working, and increased productivity over there shows up as a plus to our GDP, not theirs.

That’s right, US productivity is a measure of how many dollars worth of GDP we create per US job, so firing US workers and outsourcing the labor is a FABULOUS way for companies (and the top 1%) to fatten their wallets while giving the government exciting productivity numbers to point to. Remember when 60 Minutes used to be outraged by this kind of stuff? Oh yeah, they are now owned by Billionare Sumner Redstone. Ah Capitalism, ultimately you muzzle all dissent…

When American companies report a profit the government trumpets such reports as signs of of a recovery. And a recovery it is, for the American corporation, but not for the American worker.
As the labors of the outsourced worker flow to the American Corporations bottom line improving the governments ability to brag about recovery.

What is extremely concerning is the government protects the corporate profit even if it means higher prices at the grocery store for you. Take for example "sugar". The government guarantees producers a fixed price for domestic sugar and sets strict quotas and tariffs for foreign sugar. The result is during sugar shortages, such as we are currently experiencing, because American corporations are not allowed to import only so much foreign produced sugar you will pay a higher price for anything containing sugar. And that is a lot of stuff.

Ironic isn't it that there are limits on the the sugar we can import but no limits on the jobs we can export?

Men like Phillip Davis and others who are able to take a step back and take an objective look at the macro situation can see the connectedness of these things. Unfortunately we have a populace so intuned to micro-bursts of information, e.g. two minute sound bytes, "HEADLINE" news, FWD, FWD, FWD's and tweets, and that engage in knee jerk assumptions based on emotions that re-enforce
the misinformation they choose to reinterpret as facts.

In conclusion we will engage in an admittedly perverse interpretation of Newtons "Laws of Motion:"

First Law: An object in motion will stay in motion, unless an outside force acts upon it.

The operative words here are "an outside force." Governments and Corporations (including banks) will continue in the direction in which they are heading unless an "Outside Force" impacts it.

As long as Governments and Corporations have a vested interest in their trajectory their will not be sufficient "inside force" to force change. Their will be much talk of change but talk is not "FORCE".

Second Law: A body will accelerate with acceleration proportional to the force and inversely proportional to the mass.

The entity of Governments/corporations are not static in their mass. Without constraints they will grow larger as they grow larger and consume more energy there exist two potentials:

1. they will become like black holes consuming all that comes within there reach.

2. they will accelerate beyond the ability of there mass to resist destruction.

Third Law: Every action has a reaction equal in magnitude and opposite in direction

at some point in time the people will destroy the government or the government will destroy the people. And the cycle will begin anew as the scraps of what was becomes what is.Add to Technorati Favorites

An electoral opportunity-maybe our last

RGnostic@gmail.com (rc) — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 12:53:00 +0000

We are still having problems with out commenting system. Google says they are coming up with a fix.
We patiently await them. We have little choice. HOWEVER,

Artie recently commented on Texas Republicans Tom Delays statement that people are unemployed because they want to be, see: Tom Delay (R,tx), Needs to be unemployed and gagged

Full comment: "What an IDIOT! The real reason unemployed are not going back to work is NOT unemployment "benefits" (since when is being out of work on 1/3 your normal pay a "BENEFIT"?), it is because our lobbyist paid-for politicians have allowed banks and business conglomerates to destroy our economy. The REAL reason people are not going back to work is there ARE NO JOBS to go back to. For every job available, there are 6 people applying for it, and this doesn't count those whose benefits have run out and are now "off the grid."

Come November....kick 'em ALL out."

Bruce, from LDRlongdistancerider.com uses a similiar tag to end his e-mails just as Rhonda form Bike Week Freedom rally and others do. We have advocated the same thing ourselves but have yet to start ending our e-mails that way. We will begin doing so.

It is obvious that our Federal, State and municipal governments are broken/corrupted beyond repair.

It is obvious that it is getting worse with every election and not better.

We voted for change and got more of the same. A broken record.

It is apparent that the only ones able to repair this country are the ones who it was entrusted to in the first place, "WE THE PEOPLE!"

And it would appear that we the people have a way of teaching our government how to act in a bi-partisan manner. THIS UPCOMING ELECTION VOTE EVERY ON CURRENTLY IN OFFICE OUT!

In other words Lets Clean House, and Senate, and every local elected position in existence.

We can send the message, that yes you can listen to and obey the lobbyists over us. But you are not going to be in office long enough to profit from doing so. It is our last chance.

Republican, democrat, libertarian, independent, it don't matter kick them all out.

It will make the news. It will send a message. Especially if along with that message we communicate:

We wil do it again, and again, and again until they stop working for the lobbyist and personal agendas and start working for us.

It will work. Assuming of course there's no rain, snow or nothing good enough on TV to keep people from voting.Add to Technorati Favorites

Tom Delay (R,tx), Needs to be unemployed and gagged

RGnostic@gmail.com (rc) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 04:39:00 +0000

Out of the mouth of Texas Republican Tom Delay:

"You know," Delay said, "there is an argument to be made that these extensions, the unemployment benefits keeps people from going and finding jobs. In fact there are some studies that have been done that show people stay on unemployment compensation and they don't look for a job until two or three weeks before they know the benefits are going to run out.

Host Candy Crowley: Congressman, that's a hard sell, isn't it?

Delay: it's the truth.

Crowley: People are unemployed because they want to be?

Delay: well, it is the truth. and people in the real world know it. And they have friends and they know it. Sure, we ought to be helping people that are unemployed find a job, but we also have budget considerations that are incredibly important, especially now that Obama is spending monies that we don't have.

Tom Delay is somewhere around 62 years old. He began his career as a politician in 1978 and stepped down in 2005 (see here):

In 2005, a Texas court charged DeLay with criminal violations of state campaign finance laws and money laundering. DeLay pled not guilty, claiming political motivation for the charges. As of January 2010, the prosecutor has yet to bring the case before a jury. Two former senior aides to DeLay have been convicted in the Jack Abramoff scandal, and though the infamous lobbyist was closely associated with DeLay, the former congressman himself has not been legally implicated.

While running his business prior to entering life as a public thief, whoops excuse me, servant, placed three tax liens on him for failure to pay payroll and income taxes.

Tom Delay has had a very interesting life replete with friends in all the right places. Read the Wikipedia article on him and you will be convinced that this man has had a very interesting life.

You will also be convinced like most of the rest of the corporate/governance alliance there ain't no way in hell this man has the slightest idea of what it is like for the common man in the common streets.

Or maybe I just hang out with the wrong folk. You know, the folk out there beating there brains out to find a job and out of desperation take whatever they can get at whatever wage they can get it at for fear of losing everything they have and still might!

Are their people that abuse the system? Of course. If one needs proof they need only look at their national, state, and municipal bureaucrats in collusion with banks, red light camera companies, cell phone industries and insurance industries to see Mucho Grande Systemic Abuse.

Oh yeah let us not forget supreme court rulings that give "corproations" citizenship rights.

I hereby invite Tom Delay to a few months of half his current income with no access to his bank account or credit cards. I suspect he might get another visit from the IRSAdd to Technorati Favorites

The Florida "Ruling Class" screw us as they feed fish bottled water

RGnostic@gmail.com (rc) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 03:50:00 +0000

Florida legislative salaries as of 2009 from Sunshine review
Florida Senator and Representative base salary $31,932

Allowance per Florida lawmaker approx. 1.5 million
and here

Go here to try and figure out staff expenditures to date for your state.

some recent expenditures:
Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-Fla.) paying a staffer who also happens to be his longtime girlfriend nearly the maximum allowable salary.

Hastings' girlfriend Patricia Graham Williams, a deputy district director, made nearly $160,000 in 2009. The maximum allowable salary for a House staffer in 2009 was $168,411. Congress has nepotism rules preventing members from hiring family members, but unmarried partners are not covered.

Rooney, a Republican whose district includes part of Palm Beach County, used $2,465 of his allowance to maintain an aquarium on loan from the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute in Fort Pierce.

"The aquarium represents the unique aquaculture industry'' of Rooney's district, said spokesman Jeff Ostermayer. "Congressman Rooney is proud to display this aquarium and have it for the enjoyment of constituents and visitors of his Washington office."

(Our Note: Palm Beach's major industry is rich people! There may be some apprentice baiters still around learning how to bait the hooks of the well to do busy slamming the drink du jour. There may even be some journeymen baiters to teach the apprentice baiters how to bait the hooks of the wealth as they cop a tan. We suspect however that most of the master baiters are hangin out at Rooney's office)

In the third quarter last year, Rooney also spent $628 on bottled water and a new filtration system to make tap water more suitable for drinking, Ostermayer said.

"Sometimes we still need to purchase bottled water for the aquarium, but it's a very small amount," he said. "This new [filtration] system will save money. We are always looking for new ways to save money."

(our note: WTF, WT-F'ING-F, FISH IN AN AQUARIUM ARE GETTING BOTTLED WATER. PLEASE EXCUSE ME WHILE I SAY THIS ONE MORE TIME WTF! OH H ELL THIS DESERVES TWO WTF'S SO HERE GOES, WTF, WTF! PEOPLE ON UNEMPLOYMENT AND HE IS GIVING FISH BOTTLED WATER. WELL DON'T YOU JUST KNOW WE HOPE IT IS "PERRIER"! OH MY GOD, A CONGRESSMAN GIVING HIS FREAKING FISH BOTTLED WATER ON OUR DAMN DIME!

O.K. FOLLOW ME ON THIS O.K. CAUSE I THINK I JUST WENT 4 SIX VOLT BATTERIES TO MANY. Palm Beach County has an unemployment rate of %11.5. 110,000 people in palm beach county are on food stamps . Foreclosure rates in Broward and Palm Beach counties are up 42%.
and this poor excuse for a human being, much less a representative of the people is feeding his fish bottled water. I have an idea of what this "privileged" member of the "ruling class" might do. I don't know if I should mention here though. But it might have something to do with somebody giving him a bottled water/fish enema.)

When Corrine Brown, a Democrat from North Florida, traveled on congressional business, she used a chauffeured Lincoln Town Car and an SUV at a cost of nearly $8,000.

Most of Florida's representatives had one or two offices. But John Mica, a Republican from Winter Park, maintained six district offices, paying rent on five of them at a total cost of $5,277 a month. The Central Florida district stretches across six counties, "so his offices are placed to make them more accessible to his constituents," said Chief of Staff Russell Roberts.

Not to worry though legislators are expected to vote themselves an increase of oh about 50 million cool ones for their 2010 allowances.

And PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) can rejoice as Rooney's fish get an upgrade to fine wine. Um, Fish ain't animals are they. Aw hell. whats it matter, Rooney wouldn't know the difference.

Businesses profitng of Iran and YOU

RGnostic@gmail.com (rc) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 00:02:00 +0000

From the New York Times: Profiting From Iran, and the U.S.

The New York Times identified 74 corporations that have done business both in Iran and with the United States government over the last decade, using corporate records filed with the Securities Exchange Commission, company Web sites, news accounts confirmed by interviews with company officials, and Congressional reports.

Company Revenue & Benefits
From U.S. Government Status
in Iran

ABB Ltd
$266.5 million Federal Contracts: $255,646,464
Federal Grants: $10,820,703

Active, but no new investment
Switzerland
In an October 2008 filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, ABB said it did $372 million in business with Iran from 05-07, and a smaller amount to Syria, primarily selling products like power generation equipment and semiconductors. This January, the company announced it had stopped taking orders for new business and was winding down work on existing contracts.
Aker Solutions
$6.3 million Federal Contracts: $6,306,018

Active
Norway
Aker has exported products produced in Asia to the oil and gas sector in Iran, and a German subsidiary - Wirth - has exported drilling equipment to Iran. A spokesman, Jannick Lindbaek, said the company has no current business in Iran due to commercial and contractual reasons, but stressed that the company doesn't feel precluded from selling products again to Iran's oil and gas sector: "We don't have a bilateral boycott of Iran. We're following all Norwegian foreign policy," he said.
Alcatel-Lucent
$927.2 million Federal Contracts: $926,966,103
Federal Grants: $218,453

Active
France
Alcatel-Lucent, which over the years has completed major telecommunications projects in Iran, still has a small amount of business in that country, company spokeswoman Mary Ward said. The company also has received contracts to deliver communications services to the Departments of Defense and Energy. The company's federal contract totals do not include Lucent's contracts prior to 2006, when it merged with Alcatel, because Lucent did not have business interests in Iran prior to that time.
Alstom
$226.3 million Federal Contracts: $202,414,657
Federal Grants: $23,847,644

Active
France
Alstom has supplied gas turbine equipment and services that helped Iran meet a growing demand for electrical power. The company currently lists an office in Iran on its Web site, though spokesman Patrick Bessy said the company has not made any sales in Iran for several years.
ArcelorMittal
$37.2 million Federal Contracts: $37,212,098

Active
Luxembourg
ArcelorMittal has done business in Iran since at least 2005; it listed the country among its markets in a 2007 filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, and its Web site currently shows it has an office there. The steel company has provided the United States Army with sheet metal, steel plates and other metal products.
Atlas Copco
$9.2 million Federal Contracts: $9,177,991

Active
Sweden
Atlas Copco has had a branch in Iran for the past 30 years, according to Senior Vice President Hans Sandberg. The company primarily sells compressors, mining and construction equipment and services there, with sales of about $15 million to $20 million a year, he said. The company has received contracts from several United States federal agencies, including the Fish and Wildlife Service to the Department of Defense.
Baker Hughes
$7.6 million Federal Contracts: $6,106,360
Federal Grants: $1,497,000

Withdrew
United States
Baker Hughes, through its foreign subsidiaries, had done work in Iran's oil and gas sectors, but decided several years ago to get out of both Iran and Sudan. A spokesperson said that the company finished all major warranty work it was contractually obligated to do in 2007.
Barclays PLC
$47,381 Federal Contracts: $47,381

Withdrew
Britain
While operating in Iran, the bank received a small contract from the United States Navy. In 2007, the company disclosed to the Securities and Exchange Commission that it was the subject of a Justice Department investigation into its operations in countries where the United States maintains sanctions, and a spokesperson said the bank terminated all of its business in Iran and other countries subject to sanctions that year. The company, which said in a 2010 disclosure that it was cooperating with the inquiry, declined to comment on the investigation.
BASF
$12.7 million Federal Contracts: $9,093,386
Federal Grants: $3,632,758

Active
Germany
BASF first started doing business in Iran in 1959, a spokesman for the company said. He said the company continues to operate in the country and that it monitors its business activities in Iran to assure compliance with all legal requirements and trade regulations. The company also has sold chemical products to the United States military.
Bayer
$610 million Federal Contracts: $609,222,288
Federal Grants: $755,000

Active
Germany
Bayer has been selling products in Iran since the 1880s, according to the company, and founded its first local subsidiary there in the 1960s. Bayer, which sells a variety of products, including medicine, soaps, car treatments and shoe soles, has also sold food, oils, X-Ray equipment and drugs to the American government.
BNP Paribas
$37.6 million Federal Contracts: $14,356,038
Federal Grants: $23,229,213

Active, but no new investment
France
"BNP Paribas respects the embargo on Iran," spokesman Ilias Catsaros said. "The bank stopped writing new business in Iran as of 2007 and has since been winding down its existing activities."
Bosch
$90.3 million Federal Contracts: $84,986,611
Federal Grants: $5,338,780

Active
Germany
Bosch, a supplier of building and industrial technology and consumer goods, markets its products in Iran through contract partners, according to its website, but does not have an office in Iran. "We're doing very little business and this is handled through Turkey," said Christian Fromek, a company spokesman. "Our businesses have a civil purpose in providing auto components as well as consumer goods, such power tools and spark plugs. All of our activities respect current regulations in place."
BP
3.5 million acresIn Oil/Gas Leases Oil/Gas Leases: 3.5 million acres
Active
Britain
BP, in a 2009 filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, said it had interests in and was the operator of two fields and a pipeline located outside Iran in which the National Iranian Oil company had an interest. The company also said in the filing that it buys small quantities of crude oil from Iran for sale to third parties in Europe and for its own refineries in South Africa and Europe and, through a joint venture, blends small quantities of lubricants for sale there. In addition, BP was one of several companies that provided Iran with gasoline, but Toby Odone, a spokesman for BP in London, said the company decided in 2008 to cease such shipments.
Bridgestone Corporation
$8.4 million Federal Contracts: $8,409,242

Active
Japan
Bridgestone products are distributed in Iran through Mileace General Trading LLC in Dubai and an associated company, Polsang Co. Ltd. in Tehran, according to Bridgestone's Web site. The company also has sold tires to the American military.
Canon
$503.2 million Federal Contracts: $503,151,698

Active
Japan
Canon Middle East manages sales, marketing and technical activities across 36 countries, including Iran, where Canon has been selling products since at least 2000, according to the company Web site.
Caterpillar Inc.
$2 billion Federal Contracts: $1,875,504,229
Federal Grants: $83,844,179

Withdrew
United States
Caterpillar, through foreign subsidiaries, sold heavy machinery to independent dealers that resold to users in Iran, where the company's equipment can be found at work in Iran’s oil and gas sectors. In addition, a Canadian subsidiary that Caterpillar acquired in 2008, Lovat, sold tunnel-boring equipment to Iran in the late 1990s for municipal projects, said a spokesman, Jim Dugan. Iran has since constructed tunnel complexes to shelter its uranium enrichment complexes, a fact noted in a letter sent last month to the company by United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), a group that mounts public pressure campaigns against corporations doing business there. Caterpillar also sells products like armored bulldozers to the United States military. On Feb. 26, the company announced that while its sales to Iran amounted to less than 1 percent of worldwide revenue and complied with American law, it would now go “a step further” by prohibiting its foreign subsidiaries from accepting orders for machines, engines or parts that they know it will end up in Iran.
ConocoPhillips/Lukoil
$1.7 billion Federal Contracts: $1,696,615,833
Federal Grants: $5,043,044
Oil/Gas Leases: 2.1 million acres
Active
United States
ConocoPhillips did business in Iran through its British subsidiary, Conoco LTD, up until 2003, when it left the country. But in 2004 it bought a minority stake in Lukoil, which continues to do business with Iran. A spokesperson said that Lukoil, in addition to its contract with an Iranian oil company to develop an oil project in Uzbekistan, sells gasoline to Iran. Although ConocoPhillips is not directly involved in Lukoil's Iran-related business, ConocoPhillips spokesperson John McLemore confirmed that the company profits from it due to its 20 percent investment in the company.
Credit Suisse
$2 million Federal Contracts: $2,027,153

Withdrew
Switzerland
Credit Suisse AG agreed to pay $536 million in penalties to the United States and New York State on Dec. 16, 2009 to settle charges that it violated sanctions by helping Iran and other countries secretly funnel hundreds of millions of dollars through American banks. According to the government, from 1995 through 2006, Credit Suisse branches removed information, such as customer names and bank names, from American-bound wire transfers that would have signaled that the money originated in Iran. Before exiting Iran and other countries under sanctions in 2006, the bank received some small contracts from the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Energy.
Possible violator of the Iran Sanctions Act
Daelim
$174 million Federal Contracts: $174,011,801

Active
South Korea
Daelim, a South Korean engineering and construction giant, has been active in Iran since 1975, building refineries, as well as natural gas and power plants. In 2007, it signed a refinery deal worth $700 million to the company. And in 2009, Daelim struck a deal worth $600 million to the company to help Iran develop a phase of the South Pars gas fields, a spokesperson confirmed. While doing business in Iran, it has won contracts from the United States, including a $111 million contract awarded last year to build family housing towers for the Army. The Iran Sanctions Act prohibits investments above $20 million in a given year in Iran's energy sector. Investments are defined as deals in which a company purchases shares or enters into a contract that provides for royalty payments. But investments also are defined as deals in which a company enters into a contract that includes responsibility for the development of petroleum resources, which is what landed Daelim on a list of potential Iran Sanctions Act violators put together by the Congressional Research Service. In a statement, the company said that it had disputed the listing and did believe its construction work in Iran met the law's criteria. 'Based on our review, we never did anything that violated the law and we never did any investment in Iran,' the company said.
Daewoo International
$10.4 million Federal Contracts: 10,412,878

Active
South Korea
Daewoo International maintains an office in Iran, according to its website. It is an international trading company involved in everything from chemicals to construction. Daewoo Corporation won construction contracts from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers while Daewoo International fell under its corporate umbrella. Daewoo International was subsequently spun off and today is a separate company.
Daimler
$4.2 billion Federal Contracts: $4,152,644,868
Federal Grants: $3,359,032

Active
Germany
Daimler has maintained a partnership with Iran car maker Iran Khodro since the 1960s, according to a company spokesperson, and it owns a 30 percent stake in an engine manufacturer owned by Iran Khodro. The company still ships cars to Iran, but new German export laws prohibit the sale of large trucks, and the spokesperson said that the sales are a small portion of worldwide revenue. Daimler and its subsidiaries have won contracts to supply cars and trucks to the U.S. government.
Deutsche Bank
$2.6 million Federal Contracts: $2,582,085

Withdrew
Germany
Deutsche Bank announced in July 2007 that it had cut all ties to Iran, saying that it had deemed its business there too time consuming and expensive. While the bank was operating in Iran, RREEF Alternative Investments, a global alternative investment management business of Deutsche Bank's Asset Management division, rented properties to the U.S. government.
Dresser-Rand
$215.1 million Federal Contracts: $215,134,753

Active
United States
Dresser-Rand, a Texas-based oil and gas equipment supplier, said in multiple filings with the SEC, including as recently as last month, that "from time to time, certain of our foreign subsidiaries operate in countries that are or have previously been subject to sanctions and embargoes imposed by the U.S. government and the United Nations, including in Iran, Sudan and Syria."
Possible violator of the Iran Sanctions Act
ENI
1.1 million acresIn Oil/Gas Leases Oil/Gas Leases: 1.1 million acres
Active, but no new investment
Italy
ENI, an oil company partially owned by the Italian government, has openly admitted in filings that their activities in Iran potentially violated U.S. sanctions. In February, ENI's chief executive announced that the company would pull out of Iran after current contracts to develop two gas fields run out.
Ericsson
$119 million Federal Contracts: $118,991,557

Active
Sweden
Ericsson's Web site lists an office in Tehran. Among other things, it has sold communications equipment to the Department of Defense.
Evonik, Formerly Degussa Iran
$316,186 Federal Contracts: $316,186

Active
Germany
Evonik, a chemical manufacturer that is also in the power generation business, has been operating in Iran since at least 2007.
Exxon Mobil
$4.9 billion Federal Contracts: $4,884,179,280
Oil/Gas Leases: 2.3 million acres
Withdrew
United States
Infineum U.K., a joint venture in which ExxonMobil has a 50 percent indirect ownership, sold gasoline additives to Iran, but stopped in 2006, according to Cynthia Bergman White, company spokeswoman. Exxon is a big supplier of fuel to the Department of Defense.
Fiat S.p.A.
$227.3 million Federal Contracts: $227,261,956

Active
Italy
Fiat Group Autos S.p.A. began production of its Siena four-door sedan in Iran in 2004, under a licensing agreement with Pars Industrial Development Foundation, and to date some 2000 vehicles have been produced, said company spokesman Richard Gadeselli.
Finmeccanica
$2.1 billion Federal Contracts: $2,093,551,888

Withdrew
Italy
Finmeccanica, a conglomerate of defense, aerospace, energy and transportation companies, provided Iran with 44 gas turbines through its subsidiary Ansaldo Energia as part of a project completed in 2002 to increase that country’s power capacity. This past summer, citing that tie, Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority held off from awarding the company a contract to build it light rail cars. But the federal government had no such qualms, awarding the company contracts to sell products like weapons and tracked vehicles to the United States Army while the company was still in Iran. A spokesperson for the Finmeccanica said the company withdrew from Iran because it wanted to align itself with the policies of the Italian government and because it was sensitive to concerns by the U.S. government about companies operating in Iran.
Flowserve
$71.1 million Federal Contracts: $71,041,144
Federal Grants: $33,850

Active, but no new investment
United States
Flowserve, which makes flow control equipment used in the oil and gas industry and has sold power and hand pumps to the Department of Defense, said in 2009 filings with the SEC that due to 'growing political uncertainties' its foreign subsidiaries had in 2006 begun a voluntary phased withdrawal from conducting new business in countries designated as state sponsors of terrorism, including Iran, Syria and Sudan. "The aggregate amount of all business done by our foreign subsidiaries for customers in Iran, Syria and Sudan accounted for less than 1 percent of our consolidated global revenue in 2008," the company said, adding that while it was voluntarily phasing out new business with those countries, "our foreign subsidiaries may independently continue to honor certain existing contracts, commitments and warranty obligations in compliance with U.S. and other applicable laws and regulations."
Foster Wheeler Corporation
$199 million Federal Contracts: $194,212,561
Federal Grants: $4,757,900

Withdrew
Switzerland
Foster Wheeler, an engineering and construction firm that provides services to the oil and gas industry, did business in Iran until 2006, when it told the Securities and Exchange Commission it was withdrawing. It used to be a United States-based company, but moved in 2001 to Bermuda, which allowed it to avoid United States corporate income taxes, and has since moved again to Switzerland.
Glencore
$20.2 million Federal Contracts: $20,234,590

Withdrew
Switzerland
Glencore, a commodities trader, was a large supplier of gasoline to Iran, but stopped last year in the face of threatened new economic sanctions by the U.S. government. The company, and its predecessor, Marc Rich and Co., had done business with Iran for more than three decades. It also has provided the United States military with transporation services, among other things.
Halliburton
$27.1 billion Federal Contracts: $27,080,906,722

Withdrew
United States
Halliburton, former Vice President Cheney's old company, provided oil and gas drilling services to Iran through foreign subsidies. After a political furor erupted over the work, the company announced it would do no new business in Iran, and it exited the country altogether in 2007. While still operating in Iran, Halliburton won huge contacts from the federal government, including a no-bid contract to restore Iraq's oil sector, as did its subsidiary at the time, Kellogg Brown & Root.
Hewlett-Packard
$17.6 billion Federal Contracts: $17,547,806,053
Federal Grants: $32,363,831

Withdrew
United States
Hewlett-Packard formed a partnership in 1997 with a newly formed company in Dubai to sell its products in the Middle East, including to Iran. It also sold services to the U.S. military while operating in Iran. In January 2009, after its sales in that country came under scrutiny, the company said it would cease all business in Iran to go "beyond the letter of the law."
Honda Motor Co.
$6.3 million Federal Contracts: $6,346,265

Active, but no new investment
Japan
Honda operated in Iran from 1974 to 2008, according to a company spokesman. The company partnered with an Iranian company, Tizro, to make motorcycles and exported power equipment to the country. Honda ended its relationship with the Iranian company in 2008, and has no plans for future investments there, but will continue providing parts until 2012 because of contractual obligations, the company said.
Honeywell
$12.9 billion Federal Contracts: $12,841,485,738
Federal Grants: $77,743,166

Active, but no new investment
United States
Honeywell acquired 100 percent ownership of Universal Oil Products (UOP), based in Des Plaines, Ill., in 2005. UOP has a British subsidiary that conducts business in Iran; it is part of a consortium with Axens, Technip, Sinopec Engineering Inc. and several Iranian firms that is expanding and upgrading the Arak Refinery in Iran. The project, budgeted to cost $3.7 billion, could nearly triple gasoline production, from 34,000 to 100,000 barrels per day, according to various news reports and FACTS Global Energy, an expert in the industry. Honeywell is a top federal contractor, and UOP recently won a $25 million grant to help develop renewable energy sources. In a statement, the company said that in early 2009 it committed to the State Department that it would not undertake any new projects in Iran, but that it is fulfilling its contractual obligations relating to the Arak refinery. "Should the U.S. Congress pass a law that prohibits subsidiaries of U.S. companies from doing business in Iran, Honeywell will comply fully," the statement said.
HSBC
$404,500 Federal Contracts: $404,500

Active
Britain
HSBC, a banking and financial services giant headquartered in London, opened a representative office in Iran in November 1999. The bank has provided various loans to Iranian business over the decade, including a $108 million loan to the National Petrochemical Company of Iran in 2003. Dr. Nasser Homapour, senior representative for HSBC in Iran, said at the time, “The completion of this sizable transaction represents an important step in HSBC’s progressive engagement with Iran in general, and NPC in particular.' Due to pressure by the United States and other governments, the bank announced in 2007 that it was withdrawing from doing business in Iran in 2007, but a 2010 press release by the HSBC Bank Middle East Limited said the bank still had an office there.
Hyundai Motor Co.
$13.1 million Federal Contracts: $13,083,977

Active
South Korea
Hyundai Motor Co. has been in Iran since the early 1990's. It sells cars there through a local distributor. The company's business with the United States government includes selling, cars and trucks to the Department of Defense.
Ingersoll Rand
$422.1 million Federal Contracts: $421,392,777
Federal Grants: $667,061

Active
United States
New Jersey-based Ingersoll Rand, which has won lucrative contracts from the U.S. military, has been selling industrial air condition and air compression systems to Iran through foreign subsidiaries since at least 2000, according to the company. The National Iranian Drilling Company states on its Web site that it uses Ingersoll Rand compressors in its work. Spokesman Paul Dickard said that compressed air systems have a wide variety of applications, and "it wouldn't be outside the range of possibility" that Ingersoll Rand systems would be used in the oil and gas sectors or even a nuclear plant, where such equipment is commonly found. Mr. Dickard said the company is evaluating what he called its "minor" business in Iran in light of the current political climate, adding: "We will want to think very seriously about whether we want to continue participating in Iran if it puts at risk other business that might be more lucrative for us."
Isuzu
$1.9 million Federal Contracts: $1,940,840

Active
Japan
Isuzu uses the Bahman Group as its distributor in Iran, according to Isuzu's Web site. The Sepah Cooperative Foundation, a large investment fund closely linked to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), owns a 45 percent share of the Bahman Group, according to Iranian newspaper reports. (Among the links between the Sepah Cooperative Foundation and the IRGC: the general manager of the the Sepah Cooperative until this fall was IRGC commander Ahmad Vahid-Dastjerdi. Another former notable head of the Sepah Cooperative Foundation was Mohsen Rafiqdoost, who helped found the IRGC. The Sepah Cooperative Foundation's stake in the Bahman Group has also been reported by Rand Corporation, in a 2009 report prepared for the Office of the Secretary of Defense, as well as the think tanks the Washington Institute, and the Council on Foreign Relations reports.) Isuzu spokesman Kouichi Itou said in a statement that the company was not aware of those links and believed that a 'Retirement Insurance Organization' was a 45 percent shareholder in Bahman.
Itron
$3.4 million Federal Contracts: $3,429,024

Active
United States
Itron, a manufacturer of electric meters used by utility companies, acquired Actaris in April 2007, which has subsidiary that holds an 8 percent equity interest in and makes sales and provides technical support to Sherkate Kontorsazi Iran SKI, according to the company's 2009 filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. SKI is 80 percent owned by an investment arm of Iran's Bank Melli, according to the Securities and Exchange Commission, which has been designated by the Treasury Department as an entity that provides financial support to Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile programs. In response to questions from securities regulators, Itron said it had 'no plans to increase the size of Actaris’ equity ownership in SK', that its business in Iran represented a tiny portion of its overall sales, and that it does not engage in any transactions with Bank Melli. 'We inherited, through an acquisition, a minor JV interest in a company that does an insignificant amount of revenue in Iran,' said a company spokeswoman, Deloris Duquette.
Kia Motors
$706,745 Federal Contracts: $706,745

Active
South Korea
Kia has a production agreement with Saipa, Iran's second-biggest car producer. Saipa currently manufactures the Kia Rio under license. Kia entered the Iranian car market in 1993 when it won a contract to set up an assembly plant.
KLM-Royal Dutch Airways
$1.4 billion Loans/Guarantees: $1,382,000,000

Active
Netherlands
The company operates regular flights to and from Iran. The airline has flown the route on and off since 1948, a spokeswoman said. The company received loan guarantees from the U.S. Export-Import Bank to purchase airplanes from Boeing.
KPMG
$1.2 billion Federal Contracts: $1,165,410,540
Federal Grants: $12,496,357

Active
Netherlands
Bayat Rayan, a subsidiary of KMPG, has been operating in Iran since 1955. They are the number one international accounting firm in Iran, according to the company. KPMG also provides accounting and auditing services to the United States federal government.
Linde
$165 million Federal Contracts: $164,956,139

Active, but no new investment
Germany
The German company Linde, which has been active in Iran since at least 2001 and built petrochemical and ethylene and air separation plants there over the past 10 years, also has a lucrative contracting business with the American government; among other things, it won a contract to provide helium gas to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for a series of four unmanned, high-altitude balloon launches to collect and study data about the solar magnetic field and associated cosmic ray activity, which can expose astronauts and even airline flight crew members to the threat of radiation. In a statement, Linde said that its business in Iran amounts to about 36 million euros a year, or .3 percent of Linde's overall sales, and is currently limited to existing contractual obligations. Because of the current political climate, company spokesman Uwe Wolfinger said it is not accepting new orders from Iran.
Lloyds TSB
$20 million Federal Grants: $20,040,105

Withdrew
Britain
Lloyds TSB agreed to pay a $350 million fine to the United States government last year after an investigation found that the company had stripped information from transactions in order to channel Sudanese and Iranian money into the American banking system in violation of United States sanctions. Prior to the bank's decision to leave Iran in 2008, Lloyds received federal grants from the Farm Service Agency.
Lufthansa
$36.8 million Federal Contracts: $36,773,027

Active
Germany
The airline has maintained a route to Iran since 1956, a spokesperson said.
Mazda
$2.4 billion Federal Contracts: $2,348,165,228
Federal Grants: $62,496,998

Active
Japan
Mazda has been operating in Iran at least since 1972. The Bahman Group assembles Mazda cars for the company. The Sepah Cooperative Foundation, a large investment fund closely linked to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), owns a 45 percent share of the Bahman Group, according to Iranian newspaper reports. (Among the links between the Sepah Cooperative Foundation and the IRGC: the general manager of the the Sepah Cooperative until this fall was IRGC commander Ahmad Vahid-Dastjerdi. Another notable head of the Sepah Cooperative Foundation was Mohsen Rafiqdoost, who helped found the IRGC. The Sepah Cooperative Foundation's stake in the Bahman Group has also been reported by Rand Corporation, in a 2009 report prepared for the Office of the Secretary of Defense, as well as the think tanks the Washington Institute, and the Council on Foreign Relations reports.) Mazda spokesman spokesman Chris Keeffe said that his company's business in Iran complies with all Japanese and international laws. Mr. Keefe said he was not aware of the reports linking the Iranian Revolutionary Gaurd to the Bahman Group and threfore could not comment. Contracts for Mazda and Ford Motor Company, which owned one-third of Mazda until 2008 and remains one of its largest shareholders, include selling trucks and cars to the United States military.
Mitsubishi
$337.7 million Federal Contracts: $337,714,308

Active
Japan
Mitsubishi sells petroleum products, crude oil, carbon, liquefied natural gas, power and electrical systems, ships, and automobiles to Iran, among other things, according to its Web site.
Mitsui & Co Ltd
$768.6 million Federal Contracts: $759,655,705
Federal Grants: $8,914,488

Active
Japan
Mitsui's business in Iran goes back to the 1970s, according to a company history, and its Web site lists a current office in Iran. Mitsui & Co., Ltd. has arranged financing provided by export credit agencies for the principals of industrial projects in Iran that have been planned, owned and operated by companies in which the government has a direct or indirect equity share, according to company spokesman Shinji Takeuchi. He said that Mitsui & Co. is also involved in supporting the purchase of crude oil, oil products and petrochemical products from Iran for sale in Japan and other Asian countries. Mitsui's lucrative work for the United States government includes providing platinum to the United States Mint for coins.
Nestle
$1.2 billion Federal Contracts: $1,215,202,666
Federal Grants: $92,000

Active
Switzerland
Nestle lists two factories - for cereal and mineral water - in Iran. The company's annual reports show it has done business in Iran as far back as 2000. It also sells food to the Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs. Nestle spokesman Ferhat Soygenis said 'by providing basic foods such as infant cereals and bottled water to the local Iranian population, we aim to meet the needs of that society's most vulnerable members.'
Nissan
$15.7 million Federal Contracts: $15,710,063

Active
Japan
Nissan has a longtime relationship with the Iranian car company Pars Khodro Co., which has been producing Nissan cars and trucks for the Japanese company for sale in Iran since at least 1987. Nissan also does business with the United States government, selling the Department of Defense cars and trucks.
Nokia
$16.6 million Federal Contracts: $16,599,330

Active
Finland
Nokia, which has sold mobile devices and accessories to Iran since at least 2004, said in a 2010 Securities and Exchange Commission filing that it was gaining market share there. Nokia's contracts with the American government include providing telecommunication services to the Department of Defense and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Contracts that were separately awarded to Nokia-Siemens, a joint venture, were not included in the company's totals here.
Nokia-Siemens
$21.5 million Federal Contracts: $21,495,216

Active
Germany
The joint venture sold technology to Iran in 2008 that could be used by the government to eavesdrop on cellphones and e-mail messages. The sale proved controversial, though the technology is required by other countries, including the United States. Nokia-Siemens continues to provide services to two cellphone companies in Iran, company spokesman Ben Roome said. "We certainly think that providing telecom equipment is a force for good," Mr. Roome said. "Forty million people in Iran have gotten cellphones over the last couple of years and you can see the impact that it has had in terms of access to information and giving ordinary people a way to spread information about the country." Separate from their parent companies, Nokia-Siemens has received contracts from the American government to provide radio and television communication equipment, data storage, detection equipment and other services to the Department of Defense and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Possible violator of the Iran Sanctions Act
Petrobras
$2 billion Loans/Guarantees: $2,000,000,000
Oil/Gas Leases: 950,369 acres
On hold
Brazil
Petrobras, a state owned oil company in Brazil, invested $100 million to explore Iran's offshore oil prospects in the Persian Gulf. It has also received a large loan from the Export Import Bank to develop offshore oil reserves discovered off the coast of Brazil. Diogo Almeida, the economic attaché at the Brazilian Embassy in Iran, said the company is in talks with the Iranians about future oil and gas development projects, but first must determine how much of its resources it wants to devote to the Brazilian discovery. I.A. 'Tony' Piazza, managing director of Petrobras Middle East B.V. - Iran, confirmed that the company remains interested in doing business in Iran.
Reliance Industries
$900 million Loans/Guarantees: $900,000,000

Withdrew
India
Reliance was one of the Iran's main suppliers of gasoline, but it stopped shipping to Iran in the spring of 2009, after members of Congress called for an investigation into loan guarantees provided by the United States Export-Import Bank to help Reliance expand a facility where it was refinancing petroleum for sale to Iran. Some Reliance gasoline has made it to Iran since, however, through third parties the company does not control.
Possible violator of the Iran Sanctions Act
Repsol YPF, S.A.
$375.4 million Federal Contracts: $375,383,756

On hold
Spain
A spokesman for Repsol, an oil giant based in Spain, said that the company has a joint liquefied natural gas project with Shell in Iran that is in the early planning stages. But, as Western pressure has mounted, the project has not moved forward. The spokesman did not comment on the State Department's investigation into Repsol's possible violations of the Iran Sanctions Act.
Possible violator of the Iran Sanctions Act
Royal Dutch Shell
$11.2 billion Federal Contracts: $10,960,763,355
Federal Grants: $3,736,976
Loans/Guarantees: $200,000,000
Oil/Gas Leases: 2 million acres
Active
Netherlands
Royal Dutch Shell signed an $800 million deal in 1999 to develop two huge oil fields expected to produce 190,000 barrels a day, and while that project was completed in 2005, it continues to receive payments as a result of its work. Shell has a second Iranian natural gas development projects in the works, but officials said they are awaiting the results of a feasability study before determining whether they will go forward with it. In the meantime, the company continues to supply oil lubricant to Iran, and until recently, had been a large supplier of gasoline to Iran. Shell is also a huge supplier of gasoline to the American military, won drilling rights in the Gulf of Mexico and in the Western United States, and shares with a company in China a $200,000 Export-Import Bank loan to build a petrochemical plant in that country. A Shell spokesman, David R. Williams, said that while the company would comply with any new international sanctions, Shell's activities are not prohibited by European countries, adding that when the rules of different countries conflict "it makes compliance difficult."
Samsung
$476.4 million Federal Contracts: $476,367,873

Active
South Korea
Samsung, an electronics giant, markets its products in Iran, according to its website.
Schlumberger
$30.7 million Federal Contracts: $18,619,224
Federal Grants: $12,037,918

Active, but no new investment
Netherlands
The oil exploration giant has long been active in Iran and continues to provide drilling and exploration services to Iran's oil and gas sector, according to filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. "We work in more than 80 countries around the world, including Iran, and we abide by the rules in those countries," said a company spokesman, Stephen Whittaker, adding: "We don't take a position on what the country does or doesn't do. It is what it is."
Schneider Electric
$348.8 million Federal Contracts: $348,761,611

Active
France
Schneider Electric, an energy management specialist, has done business in Iran since the 1970s and continues to have an office there, according to its Web site.
Siemens AG
$3.2 billion Federal Contracts: $3,111,623,642
Federal Grants: $108,108,016

Withdrew
Germany
Siemens, a sprawling conglomerate involved in everything from engineering to health care, entered the Iranian market in 1974. In 2008, Nokia-Siemens, a joint-project with Finnish telecom Nokia, provided Iran's state-owned telecom company with technology that allowed it to intercept the internet communications of its citizens. The sale prompted controversy, though the technology is also required by Western countries. Siemens, separate from Nokia-Siemens, also is a large federal contractor and received several contracts stemming from the Obama administration's economic stimulus package while operating in Iran. In February, Siemens announced it would pull out of Iran.
SK Networks Ltd.
$36.6 million Federal Contracts: $36,579,489

Active
South Korea
SK Networks has been in Iran since 1984, supplying chemical products as well as steel to Iran Khodro Co. and Saipa Corp., two of the largest automakers in the Middle East, according to the company's Web site. SK Networks official Park Woo Sung said that the company's Iran business is currently more focused on selling steel to wholesalers than on the auto industry.
Societe Generale
$1.4 million Federal Contracts: $1,354,951

Active
France
Societe Generale has done business in Iran since 1974. Spokesman Jim Galvin said the office in Tehran continues to be active in trade and export finance.
Sony
$103.3 million Federal Contracts: $103,312,814

Active
Japan
Sony has been in Iran since at least 2000 and currently has an office in the country.
Possible violator of the Iran Sanctions Act
Statoil ASA
1.4 million acres In Oil/Gas Leases Oil/Gas Leases: 1.4 million acres
Active, but no new investment
Norway
Statoil maintains an office in Iran. A spokesperson for the company said it continues to provide assistance to the National Iranian Oil Company on a gas drilling platform in the Persian Gulf. But, the spokesperson said, Statoil stopped all new exploration and drilling in Iran as of 2007, adding that the company has no plans to move forward on a license it has to drill in another area of the Persian Gulf.
Suzuki
$1.1 million Federal Contracts: $1,111,438

Active
Japan
Suzuki has a production agreement with Iran Khodro Manufacturing Co., the largest automaker in Iran. Iran Khodro mass produces the Suzuki Grand Vitara, a compact SUV. Iran Khodro's Web site showcases several Suzuki models.
ThyssenKrupp
$115.7 million Federal Contracts: $115,729,788

Active
Germany
ThyssenKrupp AG, a sprawling German industrial conglomerate, itself does no business in Iran but has offshoot companies that do, said Dr. Jürgen Claassen, the company's executive vice president. Sales to Iran accounted for less than 0.5 percent of total group sales, or 40 billion euros, in fiscal year 2008-2009, he said, and did not involve sales to either the defense or nuclear sectors.
Toshiba
$285.2 million Federal Contracts: $285,239,811

Active, but no new investment
Japan
A spokesperson for Toshiba said the company did sell its products in Iran, but decided in 2009 to stop doing business there except for existing contracts and some sales of medical products.
Possible violator of the Iran Sanctions Act
Total
$1.1 billion Federal Contracts: $1,100,115,328
Oil/Gas Leases: 452,307 acres
Active
France
Total has long been a player in Iran's oil and gas development industry. A $2 billion investment in 1998 by a consortium it led in Iran's South Pars gas fields was deemed by the Clinton administration to violate the Iran Sanctions Act, but the president exercised his right to waive sanctions. More recently, Total announced a decision to hold off on future oil and gas development projects investments. But in February 2010 its chief executive, Christophe de Margerie, said that it once again had its eye on Iran's gas reserves, despite international pressure. "The balance of supply and demand in the world, notably for gas, depends also on Iran," he said in comments published in the French newspaper Le Monde. In the meantime, Total spokesperson Jim Floren confimed that the company continues to sell Iran gasoline, and maintains an office in Tehran.
Toyota
$154.4 million Federal Contracts: $154,385,163

Active
Japan
Sales of Toyota vehicles in Iran are handled by an independent Iranian company, and over the last five years, Toyota’s sales there represented less than a 1 percent share of the Iranian market, said a company spokesperson, Mira Sleilati.
Tyson Foods
$2 billion Federal Contracts: $2,009,395,925
Federal Grants: $94,740

Active
United States
Since 2005, Tyson has had an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary in Europe that develops and sells chicken breeding stock in what the company called limited sales to Iran. 'No part of Tyson Foods in the U.S. has been party to these sales,' said spokesman Gary Mickelson, adding that sales on average have been less than 2 million annually.
Unilever
$842.1 million Federal Contracts: $842,149,622

Active
Netherlands/Britain
Unilever, which manufactures products like Dove soap, has been in the Iranian market since at least 2003, operating factories there and maintaining an office in Tehran, according to news reports and the company's Web site. It also sells its products to the American military.
Wartsila OYJ
$95.4 million Federal Contracts: $95,387,248

Active
Finland
Wartsila Corporation, a Finnish manufacturer of ship engines, has built power plants in Iran and in 2002 supplied engines for Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Line (IRISL) container ships. IRISL is a state-owned shipping company which was later blacklisted by the United States for facilitating the transfer of military cargo to Iran. Wartsila also has received federal contracts to provide, among others, engine parts to the Coast Guard. A Wartsila spokesman, Atte Palomaki, said that the company operates in full compliance with sanctions, as it did when it supplied engines to a German shipyard building IRISL ships. "At that time IRISL was not on any blacklist," he said, adding that since then the company has not supplied IRISL with any engines, nor would it because of the blacklisting. He said the company does have an agent in Iran who is paid on a commission basis to service other power plant and shipbuilding customers, but characterized the company's sales efforts there as a "minor activity." As the United States lobbies for tough new sanctions, Mr. Palomaki said Wartsila is keeping a watchful eye on the situation and its business in Iran: "We have concerns in the sense that the U.S. Navy is an important customer for us," he said. "We want to be very careful.Add to Technorati Favorites"

Companies profit off U.S. and Iran at the same time

RGnostic@gmail.com (rc) — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 23:54:00 +0000

Following is page 1 of a 3 page report in the New York times entitled:

U.S. Enriches Companies Defying Its Policy on Iran

Published: March 6, 2010

Click here to access the complete story

The federal government has awarded more than $107 billion in contract payments, grants and other benefits over the past decade to foreign and multinational American companies while they were doing business in Iran, despite Washington’s efforts to discourage investment there, records show.

That includes nearly $15 billion paid to companies that defied American sanctions law by making large investments that helped Iran develop its vast oil and gas reserves.

For years, the United States has been pressing other nations to join its efforts to squeeze the Iranian economy, in hopes of reining in Tehran’s nuclear ambitions. Now, with the nuclear standoff hardening and Iran rebuffing American diplomatic outreach, the Obama administration is trying to win a tough new round of United Nations sanctions.

But a New York Times analysis of federal records, company reports and other documents shows that both the Obama and Bush administrations have sent mixed messages to the corporate world when it comes to doing business in Iran, rewarding companies whose commercial interests conflict with American security goals.

Many of those companies are enmeshed in the most vital elements of Iran’s economy. More than two-thirds of the government money went to companies doing business in Iran’s energy industry — a huge source of revenue for the Iranian government and a stronghold of the increasingly powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, a primary focus of the Obama administration’s proposed sanctions because it oversees Iran’s nuclear and missile programs.
Other companies are involved in auto manufacturing and distribution, another important sector of the Iranian economy with links to the Revolutionary Guards. One supplied container ship motors to IRISL, a government-owned shipping line that was subsequently blacklisted by the United States for concealing military cargo.
Beyond $102 billion in United States government contract payments since 2000 — to do everything from building military housing to providing platinum to the United States Mint — the companies and their subsidiaries have reaped a variety of benefits. They include nearly $4.5 billion in loans and loan guarantees from the Export-Import Bank, a federal agency that underwrites the export of American goods and services, and more than $500 million in grants for work that includes cancer research and the turning of agricultural byproducts into fuel.
In addition, oil and gas companies that have done business in Iran have over the years won lucrative drilling leases for close to 14 million acres of offshore and onshore federal land.

In recent months, a number of companies have decided to pull out of Iran, because of a combination of pressure by the United States and other Western governments, “terrorism free” divestment campaigns by shareholders and the difficulty of doing business with Iran’s government. And several oil and gas companies are holding off on new investment, waiting to see what shape new sanctions may assume.

The Obama administration points to that record, saying that it has successfully pressed allied governments and even reached out directly to corporate officials to dissuade investment in Iran, particularly in the energy industry. In addition, an American effort over many years to persuade banks to leave the country has isolated Iran from much of the international financial system, making it more difficult to do deals there.

“We are very aggressive, using a range of tools,” said Denis McDonough, chief of staff to the National Security Council.

The government can, and does, bar American companies from most types of trade with Iran, under a broad embargo that has been in place since the 1990s. But as The Times’s analysis illustrates, multiple administrations have struggled diplomatically, politically and practically to exert American authority over companies outside the embargo’s reach — foreign companies and the foreign subsidiaries of American ones.

Indeed, of the 74 companies The Times identified as doing business with both the United States government and Iran, 49 continue to do business there with no announced plans to leave.
One of the government’s most powerful tools, at least on paper, to influence the behavior of companies beyond the jurisdiction of the embargo is the Iran Sanctions Act, devised to punish foreign companies that invest more than $20 million in a given year to develop Iran’s oil and gas fields. But in the 14 years since the law was passed, the government has never enforced it, in part for fear of angering America’s allies.

That has given rise to situations like the one involving the South Korean engineering giant Daelim Industrial, which in 2007 won a $700 million contract to upgrade an Iranian oil refinery.
According to the Congressional Research Service, the deal appeared to violate the Iran Sanctions Act, meaning Daelim could have faced a range of punishments, including denial of federal contracts. That is because the law covers not only direct investments, such as the purchase of shares and deals that yield royalties, but also contracts similar to Daelim’s to manage oil and gas development projects.
But in 2009 the United States Army awarded the company a $111 million contract to build housing in a military base in South Korea. Just months later, Daelim, which disputes that its contracts violated the letter of the law, announced a new $600 million deal to help develop the South Pars gas field in Iran.
Now, though, frustration over Iran’s intransigence has spawned a growing, if still piecemeal, movement to more effectively use the power of the government purse to turn companies away from investing there.

Nineteen states — including New York, California and Florida — have rules that bar or discourage their pension funds from investing in companies that do certain types of business in Iran. Congress is considering legislation that would have the federal government follow suit, by mandating that companies that invest in Iran’s energy industry be denied federal contracts. The provision is modeled on an existing law dealing with war-torn Sudan.
Obama administration officials, while indicating that they were open to the idea, called it only one variable in a complex equation. Right now, the president’s priority is on breaking down Chinese resistance to the new United Nations sanctions, which apply across borders and are aimed squarely at entities that support Iran’s nuclear program Add to Technorati Favorites.

9/11 conspiracy mainstream media news

RGnostic@gmail.com (rc) — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 19:42:00 +0000

Many people are, or were, afraid to express their thoughts regarding the various 9/11 theory's floating around the internet for fear of being labeled a conspiracy nut. However, despite various governmental efforts to quell suspicions including pleas from Obama to move on, it would appear that questions regarding the day that changed the face of America are receiving more attention, not less.

Mainstream Publication the Washington Times, in there Feb 22, 2010 inside the beltway section gave
Architects & Engineers for 9/11 Truth (which is now up to 1000 certified architects and engineers)
press without referring to them as conspiracy nuts.

Mainstream blog the Huffington post calls on Obama to reopen the investigation here.

Besides Architects & Engineers for 9/11 Truth there is also a Firefighters for 9/11 truth.

There is a peer reviewed website that is the sister site of Scholars for 9/11 Truth & Justice called
Journal of 9/11 studies.

Paul Craig Roberts:

an economist and a nationally syndicated columnist for Creators Syndicate. He served as an Assistant Secretary of the Treasury in the Reagan Administration earning fame as a co-founder of Reaganomics."^[1] He is a former editor and columnist for the Wall Street Journal, Business Week, and Scripps Howard News Service. He is a graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology and he holds a Ph.D. from the University of Virginia. He was a post-graduate at the University of California, Berkeley, and Oxford University where he was a member of Merton College.
In 1992 he received the Warren Brookes Award for Excellence in Journalism. In 1993 the Forbes Media Guide ranked him as one of the top seven journalists in the United States.^[2]

Obviously a man of some education and esperience has written a number of condeming articles re: 9/11 that can be see here.

A very good recent post on the subject by him can be found here as well as numerous other sites.

Even the governments 9/11 commission did not believe it's own report.

So why, considering all the sites that address this issue is this site referring to it now? Why risk being lumped in with all those other "conspiracy nuts" (many of whom have much more education than this particular nut)?

As you should be aware as reported by the Associated Press,

Iran's hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Saturday called the official version of the Sept. 11 attacks a "big lie" used by the U.S. as an excuse for the war on terror, state media reported.

Now we aren't much inclined to believe in a wacko such as Irans President. But then we also aren't much inclined to believe in our own governments excuse for going to war in Iraq. In fact the more we look, the less inclined we are to believe in much of what our own government tells us. I suspect we are not the only ones. But then we have been admonished to be ever vigilant have we not?

Now my fear, crazy as it may sound, is that America has a tradition of effecting economic recoveries
by going to war and there has been much saber rattling over whether or not Iran has nuclear weapons.

Now we aren't real certain that the American corporate/alliance trusts that they can involve us in another war at this point in time without Americans going nutso. However were I sitting in Israel
thinking Iran really is close to getting a nuclear weapon I'd be planning to nuke le Iranians Prez. off the face of the map.

If that happens we "are all in".

Thus the legacy of governments and their lies.

World Trade Center building 7 was not hit by an airplane yet is the most damaging evidence of all.Add to Technorati Favorites

Iron Pigs redux

RGnostic@gmail.com (rc) — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 18:43:00 +0000

As anyone, or maybe I should say the one or two, who actually follow this site knows, we spend more time focusing on issues that affect out Freedom, liberties and rights than anything else.

And as we have always known in our gut, that doing so is probably a waste of time. Especially when we try to insure that whatever we post is factual guaranteeing that the "truth" of something will always be faced with denial when it violates the reality of whoever might be reading it.

I mean after all when one is programmed to believe lies one is not likely to violate their programming risking social ostracism.

However even though we never needed proof that our efforts were no more than mind masturbation our analytics proof it.

Since August of 2008 one of our most heavily hit posts has been:

Iron Pigs Leather Vest for sale

We are not going to repeat the story. We are actually sorry we posted it. Not because we have anything against Iron Pig MC vest collectors or wanna be's. But because it is a daily reminder that instead of posting on such mundane issues as Freedom, liberty and rights. We should be manufacturing and selling Iron Pigs MC cuts, competing with the sale of Sons of Anarchy paraphernalia.

Alas as PT Barnum ( or somebody as there appears to be some controversy over the statement) once said:

There's a sucker born every second

Double alas, it appears I am not exempt.Add to Technorati Favorites

Who is Phillip Davis and why you should know who he is.

RGnostic@gmail.com (rc) — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 18:05:00 +0000

Actually there are a number of Phillip Davis's out there. As we have challenged both the left and the right who wish to know the truth to "FOLLOW the MONEY." People who make money making money have a vested interest in knowing what the government/corporations are doing, influencing government/corporations when pssible and regardless of Economic theory. betting on which "crook" will win.

Phillip Davis is a frequent poster on the Financial site Seeking Alpha. He has over 22000 followers
on a site devoted to making money. He also has his own site devoted to making money that you can pay to get into if you like. Since I can't afford the entrance fee I can not tell you if it is a good thing or not.

Although he refers to himself as being in the top 10% income bracket it that is not why we are writing about him.

We are writing about him because he consistently validates our contention that the American Public is consistently being raped with a baseball bat by the Government/corporate alliance. Following is a comment from his most recent post:

How is it that the American people have allowed ourselves to get this distracted about an issue that affects every single on of us for over a decade? Of course we, in the top 10%, don’t sweat an extra $6,000 a year spent on food and fuel - maybe we take one less vacation or fly coach or something but not enogh to get upset over. It’s the stupefaction of the masses that I don’t understand. $6,000 is a lot of money to the average American family that makes $48,000 yet Joe 6-pack and Joe the Plummer will go out and rally to support the very same people who sold them out to OPEC in exchange for a few shekels of their own

Which is also a question we have repeatedly asked. Not necessarily in that context, but in general.

The answer may lie in the conclusion that an "Ultra conservative" friend of mine arrived at after one of our many friendly arguments. That is that the country has Fallen victim to mass "STUPID".

Well maybe STUPID is to harsh a word. Maybe instead we should use words like apathetic, lazy, unmotivated to seek a truth that will guarantee that their own children will be the victims of their apathetic, lazy, unmotivated, ignorance in seeking out their own truths as opposed to getting it from 2 minute sound bites and fwd.,fwd,.fwd's.

O.K. so on second thought STUPID fits. Because if a person has the ability to read and think there is no excuse for allowing republicans and democrats alike to rape us. Their is no excuse for believing that a grass roots movement, i.e. the "TEA PARTY" (you will have to google it to find a description that fits your bias or read what the first person to call for a new Tea Party has to say here ) has not been co-opted by the republican party and just the Yin to ACORNS yang.

Oh wait, their is one excuse that makes sense. Lack of CAHONIES!

Ride free! Unless your not willing to fight for it. Then to paraphrase Samuel Adams,"just go away"

Read here the latest post by Phil Davis.Add to Technorati Favorites

A pimp goes to washington

RGnostic@gmail.com (rc) — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 17:01:00 +0000

But Washington is already filled with pimps

and whoresAdd to Technorati Favorites

THE HIGHWAY MEN

RGnostic@gmail.com (rc) — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 04:51:00 +0000

Veterans concerned about your benefits-read here now

RGnostic@gmail.com (rc) — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 03:49:00 +0000

This is your INVITATION TO attend the MARCH ELITE SDVOB MEETING TO BE HELD IN THE FLORIDA INSTITUE OF TECHNOLOGY ON MARCH 13TH AT 1200 HOURS.

We will have a Flyer out Monday or Tuesday. MeeMaws will cater lunch. It will be about $6.50 to $10 for a hot sandwich (pork or turkey), beans, coleslaw and a drink. We need to know how many are attending etc. Pass this along to other Vets and provide them following contact names:

Bobby Rose

brose@barcodeservice.com

INVITATION TO MARCH ELITE SDVOB MEETING TO BE HELD IN THE FLORIDA INSTITUE OF TECHNOLOGY ON MARCH 13^TH AT 1200 HOURS.

FOR VETERANS, SERVICE DISABLED VETERANS, CORPORATIOINS, COMPANIES & ELITE SDVOB’S

UPDATE

Please advise (RSVP) ASAP if you plan TO attend for a food count requirement. We will have room for about 150 people.

Veterans, if you are not currently a service disabled veteran, we may be able to assist you get your disability. Come to our meeting we’ll try to assist you.

1. Billy C. Jenkins, Veteran's Procurement Liaison U.S. Small Business Administration Washington, DC

Leveling the Contracting Playing Field for Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Businesses.

Debbie (LN?) from the Government Contracting Advisory Team (GCAT), Local SBA Office.

2. UPDATE LARRY STOKES Veterans Benefits Consulting

Mr. Larry Stokes is World Class when it comes to “Advice for Veterans Benefits”. Larry will be one of the first speakers in order to allow you to have a one on one meeting with him. If you have any paperwork for him to review, please bring it with you.

Larry Stokes and Associates have assisted hundreds of veterans and beneficiaries secure their rightfully entitled benefits from the department of veteran’s affairs. Their in depth knowledge of VA system and the rating process allows them to maximize your benefits and reduce VA processing time.

3. Food will be available for $10.00 which includes food and drink. Please bring cash. Should be available about 11 AM.

4. Fees for service disabled veterans and associated memberships

Please bring a blank check for membership to join on site.

Service disabled veteran owned companies $60/ year

Non-serviced disabled veteran’s $200/year

Corporations and non-veteran or service-disabled veteran $1500/year

(Fees are set by the National ELITE SDVOB office.)

Please bring a blank check for membership to join on site.

5. OTHER speakers scheduled to speak.

Note of interest to people that do construction. Intracoastal Waterway, Jacksonville to Miami Dredged Material Management Area (DMMA) IR-2 Indian River County, Florida, Federal Business Opportunity. Call Bobby Rose for details and I will email it to you.

Contracting Office Address:

USACE District, Jacksonville, P.O. Box 4970, Jacksonville, FL 32232-0019

Place of Performance:

USACE District, Jacksonville P.O. Box 4970, Jacksonville FL
32232-0019

Point of Contact(s):

Beau Corbett, 904-232-1388

Other subjects and speakers to be added. I will keep you advised

Directions to meeting site: Florida Institute of Technology

150 W. University Blvd. Melbourne, FL 32901

From I-95

From I-95, take exit 176 (Palm Bay Road). Turn east on Palm Bay Road. Continue

2.3 miles to Babcock Street; turn left (north). Continue 2 miles to University

Boulevard. Turn left to the main campus. Proceed to the intersection at Country Club Road (0.2 miles); turn right (north). Drive 0.2 miles and turn left into the parking lot on the west side of Country Club Road. Park in the north end of the lot.

From U.S. 1

From U.S. 1 south or north, turn west on U.S. 192 (New Haven Avenue); continue

1 mile to Babcock Street; turn south (left). Continue approximately 0.5 miles to University Boulevard. Turn right to the main campus. Proceed to the intersection at Country Club Road (0.2 miles); turn right (north). Drive 0.2 miles and turn left into the parking lot on the west side of Country Club Road. Park in the north end of the lot.Add to Technorati Favorites

Talk given at Daytona Bike Week Freedom Rally-I am just an American

RGnostic@gmail.com (rc) — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 02:54:00 +0000

The following was first posted on this site in 2007. We resurrected and with very few changes it is what we gave at the Bike Week Freedom rally on both Saturday and Sunday. ABATE of Florida has issued a press Release demanding that we release all speeches, pictures, yada, yada, yada, given by either Biker Rogue or myself. Now to the best of my knowledge despite thinking that the state of Florida is their "Territory," they are not courts or judges and can not demand a damn thing.

We post it here now as some have requested we do so. But they requested nicely Doc!

I AM JUST AN AMERICAN

I am an “American”. My status as an American carries no prefix. Plain and simple, I'm an “American”.

It is only by virtue of chance, luck or any number of variables that I was conceived and born on the shores of the greatest nation on earth. I did not choose to be American. However, based on observation and education, had I been given that choice, that choice would be, to be an American.

As an American I have guaranteed to me certain rights. They are not “God” given rights. Were they “God” given rights, every human on earth would be afforded the same rights as we who are “Americans”. No, the rights I have today are “fought for” rights.

The rights that I have as an American are the end result of mans struggle throughout history to define just what are our rights. The rights that I or any other American has were bought and paid for by the wisdom, courage and blood of persons who were not Americans. By persons who through an intense desire for “freedom” and “liberty” made a decision to throw off the yoke of tyranny and declared themselves,“Americans”.

Persons who believed that “all men” had a “God given right” to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. They believed this so intently as to risk all that they had.

Primarily “Christians”, they wisely separated religion and state. Fierce fighters, they wisely separated the military from political debate. Men with a common goal, they wisely encouraged dissent. In fact their belief in the “rights” of the individual were so strong they intentionally set up a government that could not be ruled by majority thought.

Primary to insuring these principles were the guarantees of and a free press that would insure thatfree thoughtwould not be suppressed.

There was no dictate handed down as to what could or could not be “spoken.” There was no dictate that speech would be regulated by it's political, religious or social appropriateness. There was no litmus test designed to measure an individuals “patriotism” or “Americanism” based on what party they belonged to, what God they chose to believe in, what they thought about, race, sexuality or any of the multiple social issues that today have somehow become politicized and a yardstick by which men judge each other.

In fact, they went to great pains to insure that men might discuss and debate all issues freely and openly so that all persons might rightfully argue for their freedom and their liberties.

These men were not burdened by concerns for the sensibilities of the weak minded who would bite their tongue for fear of incurring the retribution of kings, princes and Bullies. These were men who fed on the soles of their boots and tempered their will by walking barefoot in the snow and ice so that you and I might live in a land they could only dream of.

And because of their will, because of their determination they gave birth to a country so strong that it has been called on, more than once, to save the world. And save the world it has done. However it was not our government that saved the world. For our government must pay heed to the will of the governed. It was the collective effort of “individuals” who despite individual differences had a common bond. They were Americans. Part of a grand experiment that has made many mistakes and in doing so has shed blood and wears the scars of internal battles over issues such as discrimination, sexism, racism, religious differences and ill conceived wars. And as Americans they would fight to the death any encroachment upon their hard fought for liberties.

And that is where we stand today. Because today we face the greatest threat to our liberties we have ever faced. Today we face the greatest enemy we will ever face. Because today, that threat, that enemy, is us.

Today we would restrict the speech that we fear may violate the sensibilities of those who do not wish to hear the free speech of uncommon ideas. Today we would condemn those that do not believe in a “God” of “our” choosing. Today we divide ourselves not only by color, ethnicity, sex, economic status or religion. But we further divide ourselves by “left” and “right”. And today we are all to willing to elect representatives, not to uphold the ideals upon which this country was founded, but who would push for personal agendas, even at the cost of another mans freedom.

Today we have grown soft, and we look to the government as a dog to it's master to care for us. We have lost the taste for the boot leather of our forefathers and are to comfortable to temper our will barefoot in battlefields of snow and ice. We allow the media and the government to censure the atrocities of war so as not to be exposed to it's horrors and our responsibility to care for those we throw into the fray. As unlike World War II we do not yet have a casualty on every block to mourn and can still distance our selves from “our” responsibility. We turn our heads and pretend not to notice the street side casualties of a past war from whose wounds we still have not yet healed.

Today we have allowed our government to become very much like the government from which our forefathers broke ranks with. We have allowed our government to engage in the same totalitarian actions we condemned and went to war to save the rest of the world from.

Today we have become so focused on our differences that we have left our government free to further restrict our liberties as as a cover for it's incompetence in governing without draining the pockets of those who pay for it.. A government whose spinelessness in governing by virtue of the Constitution of the United States of America has instead resorted to a government of greedy Robber Barons who have lost touch with “We the People”. A government for sale to corporations who would pit the economically disadvantaged against each other lest they focus their attention on the real enemy. Those who divide us to keep us weak out of fear that united we may rise up and reclaim that which is rightfully ours, that which our forefathers fought to bequeath to us.

Today we have become so focused on differences we have forgotten our true strength. That we are all “Americans”. Or at one time we were. Because the Americans of our forefathers time would call us to task for allowing their vision to become so corrupted. Because it is we who have allowed it.

In every persons lifetime comes occasions by which we define ourselves. Not in the eyes of others. But through our own eyes. So yes, I am an American. And as an American I will no longer stand down, I will not compromise and I will not retreat until this country is returned to those who own it, “We the People”

RIDE HARD, RIDE FREE, and by God STAND FOR SOMETHING!!

Could anybody tell me why BATE of Florida might fear these words????Add to Technorati Favorites

BIG BEND BIKERS FOR FREEDOM

Riding with the Breeze memorial run 2010

ABATE of Florida featured on Bikers of America Blog Talk Radio

Ride for the Breeze tomorrow

From Tony "Pan" Sanfillipo Bikers of Lessor Tolerance

Biker Rogue on the proposed stiffer penalaties bill-Florida

COMMENTS on ABATE of FLorida and President/Lobbyist James Doc Reichenbach

ABATE of FLoridas stiffer penalties bill-is it really theirs??? Who wrote it?

open letter to ABATE of FLorida-Back it up or SHUT UP!

President of ABATE of Florida is the result of it's members.

Gulf Coast Chapter ask For the resignation Of FLorida ABATE president James Reichenbach

Gulf Coast Chapter files formal complaint against ABATE of Florida President/lobbyist to resign

America, do not fear socialism, fear the oligarchy

The government says recovery, we say Bullshit!

We believe Phillip Davis makes some points that bear out our contention.

An electoral opportunity-maybe our last

Tom Delay (R,tx), Needs to be unemployed and gagged

The Florida "Ruling Class" screw us as they feed fish bottled water

Businesses profitng of Iran and YOU

$266.5 million Federal Contracts: $255,646,464 Federal Grants: $10,820,703

Active, but no new investment

Switzerland

Aker Solutions

$6.3 million Federal Contracts: $6,306,018

Active

Norway

$927.2 million Federal Contracts: $926,966,103 Federal Grants: $218,453

Active

France

$226.3 million Federal Contracts: $202,414,657 Federal Grants: $23,847,644

Active

France

ArcelorMittal

$37.2 million Federal Contracts: $37,212,098

Active

Luxembourg

Atlas Copco

$9.2 million Federal Contracts: $9,177,991

Active

Sweden

$7.6 million Federal Contracts: $6,106,360 Federal Grants: $1,497,000

Withdrew

United States

Barclays PLC

$47,381 Federal Contracts: $47,381

Withdrew

Britain

$12.7 million Federal Contracts: $9,093,386 Federal Grants: $3,632,758

Active

Germany

Bayer

$610 million Federal Contracts: $609,222,288 Federal Grants: $755,000

Active

Germany

$37.6 million Federal Contracts: $14,356,038 Federal Grants: $23,229,213

Active, but no new investment

France

Bosch

$90.3 million Federal Contracts: $84,986,611 Federal Grants: $5,338,780

Active

Germany

3.5 million acresIn Oil/Gas Leases Oil/Gas Leases: 3.5 million acres

Active

Britain

$8.4 million Federal Contracts: $8,409,242

Active

Japan

$503.2 million Federal Contracts: $503,151,698

Active

Japan

$2 billion Federal Contracts: $1,875,504,229 Federal Grants: $83,844,179

Withdrew

United States

$1.7 billion Federal Contracts: $1,696,615,833 Federal Grants: $5,043,044 Oil/Gas Leases: 2.1 million acres

Active

United States

$2 million Federal Contracts: $2,027,153

Withdrew

Switzerland

Possible violator of the Iran Sanctions Act

$266.5 million Federal Contracts: $255,646,464
Federal Grants: $10,820,703

$927.2 million Federal Contracts: $926,966,103
Federal Grants: $218,453

$226.3 million Federal Contracts: $202,414,657
Federal Grants: $23,847,644

$7.6 million Federal Contracts: $6,106,360
Federal Grants: $1,497,000

$12.7 million Federal Contracts: $9,093,386
Federal Grants: $3,632,758

$610 million Federal Contracts: $609,222,288
Federal Grants: $755,000

$37.6 million Federal Contracts: $14,356,038
Federal Grants: $23,229,213

$90.3 million Federal Contracts: $84,986,611
Federal Grants: $5,338,780

$2 billion Federal Contracts: $1,875,504,229
Federal Grants: $83,844,179

$1.7 billion Federal Contracts: $1,696,615,833
Federal Grants: $5,043,044
Oil/Gas Leases: 2.1 million acres

$4.2 billion Federal Contracts: $4,152,644,868
Federal Grants: $3,359,032

$4.9 billion Federal Contracts: $4,884,179,280
Oil/Gas Leases: 2.3 million acres

$71.1 million Federal Contracts: $71,041,144
Federal Grants: $33,850

$199 million Federal Contracts: $194,212,561
Federal Grants: $4,757,900