Melinda L. Secor: Of Life and Liberty....Should We Have To Choose?

Texas Families Abused by System for Seeking Care for Mentally Ill Children

noreply@blogger.com (Melinda L. Secor) — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 13:20:00 +0000

I am writing this today to publicize the issues surrounding our recent struggle to obtain mental health care services for my 16 year old son, which has created a host of legal complications for us that may endanger two younger children in the family. This is an outline of our situation and, as I've found out, the situation of several families in our area, South Brewster County. My in-depth research into resolving our own situation has revealed a much larger problem.

Millions of American families are put through incredible abuse by the tax-payer funded agencies they turn to as a last resort, typically after all family health insurance policies have been depleted or financial means are exhausted. Many parents are forced into the position of having to allow themselves to be judged neglectful to allow the state to take custody, which takes away their parental rights. The state will then provide the same mental health help that had been denied to the child while they were in the custody of the families who love and support them. And, the parents are allowed no input into the care and treatment of those children.

The fact is that the state could provide that mental health care without removing these children from parental custody and placing a black mark on the records of innocent parents. They simply will not make those resources, funded by the parent's tax dollars, available to these desperate parents. Social service agencies often claim that federal funds cannot be obtained for treatment unless the child is in state custody. This is false. In fact, 13 states have passed laws that prohibit the abusive practice of taking of custody from the parents in trade for treatment, as it can and should be provided while the child remains in parental custody.

We believe that there are strong grounds for a class action lawsuit on behalf of families injured by this system, and we also believe that we certainly have grounds to sue local, county, and state officials in our particular case. As you read my family's story, please keep in mind that I am a taxpayer, and have worked very hard to support my three children. I have never asked for taxpayer support in the form of welfare or food stamps. I am not in the habit of asking the government for assistance, and having done so on this occasion, I am surely not impressed with the return I received on nearly 30 years of taxes paid into this system.

Here is our version of this all too common problem, just a brief overview, as I could write a book and still not relay all the details of the insane run around we've been through:

My son is mentally ill. Due to this, he has episodes of irrational, defiant, and violent behavior. Last year, we had one of those incidents, during which my son made his best attempt to smash my head against a large rock after tackling me to the ground. My 9 year old daughter tried to pull him off of me, endangering herself. Thankfully, she was not hurt, but this incident made it clear to me that I could no longer handle his issues on my own.

So, we made a call to the local sheriff to file a police report on the incident. Our local deputies came to speak with us, and suggested that I call the Mental Health and Mental Retardation Department (MMHR) for help. They came out and did an emergency intake on Justin, who was, at the time, horrified at his own behavior and cooperative, admitting to the violent episodes, as well as issues with compulsive stealing and lying. He also confirmed that during and after the incident, he had made suicidal threats.

Their response was to set him up with a counselor, who was supposed to see him while we waited for a psychological evaluation to be done, which was scheduled nearly 3 months out. The counselor, with whom we were told to make an appointment, was rather difficult to get in touch with, failing to return our repeated calls. Thus, it was nearly two months before the scheduling of the first appointment was accomplished. Meanwhile, MMHR officials made a medical neglect report against me, stating that I had not brought my son in for care. I called the regional CPS supervisor, Ms. Leticia Garcia, and explained that I was the one to initiate mental health care services for my son with MMHR, and that I had left many messages in the great voice mail void attempting to get an appointment with the counselor. She checked the facts, found that there had been no medical neglect on my part, and closed the case administratively.

As all of this was happening, seeing how slowly the MMHR system was moving, worried about my son, and the effect his escalating behavior was having on my two young daughters, I sought private care options. I looked into several therapeutic camps that provide residential treatment for troubled youths. Unfortunately, these options were beyond my financial means. However, I did find two of these centers that were run by church groups, offering care for families who could not afford the typical $6,000 a month fees for such services. Sadly, it turned out that my son was a bit more troubled than they were prepared to deal with. He was denied admittance due to his history of violence and theft.

So, this left us at the mercy of the public agency – MMHR -- for any hope of getting him care. During the period of time we were waiting for the psychological evaluation to be done, my son stole a debit card from my purse and used it on the Internet, overdrawing my account. When confronted with this, he got violent and irrational, and ran away from home. The sheriffs’ department was called and he was brought home, seemingly calm. But, immediately after the deputy left, he did it all again, ranting, raving, threatening, and running away. So, the deputy picked him up again and brought him to the home of my sister for the night, as a cooling off period.

Well, he refused to come home for weeks and the sheriff refused to pick him up as a runaway, so he remained with my sister, wandering off regularly and coming home drunk and on drugs -- not my sister's fault, she had no way to keep him under control, despite numerous attempts to reason with him. On one occasion, the sheriffs’ department was notified that my son was attending a drinking party at the home of a career criminal, and was drunk, served alcohol by adults on the premises. The deputy on duty refused to pick him up, later stating that probation told him not to do so. In order to have him removed from this dangerous situation, I had to call the state police and explain that the sheriffs had refused, for six hours, to handle the matter. That certainly shook things up, and a deputy was finally dispatched to collect my son, who was found so intoxicated that he had vomited all over himself and passed out. About two weeks afterwards, two of the men my son was drinking with that night were arrested, charged with kidnapping, raping, and brutalizing a young boy just two years older than my son.

At this point, he had decided he was not going to comply with mental health care. When the day finally arrived for his psych eval, we picked him up from my sister to bring him in. He ranted, cursed, and threatened all the way to MMHR, an 80 mile trip. When we arrived at the MMHR building, our local deputy happened to be there, witnessing Justin's behavior. I asked him how I would go about getting a Child in Need of Supervision Petition filed so that Justin could be mandated to comply with mental health care and stay in the home, establishing legal consequences if he persisted in this unreasonable and threatening behavior. He referred us to Juvenile Probation to have this done, where we went immediately after leaving MMHR.

Probation Chief Jerry Castallano told me he would work on bringing Justin under court supervision. Castallano also extracted a promise from Justin to behave, warning him that if he got violent again, they would have to pick him up, and assured me that our safety was of paramount concern to him and action would be swift should Justin become agitated and violent again. Well, he did get violent. We didn't even get home before he broke his pledge, whipping open the car door at 70 miles an hour, with his two small sisters in the seat next to him, threatening to jump, because we refused to stop off so he could speak to a friend at the American Legion post--5 miles from home. Gary, my partner, with whom I and my children live, pulled over, and we tried to reason with him. His response was to assault Gary and run off.

We went home and called the sheriff, telling them that probation had said that he would be picked up if he did this again. They called probation, just to get the runaround. So, nothing was done that night. The following morning, we went and filed charges against him for assault, as they told us it was necessary if we wanted him under the supervision of the court and probation. These charges were never pursued. We filed them twice. In fact, my son has committed a long list of juvenile and criminal offenses, and the juvenile system has done nothing but make promises. The County Attorney, when we inquired as to why my son had not been adjudicated on any of these charges and brought under court supervision, stated that his office had been advised by probation that it was a mental health issue, and therefore would not get involved.

According to one of my son's counselors (a private one), this is typical. She states that the probation department has refused to do their duty with many of the children she works with, and hasn't taken a juvenile from our area into detention in nine years. Local law enforcement has told us much the same, that juvenile probation typically does nothing in regards to prosecuting delinquent youths. The probation department, according to these sources, just simply does not do its job. In my opinion, those who inhabit it must be politically connected in order to keep their positions under such circumstances, as this inaction in such cases is hardly a secret. I have made numerous complaints about them myself, to no avail. The only results have been a smear campaign against me, insinuating that abuse at home is the cause of my son's behavior, causing the many other agencies to whom I've appealed for help to view us with suspicion. I guess it doesn't pay, as a relative newcomer to a small, tight knit community, to get on the bad side of those with an established place in the social and political pecking order.

My son's MMHR case supervisor has just been pulled from the case, I strongly suspect due to advocating for my family with his superiors. I was told in confidence by an insider at one of the agencies involved that I had better watch my step, and was unlikely to get any help for my son because I had made the “political clique” angry with my outspoken -- but always polite – demands that they do their jobs.

MMHR has done nothing as the child has become increasingly violent and irrational. Emergency commitment should have been done on several occasions, as he has certainly met the qualifications. Last time he was brought home, he threatened to “blow us away,” as well as threatening suicide while in the midst of another violent episode. MMHR, who took 12 hours to send their so-called Emergency Team to see him, then spent two minutes questioning him, released him, stating that they wouldn't commit because he was calm now. Probation refused to pursue juvenile charges, and instructed the sheriff's deputy to find a family member to take him. It was 2AM. My sister refused to be responsible for him on the grounds that she could not keep him safe and under control, so the deputy tracked my brother down at the local bar and placed my son in his custody, warning him not to come near our home due to the threats made against us.

So, since he's been with my brother, approximately two and a half months, he has been truant 20 days, for which I have been cited, has been breaking into neighbors' homes, and has been showing up at school filthy and stoned. The school counselor contacted me, and I explained that the situation was beyond my control, as probation had placed him with my brother. I urged them to report the situation to probation. Apparently she did, and got the typical run around and inaction. So, she reported to CPS. They contacted me, and I stated that the situation was created by the probation chief and MMHR, and any neglect charges should be placed squarely on their desks.

CPS investigated and contacted me again, stating that they would help me get Justin into residential care. I should have known better, especially with Mr. Anthony Ramos, the worker in charge of the case. He and I had trouble soon after I moved to Texas two years ago. A false report was made against my family, full of outrageous charges that it took ten seconds to discredit on their first visit. Rather than saying sorry to bother you, I'll be on my way now, he tried to trump up reasons to continue bothering my family, stating that I should not have dogs in my home, as he feels they are dirty creatures that carry germs, or campfires in my yard, among other trivial complaints that were not illegal, nor under his jurisdiction. I asked him if there were new laws passed on these issues that I was not aware of. He said, no, these are merely suggestions, you are within your rights to ignore them, but you do so at your own risk and that of your children, and stated he'd be back in ten days to see that his suggestions were being followed. I called every politician from here to Washington, filing complaints against his abuse of power until they dropped the case, clearing us of any wrong doing.

Anyway, after discussions with Mr. Ramos over six weeks or so, I was called to a meeting to discuss their plan of action. They decided, rather than the promised residential treatment, they would make Justin promise to behave and place the boy back in my home with a “safety plan.” No treatment, no consequences for his behavior. This boy has been more violent each time he comes home, bragging that he is bulletproof, he can do ANYTHING and there will be no consequences. And, that's accurate, there have been none. I stated that I would be happy to bring him home AFTER treatment, but doing so now would endanger my girls, ages 6 and 9, and that I felt this was not a responsible or well thought out plan. Well, when I had the nerve to disagree, the CPS mediator stated, “Ah, the one who wanted to stand on her 4th amendment rights last time wants us to help her now?” He then informed me that I would do it their way or be charged with neglect and refusing to accept parental responsibility.

So, since I refuse to endanger my girls, insisting instead that treatment is necessary for their safety and my son's, they are charging me, despite nearly a year of exhaustive efforts to get my son the treatment he needs. I asked Mr. Ramos how he could, in good conscience, levy a legal claim of neglect against me when he is fully aware of the efforts I have made on my son's behalf. His justification was that they had to take custody to get his treatment funded, which is false, and the same misinformation given to thousands of parents in my position. The state simply needs to apply for a waiver to provide these services while children remain in parental custody, which is commonly done in the 13 states that have already banned the practice of demanding that parents trade custody for mental health care.

However, despite assurances that this is JUST about getting my son care, from what I understand from a source that remained at this meeting after Gary and I departed, the end goal of this cabal is to take all of my children. Furthermore, despite the fact that Mr. Ramos and I had discussed at length the counseling my son had received years ago in NY, that information was left out of my son's file. So, the people assembled at that meeting had no idea that my son's behavioral problems have been an issue for years, nor that we had sought treatment for them in the past. With this information conveniently excluded from the file, some of those at the meeting assumed my son's behavior was quite likely a family or parenting problem, having no history to refer to on his ongoing mental health issues.

It is clear to all that know my family that these are well loved and cared for children. In fact, everyone who knows my girls raves about how well behaved, polite, and intelligent they are, and 30 people showed up at a previous meeting with CPS to speak on our behalf. Clearly, any attempt to take them from my care will be due to an agenda to put me in my place, since I had the nerve to stand up for my rights against their clear abuse of power the last time around, and have been advocating strongly -- but always politely -- for my son to get the mental health care he so desperately needs this time. Pursuing so many avenues in the attempt to get the care he needs has highlighted the failures and inadequacies of the local system, something that, to my regret, has been a source of personal animosity for some of those in charge of that system, instead of cooperation in finding a better way to solve the problem.

At this point CPS has obtained, through emergency removal procedures, temporary custody of my son. We will go to court on the 26^th of this month, where they will attempt to do a more permanent removal by court order on grounds of neglect. My son has been placed in a foster home in El Paso, eight hours away from his family. He has already run away from this home after an altercation with the adults in charge of his supervision. CPS did not notify me that he was missing. In fact, it was I who notified them after my son called home for help. The El Paso police picked him up and returned him to the foster home as of yesterday.

I read a report the other day that states that, in some states, one in four, or 25%, of children with mental health issues are in state custody, with many parents forced by the state to give them up to get access to the mental health care they need. Added to the pain of custody relinquishment and the indignity of parents being accused of neglect in order to facilitate it, is the abuse and misinformation that parents contend with when seeking help from public servants whose salaries are obtained from their own tax dollars.

I haven't, as of yet, been able to find a lawyer willing to defend me against the CPS charges or represent me in a suit against the county and state for the incompetence, inaction, and outright dereliction of duty displayed in the handling of my son's case. None of those in our community seem interested in challenging the local political establishment. My hope is that by publicizing the situation, one may come forward to help us change this abusive practice, as has been done with lawsuits in 13 other states. Also, it certainly couldn't hurt to shine a light into the corrupt practices of the agencies involved in my family's situation.

If anyone reading this is an attorney or knows one who might be willing to represent my family through this situation, or anyone who would like more information or can offer advice, please feel free to contact me at MelindaS2002@aol.com.

Also, if your family has been through a similar experience, whether it is the inaction of local public servants or a demand by CPS to relinquish custody to get mental health care for your child, please contact me. Perhaps, with the right legal representation, we can work together to see that families in Texas are not abused this way in the future.

A Dose of Reality in The Land of Delusion

noreply@blogger.com (Melinda L. Secor) — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 15:20:00 +0000

Privacy in America Is Dead

What in the hell is going on? Have most all in this country lost their minds and their spirit, or concerning freedom, is apathy all that remains? Oh to be a conspiracy theorist! Everything today in actuality is conspiratorial, and those who have been continuously demoralized for their constant suspicions of government are now the only sane ones left. This is evident because "1984" is no longer fiction; it is reality!

The latest crime in a long line of usurpations of liberty by government evildoers has now effectively eliminated privacy as we know it. As reported on LRC and told by Glenn Beck, anyone accessing the "cash for clunkers" program literally gives up ownership of their computer to the federal government...

...Many brutal political "leaders" of the past like Hitler, Stalin, Mao and Mussolini attempted to monitor and control all citizens and their behavior. The end results were telling, and they were horrible. Mass murder at the hands of the state was the rule not the exception. Starvation was prevalent and sickness was constant. Wars consumed production and economies collapsed. Freedom was unheard of during the reign of these monsters. Can you imagine the political and monitoring capabilities of today being available to those brutal tyrants of the past? There is a reason that the U.S. federal government has taken over and co-opted all the means of society. This same government now controls and monitors all money, banking, transportation, health care, police, and communication, including the internet. Those dictators I mentioned above did not have this capability, and still mass oppression won the day. If this history is any guide, our future looks bleak.

Monumentally Tragic Disappointment on the Horizon

Whenever the herd mentality lines up along a compass point leading to “permanent prosperity,” or a yellow brick road lined with green shoots, or something like that, I tend to see the edge of a cliff up ahead. We are now completely in the grips of the deadly diminishing returns of information technology. The more information comes to us about How Things Are, especially from TV, the more confused or wrong the conventional view gets it.

A broad consensus has formed in the news media and among government mouthpieces and even some “bearish” investors on the street that “the worst is behind us” in this tortured economy. This view is completely crazy. It will only lead to massive disappointment a few weeks or months from now, and that disappointment might easily transmute to political trouble. One even might call the situation tragic, except a closer look at the sordid spectacle of what American culture has become — a non-stop circus of the seven deadly sins — suggests that we deserve to be punished by history.

America the Great ... Police State

For those of us who had hoped that the Obama administration would present us with a rebirth of the old republic that was so rudely erased a few years ago by that team of judicial wreckers, Bush and Gonzales, which led, in turn, to a recent incident in Cambridge, Mass. that inspired a degree of alarm in many Americans. But what was most alarming was the plain fact that neither the president nor a “stupid” local policeman seemed to understand the rules of behavior in a new America, where we find ourselves marooned as well as guarded (is that the verb?) by armed police who have been instructed that they are indeed, once armed, the law and may not be criticized verbally or in any other way and are certainly not subject to any restrictions as to whom they arrest or otherwise torment.

This is rather worse than anyone might have predicted, even though the signs have been clear for some years that ours is now a proto-fascist nation and there appears to be no turning back; nor, indeed, much awareness on the part of our ever-alert media. Forgive me if you find my irony heavy, but I too get tired of carrying it about in “the greatest nation in the country,” as Spiro Agnew liked to say.

How can an entire nation completely ignore reality? How can they blindly take the word of a government that has blatantly lied, time and time again. Despite the obvious, REAL signs of economic, political, and societal meltdown, the majority of Americans choose to believe the official line...you know the one...where they give us a patronizing pat on the head and say that everything will be juuuuust fine if we just believe it to be so. Close you eyes and wish really hard folks....worked for the Germans under Hitler ...right? Or the Russians under Stalin? Or for the...well, I could go on and on with the examples, there have surely been plenty....but we all know don't we...Americans are not a stupid people, we have just made a CHOICE to ignore our troubles in the vain hope that doing so will make them disappear. Well, folks, fairy tales are for children., and these monsters won't disappear when you pull the blankets over your head....facing the harsh realities of life and dealing with them isn't an optional excercise for adults....time to grow up already.

Winning the "War on Terror" is Easier Than it Looks

noreply@blogger.com (Melinda L. Secor) — Tue, 12 May 2009 18:02:00 +0000

The world's most prolific terrorist organization is funded by our tax dollars. Every single target of this supposed "War on Terror" is a CIA creation....from Al Queda and Osama Bin Laden to Sadam Hussein....and now it comes out, the Taliban. Oh and the nuclear power plant they wanted to attack Iran over?....We gave it to them as a gift. Seems most of the world's terrorism is sponsored by the good old US of A. The "War on Terror" could be won without one soldier leaving our shores if the root of the problem were to be addressed...ABOLISH THE CIA.
CIA and ISI together created Taliban: Zardari

You Might Be a Terrorist If..............

noreply@blogger.com (Melinda L. Secor) — Thu, 07 May 2009 16:49:00 +0000

You happen to have the audacity to disagree with the government.....

400,000 still on terror watchlist, including author of book on Rove
Over 1 million records on government’s combined watch list

James Moore, a Texas journalist who wrote two searing books on former Bush White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove, found himself included on a no-fly list, a component of the combined terrorist watch list, and has not been able to get his name removed. It is unclear why Moore was listed and why he remains on the list — but Moore told RAW STORY that the list hasn’t made anyone safer.

“The terrorist watchlist is an icon for government malfunction and abuse,” Moore wrote in an email message Wednesday. “Politicians can seemingly nominate their enemies for the list or have it done by proxy using their bureaucratic influence. And the lists are maintained using outdated matching software that is incapable of finding discrepancies in all of the various data formats used by federal agencies. The list has made a lot of work for a lot of bureaucrats but it hasn’t caught a single terrorist or made safer one American soul.”

These misidentifications are generally explained as affecting only individuals with common names which they might share with actual terrorism suspects. However, last year Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-TX) called for a probe after learning that the name of CNN correspondent Drew Griffin had appeared on the no-fly list shortly after he had done an investigative report on weaknesses in the federal air marshal system. A TSA spokesperson insisted that any connection between the two events was “absolutely fabricated.”

And look what they can do to you.......

The most visible case of consequences for an individual wrongly placed on the watchlist was Canadian software engineer Maher Arar. In 2002, Arar was detained at a New York City airport, then rendered without a court order to Syria, where he was imprisoned and tortured—all because Canadian officials had wrongly asked for his name to be included on a watchlist.

Still think you live in a free country? Oh, right,I forgot.... we've been exporting freedom all over the world for years now, must be why we haven't got much left at home.

US interrogators may have killed dozens, human rights researcher and rights group say

noreply@blogger.com (Melinda L. Secor) — Thu, 07 May 2009 06:22:00 +0000

United States interrogators killed nearly four dozen detainees during or after their interrogations, according a report published by a human rights researcher based on a Human Rights First report and followup investigations.

In all, 98 detainees have died while in US hands. Thirty-four homicides have been identified, with at least eight detainees — and as many as 12 — having been tortured to death, according to a 2006 Human Rights First report that underwrites the researcher’s posting. The causes of 48 more deaths remain uncertain.

Hit the link in the title for the rest of the story...but be warned, the details are pretty gruesome. Very sick...very depressing that this is what our country has become in recent years. All this is done in our names folks, we should be VERY ashamed that we have allowed this to happen.....and continue to allow it today. What exactly is it that makes us any better than the "terrorists" these days? Why isn't there any outrage over these vile acts? Have we lost our humanity completely? And, isn't it grand that our own citizens can be treated this way? After all, any one of us can be declared an "Enemy Combatant" these days and exposed to those "enhanced interrogation techniques" ....just ask 16 year old Ashton Lundeby.

Remember When........

noreply@blogger.com (Melinda L. Secor) — Thu, 07 May 2009 03:26:00 +0000

Our government assured us that fears of “Enemy Combatant” status being used against American citizens on American soil were unfounded, entertained only by paranoid conspiracy nuts? Well guess what? They lied. A 16 year old child from North Carolina is being held as an Enemy Combatant...detained without benefit of his rights as guaranteed by the Constitution, and with no formal charges filed. Land of the Free indeed. Here is a link to his story.
,

Oh Look....Terrorists Can Investigate Themselves These Days.....And Find Themselves Innocent Too...

noreply@blogger.com (Melinda L. Secor) — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 16:04:00 +0000

Well, the result have come back from one of the many investigations I instigated on the abuse of power issue with CPS that I wrote about in my last post. In a letter I received this past week from the CPS Consumer Affairs office.....a rather Orwellian name for this office, as if anyone CHOOSES to be a CPS “consumer”......they state that they have investigated themselves, and ...SURPRISE!!!!....they have come to the conclusion that there was no wrong doing. Apparently, this “investigation” entailed asking the CPS investigators involved whether they had abused their power, and they ...of course...lied. None of the impartial witnesses on the scene when this visit took place ....two Sheriff's deputies and one local Constable...were questioned as to what occurred, nor was I contacted. Mr. Ramos denies threatening me over keeping dogs indoors, having a camp fire in the yard, or giving my girls a bath rather than a shower, and his partner in crime, Ms. Carrasco lied for him as well. I guess I am supposed to accept that I must have been hearing things and go along my merry way. Fortunately, there is another witness to this misconduct that CPS has yet to become aware of....who remained inside listening at an open window to all threats made that day.......so things are going to get interesting. ....To be continued.......

It's Been a While Since I've Had Time to Post....

noreply@blogger.com (Melinda L. Secor) — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 17:50:00 +0000

Well, I guess one should never joke about some things.....CPS for instance. In my last post I made a sarcastic comment about such things, and next thing you know, CPS is at my door...so I've been a bit busy. Someone called their hotline and made a false report about my family. The caller reported that we were living in tents with the children, and that there was no food, water, electricity, or heat available to them. Quite interesting. Even more interesting were allegations that we were allowing our children to be abused by strangers at the local American Legion post, where my family helps in the preparation and serving of a weekly community dinner. I also work there part time, as does my sister. This abuse supposedly took place right in the legion hall, in full view of 30 or so witnesses, the regular dinner crowd on Saturday evenings.

So, two investigators arrived at my home to do their duty. I gave them the grand tour, showing them that we all have roofs over our heads, there is 750 gallons of water on the premises, several generators, solar power, heaters of several varieties, and plenty of food. Even the family's milk goat is housed in a trailer...no tents here. So, given that 99 percent of the accusations on the list were proven far-fetched and clearly false within ten minutes of their arrival, one might reasonably expect that these people would move along their merry way. At this point, it would be obvious to anyone smarter than a box of rocks that this anonymous report was false and malicious, as are a full 80 percent of the calls placed to the Child Protective Services Hotline. Well, unfortunately, that's not what happened.

One of the investigators seemed quite determined to invent a problem, since the list he came with were clearly false. He informed me that I couldn't keep dogs in the house with children. I asked him if this was some new law that I was not aware of, and stated that if so, millions of Americans are in violation of it. And, our dogs are gentle family pets that the children love and would worry about were they to be left outdoors with the snakes, coyotes, and other hazards at night. He stated that even if they are gentle, they can bring germs and fleas into the house, and I would have to keep them outside. He informed me in a rather threatening tone, that of course, I had every right to ignore his “suggestion” at my own risk and that of my children. He also “suggested” that I should no longer have a camp fire in my yard, and stated that my practice of giving my two youngest children a bath....which they prefer....rather than a shower, was unacceptable, since our bathroom had no standard bathtub and I was bathing them in a plastic 20 gallon tote....which, by the way is safer, less slippery than a regular bath tub....and not against any law. In short, this man was determined to enforce his personal lifestyle preferences as if they were law, and he informed me that he would be back in ten days to see to it that his “suggestions” were implemented to his satisfaction.

Well, since my children happened to be out of town with family when this first visit took place, they had no hostages, leaving me free to fight this abuse of power. I called every politician and state agency between home and Washington DC to file formal complaints against this man. I contacted a lawyer for advice and guidance. I would have sought out support from local community members, but there was no need ....the community rallied behind us without being asked.

During this supposed “investigation,” no members of the community were contacted for information on how our children are cared for, nor was any inquiry made into the charges of abuse at the legion. If there were truly any questions remaining about these matters after the initial visit, it would seem quite logical that these steps be taken. I begged these people to speak to the community, do a REAL investigation......as these accusations were far too ridiculous to withstand even the most feeble attempt at finding the truth. I also refused to produce the children for interview until these steps had been taken. It seems that Anthony Ramos, the investigator on the case, was much more interested in inventing reasons to harass and intimidate my family than he was in doing a real investigation. It was never done. Finally, since the “investigators” refused to investigate, the officers of the American Legion post and my family arranged a meeting between community members, my family, and CPS workers at the legion hall. My children were interviewed and community members and legion officers spoke in support of us. We had to bring the witnesses to them, as they refused to do the investigation necessary to clear us.....and we have, finally, been cleared.

However, while CPS may finally be done with me, I have not finished my business with them. Anthony Ramos is a problem. I wonder, how would this “investigation” have turned out if I hadn't stood up against his abuse of power, or if I hadn't had the benefit of the strong community outrage and support in my corner? What would have happened if I hadn't called my senators, the governor's office, or any of the 20 other agencies I contacted? People were watching my case closely.....and CPS knew it. Would Letticia Garcia, the supervisor of this Ramos character, have been as willing to listen to my complaints without this publicity? I doubt it. My family is NOT the first to be subjected to the abuse of this man, and she still keeps him in her employ.

I wonder how many families have been bullied and intimidated by this man, or have even had their children removed from their home on the basis of his testimony. How many innocent families have had to tolerate CPS monitoring and jump through hoops for months or even years to please this little man on a power trip? He is clearly unfit to wield the immense power that CPS workers are given over the lives of the families they investigate or work with. And, while he is spending his time and taxpayer's money heckling families like mine, who have done nothing wrong, how many children who actually NEED help are ignored. I am driven to see to it that he is no longer in the position to abuse families in the manner he attempted with ours. And....what about the agency that continues to employ such a man, with his long history of abusing his power? That is another problem that must be looked into.

Furthermore, where I live, making a false report to CPS is a felony. I intend to pursue the malicious caller and prosecute them to the full extent of the law. My family has been disrupted, my children have been traumatized. All for no good reason. Because someone lied. I have done nothing to anyone that would merit such a malicious act, but even if I had, what sort of person would take it out on innocent children? A very sick and sadistic one. My children will be a long while in recovering from the anxiety and stress caused by this incident, which is made evident in a multitude of ways every day. For example, one of my children, after YEARS of dry nights, has suddenly become a bed wetter, while another, who is typically well adjusted and self assured, is fearful every time I leave her sight.

This type of abuse of the CPS system, unfortunately, is quite common these days, with a full 80 percent of hotline calls found to be false. Abuse by the CPS system is also very common...just google CPS abuse of power and you'll be reading about it for days. These are issues that desperately need to be addressed folks....for the good of us all. I'm muddling through to do what I can in my area....I'd surely appreciate any comments or advice from anyone with experience with this type of situation.

A Crisis of Epic Proportions: Congress is "Scrambling" to Find Funding to Avert this Looming Catastrophe

noreply@blogger.com (Melinda L. Secor) — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 03:56:00 +0000

This story was brought to my attention by my brother, who said it was making his brain melt....

TV Converter Program Runs Out of Funding
The government's billion-dollar program to help people prepare for the transition to digital television has run out of money, potentially leaving millions of viewers without coupons to buy converter boxes they need to keep their analog TV sets working after the switch.

As of this past Sunday, consumers who request a $40 coupon to help offset the cost of a converter box are being placed on a waiting list. They may not receive the coupons before Feb. 17, when full-power television stations will shut off traditional analog broadcasts and transmit only digital signals.

Members of Congress are now scrambling to find ways to allocate more money to the program.

Unbelievable. This is worth "scrambling" over? This is a priority in the minds of lawmakers and the Washington Post? Never mind the multiple wars and economic meltdown....hell...millions of tax paying citizens are about to become unable to tune it all out with the idiot box. Our government, in the midst of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, has spent a BILLION dollars making sure the morons can get American Idol on the boob tube, AND are "scrambling" to find more money to devote to averting this unthinkable crisis....Please...could this society get any more shallow and MORONIC? Shhh...Don't tell anyone....wouldn't want the swat team or Child Protective services to swoop down on us....but my kids and I have survived quite nicely without a television for more than a year now....it really can be done folks.

Send Old Shoes to Washington...Gifts For the Bush-Man

noreply@blogger.com (Melinda L. Secor) — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 00:32:00 +0000

Please Help Send These Beauties to Washington

Personally, I'd love the chance to congratulate the Iraqi journalist who had the courage to make a very public protest of the latest Bushco outrage in his country. At a press conference called to celebrate the latest "agreement" made between our government and his, Muntadhar al-Zaidi, an Iraqi journalist with Egypt-based al-Baghdadia television network -- could be heard yelling in Arabic: "This is a farewell ... you dog!" as he fired first one shoe, then the other at President Bush, barely missing his head. For those who are not aware of the symbolism behind this act, throwing shoes at a person, in Muslim cultures, is a grave insult, the sole of the shoe dirty and always low to the ground. Being compared to a dog is also quite an insult in Muslim countries, as they are considered filthy beasts.

Along with my congratulations for shoe well hurled...a pair of them in fact...I'd like to contribute to the effort to tell the Bush-boy how so many people around the world feel about his corrupt regime.

To that end, I have imposed upon my teen aged son to part with a pair of his old sneakers, well used and quite fragrant, to send to the White House. If you feel inspired to show some solidarity with this outspoken and outraged journalist, I am soliciting donations to help start a shoe hurling campaign....will surely find plenty of old shoes to send this message with a little help from my friends for the shipping costs. I'd love to be able to send a barrage of smelly old shoes to the Bushco crowd...I hope you'll join me in this symbolic little show of dissent.

Update: Bush shoe-thrower in hospital after beating

BAGHDAD (AFP) — The Iraqi journalist who hurled shoes at US President George W. Bush is in hospital after being beaten up by security guards, his brother charged on Tuesday, as judicial authorities launched a probe into the incident that grabbed headlines around the world."He has been taken to Ibn Sina hospital because he has a broken arm and ribs and is also suffering injuries to his eye and leg," Durgham al-Zaidi said of his brother Muntazer.

Shoe thrower 'beaten in custody'

The brother of the Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at US President George W Bush has said that the reporter has been beaten in custody. Muntadar al-Zaidi has allegedly suffered a broken arm, broken ribs and internal bleeding, his older brother, Dargham, told the BBC.

Yep....MUCH better for these folks under US occupation right? Imagine, under Saddam's regime, the man might have gotten a beating rather than a fair trial....thank goodness we've rescued them.

A Rare Bit Of Common Sense...Not to Be Found in the Corporate Media of Course.

noreply@blogger.com (Melinda L. Secor) — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 19:17:00 +0000

Optimists on the Titanic
As we blindly sail farther into the twenty first century, we are just beginning to witness the unraveling of our economic foundations. Like the fabled HMS Titanic, the U.S. economy was thought to be invincible. And like the Titanic, our economy has drifted into dangerous waters and has mired itself on an iceberg.

Certainly a better solution than that proposed by the government....they seem to think that continuing to do things the same way will bring different results....Hasn't that method of doing things been cited as the "very definition of insanity?" Stepping back to the basics of community based economy is the common sense answer...and, it will happen as the global economy has become hopelessly corrupted and unsustainable.

Can You Say Depression? The Feds Can't Quite Do It.....Yet, Anyway

noreply@blogger.com (Melinda L. Secor) — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 17:31:00 +0000

US manufacturing hits 26-year low: ISM
US manufacturing slumped to a 26-year low in November, highlighting the abrupt downturn in the world's biggest economy, a survey showed Monday.

"The worsening credit crisis and deepening global slump have pushed the ISM index below the 41 figure that is consistent with past recessions," said Sal Guatieri, economist at BMO Capital Markets.

"The fact that the index continues to decline points to more than your garden-variety downturn."

U.S. May Be in for ‘Great Recession’

The U.S. economy, now officially in recession, may be in the midst of the longest slump in the post- World War II era as job losses mount and credit dries up.

“This may be referred to as the Great Recession,” because of its length, said Norbert Ore, chairman of the Institute for Supply Management’s factory survey. “It looked like we were headed for a shallow recession earlier in the year because of higher energy prices. With the meltdown in the financial sector, it has become something more serious.”

Mortgage delinquencies shoot up to nearly 4 percent in 3Q, nearly double historical average

For the quarter ended Sept. 30, 3.96 percent of people holding a mortgage were at least 60 days behind in payments, compared with 2.56 percent in the 2007 third quarter.

"It's nothing short of staggering," said Ezra Becker, principal consultant in TransUnion's financial services group. Becker noted the rate had hovered at about 2 percent for years, until the second quarter 2007, when it started climbing.

Moreover, the climb is not likely going to slow, he said. "Our projections are that it's not only going to be increasing but it's increasing at a faster pace," he said. The fourth quarter of 2008 could see the percentage of mortgages past due jump as high as 4.6 to 4.7 percent, he said, an estimate that reflects the recession and rising unemployment rates. "This is more pessimistic than what we would have forecast a quarter ago," he acknowledged.

Breakdown of the Global Monetary System by Summer 2009

The G20-meeting held in Washington on November 14/15, 2008, is in its essence a historical indicator that the Western - above all Anglo-Saxon - monopoly on global economic and financial governance, is coming to an end.
Four key-factors are now pushing the Bretton Woods II (2) system to collapse in the course of the year 2009:

• Fast weakening of the central players: USA, UK
• Three visions of the future of global governance will be dividing world’s largest players (United-States, Eurozone, China, Japan, Russia, Brazil) by spring 2009
• Unbridled speeding-up of the last decade’s (de-)stabilizing processes
• Increasing number of more and more violent backlashes.

The agitation that has seized global leaders since the end of September 2008 indicates that panic has struck at the highest level. Worldwide political leaders have now understood that the house is on fire. But they have not yet perceived something obvious: that the very structure of the building is involved.

The Worst Is Yet To Come
Anonymous Banker Weighs In On The Coming Credit Card Debacle

Today, we are bailing out the banks because of their greedy and deceptive lending practices in the mortgage industry. But this is just the tip of the iceberg. More is coming, I’m sorry to say. Layoffs are being announced nationwide in the tens of thousands. As people begin to lose their jobs, they will not be able to pay their credit card bills either. And the banks will be back for more handouts.

Even Bushie has finally admitted that the economy is in big trouble, acknowledging that we are in a "recession"....of course, this is more than a recession, but the powers that be just can't bring themselves to admit to the big "D" word yet....but, it's coming, and they just make it worse by dancing around the issue. The majority of the American people, even those tuned in enough to see what's happening, don't want to believe it can happen here...but it is happening. Our economy and a good part of the global economy is collapsing. We are in for quite a ride over the next few years.

Russian Analyst Predicts Decline and Breakup of U.S.

noreply@blogger.com (Melinda L. Secor) — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 00:29:00 +0000

A leading Russian political analyst has said the economic turmoil in the United States has confirmed his long-held view that the country is heading for collapse, and will divide into separate parts.

Professor Igor Panarin said in an interview with the respected daily Izvestia published on Monday: "The dollar is not secured by anything. The country's foreign debt has grown like an avalanche, even though in the early 1980s there was no debt. By 1998, when I first made my prediction, it had exceeded $2 trillion. Now it is more than 11 trillion. This is a pyramid that can only collapse."

The paper said Panarin's dire predictions for the U.S. economy, initially made at an international conference in Australia 10 years ago at a time when the economy appeared strong, have been given more credence by this year's events.

When asked when the U.S. economy would collapse, Panarin said: "It is already collapsing. Due to the financial crisis, three of the largest and oldest five banks on Wall Street have already ceased to exist, and two are barely surviving. Their losses are the biggest in history. Now what we will see is a change in the regulatory system on a global financial scale: America will no longer be the world's financial regulator."

When asked who would replace the U.S. in regulating world markets, he said: "Two countries could assume this role: China, with its vast reserves, and Russia, which could play the role of a regulator in Eurasia."

Asked why he expected the U.S. to break up into separate parts, he said: "A whole range of reasons. Firstly, the financial problems in the U.S. will get worse. Millions of citizens there have lost their savings. Prices and unemployment are on the rise. General Motors and Ford are on the verge of collapse, and this means that whole cities will be left without work. Governors are already insistently demanding money from the federal center. Dissatisfaction is growing, and at the moment it is only being held back by the elections and the hope that Obama can work miracles. But by spring, it will be clear that there are no miracles."

Could happen. One of the many possibilities we are faced with as our economy hits the skids. I wonder, would the federal government let loose the reins of power it holds on the states should they decide to strike off on their own? Or, will we have another civil war, with the Feds unleashing the armed forces against its own citizens. Or, perhaps martial law will be in effect by the time the economy has collapsed completely, the population largely disarmed. I also wonder how many of our citizens are aware of the extent of our financial and political crisis. Certainly it seems that there should be a larger and louder outcry by now....but then again, that should have been the case years ago. Very uncertain future for sure. And, still, so many are determined to believe that it can't happen here...sigh...discouraging.

Common Sense: A Revolutionary Idea

noreply@blogger.com (Melinda L. Secor) — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 02:23:00 +0000

Interesting little film...the link is in the title.

The Election: It Had to Be this Way

noreply@blogger.com (Melinda L. Secor) — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 22:51:00 +0000

The Democrats winning Congress and the White House just had to happen. If we are ever going to change this country from an empire to a representative democracy, we have to rid ourselves of the notion that one corporate political party can do anything toward that goal. Barack Obama will be the catalyst for a new movement, away from false hope and false promises, not because he will deliver to the people of this country anything worthwhile, but because he won’t. This will be the final nail in the coffin of our corporatist society.

There are so many so-called “progressives” that have believed that it was the Bush Republican neo-cons that have gotten us where we are. This is wishful thinking. The Democratic 110th Congress did nothing but rubber-stamp every bill that was put before it. Democrats have blindly caved in to fear of being called “anti-patriotic” if they voted against the meaningless war in Iraq. They put their political fortunes ahead of their conscience at every opportunity, from Pelosi taking impeachment “off the table” to voting for the new FISA bill that granted telecoms immunity from illegally working with the executive branch to illegally eavesdrop on US citizens. They passed every military budget and went along with almost every Bush attack on our civil liberties.

While its nice to see that some people do realize that the hypocrisy and corruption are not limited to the Bush administration and the rethuglicans, but a systemic issue, I can't say that I share the writer's optimism that the American people will wake up to that fact. After all, we've already elected a demofascist majority in the Senate and House of Representatives on the promise of change...and the sheeple were quite convinced that would ensure a repudiation of all the insanity dealt out by the Bush cabal. Well....didn't happen. And, for those that didn't already know that there is no real opposition party, THAT should have been plenty of proof. AND YET...they are celebrating the election of Obama as if it will mean a damn thing. As I said before the infamous midterm elections and this one...the only issue these two parties disagree on is who should be dictator. The link to the rest of the article is...as always...in the title.

Fascist America: I Live in a Constitution Free Zone...And You Probably Do Too

noreply@blogger.com (Melinda L. Secor) — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 02:18:00 +0000

ACLU Assails 100-Mile Border Zone as 'Constitution-Free'

Government agents should not have the right to stop and question Americans anywhere without suspicion within 100 miles of the border, the American Civil Liberties Union said Wednesday, pointing attention to the little known power of the federal government to set up immigration checkpoints far from the nation's border lines.

The government has long been able to search people entering and exiting the country without need to say why, which is known as the border search exception of the Fourth Amendment.

"It is a classic example of law enforcement powers expanding far beyond their proper boundaries – in this case, literally,” said Caroline Fredrickson, who heads the ACLU's Washington, D.C., Legislative Office.

In a video shown to reporters at a national press conference event Wednesday, retired San Diego social worker Vince Peppard complained that he and his wife were stopped at a checkpoint on a road east of San Diego on I-94, many miles after crossing back into the United States with tiles he'd bought in Mexico.

When he refused to let the Customs and Border Protection officer search his car, the officer led him to a bench, called in the contraband dog and then "ransacked" his car.

"I didn't feel like I was inside the U.S.," Peppard said, calling the search on the side of the road embarrassing. "I felt like I was in a B-movie with Nazis asking for my papers."

ACLU attorney Chris Calabrese is certain there are more people who have been negatively affected than have complained.

As an example, he cited Seattle's domestic ferries, where DHS agents ask passengers for ID to check their citizenship and use license plate readers.

"The people who live on these islands are undergoing this extra scrutiny just when they are going to get their groceries," Calabrese said.

Be sure to hit the link and see the map there...You'll be amazed to find that Homeland Security has placed these Constitution Free Zones in such a manner as to encompass two thirds of our population. Obviously it is us, the citizens of the United Fascist States of America that are to be controlled, not immigrants. I too have to pass through one of these checkpoints--100 miles in from the border-- to go grocery shopping, and I drive away fuming each and every time. On several occasions, we've been hauled out of the vehicle to be searched and questioned. Once, in our RV, they claimed that the dogs signaled we might be smuggling an illegal alien...they searched everything, tearing through our luggage and all...apparently they thought I might have concealed a very small Mexican among my clean underwear. This is America? "Your Papers Please" for going to buy food?

It is Time

noreply@blogger.com (Melinda L. Secor) — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 06:06:00 +0000

The truth is that the current system has become corrupted beyond possibility of repair, and needs to be allowed to collapse. It will do so anyway, whether we 'allow' it or not. It must collapse, so that something more attuned to the genuine needs of people can be created. Destruction must often precede creation... slums have to be razed before fine living quarters can be constructed.

When a system is corrupt it will attract only corrupt people and only the corrupt will flourish. We have provided history with a wonderful example of that. Look at the legislators who sit in not only the American Congress, but in the UK and Australian parliaments, and in governments all across the western world. Only an utterly corrupt system could elevate and reward such second-rate people.

As of this morning I see that the DOW rose almost 1000 points overnight in the US. This on the promise of politicians taking firm action. Looking to politicians to effect a solution for this situation is as futile as poking around in a parrot's entrails in an attempt to divine Saturday's winner at Randwick. Bush claims that it is an effort to preserve the free market. The free market needs no help, it needs less hindrance. It is government 'help' that has killed the economy. As Reagan once said: "the nine most scary words in the English language are 'I'm from the government and I'm here to help.' It's actually eleven words, but what's a 20% error with any government figure.

Look at the criminals who infest Wall Street, the Federal Reserve and the Treasury. How foolish and shifty they look as they sit blinking in front of the television cameras struggling to provide coherent answers to simple questions; and yes, on one level it is laughable, but that is our money and wealth that has been destroyed. That is the material present and future of our families that has been stolen.

Our education system is run by people whose job is to ensure that children attain adulthood without gaining any dangerous ideas about personal integrity or individual responsibility. Our media no longer even pretends to publish the news, they are merely organs of propaganda for the government, and for those vast corporations allied to government. It is time to be done with all our institutions. No part of what we have is worth saving. The corruption has penetrated and permeated from the very top to the very bottom. Society has been rotted down to the last point of resistance... the core level of the family and individual. The institutions have become a part of the problem, not the solution. The solutions can now only be at the level of the family and the individual.

The link to the entire article is in the title. An interesting read. And yes, it is time....it is well past time...almost too late.

Well....That Whole Freedom Thing Was Good While it Lasted, Wasn't It?

noreply@blogger.com (Melinda L. Secor) — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 07:00:00 +0000

Cramer: It's a Worldwide Crash

Now along comes Sheila Bair and Hank Paulson, who alternately want us to believe that everything is sound (with public pronouncements that the worry is misplaced) and that there is a list of obscure banks that might have to be taken over.

Then Paulson comes to the Capitol and says the truth, that the Western world of finance is going to break, and Bair seizes Washington Mutual and tries to seize Wachovia(WB Quote - Cramer on WB - Stock Picks), no doubt to save Citigroup(C Quote - Cramer on C - Stock Picks), which could have risen, done an equity offering and joined Bank of America(BAC Quote - Cramer on BAC - Stock Picks), JPMorgan(JPM Quote - Cramer on JPM - Stock Picks) and Wells Fargo(WFC Quote - Cramer on WFC - Stock Picks) as the new titans of finance.

Which is where we are this morning, in a worldwide crash that will leave us with gigantic institutions that we have never heard of, with balance sheets that are ridiculously large that must fall, and a hedge fund community that has lost control of its asset base.

Down the Road to Serfdom

Sensing a pushback by the world's dollar-surplus regions – Asia and the Mideast – to finance the largest debtor economy, the U.S. government will now plunder its own countrymen to keep capital running "uphill." As with most statist remedies, it is being marketed as a boon for Main Street, tantalizing its inhabitants with the prospect of profits wafting westward from those malodorous Wall Street investments. However, Congress has inured the Treasury from accountability and legal recourse, giving Paulson dictatorial power over the nation's financial sector. Rather than let this bloated segment of the economy shrink and consolidate, Paulson and his successor will extend it unlimited life support, bloodletting everything else, in a final ruin of the nation.

French Premier Francois Fillon: We're on "the edge of the abyss”
Now we're in a terrible fix. People are scared and removing their money from the banks and money markets which is intensifying the freeze in the credit markets and driving stocks into the ground like a tent stake. Meanwhile, our leaders are "caught in the headlights", still believing they can "finesse" their way through the biggest economic cataclysm since the Great Depression. It's madness.

Naomi Wolf: Americans are facing a coup, as of this morning it’s happened

Lessons of the Past, Fear for the Future

noreply@blogger.com (Melinda L. Secor) — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 05:02:00 +0000

Those who remember the Depression fear its return

Geneva Spickard is pretty sure America today couldn't do again what America did to live through its hardest economic times and reign as the financial power it has.

Turner Hinkle agrees. We simply don't know how.

"I'm afraid if the next depression that hits is like the one in the '30s, we would not long have a democracy," says Turner Hinkle. "I don't think the government can let it be. People are too used to having everything handed to them."

At 91, she is plagued by arthritis of the spine. She is proud of her two sons, one who became a stockbroker, one who became a doctor.

But a woman who was never afraid during the Depression is afraid now. She is afraid for her great grandchildren and for the world they have been born into.

She calls it "cruel."

Then adds, "God help them."

Americans just don't have the backbone they used to, we've got rough times ahead for sure. I'm so glad I live miles from nowhere, as life in the cities is bound to get dangerous. Small communities are the place to be, where a few old fashioned values still survive. I would be afraid for my children if we were still in the city. With today's culture it will be every man for themselves in the urban areas, rather than neighbor helping neighbor as it was during the first Great Depression.

Another Day, Another Bank Failure

noreply@blogger.com (Melinda L. Secor) — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 02:05:00 +0000

JPMorgan Chase buys Washington Mutual

Washington Mutual Bank, the country's largest savings and loan, was seized late today by federal regulators and immediately sold to JPMorgan Chase & Co., the New York banking giant that has long coveted the thrift's California and Florida branches.

With assets of $307 billion and deposits of $188 billion, Washington Mutual is the largest bank to fail in U.S. history.

And just look at the fine analytical minds that are in charge of solving the crisis...

The Paulson Plan, Bad News For The Bailout

In fact, some of the most basic details, including the $700 billion figure Treasury would use to buy up bad debt, are fuzzy. "It's not based on any particular data point," a Treasury spokeswoman told Forbes.com Tuesday. "We just wanted to choose a really large number."

Inspires confidence, doesn't it? Meanwhile the public is treated to patronizing statements that everything will be ok, the fundamental economy is strong. They say that even while admitting that they're making it up as they go along. Incredible.

Psychologists Reject the Dark Side: American Psychological Association Members Reject Participation in Bush Detention Centers

noreply@blogger.com (Melinda L. Secor) — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 02:13:00 +0000

The movement against U.S. torture experienced a significant victory last week. The members of the American Psychological Association [APA] rejected the policies of their leadership, policies that abetted the Bush administration’s program of torture and detainee abuse. By a vote of 59%, the members passed a referendum stating that APA members may not work in U.S. detention centers that are outside of or in violation of international law or the U.S. Constitution “unless they are working directly for the persons being detained or for an independent third party working to protect human rights.” Passage of this referendum is a significant milestone in a years long effort by activist psychologists to change policies that encouraged participation in detainee interrogations because psychologists, the APA leadership claimed, helped keep those interrogations “safe, legal, and ethical.”

Bravo!!!

Keiser: US dollar "backed by bananas"

noreply@blogger.com (Melinda L. Secor) — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 04:20:00 +0000

Press TV interviewed Paris-based financial analyst Max Keiser on the US financial meltdown on September 20. What follows are his free-wheeling comments on the US government bailout of Wall Street and the potential consequences for America.

"To pay for all this insanity from Hank Paulson, they have two options. They can either raise taxes or they can inflate the money supply. They can destroy these things US dollars [waves a dollar bill at the camera]. Dollars 30 years ago used to be backed by this stuff - gold [waves a gold coin at the camera]. Now thanks to Hank Paulson and Ben Bernanke US dollars are backed by these - bananas [waves a banana at the camera]. They're absolutely worthless. Anyone buying US dollars today is going to lose money."

"For the average American, this is what they will experience. The price of food and oil are going to skyrocket due to hyperinflation. The only way they can possibly pay for all these bailouts is to inflate the money supply. This means hyperinflation in America like you had in Germany in the 1920s. This is what the average American will experience: destitution, poverty, social unrest due to flagrant bank mismanagement - and it could have been avoided. But unfortunately the banks in the USA are run by greedy, insane private marketeers and this is the result."

A rather straight forward assessment of our current situation...And, he's got lot's more interesting things to say...the link to the rest of the article is in the title.

Martial Law in the Making

noreply@blogger.com (Melinda L. Secor) — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 02:35:00 +0000

Brigade homeland tours start Oct. 1

3rd Infantry’s 1st BCT trains for a new dwell-time mission. Helping ‘people at home’ may become a permanent part of the active Army

The 3rd Infantry Division’s 1st Brigade Combat Team has spent 35 of the last 60 months in Iraq patrolling in full battle rattle, helping restore essential services and escorting supply convoys.

Now they’re training for the same mission — with a twist — at home.

Beginning Oct. 1 for 12 months, the 1st BCT will be under the day-to-day control of U.S. Army North, the Army service component of Northern Command, as an on-call federal response force for natural or man made emergencies and disasters, including terrorist attacks.

[....] In the meantime, they’ll learn new skills, use some of the ones they acquired in the war zone and more than likely will not be shot at while doing any of it.

They may be called upon to help with civil unrest and crowd control or to deal with potentially horrific scenarios such as massive poisoning and chaos in response to a chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear or high-yield explosive, or CBRNE, attack.

Ominous. I wonder, will we even have an election? The current economic crisis would surely make as good of an excuse as any for the Bushco regime to take advantage of those "emergency powers"....Ah well, at least the guys will get to use some of those skills they learned in the war zone on the folks back home...regardless of that old fashioned American delusion that the people have Constitutional rights.

Economic Desperation Notes of the Day

noreply@blogger.com (Melinda L. Secor) — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 05:53:00 +0000

Grasping at Straws

21/09/08 "ICH" -- - On Friday morning, Senator Christopher Dodd, the head of the Senate Banking Committee, was interviewed on ABC's “Good Morning America.” Dodd revealed that just hours earlier at an emergency meeting convened by Secretary of the Treasury Henry Paulson and Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke, lawmakers were told that "We’re literally maybe days away from a complete meltdown of our financial system.” Dodd added somberly, that in his three decades of serving in public office, he had "never heard language like this.”

The system is at the breaking point, and despite Wall Street's elation from the proposed $1 trillion dollar bailout to remove toxic mortgage-backed debt from banks balance sheets, the market is still correcting in what has become a vicious downward cycle. This cycle will persist until the bad debts are accounted for and written off for or until the exhausted dollar-system collapses altogether. Either way, the volatility and violent dislocations will continue for the foreseeable future.

Government To Steal $15,000 From Every American Household To Bailout Big Banks and Lenders

If someone came into your home and held you at gunpoint and forced you to fork over $15 thousand dollars in cash (provided, of course, you kept such a large amount at home), you’d call the cops as soon as you could, wouldn’t you? In fact, if you had a gun at home, you might even try and shoot the bastards before they could get away with your money. But what happens when it is the U.S. government that is about to break into your house and make off with that much money? Whom do you call? Batman? And yet, that is exactly how much money, thus far, the current round of government bailouts of big financial institutions is costing American households.

The Cost of the Bailout: $2,000 Per Person - WashingtonWatch.com

Bailout legislation that may sail through Congress this week will cost about $6,500 per U.S. family, a little over $2,000 per person, according to an estimate published on the WashingtonWatch.com blog.

Well, things are moving right along lately aren't they? The economy is on its way to an incredible collapse. I saw this coming, but I was hoping for a bit more time to prepare. But I guess my bunch is better prepared than most. How horrible it will be for the majority of people who have been taken totally by surprise. I hate to think of it, hungry children and desperate families. And the perpetrators of this financial mess made trillions over the years, yet they will be bailed out by the tax payer and never be held accountable for the destruction of so many lives.

"Financial Storm of the Century, and the Levees are Breaking"

noreply@blogger.com (Melinda L. Secor) — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 16:45:00 +0000

Roubini: You Should Worry About Deposits

With the "financial storm of the century" hitting financial institutions, many Americans are worried about the safety of their bank deposits. While the FDIC insures individual accounts up to $100,000, the reaction to IndyMac's failure this summer -- lines outside retail branches -- shows Americans have limited faith in the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., which guarantees individual accounts up to $100,000.

But Americans are justified to be worried, says Nouriel Roubini, of NYU's Stern School and RGE Monitor, who notes there is already a "slow-motion run on retail banks" occurring nationwide.That "run" could accelerate as people realize the FDIC fund has about $50 billion to "insure" about $1 trillion in assets at the nation's financial institutions, says Roubini. "They're going to run out of money" unless Congress acts soon to recapitalize the FDIC.

Be sure to check out the video on the page and hear what this man has to say. The "Financial Storm of the Century, and the levees are breaking".....and where exactly is Congress going to get the money to recapitilize the FDIC? The government is beyond bankrupt, it is trillions in debt, making us more and more dependent on foreign governments, the very ones we continue to antagonize...Russia, China, and the Gulf states....bright "leadership" in this once great country..what a shame. And, through it all, Paulson is still busy reassuring the sheeple that everything is under control...have faith in our economy...with a straight face even...what a joke. Only the beginning folks...hold on to your hats, the worst of storm is yet to come.