Bernanke On Trial For Crimes Against Humanity; To Be Judged By Citizen Councils Led By Glenn Greenwald & Alex Jones
What? I didn't mention it was fiction? Guest post from reader, Truth Excavator, working on clandestine ops from Disquiet Reservations. There are people who care about their country and then there are fanatics. Say thanks for this particular fanatic. And you thought Anna Karenina was long...settle in a for a few minutes and enjoy the possibilities. My only complaint is that Paulson wasn't rounded up and included in the trials. But, TE can save that episode for the next time he decides to write and think for 48 hours straight without sleep.
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The Trial Of The Millenium: A Prescript
This is a piece of futurist, speculative fiction, mixed in with the concerns and events of the present day. The real life personages in this piece are my great heroes. My admiration for their work is part of the reason for why I chose to write this. Okay, not all of them are my heroes. There is one name that doesn't excite me when I hear it. (Hint: his name is Ben Bernanke). I have taken the liberty to use their names without permission, for what I perceive to be as artistic purposes. Apart from a very few instances, these are not their words, but of mine. If anyone of them happens to see this piece at any time whatsoever and expresses any discomfort about the use of their name, and requests to be taken out, then I will happily comply and take down the piece immediately. Except for Bernanke.
I am an angry optimist and believe that America can be redeemed if her Citizens are willing to unite and take the mantle of Justice upon their back. I will do all I can to assist Americans in their quest for the Truth. By bringing Justice to those found guilty of Crimes Against Humanity, Crimes Against the Constitution, Crimes Against the Truth, and Crimes Against the Peace and General Welfare of Mankind, America will prove to the world, and to herself, that her dream of Liberty and Justice is for real. I, for one, will not accept any other reality.
"You have to have fiction to raise the imaginative capability, what is feasible to fulfill life’s possibilities for people in this country and abroad. And that’s why fiction is so important." - Ralph Nader
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"The idea that a state, any more than a corporation, commits crimes, is a fiction. Crimes always are committed only by persons . . . It is quite intolerable to let such a legalism become the basis of personal immunity." - Supreme Court Justice Robert Jackson
The following is a transcript of the much anticipated exchange between former Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke, and Congressman Ron Paul, which took place before Bernanke's preliminary hearing in court. Bernanke is facing life imprisonment for committing Crimes Against Humanity, Crimes Against the Constitution, Crimes Against the Truth, and Crimes Against the Peace and General Welfare of Mankind. His defense, that the Federal Reserve Act permitted the Federal Reserve to act independently of the Congress, is gaining very little support. But Dr. Paul urged prudence and moderation in his final remarks to Congress and the newly established body, the Citizen Councils. Below is Democracy Now's coverage of this breaking world event.
Amy Goodman: Hello, and welcome to this special edition of Democracy Now! Today is the first day of the preliminary hearings of former and current high government officials, which will determine whether or not they will be brought to a public trial in the coming weeks, organized by the Citizen Councils. Soon, we will broadcast live from Congress, but first, we're joined by award-winning investigative journalist, and Democracy Now! Correspondent, Jeremy Scahill. He is the author of two best-selling books, Blackwater: The Rise of the World’s Most Powerful Mercenary Army, and D.C Confidential: The Secret History of the Obama Administration. Jeremy is in congress covering this story for us. Welcome to Democracy Now!, Jeremy.
Jeremy Scahill: Hi Amy. Nice to be here.
Amy Goodman: Jeremy, can you briefly describe what the atmosphere is like inside the halls of Congress?
Jeremy Scahill: Well, Amy, the pulse here is electrifying. It has a circus atmosphere, there a lot of happy people. I have reported from Iraq, Afghanistan, and Iran before this, but the excitement here surpasses anything I've been involved with. I'm sure Glenn would agree, he and I talked a little bit earlier, and we both thought that the enthusiasm about these hearings are like nothing we ever imagined.
Juan Gonzalez: Jeremy, I understand you and the Citizen Press corps were briefed by Congress, and then by these Citizen Councils. They told me they were very determined not be sidetracked. Much of the talk in Washington has been about the upcoming Congressional elections, and because of the new arrangement in Washington, with states like California and Texas getting more seats, people are worried that the electoral campaign is going to interrupt these criminal hearings and prosecutions.
Amy Goodman: Jeremy, explain to us what is happening there right now.
Jeremy Scahill: All of us are just waiting for former Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke to arrive. It was a little hectic at the beginning but now all the media watchdogs are taking their seats, including the traditional press corps and the citizen press corps. Also, most of the Congressmen who are not protesting outside are also beginning to sit down.
Amy Goodman: Jeremy, we're going to a break, and return with the footage you taped earlier today.
This is Amy Goodman, Democracy Now! Democracy Now.org, the War and Peace Report. We'll return in a minute.
Amy Goodman: That was Johnny Cash - When the Man Comes Around. And now we head to Congress, where we sent Jeremy Scahill this morning to take the pulse of Washington.
Sen. Rand Paul: Thank you very much. It is great to be here. I have here top-secret, fresh off the press news, the Democratic leadership has decided not to challenge me this fall.
Jeremy Scahill: Senator Rand Paul energized the min-convention outside the Congress today, cheered on by his enthusiastic supporters. He was one of the original senators to back the Citizen Council's call for criminal prosecutions of former high government officials, from the Clinton, Bush and Obama administrations.
Protestor: No one thought this would take place. For a long time, the people of this country had no idea what justice felt like. But we're finally getting a piece of it today, and it's exciting to be part of it.
Jeremy Scahill: What part of the country did you came from?
Protestor: I flew from Hawaii to be here, and it's amazing. I'm just sad that my son who served in the Iraq is not here with me.
Jeremy Scahill: The people inside the Congress were even more surprised that this day is here.
Member of Citizen Council: We're just happy that all the hard work has finally paid off. The last year has been a rollercoaster, we have been busy with the truth and reconciliation commission, and the subsequent fallout of that event. So, it's all very surreal, and still feels like it is out of a movie.
Member of Citizen Council: Many Americans support our action we are representative of the larger public, who recognize that this is a long procedure, and that the law takes time. This is not a 21st century McCarthyism, we have no intention of persecuting the defendants, we just want to see justice because of their involvement and complicity in Crimes against peace and mankind. If they are found innocent, then they should be forgiven, but if they're found guilty then they should be sent to Cuba, because I don't want these people living in my country.
Jeremy Scahill: With the exception of a few senators and congressmen, much of the lawmakers on Washington are behind these Citizen Councils, perhaps it's because of the elections coming up in November. I asked one of the organizers of the main Citizen Council what would happen if some of these former Bush and Obama officials didn't show up for their hearing.
Member of Citizen Council: We are going to hunt them down like they were the last pieces of Bin Laden. Maybe we should reassemble the CIA for this special occasion to do the job. (laughs).
Jeremy Scahill: How crucial was the dismantling of the CIA to making these proceedings a success? Do you think that Leon Panetta's defense was legitimate?
Member of Citizen Council: I can't see how their secret actions against the wishes of the people were legitimate. They claim they were acting in the best interest of the country, that they are patriots, but why is it patriotic to kill foreign democratic presidents, or shipping in drugs to America's most impoverished communities to fund their operations in Latin America. I mean, their excuse that the CIA was essential to the country's survival in the Cold War is flat out not true. No country, no people, should resort to monstrous means to ensure it's survival. I would rather die than break the law.
Jeremy Scahill: Although members of Citizen Councils have been criticized for their radicalism, the councils are not as monolithic as they've been portrayed.
Member of Citizen Council: I come from a Christian background, I voted for Bush and McCain, but this goes beyond parties. These hearings and the trials next month are fundamental to restoring the rule of law in this country. The fabric of the constitution was ripped apart, and uh, I'm still pissed off that I was lied to all my life by the government and the fictitious press. I'm 58 years old, and I was brought up to believe that America was good and fought for justice and liberty around the world. Today, we are making that promise happen, at home. Today is our nation’s reckoning day.
Jeremy Scahill: The leaders of the councils have told me that these preliminary hearings will go into the body of record, and that the evidence will be looked at seriously before any decision is made about filing charges against them. For the defendants, who have been kept in federal custody for the last few weeks, today is their chance to be heard by their countrymen.
For Democracy Now!, this is Jeremy Scahill, with Jacquie Soohen, in Washington.
Amy Goodman: Thank you Jeremy for your report. Before we leave you, can you explain the altercations between some of the members of the Citizen Councils and a congressman? We're getting reports via twitter that one of the members of the Citizen Councils has attacked Congressman Joe Wilson.
Jeremy Scahill: Amy, I think that was a little overblown. I was in the room when it happened, and congressman Wilson, who famously shouted You Lie! to former president Obama in his speech on health care reform, and who is supposed to stand in for the accused on the Congressional panel, was unhappy about the seating arrangement, and the speaking time given to some Congressmen. And Steve Cubick, who is one of the spokesperson for the most influential of the Citizen Councils, said "how much time do you need to finish talking out of your ass" (laughs) and Wilson got infuriated after rhearing this, and there was a little scuffle, but Alex Jones stepped in quickly and broke it up. He then said, "as long as it takes, especially for these republican assholes." It was a very funny moment, Amy, it relieved the tension. Van quickly added "you stole my line."
Amy Goodman: (Laughing) Did you get a chance to sit down with either Alex Jones or Van Jones?
Jeremy Scahill: Well, I haven't been able to reach Van yet, he's been mostly outside, but Alex did give a private conference to all the independent citizen journalists inside. I asked him about the suicide of Dick Cheney last week, by, uh, hitting himself over the head with a hardcover version of the King James Bible, and the impact that will have on these proceedings, and also, what would happen in the event of a military coup by Erik Prince's buddies. He said Cheney's death would have no immediate consequences on the proceedings of the law, but that special criminal inmates are going to be looked after more carefully now, so that they are present in their upcoming trials. He called Cheney's suicide the last cowardly act of a cowardly life, and that Cheney's fear to plead his case to his contemporaries proves he is guilty. He joked that Bush is less likely to commit suicide because he wouldn't be caught dead beside a book.
Amy Goodman: (laughs) And what about the fears of an extremist coup?
Jeremy Scahill: He said the majority of the public is behind these Citizen Councils, and that the remaining bandits of the Guilted Age have very little support. A citizen journalist, Matthew Blake, asked him if the Middle East Invasion Veterans will be put in place to protect the capital if such a scenario takes place, and Jones responded, "A protocol is being followed, many of the citizen militias will also participate to protect the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic." One citizen journalist mentioned that some of these former Blackwater guys may decide to go through with their rescue operation, and there was some dear air for a few seconds, then Jones yelled "bring it on, we're ready for it." Jones concluded his brief address by saying such fears will disappear as more troops come back from Iraq, Afghanistan and Iran to a more comfortable living, a new G.I bill, and a new green house. He regards these private military contractors as paid bullies who are not fighting for any dear cause, and that because the State Department is no longer subsidizing any of these military corporations, their influence will weaken within the next year.
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Editor's Note: Honestly, this is just the start. The entire opus can and should be read HERE. You don't have to agree with everything he writes in order to respect his effort. Give TE your thoughts in comments below.
Sep 22, 2009 at 11:08 AM
Reader Comments (8)
How (and Why) Athletes Go Broke
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1153364/1/index.htm
Recession or no recession, many NFL, NBA and Major League Baseball players have a penchant for losing most or all of their money. It doesn't matter how much they make. And the ways they blow it are strikingly similar
Criminal probes, started about six months ago, add pressure to civil, regulatory inquiries of Merrill merger.
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/topstories/story/954477.html
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125328162000123101.html#mod=WSJ_hps_LEFTWhatsNews
http://www.crewsmostcorrupt.org/
On Friday, September 25th the House Financial Services Committee has scheduled a full committee hearing on Ron Paul’s HR.1207 to audit the Federal Reserve. The hearing is slated to begin at 9am eastern time. For details and a link to the (eventual) live streaming video of the hearing check out the committee website.
As with many of these committee hearings the schedule is tentative and right now there are no witnesses listed.
By now we know what the opponents of the bill will argue, but it doesn’t change the fact that the bill has over 290 bipartisan cosponsors and 75% of the American people want a Fed audit.
Fed Rejects Geithner Request for Study of Governance, Structure
Posted September 22nd, 2009 by Michael Nystrom
Sept. 21 (Bloomberg) -- The Federal Reserve Board has rejected a request by U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner for a public review of the central bank’s structure and governance, three people familiar with the matter said.
Some top central bank officials, after agreeing to the review, saw a potential threat to Fed independence after the Treasury released the proposal, two of the people said. The Obama plan said the Treasury would consider recommendations from the review and “propose any changes to the Fed’s governance and structure.”
“It is not obvious at all why that is a Treasury responsibility or even appropriate why the Treasury would undertake that kind of study,” said Robert Eisenbeis, chief monetary economist at Cumberland Advisors Inc. in Vineland, New Jersey, and a former Atlanta Fed research director. “The Fed was created by Congress and it is not part of the executive branch.”
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=adjvXg1zP.zY
Those pics of Bernanke are great, they should be hanged in the national gallery of tyrants and dwarfs.