Saturday, September 24, 2011

CSW BREAKING: Motorcyclist Critically Injured in KC-MO Crash

A male around 50-years-of age is in critical condition at a hospital Saturday morning after crashing his motorcycle in East KC-MO..


The crash was reported around 1:10 a.m. at 39th Street and Norton.


The KCFD-EMS unit reports the man was "thrown from his bike into a (utility) pole."


No other vehicles were reported to be involved- but police were investigating.

Thursday, September 22, 2011

YouTube Audio Clip: "Someday-" CHICAGO from Their First Album

This is when I was first turned-on to this band- their message was loud and clear and I totally understood...


This was also when- as Elton John so succinctly put it- "I quit those days and my redneck ways."

America's Downfall- Corporate Greed Over Moral Democracy

There is an EXCELLENT article found HERE in the Harvard Business Review written by James Allworth which accurately describes where Capitalist/Corporate America has been and where it is headed.


Commenting below Mr. Allworth's article was a "MD Mroczkowski JD-" and I have pasted that well thought-out comment below:


"There wouldn't be that draconian choice if our culture of business leadership hadn't lost its way, and here is where Harvard Business School comes in for a day of reckoning. So this is addressed to the HBS community.







There are two critical features of America's business leadership that played a critical role in the postwar boom. Their loss, conversely, has played a critical role in our nation's decline.






One was the culture of respect. US veterans entering business after WWII carried with them the US military's code of respect. Up and down the chain of command respect in the United States military was mutual, down to the lowest recruit. This emphasis on mutual respect set our military apart from even our closest allies, the British, and gave our military both superior moral authority and superior performance.






It wasn't perfect. There was a color bar and gender discrimination. But it exerted a constant pressure in favor of greater fairness, helping the Civil Rights movement and feminism.






These veterans instilled this culture of respect in our business corporations. Executives of this generation treated their employees, their customers and the communities in which they did business with respect, far more than they do today.






This culture of respect made our country flourish, economically and democratically, an example and beacon of hope for the world.






Second, though corporations were never strictly run like democracies, the corporations of this time were governed with checks and balances, effectively preventing management abuse: truly independent boards of directors, truly empowered shareholders and unions.






Those checks and balances are gone. If we still had them we wouldn't have these sky-high CEO salaries paid for with shattered worker salaries and benefits.






I saw a study recently: if Americans were paid the same share of what they produced, in 2007 as in 1980, the lower 90% would be paid over a trillion dollars more per year and the top 1% would get about a trillion dollars less. If that were the case there probably would not have been a severe banking crisis of 2008.






When Milton Friedman was busy pushing his idea that a corporation should serve profit and profit alone, Dr. Robert Hare, the internationally respected expert on criminal psychopathy, warned that Friedman's ideas were tantamount to running our nation's most powerful private entities with the value system of a psychopath, and that no good would come from it.






Dr. Hare was right and we are living with the consequences.






There is a difference between honorable ambition and greed. Honorable ambition is pro-social and part of the culture of respect. It builds. it heals. It solves. It creates.






Greed is psychopathy. It is not good. It is predatory and parasitic. Greed destroys. It does not build or heal or solve. it creates only new ways to cheat and steal and get away with it.






Greed creates economic injustice, and once you have economic injustice you need to sow hate to prevent democracy from righting it. So you have the Limbaughs, the Becks and the Breitbarts filling the people with hatred for their neighbors, destroying the culture of democracy.






When you sow that much hate, violence is inevitable.






So far in Arizona two 9 year old girls have been shot to death by fools inspired by the right-wing merchants of hate. How many more do you want? More Utoyas? Oklahoma City?






The right-wing merchants of hate are already in the business of butchering history in order to foment hatred and violence and destroy democratic rights and political opposition. You know very well where that business model comes from. The late Will Eisner wrote a book about it - The Plot.






But selling hate is profitable, and Friedman said profit is all that matters.






Health insurance in this country was nonprofit until about twenty years ago - 95% of premiums went to pay claims. But the new school of Greed says everything is done better for profit.






So we have for-profit health insurance and it is a disaster, the worst economic institution to afflict this nation since slavery. Forty-five thousand Americans die each year because Milton Friedman says the only purpose of a corporation is to make money. So we have 15 9/11s of Americans dying every year so a few hundred at best can make a "killing."






This institution has destroyed our entrepreneurial capacity and bankrupts 700,000 families a year. But try to institute even the most modest reforms and those who profit from it brown-shirt our town-halls and flood our airwaves and newspapers with lying propaganda designed to whip fear, confusion, hate and violence.






Too much of our business leadership is no good. There are still some good people, but the psychopathic are clearly running the culture, forcing the rest to bow down to their rigid ideology.






The values of Adam Smith, the Founders and the Constitution are the values of honorable ambition and respect, not greed and hate. The greedy among us constantly twist and distort these doctrines. They gut them of their true values and install in their place the values of greed, hate, and sadistic domination. Then the greedy aggressively sell these false, corrupted versions of these doctrines as the true originals.






Adam Smith never intended the invisible hand to be an endorsement of psychopathic greed. His was a moral vision for how free enterprise would flourish. His free market was a fair market for the least powerful players, not ruthless anarchy where the strong crush the weak.






When you have the moral culture Adam Smith and the Founders envisioned, of honorable ambition and respect for even the humblest citizen, democracy and capitalism get along very well together and flourish. When you have a culture of greed and hate, democracy and middle class prosperity die, and the foolish plutocracy who feed off this devilish culture live an uneasy life of constant fear.






There's a very good synopsis of the culture we need to restore, in Charlie Chaplin's speech at the end of "The Little Dictator." It's about five minutes long and available on YouTube. The young people demonstrating on Wall Street are watching it. You should, too.






Thank you."

No- thank YOU MD Mroczkowski JD!

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

American News Media Gives More Press To Charlie Sheen Than Wall Street Protesters

At least that's the assessment given by The United Kingdom's THE REGISTER in a related story that Yahoo was blocking emails regarding the demonstration.

One has to wonder why America's news media has it's collective head so far up Corporate America's ass that many have not heard of the citizen protests on New York City's Wall Street that have been going on for about 4 days now.

The protest is on-going- according to (foreign) news reports and some arrests have been made- as shown in a YouTube clip below.

I have seen absolutely NOTHING on this protest on national newscasts- but have seen plenty of other non-news schlock (like the Charlie Sheen garbage).

Even CNBC- which has cameras and reporters on the stock exchange floor mere feet from the protests- to my knowledge- haven't covered them (I have them on daily too).

Hey CNBC- stick a camera out the frigging front door for God's Sake!


Here's yet Example #691 how America's "free press" is absolutely failing the citizens- and it's the reason I spend hours reading different Internet sources to find- and pass on to you- what passes for The Truth these days of news media spin.

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

NFL to Follow "Homeland Security" Recomendation of Fan Pat-Downs

It was about 5 years ago when I first caught wind that "security" people were patting down people before Chiefs games at Arrowhead Stadium.


I was to attend the next game with 2 out-of-town guests but when I heard about the pat-downs- I declined to attend that Chiefs game or any other where this sort of "security" crap occurred.

Looks like I won't ever attend any Chiefs games (not that I can A) afford it or B) want to waste 3 hours of my life in such a manner).

According to USA Today- so-called "Homeland Security (Federal Rights Theft Agency-FRTA)" was "teaming" with the National Football League to start pat-downs of all fans at all NFL games- effective immediately.

The saddest part?

For every American "patriot" that refuses to ever attend another NFL game with these intrusive searches- there's probably 100 American "Sheeple" who'll do any damn thing the government tells them to do.


Those dead 9-11 terrorists somehow keep scoring....

CSW BREAKING: Serious Injuries Reported in Raytown MO Vehicle Crash

Details are still coming in- but at least "2" seriously-injured persons are reported at a vehicle crash in Raytown at 59th Street and Northern.

Two Raytown-EMS ambulances were sent- as well as a KCFD-EMS unit for "a 3rd patient."

Extrication is reportedly in progress on at least one occupant.

More as/if received....

Central States News: Moberly MO Becomes Poster Child for Downside of Government-Issued Corporate Welfare

Imagine putting your city and it's taxpayers on the hook for a $39-million debt incurred building a company a new plant when that company was already basically bankrupt.



 That's what has happened in Moberly MO- located about 40 miles north of Columbia.



Back in the Summer of 2010- international company Mamtek U.S. (their Web site no longer works)  made a deal with Moberly city leaders that if the city would back $39-million in bonds- Mamtek would build a plant in Moberly to manufacture an artificial chemical sweetener.

The State of Missouri- about to make ANOTHER deal for a Chinese cargo hub in St. Louis- also put $7-million of state taxpayer dollars in the pot.

Partners in the deal was an outfit called "The Midwest US China Association" and you can see and hear all the sugury-sweet kudos given to the company in this YouTube video: 


Fast-forward to September 2011: 

Mamtek U.S. defaults on their August bond payment- it's only later discovered that the company has "very little cash" anyway- and it's unlikely the company can make good on any of it's promises.

According to the MOBERLY MONITOR- city officials "don't think" the city is on the hook for the defaulted bond payments- but the MM story clearly shows that the same city officials don't really KNOW if Moberly is on the hook for the $39-mil.

Construction on the new Mamtek U.S. plant in Moberly has come to a standstill. 

People hired to run the new plant have been fired.

The appears the State of Missouri can also kiss it's $7-million goodbye too.



I wonder if Missouri's Republicrats are still gung-ho on cutting the benefits of the state's poor and disabled to help finance that Chinese cargo hub in St. Louis?

Kansas City MO's 2nd Triple Homicide in 48 Hours

Six people dead by gunshot since noon Sunday...


Today's scene of carnage was in the 5500 block of Jaudon and the killings occurred during the 5 a.m. hour.

East Zone police officers found 2 men and a woman dead in a home on Jaudon.

There is no suspect information on the latest killings.


Sunday afternoon- Center zone patrol officers found 3 men "executed gangland-style" in an apartment building in the 900 block of East Linwood Boulevard.

Police have 5 "persons of interest" in custody after catching them running out the back of the building when police arrived.


Kansas City has reached 84 killings so far in 2011 (it was only 78 dead as of 6 a.m. Sunday) as KC-MO Police plan a lawbreaker's checkpoint somewhere in the city later this week..

Monday, September 19, 2011

Monsanto's Unforseen Nemesis: Mother Nature

If like me you've seen the movie "Food Inc.-" then you are aware how companies like Monsanto are manipulating our food supply while suing farmers whose more-natural crops are cross-pollinated with Monsanto's genetically-engineered crops.


Now Monsanto is facing another- much more-formidable enemy: Mother Nature.


It seems their Roundup herbicide has caused Nature to engineer tougher weeds that are immune to Monsanto's chemical killer- according to this story from Bloomberg Businessweek.

Sunday's KC-MO Triple Homicide Gets National Press

It's the kind of national press no burg wants- the killing of 3 men in a Linwood Boulevard apartment building Sunday afternoon has made national headlines too (link is to a Seattle WA online newspaper).


Like to see what kind of dance Mayor James and the Clowncil is going to do on this one- we're past 80 killings in KC-MO this year and it's not even autumn.


Also in related news of bad K.C. press- was what was billed as a football game yesterday that put into perspective just how lousy our "pro" teams really are.

The baseball team?  Sportscasters were actually celebrating the fact that the Royals wouldn't end up in last place (no playoffs in sight however).

This is good time to plan other- cheaper family activities on Sundays- and quit supporting the Hunt and Glass family's hobbies of "running(?)" pro sports teams.

CSW COMMENTARY: Do You Say End Government Handouts To The Poor? Read This...

If you are a wealthy person- or one that these hard economic times have not touched- move on- there is nothing for you in this post...


With all the reading I do- especially since the "Recession/Depression" began in America- it's becoming clear that the citizens of this country are dividing up into camps of continue government welfare and totally ending it.

The American political system is also in critical condition- mired in political inaction- spin mongers and double-speak.


Those apparently "Fortunate Ones" who want government welfare to cease apparently have theirs- intend to keep it- and to Hell with anyone else who had their legs cut-off with layoffs and such.

I've read a number of these same flag-wavers who say that churches SHOULD be the place for the poor to go- let's not clue these airheads into the fact that church attendances have been falling in this country for decades and the fact that this "Recession/Depression" has hit even those houses of worship.

Also- apparently these "boot-strappers" have not read history.

EVERY great nation that ignored or even preyed on their poor has fallen. 

The Greeks- The Romans- The British Empire- 1930's Germany- etc..


Sure- cut government spending right now- especially programs that help people who are down due to no fault of their own (there are people who- sorry to say- would even argue that last point regarding "fault").

Do that and America will be sorry- DAMN sorry!



The ASSOCIATED PRESS has a great article that I encourage all to read if you haven't a clue what America's economy is doing to people- it's titled "Behind the poverty numbers: real lives, real pain."



Also remember this because it's true:
Except For The Grace of God Go I....

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Gunfire Wounds At Least 2 in KC-MO Saturday Night

A shooting in the area of 45th Street and Park around 11:10 p.m. Saturday night left 2 injured- including a teenage boy.


Unknown assailants in a maroon-colored car opened fire on a group of people there- police reported.

A "15-year-old male" was shot in the leg. A "33-year-old male" suffered several bullet "graze wounds-" as reported KC-MO FD-EMS.

Police also said that a "female who was shot in the side" arrived at a local hospital within 15 minutes after the shooting was reported.


Police have no suspects in custody as of Sunday afternoon.

CSW BREAKING: Fatality Motorcycle Crash on U.S. 50 in Lee's Summit MO

Police and a fire department EMS unit are reporting a fatality at the scene of "a motorcycle versus car" crash early Sunday morning. 

The call came into Lee's Summit emergency services at 1:24 a.m. for the location reported as "eastbound U.S. 50 at M-291- east junction" near the Missouri Highway Patrol (MOHP) Troop A headquarters.

A Lee's Summit police officer who came upon the scene reported a "male motorcyclist (face) down in the roadway" and "possibly" deceased.

That person's terminal condition was confirmed by EMS on-scene at 1:40 a.m..

Two other persons suffered minor injuries- but refused EMS transport to a hospital.


The MOHP "crash team from Warrensburg" was coming to investigate the crash- and eastbound U.S. 50 was and would remain closed at the M-291 west junction (to Harrisonville).



The MOHP issued it's crash report later Sunday- saying that the operator of the motorcycle- "20-year-old Nicholas A McFerren of Blue Springs-" was driving west in the eastbound lanes of U.S. 50 when he struck a 2001 Toyota driven by 17-year-old Ruben Salinas of Independence.

Salinas and another person in Salinas' car refused EMS treatment or transport of very minor injuries.

Tornado Strikes Monroe LA With Confirmed Injuries

The tornado struck around noon on Easter Sunday. There is considerable damage repo rted in that northeastern Louisiana city of around 5000...