Whistling past the graveyard.

Whistling past the graveyard.  When I was growing up in rural Ireland fifty years ago this was a common expression.  Many people still believed in ghosts and considered it better not to be around graveyards at night. So it was said that if they had to pass one they would whistle as they did so to keep them from being afraid. 

I am thinking of this as I watch the leaders of the G 20 countries meet in Europe. The world economic crisis is getting worse. The Wall Street Journal first page headline today announces without qualification: "Global Slump seen deepening." The second and third and fourth shoes of the financial crisis are still to fall. Nobody knows how much debt there is still there. Massive lay offs lie ahead. Their capitalist world is crashing around their ears. Yet these capitalist leaders, most of whom presided over the events that led to the present capitalist crisis are acting as if all is well, they have no fear and they will be able to solve the problems. Whistling past the graveyard. 

The other bit of news that I would like to share today is a piece I have shared before. I think that the US is the most corrupt country in the world. They have the whole system lined up to where the capitalists can legally bribe the politicians. The lobbyists and political action committees are used to do this. And they are all at. Both Mccain and Obama took over $100,000 each from AIG. The entire political system is bought and paid for. 

Then we have a couple of other pieces of corruption news this morning. Members of Congress have been paying bonuses to their staff out of funds that belong to the tax payers. 2,000 staff members were paid bonuses in this way last year. 

And then we have the two judges in Pennsylvania. They have been kicked out of their jobs for jailing kids. They were helping their friends who owned a privately owned for profit prison keep the facility full. They are totally corrupt you would say. And you would be right. But there is not much different in what they do to what US society does. This land of the free has 5% of the world's population but 25% of the world's prisoners. Incredible. This society is not based on freedom, it is based on repression and lock 'em up and throw away the key and corruption. 

Sean.