Public Citizen wrote the following using the language of Ralph Nader--i.e. speaking truth where it needs to be spokenTime that the USA shames CITIBANK

Public Citizen wrote the following using the language of Ralph Nader--i.e. speaking truth where it needs to be spoken


Time that the USA shames CITIBANK and other horrible banks.

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Public Citizen wrote the following using the language of Ralph Nader--i.e. speaking truth where it needs to be spoken:



http://www.citizen.org/action/



Dear Friend,

In Japan, they know the meaning of shame.

Citigroup does wrong in Japan, and the CEO is forced to make a public bow of apology.

In the United States, when Citigroup does wrong, there's no apology - just subsidies, bailouts and bonuses.

Indeed, one year after it crashed the global economy, drained people's pensions and retirement savings, and threw millions out of work, Wall Street is back to business as usual - in Washington and Manhattan both, as I predicted at Wall Street and other rallies.

But one group is leading the charge against Wall Street, issuing a clarion call to rein in the banksters.



442 days.

That's how long it took after the collapse of Lehman Brothers before the House of Representatives passed some financial reform legislation.

It's still pending in the Senate.

The long delay between the onset of the financial crisis and Congressional movement toward passage of the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2009 did not well serve the cause of reform.

First, the good news.

Thanks in no small part to the work of Public Citizen, the bill would set up a consumer financial watchdog agency.



Latest Public Citizen Action Items


Ask your senators to support real financial reform
Congress is considering legislation to create a Consumer Financial Protection Agency to guard us against misleading and unfair credit cards, loans and mortgages. The big banks are spending hundreds of millions of dollars on lobbyists and public relations firms to oppose real consumer protections. Your senators need to hear from you about the need for reform to rein in Wall Street and allow our economy to grow sustainably.



Host a House Party, Get a Special Edition Battle in Seattle DVD
As a fun way to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the activist victory at the WTO Ministerial in Seattle, we're helping organize educational house party screenings of the film "Battle in Seattle." Sign up to organize one - with at least 10 of your friends or family or for a larger school, union, church, or synagogue group - and we'll send you a free DVD copy of the film (starring Charlize Theron, Andre 3000, Woody Harrelson and more), plus a terrific action kit.



Turn Around the WTO!
Ten years ago, activists shut down the WTO ministerial in Seattle to protest the devastating impact of the WTO's corporate globalization agenda. Now, big corporations are again pushing an expansion of the WTO's power. Sign our petition to President Obama urging him to deliver on his campaign promises to fix our failed trade policy, including a turnaround of the WTO.


Urge your representative to cosponsor the TRADE Act!
H.R. 3012, the TRADE Act, delivers on the broad public expectation that Congress and Obama will forge a new trade policy that creates jobs, ensures import safety and fixes past damaging agreements like NAFTA, as they have promised. The TRADE Act was introduced for 2009 with 106 cosponsors. If you can help get your House member signed onto the TRADE Act, you can further build the momentum towards a new trade agenda

The Pope Supports Migration--Why doesn't the EU do more?

The Pope Supports Migration--Why doesn't the EU do more?



After having fought most of 2009 in Germany to have migrants better appreciated and supported by the country of Germany and the European Union, I was happy to see the Pope is supportive, too.

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After having fought most of 2009 in Germany to have migrants better appreciated and supported by the country of Germany and the European Union, I was happy to see the Pope is supportive, too.



The Associated Press reported: "Pope Benedict XVI celebrates the Christmas Eve mass at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. The pontiff has urged wealthy nations to show 'acceptance and welcome" to migrants fleeing poverty or intolerance at home.'"



"In the face of the exodus of all those who migrate from their homelands and are driven away by hunger, intolerance or environmental degradation," the Roman Catholic Church calls for "an attitude of acceptance and welcome," the German-born Pope stated in in a message for Christmas Day 2009.



I found it important to hear this message from the Pope for the second time in a month. Hopefully, his home country, Germany will recognize the need to promote and support migrants more.



The pope also shared on Friday: "The Church shows solidarity with the victims of natural disasters and poverty."

According to the AP, "The pontiff also lamented a 'moral crisis' that he said was worse than the global financial crisis. On behalf of a human family profoundly affected by a grave financial crisis, yet even more by a moral crisis and by the painful wounds or wars and conflicts.



He claimed that "the Church offers hope." Now it is the turn of the top 50 wealthy nation states to follow suit.



These are the Christmas gifts that many poor peoples need:



(1) A hand up through work and migration.

(2) A hand down to develop solar and other technologies for development of their home countries.

(3) Moral and educational support for better governance and better economic systems.

Independent US Senate Candidate gets a boomerang email from himself 11 years after sending it

All that is asked is that you consider the suggestion here.

The entire Congress of the United States is corrupt. And we mean both Houses and we mean both major parties.

We realize that a few Members of each House are trustworthy, but, as a group, they are absolutely the most corrupt bunch to ever disgrace our Nation.

In November of 2010 the entire House of Representatives will stand for reelection; all 435 of them. One third of the Senate, a total of 33 of them, will also stand for reelection. Vote every incumbent out.

And we mean every one of them. No matter their Party affiliation. Let's start all over in the House of Representatives with 435 people who have absolutely no experience in running that body, with no political favors owed to anyone but their own constituents. Let's make them understand that they work for us. They are answerable to us and they simply have to run that body with some common sense.

Two years later, in 2012, vote the next third of the incumbents in the Senate out. We can do the same thing in 2014 and, by that time we will have put all new people in that body as well.

We, the People, have got to take this Country back and we HAVE to do it peacefully.

That's what the Framers of our Constitution envisioned.

We are also suggesting term limits on the new bunch: 8 years for Representatives and 12 years for Senators - no exceptions. The longer they stay in office, the more power they get, and they love it and will do anything to get reelected. We have term-limited the President, now let's term-limit the Legislators.

Kevin Stoda