Occupy Banksters & Crony Capitalism & GREED

The Pentagon Has No Clue How Many Weapons It Has Lost to ISIS
MotherJones | Max J. Rosenthal | 01/22/16

For more than a decade, the United States has supplied huge quantities of weapons and military hardware to the Iraqi government--and a large chunk of that equipment has disappeared and landed in the hands of ISIS fighters and members of Iranian-backed Shiite militias responsible for massacring civilians. Everything from M-16s and bullets to Humvees and tanks have been lost. But neither the US nor Iraqi governments can say how much US-supplied materiel has been diverted to militant groups or how it's ending up there. ... Read more

Major Winter Storm Could Cripple Parts Of Mid-Atlantic
AP & HP | author | 01/20/16

The forecast for a historic blizzard has been there for days, looming over the nation's capital like the UFO from "Independence Day." Projected snowfall totals have ticked steadily upward, to the point where the National Weather Service -- known for its conservative predictions -- says more than 2 feet of snow could land on Washington.

States of emergency have been declared in five states and the District of Columbia. Schools and government offices are being closed pre-emptively. Thousands of flights have been canceled. Food and supplies are disappearing from grocery and hardware stores. College basketball games and concerts will have to wait. ... Read more

Billionaire Blackstone CEO Trolls American Public -- Doesn't Get Why People Are Angry
ZeroHedge | author | 01/22/16

I've written several posts examining the dangerous cluelessness inherent throughout the ranks of the oligarch class over the past several years. One of my earliest and most viral pieces was published two years ago and titled, An Open Letter to Sam Zell: Why Your Statements are Delusional and Dangerous. That article was a response to the billionaire's appearance of CNBC during which he instructed the less financially fortunate to "emulate the 1%," as if their destitution was a result of personal shortcomings as opposed to egregious structural flaws inherent in the rigged, crony, oligarch-controlled Banana Republic economy billionaires such as himself helped mold. ...

... In that article, I outlined many of the reasons people are angry and why they should be angry. In fact, I've published hundreds of articles every year since early 2012 detailing exactly why the country is in such dire straights. It's not just me of course, tens of thousands of people across the globe have been doing it for far longer and to much larger audiences. The reason billionaires are incapable of comprehending what's going on is because doing so would contradict the life-stories they tell themselves about themselves. Make no mistake about it, billionaires think of themselves as truly exceptional people. Privately, they likely muse that their mere presence on earth is nothing short of a glorious gift to humanity from the heavens. These people are deluded, secluded and emotionally stunted in more ways than you could possibly imagine. They have zero capacity for self-reflection. ... Read more

Global Stocks Surge, Oil Soars As Hopes For Central Bank Stimulus Return
ZeroHedge | author | 01/22/16

"There is hope of more stimulus in March and potential for even more stimulus in Japan and China, so if we get concrete positive economic news the rebound could last into next week," said John Plassard, senior equity- sales trader at Mirabaud Securities. "I told my clients to fasten their seatbelts and wait for better news, and this is finally happening."... "The turnaround in sentiment came amid signs central banks may be prepared to act after $7.8 trillion was erased from the value of global equities this year on China's slowdown and oil's crash." ... Read more