Oh Happy Day

After reading an economics news article on http://www.abcnews.com/ that was written by Tom Hays, an associated press writer, I just had to spread the good cheer.

Oh Happy Day, Oh Happy Day, Federal Authorities have arrested 2 Bear Stern Managers. They are being charged with conspiracy and fraud charges in misleading investors adding in the collapse of the Subprime Mortgage Market making this a Happy Day.

Both Mathew Tannin and Ralph Cioffi were arrested at their homes. Tannin was arrested in his New Jersey home and Cioffi at his New York City home by FBI agents. Their arrest came as the result of a year-long-Federal-Securities-Fraud-investigation of the 2 Bear Stern Managers misleading the investors in the risky Subprime Mortgage Market.
The two are speaking to authorities under anonymity due to the outcome of the investigation still pending, leaving me to believe that they will not serve any real time. Tannin's lawyer, Brune, believes in her clients' innocence, claiming that her client is a scape-goat. She is looking forward to his acquittal, while Coiffi's lawyer refused to comment.

The Subprime Mortgages were repackaged and sold around the globe as securities. Bear Sterns collapse revealed the damage that had been done to the companies that had bought, packaged, then sold the loans. In fact the Bear Sterns hedge funds failed way back in June of 2007 although Tannin and Cioffi continued with positive assessments of the loan securities. Before crashing, the loans had more than 20 Billion in assets.

Stating that they were misled in the investments, Barclays Bank along with other hedge fund investors had file a lawsuit last year naming the two, Tannin and Coiffi.

Yet the lawsuit also claims that Bear Sterns itself knew for a while that certain assets in the Bear Sterns high Grade Structure Strategies Enhanced Master Fund were worth far less than their stated values. The portfolio asset values were declining during the same time that Bear Sterns told Barclay the enhance fund was up at 6% percent in June 2007.

The company Bear Sterns itself might had gotten bailed out with billions in tax-payers money it collapsed. But the company has suffered a humiliating loss recently when it was bought out at $10.00 a share, yet their shares were $171.00 each back in January 2007. Oh happy day.

Now, how many more will be named and with what companies since the investigation is still pending?

Iraq, Afghan Veterans Guinea pigs for Suicidal drugs

The report of our American Soldiers and Veterans being used as Guinea pigs for drugs that cause Suicide and other violent effects is not new. It has been documented during the past wars. The effects have always been negative to our men and women in the military. And in the military, you are not given the option to opt out of receiving the shots. You are told that you will receive these shots for your protection before going into your deployment. Or they are told that they have to get this shot or that shot to prevent an outbreak from a virus of some-kind.

However, what is being done to our men and women in the military with our government, in this modern day, using them as guinea pigs for drugs that are known to have violent and suicidal effects is disgraceful.

Why? In the past the doctors and scientists did not know what negative effects there would be. But in our present day, they are well aware of the permanent damaging harmful effects of these drugs before they even administered them. One of the drugs they have been exposed to recently is Chantix, an anti-smoking drug. Chantix causes suicide and neuropsychiatric behavior. Known are the side effects: anxiety, nervousness, tension, depression, thoughts of suicide.

These brave men and women sacrifice their futures, they put their lives on hold, they are separated from their loved ones, they put their lives in harms way to do the jobs that our government asks them to do, and do all of this and much more on very little pay. Their benefits have gotten leaner, having to pay more for their medical, almost equal to or as high as what is in the private sector, while being denied medical coverage after they were injured in Iraq or Afghanistan when they are unable to continue serving due to injury on the job. They pay more for housing, almost equal to or as high as what is in the private sector. In fact on many bases it is the private sector that owns the housing, charging our military personnel the same amount for rent. Gone are the days when the military are the ones guarding the entrance gates to the bases. Yep, even that is private security, an action that has hit all the bases in these last five to eight years. So much for homeland security, when those protecting our bases do NOT answer to top military personnel, but to a private corporation.

Yet, our military personnel still serve the United States of America with great pride and honor. Their dedication knows NO bounds. They are strongly committed to our Constitution, our Bill-of-Rights, our many privileges that make us a strong free nation.

That is why I consider it shameful and criminal that our brave men and women should be subject to suicidal drugs that cause such violent adverse, permanently harmful effects to them.
These brave men and women should receive our respect, and our loyalty, Not-Our-Indifference to their situation.
These brave men and women do deserve protection from our government, protecting them from permanent harm through psychic drug testing, Not-Expected-To-Be-Guinea pigs.
These brave men and women must have the same amount of dedication from us in seeing to their safety as our government claims to have for its' civilian citizens.
These brave men and women deserve the same outcry of what is happening to them, as is given to the many programs in saving the environment and life on this planet.

We can care so much for environmental effects. We can care so much for the extinction of the whales and other animals. We can care so much for the loss of the rain forests.

But what is missing is the LOUD-OUT-CRY for what is happening to our own military personnel. They are our brothers, our sisters, our children, our parents. They are our friends, our neighbors. They are our fellow citizens. They are us.

"For what so ever you do to the least of my brothers, you have also done to me."