Jack Burns Lives!

Marsha Blackburn and Her Criminal Friends

“All revolutions have failed? Perhaps. But rebellion for good cause is self- justifying–a good in itself. Rebellion transforms slaves into human beings, if only for an hour.”-Edward Abbey

Yesterday the House passed a bill imposing a 90 percent tax on millions of dollars in employee bonuses paid by AIG and other bailed-out companies. Many Republicans voted with Democrats to impose the tax, including some in my home state, Tennessee.

But not Marsha Blackburn, my representative in swanky 38139. She voted “no,” and no, I’m not surprised. She’s a Bush era sycophant that consistently votes to drill anywhere any time, supporting criminal organizations like Exxon and Shell, and she was one of the biggest fear mongers in the nation when Bush needed his minions to pound the war drums.

You can be sure that if a bill or action helps big corporations and hurts the environment, she’s for it. She represents the worst in this country and is a perfect example of what I mean when I talk about the dangerous and illegal co-mingling of government and corporate interests.

But back to AIG. They’re now suing their owner (that’s you and me, the citizens of the United States) for recovery of taxes. According to Democracy Now, AIG has quietly filed a lawsuit to recoup more than $300 million dollars in what it says are overpaid taxes. The company says it overpaid the government in charges for using off-shore tax havens. The citizens of the United States own an 80 percent stake in AIG thanks to their cushy $170 billion dollar gift, otherwise known as bailout.

Which brings me to another question. Why is there no popular rebellion in this country? Why do Americans allow this stuff to continue? I hear a few brave souls protested in front of AIG yesterday, and I applaud them. But most people won’t even speak up or out, and the reason they don’t is fear. They’re afraid someone might know what they think about things, and it might “hurt their business.”

That’s not being smart or deft. It’s being cowardly. Sentiment without action is the ruin of the soul.