Bowsite.com

If you remember, I posted the very first Bill Whittle essay during the last Presidential election from his blog Eject!Eject!Eject!in 2008. It was about 40 Second Boyd and the OODA loop. After I discovered that, I bookmarked his site and read him regularly.

Whittle is one sharp cookie and worth the time reading or viewing.

Glad you posted this.

"This is EXACTLY what a society of excess creates..."

As usual, I agree with Bill.

LMAO

G

Bill doesn't talk about short squeezes, and the raping of funds by high speed frequency computer trading. He does not talk about excessive margin requirement adjustments robbing money right out of the average brokerage account. He does not talk about the insider trading where thieving is second nature, and less than a handful ever get caught.

He doesn't talk about these corporations that pay NO TAXES and executives making ridiculous amounts of money as we pay more and more money at the pumps FOR NO REASON other than to line the greedy pockets of the oil company families and government cronies. Oh yes and he does not talk about these same corps that lie on their accounting so their stocks will go higher and they can cash out their options ahead of the dumping of the stocks when the truth of their numbers finally comes out. Don't think that isn't going on..because it is. Exxon pays NO tax. Churches and charities pay not taxes. Why? So many churches are not doing God's work, they are run by thieving individuals collecting money in the name of God and filling their greedy pockets. Charities that were used to funnel terrorist monies..why are we not taxing them? Their employees get bonuses, big salaries all before any money goes to the truly needy. Many of these people traveling, wining and dining themselves in the name of charity, blowing the money on their own greedy desires.

The big message on Occupy Wall Street is that of greed, using power for monetary and political gain. Those of us that work in and on Wall Street know what is going on and we are tired of it.

Pretty much anyone with a 401K, or has ever tried their hand at day trading knows that the game is rigged in favor of the house - always has been, always will be.

But let's be honest, that is NOT Capitalism. That is Cronyism, and it's as rampant on the Dem side of the isle as it is on the Republican side.

Those in power have always manipulated dollars, started wars for financial gain, used and fleeced the middle and lower class. Heck, our lives have become so easy, the lowest income bracket lives a much more comfortable lifestyle than the middle class several decades ago. And that's exactly the way it has been engineered. Give people just enough so that they are too comfortable and complacent to rise up.

Unfortunately, while you might have a clear vision of what the OWS movement was supposed to be, all I saw were a bunch of unemployable dim-wits, looking for nothing but more handouts. Well that and legalization of pot, embracing socialism, marxism and even communism.

So, with all due respect, when you talk about what Bill DIDN'T say, you could say the same about the protest itself.

Whittle is correct that most of these moonbats are spoiled kids who don't have a clue about the real world but there is also a core group of organized leftwing radicals driving this thing (Soros, Obama etc..)

As for media coverage, what I've seen is nothing but praise from most of the main-stream media.

If the Tea Party had gotten 1/2 of the positive (biased) media coverage OWS has, you might have a Gadsden sticker on your car.

I don't think the government is getting nervous - aside from being afraid they haven't whipped this movement into enough of a frenzy.

It is worth commenting on the amount of trash and filth left behind by this movement. It's hard to demand credibility with that kind of behavior.

Interesting take on my taking the time to post an opinion. Upon being sent the video link by a friend, I decided to view the comment section and then register to be able to comment. I am not a hunter, I don't participate in Bow Hunting although I am interested in learning to shoot handguns and rifles for sport.

I am a trader. I derive my living from trading various financial vehicles in the stock and commodities markets. I have been doing this for many many years. (I thank you for calling me a young lady however. my chronological age would suggest I cannot claim "young" anymore, but nothing else stops me from being "young". I always like to say when people ask my age "I am old enough to know what I want and young enough to do it." I am wise enough not to use my entire "real" name on internet community forums. So I guess it is up to you to decide if the real me is a credible me. I don't see how that matters as I am not spewing nonsense in this forum. I am contributing some insight into what I see every single market day happening on Wall Street. Have any of you in this forum lost large percentages of your 401k's or brokerage accounts? Has the property value of your homes fallen dramatically as a result of greed gone wild? Are you paying far too much for gasoline because of greedy traders on Wall Street squeezing short positions and driving the price of oil higher in seconds? Well I do KNOW what is going on . Do any of you remember the rolling blackouts in CA during the 90's? When suddenly overnight areas in CA had no electricity. Well, there wasn't a sudden change in the electric using population overnight enough to cause such massive demands that led to blackouts. In the end, it was ENRON controlling the transmission rights. THIS is the REALITY of what goes on in this country (and world) in the name of power, control, and greed. We all know how the Enron story ended. Sadly for many, they lost everything they worked so hard for, and some took their lives over these losses. This is the STUFF of WALL STREET!!!!!!

Working in the Wall Street world, I see too much and know to much to be quiet. I cannot speak for ALL of the occupy Wall Street protesters and I can say the media coverage I have seen of them has been from the less intellectual pool and more from the radical side. They are not covering people like myself. Quiet, responsible, in the 33% tax bracket not cheating or lying, but carrying the major load in this country. And I for one, am sick of it.

The Goldman Sachs of the world are legal criminals. I now this is an oxymoron of a statement. They STEAL right out of our accounts and our wallets.

Bill should spend some time investigating this aspect of the Wall Street world and the protesters participating in this. I will be one of them very shortly. It is WRONG what goes on and many of these protesters have landed in EXACTLY the right place. Wall Street.

You write: "This is EXACTLY what a society of excess creates..."

I say this is why our home values have plummeted, why we pay over $3.40 for a gallon of gasoline. Why manufacturing jobs and IT jobs have been steadily outsourced to other countries for cheaper labor, why banks charge such excessive interest rates and fees that a government has to begin to regulate, why irresponsible people are rewarded, and responsible people pay the price!

I would have been better off NOT paying my mortgage off! I'd have the money, (can't sell the house to get the money out of it) and could be living for FREE! So many are living in homes without paying a mortgage and/or real estate taxes because the banks don't want the houses on their ORE. They only foreclose on the juicy properties.

Yes, I'd agree this with your statement "This is EXACTLY what a society of excess creates..."

While there are abuses of some on Wall Street ( Didnt Martha Stewart engage in some of that?) there should be laws and people who enforce those laws.

Wall Street isnt the place to go - thats like giving a lecture to your miscreant neighbors.

You need to get to the top - DC. We all know alot of things are FUBAR - demonstrating in NY with unrealistic demands is - unrealistic.

Love Howard Sterns show going for an interview tho! Check it

Whether or not Wall Street is the right "location" or not, voices are being heard. The movement is growing, and it resounds loudly of the message "people are sick of the way things are".

The government has been in the business of building a weaker people since the handout programs were initiated. Welfare and social security might have had honorable intentions when designed and/or some power hungry politician realized the security in votes by making many people dependent on handouts. I don't know which, but what I do know it has resulted in a far weaker population. Couple that with the introduction of credit (which I believe has ruined the economy). Growth was not happening "fast" enough so enter credit and credit cards. We are now left with an artificially built economy sitting on quick sand. Ben Bernanke and the boys just aren't quite sure how to fix it. There is nothing solid beneath all of this credit. Wall Street knows it too, so watch out for your money. Cash is king.

By playing on human nature's greed and laziness, those two things 1.) Government handouts 2.) credit have ruined this country and the world's economy.

With all due respect, I don't watch Howard Stern. I just can't bring myself to find his humor to my comfort level. But thanks for posting it. :)

About Martha Stewart! Here is a PRIME example how people jump to conclusions and judgements based off of media soundbites.

Did you follow the case closely? Did you read the entire transcripts on law.com? Did you contact her attorney with suggestions? Do you know why you don't use physical stop losses on biotech stocks? Well...I do and I did.

Martha Stewart was not guilty of insider trading or anywhere near it. Did you know that she sold 98% of her IMCL position back in October, at least 2 months prior to the FDA decision even being made? Yep, she sold all but 3000 shares (a mere pittance considering what she did own) long before Sam called her.

You don't use physical stops in a biotech stop. If you use a broker you use a verbal stop. Wall Street games are the reason why. Biotechs move dramatcially and very fast on any breaking news. Wall Street will drop a bio stock 40% in seconds, taking out all of the stops and then when the stock is halted all of those shareholders with physical stops were sold out. Then when the stock is reopened, many times it is opened far higher than where it was halted. This happened during her trial!! I emailed her attorney and suggested he used this very action in the stock to show and teach the jury about WHY a smart person does NOT USE physical stops on a biotech!!!!!

Just taking a moment to expound on this to prove a point. I dislike when people make judgement calls on another based on media perception and or lack of knowledge. Martha Stewart had horrible attornies. I would have defended her differently. She was not guilty of insider trading or anywhere near it. She was guilty of having a scared moment and made some poor decisions on initially handling the SEC inquiries.

Now she cannot vote or be the CEO of her company. She was disliked because of her arrogance and attitude, but that did not make her a criminal.

______________________

Diana

Uh, she had horrible attorneys?

Perhaps. But who out there could afford better ones?

I reckon the case against her was proven in a court of law. Whether you liked the results or not.

As far as that goes, my point being, there is A LOT of insider trading thats gone on, some of it prosecuted, some not - and the excesses of Wall Street, or whatever your particular gripe is, need to be addressed with the people who make the rules, not with the people who perhaps simply abuse the rules.

Demonstrating on Wall Street is like shouting in an empty cave.

And "growing"? I think that most of them have been embarrassed off the street.

The Stern clip is rather short, I'm generally no fan of his, as I dont think most here are either, and there is a little language as could be expected... but I was very surprised at his take.

And as far as insider trading, here is another one. Excusing convictions is perhaps counter productive, is it not? :

Appeals Court Restores Qwest Insider Trading Conviction By REUTERS

Published: February 25, 2009

A federal appeals court affirmed the insider trading conviction of Joseph P. Nacchio, the former chief executive of Qwest Communications International, finding that a trial court had properly excluded expert witness testimony that Mr. Nacchio deemed crucial to his case.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/26/business/26qwest.html

Shows the muslims trying to horn in.

No, not Stalnaker or ill Bill, but a troll never-the-less.

She's never before been seen here and all of a sudden we get multiple posts on one thread. Reminds me of the SEIU/ACSME clown that showed up here last spring wailing about WI Governor Walker's stance against the ridiculous benefits public employee unions were getting.

I firmly believe that the "people" that make the rules are following this protest fairly closely.

Money and power eclipse the "rules." That is the biggest issue and one that is not easily resolved.

As for Martha she was not convicted of insider trading. They could not prove that because, SHE did NOT do it! lol..she sold nearly ALL of her IMCL months before the FDA even made their decision that moved the stock lower in seconds after the announcement. Martha was sitting on the tarmac waiting for takeoff when her broker called her and she instructed him to sell the remainder of the position. She went to prison for "lying" to authorities about changing her instructions to her receptionist. That's the whole case in a nutshell.

I am trying to bring an awareness as someone in the know to the atrocities perpetuated by Wall Street and it's cronies that actually affect YOU and ME and our money. Those that do not work in this environment cannot possibly know what goes on. It's time to take the power out of the hands that rape and pillage our money. Eliminating prop trading is a start albeit a measly one.

Good Wishes to all of you in this forum. Had Dave not sent me this video I would not ever have known of this forum. It's a decent one and I appreciate the great replies. A nice debate for a change.

Socialists and populists have never been "in the know."

For starters, Wall Street does not set the rules. The government does.

Wall Street does not decide what deductions corporations get on their tax returns. The government does.

Obama? he he

While he doesnt necessarily MAKE the rules, like Congress or the legal bench would, he is the POTUS - and he is giving them a back rub even while the wheels are falling off their bus.

Truth should not be muddled down. There is no other reason for a RATIONAL MIND to believe otherwise with the likes of OWS.

But convenience will involve truth. Although ultimately truth will involve blood... No skin in the game = OWS's will change names and be quietly dismissed. That is the moral of our story.

Cuffed and stuffed, mom and dad had to go bail him out!

Apparently you realize very little about Wall Street and their role in your declining portfolio, home value, and the financial risks to all of us. I highly recommend you get educated so you can properly protect yourself and family.

This being said, I am not socialst. How you come up with that deduction is unphathomable to me and points to your intent of just slinging insults and name calling to someone new in this forum.

I am in the know as to the gaming that goes on within Wall Street and the markets. I have worked in it for many many years. It is why I am empassioned about this subject. The average person has NO IDEA what risk his or her money is at as a result of these unsavory firms that comprise "Wall Street."

As for your statemen that Wall Street does not make the rules, the government does. That is a very naive view. The money and control that Wall Street has has brought this government, Federal Reserve Bank to it's knees. Not the other way around. If you cannot see that than you are blind. The dance that corporations and Wall Street do together is intricate and complicated. Why do you think that corporations go public? At that point they get directly in bed with Wall Street SO THEY CAN MAKE MORE MONEY! They dance to the Wall Street dog and pony show so their stocks hit the conviction buy lists and go higher. They lie on their accounting and numbers so they meet or beat Wall Stree expectations and they can cash out their stock and options at much higher prices. I don't need to say more, although there is ALOT more that doesn't meet the eye. Don't kid yourself. The government really doesn't make the rules, it just looks that way. The government dances to Goldman Sachs.

Wall Street gave birth to the bundled loans game of hot potatoe. Guess who got left holding the hot potatoe? The American taxpayer. They will always find a way to exploit, and steal from investors. As for the government making the rules: If you own a business and you lose money and go bankrupt, what happens? YOU lose out. Noone bails you out according to the "rules". But...that's not what happened with brokerage banks. They got bailed out. What happened to the rules?

About this community board, we welcome (speaking for the owner perhaps) reasoned discussion, even from new members or drive bys, it adds to the mix.

Most here hunt, but this particular forum is more general discussion and sees probably too much emphasis on politics. No requirement to be a hunter anywhere here. Heck there are thread on photography too.

Ummmm but on Nvagvup - I wont expound but he kinda knows a little about Wall Street, more than you might think.

Now, Wall st (just who is that anyway?) and those that are involved in abuses there arent going to come clean and behave because of a few protesters.

The 1% of uber rich arent going to disgorge funds on hippies for grins and giggles.

Each issue of the broken economy or economic abuses have to be dealt with separately, and the Govt must do that. There is no internal policing mechanism with any teeth.

I guess you might agree the O admin is failing at that in spades, if not enabling further abuses.

The short end of the story is the stock crashed, employees lost the bulk of their stock worth, the CEO was going to prison but died of a heart attack just before, and thennn Qwest was bought out by Centurylink.

IMO the Govt did the right thing to prevent a public co from abuse to shareholders and unjust enrichment.

Think this happened during Bush.

1. There are NO 'rednecks' at OWS. Lord, rednecks would never go near OWS. That she even uses the term shows she doesn't even know what a redneck is.

2. Class warfare is the God she prays to. How many times did she use the word greed in her posts?

3. She has no ethics. If she knows of cheating and stealing inn her firm or industry, she is required by the SEC and FINRA to report it. Apparently she hasn't. If she works at a firm or in an industry that cheats, lies and steals then if she had an iota of integrity, she would quit and go somewhere else. I'm in the industry and have been a Registered Principal since 1975. I know a little about Wall Street myself.

4. That she claims the media is misrepresenting the players in the OWS gig is laughable. They are doing their darnest to pretend that these misfits are main stream America. It's the alternative media that's exposed them for who they are.

5. Charities are supported by voluntary donations. if you don't like what they do, stop giving them money! BTW, Diana, I sit on two boards of non-profit wildlife organizations and have been asked to sit on a third. All are immensely successful at what they do, out-performing far larger organizations in the conservation field, not by what we raise in funds, but by what we do for wildlife. Of the three, only one has a true paid staff, and that one has just five full-time employees and three part-time employees. One has a part time admin person and the other is 100% volunteer. NONE of the directors of any of the three are paid a penny.

6. My investment portfolios dropped just like everyone else's, although by late July of this year they were at all time highs. Thank you, Dems in Congress who forced lenders to lend money to people who had no business taking out a mortgage! Thanks, Freddie, Fannie, Barney, Chris and the rest of you!

2) Class warfare shines through, though she wants to back up a favorite.

3) I'm guessing she never worked at golman sachs, but she has it out for them - yet not one bit of advice on how to fix her perceived problems.

4) If the protesters dont have a cohesive message, the media cant invent one for them. Ergo Howard Stern on his quest. Indeed, it didnt take long for him to find one wanting communism.

This one going right to the jugular of those ACTUALLY responsible for the situation we are in right now.

"Insane Clown Posse" ha ha ha

Whittle gives a tongue in cheek solution, he sees the problem, and uses money as a joke to solve it, to give a juxtaposition of the waste going on.

Votes are what's gonna do it though, and we have a year to go now.

I did like the link to the idea database, at least thats a step in a positive direction, better than having posters that say (in SLC)

"JOBS? Corporate Pollution is Not the Solution!"

(WTF?)

see link

"The government has been in the business of building a weaker people since the handout programs were initiated. Welfare and social security might have had honorable intentions when designed and/or some power hungry politician realized the security in votes by making many people dependent on handouts. I don't know which, but what I do know it has resulted in a far weaker population. Couple that with the introduction of credit (which I believe has ruined the economy). Growth was not happening "fast" enough so enter credit and credit cards. We are now left with an artificially built economy sitting on quick sand."

I think she's spot on about the manipulation that happens in the stock market, the real estate market and anywhere else there is a chance for the big boys to come in and take what little the middle class has.

She's saying pretty much exactly what many on the right have been saying for years - that the government is corrupt and being influenced and controlled by big money.

I do disagree that the media has mischaracterized the OWS movement. If anything, they've been overly gracious. The majority of them are bumbling idiots with no grasp of the big picture. Clearly, our new guest is not amoung that group.

This is a pretty big chunk of the reason we are in the place we are now.

Low interest rates, combined with a plethora of creative and dangerous financing vehicles, coupled with the governments ill advised intention to give homeownership to anyone with a job, led to this mess.

Yeah, people were buying them up, construction boomed, prices took oops an overdose of skyrocketing and unsustainable spirals north - then it hit the fan when a bunch of those new homeowners quit paying the mortgage.

The "bankers" were making crazy money, but now after eating so many foreclosures the entire system has been in danger of collapse.

Now, why arent the protesters complaining in front of the offices of Wachovia or Countrywide Funding?

They were both once "greedy" companies.

They are both now defunct.

Just exactly how is stock market trading 'manipulated?'

"Let’s see who got arrested and/or committed a variety of illegal activities, shall we?

•Boston. Cyber-terrorism! Vandalizing! (Via AofSHQ)

•Charlotte. Public nuisance! (Blocking traffic, specifically.)

•Chicago. Trespassing! (Via @amandacarpenter)

•Cincinnati. Trespassing! (Yes, that one was boring. Work with me for a minute.)

•Gainesville. Bo Diddley’s son arrested at Bo Diddley plaza for tresspassing! (…OK, yeah, that’s a little ironic. And old. Hush with your insidious Earth-logic, hu-man.)

•NYC. Cornell West arrested as a favor for Cornell West! (I wonder how this guy feels about the fact that fifty years from now he’ll be remembered, if at all, for his cameos in the Matrix trilogy.)

•Oakland. Looming confrontation! (I wonder if anybody’s called up Governor Moonbeam yet to find out where he stashed the wooden bullets.)

•Orlando. Illegal camping! (Seriously, most of these people do have homes to live in.)

•San Antonio. …is proud of its fifteen-day no-arrest record. (Note: this is newsworthy.)

•San Jose. Illegal camping! Criminal vandalism! (I’m scoring that last one because while the cops took pity on the perp being in a wheelchair, I don’t have to.)

•Santa Ana. Illegal camping! (Solidarity, brothers.)

•Seattle. Chalk Graffiti! Obstructing a police officer trying to leave the scene! (Seriously, even if you’re ticked off at this list: you have to admit, trying to stop a cop from going away was pretty much asking for an arrest.)"

Not included above are:

Urinating and defecating in public

Fornicating in public

Rampant drug use

Destroying private property

Destroying small businesses in the affected areas by creating an environment that makes people want to avoid the areas.

And Kyles note also missed the missing $5500 Apple laptop, Ipods, $2500 in kitchen funds, toilet paper rolls, samwiches, chairs, everything that makes camping out so cool nowdays!

And dang, old man winter is comin in, they have enjoyed good weather up till now but they might be going back to their caves here shortly for the winter.

OWS--the zombie apocalypse. Is it Halloween yet?

I also missed posting that are a LOT more black Americans at Tea Party rallies than there are at the OWS's take-overs and destruction of public parks.

hmmmmm. Who are the real racists?

Hey! If you're liberal, that's perfectly acceptable!

In this statement our dear Dianna shows both her ignorance and her bias.

Depending on which accounting method you use, Exxon is at best the fifth, and likely the 12th to 15th largest energy company in the world. It IS the largest US oil company, but has virtually no ability to influence world oil prices which drive prices in the US. If the EPA and dems allowed exploration and production of US fossil fuels, we could be free from world markets.

Manufacturing jobs are driven overseas by unions and too many regulations put on US businesses by democrats.

I have little doubt she knows more about Wall Street than I do, but she still can't school us poor dumb hunters.

I also don't know how the CIA creates wars, topples governments and creates political opportunities - but I know they do it.

I also don't know how the BATF works against drug cartels, while working with them, to create an image that gun stores in Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Nevada are somehow fuling the need for firepower on the Southern end of the border. All the while, actively participatig in arming the Mexican cartels to the teeth, and ultimiately costing the lives of our agents on this side of the border or the other, not to mention the hundreds or even thousands of "normal" people killed by these guns.

I can't prove, in a way that you will be satisfied with, that our border policy allows millions of pounds of marijuana and millions of dollars worth of methamphetamine to filter into our colleges, our high schools, and even our Jr. High and middle schools.

I'll stop short there. I can't prove that the stock market is manipulated by the big dogs with the most chips at the table any more than I can prove Santa Clause does or does not live at the North Pole.

But I do know this, Las Vegas was created and cultured by thugs and schemers. And DC and Wall Street make Vegas look like amatures in comparison.

The guys with big money aren't booking on dumb luck, or a hunch, or some solid "market research". They know exactly what their odds are going into the game. The normal investor trying to wade into their waters is nothing but another "take".

We don't know their game, we don't usually understand the true risks. All we know is that want to reach for something bigger for our kids, our wife and ourself. We've been told all our lives that you can't succeed without taking risks.

So let's rewind a few years. Everybody was makign a killing buying and selling tech stocks. Everyone I knew had an online account and always had the ticker running on their PC. Some guys were up $18k by lunchtime.

Boom, in comes reality and everyone at the table with dollars down lost pretty much everything. I personally lost around $65K when the bubble busted. At least I wasn't alone. All the guys who had been riding the gravy train went bust, all in a few days...

And who rode out into the sunset with their big hat? The big players.

Fast forward a few years when the next big opportunity was real estate. Everyone worked overtime to buy a little piece of the pie, maybe buy an additional house or to with the intent to rent and sell.

Just normal Americans doing what we have been taught to do. Then what happens? The second bubble. This time normal people trying to invest in something solid and left holding yet another bag of shit.

And now "THEY" are creatign the 3rd bubble - gold. They are getting everyone to buy gold at prices 3-5x what it should be based on fear and greed - the same tactic that has always been used by the rich to take more from the middle class trying to cling to some type of security.

Another ponzi scheme hoisted on a fearful people who have been fleeced over and over again.

So, Kyle to answer your question, I have no idea how the stock market is manipulated, but I know it is. And I have no idea how "green" companies get millions of dollars of my money, only to fail. Or exactly how billionare bankers get let off the hook, at my expense, but I know they do. I can't tell you the "how", but I can say that they do.

AZOnecam,

The market is nothing more than a sophisticated auction. For every trade there has to be a willing buyer and a willing seller. If someone owns a tulip bulb (dotcom) and wants to sell it and someone else is willing to pay the owner a ridiculous amount for the bulb on the belief that the bulb will become even more valuable, where's the manipulation?

That was not manipulation. It was a computer error which was corrected almost immediately and there was no net effect in the value of what your 401(k) was worth.