[Marxism] Madoff's Shocking Scheme Is Just a Microcosm of a Much Bigger Disaster

[Dbachmozart@xxxxxxx]

By _Maura Stephens_ (http://www.alternet.org/authors/8480/) , _AlterNet_ 
(http://www.alternet.org/) .  Posted _December  29, 2008_ 
(http://www.alternet.org/ts/archives/?date[F]=12&date[Y]=2008&date[d]=29&act=Go/)
 . 
 
All of Wall Street has been engaging in crimes and  swindles like Madoff's 
against the American people, and the rest of the world,  for decades. 
 
 
clip --
 
 
The first catastrophe is Madoff's economic starvation of numerous foundations 
 and corporations, as well as scores or hundreds of rich people, and his  
infliction of severe damage on thousands of others who depend upon said  
foundations, corporations and individuals for either employment or 
philanthropy.  
That's a heinous crime on any scale. 
In the second catastrophe, President George W. Bush, Vice President Dick  
Cheney, former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, et al. have been responsible  
for the deaths of at least 650,000 Iraqis and Americans as a direct result of  
the 2003 invasion of Iraq. A documented 2.5 million Iraqis have been forced to 
 flee their homes and have become exile refugees or internally displaced  
refugees. So we're talking about a minimum of 3 million homeless or dead, and 
22  
million more without a country (in the true sense of the word) and without 
clean  water or electricity, not to mention security. 
---------------------------------------- 
Now, I'm neither negating nor diminishing the outrage and pain felt in the  
aftermath of Mr. Madoff's crimes; his wanton greed and disregard for everything 
 that's decent are causing no end of hardship for thousands upon thousands of 
 people. 
But there's something grossly imbalanced in our reaction to that suffering  
when compared with the long-term agony of some 25 million Iraqi people -- agony 
 for which we, as American people, are indisputably and directly responsible, 
as  the invasion and occupation were and are supported by our tax dollars and 
were  perpetrated by people whom we voted into office. There's something 
seriously  wrong with this soundtrack. 
full ---      _http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/115769/_ 
(http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/115769/)  


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