Thank you, Chris Hedges for all the interesting, if disturbing, material that you publish on important public issues that receive scant attention elsewhere.
It is no secret that major banks earn significant fees from money launderering and tax evasion, and that those banks and their regulators turn a blind eye towards a significant part of it.
The Panama Papers and The Paradise Papers, to name but two, are both most instructive in this regard.
Wall Street On Parade is a fantastic citizens watchdog outlet covering Wallstreet. I'd love for Hedges to get an interview with Pam and Russ Martens. The situation right now since the repeal of Glass Steagall in 1999 is getting terminally bad.
Take your money out of all the corrupt banks and put it in a state run bank, as in North Decota, or into people's banks like ABCO. Hope she gets the compensation she deserves!
First, one has to wonder why U.S. whistle blowers exposing financial crimes are handed millions of dollars anonymously while U.S. whistle blowers exposing military crimes are publicly handed lifetime prison sentences under the espionage act.
Second, huge fines being imposed by government for corrupt business activities which are perpetrated by oligarchs who ultimately have bought government control is a circle jerk. Those huge fines are simply for public show so the peasants don't revolt. They have the same intent that advertising power ball winnings have on legitimizing the sale of lottery tickets that you, as a individual, are prohibited by law from doing yourself. Worse yet, 50% of those gambling proceeds go toward financing government that you ostensibly pay for with your payroll taxes. Its one, big shell game/ponzi scheme. In reality, I believe those fines are simply shuffled on paper and result in no financial penalty whatsoever. If they did, then government would be issuing a tax credit check (lets call it a tax "dividend" for shits and giggles) to all tax paying citizens in proportion to any levied regulatory fine that is allegedly secured. Good luck getting one of those in the mail.
Third, Ms. Gibaud says she formerly had a "good" job at UBS. No, she didn't. That's fallacy #1. She had job at a corrupt corporation that owned all the files she produced while she worked for them. It was a bad job. So much so that she had no legal right to keep any files when asked that they be surrendered. She made a deal with the devil when she signed on, and she paid the price of admission to hell. She should be glad to finally be out. The fact that she (and Hedges) think she is paying a price by being "black balled" from re-entry is fallacy #2. Why would you want to return to a sycophant industry rife with corruption? Get a real job--and produce your own product if you want the right to do what you want with it.
Lastly, she wants to continue with her legal case in order to change whistle blower laws in France to be more like the U.S. See point #1  to understand why that is tilting at windmills. In my opinion, she would be more effective advocating for federal balanced budget amendments....or a system of taxpayer dividends issued for regulatory fines levied by government.
As somebody who quit their job in an immoral profession to get a real job, I agree. We should celebrate and defend whistleblowers, but everybody individually also needs to be critical of the job they are doing. The job may pay well, but who are you serving?
As "these 'TIMES' they are a-changing", for the worse, has had the insanity to report herein, and say to any thing people on the 'ginned-up' subject of 'The Quiet American" EMPIRE:
As Netanyahu said: “We will learn, we will investigate, but now is the time for war.”
Reminds me of "Ready, Fire, Aim", eh?
Anyone with a bit of deep understanding has to ask the key question of how perfected propaganda by “The Quiet American” Empire [apologies to Graham Green], along with ginning-up another ‘proxy-war’, beyond Ukraine’s, Israel’s, and Tiawan’s targeting would have very likely involved the fabulous Victoria “eff the EU, PNAC, Kagan” Nuland.
Hi Alan, Long time no see. It's likely you won't remember, but we used to comment on CommonDreams back in the 1990s. I haven't been back in years. Good to see you are still going - and strong, afaics. - from someone who was once "4thefuture" and "Future4the"... But for now, the future looks too much like more of the past.
Mr Hedges... I congratulate you for interviewing her. I wish there would be whistleblowers in the Caribbean Islands as well for this people trying to avoid paying taxes. And they wonder why America is owing so much money and still parts of America is falling apart plus homelessness and starving children.
Thank you, Chris Hedges for all the interesting, if disturbing, material that you publish on important public issues that receive scant attention elsewhere.
Bravo! More power to her! May France serve justice.
It is no secret that major banks earn significant fees from money launderering and tax evasion, and that those banks and their regulators turn a blind eye towards a significant part of it.
The Panama Papers and The Paradise Papers, to name but two, are both most instructive in this regard.
Wall Street On Parade is a fantastic citizens watchdog outlet covering Wallstreet. I'd love for Hedges to get an interview with Pam and Russ Martens. The situation right now since the repeal of Glass Steagall in 1999 is getting terminally bad.
That is the only way we will defeat the status quo. Courageous souls with conscience standing up to injustice.
Take your money out of all the corrupt banks and put it in a state run bank, as in North Decota, or into people's banks like ABCO. Hope she gets the compensation she deserves!
A few points need to be made here.
First, one has to wonder why U.S. whistle blowers exposing financial crimes are handed millions of dollars anonymously while U.S. whistle blowers exposing military crimes are publicly handed lifetime prison sentences under the espionage act.
Second, huge fines being imposed by government for corrupt business activities which are perpetrated by oligarchs who ultimately have bought government control is a circle jerk. Those huge fines are simply for public show so the peasants don't revolt. They have the same intent that advertising power ball winnings have on legitimizing the sale of lottery tickets that you, as a individual, are prohibited by law from doing yourself. Worse yet, 50% of those gambling proceeds go toward financing government that you ostensibly pay for with your payroll taxes. Its one, big shell game/ponzi scheme. In reality, I believe those fines are simply shuffled on paper and result in no financial penalty whatsoever. If they did, then government would be issuing a tax credit check (lets call it a tax "dividend" for shits and giggles) to all tax paying citizens in proportion to any levied regulatory fine that is allegedly secured. Good luck getting one of those in the mail.
Third, Ms. Gibaud says she formerly had a "good" job at UBS. No, she didn't. That's fallacy #1. She had job at a corrupt corporation that owned all the files she produced while she worked for them. It was a bad job. So much so that she had no legal right to keep any files when asked that they be surrendered. She made a deal with the devil when she signed on, and she paid the price of admission to hell. She should be glad to finally be out. The fact that she (and Hedges) think she is paying a price by being "black balled" from re-entry is fallacy #2. Why would you want to return to a sycophant industry rife with corruption? Get a real job--and produce your own product if you want the right to do what you want with it.
Lastly, she wants to continue with her legal case in order to change whistle blower laws in France to be more like the U.S. See point #1  to understand why that is tilting at windmills. In my opinion, she would be more effective advocating for federal balanced budget amendments....or a system of taxpayer dividends issued for regulatory fines levied by government.
As somebody who quit their job in an immoral profession to get a real job, I agree. We should celebrate and defend whistleblowers, but everybody individually also needs to be critical of the job they are doing. The job may pay well, but who are you serving?
Alan MacDonald | Alewive Court, Wells, Maine
As "these 'TIMES' they are a-changing", for the worse, has had the insanity to report herein, and say to any thing people on the 'ginned-up' subject of 'The Quiet American" EMPIRE:
As Netanyahu said: “We will learn, we will investigate, but now is the time for war.”
Reminds me of "Ready, Fire, Aim", eh?
Anyone with a bit of deep understanding has to ask the key question of how perfected propaganda by “The Quiet American” Empire [apologies to Graham Green], along with ginning-up another ‘proxy-war’, beyond Ukraine’s, Israel’s, and Tiawan’s targeting would have very likely involved the fabulous Victoria “eff the EU, PNAC, Kagan” Nuland.
As my double-sided, ad-hoc, focus-group tested, and highly favorable demonstration signs simply say:
DEMOCRATIC
SOCIALISM
LOVE FOR
PEOPLE
over
INEQUALITY
CAUSED BY
BILLIONAIRE
BASTRDS
Hi Alan, Long time no see. It's likely you won't remember, but we used to comment on CommonDreams back in the 1990s. I haven't been back in years. Good to see you are still going - and strong, afaics. - from someone who was once "4thefuture" and "Future4the"... But for now, the future looks too much like more of the past.
Where are the poets and minstrels?
Fair question, Janet
Aye, where are the poets
With voices of truth
Connected to a human heart
Spilling blood and tears
That cannot be rebooted?
That is the only way we will defeat the status quo. Courageous souls with conscience standing up to injustice.
Mr Hedges... I congratulate you for interviewing her. I wish there would be whistleblowers in the Caribbean Islands as well for this people trying to avoid paying taxes. And they wonder why America is owing so much money and still parts of America is falling apart plus homelessness and starving children.
Nothing worse than evading taxes. The government needs that money to murder little brown people.
the corrupting power of money is truly terrifying.