Fr. James Martin is Correct on United Airlines Passenger

Started by LouisIX, April 12, 2017, 04:32:00 PM

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Pacebene83

Good news, United is offering for  $75,  a guarantee insurance not to be injured or abused when being dumped from an over-booked flight.

"Fly United and You Won't be Cited"       for (75$)"










james03

QuoteJames, do you plan to publish a paperback version? I'm not a fan of my books' batteries dying. :)

Yeah, maybe I screwed up the link.  There is a paperback and Kindle.  If you use the Amazon search bar and type in the title, both will come up.  I'm posting an announcement and I'll see if I can straighten out the link.
"But he that doth not believe, is already judged: because he believeth not in the name of the only begotten Son of God (Jn 3:18)."

"All sorrow leads to the foot of the Cross.  Weep for your sins."

"Although He should kill me, I will trust in Him"

Gardener

Quote from: james03 on April 16, 2017, 01:16:24 PM
QuoteJames, do you plan to publish a paperback version? I'm not a fan of my books' batteries dying. :)

Yeah, maybe I screwed up the link.  There is a paperback and Kindle.  If you use the Amazon search bar and type in the title, both will come up.  I'm posting an announcement and I'll see if I can straighten out the link.

No, you're good. It defaulted to Kindle but I was able to go back and choose paper.
"If anyone does not wish to have Mary Immaculate for his Mother, he will not have Christ for his Brother." - St. Maximilian Kolbe

Innocent Smith

Since this thread has become somewhat a discussion of capitalism, I thought I would throw this story up here. I believe this is one of the truly big stories and is the most important. It deals with the Nationalization, read takeover, of a GM plant in Venezuela.

Venuzuela: Authorities Seize General Motors Plant.

QuoteApril 20 (UPI) — General Motors said it has ceased all operations in Venezuela after authorities unexpectedly seized its plant in the city of Valencia.

A court in the Zulia state said it imposed a broad embargo on the assets of General Motors Venezolana, C.A., or GMV, which has been in operation for nearly seven decades. GMV said authorities seized its plant Wednesday afternoon and that its associated bank accounts likely are also out of its control, meaning the company cannot make payments, such as employee wages.

GMV called the act "improper, absurd, outside of legal logic and due process."

"GMV is taking all legal measures within its reach in order to protect the rights of its workers and their property," the company said in a statement.

The company called on workers, suppliers, dealers and external operators to refrain from reporting to work at the plant or other jobs until the court ruling is reversed.

El Universal reported the seizure is likely related to a lawsuit against the company filed by a former landowner in Maracaibo.

Of course the rubes over at Breitbart are all gung-ho in their defense of capitalism and their beloved corporate masters. They all channel their inner John Galt and Dagny Taggert and worship at the altar of Ayn Rand, nee Alisa Zinov'yevna Rosenbaum.

Here are some of my comments.

Actually, Nationalists should applaud this move. This is known as blowback. This is really no different than using and arming fighters like Al Queda and ISIS to do our bidding because we could not get away with such operations by sending in our own uniformed men.

These oligarchs are looting us and foreign workers. This is blowback. These are the same companies that have taken jobs out of Detroit.

The world is changing and everyone in it seems to get it besides us.

Back in 1953 the CIA conducted its first color revolution in Iran when it overthrew Mossadegh and placed the Shah in power due to the Iranians nationalizing BP. Gee, that Iranian operation didn't have any blowback did it? It's now about to help ignite World War III.

The chickens are coming home to roost. Different actors have different means and objectives.

So you wanted a Global Economy, did 'ya? Ha-ha.

This is why we still have troops all over the world. To prevent countries from nationalizing US Corporate assets. This is why NATO still exists. We fight and defend under the flags of the banks and corporations. But, since no one would do that, we say it's under the American Flag.

Your children can no longer get work at these corporations, but they are given the opportunity to defend them for low wages as members of the Corporate Military. Of course, sometimes these same children of ours have to take a detour to Fallujah. That's the risk you take, scum! We are your masters. You may have to kill some people sometimes too. That's part of the deal.

I don't know if Trump has always known this or if his Goldman Sachs handlers have now informed him of the "necessity" of NATO. The US Military has become the police force to protect corporate assets overseas.

To make America Safe for the exporting of jobs and the importing of cheap Chinese goods.

This is indeed a symptom of the phony infusion of crazy money into the system which relies on the never ending service to balance sheets of mountains of debt that then depends on finding the cheapest sources of labor to produce the never ending growth the debt requires.

America is fascist. Not only is it the merging of Big Business with Big Government. It practices State Sponsored Usury.

Either way, this should be interesting. One has to wonder why Venezuela would take this action now. I wonder if it has anything to do with China promising them steel or other raw material to make it possible for them to actually go into production.

That "beautiful piece of chocolate cake" that Trump shared with Xi may really turn into something. Looks like we may have given Xi the US auto industry and God knows what else, to put a bit of a squeeze on this little clown in that dog and pony show going on in North Korea.

But that's OK. Ivanka got three trademarks for her line in China. I thought she was retiring from the business in order to server her, cough, cough, country?

I am going to hold a pistol to the head of the modern man. But I shall not use it to kill him, only to bring him to life.

james03

QuoteOf course the rubes over at Breitbart are all gung-ho in their defense of capitalism
vs.
QuoteAmerica is fascist.

This is why terms are so important and we will end up talking past each other.  By the way, if I had to force rank the US, I'd call it fascist.

As far as Venezuela, you are completely ignorant.  I ran a company over there.  When Chavez nationalized the El Tigre oil field and the upgraders, he had a problem.  The Americans and Norwegians were paying the Venezuelans 3 times the PdVsa wage.  So he cut them back.  My employee ran into a former Ven coworker working at a hotdog stand at the beach.  He was making more money serving tourists than working at an upgrader (similar to an oil refinery) after the Chavez cuts.

QuoteActually, Nationalists should applaud this move. This is known as blowback. This is really no different than using and arming fighters like Al Queda and ISIS to do our bidding because we could not get away with such operations by sending in our own uniformed men.

These oligarchs are looting us and foreign workers. This is blowback. These are the same companies that have taken jobs out of Detroit.
You have to sort out your argument, because you make no sense.  The analogy is the Japanese factories that were built in the US.  Nationalists, like myself, applaud these factories.  So Maduro has destroyed that factory and the Vens will suffer for it.
"But he that doth not believe, is already judged: because he believeth not in the name of the only begotten Son of God (Jn 3:18)."

"All sorrow leads to the foot of the Cross.  Weep for your sins."

"Although He should kill me, I will trust in Him"

Greg

What's Venezuela like James?  I've been to Colombia, Mexico, Costa Rica, I know plenty about Brazil, but is there something unique about Venezuela that makes it such a failed state.   Can you put it down to the government or is it the mentality of the people too?
Contentment is knowing that you're right. Happiness is knowing that someone else is wrong.

james03

Last time I was in Ven was around 2007 or so.  It is very corrupt.  The youth were pretty cool.  I'd bet a large part of the opposition is made up of the youth.

The women are hot.  Very obsessed with looks.

I think the problem lies with them espousing fascism, which led to the corruption.  Masonry might play a part, but I don't know.  Then they went socialist, and it was over.  At least when they were fascist, if you were small you could do pretty good by flying under the radar.  Or you could be really successful and pay the bribes, and they would leave you alone.  Now they are toast.  It will end in blood.
"But he that doth not believe, is already judged: because he believeth not in the name of the only begotten Son of God (Jn 3:18)."

"All sorrow leads to the foot of the Cross.  Weep for your sins."

"Although He should kill me, I will trust in Him"

Greg

How much were the bribes?  If you ran a small oil engineering business and made say 2 million a year revenue and 500,000 in net profit, what would you keep of that profit after bribes and taxes?

The bribes in Russia were fairly small.  I found they were always worth paying.  Good "value for money" so to speak.  For example.  I might pay 300 in fees to the Russian embassy in London to do the citizenship and other paperwork on each child. I will have to attend the embassy and sign papers in front of them.

If I bribe the officials, in Russia, then it won't be more expensive and I'll save the hassle.  You can't bribe the officials in the Russian embassy in London.

I have found that bribes usually obey these market forces.  Whereas fees and taxes almost never do.
Contentment is knowing that you're right. Happiness is knowing that someone else is wrong.

james03

I'd estimate 10%, maybe lower.  I never got directly involved in that.  A work permit for our men cost $1,000 charged by our lawyer.  He did not break out the charges.  However the legal bill to get a work permit in Canada for our men was at least 20 times that amount.  The former was probably mostly bribes, the latter was "legal".  Another example, our invoice was never paid in full; accounts payable withheld a special "tax" which we did not question.  It was small.  Since our company was offshore, we paid no Ven tax, so it was a bargain.

I actually prefer the bribe economy, you could get things done.  In Canada it was going to take 6 months to get a work permit.  In Venezuela we got the permits in a few days.  And it was a lot cheaper.

We did bid on a big government job in another unnamed Latin American country, where the project was definitely not under the radar.  Phase 1 was a feasibility study with a lot of engineering.  Our bid was $400,000.  We lost.  We found out the winning company, a Chinese company, was paid $5,000,000.  Since we knew the costs involved, over 90% of the money had to be kickbacks and bribes.  Funny thing was a year later we got a call asking us to bid again because the report they got from the Chinese was utterly worthless.  We told them we wanted $1,000,000 paid up front, basically kiss our butt.  They declined.  The project was never constructed.
"But he that doth not believe, is already judged: because he believeth not in the name of the only begotten Son of God (Jn 3:18)."

"All sorrow leads to the foot of the Cross.  Weep for your sins."

"Although He should kill me, I will trust in Him"

LouisIX

For what it's worth, United has totally changed their policy regarding bumping customers to seat employees, so the idea that there's simply no other way to deal with this issue in aviation has been proven false.
IF I speak with the tongues of men, and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.