Direct Mail Craziness

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Received the following mailing from Saint Matthew's Churches the other day telling me all about the miraculous power of their "prayer rug." A poster, included in the mailing, that has brought physical healing and financial blessings to the thousands who have used it.  If you believe that, there's a friend my mine I'd like you to meet. He's a Nigerian prince and he's having some trouble securing his inheritance.

Saint Mathews does not operate churches (plural) or even a church (singular). It's direct mail operation founded by James Eugene "Gene" Ewing.  In the 1980s, Ewing's former church-by-mail enterprise was ruled as a "for profit" organization by IRS and there's evidence that Ewing routed millions from evangelical activities to purchase real estate in Beverly Hills.  Saint Matthews has managed to retain it's tax exempt status, despite using the same tactics and providing no accounting of how funds are used.

The mailing utilizes all the cheesy direct mail devices -- fake underling, handwritten fonts, testimonials from past donors that would be impossible to verify. This mailing serves as phase one of the Saint Mathews fund-raising strategy. Individuals who reply to this mailing receive follow-up letters indicating the specific monetary donations required to see their "prayers" answered.  I'm tempted to mail it in, just to behold the craziness of phase two and learn how much salvation is going to cost.

The Hydra and other Mythical Beasts

International Day of Action / US Uncut / 03-26-2011

Supporters of US Uncut gathered outside the Westlake Bank of America branch to protest the billions of tax revenue lost every year via offshore tax shelters utilized by multi-national corporations. Through foreign holding companies, corporations such as Google and Amazon perform tax dodges known as the "Double Irish" and "The Dutch Sandwich" to move income off-shore and avoid paying U.S. corporate taxes. These tax maneuvers are the chief cause of the austerity measures depleting the budgets of social welfare and education programs nationwide, according to US Uncut. 

The Bureau of Economic Analysis released a report Friday showing U.S. corporations experienced all-time record earnings in the forth quarter of 2010 (Huffington Post: Corporate Profits At All-Time High As Recovery Stumble).  With last year's decision in the Citizen's United case, corporations now have more power to lobby and influence the results of elections than ever before.  With more money to spend, and a greater ability to spend that money however they choose, the embodiment of "corporate person hood" in U.S. law and legal precedent becomes increasingly problematic when considered against the interests of the average voter.

Behold that great behemoth: the corporation. A monster of our own creation, it's thick skin and writhing heads making it impossible to kill.

Fresh Air Story on "the Double Irish."

US Uncut - Seattle Facebook group

USA Uncut Pamphlet

Photos via flickr:

Seattle Clinic Defense / U-District / 03-26-2011

Coming on the heels of last weekend's Planned Parenthood rally in Capital Hill, a small group of protesters gathered outside the former location of Life Choices Pregnancy Center in the University District this afternoon to raise awareness of misleading practices at Crisis Pregnancy Centers (CPCs). These centers, many operated by religious and pro-life groups, attempt to divert young pregnant women away from Planned Parenthood and other clinics that offer abortions by disguising themselves as medical clinics.  Clients walk in the doors expecting a free pregnancy test and professional medical advice, only to receive biased and often false information on the physical and psychological side-effects of abortion from pro-life advocates. The Stranger recently ran a feature that demonstrated some of the more deceptive practices found at CPC's in the Seattle area (Six Pregnancy Tests in One Week by Cienna Miller).

Unfortunately, the moment to bring this issue to the public's attention may have already passed - at least for this legislative session. Earlier this year, the Washington State legislature debated HB 1366 and SB 5274, legislation that would have required Crisis Pregnancy Centers to fully disclose all services offered (or not offered) and supply written results for any pregnancy tests performed.  It now seems clear that the House bill lacks sufficient support for a floor vote (Seattle Times: State House unlikely to take up pregnancy centers bill.)  The fact that Life Choices no longer operates a center at this location somewhat diminished the effectiveness of today's protest.  Seattle Clinic Defense, organizer of the event, plans to hold additional rallies in the near future.

Seattle Clinic Defense website

Seattle Clinic Defense on Facebook group

Seattle Clinic Defense pamphlets

Photos via flickr:

5Oth and Roosevelt / 03-26-2011

Photos of the current incarnation of NE 50th Street and Roosevelt Way NE in the University District  Here's a story from the Seattle PI detailing how this former tanning salon / spa became a semi-permanent showcase for street art: "City can't clean up notorious graffiti hub." With no definitive plans to demolish the building in place, it will be interesting to see how this develops as new tags cover old ones.

Support SPD Rally / West Precinct / 03-22-2011

Maybe bringing a box of doughnuts to a Support the SPD rally isn't the best idea?

Approximately twenty wives and family members of SPD officers gathered outside the West Precinct at Eight and Virginia on Tuesday night to show their support for the SPD and counter some of the negative press local police departments have received in recent months.  The timing of this rally did not work to the SPD supporter's advantage.  Last week, King County completed an inquest into the fatal shooting of David Young that occurred last August in Federal Way.  Over the weekend, another fatal shooting occurred involving a suspect armed with a machete in rural King County.  Monday brought news that improper handling of DUI cases by SPD has put dozen of cases on hold until an internal investigation can be completed, which prompted the usual line of excuses from Seattle Police Officer's Guild President Richard O'Neill.

The Seattle Police Department has a public relations problem that feel-good demonstrations like this one are not going to solve.  A good argument anticipates likely rebuttals and signs like "Landlords Back SPD" only confirm the arguments of anti-police critics that claim law enforcement only exists to protect the rights of privileges of wealthy elites.  Appeals to sentiment might not be the best coarse of action either: "my dad spends nights away from me to keep you safe" can be countered effectively by "a cop shot my dad in the head." If you want to be taken seriously, leave the kids and the doughnuts at home. 

The fact that no minority officers were represented at this rally also reinforced a common criticism of police departments. A bunch of white suburban soccer moms singing "Stand by Your Man" won't do much to convince Seattle's Native and African American communities that they're not subject to disproportionate police attention based on racial grounds. 

Additional rallies are planned for other Seattle precincts in the coming weeks.

Photos via flickr:

If war is not the answer, what is?

If war is not the answer, what is? As far as I can see, the various anti-war groups that gathered at Westlake Center this afternoon to commemorate the launching of the Iraq war on 03/19/2003 don't have any concrete alternatives to offer. Today's battle cry: no U.S. involvement in Libya. While it's difficult to claim than any U.S. action can be attributed to ideologically pure motivations, especially in the Middle East, not intervening against the Gaddafi regime could result in a major humanitarian disaster. “No matter how one feels about Libya today and the role of the Gaddafi government; regardless of how one evaluates the Libyan opposition, a U.S.-led war or intervention in Libya is a disaster for the Libyan people, and for people and progress around the world” according the International Action Center. On Thursday, Gaddafi threatened to level the rebel stronghold of Bengazi with many of its residents fleeing to the Egyptian border. The refugee situation alone is likely to claim thousands of innocent lives.

U.S. isolationism seems to be the only policy these activists would support. While Gaddafi doesn’t have the resources to become another Hitler or Hirohito, he’s still powerful enough to ravage the Libyan people. If Libya turned into another Rwanda or Iraqi Turkistan, will these people still say that the international community should sit on its hands. It’s important to pick one’s battles. During the Bush administration, the U.S. undoubtedly rushed into a war in Iraq based on trumped-up intelligence and suspect intentions. Failing to come to the aid of the Libyan people would mark an equally damning lapse.

One the underlying problems of the current anti-war movement is their lack of rhetorical focus. At today’s rally, speakers connected U.S. foreign wars with union busting in Wisconsin and the impending nuclear disaster in Japan. The global financial crisis and bank reform was also invoked at one point. The arguments being that prolonged military spending is the cause for current state and federal budget deficits, which forces cuts to domestic spending, and that nuclear power was originally developed for military applications only to be turned over to cost-cutting corporations in the public sector. There’s a much more straightforward explanation for the anti-union bills currently being proposed – a resurgent republican party and it’s long-term animus towards unions. As for taking aim at the transfer of technological innovations from the public to the private sector, I’d say the public has done all right in that exchange – including a little thing called the internet. The anti-war cause would be better served by a more straightforward line of reasoning.

Pamphlets

Photos via flickr:

Timber Corruption?

A small group of protesters gathered outside the FBI regional office at Third and Spring in downtown Seattle this afternoon to promote awareness of timber corruption in Sarawak, a Malaysian state located on the island of Borneo.   

Unfamiliar with the term "timber corruption?" Me too. The term is used almost exclusively in connection with Chief Minister of Sarawak, Abdul Taib Mahmud. In short, Taib Mahmud is a Malaysian version of Hosni Mubarak – a politician who grabs political power, maintains that power through corrupt elections and nepotism, and converts national resources into personal wealth.  For the past thirty years, Taib Mahmud has used his position (he also serves as Financial Minister and Planning and Resource Management Minister) to sell logging rights in the Sarawak rain forest in exchange for kickbacks. Taib Mahmud then proceeds to relocate these assets via bank accounts and real estate investments in more industrialized nations.  The site of the protest, 1110 3rd Avenue, is one such investment -- the building is owned by shell corporation operated by Taib Mahmud’s son.

More information:

Rain Forest Robbery – How Sarawak’s Chief Minister became a Billionaire

Bruno Manser Fund

www.stop-timber-corruption.org/

News from Crazytown

Further updates from Lady Paula Merry, who appears to be getting into the newspaper business.

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