Wake Up, Ignorati

The fallacy in Duclo Haymaker's reasoning is actually hidden in his letter ("Money Talks," Nov. 2) when he states "our political system, which is the entity that controls our banking and economic systems." He has it completely backwards! The truth is that the private central banks like the Fed (in collusion with the majority of Fortune 500 corporations on whose boards they sit) own government and control the economy. This is a fundamental principle at the root of the Occupy movement. His well-directed complaint about campaign finance addresses an overt manifestation of this very principle. Overpopulation, however, is an overrated issue. It is the self-serving politics and greed of big money that prevent all 7 billion of us from eating everyday and living peaceful, productive lives.

David Weinstock's observation that no one is holding up a "Register and Vote" sign ("Rock the Vote," Nov. 2) overlooks another fundamental principle of the Occupy movement: Our vote no longer changes things in a government that no longer represents us. As a government that only serves the aforementioned banks and corporate interests, America has become a true plutocracy. Our only recourse is to take action outside of the limits it imposes on us—new rules!

The Occupy phenomenon cannot be stopped any more than the internet can be shut down. It is already resonating worldwide. Its truly collective and decentralized nature represents the way things will be done in the future. Big money desperately clings to a dying model and will fall one way or another.

The grievances both of the Tea Party and the Occupy movement, as well as the global 99 percent, can ultimately be traced to the same source—control of our money supply by private interests, i.e. central banks. The tactics of big money are ages old and succinctly documented in Andrew Hitchcock's online timeline "The History of the Money Changers." Google "private central bank" or "money changers" to school yourself and your friends. If the Tea Party people, as well the ignorati who are unable to see or refuse to acknowledge the faux in Fox News, would wake up and realize they are slitting their own throats in serving as Big Money's minions, we could all join together and collectively turn the tide for real against a common foe of liberty and justice for all.

Malcolm Clark

Occidental

Bank on It

On Nov. 5, Sonoma County residents converged in league with over 1,000 cities nationwide in "Move Your Money" rallies. In just the last month, hundreds of thousands of American citizens have moved their money out of the "too big to fail" corporate banks to locally based community banks and credit unions. These same 'Big Four' corporate banks, you will recall, got the sweetheart deal of the century: their bad bets paid off with 100 cents on the dollar and a get-out-of–jail free card. Their CEOs and senior staff have shown not a shred of social conscience over continuing to shower themselves with outlandish pay packages. They haven't missed a beat when millions are losing their homes and entire neighborhoods are being destabilized, scattered and demoralized by chronic joblessness and consequent poverty. They refuse to take even the tiniest 'haircut,' while demanding payment in full for houses now worth half the paper price on the note. This after we made them whole in the great bailout. No wonder folks are riled up. The one simple act of moving your money is a concrete statement that we as a free people can make. Put your money where your beliefs are and invest in locally owned banks and credit unions who have a stake in our community and whose fortunes are aligned with our own. Make the move and feel the power of acting on your convictions.

Ben Boyce

Sonoma

Dept. of Murakami

Imagine our surprise when we bought Haruki Murakami's 1Q84 and noticed, right there on the first page, two, count 'em two, typos. Well, hell, if one of the most anticipated books of the year can get things wrong, so can we. To wit: In our Oct. 12 Best Of handbook, Jeffrey Seligson is identified with Better Homes & Gardens Real Estate; the proper company name is Wine Country Group Realtors. Additionally, in an Oct. 26 preview of Forchetta / Bastoni, we named a former restaurant in the Sebastopol location as Ruby's, when everyone knows it was called Lucy's Cafe! That's two errors, then. Can we get a book deal?

The Ed.

Listening to Jazz and Eating Spaghetti

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