A Short History of Fuggers

Many people think the word 'Fugger' and its derivatives are generic terms and do not realize the word is an actual family name - a family whose descendants exist to this day, though greatly dispersed and diluted.

The Fugger family originated somewhere near Augsburg, in Swabia (southern Germany). Their first mention is in 1357 when Hans Fugger was listed on the tax register in Augsburg. His eldest son Andreas became a successful merchant and bought up land and properties. He became so rich people referred to him as 'that damned rich Fugger'.

Andreas' son Lucas came along and hung out with Emperor Frederick III who granted a coat of arms with a golden deer on it. Naturally, folks then began calling him 'that silly damned deer Fugger'. Unfortunately, Lucas was more of the playboy type and went bankrupt, thereby becoming 'that broke damned Fugger'.

Hans' younger son Jakob was more successful, and chose a lily for his coat of arms, becoming 'a Fugger of the lilies'. Jakob became very, very rich, loaning money to Roman Emperor Maximilian I and later bribing the electors to install Charles V as Emperor. Charles repaid the favor by granting the family nobility and sovereign rights over their lands, and the right to coin their own money. They became known as 'those damned money-printing Fuggers' at that point. The successors of this branch remain to this day, primarily now operating mints for the US government I believe.

In 1514, Jakob bought up part of the city of Augsburg, and founded the famous 'Fuggerei' - almshouses for the needy which are still in existence to this day. Rent was, and still is only one Rheinischer Gulden per year (.88 Euros) plus three daily prayers for the owners: the Lord's Prayer, Hail Mary and the Niciene Creed. To qualify for residence in the Fuggerei, a person must be Catholic, indigent but without debt, and have lived in Augsburg for the two previous years.

However, visitors to the the Fuggerei today must pay two euros - more than twice the residents' annual rent. It's just the way those Fuggers have always done business.

Jakob's descendants married well, some into the wealthy and royal Hapsburg banking family of Austria & Hungary - and became 'those damned banking Fuggers'. They were so rich they financed wars for kings, countries and empires. A few people who did not always appreciate the way they did business sometimes called them 'those Goddamned banking Fuggers', or often, simply just 'those Goddamned Fuggers'.

Fuggers survive to this day. Indeed, many non-Fuggers are so awed by Fuggers they will do almost anything to become Fuggers themselves. And, even though they may be named something else like 'Richard B. Cheney' or 'George H. W. Bush', they are nonetheless certifiable, and real, total Fuggers. Thus you will find manifestations of Fuggers in many, many descriptions today, including, but not limited to:

Lawyer Fuggers
Banking Fuggers
Republican Fuggers
Democratic Fuggers
Corporate Fuggers
Greedy Fuggers
Religious Fuggers
Rich Fuggers
Stupid Fuggers
Silly Fuggers
Dirty Fuggers
Mother Fuggers
Other Fuggers

And, this is the literal truth, so help me God!

Richard Nixon Was a Very Smart Man

Richard Milhouse Nixon was a very smart man. True, he did a lot of things wrongly, and illegally. But, all the same he was smart enough to realize the best way to deal with a problem was (gasp!) first to recognize it and then to deal with it!

Nixon did not deny problems, nor did he ignore them in the hopes they would somehow, mysteriously, miraculously go away, or never be noticed. Nixon was in no way a denier. No sir, Mr. Nixon saw the problems, grasped them by the horns and dealt with them. He usually did a great job of it too. I am no particular fan of Nixon's, but I have to acknowledge he solved many problems, and the world is a better place for it today.

We saw ANILCA come in on Nixon's watch along with the acts setting up the EPA - the weapon of choice for the environmentalists of today. Nixon is also responsible for rapprochement with China, arms limitations, ending the Vietnam War and a myriad other good things beneficial to our citizens and the world at large. Would be that the current Republican bozos in charge were one tenth as smart as Nixon's group.

Would that they could claim even one tiny bit of success with their policies - but alas, there is none. None, zippo, nada.

And, not a prayer either. Today's birds are simply greedy, rapacious throwbacks to the despoil and pillage Republicans of the latter part of the nineteenth century and early part of the twentieth. Yes, the same ones who bought down the Great Depression upon our country and the world. But, they are very, very good at one thing, and that is to convince their followers they are doing what's 'best for everyone' when nothing could be farther from the truth.

And, those followers are today's sheep-like defenders of the 'Global Warming Myth' and the worst administration in the history of our great nation. They are the ones who characterize anyone who disagrees as 'socialists' and much, much worse - 'eco-terrorists' for example, painting all with the same brush. But the rest of us - the other 70% - are going to set things right again, and damned soon too - or it will be too late.

Eternal words that haunt

Words can live eternally - and eternally haunt you. Just in case you have forgotten, here are few prognostications from the past which have proved a little off the mark

2/13/02 - "I believe demolishing Hussein's military power and liberating Iraq would be a cakewalk."
- Kenneth Adelman, member of the Pentagon's Defense Policy Board.

7/11/02 - "Support for Saddam, including within his military organization, will collapse after the first whiff of gunpowder."
- Richard Perle, Chairman of the Pentagon's Defense Policy Board.

7/11/02 - "Iraq is a very wealthy country. Enormous oil reserves. They can finance, largely finance the reconstruction of their own country. And I have no doubt that they will."
- Richard Perle, Chairman of the Pentagon's Defense Policy Board.

9/02 - "It is unimaginable that the United States would have to contribute hundreds of billions of dollars and highly unlikely that we would have to contribute even tens of billions of dollars."
- Kenneth Pollack, former director for Persian Gulf affairs, National Security Council

9/16/02 - "The likely economic effects [of the war in Iraq] would be relatively small... Under every plausible scenario, the negative effect will be quite small relative to the economic benefits."
- Lawrence Lindsey, White House Economic Advisor

10/4/02" - The costs of any intervention would be very small."
- Glenn Hubbard, White House economic adviser

11/15/02 - "The idea that it's going to be a long, long, long battle of some kind I think is belied by the fact of what happened in 1990. Five days or five weeks or five months, but it certainly isn't going to last any longer than that."
- Donald H. Rumsfeld, U.S. Secretary of Defense.

1/29/03 - "I will bet you the best dinner in the gaslight district of San Diego that military action will not last more than a week. Are you willing to take that wager?"
- Bill O'Reilly, radio columnist

2/7/03 - "It is unknowable how long that conflict will last. It could be six days, six weeks. I doubt six months."
- Donald H. Rumsfeld, U.S. Secretary of Defense.

2/10/03 - "It won't take weeks... Our military machine will crush Iraq in a matter of days and there's no question that it will."
- Bill O'Reilly, radio columnist

2/18/03 - "Iraq has tremendous resources that belong to the Iraqi people. And so there are a variety of means that Iraq has to be able to shoulder much of the burden for their own reconstruction."
- Ari Fleischer, White House press secretary

2/27/03 - "It's hard to conceive that it would take more forces to provide stability in post-Saddam Iraq than it would take to conduct the war itself and to secure the surrender of Saddam's security forces and his army. Hard to image."
- Paul Wolfowitz, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense, testifying before the House Budget Committee.

3/27/03 - "When it comes to reconstruction, before we turn to the American taxpayer, we will turn first to the resources of the Iraqi government and the international community."
- Donald H. Rumsfeld, U.S. Secretary of Defense

3/27/03 - "There is a lot of money to pay for this that doesn't have to be U.S. taxpayer money, and it starts with the assets of the Iraqi people. We are talking about a country that can really finance its own reconstruction and relatively soon."
- Paul Wolfowitz, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense, testifying before the Defense Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee.

4/21/03 - "The United States is committed to helping Iraq recover from the conflict, but Iraq will not require sustained aid."
- Mitchell Daniels, Director, White House Office of Management and Budget.

10/5/04 - "The allies [have contributed] $14 billion in direct aid."
- Dick Cheney, vice presidential debate with Democratic candidate John Edwards

Karl Rove's CRAPS Group

The newly formed CRAPS group sat around a table in the penthouse of a fancy Houston, Texas hotel. Karl Rove attempted to call the group to order - but not without some flack from former Attorney General John Ashcroft first.

"I should be in charge here!" Ashcroft demanded petulantly pushing Rove aside to stand at the podium.

"John, please sit down." said Senator Larry Craig of Idaho calmingly. "You've had that particular bee in your bonnet ever since that dead man beat you in that senate race. Time to let that go."





Ashcroft 'garumphed' noisily, but then went silent and sat back down.




"Praise the Lord." Rove said, his piggy little eyes glittering schemingly. "Now then. I've called this charter meeting of C.R.A.P.S. to order. And, you all know why we're here."







"Well, I'm not too damned sure about why I'm here." snorted former Representative Tom DeLay of Texas. "Hell, they have only indicted me so far. They never proved one damned thing, much less passed sentence or anything.








The words 'indicted' and 'passed sentence' seemed to set off a spasm of uncontrollable foot-tapping from Larry Craig. It got even worse when someone mentioned former Representative Randy 'Duke' Cunningham of California.





"Somebody stick a Valium under Larry's tongue, won't you?" said Rove.




"Bit too late for old Duke, eh?" sniffed former White House counsel Harriet Miers as she slipped Craig a pill.



Former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales sat at Miers' side, but said nothing as he patted his shiny, coiffed pompadour.












"Ol' Jack Abramof did that poor bastard in. He's doing hard time at Tucson right now. Looks like he's still gonna get his Congressional pension though."













"Well, of course I know WHY I'm here." sniffed ex- Representative Mark Foley of Florida rather prissily. "But, I don't know WHY I'm here if you know what I mean. All this stuff is giving me the absolute fan-tabs I tell you! Nobody worked harder in Congress than me. In fact, I stayed up many nights all night long, turning over page after page studying stuff."



"Well Mark, those aren't the kinds of studying and pages that count unless you wanted a scandal." Rove remarked.



"Well, I never!" Foley snapped.



"Oh, but yes it damned sure looks like you damned well did!" retorted Rove quickly.




Scooter Libby was next. "Well, I guess it may be a little too late for me since I've already been indicted, tried and sentenced - but I got paroled and commuted, Thank the Lord. But, I am here to offer my advice & counsel."







There was a loud 'thump' as Larry Craig fainted dead away, foot still tapping away wildly.








"Er, ah, ah, ah, ha, ha, er, up, up, ah - what day is it?" griped the venerable Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska as he awoke with the sudden noise. "Somebody better get those Goddamned internet tubes unplugged!"




"It's OK Uncle Ted." soothed Stevens' colleague and fellow Alaskan Representative Don Young. "Take another pill and go back to sleep. You ain't got no damned problems Ted! Now, I can tell you about damned problems! Yessiree! How's about me already spending over a million Goddamned bucks in 'preemptive' legal fees, just to keep my fat ass out of jail? And, I still might go, huh?"



"Snargle, snarf, ut, ut, uff, uff, ah, ah, SHIT!" answered Stevens as he nodded off again.








"By the by," interrupted Vice President Richard Cheney. "Karl, just what does the group's acronym 'CRAPS' stand for?



"Yes, I thought you'd get a kick out of that Dick." chortled a laughing Rove, his rotund little cheeks jiggling merrily in concert with his wriggling fat ass.


"It's simple really. CRAPS stands for 'Corrupt Republicans Avoiding Prosecution & Sentencing'.







"Goddamned right! I approve!" applauded Cheney.

US Department of Justice

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

I never thought I'd live to see the day my own government became the insidious, sneaky criminals they have under GW Bush. Forget George Orwell's '1984' indeed. That has nothing on GW Bush's '2008'.

Not content with the manipulation and propagandizing of the news media, the US government under the control of George W. Bush appears completely determined to REWRITE THE ACTUAL FACTS anytime they displease the powers that be - true or not. With the Bush crowd, truth is definitely not a parameter.

Certainly your might expect such a thing in a place like Red China, but the US? Under this administration? Oh my yes indeed:

WIKIPEDIA

And don't forget the folks at the US Department of Justice are the very same boys who wrote letters validating and authorizing the use of torture of prisoners. For the first time in US history I might remind you. Shameful indeed.

On the other hand, the George W. Bush administration has set MANY historic 'firsts' and all-time records - and not a single one of them to be proud of or brag about. NOT ONE.

But, at least they wrote letters to excuse themselves on the torture thing, while Saddam Hussein or Robert Mugabe didn't need to bother. But then, GW Bush likes to cover his ass.

And, of course when caught red-handed, GW's folks claim that the 'editing' , even tho' done during business hours, and from government computers was the fault of 'individuals' and not the government departments involved. This useful denial tactic is apparently very contagious and has bled over into the activities of our erstwhile allies in the 'Global War On Terror' in Great Britain, who claim their own editing on such topics was,

'not authorized'.

Oh but, of course not!

Where will it end? Who knows? But, FAIR WARNING - it's getting pretty darned late in the game already.

Mormonry and Lots of Wives

Mormonry has been much in the news of late with the raiding of the Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints (FLDS) compound near Eldorado, Texas. Being a Mormon and having lot's of young wives seems it might be a pretty good deal for a lusty guy, right? Outside the fact that sometimes ONE wife is too much for some folks, there is more than one way to look at this . . .

Just in case you are a guy, and figure it would be pretty cool to have a whole bunch of young wives, you may want to rethink that. In order for there to be a large enough supply of girls to turn into multiple wives for the lone male FLDS'ers, MOST of the young men must be, and are excommunicated and expelled from the cult at puberty: FLDS Logistics

So, not only do they not get even ONE Mormon wife, they are also damned to Hell for eternity! For once you are expelled from the Mormon church, you are guaranteed to go to eternal damnation. What kind of deal is that?

Brigham Young himself, in the words of Bernard De Voto of Ogden, Utah, "conquered the wilderness and, neighboring with the coyote, brought forth a state (Utah). And so on - - the recital is familiar. Yet he did all this without humor and without imagination - - did it with poverty-stricken realism, and above all, with an intangible smugness, a bucolic megalomania, a self-righteousness which assured him that the Lord God Jehovah, whose hinder parts Moses and Joseph Smith had seen, watched over all his business and made them sound."

In fact, generally there does not seem to be much fun in being a Mormon, most of whom regard levity as a sin against the Holy Ghost. Of Mormons in general, De Voto said, "And then, a man who can believe in the pathological god of Joseph Smith and who must worship him after the mercantile manner of Brigham Young, such a man has little understanding of beauty or refinement and no patience with them. They do not pay."

"The Man of God, Son of Thunder"

I think my favorite Mormon story is about Brigham Young's murderous emissary and enforcer, Orrin Porter Rockwell, AKA 'the Destroying Angel of Mormondom', reputed to have killed over 100 persons, mostly 'in the name of the Lord'. Rockwell once said 'I never killed anybody who didn't need killing'.

An ordained Mormon Elder, Rockwell believed - or at least publicly claimed - that his union suit underwear (fundamentalist Mormons are commanded to wear long underwear, every day of the year) 'would turn bullets' because it was blessed by Brigham Young himself.

One day, a pint-sized, but very drunk Irishman named Flannigan accosted Rockwell in the street and asked him, 'Are ye Port' Rockwell?"

When Rockwell allowed as how he was, Flannigan replied, ''Well then by God, ye are the man whose underwear will turn bullets, and I've been called by God to put it to the proof! 'Tis a revelation ye understand, so to speak according to Mormon."

Whereupon Flannigan produced a large pistol and stuck it in Rockwell's mouth, thereby immediately inducing him to begin proclaiming many and varied obscenities concerning Brigham Young's person and ancestry at Flannigan's persuasive insistence and urging. Alas, Rockwell did not seem to have the total and complete confidence in the protective underwear to actually put it to the test for the ten minutes of so of his very public ordeal. So much for the "Man of God, Son of thunder' as Rockwell was often called by other Mormons.

The Fancy Barouche

Another story which is illustrative I believe, concerns Brigham Young's fancy barouche. Ol' Brigham in his high haughtiness had a fancy carriage built back east - a 'barouche' it was called - and shipped to him in Salt Lake City. Young, regally nodding to his worshipers, loved to parade around town in this splendid equippage, marked with the carved & gilded, all-seeing Mormon eye on one side and the Beehive of Deseret on the other.

'Gentile Kate' (Mormons call Christians 'gentiles') - was a brothel owner and the Madame Supreme of Salt Lake City, whose uncompromising credo was 'Never lend money to a Mormon'. Kate ran a large and successful bordello in Salt Lake City and was well-known for her generosity to the downtrodden, often lending money (at interest) to her clients and others.

A disaffected Mormon ex-plural wife wrote a sensational autobiography accusing Young himself of running a 'percentage Hoar house' and devising a plot to trap Kate purportedly to stifle competition. This was never proven, but what is known and recorded is that Kate successfully sued Young for $150,000 and claimed his personal property to settle the debt.


A typical barouche.


After the obese Prophet Brigham Young ate himself to death, his personal effects were auctioned off. The day after Young died, Kate herself appeared haughtily rolling through the streets in old boy's barouche, sans the carvings. This of course outraged the saintly Mormons - but it certainly must have been very satisfying for Kate!

No matter who you are, you must admire this woman's chutzpah if not her orneriness.

Mormonism & me?

Me? I think I'm gonna stick with the Easter Bunny . . . .

The Republican War On People

First, let me say I am not a Democrat. Or Libertarian, or Green or whatever. I am 'unaffiliated' and always have been. In fact I am a 'conservative' person (in the true sense of the word) and have probably voted for more Republican candidates over the years than any other party, or even a combination of 'all others'.

But, no more. The Republicans of today are not the Republicans I used to know and love.

Why? Simply because it has become glaringly obvious to me the folks who call themselves 'Republicans' today are not friends of 'the people'. Instead, they are supporters of business and not one thing else - unless it be war for the benefit of business. Every time the interest of the people come in conflict with 'big business', the people lose, each and every time. Guaranteed.

The Republicans running things trip over themselves to support the lessening and defeat of regulations designed to protect PEOPLE, the environment, etc., you name it - ranging from petty to the very large. As a side note, their propaganda machine succeeds in mobilizing a large number of people in support of their depredations. The very folks who will suffer the damage.

Tragic really.

The following is a great example in graphic subterfuge (image borrowed from Scientific American September, 2007):

(Click on image to expand)

Image on the left came out in 1992 and was reasonably easy to understand.. Image on the right replaced this in 2004, and the 2005 is an enhanced version of that. (View for your self at): http://www.mypyramid.gov/

The 2005 version advocates 'more exercise', but hides what the pyramid actually consists of - unless you take the trouble to look it up for yourself - and that takes digging into the site at least two more clicks. The right hand image was developed with the 'help' of food industry lobbyists - who not surprisingly think folks should eat more - not necessarily the best thing for one's health. The 'exercise' component is apparently thrown in to help offset the ensuing damages).   This is deceit and favoritism at its most basic level.

And we are left to wonder why our young people are going through an obesity epidemic?

This is our 'benevolent' and 'people friendly' government under Bush and his legions of special interests. The health and welfare of citizens always takes a back seat to the need for making ever more dollars from them. The danger for the Neocons is that 'the people' are beginning to notice the duplicity and corporate favoritism.

And, let's don't even talk about energy costs except to say it is well worth remembering that average gasoline prices were $1.46 per gallon when our War President took office! Even after adjusting for inflation, gasoline prices at the pump are now almost $1.00 more per gallon than when our "Uniter' took his oath of office.

Am I missing something here?