Crime There, Business As Usual Here…
France’s Former President Sarkozy Taken Into Custody:
02 July 14
Just two years after losing the presidency in an election, former French leader Nicolas Sarkozy turned himself in to police for an inquiry into a cover-up of suspected illegal campaign fundraising. Sarkozy, 59, is France’s first former president to be taken into custody.
After 16 hours of continuous interrogation by the police, Sarkozy was put in formal “examination” by instruction judges at 2 am (on three counts). That means, translated in American semantics, that he is indicted.
Sarkozy is being questioned over his possible interference during a probe of possible illegal financing for his 2007 campaign from France’s richest woman, L’Oreal heiress Liliane Bettencourt. The case centers around whether Sarkozy and his lawyer were kept informed illegally on the investigation by a friendly magistrate — who was in return promised a prominent position in Monaco.
The sums involved, at most a few million Euros, are tiny by the standards of the USA. Some were used to organize large, USA style political rallies, with lots of flags waved.
In the USA, there is basically no such a thing as illegal financing: once respected some purely formal barriers, the world’s richest people can finance their chosen candidates with unlimited funds. Astutely, they finance both sides, “democratic” and “republican”, of the same thing that is everything.
Under Obama, that system became industrial, for all to see. Obama, or his wife, fly to the San Francisco Bay Area, all the time. For a bit more than 30,000 thousand dollars, one can have breakfast with them. As that’s more than half the family income in the USA, the price of the visit keeps the commons away.
Lunch, dinner and personal interviews are reserved to multibillionaires.
Why it has to happen so often means probably that the president is getting instructed about what to do next by the world’s richest people. (What else? More elaborated plots? Sex a la Clinton?)
In the French republic, spending for presidential elections is state financed, and limited to a few dozen million Euros. TV is requested by law to show candidates on an equalitarian basis. The last presidential election in the USA cost more than 6 billion dollars (there is also a lot of hidden spending).
The indictment of Sarkozy for corruption occurs on the very week when it was revealed that Bill Clinton, all by himself, had gathered a full billion dollars… from his beloved, the plutocrats.
That very week when the giant bank BNP was condemned grievously for financing companies in Cuba (an island that is Wall Street’s, the Mafia’s, and thus the government of the USA’s nemesis).
Financing companies in Cuba is legal in Europe. After all, Cuba is not viewed as a rogue nation by the United Nations.
Blatant, massive, astronomically large financing by plutocrats for all to see is basically unlawful worldwide, except in the USA…. The world most hidden, and largest, tax-haven (but only a haven for the hyper rich, because not everybody can afford an anonymous company set-up!)
Sarkozy is charged with corruption. This is a very serious charge in France. The last time this happened to a French politician (MP-Mayor of Grenoble, Carignon), he went to jail for four long years (among other punishments).
Sarkozy declared that he had been “humiliated“. And so it is for nearly anyone who has to do with “justice”. And yes, it’s not always “just”. Far from it. And yes, there should be more safeguards against the power of the state, as “liberals” have said for 26 centuries.
But, when he had the power, Sarkozy used, and abused, it. Enjoy.
Patrice Ayme
Tags: Clinton, Corruption, French President, Fund Raising, Sarkozy
Patrice Ayme's Thoughts 
July 3, 2014 at 5:23 am |
Nice. But Blair is still running things. Why can’t we put them all in jail? It’s my understanding that Sarkozy and his accomplices were under electronic surveillance for 9 months. In the USA influence trafficking is legal. Whatever they say
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July 3, 2014 at 5:41 am |
Yes. For doing a thousand time what Sarkozy did, Obama is condemned to listen to his praises, from all “progressive” rooftops.
Meanwhile Bill Clinton sings the praises of Tony Blair, from Blair’s gigantic official office
thesuspectedclearly a mass murdering criminal (for war of aggression, and complicity for ransacking a country and destroying civil society; but tell that to the Anglo-Saxon policorrect, and they will sneer it’s anti-Americanism, or Anti-Anglo-Saxon bias).LikeLike
July 3, 2014 at 1:25 pm |
Now the American Presidents please. 😉
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July 3, 2014 at 1:27 pm |
Don’t bet on it: Americans are perfect, that’s why God is American. Quite in contrast, Americans will be relieved to observe that the French are criminals. But they knew that already.
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July 3, 2014 at 4:17 pm |
Some in the USA actually think that God wrote the Constitution!
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July 3, 2014 at 4:20 pm |
Hi Alexi! Glad to see you are alive and kicking! ! Yes, well, in a way it’s true. The Bible is the hidden constitution of the USA: promised land, chosen people, miscreants in hellfire (missiles!) I tweaked up the essay a bit, BTW… No big deal, but bit more detail and perspective…
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July 3, 2014 at 4:23 pm |
Alexi Helligar City on a hill: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_upon_a_Hill
City upon a Hill – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
en.wikipedia.org
A City upon a Hill is a phrase from the parable of Salt and Light in Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount. In Matthew 5:14, he tells his listeners, “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.” It has become popular with American politicians.
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July 3, 2014 at 4:54 pm |
The hubbub raised by Sarkozy’s supporters is incredible. Quite enjoyable in a way. But it has come to the point where you can’t turn on a TV or a radio without listening to their audacious BS.
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July 3, 2014 at 5:14 pm |
I saw a poll showing 63% of the French thought Sarkozy deserved prosecution, whereas 80% of UMP (Sarkozy’s party) thought the opposite.
Philosophically, what’s striking in all this, is that, in the USA, the entire hubbub is not understandable. The deluge of money from plutocrats to politics leaves people unmoved here. It’s true that, perhaps because of the immigration deluge in the last 30 years (plus 40 million or more), in the USA, there is no sense of community anymore, thus no threat of demonstrations. I think it’s particularly clear in NYC and even more the SF Bay Area (the one and only top tech area).
Moreover, the bet that plutocracy cares is paying of… At least in the USA. The USA unemployment rate just dipped to 6.1%… Faust is thriving.
PA
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July 3, 2014 at 9:26 pm |
And when will the entire French political elite be indicted for insanity and bringing social and economic ruination to France?
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July 3, 2014 at 9:28 pm |
Chris: Ruination, indeed. I actually think it’s the whole idea. Punish them. Sarkozy has been front and center for decades (differently from Hollande, who was on the side). He has two even more serious affairs on the horizon (the charges of Saif Al Islam, who was alive last I checked, and the Karachi/Balladur thing).
This being said, war criminal Blair is totally in power, as Bill Clinton was gloating about, just yesterday.
So the problem is that, while French republican justice does its job, in the USA plutocracy is firmly in command. That means fracking, fracking, fracking, while being financed by the global plutocracy and its agents (the F35 story being typical, with more than 400 BILLION already spent, yes, 400 billions, not millions). In South Dakota alone 50 million dollars at least of fracked gas is just FLARED (burned), every month (says the state government itself).
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July 3, 2014 at 9:28 pm |
Chris: Ruination, indeed. I actually think it’s the whole idea. Punish them. Sarkozy has been front and center for decades (differently from Hollande, who was on the side). He has two even more serious affairs on the horizon (the charges of Saif Al Islam, who was alive last I checked, and the Karachi/Balladur thing).
This being said, war criminal Blair is totally in power, as Bill Clinton was gloating about, just yesterday.
So the problem is that, while French republican justice does its job, in the USA plutocracy is firmly in command. That means fracking, fracking, fracking, while being financed by the global plutocracy and its agents (the F35 story being typical, with more than 400 BILLION already spent, yes, 400 billions, not millions). In South Dakota alone 50 million dollars at least of fracked gas is just FLARED (burned), every month (says the state government itself).
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July 3, 2014 at 9:37 pm |
The French electorate would have to stand trial as well. And it does not take kindly to that kind of threat. Remember the Brunswick manifesto? No, you wouldn’t.
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July 3, 2014 at 9:42 pm |
Hahaha… Attention, ladies and gentlemen, this is thinking central here… Let’s search for:
Patrice Ayme Brunswick Nazis
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July 3, 2014 at 9:45 pm |
Therein:
[Part Of] THE PROCLAMATION OF THE DUKE OF BRUNSWICK, July 1792.
“Their Majesties the emperor [of Austria] and the king of Prussia having entrusted to me the command of the united armies which they have collected on the frontiers of France, I desire to announce to the inhabitants of that kingdom the motives which have determined the policy of the two sovereigns and the purposes which they have in view.
After arbitrarily violating the rights of the German princes in Alsace and Lorraine, disturbing and overthrowing good order and legitimate government in the interior of the realm, committing against the sacred person of the king and his august family outrages and brutalities which continue to be renewed daily, those who have usurped the reins of government have at last completed their work…
His Majesty the king of Prussia, united with his Imperial Majesty by the bonds of a strict defensive alliance and himself a preponderant member of the Germanic body, would have felt it inexcusable to refuse to march to the help of his ally and fellow-member of the empire. . . .
To these important interests should be added another aim equally important and very close to the hearts of the two sovereigns, – namely, to put an end to the anarchy in the interior of France, to check the attacks upon the throne and the altar, to reestablish the legal power, to restore to the king the security and the liberty of which he is now deprived and to place him in a position to exercise once more the legitimate authority which belongs to him.
Convinced that the sane portion of the French nation abhors the excesses of the faction which dominates it, and that the majority of the people look forward with impatience to the time when they may declare themselves openly against the odious enterprises of their oppressors, his Majesty the emperor and his Majesty the king of Prussia call upon them and invite them to return without delay to the path of reason, justice, order, and peace. In accordance with these views, I, the undersigned, the commander in chief of the two armies, declare:
1. That, drawn into this war by irresistible circumstances, the two allied courts entertain no other aims than the welfare of France, and have no intention of enriching themselves by conquests.
2. That they do not propose to meddle in the internal government of France, and that they merely wish to deliver the king, the queen, and the royal family from their captivity, and procure for his Most Christian Majesty the necessary security to enable him, without danger or hindrance, to make such engagements as he shall see fit, and to work for the welfare of his subjects, according to his pledges.
3. That the allied armies will protect the towns and villages, and the persons and goods of those who shall submit to the king and who shall cooperate in the immediate reestablishment of order and the police power throughout France.
4. That, on the contrary, the members of the National Guard who shall fight against the troops of the two allied courts, and who shall be taken with arms in their hands, shall be treated as enemies and punished as rebels to their king and as disturbers of the public peace. . . .
7. That the inhabitants of the towns and villages who may dare to defend themselves against the troops of their Imperial and Royal Majesties and fire on them, either in the open country or through windows, doors, and openings in their houses, shall be punished immediately according to the most stringent laws of war, and their houses shall be burned or destroyed. . . .
8. The city of Paris and all its inhabitants without distinction shall be required to submit at once and without delay to the king, to place that prince in full and complete liberty, and to assure to him, as well as to the other royal personages, the inviolability and respect which the law of nature and of nations demands of subjects toward sovereigns. . .
Their said Majesties declare, on their word of honor as emperor and king, that if the chateau of the Tuileries is entered by force or attacked, if the least violence be offered to their Majesties the king, queen, and royal family, and if their safety and their liberty be not immediately assured, they will inflict an ever memorable vengeance by delivering over the CITY OF PARIS TO MILITARY EXECUTION and COMPLETE DESTRUCTION, and the rebels guilty of the said outrages to the punishment that they merit. . . .
Given at the headquarters at Coblenz, July 25, 1792.
CHARLES WILLIAM FERDINAND,
Duke of Brunswick-Luneburg.
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July 3, 2014 at 9:49 pm |
What we have right is a war on two fronts: on one side Putin, and the other Wall Street and its sbires. Even The Economist is starting to discoverer this, to its… Whatever their emotion exactly is, but it’s not pleasant.
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July 3, 2014 at 9:29 pm |
Le retour du boomerang. Justice and laws sometimes make their job. It’s only the beginning. I’m impatient to see what will happen to him
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July 3, 2014 at 9:35 pm |
Silvia: Le probleme c’est que la criminalite’ de masse est globale. W. Bush and Blair, ou meme B. Clinton sont des criminels d’une categorie autrement superieure a Sarkozy (ils sont bien au dela de Berlusconi). Donc on est dans une situation de 2 poids 2 mesures.
Les gens qui comme Chris, sont tres critiques au sujet de l’Europe, font la part belle aux criminels maximum, ceux qui sont aux commandes. Je deteste Sarkozy, et je veux qu’il aille en prison.
Cependant, ne frapper que les criminels francaise de troisieme zone, come Sarko Zero, ne fait, en fait, qu’affaiblir la France…. SAUF si on est decide’ d’aller jusqu’au bout: etendre la meme severite’ aux criminels de premiere classe. Le plutocrate Blair, qui devrait etre pendu, comme Saddam, est, en particulier, pourvu d’un poste officiel. Gifler Sarkozy, c’est bien, mais tout ce que cela fait c’est que les Anglo-Saxons disent: voyez, tous ces francais sont des criminels, les francais ne disent eux-meme!
Tous les jours aux USA on entend que les francais sont des couards qui ont tues tous les Juifs pendant la seconde guerre mondiale. La verite’ est exactement opposee. Mais les Anglo-Saxons ont reconstruits l’histoire a l’envers, et, paradoxalement, le fait que les francais ont executes 40,000 collaborateurs des Nazis en 1944-1948. est utilise’ ainsi.
Et on est dans le petrin a cause de cela en grande partie.
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July 4, 2014 at 3:41 am |
Oui tu as raison. Les anglo-saxons n’attendent que cela. Mais objectivement les anglais sont en mauvaise posture européenne..un jour Cameron est d’accord le lendemain il gifle tout le monde. L’Europe en a franchement marre des anglais qui aiment dans l’EU ce qui leur va et qui n’aiment pas ds l’EU ce qui ne leur va pas. Parce que l’EU leur va bien en terme de commerce, mais houlaaaa noooon jamais y rentrer, va de retro satana ! Je positive et quitte à en choquer plus d’un la pensée des Anglo-saxons ne me fait franchement ni chaud ni froid. Et l’UE devrait faire comme Cameron, profiter de la GB quand ça va bien et le gifler quand il exagère . Donnant donnant.
Pour le reste je comprends les 2 poids 2 mesures. Je ne suis pas convaincue que gifler Sarko mette en crise économique institutionnelle ou sociale la France. Regarde un exemple: depuis que Berlusconi a été giflé l’Italie semble renaître !
Au contraire je crois que justement condamner un homme politique corrompu achève un cycle historico-socio-politique.
Mais bref… Tu en connais davantage que moi sur la question. Et sans doute je ne vois qu’une partie de l’iceberg.
En tous cas l’attitude de Sarko est égalé en tous points à celle qu’à appliqué Berlusko :o) : prétendre une instrumentalisation de la justice et de la magistrature, sur des chaînes privées!
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July 4, 2014 at 3:42 am |
Dear Silvia: Make no mistake, comme dirait mon perroquet Obama, je pense que c’est excellent de poursuivre Sarko. Je suis pour l’envoyer en prison quelques annees. Mais faut pas s’arreter la. Faut tout poursuivre: Google, Fessebook, les fonds d’investissements corrompus Americains, etc… De l’attaque, toujours de l’attaque! Pourquoi? Parcequ’ils attaquent eux meme, en grand. Le premier objectif devrait etre Blair, parcequ’il a un poste officiel. Le poursuivre pour crime de guerre.
PA
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July 6, 2014 at 5:10 am |
Mr. Obama has no regard for Republicans and doesn’t like to be with Democrats. He likes to be with the rich and famous.
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July 6, 2014 at 5:11 am |
Unfortunately a perfect description of what I realized six years ago. I got literally depressed from it.
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July 9, 2014 at 4:32 pm |
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July 11, 2014 at 1:41 am |
Thanks Kevin! Too bad I was off the Internet for a few days! I could have sent the comment it deserved. Well, it would have been probably censored.
Roger Cohen is smart, so is Serres. However, the idea that modernity is the French problem is greatly idiotic. Still it’s partly true. However the racist angle has some merit. In the 1990s, or so, the French left actually gave up on equality and adopted tribalism… Under the politically correct angle… The latter is the master error.
OK, I’m going to try to make short essay from that, for a more thorough answer, now that my daughter is on the mend from French antibiotics, I have hopefully more time (she got an intestinal infection of indeterminate origin in California… she had food in social occasions)
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July 11, 2014 at 9:31 pm |
http://online.wsj.com/…/karl-rove-the-fundraiser-in…
Karl Rove: Obama finds time to hit up wealthy donors, but not to visit a border beset by illegal…
online.wsj.com
In The Wall Street Journal, Karl Rove writes that since taking office, President Obama has attended almost 400 events to hit up donors.
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