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Featured Column: Commentary - Jun 13, 2006
- The Lords of Gaylordia
by Mark Faulk
I have a confession to make: While I write commentary after commentary about the demise of the not-so-free world, about how the “one-percent” are robbing the other 99% blind and leaving the carcass of America to rot in the streets and gutters, I earn my living off of the ultra-rich. Every day, I climb into my eight year-old car, leave my little middle-class neighborhood, and drive north to Shangrila. The particular Shangrila that my company spends most of its time working in is called Gaillardia, a walled, gated community of multi-million dollar homes surrounded by a lush golf course and a country club even more palatial than the grandiose homes that surround it. There’s a lake that meanders through the neighborhood too, ironically, a lake that I used to fish in as a child, way back when this was nothing more than a pasture with a few cows and a nice fishing pond in the middle. Way back when I lived in poverty, before I worked my way to the top…..okay, not the top, not even the middle. More like the layer just below the middle, but definitely not anywhere near what could conceivably be called the “lower class.” I’m one of the lucky ones.
So I get into my car, drive up to the gates of Gaillardia, or as we affectionately call it, “Gaylordia.” This phrase is generally preceded with, in an appropriately booming Godlike voice, “I AM THE LORD OF GAYLORDIA!!” Gaillardia, which is owned and developed by the Gaylord family (hence “Gaylordia,” get it?) of Oklahoma Publishing Co. and Gaylord Entertainment Co. fame, that bastion of right-wing capitalist greed that owns everything from newspapers and television stations to the Grand Old Opry and half of Nashville, and Lord knows how many other corporate chunks of America. (Note: They descended on Nashville because they already own Oklahoma City lock, stock, and gated community. Must be rough.)
I check in with the minority population of Gaillardia, who can be easily spotted because they are either guarding the entrances to the community from unauthorized access by “commoners,” or they are busy mowing, pruning, and planting the exotic plant life that line the streets and fairways of this private utopia. And to make it even easier to keep track of the minorities in Gaillardia, they are further segregated by race – all employees of African... more
Featured Column:
Recently, I took an informal survey of my friends and my students. I asked them to identify which two people they felt had been the most influential figures in shaping the direction of American society in the 20th century. The answers ranged from the thoughtful and profound to the shallow and superficial. The most common answer, and one that showed great insight into the mind of 21st century America, was Henry Ford. Other truly insightful answers included Franklin Roosevelt and Thomas Edison. At the level of ridiculous I would count Princess Diana and Brad Pitt. This was, of course, a difficult question – to consider the entire force and drama of such a seismic century, and then pick out only 2 people who had been the most influential in shaping it. Predictably, not one person I asked selected the two names that I feel stand out from all the others... more
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Featured Column:
A few months ago, somewhere around the time that the NASAA held their forum on naked short selling in November of last year, and shortly after Patrick Byrne wandered unwittingly into the cause and became our eloquent mouthpiece on the big stage, advocates of stock market reform began discussing the issue of “critical mass.” We described this phenomenon in an article in February of this year, called The Circle of Greed: A Voice in the Wilderness: |
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Read this article by Robert Kennedy Jr. about voting fraud in the 2004 Presidential election. It's a shocking indictment of our political system: Was the 2004 Election Stolen? Here's the link to download the most recent CFRN.net radio shows (live every Friday at 9:30 AM EST) with Mark Faulk and Debi Kionte: http://www.streetiq.com/dir/CFRN.shtml THIS IS BRILLIANT. WATCH IT NOW!!! Patrick Byrne/Jeff Matthews CNBC Market Shuffle |
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Global Warning - Jun 11, 2006 Sate of the Union by Robin Buckallew Americans, although only 5% of the world’s population, manage to consume over 25% of the world’s goods. Vast stretches of rainforest fall hourly to make way for the production of goods for the American market. Thousands of young Chinese women and... more |
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Investing 101 - Jun 9, 2006 The Circle of Greed: "Let us Prey" by Mark Faulk Critical mass. Balance tipped. The negative forces have gone too far. Every week, new progress is made in this crusade to save our country from financial ruin. As I said in February, this is our national shame... more |
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This guy walks into a bar and says... - Jun 1, 2006 Never Touch a Black Woman's Hair! (Gray Like Me: Part 5) by Ken Shade NEVER TOUCH A BLACK WOMAN'S HAIR! Just don't! Don't get it wet. Don't breathe on it. Don't make suggestions about it. Don't try to buy hair care products for her. Don't complain about the amount of time she spends on it. Don't get involved in any... more |
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Commentary - Jun 13, 2006 The Lords of Gaylordia by Mark Faulk I see the greed firsthand on a daily basis. Sometimes it overwhelms me, other times it angers me so much that I want to climb onto one of the five balconies overlooking the golf course and shout to the one-percent below: “What the hell is wrong... more |
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Blogfest 2005 - Jun 5, 2006 Confessions of Part Time Hit Man by Mark Faulk After a bit of internal debate, I call 911, and relay my story to the equally stunned police officer on the other end of the line. He responds with "that's just weird," takes my statement, and promises to contact me if anything comes of it. I can... more |