Dear Editor:
This is Part 2 of an Open Letter to Steven Fulop from Occupy Jersey City:
Investment banks, including Goldman Sachs, bundled mortgages with other loans and debts into “collateralized debt obligations” (CDOs), which they sold to investors. Rating agencies gave many CDOs “AAA” ratings. Subprime loans led to predatory lending. Many home owners were given loans they could never repay and now we are suffering globally from these crimes, housing foreclosures being just one symptom.
Goldman Sachs alone allegedly sold more than $3 billion worth of CDOs in the first half of 2006. Goldman Sachs also bet against the low-value CDOs, telling investors they were high-quality.
We understand that this financial collapse, felt globally, occurred after you left Goldman Sachs, but the foundation was being built during years prior.
Also, according to your website: “After 9/11, he opted to leave his job at a prestigious firm to enlist in the Marine Corps where he was amongst the first troops deployed to Iraq.”
While we respect the service and protection the women and men of the armed services provide to our nation, we need to clarify a point: Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11.
Even President George W. Bush himself admitted this - (BBC News - Americas: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3118262.stm ). In fact, the United States government actually was the aggressor in an illegal act of war, and we continue an occupation on a nation that not only never threatened us, but never attacked us.
Just as in our own ‘Revolutionary War’ when we were fighting back against the British invasion, and before that, as the Native American Nations were fighting back against colonial invaders, Iraq has been doing the same.
Over one million dead Iraqi people. Countless dead and wounded American and coalition soldiers.
President Obama, who has kept these brutal wars and occupations funded with our American tax-dollars and soldiers, reportedly received over $1M in donations from Goldman Sachs (through organizations and members and families).
As the 1 percent get taxpayer-funded bailouts and benefit from war, the 99 percent pay for these wars and suffer as causalities. Iraqi and Afghan people continue to die as American soldiers are forced to do two, three, four or more tours of duty.
As whistle blowers step forward, as the corruption of Goldman Sachs is exposed, and as these horrific wars continue, it would be powerful if you yourself step up and speak out publicly against the occupations, the wars and the corruption – not only of Goldman Sachs, but of most of Wall Street.
Remember, a mayor is not only representing the 1 percent but they are representing the 99 percent – the middle-class, the poor, the homeless, the almost homeless, the sick, the veterans, the unemployed, the working-class, in all of the Wards. Not just the wealthy elite.
Respectfully,
Occupy Jersey City
General Assembly
Fulop worked for Goldman. he went to Iraq to help allow to kill iraq people!
this is mayor we want? i say NO!
The people are aware political people go to the military to look good and get to claim they fought in wars. Steve fulop has done just that. He went in for 6 months in a simple position. Decided he had enough and the risk was too high while others do not get that benefit of leaving after such a short time. You have people going for 3-4 tours with no choice on the matter. While Fulop gets to leave whenever he wishes? Other peoples kids are dying while he gets to claim he is a great war vet. I see no honor in that.
Reading the occupy open letter again i fail to see any Islamic slant. This reminds me of the witch hunt days where people make up situations to get people burned. Also I'm not sure why you would think occupy may have anything to do with obama. It makes no sense for peaceful protesters to like a person that does not stop the police from beating them. I've seen them myself protest republicans and democrats because they both takes bribes from corp/banks. They even fight unconstitutional laws Obama(and others of both party) keeps passing. They even protest the white house. As for George Soros, if occupy was being funded by them that would be known every where as people investigate them. They would not be living in the streets and would be well dressed. They would have well made signs and look just like the tea party. People do not fall for political lies any more. Jersey city does not want another bloomberg and will reaction accordingly if Steve Fulop does not denounce Goldman Sachs in public. Otherwise his past position with them will reflect what kind of person he is. If he wants to back Goldman Sachs and gets elected. He can start by paying our share of the 15 trillion in debt his position and others has placed on the tax payer to pay instead of them. Goldman sachs? Pay the bailouts or go to jail. Simple as that.
I'm not here to defend Fulop who was an employee like the tens of thousands of others that have and continue to work on Wall Street and never one of the decision makers that led us down this dark road we are on now. I sympathized greatly with Occupy Wall Street movement and many of us both on and off wall street were there at Zuccoti park even with infants in tow.
I am now really sad to find out that right here in Jersey City where Occupy JC could do so much good that their time is spent either being wholly political or complete misguided. Your attack is judgmental and based upon assumptions about one individual, so much so that you cannot see the forest for the trees. This is incredibly sad and disappointing.
I will continue to fight in Jersey City for civil liberties and quality of life as I have for the past 6 years with the only help coming from Councilman Fulop who isn't even my Councilperson.
I will be among the other community leaders that have been doing so for decades, fighting hard for the elderly, the poor, and for families struggling.
I watched the council in the past with such arrogance and transparency rob people of their quality of life to serve their own self interest and I saw very few come forward. I'm sorry to see that these letters are written by the General assembly of Occupy JC and they remain nameless. I'm sorry that the most important thing for this group is a political attack. Most of all though, I am greatly saddened that this group is not working with the rest of the community to make a better community.
I refuse to be baited by a red herring and I think that your audience is much more savvy than you realize as we all know how undemocratic and counter productive your "guilt by association" argument is.
A group of worthy and honest citizens needs to "occupy" your Occupy Jersey City.
Althea Bernheim (resident and community leader in Journal Square)
i go to occupy in jersey city many time.
i never see you there--or hear u name. NEVER!
u NEVER go to meeting - especially at beginning. u are a liar!
u say ur not here to support fulop and then you support him later on in letter.
be careful of all fulop supporters. they are only for money.
you mention "I watched the council in the past with such arrogance and transparency rob people of their quality of life to serve their own self interest and I saw very few come forward" I'm sure occupy jersey city wants to avoid this that you clearly observed from the council Fulop is a part of. These are the same tactics Goldman sachs use on the people. You should be standing with Occupy Jersey City ,but it appears you have a moral battle ahead of you. Do you finally come forward and let the people know of the corruption and side with the people OR do you stay idly by and remain silent with no care of the corruption you observed and let steve fulop and other council members get away with it. Where do you stand? I hope your choice is clear. G'night
You want to talk about who should or should not be mayor, I will say this.
Steve Fulop SHOULD be mayor of this city and will make a fantastic one. He is ready to help each and every resident of this city, and has been doing so, for a long time now.
As for who did or did not cause 9/11, you can believe whom you choose. Does sound as you have an Radical Islamic slant to your writings though.
Tell me something, does George Soros or Obama pay your bills for all of these Occupy events? Inquiring minds want to know the truth.