Chris Hedges’ Speech in Front of Goldman Sachs Leads to Arrest

By on November 8, 2011 in News 7
Chris Hedges

Photo Courtesy of Chris Hedges

Via Nation of Change:

Chris Hedges made this statement in New York City’s Zuccotti Park on Thursday morning during the People’s Hearing on Goldman Sachs, which he chaired with Dr. Cornel West. The activist and Truthdig columnist then joined a march of several hundred protesters to the nearby corporate headquarters of Goldman Sachs, where he was arrested with 16 others.

Goldman Sachs, which received more subsidies and bailout-related funds than any other investment bank because the Federal Reserve permitted it to become a bank holding company under its “emergency situation,” has used billions in taxpayer money to enrich itself and reward its top executives. It handed its senior employees a staggering $18 billion in 2009, $16 billion in 2010 and $10 billion in 2011 in mega-bonuses. This massive transfer of wealth upwards by the Bush and Obama administrations, now estimated at $13 trillion to $14 trillion, went into the pockets of those who carried out fraud and criminal activity rather than the victims who lost their jobs, their savings and often their homes.

Goldman Sachs’ commodities index is the most heavily traded in the world. Goldman Sachs hoards rice, wheat, corn, sugar and livestock and jacks up commodity prices around the globe so that poor families can no longer afford basic staples and literally starve. Goldman Sachs is able to carry out its malfeasance at home and in global markets because it has former officials filtered throughout the government and lavishly funds compliant politicians—including Barack Obama, who received $1 million from employees at Goldman Sachs in 2008 when he ran for president …

More: Nation of Change

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  • Anonymous

    How dare that peasant speak out against his betters!  We’ll see how much he talks when the Inquisition gets here!

  • Where_is_nick_pell

    Chris Hedges is a radical Christian who believes that the NY Times is dominated by right-wing lunatics.

    Hedges also believes VIadimir Lenin (dictator responsible for 4 million deaths, including the torture-slayings of thousands of priests) was a great man.

    And the fact that Hedges also takes Cornel West seriously simply exposes Hedges for the psychotic fraud that he is.

  • guest

    and who are your heroes jackass?

  • Anonymous

    You say ‘radical christian’ as if that were deragatory- from what i understand christ the magi was also radically christian, so radical in fact, early christianity was organised in an egalitarian way, with women able to perform rituals as well as men. several of the gnostic texts explicitly define christianity as not only esoteric knowledge but societal principles that could be called anachronistic social justice. several mainstream catholic sects (i.e. jesuits and poor clares) interpret christ in this way.liberation theology is another such belief (alongside tolstoy’s christian pacificist movement) that interprets christianity radically different than what is conventional. to say nothing of quakers, shakers, and diggers.

    i have never heard hedges explicitly refer to lenin. ‘as a great man,’ and will require a citation and link.

    as well as a point by point analysis of why you disagree with professor west and a full critique of his ideological outlook.

  • Anonymous

    You say ‘radical christian’ as if that were deragatory- from what i understand christ the magi was also radically christian, so radical in fact, early christianity was organised in an egalitarian way, with women able to perform rituals as well as men. several of the gnostic texts explicitly define christianity as not only esoteric knowledge but societal principles that could be called anachronistic social justice. several mainstream catholic sects (i.e. jesuits and poor clares) interpret christ in this way.liberation theology is another such belief (alongside tolstoy’s christian pacificist movement) that interprets christianity radically different than what is conventional. to say nothing of quakers, shakers, and diggers.

    i have never heard hedges explicitly refer to lenin. ‘as a great man,’ and will require a citation and link.

    as well as a point by point analysis of why you disagree with professor west and a full critique of his ideological outlook.

  • Theone

    For Goldman Sucks…I mean Sachs.  This makes them look even more guilty of fraud. 

  • emperorreagan

    I’ve seen the Lenin accusation pop up on comments for Chris Hedges stuff before, without anyone being willing to provide support.  

    He has quoted Lenin in his books – for example, the popular “The best way to destroy the capitalist system is to debase the currency” line – but he’s also referred to Lenin in very negative ways when discussing totalitarianism.  

    The chain of reasoning that people follow in making attacks like this seems to be:

    Historical figure X made an observation.
    Commentator Y quotes historical figure X.
    Therefore, commentator Y thinks historical figure X was a great person.

    And by the way – historical figure X also raped kittens, so commentator Y thinks that was cool too.