That's Capitalism

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Bank Robbers and Robbing Bankers

Allied Irish Bank has posted a 40% increase in profits, up to a record e1.42 billion, for last year. At the same time they announced that had paid back e14.5 million of the e25.6 million due to customers who were deliberately overcharged for foreign currency transactions. We don't know how much other scams are costing customers but we do know that no senior manager (i.e. those who give the orders) has been before the courts.

Brazen Wolves, Obedient Sheep

Although at this stage we shouldn't be surprised at the U.S. government's hypocrisy, it is hard to believe that they had the gall to criticise Syria for its military presence in Lebanon at the same time as they are responsible for the disastrous occupation of Iraq. The many TV and radio interviewers who allowed such hypocrisy to go unchallenged seemed unaware of any similarities between Syria's control of Lebanon and Israel's harsher control of the West Bank or the American occupation of Iraq. The extent to which these otherwise intelligent people can internalise the values of their own political leadership constantly amazes.