Sorry...trying to fit in with the Occupoopers and yourself.

Ah, the 'I know you are, but what am I' comeback. Brilliant, if you are 4.

On Friday, the law firm of Steven J. Baum threw a Halloween party. The firm, which is located near Buffalo, is what is commonly referred to as a “foreclosure mill” firm, meaning it represents banks and mortgage servicers as they attempt to foreclose on homeowners and evict them from their homes. Steven J. Baum is, in fact, the largest such firm in New York; it represents virtually all the giant mortgage lenders, including Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America and Wells Fargo.

The party is the firm’s big annual bash. Employees wear Halloween costumes to the office, where they party until around noon, and then return to work, still in costume. I can’t tell you how people dressed for this year’s party, but I can tell you about last year’s.

That’s because a former employee of Steven J. Baum recently sent me snapshots of last year’s party. In an e-mail, she said that she wanted me to see them because they showed an appalling lack of compassion toward the homeowners — invariably poor and down on their luck — that the Baum firm had brought foreclosure proceedings against.

When we spoke later, she added that the snapshots are an accurate representation of the firm’s mind-set. “There is this really cavalier attitude,” she said. “It doesn’t matter that people are going to lose their homes.” Nor does the firm try to help people get mortgage modifications; the pressure, always, is to foreclose. I told her I wanted to post the photos on The Times’s Web site so that readers could see them. She agreed, but asked to remain anonymous because she said she fears retaliation.

Let me describe a few of the photos. In one, two Baum employees are dressed like homeless people. One is holding a bottle of liquor. The other has a sign around her neck that reads: “3rd party squatter. I lost my home and I was never served.” My source said that “I was never served” is meant to mock “the typical excuse” of the homeowner trying to evade a foreclosure proceeding.

A second picture shows a coffin with a picture of a woman whose eyes have been cut out. A sign on the coffin reads: “Rest in Peace. Crazy Susie.” The reference is to Susan Chana Lask, a lawyer who had filed a class-action suit against Steven J. Baum — and had posted a YouTube video denouncing the firm’s foreclosure practices. “She was a thorn in their side,” said my source.

A third photograph shows a corner of Baum’s office decorated to look like a row of foreclosed homes. Another shows a sign that reads, “Baum Estates” — needless to say, it’s also full of foreclosed houses. Most of the other pictures show either mock homeless camps or mock foreclosure signs — or both. My source told me that not every Baum department used the party to make fun of the troubled homeowners they made their living suing. But some clearly did. The adjective she’d used when she sent them to me — “appalling” — struck me as exactly right.

These pictures are hardly the first piece of evidence that the Baum firm treats homeowners shabbily — or that it uses dubious legal practices to do so. It is under investigation by the New York attorney general, Eric Schneiderman. It recently agreed to pay $2 million to resolve an investigation by the Department of Justice into whether the firm had “filed misleading pleadings, affidavits, and mortgage assignments in the state and federal courts in New York.” (In the press release announcing the settlement, Baum acknowledged only that “it occasionally made inadvertent errors.”)

MFY Legal Services, which defends homeowners, and Harwood Feffer, a large class-action firm, have filed a class-action suit claiming that Steven J. Baum has consistently failed to file certain papers that are necessary to allow for a state-mandated settlement conference that can lead to a modification. Judge Arthur Schack of the State Supreme Court in Brooklyn once described Baum’s foreclosure filings as “operating in a parallel mortgage universe, unrelated to the real universe.” (My source told me that one Baum employee dressed up as Judge Schack at a previous Halloween party.)

I saw the firm operate up close when I wrote several columns about Lilla Roberts, a 73-year-old homeowner who had spent three years in foreclosure hell. Although she had a steady income and was a good candidate for a modification, the Baum firm treated her mercilessly.

When I called a press spokesman for Steven J. Baum to ask about the photographs, he sent me a statement a few hours later. “It has been suggested that some employees dress in ... attire that mocks or attempts to belittle the plight of those who have lost their homes,” the statement read. “Nothing could be further from the truth.” It described this column as “another attempt by The New York Times to attack our firm and our work.”

I encourage you to look at the photographs with this column on the Web. Then judge for yourself the veracity of Steven J. Baum’s denial.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/29/opinion/what-the-costumes-reveal.html?_r=4 

Who are the OWS'rs?

http://www.fordham.edu/images/academics/graduate_schools/gsas/elections_and_campaign_/occupy%20wall%20street%20survey%20results%20102611.pdf 

Well at least they have a sense of humor.

I wonder if Occupy Wall Street has a sense of humor. God is sending them a snowstorm.

Wait – if it is an insult to say that someones head is filled with knowledge, is it a compliment to say they are stupid?



I don't think snowwolf likes me . . . . .

poor Brewha.... 😞

Occupy Atlanta to occupy Peachtree-Pine homeless shelter

By Jeremiah McWilliams - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

After a search for a home that has sent them from Woodruff Park to the Martin Luther King Jr. Historic Site, members of Occupy Atlanta say they've found a new place to stay: the homeless shelter at Peachtree and Pine streets.

The space is currently used by the Metro Atlanta Task Force for the Homeless, which owes the city more than $147,000 in unpaid water and sewer bills and has been threatened with eviction.

The fourth floor of the shelter was unused until recently, said Sara Amis, a spokeswoman for Occupy Atlanta. On Saturday night, several dozen occupiers stayed on that floor. Now, more could move in, she said.

"It's a little rough but we've been cleaning it and getting it ready," she said Sunday. "Our primary goal is to have somewhere for people to sleep."

That sucks for the people already in the homeless shelter.

The 99%: Official list of Occupy Wall Street’s supporters, sponsors and sympathizers
October 31, 2011 - 10:48 am - by Zombie

The Occupy Wall Street movement has received so much media coverage in recent weeks that it’s nearly impossible to keep abreast of all the developments. So many endorsements and criticisms coming from all directions enter the news cycle in such rapid succession that even the most dedicated news junkies may have missed out on many of the pronouncements. Supporters and detractors of OWS both might find it useful to have a handy all-inclusive list of who has endorsed or embraced the protest.

To satisfy that demand, we hereby present a list of groups, organizations, individuals and entities that have expressed their support for, sponsorship of, or sympathy for the Occupy Wall Street movement.

Note: All entries on this list are real and verified. Below each entry you will find a series of source links documenting the support for OWS. We have striven in almost all cases to reference either first-hand statements by the groups or individuals themselves, hosted on their own Web sites; or videos of the people in question voicing their support for OWS at various Occupations; or news reports from reliable mainstream networks; or articles by publications or organizations sympathetic to the Occupy movement; or indisputable evidence, whatever the source. As a result, it cannot be claimed that these statements of support were made up or distorted by detractors of the Occupy movement.

As each new controversial endorsement has appeared over the last month, OWS supporters have dismissed them one by one as “isolated examples” that don’t reflect any overall trend toward extremism. But when viewed in aggregate like this, it becomes much more difficult to dismiss any individual endorsement as an aberration; instead, an undeniable pattern emerges.

This list is obviously incomplete; we hope to update it over the upcoming days and weeks.

If you think we’ve left out any well-known endorsers for which there is solid evidence, then please post suggestions and evidentiary links in the comments section; but please try to supply links that will stand up to any potential claims of misrepresentation.

If you disagree with the inclusion of any of the entries on this list, please post your reasoning and any contravening source links in the comments section, and we will take the evidence into account when updating the list.

Members of the media, bloggers, activists, OWS supporters and detractors as well are all free to repost this list, in whole or in part, without any restrictions. Do note, however, that it may be updated over time, so make sure to get the latest version.

And without further ado, here is…

The 99%: Official list of Occupy Wall Street’s supporters, sponsors and sympathizers


Communist Party USA
Sources:
Communist Party USA, OWS speech, The Daily Caller


American Nazi Party
Sources:
Media Matters, American Nazi Party, White Honor, Sunshine State News


Ayatollah Khamenei, Supreme Leader of Iran
Sources:
The Guardian, Tehran Times, CBS News


Barack Obama
Sources:
ABC News, CBS News, ForexTV, NBC New York


The government of North Korea
Sources:
Korean Central News Agency (North Korean state-controlled news outlet), The Marxist-Leninist, Wall Street Journal, Times of India


Louis Farrakhan, Nation of Islam
Sources:
video statement (starting at 8:28), Black in America, Weasel Zippers, Philadelphia Weekly


Revolutionary Communist Party
Sources:
Revolutionary Communist Party, Revolution newspaper, in-person appearance


David Duke
Sources:
Talking Points Memo, video statement, davidduke.com


Joe Biden
Sources:
Talking Points Memo, video statement, Mother Jones


Hugo Chavez
Sources:
Mother Jones, Reuters, Examiner.com


Revolutionary Guards of Iran
Sources:
Associated Press, FARS News Agency, UPI


Black Panthers (original)
Sources:
in-person appearance, Occupy Oakland, Oakland Tribune


Socialist Party USA
Sources:
Socialist Party USA, IndyMedia, The Daily Caller


US Border Guard
Sources:
White Reference, www.usborderguard.com, Gateway Pundit, Just Another Day blog


Industrial Workers of the World
Sources:
IWW web site, iww.org, in-person appearances


CAIR
Sources:
in-person appearance, Washington Post, CAIR, CAIR New York


Nancy Pelosi
Sources:
Talking Points Memo, video statement, ABC News, The Weekly Standard


Communist Party of China
Sources:
People’s Daily (Communist Party organ), Reuters, chinataiwan.org, The Telegraph


Hezbollah
Sources:
almoqawama.org, almoqawama.org (2), almoqawama.org (3), wikipedia


9/11Truth.org
Sources:
911truth.org (1), 911truth.org (2), 911truth.org (3)


International Bolshevik Tendency
Sources:
bolshevik.org, Wire Magazine


Anonymous
Sources:
Adbusters, The Guardian, video statement


White Revolution
Source:
whiterevolution.com


International Socialist Organization
Sources:
Socialist Worker, socialistworker.org, in-person appearance


PressTV (Iranian government outlet)
Sources:
PressTV, wikipedia


Marxist Student Union
Sources:
Marxist Student Union, Big Government, marxiststudentunion.blogspot.com


Freedom Road Socialist Organization
Sources:
FightBack News, fightbacknews.org


ANSWER
Sources:
ANSWER press release, ANSWER web site, Xinhua


Party for Socialism and Liberation
Sources:
Liberation News (1), pslweb.org, The Daily Free Press, Liberation News (2)


http://pjmedia.com/zombie/2011/10/31/the-99-official-list-of-ows/ 



Be sure to go to the site to click on the hotlinks for the articles mentioned.






You say you want a revolution
Well you know
We'd all want to change the world
You tell me that it's evolution
Well you know
We'd all want to change the world
But when you talk about destruction
Don't you know that you can count me out
Don't you know it's gonna be alright

You say you got a real solution
Well you know
We'd all want to see the plan
You ask me for a contribution
Well you know
We're all doing what we can
But if you want money for people with minds that hate
All I can tell you is brother you'll have to wait
Don't you know it's gonna be alright

You say you'll change the constitution
Well you know
We'd all love to change your head
You tell me it's the institution
Well you know
You better free your mind instead
But if you go carrying pictures of Chairman Mao
You ain't going to make it with anyone anyhow
Don't you know know it's gonna be alright
Alright

I don't know. I'd probably have no problem smoking a cigar and drinking a beer with you. 🍺

Osama Bin Laden: I actually didn't like him. But I don't think he posted here much after 9/11.

Post # 531:

Well there you have it. A regular slice-O-life from main street America.

I take back all the criticism.







Naaaah. Just kiddin'. They're still commie socialist anarchist as*holes.

[frypan]

Rodger that - but it would have to be a beer and a shot. I like my beer, but I love my spirits . . . . 👍

JD Single Barrel works just fine for me.

Bourbon - or more properly Tennessee sour mash whiskey. Old number 7 is a fine make in all of its varieties. Wow, when I think of all the times I forgot drinking bourbon – well, never mind.

Scotches and Tequilas for me – though not in the same hour. Unless its daylight savings time. Or around the holidays.

Funny thing about that – in all my long years of drinking, drinking to excess and even drinking more than a man should, I never got sick.
Except for a few times when I already had a bunch of puke in my belly – which can roughen a fine bit of spirits . . . .

I left the "drinking to excess" behind somewhere right after college. That whole sick of being sick and losing the entire next day to a hangover thing didn't appeal anymore.

But I like good wine. I like good whiskey. I like a Goose-N-Tonic. And I do like Patron Silver.

I guess it's just age coming on me. I'm still more partial to a great cup of coffee with a good cigar.

It's all good. Looking at 50, I never lost my love of a good snort of booze. But everyone is different – and drinking is not the measure of a man. My beast friend of 35 years never was a drinker – but he always has been a party animal.

Might be a character weakness, but I love my spirits. Of course, some say I have a bit too much character . . . .

ACORN Officials Scramble, Firing Workers and Shredding Documents, After Exposed as Players Behind Occupy Wall Street Protests - By Jana Winter

Nov. 1, 2011: Jonathan Westin, organizing director, New York Communities for Change, attends a protest in New York City.

Officials with the revamped ACORN office in New York -- operating as New York Communities for Change -- have fired staff, shredded reams of documents and told workers to blame disgruntled ex-employees for leaking information in an effort to explain away a FoxNews.com report last week on the group’s involvement in Occupy Wall Street protests, according to sources.

NYCC also is installing surveillance cameras and recording devices at its Brooklyn offices, removing or packing away supplies bearing the name ACORN and handing out photos of Fox News staff with a stern warning not to talk to the media, the sources said.

“They’re doing serious damage control right now,” said an NYCC source.

NYCC Executive Director Jon Kest has been calling a series of emergency meetings to discuss last week’s report—and taking extreme measures to identify the sources in their office and to prevent further damage, a source within NYCC told FoxNews.com.

Two staffers were fired after NYCC officials suspected them as the source of the leaks, a source told FoxNews.com. “One was fired the day the story came out, the other was fired on Friday. (NYCC senior staff) told everyone that they were fired because they talked to you,” a source said.

NYCC spokesman Scott Levenson denied that anyone was fired for talking to the press.

FoxNews.com’s report identified NYCC as a key organizing force behind the Occupy Wall Street protests. Sources within the group also told FoxNews.com NYCC was hiring people to carry signs and join the protests. NYCC -- a nonprofit organization run almost entirely by former ACORN officials and employees --did not reply for comment prior to the publication of the initial article, but later posted a statement on its website dismissing the article and denying that it pays protesters.

A source said that immediately following publication of the FoxNews.com report staff were called into the Brooklyn office for meetings headed by NYCC’s organizing director, Jonathan Westin. Westin handed out copies of the article and went through it line-by-line, the source said.

Staffers were also given copies of photos of Senior Fox News Correspondent Eric Shawn and three other Fox News staff members, including this reporter.

“They reminded us that we can get fired, sued, arrested for talking to the press,” the source said. “Then they went through the article point-by-point and said that the allegation that we pay people to protest isn’t true.”

“‘That’s the story that we’re sticking to,’” Westin said, according to the source.

The source said staffers at the meeting contested Westin’s denial:

“It was pretty funny. Jonathan told staff they don’t pay for protesters, but the people in the meeting who work there objected and said, ‘Wait, you pay us to go to the protests every day?’ Then Jonathan said ‘No, but that’s your job,’ and staffers were like, ‘Yeah, our job is to protest,’ and Westin said, ‘No your job is to fight for economic and social justice. We just send you to protest.’

“Staff said, ‘Yes, you pay us to carry signs.’ Then Jonathan says, ‘That’s your job.’ It went on like that back and forth for a while.”

During the meetings, NYCC Deputy Director Greg Basta provided Westin with the copied photos of Fox News reporters to hand out to staff members, the source said. Basta told staffers they might be asked about the article when out in communities working on campaigns or when calling people by phone, the source said.

“They told us if people bring up the article, we’re supposed to say the source and all the stuff in there came from a disgruntled ex-employee who’s not working with us anymore.”

NYCC is also monitoring its staff’s behavior, cracking down on phone use and socialization. Officials have ordered all papers -- even scraps -- to be shredded every night, the source said.

“And all the supplies—everything around the office that said ‘ACORN’ -- is now all in storage until this blows over,” the source said. “People literally have to cover up the cameras on the back of their cellphones in the office.”
“Now there’s no texting in the office, no phone calls in the office. They tell us to take our phone calls out into the waiting room where there’s an intercom, and then they turn on the intercom to hear our conversations. They’re installing new cameras and speakers around the building so they can hear everything.

“It’s almost like working at Fort Knox.”

NYCC officials declined repeated requests to respond to specific questions about the organization’s response to last week’s story. The group on Wednesday instead sent this statement, attributed to NYCC board member Jean Sassine:

"New York Communities for Change participates in protests, direct action, social activism and campaigns that promote social and economic justice. We see FOX as the enemy to those efforts. For the record, this is consistent with Fox attacks on Van Jones, Shirley Sherrod, George Soros, Citizen Action, Planned Parenthood and all those who stand for social justice. Once again, FOX entertainment poses as FOX News. Once again, FOX makes a series of false, unsubstantiated claims and accusations which have no basis in fact. Once again, through a series of sources FOX structures a story which is nothing but a series of lies."

Westin did respond to some questions a day earlier, when approached by FoxNews.com at an NYCC event in Manhattan.

When asked if a staff member was fired because people thought he’d talked to the press, Westin said, “I have no idea.” When asked about handing out photos of Fox News employees, he said, “I have been? No, I don’t think I have been. That wasn’t me.”

Westin did acknowledge NYCC staff have met to discuss last week’s report. “People talked about it,” he said. “People are interested.”

He also deflected a question about the allegation that staffers were being told to blame the report on disgruntled staffers, telling this reporter to contact him later via email.

Responding to reports of pushback from staffers who said they were being paid to go to the protests, and reports NYCC had recently hired people as canvassers or organizers and then sent them to the protests, Westin replied repeatedly “We don’t pay people to protest.”

Westin later did not reply to two emails asking for follow-up.


http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/11/03/acorn-officials-scramble-firing-workers-and-shredding-documents-after-exposed/#ixzz1ck2BngRG 

Just great....now unemployment will rise again.