by Nicole Powers

Though half a world away, the plight of a coastal community 10 miles north of Aberdeen is resonating with many Americans. Their peaceful existence and the sanctity of their environment was literally and metaphorically bulldozed when Donald Trump decided to build a world class championship golf course and resort on the world class pristine dunes of the Menie Estate in Scotland.

The area was of such environmental and scientific significance that it was deemed worthy of a hard to come by Site of Special Scientific Interest designation that was supposed to protect if for generations to come. However, Trump’s power, money – and false promises of investment and jobs – persuaded the Scottish government, in an unprecedented move, to break their own laws and allow construction on the site.

“When I saw this piece of land I was overwhelmed by the imposing dunes and rugged Aberdeenshire coastline. I knew that this was the perfect site for Trump International – Scotland,” writes Trump in an open letter posted on the homepage of the website for the golf course. He continues, “I have never seen such an unspoiled and dramatic sea side landscape and the location makes it perfect for our development.”

Sadly, thanks to Trump’s development, the landscape, which was so dramatic it was immortalized in the 1983 film Local Hero, is unspoiled no longer. But it wasn’t just the fact that the scientific and aesthetically significant landscape had been desecrated for such a frivolous reason – golf for the wealthy – that didn’t sit well with the locals; Trump’s modus operandi was also spectacularly obnoxious, though also par for the course in many ways.

When Trump couldn’t buy what he wanted, he employed a range of underhand tactics to ensure he got it anyway. The community had their rights trampled on, their property damaged and stolen, and their character and integrity slandered, while those who were supposed to protect their interests – the politicians, the police, and the press ¬ served those of the 1% above the 99.

Though the landscape and the Donald are unique (for sublime and ridiculous reasons respectively), the tale of greed before the collective good is in many ways archetypical of our time, and as such serves as the perfect parable for the Occupy movement. So when a film, You’ve Been Trumped, which chronicles Trump’s exploits in Scotland opened in New York, Occupy Wall Street decided to help spread the word.

Using the Illuminator “Bat Signal for the 99%” generator – which projected Occupy’s message to great effect on the Verizon building in New York on November 17th, 2011 – a group of occupiers projected the trailer for You’ve Been Trumped on Trump’s Manhattan tower – and recorded the results for posterity (see YouTube video above).

“Solidarity means to stand with oppressed people everywhere because their struggle is our struggle,” explained educator and activist Justin Wedes, who was involved in Occupy’s illuminating Trump vs. The 99% project. “There are few clearer cases than this one of the 1% bulldozing the rights, land, and dignity of the 99% for pure profit. Donald Trump does not represent us, and Occupy Wall Street stands with the brave people of Aberdeen and the Menie Estate – and their allies everywhere – fighting for sustainable development and the rights of hard-working people to their own land and communities.”

In a letter sent to the occupiers involved the morning after the action, You’ve Been Trumped director Anthony Baxter expressed his gratitude to Occupy Wall Street. “This action is going to mean a lot to the residents in Scotland who’ve been fighting to safeguard their environment and battling against Trump,” wrote Baxter. “It’s an important illustration that will resonate far and wide. The people of Scotland know Trump isn’t a typical American, and ordinary Americans – just like ordinary Scots – are sick and tired of money and power riding roughshod over the lives of the 99% and our planet. They’ll be deeply moved and heartened by what you all carried off so successfully last night.”

You’ve Been Trumped is currently playing in Southern California at Laemmle’s Town Centre 5 in Encino. It can also be seen at the Art Theatre of Long Beach on Sunday, August 26 (not far from Trump National Golf Club in Rancho Palos Verdes, where Trump employed similar strong arm tactics in order to develop his luxury golf resort). For more information visit: youvebeentrumped.com

Related Posts:
SG Interview: Anthony Baxter – You’ve Been Trumped

by Sandor Stern

Dear Republican Friends,

Regarding Your Stand On Taxation…

Perhaps you can enlighten me because I just don’t get it. This nation is in a debt and deficit hole from which spending cuts alone cannot rescue us without doing irreparable damage to Medicare, Social Security, the military, and finally, to the entire economy. I know none of you earn $250,000 a year – you’re my friends, remember. You are part of the 99% of the population that earns less than $250,000 a year and yet you are willing to vote against a 4.9% tax increase on dollars above that income level. This is the same Clinton era tax level that wiped out the Reagan-G.H.W. Bush deficit of 1992 and ended with a surplus in 2000. So what’s the deal? Is it more than money?

Is it because you truly believe that taxing the top 1% is hurting the economy by penalizing the “job creators”? Remember we are not taxing business here. We are taxing the personal income generated from their own businesses by these “job creators.” Their personal income was given a tax break for Bush’s 8 years. According to the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center as of October 14, 2011 the Bush tax cuts had saved the top 1% of households over $700 billion and the next 4% of households more than $325 billion. The total tax savings for the top 5% totaled over $1 trillion. That’s money denied the federal government and extra money in the pockets of the “job creators.” So how many jobs were created in those Bush years? According to the Bureau Of Labor Statistics – 5.2 million jobs. According to that same bureau, Clinton’s 8 years of higher taxes created 23.1 million jobs. The irony, aside from the fact that higher taxes created more jobs, is that Bush’s job creation in the private sector was a loss of 563 thousand. More than 4.5 million jobs created during Bush’s years were government jobs. This from the party pushing smaller government and claiming that government does not create jobs. Since FDR’s term in office through all presidents up to January of 2011, the average private sector job creation under a Democratic President has been 1,463,220 and under a Republican President has been 642,000. You do the math. Because personal income is spent on personal needs and desires, perhaps the question of whether to lower taxes for the wealthy should be: is it better for the economy when one person buys a Bentley or 99 people buy Fords? Jobs are created through a demand for goods and services. That demand comes from personal income, which for 99% of workers is from wages. That’s not a trickle down economy. That’s a gushing up.

Is it because you have this notion that the government takes too big a bite out of your income? According to The Tax Policy Foundation the top marginal income tax rate in 1946 was 91%. The next 15 years “was one of the most successful eras in US economic history. The middle class boomed, the economy boomed, and the stock market boomed.” By 1965 the top rate had dropped to 70%. In 1982 Ronald Reagan dropped the top rate to 50%, in 1987 to 38.5%, and finally in 1988 he slashed it to 28%. The resulting federal deficit was so huge that GHW Bush had to break his campaign promise – “Read my lips: no new taxes” – and bump the margin up to 31%. For that he paid a huge political price from your party. But even Bush’s increased rate was not high enough to save the economy. Clinton arrived in 1992 and raised the top level to 39.6% and the economy boomed. Following his election, GW Bush lowered the top margin level to 35% and the economy went belly up. That Bush tax rate is still in effect and is lower than that of every other industrial nation in the world. So, in comparison to other countries and to our own history of higher tax margins, the bite does not square with your notion “big.” Nor does the bite square with the laments of the 1%. According to Who Rules America, in 2007 only 19% of income reported by the 13,480 individuals or families making over $10 million per year came from wages and salaries. So, a tax increase of 4.9% would only apply to one fifth of their total income. And remember, that bite is from taxable income not gross income. 80% of the income of these people is from capital gains and dividends which since 2003 have been taxed at a rate of 15% (lower than the income tax rate for a large percentage of middle class wage earners).

Is it because you believe that government spending is out of control? Based on a low tax rate it is. When in the history of the United States, or any country, has a war been fought without raising taxes to pay for it.? The costs of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars through 2011 was $1.26 trillion. How about compounding the problem by lowering taxes? Bush’s wars helped put us in this debt. Revoking the 1933 Glass-Steagall Act gave banks a free ride on depositor money and the housing market crashed. That banking and corporate bailout cost $1 trillion. Yes, it was Clinton who signed off on that bill, but it was passed and pushed by a Republican Congress. Yes, the debt is huge. Trying to erase it through spending cuts alone is like paying your way into heaven by selling your soul to the devil.

Is it because you believe in free enterprise? According to Who Rules America, the bottom 80% of the US population hold less than 10% of this nation’s financial wealth. In contrast, 1% of Americans hold a 42.7 % share. Since the election of Reagan in 1980 you have seen the rise of Corporate America and the demise of “mom and pop” America; the rise of monopolies and the demise of anti-trust laws; the rich getting ever richer and the workers struggling ever more to make ends meet. I know you belong in the 99%, so why this determined fight against your own interests?

Is it because you believe the persistent Republican cry that the Democrats will “tax and spend”? Do you prefer the Republican mantra of “borrow and spend” that began with the Reagan philosophy of “play now and pay later”? Anyone with a credit card knows the simple fact that borrowing money is renting money. The interest is rent and trillions of dollars will be paid by generations of tax payers to come. GW Bush handed the country a $455 billion deficit and a $10 trillion national debt. That’s over $32,000 owed by every citizen. You rant against increased taxes, but if that’s not a personal income tax hike what is? And FYI, that debt represents 3.2% of the nation’s gross domestic product – the second largest in history. The first was 6% set in 1983 after Reagan’s tax cuts.

Is it because Republican members of congress have signed a pledge to Grover Norquist to vote against tax increases under any circumstances? Do you not find this pledge a violation of their duties and obligations to uphold the constitution? What are Norquist’s bone fides that compel them to relinquish their free will? If a nation declared war on us and the President requested an increase in taxes to pay for the defense of this country, honoring Norquist’s pledge would be treasonous. Why is it not so now? Polls show that a large majority of Americans favor an increase in taxes on those earning over $250,000? Why are your Republican representatives going against a popular majority view? Is it because millions of dollars of campaign money is coming from corporations and billionaires who don’t want their taxes increased and who have the power to offer lucrative job opportunities to the congressmen who vote their way when they finish their terms in office?

Is it finally and ultimately because President Obama is anathema to the corporate power structure and for that reason the Republican goal for the past 3 1/2 years has been to limit him to a single term as President? Any reduction of the deficit that does not cripple Social Security and Medicare would be a win for Obama, and a loss of billions in profits for those corporations seeking to privatize pensions and health. Is that it?

Your inquisitive friend,

Sandy

by SG’s Team Agony feat. Kurosune

Let us answer life’s questions – because great advice is even better when it comes from SuicideGirls.

Q: I broke up with my fiancée this past February. It wasn’t has hard as it could be, which I guess speaks volumes about where the relationship actually was. The problem is now I’m having a lot of trouble meeting women. My location doesn’t help matters. I live in Prince Edward Island, Canada, which has a total population of less than 150,000. That’s right, an entire province with a population smaller than most cities. But it’s also a problem where I’m also pretty geeky. I love sci-fi, anime and games. I’ve tried online dating, but the fact that I’m writing this answers the question of how well that worked lol. I don’t drink, so I don’t go to bars. I guess my overall question would be: what other venues are there to meet women?

A: The first thing I noticed was that you said, “It wasn’t as hard as it could be.” Now, with that being said, are you sure you want to get back into a relationship so soon? Okay, yeah, Feb’s way past now, but dating often leads to something more serious and you should be sure you are ready to get into that, assuming that’s what you’re looking for. Relationships take work, and while I have no clue what the background is to what ended things with your fiancé, I would advise that you tread carefully, especially if you have a tendency to look for the “easy way out” of serious things. If you’re looking for a relationship, you had better be sure you’re ready for one. On the other hand, if you’re just looking for some bootay, that’s fine too, but be honest with yourself and those you meet.

That being said, speaking as a nerd myself, I will say we geeky gals aren’t an easy lay. I know I won’t let a guy anywhere NEAR my Pikachu panties unless he can recite all 151 original Pokémon – backwards – so I can understand how hard it is being a nerd in your neck of the woods. Do you travel often? There are some great conventions in Canada that could be a lot of fun and great for meeting like-minded people.

This is a link to a calendar of every large anime/gamer convention that happens in Canada. It’s definitely a great place to start if you are looking for love in all of nerdy places! I can vouch for the fact that there’s nothing more romantic than an unexpected moment when you happen to be nose-deep in your favorite manga or looking at some anime in the dealer’s room, only to reach for it and have your hand brush against that of a fellow con-goer who just happened to be reaching for the same manga/comic/video game as you. Your eyes meet, sparks fly…

Ah, l’amour.

So best of luck! There’s also lots of dating sites geared towards us geeks and anime lovers. Embrace your nerdiness, and find someone to embrace it with you.

Best of luck, friend. You can do it!

Kisses, Kurosune
XOX

Got Problems? Let SuicideGirls’ team of Agony Aunts provide solutions. Email questions to: gotproblems@suicidegirls.com

Henika Suicide in BCN

• MAKES ME HAPPY: My family, friends.
• HOBBIES: Music, snowboarding, shopping, internet, movies, photography.
• 5 THINGS I CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT: My family, friends, internet, sex, chocolate.
• VICES: Tattoos, beautiful girls.
• I SPEND MOST OF MY FREE TIME: With my family.

Get to know Henika better over at SuicideGirls.com!