2
2
1
Originally broadcast on November 12, 2008, on the Rob Kall Bottom Up Radio Show.
Transcribed by Carla Gilby, Amanda Moreno and Linda Carraway
Edited by Jay Farrington
Kall: Hello, it's the Rob Kall Bottom Up Radio Show, Rob Kall, and it's an interesting week. In some ways, a let down; some ways, a lot of excitement. First, I just want to say that we're going to have on tonight Dr. Stephen Larsen, who is the author of The Fundamentalist Mind. That book got a gold medal as book of the year in the psychology category and I think it's going to be very interesting. I've known Dr. Larsen for a good number of years, at least ten, maybe fifteen, years. He's brilliant and I think he's going to bring us some very interesting conversation.
In the meantime, what is going on in the world? We found out today that we were victims of “bait and switch.” Yes, bait and switch. That's what you call it when you made a deal, you sign a contract, and you go with the deal, and then somebody switches it on you. That, my friends, is exactly what Hank Paulson did with our seven hundred billion... I'm leaving a space there for my language... SEVEN HUNDRED BILLION (#%!&#) DOLLARS!
He told us today, “Oh, well, I'm not going to do what I said I was going to do with it, I'm gonna do something else. I'm gonna do something else. I'm gonna do things with my bank buddies and we're going to... invest in banks!” Well, Paulson, the former head of Goldman-Sachs, is basically spreading 700 billion bucks around and there was no rush. Hey! Isn't that interesting? The day that they came out with this demand, this two-page deal that they said they needed the money, they said that it was an urgent, urgent emergency, that the economic world, the universe, was going to cave in. And you know what? It didn't.
It didn't at all. Instead, what they did, was they pulled an Iraq deal on us. That's exactly what I said, too. What they did, was they said, “We are in danger, we are threatened; you, the cowards in Congress, the helpless idiots who all, en mass, like lemmings, run over the cliff anytime we tell you to, we will happily take $700B from you to start, and then whatever else we can steal using the Federal Reserve Bank.” And... that's what they did.
And now, we find out today, that there was no rush, that they're just happily, gradually, doling out tens and hundreds of billions of dollars to banks. The Congress says, “Well, you know, we could lose three million jobs if the auto industry goes under. Do you think you could throw $25B of that $700B to save three million jobs?” Well, they gave away $20B of it that's just for bonuses for execs. So... who knows?
I think I hear Steve Larsen on. Are you there Steve?
Larsen: Hi there, Rob.
Kall: Hey, Steve. You caught me ranting.
Larsen: Ahh! Very good. Well, it's a sensible kind of rant.
Kall: Yeah. So. Steve, I was saying I've known you for ten, fifteen years, at least.
Larsen: I'm thinking like that.
Kall: Yeah, it's been a long time, and I've known you through the world of biofeedback and mythology; biofeedback basically with your expertise on the brain; and mythology, your work with Joseph Campbell and your story. You've written a lot about religion over the years, but this is the first... It tended to be more... more metaphysical, would you say?
Larsen: That's probably right, Rob. You've managed to capture both ends of my ADD.
