Following the American Civil War, Jesse James earned the reputation of being a notorious bank robber and criminal gang member in the United States. It is also important to note that public opinion of Jesse James was swayed by the print media of the day, which turned Jesse James the outlaw into a symbol of confederacy defiance of the reconstruction of the South. His innocence was proclaimed and his reputation romanticized by founding editor of the
Kansas City Times John Newman Edwards, who wrote prolifically about James for political cause.
Nearly a century-and-a-half later, the looting of people's money is no longer done with a gun and a scarf. It is accomplished openly by individuals who have been given the means and opportunity by virtue of their position in the financial sector. Additionally, the looters appear to be well above the law, as those who regulate and prosecute have been co-opted by the merger of state and corporate powers. And the media, much like John Newman Edwards composites, are facilitating the financial terrorism of today through their selective reporting and protection of political and corporate interests.
- Thursday, November 17, 2011