Media Moguls, Bankers, and the CFR

From: “wilbur carp”

Date: 5 December 2009 02:43:51 GMT

To: •••@••.•••

Subject: [wrh] The Media Moguls, the Bankers, and the Council on Foreign Relations.

The Media Moguls, the Bankers, and the Council on Foreign Relations.

While browsing an online forum I came across a very interesting thread where the posters had done some research on the media.

What the posters have found is that in the board of directors of some of the 6 corporations that own most of the media, some names appear over and over again; some of them also appear in the board of directors of some very large banks and other financial institutions; some are on the boards of large oil companies, and have relationships with some of the highest people in government, and some are members of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Below is a copy of the thread At the bottom is someone’s post about oligarchy and plutocracy.


————————————————————————————————


While doing a little research, I happened to open a Pandora’s Box so to speak. I was curious about some of the ownership and leadership of the Media Machine.

One of my first searches was for Time Warner.

Time Warner owns, CNN, AOL, HBO, New Line Cinima, WB, etc.

Heavy investors are Goldman Sachs and Merrill Lynch

When looking at the board of directors, this is what Wiki has to say…

Quote »

* James L. Barksdale – Barksdale Management * Stephen F. Bollenbach – Hilton Hotels Corporation * Frank J. Caufield – Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers * Robert C. Clark – Harvard University * Mathias Döpfner – CEO of Germany’s Axel Springer AG * Jessica P. Einhorn – Johns Hopkins University * Reuben Mark – Colgate-Palmolive Company * Michael A. Miles – Altria Group (Parent co. of Philip Morris) * Ken Novack – former Time Warner – Affiliate Director * Richard D. Parsons – Chairman of the Board & Chief Executive Officer * Francis T. Vincent, Jr. – Vincent Enterprises * Deborah C. Wright – Carver Bancorp * Edward J. Zander – Chairman and CEO of Motorola Inc.

The Senior Executives are:

Quote »

* Richard D. Parsons, Chairman/CEO of Time Warner Inc. * Jeffrey L. Bewkes, President/COO of Time Warner Inc.

If you click on Richard D. Parsons you get some interesting info.

Quote »

Positions held A liberal African-American Republican, Parsons served an internship at the New York State Legislature, at which time he was invited to work as a lawyer for the staff of the then New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller. When Rockefeller was appointed Vice President of the United States, in 1974, Parsons followed him to Washington D.C., where he worked directly with President Gerald Ford. He also met a deputy attorney general, Harold R. Tyler, and one his aides, a young Rudolph W. Giuliani, with whom he was to be closely associated – supporting him in his campaign for New York mayor and heading his transitional council.[1] In 1977, Parsons returned to New York and became a partner after only two years at the Patterson, Belknap, Webb & Tyler law firm; Working at the firm was Giuliani. During his eleven years at the firm he took on Happy Rockefeller, the widow of Nelson (who had died in 1979) as a high-profile client.[2] In 1988, he was recruited to serve as chief operating officer of the Dime Bank by Harry W. Albright Jr., who was a former Rockefeller aide. He later became chairman and CEO[1] and oversaw a merger with Anchor Savings Bank; gaining a substantial sum when the Dime Bank was demutualized. Three years later, in 1991, on the recommendation of Nelson’s brother Laurance Rockefeller to the then CEO Steven Ross, Parsons was invited to join Time Warner’s board; he subsequently became president of the company in 1995, recruited by Gerald Levin.[1] He helped negotiate the company’s merger with America Online in 2000, creating a $165-billion media conglomerate. In December 2001, it was announced that chief executive Gerald Levin would retire and Parsons was selected as his successor. The announcement surprised many media watchers who expected chief operating officer Robert Pittman to take the helm. In 2003, Parsons made the announcement of the name change from AOL Time Warner to simply Time Warner.[2] [edit] Prominent connections From the early 1980s through much of the 1990s, Parsons owned a house at the Rockefeller family estate in Pocantico Hills, (see Kykuit), where his grandfather was once a groundskeeper. For a brief time he had worked for Nelson at the family office, Room 5600, at Rockefeller Center (he currently has a Time Warner office in Rockefeller Plaza at the Center).[1] Parsons is chairman emeritus of the Partnership for New York City,[3] established by David Rockefellerin 1979,[4] who has known him for many years. He is an advisory trustee of the family’s principal philanthropy, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund and he sits with David Rockefeller on the board of the World Trade Center Memorial Foundation. Parsons is also on the board of the family created Museum of Modern Art. In 2001, United States President George W. Bush selected Parsons to co-chair a commission on Social Security. Parsons also worked on the transition team for Michael Bloomberg, who was elected Mayor of New York City in 2001. In 2006, Parsons was selected to co-chair the transition team for the incoming Governor of New York, Eliot Spitzer.[5] In August 2006, an article in New York Magazine reported that Parsons will likely run for Mayor of New York City in the 2009 New York mayoral election, claiming that “insiders say it’s all but official”.[6]

But wait, it gets better. Richard Parsons is ALSO on the board of directors for Citi Group.

Citi Group Board of Directors:

Quote »

* Michael Armstrong, Retired Chairman, Hughes, AT&T and Comcast * Alain Belda, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Alcoa * George David, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, United Technologies Corporation * Kenneth T. Derr, Chairman, Retired, Chevron Corporation * John M. Deutch, Institute Professor, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Retired CIA director * Roberto Hernández Ramírez, Chairman, Banco Nacional de México * Ann Jordan, Consultant * Andrew N. Liveris, President and Chief Executive Officer, The Dow Chemical Company * Dudley Mecum, Managing Director, Capricorn Holdings LLC 1 * Anne Mulcahy, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Xerox * Richard D. Parsons, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Time Warner * Charles Prince, Chief Executive Officer, Citigroup * Judith Rodin, President, Rockefeller Foundation * Robert E. Rubin, Chairman of the Executive Committee and Member of the Office of the Chairman, Citigroup * Franklin A. Thomas, Consultant, TFF Study Group * Sanford I. Weill, Retired Chairman, Citigroup

Sorry, didn’t mean to post yet, still researching. This is just ONE example of the conflict of interest so to speak. But you guys should get the idea. There is such an influence between Major Money, Politics, and Media. So if your just listening to the Major News networks about the Economy or Elections, consider the source, literally.

More to come…..

Oh, Prescott Bush former member of Directors for CBS.

News Corporation (Believe Fox News) Board:

Quote »

* K. Rupert Murdoch Chairman and Chief Executive Officer News Corporation * José María Aznar President FAES – Foundation for Social Studies and Analysis Former President of Spain * Peter Barnes Chairman Ansell Limited * Chase Carey President and Chief Executive Officer The DIRECTV Group, Inc. * Peter Chernin President and Chief Operating Officer News Corporation * Kenneth E. Cowley Chairman R.M. Williams Holdings Pty. Limited * David F. DeVoe Chief Financial Officer News Corporation * Viet Dinh Professor of Law Georgetown University * Rod Eddington Non-Executive Chairman for Australia and New Zealand JPMorgan * Andrew S.B. Knight Director Rothschild Investment Trust C.P * Lachlan Murdoch Illyria Pty Ltd * Rod Paige, Ed.D. Chairman Chartwell Education Group, LLC * Thomas J. Perkins Partner Kleiner, Perkins, Caulfield & Byers * Arthur M. Siskind Senior Advisor to the Chairman News Corporation * John L. Thornton Professor of Global Leadership Tsinghua University of Beijing —————————— Haha, this is only the tip of the iceburg IMO. Check out some of the other Citi Group board of directors. Lets go down the list. Again, I’m using wiki so far for all my references. Micheal Armstrong is also on the Council on Foreign Relations. Quote » The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is an influential and independent, nonpartisan foreign policy membership organization founded in 1921 and based at 58 East 68th Street (corner Park Avenue) in New York City, with an additional office in Washington, D.C. Through its membership, meetings, and studies, it has been called the most powerful agent of United States foreign policy outside the State Department. Alain Belda is also a member of The Conference Board, and has a little bit of history behind him. George David Quote » George David is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of United Technologies Corporation. David was elected UTC’s President in 1992 and Chief Executive Officer in 1994. He joined UTC’s Otis Elevator subsidiary in 1975 and became its President in 1986….. He has served on the boards of the Graduate Business School at the University of Virginia, the National Minority Supplier Development Council, the U.S.-ASEAN Business Council, the Trans-Atlantic Business Dialogue and the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Fine Arts. In 1999 the Russian Federation awarded David with the Order of Friendship for his contributions to that nation’s economy, particularly to its aerospace industry. In 2001, he received the Air Force Association’s John R Alison Award for contributions to national defense by an industrial leader. In 2002, France named him to its Legion of Honor. In 2000, he was named as one of America’s Most Powerful People by Forbes magazine; and CEO of the Year by Industry Week’ in 2003. lol, this keeps getting better. Kenneth Derr Quote » Kenneth T. Derr is a member of the board of directors of the Halliburton Company. He is a Retired Chairman of the Board, Chevron Corporation (international oil company). He served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Chevron Corporation, 1989-1999. Derr is also a Director of AT&T Corporation, Calpine Corporation, Citigroup Inc., and Potlatch Corporation. He is also on the Council on Foreign Relations. John M. Deutch Quote » John Mark Deutch (born July 27, 1938) is an American chemist and civil servant. He was the United States Deputy Secretary of Defense from 1994 to 1995 and Director of Central Intelligence (DCI) from May 10, 1995 until December 14, 1996. He is presently an Institute Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and serves on the Board of Directors of Citigroup, Cummins, Raytheon, and Schlumberger Ltd. Schlumberger = Quote » Schlumberger Limited is the world’s largest oilfield services corporation operating in approximately 80 countries, with about 70,000 people of 140 nationalities. Schlumberger supplies a wide range of products and services from seismic acquisition and processing; formation evaluation; well testing and directional drilling to well cementing and stimulation; artificial lift and well completions; and consulting, software and information management. Schlumberger also provide similar products and services for the groundwater industry….. Operating revenue in 2006 was US $19.23 billion with a market capitalization as of January 31, 2007, of US $74.5 billion. Roberto Hernández Ramírez is also a member of the International Advisory Committee of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York – 2002 to present. Judith Rodin Quote » Rodin became president of the Rockefeller Foundation in March 2005. She is currently on the the Board of Directors of Citigroup, AMR Corporation (the parent company of American Airlines), and Comcast Corporation where she served as the presiding director until 2006. [6] Rodin has also served on the Board of Directors for corporations such as Aetna, Electronic Data Systems (EDS) and BlackRock. [7] She continues to serve as a trustee of the Brookings Institution. Quote » In 2004 Rodin was touted as one of Pennsylvania’s best Democratic candidates for the United States Senate. [11] During the lead up to the 2006 United States Senate election, one which would eventually result in the ousting of incumbent Sen. Rick Santorum, Judith Rodin was again listed among the Democrats’ short list favorites. [12] Robert E. Rubin… just a BIT on this guy. Quote » Robert Edward Rubin (born August 29, 1938) is an American banker who served as the 70th United States Secretary of the Treasury during both the first and second Clinton Administrations. Quote » Rubin was briefly mentioned as a potential vice-presidential candidate for 2004 Democratic Party presidential nominee John Kerry. He did serve as an economic policy advisor to Kerry’s campaign and was expected to be a front-runner for the position of Chairman of the Federal Reserve upon Alan Greenspan’s retirement if Kerry had won. Rubin’s heft as a Wall Street tycoon added a stamp of approval to Kerry’s economic plans. Quote » During his time in the private sector, Rubin has served on the board of directors of the New York Stock Exchange, the Ford Motor Company, the Harvard Corporation, the New York Futures Exchange, the New York City Partnership and the Center for National Policy. He has also served on the board of trustees of the Carnegie Corporation of New York, Mt. Sinai Hospital and Medical School, the President’s Advisory Committee for Trade Negotiations, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Market Oversight and Financial Services Advisory Committee, the Mayor of New York’s Council of Economic Advisors and the Governor’s Council on Fiscal and Economic Priorities for the State of New York. He is currently the co-chairman of the board of directors of the Council on Foreign Relations. Franklin A. Thomas ….. Quote » Other directorships: Citigroup Inc., Cummins, Inc., Lucent Technologies, Inc., Alcoa and PepsiCo, Inc. Sanford I. Weill Quote » In April 1998 Travelers Group announced an agreement to undertake the $76 billion merger between Travelers and Citicorp, and the merger was completed on October 8, 1998. The possibility remained that the merger would run into problems connected with federal law. Ever since the Glass-Steagall Act banking and insurance businesses had been kept separate. Weill and Reed bet that Congress would soon pass legislation overturning those regulations, which Weill and Reed and many other businesspeople considered obsolete. To speed up the process, they recruited ex-President Gerald Ford (Republican) to the Board of Directors and Robert Rubin (Secretary of Treasury during Democratic Clinton Administration) whom Weill was close to With both Democrats and Republican on their side, the law was taken down in less than 2 years. (Many European countries, for instance, had already torn down the firewall between banking and insurance.) During a two-to-five-year grace period allowed by law, Citigroup could conduct business in its merged form; should that period have elapsed without a change in the law, Citigroup would have had to spin off its insurance businesses. In November 1998 Jamie Dimon was forced to resign from Citigroup. In 2001, Sanford A. Weill became a Class A Director of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Class A Directors are Board Members who are elected by Member Banks (of the Federal Reserve System) to represent the interests of Member Banks. (See article on Federal Reserve Bank Board Membership). In 2002 the company was hit by the wave of “scandals” that followed the stock market downturn of 2002. Chuck Prince replaced Mr. Weill as the CEO of Citigroup on October 1, 2003. ———————— Some others. This guy is on the board for HSBC *The Rt Hon the Lord Butler of Brockwell, KG, GCB, CVO Quote » Age 69. Master, University College, Oxford. A non-executive Director since 1998. Chairman of the Corporate Responsibility Committee and the HSBC Global Education Trust. A non-executive Director of Imperial Chemical Industries plc. A member of the International Advisory Board of Marsh McLennan Inc. Chaired the UK Government Review of Intelligence on Weapons of Mass Destruction in 2004. Secretary of the Cabinet and Head of the Home Civil Service in the United Kingdom from 1988 to 1998. Some from JPMorgan: Stephen B. Burke Quote » Stephen B. Burke has served as our Chief Operating Officer since July 2004, and as our Executive Vice President and President of Comcast Cable and Comcast Cable Communications Holdings since November 2002. Prior to November 2002, Mr. Burke served as an Executive Vice President of Comcast Holdings and as President of Comcast Cable since January 2000. Mr. Burke is also a director of JPMorgan Chase & Company. Lee R. Raymond Quote » Lee R. Raymond (born August 13, 1938) was the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of ExxonMobil from 1999 to 2005. He had previously been the CEO of Exxon since 1993. He joined the company in 1963 and has been president since 1987 and a director since 1984…. Raymond was appointed to Chair a committee to lead America’s Alternative Energy Future by President Bush in fall 2006… The report of 18 July 2007 by the National Petroleum Council, of which Lee is a member, argues, contrary to Lee’s former position on this matter, for an international framework to tackle emissions of carbon dioxide, suggesting that Lee has taken a greener stand on energy policy after his retirement from Exxon Ellen V. Futter Quote » She formerly served as Chairman of the Board of New York Federal Reserve Bank and Chairman of the Commission on Women’s Health of The Commonwealth Fund. She has received numerous honorary degrees, including from Yale, and awards. She is currently: Director of American International Group Director of J.P. Morgan Chase & Co Director of Bristol-Myers Squibb Company Director of Consolidated Edison, Inc Director of Viacom Member of the Council on Foreign Relations Board of Overseers of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center ——————————— the deeper I dig, the more apparent that is. MANY of the names above are on the board of other super companies. They are completely tied together, it’s really amazing. What I have above is just a HINT of the total picture. Banks, Media, Oil, Policy are all tied together at the TOP levels. They know exactly what they are doing, and seem to be in total control. —————— I don’t usually quote Wikipedia entires…but here is a good one for our current state of affairs. Quote, originally posted by wikipedia » Oligarchy, aristocracy, and plutocracy Historically, many oligarchies openly gave the political power to a minority group, sometimes arguing that this was an aristocracy (“organization by the ‘best’ and the ‘brightest'”). Such states were often controlled by powerful families whose children were raised and mentored to be heirs of the power of the oligarchy. However, this power may also not be exercised openly, the oligarchs preferring to remain “the power behind the throne”, exerting control through economic means. Although Aristotle pioneered the use of the term as a synonym for rule by the rich, for which the exact term is plutocracy, oligarchy is not always a rule by wealth, as oligarchs can simply be a privileged group. Oligarchy vs. monarchy Early societies may have become oligarchies as an outgrowth of an alliance between rival tribal chieftains or as the result of a caste system. Oligarchies can often become instruments of transformation, by insisting that monarchs or dictators share power, thereby opening the door to power-sharing by other elements of society (while oligarchy means “the rule of the few,” monarchy means “the rule of the one”). One example of power-sharing from one person to a larger group of persons occurred when English nobles banded together in 1215 to force a reluctant King John of England to sign Magna Carta, a tacit recognition both of King John’s waning political power and of the existence of an incipient oligarchy (the nobility). As English society continued to grow and develop, Magna Carta was repeatedly revised (1216, 1217, and 1225), guaranteeing greater rights to greater numbers of people, thus setting the stage for English constitutional monarchy. Oligarchies may also evolve into more autocratic or monarchist forms of government, sometimes as the result of one family gaining ascendancy over the others. Many of the European monarchies established during the late Middle Ages began in this way. Examples of oligarchies Examples include Sparta (excluding the Helots, who were the majority of the population, from voting) and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (only the nobility could vote). A modern example of oligarchy could be seen in South Africa during the 20th century. Here, the basic characteristics of oligarchy are particularly easy to observe, since the South African form of oligarchy was based on race. After the Second Boer War, a tacit agreement was reached between English- and Afrikaans-speaking whites. Together, they made up about twenty percent of the population, but this small percentage ruled the vast native population. Whites had access to virtually all the educational and trade opportunities, and they proceeded to deny this to the black majority even further than before. Although this process had been going on since the mid-18th century, after 1948 it became official government policy and became known worldwide as apartheid. This lasted until the arrival of democracy in South Africa in 1994, punctuated by the transition to a democratically-elected government dominated by the black majority. Russia has been labeled an oligarchy because of the power of certain individuals, the oligarchs, who gained great wealth after the fall of Communism. Critics have argued that this happened in illegitimate ways and was due to corruption. The Iron law of oligarchy Some authors such as Vilfredo Pareto, Gaetano Mosca, Thomas R. Dye, and Robert Michels, believe that any political system eventually evolves into an oligarchy. This theory is called the “Iron law of oligarchy”. According to this school of thought, modern democracies should be considered as elected oligarchies. In these systems, actual differences between viable political rivals are small, the oligarchic elite impose strict limits on what constitutes an ‘acceptable’ and ‘respectable’ political position, and politicians’ careers depend heavily on unelected economic and media elites. The historian Spencer R. Weart in his book Never at War argues that oligarchies rarely make war with one another.

http://rabbit-hole-journey.blogspot.com/2007/10/media-moguls-bankers-and-cfr.html