Japanese Insurance Companies Stop Payments for Jews, Catholics, Cross-dressers, Left-Handed People, Club Members, Punks and Yakuza

Well, they haven't stopped life insurance payments for Jews, Catholics, Cross-dressers, Left-Handed People, Club Members and Punks... Yet. But they have stopped payments to some families because of their associations, namely to so-called yakuza and their associates. This is outrageous and a crime in plain view.


I relish the idea that I can cop from the old police detective TV shows when I say, "Something smells bad about this."

Both are criminal organizations. But only one bombs and kills

innocent people 24/7 in the Middle East.

The recent crackdown on the Yakuza in Japan is not motivated by any recent domestic developments or problems on the home front. I submit to you, dear reader, that this crack down is motivated partly by US government pressure and is just another of many scams being perpetrated by our government to steal money to help pay for the financial disaster that the western governments (Japan included) have engineered that is about to befall on all of us regular people in the working class. On top of that, it is just another boondoogle for a government agency (the Japanese police) to try to justify massive public tax expenditures and to try to avoid budget cutbacks next year... 

US Government Hypocrisy Showing True Colors

This Yakuza crack down is a side show and a diversion. As with all overt and covert government wars and operations, propaganda is used as the enemy must be dehumanized and discredited in order to cover for government actions that restrict freedom and our lives. This case is no different. It is a diversionary attempt to get the public eye off the real issues at hand and to create a distraction so that the public does not pay attention to the real problems of our country.


Read on and you decide...  


At the end of August 2011, the Japanese entertainment world was shocked and aghast when one of the most recognized and famous TV entertainers, Shinsuke Shimada abruptly retired from TV due to allegations of having ties with the underworld... Specifically speaking, the Yakuza.


This crack down in Japan on the mafia in Japan seems very timely as it doesn't seem to be motivated purely by a domestic agenda. It has an extra topping, so to speak. I accuse the USA of, once again, blowing smoke and interfering with Japan's domestic issues. Dear reader should take note that this crackdown has an uncanny timing beginning this year (with Japanese government credit downgrades) and with a US government crackdown that began with pres. Obama's saying as such - and being reported and commented on at this very blog at the end of July 2011. Please refer to:


USA Attacks Yakuza! War Breaks Out!  


So the USA, the world's biggest criminal organization decides that the Yakuza are a threat? Really? I'd care to debate that issue. I don't think in the entire history of the Yakuza could they have killed or robbed nearly as many people as the United States does on a daily basis.

Need examples? How about bombing and murdering people all over the world since the end of World War II and how about robbing their own people through the coercion of taxation and debt since 1913?

Or, more recently, another of many examples; the murder of Libyan people and their leader whilst stealing their national wealth under the under the auspices of a UN action to "protect the civilian population"? Please refer to:

Stealing the Oil, Gas and Sovereign Wealth of Libya 

“The objective of the war against Libya is not just its oil reserves (now estimated at 60 billion barrels), which are the greatest in Africa and whose extraction costs are among the lowest in the world, nor the natural gas reserves, which are estimated at about 1,500 billion cubic meters. In the cross hairs of the ‘coalition of the willing’ conducting ‘Operation Unified Protector’ there are sovereign wealth funds, capital that the Libyan state has invested abroad.

“The Libyan Investment Authority (LIA) manages sovereign wealth funds estimated at about $70 billion U.S., rising to more than $150 billion if you include foreign investments of the Central Bank and other bodies. But it might be more. Even if they are lower than those of Saudi Arabia or Kuwait, Libyan sovereign wealth funds have been characterized by their rapid growth. When LIA was established in 2006, it had $40 billion at its disposal. In just five years, LIA has invested in over a hundred companies in North Africa, Asia, Europe, the U.S. and South America: holding, banking, real estate, industries, oil companies and others.” – Manlio Dinucci, “Financial Heist of the Century: Confiscating Libya’s Sovereign Wealth Funds,” BlackListed News

Is there any one of us who is so naive to think that the USA has gone into Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya; is using drones to assassinate people in Pakistan, Somalia and Yemen; and, more recently, has sent more US troops into Africa so that those people can be "free" and to help "protect them"!? I hope not.

When has the USA EVER gone to war to help protect the rights of dark skinned people or the rights of the individual? No. The USA goes to war for the control of resources and to take national treasures. 

That's what empires do. That's what they've always done. That's what they will always will do. To think otherwise is just plain stupid.

As I have said, the sudden war with the Yakuza seems to be driven by US politics and economics. The timing is too great. I believe the US sees a chance to steal or at least control money that they think they can take from the Yakuza. So, of course, they have to have a media campaign to vilify the Yakuza. It's a pathetic campaign at that. That the Japanese government cooperates with this crap is just another sign that the current Japanese government, in spite of paying lip service to the notion of standing up to the USA is just another in a line of many lap dogs.

Let me deconstruct one such example of this tabloid sensationalism and piss-poor reporting and, well, downright lying.

The Christian Science Monitor, never one to not be in the front row screaming for any foreign US military adventure, is also at the top of the cheerleaders section for this recent attack on people who do have the right to association. Please refer to this July 27 article from CS Monitor: 

Japan's Yakuza Mafia Faces a Crackdown:

Recent scandals over illegal gambling among sumo players and ringside VIP tickets for Japan's notorious yakuza gangsters have enveloped Japan's venerated sport of sumo and fascinated the public.

My god! Sumo? Scandals involving illegal gambling!? Ringside VIP tickets!? What'll we ever do? I won't bore dear reader with how asinine this is except to say that, in Japan, as with the USA, gambling is illegal, except if it is run by the government (such as lotteries) or backed by companies that make massive campaign contributions such as horse racing or casinos. Scandals over ringside tickets for the boring sport of Sumo? Heavens.

NOTE: If you've never made a bet in your life or paid a premium for that, say, Red Hot Chili Peppers tickets (or would have if you could have to get better seats) then stop reading right now.

But these are mere sideshows to what is roiling Japan's gangsters, many observers say. 

Yeah. What is roiling the Yakuza, probably, is the police, suddenly and with no reason, obstructing business.

NOTE: If you think we have a government and pay taxes to them so that they can control who buys and sells Sumo tickets and at what price, or that our government should be here to legislate morality such as gambling and drinking, you are in the wrong country. North Korea or Saudi Arabia is probably best for you.

After decades of unspoken agreements between police and yakuza that have allowed organized crime to operate with relative impunity in everything from gambling on sport and illegal casinos to human trafficking and prostitution, the national police are cracking down on Japan's top yakuza gang, energized not only by the embarrassment over the sumo debacle but also by the emergence of a dynamic new National Police Agency (NPA) chief last year who wants to curtail the broad influence of yakuza in society.

Yes. It was business as usual... Until recently.... Those Yakuza bad guys! I know they've been bothering me and everyone else I know everyday since I've been living here. How can any of us sleep at night? Wow! What a litany of bad stuff. Let's see. What was that list again? 

"...gambling on sport and illegal casinos to human trafficking and prostitution..."

Well, I'm sorry Mr. Nazi, but, seriously, as adults, I think adult people are generally old enough and responsible enough to decide and can gamble all they want when and where they want. Sometimes I don't mind a little Black Jack but I usually leave because I get clobbered real quick. I'm not really a gambler, but am not against anyone having a little enjoyment. Why the government is legislating casinos and gambling is beyond their reach of power as originally set up in the constitution. And prostitution? You kidding me? When two consenting adults wish to partake in sex, it's none of anyone's else's damn business!

But! Human trafficking!? Wow! That's another story! I didn't know that the Yakuza were said to be involved with human trafficking? This has to stop! Well, they must be doing human trafficking since the CS Monitor says they are, right? Let's click on that link at the venerated Christian Science Monitor and get more information on that! 

I clicked on the link for an article entitled: View From the Streets. How the Eliot Ness of Japan's Drug World Gets the Job Done.  But you know what? I couldn't find one single word about human trafficking. Nope. Not one. I did find a fluff story about some cops named Umeda, Kanda, and Shimada and their neighborhood and how they busted people doing and selling drugs but not a word about human trafficking.

Bullsh*t! Don't believe me. Go to the link and check for yourself. I can't find any mention of this human trafficking.

Finally, considering the above, and this next piece of evidence, here is why I believe that this entire affair stems from a blatant US government attempt to steal monies (now possibly forcing the Japanese government to cooperate along side even more so than originally envisioned). This has everything to do with propping up our failed economies and banking institutions (caused malfeasance and corruption) and our government hand in helping those institutions ruin our economy.

In this small and completely banal piece of evidence I want to submit to you, lies a piece of a larger puzzle, in my opinion. It is a totally and completely illegal action on the part of insurance companies in Japan. Please refer to: 

No Life Insurance for Yakuza

TOKYO (majirox news) — Life insurance companies will include a provisional clause in their guidelines which allows them to deny coverage to the yakuza, Japan’s organized crime groups, according to life insurance industry officials.

The Japanese insurers will need approval for the provision by Japan’s Financial Service Agency (FSA), which they are expected to receive. Once the provision is approved, it will be implemented immediately.

The clause will allow insurance companies to cancel payments for injuries or death if the person is a member of a crime group. In other words, the insurer will have the right to refuse to cover anyone who belongs to a gang, which is involved in fraud or other criminal activities. They could even refuse to cover a person with a tattoo that is recognized as a symbol of gang membership.

.....

In addition, insurance policy holders or beneficiaries will not be able to collect life insurance if it is learned that they are involved in organized crime. 

This is completely outrageous. Regardless of what you think of the Yakuza, this cannot be allowed to stand. What this is really saying is that the insurance companies can deny payment or cancel insurance merely because of association or even guilt by association. Even if death is completely unrelated to that association. Even death by cancer, any disease and even old age!


So just because someone is alleged to have gangland ties, when they die a natural death or death by disease or something like that, their children are not allowed to get their life insurance proceeds? Well, hell, why don't we just imprison the children for the crimes of the parents too!

There are so many problems with this, I don't know where to begin! What about a young man who foolishly got a Yakuza tattoo at 20 but left the group at 25 and became an upstanding citizen for the rest of his life? Do they deny payments to his children when he is killed in a car accident or some completely random accident that has nothing to do with anything except that he was in the wrong place at the wrong time?

And what sort of precedent does this set? Will they be able to suddenly change policies (read: contracts) and deny payments to your family because, say, you worked in construction? Or the airlines industry? Or were a member of a racing club?

Laugh now, but remember the words of Martin Niemoller:

First they came for the communists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a communist.

Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a Jew.

Then they came for me
and there was no one left to speak out for me.

There will be many who say that I am over reacting and that this is just an issue with the Yakuza and the police. I submit that they are wrong. This has to do with US government pressure on our lives and the way we want to live and everything to do with Wall Street banksterism.


This is a war between rivals gangs. The biggest and most deadly of those rival gangs is the US government who has probably killed more people all over the world in the last 48 hours than the Yakuza have killed in their entire existence.

As the US government is at war with (and bombing innocent civilians) at least 5 nations in the mid-east, about to start a war in Pakistan, in Syria, and, later Iran, and in confrontations with even her own people today, this has nothing to do with the Yakuza bothering the public but has everything to do with the US government and the status quo doing everything it can to keep our casino economy rolling for as long as possible, wherever possible. 

It most certainly was not the Yakuza who caused the 2008 stock market crash and it most certainly wasn't the Yakuza who has caused 20 + years of severe Japanese economic problems caused by government initiated easy credit, easy money and propping up zombie banks.

Anyone who cannot see what the true motivation of cracking down on the Yakuza (as a symptom of a much bigger problem - and not with the Yakuza) has not been paying attention and watches too much TV... Which, by the way, is exactly what the government wants you to do.


Don't be fooled. See the bigger picture. Who are the real criminals here?


More on US government and bankers fraud against Libya: Goldman Sachs Rips Off Libya, Donald Trump Admits Screwing Gaddafi:

Working With Thieves, Liars and Crooks

I hate working with people I don't like and people who are thieves, liars and crooks. Most people will say that they agree with me but the actual fact is that, unfortunately, most people who are thieves, liars and crooks don't think that they are. Or, perhaps, to give them the benefit of the doubt, they don't realize that they are.


If they did realize it, and the extent of it, they'd have difficulty looking in the mirror and sleeping at night.


Most people who lie and cheat do so to protect themselves. Their number 1 priority in life and their work is protection of their position. It is not the success of the project or the success of those around them. It is a narcissistic image of themselves that they feel they must protect. Even if it is a lie.

The largest group of these kinds of people are, in Japan, for example, middle management level executives (I'm sure the USA is the same). These are the kinds of people who will extol the troops to work hard and honestly and diligently and to be dedicated to their coworkers and company, yet, while not at work, they do things like run around and have affairs with other women or they lie about small details. 


It's a case of "Don't do what I do. Do what I say."


I hate working with people like that. I have no respect for them.


Some might say that the part of lying about small details is a minor problem and that everyone does it. It's probably true. But, on the other hand, consider this: If someone will tell lies about small insignificant things, you can bet that they will lie about important things too.


I want to be happy that's why I try to always tell the truth no matter how difficult it is. This makes for a situation, though, that is not conducive to having many friends. I've been complained to before at work by coworkers that my way of talking is too direct and some people don't like it... But I think beating around the bush and not saying things directly can often lead to a situation that leads to an untruth being spoken so I'd like to avoid that whenever possible.


I have at least two friends who I know who try to live the way I do. Their names are George and Koji. Of course, we are humans and so not perfect so every once in a while a lie might slip, but I know that I, and they too, make every effort to never tell a lie, even a tiny one. 


It sucks having a guilt complex that makes one worry and contemplate stupid fibs we've told to others... So much so that we worry about it overnight or for days on end.  


There's a famous book about this subject that I'd like to recommend to everyone. It's called "The Road Less Traveled" by F. Scott Peck. It is about this subject and how difficult living really is when you make every effort to tell the truth all the time and not say even the tiniest of white lies. It also is about how trying to live this way is a true way towards real happiness.


Here's an example that I like to use about what I call "Silly lies". Many people lie all the time. Say coworkers want you to go a party with them one night. But you don't want to go. So, instead of saying, "I don't want to go." You fib and say, "Oh? Sorry. I have to do some studying that evening." (or some other excuse). Later, on the party night, your friends are walking home and they bump into you by chance. You've obviously been out having a good time.


You've been caught in a fib. You are embarrassed. You've lost credibility and respect. They know you lied.


Come to think of it, why did you lie? Why didn't you say the truth? Why is it so difficult for us in this society to come right out and say, "Gee. Thanks for the offer. Please don't be offended, but I don't want to go." That sounds easy, but it's not and people do get offended.


But in our society, lying all the time is accepted. And, in spite of what we say, we teach our children to lie all the time too!


You are sitting at dinner with your wife and kids. The phone rings. It's the boss. Your wife covers the phone. You say, "Tell him I'm not here right now."


Why did you do that? It's just postponing the inevitable. And, you just taught your kids that it is OK to lie. Great work. You get the parenting award for the day.


Yes, you did! Don't deny it. You just showed your kids by your actions and your words that it is OK to lie. Thanks a lot. Now, who is to blame when they get in trouble at school for lying or, later, learn and practice the same lesson to you?


Many years ago, I worked at Prudential in the USA before coming to Japan. From that experience, I vowed that I would never work with liars and dishonest people again. That vow has been very hard to keep.


I sold, insurance, annuities, financial instruments, etc. I had several bosses and some of them were some of the most dishonest people I have ever met.


When joining a company like that one is taught that we are to help people with their finances and make sure they have money for retirement, emergencies and things like that. The fact of the matter is that 97% of those people work to churn people's accounts and generate commissions.


Even though I was the youngster in a district of 60 some guys selling these instruments, I was always a top 5 salesman and made a lot of money. I bought a big house and had three cars. I was a top salesman because I always tried to do what was best for the clients.


Some of my bosses wouldn't have that. One guy even said to me once, "Yeah. That's great that you worry about the customer, Mike. But what about the health of the company?" (I think he is a executive at Prudential now).


What a fool. Doesn't this guy realize that doing what is best for the people and the clients and making them all happy and satisfied customers automatically protects the health of the company? I guess not. Profits were #1. The people be damned. I started getting real disillusioned around 1983.

EXTREMELY COOL COVER VERSION OF 

STEVIE WONDER'S "HIGHER GROUND"

The last straw was a wonderful lady named Mrs. Lopez (not her real name). Mrs. Lopez was 44-years-old at the time. She didn't drink nor smoke cigarettes. She had a handsome husband and a beautiful 10-year-old son.


She was my client and I had never sold her anything. She didn't need anything. The Lopez family weren't rich, but they weren't poor. The Lopez family had all their life and health insurance. They had a paid for house. Her husband had a great job and they had savings and some investments. 


They also had a cat. The cat had kittens. We became such good friends that I even took one of the babies.


One day, at the young age of 44, Mrs. Lopez has a stoke. Everyone was shocked. After leaving the hospital, her entire left side of her body was paralyzed. I went to see her.


I could tell that she was devastated too. She was sitting when I arrived and seemed embarrassed when she had to use her right arm to lift her left arm up and rest it on the table. Poor woman. I will never forget that moment. She seemed ashamed of herself when she meekly shot a glance into my eyes as she raised her arm. Oh, the tears she must have silently cried. 


She didn't need to feel ashamed. She was still a wonderful human being and a great mom.


Under the rules of her insurance policies, some sort of disability like that automatically made the insurance policies paid up for life. That meant she didn't need to pay for anything and they were worth thousands and thousands of dollars tax-free. I went to her house and explained that to her and her husband. They were relieved.


I was shocked. How could this vibrant and wonderful woman who didn't drink or smoke have to suffer such a terrible fate in the prime of her life?


When I returned to work the next day, I reported to my bosses what had occurred and the advice that I gave those good people (the correct advice). My boss was upset because he thought I missed the good chance to make a sale and generate commissions. He insisted that we go back the next night. We did.


There he lied and broke the law by doing what is called, "twisting." He bent the facts to make it look like it was a good idea for her to cancel all her old insurance contracts, and buy a new one. Get it? These contracts are worth thousands of tax-free dollars and this crook tricks them into cashing them in and buying a new one so that he can collect a 55% commission on the first year's premium payment!? 


What an a*shole!


He was at least 20 years older than me and psychologically dominated the conversation over me. I couldn't say a word. I walked out of that house shell-shocked.


I went home and spent the next three days crying and getting drunk. After the first night I decided that I wasn't going to do this anymore and I was going to quit my job. When I told my parents, they thought I was nuts. It was 1983. I was 25-years-old and I was making more than $96,000 a year and I was going to quit.


But, before I quit, I was going to make damned sure that Mrs. Lopez didn't get ripped off. I sobered up and went to see her.


I told her that, under California law, when a new policy is issued, the insurance company had 14 days within that they must deliver the policy otherwise it becomes null and void. I told her that, if she was afraid to talk to this guy (understandable) then to ignore him. No matter what, "DO NOT MEET HIM NOR ACCEPT THIS DOCUMENT WITHIN THE FIRST 14 DAYS!"


I fully explained the law to Mrs. Lopez and her husband. They were, of course, noticeably upset. I told them that I was resigning because of this and that this case wasn't the first time that something like that had happened but that this was the most blatant breaking of the law that I had ever seen so far. They understood and the policy was never delivered and so it was cancelled.


A few weeks later, my boss found out (or figured out) what I had done. I was called into the district office manager's office and there, with alcohol on my breath, I quit just as they began to reprimand me. I stated my disgust for their dishonest way of doing business and walked out.


It was then and there that I decided that I would never work with dishonest people like that ever again....


Unfortunately, it is a very difficult promise to keep. So far I have been pretty successful, but have found myself in times when new people came in and realized that they were, well, untruthful; they were living a lie.


I tried to get out of those situations as soon as I could. I still try.


There's a lot of bad people out there who lie and cheat and steal. Our duty to our kids and ourselves is to not become one of them. It is a very hard thing to do.


Telling the truth and trying to live a good life is not like flipping on a switch... It is like climbing a high mountain and, what really matters, is not so much always telling the truth, but being conscious of the effort to do so always, everyday, every second.


The truth is a very high mountain to climb. It is a very long, steep road. Even with telling the truth everyday, you will still never reach the top before you die. The point is to make the effort to tell the truth everyday...   


Oh, and try to avoid working with thieves, liars and crooks... Their disease is infectious.