Replies to post #32711 on One Step Ahead

[dustybutler1]

Robert Maheu and George Bush connection??? Yep... wonder if they ever play golf together??? LOL

Military-Industrial Complex: Throughout the 1950s, as the power of three entities grew -- the Hughes empire, organized crime, and the new Central Intelligence Agency -- it became all but impossible to distinguish between them. By the end of the decade, Hughes' chief of staff, Robert Maheu, had orchestrated the CIA's dirtiest secret -- plots to assassinate Cuban leader Fidel Castro with the help of two heads of organized crime. Vice President Richard Nixon was the White House action officer in the clandestine attempts to oust Castro. Zapata Off-Shore, the oil company owned by future CIA director and U.S. president George Bush after he split it off from Zapata Oil partner Hugh Liedtke in 1954, had a drilling rig on the Cay Sal Bank in 1958. These islands had been leased to Nixon supporter and CIA contractor Howard Hughes the previous year and were later used as a base for CIA raids on Cuba. Nixon lost the 1960 presidential election to John F. Kennedy largely because of a scandal over a never repaid $205,000 "loan" Nixon's brother received from Hughes. As attorney general, Robert Kennedy secretly investigated the Hughes-Nixon dealings.

After Bobby Kennedy's assassination in 1968, Maheu and Hughes hired long-time Kennedy advisor Larry O'Brien along with other political insiders to protect their interests in Washington. In 1953, Hughes had founded the Hughes Medical Institute in Delaware as his sole act of philanthropy. By turning over all of the stock of Hughes Aircraft Company to the institute, he made his billion-dollar-a-year weapons factory a tax-exempt charity. By 1969, that scam was about to be shut down by a Senate bill, which followed an investigation by fellow Texan Wright Patman, the powerful chairman of the House Banking Committee. But O'Brien lobbied his allies and got a loophole creating an exemption for "medical research organizations" like the Hughes Medical Institute.

[Bo14172]

zen, I can't help to think back a few
weeks when we posted how much bravado it takes or complete moronic stupidity one has to possess to ATTEMPT to bash this man.

In scanning when I had the chance today, I saw another of Webb's busch league offerings about this man, inserting a caption or comment taking far more subtle shots than he did before, but they were shots nonetheless. It's hard to believe a breathing being is so foolish not to understand the current and historical connections this man has. There was a certain name mentioned from the past, and I'm sure you or some caught it, and how this former famous and very powerful government director accommodated Mr. Meheu during his career. And Webb think's he's being smart or cute to tried to marginalize this man's fantastic life?? How futile.

I have 100% respect for him and it for me goes beyond that. My passion for industrial and business giants between 1880-1970 is off the charts. I like 1 man who knows exactly what he is doing, making swift sound decisions and always demanding constructive, effective action and bottom line results.

Someone mentioned Jack Welch in a post yeterday or on Sunday. Jack not only changed GE, but US corporate management syle for the entire decade of the late 80's through late 90's, IMO for the worse. Empowerment, teams, steering committee's all became buzz words that still linger today. In the meantime foreign companies used the efficiencies of the market and made decisions by 1 or a select few, while American companies were tied up in committee's, project teams, pilot studies, survey's, brainstorming, 'continuous improvement', etc. Many sold a lot of books, tapes and seminars of the 'management style' with Welch as one of the pioneers of such a movement. Welch's style worked for GE being the conglomerate it was at the time. It certainly was and is not THE ANSWER to run every company in our economy, and feel it was a huge mistake for industry to buy into this style of management. It simply is not effective for the majority of companies in our fast moving economy. The federal gov. even signed on to this approach for a period of time. In my humble opinion, management by committee slowed down American business tremendously (and still does to this day), while competent foreign company's, or light on their feet American companies are able to catch up quick, make quicker decisions and pass right by US companies in terms of fresh ideas and gaining competitive market share.

I'll take a well connected industry giant any day of the week.
Still not happy with a lot CMKX has done, but the past month certainly has provided a wave of change that we are not used to seeing.

It would be the honor of my professional life to meet that man someday.

Bo