this is not exactly a political post in the usual form presented here on the Caucus. But these topics SHOULD be part of the political discussion in this nation right now. In a land which constantly harps upon law and order, one wishes that such efforts include stories resembling these current topics, which are NOT April Fools' Day jokes:

In a statement, the Monaco government said it was helping British authorities investigate the "vast corruption scandal" revealed in recent days by Fairfax Media [of Australia] and The Huffington Post. The headquarters of the Monaco-based oil company Unaoil and the homes of its executives have been raided by police in the wake of revelations in recent days that it has systematically corrupted the global oil industry. Police moved after Fairfax Media broke the story late on Wednesday that Unaoil and its owners, the Ahsani family, used multi-million dollar commissions to bribe corrupt governments in oil rich states to win contracts for large western firms such as Rolls-Royce, Halliburton and Australia's Leighton Offshore.

In Australia, Opposition Leader Bill Shorten said the revelations were "tremendously alarming".
"I'm grateful for the lid being ripped off some of those carryings on of multinational companies engaging in global bribery," Mr Shorten said on Friday.

"When it comes to anti-corruption, Mr Turnbull's always out there bashing the unions, but he's been disappointingly silent on the conduct of Australian multinationals engaged in global bribery. Mr Turnbull [PM of Australia] needs to be tough on multinationals as much as he's willing to be tough on schools and hospitals. So we take it very seriously, the revelations are deeply disturbing and we won't let this issue go."

Would that the Wall Street lackey Obama were instead a champion of law and order in favor of the middle class, unleashing Attorney General Patrick Fitzgerald on the Wall Street banks which stole billions from homeowners through manipulated foreclosures. [That Fitzgerald is NOT the Attorney General -and Valerie Jarrett's BFF Loretta Lynch is- is itself a sick April Fools' Day joke.]

The world’s dependence on oil is fading, and Saudi Arabia doesn’t want to get left behind. The kingdom will build a $2 trillion sovereign wealth fund to slowly but unmistakably transform its economy for a post-oil world, Bloomberg reported Friday morning.

Just how big is $2 trillion? It’s almost twice as big as the world’s 9 major oil companies combined and enough to buy the world’s four largest companies (Apple, Google’s parent company, Microsoft and Berkshire Hathaway), Bloomberg notes.

It’s also enough to break a new renewable energy investment record for five years or pay for the entire world’s fossil fuel subsidies for four years.

Enough with the lies that the climate isn't changing. Enough with the obfuscation that change must begin immediately because "nothing is proven". Enough with the delays to defend corporate profits which are garnered through damaging the human race. Enough with corporatist rule of every sort!

There is no reason why Australian media can expose wrongdoing and American media cannot (except that the US owners prevent such activity). There is no reason why Saudi corporatists can see reality when the US and UK corporatists who taught them how to play the game in the 20th Century cannot.

It's up to us citizens to force the issue. The only question is: are you willing to accommodate change for this to happen?