REALITY REPORT 29 – State of the Union Response

http://RestoreTheRepublic.com | In the first Reality Report edition of 2010 Gary Franchi responds to President Obama’s first State of the Union speech.

Don’t Tread On Me Director’s Hotel Room Burglarized, Script Stolen

January 23, 2010, Oklahoma City, OK – While in Oklahoma City to film probably the most important footage of his career, independent filmmaker William Lewis’ hotel room was ransacked, the thieves getting away with everything…but his camera, cell phone and the clothes on his back.

After checking into his room, Lewis, who normally does not travel alone, went out to grab a bite to eat and scout the location for his exclusive interview with Oklahoma Representative Charles Key. Upon his return, Lewis found the door to his room ajar. Pushing the door open, he found that the only thing the thieves did not get was his well-hidden camera.

Lewis said, “I barely had time to find the (interview) location and grab some pizza.” It took him only seconds to notice that the burglars made off with his duffel bag, lighting equipment, backpack, which included other small equipment and information, and his laptop. Also stolen was the script and early version of the new film, Don’t Tread On Me, and some extra footage.

Gary Franchi, producer and co-writer of the film, commented on the incident, “It is unknown whether or not this was a random or targeted act against the films production but, given the current political climate in America, one tends to wonder.”

The policeman on the scene, Officer Bartel, was very helpful as he went door to door looking for and asking if anyone had seen anything suspicious. The hotel manager was reluctant to allow Lewis to film the rest of the incident, threatening to call the police if Lewis did not hand over the film, but was cooperative in the end, even supportive. “Good thing I keep multiple copies of this stuff and backup everything every few days!” Lewis exclaimed.

Franchi concluded, “Don’t Tread On Me is still on schedule for a spring release and nothing is going to stop it.”

www.DontTreadOnMeMovie.com

Contact Info:

Debbie Morgan
debbie@bridgestonemediagroup.com

Band of Patriot’s Video – Take Our Freedom Back

The new song by the “Band of Patriots” has been released!

It was 1776, when the Founders signed the Writ,
of Independence from the Brits, it was revolution!
Now an enemy from within would enslave us all again,
and deprive us of our rights in the Constitution.

Take Our Freedom Back! © 05.19.09 Hudson/Worley/Franchi

By: Band of Patriots

Band of Patriots – Take Our Freedom Back!

Lyrics:

JFK …and we are as a people, inherently and historically, opposed to secret societies, to secret
oaths, and to secret proceedings, for we are opposed around the world, by a monolithic and
ruthless conspiracy, that relies primarily on covet means, for expanding its sphere of influence.

Vs 1

It was 1776, when the Founders signed the Writ,
of Independence from the Brits, it was revolution!
Now an enemy from within would enslave us all again,
and deprive us of our rights in the Constitution.

Chorus

Restore the Republic! Wake up! It’s time to understand!
Restore the Republic! We’re losing our freedom in the land!

Vs 2

Working from behind the scenes, controlling everything!
From the Daily News we read, to the Politicians!
And they’re pulling our financial strings, more powerful than Kings,
It’s the central bank elites bringing our destruction.

Chorus

Restore the Republic! Wake up! It’s time to make a stand!
Restore the Republic! We are the People and we can!
Restore the Republic! Pledge our allegiance to the Flag!
Restore the Republic! We got to take our freedom back!

Bridge

America arise, its time to open up our eyes,
and march back down the road to Freedom!
If we look the other way, they’ll take our rights away,
So We The People must DEFEAT ‘EM!
Restore the Republic!

Vs 3

Printing money till we choke! Shoving taxes down our throats!
Bailing out Banks we don’t even owe! It’s our ruination!
They’re invading our privacy, with high technology!
Micro chip in our ID, its abomination!

Chorus

Restore the Republic! Wake up! Its time to make a stand!
Restore the Republic! Spread the news across the land!
Restore the Republic! Pledge our allegiance to the Flag!
Restore the Republic! It’s time to take our freedom back!

Ending

It’s time to take our freedom back!
It’s time to take our freedom back!

Artist Spotlight – AQUANAUT

From Saint Augustine, Florida comes AQUANAUT

‘Aquanaut’, the name chosen for him (Frank McKeever) in 2006, was based upon his passion for scuba diving and exploring shipwrecks lying along the vast seabed.

Frank has fought his way through local crowds to be at the top of his game when it comes to lyrical explosions. With a vivid imagination, ‘Aquanaut’ paints the picture for his listeners, creating surreal scenes and events with graphic and imaginative rhyming. While he is classified as a rapper, he emphasizes that he is completely different than any other rapper; often rapping about his political views, religious views, and inspirational ‘dream-chasing’ theories.

“I like to be different.” Frank stated. “I make music that is meaningful; things that inspire me and impact me; things that molded me into the person I am today. My goal is to reach out to others and impact them the same way I have been impacted.”

Frank’s extended play album, “Within – EP”, was self-released through his own record label (Creative Society) on October 1st, 2009. His official, 12-track album titled “Truth” is set to release this spring, but a copy can currently be purchased exclusively at his local shows and events.

Myspace:  MySpace.com/AquaNautMusic

Myspace Band Player Generator

Polygraph Radio Artists to Perform at Treason In America Conference

The Absolute Truth About 9/11 is that we do not know the truth about 9/11 . . . There are undeniable indications that there has been a cover-up, including evidence and testimonies that were omitted from the 9/11 Commission Report. If 9/11 was the justification for the current five (5) on-going “wars on terror” and if the official 9/11 story is a lie, then we need a new investigation, the complete one that was never done, for starters. Could the truth of 9/11 end the wars?
This conference is being held to reach a larger audience, to connect the dots between current and past events, to present information that the mainstream media ignores or censors, or doesn’t put all together in one place, and to put all of it into a larger context about what might be really going on.

What Are You Willing to Fight For?

BY ADAM KOKESH, ON JAN 7, 2010

When I joined the Marines and swore an oath to the Constitution, it was with great pride that I joined the ranks of men and women who went before me in our nation’s history to put their lives on the line for freedom. Those of us who understand the real meaning of freedom know we have been called upon by that same animating spirit that called to our founders, and it is time to put our lives on the line again. Within the ranks of today’s revolutionaries, we continue to fight for freedom with the same commitment our founders brought to their fight.

This campaign is only possible because of the support of people like you all over the country who know that typical politicians will never represent them or what it really means to be American. In that spirit, on February 1st, we at the Kokesh for Congress campaign are going to be celebrating National Freedom Day (which just so happens to be my birthday) with a massive Money Bomb that we’ve dubbed the “Birthday Bomb.”

This is a great chance to pool your donation with everyone else who will be donating that day for maximum impact. In order to make this work we need your help. Forward this email to everyone you know. If you are on MySpace, Facebook, or any other social networking sites, repost this. If you have access to a video camera, (counting webcams, that’s pretty much everyone these days) make a video about why you are going to donate and post it to YouTube. If you have a website, post one of our banners. If you tell 100 people, and they tell 100 people, well, you know . . . we’ll have this r3VOLution over in no time!

So what are you willing to fight for? If you haven’t given until it hurts, be it with your talent, your time, or your money, then you know there is more that can be done. Many who have gone before us sacrificed much more than we are asking for today. I want you to have a good answer for your children when they ask you what you did for their future when you were called on to make a sacrifice. I know I will. Will you?

Obama’s ‘Self Declared’ Unconstitutional ‘New Power’ Over Governors… ‘You Will Do as Commanded’

By Robert Stevens

What if Governors are commanded to disregard the Bill of Rights, arrest innocent citizens and take them to FEMA detention camps?… (Your county Sheriff, whether you or they know it or not is the most powerful person in your county… Your sheriff has MORE POWER than a president! Hold them to their oath. They were voted into office by ‘the people’ to protect ‘the people’.

As Kurt Nimmo wrote in his article Obama Expands Federal Power Over the States with Executive Order, “The order, signed on January 11 2010, further diminishes the sovereignty of the states and builds on a framework for possible martial law. The executive order was completely ignored by the corporate media.”

* Ten Governors are required to meet whenever called. What if they refuse?…
As the executive orders mandates, The Council shall meet at the call of the Secretary of Defense or the Co-Chairs

This authorizes the federal government, whenever they wish, to round up ten Governors. What if they refuse? Will they be arrested or taken by force?

* An abuse of power…
George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and all the Founding Fathers would be furious past the boiling point over this Unconstitutional, self-authorizing expansion of executive power.

Given too much power, the Founding Fathers knew an abusive President would turn against the citizens and their states, so they granted specific, limited powers to the Executive Branch and established barriers to halt unauthorized expansions of power.

* Ten Governors to be outnumbered and outgunned…
Once assembled, Governors are no longer protected by their bodyguards, executive protection or state militia. They are subject to intimidation, interrogation, bullying, and personal threats. Would anyone exclude torture?

Under the false pretense of meeting to “exchange views, information, or advice,” ten Governors will be forced to meet with top military commanders including:

The “Secretary of Defense; the Secretary of Homeland Security; the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counter terrorism; the Assistant to the President for Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Engagement; the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense and Americas’ Security Affairs; the Commander, United States Northern Command; the Chief, National Guard Bureau; the Commandant of the Coast Guard; and other appropriate officials of the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Defense, and appropriate officials of other executive departments or agencies as may be designated by the Secretary of Defense or the Secretary of Homeland Security”

* Governors—You will do as commanded…
The Founding Fathers knew that freedom and liberty is always destroyed from domestic enemies, and during the final stages of converting a republic to fascism, an attack is pretended and enemies or terrorists are blamed.

This Council of Governors, like Hitler’s staff, may be told it is their duty to impose martial law to quell rebellions or arrest terrorists, who are just Constitution-loving citizens on the government’s massive terrorist list, and they may be compelled to carry out such orders.

What if Governors are commanded to disregard the Bill of Rights, arrest innocent citizens and take them to FEMA detention camps?

**The President serves the people; the people do not serve the President…**

The President serves the people and states, and must stand accountable. It is the duty of the Governors, Congress and Supreme Court to check his every act against the Constitution and Bill of Rights, to thwart the Executive Branch from amassing tyrannical powers, and to nullify any bills, executive orders or presidential signings their states do not support.

State governments are not extensions of the federal government. Governors do not serve the Executive Branch. This executive order is completely wrong, is exactly what the Constitution was established to prevent, and must not be accepted.

* Council of Governors can be used to bully other Governors…
Will acts against these Governors be used an example for non-compliance of federal mandates? Will Governors be persuaded to declare that state sovereignty is irrelevant?

* If Governors are bullied, who will protect the people?…
Citizens are protected by their states, each led by a state Governor. Governors have the power to organize and assemble militias to defend citizens against domestic and foreign enemies, including despots, dictators, the President, and totalitarian government.

* Now the President can conveniently demand meetings at all the wrong times…
What if Governors had scheduled a meeting to nullify executive powers, dissolve the Executive Branch or plan succession? The Founding Fathers established separate branches of government to balance power representing citizens and states. The Constitution was designed to protect citizens against an all-powerful President who grants himself sweeping powers over Governors and the citizens they are sworn to defend.

If Governors decide to protect their states against a run-away Executive Branch, they must not be kept from their duties.

* The Constitution and Bill of Rights are roadblocks against tyranny, not Hallmark Greeting Cards…
The Founding Fathers studied history and the rise and fall of nations. They knew that whenever an abusive King, President or Executive Branch gets too much authority, they practice unrighteous and unlawful dominion, so they created a Constitution to protect people against their government, not to protect government against the people. By controlling Governors by their earlobes, the Executive Branch is seizing unprecedented state control under the disguise of exchanging, “views, information, or advice.”

While some say this is just the formation of an advisory council, this unlawful presidential executive order is another attack against freedom and liberty. Governors may be our last defense against executive abuse, and states nullifying Unconstitutional bills our last hope. Those who seek to complete the overthrow of the United States of America know this very well.

Tyranny and abuse always begin with what first seems to be harmless acts of legislation. Phone your state Governors today and demand your voice be heard.

Lawsuit: Goldman Sachs Bonuses Bigger Than Its Earnings

By Daniel Tencer

A lawsuit filed against investment bank Goldman Sachs by a shareholder alleges that the company spent more money on corporate bonuses than it earned in 2008.

Shareholder Ken Brown’s lawsuit is one of two suits filed against the company this week over its controversial decision to hand out billions of dollars in bonuses even after it was accused of playing a central role in the financial collapse of 2008 and receiving $10 billion in direct aid from the US government.

In his lawsuit (PDF), Brown states that Goldman Sachs gave out $4.82 billion in bonuses in 2008, despite earnings of only $2.32 billion that year. The lawsuit alleges that the company spent 259 percent of its income in the first quarter of 2009 on compensation.

Goldman Sachs handed out $16.7 billion in compensation in the first nine months of 2009, according to Bloomberg news service, and that figure may reach $22 billion for the entire year. Brown’s suit says the company typically sets aside 44 percent of its net revenue for employees.

“Payment of this exorbitant amount of compensation, which has little to do with Goldman Sachs’s performance, and was financed in large part with government bailout and taxpayer money, is a waste of the company’s assets and a breach of duty and loyalty,” Brown asserts in the suit.

Brown’s suit asks the court to order the company to return the bonus money to company coffers.

In another lawsuit, filed Thursday, an Illinois pension fund that is a Goldman shareholder demanded that Goldman return some of the compensation it has handed out since the financial collapse. The Central Laborers’ Pension Fund wants compensation for damages to shareholders from the company’s compensation spending.

Reuters reports:

The lawsuit contends that Goldman’s revenue for the year was artificially inflated by government bailouts of the banking industry and the insurer American International Group Inc, as well as a change in Goldman’s fiscal year.

Such sums, and Goldman’s practice of continuing to pay out nearly 50 percent of net revenue as compensation, show “scant regard” for the interests of shareholders, it said.

Both lawsuits “are completely without merit,” Goldman Sachs spokesman Michael DuVally told Bloomberg news.

Goldman Sachs has paid back the $10 billion it received in direct aid from taxpayers, meaning the company is not bound by government compensation limits. But the $10 billion figure doesn’t include the billions more the company received thanks to pressure by the Fed on insurance giant AIG to pay all of its debts to Goldman — and other AIG creditors — in full.

On Thursday, it was revealed that during the financial crisis, the New York Fed — then run by current Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner — tried to cover up its demand that AIG use taxpayers’ money to compensate Goldman Sachs.

Monsanto’s GMO Corn Linked To Organ Failure, Study Reveals

Huffington Post | Katherine Goldstein/Gazelle Emami

In a study released by the International Journal of Biological Sciences, analyzing the effects of genetically modified foods on mammalian health, researchers found that agricultural giant Monsanto’s GM corn is linked to organ damage in rats.

According to the study, which was summarized by Rady Ananda at Food Freedom, “Three varieties of Monsanto’s GM corn – Mon 863, insecticide-producing Mon 810, and Roundup® herbicide-absorbing NK 603 – were approved for consumption by US, European and several other national food safety authorities.”

Monsanto gathered its own crude statistical data after conducting a 90-day study, even though chronic problems can rarely be found after 90 days, and concluded that the corn was safe for consumption. The stamp of approval may have been premature, however.

In the conclusion of the IJBS study, researchers wrote:

“Effects were mostly concentrated in kidney and liver function, the two major diet detoxification organs, but in detail differed with each GM type. In addition, some effects on heart, adrenal, spleen and blood cells were also frequently noted. As there normally exists sex differences in liver and kidney metabolism, the highly statistically significant disturbances in the function of these organs, seen between male and female rats, cannot be dismissed as biologically insignificant as has been proposed by others. We therefore conclude that our data strongly suggests that these GM maize varieties induce a state of hepatorenal toxicity….These substances have never before been an integral part of the human or animal diet and therefore their health consequences for those who consume them, especially over long time periods are currently unknown.”

Monsanto has immediately responded to the study, stating that the research is “based on faulty analytical methods and reasoning and do not call into question the safety findings for these products.”

The IJBS study’s author Gilles-Eric Séralini responded to the Monsanto statement on the blog, Food Freedom, “Our study contradicts Monsanto conclusions because Monsanto systematically neglects significant health effects in mammals that are different in males and females eating GMOs, or not proportional to the dose. This is a very serious mistake, dramatic for public health. This is the major conclusion revealed by our work, the only careful reanalysis of Monsanto crude statistical data.

From Blackwater to Xe, the Templar Crusade

Source: Global Research

Blackwater is a corporation that provides mercenary soldiers and supporting security personnel to the US government.

Erik Prince, the founder and owner of the now infamous US corporation, Blackwater, hails from Holland, Michigan where his family was both powerful and prominent in two institutions – (1) the Republican Party and (2) the evangelical Christian Church. After scandals hit his large and lucrative firm, Prince ordered a curious rebranding that changed its name to Xe.

X is an archaic form of abbreviation for Christ and/or Christian that was derived from the cross and the Greek Alphabet. X or Chi is the Greek letter that is the initial of “Christos” – X – which at the same time served as a symbol for the cross. Sometimes written Chi-Rho, (Xp) is another abbreviation for Christos and his followers, the Christians. From the perspective of medieval Christian symbology, ‘Xe’ is a combination of the Christic cross and the Greek letter, Epsilon, the first letter in the Greek word, Evangelion, glad tidings or gospel. From the perspective of a modern member of the Knights Templar, Xe is immediately recognizable as it symbolizes Christian Evangelism.

Prince’s background

Eric Prince’s father owned a thriving automotive parts business and sent his son to Holland Christian School – an evangelical establishment that accepts students from Kindergarten through the 12th grade. Since then, Prince has converted to Roman Catholicism – and may be a member or associate of Opus Dei, a very conservative cult now described as a prelature that is a strong ally of the current pope, Benedict XVI, who – when he was a Cardinal – paved the way for the beatification and canonization of the cult’s founder, St. Josemaria Escriva by his predecessor, Pope John Paul II.

Here is a brief description of Erik Prince’s religious background taken from a website :

The founder and CEO of Blackwater is Erik Prince, son of Edgar Prince, the now deceased businessman from Holland, Michigan. Prince’s background as a Western Michigander is not just limited to geography, the brother of Betsy DeVos has also embraced the conservative religious beliefs that his family promoted zealously, particularly with their money. Erik began his political career working as an intern for Gary Bauer at the Family Research Council and also worked in the Bush I White House, although he thought that this administration was too liberal. Prince disapproved of the Bush I administration to the extent that in 1992 he supported Patrick Buchanan for President, something that got him into trouble with his sister Betsy.

Unlike his family, which is part of the Christian Reformed Church, Erik Prince is a Catholic. He most likely became Catholic when he married his first wife, who died of cancer shortly after they were married. Interestingly enough, most of the leadership at Blackwater is also Catholic, albeit a conservative wing of the church that is quite reactionary. Erik Prince is personally connected to conservative Catholic groups like Catholic Answer, Crisis magazine, and a Grand Rapids-based group, the Acton Institute. But Prince has not abandoned his Protestant/Evangelical roots and is a close friend of Watergate criminal turned believer Chuck Colson. They have shared the podium on several occasions, even once at Calvin College. According to Scahill, Prince is aligning himself with a new Catholic/Evangelical alliance called “Evangelicals and Catholics Together.” The ECT manifesto states:

“The century now drawing to a close has been the greatest century of missionary expansion in Christian history. We pray and we believe that this expansion has prepared the way for yet greater missionary endeavor in the first century of the Third Millennium. The two communities in world Christianity that are most evangelistically assertive and most rapidly growing are Evangelicals and Catholics.”

Prince’s relationship to what Scahill calls the “Theocon” movement is not marginal. Prince himself writes about this relationship and it’s importance, particularly with the mission of Blackwater. Prince says “Everybody carries guns, just like the Prophet Jeremiah rebuilding the temple in Israel – a sword in one hand and a trowel in the other.”

The current Crusade

In 2004, the current pope signed a letter to the Bishops in the United States warning the laity not to vote for Catholic candidates who had voted in favor of women’s rights to abortion. Cardinal Ratzinger’s letter weakened the campaign of John Kerry and strengthened George W. Bush who had used the term, “crusade,” to rally his forces shortly after 9/11. Speaking in Regensburg in 2006, Pope Benedict XVI made insensitive remarks about the Islamic faith that caused outrage in the Muslim world.

Erik Prince’s personal Crusade

Among his personnel at Xe, Prince is known to be a high-profile Islamophobe who believes his personal mission in life is to bring about the total extinction of the Muslim population of this planet in what he has described as a global campaign of genocide or a, “Crusade.”

Here is an excerpt of an article about Prince that appeared in The Economist:

In an affidavit lodged with a court in Virginia, one of the witnesses said that Mr Prince “views himself as a Christian crusader tasked with eliminating Muslims and the Islamic faith from the globe.” The statement continues

To that end, Mr. Prince intentionally deployed to Iraq certain men who shared his vision of Christian supremacy, knowing and wanting these men to take every available opportunity to murder Iraqis. Many of these men used call signs based on the Knights of the Templar, the warriors who fought the Crusades.

Mr. Prince operated his companies in a manner that encouraged and rewarded the destruction of Iraqi life. For example, Mr. Prince’s executives would openly speak about going over to Iraq to “lay Hajiis out on cardboard.” Going to Iraq to shoot and kill Iraqis was viewed as a sport or game. Mr. Prince’s employees openly and consistently used racist and derogatory terms for Iraqis and other Arabs, such as “ragheads” or “hajiis.”

Obama Unveils Proposal on Bank Taxes

By HENRY J. PULIZZI

WASHINGTON–President Barack Obama, declaring “we want our money back and we’re going to get it,” said Thursday banks have a responsibility to make taxpayers whole for the financial-sector bailout and should pay a proposed tax by rolling back big bonuses.

“Instead of sending a phalanx of lobbyists to fight this proposal or employing an army of lawyers and accountants to help evade the fee, I suggest you might want to consider simply meeting your responsibilities,” Mr. Obama said in remarks at the White House.

The president, who said his resolve in recouping taxpayer funds has been stiffened by reports of “obscene bonuses,” formally unveiled his plan for a new tax on large financial firms. The tax, which the White House calls a “Financial Crisis Responsibility Fee,” is expected to raise $117 billion over about 12 years, and $90 billion over the next 10 years. Around 60% of the revenue will come from the 10 largest financial firms.

Mr. Obama said the aim of the proposal isn’t to punish Wall Street, but rather to prevent the type of risk-taking and abuse that triggered the financial crisis.

He warned that the financial sector, returning to profitability after the crisis, can’t return to business as usual.

“When we see reports of firms once again engaging in risky bets to reap quick rewards, when we see a return to compensation practices that seem not to reflect what the country’s been through, all that looks like business as usual to me,” Mr. Obama said. “The financial industry has even launched a massive lobbying campaign, locking arms with the opposition party to stand in the way of reforms to prevent another crisis. That, too, unfortunately is business as usual.”

The White House plan, which excludes small banks and auto makers that accepted funds from the government’s Troubled Asset Relief Program, reflects lingering public anger toward Wall Street and mounting unease over the billions in bonuses that financial firms are expected to dole out this year.

On Thursday, House Democratic lawmakers introduced a bill to slap a 50% tax on bonuses paid in 2010 by banks that took federal bailout funds. Rep. Peter Welch (D., Vt.) said the bonus tax proposal is “complementary” to the fee proposed by Mr. Obama.

The banking industry strongly opposes the White House fee, calling it a political exercise that will stifle the economic recovery, force it to pay for the auto sector’s bailout and ultimately be borne by consumers.
Journal Community

* Vote: Do you support the proposed bank tax?

“This tax is strictly political,” Steve Bartlett, president of the Financial Services Roundtable, an industry group, said in a statement.

Mr. Obama acknowledged that the majority of rescue funds provided to banks already has been recovered, but said “that’s not good enough.”

The White House, which needs congressional backing to enact the fee, says its plan is reasonable because many firms contributed to the financial crisis and all benefited from the government’s large intervention.

“It is in many ways offensive for those at major financial institutions to suggest that they can today afford excessive, often outlandish, bonuses for their top executives, but cannot afford to make whole the taxpayers who put forward public policies that they have benefited from in extraordinary measure,” a senior administration official said late Wednesday. Banks that “try to pass the cost on will do so at the peril of losing market share and hurting their competitiveness.”

If approved by lawmakers, the fee would go into effect June 30 and last at least 10 years. It would amount to 0.15% of total assets minus high-quality capital, such as common stock, and disclosed and retained earnings. Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.-covered deposits and insurance-policy reserves would be untaxed because such assets are already subject to federal fees, according to the White House. The tax would hit around 50 banks, insurance companies and large broker-dealers. Of those, about 35 would be U.S. companies and 10 to 15 would be U.S. subsidiaries of foreign financial firms.

Amid double-digit unemployment and public outrage over bonuses, the chasm between Washington and Wall Street has been on display in recent days. On Wednesday, top executives were grilled by a panel looking into the origins of the financial crisis.

Still, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods isn’t so sure the administration’s proposed bank tax will come to fruition. “In the end, we are somewhat skeptical that Congress will pass such a tax,” analyst Brian Gardner wrote Thursday.

Mr. Gardner said the Obama administration’s proposal leaves many questions unanswered and would face a struggle in not becoming a tax on Main Street as well as on Wall Street. He pegs the chances of bank tax legislation passing at less than 50%.

“It is very tough to actually craft this kind of legislation,” he wrote.

Write to Henry J. Pulizzi at henry.pulizzi@dowjones.com

Sam Rohrer for Governor