The United States called on its ally Bahrain on Saturday to investigate the case of a prominent Bahraini human rights activist who the opposition says was beaten by security forces.
Opposition activists said several security officers threw Nabeel Rajab, head of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, to the ground and beat him on the head, neck and back after a protest march on Friday.
Bahrain's Interior Ministry has denied those accounts.
The Sunni-led island kingdom, home to the U.S. Fifth Fleet, last year sought to crush anti-government demonstrations mounted by the country's Shi'ite Muslim majority. Protest marches have continued in recent months, sometimes turning violent.
Officials from the U.S. embassy in Manama met for about an hour on Saturday with Rajab, who had a cut beneath one eye and bruising on his face, a senior U.S. official told Reuters on condition of anonymity.
"The United States is deeply concerned by continuing incidents of violence in Bahrain between police and demonstrators," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said in a written statement.
Social Justice: Current Affairs, Business, Politics, and all the reasons in the world to Thrive on Creative Discontent!
Saturday, January 7, 2012
As White Supremacists go Ron Paul may be the nicest....
While Ron Paul would like you to believe that his connections to white supremacy ended with his racist newsletters, he has actively courted the white supremacist movement well into the 21st century, which is evident due to his outreach to white supremacist radio programs.
On February 18, 2001, Ron Paul appeared on “Radio Free America,” a show founded by Willis Carto, a neo-Nazi who founded the white supremacist group the National Alliance. “Radio Free America” is part of Carto’s “American Free Press,” which is labeled as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC). While Paul did not discuss racial issues, he discussed several conspiracy theories. A transcript of the show was made available through Carto’s now-defunct racist publication “The Spotlight.”
In 2006 Ron Paul was scheduled to appear on another white supremacist radio show, “The Political Cesspool,” which featured the who’s who of racists, including the KKK, neo-Nazis, holocaust deniers and neo-Confederates. The show’s sponsors include white supremacist separatist group the Council of Conservative Citizens and the Institute for Historical Review, a Holocaust-denying organization founded by Carto, and the show is broadcast online via the neo-Nazi website Stormfront.
The show’s host, James Edwards, is a rising star in the white nationalist movement and idolizes former KKK Grand Wizard, David Duke. After reports began circulating that Ron Paul appeared on his show in 2006, Edwards wrote on his blog:
Unlike those who constantly attack me, I prefer to be honest. So, rather than be disingenuous, I will tell you that Ron Paul was scheduled and confirmed to appear for an hour-long interview on The Political Cesspool Radio Program in 2006. This booking was arranged by Jesse Benton.
A couple of hours before the live interview was to take place, we were informed that Congressman Paul had to take an unexpected flight and would be happy to reschedule with us at a later time.
Edwards also wrote an open letter to Ron Paul:
Dear Rep. Paul,
I know that the jackals in the establishment media are attempting to use your near-appearance on my radio program (five years ago!) as a hammer against you today. I’m sure you understand that you will never be able to curry favor with the Cultural Marxists that hate our values and seek to destroy the country we know and love.
You are just days away from winning the Iowa caucuses, which is why your opponents are resorting to such desperate measures. Your success causes the media and its handlers great distress, but always remember that appeasement never works.
We’ve done nothing wrong.
You’ve done nothing wrong.
Stay the course.
Our motto here in the studio is simple: “No Retreat, No Surrender, No Apology.”
Our mutual friend, Pat Buchanan, has recently given you a template to be used when answering questions about this show. You may want to take a look here and here.
We remain supportive of your candidacy and wish you nothing but the best of luck.
Sincerely,
James Edwards
Host, The Political Cesspool Radio Program
Ron Paul has also been a hot topic on Stormfront. Former KKK Grand Wizard Don Black had fellow former KKK Grand Wizard David Duke on as a quest and they discussed the man they rabidly support.
Don Black in the ’80s and ’90s believed that Ron Paul was a fellow white supremacist who wrote the racist newsletters:
Everybody, all of us back in the 80′s and 90′s, felt Ron Paul was, you know, unusual in that he had actually been a Congressman, that he was one of us (white supremacist) and now, of course, that he has this broad demographic–broad base of support.
They went out under his name in the first person and most people receiving these newsletters, including me, thought he really did write them.
So, now that he has this new base of support of course, he’s having–frantically trying to disavow himself from the newsletters.
David Duke would also voice support for Ron Paul:
Again, I go back to that, you know, traditional topic that I always talk about, you know, the powers of international Zionism–a power in banking, a power in media, a power in government influence, in campaign finance–a power that’s, you know, hurting the values of this country on behalf of Israel
So, I would vote for Ron Paul at this moment because he’s one of the few candidates who have policies in this regard and this realm that I wholeheartedly support, and that’s why I’d vote for him.
On February 18, 2001, Ron Paul appeared on “Radio Free America,” a show founded by Willis Carto, a neo-Nazi who founded the white supremacist group the National Alliance. “Radio Free America” is part of Carto’s “American Free Press,” which is labeled as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC). While Paul did not discuss racial issues, he discussed several conspiracy theories. A transcript of the show was made available through Carto’s now-defunct racist publication “The Spotlight.”
In 2006 Ron Paul was scheduled to appear on another white supremacist radio show, “The Political Cesspool,” which featured the who’s who of racists, including the KKK, neo-Nazis, holocaust deniers and neo-Confederates. The show’s sponsors include white supremacist separatist group the Council of Conservative Citizens and the Institute for Historical Review, a Holocaust-denying organization founded by Carto, and the show is broadcast online via the neo-Nazi website Stormfront.
The show’s host, James Edwards, is a rising star in the white nationalist movement and idolizes former KKK Grand Wizard, David Duke. After reports began circulating that Ron Paul appeared on his show in 2006, Edwards wrote on his blog:
Unlike those who constantly attack me, I prefer to be honest. So, rather than be disingenuous, I will tell you that Ron Paul was scheduled and confirmed to appear for an hour-long interview on The Political Cesspool Radio Program in 2006. This booking was arranged by Jesse Benton.
A couple of hours before the live interview was to take place, we were informed that Congressman Paul had to take an unexpected flight and would be happy to reschedule with us at a later time.
Edwards also wrote an open letter to Ron Paul:
Dear Rep. Paul,
I know that the jackals in the establishment media are attempting to use your near-appearance on my radio program (five years ago!) as a hammer against you today. I’m sure you understand that you will never be able to curry favor with the Cultural Marxists that hate our values and seek to destroy the country we know and love.
You are just days away from winning the Iowa caucuses, which is why your opponents are resorting to such desperate measures. Your success causes the media and its handlers great distress, but always remember that appeasement never works.
We’ve done nothing wrong.
You’ve done nothing wrong.
Stay the course.
Our motto here in the studio is simple: “No Retreat, No Surrender, No Apology.”
Our mutual friend, Pat Buchanan, has recently given you a template to be used when answering questions about this show. You may want to take a look here and here.
We remain supportive of your candidacy and wish you nothing but the best of luck.
Sincerely,
James Edwards
Host, The Political Cesspool Radio Program
Ron Paul has also been a hot topic on Stormfront. Former KKK Grand Wizard Don Black had fellow former KKK Grand Wizard David Duke on as a quest and they discussed the man they rabidly support.
Don Black in the ’80s and ’90s believed that Ron Paul was a fellow white supremacist who wrote the racist newsletters:
Everybody, all of us back in the 80′s and 90′s, felt Ron Paul was, you know, unusual in that he had actually been a Congressman, that he was one of us (white supremacist) and now, of course, that he has this broad demographic–broad base of support.
They went out under his name in the first person and most people receiving these newsletters, including me, thought he really did write them.
So, now that he has this new base of support of course, he’s having–frantically trying to disavow himself from the newsletters.
David Duke would also voice support for Ron Paul:
Again, I go back to that, you know, traditional topic that I always talk about, you know, the powers of international Zionism–a power in banking, a power in media, a power in government influence, in campaign finance–a power that’s, you know, hurting the values of this country on behalf of Israel
So, I would vote for Ron Paul at this moment because he’s one of the few candidates who have policies in this regard and this realm that I wholeheartedly support, and that’s why I’d vote for him.
Friday, January 6, 2012
Under Mitt Romney unemployment with no benefits is your future 99%
In October 1993, Bain Capital, co-founded by Mitt Romney, became majority shareholder in a steel mill that had been operating since 1888.
Less than a decade later, the mill was padlocked and some 750 people lost their jobs. Workers were denied the severance pay and health insurance they'd been promised, and their pension benefits were cut by as much as $400 a month.
What's more, a federal government insurance agency had to pony up $44 million to bail out the company's underfunded pension plan. Nevertheless, Bain profited on the deal, receiving $12 million on its $8 million initial investment and at least $4.5 million in consulting fees.
Less than a decade later, the mill was padlocked and some 750 people lost their jobs. Workers were denied the severance pay and health insurance they'd been promised, and their pension benefits were cut by as much as $400 a month.
What's more, a federal government insurance agency had to pony up $44 million to bail out the company's underfunded pension plan. Nevertheless, Bain profited on the deal, receiving $12 million on its $8 million initial investment and at least $4.5 million in consulting fees.
CA Low Carbon Fuel Standard Blocked; why does the EU recognize Canadian Tar Sands and Heavy Oil as pollution but US Courts can't = big oil owns judges?
California appealed a ruling by a federal judge who blocked the state’s low-carbon fuel standard after finding that it discriminates against out-of-state corn ethanol and crude oil and violates the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution.
The judge’s decision and a related court order blocks the state from enforcing rules discouraging refiners such as Chevron Corp. (CVX) and Tesoro Corp. (TSO) from processing types of crude that release more carbon when produced and transported into the state, such as output from Canada’s oil sands.
“We respectfully disagree with the court’s decision,” the California Air Resources Board said in an e-mailed statement. “The low-carbon fuel standard is an evenhanded standard that encourages the use of cleaner low-carbon fuels by regulating fuel-providers in California. It does not discriminate against any fuels on the basis of geography.”
The board is asking a federal appeals court in San Francisco to reverse the judge’s ruling and his order blocking the rules from being enforced until a lawsuit challenging them is resolved. The rules were to be enforced starting Jan. 1.
U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. O’Neill in Fresno, California, on Dec. 29 sided with farming and oil-industry groups that argued California’s method of assigning a higher so- called carbon intensity score to ethanol produced in the Midwest, which is otherwise chemically and physically identical to that produced in California, discriminates against interstate commerce.
The lower court case is Rocky Mountain Farmers Union v. Goldstene, 09-2234, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California (Fresno).
The judge’s decision and a related court order blocks the state from enforcing rules discouraging refiners such as Chevron Corp. (CVX) and Tesoro Corp. (TSO) from processing types of crude that release more carbon when produced and transported into the state, such as output from Canada’s oil sands.
“We respectfully disagree with the court’s decision,” the California Air Resources Board said in an e-mailed statement. “The low-carbon fuel standard is an evenhanded standard that encourages the use of cleaner low-carbon fuels by regulating fuel-providers in California. It does not discriminate against any fuels on the basis of geography.”
The board is asking a federal appeals court in San Francisco to reverse the judge’s ruling and his order blocking the rules from being enforced until a lawsuit challenging them is resolved. The rules were to be enforced starting Jan. 1.
U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. O’Neill in Fresno, California, on Dec. 29 sided with farming and oil-industry groups that argued California’s method of assigning a higher so- called carbon intensity score to ethanol produced in the Midwest, which is otherwise chemically and physically identical to that produced in California, discriminates against interstate commerce.
The lower court case is Rocky Mountain Farmers Union v. Goldstene, 09-2234, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California (Fresno).
Rick Santorum one step closer to a Dictatorial Theocracy in the USA kindda like IRAN!!!
Rick Santorum, whose surprising second-place finish in the Iowa caucuses has propelled him to the upper tier of Republican presidential candidates, was booed during an appearance before college students in New Hampshire yesterday when he spoke of his opposition to same-sex marriage.
That pitch didn’t work with the students. They booed him, particularly when he compared same-sex marriage with polygamy.
Pressed on his stance on medical marijuana, Santorum mistakenly identified the drug as a narcotic before being corrected by the audience.
“I don’t know my medical marijuana laws very well,” he joked. Still, he called the drug a hazard to society. When someone shouted at him to explain how he formed that opinion, Santorum said: “I form that opinion from my own life experiences and having experiences.”
The reference to what he may or may not have done during his days at Pennsylvania State University didn’t quell the boos. The jeering was more pronounced than any applause Santorum received.
That pitch didn’t work with the students. They booed him, particularly when he compared same-sex marriage with polygamy.
Pressed on his stance on medical marijuana, Santorum mistakenly identified the drug as a narcotic before being corrected by the audience.
“I don’t know my medical marijuana laws very well,” he joked. Still, he called the drug a hazard to society. When someone shouted at him to explain how he formed that opinion, Santorum said: “I form that opinion from my own life experiences and having experiences.”
The reference to what he may or may not have done during his days at Pennsylvania State University didn’t quell the boos. The jeering was more pronounced than any applause Santorum received.
IRAN 60 days of change...آزادی
Iran announced on Friday new military exercises in the Strait of Hormuz, but the West has readied plans to use strategic oil stocks to replace almost all Gulf oil lost if Iran blocks the waterway, industry sources and diplomats told Reuters.
They said senior executives of the International Energy Agency (IEA) discussed on Thursday an existing plan to release up to 14 million barrels per day (bpd) of government-owned oil stored in the United States, Europe, Japan and other importers.
The Combined Maritime Force protecting Gulf shipping also includes countries such as Britain, France, Canada, Australia and the Gulf Arab states, under the command of a U.S. admiral.
Most traders believe Iran will still be able to find buyers, at least for now, for its exports of 2.6 million barrels of oil per day (bpd). But it may have to offer steep discounts that reduce the revenue it needs to feed its 74 million people.
The sanctions are already hurting ordinary Iranians, faced with rising prices and a falling rial currency. They have been queuing at banks to convert their savings into dollars.
Iran holds parliamentary elections in two months, the first since a 2009 presidential election that led to nationwide mass street protests, put down by force. However, the Arab Spring has shown the vulnerability of authoritarian governments in the region to protests fuelled by anger over economic hardship.
They said senior executives of the International Energy Agency (IEA) discussed on Thursday an existing plan to release up to 14 million barrels per day (bpd) of government-owned oil stored in the United States, Europe, Japan and other importers.
The Combined Maritime Force protecting Gulf shipping also includes countries such as Britain, France, Canada, Australia and the Gulf Arab states, under the command of a U.S. admiral.
Most traders believe Iran will still be able to find buyers, at least for now, for its exports of 2.6 million barrels of oil per day (bpd). But it may have to offer steep discounts that reduce the revenue it needs to feed its 74 million people.
The sanctions are already hurting ordinary Iranians, faced with rising prices and a falling rial currency. They have been queuing at banks to convert their savings into dollars.
Iran holds parliamentary elections in two months, the first since a 2009 presidential election that led to nationwide mass street protests, put down by force. However, the Arab Spring has shown the vulnerability of authoritarian governments in the region to protests fuelled by anger over economic hardship.
Romney for an economy where fewer people succeed while most Americans get left behind
"Romney apparently prefers an economy where fewer people succeed while most Americans get left behind,” Wukela says in reference to the candidate’s most recent campaign platform.
“He wants to roll back financial reform and let Wall Street writes its own rules again, and he wants to return to the same policies that caused the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression and sped up a 30-year abandonment of the middle class.“The people of South Carolina can’t afford what Mitt Romney is offering.”
“He wants to roll back financial reform and let Wall Street writes its own rules again, and he wants to return to the same policies that caused the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression and sped up a 30-year abandonment of the middle class.“The people of South Carolina can’t afford what Mitt Romney is offering.”
Former employee of Mitt Romney says, "The only thing he's ever produced is profits for the rich."
Randy Johnson has been a critic of Mitt Romney for around 18 years. He was one of hundreds of people who were laid off when Romney's company, Bain Capital, bought and closed Ampad, an office supply company in Indiana.
"Those were the hardest times, you can imagine, when you see people crying at your desk at the age I am now, all because companies were putting profits before people," said Johnson.
He says Romney is in the business of making the rich richer and doesn't care about the middle class.
"Those were the hardest times, you can imagine, when you see people crying at your desk at the age I am now, all because companies were putting profits before people," said Johnson.
He says Romney is in the business of making the rich richer and doesn't care about the middle class.
Unemployment at lowest level in 3 years!!!!
U.S. employment growth accelerated last month and the jobless rate dropped to a near three-year low of 8.5 percent, the strongest evidence yet the economic recovery is gaining steam.
Nonfarm payrolls increased 200,000 in December, the Labor Department said on Friday. It was the biggest rise in three months and beat economists' expectations for a 150,000 gain.
The unemployment rate fell from a revised 8.7 percent in November to its lowest level since February 2009, a heartening sign for President Barack Obama whose re-election hopes could hinge on the state of the labor market.
"The labor market is healing, but we still have a long way to go to recoup the losses we have endured. We may be close to a tipping point where gains can become more self-feeding," said Diane Swonk, chief economist at Mesirow Financial in Chicago.
Nonfarm payrolls increased 200,000 in December, the Labor Department said on Friday. It was the biggest rise in three months and beat economists' expectations for a 150,000 gain.
The unemployment rate fell from a revised 8.7 percent in November to its lowest level since February 2009, a heartening sign for President Barack Obama whose re-election hopes could hinge on the state of the labor market.
"The labor market is healing, but we still have a long way to go to recoup the losses we have endured. We may be close to a tipping point where gains can become more self-feeding," said Diane Swonk, chief economist at Mesirow Financial in Chicago.
$18 billion damage award upheld against Chevron
A court of appeals in Ecuador has upheld an $18 billion damage award issued by a lower court in February against U.S. oil giant Chevron for contamination of the Ecuadorian rainforest by its subsidiary Texaco Petroleum.
After reviewing the 220,000 page trial record for 11 months, the three-member appellate panel in the Provincial Court of Justice of Sucumbios in Lago Agrio ruled Tuesday that laboratory results confirm that pollution existed at Texaco's former well sites hundreds of times higher than permissible norms in Ecuador.
Chevron purchased Texaco in 2001, so the plaintiffs consider Chevron responsible for Texaco's liabilities incurred prior to the purchase.
"This decision confirms what we have been saying for years," said Pablo Fajardo, the lead Ecuadorian lawyer. "Chevron is guilty of extraordinary greed and criminal misconduct that has created a humanitarian crisis in Ecuador that puts thousands of people at risk."
The 30,000 plaintiffs, who are Ecuadorian indigenous people and farmers, said in a statement Tuesday, "The decision by an independent appellate court is yet further confirmation of Chevron's extraordinary greed and criminal misconduct in Ecuador. The decision is based on overwhelming scientific evidence presented at trial that proved Chevron deliberately dumped billions of gallons of toxic waste that poisoned the water supply of the Amazon rainforest, decimating indigenous groups and causing an outbreak of cancers and other diseases that continue to threaten thousands of innocent lives."
The decision is the largest environmental award in history and is the latest development in an 18-year legal battle to win cleanup of contaminated sites, clean drinking water, and health care.
Texaco is alleged to have caused hundreds of oil spills in Ecuador, many of which were "remediated" by setting them on fire and to have poured sludge from the oil waste pits along dirt roads.
"The judges found ample scientific basis to uphold the damages award, including devastating evidence provided the court by Chevron's own team of technical experts that proved levels of pollution hundreds of times higher than permitted by law," said Karen Hinton the Washington, DC-based spokesperson for the Amazon Defense Coalition, the plaintiffs' organization.
After reviewing the 220,000 page trial record for 11 months, the three-member appellate panel in the Provincial Court of Justice of Sucumbios in Lago Agrio ruled Tuesday that laboratory results confirm that pollution existed at Texaco's former well sites hundreds of times higher than permissible norms in Ecuador.
Chevron purchased Texaco in 2001, so the plaintiffs consider Chevron responsible for Texaco's liabilities incurred prior to the purchase.
"This decision confirms what we have been saying for years," said Pablo Fajardo, the lead Ecuadorian lawyer. "Chevron is guilty of extraordinary greed and criminal misconduct that has created a humanitarian crisis in Ecuador that puts thousands of people at risk."
The 30,000 plaintiffs, who are Ecuadorian indigenous people and farmers, said in a statement Tuesday, "The decision by an independent appellate court is yet further confirmation of Chevron's extraordinary greed and criminal misconduct in Ecuador. The decision is based on overwhelming scientific evidence presented at trial that proved Chevron deliberately dumped billions of gallons of toxic waste that poisoned the water supply of the Amazon rainforest, decimating indigenous groups and causing an outbreak of cancers and other diseases that continue to threaten thousands of innocent lives."
The decision is the largest environmental award in history and is the latest development in an 18-year legal battle to win cleanup of contaminated sites, clean drinking water, and health care.
Texaco is alleged to have caused hundreds of oil spills in Ecuador, many of which were "remediated" by setting them on fire and to have poured sludge from the oil waste pits along dirt roads.
"The judges found ample scientific basis to uphold the damages award, including devastating evidence provided the court by Chevron's own team of technical experts that proved levels of pollution hundreds of times higher than permitted by law," said Karen Hinton the Washington, DC-based spokesperson for the Amazon Defense Coalition, the plaintiffs' organization.
Shell spills 1.7 mln gallons of oil on Nigerian Coast
Nigerian officials have suspended fishing off the southern coast after about 40,000 barrels (1.7 million gallons) of crude oil was spilled from a Shell production platform in the Bonga oil field.
The oil leaked into the Atlantic Ocean on December 20, 2011 during what the company called a "routine operation" to transfer oil to a tanker from Shell's Bonga floating production, storage and off-take vessel.
The oily sheen covered an estimated 350-square-mile area off the oil-rich Niger Delta. Shell has shut down the entire Bonga oil field, a site 75 miles off the coast that produces 200,000 barrels of oil and gas a day.
An investigation is underway to determine how 40,000 barrels of oil spilled while being loaded onto the tanker. Shell says a break in a transfer line is to blame.
The oil leaked into the Atlantic Ocean on December 20, 2011 during what the company called a "routine operation" to transfer oil to a tanker from Shell's Bonga floating production, storage and off-take vessel.
The oily sheen covered an estimated 350-square-mile area off the oil-rich Niger Delta. Shell has shut down the entire Bonga oil field, a site 75 miles off the coast that produces 200,000 barrels of oil and gas a day.
An investigation is underway to determine how 40,000 barrels of oil spilled while being loaded onto the tanker. Shell says a break in a transfer line is to blame.
WE THE PEOPLE condemn the US Supreme Court's disastrous ruling in Citizens United v FEC
Resolutions calling for a constitutional amendment have been passed in New York City, Oakland, California and Duluth, Minnesota. The California State Legislature introduced a similar resolution that, if passed, would call for an amendment to overturn Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission. And the Supreme Court of Montana issued a stinging opinion upholding a state ban on corporate contributions and criticizing the U.S. Supreme Court’s disastrous ruling.
People from coast to coast — and more than 40 national and statewide organizations including Greenpeace, 350.org, People For the American Way, Move to Amend, California Church IMPACT, and others — will take action demanding a constitutional amendment to end corporate dominance over elections and restore our democracy to We the People.
Regardless of what form your action takes, you’ll be part of a movement that has been gaining momentum at a remarkable pace, from the grassroots to Congress.
Now it’s time to step out into the national spotlight and make it clear that the American people strongly and overwhelmingly oppose the auctioning of our democracy.
People from coast to coast — and more than 40 national and statewide organizations including Greenpeace, 350.org, People For the American Way, Move to Amend, California Church IMPACT, and others — will take action demanding a constitutional amendment to end corporate dominance over elections and restore our democracy to We the People.
Regardless of what form your action takes, you’ll be part of a movement that has been gaining momentum at a remarkable pace, from the grassroots to Congress.
Now it’s time to step out into the national spotlight and make it clear that the American people strongly and overwhelmingly oppose the auctioning of our democracy.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Boeing stiffs Wichita!!!
Boeing Co.’s decision to shut down its Wichita, Kansas, plant after more than 80 years betrayed public officials who helped the planemaker win a U.S. Air Force contract for midair refueling tankers, the city’s mayor said.
Boeing didn’t consult with city officials or ask for financial incentives to stay put before announcing its decision yesterday to close the Wichita (10557MF) plant with 2,160 workers before 2014, Mayor Carl Brewer said in a telephone interview. The company had indicated that winning the Air Force tanker work last year would support 7,500 local jobs, Brewer said.
“They weren’t totally honest with us,” said Brewer of Boeing, which has benefited from about $4 billion of municipal bonds and tax relief. “We thought the relationship was a lot stronger.”
Boeing didn’t consult with city officials or ask for financial incentives to stay put before announcing its decision yesterday to close the Wichita (10557MF) plant with 2,160 workers before 2014, Mayor Carl Brewer said in a telephone interview. The company had indicated that winning the Air Force tanker work last year would support 7,500 local jobs, Brewer said.
“They weren’t totally honest with us,” said Brewer of Boeing, which has benefited from about $4 billion of municipal bonds and tax relief. “We thought the relationship was a lot stronger.”
Romney to add $600 BILLION to USA Deficit!!!
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s tax proposal would add $600 billion to the U.S. budget deficit in 2015, according to a study released today by the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center in Washington.
The analysis compares the revenue that Romney’s tax-code changes would generate compared with expected U.S. revenue under current law, which assumes that several income tax cuts will expire as scheduled at the end of 2012.
The numbers were released five days before Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, seeks to solidify his front-runner status with a win in the New Hampshire primary.
The analysis said Romney’s plan would “reduce federal tax revenues substantially” though not as deeply as some of his opponents. In a separate study released Dec. 12, the Tax Policy Center said former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich’s proposed tax regime would add $1.3 trillion to the budget deficit in 2015.
The analysis compares the revenue that Romney’s tax-code changes would generate compared with expected U.S. revenue under current law, which assumes that several income tax cuts will expire as scheduled at the end of 2012.
The numbers were released five days before Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, seeks to solidify his front-runner status with a win in the New Hampshire primary.
The analysis said Romney’s plan would “reduce federal tax revenues substantially” though not as deeply as some of his opponents. In a separate study released Dec. 12, the Tax Policy Center said former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich’s proposed tax regime would add $1.3 trillion to the budget deficit in 2015.
Tell Google: Quit the Chamber of Commerce. Help block the INTERNET Censorship Act
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is at the forefront of efforts to pass the Internet Censorship Act, which fundamentally threatens the internet as we know it.
If the bill passes, corporate copyright holders would be able to demand the government shut down a website based on nothing more than an allegation that the website contains copyrighted material. And the government could do this even without a court order.
The free speech implications of this kind of extra-judicial government censorship of the internet is chilling. It's nothing short of an outright attack on our free internet.
Google, which is strongly opposed to the Internet Censorship Act and has an unofficial motto of "Don't be evil," is a member of the Chamber of Commerce. But the Chamber's all-out support of this incredibly dangerous legislation has reportedly caused Google to consider quitting the rightwing organization in protest.
If Google leaves the Chamber, it will further reveal that the Chamber is nothing more than a front group for a small handful of wealthy corporate special interests. And this will further chip away at the Chamber's grandiose claim to broadly represent the interests of the American business community.
We've already seen a number of big corporations including Yahoo and Apple leave the Chamber, and it's a very big deal that Google is reportedly considering the same thing right now.
This is a case where the business interests of Google align with the needs of all of us who depend on the free and open internet.
Progressives have any number of reasons to want to see the influence of the Chamber of Commerce diminish.
As the election season heats up, we'll almost certainly see the Chamber run vicious smear campaigns against people running against any number of rightwing extremists.
But more fundamentally, whether it's shilling for Big Oil or the tobacco companies or media giants, the Chamber is the poster child for how wealthy corporate money corrupts our system of government.
We have a chance now to help Google to do the right thing and quit the Chamber. Now's the time to speak out. Tell Google: Quit the Chamber of Commerce.
If the bill passes, corporate copyright holders would be able to demand the government shut down a website based on nothing more than an allegation that the website contains copyrighted material. And the government could do this even without a court order.
The free speech implications of this kind of extra-judicial government censorship of the internet is chilling. It's nothing short of an outright attack on our free internet.
Google, which is strongly opposed to the Internet Censorship Act and has an unofficial motto of "Don't be evil," is a member of the Chamber of Commerce. But the Chamber's all-out support of this incredibly dangerous legislation has reportedly caused Google to consider quitting the rightwing organization in protest.
If Google leaves the Chamber, it will further reveal that the Chamber is nothing more than a front group for a small handful of wealthy corporate special interests. And this will further chip away at the Chamber's grandiose claim to broadly represent the interests of the American business community.
We've already seen a number of big corporations including Yahoo and Apple leave the Chamber, and it's a very big deal that Google is reportedly considering the same thing right now.
This is a case where the business interests of Google align with the needs of all of us who depend on the free and open internet.
Progressives have any number of reasons to want to see the influence of the Chamber of Commerce diminish.
As the election season heats up, we'll almost certainly see the Chamber run vicious smear campaigns against people running against any number of rightwing extremists.
But more fundamentally, whether it's shilling for Big Oil or the tobacco companies or media giants, the Chamber is the poster child for how wealthy corporate money corrupts our system of government.
We have a chance now to help Google to do the right thing and quit the Chamber. Now's the time to speak out. Tell Google: Quit the Chamber of Commerce.
Republicans aim to bust Unions in Indiana
A clash over labor rights in Indiana is taking shape in the state Capitol as House Democrats try to stop a measure that would prohibit union contracts from requiring that workers pay dues, a top priority for Governor Mitch Daniels and fellow Republicans.
When the legislative session opened yesterday in Indianapolis, Democrats remained in caucus, preventing the House from conducting business. The opening-day maneuver recalled last year’s session, when the Republican-dominated House shut down for five weeks after Democrats fled the state in opposition to bills restricting union rights. It extends battles over unionism throughout the Midwest to a new arena: private businesses.
While the House is scheduled to convene today, Democratic leader Patrick Bauer said yesterday his members would return if public hearings on the bill are held throughout the state, not just in the Capitol in Indianapolis.
“We refuse to let the most controversial public policy bill of the decade be railroaded through and the public denied fair and adequate input,” Bauer said in a statement.
“There is no urgency to schedule this bill for passage so quickly,” he said.
The measure, which prohibits contracts at private work sites from requiring workers to contribute to a union, is scheduled for a committee hearing tomorrow.
When the legislative session opened yesterday in Indianapolis, Democrats remained in caucus, preventing the House from conducting business. The opening-day maneuver recalled last year’s session, when the Republican-dominated House shut down for five weeks after Democrats fled the state in opposition to bills restricting union rights. It extends battles over unionism throughout the Midwest to a new arena: private businesses.
While the House is scheduled to convene today, Democratic leader Patrick Bauer said yesterday his members would return if public hearings on the bill are held throughout the state, not just in the Capitol in Indianapolis.
“We refuse to let the most controversial public policy bill of the decade be railroaded through and the public denied fair and adequate input,” Bauer said in a statement.
“There is no urgency to schedule this bill for passage so quickly,” he said.
The measure, which prohibits contracts at private work sites from requiring workers to contribute to a union, is scheduled for a committee hearing tomorrow.
Oh Ahmadinejad خداحافظ
European governments have agreed in principle to ban imports of Iranian oil, EU diplomats said on Wednesday, dealing a blow to Tehran that crowns new Western sanctions months before an Iranian election.
The prospective embargo by the European Union, along with tough U.S. financial measures signed into law by President Barack Obama on New Year's Eve, form a concerted Western campaign to hold back Iran's nuclear program.
The prospective embargo by the European Union, along with tough U.S. financial measures signed into law by President Barack Obama on New Year's Eve, form a concerted Western campaign to hold back Iran's nuclear program.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Rick Santorum = a man of the 1% !!!!
Million-dollar-plus 2010 income included payments from a lobbying firm, an energy company engaged in controversial "hydrofracking" and a hospital conglomerate that was sued for allegedly defrauding the federal government.
Muzzle off the WATCHDOG.... Who let the dog out??? Obama!!!
On Wednesday, President Obama broke through a Republican blockade on confirming any director by appointing Richard Cordray for the job during a Senate recess and giving the new agency its full authority.
The move was applauded by consumer advocates, who had been pushing the White House to take the muzzle off its new watchdog.
"Congress wanted the bureau to protect consumers no matter where they shopped for financial products," said Ed Mierzwinski, consumer program director at the U.S. Public Interest Research Group. "With a director, the public can now have confidence the consumer bureau is ready, willing and able to investigate their financial problems."
The move was applauded by consumer advocates, who had been pushing the White House to take the muzzle off its new watchdog.
"Congress wanted the bureau to protect consumers no matter where they shopped for financial products," said Ed Mierzwinski, consumer program director at the U.S. Public Interest Research Group. "With a director, the public can now have confidence the consumer bureau is ready, willing and able to investigate their financial problems."
99% Time to be Heard; Time to FIGHT; For those of us with credit cards, mortgages, or student loans -- be heard NOW!!!
Today the President appointed former Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray as Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
For months, Senate Republicans -- with Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum right behind them -- have fought this bureau every step of the way, and their latest strategy is to refuse to allow even an up-or-down vote on this nomination.
The issue isn't his qualifications: Cordray has bipartisan support from elected officials across the country and a clear majority of the Senate behind him. They won't allow a confirmation vote on any director -- because they don't want the agency to exist at all. YOUR ONLY PROTECTION FROM EXPLOITATION!!!!
We can't afford to continue allowing Wall Street to write its own rules. But today's action by the President is already coming under partisan attack, which we expect to intensify in the days to come.
Without a director, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is legally prevented from doing its job to protect millions of Americans -- including those of us with credit cards, mortgages, student loans, or home equity lines. But with Mr. Cordray at the helm, the agency will make sure payday lenders, private student loan providers, debt collectors, and the like have to play by the rules.
That's what this campaign is all about: electing a President who makes sure everyone plays by the same rules and gets a fair shake.
But Mitt Romney apparently doesn't think consumers deserve any protection at all from predatory lenders and other bad actors. His plan to fix the economy is simply to deregulate it. His proposal for the housing market is to let it "hit the bottom" so that investors can come in and make a quick buck.
The President thinks we need a cop on the beat preventing the reckless behavior that helped cause the financial crisis and so many problems for middle-class families in the first place. The President is RIGHT!!!
But if the past is any guide, the GOP and Romney are not going to let this happen without a fight. They'll be doing everything they can to stand in Cordray's way.
For months, Senate Republicans -- with Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum right behind them -- have fought this bureau every step of the way, and their latest strategy is to refuse to allow even an up-or-down vote on this nomination.
The issue isn't his qualifications: Cordray has bipartisan support from elected officials across the country and a clear majority of the Senate behind him. They won't allow a confirmation vote on any director -- because they don't want the agency to exist at all. YOUR ONLY PROTECTION FROM EXPLOITATION!!!!
We can't afford to continue allowing Wall Street to write its own rules. But today's action by the President is already coming under partisan attack, which we expect to intensify in the days to come.
Without a director, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is legally prevented from doing its job to protect millions of Americans -- including those of us with credit cards, mortgages, student loans, or home equity lines. But with Mr. Cordray at the helm, the agency will make sure payday lenders, private student loan providers, debt collectors, and the like have to play by the rules.
That's what this campaign is all about: electing a President who makes sure everyone plays by the same rules and gets a fair shake.
But Mitt Romney apparently doesn't think consumers deserve any protection at all from predatory lenders and other bad actors. His plan to fix the economy is simply to deregulate it. His proposal for the housing market is to let it "hit the bottom" so that investors can come in and make a quick buck.
The President thinks we need a cop on the beat preventing the reckless behavior that helped cause the financial crisis and so many problems for middle-class families in the first place. The President is RIGHT!!!
But if the past is any guide, the GOP and Romney are not going to let this happen without a fight. They'll be doing everything they can to stand in Cordray's way.
Commodities and Financials = 2012 investing (don't forget real estate)
Precious metals will advance 27 percent or more, industrial metals at least 17 percent and grains 5 percent, according to the median estimates in a Bloomberg survey of 143 analysts, traders and investors. Nine of the 15 commodities covered by a similar survey a year earlier reached their predicted highs in 2011, with another five no more than 4 percent away.
The six largest lenders, including JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM), Bank of America Corp. (BAC) and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (GS), may post an average profit increase of 57 percent this year, according to 184 analysts’ estimates compiled by Bloomberg.
The six largest lenders, including JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM), Bank of America Corp. (BAC) and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (GS), may post an average profit increase of 57 percent this year, according to 184 analysts’ estimates compiled by Bloomberg.
Earthquakes, water table contamination who cares; on with the fracking.....
Asian and European energy producers are spending billions of dollars to amass stakes in oil and natural-gas discoveries from Ohio to British Columbia even as earthquakes and tainted water threaten to stall the biggest drilling boom (BAKEHORZ) in at least two decades.
Total SA (FP), Europe’s third-largest oil company, and China Petrochemical Corp. (600028), that nation’s second-biggest crude producer, committed $7 billion to U.S. and Canadian shale rock formations during the past two weeks. The investments are aimed at tapping the expertise of smaller explorers including Devon Energy Corp. (DVN) and Chesapeake Energy Corp. (CHK) that pioneered techniques employed to crack previously impervious shale.
The potential rewards from shale regions such as the Utica and Marcellus formations in the eastern U.S. are too big for overseas explorers to ignore, said Mark Hanson, an analyst at Morningstar LLC in Chicago. A New Year’s Eve earthquake in Youngstown, Ohio, linked to a well used to store drilling wastewater prompted the state to halt operations at five such wells. Separately, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is studying whether intensive shale-drilling practices pose a danger to drinking water.
“These shale prospects are exploration frontiers and the big international players see them as a runway to growth,” Hanson said yesterday in a telephone interview. “They are acquiring stakes not only to learn how to drill these kind of formations in other parts of the world, but to understand how to get their arms around prospects of this size.”
Total SA (FP), Europe’s third-largest oil company, and China Petrochemical Corp. (600028), that nation’s second-biggest crude producer, committed $7 billion to U.S. and Canadian shale rock formations during the past two weeks. The investments are aimed at tapping the expertise of smaller explorers including Devon Energy Corp. (DVN) and Chesapeake Energy Corp. (CHK) that pioneered techniques employed to crack previously impervious shale.
The potential rewards from shale regions such as the Utica and Marcellus formations in the eastern U.S. are too big for overseas explorers to ignore, said Mark Hanson, an analyst at Morningstar LLC in Chicago. A New Year’s Eve earthquake in Youngstown, Ohio, linked to a well used to store drilling wastewater prompted the state to halt operations at five such wells. Separately, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is studying whether intensive shale-drilling practices pose a danger to drinking water.
“These shale prospects are exploration frontiers and the big international players see them as a runway to growth,” Hanson said yesterday in a telephone interview. “They are acquiring stakes not only to learn how to drill these kind of formations in other parts of the world, but to understand how to get their arms around prospects of this size.”
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Montana Supreme Court finds US Supreme Court ruling on Citzens United v FEC FLAWED!!!!
Last week, the Montana Supreme Court agreed, finding that corporate spending in fact had corrupted elections in the resource-rich and sparsely populated state. Should the U.S. Supreme Court ultimately accept Montana's reasoning—which many observers find doubtful—it could open the door to additional campaign-finance regulation if justified by specific facts.
Soon after Montana's admission to the Union in 1889, the big copper companies and other out-of-state mining interests flooded Montana with political spending, and sometimes outright bribery, to seize control of its courts and statehouse, the opinion said. "This naked corporate manipulation of the very government…of the State ultimately resulted in populist reforms that are still part of Montana law," state Chief Justice Mike McGrath wrote for the majority. "The question then, is when in the last 99 years did Montana lose the power or interest sufficient to support the statute, if it ever did."
By a vote of 5-2, the court held that those interests remained valid. The state's sparse population and reliance on farming and natural resources "make Montana especially vulnerable to continued efforts of corporate control to the detriment of democracy and the republican form of government," Chief Justice McGrath wrote.
The court found corporate interests in political advocacy were addressed by state law allowing creation of political committees, which collect voluntary contributions from shareholders.
Mr. Bullock, a Democrat who is running for governor, praised the ruling as "based on solid constitutional analysis, common sense and a clear understanding of...Montana's history."
The Montana law was challenged by conservative activists led by American Tradition Partnership, a group based in Virginia that collects funds for political advertisements from mining and other corporate interests. Executive director Donald Ferguson said the group was considering its options, which would likely include an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Soon after Montana's admission to the Union in 1889, the big copper companies and other out-of-state mining interests flooded Montana with political spending, and sometimes outright bribery, to seize control of its courts and statehouse, the opinion said. "This naked corporate manipulation of the very government…of the State ultimately resulted in populist reforms that are still part of Montana law," state Chief Justice Mike McGrath wrote for the majority. "The question then, is when in the last 99 years did Montana lose the power or interest sufficient to support the statute, if it ever did."
By a vote of 5-2, the court held that those interests remained valid. The state's sparse population and reliance on farming and natural resources "make Montana especially vulnerable to continued efforts of corporate control to the detriment of democracy and the republican form of government," Chief Justice McGrath wrote.
The court found corporate interests in political advocacy were addressed by state law allowing creation of political committees, which collect voluntary contributions from shareholders.
Mr. Bullock, a Democrat who is running for governor, praised the ruling as "based on solid constitutional analysis, common sense and a clear understanding of...Montana's history."
The Montana law was challenged by conservative activists led by American Tradition Partnership, a group based in Virginia that collects funds for political advertisements from mining and other corporate interests. Executive director Donald Ferguson said the group was considering its options, which would likely include an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.
And now for a NEo Neo Neo Con;;;; Rick Santorum.... oh *&!@$ joy....
Santorum is deeply conservative on social issues.
He is ardently anti-abortion, even in cases of rape and incest, and no one takes a stronger stand against gay rights.
In fact, with his comparison of gay sex to “man on dog” relationships, Santorum seldom even makes a pretense of tolerance. While that sort of rhetoric may play well in Iowa pulpits, it will be far less well received elsewhere in the nation.
Can't wait until we touch on the remainder of the Bill of Rights or the US Constitution...
He is ardently anti-abortion, even in cases of rape and incest, and no one takes a stronger stand against gay rights.
In fact, with his comparison of gay sex to “man on dog” relationships, Santorum seldom even makes a pretense of tolerance. While that sort of rhetoric may play well in Iowa pulpits, it will be far less well received elsewhere in the nation.
Can't wait until we touch on the remainder of the Bill of Rights or the US Constitution...
Bakken trumps Prudhoe!!!!
You'll know the U.S. energy industry is really on the rebound when North Dakota's newfangled Bakken oil field starts pumping more crude than Alaska's stalwart Prudhoe Bay. Energy experts expect it to happen in 2012.
Dwindling production from the once-mighty Alaskan field has been a symbol of what was once seen as the slow, inexorable decline of U.S. oil. But new technologies have turned that overall decline into an increase, led by the Bakken shale, which in July produced 424,000 barrels a day, to Alaska's 453,000.
Dwindling production from the once-mighty Alaskan field has been a symbol of what was once seen as the slow, inexorable decline of U.S. oil. But new technologies have turned that overall decline into an increase, led by the Bakken shale, which in July produced 424,000 barrels a day, to Alaska's 453,000.
Monday, January 2, 2012
From US Employment and Equal Opportunity Website: Religious discrimination involves treating a person (an applicant or employee) unfavorably because of his or her religious beliefs." Perhaps Bahrain's leadership needs to read it?
Riot police in Bahrain fired tear gas, rubber bullets and stun grenades as they clashed Sunday with hundreds of opposition supporters, some hurling Molotov cocktails, following the politically charged funeral of a 15-year-old boy murdered by police.
Thousands of opposition supporters carrying Bahraini flags and chanting anti-government slogans converged on the island of Sitra, south of the capital Manama, to mourn the death of Sayed Hashim Saeed. They are demanding that police be tried for the deaths of some 40 people since protests began in February.
Police earlier tried to seal off the site of the funeral to prevent crowds from gathering.
The clash on Sitra marks the latest burst of violence in more than 10 months of confrontations and widespread street protests on the strategic Gulf island nation, which is home to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet. The country's Shiite-led opposition is pressing for greater rights and reforms from the country's Sunni monarchy and minority population.
Jaffer al-Sheik, 40, who identified himself as a relative of Saeed, said after the funeral that the boy died while participating in a protest march. He said the canister fired by riot police caused burns on Saeed's chest arm and head.
A statement signed by six opposition groups condemned Sunday's attack on the funeral procession.
"We reaffirm our commitment to nonviolence," the statement said. "We call on the government to stop its policy of repression... and bring to trial those accused to respond to the legitimate demands of the Bahraini people."
Thousands of opposition supporters carrying Bahraini flags and chanting anti-government slogans converged on the island of Sitra, south of the capital Manama, to mourn the death of Sayed Hashim Saeed. They are demanding that police be tried for the deaths of some 40 people since protests began in February.
Police earlier tried to seal off the site of the funeral to prevent crowds from gathering.
The clash on Sitra marks the latest burst of violence in more than 10 months of confrontations and widespread street protests on the strategic Gulf island nation, which is home to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet. The country's Shiite-led opposition is pressing for greater rights and reforms from the country's Sunni monarchy and minority population.
Jaffer al-Sheik, 40, who identified himself as a relative of Saeed, said after the funeral that the boy died while participating in a protest march. He said the canister fired by riot police caused burns on Saeed's chest arm and head.
A statement signed by six opposition groups condemned Sunday's attack on the funeral procession.
"We reaffirm our commitment to nonviolence," the statement said. "We call on the government to stop its policy of repression... and bring to trial those accused to respond to the legitimate demands of the Bahraini people."
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Syria one step closer to civil war.
An Arab League advisory body called on Sunday for the immediate withdrawal of the organization's monitoring mission in Syria, saying it was allowing Damascus to cover up continued violence and abuses.
The Arab League has sent a small team to Syria to check whether President Bashar al-Assad is keeping his promise to end a crackdown on a nine-month uprising against his rule.
The observer mission has already stirred controversy. Rights groups have reported continued deaths in clashes and tens of thousands of protesters have taken to the streets to show the observers the extent of their anger.
The Arab Parliament, an 88-member advisory committee of delegates from each of the League's member states, on Sunday said the violence was continuing to claim many victims.
"For this to happen in the presence of Arab monitors has roused the anger of Arab people and negates the purpose of sending a fact-finding mission," the organization's chairman Ali al-Salem al-Dekbas said.
"This is giving the Syrian regime an Arab cover for continuing its inhumane actions under the eyes and ears of the Arab League," he said.
The Arab Parliament was the first body to recommend freezing Syria's membership in the organization in response to Assad's crackdown.
The Arab League has sent a small team to Syria to check whether President Bashar al-Assad is keeping his promise to end a crackdown on a nine-month uprising against his rule.
The observer mission has already stirred controversy. Rights groups have reported continued deaths in clashes and tens of thousands of protesters have taken to the streets to show the observers the extent of their anger.
The Arab Parliament, an 88-member advisory committee of delegates from each of the League's member states, on Sunday said the violence was continuing to claim many victims.
"For this to happen in the presence of Arab monitors has roused the anger of Arab people and negates the purpose of sending a fact-finding mission," the organization's chairman Ali al-Salem al-Dekbas said.
"This is giving the Syrian regime an Arab cover for continuing its inhumane actions under the eyes and ears of the Arab League," he said.
The Arab Parliament was the first body to recommend freezing Syria's membership in the organization in response to Assad's crackdown.
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