Walk Like An Egyptian

Ray McGovern dragged out of Hillary Clinton “Freedom Speech”

As Secretary of State Hillary Clinton gave her speech at George Washington University yesterday condemning governments that arrest protestors and do not allow free expression, 71-year-old Ray McGovern was grabbed from the audience in plain view of her by police and an unidentified official in plain clothes, brutalized and left bleeding in jail.

She never paused speaking. When Secretary Clinton began her speech, Mr. McGovern remained standing silently in the audience and turned his back. Mr. McGovern, a veteran Army officer who also worked as a C.I.A. analyst for 27 years, was wearing a Veterans for Peace t-shirt.

Blind-sided by security officers who pounced upon him, Mr. McGovern remarked, as he was hauled out the door, “So this is America?” Mr. McGovern is covered with bruises, lacerations and contusions inflicted in the assault.

Mr. McGovern is being represented by the Partnership for Civil Justice Fund (PCJF).

“It is the ultimate definition of lip service that Secretary of State Clinton would be trumpeting the U.S. government’s supposed concerns for free speech rights and this man would be simultaneously brutalized and arrested for engaging in a peaceful act of dissent at her speech,” stated attorney Mara Verheyden-Hilliard of the PCJF.

Mr. McGovern now works for Tell the Word, a publishing arm of the ecumenical Church of the Saviour in the Adams Morgan neighborhood of Washington, D.C.

Obama Defends Mosque Near Ground Zero

We Don’t Have A Library So That Someone Else Can Have a Second Boat

photo by arcspace.com

My husband went to the library today. The Robertson Branch, in Los Angeles. The doors were locked.

Two books were waiting for him. When he got there, a line of people were waiting. It was 12:30pm, today (Friday).

The budget you see. The hours have been cut. I know there are some areas of the city when the library is closed all day in the middle of the week.

So, why can’t California do what Oregon just did — raise the taxes on the wealthy — instead of closing our libraries, and laying off our teachers, and cutting services for the blind, and instead of saying that some of us aren’t worth the price?

What is your life worth? In currency. Do you measure it that way?

Grover and Kermit Talk to Kids About Santa

Sarah Palin Book Signing–Interviews With Supporters

Basta Lou Dobbs (CNN Must Choose Which Audience They Prefer)

Healthcare: Volume Over Reason

83% of Americans Want a Public Option

The War on the Middle Class

The “Natural” Foods Myth: Undermining Real Organic Products

According to the Organic Consumers Association, there is a new movement by conventional food producers to flood the market with products labeled “Natural,” and price them as if they were organic. Consumers will be tricked into thinking they are buying organic products, and paying organic prices, for conventionally produced goods.

“Natural” products are routinely produced using pesticides, chemical fertilizer, hormones, genetic engineering, and sewage sludge. Goods marked “certified organic” and “USDA Organic” are not.

Retailers like Whole Foods Market, and wholesalers like United Natural Foods Inc., continue to push “natural” products at a premium price, while, in effect slowing down the growth of organics with their near market monopoly.

The Horizon brand of organic milk is going to start selling “natural” milk—conventionally produced milk, at premium  prices. The aim is to lure people away from “USDA Organic” milk, but still charge close to organic prices.

Dean Foods, which controls the Horizon brand, made a similar move when they purchased Silk Soy Milk. Silk now uses conventional soy beans, but sells Silk Soy Milk at the same price it was when the soy beans were certified organic. The technique is sheer profiteering.

Obama Signing Statement on $106 Billion War Funding Bill

The statement ignores a Congressional mandate to pressure World Bank to strengthen labor and environmental standards. These standards would require funded institutions to use methods to “fairly represent the value of internationally recognized workers’ rights.”

And it rejected a provision for Treasury Department to file a report on how to eliminate overlapping activities of the World Bank and IMF.

President Obama, who in the past criticized President Bush for his use of signing statements, said that he rejected these two provisions of the war spending bill because they interfere with foreign policy.

This is his sixth signing statement. By definition, signing statements change the law being signed.

Media: Stop the False Debate On Torture and the Environment–Take a Moral Stand

 

 

The Christian Science Monitor might be the last real newspaper in the country. A quote from Jerry Larson in an opinion piece about what’s wrong with newspapers:

“The best papers set the agenda in their news and opinion, offering not the tepid voice of the referee seen in the recent Obama-Cheney torture “debate,” but a strong voice of moral leadership. It was the courage of a few Southern newspaper editors, for example, that helped end segregation. They took a stand. They didn’t, in the name of “balance,” give integrationists and segregationists an equal voice.”

Newspapers refuse to take a stand on the environment as well.

A recent article in the LA Times about the destructive practice of blowing the tops off mountains for a little coal, the Times quoted “critics” of the practice as “claiming” this type of mining is destructive.

Blasting off a mountain top is destructive. It is not an opinion of the opposition. How namby-pamby can you get?

This kind of “reporting” sends readers to other sources for the real story. Stop blaming the internet!

Can You Have A Fake Class Action To Avoid A Real Class Action?

Rethink Afghanistan- The Real Cost of War

The fist video is the trailer–2 minutes. The second is 14 minutes. Really worth the time.

 

Time Warner Is Up To No Good, Again

The Time Warner building in NYC

Time Warner Cable wants to charge customers for each download to prevent cable users from downloading shows.  If you want unlimited downloading, it would cost $150 a month! (That’s up from the current $40 a month fee.)

Congressman Eric Massa (D-N.Y.) last Friday officially announced that he is drafting legislation that would “prohibit unfair tiered price structures from Internet providers.”

Time Warner claims that downloading is increasing internet infrastructure costs, but even independent analysts say the company is doing this to protect its cable fees.

Rep. Massa said the cable giant has “yet to explain how increased Internet usage increases their costs,” adding, “while I favor a business’s right to maximize their profit potential, I believe safeguards must be put in place when a business has a monopoly on a specific region.”

But the plot thickens: Time Warner is telling customers that costs are increasing… but telling investors that costs are decreasing… 

 You can sign a petition here if you want Congress to investigate.

In 2007, Time Warner began it’s attempt to kill small press magazines by lobbying the Post Office to increase rates. They won.

Connecting the Dots: America’s Economic & Media Crisis

Ten Things You Should Know About Obama’s Plan (but probably don’t)

The plan:
1. Makes a $634 billion down payment on fixing health care that will go a long way toward paying for a more efficient, more affordable health care system that covers every single American.()3
2. Reduces taxes for 95% of working Americans. And if your family makes less than $250,000, your taxes won’t go up one dime.(4)
3. Invests more than $100 billion in clean energy technology, creating millions of green jobs that can never be outsourced.(5)
4. Brings our troops home from Iraq on a firm timetable, finally bringing the war to a close—and freeing up almost ten billion dollars a month for domestic priorities.(6)
5. Reverses growing income inequality. The plan lets the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans expire and focuses on strengthening the middle class.(7)
6. Closes multi-billion-dollar tax loopholes for big oil companies. (8)
7. Increases grants to help families pay for college—the largest increase ever.(9)

8. Halves the deficit by 2013. President Obama inherited a legacy of huge deficits and an economy in shambles, but his plan brings the deficit under control as soon as the economy begins to recover.(10)
9. Dramatically increases funding for the SEC and the CFTC—the agencies that police Wall Street.(11)
10. Tells it straight. For years, budgets have used accounting tricks to hide the real costs of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Bush tax cuts, and too many other programs. Obama’s budget gets rid of the smokescreens and lays out what America’s priorities are, what they cost, and how we’re going to pay for them.(12)

P.S. Turns out there are way more than 10 amazing things in Obama’s budget and we couldn’t resist sharing just a few more.
1. Stops unnecessary government subsidies to big banks, health insurance companies and big agribusinesses.(13,14,15)
2. Expands access to early childhood education and improves schools by investing in programs that make sure every child has a qualified, strong teacher.(16)
3. Negotiates for better prescription drug prices using Medicaid’s tremendous bargaining power.17
4. Expands access to family planning for low-income women.(18)
5. Caps the pollution that causes global warming, and makes polluters pay to support clean energy innovation.(19)
Sources:
1. “Climate of Change,” The New York Times, February 27, 2009
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/27/opinion/27krugman.html?em
2. “Obama Calls His Budget Sweeping, Needed Change,” The New York Times, February 28, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51201&id=15687-6722955-LQQsG0x&t=2
3. “Obama Offers Broad Plan to Revamp Health Care,” The New York Times, February 26, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51202&id=15687-6722955-LQQsG0x&t=3
4. “Obama Expects Fight Over $3.55 Trillion Budget Plan,” Bloomberg News, February 28, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51203&id=15687-6722955-LQQsG0x&t=4
5. “Energy Budget Is Sunlight After Eight Years of Darkness,” Center for American Progress, February 26, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51204&id=15687-6722955-LQQsG0x&t=5
6. “The Economic Cost of War in Iraq and Afghanistan,” The New York Times, March 1, 2009
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/01/weekinreview/01glanz.html
7. “Tax Cuts,” The New York Times, February 26, 2009
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/27/washington/27web-tax.html
8. “Energy Budget Is Sunlight After Eight Years of Darkness,” Center for American Progress, February 26, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51204&id=15687-6722955-LQQsG0x&t=6
9. “Student Loans,” The New York Times, February 26, 2009
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/27/washington/27web-edu.html
10. “Obama unveils budget blueprint,” CNN, February 26, 2009
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/02/26/budget/
11. “Obama budget would boost SEC, CFTC, FBI,” Reuters, February 26, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51205&id=15687-6722955-LQQsG0x&t=7
12. “Obama’s budget,” Los Angeles Times, February 27, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51206&id=15687-6722955-LQQsG0x&t=8
13. “Student Loans,” The New York Times, February 26, 2009
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/27/washington/27web-edu.html
14. “Health Insurance Stocks Dive on Medicare Advantage Cuts,” The Wall Street Journal, February 26, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51207&id=15687-6722955-LQQsG0x&t=9
15. “Agriculture,” The New York Times, February 26, 2009
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/27/washington/27web-agri.html
16. “Investing Wisely in Our Children,” Center for American Progress, February 26, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51208&id=15687-6722955-LQQsG0x&t=10
17. “Obama Offers Broad Plan to Revamp Health Care,” The New York Times, February 26, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51202&id=15687-6722955-LQQsG0x&t=11
18. “Obama Offers Broad Plan to Revamp Health Care,” The New York Times, February 26, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51202&id=15687-6722955-LQQsG0x&t=12
19. “Setting ‘Green’ Goals,” The New York Times, February 26, 2009
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51209&id=15687-6722955-LQQsG0x&t=13

First Lawn, First Lunch! A History Of Organic Gardening On The White House Lawn

“Eat the View!” is a campaign to urge the Obamas to replant a large organic Victory Garden on the First Lawn with the produce going to the White House kitchen and to local food pantries.

Yes, this is the White House lawn with sheep grazing on it. There were fruit trees, a garden and a green house. The green house was knocked down to make room for the West Wing. Watch the short video for more details, then go to Eat the View! for more information on edible landscaping.

High Fructose Corn Syrup Contaminated With Murcury, New Study Finds

(Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP), Jan 26, 2009

Straight to the Source )

While the FDA had evidence that commercial high fructose corn syrup was contaminated with mercury four years ago, the agency did not inform consumers, help change industry practice or conduct additional testing.

Minneapolis – Mercury was found in nearly 50 percent of tested samples of commercial high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), according to a new article published today in the scientific journal, Environmental Health. A separate study by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) detected mercury in nearly one-third of 55 popular brandname food and beverage products where HFCS is the first or second highest labeled ingredient-including products by Quaker, Hershey’s, Kraft and Smucker’s.

HFCS use has skyrocketed in recent decades as the sweetener has replaced sugar in many processed foods. HFCS is found in sweetened beverages, breads, cereals, breakfast bars, lunch meats, yogurts, soups and condiments. On average, Americans consume about 12 teaspoons per day of HFCS. Consumption by teenagers and other high consumers can be up to 80 percent above average levels.

“Mercury is toxic in all its forms,” said IATP’s David Wallinga, M.D., and a co-author in both studies. “Given how much high fructose corn syrup is consumed by children, it could be a significant additional source of mercury never before considered. We are calling for immediate changes by industry and the FDA to help stop this avoidable mercury contamination of the food supply.”

The Environmental Health article by Dufault et al. can be found at: www.ehjournal.net.

“Not So Sweet: Missing Mercury and High Fructose Corn Syrup,” by David Wallinga, M.D., Janelle Sorensen, Pooja Mottl and Brian Yablon, M.D., can be found at: www.iatp.org.

IATP works locally and globally at the intersection of policy and practice to ensure fair and sustainable food, farm and trade systems. www.iatp.org

Putting the Constitution Back Together Again

Pete Seeger & Bruce Springsteen at the Inaugural Concert at the Lincoln Memorial

On Sunday, Pete Seeger, Bruce Springsteen, Pete’s son, and some back up singers, led the crowd (including President Obama) in a rendition of “This Land Is Your Land.”

Tommy Sevenson of the Tuscaloosa News wrote:

“But sly old Pete, who actually hoboed with Woody during the Depression and Dust Bowl, had the crowd sing the song as it was actually written, as not only a celebration of this great land, but as a demand for workers’ and people’s rights. That is, he restored the verses that have been censored from the song over the years to make it less political:”

There was a big high wall there that tried to stop me;
Sign was painted, it said private property;
But on the back side it didn’t say nothing;
That side was made for you and me.

In the shadow of the steeple I saw my people,
By the relief office I seen my people;
As they stood there hungry, I stood there asking
Is this land made for you and me?

Nobody living can ever stop me,
As I go walking that freedom highway;
Nobody living can ever make me turn back
This land was made for you and me.

“The ‘relief office,’ of course, refers to the ad hoc soup bowls and such set up during the Depression before the New Deal began to get the social security net we have all depended upon since the 1930s in place.”

War & Natural Gas: The Israeli Invasion and Gaza’s Offshore Gas Fields

Michel Chossudovsky writes for Global Research that the war in Gaza is really about Israel wanting to control Gaza’s offshore gas reserves.

“This is a war of conquest. Discovered in 2000, there are extensive gas reserves off the Gaza coastline.

“British Gas (BG Group) and its partner, the Athens based Consolidated Contractors International Company (CCC) owned by Lebanon’s Sabbagh and Koury families, were granted oil and gas exploration rights in a 25 year agreement signed in November 1999 with the Palestinian Authority. …

“The BG license covers the entire Gazan offshore marine area, which is contiguous to several Israeli offshore gas facilities. (See Map above). It should be noted that 60 percent of the gas reserves along the Gaza-Israel coastline belong to Palestine.

“The BG Group drilled two wells in 2000: Gaza Marine-1 and Gaza Marine-2. Reserves are estimated by British Gas to be of the order of 1.4 trillion cubic feet, valued at approximately 4 billion dollars. These are the figures made public by British Gas. The size of Palestine’s gas reserves could be much larger. …

“The invasion plan of the Gaza Strip under “Operation Cast Lead” was set in motion in June 2008, according to Israeli military sources:

• “Sources in the defense establishment said Defense Minister Ehud Barak instructed the Israel Defense Forces to prepare for the operation over six months ago [June or before June] , even as Israel was beginning to negotiate a ceasefire agreement with Hamas.”(Barak Ravid, Operation “Cast Lead”: Israeli Air Force strike followed months of planning, Haaretz, December 27, 2008 )
  That very same month, the Israeli authorities contacted British Gas, with a view to resuming crucial negotiations pertaining to the purchase of Gaza’s natural gas:”The decision to speed up negotiations with British Gas (BG Group) coincided, chronologically, with the planning of the invasion of Gaza initiated in June. It would appear that Israel was anxious to reach an agreement with the BG Group prior to the invasion, which was already in an advanced planning stage. …”

To read the entire article, click here.

How Hollywood Gets It Wrong On Torture And Interrogation: P1

No character on TV uses torture more than Jack Bauer, the hero of the FOX program “24″ which begins its 7th season on Sunday night. In Bauer’s hands torture appears to be the perfect tool to fight terrorism.Two years ago Human Rights First began to investigate how “24,” which has shown 89 scenes of torture in its first six seasons, influenced the thinking and the actions of young people in the armed services. They learned that some junior soldiers — even some interrogators at Guantanamo Bay — had copied abusive interrogation techniques they saw depicted on the program.

The Background: U.S. Policy Shifts Ushered in Abuse

Hollywood writers, of course, did not create the environment that led to the torture and abuse of prisoners at Abu Ghraib and elsewhere; the U.S. government created this environment by authorizing coercive interrogation techniques, departing from the long-held absolute ban on torture and cruel treatment, suspending the Geneva Conventions, and by assigning soldiers to tasks for which they were not trained.

What Can Be Done: The Primetime Torture Project

Human Rights First has launched a project that seeks to limit the impact TV has on the way interrogations are conducted in the field and also the way Americans view torture. Working with military educators and prominent Hollywood producers and writers, Human Rights First is developing a training film aimed at educating junior soldiers about the differences between what they see on TV and the way they ought to act in the field. Human Rights First is also working to encourage those with control over creative content in Hollywood to consider portraying torture in a more nuanced, more responsible fashion.

Bailout Is Being “Reworked” By Obama’s Economic Team

   Treasury Secretary nominee Timothy F. Geithner

Buried on page A16 of today’s (Friday’s) LA Times is the front-page-worthy article explaining that the $700-billion financial bailout is being overhauled to include money for homeowners, small businesses, and municipalities, and to free up credit markets–in other words, all that the original bailout promised but failed to deliver.

Working “night and day” is Treasury secretary nominee Timothy F. Geithner with the rest of President-elect Obama’s economic team. Only now, after burning through the first $350 billion, are they getting around to adding clearly defined conditions as to the use of the rest of the money so that it can be accounted for. Apparently, this time they remembered to stipulate that the money not be used for executive bonuses, retreats at resorts, holiday bonuses for executives, the use of private jets, country club memberships, and, in the case of AIG, an executive retreat at a swanky resort–all of which happened with the first half of the payout.

The first half has vanished without a trace, and without the requirement that the bailed-out firms trace it. Last month, when the Associated Press asked these firms how their public assistance was being used, they refused to answer.