Saturday, April 23, 2011

Michigan pension boards file suit over emergency manager law

There is hope that the courts will rule Gov. Snyder's radical Emergency Manager laws unconstitutional. Snyder (above) passed the laws to allow an appointee to cancel city contracts, take over pension funds, violate collective bargaining agreements and usurp the power of elected officials. Two of Detroit's city pension systems have fired the first salve in a suit challenging the state's right to control pensions and remove fund trustees.  
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/04/23/969343/-Michigan-pension-boards-file-suit-over-emergency-manager-law?utm

Wall Street still spending against Wall Street reform

It's time to bring the hammer down on Wall Street and remind the bankers that they serve at the will of the nation. They are, of course, fighting to ward off restrictions from already watered-down Dodd-Frank Wall Street reform regulations.  
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/04/23/969304/-Wall-Street-still-spending-against-Wall-Street-reform?utm

Monsanto Cash Helped Fund Bill to Stifle Whistleblowers In Iowa

Monsanto will literally stop at nothing to maximize profits. The only morality they understand is greenback greed. They are using the US and world populations as guinea pigs for their genetically-engineered products and our streams and oceans as dumping grounds for the massive runoff of their toxic Roundup herbicides. It's time to make industry liable for the damage that their products do in society - that would certainly give them pause.
http://healthfreedoms.org/2011/04/11/monsanto-cash-helped-fund-bill-to-stifle-whistleblowers-in-iowa/

GE foxes invited to guard USDA henhouse

More detail on the USDA decision to invite Monsanto to evaluate health risks and environmental impact for their genetically-modified seed and herbicide products. The USDA has also been fast-tracking approval of GM seeds without performing court mandated environmental impact studies. In fact, there are no comprehensive studies in the public domain on these products and the companies themselves refuse to release their internal studies and data.
http://www.panna.org/blog/ge-foxes-invited-guard-usda-henhouse

Pennsylvania: the 'ground zero' of the US shale gas drilling boom

The fracking controversy is big news in Britain these days too. The Guardian filed an excellent report on the issue a couple of days ago, pointing out that the natural gas industry is relying on a flawed report that claims that the hydraulic fracture process is safe.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/apr/21/pennsylvania-ground-zero-shale-gas

Now, in the state of Texas, there is a movement taking hold to ban the recklessly destructive pollution caused by fracking for natural gas.
Resistance to Gas Drilling Rises on Unlikely Soil
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/24/us/24ttnaturalgas.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Bradford County Fracking Spill Stopped After Two Days Of Leaking Chemicals In Pennsylvania

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/22/fracking-spill-bradford-county-pa-2011_n_852432.html

Unsuck Earth Day, Please

A piece highlighting the hypocrisy of Earth Day and the opportunism that takes advantage of the build-up to the annual one-day celebration of the earth and all of its manmade problems.
http://motherjones.com/blue-marble/2011/04/unsuck-earth-day-please

Google to buy 100.8 megawatts of Oklahoma wind energy


This is a positive trend that we should do much more of as a country if we are going to development sustainable energy capacity and reduce global warming. The Chinese and Europe, Germany in particular, are way ahead of the US in making similar investments in wind and solar energy.
http://www.grist.org/wind-power/2011-04-22-google-to-buy-100.8-megawatts-of-oklahoma-wind-energy

Gov. Chris Christie Considers Defying Court Order

Governor Christie may join the ranks of national GOP players who believe they can disregard various legal restrictions on their actions. This article highlights the details of the Christie episode and reviews other actions taking place in various Republican-controlled states around the countries.
http://thinkprogress.org/2011/04/22/christie-defy-court-order/

Why Are We Throwing Traumatized Vets in Jail for Calling 911?

This development presents a compelling indictment of our nation's ability to manage the complexities of social dysfunction in a sensible and enlightened way. Rather than treat veterans for PTSD and other maladies that require patience, capable social services and special courts for troubled veterans, we are putting non-violent vets in jail for being a public nuisance. It's a pathetic demonstration of our inability to solve problems in a country that continually harps on its "American Exceptionalism."
http://www.alternet.org/news/150663/why_are_we_throwing_traumatized_vets_in_jail_for_calling_911/?utm

States Shameful Trade-Off: Putting Prisons over Public Schools
http://www.alternet.org/news/150696/states'_shameful_trade-off:_putting_prisons_over_public_schools/?page=1

China Rethinks Nuclear Power

In the wake of the Fukushima nuclear disaster the Chinese have put massive development of nuclear power plants on hold, and are pressing to expand installation of renewable and sustainable energy sources like wind and solar.
http://www.thenation.com/article/160095/china-rethinks-nuclear-power

Wall Street Front Group Loading Up Conservative Activists With Soft Ball Questions For GOP Town Halls

No one should be surprised that the GOP is manipulating public town meetings to project their tightly monitored talking points and control the content. It is, however, pretty sweet to find out what's in the works before events even happen. It would be nice if the national media were on this beat but I wouldn't count on it. 
http://thinkprogress.org/2011/04/22/american-action-network-talking-points-town-hall/