Setbacks at Fukushima, Black Smoke, Evacuations, Dangerous Radioactive Iodine in Tokyo Tap Water

Lest we forget, with much of the media moving on to other topics, the Fukushima nuclear disaster is still raging in Japan. Can you imagine what's going through the minds of those workers, or the fear that must be consuming the Japanese public? Is nuclear energy really worth the risk?
http://www.truth-out.org/setbacks-fukushima-black-smoke-evacuations-dangerous-radioactive-iodine-tokyo-tap-water68759

Koch's Profit From Canadian Eco-Nightmare

Another primer on the Tea Party-financing, anti-climate regulations Koch brothers. Watch out, they're gearing up to finance the most conservative Republicans they can find in 2012 so they can continue to massively pollute our country.
http://www.alternet.org/news/150336/kochs_profit_from_canadian_eco-nightmare/?page=1

Ohio Passes Nation's Most Restrictive Voter ID Law

Here we go again. Ohio, the site of massive and largely under-reported voting manipulation and fraud in the 2004 general election, is now passing restrictive measures designed to reduce turnouts in the future. It's a widely held concept that lower turnouts benefit the GOP, and that's why reductions of voting machines in democratic districts was so effective and disturbing in 2004. The criminal manipulations arguably were the difference in the state of Ohio going to Bush and allowing him to win the election. 22 other states are now developing similar voter restrictive statutes in preparation for the 2012 election.
http://thinkprogress.org/2011/03/24/ohio-voter-id-law/

Buried Provision in House GOP Bill Would Cut Off Food Stamps If One Family Member Strikes

42 million Americans are on Food Stamps as this banker-induced recession continues. The GOP is using a stealth maneuver to further limit workers rights in a new bill.
http://thinkprogress.org/2011/03/23/buried-provision-food-stamps/

That's "Chief Justice Bitch"

This is a follow-up to the Wisconsin State Supreme Court election to be held on April 4. Gov. Walker's conservative ally David Prosser on the court is up for re-election and appears to be not only intemperate but also serves as an ideological rubber stamp to the Governor's anti-labor anti-middle class agenda. It's hugely important that they replace this judge on the State Supreme Court panel with all manner of legal challenges important to working people slated to come before the court.
http://legalplanet.wordpress.com/2011/03/21/thats-chief-justice-bitch/

Prosser and other conservatives on Wisconsin court let lobbyists write judicial ethics laws. Specifically, this law allows justices to hear cases when one of the litigants have contributed to their election campaigns.
http://thinkprogress.org/2011/03/23/david-prosser-loves-lobbyists/

Top Ten Things You Should Know Before Blowing The Whistle

Despite laws enacted to protect whistleblowers there are many hazards to the practice. It's best to be fully informed and prepared if you are in a position to blow the whistle on corruption and fraud.
http://www.corporatecrimereporter.com/kohn030911.htm

The National Whistleblowers Center has been on the beat for 25 years and is a great resource for those contemplating action.
http://www.whistleblowers.org/

Fox News Resurrects Petrobras Conspiracy Theory Against Obama

It's shocking to me that US law allows fabrication and distortion of information, bald-faced lies, to be broadcast on public airwaves. This case of mis-informing public opinion has to do with a spurious claim that Obama arranged a massive loan for George Soros at the expense of the US government.
http://mediamatters.org/research/201103240035?utm_

For more on the fact that it is legal to lie on the air in the US, check out this previously posted story on the decision of US courts regarding investigative journalists who refused to put lies and misinformation into a report on rGBH in milk and Monsanto, but were denied whistleblower status.
http://www.relfe.com/media_can_legally_lie.html

This is a piece from one of the reporters, Jane Akre, summarizing the entire case. From both articles you will see that there is no laws that prohibits misinformation when presenting the news.
http://www.prwatch.org/prwissues/2000Q4/lawsuit.html

How Wall Street Crooks Get Out Of Jail Free

Corporations have become too big and too powerful and now routinely avoid prosecution for criminal activities. The preferred approach of the DOJ under Bush and Obama is 'deferred prosecution' and generally insignificant fines that companies treat as another cost of doing business. 
http://www.thenation.com/article/159433/how-wall-street-crooks-get-out-jail-free?page=0,0

Why Did Justice Department Fail to Prosecute Tom DeLay?

More on the CREW lawsuit to obtain DOJ records of the DeLay investigation. 
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/03/24/959653/-Why-Did-the-Justice-Department-Fail-to-Prosecute-Tom-DeLay

GE's Strategies Let It Avoid Taxes Altogether

Corporations now pay only 6.6% of all US tax receipts, down from 30% in the 1950's. GE expects to get a tax benefit of $3.2 Billion for 2010 due to its aggressive strategies in pursuing loopholes and influencing legislation. No wonder we have such revenue problems in the country these days! 
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/25/business/economy/25tax.html?hp

How the "Peaceful Atom" Became a Serial Killer

An excellent piece on the absurd costs of nuclear energy plant construction and the misinformation that drives the debate from its advocates. The article also point out that the nuclear industry is heavily subsidized with taxpayer dollars because banks won't touch a nuclear project because of cost overruns and other liability. We also learn that the government (read public) is on the hook for all costs related to handling dangerous 'spent' fuel rods and that the nuclear industry has negotiated limited liability in the event of a nuclear accident.
http://motherjones.com/environment/2011/03/nuclear-power-nrc-dangers

"Obama Loves Nukes" at the expense of renewable energy alternatives. From The Nation.
http://www.thenation.com/article/159453/obama-loves-nukes

Indiana Prosecutor Suggested Walker Stage A False Attack Against Him To Discredit Wisconsin Unions

Another disturbing report of reckless GOP activity in America's heartland. In another case the Indiana Deputy Attorney General suggested that Gov. Walker use live ammunition on the Wisconsin protesters.These guys are wacko...
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/03/indiana-prosecutor-encouraged-false-flag-assault-on-walker-to-discredit-wisconsin-unions.php?ref=fpi

Hold Onto Your Underwear

This article by Tom Engelhardt is over a year old but provides important perspective on the media's propensity to hype threats of terrorism since 9/11. It's important to realize that Americans are in much greater danger driving their cars, from alcohol or tobacco, E. coli bacteria in food, fires, domestic abuse, murder or the weather than they are from terrorism. The "War on Terror" has created a new industrial-complex and the media and politicians exploit the public's inherent fear of terrorism relentlessly.
http://www.responsibletechnology.org/blog/664

Monsanto's Roundup Triggers Over 40 Plant Diseases and Endangers Human and Animal Health

Glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup pesticides, have been linked to nutrient deficiencies in humans and farm animals that result in disease. Alzheimer's, for example, is linked to reduced copper and magnesium in diets and has sky-rocketed 9000% since 1990. GM Alfalfa has been approved now by the USDA and will threaten the entire organic farming industry through irreversible contamination. This article is heavy reading but contains a great deal of valuable information. 
http://www.responsibletechnology.org/blog/664

How The US Narrowly Avoided Its Own Fukushima-Style Disaster in 1992

The NRC is refusing to update worst case scenario models on flooding of coastal US nuclear plants.
http://www.grist.org/article/2011-03-24-how-the-u.s.-narrowly-avoided-its-own-fukushima-style-disaster-i

Congress Ignoring Science is Becoming a Habit

Congress votes to overturn scientific findings on the dangers of global warming with misleading arguments.
http://www.grist.org/article/2011-03-24-congress-is-making-ignoring-science-a-habit

Karl Rove's Audacious Transparency Hypocrisy

Karl Rove has created an organization, Wikicountability, to use FOIA requests to harass the Obama administration with spurious and undocumented attacks.
http://motherjones.com/politics/2011/03/karl-rove-crossroads-gps-david-corn

Here's another story on this from The Center for Public Integrity
http://www.publicintegrity.org/blog/entry/3070/

Be Consistent - Invade Saudi Arabia

This essay by Robert Scheer speaks to the hypocrisy of invoking humanitarian rights issues to justify military action. Such language has always a smokescreen for making military actions more palatable to the public, thereby obscuring the strategic motivations for engagement.
http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/be_consistent_invade_saudi_arabia_20110323/?utm_

US Doesn't Count Civilians Killed by Drones

The ACLU filed a FOIA request to get this information. The CIA has refused to respond to a similar request.
http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2011/03/23/pakistan_drones_civilian_casualties/index.html

Wisconsin Update from a Local Activist

"We're Still Winning in Wisconsin" post from Daily Kos provides a detailed review of all activities and electoral objectives with regard to combatting GOP extremism in the state.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/03/24/959750/-Were-Still-Winning-in-Wisconsin

Fred Upton Faces Constituent Criticism in Michigan for Legislative Attacks on the EPA

62% of House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Upton's constituents believe that Congress should allow EPA to improve clean air standards.
http://www.actgreen.com/2011/03/rep-upton-faces-constituent-criticism.html?utm_

The American Lung Association purchased four billboard ads in Upton's district calling for an end to the assault on EPA funding.
http://www.actgreen.com/2011/03/ala-billboards-slam-rep-fred-upton-in.html?utm_

Just saw this piece in Media Matters about the ALA billboard pictured above. A reporter named Jim Hoft is claiming that EPA paid for this ad attacking Upton. Media Matters explains that this claim is false, but I expect that much of the mainstream media will run with the false assertions through a news cycle or two...
http://mediamatters.org/research/201103240036?utm_

The EPA: Cleaning Up Crappy Water Since 1970

Update on litigation against an EPA decision that require CAFOs, a major source of water pollution, to obtain a Clean Water Act permit to operate. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals just reversed the order and all sorts of lawsuits are pending. Above pictures a dead zone in the Chesapeake Bay which EPA has targeted for a massive Total Maximum Daily Load regulatory action to limit runoff from farms, that is now being challenged by industry and the GOP. Congress leads with funding cuts and legislative assault on the agency while agribusiness interests fund lawsuit after lawsuit.
http://civileats.com/2011/03/24/the-epa-cleaning-up-crappy-water-since-1970/

Here's an item from the Chesapeake Bay Program that details the historic EPA effort now under attack to regulate the watershed that feeds the bay.
http://www.chesapeakebay.net/news_finaltmdl.aspx?menuitem=55465

This is an eloquent piece from EPA administrator, Lisa Jackson, that counters the argument that we must choose the economy or the environment. That argument is simply not true. 
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704594804575648673952756954.html?mod=WSJ_Opinion_LEADTop

Vermont Poised to Pass Single-Payer Health Insurance

Motivated by an effort to reduce health care costs Vermont is seeking to become the first state to ban most forms of private insurance.
http://www.truth-out.org/vermont-poised-pass-single-payer68688

Rich Get Richer With New Congress

Jim Hightower's been on the money for a long time and in this piece he follows the money trail into the House and Senate. I sure wish we still had Jim's old buddy Molly Ivins around to help stoke the investigative fires.
http://www.truth-out.org/jim-hightower-rich-get-richer-with-new-congress68698

Obama Administration Announces Massive Coal Mining Expansion

Unfortunately, it has become clear that Obama is using clean energy rhetoric as a cover for continued expansion of climate pollution in the US. Similar tactics are being used by BP, Chevron and others; touting modest environmental investments while pressing on aggressively with fossil fuel development.
http://www.grist.org/article/2011-03-23-obama-administration-announces-massive-coal-mining-expansion

Ohioans Have Buyer's Remorse Over Electing Union-Busting Gov. Kasich

Governor Kasich has been riding roughshod over the Buckeye state and the public tide is turning quickly.
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/03/ohioans-have-incredible-buyers-remorse-over-electing-union-busting-gov-kasich.php

Lights, Camera, Cover-Up

Both Florida and Iowa have introduced legislation making it a crime to photograph or videotape farm animals, threatening civl liberties and, by extension, public discourse. There is a lot at stake in this battle with food safety and environmental degradation at the top of the list. 
http://civileats.com/2011/03/23/lights-camera-cover-up/

Detroit's Census Confirms a Desertion Like No Other

The population in Detroit plunged 25% over the last decade and 20% of city lots are now vacant.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/23/us/23detroit.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Journalism Under Siege at Northwestern

Professor Protess of the Medill School of Journalism, known for teaching rigorous investigative techniques that have yielded high-profile results, is under attack from a records subpoena and his own dean.
http://www.thenation.com/blog/159404/journalism-under-siege-northwestern

Wisconsin Republicans Believe Their Actions are "Immune" to Court Decisions

These Republicans have forgotten everything that their predecessors stood represented. They are shameful, cold-hearted and enslaved by their allegiance to radical pro-bsiness ideology.
http://www.alternet.org/news/150357/where_do_these_wisconsin_republicans_get_off_they_actually_believe_their_actions_are_"immune"_to_court_decisions/?utm_

Officials Underestimate The Seriousness of the Problem with Japan's Leaking Nuclear Reactors

I missed this a few days ago but find that it's an important article that speaks to the widely held belief that we cannot trust the government to provide honest information as a crisis unfolds, particularly when big industrial players are involved. I hope that we will dodge a bullet in Japan and that the breadth of contamination will not reach the 15,000 square mile level of Chernobyl, but this crisis is worse than many realize. The water is Tokyo is already considered unsafe for infants to drink. Radiation continues to leak. This is a nightmare and the full ramifications of this disaster are still unknown. The piece comes from Democracy Now and is extremely informative, for example, both Hillary Clinton (as Senator) and Andrew Cuomo (as Attorney General) demanded that the Indian Point nuclear plant be shut down because of safety concerns.
http://www.alternet.org/environment/150300/officials_are_%22underestimating_the_seriousness_of_the_problem%22_with_japan%27s_nuclear_reactors/?page=entire

40,000 Wind Turbines to Power America by 2015

Update on wind turbine construction and prospects in the US.
http://venturebeat.com/2009/10/05/40000-wind-turbines-to-power-up-north-america-by-2015/

Why No One Is Talking About How Bad the Japan Nuclear Disaster Could Be?

Discussion of worst-caase scenarios in Japan, including the possibility that Tokyo, a city of 13 million, could potentially become uninhabitable. This is terrifying stuff.
http://www.grist.org/article/2011-03-23-why-is-no-one-talking-about-how-bad-the-japan-nuke-disaster-coul

Developer Cancels Plan for Big Wind Farm in Wisconsin

This is exactly what Koch Industries and the Governor in Wisconsin want - to scare off entrepreneurs who would develop renewable energy sources as an alternative to oil, gas and coal.

http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/business/118397164.html

Tax Revenues Plummet in 2010

These numbers reveal that incessant repetition of GOP tax-cutting rhetoric is not only disingenuous and misleading but also malicious and destructive. The misinformation campaign is relentless and insidious and has taken hold through disciplined message control by way of a compliant corporate media. The GOP strategy for years has been to "starve the beast" and they are doing it by creating a revenue problem through persistent tax cuts for corporations and the wealthy. This is forcing state budget crises throughout the nation, resulting in layoffs and reduced services. Democrats are guilty of the taxation ruse as well but the GOP has made it the cornerstone of their game.
http://www.truth-out.org/tax-revenues-plummet-201068659

Germany's Solar Panels Produce More Power Than Fukushima Nuclear Complex

Germany is the world leader in installed photovoltaic panels and they also just shut down seven of their oldest nuclear reactors. Of course, France is still a huge supporter of nuclear power...
http://www.grist.org/article/2011-03-22-germanys-solar-panels-produce-more-power-than-japans-entire-fuku

The Dangers of Whistleblowing in India

11 Right To Information activists have been killed over the past couple of years in India. This story speaks to the power and importance of information transparency, as well as our collective obligation to protect whistleblowers in the US.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-12696470

The article above doesn't go into the devastating effect that Industrial Ag and Monsanto's GM seeds have had on Indian agriculture, something that has spurred over 5,000 suicides. I've provided a link to this story here.

Industrial Agricultural and its' chemically intensive applications have wreaked havoc and spurred cancer claims in farming communities throughout India.
http://www.grist.org/article/2009-05-13-india-cancer-train

Indian farmers accuse Monsanto of pushing cotton "Seeds of Death."
http://www.organicconsumers.org/ge/indiacotton012406.cfm

Tallest Skyscraper in the US to Become a Vertical Solar Farm

The former Sears Tower, now the Willis in Chicago, will be retrofitted with new solar technology in the form of transparent glass windows that generate energy that will be used to operate the building.
http://www.grist.org/article/2011-03-22-tallest-skyscraper-in-u.s.-will-cool-itself-with-a-vertical-sola

Strong Plurality of Michiganders Want to Amend State Constitution to Protect Collective Bargaining Rights

In Michigan just 10% of the electorate can place an amendment to the state's constitution on the ballot.
http://thinkprogress.org/2011/03/22/poll-supports-collective-bargaining-amendment/

Watchdog Demands DOJ Release Records of DeLay Investigation

I'd love to see what's in those documents and hope the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics suit somehow prevails. I recently watched Casino Jack-The United States of Money, a documentary by the prolifically talented Alex Gibney, and it had a major segment on the unscrupulous 'Hammer.'
http://www.publicintegrity.org/blog/entry/3065/

The Law for Big Bankers Is Different than for the Rest of Us

The bankers are gaming the system in business as usual. 

http://www.alternet.org/news/150328/the_law_for_big_bankers_is_different_than_for_the_rest_of_us/?utm_

Bingaman Tells The Truth About Gas Prices, Is Lonely Doing So

Puts all the hoopla about US policies impacting gasoline prices to rest. 
http://www.grist.org/article/2011-03-22-bingaman-tells-the-truth-about-gas-prices

The Republicans Big Lies About Jobs (And Why Obama Must Repudiate Them

Reich hits on a lot of familiar rhetoric coming from the GOP and refutes them all.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-reich/the-republicans-big-lies-_b_839341.html

Settling the Afghan War

It's time to bring our troops home and negotiate an end to the war in Afghanistan. I watched the documentary, Restrepo, recently and that brought the war much closer to home in these days of media control of images from American battlefields.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/23/opinion/23brahimi.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

"The US Chamber of Commerce Doesn't Speak for Me" - Small Businesses Take A Stand

A scathing historical review of the anti-regulatory activity and lobbying of the US Chamber of Commerce. Fascinating piece.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bill-mckibben/the-gang-that-couldnt-lob_b_839047.html