43 Years Ago Today, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Died Fighting For The Rights Of Public Workers

Martin Luther King died fighting for "the dignity of labor" while advocating for the end of racism, poverty and militarism in the United States. The archival footage of Dr. King's speech in support of collective bargaining rights for Memphis sanitation workers eerily echoes the goals of the current Main Street Movement's efforts to push back against the right-wing assault on the middle class.
http://thinkprogress.org/2011/04/04/martin-king-public-workers/

The drugstore chains that ate America’s suburbs [VIDEO]

This is a funny video that documents a sliver of the unappealing sprawl development that infects much of America today.
http://www.grist.org/sprawl/2011-04-04-the-drugstore-chains-that-ate-americas-suburbs

This Is What Resistance Looks Like

Chris Hedges concludes that civil disobedience is the only tool left to fight against the corporatist system that exploits and oppresses the public through cutt-throat practices in the pursuit of profits. He will be joining protesters on April 15 in Union Square in front of Bank of America. Watch UK Uncut's "Bail-in" video.
http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/this_is_what_resistance_looks_like_20110403/?ln

Forget the Tea Party: The left is waking up

Are the people increasingly marginalized by globalization, stagnant wages and the corporatist culture finally coming together to assert their rights for governance in the public interest?
http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2011/04/04/winant_labor_new_haven/index.html

In the Courts of Fitzwalkerstan: April 5 Judicial Election Could Renew Checks & Balances in Wisconsin

There's a big election in Wisconsin tomorrow and its outcome will be a strong indicator of the power of those opposed to the recent spate of a union-busting to effect political change. 
http://www.thenation.com/blog/159656/courts-fitzwalkerstan-april-5-judicial-election-could-renew-checks-balances-wisconsin

Charter Schools, Public Funding, Tax Breaks and Privatization

The charter school movement is embodied in an attack on public school unionized teachers, and seeks to put publicly funded schools in private hands. A Stanford University study shows that 37% of charter schools deliver lower quality education to their students. Should we trust the motives of privatizers when it comes to educating our youth? They're in it for the tax breaks, government guarantees and the chance to make some more money, all with public dollars. 
http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/flunking_teachers_gives_the_ruling_class_a_pass_20110329/?utm_

Worker's Rights Are Continually Under Attack

The inexorable push to maximize profits leads most employers to keep wages down and get the most out of their workers. You can call it class struggle or not but the fact is that all workers, whether unionized or not, are under duress. Real wages has stagnated for thirty years and the concentration of wealth has reached obscene levels in this country. Corporations push for laws that weaken and cheapen labor, in addition to favorable tax codes that allow them to pay as little as possible while externalizing the costs of business onto society. This piece provides a dispassionate yet compelling assessment of this ongoing struggle.
http://www.defendwisconsin.org/2011/04/01/our-continual-class-struggle/

Japan's Nuclear Nightmare Is Our's Too

"If the nuclear industry did not have the benefit of inappropriate taxpayer subsidies and the congressional Price Anderson Act, providing government underwriting of insurance and a "Nuclear Exclusion Clause" on every policy, nuclear power would never exist in the U.S." 
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-rosenthal/japans-nuclear-nightmare-_1_b_840543.html

Union-busting provision in FAA bill prevails in House

A provision in this anti-union bill covering FAA workers alters a National Mediation Board rule that unionization elections be decided by a majority of aviation and rail worker votes. Instead, the law provides that all eligible non-voting members be counted as automatic 'no' votes against the union. This is an outrageous standard that may well be unconstitutional, and Obama has threatened a veto. 
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/04/01/962360/-Union-busting-provision-in-FAA-bill-prevails-in-House?utm_

Transocean gives safety bonuses despite Gulf spill deaths

Despite an array of reckless time and cost savings decisions that led to the disastrous Deepwater Horizon explosion in the Gulf of Mexico, and the deaths of 11 workers, executives from Transocean awarded themselves safety bonuses for the company's "best year in safety performance." Here's hoping that the DOJ investigation of the massive oil spill pursues criminal charges against those responsible for this horrific human and environmental catastrophe.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42393722/ns/business/

OpenSecrets.org Joins Investigative News Network

INN, a network of more than 50 nonprofit, nonpartisans news outlets dedicated to in-depth, investigative journalism, has teamed up with an organization dedicated to tracking and reporting on the influence of money in politics.
http://www.opensecrets.org/news/2011/03/opensecretsorg-joins-investigative.html

OpenSecrets Mailbag: Corporate donations, Union influence and more...

http://www.opensecrets.org/news/2011/04/opensecrets-mailbag-corporate-donations.html

Ohio Voters Have 90 Days To Stop Gov. Kasich’s Anti-Worker Bill

Opponents of the severe bill stripping collective bargaining rights in Ohio need only 6% of voter's signatures to force a referendum in November.
http://thinkprogress.org/2011/04/01/ohio-referendum/

What’s the Worst Thing the Koch Brothers Have Done?

Climate denial? Oil Spills? Anti-worker, anti-healthcare, anti-immigration? Foreclosures? This piece presents a summary of all the greatest hits from the Koch Brothers label.
http://www.prwatch.org/news/2011/03/10517/what’s-worst-thing-koch-brothers-have-done

"Citizens for a Strong America" Operates out of a UPS Mail Drop but Runs Expensive Ads in Supreme Court Race?

Koch backed group funds an TV ad attack on JoAnne Klopenburg in the Supreme Court battle in Wisconsin. The pivotal election will be held on Tuesday.
http://www.prwatch.org/news/2011/04/10534/group-called-citizens-strong-america-operates-out-ups-mail-drop-runs-expensive-ad

The Deficit Hawks Are Targeting Nurses and Firefighters

"The wealth redistributed to the top 1 percent over the last 30 years is roughly enough to double the income of all those in the bottom half of the distribution."
http://www.alternet.org/news/150434/the_deficit_hawks_are_targeting_nurses_and_firefighters/?utm_

2nd Try At Sealing Japan Nuke Leak Still Not Working

An update on continuing efforts to contain highly radioactive water from the disabled nuclear power plants at Fukushima. It could take 'months' to these leaks that are continuing to contaminate the Pacific ocean waters near the disaster site. 
http://www.npr.org/2011/04/03/135084751/2nd-try-at-sealing-japan-nuke-leak-still-not-working?ft=1&f=1001

Japan's attempt to plug leaking reactor fails.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia-pacific/2011/04/20114324417399792.html

Baseball Hall of Fame Opposes Fracking in Cooperstown

The Chamber of Commerce in Cooperstown adopted a resolution against fracking in February, condemning the practice as unsafe and destructive. Now, the Baseball Hall of Fame has made the fight against fracking an official cause of that institution. This is good news for those concerned with the documented hazards of the toxic fracking practice that is compromising drinking water quality around the nation.
http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/blogs/baseball-hall-of-fame-opposes-fracking-in-cooperstown/

“Like the Chamber of Commerce and virtually every other area business, the Museum concludes that hydrofracking could present an unacceptable risk to the local environment, the economy and the quality of life for both local residents and tourists.”

Collective bargaining law on hold until legislators testify

The restraining order on implementing the collective bargaining restrictions that the GOP is attempting to pass in Wisconsin has be extended by Judge Sumi. It may not be resolved until four Republican legislators named as defendants in the lawsuit testify, but they are claiming immunity.
http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt-and-politics/article_ef1b1a0a-5c97-11e0-adcb-001cc4c03286.html

Democrats say goal met in on Kapanke recall in Wisconsin. 
http://www.channel3000.com/politics/27395973/detail.html

Think energy efficiency isn’t working? Think again

A study shows that total energy use in the US is about the same from 1978 to 2005, despite a population increase of 33 percent. With population growth factored in the per capita energy consumption has been dramatically reduced due to a host of conservation and efficiency initiatives.
http://www.grist.org/energy-efficiency/2011-04-02-think-energy-efficiency-isnt-working-think-again

Rightwing think tank subpoenas Michigan professors' emails

The Right clearly has a new agenda: to attack its critics in academia through freedom of information requests designed to silence and intimidate. These tactics first arose in Wisconsin when the GOP there targeted University of Wisconsin Professor Cronon, and now we are seeing the same thing in Michigan as they are going after at least three labor studies faculty from universities in that state.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/04/02/961424/-Rightwing-think-tank-subpoenas-Michigan-professors-emails?utm_

The Breakdown: Are Antitrust Laws a Thing of the Past?

A transcript of a discussion focused on anti-trust laws and why they are no longer adequate in breaking down monopoly powers. It also turns out, interestingly in this piece, that the American Revolution was driven by opposition to commercial monopolization. 
http://www.thenation.com/article/159629/transcript-breakdown-are-antitrust-laws-thing-past

Telecom-Funded North Carolina House Votes To Gut Cheap And Fast Public Broadband

Time Warner mobilizes its resources to undercut the highly successful Greenlight community broadband service in North Carolina.
http://thinkprogress.org/2011/04/02/telecom-funded-north-carolina/

Crisis? What Crisis? Average Bank Pay Kept Rising at the Same Rate

It doesn't appear that the banking sector has been suffering like the rest of the country since the subprime mortgage crisis triggered the "Great Recession," according to this report from ProPublica.
http://www.propublica.org/blog/item/crisis-what-crisis-average-bank-pay-kept-rising-at-the-same-rate

Fukushima update: Frustration, tragedy, heroism and spreading contamination

Greenpeace has done an excellent job following the continuing nuclear disaster in Japan and filed this update on several aspects of the tragedy. It is truly a horrifying situation that continues to get worse with radiation leaking into the ocean and terrible human suffering.
http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/en/news-and-blogs/campaign-blog/fukushima-update-frustration-tragedy-heroism-/blog/34060

This photo is of the damaged reactor Unit 3 at the Fukushima nuclear compound, and was taken by an unmanned drone.
http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/en/news-and-blogs/campaign-blog/new-photos-from-fukushima-daiichi-nuclear-pla/blog/34057

As Voter ID Laws Spread Across Statehouses, House GOP Telegraphs Anti-Voter Fraud Bill

TMP reports that there are at least 27 state-level Voter ID laws being introduced by GOP lawmakers in what appears to be an effort to reduce Democratic turnout in the next general election. Students in particular are being targeted by restrictions that would deny University-issued Student IDs to qualify voters at the polls in Wisconsin and Ohio, requiring DMV-issued ID instead. 
http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/04/as_voter_id_laws_spread_across_statehouses_house_gop_telegraphs_anti-voter_fraud_bill.php?utm_

Evidence Undercuts Oil Companies’ Argument That Disclosures Would Violate Foreign Laws

ProPublica reports on efforts by Oil and Mining companies to avoid disclosure of their payments to foreign governments as required by Dodd-Frank reforms.
http://www.propublica.org/blog/item/evidence-undercuts-oil-companies-argument-that-disclosure-rules-would-viola

Who Blocked the Whistleblower Protection Act?

Apparently the Whistleblower Protection Act was blocked with a 'secret hold' by an unnamed US Senator, and The Center for Media and Democracy's PR Watch has been trying to identify the politician ever since.
http://www.prwatch.org/spin/2011/04/10531/who-blocked-whistleblower-protection-act

Republican attack on unions costing them big with Republican-leaning union members

If the police and firefighter unions threatened by the extremist GOP anti-labor agenda in Ohio under Gov. Kasich (above), join with others to fight for collective bargaining and other labor rights that are being stripped away by Republican legislatures all over the country, it would be a huge boost to the movement to remove the zealots from office.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/04/01/962378/-Republican-attack-on-unions-costing-them-big-with-Republican-leaning-unionmembers?utm_

Many Conservatives reject the Tea Party's paranoid views...
http://www.alternet.org/news/150431/rift_in_the_right:_many_conservatives_reject_the_tea_party's_paranoid_views/?page=1

Where the Bailout Went Wrong

Neil M. Barofsky was the special inspector general for the Troubled Asset Relief Program from 2008 and resigned on Monday, the 29th. His assessment is that broken promises by the Treasury Department to protect homeowners and Main Street interests have resulted in the TARP program being nothing more than a handout to the nation's banks. Meanwhile, the biggest banks are 20% larger than before the bailout and control more of our economy than ever. Promises to begin lending again have been broken and the home mortgage modification program was undermined by the preference of banks to foreclose rather than modify troubled mortgages. And, yes, millions of Americans continue to face foreclosures at the hands of the banks that were saved with public funds.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/30/opinion/30barofsky.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss

Obama and American exceptionalism

Glenn Greenwald argues that the concept of "American exceptionalism" is often applied to various US military interventions, and questions whether the concept is true, well-grounded, and should serve as a premise for actions around the world. 
http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2011/03/29/exceptionalism?utm_

In The Public Interest: An Unacceptable Risk, Two Decades of "Close Calls," Leaks and Other Problems at U.S. Nuclear Reactors

Is the danger of widespread essentially permanent nuclear contamination worth the risk of continued investment in nuclear power plants? I don't think so.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/johanna-neumann/iin-the-public-interesti_b_842165.html

Regulators Aware For Years Of Understated Seismic Risks To Nuclear Plants in the U.S.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/18/nuclear-plants-regulators-risk_n_837504.html 

US had 'near-miss' accidents at Indian Point and 13 other reactors last year.

http://articles.nydailynews.com/2011-03-17/local/29175632_1_indian-point-nrc-nuclear-plant

Farmers Sue Monsanto Over GMO Seeds

Farmers seek to restrain Monsanto's ability to sue organic farmers whose crop have been contaminated by their patented GM seeds. You see, when the wind blows GM seeds onto your field companies like Monsanto, Syngenta and BayerCropLife have the right to sue for patent infringement. Through contamination of non-GM crops, Monsanto's 'intellectual property' could wipe out organic farms. Hundreds of such suits have already put many farmers out of business. 
http://civileats.com/2011/04/01/not-april-fools-farmers-sue-monsanto-over-gmo-seeds/

Consolidation of the seed market reduces the availability of conventional non-GMO seeds.
http://www.grist.org/article/food-2010-10-19-food-monsantos-losing-bet-on-GM-sugar-beets

Supreme Court’s June 2010 ruling on Monsanto’s GE alfalfa gives consumer groups a new legal weapon, "gene flow."
http://www.grist.org/article/food-supreme-court-ruling-on-monsanto-alfalfa

This ten-minute YouTube video does a good job of illustrating the risks posed to health by Monsanto and other biotech company's reckless proliferation of genetically modified organisms.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZ5OxdIq5DY

Factory Fish Farming Set for Expansion - Why This is a Bad Idea

Food & Water Watch details the legion of issues that make factory farm fishing a potential menace to the renewable resource that the factory fishing fleets are already decimating: fish in the oceans of the world.
http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/blogs/kona-going-fishing-too/

Indiana GOP Rep Says Women Will Pretend To Be Raped To Get Free Abortions

The growing GOP assault on voters rights is not limited to anti-labor measures that strip workers of bargaining rights, or anti-regulatory measures that weaken the EPA, but extend, naturally, to social issues such as renewed attempts to weaken women's right to choose. 
http://thinkprogress.org/2011/03/30/indiana-women-fake-rape/

Florida tries to make it illegal to mention 'wombs' on the state house floor.
http://motherjones.com/mojo/2011/03/gop-cant-say-uterus-statehouse-floor-florida

Anger and abandonment in a Japanese nuclear ghost town

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-japan-ghost-town-20110401,0,6683638.story?track=rss&utm_

The GOP's Pathetic Attack on Elizabeth Warren

The GOP offensive to derail the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is directed at Warren, a fierce advocate of financial fraud protections for citizens. These attacks are a greedy push to allow the financial sector to maximize profits at the expense of ordinary folks and avoid regulations designed to prevent a repeat of the mortgage crisis. It is a moment reminiscent of the failed attempt to establish the Consumer Protection Agency championed by Ralph Nader in 1978, in which President Carter failed to actively seek votes for passage. Clearly, Obama will need to step up if the CFPB is to be nothing more than a shell of what it promises to the public.
http://motherjones.com/mojo/2011/03/gop-bachus-elizabeth-warren

What Is ALEC? Dragging the Secretive Conservative Organization Out of the Shadows

AlterNet reports on the conservative-funded legislative council that prepares and disseminates legislative draft proposals to Republican lawmakers. Perhaps after reading this piece you'll agree that, at the very least, ALEC should be stripped of its 501c3 tax-exempt status as a charitable organization.
http://www.alternet.org/news/150463/what_is_alec_dragging_the_secretive_conservative_organization_out_of_the_shadows/?utm_

50,000 people tell the Senate to protect people, not polluters

Burning coal costs voters as much as $500 billion each year on top of energy costs, and coal pollution kills as many as 34,000 Americans each year. That price doesn't even consider the environmental degradation that flows from mountaintop removal in Appalachian states like West Virginia and Kentucky. 
http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/en/news-and-blogs/campaign-blog/50000-people-tell-the-senate-to-protect-peopl/blog/34000

Any Radiation Can Be Harmful

This report from Food & Water Watch asserts that no level of radiation in food or water is safe, and contends that the government should be telling people how to protest themselves rather than simply saying not to worry.

http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/blogs/any-radiation-can-be-harmful/

"Let’s start with the bottom line: the National Academy of Sciences says that exposure to even low levels of radiation can be harmful..."

Ohio to host second major union-fueled election of 2011

Ohio voters can force a referendum in November on the draconian GOP Senate Bill 5, severely stripping collective bargaining rights for 350,000 workers, if they get 6% of the electorate in the last election to sign a petition. Currently Ohio residents oppose the law by a 54%-31% margin and a victory in this referendum on labor rights could galvanize millions of workers for future elections.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/03/31/962051/-Ohio-to-host-second-major-union-fueled-election-of-2011-?utm_

Ohio Legislature OKs Collective Bargaining Limits

This action against organized labor in Ohio strips over 350,000 workers, including police and firefighters, of collective bargaining rights on heath care, sick time, pension benefits, and bans the workers from striking. In Wisconsin the cops and fire unions were exempted from the union-busting law, presumably to ensure their cooperation in maintaining order. This could change the ballgame.
http://www.npr.org/2011/03/30/134990547/ohio-house-oks-collective-bargaining-limits?ft=1&f=1001

Ohio Collective Bargaining Restrictions Spark Strong Reaction From Police, Firefighters
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/31/ohio-collective-bargainin_1_n_843387.html

Sometimes It Takes a Fire to Wake Us Up

What will it take to wake up the populace now. Will the anti-union extremism of the GOP result in sustained opposition to unfair labor practices? Will people rise off of their couches to protest the 30-year transfer of taxation burdens onto working families? Is it possible that anything can bring us together to fight for social justice in this entertainment and misinformation culture in which we live? Let us not forget that generations of laborers fought for the rights which we now take for granted. We must fight for what we believe in or it will all be lost. 
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/matt-ryan/sometimes-it-takes-a-fire_b_842346.html

"In 1911, the world was shocked when it came to light that the owners of the Triangle Factory had locked workers inside a death trap. Yet just seven years ago, we learned that Walmart had regularly locked workers inside its stores overnight, claiming it was necessary to prevent theft, heedless of the fact that it prevented critically injured workers from obtaining badly needed medical care."

Big Pharma Strikes Again

"Republicans often bemoan what they view as the heavy burden of government regulation. But the absence of such regulation, combined with the prevalence of industry-bought loopholes, adversely affects Americans every single day." 
This story is about faulty hip replacement devices that a company, DePuy Orthopaedics knowingly marketed to patients despite doctors complaints of serious infections...
http://www.thenation.com/blog/159555/big-pharma-strikes-again

Truthout Articles Vandalized Last Night

I received the email message below from Truthout this morning. There may be several links on the Ransacked Nation site with links that go to Truthout and say "page not found." The "Chapter Three: Banding Together For The Common Good" and "WikiLeaks and the First Amendment" are one such cases. Hopefully, these pages will be restored quickly. Dear Readers, Late last night, Truthout.org was attacked and our content over the past ten days was deleted. We're working to capture the cache versions of those stories that are no longer available and republish them on our website. You may find that some links will take you to "Page Not Found." Right now we're working to restore the vandalized stories. We will update you as soon as we have more information, and hope to be back in full force very soon. Thank you for your patience and your support! Sincerely, The Truthout Team

Breaking: The Republican attack on clean air isn’t popular

Grist provides a lengthy sampling of reporting against the GOP's proposals to severely inhibit the EPA and limit the Clean Air Act.
http://www.grist.org/politics/2011-03-30-editorial-backlash-to-republican-budget-attack-epa-health

Low Levels Of Radiation Found In U.S. Milk

The sample, taken in Washington State, is said to be harmless and well below safety thresholds. Let's hope so, and continue to contemplate whether the risks of nuclear energy are simply too high.
http://www.npr.org/2011/03/30/134992237/low-levels-of-radiation-found-in-u-s-milk?ft=1&f=1001

Chapter Three: Banding Together for the Common Good

This serialized book chapter from Thom Hartman recounts the origins of social and communal human relationships, democratic government and the unanticipated rise to power of corporations.
http://www.truth-out.org/banding-together-common-good68845

The HB Gary Email That Should Concern Us All - Persona Management Strategies to Build Consensus

Emails released in an Anonymous raid on the security software firm HB Gary show details of an automated software-driven program to create and propagate personas through social media for the purpose of manufacturing artificial 'consensus' on issues. 
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/02/16/945768/-UPDATED:-The-HB-Gary-Email-That-Should-Concern-Us-All

At the end of this piece the author cites a US government request for Persona Management Software for use in Iraq and Afghanistan, providing a document and a link. The FedBizOpps.gov site, alas, no longer lists the solicitation number from the document.
https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=list&tab=list&_nfound=1