America's Creeping Police State

From the War On Drugs to the War On Terror to the Patriot Act, Americans have seen a steady erosion of civil liberties here at home. This AlterNet piece examines the Supreme Court's recent 8-1 decision undermining Fourth Amendment protections against unreasonable search and seizure by empowering police to forgo a search warrant after they are denied entry to a person's home.
http://www.alternet.org/rights/151150/america%27s_creeping_police_state/?page=1

Shocking Video: Americans Arrested Violently at the Jefferson Memorial -- for Dancing

This is a sobering example of what has come to freedom of expression in the United States. It appears increasingly undeniable that America is becoming a police state in which the Constitution is an inconvenience that the government trample on at will. These people were not even demonstrating, they were dancing, and they got arrested in Washington DC.
http://www.alternet.org/rights/151128/shocking_video%3A_americans_arrested_violently_at_the_jefferson_memorial_--_for_dancing_/

THE UNITED STATES UNDERTAXES POLLUTION

This little chart produced by the IMF underscores the fundamentally exploitive concept of privatizing profits and externalizing costs, as identified in Naomi Klein's "Shock Doctrine." The US has the lowest costs for polluting the environment which basically results in another government subsidy for industry that is literally borne on the backs, and health, of the American public. It's a bad deal for all of us.
http://thinkprogress.org/green/2011/06/03/234753/the-united-states-undertaxes-pollution/

Obama Strikes Out on Global Warming

Bill McKibben outlines Obama policies that facilitate massive new coal extraction in the US and Canada that threatens to raise global temperatures dramatically and further imperil the planet. 
http://motherjones.com/environment/2011/06/obama-global-warming-failure

Chris Christie: $6,000 a year is too much income to qualify for Medicaid

This guy, the governor of New Jersey, is turning out to be a heartless buffoon and a supreme jerk as he brutally slashes state spending for the working class while pushing tax cuts for the rich and powerful. He's a full-fledged member of the new class of extremist Republican governors, such as Scott Walker in Wisconsin, Rick Snyder of Michigan, Tom Corbett of Pennsylvania, Mitch Daniels of Indiana, John Kasich of Ohio, Rick Scott in Florida and Paul LePage of Maine whose approval ratings are in the toilet as they continue to attack working people of all stripes.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/06/02/981446/-Chris-Christie:-$6,000-a-year-is-too-much-income-to-qualify-for-Medicaid?utm

The Bank Lobby Steps Up Its Attack on Elizabeth Warren

In their attacks on Elizabeth Warren and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau the GOP equates the defense of liberty with a lawless banking industry that preys on unsuspecting and vulnerable consumers. How can there be so much opposition to the common sense reform represented by the CFPB that seeks to ensure that the American people get a fair shake?
http://www.thenation.com/article/161069/bank-lobby-steps-its-attack-elizabeth-warren

States fight back against nuclear power, even as the feds remain in its thrall

Despite the cosiness of both Republicans and Democrats in Congress and the Obama Administration to the nuclear power industry, several states are taking action to close existing plants and canceling plans to build new ones. Grist offers this update as part of an ongoing series of stories.
http://www.grist.org/nuclear/2011-06-02-states-fight-back-against-nuclear-power-even-as-the-feds-remain

Psych drug doctors now pushing to add lithium to drinking water

This is a disturbing report on plans in some circles to add lithium to public water supplies in an effort to "cultivate a more serene social order.' We already have flouride in our drinking water, a practice that was pioneered by the Nazis, which is also intended to have a calming effect on the public. Flouride is the chief ingredient in the psychiatric drug Prozac.
http://www.naturalnews.com/032576_lithium_drinking_water.html

Support Effort to Block GE Potato Planting by Signing Petition

Through a secretive process based on shoddy studies the Swedish government has approved the illicit planting of Amflora, a genetically modified potato, in violation of current EU law. Though petitions may not have the impact one would hope for, and the Greenpeace goal of 3000 seems ridiculously small, it still seems worthwhile to sign. In any event, it's good, if not heartening, to know what's going on and this article provides an important update.
http://www.NaturalNews.com/032585_GM_potatoes_petition.html

Corporate Conflicts on the board of the Organic Trade Association

This short video details that the board of the OTA has not one out of the 14,000 small organic farms on it, but rather is dominated by individuals with strong financial and professional ties to conventional genetically engineered factory food multinationals. The association has failed to make GMO labeling a legislative priority and is de-incentivized to support the very policy that is key to protecting and strengthening the organic food industry. Over thirty nations have banned GMOs or required labeling of GMOs because of widespread concerns over the health impact of these food products.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCK0MTS4mvI

An Average CEO At America’s Big Corporations Earns 200 Times The Salary Of A Navy SEAL

This piece points out the absurd compensation levels for CEOs, now making 343 times the average workers salary from only 28 times in 1970.
http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2011/05/05/163805/average-ceo-navy-seal/

HAARP and the Japanese earthquake

I've only recently gotten hip to HAARP, a US high-frequency technology described by the European Parliament as a "weapons system that disrupts the climate," and learned that it is capable of triggering seismic events and may have been responsible for the earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan.
http://coto2.wordpress.com/2011/04/06/haarp-and-the-japanese-earthquake/

Fukushima in Our Food: Low Levels of Radiation Detected in U.S. Milk, Fruit and Vegetable Samples

As the horrors of the Fukushima nuclear disaster continue to fade from media coverage, it's important that we continue to follow the story and get as much information about the crisis as possible. This disaster affects us all. In America, we should be all asking ourselves whether or not nuclear energy is worth the risks that it poses to huge populations should we experience a catastrophe on the scale of Fukushima. I do not believe nuclear energy is worth the risk. Germany recently decided to abandon plans to build new nuclear plants and has scheduled the retirement of their existing nuclear power plants by 2022. I pray that we can somehow do the same here in the US but there are a lot of vested interests in government and industry pushing recklessly for new nuclear capacity as a clean energy alternative. Yet, the risk is so great that every nuclear project has to have 100% government subsidies because the private sector won't touch it otherwise. The public bears the cost and industry pockets the profit, in part by skimping on maintenance and practical planning to save money. It's bullshit. This story provides a detailed update on the issues facing the Fukushima reactors that are still spewing radiation in a meltdown state, as well as information on the worldwide spread of all the radiation being released.
http://www.healthfreedomusa.org/?p=9523

FDA Targets Supplement Manufacturers Falsely Accusing Them of Selling Drugs

I am becoming increasingly incensed by the conduct of the FDA in subverting natural supplements and herbal health remedies in their baldfaced effort to support the pharmaceutical industry. Natural remedies are extremely effective and have been used to cure cancer in thousands of patients. I, personally, was diagnosed with Uveitis, a swelling of the Uvea that resulted from a auto-immune reaction, and the doctors at the Eye & Ear Institute ultimately wanted to put me on Prednisone to knock out the swelling. This is a heavy-duty steroid and I did not want to take it for six weeks unless there was no other recourse. I went to my acupuncturist and received a treatment from him and chinese medicinal herbs, and the problem was gone in a few days. That made a believer out of me and the more research I do the more convinced I become that diet and herbs are a key to fighting disease. Watch Food Matters for more good information on these issues. The persecution of the natural health industry has got to stop or we will all be left with only pharmaceutical remedies to treat illness. Oh, did I mention that all the shit that's in our food supply contributes mightily to disease in this country? Well, it's undeniably true and the diabetes epidemic (not to mention cancer) is a good place to start looking to verify the substance of that statement. The Free Speech About Science Act is an attempt to remedy the government's bias against natural health alternatives.
http://www.naturalnews.com/032567_FDA_supplement_companies.html


Here's a link to modify a letter in support of the Free Speech About Science Act
https://secure3.convio.net/aahf/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=698 

GOP Obstructionism Reaches New Heights

The smallest percentage of judicial nominees have been confirmed for Obama of any American presidency. The Republicans recently filibustered to defeat the nomination of Goodwin Liu, a Berkeley Law Professor known to be one of the sharpest constitutional lawyers in the country, after promising in 2005 not to use such filibusters unless there were "extraordinary circumstances."
http://www.thenation.com/blog/161059/gop-obstructionism-reaches-new-heights

Geithner and Goldman: Thick As Thieves

Robert Sheer recounts some of the secret and highly unusual special treatment provided to Goldman Sachs, first at President of the NY Federal Bank and then as Treasury Secretary.
http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/geithner_and_goldman_thick_as_thieves_20110531/?utm

Welcome To ThinkProgress Green: The New Reality

ThinkProgress' reality check on the failure of efforts to reduce global warming presents a sobering perspective on the crisis of global warming and what needs to needs to be done to stop it.
http://thinkprogress.org/default/2011/05/31/230978/welcome-to-thinkprogress-green/

Scientists discuss the rash of natural disasters and how they are connected to global warming. Flooding of the Mississippi River has seen multiple 1-500 and 1-in-100 year floods in 1993, 2000, 2008 and now again in 2011.
Why Climate Experts are Using Tougher Language
http://www.minnpost.com/donshelby/2011/05/31/28716/why_climate_experts_are_using_tougher_language

Voters Around The Country Afflicted With Buyer’s Remorse Over New GOP Governors

Seven out of eight states that elected new Republican governors in the wake of the debt crisis spawned by the Great Recession that preceded the  2010 election would now elect Democrats. The harsh anti-labor and middle class policies of these extreme-right GOP governors has created a backlash of discontent.
http://thinkprogress.org/yglesias/2011/05/31/231083/voters-around-the-country-afflicted-with-buyers-remorse-over-new-gop-governors/

Wik-Bee Leaks: EPA Document Shows It Knowingly Allowed Pesticide That Kills Honey Bees

The reckless collusion of federal regulators and their industry 'clients' seems to know no bounds. In this case, administrators have allowed a pesticide to be used commercially since 2003 that EPA scientists knew was toxic to honey bees, thereby threatening the longterm viability of agricultural crops worldwide. 
http://www.fastcompany.com/1708896/wiki-bee-leaks-epa-document-reveals-agency-knowingly-allowed-use-of-bee-toxic-pesticide

There's a Right Way and a Wrong Way to Deal With a Jobs Crisis -- Why Is Germany Doing It So Well?

The US was harder hit by the Great Recession than most industrialized countries. Unemployment in America soared to the third highest level in the western world, behind Spain and Ireland. In Germany, unemployment actually went down and there are specific labor and employment policies that helped that country weather the downturn.
http://www.alternet.org/news/151082/there's_a_right_way_and_a_wrong_way_to_deal_with_a_jobs_crisis_--_why_is_germany_doing_it_so_well/?utm

In Reversal, Germany to Close Nuclear Plants by 2022

This is a dramatic development in the wake of Fukushima and demonstrable evidence that nuclear energy cannot truly be harnessed safely. The political activism of German citizens opposed to continued investment in nuclear energy forced the government to adopt this new sweeping program to develop sustainable alternative energy sources as a national strategy. Unfortunately, we are a long way from making that same commitment here is the US of A.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/31/world/europe/31germany.html?_r=1&hp

GOP is No Friend to Military Members Struggling During Recession

The patriotic hypocrisy of politicians across the board is belied by their actions and deeds when it comes to voting and advocating the well-being of the men and woman of the military. They may weep in public ceremonies but they too often will not raise some hell or lift a finger to provide safeguards and services that would benefit military families.
http://www.thenation.com/blog/161028/gop-no-friend-military-members-struggling-during-recession

Don't Believe in Conspiracy Theories? Read This About Facebook

This story is not earth shattering but it provides important insight into the surreptitious methods used by companies to discredit competitors. The piece also explores the technical meaning of a 'conspiracy' and urges readers not to blindly dismiss theories but rather to examine the factual basis behind various allegations. Many 'conspiracy theories' have been proven true over time.
http://www.naturalnews.com/032543_conspiracy_theories_Facebook.html

This Wired report is from 2010 but provides interesting background on FB's use and sale of user's personal information.
http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2010/04/report-facebook-ceo-mark-zuckerberg-doesnt-believe-in-privacy/

TEPCO Now Admits that Three Fukushima Reactors Have Melted With Large Holes in Containment Vessels

The poor decisions and lack of critical information provided to the public by TEPCO and the Japanese government have resulted in massive radiation releases and a worsening situation there. The industry/regulator coziness that exists in Japan, and undeniably in the US as well, puts public health in a precarious position by subjecting populations to unreasonable risk of radiation contamination from malfunctions and emergencies at nuclear energy plants. 
http://www.naturalnews.com/032537_Fukushima_meltdown.html

Why the Democratic Party Has Abandoned the Middle Class in Favor of the Rich

This is an excellent and lengthy analysis by Kevin Drum from Mother Jones on the degree to which the Democratic Party has been influenced by wealthy and corporate constituents, at the expense of the middle class, over the past several decades. Read it and weep, then talk it up with everyone you know...
http://www.alternet.org/news/151108/why_the_democratic_party_has_abandoned_the_middle_class_in_favor_of_the_rich/?utm

For Anarchist, Details of Life as F.B.I. Target

This story recalls the days when J. Edgar Hoover had the FBI looking at every left-leaning citizen in the country. Since 9/11, under the expanded surveillance powers of the Patriot Act, domestic surveillance of Americans has increased directly under the flag of fighting 'terrorism.'
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/29/us/29surveillance.html?pagewanted=1&hp

Republican Legislators Push to Tighten Voting Rules

Thirteen states with GOP-controlled legislatures are passing Voter ID bills and other measures designed to reduce turnout by making it more difficult for minorities and the young to vote. Of course, this is nothing new as Republicans always seem to be up to such tricks. Meanwhile not one case of voter fraud has been used to justify these laws that the GOP claims are for the purpose of insuring fair elections.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/29/us/politics/29vote.html?pagewanted=1&hp

Noam Chomsky Talks at Syracuse Peace Conference

Noam Chomsky tells it like it is at a peace conference event from May 11. Though Chomsky is largely ignored by the mainstream media, as is the subject matter of his talks, he remains perhaps the most eloquent  intellectual critic of the United States and its foreign policy. However, Chomsky doesn't deal in opinion but rather nails down each of his analytical points with solid facts and background from the existing historical record.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxyYkyJ9Tiw

This is an interesting post from Dollars & Sense highlighting how European companies now come to the US for cheap labor and lax regulations, as well as some developments in the foreclosure saga. It's also where I found the Chomsky clip.
http://dollarsandsense.org/blog/2011/05/europe-slumming-foreclosure-rulings-etc.html

Gil Scott-Heron, Voice of Black Culture - Poet, Musician, Social Critic - Dies at 62

I first discovered Gil Scott-Heron when I heard "Angel Dust" in the 70's while still in high school. The song, recorded with Brian Jackson, made a strong impact on me as his lyrics conjured the destructive loss of control and violent chaos that the street drug was wreaking on many of its users. I stayed away from Dust and that was likely the result of listening to what became one of my favorite songs over and over again. What I didn't realize until reading his obituary was that Scott-Heron had been a novelist at the age of nineteen, and I now see a strong literary influence and story-telling aspect in all his music. Of course, it's tragic that Gil Scott-Heron succumbed to the nightmare of addiction several times over the years, and that we lost a couple of decades of his work in this way, but I will always regard Gil as a brilliant voice speaking truth to power and I hope he will always be remembered that way. In the mid-80's I saw Gil Scott-Heron perform at a small club in Detroit, we were just a few rows away, and it was thrilling to see the man do his thing up close. I don't remember the show well, we were all pretty toasty and it was 25 years ago, but I do recall that the man had a lot to say that night. The fight goes on, in a timeless sort of continuum filled with the words and music of Gil Scott-Heron, a troubled man in a troubled world, and one of my heroes. The Revolution will not be televised...
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/29/arts/music/gil-scott-heron-voice-of-black-culture-dies-at-62.html?hp

WRTC Radio Archive Tribute to Gil Scott-Heron
http://rel5.wrtc.streamrewind.com/bookmarks/listen/20284
http://rel5.wrtc.streamrewind.com/bookmarks/listen/20285

I just added this link as it's the first thoughtful and detailed piece I've seen on GSH and his influence. This one transcends an obituary.
Gil Scott-Heron's Revolution
http://www.thenation.com/blog/161025/gil-scott-herons-revolution


Gil Scott-Heron - The Bottle
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_b2F-XX0Ol0&feature=share


Gil Scott-Heron, Poet and Musician, Has Died
http://www.npr.org/blogs/therecord/2011/05/27/136731274/gil-scott-heron-poet-and-musician-has-died?ps=cprs

Spoken Word Musician Gil Scott-Heron Dies in New York
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2011/05/28/us_obit_gil_scott_heron/index.html

Gil Scott-Heron - Poet, Musician, Social Critic - Dies at 62
http://www.thenation.com/blog/161021/gil-scott-heron-poet-musician-social-critic-dies-62

A link to several performance clips of Gil Scott-Heron going back to the 70's.
http://www.commondreams.org/further/2011/05/28

Truthdigger of the week: Gil Scott-Heron

http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/truthdigger_of_the_week_gil_scott-heron_20110603/?utm

GOP Medicare debacle proves Americans 'love socialized medicine after all'

Daily Kos points out that the GOP has gotten itself into quite a jam after going on record to support the privatization of Medicare into a voucher program. In fact, it may be a good time for the Dems to force a vote on a public option to move that policy forward and keep the heat on Republicans.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/05/28/979954/-GOP-Medicare-debacle-proves-Americans-love-socialized-medicine-after-all?utm

Rand Paul, Tea Party Ask: What About Privacy?

As the Senate rushed to renew expiring provisions from the Patriot Act this week, Rand Paul, a Tea Party favorite, forcefully challenged both Republicans and Democrats to have an extended period of open debate on the particulars of the law. Harry Reid had promised a full week of debate on the Patriot Act and the specific provisions that allow the government to disregard standard civil liberties under the banner of fighting terrorism, but reneged. And, virtually all Senators were silent except for Paul who managed to open the door on privacy issues and force a vote on two Amendments. Paul has also joined with Sen. Leahy (D-VT) to sponsor a separate law to phase out the so called National Security Letters provision which allows the FBI to collect, without court approval, personal records from banks, credit card companies and Internet providers. Perhaps it's time to acknowledge that elements of the Tea Party could be important allies to Progressive Democrats in the fight to restore privacy rights.
http://www.npr.org/2011/05/27/136722456/rand-paul-tea-party-ask-what-about-privacy?ft=1&f=1001

Marijuana May Fight Lung Tumors

I believe this WebMD health item is legit even though I can't find anything else about the Harvard study on the Internet. The results showed that mice implanted with human lung cancer cells, who received THC treatment, demonstrated a fifty percent reduction in tumor size after three weeks. Preliminary results also show that THC, the primary ingredient in cannabis, may well be effective in fighting brain, prostate and skin cancers too. 
http://www.webmd.com/lung-cancer/news/20070417/marijuana-may-fight-lung-tumors

This Natural News piece details the National Cancer Institutes listing of cannabis as a Complimentary Alternative Medicine on its website for the first time, and how it subsequently distanced itself from cannabis treatment in later actions.

Understanding Cannabis Therapeutics Before it is Censored
http://www.NaturalNews.com/031936_cannabis_therapy.html

NYC Wins Award for Most Marijuana Arrests in the World
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jesse-levine/nyc-wins-award-for-the-mo_b_867120.html

10 Steps to Defeat the Corporatocracy

"Many Americans know that the United States is not a democracy but a "corporatocracy," in which we are ruled by a partnership of giant corporations, the extremely wealthy elite and corporate-collaborator government officials. However, the truth of such tyranny is not enough to set most of us free to take action. Too many of us have become pacified by corporatocracy-created institutions and culture."
http://www.alternet.org/economy/151018/10_steps_to_defeat_the_corporatocracy/?page=1

High School Student Stands Up Against Prayer at Public School and Is Ostracized, Demeaned and Threatened

When an high school student wrote to his public school that the prayer planned for graduation was unconstitutional and illegal, and that he would contact the ACLU if government-sponsored prayer occurred, his identity was leaked to the community. Damon Fowler, an atheist, would then suffer the wrath of Christians scorned - damn the law - as teachers, students and his own parents spouted rage and condemnation. Wouldn't it be nice to see a little more tolerance in the country and respect for constitutional law?
http://www.alternet.org/belief/151086/high_school_student_stands_up_against_prayer_at_public_school_and_is_ostracized,_demeaned_and_threatened/?page=1

Bee Numbers Plummet as Billions of Colonies Die Across the World

The crisis in worldwide bee populations, called Colony Collapse Disorder, has been recognized since 2006. Three million bee colonies in America, and billions of bees worldwide, have died during that span. Scientists now expect a full third of the bee population to die each winter. The ramifications for agriculture and food production, should bees become extinct, is profound. Bees are responsible for pollinating most of the world's crops and if they were to perish so too would much of the foods that are commonly grown and raised today.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1270698/Bees-face-extinction-billions-colonies-die-worldwide.html

The USDA's Top Bee Scientist Talks Pesticides and Colony Collapse 
http://www.grist.org/industrial-agriculture/2011-04-21-usda-bee-scientist-pesticide-research-pettis

Bees 'Entomb' Pesticide-tainted Pollen in Effort to Protect Themselves From Extinction
http://www.naturalnews.com/032057_honey_bees_pollen.html

Research prompts calls for GE food ban

A Canadian study has discovered pesticides associated with genetically modified foods circulating in the blood of pregnant women and fetuses. This has prompted watchdog organizations in New Zealand to call for thorough testing and a potential ban on GM foods. You may wonder why I often cite European stories related to GMOs and the primary reason is that there is very little awareness or concern about these issues in the US, not to mention a dearth of press coverage about the potential health hazards represented by biotech-driven agriculture. In fact, the USDA has willfully ignored rules that require Environmental Impact Studies on such crops and foods, having only performed two EIS studies in the 15 years that GM crops have been planted in the US, both times as a result of court-ordered directives.
http://tvnz.co.nz/health-news/research-prompts-calls-ge-food-ban-4188129

Maternal and fetal exposure to pesticides associated to genetically modified foods in Eastern Townships of Quebec, Canada.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21338670

Let's Get Pingy With It

We recently switched our Internet service to Verizon based on a price difference with RCN, against my rather passive disapproval. Fiber optic so far ain't what it's been cracked up to be, and the service seems to be exactly the same in terms of speed compared to the RCN cable feed. But I got a rude surprise tonight when I tried to go to the following website:

http://pingywebedition.somee.com/

This is a site I've used to try and index my Ransacked Nation blog, and I think it's brought some traffic. With Verizon I cannot get to the site. Instead it directs me to a Verizon search page that says the address cannot be resolved. If they're filtering my Internet access and denying certain sites, I will immediately cancel the service and go back to RCN (for lack of a better choice in telecom options). I'd love it if some of you would try to go to the URL above and let me know the results and your carrier. Thanks.

Emails Show Drug Company Used Third-Party Medical Groups to Influence Regulators, Undercut Rivals

ProPublica, dedicated to investigative journalism in the public interest, continues to shed light on the pharmaceutical industry. This story reveals a public relations campaign unleashed by Sanofi-Aventis through several venerable contacts in the medical world to lobby the FDA to delay approval for a generic drug that threatened their blockbuster patented concoction.
http://www.propublica.org/blog/item/e-mails-show-drug-company-used-third-party-medical-groups-to-influence-regu

FBI Arrests 4 Activists as “Terrorists” for Chalking Slogans, Leafleting and Protesting

The FBI has mounted a series of investigations and arrests against activists for various causes recently, charging them as 'terrorists' under provisions of the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act. This miscarriage of justice, serious felony charges for exercising free speech, is part of an alarming nation-wide trend of government actions to stifle and attack organizations and individuals who express dissent to policies of the US.
http://www.greenisthenewred.com/blog/aeta-arrests/1070/

FBI Targeting Political Activists as Terrorists
http://rt.com/usa/news/fbi-political-activists-terrorists/

Two Thousand Six Hundred Activists Arrested in US Protests
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bill-quigley/two-thousand-six-hundred-_1_b_866029.html

Senators Say Patriot Act Is Being Misinterpreted

Two Democratic Senators warned today, after passage to extend several expiring provisions of the Patriot Act, that the government has interpreted the law to allow more surveillance of Americans without cause. Kudos to them, but where are the other Senators on this issue? Like Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand from New York? Nobody cares about this stuff but it very well could be what brings American Democracy down, leaving an oligarchical police state in its stead.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/27/us/27patriot.html?hp

Tests Reveal Mislabeling of Fish

New DNA sequencing techniques used by biologists and advocates for sustainable fisheries has revealed that 20-25% of all commercial fish are mislabeled to the public. And so, though you paid for Mahi Mahi you might be getting Yellowtail or Mako Shark instead of Swordfish. Tilapia is also frequently mislabeled as other species as it is cheap to farm and very profitable for the unscrupulous to sell. The FDA has been behind the curb on this issue and a great deal of over-fishing combined with such tactics threatens to destroy a naturally occurring and sustainable resource, fish in the ocean. For those interested in this critical issue I recommend the excellent documentary "The End of the Line," available for streaming or DVD delivery on Netflix.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/27/science/earth/27fish.html?hp

EPA Chief Tells Congress 'There's No Proof Fracking Is Dangerous'

Lisa Jackson, head of the EPA, has ventured into the politics of natural gas drilling by trying to assure GOP lawmakers that she and the agency are for gas drilling in the US as a way to reduce fossil fuel emissions. She also had the audacity to declare that there is no evidence that fracking has ever been connected to pollution of ground water when even natural gas executives have admitted that it does. She should be spending her time insisting that fracking be regulated by the Safe Drinking Water Act, Clean Water Act and other laws from which it is currently exempt. I'd also like to think that the EPA would demand a complete listing of all chemicals used in hydraulic fracture drilling, between 600 and 900 toxic substances, so that the agency could better assess the danger to public drinking water supplies. This is an extremely disappointing indication of the EPA administrator's priorities.
http://www.care2.com/causes/environment/blog/epa-chief-says-no-proof-that-fracking-is-dangerous/

The Big Debt Lie

The thirty year supply-side, trickle-down economic theory, originating from the Reagan Administration, has been thoroughly debunked by economists and pundits over the years. Yet, people still buy this fairy tale of a fiscal policy and Republicans continue to howl daily about the need to cut taxes for the wealthy and corporations. It's a testament to the ignorance of a population in a country that has added $14 trillion in debt, 90% under GOP presidents, over three decades and sports a world-class inequality gap, where the richest 300,000 have as much income as the bottom 150 million Americans, that this policy has any traction at all. 
http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2011/05/25/gop_debt_lie/index.html

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos Claims It’s Unconstitutional For States To End Company’s Multimillion Dollar Tax Dodging

Okay, we all probably like to save on sales tax when we make an online purchase. Yet, it's important to realize that the Amazon Loophole, in which companies set up subsidiaries in states and then claim they do not have to collect sales tax, provides an unfair advantage for online over local businesses, and starves states of desperately needed sales tax revenue. For example, in 2011 Wisconsin will lose an estimated $127 million in uncollected sales taxes for online purchases.
http://thinkprogress.org/2011/05/18/amazon-ceo-loophole-unconstitutional/

Senate does not eliminate Big Oil tax breaks

Salon points out that all the recent buzz in the Senate about eliminating subsidies for oil companies was nothing more than an empty exercise in political theater. Both parties were able to strengthen their credentials within their bases but the Senate simply did not have the Constitutional power eliminate the subsidies because doing so would raise revenues and by law any legislation that increases revenue MUST originate in the House. 
http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2011/05/18/oil_tax_break_senate_fail

Republican Governors Use Budget Woes To Wage War On The Arts

In five states Republican governors or legislatures have proposed either dismantling arts or completely eliminating funding streams in a renewed push to cut public funding for the arts and public broadcasting. The brazen, autocratic tactics employed by those pushing this agenda should make your blood boil.
http://thinkprogress.org/2011/05/18/state-level-arts-destruction/

Major Union Victory for Rite Aid Workers Offers Roadmap for Labor Movement

A very interesting and inspiring story detailing how Rite Aid workers were able to win a good union contract over a grueling five year period. They were able to win affordable health care, protections against outsourcing and wage increases despite Rite Aid's aggressive attempts to short-circuit their union movement in California with union-busters and intimidation. The union was persistent and creative over this long and costly battle, and found that reaching out to stockholders and board members can be a productive tactic in negotiations. 
http://www.alternet.org/news/150841/major_union_victory_for_rite_aid_workers_offers_roadmap_for_labor_movement_/

Court of Appeals Dismisses Monsanto’s Appeal of Biotech Beets Case, Preserves Victory for Farmers, Environment

A recent Court of Appeals opinion denying Monsanto's attempt to bypass legally mandated Environmental Impact Studies for GM Sugar Beets designed for human consumption is a victory in the battle against genetically modified biotech crops. The USDA willfully disregarded its legal responsibility to study the impact of this crop before permitting planting and the court has ruled that it must comply with the law. Apparently there have only been two EIS studies on the effects of biotech crops since they came onto the scene about 15 years ago, and they were both court-ordered. The USDA has consistently put the interests of Monsanto above those of the American people. Many battles remain in this arena and I also worry about how Supreme Court might rule should they hear such a case on appeal, but this is good news in the interim.
http://truefoodnow.org/2011/05/20/court-of-appeals-dismisses-monsanto’s-appeal-of-biotech-beets-case-preserves-victory-for-farmers-environment/

Why The US Government is Keeping You Vitamin D Deficient and Who Stands to Gain

A recent decision to lower the standard for levels of Vitamin D considered adequate by the Centers for Disease Control for good health have raised questions about conflicts of interest within the extremely secretive National Academy of Sciences. There is apparently a rush to patent several Vitamin D analog drugs, to treat Vitamin D deficiency, and this article speculates that the new lower levels for identifying deficiency are a deliberate attempt to create a market for the drugs when they are approved by the FDA. Whether or not you believe in this theory, the story raises legitimate questions about the motivations of scientists specializing in Vitamin D who are concurrently developing treatments for patent. The article also takes the CDC to task for failing to sound an alarm regarding the fact that 70% of the African-American population in the US are already Vitamin D deficient. Vitamin D deficiency is a major health issue related to osteoporosis, MS, poor prognosis in breast cancer treatments, cancer, cardiovascular disease and severe asthma among others.
http://www.naturalnews.com/032202_vitamin_D_deficiency_disease.html

Vitamin D Deficiency Information
http://www.webmd.com/diet/vitamin-d-deficiency