Is American law enforcement colluding with Cisco?

There is a Supreme Court in Canada that believes in the unfettered rule of law, and has slapped down the US government's attempt to railroad a former Cisco exec turned whistleblower. Our democracy has become corporatism and there is increasingly evidence that the country is morphing into a Corporate Police State. Where are the heros we need in America to fight this battle and tell it like it is to the powerful and unscrupulous when they trample the law?
http://www.salon.com/news/david_sirota/2011/06/06/cisco_law_enforcement/index.html

Judge Blasts Cisco's "Unmitigated Gall" in Ex-Exec's Arrest
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/06/03/cisco_charged_with_duplicity/

Canada Blocks Extradition of Cisco Suspect
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9217300/Canada_blocks_extradition_of_Cisco_suspect?taxonomyId=16&pageNumber=1

STORMS BREWING

A short and sour recap from the New Yorker on Obama's record on climate change since he took office, and a call for him to do the right thing now before it's too late.
http://www.newyorker.com/talk/comment/2011/06/13/110613taco_talk_kolbert

The New Yorker Slams Oil-Centric Obama For Letting The Planet Burn
http://www.grist.org/climate-change/2011-06-06-new-yorker-elizabeth-kolbert-president-barack-obama

Weiner Confesses, Will Not Resign - Video of Press Conference

I'm embarrassed to admit that I only discovered the combative Anthony Weiner (D-NY) a few months ago despite the fact that he is a six-term congressman from NYC where I live. Nonetheless, I admired his forceful advocacy of issues that I believe are critical to the country. So, naturally, I was dismayed to learn of the mess he got into this week and his apparent dalliances with the truth. Well, Anthony Weiner just came clean a few minutes ago in a heartfelt and sincere statement to the press in which he said he would not resign. Good. Let's get past this major mistake and the Rep's admission of other inappropriate online or phone contacts with women over the past six years, and get back to fighting for the interests of the nation's people.
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2011/06/weiner_confesses.php?utm

Forensic Evidence Emerges That European E coli. Superbug Was Engineered

Okay, I'll admit to having my doubts when the reports came out that an extremely rare and deadly E coli. contamination had sprung from an organic farm in Spain. The Spanish had no incidence of E coli. infections while the bug was spreading through Germany and had infected over 700 and killed 22 people. Spain was later exonerated but enormous damage was done to its organic farmers and the reputation of the industry. I was also worried about the possibility of deliberate contamination but didn't want to voice my concerns because it was speculative and might be taken as paranoid. Now, after reading this piece, there is scientific evidence from a reliable source that this new bug is resistant to 8 classes of antibiotics and 14 different antibiotic drugs. The article steps through the science involved in what it takes to make E coli. antibiotic resistant and concludes that it is highly unlikely that this outbreak of E coli. developed its terrifying resistance to antibiotics as a happenstance event of nature. Most of the mainstream is not talking about the critical issue: how did the 0104 E coli. develop its antibiotic-resistant characteristics? Where did these killer microbes come from?
http://www.naturalnews.com/032622_ecoli_bioengineering.html

German E coli. Outbreak Caused by Previously Unknown Strain
http://www.nature.com/news/2011/110602/full/news.2011.345.html

E Coli. Outbreak: Bean Sprouts May Not Be To Blame
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jun/06/e-coli-bean-sprouts-not-cause

The Next E coli. Outbreak

It's hard to believe that deadly the Jack-in-the-Box E coli. outbreak in the US was all the way back in 1993. That event sickened over 750 children and resulted in four deaths while alerting the public because of massive news coverage that dangerous E coli. bacteria was commonly found in US meat products. As a result, that deadly strain of E coli. was declared an adulterant in food and regular testing was instituted to prevent a recurrence. Yet, since then, six new deadly E coli. strands have been identified by our government that we do not test for at all.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/05/opinion/05Benedict.html

Scientists Reverse Stance on Sun and Cancer: They Now Admit That Sunlight Can Help Prevent Skin Cancer

I never got caught up in all the hysteria about exposure to sunlight and rarely use sunscreen when I'm out and only a bit when I'll be on the beach for a good stretch trying to catch a fish. By chance, I recently got a thumbs up from a skin doc at a free clinic. Now, it turns out that scientists have determined that sunlight is an important source of vitamin D, which protects against skin cancer as well as osteoporosis, prostate, bowel, cervical cancers and rickets. So, lighten up on the sunscreen and go for natural products if you can to avoid the chemicals in most sunscreen products.
http://www.naturalnews.com/032533_sun_exposure_skin_cancer.html

NY Times Bombshell: “The latest scientific research suggests” climate change is “helping to destabilize the food system”

ThinkProgress calls the front page story from the NYT today a bombshell because it brings the cataclysmic message regarding the implications of climate change into the mainstream. This story add depth to the Times' important piece and I've posted a link to the NYT piece as well.
http://thinkprogress.org/romm/2011/06/05/236805/research-climate-change-destabilize-food-system/

A Warming Planet Struggles to Feed Itself
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/05/science/earth/05harvest.html?scp=4&sq=climate%20change&st=cse

Keep Calm and Carry On - Bill McKibben

If you've been wondering about all of the weather related natural disasters that have wreaked havoc with the earth recently then this op/ed piece by Bill McKibben from 350.org will put our nation's ignorant approach to these questions in revealing perspective.
http://action.350.org/signup_page/connections

Cuomo and Legislative Leaders Strike Deal on New Ethics Rules

This is certainly good news for New York politics as there will now be external oversight of the state legislature and lawmakers will be required to disclose clients who have business before the state. However, in order to get it passed, Cuomo gave the Senate Majority Leader veto power over investigations and all votes for or against investigations will be kept secret.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/04/nyregion/cuomo-and-albany-legislators-in-deah-on-ethics-overhaul.html?hp

Obama Administration Decides to Drop Prosecution of Illegal Wiretapping Whistleblower

I'm a little late on this one but it's important to acknowledge this man. Thomas Tamm demonstrated remarkable courage and integrity by leaking details of illegal wiretapping by the US government to the press. His action was taken on behalf of all Americans and the supposed rule of law that governs our democracy. One wonders why it took Obama two years to drop the prosecution of the man he championed on the campaign trail, and why we cannot guarantee the well-being of whistleblowers in this country, past, present and future.
http://www.openthegovernment.org/node/3089

US Opens WikiLeaks Grand Jury Hearing
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/may/11/us-opens-wikileaks-grand-jury-hearing

Underground Environmentalism in Former Communist East Germany

This is a very interesting piece from Dave Roberts at Grist. He recalls that environmentalism was initially a high priority for the communist state and that quality of life, represented by clean working conditions, air and water, were supposed to distinguish East Germany from the capitalist West. As the need for increased industrial capacity grew and a dependence on dirty lignite coal brought brown smog the environmental standards went by the wayside. The State eventually declared all environmental information to be state secrets and an underground resistance developed.
http://www.grist.org/article/2011-04-21-underground-environmentalism-in-communist-east-germany

Opposition to Elizabeth Warren extremely well funded, inherently sexist

Prominent GOP lawmakers beholden to the financial industry, and the US Chamber of Commerce, have declared all-out war on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and its yet to be formerly appointed administrator Elizabeth Warren. It seems that the only constituents these players care about are their friends in the banking and financial industry, rather than the citizens whom the wizards of Wall Street prey upon with shocking alacrity.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/06/03/981720/-Opposition-to-Elizabeth-Warren-extremely-well-funded,-inherently-sexist?utm

Even After Mortgage Modification, Shoddy Bank Practices Hurt Homeowners

The banking and mortgage servicing industry continue to fleece homeowners even after some have won modifications to avoid foreclosures. The deliberate stonewalling and falsification of records on behalf of bankers puts the common citizen in the position of having to prove that the bank has made a mistake and attain legal representation. It's an exploitive strategy on the part of the recently bailed out banks, a numbers game that reckons most people will not be able to fight inappropriate charges and foreclosure efforts by bankers. It's a fundamentally amoral way to do business and the banks persist in ripping off Americans on a regular basis. I will post a follow-up article on the resources being amassed and used against the nomination of Elizabeth Warren to head the CFPB, a consumer watchdog bureau that might effective curtail much of this abuse.
http://www.propublica.org/article/even-after-mortgage-modification-shoddy-bank-practices-continue-to-hurt-hom

As New Food Safety Threat Emerges, U.S. Regulators Still Steps Behind

US regulators have known about five other deadly strains of E. coli for years but only test for one, E. coli 0157. Now there is a new super-toxic strain of E. coli that has struck in Germany and spread to ten countries so far. Yet regulators in the US continue to pander to the factory food industry which prefers to wait until there is another food-borne epidemic before testing for these known pathogens in our food supply. Like it or not, we are all guinea pigs for the chemical, biotech, pharmaceutical and food industries. In America we don't test for safety before marketing to the public, it's only after a product causes death and sickness that we consider that a product may cause more harm than good.
http://www.propublica.org/blog/item/as-new-food-safety-threat-emerges-u.s.-regulators-still-steps-behin

Selling Out Consumers: How Water Prices Increased After 10 of the Largest Water System Sales

Do not be fooled by all the talk of privatization being the savior of democracy. The goal of all privatizers is to make money on their investment and by buying municipal water and sewage systems the privatizers buy into a monopoly market with a captive population of customers. Then they will raise water prices, a lot, and that's what this Food & Water Watch study documents. Privatizations are generally a bad deal for the public and water privatizations put an alarming economic cost on a basic necessity of life.
http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/factsheet/selling-out-consumers/

Radioactive Fukushima Water Nears Overflow

TEPCO is belatedly acknowledging the overflow risk posed by storage tanks containing radioactive water containing more radiation than what has already been released into the atmosphere by the Fukushima disaster. Even though the American press is failing to cover the global tragedy in Japan on a regular basis, developments there continue to worsen with industry and government there failing to do all that is possible to mitigate the danger of increased radiation releases and contamination of ocean life.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/06/03/981775/-Radioactive-Fukushima-Water-Nears-Overflow?via=siderec

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