Wedge politics, "starve the beast" strategies, budget attacks and the war on unions are all GOP strategies designed to weaken the voice of the public and compromise the ability of the Left and the Democratic party to affect change.
http://motherjones.com/politics/2011/04/scott-walker-defunding-democratic-donors
I think Greenwald is, unfortunately, spot-on with his analysis of the Obama Administration's budget actions that seem to conflict so drastically with his 2008 campaign promises. It's all about getting re-elected and not about changing the way Washington goes about its business.
http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2011/04/13/obama/index.html
Though it may be an inconvenient drag for all of us, I believe that the only way to effectively combat threats to public health posed by industrial recklessly, currently occurring on a massive scale in the hydrofracturing push for natural gas, is massive and sustained activism and opposition by the public. We have to find a way to realize our true numbers and leverage this pressure in the political process.
http://www.citizenscampaign.org/news/story.asp?id=331
An update on legal aspects of efforts to ban and regulate GM crops in Europe. The relentless assault on existing and proposed regulations by the American-dominated biotech industry aggressively seeks to undermine these efforts on the continent, just as it does here at home in the US.
http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/news/Blogs/makingwaves/europe-takes-step-towards-ban-on-genetically-/blog/34239?utm_
"The committee also agreed that if these rules fail, governments should ensure that those responsible for the contamination pay damages. The “polluter pays” principle applied to agriculture. The committee also agreed that biotech companies should finally open up their products to independent research into the environmental and health risks of GM crops."
The battle against transgenic seeds and food products is truly of a global nature. While we struggle to gain critical mass in our organizational attempts to halt GM crop production and label all foods containing GMOs, it is good to know that others around the world are fighting, and in some cases winning, similar battles. Now, the Irish are fighting to stem the biotech tide in Ireland.
http://foodfreedom.wordpress.com/2011/04/11/irish-call-for-moratorium-on-gm-crops/
OpenSecrets reports on several important issues including a vote in Wisconsin that passed by 78% in Dane County to amend the Constitution so that only a human being can be entitled to a Constitutional right. "Move to Amend" is an attempt to overturn the US Supreme Court's Citizen's United ruling in which corporations were granted the status of individuals in political campaigns, allowing unlimited financial influence in elections throughout the country. The proposed 28th Amendment could be an enormously important tool in combatting the excessive power exercised by corporations in America today.
http://www.opensecrets.org/news/2011/04/paul-ryans-health-industry-ties.html
The new Republican Governor in PA is aggressively pursuing a pro-natural gas agenda and willfully seeking to circumvent EPA and statewide environmental regulations designed to protect public health and the safety of water supplies.
http://www.propublica.org/article/pas-new-jobs-czar-has-anti-regulatory-history
This is an interesting case involving the WTO and the battle over intellectual property rights related to genetically engineered seeds.
http://iatp.typepad.com/thinkforward/2011/04/us-subsidizes-brazilian-cotton-to-protect-monsantos-profits.html
"Brazil then asked the WTO for permission to retaliate against the U.S. by imposing trade sanctions. The WTO decided that Brazil was entitled to impose 100-percent tariffs on over 100 different goods of U.S. origin. Even more importantly, however, Brazil was entitled to suspend intellectual property rights for U.S. companies, including patent protections on genetically engineered seeds."
A lengthy and nuanced story about the clash between Hoover and FDR that remains a flashpoint in American politics today.
http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2011/04/10/hoover_roosevelt_rapaport/index.html
I really believe there needs to be more concern about the anti-labor actions taking place all over the country. Wisconsin is energized and more and more people need to fight in some ways for the rights of labor, we will all benefit in the long run if we stand up now.
http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt-and-politics/article_5c4eabd6-62d4-11e0-9c11-001cc4c002e0.html
A great piece examining the unscientific, random methods used in bio-engineering, a lack of accreditation from its practitioners, a hand in hand relationship with USDA, and the utter lack of risk assessment testing by Monsanto and other biotechs. Farm Wars provides detailed depth into the risks associated with the use of Cauliflower Mosaic Virus Promoter in transgenic crops, and many other dangerous aspects of GMOs.
http://lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/realityzone/UFNGMOhivVirus.html
Separate Shelves for GM Foods is Now Law - in Cyprus
http://www.cyprus-mail.com/cyprus/separate-shelves-gm-foods-now-law/20110408
This statement from the Democratic observer to the Supreme Court election in Wisconsin suggests that she was kept in the dark about the magnitude of the "found" votes that could not only swing the election to the GOP's conservative candidate but also prevent a recount. The entire episode in Wisconsin suggests electoral fraud and I would like to see a federal investigation into the matter.
http://www.orchidforchange.com/parties/waukeshadems.com/ht/display/ArticleDetails/i/1343504
A detailed update on the emerging election scandal in Wisconsin.
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/04/wis-officials-still-examining-waukesha-procedures-local-dem-canvasser-cast-doubt-on-process.php?ref=fpb
Telecoms want to control the Internet, free from FCC regulations, and are putting their lobbying and financial power behind the efforts to weaken or eliminate net neutrality laws.
http://www.publicintegrity.org/blog/entry/3131/
This story details a number of programs serving public health that will be cut if the current budget compromise is approved by Congress. While the defense budget increases by $5 billion there is nothing in the bill that will reduce unemployment or do anything to boost economic growth.
http://thinkprogress.org/2011/04/12/budget-deal-cuts/
With all the noise about the federal budget coming out of DC, it's instructive to review the Congressional Progressive Caucus Budget which would sensibly serve the interests of the public.
http://www.alternet.org/news/150582/here's_a_real_democratic_budget_that_serves_the_interests_of_the_american_people/?utm_
The influential right-wing journal, WorldNetDaily, regularly publishes falsehoods, many of which make it onto cable news shows.
http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2011/04/11/joseph_farah_wnd_misinformation/index.html
Independent media reports several weeks ago categorized the Japanese nuclear disaster as a 7, the highest rating in history and equivalent to Chernobyl. Now the Japanese nuclear regulators have admitted that these observers were correct. The bottom line in these catastrophic events is that you will never get the true measure of bad news in timely fashion from governments or industry, they are simply too concerned with preserving their status and reputations to tell it like it is.
http://www.npr.org/2011/04/11/135333184/japan-raises-nuclear-crisis-level-to-match-chernobyl?ft=1&f=1001
Propublica reports that the US healthcare system is unprepared for a major nuclear emergency, citing a Homeland Security internal study. This is an excellent well-researched piece of investigative reporting from the non-profit group dedicated to "journalism in the public interest."
Two studies that planet-warming methane, the chief component of natural gas, is being released in large amounts into the atmosphere at drilling sites throughout the country. The rush to drill for natural gas and the adoption of hydrofracking have also resulted in contamination of rivers and water supplies with toxins and radioactive elements.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/12/business/energy-environment/12gas.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
Propublica reports on the hidden debit card fee debate, including competing claims from the Federal Reserve and the Banking industry about whether the fees are on the rise.
http://www.propublica.org/blog/item/unraveling-the-spin-on-the-fight-over-hidden-debit-card-fees
"Reuters reported that State Representatives Mike Foley and Robert Hagan’s bill would allow “Ohio voters to undertake a recall effort if they gather petition signatures of voters equal to 15 percent of the total votes for governor or in a particular legislative district in the last election.”
15 percent of the vote is a much higher threshold than in Wisconsin for forcing a recall but the proposed law does give voters effective recourse if they believe elected officials are not acting in the public interest. Ohio law also provides for a referendum on any passed law if enough signatures are gathered.
http://www.prwatch.org/news/2011/04/10577/democrats-are-fighting-back-ohio
