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Supreme Court Effectively Says There's No Way To Challenge Warrantless Wiretapping
This month, we are giving away a FREE copy of The End of Faith by Sam Harris. Simply go to our Facebook page, and start sharing our posts. The person or organization that shares the most DH posts by Halloween wins the book!
What’s At Stake When Billionaires Try to Buy Our Democracy
The shameless spectacle of billionaires drowning the airwaves should not numb us to the consequences of what is at stake if the super rich succeed in buying our elections.
Prop 37: California's Fight for GM Labeling Should Matter to All of US
If California were a country, with its population approaching 40 million, it would be among the 30 most populous nations on Earth. The economic, political and cultural impacts of California on the rest of the United States are huge. That is why citizen ballot initiatives in California—and any state law, for that matter—can carry such significance. Of the 11 initiatives before the 2012 California electorate, one drawing perhaps the most attention is Proposition 37, on the labeling of food containing genetically modified organisms, or GMOs. Whether or not this ballot passes could have a significant impact on how our food system is organized, favoring small, local organic-food producers (if it passes), or allowing for the increased expansion of large, corporate agribusiness (if it fails).
Bernie Sanders Calls Out CEO Tax Dodgers over Deficit, Hypocrisy
Senator Bernie Sanders called out a group of the top US CEOs Thursday in a new reportrevealing top corporate tax dodgers in the US and urged those dodgers to 'look in the mirror' for the causes of America's ballooning deficit. The report followed a joint statement issued Thursday morning by the top 80 US CEOs, pleading to Congress for a deficit reduction plan that would include cuts to Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, and a decrease in taxes "for the top 2%."
WikiLeaks Reveals 'Systematized Human Rights Abuses' at US Detention Facilities
Whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks released a new series of secret files from the US government Wednesday pertaining to treatment of foreign prisoners at military prisons such as Guantánamo Bay, including guidelines for military officials that reveal vast institutionalized human rights abuses.
The following article is based on a presentation by Share The World’s Resources for the World Public Forum ‘Dialogue of Civilisations’ 10th Anniversary Conference, Rhodes, October 2012
CIA Is The Foremost Criminal Organization In The World: Sherwood Ross
American journalist and political commentator Sherwood Ross believes that CIA is the world's foremost criminal organization and that the anti-Iranian sanctions of the United States and its European allies are contrary to the principles of human rights.
The population problem should be considered from the point of view of all populations — populations of both humans and their artifacts (cars, houses, livestock, cell phones, etc.) — in short, populations of all “dissipative structures” engendered, bred, or built by humans.
Operation Get Rid of the Vote From members of both parties, as well as the media that cover them, it's a constant refrain that America is the "world's greatest democracy"--where citizens from every corner of society determine how their country is governed with their votes. http://socialistworker.org/2012/10/25/operation-get-rid-of-the-vote
SCOTUS must be last bulwark against NSA snooping
Later this month, the Supreme Court will hear a case that could define the government’s ability to monitor innocent Americans’ international communications without a warrant. The lawsuit, Amnesty International v. Clapper, argues that the Constitution bars the National Security Agency from listening to or reading Americans’ international conversations and emails without court oversight, even if Congress blesses the NSA’s actions.
Exclusive: E-voting puts vote accuracy at risk in four key states
In four battleground states – Pennsylvania, Virginia, Florida, and Colorado – glitches in electronic-voting machines could produce erroneous tallies that would be difficult to detect and potentially impossible to correct, a Monitor analysis finds.
The Supreme Court will hear the case below on Monday October 29th. For more information see ACT NOW: DON'T LET BIG BUSINESS STEAL OUR RIGHT TO RESELL WHAT WE OWN!http://www.youvebeenowned.org/#alarm
Debt Collection Agencies to Come Under Federal Supervision
Starting in January, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) will oversee large debt collection agencies and work to prevent the use of aggressive tactics against Americans struggling to pay off loans and other monies they owe. About 30 million Americans are currently being pursued by debt collectors, with the average amount coming in at $1,500.
Brazil's evangelical churches rewrite the rules of politics
The Catholic nation's evangelical Christians are gaining influence — and using it to sway elections. The trend has others uneasy over the blatant mixing of church and state.
A letter signed by 15 leaders of Christian churches that calls for Congress to reconsider giving aid to Israel because of accusations of human rights violations has outraged Jewish leaders and threatened to derail longstanding efforts to build interfaith relations.
Russia to block any UN bid for military action against Iran
Russia will scuttle any UN Security Council resolution that could be interpreted as allowing military action against Iran, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday, October 23, according to RIA Novosti.
Israeli Jews Support Apartheid Regime, Survey Reveals
A survey commissioned by a US-based non-profit organisation has claimed that the majority of Jews in Israel supports an apartheid regime if Israel annexes the West Bank.
Law Enforcement Looking To Create A Searchable Database Of Everywhere Your Vehicle Has Been
Back in August, Mike wrote about some questionable sharing of license plate information between the US Border Patrol and various insurance companies. While the stated aim of tracking stolen vehicles might seem to make this sharing justified, the fact that this is going on with no oversight or accountability is cause for alarm.
Economist's Defense Of Perpetual Copyright: It's Best To Just Ignore The Economics
Jerry Brito recently had Liebowitz join him on the Surprisingly Free podcast to discuss a paper Liebowitz wrote entitled Is Efficient Copyright a Reasonable Goal? Liebowitz, if you're unfamiliar with him, has become the MPAA/RIAA's favorite economist over the last few years, and they tend to trot him out in various debates over file sharing. He also seems to have what feels like a personal vendetta against economists Felix Oberholzer-Gee & Koleman Strumpf, who have repeatedly shown how weaker copyrights have benefited society.
Wikileaks begins release of confidential US 'detainee policies'
The controversial intelligence-leaking website Wikileaks [website; JURIST news archive] on Thursday began releasing [press release] a series of confidential US detainee policies [Wikileaks page], according to the website. The site said that it will release "more than 100 classified or otherwise restricted files from the United States Department of Defense" over the next month. Wikileaks said that many of the documents that will be released exemplify US "policies of unaccountability." One of the first documents to be released is the standard operating procedure (SOP) manual for Guantanamo Bay [JURIST backgrounder].
Why Don't the Democrats Go After Non-Religious Voters?
Soul-searching by the Democratic Party led some of its leaders to a natural conclusion: the future of the party lay in the hands of church-going voters, and the party had better win them back. They were wrong.
In the past - diseases like tuberculosis and malaria have been number one health concerns around the world. But not anymore. In today's world - globalization is the number one health risk facing humanity. A new study released this week by the Blacksmith Institute reveals, for the first time ever, the impact of industrial pollutants on communities across the planet. It found that industrial waste dump sites containing lead, mercury, chromium, pesticides, and other toxic horrors, poison more than 125 million people in 49 different low and middle income nations around the planet.
Corrupt Capitalism -- the Denial of Equality of Opportunity
Those who have been successful in society anywhere in the world either in business, the professions, academia or political achievements fall into two categories: either they consider themselves fortunate, or attribute their achievements solely to their hard work and relentless drive.
This month, we are giving away a FREE copy of The End of Faith by Sam Harris. Simply go to our Facebook page, and start sharing our posts. The person or organization that shares the most DH posts by Halloween wins the book!
The Jumbotron Election: How Our Bloated Political Theater Is Bad for Democracy
This election started earlier and lasted longer than any election in our history, and every number associated with it is supposed to be bigger than the last.
Climate Change Not Mentioned In Presidential Debates For First Time In A Generation
History was made at the third and final presidential debate at Lynn University on Monday night. President Barack Obama and his Republican challenger, Mitt Romney, sparred over American policy in Libya and Iran. They traded generalities on trade with China and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and made brief mentions of renewable technology and "energy independence."
A Mixed Message for National Security Whistleblowers
The White House recently released a presidentialdirective extending legal protections to intelligence community employees who expose government fraud, waste, or abuse. Advocates for greater transparency and accountability in government applauded the move. But some observers noted a seeming discrepancy between the directive and the administration's aggressive record of prosecuting leaks within the intelligence community. Has the Obama administration turned over a new leaf when it comes to national security whistleblowers?
Barack Obama and Mitt Romney held the last of their candidates' debates Monday night, and the foreign policy focus provided an opportunity for what the New York Times called a "role reversal." Romney did his best to act like the moderate and responsible world leader, while Obama came off sounding "like a Republican hard-liner," the Timesreported. This from the man whose first steps toward the White House in the 2008 election came as the most prominent Democratic contender to oppose George W. Bush's Iraq War.
Jill Stein criticizes U.S. ‘slave-like mentality toward Israel
Green Party candidate Dr. Jill Stein blasted both major-party candidates for having a “slave-like” mentality toward Israel during an alternative debate between herself and Justice Party candidate Rocky Anderson on Monday.
It's tight. It's awfully tight. But way beyond demented pollmania permeating every nook and cranny of the multi-billionaire election circus -- coupled with the torrential vomiting of the Spin Machine scary monsters and super freaks -- these are the stark facts.
Six largest pesticide corporations funding effort to try to defeat GMO labeling Proposition 37
In what should probably surprise no one who has been following the Proposition 37 issue, a California proposal that would require the ingredients in all GM foods to be labeled, the so-called "Big 6" pesticide corporations have become the movement's main opponents.
Israeli Commandos Electro-Torture Ship to Gaza Activists
On October 20, masked Israeli commandos lawlessly interdicted Ship to Gaza Estelle in international waters. It was over 30 nautical miles from Gaza's coast when intercepted.
Netanyahu praised their criminality. He accused on board activists of trying to "delegitimize Israel." He also claimed "there is no humanitarian crisis in Gaza."
Downloaders Beware: Copyright Alert System Arises as Torrent Sites Enter the Cloud
And the war over copyright infringement on the Internet wages on, with the last couple of days revealing tactical moves from both sides of the battlefield. As SPIN reported yesterday, torrent site Pirate Bay ditched its evidence-accruing servers in favor of a cloud-based data storage system. Now, according to Wired, beleaguered torrent site MegaUpload, shut down by feds in January, is also headed for the cloud with their new venture, Mega.
US Presidential debate: America’s national insecurity What would a real national security look like? This debate on foreign policy never really took place last night. For starters, we would protect human rights and civil liberties, here and abroad. The gradual evisceration of our civil liberties makes America less safe, not more secure, says Ruth Rosen http://www.opendemocracy.net/5050/ruth-rosen/us-presidential-debate-america%E2%80%99s-national-insecurity
Why Is it So Hard for Police to Admit They've Messed Up?
Psychologists explore why it's hard for law enforcement to admit their mistakes.
Last week on Truthdig Radio in association with KPFK: Jim Morrison of Here TV and Truthdig’s Bill Boyarsky discuss debates, alternative candidates and Daniel Ellsberg’s mandate to vote for Obama. Also: How immigration extremists stand in the way of economic recovery.
uarterly bank earnings season is upon us. And with it, the life-negating sight of hundreds of business journalists all parsing the same labyrinthine financial disclosures for signs of a bank's financial health or illness. This is the quarterly peek we get at the greasy innards of our nation's financial system - who's making money, who's losing it, who's cutting jobs, who's growing like kudzu.
http://admin.alternet.org/activism/10-ways-you-can-join-fight-against-drone-warfare
