@dustcirclenews - HEADLINES: Government's Intrusion, Eric Snowden, Israel's Chemical use, DHS Oversight Consequences, FBI's Post-9/11 Abuses, Low Median Family Income, American Exceptionalism, Alternative to Banks, Total American Surveillance, Christian Right vs. Godless Liberalism, Federal Funding Bill Passed, For-Profit Colleges, Syria is About Gas and Oil, more.

The Video-related content I send out will have a link to the website so you can view the videos, instead of seeing just a list: http://www.dustcircle.com

Nowhere to Hide: The Government's Massive Intrusion Into Our Lives
http://www.alternet.org/civil-liberties/nowhere-hide-governments-massive-intrusion-our-lives

NSA leaker Eric Snowden nominated for EU prize
http://www.mynews4.com/news/story/NSA-leaker-Eric-Snowden-nominated-for-EU-prize/7d1QywXWj0ivY28pbfKvxQ.cspx

Israel's History Of Chemical Weapons Use

http://www.countercurrents.org/akleh170913.htm

Fractured DHS congressional oversight has real world consequences, says report
http://www.fiercehomelandsecurity.com/story/fractured-dhs-congressional-oversight-has-real-world-consequences-says-repo/2013-09-16?utm_medium=nl&utm_source=internal

'Unleashed and Unaccountable': FBI's Post-9/11 Abuse of Power
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2013/09/17-7

For-Profit Corporation Is Not A Person With Ability To Exercise Religious Freedom Rights, Federal Court Says
https://www.au.org/media/press-releases/for-profit-corporation-is-not-a-person-with-ability-to-exercise-religious

Median Family Income Is Lower Today Than in 1989
http://www.slate.com/blogs/moneybox/2013/09/18/median_family_income_since_1989_is_the_stagnation_real.html?wpisrc=newsletter_jcr:content

Why American Exceptionalism Is a Dangerous Sham
http://www.alternet.org/civil-liberties/why-american-exceptionalism-dangerous-sham

The Perfect Alternative to Wall Street Banks
http://admin.alternet.org/economy/perfect-alternative-wall-street-banks

We Live Under a Total Surveillance State in America -- Can We Prevent It from Evolving into a Full-Blown Police State?
http://admin.alternet.org/activism/we-live-under-total-surveillance-state-america-can-we-prevent-it-evolving-full-blown-police

Christian Right v Godless Liberalism: Why Do Christians Attack Godless Liberals?

http://atheism.about.com/od/godlessamericaamericans/p/GodlessRight.htm?nl=1

US House passes federal funding bill proposing to defund Affordable Care Act
http://jurist.org/paperchase/2013/09/us-house-passes-federal-funding-bill-proposing-to-defund-affordable-care-act.php

How For-Profit Colleges Stay In Business Despite Terrible Track Record

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/19/for-profit-college-accreditation_n_3937079.html

The Proxy 'Civil War' In Syria Is About Gas, Oil And Pipelines
http://www.countercurrents.org/venturini240913.pdf

Will Obama the Bomber protect Israel’s WMD?
http://occupiedpalestine.wordpress.com/2013/09/19/will-obama-the-bomber-protect-israels-wmd/

10 Ways Religious Groups Suck on the Public Purse

http://www.alternet.org/belief/holy-freeloading-10-ways-religious-groups-suck-public-purse

DOJ Puts Another Leaker In Jail: The War On Whistleblowers Rolls On
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130923/16454624627/doj-puts-another-leaker-jail-war-whistleblowers-rolls.shtml

Israel’s killing of five young Palestinians exposes "peace" talks as charade
http://electronicintifada.net/content/israels-killing-five-young-palestinians-exposes-peace-talks-charade/12797

Clicking ‘like’ is protected by First Amendment, 4th Circuit says
http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/clicking_like_is_protected_by_first_amendment_in_case_of_sheriffs_employee_/

NSA Stories Around The World
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article36322.htm

NSA Apologist Says The NSA's Actions Are Fine Because 'Privacy Is Dead'
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130916/17520324540/nsa-apologist-says-nsas-actions-are-fine-because-privacy-is-dead.shtml

World Citizen Asks United Nations to Disarm America: “The World Cannot Stand Idly By”
http://www.thedailysheeple.com/world-citizen-asks-united-nations-to-disarm-america-the-world-cannot-stand-idly-by_092013

Atheism will be ‘the new gay marriage’

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/09/24/bill-maher-atheism-will-be-the-new-gay-marriage/

Zionist Apartheid: A Crime Against Humanity
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article36331.htm

The NSA Isn’t the Only Government Agency Destroying Your Right to Privacy
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2013/09/nsa-government-right-to-privacy

Michael Mann: Global Warming: An Uncontrolled Experiment

In recognition of climate week, Thom talks with renowned climate scientist Dr. Michael Mann about the dangers of global warming. Dr. Mann in concerned we may be running out of time to rein in global temperatures.

@dustcirclenews - HEADLINES: Against the FBI, Disinformation Works, Fighting Poverty, Obama vs. Journalism, Urban Dictionary Accurate? Federal Bullies, Military Sex Scandals, Medical Kit Must-Haves, Urban Food Growing, Animosity and Wickedness, Monsanto Protest, Middle East Origins, Half of America in Poverty, Aiding the Enemy, Building a Legal AK-47, more.

Join our mailing list, and see videos at: http://www.dustcircle.com

Up Against the FBI
http://original.antiwar.com/justin/2013/05/23/up-against-the-fbi/

Why Disinformation Works
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article35064.htm

Focus on fighting poverty, rather than inequality
http://www.canoe.ca/Canoe/Money/News/2013/05/24/20846561.html

President Obama Is 'Troubled' About Chilling Effects His Own Administration Is Causing To Journalism?
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130523/18225323199/president-obama-is-troubled-about-chilling-effects-his-own-administration-is-causing-to-journalism.shtml

Urban Dictionary defines slang for some court cases, but is it accurate?
http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/urban_dictionary_defines_slang_for_some_court_cases_but_is_it_accurate/

IRS, DOJ, SEC: Three-Letter Abbreviations For ‘Federal Bully’
http://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/irs-doj-sec-three-letter-abbreviations-federal-bully

Stunned By Military Sex Scandals, Advocates Demand Changes
http://www.npr.org/2013/05/23/186335999/stunned-by-military-sex-scandals-advocates-demand-changes?ft=3&f=1001&sc=nl&cc=nh-20130526

21 Medical Kit Must Haves for treating a gunshot wound when the SHTF
http://www.thedailysheeple.com/21-medical-kit-must-haves-for-treating-a-gunshot-wound-when-the-shtf_052013

Resistance is fertile: Urban food growing
http://therealnews.com/t2/component/hwdvideoshare/viewvideo/76268

America 's Time Capsule: How Animosity And Wickedness Degenerates Its Future
http://www.countercurrents.org/khawaja260513.htm

Why Gitmo Was Not Closed from the Get-Go
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Why-Gitmo-Was-Not-Closed-f-by-James-Wall-130524-438.html

A Woman’s Agenda for the 21st Century
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/economy/report/2013/05/23/64276/a-womans-agenda-for-the-21st-century/

Two Million People Worldwide Protest Against Monsanto, Mainstream Media Barely Covers It
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2013/05/27/did-they-even-notice-mainstream-media-barely-covers-two-million-person-worldwide-protest-against-monsanto/

Obama Admin's Fox News Spying Scandal Is a Dangerous Step Toward Criminalizing Journalism
http://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/obama-admins-fox-news-spying-scandal-dangerous-step-toward-criminalizing

The origins of the Middle East mess
http://www.brasschecktv.com/videos/the-middle-east-1/the-origins-of-the-middle-east-mess.html

The Real Numbers: Half of America in Poverty -- and It's Creeping toward 75%
http://www.alternet.org/economy/real-numbers-half-america-poverty-and-its-creeping-toward-75-0

Aiding the enemy (part 1): the state-sponsored terrorism the US Govt tries to hide
http://darkernet.in/aiding-the-enemy-the-state-sponsored-terrorism-the-us-govt-tries-to-hide/

I Built This AK-47. It’s Legal and Totally Untraceable.

http://worldduh.com/2013/05/23/i-built-this-ak-47-its-legal-and-totally-untraceable/

@dustcirclenews - 13 Free DOCUMENTARIES: Cleantech Future, Bitcoin Explained, Ancient Demons and Gods, As I Am, Why We Hike, Drug Crazed, Act of Terror, Aliens of the Deep, Japan's Baby Drain, Crime-Fighting Mexican Vigilantes, Casinos vs. Cheaters, Rampant INjustice, Light Darkness and Colors

The Video-related content I send out will have a link to the website so you can view the videos, instead of seeing just a list: http://www.dustcircle.com

The Cleantech Future

What if we could live in a clean world?A world in which energy would be 100% renewable, water no longer polluted, transportation truly green and production methods clean and regenerative? There will be such a world. In this documentary VPRO Backlight explores the unprecedented possibilities of a new industrial revolution: Cleantech. Signs of a new future are visible everywhere, from China to the US and from Europe to Thailand. Green mobility powered by sustainable energy, clean drinking water for all thanks to nanotechnology, dyeing textiles using recycled CO2. All of this is possible and is happening successfully now! Working together with Cleantech-founder Nick Parker, this film shows what our world will be like in the decades to come. VPRO Backlight travels the world in search of a clean future.

Video Not Working?

Bitcoin Explained

A short video that really explains well the idea of ‘Bitcoin’, a decentralized digital currency. This documentary talks about the concepts of a digital currency, how bitcoins are ‘mined’ and the future of digital currency.

Video Not Working?

Demons and Gods From the Ancient World

The story of a number of Ancient Demons and Gods including beezlebub, djinn, lamia, baal, satan, witchcraft, and more ancient mythology from around the world

As I Am

Chris Dean’s heart stopped when he was two. He died but he came back. When Chris was five, his father was murdered, riddled by more than 20 bullets in a gang shootout. At age 18, Chris gained national attention when he introduced President Barack Obama at his high school graduation. Chris is an observer and philosopher who has always had a few things to say about life from his vantage point in South Memphis.

As I Am from Alan Spearman on Vimeo.

Why We Hike

A short documentary that showcases a volunteer guide at Quetzaltrekkers, a hiking/trekking organization in Quetzaltenango (Xela), Guatemala, that gives all of its profits to Escuela de la Calle and El Hogar, a school and a home built to aid street kids in Guatemala.

Video Not Working?

DRUG CRAZEDWhen a man in Miami chewed off a homeless man’s face in 2012 a little-known drug was blamed. This report investigates how ‘bath salts’ are wreaking havoc across the USA as the number of addicts grows.


ACT OF TERROR – ANIMATED DOCUMENTARYWhile filming a routine stop and search of her boyfriend on the London Underground, Gemma suddenly found herself detained, handcuffed and threatened with arrest. Act of Terror tells the story of her fight to bring the police to justice and prevent this happening to anyone else, ever again.

http://www.actofterrordocumentary.com/film

ALIENS OF THE DEEP – JAMES CAMERON DOCUMENTARYJames Cameron teams up with NASA scientists to explore the Mid-Ocean Ridge, a submerged chain of mountains that band the Earth and are home to some of the planet’s most unique life forms.


BABY DRAIN – JAPAN FACING AN UNPRECEDENTED POPULATION COLLAPSE?In bustling Tokyo, there’s little sense of an impending crisis, but Japan is facing a demographic time bomb. “Nobody is having babies. The men aren’t as hungry for success or for relationships as they were before”, says Kaoru Arai. She epitomises the country’s new breed of successful and financially independent women that are putting their career first. “I’m picky, yes. I want it all”, she smiles. In a desperate move to pull the birth rate back from the brink, the government is offering cash incentives to encourage singles to partner up and procreate. Meanwhile, the elderly are being left behind, with no one to look after them.


MEXICAN VIGILANTES STAND UP AGAINST CRIMEThe state of Guerrero (which means “warrior”) is one of the poorest in Mexico and the site of some of the worst violence in the battle between the drug cartels and Mexican authorities. As a result of the violence, hundreds of civilians have armed themselves with machetes, rifles, and shotguns, put masks on, and decided to police their own communities, effectively taking justice into their own hands.


Casinos vs. Cheaters: Who is the Winner in the Casino Wars?
It’s only a game of chance but gamblers around the globe bet with their bank accounts and even their lives on it. Players hold their breath in every spin of the wheel and in every roll of the dice. But for some, playing in the casino is not for fun and games, it’s just pure business. Casinos use high-tech cameras and surveillance systems which they place everywhere to catch cheaters and game riggers.  With billions of dollars at stake, casinos wage a war against casino cheaters 24/7.


Rampant INjustice
This documentary is detailing the unconstitutional, para-military, gestapo style raids occurring in America by the Justice Department and the Criminal Investigation Division of the Internal Revenue Service. These raids involve not only the business owners under investigation for a white collar offense, but all of the employees who work for them but are not accused of any crime or under any type of investigation.

Light Darkness and Colors
Using Goethe’s Theory of Colors (Zur Farbenlehre) as point of departure, Light Darkness and Colors takes us on a fascinating journey through the universe of colors.

20.Jan.2013 - The Headlines: Guantanamo, Pentagon, NRA, USS Cole, Israel and Palestine, Millions in Poverty, Monsanto vs. the People, Drones, Threats for Bloggers, Moving Away from Religion, Weather Records, Obama Impeachment, Conspiracy Theory, Teaching Creationism, Lollapalooza Israel, Iraq, DoJ FOIA Request, more.

Greetings from The Dissenting Heretic!This is a free service, and done in free time. If you'd like to donate to us, even $1.00 helps maintain the site. Click the WePay link on the website to donate any amount. Thank you!

Eleven Years On: Being Imprisoned at Guantanamo Worse Than Being Confined by Totalitarian State

http://dissenter.firedoglake.com/2013/01/12/eleven-years-on-being-detained-at-guantanamo-worse-than-being-imprisoned-by-totalitarian-state/#

The Pentagon as a Global NRA

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2013/01/14

US military judge denies defense motions in 9/11, USS Cole trials
http://jurist.org/paperchase/2013/01/us-military-judge-denies-defense-motions-in-911-uss-cole-trials.php

Not My Zion: American Jews Divided on Israel and Palestine
http://www.radioproject.org/2011/08/not-my-zion-american-jews-divided-on-israel-and-palestine/

Inequality Rages as Dwindling Wages Lock Millions in Poverty

http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2013/01/15-2

Monsanto vs. The People

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2013/01/15-10

Senator Asks CIA Nominee When Drones Can Kill Americans
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article33617.htm

3 Legal Threats for Bloggers and What to Do About Them

http://blogs.findlaw.com/technologist/2013/01/3-legal-threats-for-bloggers-and-what-to-do-about-them.html

More Young People Are Moving Away From Religion, But Why?
http://www.npr.org/2013/01/15/169342349/more-young-people-are-moving-away-from-religion-but-why

More Than 3,500 U.S. Weather Records Smashed in 2012

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=thousands-of-us-weather-records&WT.mc_id=SA_DD_20130116

Obama May Face Impeachment if He Uses Executive Orders for Gun Control

http://godfatherpolitics.com/8993/obama-may-face-impeachment-if-he-uses-executive-orders-for-gun-control/

The Most Widely Believed Conspiracy Theory in America Revealed in New Poll

http://www.alternet.org/most-widely-believed-conspiracy-theory-america-revealed-new-poll

As Social Issues Drive Young From Church, Leaders Try To Keep Them
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/01/18/169646736/as-social-issues-drive-young-from-church-leaders-try-to-keep-them

OVER 300 U.S. SCHOOLS ARE TEACHING CREATIONISM FUNDED BY AMERICAN TAXPAYERS
http://www.classwarfareexists.com/over-300-u-s-schools-are-teaching-creationism-funded-by-american-taxpayer/

Party’s over for Perry Farrell: Lollapalooza Israel collapses as artists said to stay away

http://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/partys-over-perry-farrell-lollapalooza-israel-collapses-artists-said-stay-away

Iraq: A Twenty Two Year Genocide
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article33657.htm

Justice Department 'Complies' With FOIA Request For GPS Tracking Memos; Hands ACLU 111 Fully Redacted Pages

http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130117/07260121714/justice-department-complies-with-foia-request-gps-tracking-memos-hands-aclu-111-fully-redacted-pages.shtml

5 Creepy New Ways for Police to Intrude on Your Rights

http://www.alternet.org/5-creepy-new-ways-police-intrude-your-rights

The Surprising Unknown History of the NRA

http://www.alternet.org/suprising-unknown-history-nra

America's Gun Crackpots: Our Homegrown al-Qaeda?
http://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/436-2nd-amendment-rights/15616-focus-americas-gun-crackpots-our-homegrown-al-qaeda

Convincing suicide-bombers that God says no
http://www.opendemocracy.net/adam-lankford/convincing-suicide-bombers-that-god-says-no

04.Nov.2012 - Grim Warning from Science, Disastrous Austerity on America, Mr. Murdock's God, White Evangelicals for Romney, Prop 37 and Corporate 37, Death Squads in 2016? Party of Religious Fanaticism, Demise of Critical Liberalism, Privatized Medicare Audits, Economic Sanctions = War, Their Drones and Ours, Foods Unfit for Consumption, Secret Surveillance, Anonymous to Shut Down Facebook

December, we will be giving away another book! There is no catch besides getting involved.We listed 4 books on the website, so VOTE which book we should give away - One of them can be yours! 

Stay informed. Immerse yourself. Everything affects you and your loved ones. 

To donate to The Dissenting Heretic, use the WE PAY button on our website: http://www.Dustcircle.com

A Grim Warning from Science

One of the things that makes Sandy different from Katrina is that it’s a relatively clean story. The lessons of Katrina were numerous and painful—they had to do with race, with class, with the willful incompetence of a government that had put a professional Arabian horse fancier in charge of its rescue efforts.

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2012/11/01-8

10 Filthy-Rich, Tax-Dodging Hypocrites Pushing Disastrous Austerity on America

“Fix the Debt ” is a coalition of more than 80 CEOs who claim they know best how to deal with our nation’s fiscal challenges. The group boasts a $60 million budget just for the initial phase of a massive media and lobbying campaign.

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2012/10/29-7

And Now, a Word from Mr. Mourdock's God

God's metaphorical ears must be burning these days. On Tuesday night Richard Mourdock, a Republican Senate candidate from Indiana, did something that would have given pause to even the medieval scholastics who speculated about how many angels can dance on the head of a pin.

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2012/10/28-1

This election year’s ugly and illegal ‘dirty tricks’ could end up ‘backfiring’: experts

Scare-mongering ads, voter registration forms dumped in the trash and misleading statements on the stump: the list of dirty tricks sullying the US presidential election is seemingly endless.

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/11/03/this-election-years-ugly-and-illegal-dirty-tricks-could-end-up-backfiring-experts/

For Whom Should The Left Vote?
There are important differences, of course, between Democratic President Barack Obama and Republican contender Mitt Romney, but the long conservative trend in American politics will continue regardless of who wins the presidential election Nov. 6. Either candidate will move it right along.
http://www.countercurrents.org/smith031112.htm

This Will Be The Last Last Election With American Naiveté
Linh Dinh is a prominent progressive author and poet, internationally renowned for his outspoken criticism of the domestic and foreign policy of the United States , which he calls criminal and detrimental to the interest of the American people.
http://www.countercurrents.org/ziabari031112.htm

11 Most Disturbing Facts About Hurricane Sandy

The naked eye may not be able to see it yet, but Hurricane Sandy is having a destructive impact in many different ways.

http://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/11-most-disturbing-facts-about-hurricane-sandy

1 Not-So-Simple, Pretty Funny Question for the 73% of White Evangelicals Who Will Apparently Be Voting for Romney

A question that deserves an answer before election day.

http://www.alternet.org/election-2012/1-not-so-simple-pretty-funny-question-73-white-evangelicals-who-will-apparently-be

How Fox News Created a New Culture of Idiots

Cable news has created an entirely new breed of blowhards -- and the style has infected banking and even the arts.

http://www.alternet.org/media/how-fox-news-created-new-culture-idiots

What Happened When I Infiltrated One of the Most Secretive and Powerful Republican Organizations in the Country

The Lincoln Club is the real deal. And if they have their way, Citizens United is just the beginning of their political ambitions for the country.

http://www.alternet.org/election-2012/what-happened-when-i-infiltrated-one-most-secretive-and-powerful-republican

Prop 37 and Corporate Lies in the Post Truth Era, By Zack Kaldveer

As a historic vote with profound implications for the future of our food system nears, the question becomes whether a campaign with limitless resources and a disdain for the truth can defeat an overwhelmingly popular idea supported by a grassroots army, and over3000 public interest organizations : the right to know what's in the food we eat and feed our families.

http://www.opednews.com/articles/Prop-37-and-Corporate-Lies-by-Zack-Kaldveer-121102-516.html

Where is the Green Party?

In the race for the White House, both Barack Obama and Mitt Romney have talked about sustainable development. Yet the Green Party ticket, whose stance on the issue outpaces those of both the Republican and Democratic parties, is virtually unknown by the vast majority of US voters.

http://www.opednews.com/articles/Where-is-the-Green-Party-by-Dahr-Jamail-121103-25.html

Obama in 2012; American Death Squads in 2016?

What would be best sign of a true dictatorship in this country?   Most people would probably say it would be the government's power to kill you, or lock you away forever in prison, without ever needing clear evidence that you are guilty of any crime, and without ever allowing you a day in court.

http://www.opednews.com/articles/Obama-in-2012-American-De-by-Amos-Burritt-121103-373.html

The Party of Religious Fanaticism and Falsehood

I'll say it, since the Democrats aren't saying it. The Republicans have become a party of radical extremism and oppression. Election stealing? Check. Agenda to keep women second class citizens? Check. Religious lawmakers who reject science and reality? Check. A lying demagogue who will say anything to gain power? Check. 

http://www.opednews.com/articles/The-Party-of-Religious-Fan-by-Veena-Trehan-121102-29.html

US Elections: From the “Lesser to the Greater Evil” and the Demise of Critical Liberalism

There is ample evidence that the Obama Presidency has pulled the US political spectrum further to the Right. On most domestic and foreign policy issues Obama has embraced extremist positions surpassing his Republican predecessor and in the process devastating what remained of the peace and social movements of the past decade. Moreover, the Obama Presidency has laid the groundwork for the immediate future promising a further extension of regressive policies following the presidential elections: cuts in Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare. Incumbents and their opposition compete over hundreds of millions of dollars in campaign funding from wealthy donors, which they will have to repay in the post-election period in billion dollar handouts, subsidies, tax abatements, anti-labor and environmental policies. Not a single positive proposal was put forth by the Obama campaign but numerous militarist and regressive social policies were articulated. The Obama campaign ran a fear campaign, playing off of the reactionary proposals of the Romney-Tea Party alliance: a cover for his own record of unprecedented military spending, sequential wars, immigrant expulsions, mortgage foreclosures and Wall Street bailouts.

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article32931.htm

How Mormon Doctrine Shapes Romney’s World View

As Mormon missionaries in the 1960s, Mitt Romney and I were required to present six “discussions” to “investigators” before baptizing them – he in France and I in northern California. Central to those discussions was the “Plan of Salvation” (POS); and central to it, the “Doctrine of Eternal Progression.” These doctrines are also the essence of the Mormon temple “endowment ceremony” in which covenants of allegiance to God and the Church are made, accompanied by oaths of secrecy.

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article32930.htm

Fox News is on Romney’s campaign team

It's not news that Fox is conservative, but plenty of its contributors are actually on Romney's payroll

http://www.salon.com/2012/11/01/fox_news_is_on_romneys_campaign_team/

The Battle Against Big Energy's Rush to Ruin Our Planet

xtreme killer superstorms, historic drought, vanishing sea ice, an increase in ocean acidity by 30%, the hottest decade on record and mega forest fires have increasingly become our new reality.

http://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/271-38/14303-the-battle-against-big-energys-rush-to-ruin-our-planet

Federal government sued over privatized Medicare audits

Five hospitals filed a lawsuit [complaint, PDF] against the US Department of Health and Human Services [official website] in the US District Court for the District of Columbia [official website] Thursday over what they contend is a scheme to deny them reimbursement from Medicare [official website] for necessary medical services.

http://jurist.org/paperchase/2012/11/federal-government-sued-over-privatized-medicare-audits.php

Supreme Court hears arguments in Sixth, Fourth Amendment cases

The US Supreme Court [official website] heard oral arguments [day call, PDF] in two cases Thursday. In Chaidez v. United States [transcript, PDF; JURIST report] the court heard arguments to determine if Padilla v. Kentucky [JURIST report] applies retroactively to persons whose convictions became final before its announcement. Padillaheld that the Sixth Amendment [text] guarantee of effective assistance of counsel requires a criminal defense lawyer to advise a non-citizen client that pleading guilty to an aggravated felony will trigger mandatory, automatic deportation.

http://jurist.org/paperchase/2012/11/supreme-court-hears-arguments-in-sixth-fourth-amendment-cases.php

DOJ criticizes immigration courts for inefficiency

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) Inspector General [official website] released a report [text, PDF] Thursday criticizing US immigration courts as inefficient. Inspector General Michael Horowitz urged the immigration courts to use all resources available [Reuters report] to maximize efficiency. 

http://jurist.org/paperchase/2012/11/doj-criticizes-immigration-courts-for-inefficiency.php

How the U.S. Is Helping to Kill Peace in Syria

As President Obama confirmed in an interview with the Atlantic [3] on March 2, 2012, one of the strategic goals of U.S. policy in Syria has been to weaken and isolate Iran by removing or helping to remove its strongest Arab ally. Asked what the U.S. could do to accelerate the removal of President Assad, Obama replied, laughing, "Well, nothing that I can tell you, because your classified clearance isn't good enough."

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article32909.htm

Economic Sanctions Are An Act of War

During the most recent presidential debate, President Barack Obama congratulated himself on a continuation of the United States’ policy of economic sanctions against Iran. “We … organized the strongest coalition and the strongest sanctions against Iran in history, and it is crippling their economy,” he said.

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article32910.htm

Drones: theirs and ours

Vocal as they are about being bombed from the sky, most Pakistanis – including many on the Left – suddenly lose their voice when it comes to the human (Muslim) drone, says Pervez Hoodbhoy

http://www.opendemocracy.net/pervez-hoodbhoy/drones-theirs-and-ours

Why We Fight to Prevent Stolen Elections in 2012 and Beyond

Voting rights and election theft experts and journalists respond to a recent AlterNet article.

http://www.alternet.org/election-2012/why-we-fight-prevent-stolen-elections-2012-and-beyond

Why We May Be Able to Start Feeding Ourselves From Urban Waters Again

Small-scale vertical farms -- some of the first in the country -- are designed to grow multiple species of seaweed and shellfish, have small footprints and provide an array of environmental benefits.

http://www.alternet.org/food/why-we-may-be-able-start-feeding-ourselves-urban-waters-again

Can You Take Fact Checking Too Far?

Earlier this year, there was a lot of attention paid to the popular radio program This American Life (TAL) having to retract its episode based on storyteller Mike Daisey's one-man show, in which he claimed to be telling a story about his own trip to visit Apple factories in China, but which it later came out was partially fabricated. As we noted soon after that, when it comes to pure storytelling, it's not always clear that fact checking makes sense. Storytelling is a tool for entertainment, not journalism. Where those two things come into conflict is when people begin to blur the lines between entertainment and journalism. 

http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20121024/16171220812/can-you-take-fact-checking-too-far.shtml

DailyDirt: Foods Unfit For Consumption

Food science has come a long way and makes a lot of incredibly delicious foods that last longer and stay fresher and provide more vitamins/nutrients than previously thought possible. But just as any technology is a tool that can be used for either the benefit or to the detriment of humankind, there's also the dark side of modern food production that has produced some of the most unhealthy foods in history. Here are just a few examples of sketchy food stories that you might want to avoid.

http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20091106/0115336819/dailydirt-foods-unfit-consumption.shtml

Hurricane Sandy, Twitter Fact-Checking, And The Impact Of False Information

As we begin to move into the aftermath stage of Hurricane Sandy, folks are beginning to look back on various aspects of communication during the storm and what occurred. Mike already touched upon this, discussing one dead-ender who decided to tweet a bunch offalse reports under the name "@comfortablysmug".

http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20121101/11352020907/hurricane-sandy-twitter-fact-checking-impact-false-information.shtml

Secret Surveillance

At the Supreme Court on Monday, Solicitor General Donald Verrilli Jr. told the justices that they should not allow judicial review of a secret surveillance program in order “to preserve the separation of powers” among the government’s three branches. 

http://takingnote.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/30/secret-surveillance/?partner=rss

10 Dirty Tricks to Keep Americans from Voting and Swing an Election

Here are the most common legal and illegal paths to keeping Americans from the ballot box.

http://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/10-dirty-tricks-keep-americans-voting-and-swing-election

What I Learned About Humanity from Working at a Porn Shop

We need to rethink our assumptions about porn, sex work and sexuality.

http://www.alternet.org/sex-amp-relationships/what-i-learned-about-humanity-working-porn-shop

Anonymous Threatens to Shutdown Facebook - Dude, do you have any Idea?

Do you believe that it is possible to shut down Facebook with a cyber attack on 5th November 2012, which is not even organised in a proper way ? Few activists on internet threatened to shut down Zynga and Facebook, after the gaming giant announced it was laying off five per cent of its work force.http://thehackernews.com/2012/11/anonymous-threatens-to-shutdown.html

How to Fix Health Care in the US

Corporate thugs vs science and your health

Vote YES on your right to know

Two Party Dictatorship: Ralph Nader