08.Dec.2012 - Police State Laboratory, Housing Crisis, Fast Food Strike, Palestine and the Intifada, Speechless in Gaza, Big Media Shouldn't Get Bigger, NO to Drones, Stop Those Israeli Settlements, Global Warming Failure, Another Drone Captured, Manning Treatment a Blemish on America's History, Are Nativity Displays Constitutional? (and much more!) PLUS: "Coca-Cola Case" Documentary

Police State Laboratory

One victim among many more
Danny Katch talked to Rockaways resident Kizzy Parsons about the hardships she and her children have had to endure in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.
http://socialistworker.org/2012/12/05/one-victim-among-many-more

Making an affordable housing crisis worse
Don Lash looks at the impact of the Sandy disaster on New York's public housing.
http://socialistworker.org/2012/12/04/making-a-housing-crisis-worse

Striking the fast-food giants
Peter Rugh reports from New York City on a day of walkouts at fast-food restaurants--another step in what organizers call the largest union drive in fast-food history.
http://socialistworker.org/2012/12/03/striking-the-fast-food-giants

Palestine and the Intifada
Anthony Arnove, author of Iraq: The Logic of Withdrawal, tells the story of the Palestinian uprising that shook Middle East politics starting 25 years ago this month.
http://socialistworker.org/2012/12/06/palestine-and-the-intifada

An Economy That Works for the Middle Class Won’t Happen on Its Own

A vital goal of economic policy should be to raise the living standards of the millions of American households who have seen their wages and living standards stagnate or decline over the last few decades. Fundamental to this is an economy that produces good, well-paying jobs. The biggest obstacle to this, currently, is the jobs crisis driven by a shortfall in aggregate demand. Additional factors though, written into our current policies, mean that even when the economy does recover, there is no reason to believe that the jobs it produces will actually be well-paying jobs.

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2012/12/06-4

Speechless in Gaza

Gazans in the medical field have been working in unimaginable circumstances for years.  During Israel’s Operation Cast Lead, “17 health personnel were killed and 26 injured. In total, 29 ambulances were damaged or destroyed by bombs or crushed by armoured vehicles, while 48 per cent of Gaza’s 122 health facilities were either directly or indirectly hit by shelling.” 

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2012/12/06-1

A Letter To Chevron’s CEO:
Your Business Is Creating A Climate ‘Incompatible With An Organized Global Community’

From: David Fenton
To: John Watson, CEO of Chevron

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2012/12/06-2

Bernie Sanders on Why Big Media Shouldn’t Get Bigger

Watch the full interview this weekend on Moyers & Company. Click here to find show times and channels in your area.

Sleeping Giant Says No To Crowd Control Drones

Coal Export Threatens the Northwest

How Obama Could Stop Those Israeli Settlements
Olmert may be overstating things, but not by much. Certainly Netanyahu's settlement surprise isn't the show of gratitude Obama had reason to expect after the US voted with Israel against Palestine's bid for nonmember observer status at the UN--a bid so reasonable and innocuous that Israel and the US, in opposing it, were in a minority of 9 out of 147 voting nations. And some of those 9 were on our side only because of American arm twisting.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article33240.htm

U.S. Failure To Act Swiftly On Global Warming Imperils The U.S. And The World
http://www.countercurrents.org/ross061212.htm

Another Drone Captured: Washington Feels Trepid
http://www.countercurrents.org/ziabari061212.htm

Israel And Palestine: Man In Search Of Humanity
http://www.countercurrents.org/khawaja051212.htm

‘Meshnet’ the new ‘parallel Internet’? Or are more extreme measures needed?

Israel’s Lesson to Palestinians: Build More Rockets?
“We want them to know that when they attack us mercilessly, when they treat us like animals, we will fight back,” says one young Palestinian.
http://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/israels-lesson-palestinians-build-more-rockets

Bradley Manning Lawyer: Soldier's Treatment a Blemish on Nation's History

avid Coombs, the civilian lawyer representing Bradley Manning at his court martial for supplying WikiLeaks with a trove of US state secrets, has described the soldier's treatment in solitary confinement at Quantico marine base as criminal and a blot on the nation's history.

http://readersupportednews.org/news-section2/323-95/14865-bradley-manning-lawyer-soldiers-treatment-a-blemish-on-nations-history

ARE NATIVITY DISPLAYS CONSTITUTIONAL?
Although the First Amendment forbids the government from establishing religion, once again this holiday season, cities and counties across the country will be displaying nativity scenes to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ on government property. Nativity scenes (also known as crèches) have no place on government property. Indeed, the Supreme Court has held that stand-alone religious holiday displays violate the Establishment Clause. That much is clear.

http://www.americanhumanist.org/HNN/details/2012-12-are-nativity-displays-constitutional

Elizabeth Warren Finally Gets Her Shot to Fight Wall Street, Head-On

fter making her name defending the little guy from the greedy clutches of Wall Street's worst villains, Elizabeth Warren will finally have the chance to grill the country's top bankers face-to-face. The new Senator-elect from Massachusetts will get a seat on the Senate Banking Committee after all,reports Ryan Grim at The Huffington Post. Warren served as a civilian on Congress' TARP oversight panel, but was denied the chance to be the first director of the agency she created-the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau-because her nomination wasn't going to make it through the Senate. Now she'll be the one blocking appointments and scolding witnesses from the other side of the hearing room once the new Congressional term begins in January.

http://readersupportednews.org/news-section2/318-66/14867-elizabeth-warren-finally-gets-her-shot-to-fight-wall-street-head-on

G4S equips the apartheid wall, Israel confirms

http://electronicintifada.net/blogs/adri-nieuwhof/g4s-equips-apartheid-wall-israel-confirms

Too Embarrassing For Fox News

Tensions mount as UN climate talks near end

A Sign That Obama Will Repeat Economic Mistakes

A woman who would be an excellent choice as the most experienced as well as principled candidate to head the SEC or Treasury is Sheila Bair, former head of the FDIC, who labored to protect consumers rather than undermine them. Indeed, her outstanding book “Bull by the Horns,” chronicling her fight in the last two administrations to hold the banksters accountable, should be required reading for the president and those who are advising him on selecting his new economic team. 

http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/a_sign_that_obama_will_repeat_economic_mistakes_20121207/

Fox News Host Tells Female Victims of Violence to ‘Make Better Decisions’

Former Bush administration White House press secretary Dana Perino has some advice for female victims of violence: In order to avoid getting hurt, “make better decisions.” The co-host of Fox News’ “The Five” made the eyebrow-raising, victim-blaming remark Wednesday during a segment about Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Javon Belcher, the NFL player who allegedly murdered his girlfriend, Kasandra Perkins, before driving to Arrowhead Stadium and killing himself last weekend.

http://www.truthdig.com/avbooth/item/fox_news_host_tells_female_victims_of_violence_to_make_better_decision_2012/

New study of blasphemy law around the world
According to a Pew Forum study released last week, eight out of 45 European countries have blasphemy laws on their books while 35 of them have laws against the defamation of religion in general or hate speech against members of a faith. The eight countries with blasphemy laws are Denmark, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Malta, the Netherlands and Poland. A blasphemy law in England and Wales was scrapped in 2008.
http://www.secularism.org.uk/news/2012/12/new-study-of-blasphemy-law-around-the-world

Israeli Soldiers Kidnap Four Children In Hebron

Israeli soldiers kidnapped, on Thursday evening, four children in Ash-Shuhada’ Street, in the center of Hebron city, and the nearby Beit Ummar town, in the southern part of the West Bank, and released two of them later on, but refuse to release the remaining two.

http://occupiedpalestine.wordpress.com/2012/12/07/israeli-soldiers-kidnap-four-children-in-hebron-dci_palestine-unicef-amnesty/

‘Israel disrespects international community’

What Living On $7 An Hour Actually Means For Working People 

Comparing Conservative and Progressive Investment in America’s Youth

The Millennial generation is the largest, most diverse, and most progressive generation in American history. Young Americans between the ages 12 and 29 comprise the Millennial generation and, as of this year, represent a full quarter of the voting-age American public; in total, 46 million Americans are considered Millennials. In 2012 they surpassed the 39-million-strong bloc of voters older than 65, and by the 2020 election, when all Millennials will have reached voting age, they will total 90 million eligible voters—or 40 percent of the electorate. In the 2012 elections the group’s national turnout of roughly 50 percent meant their 18-percent share of the electorate surpassed the 16-percent share of the electorate for those voters older than 65. This also demonstrates the significant work that remains to be done to ensure more than half of Millennials vote in the future.

http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/progressive-movement/report/2012/12/06/47100/comparing-conservative-and-progressive-investment-in-americas-youth/

8 Ways Police Can Spy on You Without a Warrant

There are plenty of ways for law enforcement, from the local sheriff to the FBI, to snoop on the digital trails you create every day.

http://www.alternet.org/8-ways-police-can-spy -you-without-warrant

DOCUMENTARY OF THE DAY:

The Coca-Cola Case

Social|02 Dec, 2012|Buy the DVD|No Comments|Add to Playlist|90 mins

Exactly how companies treat people, especially the third world. In this feature documentary, German directors and Carmen García Gutiérrez present a sharp indictment of Coca-Cola empire and torture alleged abduction and murder of union leaders trying to improve working conditions in Colombia, Guatemala and Turkey. The filmmakers are labor rights lawyers Daniel Kovalik and Terry Collingsworth and activist of the Stop Killer Coke! campaign, Ray Rogers, in his attempt to keep the giant U.S. company beverage multinationals responsible in this battle, the legal and human rights. Many union leaders in the Colombian bottlers of Coca-Cola have been killed. Hundreds of other Coke workers have been tortured, kidnapped and / or illegally detained by violent paramilitaries, often working in close collaboration with the addresses of the sites.

30.Sept.2012, PART 3: We Do Not Ban Blasphemy, Anti-Atheist Discrimination, Lessons Protesters Can Learn, Immorality of Student Loans, Internet Freedom Fighters, Will Israel Blow Up Something? Climate Change Hurts Global Economy, Does the Universe Need God? Taxing Church Properties, Freedom to Offend God, Childhood Memories, U.S. is Not Broke, Living Under Drones, Biological Basis of Emotion, Bad Pharma Research, Unites States of ALEC, Obama's Regime of Secrecy, You Can't Arrest an Idea

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President Obama to United Nations: ‘We Do Not Ban Blasphemy’

President Obama has disappointed nonbelievers and those who take seriously the concept of church-state separation many times. In his participation in the National Prayer Breakfast, in his continuation and expansion of the Bush-spawned “faith-based initiatives,” and his general pandering to religious figures, such has his inclusion of the risible Rick Warren at his inauguration.

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2012/09/26/president-obama-to-united-nations-we-do-not-ban-blasphemy/

Secular Groups Issue Report on Anti-Atheist Discrimination Around the World

Back in August, five secular organizations — the American Humanist Association, Center for Inquiry, International Humanist and Ethical Union, Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science, and Secular Coalition for America — met with the U.S. Department of State’s Office of International Religious Freedom.

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2012/09/28/secular-groups-issue-report-on-anti-atheist-discrimination-around-the-world/

3 Big Lies in Religious-Right 'Voter Guide' Hitting 13 Million Cell Phones

The Bible tells us not to bear false witness against one's neighbor. Ralph Reed apparently never got the memo.

http://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/3-big-lies-religious-right-voter-guide-hitting-13-million-cell-phones

10 Lessons American Protesters Can Learn from Quebec’s StudentsThe students’ diligent approach and subsequent success is not something to be overlooked, notes The Guardian. Here are 10 lessons American protesters can learn from Canada’s student movement:
http://www.care2.com/causes/10-lessons-american-protesters-can-learn-from-quebecs-students.html

Crushing Debt And The Immorality Of Student Loans

Hardly anything can be considered more noble or worthwhile than the human pursuit for knowledge. Science, in particular, has advanced us along an incredible path. The fact that you are reading this article, considering our origins, is simply amazing.

http://www.addictinginfo.org/2012/09/29/crushing-debt-and-the-immorality-of-student-loans/

Why are Internet Freedom Fighters always fighting against the Internet Freedom of Artists?

We’re always a little amazed when site like Hypebot takes up the fight for internet freedom, as long as that freedom does not include artists rights. Recently the site has confused the difference between a $20 settlement for illegal downloading, versus a $9,250 per song judgement for copyright infringement.

http://thetrichordist.wordpress.com/2012/09/29/why-are-internet-freedom-fighters-always-fighting-against-the-internet-freedom-of-artists/

Will Israel Blow Up Something and Falsely Blame It On Iran?

According to U.S. officials, Israel is training and supporting Iranian terrorists who are trying to topple the Iranian government. Those Israeli-funded terrorists have faked documents to falsely indicate that Iran is building a nuclear bomb. Israel has admitted to previous use of false flag attacks to justify war against Middle Eastern nations.
http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2012/09/will-israel-launch-a-false-flag-against-iran-to-start-war.html

America’s Drone Attacks Are ‘Killing 49 People for Every Known Terrorist in Pakistan’

Just one in 50 victims of America’s deadly drone strikes in Pakistan are terrorists – while the rest are innocent civilians, a new report claimed today. The authoritative joint study, by Stanford and New York Universities, concludes that men, women and children are being terrorised by the operations ’24 hours-a-day’.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2208307/Americas-deadly-double-tap-drone-attacks-killing-49-people-known-terrorist-Pakistan.html

It's Time for Conservatives to Stop Whining About Relativism! (And Take on the Experts!)

It’s true enough that conservatives still do accuse the Democrats—or, more precisely, the liberals—of being moral relativists.  Rittelmeyer quotes Paul Ryan saying that the big problem of our time is moral relativism. http://bigthink.com/rightly-understood/is-it-time-for-conservatives-to-stop-whining-about-relativism-and-take-on-the-experts

The Continuing Battle Over Blasphemy Laws

I'm surprised to still be writing about blasphemy laws, but it seems the idea just won't die. At the United Nations this week, the elected leaders of newly democratic Egypt and Yemen called for restrictions on free speech, in addition to similar demands from Turkey and other Islamic-majority nations. Russia, too, is advocating for laws that would criminalize criticism of religion, saying that "the feelings of the faithful must be protected by the state" (HT: IHEU). Unfortunately this doesn't surprise me, since under Vladimir Putin, Russia has basically reverted to the theocratic dictatorship it was in the days of the czars. Even Greece is prosecuting a man for the most harmless poke at religion imaginable, using archaic blasphemy laws.

http://bigthink.com/daylight-atheism/the-continuing-battle-over-blasphemy-laws

Climate change already harming the global economy

According to the Climate Vulnerability Monitor – a report by Spanish non-profit organisation DARA – in 2010 climate change shaved 1.6 per cent off global gross domestic product. The figure was calculated by adding the harmful effects of climate change to the problems of the carbon-based economy, such as air pollution.
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn22300-climate-change-already-harming-the-global-economy.html

Does the Universe Need God?

In many religious traditions, one of the standard roles of the deity has been to create the universe.  The first line of the Bible, Genesis 1:1, is a plain statement of this role.[1] Much has happened, both in our scientific understanding of the universe and in the development of theology, since that line was first written.  It's worth examining what those developments imply for the relationship between God and cosmology.

http://preposterousuniverse.com/writings/dtung/

Financially troubled parts of Europe consider taxing church properties

Cash-strapped officials in Europe are looking for a way to ease their financial burden by upending centuries of tradition and seeking to tap one of the last untouched sources of wealth: the Catholic Church.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/financially-troubled-cities-in-spain-consider-taxing-church-properties/2012/09/13/3b62c736-f842-11e1-8398-0327ab83ab91_story.html

On the Freedom to Offend an Imaginary God

The latest wave of Muslim hysteria and violence has now spread to over twenty countries. The walls of our embassies and consulates have been breached, their precincts abandoned to triumphant mobs, and many people have been murdered—all in response to an unwatchable Internet video titled “Innocence of Muslims.” Whether over a film, a cartoon, a novel, a beauty pageant, or an inauspiciously named teddy bear, the coming eruption of pious rage is now as predictable as the dawn. This is already an old and boring story about old, boring, and deadly ideas. And I fear it will be with us for the rest of our lives.

http://www.samharris.org/blog/item/on-the-freedom-to-offend-an-imaginary-god

Nothing, however vile, justifies censorship
Even in the hardest of cases such as this anti-Islamic film, the old arguments against censorship remain the best
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/sep/16/nick-cohen-islam-film-censorship

Childhood Memories Serve as a Moral Compass
Thoughts of innocent times prompt ethical behavior

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=childhood-memories-serve-as-a-moral&WT.mc_id=SA_DD_20120927

The US is Broke -- Not!

The conservative network of viral emails has been buzzing about a short video done by a retired accountant that shows our revenue to be insufficient to support any of the Federal discretionary budget once our obligations for debt service and entitlements are paid.  Evidently this is news to many people and the video is presented in a context of shock, fear and great urgency.  My spouse, Marguerite, emailed one of our mutual friends to allay his fears and put the matter in perspective. 

http://www.opednews.com/articles/The-US-is-Broke--Not-by-Richmond-Shreve-120910-147.html

Living Under Drones -- Chilling First-Hand Testimony of Escalating Drone Attacks by the US

Drones unleash shocking psychological and social damage to whole families and communities, along with the horrific deaths of many innocents.

http://www.alternet.org/world/living-under-drones-chilling-first-hand-testimony-escalating-drone-attacks-us

Lie to Me: The Biological Basis of Emotion

Anonymous « You can't arrest an idea »

World News From The Middle East

Bad pharma and research bias

Bloomberg Dismisses NAACP, ‘Life Isn't Always Fair’ 

 

The United States of ALEC: Bill Moyers on the Secretive Corporate-Legislative Body Writing Our Laws

In U.N. Address, WikiLeaks’ Julian Assange Urges Obama Admin to End "Regime of Secrecy"

Exposed: U.S. May Have Designated Julian Assange and WikiLeaks an "Enemy of the State"

30.Sept.2012, PART TWO: Craziest Religious People, Culture of Delusion, Right to Blaspheme, Brainwashed by Junk Food, Corporate Stranglehold on Democracy, Terror of U.S. Drone Warfare, WikiLeaks as 'Enemy,' Increasing Internet/Phone Surveillance by DOJ, Plot Against Occupy, Affirmative Action Could Be Dead, Vote Against the 2-Party Plutocracy, Phoenix Mayor and Food Stamp Budget, Whoopi Goldberg vs. Ann Coulter

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Judge Kills Lobbyist Attempt To Force Way On To Government Advisory Boards

In a blow against corporate power on Wednesday, U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson ruled against six lobbyists who sued over the Obama Administration’s new rules on corporate lobbyists on advisory committees. These rules, put into place in 2009, prevent registered lobbyists from serving on industry trade advisory committees which advice the Commerce Department or U.S. Trade Representative. By so doing, the new rules prevent corporate or foreign influence over commerce and trade decisions, an issue which has become rampant over the past few decades as our manufacturing and trade strength has eroded.

http://www.addictinginfo.org/2012/09/27/judge-kills-lobbyist-attempt/

Why Do the Craziest Religious People Get the Most Attention?

There’s no question that religion can have some ugly moral and social consequences. The homophobic and misogynist attitudes of many American Evangelicals come straight out their sacred texts. So do the Islamic concepts of “dhimmitude” and jihad. So does the Jewish notion of favored bloodlines. So do Mormon and Scientologist recruiting practices. 

http://awaypoint.wordpress.com/2012/09/27/why-do-the-craziest-religious-people-get-the-most-attention/

A Culture of Delusion

A writer's greatest disappointments are readers who have knee-jerk responses. Not all readers, of course. Some readers are thoughtful and supportive. Others express thanks for opening their eyes. But the majority are happy when a writer tells them what they want to hear and are unhappy when he writes what they don't want to hear.

http://www.opednews.com/articles/A-Culture-of-Delusion-by-Paul-Craig-Roberts-120927-669.html

Blasphemy: an indispensable human right

As I predicted last week, the Organization of Islamic Conference has seized on the controversies regarding an anti-Islam video clip on YouTube and satirical cartoons about Mohammed in a French magazine to renew its call for a global ban on "blasphemy." The OIC is, in effect, not only announcing that Muslim states in general have no intention of allowing real freedom of conscience and speech, but they want to bully the West into eliminating those freedoms as well.
http://www.nowlebanon.com/NewsArticleDetails.aspx?ID=439991

How to Win an Ideological War

Against a fanatical foe, any suggestion of compromise or acceptance of the enemy ideology is taken as a sign of weakness.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444358804578014534111905680.html

Brainwashed by Junk Food? New Study Reveals Fast-Food Logos "Imprinted" in Children’s Minds

Children’s brains are branded very early in life and that could be bad news for some kids.

http://www.alternet.org/food/brainwashed-junk-food-new-study-reveals-fast-food-logos-imprinted-childrens-minds

Bill Moyers Exposes the Stranglehold the Corporate & Right-Wing Alliance Has on Our Democracy

A special report from the legendary veteran journalist on the American Legislative Exchange Council.

http://www.alternet.org/corporate-accountability-and-workplace/bill-moyers-exposes-stranglehold-corporate-right-wing

Report decries suicides, isolation cells in California prisons

An Amnesty International report says conditions in the state's security housing 'breach international standards.' State officials rebut the findings. Many of the suicides occurred in isolation units.http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-prison-suicide-20120927%2c0%2c4904891.story

ACLU urges government to stop delegating federal immigration authority 

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) [advocacy website; JURIST news archive] on Thursday urged [press release] the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) [official website] to stop delegating federal immigration authority to state and local law enforcement agencies, claiming this leads to racial profiling. 

http://jurist.org/paperchase/2012/09/aclu-urges-federal-government-to-stop-delegating-immigration-authority.php

9 Frightening Things About America's Biggest Police Force

he NYPD is the biggest police force in the country, with over 34,000 uniformed officers patrolling New York's streets, and 51,000 employees overall -- more than the FBI. It has a proposed budget of $4.6 billion for 2013, a figure that represents almost 15 percent of the entire city's budget.

http://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/287-124/13687-9-frightening-things-about-americas-biggest-police-force

The terror of US drone warfare

A new study, “Living Under Drones: Death, Injury and Trauma to Civilians From US Drone Practices in Pakistan,” describes the terrorizing of Pakistan’s civilian population by US drone assaults.

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2012/sep2012/dron-s28.shtml

US military brands Assange, WikiLeaks as “the enemy”

Secret US Air Force documents reveal that the American military has branded WikiLeaks and its editor Julian Assange as “the enemy”, placing them on a legal par with Al Qaeda and threatening them with the same treatment: indefinite detention without trial, and death.

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2012/sep2012/wiki-s28.shtml

ACLU documents show increasing phone and internet surveillance by Department of Justice

Justice Department reports recently revealed by the ACLU show a dramatic increase in electronic surveillance, suggesting yet again that it's become common practice among law enforcement agencies. The ACLU surveyed three years of reports from the Attorney General, recording when the Department of Justice asked for pen register or trap and trace surveillance.

http://www.theverge.com/2012/9/27/3418420/department-of-justice-surveillance-increase-aclu

70 Percent of Americans Favor Auditing the Federal Reserve

Despite increasing interest in the Federal Reserve’s actions since the 2008 financial crisis, few polls have asked Americans about auditing the nation’s central bank. 

http://reason.com/blog/2012/09/27/70-percent-of-americans-favor-audit-the

NYPD sued over refusal to release Muslim spying documents

Two advocacy organizations have sued the New York Police Department for failing to provide documents related to surveillance of Muslims in schools, businesses and mosques in four states, including New Jersey.http://www.northjersey.com/news/171461681_NYPD_sued_over_refusal_to_release_Muslim_spying_documents_over_refusal__to_release_files.html

The Plot Against Occupy

How the government turned five stoner misfits into the world's most hapless terrorist cell

http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/news/the-plot-against-occupy-20120926

100 Million to Die by 2030 If World Fails to Act on Climate

More than 100 million people will die and global economic growth will be cut by 3.2 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) by 2030 if the world fails to tackle climate change, a report commissioned by 20 governments said on Wednesday.http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article32572.htm

Religious liberty emerges as sensitive political issue

Earlier this month, in nearly identical benedictions at the two national political conventions, Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York talked about the importance of religious liberty. He called it "the first, most cherished freedom bequeathed upon us at our Founding."

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/765605861/Religious-liberty-emerges-as-sensitive-political-issue.html?pg=all

Forbes 400 List Reveals Why the Greedy Rich Fully Deserve Your Contempt -- And Jesus’s

The bulk of America’s superwealthy refuse to pull their weight and kill opportunity for the rest. And they want your thanks!

http://www.alternet.org/economy/forbes-400-list-reveals-why-greedy-rich-fully-deserve-your-contempt-and-jesuss

In Just Weeks, Affirmative Action As We Know It Could Be Dead

On October 10, the Supreme Ct. will rule on the constitutionality of race-based admissions in colleges and universities nationwide.

http://www.alternet.org/just-weeks-affirmative-action-we-know-it-could-be-dead

A Crucible of Political Disenchantment: 'Dismiss Whatever Insults Your Own Soul'

Weltschmerz [from German; from Welt (world) + Schmerz (pain)] delineates the type of sadness experienced when the world revealed does not reflect the image of the world that one believes, or has been led to believe, should exist. The corporate/consumer state (as well as, its scion, the present day presidential election cycle) has brought us, as a people, into a wilderness of weltschmerz. 

http://www.opednews.com/articles/A-Crucible-of-Political-Di-by-Phil-Rockstroh-120926-607.html

Wake Up: Vote Against the Two-Party Plutocracy

Millions of Americans will soon vote for either the Republican or Democratic presidential candidate not because they deeply believe that he is absolutely the best possible president the country needs and can have.   No, they will know that they are compromising and choosing the lesser of two evils, mainly because most people know that both major parties and their candidates stink.   The lesser evil is still a loser.

http://www.opednews.com/articles/Wake-Up-Vote-Against-the-by-Joel-Hirschhorn-120926-61.html

Drone strikes do more harm than good for U.S. interests, report says
The report, a joint effort from Stanford and New York University's law schools, is based on two investigations in Pakistan, more than 130 interviews with victims, witnesses and experts, and documents and media reports.
http://www.fiercehomelandsecurity.com/story/drone-strikes-do-more-harm-good-us-interests-report-says/2012-09-27

Bank Profits From Food Speculation

Banks are as major speculators in the global food market while millions face starvation. In the backdrop of global food crisis, banks are speculating with food. 

http://www.countercurrents.org/cc270912B.htm

A third of DHS major IT development projects over schedule or budget, or both
In a report (.pdf) dated Sept. 26, auditors say that DHS has 363 ongoing IT investments during the fiscal year on which DHS spends an estimated $5.6 billion. Eighty-three of those projects are "major," meaning they're important either in sheer size or through their intended (positive) impact on DHS operations.
http://www.fiercegovernmentit.com/story/third-dhs-major-it-development-projects-over-schedule-or-budget-or-both/2012-09-26

Supreme Court to Revisit Affirmative Actionfter a U.S. appeals court struck down race-based college admissions in Texas 16 years ago, the first Mexican American woman elected to the state Legislature proposed a simple change that transformed education in the state.

http://readersupportednews.org/news-section2/314-18/13719-supreme-court-to-revisit-affirmative-action

Terrorism by Drone: How U.S. Bombing Makes Pakistani Civilians Endure a Living Hell

Two top university law schools conducted a nine month investigation into CIA drone strikes, finding that civilians are subjected to almost constant trauma.

http://www.alternet.org/world/terrorism-drone-how-us-bombing-makes-pakistani-civilians-endure-living-hell

Information Wants To Be Free

The endless war on personal computing

Unraveling the QE3 Scam

UC Davis must pay $1 million for one cop's idiocy

US Military Classifies Wikileaks As 'Enemy Of The United States'

Romney Accidentally Tells The Truth – Obama Never Raised Taxes 

Mayor Of Phoenix Tries Surviving On A Food Stamp Budget, Discovers It’s Excruciatingly Hard

Whoopi Goldberg To Ann Coulter – ‘Tell Me What You Know About Being Black’

Let Your Life Be a Friction to Stop the Machine

Obama’s war on ‘terrorism’ (the word)