@dustcirclenews - HEADLINES: War on Whistleblowers, Why Have Student Loans? Bring Organized Resistance, Snowden's Constitution, 5 Farm Bill Groups, 12 Real Patriots, Pro-Apartheid Israel Hypocrisy, Rethinking Surveillance, Wartime U.S. Travelogue, Corporations' Loopholes, more.

See our extended list of important links to other websites: http://www.dustcircle.com

The Wider War on Whistleblowers
http://www.opednews.com/articles/The-Wider-War-on-Whistlebl-by-Barry-Sussman-130702-357.html

Why Have Student Loans At All? Let's Get the Burdens of Debt off College Students' Backs -- And Make Wall St. Pick Up the Tab
http://www.alternet.org/education/reparations-college-debt

Why It Takes Organized Resistance To Bring in the Sweeping Change That the Public Wants
http://www.alternet.org/activism/organized-resistance-brings-sweeping-change-lessons-us

How We Can Wrench Independence from the Corporate State
http://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/how-we-can-wrench-independence-corporate-state

Snowden's Constitution vs Obama's Constitution
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130703/00121023700/snowdens-constitution-vs-obamas-constitution.shtml

Edward Snowden: A Whistleblower, Not a Spy
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2013/07/03-8

5 Farm Bill Groups You Didn’t Know Existed
http://blogs.rollcall.com/goppers/5-farm-bill-groups-you-didnt-think-existed/

12 Real Patriots Brave Enough to Fight for Truth and Justice

http://www.alternet.org/activism/12-real-patriots-brave-enough-fight-truth-and-justice

Hypocrisy Of Pro-Apartheid Israel Obama Visiting Post-Apartheid South Africa
http://www.countercurrents.org/polya030713.htm

To Big U.S. Corporations: What About Some Patriotism for America?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ralph-nader/corporate-patriotism_b_3542125.html


Rethinking Surveillance [Book Review]
http://www.nybooks.com/blogs/nyrblog/2013/jul/02/electronic-surveillance-missing-laws/

Federal Student Loan Rates Double Due To Lack Of Urgency In Congress
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2013/07/02/federal-student-loan-rates-double-due-to-lack-of-urgency-in-congress/

5 Sneaky Ways Fundamentalists Are Trying To Slip Christian Creationism Into America’s Public Schools
http://www.alternet.org/belief/public-schools

Wartime U.S. Travelogue
http://www.countercurrents.org/swanson040713.htm

Thanks To ‘Loopholes’ U.S. Corporations Pay A Lower Tax Rate Than Middle Class Families
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2013/07/03/thanks-to-loopholes-u-s-corporations-pay-a-lower-tax-rate-than-middle-class-families/

Guantanamo inmate accuses US military of sexual assault against detainees
http://jurist.org/paperchase/2013/07/guantanamo-bay-inmate-accuses-us-military-of-sexual-assault-against-detainees.php

US government scanning, storing billions of pieces of mail per year
http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2013/07/05/mail-j05.html

The revolution will not be standardized
http://wagingnonviolence.org/feature/the-revolution-will-not-be-standardized/

Why Edward Snowden's Leaks Have Empowered All of Us
http://www.alternet.org/civil-liberties/knowledge-metadata-power

Scientific evidence: what is it and how can we trust it?http://machineslikeus.com/news/scientific-evidence-what-it-and-how-can-we-trust-it

American Intellectuals' Widespread Failure to Stand Up to Billionaires and Authoritarian Power
http://www.alternet.org/books/widespread-failure-intellectuals-stand-authoritarian-power-america

Why do charities want to "normalize" Israeli apartheid?http://electronicintifada.net/content/why-do-charities-want-normalize-israeli-apartheid/12592

Over Half of Republicans Want Christianity as the Official Religion in States
http://atheism.about.com/od/Church-State-Survey-Polls/a/Republicans-Want-Christianity-Official-Religion-States.htm?nl=1

People Get Ready: 'Unprecedented' Weather Glimpses Century Ahead
Latest report from WMO says first decade of century was hottest, wettest on record with more to come

It was a decade of 'unprecedented' extreme weather, caused by warmer oceans, hotter temperatures, and an atmosphere saturated with moisture. And there's more where that came from.

Failure to Stop Doubling of Student Loan Rates Sparks Call to Tackle "Systemic" Debt Crisis

# 1 Target of Wiretap Surveillance?

@dustcirclenews - HEADLINES: Special NSA Surveillance and Phone Records Edition! ...plus: Bradley Manning, Christian Official U.S. Religion, Student Loans, and Israel = Unpopular Country,

Join our mail list, and watch free news videos and documentaries at: http://www.dustcircle.com

NSA collecting phone records of millions of US citizens daily

http://thehackernews.com/2013/06/NSA-phone-number-records-surveillance-system-verizon_5.html

UN publishes report on surveillance and freedom of expression
https://www.accessnow.org/blog/2013/06/06/un-report-warns-of-surveillance-techs-human-rights-threats

Democracy is Coming…to the U.S.A.

http://www.alternet.org/civil-liberties/terror-12-years-enough-time-democracy

NSA Taps in to Systems of Google, Facebook, Apple and others, Secret Files Reveal
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2013/06/07

The National Security Agency: Surveillance Giant with Eyes on America
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2013/06/07-0

Spreading Middle East conflicts: US to blame
http://www.socialism.com/drupal-6.8/?q=node/2193

Bradley Manning's Legal Duty to Expose War Crimes
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Bradley-Manning-s-Legal-Du-by-Marjorie-Cohn-130603-841.html

Moral Imperative of Bradley Manning
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Moral-Imperative-of-Bradle-by-Ray-McGovern-130603-161.html

War Is A Queer Issue, But Bradley Manning Being Queer Is A Non-Issue
http://www.opednews.com/articles/War-Is-A-Queer-Issue-But-by-Dooler-Campbell-130604-335.html

Worldwide Movement Against Monsanto Gaining Steam
http://www.alternet.org/activism/millions-against-monsanto-march

The Middle Class Faces Extinction—So Does the American Dream
http://www.alternet.org/economy/income-inequality-defers-american-dream

People have killed their fear of authority - and the protests are growing
http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2013/06/people-have-killed-their-fear-authority-and-protests-are-growing

The Truth is Too Messy for Church
http://www.opednews.com/articles/The-Truth-is-Too-Messy-for-by-Robert-De-Filippis-130603-803.html

When a Doctor Wields a Bible: The Alarming Rise of Catholic Hospitals
http://www.alternet.org/belief/bible-health-care

Senate passes half-trillion-dollar farm bill
http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/14781121-senate-passes-halftrilliondollar-farm-bill

Is The Surveillance State Constitutional?http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/is_the_surveillance_state_constitutional_20130611/

'Beyond Orwellian': Outrage Follows Revelations of Vast Domestic Spying Program
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2013/06/06

Why Student Loans Are an Even Bigger Sham Than You Know

http://www.alternet.org/why-student-loans-are-even-bigger-sham-you-know

Israel one of world’s most unpopular countries and it’s getting worse: BBC survey
http://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/israel-one-worlds-most-unpopular-countries-and-its-getting-worse-bbc-survey

ACLU challenges US deportation practices
http://jurist.org/paperchase/2013/06/aclu-challenges-us-deportation-practices.php

CIA Unsure Of Those Killed In Drone Strikes, Classified Report Shows
http://www.opposingviews.com/i/politics/foreign-policy/war-terror/cia-unsure-those-killed-drone-strikes-classified-report-shows


10 Things Americans Underestimate About Our Massive Surveillance State
http://www.alternet.org/civil-liberties/surveillance-nsa

Be Prepared for the Inevitable and Unpredictable Mass Movement
http://www.alternet.org/activism/mass-social-transformation-movement-inevitable-be-prepared

American Fascism: 
Ralph Nader Decries How Big Business Has Taken Control of the U.S. Government 
Part One: http://therealnews.com/t2/component/hwdvideoshare/viewvideo/76334
Part Two: http://therealnews.com/t2/component/hwdvideoshare/viewvideo/76333

US lawmakers urge review of government surveillance activities
http://jurist.org/paperchase/2013/06/us-lawmakers-urge-review-of-government-surveillance-activities.php

Is Climate Change Action Doomed?

http://therealnews.com/t2/component/hwdvideoshare/viewvideo/76362

Senator Rand Paul Wants A Class Action Lawsuit Against NSA Surveillance
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130610/01160123390/senator-rand-paul-wants-class-action-lawsuit-against-nsa-surveillance.shtml

Private Contractors Are In Charge Of National Security And They’re In It For The Profits

http://www.addictinginfo.org/2013/06/11/what-you-need-to-know-about-whistleblowing-and-the-privatization-of-national-security/

If US Cut Military by 75%, Would Still Have Biggest Military

http://therealnews.com/t2/component/hwdvideoshare/viewvideo/76356

U.S. mining data from 9 leading Internet firms
http://machineslikeus.com/news/us-mining-data-9-leading-internet-firms

Nearly Half of Republicans Want Christianity as America's Official Religion
http://atheism.about.com/od/Church-State-Survey-Polls/a/Republicans-Christianity-America-Official-Religion.htm?nl=1

NSA Whistleblowers: "All US Citizens" Targeted by Surveillance Program, Not Just Verizon Customers

@dustcirclenews - HEADLINES: Free and Safe Surveillance, Injured Palestinians, Bangladesh Working Conditions, ObamaGate, Do We Need Religion? Rich-Poor Gap, Prosecuting Whistleblowers, Global Endless War, Christian Megapastors' Sex Scandals, Cutting Social Security, Wall Street Accountability, Healthcare Costs Destroying America, Military Grants Itself More Power, New Path to Citizenship, Monsanto and Congress Stomp Your Rights, Become Your Own Spy, more.

Sign up for our mailing list, watch political documentaries, and be in the know: http://www.dustcircle.com

If The President Does It, It Isn't Illegal?
http://www.opednews.com/articles/If-The-President-Does-It--by-Kathy-Malloy-130514-433.html

Bush Used the IRS, FBI, CIA and Secret Service to Go After Opponents -- Where Was the Fox and GOP Outrage?
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Bush-Used-the-IRS-FBI-CI-by-David-Sirota-130514-490.html

'Round the Clock Surveillance: Is This the Price of Living in a 'Free, Safe' Society?
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Round-the-Clock-Surveilla-by-John-Whitehead-130514-437.html

Several Palestinians Injured In Jerusalem Clashes
http://occupiedpalestine.wordpress.com/2013/05/16/several-palestinians-injured-in-jerusalem-clashes-nakba65/

Improve Working Conditions in Bangladesh? Walmart Says 'No'
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2013/05/15-6

ObamaGate—The New Watergate?


Do We Need Religion?
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Do-We-Need-Religion-by-Robert-De-Filippis-130514-865.html

A fascinating map of the world’s most and least racially tolerant countries
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2013/05/15/a-fascinating-map-of-the-worlds-most-and-least-racially-tolerant-countries/

Rich- Poor Gap Widens In Rich Countries, Finds OECD
http://www.countercurrents.org/cc160513A.htm

The Obama administration has aggressively prosecuted leaks and whistleblowers. Who are they?
https://knightcenter.utexas.edu/blog/00-13889-obama-administration-has-aggressively-prosecuted-leaks-and-whistleblowers-who-are-they

Why Do Christian Megapastors Keep Getting Caught in Sordid Sex Scandals?
http://www.alternet.org/belief/why-do-christian-megapastors-keep-get-caught-sordid-sex-scandals

Fighting Poverty Through Wall Street Accountability
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2013/05/17-7

"Astoundingly Disturbing": Obama Administration Claims Power to Wage Endless War Across the Globe
http://www.democracynow.org/2013/5/17/astoundingly_disturbing_obama_administration_claims_power

Cutting Social Security and Not Taxing Wall Street
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dean-baker/-cutting-social-security_b_3281777.html

Use These Secret NSA Google Search Tips to Become Your Own Spy Agency
http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2013/05/nsa-manual-on-hacking-internet

Healthcare Costs Are Destroying America: New Study Shows Correlation Between Cancer And Bankruptcy
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2013/05/17/healthcare-costs-are-destroying-america-new-study-shows-correlation-between-cancer-and-bankruptcy/

Is the Government Making Billions Off of Student Loans?
http://www.takepart.com/article/2013/05/16/government-making-billions-student-loans?cmpid=tpnews-eml-2013-05-18-bugs

Obama’s War on Journalists

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/jurisprudence/2013/05/obama_s_justice_department_holder_s_leak_investigations_are_outrageous_and.html


Military Quietly Grants Itself the Power to Police the Streets Without Local or State Consent
http://www.alternet.org/civil-liberties/military-quietly-grants-itself-power-police-streets-without-local-or-state-consent

New Path to Citizenship Looks More Like an Obstacle Course
http://www.labornotes.org/2013/05/new-path-citizenship-looks-more-obstacle-course

Genetically Modified Democracy: Monsanto and Congress Move to Stomp on Your Rights
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2013/05/17-4

18.Feb.2013 - HEADLINES: Minimum Wage, Climate Change Ultimatum, Immigrant Rights, Drone Assassinations, Police State, Drone Test Sites, Mainstream media, Obama War Criminal, Student Loans, Inequality, more.

Why Was the Biggest Protest in World History Ignored?

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2013/02/15-7

POTUS Proposes an Increase in the Minimum Wage

http://readersupportednews.org/news-section2/320-80/16004-potus-proposes-an-increase-in-the-minimum-wage

Obama Gives Congress a Climate Change Ultimatum

http://readersupportednews.org/news-section2/312-16/16003-obama-gives-congress-a-climate-change-ultimatum-

State of the Union 101: Nine Obama proposals that might create jobs
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/DC-Decoder/2013/0213/State-of-the-Union-101-Nine-Obama-proposals-that-might-create-jobs

'Stop the Deportations': Protesters Call for Immigrant Rights at Senate Hearing
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2013/02/13-8

Nearly 50 Climate Activists Arrested Outside Obama's White House
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2013/02/13

Obama Defends Drone Assassinations In State Of The Union Address

http://www.countercurrents.org/grey130213.htm

Are We Living in a Police State?
http://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/are-we-living-police-state

Gangster Bankers: Too Big to Jail
http://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/304-justice/16022-focus-gangster-bankers-too-big-to-jail

How Conservatives Who Block Minimum Wage Hikes are Destroying the Economy
http://www.alternet.org/economy/how-conservatives-who-block-minimum-wage-hikes-are-destroying-economy

CISPA, the Privacy-Invading Cybersecurity Spying Bill, is Back in Congress
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2013/02/14-11

FAA to create 6 drone test sites in US
http://www.washingtonguardian.com/drones-home

Who Tells Us What To Think? Does The Mainstream Media = The Matrix?
http://www.thedailysheeple.com/who-tells-us-what-to-think-does-the-mainstream-media-the-matrix_022013

'Let Us Not Be Deceived': Cornel West Names Obama as 'War Criminal'
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2013/02/15-4

Student Loan Programs in Crisis
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/business/student-loan-programs-in-crisis-347734.html

When God Is Not Enough: Religious States Have Highest Rates of Anti-Depressant Use
http://www.alternet.org/belief/when-god-not-enough-religious-states-have-highest-rates-anti-depressant-use

Inequality and American democracy
http://wsws.org/en/articles/2013/02/16/pers-f16.html

Obama defends drone assassinations in State of the Union address
http://wsws.org/en/articles/2013/02/13/sotu-f13.html

17.Oct.2012 - Anti-Science Beliefs Jeopardize U.S. Democracy, U.S. Military Prepares to Strike Libya, What They Didn't Say at the Debate, Banks Profits Increase, Global Sharing Economy, CNN Anchor Clashes with Anti-Gay Activist, Sound of Climate Science, the 1% are Manipulating Christians, Lessons About Surveillance from the Iron Curtain, FoxConn Works 14yo's as Interns, Anti-Anarchist Witch-Hunt, Food Dyes and Child Behavior

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!  

 

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Anti-science Beliefs Jeopardize U.S. Democracy
The United States faced down authoritarian governments on the left and right. Now it may be facing an even greater challenge from within.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=antiscience-beliefs-jeopardize-us-democracy&WT.mc_id=SA_DD_20121017

US Prepares Military Strikes As Libya Crisis Deepens
The White House is considering launching drone strikes and Special Forces raids in retaliation for the fatal September 11 attacks on the US consulate and a CIA facility in Libya’s eastern city of Benghazi, the Associated Press reported Monday.
http://www.countercurrents.org/auken171012.htm

The Debate; What They Didn't Say
The reason I'm writing more these days is because I was going to lay low while I applied for my passport and then to move to Ecuador. I have decided that I'm not going to let them scare me away. I feel that it is more important to stand up for what you believe in then to slink away with my heart on my sleeve.
http://www.countercurrents.org/gatto171012.htm

Bank Profits Increase
Banks’ profit is not influenced by widespread poverty among the common persons. These firms profit while the ordinary citizens encounter hunger, unemployment, and many sorts of hardship. This makes it a “tricky” economy, an economy driven by profit motive only.
http://www.countercurrents.org/cc171012B.htm

It’s Time To Prioritise The Global Sharing Economy
There is much talk about the need for greater sharing in our societies today, in everything from household goods and peer-to-peer services to cooperative enterprises and the ‘commons’. But we often fail to acknowledge one of the most important examples of sharing in the modern world: systems of universal welfare provision.
http://www.countercurrents.org/parsons171012.htm

Selling Coke, And Catastrophe: Activism Of The Concerned Celebrities'
He used to sell Coke and charge a hefty sum for that. Now he is selling concerns and is charging an equally hefty sum for that as well. When he used to sell Coke, he did not bother much with what it was doing to the lives of people of Plachimada. Now, when he is peddling the stories of pain, he seems to be least bothered with finer nuances that shape and sustain these miseries.
http://www.countercurrents.org/samar171012.htm

A World Parliament On Its Way To Gaza
Today, off the shores of Crete, Greece, the last group came onboard the Estelle. The Freedom Flotilla Coalition tall ship, The Estelle is on its way to Gaza carrying Parliamentarians from Greece (Vangelis Diamandopoulos), Norway (Aksel Hagen), Spain (Ricardo Sixto Iglesias) and Sweden (Sven Britton); and a retired Canadian Parliamentarian (Jim Manly - see his personal message below*). On the Estelle now are citizens of Canada, Finland, Greece, Israel, Italy, Norway, Spain and Sweden.
http://www.countercurrents.org/cc171012D.htm

Israel vs. No. 2 Pencils
As countless students around the world took the SAT a week ago, Palestinians from the West Bank could not join their ranks. The October SAT exam was cancelled for students in the West Bank: The Israeli authorities held the exams sent by the College Board for weeks, not releasing the tests to AMIDEAST’s office in Ramallah.
http://www.countercurrents.org/awwad171012.htm

Press TV Ban Tantamount To Human Rights Violation
The recent EU move to take Press TV off the air is to be seen as part of a continued process of media violation against this alternative channel.
http://www.countercurrents.org/salami171012.htm

CNN Anchor Clashes with Anti-Gay Activist; Tosses Him From the Show
After he says a tolerance program is like "poisoned Halloween candy" she says, "buh-bye"
http://www.alternet.org/cnn-anchor-clashes-anti-gay-activist-tosses-him-show

The Sound of Climate Silence: Romney and Obama Spar Over Who Wants to Drill For More Fossil Fuels During Debate
Those concerned about climate change were sorely disappointed during Tuesday night’s town hall-style debate.
http://www.alternet.org/environment/sound-climate-silence-romney-and-obama-spar-over-who-wants-drill-more-fossil-fuels

How Propagandists for the 1% Are Manipulating Christian Teachings to Rob the Middle Class The neoliberal utopianism that caused the financial crisis has been repackaged for the 2012 election.
http://www.alternet.org/election-2012/how-propagandists-1-are-manipulating-christian-teachings-rob-middle-class

Romney: Forget Equal Pay, Ladies -- How About More Time to Cook Dinner?
A clunky answer to an easy question.
http://www.alternet.org/election-2012/romney-forget-equal-pay-ladies-how-about-more-time-cook-dinner

Student Loan Complaints Resemble Mortgage Woes
Some private student loan borrowers who are struggling to repay their debts are facing the same frustrations with servicers that have plagued mortgage borrowers, the U.S. consumer agency said in a report released on Tuesday.
http://readersupportednews.org/news-section2/340-187/14023-student-loan-complaints-resemble-mortgage-woes

Does Surveillance Affect Us Even When We Can’t Confirm We’re Being Watched? Lessons From Behind the Iron Curtain 
During the Cold War, as I argued last week, the totalitarian governments of the Soviet bloc functioned as a standing warning to Americans of the dangers of unchecked surveillance—lessons that we would do well to remember despite the fall of the Iron Curtain. As it happens, a coalition of civil liberties organizations from around the world has made a similar point in a very interesting amicus brief submitted to the Supreme Court as it prepares to hear arguments two weeks from today in Amnesty et al. v. Clapper, our challenge to the FISA Amendments Act. (That legislation retroactively legalized much of the Bush administration’s unconstitutional warrantless NSA spying program.)
http://www.aclu.org/blog/national-security/does-surveillance-affect-us-even-when-we-cant-confirm-were-being-watched

Foxconn admits employing 14 year-old ‘interns’ in China
The company, which makes products for Apple and Sony, admitted it hired the underage workers as part of an internship programme, reflecting a practice rights groups said is widespread among enterprises in China. “This is not only a violation of China’s labour law, it is also a violation of Foxconn policy,” the company said in a statement late Tuesday, referring to Chinese rules that set the legal minimum age for workers at 16.
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/10/17/foxconn-admits-employing-14-year-old-interns-in-china

An anti-anarchist witch-hunt
Johnny Mao, Brit Schulte and Ben Silverman detail the case of three activists in the Pacific Northwest who are in jail for refusing to testify before a grand jury.

http://socialistworker.org/2012/10/17/anti-anarchist-witch-hunt

The big lie about tax cuts and jobs
Tax cuts for business have been a complete failure at creating jobs, but they serve another purpose for political leaders: creating a fiscal train wreck to justify austerity.
http://socialistworker.org/2012/10/17/the-big-lie-about-tax-cuts

Food dyes and children's behavior

17.Sept.2012: Occupy Wall Street, Government Spying on You, Denouncing Free Speech, Constitution Day, Artificial Intelligence, Parade of Inequality, Failing Democracy, Corrupt Ron Paul, Foreclosure Stories, Financial Aid, 9/11 'Truthers,' Breaking Consumerism, Poverty Report, Orthodox Baby Dies of Herpes, Taxing Church Properties, Future of America

What happened to Occupy?

"Occupy" security-style tape is stuck to Laura Nagy during an Occupy Wall Street anniversary concert in Foley Square in New York on Sunday, Sept. 16, 2012.
http://www.salon.com/2012/09/17/what_happened_to_occupy/

Occupy Wall Street Anniversary: One Year Later, the Movement Has Failed, With Only Itself to Blame

On my way to the subway station the other day, I was somewhat startled to glimpse a community newspaper headline screaming “OCCUPY’S ONE-YEAR BLUES” on a newsstand. Then I remembered that, lo and behold, the first anniversary of the Occupy Wall Street protests is fast approaching. I was momentarily taken aback by the headline because I had almost totally forgotten about Occupy Wall Street. Less than a year ago, the airwaves and interwebs were burning up with talk about this audacious and potentially game-changing new movement. Now, in the middle of an election campaign that will determine whether and how Washington will address OWS’ concerns, the movement itself seems moribund. What happened?

http://www.policymic.com/articles/14812/occupy-wall-street-anniversary-one-year-later-the-movement-has-failed-with-only-itself-to-blame

TSA Gone Wild: 8 Unexpected Ways the Government is Spying on You

Near-constant surveillance is the new normal. We’ve come to expect it. On the bus to work, I used to take note of the number of speed and surveillance cameras, private and public, along the two-mile route. My tally passed eleven, then twelve, then thirteen, then I lost count. 

http://www.policymic.com/articles/14775/tsa-gone-wild-8-unexpected-ways-the-government-is-spying-on-you

Conservatives, Democrats and the Convenience of Denouncing Free Speech
Nothing tests one's intellectual honesty and ability to apply principles consistently more than free speech controversies. It is exceedingly easy to invoke free speech values in defense of political views you like. It is exceedingly difficult to invoke them in defense of views you loathe. But the true test for determining the authenticity of one's belief in free speech is whether one does the latter, not the former.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article32452.htm

Behind the 'Green Economy': Profiting From Environmental and Climate Crisis

This article examines the real intentions behind the proposals for a "Green Economy". It is the introductory chapter to a Compendium on the Green Economy that was prepared as a common position for RIO+20 and that was published collectively in Spanish by GRAIN,Alianza Biodiversidad, World Rainforest Movement (WRM), and Friends of the Earth Latin America and the Caribbean (ATALC).

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2012/09/16-1

It’s Constitution Day! Time to Teach Obedience or History?

Pearson-Prentice Hall’s high school textbook, United States History, opens its chapter on the Constitution with this Daniel Webster quote: “We may be tossed upon an ocean where we can see no land—not, perhaps, the sun and stars. But there is a chart and a compass for us to study, to consult, and to obey. The chart is the Constitution.” United States History tells students approvingly that Ronald Reagan and others have recited this Webster quote at celebrations of the Constitution.

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2012/09/16

Civil Society Organizations Say… "Flush the TP…P!”

No, it really was not a rallying cry for sanitation—but rather the “TP..P” stands for the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement, and the call was made by hundreds of non-profits, labor unions and family farm groups on September 9 at the site of the closed-door trade negotiations in Leesburg, VA. How many people remember the North American Free Trade Agreement? Well, the TPP is supposed to be a bigger version of NAFTA. Just when we thought that the free trade paradigm had come to a sobering halt (what with the WTO in a coma, a global economic crisis and recent food crises forcing hard questions about our global trade, finance and agriculture policies), we need to think again!

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2012/09/15-2

How artificial intelligence is changing our lives

In Silicon Valley, Nikolas Janin rises for his 40-minute commute to work just like everyone else. The shop manager and fleet technician at Google gets dressed and heads out to his Lexus RX 450h for the trip onCalifornia's clotted freeways. That's when his chauffeur – the car – takes over. One of Google's self-driving vehicles, Mr. Janin's ride is equipped with sophisticated artificial intelligence technology that allows him to sit as a passenger in the driver's seat.

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/09/16/how-artificial-intelligence-is-changing-our-lives/

8 Ways to Stay Safe at Occupy Wall Street's One-Year Anniversary Protests

The NYPD may try to criminalize activists, but here's how you can outsmart them at their own game.

http://www.alternet.org/activism/8-ways-stay-safe-occupy-wall-streets-one-year-anniversary-protests

More Than 46 Million Americans Still in Poverty

15 percent of the US population lives in poverty. The poverty rate for children remains more than 20 percent for the third year in a row.

http://www.alternet.org/more-46-million-americans-still-poverty

Politics and Plutocrats: A Parade of Inequality

Not only is our economy out of balance with nature, our economy is also out of balance with the practical limits of physical and fiscal reality.

http://www.alternet.org/environment/politics-and-plutocrats-parade-inequality

Ron Paul Is One Of The Most Corrupt Members Of Congress

Ron Paul, the libertarian fantasy candidate, is one of the most corrupt members of our government, according to a watchdog group called, “Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.” They made the allegations in a study published recently.

http://www.addictinginfo.org/2012/09/15/ron-paul-corrupt-thief/

Report Finds USA As An Example Of A Failing Democracy
Former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan launched the Global Commission on Elections, Democracy and Security on March 4th, 2011, with the goal of highlighting the importance of integrity in electionsand democracy’s role in achieving a more secure, prosperous and stable world. As part of this mission, the 12 members of the commission released a report yesterday, titled “Deepening Democracy: A Strategy for Improving the Integrity of Elections Worldwide.”

http://www.addictinginfo.org/2012/09/15/usa_failing_democracy/

10 Heartbreaking Foreclosure Stories

This country’s foreclosure crisis may not get as much media attention as it once did, but it is far from over, with the rate of foreclosures increasing in recent months.
http://www.care2.com/causes/10-heartbreaking-foreclosure-stories.html

No "Red Line" for Israel

Israeli news outlets reported today that President Obama rejected an appeal by Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu to set a specific "red line" to stop any further Iranian uranium enrichment. 

According to reports, in an hour-long conversation on Tuesday, Obama deflected Netanyahu's proposal to make the size of Iran's stockpile of close-to-bomb-grade uranium the threshold, the crossing of which would trigger a US military strike on the Islamic Republic's nuclear facilities.

http://www.opednews.com/articles/No-Red-Line-for-Israel-by-Gilad-Atzmon-120915-580.html

Stop calling student loans “financial aid”

Students who take out loans aren't receiving special favors. They're making a financial transaction like any other

http://www.salon.com/2012/09/15/stop_calling_student_loans_financial_aid/

The New American Reality

Once again the American people are offered the choice between two lousy candidates that honestly, nobody really wants. There, I said it. Nobody really wants Barack Obama or Mitt Romney. Maybe there are a few deluded Democrats and deluded Republicans that are solidly behind their candidates, but from what I've heard from people on the street, this is a battle between the lesser of two evils.

http://www.countercurrents.org/gatto160912.htm

Bush Era Organic Scandal Ends in $7.5 Million Settlement

oulder, Colorado: What has been billed the largest scandal in the history of the organic industry has now resulted in a court settlement on behalf of consumers against Aurora Dairy, a giant factory farm operator with industrial-scale operations in Colorado and Texas. 

http://readersupportednews.org/news-section2/312-16/13490-bush-era-organic-scandal-ends-in-75-million-settlement

OWS begins ‘Year II’ with three-day convergence and call to debt resistance

September 17 (S17) is of course the one-year anniversary of the occupation of Zuccotti Park, a reclaiming of public space that galvanized the political imagination of the country and the world with its proclaimed opposition between the 99 percent and the 1 percent, its prefigurative emphasis on horizontality and mutual aid, and its linking of grievances from climate change to Stop and Frisk to predatory debt.

http://readersupportednews.org/off-site-news-section/439-occupy/13491-occupy-begins-year-ii-with-three-day-convergence

U.S. Government Is Bullying an American Hero

very day thousands of Americans working for the U.S. government spend all their waking hours keeping their fellow citizens safe. The vast majority of them work quietly - and anonymously - as they track our enemies, aid our allies, and seek out any and all threats to our country. And most of the men and women don't give a damn about the absurd posturing and contrived drama generated by America's political process. 

http://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/277-75/13487-focus-valerie-plame-wilson-us-government-is-bullying-an-american-hero

The Human Cost of Western Fundamentalism

As the virulently anti-Islam, anti-immigration Dutch politician Geert Wilders sought re-election in Wednesday’s (12^th September) polling in the Netherlands, light has been thrown on the links of his less than transparent parliamentary party.

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article32446.htm

What is a 9/11 “truther”?
Our Truth, and Theirs

“Disgusting op-ed in NYT by a truther implying Bush knew of 9-11/let it happen. NYT decries lack of civility, then adds to it.”

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article32439.htm

Do Americans Harbor Childlike Delusions About the Future?

James Howard Kunstler Says Watch Out

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article32438.htm

America the Possible: Breaking the Chains of Consumerism

The following is an excerpt from the recently published America the Possible: Manifesto for a New Economy (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2012). The book, written as the third volume of Speth's award-winning American Crisis series, calls for deep, transformative change in a dozen areas of national life, including a reimagination of our political economy, a halt to debt-inducing consumerism, and a host of prescriptions for our bad case of affluenza. This appears with the kind permission of the author.

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2012/09/10-1

Anti-US protests rage across the Middle East

Angry anti-US protests, including the storming of embassies, continued for a fourth day Friday from Indonesia to Morocco. Sparked by a rabidly anti-Islamic video posted on YouTube, the demonstrations have seen clashes with security forces leading to over a dozen deaths across several countries.

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2012/sep2012/demo-s15.shtml

The US poverty report and the Obama “recovery”

The poverty report released Wednesday by the US Census Bureau is another shattering refutation of the Obama Administration’s claims to be overseeing an economic “recovery” and working to improve the lives of ordinary Americans.

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2012/sep2012/pers-s15.shtml

Bigotry is Not An American Value, Gov. Romney

Gov. Romney, you not only got your facts wrong in your response to this tragedy, you have also more troublingly thrown your hat in as the archdefender of extremist rhetoric that incites the kind of violence that kills diplomats in embassies. Instead of standing with America as we mourned the fallen and condemned the violence — as President Obama and his Administration actually did in the wake of the attack, you, Gov. Romney have aligned yourself with with the KKKs, the Terry Joneses, the Westboro Baptists and the secretive filmmakers of the most recent documentary who exploit our hard-won, long-defended freedom of speech in order to spew hate, violence and vitriol.

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/davidhenson/2012/09/bigotry-is-not-an-american-value-gov-romney-a-response-to-the-u-s-embassy-bombing

Have We Forgotten How to Be Secular?

According to Jacques Berlinerblau, associate professor of Jewish Civilization at Georgetown University, more biblical verses have been invoked by presidents and presidential candidates in the past four years than they have in the previous two or three decades. Berlinerblau posits that our society may be forgetting how to be secular, or what “secularism” even means, and has written a new book entitled “How to Be Secular: A Call to Arms for Religious Freedom” in order to address the issue.

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/wildhunt/2012/09/have-we-forgotten-how-to-be-secular.html

Blasphemy riots: less about theology, more about power plays

Although riots in Egypt and Libya were said to be provoked by a blasphemous portrayal of the prophet Muhammad, Islam scholars say the teachings are ambiguous and co-opted for political ends. 

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2012/0912/Blasphemy-riots-less-about-theology-more-about-power-plays

Despite baby dying after getting herpes, Orthodox rabbis say they’ll defy law on ancient circumcision ritual
Two children are dead, more are injured — yet a group of ultra-Orthodox rabbis say they plan to defy a health order in the name of religious freedom.
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/circumcisers_kiss_of_death_S20ek2gmCGjA5432IvveMI

Stem cells bring back feeling for paralysed patientsThree people with paralysis received injections of 20 million neural stem cells directly into the injured region of their spinal cord. The cells, acquired from donated fetal brain tissue, were injected between four and eight months after the injuries happened. The patients also received a temporary course of immunosuppressive drugs to limit rejection of the cells.
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn22235-stem-cells-bring-back-feeling-for-paralysed-patients.html

Obama and Romney Tackle 14 Top Science Questions

Find out where the candidates stand on climate change, research, energy, space and more

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=obama-romney-science-debate

Texas man allegedly killed soldier for not believing in God

Can being an atheist in America get you killed? If police in the small Texas town of Petrolia are to be believed, the answer to that question is yes.

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/03/15/texas-man-allegedly-killed-soldier-for-not-believing-in-god/#.UEvIza0cInE.twitter

Dalai Lama tells his Facebook friends that religion “is no longer adequate”

All the world's major religions, with their emphasis on love, compassion, patience, tolerance, and forgiveness can and do promote inner values. But the reality of the world today is that grounding ethics in religion is no longer adequate. This is why I am increasingly convinced that the time has come to find a way of thinking about spirituality and ethics beyond religion altogether.

http://io9.com/5942616/dalai-lama-tells-his-facebook-friends-that-religion-is-no-longer-adequate

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

Acupuncture Might Actually Work (Surprise! It Probably Doesn’t)

The research, lead by Andrew Vickers with the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, pooled together and re-analyzed the results of 29 previous scientific studies on acupuncture, trials which represented more than 18,000 patients. The scientists found that acupuncture has a small mitigating effect on the level of pain felt by sufferers of chronic pain. At Science-Based Medicine, Steven Novella summarizes the results: When compared against people who were given no treatment for their pain, acupuncture patients pain levels were 35% lower. When compared against people who were given “sham acupuncture,” where fake needles are used which don’t actually penetrate the skin, acupuncture patients saw only a 5% reduction in pain levels.

http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/smartnews/2012/09/acupuncture-might-actually-work-surprise-it-probably-doesnt/

Further down the 9/11 rabbit hole


Ask for directions and go to jail 

Sacrifice Zones of America 
 

Border patrol nowhere near the border

The Future of America and the Globe
 

Steve Dustcircle can be found at:http://www.facebook.com/dissentingheretic