XRU004: Exposing the Occupy Money Cooperative & Grassroots Subversion

Target Target, The Anti-Gay, Anti Union Company

In the last several years, the retail giant Target has been known to be anti-gay. But now they have graduated up to hating a wider range of folks. Target is now showing an anti-union to all employess, or rather forcing it on them. Gawker.Com got a copy of this video and published it.






Around 1:50 it starts playing ominous music and the actors proclaim:

“With a union you no longer have your own voice. Have a great suggestion? You can’t take it directly to your manager. You have to go through the union layers. Need help with a problem? Same thing. Someone else will do the talking for you. And there’s no guarantee you’ll like what they have to say.”

Some of the other highlights include

• The fictional employees' assurance that "you can get more hours" without a union—although a persistent inability to get enough hours to earn a living wage is one of the prime reasons that Target employees in New York are now contemplating joining a union. 

• The repeated reminders that "you have the right" to not sign a union card, pay union dues, or have a union represent you in any way, as if union-busting were a dramatic assertion of a retail employee's fundamental human rights.

Enough Target, I say shop less, but if you have to shop STAY OUT OF TARGET, please, especially if you are an LGBTQ Unionist like my wife.

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Top Ten Reasons Not To Frack

Hydraulic fracturing is a controversial drilling technique that injects millions of tons of highly toxic chemical fluids into the ground to break apart shale and release natural gas. Even while scientists believe these chemicals may already be poisoning America’s drinking water, the natural gas industry has unleashed a massive 34-state drilling campaign. So here are the top ten reasons why NOT to frack in New York, or anywhere.

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Five Environmental Ways to Survive the Economic Crash

Grain stocks will be at the lowest levels since 2004 this year. Food prices as a whole are up. Unemployment is up while overall purchasing power of the dollar is down. What can average citizens do to protect their families and insulate themselves from this economic downturn? Here are a few environmentally friendly ways that you can survive the economic disaster known as “The Great Depression 2”.


Read More...

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Top Ten Horrible Draconian Measures President Obama Has Pushed.

First of all it is important to note that I am not a Democrat or a Republican, I am an independent. This is not an anti-Obama post, it is an anti-authoritarian post.

10. According to the Huffington Post (3/16/2010) Obama's administration has blocked more Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA) requests in 2009 than President Bush did in 2008.

9. The Obama Administration has pushed hard for immunity for those who have spied domestically, even while promising to be more open and end these programs. (Electronic Frontier Foundation 4/7/2009)

8. Renewed the PATRIOT Act 2 times with no reforms (CS Monitor 3/1/2010, and Politico 5/26/2011)

7. In June of 2010 the NY Times reported that the Obama Administration has cracked down on "whistle blowers" more than ANY PRESIDENT IN AMERICAN HISTORY.

6. Obama has pressed for MANDATORY DNA tested for EVERYONE arrested for a crime, regardless of whether or not there was a conviction. (Politico 9/3/2010)

5. The President promised what 70% of Americans want, a "public option" healthcare system. All while cutting a deal with big pharmaceutical and insurance companies to pass a watered down version that will hurt more Americans than it will help, as it forces everyone to buy insurance from a private company. (NY Times 3/16/2010)

4. Obama himself used a signing statement to allow the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank to ignore labor and environmental standards. (Huffington Post 6/27/2009)

3. The New York Times reported on May 13th 2010 that Obama gave permits to BP and other oil companies exempting them from environmental laws.

2. President Obama appointed former Monsanto lobbyist Michael Taylor as Americas Food Safety Czar. Monsanto has been called "the most evil corporation in the world." and supplied 90% of the WORLDS seeds for genetically modified crops. (Huffington Post 7/23/2009) (if you dont know about GMO crops see my other posts maybe even just look it up for yourself, yuck.)

1. The Obama Administration ramped up the war in Afghanistan and Pakistan, started a war in Libya and continued the war in Iraq. On the homefront he launched FBI raids on anti-war activists in Minneapolis and Chicago, alleging connections to terrorist groups, and forever associating anti-war activists with terrorists. (Democracy Now 9/27/2010)




These are only ten in a long list, some "honorable" mentions are:

Obama (a former pot smoker) promised marijuana reform and then cracked down hard and appointed an anti-pot crusader named Michelle Leonhart to head the Drug Enforcement Agency.

At the Pittsburgh G20 meeting he allowed security forces to teargas and terrorize, and in some cases physically assault students who only wanted to get a picture of the President on their own campus. They used weapons such as rubber bullets and a Long Range Acoustic Device (LRAD) which had my ear personally ringing for days. There were arrests by unmarked police, and just general abuse of power.

Overall Obama is like Bush the 3rd or worse.

Good luck keeping any freedom America, its time for a third party candidate, or an all out overhaul of our corporatocracy.

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Pathogen New to Science Found in GM Crops and It KILLS!

USDA senior scientist sends “emergency” warning to US Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack on a new plant pathogen in Roundup Ready GM soybean and corn that may be responsible for high rates of infertility and spontaneous abortions in livestock-- Dr. Mae-Wan Ho

***Please distribute widely and forward to your elected representatives***


From :Institute of Science in Society


If you dont know about Genetically modified crops here is a Wiki.


An open letter appeared on the Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance founded and run by Judith McGeary to save family farms in the US [1, 2]. The letter, written by Don Huber, professor emeritus at Purdue University, to Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, warns of a pathogen “new to science” discovered by “a team of senior plant and animal scientists”. Huber says it should be treated as an “emergency’’, as it could result in “a collapse of US soy and corn export markets and significant disruption of domestic food and feed supplies.”

The letter appeared to have been written before Vilsack announced his decision to authorize unrestricted commercial planting of GM alfalfa on 1 February, in the hope of convincing the Secretary of Agriculture to impose a moratorium instead on deregulation of Roundup Ready (RR) crops.

The new pathogen appears associated with serious pervasive diseases in plants - sudden death syndrome in soybean and Goss' wilt in corn – but its suspected effects on livestock is alarming. Huber refers to

“recent reports of infertility rates in dairy heifers of over 20%, and spontaneous abortions in cattle as high as 45%.”

This could be the worst nightmare of genetic engineering that some scientists including me have been warning for years [3] (see Genetic Engineering Dream or Nightmare, ISIS publication): the unintended creation of new pathogens through assisted horizontal gene transfer and recombination.

Huber writes in closing: “I have studied plant pathogens for more than 50 years. We are now seeing an unprecedented trend of increasing plant and animal diseases and disorders. This pathogen may be instrumental to understanding and solving this problem. It deserves immediate attention with significant resources to avoid a general collapse of our critical agricultural infrastructure.”

The complete letter is reproduced below.
Dear Secretary Vilsack:

A team of senior plant and animal scientists have recently brought to my attention the discovery of an electron microscopic pathogen that appears to significantly impact the health of plants, animals, and probably human beings. Based on a review of the data, it is widespread, very serious, and is in much higher concentrations in Roundup Ready (RR) soybeans and corn-suggesting a link with the RR gene or more likely the presence of Roundup. This organism appears NEW to science!

This is highly sensitive information that could result in a collapse of US soy and corn export markets and significant disruption of domestic food and feed supplies. On the other hand, this new organism may already be responsible for significant harm (see below). My colleagues and I are therefore moving our investigation forward with speed and discretion, and seek assistance from the USDA and other entities to identify the pathogen's source, prevalence, implications, and remedies.

We are informing the USDA of our findings at this early stage, specifically due to your pending decision regarding approval of RR alfalfa. Naturally, if either the RR gene or Roundup itself is a promoter or co-factor of this pathogen, then such approval could be a calamity. Based on the current evidence, the only reasonable action at this time would be to delay deregulation at least until sufficient data has exonerated the RR system, if it does.

For the past 40 years, I have been a scientist in the professional and military agencies that evaluate and prepare for natural and manmade biological threats, including germ warfare and disease outbreaks. Based on this experience, I believe the threat we are facing from this pathogen is unique and of a high risk status. In layman's terms, it should be treated as an emergency.

A diverse set of researchers working on this problem have contributed various pieces of the puzzle, which together presents the following disturbing scenario:

Unique Physical Properties
This previously unknown organism is only visible under an electron microscope (36,000X), with an approximate size range equal to a medium size virus. It is able to reproduce and appears to be a micro-fungal-like organism. If so, it would be the first such micro-fungus ever identified. There is strong evidence that this infectious agent promotes diseases of both plants and mammals, which is very rare.

Pathogen Location and Concentration
It is found in high concentrations in Roundup Ready soybean meal and corn, distillers meal, fermentation feed products, pig stomach contents, and pig and cattle placentas.

Linked with Outbreaks of Plant Disease
The organism is prolific in plants infected with two pervasive diseases that are driving down yields and farmer income-sudden death syndrome (SDS) in soy, and Goss' wilt in corn. The pathogen is also found in the fungal causative agent of SDS (Fusarium solani fsp glycines).
Implicated in Animal Reproductive Failure
Laboratory tests have confirmed the presence of this organism in a wide variety of livestock that have experienced spontaneous abortions and infertility. Preliminary results from ongoing research have also been able to reproduce abortions in a clinical setting.

The pathogen may explain the escalating frequency of infertility and spontaneous abortions over the past few years in US cattle, dairy, swine, and horse operations. These include recent reports of infertility rates in dairy heifers of over 20%, and spontaneous abortions in cattle as high as 45%.

For example, 450 of 1,000 pregnant heifers fed wheatlege experienced spontaneous abortions. Over the same period, another 1,000 heifers from the same herd that were raised on hay had no abortions. High concentrations of the pathogen were confirmed on the wheatlege, which likely had been under weed management using glyphosate.

Recommendations
In summary, because of the high titer of this new animal pathogen in Roundup Ready crops, and its association with plant and animal diseases that are reaching epidemic proportions, we request USDA's participation in a multi-agency investigation, and an immediate moratorium on the deregulation of RR crops until the causal/predisposing relationship with glyphosate and/or RR plants can be ruled out as a threat to crop and animal production and human health.

It is urgent to examine whether the side-effects of glyphosate use may have facilitated the growth of this pathogen, or allowed it to cause greater harm to weakened plant and animal hosts. It is well-documented that glyphosate promotes soil pathogens and is already implicated with the increase of more than 40 plant diseases; it dismantles plant defenses by chelating vital nutrients; and it reduces the bioavailability of nutrients in feed, which in turn can cause animal disorders. To properly evaluate these factors, we request access to the relevant USDA data.

I have studied plant pathogens for more than 50 years. We are now seeing an unprecedented trend of increasing plant and animal diseases and disorders. This pathogen may be instrumental to understanding and solving this problem. It deserves immediate attention with significant resources to avoid a general collapse of our critical agricultural infrastructure.

Sincerely,

COL (Ret.) Don M. Huber
Emeritus Professor, Purdue University
APS Coordinator, USDA National Plant Disease Recovery System (NPDRS)




This is scary stuff, I am not against all GMO crops, when done naturally though selective breeding, but not when done this way in a lab. I am very pro science, but this is too far, only due to the lack of testing and accountability.

North and South American farmers are using multiple varieties of GM cotton, corn, soybeans and canola to ward off insects and provide alternative weed controls. New varieties with ‘stacked traits’ - where all these benefits are available in one variety - are being commercialised by the R&D people. GM varieties accelerate farm output and financial return for least risk financial with no environmental concerns.

The huge increase in use of two key GM varieties (Herbicide Tolerant and Bacillus thuringiensis insecticidal) across the USA’s 134 million arable hectares is clear in the graph:

And here is how much companies spend to develop GM crops, with little environmental concerns!

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Scott Walker crushing all public unions ON TAPE!!

The BEAST's Ian Murphy calls Walker, posing as conservative moneybags David Koch, and they casually discuss crushing all public unions.


This is ten minutes of of Gov Walker Rambling against Unions






If you like this story you will also like:

Indiana Deputy Attorney General calls for "live ammunition" against Wi Unions!


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Indiana Deputy Attorney General Jeff Cox Tweets: “Use Live Ammo!” Against Wisconsin Unions

“All my comments on twitter & my blog are my own and no one else's… and I can defend them all.” --Jeff Cox *note his blog has since been deleted.

On Saturday night, when Mother Jones staffers tweeted a report that riot police might soon sweep demonstrators out of the Wisconsin capitol building, DAG Jeff Cox wrote via Twitter: "Use live ammunition."

This has to be one of the most deplorable statements I have ever heard! And it scares me, that people in the circle of power feel this way. I grew up in Indiana and I am an activist, so I have been rubber bulleted, teargassed and even struck by police…but I never feard death. Maybe Mr. Cox was confused and thought he was still a humorist for Sun Features, but even as a joke this ranks right up there.




Considering the murder of citizens by security forces in Baharain, Libiya, Yemen and other nations, this is the worst possible time to make such statements.
Indiana has employed DAG Jeff Cox for over 10 years, do you think he really represents the common person/worker with attitudes like this?


Especially considering that the Wisconsin police actually said “There has been good camaraderie between the police officers and the demonstrators,”

Is this really the way our country is now? Egotistical and extremists like Jeff Cox and Andrew Shirvell holding public office and stifling all progress in society. They get elected by a public that is propagandized by hatemongers on the news, and then bring bigotry and hatred of people power to public office.

Not only did he make these remarks, but many others as covered in the story by Mother Jones Magazine: Indiana Official: "Use Live Ammunition" Against Wisconsin Protesters.

He wrote horrible things like:

"sensible policy for handling Afghanistan, KILL! KILL! ANNIHILATE!"

And referring to an Indianapolis teen beaten by local police as:

"a black teenage thug who was (deservedly) beaten up"

And even tweeting that unionized public employee is synonymous with idiot.

Also saying there was a “civil war” in Wis.

I grew up in Indiana, spent a big chunk of my life there and then when I was an adult…I ran, from bigotry, xenophobia and gay bashing that I saw there on a daily basis. We can’t have men like this in charge of the state. Call the Indiana Attorney Generals Office and ask them to remove Jeff Cox, He can have an opinion, but just don’t Tweet it from your iPhone when you’re on the clock…that’s real government waste.






*******Update: The Indiana attorney general's office has confirmed to Mother Jones that Jeff Cox was terminated Wednesday. ******



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6 Obscure Government Agencies That Waste Your Money.

So what does the government waste all of this money we give them on? Here are 6 good examples.



#1: Minerals Management Service (MMS)
This one got a bit more notoriety during the BP oil spill, If it weren’t for an exploding oil rig that killed 11 people, you and I probably wouldn’t have a clue what the Minerals Management Service is. One interesting fact that came to light was that Minerals Management Service has SWAT teams to use for compliance. According to News Herald, this agency knew that the “supposedly fail-safe system designed to protect against the leak of thousands of barrels of oil was not fail-safe”, and yet they did nothing.
But thanks in part to these regulators not doing their job, or being bribed; we spent months dealing with a nonstop gusher in the Gulf that started by an explosion that killed 11 men, the Gulf of Mexico and thousands of jobs.
#2: Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC)
The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, or PBGC, was created by Congress to “insure participants in defined-benefit pension plans against losing their pension if their employer is in financial distress or fails to fully pre-fund its pension obligations.” About 44 million Americans are protected by PBGC.
Unfortunately, it appears the PBGC will soon be unable to meet its obligations for retirees. The agency is constantly facing billions of dollars in deficit, and it seems that a taxpayer-funded bailout may be inevitable. Its time to make corporations responsible for their own plans insurance not let it fall on the government. Pensions previously sponsored by Bethlehem Steel, the Chicago Sun-Times, Delphi, LTV Steel, and United Airlines are among the agency's more dramatic recent acquisitions.
#3: Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP)
The Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP) make sure human subjects in research are protected when the research is conducted or supported by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The agency most recently made the news as human rights groups are seeking the OHRP’s help to investigate claims that medical professionals helped the CIA perform experiments on detainees after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. It’s this obscure agency’s duty to investigate these allegations to ensure no illegal human experimentation was carried out. Another agency could easily do this.
#4: Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC)
The MCC was created to provide international assistance to some of the poorest countries in the world. Since 2004, MCC has been creating partnerships with impoverished countries, but only with those countries “committed to good governance, economic freedom, and investments in their citizens.”
Some of these partners are countries like Jordan to which we pledged $275 million more to in October 2010, and Morocco, which got a 5-year, $700 million deal in 2007 all via the MCC. Both of these countries have recently seen protests due to the human rights and economic abuses of their leaders…good investment strategy.
#5: Office of the Comptroller of the Currency
According to the agency’s website, “The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) charters, regulates, and supervises all national banks. It also supervises the federal branches and agencies of foreign banks.” The OCC did nothing to stop predatory lending practices, or really regulate anything, putting countless Americans in a dreadful state of affairs.
#6: U.S. Board on Geographic Names
This agency is responsible for deciding upon the names of the geographic highlights of our picturesque land. The federal agency was created in 1890 to “maintain uniform geographic name usage throughout the Federal Government.” There are dozens of board members from 10 different government agencies including the State Dept., Homeland Security and the CIA.
The number of wasteful useless federal government agencies confuses the mind!

Here is a good blog on overall waste, its very thorough.
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New Zeland Has Earth Quake

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — For the second time in less than six months, Christchurch, New Zealand, has been rocked by a powerful earthquake. It was magnitude 6.3, significantly weaker than last year's 7.1, but strong enough to collapse buildings. There were early reports of multiple deaths, but the prime minister says nothing is confirmed yet.





DONATE

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E-mutiny Has Moved

E-mutiny has moved to the Activist News Network


Sorry for any inconvenience, please change your bookmarks.

What Kind/Brand Of Shirt Is This?

Ok, I am not good with fashion or brand names. I need to know if anyone can identify the shirt that Glenn Beck is wearing, it looks like a Native American head and headdress with maybe "1796" on it.

Any ideas?


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Unions Unite: Its Time To Make A Stand.

We must learn what has gone on in the past so we dont repeat mistakes, but many have and do willfully forget or ignore history. The beginning of American union with the 1877 railroad strike is a lot like today's strikes in Wisconsin, and it began the new union movement in America, can we hope for such a great result this time?

"Who controls the past controls the future: who controls the present controls the past."
~George Orwell~

Post Civil War America

With the end of the Civil War (1865), the United States experienced massive, unchecked expansion, especially in the railroad industry, with the help of government land grants and subsidies. Speculators fed large amounts of money into the industry, causing abnormal growth and over expansion. Just like real estate was a few years ago.


The 1870s saw a significant economic depression in the world. The effects of this downturn hit the United States hard on September 18, 1873, with the failure of the banking firm Jay Cooke and Company. The country slumped further and further. In response, the U.S. economy sputtered and then collapsed. Shortly after Cooke’s demise, the New York Stock Exchange closed for 10 days, credit dried up, foreclosures and factory closings became common. Unemployment reached 14 percent within 3 years, and a full recovery was not achieved for many years. The 1876 Presidential election had been close, dividing the nation and disenfranchising half of the population. Then the railroads began announcing wage cuts, first 10% and then few months later 10% more.

Trotskyites Unite

The Great Railroad Strike of 1877 began on July 14 in Martinsburg, West Virginia, and eventually spread through large swaths of the railroad industry in the East and Midwest. Many other groups of workers such as coal and steel, begin to strike in solidarity with the railroad workers (these groups are the beginning of unions, and are not yet called such).

“One spirit and one purpose among them–that they were justified in resorting to any means to break down the power of the corporations.”
Unknown Pittsburgh state militiaman

The Strike Winds Down

The Strike began to lose momentum when President Hayes sent federal troops from city to city. These troops suppressed strike after strike, until at last, approximately 45 days after it had started, the Great Railroad Strike of 1877 was over.

Power To The People

For workers and employers alike, the strikes had shown the power of workers in combination to challenge the status quo and led to the organizing of several labor unions in the United States. In fact in 1884 one of the biggest railroads targeted in the strike, the B&O, became the first major employer to offer a pension plan.
The Modern Parallel

Financial companies collapsing, an over inflated market taking down the economic system, unemployment, poverty, and strikes. Didn’t we already have this fight? If history truly does repeat itself, are we destined this year or next to have mass worker uprisings in succession with the normal economic inflation/depression cycle? Will there be National Guard on the streets assaulting Americans as there was in 1877 (and many other years too)?


The Little Guy

Wal-Mart made over $408 Billion dollars last year while mistreating workers, giving them low pay and benefits and then preaching how thankful everyone should be for the jobs they provide.

BP made $246 billion last year, even though it just destroyed the Gulf of Mexico and hundreds, maybe even thousands of jobs, and ignored safety and environmental regulations.

In 2009 General Electric made nearly $157 billion dollars, and paid no taxes, they did pay a Securities and Exchanges Commission fine of $50 million for breaking accounting rules in two separate cases, misleading investors into believing GE would meet or beat earnings expectations.

And you can find dozens of other examples, the rich get richer and the poor must endure “austerity measures” in the budget. Funk that.



Go, Fight, Win!!

It is time for the people of this country to take an active role in their own world. Weekends, minimum wage, bargaining power, child labor laws, and safety standards were all brought about by unions, which are just large organized groups of people, fighting for what is right. Now unions and workers across America are under attack again. Its time to stand against Gov. Scott Walker and other labor busters and tell them its time for Wal-Mart, BP, Exxon, Shell, JP MorganChase, and even Goldman Sachs to start paying their part of the debt. It time to stand against the robber baron Federal Reserve (oddly named since they are not federal and have no reserves) and tell them we will coin our own money and no longer borrow from organized mafia-like banking syndicates. Its time to stand against government leaders who don’t listen or help us with these problems but instead just help themselves to wealth, power and a revolving door, lifetime job bouncing between the private sector, government and media. But most of all America it time to stand for something, anything you believe in. Get in groups, talk to unionists, help by giving what you know, let corporate America know that real America is in charge.


Its time to make a stand.


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National Guard Vs. Wisconsin Unions: History Repeats Itself.

In Wisconsin there is a travesty currently taking place. The Governor, Scott Walker (R), asked the legislature to end the right of state and local workers to bargain for benefits and other non-salary compensation. The Governor will be effectively and brutally weakening unions if this bill passes. In the capitol city of Madison thousands of unionists have been demonstrating to show their hatred of this budget.

As reported on Democracy Now, unionists in some school districts in Wisconsin are informing teachers calling in sick that if their absence is connected to a labor movement they could face termination. But schools were closed in Madison on the 16th as 40% of the teachers called in sick anyway. Milwaukee Public Schools sent an e-mail to teachers warning them not to be absent without prior approval.

So as teachers, firemen, trade unionists and others gather to redress their grievances with this budget proposal, what does the Governor do? Gov. Walker put National Guard units on standby in order to possibly control trade unionists.

Gov. Scott Walker says the Wisconsin National Guard is prepared to respond wherever is necessary in the wake of his announcement that he wants to take away nearly all collective bargaining rights from state employees. --Associated Press

Since the 1930’s there has been a more or less non-violent negotiation mentality on pretty much all U.S. union negotiations, the history before that is bloody and hard fought. I had hoped that this was a long behind us, but I guess not. Soon I am going to do a history of National Guard Vs. Unions in America. I will link it here.


There are those who say that the unions carry to much power and even abuse it. New York City’s school system pays $65 million a year to hold suspended teachers in limbo. The strict rules of the agreement between the NYC Department of Education and the teachers union make it extremely hard to dismiss anyone.

Why do they do this? Many teachers are accused with fictitious and vicious libel, the nature of the offense is not considered until their suspension hearing, which is what they are waiting for in these so called “rubber rooms”. This is not an abuse of power by unions as it is often framed, but rather the failure of the NYC administrations (since the 1990’s) to manage their own disciplinary oversight.

So what will the teachers and other unions do in Wisconsin?

"I'm not intimidated by the National Guard, I know my fellow teachers aren't either." . -- Wis. Middleton-Cross Plains district teacher Mark Voss.

Fight on Wisconsin we are with you.


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War Is Over: 11 Abuses During The Iraq War (so far)

BASES IN IRAQ

This is by far a short list, there isnt enough space on the entire Internet to cover EVERYTHING so...this is a short list.

The fatalities and violence are down in Iraq. The funding is going to drop for the war in Iraq. Every other country has left it to America to fight “terrorists” and non-existent “WMD”. As the anniversary for the Iraq War (part 2) approaches(it began on 3/20/03). Here are some of the sickest monetary abuses and just general shocking information. This war, in fact both wars saw record levels of corporations taking advantage of a war to steal whatever they can. As we are broke both financially and morally is this enough to finally stop these wars?




11. Amongst the lost and unaccounted for in Iraq is $9 billion of U.S. taxpayers' money, in cash, and $549.7 million in spare parts shipped in 2004 to US contractors. Also, per ABC News, 190,000 guns, including 110,000 AK-47 rifles M.I.A.

10. There is $1 billion in tractor-trailers, tank recovery vehicles, machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades and other equipment and services provided to the Iraqi security forces missing, possibly used against U.S. troops. (Per CBS News on Dec 6, 2007.)

9. $1.4 billion is what the Pentagon classified as Halliburton overcharges on contracts.


8. $20 billion, $3.2 billion of which the pentagon called “questionable”, is the amount paid to KBR, a former Halliburton division, to supply U.S. military in Iraq with food, fuel, housing and other items -

7. Cost of deploying one U.S. soldier for one year in Iraq - $390,000 (Congressional Research Service)


6. Total 47,000 U.S. troops as of Nov 30, 2010. All other nations have withdrawn their troops. (yes if you do the math from #7 it cost $18,330,000,00 just to put the troops currently in Iraq there, not to count how many have been and gone and troops in Afghanistan.)

5. 54% of US casualties were under 25 years old, 91% non-officers, the working class and poor young men.

4. The number US troops wounded in Iraq is 32,033, this is roughly equal to injuring the entire capitol city of Delaware, which is Dover. About 20% of these injuries are serious brain or spinal injuries. (This total excludes psychological injuries, such as PTSD or rape.)

3. 30% of US troops develop serious mental health problems within 3 to 4 months of returning home.

2. There have been 145 journalists killed: 97 by murder and 47 by acts of war, including 14 by the United States.

1. According to cables leaked to WikiLeaks, the U.S. Government estimated over 100,000 Iraqi civilians have been killed since 2003, but credible institutions have put it as high as 600,000.


The costs of the war(s) are growing so fast I have to use constantly updating apps to keep up. The war is over, we won-lost, its time to bring the boys back home Mr. President. Why keep killing and dieing, “Mission Accomplished” remember? G.W. on the deck of the USS Lincoln…ok but anyways its over.

Oh and America...Where are you on this one? Tell the people in charge to bring the people you ❤♥ love ❤♥ home!


*Just in case you’re curius here is the Afghanistan War and the Combined total.

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Proposed SD law would legalize murder of abortion providers and even pregnant women

By Miriam | Published at feministing.com: February 15, 2011

This is the logic of anti-choice legislation taken to its extreme.

From Mother Jones:

A law under consideration in South Dakota would expand the definition of “justifiable homicide” to include killings that are intended to prevent harm to a fetus—a move that could make it legal to kill doctors who perform abortions. The Republican-backed legislation, House Bill 1171, has passed out of committee on a nine-to-three party-line vote, and is expected to face a floor vote in the state’s GOP-dominated House of Representatives soon.

It’s clear this bill likely has the goal of inciting violence–murder–of abortion providers. But I think this logic can actually be taken a step further, to include the murder of a pregnant woman herself.

Often one connection between anti-choice legislation that isn’t talked about is how it affects the rights of pregnant women who do want to parent. I’m talking about the rights of pregnant women to decide....(READ THE REST HERE)

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Bankrupt and Broken: Will Borders And Books Survive?

Borders is filing for bankruptcy any day now. The #2 bookstore operator in the US (after Barnes & Noble), Borders Group runs more than 500 Borders superstores in about 45 states and Puerto Rico, as well as about 175 small-format shops under the Waldenbooks, Borders Express, and Borders Outlet banners.

So what does this mean to your favorite (or second favorite) bookstore in your nearby mini-mall? Well, maybe nothing, maybe everything. In a press release dated 27 Jan. 2011, Borders announced they would receive some financing from GE Capital Restructuring Finance who will provide a $550 million infusion of funds. In the same release Borders acknowledged one of the goals is:

‘Borders' finalization of a store closure program comprising the identification of underperforming stores that will be closed as soon as practicable.”

The company employs approximately 19,500 people throughout the U.S., primarily in its Borders and Waldenbooks stores. It is headquartered in Ann Arbor Michigan, a state already hit hard by the recent global implosion, real estate bottom out, and slumping auto trade.

Another stated goal of Borders is to:

Aggressively reduce costs across the business, including costs in the supply chain network and store portfolio.

Since we all know the largest cost in a business is labor, labor is first to go.


The official line is that Borders failed to “keep up” with the e-book market, and I suppose they know their business better than I. But I also think this could be what my wife and many other bibliophiles fear…the beginning of the end of the conventional book.

Borders new plan is simply to be more like Amazon.com by:

Continuing to expand and enhance the Borders Rewards Plus program;
Strengthen the company's position as a purveyor of content by aggressively growing Borders.com and eBook market share;
Expand and enhance the company's overall retail mix, including non-book offerings, to improve profitability and offset the digital effect;
Make strategic investments in IT to improve the customer experience.

Either way you look at it everyone is moving to a Kindle or Nook and conventional books cannot sustain a very large company. Books are not the only products that Borders sells of course, but they do need it to stay in the black overall.

Here is a good HubPage on the subject of E-book v. Paper Books


And a decent blog about them.

With declining readership as a whole in America, and a faster and faster media world, it is likely this will be only the first bankruptcy we see in the publishing and conventional book and print media world. Many companies have diversified products and turned to the Internet for a cheaper and faster means to profits.

As the price of paper, oil, production, etc increase paper books will possibly be more expensive, both monetarily and environmentally to produce. The delivery method for e-books and periodicals, and the paper saved are pluses.

Some recommendations I would give to all producers of e-book readers is to start looking into alternative and sustainable methods of production. Plant resin plastic, environmental batteries, and maybe even things like solar cells are all things that could easily be implemented. And the Coltan and other minerals that are destructively mined must be eliminated. Until then I would consider e-readers are not very sustainable, and maybe even equally or more environmentally destructive than standard paper books.

As for now paper books either are or can be easily adapted to a sustainable production method. Hemp or bamboo paper, soy inks, and environmentally friendly printers and printing techniques are all steps in the right direction.
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The 15 Top Polluters In The State of Maine.

The 15 Top Polluters In The State of Maine.*

Here they are just released the baddest of bad guys when it comes to pollution. Although their totals are down…McCain Foods and their petrochemical Giant factory farms are at the top of the list.



1. MCCAIN FOODS USA INC. 319 RICHARDSON RD, EASTON, Maine 04740 (AROOSTOOK)1,980,426 lbs.


2.VERSO PAPER HOLDINGS LLC. ANDROSCOGGIN MILL RILEY RD, JAY, Maine 04239 (FRANKLIN) 1,835,372 lbs.


3.SD WARREN CO. 1329 WATERVILLE RD, SKOWHEGAN, Maine 04976 (SOMERSET) 1,539,735 lbs.


4.RUMFORD PAPER CO. 35 HARTFORD ST, RUMFORD, Maine 04276 (OXFORD) 810,587 lbs.


5.DOMTAR MAINE LLC. 144 MAIN ST, BAILEYVILLE, Maine 04694 (WASHINGTON) 701,135 lbs.


6.RED SHIELD ACQUISITION LLC. 24 PORTLAND ST, OLD TOWN, Maine 04468 (PENOBSCOT) 433,332 lbs.


7. LINCOLN PAPER & TISSUE LLC. 50 KATAHDIN AVE, LINCOLN, Maine 04457 (PENOBSCOT) 282,000 lbs.


8.S D WARREN CO. 89 CUMBERLAND ST, WESTBROOK, Maine 04098 (CUMBERLAND) 247,350 lbs.


9.KATAHDIN PAPER CO LLC. 50 MAIN ST, EAST MILLINOCKET, Maine 04430 (PENOBSCOT) 197,120 lbs.


10. VERSO PAPER BUCKSPORT MILL. RIVER RD, BUCKSPORT, Maine 04416 (HANCOCK) 109,491 lbs.


11.PRIME TANNING CO - HARTLAND. 9 MAIN ST, HARTLAND, Maine 04943 (SOMERSET) 89,347 lbs.


12.BATH IRON WORKS. 700 WASHINGTON ST, BATH, Maine 04530 (SAGADAHOC) 52,634 lbs.


13.PIONEER PLASTICS CORP. 1 PIONITE RD, AUBURN, Maine 04211 (ANDROSCOGGIN) 26,899 lbs.


14.GENERAL DYNAMICS ARMAMENT & TECHNICAL PRODUCTS. 291 NORTH ST, SACO, Maine 04072 (YORK) 24,379 lbs.


15.EVONIK CYRO LLC. 1796 MAIN ST, SANFORD, Maine 04073 (YORK) 13,446 lbs.


All Information is from the EPA’s TRI report.

*Ok I will admit it, I made a mistake, I had originally posted material that contained the wrong data set. I accidentally posted the old 2002 data I had instead of the newest 2009 data (which was released in Dec. 16, 2010). I was wrong, thank you to those who pointed it out to me! Here is the updated material.



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Musharraf, One Of Americas BFF's

A Pakistani court issued an arrest warrant for former president Pervez Musharraf in relation to the shooting of ex-prime minister Benazir Bhutto. Bhutto was killed after addressing an election campaign rally in the garrison city, near the capital Islamabad, on December 27, 2007.

Musharraf was president when Bhutto was killed in December 2007 and is a self made expatriate now living in London. His spokesman says he will not be going back to Pakistan for any court hearing.

The former president and military ruler is alleged to have been part of a "broad conspiracy" to have his opponent killed before elections.


Bhutto’s widower, Asif Ali Zardari, led her Pakistan People's Party to election victory in February 2008 and is now president.

Asked what would happen if Musharraf did not appear in court, the prosecutor said: "We will see when the time comes."


On the other hand if you are not loved by, or even worse if you are hated by America, your stay in London may not be so fun.

Embattled WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange is currently fighting extradition from London to Sweden, he has NOT been charged with a crime, he is only wanted for questioning on shaky sexual assault charges.

This proves that the only way to be a “terrorist” as both men have been called, and still be allowed a comfortable life, is if you’re America’s BFF like Mubarak or Musharraf.
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Top 5 Evil New Bills In The House of Representatives

Top 5 Evil New Bills In The House of Representatives

I had to leave out a lot of good choices and boil it down to these five really bad ones. Some others, like the “Repealing The Job-Killing Healthcare Act”, probably belong on here, but I left many bills off due to the fact they will not likely pass the House, they are less prone to clear the Senate, and almost surely would be vetoed by the President never to rise above an override vote.




5.H.R. 58 -- Firearms Interstate Commerce Reform Act

This piece of work is to “update” certain procedures applicable to commerce in firearms and remove certain Federal restrictions on interstate firearms transactions.




4.H. R. 45 -- Criminal Alien Accountability Act

This is to amend section 276 of the Immigration and Nationality Act to impose mandatory sentencing ranges with respect to aliens who have committed 3 misdemeanors or a felony while here illegally. This is spite of the fact that mandatory minimum sentences have long ago been proven counterproductive.

3.H.R.77 -- Border Security, Cooperation, and Act Now Drug War Prevention Act of 2011

Lots of immigration hate this term, so to continue that…This legislation is to appropriate $150,000,000 per year to increase border security, including new vehicles, body armor, weapons and ammo, night-vision equipment, helicopters, boats, a joint ATF/DEA/Border Patrol task force, radios, GPS, computers, and new vehicles. This bill will also provide for grants to sheriffs departments within 25 miles of the border. All of this while we are already broke.

2.H.R. 67 -- extends expiring provisions of the USA PATRIOT Improvement and Reauthorization Act of 2005 and Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 until February 29, 2012.

If you’re not familiar with the USA PATRIOT Act then you can read a good summary of the problems with it here.



1.H.R. 3 -- No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act

A main goal of H.R. 3 is to directly attack private health insurance plans by imposing a new tax on individuals who choose and pay for a plan that covers abortion services. Conservatives once again use the passive aggressive method to harass abortion, being that they are unable to attack it directly with success.





If you like these but want a more positive fix, try The Top 10 Good House Bills

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