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ALL LINKS OPEN A NEW WINDOW!!! Click on anything below and be INSTANTLY SMARTER! WAR ON WALL ST. The Rude Pundit completely debunks Stupid Things Being Said About President Obama's Tax Plan and Why They're Stupid Stupidity Let's get one thing straight about what President Obama said yesterday about raising revenue as part of a deficit reduction plan that he submitted to the joint committee from Congress that's going to tell us all how much dog food we have to eat in order to survive the economic apocalypse: He did not just say, "Rich people pay more." What he did say was that he will "veto any bill that changes benefits for those who rely on Medicare but does not raise serious revenues by asking the wealthiest Americans or biggest corporations to pay their fair share." You got that? You can change Medicare, he said, but the rich and the huge have to pay more, too. If that's class warfare, as the GOP is howling, or warfare of any kind, it's like saying that the United States began World War II by telling the Nazis, "Okay, you can have Europe. But America is off limits." Or it's like getting a divorce and agreeing to give up the house, but you get to keep the cat and one of your kidneys. In other words, it's the least he could do, but in our turd-filled litter box of political discourse, to propose what amounts to less than what Reagan asked of the wealthy and big corporations is progressive. (By the way, you don't get the litter box with the cat.) Indeed, if anything, the motherfuckin' tea leaves are aligning towards actual class warfare in this country, as poll after poll show that a large majority of Americans think, "Well, shit, yeah, rich people can pay more. So why the fuck don't they?" If we're not back in a recession yet, but 60% or more of people believe that the wealthy should pay as much as they were paying in 2000. If Congress cuts Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security without making millionaires pay more, then they may as well get the stormtroopers ready for the actual unemployed and starving class warriors to kick some ass. Rich people like Warren Buffet and Bill Clinton understand this. Rich assholes like the dicksack from Congress who said that he's only got a few hundred thousand dollars left to feed his family think they can convince the teabag yahoos to take to the front lines for them. But none of this pierces the veil of stupid and greedy that modern conservatives live under. For example... Rude Pundit has more, MUCH more, ruder than that and distills the current situation like nobody else. Richard Wolff @ guardian.co.uk has The truth about 'class war' in America Republicans claim, in Orwellian fashion, that Obama's millionaire tax is 'class war'. The reality is that the super-rich won the war Republicans and conservatives always fight back against proposals to raise taxes on corporations and rich individuals by making two basic claims. First, such proposals amount to un-American "class warfare", pitting the working class against corporations and the rich. Second, such proposals would take money for the government that would otherwise have been invested in production and thus created jobs. Neither logic nor evidence supports either claim. The charge of class war is particularly obtuse. Consider simply these two facts. First, at the end of the second world war, for every dollar Washington raised in taxes on individuals, it raised $1.50 in taxes on business profits. Today, that ratio is very different: for every dollar Washington gets in taxes on individuals, it takes 25 cents in taxes on business. In short, the last half century has seen a massive shift of the burden of federal taxation off business and onto individuals. Second, across those 50 years, the actual shift that occurred was the opposite of the much more modest reversal proposed this week by President Obama; over the same period, the federal income tax rate on the richest individuals fell from 91% to the current 35%. Yet, Republicans and conservatives use the term "class war" for what Obama proposes – and never for what the last five decades have accomplished in shifting the tax burden from the rich and corporations to the working class. ... The final irony of loose talk about class war is this: the Republican and conservative voices opposing all tax increases for corporations and the rich thereby provoke, as Buffett intimated and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg more explicitly warned last week, a renewal of class consciousness in the US. Then, Washington might learn what class war really is. Ever wonder who will be voting on the so-called "Buffet Rule"? Here's a hint. Remember back in 2008 when JOHN "Crazy Train" MCCAIN couldn't remember where all his houses were? We let NPR's Andrea Seabrook ask and answer Who's Weighing Tax On Rich? Congress' Millionaires (via Minnesota Public Radio) The number of Americans who are millionaires is pretty low — about 1 percent of the population. (Yo Andrea! You left out a VERY IMPORTANT STATISTIC explained by Joe Stiglitz in Vanity Fair back in May Of the 1%, by the 1%, for the 1% "The upper 1 percent of Americans are now taking in nearly a quarter of the nation’s income every year. In terms of wealth rather than income, the top 1 percent control 40 percent." -Ed.) Members of Congress who are millionaires? Nearly 50 percent. That's according to the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonpartisan watchdog group that tracks money in politics. Of the 435 members of the House, "244 current members of Congress are millionaires — that's about 46 percent and that includes 138 Republicans and 106 Democrats," says Center for Responsive Politics spokesman Michael Beckel. Beckel is talking about net worth, the total amount of money and assets lawmakers have, according to their own financial disclosure forms. In fact, there are probably many more millionaires in Congress, since lawmakers don't have to include the value of their family home and other details. Beckel says this wealth already makes life pretty different for lawmakers than it is for the constituents they represent. A member of Congress is more likely to be hit by the tax hike they're considering. Now the Buffett rule is not aimed at millionaires per se — but at people who earn an income of at least $1 million a year. Some in Congress come under this category too. But people much more likely to get hit by the Buffett rule? The donors. "We don't know how many political donors are millionaires, but we do know that it takes a certain amount of disposable income to make contributions," Beckel says. ... Roger Pilon of the libertarian think tank the Cato Institute says just the opposite. "They're not going to be affected or corrupted by any single small contribution," Pilon said. "In fact, the more money there is, the less potential there is for such corruption." Hoo wee what a whopper! We want some of what Pilon is smoking! Say don't the Kook Bros "earn" more than a $million/yr? And don't they fund "think tanks" like Cato and ALEC too? MICHAEL HUDSON updates on another aspect of the robosigning mortgage fraud that nearly brought down the whole shebang this time focusing on Countrywide BEFORE BofA bought them iWatch News investigative series reveals legacy of corruption that still plagues Bank of America In the summer of 2007, a team of corporate investigators sifted through mounds of paper pulled from shred bins at Countrywide Financial Corp. mortgage shops in and around Boston. By intercepting the documents before they were sliced by the shredder, the investigators were able to uncover what they believed was evidence that branch employees had used scissors, tape and Wite-Out to create fake bank statements, inflated property appraisals and other phony paperwork. Inside the heaps of paper, for example, they found mock-ups that indicated to investigators that workers had, as a matter of routine, literally cut and pasted the address for one home onto an appraisal for a completely different piece of property. Eileen Foster, the company’s new fraud investigations chief, had seen a lot of slippery behavior in her two-plus decades in the banking business. But she’d never seen anything like this. “You’re looking at it and you’re going, Oh my God, how did it get to this point?” Foster recalls. “How do you get people to go to work every day and do these things and think it’s okay?” .... We know! LET'S ASK THE S.E.C.! Remember MATT TAIBBI's SHREDDED JUSTICE: Is the SEC Covering Up Wall Street Crimes? Clearly this is EVIDENCE of the same fraud culture at work. Now it looks like The Slime Team is out for NY AG Schneiderman Are Private Investigators Being Used to Intimidate New York Attorney General Schneiderman’s Staff? YVES The New York Post has a salacious story about Alisha Smith, a lawyer with the New York attorney general’s office, who is a dominatrix in her private life. Frankly, many of the skills honed by being a domme probably come in handy in litigation (such as knowing exactly how much pain and humiliation to administer when). The problem isn’t with her having a kinky private life per se; it is the allegation by the Post that she may have gotten paid for performing at S&M parties...After l’affaire Spitzer, readers in comments have repeatedly noted that Schneiderman had better be squeaky clean since he would be targeted by private investigators, as Spitzer clearly was. This Post “story” looks to have been the result of private investigators going after Schneiderman’s staff, with the intent of intimidating them and embarrassing and discrediting him. This report is even less specific than the one the Post filed on the maid who accused Dominique Strauss-Kahn of rape and clearly came from private investigators in the employ of DSK. .... It’s hard to see how Schneiderman can protect his staff from this sort of search for dirt. And if Smith is vindicated, she can’t sue the Post and continue in her day job (the time demands and the exposure both argue against it). So if the claim that she is taking money proves to be scurrilous, the Post and its sources are unlikely to suffer for releasing this hit job. ZEROHEDGE has a Guest Post: Why The Fed's "Silver Bullet" Won't Kill The Beast by Lance Roberts of StreetTalkLive.com Yesterday Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke pulled out the last bullet in his arsenal reaching back almost 50 years in a hope that just maybe this "silver bullet" will kill the vampiric drain of excess debt on the economy. Unfortunately, silver bullets don't kill vampires. There is more to this analogy than just the approaching Halloween season. Our problem isn't low interest rates - it is excess debt which literally drains the demand for more credit. The recent release of the NFIB Small Business Survey showed this as businesses stated that acces to credit is not an issue. "Poor sales" are their number one concern and the lack of demand on their businesses do not warrant adding on more leverage. The number of businesses currently thinking this is a "good time to expand" is at some of the lowest levels on record. Likewise, consumers, are trying to pay down debt as worries about job security, rising food and energy costs and stagnant wages reduce their desire to consume and make debt reduction a priority. The excess debt that has been accumulated over the last 30 years as interest rates were in a steady decline, lending standards were reduced and massive pools of available credit were supplied has now begun the inevitable unwinding process. Ben wrongfully believes that by lowering interest rates on longer dated maturities it will cut long-term interest rates boosting investment in both housing and business. The reality is that interest rates are already at levels twice as low as they were the last time "Operation Twist" was implemented and if the lowest rates in 50 years aren't spurring a demand for credit in the economy - it is doubtful that a further decline will do the trick. ... In reality, while the Fed still clings to failed Keynesian policies and the White House to failed "spend our way to prosperity" measures - the average American is slowly being sucked dry by declining wages and rising inflation. Those same policies combined with regulatory reform acts that are yet to be written, threats of higher taxes, poor sales and political turmoil have pushed businesses and entrepreneurs into defensive positions. Unfortunately, those entities and individuals also happen to be the only ones that actually have the ability to create jobs - not the government. And commenter LetThemEatRand counters, "No mention in this article about one of the critical reasons consumer and public debt rose so far so fast, e.g., the gutting of the Middle Class by off-shoring and the replacement of real income with debt spending to sustain a (false) living standard. The author calls for fewer regulations on business as a solution? It is the lack of any meaningful regulation including a trade policy that doesn't favor off-shoring that allows giant companies to make ever increasing profit margins and pay ever larger CEO bonuses by hiring slave labor in China and elsewhere while Western economies implode. Welcome to serfdom. "Hey serfs. The King needs fewer rules and we need you to contribue more and the King less. You good with that? I thought so."" Well said! AutomaticEarth's Ilargi explains Bernanke's Reckless Abandon What makes this so remarkable is that it should be clear to anyone with a pulse and some control of any of their senses left, that Bernanke's upcoming speech is completely inconsequential for more than a very short and fleeting moment in time. The Fed can't save our economies or banks from the upcoming recession slash depression anymore than it can send a rocketship to Andromeda. The Federal Reserve is impotent when it comes to saving the economy, even if it tries with all its might not to show it. It flaunts its fictional capacity and ability to come up with new and creative well-calculated measures to influence everything from A to Z like once upon a time the emperor flaunted his new clothes. And no matter how badly any and all of its previous measures have failed, the vast majority among us still praises the subtly elegant materials and their dream-provoking shine. We don't want reality, we want to believe. .... Well, neither QE1, nor for that matter any other of the Fed's measures of the past few years, have done anything at all to stop housing prices from plunging, to make sure people get hired again, or to make our children's futures look less bleak. And it has failed to accomplish all of this while spending on and lending to the global financial system some $10-$20 trillion in American "wealth", public funds. It’s simply not true that with different policy decisions, the day could be saved. The choices lie elsewhere: are we going to use the people's money to "save the financial system", or will we use it to alleviate the misery of the people themselves? To date, the choice Washington, Brussels et al have opted for is abundantly clear: not one choice has been made based on what is best for the people. Instead, the people are told that it’s in their best interest if their money is used to prop up failed and bankrupt institutions. And so far, the people buy this baloney. Everyone wants to believe that it's possible to be saved from hardship. Even if they are thrown step by step into hardship while being "rescued". It’s time we all understand that the interests of the financial world are diagonally opposed to our own interests. This might not have been true if a rescue were possible, but it's not. It’s not even either/or: the financial system is profoundly broke, and governments and central banks cannot fork over enough leveraged credit to make it sound again. The world of finance will have to fess up to its losses, it must default and be restructured, many of its components must disappear never to be heard from again. And the last thing that should happen is for more public funds to be thrown down the banking drain. Alas, the last thing that should happen is the only thing that does. ... Right now, the only time when one of the leading political and/or regulatory bodies in the world volunteers to give you a glimpse of reality, it's to extort ever and even more of your money. The IMF came out with a dire report this week, but only so it can argue for more stimulus (which simply means more money being transferred from the public to the private sector). The IMF represents the financial sector; it does unequivocally not represent you, no matter what claims it may make to the contrary. It's nonsense to claim that what benefits the financial sector would automatically benefit you as well. The opposite is true. To understand and process that fact, however, you will first need to figure out that the entire financial sector is indeed bankrupt. It doesn't seem to be, perhaps, at first glance, but it's not all that hard to see it for what it is. Go read the rest NOW! Here's a surprise nobody saw coming TBTF banks downgraded by Moody’s by Bankrate.com's Claes Bell From Shannon Bond at the Financial Times: Moody's downgraded the credit ratings of Bank of America, Citigroup and Wells Fargo, three of the biggest US banks, over concerns that the US government would be less likely to rescue the lenders if they faced failure.... This may sound like a bad thing, and it is, at least for investors, bondholders and depositors in excess of FDIC limits at those institutions. But it's actually a good thing from the standpoint of U.S. taxpayers. And the BBC reports French bank ratings downgraded by Moody's Credit rating agency Moody's has downgraded two French banks after reviewing their exposure to Greek debt. Credit Agricole was cut from Aa1 to Aa2 and Societe Generale from Aa2 to Aa3. A third bank, BNP Paribas, was kept on review for a possible downgrade. Quips Kai Ryssdal on Wednesday's APM Marketplace, "So here’s the question: If everybody’s downgraded — the government, big banks — is anybody downgraded? Think about that for a second." Hmmmmm. Good week for Moody's, eh? Remember last July BTV noted per the Guardian UK's Ian Traynor Greece set to default on massive debt burden, European leaders concede Viviane Reding, the EU justice commissioner, said: "Europe can't allow three private US enterprises to destroy the euro." Either their "cartel" was smashed or "independent" European and Asian ratings agencies would be set up. "We can't have a situation where a cartel of three US enterprises decides the fates of entire national economies and their citizens," she said. How's THAT workin' out for ya, Viviane? We go to Trader Mark at IBTimes.com for Roubini: It's Time for Greece to Leave the EU With its creditors demanding ever more draconian cuts in spending and growth a distant memory, Nouriel Roubini is calling on Greece to default and exit the euro. "The recent debt exchange deal Europe offered Greece was a rip-off," said Roubini in a commentary in Tuesday's Financial Times. "If you take into account the large sweeteners the plan gave to creditors, the true debt relief is close to zero." The major problem, in Roubini's view, is a lack of growth and competitiveness, which can only be overcome by currency depreciation. "A return to a national currency and a sharp depreciation would quickly restore growth and competitiveness, as it did in Argentina and many other emerging markets that abandoned their currency pegs," he said. Analysts at UBS recently estimated the cost of leaving the euro for a peripheral member of the euro zone such as Greece could cost between 40 percent to 50 percent of gross domestic product in the first year alone, but Roubini believes the situation could be managed—albeit with some heavy losses for euro zone banks. (well there is the rub Mr. Roubini - remember, banks are people too. Oh wait, that is just in the U.S.) "Overnight, the foreign liabilities of Greece's government, banks, and companies would surge," said Roubini. "Yet these problems can be overcome. Argentina did so in 2001, when it converted its dollar debts into pesos. The U.S. did something similar in 1933, when it depreciated the dollar and repealed the gold clause." You can read all of Roubini's comments at the Financial Times link (free signup to enter). We now turn our attention to Wall Street as the Arab Spring may be turning into the AMERICAN AUTUMN. First go to AdBusters.org for the genesis of this action. Then go to their homepage OccupyWallSt.org for up-to-date info. And you may catch some LIVE STREAMING at livestream.com. Plus our intrepid jen sez "Lots of links in lambert's post here. Click over to access." Occupy Wall Street Thursday which is excellent. So this is really funny. Unbelievably CLE OH's own NewsNet5 decides they're gonna send one of their Anchor Babes to see what's up with this in NYC. Watch this vid: 'Occupy Wall Street' protest website mentions Cleveland A puzzled Ellen McGregor reports "Participants say they will stay until the "one demand" is met. But it's not clear what that one demand is." Typical lazy "journalism" by the CorporoMedia. OccupyWallSt responds:A Message From Occupied Wall Street (Day Five) This is the fifth communiqué from the 99 percent. We are occupying Wall Street.
- On September 21st, 2011, Troy Davis, an innocent man, was murdered by the state of Georgia. Troy Davis was one of the 99 percent. Ending capital punishment is our one demand.
- On September 21st, 2011, the richest 400 Americans owned more wealth than half of the country's population. Ending wealth inequality is our one demand.
- On September 21st, 2011, four of our members were arrested on baseless charges. Ending police intimidation is our one demand.
- On September 21st, 2011, we determined that Yahoo lied about occupywallst.org being in spam filters. Ending corporate censorship is our one demand.
- On September 21st, 2011, roughly eighty percent of Americans thought the country was on the wrong track. Ending the modern gilded age is our one demand.
- On September 21st, 2011, roughly 15% of Americans approved of the job Congress was doing. Ending political corruption is our one demand.
- On September 21st, 2011, roughly one sixth of Americans did not have work. Ending joblessness is our one demand.
- On September 21st, 2011, roughly one sixth of America lived in poverty. Ending poverty is our one demand.
- On September 21st, 2011, roughly fifty million Americans were without health insurance. Ending health-profiteering is our one demand.
- On September 21st, 2011, America had military bases in around one hundred and thirty out of one hundred and sixty-five countries. Ending American imperialism is our one demand.
- On September 21st, 2011, America was at war with the world. Ending war is our one demand.
On September 21st, 2011, we stood in solidarity with Madrid, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Madison, Toronto, London, Athens, Sydney, Stuttgart, Tokyo, Milan, Amsterdam, Algiers, Tel Aviv, Portland and Chicago. Soon we will stand with Phoenix, Montreal, Cleveland and Atlanta. We're still here. We are growing. We intend to stay until we see movements toward real change in our country and the world. You have fought all the wars. You have worked for all the bosses. You have wandered over all the countries. Have you harvested the fruits of your labors, the price of your victories? Does the past comfort you? Does the present smile on you? Does the future promise you anything? Have you found a piece of land where you can live like a human being and die like a human being? On these questions, on this argument, and on this theme, the struggle for existence, the people will speak. Join us.We speak as one. All of our decisions, from our choice to march on Wall Street to our decision to continue occupying Liberty Square, were decided through a consensus based process by the group, for the group. Note: Our use of the one demand is a rhetorical device. This is not an official list of demands. Click Here to learn more about how you can participate in the democratic process of choosing the "one demand".
BTV TWEET OF THE WEEK:
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David0Monroe David Monroe by Asher_Wolf
"Only in USA can you be Pro-Death Penalty, Pro-War, Pro-Unmanned Drones, Pro-Torture, & claim moral superiority calling yourself 'Pro-Life.' "
- "What is the Exit Strategy?" this guy asks me. Exit Strategy. It's a new term, isn't it? I don't remember hearing about it ten, fifteen years ago. They're not referring to war, you know: illegal occupations, police actions or any other mindless pointless excursions into foreign lands. That's a different rant. We're talking about business. We had met with a businessman. We were seeking investment in our company because we can change the world very, very slowly like we are doing now, which is fine. Or we can bring back massive amounts of fun, timeless substance and life-changing quality entertainment much quicker with a little assistance. Well perhaps we'll stumble into a true patron who understands what we're doing and seizes the opportunity. But until then we must tolerate the occasional meeting with every sci-fi writer's worst nightmare: The Contemporary Businessman.
Yes I'm talking about the pillars of our community: The investment bankers, hedge fund wizards, the Wall Street geniuses, the venture capital gang. Our leaders! The guys who control our destinies on a daily basis. The men that get rid of the pesky content guys and annoying marketing people and replaced them all with accountants. And they all want to know, "What's the Exit Strategy?" These are the visionaries who can see into the future, all the way to the next fiscal quarter. What a vast array of talent they must have to inspire us, to motivate us, to help us realize our potential, to have created this world we now live in where everyone is so happy, filled with joy and satisfaction, knowing we spend every day doing something worthwhile, leaving a solid, safe, secure, blissful existence for generations to come.
So what's an Exit Strategy exactly? It's the only reason for existence. That's all it is. It's investing in a company or buying one or merging a couple of them, cutting costs wherever possible which will cause the cheerleader vampires on Wall Street to move the stock price up creating the illusion of profit and then you sell it and move on. Exodus baby! And you know what? Let's leave behind a wing on a hospital or something like that because that's the least we can do in memory of the hundreds of thousands of workers we fired.
Now is as good a time as any I suppose to list those talents of the men controlling the world right now. Let's see. Cutting costs, that's one. Um, cutting costs. Cutting costs. Firing people. Cutting costs. Paying people less, that's a good one. And oh yeah cutting costs. What do you mean cutting costs isn't a talent? Ah you're on to it, eh? In actuality it's a sickness. It's a disease. You wanna know the dirty little secret of the business world? These guys have no talent. They don't make anything anymore. They don't develop anything. They have no sense of quality or timelessness or long-term good for the culture or pride of work because they don't work for a living. They run from one deal to the next leaving behind destroyed families, shoddier and shoddier products, and depleted pension funds. And their time deficit disorder and quality deficit disorder is affecting all of us every day. What are they running to?
Here's a little news for you guys: You can run but you can't hide. There's a revolution coming and it won't be led by rag-tag demonstrators in the streets. It will be led by guys like Warren Buffet, quality guys who think nothing but long-term. Guys that sit right next to you at those con-fab retreats but deep down really don't like you. Meanwhile you're screwing up our country, our world, our environment, our daily life and the futures of our kids. And ya know what? There ain't no exit strategy from the truth of that.
BRICK TEEVEE ALERTS!©
»»» Web Exclusive! Author Ron Suskind Author Ron Suskind on Obama’s Evolution amidst Unprecedented Economic and International Challenges
»»» Web Exclusive! Professor Noam Chomsky Pt. 2: Noam Chomsky on Libya, Israel & GOP Presidential Candidates’ "Utterly Outlandish" Positions SNIP NOAM CHOMSKY: Well, I must say that politics in this country now is in a state that I think has no analogue in American history and maybe nowhere in any parliamentary system. It’s astonishing. I mean, I’m not a great enthusiast for Obama, as you know, from way back, but at least he’s somewhere in the real world. Perry, who’s very likely—very likely to get the—to win the primary and win the nomination, and maybe to win the election, he’s often in outer space. I mean, his views are unbelievable. Bachmann is the same. Romney is kind of more or less toward the center. These are—the positions that they are taking are utterly outlandish.
»»» OCCUPY WALL ST @ Democracy NOW! WATCH NOW "Occupy Wall Street": Thousands March in NYC Financial District, Set Up Protest Encampment We play a video report on the protest by Democracy Now!'s Sam Alcoff and get a live update from the streets from Nathan Schneider, editor of the blog "Waging Nonviolence." Sept 19, 2012
»»» Reverand Jesse Jackson @ Democracy NOW! WATCH NOW Rev. Jesse Jackson on Taxing the Rich, Occupy Wall Street Protest and Palestinian Statehood Sept 20, 2012
»»» Speaking out against "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" @ Democracy NOW! WATCH NOW "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" Ban on Gay and Lesbians in the U.S. Military is Lifted Sept 20, 2011
»»» Atossa Soltani, executive director of Amazon Watch @ Democracy NOW! WATCH NOW Court Ruling Backs Ecuadorian Effort to Hold Chevron Accountable for Amazon Pollution Sept 20, 2011
»»» TROY DAVIS coverage on Wednesday, September 21, 2011 @ Democracy NOW! WATCH the whole show NOW Democracy NOW Wednesday RELATED Democracy Now! Special Report from Troy Davis Execution: Did Georgia Kill an Innocent Man? Sept 22, 2011
»»» Shon Meckfessel, friend of released hikers WATCH NOW Freed in Iran: U.S. Hikers Urge Freedom for All Political Prisoners Sept 22, 2011
»»» Ali Abunimah, co-founder of the website The Electronic Intifada and Mouin Rabbani of the Institute for Palestine Studies @ Democracy NOW! WATCH NOW Debate: Does U.N. Statehood Bid Advance or Undermine Palestinian Struggle? Sept 23, 2011
»»» GRITtv @ www.grittv.org with Laura Flanders
»»» NEW SHOW Global Green USA Launches Global Warming “I AM” Campaign Green USA has launched the I AM Campaign to raise awareness about the serious threats Americans face from rising sea levels, and challenge citizens to take action in their communities. Joined by actors, athletes and musicians including: Mark Ruffalo, Adrian Grenier, Orlando Bloom, Serena Williams, James Cameron, Billy Morrison, Mark McGrath, Kevin Bacon, and Kyra Sedgwick among others, I AM highlights coastal cities in the U.S. and the world from New Orleans to New York City, from Tokyo to Jakarta, from San Francisco to Boston; that are in danger due to sea level rise.
BRICK TEEVEE SPORT!©
»»» NASCAR on ESPN The Chase moves to Loudon New Hampshire Motor Speedway! Coverage begins at 2 pm et
»»» MLB on TBS AL East Showdown! First game of a doulbeheader as Red Sox Nation holds their breath! Red Sox @ Yankees! 1 pm et PROGRAMMING NOTE: TBS will televise ALL of the First Round of the MLB Playoffs! Get yer hot dogs and cracker jacks ready!
»»» Football Night in America on NBC Steelers at Colts! Coverage begins at 7 pm et
BRICK TEEVEE ACTION!©
CONSUMER WATCHDOGI WANT TO HELP COUNT ME IN! I want to help with a California ballot measure that will rollback health insurance rates by 20% and create a public option alternative to private insurance companies. Please keep me informed and let me know what I can do. SIGN UP NOWI WANT TO HELP Entire San Francisco Chronicle Front Page story from Thu Aug 25, 2001 at link!
October2011.org October 2011 is the 10th anniversary of the invasion of Afghanistan and the beginning of the 2012 federal austerity budget. It is time to light the spark that sets off a true democratic, nonviolent transition to a world in which people are freed to create just and sustainable solutions. Take this pledge at October2011.org
- "I pledge that if any U.S. troops, contractors, or mercenaries remain in Afghanistan on Thursday, October 6, 2011, as that occupation goes into its 11th year, I will commit to being in Freedom Plaza in Washington, D.C., with others on that day or the days immediately following, for as long as I can, with the intention of making it our Tahrir Square, Cairo, our Madison, Wisconsin, where we will NONVIOLENTLY resist the corporate machine by occupying Freedom Plaza to demand that America's resources be invested in human needs and environmental protection instead of war and exploitation. We can do this together. We will be the beginning."
CHANGE.ORG The First Cause: A Plan to Claim Food As Food We're losing the right to manage our own health. Even the right to choose our food is being stolen. We can stop it, but only by ending the basis on which it's being done—not by addressing each action. A new website has been set up to allow people to post responses from politicians, along with their own articles: Free Choice - Health Defining food as food is not the only issue that must be tackled, but it's a key one. As it gets rolling, we'll start others. We are literally in a battle for our lives!
If you're in Europe, click HERE to sign the petition.
If you're in the United States, click HERE to sign the petition. Do it NOW!
UPDATE! Watch this interview with constitutional law attorney Jonathan Emord on ProjectCamelotLive JONATHAN EMORD INTERVIEW
CAMPAIGN FOR AMERICA'S FUTURE American Majority Rejects Washington Austerity Consensus – And We Demand Media Coverage by Roger Hickey, President, Campaign for America's Future: No more silent majority. The Campaign for America’s Future is joining with the Center for Economic and Policy Research (whose Co-Director, Dean Baker blogs regularly about economic bias in the media) and with FAIR (Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting) to monitor the media’s coverage and representation of the American Majority views as they go into covering the big deficit fight. But we want to enlist YOU too. Send us accounts of unbalanced coverage in the national media and in your local newspapers and television. Call up reporters, editors, assignment people and tell them when they are under-representing the views of the American Majority. We should have at least half the experts, pundits, quotes and real people represented in their coverage. In a debate as important as the one we are going into, we can’t allow the media to ignore the American Majority. Much more at www.ourfuture.org
MOVE TO AMEND! www.movetoamend.org SIGN HERE NOW! Also visit Rep Alan Grayson's site www.savedemocracy.net And Alan Grayson is running again in FL-8! Help out at CongressmanWithGuts.com
SUPPORT THE TROOPS WHO REFUSE TO FIGHT See CourageToResist.org UPDATE! Manning-Lamo Chat Logs Revealed at wired.com plus The Deeply Personal Details in New Bradley Manning Chat Logs and Bradley Manning Support Network Much more at link.
UPDATE! See Peter B Collins PBC Podcast 294 Afghan Update–Rabbani Assassination, US Night Raids Expand; Bradley Manning Update; Gary Chew Reviews ‘Moneyball’s
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The essential guide for watching government propaganda
IRAQ: 4,475 US Military Dead as of Sept 23, 2011
AFGHANISTAN: 1,782 US Military Dead as of Sept 23, 2011
The Obameter: Tracking Obama's Campaign Promises
Considering Democracy: 8 Things to ask your Representative
- This Week (ABC) with Christiane Amanpour
• Fact Checking ABC's "This Week" at NPR "On the Media" - Jake Tapper, interim host of ABC's "This Week," liked the idea of fact-checking his guests' comments, so he set up a partnership with Politifact, a non-partisan fact-checking organization. See Politifact Statements ABC News 'This Week'
• White House Senior Advisor David Plouffe
• Top Palestinian activist Hanan Ashrawi
• British Prime Minister David Cameron
• ROUNDTABLE: George Will, former Obama economic adviser and University of Chicago professor Austan Goolsbee, top investment manager PIMCO CEO Mohamed El-Erian, and Chrystia Freeland of Thompson Reuters
• ROUNDTABLE II: Republican strategist Mary Matalin, Democratic strategist Donna Brazile and ABC News Political Director Amy Walter, George Will - Face The Nation (CBS) Host Bob Schiefer
• Debbie Wasserman Schultz of the Democratic National Committee
• Reince Priebus of the Republican National Committee
• ROUNDTABLE: CBS News chief White House correspondent Norah O'Donnell, CBS News political analyst John Dickerson and Mark Zandi, the chief Economist of Moody's Analytics. - 60 Minutes (CBS)
• The counter terrorism bureau - Scott Pelley brings viewers on a personal tour conducted by Police Commissioner Ray Kelly of what may be the world's most sophisticated terror defense forces - the New York City Police Department's counter terrorism unit. Robert Anderson, Pat Milton and Nicole Young are the producers.
• The murder of an American Nazi - Lesley Stahl reports on the murder of a neo-Nazi leader and captures a growing subculture of hate playing out in America's backyards and alongside the border - where neo-Nazis patrol in order to keep illegal immigrants out. Shachar Bar-On is the producer.
• Parker and Stone - Steve Kroft talks to Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the creators of Comedy Central's "South Park" and gets to watch the process that each week produces another scathing and hilarious episode for the biggest hit on basic cable television. Now the disrespectful duo also have the biggest hit on Broadway, the musical comedy "The Book Of Mormon." Graham Messick is the producer. - Meet the Press (NBC) Host David Gregory
• Meet the Facts at NPR "On the Media" - Last December, NYU professor Jay Rosen proposed something simple yet revolutionary: why don't the Sunday morning chat shows fact check their guests? After "Meet the Press" host David Gregory declined, two college students launched a website to do it for him. One of them, Chas Danner, explains what they're trying to accomplish. See their website MeetTheFacts.com updating soon!
• Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
• New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg
• ROUNDTABLE: Former Secretary of Education, William Bennett; former Secretary of Health and Human Services and current president of the University of Miami, Donna Shalala; PBS’s Tavis Smiley; and the CEO of the Special Olympics, Tim Shriver. - State of the Union With Candy Crowley (CNN)
At 9 AM ET, Candy talks to the power players: politicians, business leaders and international newsmakers who will make Monday morning's headlines. At NOON ET, Candy wraps it all up with fresh interviews and the best of the earlier hours.
• Democratic Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia
• Republican Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee
• Indiana’s Republican Governor Mitch Daniels
• ROUNDTABLE: USA Today’s Washington bureau chief Susan Page and TIME Magazine’s deputy bureau chief, Michael Crowley - HEAD ON RADIO with Bob Kincaid
Headon Radio with Bob Kincaid 6 PM Eastern, 3 PM Pacific, 2300 GMT. Duration: 3 hrs. To be part of the conversation on Head-on Radio, call toll-free (877) 443-2366, or use our Liberal community line at 304-658-3333. Email: bob [at] headonradio [dot] com.
• PRAYER MEETIN' WEDNESDAY!!!!! Uber-pope Bob knows! Last one for awhile as Bob takes care of his own activism and leads by example! Listen HERE (mp3)!
Amen to the White Rose Society! Donate to Head On HERE! - YOUR GREEN NEWS REPORT
The Green News Report with Brad Friedman & Desi Doyen: 6 minutes of green news, politics, analysis & snarky comment!
Go see greennews.bradblog.com!
• 'Green News Report' - September 22, 2011 IN TODAY'S RADIO REPORT: Superbugs are on the rise! And Monsanto is helping!; Extreme drought and climate change affecting power plants in the US!; PLUS: It's 'Dirty Air Week' in the U.S. House, the scariest place of all!!! ... All that and more in today's Green News Report!
IN 'GREEN NEWS EXTRA' (see link): Former Solyndra employees allege mismanagement; Solyndra executives will plead 5th in hearings; US will implement international standards for oil market transparency; BP Oil not degrading on Gulf floor; CERN Study: Are cosmic rays causing global warming? [No.]; $44m settlement in SF Bay oil spill; Interior Dept. confronts growing costs of wild horse control; World Bank: Ditch fossil fuel subsidies to fight climate change; Monsanto wins lawsuit against soybean farmer; Toxic BPA turning up in children's soup cans; Typhoon Roke spares Fukushima nuclear plant; Russia extends life of aging reactors; Rick Perry's dirty deals with Big Coal; TX, KS sue EPA over air pollution rule ... PLUS: Foreign land grabs in Africa threaten greater poverty ... Visit BradBlog.com to see who counts yer votes! Reference yer background/research at Who's Counting? too. - The Peter B. Collins Show PODCAST!
Listen at PeterBCollins.com!
The Peter B. Collins Show covers American news and politics from the Left Coast. Veteran talk radio personality Peter B. Collins, based in San Francisco, delivers fresh interviews, commentary and analysis on a range of important topics, with views and voices you don’t often find in the corporate media.
• PBC Live! Weekly on KGO PBC Live! Weekly on KGO Your humble host has been remiss in keeping you apprised of his other media activities. Since February, I’ve been hosting a regular weekly show on KGO, the leading San Francisco talk station with a huge coverage area–at night, you can hear it anywhere on the West Coast. TFN (till further notice), you can hear me every Friday night–or, more precisely, Saturday morning, from 1-5 am (PDT) on 810-AM or streaming at www.kgoradio.com. If you’d like to be alerted each week, sign up on Facebook as a fan of “Peter B. Collins Show” or you can follow me on Twitter, @pbcsf
• PBC Podcast 293 Boiling Frogs: Paul Thompson, Part 3: History of ‘al Qaeda’ Before 9/11 Paul Thompson returns as our guest in this Boiling Frogs interview, co-hosted with Sibel Edmonds. This is Part 3 of our three-part one-of-a-kind interview series with author and researcher Paul Thompson.
• PBC Podcast 294 Afghan Update–Rabbani Assassination, US Night Raids Expand; Bradley Manning Update; Gary Chew Reviews ‘Moneyball’ Journalist/historian Gareth Porter returns, with commentary on the killing of Rabbani and the expansion of night raids on civilians; Jeff Paterson of Courage to Resist gives us the latest on Pfc. Bradley Manning’s detention and upcoming court martial; film reviewer Gary Chew on Moneyball. - Ring of Fire Radio
Find us at http://ringoffireradio.com and http://goleft.tv/ hosted by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Mike Papantonio and Sam Seder
Ring of Fire Radio - GoLeft TV - Robert F. Kennedy, Mike Papantonio, Sam Seder - Politics, Commentary, and News.
This Week on Ring of Fire! September 16, 2011.
• This week on Ring of Fire: Bobby will tell us why the Troy Davis execution this week was so haunting to him, and we’ll learn about the events from Bobby’s past that have shaped his views on capital punishment.
• Democratic strategist and syndicated columnist Karl Frisch will join us to talk about the GOP’s class genocide
• And we’ll talk with Robert Segal, one of the leaders of the Occupy Wall Street demonstrations that have been taking place this week.
• Join our blog at www.ringoffireradio.com. You can now SUBSCRIBE TO OUR PODCAST by clicking on the “Podcast” tab at the top of the Ring of Fire blog. Please help support progressive radio by signing up!
Ring of Fire Radio Ring of Fire, hosted by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Mike Papantonio and Sam Seder: Saturdays at 3 o’clock Eastern, rebroadcasts Sunday nights at 8 pm (4 pm on XM 167) featuring The PAP Attack! "We’ll bring you the stories that the mainstream media didn’t feel like reporting this week."
• VIDEO! Papantonio: The Class War That Needs To Happen If you’ve listened to any conservative media outlets in the last few weeks, you’ve probably heard them talking about class warfare. But they aren’t talking about the poor or middle class – they’re talking about the alleged class warfare being waged against millionaires and billionaires. While this kind of rhetoric isn’t winning over the millions of Americans who are out of work, it HAS given Democrats the upper hand in the battle for 2012. By focusing on preserving the American system of social safety nets, Democrats can once again be victorious in national elections.
• VIDEO! Sam Seder: Occupy Wall Street Takes On Corporate Greed and Corruption This week, thousands of protesters took to the streets in New York City to protest the greed and corruption of Wall Street. The groups were made up of people of all ages who are sick and tired of being taken advantage of and looked over by billionaires and millionaires who have taken our economy and jobs hostage.
• VIDEO! Papantonio: Hatred Wins At Republican Debate Mike Papantonio and Ed Schultz discuss the real winner of the Fox News Republican debate. It wasn’t Perry, Romney, or even Rick Santorum – it was Republican hatred. - Majority Report with Sam Seder Streaming LIVE weekdays 11:30 am et @ Majority.fm!
• Marshall Curry on his If A Tree Falls Documentary & the Earth Liberation Front [09•19•11]
• Justin Wedes of the NYC General Assembly LIVE from Occupy Wall Street [09•19•11]
• Ryan Grim of Huffington Post on...Obama's Populist Turn? [09•20•11]
• Former U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson on the Tea Party & Class Warfare [09•21•11]
• Will Bunch on the Media Blackout of #OccupyWallStreet [09•22•11]
• Cliff Schecter and Sam Seder discuss the GOP Debate & the 'booing' of a Gay Soldier [09•23•11]
MORE Podcast Interviews at majorityreport.official.fm! - On the Edge with Max Keiser Podcasts and more @ MaxKeiser.com!
"HI Y'ALL! Tell the people! Tell the people!"
WHO IS MAX KEISER? Max Keiser is a financial expert, Prediction Markets analyst, inventor and filmmaker. He is the creator of the Hollywood Stock Exchange (HSX) the first Prediction Market. Max Keiser co-hosts “The Truth About Markets” on ResonanceFM 104.4 in London. He also produces and presents documentary films covering markets and finance for Al Jazeera’s “People & Power” series. Max Keiser started his career on Wall Street in 1983. He is the creator of KarmaBanque a site that enables activists to challenge corporate power.
• VISIT PirateMyFilm.com!!! Crowd Funding for Pirates! VIDEO! Inequality could cause American Spring by maxkeiser #occupywallst is the latest chapter in GIABO that got into full swing when Tunis erupted, that had been building since the real estate market popped in 2006 and the global unwind got going bringing with it austerity and QE (all of which we predicted would happen starting in 2003). After being in Dublin, Athens, Cairo and Beirut recently I am watching the action on Wall St. and the first thing that I am struck by is that activists there believe that they just figured out this ‘Wall St. is killing us narrative’ and that their protest is the most important in the world suddenly. Yes, it’s ON WALL ST. but Wall St. itself, that is to say, the derivatives business and the WMFD’s, are no longer there. They are traded in powerful hubs in various global hot spots with London being the epicenter more than Wall St. But putting that aside, let’s face it, the US is by and large the beneficiary of the financial terrorism it creates and it’s tough to see these protesters as victims. Maybe next year when gas is $7 or $8 and unemployment has doubled again we’ll see something a bit more rough and tumble. But welcome NY to the global fight… You’ve got a toe in the water, let’s see what develops.
• VIDEO! OCCUPY WALL STREET PROTESTERS’ ARRESTS
• VIDEO! Nomi Prins has a new book and cool video; “Black Tuesday.” Link to her new book Black Tuesday [Paperback] on Amazon
• VIDEO! Financial Flashback: What Max Keiser predicted in 2007
• The Federal Reserve is a criminal syndicate buying debt that the government eagerly creates and sells for spending money that dumps the debt on us civilians. READ The Federal Debt As Criminal Scam, The Federal Reserve As Criminal Syndicate at zerohedge
• AGW deniers get exactly nothing for pandering to the Koch Brothers but they made billions off your faux ignorance and easily manipulated aspirations READ Getting Rich Off The Poor: How The Koch Brothers Wealth Grew 43% Since 2010 at politicususa.com
• Is The US Monetary System On The Verge Of Collapse? READ Monetary Madness at zerohedge.com
• Depression by the numbers READ Depression By The Numbers – A Poverty Bulletin from ProPublica Our Sputtering Economy by the Numbers: Poverty Edition
• KEISER REPORT [KR186] Keiser Report – Dollar-Trapped! Stacy Summary: We interview Bill Still.
• [KR187] Keiser Report: Troika Tanks, Junta Bots & a Run on French Banks Stacy Summary: We interview Reggie Middleton about a run on French banks. I notice today that Pimco’s El-Erian is also talking about a run on French banks. He must have watched the Keiser Report when it aired from late last night PDT. We know you’re taking our shtick Mr. El-Erian, we’ve got our eye on you!
• ON THE EDGE [OTE122] On the Edge with Karl Denninger We interview Karl Denninger. You can pre-order his book, Leverage, here. The book comes with a Foreword from Charles Hugh Smith who will be interviewing soon when he is in Paris!
• ON THE EDGE [OTE124] On the Edge with David McWilliams We’re On the Edge with David McWilliams! Topics are European debt crisis, the IMF occupation of Ireland, the ongoing Nama crime wave and KILKENOMICS 2011.
• THE TRUTH ABOUT MARKETS [TaM-1217] The Truth About Printing Dollars Stacy Summary: Here is the latest Truth About Markets. Recorded in the park with Richard Bluestein. We talk about the emergency dollar loans, ‘jobs killer’ memes and transaction taxes. Download show HERE (mp3)
• THE TRUTH ABOUT MARKETS [TaM-1218] The Truth About Markets – 24 September 2011. Download show HERE (mp3)
• Donations to ResonanceFM here. - ANTIWAR RADIO with Scott Horton
LIVE (9-11am Pacific, 12pm - 2pm Eastern) Plenty of archives too!
Listen at antiwar.com/radio
• Michael Scheuer September 18, 2011: Michael Scheuer, 22-year veteran of the CIA and former head analyst at the CIA’s bin Laden unit, discusses why Ron Paul is right on foreign policy and Rick Santorum is a “gasbag;” how US military occupations and support for Israel and autocratic Arab governments radicalize Muslims in a way our “degenerate” culture fails to; why the 9/11 Commission report is a whitewash; how the Bush and Obama administrations fulfilled Osama bin Laden’s goals for him; why the war of civilizations (if it happens) should be labeled “made by the Ivy League;” why Arab Spring reformist governments need to worry if the US will let them remain in power or not; and why US government officials act like the heirs of the French Revolution when they travel the world, spreading democracy at the barrel of a gun. This interview was broadcast on KPFK 90.7 FM Los Angeles on September 16th.
• Pepe Escobar September 22, 2011: Pepe Escobar, journalist and author of "Obama Does Globalistan", discusses his article “Libya: to King Sarkozy, the spoils” about how France helped instigate the uprising in Libya and stands ready to profit from regime change; the lack of a “plan B” for Libya’s conquerors since Gaddafi slipped away (apparently in a hi-tech stealth SUV); why Libya’s (relative) wealth and high living standards may be undermined by a tribalistic and fundamentalist Islamic government; and why Libya may soon get an Iraq-style Coalition Provisional Authority and a cape-wearing puppet president.
• Philip Giraldi Septmber 23, 2011: Former CIA officer Philip Giraldi discusses his article “Tapping the Israeli Embassy” about what Shamai Leibowitz learned while working as an FBI counterintelligence translator; the allied groups that make up the “Bomb Iran” lobby; catching Jane Harman and an unnamed congressman from Indiana acting like Israeli operatives; and how Israel’s “perception management” campaign makes Americans believe Iran is a dire threat and must be defeated in war.
Many more interviews at Antiwar Radio! - fauxnews
• Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), member of the Senate Armed Services Committee
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