Government

The Aamer Appeal To Stop Force-feeding In Guantanamo

October 17, 2013 Palina Prasasouk, www.opednews.com Resist! Government, Guantanamo Bay, Human Rights

Lawyers for Shaker Aamer , the last British resident in Guantanamo Bay have filed an appeal in the case of Shaker Aamer vs. Barack Obama, a case that was first filed in June 2013 to halt the force-feedings of hunger strikers Aamer, Ahmed Belbacha, and Nabil Hadjarab. This is one of four consolidated appeals, one for each of four detainees, with Aamer's being the lead case, which, if won, could end all force-feeding in the prison, a rare victory in the twelve years that Shaker Aamer has already lost. Shaker Aamer is one of 164 detainees currently in Guantanamo Bay, and one of 84 detainees cleared for release. He has been cleared since 2007 by a military review board and again by President Obama's inter-agency Guantanamo Review Task Force in 2010.

November 2: March Against Corruption

October 16, 2013 Staff, www.marchagainstcorruption.com Organize! Corporatism, Democracy, Government

The March Against Corruption is an international campaign to raise awareness about the corrupting influence of money and special interests in governance and public policy making; to provide a forum for people to organize and speak out against corruption; and to educate the public about the consequences of corruption. The March Against Corruption is not about right versus left, it’s about right versus wrong....Please note that we’re not using the term “march” just literally — we’re marching against corruption both off and online, wherever it exists! We’re marching against corruption in every way we can… whether it’s through our words, actions, poetry, music, art, graphics, social media…...

The Birth Of The ‘De-Americanized’ World

October 16, 2013 Pepe Escobar, www.atimes.com Educate! Finance and the Economy, Government, Wars and Militarism

This paragraph couldn't be more graphic: "Instead of honoring its duties as a responsible leading power, a self-serving Washington has abused its superpower status and introduced even more chaos into the world by shifting financial risks overseas, instigating regional tensions amid territorial disputes, and fighting unwarranted wars under the cover of outright lies." The solution, for Beijing, is to "de-Americanize" the current geopolitical equation - starting with more say in the International Monetary Fund and World Bank for emerging economies and the developing world, leading to a "new international reserve currency that is to be created to replace the dominant US dollar". Note that Beijing is not advocating completely smashing the Bretton Woods system - at least for now, but it is for having more deciding power. Sounds reasonable, considering that China holds slightly more weight inside the IMF than Italy.

The Perfect Epitaph For Establishment Journalism

October 15, 2013 Glenn Greenwald, www.theguardian.com Educate! Democracy, Government, Media, NSA

It's one thing to accord some deference or presumption of good will to political officials, but the desire to demonstrate some minimal human dignity, by itself, would preclude most people from publicly confessing that they have willingly sacrificed all of their independent judgment and autonomy to the superior, secret decrees of those who wield the greatest power. Chris Blackhurst has obviously liberated himself from these inhibitions, though not entirely, as he infuses insincere caveats like this into his paean to the virtues of obedience: "I'm cynical about officialdom, having seen too many cover-ups and appalling injustices carried out in our name." One would think that most journalists (particularly those who edit a newspaper called "The Independent") would want to maintain at least a pretense of independent thought and thus refrain from acknowledging such cringe-inducing things about themselves. Still, what Blackhurst is revealing here is indeed a predominant mindset among many in the media class.

On Janet Yellen as Federal Reserve Chair

October 14, 2013 Jack Rasmus, www.GreenShadowCabinet.US Educate! Democracy, Finance and the Economy, Government

The Federal Reserve will have to be democratized and become an institution that functions as a ‘public banking entity’, not a private banking conduit. It will then provide low money cost loans to households, small businesses, students, and workers—instead of wealthy investors, bankers, and speculators. Instead of issuing QE for the 1%, the Fed could issue QE designed to create jobs, raise incomes, and generate a sustained economic recovery for all. But that won’t happen under a Yellen Fed. The false ‘hawk/dove’ options for leadership in the Fed Reserve reflects the U.S. political system - a dual one-party system with corporate interest at its heart. It will take a new, grassroots movement calling for real choice, and real democracy to fix our government, and institutions like the Federal Reserve.

Philadelphia Closes 23 Schools, Lays Off Thousands, Builds Huge Prison

October 13, 2013 Max Rivlin-Nadler, www.gawker.com Educate! Criminal Justice and Prisons, Education, Government

Philadelphia laid off thousands of school employees last week after the state of Pennsylvania continued its austerity measures against public schools. And while the state is essentially destroying Philadelphia public schools through under-funding (claiming budgetary concerns), it somehow found enough money to build a $400 million prison just outside of the city. The Philadelphia public school system has been a target for school reform and Charter-enthusiasts for the past few years, and several figures (including the mayor) have defended charter schools as a viable replacement to the entire public school system. The school closures, which (of course) disproportionately affect schools in poor and minority neighborhoods, will force students to venture far outside of their own neighborhoods to attend their closest school. Charter schools in Philadelphia have been plagued by scandal and corruption, have no requirement to admit any student and can dismiss a student at any time.

Canadian Scientists Expose Government’s Tar Sands Obsession

October 13, 2013 Staff, www.ecowatch.com Educate! Fracking, Government, Tar Sands

A delegation of Canadian scientists and activists participated in a briefing today at the National Press Club in Washington, DC, to set the record straight on the government’s strategy to undermine anything that might stand in the way of its goals to triple tar sands production, according to a Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and Sierra Club press release. As the Canadian government launches a $24 million pro-tar sands advertising campaign, Prime Minister Stephen Harper digs his heels in by saying he “won’t take no” for an answer on the Keystone XL pipeline. “The Harper government will stop at nothing to ruthlessly promote tar sands expansion,” said Tzeporah Berman, Canadian author and resource development activist, and panel member at today’s briefing.

Wendell Berry Speaks With Bill Moyers About Social Change

October 11, 2013 Chris Tackett, www.treehugger.com Strategize! Environment, Freedom of Speech and Assembly, Government, Media, Video

Berry on the slow process of making change: well we’ve acknowledged that the problems are big, now where’s the big solution? When you ask the question what is the big answer, then you’re implying that we can impose the answer. But that’s the problem we’re in to start with, we’ve tried to impose the answers. The answers will come not from walking up to your farm and saying this is what I want and this is what I expect from you. You walk up and you say what do you need. And you commit yourself to say all right, I’m not going to do any extensive damage here until I know what it is that you are asking of me. And this can’t be hurried. This is the dreadful situation that young people are in. I think of them and I say well, the situation you’re in now is a situation that’s going to call for a lot of patience. And to be patient in an emergency is a terrible trial.

The Peace Corps Capitalism and US Empire

October 10, 2013 Nathaniel Matthews-Trigg, www.roarmag.org Educate! Empire, Finance and the Economy, Government

Far from alleviating poverty in the Global South, the American Peace Corps locks marginalized communities into a global web of capitalist exploitation. “The Peace Corps was never intended to be blindly altruistic. Rather, it was designed to be an interpersonal demonstration of the fruits of democracy and free enterprise.” The Heritage Foundation. On March 1, 1961, President John F. Kennedy signed executive order 10924 which formally created the American Peace Corps (APC). Since its inception, the American Peace Corps has sent over 210.000 Americans abroad to 139 different countries with the intent of “promoting world peace and friendship.” On the surface, the APC claims to “promote peace and friendship”, yet this is all a thin cover for two ulterior objectives: the spreading of U.S. geo-political influence by way of dependency on global capitalism, and the suppression of anti-capitalist grassroots movements. For the last 52 years the APC has been deceiving not only the destitute populations they claim to help, but also the young humanitarians who naively volunteer.

Privatization: Profiting From The Poor

October 9, 2013 Nick Surgey & Katie Lorenze , www.prwatch.org Resist! Finance and the Economy, Government, Privatization

The privatization of social services has in the past resulted in some spectacular failures. The Denver Post found a shocking pattern of abuse when it conducted an in-depth investigation of the privatization of Colorado’s foster care system a decade ago. The Post reported that numerous children were molested, abused, and even died in foster home after the state started contracting with businesses that failed to ensure they were placed in safe homes. The state also paid three times as much to place a child in private foster care as it did in homes that were supervised by the counties. More recently, Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels' attempt to transform the state into a privatized utopia failed spectacularly in the health and human services area. Indiana’s 2006 experiment involving a $1.16 billion contract awarded to a consortium of firms including Affiliated Computer Services, Inc. (ACS), went so badly, that the Governor cancelled the contract at an unknown cost to the state, and the state legislature evenconsidered banning privatization altogether.

New York Capitol Unanimously Passes Anti-NDAA Resolution 11-0

October 9, 2013 Staff, www.pandaunite.or Resist! Freedom of Speech and Assembly, Government, NDAA

This resolution was a collaborative effort between PANDA, the Patriot Coalition, Project SALAM, Jesse Calhoun, the Occupy Albany Civil Liberties Initiative, 518 Liberty Action Alliance, Campaign for Liberty New York, many other organizations, and numerous citizens from Albany and around the nation who flooded the council with calls, emails, written letters, and showed up for the vote. Kelley Citrin, Team Leader Emiritus for PANDA New York, noted: “I have never been more proud to be from the State of New York than I am today, because today reminded me that politics can still be noble, and government still responds when the cries of its people are loud enough, and persistent enough.” Albany’s stand proves that citizen activism works. One city, however, is not enough. Albany could be the start of a tidal wave. It’s time for every city in America to take the same step.

Nader to Feinstein: Stop the USPS Sell Off

October 7, 2013 Staff, www.corporatecrimereporter.com Resist! Corporatism, Government, Post Office

Ralph Nader wants Senator Diane Feinstein (D-California) to introduce legislation to put a halt to the sell off of United States Postal Service (USPS) buildings around the country. In a letter, Nader calls on Feinstein to “introduce and champion a bill to immediately suspend all sales of postal properties throughout the country.” Why Feinstein? As it turns out, Feinstein’s husband, Richard Blum, is chairman of the C.B. Richard Ellis Group (CBRE), which has an exclusive contract to negotiate the sale of USPS real estate. Investigative journalist Richard Byrne has dug into CBRE’s and Blum’s activities and written an expose, most recenty in e-book form, titled: Going Postal: U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein’s Husband Sells Post Offices to His Friends, Cheap.

A Federal Budget Crisis Months In The Planning

October 7, 2013 Sheryl Gay Stolberg and Mike McIntire, www.nytimes.com Educate! Government, Health Care

To many Americans, the shutdown came out of nowhere. But interviews with a wide array of conservatives show that the confrontation that precipitated the crisis was the outgrowth of a long-running effort to undo the law, the Affordable Care Act, since its passage in 2010 — waged by a galaxy of conservative groups with more money, organized tactics and interconnections than is commonly known. Shortly after President Obama started his second term, a loose-knit coalition of conservative activists led by former Attorney General Edwin Meese III gathered in the capital to plot strategy. Their push to repeal Mr. Obama’s health care law was going nowhere, and they desperately needed a new plan. Out of that session, held one morning in a location the members insist on keeping secret, came a little-noticed “blueprint to defunding Obamacare,” signed by Mr. Meese and leaders of more than three dozen conservative groups.

Obama: Cap CEO Pay And Raise Minimum Wage For Fed Contracts

October 5, 2013 Michelle Chen, inthesetimes.com Educate! Finance and the Economy, Government, Worker Rights and Jobs

Obama could tighten up the cap on CEO pay for federal contracts -- limit it to the salary of the Vice President, $230,700 -- and at the same time raise the minimum wage of workers under federal contracts $7 an hour. If Obama took these two steps it would not change the amount of money spent on federal contracts, it would shrink the wealth divide, and left thousands out of poverty and give them a wage they can live on. Right now the federal government is the largest employer of low-wage workers who earn too little on which to live. President Obama could make these changes without the involvement of Congress through the power of executive orders. This decision is in his discretion. The only person stopping President Obama from taking these sensible, fair steps is President Obama. Workers and taxpayers should insist on fairness in federal contracts.

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