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December 21, 2012
from In These Times:
Solidarity After Sandy
Occupy steps up where traditional disaster relief fails.
BY Eric Murphy
The morning after Hurricane Sandy hit the East Coast, leaving in its wake severe damage and more than 100 deaths, members of Occupy Wall Street hit the streets. Volunteers went out into New York City neighborhoods to distribute food and aid.
The impromptu relief organization that resulted, dubbed Occupy Sandy, filled in the gaps left by FEMA, the Red Cross and official city “restoration centers,” none of which had a strong presence in the affected communities, according to reporting by The Nation’s Allison Kilkenny and others.
So Occupy Sandy took the reins, recruiting thousands of volunteers and providing tens of thousands of meals. Its effectiveness was due in large part to the Occupy ethos: rather than a top-down relief effort, volunteers asked communities what they needed and then repurposed existing networks to provide it. Occupy Sandy used churches and other community organizations to get food, water and rebuilding materials to those who needed them as quickly as possible. It also retooled Amazon’s wedding registry system into a wish list for relief supplies, from space heaters to hygiene products—which drew more than $700,000 worth of donations. .................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/14301/solidarity_after_sandy
Solidarity After Sandy: Occupy steps up where traditional disaster relief fails
from In These Times:
Solidarity After Sandy
Occupy steps up where traditional disaster relief fails.
BY Eric Murphy
The morning after Hurricane Sandy hit the East Coast, leaving in its wake severe damage and more than 100 deaths, members of Occupy Wall Street hit the streets. Volunteers went out into New York City neighborhoods to distribute food and aid.
The impromptu relief organization that resulted, dubbed Occupy Sandy, filled in the gaps left by FEMA, the Red Cross and official city “restoration centers,” none of which had a strong presence in the affected communities, according to reporting by The Nation’s Allison Kilkenny and others.
So Occupy Sandy took the reins, recruiting thousands of volunteers and providing tens of thousands of meals. Its effectiveness was due in large part to the Occupy ethos: rather than a top-down relief effort, volunteers asked communities what they needed and then repurposed existing networks to provide it. Occupy Sandy used churches and other community organizations to get food, water and rebuilding materials to those who needed them as quickly as possible. It also retooled Amazon’s wedding registry system into a wish list for relief supplies, from space heaters to hygiene products—which drew more than $700,000 worth of donations. .................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/14301/solidarity_after_sandy
December 21, 2012
from truthdig:
Crony Capitalism’s Power Couple
Posted on Dec 21, 2012
By Robert Scheer
Where is Phil Gramm hiding? The former Republican senator from Texas, who wrote the radical banking deregulation of the 1990s and was rewarded for his efforts to enrich the banks with a plum job at Switzerland-based UBS, has not been heard from since his bank got nailed by the G-men. Or, as The New York Times put it, UBS now has the distinction of being “the first big global bank in more than two decades to have a subsidiary plead guilty to fraud.”
Surely Gramm, who retired from the bank last year, must know something about the nefarious activities conducted over a timespan when he was helping to manage the firm. This latest scandal, involving the rigging of a major trusted banking interest rate, might finally test the theories that he has long written into law that assume banks are best when regulated by themselves—a now obviously dumb idea.
As the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday: “U.S., U.K. and Swiss authorities alleged a vast conspiracy led by UBS AG to rig interest rates tied to trillions of dollars in loans and other financial products, indicating the practice was far more pervasive than previously known.” But what did Gramm know about this criminal behavior at a bank he helped govern, and when did he know it?
In a deal brokered with the criminal division of the U.S. Justice Department, UBS was also fined $1.5 billion in the massive Libor interest-rate-fixing scam that evidenced a pattern of deep corruption across a score of top banks. But Gramm, the man most responsible for the repeal in 1999 of 60 years of sensible banking regulation that enabled the financial industry to run wild, has not responded to a single question from the mainstream media concerning UBS’ criminal behavior. I assume he has been queried, given his important prior contribution to the sorry state of banking. .....................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/crony_capitalisms_power_couple_20121221/
Robert Scheer: Crony Capitalism’s Power Couple
from truthdig:
Crony Capitalism’s Power Couple
Posted on Dec 21, 2012
By Robert Scheer
Where is Phil Gramm hiding? The former Republican senator from Texas, who wrote the radical banking deregulation of the 1990s and was rewarded for his efforts to enrich the banks with a plum job at Switzerland-based UBS, has not been heard from since his bank got nailed by the G-men. Or, as The New York Times put it, UBS now has the distinction of being “the first big global bank in more than two decades to have a subsidiary plead guilty to fraud.”
Surely Gramm, who retired from the bank last year, must know something about the nefarious activities conducted over a timespan when he was helping to manage the firm. This latest scandal, involving the rigging of a major trusted banking interest rate, might finally test the theories that he has long written into law that assume banks are best when regulated by themselves—a now obviously dumb idea.
As the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday: “U.S., U.K. and Swiss authorities alleged a vast conspiracy led by UBS AG to rig interest rates tied to trillions of dollars in loans and other financial products, indicating the practice was far more pervasive than previously known.” But what did Gramm know about this criminal behavior at a bank he helped govern, and when did he know it?
In a deal brokered with the criminal division of the U.S. Justice Department, UBS was also fined $1.5 billion in the massive Libor interest-rate-fixing scam that evidenced a pattern of deep corruption across a score of top banks. But Gramm, the man most responsible for the repeal in 1999 of 60 years of sensible banking regulation that enabled the financial industry to run wild, has not responded to a single question from the mainstream media concerning UBS’ criminal behavior. I assume he has been queried, given his important prior contribution to the sorry state of banking. .....................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/crony_capitalisms_power_couple_20121221/
December 21, 2012
http://vimeo.com/56056449
Bill Moyers Essay: Remember The Victims, Reject the Violence
December 20, 2012
In this timely broadcast essay, Bill urges us to remember the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre by name. He also rejects the notion of doubling down on guns and armor as a response, and encourages all of us to work hard on realistic and moral solutions.
“Laws are hard to come by, civilization just as hard” Bill says. “But democracy aims for a moral order as just as possible — which means laws that protect the weak, and not just the strong.”
http://billmoyers.com/segment/bill-moyers-essay-remember-the-victims-reject-the-violence/
Bill Moyers: Remember The Victims, Reject the Violence
http://vimeo.com/56056449
Bill Moyers Essay: Remember The Victims, Reject the Violence
December 20, 2012
In this timely broadcast essay, Bill urges us to remember the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre by name. He also rejects the notion of doubling down on guns and armor as a response, and encourages all of us to work hard on realistic and moral solutions.
“Laws are hard to come by, civilization just as hard” Bill says. “But democracy aims for a moral order as just as possible — which means laws that protect the weak, and not just the strong.”
http://billmoyers.com/segment/bill-moyers-essay-remember-the-victims-reject-the-violence/
December 19, 2012
(CNN) State and local governments are in desperate need of cash for all manner of road, building and bridge repair, and are increasingly turning to private money for funding.
But the involvement of private investors is raising concerns over how much control the public may lose over its roadways.
Companies putting up the money include construction and engineering firms like Bechtel and Samsung, and big banks like Goldman Sachs (GS, Fortune 500) and Merrill Lynch that aim to attract money from pension funds and insurance companies.
In exchange for the funding, the firms are getting an ownership stake in the projects. That means they'll get a cut of the tolls, and also be responsible for the maintenance. ................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://money.cnn.com/2012/12/18/news/economy/road-construction-funding/
Government-Near-You Liquidation Sale: ALL PUBLIC ASSETS MUST GO !!!!
(CNN) State and local governments are in desperate need of cash for all manner of road, building and bridge repair, and are increasingly turning to private money for funding.
But the involvement of private investors is raising concerns over how much control the public may lose over its roadways.
Companies putting up the money include construction and engineering firms like Bechtel and Samsung, and big banks like Goldman Sachs (GS, Fortune 500) and Merrill Lynch that aim to attract money from pension funds and insurance companies.
In exchange for the funding, the firms are getting an ownership stake in the projects. That means they'll get a cut of the tolls, and also be responsible for the maintenance. ................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://money.cnn.com/2012/12/18/news/economy/road-construction-funding/
December 19, 2012
from Salon.com:
Teacher-arming hysteria grows
A Republican state lawmaker in Virginia is pushing for a bill to require some teachers to be armed
By Jillian Rayfield
UPDATE (Dec. 19, 12:57 p.m.): Virginia state Del. Bob Marshall, R, is now pushing for a bill that would require some teachers to be armed in schools, the Washington Post reports.
From the Post:
From earlier:
The latest high-profile Republican to say he is open to possibly allowing firearms on school grounds is Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, who said in the wake of the Newtown, Conn. school shootings that he thinks “that’s a reasonable discussion that ought to be had.”
McDonnell was asked about allowing “adults, supervisors, principals, teachers to be armed” in schools. He replied:
McDonnell stipulated that there is currently a complete ban on guns within a thousand feet of schools, with the exception of law enforcement, and that he has been supportive of that. But “I think it’s a discussion that is probably timely,” he added. ................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.salon.com/2012/12/19/virginia_governor_jumps_on_the_arm_teachers_bandwagon/
Stop the insanity !!!!
from Salon.com:
Teacher-arming hysteria grows
A Republican state lawmaker in Virginia is pushing for a bill to require some teachers to be armed
By Jillian Rayfield
UPDATE (Dec. 19, 12:57 p.m.): Virginia state Del. Bob Marshall, R, is now pushing for a bill that would require some teachers to be armed in schools, the Washington Post reports.
From the Post:
Marshall would not only allow staff with concealed handgun permits to carry them in schools, but require school districts to designate some staff members to do so. Those employees would have to be certified in gun safety and competence, Marshall said.
From earlier:
The latest high-profile Republican to say he is open to possibly allowing firearms on school grounds is Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, who said in the wake of the Newtown, Conn. school shootings that he thinks “that’s a reasonable discussion that ought to be had.”
McDonnell was asked about allowing “adults, supervisors, principals, teachers to be armed” in schools. He replied:
I know there has been a knee-jerk reaction against that, I think there should at least be a discussion of that. If people were armed, not just a police officer, but other school officials that were trained and chose to have a weapon, certainly there would have been an opportunity to stop aggressors trying to come into the school, so I think that’s a reasonable discussion that ought to be had.
McDonnell stipulated that there is currently a complete ban on guns within a thousand feet of schools, with the exception of law enforcement, and that he has been supportive of that. But “I think it’s a discussion that is probably timely,” he added. ................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.salon.com/2012/12/19/virginia_governor_jumps_on_the_arm_teachers_bandwagon/
December 19, 2012
AlterNet / By Laura Gottesdiener
Federal Court Says Newspaper Has the Right to Fire Journalists -- Under the First Amendment
"The First Amendment affords a publisher - not a reporter - absolute authority to shape a newspaper's content," Judge writes.
December 19, 2012 |
Tuesday in California, the Federal Appeals Court ruled against a group of journalists at the Santa Barbara News-Press who had been fired for demanding editorial integrity and a union. Rather than uphold their rights both to unionize and to speak out against bad editorial practices, the federal court instead said their dismissals were protected by the publisher's First Amendment Rights to print whatever she wanted.
The dispute began in 2006, when nearly all the top journalists and editors at the Santa Barbara News-Press quit because the paper's owner and publisher Wendy McCaw was interfering in the editorial content. As Melinda Burns, one former journalist at the paper wrote in the Santa Barbara Independent about that period:
"Spring had barely turned to summer that year when Editor Jerry Roberts and four other editors resigned, citing what they said was McCaw’s unethical interference in newsgathering and reporting. A dozen reporters quit, too, including one who had been covering a neighborhood dispute over the development plans of Rob Lowe, an actor friend of McCaw’s who wanted to build a mansion on a vacant lot in Montecito. Following standard newsroom practice, the reporter reported the address of the lot. Lowe’s assistant called the paper to complain, saying Lowe was going to cancel his subscription. McCaw fired off harsh letters of reprimand to the reporter and three editors, who all eventually resigned. Those of us who chose to stay in the newsroom knew we needed a written contract to protect our job security and integrity as journalists from McCaw’s arbitrary attacks."
So, as Burns writes, the remaining journalists reached out to the Teamsters and joined the union. When McCaw refused to recognize their affiliation with the Teamsters, the newsroom held a union vote and won. Soon after, McCaw fired eight journalists (including Burns). ..................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.alternet.org/corporate-accountability-and-workplace/federal-court-says-newspaper-has-right-fire-journalists-under
Federal Court Says Newspaper Has the Right to Fire Journalists -- Under the First Amendment
AlterNet / By Laura Gottesdiener
Federal Court Says Newspaper Has the Right to Fire Journalists -- Under the First Amendment
"The First Amendment affords a publisher - not a reporter - absolute authority to shape a newspaper's content," Judge writes.
December 19, 2012 |
Tuesday in California, the Federal Appeals Court ruled against a group of journalists at the Santa Barbara News-Press who had been fired for demanding editorial integrity and a union. Rather than uphold their rights both to unionize and to speak out against bad editorial practices, the federal court instead said their dismissals were protected by the publisher's First Amendment Rights to print whatever she wanted.
The dispute began in 2006, when nearly all the top journalists and editors at the Santa Barbara News-Press quit because the paper's owner and publisher Wendy McCaw was interfering in the editorial content. As Melinda Burns, one former journalist at the paper wrote in the Santa Barbara Independent about that period:
"Spring had barely turned to summer that year when Editor Jerry Roberts and four other editors resigned, citing what they said was McCaw’s unethical interference in newsgathering and reporting. A dozen reporters quit, too, including one who had been covering a neighborhood dispute over the development plans of Rob Lowe, an actor friend of McCaw’s who wanted to build a mansion on a vacant lot in Montecito. Following standard newsroom practice, the reporter reported the address of the lot. Lowe’s assistant called the paper to complain, saying Lowe was going to cancel his subscription. McCaw fired off harsh letters of reprimand to the reporter and three editors, who all eventually resigned. Those of us who chose to stay in the newsroom knew we needed a written contract to protect our job security and integrity as journalists from McCaw’s arbitrary attacks."
So, as Burns writes, the remaining journalists reached out to the Teamsters and joined the union. When McCaw refused to recognize their affiliation with the Teamsters, the newsroom held a union vote and won. Soon after, McCaw fired eight journalists (including Burns). ..................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.alternet.org/corporate-accountability-and-workplace/federal-court-says-newspaper-has-right-fire-journalists-under
December 19, 2012
(CNN) State and local governments are in desperate need of cash for all manner of road, building and bridge repair, and are increasingly turning to private money for funding.
But the involvement of private investors is raising concerns over how much control the public may lose over its roadways.
Companies putting up the money include construction and engineering firms like Bechtel and Samsung, and big banks like Goldman Sachs (GS, Fortune 500) and Merrill Lynch that aim to attract money from pension funds and insurance companies.
In exchange for the funding, the firms are getting an ownership stake in the projects. That means they'll get a cut of the tolls, and also be responsible for the maintenance. ................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://money.cnn.com/2012/12/18/news/economy/road-construction-funding/
For sale: U.S. highways and bridges
(CNN) State and local governments are in desperate need of cash for all manner of road, building and bridge repair, and are increasingly turning to private money for funding.
But the involvement of private investors is raising concerns over how much control the public may lose over its roadways.
Companies putting up the money include construction and engineering firms like Bechtel and Samsung, and big banks like Goldman Sachs (GS, Fortune 500) and Merrill Lynch that aim to attract money from pension funds and insurance companies.
In exchange for the funding, the firms are getting an ownership stake in the projects. That means they'll get a cut of the tolls, and also be responsible for the maintenance. ................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://money.cnn.com/2012/12/18/news/economy/road-construction-funding/
December 19, 2012
from truthdig:
Don’t Be Afraid of NRA Bullies
Posted on Dec 19, 2012
By Bill Boyarsky
Despite the horror of the Sandy Hook Elementary School slaughter, politicians approaching proposals for stronger gun regulation remain stricken with caution and fear of the National Rifle Association and its allies.
Wary of the NRA and its deep-pocket gun and ammunition-manufacturing supporters, gun control advocates are offering only mild proposals. Yet, despite the fear the organization generates, the NRA’s reputation as a political juggernaut may be overrated. It lost big campaigns in the last election even though it poured millions of dollars into them.
The most notable survivor of an NRA attack was President Barack Obama. The organization, determined to deny him a second term, spent $8.9 million campaigning against the president while spending $3 million for Mitt Romney, the Republican candidate, according to the Center For Responsive Politics’ Open Secrets website.
Other major NRA failures include spending $753,000 in an unsuccessful effort to defeat Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown in Ohio and $511,000 against Democrat Tim Keane, who won in Virginia. The NRA blew $588,000 on Republican Richard Mourdock, beaten in Indiana. .................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/dont_be_afraid_of_nra_bullies_20121219/
Don’t Be Afraid of NRA Bullies
from truthdig:
Don’t Be Afraid of NRA Bullies
Posted on Dec 19, 2012
By Bill Boyarsky
Despite the horror of the Sandy Hook Elementary School slaughter, politicians approaching proposals for stronger gun regulation remain stricken with caution and fear of the National Rifle Association and its allies.
Wary of the NRA and its deep-pocket gun and ammunition-manufacturing supporters, gun control advocates are offering only mild proposals. Yet, despite the fear the organization generates, the NRA’s reputation as a political juggernaut may be overrated. It lost big campaigns in the last election even though it poured millions of dollars into them.
The most notable survivor of an NRA attack was President Barack Obama. The organization, determined to deny him a second term, spent $8.9 million campaigning against the president while spending $3 million for Mitt Romney, the Republican candidate, according to the Center For Responsive Politics’ Open Secrets website.
Other major NRA failures include spending $753,000 in an unsuccessful effort to defeat Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown in Ohio and $511,000 against Democrat Tim Keane, who won in Virginia. The NRA blew $588,000 on Republican Richard Mourdock, beaten in Indiana. .................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/dont_be_afraid_of_nra_bullies_20121219/
December 18, 2012
We don’t need a bad “grand bargain”
By Sarita Gupta, December 18, 2012
In the 2012 elections, the American people voted for strengthening our economy and putting people back to work. “We’re all in this together” defeated “You’re on your own.” Or so we thought.
It seems that since Nov. 6, many politicians forgot that the people they represent used their voice at the polls to stand up for working families and the programs they rely on. Democratic lawmakers should resist any “grand bargain” on the budget that protects the wealthy at the expense of the rest of us.
There’s a palpable sense of urgency being manufactured inside the beltway to rush lawmakers into striking a budget deal, but a grand bargain is neither inevitable nor necessary.
The best way to solve America’s debt crisis is to fix our revenue crisis, and we can do that quickly by ending the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest 2 percent and creating jobs to get our economy moving again. .............(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.progressive.org/we-do-not-need-a-bad-grand-bargain
The Progressive: We don’t need a bad “grand bargain”
We don’t need a bad “grand bargain”
By Sarita Gupta, December 18, 2012
In the 2012 elections, the American people voted for strengthening our economy and putting people back to work. “We’re all in this together” defeated “You’re on your own.” Or so we thought.
It seems that since Nov. 6, many politicians forgot that the people they represent used their voice at the polls to stand up for working families and the programs they rely on. Democratic lawmakers should resist any “grand bargain” on the budget that protects the wealthy at the expense of the rest of us.
There’s a palpable sense of urgency being manufactured inside the beltway to rush lawmakers into striking a budget deal, but a grand bargain is neither inevitable nor necessary.
The best way to solve America’s debt crisis is to fix our revenue crisis, and we can do that quickly by ending the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest 2 percent and creating jobs to get our economy moving again. .............(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.progressive.org/we-do-not-need-a-bad-grand-bargain
December 18, 2012
Katrina vanden Heuvel: What to ask a secretary of state nominee
from the WaPo:
By Katrina vanden Heuvel
Dec 18, 2012 01:40 PM EST
The Washington Post Tuesday, December 18, 8:40 AM
The nomination of a secretary of state gives the Senate the opportunity to probe the administration’s foreign policy priorities — and many of President Obama’s policies demand inquiry. Republicans like Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), who have disgracefully sniped at U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice, have expressed few coherent reservations about our current course. Instead, it will be incumbent on Democrats on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee — particularly Barbara Boxer (Calif.), Bob Casey (Pa.) and Tom Udall (N.M.) — to lead a responsible review.
Here are only a few of the questions that senators could ask the nominee.
●Presidential war making: Are there any limits to the president’s war powers in the so-called war on terror? Contrary to expectations, President Obama has broadened George W. Bush’s view that the congressional resolution authorizing pursuit of al-Qaeda after 9/11 gives the president the right to attack any suspect group in any country of the world for as long as there are terrorists — or essentially forever. That prerogative is said to include the power to identify, target and kill anyone — including U.S. citizens — the president decides poses a terrorist threat to the United States.
How would the nominee reconcile this assertion with the Constitution? How would he or she suggest the Congress enforce accountability on a president who mistakenly targets and kills an innocent U.S. citizen? ..............(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/katrina-vanden-heuvel-what-to-ask-a-secretary-of-state-nominee/2012/12/17/eb9dead2-487d-11e2-ad54-580638ede391_story.html
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