[154882] in Zephyr_Bugs
William Rivers Pitt | Down in the Ditch
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (t r u t h o u t)
Wed Jun 15 16:13:07 2011
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Date: Wed, 15 Jun 2011 16:13:01 -0400 (EDT)
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t r u t h o u t | 06.15
William Rivers Pitt | Down in the Ditch
http://www.truth-out.org/down-ditch/1308150023
William Rivers Pitt, Truthout: "There is never a shortage of Stupid in Amer=
ican politics, but by normal standards, our recent history has been pretty =
spectacular. Rep. Anthony Weiner is caught in what could very easily go dow=
n in history as the single most absurd sex scandal to ever unfold. The Repu=
blican leadership continues to play chicken with the debt limit, making eve=
n the titans of the financial industry nervous. Michele Bachmann is being t=
aken seriously by the 'mainstream' news media after the first GOP debate ..=
. and as far as Stupid goes, really, that's all you need to say. Sometimes,=
however, the Stupid skyrockets to new and heretofore unknown heights. It t=
akes a special kind of purebred dunderhead to raise the benchmark, and in t=
hat spirit, I give you Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), who opined last week t=
hat once Iraq becomes a rich and prosperous country, they should repay the =
United States for the money spent on the invasion and occupation. Let that =
sink in for a moment."
More Bucks, Less Bang (Part II): Can We Give Some Power Back to the DoD Ove=
rsight Personnel?
http://www.truth-out.org/more-bucks-less-bang-part-ii-can-we-give-some-powe=
r-back-dod-oversight-personnel/1308064150
Dina Rasor, Truthout: "On June 3, the DoD put out a memo from a special Pen=
tagon group to study the problem showing that weapons' testing is not respo=
nsible for most of the delays in our overrun weapon systems that have been =
running years behind schedule. According to a story in Bloomberg News entit=
led 'Weapons Testers Found Not to Blame for Procurement Delays,' the study =
of 40 weapons programs 'investigated reports from program managers and prog=
ram executive officers, or PEOs, that testers imposed requirements beyond t=
he scope of weapons programs.' Instead, the DoD memo 'found no significant =
evidence that the testing community typically drives unplanned requirements=
, cost or schedule into programs,' but that the deep flaws and problems wit=
h the weapons that the testing found were the cause of most of the delays. =
In other words, the program managers et al., who called for the study becau=
se they were frustrated about weapons testing, had it thrown back into thei=
r face because it was their lack of quality in production and design that h=
ad to be fixed once the testing had found the problems."
Wisconsin Court Reinstates Law on Union Rights
http://www.truth-out.org/wisconsin-court-reinstates-law-union-rights/130814=
6078
Monica Davey, The New York Times News Service: "The Wisconsin Supreme Court=
cleared the way on Tuesday for significant cuts to collective bargaining r=
ights for public workers in the state, undoing a lower court's decision tha=
t Wisconsin's controversial law had been passed improperly. The Supreme Cou=
rt's ruling, issued at the close of the business day, spared lawmakers in t=
he Republican-dominated Capitol from having to do what some of them strongl=
y hoped to avoid: calling for a new vote on the polarizing collective barga=
ining measure, which had drawn tens of thousands of protesters to Madison t=
his year and led Democratic lawmakers to flee the city in an effort to bloc=
k the bill. Republican leaders had warned on Monday that if the Supreme Cou=
rt did not rule by Tuesday, they would feel compelled to attach the same me=
asure to the state's budget bill, which is expected to be approved this wee=
k."
News in Brief: GOP Cuts to Food Assistance Equal One Day of Bush Tax Cuts, =
and More ...
http://www.truth-out.org/news-brief-gop-cuts-food-assistance-equal-one-day-=
bush-tax-cuts-and-more/1308158098
House Republicans' 2012 Agriculture Appropriations Bill would cut $38 milli=
on from the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, $63 million from the Emerg=
ency Food Assistance Program and more than $800 million from the Special Su=
pplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, equivalent to=
the cost of extending the Bush tax cuts for top earners for one day; Defen=
se Secretary Robert Gates said he would endorse ending "Don't Ask, Don't Te=
ll" before he leaves the Pentagon later this month; the Supreme Court of Wi=
sconsin has upheld a law that takes away the collective bargaining rights o=
f public-sector employees and will take effect on June 29.
Pakistan Arrests CIA Informants in Bin Laden Raid
http://www.truth-out.org/pakistan-arrests-cia-informants-bin-laden-raid/130=
8147676
Mark Mazzetti and Eric Schmitt, The New York Times News Service: "Pakistan'=
s top military spy agency has arrested some of the Pakistani informants who=
fed information to the Central Intelligence Agency in the months leading u=
p to the raid that led to the death of Osama bin Laden, according to Americ=
an officials. Pakistan's detention of five C.I.A. informants, including a P=
akistani Army major who officials said copied the license plates of cars vi=
siting Bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, in the weeks before th=
e raid, is the latest evidence of the fractured relationship between the Un=
ited States and Pakistan. It comes at a time when the Obama administration =
is seeking Pakistan's support in brokering an endgame in the war in neighbo=
ring Afghanistan. The fate of the C.I.A. informants arrested in Pakistan is=
unclear, but American officials said that the C.I.A. director, Leon E. Pan=
etta, raised the issue when he travelled to Islamabad last week to meet wit=
h Pakistani military and intelligence officers."
In Nod to Latino Voters, Obama Makes Historic Visit to Puerto Rico (Video)
http://www.truth-out.org/nod-latino-voters-obama-makes-historic-visit-puert=
o-rico-video/1308159376
Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez, Democracy Now!: "On Tuesday, President Obama=
became the first sitting U.S. president to visit Puerto Rico in a half cen=
tury. His trip underscored the growing importance that Puerto Ricans will p=
lay in the 2012 U.S. elections. Although Puerto Ricans living on the island=
cannot vote for president, there are about 4.6 million Puerto Ricans livin=
g in the 50 states, including an estimated 857,000 in the battleground stat=
e of Florida. Democracy Now! speaks with University of Puerto Rico professo=
r Maritza Stanchich about reaction to Obama's visit amidst the island's slu=
mped economy, and violent police repression of student protests against tui=
tion hikes."
Greeks Walk Off the Job in Austerity Protest
http://www.truth-out.org/greeks-walk-job-austerity-protest/1308156443
Rachel Donadio and Niki Kitsantonis, The New York Times News Service: "Thou=
sands of Greeks joined a nationwide strike on Wednesday against sharp cuts =
to government spending as Parliament debated another round of painful auste=
rity measures intended to secure more international aid and avert a financi=
al crisis. The police fired tear gas and scuffled with protesters in the ce=
ntral Syntagma Square in Athens, and some in the crowd tried to prevent leg=
islators from entering Parliament. Police officials said they had detained =
10 people. A year after Greece received its first international bailout, th=
e Socialist prime minister, George Papandreou, is facing his greatest chall=
enge yet as he tries to balance the demands of the International Monetary F=
und and the markets with those of his electorate. Schools, tax offices and =
other public services were closed, and hospitals operated at sharply reduce=
d staffing levels."
Judge Rejects Conservative Activists' Case Against Proposition 8
http://www.truth-out.org/judge-rejects-conservative-activists-case-against-=
proposition-8/1308143841
James Russell and Mike Ludwig, Truthout: "Chief District Judge James Ware t=
hrew out a motion on Tuesday filed by conservative activists alleging that =
his predecessor, Judge Vaughn Walker, who overturned California's same-sex =
marriage ban last year, should have recused himself from the case because h=
e is in a long-term relationship with another man. Walker retired from the =
federal district bench in Northern California in February and revealed that=
he has been in a relationship with another man for ten years. Proponents o=
f the ban, known as Proposition 8, argued that Walker's ruling should be ov=
erturned because he stands to benefit from a same-sex marriage. Ware heard =
oral arguments over the motion on Monday, and the judge pointed out that th=
ere is no evidence that Walker plans to marry his partner."
Electrical Fire Knocks Out Spent Fuel Cooling at Nebraska Nuclear Plant
http://www.truth-out.org/electrical-fire-knocks-out-spent-fuel-cooling-nebr=
aska-nuke-plant/1308155673
John Sullivan, ProPublica: "A fire in an electrical switch room on Tuesday =
briefly knocked out cooling for a pool holding spent nuclear fuel at the Fo=
rt Calhoun nuclear plant outside Omaha, Neb., plant officials said. The saf=
ety of deep pools used to store used radioactive fuel at nuclear plants has=
been an issue since the accident at Japan's Fukushima nuclear plant in Mar=
ch. If the cooling water in a pool is lost, the used nuclear fuel could cat=
ch fire and release radiation. As ProPublica reported earlier, fire safety =
is a continuing concern at the country's 104 commercial reactors, as is the=
volume of spent fuel piling up at plants. Officials at Fort Calhoun said t=
he situation at their plant came nowhere near to Fukushima's. They said it =
would have taken 88 hours for the heat produced by the fuel to boil away th=
e cooling water. Workers restored cooling in about 90 minutes, and plant of=
ficials said the temperature in the pool only increased by two degrees."
Unrest Pushes Yemen to Brink of Humanitarian Disaster
http://www.truth-out.org/unrest-pushes-yemen-brink-humanitarian-disaster/13=
08156031
Adam Baron, McClatchy Newspapers: "Even before demonstrators began demandin=
g the resignation of President Ali Abdullah Saleh five months ago, Yemen's =
future looked bleak. A third of its people couldn't be certain when they'd =
next eat. The oilfields that provide 70 percent of government revenues and =
more than 30 percent of the country's economic activity were expected to go=
dry in 10 years. Experts even were betting that Sanaa would be the first w=
orld capital to run out of water. But now, with Saleh lying wounded in a ho=
spital in Saudi Arabia after an assassination attempt, the political system=
paralyzed by armed conflict and disagreements about what should happen to =
his government, and economic activity grinding to a halt, the future may be=
now."
Torture Accountability After All?
http://www.truth-out.org/torture-accountability-after-all/1308146637
Stephen Soldz, Truthout: "Over the last few years, as one avenue of account=
ability after another was closed, it looked as if the torture program would=
be protected as carefully by the Obama administration as it was by the Bus=
h administration. The result, many feared, was that torture would remain an=
available tool of the state, to be dragged out by future administrations w=
ho could cite the lack of accountability for Bush torture by a Democratic a=
dministration as evidence of a bipartisan consensus that torture really isn=
't that bad. Many human rights experts have argued that future courts, too,=
could view the current lack of accountability as a legal precedent, potent=
ially further shielding future torturers. The one avenue for accountability=
that wasn't closed by the Obama administration was the investigation by De=
partment of Justice prosecutor John Durham. Durham, readers may recall, was=
the federal prosecutor originally tasked to investigate the destruction of=
CIA interrogation videotapes in apparent violation of a court order. In 20=
09, Attorney General Eric Holder expanded Durham's mandate to include inves=
tigating incidents of detainee treatment that went beyond even those action=
s approved under the so-called 'torture memos' of the Bush Justice Departme=
nt."
Stricter Regulation of Formaldehyde Remains Uncertain Despite Carcinogen Ru=
ling
http://www.truth-out.org/stricter-regulation-formaldehyde-remains-uncertain=
-despite-carcinogen-ruling/1308144596
Joaquin Sapien, ProPublica: "Late last week, the Department of Health and H=
uman Services classified formaldehyde as 'a known carcinogen,' adding its v=
erdict to two similar reports released by key agencies since 2009. But desp=
ite the growing scientific consensus about how formaldehyde can affect huma=
n health, it remains to be seen if the studies will lead to tighter U.S. fo=
rmaldehyde regulations. As we've previously reported, the Environmental Pro=
tection Agency has been trying to update its chemical risk assessment for f=
ormaldehyde since 1998, but has been stalled repeatedly by the chemical man=
ufacturing industry. EPA assessments are the country's gold standard for ho=
w dangerous a chemical is."
The Greek Volcano
http://www.truth-out.org/greek-volcano/1308075009
Evaggelos Vallianatos, Truthout: "I spent May 2011 in Greece. On the surfac=
e, nothing looked unusual in Athens. The same mess of traffic jams was ever=
ywhere, the risk of crossing major streets, too many people moving in the n=
arrow pedestrian spaces away from zooming cars; and the same number of fore=
igners around Omonoia Square. Occasionally, one sees a beggar. However, at =
the center of the city, across from Grand Bretagne Hotel in the Syntagma Sq=
uare, I saw groups protesting or advertising rights for Afghanistani and Ir=
aqi political refugees in Greece. But underneath this superficial calm, the=
re's a volcano brewing. Discontent is everywhere. Academics and others comp=
lain of the incompetent and corrupt state managing the sinking of the Greek=
economy and society."
TRUTHOUT'S BUZZFLASH DAILY HEADLINES
The Republican effort to privatize Medicare insurance is nothing but a stra=
tegy to redistribute wealth upward. It has nothing to do with improving car=
e and cutting costs. In fact, it would decrease access and the quality of h=
ealth care for seniors, with the exception of the richest Americans. (http:=
//blog.buzzflash.com/node/12768)
That is because for-profit insurance companies make money, as BuzzFlash has=
noted before, by adding overhead (profit) to the cost of health insurance =
and denying as many medical services as possible to increase net revenue.
Wendell Potter, a former CIGNA vice president, reveals where some of that p=
rofit goes (http://prwatch.org/news/2011/06/10821/health-insurers-pump-your=
-premiums-financial-black-hole):
"You might be surprised to learn that more and more of the dollars you pay =
for coverage are being sucked into a kind of black hole.
It doesn't really disappear, of course. It just doesn't do you a bit of goo=
d - unless, of course, you believe it is to your advantage that it ultimate=
ly winds up in the bank accounts of a few investors and insurance company e=
xecutives, including those who have to power to deny coverage for potential=
ly life-saving care.
If you've been paying attention to what health insurance company CEOs have =
been saying to Wall Street over the past several months, you will know that=
they are spending more and more of their firms' cash - which comes from yo=
u, of course - to 'repurchase' their firms' stock. And Wall Street absolute=
ly loves that."
In a just-released report (http://www.2theadvocate.com/blogs/politicsblog/1=
23787414.html) on an effort by GOP Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal to privatize=
the oversight of health care benefits for state workers, the consultants c=
oncluded that the state would be paying more in premiums using a for-profit=
third party. Moreover, this was a report that Jindal commissioned and then=
tried to unsuccessfully suppress.
The Jindal report concluded, "that a private company would raise premiums t=
o maintain a pre-tax operating margin of 4.5 to 7 percent." The consultants=
noted that the current state "agency [administering health care insurance]=
is generating surpluses through lower than expected expenses and cost-savi=
ng measures."
So, there you have it, yet again: privatization of health insurance increas=
es costs and, in most cases, reduces care except for those who can afford c=
omprehensive policies with low deductibles.
What privatization is about is not saving money, but making the wealthy ins=
urance companies - including CEOs and shareholders - more profitable, at a =
higher overall cost to the American economy and a lower standard of care fo=
r most citizens.
Mark Karlin
Editor, BuzzFlash at Truthout
The Republicans Want a More Ignorant Population, So They Are Cutting Educat=
ional Funds for College and Pre-College
Read the Article at BuzzFlash
http://blog.buzzflash.com/node/12771
Green Jobs Are Real: US Solar Employs More People Than Steel
Read the Article at Grist
http://www.grist.org/green-jobs/2011-06-14-green-jobs-are-real-u.s.-solar-e=
mploys-more-people-than-steel
Are We on the Brink of Burying Nuclear Power Forever?
Read the Article at BuzzFlash
http://blog.buzzflash.com/node/12772
Demonstrators Arrested in Chicago Protesting "Corporate Welfare"
Read the Article at NBC Chicago
http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/ctu-rally-123863419.html#ixzz1PMJbvkkk
House Members to Sue Obama Administration Over Libya Mission
Read the Article at CNN
http://www.cnn.com/2011/POLITICS/06/15/war.powers.libya/index.html
Michele Bachmann's Unrivaled Extremism
Read the Article at The Daily Beast
http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2011-06-14/michele-bachmanns=
-unrivaled-extremism-gay-rights-to-religion/?om_rid=3DCZthPx&om_mid=3D_BN$K=
cKB8bvcKp0
Tea Party Child Indoctrination "Camps"
Read the Article at Crooks and Liars
http://crooksandliars.com/john-amato/tea-party-child-indoctrination-camps
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<title></title>
</head>
<body>
<center>
<table width=3D"85%" cellspacing=3D"3">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>
<p></p>
<center><a href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/di=
a/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=3DQ5djoy01lURuKwZlQGHmr5y3hC4j1%2FQL"><font color=3D"#c=
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if" alt=3D"" /></font></a></center><br />
<!-- TemplateBeginEditable name=3D"content" --><p>Wedne=
sday 15 June 2011 <br />
<br />
<font><strong>William Rivers Pitt | Down in the Ditch</strong></font><br />
William Rivers Pitt, Truthout: "There is never a shortage of Stupid in Amer=
ican politics, but by normal standards, our recent history has been pretty =
spectacular. Rep. Anthony Weiner is caught in what could very easily go dow=
n in history as the single most absurd sex scandal to ever unfold. The Repu=
blican leadership continues to play chicken with the debt limit, making eve=
n the titans of the financial industry nervous. Michele Bachmann is being t=
aken seriously by the 'mainstream' news media after the first GOP debate ..=
. and as far as Stupid goes, really, that's all you need to say. Sometimes,=
however, the Stupid skyrockets to new and heretofore unknown heights. It t=
akes a special kind of purebred dunderhead to raise the benchmark, and in t=
hat spirit, I give you Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), who opined last week t=
hat once Iraq becomes a rich and prosperous country, they should repay the =
United States for the money spent on the invasion and occupation. Let that =
sink in for a moment."<br />
<a href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=3DvuFHj3=
4gvNjzmh2OMM1KqY53Z80WRTDR"><font color=3D"#cc0000">Read the Article</font>=
</a> <br />
<br />
<font><strong>More Bucks, Less Bang (Part II): Can We Give Some Power Back =
to the DoD Oversight Personnel?</strong></font><br />
Dina Rasor, Truthout: "On June 3, the DoD put out a memo from a special Pen=
tagon group to study the problem showing that weapons' testing is not respo=
nsible for most of the delays in our overrun weapon systems that have been =
running years behind schedule. According to a story in Bloomberg News entit=
led 'Weapons Testers Found Not to Blame for Procurement Delays,' the study =
of 40 weapons programs 'investigated reports from program managers and prog=
ram executive officers, or PEOs, that testers imposed requirements beyond t=
he scope of weapons programs.' Instead, the DoD memo 'found no significant =
evidence that the testing community typically drives unplanned requirements=
, cost or schedule into programs,' but that the deep flaws and problems wit=
h the weapons that the testing found were the cause of most of the delays. =
In other words, the program managers et al., who called for the study becau=
se they were frustrated about weapons testing, had it thrown back into thei=
r face because it was their lack of quality in production and design that h=
ad to be fixed once the testing had found the problems." <br />
<a href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=3DXb7BQc=
g%2BE0iBpz85FnUw9Y53Z80WRTDR"><font color=3D"#cc0000">Read the Article</fon=
t></a> <br />
<br />
<font><strong>Wisconsin Court Reinstates Law on Union Rights</strong></font=
><br />
Monica Davey, The New York Times News Service: "The Wisconsin Supreme Court=
cleared the way on Tuesday for significant cuts to collective bargaining r=
ights for public workers in the state, undoing a lower court's decision tha=
t Wisconsin's controversial law had been passed improperly. The Supreme Cou=
rt's ruling, issued at the close of the business day, spared lawmakers in t=
he Republican-dominated Capitol from having to do what some of them strongl=
y hoped to avoid: calling for a new vote on the polarizing collective barga=
ining measure, which had drawn tens of thousands of protesters to Madison t=
his year and led Democratic lawmakers to flee the city in an effort to bloc=
k the bill. Republican leaders had warned on Monday that if the Supreme Cou=
rt did not rule by Tuesday, they would feel compelled to attach the same me=
asure to the state's budget bill, which is expected to be approved this wee=
k." <br />
<a href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=3DUaUcDS=
3GRh6P%2FoTBM8TgDY53Z80WRTDR"><font color=3D"#cc0000">Read the Article</fon=
t></a> <br />
<br />
<font><strong>News in Brief: GOP Cuts to Food Assistance Equal One Day of B=
ush Tax Cuts, and More ...</strong></font><br />
House Republicans' 2012 Agriculture Appropriations Bill would cut $38 milli=
on from the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, $63 million from the Emerg=
ency Food Assistance Program and more than $800 million from the Special Su=
pplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, equivalent to=
the cost of extending the Bush tax cuts for top earners for one day; Defen=
se Secretary Robert Gates said he would endorse ending "Don't Ask, Don't Te=
ll" before he leaves the Pentagon later this month; the Supreme Court of Wi=
sconsin has upheld a law that takes away the collective bargaining rights o=
f public-sector employees and will take effect on June 29.<br />
<a href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=3DSFdsGY=
wAW%2B0xv8KWG%2B48F453Z80WRTDR"><font color=3D"#cc0000">Read the Article</f=
ont></a> <br />
<br />
<font><strong>Pakistan Arrests CIA Informants in Bin Laden Raid</strong></f=
ont><br />
Mark Mazzetti and Eric Schmitt, The New York Times News Service: "Pakistan'=
s top military spy agency has arrested some of the Pakistani informants who=
fed information to the Central Intelligence Agency in the months leading u=
p to the raid that led to the death of Osama bin Laden, according to Americ=
an officials. Pakistan's detention of five C.I.A. informants, including a P=
akistani Army major who officials said copied the license plates of cars vi=
siting Bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, in the weeks before th=
e raid, is the latest evidence of the fractured relationship between the Un=
ited States and Pakistan. It comes at a time when the Obama administration =
is seeking Pakistan's support in brokering an endgame in the war in neighbo=
ring Afghanistan. The fate of the C.I.A. informants arrested in Pakistan is=
unclear, but American officials said that the C.I.A. director, Leon E. Pan=
etta, raised the issue when he travelled to Islamabad last week to meet wit=
h Pakistani military and intelligence officers."<br />
<a href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=3DQ0e%2B=
Fq77XaF4%2F2jB6A5cdI53Z80WRTDR"><font color=3D"#cc0000">Read the Article</f=
ont></a> <br />
<br />
<font><strong>In Nod to Latino Voters, Obama Makes Historic Visit to Puerto=
Rico (Video)</strong></font><br />
Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez, Democracy Now!: "On Tuesday, President Obama=
became the first sitting U.S. president to visit Puerto Rico in a half cen=
tury. His trip underscored the growing importance that Puerto Ricans will p=
lay in the 2012 U.S. elections. Although Puerto Ricans living on the island=
cannot vote for president, there are about 4.6 million Puerto Ricans livin=
g in the 50 states, including an estimated 857,000 in the battleground stat=
e of Florida. Democracy Now! speaks with University of Puerto Rico professo=
r Maritza Stanchich about reaction to Obama's visit amidst the island's slu=
mped economy, and violent police repression of student protests against tui=
tion hikes."<br />
<a href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=3Dq3Oh6T=
ShXdg%2F%2FA7iUWJ%2F5o53Z80WRTDR"><font color=3D"#cc0000">Watch the Video</=
font></a> <br />
<br />
<font><strong>Greeks Walk Off the Job in Austerity Protest</strong></font><=
br />
Rachel Donadio and Niki Kitsantonis, The New York Times News Service: "Thou=
sands of Greeks joined a nationwide strike on Wednesday against sharp cuts =
to government spending as Parliament debated another round of painful auste=
rity measures intended to secure more international aid and avert a financi=
al crisis. The police fired tear gas and scuffled with protesters in the ce=
ntral Syntagma Square in Athens, and some in the crowd tried to prevent leg=
islators from entering Parliament. Police officials said they had detained =
10 people. A year after Greece received its first international bailout, th=
e Socialist prime minister, George Papandreou, is facing his greatest chall=
enge yet as he tries to balance the demands of the International Monetary F=
und and the markets with those of his electorate. Schools, tax offices and =
other public services were closed, and hospitals operated at sharply reduce=
d staffing levels." <br />
<a href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=3DIRDhOL=
uEf7aQ3fZL2j9xEY53Z80WRTDR"><font color=3D"#cc0000">Read the Article</font>=
</a> <br />
<br />
<font><strong>Judge Rejects Conservative Activists' Case Against Propositio=
n 8</strong></font><br />
James Russell and Mike Ludwig, Truthout: "Chief District Judge James Ware t=
hrew out a motion on Tuesday filed by conservative activists alleging that =
his predecessor, Judge Vaughn Walker, who overturned California's same-sex =
marriage ban last year, should have recused himself from the case because h=
e is in a long-term relationship with another man. Walker retired from the =
federal district bench in Northern California in February and revealed that=
he has been in a relationship with another man for ten years. Proponents o=
f the ban, known as Proposition 8, argued that Walker's ruling should be ov=
erturned because he stands to benefit from a same-sex marriage. Ware heard =
oral arguments over the motion on Monday, and the judge pointed out that th=
ere is no evidence that Walker plans to marry his partner." <br />
<a href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=3DAtpEfW=
2agyCsJmY6aQBw5453Z80WRTDR"><font color=3D"#cc0000">Read the Article</font>=
</a> <br />
<br />
<font><strong>Electrical Fire Knocks Out Spent Fuel Cooling at Nebraska Nuc=
lear Plant</strong></font><br />
John Sullivan, ProPublica: "A fire in an electrical switch room on Tuesday =
briefly knocked out cooling for a pool holding spent nuclear fuel at the Fo=
rt Calhoun nuclear plant outside Omaha, Neb., plant officials said. The saf=
ety of deep pools used to store used radioactive fuel at nuclear plants has=
been an issue since the accident at Japan's Fukushima nuclear plant in Mar=
ch. If the cooling water in a pool is lost, the used nuclear fuel could cat=
ch fire and release radiation. As ProPublica reported earlier, fire safety =
is a continuing concern at the country's 104 commercial reactors, as is the=
volume of spent fuel piling up at plants. Officials at Fort Calhoun said t=
he situation at their plant came nowhere near to Fukushima's. They said it =
would have taken 88 hours for the heat produced by the fuel to boil away th=
e cooling water. Workers restored cooling in about 90 minutes, and plant of=
ficials said the temperature in the pool only increased by two degrees." <b=
r />
<a href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=3DuY2y0Z=
HrGJdfU5ng4RkzRpy3hC4j1%2FQL"><font color=3D"#cc0000">Read the Article</fon=
t></a> <br />
<br />
<font><strong>Unrest Pushes Yemen to Brink of Humanitarian Disaster</strong=
></font><br />
Adam Baron, McClatchy Newspapers: "Even before demonstrators began demandin=
g the resignation of President Ali Abdullah Saleh five months ago, Yemen's =
future looked bleak. A third of its people couldn't be certain when they'd =
next eat. The oilfields that provide 70 percent of government revenues and =
more than 30 percent of the country's economic activity were expected to go=
dry in 10 years. Experts even were betting that Sanaa would be the first w=
orld capital to run out of water. But now, with Saleh lying wounded in a ho=
spital in Saudi Arabia after an assassination attempt, the political system=
paralyzed by armed conflict and disagreements about what should happen to =
his government, and economic activity grinding to a halt, the future may be=
now."<br />
<a href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=3Dlz8ZTD=
Q1q7FwQ0iC6D7Cto53Z80WRTDR"><font color=3D"#cc0000">Read the Article</font>=
</a> <br />
<br />
<font><strong>Torture Accountability After All?</strong></font><br />
Stephen Soldz, Truthout: "Over the last few years, as one avenue of account=
ability after another was closed, it looked as if the torture program would=
be protected as carefully by the Obama administration as it was by the Bus=
h administration. The result, many feared, was that torture would remain an=
available tool of the state, to be dragged out by future administrations w=
ho could cite the lack of accountability for Bush torture by a Democratic a=
dministration as evidence of a bipartisan consensus that torture really isn=
't that bad. Many human rights experts have argued that future courts, too,=
could view the current lack of accountability as a legal precedent, potent=
ially further shielding future torturers. The one avenue for accountability=
that wasn't closed by the Obama administration was the investigation by De=
partment of Justice prosecutor John Durham. Durham, readers may recall, was=
the federal prosecutor originally tasked to investigate the destruction of=
CIA interrogation videotapes in apparent violation of a court order. In 20=
09, Attorney General Eric Holder expanded Durham's mandate to include inves=
tigating incidents of detainee treatment that went beyond even those action=
s approved under the so-called 'torture memos' of the Bush Justice Departme=
nt."<br />
<a href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=3Db8mIlo=
pryDzzKc3PKm3DC453Z80WRTDR"><font color=3D"#cc0000">Read the Article</font>=
</a> <br />
<br />
<font><strong>Stricter Regulation of Formaldehyde Remains Uncertain Despite=
Carcinogen Ruling</strong></font><br />
Joaquin Sapien, ProPublica: "Late last week, the Department of Health and H=
uman Services classified formaldehyde as 'a known carcinogen,' adding its v=
erdict to two similar reports released by key agencies since 2009. But desp=
ite the growing scientific consensus about how formaldehyde can affect huma=
n health, it remains to be seen if the studies will lead to tighter U.S. fo=
rmaldehyde regulations. As we've previously reported, the Environmental Pro=
tection Agency has been trying to update its chemical risk assessment for f=
ormaldehyde since 1998, but has been stalled repeatedly by the chemical man=
ufacturing industry. EPA assessments are the country's gold standard for ho=
w dangerous a chemical is." <br />
<a href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=3D0j4Skm=
9YU7925WqUFMsSuI53Z80WRTDR"><font color=3D"#cc0000">Read the Article</font>=
</a> <br />
<br />
<font><strong>The Greek Volcano</strong></font><br />
Evaggelos Vallianatos, Truthout: "I spent May 2011 in Greece. On the surfac=
e, nothing looked unusual in Athens. The same mess of traffic jams was ever=
ywhere, the risk of crossing major streets, too many people moving in the n=
arrow pedestrian spaces away from zooming cars; and the same number of fore=
igners around Omonoia Square. Occasionally, one sees a beggar. However, at =
the center of the city, across from Grand Bretagne Hotel in the Syntagma Sq=
uare, I saw groups protesting or advertising rights for Afghanistani and Ir=
aqi political refugees in Greece. But underneath this superficial calm, the=
re's a volcano brewing. Discontent is everywhere. Academics and others comp=
lain of the incompetent and corrupt state managing the sinking of the Greek=
economy and society." <br />
<a href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=3De%2BCH=
8FzPjzkvjfVpeTUhgJy3hC4j1%2FQL"><font color=3D"#cc0000">Read the Article</f=
ont></a> </p>
<p><a href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=3DruD=
x1P67ODpBRrJYIc23WI53Z80WRTDR" target=3D"_blank"><font color=3D"#cc0000"><e=
m>Click here for more Truthout articles</em></font></a></p>
<p></p>
<div align=3D"center">
<table width=3D"100%" cellspacing=3D"0" cellpadding=3D"0" border=3D"0">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td valign=3D"bottom" align=3D"left">
<div align=3D"left"><strong><em>TRUTHOUT'S BUZZFLASH DAILY HEAD=
LINES</em></strong></div>
</td>
<td></td>
</tr>
<tr bgcolor=3D"#336699">
<td height=3D"3" colspan=3D"2"></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</div>
<p><em>
<p>The Republican effort to privatize Medicare insurance is nothing but a s=
trategy to redistribute wealth upward. It has nothing to do with improving =
care and cutting costs. In fact, <a href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.o=
rg/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=3Dg771kuGxAfXLKlMWgbjqv453Z80WRTDR"><font color=3D=
"#cc0000">it would decrease access and the quality of health care for senio=
rs</font></a>, with the exception of the richest Americans.</p>
<p>That is because for-profit insurance companies make money, as BuzzFlash =
has noted before, by adding overhead (profit) to the cost of health insuran=
ce and denying as many medical services as possible to increase net revenue=
.</p>
<p>Wendell Potter, a former CIGNA vice president, <a href=3D"http://org2.de=
mocracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=3Du%2FPnMXiUtznUFnPnyvhYoo53Z80WR=
TDR"><font color=3D"#cc0000">reveals where some of that profit goes</font><=
/a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>You might be surprised to learn that more and more of the dollars you pa=
y for coverage are being sucked into a kind of black hole.</p>
<p>It doesn't really disappear, of course. It just doesn't do you a bit of =
good - unless, of course, you believe it is to your advantage that it ultim=
ately winds up in the bank accounts of a few investors and insurance compan=
y executives, including those who have to power to deny coverage for potent=
ially life-saving care.</p>
<p>If you've been paying attention to what health insurance company CEOs ha=
ve been saying to Wall Street over the past several months, you will know t=
hat they are spending more and more of their firms' cash - which comes from=
you, of course - to "repurchase" their firms' stock. And Wall Street absol=
utely loves that.</p>
</blockquote>
<p><a href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=3D31j=
sDZFoXuj92DxldP3rT453Z80WRTDR"><font color=3D"#cc0000">In a just-released r=
eport</font></a> on an effort by GOP Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal to privati=
ze the oversight of health care benefits for state workers, the consultants=
concluded that the state would be paying more in premiums using a for-prof=
it third party. Moreover, this was a report that Jindal commissioned and th=
en tried to unsuccessfully suppress.</p>
<p>The Jindal report concluded, "that a private company would raise premium=
s to maintain a pre-tax operating margin of 4.5 to 7 percent." The consulta=
nts noted that the current state "agency [administering health care insuran=
ce] is generating surpluses through lower than expected expenses and cost-s=
aving measures."</p>
<p>So, there you have it, yet again: privatization of health insurance incr=
eases costs and, in most cases, reduces care except for those who can affor=
d comprehensive policies with low deductibles.</p>
<p>What privatization is about is not saving money, but making the wealthy =
insurance companies - including CEOs and shareholders - more profitable, at=
a higher overall cost to the American economy and a lower standard of care=
for most citizens.</p>
<p>Mark Karlin<br />
Editor, BuzzFlash at Truthout</p>
</em></p>
<p><strong>The Republicans Want a More Ignorant Population, So They Are Cut=
ting Educational Funds for College and Pre-College<br />
</strong><a href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=
=3DKdSCTZAubcLQ0CzEFsXfpo53Z80WRTDR" target=3D"_blank"><font color=3D"#cc00=
00">Read the Article at BuzzFlash</font></a></p>
<p><strong>Green Jobs Are Real: US Solar Employs More People Than Steel<br =
/>
</strong><a href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=
=3Dfy3%2BO0dBDahgJcU%2BRoTTjI53Z80WRTDR" target=3D"_blank"><font color=3D"#=
cc0000">Read the Article at Grist</font></a></p>
<p><strong>Are We on the Brink of Burying Nuclear Power Forever?<br />
</strong><a href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=
=3D9wzYVeg5UGkgRhnt9iz2GI53Z80WRTDR" target=3D"_blank"><font color=3D"#cc00=
00">Read the Article at BuzzFlash</font></a></p>
<p><strong>Demonstrators Arrested in Chicago Protesting "Corporate Welfare"=
<br />
</strong><a href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=
=3Dz4heI9NAYW5cRAaY3xQDipy3hC4j1%2FQL" target=3D"_blank"><font color=3D"#cc=
0000">Read the Article at NBC Chicago</font></a></p>
<p><strong>House Members to Sue Obama Administration Over Libya Mission<br =
/>
</strong><a href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=
=3Dyiw8kz7L2bdaDeGvVF5RgJy3hC4j1%2FQL" target=3D"_blank"><font color=3D"#cc=
0000">Read the Article at CNN</font></a></p>
<p><strong>Michele Bachmann's Unrivaled Extremism<br />
</strong><a href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=
=3D31CPmm5hHbmvnWQ0akkJxI53Z80WRTDR" target=3D"_blank"><font color=3D"#cc00=
00">Read the Article at The Daily Beast</font></a></p>
<p><strong>Tea Party Child Indoctrination "Camps"<br />
</strong><a href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=
=3DfPYw%2BTgJ6HWnjb1KW2yPMo53Z80WRTDR" target=3D"_blank"><font color=3D"#cc=
0000">Read the Article at Crooks and Liars</font></a></p>
<p><a href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=3DuIJ=
PATvG26kAwahzlP4PCY53Z80WRTDR"><b><font color=3D"#cc0000"><em>Click here fo=
r more BuzzFlash headlines</em></font></b></a></p>
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