[155571] in Zephyr_Bugs
Koch Brothers, ALEC and Their Corporate Allies Plan to Privatize
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (t r u t h o u t)
Thu Jul 14 16:28:20 2011
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Date: Thu, 14 Jul 2011 16:28:14 -0400 (EDT)
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t r u t h o u t | As the grand budget debate unfolds, we're being handed only two political options by the corporate media - watch the government default on our debt with chaotic results, or begin hacking away at the benefits that have kept our country strong since the Great Depression. You can help Truthout subvert the lies of the festering beltway media by providing trustworthy information and coherent, truthful analysis. We have about $6,000 left to raise left to raise to reach our fundraising goal, meet our budget and end our drive. Can you help us stay strong while we work to flesh out the truth amid the chaos that is Washington, DC? This is a key time to contribute to Truthout: a foundation will match donations by our readers dollar for dollar! Make a tax-deductible donation by clicking here:
https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=JHDACXCQ473FG
(We're having technical issues with our Members' Page, so we set up a temporary page where you can donate by credit card or through PayPal.)
You can also donate by check, made payable to:
Truthout, P.O. Box 276414, Sacramento, CA 95827
(Please help us go green by including your email address on your check.)
Or call in your donation:
213.489.1971
07.14
Koch Brothers, ALEC and Their Corporate Allies Plan to Privatize Government
http://www.truth-out.org/publicopoly-exposed/1310660473
Beau Hodai, In These Times: "On February 25, 2011, Florida State Representative Chris Dorworth (R-Lake Mary) introduced HB 1021. Given the similarities between HB 1021 and a rash of like-minded bills in states across the country, including Wisconsin, on March 30 a public records request was sent to Dorworth's office seeking copies of all documents pertaining to the writing of HB 1021, including copies of any pieces of model legislation the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) may have provided."
William Rivers Pitt | The Chessmaster Cometh?
http://www.truth-out.org/chessmaster-cometh/1310578994
William Rivers Pitt, Truthout: "Die-hard supporters of Mr. Obama will happily tell you, in the midst of this deranged debate over the debt ceiling, that the president is playing some form of pan-dimensional chess against a pack of checkers-playing Republicans. The fact that they said the same thing when Obama chose to keep the Bush-era tax cuts for rich people, when he doubled down on Afghanistan, failed to close the Guantanamo prison, and buckled like a punch-drunk fighter during the health care debate, does not seem to matter. They're saying it again, and who knows? Maybe it's even true this time."
Juan Cole Sues FBI and CIA for Suspected Files
http://www.truth-out.org/juan-cole-suses-fbi-and-cia-suspected-files/1310649855
Niraj Warikoo, Detroit Free Press: "The American Civil Liberties Union and a University of Michigan professor filed a lawsuit Wednesday against the CIA and FBI that seeks files related to alleged attempts by the White House to smear the professor by digging up dirt on his personal life. Filed in Detroit, the federal lawsuit asks the intelligence agencies for all files they might have that are related to Juan Cole, a history professor who lives in Ann Arbor and writes a blog about Middle Eastern issues. According to a former CIA official, in 2005 the White House asked the CIA to smear Cole because he was critical of Bush administration policies in the Arab world."
Activists Pave Way for Thousands of New Community Radio Stations
http://www.truth-out.org/activists-pave-way-thousands-new-community-radio-stations/1310667931
Mike Ludwig, Truthout: "Media reform activists recently won several crucial victories in the battle to free the nation's radio channels from corporate control and, thanks to their efforts, grassroots groups across the country will soon have a chance to run thousands of low-power and community radio stations. Last week, a federal court in Philadelphia threw out a 2008 Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rule that allowed one media company to own a newspaper and broadcast outlets in the same city. The ruling is the latest victory for groups challenging the FCCs attempts to deregulate media ownership and activists say the decision is a blow to big media conglomerates and a victory for the community media movement."
Economic Update: Your Weekly Dose of Revolutionary Economics
http://www.truth-out.org/economic-update-your-weekly-dose-revolutionary-economics/1310498361
Every Saturday, Economics Professor Richard D. Wolff and guests discuss the current state of the economy, both locally and globally in relation to the economic crisis. They focus on wages, jobs, taxes and debts - and on interest rates, prices and profits. The goal is to explain why certain economic changes are happening and other changes get postponed or blocked and they will explore alternative ways to organize enterprises, markets and government policies. The show is for people who want to understand and change not only their own financial situation. but also the larger economy upon which we all depend.
On the News With Thom Hartmann: United States in Danger of Losing "AAA" Credit Rating, and More
http://www.truth-out.org/news-thom-hartmann/1310657960
In today's On the News segment: United States in danger of losing "AAA" credit rating; 13,000 prisoners risking death in national hunger strike in 13 prisons across the country; corporations sitting on $2 trillion in cash meant to boost the economy; Democrats blast GOP voter ID laws restricting voter rights for students, poor people and the elderly; bars and restaurants in Minnesota running out of beer because of government shutdown; and more.
Breaking Down the Silos: Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement
http://www.truth-out.org/breaking-down-silos-iowa-citizens-community-improvement/1310661779
Amy Dean, Truthout: "Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement (CCI), founded in the mid-1970s, has grown over the past decades into one of the most thoughtful, aggressive and innovative community-based organizations in the nation, taking on issues of predatory lending, immigrant rights, clean elections and the abuses of corporate agriculture. If Espey's vision is ambitious, it is backed by an impressive record of achievement and a bold organizing agenda - by grassroots campaigns that cross boundaries of race, bridge urban and rural constituencies and break down traditional barriers between issues. And his organization is pioneering this work not in a liberal metropolis, but at a statewide level in the heart of the country."
GOP Dogma on Taxes, Spending and Revenue vs. the Facts
http://www.truth-out.org/gop-dogma-taxes-spending-andrevenue-vs-facts/1310649524
Robert Borosage, The Campaign for America's Future: "Conservatives say they are prepared to blow up the economy by not lifting the debt limit if that is what it takes to avoid raising taxes on the rich - even to avoid closing loopholes that have hedge fund billionaires paying a lower tax rate than their chauffeurs. Nonsense. First, neither tax hikes nor spending cuts should take place until the economy gets going. Finally, this basic conservative article of faith is simply not supported by evidence."
Paul Krugman | Mistakes Repeated Through Superstition and Prejudice
http://www.truth-out.org/mistakes-repeated-through-superstition-and-prejudice/1310653896
Paul Krugman, Krugman & Co.: "I recently picked up a copy of Lionel Robbins's 1934 book 'The Great Depression' in a used book shop in Norwich, England. It's quite revealing: judicious in tone, full of tables and facts, clearly meant to be seen as the work of a wise observer - indeed, a Very Serious Person. And utterly, utterly wrongheaded. And after surveying the wreckage all around him, he declares that the cause of the Depression was excessive government intervention, and the remedy, the thing needed to restore that all-essential confidence was ... drum roll ... a return to the gold standard."
Will North America Be the New Middle East?
http://www.truth-out.org/will-north-america-be-new-middle-east/1310660897
Bill McKibben, TomDispatch: "Two weeks ago, for instance, a few veteran environmentalists, myself included, issued a call for protest against Canada's plans to massively expand oil imports from the tar sands regions of Alberta. We set up a new website, tarsandsaction.org, and judging from the early response, it could result in the largest civil disobedience actions in the climate-change movement's history on this continent, as hundreds, possibly thousands, of concerned activists converge on the White House in August. They'll risk arrest to demand something simple and concrete from President Obama: that he refuse to grant a license for Keystone XL, a new pipeline from Alberta to the Gulf of Mexico that would vastly increase the flow of tar sands oil through the U.S., ensuring that the exploitation of Alberta's tar sands will only increase."
Obama Ends Tense Debt Talks With Warning
http://www.truth-out.org/obama-ends-tense-debt-talks-warning/1310650437
Lisa Mascaro and Christi Parsons, The Los Angeles Times: "President Obama abruptly left debt negotiations with congressional leaders Wednesday at the White House when a top Republican said there was no longer time to engage in the large-scale deficit reduction discussions the White House is now seeking as part of a vote to raise the nation's debt ceiling. The flare-up came at the end of the nearly two-hour session during which House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) told the president that Congress should instead consider a series of debt ceiling votes based on spending cuts that already have been identified. Talks could then continue to identify additional cuts for subsequent votes, he said."
Robert Reich | The President's Jobs Plan (Not)
http://www.truth-out.org/presidents-jobs-plan-not/1310666366
Robert Reich, Robert Reich's Blog: "What did the President do in response to last week's horrendous job report - unemployment rising to 9.2 percent in June, with only 18,000 new jobs (125,000 are needed each month just to keep up with the growth in the potential labor force)? He said the economy continues to be in a deep hole, and he urged Congress to extend the temporary reduction in the employee part of the payroll tax, approve pending free-trade agreements, and pass a measure to streamline patent procedures. To call this inadequate would be a gross understatement."
Israeli-Government-Funded Group Wages Lawfare on Anti-Occupation Activists
http://www.truth-out.org/israeli-government-funded-group-wages-lawfare-anti-occupation-activists/1310576891
Charlotte Silver, Truthout: "In May 2011, the high-profile settler organization Elad sued 15 political activists for distributing what it called libelous leaflets outside of the archaeological site it manages, the 'City of David' in East Jerusalem. Elad, also known as the Ir David Foundation, is an ultranationalist Jewish-Israeli organization that, in 1994, became the first and only private organization to maintain an Israeli national park - the City of David, arguably one of the most important, and certainly one of the most contentious, archaeological sites in Israel."
The National Education Association Flunks a Crucial Test
http://www.truth-out.org/national-education-association-flunks-crucial-test/1310156594
Ann Robertson and Bill Leumer, Truthout: "With the growing inequalities in wealth in the US, where money is increasingly concentrated at the top while the working people and poor are losing ground, it becomes even more irrational and even criminal to hold teachers responsible for low test scores. But the Obama administration, which is dominated by the interests of those at the top, is studiously ignoring this point. And this takes us back to the NEA convention. The most significant step taken with a vote of almost 2 to 1 - and the point that should have been the major focus of The New York Times article - was the decision to endorse Barack Obama for his election run in 2012."
TRUTHOUT'S BUZZFLASH DAILY HEADLINES
"The tax collector cometh" could have been the headline for Michele Bachmann's presidential campaign launch in Waterloo, Iowa - her hometown - awhile back, but it wasn't.
Although Bachmann refers to her "experience as a tax attorney" in her official House of Representatives biography (http://bachmann.house.gov/Biography/ ), she doesn't mention that her primary employer as a tax attorney was the Internal Revenue Service - public enemy number one of the Tea Party, after President Obama.
In a Wall Street Journal article entitled "Bachmann's Tax Attorney Job Was Collector for the IRS," it states bluntly: (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303812104576437830202611222.html?mod=WSJ_WSJ_US_News_5 )
"Republican presidential hopeful Michele Bachmann touts one job as her primary professional experience before entering politics. On the campaign trail, she describes it as being a 'federal tax litigation attorney.' Others might call it tax collector.
Ms. Bachmann spent four years with the Internal Revenue Service district counsel office in St. Paul, Minn., from 1988 to 1992."
But such revelations have done little to dampen the enthusiasm of anti-tax crusaders for Bachmann.
That's because progressives sometimes forget that politicians today market a brand, and television is their primary vehicle for promoting their brand. And visuals are perhaps more important - as Reagan's communications team proved - than what facts come out of the "liberal press." (Although it is hard to imagine the Rupert Murdoch-owned Wall Street Journal being part of such a "leftist conspiracy.")
"This is where my Iowa roots were firmly planted, and it is these Iowa roots and my faith in God that guide me today," Bachmann said as she began her announcement. (http://www.myfoxchicago.com/dpps/news/national/michele-bachmann-waterloo-iowa-2012-president-june-27-2011_13870671 )
And what the Bachmann supporters saw during her official presidential launch in Waterloo, Iowa, was a staged Disneyesque snapshot of small town America, where the Christians are Christians, the US can do no wrong (except for the government) and Bachmann looks like the great white hope.
While progressives sneered and hooted at Bachmann's gaffe of confusing John Wayne with the serial killer John Wayne Gacy during her Waterloo kick-off, her backers were reassured by the comforting television images of a confident woman amid the bunting and Victorian homes of the mythical American past of "five decades ago."
Bachmann may espouse a vision that the best future for America is a return to its imagined past, but that appeals to the vulnerability of many white Americans who have grown increasing restive at a time of growing demographic diversity and economic uncertainty.
Mark Karlin
Editor, BuzzFlash at Truthout
Murdoch Is the Orwellian Vision of Our Time, a Direct Threat to the Survival of Democracy
Read the Article at BuzzFlash
http://blog.buzzflash.com/node/12852
Low Registration Sinks Tea Party Convention
Read the Article at Roll Call
http://www.rollcall.com/news/low_registration_sinks_tea_party_convention-207282-1.html?ET=rollcall:e10583:80103758a:&st=email&pos=epol
Ten Things the GOP Doesn't Want You to Know About the Debt
Read the Article at Bringing Light to Darkness
http://www.perrspectives.com/blog/archives/002215.htm
Police Forces Across US to Use Facial-Recognition Devices
Read the Article at The Wall Street Journal
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303678704576440253307985070.html
Rupert on the Run: News Corp's UK Future in Doubt as MPs Turn on Murdoch
Read the Article at The Independent UK
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/press/rupert-on-the-run-news-corps-uk-future-in-doubt-as-mps-turn-on-murdoch-2313346.html
Florida Gov. Rick Scott's Abusive Model of Medical Care
Read the Article at The Palm Beach Post
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/state/ex-solantic-doctor-tells-of-intense-pressure-on-1596934.html?viewAsSinglePage=true#.Th5IPKAcmUY.email
Feeding Kids When Parents, Schools Can't
Read the Article at CNN
http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/07/12/education.summer.lunch/index.html?hpt=hp_c1
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<p style=3D"font-size:110%">As the grand budget debate unfolds, we're being=
handed only two political options by the corporate media - watch the gover=
nment default on our debt with chaotic results, or begin hacking away at th=
e benefits that have kept our country strong since the Great Depression. <s=
trong>You can help Truthout subvert the lies of the festering beltway media=
by providing trustworthy information and coherent, truthful analysis.</str=
ong> We have about $6,000 left to raise left to raise to reach our fundrais=
ing goal, meet our budget and end our drive. Can you help us stay strong wh=
ile we work to flesh out the truth amid the chaos that is Washington, DC? <=
strong>This is a key time to contribute to Truthout: a foundation will matc=
h donations by our readers dollar for dollar! Make a tax-deductible donatio=
n by clicking here:</strong></p>
<center><a href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=
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<p style=3D"font-size: 110%"><b>Or call in your donation:</b><br />
213.489.1971</p>
</em> Thursday 14 July 2011 <br />
<br />
<font><strong>Koch Brothers, ALEC and Their Corporate Allies Plan to Privat=
ize Government</strong></font><br />
Beau Hodai, In These Times: "On February 25, 2011, Florida State Representa=
tive Chris Dorworth (R-Lake Mary) introduced HB 1021. Given the similaritie=
s between HB 1021 and a rash of like-minded bills in states across the coun=
try, including Wisconsin, on March 30 a public records request was sent to =
Dorworth's office seeking copies of all documents pertaining to the writing=
of HB 1021, including copies of any pieces of model legislation the Americ=
an Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) may have provided."<br />
<a href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=3DGXPhvU=
dmtlToBofQOFLusbdQYCIAs4Ag"><font color=3D"#cc0000">Read the Article</font>=
</a> <br />
<br />
<font><strong>William Rivers Pitt | The Chessmaster Cometh?</strong></font>=
<br />
William Rivers Pitt, Truthout: "Die-hard supporters of Mr. Obama will happi=
ly tell you, in the midst of this deranged debate over the debt ceiling, th=
at the president is playing some form of pan-dimensional chess against a pa=
ck of checkers-playing Republicans. The fact that they said the same thing =
when Obama chose to keep the Bush-era tax cuts for rich people, when he dou=
bled down on Afghanistan, failed to close the Guantanamo prison, and buckle=
d like a punch-drunk fighter during the health care debate, does not seem t=
o matter. They're saying it again, and who knows? Maybe it's even true this=
time."<br />
<a href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=3Dx3Hw2y=
zXaJngt2q1vTJCtn8b8iaP3AXK"><font color=3D"#cc0000">Read the Article</font>=
</a> <br />
<br />
<font><strong>Juan Cole Sues FBI and CIA for Suspected Files</strong></font=
><br />
Niraj Warikoo, Detroit Free Press: "The American Civil Liberties Union and =
a University of Michigan professor filed a lawsuit Wednesday against the CI=
A and FBI that seeks files related to alleged attempts by the White House t=
o smear the professor by digging up dirt on his personal life. Filed in Det=
roit, the federal lawsuit asks the intelligence agencies for all files they=
might have that are related to Juan Cole, a history professor who lives in=
Ann Arbor and writes a blog about Middle Eastern issues. According to a fo=
rmer CIA official, in 2005 the White House asked the CIA to smear Cole beca=
use he was critical of Bush administration policies in the Arab world." <br=
/>
<a href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=3DwAaJHM=
3cSKia28K3haes%2BLdQYCIAs4Ag"><font color=3D"#cc0000">Read the Article</fon=
t></a> <br />
<br />
<font><strong>Activists Pave Way for Thousands of New Community Radio Stati=
ons</strong></font><br />
Mike Ludwig, Truthout: "Media reform activists recently won several crucial=
victories in the battle to free the nation's radio channels from corporate=
control and, thanks to their efforts, grassroots groups across the country=
will soon have a chance to run thousands of low-power and community radio =
stations. Last week, a federal court in Philadelphia threw out a 2008 Feder=
al Communications Commission (FCC) rule that allowed one media company to o=
wn a newspaper and broadcast outlets in the same city. The ruling is the la=
test victory for groups challenging the FCCs attempts to deregulate media o=
wnership and activists say the decision is a blow to big media conglomerate=
s and a victory for the community media movement."<br />
<a href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=3DqwJgSX=
cwA3sPIWavWkx4D7dQYCIAs4Ag"><font color=3D"#cc0000">Read the Article</font>=
</a> <br />
<br />
<font><strong>Economic Update: Your Weekly Dose of Revolutionary Economics<=
/strong></font><br />
Every Saturday, Economics Professor Richard D. Wolff and guests discuss the=
current state of the economy, both locally and globally in relation to the=
economic crisis. They focus on wages, jobs, taxes and debts - and on inter=
est rates, prices and profits. The goal is to explain why certain economic =
changes are happening and other changes get postponed or blocked and they w=
ill explore alternative ways to organize enterprises, markets and governmen=
t policies. The show is for people who want to understand and change not on=
ly their own financial situation. but also the larger economy upon which we=
all depend.<br />
<a href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=3D28oVIO=
yvldOWMsn0clntardQYCIAs4Ag"><font color=3D"#cc0000">Listen to Show</font></=
a> <br />
<br />
<font><strong>On the News With Thom Hartmann: United States in Danger of Lo=
sing "AAA" Credit Rating, and More</strong></font><br />
In today's On the News segment: United States in danger of losing "AAA" cre=
dit rating; 13,000 prisoners risking death in national hunger strike in 13 =
prisons across the country; corporations sitting on $2 trillion in cash mea=
nt to boost the economy; Democrats blast GOP voter ID laws restricting vote=
r rights for students, poor people and the elderly; bars and restaurants in=
Minnesota running out of beer because of government shutdown; and more. <b=
r />
<a href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=3DNizg6y=
NCs6mtQc%2FNEaIviLdQYCIAs4Ag"><font color=3D"#cc0000">Watch the Video and R=
ead the Transcript</font></a> <br />
<br />
<font><strong>Breaking Down the Silos: Iowa Citizens for Community Improvem=
ent</strong></font><br />
Amy Dean, Truthout: "Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement (CCI), founded=
in the mid-1970s, has grown over the past decades into one of the most tho=
ughtful, aggressive and innovative community-based organizations in the nat=
ion, taking on issues of predatory lending, immigrant rights, clean electio=
ns and the abuses of corporate agriculture. If Espey's vision is ambitious,=
it is backed by an impressive record of achievement and a bold organizing =
agenda - by grassroots campaigns that cross boundaries of race, bridge urba=
n and rural constituencies and break down traditional barriers between issu=
es. And his organization is pioneering this work not in a liberal metropoli=
s, but at a statewide level in the heart of the country." <br />
<a href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=3DQD1%2F=
he0MLQC%2Fd0CRAr1DJ7dQYCIAs4Ag"><font color=3D"#cc0000">Read the Article</f=
ont></a> <br />
<br />
<font><strong>GOP Dogma on Taxes, Spending and Revenue vs. the Facts</stron=
g></font><br />
Robert Borosage, The Campaign for America's Future: "Conservatives say they=
are prepared to blow up the economy by not lifting the debt limit if that =
is what it takes to avoid raising taxes on the rich - even to avoid closing=
loopholes that have hedge fund billionaires paying a lower tax rate than t=
heir chauffeurs. Nonsense. First, neither tax hikes nor spending cuts shoul=
d take place until the economy gets going. Finally, this basic conservative=
article of faith is simply not supported by evidence."<br />
<a href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=3DVCNeDf=
ID0VzF%2FfQe6a4%2BQLdQYCIAs4Ag"><font color=3D"#cc0000">Read the Article</f=
ont></a> <br />
<br />
<font><strong>Paul Krugman | Mistakes Repeated Through Superstition and Pre=
judice</strong></font><br />
Paul Krugman, Krugman & Co.: "I recently picked up a copy of Lionel Rob=
bins's 1934 book 'The Great Depression' in a used book shop in Norwich, Eng=
land. It's quite revealing: judicious in tone, full of tables and facts, cl=
early meant to be seen as the work of a wise observer - indeed, a Very Seri=
ous Person. And utterly, utterly wrongheaded. And after surveying the wreck=
age all around him, he declares that the cause of the Depression was excess=
ive government intervention, and the remedy, the thing needed to restore th=
at all-essential confidence was ... drum roll ... a return to the gold stan=
dard."<br />
<a href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=3DIAohsY=
wj9mdbY3yvyBBcAbdQYCIAs4Ag"><font color=3D"#cc0000">Read the Article</font>=
</a> <br />
<br />
<font><strong>Will North America Be the New Middle East?</strong></font><br=
/>
Bill McKibben, TomDispatch: "Two weeks ago, for instance, a few veteran env=
ironmentalists, myself included, issued a call for protest against Canada's=
plans to massively expand oil imports from the tar sands regions of Albert=
a. We set up a new website, tarsandsaction.org, and judging from the early =
response, it could result in the largest civil disobedience actions in the =
climate-change movement's history on this continent, as hundreds, possibly =
thousands, of concerned activists converge on the White House in August. Th=
ey'll risk arrest to demand something simple and concrete from President Ob=
ama: that he refuse to grant a license for Keystone XL, a new pipeline from=
Alberta to the Gulf of Mexico that would vastly increase the flow of tar s=
ands oil through the U.S., ensuring that the exploitation of Alberta's tar =
sands will only increase."<br />
<a href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=3DeUpQ%2=
B14S%2Fg5pOrjTQg7Yf7dQYCIAs4Ag"><font color=3D"#cc0000">Read the Article</f=
ont></a> <br />
<br />
<font><strong>Obama Ends Tense Debt Talks With Warning</strong></font><br /=
>
Lisa Mascaro and Christi Parsons, The Los Angeles Times: "President Obama a=
bruptly left debt negotiations with congressional leaders Wednesday at the =
White House when a top Republican said there was no longer time to engage i=
n the large-scale deficit reduction discussions the White House is now seek=
ing as part of a vote to raise the nation's debt ceiling. The flare-up came=
at the end of the nearly two-hour session during which House Majority Lead=
er Eric Cantor (R-Va.) told the president that Congress should instead cons=
ider a series of debt ceiling votes based on spending cuts that already hav=
e been identified. Talks could then continue to identify additional cuts fo=
r subsequent votes, he said."<br />
<a href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=3DaAUY3b=
ll7btX3cxjxGV3CbdQYCIAs4Ag"><font color=3D"#cc0000">Read the Article</font>=
</a> <br />
<br />
<font><strong>Robert Reich | The President's Jobs Plan (Not)</strong></font=
><br />
Robert Reich, Robert Reich's Blog: "What did the President do in response t=
o last week's horrendous job report - unemployment rising to 9.2 percent in=
June, with only 18,000 new jobs (125,000 are needed each month just to kee=
p up with the growth in the potential labor force)? He said the economy con=
tinues to be in a deep hole, and he urged Congress to extend the temporary =
reduction in the employee part of the payroll tax, approve pending free-tra=
de agreements, and pass a measure to streamline patent procedures. To call =
this inadequate would be a gross understatement."<br />
<a href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=3DpfO2ON=
6DHCU2Bx%2Fe7dV4B7dQYCIAs4Ag"><font color=3D"#cc0000">Read the Article</fon=
t></a> <br />
<br />
<font><strong>Israeli-Government-Funded Group Wages Lawfare on Anti-Occupat=
ion Activists</strong></font><br />
Charlotte Silver, Truthout: "In May 2011, the high-profile settler organiza=
tion Elad sued 15 political activists for distributing what it called libel=
ous leaflets outside of the archaeological site it manages, the 'City of Da=
vid' in East Jerusalem. Elad, also known as the Ir David Foundation, is an =
ultranationalist Jewish-Israeli organization that, in 1994, became the firs=
t and only private organization to maintain an Israeli national park - the =
City of David, arguably one of the most important, and certainly one of the=
most contentious, archaeological sites in Israel."<br />
<a href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=3D6%2FCf=
ZX4Jod7IiL36CQqaz7dQYCIAs4Ag"><font color=3D"#cc0000">Read the Article</fon=
t></a> <br />
<br />
<font><strong>The National Education Association Flunks a Crucial Test</str=
ong></font><br />
Ann Robertson and Bill Leumer, Truthout: "With the growing inequalities in =
wealth in the US, where money is increasingly concentrated at the top while=
the working people and poor are losing ground, it becomes even more irrati=
onal and even criminal to hold teachers responsible for low test scores. Bu=
t the Obama administration, which is dominated by the interests of those at=
the top, is studiously ignoring this point. And this takes us back to the =
NEA convention. The most significant step taken with a vote of almost 2 to =
1 - and the point that should have been the major focus of The New York Tim=
es article - was the decision to endorse Barack Obama for his election run =
in 2012."<br />
<a href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=3DmfCQpM=
H%2B6bgc2O1t2MpMpLdQYCIAs4Ag"><font color=3D"#cc0000">Read the Article</fon=
t></a> </p>
<p><a href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=3D9fZ=
PKmhF%2By7jmFn%2BTXLPQLdQYCIAs4Ag" target=3D"_blank"><font color=3D"#cc0000=
"><em>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>
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<p><em>
<p>"The tax collector cometh" could have been the headline for Michele Bach=
mann's presidential campaign launch in Waterloo, Iowa - her hometown - awhi=
le back, but it wasn't.</p>
<p>Although Bachmann refers to her "experience as a tax attorney" in her <a=
href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=3DJw5qsrZO=
hglBV4u8z6kp1LdQYCIAs4Ag"><font color=3D"#cc0000">official House of Represe=
ntatives biography</font></a>, she doesn't mention that her primary employe=
r as a tax attorney was the Internal Revenue Service - public enemy number =
one of the Tea Party, after President Obama.</p>
<p>In a Wall Street Journal article entitled <a href=3D"http://org2.democra=
cyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=3DVM7IcKJP8%2FWIBbz5Cl3%2F3bdQYCIAs4Ag=
"><font color=3D"#cc0000">"Bachmann's Tax Attorney Job Was Collector for th=
e IRS,"</font></a> it states bluntly:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Republican presidential hopeful Michele Bachmann touts one job as her pr=
imary professional experience before entering politics. On the campaign tra=
il, she describes it as being a "federal tax litigation attorney." Others m=
ight call it tax collector.</p>
<p>Ms. Bachmann spent four years with the Internal Revenue Service district=
counsel office in St. Paul, Minn., from 1988 to 1992.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>But such revelations have done little to dampen the enthusiasm of anti-t=
ax crusaders for Bachmann.</p>
<p>That's because progressives sometimes forget that politicians today mark=
et a brand, and television is their primary vehicle for promoting their bra=
nd. And visuals are perhaps more important - as Reagan's communications tea=
m proved - than what facts come out of the "liberal press." (Although it is=
hard to imagine the Rupert Murdoch-owned Wall Street Journal being part of=
such a "leftist conspiracy.")</p>
<p>"This is where my Iowa roots were firmly planted, and it is these Iowa r=
oots and my faith in God that guide me today," <a href=3D"http://org2.democ=
racyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=3DcZL1imjWrEoA1AKYnksbnrdQYCIAs4Ag">=
<font color=3D"#cc0000">Bachmann said</font></a> as she began her announcem=
ent.</p>
<p>And what the Bachmann supporters saw during her official presidential la=
unch in Waterloo, Iowa, was a staged Disneyesque snapshot of small town Ame=
rica, where the Christians are Christians, the US can do no wrong (except f=
or the government) and Bachmann looks like the great white hope.</p>
<p>While progressives sneered and hooted at Bachmann's gaffe of confusing J=
ohn Wayne with the serial killer John Wayne Gacy during her Waterloo kick-o=
ff, her backers were reassured by the comforting television images of a con=
fident woman amid the bunting and Victorian homes of the mythical American =
past of "five decades ago."</p>
<p>Bachmann may espouse a vision that the best future for America is a retu=
rn to its imagined past, but that appeals to the vulnerability of many whit=
e Americans who have grown increasing restive at a time of growing demograp=
hic diversity and economic uncertainty.</p>
<p>Mark Karlin<br />
Editor, BuzzFlash at Truthout</p>
</em></p>
<p><strong>Murdoch Is the Orwellian Vision of Our Time, a Direct Threat to =
the Survival of Democracy<br />
</strong><a href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=
=3DAVumhJ6j09CfyWb8ze4yArdQYCIAs4Ag" target=3D"_blank"><font color=3D"#cc00=
00">Read the Article at BuzzFlash</font></a></p>
<p><strong>Low Registration Sinks Tea Party Convention<br />
</strong><a href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=
=3DoWVjDjrCpJY5eWQPQtd92bdQYCIAs4Ag" target=3D"_blank"><font color=3D"#cc00=
00">Read the Article at Roll Call</font></a></p>
<p><strong>Ten Things the GOP Doesn't Want You to Know About the Debt<br />
</strong><a href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=
=3DF96n9GZxFMC%2BcwKlYllprrdQYCIAs4Ag" target=3D"_blank"><font color=3D"#cc=
0000">Read the Article at Bringing Light to Darkness</font></a></p>
<p><strong>Police Forces Across US to Use Facial-Recognition Devices<br />
</strong><a href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=
=3DpxabYWQDCYVR4U1jwIXP2LdQYCIAs4Ag" target=3D"_blank"><font color=3D"#cc00=
00">Read the Article at The Wall Street Journal</font></a></p>
<p><strong>Rupert on the Run: News Corp's UK Future in Doubt as MPs Turn on=
Murdoch<br />
</strong><a href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=
=3DzAtH9%2BK6N33kDmfYZSXDubdQYCIAs4Ag" target=3D"_blank"><font color=3D"#cc=
0000">Read the Article at The Independent UK</font></a></p>
<p><strong>Florida Gov. Rick Scott's Abusive Model of Medical Care<br />
</strong><a href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=
=3DhCP%2B%2FaGjRHrupmySxuDYNrdQYCIAs4Ag" target=3D"_blank"><font color=3D"#=
cc0000">Read the Article at The Palm Beach Post</font></a></p>
<p><strong>Feeding Kids When Parents, Schools Can't<br />
</strong><a href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=
=3DK%2Fn0flgasD3ajfexZBYkhrdQYCIAs4Ag" target=3D"_blank"><font color=3D"#cc=
0000">Read the Article at CNN</font></a></p>
<p><a href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=3D2wu=
m%2F8k3bHSsD5M%2B7DL%2BzLdQYCIAs4Ag"><b><font color=3D"#cc0000"><em>Click h=
ere for more BuzzFlash headlines</em></font></b></a></p>
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