[156938] in Zephyr_Bugs
Joseph E. Stiglitz | The Price of 9/11
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (t r u t h o u t)
Wed Sep 7 16:15:27 2011
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Date: Wed, 7 Sep 2011 16:15:22 -0400 (EDT)
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t r u t h o u t | 09.07
The Price of 9/11
http://www.truth-out.org/price-911/1315403131
Joseph E. Stiglitz, Project Syndicate: "The September 11, 2001, terror atta=
cks by Al Qaeda were meant to harm the United States, and they did, but in =
ways that Osama bin Laden probably never imagined. President George W. Bush=
's response to the attacks compromised America's basic principles, undermin=
ed its economy, and weakened its security. The attack on Afghanistan that f=
ollowed the 9/11 attacks was understandable, but the subsequent invasion of=
Iraq was entirely unconnected to Al Qaeda - as much as Bush tried to estab=
lish a link. That war of choice quickly became very expensive - orders of m=
agnitude beyond the $60 billion claimed at the beginning - as colossal inco=
mpetence met dishonest misrepresentation."
Obama Transition Team Member Explains Why Administration Chose Not to Prose=
cute Torture
http://www.truth-out.org/insider-tells-why-obama-chose-not-prosecute-tortur=
e/1315419328
David Swanson, War Is a Crime: "If you can think back all the way to Januar=
y 2009, back when wars were ending, Guantanamo was closing, the Pentagon wa=
s getting oversight, employees were going to have free choice, the rich wou=
ld start paying taxes, the air would be getting cleaner, and so forth, you'=
ll recall that the Obama transition team was acting super populist and high=
-tech. They had questions from ordinary people for the President Elect subm=
itted on their website and voted up or down. The top question at the end of=
the voting had come from Bob Fertik of Democrats.com and it was this: 'Wil=
l you appoint a Special Prosecutor - ideally Patrick Fitzgerald - to indepe=
ndently investigate the gravest crimes of the Bush Administration, includin=
g torture and warrantless wiretapping?' (Bob Fertik, New York City) Not onl=
y was the answer no, but it had to be inferred because President Change U. =
Wish refused to answer the question.... However, we now have an account fro=
m someone involved in the decision process way back when."
Qaddafi Loyalists Fled to Niger by Convoy, US Affirms
http://www.truth-out.org/kadafi-loyalists-fled-niger-convoy-us-affirms/1315=
402344
Patrick J. McDonnell and Paul Richter, The Los Angeles Times: "More than a =
dozen high-ranking loyalists of Moammar Kadafi made a desert getaway into n=
eighboring Niger, US officials said Tuesday, but there was no indication th=
at the former Libyan leader or his sons had escaped. 'We're confident that =
Kadafi didn't get out,' said Jalal Gallal, a spokesman for Libya's transiti=
onal government. News that as many as 250 vehicles carrying members of Kada=
fi's inner circle, including his security chief, had crossed Monday into Ni=
ger added a dramatic twist to the manhunt for the strongman who ruled Libya=
for more than four decades. However, the Associated Press reported late Tu=
esday that a spokesman for Niger's president said that only three cars had =
crossed into Niger, ferrying one member of Kadafi's inner circle. There was=
no immediate explanation for the contradictory versions."
Defense Spending: The Worst Way to Make Jobs
http://www.truth-out.org/defense-spending-worst-way-make-jobs/1315404218
Dina Rasor, Truthout: "I see it coming. As President Obama gives his speech=
on how important it is for the government and the country to produce more =
jobs, and as the budget noose starts to tighten on all government programs,=
including the Department of Defense (DoD) this time, the DoD will flood th=
e Congress with charts and statistics on how cutting the DoD will also cut =
important defense manufacturing jobs across the US. Each member of Congress=
will be notified about how many jobs will be cut for any given weapon syst=
em, and this is especially effective because the DoD has become the master =
of spreading weapon production contractor and subcontractor jobs across as =
many districts and states as possible to get the weapons funded in the firs=
t place.... As we drawdown troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, the defenders of=
the DoD budget, which unfortunately includes the new Secretary of Defense =
Leon Panetta, will want to transfer any money saved back into their favorit=
e endeavor: weapons production."
Obama Jobs Plan to Include $300 Billion in Tax Credits, Spending
http://www.truth-out.org/obama-jobs-plan-include-300-billion-tax-credits-sp=
ending/1315414321
Peter Nicholas, The Los Angeles Times: "President Obama on Thursday will ro=
ll out a jobs package that strives to lift the ailing economy through $300 =
billion worth of tax credits, school renovation projects, job training for =
the unemployed and a program to prevent teacher layoffs, according to a per=
son familiar with the administration's plans. In his speech before a joint =
session of Congress, Obama also will ask lawmakers to renew the 2% payroll =
tax cut that was approved in December and to extend jobless benefits, said =
the person, who requested anonymity to talk more freely about White House i=
nternal deliberations.... Obama is under pressure from his Democratic base =
to submit a bold package that would put a real dent in the jobless rate - a=
nd revive his reelection prospects. To the extent he follows this advice, t=
hough, he risks alienating Republicans and even conservative Democrats who =
want to avoid anything that smacks of another expensive stimulus package."
Project "Censored 2012": Moving Beyond Media Reform
http://www.truth-out.org/project-censored-2012-moving-beyond-media-reform/1=
315380859
Mickey Huff, Seven Stories Press: "That there is a crisis in journalism see=
ms to be understood by many scholars and independent journalists, while man=
y in the corporate media don't seem to notice, or at least don't mention it=
much. Further, they do not divulge much in terms of the challenges we face=
in the twenty-first century as the corporate media flood the airwaves with=
celebrity tales and misinformation. The overall so-called 'mainstream' rep=
orting in the United States is the equivalent to fiddling while Rome burns.=
And make no mistake, the US is an empire, and we are in decay. We the Peop=
le of these United States already stand at a very real precipice - the pote=
ntial end of what has been deemed the Great American Experiment, the instit=
utional embodiment of human freedom protected by government of, by, and for=
the people. Meanwhile, the corporate media fill so-called news time with f=
aux-angst, Astroturf platforms, cult-of-personality disorders, and one manu=
factured irrelevant crisis after another in what appears to be a Herculean =
effort to avoid telling the public what is really going on at home and abro=
ad...."
Toward Total Information Awareness
http://www.truth-out.org/toward-total-information-awareness/1314201923
Nancy Murray and Kade Crockford, Truthout and ACLU Massachusetts: "It is no=
secret that the CIA, FBI and the National Security Agency (NSA) bungled a =
multitude of opportunities to foil the 9/11 plot. There were no fewer than =
12 intelligence reports in the three years preceding 9/11 that Osama bin La=
den planned to use aircraft as weapons and crash them into buildings in Was=
hington and New York City, information that was included in the president's=
daily intelligence brief. In addition to the 2004 report by the 9/11 Commi=
ssion, the often astonishing list of intelligence failings that contributed=
to the success of the attacks has been exhaustively documented.... In his =
minority report to the Joint Intelligence Committee, Alabama Republican Sen=
. Richard Shelby urged agency leaders to be held accountable for the litany=
of failures. This was never done. Instead, well before the public was aler=
ted to the extent of the multiple intelligence failures, the government emb=
arked on a 'fix' that bore little relation to the actual shortcomings outli=
ned in the reports...."
On the News With Thom Hartmann: Before Wildfires, Texas Gov. Rick Perry Cut=
Firefighter Program by 75 Percent, and More
http://bit.ly/pTqjVo
In today's On the News segment: President's job plan will cost $300 billion=
; Gov. Rick Perry cut state's volunteer firefighter program by 75 percent, =
cutting critical program to prevent wildfires; United States slips to No. 5=
in world's top economies; new Pew reports that one in three Americans who =
grew up middle class have fallen out of that economic class today; and more=
.
Did a Top GOP Staffer for Senator Grassley Cover Up Evidence of News Corp. =
Hacking in the US?
http://www.truth-out.org/did-top-gop-staffer-sen-grassley-cover-evidence-ne=
ws-corp-hacking-us/1315405627
Lee Fang, ThinkProgress: "A top investigator for the Senate Finance Committ=
ee, working under Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), may have had smoking gun evid=
ence of News Corp's hacking activity. While News Corp's British subsidiarie=
s have received the most media attention for systematically hacking the cel=
l phone and personal records of private citizens, the public still has hear=
d little of allegations relating to similar conduct perpetrated by News Cor=
p against its American competitors. ThinkProgress has learned that not only=
did a sensitive tip come to Grassley's office about News Corp's cyber atta=
cks against other American companies, but authorities may have failed to lo=
ok into the matter partially because a staffer named Nick Podsiadly alleged=
ly never followed through on his promise to the whistleblower."
Jim Hightower | Perry Tales: Rick Is Not Who He Says He Is
http://www.truth-out.org/perry-tales-rick-not-who-he-says-he/1315400975
Jim Hightower, Truthout: "Presidential wannabe Rick Perry is flitting all a=
round the country - hither, thither and yon - spreading little 'Perry Tales=
' about himself and the many wonders he has worked as governor of Texas. Hi=
s top Perry Tale is a creationist story about what he has modestly branded =
'The Texas Miracle.' While the rest of the country is mired in joblessness,=
says the miracle worker, his state has added 1.2 million jobs during his 1=
0-year tenure. I've built 'a job-creating machine,' the governor gushed dur=
ing one of his recent flits across Iowa, and a Perry PR aide smugly added, =
'The governor's job creation record speaks for itself.' Actually, it doesn'=
t."
Is the Keystone Tar Sands Pipeline in America's Best "National Interest"?
http://www.truth-out.org/keystone-tar-sands-pipeline-americas-best-national=
-interest/1315411036
Elizabeth McGowan, InsideClimate News: "Barely two weeks ago, pro-pipeline =
contingents were claiming victory and anti-pipeline forces were fuming afte=
r the State Department declared that the project would cause minimal enviro=
nmental harm. But now both sides are girding for the federal government's n=
ext step. It requires the State Department to take the lead in determining =
if Keystone XL is in the national interest. The $7 billion pipeline, a proj=
ect of Alberta-based TransCanada, would travel 1,702 miles through six stat=
es.... The State Department has scheduled a series of eight September and O=
ctober public meetings in the half-dozen states along Keystone XL's propose=
d route-Montana, South Dakota, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas-plus a =
final one Oct. 7 in Washington, DC. The department also will accept written=
comments through Oct. 9.... 'The State Department has committed to this na=
tional interest conversation being serious and we are going to take them at=
their word,' Danielle Droitsch of the Natural Resources Defense Council's =
international program told InsideClimate News. 'That means not taking a nar=
row view of what is in the national interest.'"
Plan Would Keep Small Force in Iraq Past Deadline
http://www.truth-out.org/plan-would-keep-small-force-iraq-past-deadline/131=
5402342
Eric Schmitt and Steven Lee Myers, The New York Times News Service: "Defens=
e Secretary Leon E. Panetta is supporting a plan that would keep 3,000 to 4=
,000 American troops in Iraq after a deadline for their withdrawal at year'=
s end, but only to continue training security forces there, a senior milita=
ry official said on Tuesday. The recommendation would break a longstanding =
pledge by President Obama to withdraw all American forces from Iraq by the =
deadline. But it would still involve significantly fewer forces than propos=
als presented at the Pentagon in recent weeks by the senior American comman=
der in Iraq, Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III, to keep as many as 14,000 to 18,000 =
troops there. The proposal for a smaller force - if approved by the White H=
ouse and the Iraqi government, which is not yet certain - reflected the shi=
fting political realities in both countries. It also reflected the tension =
between Mr. Obama's promise to bring all American forces home and the widel=
y held view among commanders that Iraq is not yet able to provide for its o=
wn security."
Profit Motive Underlies Outbreak of Immigration Bills
http://www.truth-out.org/profit-motive-underlies-outbreak-immigration-bills=
/1315405057
Brendan Fischer, Center for Media and Democracy: "While it has been reporte=
d that more immigrants behind bars means more income for ALEC member Correc=
tions Corporation of America (CCA), less discussed has been how immigrant d=
etention benefits commercial bail-bond agencies, an industry represented in=
ALEC through the American Bail Coalition.... An immigrant facing removal m=
ay remain incarcerated, benefiting the for-profit prison industry, or relea=
sed on bond, often paying a commercial bail bondsman for their release. The=
for-profit bail bond industry's trade association, the American Bail Coali=
tion (ABC), is an ALEC member and helped pass the ALEC anti-immigrant laws.=
"
Nepal's Women Farmers Discard Imported Hybrid Seeds and Husband Local Varie=
ties in Co-Op Seed Banks
http://www.truth-out.org/nepals-women-farmers-discard-imported-hybrid-seeds=
-and-husband-local-varieties-co-op-seed-banks/131
Sudeshna Sarkar, Inter Press Service: "Learning a lesson from crop failures=
attributed to climate change, Nepal's women farmers are discarding importe=
d hybrid seeds and husbanding hardier local varieties in cooperative seed b=
anks. 'I had a crop failure two years ago,' says Shobha Devkota, 32, from J=
ibjibe village in Rasuwa, a hilly district in central Nepal which is part o=
f the Langtang National Park, a protected area encompassing two more distri=
cts, Nuwakot and Sindhupalchowk. 'The maize was attacked by pests, the padd=
y had no grain and the soil grew hard. I had a tough time trying to feed my=
three daughters and sending them to school.' Since her marriage 17 years a=
go, Shobha had been sharing farming chores with her husband Ram Krishna. Ho=
wever, when he left for Dubai four years ago to work as a security guard, f=
arming became her responsibility entirely. Though she has never been to sch=
ool and can only scrawl her name, Shobha and other women in the village who=
share similar backgrounds, are keenly aware of changing climate and its ad=
verse impact on livelihoods."
TRUTHOUT'S BUZZFLASH DAILY HEADLINES =20
If you want to make crime a growth industry to create more jobs, just priva=
tize prisons.
It's happening across the nation. Heck, crime has been an institutional eng=
ine for a huge work force even in the public sector. Think of the hundreds =
of thousands of lawyers, judges, clerks, prison guards, police, parole offi=
cers, social workers etc. depending upon keeping people incarcerated.
And then there's the construction industry that is hot footin' it to build =
new maximum security facilities. And the small towns now depleted of jobs t=
hat compete to "host" prisons to bring jobs to the community.
But the real institutionalization of crime as a job creator is emerging ful=
l force with the privatization of jails. A corporation can't make a profit =
- let alone the issue of their accountability for how they treat prisoners =
- unless they have sufficient volume.=20
In short, a privatized criminal incarceration system de facto creates the n=
eed for an ongoing source of criminals to meet the need for generating a pr=
ofit based on economies of scale.
It's no surprise that Rick Perry, then, has jumped on the prison privatizat=
ion bandwagon, as detailed in a Mother Jones article, "Flush With Prison In=
dustry Dollars, Rick Perry Pushed Privatized Prisoner Care." (http://mother=
jones.com/politics/2011/09/rick-perry-prison-privatization)
Of course, a lot of crime is based on multi-generational poverty, a conditi=
on which is exacerbated by our current severe economic downturn. That is wh=
y the United States has the highest incarceration rate in the world. (http:=
//www.kcl.ac.uk/depsta/law/research/icps/downloads/wppl-8th_41.pdf)
It would be interesting to see what would result if we offered more jobs in=
the highest crime rate areas. But that's not bound to happen now or anytim=
e soon.
There's a lot of money to be made in crime by the many professions that dep=
end upon the revolving door of "offenders" continuing at a nice pace, and m=
uch of that profit is increasingly being made by the growing for-profit pri=
son industry.
Mark Karlin
Editor, BuzzFlash at Truthout
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
The Koch Brother Tapes: Gov. Chris Christie Lets the Plutocracy Know That H=
e's One of Them
Read the Article at Mother Jones
http://motherjones.com/politics/2011/09/audio-chris-christie-koch-brothers-=
seminar
Whichever Party Runs the Government in the UK, Murdoch and BP Pull the Stri=
ngs
Read the Article at BuzzFlash
http://blog.buzzflash.com/node/12992
Will Bunch: Ten Real Questions About 9/11
Read the Article at The Philadelphia Daily News
http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/attytood/The-10-unanswered-questions-of-=
911.html
McConnell Once Again Proves GOP Leadership Has Become a Cult
Read the Article at Talking Points Memo
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/09/republicans-pre-emptively-reject=
-obama-jobs-plan-pollution-cave.php?ref=3Dfpa
For Rick Perry, It's Bush "Deja Vu All Over Again"
Read the Article at BuzzFlash
http://blog.buzzflash.com/node/12989
Arrests at Paul Ryan's "Town Hall" Event
Read the Article at Politico
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0911/62815.html
Tea Party Michigan Governor Signs 48-Month Welfare Limit
Read the Article at The Associated Press
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44416871/ns/politics/t/mich-governor-signs--mon=
th-welfare-limit/#.TmemKqhp4g0
Click here for more BuzzFlash headlines: http://www.buzzflash.com/
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------=_Part_11365459_1372954473.1315426522470
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<head>
<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=3DKk0bfkRuVk1yxQfx4JYtXGzfnNVcIfzC"><font color=3D"#cc0=
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circlet.jpg" alt=3D"" /></font></a></center><br />
<!-- TemplateBeginEditable name=3D"content" --><p>Wedne=
sday 07 September 2011</p>
<font><strong>The Price of 9/11</strong></font><br />
Joseph E. Stiglitz, Project Syndicate: "The September 11, 2001, terror atta=
cks by Al Qaeda were meant to harm the United States, and they did, but in =
ways that Osama bin Laden probably never imagined. President George W. Bush=
's response to the attacks compromised America's basic principles, undermin=
ed its economy, and weakened its security. The attack on Afghanistan that f=
ollowed the 9/11 attacks was understandable, but the subsequent invasion of=
Iraq was entirely unconnected to Al Qaeda - as much as Bush tried to estab=
lish a link. That war of choice quickly became very expensive - orders of m=
agnitude beyond the $60 billion claimed at the beginning - as colossal inco=
mpetence met dishonest misrepresentation."
<br /><a href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=3D=
naoDsd2L3gfjf8n8lBEISWzfnNVcIfzC"><font color=3D"#cc0000">Read the Article<=
/font></a>
<br /><br />
<font><strong>Obama Transition Team Member Explains Why Administration Chos=
e Not to Prosecute Torture</strong></font><br />
David Swanson, War Is a Crime: "If you can think back all the way to Januar=
y 2009, back when wars were ending, Guantanamo was closing, the Pentagon wa=
s getting oversight, employees were going to have free choice, the rich wou=
ld start paying taxes, the air would be getting cleaner, and so forth, you'=
ll recall that the Obama transition team was acting super populist and high=
-tech. They had questions from ordinary people for the President Elect subm=
itted on their website and voted up or down. The top question at the end of=
the voting had come from Bob Fertik of Democrats.com and it was this: 'Wil=
l you appoint a Special Prosecutor - ideally Patrick Fitzgerald - to indepe=
ndently investigate the gravest crimes of the Bush Administration, includin=
g torture and warrantless wiretapping?' (Bob Fertik, New York City) Not onl=
y was the answer no, but it had to be inferred because President Change U. =
Wish refused to answer the question.... However, we now have an account fro=
m someone involved in the decision process way back when."
<br /><a href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=3D=
fdf3rvsE7In0N%2FtNGE%2F%2B22zfnNVcIfzC"><font color=3D"#cc0000">Read the Ar=
ticle</font></a>
<br /><br />
<font><strong>Qaddafi Loyalists Fled to Niger by Convoy, US Affirms</strong=
></font><br />
Patrick J. McDonnell and Paul Richter, The Los Angeles Times: "More than a =
dozen high-ranking loyalists of Moammar Kadafi made a desert getaway into n=
eighboring Niger, US officials said Tuesday, but there was no indication th=
at the former Libyan leader or his sons had escaped. 'We're confident that =
Kadafi didn't get out,' said Jalal Gallal, a spokesman for Libya's transiti=
onal government. News that as many as 250 vehicles carrying members of Kada=
fi's inner circle, including his security chief, had crossed Monday into Ni=
ger added a dramatic twist to the manhunt for the strongman who ruled Libya=
for more than four decades. However, the Associated Press reported late Tu=
esday that a spokesman for Niger's president said that only three cars had =
crossed into Niger, ferrying one member of Kadafi's inner circle. There was=
no immediate explanation for the contradictory versions."
<br /><a href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=3D=
QMsg9qFznPCj3LfelBFVV2zfnNVcIfzC"><font color=3D"#cc0000">Read the Article<=
/font></a>
<br /><br />
<font><strong>Defense Spending: The Worst Way to Make Jobs</strong></font><=
br />
Dina Rasor, Truthout: "I see it coming. As President Obama gives his speech=
on how important it is for the government and the country to produce more =
jobs, and as the budget noose starts to tighten on all government programs,=
including the Department of Defense (DoD) this time, the DoD will flood th=
e Congress with charts and statistics on how cutting the DoD will also cut =
important defense manufacturing jobs across the US. Each member of Congress=
will be notified about how many jobs will be cut for any given weapon syst=
em, and this is especially effective because the DoD has become the master =
of spreading weapon production contractor and subcontractor jobs across as =
many districts and states as possible to get the weapons funded in the firs=
t place.... As we drawdown troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, the defenders of=
the DoD budget, which unfortunately includes the new Secretary of Defense =
Leon Panetta, will want to transfer any money saved back into their favorit=
e endeavor: weapons production."
<br /><a href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=3D=
ZWRtNpibWC7%2Fc9%2BxpFpsdmzfnNVcIfzC"><font color=3D"#cc0000">Read the Arti=
cle</font></a>
<br /><br />
<font><strong>Obama Jobs Plan to Include $300 Billion in Tax Credits, Spend=
ing</strong></font><br />
Peter Nicholas, The Los Angeles Times: "President Obama on Thursday will ro=
ll out a jobs package that strives to lift the ailing economy through $300 =
billion worth of tax credits, school renovation projects, job training for =
the unemployed and a program to prevent teacher layoffs, according to a per=
son familiar with the administration's plans. In his speech before a joint =
session of Congress, Obama also will ask lawmakers to renew the 2% payroll =
tax cut that was approved in December and to extend jobless benefits, said =
the person, who requested anonymity to talk more freely about White House i=
nternal deliberations.... Obama is under pressure from his Democratic base =
to submit a bold package that would put a real dent in the jobless rate - a=
nd revive his reelection prospects. To the extent he follows this advice, t=
hough, he risks alienating Republicans and even conservative Democrats who =
want to avoid anything that smacks of another expensive stimulus package."
<br /><a href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=3D=
wQZ9D6HDq5nSUkhpPFViy2zfnNVcIfzC"><font color=3D"#cc0000">Read the Article<=
/font></a>
<br /><br />
<font><strong>Project "Censored 2012": Moving Beyond Media Reform</strong><=
/font><br />
Mickey Huff, Seven Stories Press: "That there is a crisis in journalism see=
ms to be understood by many scholars and independent journalists, while man=
y in the corporate media don't seem to notice, or at least don't mention it=
much. Further, they do not divulge much in terms of the challenges we face=
in the twenty-first century as the corporate media flood the airwaves with=
celebrity tales and misinformation. The overall so-called 'mainstream' rep=
orting in the United States is the equivalent to fiddling while Rome burns.=
And make no mistake, the US is an empire, and we are in decay. We the Peop=
le of these United States already stand at a very real precipice - the pote=
ntial end of what has been deemed the Great American Experiment, the instit=
utional embodiment of human freedom protected by government of, by, and for=
the people. Meanwhile, the corporate media fill so-called news time with f=
aux-angst, Astroturf platforms, cult-of-personality disorders, and one manu=
factured irrelevant crisis after another in what appears to be a Herculean =
effort to avoid telling the public what is really going on at home and abro=
ad...."
<br /><a href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=3D=
%2FQtwNrPjOjgvkyPK%2B3n5wMV2iuvOoGxp"><font color=3D"#cc0000">Read the Arti=
cle</font></a>
<br /><br />
<font><strong>Toward Total Information Awareness</strong></font><br />
Nancy Murray and Kade Crockford, Truthout and ACLU Massachusetts: "It is no=
secret that the CIA, FBI and the National Security Agency (NSA) bungled a =
multitude of opportunities to foil the 9/11 plot. There were no fewer than =
12 intelligence reports in the three years preceding 9/11 that Osama bin La=
den planned to use aircraft as weapons and crash them into buildings in Was=
hington and New York City, information that was included in the president's=
daily intelligence brief. In addition to the 2004 report by the 9/11 Commi=
ssion, the often astonishing list of intelligence failings that contributed=
to the success of the attacks has been exhaustively documented.... In his =
minority report to the Joint Intelligence Committee, Alabama Republican Sen=
. Richard Shelby urged agency leaders to be held accountable for the litany=
of failures. This was never done. Instead, well before the public was aler=
ted to the extent of the multiple intelligence failures, the government emb=
arked on a 'fix' that bore little relation to the actual shortcomings outli=
ned in the reports...."
<br /><a href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=3D=
c5ppxUb4uV7DgWXmmcXH%2FmzfnNVcIfzC"><font color=3D"#cc0000">Read the Articl=
e</font></a>
<br /><br />
<font><strong>On the News With Thom Hartmann: Before Wildfires, Texas Gov. =
Rick Perry Cut Firefighter Program by 75 Percent, and More</strong></font><=
br />
In today's On the News segment: President's job plan will cost $300 billion=
; Gov. Rick Perry cut state's volunteer firefighter program by 75 percent, =
cutting critical program to prevent wildfires; United States slips to No. 5=
in world's top economies; new Pew reports that one in three Americans who =
grew up middle class have fallen out of that economic class today; and more=
.
<br /><a href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=3D=
CXhckgrQiaIBntkvR5upzGzfnNVcIfzC"><font color=3D"#cc0000">Watch the Video a=
nd Read the Transcript</font></a>
<br /><br />
<font><strong>Did a Top GOP Staffer for Senator Grassley Cover Up Evidence =
of News Corp. Hacking in the US?</strong></font><br />
Lee Fang, ThinkProgress: "A top investigator for the Senate Finance Committ=
ee, working under Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), may have had smoking gun evid=
ence of News Corp's hacking activity. While News Corp's British subsidiarie=
s have received the most media attention for systematically hacking the cel=
l phone and personal records of private citizens, the public still has hear=
d little of allegations relating to similar conduct perpetrated by News Cor=
p against its American competitors. ThinkProgress has learned that not only=
did a sensitive tip come to Grassley's office about News Corp's cyber atta=
cks against other American companies, but authorities may have failed to lo=
ok into the matter partially because a staffer named Nick Podsiadly alleged=
ly never followed through on his promise to the whistleblower."
<br /><a href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=3D=
u6Y8fEB6LDJCmn1NZsLX9WzfnNVcIfzC"><font color=3D"#cc0000">Read the Article<=
/font></a>
<br /><br />
<font><strong>Jim Hightower | Perry Tales: Rick Is Not Who He Says He Is</s=
trong></font><br />
Jim Hightower, Truthout: "Presidential wannabe Rick Perry is flitting all a=
round the country - hither, thither and yon - spreading little 'Perry Tales=
' about himself and the many wonders he has worked as governor of Texas. Hi=
s top Perry Tale is a creationist story about what he has modestly branded =
'The Texas Miracle.' While the rest of the country is mired in joblessness,=
says the miracle worker, his state has added 1.2 million jobs during his 1=
0-year tenure. I've built 'a job-creating machine,' the governor gushed dur=
ing one of his recent flits across Iowa, and a Perry PR aide smugly added, =
'The governor's job creation record speaks for itself.' Actually, it doesn'=
t."
<br /><a href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=3D=
HU61kjl7iJDXtLU%2F8bxELWzfnNVcIfzC"><font color=3D"#cc0000">Read the Articl=
e</font></a>
<br /><br />
<font><strong>Is the Keystone Tar Sands Pipeline in America's Best "Nationa=
l Interest"?</strong></font><br />
Elizabeth McGowan, InsideClimate News: "Barely two weeks ago, pro-pipeline =
contingents were claiming victory and anti-pipeline forces were fuming afte=
r the State Department declared that the project would cause minimal enviro=
nmental harm. But now both sides are girding for the federal government's n=
ext step. It requires the State Department to take the lead in determining =
if Keystone XL is in the national interest. The $7 billion pipeline, a proj=
ect of Alberta-based TransCanada, would travel 1,702 miles through six stat=
es.... The State Department has scheduled a series of eight September and O=
ctober public meetings in the half-dozen states along Keystone XL's propose=
d route-Montana, South Dakota, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas-plus a =
final one Oct. 7 in Washington, DC. The department also will accept written=
comments through Oct. 9.... 'The State Department has committed to this na=
tional interest conversation being serious and we are going to take them at=
their word,' Danielle Droitsch of the Natural Resources Defense Council's =
international program told InsideClimate News. 'That means not taking a nar=
row view of what is in the national interest.'"
<br /><a href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=3D=
cvl3lJBYZ9ro2nTOtu1RH2zfnNVcIfzC"><font color=3D"#cc0000">Read the Article<=
/font></a>
<br /><br />
<font><strong>Plan Would Keep Small Force in Iraq Past Deadline</strong></f=
ont><br />
Eric Schmitt and Steven Lee Myers, The New York Times News Service: "Defens=
e Secretary Leon E. Panetta is supporting a plan that would keep 3,000 to 4=
,000 American troops in Iraq after a deadline for their withdrawal at year'=
s end, but only to continue training security forces there, a senior milita=
ry official said on Tuesday. The recommendation would break a longstanding =
pledge by President Obama to withdraw all American forces from Iraq by the =
deadline. But it would still involve significantly fewer forces than propos=
als presented at the Pentagon in recent weeks by the senior American comman=
der in Iraq, Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III, to keep as many as 14,000 to 18,000 =
troops there. The proposal for a smaller force - if approved by the White H=
ouse and the Iraqi government, which is not yet certain - reflected the shi=
fting political realities in both countries. It also reflected the tension =
between Mr. Obama's promise to bring all American forces home and the widel=
y held view among commanders that Iraq is not yet able to provide for its o=
wn security."
<br /><a href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=3D=
Wh9s41KV852YqMAPNUnE%2B8V2iuvOoGxp"><font color=3D"#cc0000">Read the Articl=
e</font></a>
<br /><br />
<font><strong>Profit Motive Underlies Outbreak of Immigration Bills</strong=
></font><br />
Brendan Fischer, Center for Media and Democracy: "While it has been reporte=
d that more immigrants behind bars means more income for ALEC member Correc=
tions Corporation of America (CCA), less discussed has been how immigrant d=
etention benefits commercial bail-bond agencies, an industry represented in=
ALEC through the American Bail Coalition.... An immigrant facing removal m=
ay remain incarcerated, benefiting the for-profit prison industry, or relea=
sed on bond, often paying a commercial bail bondsman for their release. The=
for-profit bail bond industry's trade association, the American Bail Coali=
tion (ABC), is an ALEC member and helped pass the ALEC anti-immigrant laws.=
"
<br /><a href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=3D=
4AG8Pcc4q2%2FJnMbzJ5%2B6yWzfnNVcIfzC"><font color=3D"#cc0000">Read the Arti=
cle</font></a>
<br /><br />
<font><strong>Nepal's Women Farmers Discard Imported Hybrid Seeds and Husba=
nd Local Varieties in Co-Op Seed Banks</strong></font><br />
Sudeshna Sarkar, Inter Press Service: "Learning a lesson from crop failures=
attributed to climate change, Nepal's women farmers are discarding importe=
d hybrid seeds and husbanding hardier local varieties in cooperative seed b=
anks. 'I had a crop failure two years ago,' says Shobha Devkota, 32, from J=
ibjibe village in Rasuwa, a hilly district in central Nepal which is part o=
f the Langtang National Park, a protected area encompassing two more distri=
cts, Nuwakot and Sindhupalchowk. 'The maize was attacked by pests, the padd=
y had no grain and the soil grew hard. I had a tough time trying to feed my=
three daughters and sending them to school.' Since her marriage 17 years a=
go, Shobha had been sharing farming chores with her husband Ram Krishna. Ho=
wever, when he left for Dubai four years ago to work as a security guard, f=
arming became her responsibility entirely. Though she has never been to sch=
ool and can only scrawl her name, Shobha and other women in the village who=
share similar backgrounds, are keenly aware of changing climate and its ad=
verse impact on livelihoods."
<br /><a href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=3D=
2ATFy0o9n7Tuv91Xd%2BsXVWzfnNVcIfzC"><font color=3D"#cc0000">Read the Articl=
e</font></a>
<br /><br />
</p>
<p><a target=3D"_blank" href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track=
.jsp?v=3D2&c=3DJb8j%2B0vs%2F0yTQXuaXyvdPWzfnNVcIfzC"><font color=3D"#cc0000=
"><em>Click here for more Truthout articles</em></font></a></p>
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<table border=3D"0" cellpadding=3D"0" cellspacing=3D"0" width=3D"100%">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td align=3D"left" valign=3D"bottom">
<div align=3D"left"><strong><em>BUZZFLASH DAILY HEADLINES</em><=
/strong></div>
</td>
<td></td>
</tr>
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</div>
<i><p>If you want to make crime a growth industry to create more jobs, just=
privatize prisons.</p>
<p>It's happening across the nation. Heck, crime has been an institutional =
engine for a huge work force even in the public sector. Think of the hundre=
ds of thousands of lawyers, judges, clerks, prison guards, police, parole o=
fficers, social workers etc. depending upon keeping people incarcerated.</p=
>
<p>And then there's the construction industry that is hot footin' it to bui=
ld new maximum security facilities. And the small towns now depleted of job=
s that compete to "host" prisons to bring jobs to the community.</p>
<p>But the real institutionalization of crime as a job creator is emerging =
full force with the privatization of jails. A corporation can't make a prof=
it - let alone the issue of their accountability for how they treat prisone=
rs - unless they have sufficient volume.</p>
<p>In short, a privatized criminal incarceration system de facto creates th=
e need for an ongoing source of criminals to meet the need for generating a=
profit based on economies of scale.</p>
<p>It's no surprise that Rick Perry, then, has jumped on the prison privati=
zation bandwagon, as detailed in a Mother Jones article, "<a target=3D"_bla=
nk" href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=3DX3v%2=
FgfRiGSax4O%2FW%2Bq2jY2zfnNVcIfzC"><font color=3D"#cc0000">Flush With Priso=
n Industry Dollars, Rick Perry Pushed Privatized Prisoner Care.</font></a>"=
</p>
<p>Of course, a lot of crime is based on multi-generational poverty, a cond=
ition which is exacerbated by our current severe economic downturn. That is=
why the United States has the <a target=3D"_blank" href=3D"http://org2.dem=
ocracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=3Dk0U6%2B0QgvMCdrDXFdLyojGzfnNVcIf=
zC"><font color=3D"#cc0000">highest incarceration rate in the world</font><=
/a>.</p>
<p>It would be interesting to see what would result if we offered more jobs=
in the highest crime rate areas. But that's not bound to happen now or any=
time soon.</p>
<p>There's a lot of money to be made in crime by the many professions that =
depend upon the revolving door of "offenders" continuing at a nice pace, an=
d much of that profit is increasingly being made by the growing for-profit =
prison industry.</p>
<p>Mark Karlin<br />
Editor, BuzzFlash at Truthout</em></p></i>
<p><strong>The Koch Brother Tapes: Gov. Chris Christie Lets the Plutocracy =
Know That He's One of Them<br />
</strong><a target=3D"_blank" href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia=
/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=3D%2B%2FzQx5AcroakKWmpr2VV52zfnNVcIfzC"><font color=3D"#=
cc0000">Read the Article at Mother Jones</font></a><br />
</p>
<p><strong>Whichever Party Runs the Government in the UK, Murdoch and BP Pu=
ll the Strings<br />
</strong><a target=3D"_blank" href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia=
/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=3DBCYDYshMlELnP246lElfEWzfnNVcIfzC"><font color=3D"#cc00=
00">Read the Article at BuzzFlash</font></a><br />
</p>
<p><strong>Will Bunch: Ten Real Questions About 9/11<br />
</strong><a target=3D"_blank" href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia=
/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=3DGxe8Dgn4XdFjNtY1Psb3QmzfnNVcIfzC"><font color=3D"#cc00=
00">Read the Article at The Philadelphia Daily News</font></a><br />
</p>
<p><strong>McConnell Once Again Proves GOP Leadership Has Become a Cult<br =
/>
</strong><a target=3D"_blank" href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia=
/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=3DZyy%2BDJfBNliXjFeh%2FQgQxWzfnNVcIfzC"><font color=3D"#=
cc0000">Read the Article at Talking Points Memo</font></a><br />
</p>
<p><strong>For Rick Perry, It's Bush "Deja Vu All Over Again"<br />
</strong><a target=3D"_blank" href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia=
/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=3D3J5Dfb5tQDPJsE6M1Sm%2B6GzfnNVcIfzC"><font color=3D"#cc=
0000">Read the Article at BuzzFlash</font></a><br />
</p>
<p><strong>Arrests at Paul Ryan's "Town Hall" Event<br />
</strong><a target=3D"_blank" href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia=
/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=3D8AD%2FPhn9WVnZ6OJBpI%2BoRWzfnNVcIfzC"><font color=3D"#=
cc0000">Read the Article at Politico</font></a><br />
</p>
<p><strong>Tea Party Michigan Governor Signs 48-Month Welfare Limit<br />
</strong><a target=3D"_blank" href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia=
/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=3DtFIILMPOUtfc8h5BBJpGiGzfnNVcIfzC"><font color=3D"#cc00=
00">Read the Article at The Associated Press</font></a><br />
</p>
<p><a href=3D"http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=3D2&c=3D2kG=
nCOZeWrzAumBWLqTuy2zfnNVcIfzC"><b><font color=3D"#cc0000"><em>Click here fo=
r more BuzzFlash headlines</em></font></b></a></p>
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