Showing posts with label veteran's suicide. Show all posts
Showing posts with label veteran's suicide. Show all posts
Sunday, January 17, 2016
CounterCurrents: Massive Lying By Omission In Mendacious Obama's Final State Of The Union Address, Life Expectancy Statistics: Russia From Gloom To Boom, The USA In A Gloomy Boom, Iran Stands Top With Over 1084 Executions In 2015
Dear Friend,
If you think the content of this news letter is critical for the dignified living and survival of humanity and other species on earth, please forward it to your friends and spread the word. It's time for humanity to come together as one family! You can subscribe to our news letter here http://www.countercurrents.org/subscribe.htm. You can also follow us on twitter,http://twitter.com/countercurrents and on Facebook, http://www.facebook.com/countercurrents
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Binu Mathew
Editor
www.countercurrents.org
Greenpeace International Announces New Co-Executive Directors
By Greenpeace International
http://www.countercurrents.org/gpi160116.htm
Greenpeace International has today named not only its first female International Executive Director, but two. Jennifer Morgan and Bunny McDiarmid will take up the reins in an innovative co-leadership role on 4 April 2016
From Copenhagen To India, Restoring The Link Between Farmer And Consumer
And Challenging The Corporate Hijack Of Global Food And Agriculture
By Colin Todhunter
http://www.countercurrents.org/todhunter160116.htm
While governments, trade agreements and regulatory agencies remain tethered to the interests of the powerful corporations that have come to define global food and agriculture in their own profit-driven image, local communities are fighting back with grass-root initiatives and city authorities are at least placing pertinent issues on the agenda for action and debate
Iran Stands Top With Over 1084 Executions In 2015
By Rahim Hamid
http://www.countercurrents.org/hamid160116.htm
Iran records the highest ratio of executions worldwide relative to population
Freedom For Ashraf Fayadh
By Dr. Ludwig Watzal
http://www.countercurrents.org/watzal160116.htm
Beginning of 2016, the Saudi Arabian dictatorship went on a beheading spree. 47 people were decapitated, among them the Shiite cleric and civil rights activist Nimr al-Nimr. None of them had a fair trial. Now, it's Ashraf Fayadh's turn, a Palestinian born in Saudi Arabia
What Happens To A Dream Deferred? Ask Martin Luther King Jr.
By John W. Whitehead
http://www.countercurrents.org/whitehead160116.htm
Freedom, human dignity, brotherhood, spirituality, peace, justice, equality, putting an end to war and poverty: these are just a few of the big themes that shaped King’s life and his activism. As King recognized, there is much to be done if we are to make this world a better place, and we cannot afford to play politics when so much hangs in the balance. It’s time to wake up, America
Life Expectancy Statistics: Russia From Gloom To Boom, The USA In A Gloomy Boom
By Otto Kolbl
http://www.countercurrents.org/kolbl160116.htm
How do the people feel about the future of their country? For recent years, various opinion polls on this topic are available, but they often get conflicting results. Statistics about life expectancy can tell us much more than opinion polls. When an optimistic mood prevails, life expectancy goes up; when the outlook is gloomy, life expectancy goes down. This might sound somewhat crude, but this article will show that for the countries in Eastern Europe, the evolution of life expectancy over the last six decades provides an extremely interesting insight. It might come only as a half surprise that in recent years, the most upbeat country is Russia, and the country with the most persistent collective depression is the USA
Massive Lying By Omission In Mendacious Obama's Final State Of The Union Address
By Dr Gideon Polya
http://www.countercurrents.org/polya160116.htm
Analysis of President Barack Obama's final State of the Union address reveals massive lying by omission. Not mentioned by Obama are that so far during his presidency 12 million Americans have died preventably; 50,000 US veterans have suicided; Americans in poverty reached circa 15% of the population ; the US national debt reached nearly $19 trillion; the Carbon Debt of the US and the world reached $90 trillion and $360 trillion, respectively; the US finally used up its fair share of the world's Terminal Carbon Pollution Budget; the US violently invaded the territory of a record 7 countries; and 120 million people died avoidably world-wide from deprivation on Spaceship Earth with Obama in charge of the flight deck
Chennai Floods Impact Survey Reveals Extent of Damage
By Concerned Citizens
http://www.countercurrents.org/cc160116.htm
We are yet to have a precise tabulation and description of what has been lost, destroyed and damaged. A group of concerned citizens involved in relief work post-Chennai floods, 2015 undertook a sample survey of 610 households (including migrants) across the city to assess losses suffered/damages incurred to homes, goods, occupational tools and also to get an idea of loss of working days. The purpose of this survey was to identify the exact quantum of losses sustained by the population and to direct government to compensate the populace for damages/loss accruing on account of the floods
Saturday, December 20, 2014
Republicans blocked bill to PREVENT VETERANS SUICIDES CORPORATE MEDIA IGNORED IT!
22 veterans die every day and Republicans don't care!
22 veterans die from suicide every day after serving for our country. This is shameful hypocrisy from the same people who claim they support our troops.
Tuesday, December 16, 2014
Cape Cod: Wacko Tea Bagger Flamethrowers
Saturday, December 13, CapeCodToday posted the article at the bottom.
The first uninformed comment appears to come from one of those Phony Flamethrowers who lack FACTS, but simply targets an elected official with meaningless comments.
Have we had enough of the Phony Flamethrowers who add nothing to the debate and can't even provide FACTS?
This is what the GOP did to prevent Veteran Suicide .... did ya even here them whimper?
RSN: Outgoing GOP Senator Tom Coburn Now Singlehandedly Responsible for Every Veteran Suicide
Where are you Mr. Retired Veteran in protesting the GOP SLASHING of Veterans' Programs?
What our Washington reps did this week
Congress passes bill to fund government programs in fiscal 2015
Nine key votes in the House, four in the Senate
At the last minute they prevent another government shutdown
There were nine key votes in the House this week; the House held a total of 13 roll call votes in the week ending Thursday. There were four key votes in the Senate, which held a total of seven roll call votes. The most important House vote was to pass a bill to fund discretionary government programs in fiscal 2015; the most important Senate vote was to approve an end to debate on the fiscal 2015 military spending bill.In addition to roll call votes, the House and Senate also took action on several measures by voice vote. The Senate also passed the Intelligence Authorization Act (H.R. 4681), sponsored by Rep. Mike J. Rogers, R-Mich., to authorize appropriations for intelligence and intelligence-related activities in fiscal 2014 and fiscal 2015; passed a resolution (H.J. Res. 130), sponsored by Rep. Harold Rogers, R-Ky., to make continuing appropriations for discretionary government spending until Dec. 13; passed the FOIA Improvement Act (S. 2520), sponsored by Sen. Patrick J. Leahy, D-Vt., to improve the Freedom of Information Act; and passed the Federal Information Security Modernization Act (S. 2521), sponsored by Sen. Thomas R. Carper, D-Del., to provide for reforms of federal information security.
The House passed the Senator Paul Simon Water for the World Act (H.R. 2901), sponsored by Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., to improve the U.S. government's ability to improve access to safe drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene to the world's poorest individuals; passed the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act (H.R. 5059), sponsored by Rep. Timothy J. Walz, D-Minn., to require annual evaluations of the military's mental health care and suicide prevention programs; passed the Feed the Future Global Food Security Act (H.R. 5656), sponsored by Rep. Christopher H. Smith, R-N.J., to authorize the Feed the Future Initiative to sustainably reduce global poverty and hunger in developing countries; and passed the Coast Guard Authorization Act for Fiscal Years 2015 and 2016 (S. 2444), sponsored by Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska, to authorize Coast Guard appropriations.
How our members of Congress voted over the previous week
HOUSE VOTES:
House Vote 1:CALIFORNIA WATER SUPPLIES: The House has passed the California Emergency Drought Relief Act (H.R. 5781), sponsored by Rep. David G. Valadao, R-Calif. The bill would direct the Commerce Secretary and Interior Secretary to allow California's Central Valley Project and State Water Project to provide maximum possible levels of water to businesses and municipalities in the state's Central Valley, without threatening the region's endangered species. Valadao said the measure was necessary because, given the state's historic drought, people in the Central Valley are facing a severe water shortage, and increasing water supplies would relieve some of those shortage. A bill opponent, Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., called it an effort by a small number of Central Valley farmers to override the open process of allocating water supplies, with resulting risks for California's fisheries and cities that also rely on the water supplies. The vote, on Dec. 9, was 230 yeas to 182 nays.
NAYS: Rep. William R. Keating D-MA (9th), Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy D-MA (4th), Rep. Stephen F. Lynch D-MA (8th), Rep. James P. McGovern D-MA (2nd), Rep. Richard E. Neal D-MA (1st), Rep. John F. Tierney D-MA (6th), Rep. Niki Tsongas D-MA (3rd)
NOT VOTING: Rep. Michael E. Capuano D-MA (7th)
House Vote 2:
CHESAPEAKE BAY RESTORATION EFFORTS: The House has passed the Chesapeake Bay Accountability and Recovery Act (S. 1000), sponsored by Sen. Mark R. Warner. The bill would require the Director of the Office of Management and Budget to prepare a crosscut budget for restoration activities in the Chesapeake Bay watershed by various federal government agencies. A supporter, Rep. Robert J. Wittman, R-Va., said the budget would "ensure federal dollars currently spent on bay restoration activities produce results and ensure that we are coordinating how restoration dollars are being spent." The vote, on Dec. 10, was unanimous with 416 yeas.
YEAS: Rep. William R. Keating D-MA (9th), Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy D-MA (4th), Rep. Stephen F. Lynch D-MA (8th), Rep. James P. McGovern D-MA (2nd), Rep. Richard E. Neal D-MA (1st), Rep. John F. Tierney D-MA (6th), Rep. Niki Tsongas D-MA (3rd)
NOT VOTING: Rep. Michael E. Capuano D-MA (7th)
House Vote 3:
INSURANCE AGAINST TERRORIST ATTACKS: The House has passed the Terrorism Risk Insurance Program Reauthorization Act (S. 2244), sponsored by Sen. Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y. The bill would extend the government's Terrorism Insurance Program through 2021 and decrease the government's share of compensation that would be paid out for losses incurred by an insurer due to a terrorist attack, in stages, to 80 percent of the portion of the amount of losses that exceeds the insurer's deductible. It would also exempt end-users of commodities from a provision of the Dodd-Frank financial reform law that imposes margin requirements for swap transactions involving the future price of commodities. A supporter, Rep. Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas, said the terrorism risk program added stability and certainty to the insurance and construction markets, while the end-user exemption would help businesses and family farmers manage price risks for commodities they use. The vote, on Dec. 10, was 417 yeas to 7 nays.
YEAS: Rep. William R. Keating D-MA (9th), Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy D-MA (4th), Rep. Stephen F. Lynch D-MA (8th), Rep. James P. McGovern D-MA (2nd), Rep. Richard E. Neal D-MA (1st), Rep. John F. Tierney D-MA (6th), Rep. Niki Tsongas D-MA (3rd)
NOT VOTING: Rep. Michael E. Capuano D-MA (7th)
House Vote 4:
FUNDING INTELLIGENCE PROGRAMS: The House has concurred in the Senate amendment to the Intelligence Authorization Act (H.R. 4681), sponsored by Rep. Mike J. Rogers, R-Mich., to authorize appropriations for intelligence and intelligence-related activities in fiscal 2014 and fiscal 2015, with most details of the appropriations classified. Rogers said the range of growing threats to the U.S., including the Islamic State group and countries such as Russia and China that seek to change the international order at the expense of the U.S., led to the bill's small increase in spending to more effectively counter those threats and preserve national security. The vote, on Dec. 10, was 325 yeas to 100 nays.
YEAS: Rep. William R. Keating D-MA (9th), Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy D-MA (4th), Rep. Stephen F. Lynch D-MA (8th), Rep. Richard E. Neal D-MA (1st), Rep. Niki Tsongas D-MA (3rd)
NAYS: Rep. James P. McGovern D-MA (2nd), Rep. John F. Tierney D-MA (6th)
NOT VOTING: Rep. Michael E. Capuano D-MA (7th)
House Vote 5:
TSA TECHNOLOGY, INVENTORY MANAGEMENT: The House has concurred in the Senate amendment to the Transportation Security Acquisition Reform Act (H.R. 2719), sponsored by Rep. Richard Hudson, R-N.C. The bill would require the Transportation Security Administration to develop a long-term plan for managing its inventory, deploying technology systems, and increasing the transparency of the agency's spending. Hudson said the bill "will save significant tax dollars by forcing TSA to make thoughtful, informed decisions about what kinds of technology to deploy in our nation's airports. We simply cannot afford to see TSA repeat the mistakes of the past which have resulted in technologies such as 'puffer machines' and body scanners being pulled out of airports prematurely and others sitting idle in warehouses, never to see the light of day." The vote, on Dec. 10, was unanimous with 425 yeas.
YEAS: Rep. William R. Keating D-MA (9th), Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy D-MA (4th), Rep. Stephen F. Lynch D-MA (8th), Rep. James P. McGovern D-MA (2nd), Rep. Richard E. Neal D-MA (1st), Rep. John F. Tierney D-MA (6th), Rep. Niki Tsongas D-MA (3rd)
NOT VOTING: Rep. Michael E. Capuano D-MA (7th)
House Vote 6:
AIR TRAVEL SECURITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE: The House has concurred in the Senate amendment to the Aviation Security Stakeholder Participation Act (H.R. 1204), sponsored by Rep. Bennie G. Thompson, D-Miss. The bill would order the establishment of an Aviation Security Advisory Committee, made up of various representatives from the aviation industry, to give input to the Transportation Security Administration on the design of air travel security programs. Thompson said the amendment improved upon the bill's effort to give industry stakeholders a venue for working with the TSA to adopt appropriate security strategies, ensuring that the TSA considers stakeholders it proposes security changes for the aviation industry. The vote, on Dec. 10, was 416 yeas to 5 nays.
YEAS: Rep. William R. Keating D-MA (9th), Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy D-MA (4th), Rep. Stephen F. Lynch D-MA (8th), Rep. James P. McGovern D-MA (2nd), Rep. Richard E. Neal D-MA (1st), Rep. John F. Tierney D-MA (6th), Rep. Niki Tsongas D-MA (3rd)
NOT VOTING: Rep. Michael E. Capuano D-MA (7th)
House Vote 7:
TAX DEDUCTIONS FOR CHARITABLE GIVING: The House has rejected the Supporting America's Charities Act (H.R. 5806), sponsored by Rep. Dave Camp, R-Mich. The bill would make permanent the tax deduction for property given to conservation groups by individuals and corporations and increase the allowed tax deduction for food donations to 15 percent of a taxpayer's annual income. Camp said the measure sought to increase charitable giving an help charities better serve those in need, including the hungry and disabled. An opponent, Rep. Sander M. Levin, D-Mich., said expanding the tax deductions without paying for them would add $11 billion to the government's debt. The vote, on Dec. 11, was 275 yeas to 149 nays, with a two-thirds majority required for approval.
YEAS: Rep. William R. Keating D-MA (9th), Rep. Richard E. Neal D-MA (1st)
NAYS: Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy D-MA (4th), Rep. Stephen F. Lynch D-MA (8th), Rep. James P. McGovern D-MA (2nd), Rep. John F. Tierney D-MA (6th), Rep. Niki Tsongas D-MA (3rd)
NOT VOTING: Rep. Michael E. Capuano D-MA (7th)
House Vote 8:
OMNIBUS SPENDING BILL: The House has concurred in the Senate amendment to the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act (H.R. 83), sponsored by Del. Donna M. Christensen, D-Virgin Islands. The bill would provide $1.013 trillion of appropriations for the military and other discretionary government programs in fiscal 2015, while funding the Homeland Security Department until Feb. 27, 2015. A supporter, Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., said it "prevents a costly and damaging government shutdown while making good government funding and policy decisions and reining in regulatory overreach." An opponent, Rep. David E. Price, D-N.C., criticized the bill for allowing the wealthy to contribute more to political campaigns, encouraging dangerous activity in the financial sector by erasing reforms adopted in the Dodd-Frank law, and failing to adequately fund immigration enforcement agencies and also creating the risk of a funding lapse at Homeland Security in February. The vote, on Dec. 11, was 219 yeas to 206 nays.
NAYS: Rep. William R. Keating D-MA (9th), Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy D-MA (4th), Rep. Stephen F. Lynch D-MA (8th), Rep. James P. McGovern D-MA (2nd), Rep. Richard E. Neal D-MA (1st), Rep. John F. Tierney D-MA (6th), Rep. Niki Tsongas D-MA (3rd)
NOT VOTING: Rep. Michael E. Capuano D-MA (7th)
House Vote 9:
EXPANDING JOHN MUIR HISTORIC SITE: The House has passed the John Muir National Historic Site Expansion Act (H.R. 5699), sponsored by Rep. George Miller, D-Calif. The bill would authorize the Interior Secretary's purchase of 44 acres of land in Martinez, Calif., in order to expand the John Muir Historic Site. Miller said the acquisition would improve the site by creating new recreational opportunities for visitors, without any cost to the government, because the funds to buy the 44 acres have been raised from local donors. The vote, on Dec. 11, was 361 yeas to 39 nays.
YEAS: Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy D-MA (4th), Rep. Stephen F. Lynch D-MA (8th), Rep. James P. McGovern D-MA (2nd), Rep. Richard E. Neal D-MA (1st), Rep. John F. Tierney D-MA (6th), Rep. Niki Tsongas D-MA (3rd)
NOT VOTING: Rep. Michael E. Capuano D-MA (7th), Rep. William R. Keating D-MA (9th)
SENATE VOTES:
Senate Vote 1:REGULATING NUCLEAR POWER: The Senate has confirmed the renomination of Jeffery Martin Baran to serve as a commissioner on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for a term ending in mid-2018. Baran, who joined the NRC in October, had served as a senior Democratic staffer on the House Energy and Commerce Committee. A supporter, Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., called Baran a "very qualified individual" who had shown his ability to successfully work with Democrats and Republicans in his time on the House committee. The vote, on Dec. 8, was 52 yeas to 40 nays.
YEAS: Sen. Edward J. Markey D-MA, Sen. Elizabeth Warren D-MA
Senate Vote 2:
LABOR RELATIONS BOARD MEMBER: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Lauren McGarity McFerran to serve as a member of the National Labor Relations Board for a five-year term. A supporter, Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, cited McFerran's experience as a senior staffer on the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. Harkin praised McFerran for her "deep knowledge of labor law. She is an incredibly talented lawyer. She is a person of sterling integrity and strong character. She will be a great asset to the Board." The vote, on Dec. 8, was 54 yeas to 40 nays.
YEAS: Sen. Edward J. Markey D-MA, Sen. Elizabeth Warren D-MA
Senate Vote 3:
TVA BOARD MEMBER: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Virginia Tyler Lodge to serve as a member of the Tennessee Valley Authority's board of directors for a term ending in May, 2019. Lodge, a business consultant, previously served as a commissioner on the Tennessee Department of Human Service. A supporter, Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., noted that Lodge has promised to recuse herself from any decisions at TVA that involve a potential conflict of interest with the proposal by a Democratic real estate developer to complete TVA's partly-built Bellefonte nuclear power plant in Alabama. The vote, on Dec. 9, was 86 yeas to 12 nays.
YEAS: Sen. Edward J. Markey D-MA, Sen. Elizabeth Warren D-MA
Senate Vote 4:
DEBATING MILITARY SPENDING BILL: The Senate has approved a cloture motion to end debate on the House amendment to the Carl Levin and Howard P. 'Buck' McKeon National Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 3979), sponsored by Rep. Lou Barletta, R-Pa. The bill would authorize $577.1 billion of funding for the Defense Department in fiscal 2015, including $63.7 billion for combat efforts in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria. It would also fund programs to prevent sexual assault in the military and introduce a prescription drugs copayment in health insurance plans for military members. A supporter, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said along with providing necessary funding for the military, a package of land legislation included in the bill would protect wild, scenic, and historic places while opening up other federal lands for beneficial development. The vote, on Dec. 11, was 85 yeas to 14 nays.
YEAS: Sen. Edward J. Markey D-MA, Sen. Elizabeth Warren D-MA
http://www.capecodtoday.com/article/2014/12/13/28192-what-our-washington-reps-did-week
RSN: Outgoing GOP Senator Tom Coburn Now Singlehandedly Responsible for Every Veteran Suicide
Senator Tom Coburn of Oklahoma. (photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Outgoing GOP Senator Tom Coburn Now Singlehandedly Responsible for Every Veteran Suicide
16 December 14
efore retiring from a decades-long career in the US Senate and leaving Washington for good, Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) gave one last middle finger to veterans – he said that preventing future veteran suicides would be “throwing money away” and singlehandedly blocked $22 million aimed at addressing the veteran suicide crisis. By blocking a simple bill that might have saved thousands of lives by providing more services to veterans, Tom Coburn has now become singlehandedly responsible for the suicide of every veteran until the funding gets passed after his departure.
Every day, 22 veterans commit suicide. Just recently, suicide became the leading cause of death for military personnel, outdoing even war itself. If the suicide prevention bill is passed when Congress reconvenes on January 3, it will have been 18 days from the date of Coburn’s filibuster. And that means almost 400 veteran suicides might have been prevented if a lame duck senator hadn’t needlessly stood in the way.
The alleged reason for Coburn’s filibuster of veteran suicide prevention was the cost – $22 million. He also shifted blame to the Department of Veterans Affairs, saying the bill wouldn’t do anything to make up for the VA's lack of services to veterans in need. But both of those arguments fall flat on their face. The $22 million cost of the bill pales in comparison to the $770 billion cost of the Afghanistan war, or the $818 billion cost of the Iraq war, both of which Coburn repeatedly voted for. Both of those wars are costing the American people $10.5 million every hour, yet Coburn is making noise about a price tag that amounts to two hours of war in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Coburn’s feigned concern over the lack of services the VA provides is also flimsy at first glance. In 2011, Coburn voted for Paul Ryan’s House Republican budget that would have ended VA care for 1.3 million veterans. Year after year of consistent budget cuts to the VA naturally results in delayed services for veterans and a longer backlog of veterans who wait months and even years for their care.
If Coburn is looking for a reason why the VA can’t provide enough services, he should look in the mirror.
This bill, named after Clay Hunt – an Afghanistan veteran who committed suicide in 2011 – would have made a difference in the lives of military personnel switching from active duty to veteran status by providing them with services to ease the transition. It would have set up a user-friendly website to help direct veterans to mental healthcare services, given psychiatrists financial incentives to provide mental healthcare to veterans, and funded independent reviews at the Pentagon and the VA for suicide prevention. The bill passed the House with bipartisan support, and had the support to pass the Senate had it not been for Coburn’s actions.
Coburn’s blocking of the bill has made him a target of rage on social media. After a meme explaining Coburn’s vote went viral on Facebook, the outgoing senator’s Facebook page lit up with hundreds of comments on all of his recent posts urging him to kill himself, among other things. Angry tweets directed to @TomCoburn said they hoped he had no help available when he decided to commit suicide. After a brief reading of comment threads in recent posts, I wasn’t able to find one comment in support of Coburn’s vote to block veteran suicide prevention.
As Paul Rieckhoff, CEO of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, said: this is why people hate Washington. The suicide prevention bill must be passed as soon as the next Congress convenes, so the ramblings of one bitter, out-of-touch senator won’t have any further impact on veterans who legitimately need help holding on.
Carl Gibson, 26, is co-founder of US Uncut, a nationwide creative direct-action movement that mobilized tens of thousands of activists against corporate tax avoidance and budget cuts in the months leading up to the Occupy Wall Street movement. Carl and other US Uncut activists are featured in the documentary "We're Not Broke," which premiered at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival. He currently lives in Madison, Wisconsin. You can contact him at
carl@rsnorg.org
, and follow him on twitter at @uncutCG.
Reader Supported News is the Publication of Origin for this work. Permission to republish is freely granted with credit and a link back to Reader Supported News.
Tuesday, July 8, 2014
ICH: Latest Snowden Leak Is Devastating
Not For
Profit - For Global
Justice
The
Peoples Press - Powered By People - For People
|
"Media manipulation in the U.S. today
is more efficient than it was in Nazi Germany, because here we have the pretense
that we are getting all the information we want. That misconception prevents
people from even looking for the truth." - Mark Crispin
Miller
"A
cynical, mercenary, demagogic press will produce in time a people as base as
itself." - Joseph Pulitzer
"What's wrong with our children?
Adults telling children to be honest while lying and cheating. Adults telling
children to not be violent while marketing and glorifying violence... I believe
that adult hypocrisy is the biggest problem children face in America." -
Marian Wright Edleman - Children's Advocate
| July 08/09, 2013 |
| Click Here For Op-Ed Articles |
| Click Here For Hard News Items |
| Click Here For Cost Of War |
   |
"Civilians are
Dying Here and Something Needs to Happen to Stop It"
By
Vera Graziadei
Some of the
people feel abandoned by Vladimir Putin and some of them think that he's being a
hypocrite at this point.
The
US Sledgehammer Worldview
By
Noam Chomsky
It is hard to
ignore the consequences of U.S. state terror.
What's Behind
the Escalating Sectarian War and U.S. Intervention?
By
Larry Everest
It isn't
simply the "fault" or "stupidity" of Bush, Cheney and the "neocons," as some
argue.
So,
Who Wrote The Script?
Stephen Harper
and Oz Prime Minister John Howard SAME SPEECH
Video
In 2003,
Stephen Harper and Australian Prime Minister John Howard deliver largely
identical speeches urging their nations to join George W. Bush's Coalition of
the Willing to go to war with Iraq.
The
"Threat" of Iran? Or the Threat of Saying "No" to
Washington?
By
Steve Chovanec
What exactly
is this "threat?"
The
Birth of America's "Religion of Violence"
By
Thomas DiLorenzo
The real
purpose of the war, the Albany (New York) Evening Journal announced on June 1,
1861, was to warn the rest of "Christendom" of the coming dominance of the
American empire.
Our
Wretched Jewish State
By
Gideon Levy
These are the
children of the nationalistic and racist generation - Netanyahu's offspring.
Jews
for Justice in Palestine
"Racism And
Colonialism Are Not Jewish Values"
By
Ben Lorber
Our people
did not suffer oppression and exile for centuries so that we could turn around
and become the oppressors of another people.
The Latest Snowden Leak Is
Devastating to NSA Defenders
By Conor
Friedersdorf
The agency
collected and stored intimate chats, photos, and emails belonging to innocent
Americans-and secured them so poorly that reporters can now browse them at will.
More
Fraud In The Works
Virtual
Economy's Phantom Job Gains Are Based on Statistical Fraud
By
Paul Craig Roberts
The
corruption in present-day America is total.
Kneeling in
Fenway Park to the Gods of War
By
Chris Hedges
No public
official dares criticize the armed forces or challenge their divine right to
more than half of all the nation's discretionary spending.
Millions of
Soldiers and Veterans in Trouble
By
Bill Quigley
Twenty two
veterans kill themselves every day according to the Veterans Administration.
Americans Insist
on Being Delusional About Racism
By
Mychal Denzel Smith
63 percent of
Americans choose to believe black people are unambitious, or lazy or
incompetent.
Saturday, June 28, 2014
This, that, and Senator Bernie Sanders
Today's news from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.):
Gas Prices: Sen. Bernie Sanders on Thursday introduced legislation to make federal regulators invoke emergency powers to stop speculators from taking advantage of turmoil in Iraq to drive up oil prices and make motorists pay more for gasoline, the Burlington Free Press and Los Angeles Times reported. “I am getting tired of big oil companies and Wall Street speculators using Iraq as an excuse to pump up oil and gas prices,” Sanders said.
Gas Prices: Sen. Bernie Sanders on Thursday introduced legislation to make federal regulators invoke emergency powers to stop speculators from taking advantage of turmoil in Iraq to drive up oil prices and make motorists pay more for gasoline, the Burlington Free Press and Los Angeles Times reported. “I am getting tired of big oil companies and Wall Street speculators using Iraq as an excuse to pump up oil and gas prices,” Sanders said.
VA Reform: Sen. Sanders, who is chairman of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, and Sen. John McCain led the push for Senate passage of VA reform measure that would let veterans visit civilian doctors in certain circumstances. But Sanders worries that allowing visits to physicians outside the system will lead to the privatization of veterans care. He told The Associated Press that the real problem is a 16 percent increase in patients cared for by the VA from 2008 to 2013.
U.S. Media Gives Platform to Iraq War Hawks: The architects of the Iraq war are back in TV studios and on op-ed pages, as are journalists and pundits who promoted the Bush administration’s ultimately bogus case for invading. Despite catastrophic misjudgments -- that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, that U.S. forces would be greeted as liberators, that the war would pay for itself with oil revenues -- the Iraq war boosters keep getting booked, while those politicians and journalists who were skeptical of the Bush administration's “slam dunk” case for war remain largely on the sidelines, The Huffington Post reported.
Supreme Court Rejects Abortion Clinic Buffer Zone: The Supreme Court unanimously struck down a Massachusetts law that set a 35-foot buffer zone on sidewalks near abortion facilities, saying this no-standing zone violated the first Amendment, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Continue reading here: http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/062714
U.S. Media Gives Platform to Iraq War Hawks: The architects of the Iraq war are back in TV studios and on op-ed pages, as are journalists and pundits who promoted the Bush administration’s ultimately bogus case for invading. Despite catastrophic misjudgments -- that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, that U.S. forces would be greeted as liberators, that the war would pay for itself with oil revenues -- the Iraq war boosters keep getting booked, while those politicians and journalists who were skeptical of the Bush administration's “slam dunk” case for war remain largely on the sidelines, The Huffington Post reported.
Supreme Court Rejects Abortion Clinic Buffer Zone: The Supreme Court unanimously struck down a Massachusetts law that set a 35-foot buffer zone on sidewalks near abortion facilities, saying this no-standing zone violated the first Amendment, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Continue reading here: http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/062714
Sometimes, we all just need this....
Mary Lucas shared SAFM's photo.
Our 14-year-old dog Abbey died last month. The day after she passed away my 4-year-old daughter Mere...dith was crying and talking about how much she missed Abbey. She asked if we could write a letter to God so that when Abbey got to heaven, God would recognize her. I told her that I thought we could so, and she dictated these words:
Dear God,
Will you please take care of my dog? She died yesterday and is with you in heaven. I miss her very much. I am happy that you let me have her as my dog even though she got sick.
I hope you will play with her. She likes to swim and play with balls. I am sending a picture of her so when you see her you will know that she is my dog. I really miss her.
Love, Meredith
We put the letter in an envelope with a picture of Abbey and Meredith and addressed it to God/Heaven. We put our return address on it. Then Meredith pasted several stamps on the front of the envelope because she said it would take lots of stamps to get the letter all the way to heaven. That afternoon she dropped it into the letter box at the post office. A few days later, she asked if God had gotten the letter yet. I told her that I thought He had.
Yesterday, there was a package wrapped in gold paper on our front porch addressed, 'To Meredith' in an unfamiliar hand. Meredith opened it. Inside was a book by Mr. Rogers called, 'When a Pet Dies.' Taped to the inside front cover was the letter we had written to God in its opened envelope. On the opposite page was the picture of Abbey & Meredith and this note:
Dear Meredith,
Abbey arrived safely in heaven. Having the picture was a big help and I recognized her right away.
Abbey isn't sick anymore. Her spirit is here with me just like it stays in your heart. Abbey loved being your dog. Since we don't need our bodies in heaven, I don't have any pockets to keep your picture in so I am sending it back to you in this little book for you to keep and have something to remember Abbey by.
Thank you for the beautiful letter and thank your mother for helping you write it and sending it to me. What a wonderful mother you have. I picked her especially for you. I send my blessings every day and remember that I love you very much. By the way, I'm easy to find. I am wherever there is love.
Love, God
Don't say you're too busy to forward this. Just go ahead and do it!
Will you please take care of my dog? She died yesterday and is with you in heaven. I miss her very much. I am happy that you let me have her as my dog even though she got sick.
I hope you will play with her. She likes to swim and play with balls. I am sending a picture of her so when you see her you will know that she is my dog. I really miss her.
Love, Meredith
We put the letter in an envelope with a picture of Abbey and Meredith and addressed it to God/Heaven. We put our return address on it. Then Meredith pasted several stamps on the front of the envelope because she said it would take lots of stamps to get the letter all the way to heaven. That afternoon she dropped it into the letter box at the post office. A few days later, she asked if God had gotten the letter yet. I told her that I thought He had.
Yesterday, there was a package wrapped in gold paper on our front porch addressed, 'To Meredith' in an unfamiliar hand. Meredith opened it. Inside was a book by Mr. Rogers called, 'When a Pet Dies.' Taped to the inside front cover was the letter we had written to God in its opened envelope. On the opposite page was the picture of Abbey & Meredith and this note:
Dear Meredith,
Abbey arrived safely in heaven. Having the picture was a big help and I recognized her right away.
Abbey isn't sick anymore. Her spirit is here with me just like it stays in your heart. Abbey loved being your dog. Since we don't need our bodies in heaven, I don't have any pockets to keep your picture in so I am sending it back to you in this little book for you to keep and have something to remember Abbey by.
Thank you for the beautiful letter and thank your mother for helping you write it and sending it to me. What a wonderful mother you have. I picked her especially for you. I send my blessings every day and remember that I love you very much. By the way, I'm easy to find. I am wherever there is love.
Love, God
Don't say you're too busy to forward this. Just go ahead and do it!
Nearly 1,900 veterans have committed suicide just this year alone. This news emerges just a few weeks after the Senate GOP blocked a bill that would have provided aid for veterans.
http://bit.ly/1iToSmf
(Thanks to US Uncut for the image!)
http://bit.ly/1iToSmf
(Thanks to US Uncut for the image!)
Sunday, June 1, 2014
RSN: Fake Political Outrage Is the Real VA Scandal, 'If You're Mentally Ill in America, You are Shit Outta Luck', et al
Carl Gibson | Fake Political Outrage Is the Real VA Scandal
Carl Gibson, Reader Supported News
Gibson writes: “Since the Afghanistan war began in 2001, over 2,700 veterans have taken their own lives. Data from the Department of Veterans Affairs showed that in 2010 alone, 22 veterans committed suicide – that’s another wounded warrior gone every 65 minutes. Luckily for Army Reserve veteran Kye Hardy of Ashland, Kentucky, who served for a year in Afghanistan’s Helmand Province, none of the soldiers he fought alongside have taken that drastic step yet.”
READ MORE
Carl Gibson, Reader Supported News
Gibson writes: “Since the Afghanistan war began in 2001, over 2,700 veterans have taken their own lives. Data from the Department of Veterans Affairs showed that in 2010 alone, 22 veterans committed suicide – that’s another wounded warrior gone every 65 minutes. Luckily for Army Reserve veteran Kye Hardy of Ashland, Kentucky, who served for a year in Afghanistan’s Helmand Province, none of the soldiers he fought alongside have taken that drastic step yet.”
READ MORE
US Trades Five Guantánamo Bay Prisoners for US POW
Julie Pace, Lolita C. Baldor, Associated Press
Excerpt: “The only American soldier held prisoner in Afghanistan has been freed by the Taliban in exchange for the release of five Afghan detainees from the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Obama administration officials said Saturday.”
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Julie Pace, Lolita C. Baldor, Associated Press
Excerpt: “The only American soldier held prisoner in Afghanistan has been freed by the Taliban in exchange for the release of five Afghan detainees from the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Obama administration officials said Saturday.”
READ MORE
Abortion Services Return to Town Where George Tiller Was Murdered
Aileen Leblanc, National Public Radio
Leblanc writes: “After Tiller's murder, his clinic — the last place in the city providing abortion services — closed. Since 2009, Kansas has also banned post-viability abortions and tightened the laws regulating procedures. But in April of last year, South Wind Women's Center opened in the very same building where Tiller's clinic was.”
READ MORE
Aileen Leblanc, National Public Radio
Leblanc writes: “After Tiller's murder, his clinic — the last place in the city providing abortion services — closed. Since 2009, Kansas has also banned post-viability abortions and tightened the laws regulating procedures. But in April of last year, South Wind Women's Center opened in the very same building where Tiller's clinic was.”
READ MORE
'If You're Mentally Ill in America, You are Shit Outta Luck'
Ruth Spencer, Amanda Holpuch, Guardian UK
Excerpt: “We're publishing five stories that show the personal and material cost that the families and friends of the mentally ill must take on when caring for a loved one.”
READ MORE
Ruth Spencer, Amanda Holpuch, Guardian UK
Excerpt: “We're publishing five stories that show the personal and material cost that the families and friends of the mentally ill must take on when caring for a loved one.”
READ MORE
Six Cleveland Police Officers Charged in Chase and Fatal Shooting
Mark Gillispie, Associated Press
Gillispie writes: “A police car chase that ended in a schoolyard with two unarmed suspects dying in a hail of 137 bullets is part of a wide-ranging federal investigation into the Cleveland Police Department's use of deadly force and its pursuit policies.”
Mark Gillispie, Associated Press
Gillispie writes: “A police car chase that ended in a schoolyard with two unarmed suspects dying in a hail of 137 bullets is part of a wide-ranging federal investigation into the Cleveland Police Department's use of deadly force and its pursuit policies.”
Rape Victim's Mother Attacked in Northern India
Biswajeet Banerjee, Associated Press
Banerjee reports: “Police in northern India have arrested three men for brutally attacking the mother of a rape victim after she refused to withdraw her complaint, an official said Friday, as investigators sought clues in a gang rape elsewhere in the state that left two teenage cousins dead.”
READ MORE
Biswajeet Banerjee, Associated Press
Banerjee reports: “Police in northern India have arrested three men for brutally attacking the mother of a rape victim after she refused to withdraw her complaint, an official said Friday, as investigators sought clues in a gang rape elsewhere in the state that left two teenage cousins dead.”
READ MORE
Earth Heading Toward Another Mass Extinction
Renee Lewis, Al Jazeera America
Lewis writes: “Species are now disappearing at a rate of up to 1,000 times faster than they did before humans started walking the earth, a new study says.”
READ MORE
Renee Lewis, Al Jazeera America
Lewis writes: “Species are now disappearing at a rate of up to 1,000 times faster than they did before humans started walking the earth, a new study says.”
READ MORE
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