tagged w/ Dandelion Salad
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by Richard C. Cook
Featured Writer
Dandelion Salad
richardccook.com
October 9, 2009
Jim Turner, a Washington, D.C., attorney noted for his work on consumer health issues, is filing suit today in federal court to stop all swine flu vaccinations from being given in the United States. The action was reported this morning on the health website NaturalNews.com.
According to NaturalNews.com editor Mike Adams, “The lawsuit charges that the FDA violated the law in its hasty approval of four swine flu vaccines by failing to scientifically determine neither the safety nor efficacy of the vaccines.”
Turner is filing the suit on behalf of plaintiff Gary Null, the New York health broadcaster and author, as well as health professionals in New York State who are being told to take the shot or get fired.
[...]
Plus video reportby Richard C. Cook
Featured Writer
Dandelion Salad
richardccook.com
October 9,... more
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By Cindy Sheehan
Featured Writer
Dandelion Salad
Oct. 9, 2009
I guess to the Nobel Peace Prize Committee it means presiding over the further destruction of the population of three countries that didn’t harm anyone.
I guess it means voting for every war-funding bill while one is a Senator.
I guess it means continuing the use of the obscene and immoral drones.
I guess it means continuing torture and building larger prisons to pre-emptively and indefinitely detain suspected “terrorists.”
I guess it means using the politics of fear to justify your wars. “Afghanistan is a war of necessity.” “There are still people in the world who want to hurt Americans.”
I guess it means increasing your military budget.
I guess it means paying back your donors on Wall Street and in the insurance companies to profoundly harm people in your own country.
I guess it means hiring hostile people like Hillary Clinton, Robert Gates, Stanley McChrystal and Petraeus.
I guess it means extending the damaging embargo on Cuba and threatening “crippling economic sanctions” for Iran.
I guess since the committee awarded the prize to Jimmy Carter who gave rise to the Taliban and al Qaeda in Iran giving billions to those who fought against the USSR (talk about Blowback), it tells the people of Afghanistan if you are killed, we will give your killer the Nobel Peace Prize.
Jesus Christ, why didn’t they just give it to George Bush?
The US Peace Movement was put on life support with the election of Democrats. I hope now that we have a president who is just a tool of the war machine AND a Nobel Peace Laureate that it hasn’t put the final nail in the coffin of the Peace Movement.
Peace to us means, not just an absence of war but, an absence of preparing for war.
Peace to us means that innocent people won’t suffer for profit.
I guess to the Establishment: War is Peace.
see
http://dandelionsalad.wordpress.com/2009/10/09/obama-wins-2009-nobel-peace-prize/
http://dandelionsalad.wordpress.com/2009/10/06/peace-of-the-action-by-cindy-sheehan/
http://dandelionsalad.wordpress.com/2009/09/16/international-peoples-declaration-of-peace-video-final-version/By Cindy Sheehan
Featured Writer
Dandelion Salad
Oct. 9, 2009
I guess to the... more
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Warning
This video may contain images depicting the reality and horror of war/violence and should only be viewed by a mature audience.
http://www.youtube.com/user/DerrickCCrowe
September 13, 2009
"During and after the 2008 campaign, President Obama repeatedly identified himself as a Christian for whom the Sermon on the Mount figured prominently in his faith. The Sermon on the Mount, as he has acknowledged, is a radical text of nonviolence, self-sacrifice, and enemy love.
Since taking office, President Obama has massively escalated the war in Afghanistan, resulting in increasing civilian deaths and massive human suffering on the part of Afghans and Americans sent to fight his war.
This video is offered not as an attack on the President’s personal faith. Instead, it’s intended to be an illustration of the way in which many Christians, including President Obama, seem willing to set aside the ethical content of the Sermon on the Mount when it conflicts with national goals.
Mr. President, for Christ’s sake, end this war."Warning
This video may contain images depicting the reality and horror of... more
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by Dr. Ellen Brown
Featured Writer
Dandelion Salad
July 13, 2009
Four Wall Street banks, which received $15-25 billion each from the taxpayers, have rejected California’s IOUs because the State is supposedly a bad credit risk. The bailed out banks would seem to have a duty to lend a helping hand, but they say they don’t want to delay an agreement on further austerity measures. State legislators are not bowing quickly to the pressure, but what is the alternative?
In the latest twist to the California budget saga, Citigroup, Wells Fargo, and JPMorgan Chase (which each got $25 billion in bailout money from the taxpayers) and Bank of America (which got $15 billion) have refused California’s request for a loan to tide it over until October. Until the State can get things sorted out, it has started paying its creditors in IOUs (“I Owe You’s” or promises to pay bearing interest, technically called registered warrants). Its Wall Street creditors, however, have refused to take them. Why? The pot says the kettle is a poor credit risk!
[...]
[There's a petition at the end of this article.]by Dr. Ellen Brown
Featured Writer
Dandelion Salad
July 13, 2009
Four Wall... more
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by Cindy Sheehan
http://dandelionsalad.wordpress.com/
featured writer
http://www.cindyforcongress.org/
December 7, 2008
"Peace is not an absence of war: it’s an absence of preparing for war or an absence of using violence or threats of violence to solve problems." — Cindy Sheehan
Today is the 67th anniversary of the “day that will live in infamy.” Likely, if you were alive 67 years ago, you were a very young person. I know a few people who can still remember when the Japanese attacked a US naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, but I remember the stories that my parents told me about that day.
My mom was sitting at the kitchen table eating biscuits when she heard the news on the radio: she was 10 years old. My dad lived in Oklahoma, but my mom lived in Hawthorne, California so her family was terrified that California would be struck soon. I can imagine that in years to come, my children will be telling their children about what they were doing when they heard that the Twin Towers and the Pentagon were attacked on 9-11-01.
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If the USA had a national Peace Movement, Obama would not be our President-Elect right now. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) would have been the nominee for the Democrats and Ron Paul (R-Tx) would have been nominated from the GOP and Cynthia McKinney (G) and Ralph Nader (I) would have had seats at debates. What we have here in the US is an “anti-war” movement that is selective in its opposition to war. It seems that for many of the national organizations, Democratic Wars are okay, while Republican Wars are bad. That’s why we need a movement with integrity and vision that doesn’t exist to shill for the Democrats, but exists to be the clarion call that ALL violence is wrong and solving problems using violence or the threat of violence is a crime against humanity and always criminally prosecutable—whether George Bush or Barack Obama is the one making these threats or promising escalation of violence. The use of violence is inherently wrong in an individual and millions of times worse coming from a state.
[...]
The Peace Movement demanded from Bush and will demand from Obama a complete and immediate withdrawal of US Forces and independent contractors from Iraq and Afghanistan and a declared end to the USA’s War of Terror.
We demand that ALL torture prisons, in Guantanamo Cuba and around the world be closed and that the humans incarcerated in those prisons be released, or tried with full protection of commonly held law (that used to exist in the US) and that the Military Commission’s Act be repealed.
We demand that the US take a more balanced approach to Israel’s occupation and oppression of the Palestinian people and work with the international community to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
[...]
continued at http://dandelionsalad.wordpress.com/2008/12/08/peace-by-cindy-sheehan/by Cindy Sheehan
http://dandelionsalad.wordpress.com/
featured writer... more
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Book cover used with permission by the author. http://www.flickr.com/photos/lorri37/2988926965/
by Richard C. Cook
featured writer
http://dandelionsalad.wordpress.com
Now to the Wall Street bailouts, the plan for the government to purchase preferred shares in banks, and the takeovers of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and AIG, may be added the intention announced last night that the government will throw another $20 billion at Citibank, the nation's largest financial institution.
[...]
Meanwhile, almost nothing has been done to help the consumers within the producing economy who have lost trillions of dollars in the stock market crash, seen the value of their homes fall in many cases below what they owe on their mortgages, and lost jobs or health benefits through the escalating recession.
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So what are ordinary people to do who have families to feed, rent or mortgages to pay that are still inflated from the collapsed housing bubble, unmet medical or insurance expenses, or may be trying to get their kids through college? Should we go deeper into debt when U.S. households, businesses, and government already owe in the neighborhood of $60 trillion (excluding federal unfunded debt liabilities), almost five times the GDP? Banks have cut back on lending anyway.
[...]
But the worst of the debt may be credit card debt, where the controls on interest rates and penalty charges were lifted long ago and the government stopped providing a tax deduction for interest paid. In many cases, interest on credit cards is 28 percent or more, which means that even by making the minimum required payment, consumers see their balances grow each month. That the politicians could continue to allow such evil to exist is astounding but proves who their masters are.
So until real relief is forthcoming, citizens who are in distress should simply destroy their credit cards and stop paying the monthly bills. People are already doing this. Arrearages and defaults are climbing, and credit card debt is starting to be viewed as the next bubble to burst. But so what? If people have to use a credit card, that means they can’t really afford to buy whatever it is they think they want. If they can afford it, they should use a debit card instead.
continued at http://dandelionsalad.wordpress.com/2008/11/24/citizens%E2%80%99-economic-stimulus-plan-stop-paying-credit-card-debt-by-richard-c-cook/
(Note for some reason or other Current doesn't like this link and the title link doesn't work???)Book cover used with permission by the author.... more
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Video from http://www.youtube.com/user/AlJazeeraEnglish
6 Nov 08
"Riz speaks with eminent US historian and writer Howard Zinn on his expectations for an Obama presidency and his views on Ralph Nader."
Video from http://www.youtube.com/user/AlJazeeraEnglish
6 Nov 08
"Riz speaks... more
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video from http://www.youtube.com/user/Kucinich2008
"In a spirited back-and-forth about Sen. Barack Obama’s Presidential win, Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich and Bill O’Reilly of Fox News toss around ideas, priorities, and possibilities about the economy and other issues."video from http://www.youtube.com/user/Kucinich2008
"In a spirited back-and-forth... more
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video from http://www.youtube.com/user/votenader08
"A hopeful Obama supporter searches for Barack’s courage."
Plus more videos at above link.video from http://www.youtube.com/user/votenader08
"A hopeful Obama supporter... more
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video from http://www.youtube.com/user/votenader08
http://www.votenader.org/
“What’s my crime?” Ralph Nader asked a reporter the other day.
“Persistence? Stamina? Having done more for the American people in 40 years than McCain or Obama?”
No, Ralph.
That’s no crime.
That’s why you should be President.
Because for the past seven months — as you have your entire adult life — you have busted it for the American people.
And now, a new generation of voters is listening to your message of shifting the power from the corporations back into the hands of the American people.
As Maria Recio of the Miami Herald put it yesterday “Nader’s anti-establishment, anti-corporate message resonates with young people, who dominate his Washington headquarters and his 35 field offices.”
Over the next four days before the election, your loyal supporters are going to bust it for you.
We’re firing on all cylinders.
All across this country.
To get out the message — there is an Independent alternative to the two corporate candidates on the ballot on Tuesday.
And his name is Ralph Nader.
As a result of our combined efforts in recent weeks, our numbers are climbing in key battleground states, ramping up to four percent in Arizona, Nevada, Ohio and Pennsylvania.
But we need to keep up the pressure.
Are there a couple of heroes out there who haven’t given yet who will give $1,000?
How about $500?
If you have yet to give, please give now whatever you can afford — $5, $10, $50, $100 — up to the legal limit of $2,300.
We need to raise $150,000 over the next four days to pay for our last get out the vote drive and make an historic statement on Tuesday.
Let’s drive it home now.
And watch the widget soar toward our goal of $4 million by Election Day.
Onward to Election Day and beyond
The Nader Teamvideo from http://www.youtube.com/user/votenader08
http://www.votenader.org/... more
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video from http://www.youtube.com/user/votethirdpartynow
Thursday, October 30, 2008 4:00 PM
Debate: The Economy: Where do we go from here?
The City Club will hold a debate between third party presidential candidates.
This event is free to the public. Tickets will be distributed on a first come, first serve basis on the day of the event.
http://www.cityclub.org/content/speak…
CONFIRMED:
Chuck Baldwin http://www.baldwin08.com/
Bob Barr http://www.bobbarr2008.com/
Ralph Nader http://www.votenader.org
***
www.votenader.org/
It’s debate week!
Ralph Nader will appear tomorrow (Thursday October 30, 2008, 4:30 to 5:30 EST) in a Third Party debate at the City Club of Cleveland. Libertarian candidate Bob Barr and Constitution Party candidate Chuck Baldwin will participate in the debate. The three other electorally viable Presidential candidates have been invited.
Then on Sunday November 2, 2008, Matt Gonzalez will appear in a three-way vice-presidential debate in Las Vegas with the Constitution and Libertarian VP candidates. That debate is being sponsored by Free & Equal.
(By the way, in case you haven’t seen it yet, check out Matt’s most recent expose of the Obama-led corporate and militarist Democrats. We predict Obama will not address any of these issues head on tonight in his 30 minute, five network infomercial.)
C-Span will tape the City Club of Cleveland debate and show it sometime this weekend.
And the City Club will live stream the event on their website.
So, tell your friends and family to watch tomorrow afternoon.
Onward to November.
The Nader Teamvideo from http://www.youtube.com/user/votethirdpartynow
Thursday, October 30,... more
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photo by http://www.flickr.com/photos/lorri37/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lorri37/86670127/
By Manila Ryce
The Largest Minority
http://www.jwharrison.com/blog/2008/10/28/zinn-wont-be-voting-for-obama-after-all/
Oct 28, 2008
Zinn Won’t be Voting for Obama After All
This letter to Ralph Nader retracts Professor Zinn’s previous endorsement of Obama. He gave us permission to publish it.
Dear Ralph:
I was wrong in saying I would vote for Obama. I was not thinking of the slam-dunk states, of which Massachusetts is one, and I will vote for you in Massachusetts.
I still think that the electoral arena is one that saps our energy, and gets us nowhere. What you say about civic activity not having a chance to change policy is pessimistic and wrong, and if civic activity cannot be effective then electoral activity will be even less effective.
Civic activity is the only way things can change — you should know that better than anyone because you’ve been so good at it. Such activity affects public opinion which in the long run, when it becomes widespread enough, forces changes in policy. Electoral activity, in a managed political system when the candidacy of third party candidates can only show weakness, will not change public opinion. We are not in a Debs-era situation, when a powerful Socialist movement represented millions of people.
In solidarity,
Howard
see also:
Howard Zinn: Vote for Obama but direct action needed
http://dandelionsalad.wordpress.com/2008/10/22/howard-zinn-vote-for-obama-but-direct-action-needed/
http://www.votenader.org/
photo by http://www.flickr.com/photos/lorri37/... more
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10/27/2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: (202) 675-2312 or media@dcaclu.org
Plan Offers Guide To Recovering Freedoms Lost Under Bush
WASHINGTON – In anticipation of the presidential election, the American Civil Liberties Union today released a set of detailed recommendations on steps that the new president should take to “clean house,” renew freedom, and restore the nation’s reputation.
“This past administration has left us with a disastrous legacy of bad policy, abuse of power, and civil liberties violations,” said Caroline Fredrickson, director of the Washington Legislative Office of the ACLU. “The next president, whoever he is, must immediately begin the process of undoing this far-reaching assault on our nation’s freedoms and core values, and the ACLU’s ‘to do’ list provides a detailed roadmap for achieving that.”
The new ACLU document, entitled, ”Actions For Restoring America,” recommends actions to be taken by the next president on his first day in office, in his first 100 days, and in his first year. The ACLU’s list consists of actions that the executive branch could take on its own.
On Day One, the next president should, by executive order, direct all agencies to prohibit the use of torture and abuse; direct the new Attorney General to appoint an outside special counsel to investigate, and, if warranted, prosecute any violations of federal criminal laws; close down Guantánamo and either charge and try detainees in criminal or traditional military courts or transfer them to countries where they won’t be tortured; and end the practice of extraordinary rendition.
In his first 100 days, the president should take actions, as detailed in the ACLU document, to end illegal spying and surveillance, to protect Americans from privacy violations and discrimination, to end the federal death penalty, and to increase government transparency.
For the new president’s first year, the ACLU proposes actions across a broad variety of areas that are needed to undo the Bush legacy.
“For starters, the next president should immediately put an end to torture, shut down Guantánamo and the military commissions and ban ‘extraordinary rendition,” said Fredrickson. “All of these practices are abominations – violations of our nation’s dearest principles and a blot on America’s good name. He must then proceed vigilantly to restore our other precious rights and values that have been trampled upon, including freedom from unchecked government surveillance, racial and gender equality, and government transparency.”
“The actions we are calling for are steps that the next president can take easily – in many cases with the stroke of a pen – but which will carry great weight in restoring our nation’s true place as a beacon of liberty, rights and justice in the eyes of others and ourselves,” said Fredrickson. “Many things the next president will need to do will be hard. But these will be easy.”
The ACLU’s 83-page document proposes actions across a wide variety of topics, including national security, human rights, women’s rights, civil rights, drug policy, the rights of LGBT Americans, immigrants and prisoners, privacy and free speech.
“Presidents have enormous power not only to set the legislative agenda, but also to establish policy by executive order, federal regulation, or simply by refocusing the efforts and emphases of the executive agencies,” said Fredrickson. “The new president must use all of these tools to restore our freedoms and move the country forward.”
“The American people still need to be reminded why grants of unchecked power do not actually make us safer,” said Fredrickson. “And why Americans must stand firm in protecting the values that at our best we have always represented and defended at home and around the world.”
To download and see the entire ACLU transition plan including suggested executive orders, mandates and directives from the president, go to http://www.aclu.org/transition10/27/2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: (202) 675-2312 or media@dcaclu.org
Plan... more
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photo used with permission by http://stpaulrnc.shutterfly.com/20
American Civil Liberties Union
10/21/2008
Deployment Erodes Longstanding Separation Between Civilian And Military Government
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: (212) 549-2666; media@aclu.org
NEW YORK – The American Civil Liberties Union today demanded information from the government about reports that an active military unit has been deployed inside the U.S. to help with “civil unrest” and “crowd control” – matters traditionally handled by civilian authorities. This deployment jeopardizes the longstanding separation between civilian and military government, and the public has a right to know where and why the unit has been deployed, according to an ACLU Freedom of Information request filed today.
“The military’s deployment within U.S. borders raises critical questions that must be answered,” said Jonathan Hafetz, staff attorney with the ACLU National Security Project. “What is the unit’s mission? What functions will it perform? And why was it necessary to deploy the unit rather than rely on civilian agencies and personnel and the National Guard? Given the magnitude of the issues at stake, it is imperative that the American people know the truth about this new and unprecedented intrusion of the military in domestic affairs.”
According to a report in the Army Times, the Army recently deployed an active military unit inside the United States under Northern Command, which was established in 2002 to assist federal homeland defense efforts and coordinate defense support of civil authorities. This deployment marks the first time an active unit has been given a dedicated assignment to Northern Command.
Civilian authorities, not the military, have historically controlled and directed the internal affairs of the United States. This rule traces its origins to the nation’s founding and has been reaffirmed in landmark statutes including the Posse Comitatus Act, which helps preserve the foundational principles of our Constitution and democracy.
“This is a radical departure from separation of civilian law enforcement and military authority, and could, quite possibly, represent a violation of law,” said Mike German, ACLU national security policy counsel and former FBI Agent. “Our Founding Fathers understood the threat that a standing army could pose to American liberty. While future generations recognized the need for a strong military to defend against increasingly capable foreign threats, they also passed statutory protections to ensure that the Army could not be turned against the American people. The erosion of these protections should concern every American.”
In order to assess the implications of the recent deployment, the ACLU requested the Departments of Justice, Homeland Security and Defense today to immediately make public all legal opinions, executive orders, presidential directives, memos, policy guidance, and other documents that authorize the deployment of military troops for domestic purposes.
Since the terrorist attacks of 9/11, the Department of Defense has dramatically expanded its role in domestic law enforcement and intelligence operations, including the National Security Agency’s warrantless wiretapping programs, the Department of Homeland Security’s use of military spy satellites, and the participation of military personnel in state and local intelligence fusion centers. The ACLU has repeatedly expressed concern about these incremental encroachments of the military into domestic affairs, and the assignment of active duty troops to Northern Command only heightens these concerns.
A copy of the ACLU’s information request is available online at: www.aclu.org/safefree/general/37272lgl20081021.htmlphoto used with permission by http://stpaulrnc.shutterfly.com/20
American Civil... more
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