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Wednesday, June 22, 2011

TSA spreads coverage including NY subway



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The security theater continues. There's no question that there is a threat out there but these policies sound like they're overboard. Americans sound much more paralyzed with fear than other countries who have faced terrorism. MotherJones:
As part of the TSA's request for FY 2012 funding, TSA Administrator John Pistole told Congress last week that the TSA conducts 8,000 unannounced security screenings every year. These screenings, conducted with local law enforcement agencies as well as immigration, can be as simple as checking out cargo at a busy seaport. But more and more, they seem to involve giving airport-style pat-downs and screenings of unsuspecting passengers at bus terminals, ferries, and even subways.

These surprise visits are part of the TSA's VIPR program: Visible Intermodal Prevention and Response. The VIPR program first started doing searches in 2007, and has grown since then. Currently, the TSA only has 25 VIPR teams doing these impromptu searches: in 2012, it wants to get 12 more.

The searches are in the name of passenger security, and the TSA says it wants to prevent incidents like the 2004 Madrid train bombings. But if the airports' TSA searches miss security risks like large knives, loaded guns, and explosives, there's certainly the chance that screenings at train stations would be similarly flawed.
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High fructose corn syrup might be bad for you? Let’s change the name!



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Sleazy, slimy and gross. Reminds me of the time they tried to take cocoa butter out of chocolate. Read the rest of this post...

Federal Reserve updates the world that US economy progressing slower than expected



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Wow, who would have guessed? The "temporary" argument really doesn't hold water here and throwing more free money at Wall Street is likely to only make it worse. But hey, we've known that the Fed has had problems with understanding the middle class squeeze for a while. The Fed is once again only there to support Wall Street.
The Federal Reserve on Wednesday said the pace of U.S. economic recovery was proceeding more slowly than it had expected though it was primarily because of temporary factors.

The Fed's policysetting committee said it will maintain interest rates at exceptionally low levels for an extended period. It said inflation has picked up because of higher commodity prices and supply chain disruptions but longer-term inflation expectations remain stable.

"The slower pace of recovery reflects in part factors that are likely to be temporary, including the damping effect of higher food and energy prices on consumer purchasing power and spending as well as supply-chain dusruptions associated with the tragic events in Japan," the Fed said in a statement at the conclusion of a two-day meeting.
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Is genetically modified food causing increased food allergies in children?



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Way back when (OK, last May) I wrote about the Obama administration's decision to allow (and in some ways, encourage) the use of genetically modified alfalfa and other crops. That ruling was reportedly made by the USDA after the direct intervention of the White House in the Dept. of Agriculture decision process.

Why do I say "encourage"? Because, as I noted then, Monsanto:
Can go into the fields of organic farmers, collect samples, and sue farmers if the fields contain any of Monsanto's patented products.
That makes the bank robber the sheriff, it seems to me.

As a follow-up, here's Jennifer Grayson at Huffington Post writing about something close to every parent's heart: the appalling increase in children's food allergies and the possible ties to GM (genetically modified) food. Ms. Grayson (my emphasis):
The latest research regarding children's food allergies came out earlier this week, and it's a jaw-dropper: Food-related allergies are now twice as common as was once thought, with 1 in 12 American children possibly affected.

Of those with allergies, 40 percent have had reactions severe enough to land them in the hospital, or worse. Prescriptions for the life-saving EpiPen increased 36 percent from 2004 to 2007 alone; that number is likely to be higher in light of the latest study.

Excuse my language, but what the hell is going on? ... Curiously, one thing that may indeed be responsible for the increase in food-related allergies is not getting a lot of press: food itself.
I've long argued that American's don't eat differently (less "morally") than we used to; since WWII we've always filled ourselves to the brim. But what we fill up with is vastly different, despite being eerily (and deceptively) identical in taste to 1950's cooking.

Grayson quotes Robyn O'Brien, a food activist and mother, on the relationship between food allergies and GM-laced products:
[A]s O'Brien explains, the body of a child with food allergies recognizes [CORR: may recognize (my error)] these [genetically modified] foreign proteins as "invaders," launching an inflammatory attack that manifests as an allergic -- sometimes deadly anaphylactic -- reaction.
The statistics are alarming — for example, 265% increase in food allergy hospitalizations in this brave new post-GM world. Read the article for more; it's not good news, and the source is the CDC.

Obviously nothing is proven (hence the question in the headline of this piece). But the data is piling up, in that "why do I cough when I smoke?" kind of way. I'm keeping my eye on this issue, as should we all.

If you'd like more information about Robyn O'Brien, check here. And for those who like to act, you can sign her petition at Change.org by clicking here.

GP Read the rest of this post...

Chris Hayes to get his own show at MSNBC



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Here's Huffington Post on the news:
The New York Times reported Monday that the network is developing a show for Chris Hayes, the Washington correspondent for The Nation. Hayes is a frequent guest host for both Rachel Maddow and Lawrence O'Donnell. The two of them got their shows by... being frequent guest hosts.
It couldn't happen to a better writer. This is Digby on Chris's work, well worth clicking through to read. (This one is a good place to start.) And here's a great profile of Chris by Adele Stan at Alternet.

Interestingly, the Huff Post article offers this tidbit:
The Times writes that Hayes is one of a number of people who MSNBC has preemptively signed to new, long-term contracts to prevent them from making any deals with Current TV in the wake of Keith Olbermann's move there. Olbermann, whose new show starts Monday night, has already announced his own line of regular contributors, including Michael Moore and Markos Moulitsas[.]
That's presented as "competition," but I prefer "expanded opportunity" for the best among us. Nice to see it.

Good luck, Chris!

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Pulitzer winning writer comes out as undocumented immigrant



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I know Jose Antonio Vargas, professionally - but who knew? Fascinating story, really well written, worth a read. From the NYT:
One day when I was 16, I rode my bike to the nearby D.M.V. office to get my driver’s permit. Some of my friends already had their licenses, so I figured it was time. But when I handed the clerk my green card as proof of U.S. residency, she flipped it around, examining it. “This is fake,” she whispered. “Don’t come back here again.”

Confused and scared, I pedaled home and confronted Lolo. I remember him sitting in the garage, cutting coupons. I dropped my bike and ran over to him, showing him the green card. “Peke ba ito?” I asked in Tagalog. (“Is this fake?”) My grandparents were naturalized American citizens — he worked as a security guard, she as a food server — and they had begun supporting my mother and me financially when I was 3, after my father’s wandering eye and inability to properly provide for us led to my parents’ separation. Lolo was a proud man, and I saw the shame on his face as he told me he purchased the card, along with other fake documents, for me. “Don’t show it to other people,” he warned.

I decided then that I could never give anyone reason to doubt I was an American. I convinced myself that if I worked enough, if I achieved enough, I would be rewarded with citizenship. I felt I could earn it.
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In Maine, GOP law to undo same-day voting could be subject to people’s veto



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Maine has a great voting tradition. The state has a history of making that sacred right very accessible. For 38 years that has included same-day registration. But, this year, GOPers took over both house of the legislature -- and there's a nutjob teabagger serving as Governor. Access to voting is an anathema to GOPers, so they voted to end that practice. But, Maine also has a people's veto. A coalition of groups are gathering signatures to put the same-day voting ban on the ballot:
Gov. Paul LePage signed a bill Tuesday to repeal Maine's 38-year-old law allowing same-day voter registration. Before the end of the day, a coalition led by the League of Women Voters of Maine filed paperwork with the Secretary of State's Office to launch a people's veto campaign.

"We feel that we want to preserve voting rights in Maine," said Barbara McDade, president of the league. "For 38 years, people have been able to register to vote on the day that they vote. This puts up a barrier to people, and so we want to repeal that."

Joining McDade was Bob Talbot, representing the Maine Civil Liberties Union and the Maine NAACP, and Evert Fowle III of the MCLU.
I really hope this makes gets on the ballot. The campaign's website is www.protectmainevotes.com

Mike Tipping explains:
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Jon Stewart on just how many times Fox has lied (hint: a lot)



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And you thought Jane Hamsher scared you ;-)



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Adam Green's PCCC raises $3 million. From Politico:
The maverick Progressive Change Campaign Committee spent $3 million in 2010 on campaigns – and plans to raise a hefty $3 million to $5 million from small donors to battle for liberal causes and candidates in 2012, according to officials with the group.

PCCC has shown an independent streak, fighting against some candidates, including former Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.), backed by President Obama’s political team. Recently the group has been pressing the White House to appoint Elizabeth Warren as permanent head of the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau – and it has a stated goal of “pushing President Obama and Democrats to fight harder against the Republicans.”
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We’re looking for a good graphic designer for a project



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Hey guys, we're looking for someone who's really good at graphic design, specifically someone who can design graphics for logos, t-shirts, special campaigns we do, stuff like that.  We're willing to pay on a project-by-project basis for each design.  If this fits your bill, please email me - my email is at the bottom of the site, bottom right corner - and send me a link to some of your work.  Thanks, JOHN Read the rest of this post...

NPR: Climate change: Public skeptical, scientists sure



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NPR:
The American public is less likely to believe in global warming than it was just five years ago. Yet, paradoxically, scientists are more confident than ever that climate change is real and caused largely by human activities.

Something a bit strange is happening with public opinion and climate change.
We are a supremely gullible people and the Republicans are extremely good at lying. Read the rest of this post...

Darrell Issa #FAIL: Now attacking ATF over program he knew all about but never questioned



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Awesome takedown of Rep. Darrell Issa in today's Washington Post:
A chief Republican critic of a controversial U.S. anti-gun-trafficking operation was briefed on ATF’s “Fast and Furious” program last year and did not express any opposition, sources familiar with the classified briefing said Tuesday.

Rep. Darrell Issa (Calif.), who has repeatedly called for top Justice Department officials to be held accountable for the now-defunct operation, was given highly specific information about it at an April 2010 briefing, the sources said. Members of his staff also attended the session, which Issa and two other Republican congressmen had requested.

Fast and Furious targeted Mexican gun traffickers but was linked to the killing of a U.S. law enforcement officer. Republicans in Congress have criticized the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives over its handling of the operation, with Issa calling it “felony-stupid bad judgment” during a hearing last week in which he grilled a Justice Department official.
So, it was a briefing Issa requested -- and he didn't make a peep -- but, now he's on the warpath. What a hypocrite.

Best line in the article:
“All of the things [Issa] has been screaming about, he was briefed on,’’ said one source familiar with the session.
That says a lot about Issa and his motives. Read the rest of this post...

IMF warns on Spain



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Uh oh.
The International Monetary Fund said Spain must step up efforts to reform its economy as Europe’s sovereign debt crisis threatens to damp growth.

“The repair of the economy is incomplete and risks are considerable,” the Washington-based IMF said in its annual appraisal of Spain yesterday. There must be “no let up in the reform momentum” to bolster the recovery and reduce a 21 percent unemployment rate that is “unacceptably high,” the fund said.

Spain’s Socialist government is carrying out the deepest budget cuts in at least three decades while raising the retirement age and reducing firing costs. Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero overhauled wage-bargaining rules on June 10 in the latest step aimed at reining in borrowing costs that surged to the highest in a decade last week on mounting expectations of a Greek default.
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Tories rebel against climate change policies



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Ahh, nothing like the flat earth loons stepping in to turn back the clock. David Cameron is hoping to throw in a few moderate policies to counter his extremist austerity plans but it's asking a lot for Conservatives to go along with the show. There is science to deny and businesses to appease after all.
The revolt of the MEPs is an embarrassment for the prime minister, who has committed Britain to some of the most ambitious greenhouse gas targets in the world and staked his reputation on leading "the greenest government ever".

Tomorrow the European parliament will vote on whether to toughen the EU's emissions-cutting target from 20% reductions by 2020, compared with 1990 levels, to a 30% cut. The commitment to a 30% cut is in the coalition agreement, and has won support from other member states.

But British Conservative MEPs said they would vote to oppose the 30% cut. The leader of the UK Conservative delegation, Martin Callanan, said: "Conservative MEPs have always been sceptical of the EU unilaterally increasing its target to 30% without a worldwide agreement … European companies will be unable to compete if the reduction targets are set too high.
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Greek PM survives confidence vote



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Papandreou has somehow managed to make it through but there is still the question of what happens next? Amazingly enough, the euro has held up the last few days and even gained despite the increasing talk of a Greek default and a Greek exit from the euro. A bailout can still happen but that is only going to push the problem out for a while. If Greece goes, what happens next in Portugal and Ireland? The Guardian:
The vote kicked off a crucial three weeks that could make or break the euro. Leaders in Brussels spoke of the worst crisis in Europe since the second world war, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) set ultimatums before the 17 countries of the single currency, and international ratings agencies classified the bailout terms for Greece as a likely default.

In order to secure an immediate €12bn lifeline and then EU agreement on a second bailout running to more than €100bn over three years, Papandreou now has to persuade parliament to back a radical programme of spending cuts, tax increases, and a mass assets sell-off by the end of next week.

The roll-call ballot took place in an electric atmosphere with Greeks from all walks of life converging on Syntagma Square. Angrily punching the air as politicians debated the country's parlous economic plight, protesters shouted: "We give a vote of no confidence." Riot police looked on and, as tensions rose, many protesters lobbed bottles of water at the parliament.
Meanwhile in Germany, the press is continuing to work the country into a lather over the Greek crisis. Between the Greek bashing (which was in fashion last year as well) and the more recent Spanish-bashing from the food crisis, maybe Germany needs to look in a mirror and ask some questions about it's borderline racist attacks on neighbors. Read the rest of this post...

SEC confirms Congress above insider trading laws



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It's good to be da king! No wonder they're all millionaires and are more concerned about tax cuts for the richest Americans rather than helping the middle class. Why should Congress benefit from secret information? Changing the law has to happen to level the playing field.
The SEC generally does not view trading on the basis of advance knowledge of Congressional action to be insider trading. Both House and Senate ethics manuals say that members of Congress are not supposed to make any personal profit from confidential knowledge, although no member of Congress has ever been publicly sanctioned for such trading.

Critics of the loose rules say they can’t prove that members of Congress or their staffs are actually trading and profiting from their positions, but they still believe that’s the only explanation for the returns members of Congress generate over time.

“It just boggles the imagination to think that members of Congress are so much smarter than we are and other traders that they just for some reason enjoy a much higher rate of return on their stock investments than the rest of us,” said Holman. “I just don’t believe that.”
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