25 Feb - Common Dreams

Flogging climate alarmism - the crescendo continues

www.commondreams.org

		ACLU to Obama: No, You Can't Just Murder an American Overseas by Jon Queally “Responding to news report, civil liberty group say White House 'killing program has gone far beyond what the law permits.'"
		Missing from Presidents’ Day: The People They Enslaved by Clarence Lusane "US presidents bought, sold, and bred enslaved people for profit. Of the 12 presidents who were enslavers, more than half kept people in bondage at the White House."
		Marching Forward as One: North Carolina's Moral Movement Wants to Change America by Lauren McCauley "Rev. William Barber: 'We must begin to see ourselves as existing in society not as isolated selves but as part of the whole.'"
		The Other NRA: National Restaurant Association Eviscerates Rights of Customers, Workers, and Children by Michele Simon & Saru Jayaraman "What you don't know about the industry's lobbying efforts will surprise and infuriate you."
		Latest Gas Explosion Keeps Fossil Fuel Disaster Streak Alive by Jon Queally "Five natural gas or coal-related accidents in just four days this week (and counting)."
		The Real Problem with US Common Core: It Further Outsources Education by Ana Marie Cox "New York is the latest to revolt against Common Core. What's especially scary is more business intrusion into the classroom."
		Bridge Fuel? New Study Shatters Natural Gas Talking Point by Andrea Germanos "The amount of methane leaking from natural gas emissions is far higher than previously estimated, a new study shows, more evidence, as one expert says, that urgent action must be taken to reduce these greenhouse gas emissions."
		10 Reasons To Call For More Than $10.10 as a Minimum Wage by Richard Eskow "Make the case for what is right – and do it fearlessly, because it is right. When the time for expediency arrives, you may find that the limits of the possible have changed."
		'Today We Fight Back': Global Action Against Mass Surveillance by Jon Queally "Surveillance can and does threaten human rights. Even laws intended to protect national security or combat crime will inevitably lead to abuse if left unchecked and kept secret."."
		Whose Distressed Baby Is It? by Amy Davidson "AOL CEO Tim Armstrong’s controversial rationale is really just a riff on how much higher profits would be if you didn’t have to hire human beings."

.

Bill McKibben: We 'Dont Trust' Obama on Climate Change by Jon Queally “McKibben says President Obama's looming decision to approve or reject the Keystone XL will be the ultimate indicator of whether his loyalties reside with the health of the planet and future generations or with the desires and financial interests of the fossil fuel industry." Ending the World the Human Way: Climate Change as the Anti-News by Tom Engelhardt "Unlike 'the news,' climate change and its potential devastations exist on a time scale not congenial either to media time or to the individual lifetimes of our short-lived species." As Coal Ash Spews Into N.C. River, More 'Ticking Time Bombs' Threaten by Sarah Lazare "One of largest such spills in U.S. history shines a light on 'high-risk' unregulated coal ash dumping grounds near waterways." Excuse Me, But We Shouldn't Be Moving on from West Virginia's Chemical Spill by Ana Marie Cox "The underlying crisis behind most environmental tragedies is the part of the story that we rarely hear about." Fracking's Terrifying Water Usage Trends Spell Disaster by Jon Queally "A new study shows that the fracking boom is happening in places that can least afford to lose precious water supplies." Philip Seymour Hoffman Is Another Victim of Extremely Stupid Drug Laws by Russell Brand "We have set our moral compass on this erroneous premise, and we have strayed so far off course that the landscape we now inhabit provides us with no solutions and greatly increases the problem." Indigenous Groups: 'No Keystone XL Pipeline Will Cross Our Lands' by Sarah Lazare "We stand with the Lakota Nation, we stand on the side of protecting sacred water, we stand for Indigenous land-based lifeways which will NOT be corrupted by a hazardous, toxic pipeline." NCLB Crashed and Burned. When Will We Ever Learn? by Lisa Guisbond "The names of the tests may have changed, but the strategy remains the same. As the late, great Pete Seeger sang, 'When will we ever learn?'" As TPP Opposition Soars, Corporate Media Blackout Deafening by Jon Queally "Opposition to the deal dubbed 'NAFTA on steroids' is receiving unprecedented popular opposition and nearly no news coverage by major outlets." When Did "The Sixties" Really Begin? Here's Why It Matters by Ira Chernus "The seeds can be all around us, yet the change itself remains unexpected, invisible, even unimaginable to most people at the time."

With Review in Hand, Obama Must Now Reject Dirty Pipeline: Groups by Jacob Chamberlain “The State Department has given Obama all the room he needs to do what he promised in both campaigns: to take serious steps against global warming." Rest in Peace Pete Seeger, A True Progressive Hero by Matthew Rothschild His advice for activists: “The key issues are those that are close to you, geographically as well as spiritually. If someone says, ‘I want to change the world. Where do I go?’ I answer: ‘Stay right where you are. Don’t run away. Dig in.’" 'Insane, Disgusting' and 'Epic Treachery': NSA Spied on Climate Talks by Jon Queally "While climate activists from around the world gathered outside the UN climate summit in Copenhagen in 2009, the U.S. delegation inside the talks was busy listening to something else: a steady stream of surveillance intelligence on other nations provided by the NSA." The State of Phony Populism by Norman Solomon "With trills of empathy, the president’s voice soared to hit the high notes. He easily carried a tune of economic populism. But after five years of Obama in the White House, Americans should know by now that he was lip-syncing the words." Seattle's Socialist City Councilor Offers Radical Response to Obama Speech by Jon Queally "The political system is completely dysfunctional and broken. It is drowning in corporate cash." Failing the Future: On Obama's Climate Legacy by Janet Redman "Obama must either ditch his all-of-the-above energy strategy or forget about leaving a climate-healing legacy." Woo-Hoo! Shell Ditches Its Arctic Drilling Plans by Andrea Germanos "Let us celebrate the victory for sure, but keep in mind that Shell will try to be back and we will have to stop them, year, after year, after year." Why There’s No Outcry by by Robert Reich "Middle incomes are sinking, the ranks of the poor are swelling, almost all the economic gains are going to the top, and big money is corrupting our democracy. So why isn’t there more of a ruckus?" Pete Seeger (1919-2014): Peace Activist and Folk Legend Passes by Jon Queally "Seeger was a giant of the folk music revival of the 20th Century, playing for audiences and children all over the world. As well known for his political activism and consistent voice against war, environmental destruction, and oppression, Seeger was often shunned by the powerful but never wavered in his commitment to justice, beauty, and the power of music to bring people together. Approving Keystone XL Could Be the Biggest Mistake of Obama's Presidency by Michael Mann "A State Department report fails to take into account the full climate impacts of Keystone XL. Who is Obama protecting?"

.

		Chomsky Describes US Domestic Policy in Two Words: 'Pure Savagery' by Jacob Chamberlain "Cuts to food stamps and jobless benefits are predictable results of a 'neoliberal assault' on American people, says Chomsky."
		Think Metadata Isn't Intrusive? Read This by Kade Crockford "Graphs by MIT students show the enormously intrusive nature of metadata."
		After 20 Years of NAFTA Poverty, Lawmakers Move to Fast-Track TPP by Sarah Lazare "The Trans-Pacific Partnership would be an unmitigated disaster for everything from the environment to internet freedom and working families."
		American Jihad 2014: On the New National Security State Fundamentalists by Tom Engelhardt "Put it all together and what you have is a description of a militant organization whose purpose is to carry out a Washington version of global jihad, a perpetual war in the name of the true faith."
		Another Fiery Derailment Hits Booming Crude-by-Rail Business by Andrea Germanos "It’s beyond irresponsible to ignore. The combination of unsafe rail cars, mixed with exceptionally dangerous oil, is a recipe for disaster."
		I Wear the Badge of Socialist With Honor by Kshama Sawant "Again, throughout the length and breadth of this land, working people are mobilizing for a decent and dignified life for themselves and their children."
		'Burglars' Revealed: Sixties Activists Who Stole FBI COINTELPRO Files by Jon Queally "Vietnam War protestors broke into an FBI office and stole hundreds of government documents that shocked a nation."
		Study: Polarization and Gridlock Work Well for the Wealthiest Americans by Joshua Holland "Inequality is self-reinforcing, so as the rich become richer, Congress’s inability to pass legislation that could change that situation gets worse."
		Investigation Confirms Widespread Fears about Fracking by Sarah Lazare "Despite roadblocks by industry and state officials, well water contamination found in four states."
		Peak Oil Is Dead, Long Live Peak Oil! by Michael T. Klare "The bottom line: as companies exploit increasingly tough, hard-to-reach reserves, global peak oil remains in our future."

		The Peaceful Protest US Govt Doesn't Want World to Know About by Sarah Lazare "First it was the force-feedings, genital searches, and transfers to solitary confinement. Then came the media blackout."
		The Great American Class War by Bill Moyers "In one way or another, this is the oldest story in America: the struggle to determine whether “we, the people” is a moral compact embedded in a political contract or merely a charade."
		Whistleblowers to US Intelligence Agents: 'Follow Your Conscience' by Lauren McCauley "Daniel Ellsberg, Thomas Drake, Jesselyn Radack, Ray McGovern among others who publish open letter to those whose jobs are affront to democracy"
		Reformer or Hypocrite? Understanding Pope Francis by Sonali Kolhatkar "While he is tilting toward progressive ideals, it should be noted that this pope understands that the real crisis of credibility facing the Catholic Church is one of image."
		'Dumb' & 'Cruel': Budget Deal Attacks America's Most Vulnerable by Jon Queally "This deal asks essentially nothing of the richest Americans while placing terrible burdens on the unemployed as well as new federal employees."
		Let's Get This Straight: AIG Execs Got Bailout Bonuses, but Pensioners Get Cuts by Dean Baker "The bonus beneficiaries were among the leading villains in the economic disaster that is still inflicting pain across the country."
		Movement Rises to Kick 'Corporate Reform' Out of Public Schools by Sarah Lazare "Billed as the largest yet national day of action to reclaim the promise of public education, the series of events aims to introduce a counter-narrative and political push-back to the corporate-backed 'education reform' platform that has dominated policy."
		The End of the Internet As We Know It by Jenn Topper "Unless the FCC protects net neutrality, the biggest Internet providers will run amok."
		Obama's Covert Drone War Attacks Wedding Party in Yemen by Jack Serle "A reported US drone attack in Yemen Thursday is the bloodiest air strike reported in the country so far this year."
		How History Will Remember Obama (Hint: Not Well) by William Pfaff "The wars that he has not ended and the moral climate he has sustained in American government, in succession to George Bush, will be the remembered qualities of his presidency."