National Day of Action on Unemployment Insurance, February 10th

More than 8 million jobs have been lost in the US since 2007.

From the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee:

In her big speech at the right-wing “tea party convention,” Palin had the gall to blame President Obama and Democrats in Congress for the mess that her party created in the first place. Well, here are the facts:

from BanksterUSA:

This week will be a critical one for millions of Americans on Unemployment Insurance (UI). Although job loss is slowing, the economy is still not producing any new jobs and UI benefits will end for one million Americans on February 28th if Congress does not take immediate action. Four million more Americans will lose the benefits in the months that follow. The impact will be devastating on families and communities, as foreclosures driven by unemployment accelerate and as small businesses lose billions in revenue from paying customers. That’s because every $1 of unemployment insurance benefits that is spent results in $1.69 in economic stimulus in the community.

Wednesday, February 10th will be a National Day of Action to Save the UI program. Tell Congress to extend UI benefits until the end of 2010. You can sent a note to your member of Congress at BanksterUSA. Alternatively, if you click on this link for Jobs4AmericaNow and input your phone number, you will be called at that number and connected to one of your Senators. Thanks for lending a helping hand!

Remember: It took 42 presidents and 224 years to run up a trillion dollars in debt held by foreign interests.   It took only 5 years of the Bush administration to DOUBLE IT.

Wars sending U.S. into ruin

“We thought, because we had power, we had wisdom.” Stephen Vincent Benét

Obama the peace president is fighting battles his country cannot afford

By ERIC MARGOLIS,  Toronto Sun 5th February 2010

U.S. President Barack Obama calls the $3.8-trillion US budget he just sent to Congress a major step in restoring America’s economic health.

In fact, it’s another potent fix given to a sick patient deeply addicted to the dangerous drug — debt.

More empires have fallen because of reckless finances than invasion. The latest example was the Soviet Union, which spent itself into ruin by buying tanks.

Take your pick- Military going Rogue, or Obama too Weak to Manage?

Interesting article here by a thoughtful writer and former Army Public Info Officer.  Perhaps when she asserts the military is not following orders, we ought to pay attention. Whether they are going rogue, or our president is weak, we’ve got a big problem.

Walk a Mile…

By Sheila Samples

I know you need your sleep now,
I know your life’s been hard.
But many men are falling,
where you promised to stand guard.
~~Leonard Cohen

February 06, 2010 “Information Clearing House“ — My friend Bernie says he’s suffering from Afghanistan information exhaustion. “During all those months that Obama was dragging his feet about escalating the war in Afghanistan, did you ever get the impression,” he asked, “that foxes were in the hen house, chickens were squawking and running around crazily, wolves were tearing the foxes to pieces, and farmers were shooting wildly into the coop with no regard for the innocent?”

I stared at him, mouth agape, my mind trying to shore up all that activity. “Well … I –”

“And that’s just the generals — David Petraeus and Stanley McChrystal — and their boss, or cohort, defense secretary Robert Gates. They were everywhere — everywhere!” Bernie said, rolling his eyes. “And still are. Turn on the TV, pick up a newspaper, open a magazine, check out Congress, look under a rock — peek behind a tree — and there they are. They’re a three-man brigade — “we’re going in, we’re coming out — we’re winning, we’re losing. Or maybe not. We won’t know for 15 years…20 years…or until it’s over –”

Pain and Suffering- today’s middle class ready for rebellion?

How long will Americans passively endure repeated betrayals and double-teaming from the Corporate parties that play the political system against us?

Thom Hartmann gives a clear warning in the video above. Below is a response from a middle-class woman:

It’s time to send a message. Make a video, write a letter, put a “None of the Above” sign on your lawn….but do something!  There are alot more of us than there are of them.

Our “Representative Democracy” IS NOT Democracy at All

“In 93 percent of House of Representatives races and 94 percent of Senate races that had been decided by mid-day Nov. 5, the candidate who spent the most money ended up winning…” Just soak that up for the time being.

see also: Video: Direct Democracy

U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan strongly opposed troop escalation

This year, 30,000 additional American troops will be deployed to Afghanistan – despite the fact that the U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan expressly opposed troop escalation in two strongly worded cables sent to the White House in 2009.

The White House ignored his warnings and sent troops anyway.

As the House Armed Services Committee begins to write the Defense Department’s budget for 2011, we urge its members to read Eikenberry’s memos. HASC members should write strong language into the 2011 Defense budget that requires the Pentagon to begin withdrawing our troops by July 2011 as stated by President Obama.

Next Steps: Join the Twitter vigil against the Afghanistan war!

The House Will Vote to Eliminate Health Insurance’s Anti-Trust Exemption Next Week

Best news of the year so far!

Tuesday February 2, 2010    emptywheel.firedoglake.com

“I just got off a conference call with Speaker Pelosi. While she had a lot of optimistic things to say about the passage of a Senate plus sidecar bill, the big piece of news is that the House will pass (meaning, I presume she has the votes) a bill eliminating the anti-trust exemption for insurers and medical malpractice companies next week.”

“As she pointed out, the insurers have had this exemption for 65 years, and “the result has not been good” for consumers. And the only other industry that has been given such an exemption is major league baseball.”

“She said that, among other things, eliminating the exemption will allow the federal government to investigate collusion and price-fixing among insurers.”

“I presume this is one of those bills designed to force Republicans to vote to protect the insurance industry–and as such, it is good politics. I’d be even happier if there were any prospect of it getting passed in the Senate, which I doubt. It would be nice to have on more piece of leverage to exercise with the insurance industry.”

Call your reps and senators and let them know this is a great idea! or go to www.senate.gov or www.house.gov

A great bill is waiting in the Senate:     S. 1681 : The Health Insurance Industry Antitrust Enforcement Act Of 2009

Demand that it be brought  forward for a Vote.

Golden Throne Awarded to Tim Ryan, Spinmeister for U.S. Securities Industry

Submitted by Mary Bottari on February 2, 2010   Banksterusa.org

SPECIAL RECOGNITION FOR SIFMA’S TURN PITCHFORKS INTO PLOUGHSHARES CAMPAIGN

The Center for Media and Democracy and BanksterUSA are pleased to present our Golden Throne Award to T. Timothy Ryan Jr., President and CEO of the Securities Industries and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA). SIFMA is the leading behind-the-scenes lobby group representing big banks and investment firms, as well as broker-dealers and other peddlers of financial instruments, which Warren Buffett labeled “weapons of mass destruction.” SIFMA lobbies Congress and financial regulators, and handles securities-related press for some of the biggest players in the financial crisis–Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, AIG, Merrill Lynch, Citigroup, and Fidelity Investments.

The Golden Throne Award salutes the lobbyists and spinmeisters who have managed to hold off meaningful financial services reform since the Wall Street meltdown.

GMO Crops Super-Weed Time Bomb Explodes

Superweeds infest a corn field

Institute of Science in Society

“The scene is set at harvest time in Arkansas October 2009. Grim-faced farmers and scientists speak from fields infested with giant pigweed plants that can withstand as much glyphosate herbicide as you can afford to douse on them. One farmer spent US$0.5 million in three months trying to clear the monster weeds in vain; they stop combine harvesters and break hand tools. Already, an estimated one million acres of soybean and cotton crops in Arkansas have become infested.”

GM Crops Facing Meltdown in the USA
Major crops genetically modified for just two traits – herbicide tolerance and insect resistance – are ravaged by super weeds and secondary pests in the heartland of GMOs as farmers fight a losing battle with more of the same; a fundamental shift to organic farming practices may be the only salvation Dr. Mae-Wan Ho

Joe Bageant: Tea Baggers are our canary in the coal mine

Dispatches from America’s Class War Joe Bageant

Joe recently asked our “masked political consultant,” a well known West Coast political adviser for his quick take on the Tea Party movement. He is now writing under the pseudonym John Brown (Email: postpolitico88@yahoo.com. His previous contributions to this site are:”Not New Ideas, but Identifying New Enemies“, “Moving to the Center of Elite Consensus“, and “Life in the Post Political Age“.  As usual, the masked consultant cuts through the bullshit like a laser. Here is their exchange:

Dear John,

I don’t get it about the Tea Party movement. After eight years of of a super right wing administration destroying jobs and what social safety net there was … “the people”  have suddenly decided: “Now that I’m unemployed, I think I’ll form a grassroots movement to destroy my health care too.