Category Archives: communications/media

ALEC and Fossil Fuels

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PRWatch has this up on ALEC continuing its dirty campaigns against everything that is logical.

From the piece:

ALEC is even going after people who want to generate solar power for their homes. The boom in home solar energy generation—there has been a 60 percent increase in domestic solar installations in the past year—is a threat to ALEC’s dirty energy producing members, so they have a bill to amend so-called net metering laws that allow homeowners to sell excess electricity back to the grid. It is the ability to do this that makes solar an increasingly affordable possibility for homeowners. ALEC’s bill would charge homeowners additional fees, with ALEC environment task force director John Eick telling The Guardian that these users are “free riders on the system.”

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You know, it’s one thing to try to promote your heavy-metal containing pollution, but it’s a whole ‘nother thing to try to prevent people from taking a proactive stance against your dirty fuel.  Unreal.

Solar energy has sooo many benefits–one of which is independence from the greedy energy producers whom have stripped our lands of trees, poisoned our water and soil, and then not paid for the land use nor taxes on top of that.

Sixty percent increase in solar energy use…just in the last year…this is a *huge* threat to them.

Mike Pence, doing ALEC’s bidding, along with the coal industry.

Not long ago, Indiana ranked in the top five for low cost of electricity. Now, thanks to an onslaught of regulations from Washington, Indiana ranks somewhere firmly in the middle of the pack.

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Reading between the lines, this is as much an admission of guilt for polluting our air, water, and soil with heavy metals (lead, mercury, arsenic) from coal. They were getting away with it until regulations prevented the free-for-all.

I keep thinking about that 17 million pounds of toxins put into our waterways every single year…and BP dumping mercury into Lake Michigan every single year, courtesy of Indiana Dept. of Environmental Mis-Management….and the lack of action when the toxic spill floated down the Ohio…

 

 

 

A rabbi condemns Carter for defending Palestinians

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This piece is so slanted I nearly fell off my chair reading it….

Rabbi Shmuley chooses to ignore President Carter’s monumental act of getting Egypt and Israel to broker a peace deal…a peace that has lasted decades. And the hostages deal is a cheap shot.  They were deliberately held so that Reagan could claim victory…a piece of history that strangely is never reported by the brain-dead media.

Rabbi Shmuley chooses to ignore the interference of food, water, jobs, paychecks, and the ability to earn a living that Israel has imposed on the Palestinians…leaving them little choice.  He also ignores Israelis’ own bloody history of killing innocents to gain control of what was once Palestinian land.  And he ignores Palestinian wishes for a two-state solution.

Carter states in the video that he does not agree with bad things Hamas has done.

 

 

 

Sirota is back…

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Woot.  

(hat tip Diane Ravitch)

A voice that was silenced by those proclaiming to be progressive and open-minded weren’t quite so much when put to the test.  It’s not hard to see why when you read this article blasting Hillary Clinton.  There’s a powerful push to get her into office, despite the coy “I haven’t decided” b.s. that she is spewing.  I’ve said it before, but I’m sick of Clintons and Bushes in the White House.  Time for a real change for a politician that actually speaks up for the “little people” who don’t have big lobbyists, big PACs, nor big money to influence Washington.

More on Gaza and what it’s like to be Palestinian

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DN! has another good piece on life in Gaza….if you can call it that. Existence is more apt a word…

Israel targeted yet another hospital…and yet another playground with children.

I just can’t wrap my brain around anyone justifying this–only a mentally ill person would rationalize killing children and innocent people whom have nothing to do with Hamas.

And the cruel mind games Israel is playing—calling people and telling them to leave because they are about to be bombed…when there is clearly nowhere else to go.  As the piece illustrates–a man who left to go to “safety” was bombed there, too.  Where are they to go?

Another segment the other day said that Israel is also playing mind games by calling people up and telling them they are in their crosshairs.  And there are drones overhead all the time….even when there was supposedly a cease-fire that Israel claimed to uphold.  Who would trust someone like that?

DN also had this up yesterday of a Palestinian’s account of his own personal tragedy.  It’s hard to watch–he clearly is heartbroken over losing so many members of his family.

Again, Israel has a lot of fire power because of the United States giving them billions every single year.  I do not support my tax dollars going towards killing innocent people…innocent children playing on a playground…people in hospitals that have already been greatly harmed…

~~~More of this segment also explores the overreach of the NSA, CIA, et al, and how the Fourth Amendment is ignored.  Brian Ross has stated that he now begins telephone conversations with “I’m an American citizen, are you?”  because he says they are not supposed to be listening in on American citizens’ conversations.  This is a protective measure.  It is incredible how paranoia has become so extreme that journalists now feel like criminals and have to act like they’re mafia or something in order to develop contacts and be able to investigate the very people who are trying to usurp the press’ ability to investigate them.

Meanwhile, the petition for Freedom of the Press and Whistleblowers has now reached over 100,000 like-minded folks who believe in the First Amendment and Fourth Amendment which a healthy democracy needs to survive.

First Amendment:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. – See more at: http://constitution.findlaw.com/amendment1/amendment.html#sthash.8k4V7g5s.dpuf
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Fourth Amendment:
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized. – See more at: http://constitution.findlaw.com/amendment4/amendment.html#sthash.Ihw0OGGC.dpuf
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Israel bombs another hospital

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Report on DemocracyNow!

They are deliberately bombing hospitals. Stunning example of callous indifference.

And they bombed peaceful civilians that have nothing to do with Hamas at prayer time in the evening–I don’t think this was by accident.  A religious prejudice, it would seem.

I was watching NBC news last night, and the reporter, that was taken out of Gaza, but is now returned, showed EMTs losing it–they are used to see blood and bodies, but even they cannot stand what it happening.  There was utter chaos in the hospital with injured people being turned away because they have no room for any more.

This has to stop.  Has to stop. Now.

 

Michael Hastings interview

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I found this really interesting interview with Michael Hastings–note how the Gen. Kimmitt, who is now a private defense contractor, is blowing smoke about how “great” Iraq was, post-war—lying through his mossy green teeth about the situation.

I thought this was particularly relevant given the present situation in Iraq and the Middle East:

It shows how Michael was telling the truth as a journalist and how his slamming the lame “journalists” who just accepted whatever was fed to them about the wars. Piers Morgan’s actions here show that.

I agree with Michael’s statement that there were many reasons besides sex that should have forced the general to resign.  I really don’t give a crap if he had an affair–that’s between him and his wife–I care more about him lying to the White House, and the mischaracterization of Iraq before the war (their society was much more diverse than was portrayed).

DN! on Israel attacks

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DN! has the attacks on Gaza.  I wanted to link to it because it shows that not all Israelis are supportive of the bullying of the Palestinians.  Also–I wanted to be clear that Israel does have a right to defend itself–which it was doing with intercepting the rocket fire.  They don’t have a right to kill innocent people, despite what Netanyahu states.

 

Petition for Whistleblowers and Freedom of the Press

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The Progressive has this release:

Thursday, July 10, 2014<br>
CONTACT: Nikolina Lazic, <a href=”mailto:nikolina@prwatch.org“>nikolina@prwatch.org</a>

TAKE A STAND NOW FOR A FREE PRESS
Tell President Obama America’s Best Reporters Should Be on the Beat, Not in Jail

The U.S. government is insisting that award-wining New York Times “national security” reporter James Risen reveal a confidential source — or go to jail. Risen says he won’t capitulate.

Now you can let this journalist and top government officials know that you’re in solidarity with his brave stand for a free press. Sign the petition “We Support James Risen Because We Support a Free Press at: http://act.rootsaction.org/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=9775&tag=CMD20140508&track=CMD20140508.

The Freedom of the Press Foundation has called the government’s effort to force Risen to reveal a source “one of the most significant press freedom cases in decades.”

So much is at stake: for whistleblowers, freedom of the press and the public’s right to know. And for democracy.

That’s why our team at The Progressive/Center for Media and Democracy is joining forces with RootsAction, Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting (FAIR), the Freedom of the Press Foundation and The Nation magazine to insist on protection for the confidentiality of journalists’ sources.

Amplify our combined voices. Click here to sign the petition to President Obama and Attorney General Holder: http://act.rootsaction.org/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=9775&tag=CMD20140508&track=CMD20140508.

Thank you for taking action!

— The team and CMD and The Progressive

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CONTACT:

The Progressive, Inc.
Publisher of The Progressive magazine
PRWatch.org, ALECexposed.org, Progressive.org,
SourceWatch.org, and PublicSchoolShakedown.org
409 East Main Street, Suite 100
Madison, Wisconsin 53703-4929
Phone: (608) 257-4626

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Your ability to know what is going on in the world depends on the press being able to gather information without threat of jail.

A democracy cannot survive without the press revealing the facts that politicians and government officials would rather you not know.  The press has the right to keep their sources secret….especially in this age of no privacy, as we saw with the previous story on Brian Williams.  The ability to obtain information from sources without them being compromised is already in jeopardy without the threat of jail for reporters who managed to keep their sources secret from the NSA/CIA spying.