Category Archives: defense contractors

Mystery solved

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The visitor (s) we had over the weekend were apparently here for the 4th of July celebration at a nearby elite military academy.  The 4th celebration is a big deal, naturally.

The plane, a Embraer Legacy 600, was either owned or leased by a person attending the festivities.

My coworker said that there was another jet parked at the airport over the weekend, as well. They had actually requested the airport expand its runway to accommodate jets.  It is able to take up to 727’s.  Amazing.  I have to give kudos to the pilots, because it still looks to me like a pretty short runway.

I knew there was wealth associated with the elite academy, but I didn’t realize to what extent.

 

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

———-

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.

Brian Williams trailed to interview

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So… was Brian Williams surprised by this?  If a news person is surprised by all that NSA/CIA is doing, then we’re in serious trouble, folks….

…and it shouldn’t surprise Williams that Snowden was “cagy”….Williams, et al, apparently can’t move about without detection, so Snowden is smart to keep information to a minimum.

The Definition of a Bully: Israel

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Definition of a Bully:

bul·ly1
ˈbo͝olē/
noun
noun: bully; plural noun: bullies
  1. 1.
    a person who uses strength or power to harm or intimidate those who are weaker.
verb
verb: bully; 3rd person present: bullies; past tense: bullied; past participle: bullied; gerund or present participle: bullying
  1. 1.
    use superior strength or influence to intimidate (someone), typically to force him or her to do what one wants.

Israel is pummeling the Palestinians…for what?  It’s like one kid throwing pebbles at another and the other pulling out a gun and shooting.

The death toll in Gaza jumped overnight, doubling to 80 dead and more than 500 injured, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. The latest fatality was 5-year-old Abdullah Abu Gazal, who was killed in a midmorning Israeli airstrike in Beit Lahia.

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80 people dead, including children.  People watching the soccer games, minding their own business, struck dead. And once again, members of the media are targeted.  Not all Palestinians are in Hamas, yet Israel is shooting at anyone and anything.

And how many Israelis have been hurt?  No serious injuries reported.  None dead.  Repeat that–NONE dead.  There is absolutely no justification for the fierceness of the Israeli attacks.

Netanyahu said Wednesday Hamas was to blame, because it was “hiding behind civilians.”

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Stunning.

In other words….”it’s not my fault if stupid civilians get in the way of my bombs…”

Let them be.  Let them have their small parcel of land.  Treat them as you wish to be treated.

 

 

Gulen Charters, Ohio, Indiana, and politicians lining their pockets

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Diane Ravitch has this up on the apparently greased palms of Republican Cliff Rosenberger and how Gulen schools have flourished in Ohio.  The article states that the investigation includes Indiana, as well….

Meanwhile, I’m reading a press release of Governor Mike Pence taking his family to England…on a “jobs creation trip”.  The release I read noted that he is paying for his children’s portion of the trip…but it left off his wife, whom is also going.  They’ll be gone for two weeks.  Unbelievable.  What a snow job–does anybody actually believe this guy is going to create jobs by this trip?  How many hours do you think he’ll devote to schmoozing for jobs?  I’m betting a day.  Half a day.  An hour.  A few minutes on the elevator down to the pool..

This article states that it is funded by the Indiana Economic Development Foundation through private donations.  I want to know who the donors are and what exactly Pence is doing–I don’t trust the tea partier at all.  They are good about saying one thing and doing the exact opposite–such as government being “too big”–and then, as I noticed yesterday in yet another press release, Pence created four more positions in his office for people who are no doubt cronies of his.  So, how does one “shrink government” by creating more useless positions while eliminating important ones, such as child welfare workers?

So, I’m waiting to see the fallout of this investigation and its connection to Indiana.  Pence and his henchmen are trying to wrest away what little control Glenda Ritz, an official elected by the people of Indiana, has on the Dept of Education.

 

 

Hillary Warren…

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…er, I mean, Hillary Clinton has once again morphed like a chameleon to put on the false face of concern over the general American public….what an opportunist.  Pfft.

…cause, you know, she was poor once, too. /snarky to the extreme

My post on the case against Hillary as President here.  In the non-ad, McCain says that she “gets attention when she arrives”  Really? That’s a qualification for running the most powerful country in the world?  Because I could gain attention when I arrive, too, by tripping down the steps.  *snort*

And the comments about her flying all over the world?  What’s up with that??  Yeah, I’d take trips all over the world if I could charge it off to the American taxpayer.  (Not really, I have more ethics and scruples than that.)  But one has to wonder what exactly she was doing on those trips…because they never really quite get around to telling us that, do they?

And if Henry Kissinger gave me “very high marks”, I’d want a recount. He doesn’t hold humanity in high regards.

Finally, in the end, when President Obama is slobbering over her, I begin to wonder if this isn’t as much a political ad for Israel’s chosen candidate as it is America’s….

Hillary and Bill Clinton with Eli Broad, who wants to destroy public education.  Note pictures of Arne Duncan and Michelle Rhee with the Broads.  Poor impoverished Hillary Clinton…she must have had to use the drapes, a la Gone with the Wind, to make her dress…../snarky, for sure

$31 million.  Pocket change, apparently, for Hillary Clinton (along with $200k speaking fees).

Meanwhile, Elizabeth Warren, among others, came out against the Keystone XL.  You won’t hear that from Hillary, as you see in my other posts on her–she is all for it.

The Third Way, Clinton Democrats….not to be confused with real Democratic Party.

Hillary Clinton, Rose Law Firm, Bill Clinton, and Monsanto.  This, alone, should be reason enough not to vote her into office.

Finally, a recording of Hillary Clinton laughing about how a rapist she represented as a lawyer was not convicted…and she knew it and was laughing about the lie detector test that he passed.  Note also her description of someone on the “wrong side of the tracks”…clearly a poor/racial prejudice.

She got a rapist off with time served…two months.  For raping a 12 year old girl.  And bragged and laughed about it.

 

 

 

The toxic waterways

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I had heard this report was out but hadn’t seen it until now–about our toxic waterways.  Indiana, unfortunately, heads the list for toxic load.  It’s worse than I first read about–the number now is 17 million pounds of toxins into our waterways.  43 million pounds released into the Ohio river, THE most toxic river.  Good Grief.

And Joe Donnelly, Dan Coats, and Jackie Walorski, paid by their bosses (in the form of campaign $$, and God knows what else), are fighting for the industries’ right to poison us.    Some of them are so bold to say they’re fighting for us and our families….seriously.  17 million pounds of toxins.  Whom is irresponsible, Mr. Coats?

NY Times has a page up on fines and violations…and how nobody takes responsibility.

The Sierra Club’s take on the Indiana Dept. of Environmental Mis-Management, including a dog boiled alive by hot water discharge, and a coal industry lobbyist being appointed to…wait for it…the IDEM–for prosecuting the polluters.  If this wasn’t so serious, I would be laughing my arse off.

 

 

Iraq and Walorski

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Well, the radio station here has given Jackie Walorski even more free air time.  When I say that, I mean, not only do they “interview” her (by letting her go on and on without nary a hard question), but they repeatedly play soundbytes at every newscast.  And you never hear an opposing voice….you would think everyone in this entire area agrees with the opinions aired.

Well, hey, at least they have local news…

Anyway, the first newscast, the radio newsguy asks her how she would define success in Iraq.  Then he plays the soundbyte where she starts saying  (paraphrasing) “I don’t know how Obama defines success in Iraq.  It’s not news that ISIS is in Iraq.  It’s not news that fundamentalists are in Iraq. ”  She repeated that a couple more times.

Do you see where she completely avoided the question of her definition of success in Iraq?  Do we bomb the hell out of them?

What is her definition? She doesn’t tell us….because the minute she defines her idea, it would be much harder to backtrack on if  it failed.

Instead, she tries to get around it by bringing up Benghazi.  “We don’t want another Benghazi where people were left…”

Say what??

I’m sorry, I don’t get the connection.  Just another irritant to throw out there to assuage her rightwing bosses…

She also brings Saudi Arabia into the conversation–saying that they were financing the fundamentalists.  This is an inflammatory statement. By this account, it was not the intentions of the Saudis.  When President Obama expressed concern over Prince Bandar’s involvement, he was removed, and Prince Mohammad bin Nayef replaced him.  Prince Mohammad has been successful at quashing al Queda.  Just as all Americans don’t think alike, not all Saudis think alike.

And no, I’m not happy about what happened in Benghazi.  But I hold Hillary Clinton responsible for that.  She was warned.  They asked her for help.  But you know, she was impoverished and worried about her own finances…so you know, she can’t be held responsible. /snark

What difference does it make?

Yeah, that about says it all about the thoughtlessness.

 

More on the Middle East

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I’ve read a few good posts on the Middle East-– Iraq and the U.S.’s role in the mess there.

I have to agree with the writer’s premise–that we have made a mess of things and they need to work this out for themselves without us riding in on a white horse to only make matters worse.

They know how many Americans feel about Muslims–led by a biased media willing to portray them as all thinking alike.  That is as stupid as portraying all women as thinking alike. Or anyone, for that matter.

My other posts on Iran here and here.

Palestinians cry for help.

Presbyterian Church divests itself of U.S. corporations helping Israel to destroy the Palestinians.

 

 

 

Alert

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Just wanted to give you a head’s up on something the mercury group has posted~

Vitamin Research Products (vrp.com) is no longer stocking DMSA, one of the chelators of mercury and lead.  They just suddenly stopped stocking it and have even removed the page from their website.

This is not good news.  They were the main supplier of DMSA.  Theories are abound that Big Pharma is behind this–buying out the competition.  And if they can buy out natural cures, they can force sick people to buy their side-effect-laden crap.

There are also allegations that Obamacare is limiting natural methods of healing, such as chelation supplements, making it harder for folks to get well. I don’t know this for fact, but it is one of the reasons I have not signed up for the health care.  Another reason is the link to the insurance industry instead of single-payer, which would have been more palatable, being like Medicare for All.

I can tell you that many of us on the group lost jobs as a result of mercury–therefore, we had lost the ability to pay for medical insurance and the ability to pay for supplements that insurance didn’t cover.   But at least the supplements were available…and cheap.  I would have not gotten well without that.  So once again, the poor take a hit for the uber wealthy to make even more profits….

I suspected that Big Pharma would try to grab this part of the market again, because they had in the past and continually try to get some twerp in Congress to do their bidding with making supplements illegal.

With billions of dollars and high-priced lawyers, they have gotten away with trying to take credit for natural healing herbs and methods, such as those used in India.  These were used for thousands of years…and Big Pharma comes along and tries to claim a patent.  Utterly mindboggling.  More here on Big Pharma’s battle to get a share of the market in India. An even better explanation of it here.

Big Pharma tries to claim that compulsory licenses aren’t available for cancer drugs – a lie; or that they are only available for national emergencies – another lie; or that India is establishing a general exception to patents for pharmaceuticals – an even bigger lie.  Sovereigns retain the right under TRIPS to issue compulsory licenses or to allow public, non-commercial use of patented products or processes.  As long as the correct procedures are followed and adequate remuneration is paid, the patent holder has nothing legitimate to complain about – unless, of course, it is a U.S. multinational who doesn’t want an emerging country like India to get in its way.

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…or for a group of U.S. citizens who want natural methods to heal their bodies to get their way….

And unfortunately, that’s not all that the greedy are trying to patent.

Lastly, here is a good segment on DN! with Vandana and Mira Shiva–two “uppity” women I admire for fighting the good fight~~

Vandana brings up the point of liability.  It would seem that none of the chemical companies — be it Dow/Union Carbide or any Big Pharma — want to take responsibility for the harm that they cause.  All the profits. None of the guilt.

She also highlights the attitudes towards the poor–they don’t matter so let’s poison them or use them as guinea pigs.

It was great to hear of them speak of their strong mother in the end~~no junk food in the house.  My father, too, did not allow junk food in the house when I was growing up–a parent who cares is not going to feed their child junk.  I heard the other day of parents of my children’s generation feeding their kids nothing but junk…and they don’t see anything wrong with that.  Very unsettling.  Regretfully, I didn’t appreciate my Dad’s wisdom until recently.  I always felt deprived because other kids got to have a “treat” of junk food on Friday night.  Just before the divorce, my sister would make Chef Boy-ar-dee pizzas on Friday night.  I felt happy at getting that “treat”.  Pfft.  The “treat” that kills.

Food is medicine.  Weeds are medicine.  When will we learn to value that which is not valuable by profit-making and make that available to all, not just those with cash in hand??