SUM NEWS:

• Obama Is a Two-Faced Liar. Aw-RIGHT!

  by: Greg Palast, t r u t h o u t | Perspective

  TRUTHOUT ORIGINAL

• The Anti-Stimulus Crowd Blows a Gasket

  by: Dean Baker, t r u t h o u t | Perspective

  TRUTHOUT ORIGINAL

• Road to Ruin: Twenty-Five People at the Heart of the Meltdown

  by: Julia Finch, Andrew Clark and David Teather, The Guardian UK

• Flood of Foreclosures: It's Worse Than You Think

  by: Les Christie, CNNMoney.com

• HOW ABOUT WE KEEP GITMO OPEN FOR SOME VERY SPECIAL KINDS OF CRIMINALS?
  

VIA

Multibillion Dollar Bailout for Nuclear Industry Snuck into Senate Stimulus Proposal

Nuclear lobbyists' political contributions appeared to yield dividends Jan. 28 when the Senate Appropriations Committee stealthily added a preemptive, up-to-$50-billion bailout for the nuclear industry to its economic stimulus proposal.

Fortunately this bailout -- which comes in the form of risky, taxpayer-backed loan guarantees that can be used for reactor construction -- isn’t in the version of the stimulus package that passed the House of Representatives. This means we will have a chance to block this bailout when the two houses resolve their differences.

We all know nuclear reactors are unsafe, with dangerous, radioactive waste piling up around the country, but there’s another important reason to oppose these loan guarantees. The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that nuclear companies are likely to default on loans more than 50 percent of the time, sticking us -- the taxpayers -- with the bill.

Help us send this message to Congress: There are many important investments that should be made in an economic stimulus package, but a massive bailout for the nuclear industry isn’t one of them! CLICK.HERE.NOW

OBAMA HOSTS LABOR LEADERS - WILL UNDO BUSH ORDERS

LET US BE CLEAR ABOUT SOMETHING VERY IMPORTANT: ALL of the people who stole ALL of the money in this "financial meltdown" were/are in management. ALL of the people who made decisions that brought down corporations and companies where new newly unemployed work/worked were management. NONE OF THESE DECISIONS WERE MADE BY THE WORKING CLASS OF ANY OF THESE INSTITUTIONS.

THEREFORE, it seems to us here at LEFT EDGE NORTH and at JOES BANK it makes GREAT SENSE that President Obama is meeting with LABOR leaders. If you or anyone you know is a working class person, you owe it to yourself to read this article:
OBAMA HOSTS LABOR LEADERS - WILL UNDO BUSH ORDERS

In order to help keep the work places open and operating it only makes SENSE to discuss with the people who WORK in those places.

PITY THE POOR REPUBLICANS. POTY POTTY:

Not only are some of the most non-trusted companies in America blatantly trying to buy off Congress, but they're using our bailout money to do it. Enough!

3 Feb 8 or 9pm - PBS: NSA could have prevented 9/11 hijackings

Can the Obama crew ferret out the true stories?

I certainly hope so. GO.READ

. NOVA exposes the hidden world of the NSA's high-tech eavesdropping. Three times the size of the CIA and far more secret, its mission is to listen to the world. But since 9/11 it also has turned its giant ears inward, listening in without warrant on thousands of American citizens. NOVA tracks fiber-optic communications through a telecom switching facility in San Francisco where the cables and their contents are covertly duplicated and diverted to NSA filtering facilities. This is a suspenseful and eye-opening report on the threat to privacy and the effectiveness of high-tech surveillance in the age of terrorism. Repeats: Thursday, Feb 5, 2am & 11pm.

Dear World:

We, the United States of America, your top quality supplier of ideals of democracy, would like to apologize for our 2001-2008 interruption in service. The technical fault that led to this eight-year service outage has been located, and the software responsible was replaced November 4, 2008.

Early tests of the newly installed program indicate that we are now operating correctly, and we expect it to be fully functional on January 20, 2009. We apologize for any inconvenience caused by the outage. We look forward to resuming full service and hope to improve service in years to come. We thank you for your patience and understanding.

Sincerely,

The United States of America

How The Republican Party Has Conned America for Thirty Years, And Why We Should Not Listen To Them For Another 30:

"...tax cuts did what they have always done
over the past 100 years – they initiated a
bubble economy that would let
the very rich skim the cream off the top
just before the ceiling crashed in on working people..."
GO.READ

The fact-based society will win the battle with the fantasy-rich society!

RELATED:

The race to the bottom

When wall street confidence men were scamming IRA and pension plans to the tune of millions in fees and bonuses and trillions in leveraged instruments, Congressmen, pandits, and administration officials were lauding them as geniuses and captains of industry. If a CEO paid himself 100 million, not only no problem, but Congress actually passed laws with incentives to pay stock options and taking away stock-holder rights to limit the salaries of the men who supposedly worked for them.

Executive stock options tied to higher fraud rates

But for the rest of us the policy is and has been, "the race to the bottom.

Continue reading "The race to the bottom"

O! THE CONSERVATIVE REPUBLICANS ARE GOING BUG-SHIT CRAZY OVER THIS!
From WhiteHouse.gov:
"Yesterday, President Obama rescinded the "Mexico City Policy" and released the following statement: It is clear that the provisions of the Mexico City Policy are unnecessarily broad and unwarranted under current law, and for the past eight years, they have undermined efforts to promote safe and effective voluntary family planning in developing countries. For these reasons, it is right for us to rescind this policy and restore critical efforts to protect and empower women and promote global economic development."

You see - the conservatives love life so MUCH that they would rather see you die in your folks' garage with a coat hanger stuck up your middle than get healthy advice and family planning. They love life so MUCH that they will PRAY YOU UN-PREGNANT. Now LISSEN UP HERE - it dosen't work. You can not get un-pregnant from a bunch of noisy fools pryaing!

Obama Staff Finds White House in the Technological Dark Ages

WE HOLD IT'S VALUE TO BE SELF EVIDENT

Ecuador approves new constitution

granting inalienable rights to nature

Ecuador approved a new constitution this weekend that, among other things, grants inalienable rights to nature, the first such inclusion in a nation's constitution, according to Ecuadorian officials. "Nature ... where life is reproduced and exists, has the right to exist, persist, maintain, and regenerate its vital cycles, structure, functions, and its processes in evolution. Every person, people, community, or nationality will be able to demand the recognition of rights for nature before the public bodies," the document says. The specific mention of evolution isn't accidental; besides being an activity nature arguably likes to do anyway, evolution as we know it has close ties to Ecuador's territory of the Galapagos Islands, where Charles Darwin formed his famous theory. Ecuador's constitution grants nature the right to "integral restoration" and says that the state "will promote respect toward all the elements that form an ecosystem" and that the state "will apply precaution and restriction measures in all the activities that can lead to the extinction of species, the destruction of the ecosystems, or the permanent alteration of the natural cycles."
VIA

Bush/Cheney: 'Most Impeachable' By Jason Leopold

House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers says President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney committed impeachment-worthy offenses which must be thoroughly investigated even after the two men leave office as a means of reaffirming U.S. constitutional principles.
GO.READ

I admit that we have been let down by Conyers and Pelosi on this score before, and there really is no reason to believe that they will prosecute these war criminals. I am just hoping that by putting energy out into the universe, some may find its way into these people's hearts and cause them to do the right thing...

GEORGE BUSH - TANKS FOR THE MEMORIES 4:42

If you prefer the video with the swearwords bleeped go HERE

THE NEW ROAD TO NOWHERE:

I just took an action to tell my representative that the economic stimulus needs to have clean transportation options, like funding for better transit and passenger rail. Right now, the stimulus is in danger of being hijacked by the road-building lobby, which wants billions of dollars for unnecessary new roads that would increase global warming pollution.

Tell others and take action now

PRESIDENT PERVERT
DEPARTS AT LAST

1. I was going to write about the "BIG LOSS AT BANK OF AMERICA AS FEDS GIVE IT $20 BILLION MORE" - after having given it $25 billion last year and 'encouraged' to buy Merril Lynch'. I ran across the PDF of the 'agreement' with the fed and snatched this little quote out of it:

"The following financial instruments will be excluded from
the Pool: (i) foreign assets (definition to be provided by
USG); (ii) assets originated or issued on or after March 14,
2008; (iii) equity securities; and (iv) any other assets that
USG deems necessary to exclude."

SWEET DEAL FOR SOMEONE!

The thing IS, you see, the Obama people are right on top of approving this shit of dumping OUR MONEY down this rat-hole, and looks like THEY are about to fuck it up. FOR ABOUT THE LAST TEN YEARS, we have been constantly hearing on teh teevee about the down jones this and the nasdaq that, as if every goddamned person in this country was involved in the gambling den called Wall Street. The TRUTH is, that most of us were NOT, but by the criminal de-regulation, and criminal behaviour of those scumbags, we have all got sucked (suckered) into the slime. MOST of us are NOT GAMBLERS. THAT is why most of us were not into buying and selling stocks and derivitaves and all that other crap that has caused so much heartache and trouble. I wish there was some way to just let the greedy, stupid motherfuckers who did this "financial collapse" (if, in fact, it is real at all!) burn to the ground!

2. Why in the WORLD would the Democrats unveil their plan if they KNOW it aint going to work? Jezuz H. M. F. Criste, what is rotten in Wa Dee See?

3. Old Slick Willie's WTO is coming back to haunt us in so many ways! NOW it is CHINESE DRYWALL for fuksake!

4. Oh yea...North Carolina has just sold a permit to a mining company to ruin a HUGE wetland and watershed. Our little environmental awareness campaign is rolling along nicely, eh?

5. Will SOMEONE PLEASE pick up on this unbeleivable deal I am offering on our home here so we can be on our way to New Zealand? I am a veteran and a registered voter. We are well past 60 now and want out...

In a 487-page report out today recapping Bush’s “imperial presidency,” House Judiciary Chairman John Conyers (D-MI) recommends that “the incoming Administration finally begin an independent criminal review of activities of the outgoing Administration.”

Will Obama Prosecute George WTF Bush War Crimes? - John Dean on "Countdown" 5:48


Let us remember who is the worst president ever by watching Olberman critique Bush's last press conference:
7:05

As this fey, boy prince, George WTF Bush attempts to polish his horrendous legacy, we can turn to Helen Thomas & Amy Goodman for another critique of his last press spew.

Robert Creamer says: History will record that George W. Bush made one critically important contribution to our country -- and to the entire world. He and his administration provided unquestionable proof of the bankruptcy of radical-conservative ideology, and set the stage for a qualitatively different progressive era in American politics. By actually putting into practice the Neo-Conservative theories of pre-emptive war and unilateralism, George W. Bush demonstrated their failure more persuasively than could the most articulate progressive critic. GO.READ

TOO BAD
HE DIDN'T TAKE THE PALIN FAMILY WITH HIM
AND STAYED THERE!

As Europe Fiddles, U.S. May Take Lead on Climate Change CLICK~N~READ

Israeli officials claim that "there is no humanitarian crisis," citing the fact that they re-opened the border crossings today to allow humanitarian supplies to enter Gaza.

To which Christopher Gunness, a spokesman for UNRWA - the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees - responded:

"When women, children and babies are killed in Gaza, how can you say Gaza is not in a humanitarian crisis? When hospitals are overwhelmed with patients, how can you not say Gaza is not in a humanitarian crisis? When bakeries are shut down, how can you say Gaza is not in humanitarian crisis?"

WITH ALLIES LIKE ISRAEL, WHO NEEDS ENEMIES? I'm sorry man, but I am up to my eyeballs with this asshole murdering outfit. We are trying to learn how to run a humanitarian planet!

THANKS FOR NUTHIN'
MR. "AMERICA'S VERY OWN WAR CRIMINAL" BUSH!

this next is lifted whole from ALTERNATE BRAIN, who lifted it from AFTER DOWNING STREET:


On January 19th, we're going to gather in DuPont Circle, march to the White House, and throw shoes and boots at you. Check out http://shoebush.org to see what we have planned.

On January 20th, we have a permit for an Arrest Bush demonstration on the sidewalk in front of the FBI building along Obama's inauguration parade route. We're going to be sending a clear message to your successor. Take a look at http://www.arrestbush2009.com

We've created nice warm sweatshirts that say Arrest Bush and Cheney, and people can go to http://afterdowningstreet.org to buy them. We'll be dressing for success, George, but without the flight suit, the aircraft carrier, or the bullshit.

You've lied to us for eight years, so the truth may not catch your attention, but this is the truth: we will not rest until you are convicted and incarcerated.

picture via Washington State Historical Society

Is there any indication of how a war crimes trial might go for the son of an ex-president? YES INDEED THERE IS!

Torture Prosecutor Tops 70,000 Questions for Obama on Change.Gov

"The Times notes that Obama's team has "not said" whether it will even answer Fertik's question, though ignoring the question that came in first out of 74,000 would turn this exercise into a farce." Please click~n~read

YES, MR. PRESIDENT OBAMA WE DO CARE AND IT IS IMPORTANT TO US AS HUMANS AND AMERICANS!

The Wall Street bailout looks a lot like Iraq — a "free-fraud zone" where private contractors cash in on the mess they helped create

BY NAOMI KLEIN:
"On October 13th, when the U.S. Treasury Department announced the team of "seasoned financial veterans" that will be handling the $700 billion bailout of Wall Street, one name jumped out: Reuben Jeffery III, who was initially tapped to serve as chief investment officer for the massive new program...
...Bankers watching bankers, regulators who don't believe in regulating — that's all standard fare for the Bush crew. What's most striking about Jeffery's résumé, however, is an item omitted when his new job was announced: He served as executive director of Paul Bremer's infamous Coalition Provisional Authority in Baghdad, during the early days of the Iraq War. Part of his job was to hire civilian staff, which made him an integral part of the partisan machine that filled the Green Zone with Young Republicans, investment bankers and Dick Cheney interns. Qualifications weren't a big issue back then, because the staff's main function was to hand over stacks of taxpayer money to private contractors, who were the ones actually running the occupation. .." GO.READ.PLEASE

The Whore Factor

Watching the rapidly kaleidoscoping transition picture and keeping track of the number of known whores and ghouls who for some reason have been invited to befoul the atmosphere of the next administration.

Exxon Valdez Survivor To Tennessee Coal Sludge Victims: Get Everything In Writing CLICK~N~READ!

Here is your CLEAN COAL mister OBAMA - PAY ATTENTION!

Dynergy has now recognized that new coal plants in Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Iowa and Arkansas are an economic mistake and the wrong direction for their shareholders and the country. We applaud them for taking this major step forward in securing a clean energy future.

Innovators should swarm like locusts on Washington in January, February and March to show the Car Czar how to make fuel-efficient cars. CLICK!

"...A Car Czar who knows how it can be done, and a government in control of the automakers while they stabilize will be key to demanding all autos made in the USA have a minimum mileage rating of 50MPG. This includes cars, SUVs and pick-up trucks. Now it is time for America to take back the reins of innovation and show the true wave of the future. It is a window for a sea change and a new opportunity for America to lead the world..." MORE



Just to show you that this Neil Young character knows what he is talking about CLICK THIS

lately I have been hearing some snark about "car guys" from some of the anonymous commenters at some of the better blogs. Come on over here ya DINK!

MADE IN THE USA

To those of us bludgeoned by various official reports and the news media in to believing that the United States has been eclipsed by China, Japan and others, it's refreshing to be told incessantly how good Made in America is. GO.READ

VIA

Who SAID Crime Dosen't Pay?

WASHINGTON — President George W. (Stoopid) Bush's "after-life," as Laura Bush calls the post-presidency, is shaping up to be pretty comfortable, with a Dallas office, staffers, Secret Service protection, a travel budget, medical coverage and a $196,700 annual pension, all at taxpayers' expense. MORE

Top Ten Good News Stories in the Muslim World, 2008

Top Ten Good News Stories in the Muslim World, 2008

by Juan Cole

Juan Cole is President of the Global Americana Institute