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Truthout

Life at Louisiana’s Toxic Sinkhole: An Eco-Disaster Continues With No End in Sight

Mike Ludwig, Truthout: A year after a toxic sinkhole caused by one of Texas Brine’s salt caverns either drove neighborhood homeowners in Louisiana out of their houses or left them with ongoing health issues, citizens come to grips with a never-ending eco-disaster and a company planning to expand operations.

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The Courage of Bradley Manning Will Inspire Others to Seize Their Moment of Truth

John Pilger, Truthout: The achievements of Bradley Manning, Julian Assange, Edward Snowden and the remarkable young people of WikiLeaks, are unparalleled in their ability to inspire a future generation of truth-tellers.

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State-Sanctioned Rape in Texas: Business as Usual

Candice Bernd, Truthout: From police officers performing illegal body cavity searches on women to rape and sexual assault in county jails and prisons, it’s clear that misogyny is running rampant in Texas law enforcement.

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If a Business Won’t Pay a Living Wage, It Shouldn’t Exist

The Daily Take, The Thom Hartmann Program: “A living wage isn’t just something corporations owe their workers, it’s something corporations owe America. If a corporation won’t pay a living wage, then it shouldn’t have the right to exist. Period. End of story.”

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Broad US Terror Alert Mystifies Experts; “It’s Crazy Pants,” One Says

Hannah Allam, McClatchy Newspapers: Counterterrorism experts are questioning recent security measures that US officials are enacting in an incongruous set of nations.

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The Missing Discourse in Immigration Reform

Erika L. Sánchez, Truthout: The immigration reform bills presently under consideration ignore how US policy has caused Mexican immigration and the economic benefits of making citizenship more easily accessible.

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Judges’ “Mitigation of Damages” Doctrine Harms Injured Employees

Ellen Dannin and Ann Hodges, Truthout: Judicial amendment of the NLRA violates public and personal rights by denying wrongfully fired employees remedies to make them whole.

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On the News With Thom Hartmann: One in Eight Are Defaulting on Their Student Loans, and More

In today’s On the News segment: ALEC is holding its annual conference in Chicago; one in every eight who have taken out student loans are in default on their debt; Republican Florida Governor Rick Scott is preparing to kick minority voters off the voter rolls; and more.

Watch the Video and Read the Transcript

The Third Carbon Age: Don’t for a Second Imagine We’re Heading for an Era of Renewable Energy

Michael T. Klare, TomDispatch: For all President Obama’s talk of a green technology revolution, we remain deeply entrenched in a world dominated by fossil fuels.

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Egypt Under Empire: Dancing Between Dictatorship and Democracy

Andrew Gavin Marshall, The Hampton Institute: Real democracy in the Arab world is not in the American interest.

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Protesters Condemn ALEC’s Push to Privatize Public Education

Jaisal Noor, The Real News Network: Six people were arrestedMonday when protesters descended upon the Palmer House Hilton in Chicago to push back against the impending visit of ALEC.

Monthly update Hide Details From Ann Kirkpatrick Kirkpatrick For Arizona

Dear WesterlyPost.com

Thank you for taking the time to read this monthly update. I want to keep my supporters

informed about what I have been working on – such as creating jobs and building strong

infrastructures for a stable economy throughout CD1!


Historic water-rights agreement 

In late July, I joined White Mountain Apache Tribe Chairman Ronnie Lupe, former Sen.

Jon Kyl and many other tribal and federal leaders as history was made for Congressional

District 1 when U.S. Interior Secretary Jewell signed the final approval enacting the White

Mountain Apache Water Rights Settlement. This was the very first bill I introduced in

Congress – it passed in 2010. It guarantees water rights for the WMAT plus $200 million

for construction of a new water system and an additional $78.5 million for fish production

, lakes, irrigation and other water projects! I grew up on the White Mountain Apache Nation

and my family had to boil our water on the stove before we could use it. So I know how much

it means to folks in this region to finally have safe, clean drinking water.


Student-loan rate compromise reached

I’m pleased to report that on July 31, the House passed HR1911, which mirrored the

Senate’s compromise legislation that restores lower student-loan rates and prevents

growing debt. This passed with overwhelming bipartisan support, and it should help

students and families in our district and across the U.S.!  I’d like to thank all of those

students at NAU, U of A, Central Arizona College and across

our district who joined me in calling on Congress to act. Your voices made a difference!


Job Creation and Strong Infrastructures in AZ01

Job creation is one of my priorities because our district and state are still recovering

from the great recession, and we need to get folks back to work. I am committed to

efforts that create good-paying jobs so we can help revive the middle class.

We have already secured a number of important grants for infrastructure, education

and entrepreneurship across our district. These grants infuse our local economies

with critical funding that creates and saves jobs as well as builds a stronger

infrastructure to help these areas grow and thrive.

Here are a few examples of grants we obtained in July:

  • A $740,000 Rural Development loan for lodging rehabilitation in Pinetop-Lakeside
  • will not only save local jobs but create new ones in the construction industry! Helping
  • revitalize this hotel will help the local economy for years to come.
  • A $600,000 award to Northern Arizona University’s College of Engineering, Forestry
  • and Natural Sciences to provide scholarships to support academically talented students
  • with financial need after transferring from community and tribal colleges.
  • A $417,600 grant that provides funding for the Eloy Municipal Airport to conduct an
  • airport drainage study and rehabilitation of the taxiway.
  • A $136,590 grant to the Holbrook Municipal Airport to improve the outdated runway
  • lighting system to enhance the safety during low-visibility conditions.

Top 5 race to watch in the Southwest and first opponent

Things certainly are heating up on the campaign trail!

Last month, we were listed on Rothenberg’s ‘Top 5 Races to watch in the Southwest.’

Click here to read the entire article. 

We also got our first opponent, Adam Kwasman, who will be running in CD1 for the

Republican Party’s nomination. Having served for only a few months as a state legislator,

this far-right, extremist candidate is virtually unknown in most of our district, so let me

introduce him!

  • He is far to the right of Governor Jan Brewer and spent months attacking her
  • bipartisan effort to expand Medicaid.
  • He fought to keep tens of thousands of Arizonans from accessing health insurance.
  • He was the campaign manager for failed Tea Party extremist Jesse Kelly, who
  • famously said he “would love to eliminate” Social Security.

You and I both know someone like this is wrong for Arizona and wrong for CD1!


Thank you for reading through this month’s update! I want to keep you as informed as

possible. Please click here to follow my campaign onFacebook or Twitter!

Sincerely,  Ann Kirkpatrick

Mayors Against Illegal Guns Demand Action To End Gun Violence

WesterlyPost.com/ Ralph –I want to thank you for helping us achieve a victory we’ve been working toward

from the day we opened our doors.

After seven years of delay, the U.S. Senate has taken a critical step forward in the fight to reduce gun crime.

Yesterday, the Senate confirmed B. Todd Jones as the new director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms

and Explosives (ATF).

America finally has a top cop on guns. 

The calls, emails, and visits from supporters like you are changing the conversation in Washington. Our leaders

recognized that it was unacceptable to go on without a permanent ATF Director if we want to stem the flow of

illegal guns onto our streets and help keep our communities safe.

Share this important victory with your family and friends:

Click here to post to Facebook.

Not on Facebook? Forward this email or share from our site.

Director Jones is a law enforcement veteran and a tough prosecutor. With his leadership, America will be safer.

Thanks for your hard work,

Mark Glaze
Director, 

Former Mobil VP Warns of Fracking and Climate Change by Salon.com

Few people can explain gas and oil drilling with as much authority as Louis W. Allstadt. As an executive vice president of Mobil Oil who ran the company’s exploration and production operations in the western hemisphere before he retired in 2000. In 31 years with the company he also was in charge of its marketing and refining in Japan, and managed its worldwide supply, trading and transportation operations. Just before retiring, he oversaw Mobil’s side of its merger with Exxon, creating the world’s largest corporation  Go to Salon.com to read full story.http://org2.salsalabs.com/o/6694/p/salsa/web/tellafriend/public/?tell_a_friend_KEY=8848  Ellen Cantarow, Truthout: Louis Allstadt was the executive vice president of Mobil Oil Corporation for 31 years. Now the former big oil advocate is speaking out about the dangers of fracking. Former Mobil VP Warns of Fracking and Climate Change

“House votes to resume deporting young DREAM Act immigrants” — Fox News, 6/6/2013

“House votes to resume deporting young DREAM Act immigrants” — Fox News, 6/6/2013

Dear Ralph,

We’re in the middle of the immigration reform debate in Washington, and the opening act by extreme House Republicans is to vote in favor of deporting 1.36 million children and young adults who call America home.*

We call these kids “DREAMers” after the proposed law, the DREAM Act, that would give them a shot at becoming a citizen of the only country they’ve ever called home. They were brought to this country by their parents when they were very young. Most of them don’t remember living anywhere else.

America truly is their home — and Republicans want to deport them. 

It is outrageous for us to punish DREAMers for choices their parents made decades ago. These kids are full of potential, but forced to live in the shadows because of their undocumented status. They deserve the chance to earn their citizenship by contributing to our communities.

When you boil it down, this fight is about keeping families together. I will keep fighting for the DREAM Act to be part of a comprehensive immigration reform package.

Thanks for reading, and for fighting alongside me on this important issue.

Debbie

 

The Bernie Buzz News from the US Senate 1984 in 2013

The Bernie Buzz - News From the US
 Senate
June 22, 2013
1984
1984
The National Security Agency secretly obtained telephone and Internet records on millions of innocent Americans using a controversial law called the USA Patriot Act. Bernie was among a small minority of House members who voted against the law in 2001. Now that the secret is out about the staggering scope of the surveillance, he wants Congress to reconsider what it did. Under Bernie’s “Restore Our Privacy Act,” authorities would have to establish a reasonable suspicion based on specific information to secure court approval to monitor a specific suspect. “We can effectively combat terrorism without sacrificing the civil liberties and constitutional protections which make us a free nation,” he said. “I believe that most Americans do not want to live in an Orwellian society where everything you do is recorded.”
Jobs, Not
 Jail Jobs, Not JailSenate leaders on Friday agreed to add a Bernie provision to an immigration reform bill that would put young Americans to work through summer and year-round jobs programs. Bernie argued that getting young Americans off the streets and into jobs was the least Congress should do in a bill that allows college students from around the world to take jobs that young Americans would otherwise perform. “Let us put our young people into jobs, not into jails,” he said.
Help for
 Seniors and Taxpayers Help for Seniors and TaxpayersBernie chaired a hearing Wednesday of his Senate Subcommittee on Primary Health and Aging on how programs like Meals on Wheels not only reduce hunger and poverty among seniors but cut Medicare and Medicaid outlays for much more expensive nursing home and hospital care. “The simple truth is that we can feed a senior for an entire year for the cost of one day in a hospital,” he said. Bernie is helping to lead the fight to significantly increase funds for the Older Americans Act.

The Voice of America news of the week./DAILY INTERNATIONAL NEWS

DAILY INTERNATIONAL NEWS
June 13, 2013

From VOAnews.com

UN Says 93,000 Dead in Syria ConflictUN Says 93,000 Dead in Syria Conflict 
United Nations human rights office says latest number, which accounts for deaths until end of April, is likely a minimum figure More 

Turkish PM Warns Protesters to Leave ParkTurkish PM Warns Protesters to Leave Park 
Recep Tayyip Erdogan says police will remove all ‘troublemakers’ from Taksim square within 24 hours More 

Stock Markets Plunge Amid Concerns Over Global EconomyStock Markets Plunge Amid Concerns Over Global Economy 
Investor worries about Chinese economic growth and possibility of central banks cutting back efforts to stimulate economy prompted downturn More 

Snowden Charges Further Complicate US-China TiesSnowden Charges Further Complicate US-China Ties 
State-run Chinese media say allegations by CIA whistleblower that US cyber attacks will harm relations, damage Washington’s image More 

Google Warns of Increased Hacking Attempts in IranGoogle Warns of Increased Hacking Attempts in Iran 
Internet company says it has disrupted, detected multiple so-called ‘phishing’ campaigns aimed at compromising accounts of Iranian users More 

Security Forces Gear Up for Muted Iranian ElectionsSecurity Forces Gear Up for Muted Iranian Elections 
Analysts say Iranian government is determined to hold vote devoid of protests, controversy More 

Zimbabwe's PM  Vows to Fight Election DecreeZimbabwe’s PM Vows to Fight Election Decree 
Morgan Tsvangirai comments shortly after President Mugabe issued presidential decree setting the election date on July 31 More 

 Conflict with Armenia Could Reignite During Azeri ElectionConflict with Armenia Could Reignite During Azeri Election 
Analyst warns passionate election campaign rhetoric could spark real fighting on the ground More 

Common Chemical Many Damage TeethCommon Chemical Many Damage Teeth 
Researchers say BPA may hinder enamel producing cells More 

Colorado State University, USDA Create Online Tool to Estimate Greenhouse Gas Reductions through Conservation Agriculture

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Contact for Reporters:  Kayla Green Kayla.Green@colostate.edu

Colorado State University, USDA Create Online Tool to Estimate Greenhouse Gas Reductions through Conservation Agriculture

FORT COLLINS – U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack recently announced the release of COMET-Farm™, a free online tool created by Colorado State University and the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service that will help producers calculate how much carbon their land’s soil and vegetation can remove from the atmosphere.

The tool also will help producers calculate and understand how land management decisions impact energy use and greenhouse gas emissions.

“With the help of NRCS’ conservation technology and efforts, agriculture and forestry have the unique opportunity to remove carbon from the atmosphere and store it permanently in healthy soils,” Vilsack said. “COMET-Farm is a user-friendly tool that will make it easy for any conservation-minded landowner to evaluate their soil’s carbon-holding potential.”

To use the tool, producers input information about their land, including location, soil characteristics, crop rotations, tillage, fertilization and other management practices. COMET-Farm™ then estimates carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas emission reductions associated with conservation practices for cropland, pasture, rangeland, livestock operations and energy.

“The unique thing about COMET-Farm is that it allows the people who know the most about what is happening on the land – the farmers – to use very sophisticated technology to quantify greenhouse gas emissions but with an easy-to-use online system,” said Keith Paustian, professor in CSU’s Department of Soil and Crop Sciences and leader of the COMET-Farm™ development team.

With record-breaking concentrations of carbon dioxide now in the atmosphere, agricultural conservation – especially soil and crop management – can help remove carbon dioxide from the air. Historically, conversion of native lands to crop production using intensive tillage has resulted in significant losses of soil carbon. According to USDA’s Agriculture and Forestry Greenhouse Gas Inventory, conservation tillage and other practices have helped reduce these losses and, in many cases, reverse them. Agricultural soils present an opportunity to absorb a significant amount of carbon. Carbon-rich soils are healthy soils, and healthy soils are more productive and resilient to extreme weather events, such as drought.

“Producers benefit, the environment benefits, and long-term agricultural productivity benefits,” Vilsack said. “Through programs and other innovations offered by NRCS, our country has an opportunity to take an aggressive stance on reducing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere while arming our nation’s agricultural sector with proactive climate change adaptation strategies.”

COMET-Farm™ is applicable to all agricultural lands in the lower 48 states. The tool is available for use at www.comet-farm.com. Future model releases are planned by USDA as new methods for calculating greenhouse gas emissions become available.

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