[MCM] Lots of news you may have missed, from Consortiumnews.com
From Robert Parry: Editor's Note: Because we've been publishing more stories, some readers say they miss some that fly by. So, each month, we'll point out some special stories from the previous month. Here is a selection from March, focusing on the decline of the U.S. news media and the war-crimes case against George W. Bush: http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2c=BnCfHk2U4AHM9rnQS%2F%2F8iRxyEq5cTy%2BwThe American Media Misdiagnosis, by Robert Parry, looking at journalism's plight. (March 2, 2009) http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2c=hiXJ%2Fjilcu%2B3mBMKTXnZdBxyEq5cTy%2BwJustice Memos Gave Bush Total Power, by Jason Leopold, regarding John Yoo's memos on all-powerful presidents. (March 3, 2009) http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2c=7x2kvXR9ohjBpVPADRJ0s2rpzK87qZAQHow Close the Bush Bullet, by Robert Parry, examining the narrow miss for the American Republic. (March 4, 2009) http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2c=4yuC3BRJn98SzbHO2RkRjhxyEq5cTy%2BwIran in the Crosshairs by Gareth Porter and Ray McGovern, assessing the pressures for a new Mideast war. (March 4, 2009) http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2c=FFLa4hseBSINx2GXQud6bRxyEq5cTy%2BwWar Crimes and Double Standards by Robert Parry, reviewing how the U.S. treats atrocities differently. (March 5, 2009) http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2c=wS%2BB5HYre46DjJzaGJh0jhxyEq5cTy%2BwNeocons Wage War on a Realist by Robert Parry, exploring the neocon jihad against former U.S. ambassador Chas Freeman. (March 6, 2009) http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2c=6O%2Bt%2B1RCbH%2B%2BWq9Te7ZxAhxyEq5cTy%2BwTimidity Derailed Obama Intel Choice by Ray McGovern, dissecting the defeat of the Freeman nomination. (March 11, 2009) http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2c=e%2B0ObCMgqKJol1zj8Y1unRxyEq5cTy%2BwCan Obama's Change Find El Salvador by Don North, previewing the likely leftist victory with echoes to the Cold War. (March 11, 2009) http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2c=aUH2iuuf51c%2Fe4lJMVAbqRxyEq5cTy%2BwWho's Pro-Life? by Lynne Gillooly, questioning how the abortion issue is framed. (March 12, 2009) http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2c=tVHe2lqzILp4F9oHjAkb8BxyEq5cTy%2BwWar Crimes American Rejectionism by Peter Dyer, tracing the history of the laws of war and the recent U.S. resistance. (March 13, 2009) http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2c=nAHSU%2F0M%2FkCwglGuXIAXIRxyEq5cTy%2BwWPost Is a Neocon Propaganda Sheet by Robert Parry, decribing the decline of a once-great newspaper. (March 15, 2009) http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2c=f2XeeFJ%2B%2B02eVTBW675cVBxyEq5cTy%2Bw'CIA's Panetta Is Falling Short by Melvin A. Goodman, lamenting how the CIA bureaucracy turned Leon Panetta's head. (March 18, 2009) http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2c=v0kIwG7%2FwqfBpVPADRJ0s2rpzK87qZAQIndentured Servants, Circa 2009 by Barbara Koeppel, exploring the desperate world of immigrant labor. (March 18, 2009) http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2c=D%2FJOJC9fDXszg%2B5qwo4A5RxyEq5cTy%2BwLosing the Oxygen of Journalism by Gray Brechin, reviewing what the nation loses with the decline in newspapers. (March 19, 2009) http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2c=mMZis%2BlDLRXKff%2BgDgypDBxyEq5cTy%2BwFraming Obama -- by the WPost by Robert Parry, looking at the power the Washington Post retains to shape issues. (March 19, 2009) http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2c=KkFEmLfkFtzmGRoxjr1PixxyEq5cTy%2BwWPost Elitists Feel for Wall St. Brethren, by Robert Parry, assessing class solidarity over bonues. (March 22, 2009) http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2c=bCIQ59JEn0U0ylNQaDOnGWrpzK87qZAQBush's Lawyer-Shopping for Torture, by Jason Leopold, chronicling how President Bush put ideological lawyers in key spots. (March 24, 2009) http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2c=pRx6uEVsD%2BS2WJpUDlp3QhxyEq5cTy%2BwLost History Hurts Obama's Iran Bid by Robert Parry, explaining what the two sides don't know or won't admit. (March 26, 2009) http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2c=VWrIL0gx0VeFq7HVjkpVBGrpzK87qZAQNo Angry Mob, But a Movement by Michael Winship, discussing the emergence of a new populism. (March 27, 2009) http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2c=OBaxB9FlRcpHVceL6CX2khxyEq5cTy%2BwWelcome to Vietnam, Mr. President by Ray McGovern, comparing President Obama's Afghan escalation to that earlier war. (March 28, 2009) http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2c=1V5KRWrY3o5iMvdpzScfNBxyEq5cTy%2BwDemocrats Duck Bush Torture Probe by Jason Leopold, noting the changed Democratic tone about investigations.(March 30, 2009) To produce and publish these stories - and many more - costs money. And except for book sales, we depend
[MCM] Fight for a strong bill on global warming
Now that the US has turned the corner on C02 emissions, let's get down to work. We need, first, to pay attention to the stark realities of what's become of Mother Earth--and what will certainly become of her, and sooner than you think, if we don't act. One place to start: Congress, which must pass a forceful bill ASAP. MCM http://www.care2.com/go/z/e/AFLpA/zj3c/Nw2X Hi Mark, Representatives Henry Waxman and Ed Markey recently began one of the most important legislative fights of our lives, a comprehensive bill that finally addresses the dangers of climate change. http://www.care2.com/go/z/e/AFLpA/zj3c/Nw2XHelp us defend the bill from Big Oil and others intent on seeing it fail. » Previous attempts at a meaningful climate bill failed because of the former Administration and a Congress that couldn't get effective legislation past entrenched Big Oil interests. But we can't take for granted that it will be easier now that those interests are no longer in the majority. With their deep pockets, opponents of the bill could easily outspend its supporters, by as much as 20 to 1. That's why your help is so necessary. With your support and the critical leadership of President Obama and several key Congressional champions, we can overcome the odds and pass a strong bill this year. http://www.care2.com/go/z/e/AFLpA/zj3c/Nw2XPlease act today and help pass a strong global warming bill. » Take action link: http://www.care2.com/go/z/e/AFLpA/zj3c/Nw2Xhttp://www.care2.com/go/z/e/AFLpA/zj3c/Nw2X Thanks for taking action! Samer ThePetitionSite http://www.care2.com/go/z/e/AFLpA/zj3c/Nw2XWe Need a Strong Global Warming Bill http://www.care2.com/go/z/e/AFLpA/zj3c/Nw2X http://www.care2.com/go/z/e/AFLpA/zj3c/Nw2X The issue becomes more urgent every day -- new satellite data shows that the average wintertime sea ice cover in the Arctic in 2005 and 2006 was only nine feet thick, a significant decline from the 1980s. http://www.care2.com/go/z/e/AFLpa/zj3c/Nw2XForward to a friend http://www.care2.com/go/z/e/AFLpA/zj3c/Nw2XRead the petition To stop receiving this newsletter, visit: http://www.care2.com/newsletters/unsub/3/0/7261679/3d818cb6http://www.care2.com/newsletters/unsub/3/0/7261679/3d818cb6 or send a blank email message to: mailto:ng-u-3-7261679-8610729-13184516-be365...@australia.care2.comng-u-3-7261679-8610729-13184516-be365...@australia.care2.com Care2.com, Inc. 275 Shoreline Drive, Suite 300 Redwood City, CA 94065 http://www.care2.comhttp://www.care2.com --~--~-~--~~~---~--~~ You received this message because you are subscribed to Mark Crispin Miller's News From Underground newsgroup. To unsubscribe, send a blank email to newsfromunderground-unsubscr...@googlegroups.com OR go to http://groups.google.com/group/newsfromunderground and click on the Unsubscribe or change membership link in the yellow bar at the top of the page, then click the Unsubscribe button on the next page. For more News From Underground, visit http://markcrispinmiller.com -~--~~~~--~~--~--~---
[MCM] BBC: World's forests at grave risk
Key role of forests 'may be lost' By Mark Kinver Science and environment reporter, BBC News Coniferous forests are particularly susceptible to climatic changes http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/science/nature/8004517.stm Forests' role as massive carbon sinks is at risk of being lost entirely, top forestry scientists have warned. The International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) says forests are under increasing degrees of stress as a result of climate change. Forests could release vast amounts of carbon if temperatures rise 2.5C (4.5F) above pre-industrial levels, it adds. The findings will be presented at the UN Forum on Forests, which begins on Monday in New York. Compiled by 35 leading forestry scientists, the report provides what is described as the first global assessment of the ability of forests to adapt to climate change. The fact remains that the only way to ensure that forests do not suffer unprecedented harm is to achieve large reductions in greenhouse gas emissions Professor Andreas Fischlin, Assessment co-author We normally think of forests as putting the brakes on global warming, observed Professor Risto Seppala from the Finnish Forest Research Institute, who chaired the report's expert panel. But over the next few decades, damage induced by climate change could cause forests to release huge quantities of carbon and create a situation in which they do more to accelerate warming than to slow it down. Debate defining The scientists hope that the report, called Adaption of Forests and People to Climate Change - A Global Assessment, will help inform climate negotiators. Warm winters have allowed spruce beetles to cause widespread damage The international climate debate has focused primarily on emissions from deforestation, but the researchers say their analysis shows that attention must also be paid to the impacts of climate change on forests. While deforestation is responsible for about 20% of greenhouse gas emissions from human activities, forests currently absorb more carbon than they emit. But the problem is that the balance could shift as the planet warms, the report concludes, and the sequestration service provided by the forest biomes could be lost entirely if the Earth heats up by 2.5C or more. The assessment says higher temperatures - along with prolonged droughts, more pest invasions, and other environmental stresses - would trigger considerable forest destruction and degradation. This could create a dangerous feedback loop, it adds, in which damage to forests from climate change would increase global carbon emissions that then exacerbate global warming. The report's key findings include: * Droughts are projected to become more intense and frequent in subtropical and southern temperate forests * Commercial timber plantations are set to become unviable in some areas, but more productive in others * Climate change could result in deepening poverty, deteriorating public health, and social conflict among African forest-dependent communities The IUFRO assessment will be considered by delegates at the eighth session of the UN Forum on Forests, which has the objective of promoting the management, conservation and sustainable development of all types of forest. Co-author Professor Andreas Fischlin from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology commented: Even if adaption measures are fully implemented, unmitigated climate change would - during the course of the current century - exceed the adaptive capacity of many forests. The fact remains that the only way to ensure that forests do not suffer unprecedented harm is to achieve large reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. --~--~-~--~~~---~--~~ You received this message because you are subscribed to Mark Crispin Miller's News From Underground newsgroup. To unsubscribe, send a blank email to newsfromunderground-unsubscr...@googlegroups.com OR go to http://groups.google.com/group/newsfromunderground and click on the Unsubscribe or change membership link in the yellow bar at the top of the page, then click the Unsubscribe button on the next page. For more News From Underground, visit http://markcrispinmiller.com -~--~~~~--~~--~--~---
[MCM] BBC: Americas on alert for sea level rise
Americas on alert for sea level rise Coastal areas in parts of Mexico are among those under threat By James Painter BBC Latin America analyst http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7977263.stm Climate change experts in North and South America are increasingly worried by the potentially devastating implications of higher estimates for possible sea level rises. The Americas have until now been seen as less vulnerable than other parts of the world like low-lying Pacific islands, Vietnam or Bangladesh. But the increase in the ranges for anticipated sea level rises presented at a meeting of scientists in Copenhagen in March has alarmed observers in the region. Parts of the Caribbean, Mexico and Ecuador are seen as most at risk. New York City and southern parts of Florida are also thought to be particularly vulnerable. The 2007 IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) report suggested that sea levels would rise by between 19cm (7.5 inches) and 59cm by the end of this century. But several scientists at the Copenhagen meeting spoke of a rise of a metre or more, even if the world's greenhouse gas emissions were kept at a low level. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7977263.stm#mapClick to see a map showing the cities most at risk Melting of the polar ice sheets is one of the main drivers behind the new estimates. A rise of one metre will irreversibly change the geography of coastal areas in Latin America, Walter Vergara, the World Bank's lead engineer on climate change in the region, told the BBC. For example, a one-metre rise would flood an area in coastal Guyana where 70% of the population and 40% of agricultural land is located. That would imply a major reorganisation of the country's economy. Mr Vergara and other experts are also concerned about the effect on the large coastal wetlands in the Gulf of Mexico. Rising sea levels coupled with severe storms could be devastating These new data on sea level rises are alarming, says Arnoldo Matus Kramer, a researcher on climate change adaptation at Oxford University. When combined with the exponential growth of urbanisation and tourism along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico and the Mexican Caribbean, it is extremely worrying. A November 2008 study by UN-Habitat on the world's cities pointed out that in most Caribbean island states, 50% of the population lives within 2km (1.2 miles) of the coast. They would be directly affected by sea level rise and other climate impacts. The Bahamas, the Guyanas, Belize and Jamaica have been pin-pointed by the World Bank as being particularly at risk from a one-metre rise. The coastal plains around the city of Guayaquil in Ecuador, the country's main economic hub, are also known to be vulnerable to a combination of sea level rises, storms and sea surges. A recent study by researchers at Espol, a science institute in Guayaquil, suggested that even a half-metre sea level rise would put the storm drainage system in the southern part of the city under severe strain, possibly causing it to collapse. Fishing threatened Ecuador's lucrative fishing industry, which is a mainstay of the economy, would also be threatened. A one-metre sea level rise would add another layer of threat to the shrimp and other fishing industries', says Espol's Pilar Cornejo, the author of a UN report on the issue. According to a recent World Bank study of more than 80 developing countries, Ecuador features among the top 10 countries likely to be most affected by sea level rise when calculated as a percentage of its GDP. Argentina, Mexico and Jamaica also appear in the top 10 when measured by the impact of a one-metre rise on agricultural lands. Scientists stress that uncertainties remain about future sea level rises, including the behaviour of the giant polar ice sheets, the time span over which rises will take place, and their interaction with existing coastal conditions. Communities dependent on fishing are vulnerable to sea level changes Another factor is the effect global warming will have on Amoc - the giant circulation of the Atlantic whereby warm sea water flows northwards in the upper ocean and cold sea water goes southwards in the deeper ocean. New research led by Dr Jianjun Yin at Florida State University suggests that whereas South American coastal cities are not at threat this century from an extra sea level rise caused by Amoc, New York City and the state of Florida are. New York would see an additional rise of about 20cm (7.8in) above the global mean due to Amoc by the turn of the century, according to Dr Yin's research published this year in the journal, Nature Geoscience. Florida would experience less than 10cm (3.9in). A one-metre rise could be a disaster for parts of Florida, particularly in the southern part of the state, Dr Yin told the BBC. Sea level rise superimposed on hurricane vulnerability makes for a very worrying situation. Mr Vergara is not
[MCM] 7 steps to feed the planet (and beat back the agribusiness giants)
Food Rebellions: 7 Steps to Solving the Food Crisis Resistance to the trade and 'aid' policies that displace farmers and increase hunger. By Eric Holt-Gimenez http://www.yesmagazine.org/article.asp?id=3331 April 16, 2009, YES! Magazine The World Food Program describes the current global food crisis as a silent tsunami, with billions of people going hungry. Hunger is, indeed, coming in waves, but not everyone will drown in famine. The recurrent food crises are making a handful of corporations very rich-even as they put the rest of the planet at risk. Built over half a century, largely with public grain subsidies and foreign aid, the global food-industrial complex is made up of large corporations that sell grain, seed, chemicals, and fertilizer, along with global supermarket chains and food processors. When these players first came on the scene, world agriculture was different. Forty years ago, the global South had yearly agricultural trade surpluses of $1 billion. After three Development Decades, they were importing $11 billion a year in food. Immediately following de-colonization in the 1960s, Africa exported $1.3 billion in food a year. Today it imports 25 percent of its food. International trade agreements and pressure from the global North opened up entire continents to cheap, subsidized grain from the North. This put local farmers out of business, devastated local crop diversity, and consolidated control of the world's food system in the hands of multinational corporations. Today three companies, Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), Cargill, and Bunge control 90 percent of the world's grain trade. The official prescriptions for solving the world food crisis call for more subsidies for industrialized nations, more food aid, and more so-called Green (or Gene) Revolutions. Expecting the institutions that built the current flawed food system to solve the food crisis is like asking an arsonist to put out a forest fire. When the world food crisis exploded in early 2008, ADM's profits increased by 38 percent, Cargill's by 128 percent, and Mosaic Fertilizer (a Cargill subsidiary) by a whopping 1,615 percent! For decades, family farmers the world over have resisted this corporate control. They have worked to diversify crops, protect soil and native seeds, and conserve nature. They have established local gardens, businesses, and community-based food systems. These strategies are effective. They need to be given a chance to work. The solutions to the food crisis are those that make the lives of family farmers easier: re-regulate the market, reduce the power of the agri-foods industrial complex, and build ecologically resilient family agriculture. Here are some of the needed steps: 1.Support domestic food production. 2.Stabilize and guarantee fair prices to farmers and consumers by re-establishing floor prices and publicly owned national grain reserves. Establish living wages for workers on farms, in processing facilities, and in supermarkets. 3.Halt agrofuels expansion. 4.Curb speculation in food. 5.Promote a return to smallholder farming. On a pound-per- acre basis, family farms are more productive than large-scale industrial farms. And they use less oil. Because 75 percent of the world's poor are farmers, this will address poverty, too. 6.Support agro-ecological production. 7.Food sovereignty: Recognize the right of all people to healthy and culturally appropriate food produced through ecologically sound methods and their own food systems. The political will to take these steps must come from informed social movements. These movements already exist, and are gaining strength in the face of the food crisis. Together we can fix the food system and solve the food crisis once and for all. [Eric Holt-Gimenez wrote this article as part of Food for Everyone, the Spring 2009 issue of YES! Magazine. Eric is executive director of Food First. This article was adapted from 'The World Food Crisis.' Find the full-length version at www.foodfirst.org.] _ Portside aims to provide material of interest to people on the left that will help them to interpret the world and to change it. Submit via email: modera...@portside.org Submit via the Web: portside.org/submit Frequently asked questions: portside.org/faq Subscribe: portside.org/subscribe Unsubscribe: portside.org/unsubscribe Account assistance: portside.org/contact Search the archives: portside.org/archive --~--~-~--~~~---~--~~ You received this message because you are subscribed to Mark Crispin Miller's News From Underground newsgroup. To unsubscribe, send a blank email to newsfromunderground-unsubscr...@googlegroups.com OR go to http://groups.google.com/group/newsfromunderground and click on the Unsubscribe or change membership link in the yellow bar at the top of the page, then click the Unsubscribe button on the next page. For more News From Underground, visit
[MCM] ImpeachBybee.org
ImpeachBybee.org http://capwiz.com/pdamerica/issues/alert/?alertid=12935991PROCESS=Take+ActionCLICK HERE to ask Congress to impeach Jay Bybee. The New York Times finally http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/41835wants somebody impeached and it's Jay Bybee. A Spanish judge is http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/41807seeking an indictment of Jay Bybee. Jay Bybee's legal memos were thrown out by the Bush administration. Jay Bybee http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/41784signed memos authorizing torture. Jay Bybee is a federal judge with a lifetime appointment. Lawyers have been held accountable for the crime of pretending to legalize crimes before, see: http://firedoglake.com/2008/04/13/deja-vu-all-over-again-us-v-joseph-altstoetter/US v. Joseph Altstoetter. Any act complicit in torture is a felony under US law. Every single crime is in the past. Looking forward means looking forward to a world in which abuse and criminality cannot be deterred. http://capwiz.com/pdamerica/issues/alert/?alertid=12935991PROCESS=Take+ActionCLICK HERE to ask Congress to impeach Jay Bybee. I was following orders is a Nazi excuse. CIA employees are civilians and don't get orders. I was following lawyers' advice could permit absolutely anything because there is nothing a lawyer cannot be paid to say is legal. The advice came after the torture began and the torture was never limited to the approved techniques. Secret laws produced as royal decrees are not laws at all, but their drafting can be a crime, and in the case of Bybee's memos violated the Convention Against Torture. http://capwiz.com/pdamerica/issues/alert/?alertid=12935991PROCESS=Take+ActionCLICK HERE to ask Congress to impeach Jay Bybee. We can restore power to Congress AND begin to deter future abuses through one absolutely necessary action. http://capwiz.com/pdamerica/issues/alert/?alertid=12935991PROCESS=Take+ActionCLICK HERE to ask Congress to impeach Jay Bybee. ___ Media mailing list Post: me...@lists.mayfirst.org List info (to subscribe or unsubscribe): https://lists.mayfirst.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/media To Unsubscribe via email Send email to: media-unsubscr...@lists.mayfirst.org Or visit: https://lists.mayfirst.org/cgi-bin/mailman/options/media/mark.miller%40nyu.edu To Subscribe via email Send email to: media-subscr...@lists.mayfirst.org You are subscribed as: mark.mil...@nyu.edu --~--~-~--~~~---~--~~ You received this message because you are subscribed to Mark Crispin Miller's News From Underground newsgroup. To unsubscribe, send a blank email to newsfromunderground-unsubscr...@googlegroups.com OR go to http://groups.google.com/group/newsfromunderground and click on the Unsubscribe or change membership link in the yellow bar at the top of the page, then click the Unsubscribe button on the next page. For more News From Underground, visit http://markcrispinmiller.com -~--~~~~--~~--~--~--- inline: Untitled 226.jpg
