BAUAW NEWSLETTER - TUESDAY, JANUARY 24, 2012

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DON'T VOTE FOR THE ONE PERCENT!
We working people--employed, unemployed, partially employed or retired--can't get any economic justice by voting for the One Percent! We need to occupy the elections with our own candidates of, by and for working people! --Bonnie Weinstein

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Bay Area United Against War Newsletter
Table of Contents:
A. EVENTS AND ACTIONS
B. VIDEO, FILM, AUDIO. ART, POETRY, ETC.
C. SPECIAL APPEALS AND ONGOING CAMPAIGNS
D. ARTICLES IN FULL

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A. EVENTS AND ACTIONS

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February 4 2012: NATIONAL DAY OF MASS ACTION TO STOP A U.S. WAR ON IRAN:

San Francisco Bay Area:
NO war on Iran! NO sanctions! NO intervention! NO assassinations!

Rally and March
Meet at NOON: Powell and Market Sts. (Powell St. BART Plaza), SF

This is a united action being called and organized cooperatively by many local anti-war organizations and communities including World Can't Wait (see below). Everyone is welcome and everyone's presence is needed.

Friends, we're pleased to tell you that yesterday at a meeting initiated by World Can't Wait and the ANSWER Coalition, 40 people met and agreed to organize together for February 4. We all hope that the rally and march will bring out a very broad and diverse crowd to speak up NOW - the U.S. and Israeli sabre-rattling threatening Iran is so ominous, yet to today there has not been public protest raised inside this country demanding NO WAR ON IRAN. February 4 will change that situation.

Last week, a large national conference call of anti-war groups and activists produced the call for this nationwide day, and agreed on its single, simple slogan:

NO war on Iran! NO sanctions! NO intervention! NO assassinations!

In the Bay Area, a united action is being planned with a NOON RALLY at Powell and Market, and a march to follow. All organizations, communities, and people who agree with the above call for this day, and this slogan, are invited to join. Our local list of endorsers is in formation, beginning with World Can't Wait, ANSWER Coalition, Unitarian Universalists for Peace, the Al-Awda Palestine Right of Return Coalition, and Code Pink.

Your participation, endorsement and support are urgently needed.

Sign up at http://worldcantwait.net/

Spread the word at http://www.facebook.com/events/305742392811934/

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FREE BRADLEY MANNING!

The campaign to save Army Private Bradley Manning, accused WikiLeaks whistle-blower Friday, February 17, 2012 from 7:00pm to 8:30pm UC Berkeley's International House, 2299 Piedmont Ave, Berkeley, California

Bradley Manning, a 24-year-old Army intelligence analyst, faces life in prison for allegedly sharing the "Collateral Murder" video of a US helicopter attack that killed 11 civilians and wounded two children in Baghdad, Iraq with the WikiLeaks website. Bradley has also been charged with blowing the whistle on the "Iraq War Logs", the "Afghan Diaries", the "Gitmo Files", and embarrassing US State Department cables. All of the documents released have added significantly to public knowledge of war crimes, civilian casualties, government corruption, and the over-classification of information. No one has been harmed and the information has helped fuel pro-democratic protests globally. For this, Bradley faces life in prison at a military court martial this spring. Free Bradley Manning!

Daniel Ellsberg Pentagon Papers whistle-blower who helped end the Vietnam War

US Army Colonel Ann Wright (ret) Diplomat who resigned in protest of the Iraq War

Ray McGovern Former CIA analyst

Jeff Paterson Bradley Manning Support Network organizer

Suggested donation $10 (no one turned away). A fund pitch for the Bradley Manning Defense Fund will be made during the program by Reverend Billy Talen. For more information regarding this panel, contact Courage to Resist at 510-488-3559 or courage@riseup.net

Presented by the Bradley Manning Support Network, Courage to Resist, and the Fresh Juice Party. Endorsed by.

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This panel will help kickoff the "Occupy the Truth: Whistleblower's" open-source conference at UC Berkeley's International House, February 17 -19, 2012. Participants are encouraged to return the following day to participate in the conference and/or become involved in the campaign to save Bradley Manning. For more information regarding the conference: www.freshjuiceparty.com/occupy-the-truth

Other weekend conference participants include: filmmaker Mikko Allane, strategist Celia Alario, performance artist Larry Bogad, veterinarian Dr. Jennifer Conrad, performance Artist Savitri D, firebrand teen activist Erica Fernandez, attorney Stephen Kohn, activist and widow of the late great Abbie Hoffman Johanna Lawrenson, filmmaker Carol Leigh, medical marijuana activist Dr. Frank Lucido, actress / activist Alexandra Paul, communications specialist Zack Pesavento, social entrepreneur Peter Samuelson, WikiLeaks expert Micah L. Sifry, artist and media hoaxer Joey Skaggs, activist David Solnit, artist / filmmaker Annie Sprinkle PhD, activist Andy Stepanian, professor Elizabeth Stephens, Reverend Billy Talen, and attorney Ben Wizner.


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LYNNE STEWART WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 29, 2012 HEARING AND 24-HOUR VIGIL ALERT:

Ralph Poynter updated his status: "GREETINGS FAMILY/COMRADES/SPIRIT WARRIORS- BE SURE TO PLACE OUR 'OCCUPY THE COURTS' EVENT IN YOUR CALENDAR. THE EVENING OF TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2012 IS THE DATE OF THE ALL NITE VIGIL PRECEEDING THE HEARING FOR LYNNE STEWART AT 500 PEARL STREET NEW FEDERAL COURT ON WEDNESDAY MORNING, FEBRUARY 29TH IN NYC. THE ALL NITE VIGIL WILL TAKE PLACE IN TOM PAINE PARK BESIDE THE COURT HOUSE. COME WITH YOUR DRUMS - YOUR SLEEPING BAGS - YOUR BANNERS SUPPORT LYNNE STEWART, LEORNARD PELTIER, MUMIA, BRADLEY MANNING AND ALL OF OUR FREEDOM FIGHTERS UNJUSTLY INCARCERATED IN THE TORTURE CELLS OF USA INJUSTICE SYSTEM."

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#F29 - Occupy Portland National Call To Action To
Shut Down the Corporations FEBRUARY 29, 2012
by OccupyWallSt
http://occupywallst.org/article/f29-occupy-portland-national-call-action-shut-down/

via Occupy Portland & Portland Action Lab:

"Occupy Portland calls for a day of non-violent direct action to reclaim our voices and challenge our society's obsession with profit and greed by shutting down the corporations. We are rejecting a society that does not allow us control of our future. We will reclaim our ability to shape our world in a democratic, cooperative, just and sustainable direction.

We call on the Occupy Movement and everyone seeking freedom and justice to join us in this day of action.

There has been a theft by the 1% of our democratic ability to shape and form the society in which we live and our society is steered toward the destructive pursuit of consumption, profit and greed at the expense of all else.

We call on people to target corporations that are part of the American Legislative Exchange Council which is a prime example of the way corporations buy off legislators and craft legislation that serves the interests of corporations and not people. They used it to create the anti-labor legislation in Wisconsin and the racist bill SB 1070 in Arizona among so many others. They use ALEC to spread these corporate laws around the country.

In doing this we begin to recreate our democracy. In doing this we begin to create a society that is organized to meet human needs and sustain life.

On February 29th, we will reclaim our future from the 1%. We will shut down the corporations and recreate our democracy.

Join us! Leap into action! Reclaim our future! Shut down the corporations!

*This action received unanimous consensus from the Portland General Assembly on Sunday January 1st, 2012."

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NATO, G8 In Chicago: More Details Released, City Grants First Protest Permit
By CARLA K. JOHNSON
January 12, 2012
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/12/nato-g8-in-chicago-more-d_n_1203429.html




NATIONAL CONFERENCE

United National Antiwar Coalition

Say No! To the NATO / G8 Wars & Poverty Agenda

A Conference to Challenge the Wars of the 1% on the 99% at Home and Abroad

March 23-25, 2012 Stamford Hilton Hotel, CT (just one Metro North train stop from NYC)

On December 31, President Obama signed into law the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). This legislation:

1. Directs $662 billion dollars desperately needed by the 99% for housing, jobs, health care and schools towards war appropriations.
2. Slaps dangerous new sanctions on Iran.
3. Codifies indefinite detention without charges or trial on American soil.

The sanctions on Iran, which will cause severe economic hardship for the people of Iran and squeeze U.S. competitors like China who depend on Iranian oil, are just one more step toward a new U.S. war. The indefinite detention threat will be used to silence activists for social change and to ramp up Islamophobia and war fever here at home. Already, on January 1, a mosque in NYC and the homes of people of color were firebombed. Overall, the billions of dollars just appropriated are going to be used for provocative new military operations in the Middle East, Central Asia, Africa, and the Pacific.

And this is just the beginning of 2012. On May 19, the U.S. will be hosting, simultaneously, the summits of the US led military coalition that has destroyed Afghanistan and Libya and threatens Syria and Iran-NATO-and the representative financial body of the rich nations-G8 - that are now imposing austerity and inequality on people everywhere.

Government leaders are preparing for expanded war and repression in 2012.

The 99% at home and around the globe will be watching to see if we are able to respond effectively.

Join us at a conference specifically designed to take up this challenge.

NATIONAL CONFERENCE

United National Antiwar Coalition

Say No! To the NATO / G8 Wars & Poverty Agenda

A Conference to Challenge the Wars of the 1% on the 99% at Home and Abroad

March 23-25, 2012 Stamford Hilton Hotel, CT (just one Metro North train stop from NYC)

The US-led North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the G-8 world economic powers will meet in Chicago, May 15-22, 2012 to plan their economic and military strategies for the coming period. These military, financial, and political leaders, who serve the 1 % at home and abroad, impose austerity on the 99% to expand their profits, often by drones, armies, and police.

Just as there is a nationally-coordinated attempt to curb the organized dissent of the Occupy Wall St. movements, the federal and local authorities want to deny us our constitutional rights to peacefully and legally protest within sight and sound range of the NATO/G-8 Summits. We must challenge them and bring thousands to Chicago to stand in solidarity with all those fighting US-backed austerity and war around the globe.

To plan these actions and further actions against the program of endless war of the global elite, we will meet in a large national conference March 23-25 in Stamford CT. This conference will bring together activists from the occupy movements, and the antiwar, social justice and environmental movements. We will demand that Washington Bring Our War Dollars Home Now! and use these trillions immediately for human needs.

Workshop topics include:

Occupy Wall St. & the Fight Against War; Global Economic Crisis; Climate Crisis and War; Women and War; War at Home on Black Community; War on the U.S.-Mexico Border; Islamophobia as a Tool of War; Labor; Defense of Iran and Syria; Afghanistan: Ten Years of Occupation; Is the U.S. Really Withdrawing from Iraq?; Updates on Egypt, Tunisia, Bahrain, and Yemen; What Next for the Arab Spring?; Occupation of Haiti; U.S. Intervention in Honduras, Colombia, and the rest of Latin America; No to Drone Warfare and Weapons in Space; Civil Liberties; Guantanamo, Torture and Rendition; U.S. Combat Troops Involved in New Scramble for Africa; Control of Media; Imperialism Nonviolence & Direct Action; Palestine: UN Statehood, Civil Resistance, BDS; Breaking the Siege of Gaza; Veterans Peace Team; Immigrant Rights and War; Human Rights in South Asia; Fight for Our Right to Protest; No War; No Warming; No Nukes; Philippines & the Pacific; Bring Our War $$ Home

Register now at www.unacpeace.org.

Donate to send an occupier or student to this conference!

Donate to help build the NATO/G8 permitted protest!

Send donations to: UNACpeace@gmail.com orto use a credit card, go here: https://nationalpeaceconference.org/Donate.html

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NATO/G8 protests in Chicago.
United National Antiwar Committee
UNACpeace@gmain.com or UNAC at P.O. Box 123, Delmar, NY 12054
518-227-6947
www.UNACpeace.org

UNAC, along with other organizations and activists, has formed a coalition to help organize protests in Chicago during the week of May 15 - 22 while NATO and G8 are holding their summit meetings. The new coalition was formed at a meeting of 163 people representing 73 different organization in Chicago on August 28 and is called Coalition Against NATO/G8 War and Poverty Agenda (CANGATE). For a report on the Chicago meeting, click here: http://nepajac.org/chicagoreport.htm

To add your email to the new CANGATE listserve, send an email to: cangate-subscribe@lists.riseup.net.

To have your organization endorse the NATO/G8 protest, please click here:

https://www.nationalpeaceconference.org/NATO_G8_protest_support.html

Click here to hear audio of the August 28 meeting:

http://www.radio4all.net/index.php/program/54145

Click here for the talk by Marilyn Levin, UNAC co-coordinator at the August 28 meeting:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1tHQ7ilDJ8&NR=1

Click here for Pat Hunts welcome to the meeting and Joe Iosbaker's remarks:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RoNGcnBGGfI

NATO and the G8 Represent the 1%.

In May, they will meet in Chicago. Their agenda is war on poor nations, war on the poor and working people - war on the 99%.

We are demanding the right to march on their summit, to say:
Jobs, Healthcare, Education, Pensions, Housing and the Environment, Not War!

No to NATO/G-8 Warmakers!

No to War and Austerity!

NATO's military expenditures come at the expense of funding for education, housing and jobs programs; and the G8 continues to advance an agenda of 'austerity' that includes bailouts, tax write-offs and tax holidays for big corporations and banks at the expense of the rest of us.

During the May 2012 G8 and NATO summits in Chicago, many thousands of people will want to exercise their right to protest against NATO's wars and against the G8 agenda to only serve the richest one percent of society. We need permits to ensure that all who want to raise their voices will be able to march.

Chicago's Mayor Rahm Emanuel has stonewalled repeated attempts by community organizers to meet with the city to discuss reasonable accommodations of protesters' rights. They have finally agreed to meet with us, but we need support: from the Occupy movement, the anti-war movement, and all movements for justice.

Our demands are simple:

That the City publicly commit to provide protest organizers with permits that meet the court- sanctioned standard for such protests -- that we be "within sight and sound" of the summits; and

That representatives of the City, including Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy, refrain from making threats against protesters.

The protest movement, Occupy Wall Street (OWS), has the support of a majority of the American people. This is because people are suffering from the economic crisis brought about by Wall Street and big banks. As the OWS movement describes it, the "99%" see extreme economic inequality, where millions are unemployed without significant help while bankers in trouble get bailed out.

In Chicago and around the country, the Occupy movement is being met with repression: hundreds have been arrested, beaten, tear gassed, spied on, and refused their right to protest.

The Chicago Police Department and the Mayor have already acknowledged that they are coming down hard on the Occupy movement here to send a message to those who would protest against NATO and the G8.

We need a response that is loud and clear: we have the right to march against the generals and the bankers. We have the right to demand an end to wars, military occupations, and attacks on working people and the poor.

How you can help:

1) Sign the petition to the City of Chicago at www.CANG8.org You can also make a contribution there.

2) Write a statement supporting the right to march and send it to us atcangate2012@gmail.com.

3) To endorse the protests, go to https://nationalpeaceconference.org/NATO_G8_protest_support.html or write to cangate2012@gmail.com

4) Print out and distribute copies of this statement, attached along with a list of supporters of our demands for permits.

4) And then march inChicago on May 15th and May 19th. Publicizethe protests. Join us!

Formore info: www.CANG8.org or email us at cangate2012@gmail.com

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Occupy the PGA in Benton Harbor, MI May 23-27, 2012
http://wibailoutpeople.org/2011/12/29/occupy-the-pga-in-benton-harbor-mi-may-23-27-2012/

A personal invitation from the President of the NAACP , Benton Harbor
Chapter:

It is our distinct honor and privilege to invite you on behalf of the
NAACP-BH , the Black Autonomy Network Community Organization (BANCO)
and Stop The Take Over in Benton Harbor, Michigan to an event
scheduled for May 23-27, 2012 .

Occupy the PGA
Benton Harbor, Michigan
Senior PGA Golf Tournament

We are committed to escalating the Occupy Movement to support human
rights in housing in addition to the push back against bailouts for
fraudulent banks. They are stealing our homes and lives. Democracy is
non-existent here in Benton Harbor. Joseph Harris, the Emergency
Manager must go! With pride, he called himself a "dictator."

The PGA will be played on a $750 million dollar, 530-acre resort near
the lakeshore with $500,000 condominiums. We can not forget the three
golf holes inside Jean Klock Park that were taken from the Benton
Harbor residents.

If your schedule does not permit your attendance on May 26, 2012,
alternative action dates are May 23-25, 2012. Please let me know if
you can accept the invitation to participate in Occupy the PGA. We
eagerly await your response. If you have any questions or concerns,
feel free to contact me directly at (269-925-0001). Allow me to thank
you in advance.We the residents of Benton Harbor love you!

President/NAACP/BANCO
& Stop The Take Over
Benton Harbor
Rev. Edward Pinkney
1940 Union St.
Benton Harbor, MI

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B. VIDEO, FILM, AUDIO. ART, POETRY, ETC.:
[Some of these videos are embeded on the BAUAW website:
http://bauaw.blogspot.com/ or bauaw.org ...bw]

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Codepink "Squids" Goldman Sachs FOR REAL!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqfB2h7CvVI&feature=g-upl&context=G219dbdfAUAAAAAAAAAA



The Codepink "Pink Panther Ladies Investment Club" met with Goldman Sachs in their posh San Francisco offices on Jan. 20, 2012, the day of action to "Occupy Wall St. West." They asked us not to film, but we still got some crappy footage with pretty good sound. We interviewed them to see if we wanted to choose them to invest our $10 million pooled assets (the minimum amount threshold for GS to talk to investors) but decided that their massive financial fraud and other crimes, such as selling "sack of shit" investments to their own investors meant we wouldn't hire them. At 14 mins. we became the "Pink Police" and decided to arrest them. Before being escorted out by security, we left some 2-week-old squid in their offices. As we left, the horrible stink started to permeate the air, just like Goldman's crimes. It smelled like a vampire squid had died and was rotting, like we hope Goldman will do once we get their tentacles off our government and lives. We hope those vampire squid shut Goldman Sachs down. We squidded them FOR REAL!

On the way out of the building one pink handcuffed herself to a railing by the exit and read a statement condemning Goldman. Then we left peacefully and acted out a wedding between a giant vampire squid in costume and a bride named "Democracy", who's cries of "help" "don't make me marry Goldman Sachs" were ignored by billionaires pushing the bride to the altar. Does Goldman Sachs own Democracy? Does it own the world? You decide.

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Defending The People's Mic
by Pham Binh of Occupy Wall Street
The North Star
January 20, 2012
http://www.thenorthstar.info/?p=53
Grand Central Terminal Arrests - MIRROR
Two protesters mic check about the loss of freedom brought about by the passage of the NDAA and both are promptly arrested and whisked out of public sight.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7Tj7tEVx8A&feature=player_embedded



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"Welcome to Chicago! You're under arrest!"

"Under the new ordinance: Every sign has to be described in particularity on the parade permit. ...If there are signs not on the parade permit, police can issue an ordinance violation. What does that ordinance violation allow? It allows for every sign, the organizer ... can face $1000.00 fine--that's for every un-permitted sign--plus up to ten days in jail...."

Chicago City Hall Press Conference Against NATO/G8 Ordinance

YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYQfJcRNwqM



An impressive coalition of organizations -- unions, anti-war, human rights, churches and neighborhood groups -- held a press conference today (Jan. 17, 2012) at Chicago's City Hall. They were protesting the proposed new ordinances against demonstrations targeting the upcoming spring NATO/G8 meetings here, but now possibly to become permanent laws. The press conference took place right before two key City Council committees were to meet to consider whether to endorse the proposed new ordinances, prior to their going to a vote before the full City Council tomorrow. In this excerpt from the press conference, speakers include Eric Ruder, Coalition Against NATO/G8's War & Poverty Agenda; Erek Slater, ATU 241 member speaking for ATU International Vice Presidents; Talisa Hardin, National Nurses United; Wayne Lindwal, SEIU 73 Chicago Division Director; Jesse Sharkey, Vice President, Chicago Teachers Union.

For more info on fight against ordinance: (http://bit.ly/AntiLibertyOrdinance).

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This is excellent! Michelle Alexander pulls no punches!
Michelle Alexander, Author of The New Jim Crow, speaks about the political strategy behind the War on Drugs and its connection to the mass incarceration of Black and Brown people in the United States.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P75cbEdNo2U&feature=player_embedded



If you think Bill Clinton was "the first black President" you need to watch this video and see how much damage his administration caused for the black community as a result of his get tough attitude on crime that appealed to white swing voters.

This speech took place at Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem on January 12, 2012.

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NATO, G8 In Chicago: More Details Released, City Grants First Protest Permit
By CARLA K. JOHNSON
January 12, 2012
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/12/nato-g8-in-chicago-more-d_n_1203429.html



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Release Bradley Manning
Almost Gone (The Ballad Of Bradley Manning)
Written by Graham Nash and James Raymond (son of David Crosby)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAYG7yJpBbQ&feature=player_embedded



Locked up in a white room, underneath a glaring light
Every 5 minutes, they're asking me if I'm alright
Locked up in a white room naked as the day I was born
24 bright light, 24 all alone

What I did was show some truth to the working man
What I did was blow the whistle and the games began

Tell the truth and it will set you free
That's what they taught me as a child
But I can't be silent after all I've seen and done
24 bright light I'm almost gone, almost gone

Locked up in a white room, dying to communicate
Trying to hang in there underneath a crushing wait
Locked up in a white room I'm always facing time
24 bright light, 24 down the line

What I did was show some truth to the working man
What I did was blow the whistle and the games began

But I did my duty to my country first
That's what they taught me as a man
But I can't be silent after all I've seen and done
24 bright light I'm almost gone, almost gone
(Treat me like a human, Treat me like a man )

Read more on Nash's blog - grahamnash.com

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FREEDOM ROAD - A Tribute to Mumia sung by Renn Lee
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qC27vzqxSCA&feature=youtu.be



FREEDOM ROAD

(written by Samuel Légitimus- adapted in english, sung and arranged by Paris-Sydney)

They've taken all you had away
And what's left, still they can't bend
To find you guilty was their way
Yet here I am and you're my friend.

Your writing's proof enough for me, Mumia,
You place honor and law
Above all, till the end.

Thirty years gone by
On death row, we never knew
Anything of the weight
You had to carry while you grew.

But they won't get you, no, Mumia, no
We won't let them ever win
Won't let you bear such a heavy load
While walking down the Freedom Road.

(Instrumental)

Like Jimmy (1) and Bob (2) you've lived to see the light:
Believing that all men
Can stand up for their rights.

Accusing you of crime
From behind their scales they hide
It makes them scared deep down inside
To know that truth is on your side.

But they won't get you, no, Mumia, no,
We won't let them ever win
Won't let you bear such a heavy load
While walking down the Freedom Road.

(Instumental)

Those thirty years gone by
On death row, we never knew
Anything of the weight
You had to carry while you grew.

We've named a street for you, Mumia
A lovely rue in Saint-Denis
By joining hands we're showing you
Proof of our strength and peace.

But they won't get you, no, Mumia, no,
We won't let them ever win
Won't let you bear such a heavy load
While walking down the Freedom Road.X2

But they won't get you, no, Mumia, no
We won't let them ever win
Won't let them block you from getting in,
Into your home on Freedom Road.

But they won't get you no Mumia,
We will win, we'll never bend
For thirty years you've shown us all
Just how to fight until the end.

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School police increasingly arresting American students?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zl-efNBvjUU&feature=player_embedded



Uploaded by RTAmerica on Dec 29, 2011

A new study shows that by age 23, 41 percent of young Americans were arrested from the years 1997-2008. The survey questioned 7,000 people but didn't disclose the crimes committed. Many believe the arrests are related to the increase of police presence in schools across America. Amanda Petteruti from the Justice Policy Institute joins us to examine these numbers.

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"The mine owners did not find the gold, they did not mine the gold, they did not mill the gold, but by some weird alchemy all the gold belonged to them!" -- Big Bill Haywood

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1293. Big Coal Don't Like This Man At All (Original) - with Marco Acca on guitar
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljtxjFKB718&mid=574



This song is a tribute to Charles Scott Howard, from Southeastern Kentucky, a tireless fighter for miners' rights, especially with regard to safety, and to his lawyer, Tony Oppegard, who sent me this newspaper article on which I based the song: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/14/charles-scott-howard-whistleblower-m...

The melody is partly based on a tune used by Woody Guthrie, who wrote many songs in support of working men, including miners.

My thanks to Marco Acca for his great guitar accompaniment at very short notice (less than an hour).

http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=142068

To see the complete lyrics and chords please click here: http://raymondfolk.wetpaint.com/page/Big+Coal+Don%27t+Like+This+Man+At+all

You can see a playlist of my mining songs here:
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=CF909DA14CE415DF

You can hear a playlist of my original songs (in alphabetical order) here:
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=B9F8E3B7A8822951

For lyrics and chords of all my songs, please see my website: http://www.raymondcrooke.com

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FYI:
Nuclear Detonation Timeline "1945-1998"

The 2053 nuclear tests and explosions that took place between 1945 and 1998 are plotted visually and audibly on a world map.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9lquok4Pdk&feature=share&mid=5408


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Lifting the Veil
Our democracy is but a name. We vote? What does that mean? It means that we choose between two bodies of real, though not avowed, autocrats. We choose between Tweedledum and Tweedledee. --HELEN KELLER



Suggested slogan for the 2012 elections:

DON'T VOTE FOR THE ONE PERCENT!
We working people--employed, unemployed, partially employed or retired--can't get any economic justice by voting for the One Percent! We need to occupy the elections with our own candidates of, by and for working people! --Bonnie Weinstein

Keep Wall Street Occupied (Part 1)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JlxbKtBkGM


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We Are the 99 Percent

We are the 99 percent. We are getting kicked out of our homes. We are forced to choose between groceries and rent. We are denied quality medical care. We are suffering from environmental pollution. We are working long hours for little pay and no rights, if we're working at all. We are getting nothing while the other 1 percent is getting everything. We are the 99 percent.

Brought to you by the people who occupy wall street. Why will YOU occupy?

OccupyWallSt.org
Occupytogether.org
wearethe99percentuk.tumblr.com
http://wearethe99percent.tumblr.com/

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Drop All Charges on the 'Occupy Wall Street' Arrestees!
Stop Police Attacks & Arrests! Support 'Occupy Wall Street'!

SIGN THE ONLINE PETITION AT:
http://bailoutpeople.org/dropchargesonoccupywallstarrestees.shtml to send email messages to Mayor Michael Bloomberg, NYC City Council, NYPD, the NY Congressional Delegation, Congressional Leaders, the NY Legislature, President Obama, Attorney General Holder, members of the media YOU WANT ALL CHARGES DROPPED ON THE 'OCCUPY WALL STREET ARRESTEES!

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We Are The People Who Will Save Our Schools

YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFAOJsBxAxY



This video begins with Professor of Education Pauline Lipman (University of Illinois-Chicago) briefly recapping the plans hatched a decade ago in Chicago to replace public schools with private charter schools. Then Chicago Public Schools head Arne Duncan implemented those plans (Renaissance 2010) so obediently that President Obama picked him to do the same thing to every school system in the country. So Chicago's growing uprising against these deepening attacks against public education has national importance. Here is a battalion of voices from the communities and the teachers union, all exposing the constantly changing, Kafkaesque rules for evaluating school turn-arounds and closings. The counter-attack from the working people in the city is energized and spreading, and is on a collision course with the 1% who want to take away their children's futures. Includes comments from Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis, teachers and parents from targeted school communities. Length - 24:40

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The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom: Documentary Footage (1963)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CL2mU029PkQ&feature=fvsr



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In honor of the 75th Anniversary of the 44-Day Flint Michigan sit-down strike at GM that began December 30, 1936:

According to Michael Moore, (Although he has done some good things, this clip isn't one of them) in this clip from his film, "Capitalism a Love Story," it was Roosevelt who saved the day!):

"After a bloody battle one evening, the Governor of Michigan, with the support of the President of the United States, Franklin Roosevelt, sent in the National Guard. But the guns and the soldiers weren't used on the workers; they were pointed at the police and the hired goons warning them to leave these workers alone. For Mr. Roosevelt believed that the men inside had a right to a redress of their grievances." -Michael Moore's 'Capitalism: A Love Story' - Flint Sit-Down Strike http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8x1_q9wg58

But those cannons were not aimed at the goons and cops! They were aimed straight at the factory filled with strikers! Watch what REALLY happened and how the strike was really won!

'With babies & banners' -- 75 years since the 44-day Flint sit-down strike
http://links.org.au/node/2681
--Inspiring

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Busby: Fukushima 'criminal event' calls for investigation
Uploaded by RussiaToday on Dec 27, 2011
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1F0uFAWV7uc&feature=player_embedded%23!

A newly released report on the Fukushima nuclear crisis says it was down to the plant's operators being ill-prepared and not responding properly to the earthquake and tsunami disaster. A major government inquiry said some engineers abandoned the plant as the trouble started and other staff delayed reporting significant radiation leaks. Professor Christopher Busby, scientific secretary to the European Committee on Radiation Risks, says health damage after contamination will be more serious than Japan announced.



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HALLELUJAH CORPORATIONS (revised edition).mov
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ws0WSNRpy3g



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ONE OF THE GREATEST POSTS ON YOUTUBE SO FAR!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8C-qIgbP9o&feature=share&mid=552



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ILWU Local 10 Longshore Workers Speak-Out At Oakland Port Shutdown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JUpBpZYwms

Uploaded by laborvideo on Dec 13, 2011

ILWU Local 10 longshore workers speak out during a blockade of the Port of Oakland called for by Occupy Oakland. Anthony Levieges and Clarence Thomas rank and file members of the union. The action took place on December 12, 2011 and the interview took place at Pier 30 on the Oakland docks.

For more information on the ILWU Local 21 Longview EGT struggle go to
http://www.facebook.com/groups/256313837734192/
For further info on the action and the press conferernce go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jz3fE-Vhrw8&feature=youtu.be
Production of Labor Video Project www.laborvideo.org



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Lifting the Veil
"Our democracy is but a name...We choose between Tweedle-dum and Tweedle-dee" --Helen Keller, 1911

"It is naive to expect the initiative for reform of the state to issue from the political process that serves theinterests of political capitalism. This structure can only be reduced if citizens withdraw and direct their energies and civic commitment to finding new life forms...The old citizenship must be replaced by a fuller and wider notion of being whose politicalness will be expressed not in one or two modes of actibity--voting or protesting--but in many." --Sheldon Wolin
http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/lifting-the-veil/

This film explores the historical role of the Democratic Party as the graveyard of social movements, the massive influence of corporate finance in elections, the absurd disparities of wealth in the United States, the continuity and escalation of neocon policies under Obama, the insufficiency of mere voting as a path to reform, and differing conceptions of democracy itself.

Lifting the Veil is the long overdue film that powerfully, definitively, and finally exposes the deadly 21st century hypocrisy of U.S. internal and external policies, even as it imbues the viewer with a sense of urgency and an actualized hope to bring about real systemic change while there is yet time for humanity and this planet.

Noble is brilliantly pioneering the new film-making - incisive analysis, compelling sound and footage, fearless and independent reporting, and the aggregation of the best information out there into powerful, educational and free online feature films - all on a shoestring budget.

Viewer discretion advised - Video contains images depicting the reality and horror of war.

Lifting the Veil from S DN on Vimeo.

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Frida Kahlo Diego Rivera y Trotsky Video Original
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45Z0keLaGhQ



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Toronto Emergency Public Warning
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0iiGTGwQ9HM&feature=player_embedded



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Tom Morello Occupy LA
Uploaded by sandrineora on Dec 3, 2011
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChicrlyeKhg&feature=player_embedded

The Nightwatchman, Tom Morello, comes to lift the spirits of Occupy LA the evening after the raid on November 29, 2011.



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UC Davis Police Violence Adds Fuel to Fire
By Scott Galindez, Reader Supported News
19 November 11
http://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/275-42/8485-uc-davis-police-violence-adds-fuel-to-fire

UC Davis Protestors Pepper Sprayed
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AdDLhPwpp4&feature=player_embedded


Police PEPPER SPRAY UC Davis STUDENT PROTESTERS!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuWEx6Cfn-I&feature=player_embedded


Police pepper spraying and arresting students at UC Davis
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmJmmnMkuEM&feature=player_embedded


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UC Davis Chancellor Katehi walks to her car
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=CZ0t9ez_EGI#!



Occupy Seattle - 84 Year Old Woman Dorli Rainey Pepper Sprayed
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTIyE_JlJzw&feature=related



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THE BEST VIDEO ON "OCCUPY THE WORLD"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S880UldxB1o



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Occupy With Aloha -- Makana -- The Story
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-M07v8N_eU&feature=channel_video_title



We Are The Many -- Makana -- The Song
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xq3BYw4xjxE&feature=relmfu



We Are The Many
Lyrics and Music by Makana
Makana Music LLC (c) 2011

Download song for free here:
http://makanamusic.com/?slide=we-are-the-many

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Rafeef Ziadah - 'Shades of anger', London, 12.11.11
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2vFJE93LTI



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News: Massive anti-nuclear demonstration in Fukuoka Nov. 12, 2011
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aq_xKEWuj1I&feature=player_embedded



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Shot by police with rubber bullet at Occupy Oakland
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0pX9LeE-g8&feature=player_embedded



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Copwatch@Occupy Oakland: Beware of Police Infiltrators and Provocateurs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrvMzqopHH0



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Occupy Oakland 11-2 Strike: Police Tear Gas, Black Bloc, War in the Streets
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Tu_D8SFYck&feature=player_embedded



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Quebec police admitted that, in 2007, thugs carrying rocks to a peaceful protest were actually undercover Quebec police officers:

POLICE STATE Criminal Cops EXPOSED As Agent Provocateurs @ SPP Protest
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoiisMMCFT0&feature=player_embedded



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Quebec police admit going undercover at montebello protests
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAfzUOx53Rg&feature=player_embedded



G20: Epic Undercover Police Fail
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrJ7aU-n1L8&feature=player_embedded



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WHAT HAPPENED IN OAKLAND TUESDAY NIGHT, OCTOBER 25:

Occupy Oakland Protest
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlPs-REyl-0&feature=player_embedded


Cops make mass arrests at occupy Oakland
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R27kD2_7PwU&feature=player_embedded


Raw Video: Protesters Clash With Oakland Police
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpO-lJr2BQY&feature=player_embedded


Occupy Oakland - Flashbangs USED on protesters OPD LIES
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqNOPZLw03Q&feature=player_embedded


KTVU TV Video of Police violence
http://www.ktvu.com/video/29587714/index.html


Marine Vet wounded, tear gas & flash-bang grenades thrown in downtown Oakland
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMUgPTCgwcQ&feature=player_embedded


Tear Gas billowing through 14th & Broadway in Downtown Oakland
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OU4Y0pwJtWE&feature=player_embedded


Arrests at Occupy Atlanta -- This is what a police state looks like
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YStWz6jbeZA&feature=player_embedded


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Labor Beat: Hey You Billionaire, Pay Your Fair Share
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PY8isD33f-I



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Voices of Occupy Boston 2011 - Kwame Somburu (Paul Boutelle) Part I
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DA48gmfGB6U&feature=youtu.be



Voices of Occupy Boston 2011 - Kwame Somburu (Paul Boutelle) Part II
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjKZpOk7TyM&feature=related



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#Occupy Wall Street In Washington Square: Mohammed Ezzeldin, former occupier of Egypt's Tahrir Square Speaks at Washington Square!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ziodsFWEb5Y&feature=player_embedded



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#OccupyTheHood, Occupy Wall Street
By adele pham
http://vimeo.com/30146870

@OccupyTheHood, Occupy Wall Street from adele pham on Vimeo.

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Live arrest at brooklyn bridge #occupywallstreet by We are Change
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yULSI-31Pto&feature=player_embedded



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FREE THE CUBAN FIVE!
http://www.thecuban5.org/wordpress/index.php

Free Them
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmS4kHC_OlY&feature=player_embedded



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The Preacher and the Slave - Joe Hill
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ca_MEJmuzMM



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Visualizing a Trillion: Just How Big That Number Is?
"1 million seconds is about 11.5 days, 1 billion seconds is about 32 years while a trillion seconds is equal to 32,000 years."
Digital Inspiration
http://www.labnol.org/internet/visualize-numbers-how-big-is-trillion-dollars/7814/

How Much Is $1 Trillion?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPfY0q-rEdY&feature=player_embedded



Courtesy the credit crisis and big bailout packages, the figure "trillion" has suddenly become part of our everyday conversations. One trillion dollars, or 1 followed by 12 zeros, is lots of money but have you ever tried visualizing how big that number actually is?

For people who can visualize one million dollars, the comparison made on CNN should give you an idea about a trillion - "if you start spending a million dollars every single day since Jesus was born, you still wouldn't have spend a trillion dollars".

Another mathematician puts it like this: "1 million seconds is about 11.5 days, 1 billion seconds is about 32 years while a trillion seconds is equal to 32,000 years".

Now if the above comparisons weren't really helpful, check another illustration that compares the built of an average human being against a stack of $100 currency notes bundles.

A bundle of $100 notes is equivalent to $10,000 and that can easily fit in your pocket. 1 million dollars will probably fit inside a standard shopping bag while a billion dollars would occupy a small room of your house.

With this background in mind, 1 trillion (1,000,000,000,000) is 1000 times bigger than 1 billion and would therefore take up an entire football field - the man is still standing in the bottom-left corner. (See visuals -- including a video -- at website:
http://www.labnol.org/internet/visualize-numbers-how-big-is-trillion-dollars/7814/

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One World One Revolution -- MUST SEE VIDEO -- Powerful and beautiful...bw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aE3R1BQrYCw&feature=player_embedded

"When injustice becomes law, resistance becomes duty." Thomas Jefferson



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Japan: angry Fukushima citizens confront government (video)
Posted by Xeni Jardin on Monday, Jul 25th at 11:36am
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVuGwc9dlhQ&feature=player_embedded



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FREE BRADLEY MANNING
http://www.bradleymanning.org/news/national-call-in-for-bradley

I received the following reply from the White House November 18, 2011 regarding the Bradley Manning petition I signed:

"Why We Can't Comment on Bradley Manning

"Thank you for signing the petition 'Free PFC Bradley Manning, the accused WikiLeaks whistleblower.' We appreciate your participation in the We the People platform on WhiteHouse.gov.

The We the People Terms of Participation explain that 'the White House may decline to address certain procurement, law enforcement, adjudicatory, or similar matters properly within the jurisdiction of federal departments or agencies, federal courts, or state and local government.' The military justice system is charged with enforcing the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Accordingly, the White House declines to comment on the specific case raised in this petition...

"This email was sent to giobon@comcast.net
Manage Subscriptions for giobon@comcast.net
Sign Up for Updates from the White House
Unsubscribe giobon@comcast.net | Privacy Policy
Please do not reply to this email. Contact the White House

"The White House • 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW • Washington, DC 20500 • 202-456-1111"

That's funny! I guess Obama didn't get this memo. Here's what Obama said about Bradley:

BRADLEY MANNING "BROKE THE LAW" SAYS OBAMA!

"He broke the law!" says Obama about Bradley Manning who has yet to even be charged, let alone, gone to trial and found guilty. How horrendous is it for the President to declare someone guilty before going to trial or being charged with a crime! Justice in the U.S.A.!

Obama on FREE BRADLEY MANNING protest... San Francisco, CA. April 21, 2011-Presidential remarks on interrupt/interaction/performance art happening at fundraiser. Logan Price queries Barack after org. FRESH JUICE PARTY political action:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfmtUpd4id0&feature=youtu.be



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Labor Beat: Labor Stands with Subpoenaed Activists Against FBI Raids and Grand Jury Investigation of antiwar and social justice activists.
"If trouble is not at your door. It's on it's way, or it just left."
"Investigate the Billionaires...Full investigation into Wall Street..." Jesse Sharkey, Vice President, Chicago Teachers Union
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSNUSIGZCMQ



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Julian Assange: Why the world needs WikiLeaks
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVGqE726OAo&feature=player_embedded

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Coal Ash: One Valley's Tale
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6E7h-DNvwx4&feature=player_embedded

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C. SPECIAL APPEALS AND ONGOING CAMPAIGNS

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Mumia Still in Solitary Confinement - A Legal Update
From International Concerned Family and Friends of Mumia Abu-Jamal:
Mumia is still in Administrative Custody (AC)-the hole-at SCI Mahanoy. The confinement conditions in all the Restricted Housing Units (RHU) are degrading and tortuous.
Sunday, January 08, 2012
http://freemumianow.blogspot.com/2012/01/mumia-still-in-solitary-confinement.html

Mumia is on a cellblock that houses AC as well as disciplinary custody inmates. He is in solitary confinement, with lights glaring 24/7, without adequate food, or the opportunity to buy food to supplement his diet. He is shackled and handcuffed whenever outside his solitary cell-including when he goes to shower. And he is isolated without regular phone calls, or access to his property, including legal materials, books and typewriter. His visiting hours are limited. In short, Mumia is being subjected to conditions in AC that are more onerous than those on death row.

There is no legal basis for Mumia to be confined in AC. At the point he was no longer under a death sentence, he should have been transferred into general population. This is not dependent on a court date for Mumia to be formally resentenced to life imprisonment.

On January 3 and January 6, 2012 I submitted demand letters on Mumia's behalf to John Wetzel, Secretary for the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections (DOC), and to John Kerestes, Superintendent SCI Mahanoy, to immediately transfer and assign Mumia to general population with full visitation, phone and commissary privileges and access to all programs and services. The stated legal grounds are the following: The degrading, dehumanizing, tortuous conditions of Mumia Abu- Jamal's confinement in administrative custody at SCI Mahanoy are an abuse of authority, counter to DOC regulations, punitive, discriminatory, in violation of his protected liberty interests and his civil rights, including First Amendment rights.

The DOC regulations allow only two permanent categories of imprisonment, death row and general population. AC is by law only a temporary placement. It must be based on defined grounds, justified and implemented subject to procedural due process. None of the grounds listed in the DOC regulations for placement in AC apply to Mumia. In fact, on December 8, 2011 the DOC transferred Mumia from death row at SCI Greene and onto a cellblock that does not house capital inmates. On December 14, the DOC ordered Mumia moved to a medium security facility, SCI Mahanoy, which by regulation cannot hold death row prisoners.

The response by the DOC via telephone by Chief Counsel Suzanne Hueston was that Mumia is in AC pending resentencing and further evaluations. These are bogus explanations. The December 2001 federal court ruling that Mumia's death sentence is illegal has been upheld on appeal. The District Attorney has stated there will be no trial to obtain a new death sentence. Therefore Mumia should be in general population.

Nor is there a reason or basis for "further evaluation." Mumia has been confined in Pennsylvania prisons for some thirty years. The DOC unquestionably knows his history, conduct and behavior. There is nothing in Mumia's personal record to justify holding him in Administrative Custody.

The DOC's treatment of Mumia is punishment for depriving the FOP and Philadelphia District Attorney of his execution. This is the latest attempt by this frame-up system to silence Mumia, an innocent man, and to subject him to tortuous, punitive conditions in the hole.

Rachel Wolkenstein, Attorney
January 7, 2012

1) Write Call Phone and email the Secretary of Corrections

Tell them that Mumia must be immediately transferred to General Population.

John Wetzl, Secretary Department of Corrections
2520 Lisburn Road,
P.O. Box 598
Camp Hill, PA 17001-0598
717) 975-4928 Email: ra-contactdoc@pa.gov

2) Write, Call, Phone and Email the Secretary of Corrections

John Kerestes, Superintendent
SCI Mahanoy
301 Morea Road
Frackville, PA 17932
(570) 773-2158
fax 570-783-2008
3) Write Call Phone and email the Philadelphia DA

Seth Williams, DA Philadelphia
Three South Penn Square
Philadelphia, PA 19107-3499
(215) 686-8000
Email: DA_Central@phila.gov
and finally if you can send Mumia a note or a card.

Write to Mumia

Mumia Abu-Jamal
AM 8335
SCI Mahanoy
301 Morea Road
Frackville, PA 17932

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ACLU: SAY NO TO INDEFINITE DETENTION!

He signed it. We'll fight it.

President Obama signed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) into law. It contains a sweeping worldwide indefinite detention provision.

The dangerous new law can be used by this and future presidents to militarily detain people captured far from any battlefield. He signed it. Now, we have to fight it wherever we can and for as long as it takes.

Sign the ACLU's pledge to fight worldwide indefinite detention for as long as it takes.

The Petition:

I'm outraged that the statute President Obama signed into law authorizes worldwide military detention without charge or trial. I pledge to stand with the ACLU in seeking the reversal of indefinite military detention authority for as long as it takes.

And I will support the ACLU as it actively opposes this new law in court, in Congress, and internationally.

Signed,
[your name]

https://secure.aclu.org/site/SPageServer?emsrc=Nat_Appeal_AutologinEnabled&s_subsrc=120103_NDAA_GOL&pagename=120103_NDAAGOLAsk&emissue=indefinite_detention&emtype=pledge&JServSessionIdr004=d90jai6lu1.app224a

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Urgent Appeal to Occupy and All Social Justice Movements: Mobilize to Defend the Egyptian Revolution
Endorse the statement here:
http://www.defendegyptianrevolution.org/2011/12/19/defend-the-egyptian-revolution/

In recent days, protesters demanding civilian rule in Egypt have again been murdered, maimed and tortured by the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) and the Interior Security Forces (ISF).

The conspiracy, being brutally implemented in Egypt, is part of a global conspiracy to suffocate mass movements for socio-economic justice and is being done with direct assistance of the American government and the private interests which direct that government. We have word from friends in Egypt that SCAF, ISF and their hired thugs - armed by ongoing shipments of $1.3 billion in weapons from the U.S. government - plan to execute one by one all the leaders of the revolution, and as many activists as they can.

Accordingly, we need to ensure that people and organizers in the US and internationally are involved in closely monitoring the events unraveling in Egypt. By keeping track of the atrocities committed by SCAF and ISF, keeping track of those detained, tortured or targeted, and continuously contacting officials in Egypt and the US to demand accountability, cessation of the atrocities and justice, we can add pressure on SCAF, ISF and the forces they represent. In this way we may be able to play a role in helping save the lives of our Egyptian brothers and sisters.

Evidence of the conspiracy to execute the leaders and participants of Egyptian freedom movement, includes in very small part the following:

* Sheikh Emad of Al Azhar was killed by a bullet entering his right side from short range. This was seen at first hand by witnesses known to members of our coalition. Sheikh Emad was one of a small number of Azhar Imams issuing decrees in support of the revolution. His murder was no accident.
* Sally Tooma, Mona Seif, Ahdaf Soueif, and Sanaa Seif, all female friends and relatives of imprisoned blogger and activist Alaa abd El Fattah, and all known internationally for their political and/or literary work, were detained, and beaten in the Cabinet building.
* A woman protesting against General Tantawi, head of SCAF, was detained and then tortured by having the letter "T" in English carved into her scalp with knives.
* Detainees are being tortured while in courtroom holding pens. Two men (Mohammad Muhiy Hussein is one of them) were killed in those pens.These are only a small number of the horror stories we are hearing. And we continue to receive reports from Cairo about a massive army presence in Tahrir Square and the constant sound of gunshots.These are only a small number of the horror stories we are hearing. And we continue to receive reports from Cairo about a massive army presence in Tahrir Square and the constant sound of gunshots.

In every way, Egypt's fight is our fight. Just like us, Egyptians are the 99%, fighting for social, political and economic justice.

The same 1% that arms the Egyptian dictatorship commits systematic violence in this country against the Occupy movement; antiwar and solidarity activists; and Arabs, Muslims, and other communities of color.

As the US Palestinian Community Network recently observed, "the same US-made tear gas rains down on us in the streets of Oakland, Cairo and Bil`in."

Because of Egypt's key strategic location, the fate of its revolution echoes across the world. Its success will bring us all closer to achieving economic and social justice. But its defeat would be a major blow to social justice movements everywhere, including Occupy.

In short, Egypt is key to the continued success of the Arab Revolution, and movements she has inspired.

For all these reasons, we ask Occupy and all U.S. social justice activists to join us in mobilizing to defend our Egyptian brothers and sisters by immediately organizing mass convergences on Egyptian embassies, missions, consulates, and at U.S. government offices, to demand:

* Cancel all US aid and shipment of military and police materiel to Egypt!
* Stop the murders, tortures and detentions!
* Release all detainees and political prisoners!
* Immediate end to military rule in Egypt!

Please endorse and circulate this appeal widely. Please send statements with these demands to the bodies listed below. By endorsing, your organization commits to making these phone calls and following up continuously for the next week.

www.defendegyptianrevolution.org and defendegyptianrevolution@gmail.com

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Tarek Mehanna - another victim of the U.S. War to Terrorize Everyone. He was targeted because he would not spy on his Muslim community for the FBI. Under the new NDAA indefinite military detention provision, Tarek is someone who likely would never come to a trial, although an American citizen. His sentencing is on April 12. There will be an appeal. Another right we may kiss goodbye. We should not accept the verdict and continue to fight for his release, just as we do for hero Bradley Manning, and all the many others unjustly persecuted by our government until it is the war criminals on trial, prosecuted by the people, and not the other way around.

Marilyn Levin

Official defense website: http://freetarek.com/

---------- Forwarded message ----------

From: Free Tarek
Date: Tue, Dec 20, 2011 at 3:41 PM
Subject: [Tarek Mehanna Support] Today's verdict

All who have followed Tarek's trial with a belief in the possibility of justice through the court system will be shocked to learn that today the jury found him guilty on all seven counts of the indictment. In the six weeks that the prosecution used to present its case, it presented no evidence linking Tarek to an illegal action. Instead, it amassed a large and repetitive collection of videos, e-mails, translated documents, recorded telephone conversations and informant testimony aimed at demonstrating Tarek's political beliefs. The core belief under scrutiny was one that neither Tarek nor his defense team ever denied: Muslims have a right to defend their countries when invaded.

The prosecution relied upon coercion, prejudice, and ignorance to present their case; the defense relied upon truth, reason and responsibility. The government relied upon mounds of "evidence" showing that Tarek held political beliefs supporting the right to armed resistance against invading force; they mentioned Al-Qaeda and its leadership as often as possible while pointing at Tarek. It is clear they coerced Tarek's former friends and pressured them to lie, and many of them admitted to such. There is a long list of ways this trial proceeded unjustly, to which we will devote an entire post. The government's cynical calculation is that American juries, psychologically conditioned by a constant stream of propaganda in the "war on terrorism," will convict on the mere suggestion of terrorism, without regard for the law. Unfortunately, this strategy has proved successful in case after case.

Tarek's case will continue under appeal. We urge supporters to write to Tarek, stay informed, and continue supporting Tarek in his fight for justice. Sentencing will be April 12th, 2012. We will be sending out more information soon.

A beacon of hope and strength throughout this ordeal has been Tarek's strength and the amount of support he has received. Tarek has remained strong from day one, and even today he walked in with his head held high, stood unwavering as the verdict was read to him, and left the courtroom just as unbowed as ever. His body may be in prison now, but certainly this is a man whose spirit can never be caged. His strength must be an inspiration to us all, even in the face of grave circumstances. Before he left the courtroom, he turned to the crowd of supporters that was there for him, paused, and said, "Thank you, so much." We thank you too. Your support means the world to him.

You are here: Home » ACLU | "Mehanna verdict compromises First Amendment, undermines national security" by Christopher Ott

ACLU | "Mehanna verdict compromises First Amendment, undermines national security" by Christopher Ott

Mehanna verdict compromises First Amendment, undermines national security

Submitted by Online Coordinator on Tue, 12/20/2011 - 14:31 First Amendment National Security

Decision today threatens writers and journalists, academic researchers, translators, and even ordinary web surfers.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

CONTACT:

Christopher Ott, Communications Director, 617-482-3170 x322, cott@aclum.org

BOSTON - The following statement on the conviction today of Tarek Mehanna may be attributed to American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts executive director Carol Rose:

"The ACLU of Massachusetts is gravely concerned that today's verdict against Tarek Mehanna undermines the First Amendment and threatens national security.

"Under the government's theory of the case, ordinary people-including writers and journalists, academic researchers, translators, and even ordinary web surfers-could be prosecuted for researching or translating controversial and unpopular ideas. If the verdict is not overturned on appeal, the First Amendment will be seriously compromised.

"The government's prosecution does not make us safer. Speech about even the most unpopular ideas serves as a safety valve for the expression of dissent while government suppression of speech only drives ideas underground, where they cannot be openly debated or refuted.

"The ACLU believes that we can remain both safe and free, and, indeed, that our safety and our freedom go hand in hand."

The ACLU of Massachusetts has condemned the use of conspiracy and material support charges where the charges are based largely on First Amendment-protected expression.

In Mr. Mehanna's case, the charges against him have been based on allegations of such activity, such as watching videos about "jihad", discussing views about suicide bombings, translating texts available on the Internet, and looking for information about the 9/11 attackers. Historically, government prosecutors have used conspiracy charges as a vehicle for the suppression of unpopular ideas, contrary to the dictates of the First Amendment and fundamental American values.

After the ACLU of Massachusetts submitted a memorandum of law in support of Mehanna's motion to dismiss the parts of the indictment against him that were based on protected expression, U.S. District Court Judge George O'Toole denied permission for the memorandum to be filed with the court. A copy of the memorandum is available here.

For more information, go to: http://aclum.org/usa_v_mehanna

via Mehanna verdict compromises First Amendment, undermines national security | ACLU of Massachusetts.

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MUMIA HAS BEEN TRANSFERRED TO SCI MAHANOY!
From: info@freemumia.com
December 14, 2011

Greetings all,

Just verified with Superintendent John Kerestes that Mumia Abu-Jamal is being held in Administrative Custody at SCI Mahanoy, Frackville, PA until he is cleared to enter general population within a few days.

We need phone calls to the institution to let them know that the WORLD is watching Mumia's movements and ask general questions so that they know that nothing they are doing is happening under cover of darkness.

Please also send cards and letters to Mumia at the new address so that he begins receiving mail immediately and it is known to all of the people there that we are with him!

PHONE NUMBER: 570-773-2158

MAILING ADDRESS:

Mumia Abu-Jamal, #AM8335
SCI Mahanoy
301 Morea Road
Frackville, PA 17932

CURRENT VISITORS on Mumia's list will allegedly be OK'd to visit once their names are entered into the computer at Frackville. NEW VISITORS will have to receive the pertinent forms directly from Mumia.

DIRECTIONS TO THE PRISON are available at http://www.cheapjailcalls.com/correctional-facility-directory/state-prison-directory/item/sci-mahanoy

PLEASE HELP SPREAD THE WORD!!!

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HANDS OFF IRAN PETITION
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/hands-off-iran/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=system&utm_campaign=Send%2Bto%2BFriend

The Petition

To President Obama and Secretary Clinton:

At no time since the Iranian people rose up against the hated U.S-installed Shah has a U.S./Israeli military attack against Iran seemed more possible. Following three decades of unrelenting hostility, the last few months have seen a steady escalation of charges, threats, sanctions and actual preparations for an attack.

We, the undersigned demand No War, No Sanctions, no Internal Interference in Iran.

(For a complete analysis of the prospects of war, click here)
http://nepajac.org/unaciran.htm

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"A Child's View from Gaza: Palestinian Children's Art and the Fight Against Censorship" book
https://www.mecaforpeace.org/civicrm/contribute/transact?reset=1&id=25

A Child's View from GazaA collection of drawings by children in the Gaza Strip, art that was censored by a museum in Oakland, California.

With a special forward by Alice Walker, this beautiful, full-color 80-page book from Pacific View Press features drawings by children like Asil, a ten-year-old girl from Rafah refugee camp, who drew a picture of herself in jail, with Arabic phrases in the spaces between the bars: "I have a right to live in peace," "I have a right to live this life," and "I have a right to play."

For international or bulk orders, please email: meca@mecaforpeace.org, or call: 510-548-0542

A Child's View from Gaza: Palestinian Children's Art and the Fight Against Censorship [ISBN: 978-1-881896-35-7]

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It's time to tell the White House that "We the People" support PFC Bradley Manning's freedom and the UN's investigation into alleged torture in Quantico, VA

We petition the obama administration to:
Free PFC Bradley Manning, the accused WikiLeaks whistleblower.
https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petitions/!/petition/free-pfc-bradley-manning-accused-wikileaks-whistleblower/kX1GJKsD?utm_source=wh.gov&utm_medium=shorturl&utm_campaign=shorturl

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Say No to Police Repression of NATO/G8 Protests
http://www.stopfbi.net/get-involved/nato-g8-police-repression

The CSFR Signs Letter to Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel

The CSFR is working with the United National Antiwar Committee and many other anti-war groups to organize mass rallies and protests on May 15 and May 19, 2012. We will protest the powerful and wealthy war-makers of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and Group of 8. Mobilize your groups, unions, and houses of worship. Bring your children, friends, and community. Demand jobs, healthcare, housing and education, not war!

Office of the Mayor
City of Chicago
To: Mayor Rahm Emanuel

We, the undersigned, demand that your administration grant us permits for protests on May 15 and 19, 2012, including appropriate rally gathering locations and march routes to the venue for the NATO/G8 summit taking place that week. We come to you because your administration has already spoken to us through Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy. He has threatened mass arrests and violence against protestors.

[Read the full text of the letter here: http://www.stopfbi.net/get-involved/nato-g8-police-repression/full-text]

For the 10s of thousands of people from Chicago, around the country and across the world who will gather here to protest against NATO and the G8, we demand that the City of Chicago:

1. Grant us permits to rally and march to the NATO/G8 summit
2. Guarantee our civil liberties
3. Guarantee us there will be no spying, infiltration of organizations or other attacks by the FBI or partner law enforcement agencies.

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Justice for Albert Woodfox and Herman Wallace: Decades of isolation in Louisiana state prisons must end
Take Action -- Sign Petition Here:
http://www.amnesty.org/en/appeals-for-action/justice-for-albert-woodfox-and-herman-wallace

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WITNESS GAZA
http://www.witnessgaza.com/

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Hundreds march, rally at Fort Meade for Bradley

Courage to Resist, January 5, 2012

December 16-22, the world turned its eyes to a small courtroom on Fort Meade, MD, where accused WikiLeaks whistle-blower Army PFC Bradley Manning made his first public appearance after 18 months in pre-trial confinement. The "Article 32" pre-trial hearing is normally a quick process shortly after one is arrested to determine whether and what kind of court martial is appropriate. Bradley's hearing was unusual, happening 18 months after his arrest and lasting seven days.

Courage to Resist and the Bradley Manning Support Network organized two public rallies at Fort Meade to coincide with the beginning of the hearing, and there were about 50 solidarity rallies across the globe. We also sent representatives into the courtroom during all seven days of the hearing to provide minute-by-minute coverage via bradleymanning.org, Facebook, and Twitter.

"No harm in transparency: Wrap-up from the Bradley Manning pretrial hearing" includes our collection of courtroom notes
"Statement on closed hearing decisions" covers how even this hearing was far from "open"

Article and photos by John Grant
A message from Bradley and his family

"I want you to know how much Bradley and his family appreciate the continuing support of so many, especially during the recent Article 32 hearing. I visited Bradley the day after Christmas-he is doing well and his spirits are high."
-Bradley's Aunt Debra

Write to Bradley
http://bradleymanning.org/donate

View the new 90 second "I am Bradley Manning" video:
I am Bradley Manning
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-P3OXML00s

Courage to Resist
484 Lake Park Ave. #41
Oakland, CA 94610
510-488-3559
couragetoresist.org

"A Fort Leavenworth mailing address has been released for Bradley Manning:

Bradley Manning 89289
830 Sabalu Road
Fort Leavenworth, KS 66027

The receptionist at the military barracks confirmed that if someone sends Bradley Manning a letter to that address, it will be delivered to him."

http://www.bradleymanning.org/news/update-42811

This is also a Facebook event

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=207100509321891#!/event.php?eid=207100509321891

Courage to Resist needs your support
Please donate today:
https://co.clickandpledge.com/sp/d1/default.aspx?wid=38590

"Soldiers sworn oath is to defend and support the Constitution. Bradley Manning has been defending and supporting our Constitution."
-Dan Ellsberg, Pentagon Papers whistle-blower

Jeff Paterson
Project Director, Courage to Resist
First US military service member to refuse to fight in Iraq
Please donate today.

https://co.clickandpledge.com/sp/d1/default.aspx?wid=38590

P.S. I'm asking that you consider a contribution of $50 or more, or possibly becoming a sustainer at $15 a month. Of course, now is also a perfect time to make a end of year tax-deductible donation. Thanks again for your support!

Please click here to forward this to a friend who might
also be interested in supporting GI resisters.
http://ymlp.com/forward.php?id=lS3tR&e=bonnieweinstein@yahoo.com

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Drop the Charges Against Carlos Montes, Stop the FBI Attack on the Chicano and Immigrant Rights Movement, and Stop FBI Repression of Anti-War Activists NOW!Call Off the Expanding Grand Jury Witchhunt and FBI Repression of Anti-War Activists NOW!

Cancel the Subpoenas! Cancel the Grand Juries!
Condemn the FBI Raids and Harassment of Chicano, Immigrant Rights, Anti-War and International Solidarity Activists!

STOP THE FBI CAMPAIGN OF REPRESSION AGAINST CHICANO, IMMIGRANT RIGHTS, ANTI-WAR AND INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY ACTIVISTS NOW!
Initiated by the Committee to Stop FBI Repression stopfbi.net stopfbi@gmail.com

http://iacenter.org/stopfbi/

Contact the Committee to Stop FBI Repression
at stopfbi.net
stopfbi@gmail.com

Committee to Stop FBI Repression
NATIONAL CALL-IN DAY -- ANY DAY
to Fitzgerald, Holder and Obama

The Grand Jury is still on its witch hunt and the FBI is still
harassing activists. This must stop.
Please make these calls:
1. Call U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald at 312-353-5300 . Then dial 0
(zero) for operator and ask to leave a message with the Duty Clerk.
2. Call U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder 202-353-1555
3. Call President Obama at 202-456-1111

FFI: Visit www.StopFBI.net or email info@StopFBI.net or call
612-379-3585 .
Copyright (c) 2011 Committee to Stop FBI Repression, All rights
reserved.

Our mailing address is:
Committee to Stop FBI Repression
PO Box 14183
Minneapolis, MN 55415

Committee to Stop FBI Repression
P.O. Box 14183
Minneapolis, MN 55414

Please make a donation today at stopfbi.net (PayPal) on the right side of your screen. Also you can write to:
Committee to Stop FBI Repression
P.O. Box 14183
Minneapolis, MN 55414

This is a critical time for us to stand together, defend free speech, and defend those who help to organize for peace and justice, both at home and abroad!

Thank you for your generosity! Tom Burke

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The Battle Is Still On To
FREE MUMIA ABU-JAMAL!
The Labor Action Committee To Free Mumia Abu-Jamal
PO Box 16222 • Oakland CA 94610
www.laboractionmumia.org

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Call for EMERGENCY RESPONSE Action if Assange Indicted,

Dear Friends:

We write in haste, trying to reach as many of you as possible although the holiday break has begun.......This plan for an urgent "The Day After" demonstration is one we hope you and many, many more organizations will take up as your own, and mobilize for. World Can't Wait asks you to do all you can to spread it through list serves, Facebook, twitter, holiday gatherings.

Our proposal is very very simple, and you can use the following announcement to mobilize - or write your own....

ANY DAY NOW . . . IN THE EVENT THAT THE U.S. INDICTS JULIAN ASSANGE

An emergency public demonstration THE DAY AFTER any U.S. criminal indictment is announced against Wikileaks founder Julian Assange. Spread the word and call people to come out, across the whole range of movements and groups: anti-war, human rights, freedom of information/freedom of the press, peace, anti-torture, environmental, students and youth, radicals and revolutionaries, religious, civil liberties, teachers and educators, journalists, anti-imperialists, anti-censorship, anti-police state......

At the Federal Building in San Francisco, we'll form ourselves into a human chain "surrounding" the government that meets the Wikileaked truth with repression and wants to imprison and silence leakers, whistleblowers and truthtellers - when, in fact, these people are heroes. We'll say:

HANDS OFF WIKILEAKS! FREE JULIAN ASSANGE! FREE BRADLEY MANNING!

Join the HUMAN CHAIN AROUND THE FEDERAL BUILDING!
New Federal Building, 7th and Mission, San Francisco (nearest BART: Civic Center)
4:00-6:00 PM on The Day FOLLOWING U.S. indictment of Assange

Bring all your friends - signs and banners - bullhorns.

Those who dare at great risk to themselves to put the truth in the hands of the people - and others who might at this moment be thinking about doing more of this themselves -- need to see how much they are supported, and that despite harsh repression from the government and total spin by the mainstream media, the people do want the truth told.

Brad Manning's Christmas Eve statement was just released by his lawyer: "Pvt. Bradley Manning, the lone soldier who stands accused of stealing millions of pages secret US government documents and handing them over to secrets outlet WikiLeaks, wants his supporters to know that they've meant a lot to him. 'I greatly appreciate everyone's support and well wishes during this time,' he said in a Christmas Eve statement released by his lawyer...." Read more here:
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2010/12/mannings-message-christmas-eve-i-gr/

Demonstrations defending Wikileaks and Assange, and Brad Manning, have already been flowering around the world. Make it happen here too.
Especially here . . .

To join into this action plan, or with questions, contact World Can't Wait or whichever organization or listserve you received this message from.

World Can't Wait, SF Bay
415-864-5153
sf@worldcantwait.org

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DEFEND LYNNE STEWART!
http://lynnestewart.org/

Write to Lynne Stewart at:

Lynne Stewart #53504 - 054
Unit 2N
Federal Medical Center, Carswell
P.O. Box 27137
Fort Worth, TEXAS 76127

Visiting Lynne:

Visiting is very liberal but first she has to get people on her visiting list; wait til she or the lawyers let you know. The visits are FRI, SAT, SUN AND MON for 4 hours and on weekends 8 to 3. Bring clear plastic change purse with lots of change to buy from the machines. Brief Kiss upon arrival and departure, no touching or holding during visit (!!) On visiting forms it may be required that you knew me before I came to prison. Not a problem for most of you.

Commissary Money:

Commissary Money is always welcome It is how Lynne pay for the phone and for email. Also for a lot that prison doesn't supply in terms of food and "sundries" (pens!) (A very big list that includes Raisins, Salad Dressing, ankle sox, mozzarella (definitely not from Antonys--more like a white cheddar, Sanitas Corn Chips but no Salsa, etc. To add money, you do this by using Western Union and a credit card by phone or you can send a USPO money order or Business or Govt Check. The negotiable instruments (PAPER!) need to be sent to Federal Bureau of Prisons, 53504-054, Lynne Stewart, PO Box 474701, Des Moines Iowa 50947-001 (Payable to Lynne Stewart, 53504-054) They hold the mo or checks for 15 days. Western Union costs $10 but is within 2 hours. If you mail, your return address must be on the envelope. Unnecessarily complicated? Of course, it's the BOP !)

The address of her Defense Committee is:

Lynne Stewart Defense Committee
1070 Dean Street
Brooklyn, New York 11216
For further information:
718-789-0558 or 917-853-9759

Please make a generous contribution to her defense.

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KEVIN COOPER IS INNOCENT! FREE KEVIN COOPER!

Reasonable doubts about executing Kevin Cooper
Chronicle Editorial
Monday, December 13, 2010
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/12/13/EDG81GP0I7.DTL

Death penalty -- Kevin Cooper is Innocent! Help save his life from San Quentin's death row!

http://www.savekevincooper.org/
http://www.savekevincooper.org/pages/essays_content.html?ID=255

URGENT ACTION APPEAL
- From Amnesty International USA
17 December 2010
Click here to take action online:
http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/siteapps/advocacy/index.aspx?c=jhKPIXPCIoE&b=2590179&template=x.ascx&action=15084

To learn about recent Urgent Action successes and updates, go to
http://www.amnestyusa.org/iar/success

For a print-friendly version of this Urgent Action (PDF):
http://www.amnestyusa.org/actioncenter/actions/uaa25910.pdf

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Short Video About Al-Awda's Work
The following link is to a short video which provides an overview of Al-Awda's work since the founding of our organization in 2000. This video was first shown on Saturday May 23, 2009 at the fundraising banquet of the 7th Annual Int'l Al-Awda Convention in Anaheim California. It was produced from footage collected over the past nine years.
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTiAkbB5uC0&eurl
Support Al-Awda, a Great Organization and Cause!

Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to Return Coalition, depends on your financial support to carry out its work.

To submit your tax-deductible donation to support our work, go to
http://www.al-awda.org/donate.html and follow the simple instructions.

Thank you for your generosity!

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D. ARTICLES IN FULL (Unless otherwise noted)

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1) G.E. Says Operating Profit in Quarter Rose 6%
[GE--famous for not only not paying any taxes--but for actually getting tax rebates right from out of the pockets of the 99 percent!...bw]
By STEVE LOHR
January 20, 2012
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/21/business/general-electric-says-quarterly-profit-rose-6.html?hp

2) Romanian Protesters Urge Government's Ouster
By NICHOLAS KULISH
January 19, 2012
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/20/world/europe/romanian-protesters-urge-governments-ouster.html?ref=world

3) Active-Duty Soldiers Take Their Own Lives at Record Rate
By ELISABETH BUMILLER
January 19, 2012
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/20/us/active-duty-army-suicides-reach-record-high.html?ref=us

4) Outlawing dissent: Rahm Emanuel's new regime
On the pretext of policing upcoming G8 and Nato summits, Chicago's mayor has awarded himself draconian new powers
By Bernard Harcourt
January 19, 2012
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2012/jan/19/outlawing-dissent-rahm-emanuel-new-regime

5) Defending The People's Mic
by Pham Binh of Occupy Wall Street
The North Star
January 20, 2012
http://www.thenorthstar.info/?p=53
Grand Central Terminal Arrests - MIRROR
Two protesters mic check about the loss of freedom brought about by the passage of the NDAA and both are promptly arrested and whisked out of public sight.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7Tj7tEVx8A&feature=player_embedded

6) Wisconsin Labor Council Tells Obama to Order Coast Guard to "Stand Down"; Jan. 23 Demonstrations Called to Defend Washington Dock Workers
From: nationalcoordinator@uslaboragainstwar.org
Reply-to: occupy-labor-nationally@googlegroups.com

7) Japanese Struggle to Protect Their Food Supply
By MARTIN FACKLER
January 21, 2012
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/22/world/asia/wary-japanese-take-food-safety-into-their-own-hands.html?ref=world

8) U.S. General Urges Closer Ties With Israel
By ISABEL KERSHNER
January 20, 2012
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/21/world

9) Blacks Face Bias in Bankruptcy, Study Suggests
By TARA SIEGEL BERNARD
January 20, 2012
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/21/business/blacks-face-bias-in-bankruptcy-study-suggests.html?ref=business

10) Bad Year for Wall St. Not Reflected in Chiefs' Pay
"The chief executive of Citigroup, Vikram S. Pandit, was awarded deferred stock in the bank valued at $3.7 million based on the company's current price, according to a regulatory filing. This is on top of his annual base salary of $1.75 million, and brings his disclosed pay so far for 2011 to $5.45 million. Citigroup is expected to disclose the rest of his pay, cash, be it upfront or deferred, in March. In addition, while not necessarily for work performed in 2011, Mr. Pandit last year was awarded a $16.7 million retention bonus, plus stock options that could add $6.5 million to the package's overall value."
By SUSANNE CRAIG
January 20, 2012, 8:35 pmInvestment Banking
http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2012/01/20/bad-year-for-wall-st-not-reflected-in-chiefs-pay/?ref=business

11) "Curse of racism rampant in Israel'
Thu Jan 19, 2012 5:19PM GMT
The live video of this telecast can be found at:
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/221967.html

12) Mayor 1%'s new rules try to thwart protest, while groundswell of public dissent grows
From Andy Thayer and Chris Geovanis
http://chicago.indymedia.org/newswire/display/95686/index.php

13) Protests Shake Libya's Interim Government
By LIAM STACK
January 22, 2012
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/23/world/africa/protests-shake-libyas-interim-government.html?hp

14) As Price of Oil Soars, Users Shiver and Cross Their Fingers
By DIANE CARDWELL and CLIFFORD KRAUSS
January 21, 2012
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/22/business/heating-oil-costs-surge-and-many-in-northeast-cant-switch.html?ref=business

15) The United States of Islamophobia
Interview with Abdul Malik Mujahid from the Muslim Peace Coalition
January 19, 2012
http://socialistworker.org/2012/01/19/united-states-of-islamophobia

16) More Lockouts as Companies Battle Unions
"American Crystal has hired more than 900 replacement workers to keep its plants running. Federal law allows employers to hire such workers during a lockout, although they cannot permanently replace regular employees. Employers can pay the replacements lower wages, although as is the case with American Crystal, the companies sometimes need to offer higher wages and help pay for housing to attract replacements."
By STEVEN GREENHOUSE
January 22, 2012
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/23/business/lockouts-once-rare-put-workers-on-the-defensive.html?hp

17) In Britain, Rising Outcry Over Executive Pay That Makes 'People's Blood Boil'
"Total average pay of chief executives rose 33 percent in 2010 while average company market values grew by 24 percent, a report by the Institute for Public Policy Research showed. A separate study by the London School of Economics discovered that a 10 percent increase in a firm's market value was generally followed by an increase of 3 percent in the chief executive's pay but only a 0.2 percent increase in average workers' pay. Public anger grew after newspapers reported plans for million-pound pay packages for senior executives at Barclays even though the bank's share price slumped more than 30 percent last year. The Royal Bank of Scotland is to award its head of investment banking another large sum even though the bank announced thousands of job cuts. ...Executive pay at Britain's top 100 publicly listed companies for 2010 rose on average by 49 percent compared with 2.7 percent for the average employee, according to a report by the High Pay Commission, a pressure group. At the oil giant BP, for example, the former chief executive Tony Hayward earned 63 times the amount of the average employee in 2010, the year he left the firm. In 1979, the multiple was 16.5, according to the commission."
By JULIA WERDIGIER
January 22, 2012
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/23/business/in-britain-a-rising-outcry-over-lavish-executive-pay.html?ref=world

18) Line of Scrimmage Forms Over Union Bill
"At times in recent days, the chants of protesters - who say the legislation, known as a 'right to work' bill, will result in lower wages and weakened unions - have echoed through the rotunda: 'Occupy the Super Bowl!' Some say they want to hold marches, slow down beer deliveries or hand out leaflets in the Super Bowl crowd, while others have hinted at more drastic measures. Still uncertain is what form a protest might take, union leaders say. Jeff Harris, a spokesman for the Indiana A.F.L.-C.I.O., said that he knew of no particular plans for protests at the game on Feb. 5 or in the 10 days of formal celebration leading up to it, but that 'a lot of moving parts' remained."
By MONICA DAVEY
January 22, 2012
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/23/us/before-super-bowl-right-to-work-fight-heats-up-in-indiana.html?ref=us

17) U.S. Faulted Over Pay at Rescued Firms
"Though Kenneth Feinberg, the special master, had been appointed to oversee the pay, a report released early Tuesday said that he had been pressured by both the companies and the Treasury to get around the caps. Forty-nine people received packages worth $5 million or more from 2009 to 2011, according to the report. ... A.I.G., G.M. and Ally still collectively owe the taxpayers about $87 billion."
By MARY WILLIAMS WALSH
January 24, 2012
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/24/business/audit-of-tarp-faults-us-over-executive-pay.html?ref=us

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1) G.E. Says Operating Profit in Quarter Rose 6%
[GE--famous for not only not paying any taxes--but for actually getting tax rebates right from out of the pockets of the 99 percent!...bw]
By STEVE LOHR
January 20, 2012
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/21/business/general-electric-says-quarterly-profit-rose-6.html?hp

General Electric, the nation's largest industrial company, reported a higher fourth-quarter profit on Friday and a slight decline in revenue.

The financial performance is in line with Wall Street's expectations and reflected the company's strategy of paring back its reliance on its big finance arm and relying more on its diverse portfolio of industrial businesses.

The quarterly profit was helped by strong orders for jet engines and a favorable tax rate. G.E. executives expressed confidence that despite "volatile" economic conditions, especially in Europe, the company would remain on track for double-digit earnings growth in 2012 and an increase in the dividend payout to shareholders.

G.E. reported that its operating earnings rose 6 percent to $4.1 billion, which excludes the previous year's contribution from NBC Universal, which G.E. had owned and sold a majority stake to Comcast. Net earnings attributable to the company fell 18 percent, to $3.7 billion, largely because the year-ago quarter included the proceeds of the sale of BAC Credomatic GECF, a lending company in Central America, said Keith S. Sherin, G.E.'s chief financial officer.

Its operating earnings per share rose 11 percent, to 39 cents a share. The result partly reflects fewer shares outstanding than the year-earlier quarter, because the company bought back shares, and was just above analysts' average estimate of 38 cents a share, as compiled by Thomson Reuters.

Revenue for the quarter declined 8 percent, to $38 billion. That was below Wall Street's forecast of $40 billion. Excluding revenue in the 2010 fourth quarter from NBC, revenue from continuing operations rose 4 percent.

In a statement, Jeffrey R. Immelt, General Electric's chief executive, said the quarterly performance underlined the company's "strength and resilience," continuing a steady recovery from the financial crisis. In Europe, Mr. Immelt said, the company would be restructuring its operations given the weakness in that market.

But Mr. Immelt said G.E. remained confident that its financial improvement would improve in 2012 enough to "provide dividend growth to our shareholders in line with earnings."

Revenue in General Electric's industrial businesses - ranging from jet engines and power generators to medical-imaging equipment and wind mills - rose 10 percent to $26.8 billion. The result was helped by strong sales of jet engines and gas turbines in the Middle East.

The company's revenue was held back by a 9 percent decline, to $11.6 billion, in its finance unit, GE Capital. That contraction was by design. Before the financial crisis hit in 2008, GE Capital had grown well beyond its traditional business of financing sales of the company's industrial equipment into home mortgages in Britain and consumer finance in Japan.

But battered by the credit crunch, General Electic was forced to cut its dividend for the first time since the Great Depression, and began the lengthy process of shedding bad loans and trimming the finance business.

A smaller GE Credit produces less revenue for the company, but the recovery of the unit has been the main source of profit gains in the last few years.

"GE Capital is continuing to improve and to drive earnings growth for the company," said Steven Winoker, an analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein.

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2) Romanian Protesters Urge Government's Ouster
By NICHOLAS KULISH
January 19, 2012
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/20/world/europe/romanian-protesters-urge-governments-ouster.html?ref=world

BUCHAREST, Romania - Thousands of protesters gathered in Romania's capital on Thursday to demand the ouster of the government and new elections, as a week of demonstrations against far-reaching austerity measures and years of difficult reforms seemed to gain strength.

Economic frustrations have spilled into the streets here, as they have in Spain and Greece. Protesters in University Square downtown shouted chants calling for the resignation of President Traian Basescu and his ally, Prime Minister Emil Boc.

Around 11 p.m. several demonstrators began dragging metal barricades into the street, and some hurled bottles and other objects at the police. Hundreds of riot police officers in black ski masks moved in, clearing the square and nearby streets. Fifty-five people were arrested, and five were treated for injuries, according to Realitatea TV.

The demonstrations were reminiscent of Sunday's protests, which turned violent, with demonstrators smashing store windows, setting newsstands on fire and throwing stones at police officers, who dispersed the crowds with tear gas and arrested dozens of people.

The wave of protests, which have spread across the country, broke out after a popular health official resigned last week over government proposals to overhaul the health-care system. The official was reinstated this week, and a controversial proposal to partly privatize the medical emergency-response system has been shelved for now, but the protests have continued.

"I want the president to resign, the prime minister to resign and the entire government to be replaced with experts who are not involved in politics," said Mihaela Leonte, 31, a hairstylist who joined the raucous crowd in the square in Bucharest on Thursday night. The dispute over the health overhaul "was the final straw," said Ms. Leonte, who held a picture of President Basescu with the nose of a pig superimposed on his face. "But it is more than that. People are determined."

Protesters focused much of their anger on Mr. Basescu, a former ship captain whose leadership style has been widely criticized as increasingly authoritarian. They cited cuts to government salaries, frozen pensions and an increase in the value-added tax, as well as what they said was deep-seated corruption and a broader sense that the government served only its own interests and those of its richest constituents.

Many of the same broad themes have been voiced by demonstrators in countries as diverse as Israel and India, from the "indignados," or outraged, in Spain to the Occupy Wall Street protests that started in New York and spread around the world.

In Romania, news media reported that the unrest had spread over the past week to about 60 cities nationwide. About 7,000 people turned up at a rally in Bucharest on Thursday organized by the opposition National Liberal Party, according to the Ministry of the Interior, and the crowd in the downtown square later was said to number about 1,500.

Romania had to turn to the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the European Union in 2009 for 20 billion euros in emergency loans (about $27 billion at the exchange rates then). In response the government took tough steps to rein in the budget deficit, which was 7.3 percent of gross domestic product that year. Without the spending cuts and tax increases, that could have risen to 13.7 percent in 2010, according to Andreea Paul, an economic adviser to Mr. Boc. Instead the deficit was cut to 6.9 percent in 2010 and an estimated 4.2 percent in 2011, and the economy began to grow again.

"It was not easy at all, politically speaking, but these are times when political leaders separate themselves from demagogic politicians," said Ms. Paul, who placed blame for the protests on opposition parties trying to drum up discontent in an election year.

Laura Stefan, a senior analyst at the Expert Forum, a research institute in Bucharest, disputed the government's characterization of the demonstrations as driven by the opposition parties. "Economically, those were sound decisions taken by the government, but that doesn't mean people were happy with them," Ms. Stefan said. "It's not at all an attempt to change the government for the opposition, but people saying that all parties are just as dirty."

Octavian Caldararu, 75, a retired construction worker, said he was not a member of any party but took part in the opposition rally at Bucharest's triumphal arch, modeled after the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, to show his displeasure with the direction the country had taken in recent years. "I took part in the revolution in 1989" against the dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, Mr. Caldararu said, "and the ideals of the revolution have not only been forgotten, they have been broken."

Mr. Ceausescu and his wife were executed on Dec. 25, 1989. Since then, Romania has made significant strides, joining the European Union and NATO. But the recession in the wake of the global financial crisis struck the country of 22 million particularly hard. And even as the economy has recovered here, some Romanians who used to work in other European Union countries whose economies have slowed, particularly Spain and Italy, have been forced to come home, making the search for jobs even harder for the long-term unemployed.

Alexandru Dragan, 46, an electro-technician, said he had been unemployed since 2009 despite having a lengthy résumé and work experience in Germany.

"Regular Romanian citizens who are not a part of any political party should be asked about new laws," Mr. Dragan said. "If we look at the people, we can find smarter individuals than the ones in the current government."

Mihai Radu contributed reporting.

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3) Active-Duty Soldiers Take Their Own Lives at Record Rate
By ELISABETH BUMILLER
January 19, 2012
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/20/us/active-duty-army-suicides-reach-record-high.html?ref=us

WASHINGTON - Suicides among active-duty soldiers hit another record high in 2011, Army officials said on Thursday, although there was a slight decrease if nonmobilized Reserve and National Guard troops were included in the calculation.

The Army also reported a sharp increase, nearly 30 percent, in violent sex crimes last year by active-duty troops. More than half of the victims were active-duty female soldiers ages 18 to 21.

"This is unacceptable," Gen. Peter W. Chiarelli, the departing vice chief of staff of the Army, said at a news conference, referring to the jump in violent sex offenses. "We have zero tolerance for this." General Chiarelli said factors driving the increase in sex crimes were alcohol use and new barracks that offered more privacy. He said it was also possible that reporting of the offenses had increased.

General Chiarelli said that 164 active-duty Army, National Guard, and Reserve troops took their own lives in 2011, compared with 159 in 2010 and 162 in 2009. The increase occurred even as the Army expanded suicide prevention efforts and drug and alcohol counseling, in large part in response to a steady rise in Army suicides that began in 2004.

Asked if he was frustrated by the jump last year in suicide by active-duty soldiers, General Chiarelli said no.

"The question you have to ask yourself, and this is the number that no one can prove, what would it have been if we had not focused the efforts that we focused on it?" he said. He said that "for all practical purposes, for the last two to three years, it has leveled off."

General Chiarelli held the news conference to release a new report, "Generating Health and Discipline in the Force," a review of the overall health of the Army after a decade of war in Iraq and Afghanistan, the longest period of conflict in the nation's history. The report, printed well before Thursday, did not include the final number of 164 suicides among active-duty soldiers for 2011. General Chiarelli disclosed that statistic at the news conference, as well as the number of suicides among active-duty troops from 2008 to 2010.

General Chiarelli said that if nonmobilized National Guard and Reserve units were included, Army suicides dropped to 278 in 2011, from 305 in 2010.

Active-duty Army suicide rates have been higher than civilian rates since 2008, when there were nearly 20 suicides per 100,000 in the Army, compared with close to 18 suicides per 100,000 in a civilian population that was adjusted to be comparable to Army demographics. The Army projects that final 2011 numbers will be more than 24 suicides among active-duty soldiers per 100,000, another record high.

The rise in Army suicides has long been attributed to the stress of repeated deployments during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. But Army officials say there are many other factors at work, including alcohol abuse and a lowering of recruiting standards several years ago that allowed a higher-risk population into the military. In 2010, General Chiarelli said that about 60 percent of Army suicides occurred during a soldier's first enlistment, typically four years, and that the most dangerous year was the first - suggesting that repeated deployments to war zones were not necessarily a major factor in suicide.

Since then, Army officials said there had been a decrease in the number of soldiers who committed suicide after one deployment and an increase in those who killed themselves after two or more deployments.

Last year, for example, about 40 percent of suicides occurred after one deployment and another 40 percent were committed after two or more deployments. Army officials could not explain the change, although they said they were asking themselves three questions in trying to analyze the data: Was their attention to suicide risk among young soldiers paying off? Did repeated deployments in fact place soldiers at higher risk of suicide? Did a dismal civilian job market discourage soldiers, already stressed by repeat deployments, from leaving the force?

General Chiarelli sought to paint the report in a positive light by saying that the Army leadership was paying serious attention to troubles within the force.

"The fact I'm in front of you here today laying this out for you shows you that we see these problems, we see where we've had successes, and we're attacking those areas where we've got problems," he said. "But I also think it shows the fact that after 10 years of war, with an all-volunteer force, you're going to have problems that no one could have forecasted before this began."

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4) Outlawing dissent: Rahm Emanuel's new regime
On the pretext of policing upcoming G8 and Nato summits, Chicago's mayor has awarded himself draconian new powers
By Bernard Harcourt
January 19, 2012
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2012/jan/19/outlawing-dissent-rahm-emanuel-new-regime

It's almost as if Rahm Emanuel was lifting a page from Naomi Klein's Shock Doctrine - as if he was reading her account of Milton Friedman's "Chicago Boys" as a cookbook recipe, rather than as the ominous episode that it was. In record time, Emanuel successfully exploited the fact that Chicago will host the upcoming G8 and Nato summit meetings to increase his police powers and extend police surveillance, to outsource city services and privatize financial gains, and to make permanent new limitations on political dissent. It all happened - very rapidly and without time for dissent - with the passage of rushed security and anti-protest measures adopted by the city council on 18 January 2012.

Sadly, we are all too familiar with the recipe by now: first, hype up and blow out of proportion a crisis (and if there isn't a real crisis, as in Chicago, then create one), call in the heavy artillery and rapidly seize the opportunity to expand executive power, to redistribute wealth for private gain and to suppress political dissent. As Friedman wrote in Capitalism and Freedom in 1982 - and as Klein so eloquently describes in her book:

"Only a crisis - actual or perceived - produces real change. When the crisis occurs, the actions that are taken depend on the ideas that are lying around. That, I believe, is our basic function ... until the politically impossible becomes politically inevitable."

Today, it's more than mere ideas that are lying around; for several decades now, and especially since 9/11, there are blueprints scattered all around us.

Step 1: hype a crisis or create one if there isn't a real one available. Easily done:with images from London, Toronto, Genoa, and Seattle of the most violent anti-G8 protesters streaming on Fox News and repeated references to anarchists and rioters, the pump is primed. Rather than discuss the peaceful Occupy Chicago protests over the past three months, city officials and the media focus on what Fraternal Order of Police President Michael Shields calls "people who travel around the world as professional anarchists and rioters" and a "bunch of wild, anti-globalist anarchists". The looming crisis headlines Rahm Emanuel's draft legislation, now passed: "Whereas, Both the North Atlantic Treaty Organization ("Nato") and the Group of Eight ("G8") summits will be held in the spring of 2012 in the City of Chicago" and "whereas, the Nato and G8 Summits continue to evolve in terms of the size and scope, thereby creating unanticipated or extraordinary support and security needs ..." The crisis calls for immediate action.

Step 2: rapidly deploy excessive force. Again, easily done: Emanuel just gave himself the power to marshal and deputize - I kid you not, look at page 3 - the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the United States Department of Justice's Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF), and the entire United States Department of Justice (DOJ); as well as state police (the Illinois department of state police and the Illinois attorney general), county law enforcement (State's Attorney of Cook County), and any "other law enforcement agencies determined by the superintendent of police to be necessary for the fulfillment of law enforcement functions".

As one commentator suggests, the final catch-all allows Emanuel to hire "anyone he wants, be they rent-a-cops, Blackwater goons on domestic duty, or whatever. For a city that has great problems keeping its directly sworn officers in check, this looser authority is an even greater license for abuse." Thanks to the coming G8 meeting, the Chicago police department has just gotten a lot bigger! According to Fox News, "there will be hundreds, perhaps thousands of federal agents here."

Not just that, but Emanuel has also given himself the power to install additional surveillance, including video, audio and telecommunications equipment. And not just for the period of the G8 and Nato summits, but permanently. These new provisions of the substitute ordinance apply "permanently": there is no sunset provision on either the police expansion or the surveillance. On this second, the new ordinance reads:

"The superintendent is also authorized to enter into agreements with public or private entities concerning placement, installation, maintenance or use of video, audio, telecommunications or other similar equipment. The location of any camera or antenna permanently installed pursuant to any such agreement shall be determined pursuant to joint review and approval with the executive director of emergency management and communications." [my emphasis]

Thanks to the mobilization of the Occupy movement (including their funeral for the Bill of Rights) and other groups like the ACLU, some of Emanuel's other draconian provisions were scaled back. Emanuel dropped his proposals to increase seven-fold the minimum fine for resisting arrest (including for passive resistance) from $25 to $200, to double the maximum fine for resisting arrest from $500 to $1,000, and to double the maximum fine for violations of the parade ordinance from $1,000 to $2,000. But the rest of his proposals - including the three-fold increase in the minimum fine for a violation of the parade ordinance - passed the City Council Thursday.

Step 3: privatize the profits and socialize the costs. In Chicago, that translates into Emanuel outsourcing city services to private enterprises, but making sure the public will indemnify those private companies from future law suits. This is a two-part dance with which we have become all too familiar.

First, city services are outsourced, often to circumvent labor and other regulations, and the income side of the public expenditures are shifted over to private enterprise and employees. Under the ordinance (see page 4):

"The mayor or his designees are authorized to negotiate and execute agreements with public and private entities for good, work or services regarding planning, security, logistics, and other aspects of hosting the Nato and G8 summits in the city in the Spring of 2012 ... and to provide such assurances, execute such other documents and take such other actions, on behalf of the city, as may be necessary or desirable to host these summits."

Second, the agreements can be entered "on such terms and conditions as the mayor or such designees deem appropriate" and these terms include, importantly, "indemnification by the city". In other words, any lawsuits will fall on the city taxpayers. The public will be left holding the bag if there is, for instance, police abuse or other mismanagement by private employers.

Step 4: use the crisis to expand executive power permanently and repress political dissent. Most of the ordinance revisions, it turns out, do not sunset with the departure of the G8 or Nato delegates. To be sure, there's a sunset provision for those contracts that specifically involve "hosting the Nato and G8 summits." That provision expires on 31 July 2012; but not the expanded police powers, nor the increased video surveillance, nor the other changes to the protest permit requirements.

The new rules affecting permits for protests and marches include details that impose onerous demands on dissent. As noted earlier, the minimum fine for a violation of the parade ordinance will increase from $50 to $200. On the parade permit applications, the protest organizers now must provide a general description of any sound amplification equipment that is on wheels or too large for one person to carry and/or any signs or banners that are too large for one person to carry. These may sound like small details, but they are precisely the kinds of nitpicking regulations that empower and expand police discretion to arrest and fine, and that make it harder to express political opinions.

It's another glaring example of what I have called The Illusion of Free Markets and the paradox of "neoliberal penality": the purported liberalization of the economy (here, the privatization of city services) goes hand-in-hand with massive policing. Scott Horton captured the idea well in Harper's, under the rubric "The Despotism of Natural Law". Notice the neoliberal paradox: the fact that the city claims to be incompetent or unable to performs its ordinary functions implies that we need to both outsource city services and augment city police powers.

It was accomplished so quickly and seamlessly - passed practically overnight - that few seem to have noticed or had time to think through the long-term implications. There's not a mention in the New York Times and only a small story in the Chicago Tribune. The crisis and fear of outside agitators, professional anarchists and rioters - splashed on the TV screens direct from London, Toronto, Genoa, Rome, or Seattle - is enough to create a permanent state of exception.

To make matters worse, this cookbook implementation of mini shock treatment follows on the heels of a severe crackdown on the Occupy Chicago movement that resulted in the arrest of over 300 Occupy protesters in Grant Park in October 2011. The prosecutions are still ongoing today and the effect on political dissent has been chilling.

In those 300 arrests, Rahm Emanuel and his police chief rigidly enforced a park curfew without finding reasonable ways to accommodate the political speech interests of the protesters, and beyond any semblance of a legitimate governmental interest. The massive arrests raise a clear first amendment problem - one that has been raised by the Occupy protesters and will be heard en masse at the Daley Center on 15 February. (Ironically, Emanuel and his police will effectively "Occupy the Daley Center".)

The first amendment argument is compelling, especially when you consider the disparate treatment that political expression receives in Chicago. Recall, for instance, how different things were in Grant Park on election night 2008. Huge tents were pitched, commercial sound systems pounded rhythms and political discourse, enormous TVs streamed political imagery. More than 150,000 people blocked the streets and "occupied" Grant Park - congregating, celebrating, debating and discussing politics. That evening, President-elect Barack Obama would address the crowds late into the night and the assembled masses swarmed the park to the early morning hours. It was a memorable moment, perhaps a high point in political expression in Chicago.

Well, that was then. The low point would come three years later, almost to the day. On the evening of 15 October 2011, thousands of Occupy protesters marched to Grant Park and assembled at the entrance to the park to engage, once again, in political expression. But this time, the assembled group found itself surrounded by an intimidating police force, as police wagons began lining up around the political assembly. The police presence grew continually as the clock approached midnight.

Within hours, at the direction, ironically, of President Obama's former chief-of-staff (was Rahm Emanuel at Grant Park after hours, a few years earlier?), the Chicago Police Department began to arrest the protesters for staying in Grant Park beyond the 11pm curfew in violation of a mere park ordinance.

Emanuel could have ordered his police officers to issue written citations and move the protesters to the sidewalk. In fact, that's precisely what the police would do a few weeks later at a more obstreperous protest by senior citizens at Occupy Chicago. On that occasion, 43 senior citizens who stopped traffic by standing or sitting in the middle of a downtown street were escorted by police officers off the street without being handcuffed, and were merely issued citations to appear in the department of administrative hearings. (Those arrests, however, took place under the watchful eye of Democratic Senator Dick Durbin and Democratic Representatives Danny Davis, Jan Schakowsky and Mike Quigley.)

But not on 15 October or the following Saturday night. Instead of issuing citations, the Chicago police arrested over 300 protesters, placed them in handcuffs, treating the municipal park infractions as quasi-criminal charges, booked them, fingerprinted them and detained them overnight in police holding cells, some for as many as 17 hours. They are now aggressively prosecuting these cases in criminal court.

That's precisely the type of practice that chills political expression. The inconsistent treatment of political dissent in Grant Park or at the Chicago board of trade reflects the colossal amount of discretion that mayors and police chiefs have over political discourse today. Police discretion is wide, political expression is fragile.

Rahm Emanuel's message on the G8 and Nato meetings has been loud and clear - and chilling: the DEA, FBI, ATF, DOJ, state police and many other law enforcement agencies will be out in force; it will be harder to comply with the protest laws; and any deviations or errors will be costlier and punished. What's really troubling is that the G8 and Nato will come and go, but these reforms are with us in Chicago to stay. Chicago's mayor seems to be following in the footsteps of other municipal officials (recall Rudy Giuliani's idea of staying on as mayor for an extra three months), who, with a touch of Potus-envy and perhaps a small Napoleonic complex, begin to act like minor tyrants.

It'll be interesting to follow the first amendment litigation brought by the Occupy protesters. Their cases have been joined - there are about 100 of them in the challenge now - and their free speech claims will be heard by the chief judge at the Daley Center on 15 February 2012.

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5) Defending The People's Mic
by Pham Binh of Occupy Wall Street
The North Star
January 20, 2012
http://www.thenorthstar.info/?p=53
Grand Central Terminal Arrests - MIRROR
Two protesters mic check about the loss of freedom brought about by the passage of the NDAA and both are promptly arrested and whisked out of public sight.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7Tj7tEVx8A&feature=player_embedded

The People's Mic.

Created by occupiers in Liberty Park after the New York Police Department (NYPD) prevented us from using bullhorns, used on Republican Governor Scott Walker and Democratic President Barack Obama, it's one of the most effective means we've devised to give voice to the 99%.

We don't own media empires or have expensive sound systems, but we will be heard!

However, the powerful people's mic is not invincible, especially at smaller rallies, protests, flashmobs, and speakouts.

On January 3, the New York City Metropolitan Transit Authority's police force (yes, they have one of their own) arrested two people leading the people's mic.

Lauren DiGioia (seen above), the hard-working member of the sanitation group and one of the women sexually assaulted at the Liberty encampment, was mobbed by cops, dragged away, and issued a summons as she spoke out against the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that allows the government to detain accused terrorists indefinitely without trial. Obama signed NDAA into law, giving Bush's attacks on civil liberties after 9/11 the "change we can believe in" seal of approval.

This type of action by the cops is going to become common as we continue to make our voices heard. They are adapting their tactics in response to us adapting our tactics. It's a continual battle between us and them and now it's our move.

Here's what we can do to defend the people's mic:

1. Make sure everyone who is participating has a copy of the message. If one of us gets picked off, we can continue without disruption.

2. Rotate who speaks first on the mic. Occupy is supposed to be leaderless anyway, why not make the people's mic the same way?

3. Whoever they go after should duck and run while the rest of us bunch up to physically shield them from the long arms of the law.

All of this requires a little more preparation than the average flashmob, but it's worth it if we can stop our people from being snatched, detained, and summoned for the "crime" of exercising their First Amendment rights.

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6) Wisconsin Labor Council Tells Obama to Order Coast Guard to "Stand Down"; Jan. 23 Demonstrations Called to Defend Washington Dock Workers
From: nationalcoordinator@uslaboragainstwar.org
Reply-to: occupy-labor-nationally@googlegroups.com

Wisconsin Labor Council Tells Obama to Order Coast Guard to "Stand Down"

January 19, 2012

President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20500

Dear President Obama:

With over 200 present at our monthly meeting on Monday, January 16, delegates to the South Central Federation of Labor heard a very disturbing report about the planned use of U.S. military to intervene on the side of management in a crucial labor dispute in Washington State, and voted unanimously to condemn such intervention.

The International Longshoremen Workers Union is engaged in a crucial struggle at the Port of Longview, Washington, where a multinational company, EGT, is attempting to operate as the West Coast's only non-ILWU facility, despite promising otherwise when it received millions of dollars in taxpayer subsidies to build its grain exporting terminal. Now, as the first ship makes its way to the port to fill up with grain bound for Asia, it is reported that Coast Guard ships and helicopters will be used to escort this ship. Use of our tax dollars and our military to assist such union busting is horrifying.

Mr. President, as Commander in Chief, we call upon you to order the Coast Guard to stand down, to not interfere on the side of management in this labor dispute.

Sincerely,

James A. Cavanaugh
President

c: Rich Trumka, Sen. Kohl, Sen. Johnson, Rep. Baldwin, ILWU

Jim Cavanaugh, President
South Central Federation of Labor
1602 S Park St #228
Madison WI 53715 * (608) 256-5111
http://www.SCFL.org

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http://www.facebook.com/pages/South-Central-Federation-of-Labor/335944538615

[]
TAKE ACTION to STOP Coast Guard union busting in Longview


PRESS RELEASE PRESS RELEASE PRESS RELEASE PRESS RELEASE
Jan. 23 Demonstration Called to Defend Washington Dock Workers
Protest Use of U.S. Coast Guard for Union-Busting


PRESS CONFERENCE
WHEN: Monday, January 23, 2012 [1:30 p.m.]
WHERE: 1111 Broadway, Oakland, CA Homeland Security Office

PROTEST DEMONSTRATION AND MARCH
WHEN: Monday, January 23, 2012 [2:30 p.m.]
WHERE: Federal Building 1301 Clay St., Oakland, CA
For further information, contact: Jack Heyman 510-501-7080 or Michael Eisenscher 510-693-7314

On Monday, January 23, Occupy Oakland and labor organizations have called a demonstration to protest the use of armed Coast Guard cutters and helicopters to escort a ship into the port of Longview, Washington to load grain from a terminal. It is being picketed by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU). EGT, a giant grain consortium which has built a new $200 million dollar terminal is violating the port's contract which provides for ILWU workers to perform waterfront labor.

In addition, with protests called by the Cowlitz County, Washington AFL-CIO, local and state police are expected to be out in force. There have been 220 arrests of union supporters in Longview and fines of over $300,000 for blocking trains and trespassing on EGT port property.

A Jan. 9 resolution by the San Francisco Labor Council condemned, "in the strongest terms," this "first known use of the US military to intervene in a labor dispute on the side of management in 40 years," since President Nixon called out the U.S. Army and National Guard in an attempt to break the 1971 postal strike. The Obama Administration's planned action is strongly reminiscent of Reagan's wholesale firing of PATCO workers, using 1248 military air traffic controllers to replace the union strikers.

The use of the military against longshore workers comes when the U.S. has chided governments around the world for unleashing the armed forces against their own citizens. In the SF Bay Area, ILWU Local 10, longshore union, and the SF Labor Council as well as Occupy Oakland are organizing a caravan to Longview to meet the ship upon arrival, possibly this month. Occupy movements in Portland and Seattle are also mobilizing supporters to go to Longview. The ILWU has a record of militant dock actions over contract issues and social protests including South African apartheid and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Anthony Leviege, a longshoreman and an organizer of the demonstration called the Longview union struggle "a watershed struggle for organized labor. No more PATCO's!".

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7) Japanese Struggle to Protect Their Food Supply
By MARTIN FACKLER
January 21, 2012
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/22/world/asia/wary-japanese-take-food-safety-into-their-own-hands.html?ref=world

ONAMI, Japan - In the fall, as this valley's rice paddies ripened into a carpet of gold, inspectors came to check for radioactive contamination.

Onami sits just 35 miles northwest of the wrecked Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, which spewed radioactive cesium over much of this rural region last March. However, the government inspectors declared Onami's rice safe for consumption after testing just two of its 154 rice farms.

Then, a few days later, a skeptical farmer in Onami, who wanted to be sure his rice was safe for a visiting grandson, had his crop tested, only to find it contained levels of cesium that exceeded the government's safety limit. In the weeks that followed, more than a dozen other farmers also found unsafe levels of cesium. An ensuing panic forced the Japanese government to intervene, with promises to test more than 25,000 rice farms in eastern Fukushima Prefecture, where the plant is located.

The uproar underscores how, almost a year after a huge earthquake and tsunami caused a triple meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi plant, Japan is still struggling to protect its food supply from radioactive contamination. The discovery of tainted rice in Onami and a similar case in July involving contaminated beef have left officials scrambling to plug the exposed gaps in the government's food-screening measures, many of which were hastily introduced after the accident.

The repeated failures have done more than raise concerns that some Japanese may have been exposed to unsafe levels of radiation in their food, as regrettable as that is. They have also had a corrosive effect on public confidence in the food-monitoring efforts, with a growing segment of the public and even many experts coming to believe that officials have understated or even covered up the true extent of the public health risk in order to limit both the economic damage and the size of potential compensation payments.

Critics say farm and health officials have been too quick to allow food to go to market without adequate testing, or have ignored calls from consumers to fully disclose test results. And they say the government can no longer pull the wool over the public's eyes, as they contend it has done routinely in the past.

"Since the accident, the government has tried to continue its business-as-usual approach of understating the severity of the accident and insisting that it knows best," said Mitsuhiro Fukao, an economics professor at Keio University in Tokyo who has written about the loss of trust in government. "But the people are learning from the blogs, Twitter and Facebook that the government's food-monitoring system is simply not credible."

One result has been a burst of civic activism, rare in a nation whose civil society that depends on its elite bureaucrats more than citizen groups to safeguard the national interests, including public health. No longer confident that government is looking out for their interests, newly formed groups of consumers and even farmers are beginning their own radiation-monitoring efforts.

More than a dozen radiation-testing stations, mostly operated by volunteers, have appeared across Fukushima and as far south as Tokyo, 150 miles from the plant, aiming to offer radiation monitoring that is more stringent and transparent than that of the government.

"No one trusts the national government's safety standards," said Ichio Muto, 59, who farms organic mushrooms in Nihonmatsu, 25 miles northwest of the Fukushima Daiichi plant. "The only way to win back customers is to tell them everything, so they can decide for themselves what to buy."

Mr. Muto is one of 250 farmers in Nihonmatsu who started a makeshift radiation-testing center at a local truck stop. On a recent morning, he and a half-dozen other farmers gathered in the truck stop's tiny kitchen. There, they diced daikon, leeks and other produce before putting them separately into a $40,000 testing device that was donated by a nongovernmental group.

The farmers test samples of every crop they grow, and then they post the results on the Internet for all to see. Mr. Muto knows firsthand how painful such full disclosure can be: he destroyed his entire crop of 110,000 mushrooms after tests revealed high radiation levels.

But such efforts do not address one of the biggest questions asked by consumers: whether farming should be allowed at all in areas near the plant.

Farmers like Mr. Muto say they have no choice because they have seen little if any compensation and must make a living. So far, Fukushima Daiichi's operator, Tokyo Electric Power, has offered full compensation only to farmers in the zones that were evacuated, which were within 12 miles of the plant, and a larger area to the northwest, where winds carried much of the fallout.

That approach is in line with the government's basic stance since the accident: limiting as much as possible the size of the land area affected in this densely populated nation. Officials admit that many people question the wisdom of allowing farms so near the plant to operate, but they say that once they stop farming in an area because of radiation, it will take years to persuade the public to allow them to start again.

"Consumers might think the best choice is not to farm here, or just throw the food away, but producers see it differently," said Wataru Amano, chief of the rice section of the Fukushima prefectural government.

However, farmers here have a different view. Even before the discovery of tainted rice in November, they said, the government's current policy had left them no choice but to keep farming. Now, they said, they face economic ruin because no one will buy their rice.

"This happened because those up above did not want to pay compensation," said a 74-year-old rice farmer, who gave only her surname, Sato, for fear that further association with radiation could spell the end of her farm, which has been in the family for six generations. "We did what they told us to do, and now we are being wiped out."

Farming officials say they have too few radiation-detecting machines to test every product from every farm; there are only a few dozen machines in all of Fukushima Prefecture, a region about the size of Connecticut, with 110,000 farms. However, they acknowledge that random sampling has proved inadequate because the explosions at the plant spread radioactive particles unevenly across communities, creating small "hot spots" of high radioactivity.

Prefectural officials say that since the discovery of tainted rice, they have tested rice from 4,975 farms in Onami and 21 other communities mostly in the relatively contaminated areas to the northwest of the plant. They said the rice from about one-fifth of those farms contained cesium, though most of it at low levels. Only 30 farms exceeded Japan's current safety level for radiation in food.

However, almost 300 farms had rice that would exceed a new, tougher safety level that the Health Ministry is to adopt in April, bringing Japan in line with most developed countries. "We must regain public trust by putting together a new screening system as quickly as possible," Mr. Amano said.

Still, farming officials have so far resisted removing what many consumers say is the biggest hurdle to regaining their trust: the lack of transparency in the government's radiation testing. Many consumers complain that the results of radiation tests are kept intentionally vague so consumers cannot tell exactly where the readings come from.

Agricultural officials and many farmers fear that revealing more detailed results would scare away consumers, who might be spooked by even low levels of radiation. "We hear the calls for more disclosure, but revealing more detailed data would just hurt too many farmers," said Osamu Yoshioka, a food safety official at the Ministry of Agriculture.

That view was disputed by shoppers at Vegetable Cafe Harmonize, a small grocery store here that sells produce only from western Japan, far from the nuclear plant. One shopper was Junko Kohata, a 42-year-old real estate agent who said she avoided all Fukushima-grown produce because the government only reveals whether it is above or below the permissible level.

"I'd rather buy local, but I have no choice but to protect myself," Ms. Kohata said. The store was opened two months ago by the Network of Parents to Protect Children from Radiation, known here as Mamorukai, which was started by a few dozen concerned parents after the accident. In nine months, it has grown into a nationwide network with 200 chapters.

"If the government treated us like adults, there would be no need for Mamorukai," said Sachiko Sato, a network founder. "Japan must build an entirely new food-monitoring system that we average people can really trust."

Makiko Inoue contributed reporting.

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8) U.S. General Urges Closer Ties With Israel
By ISABEL KERSHNER
January 20, 2012
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/21/world/middleeast/joint-chiefs-chairman-martin-dempsey-visits-israel.html?ref=world

JERUSALEM - Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, called Friday for closer engagement between the United States and Israel during a short visit here at a time of tension over Iran's nuclear program.

The general's tight schedule of individual meetings with Israel's top military brass and political leaders on Thursday evening and Friday would have precluded lengthy, in-depth discussions, but Israeli analysts said that General Dempsey's presence here was enough to signal American solidarity with Israel while giving both sides an opportunity to air their differences on how to face the Iranian challenge.

The meetings were closed and their contents were not revealed. But General Dempsey, on his first visit to Israel as military chief, was quoted in brief remarks released by the office of Israel's defense minister as saying, "We have many interests in common in the region in this very dynamic time, and the more we can continue to engage each other, the better off we'll all be."

The defense minister, Ehud Barak, replied, "There is never a dull moment, that I can promise you."

Israel says that a nuclear-armed Iran could pose an existential threat to Israel and a danger to the world order, and argues that if the world does not halt Iran's nuclear drive by diplomacy and tough sanctions, military force should be used as a last resort.

Though Iran continues to insist that its nuclear program is only for civilian purposes, Israel, the United States and much of the West are convinced that Iran is working to develop a weapons program. But Israel and its allies have differing perceptions of urgency over the issue, and there is no agreement on when the time for diplomacy and sanctions may be considered to have run out. The United States, Israel's most important ally, has made it clear that it does not want Israel to carry out a pre-emptive, unilateral strike against Iran.

Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta has emphasized the necessity of working together, warning that a military strike could have severe economic consequences worldwide. General Dempsey told Reuters in November that Israel and the United States had different perspectives and expectations. Asked whether Israel would alert the United States ahead of time if it chose to go forward with military action, he said he did not know.

After the release in November of a United Nations report cataloging suspected military activities in Iran's nuclear program, a senior Israeli official said that a more aggressive sanctions regime would have to be imposed and start to prove itself within months.

Israeli officials have cautiously praised American-led efforts to toughen sanctions against Iran's central bank and oil trade, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said recently that Iran was beginning to "wobble." But Mr. Netanyahu has also expressed concern over possible delays in imposing the kind of sanctions that might make Iran change course.

On Monday, European Union foreign ministers are to convene to decide on the scope of sanctions but there has been talk of delaying an oil embargo by up to six months.

During a visit to the Netherlands this week, Mr. Netanyahu impressed upon his interlocutors that the time for beefing up sanctions is now, according to Mark Regev, a spokesman, who accompanied the prime minister on his trip.

General Dempsey began his visit here with an intimate dinner on Thursday evening at a restaurant in Jaffa with his counterpart, Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz, Israel's military chief of staff. The men were joined by their wives. Early Friday, General Dempsey was greeted at Israeli military headquarters in Tel Aviv with an honor guard and held meetings with General Gantz and other senior commanders.

The top generals "discussed military-to-military relations, the new U.S. defense strategy, budget and economic issues and regional security challenges," Col. Dave Lapan, the Special Assistant for Public Affairs in the Office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in a statement.

Other meetings were held with Mr. Netanyahu, Mr. Barak and Israel's president, Shimon Peres. General Dempsey also visited Yad Vashem, Israel's official Holocaust memorial, where he wrote in the visitors' book, "We are committed to ensuring that such a human tragedy never happens again." He departed Israel before the onset of the Sabbath at sundown on Friday.

Each of the meetings "reinforced the deep and special relationship shared by Israel and the U.S.," Colonel Lapan said, and "served to advance a common understanding of the regional security environment."

Amid Iranian threats to close the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial waterway for oil supplies, there have been indications of efforts to calm the increasingly charged atmosphere and discourse. Israel and the United States agreed last week to postpone a major joint military exercise planned for the spring, and Mr. Barak told Israel's Army Radio on Wednesday that any decision to attack Iran was "very far off." Colonel Lapan said the sides agreed to hold the joint drill later in the year "to achieve a better training outcome."

Mr. Peres told General Dempsey on Friday that "Even today in a very complicated situation we can find a common ground. We have profound trust in your democratic system and your armed forces." General Dempsey assured Mr. Peres that "America is your partner and we are honored to have you as a partner in that regard."

Alex Fishman, the veteran military affairs analyst of the newspaper Yediot Aharonot, wrote in Friday's issue that General Dempsey's visit was "demonstrative," adding, "It is intended to show the electorate in the United States that the Obama administration is the friendliest administration to Israel in the security realm."

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9) Blacks Face Bias in Bankruptcy, Study Suggests
By TARA SIEGEL BERNARD
January 20, 2012
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/21/business/blacks-face-bias-in-bankruptcy-study-suggests.html?ref=business

Blacks are about twice as likely as whites to wind up in the more onerous and costly form of consumer bankruptcy as they try to dig out from their debts, a new study has found.

The disparity persisted even when the researchers adjusted for income, homeownership, assets and education. The evidence suggested that lawyers were disproportionately steering blacks into a process that was not as good for them financially, in part because of biases, whether conscious or unconscious.

The vast majority of debtors file under Chapter 7 of the bankruptcy code, which typically allows them to erase most debts in a matter of months. It tends to have a higher success rate and is less expensive than the alternative, Chapter 13, which requires debtors to dedicate their disposable income to paying back their debts for several years.

The study of racial differences in bankruptcy filings was written by Robert M. Lawless, a bankruptcy expert and law professor, and Dov Cohen, a psychology professor, both with the University of Illinois; and Jean Braucher, a law professor at the University of Arizona.

A survey conducted as part of their research found that bankruptcy lawyers were much more likely to steer black debtors into a Chapter 13 than white filers even when they had identical financial situations. The lawyers, the survey found, were also more likely to view blacks as having "good values" when they expressed a preference for Chapter 13.

"Unfortunately I'm not surprised with these results," said Neil Ellington, executive vice president of Consumer Education Services, a credit counseling agency in Raleigh, N.C. "The same underlying issues that created the problem in mortgage lending, with minorities paying higher interest rates than their white counterparts having the same loan qualifications, are present in all financial fields."

The findings, which will be published in The Journal of Empirical Legal Studies later this year, did not suggest that there was any obvious evidence of discrimination in the bankruptcy process. "I don't think there is any overt conspiracy," Professor Lawless said. "But when you have a complex system, these biases can play out and the people within the system don't see the pattern because nobody is in charge of looking at these big issues."

Changes in the bankruptcy law in 2005 were intended to force more debtors to file under Chapter 13 and repay some of their debts, but that has not been the effect. In fact, the rate of Chapter 13 filings has remained relatively steady, at about 30 percent. Last year, overall bankruptcy filings were 1.4 million.

Chapter 13 is not always an inferior choice. Many distressed borrowers go that route because they may be able to save their homes from foreclosure. But even that does not explain away the difference: among blacks who did not own their homes, the rate of filing for Chapter 13 was still twice as high as the rate for other races. And the trend persists across the country, beyond regions like the South where Chapter 13 tends to be a more popular option among all debtors (perhaps, in part, because Chapter 13 originated in the South).

If a debtor chooses an inappropriate chapter, there can be serious implications. Chapter 13 plans, for instance, are more likely to fail than a Chapter 7. Nearly two of every three Chapter 13 plans are not completed, which means the filers' remaining debts are not discharged, leaving them right where they started. One bankruptcy judge, who sees filers once they can no longer make the required payments in the plans, said the debtors usually do not have enough income to stick with the budget.

"They thought they could cut back on this or that, and you might be able to do that for three or four months," said the judge, C. Ray Mullins, chief judge for the United States Bankruptcy Court in the Northern District of Georgia. "But in a Chapter 13, it will be either three or five years. There are certain things you can't anticipate - a spike in gas prices."

The study has two parts. One used data from actual bankruptcy cases from the Consumer Bankruptcy Project, the most detailed trove of information on filers currently available. The project surveyed 2,400 households nationwide who filed for bankruptcy in 2007.

Results from the second part of the study, which illustrated the lawyer's influence in determining which bankruptcy chapter to choose, came from a survey sent to lawyers asking them questions based on fictitious couples who were seeking bankruptcy protection. When the couple was named "Reggie and Latisha," who attended an African Methodist Episcopal Church - as opposed to a white couple, "Todd and Allison," who were members of a United Methodist Church - the lawyers were more likely to recommend a Chapter 13, even though the two couples' financial circumstances were identical.

Even though the attorneys' fees for the more labor-intensive Chapter 13 are more than double the charge for a Chapter 7, some truly distressed debtors will pursue a Chapter 13 anyway, several bankruptcy experts said. That is because they can pay the fee over time, unlike in a Chapter 7, which typically requires a payment before the case is filed. If blacks are perceived as less likely to have the resources - or a family with resources - to come up with a lump sum, some lawyers may be inclined to suggest a Chapter 13, these experts suggested.

But Professor Lawless said he and the other researchers accounted for this possibility in their results. As to the possibility that unscrupulous attorneys could push Chapter 13 filings in an attempt to get higher fees, Professor Lawless said that effect should be apparent across all races.

He said the study has no information about whether other players in the process - judges and bankruptcy trustees, among others - were contributing to the difference in filings rates.

William E. Brewer Jr., president of the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys, and a practicing lawyer in Raleigh, N.C., disputed the premise of the study that Chapter 13 was always more burdensome and always required debtors to pay more to their creditors. "The study does not adequately control for the numerous complex factors that dictate chapter choice," he said. "Having said this, Nacba intends to present the study to its members for discussion and self-reflection."

Other, more limited studies have also shown the higher incidence of Chapter 13 among blacks. In Chicago, the Woodstock Institute, a research and policy group, reported last May that in mostly black communities in Cook County, nearly half the cases from 2006 to 2010 were filed under Chapter 13, compared with 32.8 percent of all cases filed in the county. "For people of color, who historically have fewer assets, preservation of assets is a top priority," said Tom Feltner, vice president at Woodstock, who added that lawyers often have a financial incentive to push Chapter 13 filings. "It is possible that the higher levels of Chapter 13 in communities of color can be explained by a combination of higher attorney's fees and a filer's desire, or advice that elevates a filer's desire, to preserve as many assets as possible."

Henry E. Hildebrand III, who has served as a Chapter 13 trustee in Tennessee for 30 years, said he had noticed that blacks and other minorities appeared to be overrepresented in Chapter 13 cases. "We should focus not on picking apart the conclusions," Mr. Hildebrand said, "but use this study as an indication that we should be attempting to fix what has become a complex, expensive, unproductive system."

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10) Bad Year for Wall St. Not Reflected in Chiefs' Pay
"The chief executive of Citigroup, Vikram S. Pandit, was awarded deferred stock in the bank valued at $3.7 million based on the company's current price, according to a regulatory filing. This is on top of his annual base salary of $1.75 million, and brings his disclosed pay so far for 2011 to $5.45 million. Citigroup is expected to disclose the rest of his pay, cash, be it upfront or deferred, in March. In addition, while not necessarily for work performed in 2011, Mr. Pandit last year was awarded a $16.7 million retention bonus, plus stock options that could add $6.5 million to the package's overall value."
By SUSANNE CRAIG
January 20, 2012, 8:35 pmInvestment Banking
http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2012/01/20/bad-year-for-wall-st-not-reflected-in-chiefs-pay/?ref=business

Wall Street stocks and profits took a beating in 2011. But there is one corner of the Street that took a lighter hit: the compensation paid to chief executives.

Three big banks disclosed on Friday what their top executives will receive in deferred stock for their work in 2011. Such stock is expected to make up most of their bonus as banks are increasingly paying employees more in deferred stock. Those awards to top bank executives are coming as lower-level employees are finding out that their own bonuses will be much smaller than a year ago.

Brian Foley, a compensation expert in White Plains, said that for top executives, he would have expected "the belt to come in a few more notches" this year given the banks' lackluster stock performance. He added that executive suite pay packages this year might further lower morale inside the banks.

"A lot of people in the middle took big hits this year," he said. "It could create some big 'us versus them issues' as to why the rank and file are taking a bigger hit than the senior executives."

The chief executive of Citigroup, Vikram S. Pandit, was awarded deferred stock in the bank valued at $3.7 million based on the company's current price, according to a regulatory filing. This is on top of his annual base salary of $1.75 million, and brings his disclosed pay so far for 2011 to $5.45 million.

Citigroup is expected to disclose the rest of his pay, cash, be it upfront or deferred, in March. In addition, while not necessarily for work performed in 2011, Mr. Pandit last year was awarded a $16.7 million retention bonus, plus stock options that could add $6.5 million to the package's overall value.

To be sure, Mr. Pandit has gone through some lean days, at least by Wall Street standards. In 2010, he was paid just $1, a salary he agreed to take until Citigroup returned to profitability, which it did that year.

While Citigroup was profitable again last year - earning $11.3 billion - it was far from a banner year for the big bank as it and its rivals had revenues dip amid economic troubles abroad and a sluggish domestic economy. Citigroup's stock fell 44 percent in 2011, and many employees were told this week they would be receiving no or small bonuses.

Shares of Citigroup's rival, JPMorgan Chase, also had a rough year, falling almost 22 percent. Still, JPMorgan's chief executive, Jamie Dimon, was awarded $17 million in equity-linked stock for his work in 2011, according to a regulatory filing. Last year Mr. Dimon received $17 million in equity awards around this time of year and his total pay for the year came to $23 million. His total pay is expected to be roughly the same this year, according to a person close to company but not authorized to speak on the record.

Morgan Stanley's shares dropped 44 percent in 2011. On Friday, it released details on all its chief executive's pay. James P. Gorman is taking a 25 percent pay cut from 2010. Mr. Gorman will receive $9.7 million in deferred compensation for his work last year, according to a regulatory filing. This number includes $4.7 million in deferred cash and equity linked stock and an additional $5 million in restricted stock. In 2010, Mr. Gorman received $7.4 million in stock and his total compensation for the year was $14 million. These numbers include Mr. Gorman's base salary of $800,000.

Citigroup also disclosed that its chief operating officer, John P. Havens, received a stock award valued at $3.47 million. Its consumer banking chief, Manuel Medina-Mora, got $2.64 million and its chief risk officer, Brian Leach, received an award valued at $2.36 million, according to regulatory filings.

At Morgan Stanley, pay for other senior executives was down roughly 20 percent. The wealth management chief, Gregory J. Fleming, and Paul J. Taubman, co-head of institutional securities, were both granted restricted stock valued at $3.4 million. Colm Kelleher, the other co-president of institutional securities, received restricted stock valued at $1.9 million. His grant is less because he is based in Britain and there are different requirements on the mix of his pay. Ultimately, he will receive the same as Mr. Fleming and Mr. Taubman, a company spokesman said. Morgan did not release how much deferred cash these senior executives will receive.

At JPMorgan, the head of investment banking, James E. Staley, was granted restricted stock valued at $7.8 million and he has options valued at an added $2 million. Mary E. Erdoes, head of asset management, received restricted stock valued at $7.1 million and a further $2 million in options.

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11) "Curse of racism rampant in Israel'
Thu Jan 19, 2012 5:19PM GMT
The live video of this telecast can be found at:
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/221967.html

Thousands have attended continuing protests in Jerusalem over racial discrimination within Israeli law and society against the Jewish Ethiopian community as reported in Haaretz.

Press TV interviews Ralph Schoenman, Author of the Hidden History of Zionism from Berkeley in a discussion about the history of internal racism in Israel and why outbreaks of mass protests are occurring at this time. What follows is an approximate transcript of the interview.

Press TV: Racism in the Middle East's only so-called "Democracy" - Does that surprise you?

Schoenman: Of course it does not surprise me because this has been intrinsic and inherent to the Zionist State from it's inception. It has to be emphasized here that the majority of the Israeli population is composed of Mizrahi or Sephardi - namely Oriental Jews, which means Jews from Yemen or Iraq or Iran or Morocco.

When you are speaking to or meeting a Jew from Yemen, Iraq or Morocco, you're talking to an Arab or, in the case of Iran, a Persian, who has Jewish religious convictions. A Jew from Yemen or a Jew from Morocco has the wedding customs, the eating customs, the family mores of the population of which they are a historic part. They are of Arab appearance and culture.

The consequence in Israel has been that the Mizrahi, as the majority of the Israeli population have always been, are subject to racist discrimination, which has been intrinsic to the Israeli State whose leadership and organization is dominated by Ashkenazi Jews, Jews of European origin.

Indeed, the Oriental Jews have comprised a tiny fraction of graduates from universities or of civil servants or those in government positions. What is manifesting itself at the moment in Jerusalem is an outpouring of protest by Ethiopian Jews who were brought to Israel, by the way, in an organized campaign by the Zionist State in order to maintain the claim that the colonial-settler movement in Palestine has roots in the region and in Africa - with this transferred population always subject to discrimination.

It's instructive to note that the Ethiopian Jews, the Falasa (Falas Mura), were first brought on an organized basis, predominantly without initiation within Ethiopia itself. It was a campaign instigated by the Israeli State. When they were brought to Israel and subject to discrimination it was also demanded that they should be re-circumsized. We made the ironic response at the time that it would be appropriate, in the light of this ludicrous demand, that the Israeli Cabinet be re-circumcised publicly! This attitude towards Ethiopian Jews has been intrinsic to the racism endemic in Israeli society.

One manifestation of it, which I think was very clear, reflects the seminal role of Naim Giladi. Naim Giladi is an Iraqi Jew who later lived in Sourthern Iran and was involved early on in facilitating the movement to Israel of Jews from Iraq. An immediate consequence of this was that when Naim Geladi registered and experienced first hand the discrimination and exploitation of which I speak - and I'm talking about a high rate of unemployment; slum conditions, lack of access to educational facilities, a living standard barely above that of the Palestinian population itself, whose labor they were intended to displace - Naim Giladi organized The Black Panther movement within Israel among Oriental Jewish workers and inhabitants. It has risen to the level of a mass movement unfolding over decades in Israel.

What we're experiencing now in Jerusalem with the rising up of Ethiopian Jews in response to specific racist events, namely the refusal to allow Ethiopians to live in areas of Israel; racist slurs directed at Ethiopian children when they ride on buses or take school buses and are told that they smell bad, should put on deodorant and suffer other insults and abuse - this is but a component of violence and degradation directed against Sephardi on an ongoing basis in Israel.

Naim Giladi organized the Black Panther movement to challenge this. He later published a very important book called "Ben Gurion's Scandals." Naim Giladi was involved in documenting and exposing that in the aftermath of the formation of the Israeli state, when, it should be noted, Jews in the Arab world and certainly in Iraq were integrated fully into all facets of society....

Press TV: You had mentioned that they had been brought in to Israel themselves so, why exactly - What is the root cause of why they are the targets of racism?

Schoenman: Well, I want to emphasize what Naim Giladi exposed in his book Ben Gurion's Scandals - and this is now widely acknowledged. The Israeli Shin Bet and Mossad undertook the blowing up of synagogues and other centers of Jewish life and institutions in Iraq in order to create hysteria and panic and to induce, thereby, a flood of Iraqi Jewish exodus to Israel.

The overall exploitation taking place now in Israel occurs in a broader context of deepening economic crisis, which we've discussed before. It is a global crisis of capitalism that is unfolding in Israel with these dramatic features. This persecution rooted in subjugation experienced intensively by the most oppressed sectors of society, namely the Palestinian population and the Oriental and African Jews.

The depth and passion of the current struggle reflected in these protest in Jerusalem by Ethiopian Jews and by large numbers of their supporters against this racism is a manifestation of advancing decomposition of the Zionist state whose character has been set since in its inception.

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12) Mayor 1%'s new rules try to thwart protest, while groundswell of public dissent grows
From Andy Thayer and Chris Geovanis
http://chicago.indymedia.org/newswire/display/95686/index.php

To help folks separate spin from fact, we've put together this analysis to help you understand how local rules have changed in ways that undercut protest and political speech. While these revisions will not deter us from speaking out and protesting, they do change the excuses the police may use to try to prevent us from protesting.

It's also important that we understand these changes so we can educate our friends and neighbors - and fight for meaningful change that puts people's rights and the greater good ahead of the fear-mongering and greed that drove Mayor 1%'s push for these changes.

City Hall made only token changes to "improve" these revisions, and the worst of Mayor 1%'s proposed revisions remain. While the old protest ordinance was pretty terrible in its own right, the changes approved this week make it even worse. How? Because the revisions give the police more excuses to target protesters they don't like and speech they oppose with greater fines and penalties. The revisions also give police more excuses to try and censor the tools we use to speak out - sound equipment, signs, banners and whatnot.

Let's be clear, under the old ordinance, police routinely repressed speech they disliked anyway. More than a few protesters have been arrested for absolutely no reason, only to find that the police have cooked bogus charges as an afterthought - and an excuse for targeting them in the first place.

But few aldermen or reporters understand the problems with the OLD ordinance, and they certainly have no experience with the police department's chronic selective enforcement of the rules. Most have taken Mayor 1% at his word on the impact of these changes - setting them up for serious buyers' remorse once City Hall starts using these changes as an excuse to suppress political speech.

It's also important to note that Mayor 1%'s latest efforts to suppress our civil liberties do not occur in a vacuum. For the past several months, personnel from the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI and the Secret Service have been on the ground in Chicago working to coordinate overall security measures for the NATO/G8 summits - and have made recommendations to municipal authorities on how to "enhance" these security measures.

This occurs at a time when Obama has signed the National Defense Authorization Act and other repressive measures, and where strong evidence exists of a nationally coordinated, inter-city campaign to suppress the Occupy movement. The National Lawyers Guild and its legal partners have filed a series of Freedom of Information requests seeking evidence of this federal role in the Occupy crackdown, and they have painted an ugly picture of federal coordination at the highest levels to undermine the most basic precepts of our right to dissent.

We "strongly suspect that the 72 so-called Fusion Centers created by the Homeland Security Department around the country, and the many Joint Terror Task Forces operated by the FBI in conjunction with local police in many cities, are serving as coordination points for the increasingly systematic attacks on the Occupy Movement," writes the Guild .

Inevitably, much of this will be litigated in the courts. Meanwhile, this latest effort by Mayor 1% and his yes-men and women - as well as his national federal partners - will not deter the legitimate right of the rest of us to speak our minds, raise our grievances and protest government policy, whether or not new "rules" give the police another excuse to try to censor us.

We may not have won on Wednesday, but every single person who spoke out, showed up, shot off an email or phoned their alderman has joined a growing groundswell of truly grassroots opposition to the abuse of power. And that is very, very powerful.

The 1% can make new rules. We honor a higher law and more fundamental freedoms: the human right to equality, dignity and peace with justice, the human right to challenge those who rip us off, undercut our health and safety and abuse our basic freedoms, and the human right to defend these freedoms with words and deeds.

Basic talking points - what has changed with the new ordinances

1. We defeated the increased penalties for "resisting arrest," but Chicago's onerous interpretation of what constitutes "resisting" remains, overly penalizing many forms of non-violent civil disobedience. The penalties remain a minimum fine of $25 and a maximum of $500.

2. The City originally wanted minimum violations of the parade permit and public assembly ordinances to jump 20-fold, from $50 to $1000, and double the maximum penalty from $1000 to $2000, while keeping in place the maximum jail time penalty of 10 days. The new ordinances will make the minimum fine "only" quadruple, to $200, while keeping in place the current maximum penalties of $1000 and/or 10 days in jail. The old ordinance was used to exact a "free speech tax" on messages the City disliked, and so the new ordinance just makes that much worse, while providing additional criteria to find alleged "violations."

3. The new parade permit ordinance proposed in December and the revised version floated January 12th both required that organizers provide in their permit application - something typically prepared months before the event - "a description of any recording equipment, sound amplification equipment, banners, signs, or other attention-getting devices to be used in connection with the parade."

Besides being logistically unworkable, this was an obvious 1st Amendment restriction. The great "concession" in the new ordinance is that it demands that organizers include in the permit application "a description of any sound amplification or other equipment that is on wheels or too large to be carried by one person, and a description of the size and dimension of any sign, banner or other attention-getting device that is too large to be carried by one person, to be used in connection with the parade." [emphasis ours]

4. The "reformed" version of the legislation is thus only a slightly less obvious 1st Amendment restriction and begs the question, will parade organizers be required to ban "unauthorized" banners under threat of fine and/or jail time?

Speaking at the City Council's Committee on Special Events, Cultural Affairs and Recreation meeting on Tuesday, Michelle T. Boone, the Commissioner of the Department of Cultural affairs and Special Events, tried to soft-pedal this provision by implying that there would be no penalty for violation of it. But if that's so, why include the provision in the ordinance at all?

5. By changing the definition of what constitutes a "large parade," the new ordinance slips in onerous insurance and other burdens on demonstration organizers. Unless one gets a financial waiver from the Commissioner of Transportation, every street march in the downtown area will require $1 million liability insurance and "indemnify the city against any additional or uncovered third party claims against the city arising out of or caused by the parade; and (3) agree to reimburse the city for any damage to the public way or to city property arising out of or caused by the parade." Failure to provide proof of insurance with one's permit application will be grounds for rejection of the application.

6. Under the new ordinance, one can apply to the Commissioner of Transportation for a waiver of the financial requirements "if the application is for an activity protected by the 1st Amendment to the United States Constitution [virtually every activity is protected by the 1st Amendment] and the requirement would be so financially burdensome that it would preclude the applicant from applying for a parade permit for the proposed activity. An application for a waiver of the application fee or insurance requirement shall be made on a form prescribed by and contain reasonable proof acceptable to the commissioner."

There is no definition as to what constitutes "reasonable proof acceptable to the commissioner." Moreover, both the old and new versions of the ordinances allow the Transportation Commissioner to "establish...rules and regulations" in addition to those specified in the legislation - i.e., a virtual blank check to institute unpopular measures that might have difficulty passing the City Council.

7. The new ordinance repeats most of the bureaucratic limitations on "public assembly" that were contained in the old ordinance. The city defines "public assembly" as any gathering that does not use the street, but does use sidewalks and "which is reasonably anticipated to interfere with or impede the flow of pedestrian traffic."

When a member of the public raised concern about this during a City Council committee meeting, Boone tried to allay the concern by noting that the language had been lifted wholesale from the old ordinance and that "they [the police] don't enforce a lot of it." The reality is that there has been very selective enforcement of this provision of the old ordinance, amounting to a 1st Amendment content-based restriction.

By making the public assembly provisions a new subsection of the Municipal Code, the City will either enforce the old provisions against everyone, or continue its selective enforcement. Either result is a serious retreat away from the 1st Amendment.

8. The deputizing of police authority, perhaps even to private security outfits, remained intact in the legislation as passed. There is no sun-set clause on this provision.

9. The only "temporary" ordinance concerns the issuance of no-bid contracts. It is important to make sure that this truly goes away on July 30th as provided for in the legislation as passed.

Transparency

Emanuel claimed that his mayoralty would have "the most open, accountable, and transparent government that the City of Chicago has ever seen." As many have commented, given Chicago's history, that's hardly setting the bar very high. Our struggle has given the lie to Mayor 1%'s claims of transparency:

a) The approximately half-dozen aldermen in the Committee on Special Events, etc. apparently had the latest version of the parade permits ordinance when they passed it out of committee on Tuesday afternoon. It was announced that paper copies of it would be distributed to them at the start of that meeting. When one of us asked for a show of hands during public comment section as to who had read it, all six or so claimed they had.

The fact remains, though, that the "latest" versions of the legislation that the City Clerk's office gave us 90 minutes before the Council vote on Wednesday were outdated, and as of yesterday, the Clerk's website still only had the old versions. So there was no way the general public had access to what was being voted on and thus have the opportunity to meaningfully weigh in on them.

b) As noted above, there is only one item in the whole body of legislation that has a sunset clause. This legislation then was not just for G8/NATO, as Emanuel claimed. In a January 17 City Council committee meeting, Mike Simon of the CDOT said that the permits ordinance revisions had been in the works since 2009. As one of us said to Tunney after the committee meeting, they've had this under review for two years and they've apparently talked to all players except those who actually use the ordinance.

c) The January 12th not-for-attribution press briefing (with no paper copies of what the revisions were) was accepted with virtually no criticism by the City Hall beat press crew. This was as much a statement about them as it was about Emanuel. Right up to and after Wednesday's vote, most accepted City Hall's spin that there were dramatic concessions to our side in the revised legislation.

d) Next up in the transparency department - what are the G8/NATO summits going to cost city taxpayers? Mayor 1% said that "We'll make sure that taxpayers don't take on the bill" and in a Council committee meeting, Alderman Pope falsely claimed that "Historically host cities have been wholly reimbursed." But wholesale violations of protesters' rights by police have typically cost host cities millions in civil suits after the fact.

Win, lose, or somewhere in between?

Finally, there is the issue of whether or not to call what happened on Wednesday a "victory" for our side or not. Most (but not all) mainstream media accounts accepted the 5th floor's spin that Mayor 1% had listened to the people and revised the legislation to address our concerns - a victory for protesters. We obviously don't think so, but at the same time, it would be wrong to label what happened as a wholesale defeat.

It is standard operating procedure for the City is to introduce draconian measures to the CTA, etc. in so-called "doomsday" budgets, only to then walk back the cuts to more "acceptable" levels once there is public outcry - the "acceptable" levels being the ones they planned on instituting all along. But we don't think that this was the initial plan for this legislation - "professional protesters" (their term) are not a group in the chain of power that they think merits any concessions. We think that they introduced the legislation in the form that they wanted it to pass, and were taken aback at the level of resistance our side was able to muster.

There was no advance plan for the January 12th Mayoral dog-and-pony shows. Those and the other spin measures were crafted in response to our resistance, and the City had to deliver at least minimal concessions in order to make them credible. If we had not fought, we would not have won anything.

Aside from the teachers and those fighting the health clinic cuts, we were the first group to take the new mayor on in a sustained battle. And we're really not a group at all - many thousands of people who did not know each other united in opposition to the mayor's plans. As with any new administration, there are always those in the public who hope that the new guy will be better than the old one, that he can be reasoned with, etc. This was an uphill battle on those grounds alone.

Our sustained battle over the ordinances helped take Emanuel's credibility down at least a few notches, concretizing his reputation as Mayor 1%. Moreover, we sent the message that if the City messes with us, we will fight back tenaciously.

Given the rubber stamp nature of our City Council (reinforced by Emanuel's deep pockets, etc.), the idea that anyone could defeat him first time out was a total long-shot. Thanks to this struggle, the odds of people defeating him on other issues in the future have gotten at least a little bit better.

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13) Protests Shake Libya's Interim Government
By LIAM STACK
January 22, 2012
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/23/world/africa/protests-shake-libyas-interim-government.html?hp

Libya's postwar transitional government faced a political crisis on Sunday after protesters ransacked its offices in Benghazi, forcing one top leader to resign and another to warn that the country stood on the edge of violence.

Abdel Hafedh Ghoga, deputy leader of the Transitional National Council, quit after an angry protest in Benghazi calling for the government's resignation ended with a mob smashing windows and breaking into its local offices.

"My resignation is for the benefit of the nation and is required at this stage," Mr. Ghoga, one of the government's most high-profile members, told Al Jazeera Television.

Speaking to reporters in Benghazi, the chairman of the transitional council, Mustafa Abdel-Jalil, warned that continued protests could lead the country down a perilous path, and he pleaded with protesters to give the government more time. He accepted the resignation of Benghazi's local council leader, Saleh el-Ghazal, an appointed official whose replacement he pledged would be elected.

"We are going through a political movement that can take the country to a bottomless pit," Reuters quoted him as saying. "There is something behind these protests that is not for the good of the country."

"The people have not given the government enough time, and the government does not have enough money," said Mr. Abdel-Jalil, who was inside the transitional government's local headquarters when it was stormed. "Maybe there are delays, but the government has only been working for two months. Give them a chance, at least two months."

The Transitional National Council is the internationally recognized postwar government, but its troubles have mounted in the five months since rebel fighters captured the capital, Tripoli, from government forces.

Libyans have grown increasingly critical of its stewardship, and complaints have gown that its operations and budget are too secretive and that some of its members are too closely linked to the government of Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi.

Critics also complain that the council's performance has faltered on a nuts-and-bolts level. Basic services have yet to be restored in some areas, and towns seen as sympathetic to Colonel Qaddafi, like Surt and Bani Walid, remain ruined after months of fighting.

The council has struggled to exert its authority even in Tripoli, whose streets are largely controlled by a patchwork of regional militias whose members defer to their own commanders, not the government security forces.

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14) As Price of Oil Soars, Users Shiver and Cross Their Fingers
By DIANE CARDWELL and CLIFFORD KRAUSS
January 21, 2012
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/22/business/heating-oil-costs-surge-and-many-in-northeast-cant-switch.html?ref=business

NORTH BROOKFIELD, Mass. - When David Harris built his 2,000-square-foot hilltop home nine years ago, he wanted to put in natural gas, but the utility wouldn't run a line to his house. Like many people here, he was stuck using heating oil.

Mr. Harris added a wood stove to help cut costs and now uses only about one-third of the oil the house would otherwise need. But that did not stop a deliveryman for Crowley Fuel from handing him a $471.21 bill earlier this month for a refill that should get him to April.

"You just cross your fingers and hope that it doesn't get too much worse," Mr. Harris said.

Actually, it probably will - for him and the residents of the roughly eight million other American homes that use heating oil, mostly in a band from Maine to Pennsylvania.

While natural gas prices have plummeted to 10-year lows, heating oil prices have been steadily rising for years and are expected to reach record levels this winter, precipitated by higher costs for crude oil and the shutdown of several crucial refineries in the Northeast and in Europe. The Energy Department projects a price of $3.79 a gallon over the next few months, more than a dollar above the winter average for the last five years. Analysts do not expect much relief in the longer term, either, because global oil prices are expected to stay high amid political instability in the Middle East and rising demand from developing countries.

With electricity prices also down, utilities are trumpeting that bills will drop this season for customers using gas and electric heat. Con Edison announced this week that residential gas heating bills in New York were expected to drop 11.5 percent this winter, and in New Jersey, PSE&G said that it would cut February bills for residential gas customers by an average of $30.

"The people who have been unable to switch off of heating oil will be increasingly penalized in the coming years," said Jay Hakes, a former administrator of the Energy Information Administration and now the director of the Jimmy Carter Library and Museum. "There's going to be a continuing incentive to get off heating oil, because every day the headlines and experts say that over the foreseeable future, we will have natural gas at attractive prices."

Nationwide, the average household using oil spent $2,298 on heat last year, compared with $724 spent by gas users and $957 spent by electricity users, according to the Energy Department.

This year, heating oil users are expected to spend 3.7 percent more than last year, while natural gas customers are expected to spend 7.3 percent less and electricity users will spend 2.4 percent less, according to the department.

Cheap natural gas was part of the appeal for Gus Kontoudakis, who spent about $3,000 to switch from oil at the home he rents out in Plainfield, Conn. The boiler was due for replacement anyway, he said. He already had gas at his restaurant, Gus's Pub and Pizzarama. "I checked the bill and saw the difference and convinced myself to change it and give a break to my tenants," he said, adding that the oil heat was costing him about double what he now paid Yankee Gas.

But many oil users - living in places like Alaska, Maine and even affluent parts of Manhattan - do not have that option. Some are simply too far from a pipeline. For others, converting to natural gas is unaffordable, with costs that can run to tens of thousands of dollars for each home. As a result, they are trapped in a cycle of spending more and more for heat while those who use natural gas and electricity are generally spending less and less.

That dynamic is at work in households across the economic spectrum, but the cost gap looms as a crisis for the poor, experts warn, since the federal government has cut financing for energy assistance programs.

"We're concerned about a public health problem if there isn't additional money found," said Mark Wolfe, executive director of the National Energy Assistance Directors' Association. "We've really never been in a situation before where we're going into the winter with very high prices" for heating oil, he said, adding that the highest prices tended to come near the middle or end of the season.

The use of heating oil, which rose after World War II as a replacement for coal, has been on a long decline. As the use of virtually every other fuel has increased, the number of households that use heating oil has dropped from about 20 percent in 1975 to roughly 7 percent today, spurred by new home construction and population shifts to the West and South, closer to natural gas fields and pipelines. Government incentives for installing insulation also cut consumption of heating oil.

For decades, the prices of oil and gas moved virtually in tandem, but in recent years, vast increases in American gas supplies have made gas decisively cheaper.

Meanwhile, heating oil could grow more scarce in the Northeast this winter, the Energy Department warned last month. Companies have been closing refineries that produce heating oil because of declining profit margins. Sunoco and ConocoPhillips recently announced the idling of two major refineries in Pennsylvania, and a third refinery owned by Sunoco may close next summer.

Encouraged by the low prices for natural gas and government and utility incentives, more oil customers have been looking to make the switch.

Thomas Dziki of Richmond Hill, Queens, said it was a $750 bill to fill up his 150-gallon oil tank last winter that prompted him to call National Grid to convert. He spent about $8,500 to switch his three-story home to gas. Now, his monthly bills are in the $30 to $50 range - so low, he said, that "you almost want to call and say, 'Sorry, you're not billing me enough.' "

For larger buildings in New York City, there is increased pressure to switch because of a new pollution regulation that will phase out the use of the heavier heating oils.

But conversion costs can be prohibitive, in part because Con Edison, the local utility, has to rip up the street to run pipes larger than those used for cooking gas.

"As a consumer, I'm very frustrated," said Nancy T. Schmitt, an energy-sector investment adviser whose Upper East Side co-op burns the densest form of oil. Her complex of about 50 units is weighing whether to switch to natural gas or to a lighter fuel to meet the new rules. "I'm paying a high price for a dirty fuel, and I've got a cleaner fuel available and I want to see it happen," said Ms. Schmitt, who was trained as an environmental engineer.

But by one estimate, she said, it would cost $2 million to connect her complex to the existing lines. Con Ed has been working to help organize buildings into clusters for conversion, to lower costs and diminish the inconvenience.

Ultimately, heating oil faces a grim future, said Bob LaFlamme, who took over Crowley Fuel in North Brookfield from his wife's family 23 years ago.

"People are looking for alternatives," he said, adding, "Even one of my own employees switched over, so that's telling you something."

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15) The United States of Islamophobia
Interview with Abdul Malik Mujahid from the Muslim Peace Coalition
January 19, 2012
http://socialistworker.org/2012/01/19/united-states-of-islamophobia

President Barack Obama's signing of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) on December 31 shocked many people who hoped that Obama, a former constitutional law professor, would reverse the abuses routinely committed by the administration of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney.

But while the NDAA--with its provisions that authorize the military, on the say-so of the president, to indefinitely detain U.S. citizens--is ominous, it certainly isn't Obama's first assault on civil liberties. After spending his presidential campaign in 2008 criticizing the Bush administration for providing a "legal" justification for torture, Obama has refused to take action against Bush-era officials for violating international law, and he has made sure the U.S. government's repressive apparatus remains in place, at home and in countries around the world.

Abdul Malik Mujahid is a leader of Muslim Peace Coalition [1], an organization formed in 2011 to challenge Islamophobia. He spoke with Eric Ruder about the anxiety that the NDAA has caused in the Muslim American community--and what people are doing to stand up for their rights.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

WHAT WAS your reaction was when you heard that Barack Obama had signed the NDAA?

I REMEMBERED a moment when Obama was asked a question while he was still on the campaign trail and competing with Hillary Clinton. "If Dr. King were alive today, would he support you or Hillary Clinton?" someone asked. Obama took a professorial pause and then responded, "He would support neither one of us; he would be mobilizing people for his demands."

I think all those people who took his promises at face value should have considered that he is a savvy politician. And like all savvy politicians, he must be held to his promises, rather than trusted to deliver.

He has continued and in some ways strengthened the policies of abuse characteristic of the Bush era. Without a doubt, the signing of legislation that authorizes the indefinite detention of American citizens adds to this.

I'm not an economic refugee in America. I had better job, a better life, in my home country. I came here because of the Bill of Rights, because of the promise of freedom above and beyond the practice in my country. But today, it seems like there is more freedom written into the law in Pakistan than there is in the United States.

HOW DID it get to this point?

I THINK we're all responsible in not taking a strong enough stand against the first dawn of indefinite detention at the U.S. prison camp at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. Once they were able to do that, they started little Gitmos all around the world.

And then the U.S., which at times champions human rights, went on the offensive to justify torture, which created even more space for the rest of the torturers in the world who hadn't yet gone where America has gone. Today, there are many more Gitmos around the world, some controlled by America and some controlled by other nations, but all in the name of "national security."

Meanwhile, those detained don't have the opportunity to have a trial, they aren't allowed lawyers, and they literally have no way to defend themselves from whatever charges may be lodged against them. The impact of this goes way beyond America.

In truth, the Muslim community in the United States has been living in a virtual internment camp ever since 9/11. Since then, more than 700,000 Muslims have been interviewed by the FBI. That means nearly 50 percent of all Muslim households have been touched by this "investigation." Practically all mosques have been "checked for nuclear bombs" or other fear-provoking reasons. That's the level of trust we "enjoy" in the Muslim community.

Our community has been continually hammered by a mix of repressive policies and media finger-pointing, which has resulted in a new form of Islamophobia. This discrimination is a toxic brew of misguided public policy, fueled by irresponsible pundits, and the impact is significant.

Wages of Muslims fell by at least 10 percent, even before the economic downturn of 2008. Some 75 percent of young Muslims report that they've been personally discriminated against or their friends are being harassed and profiled. According to Columbia University researchers, around 7 percent of all Muslim children in public schools have been physically beaten up.

We live in a very precarious situation in the Muslim community. The newest phase of this is the criminalization of Islam through "anti-sharia laws," which have now been introduced in 26 states. Four states have already passed such proposals into law, and at least one legislative chamber in four more states have passed similar bills.

Together, these developments have created an environment which can only be described as a virtual internment camp. And then along comes Obama's passage of legislation authorizing indefinite detention. It seems self-evident that this is not going to be targeted at people generally, but at the Muslim community or those who look like they might be Muslim.

How the targeting takes place is outrageous, too--there are cases of investigations of people who dye their hair or change their names. These are things that people do all the time, but today, they may trigger an "investigation."

HOW MUCH fear exists in the community, and what kind of impact do you think it will have?

THERE IS a very high level of concern in the community--a whole lot of fear. For example, the many causes that people have traditionally contributed to are getting starved for resources because almost every person who has donated anything to any charity has had a knock on their door by the FBI.

People are scared. It seems that there's a regime of fear. The result is that the Muslim community, as opposed to the Jewish community or Catholics or Protestants or Mormons, has a higher unemployment rate. More people declare themselves to be self-employed, which generally means that they don't have a job, and that they are struggling to make ends meet since the crisis hit in 2008.

So there's been a huge impact, and people are talking about it. I find that a lot of Muslims have made phone calls and reached out to politicians around the question of indefinite detention, and they've been terribly disappointed in the response. If Obama loses the 2012 election by a margin of 1 percent or something like that, it is likely that the difference can be explained by the Muslim vote, which he repelled.

IN WHAT ways is the Muslim community standing up to these violations of basic civil liberties?

THE MUSLIM Peace Coalition is a coalition of Muslims who are antiwar and who are oriented to organizing within the peace and justice movement in 15 states. We have launched a campaign to call out Obama for this violation of our rights and the rights of all Americans.

The campaign focuses on three areas. First, we are seeking to organize legal professionals to stand up and speak out against these injustices. By drawing together lawyers, bar associations and judges in city after city and state after state, we are building opposition on the legal front.

We are also working on getting 1,000 academics and 1,000 clergy people to sign on to our campaign. Academics give the movement intellectual depth, and clergy give the movement moral depth. This may not provide immediate results, but it's an essential part of a sustained campaign as we near the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the Guantánamo Bay detention camp.

At the same time, there is a growing realization in the Muslim community that we cannot stand alone--that we must stand with all organizations and individuals who stand for peace and justice for all people throughout the world. Hence, we plan to send representatives to the upcoming national conference of the United National Antiwar Coalition on March 23-25, in Stamford, Conn. The goal is to get many people there to help create some momentum in this area.

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16) More Lockouts as Companies Battle Unions
"American Crystal has hired more than 900 replacement workers to keep its plants running. Federal law allows employers to hire such workers during a lockout, although they cannot permanently replace regular employees. Employers can pay the replacements lower wages, although as is the case with American Crystal, the companies sometimes need to offer higher wages and help pay for housing to attract replacements."
By STEVEN GREENHOUSE
January 22, 2012
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/23/business/lockouts-once-rare-put-workers-on-the-defensive.html?hp

America's unionized workers, buffeted by layoffs and stagnating wages, face another phenomenon that is increasingly throwing them on the defensive: lockouts.

From the Cooper Tire factory in Findlay, Ohio, to a country club in Southern California and sugar beet processing plants in North Dakota, employers are turning to lockouts to press their unionized workers to grant concessions after contract negotiations deadlock. Even the New York City Opera locked out its orchestra and singers for more than a week before settling the dispute last Wednesday.

Many Americans know about the highly publicized lockouts in professional sports - like last year's 130-day lockout by the National Football League and the 161-day lockout by the National Basketball Association - but lockouts, once a rarity, have been used in less visible industries as well.

"This is a sign of increased employer militancy," said Gary Chaison, a professor of industrial relations at Clark University. "Lockouts were once so rare they were almost unheard of. Now, not only are employers increasingly on the offensive and trying to call the shots in bargaining, but they're backing that up with action - in the form of lockouts."

The number of strikes has declined to just one-sixth the annual level of two decades ago. That is largely because labor unions' ranks have declined and because many workers worry that if they strike they will lose pay and might also lose their jobs to permanent replacement workers.

Lockouts, on the other hand, have grown to represent a record percentage of the nation's work stoppages, according to Bloomberg BNA, a Bloomberg subsidiary that provides information to lawyers and labor relations experts. Last year, at least 17 employers imposed lockouts, telling their workers not to show up until they were willing to accept management's contract offer.

Perhaps nowhere is the battle more pitched than at American Crystal Sugar, the nation's largest sugar beet processor.

Last summer, contract negotiations bogged down, with the company insisting that its workers agree to higher payments for health coverage, more outsourcing and many other concessions. Shortly after the 1,300 unionized workers - spread among five plants in North Dakota, Minnesota and Iowa - voted overwhelmingly to reject those demands, the company locked them out and hired replacement workers.

That was on Aug. 1, more than five months ago, and since then the workers and their families have been scrounging to make ends meet. Some face foreclosure and utility disconnection notices.

American Crystal has hired more than 900 replacement workers to keep its plants running. Federal law allows employers to hire such workers during a lockout, although they cannot permanently replace regular employees. Employers can pay the replacements lower wages, although as is the case with American Crystal, the companies sometimes need to offer higher wages and help pay for housing to attract replacements.

With many private-sector labor unions growing smaller and weaker, and with public-sector unions under attack in numerous states, some employers think the time is ideal to use lockouts, a forceful approach they were once reluctant to use.

Many employers, though, say they have little choice.

Robert Batterman, a labor lawyer who represents employers, said whether it was the N.F.L. or Sotheby's, which locked out 43 art handlers in Manhattan last July, "the pendulum has swung too far toward the employees, and the employers are looking in these tight economic times to get givebacks."

"Employers," he continued, "are using lockouts because unions are reluctant to do what the employers consider reasonable in terms of compromising. Employers are looking to reset their collective bargaining relations."

After being out of work since Aug. 1, Paul Woinarowicz, a warehouse foreman employed at American Crystal Sugar for 34 years, sees another rationale for lockouts.

"It's just another way of trying to break the union," said Mr. Woinarowicz, a member of the bakery and confectionery workers union. "People here in the Red River Valley are really mad at American Crystal. It was just like a knife stuck in your heart."

With American Crystal earning record profits before the lockout, the workers strongly opposed its push for concessions. Mr. Woinarowicz noted that the company's most recent quarterly report showed a sharp decline in production and profits - a development the workers said showed the lockout was taking a toll. American Crystal said the drop was due to a smaller sugar beet crop and higher operating costs.

American Crystal accuses union negotiators of being inflexible and denies that it is seeking to break the union. For many employers, lockouts have proved highly successful. Last July 17, Armstrong World Industries locked out 260 workers at its ceiling tile plant in Marietta, Pa., after they rejected the company's offer as stingy on pensions and health coverage.

After being locked out for five months, the workers accepted a contract only slightly different from the one they had originally voted down. Union officials said the workers knew Armstrong had the upper hand.

There have been several recent lockouts at hospitals, often after nurses engaged in a one-day walkout. To hire replacement nurses from a staffing company, hospitals often have to commit to hiring them for at least a week, so a one-day nurses' strike is often followed by a four-day lockout. But at some health care facilities, like West River nursing home in Milford, Conn., where management locked out 100 workers on Dec. 13, companies see lockouts as a way to wrest concessions and set an example for workers at their other facilities.

DeMaurice Smith, executive director of the National Football League Players Association, said the football, hockey and basketball leagues ordered lockouts in recent years for a clear reason: to gain leverage in negotiations.

"The lockout is designed to put you at a distinct disadvantage," he said, saying it places huge pressures on players who typically have short professional careers. The National Hockey League's lockout of 2004-5 canceled an entire season.

Mr. Smith said, "A lot of players have careers of two or three years, and you might get a player who asks, 'At what point is this fight worth one-third of my career?' "

For Jeannie Madsen, a lab technician at American Crystal, the lockout has meant strains for her and her fiancé, also a worker there. With her former husband also locked out and suspending child support payments, she said she could not afford new school clothes and shoes for her children and had to stop paying her daughter's orthodontist bills. She said Wells Fargo would soon foreclose on her home.

"What's most upsetting is that it's affecting the lives of many innocent children," she said.

The sides are holding occasional negotiations but remain deadlocked.

Ms. Madsen said the company was continually putting up barriers to a settlement, essentially pressing the workers to surrender. Company officials did not return phone messages, but Brian Ingulsrud, the company's vice president for administration, wrote in an editorial for a Fargo newspaper that "American Crystal Sugar remains committed to good-faith negotiations."

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17) In Britain, Rising Outcry Over Executive Pay That Makes 'People's Blood Boil'
"Total average pay of chief executives rose 33 percent in 2010 while average company market values grew by 24 percent, a report by the Institute for Public Policy Research showed. A separate study by the London School of Economics discovered that a 10 percent increase in a firm's market value was generally followed by an increase of 3 percent in the chief executive's pay but only a 0.2 percent increase in average workers' pay. Public anger grew after newspapers reported plans for million-pound pay packages for senior executives at Barclays even though the bank's share price slumped more than 30 percent last year. The Royal Bank of Scotland is to award its head of investment banking another large sum even though the bank announced thousands of job cuts. ...Executive pay at Britain's top 100 publicly listed companies for 2010 rose on average by 49 percent compared with 2.7 percent for the average employee, according to a report by the High Pay Commission, a pressure group. At the oil giant BP, for example, the former chief executive Tony Hayward earned 63 times the amount of the average employee in 2010, the year he left the firm. In 1979, the multiple was 16.5, according to the commission."
By JULIA WERDIGIER
January 22, 2012
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/23/business/in-britain-a-rising-outcry-over-lavish-executive-pay.html?ref=world

LONDON - As company boards prepare to vote on the annual compensation of their senior executives, investors and the government in Britain are pushing for ways to shrink what some have called excessive pay packages.

Over the last two months, two of the country's biggest investors stepped forward to declare their general disapproval with the level of executive pay, and to call for investors to be given more say over the packages. Prime Minister David Cameron backed their calls on Thursday after saying that large pay packages, during times when many households have to tighten their belts, understandably "made people's blood boil."

On Tuesday, Vince Cable, the business secretary, is due to present proposals for a fairer compensation system, including giving shareholders veto power over pay packages and making them more transparent, said a senior government official who declined to be identified because the proposals were not yet public.

"Inappropriate levels of executive reward have destroyed public trust and led to a situation where all directors are perceived to be overpaid," said Dominic Rossi of Fidelity Worldwide Investment, which joined with the Association of British Insurers in calling for the changes. "The simple truth is that remuneration schemes have become too complex and, in some cases, too generous and out of line with the interests of investors."

Particularly irksome are cases where top managers continue to rake in large paychecks while their shareholders watch the value of their investments crumble. "There's a pretty broad consensus that reform is required," said Robert Talbut, the chairman of the investment committee of the Association of British Insurers. "There's a strong view that significant payoffs to individuals who are seen to have failed is unsustainable, and we have to address this issue."

Total average pay of chief executives rose 33 percent in 2010 while average company market values grew by 24 percent, a report by the Institute for Public Policy Research showed. A separate study by the London School of Economics discovered that a 10 percent increase in a firm's market value was generally followed by an increase of 3 percent in the chief executive's pay but only a 0.2 percent increase in average workers' pay.

Public anger grew after newspapers reported plans for million-pound pay packages for senior executives at Barclays even though the bank's share price slumped more than 30 percent last year. The Royal Bank of Scotland is to award its head of investment banking another large sum even though the bank announced thousands of job cuts. Cairn Energy, the oil explorer, attracted some criticism from investors last month for suggesting a £4.9 million, or $7.6 million, award for its chairman to incentivize him to sell some assets.

Mr. Cameron made it clear that he did not object to large bonuses for successful executives but was concerned about the disparity between pay and performance and the growing gap between the pay of executives and the average worker.

Executive pay at Britain's top 100 publicly listed companies for 2010 rose on average by 49 percent compared with 2.7 percent for the average employee, according to a report by the High Pay Commission, a pressure group. At the oil giant BP, for example, the former chief executive Tony Hayward earned 63 times the amount of the average employee in 2010, the year he left the firm. In 1979, the multiple was 16.5, according to the commission.

Some lawmakers remain skeptical about how much change is possible. In the United States, where average executive compensation levels are higher than in Britain, recent efforts by the Dodd-Frank financial regulation act to rein in pay had limited success.

Under pressure from regulators, banks in the United States have shifted a bigger portion of pay into longer-term stock awards and established policies to claw back bonuses in the event of large losses. Dodd-Frank requires that public companies include "say on pay" votes for shareholders to express opinions about compensation, though the votes are not binding.

Britain has had nonbinding shareholder votes on executive pay for several years, but pay levels continued to climb.

Now the government is considering making the votes binding. Mr. Talbut and Mr. Rossi also argued in favor of lifting the threshold of shareholder approval for the pay packages from the current 50 percent and of making the decision binding. Companies are encouraged but not required to change their executive compensation if less than half of the shareholders approve it. Mr. Rossi argued for a minimum shareholder approval of 75 percent and said companies should explain to shareholders more clearly why they award an executive a certain pay package. "Tell us in simple terms what you propose and let shareholders decide," he said.

But Sarah Wilson, managing director of Manifest, which advises shareholders, warned against relying too much on shareholders to fix the issue. Evidence showed that many large shareholders were reluctant to collect the relevant information to make decisions and vote on pay, she said.

The Office for National Statistics estimates that more than 40 percent of British company shares are now held overseas, many are short-term investors, and few want to spend time pondering executive pay if they own 1 percent or less of a company.

Deborah Hargreaves, the High Pay Commission's chairwoman, said the government could also give other stakeholders, including employees, more say on executive pay or simplify remuneration by just publishing a total figure. Pension contributions, deferred bonuses and other long-term incentives made it more difficult for shareholders to determine the total annual compensation of a manager, she said.

But Ms. Hargreaves also said she was hopeful that the current debate about executive pay would help improve the system. "If you can't achieve any change now when there's an economic downturn," she said. "I don't really see when."

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18) Line of Scrimmage Forms Over Union Bill
"At times in recent days, the chants of protesters - who say the legislation, known as a 'right to work' bill, will result in lower wages and weakened unions - have echoed through the rotunda: 'Occupy the Super Bowl!' Some say they want to hold marches, slow down beer deliveries or hand out leaflets in the Super Bowl crowd, while others have hinted at more drastic measures. Still uncertain is what form a protest might take, union leaders say. Jeff Harris, a spokesman for the Indiana A.F.L.-C.I.O., said that he knew of no particular plans for protests at the game on Feb. 5 or in the 10 days of formal celebration leading up to it, but that 'a lot of moving parts' remained."
By MONICA DAVEY
January 22, 2012
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/23/us/before-super-bowl-right-to-work-fight-heats-up-in-indiana.html?ref=us

INDIANAPOLIS - This city is in full preen for its moment in the spotlight, its first Super Bowl. Everywhere, workers sprouted from cherry pickers over the weekend, hanging football banners from signposts, windows, buildings. The constant beeping of machinery backing up filled the air as an 800-foot zip line was built in a Super Bowl Village that is emerging downtown. And right outside the Statehouse, the intersection formally known as Capitol and Washington has fancy new honorary street signs - Dolphins Drive and Browns Boardwalk.

But inside the Statehouse, people are consumed by something else entirely: a partisan fight over union strength has boiled over. The standoff, three weeks old, is over whether Indiana should become the first state in the Midwest manufacturing belt to adopt legislation banning union contracts from requiring nonunion members to pay fees for representation. And it threatens to linger even as the national attention on the Super Bowl arrives - a possibility that Indiana Republicans want to avoid but that some union supporters seem to be hoping for.

"It's a forum for this to get out beyond the state of Indiana, for the world to know what's happening to workers here in Indiana," said Mike Gillespie, business representative of Local 135 of the Teamsters Union, who stood in a crowd of union supporters inside the Statehouse. He wore a T-shirt that bore the numerals of the Super Bowl, XLVI , with a slash through them, a message people here interpreted in various ways.

At times in recent days, the chants of protesters - who say the legislation, known as a "right to work" bill, will result in lower wages and weakened unions - have echoed through the rotunda: "Occupy the Super Bowl!" Some say they want to hold marches, slow down beer deliveries or hand out leaflets in the Super Bowl crowd, while others have hinted at more drastic measures.

Still uncertain is what form a protest might take, union leaders say. Jeff Harris, a spokesman for the Indiana A.F.L.-C.I.O., said that he knew of no particular plans for protests at the game on Feb. 5 or in the 10 days of formal celebration leading up to it, but that "a lot of moving parts" remained.

And for those who have been preparing Indianapolis for the Super Bowl since it was awarded four years ago, the prospect was worrisome.

"We had known from the start that there was a remote possibility that some extreme opponents might try to leverage this, but now it's being pretty openly threatened," said Brian Bosma, the Republican speaker of the House, who says the right-to-work legislation will improve Indiana's ability to recruit new businesses. "It would be a horrible mistake to use the Super Bowl in this way, and I think it would backfire terribly."

Through the debate, the Super Bowl has always loomed in the background. Democrats accused Republicans, who dominate both chambers of the legislature and control the governor's office, of trying to rush the measure through in the first days of the session. That way, it would be long resolved by the time thousands of people, including the National Football League Players Association, which has issued a statement opposing the legislation, began arriving. And Republicans accused Democrats, who hold enough seats in the House to prevent a quorum, of refusing to come to the floor for about six days over the last three weeks, in part to try to stall the discussion until a Super Bowl crowd was on hand.

Republicans outnumber Democrats 37 to 13 in the State Senate and 60 to 40 in the House, and say they have the votes to pass the measure. That would make Indiana the first state in a decade to take such a step and might embolden some other state legislatures to follow suit. But actually getting the measure to a vote has been more complicated.

Here, the back-and-forth has grown remarkably tense as game day grows ever closer. During an annual State of the State address this month by Gov. Mitch Daniels, a Republican who favors the right-to-work bill, protesters hollered in the hallways and some Democrats did not attend. Republicans accused Democrats of breaking promises that they would come to the House floor and began passing $1,000-a-day fines against each missing Democrat. And Democrats went to court to try to block the fines.

By Friday, to the groans of Republicans, many House Democrats stayed away again, but they said they would return on Monday, as long as an amendment putting the question before voters in a referendum is then considered. The Democrats insisted that their latest absences from the House floor were not intentional delaying tactics, but were needed to wait for details of legal terminology for an amendment that could allow a statewide vote.

"Unless they put more clouds on the legislation, we'll be there Monday," Representative B. Patrick Bauer, the minority leader, said in an interview on Friday. The State Senate rejected amendments on Friday, and Republicans say the bill is now on track to be approved next week - well before the Super Bowl.

But by now, the issue itself seems unlikely to fade by Friday when the flurry of pre-Super Bowl parties begins here in earnest. And that was creating an odd combination of moods: partisan fury inside the Statehouse and cheery anticipation on the streets.

City officials and a city Super Bowl host committee said they were focused on completing the final touches for the celebration - building stages, planning parties, redirecting traffic from blocked-off streets - and were not particularly fixated on the questions hanging over the Statehouse. That said, all were aware of the fight.

"That's a legislative issue," said Marc Lotter, a spokesman for Greg Ballard, the Republican mayor of Indianapolis. "If it becomes an issue, we'll rely on the appropriate officials to address it."

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17) U.S. Faulted Over Pay at Rescued Firms
"Though Kenneth Feinberg, the special master, had been appointed to oversee the pay, a report released early Tuesday said that he had been pressured by both the companies and the Treasury to get around the caps. Forty-nine people received packages worth $5 million or more from 2009 to 2011, according to the report. ... A.I.G., G.M. and Ally still collectively owe the taxpayers about $87 billion."
By MARY WILLIAMS WALSH
January 24, 2012
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/24/business/audit-of-tarp-faults-us-over-executive-pay.html?ref=us

Federal auditors said that the government failed to rein in executive compensation at the biggest companies it bailed out during the financial crisis because its main concern was simply getting its money back.

Months after the emergency rescues began in the fall of 2008, the Obama administration announced pay caps of $500,000 for executives of seven companies that received major assistance from the taxpayers. Congress then passed a law requiring the Treasury to establish a special master to administer the cap and other new compensation rules for those that received the most money from the Trouble Asset Relief Program, or TARP.

Though Kenneth Feinberg, the special master, had been appointed to oversee the pay, a report released early Tuesday said that he had been pressured by both the companies and the Treasury to get around the caps.

Forty-nine people received packages worth $5 million or more from 2009 to 2011, according to the report.

Two of the seven companies that were singled out, Bank of America and Citigroup, were so eager to avoid the pay caps that they paid back their bailout money long before anyone expected them to be able to.

The other five companies were the American International Group, Chrysler, Chrysler Financial, General Motors and Ally Financial, which was formerly the General Motors Acceptance Corporation.

Negotiators for the companies told Mr. Feinberg that their top people needed big cash salaries, or at least payment in stock that could be sold right away. Otherwise they would quit, the argument went, harming the companies' profitability and the likelihood they could ever pay back the government.

In one bargaining session, the chief executive of Ally Financial offered the example of an employee making $1.5 million, with $1 million of it in cash.

"This individual is in their early 40s, with two kids in private school, who is now considered cash poor," Ally's chief explained, adding that such people "would not meet their monthly expenses" if the new rules were followed.

A.I.G., G.M. and Ally still collectively owe the taxpayers about $87 billion.

"Under conflicting principles and pressures," Mr. Feinberg approved multimillion-dollar packages for many executives, the audit said. Mr. Feinberg developed a system for approving or rejecting the requests.

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