looming nuclear disaster in Paducah

From: Sandra Griffin <suregriffin <at> hotmail.com>

Disaster is about to strike in western Kentucky, a full-blown nuclear 
catastrophe involving hundreds of tons of enriched uranium tainted 
with plutonium, technetium, arsenic, beryllium and a toxic chemical 
brew. But this nuke calamity will be no fluke. It's been foreseen, 
planned, even programmed, the result of an atomic extortion game 
played out between the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the most 
failed American experiment in privatization, the company that has run 
the Paducah plant into the poisoned ground, 
<http://ecowatch.org/gsea-articles/>USEC Inc.

Read more 
here:   http://ecowatch.com/2013/countdown-to-nuclear-ruin-at-paducah/

http://www.MitchelCohen.com

Mitchel Cohen's book, "What Is Direct Action? Lessons from (and to) 
Occupy Wall Street" (foreword by Richard Wolff) (596 pages) is now 
available at:
http://www.lulu.com/shop/mitchel-cohen/what-is-direct-action/paperback/product-20937425.html

Ring the bells that still can ring,  Forget your perfect offering.
There is a crack, a crack in everything, That's how the light gets in.
~ Leonard Cohen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-vSfwIJkjY

_______________________________________________
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Obama Administration's Media Surveillance Unleashes Wave Of Condemnation

From: SECULARHUMANIST <at> yahoogroups.com  On Behalf Of Greg Dempsey
Sent: Wednesday, May 22, 2013 7:01 PM
Subject: [SECULARHUMANIST] *? 2 ALL: OBAMA ADMINISTRATION'S MEDIA
SURVEILLANCE UNLEASHES WAVE OF CONDEMNATION - WHAT ARE YOUR COMMENTS?*

 
<http://www.freepress.net/sites/default/files/styles/390wide_nocrop/public/f
ield/image/press-freedom_govt-attack_blog.jpg?itok=VyJXtLLR> 

Video at  <http://tinyurl.com/oa7uvm4> http://tinyurl.com/oa7uvm4

Hi Team!

*? 2 ALL: 

OBAMA ADMINISTRATION'S MEDIA SURVEILLANCE UNLEASHES WAVE OF CONDEMNATION -

 
<http://25.media.tumblr.com/748bc15a72f0dca2474b54b7fe3009fb/tumblr_mmrbgfVY
9P1sprbe1o1_500.jpg> 

Rebecca Shapiro and Jack Mirkinson report:

The Justice Department's investigation and surveillance of the Associated
Press and Fox News have led to perhaps the most sustained wave of criticism
for the Obama administration's media policies since the president took
office.

On Wednesday, the New York Times became one of the more influential voices

[BillTottenWeblog] Everything is Rigged, Continued

European Commission Raids Oil Companies in Price-Fixing Probe

by Matt Taibbi

Rolling Stone Taibblog (May 15 2013)

We're going to get into this more at a later date, but there was some interesting late-breaking news yesterday.

According to numerous reports, the European Commission regulators yesterday raided the offices of oil
companies in London, the Netherlands and Norway as part of an investigation into possible price-rigging
in the oil markets. The targeted companies include BP, Shell and the Norweigan company Statoil. The
Guardian explains that officials believe that oil companies colluded to manipulate pricing data:

    The commission said the alleged price collusion, which may have been going on since 2002, could have had a
"huge impact" on the price of petrol at the pumps "potentially harming final consumers".

    Lord Oakeshott, former Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesman, said the alleged rigging of oil prices was
"as serious as rigging Libor" – which led to banks being fined hundreds of millions of pounds.

The inquiry also involves Platts, the world's largest oil price reporting agency. The concept here is very
similar to both the LIBOR scandal, which involved banks manipulating the benchmark rates for interest
rates, and to the possible rigging of interest rate swap prices through the manipulation of ISDAfix, the
benchmark rate for those instruments, which is also the subject of a regulatory probe.

We wrote about both of those scandals in last month's Rolling Stone article, "Everything is Rigged": http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/everything-is-rigged-the-biggest-financial-scandal-yet-20130425

In that piece, finance professionals talked about the potential for manipulation in other markets that
involve voluntary price reporting:

    What other markets out there carry the same potential for manipulation? The answer to that question is far

Barry Sheppard on War Without End Anywhere

War Without End Anywhere

By Barry Sheppard
May 22, 2013

The Obama administration asserts that he and all future presidents have 
the power to wage endless war anywhere in the world, without permission 
or hindrance from Congress.

This claim is a reiteration of the position taken by the Bush 
administration, which was most vociferously enunciated by Bush's 
Vice-President, Dick Cheney. It is another example of the seamless 
transition from Bush to Obama in foreign affairs.

The assertion came out in a Senate hearing on May 16 revisiting the 
Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) enacted by Congress days 
after the attacks of September 11, 2001. Only one Senator, Angus King, 
an Independent from Maine, raised any concern.

"This is the most astounding and most astoundingly disturbing hearing 
that I've been to since I've been [in the Senate]," King said. "You guys 
have essentially rewritten the Constitution here today."

One could think that would at least deserve some major coverage in the 
capitalist press. But where it was mentioned, it was buried. It was 
hardly noticed by the population at large.

All this came out in questioning of Pentagon officials -- Michael 
Sheehan, the assistant secretary of defense in charge of special 
operations; Robert Taylor, acting general counsel, Department of 

Imminent Constitutional Court Judgments May Affect Guatemalan Genocide Conviction

Imminent Constitutional Court Judgments May Affect Guatemalan Genocide Conviction

The conviction of former de facto head of state Efrain Rios Montt for genocide and crimes against humanity
faces continuing challenges. The verdict was issued on Friday, May 10, with the court imposing an 80-year
sentence; a full judgment is due to 
be released in a hearing on Friday, May 17. However, Guatemala’s 
Constitutional Court plans to release various judgments in advance of 
Friday’s hearing which threaten to complicate matters, and even 
potentially annul the trial.
Uncertain impact of anticipated Constitutional Court judgments
The Constitutional Court was reportedly due to release four judgments on Wednesday at midday. Chaos
reigned at the court at the time the 
Constitutional Court had set for the release of the judgments:  there 
was a pro-Rios Montt demonstration outside and a purported bomb threat inside. After four hours of
deliberation, the Constitutional Court announced that 
it would not release any rulings on Wednesday, but instead could release up to six rulings on
Thursday due to the “complexity of the subject 
matter.”
Martin Guzman, General Secretary of the Constitutional Court, in an interview with Emisoras Unidas,
recounted that the Constitutional Court is reviewing four legal 
challenges which could result in the annulment of the trial or the 
dismissal of the trial court judges.
Guzman also noted that the Court still needs to review two legal challenges related to the application of
the country’s 1996 National Reconciliation Law, enacted subsequent to the Peace Accords. (The
National Reconciliation Law 
includes a limited amnesty provision which explicitly prohibits the 
application of amnesty to genocide and other international crimes.)
During the trial, the Constitutional Court did not intervene to 
prevent the process from advancing, and issued judgments which permitted it to continue when it stalled.
However, their judgments were often 

[BillTottenWeblog] Is EVERY Market Rigged?

European Union Launches Investigation Into Manipulation of Oil Prices Since 2002

by Washingtons Blog (May 19 2013)

CNN reports {1}:

    The European Commission raided the offices of Shell, BP and Norway's Statoil this week {2} as part of an
investigation into suspected attempts to manipulate global oil prices spanning more than a decade.

    None of the companies have been accused of wrongdoing, but the controversy has brought back memories of the
Libor rate-rigging scandal that rocked the financial world last year.

    ...

    A review ordered by the British government last year in the wake of the Libor revelations cited "clear"
parallels between the work of the oil-price-reporting agencies and Libor.

    "They are both widely used benchmarks that are compiled by private organizations and that are subject to
minimal regulation and oversight by regulatory authorities", the review, led by former financial
regulator Martin Wheatley {3}, said in August . "To that extent they are also likely to be vulnerable to
similar issues with regards to the motivation and opportunity for manipulation and distortion".

    ...

    In a report issued in October, the International Organization of Securities Commissions - an association
of regulators - said the ability "to selectively report data on a voluntary basis creates an opportunity
for manipulating the commodity market data" submitted to Platts and its competitors.

    Responding to questions from IOSCO last year, French oil giant Total said the price-reporting agencies,
or PRAs, sometimes "do not assure an accurate representation of the market and consequently deform the

Guatemala’s Constitutional Court Overturns Rios Montt Conviction and Sends Trial Back to April 19

Guatemala’s Constitutional Court Overturns Rios Montt Conviction and Sends Trial Back to April 19

Only ten days after a trial court issued its historic verdict 
convicting Efrain Rios Montt for genocide and crimes against humanity, 
and sentencing him to prison for 80 years, Guatemala’s Constitutional Court, in a 3-2 ruling,
overturned the verdict and set the trial back to where it was April 19. This verdict had been 
the first genocide conviction of a former head of state in a domestic, 
rather than international, court.
Rios Montt was convicted for crimes committed against Guatemala’s Maya Ixil indigenous population
during his 17-month de facto rule in 1982 and 1983 following a military coup. On Friday, May 17, the trial
court (Tribunal Primero de Sentencia Penal, Narcoactividad y Delitos contra el Ambiente de Mayor Riesgo
“A”) released its final 718-page judgment, describing in detail the foundation for Rios Montt’s conviction.
During the course of the trial, more than 90 witnesses testified of 
indiscriminate massacres, rape and sexual violence against women, 
infanticide, the destruction of crops to induce starvation, the 
abduction of children, and the forcible displacement and relocation of 
surviving populations into militarized “model villages”. Experts also 
provided foren sic, military, sociological and other testimony and 
analysis.
The verdict came 30 years after the crimes and 13 years after the 
complaint was brought by survivors to the Public Ministry for 
investigation and prosecution.
The Constitutional Court, in its judgment on Monday, overturned the 
verdict and annulled the final days of the trial—sending the trial back 
to where it was on April 19. (On April 19, the tribunal had heard all 
prosecution witnesses, but still awaited the presentation of some of the defense witnesses, closing
arguments and, of course, the final verdict 
and sentence.) The Constitutional Court also ordered the official 
suspension of the trial pending the full resolution of certain legal 
challenges raised by the defense.

Ava Wynne: The Bob Dylan Songbook

My friend Ava Wynne will present an evening of songs from what she calls the
"Bob Dylan Songbook".  Come and hear tunes you may have not really taken in,
songs like "Nettie Moore", "I Don't Believe You", and "Spanish Harlem
Incident", and more, sung by a wonderful singer with a beautiful voice but
importantly,  an intelligent ear and talent for thoughtful, playful, and
dramatic interpretations. Catch her at the M Bar in Hollywood, 1253 Vine St,
next  Wednesday, May 29th, 8 o'clock show. I've attached her flyer for all
the information. 

-Ed

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Fwd: The 1983 War Scare: A "Rather Stunning Array of Indicators" of the Soviet Reaction to Able Archer 83

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Suzanne de Kuyper <suzannedk <at> gmail.com>
Date: Wed, May 22, 2013 at 9:08 PM
Subject: Fwd: The 1983 War Scare: A "Rather Stunning Array of Indicators"
of the Soviet Reaction to Able Archer 83
To: a-list <a-list <at> greenhouse.economics.utah.edu>

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: National Security Archive <archive <at> gwu.edu>
Date: Wed, May 22, 2013 at 8:57 PM
Subject: The 1983 War Scare: A "Rather Stunning Array of Indicators" of the
Soviet Reaction to Able Archer 83
To: NSARCHIVE <at> hermes.gwu.edu

The 1983 War Scare: "The Last Paroxysm" of the Cold War

Part III: "Rather Stunning Array of Indicators" of the Soviet Reaction to
Able Archer 83 had "A Dimension of Genuineness ... Often Not Reflected in
Intelligence Issuances."

National Security Archive Electronic Briefing Book No. 428

PART 3 OF 3 POSTINGS
Posted -- May 22, 2013

Edited by Nate Jones
Assisted by Lauren Harper

For more information contact:
Nate Jones 202/994-7000 or foiadesk <at> gwu.edu

San Onofre at the No Nukes Brink

San Onofre at the No Nukes Brink
  
In January, it seemed the restart of San Onofre Unit 2 would be a corporate cake walk. 
With its massive money and clout, Southern California Edison
was ready to ram through a license exception for a reactor whose botched
 $770 million steam generator fix had kept it shut for a year. 
But a funny thing has happened on the way to the restart:  a No Nukes 
groundswell has turned this routine rubber stamping into an epic battle 
the grassroots just might win. 
Indeed, if ever there was a time when individual activism could have a magnified impact, this is it (see
www.sanonofresafety.org and www.a4nr.org). 
This comes as the nuclear industry is in nearly full retreat.  Two US 
reactors are already down this year.  Yet another proposed project has 
just been cancelled in North Carolina.  And powerful grassroots 
campaigns have pushed numerous operating reactors to the brink of 
extinction throughout the US, Europe and Japan, where all but two 
reactors remain shut since Fukushima. 
In California, it's San Onofre that's perched at the brink.  
By all accounts Southern California Edison should have the clout to 
restart it with ease.   The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has been a 
notorious rubber stamp for decades.  The California Public Utilities 
Commission, which decides how much the utilities can gouge from the 
ratepayers, has long been in Edison's pocket.  State water quality 
regulations could force Edison to build cooling towers, a very expensive proposition that would likely
lead to a quick retirement.  But Gov. 
Jerry Brown has been deafeningly silent on the issue. 
But San Onofre sits in an earthquake/tsunami zone halfway between Los 
Angeles and San Diego.  At least 8 million people live within a 50 mile 
radius, many millions more within 100. The reactors are a stone's throw 
from both a major interstate and the high tide line, with a 14-foot 

Corporate Hunger for Profits Has Devastated American Life -- and the World Along with It

From: earthactionnetwork <at> earthlink.net 

<http://www.alternet.org/print/economy/4-big-ways-insatiable-
corporate-hunger-profits-has-devastated-american-life-and- world-along>

The 4 Big Ways That Insatiable Corporate Hunger for Profits Has Devastated
American Life -- and the World Along with It

By Paul Buchheit

Alternate: May 19, 2013    

The damage caused by the relentless corporate drive for profits has become
more clear in recent years. In the most important areas of American life,
devastating changes have occurred:

Health Care [3]: Almost half of the working-age adults in America passed up
doctor visits or other medical services because they couldn't afford to pay.
The system hasn't supported kids, either. A UNICEF study [4] places the U.S.
26th out of 29 OECD countries in the overall well-being of its children.

Education [5]: Student loan balances increased by 75% between 2007 and 2012.

Household Wealth [6]: Median wealth fell by 66% among Hispanic households
and 53% among black households between 2005 and 2009, mainly because of the
mortgage banking collapse. Almost half of Americans have ZERO [7]wealth,
with their assets surpassed by debt.

Water and Food [8]: Life-giving seeds and drinking water have been
increasingly treated as products to be bought and sold.