I'M RUNNING FOR STATE SENATE!

It's official! Click here for my official campaign website.

Kevin Gosztola on The Alyona Show about Wikileaks and Stratfor

Wikileaks is at it again, with their latest dump called "The Global Intelligence Files". They began publishing some of what they claim to be more than 5 million emails, dated between July 2004 to December 2011 from Stratfor, the Texas headquartered "global intelligence" company that some have described as a privatized CIA. So what can we gather so far from the emails? FDL's Kevin Gosztola discusses.

Thom Hartmann: Jill Stein For President!

Dr. Jill Stein, Green Party Candidate for President 2012 joins Thom Hartmann. Our nation needs a bold new plan for the future - but Republicans and Democrats can't seem to make one. Is anyone willing to create an FDR style new green deal - and if so - what would it entail?

Thousands Call Upon Congress to Include 'Political Intelligence' Provision in STOCK Act

Public Citizen Delivers Petition Signed by 46,000 People to Reid, Boehner

WASHINGTON, D.C. - More than 46,000 people called on Congress in a petition delivered today to reinstate the transparency requirement for political intelligence activities in the "Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge" (STOCK) Act, and to send a strong STOCK Act to President Barack Obama for his signature. Public Citizen delivered the petition today to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio).

Political intelligence is a lucrative and shadowy industry, with some 2,000 lobbyists and Wall Street operatives raking in anywhere up to $400 million in business annually. The political intelligence provision of the STOCK Act would not ban mining public information from congressional sources for investment purposes, but its disclosure requirements would facilitate enforcement against illegal trading on non-public information.

"When Wall Street learned of this provision, it mounted a full-scale lobbying campaign to strip it from the bill," said Craig Holman, government affairs lobbyist with Public Citizen. "House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, long indebted to Wall Street for campaign cash, did exactly that."

The Senate on Feb. 2 approved a comprehensive STOCK Act, complete with the critical political intelligence transparency provision. The House was on track to do the same, until Cantor intervened and substituted a watered-down version. Cantor introduced his substitute measure under rules that prohibited amendments, forcing the House to accept his weakened bill or none at all. The different Senate and House versions now must be reconciled.

"President Obama is waiting to sign a strong STOCK Act, complete with a disclosure requirement for the political intelligence industry," said Lisa Gilbert, deputy director of Public Citizen's Congress Watch division. "The public expects and deserves no less."

The petition is available at: http://action.citizen.org/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=9494. Pictures of the petition delivery are available at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/publiccitizen/sets/72157629104184116/.

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Public Citizen is a national, nonprofit consumer advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C. For more information, please visit www.citizen.org.

Wikileaks Press Conference: The Yes Men, Julian Assange, and others

Private Corporations are spying on activists.

Video streaming by Ustream

Ralph Nader on Third Parties vs Least Worsts

As part of a discussion during the annual Nation Magazine Cruise Ralph Nader describes the peril if voters continue to vote for the least worst Presidential Candidate against third party candidates because they fear the best candidate won't win the election.

#f28 Stop the Supression of the Occupy Movement

Lee Camp on Countdown with Keith Olberman

Logic: An owners manual for your Brain.

A breif and crucial history of the United States Global Empire

Santorum Thinks Humans Should Be Allowed to Kill the Earth?

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

It Sucks To Be A Millenial

Open Letter to the 99%: Say #NoWarWithIran!

via Dennis Trainor Jr


This bullshit is happening again.

Indiana Appellate Court: Commenter on Newspaper Website May Have First Amendment Right to Anonymity

Case Was Closely Watched by Media Companies

WASHINGTON, D.C. - People who post comments on newspapers' websites may have the First Amendment right to remain anonymous, an Indiana appellate court ruled today.

As a result, the plaintiff who sued for defamation must produce evidence that a particular anonymous commenter's post on The Indianapolis Star's website was false, and the lower court must weigh whether the commenter's identity should be revealed, the appellate court said.

Public Citizen argued in December 2011 in support of The Indianapolis Star, contending that to unmask the commenter, the court must notify the commenter, prove that the comment was false and balance the commenter's First Amendment right of anonymous free speech against the merits of a defamation claim. Public Citizen acted as amicus in the case.

"With this decision, Indiana joins the growing consensus in state and federal courts around the country that the Dendrite balancing test is the best way to reconcile the free speech rights of anonymous Internet speakers against the interest of plaintiffs who really have been wronged by online speech in pursuing genuine legal claims," said Paul Alan Levy, the Public Citizen attorney who argued the case. "Requiring proof and a showing of genuine need for the speaker's identity can help prevent powerful interests from discouraging criticism by the threat of baseless litigation."

The case began after a March 2010 story was published in The Indianapolis Star about whether Junior Achievement, a local charity organization, misappropriated grant money. An anonymous person - using the pseudonym "DownWithTheColts" - posted a comment on the newspaper website alleging that the organization's missing money could be found in the former president's bank account.

One of the organization's former presidents, Jeffrey Miller, filed a suit for defamation, among other claims, against Junior Achievement, the foundation whose grant was in question and their respective presidents, and the anonymous commenter. A lower court ordered the newspaper to reveal the identity of the commenter.

In December 2011, Public Citizen, along with two separate groups of media organizations and the Electronic Frontier Foundation, submitted amicus briefs urging the appellate court to consider the First Amendment right to speak anonymously before unmasking the commenter.

To read the amicus brief and the appellate court ruling, visit http://www.citizen.org/litigation/forms/cases/getlinkforcase.cfm?cID=675.


Public Citizen is a national, nonprofit consumer advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C. For more information, please visit www.citizen.org.

#F27: Occupy the Food Supply: GLOBAL DAY OF ACTION

On Monday, February 27th, 2012, OWS Food Justice, OWS Sustainability, Oakland Food Justice & the worldwide Occupy Movement invite you to join the Global Day of Action to Occupy the Food Supply. We challenge the corporate food regime that has prioritized profit over health and sustainability. We seek to create healthy local food systems. We stand in Solidarity with Indigenous communities, and communities around the world, that are struggling with hunger, exploitation, and unfair labor practices.

On this day, in New York City, community gardeners, activists, labor unions, farmers, food workers, and citizens of the NYC metro area, will gather at Zuccotti Park at noon, for a Seed Exchange, to raise awareness about the corporate control of our food system and celebrate the local food communities in the metro area.

At 2pm, this event will take to the streets, to educate the public about the effects of GMOs on our health and environment, with GMO labels and GMO buying guides. Also at 2pm, the Seed Ball Bike Ride will depart, launching seed balls to remediate soil & green NYC en route to the La Plaza Community Garden, where Lower East Side Community Garden Tours will commence at 3pm.

Join us throughout the day in this community celebration, and help us realize our shared healthy food future together!!

CREATE: Local, Just, Fair Solutions
RESIST: Corporate Control of our Food Supply

The NYC Events ...
Noon - Symbolic presence at Stock Exchange
Noon - Seed Exchange at the "Stock Exchange" (location: Zuccotti Park)
2pm - GMO labeling (leave from Zuccotti Park)
2pm - Seed Ball Bike Ride (leave from Zuccotti Park)
3pm - LES Community Gardens Tours - (meetup location La Plaza Community Garden)

NYCGA Event: http://www.nycga.net/events/event/f27-global-day-of-action-to-occupy-our-food-supply/
National Event - Facebook page Link: https://www.facebook.com/events/311358372241948/
Seed Ball Bike Ride - Facebook page Link: https://www.facebook.com/events/182636558511497/


In Solidarity,
OWS Food Justice