Yet another trusting soul who’s had the Rude Awakening….

MCM

FROM THE DESK OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

March 25, 2010

I cannot believe that I am writing you this letter…

The international ban on commercial whaling, which Greenpeace fought tirelessly to pass in the 1980ís, is now in critical danger of being overturned.

A proposal has been put forth at the International Whaling Commission (IWC) that would not only reinstate commercial whaling around the world, it would legitimize Japan’s “scientific” slaughter in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary. Nearly 25 years of protection for the whales could be tossed out the window if this proposal passes at the next IWC meeting in June 2010.

Shockingly, the Obama administrationís representatives at the IWC actually support the deal to reinstate commercial whaling and are urging other nations to do the same. The delegates say that their directive comes directly from President Obama himself.

In light of this unexpected and deeply disturbing news, Greenpeace is gearing up for one of the biggest battles that the war against whaling has ever seen. This is an “all hands on deck” moment, to say the very least.

Never did I imagine that we would be defending the whales from President Obama – a man who inspired so much hope in our hearts for a green and peaceful future; a man who promised Greenpeace he would help strengthen the commercial whaling moratorium.

During the presidential race, then-Senator Obama gave this response to a Greenpeace questionnaire dated March 16, 2008: “As president, I will ensure that the U.S. provides leadership in enforcing international wildlife protection agreements, including strengthening the international moratorium on commercial whaling. Allowing Japan to continue commercial whaling is unacceptable.”

If President Obama is serious about his commitment to protecting the whales, he must make sure that his delegation at the IWC opposes any deal that would reinstate commercial whaling. Instead, the U.S. should support a proposal recently made by Australia, which would leave the moratorium intact and finally put an end to Japan’s bogus “scientific” slaughter in the Southern Ocean.

Greenpeace paid with our blood, sweat, and tears for the commercial whaling moratorium. We will not sit idly by and allow the Obama administration to overturn decades of hard work with one clumsy pen stroke. Please CLICK HERE to send a petition to the President and let him know you feel.

I look forward to this opportunity to work directly with you, our Partners in Action, and I encourage you to contact the Partners in Action team at 202.319.2426 if you have any questions or concerns.

For the Whales,

Philip D. Radford
Executive Director

From Ken Anderson, who draws the right conclusion from this sorry episode:

Mark,

It’s amazing to me that these insurance companies simply keep on with
business as usual — or worse than usual — as though nothing is in the
air. I guess that is confidence borne of already knowing that you have
cut some sweet deals with Obama, so nothing to worry about. I have to
wonder how long this pre-existing condition ban will stay in place, or
whether it is as strong as it needs to be.

Ken

Newborn With Heart Defect Is Denied Insurance Coverage
Posted Thursday, Mar. 25, 2010
BY JAN JARVIS

At birth, Houston Tracy let out a single loud cry before his father cut the cord and handed him to a nurse.

Instantly, Doug Tracy knew something was wrong with his son.

“He wasn’t turning pink fast enough,” Tracy said. “When they listened to his chest, they realized he had an issue.”

That turned out to be d-transposition of the great arteries, a defect in which the two major vessels that carry blood away from the heart are reversed. The condition causes babies to turn blue.

Read more.

FBI: NY congressman gets “threatening” letter

(Reuters) – The office of Representative Anthony Weiner received a letter that “could be interpreted as threatening,” the FBI said on Thursday, and local media reported the letter contained an unidentified white powder.

Authorities were responding to the office of the Democratic Congressman in the New York City borough of Queens, and no other details were immediately available, said FBI spokesman Richard Kolko.

The FBI said on Wednesday it was investigating threats made against House Democratic leaders during the weekend’s health-care reform voting. Weiner voted in favor of the legislation.

Read more.

Jury convicts all 8 defendants in Clay County vote-buying case
By Bill Estep

FRANKFORT – Some of the most powerful politicians in Clay County corrupted the election process in
recent years, buying and stealing votes in pursuit of power and money, a federal jury ruled Thursday.

After deliberating for more than 9 hours over the past two days, the jury convicted all eight people on trial, including former Circuit Judge R. Cletus Maricle and former school Superintendent Douglas C. Adams, on a racketeering conspiracy charge. That charge was that they used the county election board as a tool to rig elections, appointing corrupt precinct officers to help with vote-buying.

The jury convicted several of the defendants on other charges as well, including mail fraud, extortion and laundering money that was used to buy votes.

Read more.

I like that word “create,” which is unfortunately accurate. The “paper trail” on those
ES&S machines offers no assurance whatsoever that all votes have been counted
honestly, or at all.

MCM

What’s the Best of D.C.?: Loose Lips Dail

Board of Elections and Ethics awards contract to replace the city’s current electronic voting
machines with new machines that create a ‘paper trail.’ Paper-ballot scanners are also being
replaced. The new equipment, paid for with federal HAVA money, is made by Nebraska-
based Election Systems & Software.

Read more.

Doctors Warn:
Avoid Genetically Modified Food
Posted by Dr. Mercola | March 25 2010 | 15,432 views
By Jeffrey M. Smith

Read the article.

The Right’s Conspiracy Theory Attack on
Frances Fox Piven
by Peter Dreier

Sociologist Frances Fox Piven often gets requests from students who want to interview her about her political theories and activism. So when Kyle Olson phoned her in January, told her he was a college student in Michigan, and asked if he could videotape an interview with her about her recent book Challenging Authority: How Ordinary People Change America [1], Piven agreed.

Read more.

From Brad Friedman:

Republican Terrorism Rising, Reports Maddow

Assassination threat issued; Windows smashed at Democratic Congressional offices in five states, so far
Since report, direct threat apparently acted upon against VA Rep…

Read more.

“But there is also cause for serious concern. Never before has the government
mandated that its citizens pay directly to private corporations almost as much as
they do in federal taxes, especially when those corporations have been granted
unregulated monopolies.”

FireDogLake Statement on the Passage of the
Health Care Bill
by Jane Hamsher

The country turned an important corner last night when
Congress affirmed the moral imperative of providing
quality health care to more Americans and passed the
President’s sweeping health insurance reform bill. It
is to President Obama’s credit that he was willing to
commit his office to such a challenge when others
before him had failed.

Read more.