Ecuador declares state of emergency amid ‘coup attempt’
BBC – British Broadcasting Corporation
30 September 2010 Last updated at 15:27 ET
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-11447519

Live coverage from Ecuador on Telesur
http://www.telesurtv.net/noticias/canal/senalenvivo.php

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Obama Administration Should Oppose Any Attempted Coup in Ecuador: CEPR Co-Director
Center for Economic and Policy Research
For Immediate Release: September 30, 2010
Contact: Dan Beeton, 202-239-1460
http://www.cepr.net/index.php/press-releases/press-releases/obama-should-oppose-attempted-coup-in-ecuador

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Military Coup in the Making in Ecuador
http://warisacrime.org/content/military-coup-making-ecuador

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URGENT: COUP UNDERWAY IN ECUADOR
Coup Attempt in Ecuador
2pm EST
By Eva Golinger
Twitter updates @evagolinger
September 30, 2010 — 2pm EST
http://www.chavezcode.com/2010/09/urgent-coup-underway-in-ecuador.html

And yet that seafood’s safe to eat!

MCM

Researchers Found 40-Fold Increase In Carcinogenic Compounds In Gulf
by Dan Froomkin

Researchers testing the waters off Louisiana in June found hugely elevated levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs, some of which are known carcinogens.

The researchers from Oregon State University say that a device taking samples just off the shore of Louisiana’s Grande Isle registered a 40-fold increase in PAHs between May and June.

Read more.

“Underground” Group of Cadets Say Air Force Academy Controlled by Evangelicals
Thursday 30 September 2010

An anonymous cadet at the US Air Force Academy (USAFA ) spoke out against alleged religious discrimination at the school last week, saying that some cadets must pretend to be evangelical Christians in order to maintain standing among their peers and superiors. In an email to the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF), the whistleblower stated that he is part of an “underground group” of about 100 cadets who cannot rely on proper channels to confront evangelical pressure.

The email, published by Veterans Today, applauds the MRFF from the “underground” and indicates that the academy is “literally overrun with Christian conservative fanatics.”

Read more.

More Information Sought on Cell Phone Industry Influence on FCC

In an article in the current edition of OMB Watch’s Watcher, we discuss serious concerns about the extent of the wireless communications industry’s influence over regulators. Following San Francisco’s move to inform the public about potentially dangerous exposures to cell phone radiation, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) – the agency in charge of regulating cell phone radiation levels – changed its website. The FCC deleted a suggestion to consumers to seek phones with lower radiation levels (known as SAR values), and added a lot of industry-speak downplaying the legitimate concerns raised by public interest groups. Now the Environmental Working Group (EWG) is demanding to know why the FCC made the changes and what role the wireless trade association might have played.

Read more.

Mark,

D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee keeps getting play on major national television shows (Larry King Live Tuesday night, Meet the Press this weekend, Oprah last week), yet nobody is bringing up the fact that she has done real damage to D.C. public schools by shifting resources away from the schools in need to the already high-achieving schools.

I interviewed Rhee Friday, September 10th at Union Station and I’d love for folks to hear the interview and her exchange with award-winning DCPS teacher Chris Bergfalk. After interviewing Rhee, I asked Chris, who is a candidate for president of the Washington Teachers’ Union, for his response to Rhee’s comments.

http://thefightback.org/2010/09/michelle-rhee-unedited-and-unapologetic-2/

Pete

Big Pharma Scores Big Win:
Medicinal Herbs Will Disappear in EU
It’s almost a done deal. We are about to see herbal preparations disappear, and the ability of herbalists to prescribe them will also be lost.

by Heidi Stevenson

Big Pharma has almost reached the finish line of its decades-long battle to wipe out all competition. As of 1 April 2011-less than eight months from now-virtually all medicinal herbs will become illegal in the European Union. The approach in the United States is a bit different, but it’s having the same devastating effect. The people have become nothing more than sinks for whatever swill Big Pharma and Agribusiness choose to send our way, and we have no option but to pay whatever rates they want.

Read more.

From: moveon-help@list.moveon.org
Sent: 9/29/2010 11:34:26 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time
Subj: Russ Feingold's in trouble

The latest polls show that Sen. Russ Feingold is in serious danger of losing in November-and we simply can’t afford to let that happen. We’re aiming to raise $300,000 for his campaign before tomorrow’s fundraising deadline. Can you chip in $15?

Contribute

Dear MoveOn member,

Red alert: The latest polls show that Senator Russ Feingold could lose in November. They all have him down by at least 6 points against a tea party Republican who actually thinks climate change is caused by sunspots.1

There’s no better, more principled Democrat in Washington than Sen. Feingold: The only senator to vote against the Patriot Act. A steadfast opponent of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. And a passionate crusader against corporate influence in politics.

But since those very corporate interests have already spent $650,000 trying to defeat him, he’s now facing the fight of his political life.2 Because keeping Sen. Feingold’s voice in the Senate is so important, this race has become our top national priority.

Sen. Feingold’s campaign is up against a critical fundraising deadline that expires tomorrow. Right now he urgently needs the resources to expand his grassroots campaign, reach out to more voters and get his message out in Wisconsin. We’re aiming to raise $300,000 for Sen. Feingold’s campaign before the deadline. Can you chip in $15?

https://pol.moveon.org/give/heroes1.html?aa=15&id=23740-7696054-7u9e4tx&t=3

Tomorrow’s critical fundaising deadline will send a message to the pundits and election watchers. If progressive champs like Sen. Feingold show a surge of grassroots support, it will signal that progressives who stand up against corporate lobbyists and right-wing extremism can win big this year.

And Sen. Feingold isn’t the only progressive hero who is facing a tough battle right now.

Rep. Alan Grayson is in a really close race against right-wing Republican Dan Webster. Grayson has been an outspoken and bold advocate on issue after issue-from reining in Wall Street to health care reform-and he is running a tight race against an anti-choice Republican who even thinks divorce should be illegal in some cases.3

And polls are just as tight for progressive hero Tom Perriello. Rep. Perriello’s opponent is campaigning to repeal health care reform and make the Bush tax cuts for the rich permanent.4

If these champs can get enough resources by the deadline, they can get their message on the air, recruit more volunteers, reach out to more voters, and go into the final stretch of this election with a strong hand.

Can you chip in $15 to support Sen. Feingold and other key progressive heroes in tight races before the deadline?

https://pol.moveon.org/give/heroes1.html?aa=15&id=23740-7696054-7u9e4tx&t=4

Thanks for all you do.

-Michael, Joan, Anna, Jeff, and the rest of the team

Sources:

1. “2010 Wisconsin Senate General Election: Ron Johnson (R) vs Sen. Russ Feingold (D),” Pollster.com, accessed September 23, 2010

http://www.pollster.com/polls/wi/10-wi-gov-ge-jvf.php

“Sunspots are behind climate change, Johnson says,” Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, August 16, 2010

http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/100814454.html

2. “Campaign Cash: Who’s spending where in 2010, Wisconsin Senate race,” The Washington Post, accessed September 23, 2010

http://www.moveon.org/r?r=90359&id=23740-7696054-7u9e4tx&t=5

3. Daniel Webster for Congress, “Issues”
http://www.electwebster.com/issues

“Grayson TV ad compares Webster to Taliban,” Orlando Sentinel, September 26, 2010
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=91186&id=23740-7696054-7u9e4tx&t=6

4.”Va. 5th district congressional GOP candidate Robert Hurt stumps in 6th district,” Washington Examiner, September 22, 2010
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=91187&id=23740-7696054-7u9e4tx&t=7

Austerity Whips Up Anger, Protests Mount in Europe
Agence France Presse via Common Dreams
September 28, 2010

BRUSSELS – Painful cuts by overspending EU countries come head to a head with mounting social anger on Wednesday when labour leaders call angry workers onto streets right across the continent.

Read more.

Here is a new poll confirming that the Tea-baggers are, to put it mildly, out of step with the American majority. Why, then, does “the liberal media” keep treating them as fully representative of We the People?

MCM

Extremist ‘Tea Party’ Views, MSM Both Out of Touch
With Mainstream America
By Brad Friedman

The political positions of those describing themselves as sympathetic to the “Tea Party” represent a vast
minority view, far outside of the mainstream positions represented by 2008 voters, according to a new poll commissioned by Project Vote: http://projectvote.org/voter-poll-results.html.

The study finds self-described “Tea Partiers”, and their political concerns, are far outweighed by the views
of everyone else, despite the absurdly out-of-proportion coverage granted to them by the corporate mainstream media.

Read more.