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{Well, I just found out about this last night, and like I said, there's so much going on that these extraordinary measures are just getting lost in the shuffle. But in Michigan, there is a bill that's already passed the House. It's on the verge of passing the Senate. And I'll just read you some excerpts from it. It says that in the case of an economic crisis, that the governor has the authority to authorize the emergency manager--this is somebody who would be appointed--to reject, modify or terminate the terms of an existing contract or collective bargaining agreement, authorize the emergency manager for a municipal government--OK, so we're not--we're talking about towns, municipalities across the state--to disincorporate. So, an appointed official with the ability to dissolve an elected body, when they want to.}
More....{A municipal government. And it says specifically, "or dissolve the municipal government." So we've seen this happening with school boards, saying, "OK, this is a failing school board. We're taking over. We're dissolving it. We're canceling the contracts." You know, what this reminds me of is New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, when the teachers were fired en masse and then it became a laboratory for charter schools. You know, people in New Orleans--and you know this, Amy--warned us. They said, "What's happening to us is going to happen to you." And I included in the book a quote saying, "Every city has their Lower Ninth Ward." And what we're seeing with the pretext of the flood is going to be used with the pretext of an economic crisis. And this is precisely what's happening. So it starts with the school boards, and then it's whole towns, whole cities, that could be subject to just being dissolved because there's an economic crisis breaking collective bargaining agreements. It also specifies that--this bill specifies that an emergency manager can be an individual or a firm. Or a firm. So, the person who would be put in charge of this so-called failing town or municipality could actually be a corporation.}
So let me see if I understand... the Gov will be able to give a no bid contract to the Koch brothers Corp, the Koch's Corp will be in a position to define 'economic emergency' and disband what? The elected govt of a town/municipality or just all of the boards? Are they just targeting school boards or are the entitled to wipe out environmental/water/utility boards? The legislation already gave the Gov the ability to award no bid contracts on utilities.
So what... now there is dissatisfaction with an oligarchy and we are now going to have dictatorships?
Are the Repubs actually giving a whole state to one corp? Parent
Great exchange on Democracy Now with Amy Goodman and Naomi (Shock Doctrine) Klein ;
Transcript here http://www.democracynow.org/2011/3/9/naomi_klein_on_anti_union_bills
NAOMI KLEIN: Well, I just found out about this last night, and like I said, there's so much going on that these extraordinary measures are just getting lost in the shuffle. But in Michigan, there is a bill that's already passed the House. It's on the verge of passing the Senate. And I'll just read you some excerpts from it. It says that in the case of an economic crisis, that the governor has the authority to authorize the emergency manager--this is somebody who would be appointed--to reject, modify or terminate the terms of an existing contract or collective bargaining agreement, authorize the emergency manager for a municipal government--OK, so we're not--we're talking about towns, municipalities across the state--to disincorporate. So, an appointed official with the ability to dissolve an elected body, when they want to. AMY GOODMAN: A municipal government. NAOMI KLEIN: A municipal government. And it says specifically, "or dissolve the municipal government." So we've seen this happening with school boards, saying, "OK, this is a failing school board. We're taking over. We're dissolving it. We're canceling the contracts." You know, what this reminds me of is New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, when the teachers were fired en masse and then it became a laboratory for charter schools. You know, people in New Orleans--and you know this, Amy--warned us. They said, "What's happening to us is going to happen to you." And I included in the book a quote saying, "Every city has their Lower Ninth Ward." And what we're seeing with the pretext of the flood is going to be used with the pretext of an economic crisis. And this is precisely what's happening. So it starts with the school boards, and then it's whole towns, whole cities, that could be subject to just being dissolved because there's an economic crisis breaking collective bargaining agreements. It also specifies that--this bill specifies that an emergency manager can be an individual or a firm. Or a firm. So, the person who would be put in charge of this so-called failing town or municipality could actually be a corporation. AMY GOODMAN: Whose government they dissolve, a company takes over. NAOMI KLEIN: A company takes over. So, they have created, if this passes, the possibility for privatization of a whole town by fiat. And this is actually a trend in the contracting out of public services, where you do now have whole towns, like Sandy Springs in Georgia, run by private companies. It's very lucrative. Why not? You start with just the water contract or the electricity contract, but eventually, why not privatize the whole town? So-- AMY GOODMAN: And what happens then? Where does democracy fit into that picture? NAOMI KLEIN: Well, this is an assault on democracy. It's a frontal assault on democracy. It's a kind of a corporate coup d'état at the municipal level. Parent
No unions to fund Dems and now Repub govs can hand their states over to a conservative to exploit and then abandon. You couldn't have written a better conspiracy. Priceless.
The guess the most stunning thing to me is that the people have not shut down their govt buildings. If they aren't willing to shut down this vote.. eh, oh well. Hopefully the Kochs have enough kids and grandkids to name the newly formed territories after. Parent
Along with a no-fly zone, another step would be use American military aircraft to jam state t.v. and radio propaganda and military communications, which the general feels would be "dead easy." Bad choice of words, but I again digress.
Kristof seems to be persuaded by the general's line of thinking in that if Obama's administration has exaggerated the risks, it has downplayed the risks of continued passivity. Moreover, he was "chilled" by a conversation he had with a Libyan friend who has been candid in the past, but in his latest conversation sounded as if it was being monitored for he was praising Qaddafi to the skies. Kristof could not tell whether the guy really believed that or had a gun to his head. Either way, the new tone was to Kristof, an indication that the government had the upper hand. To me, it also gave a reminder that our supporter, egging us on one day, may not welcome our presence the next. But I digress, once again.
So what to do? The president may be ready to undertake such a no-fly zone, but my guess is that he will do so only with a coalition--maybe like the 90 nations put together by Daddy Bush for Desert Storm with the idea that that will shield us from Middle East criticism. But we know, Osama freaked out over the presence of US troops on Saudi soil as a part of that war with continuing and catastrophic consequences.
A tough call, but maybe we can take a leaf from Reagan, the president who changed our trajectory, and support a "contra" program--supplying and supporting, but not being overtly and actively engaged using US military in another war in Arab lands.
But waiting for three weeks, after so many have been harmed and killed, was not a good strategy. I hope he shows some smarts and leadership on Libya from here on out. Parent
A number of people with whom I have talked feel, at this point, that our pace is about right in terms of the info available to the general public. It is assuring to have a leader in foreign policy who does not pull the "Bring 'em on " routine. And, so far, we are VERY ADROITLY threading our way through the minefields that have been laid throughout the Middle East for the past 50 to 60 years. Parent
Look, I understand your frustration. We all feel either the "what can we do" or "something should be done" or "?" My opening statement about the international channel that France has now created was meant to express a degree of optimism...not to pick a fight or whatever. And, yes, I do have justifiable confidence that this President's methodical & considered approach tends to be a far sight better than other "leaders" who would pop off at the mouth on foreign affairs and/or take impulsive, counterproductive measures without much thought.
For the record, I do not mean to imply that I am privy to any back channels of diplomacy here or elsewhere...only that each theatre has evidenced such diplomatic interaction. Parent
I mean, if we are going to get involved, is there anyone who doesn't know it's going to come with an actual price tag?
And no, I don't want another war, christine, just to anticipate your question. But I don't know that getting in line behind Britain and France means we've avoided that possiblity, only that, when it comes to promoting democracy and doing what we can to give the rebels a fighting chance, we talk a much bigger game than we're willing to walk. Parent
As I mentioned in replying to shoephone: The many years of minefields aren't resolved by magic wand; they do take awhile to de-commission. So far, in the Middle East, many international reporters are pleasantly surprised at the acuity the US has shown. Between Obama & Clinton, I really do think--no bs on my part for this one--that the turnaround from the acrimonious attitude toward the US in the MidEast has been incredibly speedy. (In many ways, if the US response in the many MidEastern crises of the past months continue to be so finely tuned, this may turn out to be the strongest suit for the Administration. While I don't have a standard for measurement there, I do know this: The line is narrow between overstepping one's position and understepping in response to the upheaval there today. Noone else has gotten it right, heretofore. So far, so good.) Parent
And I'm also not saying that I don't think there aren't diplomatic efforts going on.
I guess what I am saying is that it seems like there's a possiblity that what was a narrow window to move Gaddafi out may be closing, and the tipping point that once looked like it favored the rebels may be moving back the other way.
In the meantime, there is so much death; it's hard to feel like we are standing on the sidelines watching, even if there are things going on in the background that we can't see. Parent
I wonder, tho, how wide the window was really open. Gaddafi has the $$ and the mercenaries. Also: Tripoli, and Libya in toto, has a history of unfulfilled upheaval. My thinking is that Gaddafi (or Ghadafi or Qaddafi--I still don't know how to spell his name after all these years) has been seriously weakened; and that it is only a matter of time. It just won't be as quickly as we would like. IMO, this is one of those situations where we are best positioned if we work closely with the UN and other directly involved nations--such as oil dependent France & Britain.
I do share your sadness about the pain for all those fighting so hard to break free. Parent
Jobless claims rose last week
It's better news, but in no way is the economy improving enough that real people will see any effects.
Julie Taymor, the Tony Award winning director of "The Lion King," will no longer direct Broadway's troubled "Spider-Man" musical as producers announced a new creative team and postponed the show's official opening to summer. Taymor, who also co-wrote the book for "Spider Man: Turn Off the Dark," will remain a part of the new team, lead producers Michael Cohl and Jeremiah J. Harris said Wednesday, in announcing an unprecedented sixth delay for the musical.
Julie Taymor, the Tony Award winning director of "The Lion King," will no longer direct Broadway's troubled "Spider-Man" musical as producers announced a new creative team and postponed the show's official opening to summer.
Taymor, who also co-wrote the book for "Spider Man: Turn Off the Dark," will remain a part of the new team, lead producers Michael Cohl and Jeremiah J. Harris said Wednesday, in announcing an unprecedented sixth delay for the musical.
Click or SF Me
Hope Lavin's team pulls it out and goes on a run for you.
Peace out, my man. Parent
Too bad for SDS certain honor code violations at BYU didn't come to light a couple weeks sooner:) Hope to see ya deep in the big dance!
Ru-roh...Johnnies down one...c'mon Seniors! You've never beaten this team! You don't wanna go out like that! Parent
Helluva season, helluva effort...onto the NCAAs to make some noise. Parent
All of a sudden, there's a lot of speculation that Sarah Palin's political future runs through Arizona, the home state of her 2008 presidential running mate John McCain and where her daughter Bristol Palin recently bought a house. On Tuesday, state Rep. Steve Farley, D-Tucson, forwarded a rumor that Palin was contemplating coming to Arizona to run for retiring Republican U.S. Sen. Jon Kyl's open seat in 2012.
On Tuesday, state Rep. Steve Farley, D-Tucson, forwarded a rumor that Palin was contemplating coming to Arizona to run for retiring Republican U.S. Sen. Jon Kyl's open seat in 2012.
She's just another fraud - no more electable than Rudy or Trump.
Hundreds of local and federal police officers who fanned out across Baltimore at dawn yesterday, hauling suspects out of homes and off the streets, announced at days' end they had shut down one of the city's major sources of illicit drugs and violence. In all, they charged 63 suspects with federal and state drug conspiracy charges -- among them actress Felicia "Snoop" Pearson, whose arrest on heroin-related and aiding and abetting charges echoed the street lifestyle she portrayed as a character in HBO's series "The Wire" and sought to overcome in her personal life. [snip] The arrests were the culmination of an intensive five-month investigation by the DEA and Baltimore police, acting on intelligence that started flowing in about the Latrobe Homes-based organization in 2008, authorities said at an afternoon press conference. A federal indictment against 15 of the individuals alleges ties to New York and California, and that members of the conspiracy "would engage in acts of violence against members of the conspiracy who failed to perform required tasks," though officials declined to elaborate on what they called one of the largest cases to be brought in the city. [snip] The DEA invited two reporters to accompany officers carrying out raids on warrants issued at the state level. About 450 officers from various law enforcement agencies met up before 4:30 a.m. at the Baltimore Ravens' downtown stadium, gathering in groups of eight to 10 officers before heading out to execute search warrants in a persistent rain.
In all, they charged 63 suspects with federal and state drug conspiracy charges -- among them actress Felicia "Snoop" Pearson, whose arrest on heroin-related and aiding and abetting charges echoed the street lifestyle she portrayed as a character in HBO's series "The Wire" and sought to overcome in her personal life.
[snip]
The arrests were the culmination of an intensive five-month investigation by the DEA and Baltimore police, acting on intelligence that started flowing in about the Latrobe Homes-based organization in 2008, authorities said at an afternoon press conference.
A federal indictment against 15 of the individuals alleges ties to New York and California, and that members of the conspiracy "would engage in acts of violence against members of the conspiracy who failed to perform required tasks," though officials declined to elaborate on what they called one of the largest cases to be brought in the city.
The DEA invited two reporters to accompany officers carrying out raids on warrants issued at the state level. About 450 officers from various law enforcement agencies met up before 4:30 a.m. at the Baltimore Ravens' downtown stadium, gathering in groups of eight to 10 officers before heading out to execute search warrants in a persistent rain.
Just another day in Baltimore...
DEADWOOD FTW! Parent
OK, my gut reaction is that what makes 'The Wire' better is just the presence of more great characters, and dang, my memory for names is so bad, like the older black survellience cop that carves furniture that they pulled in off a desk job, and, of course Omar. and Kima.
Much as I loved Deadwood, I think there were just fewer well drawn stories and characters. Parent
8.4?!
O.M.G.
The earthquake expert giving commentary on the local news says the Oregon coast will get hit with a tsunami from this quake in the next several hours. Hawaii is preparing to get hit by the tsunami around 3 AM Hawaii time.
The quake was centered approx. 60 miles off the east coast of Japan, about 240 miles NE of Tokyo. Parent
My local news has said the west coast seams to be safe (thank Dawg , but I did check my fresh water stash, 12 gallons). I may be removed from a fault line (yes, I checked that when moving back!), but, oh, yeah, I could be in tsunami land. Didn't think to check that one . . .
My heart goes out to all those in Japan. The images just freeze my brain the way the waters have swept through. Parent
I can't even imagine anything in a 8.+ quake area . . . . heh, our wave watch has just been posted for 8:08 AM. I'll prob sleep through it :) Parent