Good morning, today is Thursday, June 28, 2012. Today we wait, once again, to find out if the Supreme Court will do the same thing for healthcare that they did for the electoral system.

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This your Moment of Clarity #151: Everything we own seems to be obsolete or broken within a year. Why is that?

Sh*t be breakin'...

Via OccupyWallSt.:

The following speech was given by Justin Warren of Occupy The Stage. Justin is currently behind bars for making this speech on the steps of the Louisiana state capitol without purchasing a permit. See below for more information and find out how you can lend your support!

Ladies and Gentlemen, my fellow free peoples of the world. Our governing bodies in their current state have proven themselves ineffective within regards to the interests of the common man. The beautiful ideal that was Democracy has been perverted and totally replaced by the repugnant and relentless pursuit of the almighty dollar, Capitalism. For our entire lives we have been fed lies that lead us to assume such absurdities as the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer and there is simply nothing to be done about it. We are told our fates will be better off in the hands of soulless, faceless, and socially irresponsible corporations.

We're told cutting education and expanding our prison systems are the sure fire treatments of our social ills. The heart of Democracy now has more people in prison per capita than any other nation in the world. And we are told this is the land of the free.

Through the lobbying system, corporations have been able to not just influence, but completely hijack our government. We have been stripped of our liberties, we have been stripped of our property, we have been robbed of our freedom.

Continue reading »

Thom Hartmann responds to a caller's question about Supply Side Economics and why St. Ronnie's theories on what stimulates job growth are completely upside down. As Hartmann explained, the middle class spending is what drives the economy and when you lower taxes on the rich as Reagan did, all they do is gamble with it causing booms and busts, leave it to their kids or put it in offshore tax havens like Mitt Romney.

As Hartmann noted, all lowering taxes on the rich has led to is record income disparity and the richest in the country having their incomes increase 275 percent since Reagan's time, with the rest of us essentially gaining nothing or losing income.

Police arrested eighty-nine protesters after more than 6,500 people flooded Tel Aviv’s Habima Square Saturday night to protest the arrest of Daphni Leef, the leader of last summer’s mass protests against inequality and the high cost of housing in Israel.

Tel Aviv District Commander Aharon Eksel told Haaretz, “Protesters crossed the line. They set out to clash with the police.”

Police also say the protest was illegal, and that protesters attacked inspectors and police by spitting and throwing objects.

In rhetoric that should sound familiar to any American protester, demonstrator Khen Tsubery told the Jerusalem Post that the lack of a permit was intentional because permits are difficult to obtain.

Full story here.

MSF will be able to supply Sudanese refugees at one camp with two and a half liters of water per person per day, as of next week - about a sixth of the amount of water they need. The minimum amount of water that should be allocated in refugee emergencies is 15 liters per person per day, with seven liters as the minimum "survival allocation", according to the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees. Those refugees who fled the fighting in Sudan with little but the clothes on their backs need more humanitarian organizations to step up and provide assistance. In this slideshow, featuring audio from the BBC's "Focus on Africa," MSF international communications coordinator Erwin van 't Land describes the situation.

Wildfires in Colorado continue to rage. As of Wednesday morning, the 6,200-acre blaze had been only 5 percent contained, and 65 mph winds blew the fire through containment lines into northwest Colorado Springs on Tuesday. Officials say it is exhibiting “extreme fire behavior.” Roughly 32,000 residents have been evacuated from the area so far. Colorado Springs reached a record 101 degrees on Tuesday, and conditions are expected to be hot and dry until early next week. Gov. John Hickenlooper said, “It’s as serious as it gets,” while the Colorado Springs fire chief labeled it “a firestorm of epic proportions.”

Support Firefighters on the Frontline and Displaced Families of Colorado Springs

Wednesday, June 26th

Donations Accepted from 8:30-2:00 pm

Location: Walmart Parking Lot in Castle Rock...
Just east of I-25 off Front Street

What is Needed?

Individually Wrapped

Bottled Water
Gatorade or Similar Drinks
Cereal Bars
Power Bars
Trail Mix
Cookies
Candies

Blankets and Hand Sanitizer

Help support our neighbors to the south and those actively engaged
in supressing the blaze by donating much needed items.

All Donations will be delivered directly to Red Cross in Colorado Springs.

Other ways to help Firefighters and Families of the Waldo Canyon Fire: Bring Donations to Wal-mart in Castle Rock, to Volunteer contact 719-955-0742, to make a Cash Donation to the Red Cross contact Adriana Watson at 719-884-1047 or Pat Sisterson at 719-884-1047.

[Editor's note: This post has been edited to correct mention of an organizer who was mistakenly identified as a member of Occupy Denver. Apologies for the error.]

Spot 1 99% Get Money Out from sandrine on Vimeo.

The 99% Get Money Out campaign echoes two of the strongest messages emanating from the Occupy Movement: a vast majority of us know many things in this country need to change, and those changes can only happen once our elected leaders represent our needs. It’s time to get corporate money and interests out of politics.

The campaign features real people of all ages, professions and political ideologies who were asked to voice their concerns and discuss solutions to the nation’s most pressing issues: the economy, jobs, housing, education and preserving our constitutional rights. The campaign was developed by executive producer Mike Fleiss ("The Bachelor"), producer Anke Thommen (Outkast’s "Hey Ya") and director Sandrine Orabona (Michael Jackson’s "This Is It"). It was filmed by cinematographer Russell Carpenter ("Titanic," "Charlie's Angels") and had the support of the National Nurses Union and many other industry professionals.

I am the 99% and so are you!

Continue reading »

Watch Dollars and Dentists on PBS. See more from FRONTLINE.

Dental care in America divides people into two camps: those who can afford regular preventive care and cleanings, and those who can’t.

In 2011, 33.3 million people in the U.S. lived in health professional shortage areas, which means that they have no access to dental care.

These so-called dental deserts contribute to a deep disparity in overall health. People who live in these places are more likely to get tooth decay and develop severe health problems. They also spend more money on care, and more time seeking health assistance in an emergency.

A full transcript of the Frontline report "Dollars and Dentists," is available here.

Good morning, today is Wednesday, June 27, 2012. Beware the Deficitbots.