­by Alexander Higgins

Thousands occupy Wall Street to protest the bankers.

With the passing of each day, what has come to be known as “the Occupy Wall Street” political movement gains momentum; as of late, with it, collective bargaining labor unions have cast their hats into the ring too. And as pointed out, enthusiastically, by political reporter Alexander Higgins, “It’s game on.”

As previously reported, at the street level, unions, among them, the 200,000 member strong Transportation Workers Union, along with the Teamsters, are throwing all their political might behind Occupy Wall Street and their political muscle, as it may, does make quite an impression at the street level.

It is rumored that Verizon workers plan to join, as is the Industrial Workers Union who too have endorsed Occupy Wall Street.

Then news surfaced that several more unions are committed to, or are contemplating joining, while two of the unions scheduled solidarity marches.

Now TPM Alexander Higgins reports even more unions are joining up to protest against Wall Street and the movement is set to grow rapidly. For example, a collective of eight groups, with over one million members strong, will be joining the Occupy Wall Street movement to show their solidarity and march against what they are calling “the machine.” And based on Occupy Wall Street’s Facebook page, the other eight organizations expected to join in the Oct. 5 rally are: United NY, Strong Economy for All Coalition, Working Families Party, VOCAL-NY, Community Voices Heard, Alliance for Quality Education, New York Communities for Change and Coalition for the Homeless (which has a collective membership of a million).

Combined, this makes for a very interesting mix of individuals, on the ground, in New York on October 5. Third-party libertarian types have never mixed very well with unions, but perhaps Americans will be able to get behind this single cause rather than be manipulated into conflict, by mainstream “talking heads” pieces, at the behest of political operatives. “We’re not holding our breath but this is a good start,” Higgins said.

As we suggested in American Powder Keg: New Black Panther Chairman Declares: “The Hour of War Is At Hand” and much of America is disgusted with the direction we’re headed in, which is evidenced by the 81 percent of Americans who say they’re not satisfied with the governance of the country. We’re all in this together.”

The majority of Americans aren’t happy and they’ve lost hope, because regardless of what group you identify with, what color you are or what way you lean towards politically; the end result is the same: you’re losing jobs, falling behind on essential bills, having difficulty putting food on the table and are constantly being accosted by government on all levels.

The challenge is not so much getting people motivated – because you can be assured that as this crisis deepens, millions will have no choice but to head to the streets for the reasons outlined above. The problem we face is that we are dealing with politicians and business leaders who have no other motive than power and money, and they will do anything and everything necessary in order to deflect blame. Thus, they’ll need a scapegoat(s), as we suggested previously:

When the riots start – and they will – the core motivators for individuals who hit the streets will be similar. Where the difference will arise is with, which person or group will be blamed.

Those elites in the upper echelons of our command and control apparatus thrive on hate, confusion and panic, and they will use our own ignorance against us.

When we discuss the coming civil disobedience and unrest in America, we may find ourselves visualizing protests where the people join together to oust a tyrannical government. Be forewarned. This is not the most likely outcome – at least not at the outset. With so many different ideologies in this country every one of us interprets the problems and directs blame a different way. These differences will be used against us; they’ll be used to turn us against each other.

As has been the case throughout history and most certainly exemplified in recent protests and riots around the world, in an attempt to discredit the message of the people, the powers-that-be will likely utilize agent provocateurs to wreck havoc. Because of the differing backgrounds and worldviews at any given rally (especially one like Occupy Wall Street), it wouldn’t take much to create conflicts and clashes.

Many of those who will be out in force on October 5th and at the many coming assemblies, rallies and riots, that we’ll see in America’s future will be “mindless followers” taking orders from their respective political, union or organization leaders. Thus these engagements will not come without risk, because there’s always the danger that people will be misguided, misinformed and misdirected, eventually turning on themselves.

It’s great that Americans are taking to the streets to effect real change. One million (people) is a big number and despite the media making little of the fact that the Wall Street protests are even happening. This is how it starts. It is our hope that the people carry through with the original intent of the movement and focus their energy on the problem – unregulated greed and corruption on Wall Street and within the halls of Congress – rather than each other.

The goal: “One Million Protesters to Occupy Wall Street:

­http://www.shtfplan.com/headline-news/one-million-protesters-to-occupy-wall-street_09302011.

por Jonathan Benson
NaturalNews

Representing one of the most agriculturally bio-diverse nations in the world, India has become a primary target for biotechnology companies like Monsanto and Cargill to spread their genetically-modified (GM) crops into new markets. However, a recent France 24 report explains that the Indian government has decided to take an offensive approach against this attempted agricultural takeover by suing Monsanto for “biopiracy,” accusing the company of stealing India’s indigenous plants in order to re-engineer them into patented varieties.

Brinjal, also known in Western nations as eggplant, is a native Indian crop for which there are roughly 2,500 different unique varieties. Millions of Indian farmers grow brinjal, which is used in a variety of Indian food dishes, and the country grows more than a quarter of the world’s overall supply of the vegetable.

And in an attempt to capitalize on this popular crop, Monsanto has repeatedly tried to commercially market its own GM variety of brinjal called Bt brinjal. But massive public outcry against planned commercial approval of Monsanto’s “frankencrop” variety in 2010 led to the government banning it for an indefinite period of time.

But Monsanto is still stealing native crops, including brinjal, and quietly working on GM varieties of them in test fields, which is a clear violation of India’s Biological Diversity Act (BDA). So at the prompting of various farmers and activists in India, the Indian government, representing the first time in history a nation that has taken such action, has decided to sue Monsanto.

“This can send a different message to the big companies for violating the laws of the nation,” said K.S. Sugara, Member Secretary of the Karnataka Biodiversity Board, to France 24 concerning the lawsuit. “It is not acceptable … that the farmers in our communities are robbed of the advantage they should get from the indigenous varieties.”

You can watch the full France 24 video report of India’s lawsuit against Monsanto here:

http://www.france24.com/en/20110921-india-monsanto-gmo-brinjal-bio-piracy-biopiracy-steal-seeds-terminator-cotton-onion-melon-debt-suicide.

Farmers and active members of the public in India have been some of the world’s most outspoken opponents of Monsanto’s attempted GM takeover of agriculture. Besides successfully overturning the attempted approval of Bt brinjal, these freedom fighters have also successfully destroyed several attempted Monsanto GM test fields.

In other related Natural News:

WI judge declares that individuals have no fundamental right to own cows, drink raw milk

(NaturalNews) After being petitioned for clarification about his decision in a recent legal case involving individuals freedom to consume raw milk and own “shares” of dairy cows, Judge Patrick J. Fiedler vehemently declared that individuals “do not have a fundamental right to consume the foods of their choice,” and essentially reiterated his state’s position that raw milk is simply off limits.

The Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund (FTCLDF), on behalf of Zinniker Family Farm in Elkhorn, Wi., and several other farms, filed a lawsuit against the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) back on Feb. 25, 2010, asking it to clarify its interpretation of the law in regards to raw milk (http://www.ftcldf.org/litigation-wi…).

Wisconsin is among the most restrictive US states as far as raw milk is concerned. Raw milk sales to consumers are prohibited — but private cow share agreements in which individuals purchase “shares” of their own cows, are exempted. However, due to the onslaught of raids in recent years against raw dairies, private raw milk buying clubs, and even raw milk cow share programs, the plaintiffs simply wanted to clarify Wisconsin’s stance concerning these alternate forms of accessing raw milk.

And they got their answer. According to a recent report byThe Complete Patient, Judge Fiedler believes that no individual has a “fundamental right” to consumeanyfood without government permission. Even though the Ninth Amendment to the US Constitution establishes that the government has no business interfering in the affairs of individuals outside of what has been specifically enumerated to it, which, of course, includes freedom of food choice, Judge Fiedler apparently believes otherwise.

To summarize Judge Fiedler’s response, which was obviously written in an arrogant and condescending tone, individuals have no fundamental right to own or use dairy cows, to consume the milk from their own cows, to board their cows off their own property, or even to produce and consume the foods of their own choice, period.

You can read Judge Fiedler’s entire disturbing response here:

http://www.thecompletepatient.com/storage/WIorder-clarification9-11.pdf.

Groups like FTCLDF will continue to challenge such illegal and unconstitutional restrictions against raw milk, particularly in individual states like Wisconsin where officials have illegally prohibited it. But individuals that value this priceless freedom must also also stand up and resist Big Brother’s concerted assault against food freedom, no matter form it may take. More: ­http://www.naturalnews.com/033727_food_freedom_cows.html#ixzz1ZKf6Z9SG.

­by the El Reportero’s news services

Efraín Ríos Montt

Although the immediate outlook for Mexico looks grim on several fronts (especially on security and the economy) the candidates lining up to race for the presidency in 2012 are an impressive bunch. Mexican voters, almost certainly, will have a better choice than their northern neighbours in the US in 2012.

Rios Montt case only superficially resembles ‘autogolpe’ episode of 1993

The Guatemalan opposition has come together to block the former dictator’s return to power, but circumstances are not the same as when they halted Jorge Serrano a decade ago.

Faced with the failure of the attempt to block the registration of retired General Efrain Rios Montt as the presidential candidate of the ruling FRG, all opposition parties have coalesced in congress in the Instancia Parlamentaria de Oposición, and have joined with unions, business associations, NGOs and an array of social organisations in a broad Frente Frente Cívico por la Democracia. On the surface, this is reminiscent of the manner in which an ad-hoc civic coalition came together in May 1993 to reverse President Jorge Serrano’s attempt to stage a Fujimori-style autogolpe, dissolving congress and dismissing the supreme court.

Peru’s judicial reform starts at home

On 18 August President Ollanta Humala outlined the focal point for judicial reform: attacking corruption in the judiciary.

“A corrupt judge is more dangerous than a criminal”, President Humala said on 18 August. Corruption has long undermined the public standing of judges and the sentences they hand down; the judiciary has been often described as an institution where money buys results, and allegedly, the more money one pays the more ‘justice’ one gets.

Efficiency – the more technical, but less visible twin problem facing the judiciary – will nevertheless be an important component, if not the core focus. Key points:

• Humala’s reforms are going with the grain of what senior judges, ­notably, César San Martin, the president of the supreme court, has been saying since he was appointed in January.

• Judges prosecuted for corruption will face tough sanctions. This is part of Humala’s hard-line position on sentencing. He wants sentences to reflect the crime.

• Corrupt judges have fuelled the public’s perception of rampant impunity. Following the recent release of 17 criminals, classified as dangerous, President Humala said that the judiciary and the police could not “allow criminals to abuse loopholes in the law to get back on the streets”. In doing so, the government has linked judicial reform to citizen insecurity, an issue with high political traction, making reformist intentions and legislation harder to oppose.

• As part of the short term measures, the economy ministry will create a Citizen Security fund with private sector support. This is, essentially, a public-private partnership to train police and fund initiatives such as community policing or CCTV. (Latin Briefs contributed to this report.)

by Christopher A. Guzman
Analysis

With a GOP presidential field lacking a clear frontrunner, I’m going to suggest a radical and what might be considered a far-fetched idea: The Republican Party Establishment is currently being rocked by an unforeseen independent-minded force.

Two men at the moment are at the forefront of stirring this independent intra-party uprising: namely, Texas Congressman Ron Paul and businessman Herman Cain. In addition to challenging media-generated projections of who’s ahead of who, equally (if not more) significant is the disruption caused by Paul and Cain in key states where Independent voters are significant enough for either of the two major political parties to consider.

Take the California Republican Party’s Fall convention that I covered this month. Flanked by hundreds of mobilized followers, Congressman Paul took the convention by storm, trouncing Texas Governor Rick Perry by over 15 points in the state’s straw poll. While there admittedly wasn’t much devoted to helping Perry win this particular straw poll, his supporters still had a sizable presence. Despite the perception that the governor is the Golden Boy, Paul’s following and independent message seemingly dismantled this notion. With Perry not showing up to detail his plan for reaching out to California’s Independents and disillusioned Democrats, it was clearly Paul who stole the show from the media-labeled frontrunner who was once hailed as a game changer in the 2012 campaign. In addition, the man whom the media and Republican Establishment had treated like an immortal Greek god ended up struggling before the television cameras in a recent series of presidential debates.

Perry’s second blow more recently came in a state where Independent voters play a decisive role in deciding the next president–As Florida goes, so goes the nation. Unlike California, Governor Perry knew this concept well. Because of it, he devoted the time and resources that he believed were necessary to win the Florida straw poll held this past weekend. Unexpectedly, Perry was superseded by Herman Cain by a whopping 37%-15%.

The former executive of Godfather’s Pizza has never held political office. Yet, Mr. Cain’s straw poll victory over Perry made a thunderous statement in beating a Texas politician who has been part of the grandiose political system for years. While they might not be tag-teaming as running mates on a potential ticket, Paul and Cain are both embodiments of the rise of the ‘Anti-Politician’ in two respective ways.

Despite Congressman Paul working within the monotonous political system for over 30 years, his message has been consistent enough to warrant a fierce Independent streak and to ruffle the feathers of the two-party veterans. Cain, on the other hand, embodies the Anti-Politician in the sense that he hasn’t enjoyed a political career. Instead, he built his reputation on managing a business empire and consequently immersing himself into the economic principles governing the business world. With many looking for a candidate who can deal with the current economy, his message might be able to reach discouraged citizens across the entire political spectrum.

The apparent rise of an anti-politician sentiment within the Republican Party shows that at least a portion of the party’s base is looking for a breath of fresh air. It demonstrates that there’s an element of the electorate on the right that won’t fall for the usual media game of emphasizing certain candidates over others (such as Perry or Romney). Neither are these particular Republican voters willing to walk lockstep with party leaders’ marching orders.

­Whatever one’s political affiliation, this a state of mind that all voters should be willing to adopt.

­por Charles Augustine

Nurses around the estate of California went on strike for one day to protest against the cuts that put patients in danger.

Throughout California thousands of register nurses (RN’s) took part in a massive one-day strike Thursday September 22. This protest which included more than 23,000 RNs picketing hospitals around the state, resulted from an attempt by Sutter Alta Bates (Berkeley), Kaiser Permanente (Oakland) and Children’s (Oakland) hospital’s, to cut operating expense’s, at the cost of, either reducing patient services or cutting their nursing and caregiver’s staff personnel.

The response of state’s nurse’s, represented by California Nurses Association (CNA) and National Nurses United (NNU), was a resounding and emphatic, “no.”

At issue is: Sutter and other hospital’s administrative policy-makers desire to limit RNs ability to challenge their directives. The nurse’s say, even when it is out of concern, for their patients. They also allege these medical institutions are advocating that RNs show up to work, even when they are ill, hence exposing patients to infections.

RNs also differ with administration’s view on cutting hospital management cost by reducing nurses’ healthcare coverage and retiree health benefits.

Admin point’s out though that the only alternative would be to reduce vital patient care services. Understandably, nurses have a problem with. “They disrespect you by attacking your healthcare, your retirement benefits, your right to advocate for patients; and now they want to force you to work when you are sick. Having sick nurses care for sick patients is sick,” AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka stated.

CNA Co-President DeAnn McEwen went even further, stating, “When nurses are on the outside, there’s something wrong on the inside.”

She went on to say, “They’re harming patients and we’re standing in the gap.”

Locally, Children’s Hospital RN (of Oakland) Martha Kuhl said, “Nurses will never be silenced, in standing up for patients and our communities or members and our families.”

In contrast, management’s point-of-view, of how the lack of operating cash, might be remedied, the NNU is lobbying for “Taxing Wall ­Street.” To this end on Sept. 15, 1000 NNU members engaged in a demonstrations statewide.

Locally, a rally took place in front of the Federal Reserve Bank building in San Francisco at Main and Market streets that same day; and followed on the heels of similar actions held by labor and community nationwide. NNU Co-President Deborah Burger, RN points out that taxing Wall Street trading ventures could raise hundreds of billions of dollars.

What started out as a cute chi-chi clique, the notion to tax Wall Street, seems to be on the fast track to becoming a hot new political trend, and as it gains momentum, many Americans are being swept up in its wake; on Sept. 15 NNU got on board. At a speech in San Diego, NNU Executive Director Rose Ann DeMoro said, “What we have to say to Wall Street is, you have taken and taken and taken, and you have given nothing back. You have abandoned this country, and you have conabandoned the people. There should be no hungry people in America, and no people without jobs in America.”

Also on board with the concept of taxing corporative institutions is a growing number of homeowners, who are currently finding themselves in a situation that might result in them losing their homes. They too believe financial giants like Wall contribute to the growing number of evictions and home foreclosures by skirting paying its fair share of taxes.

Coinciding with the action that took place in front of the Fed in SF Sept. 15, a coalition of homeowners in San Jose (SJ) calling themselves, “Refund and Rebuild California.”

They then went door to door to make residents of the blighted area aware of this new movement that is underway – to use Taxing Wall Street – as a means of helping to aid the government in digging itself out of the current economic mess the U.S. economy is in.

Their rally cry was, “It’s time to make Wall Street pay” for its short-sighted approach to doing business – that puts profit above all else – even human.