OURMISSINGNEWS.COM

Afghan Peace Talks On As US Invites Taliban

William Deane — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 06:38:00 GMT

America's like the guy, women would call a come-on cad who builds up a power-directed relationship only to dump the affair for another short-lived alliance. It's happened all over the world. in African states, in Panama where we had the audacity to use Noriega in the drug trade, then lawlessly flew the dictator to a Florida prison for a stay of 19 years. Panama's a foreign country. You can't do that. Since we stopped our relationship with South Vietnam, the North and South have been living in harmony for 38 years. We loved our relationship with Egypt's Mubarak, then supported his downfall when we thought we saw the Arab Spring taking over the Middle East. Instead the fundamentalist Moslem Brotherhood took over. We had a come-on love affair with Saddam Hussein, bought him away from his Soviet Union relationship with lots of war toys--only to execute him after invading Iraq. The dictator successfully kept the Shiites and Sunnis apart, but we declared peace and went home, giving the militant Moslems an invitation for a religious war that has yet to be settled since its start about 15-hundred years ago. Did we really think we could have changed that in our century?Tired of getting into all these involvements we want to break up our decade-long war in Afghanistan to the point again of bringing in our former enemy, this time, the Taliban, so we can go home. Imagine: The US and the Taliban sitting at the same table in Qatar tomorrow. With some Taliban factions wanting peace and others planning for a summer war, hopes for any unified focus appears doubtful. Osama bin laden's Mujahideen once enjoyed the good graces and military support of the US when it was fighting that 8-year Afghanistan war against the Russians. The above is far from a complete report on how many times we switched sides in our love-hate relationships, but like that come-on suitor, the U.S. comes on with a warning to all nations that our reputation is far from dependable over time.

All Rights Reserved © Bill Deane, 2012

China Fires back on Snowden hacking

William Deane — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 07:57:51 GMT

China has broken its silence over American Edward Snowden's revelations, demanding the United States explain the internet surveillance, i.e spying on China. China calls American speculation the former National Security Agency employee could have been spying for China as "nonsense." "We believe the United States should pay attention to the international community's concerns and demands and give the international community the necessary explanation," said the foreign ministry in the first Chinese comment since Snowden acknowledged he was the source of the secret Prism program last week and went into hiding somewhere in Hong Kong. U.S. repeated complaints of Chinese hacking into American defense contractors, military secrets and power companies has now been marginalized with Snowden's revelations that the United States has been hacking away at Chinese computers for years as well. U.S. denials can no longer be used when confronting the Chinese. But President Obama is making a stab at it, claiming there is a big difference between government espionage and stealing trade secrets. The president in a broadcast interview Monday evening explained, "there is a big difference between China wanting to figure out how they can find out what my talking points are whenI'm meeting with the Japanese and a hacker directly connected with the Chinese government or the Chinese military breaking into Apple's software systems to see if they can obtain the designs for the latest Apple product. That's theft."

All Rights Reserved © Bill Deane, 2012

Homeowners Lied to, say Former BA Employees

William Deane — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 21:46:42 GMT

By Paul Kiel of ProPublica

Bank of America employees regularly lied to home owners seeking loan modifications, denied their applications, for made-up reasons and were rewarded for sending homeowners to foreclosure, according to sworn statements by former bank employees in statements filed late last week in federal court in Boston as part of a multi-state class action suit, brought on behalf of homeowners who sought to avoid foreclosure through the government's Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP), but say they had cases botched by Bank of America. In a statement a Bank of America spokesman said that each of of the former employees' statements is "rife with factual inaccuracies." and that gthe bank will respond more fully in court next month. He said that the Bank of America had modified more loans than any other bank and continues to "demonstrate our commitment to assisting customers who are at risk of foreclosure." Six of the employees worked for the bank, while one worked for a contractor. They range from former managers to frontline employees, and all dealt with homeowners seeking to avoid foreclosure through the government's HAMP program. A William Wilson Jr., who worked as an underwriter and manager from 2010 to 2012 said homeowners were simply denied in masse, a procedure called a "blitz." Then to justify the denials, employees produced fictitious reasons. SEE THE ENTIRE PIECE ON PRO PUBLICA

Chinese Dissident Says He's Pushed out of N.Y.U.

William Deane — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 08:17:16 GMT

Remember the dissident who escaped further Chinese government enforcement by seeking safety in the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, last year? Chen Guangcheng was then welcomed at New York University as a graduate law student. This was a compromise deal welcoming him as a student without walking on the toes of the Chinese government as would have been the case in a protective extradition fight. Well, that love affair is over, here, with N.Y.U. saying his "activism," was harming the university's opening of an American university branch in Shanghai. Chang's individual speech rights, are being sacrificed so an American university can maintain a censured branch in the world' largest communist country. Not a good example for students to see the ideals of American justice so flippantly tossed away when big business of a large university counts more than individual rights. A university should be able to stand on principle more easily than any other institution, because funding is coming from students and the government, not from threats of business cancellations. As Chen says, "Academic independence and academic freedom in the United States are being greatly threatened by a totalitarian regime." NYU public relations says "all fellowships come to an end," and it's time for Chen to go." The spokesman claims the university was "extremely generous" in allowing Chen to be here for a year. John Beckman says the end of the fellowship has nothing to do with Beijing pressure. Chen warns Americans have no idea the control the communist dictatorship has over their lives as U.S. citizens. Comments like that ended Chen's relationship with NYU.

All Rights Reserved © Bill Deane, 2012

The Iranian Young Elect a Moderate President

William Deane — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 07:10:03 GMT

The West's pleasant surprise that a moderate, Hassan Rowhani has replaced the militant, threatening Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as Iranian president is a relief to all those living under the Tehran's constant threat of nuclear warfare. Of course any Iranian president is always responsible to Ayatollah Khamenei. But the supreme leader had tightened the reins on the losing candidate in recent months, giving some hope to the West that the Ayatollah may have felt the crazy threats had gone far enough or had accomplished their purpose. Incoming president Rowhani is well known to the West as a principle negotiator at the stalemated nuclear talks which eventually collapsed in April. Of the negotiations, the incoming Iranian president once concluded, "We do not have any trust in them. Unfortunately, they do not trust us either. They think we are out to dupe them, and we think the same way--that they want to trick and cheat us." The effective but little reported oil embargo of recent months, continues while Iranians absent half their economy do without their usual better standard of living. The Iranian government has insisted from the start of the embargo, that it has the right to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes. New centrifuges when fully operational within the year, will certainly speed up the time to turn out weapons-grade nuclear fuel. U.S. intelligence officials fear that would be too late as bombing by next year could create a nuclear disaster. It's estimated Iran now has enough enriched uranium to make at least 5 nuclear weapons. The Obama White House missed an opportunity near the end of the president's first term when Iranian negotiators were proposing to cut certain critical parts of nuclear development. On-sight inspection was in the offering as well and yet the deal vaporized in April.

All Rights Reserved © Bill Deane, 2012

Snowden China Connection Investigated

William Deane — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 13:23:43 GMT

House Intelligence Committee Democrats and Republicans are together in digging into why American Edward Snowden chose Hong Kong as his place for extradition protection while the U.S. government prepares charges against him for publicly revealing American surveillance secrets. Snowden's decision to sneak from his National Security Agency office in Hawaii to seek safety in Hong Kong opens questions about the possibility of his connections to mainland China. That move has lost much of his American support as a "hero" for exposing U.S. government surveillance of its own citizens. Several members of both parties are now calling him a "traitor," assuming his connections to the nation that continuously "hacks" U.S. computers. "He chose to go to China, a country that's attacking us every single day, taking billions of dollars of American business data," claims top Intelligence Committee Democrat Dutch Ruppersberger. Committee Chairman Mike Rogers says Snowden is "lying," when he claims he can hack anybody's phone or e-mail. "He clearly over-flated his position...his access and he's even over-flated what the actual technology of the program would allow one to do." Backing that up is one of his claimed hacking targets, The Chinese University, in Hong Kong which says it has no evidence of his claimed hacking. One of the U.S. National Security Agency programs successfully hacked collects records on millions of Americans while the other lifts tech company information. Snowden's talking to both the South China Morning Post and The Guardian which has more unpublished documents to make public.

All Rights Reserved © Bill Deane, 2012

What Obama Red Line?

William Deane — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 13:43:18 GMT

Seems like the White House priority remains public relations. It took hours for the president's people to confirm yesterday that there had been a decision to send some weapons to the rebels in Syria, but now the game is when and what will be sent. All that's official this Friday is that the rebels' critical need for antiaircraft weapons will NOT be met and there is some speculation anti-tank weapons might be sent. There was instant reaction from Vladimir Putin in Moscow, blasting the president for accepting "misinformation" that Syria's Bashar al-Assad has been using chemical weapons. Putin and the president had been on the same page for months agreeing there had been no proof that Assad was the one using sarin gas on several occasions, killing at least 100 people. Then new substantiating evidence from several reliable sources made the president move--sort of. There appears the president is in no rush to supply any weapons to the anti-Assad forces while his administration remains deeply divided. Some influential advisors are warning he's being driven into yet another war in the Middle East--and he's listening. Rebel reaction for his words of support yesterday was gratitude, but they need the weapons now as a deciding battle for Aleppo, Syria's industrial center, and possibly the end of the 2-year war is about to start. Some of his advisors seem to be successfully talking him out of rushing any weapons to the fight. Obama, for the moment has been talked out of enforcing a no-fly zone or even sending defensive antiaircraft weapons. Perhaps yesterday's decision to break the present U.S, policy by sending more than food and medicine to the troops was influenced by former President Bill Clinton's speech earlier in the week siding with the hawks. Obama's effort of trying to please everybody won't work in this case. It rarely does when leadership is lacking. Indicating he might send some defensive weapons to the rebels at some unknown time in the future won't please either side. If the rebels fail at Aleppo, allies France, the UK, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and the U.A.E. nations will blame President Obama for failing to stand tall when United States' support was desperately needed.

All Rights Reserved © Bill Deane, 2012

Can't Patent Natural Human Genes, says SCOTUS

William Deane — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 01:15:46 GMT

The Supreme Court dropped its usual ritual of 5-4 decisions and agreed, unanimously that genes belong to us all and can't be patented. Myriad Genetics, the Utah company which defended its patents before the Supreme Court failed to convince any of the 9 justices. Clarence Thomas, issuing a rare written explanation, claimed, "A naturally occurring DNA segment is a product of nature and not patent eligible merely because it has been isolated." There was no gene manipulation here, just discovery of 2 existing faulty genes that indicate elevated chances of women having breast cancer. These are the damaged genes that were at issue when actress Angelina Jolie decided to have a double mastectomy a few weeks ago. Her faulty copies of BRCA1 and BRCA2 had predicted an extremely high chance she would have breast cancer. Doctors and scientists testified on the other side of the case, claiming their research was hampered by the patents. Traders initially thought Myriad would be able to protect its business from competition. The stock shot up 10% then did a round-tripper of 16% closing down 5.63%. Most experts close to the case think Myriad will soon be facing competition for its breast cancer risk test. The Myriad test was often costing women over 3-thousand dollars. That price should be coming down without Myriad's protective patents. While the winning side says the decision will have an immediate positive impact on people's health, the patent-less downside is likely to discourage expensive research without the temptation of a big payday

All Rights Reserved © Bill Deane, 2012

Syria Crosses Obama's Red Line. Now What?

William Deane — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 22:25:31 GMT

Syrian rebels have been hit with chemical weapons by the government forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, say both American and European intelligence experts. The question is what will President Obama do now? Chronologically, as early as last year, Mr. Obama repeatedly threatened Assad not to cross the American "Red Line," a thus-far-and-no-farther warning to Assad not to use chemical weapons. Then when there was solid evidence earlier this year, that the chemical weapon, sarin nerve gas, was used on the battlefield, the American president backed away, claiming it wasn't necessarily Assad's troops killing the rebels with the chemical weapon. Now, today, an official US government internal memo says the Assad regime has used chemical weapons in small quantities a number of times in the past year. The intelligence analysts estimate that between 100 and 150 people, not necessarily fighters. The American and European experts express confidence in the accuracy of their report citing several sources for their conclusion. "Our intelligence community has high confidence in that assessment given multiple, independent streams of information," states the circulating memo of the day. So what's the president going to do now? European allies and those Arab Emerates, Saudi Arabia and Jordan arming the rebels while the U.S. sends medical supplies, have lost faith in the equivocating American president. The UAE nations are so furious with Obama, they cancelled an anti-Assad military meeting on their territory. concluding a weakened American president would send the wrong message to the Syrian dictator. So the ball is in the president's court as it has been for over a year. Will he act this time or equivocate once again?

Pill Prevents H.I.V. Among Drug Addicts and Others

William Deane — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 06:27:57 GMT

The pieces fit! And this finding, that H.I.V. needle sharers cut in half, their chances of contracting the AIDS disease completes the puzzle. Earlier trials with the antiretroviral pill, according to the Centers for Disease Control, showed 92% of gay men protected, almost 90% for couples with one infected partner, 84% for heterosexual men and women and 70% for drug needle users. South African AIDS specialist Dr. Salim Abdool Karim wrote in Wednesday's British medical journal, Lancet, "This provides the totality of evidence that the drugs used to treat the infection are also very effective at preventing it." The antiretroviral drugs have now joined condoms; abstinence; fidelity; male circumcision in Africa; microbicide gels; and other options as weapons for preventing AIDS. Part of the wide-ranging study, showed in Thailand that PrEP or pre-exposure prophylaxis, cut infections in half. Of the 24-hundred Thai addicts taking the pills regularly, 74% were less likely to become infected. AIDS prevention advocate Mitchell Warren says next step, now that we know the pill works, is to figure a way to get the users to take them daily as addicts share needles and sell their bodies for money to get drugs to sell or use themselves. "This is an exciting day. This culminates a decade of PrEP research," said the H.I.V. prevention director Dr. Jonathan Mermin. at the C.D.C. headquarters in Atlanta

All Rights Reserved © Bill Deane, 2012

National Security Leaker Ready to Fight

William Deane — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 21:32:38 GMT

Edward J. Snowden didn't escape to Iceland or any other location. He says he staying in Hong Kong and will fight extradition to the United States from there. "I am not here to hide from justice; I am here to reveal criminality," he told the South China Morning Post. The Guardian which broke the story a week ago, says Snowden revealed a number of papers this morning and then moved to an undisclosed safe house. Those files to Guardian reporters will be made public in future articles. The question is what of those secret files could be a threat to national security and will the Guardian clear them with NSA officials before they are released to the public or will the Guardian take Snowden's word for it that they are not damaging to the United States? While a part of Communist China, Hong Kong has its own bilateral extradition agreement with the United States, signed in 1996. There's very little wiggle room for one seeking asylum in either country. Hong Kong lawyers have found 36 laws under which Snowden could be charged including one clearly stating, the release of government secrets. Hong Kong as with the United States will protect one from release to another nation, if it has evidence the victim would be tortured in the other country. Ironically, there is little chance for Snowden to stay put in Hong Kong unless Beijing steps in, causing an international incident of immense consequence. What does he have and what does he know? The former CIA employee claims he has access to U.S. intelligence operations throughout the world, but some officials have doubts. They question his claimed unlimited access while he was working in a relatively small N.S.A. operation in Hawaii.

All Rights Reserved © Bill Deane, 2012

ProPublica Shows Walmart Cheating on Clothing

William Deane — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 19:55:04 GMT

Since the Rana Plaza building collapse killed more than 1,100 people in April, retailers have faced mounting pressure to improve safety at Bangladesh garment factories and to sever ties with manufacturers that don't measure up.

The world's largest retailer, Walmart, last month released a list of more than 200 factories it said it had barred from producing its merchandise because of serious or repeated safety problems, labor violations or unauthorized subcontracting.

But at least two of the factories on the list have continued to send massive shipments of sports bras and girls' dresses to Walmart stores in recent months, according to interviews and U.S. customs records.

In June 2011, Walmart said, it banned the Bangladeshi garment factory Mars Apparels from producing goods for the retail giant. But over the last year, Mars has repeatedly shipped tons of sports bras to Walmart, according to U.S. customs records and Mars owners. The most recent shipment was in late May, almost two years after Walmart claims it stopped doing business with the Bangladeshi firm.

A second Bangladeshi clothing maker, Simco Dresses, was blacklisted in January but continued shipping to Walmart Canada into March.

Walmart spokesman Kevin Gardner said the Mars shipments were allowed because of confusion over whether Walmart's standards applied. Mars didn't produce garments with a Walmart house brand but instead with a Fruit of the Loom label. So, Gardner said, it wasn't clear if Mars needed to meet Walmart's standards or Fruit of the Loom's.

Fruit of the Loom could not immediately be reached for comment.

As for Simco, orders that Walmart had already placed were accepted to lessen the impact on workers, Gardner said.

The shipments raise questions about Walmart's ability to monitor its supply chain as well as its efforts to ensure decent working conditions in factories located in low-wage countries.

Interviews with Bangladeshi factory owners spotlight another potential problem: Walmart's approach of publishing a blacklist with no further details might unfairly tar family businesses with minor violations.

International labor groups have been pressing retailers to sign an accord to pay for fire and building safety upgrades to Bangladesh factories. So far, several large retailers including H&M, Inditex and PVH Corp., which includes Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein, have signed onto the agreement.

But many of the biggest retailers in the United States, including Walmart and Gap have not. Instead, they are working on an alternative plan that they say will improve safety faster — but that is not legally binding.

"We think the safety plan that we've put in place already meets or exceeds the [other] proposal and is going to get results more quickly," Gardner said. "The point of the list is to get more accountability and transparency into our supply chain."

Soon, he said, Walmart would also publish safety audits of its current suppliers in Bangladesh.

Dan Schlademan, a United Food and Commercial Workers leader who directs the union's Making Change at Walmart campaign, said the shipments from barred factories show that Walmart's program is hollow.

"It's either a question of Walmart just telling people what they want to hear," he said, "or it's that Walmart has created a supply chain system that they have no control over."

Making Change at Walmart initially provided the customs data. ProPublica verified the information and found other shipments using public data compiled by research firms serving the import-export industry.

Mars Apparels is a manufacturer of lingerie and sportswear in the port city of Chittagong. In the last year, the garment maker sent at least 22 shipments, totaling 80 tons, of sports bras through the Port of Newark, according to customs records compiled by Import Genius, a data consultant for the import-export industry. In each case, the customer was listed as "Walmart Stores" and the product mark as "Ariela-Alpha International," whose brands include L.e.i. and Fruit of the Loom. (Ariela-Alpha did not return phone calls.)

Reached on a cell phone in Bangladesh, Shaker Ahmed, deputy managing director of Mars Apparels and the son of its founder, confirmed the customs data and said that the latest shipment went out last month. (Customs data show several May shipments in which the customer was listed as "WMR.")

But Ahmed said that until contacted by ProPublica, he had never had any problems with Walmart or heard about its list of banned factories. He described Mars as a medium-sized garment manufacturer with less than 1,000 workers.

Ahmed said Mars has supplied Walmart for more than a decade, though since 2008 it has been making clothes for private labels such as Fruit of the Loom that are owned or licensed by an importer, which then supplies the clothing to Walmart.

When Mars was manufacturing clothing for Walmart brands, its factory was regularly audited by the company, Ahmed said. Walmart rates its suppliers green, yellow, orange and red, with green being the best and red the worst, he said. "We never received a rating below yellow."

Since 2008, Ahmed said he has passed all audits by Fruit of the Loom, which uses theWorldwide Responsible Accredited Production program to inspect factories. Walmart said Mars didn't meet all of its criteria, which it said is more stringent than WRAP's. Ahmed said he welcomed Walmart to look at his factory and that the company is in the process of building a state-of-the-art facility.

Walmart accounts for a "very large" percentage of Mars' business, Ahmed said. "If Walmart were to tell us they're stopping production, if that were to happen, we would be destroyed. Our workers would be destroyed. We haven't had a single incident in 19 years. We never had a problem. So that would be catastrophe."

The other banned garment maker in the recent customs records, Simco Dresses, was blacklisted in January. The Import Genius records show three shipments of girls' dresses in February and March to the Isfel Co. destined for Walmart Canada. Isfel didn't return a call.

Customs records provided by another trade research firm PIERS show four more March shipments of knitted dresses and rompers, also destined for Walmart Canada.

The Bangladeshi press reported in January that Walmart had refused a shipment of women's shorts from Simco after discovering unauthorized subcontracting to Tazreen Fashion, where a fire killed 117 people last year. Simco said at the time that Walmart's ban could drive it into bankruptcy.

Simco's managing director Muzaffar Siddique said his firm had subcontracted an order to an authorized Walmart supplier, which then sent the work to Tazreen without its knowledge.

Asked about the February and March shipments from Simco, Walmart spokesman Gardner said, "If it isn't an egregious matter, we will accept goods produced under existing orders as part of our efforts to mitigate impact on the workers."

Siddique contended that Walmart's listing of his company is unfair and is damaging his family's business. After the list was published, he said J.C. Penney canceled a $300,000 order for 500,000 pairs of pajamas.

"We are very upset about it," Siddique said. "When I do business with you, it is like a doctor-patient relationship; there should be confidentiality. Walmart has no business going about publishing people's names that it thinks are bad because that jeopardizes other business we are doing with our customers."

Walmart is the only U.S. retailer to release a list of barred factories in Bangladesh. Gap, which also has a large presence in Bangladesh, said in a May statement that it has committed up to $22 million for factory improvements and that its stepped-up inspections have already led to some vendors upgrading their plants. But the company has said it would not sign on to the accord because of a provision that could allow victims of future factory accidents to sue the companies in U.S. courts.

Walmart, Gap and other large retailers are moving forward with developing analternative safety plan with the help of former U.S. Sens. George Mitchell, D-Maine, and Olympia Snowe, R-Maine.

"We are committed to Bangladesh," Gardner said. "We understand the role that we play in improving the livelihood of factory workers in that country. And improving the safety of those workers is very important to us."

But Walmart's approach of naming factories as "red-failed/unauthorized" has led to criticism in the Bangladeshi garment community that Walmart is trying to shift blame rather than serve as a partner.

"What Wal-Mart is doing at the moment is nothing but saving its own skin," Reaz Bin Mahmood of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association told Reuters. "As a responsible business partner they should stay with us and help improve working conditions for the safety and security of workers."

Obama Backing Bipartisan Immigration Bill

William Deane — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 07:29:07 GMT

There's a rare sense of compromise inb Washington as Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill and the Democrat in the White House appear willing to work together, hammering out new immigration laws, long-awaited by so many millions. Last fall's defeat at the polls has Republicans well-aware the makeup of the American population is rapidly changing and if they want to remain competitive with the influx of foreigners, particularly Latinos, the party must bend even if it loses some members. Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell went along with the Democrats, allowing the opening of debate. But along with House speaker John Boehner, McConnell may fight for more border security, further internal security, and more citizenship restrictions, particularly for undocumented immigrants. However, the president is enthusiastically backing the present immigration proposal, ignoring there are over 300 amendments each requiring Congressional consideration, The Senate vote to open debate was overwhelming with only 15 Republicans voting against. With "politics, the art of the compromise," the president seemed willing to give-and-take with both parties, saying: "This bill isn't perfect; it's a compromise." The president's positive note can be considered a practice run when he'll have to sell the immigration bill to the Hispanic community.

All Rights Reserved © Bill Deane, 2012

What happened on the way to the Korean Forum?

William Deane — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 06:18:58 GMT

Probably nothing the North Korean delegation hadn't planned ahead of the much anticipated talks with the South, scheduled to start today, Wednesday June 8th. The North was unhappy that the talks were to begin with a deputy minister, even though the North presented a lead officer of the same ranking. North Korea called the South's choice of chief negotiator "ridiculous," and shut down the talks indefinitely. If there is any sense to this, Pyongyang may have been offended the South put up a negotiator of lower rank. The shutdown before the talks started demonstrates the mistrust between the two nations sharing the same peninsula. The hopes of so many separated families since the 1950's war have been dashed as that was one of the first issues to be handled in the 2-day talks. South Korea's Unification Ministry remains open to a restart of the talks and is urging the North to bring back its delegation to the talks. After all the ugly rhetoric carried on by the North earlier this year, there was worldwide surprise North Korea had last week suggested the start of the talks.

All Rights Reserved © Bill Deane, 2012

Obama Changes Mind on Morning After Pill

William Deane — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 05:56:42 GMT

It's another one of those indecisive moves from the White House that makes one wonder is there anything that holds real commitment to the president. Mr. Obama after a line in the sand 6 months ago, has now given in to pressure from the progressive side, ordering a pullback at the Justice Department: Children will soon be able to walk into a drug store and buy without a prescription the morning after Plan B One-Step pill. The guns of the administration which fought so hard to restrict first, teenagers younger than 17, then younger than 15, are now silenced. Not only Justice, but the assumed independent Food and Drug Administration surrendered as well, issuing a Monday night statement, that it won't appeal the president's mea culpa. "Once the FDA receives that supplemental application, the FDA intends to approve it promptly." Teva, the Israeli pharmaceutical company is being messaged that it immediately file an application, asking for no age or sales restrictions on its popular Plan B One-Step pill. Teva has assurances the FDA will "approve the application without delay." Now it will be the disappointed conservative side, up-in-arms because the president had said he'd be "uncomfortable" knowing the morning after pill would be available for his 2 young daughters. The "right" is particularly against the decision because kids of any age will be able to buy the pill without a prescription and without parental consultation. Money will be the only obstacle as the pill has been selling for around 40 dollars. Planned Parenthood, on the other side, has called the decision a "huge breakthrough for access to birth control and a historic moment for women's health and equity." The president's been fighting a string of court defeats on the morning after pill this year. Next up would have been an appeals case. A loss there could only bring on a final judgement by the Supreme Court, no earlier than late next year. With pill proponents, expected to step up the pressure, criticizing "unjustified," delays, the president threw in the towel clearing the way for immediate and totally free morning-after pill purchases.

All Rights Reserved © Bill Deane, 2012

NSA Leaker Expects Punishment

William Deane — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 21:32:37 GMT

Eric Snowden is becoming quite the hero for those who feel "Big Brother" US Government has gone too far in its surveillance policy, with the explanation snooping is necessary to save the country from the terrorists. Snowden, out of the United States now, hanging out in a Hong Kong hotel room knows he may wind up in jail for the rest of his life. He's right up there with Daniel Ellsberg and Wikileaks source Brad Manning as perhaps the most significant leaker in American history. He asked to be identified because in his words, "I have done nothing wrong....I understand I will be made to suffer for my actions," he told the Guardian. Snowden chose Hong Kong because of its "spirited commitment to free speech and the right of political dissent." He told the Washington Post, Sunday, "I intend to ask for asylum from any countries that believe in free speech and oppose the victimization of global privacy." The 29 year old systems administrator for the defense contractor Booz Allen Hamilton, tells the world, "Any analyst at anytime can target anyone....from you or your accountant. to a federal judge, to even the President. You are being watched and recorded," even if you are not doing anything wrong. "Then they can go back in time and scrutinize every decision you have ever made." Snowden at one point worked for the CIA, under diplomatic cover in Switzerland. He was in the US Army 10 years ago but was discharged when he broke both legs while still in training. Snowden knows he can be rendered by the CIA at any time. Director of National Intelligence James Clapper says Snow has caused "Huge, grave damage....to our intelligence capabilities." More than being caught and jailed Snowden says, "My greatest fear," is that these disclosures will do nothing to change the present system.

All Rights Reserved © Bill Deane, 2012

DNA in National Data Bank

William Deane — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 21:18:31 GMT

Good friend and former CBS newswoman Joan Shore, now based in Paris with Huffington, wrote this alarming story.

Turn your calendars back -- 1984 has arrived in America.

Your DNA is being filed away in a national data base, and your phone calls -- within and outside the U.S. -- are being tapped and stored by your government.

There is one thread linking these two stories: our government's frightful and fanatical intrusion into our personal lives.

Leave it to a foreign newspaper, the Guardian, to break the telephone story. Their reporter, Glenn Greenwald, revealed that under a top-secret court order, issued in April, the National Security Agency has been "legally" collecting phone records from millions of Verizon users. The administration's usual defense -- that it is all in the service of security and counter-terrorism -- is feeble and despicable. At the very least, it is admitting that our law enforcement and intelligence agencies are incompetent, and that every American must be put under surveillance. The Fourth Amendment -- the right to privacy -- be damned.

The Verizon program may be only the tip of the iceberg. The government is building a vast storage center to contain all these purloined phone calls, and any other kinds of communications that the government may eventually steal: emails? SMS'?

The Supreme Court decision this week to allow the police to take DNA samples of everyone brought into custody is another appalling example of America's rapidly growing police-state mentality.

The three women on the bench -- Justices Ginsburg, Kagan and Sotomayor -- all dissented; they were joined by only one man, Antonin Scalia, who said the ruling was "vast" and "scary." Those four were trying to defend the Constitution, but five male colleagues trashed it. Collecting DNA without a warrant is again trampling on the Fourth Amendment. Twenty-eight states already allow this; now it will be the law of the land. Bottom line: your home cannot be searched without a warrant, but your body may be scanned with impunity.

Imagine being arrested for a traffic offense, being hauled into police headquarters, and being finger-printed, photographed... and swabbed for DNA. What misdemeanors in your past might eventually turn up? Smoking pot in a public place? Participating in an anti-war demo? Defaulting on alimony payments? Who knows what major or minor transgressions might be exposed? You will only be assumed innocent until something questionable appears. This ruling will instill fear and loathing of the police. Who would dare to call the cops for help, when your DNA swab might toss you into prison? (Joining the two and a half million already there.)

At best, this is a program of personal intrusiveness; at worst, it could morph into a weapon of mass incarceration. Let's not pretend that DNA scanning will merely protect us from criminals: it has the potential to criminalize nearly every one of us.

And let's not assume that tapping our phones is going to make us safer: it will be creating an invisible web of fear and intimidation that will lead, inevitably, to more surveillance and repression. Unless there's a popular outcry, it may already be too late to stop the process.

The Two Koreas Ready to Talk

William Deane — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 06:16:06 GMT

North Koreas sure have an electric way of negotiating, particularly with South Korea--from one end of the continuum to the other in a less than a month. The two Koreas are reopening talks this Wednesday when they meet on the 38th parallel, the dividing line since the 1953 truce. The incoming South Korean president achieved the first meeting in 2 years by matching the tough talk of young Kim Jung-un; not cowering from the third Kim's nuclear threats. President Park Geun-hye, only in office since February initiated her successful policy called "trustpolitik," to line up the talks that hold promise of real accomplishment. The two will discuss possibilities of reopening Mount Kumgang, a resort in the North but operated by the South at its closing 5 years ago when a North Korean soldier shot and killed a tourist from the South. Park's "trustpolitik" combo plan of strength mixed with small steps of trust, will handle the humanitarian issue of Korean families still separated since the war over 60 years ago. As if the South doesn't know the North's war machine, there are military reports the North has set up a restricted area off the west coast of the peninsula for artillery practice as the talks get underway. The North's usual pattern of aggressive talk to achieve concessions is again in evidence ahead of the Wednesday opening.

All Rights Reserved © Bill Deane, 2012

EU Urges Members Test US Grain for GMOs.

William Deane — Sun, 09 Jun 2013 12:06:36 GMT

The 9-Billion dollar American Wheat export business is being challenged with the European Commission telling its member states to check their wheat imports following the discovery of genetically modified organisms in a US shipment to South Korea. Japan, the largest accepter of American wheat immediately shut down acceptance of some types of US wheat after discovery of a GMO strain in an Oregon field 2 weeks ago. The discovery directly threatens the half-Billion dollar Oregon wheat export business which accounts for 90% of the wheat grown in the state. Oregon's senator Ron Wyden fears the EU may set up "spurious, protectionist trade barriers or procurement practices...." No GMO grain should be sent out of the US, according to the Agriculture Department.

While the GMO king, Monsanto has insisted for years that it's impossible for the grain in their GMO fields to mix with natural fields, seeds blow and rain carries them. The battered company which lost 4% its value on the Friday stock exchange, reiterated "no food, feed or environmental safety concerns" are associated with the weedkiller-resistant gene in the Oregon wheat. As one country after another--47 at last count--refuse to accept any genetically modified grains, the United States is becoming the lone GMO producer with solid support in Congress. A day before the Oregon discovery the Senate voted overwhelmingly 71 to 27 on a bill which would have required GMO labeling on food packages. Monsanto is one of the largest contributors to Congressional campaign funding Under threat of legal action, from the seed company. states have shied away from labeling requirements. While 95% of Vermonters want labeling, Governor Shumlin fears Monsanto will follow through on its threat to sue every adult in the state, if labeling passes.

It's an OK Labor Department Jobs' Report

William Deane — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 13:55:04 GMT

The US has a good, but not great Jobs report this Friday morning. 175-Thousand new jobs, but the unemployment rate is, up to 7.6%, indicating more people looking and not finding new jobs. The government continues to spin off its jobs, dropping another 14-thousand in May. This has been a pitifully slow recovery, facing a headwind of increasing automation, reducing the need for new hires. No longer is a college degree a passport to a good first job. Employers are paying the cream of the June crop of graduates and leaving the others to prove themselves with non-paying and low-paying internships. But nearly half those Americans interviewed in a New York Times/CBS News poll taken last week and this week through Tuesday indicates an improving thought among the populous. Nearly half of those interviewed thought chances of getting a job was good to fairly good in their respective communities. And some confidence is expressed as a third of those questioned told the pollsters the employment picture will improve next year. It's tough to know how much the sequester, implemented the end of March is having on the job search. But Deutsche Bank's chief US economist, Joseph LaVorgna notes, "Any negative news is going to be blamed on the sequester...It's a factor but not as big as people think." This 175-Thousand new employment figure gets a "C" as it's precisely the average of the year's monthly report. The jobless are finding unemployment insurance payouts tougher to acquire in almost every state, cutting either the weekly benefits or the number of weeks permitted.

All Rights Reserved © Bill Deane, 2012