From ilovemountains.org

Please write your senator today and ask them to become a co-sponsor!

The Appalachian Mountain Restoration Act (S.696) is necessary to protect clean drinking water for many of our nation’s cities. It is also necessary to protect the quality of life for Appalachian coalfield residents who face frequent catastrophic flooding and pollution or loss of drinking water as a result of mountaintop removal.

From the east coast, to the west coast, to the states where it’s taking place, Americans want an end to mountaintop removal coal mining. This is the reason the Appalachia Restoration Act was introduced in to the 111th Congress by Senator Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD) and Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN).

Building on that momentum, and with a friendlier administration and Congress, we have a real chance to pass the Appalachia Restoration Act in the 111th Congress.

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NY Times
By ADAM NAGOURNEY
Published: March 15, 2009

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is increasingly concerned about a populist backlash against banks and Wall Street, worried that anger at financial institutions could also end up being directed at Congress and the White House and could complicate President Obama’s agenda.

The administration’s sharp rebuke of the American International Group on Sunday for handing out $165 million in executive bonuses — Lawrence H. Summers, director of the president’s National Economic Council, described it as “outrageous” on “This Week” on ABC — marks the latest effort by the White House to distance itself from abuses that could feed potentially disruptive public anger.

“We’ve got enormous problems that need to be addressed,” David Axelrod, Mr. Obama’s senior adviser, said in an interview. “And it’s hard to address because there’s a lot of anger about the irresponsibility that led us to this point.”

“This has been welling up for a long time,” he said.

Mr. Obama’s aides said any surge of such a sentiment could complicate efforts to win Congressional approval for the additional bailout packages that Mr. Obama has signaled will be necessary to stabilize the banking system. Source Article

I would suggest that if President Obama is that worried about a backlash he should maybe be thinking in terms of prison sentences for these creeps? Think RICO!

~Susan~

Aljazeera.net

An Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at George Bush, then US president, has been given a three-year jail sentence after pleading not guilty to assaulting a foreign head of state.

The sentencing of Muntadher al-Zaidi, 30, by the Central Criminal Court in Baghdad on Thursday, was announced by Al-Baghdadiya television, his employer.

The journalist, who became a hero to many Iraqis after the December 14 incident, arrived at the court under a heavy police escort.

Judge Abdulamir Hassan al-Rubaie said he had taken into consideration that al-Zaidi is young and it was his first offence, the defence lawyers said. Source Article

I know I’m going to catch a lot of flack here but I just can’t see putting a man in prison for three years for throwing a pair of shoes. I don’t care if his target is the President of the U.S.A. He caused no harm. All he did was insult and embarrass him. If he was tortured and beaten that makes the whole thing worse. I know Iraq has a different justice system but I would hope that they would show more mercy and humanity than the Bush Administration has shown to it’s victims.

Huffington Post March 12, 2009 09:33 AM

Embattled financial giant Citigroup Inc., which has received at least $50 billion in federal bailout funds, hosted a private conference call on Wednesday to build opposition to the Employee Free Choice Act.

The call, which came just one day after the labor-backed legislation was introduced in Congress, represents a growing effort on Citi’s behalf to air concerns about the bill, which would make it easier for employees to organize. On Tuesday, the bank downgraded Wal-Mart’s rating over fears that the Employee Free Choice Act could pass.

Wednesday’s conference call was led by Glenn Spencer, a senior executive at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and an ardent EFCA opponent. It was promoted as “An Update on the Employee Free Choice Act,” but much of the content was focused on demonizing the legislation. EFCA will “inhibit flexibility,” “hamper companies from competing effectively,” and prove “cumbersome” for business, declared Spencer. “From the Chamber’s perspective, and I would say probably from the whole business communities perspective, there are really no amendments you could make to this bill that would make it acceptable.” Source Article

When this bank is being kept afloat more or less by TARP funds, why are they allowed to do this? For that matter why is this zombie bank still in existence?

Huffington Post | Julie Satow | March 5, 2009 01:57 PM

Morgan Stanley was offering Ford shareholders a highly unusual deal on Monday.

Two days before Ford announced a major debt restructuring that diluted shareholders, TARP-recipient Morgan Stanley was asking its private wealth clients who owned shares in the Detroit car company whether they could use those shares to execute short sales.

In a short sale, the short-seller “borrows” securities, then sells it, on the belief the stock price will fall. The short-seller then repurchases the securities at the new, lower price, and returns it to the lender. In this way, the short-seller profits from selling the borrowed securities for more than he later repurchases them for. Source Article

Can someone explain to me why a company that is being propped up by taxpayer funds is trying to bring down the sole auto company in this country that has not asked for government money? I really would like to know. It seems to me that we are being asked to pay for one company to bring down another and feast off of the carcass!