WikiLeaks announces $100K bounty for trade deal text

Getty

By Nick Gass

6/2/15 6:57 AM EDT

WikiLeaks announced an effort Tuesday to crowd-source a $100,000 reward for the remaining chapters of the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal, after the organization published three draft chapters of the deal in recent years.

“The transparency clock has run out on the TPP. No more secrecy. No more excuses. Let’s open the TPP once and for all,” WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange said in a statement.

Critics say that the deal being negotiated by the United States and other Pacific Rim countries would hurt American workers and the economy, while proponents argue that it would help the United States establish a stronger economic foothold in the region with regard to China.

The three chapters that WikiLeaks has already published include sections on intellectual property rights, published in November 2013, the environment, published in January 2014, and investment, published this March.

The $100,000 reward marks the beginning of a new program for the organization, in which users can pledge funding to get the chapters they want the most.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2015/06/wikileaks-bounty-trade-deal-118531.html#ixzz3cFpUSjre

ICYMI: Sen. Cruz: Obama Administration Demonstrates Contempt for the Law

Treasury witnesses avoid hearing to investigate illegal Obamacare rulemaking process

June 4, 2015

http://youtu.be/mj9oolUJa2U

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) today held a hearing in the Judiciary Subcommittee on Oversight, Agency Action, Federal Rights and Federal Courts to examine the Department of Treasury’s rulemaking that has disregarded the text of the law and illegally enabled the IRS to provide federal Obamacare subsidies to millions of Americans. Sen. Cruz invited Treasury officials, but they refused to attend.

“I wanted to take just a few minutes to discuss the empty table before us.  It is a symbol for how little regard the Obama Administration has for the American people,” Sen. Cruz said.

He continued, “This is fundamentally about the question of whether the federal government can impose billions of dollars of taxes upon millions of Americans directly contrary to the text of federal law. It is likewise about whether the federal government can spend billions of dollars explicitly prohibited by federal law. If the answer to both of those questions is yes, if the Administration’s interpretation is acceded to, it makes the entire constitutional law-making function superfluous.”

Sen. Cruz concluded, “These penalties coming from the individual mandate disproportionally hurt the most vulnerable among us. The people being hurt by these illegal taxes… are young people, they are single moms, they are Hispanics, they are African Americans, that are suddenly finding a big tax bill that is due from an administration that is ignoring and violating federal law to extract illegal taxes.”

Though the first panel failed to attend, the second panel consisted of the following legal and health care experts: Michael A. Carvin, partner at Jones Day; Michael F. Cannon, Director of Health Policy Studies at the Cato Institute; Andy Grewal, Associate Professor of Law at the University of Iowa College of Law; Elizabeth B. Wydra, Chief Counsel of the Constitutional Accountability Center; and Robert N. Weiner, partner at Arnold & Porter LLP.

Last week, Sen. Cruz sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Jacob Lew regarding the department’s refusal to supply key witnesses for the hearing and stating that he may have “no choice but to pursue other options, including compulsory process.”

View the full hearing here. View Sen. Cruz’s opening statement here and see transcript below:

“Before we get into the substance of this hearing, I wanted to take a few minutes to discuss the empty table in front of us.  It is a symbol of just how little regard the Obama Administration has for the American people.

“Two weeks ago, the committee sent a letter to three current employees of the U.S. Treasury Department, requesting their attendance at this hearing to talk about Treasury’s role in developing the Obamacare exchange subsidy rule, which is hurting millions of people across this country, and which is directly contrary to the statutory text of the underlying bill.

“Specifically, this committee sent letters to Mark Mazur, who is the Assistant Secretary for Tax Policy at Treasury; Emily McMahon, who is the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Tax Policy at Treasury, and who was serving as the Acting Assistant Secretary for Tax Policy when the rule was written and finalized; and to Cameron Arterton, who is the Deputy Tax Legislative Counsel for Tax Policy at Treasury.

“Shortly after these invitation letters were sent, the Treasury Department reached out to my staff and brazenly indicated they did not intend to send any witnesses.  I would note our former Attorney General Eric Holder, the first Attorney General to be held in contempt of Congress, these three empty seats demonstrate the ongoing contempt for Congress and for the American people that is manifested by the Obama Administration.

“For the Treasury Department to tell the United States Senate they have no time, they will not even answer questions about how they promulgated rulemaking in direct conflict with statutory text is the height of arrogance. The beginning of this hearing was to give them an opportunity to come and answer questions, to recognize the oversight responsibility given to the Senate, given to Congress by the United States Constitution. By their absence, I take it the Administration is saying they are not subject to oversight, and yet at the end of the day, the American people provide the ultimate oversight.

“Given that the Administration refused to cooperate in this hearing, it is my hope that the full committee will take it to the next level by invoking compulsory process so that members of the Executive Branch will be made to answer whether they tried to follow the law or whether they were instructed by political operatives to disregard the law in the interest of a political outcome.

“That’s a question the executive needs to answer, and the purpose of this hearing is to begin getting to the bottom of it. I can understand why the Administration is reluctant to engage in this discussion, I can understand why both in substance, after over five years of Obamacare, we have seen that millions of people are hurting under it.

“The American people were promised by the President, if you like your health insurance plan you can keep your health insurance plan, well millions of people discovered that promise was false, that it was knowingly, deliberately false, as millions of Americans had their health insurance plans canceled. The president promised the American people if you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor, that we now know was a statement that was knowingly, deliberately false.

“Today as a consequence of Obamacare, millions of Americans have lost their jobs, have been forced into part-time work, have lost their health insurance, have lost their doctors, and are facing skyrocketing insurance premiums.

“So I can understand why the Administration would be reluctant to defend that record on the merits. I can also understand why the Administration does not want to answer questions about the underlying legal question. The statutory text is straightforward and at the end of the day it is not a complicated question, what the administration did is took statutory language of an exchange established by a state and, through transmogrification that would make Harry Houdini shake his head in wonderment, defined the federal government’s exchange as an exchange established by a state.

“The question this hearing and the next panel hopefully will get to, is: Was that an attempt by an executive agency to follow the law, to carry out the President’s constitutional obligation, to take care that the laws be faithfully executed. Or was it instead a deliberate effort to ignore the law, driven by political and partisan objectives from political appointees at the Treasury Department and the White House. This is a question of exceptional importance because if the executive refuses to implement the laws that are passed by Congress then the basic protections of our constitution become ephemeral. That’s the purpose of this hearing, and I’m disappointed that the Administration has chosen not even to engage in this conversation. With that I’ll recognize the ranking member Senator Coons.” 

###

Monsanto Bids to Take over Syngenta—a Move to Assure a Pesticide-Saturated Future?

May 26, 2015 
Visit the Mercola Video Library

By Dr. Mercola

Monsanto recently made a bid to take over European agrichemical giant Syngenta, the world’s largest pesticide producer. The $45 billion bid was rejected, but there’s still a chance for a merger between these two chemical technology giants.
Monsanto is reportedly considering raising the offer, and as noted by Mother Jones,¹ “combined, the two companies would form a singular agribusiness behemoth, a company that controls a third of both the globe's seed and pesticides markets.”
As reported by Bloomberg,² the possibility of Monsanto taking over Syngenta raises a number of concerns; a top one being loss of crop diversity.

“...[A] larger company would eventually mean fewer varieties of seeds available to farmers, say opponents such as [science policy analyst at the Center for Food Safety, Bill] Freese.
Another is that the combined company could spur increased use of herbicides by combining Syngenta’s stable of weed killers with Monsanto’s marketing heft and crop development expertise.
‘Two really big seed companies becoming one big seed company means even less choice for farmers,’ said Patty Lovera, assistant director of Food and Water Watch, a policy group in Washington.
‘From a public health and environmental perspective this is a complete disaster,’ said Bill Freese... ‘The more I look at this, the more it worries me and the more it needs to be opposed.’”

What’s in a Name?

According to one analyst, the takeover might boost Monsanto’s reputation, as Syngenta has been “less publicly enthusiastic” about genetically engineered (GE) crops.
Personally, I don’t foresee Monsanto ever being able to shed its toxic reputation, no matter how it tries to rebrand itself. It recently tried to do just that by declaring itself "sustainable agriculture company.”
But actions speak louder than mere words, and there’s nothing sustainable about Monsanto’s business. Taking on the Syngenta name would do nothing to change the obnoxious dichotomy between Monsanto’s words and deeds.
In fact, Mother Jones astutely notes that by trying to acquire Syngenta, Monsanto contradicts “years of rhetoric about how its ultimate goal with biotech is to wean farmers off agrichemicals.”
It’s quite clear Monsanto has no desire or plans to help farmers reduce the use of crop chemicals. On the contrary, it has and continues to push for the increased use of its flagship product, Roundup.

Roundup Also Being Used to Harvest Non-GMO Crops

Not only has Monsanto created a line of GE Roundup-ready seeds, it also promotes the use of Roundup on conventional crops, pre-harvest, as described in its Pre-Harvest Staging Guide.³
Applying herbicide directly before harvesting helps dry the crop, boosts the release of seed, and is said to promote long-term control of certain weeds.
The practice is known as desiccation, and according to researchers Samsel and Seneff,⁴ the desiccation of conventionally grown wheat appears to be linked to the rapid and concurrent rise in celiac disease.
Applying glyphosate, which was recently classified as a Class 2A probable human carcinogen, on crops directly before harvest is one of the dumbest things we could do to our foods, yet Monsanto wholeheartedly supports and promotes it.
Speaking of reputation, Syngenta is hardly a poster child for sustainability and right action either. Not only is it the main supplier of the “gender-bending” herbicide atrazine in the US, it also makes neonicotinoids—a class of insecticide linked to the mass die-offs of bees and other pollinators
Both of these chemicals have come under increasing scrutiny as researchers have learned more about their environmental and human health impacts, and both are banned in Europe while still widely in use in the US.

Suppressing Science for the Chemical Industry?

As scrutiny into the effects of chemicals has intensified, so has strong-arm tactics by the industry, which has successfully infiltrated the very agencies charged with their oversight.
An open letter⁵ signed by more than 25 farmworker, environmental, and food safety organizations was sent to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) on May 5, demanding the agency investigate reports of retaliation and suppression of research relating to the dangers of neonicotinoids and glyphosate.⁶

"It is imperative that the USDA maintains scientific integrity and does not allow for harassment, censorship, or suppression of findings that counter the interests of industry," the letter states.
In March, the Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) filed a citizen petition requesting that the US Department of Agriculture adopt new policies that would further job protection for government scientists who question the health and safety of agricultural chemicals.
The petition urges for the agency to adopt policies that would specifically prevent the ‘political suppression or alteration of studies and lay out clear procedures for investigating allegations and of scientific misconduct.’
PEER has found that more than 10 USDA scientists have faced consequences or investigations when their work called into question the health and safety of agricultural chemicals.
These scientists documented clear actions that violated their scientific integrity, including USDA officials retracting studies, watering down findings, removing scientists’ names from authorship, and delaying approvals for publication of research papers.”

Many Elementary School Children at Risk of Elevated Pesticide Exposure

Monsanto’s marketing materials still proclaim its GE crops reduce the need for pesticides, but usage has steadily and significantly risen since the advent of GE seeds. The rapid emergence of resistant superweeds have led the industry to invent crop seeds resistant to even more toxic herbicides, such as 2,4-D and dicamba.
According to Dr. Medardo Ávila-Vázquez,⁷ a pediatrician and neonatologist at the Faculty of Medical Sciences at the National University of Córdoba, glyphosate use in connection to GMO seeds is having a notably deleterious effect on the health of the local people, particularly children.
In light of the approval of these next-generation pesticides, it would behoove us to take notice to such warnings, because our kids are also becoming increasingly exposed. As reported by Global Research,⁸ children attending hundreds of elementary schools across the US are in harm’s way as toxic weed killers are doused on nearby GE fields in ever greater amounts:

“A new EWG interactive map shows the amounts of glyphosate sprayed in each US county and tallies the 3,247 elementary schools that are located within 1,000 feet of a corn or soybean field and the 487 schools that are within 200 feet. Click on any county on the map to see how much GMO corn and soy acreage has increased there as well as the number of nearby elementary schools.”

You will see that several states are outlined. This is where the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved the use of Dow AgroSciences’ Enlist Duo. This new herbicide, which is a mix of glyphosate and 2,4-D, will be used on a new generation of GE corn and soybeans engineered to withstand both of these toxins. Many of these states are already heavily sprayed with Roundup, and with the introduction of Enlist Duo, children who go to school near these farm fields may be exposed to greater risks than ever before.

The Organic Effect

While environmental exposure is certainly a concern, most people are exposed to pesticides via their diet. Claimed to be the largest of its kind, a study⁹ published in the Environmental Health Perspectives looked at the diets of nearly 4,500 people living in six US cities, assessing exposure levels to organophosphates (OPs), which are among the most commonly used pesticides on American farms.
Participants’ organophosphate levels were estimated using USDA data¹⁰ on the average levels of pesticide residue found in the fruits and vegetables that each individual reported eating. To verify the accuracy of their estimates, they compared their calculated pesticide exposures to the actual levels of pesticide metabolites (breakdown products) excreted in the urine of a subset of 720 participants.
Not surprisingly, those who ate conventionally grown produce were found to have high concentrations of OP metabolites, whereas those who ate organic produce had significantly lower levels. Those who “often or always” ate organic had about 65 percent lower levels of pesticide residues compared to those who ate the least amount of organic produce. According to lead author Cynthia Curl: “The study suggests that by eating organically grown versions of those foods highest in pesticide residues, we can make a measurable difference.”
The “organic effect” was also recently demonstrated by a Swedish family that agreed to eat nothing but organic food for two weeks. ¹¹ Pesticide levels were measured before and after the switch, and after a fortnight of eating an all-organic diet, the family members’ toxic load had diminished to virtually nothing. While many organic foods have been shown to contain higher levels of nutrients,^12,13,14 one of the major benefits you reap from eating organic is what you don’t get from your diet—all those toxic chemicals!
A Stanford University meta-analysis¹⁵ published in 2012 found that people who eat an organic diet not only tend to have lower levels of toxic pesticides in their system, organic meats were also far less likely to contain multi-drug resistant bacteria, which is yet another major health threat.
Many still insist we don’t know what the health ramifications are from eating pesticide-tainted foods, but common sense will tell you the effect is not going to do your health any favors. Many pesticides also do have well-established health effects. Organophosphate (OP) pesticides, for example, have been linked to reduced IQ and attention deficits in children.^16,17 Symptoms of exposure include weakness, headache, diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting.
Long-term exposure has been linked to neurological effects, such as¹⁸ confusion, anxiety, and depression. According to data¹⁹ from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 75 percent of the US population has detectable levels of OPs in their urine, and unless you’re a farmer, or live near a farm, your diet is one of the most likely routes of exposure. Considering depression affects one in 10 Americans, who’s to say OP pesticide exposure isn’t part of the problem?

Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce

To protect your health, your best bet is to buy only organic fruits and vegetables. That said, not all conventionally grown fruits and vegetables are subjected to the same amount of pesticide load. One way to save some money while still lowering your risk is by focusing on purchasing certain organic items, while “settling” for others that are conventionally grown. To do this, I recommend familiarizing yourself with the Environmental Working Group’s (EWG) annual Shoppers' Guide to Pesticides in Produce.²⁰
Of the fruits and vegetables tested by the EWG for the 2015 guide, the following “dirty dozen” had the highest pesticide load, making them the most important to buy or grow organically. Also remember that swapping your regular meat sources to organic, grass-fed/pasture-raised versions of beef and poultry may be even more important than buying organic fruits and vegetables. The same goes for dairy products and animal by-products such as eggs.
Apples
Peaches
Nectarines
Strawberries
Grapes
Celery
Spinach
Sweet bell peppers
Cucumbers
Cherry tomatoes
Imported snap peas
Potatoes
In contrast, the following foods were found to have the lowest residual pesticide load, making them the safest bet among conventionally grown vegetables. Note that a small amount of sweet corn and most Hawaiian papaya, although low in pesticides, are genetically engineered (GE). If you’re unsure of whether the sweet corn or papaya is GE, I’d recommend opting for organic varieties. To review the ranking of all foods tested, please see the EWG’s 2015 Shoppers' Guide to Pesticides in Produce.²¹
Avocado
Sweet corn
Pineapple
Cabbage
Frozen sweet peas
Onions
Asparagus
Mangoes
Papayas (non-GMO. Most Hawaiian papaya is GMO)
Kiwi
Eggplant
Grapefruit
Cantaloupe
Cauliflower
Sweet potatoes

Where to Find Healthy Food

One of the most compelling reasons to eat organic is to avoid toxins. Organic foods do tend to have a better nutritional profile, but even if they do not, the absence of drugs, pesticides, hormones, and antibiotics is more than enough of a reason to make the switch to protect your health. For a step-by-step guide to making healthier diet choices, please see my freely available optimized nutrition plan, starting with the beginner plan.
While many food stores carry organic foods these days, your best bet is to source it from a local grower, as much of the organic food sold in grocery stores is imported. Not only has this food traveled a long distance, adding to the carbon footprint, but some countries may have more lax organic standards than others.
Buying local food also supports local farmers and promotes the establishment of a more sustainable local food system. If you reside in the US, the following organizations can help you locate farm-fresh foods in the vicinity of where you live. Even better would be to grow it yourself. The nation’s health would radically improve if we could reestablish World War II Victory gardens.
Weston Price Foundation²² -- has local chapters in most states, and many of them are connected with buying clubs in which you can easily purchase organic foods, including grass fed raw dairy products like milk and butter.
Local Harvest -- This Web site will help you find farmers' markets, family farms, and other sources of sustainably grown food in your area where you can buy produce, grass-fed meats, and many other goodies.
Farmers' Markets -- A national listing of farmers' markets.
Eat Well Guide: Wholesome Food from Healthy Animals -- The Eat Well Guide is a free online directory of sustainably raised meat, poultry, dairy, and eggs from farms, stores, restaurants, inns, and hotels, and online outlets in the United States and Canada.
Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture (CISA) -- CISA is dedicated to sustaining agriculture and promoting the products of small farms.
FoodRoutes -- The FoodRoutes "Find Good Food" map can help you connect with local farmers to find the freshest, tastiest food possible. On their interactive map, you can find a listing for local farmers, CSAs, and markets near you.

What Are GMOs?

GMOs are a product of genetic engineering, meaning their genetic makeup has been altered to induce a variety of “unique” traits to crops, such as making them drought-resistant or giving them “more nutrients.” GMO proponents claim that genetic engineering is “safe and beneficial,” and that it advances the agricultural industry. They also say that GMOs help ensure the global food supply and sustainability. But is there any truth to these claims? I believe not. For years, I've stated the belief that GMOs pose one of the greatest threats to life on the planet. Genetic engineering is NOT the safe and beneficial technology that it is touted to be.

Help Support GMO Labeling

The Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA)—Monsanto’s Evil Twin—is pulling out all the stops to keep you in the dark about what’s in your food. For nearly two decades, Monsanto and corporate agribusiness have exercised near-dictatorial control over American agriculture. For example, Monsanto has made many claims that glyphosate in Roundup is harmless to animals and humans. However, recently the World Health Organization (WHO) had their research team test glyphosate and have labeled it a probable carcinogen.
Public opinion around the biotech industry's contamination of our food supply and destruction of our environment has reached the tipping point. We're fighting back. That's why I was the first to push for GMO labeling. I donated a significant sum to the first ballot initiative in California in 2012, which inspired others to donate to the campaign as well. We technically "lost the vote, but we are winning the war, as these labeling initiatives have raised a considerable amount of public awareness.
The insanity has gone far enough, which is why I encourage you to boycott every single product owned by members of the GMA, including natural and organic brands. More than 80 percent of our support comes from individual consumers like you, who understand that real change comes from the grassroots.
Recently, Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-Kan) has reintroduced a bill (HR 1599) that would preempt states' rights to enact GMO labeling laws. This bill would create a federal government program to oversee guidelines for voluntary labeling of products that do not contain GMOs. It would specifically prohibit Congress or individual states from requiring mandatory labeling of GMO foods or ingredients. It would also allow food manufacturers to use the word "natural" on products that contain GMOs. TAKE ACTION NOW! Your local representatives need to hear from you! Please contact them today by CLICKING HERE.
Thankfully, we have organizations like the Organic Consumers Association (OCA) to fight back against these junk food manufacturers, pesticide producers, and corporate giants.

Internet Resources Where You Can Learn More

• Non-GMO Shopping Guide
• GMA Boycott List
• GMA Traitor Brands

Non-GMO Food Resources by Country

• Australia
• Canada
• New Zealand
• United Kingdom
• United States

Together, Let's Help OCA Get The Funding They Deserve

Let’s Help OCA get the funding it deserves. I have found very few organizations who are as effective and efficient as OCA. It’s a public interest organization dedicated to promoting health justice and sustainability. A central focus of the OCA is building a healthy, equitable, and sustainable system of food production and consumption.
Please make a donation to help OCA fight for GMO labeling.
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2015/05/26/glyphosate-pesticide-exposure.aspx?

Prison Planet.com » Investors Start To Panic As A Global Bond Market Crash Begins

 

Investors Start To Panic As A Global Bond Market Crash Begins

Michael Snyder

Economic Collapse June 4, 2015

Is the financial collapse that so many are expecting in the second half of 2015 already starting?

Many have believed that we would see bonds crash before the stock market crashes, and that is precisely what is happening right now.  Since mid-April, the yield on 10 year German bonds has shot up from 0.05 percent to 0.89 percent.  But much of that jump has come this week.  Just a couple of days ago, the yield on 10 year German bonds was sitting at just 0.54 percent.  And it isn’t just Germany – bond yields are going crazy all over Europe.  So far, it is being estimated that global investors have lostmore than half a trillion dollars, and there is much more room for these bonds to fall.  In the end, the overall losses could be well into the trillions even before the stock market collapses.

I know that for most average Americans, talk about “bond yields” is rather boring.  But it is important to understand these things, because we could very well be looking at the beginning of the next great financial crisis.  The following is an excerpt from an article by Wolf Richter in which he details the unprecedented carnage that we have witnessed over the past few days…

On Tuesday, ahead of the ECB’s policy announcement today, German Bunds sagged, and the 10-year yield soared from 0.54% to 0.72%, drawing a squiggly diagonal line across the chart. In just one day, yield increased by one-third!

Makes you wonder to which well-connected hedge funds the ECB had once again leaked its policy statement and the all-important speech by ECB President Mario Draghi that the rest of us got see today.

And today, the German 10-year yield jump to 0.89%, the highest since October last year. From the low in mid-April of 0.05% to today’s 0.89% in just seven weeks! Bond prices, in turn, have plunged!  This is the definition of a “rout.”

Other euro sovereign bonds have gone through a similar rout, with the Spanish 10-year yield soaring from 1.05% in March to 2.07% today, and the Italian 10-year yields jumping from a low in March of 1.03% to 2.17% now.

What this means is that the central banks are losing control.

In particular, the European Central Bank has been trying very hard to force yields down, and now the exact opposite is happening.

This is very bad news for a global financial system that is absolutely teeming with red ink.  Since the last financial crisis, our planet has been on the greatest debt binge of all time.  If we are moving into a time of higher interest rates, that is going to cause enormous problems.  Unfortunately, CNBC says that is precisely where things are headed…

The wild breakout in German yields is rocking global debt markets, and giving investors an early glimpse of the uneasy future for bonds in a world of higher interest rates.

The shakeout also carries a message for corporate bond investors, who have snapped up a record level of new issuance this year, and are now seeing negative total returns in the secondary market for the first time this year.

So why is this happening?

Why are bond yields going crazy?

According to the Wall Street Journal, financial regulators in Europe are blaming the ECB’s quantitative easing program…

A recent surge in government bond market volatility can be blamed on the quantitative easing program of the European Central Bank, according to one of Europe’s top financial regulators.

EIOPA, the body responsible for regulating insurers and pension funds in the European Union, has warned that the ECB’s decision to buy billions of euros’ worth of sovereign bonds, to kick-start the region’s economy, has caused markets to become choppier.

And actually this is what should be happening.  When central banks start creating money out of thin air and pumping it into the markets, investors should rationally demand a higher return on their money.  This didn’t really happen when the Federal Reserve tried quantitative easing, so the Europeans thought that they might as well try to get away with it too.  Unfortunately for them, investors are starting to catch up with the scam.

So what happens next?

Well, European bond yields are probably going to keep heading higher over the coming weeks and months.  This will especially be true if the Greek crisis continues to escalate.  And unfortunately for Europe, that appears to be exactly what is happening…

Greece will not make a June 5 repayment to the International Monetary Fund if there is no prospect of an aid-for-reforms deal with its international creditors soon, the spokesman for the ruling Syriza party’s lawmakers said on Wednesday.

The payment of 300 million euros ($335 million) is the first of four this month totaling 1.6 billion euros from a country that depends on foreign aid to stay afloat.

Greece owes a total of about 320 billion euros, of which about 65 percent to euro zone governments and the IMF, and about 8.7 percent to the European Central Bank.

On Tuesday, Greece’s creditors drafted the broad outlines of an agreement to put to the leftist government in Athens in a bid to conclude four months of negotiations and release aid before the country runs out of money.

“If there is no prospect of a deal by Friday or Monday, I don’t know by when exactly, we will not pay,” Nikos Filis told Mega TV.

In fact, there are reports that both the ECB and the Greek government are talking about Greece going to a “parallel domestic currency”…

Biagio Bossone and Marco Cattaneo write that according to several recent media reports, both the Greek government and the ECB are taking into consideration the possibility (for Greece) to issue a parallel domestic currency to pay for government expenditures, including civil servant salaries, pensions, etc. This could happen in the coming weeks as Greece faces a severe shortage of euros. A new domestic currency would help make payments to public employees and pensioners while freeing up the euros needed to pay out creditors.

If Greece defaults and starts using another currency, the value of the euro is going to absolutely plummet and bond yields all over the continent are going to start heading into the stratosphere.

That is why it is so important to keep an eye on what is going on in Greece.

But no matter what happens in Greece, it appears that we are moving into a time when there will be higher interest rates around the world.  And since 505 trillion dollars in derivatives are directly tied to interest rate levels, that could lead to a financial unraveling unlike anything that we have ever seen before in the history of our planet.

As I have warned about so many times before, 2008 was just the warm up act.

The main event is still coming, and it is going to be extraordinarily painful.

This article was posted: Thursday, June 4, 2015 at 5:47 am

Prison Planet.com » Investors Start To Panic As A Global Bond Market Crash Begins

The Freedom Act is WORSE than the Patriot Act

 

The Freedom Act is WORSE than the Patriot Act

Daniel McAdams
Lew Rockwell Blog
June 3, 2015

By a vote of 67-32 the Senate today passed the USA FREEDOM Act, just days after the expiration of key elements of the USA PATRIOT Act. The FREEDOM Act is billed as a reform of the unconstitutional and recently-ruled illegal bulk collection of Americans’ telecommunications, but in fact it is a whole new level of attack on civil liberties.

Here are just a couple of ways the FREEDOM Act is worse than the PATRIOT Act:

1) The recent decision of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that the bulk collection of American citizens’ telecommunications information was not authorized by the USA PATRIOT Act means that as of this afternoon, the bulk collection of American citizens’ telecommunications information was an illegal act. The government was breaking the law each time it grabbed our metadata. The moment the FREEDOM is signed by President Obama that same activity will become legal. How is making an unconstitutional and illegal act into a legal one a benefit to civil liberties?

2) The FREEDOM Act turns private telecommunications companies into agents of state security. They will be required to store our personal information and hand it over to state security organs upon demand. How do we know this development is a step in the wrong direction? It is reportedly the brainchild of Gen. Keith B. Alexander, the NSA director at the time! According to press reports, this was but a public relations move to deflect criticism of the bulk collection program. Alexander “saw the move as a way for Obama to respond to public criticism without losing programs the NSA deemed more essential,” reports Homeland Security News.

3) The FREEDOM Act turns private telecommunications companies into depositories of “pre-crime” data for future use of state security agencies. It is a classic authoritarian move for the state to co-opt and subsume the private sector. Once the FREEDOM Act is signed, Americans’ telecommunications information will be retained by the telecommunications companies for the use of state security agencies in potential future investigations. In other words, an individual under no suspicion of any crime and thus deserving full Fourth and Fifth Amendment protection will nevertheless find himself providing evidence against his future self should that person ever fall under suspicion. That is not jurisprudence in a free society.

4) The FREEDOM Act provides liability protection for the telecommunications firms who steal and store our private telecommunications information. In other words, there is not a thing you can do about the theft as long as the thief is a “private” agent of the state.

It is very telling that the same Congressional leaders who have supported the PATRIOT Act for all these years are now propagandizing Americans in favor of the FREEDOM Act.

FREEDOM Act becomes law; freedom, RIP.

This article was posted: Wednesday, June 3, 2015 at 5:36 am

Prison Planet.com » The Freedom Act is WORSE than the Patriot Act

Native American Tribes Declare Sovereignty, Break Away From State of Maine

Native American Tribes Declare Sovereignty, Break Away From State of Maine:

Native American Tribes Declare Sovereignty, Break Away From State of Maine

2015-06-01 21:40



From: blacklistednews.com

Due to Governor Paul LePage launching direct political and environmental
attacks against the Penobscot,Micmac and Passamaquoddy tribes of Maine,
leaders of those tribes have recalled their representatives from the
state legislature and are asserting their sovereignty from the State of
Maine. “The Maine Indian Land claims Settlement act has failed and we
cannot allow ourselves to continue down the path,” Chief Francis said.“We’re saying it’s a failed social experiment.”



In August of 2011, Governor LePage signed an Executive Order recognizinga
“special relationship” between the sovereign State of Maine, and the
sovereign tribes within the State. In this order, the Governor
instructed all State agencies to include a tribal liaison, whose role
would be to facilitate communication and direct policy in all areas of
State jurisdiction in such a way as to include the voice and interest of
native peoples. The Order instructs that“the State and Tribes should
work together as one,”and Tribal interests should be heeded when
developing policies and procedures “on matters that significantly or
uniquely affect those tribes.”



In April of this year, LePagerescinded
that Order. The new Order maintains that native tribes in Maine retain
their sovereignty, but holds that they now have a “relationship between
equals with its own set of responsibilities,” yet declares that tribal
lands, forms of tribal governance and natural resources controlled by
the native tribes are subject to the laws and jurisdiction of the State
of Maine. The takeover of lands was prompted by anEPA letter
to the State, and claims that lack of Tribal participation in “the
State’s interests” required the usurpation of Tribal sovereignty. The
Letter, in fact, actually supports the Tribal position, as the Tribal
standards of environmental protection are much stricter than those of
the EPA or the State of Maine. Those close to the Penobscot Tribe
tellThe Fifth Column that LePage threatened to sue the EPA over the
proposed new regulations, leading the Agency to back down. LePage’s
Order, then, becomes a direct political attack against the Tribes in
affront to their sovereignty and an effort to exact more control over
the land by the State of Maine.



Even though Penobscot Chief Kirk Francis and his Tribe couldn’t have been“happier”
with the EPA ruling, the State of Maine blamed the Tribe for poor water
quality and dissolved its sovereignty over the land and resources. This
comes in spite of a Penobscotlawsuitover
fishing rights in the Penobscot River and another legal battle between
the State and the Passamaquoddy Tribe over rights in other fisheries in
the region, as well as Maine’s already stringent water quality
standards.Initially“ a little bit — well, a lot — confused” by the new Executive Order, Chief Francisdeclared,
“We have gotten on our knees for the last time, from here on out, we
are a self-governing organization, focused on a self-determining path.”



Francis spoke outside of the Maine Statehouse on May 26 in a rally
celebrating the severing of diplomatic ties between the Tribes and the
State. He was joined by leaders of the Passamaquoddy Tribe, but not the
Houlton and Maliseet Tribes, who cite too much of a vested financial
interest in the outcome of several bills currently pending. Matthew Dana
II and Wayne Mitchell, just prior to the rally, issued statements on
the floor of the legislature announcing the separation, and abandoning
their pro forma seats in the state government. Each Tribe was allotted
one seat in the legislature, where they were allowed to submit and
discuss bills, but denied the right to vote. According to the Tribes,
this is the first time since 1842 that a Native Tribe was not present in
the legislature.



“We have gone to great lengths to demonstrate good faith and cooperation, only to be lied to,”states
Passamaquoddy Chief Fred Moore. Meanwhile, LePage maintains in one
breath that it is the interests of the State of Maine that have not been
respected, yet in another breath has stated that he would veto any
Tribal bill that reaches his desk from the legislature. Urged to rejoin
the legislature by Speaker Mark Eves, former Representative Mitchell of
the Penobscot Nation told
supporters that the decision to leave non-voting positions in the
legislature had been made, and that any return would “be on our own
terms.” In the meantime, any interaction between the Tribes and the
State of Maine will take place as separate and equal nations, not
colonialized subservients to an occupying government that repeatedly
refuses to respect Tribal interests.



The unique break in diplomatic ties signals the reassertion of full
sovereignty for the Tribal Nations. The precedent and political
implications could spread to other tribes throughout North America, and
serve as a model for natives and non-natives alike as state and federal
governments continue to enact laws violating the rights of the People,
and others to protect the environmentally and economically destructive
interests of corporations. The reassertion of sovereignty, more
immediately,may protect
much of the land and water in Maine from fracking, Tar Sands
production, and mountain top mining. More importantly, the Tribes are declaring
that they no longer consent to the State to “define our sovereignty or
culture or to interfere with our self-governing rights.”





Source: blacklistednews.com

Prison Planet.com » BILDERBERG 2015 Elites Prepare For Nuclear And Economic Devastation

Prison Planet.com

June 2, 2015

The Bilderberg group will coalesce June 9-14th in the Austrian
Mountains at the Interalpen Hotel. How many of these instigators of
widespread tyranny will be discussing their million dollar safe bunkers
between meetings? As they plan to hide like moles while their hellish
plans are unleashed on the gullible masses.

This article was posted: Tuesday, June 2, 2015 at 5:51 am

Prison Planet.com » BILDERBERG 2015 Elites Prepare For Nuclear And Economic Devastation

Prison Planet.com » Rule By The Corporations

Paul Craig Roberts
Prison Planet.com
June 2, 2015

The
Transatlantic and Transpacific Trade and Investment Partnerships have
nothing to do with free trade. “Free trade” is used as a disguise to
hide the power these agreements give to corporations to use law suits to
overturn sovereign laws of nations that regulate pollution, food
safety, GMOs, and minimum wages.

The first thing to understand
is that these so-called “partnerships” are not laws written by Congress.
The US Constitution gives Congress the authority to legislate, but
these laws are being written without the participation of Congress. The
laws are being written by corporations solely in the interest of their
power and profit. The office of US Trade Representative was created in
order to permit corporations to write law that serves only their
interests. This fraud on the Constitution and the people is covered up
by calling trade laws “treaties.”

Indeed, Congress is not even
permitted to know what is in the laws and is limited to the ability to
accept or refuse what is handed to Congress for a vote. Normally,
Congress accepts, because “so much work has been done” and “free trade
will benefit us all.”

The presstitutes have diverted attention
from the content of the laws to “fast track.” When Congress votes “fast
track,” it means Congress accepts that corporations can write the trade
laws without the participation of Congress. Even criticisms of the
“partnerships” are a smoke screen. Countries accused of slave labor
could be excluded but won’t be. Super patriots complain that US
sovereignty is violated by “foreign interests,” but US sovereignty is
violated by US corporations. Others claim yet more US jobs will be
offshored. In actual fact, the “partnerships” are unnecessary to advance
the loss of American jobs as there is nothing that inhibits jobs
offshoring now.

What the “partnerships” do is to make private
corporations immune to the laws of sovereign countries on the grounds
that laws of countries adversely impact corporate profits and constitute
“restraint of trade.”

For example, under the Transatlantic
Partnership, French laws against GMOs would be overturned as “restraints
on trade” by law suits filed by Monsanto.

Countries that
require testing of imported food, such as pork for trichnosis, and
fumigation would be subject to lawsuits from corporations, because these
regulations increase the cost of imports.

Countries that do not
provide monopoly protection for brand name pharmaceuticals and chemical
products, and allow generics in their place, can be sued for damages by
corporations.

Obama himself has no input into the process. Here
is what is going on: The Trade Representative is a corporate stooge. He
serves the private corporations and will go on to a million dollar
annual salary. The corporations have bribed the political leaders in
every country to sign away their sovereignty and the general welfare of
their people to private corporations. Corporations have paid US senators
large sums for transferring Congress’ law-making powers to
corporations.http://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/may/27/corporations-paid-us-senators-fast-track-tpp When
these “partnerships” pass, no country that signed will have any
legislative authority to legislate or enforce any law that any
corporation regards as inimical to its bottom line.

Yes, the great promiser of change is bringing change. He is turning Asia, Europe, and the US over to rule by the corporations.

Only
those who have sold their integrity for money sign these agreements.
Apparently Merkel, a Washington vassal, is one of them. http://sputniknews.com/politics/20150530/1022740004.html

According
to news reports, both of France’s main political parties have sold out
to the corporations, but not Marine Le Pen’s National Front Party. In
the last EU elections, the dissident parties, such as Le Pen and
Farage’s, prevailed over the traditional parties, but the dissidents are
yet to prevail in their own countries.

Marine Le Pen objects to the secrecy of the agreements that establishes corporate rule. As Europe’s only leader, she speaks:

“It
is vital that the French people know about TTIP’s content and its
motivations in order to be able to fight it. Because our fellow
countrymen must have the choice of their future, because they should
impose a model for society that suits them, and not one forced by
multinational companies eager for profits, Brussels technocrats bought
by the lobbies, and politicians from the UMP [party of former president
Nicolas Sarkozy] who are subservient to these technocrats.”

It is vital that the American public also know, but not even Congress is permitted to know.

How
does it work, this “freedom and democracy” that we Americans allegedly
have, when neither the people nor their elected representatives are
permitted to participate in the making of laws that enable private
corporations to negate the law-making functions of governments and place
corporate profit above the general welfare?

Paul Craig Roberts
was Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Economic Policy and
associate editor of the Wall Street Journal. He was columnist for
Business Week, Scripps Howard News Service, and Creators Syndicate. He
has had many university appointments. His internet columns have
attracted a worldwide following. His latest book, The Failure of Laissez Faire Capitalism and Economic Dissolution of the West is now available.

This article was posted: Tuesday, June 2, 2015 at 6:01 am

http://www.prisonplanet.com/rule-by-the-corporations.html 

Pray for Rand Paul! Sen. Rand Paul Remarks on Expiration of PATRIOT Act - May 31, 2015

Pray For This Man, the rampant corruption running a muck in Washington D.C., have him in their cross-hairs.  Why, because he is a true American Patriot, who believes, abides by and fights for upholding  the United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

THIS IS A VICTORY!!! SENATOR RAND PAUL IS FOR AMERICANS AND NOT FOR THE STATUS QUO! THIS IS THE GUY WE NEED IN THE WHITE HOUSE! END OF STORY!! Sen. Paul Appears on America's Newsroom on Fox News - June 1, 2015

Last Night Senator Paul gave one of the most patriotic speeches to and
for Americans.  All Americans need to wake up to the fact by adding more
security and taking more of your liberties, America is NOT the land
our forefathers fought for. They did not tell Britain oh its okay you
are going to forcibly take our records but they are not going to read
them,  yeah we believe you!!!  The revolution would NOT have happened. 
But it did and our forefathers said "NO" to all warrants issued by local
militants, they said NO to tyranny and demanded all warrants be
individually, with one name on it, signed by a Judge and the name cannot
just say "VERIZON"!  Wake up America, this man, Rand Paul, just changed
the conversation and it is up to true patriots to stand with Rand and
bring the Republic back to the once great beacon of hope it thrived
on!   Patriots let us join together in the fight to save America!!  Do your part!