Published on May 24, 2013
“Russia boosts it’s military presence in Syria, US Assistant Secretary of Defense: Michael A. Sheehan said “it suits us very well to continue this war for at least 10-20 years” & you thought .08 was tough on the breathalyzer, well it may change to .05!”
Original release: 5/17/13.
Published time: May 24, 2013 19:21
Bank lobbyists have a direct influence on financial legislation drafted in Congress, and are in some cases even writing the measures themselves. Citigroup this month drafted a regulation bill that has already passed through a House committee.
To soften financial regulations, bank lobbyists frequently ‘assist’ lawmakers in writing draft legislation that serves to benefit them at the expense of American taxpayers, according to a New York Times investigation.
Lobbyists working for Citigroup Inc., a multinational financial services corporation, wrote 80 percent of a regulation bill that was approved by the House Financial Services Committee this month. Citigroup wrote 70 lines of 85-line bill, which exempts “broad swathes of trades” from new regulation, the Times reported based on e-mails it obtained.
Two paragraphs of the bill were copied “nearly word for word” from what Citigroup drafted. The only difference between the versions were two words, which lawmakers changed to make plural.
The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, which was signed into law in 2010, inflicted heavy financial regulatory reform following the most recent recession. The bill was pushed into law by Democrats, but now, both Democrats in the House and Senate are siding with bank lobbyists to roll back parts of the regulation overhaul.
The bill drafted primarily by Citigroup this month was starkly opposed by the Treasury Department, but easily made it through the House Financial Services Committee, the Times reports. MapLight, a nonprofit group that analyzes campaign finance records, found that lawmakers who supported Wall Street’s legislation received twice as much in contributions from financial institutions than those who opposed such measures, which appears to indicate that lawmakers’ support can be bought.
This month, Wall Street groups also held fundraising dinners for lawmakers who co-sponsored the bills they backed and in some cases co-wrote. As a reward for siding with bank lobbyists, these lawmakers were granted a dinner in which attendees paid up to $2,500 for a plate.
When questioned by the Times, bank industry officials said that helping draft legislation was a common practice on Capitol Hill, but argued that they do not undermine Dodd-Frank.
“We will provide input if we see a bill and it is something we have interest in,” said Kenneth E. Bentsen Jr., a Wall Street lobbyist. Bentsen is a former lawmaker himself, and many financial institutions’ lobbyists have worked as Capitol Hill aides and staffers before taking on their current roles.
Jeff Connaughton, a former lobbyist and former congressional staffer, said that Wall Street has so much influence on the Hill that it “skews the thinking of Congress.”
“It’s appalling, it’s disgusting, it’s wasteful and it opens the possibility of conflicts of interest and corruption,” Rep. Jim Himes, a top recipient of Wall Street donations and a former banker at Goldman Sachs, told the Times, admitting his own faults. “It’s unfortunately the world we live in.”
Published time: May 24, 2013 16:11
Edited time: May 24, 2013 17:32
A law enforcement official says US Attorney General Eric Holder personally approved the warrant that gave the Justice Department access to Fox News reporter James Rosen’s private e-mails.
President Barack Obama on Thursday said that Holder would review Justice Department guidelines on dealing with journalism investigations. The government has been accused of violating journalists’ constitutional rights by secretly obtaining Associated Press phone records and Rosen’s personal e-mails to find the sources of information leaks.
“I am troubled by the possibility that leak investigations may chill the investigative journalism that holds government accountable,” Obama said during his speech on counter-terrorism policy on Thursday. “Journalists should not be at legal risk for doing their jobs.”
But while the president announced that Holder would look into the Justice Department’s policies regarding the matter, a law enforcement official told NBC News that Holder was personally responsible for signing off on the 44-page warrant that gave the department access to Rosen’s e-mail account.
This warrant called Rosen a “co-conspirator” in a leak investigation from June 2009, which revealed North Korea’s intention to conduct a nuclear test despite US sanctions. The warrant also allowed the Justice Department to track Rosen’s movements in and out of the State Department and all communications with his source, security adviser Stephen Jin-woo Kim.
Justice Department regulations usually require the attorney general to sign off on subpoenas of journalists’ phone records and warrants for arrests or interrogations, but that rule does not apply to email records.
Last week, Holder told NPR that he is “not sure” how many times he has authorized obtaining journalists’ records, thereby saving himself in the AP case. He also told the House Judiciary Committee that he was not the person involved in the decision to pursue the source of information leaks in the AP investigation. But if the law enforcement official’s claim about Holder signing off on the Fox investigation is true, he may not be able to rescue himself again.
Fox executive vice president of news Michael Clemente called the Justice Department investigation “downright chilling”, and numerous media outlets have published editorials and op-eds condemning the department for criminalizing journalism.
Fox News President Roger Ailes on Thursday responded to the Obama administration’s “attempt to intimidate Fox News”. In a memo that he sent to the network’s employees, he condemned the federal government for violating journalists’ constitutional rights, rejected the characterization of Rosen as a “co-conspirator” in a crime, and expressed the pride he has for his staff.
“The administration’s attempt to intimidate Fox News and its employees will not succeed and their excuses will stand neither the test of law, the test of decency, nor the test of time. We will not allow a climate of press intimidation, unseen since the McCarthy era, to frighten any of us away from the truth,” Ailes wrote. “…To be a Fox journalist is a high honor, not a high crime.”
For the moment, the heat is on, but I don’t believe for a minute that they will actually give this up! ~J
Published time: May 24, 2013 18:09
As 200,000 people prepare to march against Monsanto, the Senate has overwhelmingly rejected a bill that would allow states to decide if genetically modified food products should be labeled.
The amendment shot down by the Senate would have allowed states to make their own decisions on whether or not GMO foods should be labeled – without mandating any action. Supporters originally believed that this measure was non-controversial, and simply gave states an option. But the Senate voted 71 to 27 against it on Thursday, days before Saturday’s March Against Monsanto.
“The concept we’re talking about today is a fairly commonsense and non-radical idea,” Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), the bill’s sponsor, told the Huffington Post before the vote. “All over the world, in the European Union, in many other countries around the world, dozens and dozens of countries, people are able to look at the food that they are buying and determine through labeling whether or not that product contains genetically modified organisms.”
Sanders also explained that the Food and Drug Administration requires more than 3,000 ingredients to be labeled on food products, but that GMOs are not on this list.
But opponents of the measure argued that GMOs should not be labeled, since the FDA has not made scientific conclusions that would require it. Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), chair of the Agriculture Committee, said the amendment that was shot down was not relevant to the farm bill. She also emphasized the importance of Monsanto in providing foods at lower prices that help feed people around the world – an argument often made by supporters of the biotech giant.
“I believe we must rely on the FDA’s science-based examination before we make conclusions about food ingredients derived from genetically modified foods,” she said. “They currently do not require special labeling because they’ve determined that food content of these ingredients does not materially differ from their conventional counterparts.”
On Thursday, Senate Republicans also objected to an attempt to repeal a provision that critics call the “Monsanto Protection Act”, which allows Monsanto and other biotech giants that use GMOs to plant and sell their products, even if legal action is taken against them. The provision protects Monsanto from financial damages and has generated petitions and a nationwide outcry from critics who claim the legislation allows the company to bypass the court system and dominate the seed industry.
“The provision [strips] federal courts of the authority to halt the sale and planting of an illegal, potentially hazardous GE crop while the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) assesses those potential hazards,” dozens of food businesses and retailers wrote Congress before the “Monsanto Protection Act” was passed in March.
The Senate vote against the GMO labeling provision comes as the Vermont House and Connecticut Senate this month voted to force food companies to declare GMO ingredients on their packages – moves that indicate a growing support for GMO labeling while Congress continues to side with Monsanto.
The vote also occurred just two days before 200,000 people in 40 countries and 48 US states are expected to take to the streets to rally against the biotech giant. The global “March Against Monsanto” will occur in cities including New York, Chicago, Montreal, Berlin, Paris, Brussels, Moscow, and Melbourne.
Protesters will demand a ban on GMOs, which many believe have detrimental health effects. They will also rally against Monsanto’s patenting rights, which allow the corporation to monopolize the seed industry.
“For too long, Monsanto has been the benefactor of corporate subsidies and political favoritism,” states the Facebook page of the March Against Monsanto, Washington, D.C. “Organic and small farmers suffer losses while Monsanto continues to forge its monopoly over the world’s food supply, including exclusive patenting rights over seeds and genetic makeup.”
The global march initially began as a grassroots event, but has quickly garnered support from tens of thousands of people on Facebook pages and Google Documents. Kirsten Neus, a Washington, D.C. resident who starkly opposes Monsanto’s actions, told RT that she is trying to convince all of her friends to attend the protests and learn about the evils of the corporate biotech giant.
“I’m going because I want Monsanto’s leaders to know that we know who they are and what they’re doing, and we won’t sit back and watch as they collude with our elected officials to destroy our planet and our future in the pursuit of profit,” said Neus, in anticipation of Saturday’s march.
With Congress against him and tens of thousands of supporters rallying in support of his goals, Sen. Sanders will continue to push the GMO labeling provision in the Senate.
“The people of Vermont and the people of America have a right to know what’s in the food they eat,” Sanders told AP.
The House Agriculture Committee approved a version of the farm bill last week, which is expected to be voted upon this summer.
May 23, 2013
Sayer Ji, Green Med Info
Waking Times
Thanks to L.
Could the global tide in support of GMOs be turning? A new report reveals that the formerly pro-GMO Chinese government, one of the largest consumers of GMO food crops in the world, is beginning to crack down on GM corn shipments from the US that have not followed appropriate biosafety regulations.
According to a news brief released today by GMWatch.org, China destroyed three shipments of GM corn imported from the US. GMWatch.org reported:
“The law says that the [Chinese] Ministry of Agriculture must require environmental and food safety tests to be carried out by Chinese institutions, in order to verify data provided by the seed developer. All these documents must be reviewed by the National Biosafety Committee before the MOA can issue a safety certificate. Yet these shipments of US corn did not have the relevant safety certificates and approval documents, according to the news reports below.”
The first two shipments are referenced on the website of the Zhuhai Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau, confirming that two illegal GM corn shipments entered Wanzai Port in Zhuhai City on May 7th, and were subsequently destroyed:
Recently, during inspection and quarantine of imported food from USA by a certain company, the Wanzai Office of Zhuhai Inspection and Quarantine Bureau (in Guangdong Province in the south of China) detected two shipments containing GM corn products, which are not in compliance with China’s “Entry and Exit of Genetically Modified Products Inspection and Quarantine Management Approach“. The Office destroyed the two shipments of corn according to the provisions.*
The existence of a third shipment was confirmed in a May 19th article appearing on news.china.com.cn titled, “Harbin intercepted a total of 115 kgs of GM corn seeds, which will be destroyed“:
Recently, the Harbin Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau intercepted inbound mail of 21 cartons of corn seeds from USA, totaling 115 kgs, which were detected as GM seeds. This is the first time that the Heilongjiang Provincial Inspection and Quarantine System has intercepted inbound corn seeds containing GM ingredients. These corn seeds will be destroyed. *
Surprisingly, despite these seemingly drastic steps by Chinese authorities to destroy GM seeds, an article in China Daily from last year explains that the consumption of GM soybeans is already universal in China, even despite widespread public concerns that they have not been adequately safety tested:
Summary: Imported RR soybeans (Roundup herbicide resistant GM soybeans) has already accounted to over 80% of total consumption of soybeans in China, but the assessment and approval procedures for the initial imported GM soybeans, has been oppugned that it’s examination procedures exists with defects. According to news reports, on Feb. 20, 2012, Gu Xiu-lin and other three citizens upon application were approved to check the “certification documents for the GM soybeans obtaining safetycertificates”.
The China Daily article goes on to quote Shi Yan-quan, Deputy Director, Agricultural Finance and Education Dept., who stated on April 20, 2012, that over 50 million tons of GMO soybeans were imported to China in 2011 alone. The article also refers to the fact that for eight years, 1.3 billion Chinese consumers have been consuming Monsanto’s GM food crops, relying entirely on biotech-funded safety evaluations, without any independent safety testing carried out by the Chinese government. Additionally, a revealing study published in 2012 found that the Chinese print media is completely co-opted by biotech industry influence. They revealed that “48.1% of articles were largely supportive of the GM technology research and development programs and the adoption of GM cottons, while 51.9% of articles were neutral on the subject of GMOs. Risks associated with GMOs were mentioned in the newspaper articles, but none of the articles expressed negative tones in regards to GMOs.” The authors concluded: “Chinese print media is largely supportive of GMOs. It also indicates that the print media describes the Chinese government as actively pursuing national GMO research and development programs and the promotion of GM cotton usage.”
Are these latest incidents a sign that the Chinese government is beginning to take more seriously the health threats associated with the consumption of genetically modified food? According to the GMWatch.org report’s primary informant, who for purposes of anonymity goes by the pseudonym “Mr. Li”:
“[T]he new government’s decisive move to destroy the illegal GMOs “progressive, encouraging, and satisfying”. He regards it as a sign that it is keeping its promise to work for the people and the nation.
Mr Li said: “The deeply pro-GMO old government would not have made such a thing public. It would have secretly returned the shipments, or in most cases it would not even have inspected shipments that could contain GM ingredients.”
About the Author
Sayer Ji is an author, researcher, lecturer, and advisory board member of the National Health Federation.
He founded Greenmedinfo.com in 2008 in order to provide the world an open access, evidence-based resource supporting natural and integrative modalities. It is internationally recognized as the largest and most widely referenced health resource of its kind.
References:
Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of WakingTimes or its staff.
This article is offered under Creative Commons license. It’s okay to republish it anywhere as long as attribution bio is included and all links remain intact.
Phase two of the spread fear, panic and racial hatred has reared its ugly head!!
The 2nd Act of this Shakespearean play is unfolding and dear Willy is weeping with his tissue at his eyes wondering where he can find more actors to cover this extremely busy season at the Globe in London that is proving to be so very popular!!
Most of the good actors have now left Woolwich and are now appearing at Stansted Airport where they are being paid much more money and this could well drain the Globe of its regular audience as they scramble to get onboard the many National Express coaches heading that way…………sorry I had to use the term scramble…..I know it is of rather bad taste when our dear RAF Typhoon pilots are risking their lives over the battlefields of Lincoln burning up tax payers money when it could have been covered by the RAF Memorial Flight – Lancaster – Spitfire – Hurricane who would have drawn much more crowds!!
Yes folks we have now entered phase two of the BBC (Bullshit, Chaos, Confuse) diatribe to spread panic into the hearts and minds of the good old Brits that the CIA, MI5/6 and Mossad controlled Al Queda is very much alive and kicking within the UK and “Wacko Old Been Cameron” is now fighting for his New World Order existence by telling us “We must remain steadfast and strong against terrorism” (that really does not exist).
Yes you have all once again been duped with the latest, very expensive exercise carried out over the skies of the north that put the lives of so many “North Sea Cod” at risk and consequently we can all in Britain expect a dramatic rise in “Bird’s Eye Fish Fingers”……..that is assuming that the EU fish quota will allow us to catch the survivors of this drama that covered a vast sea area spreading from adjacent Grimsby Fish Markets all the way down to the fish markets in London!!
All the passengers wanted on that fateful flight was to meet their waiting relatives at Manchester and had no interest in the British traditional fish and chips being served on that flight using The Times newspaper as wrapping………wouldn’t you get angry with the crew if they had run out of your favorite curry (no offense intended)!!
Note they even used the same ketchup that was used in the Woolwich terrorist attack………..I would have demanded fresh wouldn’t you?
————————
Take that you little critter- you will never end up on a British menu with chips and mushy peas lol!!
No seriously folks this is getting to a point of total madness…..they say that desperate people do desperate things but come on Mr. Cameron this is really insulting the intelligence of the British people…………..this pathetic epidemic of false flags has now reached a totally unacceptable level that it is now time for the New Word Order – Agenda 21 Team to bring out a new vaccine to cure this out of control disease as soon as possible!!
———————-
The headlines in today’s papers are now becoming so boring and this one is no exception to the norm:
Stansted Airport: Arrests After Plane Alert
British fighter jets escorted a Pakistan International Airlines passenger plane to Stansted Airport
As usual the good old Zionist controlled BBC went that extra mile to add further drama to the story:
Supt Darrin Tomkins said officers were investigating a “criminal offence” and had not found any “suspicious items”.
He said specialist officers were carrying out forensic tests on the plane as the two men were questioned in custody.
Note – having been responsible for a major airline (operationally speaking) and having been responsible for security at a major international airport, and having been a controller at a major city Police HQ I would ask the following questions:
1. Do the “Joe Blow” public know how long it takes to search an aircraft after a bomb threat?
2. Do they know how long it takes to carry out forensic tests on a very large aircraft such as the Boeing 777?
3. Do they know that such events cause major disruptions to the arrival, departures and movement of aircraft on the ground?
These are just some of the many question I would be asking the Prime Minister, MoD, RAF, MI5/6, Anti Terrorist Squad, Minister of Transport, British Airport Authority, Airport Police and the Stansted Emergency Response Comitte who plan such things as Disaster, Bomb Threats and Highjacking etc!………especially after such a heightened state of alert after the Woolwich False Flag!!!
Come on boys let’s all line up and make this look good and very professional because remember this aircraft came in as a bomb threat with RAF fighter escort – Don’t worry if the aircraft goes up, cash strapped Britain, can replace the lost personnel, fire tenders and the many ambulances sitting close to the aircraft…..oh and not forgetting the bomb disposal vehicles and its team!!
———————————-
Are you guys real……….I distinctly remember the days of Northern Ireland when we operated many flights from around the UK and Europe to Belfast and Dublin and the oh so many bomb threats that occurred (and with good reason) and the many actual bombs going off in different places in Ireland and the UK……….not forgetting passengers having to walk out to their baggage prior to boarding to ID and then load etc………..come you idiots you are taking the piss!!
—————————————-
Note it just had to be an airline from an Islamic country
Note it also had to be an Islamic country that continues to reach the headlines almost daily – especially after that other fantastic “Bin Laden False Flag” to take out a man that had already died of natural causes on the 14th of December 2001 at the Rawalpindi Military Hospital……..especially when he actually worked for the CIA anyway!!!………and what about the poor hit squad (US Navy Team 6) that New World Order Cabal took out in Afghanistan…..boy oh boy you lot are so gullible to keep taking all of this crap!!!
Just think folks you have all accepted the Detroit bound airliner underpants bomber, the UPS ink jet bomber at the East Midlands Airport, England, the shoe bomber on transatlantic flights all of which were false flags……….so what are you waiting for now?………a “Bra Bomber”?…….better make it a rather large cup size to make it look good!!
————————————————
So lets look at a couple of the bullshit media snippets:
Two men have been arrested on suspicion of endangering an aircraft after a plane was escorted to the ground by fighter jets.
The British nationals were led off the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) plane by armed police officers, after it was diverted to Stansted Airport following a disturbance in the cabin.
Superintendent Darrin Tomkins of Essex Police confirmed a threat was made as the plane, flying from Lahore to Manchester with 297 passengers on board, was preparing to land.
According to Pakistan’s Express News , one of the passengers claimed there were explosives on the plane, although Supt Tomkins said no suspicious items have been found.
“The cabin crew informed us that basically (the men) tried to come into the cockpit a few times,” passenger Umari Nauman told Sky News.
Note: According to these brief comments above there appeared to be a genuine full on emergency or possible highjacking………but so confusing……..disturbance in the cabin…………explosives on the plane………..attempts to get into the cockpit a few times……….
“Because they had been asked not to do that, they got into a bit of an argument with the crew and made a few threats.”
There was a conflict between two passengers after one of them got into a confrontation with the stewards.
“The two middle-aged passengers who previously had the altercation were simply asked to come with police who had boarded the aircraft. They were then handcuffed and taken away.”
—————————-
A well staged false flag with having the convenience of RAF Coningsby close to hand
Click Here to continue reading.
Related articles
Aurora Australis From ISS edit1 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
CME STRIKE: As expected, a CME hit Earth’s magnetic field on May 24th around 1800 UT. It was just a glancing blow. Nevertheless, the impact could spark polar geomagnetic storms in the hours ahead. High-latitude sky watchers should be alert for auroras shining through the bright moonlight on May 24-25. Check http://spaceweather.com for more information and updates.
