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Monsanto, Bayer and Dow Face Trial For 'Systematic Human Rights Abuses'

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© The EcologistAgrochemical companies are accused of promoting dangerous and unsafe pesticides
Permanent Peoples' Tribunal accuses biotech giants Monsanto, Dow, Bayer, Syngenta, DuPont and BASF of promoting dangerous pesticides including endosulfan, paraquat and neonicotinoids

The world's major agrochemical companies, Monsanto, Dow, Bayer, Syngenta, DuPont and BASF, will face a public tribunal in early December accused of systematic human rights violations.

They are accused of violating more than 20 instruments of international human rights law through promoting reliance on the sale and use of dangerous and unsafe pesticides including endosulfan, paraquat and neonicotinoids.

The Permanent Peoples' Tribunal (PPT), an international opinion tribunal created in 1979, will hear expert testimony from scientists, medical doctors and lawyers to prove the charges. Victims who have been injured by these products - from farmers, farmworkers, mothers and consumers from around the world - will also testify to the causes and nature of their injuries.

MIB

US: CIA Spies Caught, Fear Execution in Middle East


In a significant failure for the United States in the Mideast, more than a dozen spies working for the CIA in Iran and Lebanon have been caught and the U.S. government fears they will be or have been executed, according to four current and former U.S. officials with connections to the intelligence community.

The spies were paid informants recruited by the CIA for two distinct espionage rings targeting Iran and the Beirut-based Hezbollah organization, considered by the U.S. to be a terror group backed by Iran.

"Espionage is a risky business," a U.S. official briefed on the developments told ABC News, confirming the loss of the unspecified number of spies over the last six months.

"Many risks lead to wins, but some result in occasional setbacks," the official said.

Robert Baer, a former senior CIA officer who worked against Hezbollah while stationed in Beirut in the 1980's, said Hezbollah typically executes individuals suspected of or caught spying.

"If they were genuine spies, spying against Hezbollah, I don't think we'll ever see them again," he said. "These guys are very, very vicious and unforgiving."

Comment: Outside of the name calling and media spin, lies a certain obvious factor: Iran will likely be attacked soon. The CIA men are being used as pawns in a larger game. Lebanon was attacked by Israel in 2006 with the usual Hezbollah war cries. Israel has been itching to get War going against Lebanon, again, as recently as this year: Israeli troops cross into Lebanon, Israel-Palestinian Violence Erupts on Three Borders.

Doing Israel's dirty work: America's Next War Theater: Syria and Lebanon?

The War drums and sword rattling now grow more intense by the hour.


MIB

SOTT Focus: Jose Pimentel - 'Lone Wolf' - Scare Tactics To Distract From The 'Occupy' Movement

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So a 'lone wolf' 'home-grown terrorist' has been apprehended, in the nick of time, by the FBI and NYC cops. Or so the story goes. The problem is, we've heard this one before, many times. Jose Pimentel, like so many others alleged 'jihadis' before him, is undoubtedly the victim of yet another FBI sting operation rather than a dangerous terrorist. FBI sting operation? "What's that?" I hear you ask. Well, in case you've fallen victim to the 10-year-long 'war on terror' government and media mind-job, allow me to explain, or rather, allow me to point you to some fairly reliable sources.

Attention

Scientists Weaponize Deadly Bird Flu, Consider Releasing Results Necessary to Create Bioweapon

Masked Person
© Natural Society
It sounds like something out of a bizarre science fiction comic book, but scientists have weaponized the H5N1 bird flu virus, and are actually considering releasing the research. The experiments, which involved mutating the virus a total of 5 times, made the strain highly contagious between ferrets - the very animal model used to study human flu infection. Of course many scientists are now warning that if such research was made public it could result in the construction of deadly bioweapons.

Making the virus highly contagious could result in widespread infection. The H5N1 virus has been infecting birds and other animals in recent years, though it has also infected around 500 people. The reason that it has not become an epidemic is due to the fact that affected humans are usually not very contagious. Therefore, altering the virus to become highly contagious is quite possibly the deadliest tweak which could be done. It seems that these scientists are just asking for the new weaponized bird flu virus to infect the public.

Star of David

Israel Says Time to Act on Iran has Arrived

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© AFP Photo/Gali TibbonThe "time has come" to deal with Iran, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak, pictured on November 9, said Sunday, refusing to rule out military action to curb the Islamic republic's nuclear ambitions.
The "time has come" to deal with Iran, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Sunday, refusing to rule out military action to curb the Islamic republic's nuclear ambitions.

Barak, speaking on CNN's Fareed Zakaria GPS program, indicated that Israel's patience was wearing thin -- and provided an ominous response when asked about the growing speculation of an Israeli military strike.

"I don't think that that is a subject for public discussion," he said. "But I can tell you that the IAEA report has a sobering impact on many in the world, leaders as well as the publics, and people understand that the time has come."

The International Atomic Energy Agency published a report on November 8 saying there was "credible" information that Iran was carrying out "activities relevant to the development of a nuclear explosive device."

On Friday the IAEA's board passed a resolution condemning Iran's nuclear activities, but stopped short of reporting Tehran to the United Nations and issuing no deadline for compliance.

Dollar

The Top 0.1% Of The Nation Earn Half Of All Capital Gains

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© UnknownIn Greed We Trust
Capital gains are the key ingredient of income disparity in the US-- and the force behind the winner takes all mantra of our economic system. If you want even out earning power in the U.S, you have to raise the 15% capital gains tax.

Income and wealth disparities become even more absurd if we look at the top 0.1% of the nation's earners- rather than the more common 1%. The top 0.1%- about 315,000 individuals out of 315 million- are making about half of all capital gains on the sale of shares or property after 1 year; and these capital gains make up 60% of the income made by the Forbes 400.

It's crystal clear that the Bush tax reduction on capital gains and dividend income in 2003 was the cutting edge policy that has created the immense increase in net worth of corporate executives, Wall St. professionals and other entrepreneurs.

The reduction in the tax from 20% to 15% continued the step-by-step tradition of cutting this tax to create more wealth. It had first been reduced from 35% in 1978 at a time of stock market and economic stagnation to 28%. Again 1981, at the start of the Reagan era, it was reduced again to 20%- raised back to 28% in 1987, on the eve of the October 19 232% crash in the market. In 1997 Clinton agreed to reduce it back to 20%, which move was an inducement for the explosion of hedge funds and private equity firms- the most "rapidly rising cohort within the top 1 per cent."

Make no mistake; the battle that is to be fought over the coming attempt to reverse this reduction in capital gains will be bloody and intense. The facts are clear according to the Congressional Budget Office more than 80% of the increase in income inequality was the result of an increase in the share of household income from capital gains. In fact, you can go so far as to claim that "Capital Gains income is the most unevenly distributed- and volatile- source of household income," according to Laura D'Andrea Tyson, University of California business professor and former chairwoman of the Council of Economic Advisers under President Clinton.

No wonder the super wealthy plutocrats obtained the largest share of national income-- 25% of the nation's wealth- greater than any other industrial nation in the period of 1979 to 2005. Make no mistake; after unemployment- this disparity between the 1%- 3 million- or the 0.1%- the 300,000- and the other 312 million citizens of the U.S. has become the major theme of the Occupy Wall Street movement- and an important national debate.

I commend you to the late Justice Louis Brandeis warning to the nation that "We can have democracy in this country, or we can have great wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can't have both." We have to make up our minds to restore a higher, fairer capital gains tax to the wealthiest investor class-- or ultimately face increased social unrest.

Comment: Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's need, but not every man's greed. - Mahatma Gandhi


Attention

What If Iran...

Iran Nuclear Site
© Tom Mullen Net

As another "holiday" weekend draws to a close, Americans have again been bombarded with exhortations to thank the U.S. military establishment for their supposed freedom. This theme pervades all aspects of American culture. Uniformed military personnel are granted privileges on airlines, discounts at restaurants, hotels, and other business establishments. This past summer, I attended my daughter's dance recital at the Tampa Performing Arts Center. At the midpoint of the performance, men in uniform were rolled out onto the stage and a long tribute followed, including patriotic-sounding music and a special dance routine, with a pair of army boots spotlighted at the front of the stage. The militarization of American culture is inescapable. That no one seems to recognize the similarity between this cultural worship of the military and the same by another militarized society of not so long ago is truly horrifying.

It may not be fashionable to say so, but I am sick and tired of being told to thank the military. The idea that thanks is owed grows out of the inability of most Americans to recognize simple cause and effect relationships. As I've said before, Americans seem to be unwilling to ask themselves the most basic questions about precisely how U.S. wars have made them freer. What are the specific results that the U.S. military has either achieved or prevented in the past 70 years that have led to this supposed increase in freedom? How would we be less free if the U.S. government did not fight one or more of those wars? While I have dealt with this at length before, let me summarize briefly:
  1. U.S. citizens are not freer because the U.S. military invaded Korea.
  2. U.S. citizens are not freer because the U.S. military invaded Viet Nam.
  3. U.S. citizens are not freer because the U.S. military invaded Grenada (does anyone really take this one seriously?).
  4. U.S. citizens are not freer because the U.S. military invaded Somalia.
  5. U.S. citizens are not freer because the U.S. military invaded Kuwait.
  6. U.S. citizens are not freer because the U.S. military invaded Iraq.
  7. U.S. citizens are not freer because the U.S. military invaded Afghanistan.

Bad Guys

Israel Shuts Down Dovish "All for Peace" Radio Station

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© APBroadcaster Eyal Raz, right, and producer Yarden Amir, left, work in the studio of the "All for Peace" radio station in east Jerusalem, Sunday, Nov. 20, 2011.

Jerusalem -- Israel has ordered the shutdown of a dovish Israeli-Palestinian radio station, officials and the station's operators said on Sunday.

The station and other critics said the move was politically motivated, and part of a broader assault on democracy by conservative forces in the government.

Some members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition have pushed forward a series of measures recently that critics say are aimed at stifling opponents.

Among the proposed legislation are attempts to block most foreign funding for dovish nonprofit groups, lowering the threshold for politicians to file libel suits against the media, and a push to shift control of Supreme Court appointments from an independent panel to parliament.

Bomb

Asian powers spurn German debt on EMU chaos

Asian investors and central banks have begun to sell German bonds and pull out of the eurozone altogether for the first time since the debt crisis began, deeming EU leaders incapable of agreeing on any coherent policy.

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© AlamyGerman Bunds have already lost their status as Europe's anchor debt. The yields of non-euro Sweden are now 20 basis lower for the first time in modern history. Danish and UK yields are higher but have closed most of the gap over recent months.
Andrew Roberts, rates chief at Royal Bank of Scotland, said Asia's exodus marks a dangerous inflexion point in the unfolding drama. "Japanese and Asian investors are for the first time looking at the euro project and saying 'I don't like what I see at all' and fleeing the whole region."

"The question on everybody's mind in the debt markets is whether it is time to get out Germany. The European Central Bank has a €2 trillion balance sheet and if the eurozone slides into the abyss, Germany is going to be left holding the baby. We are very close to the point where markets take a close look at this, though we are there yet," he said.

Family

US: Gingrich: Laws preventing child labor are 'truly stupid'

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© Getty
Newt Gingrich proposed a plan Friday that would allow poor children to clean their schools for money, saying such a setup would both allow students to earn income and endow them with a strong work ethic.

Speaking at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, the former House Speaker said his system would be an improvement on current child labor laws, which he called "truly stupid."

"It is tragic what we do in the poorest neighborhoods, entrapping children in child laws which are truly stupid," Gingrich said. "Saying to people you shouldn't go to work before you're 14, 16. You're totally poor, you're in a school that's failing with a teacher that's failing."

Gingrich then proposed a system he said would help those students rise from poverty.