Well if this banking and finance stuff is too hard to keep track of and you are interested in what’s really happening right now, watch this video. Its 30 minutes and plus it s cartoon. Kid safe and educational.

At the very least, watching this video will make you aware of why things are the way they are in the world currently. For me personally, I felt like this as I was watching the video.

In another news story out of Afghanistan, which the corporate controlled mass media is again failing to report (and you wonder why traditional news outlets are dying?), There is evidently a mass protest going on in the largest prison in Afghanistan. From the Sydney Morning Herald article:

The prisoners are refusing to leave their cells, but they are not engaging in hunger strikes or violence. Ramzi Kassem, a lawyer for a Yemeni held at Bagram, said prisoners are protesting being held indefinitely without trial or legal recourse. The US military declined to comment.

Unlike Guantanamo Bay, where prisoners have access to lawyers, the 620 prisoners at Bagram are not allowed to visit their lawyers. Afghan Government representatives are generally not allowed to visit or inspect the prison.

In April the justice department appealed a U.S. judge’s decision that the prisoners at Bagram had the same Habeas Corpus rights that the prisoners at Guantanamo had. I’m not saying we should coddle the “terrorists” but they are human beings and a civilization is judged by how it treats its prisoners. If they are in fact guilty of crimes put them on trial. Holding someone indefinitely is unjust by any standards.

Once again, the corporate controlled media wants you yo focus on the SHOCKING American Idol final! and none of the main U.S. outlets want you to hear about or care whats going on in our government. Latest news, there are currently 16 members of congress under investigation by various federal and state agencies. As you can see both Republicans and Democrats are both equally corrupt and time and time again are accused of lining their own pockets and pockets of families and friends. Feel free to write your representative or  Senator and let them know your feelings! Thanks to CREW for this information.

Either click on the link posted above or just read the list here posted after the jump…

MEMBERS OF THE HOUSE:
Representative Sanford Bishop (D-GA):
• Under Investigation by: The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI).
• Under Investigation for: The GBI launched an investigation into a youth program for
which Rep. Bishop has earmarked almost $200,000.1 The “Junior Marshall” program
employed Rep. Stanford’s step-daughter and her husband.
• Status: In the first quarter of 2009, Rep. Bishop paid $25,000 in legal fees. In March
2009, a GBI special agent stated, “The FBI is aware of it, but there is not a criminal
investigation at this time.”
Representative Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D-IL):
• Under Investigation by: The Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) and the Department
of Justice (DOJ).
• Under Investigation for: The OCE is reviewing Rep. Jackson’s actions surrounding his
bid to be appointed to the Illinois Senate seat vacated by President Barack Obama. The
OCE asked former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich’s former staffers and campaign
aides to turn over correspondence between Rep. Jackson and the governor.
Additionally, DOJ has interviewed Rep. Jackson in the probe of Gov. Blagojevich.
Federal authorities have subpoenaed individuals with knowledge of a possible
fundraising effort by Rep. Jackson’s supporters to encourage Gov. Blagojevich to appoint
Rep. Jackson to the Senate.
• Status: In the first quarter of 2009, Rep. Jackson paid $15,000 in legal fees in addition to
the $100,000 he paid in December 2008.9 The investigation is ongoing.

Representative Jerry Lewis (R-CA):
• Under Investigation by: The Department of Justice.
• Under Investigation for: Rep. Lewis is under investigation for steering millions of
dollars in earmarks to family and friends in exchange for contributions to his campaign
committee and political action committee.11
• Status of Investigation: In the first quarter of 2009, Rep. Lewis paid nearly $50,000 in
legal fees.12 Since the start of the investigation in 2006, he has paid nearly $1.2 million
in legal fees.13 The status of the investigation is unknown.
• Link to CREW’s Most Corrupt Profile:

http://www.crewsmostcorrupt.org/summaries/lewis.php

Representative Gary Miller (R-CA):
• Under Investigation by: The Department of Justice.
• Under Investigation for: Rep. Miller is under investigation for failing to pay capital
gains taxes after he claimed he was forced to sell his land to two cities under eminent
domain, allegations both cities have denied.14
• Status: In the first quarter of 2009, Rep. Miller paid about $12,000 in legal fees.15 The
status of the investigation is unknown.
• Link to CREW’s Most Corrupt Profile:

http://www.crewsmostcorrupt.org/summaries/miller.php

Representative Allan Mollohan (D-WV):
• Under Investigation by: The Department of Justice.
• Under Investigation for: Rep. Mollohan has been under investigation since 2006 for
directing millions in earmarks to groups with which he has close ties.16 Rep. Mollohan
allegedly earmarked funds to five non-profits, one of which is headed by a former aide,
and in turn staff at these non-profits contributed to the congressman’s campaign
committee.17
• Status: In the 2008 election cycle, Rep. Mollohan paid $152,000 in legal fees.18 The
status of the investigation is unknown.
• Link to CREW’s Most Corrupt Profile:

http://www.crewsmostcorrupt.org/summaries/miller.php

Representative Timothy Murphy (R-PA):
• Under Investigation by: The Department of Justice.
• Under Investigation for: Rep. Murphy is under investigation for misusing official
resources for political campaign activity.
• Status: In the first quarter of 2009, Rep. Murthy did not report paying legal fees.20 In
2008, Rep. Murphy paid more than $28,000 in legal fees.21 The status of the
investigation is unknown.
• Link to CREW’s Most Corrupt Profile: http://www.crewsmostcorrupt.org/node/314

Representative John Murtha (D-PA):
• Under Investigation by: The Department of Justice (DOJ).
• Under Investigation for: Rep. Murtha has been under investigation for his ties to
lobbying firm PMA Group and defense contractors. As chair of the House Defense
Appropriations Subcommittee, Rep. Murtha has steered millions in earmarks to
contractors in return for campaign contributions. In November 2008 and January 2009,
the FBI raided the offices of the PMA Group and Kuchera Corporation respectively; both
companies have close ties to Rep. Murtha. The PMA raid reportedly was part of a
widening federal probe into Rep. Murtha’s relationship with lobbying firms and defense
contractors.
• Status of Investigation: In the first quarter of 2009, Rep. Murtha did not report paying
legal fees, but he owes $2,781 in legal fees. Rep. Murtha insists he’s not the subject of
the federal investigation and he has not hired a lawyer. DOJ has not confirmed whether
Rep. Murtha is under investigation.
• Link to CREW’s Most Corrupt Profile:

http://www.crewsmostcorrupt.org/summaries/murtha.php

Representative Charles Rangel (D-NY):
• Under Investigation by: The House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct.
• Under Investigation for: Rep. Rangel is under investigation for leasing four rentstabilized
properties in New York, one of which he used as a campaign office;29 for using
congressional stationery to raise funds for the Charles B. Rangel Center at the City
College of New York;30 for failing to report on his financial disclosure forms and to the
IRS approximately $75,000 in rental income on a Dominican Republic villa;31 and for
supporting a tax shelter for Nabors Industries in return for donations to the Rangel
Center.32
• Status of Investigation: In the first quarter of 2009, Rep. Rangel paid almost $445,000
in legal fees.33 At Rep. Rangel’s behest, the House Ethics Committee initiated a probe
into his conduct on September 24, 2008.34 Speaker Nancy Pelosi released a statement in
November that the investigation into Rep. Rangel would be concluded by the end of the
110th Congress.35 The investigation was not completed last Congress and was reopened
in the new Congress on February 10, 2009.36
• Link to CREW’s Most Corrupt Profile: http://www.crewsmostcorrupt.org/node/432

Representatives Linda Sánchez (D-CA) and Loretta Sanchez (D-CA):
• Under Investigation by: The House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct.37
• Under Investigation for: The House Ethics Committee is reviewing whether House
rules were violated when three of Rep. Loretta Sanchez’s aides were put on Rep. Linda
Sanchez payroll in late 2006 after an embezzlement scandal left Rep. Loretta Sanchez’s
office short on funds.
• Status of Investigation: In the first quarter of 2009, Rep. Loretta Sanchez spent over
$6,000 on legal fees.39 In the first quarter of 2009, Rep. Linda Sanchez did not report any
legal fees.40 Stan Brand, an attorney for Loretta Sanchez, confirmed on May 19, 2009
that the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct was investigating, adding that Reps.
Linda and Loretta Sanchez sought the Committee review in late 2006 or early 2007.

Representative Pete Visclosky (D-IN):
• Under Investigation by: The Department of Justice.
• Under Investigation for: Rep. Visclosky is under investigation for his ties to the PMA
Group.42 In fall 2008, the FBI raided lobbying firm the PMA Group for potentially
making improper campaign donations to members of Congress.43 Rep. Visclosky is one
of the top three recipients of donations from the firm and its clients.44 In March 2009,
Rep. Visclosky returned over $18,000 in campaign contributions from the PMA Group’s
board of directors and lobbyists.45
• Status of Investigation: In the first quarter of 2009, Rep. Visclosky did not report
paying legal fees.46 On March 21, 2009, Rep. Visclosky’s campaign wrote a letter to the
Federal Election Commission seeking permission to use campaign funds for legal
expenses that may arise from the FBI’s investigation into the PMA Group.47 The
campaign, however, reported that the details of the investigation are unknown.48

Representative Don Young (R-AK):
• Under Investigation by: The Department of Justice (DOJ).
• Under Investigation for: Rep. Young is under investigation for earmarking $10 million
dollars for a Florida construction project in exchange for campaign donations from
Florida developers.49 Rep. Young is also the subject of a criminal inquiry into whether
he accepted bribes, illegal gratuities or unreported gifts from VECO Corporation.50 Rep.
Young’s ties to convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff also have been the subject of a grand
jury investigation.51
• Status: Rep. Young’s most recent 2009 federal disclosure revealed that he pays legal
fees from his defense fund, rather than campaign funds.52 The defense fund has raised
$82,000, mainly from fishery interests, and spent $73,415.53 Rep. Young spent over $1
million in legal fees in the 2008 election cycle.54 The status of these investigations is
unknown.
• Link to CREW’s Most Corrupt Profile: http://www.crewsmostcorrupt.org/node/305

MEMBERS OF THE SENATE:
Senator Roland Burris (D-IL):
• Under Investigation by: The Senate Ethics Committee and the Illinois Sangamon
County State Attorney.
• Under Investigation for: The Senate Ethics Committee is investigating Sen. Burris for
repeatedly altering his testimony regarding his appointment to the Senate and his contacts
with indicted former Governor Rod Blagojevich (D-IL).55 Under oath, Sen. Burris has
offered at least three different descriptions of how he was appointed to the Senate; in one
scenario, Sen. Burris admitted to trying to raise money for the former governor.56 The
Illinois State Sangamon County State Attorney is investigating Sen. Burris’ testimony to
state lawmakers about whether Sen. Burris offered to fundraise for Gov. Blagojevich
before he was appointed to the Senate.57
• Status of Investigation: In the first quarter of 2009, Sen. Burris did not report paying
legal fees.58 On April 9, 2009, Sen. Burris revealed that he has “rung up” $500,000 in
legal expenses resulting from an investigation into his ties with the indicted governor.59
The investigation is ongoing.
Senator Kent Conrad (D-ND):
• Under Investigation by: The Senate Ethics Committee.
• Under Investigation for: Sen. Conrad is under investigation by the Senate Ethics
Committee for possibly receiving a preferential mortgage rate from Countrywide
Financial.61 Sen. Conrad admitted to talking to Countrywide CEO Angelo Mozilo when
he was looking for a mortgage, but denied that he knowingly received special treatment
from the company.62
• Status: In the first quarter of 2009, Sen. Conrad did not report paying legal fees.63 The
status of the investigation is unknown.
Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT):
• Under Investigation by: The Senate Ethics Committee.
• Under Investigation for: Sen. Dodd is under investigation by the Senate Ethics
Committee for receiving two preferential mortgages from Countrywide Financial while
serving as chairman of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee. Sen. Dodd admitted that he and his wife have known since 2003 that they were receiving “V.I.P.” mortgages.
• Status: In the first quarter of 2009, Sen. Dodd spent $31,316.60 in legal fees.66 The
status of the investigation is unknown.

Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ):
• Under Investigation by: The Department of Justice.
• Under Investigation for: Sen. Menendez is under investigation by the Newark, NJ U.S.
Attorney’s Office for collecting rent from an anti-poverty group for which he helped win
federal funds, the North Hudson Community Action Corporation.67 The group was run
by a donor to Sen. Menendez’s campaign.68 More recently, in 2007, federal investigators
began looking into Sen. Menendez’s relationship with his former chief of staff, lobbyist
Kay LiCausi, to determine whether the senator improperly helped her or her clients win
contracts and federal funding.69
• Status of Investigation: In the first quarter of 2009, Sen. Menendez did not report
paying legal fees.70 The status of the investigation is unknown.

As reported by Wired.com, in a shocking declaration by the Federal Communications Commission, according to the Communications Act of 1934. If you own any wireless RF device, this includes a baby monitor, wireless router, cell phone or cordless phones, the FCC has a right to enter the property and inspect the item in question:

You may not know it, but if you have a wireless router, a cordless phone, remote car-door opener, baby monitor or cellphone in your house, the FCC claims the right to enter your home without a warrant at any time of the day or night in order to inspect it.

That’s the upshot of the rules the agency has followed for years to monitor licensed television and radio stations, and to crack down on pirate radio broadcasters. And the commission maintains the same policy applies to any licensed or unlicensed radio-frequency device.

I imagine that this will be challenged in court but according to the Wired.com article, the FCC is trying to shut down “Pirate” radio stations. I understand the need to monitor radio stations to make sure that there isn’t some complete wacko giving out advice on how to commit crimes or something but it seems like that information can be ascertained by actually listening to the station!

Repeat after me!  You will not listen to anything over the airwaves that the government and corporations do not control or cannot monitor. Failure to comply will result in financial ruin.

It looks like a great great time… and surprisingly, the police are present for the event but instead of beating and teargassing the party goers, they do what all cool cops should do and let the fun loving, peaceful people enjoy “the outdoors”.

For those of us who have watched the Pirate bay trial followed by the stunning verdicts, some breaking news has come out of Swedish National Radio. According to the Wired article:

One of the four men convicted in The Pirate Bay trial is seeking to have his guilty verdict thrown out after learning that the judge in the trial is a member of two pro-copyright groups, including one whose membership includes entertainment industry representatives who argued in the case.

Stockholm district court judge, Tomas Norström told a Swedish newspaper that his previously-undisclosed entanglements with the copyright groups did not constitute a conflict of interest.

The groups include the Swedish Association of Copyright, a discussion forum. Henrik Pontén of the Swedish Anti-Piracy Bureau, Monique Wadsted, a motion picture industry lawyer, and Peter Danowsky from the recording industry’s IFPI are members of the organizations, and were largely responsible for pressing the case against The Pirate Bay before the judge.

Looks like justice is not blind in Sweden either. Lets hope the Pirate bay guys escape the noose and sail off into the sunset. Go pirates, go!

Hey, what do you know? More relevant news that the Mainstream media isn’t reporting. They would rather have you wring your hands over Michael Phelps’ olympic sized bong hits and totally remain oblivious to the fact that 8 different state legislatures have drawn a line in the sand and are introducing bills declaring sovereignty from the United States!

So far the tally is includes the following:

1. Washington

2. New Hampshire

3. Arizona

4. Montana

5. Michigan

6. Missouri

7. Oklahoma

8. Hawaii

The main precedent on the claims by the states are recited by the 9th and 10th amendment of the Constitution (part of the bill of rights). Most of this legislation is in the preliminary stages and is not earth shattering news but this is definitely something that should be a blip on the medias’ radar. The most serious and tangible of these eight are surprisingly, New Hampshire of all places.  From Pat Dollard’s blog:

The New Hampshire state legislature took an unbelievably bold step Monday by introducing a resolution to declare certain actions by the federal government to completely totally void and warning that certain future acts will be viewed as a “breach of peace” with the states themselves that risks “nullifying the Constitution.”

This act by New Hampshire is a clear warning to the federal government that they could face being stripped of their power by the States (presumably through civil war!)

The remarkable document outlines with perfect clarity, some basics long forgotten. For instance, it reminds Congress “That the Constitution of the United States, having delegated to Congress a power to punish treason, counterfeiting the securities and current coin of the United States, piracies, and felonies committed on the high seas, and offences against the law of nations, slavery, and no other crimes whatsoever;. . . . . therefore all acts of Congress which assume to create, define, or punish crimes, other than those so enumerated in the Constitution are altogether void, and of no force;”

Federal gun crime laws? Void. Federal drug crime laws? Void. The gazzillion other federal criminal laws that deal with anything other than the specific enumerated crimes? ALL VOID.

Looks like states are fed up and no longer trust the federal government to look out for our best interests as a nation. Just look at California…

Maybe the federal government knew this was coming? I can’t help to think that this is why Northcomm plans to deploy 20,000 active duty troops in the United States by 2011 (“Just in case” of some civil unrest!?!?). Coincidence?

Stay tuned chiiiildren!

Stay connected to whats going on around your world. Knowledge, power and understanding.

Here are some more videos from Immortal Technique. Great beats and lyrics with substance (warning: some graphic images).

Publicintegrity.org was kind enough to compile the mostly complete list of failures of the Bush Administration during these last 8 miserable years. Of course some of the “failures” can be disputed but most of them are verified and abject failures in policy and outright inaction. See whe whole list here.

Of course listed here are mostly policy failures, this isn’t taking into account the other statistics like the skyrocketing deficit, the fact that “W” has taken more vacation than any other president in history and the fact that under Bush’s watch, over 200 years of representative democracy has been transformed into to a quasi facist state that no longer follows free market principals.

You’re doing a hella of a job W! Good riddance!