By David Swanson

Around the United States, peace groups are engaged in effective campaigns against proposed new military installations, local funding of weapons companies, and the routine destruction of the environment and of workers' health by such companies. Activists are building better media outlets, educating young people, educating old people, keeping military testing and recruiting out of schools, and discouraging the Army from building real-weapon video arcades in shopping malls. But when it comes to stopping our wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, our citizens are less clear how to go about it.

Five Videos:

By Dave Lindorff

Ordinary, average, struggling Americans might be scratching their
heads over the news today, as the Labor Department reports that
unemployment is up by four-tenths of a percent for the month to a
record 10.2%, fully three-tenths of a percent higher than economists
had been forecasting, and stocks do what? Rise by a quarter of a
percent!

What’s going on here?

Well, the tube analysts are quick to say, unemployment figures are
a “lagging” indicator. That is, employment generally lags the overall
economy, with layoffs coming after a recession kicks in, and hiring
waiting until a recovery is well underway.

The other day I wrote about a friend who was raped by an organized crime figure and prevented from seeking justice, for fear of retaliation. With regard to the case, there are also serious questions about whether the criminal justice system turned a blind eye to this rapist, due to corruption within the DA's office. But what about when protection of powerful entities -- such as Corporations -- from legal action for crimes such a rape -- is the overt agenda of our elected officials? This is from Change Congress.

You may have heard about Jamie Leigh Jones -- an American woman who was gang raped by her co-workers while working for a defense contractor in Iraq.

As most of you probably know, yesterday Representatives Michele Bachmann, Steve King and the rest of the Republican caucus, along with Mark Levin and several other conservative celebrities rallied their base against healthcare reform on the Capitol steps.

The Billionaires for Wealthcare showed up; I followed them around for a couple of hours.

These folks have always made me laugh. Their shtick is creative and fun. What I hadn't thought about is how dicey (meaning borderline - or actually - dangerous) their work can be. In fact, when they finally broke character and went home for the day, I spoke with one of the troupe. He told me that at one of their outtings, he watched one of his performers take a punch to the face.

I put this video together to show you what it can be like in the lion's den...

By David Swanson

Congressman Weiner has agreed with Nancy Pelosi not to have a floor vote on his Medicare for All bill. A press release from Congressmen Kucinich and Conyers opposing it helped tip the scale. But Weiner did not ask Pelosi to include in her bill the Kucinich Amendment to allow states to create single-payer. Pelosi made clear that President Obama opposes that, and used the bogus excuse that providing everyone with comprehensive free healthcare would deprive them of the right to pay ever increasing rates for uncertain health "insurance."

By David Swanson

Word is that the full House will vote on national single-payer Medicare for All on Friday. This vote is a cover for the removal of an amendment that was in the House "healthcare" bill until Pelosi stripped it out. That amendment would have made it easier for states to enact single-payer, and still would if a conference committee is persuaded to reinstate it.

Bob Fertik is guest tonight with "Kicking Just Say No Joe" (Lieberman) to the curb at http://www.theurbanjournal.org

By Dave Lindorff

It would be easy to read too much into the few statewide races that
were decided last night, but I think it’s fair to say that the results
in New Jersey and Virginia, where Republican gubernatorial candidates
won--in New Jersey’s case knocking off a well-funded Democratic
incumbent--that the results were a blow to the Barack Obama/Rahm
Emanuel strategy of playing to the right, of avoiding confrontation in
Congress and of ignoring the progressive voters whose enthusiasm and
effort back in the 2008 campaign put Obama in office.

A beloved friend of mine was brutally raped several years ago by an organized crime figure in her city. A serial predator, he used his business front, a restaurant, to lure young women with prospects of working there. Eventually he would get them alone, then viciously assault them, and rape them, like he did to my friend. What's more, in addition to the horrific crime itself, he went even further in committing the foulest gestures of misogyny. But it didn't stop there -- afterwards he would slander his victims as prostitutes to his staff -- to cover his tracks. Still, the most terrifying part is -- he knew he could get away with it.

Last week, I ran into a "centrist" Dem's press conference where made some noise about cloture being a "tough vote" if the health care bill contained a public option.  I asked the Senator if he had any idea how many medical bankruptcies were filed in his state last year.  He grumbled and shut down the press conference.  It was clear that he had no idea what the answer to my question was and he was annoyed that the "riff-raff" was let in to intrude on the little party he and the beltway press were having.  

Seriously, the press loves telling the story of how "liberal" democrats are fighting with the "moderates" in their own party; they hate it when someone points out to them that, all to often, "moderate" is a euphimism for "incompetent douchebag".  Anyway, I'm sure you'll be seeing that video soon enough.