Fact Check: Keystone XL Tar Sands Pipeline Isn’t a Job Creator

Brad Johnson, ThinkProgress: "Proponents of the dangerous Keystone XL project claim that construction of the 1700-mile tar sands pipeline from Canada to Texas will create tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of much-needed jobs across the country. However, these tremendous-seeming jobs claims are based entirely on a report by the Perryman Group, commissioned by the pipeline’s owner TransCanada, whose results have been described as 'dead wrong' and 'meaningless' by Council on Foreign Relations fellow Michael Levi and environmental economist Andrew Leach, neither of whom oppose the construction of the pipeline."
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The Pro-Israel Lobby Courts African-Americans

Sunday 6 November 2011
by: Ira Glunts, Truthout | News Analysis

Hasbara is the Hebrew word for a particular type of pernicious propaganda first employed by early Zionists leaders to explain the unexplainable actions of the Jewish administration in Palestine. In recent years, hasbara has been disseminated by certain Christian fundamentalists who believe supporting Israel brings them closer to God, and also by many members of the United States Congress who have been co-opted by the powerful pro-Israel lobby. Now, the lobby has its sights set on a new group of potential collaborators: African-Americans.

A group of 18 African-American local and state politicians, including the presidents of the City Councils of Atlanta and Detroit, recently enjoyed a tour of Israel courtesy of the American-Israel Educational Foundation (AIEF). AIEF was also the sponsor of the infamous 2011 US Congressional summer trip to Israel, during which 81 American lawmakers diverted their attention from the budget debate and the US financial crisis in order to focus on the sightseeing pleasures of the Holy Land - and to be propagandized by the Netanyahu government. AIEF is part of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), the biggest pro-Israel lobbying group in the US

Also, in October, Christians United for Israel (CUFI), the largest non-Jewish, pro-Israel organization in the United States, held a number of events specifically targeting religious African-Americans. These events were held in black churches in New York City during CUFI's "Gathering of Solidarity With the State of Israel" conference on October 25 and 26.

The AIEF political junket and the CUFI church meetings are examples of the recent push to recruit pro-Israel support among the African-American community, according to Nathan Guttman in a recent article in the Jewish newspaper, Forward. Both CUFI and AIPAC have been developing contacts in the African-American community for at least five years, although their efforts have gone largely unnoticed until now.
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Some Disturbing Truths About Rick Perry's Texas

Michael Winship, Truthout: "The non-profit, non-partisan Texas Tribune, for example, features on its webpage an exhaustive 'Perrypedia,' which offers the latest on all things Rick. The publication recently noted that 'Perry’s presidential campaign hinges on one overarching message: that states perform best when left to their own devices and federal regulators should butt out. Yet during his decade-long tenure in the governor’s office, Perry and his staff repeatedly downplayed the severity of abuse and neglect allegations at Texas’ state-run institutions for the disabled - until conditions became so dire that the U.S. attorney general was forced to intervene.'"
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With People in the Streets, 1 Percent Congress Continues to Push Austerity

Dave Johnson, Campaign for America's Future: "This situation of crony government protecting the connected rich while people are in the streets demanding change is more and more reminiscent of Egypt under Mubarak. The 1% would be well-advised to pay attention to what has happened in other countries where government ignores the people and takes care only of the connected rich."
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Still Fighting for Their Country, Now Veterans of Occupy

11-11-11 is not a variant of Herman Cain's much-touted 9-9-9 tax plan, but rather the date of this year's Veterans Day. This is especially relevant, as the US has now entered its second decade of war in Afghanistan, the longest war in the nation's history. US veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars are appearing more and more on the front lines - the front lines of the Occupy Wall Street protests, that is.

Video from the Occupy Oakland march on Tuesday 25 October looks and sounds like a war zone.

The sound of gunfire is nearly constant in the video. Tear-gas projectiles were being fired into the crowd when the cry of "Medic!" rang out. Civilians raced toward a fallen protester lying on his back on the pavement, mere steps from a throng of black-clad police in full riot gear, pointing guns as the civilians attempted to administer first aid.
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Fed Changes Growth, Employment Forecast for the Worse

Flickr / clementine gallot (CC-BY)

Posted on Nov 2, 2011

Back in June, the Federal Reserve predicted a sunnier economic future for the U.S. than it did Wednesday, when the Fed released revised figures for both growth (it’ll happen more slowly) and unemployment (it’ll continue to hover around 9 percent) through 2012. But the news wasn’t all gloomy, as The Washington Post relayed that day. —KA

The Washington Post:

The central bank’s latest forecast released Wednesday predicts that the economy will grow just 1.6 percent to 1.7 percent for all of 2011. For 2012, growth will range between 2.5 percent and 2.9 percent. Both forecasts are roughly a full percentage point lower than the Fed’s projections from June.

The unemployment rate has been stuck near 9 percent for more than two years. The Fed doesn’t see that changing this year. It predicts it will fall between 8.5 percent and 8.7 percent next year. In June, the Fed had predicted unemployment would drop next year to as low as 7.8 percent.
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Cain Claims Koch a 'Brother From Another Mother;' Meets With Kingmaker DeMint

Two days after meeting with GOP kingmaker DeMint, Herman Cain shows his love to the billionaire Koch brothers, while sex harassment allegations win him GOP hearts.
November 4, 2011

As conventional wisdom heralded an end to Herman Cain's presidential campaign due to the sexual harassment scandal that has excited the media, Cain appeared unrepentant Friday before an adoring crowd at the annual convention of the Americans For Prosperity Foundation, which is chaired by billionaire David Koch.
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