Petters Ponzi clawback targets Bachmann-Vennes connection

Frank Vennes Jr. is still running from his past.

Complaint in Florida bankruptcy court seeks Vennes campaign contributions to Bachmann

By Karl Bremer and Ken Avidor

The long arm of the Tom Petters Ponzi scheme clawback has reached out for Congresswoman Michele Bachmann in an effort to recover $27,600 in contributions to her congressional campaign from Petters associate and Bachmann friend, convicted money launderer Frank Vennes Jr.

“As a U.S. Representative, I am confident of Mr. Vennes’ successful rehabilitation and that a pardon will be good for the neediest of society,” Bachmann wrote to the Office of Pardon Attorney. “Mr. Vennes is seeking a pardon so that he may be further used to help others. As I know from personal experience, Mr. Vennes has used his business position and success to fund hundreds of nonprofit organizations dedicated to helping the neediest in our society.”

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In the lead: Rupert Murdoch and the Koch Brothers

Our vote on the 1% has been vigorous since it started last week, with thousands of people rating nominees representing Wall Street, dirty energy, war profiteering, and more. We’re going to make videos exposing the ones our audience thinks are doing the most to exploit the 99% — and so far, the most unpopular of the bunch are media mogul Rupert Murdoch and the democracy-crushing Koch Brothers.
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One Nation Under Sex: How Politicians' Sex Lives Changed America's History

Porn aficionado Larry Flynt and professor David Eisenbach reveal the secret history of how politicians' lovers affected policy, and why these stories are seldom told.
November 21, 2011

One Nation Under Sex: How the Private Lives of Presidents, First Ladies and Their Lovers Changed the Course of American History,

By Larry Flynt & David Eisenbach

Palgrave MacMillan, April 201

When Larry Flynt's new book, “One Nation Under Sex,” arrived in my mailbox a week before I was scheduled to sit down to an interview with the iconoclastic pornographer, First Amendment crusader and all around rabble rouser, I'll admit I didn't know what to expect.
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9 Huge Blows to the Catastrophic War on Drugs -- Will We Have Sane Drug Policy Some Day?

December 2, 2011

2011 has been a watershed year for the movement working to end our county’s disastrous war on drugs. Below are the top stories of the year that exemplify the momentum and give us hope that we can find alternatives to drug war madness.

#1. World Leaders Make International News by Calling for Marijuana Legalization and End to Drug War READ MORE

Lookout: After the Deficit Committee, There's a New Propaganda Push From the War Profiteers

War Costs' new video exposes the truth about massive military budgets and employment: Military spending is a job killer.
November 29, 2011

Since the deficit committee officially failed to produce a plan as of last week, expect the war profiteer spin to hit the fan. Here’s an early warning of what to expect, courtesy of Reuters last week:

Failure of a special congressional committee to strike a deficit-reduction deal is expected to unleash desperate lobbying by U.S. arms makers to get lawmakers to block $600 billion in automatic cuts.

Their weapon of choice: jobs.

Unfortunately for them, War Costs’ new video exposes the truth about massive military budgets and employment: military spending is a job killer. READ MORE

Once again, Israel is scapegoated

By Editorial, Published: September 12

ISRAELIS WORRY that the Arab Spring is turning from a popular movement against dictatorship into another assault on the Jewish state, and their worry is not unfounded. Last week in Cairo a mob attacked the Israeli Embassy, forcing the evacuation of the ambassador and most of his staff; the previous week the Israeli ambassador to Turkey was expelled. Later this month Palestinians are expected to introduce a resolution on statehood at the United Nations, and Israel could be further isolated if, as expected, a large majority of the General Assembly votes in favor of it.
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From Trash to Cash: Small Business Turns Profit with Waste Recovery

Paul Hagey | Thu Oct 27 2011

One man’s junk is another man’s treasure. Given that the U.S. generates around 240 million tons of solid waste each year, and the EU generates 3 billion tons, there’s a lot of treasure ripe for the picking in the ecology of commerce.
Zero waste, lots of cash

Dr. Dan Knapp, 71, is one man who’s reaping the riches of the Zero Waste philosophy. He founded Urban Ore, a waste recovery business in Berkeley, California in 1980 with his wife Mary Lou Van Deventer. Last year the company did $2.7 million in sales.

We went to a dump and I was appalled by what I saw.
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