THE HEADLINES

Sustainable auto traffic, Stockholm, Sweden" (courtesy globalgiants.com)

SWEDEN’S SUSTAINABILITY AGENDA: THE HYPE AND THE REALITY.

(Common Dreams)

Sweden’s policy of vigorous encouragement of more fuel-efficient forms of transportation has been promoted as a model for the world in dealing with pollution. The reality for Sweden (and the rest of the world), says Firmin DeBrabander, is that pollution increases in the country as these fuel efficiency standards increase. The solution to this puzzle is that making transportation more “affordable” has resulted in more people taking longer trips, increasing overall fuel consumption. The problem and the only realistic solution is that fuel consumption must decrease worldwide, along with other elements of our over-consuming world. She raises the spectre, for example, of what will happen with air pollution if China continues its rapid expansion of car ownership with the demands of a growing middle class. Simply put, we have to spend less if we want to pollute less. Gas rationing, anybody?

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AIR CANADA GETS “LABOUR PEACE” TO GUARANTEE SUMMER AIR TRAFFIC. WAS IT “UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER” OF THE CUSTOMER SERVICES UNION?

(Toronto Star)

As some workers “celebrate” a contract settlement that has not yet been ratified, others note that the union gave up a great deal in its demands. It got a 4-year contract with 9% raise over course of the contract (probably won’t keep up with inflation) and they got a provision of their having to make contributions to their pension fund.

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WAR ON DRUGS, BEGUN IN THE TIME OF NIXON, SHOULD BE ENDED IN THE TIME OF OBAMA.

(Alternet)

This is the assessment of the 40-year “war” by one of the “captains” in it: Eric Sterling, who served 9 years as counsel for House committee on oversight of drug enforcement. Sterling says that all this “enforcement” effort ever accomplished was the prosecution of the foot soldiers (street salesmen, etc.) of the drug traffic, not their bosses; and that it prosecuted black people very predominantly.

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HEY DUDE, WHERE ARE MY MIRANDA RIGHTS?

(McClatchy)

A 13 year old boy in a Chapel Hill, NC school is found in possession of what may have been stolen property from a neighborhood home and is confronted by detectives in a school conference room and essentially “confesses” to the crime. His lawyer maintains his Miranda rights against self-incrimination and legal representation were violated. Prosecutors say the interrogation did not rise to the “coercive” level to invoke Miranda. His defense asserts and now Supreme Court agrees on 5-4 ruling that what is “coercive” must be adjusted to the age level of accused persons.

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“UNUSUAL” NUMBER OF ERASURES ON A FLORIDA FCAT TEST? COULD BE A MATTER OF CHANCE.

(Florida Times-Union)

Yes, says a memo sent by state Department of Education to 14 Florida schools demanding explanation of erasures on tests that determine the academic fate of students and the career fate of schools and teachers. Yes, it could be chance, but only a “1 in a trillion” one, a clear indication that these investigations are expected to turn up evidence of fraud in manipulating the results of the test.

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Quote of the day…

We are in desperate need of an anti-war movement, an anti-Wall Street movement, an anti-foreclosure movement, and anti-corporate bribery movement, and a new labor movement just to name a few.

If America is to be saved, it will because of movements outside the mainstream political game. It’s always been like that and will continue to be so.

Sam Smith, in article comparing U.S. presidencies to ponzi schemes in which voters (investers) make contributions to a “profit” making scheme and then are ripped off by the perpetrators. Some go to jail for this, others sit in the White House.

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