THE HEADLINES

FORGET A “SLIPPER SLOPE.” THE LEAKED JUSTICE DEPARTMENT MEMO ON KILLING AMERICAN CITIZENS IS DOWNRIGHT TERRIFYING.

Reaction has been strong to news of a leaked Justice Department memo that bluntly lays out the Obama administration’s justification for its highly controversial and legally questionable use of drone strikes to kill suspected “terrorists.” Language in the memo states that any “informed, high-level of the U.S. government” may order a strike on any U.S. citizen anywhere in the world, even without “clear evidence” that a “specific attack” is looming. While some wonks and media types have employed the purposefully vague analysis that the memo represents a “slippery slope” towards unconstitutional actions, the revolutionary aspect of such a policy towards American citizens is breathtaking. Laying such broad and murky ground rules for the use of deadly force against citizens open the proverbial Pandora’s box of possible scenarios, including the possibility that any American deemed a “threat” — from political opponents to protesters — can be “taken out” in such a manner.

(PolicyMic)

WHO’S GOING TO REGULATE THE FINANCIAL REGULATORS?

It’s a familiar story in Washington; agencies charged with oversight of private industries are themselves run by individuals with long-standing ties to the groups and businesses they are supposed to be regulating. This ethically toxic mix is leading to strong questions about the integrity and viability of the Securities and Exchange Commission and whether it can properly keep banks and Wall Street firms in check in the wake such devastating failures as the 2008 financial crash. Most of the SEC’s members have had to recuse themselves from at least one case due to their status as former employees of financial companies or of firms working for them. Mary Jo White, President Obama’s choice to take over the SEC, is herself a former attorney that helped JP Morgan on multiple regulatory cases, including one that is before the agency she will soon lead.

(Wall Street Journal)

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NEW YORK CITY BUS-DRIVERS FIGHTING MAYOR BLOOMBERG—AND THEIR OWN UNION—IN SUBVERTING THE DEMANDS FOR WHICH THEY ARE STRIKING.

Jerry White of Socialist Equality Party describes the deprived working conditions of the city’s drivers, and the co-operation of their union in trying to halt a strike for better conditions, even after the National Labor Relations Board declares their strike to be perfectly legal.

(World Socialist)

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“WHERE BACKYARD SKATING MEETS ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE.“

A Canadian organization is dedicating itself to raising awareness about one of the more obscure casualties of climate change; the neighborhood skating rink. Outdoor rinks have become unusable in many traditionally cold locations for most recent winters, a situation that Rinkwatch hopes to publicize through a website that tracks the conditions at local rinks across Canada and the northern United States. Record temperatures and unseasonable warmth linked to global climate change have even managed to disrupt the beloved leisure time activities of hockey and other ice-related pastimes. The propensity of wet, unfrozen rinks has become something of a national crisis in hockey-crazed Canada, where informal, outdoor games are a community staple.

(Grist)

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ENERGY CONGLOMERATE’S DECISION TO SHUTTER FLORIDA NUCLEAR PLANT MEANS YEARS OF BIG BILLS FOR CUSTOMERS

Duke Energy finally came to an unsurprising decision on the future of its Crustal River nuclear power plant when it announced the nearly 40-year old reactors will be shut down and decommissioned. Duke inherited the plant and its litany of structural issues when it purchased Progress Energy, the log-time operator of Crustal River and the focus of blame for a series of do-it-yourself repairs that ultimately did fatal damage to the reactors starting in 2009. After billions spent on fruitless fixes and replacement power generation — a cost entirely borne by Progress customers and signed off on by an industry-friendly state consumer-advocacy commission — more than a billion dollars in additional costs will be accrued from the complicated and expensive process of shutting down the plant.

(Tampa Bay Times)

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Quote of the day...

There is no doubt that high-ranking Bush administration officials bear responsibility for authorising human rights violations associated with secret detention and extraordinary rendition, and the impunity that they have enjoyed to date remains a matter of significant concern. But responsibility for these violations does not end with the United States. Secret detention and extraordinary rendition operations, designed to be conducted outside the United States under cover of secrecy, could not have been implemented without the active participation of foreign governments. These governments too must be held accountable.”

Amrit Singh, author of new report, Globalizing Torture, on programs initiated in Bush and condoned in Obama administrations.

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