What's the Plural of Uterus? Girl Power

Republished from PoliticusUSA from April 29,2012 here by Rmuse

A conception or mental creation that is baseless or unbelievable is said to be imaginary, and it implies delusion or myth in some contexts. It is hardly appropriate for aggressors to claim their victims are imagining an attack when there is documented evidence of injury, and especially when the aggression continues unabated, but that is precisely what Republicans are claiming in their war on women. Perhaps Republicans hope that by lying often and loudly about an imaginary war on women that women will ignore or forget the devastation and injury they have endured for the past year and support their assailants. Apparently, that is what Republicans are hoping will happen and they are ramping up a campaign to convince voters, and especially women voters, that there is no war on women.

This past week, House minority leader Eric Cantor’s Young Guns group announced a multi-million dollar media campaign called “Woman Up” to convince voters there is no war on women. During a closed-door fundraiser this week, Willard Romney told supporters they needed to “get the women” on board to ensure his election to the White House, and both instances not only fly in the face of reality, they are an epic insult to women. However, no amount of media propaganda or campaign rhetoric will ever convince women that they have not been on the receiving end of the GOP’s assaults on their rights, and this week highlighted the fact that the Republicans are serious in punishing women.

In the House, Republicans successfully passed legislation keeping student loan interest at the current level by paying for it with women’s healthcare funds instead of raising payroll taxes on high-income owners of corporations to the level every other working American pays. In a speech on the floor of the House, Speaker John Boehner displayed faux outrage at Democrats for asking the wealthy to pay their fair share of taxes and accused them of playing politics with student loans and said it was the latest Democratic “plank in the so-called war on women” that was “entirely created by Democrats for political gain.” In the Senate, former presidential candidate John McCain gave a ten-minute rant about Democrat’s politically motivated intention of “dividing the country in the name of fairness and equality” and called the “supposed” war on women “outlandish rhetoric to distract citizens from real issues that really matter.”

McCain obviously does not comprehend that for half the population, what really matters is that their rights are being subverted by Republicans as a matter-of-course and it shows just how out of touch and misogynistic he is when it comes to women’s rights. Women have spent the past year watching Republicans redefine rape, vote for gender pay inequality, restrict their access to cancer screenings and contraception, and give employers the right to deny healthcare if it went against their religious beliefs. Women are patient, but they are not stupid and that is the message Republicans are expressing when they say the war on women is imaginary, or worse, a creation of Democrats who have voted time and time again to give women equal rights the Constitution guarantees. Then there is presumptive Republican presidential candidate Willard Romney telling his supporters they have to “get the women” to support his candidacy.

Romney said, without hesitation, that one of the first acts as president is “getting rid of Planned Parenthood” that serves millions of women with cancer screenings, contraception, and family planning, among others. He supported the Blunt amendment giving employers medical rights over women’s healthcare issues, and said he wants women to have dignity of working at the same time he fawns over his wife because she had the luxury to stay home and raise children. In Romney’s budget, poor and middle class women face massive cuts to programs that provide healthcare and food assistance for their children while the wealthy receive greater tax cuts. It is too late for Romney to “get the women” to support any Republican much less a wealthy elitist who promises to escalate the war on women if he is elected.

President Obama sees the war on women as a war on equal rights and he assailed Republicans for advocating for less government regulations unless it is regulating women. In defending his policies on women, the president said the Affordable Care Act “finally gives women more power to make their own choices about their health care,” and that the Republican war on women was “appalling and offensive, and when it comes to what’s going on out there, you’re not going to close your eyes. Women across America aren’t closing their eyes. As long as I’m president, I won’t either.” Most women, who make up 53% of the electorate, know the President has been fighting for their rights, and as he mentioned, they know what Republicans are doing and their eyes are wide open. The President also noted that Republicans in states are “saying that women can’t be trusted to make their own decisions,” and it is a message women have heard loud and clear since Republicans swept into power after the 2010 elections.

Women are, and should be, incensed at the second-class status that Republicans are legislating them into with law after law abridging their rights and protections. Who do Republicans think they are waging an all-out unrelenting war on women and their rights, and how dare they think that just because they say there is no war on women that women will believe their lies? Women are not stupid, but that is the implication Republicans are making with their media blitz disputing their attacks on women and belief that they can just “get the women” to support their campaign to put women back in the Dark Ages. As the President said, women are not, and have not, closed their eyes to the hideous assault on their rights and yesterday they took the first step to destroy their attackers. In 55 cities, women united against the war on women to tell the entire country they have had enough of Republican misogyny and this is only the beginning.

The sleeping giant that is American women is wide awake and they are livid and looking for retribution. They are not sitting idly by hoping the Republican assault will subside, and the GOP is going to pay in the general election. The march and rallies across the nation should serve notice to Republicans that no impassioned Senate or House floor speeches is going to convince them there is not a war on women, or that Willard’s campaign to “get the women” on board is going to have any success because Republicans have battered women for too long and they are not taking it any longer. It is stunning that Republicans voted against women’s rights and access to healthcare in the same week they are telling them there is no war against them. It is beyond the pale that the GOP has such low regard for women that as they are beating them down, they say there is no war; women will make them pay and they are not alone. The men who love their wives, daughters, mothers, and sisters are just as furious as women and they are mobilizing and supporting women’s movements to end this Republican war on women’s rights which is, in reality, a war on human rights.

Related: Comment on Mysogyny Does Yahoo! Hate Lesbians?

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Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

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From CO Coalition Against Attacking Iran

Initial Call for a Colorado Statewide Peace Conference to Oppose Attacking Iran

(note: This is an initial call for the conference. It is meant mostly for people living in Colorado; but hopefully those of you living elsewhere might do likewise)

Dear Friends,

The cry for an attack on Iran has reached unprecedented, near-hysterical proportions in certain well known quarters.

Like the period before the attack on Iraq, many of the same themes are at play with many of the same players trying to drive our country to war again: creating or greatly exaggerating a threat; vilifying the country’s leadership to suggest that they are `crazy’ and capable of anything; the pliant media that swallow pro-war propaganda and spit it out as truth.

Far from preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons, an attack would justify their pursuit and will in all probability trigger a regional if not world war, in anticipation of which oil prices have spiked and threaten to a global recession if not worse.

Our elected representatives both in the Oval Office and in Congress who succumb to this propaganda are complicit in dragging us once again down the path to death and destruction as they have in Afghanistan, Iraq, Yemen and Somalia.

We must stop this madness

With this in mind, the Colorado Coalition Against Attacking Iran was formed recently with representatives from Boulder, Ft. Collins and the Denver Metro Area.

The Coalition is already active:

One of our first steps is to organize a conference on Saturday, May 12, at the First Unitarian Society of Denver Church (14th and Lafayette) in Denver from 9 am to 5 pm. The goal is to organize a Colorado statewide campaign to oppose attacking Iran and for re-orienting our country’s priorities toward rebuilding our fragmented and devastated communities. (Detailed program will follow)

We, the undersigned, long-time Colorado peace activists, endorse this conference and urge you to help build the conference and the campaign to stop yet another insane step toward the abyss. Please contact the Coalition to invite speakers to your area or organization to build the Conference and Campaign.

You can contact the coalition at:

https://sites.google.com/site/cocaati

or contact:

Tom Mayer: Thomas.Mayer@Colorado.Edu

Ibrahim Kazerooni: mikazerooni@gmail.com

Rob Prince: robertjprince@comcast.net

Yours,

Ida Audeh

Clair Cafaro

Stuart Chase

Cheryl Distaso

Bill and Genie Durland

Nancy Fey

Ron Forthofer

Alan Gilbert

Nader Hashemi

Pat Hewett

Ibrahim Kazerooni

Bob Kinsey

Leslie Lomas

Tom Mayer

LeRoy Moore

Rob Prince

Michael Rabb

Tom Rauch

Ken and Mag Seaman

Cheryl Stevenson

Doug Vaughan

Ernesto Vigil

Evan Weissman

Dan Winters

Phil Woods

Gypsy Chief’s comment: Why do we always have enough money for war but never enough for public transit, kids nutrition, alternative energy, etc?

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from BoycottRush.org

Send a message to Rush Limbaugh’s advertisers: Tell them it’s time to stop supporting his anti-woman hate speech.

So far seven (7) national advertisers have pulled out of the Rush Limbaugh radio show and you can follow the action on Twitter using the hashtag #stoprush or by following the link above.

Update Monday March 5 11:51 Mountain:

Monday, March 5, 12:13 p.m.: Rush Limbaugh just lost another advertiser.

AOL on Monday became the eighth company to pull its ads from Limbaugh’s radio talk show in the wake of his inflammatory comments about a 30-year-old Georgetown law student who advocated for President Obama’s contraception policy.

“At AOL one of our core values is that we act with integrity,” the company said in a statement on its Facebook page. “We have monitored the unfolding events and have determined that Mr. Limbaugh’s comments are not in line with our values. As a result we have made the decision to suspend advertising on The Rush Limbaugh Radio show.”

Rush in Denver on KOA AM850

ClearChannel Communications syndicates the Rush Limbaugh show nationally. In Denver their outlet is KOA AM 850 ClearChannel doesn’t care what Limbaugh says as long as he delivers an audience and sponsors. To them it is strictly a business decision. If Rush Limbaugh starts costing them money they may decide to drop him.

The Gypsy Chief blog supports the national effort to boycott this toxic talker. Our effort focuses on the local level, so I have written to AM Sales Director Rosemary Bennett to let her know that I will never buy any product or service advertised on KOA during the Limbaugh show. Rosemary Bennett’s phone number is (303) 713 – 8355 according to their website. I have a daughter about the same age as Sandra Fluke. If anybody ever called my daughter the vile things Limbaugh called this 30 year old Georgetown Law student I would be after him with a horsewhip. … just sayin’

Mainstream media outlets throughout the country are now reporting on record-breaking gas prices, the highest ever for this time of the year. Also making the rounds is the commonly cited prediction by former Shell CEO John Hofmeister that there is a better than 50 percent chance that gas prices will reach $5 a gallon by this summer in the U.S. This is in spite of the fact that U.S. oil production is up and oil consumption down, since 2008. What the media isn’t reporting on is the rest of what Hofmeister said in a recent peak oil themed debate he had with Tad Patzek on Feb. 14.

In the debate, Hofmeister said that we’re heading for $7 to $8 gas and rationing by 2015, and rolling blackouts and brownouts. He also made clear that oil is the lubricant of the world’s economy, and there is no alternative. He further stated that China, which used 8 million barrels of oil a day last year, uses 9 million now, and is projected to use 15 million by 2015. India will go from 4 to 7 in the same time frame. And, that there’s “not enough oil out there to meet that demand.”

On CNBC, Hofmeister stated that he expects WTI oil, now at $106 a barrel, to be $120 to $130 over the next six months, and even higher for Brent, which is now at $121. He further stated that OPEC has no spare capacity, and is maxed out. This is what the early stages of peak oil looks like.

Part of the explanation is the possibility of war with Iran, which could escalate to supply disruptions along the straight of Hormuz. If this happens, prices could quickly skyrocket to new highs above $150, and send the global economy into even deeper depression/recession. Donald Trump has now correctly recognized the oil shock of `08 as the cause of the depression we are still in.

As Patzek explains in the debate, world oil production simply has not grown for six years, and is on the cusp of entering terminal decline. There is still a huge amount of energy out there, but it is increasingly difficult and expensive to extract, both in terms of money and energy. What we crave is not energy, but power, or energy per unit of time. The rate we can extract all fossil fuels is peaking, and more nations are vying for their share of a shrinking pie, and chasing after low flow rate and EROEI projects like bitumen and shale. So, we must work to use less energy, which is currently consumed at the rate of over 100 times what our own bodies run on in the U.S.—we have 100 slaves.

The national average cost of gas is now $3.57, up from $3.51 last week, $3.38 last month, and $3.17 this day last year. In Eugene, gas prices average $3.69. Prices could surpass the $4.11 record set in July 2008 very soon. When we reach those levels, only another deep recession can lower prices. Post Carbon Institute has produced an excellent half-hour documentary explaining the situation. We need Obama or Chu to give a speech like President Carter gave on April 18, 1977, and to take a leadership role on helping us make the transition to something more sustainable. Ending all forms of “growth” would be a good start.
~~

Note to the reader: The source of this is Zachary Moitoza .

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Commentary on this video from Michael C. Ruppert of Collapse Net

From the Post Carbon Institute, this is the single-best film I have ever seen describing the crisis now upon the Earth. My personal advice is that if there are members of your family still in denial, ask them to watch this thirty-minute video. Swear to them that it will be the last thing you ask them to look at… ever. And if — after viewing it — they are still in denial your choices become clear. If it is your spouse in denial, get a divorce immediately. If it is other family members, cut yourself off and create distance from them as fast as you can. Make a sacred vow to yourself that if the people you would like to awaken refuse to see, you will never waste a second of your own energy (which you will need to survive yourself) trying to persuade them further. You have done the best you could and to waste additional personal energy is suicidal behavior that will harm you. (Climb down off the Cross, we need the lumber!)

The world has until the end of March to prepare. And the “climate” we will all be living in after that will not tolerate anyone but those most focused on lifeboat building. Evolve or perish. Grow up or die. It’s all amazingly simple to see and understand. You must cut loose anything that stands in the way of being prepared, of doing what you can to be as ready as possible for the Spring, Summer, and what will follow.

Tip of the hat to Post Carbon for a remarkable film, pulling together all the wisdom and knowledge gained since M. King Hubbert did his first calculations. I don’t think it will ever be explained more clearly than this. — MCR

Related: Home Grown Food Packs For Seed Swap at Avo’s

Related: Some Americans Preparing For Civilization’s Collapse

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Courtesy www.gardnerpath.com

Last week, the U.S. House voted to pass one of the most radical oil
and gas drilling bills in recent memory — a Big Oil handout from House leadership that opens the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and some of our most sensitive coastal waters to dirty drilling.

Your U.S. Representative (rookie Congressman Cory Gardner) voted to sacrifice our natural heritage by supporting this terrible bill.

According to Defenders of Wildlife HR 3408 threatens…

* The Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge: The
bill would open all 1.5 million acres of the pristine coastal
plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas
drilling — the biological heart of this special place. The
coastal plain is the most important onshore denning habitat for
America’s threatened polar bears, birthing grounds for the
Porcupine caribou herd, and nesting area to more than 100
species of migratory birds.
* The Pacific and Atlantic Coasts and Other Protected Waters: This
destructive bill mandates drilling across almost every acre of
the Pacific and Atlantic coasts and in protected areas of the
Gulf of Mexico and off Alaska’s Bristol Bay.
write your U.S. representative

Please write your U.S. Representative today to express your
disappointment in selling out polar bears, sea turtles and other
coastal wildlife to Big Oil.

The House vote was 237 aye – 187 no. Gardner was joined by Scott Tipton, Doug Lamborn, and Mike Coffman in voting yes. Dianna DeGette, Jared Polis, and Ed Perlmutter – all Colorado Democrats – voted no.

Bill Summary from Congressional Research Service

The following summary was written by the Congressional Research Service, a well-respected nonpartisan nonpartisan arm of the Library of Congress.
11/14/2011–Introduced.
Protecting Investment in Oil Shale the Next Generation of Environmental, Energy, and Resource Security Act or PIONEERS Act – Deems the final regulations regarding oil shale management published by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) of the Department of the Interior on November 18, 2008, to satisfy all legal and procedural requirements under any law, including the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, the Endangered Species Act of 1973, the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, and the Energy Policy Act of 2005. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to implement those regulations, including the oil shale leasing program they authorize, without any other administrative action necessary. Deems the November 17, 2008, U.S. Bureau of Land Management Approved Resource Management Plan Amendments/Record of Decision for Oil Shale and Tar Sands Resources to Address Land Use Allocations in Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming and Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement also to satisfy all legal and procedural requirements under any law. Directs the Secretary to implement the oil shale leasing program in those areas covered by the resource management plans amended by such amendments, and covered by such record of decision, without any other administrative action necessary. Directs the Secretary to hold a lease sale, within 180 days after enactment of this Act, that offers an additional 10 parcels for lease for research, development, and demonstration of oil shale resources under the terms offered in the solicitation of bids for such leases published on January 15, 2009. Requires the Secretary, by January 1, 2016, to hold at least 5 separate commercial lease sales, in multiple lease blocs, in areas of at least 25,000 acres each which: (1) have been nominated through public comment, and (2) are considered to have the most potential for oil shale development. Authorizes the Secretary to reduce temporarily any royalties, fees, rentals, bonus, or other payments for leases of federal lands for oil shale resources development and production as necessary to incentivize and encourage development of such resources, if the Secretary determines that such payments, otherwise authorized by law, are hindering production of such resources.

Statement from Defenders of Wildlife.

WASHINGTON (February 16, 2012) – The following is a statement from Jamie Rappaport Clark, president and CEO of Defenders of Wildlife:

“Today, the House approved the most radical drilling-bill we have seen in recent memory. This fiscal boondoggle would industrialize the pristine coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, home to iconic wildlife like polar bears and the Porcupine Caribou herd, exposing thousands of miles of coastline to chronic pollution from offshore drilling and potential oil disasters like the Deepwater Horizon.

“Yesterday’s exploratory well explosion on Alaska’s North Slope demonstrates once again that drilling is a dangerous business. We can’t afford to take those risks with some of our most pristine and fragile places, some of which may never recover should a drilling accident occur. The Senate should reject this funding scam and look for realistic ways to meet our transportation needs without sacrificing the health of our environment.”
###

Contact(s): Caitlin Leutwiler, (202) 772-3226

Defenders of Wildlife is dedicated to the protection of all native animals and plants in their natural communities. With more than 1 million members and activists, Defenders of Wildlife is a leading advocate for innovative solutions to safeguard our wildlife heritage for generations to come. For more information, visit www.defenders.org.

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Federal Housing Finance Agency Acting Director Edward DeMarco testifies before the House Financial Services Committee's Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee on Dec. 1, 2011. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

by Cora Currier ProPublica, Feb. 6, 2012, 4:14 p.m.

Last week, ProPublica and NPR raised questions about a risky investment strategy at Freddie Mac that would pay off if homeowners stayed trapped in expensive mortgages. It’s just the latest example of how government-owned Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae have frustrated many by not putting homeowners first.

Fannie and Freddie are required to help homeowners while earning profits so they can pay back the taxpayers who bailed them out. Here is our guide to the little-known federal regulator, Edward DeMarco, ultimately in charge of the two companies. You may have never heard of him, but as The Washington Post put it, he’s “the most powerful man in housing policy.”

The basics

In the summer of 2008, as part of a larger economic stimulus bill amid the subprime mortgage crisis, President George W. Bush created the Federal Housing Finance Agency, combining several agencies overseeing housing policy, and increasing regulation of government-sponsored enterprises like Fannie and Freddie. When the government bailed out Fannie and Freddie a few months later, the FHFA took charge of them.

DeMarco, a lifelong regulator, was named the acting head of the FHFA roughly a year after the bailout when his Bush-appointed predecessor stepped down. Obama nominated a consumer-friendly replacement for DeMarco in October 2010, but Republicans blocked him. (Republican opposition to Obama’s nominee for DeMarco’s successor stemmed in part from concerns that he would push banks and others too far to help homeowners, unfairly rewarding reckless borrowers.)

As head of the FHFA, DeMarco has a three-part mission: to promote the soundness of Fannie and Freddie, and to support affordable housing and a stable and liquid mortgage market (in other words, to expand access to home ownership loans and make it easier to buy and sell mortgages).

The last two goals, though, can clash with the fact that under the bailout, DeMarco is the “conservator” of Freddie and Fannie, meaning he has to protect their finances for the benefit of their shareholders. (And the majority shareholder is now the federal government.) According to The Washington Post’s Brad Plumer and Ezra Klein, there is “a conflict tucked deep into DeMarco’s job description: The head of the FHFA is stuck between the narrow needs of Fannie and Freddie and the broader needs of the housing market.”

DeMarco has focused almost solely on that first goal, telling Congress many times that “as conservator, FHFA has a statutory responsibility to preserve and conserve the enterprises’ assets.” In plainer terms, he told NPR last week that his role is to “make sure Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac undertake activities that don’t cause further losses for the American taxpayers.”

DeMarco has strongly asserted his independence, insisting that he is promoting needed fiscal discipline. (He did not respond to our latest requests for comment on his role with the FHFA).

Clashes with Congress and Obama

Democrats and Obama administration officials have been frustrated with DeMarco, saying the FHFA’s narrow focus on Fannie and Freddie’s health has hurt the housing market.

The Obama administration has repeatedly tried to push principal reduction 2014 reducing the size of a borrower’s mortgage 2014 as a way to help homeowners, especially those with homes worth less than their mortgages. But as ProPublica and others have reported, time and again, Fannie and Freddie wouldn’t participate: a crippling problem, since the two companies own or guarantee about half of the country’s mortgages.

Last month, the administration unveiled yet another plan to encourage principal reduction, but a former administration adviser called DeMarco “the boulder” in the way of making it happen.

DeMarco says principal reduction could cost taxpayers $100 billion. Some economists counter that while principal reductions might lead to a short-term hit for Fannie and Freddie, it would ultimately result in fewer underwater mortgages, fewer foreclosures and a healthier housing market 2014 all good for Fannie and Freddie’s bottom line.

On another administration plan, to allow more borrowers to refinance at lower rates, DeMarco shifted somewhat toward the White House’s position. He agreed to lift some fees on refinancing and make it easier to qualify. Freddie Mac told ProPublica in a statement that it has helped more than 830,000 families refinance, but as we noted, critics say that the refinancing effort could be helping millions more.

As DeMarco told Politico, he’s been no “particular friend” of banks. He brought a massive lawsuit against 17 banks, alleging fraud over $200 billion in toxic mortgages sold to Fannie and Freddie. The case is ongoing.

DeMarco is also charged with helping Fannie and Freddie go gently into the night. As part of their bailout, the two companies are supposed to wind down their operations. And just as DeMarco has resisted Democratic calls for more aggressive help for homeowners, he’s also pushed back against Republican calls to spin off the companies more quickly. He’s also rejected GOP plans to cap executive pay at Fannie and Freddie.

Why he’s still there

Last week, DeMarco described his job as a “balancing act.” It’s certainly thankless. While Democrats have called for DeMarco’s head, the FHFA is an independent agency, meaning the Obama administration can’t just get rid of him over policy disputes such as his stance on refinancing or principal reduction. He could also be replaced if Obama decides to offer another nominee and the Senate confirms the choice. Barring that, DeMarco will likely remain where he is for some time, walking his own line on Fannie and Freddie’s contradictory mission.

Related: via Moveon.org

What would it take to save millions of homes and billions of dollars in taxpayer money? Replacing one man—Edward DeMarco, the acting head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency.

DeMarco is a Bush appointee, and he acts like one. He’s still in place because Republicans in Congress are stonewalling President Obama’s choice for a replacement.[1] And DeMarco is refusing to do the one thing that could get the economy back on track: allowing homeowners to reset their Fannie and Freddie mortgages to fair market value. He’s even ignoring recommendations by his own agency that show it would be the best way to save homes and taxpayer money.[2]

President Obama has an important opportunity during the next congressional recess to replace DeMarco with someone actually willing to help homeowners and taxpayers. The president used the last congressional recess to protect consumers by appointing Richard Cordray director of the Consumer Protection Bureau; now he needs to protect homeowners by taking the same step with the FHFA.

The media and some Democrats in Congress are just starting to pay attention to what the president is going to do, and Wall Street will fight hard to keep DeMarco. We need to encourage him to take the bold step of replacing DeMarco with someone who’ll do the right thing for the millions of families who are in danger of losing their homes.

Ten million people owe more on their mortgages than their homes are worth. Reducing their mortgage principal would save taxpayers 28 billion dollars, save millions from foreclosure, and stabilize the housing market.[3] In other words, the FHFA would execute its mission, “To promote [Fannie Mae's and Freddie Mac's] safety and soundness, support housing finance and affordable housing, and support a stable and liquid mortgage market.”[4]

And since Fannie and Freddie hold 60% of mortgages, allowing them to bring mortgages in line with real home values could make a huge difference. But not only is DeMarco refusing to help homeowners, he’s actually betting against them. Under his leadership, Freddie Mac invested in Wall Street securities that succeed only if homeowners fail.[5]

That’s why we need to make sure President Obama has the progressive backing he needs to replace DeMarco during next week’s recess with someone who will help homeowners by authorizing principal write-down for Fannie and Freddie, to get underwater mortgages closer to their real value.

Sign here to tell President Obama to dump DeMarco and appoint a new head of the FHFA who will do right by homeowners

Sources:

1. Edward DeMarco: The Ideologue Who’s Holding Homeowners–and the Economy–Hostage The Huffington Post, February 14, 2012

2. Faulty reasoning keeps Fannie and Freddie out of foreclosure deal
Los Angeles Times, February 14, 2012

White House steps up pressure for Fannie, Freddie mortgage write-downs
The Hill, February 12, 2012

3. Edward DeMarco: The Ideologue Who’s Holding Homeowners–and the Economy–Hostage The Huffington Post, February 14, 2012

Fewer homeowners underwater, but number is still high CBS News,
November 29, 2011

4. About FHFA Federal Housing Finance Agency website, accessed February 15, 2012

5. Freddie Mac Bets Against American Homeowners ProPublica, January 30, 2012

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Courtesy of Climate Crock of the Week blog

Documents leaked online purport to reveal the inner workings of the Heartland Institute, showing the libertarian group trying to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars from donors like the Charles G. Koch Foundation while planning to sow doubts in classrooms and the news media about global warming science.

The group’s efforts included plans to develop school curricula labeling climate research as “controversial and uncertain,” and attempts to cultivate alliances with influential figures such as New York Times environmental blogger Andrew Revkin, based on memos and fundraising documents published Tuesday by the left-leaning DeSmogBlog.

Balance of this article: here

Related: In Classrooms, Climate Change Is the New Evolution | Mother Jones

Over at Science magazine’s ScienceInsider, Sarah Reardon reports on how the National Center for Science Education —a group dedicated to fighting the teaching of creationism in public schools—is expanding its mission in response to special-interest attacks on the teaching of climate science. The groups include the Heartland Institute, which has worked with the Koch Brothers to perpetuate the notion that climate change is a hoax, and which sends its “educational” materials to public-school teachers hoping to further its pro-business agenda.

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Want to know exactly how City tax dollars are spent? Curious about the specifics of City operations? Are you interested in making Fort Collins a better place? Then CityWorks 101 is for you.

The City of Fort Collins is offering an eight week program, which will give residents a behind-the-scenes look at running a city. CityWorks 101 provides a unique opportunity to learn more about what services the City provides, and how the City provides them. Participants will see first hand how the City makes decisions and allocates funds.

A note to the reader: I went through this course last year. I found it to be very worthwhile, informative, and inspirational. Highly recommended.

Classes take place on Thursday evenings, 6-9 p.m., March 22 – May 10 and cover the following topics:

• Ready, Set, Gov – an introduction to Fort Collins local government explaining how decisions are made, introducing resources to stay informed and opportunities to get involved
• Creating a Vibrant Community – featuring information on economic health and community planning
• To Serve and Protect – a behind-the-scenes look at police operations
• The Way You Move – focusing on transportation planning, street operations, and transit
• The Utility of it All – an inside look at Fort Collins water, wastewater, stormwater, and electric utilities
• Let’s Play – an in-depth look at parks and trails, recreation, cultural services, and the hard work behind having fun
• Go Green – learn more about our natural areas, environmental programs, and sustainability efforts
• Pay it Forward – bring it all together and see how the topics discussed over the eight-week session join to form the City’s budget

Each session will be held at a different location creating a mini-tour of City facilities. The program also includes a graduation ceremony on May 15 and optional Saturday tours of the Water Treatment Facility and Poudre Fire Authority Training Center.

“I thoroughly enjoyed the hours spent getting to know the City’s different departments and service areas,” said one CityWorks 101 graduate. “I now have an understanding of the big picture – what city government does and how it gets done.”

To be considered for CityWorks 101 you must live within the Fort Collins Growth Management Area (GMA). Class size is limited to a maximum of 30 people; priority is given to applicants who will attend all eight classes. Apply online at www.fcgov.com/cityworks or call 416-2738 to receive a hard copy. Applications are due Feb. 24, 2012.

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