Market Supremacy News Original Reporting
ALEC loses battle for secrecy, but its war on the 99% continues
by By Phil Mattera - Jun-4-2012
Wal-Mart’s recent decision to drop its membership in the American Legislative Exchange Council is a milestone in the remarkable effort to drive a wedge between ALEC and the large corporations that have used the organization to promote their self-serving policy agenda at the state level.
At least 18 companies are reported to have cuts ties to ALEC in the face of a pressure campaign which has ben spearheaded by groups such as Color of Change, Common Cause, People for the American Way and the Center for Media and Democracy.
The campaign — which has also prevailed against the likes of Amazon.com, Coca-Cola, Kraft Foods, McDonald’s and Procter & Gamble — is already one of the most successful corporate accountability initiatives ever undertaken, and more wins are likely to occur. Yet there are also high hurdles to overcome.
Those companies that have succumbed to the anti-ALEC pressure are pretty much all consumer products firms concerned about the possibility of boycotts by customers outraged at ALEC’s role in promoting “stand your ground” laws like the one in Florida at the center of the controversy over the shooting of Trayvon Martin.
A decisive win against ALEC will require splitting off a much larger portion of ALEC’s sizeable corporate membership, including companies that are not fazed by consumer unrest. Quite a few firms of this sort are represented on ALEC’s Private Enterprise Board, whose membership roll reads like a rogue’s gallery of corporate irresponsibility. - Continue
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by By Phil Mattera - Jun-4-2012
Wal-Mart’s recent decision to drop its membership in the American Legislative Exchange Council is a milestone in the remarkable effort to drive a wedge between ALEC and the large corporations that have used the organization to promote their self-serving policy agenda at the state level.At least 18 companies are reported to have cuts ties to ALEC in the face of a pressure campaign which has ben spearheaded by groups such as Color of Change, Common Cause, People for the American Way and the Center for Media and Democracy.
The campaign — which has also prevailed against the likes of Amazon.com, Coca-Cola, Kraft Foods, McDonald’s and Procter & Gamble — is already one of the most successful corporate accountability initiatives ever undertaken, and more wins are likely to occur. Yet there are also high hurdles to overcome.
Those companies that have succumbed to the anti-ALEC pressure are pretty much all consumer products firms concerned about the possibility of boycotts by customers outraged at ALEC’s role in promoting “stand your ground” laws like the one in Florida at the center of the controversy over the shooting of Trayvon Martin.
A decisive win against ALEC will require splitting off a much larger portion of ALEC’s sizeable corporate membership, including companies that are not fazed by consumer unrest. Quite a few firms of this sort are represented on ALEC’s Private Enterprise Board, whose membership roll reads like a rogue’s gallery of corporate irresponsibility. - Continue
More Market Supremacy News
Occupy Wall Street Grabs Spotlight From NATO
... Protesters bring message of fairness to rebellious elites
... Protesters bring message of fairness to rebellious elites
Occupy Takes NYC's Times Square
… More than 1,200 marchers wave the 99% flag
… More than 1,200 marchers wave the 99% flag
May Day Protests Against Wall Street Greed Hit More Than 100 U.S. Cities
… Not so dead Occupy movement draws at least 80,000 protesters
… Not so dead Occupy movement draws at least 80,000 protesters
Rallies Against Predatory Financiers Pepper Lower Manhattan
... Wednesday protests draw more than 600 participants; NYPD arrests 19
... Wednesday protests draw more than 600 participants; NYPD arrests 19
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Columns
Painful Truths
by Victor Epstein
… Progressive darling shocks admirers by defending private equity firms
If I've learned anything about elected officials during my 20 years in journalism, it's that while they act dignified around us peasants in the 99%, they’re completely capable of acting like groupies around the 1%.
On The Level
by B.B. Olshin
... And why killing the Buddha is such a fine idea
Blame Richard Gere.
Or maybe the phenomenon of affluent Americans claiming to be Buddhists started before him, back in the 1970’s. Most of these wannabee Buddhists are suffering from a condition I like to call “Buddhist Personality Disorder.” Or BPD for short. They favor flowery clothing made of hemp, speak softly and slowly, and smile beatifically. They’ll be happy to tell you about their retreats, their meditation sessions, and their interest in compassion, but they’re actually filled with anger, insecurity, and a deep-seated lack of awareness about themselves and the world around them.
Painful Truths
by Victor Epstein
… Landmark move was long overdue (Update 2)
As I reflected on President Barack Obama's long overdue endorsement of gay marriage earlier this week, my own thoughts drifted back to my friend Paul and a 2001 incident that taught me unqualified love has nothing to do with sexual orientation.
On The Level
by B.B. Olshin
...Protests that lack soul are doomed to failure
In today’s column, I want to go back a few years to share a past lesson that’s still relevant to the 99%: sometimes protest just doesn’t work. For example, the citizens of Philadelphia tried to reject casinos in 2006 and failed. Here’s how it happened: There were actually two casinos planned for the city. One was going to be in the Fishtown neighborhood and one on Reed Street, near the Delaware River. Residents protested via various organizations, such as “Casino-Free Philadelphia” and the “Philadelphia Neighborhood Alliance,” but the Fishtown progress went ahead anyway. The 1.3 million-square-foot monstrosity opened in 2010 on the former site of the Jack Frost Sugar Company.
Painful Truths
by Victor Epstein
... More May Day Pics
The best part about working as a journalist in New York City for me has always been the food. And after 20 years in the field I have to challenge myself to keep it fun. So, while the rest of you will probably remember May Day 2012 as the time when the 99% told predatory banking interests that their days of exploiting their fellow Americans were numbered, I'll remember it as the day I hit for the journalism equivalent of the foodie cycle by gobbling down two hotdogs, a slice of pepperoni pizza, a lamb gyro (white sauce) and a fruit smoothie without ever stepping inside a restaurant or halting work.
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Moral Compass
Is it Live or Chris Brown?... Caught lip-synching at Billboard Awards
Years ago, an iconic television ad featured a performance by singer Ella Fitzgerald while asking viewers “is it live or is it Memorex?” Well, it was neither Sunday at the annual Billboard Music Awards. It was Chris Brown.
Transactional relationships of the 1%
... Aging model shakes down silver spoon
In the latest example of the inherent instability of transactional relationships, uber-hoochie Linda Evangelista succeeded in shaking down French billionaire Francois-Henri Pinault on Monday after a bout of buyer’s remorse over the terms of their 2006 coupling.
Whitney Houston Dead of Narcissism
... Fame insulated singer from help
Officially, singer Whitney Houston's chronic abuse of cocaine contributed to her drowning in a bathtub on Feb. 11 in the Beverly Hilton Hotel. Unofficially, she died not so much because she was addicted to cocaine, but because she was addicted to shameless flattery.
Breitbart Takes A Dirt Nap
... Incendiary political opportunist dead at 43
Propagandist Andrew Breitbart collapsed and died Thursday while walking near his home in Los Angeles, leaving behind a string of wrecked individuals and organizations devoted to the less fortunate.
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Morning Cup A daily briefing for the American wage-earner
George Carlin Would've Loved Occupy Wall Street
... Working class hero loved to expose predatory 1%
It’s a good thing comedian George Carlin is dead, because if the working class hero were still alive there’s a fair chance Occupy Wall Street would not be the leaderless movement it is today. That’s how closely his ideas dovetailed with those of the nonviolent movement against predatory corporations and elites. -
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U.S. Massing Fighter Jets Near Iran
... F-22s and F-15s join large naval presence
The forever war needed to support profit growth in the U.S. military industrial establishment shows no signs of abating under the administration of President Barack Obama, with the recent massing of fighter jets near Iran.
- ContinueBrit Pols Use Private Email to Evade Public Scrutiny
...Minister's team helped Murdochs in BSkyB deal
The emoticons probably don't exist to express how British Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt is feeling this week as his political career stumbles toward extinction. Under pressure to resign, following allegations of improper communication in his department with Rupert Murdoch's News Corp., Hunt announced today that he will hand over his private texts and emails to the media ethics inquiry led by Lord Justice Brian Leveson.
The move is intended to clarify how implicated Hunt is in the scandal, by documenting his personal correspondence with special adviser Adam Smith, who resigned Wednesday. The emails that have surfaced from his department suggest it was working hand in glove with the Murdoch media, which has been accused of everything from bugging newsmakers' phones to using its editorial clout to unduly influence Britain's elected government during its failed bid to purchase British Sky Broadcasting (B2B),
- ContinueThe Missing Link in Gov Enviro Toolbox
... A Punishment BP Can’t Pay Off
Two years after a series of gambles and ill-advised decisions on a BP drilling project led to the largest accidental oil spill in United States history and the death of 11 workers on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig, no one has been held criminally accountable. -
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Employers hogging benefits of productivity growth
... Efficiency gains not shared with workers in 40 years
A new report from the Economic Policy Institute says it's been about 40 years since U.S. workers have shared in productivity gains resulting from technical innovations like the Internet and the rise of personal computers, tablets and smartphones. -
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OWS 'Protest Friday' Turns Into 'Field Day Friday'
... Outfoxed NYPD paralyzes Wall Street foot traffic - Mahendra Patacake - Apr-21-2012
Occupier Recounts Monday Arrests Near NYSE
... Ten Protesters arrested at feet of George Washington - Nicole Rose Pace - Apr-19-2012
Video: Young, Homeless and Intelligent in NYC - Ben Teitelbaum and Milos Balac - Apr-19-2012
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