Thursday, September 01, 2011

Fantasyland Media:

http://www.fantasylandmedia.org

Each week, we cover the stories that are just left out of the US propaganda machine. News that the people in charge, the corporations and your government want keep from the public eye.

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Politico:
"We may never know for sure, but there is a growing consensus that a natural gas drilling technique called hydraulic fracturing is linked to earthquakes. For example, Arkansas has experienced a swarm of earthquakes in the aftermath of hydraulic fracturing (also called “fracking”) for natural gas. Other regions of the country where fracking is taking place, Texas, West Virginia, and New York, have also witnessed a series of quakes in the vicinity of these drilling sites.

In the process of fracking, water and toxic fluid is injected deep underground at high pressure into rocks in order to actually create micro-earthquakes. These mini-quakes, in turn, release the gas trapped deep in the rock, allowing it to bubble to the surface.

The United States Geological Survey thinks the earthquake swarms that follow are caused less by the fracking itself than by the reinjection of wastewater from fracking, blasted under high pressure into the ground. The wastewater can act as a lubricant, while also providing pressure that can lead to a quake."
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2011/08/25-3

-->The NY Times has not explored fracking and the resulting propensity for earthquakes in areas that have been drilled. But then again, The NY Times has defended nuclear energy for decades, primarily because large business interests are behind it.

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Common Dreams:
"US Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) announced today that he will introduce legislation when Congress reconvenes to strengthen and preserve Social Security.

Since it was signed into law 76 years ago this month, Social Security has kept millions of senior citizens, widows, orphans, and the disabled out of poverty. To keep Social Security strong for another 75 years, Sanders’ legislation would apply the same payroll tax already paid by more than nine out of 10 Americans to those with incomes over $250,000 a year.
Joined at a press conference by leaders of Vermont seniors organizations, Sanders also cautioned that Social Security may be in jeopardy as a powerful new congressional 'super committee' looks for ways to cut deficits by $1.5 trillion over the next decade."
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2011/08/25-8

-->There is no more dishonest debate in America than the one over Social Security. The NY Times did not cover this simple solution introduced by Bernie Sanders. Tax the wealthy a little more for Social Security and the supposed problem with the program disappears.

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Pro Publica:
"With housing prices dropping sharply, and foreclosure filings against more than 1 million properties in the first half of this year, the Obama administration is scrambling for ways to help homeowners.

One place they won't be looking: An estimated $30 billion from the bailout that was slated to help homeowners but is likely to remain unspent.

Of the $45.6 billion in Trouble Asset Relief Program funds meant to aid homeowners, the most recent numbers available show that only about $2 billion has actually gone out the door.

The low number reflects how little the government's home loan modification and other programs have actually helped homeowners deal with the foreclosure crisis."
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2011/08/25-11

-->When it came down to helping Wall Street or Main Street, Bush and Obama were on the same page. The NY Times did not cover this story that clearly demonstrates how both major parties work against the interests of the middle class.