Rangel Legislation: Mandatory Military Service For ALL Americans 18-42 yrs old

Rangel Legislation: Mandatory Military Service For ALL Americans 18...

Rep. Charles Rangel yesterday again called for bringing back the national draft -- right at the Times Square recruiting station.

For the third time since the Iraq War began, the Harlem Democrat announced his plans to introduce a bill requiring all Americans to serve in the armed forces.

"If you love your country, be prepared to serve," said Rangel, a Korean War veteran.

Congress should stop funding the war and, instead, use tax dollars to bring troops home, he said.

Rangel, who this year was stripped of his chairmanship of the House Ways and Means Committee, said the bill calls for men and women 18-42 to sign up
for the draft during wartime. It will likely be introduced next week.

Tarpley: EU to little too late

Click this link ..... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tUcC8A8eyU&feature=channel

Fannie, Freddie Dropped from New York Stock Exchange

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac common stock was removed today from the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE).

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) directed the government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) in June to de-list from the NYSE and any other national securities exchange. The direction came after the price of their common stock hovered near the minimum average closing price of $1 for more than 30 days for most months since the conservatorship took effect in September 2008.

Both GSEs begin trading in the over-the-counter (OTC) market today. Their ticker symbols on HousingWire's industry tracker were replaced with private mortgage insurers, PMI Mortgage Insurance Co. (PMI: 3.02 0.00%) and Mortgage Guaranty Insurance Corp. (MTG: 7.78 0.00%).

Fannie said its common stock will begin trading on the OTC Bulletin Board — which tracks quote, price and volume information in OTC securities — under the symbol "FNMA".

The NYSE and the Chicago Stock Exchange suspended trading of Fannie's common and preferred stock prior to market open today. Fannie had been listed on the NYSE under the symbol "FNM".

As of today, Fannie will begin trading under new symbols:

Freddie said shares of its common stock and the 20 classes of its preferred stock that previously traded on the NYSE also begin trading today on the OTC market. Previously trading under the symbol "FRE", Freddie's common stock will now trade under "FMCC".

The company's preferred stock will also trade under new symbols on the OTC market:

"The transition to the OTC market will not affect the company's obligation to file periodic and certain other reports with the SEC under applicable federal securities laws," Freddie said in a statement.

Write to Diana Golobay.

Disclosure: the author holds no relevant investments.

The Rats are Cornered

By Mike Krieger

Back from the Road

I have just come back from a 40 day road trip across the United States of America. It was without a doubt the single best experience of my life on every level imaginable. I recognize how hard such a trip is for most people given individual circumstances but at some point in life if possible I would highly recommend doing something similar. It was a total game changer for me.

I started Memorial Day weekend and went from NYC to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania then on to Alexandria, Virginia; Bedford, Virginia; Asheville, North Carolina; Nashville, Tennessee; Memphis, Tennessee; Clarksdale, Mississippi; Shreveport, Louisiana (not recommended unless you live on the East Texas border and have a gambling problem); Dallas, Texas; Sweetwater, Texas; Alamogordo, New Mexico (White Sands); Santa Fe, New Mexico; The Grand Canyon; Sedona, Arizona; Las Vegas, Nevada; Mt. Zion National Park, Utah (where my brother got married); Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah; Salt Lake City, Utah; Jackson, Wyoming (Grand Teton National Park); Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming; Bozeman, Montana; Mt. Rushmore/The Badlands, South Dakota; Omaha, Nebraska (home of the sellout and recent propaganda mouthpiece Warren Buffett); Indianapolis, Indiana; Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; Montauk, New York.

For a kid that grew up in Manhattan this was almost too much to handle, but in a profoundly positive way. The communion with nature, the amazing conversations with random people in far off places about the things I write about in these emails and the new friends I made. To the new people on this list that I met along the way, thanks for being a very important part of this trip which will forever hold a powerful grip on me. Now onto the other stuff…

The Rats are Cornered

This email will be pretty brief as I am still getting used to getting back to the fake world. Although I did work a little every day and kept up with the major news both financial and otherwise I am certainly behind on the details. This is how I would summarize what has gone on and where we are headed. The stimulus and gimmicks initiated by a desperate political class prodded on by our Keynesian witch-doctors Summers and Geithner ran their course and at the end of that road was a massive pile of debt, chronic unemployment, a populace that doesn’t believe or trust anything the government says or does and a housing market set to resume its downward spiral. So basically the forces of deflation have taken over once again. Banana Ben Bernanke knows it and he knows what he wants to do about it. He wants to print so much money it would make your head spin. He wants to drop nuclear bombs of QE2 all over this great land. That is his answer to everything. The man is 100% insane according to Einstein’s definition. I quote: “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."

There is a major problem however. Bernanke knows how unpopular he and his fascist institution are right now after all of the crimes they have committed in plain view since 2008. As such, he knows he needs cover for QE2 and that means some sort of deflationary shock that scares the masses and makes many clamor for help like sad, scared little children (we are being conditioned like animals). This is why I think the Fed and others have been fine with the recent market plunge. The only issue for them is they absolutely need gold, silver and other commodities to collapse as well. Bernanke cannot have the S&P500 at 850 and gold at 1,200 and announce QE2. Gold would surge to new highs and it would look horrible. This is why so much emphasis is being placed on getting gold and silver to retreat in a major way via propaganda pieces and also likely surreptitious selling behind the scenes. While there has been a decent pullback, it is nothing close to what they need and I am particularly impressed with how well silver is hanging in. I think this is due to a run on physical silver by investors and the dearth of government or central bank stockpiles to sell in the shadows.

This is what I mean by the rats being cornered. So far they have failed in decimating the precious metals markets and if they can’t do that in a deflationary scare then they are in huge trouble. Of course they will never stop trying because they are addicted to power and control and will do almost anything to protect their positions. I think a key thing to think about now that we must accept that they are in a corner is what is the next move on the chess board. I read this from Jesse’s Café yesterday (http://jessescrossroadscafe.blogspot.com/2010/07/currency-wars-selling-them-rope.html)

What is disconcerting to me, and you can see it to some extent in Rickards own work, is that the Wall Street financiers clearly have their eyes on the Pentagon budget: opaque, patriotically defensible, and huge. A currency war, with the Wall Street crowd providing tactics and weaponry and mercenaries to both the US and to its adversaries, might make the bonuses taken from the mortgage bubble look like pocket change by comparison. It’s an old idea really, the basis of some legendary fortunes, adapted to the modern world. It produces nothing but misery, while transferring wealth from the many to the few.

Ok, so this fits into a lot of what I have been warning about for some time now. Namely that once they lose control they will go to the next plan which is pure desperation. They will single out the two greatest threats to their power and I think those two things are: 1) Gold and Silver (independent money) 2) The Internet (free speech). If they can’t control the population with inane television and propaganda they will demonize these major threats. This will probably be sold to public in the name of national security since who could argue with that (if you do argue you will be labeled unpatriotic or a terrorist). So expect more and more announcements of Russian and Chinese cyber attacks or the like, which will be used as an attempt to censor the web and there will also be more and more news stories related to gold and silver being used by terrorists or those that wish to harm “America” (which is not the Republic but a small group of corporate, financial and political elites from both owned parties that have control via the monetary system). This group will then use “national security concerns” as a further justification to grab even more power and wield it in the name of protecting us from whatever threat they wish to use, real or fabricated.

Merck to Cut 16,000 Workers as Drugmaker Closes 16 Plants, Labs

Merck (MRK), the world's second largest drugmaker, said Thursday it plans to close eight manufacturing plants and eight research facilities around the world in its bid to save $3.5 billion a year.

The Whitehouse Station, N.J.-based company is also reducing its workforce by 15%, or some 16,000 jobs, it said.

The actions are part of a restructuring the company has undertaken following its $41 billion acquisition of rival Schering-Plough in November. In addition to the plant closings, Merck said it will consolidate some offices worldwide, as part of the restructuring begun last December.

"Today's announcement is another important step as we successfully integrate our global operations on schedule and move forward with Merck's strategic priorities," said Richard T. Clark, Merck chairman and chief executive.

Research facilities targeted for closing during the next two years are in Cambridge, Mass.; Montreal; Odense, Denmark; Waltrop, Germany; Newhouse, Scotland; and three sites in the Netherlands. Merck's women's health research, now centered in Oss, the Netherlands, will be relocated primarily to the U.S., the company said.

Presently, the company intends to cease manufacturing operations in the following locations: Comazzo, Italy; Cacem, Portugal; Azcapotzalco and Coyoacan, Mexico; and Santo Amaro, Brazil. Further, Merck said it intends to sell plants in Miami Lakes, Fla., and Mirador, Argentina. In Singapore, chemical manufacturing will be phased out from an existing Merck plant and shifted to a Schering-Plough facility acquired in the merger, although pharmaceutical manufacturing operations will continue at both plants, Merck said.

Following release of the news, Merck shares were up less than 1% in early trading on Wall Street to $35.69 each.

See full article from DailyFinance: http://srph.it/9tXsXh

Obama to submit three trade agreements to Congress

US President Barack Obama on Wednesday said that he would soon present three controversial trade agreements with South Korea, Panama and Columbia to the Congress for consideration. Obama made an announcement in this regard when he laid down his plan to double the US export in the next fiveyears, for

which he announced a reconstituted President's Export Council to be headed by Boeing CEO Ursula Burns.

Hoping to move forward on new agreements with some of America's key partners, Obama said he has instructed US Trade Representative Ron Kirk to begin discussions to help resolve outstanding issues with the pending Korean Free Trade Agreement before his visit to South Korea in November.

"It's an agreement that will create new jobs and opportunity for people in both of our countries," he said.

"We also want to deepen and broaden our relations with Panama and Colombia. So we're working to resolve outstanding issues with the free trade agreements with those key partners, and we're focused on submitting them as soon as possible for congressional consideration," he said.

"We'll make sure each agreement we pursue doesn't just advance the interests of our businesses, workers, and farmers, but also upholds our most cherished values," Obama said.

Democrats are divided over all three deals, but are particularly hesitant about moving forward with the Colombia agreement. However, the South Korean deal has more support.

It is considered as the most important of the agreements for the US economy, but is opposed by labor groups and Ford.

Obama said his administration is making sure that the access of the world market by US companies is free and fair.

"The United States offers some of the world's lowest barriers to trade, and when we give other countries the privilege of that free and fair access, we expect it in return. Where American producers face unfair trade practices, we'll use every tool at our disposal to enforce trade agreements," he said.

"Last week, for example, the WTO ruled in favor of the United States on a case that found European governments were subsidizing planes that Airbus manufactures. That practice was unfair and hurt American workers. This ruling will help keep the playing field level and boost American jobs," he said.

Obama said his goal to double America's exports of goods and services around the world in five years will boost economic growth and support millions of American jobs in a manner that is deficit-friendly.

New eco fees catching consumers by surprise

Checking her receipt as she left a downtown Canadian Tire, Chris Colorado noticed a new charge.

A receipt shows the 13-cent eco fee paid on a bottle of dish detergent on July 7, 2010 at the Canadian Tire at Bay and Dundas.

Her $1.99 bottle of dish soap was accompanied by a 13-cent “eco fee.”

The levy for thousands of new products, from pharmaceuticals to fire extinguishers, quietly came into effect July 1, the same day as the harmonized sales tax.

But unlike that tax, provincial agencies have done little to publicize the new fees, catching consumers like Colorado by surprise.

“I’ve never heard anything about this fee. No one’s talking about it,” she said. “The fact they just put it without us knowing, I don’t think it’s honest. I don’t like it.”

Manufacturers must pay the province a levy for recycling their products. Some companies are passing these costs, ranging from a few cents to several dollars per product, onto consumers.

Stewardship Ontario, the agency overseeing the eco fees, began its $2.5 million public education campaign at the beginning of the month, which consists of posters and radio spots, as well as a group which tours public events and provides information about the program.

“We would rather spend the money to educate people than to spend the money months ahead to say, ‘Hey, there’s a new eco fee coming,’ ” said spokeswoman Amanda Harper Sevonty.

“Our message to consumers isn’t about the eco fees. Our message to consumers is about here are the materials and what to do with them.”

==

What gets the fee:
All aerosol containers, from paint to hairspray.
Rechargeable batteries, as well as non-lead acid motive batteries.
Corrosives and irritants, such as household bleaches, drain cleaners and detergents.
Assorted toxic, flammable and reactive products.
Syringes and needles.
Pharmaceuticals for humans and pets, including prescription medicine, over-the-counter drugs and natural health products.
Fluorescent tubes and bulbs.
Fire extinguishers.
For a full list and details on where to dispose these items, visit makethedrop.ca

==

By clicking the makethedrop.ca website and inserting their postal codes, residents can find which products they can recycle and where the closest collection site is located. There are 92 special disposal sites across the province.

Some retailers and consumers, however, say the silence has hurt the cause. If the consumers don’t know of the fees before they buy the item, they won’t know what to do with the waste.

When the first round of products was levied in 2008, Len McAuley was given a sign explaining the fees to customers at Pollock’s Home Hardware on Roncesvalles Ave.

“With this second phase, they haven’t sent us anything,” he said. “Basically, the list is getting longer. The government’s not communicating to the public.”

The fees now cover all aerosol containers from hairspray to whipped cream, pharmaceuticals, syringes, mercury-containing devices and other toxic, corrosive or flammable products.

The start date of the new levies was set when the program came into effect two years ago and by coincidence fell on the same day as the HST launch, Harper Sevonty said.

Progressive Conservative Environment Critic Toby Barrett criticized some of the fees as being a tax grab “under the guise of environmentalism,” noting particular concern with levies on fire extinguishers, which range from $2.22 to $6.66 depending on the weight.

“I feel the Ontario government has a bit of explaining to do. I think that would eliminate a lot of the frustration,” he said.

However, Harper Sevonty stressed that the fees aren’t a tax.

“They are the program cost to collect and manage this material out of the waste stream,” she said.

The companies that produce the goods are being charged a levy, which pays for the hazardous waste to be properly recycled instead of being dumped into landfills. It’s up to the manufacturers and retailers whether to download the charge onto customers, she said.

At Queen’s Park, Environment Minister John Gerretsen defended the recycling fees as “the right thing to do.”

He noted the stewardship councils were set up under enabling legislation that was passed by the previous Progressive Conservative government in 2002, so it’s odd that the Tories would be so critical.

“It’s not a tax. The government does not see one penny of it. It all goes to the stewardship councils to make sure that all of these materials do not end up in our landfill sites,” the minister said.

With files from Robert Benzie