Archive - Sep 18, 2009

• Climate change negotiators prepare for New York summit
• California woman revolts against her creditors
• Seattle activists predict rise in war resisters
• Receding ice shelf threatens Alaskan arctic life

• Court rules limits on non-profit political contributions unconstitutional
  
• DOJ urges court to throw out challenge to DOMA
  
• New FCC members affirm support for low-power FM
  
• New plan to improve conditions at Tamms Supermax Prison in IL
  
• Yemen calls for probe into deadly military air strike that hit refugee camp
  
• Zelaya support organization defends itself against charges of militancy
  
• Thousands to march in Argentina to demand the return of disappeared human rights witness

In December, world leaders will gather in Copenhagen for climate negotiations that many see as essential for slowing climate change. But before Copenhagen comes numerous meetings happening this week and next, in Washington, DC, New York and Pittsburgh.  Representatives from 17 countries gathered Thursday and Friday in the nation´s capital to get the ball rolling. Tanya Snyder repots.

This week marks the one year anniversary of the demise of Lehman Brothers, an event that led to the collapse of the financial system and eventually, a $700 billion taxpayer bailout. One year later, while many banks are making profits, many Americans are still struggling to find work and pay bills. And some of them are starting to see their bills get higher as credit card companies raise their rates.

In Northern California one resident isn´t complacent with this news. Healthcare worker Anne Minch decided to stop paying her credit card debt earlier this month after she found out that Bank of America had jacked up her interest rate to 30 percent. She made her intentions public on a Youtube video.

“You have reaped ungodly profits in your behemoth casino schemes. Then lost only to turn around and usurp the wealth of this great nation by the outright rape and pillage or middle class Americans whose sweat and toil build it.”

Minch is staging a debtor´s revolt against Bank of America and other financial institutions. She said she would not pay her debt back until the bank returns her interest rates and monthly payments to their previous levels. And she´s calling on US citizens who feel they´ve been cheated by their banks to rip up their credit cards and stop their payments. FSRN spoke to Anne Minch Friday.

Here´s her latest video.

This week, the Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Michael Mullen said it is likely more troops would be sent to Afghanistan based on the strategy put forth by General Stanley McChrystal, who commands US and NATO troops. Federal lawmakers are weighing these options in a number of hearings that began this week. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chair John Kerry.

“Yesterday was the first hearing; we heard three compelling cases each of them making strong arguments for how America should proceed. Prescriptions ranged from dramatically reducing the footprint to expanding our commitment of troops to a level that would basically constitute pretty significant nation building.  John Nagel, a co-author of the military´s counter-insurgency manual who worked closely with General Petraeus, argued that victory would require, according to the field manual for standard counter-insurgency operations, 600,000 troops and a commitment of at least five years. The bulk of those troops, up to  400,000, would eventually be Afghan but it was clear and stated that US forces would be needed for years as trainers, as combat mentors, in order to fill the security gap before Afghans would be able to take over."

As the US government considers sending more troops into a conflict zone, some activists predict there could be a rise in war resisters. To learn more about a new wave of war resisters and the status of those who refused to serve under President Bush, FSRN's Mark Taylor Canfield spoke to Gerry Condon, director of the Seattle group, Project Safe Haven.

The Obama administration is seeking a more integrated way of regulating the nation´s lakes and marine shores.  Obama´s task force for oceans called for the creation of a National Ocean Council that would coordinate the efforts of several agencies to conserve marine ecosystems.

The council would deal with issues like fisheries, water quality and pollution from industrial and commercial activities.  It would facilitate a joint response from federal agencies that currently deal with these problems separately.

In a report released yesterday, Obama´s Ocean Policy Task Force also recommended the Federal government take an “ecosystem-based approach” to marine policy.  One of the issues the new ocean council would look at are the impacts of global warming in coastal communities and ecosystems like Alaska´s arctic waters, where climate change is melting the ice shelf.

The National Snow and Ice Data Center recently revealed that Arctic summer ice reached a minimum extension of 1.97 million square miles on September 12th, making 2009 the third lowest year on record.

Shaye Wolf is a biologist at the Center for Biological Diversity. She says these low levels of sea ice are having a catastrophic impact on Alaska´s Walruses.

“The important point is that when the sea ice disappears from walruses´ foraging grounds and they´re forced  to come on shore, then it exposes them to new dangers on shore. And one of those dangers especially for young walruses is that they can be trampled to death in these large herds when there are stampedes. So if for example there is human disturbance a human shows up a plane flies to low or maybe a predator shows up. Walruses will stampede to the safety of the water and large males can crush calves.”

Wildlife specialists recently found some 200 dead walruses near Icy Cape, in Alaska´s northern coast.  Most of them were calves and yearlings.  Wolf says other species like polar bears and four types of seals also depend on sea ice as a breeding ground or as a base from which to hunt for fish.   

Over the summer the House of Representatives passed a bill aimed at reducing carbon emissions, the American Clean Energy and Security Act, which will be discussed by the Senate later this year.  Many environmentalists oppose this proposal.

“The House bill, even if it were implemented and executed perfectly, wouldn´t achieve the greenhouse gas reduction necessary to save the walrus or the polar bear in the arctic. Climate scientists and the best available climate science are telling us that we need to achieve atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration of 350 parts per million if we´re to avoid catastrophic climate impact. The House bill wouldn´t even achieve a target of 450 million and we need to get to a target of 350 parts per million of carbon dioxide.”

Wolf says Congress and the Obama administration should instead focus on enforcing the Clean Air Act, because this legislation provides the tools necessary to curb carbon emissions.