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Inside the New Print Edition of Our Subscriber-Only Newsletter! Drug Companies and Psychiatrists
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Inside the New Print Edition of Our Subscriber-Only Newsletter!
Drug Companies and Psychiatrists
Partners in CrimeEugenia Tsao reports on the upcoming revision of one of the most important books in America, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Here’s where the drug lords, the shrinks and the insurance companies collude in establishing hundreds of bogus psychic conditions requiring the psychotropic drugs from which they reap billions every year. There are about 250,000 migrant laborers in Israel, mostly from the Philippines and Thailand. Meanwhile tens of thousands of Palestinians can’t find work. From Tel Aviv, Yonatan Preminger reports on Israel’s vicious employment strategy. Also in this latest newsletter Andrew Cockburn updates his CounterPunch world exclusive on how the U.S. has secretly helped build Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal. Get your new edition today by subscribing online or calling 1-800-840-3683 Contributions to CounterPunch are tax-deductible. Click here to make a donation. If you find our site useful please: Subscribe Now! CounterPunch books and t-shirts make great presents.
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Today's Stories July 6, 2009 Patrick Cockburn July 3-5, 2009 Alexander Cockburn Eamonn Fingleton Jeffrey St. Clair Mike Whitney Pam Martens George Ciccariello-Maher Paul Craig Roberts Patrick Cockburn Anthony DiMaggio Roger Burbach John Ross Nikolas Kozloff Gareth Porter Andy Worthington Saul Landau David Macaray Adam Federman Jane Slaughter Labor's Vague Rally for Health Care Russell Mokhiber Black Caucus Muzzled on Israeli Kidnapping of McKinney Robert Jensen Robert Bryce Belén Fernandez Missy Comley Beattie C. G. Estabrook Stephen Martin Charles R. Larson Lorenzo Wolff Kim Nicolini Poets' Basement Website of the Weekend July 2, 2009 Andrew Cockburn Nikolas Kozloff Wendell Potter Ellen Hodgson Brown Christian Christensen Iran: Networked Dissent? Patrick Irelan Binoy Kampmark Returning Iraq Nicola Nasser Brian Tokar Dan Bacher Website of the Day July 1, 2009 Vijay Prashad Alberto Vallente Thorensen Paul Craig Roberts Robert Weissman Manuel García, Jr. Victor Figueroa-Clark / Pablo Navarrete Norman Solomon Franklin Lamb Martha Rosenberg Diane Rejman Website of the Day June 30, 2009 Michael Hudson Esam Al-Amin Benjamin Dangl Jonathan Cook Franklin Lamb George Wuerthner Todd Gordon Ron Jacobs Kenneth Libby Julian Vigo Website of the Day
June 29, 2009 Ishmael Reed Nikolas Kozloff Clifton Ross Patrick Cockburn Uri Avnery Conn Hallinan James G. Abourezk Ralph Nader Carol Miller Greg Moses Website of the Day June 26-28, 2009 Alexander Cockburn Jeffrey St. Clair Doug Peacock Daniel Wolff Mike Whitney John Ross David Rosen Emily Ratner Gareth Porter Farid Marjai Nadia Hijab Paul Craig Roberts Fred Gardner Carl Ginsburg Paul Watson David Ker Thomson Farzana Versey Geoff Berne Todd Alan Price Ramzy Baroud Jeff Sher Dr. Carol Paris Despite My Arrest by Max Baucus, I Will Continue to Advocate for Quality Health Care for All Walter Brasch Adultery as Family Value? Glen Johnson Charlotte Laws Charles R. Larson Kim Nicolini David Yearsley Lorenzo Wolff Poets' Basement Website of the Weekend June 25, 2009 Kathy Kelly Jack Bratich Wendell Potter Charles R. Larson Alan Farago Jonathan Cook Gareth Porter Bitta Mostofi / David Macaray Mark Schuller Website of the Day June 24, 2009 Andrew Cockburn Dean Baker Andy Worthington James Bovard Diana Gibson / P. Sainath Gareth Porter Robert Alvarez Dave Lindorff Steven Colatrella Remembering Giovanni Arrighi Website of the Day
June 23, 2009 David Price Patrick Cockburn James Ridgeway / Dave Lindorff Carmelo Ruiz-Marrero Gary Leupp Brian M. Downing Robert Bryce Nicholas Dearden Yousef Munayyer Website of the Day June 22, 2009 Michael Hudson Esam Al-Amin Chris Floyd Jack Z. Bratich Atash Yaghmaian Laura Carlsen Paul Craig Roberts Vijay Prashad Fred Gardner Andy Thayer David Macaray Website of the Day
June 19 - 21, 2009 Alexander Cockburn Jeffrey St. Clair Patrick Cockburn Al Giordano Henry A. Giroux Anthony DiMaggio Paul Craig Roberts John Ross Gareth Porter Carl Ginsburg Tommi Avicolli Mecca Joe Bageant Serge Halimi P. Sainath Jim Goodman Dave Lindorff Rannie Amiri Robert Fantina Harvey Wasserman Walter Brasch David Ker Thomson Charles R. Larson David Yearsley Kim Nicolini Ben Sonnenberg Poets' Basement Website of the Weekend June 18, 2009 Uri Avnery Robert Sandels / Anthony DiMaggio Robert Weissman Joshua Frank Jonathan Cook Reza Fiyouzat Norman Solomon Ali Jawad James Ridgeway Website of the Day June 17, 2009 Carl Boggs Dr. Bryant Welch Winslow T. Wheeler Liaquat Ali Khan Jonathan Cook Binoy Kampmark Karim Makdisi Dave Lindorff David Swanson Gene Marx Website of the Day June 16, 2009 Patrick Cockburn John Ross Afshin Rattansi Marc Levy Paul Craig Roberts Behzad Yaghmaian Brian M. Downing Merle Lefkoff David Macaray Robert Jensen David Swanson Website of the Day June 15, 2009 Michael Hudson Reza Fiyouzat Patrick Cockburn James Ridgeway Marjorie Cohn Rannie Amiri Dave Lindorff Ron Jacobs Leonard Schwartz Martha Rosenberg Website of the Day June 12-14, 2009 Alexander Cockburn Gareth Porter Mike Whitney Mark Ames Esam Al-Amin Franklin Lamb Patrick Cockburn Andy Worthington Heather Gray Felice Pace Ron Jacobs George Wuerthner Jeffrey Buchanan / David Ker Thomson Renaud Lambert Kevin Zeese David Macaray Evelyn Pringle Chris Genovali David Michael Green Brian J. Foley Charles R. Larson Kim Nicolini David Yearsley Lorenzo Wolff Poets' Basement Website of the Weekend
June 11, 2009 Kathy Kelly / James Bovard Tristan de Bourbon Dave Lindorff Kevin Zeese Ralph Nader Harvey Wasserman Nicole Colson Mark Weisbrot Dan Bacher Website of the Day June 10, 2009 Ismael Hossein-Zadeh Jennifer Van Bergen / Douglas Valentine Kathy Kelly Paul Craig Roberts Rev. William E. Alberts Peter Lee Carol Miller Emily Ratner Robert Weissman Dave Lindorff Website of the Day June 9, 2009 Winslow T. Wheeler Mike Whitney Stan Cox Sibel Edmonds Jonathan Cook David Macaray Robert Jensen Nadia Hijab Mark Weisbrot Website of the Day June 8, 2009 John Ross Paul Craig Roberts Franklin C. Spinney Franklin Lamb Uri Avnery Jonathan Cook Eric Toussaint Jim Goodman Norman Solomon Reza Fiyouzat Website of the Day June 5 -7, 200 Alexander Cockburn George Galloway Paul Craig Roberts Jennifer Loewenstein Franklin Lamb Mike Whitney Andy Worthington Missy Comley Beattie Farzana Versey Stanley Heller John V. Whitbeck Robert Weissman Lee Sustar Dave Lindorff William Blum Ernest Callenbach / Greg Moses Ron Jacobs David Yearsley Tim Stelloh Belén Fernández David Ker Thomson Karyn Strickler Christopher Brauchli Charles R. Larson Kim Nicolini Lorenzo Wolff Poets' Basement Website of the Weekend
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July 6, 2009 Getting Paid in IOUsCalifornia's Bingo BondageBy CARLOS BENEMANN Since the California IOU's (aka registered warrants) pay interest they would at first glance seem better than money IF you can also readily exchange them for federal fiat dollars. The interest rate offered is quite enticing when compared with current Federal Treasury notes. The fat interest worm on the hook has been deliberately set for enticement and to induce folks to hold them until (in the words of the comptroller) they MAY be redeemed. Beware. Of course these IOU's are NOT readily exchangeable (at least not yet outside of California banking institutions). Nor can you go to the grocery store and plunk down a payment warrant amounting to say $1200 for a yogurt and some cookies and expect change in fiat currency. California State IOU's simply are not legal tender. Why? If the IOU's had printed on their face that they are legal tender for all debts public and private, then THEY WOULD BE ILLEGAL UNDER FEDERAL LAW because under federal law only the federal government can issue money or legal tender. Since a substantial amount of these warrants may be sent back to the State coffers in lieu of payment for quarterly State income tax obligations, it is reasonable to assume that California will have even less tax revenue coming in from now through October 2, 2009 and the State is unlikely to make good on the warrants when due. It just will not be able to redeem them. On the other hand, should the State refuse to accept it's own warrants in payment for taxes due, then that may engender a real tax revolt. Fact is, the current deficit and the projected deficit for October 2, 2009 is less than half of the one projected for the last quarter Jan 2010. These projections already made California the worst credit risk for any State in the Union. In the words of the California comptroller, "registered warrants will continue to be issued until the State has sufficient cash to cover all of its bills and redeem outstanding IOUs. The ability to restore making all payments with regular warrants depends on when the Governor and the Legislature reach real resolutions that address the State’s long-term budget deficit and provide immediate cash in the State Treasury". Words like "depends", "when" "may" and "reach" should make anyone suspicious. Bottomline: the warrants MAY be redeemed on October 2 or again they may not be redeemed then, if ever. The fact is there is no money now, and the future prospects are worse. (The prospects of collecting the pre-budgeted amounts of even such basics as State property taxes are turning very questionable). Actually, if one receives a State registered warrant and holds it through maturity, then technically that person has not yet been "paid" (with legal tender) . Therefore the quarterly income tax payable in legal tender is not due until the State makes good on the warrant. Therefore, California will not get much revenue or anticipated "fresh new money" to be able to make good on the warrants as they become due. Any bank that gorges on these warrants for just the interest is foolhardy. But maybe that is the two stage surreptitious way the Federal Government can help out California. Just like before, the Banks buy the crap and the feds buy it back. Me thinks China et al are not going to buy anything like that. They probably learned their recent lesson. Left to itself, California is toast. A similar problem was faced by the provinces (States) in Argentina in 2001. Argentine Provincial governments issued the same kind of fancy engraved paper warrants (called bonos, i.e. bonds). Problem was nobody wanted them, not even the provincial banks because they carried no interest. The neat solution to make them desirable to the general population was that once a week, there was a lottery called over radio and TV that would call out the serial numbers on the lucky winning "bonos" and you could win a car, a motorcycle, a dishwasher, even a house if your winning IOU number came up. Of course the idea was to get people to retain the money for as long as possible. It sort of worked for a while and the bonos became paper flood in all kinds of horrendous astronomically high denominations. (Guaranteed by the good name and faith of the local Argentine government!!). Right! Just picture a poorly paid local state employee and his taxi driving son and their large families sitting in their cramped, modest living room at night shuffling stacks of the IOU's around as the string of winning numbers are called out on the radio. I witnessed this. (Of course the big winners always turned out to be the governor's mistress or some such, but that is Argentina and another story). Pretty soon, every province and city government in Argentina issued it's own "bingo bonds" but you could not take this quasimoney "out of state" so to speak because they had zip zero zilch value outside their own local jurisdiction. (No value whatsoever in fact because everyone had their own competing lottery) Sort of the same thing was the "Notgeld" (emergency money) issued in every city and State of Germany in the 1920's. (My father gave me an envelope full of billions of Reichsmarks, also worth zip, just as part of my education and a lesson needed to be learned by the next generation) Of course the amount of zeros added to this Argentine bingo/bongo/lottery money increased exponentially as more and more sheeple realized that this quasimoney was a fraud, until it was repudiated altogether and a succesion of new fiat currency was issued, backed by politicians with new high sounding promises. Of course what followed was a complete economic collapse, run on the banks, strikes, riots, looting and election of the next populist turkey. (I still carry a million peso note in my wallet as another lesson to be remembered, since this second lesson actually cost me a bundle). Let's see, what does Schwarzenegger have in common with post Weimar Republic or Argentine presidential worthies? (other than shrieking administrative incompetence and the inability to reach political consensus?) Ahhh, yes, they all promised pie in the sky and they all were democratically elected and then happily led their sheeple to either economic or physical slaughter or both. Bottomline: If you have no choice but are obligated to take them, even if you like the pretty engraving of duffy duck on them, then get rid of the IOU's as fast as you can, no matter what the interest rate, no matter what the promises, no matter what the cash discount. The jig is up. It is like an infection. Today California, tomorrow die ganze Welt. Happily, the author is not an economist. Just another working stiff about to receive a California registered warrant instead of a legal tender payment. I think I learned my lessons now. Good luck to you. Carlos Benemann lives in Humboldt county, California. He is a California Court Certified Contract Interpreter and can be reached at fernbook@humboldt1.com
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Now Available from CounterPunch Books! Yellowstone Drift:
Spell Albuquerque:
Waiting for
Lightning
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