9/11 Remembered: 'A wake-up call for Saudi Arabia'
Caryle MurphySep 9, 2011
http://www.thenational.ae/
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Sunday, September 11, 2011
9/11 Remembered: 'A wake-up call for Saudi Arabia'
Sep 9, 2011
http://www.thenational.ae/
Post-9/11 Rebuffs Set U.S.-Iran Relations on Downward Spiral
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Post-9/11 Rebuffs Set U.S.-Iran Relations on Downward Spiral
Analysis by Barbara Slavin
WASHINGTON, Sep 7 (IPS) - Of all the mistakes and missed opportunities that have characterised U.S. foreign policy since Sep. 11, 2001, few may have been as consequential as the failure to improve relations with Iran.
Coming soon: when the renminbi rules the world
A provocative thesis. Not proven.
The Financial Times
The Financial Times
September 11, 2011
Coming soon: when the renminbi rules the world
By Arvind SubramanianChris Hedges on the Legacy of 9/11: We Are What We Loathe
Chris Hedges on the Legacy of 9/11
"A Decade After 9/11: We Are What We Loathe" -- We have still not woken up to whom we have become, to the fatal erosion of domestic and international law and the senseless waste of lives, resources and trillions of dollars to wage wars that ultimately we can never win.
http://www.truthdig.com/
"A Decade After 9/11: We Are What We Loathe" -- We have still not woken up to whom we have become, to the fatal erosion of domestic and international law and the senseless waste of lives, resources and trillions of dollars to wage wars that ultimately we can never win.
http://www.truthdig.com/
“Counterstrike: The Untold Story of America’s Secret Campaign Against Al-Qaeda” by Eric Schmitt and Thom Shanker
“Counterstrike: The Untold Story of America’s Secret Campaign Against Al-Qaeda” by Eric Schmitt and Thom Shanker
Let's forget 9/11
| Let's forget 9/11 |
| If we have any respect for history or humanity, we should remove 9/11 from our collective consciousness. Tom Engelhardt 11 Sep 2011 |
| http://english.aljazeera.net/ Let's bag it. I'm talking about the tenth anniversary ceremonies for 9/11, and everything that goes with them: the solemn reading of the names of the dead, the tolling of bells, the honouring of first responders, the gathering of presidents, the dedication of the new memorial, the moments of silence. The works. Let's just can it all. Shut down Ground Zero. Lock out the tourists. Close "Reflecting Absence", the memorial built in the "footprints" of the former towers with its grove of trees, giant pools, and multiple waterfalls before it can be unveiled this Sunday. Discontinue work on the underground National September 11 Museum due to open in 2012. Tear down the Freedom Tower (redubbed 1 World Trade Center after our "freedom" wars went awry), 102 stories of "the most expensive skyscraper ever constructed in the United States". (Estimated price tag: $3.3bn.) Eliminate that still-being-constructed, hubris-filled 1,776 feet of building, planned in the heyday of George W Bush and soaring into the Manhattan sky like a nyaah-nyaah invitation to future terrorists. Dismantle the other three office towers being built there as part of an $11bn government-sponsored construction programme. Let's get rid of it all. If we had wanted a memorial to 9/11, it would have been more appropriate to leave one of the giant shards of broken tower there untouched. |
Germany pushes Greece to the brink in dangerous brinkmanship
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/
Germany pushes Greece to the brink in dangerous brinkmanship
Germany and Holland have threatened to block rescue payments to Greece unless the country complies to the letter with bail-out terms, raising the spectre of default and a chain-reaction through southern Europe.
The New Tribalism By Leon Hadar
http://www.haaretz.co.il/
Ha'aretz, Setpember 9, 2011
The New Tribalism
By Leon Hadar
The Uncontrollable Momentum of War By RORY STEWART
The International Herald Tribune
September 10, 2011
The Uncontrollable Momentum of War
By RORY STEWART
Israel facing 'diplomatic tsunami' with Arab neighbors
Israel facing 'diplomatic tsunami' with Arab neighbors
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Analysis / Crises with Turkey and Egypt represent a political tsunami for Israel
Analysis / Crises with Turkey and Egypt represent a political tsunami for Israel
The political crisis has become a reality well before the Palestinians declare their independent state, writes Haaretz editor-in-chief Aluf Benn, leaving Israel isolated in facing Iran, Turkey and Egypt.
By Aluf BennThe Responsibility of Intellectuals, Redux Using Privilege to Challenge the State Noam Chomsky
The Responsibility of Intellectuals, Redux
Using Privilege to Challenge the StateWas there an alternative?
Was there an alternative?
The past decade, with its torture, renditions, black sites and drone assassination campaigns, has had little to do with bringing anyone to "justice", and especially not Osama bin Laden. Why was it, then, that the Barack Obama administration chose to assassinate the al-Qaeda leader, rather than bring him into a court of law? - Noam Chomsky (Sep 7, '11)
SPENGLER : How the hijackers changed American culture
SPENGLER : How the hijackers changed American culture
There has been a six-fold increase in the total number of horror films released since 1999. Starting on September 11, 2001, Americans were exposed to an enemy that uses horror as a weapon. In its attempt to engage the countries whence the terrorists issued, America has exposed its young people to cultures in which acts of horror (suicide bombing, torture and mutilation) have become routine. (Sep 7, '11)
What 9/11 Wrought: The Bush Legacy
What 9/11 Wrought: The Bush Legacy
In Cairo in 1943, when the tide had turned in the war on Adolf Hitler, Winston Churchill, who had embraced Joseph Stalin as an ally and acceded to his every demand, had a premonition. Conversing with Harold Macmillan, Churchill blurted: "Cromwell was a great man, wasn’t he?" "Yes, sir, a very great man," Macmillan replied. [...]
Al-Qaeda’s Project for Ending the American Century Largely Succeeded
Al-Qaeda’s Project for Ending the American Century Largely Succeeded
A decade after its spectacular Sep. 11, 2001 attacks on New York City’s twin World Trade Center towers and the Pentagon and despite the killing earlier this year of its charismatic leader, Osama bin Laden, al-Qaeda appears to have largely succeeded in its hopes of accelerating the decline of U.S. global power, if not bringing [...]
Let's Put 9/11 Behind Us and End the Blank Check it Has Become for America's Endless Wars
Let's Put 9/11 Behind Us and End the Blank Check it Has Become for America's Endless Wars
We could stop using it to make ourselves feel like a far better country than we are. We could leave the dead in peace and take a hard look at ourselves in the nearest mirror.
Obama's "21st Century Trade Deals" Look a Lot Like the Same Bad Policies He Campaigned Against
Obama's "21st Century Trade Deals" Look a Lot Like the Same Bad Policies He Campaigned Against
Starting this week in Chicago, the US will be hosting the first major trade negotiations since the "Battle in Seattle" World Trade Organisation talks came here in 1999.
Friday, September 9, 2011
Ron Paul's Reeaganesque Foreign Policy
Ron Paul's Reeaganesq
http://dailycaller.com/2011/
Some might find it absurd to say that Ron Paul has a “Reaganesque” foreign policy. The man himself has never made any such claim. But it is far less absurd to note the similarities between the 40th president’s foreign policy and the views of the Texas congressman than it is for Paul’s hawkish critics to continue claiming the exclusive rights to Reagan’s legacy. In fact, Republicans who still refuse to show the slightest hint of regret for the Iraq War or our continued presence in Afghanistan would be fairly alien to the ever-reflective Reagan. And when Republican hawks wax nostalgic for the Gipper’s “bold” and “muscular” foreign policy, most of what they remember is fantasy — as Reagan’s characteristic aversion to committing troops was far closer to Paulian prudence than Bushian recklessness.
An Exorbitant Burden Why keeping the dollar as the world's reserve currency is a massive drag on the struggling U.S. economy. BY MICHAEL PETTIS
An Exorbitant Burden
Why keeping the dollar as the world's reserve currency is a massive drag on the struggling U.S. economy.
BY MICHAEL PETTIS
Mission Accomplished. Finally.
Ten years after 9/11, it's time for President Obama to finally call an end to America's adventures abroad.
TALIBAN ISSUE STATEMENT ON USE OF CHILD SUICIDE BOMBERS
TALIBAN ISSUE STATEMENT ON USE OF CHILD SUICIDE BOMBERS
Afghanistan’s Taliban movement is seeking to deflect a wave of criticism surrounding its alleged use of children as suicide bombers following a public appearance by President Hamid Karzai with eight children the president said were recruited by the Taliban for “martyrdom operations.” The eight children were being sent back to their families after being rescued by national security services, while another 12 juveniles were being sent for education and reintegration programs before they are similarly returned home (Reuters, August 30).
In the latest incident, a 16-year-old was detained on August 27 in the Baharak district of Badakhshan while wearing a suicide vest. The teenager was stopped while on his way to bomb a local mosque (Frontier Post [Peshawar], August 28).
A report released only days later by Human Rights Watch described “an alarming increase in recent months of suicide bombings and attempted suicide bombings by children.” According to the group’s Asia director, “The Taliban’s use of children as suicide-bombers is not only sickening, but it makes a mockery of Mullah Omar’s claim to protect children and civilians.” [1]
In response the Taliban issued a statement describing the charges as a “ploy against the mujahideen” by an enemy that is reeling from suicide bombings that the Taliban refer to as “effective tactical enterprises.” [2] To malign this tactic, the “invaders and their internal puppets” have presented the children of employees of their spy agencies as would-be martyrdom-seekers. The movement reminds observers that the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has already issued a ban on the recruitment of children in the ranks of the mujahideen. The ban is contained in Article 69 of the Taliban Code of Conduct (or Layha), an effort to impose a unified disciplinary code on Taliban fighters. [3]
The movement insists it has not faced any shortage of manpower, suggesting that there are so many volunteers for martyrdom operations that would-be suicide bombers must wait months for an opportunity to carry out “their jihadist task.”
According to the Taliban statement, there are three Shari’a-based preconditions for recruits willing to carry out martyrdom operations:
Notes:
1. Human Rights Watch, Afghanistan: “Taliban Should Stop Using Children as Suicide Bombers,” August 31, 2011, http://www.hrw.org/news/2011/
2. “Statement of the Islamic Emirate in Response to the Propaganda about Recruitment of Children in Martyrdom-seeking Attacks,” September 5, 2011.
3. Muhammad Munir, “The Layha for the Mujahideen: an analysis of the code of conduct for the Taliban fighters under Islamic law,” International Review of the Red Cross, No. 881, March 31, 2011, http://www.icrc.org/eng/
Afghanistan’s Taliban movement is seeking to deflect a wave of criticism surrounding its alleged use of children as suicide bombers following a public appearance by President Hamid Karzai with eight children the president said were recruited by the Taliban for “martyrdom operations.” The eight children were being sent back to their families after being rescued by national security services, while another 12 juveniles were being sent for education and reintegration programs before they are similarly returned home (Reuters, August 30).
In the latest incident, a 16-year-old was detained on August 27 in the Baharak district of Badakhshan while wearing a suicide vest. The teenager was stopped while on his way to bomb a local mosque (Frontier Post [Peshawar], August 28).
A report released only days later by Human Rights Watch described “an alarming increase in recent months of suicide bombings and attempted suicide bombings by children.” According to the group’s Asia director, “The Taliban’s use of children as suicide-bombers is not only sickening, but it makes a mockery of Mullah Omar’s claim to protect children and civilians.” [1]
In response the Taliban issued a statement describing the charges as a “ploy against the mujahideen” by an enemy that is reeling from suicide bombings that the Taliban refer to as “effective tactical enterprises.” [2] To malign this tactic, the “invaders and their internal puppets” have presented the children of employees of their spy agencies as would-be martyrdom-seekers. The movement reminds observers that the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has already issued a ban on the recruitment of children in the ranks of the mujahideen. The ban is contained in Article 69 of the Taliban Code of Conduct (or Layha), an effort to impose a unified disciplinary code on Taliban fighters. [3]
The movement insists it has not faced any shortage of manpower, suggesting that there are so many volunteers for martyrdom operations that would-be suicide bombers must wait months for an opportunity to carry out “their jihadist task.”
According to the Taliban statement, there are three Shari’a-based preconditions for recruits willing to carry out martyrdom operations:
- The volunteer's intention "should be for the sake of Allah".
- The volunteer should have the capability of inflicting heavy losses on the enemy.
- The volunteer should be armed with full military training and capacity.
Notes:
1. Human Rights Watch, Afghanistan: “Taliban Should Stop Using Children as Suicide Bombers,” August 31, 2011, http://www.hrw.org/news/2011/
2. “Statement of the Islamic Emirate in Response to the Propaganda about Recruitment of Children in Martyrdom-seeking Attacks,” September 5, 2011.
3. Muhammad Munir, “The Layha for the Mujahideen: an analysis of the code of conduct for the Taliban fighters under Islamic law,” International Review of the Red Cross, No. 881, March 31, 2011, http://www.icrc.org/eng/
President's Jobs Plan 'Won't Pass Inspection' With the Construction Industry
President's Jobs Plan 'Won't Pass Inspection' With the Construction Industry
PR Newswire
WASHINGTON, Sept. 8, 2011
WASHINGTON, Sept. 8, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) 2011 National Chairman Michael J. Uremovich, president of Great Lakes Energy Consultants, LLC, Manhattan, Ill., said tonight that President Obama's jobs plan "won't pass inspection" with the construction industry when it comes to creating jobs and getting Americans back to work.
"We are disappointed that the president did not come up with any new, innovative ideas to address the nation's serious economic problems, especially the critical issues facing the construction industry," said Uremovich.
"Job growth will not begin until we first rollback the costly, burdensome and job-killing regulations that have buried business owners in government red tape and created a climate of uncertainty among construction contractors," said Uremovich.
"Missing from the president's plan was an initiative on public-private partnerships as an opportunity to responsibly invest in improving our nation's infrastructure, including energy facilities, schools and military installations without adding to our deficit," Uremovich said. "The Military Housing Privatization Initiative is one example of a public-private partnership where both the private sector and the federal government profited, jobs were created and federal infrastructure was improved, enhanced and expanded at no cost to the taxpayer, the federal government or the deficit."
Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) is a national association with 75 chapters representing more than 23,000 merit shop construction and construction-related firms with nearly two million employees. Visit us at www.abc.org.
SOURCE Associated Builders and Contractors
"We are disappointed that the president did not come up with any new, innovative ideas to address the nation's serious economic problems, especially the critical issues facing the construction industry," said Uremovich.
"Job growth will not begin until we first rollback the costly, burdensome and job-killing regulations that have buried business owners in government red tape and created a climate of uncertainty among construction contractors," said Uremovich.
"Missing from the president's plan was an initiative on public-private partnerships as an opportunity to responsibly invest in improving our nation's infrastructure, including energy facilities, schools and military installations without adding to our deficit," Uremovich said. "The Military Housing Privatization Initiative is one example of a public-private partnership where both the private sector and the federal government profited, jobs were created and federal infrastructure was improved, enhanced and expanded at no cost to the taxpayer, the federal government or the deficit."
Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) is a national association with 75 chapters representing more than 23,000 merit shop construction and construction-related firms with nearly two million employees. Visit us at www.abc.org.
SOURCE Associated Builders and Contractors
CONTACT: Gail Raiman, +1-703-812-2073 or Gerry Fritz, +1-703-812-2062 Web Site: http://www.abc.org
Statement of Building and Construction Trades Department President Mark H. Ayers on President Obama's Jobs Proposal
Statement of Building and Construction Trades Department President Mark H. Ayers on President Obama's Jobs Proposal
PR Newswire
WASHINGTON, Sept. 8, 2011
WASHINGTON, Sept. 8, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- America's Building Trades Unions are encouraged that after so much recent attention on deficit reduction, President Obama has challenged Congress to address the crisis facing our members, their families and so many Americans by presenting a series of proposals aimed at turning our struggling economy around and putting us back to work. Nowhere is the jobs crisis being felt more than in the construction industry, where the lack of jobs remains at historical highs and where investments in commercial and industrial construction as well as transportation infrastructure remain at generational lows.
Estimates by state highway officials conclude that for every $1 billion spent on infrastructure projects, 35,000 to 40,000 construction jobs are created. Equally important are the tremendous multiplier effects in engineering, manufacturing and virtually all aspects of employment, both private and public. It's good for workers, it's good for business and it's good for the nation.
"Our members are tired of politics and demand action. President Obama has put forth a plan that will help restore confidence in our economy in both the near and long term. We call on Congress to act and look forward to working with the Administration and Congress on all elements of this proposal. This isn't the President's burden to carry alone. It's long overdue for Congress to put political motivations aside and answer the call for leadership put forth by their constituents. Short of action by Congress which the American people so desperately seek, we strongly encourage the President to continue to explore and utilize every possible avenue within his Executive authority to create jobs."
The Building and Construction Trades Department is an alliance of 13 national and international unions that collectively represent over 2 million skilled craft professionals in the United States and Canada.
www.bctd.org
www.facebook.com/AmericasBuildingTradesUnions
www.twitter.com/@bctdprez
SOURCE Building and Construction Trades Department, AFL-CIO
Estimates by state highway officials conclude that for every $1 billion spent on infrastructure projects, 35,000 to 40,000 construction jobs are created. Equally important are the tremendous multiplier effects in engineering, manufacturing and virtually all aspects of employment, both private and public. It's good for workers, it's good for business and it's good for the nation.
"Our members are tired of politics and demand action. President Obama has put forth a plan that will help restore confidence in our economy in both the near and long term. We call on Congress to act and look forward to working with the Administration and Congress on all elements of this proposal. This isn't the President's burden to carry alone. It's long overdue for Congress to put political motivations aside and answer the call for leadership put forth by their constituents. Short of action by Congress which the American people so desperately seek, we strongly encourage the President to continue to explore and utilize every possible avenue within his Executive authority to create jobs."
The Building and Construction Trades Department is an alliance of 13 national and international unions that collectively represent over 2 million skilled craft professionals in the United States and Canada.
www.bctd.org
www.facebook.com/AmericasBuildingTradesUnions
www.twitter.com/@bctdprez
SOURCE Building and Construction Trades Department, AFL-CIO
Obama Jobs Plan Tax Cuts Threaten Social Security
Posted: 08 Sep 2011 11:23 PM PDT
This interview at Real News Network focuses on the element of the Obama “jobs” plan most likely to see the light of day, namely, the payroll tax cut and the “reform,” meaning gradual erosion, of Medicare and Social Security.
Israel to ‘punish’ Turkey
Israel to ‘punish’ Turkey
Jerusalem fights back: Foreign Minister Lieberman formulates series of tough moves in response to Turkish steps; Israel to cooperate with Armenian lobby in US, may offer military aid to Kurdish rebels
Shimon Shiffer
Poll: 66 percent think American power has declined since 9/11
Poll: 66 percent think American power has declined since 9/11
Poll: 66 percent think American power has declined since 9/11
8 September 2011
On the Cover of Sunday's Book Review The Continental Motors plant in Detroit, Michigan. 'That Used to Be Us' By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN AND MICHAEL MANDELBAUM
On the Cover of Sunday's Book Review
'That Used to Be Us'
By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN AND MICHAEL MANDELBAUM
Reviewed by DAVID FRUM
Stepping forward as "frustrated optimists," Thomas L. Friedman and Michael Mandelbaum address the grim situation of a slumping American economy.
Commentary: Now a pointless war? By ARNAUD DE BORCHGRAVE
Commentary: Now a pointless war?
By ARNAUD DE BORCHGRAVEUPI Editor at Large
WASHINGTON, Sept. 9 (UPI) -- We should have declared the Afghan war won last May 3, the day after a U.S. SEAL team killed Osama bin Laden and buried him in the Arabian Sea. That was the advice given in Washington this week by a former spy chief who played a key role in the Saudi-Pakistan-U.S. alliance that defeated the Soviet Union in Afghanistan in early 1989. The Soviet empire imploded nine months later.
Aljazeera's "Empire" show takes on 9/12 and the 'war on terror'
Aljazeera'
Eugene Robinson on the War that 9/11 Began
Eugene Robinson on the War that 9/11 Began
"Recognize That It's Over" -- There never was a "war on terrorism." There most definitely was a war against al-Qaeda, and we won.
http://www.truthdig.com/
"Recognize That It's Over" -- There never was a "war on terrorism." There most definitely was a war against al-Qaeda, and we won.
http://www.truthdig.com/
Peter Z. Scheer on Obama's Jobs Speech
Peter Z. Scheer on Obama's Jobs Speech
"Obama Tells Congress Americans Don't Have 14 Months" -- By far the most stirring line in the president's jobs speech Thursday was his acknowledgment that "the next election is 14 months away and the people who sent us here-the people who hired us to work for them-they don't have the luxury of waiting 14 months."
http://www.truthdig.com/
"Obama Tells Congress Americans Don't Have 14 Months" -- By far the most stirring line in the president's jobs speech Thursday was his acknowledgment that "the next election is 14 months away and the people who sent us here-the people who hired us to work for them-they don't have the luxury of waiting 14 months."
http://www.truthdig.com/
Book Review: John Dean on Dick Cheney's Memoir
Book Review: John Dean on Dick Cheney's Memoir
"A Dud From 'Darth'" -- As I mentioned to friends when I started reading Dick Cheney's memoir, I was doing it so others would not have to. And, as a precaution, I did it alone in case my head exploded. It did not. This book is a bomb, but not the exploding kind.
http://www.truthdig.com/arts_
"A Dud From 'Darth'" -- As I mentioned to friends when I started reading Dick Cheney's memoir, I was doing it so others would not have to. And, as a precaution, I did it alone in case my head exploded. It did not. This book is a bomb, but not the exploding kind.
http://www.truthdig.com/arts_
Obama package a palliative, not a cure
Obama package a palliative, not a cure President Barack Obama has proposed a larger than expected $447bn package of tax cuts and spending increases, structured for maximum impact over the next year and focused on policies such as infrastructure investment that in the past have enjoyed a measure of support across party lines.
Many of the steps he has outlined – extending the payroll tax cut and unemployment insurance coverage, for example – will only prevent existing legislation from lapsing. Tax credits to stimulate hiring have been tried in the past, and economists are divided over their effectiveness. Aid to state and local governments, an important ingredient of the 2009 stimulus, did temporarily stave off large cuts in public sector employment but had little long-term effect on the private economy.
http://link.ft.com/r/EB8122/
Many of the steps he has outlined – extending the payroll tax cut and unemployment insurance coverage, for example – will only prevent existing legislation from lapsing. Tax credits to stimulate hiring have been tried in the past, and economists are divided over their effectiveness. Aid to state and local governments, an important ingredient of the 2009 stimulus, did temporarily stave off large cuts in public sector employment but had little long-term effect on the private economy.
http://link.ft.com/r/EB8122/
Memory Lane: Feinstein and DOE's Loan Guarantee to Solyndra
September 4, 2009
Senator Feinstein Applauds U.S. Energy Department’s Decision to Provide $535 Million Energy Loan Guarantee to California-Based Solar Company, Solyndra
- Solar manufacturing facility is expected to generate up to 3,000 clean energy jobs in Fremont, CA -
San Francisco, CA – U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today applauded the U.S. Department of Energy’s decision to finalize a $535 million loan guarantee to a California-based solar company, Solyndra. The Department of Energy announced the initial selection of Solyndra as a conditional loan guarantee recipient in March and formalized the decision today at a ground-breaking ceremony in Fremont, California.
“This is a major milestone for California’s solar industry,” Senator Feinstein said. “This federal loan guarantee of $535 million will enable Solyndra to secure affordable financing – at a time when credit is extremely tight – in order to build and operate a commercial-scale facility to manufacture the next generation of rooftop solar systems. The operation is expected to generate at least 3,000 clean energy jobs in an area whose largest employer – NUMMI – may soon shut down. And it will ultimately help make it more affordable for more Americans to power their homes and buildings through solar energy. So it’s a win-win for the economy and the environment.
Energy Secretary Steven Chu has pledged that his department will act as an engine for innovation – and this loan guarantee program is an important part of that effort. So, I’d like to extend my thanks to Secretary Chu for his leadership.”
Solyndra is building the next generation of rooftop systems to collect and convert solar energy, and is expected to employee up to 3,000 workers in clean energy jobs. The company’s proprietary design transforms cylindrical glass tubes into a low-cost and efficient solar photovoltaic rooftop system. The new plant is expected to produce enough panels to generate 15 gigawatts of renewable energy, thereby reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 300 million metric tons.
The company was selected by the Department of Energy through a competitive bidding process in which at least 60 companies applied., Before the Department of Energy could finalize the loan guarantee, Solyndra was required to secure 20 percent of the project's loan financing from other sources.
The federal loan guarantee program was designed to support innovative technologies and was established by Congress in Title 17 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005. Congress expanded this program in the stimulus bill, or the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, in order to infuse additional credit into the burgeoning U.S. clean energy economy.
Solyndra will be the first-ever recipient of the Title 17 energy loan guarantee program.
“This is a major milestone for California’s solar industry,” Senator Feinstein said. “This federal loan guarantee of $535 million will enable Solyndra to secure affordable financing – at a time when credit is extremely tight – in order to build and operate a commercial-scale facility to manufacture the next generation of rooftop solar systems. The operation is expected to generate at least 3,000 clean energy jobs in an area whose largest employer – NUMMI – may soon shut down. And it will ultimately help make it more affordable for more Americans to power their homes and buildings through solar energy. So it’s a win-win for the economy and the environment.
Energy Secretary Steven Chu has pledged that his department will act as an engine for innovation – and this loan guarantee program is an important part of that effort. So, I’d like to extend my thanks to Secretary Chu for his leadership.”
Solyndra is building the next generation of rooftop systems to collect and convert solar energy, and is expected to employee up to 3,000 workers in clean energy jobs. The company’s proprietary design transforms cylindrical glass tubes into a low-cost and efficient solar photovoltaic rooftop system. The new plant is expected to produce enough panels to generate 15 gigawatts of renewable energy, thereby reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 300 million metric tons.
The company was selected by the Department of Energy through a competitive bidding process in which at least 60 companies applied., Before the Department of Energy could finalize the loan guarantee, Solyndra was required to secure 20 percent of the project's loan financing from other sources.
The federal loan guarantee program was designed to support innovative technologies and was established by Congress in Title 17 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005. Congress expanded this program in the stimulus bill, or the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, in order to infuse additional credit into the burgeoning U.S. clean energy economy.
Solyndra will be the first-ever recipient of the Title 17 energy loan guarantee program.
###
Morning Headlines from the Financial Times 9/9
Post-9/11, NSA 'enemies' include us By: James Bamford
Jim Bamford on the surveillance of citizens by our newly created garrison state.
Post-9/11, NSA 'enemies' include us
By: James Bamford
September 8, 2011 09:34 PM EDT
By: James Bamford
September 8, 2011 09:34 PM EDT
Banking on U.S. Infrastructure Revival
Banking on U.S. Infrastructure Revival
September 8, 2011| Author: | Christopher Alessi, Associate Staff Writer |
|---|
The Latest Jobs Plan More temporary and targeted tax cuts and spending increases.
The Latest Jobs Plan
More temporary and targeted tax cuts and spending increases.
Quarterly Update: The Economic Recovery in Historical Context
Quarterly Update: The Economic Recovery in Historical Context
| Authors: | Paul Swartz, Analyst, Center for Geoeconomic Studies Neil Bouhan, Analyst, Center for Geoeconomic Studies |
|---|
| Publisher: | Council on Foreign Relations |
|---|
Release Date: September 7, 2011
- View/Print in PDF Format (943K PDF)
Andrew Becker and G.W. Schulz on Irrelevant Intelligence
Andrew Becker and G.W. Schulz on Irrelevant Intelligence
"Homeland Security Office Creates 'Intelligence Spam,' Insiders Say" -- The Office of Intelligence and Analysis at the Department of Homeland Security was envisioned as the center of gravity in a new era of domestic security, but it has done little to improve the accuracy and quality of the nation's intelligence data.
http://www.truthdig.com/
"Homeland Security Office Creates 'Intelligence Spam,' Insiders Say" -- The Office of Intelligence and Analysis at the Department of Homeland Security was envisioned as the center of gravity in a new era of domestic security, but it has done little to improve the accuracy and quality of the nation's intelligence data.
http://www.truthdig.com/
Robert Scheer on 911's Unanswered Questions
Robert Scheer on 911's Unanswered Questions
"How Little We Know About the Origins of 9/11" -- For a decade, the main questions about 9/11 have gone unanswered while the alleged perpetrators who survived the attacks have never been publicly cross-examined as to their methods and motives.
http://www.truthdig.com/
"How Little We Know About the Origins of 9/11" -- For a decade, the main questions about 9/11 have gone unanswered while the alleged perpetrators who survived the attacks have never been publicly cross-examined as to their methods and motives.
http://www.truthdig.com/
Mac Deford: 9/11 Ten Years Later
| Mac Deford: 9/11 Ten Years Later | |
by Thomas McAdams Deford http://freepressonline.com/ There's a direct connection between this column, which is about to celebrate its tenth anniversary, and 9/11. Aware of the years I had spent in the Middle East, the publisher of The Free Press, Alice McFadden, first contacted me just days after the attacks on 9/11 to ask if I would write an article exploring the broad theme of "Why did they do it? Why do they hate us so much?" | |
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Is There a Jobs Benefit in DOD Spending?
For years and years, advocates of big defense spending have argued there is a major economic benefit -- jobs. These claims are ever more strident now because of high unemployment and threats to further growth in the defense budget. Hearing the footsteps on the unaffordable, underperforming F-35, Lockheed, among others, touts the jobs they pretend the program creates.
The defense budget does create jobs, but it is highly inefficient at it. Large portions of the total defense budget are spent on things that have nothing to do with jobs in the US; even the procurement and R&D accounts (i.e. the portions that porkers in and out of Congress claim to be US-jobs-rich) are terrible investments for employment.
In 2007 the University of Massachusetts at Amherst published a study on the matter; find it at http://www.ips-dc.org/reports/
In Bill Hartung's summary, note the anecdotal data about the F-35: even according to Lockheed, 85% of the spending for the program is for overhead; according to the program's chief advocate in DOD, Ashton Carter, just 1.5% of program funding is for labor at the program's primary Forth-Worth, TX plant. These assertions -- revealing as they are -- come from the advocates and may be -- shall we say -- incomplete; they would make an excellent subject for an audit -- a jobs audit -- by an objective and competent authority, such as GAO.
That no such audit is available is just another bi-product of the bi-partisan nature of Congress' pork system: both Democrats and Republicans love to pretend they are bringing home the bacon in the form of jobs with local defense spending. Not necessarily so. In 1998, I asked GAO to study the economic impact of defense spending on the State of New Mexico (I worked for Senator Pete Domenici, R-NM, at the time). GAO found that the number of jobs that DOD contractors created in New Mexico from procurement and R&D spending there was absolutely puny. Find this study at http://www.gao.gov/archive/
The jobs argument is one of many that big DOD spenders in Congress, industry and think tanks will tout as they oppose reductions in the Pentagon budget this fall. In doing so, they will throw around impressive numbers -- conveniently provided by contractors, not by independent researchers. Contrary evidence, like the University of Massachusetts study and Hartung's summary will be studiously ignored, but that's a prime characteristic of a system, like Congress, where convenient myth is valued far more highly than awkward data.
Hartung's summary of the issue follows:
Military Spending: A Poor Job Creator
By William D. Hartung
Center for International Policy
September 2011
Plans for cutting the federal deficit have raised an important question: what impact would military spending reductions have on jobs?
Contrary to the assertions of the arms industry, maintaining military spending at the expense of other forms of federal expenditures would actually result in a net loss of jobs. This is because military spending is less effective at creating jobs than virtually any other form of government activity.
Source for chart: Robert Pollin and Heidi Garrett-Peltier, "The U.S. Employment Effects of Military and Domestic Spending Priorities," Department of Economics and Political Economy Research Institute (PERI), University of Massachusetts, October 2009.
The question is not whether military spending creates jobs - it is whether more jobs could be created by the same amount of money invested in other ways. The evidence on this point is clear.
· A billion dollars spent for military purposes creates 25% fewer jobs than a tax cut;
· one and one-half times fewer jobs than spending on clean energy production;
· and two and one-half times fewer jobs than spending on education.
And though average overall compensation is higher for military jobs than the others, these other forms of expenditure create more decent-paying jobs (those paying $64,000 per year or more) than military spending does.[1]
Part of the reason that military spending creates fewer jobs than other forms of expenditure is that a large share of that money is either spent overseas or spent on imported goods. By contrast, most of the money generated by spending in areas like education is spent in the United States.
In addition, more of the military dollar goes to capital, as opposed to labor, than do the expenditures in the other job categories. For example, only 1.5% of the price of each F-35 Joint Strike Fighter pays for the labor costs involved in "manufacturing, fabrication, and assembly" work at the plane's main production facility in Fort Worth, Texas.[2] A full 85% of the F-35s costs go for overhead, not for jobs actually fabricating and assembling the aircraft.[3]
In a climate in which deficit reduction is the central focus of budget policy in Washington, a dollar spent in one area is likely to come from cuts in other areas. The more money we spend on unneeded weapons programs, the more layoffs there will be of police officers, firefighters, teachers and other workers whose jobs are funded directly or indirectly by federal spending.
[1] Jobs figures come from Robert Pollin and Heidi Garrett-Peltier, "The U.S. Employment Effects of Military and Domestic Spending Priorities," Department of Economics and Political Economy Research Institute (PERI), October 2009. The study was commissioned by the Institute for Policy Studies and WAND, Women's Action for New Directions. For a summary of these points, see "What Kinds of Federal Spending Create the Most Good Jobs?" available at http://www.ips-dc.org/
[2] U.S. Committee on Armed Services, "Hearing to Receive Testimony on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Program in Review of the Defense Authorization Request for Fiscal Year 2012 and Future Years Defense Program," May 19, 2011, p. 14.
[3] Andrea Shalal-Esa, "Lockheed, Pentagon Vow to Attack F-35 Costs," Reuters.com, May 12, 2011.
_____________________________
Winslow T. Wheeler
Director
Straus Military Reform Project
Center for Defense Information
301 791-2397
Winslow T. Wheeler
Director
Straus Military Reform Project
Center for Defense Information
301 791-2397
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