Management attitudes toward unions appear to be changing. They just don't care that much anymore. But if you are in managment and do have concerns, there are folks who will help you . . . for a fee.

If you have not visited the FCBI website lately, you should. The White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives (FBCI) has been hard at work:

The Administration has eliminated regulatory and policy barriers that have kept faith-based organizations from partnering with the Federal government to help Americans in need. It has also worked to put into place regulations to ensure that faith-based organizations are able to compete on an equal footing for Federal funding within constitutional guidelines, without impairing the religious character of such organizations and without diminishing the religious freedom of beneficiaries.

Among its targets are prisoners and their families.

Avian influenza, H5N1, SARS, bubonic plague. Not so long ago hypochondriacs had to work so much harder to at being obsessed with disease. Now the news is all pandemics all the time.

But at a certain point the newspaper (in paper or pixel) is just not enough. To work up a really good worry, you need fearsome diseases, facts, and - really - where better to get facts than from the experts?

Ever ready to help the downtrodden, unbossed is here to connect you to the really good stuff.

Let's face it, most of us learned more about grammar, multiplication, and civics watching Schoolhouse Rock on Saturday mornings than from dry-as-dust text books.

I'm just a bill,
Yes, I'm only a bill,
And I'm sitting here on Capitol Hill.
Well, it's a long, long journey
To the capital city,
It's a long, long wait
While I'm sitting in committee,
But I know I'll be a law someday...
At least I hope and pray that I will,
But today I'm still just a bill.

Considering today's convoluted current events and the failure of the mainstream media to provide Americans with unspun, accurate, and balanced political and policy news coverage and investigative reporting, I propose that we, the Unbossed, create a modern adult version of Schoolhouse Rock.

Adam Finkel is obsessed with beryllium exposure. Specifically, he is obsessively worried that workers are being exposed to beryllium and that OSHA is not taking action to protect them.

The workers Finkel is concerned with are OSHA's own inspectors. He has just filed his third lawsuit to get the information needed to protect them and us.

Yesterday, when you were having deep political discussions with your near and dear, the conversation certainly turned to work and to law.

No doubt, you wished you had a worklaw professor among your guests. Worklaw professors are, of course, very cool (and sexy) folks. Great humorists and bon vivants.

So if you do not have a worklaw prof in your circle, now you can have the sort of next best thing.

When families gather for the holidays the discussions inevitably center on travel mishaps, errant children, home remodeling run amok, and football scores.

But what happens when the turkey has been picked clean, grandpa is snoozing in the recliner with a acute case of food coma, and the conversations dwindle.

Does your family talk about politics? Is it a verboten subject? Do family divides erupt? Who is the peacemaker? Who is the rabid politico? Any crazy in-laws that worship Rush and O'Reilly as true patriots of the realm? Do you wish you could pay Molly Ivins to have dinner with your family this year?

Marilyn Musgrave is nothing but a rubber stamp for indicted felon Tom DeLay and the rest of the corrupt House leadership. Enough of that!

Tom Delay? VETO!
Fat cat lobbyists? VETO!
Radical rightwing ideologues? VETO!

That's what we need to do to the extremist agenda pushed by Marilyn Musgrave and her ilk that seek to promote corporate interests over the needs of working families in Colorado's Fourth Congressional District.

I hesitate to post this on a day when we are focused on the big issues - and I do mean big - such as eating large meals.

I am talking about our Declaration of Independence - and what it has to say about social justice.

That's the question posed by a federal lawsuit filed by the International Labor Rights Fund against Coca-Cola Co. and its Turkish bottler charging them with intimidating and torturing of union activists and their families. The case is Turedi v. Coca-Cola Co., Case No. 05-CV-9635 ( S.D.N.Y.) filed, 11/15/05).

Now for some good news.

Illinois Governor Rod R. Blagojevich has signed landmark legislation to provide comprehensive health coverage for every uninsured child in Illinois.

And on November 7, Governor Blagojevich announced measures to protect Latino workers.

Warning: Prepare to have your conscience shocked.

On March 23, British Petroleum's Texas City, Texas refinery exploded, killing and injuring the plant's workers. Confined Space tells more of the story.

The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board is investigating the explosion that killed 15 workers and injured at least 80 more. The Boardhas taken the unusual step of releasing findings before completing their investigation, in the hope of averting such disasters at workplaces across the country.

Who is to blame?

The CSHIB tells management to stop putting the blame on workers and to look in the mirror.

You've heard of "deadbeat dads"? Well, state legislators in Maryland and Michigan have introduced legislation to crack down on "deadbeat bosses".

Deadbeat bosses are profitable corporations that don't provide health insurance to their employees, requiring the employees to use health care services funded by taxpayers. This amounts to a taxpayer subsidy of these "deadbeat bosses".

Up to one sixth of the world’s people get their water from melting snow and ice that trickles from mountains and glaciers into their local waterways. Those who depend on water from mountains such as the Andes and Himalayas, though, will soon be facing droughts.

Some may call me a self-made person. They’ll tell me I should be proud I pulled myself up by my bootstraps. And maybe I could feel that way about myself, but I’d be a liar, if I did. The only way I could feel that way would be if I were blind.

Did you catch that report about the misdeeds of our former Chair of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting on Wednesday? And today?

If so, you owe it to the comprehensive report written by the Inspector General for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. The report is not a pretty sight - corruption, misdeeds, violations of ethics. Page after page. Lots of details.

The CPB IG investigation was responsible for Kenneth Tomlinson's resigning in disgrace in early November, just a few weeks ago.

Two years ago, even one year ago, who ever heard of Inspectors General. Now they are constantly in the news. Thank God for Inspectors General. They are keeping our government honest.

Come ye brothers and sisters. Cast aside your guilt and rest your weary heads on the heaving bosom of your dear Auntie Em.

What has brought you to this low and terrible moral dilemma?

cross-posted with permission from Democracy in Progress.

A group of Democratic experts in defense and homeland security has just released a new report describing how we can keep America secure in the 21st Century. "Combating Catastrophic Terror: A Security Strategy for the Nation" is an assessment of the new strategic picture in an age when terrorism is our biggest threat.

The world has seen tremendous changes over the past 15 years, from the fall of the Soviet Union to the threat of Al Qaeda. US defense policy has been slow to adapt. In a sense, the Iraq war is a continuation of the strategy that worked well for us in the mid-20th Century, of using overwhelming force to quickly defeat an adversary. But as we've seen (and probably should have learned from Vietnam), the world is too complicated now for a brute force strategy.

An Empirical Study. Oh sure, it sounds innocent enough. That's what they want you to think.

Abstract
Among a fringe community of paranoids, aluminum helmets serve as the protective measure of choice against invasive radio signals. We investigate the efficacy of three aluminum helmet designs on a sample group of four individuals. Using a $250,000 network analyser, we find that although on average all helmets attenuate invasive radio frequencies in either directions (either emanating from an outside source, or emanating from the cranium of the subject), certain frequencies are in fact greatly amplified. These amplified frequencies coincide with radio bands reserved for government use according to the Federal Communication Commission (FCC). Statistical evidence suggests the use of helmets may in fact enhance the government's invasive abilities. We speculate that the government may in fact have started the helmet craze for this reason.

For several years now, the American Figure Skating world has been absolutely beside itself over the plight of ice-dancer pair, Belbin and Agosto. Not only are they the best ice-dancers the US has had in years, but they might be our only hope of winning a medal for figure skating at next year's Olympics.

There's just one problem -- while they live in the US and Ben Agosto is from Chicago, Tanith Belbin is Canadian.

It's the weekend. It's been an interesting week for the nation, for the world, for many of our communities. So what better way to wind down than to read a legal opinion, I say. So say you all?

In Washington, DC for the first time in 55 years no veterans will be invited to testify before Congress, thanks to House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Steve Buyer (R-IN).

What is happening in your state to observe this Veterans Day?

Last year, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that detainees at Guantanamo could file habeas corpus lawsuits in U.S. courts challenging their detention.

On November 10, the Senate voted to prohibit the detainees from filing such lawsuits.

Five Senate Democrats joined 44 Republicans in passing this measure.

Those "Gulag Five" are: Kent Conrad of North Dakota, Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, Ben Nelson of Nebraska, and Ron Wyden of Oregon.

Quite a bit has been written about the odd little one-man pissing match by The Plain Dealer's Washington Bureau Chief Steven Kopp over his allegation that Rep. Sherrod Brown lifted blogger Nathan Newman's criticism of Judge Samuel Alito on workers' rights.

The A-list bloggers—like Daily Kos and Atrios—have weighed in, as have the journeyman progressive stonecutters blogging in obscurity, and, predictably, the self-righteous "Waaaaah! Tom DeLay is an innocent man!" wingnuts.

Pull back the curtain and look beyond Kopp's silly "intellectually gassed" [what the hell does that even mean?] story.

Like a classic film noir, the real controversy may revolve around a classy dame, a cynical journalist, and a coveted prize.

One year ago, one election ago, was one of the worst times in most of our lives. We felt defeated, disenfranchised, angry, depressed, ready to flee to more friendly seeming countries.

Today, there is joy again in Mudvilles across the land. But now what?

“My daughter, who was two years old at the time of the hydraulic fracturing would vomit every night when she would get out of the bath tub upon going to bed…”
- Thomas McKenzie, Repton, Alabama

So, you think that natural gas is a ‘clean fuel’? Well, think again. In fact, it may be killing you right now.

Yesterday I described the different points of air, soil and water contamination that occur during drilling and production. I also discussed some of the toxins associated with the natural gas industry and the effects they have on the human body. Today, in Part II, we will look at the actual, on the ground impacts many families are encountering at the hands of this unregulated industry.

As natural gas drilling explodes around the western United States, very few people seem to be asking: what are the potential public health issues associated with this new form of industrialization? Will this industry result in a host of multi-generational diseases and health afflictions unparallel in American history?

An awesome and dangerous experiment is being enacted on the American people without a hint of discussion, forewarning or consideration. A toxic stew is being deliberately injected into our air, drinking water and blood streams without our knowledge or consent. We are all at risk.

One source of information on important issues and links to more information about what Congess has on its front and back burners can be found on legislators' web pages. Some have links to important reports that fail to make the news. Our federal representatives have the right to ask agencies, such as the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to do research on critical issues.

The other George? That would be Miller. Congressional representative from California. He's been active in publicizing important issues concerning pensions and pushing many other critical issues that matter to all of us - education and children, environment, foreign policy, labor and the economy, peace and security, senior citizens issues, social security, and veterans.

So let's see what's up with the other George?

So, you think that natural gas is a ‘clean fuel’? Well, think again. In fact, it may be killing you right now.

As natural gas drilling explodes around the western United States, very few people seem to be asking: what are the potential public health issues associated with this new form of industrialization? Today, I begin a two-part series on the health effects of natural gas drilling in the United States and what that means to the families who are increasingly in the path of this monstrous and unstudied enterprise. What will be the effects of natural gas drilling on our collective health? What will this mean for our health care system in the near future?

Will this industry result in a host of multi-generational diseases and health afflictions unparallel in American history?

Yes. An awesome and dangerous experiment is being enacted on the American people without a hint of discussion, forewarning or consideration. A toxic stew is being deliberately injected into our air, drinking water and blood streams without our knowledge or consent. We are all at risk.

Today, in Part I, I will describe the different points of air, soil and water contamination that occur during drilling and production. Then I will discuss some of the toxins associated with this industry and the effects they have on the human body. Tomorrow, in Part II, I will describe the actual, on the ground impacts many families are encountering at the hands of this largely unregulated industry.

Exclusive Unbossed report from Nikko News Network correspondent and exotica public trading expert Emily Gale.

On Wall Street, terms like "cum dividend" and "chastity bonds" take on a whole new meaning when issuing 10-K reports on publicly-traded pornographers.

US smut peddlers estimate revenues ranging from $2.6 billion to $10 billion annually; though its real size are like most sexual exploits—greatly exaggerated. Though when as venerable a financial institution as Forbes magazine writes about the hootchiepop sector—How Big is Porn—one must wonder whether Wall Street is owning up to its image as money-grubbing whores.

Defend freedom by losing your own!
Help destroy the world!
Get excited about gun rights!
Vote against your self interests!
Mix ignorance and arrogance!
Get uppity!

Become Republican.

[Hint: turn the speaker volume waaaaay down if you're at work. Not that we advocate blogging at work or anything like that at. Hiya boss!]

One of the more amazing sights this past week has been to see the Intelligence-Design-Fan-in-Chief flogging (in the British sense) efforts to ward off a coming pandemic. Look, just last August, he was supporting teaching ID in schools. Now he is everywhere stumping for pandemic preparedness.

But if you believe in Intelligent Design / Creationism, then you have no business even getting a flu shot. No, you should have them classified with all works of Satan.

Today, Lewis "Scooter" Libby, disgraced former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney and aide to the President, pleaded not guilty to five felony charges of perjury, obstruction of justice and presenting false information to a federal agent.

The news has been the buzz of the liberal blogosphere since the indictments were handed down.

What I find particularly fascinating in the latest chapter in the complete repudiation of NeoCon ethics and patriotism is this intersection with history—the Iran-Contra scandal was revealed for the first time 19 years ago today on November 3, 1986.

I've pasted in a full decision below - a short one. The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals did not want it seen. It was issued as an unpublished opinion, but it deserves to see the light of day.

Warning: Offensive actions ahead. Not just what the plaintiffs were made to suffer, but what the judges have done here. This case was dismissed on summary judgment. The plaintiffs were not even allowed to get to a jury.

Stephen H. Balch of the Society for Academic Freedom and Scholarship but wearing his National Association of Scholars hat is demanding that the U.S. Education Department investigate two accrediting agencies: the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education and the Council on Social Work Education.

Why?

Because these accrediting organizations urge universities to rate students based on their commitment to social justice. Oh! the Humanity!

Unless you have been a hermit in the desert contemplating eternity and mortality, you will be aware that the US faces a large and growing budget deficit. The deficit is either driving - or being used as an excuse for - cutting social programs.

Most often the discussion of how to deal with the deficit and shortfalls in revenues centers on tax policy. It is rare in the extreme to hear anyone talk about the $300 billion that is out there just waiting to be deposited in the US Treasury.

But last week Congress held hearings on how to get that money into our national piggybank.