16,063
edits
Changes
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
SW: update item
[[Image:ThomasScaliaAlito.jpg|frame|right|Supreme Court Justices (L-R) Alito, Thomas and Scalia]]<h3>[http://www.prwatch.org/node/11226 Supremely Unseemly Conduct by Supreme Court Justices Spurs Call for Mandatory Ethics Rules]</h3>by [[Lisa Graves]]<br>The Center for Media and Democracy has joined a coalition of public interest organizations in calling for the United States [[Supreme Court]] to agree to follow the Code of Conduct for U.S. judges. CMD joins the [http://www.afj.org Alliance for Justice], [http://www.aauw.org American Association of University Women], [http://citizensforethics.org Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington], [http://www.commoncause.org Common Cause], [http://www.cwa-union.org Communications Workers of America], [http://www.credoaction.com CREDO Action], [http://www.equaljusticesociety.org Equal Justice Society], [http://www.lulac.org League of United Latin American Citizens], [http://www.nela.org National Employment Lawyers Association], [http://www.pfaw.org People for the American Way Foundation], and [http://www.uspirg.org U.S. Public Interest Research Group] in a letter to Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts. The letter calls on the Court to "take it upon itself to agree to be bound by the Code," and "do so unequivocally and publicly." (The coalition's letter to Chief Justice Roberts accompanies the full article.) Read the rest of this item [http://www.prwatch.org/node/11226 here.]
-----
[[Image:VotingWestin kierland acc.jpg|210px|left|frame|The Westin Kierland Resort & Spa in Scottsdale, AZ]]<h3>[http://www.prwatch.org/node/11208 11231 ALEC-Linked Group Revealed As Major Secret Donor In Referendum On Maine Voting Rightsand Westin/Starwood: Who is Your Hotel in Bed With While You're in Bed at Your Hotel?]</h3>by Scott Keyes<br>''Originally published by [http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2011/12/28/395496/maine-election-day-registration-alec-group/ Think Progress[Lisa Graves]]''<br>Last month, Maine voters delivered Tucson-based civil rights attorney Stacy Scheff believes that Westin Kierland may have violated federal constitutional law when they threw a major rebuke to Gov. Paul LePage journalist (Rand paid guest) and out into the Republicandead of night-held legislature when they [http://bangordailynews.com/2011/11/08/politics/early-results-indicate-election-day-voter-registration-restored/ approved] due to the simple fact that the journalist evicted had written critically of (and was not liked by) the organization hosting a referendum restoring election day voting registration rights in conference at the statehotel. Earlier this year, state legislators passed a (A new story about these events is available [http://www.mainelegislatureprwatch.org/LawMakerWebnews/summary.asp?ID=280041037 bill] repealing the state's 38 year-old law allowing citizens to register at the polls on election day. Tens of thousands of Mainers responded by petitioning for the matter to come to a referendum. Issue 1 was one of the most-anticipated votes on election day this year, with pundits watching closely to see how citizens would react to the Republican-led [http:2012/01/thinkprogress.org11230/progressinside-report/whatalec-statesnaked-arecontempt-doingpress-to-restrictand-votingpublic-rights/ war on votingscottsdale here]). Essentially, which ramped up in states across the country this year. Recognizing the referendum's importanceScheff argues, voting rights opponents poured money into the campaign to repeal election day registration. In factfederal law, just two days after which holds the state's campaign finance reporting deadline, hotel industry under heavy sway as a secret conservative donor [http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2011/11/03/360076/maine-election-day-registration-conservative-money/ funneled $250form of interstate commerce,000] into provides protections for certain protected classes under the raceCivil Rights Act. As such, allowing the "No On 1viewpoint" campaign to make significant TV ad buys in an inexpensive media market(i.e. critical members of the press) may well be incorporated as such a protected class.Read the rest of this item [http://www.prwatch.org/node/11208 11231 here.]
-----
[[Image:Gasland debunked JP 1.jpg|210|right|frame|Image from the EID website]] <h3>[http://www.prwatch.org/node/11116 "Energy in Depth," "Counter-Insurgency" Tactics, and Astroturf "Energy Citizens"]</h3>by Sara Jerving<br> The corporations pushing for expanded "hydraulic fracturing" ("[[fracking]]") for "natural gas" are putting big money into PR campaigns due to growing citizen concerns about this damaging drilling process. At a "Media and Stakeholder Relations: Hydraulic Fracturing Initiative 2011" meeting this winter, an industry representative went so far as to [http://www.cnbc.com/id/45208498 suggest that industry] public relations agents download the U.S. Army/Marine Corps' "Counterinsurgency Field Manual." He noted that it would be helpful because the industry is "dealing with an insurgency." Chris Tucker, the spokesperson for [[Energy in Depth]] (EID) defended the statement by saying it was meant only as a joke, and that "there are no black helicopters here. ... We go to township meetings, and we hear what people have to say." But Tucker is heavily involved in the "counterinsurgency," working for one of the industry's many tentacles of its spin campaign. EID is a Washington-based, industry-funded [[front group]] that attacks people concerned about the dangers of fracking and the cocktail of toxic substances being used in the drilling processes. Read the rest of this item [http://www.prwatch.org/node/11116 here].
