Author: KJ McElrath

Crapitalism Personified: Is DuPont Forcing Retirees to Foot the Company’s Legal Bills?

Crapitalism Personified: Is DuPont Forcing Retirees to Foot the Company’s Legal Bills?

Posted by | Nov 23, 2016 | , , , |

Still under siege by an army of 3500 sick and injured, justifiably-angry plaintiffs over exposure to the toxic chemical “C-8,” DuPont is facing potential liability of $1 billion. Furthermore, there is legal trouble on the horizon between DuPont and Chemours, the company that was spun off recently, since the latter is expected to indemnify the former under the separation agreement. So far, bellwether trials have not been going well, with juries finding for plaintiffs and increasing negative publicity resulting therefrom. The question is then, who will ultimately pay DuPont’s legal costs? The answer appears to be DuPont employees. Instead...

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Scotland Gets It: Access to Nutritious Food is a Human Right

Scotland Gets It: Access to Nutritious Food is a Human Right

Posted by | Nov 22, 2016 | , |

This week, in an amazing expression of generosity and an affirmation of what Thom Hartmann describes as the “We Society,” the Scottish government has begun considering legislation that would acknowledge food as a human right.  The Scottish Parliament started looking at the issue after seeing a report by the Independent Working Group on Food Poverty that was published several months ago. It calls on the government to enshrine the right to food in national legislation, declaring that it is the duty of government to make certain that every person has access to food that is both nutritious and affordable. It...

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Big Pharma Company Valeant Under Fire Again: Former CEO Caught in Kickback Scheme

Big Pharma Company Valeant Under Fire Again: Former CEO Caught in Kickback Scheme

Posted by | Nov 19, 2016 | , , |

Valeant Pharmaceuticals is in the news again, this time because its former CEO was accused of being involved in a “multi-million dollar fraud and kickback scheme.” This sort of behavior has become so commonplace, it hardly seems newsworthy, anymore – but now that the ultimate corporatist regime is preparing to take over, we think it’s important to shine as much of a spotlight as possible on such malfeasance at every opportunity. The scheme involved the former head of Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, Gary Tanner, and Andrew Davenport, CEO of now-defunct Phildor Rx – a specialty pharmacy that wound up becoming an...

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Merrick Garland Is Our Last Chance to Save the SCOTUS – So Why Is President Obama Dragging His Heels?

Merrick Garland Is Our Last Chance to Save the SCOTUS – So Why Is President Obama Dragging His Heels?

Posted by | Nov 17, 2016 | |

Now that the Executive and Legislative branch are set to be controlled by right wingers bound and determined to roll back all the progress we have fought for these past eight years, it will be only a matter of time before our would-be Führer, the Orange Monstrosity, will be able to cement that control for decades to come by appointing a slew of hard-right conservatives to the Supreme Court. In his final days, President Obama has one last chance to keep that from happening – at least temporarily – through the recess appointment of moderate judge Merrick Garland. Yet, despite...

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Obama’s Failure to Close Executive Power Gaps: Trump Now Set to Resume Bush-Era Torture & Surveillance

Obama’s Failure to Close Executive Power Gaps: Trump Now Set to Resume Bush-Era Torture & Surveillance

Posted by | Nov 17, 2016 | |

Remember back during the Bush II Reign of Error, when American citizens could be detained and held indefinitely as “enemy combatants” without formal charges, and torture such as waterboarding was standard interrogation procedure? Well, get ready, folks – it’s coming back, and with a vengeance. Thanks to President Obama’s failure to end such unconstitutional policies during his two terms, those tools will now be in the hands of the Trump Administration – led by a psychotic man-boy who has declared that he will increase attacks on civilian families of suspected terrorists, put mosques under special surveillance, and return to...

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