Saturday, November 30, 2013

Group Receives $1.1M Grant to Sell ObamaCare to Public



Group Receives $1.1M Grant to Sell ObamaCare to Public
by William Bigelow 29 Nov 2013
According to CapitolCityProject.com, Families USA, a non-profit organization which says that it is non-partisan, received a $1.1 million grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation on Oct. 4 to make a database of ObamaCare “success stories.”

Families USA, which states that it is dedicated to “the achievement of high-quality, affordable health care for all Americans,” will look for stories of “real people” who will tell their tales of success of enrolling in ObamaCare. Families USA’s website urges its users to educate others about the wonderful world of Obamacare: “The best way to do that is to tell your story, giving a real example of the status quo and the impact of change.”

CEOs last week attending a Wall Street Journal forum last week were told by Barack Obama that ObamaCare need some positive spin in the media. He said, "We obviously are going to have to remarket and rebrand, and that will be challenging in this political environment.”

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Regina M. Benjamin was a trustee at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and is the surgeon general at the Office of the Surgeon General of the United States for the Barack Obama administration.

Note: Nancy-Ann DeParle was the White House health czar & deputy chief of staff for the Barack Obama administration, and a trustee emeritus at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
James E. Burke was a trustee emeritus at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and a life trustee at the Urban Institute (think tank).
Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Urban Institute (think tank), the Committee for Economic Development, and the Brookings Institution (think tank).
George Soros is the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.
Donna S. Morea is a trustee at the Committee for Economic Development, and the EVP for the CGI Group Inc.
CGI Group Inc. was the Obamacare contractor that developed Healthcare.gov web site.
Obamacare is Barack Obama’s signature policy initiative.
Barbara G. Fast was a VP for the CGI Group Inc., and a VP at the Boeing Company.
W. James McNerney Jr. is the chairman & president & CEO for the Boeing Company, and a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago.
Commercial Club of Chicago, Members Directory
Please note: This link for the members of the Commercial Club of Chicago can no longer be found.
R. Eden Martin is the president of the Commercial Club of Chicago, and counsel at Sidley Austin LLP.
Michelle Obama was a lawyer at Sidley Austin LLP.
Barack Obama was an intern at Sidley Austin LLP.
Newton N. Minow is a senior counsel at Sidley Austin LLP, and a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago.
Cyrus F. Freidheim Jr. is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, and an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank).
Valerie B. Jarrett is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, the senior adviser for the Barack Obama administration, and her great uncle is Vernon E. Jordan Jr.
Vernon E. Jordan Jr. is Valerie B. Jarrett’s great uncle, an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank), a senior counsel for Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, LLP, a director at the American Friends of Bilderberg (think tank), and a 2008 Bilderberg conference participant (think tank).
Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, LLP is the lobby firm for the Boeing Company.
Boeing Company is a contractor for the National Security Agency (NSA).
Keith B. Alexander is a director at the National Security Agency (NSA), the chief of the Central Security Service, the commander for the U.S. Cyber Command, a U.S. Army general, and a friend of Barbara G. Fast.
Barbara G. Fast is a friend of Keith B. Alexander, was a U.S. Army major general, a VP for the Boeing Company, and a VP for the CGI Group Inc.
CGI Group Inc. was the Obamacare contractor that developed Healthcare.gov web site.
Obamacare is Barack Obama’s signature policy initiative.
Barack Obama was an intern at Sidley Austin LLP.
R. Eden Martin is counsel at Sidley Austin LLP, and the president of the Commercial Club of Chicago.
Robert S. Osborne is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, and the EVP & general counsel for Booz Allen Hamilton.
Booz Allen Hamilton is a contractor for the National Security Agency (NSA).
Edward Snowden was an employee at Booz Allen Hamilton, and leaked information about the National Security Agency (NSA).
National Security Agency (NSA) was a grant recipient from the Microsoft Corporation.
William H. Gates III is a co-founder & chairman for the Microsoft Corporation, and a co-chair for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation was a funder for the Committee for Economic Development, the Brookings Institution (think tank), the Mercy Corps, and the Urban Institute (think tank).
Philippe Villers was a director at Mercy Corps, and is the president of the Families USA Foundation.
James E. Burke was a life trustee at the Urban Institute (think tank), and a trustee emeritus at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Nancy-Ann DeParle was a trustee emeritus at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the White House health czar & deputy chief of staff for the Barack Obama administration.
Regina M. Benjamin was a trustee at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and is the surgeon general at the Office of the Surgeon General of the United States for the Barack Obama administration.



Jerry Brown's Prison Law Makes County Jails More Dangerous



Jerry Brown's Prison Law Makes County Jails More Dangerous
by Joel B. Pollak 29 Nov 2013
Here's what they call a classic "problem from hell." California's Gov. Jerry Brown signed a prison reform law in 2011 that sentenced lower-level offenders to county jails rather than state prisons. Since then, violence has risen disproportionately in county jails, with inmates attacking each other, and guards, far more frequently.

But there's more to the story than soft-on-crime attitudes, or state budget-cutting. Brown signed the law as part of an effort to comply with a federal court order regarding California's overcrowded prisons. The problem is that there is too little space in state prisons--and too much crime in an economically troubled state.

California is becoming increasingly dysfunctional--the sharp coastal-inland divide, the high unemployment rate amidst massive wealth, the cutting-edge technology hubs and the public schools that barely teach kids basic math and science--and yet much of its dysfunction is hidden view beneath the beauty, the glitz, and the utopianism.

The answer to the malaise is a rapidly-growing economy and a streamlines state government. I've said before that three policies could turn it around: 1. oil and gas drilling; 2. a 6% flat tax; 4. removing public union privileges. The rest is mostly detail. Simplistic? Yes, but badly needed and log overdue. In my opinion, anyway.

Jerry Brown
Jerry Brown is the California state government governor, and his sister is Kathleen Brown.

Note: Kathleen Brown was the California state government treasurer, is Jerry Brown’s sister, and a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago.
Commercial Club of Chicago, Members Directory
Please note: This link for the members of the Commercial Club of Chicago can no longer be found.
R. Eden Martin is the president of the Commercial Club of Chicago, and counsel at Sidley Austin LLP.
Michelle Obama was a lawyer at Sidley Austin LLP.
Barack Obama was an intern at Sidley Austin LLP.
Newton N. Minow is a senior counsel at Sidley Austin LLP, and a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago.
Valerie B. Jarrett is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, the senior adviser for the Barack Obama administration, and her great uncle is Vernon E. Jordan Jr.
Cyrus F. Freidheim Jr. is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, and an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank).
Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Brookings Institution (think tank).
George Soros is the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.
Vernon E. Jordan Jr. is an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank), Valerie B. Jarrett’s great uncle, a senior counsel for Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, LLP, a director at the American Friends of Bilderberg (think tank), and a 2008 Bilderberg conference participant (think tank).
Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, LLP is the lobby firm for the Corrections Corporation of America.
Corrections Corporation of America
Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) is a company that owns and manages prisons and detention centers and operates others on a concession basis. The company is the largest private corrections company in the United States and manages more than 67 facilities with a designed capacity of 92,500 beds. CCA, incorporated in 1983 by three businessmen with experience in government and corrections, is based in Nashville, Tennessee.
Corrections Corporation of America (California)
Industry: Correctional Facility
California City, CA (760) 373-1764
This profile for Corrections Corporation of America is located in California City, CA. Corrections Corporation of America industry is listed as Correctional Facility. No officers have been found for this company.

Soros-Funded Catholic Group Denounces Rush Limbaugh's Disagreement with Pope



Soros-Funded Catholic Group Denounces Rush Limbaugh's Disagreement with Pope
by Dr. Susan Berry 29 Nov 2013, 5:16 PM PDT
A spokesman for the liberal organization Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good (CACG) has posted on the group’s website a denunciation of what he states were “incendiary remarks about Pope Francis” by conservative talk-show host Rush Limbaugh on Wednesday.

Limbaugh said that Pope Francis was wrong in his apostolic exhortation released this week in which he appears to blame capitalism for the reason why people are poor in the world.

CACG’s Christopher Jolly Hale wrote on Wednesday:

Catholics of all political stripes are disturbed by Rush Limbaugh's incendiary comments this afternoon about Pope Francis. To call the Holy Father a proponent of "pure marxism" is both mean spirited and naive. Francis's critique of unrestrained capitalism is in line with the Church's social teaching. His particular criticism of "trickle down economics" strengthens what Church authorities have said for decades: any economic system which deprives the poor of their dignity has no place within a just society.

Contrary to what Mr. Limbaugh suggests, the Catholic Church isn't built on money, but on the firm foundation of Jesus Christ.

We call on Mr. Limbaugh to apologize and retract his remarks. We urge other Church organizations and leaders--both ordained and lay--to also condemn Mr. Limbaugh's comments.

We proudly stand with Pope Francis as he provides prophetic leadership for the Catholic Church and the entire world.

Following the release of the pope’s exhortation, entitled Evangelii Gaudium, Hale wrote:

Pope Francis's words have given new vigor to what the Church has been saying for decades: 'trickle down economics' and other economic agendas which work against the poor and promote inequality have no place in a just society. Pope Francis's words should have particular resonance here in the United States as we enter into next month's budget negotiations. The pope makes it clear that these budgetary decisions should above all else benefit the poorest of Americans.

We make Pope Francis's words our own: "I beg the Lord gives us more politicians who are genuinely disturbed by the state of society, the people and the lives of the poor!"

In 2009, Accuracy in Media (AIM) reported that CACG had received $200,000 in funding from George Soros's Open Society Institute.

A leader of another Soros-funded Catholic organization, Faith in Public Life (FPL), a group that was founded with the help of John Podesta’s Center for American Progress, also praised Pope Francis’ view of the “tyranny” of trickle-down economics.

John Gehring, Catholic Outreach Coordinator of FPL, praised Pope Francis for his “headline-grabbing comments that Catholicism must not be known exclusively for obsession with a few hot-button issues.”

About the pope’s exhortation, Gehring wrote:

In many ways, this is traditional Catholic teaching about economic justice that builds on the foundations laid in the first social encyclical about capital and labor released in 1891 by Pope Leo XIII. But to contemporary American ears accustomed to hearing full-throated Catholic arguments only when it comes to abortion and same sex marriage, this unequivocal economic critique of unfettered markets packs a punch.

Directing his comments at Republicans Speaker John Boehner and Rep. Paul Ryan, Gehring said that while they “slash billions from nutrition programs and are daily communicants in the church of free-market fundamentalism, Pope Francis rejects trickle-down economics as a moral and practical failure.”

Catholic Church
Francis E. George is a cardinal for the Roman Catholic Church, and a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago.

Note: Commercial Club of Chicago, Members Directory
Please note: This link for the members of the Commercial Club of Chicago can no longer be found.
R. Eden Martin is the president of the Commercial Club of Chicago, and counsel at Sidley Austin LLP.
Michelle Obama was a lawyer at Sidley Austin LLP.
Barack Obama was an intern at Sidley Austin LLP.
Newton N. Minow is a senior counsel at Sidley Austin LLP, and a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago.
Cyrus F. Freidheim Jr. is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, and an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank).
Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Brookings Institution (think tank), and the Human Rights Watch.
George Soros is the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society, the founder & chairman for the Open Society Foundations, and was a benefactor for the Human Rights Watch.
Open Society Foundations was a funder for the Human Rights Watch, and the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank).
Saban Center for Middle East Policy was a policy center at the Brookings Institution (think tank).
Haim Saban is a benefactor for the Saban Center for Middle East Policy, an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank), and a friend of Barry M. Meyer.
Barry M. Meyer is a friend of Haim Saban, and a director at the Human Rights Watch.
John J. Studzinski is a director at the Human Rights Watch, a director at the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank), and a papal knighthood knight.
papal knighthood is an honor conferred by pope from the Roman Catholic Church.
Benedict XVI (Joseph Ratzinger) is the pope emeritus at the Roman Catholic Church, and was the pope for the Roman Catholic Church.
Was Pope Benedict XVI (Joseph Ratzinger) A Nazi? Why Join the Hitler Youth?
By Austin Cline
The question of Joseph Ratzinger’s involvement with Nazi Germany and the Hitler Youth is important: there is reason to think that Ratzinger has been less than fully candid about his past.

Pay Cable Prices Going Up, 'Day of Reckoning' Approaches



Pay Cable Prices Going Up, 'Day of Reckoning' Approaches
by Christian Toto 29 Nov 2013, 10:40 AM PDT
We learned earlier this week that cable providers lost 5 million subscribers since 2010, a partial result from the rise of streaming and online content options.

Now, Variety reports that pay cable giants will be passing higher prices on to subscribers with no end in sight.

Nine companies — Disney, Fox, Time Warner, Comcast/NBCUniversal, CBS, Viacom, Discovery, Scripps and AMC — control about 90% of the professionally produced TV content in the U.S., spending an estimated $45 billion per year on that content, according to Juenger. ”To date, it has been impossible for a distributor to assemble a pay-TV offering that can successfully attract and retain subscribers without having the content from all of these nine companies.”

So, that means pay TV bills will continue to climb faster than the overall cost of living for U.S. consumers.

This comes at a time when Netflix is beefing up its original content, Amazon Prime is doing the same and new players (Target, Redbox) are entering the streaming space.

It's not panic time ... yet for the pay cable giants. That day will come, Variety warns.

... pay-TV players are facing a day of reckoning in one form or another.

Cable Providers
George J. Mitchell was the chairman for the Walt Disney Company, the Mideast envoy for the Barack Obama administration, and the chair emeritus for the International Crisis Group.

Note: George Soros is a board member for the International Crisis Group, and the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.
Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Brookings Institution (think tank), the Robin Hood Foundation, the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, the Urban Institute (think tank), the Sundance Institute, the Natural Resources Defense Council, and the New America Foundation.
John S. Chen is a director at the Walt Disney Company, and a trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank).
Sheryl K. Sandberg is a director at the Walt Disney Company, and was a trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank).
Judith Rodin is a director at the Comcast Corporation, and was an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank).
NBCUniversal is the owner of the Comcast Corporation.
Jeff Zucker was the president & CEO for NBCUniversal, and is a director at the Robin Hood Foundation.
Douglas P. Morris is a director at the Robin Hood Foundation, and a director at CBS.
Ellen V. Futter was a director at Viacom, and is a trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank).
Michael H. Jordan is the chairman & CEO for CBS, and an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank).
Van Gordon Sauter was the president for CBS, and is married to Kathleen Brown.
Kathleen Brown is married to Van Gordon Sauter, the California state government governor Jerry Brown’s sister, and a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago.
Commercial Club of Chicago, Members Directory
Please note: This link for the members of the Commercial Club of Chicago can no longer be found.
William Wrigley Jr. II is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, and was the chairman for the Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company.
Julie A. Wrigley was an assistant to the president for the Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company, and a director at the E.W. Scripps Company.
Scripps Networks Interactive Inc. is a subsidiary of the E.W. Scripps Company.
Valerie B. Jarrett is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, the senior adviser for the Barack Obama administration, and her great uncle is Vernon E. Jordan Jr.
Cyrus F. Freidheim Jr. is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, and an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank).
Vernon E. Jordan Jr. is Valerie B. Jarrett’s great uncle, an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank), a director at the American Friends of Bilderberg (think tank), a senior counsel for Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, LLP, a senior director at the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, a life trustee at the Urban Institute (think tank), was a director at the Xerox Corporation, and a 2008 Bilderberg conference participant (think tank).
John E. Sununu is an adviser at Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, LLP, and a director at Time Warner Cable Inc.
Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, LLP was the lobby firm for the Walt Disney Company, and is the lobby firm for Cox Enterprises.
Cox Communications Inc. is a subsidiary of Cox Enterprises.
Michael I. Sovern is a director emeritus at the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, and was a director at the Comcast Corporation.
Donald A. Baer is a trustee at the Urban Institute (think tank), and was the SVP for Discovery Communications Inc.
Glenn A. Britt is a director at the Xerox Corporation, and the chairman & president & CEO for Time Warner Cable Inc.
N.J. Nicholas Jr. was a director at the Xerox Corporation, the president & co-CEO for Time Warner Inc., and is a director at Time Warner Cable Inc.
Ann N. Reese is a director at the Xerox Corporation, and was a director at CBS.
Thomas E. Rothman was the chairman & CEO for Fox Filmed Entertainment, and is a trustee emeritus for the Sundance Institute.
Robert Redford is the founder & president for the Sundance Institute, a trustee at the Natural Resources Defense Council, and a partner for the Sundance Channel.
John E. Bryson was a co-founder for the Natural Resources Defense Council, and a director at the Walt Disney Company.
Wendy Schmidt is a trustee at the Natural Resources Defense Council, and married to Eric E. Schmidt.
Eric E. Schmidt is married to Wendy Schmidt, the chairman of the New America Foundation (think tank), was a funder for the New America Foundation (think tank), and a 2008 Bilderberg conference participant (think tank).
Laurene Powell Jobs was a director at the New America Foundation (think tank), and married to Steve Jobs.
Steve Jobs was married to Laurene Powell Jobs, and a director at Walt Disney Company.
Sundance Channel is a partner with CBS and NBCUniversal.
Hulu, LLC is the content provider for the Sundance Channel, Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox Movie Channel, the content provider, subsidiary of NBCUniversal, and Walt Disney Company is a co-owner.
Chadwick Ho is the SVP & general counsel for Hulu, LLC, and was a VP for the Fox Interactive Media.
Jean-Paul Colaco was the SVP for Hulu, LLC, and the SVP for the Walt Disney Company.
Eric Feng is the CTO for Hulu, LLC, and a partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers.
Margaret C. Whitman was a strategic adviser at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, the SVP for the Walt Disney Company, and a director at DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc.
Obama to visit DreamWorks HQ
(Past Research for DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc.)
Thursday, November 21, 2013
Mellody L. Hobson is the chairman for DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc., and a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago.
William Wrigley Jr. II is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, and was the chairman for the Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company.
Julie A. Wrigley was an assistant to the president for the Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company, and a director at the E.W. Scripps Company.
Scripps Networks Interactive Inc. is a subsidiary of the E.W. Scripps Company.
Kathleen Brown is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, the California state government governor Jerry Brown’s sister, and married to Van Gordon Sauter.
Van Gordon Sauter is married to Kathleen Brown, and was the president for CBS.

Friday, November 29, 2013

The war on democracy



The war on democracy
How corporations and spy agencies use "security" to defend profiteering and crush activism
A stunning new report compiles extensive evidence showing how some of the world's largest corporations have partnered with private intelligence firms and government intelligence agencies to spy on activist and nonprofit groups. Environmental activism is a prominent though not exclusive focus of these activities.

The report by the Center for Corporate Policy (CCP) in Washington DC titled Spooky Business: Corporate Espionage against Nonprofit Organizations draws on a wide range of public record evidence, including lawsuits and journalistic investigations. It paints a disturbing picture of a global corporate espionage programme that is out of control, with possibly as much as one in four activists being private spies.
The report argues that a key precondition for corporate espionage is that the nonprofit in question:

"... impairs or at least threatens a company's assets or image sufficiently."

One of the groups that has been targeted the most, and by a range of different corporations, is Greenpeace. In the 1990s, Greenpeace was tracked by private security firm Beckett Brown International (BBI) on behalf of the world's largest chlorine producer, Dow Chemical, due to the environmental organisation's campaigning against the use of chlorine to manufacture paper and plastics. The spying included:

"... pilfering documents from trash bins, attempting to plant undercover operatives within groups, casing offices, collecting phone records of activists, and penetrating confidential meetings."

Other Greenpeace offices in France and Europe were hacked and spied on by French private intelligence firms at the behest of Électricité de France, the world's largest operator of nuclear power plants, 85% owned by the French government.

Oil companies Shell and BP had also reportedly hired Hackluyt, a private investigative firm with "close links" to MI6, to infiltrate Greenpeace by planting an agent who "posed as a left -wing sympathiser and film maker." His mission was to "betray plans of Greenpeace's activities against oil giants," including gathering "information about the movements of the motor vessel Greenpeace in the north Atlantic."

The CCP report notes that:

"A diverse array of nonprofits have been targeted by espionage, including environmental, anti-war, public interest, consumer, food safety, pesticide reform, nursing home reform, gun control, social justice, animal rights and arms control groups.

Many of the world's largest corporations and their trade associations - including the US Chamber of Commerce, Walmart, Monsanto, Bank of America, Dow Chemical, Kraft, Coca-Cola, Chevron, Burger King, McDonald's, Shell, BP, BAE, Sasol, Brown & Williamson and E.ON - have been linked to espionage or planned espionage against nonprofit organizations, activists and whistleblowers."

Exploring other examples of this activity, the report notes that in Ecuador, after a lawsuit against Texaco triggering a $9.5 billion fine for spilling 350 million gallons of oil around Lago Agrio, the private investigations firm Kroll tried to hire journalist Mary Cuddehe as a "corporate spy" for Chevron, to undermine studies of the environmental health effects of the spill.

Referring to the work of US investigative reporter Jeremy Scahill, the report points out that the notorious defence contractor Blackwater, later renamed XE Services and now Academi, had sought to become "the intel arm" of Monsanto, the agricultural and biotechnology corporation associated with genetically modified foods. Blackwater was paid to "provide operatives to infiltrate activist groups organizing against the multinational biotech firm."

In another case, the UK's Camp for Climate Action, which supports the decommissioning of coal-fired plants, was infiltrated by private security firm Vericola on behalf of three energy companies, E.ON, Scottish Power, and Scottish Resources Group.

Reviewing emails released by Wikileaks from the Texas-based private intelligence firm Stratfor, the report shows how the firm reportedly "conducted espionage against human rights, animal rights and environmental groups, on behalf of companies such as Coca-Cola." In one case, the emails suggest that Stratfor investigated People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) at Coca-Cola's request, and had access to a classified FBI investigation on PETA.

The report uncovers compelling evidence that much corporate espionage is facilitated by government agencies, particularly the FBI. The CCP report examines a September 2010 document from the Office of the Inspector General in the US Justice Department, which reviewed FBI investigations between 2001 and 2006. It concluded that:

"... the factual basis of opening some of the investigations of individuals affiliated with the groups was factually weak... In some cases, we also found that the FBI extended the duration of investigations involving advocacy groups or their members without adequate basis…. In some cases, the FBI classified some of its investigations relating to nonviolent civil disobedience under its 'Acts of Terrorism' classification."

For instance, on an FBI investigation of Greenpeace, the Justice Department found that:

"... the FBI articulated little or no basis for suspecting a violation of any federal criminal statute... the FBI's opening EC [electronic communication] did not articulate any basis to suspect that they were planning any federal crimes….We also found that the FBI kept this investigation open for over 3 years, long past the corporate shareholder meetings that the subjects were supposedly planning to disrupt... We concluded that the investigation was kept open 'beyond the point at which its underlying justification no longer existed,' which was inconsistent with the FBI's Manual of Investigative and Operational Guidelines (MIOG)."

The FBI's involvement in corporate espionage has been institutionalised through 'InfraGard', "a little-known partnership between private industry, the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security." The partnership involves the participation of "more than 23,000 representatives of private industry," including 350 of the Fortune 500 companies.

But it's not just the FBI. According to the new report, "active-duty CIA operatives are allowed to sell their expertise to the highest bidder", a policy that gives "financial firms and hedge funds access to the nation's top-level intelligence talent. Little is known about the CIA's moonlighting policy, or which corporations have hired current CIA operatives."

The report concludes that, due to an extreme lack of oversight, government effectively tends to simply "rubber stamp" such intelligence outsourcing:

"In effect, corporations are now able to replicate in miniature the services of a private CIA, employing active-duty and retired officers from intelligence and/or law enforcement. Lawlessness committed by this private intelligence and law enforcement capacity, which appears to enjoy near impunity, is a threat to democracy and the rule of law. In essence, corporations are now able to hire a private law enforcement capacity - which is barely constrained by legal and ethical norms - and use it to subvert or destroy civic groups. This greatly erodes the capacity of the civic sector to countervail the tremendous power of corporate and wealthy elites."

Gary Ruskin, author of the report, said:

"Corporate espionage against nonprofit organizations is an egregious abuse of corporate power that is subverting democracy. Who will rein in the forces of corporate lawlessness as they bear down upon nonprofit defenders of justice?"

That's a good question. Ironically, many of the same companies spearheading the war on democracy are also at war with planet earth - just last week the Guardian revealed that 90 of some of the biggest corporations generate nearly two-thirds of greenhouse gas emissions and are thus overwhelmingly responsible for climate change.

Dow Chemical
James A. Bell is a director at the Dow Chemical Company, a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, and was the EVP & CFO for the Boeing Company.

Note: Robert S. Osborne is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, and the EVP & general counsel for Booz Allen Hamilton.
Booz Allen Hamilton is a contractor for the National Security Agency (NSA).
Edward Snowden was an employee at Booz Allen Hamilton, and leaked information about the National Security Agency (NSA).
Keith B. Alexander is a director at the National Security Agency (NSA), the chief of the Central Security Service, the commander for the U.S. Cyber Command, and a friend of Barbara G. Fast.
Barbara G. Fast is a friend of Keith B. Alexander, was a VP for the Boeing Company, and a VP the CGI Group Inc.
Barbara G. Fast was a VP at the Boeing Company, and a VP for the CGI Group Inc.
CGI Group Inc. was the Obamacare contractor that developed Healthcare.gov web site.
Donna S. Morea was the EVP for the CGI Group Inc., and a trustee at the Committee for Economic Development.
Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Committee for Economic Development.
George Soros is the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.
Harvey R. Miller is a trustee at the Committee for Economic Development, and an attorney for Texaco Inc.
Chevron Corp. is a merged company with Texaco Inc.
Stuart E. Eizenstat is a trustee at the Committee for Economic Development, an international advisory board member for the Coca-Cola Company, and was a lobbyist for Xe Services.
Richard M. Daley is a director at the Coca-Cola Company, and a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago.
Obamacare is Barack Obama’s signature policy initiative.
Barack Obama was an intern at Sidley Austin LLP.
Michelle Obama was a lawyer at Sidley Austin LLP.
Newton N. Minow is a senior counsel at Sidley Austin LLP, and a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago.
R. Eden Martin is counsel at Sidley Austin LLP, and the president of the Commercial Club of Chicago.
Commercial Club of Chicago, Members Directory
Please note: This link for the members of the Commercial Club of Chicago can no longer be found.
Andrew J. McKenna Sr. is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, and the chairman for the McDonald's Corporation.
Walter E. Massey is a director at the McDonald's Corporation, a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, was the chairman for the Bank of America Corp. (Bailout Company), and a director at BP p.l.c.
W. James McNerney Jr. is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, and the chairman & president & CEO for the Boeing Company.
Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, LLP is the lobby firm for the Dow Chemical Company, the Boeing Company, the Shell Oil Company, the Monsanto Company, Chevron USA, Inc, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
Jose H. Villarreal is a senior adviser at Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, LLP, and was a director at the Wal-Mart Stores Inc.
Vernon E. Jordan Jr. is a senior counsel for Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, LLP, an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank), Valerie B. Jarrett’s great uncle, a director at the American Friends of Bilderberg (think tank), was a member of the Iraq Study Group, and a 2008 Bilderberg conference participant (think tank).
Lee H. Hamilton was the co-chair for the Iraq Study Group, is a director at BAE Systems Inc., and an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank).
BAE Systems Inc. is a contractor for the National Security Agency (NSA).
Klaus Kleinfeld is a trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank), a director at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and a 2008 Bilderberg conference participant (think tank).
Valerie B. Jarrett is Vernon E. Jordan Jr’s great niece, the senior adviser for the Barack Obama administration, and a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago.
Glenn F. Tilton is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, and was the CEO for Texaco Inc.
Cyrus F. Freidheim Jr. is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, and an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank).
Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Brookings Institution (think tank), and the Aspen Institute (think tank).
George Soros is the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.
James S. Crown is a trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank), and a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago.
Lester Crown is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, and was a lifetime trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank).
Stephen Friedman is a trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank), and a director at the Wal-Mart Stores Inc.