US to pay $17.8m over jet crash into San Diego home

A US family will receive millions of dollars in damages after four of them were killed when a military jet crashed into their home.

They originally demanded $56m (£36.2m) in compensation, but have been awarded $17.8m after a non-jury trial.

The aircraft was flying over a residential area in San Diego, California, towards an inland base when it crashed in December 2008.

The military blamed the accident on mechanical failure and human error.

Don Yoon lost his wife, two baby daughters and mother-in-law as a result of the accident, which also destroyed his home.

The settlement includes compensation for Mr Yoon as well as the siblings of his 36-year-old wife, Youngmi, to cover loss of life, wages and property, the San Diego Union-Tribune newspaper reports.

The US government had acknowledged that it was at fault for the accident before the trial began.

The pilot ejected before the crash and told investigators he screamed in horror as he watched it smash into two homes. …

via BBC News – US to pay $17.8m over jet crash into San Diego home.

Former CIA Agent: Bloggers self-organizing can be the new intelligence Minute Men of this Century

“War is a racquet… If you bloggers self-organize and attach yourself like leeches to specific issues, corporations, organizations, challenge, whatever, you will be the intelligence Minute Men of this century. … It may be time to dump Congress on it’s ass and start over. … and every single member of Congress is impeachable for abdicating their article 1 responsibilities under the Constitution… “

Powerful message from former C.I.A. Agent to all Americans. YOU ARE THE RESISTANCE! The speaker is named Robert David Steele.

Prediction for war in 2012

Ex-Goldman Sachs Analyst: “Major War” Coming End Of 2012

Why war? Because war finance is the most profitable enterprise for those who pay to influence world events.  (Warning: language in next video)

The cure? Don’t buy into it. Learn the truth about war from those who fight it. It is not glorious. War is exploitation of the ignorant by the filthy rich. Do not create a new tragedy when faced with lies intended to spark hatred, fear and contempt.

Wrecking America’s Postal Service

In early December, USPS announced closure of over half its mail processing centers, 28,000 job cuts, and ending overnight first-class mail delivery.

Beginning in March, cuts will take effect. Standards in place for over 40 years will end. First-class mail will take two or three days, not one. Second class for newspapers and magazines, third class bulk mail, and fourth class will take much longer.

Pensioners dependent on benefit checks to pay bills, anyone buying drugs and other essentials by mail, and businesses needing prompt delivery to operate effectively will be impacted.

According to a Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) Retail Access Optimization Initiative (RAOI) Advisory Opinion, so will rural America.

RAOI says small post office closures aren’t about “rationalizing” the network as savings achieved are minimal. At issue is breaking the bond between small communities and USPS and hastening privatization to make delivery services another profit center instead of a public service.

Currently, USPS generates about $62 billion annually in revenues. Corporate America wants them. Donahue serves their interests. So do union bosses.

They agreed to past work force reductions. In 1999, USPS employed over 900,000. Today it’s around 600,000, a nearly one-third drop, including attrition of over 100,000 under Obama.

On November 21, USPS Postmaster General/CEO Patrick Donahue’s National Press Club speech was interrupted with calls, saying:

“Hey, hey, ho, ho, Donahue has got to go,” and “Don’t privatize the post office. It’s a public service. It’s not a profit center for Fed Ex and UPS to rip off the people. Return the overpaid pension funds….Stop closing post offices.”

Outside the building protesters yelled, “This is what democracy looks like,” and “We are the 99%.”

Donahue claims mail delivery downgrading will save $2.1 billion annually. Other cuts will save $20 billion by 2015, he says. He also wants Congress to end no-layoff union contract clauses for career employees, halt retiree healthcare and pension contributions, and impose other anti-worker measures.

If fully implemented, his scheme will wreck USPS. However, claiming a fiscal crisis is duplicitous. USPS serves 150 million households and businesses daily. Operating as an independent US government agency, it’s America’s second largest employer after Wal-Mart.

It’s not troubled by Internet competition or changed letter-writing habits. It’s because Congress forced USPS to pay about $5.5 billion annually into a trust fund for future retiree healthcare and pension benefits.

It’s currently over-funded by $75 billion. Moreover, USPS is burdened with other charges and obligations. As a result, it appears troubled. Treating the System equitably and fairly would change things. Instead, slash and burn is planned.

On December 7, Ralph Nader’s article headlined, “Time to Save the Post Office,” saying:

It’s “headling for a free fall due to bad management, corporate barracudas, and a bevy of editors and reporters enamoured with the supremacy of the Internet which makes up their world.” …

via Wrecking America’s Postal Service.