the big 5 stories:

#1 - Monsanto's FrankenFoods go to Supreme Court

This could be a watershed moment in the history of genetically-modified foods as the High Court hears Monsanto Co. v. Geertson Seed Farms, revolves around an herbicide-resistant alfalfa, the planting of which has been banned in the U.S. since a federal court prohibited the multinational Monsanto from selling the seeds in 2007.

That decision found that the U.S. Department of Agriculture did not do a thorough enough study of the impacts the GM alfalfa would have on human health and the environment and ordered the agency to do another environmental impact statement (EIS) review. Full Story

#2 - Lawmakers Call for Troops on the Streets of Chicago

In what are the seeds of a full-blown police state in the US, Illinois state Reps. and Chicago Democrats John Fritchey and LaShawn Ford are calling for on the governor, Chicago mayor Daley and Superintendent Jody Weis to use the National Guard in response to crime in the city.

The Posse Comitatus Act prohibits members of the federal uniformed services, including the State National Guard, from exercising nominally state law enforcement, police, or peace officer powers that maintain law and order on non-federal property within the United States. The act does not apply to National Guard units while under the authority of the governor of a state. Full Story

#3 - Pennsylvania's Choice: Gas or Clean Water

In rural Pennsylvania, a process for extracting gas from shale known as fracking has released dangerous gases into a community's drinking water, forcing families to leave their native places.

For the Ely family, their problems run deep, underneath the soil, in their roots. Scott Ely grew up on this land, but things have changed since he was a child. For the last year and four months, he and his family have been unable to drink their water. The problems began when he agreed to allow Cabot Oil and Gas to drill on his property. The Elys are one of more than a dozen families in Dimock, Pennsylvania who have water that is full of methane gas. Full Story

#4 - Lawsuits Fly as Local Police Work With Homeland Security

In an article titled, DHS accomplices face legal liability, Checkpoint USA's seven year lawsuit against several tribal police officers was recently mentioned on the Identity Project's website. The article also references several other pending cases involving local police acting on behalf of Department of Homeland Security agencies such as the TSA.

In all the cases referenced in the article, the courts have been dismissing charges against federal agencies but have allowed the lawsuits to proceed against local and state actors. The primary reason appearing to be because local and state actors are playing the largest role in civil rights violations, even if they are taking their marching orders so to speak from federal agents. Full Story

#5 - Our Emerging Barter Economy

More Americans are swapping over spending. The current economy has seen an increase in families going through their homes to swap out clutter for items they want or, more and more, need. Full Story

also:
*GM slammed for using Bailout money to pay off loan

*Barring of candidates may change Iraq vote outcome

*The slippery slope to strikes on Iran

*Vermont is a step closer to its own single-payer health care system

*As volcano grounded aerial spraying, rare blue skies emerged