If you read only one thing today - read Greg Palast!!

[Unknown Known]

POWER OUTAGE TRACED TO DIM BULB IN WHITE HOUSE --- The Tale of The Brits Who Swiped 800 Jobs From New York, Carted Off $90 Million, Then Tonight, Turned Off Our Lights

http://www.gregpalast.com/detail.cfm?artid=257&row=0

On CNN, Wolfie just spoke about a 90 second event which happened at at the Niagra Mohawk Power Company right before the blackout. Bet he won't mention it again especially now with the red herring placed firmly in the Midwest.

Is tonight's black-out a surprise? Heck, no, not to us in the field who've watched Bush's buddies flick the switches across the globe. In Brazil, Houston Industries seized ownership of Rio de Janeiro's electric company. The Texans (aided by their French partners) fired workers, raised prices, cut maintenance expenditures and, CLICK! the juice went out so often the locals now call it, "Rio Dark."

So too the free-market cowboys of Niagara Mohawk raised prices, slashed staff, cut maintenance and CLICK! -- New York joins Brazil in the Dark Ages.

Californians have found the solution to the deregulation disaster: re-call the only governor in the nation with the cojones to stand up to the electricity price fixers. And unlike Arnold Schwarzenegger, Gov. Gray Davis stood alone against the bad guys without using a body double. Davis called Reliant Corp of Houston a pack of "pirates" --and now he'll walk the plank for daring to stand up to the Texas marauders.

[kentuck]

1. I rec'd it in email...

it is an excellent article.

[DiverDave]

2. This is the thing

that we WONT see on the news.
Move along...everything is fine.
If the democrats let this one slide I am gonna go ballistic.

[mistertrickster]

3. This is brilliant--wonder how long they'll be able to cover

their de-regulation asses now that the lights are starting to go out?

Look for more of the same in the northeast if Palast is right.

[joanski01]

4. I received it in an

e-mail from Greg Palast. I forwarded it to people, also. Great article.

[DagmarK]

5. It ties all the pieces together -- I had to write this letter to Palast

Dear Mr. Palast:

Thank you for today's Dim Bulb editorial. It was illuminating, to say the least. I have been aware of many of the parts of what you discussed, but I haven't understood how the whole scheme works together. Thank you for clarifying that.

I am merely a concerned citizen (a democrat!). I read constantly about the 'truth' regarding the Bush administration. The corruption and greed and the consequences that is measured with human misery here in the US and outside of the US is CRYSTAL CLEAR to me. Yet, as I make my way through my very simple life here in Portland, Oregon, and "on the Internet," it seems that just publishing THE TRUTH isn't enough evidence for the American people, strangely enough. The fact that any non-corporate board American could support this evil regime is astounding to me.

I believe democracy and justice have a severe and urgent need for a full-scale public relations campaign. If the 'fascist corporatists' can purchase their preferred system of so-called government with the aid of radical right wing fundie public relations-styled disinformation campaigns (see TV for proof!), why can't Lady Liberty buy her freedom back with a public relations campaign and reinstall justice? I think she can and she must.

California -- the beacon of progressive thought and action -- actually approved a recall of their democratic governor? And the new front-runner is The Terminator? Is there any reason why a regular gal like myself should even feign hope that we can take our country back at this point? Hope for what planet? Because I don't know what planet we are on! It's too surreal for my brain to wrap around.

This is my first letter to a progressive defender of our country to suggest the need for a massive PR truth campaign. I hope to send out a similar call for a bona fide campaign to wake up the citizenry in this country. Instead of watching Good Morning America, perhaps we can entice our brethren to tune into "Wake Up America!"

There are millions of concerned Americans, and many like yourself have a pulpit from which to shout out the truth. But, reality suggests that the truth is being assimilated by the masses at a rate so slow and is so easily decimated by the fascist corporatists politicians by one simple White House fax blast to the "liberal media" that we take 1 step forward, followed by 10 steps or more back.

I have become intolerant of losing the information dissemination game. The loss in lives and the human suffering and misery is too high a price to allow this to go any any longer. We need some help unifying the messengers extolling the truth. And I can only think that the only solution is to buy the best PR truth campaign and spokesperson our pennies can buy. We have to make people listen and hear and retain the truth.

I guess I am writing in the hopes that you will hear this cry from a big nobody in Oregon, USA, and think about talking with your fellow information soldiers for justice about the need for an massive truth campaign like no other.

Thank you,

[VermontDem2004]

6. I don't know

as much as I like Greg Palast, it seems like he is making this up.

[StandWatie]

7. why?

made what up?

[VermontDem2004]

8. Made up the fact that it was Bush that flipped the switch

[gristy]

9. many facts in article not hard to check

And the Pataki-Bush Axis of Weasels permitted something that must have former New York governor Roosevelt spinning in his wheelchair in Heaven: They allowed a foreign company, the notoriously incompetent National Grid of England, to buy up NiMo, get rid of 800 workers and pocket most of their wages - producing a bonus for NiMo stockholders approaching $90 million.

This should be easy to check. I'm on it now.

[Capn Sunshine]

10. That's the problem with the truth these days

It's f**king unbelievable!
Imagine if, in January of 2000, you had predicted the state of the world today. Who would have thought it possible?
:nuke:

[gristy]

11. National Grid bought NiMo in 2000

National Grid bought NiMo in 2000 for 37% premium! That seems like quite a premium for a "utility". Somehow they valued the company far higher than did the market... hmmmm.

Update: National Grid to Buy Niagra Mohawk

In its third U.S. acquisition this year, the National Grid Group (NGG:NYSE ADR) of Britain announced Tuesday that it planned to purchase one of New York's largest electric and gas utilities, Niagara Mohawk Holdings, (NMK:NYSE) for a combination of cash and stock valued at $3 billion.

Under the terms of the agreement, the British electric company will acquire all outstanding shares of Syracuse, N.Y.-based Niagara Mohawk for $19 apiece. That represents a 37% premium based on Niagara Mohawk's closing price of $13.88 a share Friday, and about a 15% premium to its 52-week high of $16.19, reached last October.

MORE


And at least one reporter was confused whether NiMo was being bought by a New England company or an English company:

NiMo: National Grid merger may mean lower rates

State legislators look carefully at proposal's impact on utility ratepayers.

By Tim Knauss

Niagara Mohawk officials told state legislators Wednesday that the company's proposed merger with a New England utility presents "the best opportunity" to lower electricity prices.

But utility officials stopped short of predicting when prices might go down or even promising that they will.

"It is too soon to say what exactly will happen to rates beyond the term of our current regulatory agreement, although the intent of both parties in this (merger) is to provide greater price stability through cost efficiencies," said William Edwards, chief financial officer of Niagara Mohawk.

Ten members of the state Assembly, including Speaker Sheldon Silver, D-Manhattan, attended a fact-finding hearing in Buffalo to look into the proposed acquisition of Niagara Mohawk by National Grid Group of Britain. The legislators' chief concern, they said, was the effect on utility ratepayers.

MORE


Can't find a definitive source on NiMo layoffs after the buyout...

[DiverDave]

12. Just on the NG-US site

and I really have to believe that they WILL make their money back.
Bushco has screwed the average joe again.

[Unknown Known]

13. More evidence - NYSEG and NiMo may institute rolling blackouts today

http://today.14850.com/0815rollingblackouts.html

Palast has been following the cabal for years. He doesn't make things up - he researches and corroborates everything. Much of this is in his book, "Best Democracy Money Can Buy".

[gristy]

14. kick

Time to :kick: an important thread for the SUV posters!

[newyawker99]

15. dupe

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=180306


I am locking this one.


NYer99
DU Moderator