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On this Independence Day

By emjohnson on July 4, 2009.

Danny Schecter asks, how independent are we?

"This isn't just about Madoff. This is about the system in which Madoff's scam took place. This is about systemic fraud and malpractice, the cultural trade of due diligence for easy profit. It's about conflicts of interest where companies paid ratings agencies for their ratings. It's about ideological blinders that let regulators and the Federal Reserve look the other way while banks turned into betting parlors."

Amy Goodman looks into the overthrow of independence in Honduras.

The first coup d'etat in Central America in more than a quarter-century occurred last Sunday in Honduras. Honduran soldiers roused democratically elected President Manuel Zelaya from his bed and flew him into exile in Costa Rica. The coup, led by the Honduran Gen. Romeo Vasquez, has been condemned by the United States, the European Union, the United Nations, the Organization of American States and all of Honduras' immediate national neighbors. Mass protests have erupted on the streets of Honduras, with reports that elements in the military loyal to Zelaya are rebelling against the coup.

Parnaz & Ashkan celebrate the idea of Iranian Independence with the following video celebration:

[Watch video below the fold]

Tags
economics
Politics
Amy Goodman
Iran
economics

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