SIRATYST

Int'l Solidarity With Leonard Peltier, Sat. Feb. 4th, Tacoma

2012-02-01T08:49:00.000-08:00

INTERNATIONAL DAY IN SOLIDARITY WITH LEONARD PELTIER

NW REGIONAL MARCH AND RALLY FOR CLEMENCY FOR LEONARD PELTIER

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY, 4, 2012, TACOMA, WA.

12:00 NOON: MARCH FOR JUSTICE
Portland Ave. Park (on Portland Ave. between E. 35th & E. Fairbanks. Take Portland Ave. exit off I-5 and head east)

1:00 PM: RALLY FOR JUSTICE U.S. Federal Court House, 1717-Pacific Ave.

SPEAKERS:
Co-MCs
Matilaja: Yu’Pik Eskimo from Mountain Village Alaska. Member of N.W. AIM since 1973, Friend of Leonard Peltier for 38 odd years and member of Tacoma Chapter LPDOC
Steve Hapy: Long time Leonard Peltier and Native struggles activist, Tacoma Chapter LPDOC
Leonard Peltier Honor Song:
AIM Warrior Society Drum
Opening:
Dorothy Ackerman: Lakota Elder
Drum:
Albert Combs and Coastal Hand Drum Singers
Welcoming:
Deeahop Conway, Puyallup Tribal member, Tacoma Chapter LPDOC
Leonard's case and up-date;
Arthur J. Miller: Northwest Regional Organizer LPDOC, Tacoma Chapter LPDOC, long time union member and human rights activist
Keynote Speaker:
Ramona Bennett: Puyallup Tribal Elder, Life long friend of Leonard Peltier, Grand Mother, Great Grand Mother
Chester Earl: Puyallup Tribal member
Zoltan Grossman: Evergreen State College faculty in Geography and Native Studies, in Olympia. former board member of Midwest Treaty Network in Wisconsin.
Decolonization:
Claudia Serrato
Unity:
Michael One Road: Portland Chapter LPDOC
Closing words:
David Duenas: Puyallup Tribal Member

Feb. 4, 2012 Regional March in Tacoma Facebook event pages please sign that you are coming and please invite your friends.
http://www.facebook.com/events/#!/events/163763897043790/
http://www.facebook.com/events/#!/events/179938242097693/

RESOLUTIONS FOR CLEMENCY: Leonard needs resolutions for clemency from Tribes, Unions, Human Rights Organizations and others. See a sample resolution at:
http://www.whoisleonardpeltier.info/resolution.htm

For donations: Please make checks payable to the Leonard Peltier Defense/Offense Committee (mark them for NW March) and send them to: Tacoma Chapter LPODC, P.O. Box 5464, Tacoma, WA 98415.

Join Tacoma Chapter LPDOC on facebook at: http://facebook.com/tacoma.lpdoc
Subscribe to: Northwest Peltier Support at: nwpeltiersupport-subscribe@lists.riseup.net
For more information: www.whoisleonardpeltier.info
TACOMA CHAPTER, LPDOC, P.O. BOX 5464, TACOMA, WA 98415-0464. bayou@blarg.net

The US/Saudi Agenda and the Syrian Rebellion -- Real News

2012-01-29T11:15:00.001-08:00

More at The Real News

Ted Rall -- Thought Provoking

2012-01-27T10:52:00.000-08:00

http://www.rall.com/rallblog/comics/2012-01-25.jpg

via Rik Rey

Thousands of Egyptians Call for End to Military Rule -- Real News

2012-01-27T10:38:00.001-08:00

More at The Real News

One Year After Egyptian Revolution, Military Dictatorship Lives On

2012-01-24T10:45:00.001-08:00

More at The Real News

"Israel Kidnaps Two More Palestinian Lawmakers: UFree Calls for International Action"

2012-01-24T10:19:00.000-08:00

http://www.ufree-p.net/Details.aspx?Type_ID=3&Rotator_ID=105

Oslo, Norway -- Jan. 24, 2012

Israel’s violent seizure and arrest this week of two senior members of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) is a brazen violation of international law and the diplomatic immunity universally accorded to elected leaders of government and parliament, charges the Oslo-based NGO UFree Network.

Former Jerusalem Affairs Minister Khaled Abu Arafah and fellow lawmaker Mohammed Totah were forcibly removed Monday, Jan. 23, from the East Jerusalem headquarters of the International Committee of the Red Cross, where they had sought refuge for more than 18 months to avoid Israeli revocation of their residency status in the city.

"Together with Ahmed Attoun, a PLC member who was arrested in September, Abu Arafah and Totah had been staging a sit-in on the premises of the ICRC since July 1, 2010, to protest against a decision of the Israeli authorities to deport them," the ICRC stated in a press release. "Under international humanitarian law, East Jerusalem is an occupied territory, and its Palestinian residents are therefore protected persons within the jurisdiction of Article 4 of the Fourth Geneva Convention."

Other than issuing this statement, the ICRC has done nothing more, insisting that the organization holds no diplomatic status in Israel and thus cannot protect the lawmakers from arrest.

However, Mohammed Hamdan, chairman of UFree Network, an Oslo-based NGO that advocates for the rights Palestinian political prisoners and detainees in Israeli detention, says that is not enough.

“It is time for the international community -- including the International Committee of the Red Cross -- to start enforcing humanitarian law,” says Hamdan. “The Israeli government forced its way onto the grounds of an international organization, arresting democratically elected lawmakers and forcing them to leave the city of their birth. These are the actions of a thug, not the ‘oasis of civilization’ it claims to be.”

UFree Network is calling on all members of the public who believe in democracy and the rule of law to send letters to their representatives in parliament across the world, demanding that Israel be held to account and pressured into releasing the imprisoned PLC members. A sample letter can be found on UFree Network’s website www.ufree-p.net

Shortly after the 2006 PLC elections, Totah, Abu Arafah and two other Palestinian politicians were ordered by Israeli authorities to resign from the Hamas-led government chosen by the people or have their East Jerusalem permanent- resident status revoked
When they refused, the four men were prosecuted before an Israeli military court and sentenced to two to four years in prison. Shortly after their release in the summer of 2010, the Israeli authorities again threatened to forcibly transfer the men and strip them of their East Jerusalem residency rights. When they refused to leave once again, Muhammad Abu Tir was sent back to jail and the three remaining MPLCs to refuge at the ICRC compound to avoid a similar fate. They had sheltered there ever since.

Meanwhile, Israel is currently holding 26 PLC members in its jails, with the latest being Dr. Aziz Duwaik. The Speaker of the PLC was first imprisoned by Israel on Aug. 6, 2006. He was released on June 22, 2009, before being re-arrested Jan. 19 of this year, while traveling to the West Bank city of Hebron.

“With the PLC scheduled to meet in February, for the first time since 2007, Israel is obviously running scared at the prospect of a unified, strong, Palestinian government,” said Hamdan, noting that elections are planned for May this year. “It’s time for the United Nations, its member countries and human rights NGOs around the world to prove that democracy is what they want and support.”

For more information, visit www.ufree-p.net
Take Action: http://ufree-p.net/Details.aspx?Type_ID=3&Rotator_ID=10

24 Iraqi Civilians Murdered; Marine Gets 3 Months

2012-01-23T16:32:00.000-08:00

Just goes to show, we don't need drones to commit war crimes.

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article30339.htm

EXCERPT:

January 23, 2012 "CBS" -- CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. - A Marine accused of killing unarmed Iraqi women and children pleaded guilty Monday to dereliction of duty in a deal that will mean a maximum of three months confinement and end the largest and longest-running criminal case against U.S. troops to emerge from the Iraq War.

Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich of Meriden, Conn., led the Marine squad in 2005 that killed 24 Iraqis in the town of Haditha after a roadside bomb exploded near a Marine convoy, killing one Marine and wounding two others.

It was a stunning and muted end to a case once described as the Iraq War's version of the My Lai massacre in Vietnam.

Watch Wuterich's interview with CBS' "60 Minutes" in 2007 http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=2582353n

The incident in Iraq is considered among the war's defining moments, further tainting America's reputation when it was already at a low point after the release of photos of prisoner abuse by U.S. soldiers at Abu Ghraib prison.

Eight Marines were charged with killing the Iraqis, with Wuterich facing the possibility of life behind bars. In the end, seven Marines were acquitted or had charges dropped, and Wuterich pleaded to the single, minor charge.
The killings still fuel anger in Iraq after becoming the primary reason behind demands that U.S. troops not be given immunity from their court system.

Wuterich's plea interrupted his trial at Camp Pendleton before a jury of combat Marines who served in Iraq.

In a hearing to determine if the facts of the plea were accurate and that he agreed, Wuterich acknowledged he was negligent in his duties because he told his squad to shoot first and ask questions later, or words to that effect.
Honestly, I probably should have said nothing," Wuterich told the judge, Lt. Col. David Jones. "I think we all understood what we were doing so I probably just should have said nothing."

Later he added: "I shouldn't have done that and it resulted in tragic events, sir."

Wuterich acknowledged he had been trained in rules of engagement before going to Iraq and again when he was deployed.

He admitted he did not positively identify his targets, as he had learned to do in training. He said he ordered his troops to assault the homes based on the guidance of his platoon commander at the time.

Wuterich faces a maximum of three months confinement, two-thirds forfeiture of pay and a rank demotion to private when he's sentenced, likely on Tuesday. The plea agreement calls for manslaughter charges to be dropped.

Irish Journalist Skewers European Bank Crooks' Apologist

2012-01-22T11:26:00.001-08:00

http://youtu.be/HAf7J4a_T1g

Goodbye, Miss Etta. We'll Miss You So.

2012-01-20T19:53:00.000-08:00

http://youtu.be/yqDgd5qRorE

Life, Love & the Blues -- She Lived It.

Etta James,
January 25, 1938 -- January 20, 2012

Support Farmworkers Organizing for A Union -- Rally & March Friday 1/27, Westlake

2012-01-20T10:59:00.000-08:00

We Resist, Therefore We Exist (Free Palestine) -[Great!] Doc Jazz music video

2012-01-20T10:21:00.000-08:00

http://youtu.be/_U4XfuOlASc

Doc Jazz's website:

http://www.docjazz.com/

Sgt Shamar Thomas & another Iraq Vet Outside Whitehouse at Occupy Congress

2012-01-17T19:29:00.000-08:00

#j17 protest: Sgt Shamar Thomas and another Iraq vet outside White House I Pic twitpic.com/88kx5e #OccupyCongress

from @)PacificJustice twitter

Israeli Thug Settlers Physically Eject Aged Palestinian Woman from Her Home!

2012-01-14T21:59:00.000-08:00

http://youtu.be/JZXPC8pLhE8

"We Remember Tom Hurndall"

2012-01-13T18:20:00.000-08:00

http://palsolidarity.org/2012/01/we-remember-tom-hurndall/

ISM via Aletho News

Tom was 21 years old when he was shot. A photography student, he had left the UK to volunteer as a ‘human shield’ in Iraq. Here he heard about the ISM, one of whose volunteers, Rachel Corrie, had just been killed by a bulldozer whilst protesting house demolitions in Rafah. He headed there himself, arriving on the 6th April.

On the day of his shooting, Tom was with other ISM activists walking through Rafah when Israeli sniper fire started. Almost everyone ran for safety, but Tom noticed that three children, aged between four and seven, had remained motionless, paralysed with fear. Tom went back for them. He got the little boy to safety, and then went back for the two girls. He was wearing a fluorescent vest, and was clearly unarmed. An Israeli sniper shot him in the head.

There was a two hour delay at the border of the Gaza Strip before an ambulance was able to take him to a hospital in Be’er Sheva. In a coma, he was transferred to a hospital in the UK, where he died the following year.

The soldier who shot him, Taysir Hayb, was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to eleven and a half years in prison. A British inquest into the killing found that the killing was intentional – in other words, murder.

Tom’s shooting followed the murder of Rachel Corrie, run over by a bulldozer on the 16th March, and the near fatal shooting of Brian Avery, shot in the face in Jenin on April 5th. Later that month, another Brit, filmmaker James Miller, was also killed by a sniper in Rafah. The Israeli military have refused to accept any responsibility for what they did to Rachel, Brian or James.
Hurndall was trying to save Palestinian homes and infrastructure but frequently came under Israeli fire and seemed to have lost his fear of death. “While approaching the area, they (the Israelis) continually fired one- to two-second bursts from what I could see was a Bradley fighting vehicle… It was strange that as we approached and the guns were firing, it sent shivers down my spine, but nothing more than that. We walked down the middle of the street, wearing bright orange, and one of us shouted through a loudspeaker, ‘We are International volunteers. Don’t shoot!’ That was followed by another volley of fire, though I can’t be sure where from…” – Robert Fisk, The Independent, 2009
Tom Hurndall was a young man with a dream…he paid for it with his life. -The Telegraph, 2004
Tom, blind to nationalities and borders, exuded humanity. He wanted, he wrote in his journal, “to make a difference”. He did. He also had an outrageous sense of humour and will be missed, most of all, because he made those of us who were his friends smile. He is survived by his parents, sister Sophie, and his brothers Billy and Freddy. - Carl Arindell, The Guardian, 2004.
Today International Solidarity Movement pays tribute to Tom Hurndall for his bravery and sacrifices. He is never far from our thoughts, and he continues to inspire our Palestinian, Israeli, and International volunteers throughout our campaigns in the Occupied Territories. Tom would want us to remember him. But we also know he’d want us to remember that thousands of innocent Palestinians have died under similar circumstances. These people’s deaths have not been investigated, and have often been lied about, claiming the victims to be combatants or explained away with empty phrases like “caught in the crossfire” or “tragic accident.”

While the ISM acknowledges that the Israeli military court found Wahid Taysir guilty of manslaughter, an injustice was committed by his early release from prison in September 2010 due to “good behavior.”

The international community will continue to question the policy and decision makers responsible for Tom’s murder and the murder of thousands of other innocent people.

Defiant Palestinians Drive on Israeli-Only Roads

2012-01-10T14:02:00.000-08:00

http://youtu.be/F7nx2aNyvLA

In Search of Palestine - Edward Said's Return Home (BBC) --Stunning 50 Min. Video

2012-01-08T13:48:00.001-08:00

http://youtu.be/ksTgAL-e9yo

Chicago and Nabi Saleh Honor Gaza's Children with Mass Balloon Release

2012-01-04T21:44:00.000-08:00

http://youtu.be/tFrXxngdKJc

On the third anniversary of Gaza Invasion, Chicago and Nabi Saleh Honor Gaza's Children with Mass Balloon Release

CHICAGO, IL (December 31, 2011) -- Over two hundred people gathered to honor Gaza's children with a mass release of balloons marking the third anniversary of Operation Cast Lead, Israel's brutal military invasion of Gaza. After marching from Millennium Park to Grant Park, participants released one balloon for each of the 344 children killed during the 22-day attack on Gaza from December 27, 2008 -- January 18, 2009. In a parallel event, families in the Palestinian village of Nabi Saleh also gathered for a balloon release. In response, the Israeli army fired tear gas and mustard gas at those who participated in the action, including children, and arrested at least seven .

The Chicago event was organized by Chicago Movement for Palestinian Rights (CMPR)."We organized this event to express our grief over deaths of these children and celebrate the resilience of the people of Gaza," said CMPR member Ishan Chakrabarti. Tied to each balloon was a card with the name and age of each child killed in the Gaza Massacre. The balloons and ribbon were 100% biodegradable and the cards were made from Lotka paper embedded with flowerseeds. "Wherever they land, these cards will plant seeds in the ground that will bloom into beautiful flowers to pay tribute to the memory of each child," said Chakrabarti.

At the event local community members performed selections from "The Gaza Monologues," a collection of monologues written by Palestinian children who survived Israel's assault. Immediately before releasing the balloons, participants also observed a moment of silence.

Message from A Rider of the #30 Bus

2012-01-04T13:00:00.000-08:00

Someone took the time to etch this message in to the metal window casing. Nice job!

Boycott Divestment Sanctions -- Call to Action -- Omar Barghouti -- Seattle

2012-01-02T20:50:00.000-08:00

BDS ~ A CALL TO ACTION

Thursday January 5, 6:30 PM

St. Marks Cathedral

1245 Tenth Avenue East, Seattle, WA 98102

Bloedel Hall

OMAR BARGHOUTI

BDS Israel: The Legacy of Dr. King and Mandela

Donations Welcome

"#Occupy Oakland: For Wanda, For Tatiana, For Uncle Bobby . . . For Oscar"

2012-01-02T17:33:00.000-08:00

http://my.firedoglake.com/hotflashcarol/2012/01/01/occupy-oakland-for-wanda-for-tatiana-for-uncle-bobby-for-oscar/

EXCERPT:

Today [Jan. 1, 2012] is the third anniversary of Oscar Grant’s execution by BART police officer Johannes Mehserle. For any of you unfamiliar with this story: Oscar, a young father, a young worker, unarmed, was shot in the back while lying prostrate in police custody on the Fruitvale BART station platform; after days of rage in the community, Mehserle was charged with murder and ultimately convicted of involuntary manslaughter, for which he served less than half of his two-year sentence.

The Oscar Grant Committee and Occupy Oakland organized a march in remembrance, beginning at the plaza we renamed after Oscar and ending with a rally at the Fruitvale BART. My husband and I walked up to meet the crowd when they arrived at the BART, which is just a few blocks from our house. The streets were lined with police cars and near the edge of the rally, there was a big black SUV with a couple of laughing cops inside. Most every cop we saw was smiling or shooting the breeze with fellow officers; none of them seemed to be taking this occasion too seriously. After all, they are collecting some nice fat overtime pay.

These annual rallies for Oscar have a certain “old home week” feel – there are the same faces and the same litanies of police brutality, with another year’s worth of injustices added to the list. Another mother or two gets up to tell the story of how her baby was murdered or jailed by BART cops or OPD. This year, we also heard from Kenneth Carrethers, a man who was beaten by Mehserle six weeks before Oscar was killed. Some people believe that if that incident had been properly investigated at the time, Oscar might still be alive. We heard from several of our OO comrades who were arrested during Friday’s melee. It was reassuring to see their faces, to know that they were not spending New Year’s Day in jail (there are still a couple of people who have not been released). Khalid, one of our most articulate and eloquent comrades (and someone who has been arrested multiple times at OO), told us to occupy our neighborhoods – to not let anyone go hungry on our block, to give comfort to a mentally ill neighbor, to take care of each other. He is so right. It’s the main lesson we are all teaching each other at Occupy; it’s really all that matters.

National Occupation of Washington, DC (NOW, DC)

2012-01-01T17:16:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year from the IDF [FIXED]

2011-12-31T16:27:00.000-08:00

http://youtu.be/fJH-UVihVCU

A MESSAGE FOR ALL OF HUMANITY

2011-12-30T15:36:00.000-08:00

http://youtu.be/CsgaFKwUA6g

It is time to see aside our differences, and unite for a true cause.. One of the most inspirational speeches in recorded history was given by a comedian by the name of Charlie Chaplin in the movie "The Great Dictator". If you like what you see please share the video any way you can and pass the message on.

Plight of Palestinian Families in Exile-Diaspora-12-20-2011

2011-12-28T12:47:00.000-08:00

http://youtu.be/aa0yu4ruZcQ

"Open Letter from Gaza: Three Years after the Massacre, Justice or Nothing!"

2011-12-27T13:54:00.000-08:00

The whole letter, from Besieged Gaza and Occupied Palestine, can be found here, with signatories and more information.

EXCERPT:

The effect worldwide of the Gaza massacres 3 years ago was a catalyst for a huge rise in worldwide solidarity and action in support of Palestine, just as the South African Sharpeville massacre was for South African blacks in 1960^.

Our call this year will accept no compromise. We call upon all Palestine solidarity groups and all international civil society organizations to demand:

·         An end to the siege that has been imposed on the Palestinian people in the West Bank and Gaza Strip as a result of their exercise of democratic choice.

·         The protection of civilian lives and property, as stipulated in International Humanitarian Law and International Human Rights Law such as The Fourth Geneva Convention.

·         The immediate release of all political prisoners.

·         That Palestinian refugees in the Gaza Strip be immediately provided with financial and material support to cope with the immense hardship that they are experiencing

·         An end to occupation, Apartheid and other war crimes with immediate reparations and compensation for all destruction carried out by the Israeli Occupation Forces in Gaza.

For us, the sacrifices for resisting have often meant imprisonment, torture, collective punishment and death. Outside, the risks are lower, but with great possibility. We call on you to Boycott Divest and Sanction, join the many International Trade Unions, Universities, Supermarkets and artists and writers who refuse to entertain Apartheid Israel. Speak out for Palestine, for Gaza, and crucially ACT. There has never been a time when mobilizations are gaining such support. 1994 was the year of South Africa when Apartheid was thrown into the dustbin of history; with your support we can make 2012 the year of free Palestine!

THE TIME IS NOW!

Walk for Human Rights - Leonard Peltier - Opening on Alcatraz December 18, 2011

2011-12-26T08:29:00.000-08:00

http://youtu.be/agSdKJdQFJg

"New York to Host Israel's Top Drone Lab" -- Max Blumenthal

2011-12-25T17:12:00.000-08:00

http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/new-york-host-israels-top-drone-lab

EXCERPT:

On December 19, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced the establishment of a 2 million square foot engineering and applied sciences university campus in the heart of New York City. The New York-based Cornell University and the Technion, Israel's Institute of Technology, were chosen to oversee the new institution.

“Thanks to this outstanding partnership and groundbreaking proposal from Cornell and the Technion, New York City’s goal of becoming the global leader in technological innovation is now within sight,” Bloomberg proclaimed. “When people look back 100 years from now, I believe that they will remember today as a signal moment in the transformation of the city’s economy,” Deputy Mayor Robert K Steel declared.

The Cornell-Technion partnership will result in a shimmering new university campus on New York City's Roosevelt Island, a sleepy and long-neglected slice of land between midtown Manhattan and Queens. A US$350 million grant from the publicity shy philanthropist Charles Feeney supplemented by US$100 million in public money will fund the construction of the campus. The joint project was awarded after a well-publicized competition between several top-flight universities, and was enthusiastically trumpeted by the Mayor's office, earning it coverage in the New York Times. However, neither Bloomberg or the Times bothered to mention a few facts that might have outraged the local taxpayers corralled into funding the project.

Presented as an anodyne research and development initiative that promises to produce thousands of jobs and hundreds of "spin-off" tech companies, the Cornell-Technion campus is also likely to be a boon to the military-industrial complex in the US and Israel. For decades, the Technion has provided the brains Israel required to create the elaborate mechanism of control under-girding its occupation of Palestine. Through its partnership with Israel's burgeoning arms industry, Technion's creations have been imported to armed forces around the world. In the words of Israeli researcher Shir Hever, the Technion "has all but enlisted itself in the military."

In 2008, the Technion signed a joint research agreement with Elbit Systems, the Israeli weapons and security systems giant. Elbit is best known for providing the monitoring system for the Israeli separation wall, a 760 kilometer long concrete barrier that juts into the occupied West Bank, enabling Israel's annexation of tens of thousands of dunams of Palestinian land. The company also produces weaponized aerial drones that have been procured by the Brazilian and US air forces, Elbit representatives routinely host recruitment seminars for ambitious Technion students.

2012 Momentous Year -- RAP News

2011-12-23T13:02:00.000-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-rxe9Ayb8c&feature=player_embedded

Wall of Hate

2011-12-23T12:45:00.000-08:00

The Wall of Hate from Global Information Services on Vimeo.

http://angryarabscommentsection.blogspot.com/2011/12/wall-of-shame-israels-unquenchable.html

Israel's unquenchable thirst for Palestinian land is documented in this shocking documentary

Baghdad Blast Wave: 'US to Blame for Iraq Mayhem'

2011-12-23T11:38:00.000-08:00

http://youtu.be/jeQQaZd2dTk

BRIDES BOYCOTT AHAVA AND SODASTREAM -- Nice One!

2011-12-20T07:33:00.000-08:00

http://youtu.be/LEMygqMI-fg

Return to Sorman -- Anatomy of a NATO War Crime by Franklin Lamb

2011-12-18T11:43:00.000-08:00

my apologizes for the edit/update to make text show up.
http://www.uruknet.info/?s1=1&p=83990&s2=18

EXCERPT:

Later, as I learned more about Khaled’s family and saw their most expressive and revealing photos, I came to believe that with respect to the wanton criminal aggression that caused thousands of needless deaths of innocents over the period of nearly nine months, that Najia, Safa, Salam, Khaleda, and Khweldi, and the others slaughtered at Sorman, are forever iconic representatives of all the innocent civilians who were slaughtered in Libya since March 2011.

During my recent visit to Sorman, I stood at the same location as last June. I surveyed the area and then approached the graves of Najia, Safa, Salam, Khaleda, and Khweldi. In the cold darkness with the piles of rubble still in place it was eerie.

I knelt close, felt a strange source of warmth and looked over my shoulder. I whispered in the silent night that I had a message from your loving Husband, Father, Uncle and Nephew that he asked me to deliver to you.

I read to them the message entrusted to me. And I left a copy in Arabic, pinned to a bouquet of flowers. The message read:
"Please say a very big hello to them and tell them I am coming. Please tell them I won’t leave you alone. And I miss each of you so very much.And please write them each a note. Najia, Safa, Salam, Khaleda, and Khweldi.Franklin, Tell them, "You are my life. You are my love. I miss you very, very much. Life without you is so painful, so hard and completely empty. I won’t stay and live away from you. I promise. I’ll return and be close to you. Baba will be back. I love you."
As I made my way back to the main road in search of a taxi, a militiaman stopped me and interrogated me about why I was there, confiscated my camera and ordered me to leave the area at once.

I paused for a moment and looked back toward what had been a loving family home, a petting zoo and bird sanctuary that had delighted the children in this neighborhood.

A little boy and girl, perhaps siblings, maybe six or seven years old, approached me with their Ethiopian nanny and asked: "Wien, (where is) Khaleda? Wien Khweldi? metta yargeoun ila Al Bayt (when will they come home?) "When will they come home?"

Unable to speak, I kissed and patted their heads and continued on my way.
Khaled K. Al-Hamedi is strong, deeply religious, and fatalistic. He has pledged to family and friends around the world that he will continue his work with the International Organization for Peace, Care & Relief in spite of the life shattering loss of his loved ones. An honorable family, a peaceful and welcoming town, a devastated country, and a shocked and angry international community demand justice from those who sent 'Unified Protector’ and NATO’s no-fly zone to destroy Libya in order to "protect the civilian population."

Palestine Has A True Friend -- Iceland Recognizes Palestinian State -- great VIDEO discussion

2011-12-18T09:27:00.000-08:00

http://youtu.be/e0Z1u0CwZI8

Foreign Minister of Iceland at end of video says it is the happiest day of his life because they recognized an independent Palestinian state!

Hundreds Rally in Support of Bradley Manning By Charles Davis

2011-12-17T20:13:00.000-08:00

Article: http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=106247

"Reform vs. Revolution Within Occupy" By Shamus Cooke

2011-12-16T13:22:00.000-08:00

This article is one of two companion pieces on The Occupier, discussing the larger strategic questions of the Occupation movement. The entirety of Occupation strategy is not reducible to these two points of view, but we hope these will start a discussion in two different, non-symmetric veins about “big picture” issues.

http://www.portlandoccupier.org/2011/12/16/reform-vs-revolution-within-occupy/

EXCERPT:

Polls aside, it seems obvious that most people in America are on the fence as to whether or not to support or reject Occupy. These people cannot be dismissed as Conservatives or “apathetic.” Many of them will be willing to fight with Occupy in the streets, as some unions have, if they see Occupy’s fight as their own. Occupy must demonstrate to the 99% that it is serious about waging a real struggle for working class demands, since tens of millions of working people are suffering and would rally to a movement they saw as providing real hope, not merely moments of bravery combined with anti-1% rhetoric.

The USA Today poll also showed a concerning shift of support against the tactics employed by the Occupy movement, as did a poll by Public Policy Polling (PPP). A pollster for PPP concluded:

“I don’t think the bad poll numbers for Occupy Wall Street reflect Americans being unconcerned with wealth inequality… [but] The controversy over the protests is starting to drown out the actual message.”

This is almost certainly true, and may soon become critically important. Since the majority of people in the U.S. are still waiting to see if their interests will be represented by Occupy, organizing smaller confrontational/radical actions over more radical demands that do not connect with most working people may only deepen the above divide. Such concerns may seem naturally repulsive to many Occupiers, who deeply want “change now”–an understandable frustration. But this impatience can be self-destructive if more radical acts separate the current Occupy activists from the wider community. The media is doing its best to drive a wedge between the radical occupiers and the wider population of working people, giving them opportunities to use this wedge tactic should be avoided.

The police are also driving this wedge deep, using an excessive police presence combined with excessive force to frighten average people from attending demonstrations that include civil disobedience or other confrontational tactics. And although the police deserve total blame for their tactics, Occupiers must out-flank them with a political strategy that leans towards organizing massive events, so that the police’s power is muted and the media cannot portray Occupy as a minority of “extremist” activists playing cat and mouse with the police.

The police and politicians are basing their level of repression against Occupy on the level of popularity that the movement has with the wider population; many of the Occupy camps were torn down only after demonstrations became smaller and anti-Occupy coverage influenced the still-indecisive majority of people. Occupy must use the same barometer as the police and politicians for the opposite purpose: successful actions should be judged by whether or not they connect with the majority of the population and increasingly draw them into rallies and actions of massive numbers. By implementing this approach to organizing it will become unmistakable that working people stand with Occupy and Occupy with them. Together they are one.

"Demonstration in Nabi Salih in honour of Mustafa Tamimi, 16.12.2011" -- Chroniques de Palestine

2011-12-16T12:48:00.000-08:00

Excerpt from blog:

photo 1: The parents (left) of Mustafa Tamimi and his uncle are seen taking part in the weekly demonstration against the occupation and settlements in the West Bank village of Nabi Salih, on Friday December 16, 2011. Mustafa Tamimi was killed the week before during the demonstration by an Israeli soldier who shot a tear gas canister at close range. 

"President Obama: A Disaster for Civil Liberties" -- LA Times (Jonathan Turley)

2011-12-15T09:04:00.000-08:00

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-turley-civil-liberties-20110929,0,7542436.story

With the 2012 presidential election before us, the country is again caught up in debating national security issues, our ongoing wars and the threat of terrorism. There is one related subject, however, that is rarely mentioned: civil liberties.

Protecting individual rights and liberties — apart from the right to be tax-free — seems barely relevant to candidates or voters. One man is primarily responsible for the disappearance of civil liberties from the national debate, and he is Barack Obama. While many are reluctant to admit it, Obama has proved a disaster not just for specific civil liberties but the civil liberties cause in the United States.

Civil libertarians have long had a dysfunctional relationship with the Democratic Party, which treats them as a captive voting bloc with nowhere else to turn in elections. Not even this history, however, prepared civil libertarians for Obama. After the George W. Bush years, they were ready to fight to regain ground lost after Sept. 11. Historically, this country has tended to correct periods of heightened police powers with a pendulum swing back toward greater individual rights. Many were questioning the extreme measures taken by the Bush administration, especially after the disclosure of abuses and illegalities. Candidate Obama capitalized on this swing and portrayed himself as the champion of civil liberties.

However, President Obama not only retained the controversial Bush policies, he expanded on them. The earliest, and most startling, move came quickly. Soon after his election, various military and political figures reported that Obama reportedly promised Bush officials in private that no one would be investigated or prosecuted for torture. In his first year, Obama made good on that promise, announcing that no CIA employee would be prosecuted for torture. Later, his administration refused to prosecute any of the Bush officials responsible for ordering or justifying the program and embraced the "just following orders" defense for other officials, the very defense rejected by the United States at the Nuremberg trials after World War II.

Obama failed to close Guantanamo Bay as promised. He continued warrantless surveillance and military tribunals that denied defendants basic rights. He asserted the right to kill U.S. citizens he views as terrorists. His administration has fought to block dozens of public-interest lawsuits challenging privacy violations and presidential abuses.

But perhaps the biggest blow to civil liberties is what he has done to the movement itself. It has quieted to a whisper, muted by the power of Obama's personality and his symbolic importance as the first black president as well as the liberal who replaced Bush. Indeed, only a few days after he took office, the Nobel committee awarded him the Nobel Peace Prize without his having a single accomplishment to his credit beyond being elected. Many Democrats were, and remain, enraptured.

It's almost a classic case of the Stockholm syndrome, in which a hostage bonds with his captor despite the obvious threat to his existence. Even though many Democrats admit in private that they are shocked by Obama's position on civil liberties, they are incapable of opposing him. Some insist that they are simply motivated by realism: A Republican would be worse. However, realism alone cannot explain the utter absence of a push for an alternative Democratic candidate or organized opposition to Obama's policies on civil liberties in Congress during his term. It looks more like a cult of personality. Obama's policies have become secondary to his persona.

Ironically, had Obama been defeated in 2008, it is likely that an alliance for civil liberties might have coalesced and effectively fought the government's burgeoning police powers. A Gallup poll released this week shows 49% of Americans, a record since the poll began asking this question in 2003, believe that "the federal government poses an immediate threat to individuals' rights and freedoms." Yet the Obama administration long ago made a cynical calculation that it already had such voters in the bag and tacked to the right on this issue to show Obama was not "soft" on terror. He assumed that, yet again, civil libertarians might grumble and gripe but, come election day, they would not dare stay home.

This calculation may be wrong. Obama may have flown by the fail-safe line, especially when it comes to waterboarding. For many civil libertarians, it will be virtually impossible to vote for someone who has flagrantly ignored the Convention Against Torture or its underlying Nuremberg Principles. As Obama and Atty. Gen. Eric H. Holder Jr. have admitted, waterboarding is clearly torture and has been long defined as such by both international and U.S. courts. It is not only a crime but a war crime. By blocking the investigation and prosecution of those responsible for torture, Obama violated international law and reinforced other countries in refusing investigation of their own alleged war crimes. The administration magnified the damage by blocking efforts of other countries like Spain from investigating our alleged war crimes. In this process, his administration shredded principles on the accountability of government officials and lawyers facilitating war crimes and further destroyed the credibility of the U.S. in objecting to civil liberties abuses abroad.

In time, the election of Barack Obama may stand as one of the single most devastating events in our history for civil liberties. Now the president has begun campaigning for a second term. He will again be selling himself more than his policies, but he is likely to find many civil libertarians who simply are not buying.

Jonathan Turley is a professor of law at George Washington University.

Happy Birthday, Dorli!

2011-12-13T18:11:00.000-08:00

UPDATE: Besides the cakes, there were tons of wonderful heart-felt tributes from people who have worked with Dorli on peace and justice issues over the years.

Not many folks can boast of Troubadour Jim Page headlining their birthday. Or having their lifetime character and wisdom emblazoned so fittingly on such beautiful cakes.

But yes, it was and all for our amazing and wonderful friend, Dorli, on her 85th! yes, 85th! birthday. Many happy returns of this day, Dorli. (She is the diminutive person in this not to well taken picture below, who was famous in Seattle even before she got maced.)

"Carol of the Bell" SEASON'S GREETINGS ALL -- Van

2011-12-10T18:26:00.000-08:00

http://youtu.be/joCjiq0RPhE

For my brother, Rog, with love.

No Miracle Yesterday in Nabi Saleh: Mustafa Tamimi Murdered -- Lina Alsafeen

2011-12-10T14:00:00.000-08:00

http://electronicintifada.net/content/no-miracle-yesterday-nabi-saleh-mustafa-tamimi-murdered/10678

EXCERPT:

Just before Mustafa went into the operating room, some good news came through. He had not suffered any cognitive damages to his brain, although he suffered a brain hemorrhage. There was a chance his eye might be saved. Relief washed over us. We tweeted, “please #Pray4Mustafa.”
I had pictured myself going to Nabi Saleh the next day, not the following Friday. I had imagined sitting in a room with weeping women, after passing by the somber men sitting outside. I had envisioned a funeral and an inconsolable Ola with her mother. Thank God there was a reassuring chance he would be ok. We’d make fun of his bandaged face, just like we did to Abu Hussam when a rubber bullet hit him under the eye a few weeks ago.
Then I got the call that Mustafa had succumbed to his wounds.
My humanity is only human. I hate my enemy. A deep vigorous hatred that courses through my veins whenever I come into contact with them or any form of their system. My humanity is limited. I cannot write a book titled I Shall Not Hate especially if my three daughters and one niece were murdered by my enemy. My humanity is faulty. I dream of my enemy choking on tear gas fired through the windows of their houses, of having their fathers arrested on trumped-up charges, of them wounded by rubber-coated steel bullets, of them being woken up in the middle of the night and dragged away for interrogations that are spliced with bouts of torture.
The soldiers laughed. They smiled. They took pictures of us, zooming in on each of our faces, and they smirked. I screamed at them: “Nazis, terrorists, vermin, programmed killing machines.”
They laughed at us as we screamed at them to let us through to where he was, unconscious in a taxi near the watchtower. They threatened us if we didn’t go back. We waved the flag with his blood on it in front of them. One of them had the audacity to bat it away. We shouted, “His blood is on your hands!” They replied, “So?”
I thought of Mustafa’s younger brother, imprisoned all these eight months. I thought of that brother’s broken jaw and his subsequent stay in the prison hospital. I thought of Juju (Jihad Tamimi), he of the elfin face who arrested a few days ago with no rights to see a lawyer after being wanted by the army for more than a year. I shuddered to think of the reactions of these imprisoned men from the village — Uday, Bassem, Naji, Jihad, Saeed – once they received the news.
I got the call just after 11pm Friday night. I was sworn to secrecy, since his family didn’t want to make it public yet. Anger, bitterness and sorrow overwhelmed me. I cried at my kitchen table.

Where's My Friend? by Sam Bahour

2011-12-09T07:49:00.000-08:00

Where's my friend?

By Sam Bahour

My friend is Walid Abu Rass. He is the Finance and Administration Manager for the Health Work Committees (HWC, at www.hwc-pal.org), one of the largest community health service providers in the occupied Palestinian territory. HWC serves over 500,000 patients/beneficiaries per year! More on HWC in a second.

I had not seen Walid for a while. We are both knee deep in Palestine’s daily rat race. About two months ago, Walid and his HWC colleagues called for a meeting of their circle of friends. They sought assistance. HWC was going through some financial hard times, especially with the financial crisis in Europe, where many of their donors are based.

Given it was close to the end of year, a season when I usually donate some time to assist a community based organization to fundraise, I offered to volunteer. Walid was my counterpart. During the past weeks, we were in daily phone and email contact, and every few days we met up to visit a potential local donor. Progress was being made. We then started to plan, with a few others, an end-of-year fundraising raffle. Plans were coming together, and there was excitement among the team and staff that we were taking our fundraising needs to our local community to compensate for the loss in European institutional funding. This is even more significant since HWC does not accept funding with strings attached (“conditional donor funds”), so they have to struggle just to keep the doors open in this tainted donor-driven market.

For nearly a week I was emailing Walid with no reply. This was not like him. He and I nearly live behind our keyboards. The deadline for the raffle details was rapidly approaching and if we did not get started, we would miss the end of year opportunity for fundraising. I started to think Walid was mad at me for some reason. I rethought our last few weeks of working together. There was absolutely nothing there to cause him to just ignore my calls; after all, I was his volunteer counterpart.

Then, last night I learned why Walid stopped replying to me. On November 22nd, Israeli occupation soldiers arrived at his home at 1:30 A.M. Walid lives in Ramallah with his wife, Bayan, and two daughters, Mais, 13 years old, and Malak, 4 years old, who were all frighteningly awakened during his arrest. Walid was taken into custody and transported in the bone chilling cold of the night to Israel’s Ofer Military Detention Center where hundreds of Palestinians are detained, the vast majority with absolutely no knowledge of why.

The Israelis have been arresting Palestinians nightly for years now. Israel releases a few hundred prisoners in a media frenzy and then, the same night, starts to refill its prisons, a few Palestinians at a time. Although, as per the Oslo Agreements, the Palestinian side is responsible for security inside the Palestinian cities, Israeli armed forces routinely—read nightly, every night—enter the cities in their armored vehicles in the middle of the night and arrest a dozen or so Palestinians from their homes. Walid was merely the latest victim of this kidnap-by-night strategy.

The routine then goes something like this. Within eight days he will be brought before an Israeli military “judge” for the sake of processing only, not deliberating. The entire kangaroo court then, without sharing the reason why the Palestinian detainee is being held, flashes the security card to justify not sharing information on why they have acted against a specific individual. Then the court slaps a six month Administrative Detention Order on the detainee. That means you sit in prison for six months for no reason at all. Walid has already been given just such an order.

Your wife, your children, your work, your end-of-year fundraising campaign, your 500,000 patients/beneficiaries, your life, all abruptly stop. Then, usually, that six month order gets extended a few times before you are released. Walid is not unacquainted with this Orwellian mess. He previously spent nearly five years in and out of detention, never once being charged with anything!

The Health Work Committees association is registered as a not-for profit organization with the Palestinian Ministry of the Interior and also has a Jerusalem registration since they work in Jerusalem as well. HWC employees over 300 persons and operates 14 clinics throughout the West Bank, providing primary health services via these health clinics, mostly in areas not fully covered by the Ministry of Health. HWC also has a community development aspect of their work and operate the following: Jadal Center for Culture and Social Development, Nidal Center (providing health education to East Jerusalem schools), Community Development Plan, Oasis Rehab Center, Community Based Rehabilitation, and the Elderly Care Nursery and Kindergarten. One of the success stories of HWC is its partnership with the Dunya Women's Cancer Clinic.

All of these activities need health care administrators, of which Walid is one. At a time when the Israeli closure system is making life hell for Palestinians, especially those living in marginalized areas or areas directly affected by the Separation Wall, HWC is needed more than ever. Likewise, at a time when international organizations, like USAID, have dramatically cut funding and laid off staff from their heath care programs (such as Flagship) as punishment to the Palestinians for pursuing membership in UNESCO, HWC’s services are needed more than ever.

The era of silence is over. Also, over for me are the slogans that can’t be operationalized. Yes, we want all 5,000 or so Palestinian detainees released. Yes, the policy of administrative detention is inhumane and must end. However, these slogans, although needed at times, must be matched with action items. Each life being destroyed by the Israeli revolving door policy of detainment is a person with a name and a family and a job. And when the person is my friend or colleague, I refuse to swallow the fact that Israel has carte blanche to act above the law.

Help me get Walid back to his family and his desk so we can get back to the work of improving the Palestinian health care system. Consider contacting your local Israeli Embassy and any or all of the following and demanding his immediate release. Reference his name, Walid Abu Rass, and his ID # 9-9702819-6.

Judea and Samaria Region

Office of the Legal Advisor

P.O. Box

5 Beit El, 90631

via Israel

Tel: +972-2-997-7071

Fax: +972-2-997-7326

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

Office of the Prime Minister

3 Kaplan Street

PO Box 187

Kiryat Ben-Gurion

Jerusalem 91919

Fax: +972-2-651-2631 or +972-2-670-5475

E-mail: rohm@pmo.gov.il or pm_eng@pmo.gov.il

Deputy Prime Minister & Minister of Defence Ehud Barak

Ministry of Defence

37 Kaplan Street

Hakirya, Tel Aviv 61909 Israel

Fax: +972.3.691.6940

Email: minister@mod.gov.il

For more information on Administrative Detention see ADDAMEER (Arabic for conscience) Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association at www.addameer.org.

- Sam Bahour is a Palestinian-American business consultant from Youngstown living in the Palestinian city of Al-Bireh in the West Bank. He is co-author of “Homeland: Oral Histories of Palestine and Palestinians” (1994) and may be reached via www.ePalestine.ps.

MUST SEE! Freeze Flash Mob & Police Brutality - Don't Buy War!

2011-12-07T12:34:00.001-08:00

Bendib!

2011-12-05T15:48:00.000-08:00

http://www.bendib.com/newones/2011/December/small/12-2-Stinkin%27-Lib.jpg

Manu Chao - CLANDESTINO in ARIZONA!

2011-12-03T20:27:00.000-08:00

(english Translation)

Alone I go with my sorrow
Alone goes my sentence
To run is my destiny
To escape the law
Lost in the heart of the great Babylon
They call me
clandestine
For not having any papers

To a city of the north
I went to work
I left my life
Between Ceuta and
Gibraltar
I’m a line in the sea
A ghost in the city
My life is forbidden
So says the authority

Alone I go with my sorrow
Alone goes my sentence
To run is my destiny
For having no papers
Lost in the heart
Of the great Babylon
They call me clandestine
I’m the lawbreaker

Black Hand clandestine
Peruvian clandestine
African clandestine
Marihuana illegal

Alone I go with my sorrow
Alone goes my sentence
To run is my destiny
To escape the law
Lost in the heart of the great Babylon
They call me
clandestine
For not having any papers

Algerian, Clandestine
Nigerian, Clandestine
Bolivian, Clandestine
Black Hand, Illegal

Reminder: Vigil for a Free Palestine; End the Siege of Gaza- This Saturday at Westlake

2011-12-02T09:02:00.000-08:00

Please pass this on.....

Join us this Saturday to call for an end to the Israeli & Egyptian siege on Gaza. Come support the Palestinian people in their struggle for Justice.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEIbUoSSiV4

Saturday, Dec.3

Secure At Last! Bendib

2011-11-30T20:35:00.000-08:00

http://www.bendib.com/newones/2011/November/small/11-13-Nationally-Secure-At-Last.jpg?utm_source=Bendib+Cartoon+-+Weekly&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Bendib+Cartoon+-+Weekly

This Will Rip Your Heart Out -- Demolishing Homes in Beit Hanena 11-24-11

2011-11-28T19:55:00.000-08:00

http://youtu.be/iKfi9yjuA9I

Words vs. Israeli soldiers- Demonstration in Nabi Salih, Palestine, 25.11.2011

2011-11-27T15:58:00.000-08:00

http://youtu.be/ZuMWCAuIwXU

"What The Hell Does An Indian Do On Thanksgiving?"

2011-11-24T20:30:00.000-08:00

http://youtu.be/bHLoncPgXv0

Occupy Seattle Picnic on Day Formerly Known as Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T19:59:00.001-08:00

UPDATE: Wish I had taken a picture of Tony, the guitar player who was there today. He reminded me so much of my brother, Roger, who passed away Nov. 4th. Thanks, Tony.

Desserts occupying a table at the picnic

Notorious Doug & Dorli occupying space at picnic.

Chowline.
C ourtney, who read The Real Thanksgiving Story, to the listeners at left.

Reminder to folks at picnic about The International Day of Solidarity with Leonard Peltier, February 4, 2012, in Tacoma.

Global Recession Looms As Euro Crisis Deepens - Real News

2011-11-24T18:58:00.000-08:00

More at The Real News

Palestine Freedom Riders -- Sana Kassem

2011-11-23T09:41:00.000-08:00

http://youtu.be/OSWF68Yx6tI

"The problem with ‘Occupation’ in the Occupy Movement" -- Josina Manu Maltzman

2011-11-23T08:43:00.000-08:00

http://mondoweiss.net/2011/11/the-problem-with-occupation-in-the-occupy-movement.html

EXCERPT: from mondoweiss via code pink:

It’s easy to draw the connections between the occupation of Palestine and the colonization of lands on this continent, and the parallels seem endless. Likewise, the continuity is strong when we respond to the 2005 BDS call from Palestinian civil society in conjunction with the demands for justice here. Because of this, I urge those of us in the Palestine liberation and “Occupy” movements to take this stand:

Just as we call on Israel to end its occupation and colonization of all Arab lands and dismantle the Wall, we too must call for Indigenous sovereignty over ancestral lands of this continent.

Just as we call on Israel to recognize the fundamental rights of the Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel to full equality, we must demand, and work for, the end of institutionalized racism in the U.S. and the end to continued acts of genocide towards indigenous people here.

Just as we call for the Palestinian Right of Return, we call for the end to the reservation system on this continent - with the acknowledgement of and reparations for the hundreds of treaties broken by the United States government against indigenous nations.

This moment in time holds the potential for real, systemic change. With so many peoples’ struggles interconnected, the possibilities are great. By broadening our scope to include everyone, we are able to hone-in more clearly on our targets: the end of imperialism, the return of lands to sovereign indigenous nations, and a life of health and dignity for all human beings and the planet.

"VIDEO – Tahrir Intifada enters day 3" -- from blog of Hossam El-Hamalawy

2011-11-21T21:45:00.000-08:00

http://youtu.be/9wJRNxsOVnU

from the blog of Hossam El-Hamalawy

Dallas Occupies Donald Rumsfeld Event

2011-11-21T17:24:00.000-08:00

http://youtu.be/VN3I43zCk5Y

Portland Police: Who Do You Serve?

2011-11-20T15:57:00.000-08:00

https://twitter.com/?photo_id=1#!/OccupyOregon/status/137807665781948416/photo/1

Occupy Seattle Community Dinner, Thursday, Nov. 24, 2 pm

2011-11-20T12:21:00.000-08:00

from Occupy Seattle calendar

Thu, November 24, 2pm – 6pm

Where: Gasworks Park ()

Description: We are gathering as a community, to share [Holiday formerly known as Thanksgiving] dinner in solidarity with Occupy Seattle and Occupy Wall Street. Please join us!

Sign up to bring a dish here:
http://www.luckypotluck.com/potluck/OccupySeattleThanksgiving

Ideas with accompanying implementers welcome! Would you like to organize transportation for the Occupiers? Connect us with musicians who would like to give their time and talents to this event? We will soon be posting a registry for people who would like to provide a cooked dish or hook up with supplies to prepare some food for this meal.

If you'd like to be an organiser for this event, please message me here. If you can't make it, but would like to support in other ways, we can use your help: You can run a food drive among your friends and co-workers, donate Sterno setups/tablecloths/candles/lighting, or loan tables and chairs for the event. If you can think of it, it will probably be helpful. If you'd like to be a donor/supporter, please email me at: info@publicmeanspublic.org

Most importantly, please invite everyone you know. There's room for everybody at this Thanksgiving table!

Occupy Will Not Collaborate w/the 1% & Their Enablers!

2011-11-19T16:43:00.000-08:00

from Glenn Greenwald's Salon column:
http://www.salon.com/2011/11/19/heres_what_attempted_co_option_of_ows_looks_like/singleton/

National Student Support for Stanford and Cal!!! Yay!

2011-11-19T16:11:00.000-08:00

http://youtu.be/IcsgZldwTP8

Occupy Seattle Foretells Repossession of Abandoned Homes

2011-11-19T16:02:00.000-08:00

#occupyseattle, #ows temporary occupation of abandoned building to plant seed for future of movement -- from #occupyseattle twitter feed

Thrilling Pictures of the New Tahrir Uprising -- Mosa'ab Elshamy

2011-11-19T15:53:00.000-08:00

from twitter:
mosaaberizing Mosa'ab Elshamy

My photos of the uprising in Tahrir today: flic.kr/s/aHsjwP5k8P

"War Criminals Not Welcome in Halifax" [Important Report on What U.S./NATO Up To]]

2011-11-19T09:22:00.000-08:00

http://dissidentvoice.org/2011/11/war-criminals-are-not-welcome-in-halifax/

EXCERPT:

In order to deal with the deepening crisis within NATO, Panetta is demanding the Anglo-U.S. “allies” absorb US military and Pentagon spending and foreign troop deployment. This is being done in the name of spending cuts demanded by the U.S. Congress and against the so-called “two-tiered NATO”, whereby the U.S. alleges it produces “security” while Europe “consumes” it. This demand has been embraced by the Harper government, with its so-called “transformation” of the Canadian Forces featuring boosting the number of combat-ready troops, the warship shipbuilding program and stealth jet fighters, and the establishment of military bases around the world.

CIA director Panetta continued Guantanamo, which was not shut down. In little-noticed testimony at his nomination hearing, Panetta said that if the approved techniques of torture were “not sufficient” to get a detainee to divulge details he was suspected of knowing about an imminent attack, he would ask for “additional authority.” In an internal memo issued April 9 2009 Panetta announced a blanket amnesty for all Bush officials, torturers and war criminals.

Panetta is committed to America’s “long war” including global warfare under the pretext of the “war on terrorism.”

Reminder: Vigil for a Free Palestine; End the Siege of Gaza- This Saturday at Westlake

2011-11-19T07:57:00.000-08:00

Join us this Saturday to call for an end to the Israeli & Egyptian siege on Gaza. Come support the Palestinian people in their struggle for Justice.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEIbUoSSiV4

Saturday, Nov.19

12:00 - 2:00pm
Westlake Plaza, 4th & Pine downtown Seattle

====================================

Amin Odeh
VoicesofPalestine.org
"Stand up for what is right, even if you are standing alone"

Journalist Suspended from National Press Club for Asking Saudi Prince Uncomfortable Question!

2011-11-18T09:06:00.000-08:00

http://www.antiwar.com/blog/2011/11/18/memo-proper-journalists-ought-to-be-subservient-to-power/print/

VIDEO AT LINK ABOVE:
Journalist Sam Husseini was suspended from The National Press Club for asking a Saudi Prince a tough question. His punishment indicates precisely what is wrong with journalism in this country.

At his blog, Husseini offers the transcript of the exchange ^[1]. His part may be difficult to hear so here it is:

Husseini: There’s been a lot of talk about the legitimacy of the Syrian regime, I want to know what legitimacy your regime has sir. You come before us, representative of one of the most autocratic, misogynistic regimes on the face of the earth. Human Rights Watch and other reports of torture detention of activist, you squelched the democratic uprising in Bahrain ^[2], you tried to overturn the ^[3]democratic uprising in Egypt ^[4] and indeed you continue to oppress your own people. What legitimacy does you regime have — other than billions of dollars and weapons ^[5]?

Husseini writes:

Later that afternoon, I got an email with the notice of suspension signed by McCarren. The letter states: “We are suspending your membership for two weeks, effective immediately, due to your conduct at a news conference held at the National Press Club on Tuesday, November 15, 2011. Your action was in direct violation of House Rule 4 and grounds for immediate suspension.

“House Rule No. 4 states: ‘Boisterous and unseemly conduct or language in or about the Club premises or in connection with any Club-sponsored event is prohibited. Any member so offending shall be liable for immediate suspension by any Member of the board or the manager or his designee pending investigation by the board, which shall render final action.’

“This matter will be review ed by the Club’s Ethics Committee. A meeting will be scheduled prior to the end of your two week suspension to discuss your conduct and the violation. The Chairperson of the Ethics Committee will contact you to schedule the meeting.

“In the meantime, you should not come to the Club or use its facilities for any reason.”

The charge is false. I did not engage in “boisterous and unseemly conduct or language” — I engaged in tough journalism with a powerful government official from an autocratic regime that is allied with the U.S. government. This apparently warrants suspension from the National Press Club in Executive Director McCarren’s view.

If U.S. Land Were Divided Like U.S. Wealth -- thanks Marion

2011-11-18T07:39:00.000-08:00

Wallstreeters Warned About Their Sinful Thieving Ways. ;)

2011-11-17T19:45:00.001-08:00

http://youtu.be/jNmKGiNBFeM

from kimsasha's channel on youtube

Zucotti Park Retaken on 2 Month Anniversary; Wallstreet Under Siege by Protestors

2011-11-17T09:30:00.000-08:00

Picture from Lucy Kafanov, Russia Today reporter: http://twitpic.com/7fex7z

More on March on Wallstreet & aggressive cop response today:
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/wall-street-occupied-evicted-99-leave-zuccotti-park-financial-district-protest-article-1.979111

Jewish Voice for Peace Solidarity with Palestinian Freedom Riders -- Super!

2011-11-16T12:12:00.000-08:00

http://youtu.be/2E7wzXTEYos

Dorli Sez "Screw Us and We Multiply"!

2011-11-16T10:14:00.000-08:00

Dorli's quote in many stories, including this at Raw Story:

This pic was taken on the trip Dorli, George Hickey and I and many Vets for Peace from Washington took to DC for the Stop the Machine occupation on Oct. 6.

"Israeli bystanders react to Freedom Rides" -- By Mya Guarnieri for the Alternative Information Center (AIC) 16 November 2011

2011-11-16T08:39:00.000-08:00

An off-duty Israeli soldier looks out the window, choosing to ignore the act of civil disobedience. When the Alternative Information Center asks her how she is feeling, she replies that she doesn’t have the energy to discuss it. While many Jewish Israelis were angered by the action–openly cursing the activists–a few said they were okay with it. Others stayed quiet, looking away, and refusing interviews.

http://alethonews.wordpress.com/2011/11/16/israeli-bystanders-react-to-freedom-rides/

EXCERPT:

As Palestinian activists stood at a bus stop in the Occupied West Bank yesterday, Jewish settlers made racist remarks. While the Israeli reaction to the Freedom Rides was overwhelmingly negative, the Freedom Riders presence on the bus sparked a debate between two young girls.

After a short press conference in Ramallah early Tuesday afternoon, journalists followed a van of six Palestinian Freedom Riders to a bus stop in the Jewish settlement of Psagot, which is located in the West Bank.

There, activists—who included Dr. Mazin Qumisyeh, a professor and the author of Popular Resistance in Palestine and Huwaida Arraf, a founder of the Free Gaza Movement—waited for a Jerusalem-bound bus. The Egged line they hoped to ride, 148, would pass through the Hizma checkpoint, entering the Jewish settlement of Pisgat Zeev, which is located in East Jerusalem, outside of the Green Line.

The Jewish Israelis who had been standing at the bus stop—a middle aged woman and an off-duty soldier—quickly distanced themselves from the activists, who were wearing keffiyeh and t-shirts bearing the words Freedom, Justice, and Dignity in Arabic and English.

Magi Amir, a resident of Rimonim, explained to the Alternative Information Center (AIC) that she moved away from the crowd because she heard people speaking Arabic.

“I don’t think they need to be here,” Amir continued. “They can be in their villages and their houses, why are they in our area? Can we go to Ramallah? If we go into Ramallah, they’ll kill us. Can we go into their villages or their areas? We can’t enter.”

Amir added that, in her opinion, Jewish Israelis can’t trust Palestinians or believe in them. “They’ll do terror attacks,” she said.

Other Jewish settlers who came and waited for the bus echoed Amir’s sentiment, remarking that they feared for their safety.

A 16-year-old Jewish Israeli, who wished to remain anonymous, said that the Freedom Riders shouldn’t be able to board the bus because, “It’s an Israeli bus.”

“We live here, this is our land,” he said.

When asked about those who feel differently, the boy replied, “Those who say this is Palestinian land don’t have proof.”

He added that Palestinians enjoy a lot of freedom. “We give them identity cards and they can do whatever they want.”

AIC asked the boy, a resident of Maale Adumim who wished to remain anonymous, if Palestinians can do whatever they want, then why can’t they ride a bus to Jerusalem?

“Okay,” he said. “They can do what they need to… I don’t want them boarding the bus.”

How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love the OWS Protests -- Matt Taibbi

2011-11-13T16:40:00.000-08:00

http://october2011.org/blogs/margaret-flowers/how-i-stopped-worrying-and-learned-love-ows-protests

EXCERPT:

We're a nation that was built on a thousand different utopian ideas, from the Shakers to the Mormons to New Harmony, Indiana. It was possible, once, for communities to experiment with everything from free love to an end to private property. But nowadays even the palest federalism is swiftly crushed. If your state tries to place tariffs on companies doing business with some notorious human-rights-violator state – like Massachusetts did, when it sought to bar state contracts to firms doing business with Myanmar – the decision will be overturned by some distant global bureaucracy like the WTO. Even if 40 million Californians vote tomorrow to allow themselves to smoke a joint, the federal government will never permit it. And the economy is run almost entirely by an unaccountable oligarchy in Lower Manhattan that absolutely will not sanction any innovations in banking or debt forgiveness or anything else that might lessen its predatory influence.
And here's one more thing I was wrong about: I originally was very uncomfortable with the way the protesters were focusing on the NYPD as symbols of the system. After all, I thought, these are just working-class guys from the Bronx and Staten Island who have never seen the inside of a Wall Street investment firm, much less had anything to do with the corruption of our financial system.
But I was wrong. The police in their own way are symbols of the problem. All over the country, thousands of armed cops have been deployed to stand around and surveil and even assault the polite crowds of Occupy protesters. This deployment of law-enforcement resources already dwarfs the amount of money and manpower that the government "committed" to fighting crime and corruption during the financial crisis. One OWS protester steps in the wrong place, and she immediately has police roping her off like wayward cattle. But in the skyscrapers above the protests, anything goes.
This is a profound statement about who law enforcement works for in this country. What happened on Wall Street over the past decade was an unparalleled crime wave. Yet at most, maybe 1,500 federal agents were policing that beat – and that little group of financial cops barely made any cases at all. Yet when thousands of ordinary people hit the streets with the express purpose of obeying the law and demonstrating their patriotism through peaceful protest, the police response is immediate and massive. There have already been hundreds of arrests, which is hundreds more than we ever saw during the years when Wall Street bankers were stealing billions of dollars from retirees and mutual-fund holders and carpenters unions through the mass sales of fraudulent mortgage-backed securities.
It's not that the cops outside the protests are doing wrong, per se, by patrolling the parks and sidewalks. It's that they should be somewhere else. They should be heading up into those skyscrapers and going through the file cabinets to figure out who stole what, and from whom. They should be helping people get their money back. Instead, they're out on the street, helping the Blankfeins of the world avoid having to answer to the people they ripped off.
People want out of this fiendish system, rigged to inexorably circumvent every hope we have for a more balanced world. They want major changes. I think I understand now that this is what the Occupy movement is all about. It's about dropping out, if only for a moment, and trying something new, the same way that the civil rights movement of the 1960s strived to create a "beloved community" free of racial segregation. Eventually the Occupy movement will need to be specific about how it wants to change the world. But for right now, it just needs to grow. And if it wants to sleep on the streets for a while and not structure itself into a traditional campaign of grassroots organizing, it should. It doesn't need to tell the world what it wants. It is succeeding, for now, just by being something different.

The Many - Makana

2011-11-13T14:50:00.000-08:00

Amazing story of how this song was sung to world leaders, including Obama: http://my.firedoglake.com/profmarcus/2011/11/13/an-amazing-triumph-apec-dinner-gala-in-hawaii-last-night-gets-occupied/

Palestinian Freedom Riders to Challenge Segregation By Riding Settler Buses to Jerusalem: November 15, 2011

2011-11-09T07:36:00.000-08:00

http://occupiedpalestine.wordpress.com/2011/11/09/palestinian-freedomrides-video/

Palestinian activists will reenact the US Civil Rights Movement’s Freedom Rides to the American South by boarding segregated Israeli public transportation in the West Bank to travel to occupied East Jerusalem.

Palestinian activists will attempt to board segregated Israeli public transportation headed from inside the West Bank to occupied East Jerusalem in an act of civil disobedience inspired by the Freedom Riders of the U.S. Civil Rights Movement in the 60′s.

Fifty years after the U.S. Freedom Riders staged mixed-race bus rides through the roads of the segregated American South, Palestinian Freedom Riders will be asserting their right for liberty and dignity by disrupting the military regime of the Occupation through peaceful civil disobedience.

The Freedom Riders seek to highlight Israel’s attempts to illegally sever occupied East Jerusalem from the rest of the West Bank, and the apartheid system that Israel has imposed on Palestinians in the occupied territories.

Several Israeli companies, among them Egged and Veolia, operate dozens of lines that run through the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, many of them subsidized by the state. They run between different Israeli settlements, connecting them to each other and cities inside Israel. Some lines connecting Jerusalem to other cities inside Israel, such as Eilat and Beit She’an, are also routed to pass through the West Bank.

Israelis suffer almost no limitations on their freedom of movement in the occupied Palestinian territory, and are even allowed to settle in it, contrary to international law. Palestinians, in contrast, are not allowed to enter Israel without procuring a special permit from Israeli authorities. Even Palestinian movement inside the Occupied Territories is heavily restricted, with access to occupied East Jerusalem and some 8% of the West Bank in the border area also forbidden without a similar permit.

While it is not officially forbidden for Palestinians to use Israeli public transportation in the West Bank, these lines are effectively segregated, since many of them pass through Jewish-only settlements, to which Palestinian entry is prohibited by a military decree.

Wayne State University Students Hold Israel Accountable

2011-11-07T15:25:00.000-08:00

http://youtu.be/k-QqnRj8Ax4

I do love the beginning with the Pop Goes the Weasel reference.

Thanks, Wayne State Students, for not standing idly by!

Farewell to My Sweet Brother Roger Ramstead

2011-11-06T11:04:00.000-08:00

Carefree highway, you seen better days
The mornin' after blues from my head down to my shoes
Carefree highway, let me slip away
Slip away on you

A wonderful musician and a good brother. Goodbye on Nov. 4, 2011.

From A Freedom Wave Prisoner: I write to you from cell 9,of the Apartheid State of Israel

2011-11-06T07:53:00.000-08:00

Dear sisters and brothers, friends and loved ones,

I write to you from cell 9, block 59 Givon Prison near Ramla in Occupied Palestine. Although I was tasered during the assault on the Tahrir, and bruised during forcible removal dockside (I am limping slightly as a result) I am basically ok. We, Ehab, Michael, Karen from Tahrir, as well as Karen, Kit (US) and Jihan who we saw briefly this morning. We are most concerned about our Tahrir shipmate, Palestinian Majd Kayyal from Haifa, last seen by us at Ashdod being photographed and put in a police car.*

Although Michael and I (among others) were transported in handcuffs and leg shackles, let me stress that we are neither criminals nor illegal immigrants but rather political prisoners of the apartheid state of Israel. Four from the Tahrir are imprisoned with 12 Irish comrades from the Saoirse, who have more experience with such issues. The four of us, Ehab and I (Cdn), Michael (Aus) and Hassan (UK) have joined with the Irish in their political prisoners' committee in order to press our collective demands:

association in the block - i.e. open cells
adequate writing and reading material
free communication with outside world - i.e. regular phone calls
information about shipmate women held at same prison

We add one Tahrir-specific demand: that Israeli state recognize the professional status of Democracy Now journalist Jihan Hafiz in accordance with her credentials from the US government. All political incarceration is unjust but let me stress that in duration and conditions, our situation pales in comparison to the plight of thousands of Palestinian political prisoners and to the open air prison of Gaza.

If you have energy to devote to solidarity actions in the coming days, please concentrate on them. We must get Tahrir back and hope Freedom Waves continue.

Free Majd Kayyal! Free all political prisoners! Free Gaza! Free Palestine!

Anishnabe-debuewin, restons humaine, stay human, in love and struggle,

David Heap of London, Ontario

* Majd Kayyal was released, but it appears the other political prisoners weren't told where he was taken.

Occupy Oakland! Not Palestine! At Nov. 2, 2011 Oakland General Strike

2011-11-02T19:10:00.000-07:00

Occupy Seattle Moves to Seattle Central Community College!

2011-10-29T21:44:00.000-07:00

Trick or Treat

2011-10-28T19:54:00.000-07:00

Mr. Fish from Palestinian Pundit

NATO Global Robo-Cop -- Pepe Escobar

2011-10-28T12:59:00.001-07:00

http://youtu.be/4kmx3ZLpn5Q

Occupy Wall Street not Palestine! Join Voices of Palestine at Westlake this Saturday...

2011-10-27T17:18:00.000-07:00

To call for an End to U.S funding of the Israeli Occupation of Palestine!

Noon-2:00PM

Westlake Park, 4th & Pine

Occupy Wall Street not Palestine!

We are part of the world’s 99% yearning for freedom, justice and equal rights!

If a people one day wills to live fate must answer its call
And the night must fade and the chain must break

Abou-Al-kacem El-Chebbi (Tunisia)

Occupied Palestine, October 13 -The Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions National Committee (BNC), the largest Palestinian civil society coalition struggling for Palestinian rights, is proud to stand in solidarity with the movements struggling for a new world based on democracy, human rights and economic justice. From New York to Athens, from Madrid to Santiago, from Bahrain to Rome, these huge mobilisations provide a much needed reminder of something that Palestinians have always known – that another world, a dignifying one, is possible and ordinary people can create it.

Our aspirations overlap; our struggles converge. Our oppressors, whether greedy corporations or military occupations, are united in profiting from wars, pillage, environmental destruction, repression and impoverishment. We must unite in our common quest for freedoms, equal rights, social and economic justice, environmental sanity, and world peace. We can no longer afford to be splintered and divided; we can no longer ignore our obligations to join hands in the struggle against wars and corporate exploitation and for a human-friendly world community not a profit-maximizing jungle.

The Occupy Wall Street movement and its counterparts across the US, Europe, Latin America and elsewhere are — at least partially — inspired by the Arab Spring for democracy and social justice. Leaders of the Arab popular revolts tell us that they, in turn, were largely inspired by our own, decades-old struggle against Israel’s occupation of our land, its system of discrimination that matches the UN’s definition of apartheid, and its denial of the right of Palestinian refugees to return home.

The rapidly emerging movement for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) against Israel until it complies with international law is a key and effective part of the Palestinian struggle. Anchored in universal principles of human rights and struggling for freedom, justice and equality, the BDS movement, established in 2005, is deeply rooted in decades of Palestinian peaceful resistance to colonial oppression and is inspired by the South African struggle against apartheid as well as the civil rights movement in the US. It is adopted by a near consensus among Palestinians everywhere, with all the main political parties, trade unions, professional syndicates, women’s unions, student groups, NGO networks and refugee advocacy networks represented in the BNC, the reference for this growing movement to end Israeli impunity.

The Palestinian-led BDS movement is a global effort of groups, from South Africa to Britain, from Canada to India, and within Israel itself, all committed to ending Israel’s denial of basic Palestinian rights. It is endorsed by towering moral leaders of the calibre of Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Holocaust survivor and co-author of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Stephane Hessel. It is supported by world renowned cultural and intellectual figures such as Alice Walker, Naomi Klein, Roger Waters, Judith Butler, Sarah Schulman, John Berger, Ken Loach, John Greyson, and Adrienne Rich. Massive trade union federations such as COSATU (South Africa), CUT (Brazil), TUC (UK), ICTU (Ireland), among many others, have also adopted BDS.

South Africa), CUT (Brazil), TUC (UK), ICTU (Ireland), among many others, have also adopted BDS.

The movement has scored in the last two years some spectacular achievements when internationally renowned artists and music groups heeded the cultural boycott of Israel and refused to perform there or cancelled scheduled appearances. These have included the Pixies, Elvis Costello, Snoop Dogg, Meg Ryan, Vanessa Paradis, Gil Scott-Heron, among many others. The Norwegian state pension fund, among others, major European banks and some corporations have all been convinced to divest from businesses implicated in Israel’s violations of international law. Increasingly, BDS is recognized as a civic movement capable of ending Israeli impunity and, crucially, contributing to the global struggle against the war-mongering, racist agenda which Israel has persistently played a key role in.

So as you break your own chains and build your own effective resistance against corporate tyranny, we ask you to demand a just peace for all the peoples in the Middle East, based on international law and equal human rights. Palestinians, too, are part of the 99% around the world that suffer at the hands of the 1% whose greed and ruthless quest for hegemony have led to unspeakable suffering and endless war. Corporate power has not just profited from our suffering but has colluded in maintaining Israel’s occupation and apartheid to perpetuate an unjust order that profits oil and military companies and multinational financial institutions.

We call upon all the spreading social movements of the world to think critically when considering their attitude towards the Israeli ‘social justice’ protests, which have almost completely ignored the key issue at the heart of all of the problems faced by ordinary Palestinians and even Israelis: Israel’s costly system of occupation, colonialism and apartheid over the Palestinian people. Without putting an end to that multi-tiered Israeli system of oppression, our entire region will never enjoy a comprehensive and lasting peace, one that is based on justice and human rights.

Money for jobs, health and education, not for racist oppression and occupation!
Nowhere is this more important than in the United States. Despite Israel’s persistent denial of Palestinian rights, the US has provided Israel with unconditional political and military assistance that directly contributes to the denial of Palestinian rights, but also to the problems faced by ordinary US citizens. Could the $24bn of military aid provided to Israel in the period 2000-2009 not been better spent on schools, healthcare and other essential services? Did Israel not play a major role in prodding the US to launch and continue its wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, at immense human and material cost, mainly borne by the poorest in those countries?

But, we must remind ourselves all the time that this struggle will never be easy, and reaching our objectives never inevitable. As Martin Luther King once said:

Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle. And so we must straighten our backs and work for our freedom. A man can’t ride you unless your back is bent.

The refreshing scenes of determined peaceful protest for justice from around the world tell us that we, the 99% of the world, are in the process of straightening our backs, collectively, with unwavering fortitude and boundless hope.

- BNC Secretariat

Amin Odeh
VoicesofPalestine.org

"Stand up for what is right, even if you are standing alone"

Meet the 0.01 Percent: War Profiteers

2011-10-27T10:23:00.000-07:00

http://youtu.be/ipM_wRnAzSY

Occupy Oakland Calls for General Strike 11/2 -- Here's Info on Oakland's Last General Strike 1946

2011-10-27T09:20:00.000-07:00

EXCERPT:

The Oakland General Strike revealed fundamental characteristics of a national and not simply a regional mood. Its events combined to make a statement of working-class awareness that World War II had not been fought for democracy. Or, more pointedly, it was a retaliation for the absence of democracy that the people in industry and the armed forces had experienced while 'fighting to save democracy in a war to end all wars'. The focus of people's lives was still on the war. They hadn't fought what they believed to be 'a war against fascism' to return home and have their strikes broken and unions housebroken.

http://libcom.org/library/oakland-general-strike-stan-weir

The Razing of Occupy Oakland at Sunrise -- Mike King

2011-10-26T17:10:00.000-07:00

http://www.counterpunch.org/2011/10/26/the-razing-of-occupy-oakland-at-sunrise/

EXCERPT (via Aletho News):

Who Occupies Oakland?

The order of the day is to decolonize, transform, and liberate Oakland. This means being real about who actually occupies Oakland. Politically, economically, discursively, militarily – the Oakland police run this town. At one point Tuesday morning a phalanx of riot cops blocked us from the scores of other cops tearing down free schools, medical clinics, a kitchen, dozens of tents, our abandoned barricades – a whole mini-township and community that had been built over the last two weeks. A young protester yelled at the police line that they had brought a ‘fascist police state’ to the city. The truth is that all that happened was a geographical redeployment of an already existing militarized police force from the Deep East, Fruitvale, and West Oakland into downtown for the night. What the racially and politically diverse Occupy Oakland encampment faced in the early hours of the morning was a glimmer of the daily, lived experience of black and brown working class people in this city. From racial profiling gang injunctions to recently fast-tracked curfews, and ongoing killings of unarmed black men, there has been a police state here for many years – that means more than evictions, but life and death.

Oakland has long been occupied by a police force that lives largely elsewhere, in comfortable suburban homes bought and furnished by exorbitant salaries that start at $90,000 per year, for rookies, before overtime. The police are not part of the 99% – that goes without saying. They are obviously not in the top 1% of earners either, no matter how hard their Chief and union have been trying to get them there. Furthermore, the whole ‘99%’ language glosses over contradictions, erases oppression and paralyzes us, in a similar sense that consensus does. While we shouldn’t shun populism, we erase and reproduce a whole lot of inequality by using this frame. While the percentage may not be 99%, most of the people who live in this city not only want change – they need it. The first part of destroying inequality is shedding light on it. The first step to undermining it is recognizing privilege and oppression in a way that builds solidarity and trust through engaged political work all over the city. That work has begun and will continue.

From Speaking Truth to Power, to Becoming Our Own Power

We are in the initial stages of what will be a long series of struggles. We shouldn’t be wedded to any static plan or draw from outdated blueprints or de-contextualized (or unintelligible) theories. The inequalities we seek to destroy are primarily political – about power and self-determination – or the lack thereof. The general sentiment of the Occupy movement is about transcending existing political institutions, about ridding ourselves of politicians, not replacing them. I think that those of us who hadn’t come to the conclusion already are beginning to see that speaking truth to power is not a strategy, or even a logical impulse.

The movement from the occupation of public parks to the occupation of private property, workplaces, universities, shuttered public schools in many cities, foreclosed homes, etc. is a likely scenario in the coming months. Tactical escalation will necessitate political and organizational development to broaden our bases and begin to gain the active and engaged support of larger and larger segments of the broader society. The movement needs to align itself with the struggles of the most oppressed – making issues like police brutality and occupation in communities of color, persecution of immigrants and acute joblessness central – while also linking with university student struggles over fees, student loans, and cuts, and with workers inside and outside of workplaces. The State’s biggest fear is the coalescing of these populations and the existing movements around these issues. We saw this in the non-profit/police/media/politician mantra of outside agitators when anarchists joined the Oscar Grant struggle. Their biggest fear is in our solidarity, in our collaboration and potential cohesion. We need to figure a way to be their waking, spreading, ever-present nightmare.

The idea that 99% of the population in this country is going to support a just social order, here and now, is more than a little naive, but believing that simple protest and activism alone will transform this society is even more naive. We need to build our own political structures and our own politics, rooted in participatory and accountable democratic processes at the local level.

I am not proposing a vanguard party or even a platform. I am simply trying to push the conversation. We shouldn’t misread the Zapatista call to ‘make the road by walking it’ as being synonymous with the old deadhead slogan ‘Not all who wander are lost.’ We don’t have to march in line, but we don’t have time to wander.

If we, in fact, ‘want everything,’ lets figure out how to get it. And then get on with getting it.

Mike King is a PhD candidate at UC–Santa Cruz and East Bay activist. He can be reached at mking(at)ucsc.edu

Washington State's Governor Hounding Vulnerable Workers While Microsoft Dodges Taxes

2011-10-26T15:35:00.000-07:00

So Gov. Gregoire wants state employees to pay more for their healthcare: http://today.seattletimes.com/2011/10/gregoire-wants-to-renegotiate-state-employee-health-care-benefits/

I called her office 360-902-4111 and told her to get back the taxes Microsoft (based in Bellevue) has dodged by hiding profit in Nevada before she goes after state workers
http://microsofttaxdodge.com/tax-evasion/

The Arms Firm Behind the Suppression of #OccupyOakland & Palestine’s Popular Struggle ~ by @MaxBlumenthal

2011-10-26T09:20:00.000-07:00

http://occupiedpalestine.wordpress.com/2011/10/26/the-arms-firm-behind-the-suppression-of-occupyoakland-and-palestines-popular-struggle-by-maxblumenthal/

ARTICLE FOUND AT ABOVE LINK
With the rise of the Occupy Wall Street, a new generation of mostly middle class Americans is learning for the first time about the militarization of their local police forces. And they are learning the hard way, through confrontations with phalanxes of riot cops armed with the latest in “non-lethal” crowd control weaponry. Yesterday’s protests in Oakland, California were the site of perhaps the harshest police violence leveled against the Occupy movement so far. Members of the Oakland Police Department and the California Sheriff’s Department attacked unarmed protesters with teargas canisters, beanbag rounds, percussion grenades, and allegedly with rubber bullets, leaving a number of demonstrators with deep contusions and bloody head wounds. It is not difficult to imagine such scenes becoming commonplace as the Occupy protests intensify across the country.

The police repression on display in Oakland reminded me of tactics I witnessed the Israeli army employ against Palestinian popular struggle demonstrations in occupied West Bank villages like Nabi Saleh, Ni’lin and Bilin. So I was not surprised when I learned that the same company that supplies the Israeli army with teargas rounds and other weapons of mass suppression is selling its dangerous wares to the Oakland police. The company is Defense Technology, a Casper, Wyoming based arms firm that claims to “specialize in less lethal technology” and other “crowd management products.” Defense Tech sells everything from rubber-coated teargas rounds that bounce in order to maximize gas dispersal to 40 millimeter “direct impact” sponge rounds to “specialty impact” 12 gauge rubber bullets.

[Left: a teargas round fired at Occupy Oakland was manufactured in Casper, Wyoming, the home of Defense Technology]

Defense Tech’s literature concedes that “information is somewhat difficult to obtain” on the damage its weapons can do to the human body. However, company researchers were able to determine that a beanbag round fired from a 12 gauge shotgun exerts the same kinetic impact as a .22 caliber bullet. “The result is blunt trauma with no penetration,” Defense Tech researchers wrote. Wounds suffered yesterday by protesters in Oakland provided vivid confirmation of the conclusion.
Defense Tech products have also injured numerous protesters who attended the weekly demonstrations in Bilin, an occupied Palestinian village waging an unarmed struggle against Israel’s confiscation of its farmland in order to build its separation wall. Jawaher Abu Rahme, a 36-year-old resident of Bilin, died this year of asphyxiation from Israeli tear gas rounds. Her brother, Bassem, was killed two years earlier when he was struck in the chest by a high velocity teargas shell (see video of his killing here). Activists arriving on the scene after Jawaher Abu Rahme’s death found spent teargas shells marked with the Defense Tech label.

[Left: Occupy Oakland demonstrators retrieved a shotgun shell used to propel beanbag rounds and an alleged rubber bullet]

Some Occupy Wall Street activists have argued that Palestine must segregated from the movement’s agenda. It is a distraction from the essential economic issues that drive the protests, they say, and turns the majority of Americans off. But the issue is becoming increasingly difficult to avoid now that the protesters are confronted with the very same weapons Israel uses to crush unarmed Palestinian resistance.

Defense Tech is owned by BAE Systems, a global weapons manufacturer with customers in more than 100 countries. BAE is currently trading at 280 pounds a share on the London Stock Exchange.

At Occupy Oakland: Single Navyman faces riot police after they fire tear gas. he holds a copy of the US constitution

2011-10-26T09:06:00.000-07:00

http://twitpic.com/75w5hc#.TqeWCJoiSUQ.facebook

Drowning Out Foreclosures at Seattle's King Co. Admin Bldg.

2011-10-21T13:46:00.000-07:00

http://youtu.be/sw6_ydLcFU8

Reserve next Friday, Oct. 28 for another action to stop these immoral and illegal foreclosure sales. Check with #uncutseattle #occupyseattle and ourwashington.net to find about these important interventions.

The Libya Secret: How West Cooked Up the "People's Uprising"

2011-10-20T11:53:00.000-07:00

http://whowhatwhy.com/2011/08/31/now-that-we%e2%80%99re-celebrating-qaddafi%e2%80%99s-end-can-we-get-a-little-truth/print/

EXCERPT:

As I write this, a new day is dawning in Libya. The “people’s revolt” against yet another tyrant is unquestionably exciting, and the demise (political and/or otherwise) of Muammar Qaddafi will, of course, be widely hailed. But barely below the surface something else is going on, and it concerns not the Libyan “people”, but an elite. In reality, a narrowly-based Libyan elite is being supplanted by a much older, more enduring one of an international variety.

The media, as is so often the case, has botched its job. Thus virtually all of its resources over the past six months have gone into providing us with an entertainment, a horse race, a battle, with almost no insight into the deeper situation..

***

It’s true that Qaddafi, like many—perhaps a majority of—rulers in his region, was a thug and a brute, if at times a comical figure. But one doesn’t need to be an apologist for him—nor deny the satisfaction of seeing the citizenry joyously celebrating his ouster—to demand some honesty about the motives behind his removal. Especially when it comes to our own government’s role in funding it, and thus every American’s unwitting participation in that action.

Let’s start with the official justification for NATO’s launch of its bombing campaign—for without that campaign, it’s highly improbable the rebels could ever have toppled Qaddafi. We were told from the beginning that the major purpose of what was to be very limited bombing—indeed, its sole purpose—was to protect those Libyan civilians rebelling against an oppressive regime from massive retaliation by Qaddafi. Perhaps because of NATO’s initial intervention, the feared Qaddafi-sponsored, genocidal bloodletting never did occur. (At least, not beyond the military actions one would expect a government to take when facing a civil war: after all, remember General Sherman’s “scorched earth” policy in the US Civil War?). However, protecting civilians apparently didn’t generate sufficient public support for intervention, so we started to hear about other purported reasons for it. Qaddafi was encouraging his soldiers to…commit mass rape! And giving them Viagra! And condoms!
You can’t make this sort of thing up. And yet that’s just what the NATO crew did—made it up. The media, always glad to have a “sexy” story, especially a sick sexy story, even a sick sexy story with no evidence to back it up, covered this ad nauseum, but never bothered to find out if it was true.

Freedom Plaza Occupation in DC Shuts Down CitiBank

2011-10-20T09:50:00.000-07:00

http://october2011.org/blogs/kevin-zeese/october2011-movement-closes-citibank-protest-record-profits-made-expense-human-nee

Washington, DC - A group of 40 protesters marched to the Citibank, a subsidiary of Citigroup, at 14th and G Streets NW this morning to protest the announcement of the seventh consecutive quarter of massive profits while the economy continues to collapse. The protesters succeeded in shutting the bank down.
Six protesters, including a video team remained inside the building, protesting the tax avoidance by Citibank through off-shore tax havens, continued foreclosures, choking the economy by not making loans, usury credit card rates, low pay of bank tellers while exorbitant pay for executives. Police have been called to the scene.
Leah Bolger, an October2011.org organizer who is a vice president of Vets for Peace said: "Citibank needs to be held accountable for its role in collapsing the economy and profiting from that collapse. As the largest recipient of bail out dollars, Citibank owes the American people and needs to stop foreclosures now, re-make mortgages so they are consistent with true housing values and stop avoiding taxes."
Citigroup, one of the nation’s largest banking and investment firms, reported yesterday that their quarterly earnings are up $3.8 billion, 74% higher than a year ago. Citigroup continues to foreclose on mortgages. They hold back loans to small businesses and consumers. They choke the economy while they are profiting massively.
"This is a slap in the face to the average American who earns miniscule interest rates on the money they have in Citigroup banks, are unable to obtain loans and mortgages, and are being forced to pay all sorts of fees and charges just to access their own money,: said Kevin Zeese of October2011.org. "The sweetheart settlement with the SEC announced today is an insult. Citigroup profits $1 billion from selling fraudulent derivatives and gets fined $285 million."
Citigroup’s profits are typical of the banking industry in general who accepted billions in bailout loans from the American people, yet now seem to think that the money belongs to them personally.
Here is a list of complaints against Citibank:
1. Citigroup has paid ZERO corporate taxes for the last four years.
2. Citigroup has 427 subsidiaries in foreign tax havens to hide their profits.
3. Citigroup was the LARGEST recipient of federal bailout money-- $476 billion.
4. CEO John Havens receives $9.5 million annually, while paying their tellers $12.65 an hour.
5. Citigroup just posted a 3^rd quarter net profit of $3.8 billion, a 74% increase over last year.

Occupy Wall Street: What You Can Demand versus What You Must DO by Black Agenda Report Exec. Editor Glen Ford

2011-10-19T09:04:00.000-07:00

http://blackagendareport.com/content/occupy-wall-street-what-you-can-demand-versus-what-you-must-do

Occupy Wall Street activists are under some pressures to come up with demands to make of the powerful. However, “in many cases, there is no point in demanding anything from your enemy, except that he drop dead in a hurry.” If Wall Street is an unadulterated evil as many OWS folks claim – and they are right – then what is to be demanded of the banksters and their friends? That they commit suicide, forthwith? And how do you reform a cancer away? “Well before 1999, Wall Street power had passed the point where it could be controlled by conventional regulation.”

If the signage at the Wall Street occupation site and its thousands of satellites around the country tells the tale, the dominant sentiment in the nascent movement is that finance capital be ejected from the commanding heights of power. True, there are myriad other issues in the churning mix of leaderless people power, but this is the tie that binds, without which centrifugal forces would have hurled the small, founding band of organizers into oblivion. Washington, DC’s Freedom Plaza, the other pole of the occupation force field, was established by significantly older, veteran activists, some of whom have wished Wall Street dead since the days before the bankers murdered and cannibalized (liquidated!) the last Titan of Industry.

Having challenged the plutocrats and all their minions – and gaining majority support of the American people in the process – the “movement” is called upon, from inside and out, to make specific demands. Of course, Old Fred taught us that power concedes nothing without a demand. But the wrong demands can undo a popular project, so this is not something to rush into. And, in many cases, there is no point in demanding anything from your enemy, except that he drop dead in a hurry.

It is by no means clear to me that all of the folks who claim to be bankster-slayers really want to kill the beast, or merely attempt to shrink or tame it. The logic of political economy, historical experience and common sense dictates that, if the vast wealth and power that flows from concentrated private capital is what allowed Wall Street to achieve hegemony over every important aspect of U.S. society, then concentrated capital must be vanquished; that it be given no space or opportunity to regroup to make further war on democracy.

Ah, democracy, the other dominant current in the occupation conversation. What does a
movement of the 99% versus the 1% mean by democracy, when measured against the privileges of money? Is it acceptable that any human being wield a million times as much influence on society as the average Josephine, by virtue of his wealth or connections to money? What about the only somewhat rich, with a few thousand times as much societal clout? Would they be prevented, like parolees, from fraternizing with their peers, lest they combine to exercise mega-clout? And, what about when these rich guys put on their masks and call themselves “The Markets.” Will we allow them to run around freely, buying and selling stuff to make millions (and then billions and derivative trillions) for themselves while, as a byproduct, affecting the terms of life for all the rest of us, wholly outside the democratic process or any civilized notion of development?
Does anyone seriously believe that today’s Masters of the Universe will allow themselves to be shut out – as a class – of the electoral pathways to state power, without wreaking havoc on an impudent society through their current control of every lever of power and the sheer crush of their money? One cannot simply leave the hegemon intact, allowing him to retain all the powers of concentrated capital that made him Master, and expect him to accept the new limitations.

The idea that the plutocrats can be quarantined from power, while remaining plutocrats, is absurd. And no, there is no difference between Warren Buffet, the Koch brothers, Bill Gates, Michael Bloomberg, the Walton (Mal-Mart) family and the late Steven Jobs. Their very existence is an insult to any legitimate concept of democracy. Every one of them would kill a million people to preserve his billions. They already do.
A movement must be prepared to break the plutocrats’ power – confiscate his fortune or make it impossible to spend – or find themselves like Lilliputians trying to tie down a huge and vicious unchained Gulliver while he stomps on you like roaches.

There is a nostalgia and romanticism in some neighborhoods of the movement – understanding that anyone is welcome to wander in and claim membership – that has echoes in the Tea Party. A Washington Post column by Barry Ritholtz [4], an author and head of a quantitative research firm, offers advice to the OWS movement. He wants to “bring back real capitalism,” with no bank bailouts. His closely related position is to end “too big to fail” banks in order to “restore competition.” None of this works, however, if the “real” finance capitalism at this stage in its development is exactly what we have experienced: an inherently unstable system that inexorably moves toward further consolidation, suborning every social institution along the way as a consequence of its very nature. If capitalism is in deep crisis – which is the case – and if the nature of that crisis compels finance capitalist institutions to search for ever-increasing returns through rigged markets, derivatives, systematic looting of vulnerable communities, overseas plunder under U.S. military protection and wholesale privatization of public assets in the developed capitalist countries, all of which requires massive corruption of the political and moral life of the home society, then we have simply experienced late-stage finance capitalism as it actually exists. Ritholtz would have us send the banks back to some previous era, where they will regain the vigor and moral uplift of youth.

Ritholtz clearly loves banks, or the idea of banks, and would never transfer their societal functions – which they no longer fulfill – to public entities under democratic direction. He thinks “competition” will solve the problem. However, Ritholtz does support a constitutional amendment to keep corporate money out of congressional elections, which I suppose gets his nose under the broad OWS tent, so to speak.

What about bringing back Glass-Steagall, the 1932 law that separated investment banking from commercial banking, but was repealed in 1999 under President Bill Clinton? Would reinstatement of Glass-Steagall fit the bill for meaningful reform worthy of OWS? I don’t think so. If the power of Wall Street was such in 1999 that a Democratic administration would collaborate in repeal of a foundational New Deal economic pillar, then finance capital was already hegemonic. Well before 1999, Wall Street power had passed the point where it could be controlled by conventional regulation. Rather, the struggle is to free society from its fatal embrace. There is no reforming Wall Street, only its dismantling and simultaneous replacement by public institutions for allocating capital for human needs and development.

The crisis of capitalism is the hegemony of finance capital, which is beyond repair. $16 trillion dollars in infusions from the public sector under President Obama – more than the gross domestic product of the United States – have failed to cause Wall Street to function as a social asset of the nation or the global economy. Quite the opposite; finance capital preys on the real economy and is most responsible for devouring and privatizing the public sector, leaving the people naked to the predations of a dying and parasitic system.

People can choose to be ruled by rich men who call themselves “markets” or they can trust themselves to erect public institutions that are responsive to human needs. For four weeks now, the swelling OWS movement has claimed to be contemplating how to harness democracy and end plutocracy. Since it is patently clear that plutocrats and democracy cannot coexist, the project is to rid us of the plutocrats, while there’s still time to save our world. Once that’s understood, the rest is in the details.

Their Occupation Is Going Just Great!

2011-10-17T20:21:00.000-07:00

Oh, Geez!. I'm officially elderly! Occupy Seattle says so.

2011-10-17T16:03:00.000-07:00

Police are ticketing an elderly couple who pulled their car up to Westlake to deliver hot coffee to occupiers. #Occupyseattle

Doug says if he is elderly, they should let him quit working!

"This Land Is Your Land" -- No Right to Peacably Assemble Though!

2011-10-16T20:25:00.000-07:00

http://youtu.be/61AsYeJqfXg

We're Fired Up; Won't Take It No More - Occupy Seattle Oct. 15

2011-10-15T20:54:00.001-07:00

The beautiful lady with the keffiyeh is my Washington DC Freedom Plaza buddy Dorli. The rest of the pics are our banners and the crowed (3,000!) at Occupy Seattle today. We [voicesofpalestine.org] had overwhelmingly positive comments on the banners; very gratifying.

Now the night of 500 tents is under way. They had many many tents in the middle of Westlake Park. The pink one pictured is from a resident of Nicklesville, the homeless encampment still needing a permanent space after years of wandering because of the city's intransigence.

Holding Justice Hostage: An Interview with Glenn Greenwald

2011-10-14T10:21:00.000-07:00

http://www.thepolitic.org/articles/86/a-conversation-with-glenn-greenwald-columnist-for-saloncom

EXCERPT:

The Politic: Next, I’d like to ask you about your upcoming book. In it, you argue that American justice has become a two-tiered system, with no mercy for the little guy, yet granting total immunity to the ruling class. What do you think are at the roots of that inequality?
Greenwald: Well, it’s always been the case that if you are rich and powerful, you have an advantage in the legal system. But it used to be the case that we embraced the principle of equality under the law. It was imbued throughout the writings of the Founders. Granted, the Founders believed in pretty vast inequality—some people were talented and others were pretty ordinary, and some would be rich and others would be poor—and they were fine with that, as long as there were a common set of rules that bound everybody. And so even as we failed to live up to the principle of equality before the law, we were at least appealing to it as an aspiration, and that’s what historically enabled us to move forward, leaving behind the vast inequality of our past and moving toward equality. But I think beginning with Gerald Ford’s pardon of Nixon—if you look back and read contemporary accounts, most Americans were against the pardon, and most elites were in favor of it. The rationale used by elites as to why the pardon was necessary became the standard rationale as to why elites generally should be immunized from the rule of law: “it’s too disruptive to hold people like this accountable, they have already been punished enough by being criticized and scorned. We need them, and if we bring the kind of political disruption that prosecutions bring, it’s harmful to the common good.” The difference is that we now explicitly repudiate the idea of the rule of law for political elites. And we have actually a whole series of platitudes and clichés—

The Politic: “Look forward, not backward.”
Greenwald: Exactly. And that was what was said about Watergate, what was said about Iran-Contra, what was said about other George Bush 41 controversies like Iraqgate. But the problem isn’t leniency in general. The real problem is the contrast between the extreme leniency granted to elites, and the fact that America for the rest of us has become the largest prison state in the world. It’s because both parties became the party of law and order and tried to prove their bona fides through things like minimum sentencing guidelines and harsh prison terms for things that no other western country imprisons people for at all. It’s a complete departure from the way the law was supposed to be the anchor to legitimize everything else.

The Politic: So what do you think can be done to limit or end this practice?
Greenwald: The problem is that it’s in the interests of both parties to perpetuate it; when one of them is in power, they know they can break the law without consequences, as long as they protect the other party from consequences. As the New York Times referred to Obama’s opposition to investigating torture in late 2008, it’s an ongoing gentlemen’s agreement. It’s obviously in the interests of elites to sustain elite immunity, so obviously the only way that it can ever stop is if the massive numbers of people who aren’t vested with that immunity demand that it cease. They have to look at the treatment to which they’re being subjected, contrast it with the treatment to which elites are being subjected, and decide that such treatment is really unjust and intolerable.

The Politic: In the past, you’ve remarked that the mainstream media has failed to play the adversarial role against the government it is intended to play. But where do you think the line is drawn between being adversarial and being a shill for one side?
Greenwald: Obviously, there are people who are adversarial to the government only when one party is in power. Those are not watchdogs. Those are blatant partisans. They don’t care about checking political power. They only care about harming the other party. So you saw huge numbers of Democrats pretending to care about civil liberties when Bush was in power because it was an opportunity to undermine him, who suddenly have decided that they don’t mind at all now that they’re in power. You saw the same thing if you go back and look at the debates of the nineties and you have Republicans who were freaking out about black helicopters spying on them on behalf of the UN—

The Politic: [laughs] That was before my era.
Greenwald: Yeah, and the idea of the FISA court? They thought it was horrifying that there was a secret court that could issue warrants to eavesdrop in secret. But of course, as soon as they took over, they were not only fine with the government eavesdropping in secret, they were fine with the government eavesdropping with no warrants at all! These partisans aren’t the people I’m talking about. People who are genuinely adversarial to government—which is what the ethos of journalism is supposed to be—are people who are skeptical of what people in power are doing regardless of the political party to which they belong. As Adams said, “let no more be heard of confidence in men, but bind him down from mischief by the chains of the Constitution.” The American model is designed to have all these institutions that are skeptical of the others and check them. The media was supposed to be the watchdog of the government, and it’s just become its servant.

Palestinian Hunger Strike Continues Despite Israeli Prisoner Swap -- Real News

2011-10-14T08:37:00.001-07:00

More at The Real News

Great Explanation of Faulty Capital Gains Taxes & Why We Gotta Stop This!

2011-10-13T08:24:00.000-07:00

http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/reader_feedback/public/display.php?registration_return=true&source_name=mbase&source_id=2016486529&offset=0&direction=DESC&column=rating

An investment manager's view of the top 1%

http://sociology.ucsc.edu/whorulesamerica/power/investment_m

Guess who benefits the most from low taxes on capital gains? The people who earn most of their money on capital. That is the upper half of the top 1%, who are generally captains of industry, or come from the investment industry of our financial districts. Steve Ballmer get paid peanuts in salary (relative to his net worth). His real income are his hundreds of millions in dividend checks, which isn't taxed as regular income, but at 15%.

The reason why this is a concern isn't because the rich is getting richer. It's because the of the political influence the 0.1% have on the system. They were the ones who lobbied to have this tax code changed in their favor. They were the ones who lobbied to break up financial regulations that would have prevented the financial meltdown of 2008. The more influence these people have on policies, the more damage they can inflict on the greater economy. Just like too much risky leverage can destroy a bank. There's an orgy of evidence right in front of us with the financial collapse of 2008.

We need to get the money out of politics and put back the glass steagall regulations that keep our financial districts from falling on their own sword. Greed cannot be trusted to regulate itself. That is obvious. However, getting money and lobbying out of politics is going to take nothing less than a revolution.

The second best thing we can do is to expire this 15% capital gains tax, which is just designed to maintain perpetual wealth for the very few people who earn their entire living off of capital.

Occupy Seattle, Saturday Oct. 15, Night of 500 Tents!

2011-10-13T06:42:00.000-07:00

http://occupyseattle.org/blog/2011-10-13/general-assembly-approves-october-15th-night-500-tents

On 10/12 the General Assembly for Occupy Seattle passed the following proposal:

"To call for and plan a mass occupation of Westlake Park with tents starting Saturday, October 15, 2011 in solidarity with the worldwide Occupy Movements."

Seattle needs your help to reclaim our occupation. We can not maintain our space unless we attain critical mass, and we need everyones help to do it. Seattle is one of the top corporate head quarters of the world. It is important for the integrity of this movemenet and this country that we the people of the great north west let the powers that be, the powers that surround us, know that this occupation is not going anywhere. So this Saturday, bring your tents, and your sunday best.

Meet at West Lake center, and we will decide from there where we will set up base camp.

No More Victims: Stop the Wars and Bring the Troops Home

2011-10-12T19:22:00.000-07:00

http://youtu.be/Ft49-zlQ1V4