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November 09
will try to make my blog interesting and to ster u to other interesting ones.
so glad or crimminal pres. is out we'll see how the new one will be. i await for his actions. hope he incourages the Dem. congress to investigate bushys administration, free the men in Guantanamo, Cuba as well as have the guts to reestablish diplomatic relations with Cuba, Venazuela, and Boliva, Iran etc., and stop the spying on those countrys and get Anerica back as the greatest loved country in the world as it was after WWII, instead of trying to overthrough democratically electeed governments as we have done since Eisenhower started it in 1952- Guatamala.
Iraq was invaded to controll the region and that should be enough to put Bushy in jail for live!! All those people killed so Bushy could give his wealthy crimminal friends billions for there arms industries- u know, the military industrial complex. Same goes for his crimminal father. October 27 one of the bad things about Spaces is that they put in links at the top of ur blog that make them look like u are the author. HOW CRUDE shame on Spaces
it took me awhile, but i am finally off of MS for good. i felt like a phony having that sight since it was sold to that right wing NAZI, Rupert Murdock.
i'm sure he bought it to be able to get all the info that will help him get his NAZI friends into government sso they will, in turn, give him freedom to buy up as much media as he can- like he did with Pres. Reagan; read my blog on the lying right wing press. they actually have people believing that the large media are controlled by librals!!! LMAO
but one must give them credit for fooling most americans with their lies and crimminal activity. Bushy took it to new heights!!! now we will see if the weak democrats will get some guts and impeach bushy and the crimminal republican pary September 28
Never take life seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway. January 12
slow me down
SLOW DOWN ALAN
EASE THE POUNDING OF YOUR HEART
BY THE QUITING OF YOUR MIND.
STEADY Y0UR HURRIED PACE WITH A VISION OF
THE ETERNAL REACH OF TIME.
GIVE YOURSELF, AMID THE CONFUSION OF THE DAY,
THE CALMNESS OF THE EVERLASTING HILLS.
BREAK THE TENSIONS OF YOUR NERVES AND
MUSCLES WITH THE SOOTHING MUSIC OF THE
SINGING STREAMS THAT LIVE IN YOUR MEMERY.
LEARN TO KNOW THE MAGICAL, RESTORING
POWER OF SLEEP.
TEACH YOURSELF THE ART OF
TAKING MINUTE VACATIONS--
OF SLOWING DOWN TO LOOK AT A FLOWER,
TO CHAT WITH A FRIEND, TO PAT AN ANIMAL, TO
READ A FEW LINES FROM A GOOD BOOK.
SLOW DOWN ALAN AND INSPIRE YOURSELF TO
SEND YOUR ROOTS DEEP INTO THE SOIL OF
LIFE'S ENDURING VALUES
THAT YOU MAY GROW TOWARD
THE STARS OF YOUR GREATER DESTINY.
FROM THE HOLOGRAPHIC UNIVERSE, HOLOGRAM (Alan)
and try to remember for the sake of peace;
Remember that the jerk who cut u off in traffic last
night may have been a single mother who worked nine hours that day and is rushing home to
cook dinner, help with homework, do the laundry and spend a few precious moments with her children.
Remember that the pierced, tattooed, disinterested young person who
can't make change correctly may be a worried 19- year-old college student, balancing
his apprehension over final exams with his fear of not getting his student loans
for next semester.
And, that the scary looking bum, begging for money in the same spot
every day (who you said really ought to get a job!) may be a slave to addictions that we can
only imagine in our worst nightmares.
Remember that the old couple walking annoyingly slow through
the store aisles and blocking ur shopping progress are savoring this! moment ,
knowing that, based on the biopsy report she got back last week, this will be
the last year that they go shopping together.
Remind yourself each day that, of all the gifts you give others, the
greatest gift is love. It is not enough to share that love with those we hold
dear. Open our hearts not to just those who are close to us, but to all
humanity. Let us be slow to judge and quick to forgive, show patience, empathy
and love.
Remember that you remembered to do this without the help of some god someone else thought up for you to follow, by using fear-- you did it on your own because your a good person. The bad comes from the hate of others that religions subtly teach; they are not as "good" as you and they are "evil." This is first step in the justification of violence and wars.
It will never change, only u can, and anyway it's all like tears in the rain when you die. But, it's really hard to think that humans can be so hateful when all they really want is someone to love and love them!!!
but, to each his own, or, c'iet la vie
We are never happy with objects or accomplishments. We only think so. This is why the wealthy are always wanting more and we feel we must brag about "things." But, in fact happiness is always in front of us- it isn't the end but the means that satisfied us. As soon as the accomplishing is over there is always an empty sensation few recognize and try to overcome by the brag, which makes it all the worse. It's the doing, not the done that fulfills us.
Forget about everything accept the "DO." What do you think of all that bullshit? We only gain wisdom when we stop listening to "me, me, me." I'm not so nieve as to think that that is easy after all we assimulate on the way to developing the personality.
so much for hologram lectures. LMAO December 30 The laws covering the ownership of TV, radio, newspapers, etc. were changed by Pres. Reagan and Bush so that there wealthy friends could buy them all up and control the information u get. That is way Murdock loved Reagan and now Bush. He and 2 others control ur info. And the wealthy republican televangelist religious fanatics that bushy has funneled millions of tax payer dollars to so they can buy all the TV and radio stations that bushy changed the law to let them own as many as they wanted so they can spread they're money making lies and hate for anyone not following their god.
It's not Murdocks and companys fault, they just are greedy as most business men are. It was Reagan and the Bush family that sold out our nations freedom of the press and in that way sold out our democracy to the ones who would put them in office.
One of the biggest crimes against American democracy. ever. Now all the old journalist are crying as they are let go for not doing what Murdock and friends tells them to, but where were they when the public needed to be informed of the changes so they could raise a fuss?
t Americans sold out for flashy, no help, stupid "news."
But u can still do something. Don't believe the right wing Republican lies. Vote them out, along with their spying "Homeland Security," scare tactics. This country use to be free of that NAZI propoganda, make it that way again.
now bushy is making it very hard to get the evidence that would convict him and his criminal friends December 29 SLOW ME DOWN
EASE THE POUNDING OF MY HEART
BY THE QUITING OF MY MIND.
STEADY MY HURRIED PACE WITH A VISION OF
THE ETERNAL REACH OF TIME.
GIVE ME, AMID THE CONFUSION OF THE DAY,
THE CALMNESS OF THE EVERLASTING HILLS.
BREAK THE TENSIONS OF MY NERVES AND
MUSCLES WITH THE SOOTHING MUSIC OF THE
SINGING STREAMS THAT LIVE IN MY MEMERY.
HELP ME TO KNOW THE MAGICAL, RESTORING
POWER OF SLEEP.
TEACH ME THE ART OF TAKING MINUTE
VACATIONS--OF SLOWING DOWN TO LOOK AT A
FLOWER, TO CHAT WITH A FRIEND, TO PAT AN ANIMAL, TO
READ A FEW LINES FROM A GOOD BOOK.
SLOW ME DOWN, LORD, AND INSPIRE ME TO
SEND MY ROOTS DEEP INTO THE SOIL OF LIFE'S ENDURING
VALUES THAT I MAY GROW TOWARD THE STARS
OF MY GREATER DESTINY.
FROM THE HOLOGRAPHIC UNIVERSE, HOLOGRAM (Alan)
and try to remember for the sake of peace;
Remember that the jerk who cut u off in traffic last
night is a single mother who worked nine hours that day and is rushing home to
cook dinner, help with homework, do the laundry and spend a few precious moments
with her children.
Remember that the pierced, tattooed, disinterested young person who
can't make change correctly is a worried 19- year-old college student, balancing
his apprehension over final exams with his fear of not getting his student loans
for next semester.
And, that the scary looking bum, begging for money in the same spot
every day (who you said really ought to get a job!) is a slave to addictions that we can
only imagine in our worst nightmares.
Remember that the old couple walking annoyingly slow through
the store aisles and blocking ur shopping progress are savoring this! moment ,
knowing that, based on the biopsy report she got back last week, this will be
the last year that they go shopping together.
Remind yourself each day that, of all the gifts you give others, the
greatest gift is love. It is not enough to share that love with those we hold
dear. Open our hearts not to just those who are close to us, but to all
humanity. Let us be slow to judge and quick to forgive, show patience, empathy
and love.
Remember that you remembered to do this without the help of some god someone else thought up for you to follow, by using fear-- you did it on your own because your a good person to begin with. the bad comes from the hate of others that religions subtly teach you are not as good as you and that they are "evil." the first step in the justification of violence and wars. it will never change and anyway it's all lilke tears in the rain when you die. but, it's really hard to think that humans can be so hateful when all they really want is someone to love them!!!
but, to each his own, or, c'iet la vie
We are never happy with objects or accomplishments. We only think so. This is why the wealthy are always wanting more and we feel we must brag about "things." But, in fact happiness is always in front of us- it isn't the end but the means that satisfied us. As soon as the accomplishing is over there is always an empty sensation few recognize and try to overcome by the brag, which makes it all the worse. It's the doing, not the done that fulfills us.
Forget about everything accept the "DO." What do you think of all that bullshit? We only gain wisdom when we stop listening to "me, me, me." I'm not so nieve as to think that that is easy after all we assimulate on the way to developing the personality.
so much for hologram lectures. LMAO December 20
Dedicated to bringing you what you won't find in the mainstream media.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Note: If you are reading this post through Facebook, please click on the 'view original post' link
Mondo GloboDecember 4, 2007 Phil Leggiere
2001
January
Presidential directive delays indefinitely the scheduled release of presidential documents (authorized by the Presidential Records Act of 1978) pertaining to the Reagan-Bush administration. Link
Bush and Cheney begin process of radically broadening scope of documents and information which can be deemed classified. Link
February
The National Security Agency (NSA) sets up Project Groundbreaker, a domestic call monitoring program infrastructure. Link
Spring
Bush administration order authorizes NSA monitoring of domestic phone and internet traffic. Link
May
US Supreme Court rules that medical necessity is not a permissible defense against federal marijuana statutes. Link
September
In immediate aftermath of 9-11 terror attacks, Department of Justice authorizes detention without charge for any terror suspects. Over one thousand suspects are brought into detention over the next several months. Link (pdf)
October
Attorney General John Ashcroft announces change in Department of Justice (DOJ) policy. According to the new policy DOJ will impose far more stringent criteria for the granting of Freedom of Information Act requests. Link
September-October
NSA launches massive new database of information on US phone calls. Link
October
The USA Patriot Act becomes law. Among other things the law: makes it a crime for anyone to contribute money or material support for any group on the State Department’s Terror Watch List, allows the FBI to monitor and tape conversations between attorneys and clients, allows the FBI to order librarians to turn over information about patron’s reading habits, allows the government to conduct surveillance on internet and email use of US citizens without notice. The act also calls for expanded use of National Security Letters (NSLs), which allow the FBI to search telephone, email and financial records of US citizens without a court order, exempts the government from needing to reveal how evidence against suspected terrorists was obtained and authorizes indefinite detention of immigrants at the discretion of law enforcement and immigration authorities.
NJ Superior court judge and civil liberties scholar Anthony Napolitano, author of A Nation of Sheep, has described the law’s assault on first and fourth amendment principles as follows, “The Patriot Act’s two most principle constitutional errors are an assault on the Fourth Amendment, and on the First. It permits federal agents to write their own search warrants [under the name “national security letters”] with no judge having examined evidence and agreed that it’s likely that the person or thing the government wants to search will reveal evidence of a crime… Not only that, but the Patriot Act makes it a felony for the recipient of a self-written search warrant to reveal it to anyone. The Patriot Act allows [agents] to serve self-written search warrants on financial institutions, and the Intelligence Authorization Act of 2004 in Orwellian language defines that to include in addition to banks, also delis, bodegas, restaurants, hotels, doctors’ offices, lawyers’ offices, telecoms, HMOs, hospitals, casinos, jewelry dealers, automobile dealers, boat dealers, and that great financial institution to which we all would repose our fortunes, the post office. Link 1 | Link 2
November
Executive order limits release of presidential documents. The order gives incumbent presidents the right to veto requests to open any past presidential records and supersedes the congressionally passed law of 1978 mandating release of all presidential records not explicitly deemed classified. Link
2002
Winter
FBI and Department of Defense (DOD), forbidden by law from compiling databases on US citizens, begin contracting with private database firm ChoicePoint to collect, store, search and maintain data. Link
Spring
Secret executive order issued authorizing NSA to wiretap the phones and read emails of US citizens. Link
Spring
Transportation Security Adminstration (TSA) acknowledges it has created both a “No Fly” and a separate “Watch” list of US travelers. Link
May
Department of Justice authorizes the FBI to monitor political and religious groups. The new rules permit the FBI to broadly search or monitor the internet for evidence of criminal activity without having any tips or leads that a specific criminal act has been committed. Link
June
Supreme Court upholds the right of school administrators to conduct mandatory drug testing of students without probable cause. Link
November
Homeland Security Act of 2002 establishes separate Department of Homeland Security. Among other things the department will federally coordinate for the first time all local and state law enforcement nationwide and run a Directorate of Information and Analysis with authority to compile comprehensive data on US citizens using public and commercial records including credit card, phone, bank, and travel. The department also will be exempt form Freedom of Information Act disclosure requirements. The Homeland Security department’s jurisdiction has been widely criticized for being nebulously defined and has extended beyond terrorism into areas including immigration, pornography and drug enforcement. Link 1 | Link 2
2003
February
Draft of Domestic Security Enhancement Act (aka Patriot Act 2), a secret document prepared by the Department of Justice is leaked by the Center for Public Integrity. Provisions of the February 7th draft version included:
Removal of court-ordered prohibitions against police agencies spying on domestic groups.
The FBI would be granted powers to conduct searches and surveillance based on intelligence gathered in foreign countries without first obtaining a court order.
Creation of a DNA database of suspected terrorists.
Prohibition of any public disclosure of the names of alleged terrorists including those who have been arrested.
Exemptions from civil liability for people and businesses who voluntarily turn private information over to the government.
Criminalization of the use of encryption to conceal incriminating communications.
Automatic denial of bail for persons accused of terrorism-related crimes, reversing the ordinary common law burden of proof principle. All alleged terrorists would be required to demonstrate why they should be released on bail rather than the government being required to demonstrate why they should be held.
Expansion of the list of crimes eligible for the death penalty.
The United States Environmental Protection Agency would be prevented from releasing “worst case scenario” information to the public about chemical plants.
United States citizens whom the government finds to be either members of, or providing material support to, terrorist groups could have their US citizenship revoked and be deported to foreign countries.
Although the bill itself has never (yet) been advanced in congress due to public exposure, some of its provisions have become law as parts of other bills. For example The Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2004 grants the FBI unprecedented power to obtain records from financial institutions without requiring permission from a judge. Under the law, the FBI does not need to seek a court order to access such records, nor does it need to prove just cause. Link 1 | Link 2
March
Executive order issued which radically tightens the declassification process of classified government documents, as well as making it far easier for government agencies to make and keep information classified. The order delayed by three years the release of declassified government documents dating from 1978 or earlier. It also allowed the government to treat all material sent to American officials from foreign governments — no matter how routine — as subject to classification, and expanded the ability of Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to shield documents from declassification. Finally it gave the vice president the power to classify information. Link 1 | Link 2
March
In a ruling seen as a victory for the concentration of ownership of intellectual property and an erosion of the public domain, the Supreme Court in Eldred v. Ashcroft held that a 20-year extension of the copyright period (from 50 years after the death of the author to 70 years) called for by the Sonny Bono copyright Extension not violate either the Copyright Clause or the First Amendment. Link
April
In Demore v. Kim, the Supreme Court ruled that even permanent residents could be subject to mandatory detention when facing deportation based on a prior criminal conviction, without any right to an individualized hearing to determine whether they were dangerous or a flight risk. Link
Fall
The FBI changes its traditional policy of destroying all data and documents collected on innocent citizens in the course of criminal investigations. This information would, according to the bureau, now be permanently stored. Two years later in late 2005 Executive Order 13388, expanded access to those files for “state, local and tribal” governments and for “appropriate private sector entities,” which are not defined. Link 1 | Link 2
Fall
As authorized by the Patriot Act, the FBI expands the practice of national security letters. NSLs, originally introduced in the 1970s for espionage and terrorism investigations, enabled the FBI to review in secret the customer records of suspected foreign agents. This was extended by the Patriot Act to include permitting clandestine scrutiny of all U.S. residents and visitors whether suspected of terrorism or not. Link
2004
January
The FBI begins keeping a database of US citizens based on information obtained via NSLs. Link
Spring
John Ashcroft invokes State Secrets privilege to forbid former FBI translator Sibel Edmunds from testifying in a case brought by families of victims of the 9-11 attacks. Litigation by 9-11 families is subsequently halted. Link 1 | Link 2
June
Supreme Court upholds Nevada state law allowing police to arrest suspects who refuse to provide identification based on police discretion of “reasonable suspicion.” Link
2005
January
Supreme court rules that police do not need to have probable cause to have drug sniffing dogs examine cars stopped for routine traffic violations. Link 1 | Link 2
June
Supreme Court rules that the federal government can prosecute medical marijuana users even in states which have laws permitting medical marijuana. Link
Summer
The Patriot Act, due to expire at the end of 2005, is reauthorized by Congress. Link
Winter 2005
Senate blocks reauthorization of certain clauses in Patriot Act. Link
2006
March
Senate passes amended version of Patriot Act, reauthorization, with three basic changes from the original including: recipients of secret court orders to turn over sensitive information on individuals linked to terrorism investigations are not allowed to disclose those orders but can challenge the gag order after a year, libraries would not be required to turn over information without the approval of a judge, recipients of an FBI “national security letter” — an investigator’s demand for access to personal or business information — would not have to tell the FBI if they consult a lawyer. New bill also said to extend Congressional oversight over executive department usage guidelines. Shortly after bill is signed George Bush declares oversight rules are not binding. Link 1 | Link 2
June
Supreme court rules that evidence obtained in violation of the “knock and announce” rules can still be permitted in court. Link
September
US Congress and Senate approve the Military Commissions Act, which authorizes torture and strips non- US citizen detainees suspected of terrorist ties of the right of habeas corpus (which includes formal charges, counsel and hearings). It also empowers US presidents at their discretion to declare US citizens as enemy combatants and subject to detention without charge or due process
Link 1 | Link 2 | Link 3
October
John Warner Defense Authorization Act is passed. The act allows a president to declare a public emergency and station US military troops anywhere in America as well as take control of state based national guard units without consent of the governor or other local authorities. The law authorizes presidential deployment of US troops to round-up and detain “potential terrorists”, “illegal aliens” and “disorderly” citizenry. Link 1 | Link 2
2007
May
National Security Presidential Directive 51 (NSPD-51) establishes a new post-disaster plan (with disaster defined as any incident, natural or man-made, resulting in extraordinary mass casualties, damage or disruption) which places the president in charge of all three branches of government. The directive overrides the National Emergencies Act which gives Congress power to determine the duration of a national emergency. Link 1 | Link 2
June
In “Bong Hits for Jesus” case Supreme court rules that student free speech rights do not extend to promotion of drug use. Link
July
Executive Order 13438: “Blocking Property of Certain Persons Who Threaten Stabilization Efforts in Iraq, issued. The order asserts the government’s power to confiscate the property “of persons determined to have committed, or to pose a significant risk of committing, an act or acts of violence that have the purpose or effect of threatening the peace or stability of Iraq or the Government of Iraq or undermining efforts to promote economic reconstruction and political reform in Iraq or to provide humanitarian assistance to the Iraqi people.”
October
The Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Act passes the House of Representatives 400 to 6 (to be voted on in the Senate in 2008). The act proposes the establishment of a commission composed of members of the House and Senate, Homeland Security and others, to “examine and report upon the facts and causes of violent radicalization, homegrown terrorism, and ideologically based violence in the United States” and specifically the role of the internet in fostering and disseminating extremism. According to the bill the term `violent radicalization’ means the process of adopting or promoting an extremist belief system for the purpose of facilitating ideologically based violence to advance political, religious, or social change, while the term ‘ideologically-based violence’ means the use, planned use, or threatened use of force or violence by a group or individual to promote the group or individual’s political, religious, or social beliefs.”
Link 1 | Link 2 | Link 3
Other research sources
James Bovard, Attention Deficit Democracy , 2007 Palgrave Macmillan
Elaine Cassel, The War on Civil Liberties: How Bush and Ashcroft Have Dismantled t… , 2004 Lawrence Hill Books
Anthony Napolitano, A Nation of Sheep , 2007 Thomas Nelson
Cooperative Research Commons
December 17
|
Timely release of presidential records
Presidential Records Act Amendment of 2007 By OnTheWeb: Charles N. Davis Tuesday, December 11, 2007
If your holiday shopping this season finds you in a bookstore, take a moment and do me a favor.
Ask for the section on presidential history, and go take a peek. I’ll hazard a guess you’ll find literally hundreds of works of presidential history, from the scholarly tomes with hundreds of footnotes to the downright sill works on presidential pets.
Now, take a moment and imagine it’s 2033, and you’re looking for a nice downloadable e-book history of the Clinton or Bush presidency.
What you find is truly disappointing: they look and feel like history, but sit down and read one for a moment, and the experience is wholly unsatisfying. Where is the background, the context provided by all of those once-classified memos detailing the West Wing intrigue that makes history truly come to life. Instead, we get the learned best guesses of the nation’s finest historians working without their tools: the primary documents that make history, well, history.
Sounds like a nightmare, eh? It’s reality, for the moment, and it will rob us of our nation’s historical record unless We The People wake up and do something about it.
A bit of history we do know: In November 2001, just as the National Archives was preparing to release a small portion of the records of the Reagan administration, President George W. Bush issued Executive Order 13233. The order gives former presidents and their assignees the right to prevent the release of presidential papers—forever. It also allows a sitting president to block the release of a former president’s records, even after that former president has signaled his approval. It requires that those who challenge the action of either a former president or the sitting president seek redress in court.
Historians, most of Congress and Americans who know that our history begets our future, howled in protest, and our elected representatives slowly but surely swung into action. The House passed The Presidential Records Act Amendments of 2007 (H.R. 1255/S. 886) by a veto-proof margin (333-93) with 104 Republicans breaking ranks with the Administration.
The bill would nullify the Bush executive order and re-establish procedures to ensure the timely release of presidential records that the Presidential Records Act was designed to ensure. The bill also has broad bipartisan support in the Senate, and cleared the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee by voice vote earlier this year.
We were well on our way to reclaiming our history, when on September 24, 2007, Senator Jim Bunning (R-Ky.) objected to floor consideration of H.R. 1255/S. 886 under unanimous consent, holding up a vote on the bill. Despite repeated requests from a host of historical, news media and open government organizations, Senator Bunning has refused to state the reasons for his opposition to the bill. Recently, the White House reiterated its threat to veto the bill should it pass Congress.
For the second time this year, a lone senator has acted in the least democratic way possible to commit an act of legislative hostage taking. You may recall Sen. Kyl’s secret hold on meaningful reforms to the federal Freedom of Information Act. Sen. Kyl, to his credit, ultimately chose to voice his objections and work to address them. No such luck with Sen. Bunning, who prefers his lawmaking be done in silence. The World’s Greatest Deliberative Body is neither great nor terribly deliberative in this instance.
When the history this sad spectacle is written, it will note that the Presidential Records Act gutted by the president and aided and abetted by the callous silence of Sen. Bunning comes with a rather remarkable history of its own.
It’s worth remembering that the Presidential Records Act of 1978 emerged from the tattered remnants of the Nixon presidency, in direct reaction to another presidential power grab. It’s a remarkably straightforward piece of legislation: Under the law, the U.S. government asserts complete “ownership, possession, and control” of all Presidential and Vice-Presidential records. Upon conclusion of the President’s term in office, the National Archivist is required to assume custody of the records, and to make them available to the public when permissible under the PRA. Access to the records can be denied after the end of the 12-year embargo only if a former or incumbent president claims an exemption based on a “constitutionally based” executive privilege or continuing national security concern.
It’s simple, really: the Bush administration wants to write its own history. Future presidents, Republican or Democrat, will find that sort of control downright intoxicating. If this Executive Order is not overturned by Congress it will allow any president, their heirs, and – for the first time – the vice president and heirs, to deny the American people access to the full historical record of all future administrations.
And that is guaranteed to produce some tired pickings at your local bookstore in the near future.
Charles N. Davis, a member of SPJ’s Freedom of Information Committee, serves as the executive director of the National Freedom of Information Coalition at the University of Missouri School of Journalism.
| December 11 Are they your airwaves?
F.C.C. Chair Kevin Martin penned a column for a paper, New York Times, earlier this week. In it he shoveled a lot of everything but facts and truth. He is pushing for further de-regulation but trying to mask it in terms of 'competition.' Those of us who remember the destruction that followed the passage of the 1996 Telecommunications Act, should be alarmed. This is a very serious issue.
F.C.C. Commissioners Michael Copps and Jonathan Adelstein have issued a PDF statement that I will retype below so that no one has the excuse of, "PDF freezes my computer." Read their statement.
"JOINT STATEMENT BY COMMISSIONERS COPPS AND ADELSTEIN ON CHAIRMAN MARTIN'S CROSS-OWNERSHIP PROPOSAL"
This is portrayed as a moderate proposal, but it is a wolf in sheep's clothing. Don't let the wool be pulled over your eyes. The proposal could repeal the ban in every market in America, not just the top twenty. Any city, no matter how small, could be subjected to newspaper broadcast ownership combinations under a very loose standard.
Under Chairman Martin's plan, all markets will be open to one company combining broadcast properties with cable, the newspaper (already a monopoly in most places), even the Internet Service Provider. His proposal could propel a frenzy of competition-stifling mergers across the land. He can try to characterize his plan as affecting only the "largest markets," but consider:
* The top 20 markets account for over 43% of U.S. households. Even on its face, this proposal directly affects over 120 million Americans.
* The Chairman then creates a loophole that Big Media will drive a truck through, permitting a newspaper-broadcast combination in any market in the country. We have seen how loosely the Commission has granted waivers in the past. If this proposal goes through, the FCC could grant cross-ownership applications in such small towns as Meridian, Mississippi and Bend, Oregon. When big conglomerates can't get their way in a general rule, they press for loopholes that swallow the rule, and they would succeed with this approach.
* The non-top four stations that major newspapers will now be competing for are preciously the stations more likely to be owned by small, independent broadcasters. If we ever got serious about women and minority ownership, these are also the stations most available to them. Chairman Martin's rule pretty much reserves these outlets for the big guys. So this proposal actually perpetuates the shamefully low levels of minority and female media ownership.
The Martin rules are clearly not ready for prime time. Under the Chairman's timetable, we count 19 working days for public comment. That is grossly insufficient. The American people should have a minimum of 90 days to comment, just as many Members of Congress have requested. More importantly, the Commission has yet to finish its Localism proceeding, teed up four years ago, or to forward comprehensive ideas to increase women and minority ownership of broadcast outlets.
There is still time to do this the right way. Congress and the thousands of American citizens we have talked to want a thoughtful and deliberate rulemaking, not an alarming rush to public comment, flawed studies and a tainted peer review process -- all designed to make sure that the Chairman can deliver a generous gift to Big Media before the holidays. For the rest of us: a lump of coal.
We realize there is some urgency with respect to the Tribune transaction. The Chairman, however, has refused to act on Tribune's waiver requests that would permit the transaction to close. Let us be clear: it is important to hold the Tribune hostage in order to force a vote on media ownership before the end of the year. We are preapred to vote on the Tribune waiver requests within three working days after the Chairman circulates a draft decision. There is simply no excuse for using Tribune as a human shield.
In my October 28th report, I provided some links for background. In addition, I noted the following:
The F.C.C.'s contact page reproduces these e-mail addresses:
Chairman Kevin J. Martin: KJMWEB@fcc.gov
Commissioner Michael J. Copps: Michael.Copps@fcc.gov
Commissioner Jonathan S. Adelstein: Jonathan.Adelstein@fcc.gov
Commissioner Deborah Taylor Tate: dtaylortateweb@fcc.gov
Commissioner Robert McDowell: Robert.McDowell@fcc.gov
You can contact Commissioners Martin, Tate and McDowell to let them know you are opposed to this latest attempt at deregulation. You should also contact your Congressional representatives in the House and Senate.
The airwaves are supposed to be a public good that belong to all of us. Chairman Martin wants to have a tag sale on our front yards.
This is C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot" for today:
Wednesday, November 14, 2007. Chaos and violence continue, the Green Zone is targeted, the US military announces deaths, an army captain who went AWOL turns himself in, news due out from Canada's Supreme Court, and more.
Indybay Media has posted an (audio) interview with war resister Brad McCall conducted by Courage to Resist. Brad McCall is the war resister who self-checked out and attempted entry into Canada only to be arrested (September 19, 2007) crossing the border. McCall explains in the interview that he applied for CO status and waited ("and begged and begged and begged") before realizing it wasn't happening.
Brad McCall: I made, the final decision, I made it one night. I found out -- or one day. I talked to a friend of mine in Colorado Springs and he told me about these GIs that were running to Canada and I was like, 'Wow, this is cool.' . . . I went to another one of my friends' house and got on my laptop at her house and we both looked and saw that it's very possible. And we found Resisters.ca on the internet and that night I made the choice that a week later we would leave. She traveled with me as just a friend and that we'd leave in a week which, as a matter of face, was payday. So I knew I would need some cash to get on the road and get moving."
Courage to Resist: So you drove to British Columbia?
Brad McCall: Yes.
Courage to Resist: And did you connect immediately with other resisters up there?
Brad McCall: Well, initially the first thing that happened to me up there when I got to British Columbia was I was arrested at the border. For that week that I was still in Fort Carson, I had e-mail contact with Canada and with people that were willing to help me and I didn't realize that my parents actually had my e-mail password and they were watching all of this go down. And they were e-mailing all these e-mails to my commander and first sergeant so they knew I was going to Canada.
Courage to Resist: Well I guess I don't need to ask about support from your family for this decision?
Brad McCall: Oh, oh, God, no. I've been disowned. But that's why I love Canada. I have nothing to go back to in the United States so I'm very content with staying here for the rest of my life.
Courage to Resist: So you were arrested at the border?
Brad McCall: Yes, I was arrested at the border on the command of the US army by Canadian Border Services Agency -- not by US services, but Canadian services -- put into a Canadian jail for two days until my lawyer showed up and got me.
Courage to Resist: Now this was a Canadian lawyer, yes?
Brad McCall: Yes.
Courage to Resist: From a Canadian support committee for GI resisters?
Brad McCall: No, he's just a, uh, young lawyer. He supports the cause. He's an immigration lawyer. And he said -- the first thing he told me -- he said. "Me helping you guys out is a no-brainer." He said, "I'm not associated with the War Resisters Support Campaign or the War Resisters League or any anti-war group. I'm a lawyer by myself and I'm helping you guys out. And he's really an awesome guy.
Courage to Resist: An unsung hero.
Brad McCall: Yes, very much so.
Courage to Resist: So he got you out of the clink --
Brad McCall: Yes.
Courage to Resist: And then what did you do next?
Brad McCall: Well, um, while I was in jail, I filed refugee claim stating that I was requesting to be a refugee from the United States on ground that if I go back to the United States, I will be persecuted or legally prosecuted for my beliefs -- politically, morally and spiritually.
Courage to Resist: Right.
Brad McCall: And so that's what I've done. I've started my refugee claim, working on that --
Courage to Resist: And what's the status of that claim right now? Where are you in the process?
Brad McCall: Right now it's just a claim. It has to come under review by the Refugee Board of Canada and they will determine whether or not I am liable for refugee status. . So far there's only been two that have come up to the Refugee Board, only two claims by war resisters, and they have both been denied. They're in the appeals process right now.
Courage to Resist: This is Jeremy Hinzman and Brandon Hughey.
Brad McCall: Exactly.
Courage to Resist: Exactly. They're going to the Supreme Court I understand?
Brad McCall: Exactly. So me I'm not really expecting a victory in the way of getting refugee status. I'm not expecting that so I'm having to go ahead and prepare for other plans.
Hinzman and Hughey are waiting to hear whether or not Canada's Supreme Court will grant a hearing to their appeal over the Immigration and Refugee Board (really one person) denying them refugee status. Hinzman was the first resister during the Iraq War who went to Canada to go public with his resistance. He became the first to apply for refugee status (January 2004). He lives there with his wife Nga Nguyen and their son Liam. Prior to making the decision, Hinzman applied for CO status and was denied. Hughey went to Canada in March 2004. McCall's stories of conflicts with his family are echoed in the early reaction of Brandon Hughey's father. However, at the 2005 Veterans for Peace conference held in Texas, David Hughey delivered an amazing speech explaining the conflicts and how they had been resolved concluding with "I just thought I'd come up and introduce myself. I do support my son." The War Resisters Support Campaign announces:
Supreme Court decision on Hinzman & Hughey expected on THURSDAY NOV. 15th, 2007
The Supreme Court of Canada is expected to post its decision on whether or not it will hear the appeal by US war resisters Jeremy Hinzman and Brandon Hughey THIS THURSDAY at 9:45 am.
The decision will be posted at . . . [click here] (the case number for Jeremy Hinzman is 32113, and for Brandon Hughey it is 32111).
If the decision is negative, join protests in cities across the country. Check the take action page for listing of protests locations.
If the decision is positive, we will celebrate right across the country -- but there will still be much work to do to ensure that US soldiers who refuse to fight in Iraq have refuge in Canada. In TORNOTO, join us at 7 p.m. at Grossman's Tavern, 379 Spadina Avenue (at Cecil Street) for a 'Leave to Appeal' party.
That is tomorrow. On Iraq, McCall declared, "I want people to realize this is new era of war and Iraq is not going to -- if we don't stop Iraq, Iraq is not going to be the last step, not going to be the last frontier or whatever that the United States tries to take, it's just the beginning of a long series of wars that I can see in the future. It's not going to be pretty. And we've got to do something about it now. We have to do something about it now."
There is a growing movement of resistance within the US military which includes James Stepp, Michael Espinal, Matthew Lowell, Derek Hess, Diedra Cobb, Brad McCall, Justin Cliburn, Timothy Richard, Robert Weiss, Phil McDowell, Steve Yoczik, Ross Spears, Peter Brown, Bethany "Skylar" James, Zamesha Dominique, Chrisopther Scott Magaoay, Jared Hood, James Burmeister, Eli Israel, Joshua Key, Ehren Watada, Terri Johnson, Carla Gomez, Luke Kamunen, Leif Kamunen, Leo Kamunen, Camilo Mejia, Kimberly Rivera, Dean Walcott, Linjamin Mull, Agustin Aguayo, Justin Colby, Marc Train, Abdullah Webster, Robert Zabala, Darrell Anderson, Kyle Snyder, Corey Glass, Jeremy Hinzman, Kevin Lee, Mark Wilkerson, Patrick Hart, Ricky Clousing, Ivan Brobeck, Aidan Delgado, Pablo Paredes, Carl Webb, Stephen Funk, Blake LeMoine, Clifton Hicks, David Sanders, Dan Felushko, Brandon Hughey, Clifford Cornell, Joshua Despain, Joshua Casteel, Katherine Jashinski, Dale Bartell, Chris Teske, Matt Lowell, Jimmy Massey, Chris Capps, Tim Richard, Hart Viges, Michael Blake, Christopher Mogwai, Christian Kjar, Kyle Huwer, Wilfredo Torres, Michael Sudbury, Ghanim Khalil, Vincent La Volpa, DeShawn Reed and Kevin Benderman. In total, at least fifty US war resisters in Canada have applied for asylum.Information on war resistance within the military can be found at The Objector, The G.I. Rights Hotline [(877) 447-4487], Iraq Veterans Against the War and the War Resisters Support Campaign. Courage to Resist offers information on all public war resisters. Tom Joad maintains a list of known war resisters.
The voice of war resister Camilo Mejia is featured in Rebel Voices -- playing now through December 16th at Culture Project and based on Howard Zinn and Anthony Arnove's best-selling book Voices of a People's History of the United States. It features dramatic readings of historical voices such as war resister Mejia, Sojourner Truth, Frederick Douglass, Malcom X and others will be featured. Zinn will take part in the November 18th presentation (the official opening night -- but performances are already taking place) and musician Allison Mooerer will head the permanent cast while those confirmed to be performing on selected nights are Ally Sheedy (actress and poet, best known for films such as High Art, The Breakfast Club, Maid to Order, the two Short Circuit films, St. Elmo's Fire, War Games, and, along with Nicky Katt, has good buzz on the forthcoming Harold), Eve Ensler who wrote the theater classic The Vagina Monologues (no, it's not too soon to call that a classic), actor David Strathaim (L.A. Confidential, The Firm, Bob Roberts, Dolores Claiborne and The Bourne Ultimatum), actor and playwright Wallace Shawn (The Princess Bride, Clueless -- film and TV series, Gregory and Chicken Little), actress Lili Taylor (Dogfight, Shortcuts, Say Anything, Household Saints, I Shot Andy Warhol, Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle, State of Mind) and actor, director and activist Danny Glover (The Color Purple, Beloved, The Royal Tenenbaums, The Rainmaker, Places In The Heart, Dreamgirls, Shooter and who appeared on Democracy Now! Friday addressing the US militarization of Africa) The directors are Will Pomerantz and Rob Urbinati with Urbinati collaborating with Zinn and Arnove on the play. Tickets are $21 for previews and $41 for regular performances (beginning with the Nov. 18th opening night). The theater is located at 55 Mercer Street and tickets can be purchased there, over the phone (212-352-3101) or online here and here. More information can be found at Culture Project.
Meanwhile IVAW is organizing a March 2008 DC event:
In 1971, over one hundred members of Vietnam Veterans Against the War gathered in Detroit to share their stories with America. Atrocities like the My Lai massacre had ignited popular opposition to the war, but political and military leaders insisted that such crimes were isolated exceptions. The members of VVAW knew differently.
Over three days in January, these soldiers testified on the systematic brutality they had seen visited upon the people of Vietnam. They called it the Winter Soldier investigation, after Thomas Paine's famous admonishing of the "summer soldier" who shirks his duty during difficult times. In a time of war and lies, the veterans who gathered in Detroit knew it was their duty to tell the truth.
Over thirty years later, we find ourselves faced with a new war. But the lies are the same. Once again, American troops are sinking into increasingly bloody occupations. Once again, war crimes in places like Haditha, Fallujah, and Abu Ghraib have turned the public against the war. Once again, politicians and generals are blaming "a few bad apples" instead of examining the military policies that have destroyed Iraq and Afghanistan.
Once again, our country needs Winter Soldiers.
In March of 2008, Iraq Veterans Against the War will gather in our nation's capital to break the silence and hold our leaders accountable for these wars. We hope you'll join us, because yours is a story that every American needs to hear.
Click here to sign a statement of support for Winter Soldier: Iraq & Afghanistan
IVAW's announcement above will be in tomorrow and Friday's snapshot and then it will appear summarized in each snapshot until the March testimony begins.
Turning to the topic of AWOL, Robert Przbylski (noted here and here and here) is no longer missing. The Army captain was stationed in Germany, due to deploy to Iraq early next year and has disappeared last month. From the beginning, Stars and Stripes' John Vandiver has owned the story because no one else could show interest. Sunday Vandiver
reported the Przbylski turned himself in last Friday: "When Przylski turned himself in Friday night he was on the brink of being declared a deserter, a designation that can take effect after 30 consecutive days of unauthorized absence. Officials said Przybylski was still in AWOL status when he turned himself in. It is unclear whether the prospect of being classified a deserter was a fact in Przybylski's return. It also remains unclear what prompted him to depart in the first place." What is known is that he went missing last month (October 10th -- if not before), that his unit had learned they were deploying to Iraq in March, that he comes from a military family (his father is a retired army Lt. Col.) and that Przybylski had already served one tour of duty in Iraq. Vandiver reports that the absence is under investigation and Przybylski is currently "restricted to Baumholder barracks and [will] be given a temporary assignment while the case is investigated."
Turning to the topic of Turkey and northern Iraq, Paul Schemm (AP) reports, "Kurdish guerillas watch the border for any signs that Turkey's military will carry out threats to sweep across. But other rumblings are coming from inside Iraq: a new ambivialence among Iraq's Kurds about support for their rebel cousins holed up in the mountains. The fear -- expressed by Kurdish officials and on the streets -- is that the showdown could threaten the relatively peaceful and prosperous enclave that Kurds have carved out since 1991 after generations of poverty and oppression." Meanwhile, following reports of the Turkish attacks on northern Iraq Monday and yesterday, China's Xinhua reports Aydogan Babaoglu (the commander of Turkey's air force) has declared it didn't happen stating: "None of the aircraft of Turkish Air Forces conducted a cross-border operation, and such reports are groundless." Bay Fang (Chicago Tribune) tries to track it down noting the following are on record stating attacks took place: Fouad Hussein (spokesperson for Kurdistan Regional Government in northern Iraq) states two airplanes flew in and "dropped flares on five villages" on Monday, Iraqi army Col. Hussein Tamir ("who supervises border guards") states "helicopters opened fire on abandoned Iraqi villages". Damien Cave (New York Times) cited Iraqi officials for a "Turkish military aircraft" attack in northern Iraq Tuesday and noted, "Officials from Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region could not agree on whether helicopters or planes had been used" while also quoting Fouad Hussein. Today's Zaman, citing "[u]nnamed Kuridsh officials," report "that the villages" were "Pirbela, Birsaka, Avashin and the Norgole area". In addition, eye witnesses have reported what they saw and heard. Patrick Cockburn (Independent of London) quotes Ibrahim Mazori stating, "I was on the other side of the mountain when I heard huge explosions and could smell TNT powder all over the area" while . Meanwhile CBS and AP note that Jala Talabani, Iraq's Kurdish president, declared today, without any further comment, that, "The crisis with Turkey has passed." Similar statements have been made before.
Turning to some of today's reported violence . .
Bombings?
Hussein Kadhim (McClatchy Newspapers) reports a Baghdad roadside bombing ("targeted an American patrol") that claimed the lives of 2 civilians and left three more wounded (this was the bombing that targeted the Green Zone -- a second Baghdad roadside bombing targeting "an American patrol" had no reported casualties) and a Babil car bombing targeting "a host tent for Sheikh Ammar Al-Gurtani" claimed the lives of 3 civilians and left eight more wounded. CNN notes, "The sheiks and the al-Kardani tribe are part fo the 'Iskandairya Awakening,' one of Iraq's emerging 'awakening' movements -- the grass-roots citizen groups opposing al Qaeda in Iraq." And, left unstated, taking money from the US.
Shootings?
Hussein Kadhim (McClatchy Newspapers) reports 1 Iraqi soldier shot dead in Hawija and, when police reported on the scene, 1 police officer was shot dead.
Kidnappings?
Hussein Kadhim (McClatchy Newspapers) reports a farmer was kidnapped "between Hawija and Abassiyah".
Corpses?
Hussein Kadhim (McClatchy Newspapers) reports 5 corpses were discovered in Iraq.
Today, the US military announced, "A Multi-National Corps - Iraq Soldier was killed today during military operations near the city of Mosul. The Soldier was mortally wounded by gunfire while providing security to a Police Transitional Team training mission near an Iraqi Police Station." And they announced: "Two Multi-National Division -- North Soldiers died as a result of an explosion while conducting operations in Diyala Province, Nov. 13. Additionally, four MND-N Soldiers were wounded and evacuated to a coalition hospital." Reuters count is 3863 US service members have died thus far in the illegal war. ICCC's total is also 3863 with 19 for the month thus far. (Neither total includes the 4 US service members who are known to have died from the physical wounds they received in Iraq after leaving Iraq: Jack D. Richards, Gerald J. Cassidy, John "Bill" Smith and Raymond A. Salerno III.) And Paul Tait and Missy Ryan (Reuters) report that the roadside bombing "targeting a passing American military convoy, killed a U.S. soldier and a civilian and wounded seven people including five soldiers, the U.S. military said. . . . The explosion in Baghdad was close to a checkpoint where hundreds of Iraqis who work inside the sprawling complex queue every morning." The US military announcement reads: "An explosively formed penetrator detonated in Central Baghdad Nov. 14, killing a Multi-National Division-Baghdad Soldier and wounding five others. Also, one Iraqi civilian was killed and two others were wounded."
Another attack on the Green Zone? Guess it will be harder to spin that as "safety" -- but give the Operation Happy Talkers time, give them time. Meanwhile the central government in Iraq continues to be in shambles. AP reports: "Iraqi troops seized the west Baghdad headquarters of a powerful Sunni Muslim group Wednesday, cordoning off the building and ordering employees out, the group said. Iraqi security forces dispatched by the Sunni Endowment, a government agency that cares for Sunni mosques and shrines, surrounded the mosque complex where the group is based at 9 a.m. and demanded that the building be evacuated before noon, the Association of Muslim Scholars said in a statement posted on its Web site." CBS and AP note the Association of Muslim Scholars' spokesperson Mohammed Bahsar al-Faydi is of the opinion that the forces "were not government forces but the personal guards of Ahmed Abdul-Ghafoor al-Samarraie, the head of the Sunni Endowment". Reuters notes that they were Sunni Endowment security guards and that in addition to everyone being kicked out of the building "a radio broadcast from the mosque had been stopped." Paul Tait and Missy Ryan also note that a de-de-Baathification bill is being hailed as 'progress' even though it's just been given to parlaiment (from Nouri al-Maliki's cabinet) and "[o]fficals had previously said the bill had already been given to parliament." As Damien Cave (New York Times) notes, this follows yesterday's call by the Sadr bloc for Parliament to be dissolved.
On the issue of the displaced Iraqis, nothing's being done. Amy Goodman (Democracy Now!) noted today, "The leading refugee-advocate group Refugees International has issued a scathing critique of the Bush administration's treatment of displaced Iraqis. In a new report, Refugees International says the U.S. has been 'unforgivably slow' in resettling Iraqi refugees. Almost five million Iraqis are believed to have been displaced since the U.S. invasion. The U.S. is admitting more than three times as many Iranian immigrants as it is Iraqis." Hannah Allam (McClatchy Newspapers) quotes the report's co-author, Kristele Younes, declaring, "The first reason for this is the lack of political will. Until very recently, the Bush administration never even acknowledged the humanitarian crisis because they were concerned that it would be interpreted as acknowledging failure in Iraq. And President Bush still has yet to acknowledge that there are now almost 5 million Iraqis who've had to leave their homes." Younes co-authored the report with Jake Kurtzer and it includes the following policy recommendations:
1. The U.S. immediately appoint a senior PRM official to be based in the region and charged with coordinating both the assistance and resettlement components of its response; 2. The U.S. immediately appoint an ambassador level diplomat to be based in Syria; 3. The U.S. and other donors provide earmarked bilateral assistance to countries hosting large numbers of Iraqi refugees, either directly or through a Trust Fund established by the UN or the Arab League; 4. The U.S. fund all pending UN appeals at a level of 50% or more; 5. The UN country teams make responding to Iraqi refugees needs a priority, with the UN resident representatives acting as coordinators of the overall national UN response and as liaisons with the diplomatic and donor communities.
In mercenary news, David Johnston and John M. Broder (New York Times) report that the FBI investigation into Blackwater's slaughter of 17 Iraqis on September 16th have not released a report but reportedly "have found that at least 14 of the shootings were unjustified and violated deadly-force rules in effect for security contractors in Iraq, according to civilian and military officials briefed on the case."
In peace activism news, more activity in Olympia. On Monday, Amy Goodman (Democracy Now!) noted, "In Olympia Washington, 15 anti-war demonstrators were arrested over the weekend while attempting to block a military convoy carrying Stryker vehicles. The protests were organized by the Olympia Port Militarization Resistance which aims to stop the U.S. military from using the Port of Olympia to ship equipment to Iraq. Protest organizers also accused police of brutalizing dozens of peaceful demonstrators and journalists. On Saturday police dressed in riot gear repeatedly used pepper spray and batons to break up the protest." The actions have continued and AP reports, "Police wearing riot gear fired pepper spray bullets into a crowd of more than 150 protesters Tuesday night at the Port Olympia and several military convoys eventually moved out" with approximately 50 activists arrested. Jeremy Pawloski (The Olympian) reports, "Olympia police in riot gear wore gas masks as they prepared to remove protesters from the main entrance about 11 p.m. At the same time, military convoys left for Fort Lewis from the port exit to Marine Drive" and that in addition to the pepper spray and pepper spray bullets, there are reports that "police also threw two concussion grenades into the crowd." And last week, Morton West High School students learned that their protest -- following the guidelines the school imposed -- against the illegal war was resulting in suspension and possible expulsion. The Columbia College Chicago chapter of SDS has started an online petition:
We are writing in defense of the students who now face excessive disciplinary actions at the hands of various Morton West school administrators. Our sympathies lie with the courageous and moral struggle that the students have taken up, and with their parents who still support them. The struggle for a peaceful and just society absent of war should not be met with punishment, but should be supported by the community as a whole, especially from within the educational setting. Furthermore, It is our firm belief that an injury to freedom for students anywhere is an injury to freedom for students everywhere. This is why we urge all Morton West administrators to drop all disciplinary action against the said students, and to remove any indications of said events from their permanent records. We urge you to respect these students right to free expression now and in the future. (Written by Columbia College Chicago Students for a Democratic Society)
At Consortium News, Robert Parry's "Why We Write" explains the basics of the site, yes, but also explains the very real need for Consortium News. He and his sons Nat and Sam will be speaking at Busboys and Poets in Arlingtion, Virginia Saturday Nov. 17th from four p.m. to six p.m. discussing their new book Neck Deep: The Disastrous Presidency of George W. Bush. Sam and Nat Parry have established their own journalist skills at Consortium News and they and Robert Parry can discuss any of the topics pertaining to the current administration but remember that Robert Parry has been doing investigative journalism for years -- long enough to have had neocon Daniel Pipes insult his reporting long, long before the Iraq War -- a sure sign his investigations cause discomfort.
iraq
brad mccall
jeremy hinzman
brandon hughey
robert przybylskijohn vandiver
democracy nowamy goodman
anthony arnovehoward zinn
robert parry
bay fang
patrick cockburn
hannah allemmcclatchy newspapers
the new york timesdamien cavemichael kramerdavid johnstonjohn m. broder
Posted by Ruth at 5:16 PM
Newer Post Older Post December 07 strike is so writers can get residuals for their hard work and overtime pay-14 to 18 hr days and weekends. we just won a case in court for the overtime!!! they offer .8% residuals we want 2.5% and no less- not much out of the $ and they say internet doesn't count. lol lol it's is where everything is going. bastards want it all. Rupert Murdock and friends with bushy support. November 19 For your information You're subscribed to this mailing list. Unsubscribe
Hollywood Guild Members: WGA Strike Locations for Monday, Nov. 19 plus Rally & March Location for Tuesday, Nov. 20
From: Screen Actors Guild (memmail@sag.org)
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WGA Strike Locations and Rally Information for
Monday, Nov. 19 and Tuesday, Nov. 20
- March & Rally Scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 20 on Hollywood Blvd. -
Dear Guild Member:
We encourage you, on your own time, to walk any picket line that has been set up by the WGA to show your solidarity. If you are not working (or are on break or lunch) and want to come out to support the WGA picket line, please come to one of the following locations. When you arrive at the location, please look for the designated Screen Actors Guild staff member.
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 19:
PARAMOUNT STUDIOS/RALEIGH STUDIOS HOLLYWOOD
9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
5555 Melrose Avenue & 5300 Melrose Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90038
Meeting Point: Windsor Gate
Parking Option: Streets south of Melrose
STAFF CONTACT: Mark Friedlander
WARNER BROS. STUDIOS
9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
4000 Warner Boulevard
Burbank, CA 91522
Meeting Place: Gate 2-3 on Olive
Parking Option: Street parking around studio
STAFF CONTACT: Leslie Slomka and Niki Nakagawa
Please Note: At this location SAG Performers with Disabilities will be on the line in support of the WGA, joined by WGA members with disabilities.
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 20:
LABOR SOLIDARITY WITH WRITERS – MARCH AND RALLY DOWN HOLLYWOOD BOULEVARD
1 p.m. – Assemble at Hollywood Blvd. and Ivar Ave.
1:30 p.m. – March down Hollywood Blvd.
Help write a chapter in Hollywood history. Join thousands of WGA members in support as they begin week three of the WGA strike against the AMPTP. March down Hollywood Boulevard with your fellow SAG members, writers, musicians, Teamsters, Service Employees and other unions in this fight for justice.
REMINDER:
* Please stay at studio locations, and do not join picketers at on-location sites. Screen Actors Guild is not condoning or participating in disruption and/or attempts to shut down location shoots.
* It is critical that SAG picket signs not be displayed at any locations other than the appropriate sites at the studios and networks.
* If you are contracted to work on a television series or motion picture that continues to produce while the WGA is on strike, you are obligated by your personal service agreement and the “No Strike” clause in our collective bargaining agreements to go to work. You can continue to audition for work and accept new work if you choose to do so.
* Screen Actors Guild members should not perform the duties covered by WGA contracts. Simply stated, you should not write anything normally written by striking WGA writers.
* Finally, and most importantly, we must support our fellow SAG members on every set even if they have to cross a picket line to get to work. They are simply following the advice of their union and honoring their contract. It is not reasonable to expect SAG cast members to risk the potentially enormous personal liability that may flow from refusing to work in the absence of a SAG strike. Please note, the WGA contract includes a similar “No Strike” clause and writers would be bound to the same rules as you are if another union were striking.
IMPORTANT NOTE: We have also set up a toll-free Screen Actors Guild WGA strike information hotline number for questions regarding work rules and picket line locations. Through this hotline number, you can get up-to-the-minute information on work rules, picket line locations and help with other questions. November 17 i'm feeling funny. friends son't write to even cuse me out.
i must be worthless. lol
or is it that u think i'm crazy. well, maybe baby, u might be right!
what is "pelit?"
now u have reason to write. lol October 31 Quote what is rodeo sex
Q.What is a Rodeo Sex? A.Enter in ur Girlfriend from Back, Hold her Hair, give a Good Thrust and Whisper in her ear "Ur Sister is Better than U in Bed." Now try 2 hold for 8 Seconds October 29 From the county where drunk driving is considered a sport, comes this true story. Recently a routine police patrol parked outside a bar in Reno, Nevada. After last call the officer noticed a man leaving the bar so apparently intoxicated that he could barely walk.
The man stumbled around the parking lot for a few minutes, with the officer quietly observing. After what seemed an eternity in which he tried his keys on five different vehicles, the man managed to find his car and fall into it. He sat there for a few minutes as a number of other
patrons left the bar and drove off.
Finally he started the car, switched the wipers on and off--it was a fine, dry summer night--,flicked the blinkers on and off a couple of times, honked the horn and then switched on the lights. He moved the vehicle forward a few inches, reversed a little and then remained still for a few more minutes as some more of the other patrons' vehicles left. At last, when his was the only car left in the parking lot, he pulled out and drove slowly down the road.
The police officer, having waited patiently all this time, now started up his patrol car, put on the flashing lights, promptly pulled the man over and administered a breathalyzer test. To his amazement, the breathalyzer indicated no evidence that the man had consumed any alcohol at all!
Dumbfounded, the officer said, I'll have to ask you to accompany me to the sherriffs office. This breathalyzer equipment must be broken."
"I doubt it," said the truly proud non-drinker. "Tonight I'm the designated decoy. Everyone who was drunk already left while you were waiting for me to pull out of the parking lot." October 28 doing alright, buried alive. doing better now that i've heard from u, as it's always a pleasure to hear from a critical thinker. the sheep will always be ready to tell u about god and how awful the homeless are, especially those loving christians. LMAO
going to a SAG meeting at noon and then to Alvera St for the "Day of the Dead" (halloween mexican style/i'm 1/2 mexican)
just another religion that has been saved from the mix of Druids and aztec. most are atheist when it comes to all other religions, but then they go one religion further. lol if there actually was a jc he wasn't thinking of anyone; he was thinking of how much the crucifixion hurt and how much it was going to hurt when they broke his legs, if he were still alive. the legs were always broken.
there is no devine being, just ur fears.
check my profile and view george carlin's video and "GOD," the view his "who controls america, ie the NAZI right wing religious fanatics. actually the ones how use this none thinkers for their greedy controlling purposes. they are really as religious as i am, but they are smart enough to use it to control americans with all their fear and hate mongering. and we've went for it all these years, and it's peeking with bushy. read up on how the NASIS started and it is a text book case of the reagan/bush eras.
use ur critical thinking and not the propagada u were raised with as were the muslims and jews and hindus, etc.
the reagan mindless and bushys have made america look like fools.
remember father bushy said the atheist and muslims should not be aloud to vote, and was probably thinking the same about jews. October 21 contrasts/everyone thinks up their own demons
Darkness, darkness
Be my pillow
Take my head
And let me sleep
In the coolness of your shadow
In the silence of your deep
Darkness, Darkness
Hide my yearning
For the things I cannot be
Keep my mind from constant turning
Toward the things I cannot see now
Things I cannot see now
Things I cannot see
Darkness, darkness,
Long and lonesome,
Ease the day that brings me pain.
I have felt the edge of sadness,
I have known the depth of fear.
Darkness, darkness, be my blanket,
Cover me with the endless night,
Take away, take away the pain of knowing,
Fill the emptiness of right now,
Emptiness of right now, now, now
Emptiness of ri-ight now.
Darkness, darkness, be my pillow,
Take my hand, and let me sleep.
In the coolness of your shadow,
In the silence, the silence of your deep.
Darkness, darkness, be my blanket,
Cover me with the endless night,
Take away, take away the pain of knowing
Fill the emptiness of right now,
Emptiness of right now now now
Emptiness of right....
Oh yeah Oh yeah
Emptiness, emptiness
Oh yeah
or
"There's a nail in the door
And there's glass on the lawn
Tacks on the floor
And the TV is on
And I always sleep with my guns when you're gone
There's a blade by the bed
And a phone in my hand
A dog on the floor
And some cash on the nightstand
When I'm all alone the dreaming stops
And I just can't stand
What should I do I'm just a little baby
What if the lights go out
And maybe and then the wind just starts to moan
Outside the door he followed me home
So goodnight moon
I want the sun
If it's not here soon
I might be done
No it wonèt be too soon 'til I say goodnight moon
There's a shark in the pool
And a witch in the tree
A crazy old neighbor and he's been watching me
And there's footsteps loud and strong coming down the hall
Something's under the bed
Now it's out in the hedge
There's a big black crow sitting on my window ledge
And I hear something scratching through the wall
What should I do I'm just a little baby
What if the lights go out
And maybe and then the wind just starts to moan
Outside the door he followed me home
So goodnight moon
I want the sun
If it's not here soon
I might be done
No it won't be too soon 'til I say goodnight moon"
everyone thinks up their own demons, thanks to religions Hat tip: Discovering Orthodoxy
Over at Discovering Orthodoxy, Robert has posted about the “Crystal Clear Atheism” Convention and has a link to this article: Religion Must Be Destroyed… at the bottom of the page.
This article is quite interesting because it juxtaposes the battle that is going on in many factions of America, not just the Atheist one. Round about the middle-top of the article, thereabouts, the reporter contrasts the speeches given by Oxford professor Richard Dawkins, and author Sam Harris:
In his speech, Dawkins portrayed a black-and-white intellectual battle between atheism and religion. He denounced the “preposterous nonsense of religious customs” and compared religion to racism. He also gave no quarter to moderate or liberal believers, asserting that “so-called moderate Christianity is simply an evasion.”
“If you’ve been taught to believe it by moderates, what’s to stop you from taking the next step and blowing yourself up?” he said.
By contrast, Harris’s speech was a more tempered critique of the atheist movement itself. While Harris said he believed science must ultimately destroy religion, he also discussed spirituality and mysticism and called for a greater understanding of allegedly spiritual phenomena. He also cautioned the audience against lumping all religions together.
“The refrain that all religions have their extremists is bull-t,” Harris said. “All religions do not have their extremists. Some religions have never had their extremists.”
Specifically, he noted that radical Islam was far more threatening than any radical Christian sect, adding that Christians had a right to be outraged when the media treated the two religions similarly.
Harris also criticized movement atheism and questioned the use of the word “atheist.”
“Atheism is not a philosophy, just as non-racism is not,” he said. “It is not a worldview, though it is frequently portrayed as one.
“Rather than declare ourselves atheists, I think we should emphasize reason,” Harris added.
While the audience gave Dawkins a standing ovation, Harris received only polite applause. One questioner later declared herself “very disappointed” in Harris’s talk.
This need for the extreme end of the spectrum, fascinates me. I perceive that Harris is attempting to find the middle and define the movement away from “militant atheism”, yet they were having none of it. Perhaps this is what one would find in any group that would gather itself because the people who are taking the time to get together are the ones who are more energized and possess more zeal for their cause. They are on fire wanting to share their partisan devotion and revolutionary ideals, in the U.S., they are a minority and want to soak in the fraternal love of their brothers and sisters, so perhaps it is not surprising that they didn’t clap for the more moderate tone of Sam Harris. Not that, “science must ultimately destroy religion” is in anyway a moderate idea.
To be clear, here is a gem from Richard Dawkins for your consideration.
Logical Path from Religious Beliefs to Evil Deeds
by Richard Dawkins
Reposted from:
Washingtonpost/Newsweek On Faith
Nobody is suggesting that all religious people are violent, intolerant, racist, bigoted, contemptuous of women and so on. It would be absurd to suggest such a thing: just as absurd as to generalize about all atheists. I am not even concerned with statistical generalizations about the majority of religious people (or atheists). My concern here is over whether there is any general reason why religion might be more or less likely to bias individuals towards all those unpleasant things in Christopher Hitchens’s list: to make them more likely to exhibit them than they would have been without religion. I think the answer is yes.Religion changes, for people, the definition of good. Atheists and humanists tend to define good and bad deeds in terms of the welfare and suffering of others. Murder, torture, and cruelty are bad because they cause people to suffer. Most religious people think them bad, too, but some religions (for example the religion of the Taliban) sanction all of them under some circumstances. For non-religious people, the behavior of consenting adults in a private bedroom is the business of nobody else, and is not bad unless it causes suffering – for example by breaking up a happy family. But many religions arrogate to themselves the right to decide that certain kinds of sexual behavior, even if they do no harm to anyone, are wrong.The actions of the Taliban, their vile bullying of women, their sanctimonious hatred of all that might lead to enjoyment, their violence, their ignorant bigotry, their hatred of education, their cruelty, seem to me to be as close to pure evil as anything I can imagine. Yet, by the lights of their own religion they are supremely righteous – really good people.The nineteen men of 9/11, having washed, perfumed themselves and shaved their whole bodies in preparation for the martyr’s paradise, believed they were performing the highest religious duty. By the lights of their religion they were as good as it is possible to be. They were not poor, downtrodden, oppressed or psychotic; they were well educated, sane and well balanced, and, as they thought, supremely good. But they were religious, and that provided all the justification they needed to murder and destroy. Their madrassas and their mullahs had given them good reason to think they were on a fast track to paradise.Polls suggest that 13% of British Muslims regard the 7/7 London bombers as blessed martyrs. Neighbors and friends expressed bewilderment that such nice, gentle, kind, youth-clubbing, cricket-loving young men could do such terrible things. But once you understand what they truly and sincerely believed – that it was Allah’s will that they blow up buses and subways – it becomes all too easy to understand.It is easy for religious faith, even if it is irrational in itself, to lead a sane and decent person, by rational, logical steps, to do terrible things. There is a logical path from religious faith to evil deeds. There is no logical path from atheism to evil deeds. Of course, many evil deeds are done by individuals who happen to be atheists. But it can never be rational to say that, because of my nonbelief in religion, it would be good to be cruel, to murder, to oppress women, or to perpetrate any of the evils on the Hitchens list.The following quotation from the Nobel prize winning physicist Steven Weinberg has become well known, but it is so devastatingly true that it is worth quoting again and again: “With or without [religion] you’d have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, it takes religion.”
Ahh, the catchy little quote. People who are good can be lead astray by any ideology, as evidenced by the death and destruction perpetrated by the true believers among the Nazis, the Soviets and among those living in North Korea and China, who will imprison and torture and kill for their states.
State ideology is just as powerful.
Whenever one group of people looks at another group of people and labels them, for whatever reason, they have objectified that group and have made it easier to justify their aims.
Something to “free” think about… don't continue being sheep;
Americans aren't stupid or lazy, they are human (read sheep) educated in american schools to not think critically but just know enough to do the work required of them by the people who actually own America, ie. bushy and friends, the arms and big industry. See my profile and george carlin's video, "Who controls america" then go to my group, "4thestate, to understand why u don't get info u need to be a critical thinking votor.
all u get are lies that have been out there so long the pass as known true. but they are lies, period. bushy ias been the biggest since his father. only Reagan compare because he taught Republicans how to get away with such stupid lies. Nixon would turn green with envy if he could see what the Republicans were getting away with, while the Dems are too afraid of there money backers to call them on it. Dems let Thomas in the Supreme Court! weak kneed pussies/know offense ladies.
Got to put this on all my blogs. lol
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