Friday, August 31, 2012

Updates 8/31/12

Hello everyone.


My internet is fairly spotty at the moment, thanks to the remnants of Issac beginning to pass over us here in Southern Illinois. My heart goes out to those who are dealing with the aftermath of the storm. I lived in Louisiana for a little while when I was younger, and I have several very good friends in Mississippi. It seems like my friends have made it through unscathed. :)


Let's move on to the news before my internet dies entirely. 


-- [Charles] Mitt Romney is a liar. When I say that, it sounds like I am simply being a liberal who wants to denounce the other side. There is are a few problems with that statement, however. First, I don't like either candidate, really, because they have a lot of the same political beliefs. Second, Romney's lies have been documented. Repeatedly. Head over to this link to get a glimpse of the over 500 lies Romney has told. (It's really amazing to see people correct him, but he just ignores them and continues to spread the same bull.)




-- Romney isn't the only one spreading blatant lies, though. It seems as though Paul Ryan is also jumping on the bandwagon. This article details the multiple issues with Ryan's speech at the RNC on the 29th, shedding light on the lies by providing the truth. The kicker? This article is on FOX.




-- [Charles] Continuing the discussion of politics, Michael Moore has declared that he believes Romney will win the presidency. He predicted this outcome on the basis of the massive amounts of funding Romney has managed to secure, which much outshines the amount President Obama has been able to achieve. (The election will apparently be bought...)




-- [Charles] Charles sent this to me with the tagline "Something to 'hiss' at," and boy, is he right. In Alberta, over 300,000 liters of water tainted by tar sands has been spilled due to a major leak. This has been (at least) the third documented spill from this line, but the pipeline oversight crew still believes it is safe. Environmental groups are not so sure.





-- [Charles] As the political campaigning rages on, let's go back a little in time to remind ourselves of a candidate who used plenty of humor, as well as satirical jabs, to get his point across. Do you remember Vermin Supreme? You should. (When I first saw Vermin, I thought he was crazy. The more I listened to him speak, though, the more I realized how he was actually proving a point with his speeches and actions. He isn't crazy. Our system is.




-- The anti-Occupy film by Breitbart, Occupy Unmasked, was shown last night at the RNC, with a heavy police presence. Hundreds of people (mostly protesters) scheduled to see the film were turned away for "safety reasons," as screeners said they received multiple threatening emails and messages from Occupiers and other protesters. The Facebook pages for the Occupy groups are tame, so there is no way of proving what actually happened. Those who did see the film were quoted as saying it was "stupid" and "distorted reality."




***Solidarity***

To contact me, email elvishbutterfly@hotmail.com. Thanks for reading.
Posted by at No comments:

Thursday, August 30, 2012

Updates 8/30/12

Hello everyone.



I had a long chat with one of my professors yesterday, who specializes in social movements, among other things. We discussed revolutions and movements in many countries, and how these revolutions move from being an underground movement to a full-fledged revolt. It was a very interesting chat, and I appreciate him taking the time to talk with me outside of class. 

I'm pretty sure my sickness is a sinus problem, due to allergies. Yay. Looks like pretty soon I will be walking with a cane, as well. I don't specifically need it to walk, but I fall so often that it may help me keep my balance in those cases. Another yay.


Okay, so today we have a few links from Charles, and Kate sent in another info-bursting email, of which I will be posting quite a bit. After, we have another episode of "Things That Make Kitty Hiss."



-- Most of the corporate media has been strictly focusing on what is going on inside the RNC. HuffPost brings us a story about the activists outside, and why they think the biggest protests are yet to come. The Occupier they focus on has traveled the country, joining multiple Occupy sites in what he calls "Occupy All Streets." 




-- [Charles] Another protest is planned for the RNC, but this protest was originally not supposed to happen. Occupy Tampa Bay has found out the the New Black Panther Party is in fact planning a march for this evening. The group had said there were no plans to do so previously. Who are the NBPP and what do they have planned? Check out the link to find out. 




-- [Charles] Moving back inside the RNC, corporate media has been covering speeches by the many delegates and officials for the past few days. However, a disturbing trend has cropped up in one media outlet's coverage. MSNBC has apparently cut away from, or simply not aired, the speeches of many of the minority speakers. (In unconfirmed reports, I have heard that FOX did this as well.) Some are accusing MSNBC of liberal bias by trying to make it seem as though the RNC is racist against minorities. (If in fact this is the case, what is the reason FOX did the same thing?) 




-- [Kate] Here is Kate's email. It is chock full of international and more local events. Check it out!

The U.S. is focused on the RNC in Tampa this week, but other protests continue elsewhere in the country and around the globe. 
 
In Greece, conditions continue to deteriorate for the average citizen, with no relief in sight. Today, municipal employees called a 2 day strike and held demonstrations in Athens. Here's a picture from Athens 29 August  http://www.demotix.com/news/1412290/municipal-employees-march-athens-against-funding-cuts#slide-7 Of course, no protest is complete these days without police in riot gear and today was no exception for Greek demonstrators as shown in this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zisMDAUpg_k&feature=youtu.be This demonstration escalated into clashes between police and striking garbage truck drivers. Here's a short article with a brief discription of the conflict: http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_wsite1_1_29/08/2012_458733 
 
Today (29 August) in London, tension heightened between Julian Assange supporters and police in front of the Ecuadorian Embassy. The police removed barricades and used an obstruction law to encourage the supporters to disperse from the area. Here's an article that includes a video from earlier on Wednesday eveninghttp://www.digitaljournal.com/article/331805 The protesters seem to be holding their ground through the night, as indicated in this tweet " Frankfurt FoWL‏@FFMFoWL #Assange vigil at embassy need sleep. Call out for a change of guard. Bring coffee and croissants. 3 Hans Crescent. Near Harrods. " Hopefully, reinforcements arrived to relieve the sleepy supporters.
 
In Canada this week, students continue their strike against tuition hikes and for changes in the relationships between society and government. Here's an article that discusses the current situation and ongoing direct actions taken by student protesters: http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2012/08/29-2 Meanwhile, in Ontario, thousands of teachers protest proposed cuts to education budgets. Here's a short clip from 28 August: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAso8cf7mKA
 
Speaking of teachers, in Chicago, the teacher's union continues to negotiate with Chicago Public Schools over their contract as well as classroom conditions, and say a strike can be called if necessary: http://truth-out.org/news/item/11222-chicago-teachers-union-to-file-ten-day-strike-notice-say-reports
 
And in solidarity with Chicago, Seattle is holding a 48 hour vigil for the NATO5 arrestees who are still incarcerated from May's #NoNATO direct actions. Here's additional information on the event from the interoccupy.net site: http://interoccupy.net/blog/ai1ec_event/seattle-wa-48-hour-candle-light-vigil-in-solidarity-with-the-nato-5/?instance_id=3202806
 
Last week, I read this announcement for a march by Lakota women from Pine Ridge, S.D. to nearby White Clay, NE http://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2012/08/white-clay-lakota-and-deep-green.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blogspot%2FWWcmu+%28CENSORED+NEWS%29 By Sunday night, this article circulated, outlining the day's events, the use of pepper spray on some members of the crowd and the arrests of those protesters that chose to lockdown and barricade the road to White Clay http://dgrnewsservice.org/2012/08/26/womens-march-and-day-of-peace-turns-violent-protesters-arrested/  This morning (29 August), a call for jail support was sent out by the community with an accompanying video of the arrests. You can read more and see the video here:http://dgrnewsservice.org/2012/08/26/womens-march-and-day-of-peace-turns-violent-protesters-arrested/ Pretty sad stuff. :(





-------------------------
Things That Make Kitty Hiss!
-------------------------


FOX has an exclusive trailer of the new "movie" Occupy Unmasked, which of course, features Andrew Breitbart in all his insane glory. The trailer is bits and snippets of angry people and destruction occurring, and is supposed to how how "bad" we Occupiers really are. Now, I don't know about you, but I have said some things in anger before. Emotions are a strong thing, especially in cases where you are talking about a loss of community and financial downfall due to a bunch of guys running around with unregulated control of the financial market. I get pretty upset about that. Again, I don't know about you, but I have also never destroyed property or caused harm, and I firmly believe that the large majority of Occupiers never have either. This "movie" is all about lumping every Occupier into the same dirty, destructive pile, and nothing could be more distant from the truth. 

We are Occupy. Yes, we are. But. BUT..... That doesn't mean we are all the same. We have different politics. Different walks of life. Different minds with different viewpoints. I'm a socialist. You may be a Democrat, a Republican, liberal or conservative. You may be a socialist like me. You may be an anarchist. You may have no political affiliation at all, but you know things aren't right. We have different religions. 

Just because we stand under a banner of unity and solidarity does not mean we all fight for the same exact reasons. We all have things in common, but we all have our differences. We all have our stories, and they are all meaningful, heartfelt, and honest. I am sick to death of being accused of being some fucked up, drug using, destructive, irrational, angry liberal who doesn't know why I'm fighting. If you think we don't know why we fight, maybe you should just ask us. 

Here's the link to that video. It has an article after it in which the director provides this lovely quote: "This film is important because it sheds new light on the myth of the Occupy Wall Street movement."



Who knew we were mythical creatures? I sure in the hell didn't. Ha.



That's it for today. Just one article. I have others, but they are old and the comments make me want to spill bile all over my laptop. No thanks. 



***Solidarity***


To contact me, email elvishbutterfly@hotmail.com. Thanks for reading. 
Posted by at No comments:

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Updates 8/29/12

Hello everyone.
 
 
With the RNC in full swing, Charles and I are working hard to get tons of info for you. Mrs. Kitty, my wife, even supplied one of today's articles.
 
 
 
-- [Charles] I get the InterOccupy Update email, but here it is for you if you don't want to get the newsletter. It includes this week's calls to action, announcements, news stories, and any new Occupy hubs that are cropping up.
 
http://occupyportland.org/2012/08/28/the-interoccupy-update-for-aug-28th-sept-3rd/
 
 
 
-- [Charles] Here's a video from the RNC, in which videographers are being detained and the police state gets just a bit wet, thanks to Hurricane Issac. Coming from IndyBay.
 
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2012/08/28/18720460.php
 
 
 
-- [Charles] Moving away from the RNC for now, here's an article about activists fighting back against the NYPD's disturbingly racist Stop and Frisk policy. It details the previous issues Occupiers and others have had with stop and frisk, and what they plan to do about it. 
 
http://interoccupy.net/blog/cornel-west-opponents-of-stop-and-frisk-to-blow-the-whistle-on-nypd-policy/
 
 
 
-- [Charles] Let's head back to the RNC for a shouting match. No, literally. A bit of a stand-off occurred between Romney supporters and Ron Paul supporters, ending with Romney potentially alienating all of Paul's very passionate crowd. They were apparently trying, and oddly succeeding, in doing voice votes on rules during this crazy shouting match.
 
http://www.buzzfeed.com/zekejmiller/chaos-on-the-gop-convention-floor
 
 
 
-- [Charles] If you've been paying attention to the RNC at all, you've probably heard of a little area called Romneyville. This encampment is full of two groups of people; out of state protesters and Florida's homeless. This story details how the two groups are getting along, and why some of the homeless people appreciate Occupiers. 
 
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/telegraphtv/9501370/Inside-Romneyville-A-tale-of-two-camps.html
 
 
 
-- [Charles] This short video shows the banner drop at the RNC when Scott Walker took to the podium. Protesters shouted "Walker hates workers" while lowering banners with slogans against the governor. Others in attendence attempted to drown them out by shouting "U.S.A" over and over, but the point was well made.
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kV4MD7MeLLc&feature=youtube_gdata_player
 
 
 
-- Here's a bit of a long story, but it's worth reading. The SF Gate writes about Occupy is planning big things for September, and what can possibly be expected of the OWS crowd. Included in possible protests is the idea of making citizen's arrests of bankers. They also write about how the fatigue of those fighting back may have an impact on what goes on.
 
http://www.sfgate.com/business/bloomberg/article/Occupy-Plans-S17-Wall-Street-Tie-Up-as-3823649.php
 
 
 
-- [Mrs. Kitty] My wife brought me this story when I woke up this morning. Apparently a group of miners and their families, whose boss receives plenty of kickbacks from Romney, have been repeatedly forced, without pay, to attend rallies and other events under threat of losing their jobs. The mining company denies this, but multiple families have written in to say that it is entirely accurate. How outrageous is this. 
 
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/08/28/759131/miners-say-they-were-forced-to-attend-romney-campaign-event-without-pay-we-knew-what-would-happen/
 
 
 
-- Lastly, here's a confrontation worth looking at. The title of the page says "Protesters shout vulgar slurs at Baptists." That sounds horrible, yeah? Well, it's a bit misleading. These Baptists aren't just any Baptists. Click the link to read more about this confrontation: Occupy vs. The Westboro Baptist Church.
 
http://www.9news.com/news/politics/285946/166/Protestors-shout-vulgar-slurs-at-Baptists
 
 
 
***Solidarity***
 
Contact me at elvishbutterfly@hotmail.com. Thanks.
Posted by at No comments:

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Updates 8/28/12

Hello everyone.


This is going to be pretty short, because I'm sick. My throat is swollen so much that I can barely swallow. Probably going to make a doctor's appointment today.


On to the news.


-- [Charles] This is a wonderfully written article concerning the People's Library in Oakland. It talks about the multiple challenges faced by the community and the activists, antagonized by both police and vandals. It talks about the triumphs they've had, and the beautiful garden that sprung from the minds of the children. It's heartening. Give it a go.




-- [Charles] The Occupiers in Hong Kong have defied the demands to evacuate the HSBC plaza. HSBC is going to the court bailiffs to get an eviction. What happens now, and why are they Occupying?




-- [Charles] At the very short first day of the RNC, police tactics were already rearing their heads. Take a look at this photo.




-- A protester was actually arrested on the first day of RNC events. This article says the protester refused to remove a mask. Other sources claim it was a bandanna. At this convention, it is apparently against the rules to wear face coverings in the "event zones."




-- I talked about Joshua Albert yesterday, with his creation of the Facebook page supporting the accused murderers of a police officer. He's back in the news again, this time for creating two more Facebook pages. One is titled "Kill Mitt Romney," while the other is "Kill Paul Ryan." He thinks it's funny. (Okay, that's enough of this guy. He's not funny. He's a jerk. Advocating for deaths... ugh. I can't even wrap my mind around who would think this is a good idea. Do I want Romney and Ryan in office? HELL NO. But do I want them dead? NO FUCKING WAY. What the hell is wrong with our society? This is not okay.)








*RANT TIME*

What have we come to? Why is this okay with us? Yeah, it's free speech. But free speech only goes so far. And free speech does not mean that you don't have to face any consequences for what you say. There is a big difference in disliking someone's political agenda and wanting them dead. When you decide to start talking about how you want someone to die, or even create some sort of "funny" page advocating for their death, that means there is something wrong. Maybe with you, maybe with society, maybe both. This man, Joshua Albert, identifies as an Occupier, yet instead of promoting solidarity and offering genuine ideas for change, he goes on attack rampages against people he doesn't like. Since when is it acceptable to harm people we disagree with? If that were the case, there would be a lot less people in the world, and a lot less change, both good and bad. 


I know that some people probably agree with this man. Some people probably think that I have no sense of humor. That's okay if you want to believe that. I have a very messed up, cynical, dry, sarcastic, and sometimes goofy sense of humor. This, to me, is not funny. There are plenty of people in this world who likely agree with the page to the point that they would see it as validation of their beliefs that Romney or Ryan should be killed. That is not a good thing. When a political candidate is killed because of his or her political beliefs, you are not trying to kill the person, but rather an idea. Instead, you kill a person and strengthen the idea. You. Kill. A. Person. A person with a family. A person with hopes and dreams. Even if they don't match your ideas, they still deserve to live just as much as you do. That's a human being.


I have a hard time wrapping my brain around the beliefs some people hold. I don't understand why many conservatives believe it is their right and duty to regulate women's bodies. I don't understand why people believe that getting rid of guns would solve the problem of murder, considering that then only guns would be in the hands of police and criminals. I don't understand why people like my uncle think skin color is a great way to tell that you are better than someone else, when it obviously isn't true. I don't understand why people believe their religions should be the law, and everyone should have to follow it, even if they don't believe. I don't understand why people would find death threats funny, or if not a death threat exactly, then a disturbing reminder that some people are okay with the idea of murder, as long as it gets them ahead. I don't understand why being born into a body that doesn't match the gender of your mind is something people would kill you over. I don't understand why we care so little about the person inside the body, as long as we get the body to obey our every whim. 

I don't understand these things. And they make me angry. It makes me so angry to see that people are fucked up in so many ways. It makes me angry that for many an item, Marx was right, line by line. People don't matter anymore. Only business. Only industry. Only machines. Only money. Only hate. Only greed. 



Are we even still human?



***Solidarity***

To contact me, email elvishbutterfly@hotmail.com. Thanks.
Posted by at No comments:

Monday, August 27, 2012

Updates 8/27/12

Hello everyone.


I don't have much time this morning, so we're jumping right in today.



-- Public Editor Andrew Brisbane of the New York Times is on his way out, but not without making a few stabs at his former employer. Brisbane penned an opinion piece slamming the NYT for its "progressivism" (which is not actually a word, I believe. It should be progressiveness), and for turning stories concerning Occupy and gay marriage into "causes." This article is from the Washington Post, which basically called Brisbane out on not backing up his accusations, as well as asking the all important question of -If Occupy was one of the NYT's pet causes, why on Earth did they take so long to notice it, and why did many of their pieces concerning it actually dog the movement?




-- Today is the day for protesters in Hong Kong, as they have a legal deadline of 9 p.m. to be out. If Occupiers do not comply, a bailiff will write a writ of possession and eviction will be executed, according to the HSBC spokesperson. Occupiers say they will not leave, but violence will not result. Rather, they will peacefully protest while being forcefully removed.




-- Occupy Psychiatry is holding a rally on October 6 to protest for those who have been forced to undergo "unwanted and unneeded" psychiatric treatment. The group is joining forces with multiple other activist groups to bring light to what they call "Psychiatric treatment that denies human rights." (Personally, this protest isn't for me. I know that there are indeed many people on medication they don't need, and also don't want. But there are also people that don't want medication, but need it. I initially did not want to take medication, due to my concerns about chemicals and harmful effects. Several years ago, I ended up self-admitting myself into a psychiatric ward because I was a full-blown Bulimic and I genuinely scared myself with suicidal thoughts and desires. I was forcibly medicated once I arrived, and while that particular medication was not right for me, I was able to finally see that I needed the help. It took that event in my life to convince me that something was seriously wrong. Now I have a diagnosis (or two, if you count the bulimia), the right medication, and I no longer have suicidal tendencies. I also personally know plenty of people who are medicated because they realized they needed help, and plenty of people who probably should be on some sort of medication, but refuse to acknowledge any problems. I would never tell them they need to take something, because it is not my place to tell you what to do with your body. I will say that I have been home over five times in the past two years for funerals of people I cared about. I will also say that in almost every case, if they would have been medicated, maybe they would not have taken their own lives. That's not to say it would have been perfect, and that it would have worked every time. But there is a chance that they would have survived with medication and mental health care, none of which were available to them in the shitty, podunk town I come from.)




-- [Charles] Want to know what is going on at the RNC? Here is a schedule of events set up for you, as well as phone numbers, maps, themes, and other information you need to know. 




-- [Charles] Remember the sense of awe we all felt the first time we saw "We Are The 99%" lit up on the side of a building in NYC? Remember how amazing it was to watch the names of Occupied cities flash by as we watched for our towns? Well, meet the Illuminators, and they need our help. They are the mobile projection unit responsible for the inspiring images we saw. They are trying to spread out and bring the Illuminators to more cities across the nation. They are asking for donations through Kickstarter, and offering some gifts in reward for donating certain amounts. I'm donating what I can, and I ask you to join me. These units really do inspire.




***Solidarity***


To contact me, email elvishbutterfly@hotmail.com. Thanks. 
Posted by at No comments:

Sunday, August 26, 2012

Updates 8/26/12

Hello everyone.


I have a presentation on Wednesday, over a couple of chapters of The Division of Labor in Society by Durkheim. You ever try to read Durkheim? It's hard to read. Well, some of it is. Parts of the first chapter I've been assigned are a breeze. I can understand exactly what he's getting at. Then for the next part, he kind of goes into so many analogies that it's exceeding difficult to get his point. It's in there somewhere, dammit. I'll figure it out. I guess I'm not really a big fan or Durkheim. Or Weber, for that matter. Oh, well. You have to do what you have to do, yeah?


On to the news.



-- [Charles] When Charles first sent me this link, I was a bit confused. Who is the EFF, and what is the TPP? I'd never heard of them before. The EFF is a group fighting for rights in the digital world. The TPP is the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a secretive piece of legislation spanning multiple countries that seeks to make rules more strict, copyrights heftier, and punishments more harsh. This link has an infographic to let you know what the TPP would do, and how we can stop it.




-- A few days ago, a rant went viral on the web. The President of Ireland, Michael Higgins, went off on a Tea Party loving radio host about several important things. I may have posted this before, but I just found out something amazing. President Higgins talks about the people he met while working in the Midwest, and how they were hard-working people who loved their country, and how he believes they all deserve medical care. I just found out that President Higgins was talking about my school. He was apparently a faculty member of my university... In my department. I can honestly say I'm a little more prideful about my educational choice now. Here is the audio rant. It's a fantastic listen.




-- [Charles] The Renegade Raging Grannies are a great group of women who fight for rights and perform political commentary in the form of song. Here's their rendition of "Legitimate Rape," a song written for Mr. Todd Akin and his faulty medical advice towards women's health and pregnancy. (I fell in love with these women the minute I heard this.)




-- [Charles] There is a new cookbook available, but it won't teach you how to make a great souffle. "Cooking up Change: The Webskillet 'Zine" is available for free online for all revolutionaries who want to set up plans and strategic communications. Check it out here.




-- [Charles] If you are familiar with the people working in Occupy, you probably have heard of Jesse LaGreca. Mr. LaGreca is (from what I understand) an employee at DailyKos. He has written a letter to the people of the Republican Party. The Republican Party used to be fairly rational. (You may disagree, but it's all a matter of opinion. I could chat with my Republican friends about our differences of opinion, and we'd still get along just fine later.) Now it seems that a fringe group has overtaken them, and they are fiercely angry about a lot of things. This open letter does a great job on calling them out. Please, read this. 




-- A member of Occupy Philadelphia, Joshua Albert, has created a Facebook page praising the killers of a police officer who was gunned down while he walked home. The two men being praised are accused of following Officer Moses Walker Jr., then attacking and shooting him. The Facebook page, called "I Support Chancier McFarland & Rafael Jones," has numerous anti-police quotes, songs, and links, but also has many people condemning it. Albert says "I stand by the page and the 1st Amendment." (Yeah, I stand by the 1st Amendment too, Mr. Albert. But I also believe that using the 1st Amendment with the specific purpose of praising the death of someone is wrong. WRONG. I don't care who it is, you don't stand there and proudly support someone's death. That's a human being, police officer or not. You make me feel ill, Mr. Albert, to know that you are willingly causing pain for people because you are happy an authority figure was gunned down. I don't hate police. I'm scared of police, yeah. But I don't ever believe they should be killed. What the hell does that accomplish? Nothing. Nothing. How sad. I do NOT support Chancier McFarland and Rafael Jones. They are innocent until proven guilty, so I will not condemn them. I will not support nor condemn them until the truth comes to light. But for your actions in this case, I do condemn you, Mr. Albert. I hope you've gotten the attention you wanted.)




-- In strange news, why the hell did the Social Security Administration order 174,000 rounds of hollow-point bullets? 




-- Today is Women's Equality Day. Across the country, women are stepping out of their homes and offices to fight for their equal rights. Want to know what's going on close to you, or how you can get involved? Check it out here.




-- Breitbart News is still around, and they are saying they have found information concerning one of the tactics that may be used during the political National Conventions. According to reporter John Sexton, anarchists may be planning to disable EMS communications during the convention. Want to know more?




***Solidarity***

To contact me, email elvishbutterfly@hotmail.com. Thanks. 
Posted by at No comments:

Saturday, August 25, 2012

Updates 8/25/12

Hello everyone. 


My research is going swimmingly... or better than my homework anyway. The only problem I have is that when I work on it for several hours, I begin to get irritable at the organizations I'm looking at. You can only read about Focus on the Family for so long before you want to start throwing shit, you know? 


We have a new contributor today! Adding to Charles and Kate, let's welcome Margo to the group. Margo has sent us some news about upcoming events with Occupy Chicago. Charles has also supplied some links for today. Let's jump right in.



-- [Charles] A recent story run by NPR praised Bank of America for donating homes without doing any research on the back-story. It seems that while BofA donates homes regularly, they are now getting credits for it as part of the settlement against them due to their faulty and fraudulent foreclosure practices. It doesn't really equate to a penalty since it is something they would be doing anyway. Check out this story to see how they are getting double credits for it, too.




-- This article by FireDogLake calls our attention to the government fabrication of extremists and terrorists in order to gain high profile arrests. This type of infiltration and pressured extremism has already been experienced by Occupy several times, in which government agents attempted to convince activists to make Molotov cocktails or take things to a more extreme level. This is an important piece for anyone considering participating in any large-scale protests.




-- Occupy The Midwest: Another World is Possible is a conference in Detroit happening right now, and continuing until Sunday. Over 300 Occupiers are coming in from states all over the Midwest, and as far as London, England, to talk plans, protests, and what they can do to make things better. The group is holding workshops on everything from urban farming to banks.




-- [Charles] The RNC is getting more and more interesting every day, and this time, it's all about flight. United Drones is sending in autonomous unmanned drones to fly around Tampa during the convention, and these drones can not only provide surveillance, but also carry lethal and non-lethal weaponry. But these drones aren't alone. F-15s will also be flying over the city to make sure that nothing happens in the sky. Check out this article for more info.




-- Here's another person without a clue. Read this short piece to find out why this guy thinks Occupy is dead and gone. (Hint: He obviously doesn't look beyond his own city.)




-- [Margo] This is an excerpt from Margo's email. Here's what you need to know about Occupy Chicago!

Occupy Obama will take place from Sept 3-6: http://www.facebook.com/events/259986614113062/  they will have 4 days of events: 
September 3: Immigration
September 4 5PM, Jackson&Lasalle: Reject President 1%: End Obama's War On the World's 99% http://www.facebook.com/events/194582987339272/
September 5: Mortgage Debt/Foreclosures http://www.facebook.com/events/159748960829231/
September 6: Democracy http://www.facebook.com/events/274717642632695/


And, Occupy Chi has come up with a brilliant political satire/theatrical project called Revolutionaries for Romney.... they have a twitter account @revs4romney, a FB page:http://www.facebook.com/groups/343391275744481/permalink/344108525672756/?notif_t=like a website: http://revs4romney.org/ and a campaign videohttp://youtu.be/MOf-g5UnIWo.  its great!  check it out.



***Solidarity***

To contact me, email elvishbutterfly@hotmail.com. Thanks to Kate, Charles, and Margo for all their help, and thanks to all of you for reading!
Posted by at No comments:

Friday, August 24, 2012

Updates 8/24/12

Hello everyone.


I guess I'm sick... or something. I hurt pretty bad right now. Feels like I tore a bunch of muscles in my sides and my thighs. If it isn't better by Monday, I guess I'll be heading in to see that new doctor again.


Once again, Kate and Charles have somehow realized that I needed some help, and sent me tons of information for you. I do have a few stories that I've found as well.



-- Breaking News -- 

This morning at least ten people were shot at the Empire State Building, with two being killed. One of the two dead is the shooter. It is the height of tourist season, but a police source says that there is no apparent link to terrorism.


From dictionary.com:

ter·ror·ism

   [ter-uh-riz-uhm]  Show IPA
noun
1.
the use of violence and threats to intimidate or coerce,especially for political purposes.
2.
the state of fear and submission produced by terrorism orterrorization.
3.
a terroristic method of governing or of resisting agovernment.


Sounds to me like until they find out the motives, it cannot be determined if it is terrorism. Regardless, my heart goes out to those involved, and their families.




-- An Fort Collins Occupier, Benjamin David Gilmore, is being accused of setting a 10 million dollar fire after his cellmate told police that Gilmore confessed to him. The inmate's name is being withheld by the judge, although several media outlets are contesting the decision. After writing the letter to authorities, the inmate was moved to a call that had thicker mattresses, access to headphones, and better TVs, but he says he did not write the letter to gain any special treatment.




-- [Charles] This video, posted on August 22, reveals that police in Tampa have huge plans for the RNC. This prison has been entirely emptied in preparation for the estimated 1,000 arrests each day.




-- [Charles] Thought crimes are punishable in this country, albeit not legally. This man, Brandon Raub, has been locked up in a psychiatric ward for who knows how long, kidnapped from his home by police and detained. Why? Because he posted his opinions on Facebook about 9/11 being an inside job, and the government being run by wackjobs. A judge finally ordered his release recently, because the police had no legal reason to hold him. Read this article about it, and you'll be just as shocked as I was about their excuses and his treatment.




-- [Charles] Chris Hedges is a former New York Times reporter, who now writes books and advocates for revolutionary change in the US. This article is an interview with the man from Truthout, talking about his new book, "Days of Destruction Days of Revolt," and why he believes that revolution may be all we have left.




-- [Charles] We've all heard of Freeganism before, but some people don't know what it means or entails. This site can help with that. Here, you can learn about how to survive after capitalism, and what else this total boycott of the profit-motivated economic system involves.




-- [Charles] This video is fantastic. The news has reported time and time again that Occupiers are hurting local businesses, and that city workers have had to spruce up the parks because of the damage left behind. This man first questions homeless people about the tree-trimmings, only to find that the trees have not been trimmed to help business, but rather to reduce shade to encourage homeless individuals to go elsewhere. Follow him as he then goes to local businesses to get their takes on whether or not Occupy really does hurt their business.






Next up, I'm pasting in a large part of Kate's email. She writes well and offers good explanations. Her husband wrote a beautiful poem, which she shared with me. I may post it later on, if that is okay with them. Until then, here is Kate's section of the news!


Here's some links from the national front I can share with you this evening:
 
Occupy Tallahassee has until 1 September to vacate their space by the City: http://www.tallahassee.com/article/20120823/POLITICSPOLICY02/120823013/City-gives-Occupy-Tallahassee-campers-until-Sept-1-vacate-property?nclick_check=1 (I"m sorry I can't supply you any more details on that occupation. I don't know how long they've been encamped.)
 
It's sad enough that there's people experiencing lack and hunger, but just as sad that feeding the hungry is discouraged, apparently coast to coast. This article cites multiple examples of bans on feeding others. http://www.classwarfareexists.com/feeding-the-homeless-is-being-banned-all-over-the-country/#ixzz24LlsioCy
 
On 21 August, 4 people were arrested outside Trinity Church in NYC. You've probably heard about that. Here's the video footage of the arrests captured by an online occupier and shared via twitter. Gotta love the social media <3 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVV_GIFHICw&feature=youtu.be
 
A Seattle occupier arrested 13 October, 2011 had charges dismissed on Monday: http://occupyseattle.org/blog/2012-08-20/occupy-sukkot-case-dismissed
 
The move toward change is a global event. Here's 3 links shared with me today.
 
In Chile (23 August) students clashed with police, and shown vividly in this slide show: http://photos.mercurynews.com/2012/08/23/photos-students-protest-for-education-reform-in-chile/
 
And thousands were in the street on 22 August in Montreal in support of the student strike and other injustices:http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2012/08/23 "The students marched just as they have on the 22nd of every month, for the last six months."
 
Solidarity against pipelines and the Tar Sands oil extraction continues to grow and the people are uniting efforts in British Columbia against the Pacific Trails Pipeline project. Here's a video that covers info on the issue and recent direct action: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyC4oUILmCk&feature=youtu.be
 
We stand on the shoulders of giants. Here's some info on 2 of them, one still here to inspire us, the other's memory we'll honor on Friday.
 
Vandana Shiva announces the Act for Seed Freedom and the plans for global direct actions in protest of seed company monopolies and control of our seed sources:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vugasMzEYxo&feature=youtu.be
 
And last, but not least, 24 August is the 90th birthdate of Howard Zinn. Hopefully everyone knows who he is by now, and I'm grateful for this tribute from Common Dreams, least we forget: http://www.commondreams.org/view/2012/08/23-6  R.I.P. Howie. <3 I know his spirit and energy is in the streets and heard in our voices as we find our way forward to the more just and peaceful future he helped us envision.



***Solidarity***

To contact me, email elvishbutterfly@hotmail.com. Thanks for reading! Thanks again to Kate and Charles for their generosity and help!
Posted by at No comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)