Duty to Warn
I attended the J20 inauguration protests in Washington DC. It was cold as hell that day. The sidewalks were filled with that black stuff that really isn’t snow but isn’t water either. Washington DC was a police state and made no attempts to conceal this.
Do we need to start taking mass, nonviolent direct action for peace?
Street protest is no longer spontaneous, relevant, or reported in the news.
Permits for demonstrations are now staples of bureaucracy. Free speech zones with collapsible barricades are standard equipment. The recent inauguration even saw a separate bleacher section (of course, in a poor location) for protesters.
This is not how struggles are won. This is not what was done in the past.
Thousands of protesters demonstrated at the recent inauguration. What if hundreds or thousands of them had committed to a united direct action against the parade?
What if hundreds or thousands of people had blocked the limousines by standing (ala Tianamen Square) or lying down in front of them along the parade route? How many hours would it have taken the police to arrest and haul us all away? Would the police have had to airlift the president and company by helicopter out of the street?
What a spectacle that would have been. What a powerful statement. That is just one possibility. No doubt, there are many others.
Street protest is no longer spontaneous, relevant, or reported in the news.
Permits for demonstrations are now staples of bureaucracy. Free speech zones with collapsible barricades are standard equipment. The recent inauguration even saw a separate bleacher section (of course, in a poor location) for protesters.
This is not how struggles are won. This is not what was done in the past.
Thousands of protesters demonstrated at the recent inauguration. What if hundreds or thousands of them had committed to a united direct action against the parade?
What if hundreds or thousands of people had blocked the limousines by standing (ala Tianamen Square) or lying down in front of them along the parade route? How many hours would it have taken the police to arrest and haul us all away? Would the police have had to airlift the president and company by helicopter out of the street?
What a spectacle that would have been. What a powerful statement. That is just one possibility. No doubt, there are many others.
February is the month in which Black History is discussed more openly and freely than any other month in the year. However, as a Black Activist for social change and justice, we need to dialogue everyday about the contributions of the black race.
One usually obtains their information from the media and unfortunately tends to believe as truth what they see on the nightly news, hear on the radio or read in the newspapers. How sad it is that our vision of history is so narrow and clearly lacking in accurate information. We are controlled in this nation by a few, who have led us down the path of bigotry and hated, by false imagery, based on fear and lies and blatant discrimination. The black community is lacking in black media, which clearly would enable us to educate and distribute the truth of who the black person really is. You will not hear this on CNN or FOX news, not even on 610 radio (Columbus, Ohio).
One usually obtains their information from the media and unfortunately tends to believe as truth what they see on the nightly news, hear on the radio or read in the newspapers. How sad it is that our vision of history is so narrow and clearly lacking in accurate information. We are controlled in this nation by a few, who have led us down the path of bigotry and hated, by false imagery, based on fear and lies and blatant discrimination. The black community is lacking in black media, which clearly would enable us to educate and distribute the truth of who the black person really is. You will not hear this on CNN or FOX news, not even on 610 radio (Columbus, Ohio).
Actually, there is a crisis in Social Security, though it is not what Bush portrays. For a very long time the government has taken the "surplus" -- that is, the Social Security revenues left over after all currently entitled recipients are paid their benefits -- and used it to defray current operating expenses instead of leaving it in the trust fund to cover the benefits of future retirees. They replace the pilfered funds with specially printed I.O.U.'s from the United States Treasury, and count this money as revenue on the balance sheet in order to make the budget deficit look smaller. At least since 1982 this practice has been not only legal, but mandated by law.
“As we here at home contemplate our own duties, our own responsibilities, let us think and think hard of the example which is being set for us by our fighting men. Our soldiers and sailors are members of well-disciplined units. But they're still and forever individuals, free individuals. They are farmers and workers, businessmen, professional men, artists, clerks. They are the United States of America. That is why they fight. We too are the United States of America. That is why we must work and sacrifice. It is for them. It is for us. It is for victory.”
-- Franklin D. Roosevelt, “A Call for Sacrifice”, April 28th, 1942
-- Franklin D. Roosevelt, “A Call for Sacrifice”, April 28th, 1942
It is very rare to find a talk show host or writer writing a column basically urging readers to read the writings or opinions of other talk show hosts or writers. I am urging readers of this commentary to read the full text of “Is Wal-Mart a Person? Thom Hartmann Tells Why It Is--Kind of--But Not Really: A Buzzflash.com Interview”(http://www.buzzflash.com/
interviews/05/01/int05004.html).
I am posting a few passages for this long interview to give readers a brief taste of this excellent examination of the threat posed by dominant Corporate political, legal and economic power in the United States today. This interview gives the readers an excellent insight into the historical evolution of this extremely serious problem.
“……the Constitution by the addition of the Bill of Rights, which gave humans a huge club they could use to beat back government if it ever were to become oppressive.
interviews/05/01/int05004.html).
I am posting a few passages for this long interview to give readers a brief taste of this excellent examination of the threat posed by dominant Corporate political, legal and economic power in the United States today. This interview gives the readers an excellent insight into the historical evolution of this extremely serious problem.
“……the Constitution by the addition of the Bill of Rights, which gave humans a huge club they could use to beat back government if it ever were to become oppressive.
When the Multinational Monitor judges gather to pick the 10 worst corporations of the year, one of their instructions is: name no companies that appeared on the previous year's list (barring extraordinary circumstances).
For the 2004 list, that means no Bayer (even though in 2004 the company pushed for import of genetically modified rice into the European Union, polluted water in a South African town with the carcinogen hexavalent chromium, and was hit with evidence that its pain medication Aleve (naproxen) increases the risk of heart attack, among other egregious acts), no Boeing (despite new evidence that the tanker plane scandal costing U.S. taxpayers tens of billions of dollars is! even worse than it appeared), no Clear Channel (even though the radio behemoth in 2004 stooped to new lows with a "Breast Christmas Ever" contest that promised to pay for breast implants for a dozen contest "winners"), and no Halliburton (embroiled in a whole new set of contracting fraud and bribery charges in 2004). But at least the no-repeat rule helps limit the field a bit.
And there remained plenty of worthy candidates.
For the 2004 list, that means no Bayer (even though in 2004 the company pushed for import of genetically modified rice into the European Union, polluted water in a South African town with the carcinogen hexavalent chromium, and was hit with evidence that its pain medication Aleve (naproxen) increases the risk of heart attack, among other egregious acts), no Boeing (despite new evidence that the tanker plane scandal costing U.S. taxpayers tens of billions of dollars is! even worse than it appeared), no Clear Channel (even though the radio behemoth in 2004 stooped to new lows with a "Breast Christmas Ever" contest that promised to pay for breast implants for a dozen contest "winners"), and no Halliburton (embroiled in a whole new set of contracting fraud and bribery charges in 2004). But at least the no-repeat rule helps limit the field a bit.
And there remained plenty of worthy candidates.
"Agitation: discussion meant to arouse or increase dissatisfaction with things as they are and produce changes; work of an agitator." Webster's New World Dictionary
Progressive Democrats of America (PDA), an outgrowth of the Kucinich for President campaign, just concluded a large, successful national conference in Washington, D.C. Over 500 spirited, determined activists from all over the country came to the University of the District of Columbia for 48 hours of speeches, panels (too many!), workshops and informal person-to-person networking. The panels, the heart of the conference, were focused on issues like Iraq, Israel/Palestine, voting rights/electoral reform, defending social security, universal health care, progressive media, racism, veterans issues and progressive spirituality.
There were no panels or workshops having to do with endorsing candidates. There wasn't even organized public discussion about the internal struggle going on within the Democratic National Committee to determine who will replace Terry McAuliffe as DNC chair, although the vast majority of the Democrats present, I'm sure, are hoping Howard Dean wins that battle.
Progressive Democrats of America (PDA), an outgrowth of the Kucinich for President campaign, just concluded a large, successful national conference in Washington, D.C. Over 500 spirited, determined activists from all over the country came to the University of the District of Columbia for 48 hours of speeches, panels (too many!), workshops and informal person-to-person networking. The panels, the heart of the conference, were focused on issues like Iraq, Israel/Palestine, voting rights/electoral reform, defending social security, universal health care, progressive media, racism, veterans issues and progressive spirituality.
There were no panels or workshops having to do with endorsing candidates. There wasn't even organized public discussion about the internal struggle going on within the Democratic National Committee to determine who will replace Terry McAuliffe as DNC chair, although the vast majority of the Democrats present, I'm sure, are hoping Howard Dean wins that battle.
The Progressive Democrats of America (PDA) held a Summit in Washington, DC this past weekend at the kind invitation of Shelly Broderick, the Dean of the University of the District of Columbia Law School. The three day event was made possible by the organizational talents of Joe Libertelli and Tim Carpenter and many volunteers from the Carolinas to California. Washington was in a declared state of emergency for the frigidity, but inside the Conference, the warmth was overcoming as many diverse groups shared common vision, strategy and blue wrist bands. The PDA mission is ambitious; with faith in the unseen, they are building an umbrella coalition of many organizations with common purpose; Peace, Justice and Electoral Integrity and Reform. Whatever your first issue is foreign policy, environment, women’s rights, etc. your second issue, we are reminded, has to be Election Integrity and Reform. Without the later, it doesn’t matter how brilliant or right you are in the first; your strategy in those areas will be quickly deflated to hot air without the ability to guarantee that you can actually elect the people who will be instruments for needed change.
Tens of thousands protest the Inauguration of George W. Bush
Thousands took to the streets of Washington, DC to protest the inauguration of George W. Bush. The International Action Center organized contingents from New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Cleveland, Detroit, Raleigh, and many other cities to participate in the demonstrations, hand out literature, and distribute placards.
Thousands took to the streets of Washington, DC to protest the inauguration of George W. Bush. The International Action Center organized contingents from New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Cleveland, Detroit, Raleigh, and many other cities to participate in the demonstrations, hand out literature, and distribute placards.