Global

Thai Army's New Enemy: Controversial Northern "Separatists"

BANGKOK, Thailand -- Thailand's U.S.-trained military has a new enemy and is now hunting northern separatists who want to seize most of this Buddhist-majority country, create a Lanna People's Democratic Republic, and expel Bangkok to a shrunken South Thailand. The military is warning Thais not to demand independence in the north because such "treason" and "sedition" could spark a bloody civil war. "Separatism is a severe offense," said army deputy spokesman Col. Winthai Suwaree. "Expressing differences in opinion is permitted under the constitution, but expressing the need to separate the country is not," Col. Winthai said. "The separation talk is especially shocking because, for the first time, the idea the country can be physically hacked up...along the political fault lines has been openly discussed," said Atiya Achakulwisut, a Bangkok Post editor. Caretaker Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, stung by allegations that she sympathized with the separatists, said on March 3, "We want to see Thailand as one and indivisible." Hoping to distance her government from the separatist issue, Ms. Yingluck met leaders of the armed forces on March 4 in her capacity as defense minister.

There Is A Deeper Wave Than This

A wave of action is coming on April 4th, the date they killed MLK, the date Cindy Sheehan lost her son, the date cherry blossoms and resisters to fascism begin to show after an endless winter of many, many years. Take a look at https://waveofaction.org Electing a different president six years ago was not a partial step, a failed attempt, a warm-up round. It was a halftime show of circus clowns and cheerleaders. The partial step, the failed attempt, the warm up, the ground work, the base of experience and training and testing was Occupy. And what's happened since? We've learned more about how close Occupy came to shifting the balance. We've learned more about how scared the bankers and the warmongers and their servants in the unconstitutional police-state acronym crowd were (the FBI-DHS-CIA-NSA-SOBs). We've learned about the plans in Houston to murder Occupiers. We've learned about the infiltration, the instigation, the expropriation. We've looked back at the counterproductive results of tolerating a bit of violence on the side of justice and peace. We've marveled at the mistake of calling violence inclusiveness and tolerance.

MONSTERS IN OUR MIDST

Oh lethal, ticklish topic. So many people love guns and swear by them — many of them people with whom I am otherwise in essential political agreement. And it’s not like I relish a debate about “gun control,” a tug-of-war about limits that offends most gun lovers and causes weapon-buying sprees after every mass murder. But the topic is unavoidable. The gun industry is part of the military-industrial complex and its advertising war aimed at the American reptile brain is centered around a permanent state of fear and, even more significantly, helplessness. Most people, or at least most gun owners, think “disarmed” means “disempowered” and the debate, such as it is, ends there. The quote above is from an extraordinary essay by poet Judy Juanita, which gets at the spiritual dimension of the matter: “The Gun as steel metaphor carrying the human urge to dominate and lay waste to an enemy or perceived threat. Guns as import and export. Hollywood’s Gun, its cinematic ordnance, is the United States’ international calling card. “The Gun is oh-so-social as it erases human inequality. Anyone can obtain one and point . . . shoot . . .

What Do World's Two Biggest Dangers Have in Common?

Anyone who cares about our natural environment should be marking with great sadness the centenary of World War I. Beyond the incredible destruction in European battlefields, the intense harvesting of forests, and the new focus on the fossil fuels of the Middle East, the Great War was the Chemists' War. Poison gas became a weapon -- one that would be used against many forms of life. Insecticides were developed alongside nerve gases and from byproducts of explosives. World War II -- the sequel made almost inevitable by the manner of ending the first one -- produced, among other things, nuclear bombs, DDT, and a common language for discussing both -- not to mention airplanes for delivering both. War propagandists made killing easier by depicting foreign people as bugs. Insecticide marketers made buying their poisons patriotic by using war language to describe the "annihilation" of "invading" insects (never mind who was actually here first). DDT was made available for public purchase five days before the U.S. dropped the bomb on Hiroshima.

Here Comes Ukrainian Hemp

So the United States wants to buy hemp from the Ukraine. I suppose we should be happy. Anytime the U.S. government gives a country money that is not earmarked for weapons, we probably shouldn't too closely examine the unelected neo-liberals and neo-Nazis handling the cash. Nobody pays attention to the Saudi government or the oil, wars, and terrorism it provides in exchange for U.S. largesse. Of course if the hemp buy is part of a larger package deal that impoverishes the Ukraine for the benefit of Western plutocrats, gets NATO's nose under the door, threatens Russia, and encourages the NED to hire the companies that name paint colors in hopes of finding unique names for all the revolutions it's going to plan next, we may want to oppose the whole package. But isn't the precedent of connecting U.S. foreign policy in any way to a substance that benefits, rather than destroys, the environment of potentially great value? While buying hemp abroad might be a move against permitting the production of hemp at home, won't it just further fuel the argument that it's insane to make U.S.

It must take missing limbs to get these Ohio Roller Girls off the track

On March 22 and 23, the Ohio Roller Girls (OHRG) “All Stars” and “Gang Green” traveled to Toronto Ontario for the 5th Annual Quad Cities Chaos Roller Derby Tournament. This was our hometown heroines’ third appearance there, where they have a solid record against two of the toughest teams in Canada: Toronto's “CN Power” and Montreal's “New Skids on the Block.” Ohio's B-team, “Gang Green,” also had a bout against Montreal's “Bay Street Bruisers.” The tournament also featured an appearance by Bloomington Indiana's “Bleeding Heartland.” All four charter teams played each other once. This left Ohio's two teams, the “All-Stars” and Gang Green, skating three bouts in a single day on the March 22. Ohio has several players skating for both Gang Green and the All-Stars teams, making it three bouts in a single day for some skaters and a total of four bouts in two days. Canadian announcers at the event noted Ohio skaters delivering on their reputation for endurance and their willingness to shrug of injuries and continue play.

Chris Christie killing the electric car

Gov. Chris Christie has unilaterally passed a regulation that blocks automakers from directly selling to consumers in New Jersey, requiring them to go through third-party car dealers instead.

As a direct result, Tesla—the electric car company that reduces our dependence on fossil fuels—must now close its two dealerships in the state.

New Jersey is the third state to kick out Tesla that way, the other two being Arizona and Texas. It is an intentional move on the part of Republican politicians to kill the electric car.

Sign the petition denouncing Gov. Christie for killing the electric car in New Jersey.

Petition Text

Our Message to New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie
Shame on you for following right-wing politicians in Texas and Arizona by kicking Tesla out of New Jersey. This regulation change serves no purpose but to help car dealer companies and the fossil fuel industry—who fear the popularity of electric cars like Tesla.

Police department’s “Chronic Complainers List” confirmed

Yes, Columbus, there is a Columbus Police Department Chronic Complainers List. After publishing a January 30, 2014 cover story “Are you on the Columbus Police’s secret blacklist?”, the Columbus Free Press has obtained a copy of a so-called “Caller Watch List” through a public records request. This list, along with other documents, raises new concerns surrounding the police department’s controversial inaction on phone calls from certain Columbus residents.

Two people listed, James A. Whitaker, Jr. and Bernadine Kennedy Kent, wrote an email to Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O’Brien claiming they were unfairly included on the Caller Watch List. Their previous work as whistleblowers has provided evidence that led to the felony conviction of a vendor in the Columbus City School’s tutoring scandal.

The Free Press obtained the email trail including Whitaker and Kent’s email to O’Brien, and then another email that appears to be from O’Brien to Jeff S. Furbee, Chief Police Legal Advisor for City Attorney Richard Pfeiffer. O’Brien wrote: “Jeff – This makes no sense to me – is there a secret hit list these persons are on???”

Ready for Hillary?

Recent news out of Iowa has redirected attention to 2016 yet again. While most Democrats are staying focused on the tough slog ahead of this November’s midterms, a select few are more than preoccupied with a certain former Secretary of State who may or may not be, but almost undeniably is running for President in 2016.

According to a new Quinnipiac University poll released Thursday, Hillary Clinton leads New Jersey Governor Chris Christie 48% to 35% among Iowa voters. These numbers are striking because Christie was leading Clinton by 5 points in a Quinnipiac poll in December. The Governor’s Bridgegate fiasco having largely contributed to the downslide, it is still fair to say the gulf is impressive and will undoubtedly provide wind for the sails of Clinton supporters. As the clear and steadfast front-runner for the Democratic nomination at the moment, numbers like these confirm what one already suspects about Secretary Clinton’s decision to run.

World has no idea how U.S. decides on wars

People from Yemen and Pakistan and elsewhere have told me, and have testified in the U.S. Congress, that they have a hard time convincing their neighbors that everyone in the United States doesn't hate them. There are buzzing killer robots flying over their houses night and day and every now and then blowing a bunch of people up with a missile with very little rhyme or reason that anyone nearby can decipher. They don't know where to go or not go, what to do or not do, to be safe or keep their children safe. Their children have instinctively taken to crouching and covering their heads just like U.S. children in the 1950s were taught to do as supposed protection from Soviet nuclear weapons.
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