Sunday, January 29, 2012

New Hampshire Legislature Turns Policy Reins Over To ALEC


Jacqueline Janecke and 4 others shared a link.
crooksandliars.comRepublicans in the New Hampshire legislature seemingly have ceded all control of the state to the American Legislative Exchange Council by introducing an unprecedented seven of ALEC's pieces of model legislation in the past week. ALEC …

Bureau of Indian Affairs ::: BREAKING ON WI MINE ISSUE!

Paul Shinkle and 4 others shared I Stand with the Bad River Tribe's note: Bureau of Indian Affairs ::: BREAKING ON WI MINE ISSUE!
BREAKING ON WI MINE ISSUE! "...The US Dept of the Interior, Indian Affairs has assigned Kimberly Bouchard, Great Lakes Agency Superintendent, to look into possible Treaty violations by WI Assembly passing this Bill. Contact her at 715-682-4527, Mon-Fri 8AM-4PM with concerns." Why? ...

Big Money Blog: The Man Behind The Mine

The man behind the current mining deregulation bill.

The Democracy Campaign first started noticing large campaign contributions from mining interests to Wisconsin politicians just over a year ago, long before the mining bill was introduced. All of the money came from out of state. Roughly a quarter of the donations came from West Virginia mining magnate Chris Cline.
blog.wisdc.org
posted by Mike McCabe @ 11:05 AM 6 Comments

Saturday, January 28, 2012

Third Democrat Might Formally Enter Race Against Walker - Politics News Story - WISC Madison

Third Democrat Might Formally Enter Race Against Walker - Politics News Story - WISC Madison

ANONYMOUS INTERNATIONAL

ANONYMOUS INTERNATIONAL
ADBUSTERS TACTICAL BRIEFING #25
Hey you redeemers, rebels and radicals out there,

Against the backdrop of a global uprising that is simmering in dozens of countries and thousands of cities and towns, the G8 and NATO will hold a rare simultaneous summit in Chicago this May. The world’s military and political elites, heads of state, 7,500 officials from 80 nations, and more than 2,500 journalists will be there.

... And so will we.

On May 1, 50,000 people from all over the world will flock to Chicago, set up tents, kitchens, peaceful barricades and #OCCUPYCHICAGO for a month. With a bit of luck, we’ll pull off the biggest multinational occupation of a summit meeting the world has ever seen.

And this time around we’re not going to put up with the kind of police repression that happened during the Democratic National Convention protests in Chicago, 1968 … nor will we abide by any phony restrictions the City of Chicago may want to impose on our first amendment rights. We’ll go there with our heads held high and assemble for a month-long people’s summit … we’ll march and chant and sing and shout and exercise our right to tell our elected representatives what we want … the constitution will be our guide.

And when the G8 and NATO meet behind closed doors on May 19, we’ll be ready with our demands: a Robin Hood Tax … a ban on high frequency ‘flash’ trading … a binding climate change accord … a three strikes and you’re out law for corporate criminals … an all out initiative for a nuclear-free Middle East … whatever we decide in our general assemblies and in our global internet brainstorm – we the people will set the agenda for the next few years and demand our leaders carry it out.

And if they don’t listen … if they ignore us and put our demands on the back burner like they’ve done so many times before … then, with Gandhian ferocity, we’ll flashmob the streets, shut down stock exchanges, campuses, corporate headquarters and cities across the globe … we’ll make the price of doing business as usual too much to bear.

Jammers, pack your tents, muster up your courage and prepare for a big bang in Chicago this Spring. If we don’t stand up now and fight now for a different kind of future we may not have much of a future … so let’s live without dead time for a month in May and see what happens …

for the wild,
Culture Jammers HQ

Adbusters issue #100 is hitting doorsteps and newsstands in a couple of weeks. Go online or call Nicole at 1-800-663-1243 to make sure you don’t miss it!

Gmail - [ANONYMOUS INTERNATIONAL] ADBUSTERS TACTICAL BRIEFING #25 - bevrichey@gmail.com

Gmail - [ANONYMOUS INTERNATIONAL] ADBUSTERS TACTICAL BRIEFING #25 - bevrichey@gmail.com

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Scott Walker Staffers Arrested-Reince Priebus Now Involved

AFT-Wisconsin and 3 others shared a link.
www.dailykos.comA fish rots from the head down. Two staffers who worked directly for Gov. Scott Walker while he was county executive were charged Thursday with illegally doing extensive political work while being paid by taxpayers to do county jobs. This is in addition to the three aides of Scott Walker that were

Heartbeat of Red Cliff Band Arrested in Capitol

Sam Morris joined us during the noon Sing Along today. This is how Native Americans are treated in the state capitol.
wcmcoop.com
Sam Morris of the Red Cliff Band was arrested for drumming a prayer in the Wisconsin state capitol just after noon today. He was escorted out of the building by Capitol Police officers and was issued a $260 ticket

How Swedes and Norwegians broke the power of the ‘1 percent’ / Waging Nonviolence - People-Powered News and Analysis

How Swedes and Norwegians broke the power of the ‘1 percent’

A march in Ã…dalen, Sweden, in 1931.

While many of us are working to ensure that the Occupy movement will have a lasting impact, it’s worthwhile to consider other countries where masses of people succeeded in nonviolently bringing about a high degree of democracy and economic justice. Sweden and Norway, for example, both experienced a major power shift in the 1930s after prolonged nonviolent struggle. They “fired” the top 1 percent of people who set the direction for society and created the basis for something different.

Both countries had a history of horrendous poverty. When the 1 percent was in charge, hundreds of thousands of people emigrated to avoid starvation. Under the leadership of the working class, however, both countries built robust and successful economies that nearly eliminated poverty, expanded free university education, abolished slums, provided excellent health care available to all as a matter of right and created a system of full employment. Unlike the Norwegians, the Swedes didn’t find oil, but that didn’t stop them from building what the latest CIA World Factbook calls “an enviable standard of living.”Read Full Article Here

msnbc video: How much does Walker know?

msnbc video: How much does Walker know?

Cory Mason- Asks the WI GOP 'Are you for real?' - YouTube

Cory Mason- Asks the WI GOP 'Are you for real?' - YouTube

Wisconsin Anti-Violence Effort

Madison Capitol Protesters shared Wisconsin Anti-Violence Effort's photo.
Update: Now, nearly 80% of Wisconsinites live in counties that have decided to k...eep guns out of most or all county buildings!
Hey, state government, the locals are doing a great job representing the people instead of the gun lobby: You should try it! Really.
See More

Twitvid

Twitvid

The Claremont Institute - Who is Ayn Rand?

The Claremont Institute - Who is Ayn Rand?


Posted June 1, 2010
This article appeared in the Spring 2010 issue of the Claremont Review of Books.



In 1991, the book-of-the-month club conducted a survey asking people what book had most influenced their lives. The Bible ranked number one and Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged was number two. In 1998, the Modern Library released two lists of the top 100 books of the 20th century. One was compiled from the votes of the Modern Library's Board, consisting of luminaries such as Joyce Carol Oates, Maya Angelou, Edmund Morris, and Salman Rushdie. The two top-ranked books on the Board's list were Ulysses and The Great Gatsby. The other list was based on more than 200,000 votes cast online by anyone who wanted to vote. The top two on that list were Atlas Shrugged (1957) and The Fountainhead (1943). The two novels have had six-figure annual sales for decades, running at a combined 300,000 copies annually during the past ten years. In 2009, Atlas Shrugged alone sold a record 500,000 copies and Rand's four novels combined (the lesser two are We the Living [1936] and Anthem [1938]) sold more than 1,000,000 copies.

And yet for 27 years after her death in 1982, we haven't had a single scholarly biography of Ayn Rand. Who was this woman? How did she come to write such phenomenally influential novels? What are we to make of her legacy? These are the questions that finally have been asked and answered splendidly, with somewhat different emphases, in two new biographies published within weeks of each other: Goddess of the Market: Ayn Rand and the American Right by Jennifer Burns, an assistant professor of history at the University of Virginia, and Ayn Rand and the World She Made by Anne C. Heller, a former executive editor at Condé Nast Publications. Read Full Article Here | The Claremont Institute

On Citizens United Anniversary, Supreme Court Lit with Giant Dollar Signs

On Citizens United Anniversary, Supreme Court Lit with Giant Dollar Signs

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Bad River Drums Arrive at the Capitol January 25, 2012 - YouTube

Bad River Drums Arrive at the Capitol January 25, 2012 - YouTube
Okay, a little context for far-flung friends about this video. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Waler gave his "state of the state" address tonight. Simultaneously, a corporate-written anti-environmental mining bill is being voted on in the Assembly tomorrow. The bill is believed to have been written by Cline Group, whose taconite mine (G-Tac) would significantly encroach on the sovereignty of the Bad River ...Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians, by rendering their hunting and wild rice gathering grouns hopelessly polluted with mining tailings and waste.
The drum group in this video are signing the "AIM Song" (acc. to Robert DesJarlait of Red Lake Chippewa). It is sung at protests nationwide and among First Nations in Canada. N-joy. There is actually just one drum in this song. Bobby Gee

Scott Walker’s Plutonomy: An Economy for the One Percent | Truthout

Scott Walker’s Plutonomy: An Economy for the One Percent | Truthout
Where was Gov. Scott Walker when volunteers marched into Wisconsin’s election board to deposit over one million signatures for the recall?
www.truth-out.org
At the hour petitions were being deposited on January 17, Mother Jones revealed that Walker was scheduled to attend a high-dollar fundraiser in the heart of the New York’s financial district at 339 Park Avenue -- the towering headquarters for global financial giant CitiGroup.

By Axing Parks, Politicos are Stealing the People’s Property | NationofChange

By Axing Parks, Politicos are Stealing the People’s Property | NationofChange
www.nationofchange.org
“The majority of states have been closing many of their parks, slashing hours and services at others or simply handing the public’s asset to profiteering corporations. Idaho’s governor has proposed eliminating the entire parks department; California shut the gates of a fourth of the state’s parks la...

Employment of black men drops drastically - JSOnline

Employment of black men drops drastically - JSOnline

FBI arrests cops for rampant abuse of Latinos — RT

FBI arrests cops for rampant abuse of Latinos — RT
OK, so this morning the FBI arrests four police officers in East Haven, Connecticut, and accuses them for bullying and harassing Latino residents.

Asked what he would do today for the Latino community in his town, the mayor of East Haven said he didn't know, but he might go home and have tacos.

It's on tape.
maddowblog.msnbc.msn.com
Latinos living in East Haven, Connecticut, say they have been harassed and bullied by city police officers for years. "Many people are scared," one told the New York Times.

Newt Gingrich's Jew-baiting - YouTube

Newt Gingrich's Jew-baiting - YouTube

Bulgaria Bans Gas Fracking, Thwarting Chevron Drilling Plan - Businessweek www.businessweek.com Bulgarian lawmakers banned hydraulic fracturing and es

LET THE PEOPLE DECIDE! BAN HYDRAULIC FRACTURE IN MICHIGAN
www.businessweek.com
Bulgarian lawmakers banned hydraulic fracturing and established a 100 million-lev ($65 million) fine for offenders, thwarting Chevron Corp.’s plans to explore for natural-gas deposits in the Balkan country.

"While fracking has made the U.S the world’s largest gas producer, it has also raised concerns that the technique pollutes drinking water and causes earthquakes. The ban halts the process of issuing permits to Texas-based Integrity Towers Inc. and Denver-based oil producer Direct Petroleum Exploration Inc., which were interested in shale-gas exploration in Bulgaria.

“The ban is for an indefinite period of time and is valid for the whole territory of the country, including the Black Sea territorial waters,” Valentin Nikolov, a lawmaker in the ruling Gerb party, said in parliament today.

France was the first country in the world to outlaw hydraulic fracturing of shale rocks last July. Last year exploration was suspended in the German state of North Rhine- Westphalia as well as in northwest England, where fracturing gas wells caused two tremors." Read More Here | Bulgaria Bans Gas Fracking, Thwarting Chevron Drilling Plan - Businessweek

Follow Fracking Issues Directly on this Facebook Page | LET THE PEOPLE DECIDE! BAN HYDRAULIC FRACTURE IN MICHIGAN

"TOMORROW- Your presence is needed in Madison- 5 to 7 pm, Weds Jan 25 - Bury the Mining Bill Protest Rally

Video by Ladyforward

"This absolute totalitarian move on the part of Stone and the Wisconsin Fascists to deny international law is more than just wrong. It’s immoral. The State does not have the power to deny treaty rights, nor to they have the power to alter those nations’ rights. But judging from their track record of repeatedly abandoning their posts as elected officials who swore to uphold the US constitution and protect it and the people of the State, this act of treason is not surprising.

But what Stone’s words should be is the final wake-up call as to the level of criminality we are being governed by. By moving this bill out of committee and onto the floor of the Assembly Thursday, they have declared war on us all.

When will this end? Understand in no uncertain terms: if they allow a mine to go into the Penokees, they begin the next phase of the genocide of the Native American people, beginning with the Bad River Tribe. It appears that Republican Representatives Stone, Loudenbeck, Williams and all the other Fascists will set their sights next on the non-Native Americans, as their actions will directly result in the loss of potable water in most of the northwestern part of the state. Without water, we will all die." Barbara With Read Full Article Here | wcmcoop.com/members/wisconsin-fascists-declare-war-on-sovereign-nations-of-wisconsin/


DIRECT Link to information below | Occupy the Capitol Reunion | Occupy Wisconsin
"TOMORROW- Your presence is needed in Madison- 5 to 7 pm, Weds Jan 25 - Bury the Mining Bill Protest Rally - at the State Street corner of Capitol Square. Protesting AB426 and Wetlands Deregulation Bill AB463.

AB246 has already passed the Assembly Committee, today, and will face a full Assembly vote on Thursday. TOMORROW is the only opportunity for the People to express their opposition to these destructive Bills that are poised to further violate treaties with our Indigenous brothers and sisters in Wisconsin.
Occupy Milwaukee Join us to help BURY THE BILL! "~ MP
Full listing of Events here | Occupy the Capitol Reunion | Occupy Wisconsin

January 24th Tuesday

  • 10 am, Tues Jan 24 – Assembly Committee on Jobs, Economy and Small Business Executive Session, State Capitol room 412 East, Madison, will be discussing and voting on amendments to AB426, and voting to pass the bill on to the full Assembly on Thursday. More info
  • Noon Solidarity sing a long

January 25th Wednesday

  • 10am – 6 pm The PEOPLE’S State of the State
    Open testimony: 10-5, North Hearing Room, 2nd Floor FB Event
    “10 am to 5 pm, Weds Jan 25 – People’s State of the State Hearing, State Capitol North Hearing room. Members of the public invited to share their thoughts on the state of our state; hearing will be livestreamed by www.indiancountrytv.com. More info
  • At 11am in the State Capitol Occupy Milwaukee 99 Event – Senate Parlor
  • 12 pm (Noon)- Solidarity Sing a Long Save Solidarity Sing-along – Protect 1st Amendment(reunion)
  • 5 to 7 Pm Protest “BURY The BILL” protest Face book Link Meet at Lady Forward, State Street / The Capitol Square Protesting AB426 and Wetlands Deregulation Bill AB463. More info
  • 7 pm, Weds Jan 25 – State of the State Address by Scott Walker in the Assembly Chambers. Admission to Assembly Gallery by invitation only, but the Capitol rotunda will be open.
  • Pot Luck Wednesday Night after the Rally!

January 26th Thursday

  • from 10am -6 pm. The People will be putting AB426 on trial. Detail on FaceBook The People’s Tribunal of AB426 10 am to 6 pm,
    “Thurs Jan 26 – People’s Tribunal on AB426, State Capitol North Hearing room. Members of the public invited to share their testimonials, complaints, petitions, and alternative job growth suggestions to unsustainable mining. More info
  • 12 pm (Noon)- Solidarity Sing a Long Save Solidarity Sing-along – Protect 1st Amendment(reunion)

ADDITIONAL LINK | GRASSROOTS VIDEO OF EFFORT TO UNCOVER THE AUTHOR AND CO-SPONSORS OF THIS BILL.
Please Share this information with others.

Assembly Jobs Committee Approves Mining Bill with no Author or Co-Sponsors - YouTube

Assembly Jobs Committee Approves Mining Bill with no Author or Co-Sponsors - YouTube

George Soros predicts riots, police state and class war for America — RT

George Soros predicts riots, police state and class war for America — RT
George Soros, Chairman of Soros Fund Management (AFP Photo / Brendan SMIALOWSKI)

George Soros, Chairman of Soros Fund Management (AFP Photo / Brendan SMIALOWSKI)


Addressing the issue of inequality, Soros tells Newsweek that the main issue that will make or break a reelection for US President Barack Obama will be whether or not the rich end up being taxed more. Among the current frontrunners in the Republic Party’s race for the GOP nomination, wealth and taxes have been of the biggest concern of party rivals. The top candidates have made millions off of investments, and at a time of immense inequality, represent what 99 percent of Americans don’t. Taxing the rich to a bigger degree might finally bring a chance, and Soros says, “It shouldn’t be a difficult argument for Obama to make.”

Mining Bill Protesters Swarm Madison | Ashland Current

Jenna Pope
Tomorrow is an important day at the Capitol. Hope to see you there!

Mining Bill Protesters Swarm Madison | Ashland Current
www.ashlandcurrent.com
Citizens from around the state are planning to protest the proposed Assembly iron mining bill Wednesday and Thursday, according to the Wisconsin Network for Peace and Justice.

Citizens Concerned about the proposed Penokee Mine

Citizens Concerned about the proposed Penokee Mine

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Bulgaria Bans Gas Fracking, Thwarting Chevron Drilling Plan - Businessweek www.businessweek.com

Posted on | LET THE PEOPLE DECIDE! PUT HYDRAULIC FRACTURE IN PENNSYLVANIA ON THE BALLOT
www.businessweek.com
Bulgarian lawmakers banned hydraulic fracturing and established a 100 million-lev ($65 million) fine for offenders, thwarting Chevron Corp.’s plans to explore for natural-gas deposits in the Balkan country.

Earth Focus and UK's Ecologist Film Unit looks at the risks of natural gas development in the Marcellus Shale.


http://www.linktv.org/video/6258 ~ Please Watch ~
www.linktv.org
"An original investigative report by Earth Focus and UK's Ecologist Film Unit looks at the risks of natural gas development in the Marcellus Shale. From toxic chemicals in drinking water to unregulated interstate dumping of potentially radioactive waste that experts fear can contaminate water supplie..."

"Beyond evil...It is fracking hell!.Of course the Bush Admin and Haliburton wanted to keep us in the dark about the chemicals in our water and profit on our environment!Expect HELL when you vote Republican." Rebecca Waleski

18 min. Video Here | Fracking Hell: The Untold Story

Earth Focus | An environmental news magazine that puts a human face on the environment by featuring under-publicized stories about how changes in our environment are affecting everyday people.

Originally posted on | LET THE PEOPLE DECIDE! PUT HYDRAULIC FRACTURE IN PENNSYLVANIA ON THE BALLOT


What the new Revolutionary looks like.... cyberoots....


ANONYMOUS INTERNATIONAL

Q: “Who wrote the Bill?” A : ” It’s not your time to ask ” Hurley Mining meeting

Q: “Who wrote the Bill?” A : ” It’s not your time to ask ” Hurley Mining meeting

Bernie Sanders Photo/Text


Click here for source post | Facebook

Iceland Declares Independence from International Banks

netrightdaily.com
By Bill Wilson – Iceland is free. And it will remain so, so long as her people wish to remain autonomous of the foreign domination of her would-be masters — in this case, international bankers.
Thos E Peer shared this link.

Occupy Congress - OFFICIAL VIDEO

Paul Currier writes: These are the chronological events that took place on January 17th, 2012 by the Occupy Movement.Starting at the Capitol building, then proceeding to the Rayburn House Office Building. Marching up Constitution Ave to the Supreme Court Building then back down ending at the White House. This was filmed with a Canon 5d Markii and a Cannon 7d. Song by: Band Of Horses - The Funeral.
www.youtube.com
These are the chronological events that took place on January 17th, 2012 by the Occupy Movement.Starting at the Capital building, then proceeding to the Rayb...

Monday, January 23, 2012

Mass Incarceration and Criminal Justice in America : The New Yorker

Mass Incarceration and Criminal Justice in America : The New Yorker

The Caging of America

Why do we lock up so many people?

by January 30, 2012

Six million people are under correctional supervision in the U.S.

Six million people are under correctional supervision in the U.S.—more than were in Stalin’s gulags. Photograph by Steve Liss.

"... a growing number of American prisons are now contracted out as for-profit businesses to for-profit companies. The companies are paid by the state, and their profit depends on spending as little as possible on the prisoners and the prisons. It’s hard to imagine any greater disconnect between public good and private profit: the interest of private prisons lies not in the obvious social good of having the minimum necessary number of inmates but in having as many as possible, housed as cheaply as possible. No more chilling document exists in recent American life than the 2005 annual report of the biggest of these firms, the Corrections Corporation of America. Here the company (which spends millions lobbying legislators) is obliged to caution its investors about the risk that somehow, somewhere, someone might turn off the spigot of convicted men:


"Our growth is generally dependent upon our ability to obtain new contracts to develop and manage new correctional and detention facilities. . . . The demand for our facilities and services could be adversely affected by the relaxation of enforcement efforts, leniency in conviction and sentencing practices or through the decriminalization of certain activities that are currently proscribed by our criminal laws. For instance, any changes with respect to drugs and controlled substances or illegal immigration could affect the number of persons arrested, convicted, and sentenced, thereby potentially reducing demand for correctional facilities to house them." Corrections Corporation of America

Brecht could hardly have imagined such a document: a capitalist enterprise that feeds on the misery of man trying as hard as it can to be sure that nothing is done to decrease that misery."

Read more here | http://www.newyorker.com

Whirlpool Corporation: Neglect pays off — RT

Whirlpool Corporation: Neglect pays off — RT

One solution to joblessness in the US is a scheme where giant corporations create workplaces for local communities. They are even handed government money to that end – but somehow, jobs still get outsourced to a cheaper foreign workforce.

­This allows big businesses to prosper, while small towns suffer.

In one of America’s most economically depressed cities resides the world’s largest producer of home appliances. Whirlpool Corporation is headquartered in Benton Harbor, Michigan, where 60 per cent are unemployed, 90 per cent live in poverty, and per capita annual income is roughly US $10,000.

“The citizens of Benton Harbor are living from one day to the next,” local resident and business owner Scott Elliot told RT. “They’re very poor and they’re very disheartened. There’s been very little effort on the part of Whirlpool, that runs everything, to try to involve the community.” Read Full Text Here | RT

10,000 Hoosiers Pack State Capitol to Protest RTW | AFL-CIO NOW BLOG

10,000 Hoosiers Pack State Capitol to Protest RTW | AFL-CIO NOW BLOG

Interview: Kalle Lasn, publisher, Adbusters magazine | CanadianBusiness.com

Interview: Kalle Lasn, publisher, Adbusters magazine | CanadianBusiness.com Share0 Email
CB_Kalle Lasn
Kalle Lasn, publisher of Adbusters magazine (Photo: Jim Labounty/Adbusters)

Canadian Business: On the U.S. presidential election:
Kalle Lasn: Most young people, 99% of the occupiers I would say, are pretty disillusioned with Obama. We feel that he has become a kind of a gutless wonder who didn’t do what he had promised. He has disappointed us bitterly. When it comes to a choice between somebody like Rick Perry and Obama, then of course people will vote for Obama, but not in great numbers and without much enthusiasm.

I think the really interesting thing that could happen leading up to the presidential election is that there will be rumblings of third parties. Especially people in the Occupy movement are totally sick of this Coca-Cola/Pepsi kind of choice that Americans have had for so long. They’re yearning for a real choice, for real democracy, and we may well see the beginnings of a third party rising next year. Of course, I don’t think that it will suddenly challenge the Republican and Democratic parties, but it could well play the role of the spoiler in the way that Ralph Nader and Ross Perot and the Green Party have never quite been able to do. Read More Here | CanadianBusiness.com

Demand The Impossible | Adbusters Culturejammer Headquarters

Demand The Impossible | Adbusters Culturejammer Headquarters
Demand The Impossible

This article first appeared on Socialist.org

THE PAST four months of the Occupy Movement have brought the American left to new heights. For the 99 percent, who represent the vast majority of the world’s population, the Occupy movement was long overdue.

Occupy has been a podium from which muzzled mouths have made a militant microphone. From this platform, we have mic-checked the 1 percent, and finally, it seems that we have found a voice of our own.

As with any movement, Occupy has fostered an internal debate about what tactics are necessary to take the movement forward. It’s an important question that requires careful consideration of the relation of social forces at play, the existing support outside of the movement and, perhaps most importantly, what possibilities lie in front of the movement–that is, the tangible goals the movement can set for itself.

Some Occupiers feel strongly that the movement should demand absolutely nothing from the economic and political system it’s rising up against. After all, the argument goes, the strength of the Occupy Movement thus far has been its potent indictment of the ruling class, coupled with its refusal to make any discernable demands or empower any official spokespeople. read Full Article Here | Adbusters Culturejammer Headquarters

Inside ALEC: Naked Contempt for the Press and Public in Scottsdale | Truthout

Inside ALEC: Naked Contempt for the Press and Public in Scottsdale | Truthout
by: Beau Hodai, PRWatch | Report

"Mr. Hodai had a history at the conference--not a very pleasant history. He was considered to be a persona non grata..."

-- Westin Kierland General Manager Bruce Lange to Olivia Ward of the Toronto Star.

Evicting the Press, Part 1: Meet Mr. Black

Scottsdale, Arizona--A suburb awash in money and golf courses, set against the backdrop of the jagged mountains surrounding Phoenix.

I was sitting in a sports bar of the Westin Kierland Resort and Spa, swapping journalism stories with Olivia Ward of the Toronto Star on one of the bar's overstuffed leather couches. Over the course of an hour, the bar filled with conventioneers from the American Legislative Exchange Council's 2011 States and Nation Policy Summit (SNPS). (A new story on Westin's connections to other ALEC corporations is available here.)

My assignment was to cover the 2011 SNPS, taking place at the resort from November 29 through December 2. ALEC had refused to grant me media credentials. Nevertheless, I was a paid guest at the resort.

Most of the ALEC members trickling into the bar were fresh from the ALEC "Holiday Gala." As drinks were consumed and new rounds were ordered by guys with ALEC badges, the place began to take on a distinct "Animal House" vibe. Read More Here |Truthout

The Corporate State Will Be Broken | Truthout

The Corporate State Will Be Broken | Truthout

by: Chris Hedges, Truthdig | Op-Ed

A protester with the Occupy Wall Street movement waves to Auubi, a 17-month-old boy whose father was also demonstrating, on the grounds of the Capitol in Washington, on January 17, 2012. Protesters plan events in Washington throughout the week. (Photo: Doug Mills / The New York Times)

I spent Friday morning sitting on a wooden bench in a fourth-floor courtroom in the New York Criminal Court in Manhattan. I was waiting to be sentenced for “disturbing the peace” and “refusing to obey a lawful order” during an Occupy demonstration in front of Goldman Sachs in November.

Those sentenced before me constituted the usual fare of the court. They were poor people of color accused of mostly petty crimes—drug possession, thefts, shoplifting, trespassing because they were homeless and needed a place to sleep, inappropriate touching, grand larceny and violation of probation. They were escorted out of a backroom by a police officer, stood meekly before the judge with their hands cuffed behind them, were hastily defended by a lawyer clutching a few folders, and were sentenced. Ten days in jail. Sixty days in jail. Six months in jail. A steady stream of... Read More Here | Truthdig | Op-Ed

A little storm in Wisconsin

A little storm in Wisconsin
The Solidarity Sing Along singers braved the cold and snow on Friday. They came out and sang (as they have every Monday – Friday, noon to one, since last March) for the people of Wisconsin. On Friday they gave a special shout-out to the workers of America.See source site here| Wisconsin

BEVERLY M. RICHEY "SEVEN/ELEVEN" A DIGITAL DISASTER - YouTube

BEVERLY M. RICHEY "SEVEN/ELEVEN" A DIGITAL DISASTER - YouTube

Frank Zappa, Howard Zinn, and Noam Chomsky on American Fascism (separate clips) - YouTube

Frank Zappa, Howard Zinn, and Noam Chomsky on American Fascism (separate clips) - YouTube

Clay Shirky: Why SOPA is a bad idea www.ted.com

http://www.ted.com/talks/defend_our_freedom_to_share_or_why_sopa_is_a_bad_idea.html

Watch this!!!!!!
www.ted.com
What does a bill like PIPA/SOPA mean to our shareable world? At the TED offices, Clay Shirky delivers a proper manifesto -- a call to defend our freedom to create, discuss, link and share, rather than passively consume.

GOGEBIC TACONITE MINE “Advocates” A FRONT GROUP FOR ALEC

wcmcoop.com
Koch Lobbyist & Wisconsin ALEC Co-chair Amy Boyer Caught Perpetrating Mining Propaganda The media blitz being waged by state Republicans to convince the public that we all can’t wait for the mountaintop mining removal is becoming downright Machiavellian. The results
  • The media blitz being waged by state Republicans to convince the public that we all can’t wait for the mountaintop mining removal is becoming downright Machiavellian. The results out of the Hurley public hearing showed 62% against the mine; the 10-hour hearing in West Allis December 14th produced almost twice as many against than for. At the public hearing in October for AB24, another in the trio ALEC-inspired Water Destruction bills meant to remove protections from our wetlands, 175 people registered against, to the six for.

  • ‎"One member of the “grassroots coalition” Gogebic Taconite Mine Advocates, however, holds an altogether more controversial position in the hierarchy of mining cartel. GTMA member Amy Boyer happens to be the Wisconsin Co-chair for ALEC—American Legislative Exchange Council—funded by a cocktail of corporate money led by Koch Industries. Through ALEC, behind closed doors, corporations hand state legislators the bills that will change our laws to directly benefit their bottom line at our expense."

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Facing One Million Recall Signatures, “disenfranchise” finally apears in Walker, GOP vocabulary « Badger Democracy

Facing One Million Recall Signatures, “disenfranchise” finally apears in Walker, GOP vocabulary « Badger Democracy
"Now, facing multiple recall elections due to an overwhelming number of recall signatures, the word “disenfranchise” has suddenly appeared in the GOP vernacular. The constitutionality of this recall process, and the true nature of the grassroots effort continues to elude (or be denied) by Scott Walker and his allies. The only disenfranchisement that will potentially take place exists in continuing legal challenges to stall the inevitable. And the GAB should be commended for the process it has put in place to verify signatures – making so-called “signature verification” apparatus of the GOP unnecessary and irrelevant.

The GAB has installed a webcam at the secret location where petitions are being scanned for public access and verification. In addition, a “Recall Blog” will be updated daily on the GAB website. Scott Walker and the GOP can watch the process unfold, in full public view, all day and night – the outcome will remain the same." Read Full Article Here | Badger Democracy

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Moyers & Company | BillMoyers.com

Moyers & Company | BillMoyers.com
Funding for Moyers & Company is provided by Carnegie Corporation of New York; The Kohlberg Foundation; Independent Production Fund, with support from the Partridge Foundation, a John and Polly Guth Charitable Fund; The Clements Foundation; Park Foundation; The Herb Alpert Foundation; The Bernard and Audre Rapoport Foundation; The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation; The Betsy and Jesse Fink Foundation; HKH Foundation; Barbara G. Fleischman; and by our sole corporate sponsor, Mutual of America.

Daily Kos: Accusations of voter fraud fly among Christian conservatives after Rick Santorum endorsement

Daily Kos: Accusations of voter fraud fly among Christian conservatives after Rick Santorum endorsement
"This is a nice little twist on the Republican obsession with voter fraud. But is it evidence that they're obsessed with fraud because they're so likely to commit it? Or just that their obsession leads them to be suspicious of anyone who disagrees with them, even an elite group of their peers?" Daily Kos

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Occupy Canada | CP24- Large group of protesters gather at city hall

My friend and colleague in this battle against plutocratic neo-conservatism, Derek, a moderator on this page, was arrested tonight in Toronto. As many as 1,000 protesters, Occupiers, were at Nathan Phillips Square (Toronto City Hall) to protest the proposed cuts to needed public services as suggested by our ultra right-wing mayor, Rob Ford.

This clip shows Derek getting arrested in an underground parking garage, wearing a green jacket. Derek was reportedly punched in the face and had his camera smashed for filming the action taking place.

SO-LI-DA-RI-TY. #RiseUp! -Jon
www.cp24.com
CP24 - Canadian television's online home for news about Toronto and the GTA

More Than 1 Million Signatures Collected for Scott Walker Recall | Mother Jones

More Than 1 Million Signatures Collected for Scott Walker Recall | Mother Jones

Wisconsin Moves Forward with Walker Recall www.progressive.org

Defend Wisconsin News Round Up
www.progressive.org
A few hundred Wisconsinites braved the frigid cold to witness history in the making this afternoon, as more than one million signatures asking for the recall of Governor Scott Walker were dropped off at the Government Accountability Office in downtown Madison.