G_j
G_j's JournalWe Are Writing the Epilogue to the World We Knew
https://www.commondreams.org/view/2012/08/31#.UEDdtWWFSjo.facebookPublished on Friday, August 31, 2012 by Common DreamsWe Are Writing the Epilogue to the World We Knew
by John Atcheson
The data continue to roll in, and they are telling us we are in the process of bringing an end to the world we evolved in, and creating a new, harsher world. We will be forced to devote more and more of our resources trying to adapt to this new world, and less on development.
While politicians fiddle, the world burns. While the press plays he-said, she-said, the ice melts, the seas rise.
In 1990 we could have averted this disaster and saved money doing it. As late as 2010 we still had a shot at avoiding it. But now, the die is cast, the future foretold. What follows will be an epilogue to civilization, as we knew it.
Hyperbole? Let’s look at the facts.
Arctic sea ice hits lowest extent ever measured (and it’s still melting) – check.
.. much more..
Facing Grand Jury Intimidation: Fear, Silence and Solidarity
http://truth-out.org/news/item/11181-facing-grand-jury-intimidation-fear-silence-and-solidarityFacing Grand Jury Intimidation: Fear, Silence and Solidarity
Thursday, 30 August 2012 10:28
By Natasha Lennard, Truthout | Report
We've seen some pretty bold anti-authoritarian actions across the country in the last month. Police vehicles were vandalized in San Francisco, Oakland, Illinois and Milwaukee.
Anarchist redecorators visited courthouses, police substations, sports car dealerships and more. Banners dropped in New York, Atlanta, Vancouver, Seattle and elsewhere echoed their graffitied sentiments: "Fuck Grand Juries"; "Solidarity with Northwest Anarchists." Boldest of all, however (and the inspiration underpinning this spate), has been the action from a small group of anarchists in the Pacific Northwest: silence.
Two Portland-based activists, Leah-Lynn Plante and Dennison Williams, publicly announced late last month that they had been subpoenaed to appear in front of a federal grand jury in Seattle and that they would refuse to cooperate. During a grand jury hearing on August 2, Plante did just this - offering her name and birthdate only - and has been summoned to return for another hearing on August 30, where she again intends to say nothing. Meanwhile, it is believed a handful of other activists are fighting to quash subpoenas served to them with the shared intention of noncooperation.
Grand juries are among the blackest boxes in the federal judiciary system. Given their highly secretive nature, few people within - or outside - activist circles know what it means to be called to a grand jury and what it takes to resist.
"Our passion for freedom is stronger than their state prisons," Williams announced in a statement on behalf of himself and Plante about their intention to resist the grand jury, referencing the fact that by merely staying silent, the two could face considerable jail time, despite facing no criminal charges.
..more..
Angry white guy bemoans lack of angry white guys in Republican Party
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/08/30/1125916/-Angry-white-guy-bemoans-lack-of-angry-white-guys-in-Republican-PartyTHU AUG 30, 2012 AT 10:44 AM PDT
Angry white guy bemoans lack of angry white guys in Republican Party
byKaili Joy Gray
This week, Republicans are trying super hard at their convention to show that their party isn't made up mostly of angry white guys. Which is not going very well:
But they have delivered those speeches to a convention hall filled overwhelmingly with white faces, an awkward contrast that has been made more uncomfortable this week by a series of racial headaches that have intruded on the party’s efforts to project a new level of inclusiveness.
Astute political observer and one-third of the most infamous bipartisan traveling ménage à trois, Sen. Lindsey Graham, knows exactly what the Republican Party's problem really is:
“The demographics race we’re losing badly,” said Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (S.C.). “We’re not generating enough angry white guys to stay in business for the long term.”
Gosh, with that kind of racial sensitivity, it's hard to imagine how this recent poll is even possible:
While it was no surprise to see that President Obama snared 94 percent of African Americans surveyed, the presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney got nuthin’, zilch, niente, a big fat 0 percent.
At least Republicans can't make it worse.
Security at the RNC: George Orwell Meets a 'Call of Duty' Cityscape
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2012/08/security-at-the-rnc-george-orwell-meets-a-call-of-duty-cityscape/261644/
Security at the RNC: George Orwell Meets a 'Call of Duty' Cityscape
By Conor Friedersdorf
Aug 28 2012, 7:00 AM ET100
At a defining civic event, the establishment is insulated by an army of police officers from protesters camping unseen on a far away corner.
Deep inside the Tampa Bay Times Forum, the impenetrable fortress where this year's Republican National Convention is being held, my colleagues and various GOP delegates assure me that the venue security I experienced is typical for events of this kind -- that it's been this way ever since 9/11. "This must be your first convention," they say. It is. As a newbie, it feels like an Orwellian police state, albeit one where the men in military fatigues carrying assault weapons are exceptionally polite. Convention veterans are inured to the layers of security checkpoints, the metal detectors, the bomb sniffing dogs, the concrete barricades, the chain link fences, and the virtual absence of protesters. I'll likely feel that way too after a few more days flashing my official credential, emblazoned with a holographic elephant raising its trunk in triumph. It's the new normal.
For now, however, I still find it striking that a community organizer turned president and a Republican Party constantly talking up limited government have collaborated to police and host a civic event literally held beneath multiple hovering police helicopters. Delegates and journalists are welcome, but citizen protesters are so far removed in their permanent camp that they might as well be in another city, save brief forays that bring them momentarily to the far periphery of the secure zone. They have the right to peaceably assemble... over there.
In past years I've always watched the political conventions on television. The atmosphere on the convention floor invariably appears to be festive, with delegates resplendent in red, white, and blue, a series of speeches by familiar figures extolling American values, and broadcast media invested in the notion that their job is to humanize the nominee. Sunday night, I watched from my hotel room as CNN broadcast its deep dive on Mitt Romney. The piece had all the trappings of even-handedness. Neither compliments nor criticisms were broadcast without some balancing statement. The unstated bias was toward narrative biography, as if looking deep into the candidate's past would reveal the true character of the man behind the HD image machine.
What feels different, experiencing the RNC here at the actual venue, is the inescapable, visceral awareness of the sprawling establishment that surrounds the nominee and his running-mate.
..more..
Six Budget Proposals Side-By-Side (Moyers & Company)
(good stuff)
http://billmoyers.com/content/assessing-americas-safety-net-in-six-budget-proposals/
Every spring in Washington, Republican and Democratic members submit their proposals for the following fiscal year’s budget to the House Budget Committee. The chart below contrasts “The Path to Prosperity” plan proposed by Republicans — championed by House Budget Committee chairman and vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan, and approved by the House of Representatives on March 29 — with the Democratic Party budget submitted by the budget committee’s ranking member Chris Van Hollen. Also included are proposals across the political spectrum from other interest groups that have created alternative budgets, hoping that some of their ideas may make it into legislation.
This comparative budget chart focuses on programs that affect the nation‘s safety net — access for low-income families and the unemployed to jobs, food, housing and health care. Some of the proposals include actual amounts and percentages, listed by budget categories, while others only address priorities, so the comparisons may at times be a little difficult. Nonetheless, we thought highlighting them side-by-side would be interesting and useful, and you can click on each of the plans to read them in their entirety if you wish to dig deeper. If you would like to compare them with our current budget, check out this nice snapshot from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
For those disturbed by the nature of the police presence @ the RNC protests
and how protestors are treated at these affairs. Where were you when these appeals from the NLG were posted?
It's usually better to try to help beforehand, than complain later~~~
Help the NLG Protect Protest!
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10021138186
Help the National Lawyers Guild protect protest.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=1188595
How Pitiful! The National Lawyers Guild has raised only $957
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10021194207
http://www.nlg.org/news/announcements/help-the-nlg-protect-protest-at-the-rnc-and-dnc-2/
08/15/2012
Help the NLG Protect Protest at the RNC and DNC
Have you ever written the number for a National Lawyers Guild hotline on your arm before setting out to a protest march? Have you ever stood in a crowd squaring off with police and been comforted by the sight of bright green NLG Legal Observer® hats? Has an NLG member ever helped you through a legal problem stemming from a demonstration?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, or if you simply care about keeping the First Amendment strong and the streets safe for protesters, now is the time to consider giving to the NLG through our Indiegogo campaign at http://indiegogo.com/nlg
The Republican and Democratic national conventions are rapidly approaching. In addition to the delegates coming to shake hands and eat catered food, thousands of demonstrators will converge to protest politics as usual, and the NLG is mobilizing dozens of volunteers to provide protest legal support. That means keeping Legal Observer eyes on police for as long as protesters are in the streets. That means staffing a support office and a 24-hour legal hotline to ensure that each arrested protester has an ally in the courtroom. And, despite the fact that the NLG is not-for-profit, that means coming up with money.
The things we need are simple: office space and office supplies, gas money, housing, and hats for our Legal Observers®. But every piece is vital to this effort, and the costs add up. To make this happen we need $20,000. We know it sounds like a lot, but it is only 1/5,000 of the budget for policing the two conventions. Put another way, law enforcement may have the latest in tear gas and surveillance technology, but with some of the best legal minds in the country volunteering their services, a few computers and hats will go along way.
The politics of rape
http://www.brissc.org.au/resources/for/for_12.htmlThe politics of rape
Rape is one violent form of oppression and is a mechanism by which individuals or groups gain, express and maintain their dominance and power over others. This is evident when rape is used as a tool of war, when men are raped in jail, or when rape occurs on the basis of someone's race, age, ability or sexuality. Rape is about the use and abuse of power to intimidate, degrade or control others with less status. The fact that women and children are raped more often than men is a manifestation of lesser power and inferior status in society.
Structural and institutional powers and societal beliefs maintain a culture where women have less power and status. Power imbalance or discrimination is also practised on the grounds of race, class, sexuality, age and ability. Sexual violence for women then, is not only an extension of sexism, but often exists in conjunction with these other forms of oppression.
..more..
How Pitiful! The National Lawyers Guild has raised only $957
toward the 20,000 it hopes to raise to protect protesters, really SAD!
http://www.nlg.org/news/announcements/help-the-nlg-protect-protest-at-the-rnc-and-dnc-2/
08/15/2012
Help the NLG Protect Protest at the RNC and DNC
Have you ever written the number for a National Lawyers Guild hotline on your arm before setting out to a protest march? Have you ever stood in a crowd squaring off with police and been comforted by the sight of bright green NLG Legal Observer® hats? Has an NLG member ever helped you through a legal problem stemming from a demonstration?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, or if you simply care about keeping the First Amendment strong and the streets safe for protesters, now is the time to consider giving to the NLG through our Indiegogo campaign at http://indiegogo.com/nlg
The Republican and Democratic national conventions are rapidly approaching. In addition to the delegates coming to shake hands and eat catered food, thousands of demonstrators will converge to protest politics as usual, and the NLG is mobilizing dozens of volunteers to provide protest legal support. That means keeping Legal Observer eyes on police for as long as protesters are in the streets. That means staffing a support office and a 24-hour legal hotline to ensure that each arrested protester has an ally in the courtroom. And, despite the fact that the NLG is not-for-profit, that means coming up with money.
The things we need are simple: office space and office supplies, gas money, housing, and hats for our Legal Observers®. But every piece is vital to this effort, and the costs add up. To make this happen we need $20,000. We know it sounds like a lot, but it is only 1/5,000 of the budget for policing the two conventions. Put another way, law enforcement may have the latest in tear gas and surveillance technology, but with some of the best legal minds in the country volunteering their services, a few computers and hats will go along way.
Never Forget Rape is a Form of Oppression!
especially in the context of the views of RW politicians and others..
http://www.brissc.org.au/resources/for/for_12.html
The politics of rape
Rape is one violent form of oppression and is a mechanism by which individuals or groups gain, express and maintain their dominance and power over others. This is evident when rape is used as a tool of war, when men are raped in jail, or when rape occurs on the basis of someone's race, age, ability or sexuality. Rape is about the use and abuse of power to intimidate, degrade or control others with less status. The fact that women and children are raped more often than men is a manifestation of lesser power and inferior status in society.
Structural and institutional powers and societal beliefs maintain a culture where women have less power and status. Power imbalance or discrimination is also practised on the grounds of race, class, sexuality, age and ability. Sexual violence for women then, is not only an extension of sexism, but often exists in conjunction with these other forms of oppression.
As feminists, we do not believe that rape is inevitable, but rather that rape and other forms of men's violence are a result of learned attitudes and behaviours which are reinforced by a society that often defines manhood or masculinity through domination. Too many men make choices to exert power and control over others by using sexual violence. Men who rape CHOOSE to rape and must always be held accountable for their actions. Other men can and do choose non-violence.
Men who rape are behaving according to a belief system which says they have the right to own, dominate and punish women and to use rape to control women. But where would such a belief system come from? How does it show itself in everyday life?
Recent research shows that approximately one third of young men believe it is OK to force a young woman to have sex if she has "led him on". In other words they believe they have the right to use violence to make a girl do what they want, regardless of that girl's wishes, rights or needs.
..more..
A Message from the Coalition to March on the RNC
http://occupywallst.org/article/message-coalition-march-rnc/A Message from the Coalition to March on the RNC
Posted 1 hour ago on Aug. 23, 2012, 2:16 p.m. EST by OccupyWallSt
The Republican National Convention is taking place in Tampa starting August 27th. The Coalition to March on the RNC encourages you to join us and stand in solidarity as we march at the RNC to fight back against the political elite and the 1% agenda.
As of now, we are a Coalition uniting groups from around the country to say NO to this political system that only works for the 1% and therefore are marching at the Republican National Convention to let our voices be heard. Together we stand to march for good jobs, healthcare, affordable education, equality and peace. On top of this, we stand against all parties of the 1% and have also endorsed the March on Wall St. South, who will protest the DNC in Charlotte, NC. For too long people have suffered while the rich got richer. We say money for human needs, not on wars overseas and corporate greed. Together, we are planning a 5000 strong march at the first day of the convention on Aug 27th. We have hundreds of national and local organizations such as Code Pink, Veterans for Peace, Get EQUAL, Dream defenders, United National Antiwar Coalition, Occupy Tampa, Occupy USF, Occupy Pensacola, Occupy Tallahassee and more (See here for full list) endorsing us and we would love for all Occupy Assemblies to come down to Tampa to join and/or endorse our coalition. Only through unity is there strength.
We will be encouraging people to sleep at Occupy Tampa's Voice of Freedom park or at these parks that allow camping for a nominal fee [Editor's note: Please be aware that a tropical storm system, potentially a hurricane, is expected to effect Tampa during the Convention. The RNC isn't telling people not to go to Florida, so neither are we. But you should check with organizers about alternatives in case of flooding.] We will be rallying at Perry Harvey Sr. Park, located at 1200 N. Orange Ave Tampa, FL, at 10 am and will be marching from the park through the streets of Tampa to "Protest RNC Square" at around noon. See here for the parade route.
Thanks and please e-mail us at marchonthernc@gmail.com with any questions or concerns.
Also visit:
http://www.marchonthernc.com
https://twitter.com/marchonthernc
http://marchonthernc.tumblr.com/
In solidarity, -Coalition to March on the RNC-
For more info about the RNC and the Occupy movement's plans, see also: Occupy Tampa's Official Statement Regarding the RNC
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