Luminous Animal
Luminous Animal's JournalMartin Luther King, Jr. (with compatriots) take over a private building in Chicago in 1965.
They begin to collect rents and do repairs...
I did not know this!
http://www.communitywalk.com/location/chicago_freedom_movement_slum_building/info/162702
Some angry letters to the editor about the takeover...
http://www.thekingcenter.org/archive/document/negative-letters-editor-about-mlk
Here is where I write a post addressing the horrible actions of the flag burners with nuance...
(of course) I write in condemnation of the .001% of the protesters and in the process smear the 99.99% of the protesters who were engaged in peaceful action. I will ignore the 1000s of peaceful protesters in order to make it clear (with nuance, of course) that I firmly and absolutely decry the actions of the .001% Because, the nuanced response is to, of course, focus on the dozens at the expense of the thousands. The nuanced response is to define the whole by the handful.
And here I will assert my superiority over that 99.99% of PEACEFUL protesters for not being on hand to control that .001%. And I will ignore the fact that cops were standing there idly and letting that .001% define the 99.99%. And, I will turn my panties in a knot, to not only condemn that .001%, but to catapult the "nuanced" propaganda of the 1% to ensure that the 99.99% doesn't frighten the masses.
And here is where I will ignore the FACT that 10s of thousands have PEACEFULLY protested, nearly 5000 have been arrested for doing so and 100s have been injured. And I will ignore THAT message... that "they" may and quite likely will be subject to arrest for exercising "their" right to assemble... I will write no hang-wringing posts to decry the mass arrests and brutalization of my fellow citizens.
But, damnit! I will, I WILL, write and protest the burning of a piece of cloth.
With nuance, of course.
Here is where I write a post addressing the horrible actions
of the .001% of the protesters and in the process smear the 99.99% of the protesters who were engaged in peaceful action. I will ignore the 1000s of peaceful protesters in order to make it clear (with nuance, of course) that I firmly and absolutely decry the actions of the .001% Because, the nuanced response is to, of course, focus on the dozens at the expense of the thousands. The nuanced response is to define the whole by the handful.
And here I will assert my superiority over that 99.99% of PEACEFUL protesters for not being on hand to control that .001%. And I will ignore the fact that cops were standing there idly and letting that .001% define the 99.99%. And, I will turn my panties in a knot, to not only condemn that .001%, but to catapult the "nuanced" propaganda of the 1% to ensure that the 99.99% doesn't frighten the masses.
And here is where I will ignore the FACT that 10s of thousands have PEACEFULLY protested, nearly 5000 have been arrested for doing so and 100s have been injured. And I will ignore THAT message... that "they" may and quite likely will be subject to arrest for exercising "their" right to assemble... I will write no hang-wringing posts to decry the mass arrests and brutalization of my fellow citizens.
But, damnit! I will, I WILL, write and protest the burning of a piece of cloth.
With nuance, of course.
The bank settlement negotiations and deal are not figments of progressives' imaginations.
A revised negotiated deal was presented as of a few days ago.
California attorney general rejects foreclosure settlement
Published: Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012
"Our state has been clear about what any multistate settlement must contain: transparency, relief going to the most distressed homeowners, and meaningful enforcement that ensures accountability," said Preston.
The state's rejection came a day after President Barack Obama in his State of the Union speech called for the creation of a special investigative unit to delve into abusive lending practices that helped trigger the foreclosure crisis.
Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/01/26/4216052/california-attorney-general-rejects.html#storylink=cpy
Calif. AG Rejects Mortgage Settlement
Posted 1/26/2012 10:55 AM by Kirk Haverkamp
"We've reviewed the details of the latest settlement proposal from the banks, and we believe it is inadequate for California," said Shum Preston, a spokesman for Attorney General Kamala Harris.
Harris' office had withdrawn from negotiations over the settlement last fall, saying the proposed deal at that time did not go far enough in holding mortgage servicers accountable for past misdeeds or in providing mortgage relief to homeowners. Preston said yesterday that the newest version of the deal still did not measure up in those areas.
Read more: http://community.nasdaq.com/News/2012-01/calif-ag-rejects-mortgage-settlement.aspx?storyid=116859#ixzz1kb7r30Ic
Reporters Without Borders: U.S. 47th in world press freedom index. Fell 27 pts.
The fall in ranking was due largely because of the arrests of journalists during OWS protests.
http://en.rsf.org/spip.php?page=classement&id_rubrique=1043
Michael Hastings interviews Assange in Rolling Stone (it is a great interview)
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/julian-assange-the-rolling-stone-interview-20120118To be another chess piece on the board in the attack on us. The U.S. government is trying to redefine what have been long-accepted journalistic methods. If the Pentagon is to have its way, it will be the end of national-security journalism in the United States.
How so?
They're trying to interpret the Espionage Act to say that any two-way communication with a source is a collaboration with a source, and is therefore a conspiracy to commit espionage where classified information is involved. The Pentagon, in fact, issued a public demand to us that we not only destroy everything we had ever published or were ever going to publish in relation to the U.S. government, but that we also stop "soliciting" information from U.S. government employees. The Espionage Act itself does not mention solicitation, but they're trying to create a new legal precedent that includes a journalist simply asking a source to communicate information. A few years ago, for example, the CIA destroyed its waterboarding interrogation videos. In the Manning hearing, prosecutors described how we had a most-wanted list, which included those interrogation videos if they still existed.
The WikiLeaks site had a "most-wanted" list of stories you were eager to get?
This list was not put together by us. We asked for nominations from human rights activists and journalists from around the world of the information they most wanted, and we put that on a list. The prosecution in the Manning hearing has been attempting to use that list as evidence of our solicitation of information that is likely to be classified, and therefore our complicity in espionage, if we received such information.
From a journalist's perspective, a list like that would be the equivalent of a normal editorial meeting where you list the crown jewels of stories you'd love to get.
Exactly.
So if you're going to jail, then Bob Woodward's going to jail.
Individuals like Sy Hersh and Dana Priest and Bob Woodward constantly say to their sources, "Hey, what about this, have you heard anything about it? I heard that there's been an airstrike in Afghanistan that's killed a bunch of civilians do you have any more details, and can you prove them with paper?" And all those would be defined as conspiracy to commit espionage under the Pentagon's interpretation.
And so much more.
Turley in WAPO: 10 reasons the U.S. is no longer the land of the free
These countries also have constitutions that purport to guarantee freedoms and rights. But their governments have broad discretion in denying those rights and few real avenues for challenges by citizens precisely the problem with the new laws in this country.
The list of powers acquired by the U.S. government since 9/11 puts us in rather troubling company.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/is-the-united-states-still-the-land-of-the-free/2012/01/04/gIQAvcD1wP_story.html
Also, link to article on Turley's website (in case you hit a paywall at WAPO)
http://jonathanturley.org/2012/01/15/10-reasons-the-u-s-is-no-longer-the-land-of-the-free/
America Worse Than Apartheid on Black Incarceration
Alexander points out that the high incarceration rate for African Americans is due largely to the war on drugs and the get tough movement (e.g., Three Strikes laws, Zero Tolerance laws, minimum sentencing rules), which have disproportionately affected poor people of color, and which were designed as a backlash against the Civil Rights movement, as they reduce black participation in the political system in much the same way that poll taxes and literacy tests did in the past.
The majority of U.S. prisoners are serving time for nonviolent and drug-related crimes which are committed by middle class and white Americans at a similar rate to poor African Americans, but which are largely ignored in middle class white neighborhoods. Thus, the problem is not entirely due to racism, but is also due to continued class distinctions and wealth inequality.
http://modeducation.blogspot.com/2012/01/america-worse-than-apartheid-on-black.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ModernSchool+%28Modern+School%29
Also, here is the Democracy Now interview with Michelle Alexander.
http://www.democracynow.org/2012/1/13/on_eve_of_mlk_day_michelle
How you can help H20 Man with his hunger strike against fracking...
Call Senator Tom Libous: "He has offices in Binghamton and Albany. The Binghamton phone numbesr are: 607-773-8771, and 877-854-2687. The Albany number is: 518-455-2677. District Fax: (607) 773-3688. His e-mail is: senator@senatorlibous.com" .
"People can also call Governor Andrew Cuomo on this. You do not have to be a New York State resident. His phone number is: 518-474-8390."
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr's office at Pace University: "It would be good if people called his office at Pace University, and tell his secretary, Mary Beth Postman, to have Robert call Cuomo on this issue. That number is: 914- 422-4343."
William Rivers Pitt's article here:
http://www.truth-out.org/clearing-stands-boxer-one-mans-fight-against-fracking/1326401455
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