ANONYMOUS - A Message To Wall Street- ( Copy and Share )
By golly, that sounds just like Keith Olbermann..good message!
Saturday, October 29, 2011
War profiteering: a cancer upon America
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| © unknown |
The Occupy Wall Street protesters and those marching in solidarity with them throughout the nation are attempting to fight back against the top 1% of earners who have hijacked our nation and turned what is claimed to be a democracy into a plutocracy rife with corruption and corporatist policies.
While the Occupy Wall Street movement seems to be focusing mostly on the banking interests that have run our economy into the ground while raking in staggering profits, there remains a sub-set of the 1% that needs to be identified and exposed.
This sub-set is the 0.01%, the executives that take in astounding sums of money, leverage tens of millions in lobbying money to control our so-called representatives all to the detriment of the American people, the American economy, and the world at large.
They profit at the expense of the American taxpayer, off the lives of American soldiers, and from death and destruction around the globe.
These are not entrepreneurs who struck it rich giving us a product or service that we need, they are getting rich while manipulating the American political system and the fear of the American people while perpetuating endless, unnecessary and unethical wars.
This one hundredth of one percent includes the war profiteers, the CEOs of military contractors that are paid even more than CEOs of financial institutions like JP Morgan Chase, Wells Fargo and Bank of America.
To put this in perspective, the CEO of JP Morgan Chase, James “Jamie” Dimon was paid $20.81 million in 2010. The CEO of Wells Fargo, John Stumpf, was paid $18.97 million, while the CEO of Bank of America, Brian Moynihan, was paid a relatively small $1.94 million (although it would be a huge amount of money for most Americans).
When considering these numbers, one must keep in mind that the earnings can be highly variable, with Jamie Dimon pulling in $1.32 million in 2009 and $35.76 million in 2008.
These numbers for Dimon include salary, bonuses, stock awards, option awards, changes in pension value and “nonqualified deferred compensation earnings” and “all other compensation”.
Now let’s take a look at what top CEOs in the defense contracting industry were paid last year.
CEO of Northrop Grumman, Wesley Bush, made $22.84 million. CEO of Lockheed Martin, Robert Stevens, made $21.89 million and Boeing’s CEO James McNerney made $19.74 million.
These figures put military contractor executives deep in 0.01% territory, seeing as one must make $9.14 million annually to fall in this ultra-elite strata, according to an article published on the liberal website AlterNet.
However, an anonymous investment manager’s article published on a University of California at Santa Cruz professor’s website claims that the top 0.01% has a net worth of $24.4 million on average. Unfortunately a source for this statistic is not cited.
Either way, it is an irrefutable fact that the income distribution in the United States is highly unequal and a new Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report makes it clear that it is just getting worse (more here and here).
The war profiteers that make up the 0.01% of earners in the United States are not simply bad because they make far more money than anyone else. This is the type of skewed logics that so-called conservatives regularly use in order to justify claims of class warfare.
Let me be clear: there is nothing wrong with making money, and there is nothing wrong with making lots of money.
However, if you’re buying off politicians, putting Americans in the line of fire while destroying foreign nations, robbing taxpayers blind and killing jobs in order to get rich I take issue.
To make matters worse, the Pentagon paid $270 billion from 2007 to 2009 to 91 military contractors that were also involved in civil fraud cases resulting of judgments more than $1 million.
During the same period, $682 million was paid out to 30 contractors convicted of “hard-core criminal fraud”.
Military contractors regularly defraud the Department of Defense, and thus the American taxpayer, yet they continue to operate with impunity while taking in nearly unfathomable profits on our dime.
The war profiteering industry trumps the financial sector when it comes to the millions pumped into Washington in lobbying dollars as well.
In 2010 Boeing spent an astounding $17.89 million in lobbying efforts while Northrop Grumman spent $15.7 million and Lockheed Martin spent $12.7 million.
Contrast that with to some of the major players in finance: JP Morgan Chase spent $7.41 million in 2010 while Wells Fargo spent $5.43 million and Bank of America spent $3.98 million.
None of these numbers should be acceptable but it is clear that the war profiteering industry is putting disturbing amounts of cash into Washington in order to influence public policy, which they do remarkably well.
If we want to really get our nation – and the world at large – back on track we must not only set our sights on the corrupt, criminal banking industry and the private Federal Reserve but also the equally corrupt and criminal war profiteering industry.
WarCosts.com put out this brief yet quite informative vide on this subject which should be spread around to all Occupiers and activists alike:
Only through spreading this information can we fight back as clearly the 1% and the 0.01% are in control of our political system.
Unfortunately the war industry is so deeply entrenched in the United States that only through a massive popular movement can any real change be made.
The Occupy Wall Street movement is off to a great start, we just must remember not to become myopic in focusing solely on the criminal banks and the private Federal Reserve.
We must also focus our energy and rage on dismantling the “defense” industry that only serves the ultra-elite while robbing average American taxpayers and killing well-meaning American soldiers and those who are targeted by the military-industrial complex.
The war profiteering industry is tragic in its scale and destructive in nature, but hopefully through spreading awareness of the undue influence they hold in our nation we can start to push back against these corporations and executives that profit off of death and destruction.
Denver Police Use Tear Gas, Rubber Bullets, Batons and Pepper Spray On Protesters
Denver Police Use Tear Gas, Rubber Bullets, Batons and Pepper Spray On Protesters - Washington Blog
There are reports – just as in Oakland – of police attacking people while they were trying to help the injured:
See Injuries: Source
There are reports – just as in Oakland – of police attacking people while they were trying to help the injured:
Man being SHOT w/ riotgun while assisting injured persons
See Injuries: Source
US - Occupy San Francisco: the teenager who was refused cancer treatment
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| © Martin Lacey Occupy San Francisco protester Miran Istina stands outside the US Bank building on Market Street, San Francisco. |
Miran Istina, 18, joined protests after four years of being denied life-saving bone marrow transplant for leukaemia
As Miran Istina puts it, she has been living on borrowed time since she was 14. Diagnosed with cancer, she was given just months to live after her health insurer refused to provide her with life-saving surgery.
Now 18, Istina, from the city of Sisters in Oregon, has spent the past three weeks living in a tent at the Occupy San Francisco protest and says she will stay there indefinitely, despite her illness.
She was inspired to take part in the protest by the refusal of her insurance company to pay for treatment for her chronic myelogenous leukaemia.
She said: "They denied me on the terms of a pre-existing condition. Seeing as I had only had that insurance for a few months, and I was in early stage two which meant I had to have had it for at least a year, they determined it was a pre-existing condition and denied me healthcare."
Treatment would require a bone marrow transplant and extensive radiation therapy and chemotherapy, at a cost of several hundreds of thousands of dollars. Coming from an ordinary middle-class background, her family has no way of paying for the surgery that would save her life.
Following her insurer's refusal, she spent three years travelling the US looking for a healthcare provider who would give her a chance at life.
Istina said: "I went all over the place, looking for someone to give a damn, really, someone to care enough to treat me. Because we were middle class, we couldn't afford to treat my disease. We'd be in debt for the rest of our family life."
After repeated refusals to offer her treatment, she said: "I decided I was going to spend the rest of my life doing whatever my heart wants."
The Occupy movement attracted Istina as she ties the corporate influence on American politics to the decision that has sentenced her to death.
She said:
"The corporate influence on politics influences just about anything that happens, seeing as politicians write the plans that healthcare has to follow. It directly links the fact that insurers only pick and choose those who are actually worth it [financially]. I just happen to not be one of the ones they wanted to be around much longer.She has immersed herself in the movement, becoming the chief media relations officer for Occupy SF and organising fundraising events around the city. On Thursday afternoon she led a CNN television crew on a walk through the camp, to show how they were living, explain their motives and refute claims that the living conditions are unsanitary.
"The decision was absolutely influenced by some corporation or some bank saying, 'we can't afford her. She's not worth our money.' In end terms, corporate greed is going to cost me my life.
"I used to be really upset about it. I'm not as much any more. I'm angry, for sure, but I think me being here might help it never happen again. That's why I'm here. It's that there are other people this is going to happen to if this movement doesn't succeed and that's not healthy. I'm done being the victim. However long I have left is dedicated heart and soul to this movement, no matter what it takes."
She said of her new life: "My heart is finally satisfied."
The Occupy San Francisco movement has seen up to 300 protesters take over the Justin Herman Plaza, at the Embarcadero in the downtown district since October 5.
The occupiers are given food by local restaurants and have received donations from supporters to provide supplies.
Health professionals from the San Francisco General Hospital are providing round-the-clock care for Istina, who needs strong pain killers and constant monitoring of her condition. Earlier in the month she suffered a kidney malfunction which required urgent hospital treatment.
Throughout the afternoon four police officers kept a watchful eye over the groups of tents and makeshift shelters but the atmosphere was relaxed. When the officers staged a walk-through some of the occupiers shared jokes with them. One said: "Please leave the automatic weapons outside the camp. This is a peaceful protest."
Another said: "We're not doing any harm. We're just a bunch of peace-loving hippies."
But a raid on the camp is possible at any time. San Francisco mayor Ed Lee has repeatedly insisted that the camp is illegal and all tents should be removed but so far little has been done to enforce the law.
He has threatened a raid and on Wednesday night occupiers expected police to move in, sparking a larger than normal demonstration. Two candidates for the upcoming mayoral election joined with the protesters but despite the presence nearby of riot police, the raid did not go ahead.
Attack on OWS - Generators, Cooking Supplies Seized by Police State
Attack on OWS - Generators, Cooking Supplies Seized by Police State - RT
Hundreds of Occupy Wall Street activists will have to battle plummeting temperatures, as well as corporate greed, without any power supply. New York authorities have confiscated generators and fuel from their camp in Lower Manhattan, citing fire safety concerns. Lucy Kaffanov has the latest.
Hundreds of Occupy Wall Street activists will have to battle plummeting temperatures, as well as corporate greed, without any power supply. New York authorities have confiscated generators and fuel from their camp in Lower Manhattan, citing fire safety concerns. Lucy Kaffanov has the latest.
Goldman Sachs and Occupy Wall Street’s Bank: A Greg Palast Investigation (Video)
Goldman Sachs and Occupy Wall Street’s Bank: A Greg Palast Investigation (Video) - Activist Post
www.democracynow.org - Democracy Now! talks to investigative reporter Greg Palast about a controversy in the banking community around the Occupy Wall Street movement. Palast investigates the story behind Goldman Sachs' recent decision to pull out of a fundraiser for the Lower East Side People's Federal Credit Union in New York City after it learned the event was honoring the protesters at Occupy Wall Street. The investment bank withdrew its name from the fundraiser and also canceled a $5,000 pledge. Was the $5,000 a Goldman Sachs donation or actually American taxpayer bail-out money Goldman set aside for community banks?
For the complete transcript, podcast, and for additional reports on the Occupy Wall Street movement, visit http://www.democracynow.org/tags/occupy_wall_street
www.democracynow.org - Democracy Now! talks to investigative reporter Greg Palast about a controversy in the banking community around the Occupy Wall Street movement. Palast investigates the story behind Goldman Sachs' recent decision to pull out of a fundraiser for the Lower East Side People's Federal Credit Union in New York City after it learned the event was honoring the protesters at Occupy Wall Street. The investment bank withdrew its name from the fundraiser and also canceled a $5,000 pledge. Was the $5,000 a Goldman Sachs donation or actually American taxpayer bail-out money Goldman set aside for community banks?
For the complete transcript, podcast, and for additional reports on the Occupy Wall Street movement, visit http://www.democracynow.org/tags/occupy_wall_street
US: Israeli trained Police Shot US Marine Scott Olsen + Hells Angels join OWS
US: Israeli trained Police Shot US Marine Scott Olsen + Hells Angels join OWS - Sott.net
We are hoping that Scott is going to recover fully from this assault on him but there is no question he has galvanized the attention and focus of the entire Military... we are hearing from every branch of the service that Veterans and serving rank and file are going to be joining with the occupy protesters in the streets of America because they realize they are being attacked, and they are watching as this super committee is savaging their veterans benefits... they are cutting of their medical care and Scott walked his talk, he put on the uniform of the USA and served two tours in Iraq and he comes home and this is how the government he fought for treats him when he dares to stand up and stay "I disagree with how the nation is being run." So they shoot him in the head. - Rivero
The tactical similarities to Israel's treatment of nonviolent Palestinian protesters were obvious to many, but they go deeper than that. Max Blumenthal writes the Oakland police used many of the same weapons:
Same weapons of mass suppression used by Israelis and Oakland police: Link
The police repression on display in Oakland reminded me of tactics I witnessed the Israeli army employ against Palestinian popular struggle demonstrations in occupied West Bank villages like Nabi Saleh, Ni'lin and Bilin. So I was not surprised when I learned that the same company that supplies the Israeli army with teargas rounds and other weapons of mass suppression is selling its dangerous wares to the Oakland police. The company is Defense Technology, a Casper, Wyoming based arms firm that claims to "specialize in less lethal technology" and other "crowd management products." Defense Tech sells everything from rubber-coated teargas rounds that bounce in order to maximize gas dispersal to 40 millimeter "direct impact" sponge rounds to "specialty impact" 12 gauge rubber bullets.
Watch Entire 2011-10-27 Broadcast here.
We are hoping that Scott is going to recover fully from this assault on him but there is no question he has galvanized the attention and focus of the entire Military... we are hearing from every branch of the service that Veterans and serving rank and file are going to be joining with the occupy protesters in the streets of America because they realize they are being attacked, and they are watching as this super committee is savaging their veterans benefits... they are cutting of their medical care and Scott walked his talk, he put on the uniform of the USA and served two tours in Iraq and he comes home and this is how the government he fought for treats him when he dares to stand up and stay "I disagree with how the nation is being run." So they shoot him in the head. - Rivero
The tactical similarities to Israel's treatment of nonviolent Palestinian protesters were obvious to many, but they go deeper than that. Max Blumenthal writes the Oakland police used many of the same weapons:
Same weapons of mass suppression used by Israelis and Oakland police: Link
The police repression on display in Oakland reminded me of tactics I witnessed the Israeli army employ against Palestinian popular struggle demonstrations in occupied West Bank villages like Nabi Saleh, Ni'lin and Bilin. So I was not surprised when I learned that the same company that supplies the Israeli army with teargas rounds and other weapons of mass suppression is selling its dangerous wares to the Oakland police. The company is Defense Technology, a Casper, Wyoming based arms firm that claims to "specialize in less lethal technology" and other "crowd management products." Defense Tech sells everything from rubber-coated teargas rounds that bounce in order to maximize gas dispersal to 40 millimeter "direct impact" sponge rounds to "specialty impact" 12 gauge rubber bullets.
Watch Entire 2011-10-27 Broadcast here.
Friday, October 28, 2011
OCCUPY Tampa --- Oct 22,2011---RN's "Heal America" occupywallstreet.org
OCCUPY Tampa --- Oct 22,2011---RN's "Heal America" occupywallstreet.org
OCCUPY Tampa --- Oct 22,2011---RN's of Tampa supporting the Occupation. Curtis Hixon Park. www.stpeteforpeace.org, www.occupytampa.org, www.occupythefed.org, www.occupywallstreet.org, www.nakedshorted.com
OCCUPY Tampa --- Oct 22,2011---RN's of Tampa supporting the Occupation. Curtis Hixon Park. www.stpeteforpeace.org, www.occupytampa.org, www.occupythefed.org, www.occupywallstreet.org, www.nakedshorted.com
David Sirota trashes Fox News over OWS coverage
David Sirota trashes Fox News over OWS coverage - RT
The Occupy movement has declared November 2 a day of general strike and a mass day of action as Occupy Wall Street continues to grow in mass numbers across the country. Many believe that the attack on the Occupy Oakland movement will only draw more people to take to the streets. David Sirota, author of Back to Our Future, breaks down the latest on the movement.
Follow Kristine on Twitter at http://twitter.com/Frazzie
The Occupy movement has declared November 2 a day of general strike and a mass day of action as Occupy Wall Street continues to grow in mass numbers across the country. Many believe that the attack on the Occupy Oakland movement will only draw more people to take to the streets. David Sirota, author of Back to Our Future, breaks down the latest on the movement.
Follow Kristine on Twitter at http://twitter.com/Frazzie
Did Oakland Police Intentionally Shoot Marine Vet Scott Olsen In the Head?
Did Oakland Police Intentionally Shoot Marine Vet Scott Olsen In the Head? - Washington Blog
The following photograph on videos show that Marine veteran Scott Olsen was peacefully standing at the Oakland protest when police fired a projectile at him:
Karl Denninger argues that the police intended to hit Olsen in the head:
Read complete article..
The following photograph on videos show that Marine veteran Scott Olsen was peacefully standing at the Oakland protest when police fired a projectile at him:
Did Police Intend to Hit Olsen In the Head?
Here is a photo of the ammunition or projectiles which police shot at the Oakland protesters:
Karl Denninger argues that the police intended to hit Olsen in the head:
Read complete article..
Occupy Atlanta: Protesters speak after forcible eviction from park
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| © teamsternation.blogspot.com |
Atlanta’s Mayor Kasim Reed unleashed hundreds of police in the middle of the night early Wednesday morning to evict tens of Occupy Atlanta protesters who have been peaceably occupying the downtown Troy Davis Park (formally named Woodruff Park) for over three weeks, since October 7.
Reed, who is a Democrat and famous for his uncontrolled outbursts, suddenly revoked his “executive order” of October 17 allowing the protesters to stay in the park until at least the next Atlanta city council meeting on November 7.
On Tuesday, Reed sent a delegation of “concerned” clergy to supposedly negotiate with the protesters. They demanded a meeting at 5 p.m. despite Occupy Atlanta having announced days earlier that they planned to hold a march to the Georgia Pacific building at 5 p.m.
The clergy were a political cover for Reed who was utilizing them to get the protesters out of the park with their help. Nevertheless, Occupy Atlanta representatives offered to meet the clergy on Thursday afternoon instead. Reed then made his move that night, not even waiting for the clergy to meet with the protesters, demonstrating the mayor’s duplicity.
Late at night, at around 11 p.m. on Tuesday, Atlanta police made preparations to raid the park. With sirens blaring and scores of flashing lights throwing their intense glare upon a relatively dark park, the protesters were surrounded by huge contingents of police in riot gear, on horseback, on motorcycles, and on foot. A heavily armed police SWAT team also stood by.
At around midnight, the deputy police chief gave an ultimatum to the protesters to leave the park or face arrest. Several protesters left with their belongings while tens of others decided to defy the order and court arrest.
These protesters then sat in a circle linking their arms and chanting slogans and singing songs. The protesters on the sidewalk meanwhile shouted slogans in support of the ones in the park as the police with flashlights warned those in the park and tents to leave or be subject to arrest. Many were dragged out to waiting police buses handcuffed with plastic ties.
Although the local media described the arrests as “without incident,” several protesters commented to the WSWS that the police used substantial force to tear individual protesters from the next person in a bid to unlock their arms.
At least 52 people (some reports claimed 53) were arrested, with all of them being taken to the Atlanta detention center at around 2 a.m. on Wednesday. Arrestees were charged with being in violation of the city ordinance that bans people from staying in the park between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m.
The scheduled 8 a.m. appearance before a judge was delayed to noon on Wednesday because the computer system used to check the arrestees’ criminal records was malfunctioning.
All of the arrested except for two, who the police claimed had prior arrest warrants from other jurisdictions, were released on signature bonds. Although the media claimed that the bond amounted to $100, at least one of the released who spoke to the WSWS had a $500 bond imposed. All of the arrested were represented by attorneys who volunteered their time for free.
Two of the arrested protesters spoke to the WSWS outside the jail soon after they were released. Laila, a sophomore at Georgia State University (GSU), said: “The police came decked out in their goggles and other gear. They seemed ready to attack. We were sitting in a circle with our arms linked with one another.
“They used forceful techniques that I had never experience before to separate each of us who were all very peaceful. They were very physical and they dragged us away.
“They brought us to the detention center and we sat there for hours and hours doing nothing. They asked for our name and address four different times at four different desks. They had separated males from females. But then they put us all in the same room to take mugshots, curtly telling us not to speak to the men next to you, but you could speak to the girls.
“There were 40 males and all of them were put in a single holding cell which was packed. The girls had sitting room. They gave us bologna sandwiches and many of us are vegan and hence we had nothing to eat.”
When asked about the actions of the mayor throughout the occupation of the park, Laila continued, “The mayor has been flip-flopping probably to keep us on our toes about his intentions. I don’t know what he wants, but we are going to keep doing what we are doing.”
Scott, another protester who had just been released from jail, said, “They did not give us much advance warning and then the police moved in. They were quite physical and they violently threw an older guy who was kneeling to the ground. However, most of us did not get too roughed up by the cops. They put zip ties on my wrists very tightly.” Scott displayed his wrists that were bruised red.
“The foot cops strangely seemed to be sympathetic to us. I was happy to get arrested, because I knew what I was doing and why I was doing it.”
Scott added, “Reed is a liar and he has lost all credibility with me. He is a thoroughly deceitful person.”
After being released the protesters held a rally Wednesday night at Atlanta’s Centennial Park that was constructed just prior to the 1996 Olympics. The protesters have vowed to continue their protests and eventually reoccupy the park.
Police State Fascism Is Now Rampant: Martial Law Is Next!
Police State Fascism Is Now Rampant: Martial Law Is Next! by Gary D. Barnett
"If You See Something, Say Something" is the detestable slogan of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). This is nothing more than a campaign by this monstrous government bureaucracy to pit citizen against citizen due to false fears instilled in the people by that same bureaucracy. The government is spying on everything we do, and it is now fooling the fools into spying on themselves. This is the ultimate in serf-like behavior.
Currently, the state of Tennessee is acting as a testing ground for the federal government's assault on the citizen's right to privacy. TSA goons dressed in state sanctioned garb, and heavily armed "law enforcement" cretins with drug sniffing dogs, are harassing the people of Tennessee on interstate highways and bus stations. They are doing this of course all in the name of stopping terrorism. It is interesting how these state simpletons can at the same time terrorize the general populace while protecting them from terrorism.
The object of this charade of course is not to stop terrorism, but to intimidate (terrorize) the people, and to habituate them, so that they will come to expect and accept this kind of treatment in order to be "safe." This indoctrination training by the state is meant only to beat down the individual into submission, so that state thugs can gain more control. This is not a new concept, but in the U.S. today, police state abuses are not only greatly increasing in numbers, but also are becoming more invasive as every day passes.
The mainstream media claims that Tennessee is the first state to fight terrorism statewide, but illegal checkpoints are now being set up all across the country. The DHS now claims the right to stop and harass anyone, ask for their "papers," and search them within 100 miles of any U.S. border. This invasive and illegitimate nonsense affects over 190 million citizens, or about two thirds of the entire population. The very abusive conduct by these agents of the state is not restricted to Tennessee, it is evident nationwide. Checkpoints are everywhere it seems, and the numbers are increasing.
Warrantless searches are already common at airports, and take place also at train stations, bus terminals, and subway systems, but once this fully expands to our roads and highways, there will be no limits left. Those who choose not to fly so they can escape the groping, radiation, and humiliation of airport "security" dished out by the evil TSA, may now find themselves at risk of this same type of treatment when they simply choose to take a Sunday drive. We are quickly becoming consumed by this fascist state called America!
Another news report tells of warrantless searches taking place in Flint, Michigan. Roadblocks are set up, and drug-sniffing dogs are turned lose to check the vehicles of unsuspecting motorists. The Genesee County sheriff has set these up at least seven times this month. Actually, warrantless searches are now common, everyday events, and many get the blessing of the very corrupt U.S. Supreme Court. Last May in an 8 to 1 ruling, the Supreme Court gave a green light for police to break into anyone's home should they "think" that the resident was hiding evidence. Justice Samuel Alito said that "Residents who attempt to destroy evidence have only themselves to blame" when police bust down their door. This moronic thinking completely negates the idea of freedom.
Cars can now be searched in many instances without the officer having to obtain a warrant. This is happening often, and in addition, the private property of those stopped or arrested by low IQ state agents of force is in many cases stolen via the search and seizure process. Many police departments are funding their entire operations by thievery. This should come as no surprise to anyone, as policemen as a group commit as many violent crimes per capita as does society, so is there any difference between police and criminals? Actually, the police and all government agents are much more dangerous than the common criminal!
According to the National Police Misconduct Statistics and Reporting Project, the police commit more violent crimes of assaults, sexual assaults, murder, and fatal excessive force, per capita than the rest of society. Those who are commissioned to "protect and serve" do nothing of the kind. Given that the numbers of police crimes reported are in my opinion far undercounted, the problem is much worse than is imaginable.
We are all now subject to search and seizure without warrant. We are subject to groping, sexual assault, and radiation by the TSA. Our homes can be invaded, and our pets or family members killed without cause. The advent and acceptance of the Taser has allowed the state's gendarmes to brutally inflict pain, suffering, and sometimes death to anyone they choose, and usually without consequence.
And now, these same tactics will be used on our roads and highways, which means that lowly citizens across the entire country will be accessible to these hoodlums.
Police and government agents, including the military, are training and preparing for civil unrest. What do they know that the masses don't? They have military equipment, even in some cases tanks, and they are receiving ongoing military training. They are actively and sometimes brutally, going after dissenters brave enough to assemble. This preparation by the Leviathan state is now happening nationwide, especially in the larger cities. New York City has been especially aggressive in its civil unrest planning. This does not bode well for our future. It is a blatant show of force, and the intent of the Department of Homeland Security, and all its police partners across the country is total control of the citizenry.
Our situation is worsening by the day, and the state apparatus is preparing to fight against its own citizens here at home. This is a precarious situation that could spiral out of control, and we are terribly close in my opinion, to being in an uncontrollable police state environment.
When this happens, the obvious next step will be Martial Law. Once that stage is reached, it may be too late to stop the coming onslaught of the totalitarian state. This is a serious threat, and one that could result in violence and chaos in the streets of America. All need to be aware of this progression, and all need to prepare to stop it. Anything less will result in a complete loss of what little freedom we have left, and our lives may be forever harmed.
The state is always and forever the enemy of the people. It has nothing, it creates nothing, it produces nothing, and it lives and survives by looting, stealing, beating, and murdering. It is time to remove the power the state holds over us, and to try liberty instead of slavery. I say its time to abolish the state!
Gary D. Barnett is president of Barnett Financial Services, Inc., in Lewistown, Montana.
Source: LewRockwell.com
It is the invariable habit of bureaucracies, at all times and everywhere, to assume...that every citizen is a criminal. Their one apparent purpose, pursued with a relentless and furious diligence, is to convert the assumption into a fact. They hunt endlessly for proofs, and, when proofs are lacking, for mere suspicions. The moment they become aware of a definite citizen, John Doe, seeking what is his right under the law, they begin searching feverishly for an excuse for withholding it from him. ~ H.L. Mencken
 |
| © unknown |
Currently, the state of Tennessee is acting as a testing ground for the federal government's assault on the citizen's right to privacy. TSA goons dressed in state sanctioned garb, and heavily armed "law enforcement" cretins with drug sniffing dogs, are harassing the people of Tennessee on interstate highways and bus stations. They are doing this of course all in the name of stopping terrorism. It is interesting how these state simpletons can at the same time terrorize the general populace while protecting them from terrorism.
The object of this charade of course is not to stop terrorism, but to intimidate (terrorize) the people, and to habituate them, so that they will come to expect and accept this kind of treatment in order to be "safe." This indoctrination training by the state is meant only to beat down the individual into submission, so that state thugs can gain more control. This is not a new concept, but in the U.S. today, police state abuses are not only greatly increasing in numbers, but also are becoming more invasive as every day passes.
The mainstream media claims that Tennessee is the first state to fight terrorism statewide, but illegal checkpoints are now being set up all across the country. The DHS now claims the right to stop and harass anyone, ask for their "papers," and search them within 100 miles of any U.S. border. This invasive and illegitimate nonsense affects over 190 million citizens, or about two thirds of the entire population. The very abusive conduct by these agents of the state is not restricted to Tennessee, it is evident nationwide. Checkpoints are everywhere it seems, and the numbers are increasing.
Warrantless searches are already common at airports, and take place also at train stations, bus terminals, and subway systems, but once this fully expands to our roads and highways, there will be no limits left. Those who choose not to fly so they can escape the groping, radiation, and humiliation of airport "security" dished out by the evil TSA, may now find themselves at risk of this same type of treatment when they simply choose to take a Sunday drive. We are quickly becoming consumed by this fascist state called America!
 |
| © unknown |
Cars can now be searched in many instances without the officer having to obtain a warrant. This is happening often, and in addition, the private property of those stopped or arrested by low IQ state agents of force is in many cases stolen via the search and seizure process. Many police departments are funding their entire operations by thievery. This should come as no surprise to anyone, as policemen as a group commit as many violent crimes per capita as does society, so is there any difference between police and criminals? Actually, the police and all government agents are much more dangerous than the common criminal!
According to the National Police Misconduct Statistics and Reporting Project, the police commit more violent crimes of assaults, sexual assaults, murder, and fatal excessive force, per capita than the rest of society. Those who are commissioned to "protect and serve" do nothing of the kind. Given that the numbers of police crimes reported are in my opinion far undercounted, the problem is much worse than is imaginable.
We are all now subject to search and seizure without warrant. We are subject to groping, sexual assault, and radiation by the TSA. Our homes can be invaded, and our pets or family members killed without cause. The advent and acceptance of the Taser has allowed the state's gendarmes to brutally inflict pain, suffering, and sometimes death to anyone they choose, and usually without consequence.
And now, these same tactics will be used on our roads and highways, which means that lowly citizens across the entire country will be accessible to these hoodlums.
Police and government agents, including the military, are training and preparing for civil unrest. What do they know that the masses don't? They have military equipment, even in some cases tanks, and they are receiving ongoing military training. They are actively and sometimes brutally, going after dissenters brave enough to assemble. This preparation by the Leviathan state is now happening nationwide, especially in the larger cities. New York City has been especially aggressive in its civil unrest planning. This does not bode well for our future. It is a blatant show of force, and the intent of the Department of Homeland Security, and all its police partners across the country is total control of the citizenry.
Our situation is worsening by the day, and the state apparatus is preparing to fight against its own citizens here at home. This is a precarious situation that could spiral out of control, and we are terribly close in my opinion, to being in an uncontrollable police state environment.
When this happens, the obvious next step will be Martial Law. Once that stage is reached, it may be too late to stop the coming onslaught of the totalitarian state. This is a serious threat, and one that could result in violence and chaos in the streets of America. All need to be aware of this progression, and all need to prepare to stop it. Anything less will result in a complete loss of what little freedom we have left, and our lives may be forever harmed.
The state is always and forever the enemy of the people. It has nothing, it creates nothing, it produces nothing, and it lives and survives by looting, stealing, beating, and murdering. It is time to remove the power the state holds over us, and to try liberty instead of slavery. I say its time to abolish the state!
Gary D. Barnett is president of Barnett Financial Services, Inc., in Lewistown, Montana.
Source: LewRockwell.com
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Marines protect Oakland Solidarity March in NYC
Marines protect Oakland Solidarity March in NYC - WeAreChange.org
Last night around a thousand protesters turned up in New York to show solidarity with Occupy Oakland. At one point NYPD officers began arresting and violently beating the demonstrators, even after they were forced to the ground. Among those who stood up for the protesters was Sgt. Shamar Thomas and his fellow US Marines.
Video is courtesy of Luke Rudkowsky of www.WeAreChange.org
http://www.youtube.com/user/wearechange
http://www.facebook.com/LukeWeAreChange
http://www.twitter.com/LukeRudkowski
http://www.WeAreChange.org
Last night around a thousand protesters turned up in New York to show solidarity with Occupy Oakland. At one point NYPD officers began arresting and violently beating the demonstrators, even after they were forced to the ground. Among those who stood up for the protesters was Sgt. Shamar Thomas and his fellow US Marines.
Video is courtesy of Luke Rudkowsky of www.WeAreChange.org
http://www.youtube.com/user/wearechange
http://www.facebook.com/LukeWeAreChange
http://www.twitter.com/LukeRudkowski
http://www.WeAreChange.org
VETERANS FOR PEACE - Official Statement On U.S. Marine Scott Olsen Shot By Oakland Police
VETERANS FOR PEACE - Official Statement On U.S. Marine Scott Olsen Shot By Oakland Police - Daily Bail
Veterans For Peace
Veteran For Peace member, Scott Olsen, a Marine Corps veteran twice deployed to Iraq, is in hospital now in stable but serious condition with a fractured skull, struck by a police projectile fired into a crowd in downtown Oakland, California in the early morning hours of today. Other people were injured in the assault and many were arrested after Oakland police in riot gear were ordered to evict people encamped in the ongoing "Occupy Oakland" movement. Olsen is also a member of Iraq Veterans Against the War.
VFP members are involved with dozens of these local "occupy movement" encampments and we support them fully. In Boston, for example, our members, wearing VFP shirts and carrying VFP flags, stood between a line of police and the encampment, urging police to "join the 99%" and not evict the protesters. In that case, several of our members were banged and bruised when the police decided instead to carry out their eviction orders.
In Oakland, last night, a similar thing happened, according to VFP Chapter 69 member and Navy veteran, Joshua Sheperd, who said he went to downtown Oakland "to see if, as a VFP member, I could help still the anger...to be between the police and the protesters...it seemed unconscionable to me that the police use the cover of darkness like that to do what they were doing." Fortunately, he was not injured in the police assault that left Olsen with a fractured skull
As with virtually every example of the occupy movement across the country, those encamped were conducting themselves peacefully beforehand, protesting current economic, social and environmental conditions in the U.S. brought about by decades of corporate control, a criminal financial industry and wars in Iraq and Afghanistan that are driving the U.S. global empire into bankruptcy. These "occupy movement" participants are telling us something we need very desperately to hear. They should be listened to, not arrested and brutalized.
Police in the majority of cities are acting with restraint and humanity towards the encampments, but Veterans For Peace will not be deterred by police who choose to use brutal tactics. In fact, as happens with repression everywhere, more people join the cause. We do believe that the rank and file police officers are part of the 99%, the overwhelming majority of Americans who are suffering at the hands of an intolerable system. Layoffs and cutbacks in city after city prove that we must join together to demand justice for all.
We send our very best to Scott Olsen and his family and wish him a speedy recovery to health.
We shall not be moved.
---
Address for the hospital where Scott Olsen is recovering, if you wish to send a card.
Highland Hospital
1411 E. 31st Street
Oakland, CA 94602
UPDATE - Message from Director, Mike Ferner regarding incident at Occupy Oakland Brothers and Sisters
I just got off the phone with VFP Chapter 69 member, Josh Sheperd, who was at 14th and Broadway in Oakland early this morning and witnessed much of what happened.
Josh said that after receiving several text messages with news of the Oakland PD taking down tents and arresting people, he decided to go to downtown Oakland and "see if, as a VFP member, I could help still the anger...to be between the police and the protesters...it seemed unconscionable to me that the police use the cover of darkness like that to do what they were doing."
He got to the front of the crowd (see photo link, above) and said he "felt a lot of tension in the air."
Shortly thereafter a barrage of "less than lethal" ordnance, tear gas, bean bags and flash-bangs was fired. He and the people he was with took off, regrouped, marched through part of downtown and returned to 14th and Broadway.
There, he went to the front of the crowd immediately, waving the VFP flag. He said the crowd seemed considerably calmer. "It might be just my impression, but there seemed to be a considerable desire for peace and the crowd expressed that."
Next, the Oakland PD issued the "you're going to get arrested if you don't leave" warning. Shortly after that, Josh said, "People in the rear of the crowd threw eggs at the police and that was the OPD's cue to fire another barrage."
In that barrage, VFP and IVAW member, Scott Olsen was struck in the head with some sort of projectile and was severely injured. Josh reports that Scott was admitted to hospital and has a fractured skull. His condition is stable but serious.
Here are two videos, one showing Scott, wearing a VFP shirt, being carried away.
The other has some slow motion footage that shows flash-bangs being thrown by the police, including one into a group of people standing around someone in the street. It's unclear whether that person is Scott Olsen or not.
IVAW Director, Jose Vasquez, said they are keeping up on the situation, have issued a press release and are contacting national media. They are asking people to call the Oakland Police Dept.
*What you can do:*
For more information in Oakland
Josh Sheperd 415-819-1045
Adelle Carpenter (Civilian-Soldier Alliance) 503-860-5168
--
Mike Ferner, Interim Director
Veterans For Peace
216 S. Meramec
St. Louis, MO 63105
314-725-6005
www.veteransforpeace.org
Veterans For Peace
Veteran For Peace member, Scott Olsen, a Marine Corps veteran twice deployed to Iraq, is in hospital now in stable but serious condition with a fractured skull, struck by a police projectile fired into a crowd in downtown Oakland, California in the early morning hours of today. Other people were injured in the assault and many were arrested after Oakland police in riot gear were ordered to evict people encamped in the ongoing "Occupy Oakland" movement. Olsen is also a member of Iraq Veterans Against the War.
VFP members are involved with dozens of these local "occupy movement" encampments and we support them fully. In Boston, for example, our members, wearing VFP shirts and carrying VFP flags, stood between a line of police and the encampment, urging police to "join the 99%" and not evict the protesters. In that case, several of our members were banged and bruised when the police decided instead to carry out their eviction orders.
In Oakland, last night, a similar thing happened, according to VFP Chapter 69 member and Navy veteran, Joshua Sheperd, who said he went to downtown Oakland "to see if, as a VFP member, I could help still the anger...to be between the police and the protesters...it seemed unconscionable to me that the police use the cover of darkness like that to do what they were doing." Fortunately, he was not injured in the police assault that left Olsen with a fractured skull
As with virtually every example of the occupy movement across the country, those encamped were conducting themselves peacefully beforehand, protesting current economic, social and environmental conditions in the U.S. brought about by decades of corporate control, a criminal financial industry and wars in Iraq and Afghanistan that are driving the U.S. global empire into bankruptcy. These "occupy movement" participants are telling us something we need very desperately to hear. They should be listened to, not arrested and brutalized.
Police in the majority of cities are acting with restraint and humanity towards the encampments, but Veterans For Peace will not be deterred by police who choose to use brutal tactics. In fact, as happens with repression everywhere, more people join the cause. We do believe that the rank and file police officers are part of the 99%, the overwhelming majority of Americans who are suffering at the hands of an intolerable system. Layoffs and cutbacks in city after city prove that we must join together to demand justice for all.
We send our very best to Scott Olsen and his family and wish him a speedy recovery to health.
We shall not be moved.
---
Address for the hospital where Scott Olsen is recovering, if you wish to send a card.
Highland Hospital
1411 E. 31st Street
Oakland, CA 94602
UPDATE - Message from Director, Mike Ferner regarding incident at Occupy Oakland Brothers and Sisters
I just got off the phone with VFP Chapter 69 member, Josh Sheperd, who was at 14th and Broadway in Oakland early this morning and witnessed much of what happened.
Josh said that after receiving several text messages with news of the Oakland PD taking down tents and arresting people, he decided to go to downtown Oakland and "see if, as a VFP member, I could help still the anger...to be between the police and the protesters...it seemed unconscionable to me that the police use the cover of darkness like that to do what they were doing."
He got to the front of the crowd (see photo link, above) and said he "felt a lot of tension in the air."
Shortly thereafter a barrage of "less than lethal" ordnance, tear gas, bean bags and flash-bangs was fired. He and the people he was with took off, regrouped, marched through part of downtown and returned to 14th and Broadway.
There, he went to the front of the crowd immediately, waving the VFP flag. He said the crowd seemed considerably calmer. "It might be just my impression, but there seemed to be a considerable desire for peace and the crowd expressed that."
Next, the Oakland PD issued the "you're going to get arrested if you don't leave" warning. Shortly after that, Josh said, "People in the rear of the crowd threw eggs at the police and that was the OPD's cue to fire another barrage."
In that barrage, VFP and IVAW member, Scott Olsen was struck in the head with some sort of projectile and was severely injured. Josh reports that Scott was admitted to hospital and has a fractured skull. His condition is stable but serious.
Here are two videos, one showing Scott, wearing a VFP shirt, being carried away.
The other has some slow motion footage that shows flash-bangs being thrown by the police, including one into a group of people standing around someone in the street. It's unclear whether that person is Scott Olsen or not.
IVAW Director, Jose Vasquez, said they are keeping up on the situation, have issued a press release and are contacting national media. They are asking people to call the Oakland Police Dept.
*What you can do:*
- Call the Oakland Police Department *510-777-3333; 510-238-3365; 510-238-3131
- Attend a rally at the OPD headquarters later today*
- Go to the nearest occupation encampment in your vicinity in solidarity*
For more information in Oakland
Josh Sheperd 415-819-1045
Adelle Carpenter (Civilian-Soldier Alliance) 503-860-5168
--
Mike Ferner, Interim Director
Veterans For Peace
216 S. Meramec
St. Louis, MO 63105
314-725-6005
www.veteransforpeace.org
US: Veteran Scott Olsen Could Be The First Person To Die At A Wall Street Protest
Scott Olsen survived two tours of Iraq, but his life could be over after being critically injured by a police projectile at Occupy Oakland, The Guardian reports. He's 24 years old.
As we know, Occupy Oakland got incredibly ugly this week as police tried to remove protesters from their camp in front of City Hall by using tear gas, fire crackers, and rubber bullets.
Olsen suffered a head injury on Tuesday night, and is now in critical condition in Oakland's Highland Hospital. Jay Finneburgh, a photographer on the scene, managed to witness and take pictures of the incident. Police policy specifically prohibits the firing of these weapons at a person's head.
"This poor guy was right behind me when he was hit in the head with a police projectile. He went down hard and did not get up," Finneburgh wrote.
At first, Doctors told Olsen's friends that he was in critical, but stable condition. Now they're being told that his skull has been fractured and his brain is beginning to swell. Neurologists are in the process of determining whether or not he will require surgery.
According to Keith Shannon, a friend who served with Olsen during his time in Iraq, Olsen was hit in the head with a tear gas or smoke canister, and he has the scar on his head to prove it.
Meanwhile, Oakland police admit that they used tear gas and baton rounds, but have denied the use of flash bang grenades. Protesters, however, say they saw police use them, and the more video that comes out, the harder it is to believe the police.
Olsen hails from Wisconsin, served tours of Iraq in 2006 and 2007, and is active in both Veterans for Peace and Iraq Veterans Against the War.
You can see a video of him collapsing and injured below.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Oakland PD Standoff & Brutal Assault on Occupy Oakland
Oakland PD Standoff & Brutal Assault on Occupy Oakland - Abby Media Roots
Abby Martin of Media Roots captured the extremely tense moments of the Oakland PD's standoff with the Occupy Wall Street protestors before the brutal crackdown occurred.
Things came to a head around 7:45 pm when the Oakland PD started throwing smoke bombs and tear gas canisters into the crowd completely unprovoked.
Contact the Mayor Jean Quan here: http://www.oaklandnet.com/contactmayor.asp
http://www.mediaroots.org
Abby Martin of Media Roots captured the extremely tense moments of the Oakland PD's standoff with the Occupy Wall Street protestors before the brutal crackdown occurred.
Things came to a head around 7:45 pm when the Oakland PD started throwing smoke bombs and tear gas canisters into the crowd completely unprovoked.
Contact the Mayor Jean Quan here: http://www.oaklandnet.com/contactmayor.asp
http://www.mediaroots.org
The real reasons why Gaddafi must die!
The real reasons why Gaddafi must die! - Sott.net
Do you believe that Gaddafi is killing his own people? Then watch this:
Do you believe that Gaddafi is killing his own people? Then watch this:
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
TSA Thugs on the Loose!
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| © mikepiro.com |
Should we really hail the expansion of the police state as an enhancement to safety?
If you thought the “Transportation Security Administration” would limit itself to conducting unconstitutional searches at airports, think again. The agency intends to assert jurisdiction over our nation’s highways, waterways, and railroads as well. TSA launched a new campaign of random checkpoints on Tennessee highways last week, complete with a sinister military-style acronym–VIP(E)R—as a name for the program.
As with TSA’s random searches at airports, these roadside searches are not based on any actual suspicion of criminal activity or any factual evidence of wrongdoing whatsoever by those detained. They are, in effect, completely random. So first we are told by the U.S. Supreme Court that American citizens have no 4thamendment protections at border crossings, even when standing on U.S. soil. Now TSA takes the next logical step and simply detains and searches U.S. citizens at wholly internal checkpoints.
The slippery slope is here. When does it end? How many more infringements on our liberties, our property, and our basic human rights to travel freely will it take before people become fed up enough to demand respect from their government? When will we demand that the government heed obvious constitutional limitations, and stop treating ordinary Americans as criminal suspects in the absence of probable cause?
The real tragedy occurs when Americans incrementally become accustomed to this treatment on the roads just as they have become accustomed to it in the airports. We already accept arriving at the airport 2 or more hours before a flight to get through security; will we soon have to build in an extra 2 or 3 hours into our road trips to allow for checkpoint traffic?
Worse, some people are lulled into a false sense of security and are actually grateful for this added police presence! Should we really hail the expansion of the police state as an enhancement to safety? I submit that an attitude of acquiescence to TSA authority is thoroughly dangerous, un-American, and insulting to earlier freedom-loving generations who built this country.
I am certain people will complain about this, once they have to sit in stopped traffic for a few extra hours to allow for random searches of cars. However, I am also certain it merely will take another “foiled” plot to silence many people into gladly accepting more government mismanagement of safety.
Vigilant, observant, law-abiding, gun-owning citizens defend themselves and stop crimes every day before police can respond. That is the source of real security in America: the 2nd Amendment right to defend oneself. The answer is for people to be empowered to protect themselves. Yet how many weapons might these checkpoints confiscate? Even when individual go through all the legal hoops of licensing and permits, the chances of harassment or outright confiscation of weapons and detention of citizens when those weapons are found at a TSA checkpoint is extremely high.
Disarming the highways and filling them full of jack-booted thugs demanding to see our papers is no way to make them safer. Instead, it is a great way to expand government surveillance powers and tighten the noose around our liberties.
Paul Craig Roberts: Washington will make Libya a puppet state
Paul Craig Roberts: Washington will make Libya a puppet state - RT
Today Gaddafi's body was laid to rest after being held in freezer for several days. As of now his burial location isn't being disclosed to prevent Gaddafi loyalist from making the site a shrine. Some critics believe that the fall of Gaddafi was influenced by the Western powers. But who will rule the unstable country? Paul Craig Roberts, columnist and former Reagan administration official, tells us more.
Follow Kristine on Twitter at http://twitter.com/Frazzie
Today Gaddafi's body was laid to rest after being held in freezer for several days. As of now his burial location isn't being disclosed to prevent Gaddafi loyalist from making the site a shrine. Some critics believe that the fall of Gaddafi was influenced by the Western powers. But who will rule the unstable country? Paul Craig Roberts, columnist and former Reagan administration official, tells us more.
Follow Kristine on Twitter at http://twitter.com/Frazzie
Occupy Alert: Wall Street Firms Spy on Protesters In Tax-Funded Center
Wall Street Firms Spy on Protesters In Tax-Funded Center by Pam MartensWall Street's audacity to corrupt knows no bounds and the cooptation of government by the 1 per cent knows no limits. How else to explain $150 million of taxpayer money going to equip a government facility in lower Manhattan where Wall Street firms, serially charged with corruption, get to sit alongside the New York Police Department and spy on law abiding citizens.
According to newly unearthed documents, the planning for this high tech facility on lower Broadway dates back six years. In correspondence from 2005 that rests quietly in the Securities and Exchange Commission's archives, NYPD Commissioner Raymond Kelly promised Edward Forst, a Goldman Sachs' Executive Vice President at the time, that the NYPD "is committed to the development and implementation of a comprehensive security plan for Lower Manhattan...One component of the plan will be a centralized coordination center that will provide space for full-time, on site representation from Goldman Sachs and other stakeholders." At the time, Goldman Sachs was in the process of extracting concessions from New York City just short of the Mayor's first born in exchange for constructing its new headquarters building at 200 West Street, adjacent to the World Financial Center and in the general area of where the new World Trade Center complex would be built. According to the 2005 documents, Goldman's deal included $1.65 billion in Liberty Bonds, up to $160 million in sales tax abatements for construction materials and tenant furnishings, and the deal-breaker requirement that a security plan that gave it a seat at the NYPD's Coordination Center would be in place by no later than December 31, 2009.
The surveillance plan became known as the Lower Manhattan Security Initiative and the facility was eventually dubbed the Lower Manhattan Security Coordination Center. It operates round-the-clock. Under the imprimatur of the largest police department in the United States, 2,000 private spy cameras owned by Wall Street firms, together with approximately 1,000 more owned by the NYPD, are relaying live video feeds of people on the streets in lower Manhattan to the center. Once at the center, they can be integrated for analysis. At least 700 cameras scour the midtown area and also relay their live feeds into the downtown center where low-wage NYPD, MTA and Port Authority crime stoppers sit alongside high-wage personnel from Wall Street firms that are currently under at least 51 Federal and state corruption probes for mortgage securitization fraud and other matters.
In addition to video analytics which can, for example, track a person based on the color of their hat or jacket, insiders say the NYPD either has or is working on face recognition software which could track individuals based on facial features.
The center is also equipped with live feeds from license plate readers.
According to one person who has toured the center, there are three rows of computer workstations, with approximately two-thirds operated by non-NYPD personnel. The Chief-Leader, the weekly civil service newspaper, identified some of the outside entities that share the space: Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, the Federal Reserve, the New York Stock Exchange. Others say most of the major Wall Street firms have an on-site representative. Two calls and an email to Paul Browne, NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Public Information, seeking the names of the other Wall Street firms at the center were not returned. An email seeking the same information to City Council Member, Peter Vallone, who chairs the Public Safety Committee, was not returned.
In a press release dated October 4, 2009 announcing the expansion of the surveillance territory, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Kelly had this to say:
"The Midtown Manhattan Security Initiative will add additional cameras and license plate readers installed at key locations between 30th and 60th Streets from river to river. It will also identify additional private organizations who will work alongside NYPD personnel in the Lower Manhattan Security Coordination Center, where corporate and other security representatives from Lower Manhattan have been co-located with police since June 2009. The Lower Manhattan Security Coordination Center is the central hub for both initiatives, where all the collected data are analyzed." [Italic emphasis added.]The project has been funded by New York City taxpayers as well as all U.S. taxpayers through grants from the Federal Department of Homeland Security. On March 26, 2009, the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) wrote a letter to Commissioner Kelly, noting that even though the system involves "massive expenditures of public money, there have been no public hearings about any aspect of the system...we reject the Department's assertion of 'plenary power' over all matters touching on public safety...the Department is of course subject to the laws and Constitution of the United States and of the State of New York as well as to regulation by the New York City Council."
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According to Commissioner Kelly in public remarks, the privacy guidelines were written by Jessica Tisch, the Director of Counterterrorism Policy and Planning for the NYPD who has played a significant role in developing the Lower Manhattan Security Coordination Center. In 2006, Tisch was 25 years old and still working on her law degree and MBA at Harvard, according to a wedding announcement in the New York Times. Tisch is a friend to the Mayor's daughter, Emma; her mother, Meryl, is a family friend to the Mayor.
Tisch is the granddaughter and one of the heirs to the now-deceased billionaire Laurence Tisch who built the Loews Corporation. Her father, James Tisch, is now the CEO of the Loews Corporation and was elected by Wall Street banks to sit on the Federal Reserve Bank of New York until 2013 representing the public's interest. (Clearly, the 1 per cent think they know what's best for the 99 per cent.)
The Federal Reserve Bank of New York is the entity which doled out the bulk of the $16 trillion in bailout loans to the U.S. and foreign financial community. Members of Tisch's family work for Wall Street firms or hedge funds which have prime broker relationships with them. A division of Loews Corporation has a banking relationship with Citigroup.
The Tisch family stands to directly benefit from the surveillance program. In June of this year, Continental Casualty Company, the primary unit of the giant CNA Financial which is owned by Loew's Corp., signed a 19-year lease for 81,296 square feet at 125 Broad Street - an area under surveillance by the downtown surveillance center.
Loews Corporation also owns the Loew's Regency Hotel on Park Avenue in midtown, an area which is also now under round-the-clock surveillance on the taxpayer's dime.
Wall Street is infamous for perverting everything it touches: from the Nasdaq stock market, to stock research issued to the public, to auction rate securities, mortgages sold to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, credit default swaps with AIG, and mortgage securitizations. Had a public hearing been held on this massive surveillance sweep of Manhattan by potential felons, hopefully someone might have pondered what was to prevent Wall Street from tracking its employee whistleblowers heading off to the FBI offices or meeting with a reporter.
One puzzle has at least been solved. Wall Street's criminals have not been indicted or sent to jail because they have effectively become the police.
Pam Martens worked on Wall Street for 21 years. She spent the last decade of her career advocating against Wall Street's private justice system, which keeps its crimes shielded from public courtrooms. She has been writing on public interest issues for CounterPunch since retiring in 2006. She has no security position, long or short, in any company mentioned in this article. She can be reached at pamk741@aol.com
Noam Chomsky Addresses Occupy Boston Protesters: NewsParticipation.com
Noam Chomsky Addresses Occupy Boston Protesters: NewsParticipation.com
This is a full video coverage of Noam Chomsky's address to Occupy Boston protesters on Oct 22, 2011 by a NewsParticipaton.com citizen reporter.
This is a full video coverage of Noam Chomsky's address to Occupy Boston protesters on Oct 22, 2011 by a NewsParticipaton.com citizen reporter.
Occupy Tampa Protesters Want Equality In Health Care
Occupy Tampa Protesters Want Equality In Health Care - HealthyState.org
[VIDEO] By Sarah Pusateri -
What’s wrong with Health Care in America? If you ask protestors with the Occupy Tampa movement, they’ll say just about everything.
They’ve been camped out on the sidewalk just outside of Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park in Downtown Tampa.
Between meeting with Tampa’s City Council and arguing with police over places to sleep, they took time out to talk about health care. Or rather, what they believe health care should be in America.
“GMOs in our food, health care for profit,” protester Paul McGee lists what he believes is wrong. “A doctor when he goes to offer you surgery, you don’t know if he needs to make his boat payment or you really need that surgery.”
For some, like protester Danielle Bronson, the debate takes a personal tone.
“I really wish there was more support for universal health care,” she says. “I don’t know why more people don’t support it. I’ve been going without glasses for the past three months – I can hardly see.”
McGee says health care should be a basic right.
“It’s every body’s right to be healthy and live in a healthy environment. I believe that it’s society’s responsibility to provide it to each other.”
Occupy Tampa is an offshoot of the Occupy Wall Street protest which started over a month ago and has garnered worldwide attention. The protesters are calling for equality for everyone while rebuking corporate greed.
This reporter can be reached at sarahpusateri@yahoo.com
[VIDEO] By Sarah Pusateri -
What’s wrong with Health Care in America? If you ask protestors with the Occupy Tampa movement, they’ll say just about everything.
They’ve been camped out on the sidewalk just outside of Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park in Downtown Tampa.
Between meeting with Tampa’s City Council and arguing with police over places to sleep, they took time out to talk about health care. Or rather, what they believe health care should be in America.
“GMOs in our food, health care for profit,” protester Paul McGee lists what he believes is wrong. “A doctor when he goes to offer you surgery, you don’t know if he needs to make his boat payment or you really need that surgery.”
For some, like protester Danielle Bronson, the debate takes a personal tone.
 |
| Occupy Tampa protesters call for equality in health care. (Pusateri / HealthyState.org) |
McGee says health care should be a basic right.
“It’s every body’s right to be healthy and live in a healthy environment. I believe that it’s society’s responsibility to provide it to each other.”
Occupy Tampa is an offshoot of the Occupy Wall Street protest which started over a month ago and has garnered worldwide attention. The protesters are calling for equality for everyone while rebuking corporate greed.
This reporter can be reached at sarahpusateri@yahoo.com
Keiser Report: Fecal Alchemy (E201)
Keiser Report: Fecal Alchemy (E201)
This week Max Keiser and co-host Stacy Herbert discuss the message from Sirte, "Today Libya, Tomorrow Wall Street", and fecal alchemy and its two-tiered justice system.
In the second half of the show, Max Keiser interviews Stephen Leeb, author of Red Alert: How China's Growing Prosperity Threatens the American.
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| Ad |
In the second half of the show, Max Keiser interviews Stephen Leeb, author of Red Alert: How China's Growing Prosperity Threatens the American.
Dozens Arrested at Occupy Oakland as Police Raid Encampment, Tear Down Tents
Dozens Arrested at Occupy Oakland as Police Raid Encampment, Tear Down Tents - Democracy Now
www.democracynow.org - Oakland police stormed the Oakland Occupy protest encampment outside City Hall just before 5 a.m. PDT. Police lobbed flash grenades and reportedly fired tear gas. Initial reports say at least 70 people have arrested and the police tore apart the protest camp. Democracy Now! gets a live report from the park by legal observer Marcus Kryshka. Nearly 2,500 people have now been arrested in protests since the start of Occupy Wall Street movement Sept. 17.
For the complete transcript, podcast, and for additional reports on the Occupy Wall Street movement, visit http://www.democracynow.org/tags/occupy_wall_street
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www.democracynow.org - Oakland police stormed the Oakland Occupy protest encampment outside City Hall just before 5 a.m. PDT. Police lobbed flash grenades and reportedly fired tear gas. Initial reports say at least 70 people have arrested and the police tore apart the protest camp. Democracy Now! gets a live report from the park by legal observer Marcus Kryshka. Nearly 2,500 people have now been arrested in protests since the start of Occupy Wall Street movement Sept. 17.
For the complete transcript, podcast, and for additional reports on the Occupy Wall Street movement, visit http://www.democracynow.org/tags/occupy_wall_street
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Massachusetts Supreme Court rules that thousands of home foreclosures are invalid because banks do not have promissory notes
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| © your-inner-voice.com |
More than five million US homeowners and counting have had their homes foreclosed upon by banks since the "economic crisis" first began several years ago. But the Massachusetts Supreme Court recently ruled that the vast majority of the foreclosures that took place in the Commonwealth (and likely in most other states) within the past five years are illegitimate because the banks did not, and do not, actually hold the promissory notes for the properties.
This means that all mortgage payments made to banks for illegitimately foreclosed upon properties are fraudulent since such banks do not technically own the properties in question. It also means that anyone who purchased a foreclosed property, or who is threatened currently with potential foreclosure, does not necessarily have a legal obligation to continue paying their mortgage.
Even homeowners who do not face foreclosure are not necessarily required to continue paying their mortgages -- if their lenders are unable to produce valid promissory notes showing true ownership of the property. Then those who follow through with mortgage payments to such lenders are technically participating in fraud because there is no way to verify whether or not mortgage payments are going to the true note holders, or even who the true note holders are in the first place.
"In essence, the ruling [upholds] that those who had purchased a foreclosure property that had been illegally foreclosed upon (which is virtually all foreclosure sales in the last five years), did not in fact have title to the property," writes The Daily Bail. "Given the fact that more than two-thirds of all real estate transactions in the last five years have also been foreclosed properties, this creates a small problem."
Recognizing that the federal government's bailout plan was beneficial only to banks and not homeowners, Rep. Marcy Kaptur of Ohio told those facing foreclosure back in 2009 to "be squatters in [their] own home" (http://articles.sfgate.com/2009-02-...). Now that these foreclosures have been exposed as largely fraudulent, it turns out that her advice was sound.
"Radical though it may seem, we believe the only way to stop the chaos of fraud and the breakdown of the rule of law in our courts, and most importantly to ensure that we ourselves are not participants in the fraud, is for homeowners who can afford their mortgage to stop paying it," says The Daily Bail. http://dailybail.com/home/bombshell...
Democracy Murder Inc. - What They Never Tell You
The following is a short list of articles that must be read if you intend to live a life that truly knows what is going on, and by that I mean a life that is productive and capable of healing our distraught criminal world. Take the time to share these with others who have been brainwashed by the endless and coruptive propaganda stream.
Here's more on Libya from Disinfo.com
Sixteen Things Libya Will Never See Again...
- October 24, 2011: Naked, Bloody Imperialism or "We Came, We Saw, He Died" by Joe Quinn and Niall Bradley
- October 24, 2011: Video: The Devil According To NATO - Gaddafi At Home
- April 15, 2011: Message From Muammar Gaddafi
- December 27, 2006: The Capture, Trial and Conviction of Saddam Hussein - Another US Intelligence Farce by Joe Quinn
Here's more on Libya from Disinfo.com
Sixteen Things Libya Will Never See Again...
1. There is no electricity bill in Libya; electricity is free for all its citizens.
2. There is no interest on loans, banks in Libya are state-owned and loans given to all its citizens at zero percent interest by law.
3. Having a home considered a human right in Libya.
4. All newlyweds in Libya receive $60,000 dinar (U.S.$50,000) by the government to buy their first apartment so to help start up the family.
5. Education and medical treatments are free in Libya. Before Gaddafi only 25 percent of Libyans were literate. Today, the figure is 83 percent.
6. Should Libyans want to take up farming career, they would receive farming land, a farming house, equipments, seeds and livestock to kickstart their farms are all for free.
7. If Libyans cannot find the education or medical facilities they need, the government funds them to go abroad, for it is not only paid for, but they get a U.S.$2,300/month for accommodation and car allowance.
8. If a Libyan buys a car, the government subsidizes 50 percent of the price.
9. The price of petrol in Libya is $0.14 per liter.
10. Libya has no external debt and its reserves amounting to $150 billion are now frozen globally.
11. If a Libyan is unable to get employment after graduation the state would pay the average salary of the profession, as if he or she is employed, until employment is found.
12. A portion of every Libyan oil sale is credited directly to the bank accounts of all Libyan citizens.
13. A mother who gives birth to a child receive U.S.$5,000.
14. 40 loaves of bread in Libya costs $0.15.
15. 25 percent of Libyans have a university degree.
16. Gaddafi carried out the world’s largest irrigation project, known as the Great Manmade River project, to make water readily available throughout the desert country. Source
Monday, October 24, 2011
Occupy Louisville: Voices From Social Justice Encampment in the Hometown of Muhammad Ali
Occupy Louisville: Voices From Social Justice Encampment in the Hometown of Muhammad Ali - Democracy Now
www.democracynow.org - Over the weekend, Democracy Now! host Amy Goodman visited demonstrators at Occupy Louisville, a protest inspired by Occupy Wall Street set up in downtown Louisville, Kentucky. They've set up an encampment right across the street from a local jail. Interviewed are from veterans, students, social justice activists, and other community members who spent the night at the protest.
For the complete transcript, podcast, and for the Democracy Now!'s archive of video reports on Occupy Wall Street and the Global Occupy Movement:
http://www.democracynow.org/tags/occupy_wall_street
FOLLOW DEMOCRACY NOW! ONLINE:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/democracynow
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Subscribe on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/democracynow
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Please consider supporting independent media by making a donation to Democracy Now!
today, visit http://www.democracynow.org/donate/YT
www.democracynow.org - Over the weekend, Democracy Now! host Amy Goodman visited demonstrators at Occupy Louisville, a protest inspired by Occupy Wall Street set up in downtown Louisville, Kentucky. They've set up an encampment right across the street from a local jail. Interviewed are from veterans, students, social justice activists, and other community members who spent the night at the protest.
For the complete transcript, podcast, and for the Democracy Now!'s archive of video reports on Occupy Wall Street and the Global Occupy Movement:
http://www.democracynow.org/tags/occupy_wall_street
FOLLOW DEMOCRACY NOW! ONLINE:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/democracynow
Twitter: @democracynow
Subscribe on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/democracynow
Daily Email News Digest: http://www.democracynow.org/subscribe
Please consider supporting independent media by making a donation to Democracy Now!
today, visit http://www.democracynow.org/donate/YT
Muslim Solidarity in the Middle East and the end of Jewish Serial Wars–The Real “Iranian Bomb” Israel Fears More Than Anything Else
Muslim Solidarity in the Middle East and the end of Jewish Serial Wars–The Real “Iranian Bomb” Israel Fears More Than Anything Else by Mark Glenn
2011 Mark Glenn
As should be PAINFULLY obvious now to all (and particularly for those in the West going broke fighting her wars for her) Israel’s woes are never hers alone…
No matter what it is–a stubbed toe, broken fingernail, offended dignity or a big, hairy, fleshy wart on the end of her shnazola preventing her from grabbing the gold at a beauty contest rigged by Uncle Shlomo–her burdens and boo-boos eventually (and inevitably) become those of the entire world.
Being that she is (by her own militant insistence, mind you) THE JEWISH STATE, and with it all the accompanying ‘Magic mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?’ business, she’s just like that…The ultimate drama queen–Lady Gaga with nukes, banks, TV networks, and a chorus line of presidents, prime ministers, popes, priests, preachers, pundits and professors on the payola sheet…
In a verbal portrait–self-obsessed, self-absorbed, unplugged, pathologically-narcissistic and unable to care a pimple-on-a-rat’s-rear-end about anything except the latest noise buzzing ‘round her like so many subatomic particles locked in dysfunctional orbit around the nucleus of some deadly radioactive element named J-tonium.
Famines, wars, disease, economic privation sweeping the globe like an epidemic and just about every other form of human suffering on a mass scale that would (should) occupy the headlines of every enlightened media outlet around the world…
But this is simply a discussion the rest of the world is not allowed to have…It lacks depth, gravitas and sobriety…Where is the “WOOOFF!” in it? These (meaning Gentile issues) are but passing things…transient, shallow, hollow and of nada consecuencia…
No, rather than being distracted with such petty issues, better that the rest of the world is instead forced to become intimately aware of (and heavy with heart over) the fact that a few Jewish gravestones in some remote cemetery in Lithuania are losing their lustre due to moss and chinch bugs.
And it is due to this narcissism–entirely, in fact–that the world has stepped off the stairway to heaven and now finds itself flying at break-neck speed down the highway to hell. Members of one tiny group of people with an over-inflated sense of their own importance in the mechanics of the day-to-day workings of the universe is the reason why apocalyptic wars are being fought and why nations–fiscally, politically, morally and socially–are going bankrupt fighting them.
Read more..
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Occupy Chicago Activists Face Second Mass Arrest; Rahm Emanuel Sends Nurses to Jail With Protesters
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| Photo Credit: Ryan Williams |
130 protesters arrested as part of Occupy Chicago, some for the second time, said they were denied phone calls and sleep as Chicago police escalate the fight.
The following article first appeared at The ITT List, the staff blog of In These Times magazine. For more news and analysis like this, sign up to receive In These Times' weekly updates.
On Saturday night, as promised, Occupy Chicago attempted for the second time to set up camp at "The Horse": The plaza in Grant Park on the northeast side of Michigan and Congress. And for the second time, the Chicago Police Department (CPD) responded with mass arrests, this time arresting an estimated 128-130 people who refused to leave the park and charging them with "Public Peace Violation." As of 6pm CT on Sunday, around 80 protesters were still in custody.
In some ways this was a repeat of what took place late on the Saturday night and early on the Sunday morning of the previous weekend. Once again, a crowd of Occupy Chicago participants and supporters assembled at LaSalle and Jackson in the city's financial district (where Occupy Chicago has been picketing since September 23), and marched down Jackson Avenue to Michigan and Congress, where they held a General Assembly and began to set up tents.
Once again, the CPD issued warnings related to the 11pm curfew and gave those unwilling to face arrest the opportunity to leave the area before making arrests one by one and taking down tents.
But with repetition comes escalation. While there may have been fewer arrests, my impression while at the scene was that tensions were higher than on October 22-23, with greater numbers of both police and of those protesters who, while unwilling to risk arrest, nevertheless stayed on the eastern side of Michigan Avenue rather than crossing the street. Police also seemed less tolerant of media observers, ejecting Progress Illinois' Aaron Krager from inside the barricaded plaza despite his press pass, and moving other members of the media further back from the scene.
The biggest change, however, seems to be in the CPD's treatment of those who were arrested.
Last weekend, even some of those arrested had praised the individual conduct of the CPD and the way in which protesters were treated. A different narrative is emerging about Saturday night, and indeed the subsequent day: As of 6pm CT Sunday, the CPD was still holding an estimated 80 protesters at the District 1 station at 18th and State.
Five people who were arrested for the second time (after being arrested last weekend) will be kept overnight and brought before a judge tomorrow, with the remaining 75 expected to be released later Sunday night. It's not clear why the five second-time arrestees need to be detained further, since a sixth second-time arrestee has reportedly already been released.
Several of those arrested have claimed that only one phone call was offered for all of the roughly 130 people in total. The non-profit National Lawyers Guild has reportedly learned that those detained were denied sleep, phone calls and access to lawyers.
Members of Occupy Chicago who were prepared to face arrest for a second time always knew that the consequences would increase, including rising bail fees: Nevertheless, it seems that the CPD are working to make arrest an increasingly daunting prospect.
If Occupy Chicago wants to continue attempting to set up camp in the same location—and it's no secret to anyone who attended either Saturday night or earlier General Assemblies that there is internal dissent on this issue—what they need to escalate is numbers. While organized labor support was in evidence, swelling numbers to a police-estimated peak of 3,000 people, the unions' presence Saturday still did not amount to some of the wildly optimistic numbers that had been rumored earlier in the week.
One union whose members made their presence felt was National Nurses United, whose Medical Aid Tent was the focal point of the camp and the last to be taken down by police. This video shows the perspective of those who sat in front of the medical tent as police cleared the plaza:
NNU has already issued a press release condemning the CPD's actions and Rahm Emanuel in particular for the arrests of nurses and medical aid volunteers. NNU Executive Director RoseAnn DeMoro said:
While Emanuel and other city officials no doubt want to convey that they can handle large protests in the context of the looming NATO/G8 meeting in May, it's hard to imagine that Chicago's mayor really wants to be seen as repressing a movement that his party has been trying to co-opt. Especially not when his former boss has to run a presidential election campaign out of the city next year.
So Emanuel may have brought on some seriously unwanted attention. NNU will picket the mayor’s office at 10am Monday morning, while on Tuesday at 3pm another protest has already been planned at City Hall to draw attention to Emanuel's push to reduce taxes for the Chicago Board of Exchange and Chicago Mercantile Exchange (of which the mayor is a former board member).
As for Occupy Chicago, their spirits don't seem to be dampened; even as their legal costs mount, the CPD gets tougher, and major questions remain about their next move. One protester released told In These Times' Micah Uetricht that those arrested had held a General Assembly in the holding cells of District 1.
In a press release released Sunday, Joshua Kaunert, who has been participating in Occupy Chicago for 22 days, said: "There isn’t an asterisk in the first amendment, where it says freedom of assembly as long as it’s convenient. We are non-violent, and have a right to air our grievances. The occupation will continue!”
Full disclosure: The author's wife is an Occupy Chicago participant and Press Committee member.
Once again, the CPD issued warnings related to the 11pm curfew and gave those unwilling to face arrest the opportunity to leave the area before making arrests one by one and taking down tents.
But with repetition comes escalation. While there may have been fewer arrests, my impression while at the scene was that tensions were higher than on October 22-23, with greater numbers of both police and of those protesters who, while unwilling to risk arrest, nevertheless stayed on the eastern side of Michigan Avenue rather than crossing the street. Police also seemed less tolerant of media observers, ejecting Progress Illinois' Aaron Krager from inside the barricaded plaza despite his press pass, and moving other members of the media further back from the scene.
The biggest change, however, seems to be in the CPD's treatment of those who were arrested.
Last weekend, even some of those arrested had praised the individual conduct of the CPD and the way in which protesters were treated. A different narrative is emerging about Saturday night, and indeed the subsequent day: As of 6pm CT Sunday, the CPD was still holding an estimated 80 protesters at the District 1 station at 18th and State.
Five people who were arrested for the second time (after being arrested last weekend) will be kept overnight and brought before a judge tomorrow, with the remaining 75 expected to be released later Sunday night. It's not clear why the five second-time arrestees need to be detained further, since a sixth second-time arrestee has reportedly already been released.
Several of those arrested have claimed that only one phone call was offered for all of the roughly 130 people in total. The non-profit National Lawyers Guild has reportedly learned that those detained were denied sleep, phone calls and access to lawyers.
Members of Occupy Chicago who were prepared to face arrest for a second time always knew that the consequences would increase, including rising bail fees: Nevertheless, it seems that the CPD are working to make arrest an increasingly daunting prospect.
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One union whose members made their presence felt was National Nurses United, whose Medical Aid Tent was the focal point of the camp and the last to be taken down by police. This video shows the perspective of those who sat in front of the medical tent as police cleared the plaza:
NNU has already issued a press release condemning the CPD's actions and Rahm Emanuel in particular for the arrests of nurses and medical aid volunteers. NNU Executive Director RoseAnn DeMoro said:
“Even in wartime, combatants respect the work of nurses and other first responders. Yet Mayor Emanuel and Chicago seem to care as little about that tradition as they do in protecting the constitutional rights of free speech and assembly. These arrests are disgraceful and unconscionable, and will not deter our nurses from continuing this mission, setting up the station again, and continuing to support the protests.”Perhaps an even more telling line in the NNU press release says "Emanuel has been perhaps the most aggressive mayor in the nation in repression of the occupy Wall Street movement."
While Emanuel and other city officials no doubt want to convey that they can handle large protests in the context of the looming NATO/G8 meeting in May, it's hard to imagine that Chicago's mayor really wants to be seen as repressing a movement that his party has been trying to co-opt. Especially not when his former boss has to run a presidential election campaign out of the city next year.
So Emanuel may have brought on some seriously unwanted attention. NNU will picket the mayor’s office at 10am Monday morning, while on Tuesday at 3pm another protest has already been planned at City Hall to draw attention to Emanuel's push to reduce taxes for the Chicago Board of Exchange and Chicago Mercantile Exchange (of which the mayor is a former board member).
As for Occupy Chicago, their spirits don't seem to be dampened; even as their legal costs mount, the CPD gets tougher, and major questions remain about their next move. One protester released told In These Times' Micah Uetricht that those arrested had held a General Assembly in the holding cells of District 1.
In a press release released Sunday, Joshua Kaunert, who has been participating in Occupy Chicago for 22 days, said: "There isn’t an asterisk in the first amendment, where it says freedom of assembly as long as it’s convenient. We are non-violent, and have a right to air our grievances. The occupation will continue!”
Full disclosure: The author's wife is an Occupy Chicago participant and Press Committee member.
Joe Macaré is In These Times' Communications Director and token Englishman.
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