Thursday, November 24, 2011

December 10: Stand For Freedom March in NYC

December 10: Stand For Freedom March in NYC

This year, two-thirds of state legislatures (Southern AND Northern) have introduced laws that undermine the right to vote. Early voting and Sunday voting are under attack, photo ID requirements will introduce the first financial and document barrier to voting since the poll tax, and racially-motivated bans on ex-felons will wipe tens of thousands off the rolls.

This effort is unprecedented, it is coordinated, and it is targeted. African Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans, Native Americans, students, working men and women, seniors and immigrants of all colors will be disproportionately affected.

The right to vote is the heart of our democracy. Throughout our history Americans have been murdered for defending this basic human right. We will not let it be taken away from millions today.

IN NEW YORK CITY:
Join us on Saturday, December 10th—The United Nations’ Human Rights Day—to proclaim to America and the world:

It’s time to Stand for Freedom. We must protect our right to vote.

11 am: March from the NYC office of the Koch brothers, major funders of anti-voting rights measures, at 61st St. & Madison Ave, NYC.

12 noon: Rally at Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, United Nations East 47th Street & 2nd Avenue, NYC

Saturday, November 19, 2011

Over 32,000 rallied in NYC on Occupy Wall Street 2 month anniversary

OccupyWallStreet.org reported in "November 17: Historic Day of Action for the 99% " yesterday (11/18/11) that over 32,000 people were in the marches and rallies in New York City on Thursday, November 17, 2011.
The New York City Police Department (NYPD) estimate was 32,500.
NY1.com television reported Thursday night that the Police Department made the crowd size estimates from its helicopter surveillance of the crowds. At Foley Square, by this writer, there were at least six helicopters in the sky.
The crowds for the anniversary of the start of the Occupy Wall Street encampment at Zuccotti Park (Liberty Plaza) were in Union Square, Greenwich Village, Foley Square, the Financial District and the Brooklyn Bridge. Even though the march on the bridge was permitted, the NYPD arrested dozens on the bridge.
About 300 were arrested throughout the day.

Here is the DemocracyNow link for the November 17 coverage.
Huffington Post's coverage of OWS' return to Brooklyn Bridge.

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Democratic Mayors, Govs, Repression Against Occupy Encampments

While the pioneering Occupy encampment of the year, our Arab Spring in the autumn, has been Occupy Wall Street, in a city with a Republican mayor, Michael Bloomberg, Democratic mayors figure prominently in the cities with crack-downs today, this weekend, this month, against the Occupy encampments.

Occupy Portland, under Democratic mayor Sam Adams, facing an eviction order for midnight tonight, Saturday, November 12th.
His explanation:
Occupy has had considerable time to share its movement's messages with the public but has lost control of the camps it has created. The cost to the larger community is rapidly increasing. The city itself finds itself at a turning point. Thus, the city will soon temporarily close Lownsdale and Chapman Squares to the public to put an end to public safety, health and crime problems, and to repair the park land.
--From KDRV, http://kdrv.com/page/230337
--Actually, one can read a more balanced presentation (with lengthy, uninterrupted statements by an Occupy Portland representative, Jim Olver) at the PBS News Hour site from Veteran's Day, November 11: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/business/july-dec11/occupyportland_11-11.html

My position is this: sadly, with human nature there is often violence and unkempt decorum. Since when have cities demonstrated an absolute record of totally preventing crime and litter? The first amendment, with its guarantee of free speech and assembly, has no exemptions for the prerogatives for police power.
Is it not interesting that this weekend is seeing an almost simultaneous police enforcement of curfew laws / organized repression of free assembly and free speech?

Occupy Oakland, under Democratic mayor Jean Quan, facing police eviction notices: Oakland Tribune: http://www.insidebayarea.com/top-stories/ci_19319311

Occupy St. Louis, under Democratic mayor Francis Stay: a federal judge denied a request for a restraining order to allow them to stay in Kiener Plaza through this weekend: KMOV video: http://www.kmov.com/news/local/Occupy-St-Louis-protesters-given-3-pm-Friday-deadline-to-clear-out-Kiener-133651343.html

Occupy Dallas, under Democratic mayor Mike Rawlings, facing a Saturday eviction order as well, in spite of video showing that a police officer pushed a protestor from a planter: NBC DFW: http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/133717633.html

UPDATE: DEMOCRATIC GOVERNORS ALSO:
Occupy Albany: New York State governor Andrew Cuomo (Democrat) has insisted that an 11:00 PM curfew be enforced this evening (Saturday, November 12th) at state-owned Lafayette Park. Yet, Albany County District Attorney P. David Soares (admittedly, also a Democrat) has said that he will not prosecute peaceful violators of the curfew. (AP at: http://online.wsj.com/article/APaf6a39e0a44d4544b30a84a9cbf6287f.html)

See the scene across the United States at more occupy events at Free Speech TV: http://www.freespeech.org/blog/daily-occupy-report-111111

CORPORATE MEDIA, PARTIES, THE 99%
Have the politicians, police, media forgotten that issues such as wildly out of control CEO salaries, evisceration of progressive tax rates, wealth gaps unseen for a century, went unrecognized, unmentionable by the corporate media or wannabe populist politicians, until the Occupy Wall Street movement arrived on the scene.
Notice that these local and state governments are run by Democrats. Whose party are they? Are they facilitating free speech by people from the 99% Or, by their exclusion of protestors from public assembly, are they more accurately seen as the party of the 1%. Rich people and corporations have spaces in which they can assemble and discuss their views. Cannot the sub-0ne percent people have their own speech in public places of their choosing?

Joan Baez Occupy Wall Street Solidarity Concert, NYC's Foley Square, Veterans' Day, 2011

Long time folk singer and peace activist Joan Baez gave a free concert on Veterans' Day, November 11, 2011. Occupy Wall Street Encampment/Zuccotti Park/Liberty Plaza to Foley Square.
The commercial media assiduously ignored the event, but contributors to youtube uploaded some of her great songs from the open air New York City concert:
Salt of the Earth: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBDmEA6DmUE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vT7dIsrhseI
Joe Hill: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mh1z-E5RDhM
from another vantage point: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7tKT1Pxl1Q
Her introduction to her songs and Where's My Apple Pie: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8L7YpwLt6Ss

Friday, November 11, 2011

What an AlterNet Correspondent Experienced When He Asked Asbout NYPD Tower Over OWS (Zuccotti Park)

As the story at AlterNet
in "What Happened When I Tried to Get Some Answers About the Creepy NYPD Watchtower Monitoring OWS
There’s a metal monster looming over Liberty Square, but don’t ask questions about it or else. "

don't ask questions or else.

But there was something special about Officer Guzman. He wasn’t one of the 25 police officers I counted standing on the perimeter of Liberty Square that first wintery day. He wasn’t one of dozens more shooting the breeze with their partners inside a police van or sitting alone in a cruiser texting. Officer Guzman spent the day suspended in the air, two stories up, at the corner of Trinity Place and Liberty Street, inside a little metal box that goes by the name Sky Watch.
. . . .
“We have cameras for everything”
Officer Guzman seemed like the strong silent type. At least he looked strong. But what I can most vouch for was his silence. He preferred to let other officers speak for him.
Read on at the original article.

Sunday, November 6, 2011

Website URLs for Weekend News Shows

Missed the weekend (Sunday morning) news shows?:
ABC This Week with Christine Amanpour
alas, the previous sunday's episode: http://abcnews.go.com/ThisWeek/
CBS Face the Nation:
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/ftn/
NBC Meet the Press:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032608/
PBS Washington Week in Review:
http://www.pbs.org/weta/washingtonweek/
CNN Fareed Zakaria GPS:
podcasts (including video podcasts): http://rss.cnn.com/services/podcasting/fareedzakaria/rss
CNN Reliable Sources:
http://reliablesources.blogs.cnn.com/
MSNBC Weekends with Alex Wit:
unavailable

NIGHTIME SHOWS
CBS 60 Minutes: Full episodes: http://www.cbs.com/shows/60_minutes/
60 Minutes Overtime: http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/60minutes/main3415.shtml

MSNBC Rachel Maddow: vlog stream:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/ns/msnbc_tv-rachel_maddow_show/

PBS
Need to Know: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/