Slutwalk NYC 2011 from Trixie Films on Vimeo.
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Occupy Austin Marches on Too Big to Fail Bank of America
Occupy Austin Marches on Too Big to Fail Bank of America: "Occupy Austin is quite different from Occupy Wall Street, mostly due to the reactions of city officials and authorities.
1,300 hundred people showed up to Occupy Austin on Thursday, day one of the movement. On Friday, day two of Occupy Austin, the protesters marched to Bank of America, the too big to fail Bank of America, from City Hall chanting “We are the 99 percent!” In stark contrast to NYC and other protests around the country, the Austin police were very supportive of the peaceful protesters. In fact, city leaders including Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell and Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo came out to speak with the protesters, who were camping out at City Hall.
Council member Kathie Tovo said, “I’m really interested in the issues that concern them. What’s motivated them to come out here and spend in some cases the night at City Hall? What are some of the things they’d like to see different about the City?”..."
1,300 hundred people showed up to Occupy Austin on Thursday, day one of the movement. On Friday, day two of Occupy Austin, the protesters marched to Bank of America, the too big to fail Bank of America, from City Hall chanting “We are the 99 percent!” In stark contrast to NYC and other protests around the country, the Austin police were very supportive of the peaceful protesters. In fact, city leaders including Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell and Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo came out to speak with the protesters, who were camping out at City Hall.
Council member Kathie Tovo said, “I’m really interested in the issues that concern them. What’s motivated them to come out here and spend in some cases the night at City Hall? What are some of the things they’d like to see different about the City?”..."
Sex Work to Pay Off College Loans? How the College Debt Racket Sucks Young People Dry -- And Led Many to Occupy Wall St.
The young man standing next to the “Jail Sallie Mae, Cancel All Student Loan Debt” sign in Liberty Plaza last night could very well end up in jail himself – not for protesting economic injustice and marching on Wall Street, but for doing sex work to pay off his student loans. "My loans are $1,300 a month," he said. "My rent is $1,300 a month. My salary is $2,600 a month. You can see the problem. So I work as a prostitute for food and utilities."
Though he works a day job in the tech sector, it’s not enough to get by. "But it could be worse," he continued. "I could have to do sex work for all of it." ..."
Confronting the Malefactors
Confronting the Malefactors: "There’s something happening here. What it is ain’t exactly clear, but we may, at long last, be seeing the rise of a popular movement that, unlike the Tea Party, is angry at the right people.
When the Occupy Wall Street protests began three weeks ago, most news organizations were derisive if they deigned to mention the events at all. For example, nine days into the protests, National Public Radio had provided no coverage whatsoever.
It is, therefore, a testament to the passion of those involved that the protests not only continued but grew, eventually becoming too big to ignore. With unions and a growing number of Democrats now expressing at least qualified support for the protesters, Occupy Wall Street is starting to look like an important event that might even eventually be seen as a turning point...."
When the Occupy Wall Street protests began three weeks ago, most news organizations were derisive if they deigned to mention the events at all. For example, nine days into the protests, National Public Radio had provided no coverage whatsoever.
It is, therefore, a testament to the passion of those involved that the protests not only continued but grew, eventually becoming too big to ignore. With unions and a growing number of Democrats now expressing at least qualified support for the protesters, Occupy Wall Street is starting to look like an important event that might even eventually be seen as a turning point...."
The Fallacy That Eric Cantor Works For You
The Fallacy That Eric Cantor Works For You: "Get over it people! Eric Cantor can call everyone who isn’t rich in America a “mob” because hello, he is a corporation. He only pretends to be human because while corporations have free speech, they can’t as yet pretend to represent the people. If this upsets you, never mind, the Republicans are disenfranchising millions of American voters so that their Corporate Trojan Horse can take over the White House and from there, there will be no more treading on corporations!
Leave corporations alone, you mean, dirty people...."
Leave corporations alone, you mean, dirty people...."
"We Are the 99 Percent" Creators Revealed
This week, Mother Jones tracked down and spoke with the two activists behind the 99 Percent sensation, whose identities have remained unknown until now. The blog is the creation of a tenacious 28-year-old New York activist named Chris. (He asked that his last name not be published because he works full time for a small media outlet.) Chris has also been busy managing logistics, including food drives, for Occupy Wall Street in Lower Manhattan—so about two weeks ago, he started sharing the blog's increasingly demanding curation duties with a friend in the cause, Brooklyn-based nonprofit worker and independent media maven Priscilla Grim.
On August 23, Chris put the idea in motion: "Get a bunch of people to submit their pictures with a hand-written sign explaining how these harsh financial times have been affecting them, have them identify themselves as the '99 percent', and then write 'occupywallst.org' at the end."...."
Friday, October 7, 2011
The Book of Cletis: Stamp of Disapproval by Motivatedinohio
The Book of Cletis: Stamp of Disapproval by Motivatedinohio: In 2006, the Republican Congress passed and President George W. Bush signed into law, a bill called the Postal Accountability and Enhancemen...
A Few Tales of Passion
If you only have time to watch one video today, I suggest it's this one. It's so good I had to watch it twice.
GOP Congressman Accuses the 99% Of Attacking Freedom
Occupy Wall Street: 'We're Mad As Hell and We're Not Going to Take It Anymore'
A few months ago Nassim Taleb, author of The Black Swan, an influential book about the crucial importance of unpredictable, unforeseen events on our financial system, was asked whether the hundreds of thousands taking to the streets in Greece was a Black Swan event. He replied, “No. The real Black Swan event is that people are not rioting against the banks in London and New York.”
They are now. Not rioting perhaps, but vigorously protesting. Occupy Wall Street is moving into its second month. Twenty-thousand strong demonstrated in New York City this week. Similar demonstrations are spreading nationwide...."
A Message For John Boehner: Stop Defending DOMA And Create Some Jobs
A Message For John Boehner: Stop Defending DOMA And Create Some Jobs: "Dear Speaker Boehner,
I am writing you as a friend of Captain Steve Snyder-Hill, a brave and amazing man who is serving in Iraq. Perhaps you and your colleagues know him better as the gay soldier who was booed at the Republican debate. He is much more than that; he is a healer, a friend and a wonderful husband to Joshua Snyder-Hill. Captain Steve Snyder-Hill deserves your thanks and respect. Where is your patriotism? Captain Steve Snyder-Hill is doing more for this country than you are.
Now that DADT is history you want to continue your prejudicial agenda by fighting DOMA. The Washington Post reports that you have raised the cap for Paul Clements to fight DOMA to $1.5 million. Why are you fighting DOMA at all? Allowing gay people to marry will not destroy the institution of marriage as so many conservatives believe. What is destroying American marriages is the fact that couples and families are struggling every day to put food on the table, pay their bills and keep their homes...."
I am writing you as a friend of Captain Steve Snyder-Hill, a brave and amazing man who is serving in Iraq. Perhaps you and your colleagues know him better as the gay soldier who was booed at the Republican debate. He is much more than that; he is a healer, a friend and a wonderful husband to Joshua Snyder-Hill. Captain Steve Snyder-Hill deserves your thanks and respect. Where is your patriotism? Captain Steve Snyder-Hill is doing more for this country than you are.
Now that DADT is history you want to continue your prejudicial agenda by fighting DOMA. The Washington Post reports that you have raised the cap for Paul Clements to fight DOMA to $1.5 million. Why are you fighting DOMA at all? Allowing gay people to marry will not destroy the institution of marriage as so many conservatives believe. What is destroying American marriages is the fact that couples and families are struggling every day to put food on the table, pay their bills and keep their homes...."
Motivated In Ohio: Study: Wealthy Stockbrokers More Dangerous Than Psychopaths
Motivated In Ohio: Study: Wealthy Stockbrokers More Dangerous Than Ps...: Study: Wealthy Stockbrokers More Dangerous Than Psychopaths | Tea Party and the Right | AlterNet By David Sirota The findings are a reminde...
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Topeka, Kansas City Council Considers Decriminalizing Domestic Violence To Save Money
But perhaps the most shocking idea to save money is being debated right now by the City Council of Topeka, Kansas. The city could repeal an ordinance banning domestic violence because some say the cost of prosecuting those cases is just too high...."
What the fuck is wrong with these people?!
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Majority of War On Terror Vets Say Too Much Military Force Leads To Terrorism
Majority of War On Terror Vets Say Too Much Military Force Leads To Terrorism: "According to a new Pew Research report on Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, 51% of vets believe that relying too much on military force creates more hate which leads to more terrorism.
The Pew survey of vets found, “About half of post-9/11 veterans (51%) say relying too much on military force creates hatred that leads to more terrorism, while four-in-ten endorse the opposite view: that overwhelming force is the best way to defeat terrorism. The views of the public are nearly identical: 52% say too much force leads to more terrorism, while 38% say using military force is the best approach.”
Vets also support the military’s nation building role more than the American public, “About six-in-ten post-9/11 veterans (59%) support the noncombat “nation-building” role the military has taken on in Iraq and Afghanistan. The public and pre-9/11 veterans are less enthused. Just 45% of both groups say they think this is an appropriate role for the military....""
The Pew survey of vets found, “About half of post-9/11 veterans (51%) say relying too much on military force creates hatred that leads to more terrorism, while four-in-ten endorse the opposite view: that overwhelming force is the best way to defeat terrorism. The views of the public are nearly identical: 52% say too much force leads to more terrorism, while 38% say using military force is the best approach.”
Vets also support the military’s nation building role more than the American public, “About six-in-ten post-9/11 veterans (59%) support the noncombat “nation-building” role the military has taken on in Iraq and Afghanistan. The public and pre-9/11 veterans are less enthused. Just 45% of both groups say they think this is an appropriate role for the military....""
Motivated In Ohio: Top 5 Reasons Why The Occupy Wall Street Protests ...
Motivated In Ohio: Top 5 Reasons Why The Occupy Wall Street Protests ...: Top 5 Reasons Why The Occupy Wall Street Protests Embody Values Of The Real Boston Tea Party : In recent years, the Boston Tea Party has ...
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
'Hey Rapists, Go Fuck Yourselves': SlutWalk Arrives in NYC
Over much of the past year, the movement known as SlutWalk has been snaking its way through cities and towns around the world. Finally, with great fanfare, SlutWalk arrived in New York City this weekend, and we got to witness its provocative power firsthand.
SlutWalk originated in Toronto this April after a cop warned students "not to dress like sluts" to avoid getting raped. Since that first march, the movement has taken on a life of its own, pushing the idea that rapists, not short skirts, cause rape. The movement has been seen on campuses and streets throughout the Americas, Europe, Australia, and South Asia....."
"Now, should we treat women as independent agents, responsible for themselves? Of course. But being responsible has nothing to do with being raped. Women don’t get raped because they were drinking or took drugs. Women do not get raped because they weren’t careful enough. Women get raped because someone raped them."
~Jessica Valenti
How Killer Student Debt and Unemployment Made Young People the Leaders at Occupy Wall Street
How Killer Student Debt and Unemployment Made Young People the Leaders at Occupy Wall Street: ""That we're young only means we have the most to lose by standing idle," say the young protesters mocked by mainstream media.
The sign has a clever double meaning. The young have the most to lose by standing idle and not having their voices heard in the political process, and they have the most to lose by actually being idle — or unemployed.
The media hasn’t learned the lessons from the 1960s, as there is still a tendency to dismiss young people protesting because they are young. You can see this phenomenon in the original New York Times coverage, and it appears in much of the rest. But at the heart of dismissals of young college kids in the 1960s was the idea that they had a very bright future ahead of them that they were taking for granted. For instance, here’s President Nixon in the New York Times, May 1970...."
The sign has a clever double meaning. The young have the most to lose by standing idle and not having their voices heard in the political process, and they have the most to lose by actually being idle — or unemployed.
The media hasn’t learned the lessons from the 1960s, as there is still a tendency to dismiss young people protesting because they are young. You can see this phenomenon in the original New York Times coverage, and it appears in much of the rest. But at the heart of dismissals of young college kids in the 1960s was the idea that they had a very bright future ahead of them that they were taking for granted. For instance, here’s President Nixon in the New York Times, May 1970...."
Personhood USA Threatens Ohioans With God’s Wrath if They Do Not Obey
Personhood USA Threatens Ohioans With God’s Wrath if They Do Not Obey: "And God so loved persons that he never met one he wouldn’t love to destroy through fire or catastrophic human salinization. Just ask the folks at Personhood USA.
We’ve seen it all over the past few years, the semi-incoherent prophesying of lunatic Christian conservatives, acting like deranged hermits who have hid themselves away in the desert too long with only their locust and honey for company, and probably for sex. It’s really a mess, as you would expect, given the apparently condition of their minds.
It’s all Old Testament stuff; you know the racket – no Jesus anywhere – lots of wrath and ruin and pretty much the same shtick the Jewish priests used after the return from Babylon to bully the Jewish people into monotheism. Except it wasn’t God doing the ruination – it was men waving their religion like a cudgel......"
And this would be why I'm a Fan of Jesus, But Not of His Fan Club.
We’ve seen it all over the past few years, the semi-incoherent prophesying of lunatic Christian conservatives, acting like deranged hermits who have hid themselves away in the desert too long with only their locust and honey for company, and probably for sex. It’s really a mess, as you would expect, given the apparently condition of their minds.
It’s all Old Testament stuff; you know the racket – no Jesus anywhere – lots of wrath and ruin and pretty much the same shtick the Jewish priests used after the return from Babylon to bully the Jewish people into monotheism. Except it wasn’t God doing the ruination – it was men waving their religion like a cudgel......"
And this would be why I'm a Fan of Jesus, But Not of His Fan Club.
Monday, October 3, 2011
Occupy Wall Street protest: NYPD accused of heavy-handed tactics
The New York police department has come under criticism for heavy-handed tactics during the Occupy Wall Street march over Brooklyn bridge, after more than 700 protesters were held for several hours.
Activists, as well as commentators following the protest against inequality and corporate excess, claim the response of the city's police force to the peaceful event was vastly out of proportion. Almost 1,000 people have been arrested in two weeks – substantially more than the number of financiers who led the world into the 2008 economic meltdown.
As Salman Rushdie put it in a tweet: "The world's economy has been wrecked by these rapacious traders. Yet it is the protesters who are jailed....."
The Invisible 99%: Sunday Morning Talk Shows Ignore Occupy Wall Street
A day after over 700 protesters were arrested during a march over the Brooklyn Bridge, the five network Sunday morning news shows virtually ignored the story. The only program that the arrests were even mentioned on was ABC’s This Week, “More than 700 demonstrators protesting corporate greed, among other issues, were arrested last night on the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City. The grassroots movement has swamped Wall Street for more than two weeks now.”
What was more important than thousands of Americans taking to the street to protest greed and corruption?..."
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Extremist Christians Use The Bible To Justify Their Hatred Of Obama
Busted on Brooklyn Bridge: 700 Reported Arrested on Occupy Wall Street's March
Busted on Brooklyn Bridge: 700 Reported Arrested on Occupy Wall Street's March: "Marchers from Liberty Plaza Park to the Brooklyn Bridge were penned in and arrested on Brooklyn Bridge even as public support grew.
A large march by Occupy Wall Street protesters Saturday ended partway across the Brooklyn Bridge with the NYPD intervening and arresting hundreds of demonstrators.
I was with the marchers — an estimated few thousand people — as they made their way north from Zuccoti Park just off Wall Street toward City Hall and the bridge, chanting, “We got sold out, banks got bailed out!” Some in attendance reported it was the biggest crowd yet at the protest, which began Sept. 17 and has begun to spread to other cities..."
A large march by Occupy Wall Street protesters Saturday ended partway across the Brooklyn Bridge with the NYPD intervening and arresting hundreds of demonstrators.
I was with the marchers — an estimated few thousand people — as they made their way north from Zuccoti Park just off Wall Street toward City Hall and the bridge, chanting, “We got sold out, banks got bailed out!” Some in attendance reported it was the biggest crowd yet at the protest, which began Sept. 17 and has begun to spread to other cities..."
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