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“Obese people have the right to two seats for the price of one on flights within Canada, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled on Thursday.The high court declined to hear an appeal by Canadian airlines of a decision by the Canadian Transportation Agency that people who are “functionally disabled by obesity” deserve to have two seats for one fare.The airlines had lost an appeal at the Federal Court of Appeal in May and had sought to launch a fresh appeal at the Supreme Court. The court’s decision not to hear a new appeal means the one-person-one-fare policy stands.” [editor’s note: Discrimination against thin people,I want two seats too.-MLS] (11/20/08) Link: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20081120/od_nm/us_obesity_odd;_ylt=AqpJ8JmhqsY9tBggO9pl03ASH9EA | |
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“Ministers should rethink or delay plans to force lone parents, disabled people and the long term jobless into work, a senior government advisor has said.Sir Richard Tilt said the reforms could “push people into poverty” because of rising UK unemployment.Under the changes, from next week lone parents will be expected to seek work once their youngest child is 12 or face having their benefits cut. ” (11/20/08) Link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7740943.stm | |
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Update, 11/20/08 – Thanks to contributors IJ and CF, and to subscribing contributor ADR! Their contributions yesterday, totaling $75, bring our running total to $3552.87 against our goal of $5,000! Hmmm … contributions seem to run in inverse proportion to my fundraising verbiage running out, so I think I’ll just continue keeping these updates short and sweet - TLK —– Dear readers, Earlier this year, I told you that RRND/FND would be moving to a “twice-a-year” fundraising schedule — and we’re keeping our word. We’ve even waited almost a month past mid-year to start our first 2008 drive. But now it’s time. The goal is $5,000, and we’ll keep plugging until we reach it (even if that means extending into our year-end fundraiser, which we’d certainly prefer not to do!). You can support “the freedom movement’s daily newspaper” (and our offshoot publications — 2nd Amendment News Digest, Liberty Action News Digest and Progressive News Digest) in any of several ways: One-Time Payments Online
Become a Subscribing Contributor! [Note: All subscription payments received during the fundraiser will be credited toward its total]
Other Options If you prefer to support RRND/FND through the International Society for Individual Liberty, to target your contribution to this project. Please drop me a line so that I can thank you and add your contribution to our total (ISIL doesn’t send us a daily report). If you’d like to send a check, money order, cash or other valuable thing via US Snail, again, write me so I can send you the address and instructions.
And Now For Something Completely Different Would you like to see NO MORE RRND/FND fundraisers for nearly a year? So would we … so here’s a “side bet.” Up-front disclaimer: This mid-year fundraiser WILL continue until the goal is met, even if that’s some time next year (hopefully it will be some time next month!). But, we’re running a simultaneous “contingent pledge drive” through Fundable.Com to raise ANOTHER $5k … and if we make it, our next fundraiser won’t be until at least mid-2009. It’s a simple concept: You pledge the amount of money you’re willing to contribute to that second $5k. If we raise $5k in pledges like yours, you pay. If we don’t, you don’t. That simple. Click here to make your pledge. We didn’t make the Fundable.Com goal … but we’ll set a new project of this type up Real Soon Now. Yours in liberty, | |
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“The Government is planning action to stop local councils using surveillance powers designed for terrorism and serious crime to deal with trivial offences like dog-fouling, a Home Office minister said today. Vernon Coaker admitted that council snooping on people who overfill bins or drop litter was undermining public support for the anti-terror law, and promised action ‘in the near future.’” (11/19/08) Link: http://tinyurl.com/68p9vs | |
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“Demonstrators in Gansu province, south-west China, have attacked government buildings in protest at a plan to demolish homes, says state media. Xinhua reported that thousands of people angry at having to relocate to make way for government developments used chains and axes to attack police. Property and vehicles were damaged and several people injured, say reports. Correspondents say that protests over land seizures have increased in China in recent years.” (11/19/08) Link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7737262.stm | |
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“A member of parliament who got a court order blocking online encyclopedia Wikipedia in Germany for two days because of entries linking him to communist-era security police apologized on Tuesday for overreacting. Lutz Heilmann, a little-known MP of the Left party, made headlines across Germany and stirred complaints about censorship for winning the court injunction temporarily blocking the popular reference data base. … ‘I didn’t think it through and didn’t anticipate the consequences,’ he told the newspaper after he withdrew his court injunction on Monday. … Catrin Schoneville, spokeswoman for Wikimedia … said that, ironically, heavy media coverage of the blocking of the website caused donations to soar.” (11/19/08) Link: http://tinyurl.com/59clgc | |
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“Vice President Dick Cheney and former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales have been indicted on separate charges related to alleged prisoner abuse in federal detention centers, Willacy County, Texas, District Attorney Juan Angel Guerra told CNN Tuesday. The indictment stems from Cheney’s investment in the Vanguard Group — an investment management company that reportedly has interests in the prison companies in charge of the detention centers, according to The Associated Press. It also charges Gonzales halted an investigation into abuse at the detention centers while he was attorney general.” (11/18/08) Link: http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/11/18/cheney.gonzales.indicted/ | |
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“An ‘aggressive’ beer sold under the name Punk IPA faces being banned after a ruling that it would promote irresponsible drinking. The drink and two others made by BrewDog in Fraserburgh, Hop Rocker and Rip Tide, were found to have breached marketing rules in a provisional decision by the Portman Group, a self-regulating industry body. It decided Rip Tide’s description as a ‘twisted merciless stout’ would be associated with antisocial behaviour, while the claim that Hop Rocker was a ‘nourishing foodstuff’ and that ‘magic is still there to be extracted’ implied that it would enhance physical and mental capabilities. BrewDog, which was set up 18 months ago by two former law students, reacted angrily to the decision, saying it threatened to put the firm, which sells to Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s and Oddbins among others, out of business.” (11/18/08) Link: http://tinyurl.com/5l746x | |
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‘Shutting down the infamous detention centre at Guantanamo Bay is just one of a series of measures to reform U.S. counterterrorism practices being urged by the watchdog organisation Human Rights Watch (HRW). … the New York-based HRW urged President-elect Barack Obama to quickly repudiate the abusive policies put in place by the George W. Bush administration in its ‘global war on terror.’” (11/18/08) Link: http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=44730 | |
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“The first wave of ID cards to be issued to British citizens has prompted airline pilots to threaten a strike rather than accept the documents. Aviation workers have warned that proposals to make airport staff register for the cards from next year would do little to improve security. The British Airline Pilots Association (Balpa), which represents 10,000 of the 12,000 commercial pilots and flight engineers in Britain, said its members were being treated as ‘guinea pigs.’ Jim McAuslan, Balpa’s general secretary, said the Government’s ‘early warning system should be flashing’ over opposition to the plans.” (11/18/08) Link: http://tinyurl.com/5572f9 | |
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“Charles and Melanie Ogle have lived happily off the power grid for 17 years in their solar-powered log home perched on a ridge in the Hocking Hills. They don’t want or need electric lines, but it seems that a power line is about to be strung outside their house anyway. The Ogles are fighting a plan by American Electric Power to take some of their land by eminent domain to build an overhead electric line to power a telecommunications tower that the utility is building about 1,500 feet south of their house.” (11/18/08) Link: http://tinyurl.com/6nsj7o | |
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“A controversial smoking ban in Atlantic City casinos has been lifted by the city council after the local economy was hit by a steep fall in profits. After a month of fresh air, smoking has been allowed once again inside the city’s 11 casinos. The City Council passed a total smoking ban in April but the financial meltdown led to a steep decline in takings at the casinos. The council has now changed its mind and agreed to repeal the smoking ban for at least a year. Link: http://tinyurl.com/5z29tc | |
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“The problem started when Mr. Bernard’s duplex was visited by Keene, New Hampshire housing inspector Carl Patten. Bernard lives in half of the duplex and rents out the other half. Patten cited him for a couch that was on his tenant’s side of the lawn. … Ian refused to pay because he did not believe there was evidence of a complaining party. He attempted to negotiate with the city, but the judge only wanted to set a court date. … Bernard had a meeting with Patten regarding an offer he made to the city during the hearing. He later said that he was willing to remove the couch if the original complaining party would step forward. The Sixth Amendment of the US Constitution, after all, does give everyone the right ‘to be confronted with the witnesses against him.’ So much for that old piece of parchment. All of these events led directly to the Friday trial in which Ian was sentenced to 30 days in jail for a contempt of court charge involving his ‘refusal’ to sit down, 3 days for the couch violation, and 30 days each for two yet to be explained contempt of court charges.” [editor’s note: Am I the only one tempted to drive up to New Hampshire with a U-Haul full of old couches to donate to local politicians’ lawns? - TLK] (11/15/08) Link: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/262389 | |
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“An inmate escaped from jail in Germany by posting himself out of prison in a giant FedEx box of dirty laundry. Drug dealer Hans Lang, 42, hid in the laundry room after other inmates had finished work there and bundled himself up in dirty bed sheets in the large box. The package was then loaded onto a van and driven through the gates at the prison in Willich near Dusseldorf. He is understood to have waited until the driver made his next stop before getting out of the box, picking the lock on the back of the van and running off into nearby woods. It was only discovered that he was missing after the driver saw the empty box and realised the lock to his van had been picked from the inside.” (11/13/08) Link: http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_3084236.html | |
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“Plans to create driver’s license checkpoints on Texas highways have been scrapped in the face of strong lawmaker opposition and suspicions that the proposal targeted illegal immigrants. … During a commission meeting Friday, Polunsky said it was not appropriate to proceed with the proposal at this time. Commission members agreed, but postponed voting on withdrawing the request because the issue wasn’t on the agenda.” (11/15/08) Link: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/6114231.html | |
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Commentaries on what used to be Armistice Day, ( Remember the roots of Armistice Day, Keeping faith with the original intent of Armistice Day, Refusing orders to serve again), the post election trauma (The machine grinds on, What a long, strange trip it’s been) and a Farewell to Marshall Fritz. In this week’s news, 83-year-old UK woman allowed to return home, Two more US military units assigned to Homeland Security, Brits calls for new world order to beat recession, seek to censor the media and urge ban on pub happy hours, and teenage Brit girl wins right to die. Til next week For freedom Mary Lou Link: http://rationalreview.com/land | |
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“An 83-year-old woman once described by a judge as a ‘neighbour from hell’ has won an appeal against an order banning her from living in her home. But Dorothy Evans was put under a curfew and told any more harassment of her neighbours in Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, could lead to prison. She had been banned from her home in September for breaching her Asbo. The Court of Appeal has now said she can leave the house only between 10am - 3pm, and cannot enter her back garden.” (11/11/08) Link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/7723204.stm | |
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“Northcom has announced that two more U.S. military units will be assigned for domestic homeland security missions, bringing the total number of combat ready service members operating inside the U.S. to around 4,700, as fears grow about the increasing militarization of law enforcement. The announcement follows the controversy surrounding a September 8 Army Times report (revised on September 30), which revealed that the 3rd Infantry Division’s 1st Brigade Combat Team, fresh from combat duties in Iraq, would be operating inside America for tasks including ‘civil unrest and crowd control,’ a detail that was later denied by Northcom despite the concession that forces would be armed with both non-lethal and lethal weapons as well as having access to tanks. … The ACLU has filed a Freedom Of Information Request demanding more information on the purpose and scope of military assets under Northcom control being deployed domestically.” (11/10/08) Link: http://tinyurl.com/54qqwm | |
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“In a speech to City financiers at the annual Lord Mayor’s banquet in London he will say: ‘The British Government will begin to begin a new Bretton Woods with a new IMF that offers, by its surveillance of every economy, an early warning system and a crisis prevention mechanism for the whole world.’” (11/10/08) Link: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/financetopics/recession/3414946/Gordon-Brown-calls-for-new-world-order-to-beat-recession.html | |
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“A terminally-ill girl has won the right to die after a hospital ended its bid to force her to have a heart operation. Herefordshire Primary Care Trust dropped a High Court case after a child protection officer said Hannah Jones was adamant she did not want surgery. The 13-year-old, from Marden, has refused a heart transplant because it might not work and, if it did, would be followed by constant medication. The girl, who has a hole in her heart, says she wants to die with dignity. Hannah was interviewed by the child protection officer after the trust applied for a court order in February to force the transplant.” (11/10/08) Link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/hereford/worcs/7721231.stm | |
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“Pub happy hours should be banned and supermarkets stopped from selling alcohol at a loss, in order to combat drink-fuelled disorder, MPs have said. The Home Affairs select committee said reckless drinking was placing a heavy burden on police resources. One possible solution in England and Wales, MPs said, would be legislation setting a minimum price on alcohol — already being considered in Scotland.” (11/09/08) Link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7718950.stm | |
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“Britain’s security agencies and police would be given unprecedented and legally binding powers to ban the media from reporting matters of national security, under proposals being discussed in Whitehall. The Intelligence and Security Committee, the parliamentary watchdog of the intelligence and security agencies which has a cross-party membership from both Houses, wants to press ministers to introduce legislation that would prevent news outlets from reporting stories deemed by the Government to be against the interests of national security.” (11/09/08) Link: http://tinyurl.com/5lakj8 | |
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Commentaries on the election, non voting, voting, prosecuting voters, unregistering, an anarchist view of elections, the dangers of Internet censorship and more! In activist news, protesters take to the streets over California’s new ban on gay marriage, mass protests continue in Taiwan as Chicom envoy continues visit, and Florida Nudists want their own polling booth. In police state news, People “can’t wait for ID cards” in the UK [sez the govt] and Home Secretary to unveil airport ID scheme, UK Government black boxes will “collect every email”, and Venezuelan Jail-break candidate barred from election, and, in nanny state news, UK Health and safety Nazis ban floats in pools, ban smokers from fostering kids, abduct overweight six-year-old, ban poetry group and ask teens to take part in government anti-knife propaganda, while 344 schoolchildren a day are “suspended for violence”. Til next week For freedom Mary Lou Link: http://rationalreview.com/land | |
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“Hundreds of protesters took to the streets Thursday over California’s new ban on gay marriage, amid deepening political turmoil and legal confusion over who should have the right to wed. Legal experts said it is unclear whether an attempt by gay-rights activists to overturn the prohibition has any chance of success, and whether the 18,000 same-sex marriages performed in California over the past four months are in any danger.” (11/06/08) Link: http://tinyurl.com/6el9rm | |
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“Jacqui Smith says public demand means people will be able to pre-register for an ID card within the next few months. The cards will be available for all from 2012 but she said: ‘I regularly have people coming up to me and saying they don’t want to wait that long.’ The home secretary made the claim as she unveiled revised ID scheme plans. Opposition parties say they would scrap the ID card scheme. The Tories call it a ‘complete waste of money.’ The Lib Dems call it a ‘laminated poll tax.’” (11/06/08) Link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7712275.stm | |
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“Floats for children have been banned at three Northumberland swimming pools — for health and safety reasons. Staff at Waterworld in Prudhoe ruled the water aids should not be given to young children as they could pass on infections. One father who told The Sun he was ‘amazed’ when lifeguards would not give his five-year-old son a float. He said: ‘I pointed out to the staff that surely it’s more of a health and safety risk if the child sinks because they don’t have a float. I was just gobsmacked by this.’” (11/06/08) Link: http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_3075849.html | |
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“Chinese top envoy Chen Yunlin ended the third day of his historic visit to Taiwan amid mass protests after meeting top politicians and visiting the Hsinchu Science Park yesterday. … Police forcibly removed protesters holding Tibetan flags who wanted to perform a skit dressed up as Chinese People’s Liberation Army soldiers, while a banner with the Chinese text ‘Taiwan is a country’ hung outside a window of a neighboring hotel. Chinese reporters covering Chen’s visit had to seek refuge from the crowds inside a police car. During the Chinese envoy’s visit to Hsinchu yesterday, more than 2,000 police controlled access to the Science Park, but failed to stop dozens of followers of the Falun Gong group from gathering in a park.” (11/05/08) Link: http://www.etaiwannews.com/etn/news_content.php?id=781747 | |
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“A council has become the first in London to rule that smokers will no longer be able to foster children. Redbridge Council’s cabinet agreed Tuesday night to a ban on placing children with foster carers who smoke unless there are exceptional circumstances. The local authority in northeast London said the decision, which will come into force in 2010, was made to protect children from the ‘damaging effects of passive and second-hand smoke.’ Other councils around the country have introduced similar measures, particularly relating to very young children, but Redbridge’s ban is thought to be the most far-reaching. ‘We know this is a difficult issue because some people will feel it is an intrusion on personal freedoms,’ said Councilor Michael Stark.” (11/05/08) Link: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20081105/od_nm/us_smokers | |
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“Workers at two airports will be used to test UK national identity card, the government is expected to announce. The Home Office’s delivery plan for the ID cards said they would be issued to airside workers at all the country’s airports from the second half of 2009. However, Home Secretary Jacqui Smith is set to unveil an 18-month pilot at just London City and Manchester airports.” (11/06/08) Link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7712275.stm | |
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“A popular opposition politician accused of corruption who escaped from jail last year and fled to Peru cannot run for re-election as governor of the Venezuelan state of Yaracuy, the country’s top court ruled Monday. The decision opens the way for an ally of President Hugo Chavez to win a tightly contested election for governor of the small farming state. Venezuela’s Supreme Court said former governor Eduardo Lapi, who apparently escaped from jail through an air conditioning duct, was not eligible to stand again in elections later this month. … After nearly 10 years in office, Chavez’s allies are expected to lose several key states and cities in nationwide elections for governors and mayors. Earlier in the year the government’s anti-corruption office ruled that a handful of leading opposition candidates and several less important government allies could not take part in the elections.” (11/04/08) Link: http://tinyurl.com/6zpbgn | |
Commentary
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“Did they die so that a brother veteran can die waiting in line for a little help from the nation that sent them all off to war in the prime of their youth? Did they die so that four decades later, an American president and his cronies could start another needless war in a far-off land, a war that to date has dragged on almost as long as the one they fought in Southeast Asia? … Did they die so that 10,000 craven politicians could stand on bandstands and make speeches full of empty praise for those who protect and defend this country and make empty promises of how they guarantee that our wounded, our new veterans, will be treated better than their fathers and grandfathers were when they came home from their wars? … Meanwhile over in the Pentagon, the bean counters run their computers and come up with the good news: The economic meltdown in America, the growing ranks of the unemployed, the complete lack of work or prospect of a decent future in the rural and urban backwaters of a great nation make for a boom in enlistments in our voluntary military.” (11/17/08) Link: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/galloway/story/55633.html | |
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“After condemning Obama for vaguely knowing Ayers, John McCain boasted about his ‘close friendship’ with Henry Kissinger — and nobody noticed the dissonance. While Ayers didn’t kill anybody, Kissinger played a key role in killing three million people, overwhelmingly civilians, in a bogus cause. Can it be right to damn one as a terrorist and laud the other as a great statesman?” [editor’s note: This has long been my contention — that Kissinger should have been tried for war crimes instead of given the Peace Prize! (As for nobody “noticing the dissonance” … judging from the outcome, it would seem that voters were already way beyond being affected by that issue) - SAT] (11/17/08) Link: http://tinyurl.com/5lmfcw | |
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Documenting the Surge: The realities of the occupation
Source: The Women\'s International Perspective Author: Jennifer Fenton “Army Sergeant Casey J. Porter has many battles to fight, and unlike the dramatizations of politicians and media commentators, his battles are concrete, real, and hard fought. During his time as an enlisted soldier deployed in Iraq, Casey has undergone an evolutionary process, one that has taken him from warrior to peace activist. His talent and passion for filmmaking have given him the perfect medium for his personal expression. Utilizing his current circumstances and natural talent as a filmmaker to speak out against the war, Casey’s films have turned the heads of people like Amy Goodman of Democracy Now! and filmmaker Michael Moore.” (11/16/08) Link: http://tinyurl.com/6ocr7v | |
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“When will we recognize that war is the most terrible and counterproductive way to settle differences, to demonstrate one’s superiority? Instead, anything connected with the military is considered patriotic, but peace marches are controversial, if not downright suspect. War should never even be considered as a solution to any kind of a problem. Absolutely nothing is glorious about it. I have experienced six years of it, and often barely escaped with my life. So a day that was observed because it symbolized peace gradually morphed into a day to honor those who had been killed and those who had been fortunate enough to survive. Those who lost their limbs, those who had lost their sons or their fathers. And those whose sons and daughters are now persuaded to pay the price, again, because whatever little we did learn, we conveniently refuse to put into practice.” (11/11/08) Link: http://tinyurl.com/68fmlb | |
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Refusing orders to serve again
Source: Corvallis Gazette Times Author: Benjamin Lewis and Brandon Neely “On this day, Veterans Day, we would like to express to the American public why we, veterans of the Global War on Terror, have chosen to refuse orders to reactivate into military service. We are direct witnesses to the horrors of this war, having experienced its atrocities at their source, and we have decided that we can no longer carry out these illegal and immoral policies. We believe that veterans and active duty G.I.s are in a key position to stop illegal and unjust war, and we are inspired by the resistance of troops who stood against the war in Vietnam. One of the pre-eminent reasons for the U.S. withdrawal from Vietnam was increasing dissent among the active duty troops stationed abroad and at home. By the end of the war, there were entire units refusing to participate in combat, many going as far as outright mutiny.” (11/11/08) Link: http://tinyurl.com/5rmf3b | |
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“The machine grinds on relentlessly. Now it’s: give Obama a chance. This means: Public, go back to sleep. In the meantime Obama and the state machinery work at feverish pace. Take a look at the people who have quickly been announced as contenders for high office in the Obama administration.” (11/11/08) Link: http://counterpunch.org/skorodin11122008.html | |
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“Whew! What was all that mess? I’m still in a daze, sorting it all out, decompressing. Pass the Vitamin C. For the past few years, I have gone about my business, hanging out with my kids and, now, my grandchildren, taking care of our elders (they moved in as the kids moved out), going to work, teaching and writing. And every day, I participate in the never-ending effort to build a powerful and irresistible movement for peace and social justice. … These media episodes of fleeting notoriety always led to some extravagant and fantastic assertions about what I did, what I might have said and what I probably believe now. It was always a bit surreal. Then came this political season.” [editor’s note: I recently went to a Hallowe’en party — As Bill Ayres, circa 1968 … Out of a roomful of mostly Obamaites … only ONE person figured out who I was supposed to be, without major hinting! - SAT] (11/07/08) Link: http://tinyurl.com/59n7qt | |
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Veteran’s Day: Keeping faith with the original intent of Armistice Day
Source: Common Dreams Author: Veterans for Peace “The original Armistice Day ended World War I on November 11, 1918, but not before nearly 30 million soldiers had been killed or wounded, and over seven million taken prisoner. Congress responded to a universal hope that this would never happen again and passed a resolution calling for ‘… exercises designed to perpetuate peace through good will and mutual understanding … inviting the people of the United States to observe the day in schools and churches … with appropriate ceremonies of friendly relations with all other peoples.’ Congress later resolved November 11 was to be ‘… a day dedicated to the cause of world peace.’ Of the many veterans’ organizations in the U.S., one exists specifically to carry out the original purpose of Armistice Day, now celebrated as Veterans’ Day. In word as well as action, Veterans For Peace, a national organization with 120 chapters, is dedicated to the cause of peace.”(11/10/08) Link: http://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2008/11/10-14 | |
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“Marshall Fritz died November 4th, and the freedom movement is the poorer. While living, Marshall was larger than life. Large physically, this remarkable man had that mysterious quality, a ‘presence,’ that would dominate whatever group he entered — in a benevolent way, of course. To the extent that curmudgeonly individualist libertarians have a leader, he was it. And now he is gone, having lost his second battle with cancer.” (11/07/08) Link: http://www.strike-the-root.com/82/davies/davies9.html | |
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“I’m already dreading Democratic monopoly government. And yet, I have to laugh at the Republicans right now. After 40 years, you finally captured Congress in ‘94. You worked with Clinton to expand the government. You covered up his crimes. Six years later, you got the presidency. For eight years now, you’ve had it all. You’ve doubled the national debt in less than a decade. You’ve slaughtered a million people. You’ve torn the soul out of the Bill of Rights. Today, Americans said no to your ridiculous character politics and politics of fear of the other. Today, Americans decided they didn’t want at least your particular type of sick warmongering. Today, they said they don’t trust you with their wallets any more than anyone else. Today, they decided they hated you so much, they’d even prefer the Democrats to you. Hahahahaha. Sometimes we have forgotten how bad the Republicans are. No matter how bad the future is, let us not forget again.” [editor’s note: Bingo! - SAT] (11/04/08) Link: http://thestressblog.com/2008/11/04/ha-ha-republicans/ | |
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“Suppose that government regulators proposed to read all postal mail in order to protect families from things they should not see. Anything not legally prohibited would be delivered. Any unlawful words, pictures, or videos would be thrown away. Sound like Orwell’s 1984, or China? Perhaps. Yet change the technology from ink on paper to bits in wires — the zeroes and ones that flow through the Internet — and these are the plans of significant democracies. France is targeting copyrighted music and movies. Australian officials are going after child pornography — but may check for other bad stuff while they are at it. Objectionable snooping? Both governments say that law-abiding citizens have nothing to worry about. Could such ubiquitous surveillance gain traction in the United States, with its Fourth Amendment protections against unreasonable searches? A proposal pending before the Federal Communications Commission raises just that possibility. It would provide Internet service to all Americans — with a catch. Content would be censored, free of ‘any images or text that otherwise would be harmful to teens and adolescents’ under 18 years old.” (11/05/08) Link: http://tinyurl.com/6btcub | |
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“Here’s the upshot: The Party’s over. In truth, it was probably already over in 1972, when you actually earned your first (and last) electoral vote. Why? It was a flawed idea from the outset; it was self-contradictory. One does not defeat an enemy by joining his ranks. It’s that simple. What to do about it? Pretty simple. Remove the Party label, and remove it from the political arena altogether. Call it Libertarianism America or whatever, and turn it into an educational think-tank. Show people what government really is and what it does versus the populist mythology. And then encourage them to drop out. Stop voting. … Stop paying attention to and believing the mainstream media, especially what the bastard politicians say in their worthless speeches and endless platitudes. Shut government out of your life as much as possible.” [editor’s note: In the same way that the election outcome was a victory for liberty (either he proves how bankrupt BOTH War Party wings are, or he inspires a whole new level of real (voluntary) community activism), the Barrites either killed the LP or spawned its healthy rebirth - SAT] (11/05/08) Link: http://www.strike-the-root.com/82/knight/knight4.html | |
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“We don’t need another Lincoln, or an Obama; what we need is more Fredrick Douglasses and Harriet Beecher Stowes. We need more Martin Luther Kings, Big Bill Haywoods, and Helen Kellers. We don’t need more FDRs, we need more Eugene Debs[es]. We don’t need more JFKs, we need more Philip Berrigans. We don’t need to look to great men to lead us to the promised land, we need to recognize the power that we, the nameless and ‘the powerless,’ possess when we assert our power rather than make assertions of faith directed at the great leader myths. … It is this very misperception, the creation of dubious hero leaders that leads to the second danger: disempowerment. We are left to petition our overseers and vote for leaders and wish a wish based on the most unfounded faith that they will make things better. It is not simply wishes based on unfounded faith, but that these elections and religious faith in candidates draw so much energy. So much so that after the election, there is a vacuum left in its wake.” (11/04/08) Link: http://counterpunch.org/fierro11042008.html | |
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“I was facing 28 years in prison for voting. The last felony case to be successfully prosecuted in New York for false registration and illegal voting took place in 1873, in Rochester, New York. The defendant in that case was Susan B. Anthony. The genesis of my alleged crime was that in 1992 I registered to vote and voted from my ex-girlfriend’s house in Brooklyn, which is fourteen blocks from where I currently live. … Every aspect of my personal life was now subject to investigation — meaning every check, credit card slip, tax return for the past 20 years was examined by the Brooklyn district attorney. My apartment, my campaign headquarters, houses of my relatives were put under surveillance.With over a million registered voters in Brooklyn, you may be wondering why I was targeted in this Kafkaesque effort. I was 35 years old at the time; not once in my life was I ever in trouble with the law. The explanation is not much different than why prosecutors are targeting Obama campaign staffers in Ohio: It was my political activity.” (11/03/08) Link: http://counterpunch.org/ohara11032008.html | |
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“If you exercise your ‘right’ to vote, you should be ‘responsible’ for the outcome as well — even if the intent was not malicious. Let’s say, for example, voters elect a corrupt politician who absconds with millions of dollars in public funds. Shouldn’t the voters who pulled the lever for the dishonest official in question be held responsible, perhaps even legally liable, for his actions? … So, what do voters get by casting their vote in November? They get the privilege of electing ‘representatives’ whom they know little about, who know nothing about them, who will renege on their campaign promises, in order to increase the role of the State in our economic and personal lives by waging endless wars overseas, expanding the welfare state, implementing laws that will directly (often adversely) affect their lives, and creating trillions more in debt that will be passed on to future generations of Americans. Rock the Vote? No, thanks. I say Toss the Vote. In the trash.” (11/03/08) Link: http://www.strike-the-root.com/82/powers/powers1.html | |
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“Since I now REFUSE to vote, (see my TLE articles here and here) I wondered if I could UNregister as a voter. After searching thru all the voter registration material for my state, I concluded that voter registration is a one way street. Like the Roach Motel ad says, with a sinister leer: ‘They check in, but they don’t check out!’ It is possible to change your address, your party affiliation and even the state in which you reside and are registered, but once you have ‘registered’ you cannot reverse that decision. … Apparently even death is not sufficient. I saw no form to fill out to remove dead voters from the list — something that Lyndon B. Johnson is know[n] to have exploited.” (11/01/08) Link: http://www.ncc-1776.org/tle2008/tle491-20081102-02.html | |
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“Groups across the country are taking steps to prevent vote problems from marring the vote next Tuesday. Every year, both sides of the aisle let fly with allegations of voter fraud, voting machine problems, and improperly purged voters. Because of technological developments, voters seeking to publicize problems and groups seeking to address them can do so quicker than ever before.” (10/31/08) Link: http://tinyurl.com/5bmkmd | |
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“So, instead of wringing our hands over whether or not to vote for an evil, which is only a tiny bit less so, let us recognize the necessity of building a truly oppositional party. The first step in that direction is to either vote for independent candidates or conduct a boycott of these elections with the declaration that voting is bunk until real political alternatives representing people’s needs are built. Don’t waste your vote, and don’t encourage the establishment bastards.” [editor’s note: I no longer agree with the notion of building an ‘opposition party’, but I like the idea of a boycott of the election - MLS] (10/30/08) Link: http://counterpunch.org/fiyouzat10302008.html | |
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“Aaron Zelman, founder and executive director of Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership, has announced creation of a vital and unique new resource for advocates of the individual right to own and carry weapons. 2A Today for the USA is a free 23-minute video presentation, a weapon of thought, specifically produced to disrupt and destroy the evil, inhumane agenda of victim disarmers and gun prohibitionists with generous applications of legal and historical truth. Because JPFO encourages the widest possible distribution of this film, it is being offered on the Internet for free, with numerous options for viewing or downloading. Quite simply put, in these frightening times we’re living through today, you must use this video — or lose your guns.” (10/27/08) Link: http://www.ncc-1776.org/tle2008/tle490-20081026-08.html | |
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Interview with Anthony Teolis, Veterans for Peace: “Every person who calls himself a conservative should be appalled by the violations to the Constitution. For veterans, it’s natural to take a ‘conservative’ stance and support and defend the Constitution. Our leaders are using their power to invoke fear. They are operating secret prisons and torturing people. They are deploying paramilitary forces that not answerable to congress and spying on the American people. Our representative form of government has become corrupt, ineffective and unresponsive to its citizens. The US treats political dissents like traitors. These are some of the problems we face and every citizen must fight to restore the promise of America. I have friends who are veterans and consider themselves ‘conservative,’ but they are also accepting of other points of view. Lately I notice that a change is taking place and there is greater acceptance of the pro-peace sentiment.” (10/27/08) Link: http://counterpunch.org/whitney10272008.html | |
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“I am tired of being a political orphan in a country that was supposed to be all about liberty. … In the short run, however, there is only one thing to do, and I intend to do it — and encourage everybody within the sound of my cybernetic voice to do it, too. Cast a blank. I have no use for those who fastidiously disdain to protect themselves or their loved ones, either with weapons or by voting defensively. I tried that path for a while, myself, and it leads directly to where we are now, a broken subject people, nearly in chains. Cast a blank. That’s a technical term for something every professional politico detests. You never hear about it on the news, and you probably never will, but it’s the best way that exists to send a message to the establishment.” (10/26/08) Link: http://www.ncc-1776.org/tle2008/tle490-20081026-02.html | |
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“We finally received a verdict on Friday afternoon at about 11:30. Half of us were guilty and half of us were not guilty. Unfortunately, I was in the not guilty half. According to the jurors I spoke with later (one of whom is a lawyer), those who took the stand to testify on their own behalf incriminated themselves. For once, I kept my mouth shut. If the others had not spoken, they would have been acquitted as well because one of the government’s witnesses, Officer Governor Latson, was not credible. He had claimed to have arrested all eight of us even though we were all sitting in different parts of the Senate gallery. … The five who were convicted have submitted an appeal based on illegally obtained and falsified evidence. That appeal will be heard sometime in December. I’m wagering that Judge Morin will dismiss the charges against the other five based on the motion. I’d rather be in that group and kick a little government butt.” [report on verdict in “Ghosts of Iraq War” action] (10/26/08) Link: http://www.dailygazette.com/weblogs/letendre/2008/oct/25/not-guilty/ | |
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“Pray for me, Father, mine is the sin of cowardice Link: http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article21075.htm | |
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“America is in the midst of an election season, nearing an Election Day with what likely will be far-reaching consequences. Public interest is extraordinarily high, and candidates are debating many critical issues. Yet we have heard little or nothing about the Constitution and its Bill of Rights — the touchstone of our individual freedoms. … Over the last two centuries, through activism, dissent and dedication, citizens have expanded the scope and depth of our liberty. And today, more Americans enjoy the ‘blessings of liberty’ than at any time in history. Yet, in recent years, our federal government has grown more powerful and secretive, assuming powers it does not rightfully have. Our government has: spied on Americans without the approval of Congress or the courts; allowed the CIA to torture and abuse hundreds of people, including Americans, in secret prisons throughout the world; held prisoners indefinitely without charge; placed hundreds of thousands of Americans on terrorist watch lists without an explanation or opportunity to appeal; and restricted the free flow of scientific information and set up barriers to the use of scientific materials. No matter who wins the election, we must remember that the Constitution applies to everyone.” (10/22/08) Link: http://www.madison.com/tct/opinion/column/310549 | |
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“Fear, which had cut through us like a hot poker, became instead a low-grade fever, ambient noise, wallpaper, something you feel without feeling, hear without hearing, see without seeing. Then you look up one day and realize how profoundly that fear has changed your world. People are imprisoned without charges or access to attorneys, and it’s routine. People are surveilled, their reading habits studied, their telephone usage logged, and it’s commonplace. People, including children, end up on a secret list of those who are not allowed to fly, nobody will tell you why, there is no appeal, and it’s ordinary. We swallow lies like candy, nod sagely at babblespeak, and it’s unexceptional. Torture is inflicted with White House approval, the president lies about it and it’s just another Tuesday.” (10/20/08) Link: http://tinyurl.com/6n3ncz | |
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“The phrase ‘I don’t vote’ has become one of the new unspeakable taboos in our country. Even the worst among us would not suggest people pass up the opportunity to have their voice heard. Endless numbers of nameless heroes died just to bring you the right to vote. No matter what irrational ways are used to pick a candidate, the more important thing is apparently to vote. I don’t vote and I will tell you why. … when one endorses the lesser of two evils, they still have endorsed evil. I cannot endorse evil. Voting assumes that it is reasonable to subjugate the rest of the population to whatever candidate one feels is most worthy. That is to visit the same coercion on others that I deplore when visited against me.” (10/20/08) Link: http://www.ncc-1776.org/tle2008/tle489-20081019-04.html | |
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Swedist peace activists repeatedly break into weapon factories
Source: Common Dreams Author: Bill Quigley “Using hammers and bolt cutters, peace activists repeatedly broke into weapon plants and damaged weapons in Sweden. Activists from the Swedish group OFOG/Avrusta admitted damaging twenty high explosive grenade launchers as well as internal parts to a Howitzer 77. Five people were arrested. Two remain in jail. Two activists who were arrested and released were re-arrested after they returned to the weapons plant to do more damage. A fifth person was arrested Saturday in another break in. All are facing trial on charges from criminal damage to trespass at places of national security. Members of the Swedish peace and disarmament group OFOG/Avrusta say they have been preparing for more than a year to carry out the actions.” (10/20/08) Link: http://www.commondreams.org/view/2008/10/20-4 | |
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“For those from the U.S. seeking sanctuary from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan the reelection of Stephen Harper as prime minister of Canada was bad news (not that the past several months have been any better when Harper’s Conservative Party had a smaller minority in Parliament). Harper’s gains in the election mean that he will continue to seek the deportation of U.S. military resisters as he attempts to please George Bush.” (10/20/08) Link: http://counterpunch.org/lisnoff10202008.html | |
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Soldiers of Conscience: Opposing the Iraq War
Source: The Women\'s International Perspective (WIP) Author: Jessica Mosby “The new film Soldiers of Conscience documents soldiers who, during the middle of their deployments in Iraq, became conscientious objectors. The documentary, which premiers on PBS as part of the Point of View series this week, is not 86 minutes of liberal-biased, anti-war propaganda; it is a very thoughtful exploration of the moral debate about killing during times of war. Filmmakers Gary Weimberg and Catherine Ryan made Soldiers of Conscience with cooperation from the United States Army.” (10/19/08) Link: http://tinyurl.com/6nleky | |
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What you can do to end the tyranny of the Federal Reserve
Source: Natural News Author: Barbara Minton “The bailout opposed by so many Americans was nevertheless negotiated by the Federal Reserve with the help of Congress and the Administration. The final bill for the hotly debated rescue of the rich is over 1 trillion dollars including the ear marks and special interests sops that were included. But this is small change compared to the money that is being pumped into the monetary system by the Federal Reserve without any debate or consent. New money is being printed at record rates, insuring that the currency you have in your pocket will buy less and less everyday. As more people wake up to the threat to American’s future posed by the Federal Reserve, interest is being renewed in the Federal Reserve Board Abolition Act (HR2755). This legislation introduced by Congressman Ron Paul in June, 2007 would kill the Federal Reserve Act and would then phase out the Federal Reserve altogether one year after the bill becomes law.” (10/14/08) Link: http://www.naturalnews.com/024486.html | |
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“On 17 September, Enric Duran, an anticapitalist living in Barcelona, went into hiding. He had just admitted to essentially robbing 492,000 euros from 39 different banks, and then published this admission in a free newspaper that was distributed in the quantity of 200,000 copies that very morning. Enric accumulated this sum through fraudulent bank loans which he announced he will not repay. To add insult to injury, he presented his actions as a searing criticism of the banking industry, and explained how other people could easily pull off their own bank robberies. ‘I robbed 492,000 euros from those who rob so much more,’ he claimed in the newspaper, Crisi. The one-time publication was paid for with some of those stolen euros, and the rest of the money went to fund various social projects that are creating alternatives to capitalism. True to the long-neglected tradition of Robin Hood, Enric only kept a few thousand for himself, to aid his escape.” (10/16/08) Link: http://counterpunch.org/gelderloos10162008.html | |
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“The harshest crackdowns on Vietnam’s Catholics in decades signal Hanoi’s hardline approach to demonstrators demanding the return of church property. Conservatives in the government believe that if the Catholics are successful in challenging the state’s control, there could be an unmanageable spate of similar demands.” (10/15/08) Link: http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/JJ16Ae01.html | |
Action Items
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End The Fed: National Day of support
Source: Abolish the Federal Reserve Event Date(s): Saturday, November 22, 2008 @ 12pm “On November 22, 1910 a malevolent Creature was conceived at Jekyll Island. Ninety-eight years after its illegitimate conception, we will gather at the gates of its lair to signal the end of its reign! Patriots from across the country will join together to protest the Federal Reserve system. Activists will demand an END to private banker control over the nation’s money supply and the return to a hard, commodity backed monetary system. WHERE: All 38 Fed Bank/Branch locations: Atlanta, Baltimore, Birmingham, Boston, Buffalo, Cincinnati, Charlotte, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, El Paso, Helena, Houston, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Little Rock, Los Angeles, Louisville, Memphis, Miami, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, Portland, Nashville, New Orleans, New York City, Oklahoma City, Omaha, Pittsburgh, Richmond, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, San Francisco, Seattle, St. Louis, and Washington, D.C.” (10/21/08) Link: http://www.abolishthefederalreserve.com/?p=55 | |
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“With our economy in crisis, the US Government is scrambling to rescue our banks by purchasing their ‘distressed assets,’ i.e., assets that no one else wants to buy from them. We figured that instead of protesting this plan, we’d give regular Americans the same opportunity to sell their bad assets to the government. We need your help and you need the Government’s help! Use the form below to submit bad assets you’d like the government to take off your hands. And remember, when estimating the value of your 1997 limited edition Hanson single CD ‘MMMbop,’ it’s not what you can sell these items for that matters, it’s what you think they are worth. The fact that you think they are worth more than anyone will buy them for is what makes them bad assets.” (09/25/08) Link: |