Je suis Charlie! Je suis juif/ve!

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50 Years

The hope of a secure and livable world lies with disciplined nonconformists, who are dedicated to justice, peace, and brotherhood. The trailblazers in human, academic, scientific, and religious freedom have always been nonconformists.  In any cause that concerns the progress of mankind, put your faith in the nonconformists!  – Martin Luther King, Jr.  1963

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We Will Not Forget

 

 

 

 

Matt Stoller’s beautiful tribute of Aaron Swartz

“As we think about what happened to Aaron, we need to recognize that it was not just prosecutorial overreach that killed him. That’s too easy, because that implies it’s one bad apple. We know that’s not true. What killed him was corruption. Corruption isn’t just people profiting from betraying the public interest. It’s also people being punished for upholding the public interest. In our institutions of power, when you do the right thing and challenge abusive power, you end up destroying a job prospect, an economic opportunity, a political or social connection, or an opportunity for media. Or if you are truly dangerous and brilliantly subversive, as Aaron was, you are bankrupted and destroyed. There’s a reason whistleblowers get fired. There’s a reason Bradley Manning is in jail. There’s a reason the only CIA official who has gone to jail for torture is the person – John Kiriako – who told the world it was going on. There’s a reason those who destroyed the financial system “dine at the White House”, as Lawrence Lessig put it. There’s a reason former Senator Russ Feingold is a college professor whereas former Senator Chris Dodd is now a multi-millionaire. There’s a reason DOJ officials do not go after bankers who illegally foreclose, and then get jobs as partners in white collar criminal defense. There’s a reason no one has been held accountable for decisions leading to the financial crisis, or the war in Iraq. This reason is the modern ethic in American society that defines success as climbing up the ladder, consequences be damned. Corrupt self-interest, when it goes systemwide, demands that it protect rentiers from people like Aaron, that it intimidate, co-opt, humiliate, fire, destroy, and/or bankrupt those who stand for justice.”

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VOTE & GET INVOLVED

“Are you part of the solution, or are you part of the con?”

 

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Not Your Father’s NYC

Great article about how the corporate zeitgeist has destroyed the artistic & intellectual bent in NY.

And get your Occupied Wall Street Journal 1st edition here!

And one more hideous if not unexpected development. Right wing operatives have deliberately intervened in DC’s Occupy Wall Street protest to precipitate violence & discredit the non-violent movement: Conservative Magazine Brags of its Agent Provocateur’s Role in Provoking Police Action in D.C.

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Allons enfants…

If you are not watching the #occupywallstreet live stream, you are missing so much! The reinvention of small “d” democracy, civics, GA’s (General Assemblies), personal involvement, the Greek style chorus, reverence for “The Commons.” It’s impressive & brings tears to my eyes.

Don’t listen to the critics. Something significant is happening. And it’s spreading all over the country.

Watch, Get involved, support the protesters.

Lee Camp

 

Chris Hedges

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Happy 4th, time to take our country back from Corporations!

Today, Democracy Now! live steamed Amy Goodman moderating a forum from London with WikiLeaks Editor-In-Chief Julian Assange and Slovenian Philosopher Slavoj Žižek. It was incredible and important. I hope they will post the video so that more people can see it. The important takeaways in the words of  Žižek: “you can no longer deny that you know” and the conversation and free exchange of information between all people from Assange. I will post a link here if/when it’s available online.

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NOT my America

Nicole Sandler called in to Thom Hartmann’s radio program yesterday and described the unbelievably horrible treatment she was given while in prison. At one point she was locked into a closet with a few people while the cell was being cleaned and was literally forgotten about! When she complained about the treatment, they punitively put her in solitary confinement for several hours! And, even worse, when she complained about being in solitary confinement, she was maced! A ridiculous travesty. The Bradley Manning treatment is happening at every level. You are now guilty until proven innocent – IF you ever have a chance to prove you are innocent.

For more about Sandler’s arrest:

Talk show host Nicole Sandler arrested at tea party Rep’s town hall

and her own account on her show blog with links to her internet show:

Allen West is a Coward

We all thought this kind of excessive police brutality would stop once the Bushies were out of office, but, unfortunately, we were sadly mistaken.

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Up from Monopoly Capitalism

VERY. IMPORTANT. ARTICLE. By Michael Lind, Salon:

Are the American people obsolete?

The richest few don’t need the rest of us as markets, soldiers or police anymore….

I’ve actually been saying something like this for a while now, although not as articulately. I believe it is these issues that are driving the citizens’ discontent from both the right and the left. If only we could talk to each other, identify the problem and take our country back from the brink!  As long as our legislators don’t need us either, we are doomed.

This marks a historic change in the relationship between capital and labor in the U.S. The robber barons of the late 19th century generally lived near the American working class and could be threatened by strikes and frightened by the prospect of revolution. But rioting Chinese workers are not going to burn down New York City or march on the Hamptons.

What about markets? Many U.S. multinationals that have transferred production to other countries continue to depend on an American mass market. But that, too, may be changing. American consumers are tapped out, and as long as they are paying down their debts from the bubble years, private household demand for goods and services will grow slowly at best in the United States. In the long run, the fastest-growing consumer markets, like the fastest-growing labor markets, may be found in China, India and other developing countries.

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RIP AIR AMERICA – The Diaspora Will Continue!

There are quite a few progressive talk stations still on the air and being run successfully. The important thing is to support them, especially now that AAR is gone and now that the corporations can pour unlimited funds into politics.

Progressive stations exist in Portland, OR, Seattle, WA, Madison, WI, San Francisco, CA, Anchora, AK, Los Angeles, CA, Monterey, CA, Chicago, IL,Minnesota, Northampton, MA, Boston, MA (it took us 2 1/2 years to get a new independent progressive station back on the air after our Clear Channel affiliate was canceled back in 2006 after the election. And btw, the existence of AAR and progressive talk radio in general had a huge role in activating progressives and taking the Congress blue which is why Clear Channel started canceling stations all over in late 2006 & early 2007), there’s even a new channel in Maine supported by Stephen King, XM/Sirius Channel 167 (and Randi Rhodes on 165 3-6pm), and Marc Maron has his own  “WTF” podcasts now. Ring of Fire will get syndication and continue as well.

Now you can even stream some of these stations from your i-phone and blackberry as well as from your computer.

If you hear loads of advertising, that is a GOOD thing as it pays the bills!

I miss some of the great shows and talent from AAR, particularly Morning Seditionand Sam Seder…
Al Franken’s in the Senate and Rachel Maddow’s show – not to be missed- is on MSNBC!

So, RIP Air America! But let us all continue to support the progressive media still out there!

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