EYEAM4ANARCHY

Support Pete Eyre and Ademo Freeman vs. Greenfield, MA; Bogus Wiretapping Charges

2011-07-13T00:02:00.000-07:00

On July 18, 2011, Pete Eyre and Ademo Freeman, crew members of Liberty On Tour and bloggers for Cop Block, will begin trial on felony wiretapping, resisting arrest, and trespassing charges.

Solidarity + Direct Action = Justice

The charges stem from an incident in July of 2010, when they were attempting to post bail for Rich Paul, who had been arrested the day before, at the Franklin County jail. Pete had initially also been facing felony firearm/ammo and VIN manipulation charges as the result of an illegal search of their vehicle, affectionately dubbed MARV, but those charges were dismissed earlier this week.

Here is a fairly short rundown of what happened that day:

"On Thursday, July 1st 2010 Pete and I headed into the Franklin County Jail to bail out Rich Paul, who had been arrested the day before. We were initially told that we could not film in the lobby by Franklin County Sheriff’s but later were told we could do so. We left and 15 minutes later returned with the bail money and Pete’s ID but were then told that we were not permitted to film on the property. We stated that public officials can be recorded while conducting their duties, that no one in the building had any expectation of privacy and that we had our cameras as a means of protection as well as accountability for everyone involved. It was those with badges who then took action against us for standing our ground and doing what we believe is right – actions that did not harm anything.

Sgt. Todd M. Dodge placed myself and Pete under arrest without disclosing what we were actually being arrested for. We were taken to the Greenfield Police Department where we were abused, finger printed, photographed, stripped and had our personal possessions stolen from us. The police, under the watch of Sgt. Dodge, threw us into a cage without blankets, a phone call or telling us exactly what we were being charged with. The jail, with concrete floors, was extremely cold. We were monitored via a camera in the ceiling. We did anything we could to keep warm and to occupy our minds/time. We did chants of ‘no victim no crime,’ sang songs, preached libertarianism and even did a workout.

Finally after 12 + hours in our cages we were taken to court to face a judge. We finally learned what our charges were: felony wiretapping and resisting arrest for us both Pete also has felony firearm/ammo and VIN manipulation charges."

For more detailed information you can:

Review the huge Meta post, which covers every blog, video and document(s) pertaining to their case(s).
Watch the “Greenfield, MA” playlist (25 videos) featured on CopBlock.org’s YouTube channel.
Watch the 27-min documentary style video that covers everything from July 2010 to February 2011.

In reality, the charges are one of many instances over the past few years in which police have arrested people for filming them in order to avoid being held accountable for their actions. The misuse of wiretapping laws to prevent video taping has been one of the prevalent methods employed recently in several states.

The Members of Liberty On Tour

Not only were these wiretapping laws obviously never meant for such a purpose, but courts on all levels and throughout the country have consistently found that there is no expectation of privacy in a public place and therefore no restrictions on filming someone. Police and other government employees themselves often cite this when justifying surveillance policies, such as red light cameras.

Furthermore, courts have also found in numerous cases that people have the right to "resist an unlawful arrest even to the point of taking an arresting officer's life, if necessary." so if there is no valid reason for someone to be arrested, then there is no reason that they should be punished for resisting that arrest.

If you have a problem with the police abusing their powers and then twisting laws around to eliminate any evidence of that abuse (as you should) and the future impact it can have on citizens' ability to prevent those abuses, there are several things you can do to support Pete and Ademo:

Help get the word out

Share the above content on social media sites and/or your own blog, if you have one.

Email local news outlets (Western Mass preferred but also Eastern, like Boston), Radio stations and bloggers. They’ve created a Press Release and Media Packet to make it easier for you to share. Otherwise standard emails or phone calls encouraging other media outlets to share their situation with their audience is greatly appreciated.

Call the local officials involved in the case

Jeff Bangston – (District Attorney prosecuting us) 413.774.3186 - ask him to do what’s right and dismiss their charges.
Todd M. Dodge – (arresting officer, Greenfield Police Department) 413.773.5411 ext. 1415 - ask him to think about his rights-violating actions.
William F. Martin – “Mayor, Greenfield” – 413-.772.1560 - ask him to make a public statement against their treatment/charges.

Help out financially

Normally they send those who donate $20 or more a Cop Block T-shirt but this week, until the conclusion of their trial, if you donate $15 you’ll get your choice of an “Am I Free To Go?” or “I don’t talk to police. I record them” shirt.
Donate for a video Intro/Outro or Power Power Post (your org’s banner at the end of their post $25 – see here for example).

Attend Court Events

Friday, July 15th at 6pm – “Know Your Rights” presentation; Green Fields Market, 144 Main St., Greenfield, MA
Monday, July 18th at 8am – trial – District Court Greenfield, MA (see event here)

Censorship Sucks, Mmkay. So Does Stealing People's Homes...

2011-07-11T00:03:00.000-07:00

Last week, Liberty On Tour posted a video about a man named Jay Noone, who was facing the threat of having his house stolen by tax extorters working for Palmer, MA. The video primarily features Pete Eyre of Liberty on Tour and Ian Freeman, a blogger at FreeKeene.com and radio host at Free Talk Live, attempting to question local officials about the pending seizure of Noone's home.

Predictably, the local bureaucrats weren't too keen on answering those questions and mostly it's a video of them hiding from Pete and Ian. However, it wasn't enough just to avoid the questions during the taping. Apparently, one of them complained to YouTube and had the video removed. Unfortunately (for them), they obviously have never heard of the Streisand Effect or they might have known that trying to censor stuff sometimes ends up putting it all over the internets.

So here is the video:

Feel free to download it here or one of the six other times I linked to a version of it in this post and post it on your own YouTube channel, if you have one. In fact, I encourage it. Stick it to the Man!

Watch this Video and Tell Me if You See a Felony Being Committed

2011-07-05T20:49:00.000-07:00

Watch the included video and judge for yourself if even a crime, let alone a felony, was committed.

Recently, Ademo Freeman, one of the crew members of Liberty On Tour, the founder of Cop Block, and someone I consider a personal friend, attempted to ask a judge in Keene, NH. about the reasons behind the prior arrest of Beau Davis, another Liberty On Tour member, for wearing a hat. The video of the exchange, posted below, was originally published here after it was finally recovered from police custody.

As a result of those questions, asked in a calm and even respectful manner (Ademo addresses him as "sir" at one point), Judge Ed Burke from the Keene, NH. District Court not only had him arrested, but charged with a felony known as "Improper Influence" I've linked to the definition of that charge (twice), so that you can see what it actually entails. Nothing within that definition applies to what happened that morning. He ended up spending two days in jail and was forced to post a $5,000 cash bail, and is due to start trial on those felony charges on Thursday July 7, 2011.

The fact that Ademo was arrested at all for simply asking another person a few questions is an abuse of authority by Judge Ed Burke. Beyond that, the fact that the charge being pursued is actually a felony is an outrage in its own rite. If you have any sense of decency and justice, you should oppose this blatant misuse of power by a judge that is out of control and clearly in the wrong.

This next video was made before the release of the original footage and gives an overview of the issues involved, as well as some other improper (anti-recording) measures local authorities have attempted to implement aimed at preventing members of the Free State Project in Keene, NH.from holding those officials accountable for their actions.

If you are offended by Judge Burke's abuse of his power, as you should be, please take a moment to call the prosecutors for this case and let them know how you feel about it:

Chris McLaughlin – District Court DA – 603.357.9815
John Webb – Superior Court DA – 603.352.0056

Were Your Father's Cops Really That Much Better?

2011-06-18T02:15:00.000-07:00


Me in all my glory

A month ago, during a pick up football game, I took off down the field at a full sprint, flew past the player defending me, and settled into the endzone for what should have been an easy touchdown. The quarterback threw the ball in a perfect spiral directly into my chest, which it promptly bounced off of and landed in the arms of that previously vanquished defender, who had by then caught back up to me.

Shortly after that, while playing defense, I tore a muscle in my calf landing me on the couch for a week straight and keeping me on the sidelines for a month (so far).

Of course, in 10 or 20 years (probably 30), once my football days are over for good, you probably won't hear a lot about that pair of catastrophes. Instead, you'll most likely hear about the two touchdowns I caught earlier in that game. Or even more likely, I'll tell you about that 90+ yard interception return for a touchdown I had earlier this year, during which that picture to the right was taken.

Howard Zinn (right), arrested for not wanting to kill innocent people.

History has a way of glossing over the bad stuff in favor of the good ol' days. That is especially true when the one doing the story telling is also the one involved in all the negative stories. Even more so when those stories inspire a deep sense of shame.

I was recently reminded of this particular tendency of human nature to remember things much better than they actually were when a friend of mine mentioned to me that he once thought Anarchism was "way out there." However, now he was beginning to reconsider because of all the instances of police brutality and abuse he's seen recently. In particular, he was shocked by the recent arrests of members of Food Not Bombs in Orlando for the "crime" of feeding hungry people. Specifically, because it was the "locals" that were doing the arresting.

A lunch counter sit-in at a North Carolina Woolworth's

It isn't uncommon for people to have the image of the "friendly neighborhood cop" in their mind when they think of policemen of the past. That foregone day when the local cop patrolled his beat, knew everyone by name, and protected the residents from those bad guys that wanted to do them harm.

Unfortunately, these memories are nothing but illusions or at best selective memories. In many ways, the cops have indeed gotten worse. By way of standardized training and selective recruitment with a heavy tendency toward veterans and/or people with aggressive personalities, the modern police force has become much more nationalized and militarized. As a result, they are more willing to use force in any given situation and less likely disobey illegal or immoral commands.


The inevitable response by the State's enforcers.

However, as much as that is true, the only real difference between now and then is a matter of degrees. The thugs beating people in the streets at anti-war protests during the Vietnam war and spraying school children with fire hoses during the civil rights era were locals. Officer O'Malley, the friendly neighborhood beat cop of yesteryear might have taken it easy on Sean, the local hellion, but he knew what had to be done when some uppity nigger refused to step down from the lunch counter at Woolworth's or some dirty hippie decided to burn his draft card and there were no shortage of cops willing to do it.

As the saying goes, the cops are the tip of the State's spear and the tip is the part that does the real damage. To believe otherwise is to forget the truth of what really happened and create a fantasy world based on those glory days that never really were.

Las Vegas Wobblies Rally Against Chipotle in Support of Exploited Farmworkers (pics)

2009-11-17T00:10:00.000-08:00

Click on any of the pictures for the full-size images

During the weekend of November 6-8 members of the Las Vegas Industrial Workers of the World, in conjunction with Food Not Bombs Las Vegas and Southern NV ALL, attended the L iving Without Borders encuentro sponsored by the United Coalition for Im/migrant Rights (U.C.I.R.), which was held at UNLV. On the final day of the encuerto, we took part in a demonstration against the Chipotle across from campus organized by MEChA de UNLV in support of the Student/Farmworker Alliance (S.F.A.) and the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (C.I.W.) and other farm workers who often work very long hours for wages that average below the poverty level.

The LV IWW, along with Fellow Worker Paul Lenart from the Reno IWW, rallied with other groups from the encuerto in solidarity with fellow workers being exploited by agriculture suppliers in Florida and throughout the industry. The demonstration was for the most part uneventful and garnered some support from passing cars and bystanders. However, at one point a group of Metro policemen (at least 10) descended upon us to preserve order by demanding to know who our leaders were and arrogantly declaring they were going to "teach us how to protest" so they wouldn't "have to" arrest anyone. Things got a bit tense after we responded that we didn't believe in hierarchies and therefore had no leaders and Paul informed the officer who was trying to tutor us on protesting that we weren't required to walk in a circle, as his lesson plan called for us to do. Not long after, a Metro sergeant arrived, spoke to us briefly, agreed that we didn't need to walk in a circle, wished us luck, and told the other Metro officers to leave. The rest of the morning was once again pretty uneventful and rather fun in general. In addition to displaying signs to passersby, we also provided people entering or exiting Chipotle with printed information about the C.I.W.'s grievances, resulting in several instances where potential customers turned away.

The C.I.W. is a community-based organization composed mainly of Latino, Mayan Indian and Haitian immigrants working in low-wage jobs throughout the state of Florida. They have been organizing workers in the agriculture industry since1993 to fight for fair wages, better working conditions, and more respect from bosses, among other issues. Since 2001, they have been using targeted boycotts of fast food restaurants, grocery stores, and other large tomato buyers to encourage them to agree to pay one penny per pound more for tomatoes and other produce directly to the workers who picked them. The resulting increase is minimal for the buyers (25 cents/box), but could increase the average farmworker's wages by 2/3's of the current approximate salary of $10,000/year. In the recent past, such boycotts have successfully led to agreements with Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, McDonald’s, Burger King, Subway, and Whole Foods Markets to participate in C.I.W.'s penny-per-pound program, as well as agreeing to require that their suppliers respect the rights and safety of farmworkers. In spite of marketing themselves as a socially responsible business and promising customers "Food with Integrity," Chipotle has repeatedly refused to sign those same agreements with C.I.W.

Uncle Sam Goddamn by Brother Ali

2009-11-12T12:53:00.000-08:00

This might just be the most kick ass song ever recorded. It's a show tune, but the show ain't been written for it yet. Hopefully, a team of writers somewhere is working on that.

2738 Soldiers Died On the Final Day of the First World War So That the Time and Date of the Armistice Would Look Really Cool

2009-11-11T17:20:00.000-08:00

Today is Veteran's Day, which of course originates from the anniversary of the day the Armistice that ended the fighting during World War I was signed. One of the things you hear constantly during the coverage of Veteran's Day commemorations is that the Armistice occurred at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. Technically that's correct because the Armistice didn't take effect until 11 AM, but the truth is that the Armistice was actually signed shortly after 5 AM the morning of the 11th of November. However, for symbolic reasons the announcement of the Armistice was delayed until 11 AM.

During that delayed ending, fighting continued and in many cases even intensified. Some commanders, knowing the war was within hours of ending, ordered their troops to attack the other side in one last stab for personal glory and bragging rights. The rational for others was even less reasonable. Many allied artillery units continued firing upon German targets in order to avoid having to haul the left over ammunition away. In one particularly heinous instance, General William Wright of the American 89th Division ordered his men to capture a nearby town so that they could use the shower facilities there after the Armistice took effect. There were over 300 unnecessary casualties during the resulting battle. Even in instances where commanders didn't order their forces to engage in a last minute, ego inflating skirmish, the simple fact that the cessation of fighting was delayed resulted in soldiers dying who otherwise would have lived. Just one such example is Augustin Trebuchon a French soldier who was killed by sniper fire at 10:45 AM while delivering a message to his fellow soldiers that soup would be served after the cease fire.

All told 10,944 casualties, including 2,738 killed, were recorded between the time the Armistice was actually signed and the time it went into affect. A lot of people died for no other reason than so that the official Armistice could be recorded as the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. That is admittedly much cooler sounding than the 5th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, though.

Update: Via Anarchologs I came across another post on this subject at Roderick T. Long's Blog. His post includes a link to "World War I Wasted Lives on Armistice Day", a somewhat long and well written article that contains many more details about that final day of unnecessary combat.

Billy Jack as an Anarchist Metaphor (with video)

2009-11-11T00:43:00.000-08:00

Recently after one of the organizing meetings for Food Not Bombs Las Vegas, Charles "Radgeek" Johnson and I engaged in a conversation with a friend who has attended the A-Cafe several times over the past few months. At one point, the issue of an Anarchist society's ability to defend itself against a statist country was discussed, with the contention that the Anarchists would be unable to defend themselves against an attack by the army of an invading state. More specifically, our friend was of the opinion that Anarchists would be unable to organize themselves in order to fend off such an attack without an hierarchical structure of leadership.

I brought up the Ukrainian Revolutionary Black Army during the Russian Revolution as an example of a force organized along Anarchist, bottom-up principles that was very capable of standing up to statist forces. Another example that was mentioned was the Workers' Committees of the Spanish Civil War, as well as various instances where guerrilla warfare has proven effective against rigidly organized forces.

The perceived flaw with the examples of the Black Army and the Spanish Revolutionaries was that in both cases they were eventually defeated by an alliance of statist forces, due to being vastly outnumbered. In the case of the Black Army there were as many as six separate armies opposing them at any given time, while the Spanish Anarchists were left alone against communists, fascists, and nationalists within Spain, which were supported by the governments of Mussolini, Hitler, and Stalin from outside Spain. Yet both groups held out for some time and achieved several significant victories during their respective periods.*

So, this is where the Billy Jack reference comes in to play. Anybody that has seen the movie (has anybody not) is aware that Billy Jack was one of the biggest bad asses in movie history, who routinely pummeled anyone that transgressed against his group of outcasts and undesirables (which was just about every scene). However in the end, he meets his match when pretty much every guy in town surrounds him in a park and one of them eventually manages to crack him across the back of the head with a stick.

So the question would be, does the fact that Billy Jack eventually loses to an enemy with far superior numbers somehow invalidate the fact that he was more than able to defend himself, even at times when he was outnumbered to a lesser extent?

The fact that we are surrounded and vastly outnumbered by the State and its supporters is a serious issue that necessitates caution for us outcasts and undesirables within the Anarchist movements. However, it is no reason to conclude that we are incapable of defending ourselves without the State, in spite of obvious evidence to the contrary. Nor is it a reason to throw our hands up in the air and concede defeat without even trying. We can learn from the mistakes of the "Billy Jacks" of the past (try to stay out of the park) without accepting slavery as an inevitable circumstance.

*I realize that this is an extreme simplification of the subjects, but I didn't want to engage in a fifty page history lesson just to make what should be a rather simple point.

Live Free or Go To Jail: Irony, Logic and the Government

2009-10-15T15:32:00.000-07:00

I've been working to put together another blog that will be based on ideas to eliminate many personal expenses and make money in non-tradition ways in order to lower your tax burden without starving or going to prison. Having settled on some variation of "Live Free or Die" as a title to maintain an Anarchist theme, I was searching for images to use on the blog when I came across a bit of ever-present Government logic.

You can read the full case here, but I'll give a short summary so you don't have to wade through all that. Back in 1974, a Jehovah's Witness named George Maynard decided that the New Hampshire state motto, "Live Free or Die," contradicted his religious beliefs and began covering it up on his license plates. Not long after, one of the loyal servants of the State of New Hampshire cited Maynard for violating the state statute against altering license plates. In spite of the court's sympathy with his stance, Maynard was given a fine that was suspended as long as he behaved himself from now on. Maynard was soon cited a second and third time and ended up serving 15 days in jail after refusing to pay the fines, as well as being given a six month suspended sentence. Subsequently, Maynard successfully sued in federal court to have his conviction overturned on First Amendment grounds of freedom of speech and religious freedom.

But that wasn't the end of the story. New Hampshire was so determined to enforce freedom (or death) upon George Maynard that they appealed the case all the way to the Supreme Court. To their credit, the Supreme Court upheld the earlier decision by a 6-3 vote. However, the fact that the State of New Hampshire couldn't recognize the obvious irony of jailing someone for not displaying a slogan advocating freedom even at the cost of one's own life amazes me.

AFAN's 23rd Annual Black and White Party on Meefers.com

2009-09-16T14:17:00.000-07:00

My latest article on Meefers.com is a review of the Annual Black and White P arty, which was held at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino here in Las Vegas. The fundraiser, which is sponsored by Aid For AIDS of Nevada (AFAN), raises money to fund treatment and assistance for individuals suffering from HIV and AIDS in the Southern Nevada area.

An uncommon rainy day in the Vegas area created some early excitement for the organizers, who had to move the entire event from the traditional poolside setting to the Joint within the Hard Rock. In spite of that, it was a great show that might have actually benefited from the change in venue. There was lots of great food by top chefs, plenty of great entertainment, and over $100,000 was raised for an important cause. All that was included for the $35 admission, plus for a small additional donation attendees were given the opportunity to have their picture taken with either Penn and Teller (longtime supporters of AFAN) or Charo, who performed like she had just stepped out of a time machine from the 70's. You should definitely mark this on your calendar for next year.

The article can be viewed here:
"In Spite of Rainy Day, AFAN's 23rd Annual Black and White Party Raises $100,000"

**Update**
The Public Relations rep for AFAN has informed me that they actually raised $120,000 once the final tally was counted, which was a record for the amount raised by the Black and White Party.

My First Blog Post on the Fr33 Agents Network

2009-09-11T15:05:00.000-07:00

A new place I'm blogging at is the Fr33 Agents Network, which is a online group of Anarchists, libertarians, and others opposed to statism and dedicated to activism to promote liberty. My first piece was published today and concerns the relationship between poverty and Government policies. More specifically, it explores the ways the Government's harmful actions during economic downturns betray the claims of statists that the state is there to protect and aid those in the working class or poor communities. This is an excerpt:

With Friends Like These…

If you want to know whose side the Government is on just look at what they do during the bad times, and more importantly, who they do it to. In the current downturn, it didn’t take long for people to figure out the value of direct sales, either online (Ebay, Craigslist, etc.) or through yard sales, to earn extra money and/or acquire necessary things cheaply. Neither did it take long for the Government to announce that they would be cracking down on this newly blossoming marketplace which overwhelmingly benefits the everyday citizen. In truth, the Government is there to serve certain people...(continue)

So, you should head over to the Fr33 Agents Network to read the rest of this post and while there you should browse though some of the other authors' blog posts. I would also suggest you sign up for the Freedom Activist Network (F.A.N.), which is a social network associated with Fr33 Agents. There is a lot of discussion and organizing around anti-statist topics and activities by likeminded people.

Happy Labor Day!

2009-09-08T01:55:00.000-07:00

A Timeline of Some Notable Moments in the Suppression of American Labor

A federal bankruptcy judge frees United Airlines from responsibility for pensions covering 120,000 employees - May 10, 2005

Decatur, Ill. police pepper-gas workers at A.E. Staley plant gate one year into the company's two and one-half year lockout of Paperworkers Local 7837 - June 25, 1994

Twenty-five workers die, unable to escape a fire at the Imperial Poultry processing plant in Hamlet, NC. Managers had locked fire doors to prevent the theft of chicken nuggets. The plant had operated for 11 years without a single safety inspection - September 3, 1991

Battle of Century City, as police in Los Angeles attack some 500 janitors and their supporters during a peaceful Service Employees International Union demonstration against cleaning contractor ISS. The event generated public outrage that resulted in recognition of the workers' union and spurred the creation of an annual June 15 Justice for Janitors Day – June 15, 1990

Police in Austin, Minn. tear-gas Hormel striking meatpacking workers. Seventeen strikers are arrested on felony riot charges - April 11, 1986

Phelps-Dodge copper miners in Morenci and Clifton Ariz. are confronted by tanks, helicopters, 426 state troopers and 325 National Guardsmen brought in by Gov. Bruce Babbitt to walk strikebreakers through picketlines in what was to become a failed three-year fight by the Steelworkers and other unions - August 19, 1983

President Reagan fires 15,000 striking air traffic controllers, saying they "have forfeited their jobs." - August 5, 1981

Wall Street Journal reporter Jonathon Kwitney reports that AFL-CIO President George Meany, Sec.-Treas. Lane Kirkland and other union officials are among the 60 leading stockholders in the 15,000 acre Punta Cana, Dominican Republic resort. When the partners needed help clearing the land, the Dominican president sent troops to forcibly evict stubborn, impoverished tobacco farmers and fishermen who had lived there for generations, according to Kwitney’s expose - May 15, 1973

The Rev. Ralph David Abernathy and 100 others are arrested while picketing a Charleston, S.C. hospital in a demand for union recognition - April 25, 1969

Columnist Victor Riesel, a crusader against labor racketeers, was blinded in New York City when a hired assailant threw sulfuric acid in his face - April 5, 1956

Teamsters official William Grami is kidnapped, bound and beaten near Sebastopol, Calif. He was leading a drive to organize apple plant workers in the area - August 12, 1955

After agreeing to give Milwaukee brewery workers contracts comparable to other brewery workers nationwide in order to end a 10 week strike, the Blatz Brewery was ousted from the Brewers Association for “unethical business methods" - May 14, 1953

President Harry S. Truman orders the U.S. Army to illegally seize the nation’s steel mills to avert a strike. April 8, 1952

United Auto Workers leader Walter Reuther is shot and seriously wounded by would-be assassins - April 20, 1948

Congress overrides President Harry Truman's veto of the anti-worker Taft-Hartley Act. The law weakened unions and let states exempt themselves from union requirements. Twenty states immediately enacted open shop laws and two more did so later - June 23, 1947

The Congress of Industrial Organizations (the CIO in AFL-CIO) expels the Fur and Leather Workers union and the American Communications Association for what it describes as communist activities - June 15, 1947

National Labor Relations Board attorney tells ILWU members to “lie down like good dogs,” Juneau, Alaska - April 7, 1947

U.S. railroad strike starts, later crushed when President Truman threatens to draft strikers – May 23, 1946

400,000 members of the United Mine Workers strike for higher wages and employer contributions to the union’s health and welfare fund. President Truman seizes the mines - April 1, 1946

A 17-day, company-instigated wildcat strike in Philadelphia tries to bar eight African-American trolley operators from working. Transport Workers Union members stay on the job in support of the men - August 1, 1944

U.S. Supreme Court issues Mackay decision, which permits the permanent replacement of striking workers. The decision had little impact until Ronald Regan’s replacement of striking air traffic controllers (PATCO) in 1981, a move that signaled anti-union private sector employers that it was OK to do likewise - May 16, 1938

The Women’s Day Massacre in Youngstown, Ohio, when police use tear gas on the women and children, including at least one infant in his mother's arms, during a strike at Republic Steel. One union organizer later recalled, "When I got there I thought the Great War had started over again. Gas was flying all over the place and shots flying and flares going up and it was the first time I had ever seen anything like it in my life..." - June 19, 1937

Police open fire on striking steelworkers at Republic Steel in South Chicago, killing ten and wounding more than 160 - May 30, 1937

Battle of the Overpass, Ford thugs beat United Auto Workers organizers – May 26, 1937

Striking African American auto workers are attacked by KKK, National Workers League, and armed white workers at Belle Isle amusement park in Detroit. Two days of riots follow, 34 people are killed, more than 1,300 arrested - June 20, 1943 Battle of Rincon Hill, San Francisco, in longshore strike. 5,000 strikers fought 1,000 police, scabs and national guardsmen. Two strikers were killed, 109 people injured. The incident led to a General Strike - July 5, 1934

Ten thousand strikers at Toledo, Ohio’s Auto-Lite plant repel police who have come to break up their strike for union recognition. The next day, two strikers are killed and 15 wounded when National Guard machine gun units open fire. - May 23, 1934

Thousands of unemployed WWI veterans arrive in Washington, D.C. to demonstrate in favor of early payment of a bonus they had been promised, which was being voted on by Congress. The "Bonus Army" built a shantytown near the U.S. Capitol, but were burned out by U.S. troops, resulting in several deaths and hundreds of wounded including women and children who had accompanied the vets. Gen. MacArthur, who led the attack, disregarded Pres. Truman's order to pull back once they retreated to their encampment - May 25, 1932

Using clubs, police route 1,500 jobless men who had stormed the plant of the Fruit Growers Express Co. in Indiana Harbor, Indiana, demanding jobs - August 5, 1931

Heavily armed deputies and other mine owner hirelings attack striking miners in Harlan County, Ky., starting the Battle of Harlan County - May 5, 1931

More than 100 Mexican and Filipino farm workers are arrested for union activities, Imperial Valley, Calif. Eight were convicted of “criminal syndicalism” - April 14, 1930

At the height of the Great Depression, 35,000 unemployed march in New York’s Union Square. Police beat many demonstrators, injuring 100 - March 30, 1930

During a textile worker strike in Gastonia, N.C., Police Chief O.F. Aderholt is accidentally killed by one of his own officers. Six strike leaders are convicted of “conspiracy to murder” and are sentenced to jail for from 5 to 20 years - June 7, 1929

Strike of cotton mill workers begins in Gastonia, NC. During the strike, police raided the strikers’ tent colony; the chief of police was killed. The strike leaders were framed for murder and convicted, but later freed - April 1, 1929

10,000 striking miners began a fight at Blair Mountain, W.Va., for recognition of their union, the UMWA. Federal troops were sent in, and miners were forced to withdraw 5 days later, after 16 deaths - August 31, 1921

Fannie Sellins and Joseph Starzeleski are murdered by coal company guards on a picket line in Brackenridge, Penn. Sellins was a United Mine Workers of America organizer and Starzeleski was a miner - August 26, 1919

Labor leader and Socialist Party founder Eugene V. Debs is imprisoned for opposing American entry into World War I. While in jail he ran for president, receiving 1 million votes - April 13, 1919

101 members of the IWW are put on trial charged with opposing the draft and hindering the war effort under the Espionage Act in Chicago. The politically motivated and anti-labor trial results in 95 Wobblies being set to prison for up to 20 years - August 17, 1918

A Federal child labor law, enacted two years earlier, was declared unconstitutional – June 3, 1918

The "Palmer raids" are carried out on all IWW halls and offices in 48 cities in U.S. Alexander Palmer, U.S. Attorney General, order the raids as part of an effort to round up labor radicals and leftists under the pretense of wartime treason - September 5, 1917

Ludlow massacre: Colorado state militia, using machine guns and fire, kill about 20 people—including 11 children—at a tent city set up by striking coal miners - April 20, 1914

Northern Michigan copper miners strike for union recognition, higher wages and eight-hour day. During the subsequent nine months, 1,100 were arrested on various charges and Western Federation of Miners President Charles Moyer had been shot, beaten, and forced out of town - July 23, 1913

Police shoot at maritime workers striking United Fruit Co. in New Orleans; 1 killed, 2 wounded – June 11, 1913

Legendary Western Federation of Miners leader and founding member of the Industrial Workers of the World, William “Big Bill” Haywood, goes on trial for murder in the bombing death of former Idaho governor Frank Steunenberg, who had brutally suppressed the state’s miners. Haywood ultimately was declared innocent - May 9, 1907

A battle between the Militia and striking miners at Dunnville, Colo. ended with six union members dead and 15 taken prisoner. Seventy-nine of the strikers were deported to Kansas two days later – June 8, 1904

Militia sent to Cripple Creek, Colo., to suppress Western Federation of Miners strike – June 7, 1904

A preliminary delegation from Mother Jones' March of the Mill Children from Philadelphia arrives at Pres. Theodore Roosevelt's summer home in Oyster Bay, Long Island to publicize the harsh conditions of child labor, arrives. They are not allowed through the gates - July 29, 1903

Coal company guards kill 7, wound 40 miners trying to stop scabs, Virden, Ill. - August 12, 1898

Eugene V. Debs and other leaders of the American Railway Union are jailed for six months in Woodstock, Ill. for contempt of court in connection with Pullman railroad car strike - May 3, 1895

Eugene Debs and three other trade unionists arrested after Pullman Strike - August 7, 1894

Homestead, Pennsylvania steel strike. Seven strikers and three Pinkertons killed as Andrew Carnegie hires armed thugs to protect strikebreakers - July 1, 1892

On Chicago’s West Side, police attack Jewish workers as they try to march into the Loop to protest slum conditions - May 5, 1886

Four striking workers are killed, at least 200 wounded, when police attack a peaceful demonstration on Chicago’s south side at the McCormick Harvesting Machine plant. The following day in what comes to be known as the Haymarket massacre, a bomb is thrown as Chicago police start to break up a rally for strikers at the McCormick Harvesting Machine Co. A riot erupts, 11 police and strikers die, mostly from police gunfire, and scores more are injured. The incident was used to justify a crackdown on labor unions and eight local labor leaders (some of whom weren't even present at the demonstration) were charged with "inspiring" the bomber. Four were executed and another commited suicide while awaiting trial. They were eventually pardoned by Gov. Altgeld, due to the gross unfairness of the trial. - May 3-4, 1886

The Haymarket Massacre is to take place - May 3, 1886

The New York Times declares the struggle for an eight-hour workday to be “un-American” and calls public demonstrations for the shorter hours “labor disturbances brought about by foreigners.” Other publications declare that an eight-hour workday day would bring about “loafing and gambling, rioting, debauchery and drunkenness” - April 25, 1886

Federal troops drive some 1,200 jobless workers from Washington D.C. Led by unemployed activist Charles "Hobo" Kelley the group's "soldiers" include young journalist Jack London and William Haywood, a young miner-cowboy called "Big Bill," who would goon to become a founding member of the Industrial Workers of the World - August 11, 1884

The Gatling Gun Co. – manufacturers of an early machine gun – writes to B&O Railroad Co. President John W. Garrett during a strike, urging their product be purchased to deal with the "recent riotous disturbances around the country." Says the company: "Four or five men only are required to operate (a gun), and one Gatling ... can clear a street or block and keep it clear" - August 24, 1877

Local militiamen are called out against striking railroad workers in Pittsburgh. The head of the Pennsylvania Railroad advises giving the strikers "a rifle diet for a few days and see how they like that kind of bread." Instead, the militiamen joined the workers. Meanwhile, federal troops are sent to Baltimore, where they kill 10 strikers and wound 25 - July 21, 1877

In Chicago, 30 workers killed by federal troops, more than 100 wounded at the "Battle of the Viaduct" during the Great Railroad Strike - July 26, 1877

Ten miners accused of being militant "Molly Maguires" are hanged in Pennsylvania. A private corporation initiated the investigation of the 10 through a private detective agency. A private police force arrested them, and private attorneys for the coal companies prosecuted them. "The state provided only the courtroom & the gallows," a judge said many years later - June 21, 1877

Birth of Allan Pinkerton, whose strike-breaking detectives ("Pinks") gave us the word "fink" - August 25, 1819

The first slave revolt in the U.S. occurs at a slave market in New York City’s Wall Street area. Twenty-one blacks were executed for killing nine whites. The city responded by strengthening its slave codes - April 6, 1712

In the Immortal Words of Joe Hill: Don't Mourn, Organize...

Most of the timeline (excepting minor corrections and commentary by me) is courtesy of BigLabor.com

Kovalane: Catch a great Vegas band at the Farm on Fri. Sept. 4th

2009-09-03T23:22:00.000-07:00

Just a quick announcement about Kovalane, a local Las Vegas band that I've met recently through the weekly A-Cafes that we've been doing here. Not only are they good guys, but they are a kick ass band and, to complete the trifecta, they are Anarchists. They've even offered to do a benefit for the local Food Not Bombs chapter (of which I am a member). So anybody in Las Vegas should try to come out and support them at their shows and, if you aren't in Vegas, you should watch for when they come to your town.

Just a little about them (quoting from their MySpace page) so you know what to expect:

Kovalane is an eclectic band whose sound remains to be defined. The band is atypical with two lead singers who banter back and forth with songs changing from grunge to rap to moments of punk pop with southern rock undertones.

The band's members are: Randy Soltero, Robert Pesti, Sean Brauer, and Andrew Reynolds.

Kovalane is based in Las Vegas. Their name draws off of the famed Koval Lane where
Tupac Shakur was shot, leading to his untimely death in September of 1996.

Kovalane is a band who doesn’t aspire to be rock stars. They are rock stars. They have the talent, persistence, and approach to easily hold rank among bands like Sherwood. Kovalane is a bouquet of assorted personalities, each with their own disparate music influence. Their individual appetites to perform for those with an acquired taste and high regard for music drives the band as much as appealing to the average blue collar music fan looking for a great band on a Saturday night.

You can get more info as well as hear demos of their music on their MySpace page. I would encourage anybody that likes good music to come out and support a great band that supports the local community and those of us trying to good things within it.

Ticketed for Parking in their Own Driveways in Toledo

2009-07-06T23:47:00.000-07:00

This video pretty much stands on its own. I shouldn't even have to explain to anyone what's wrong with that picture. Looks like the city of Toledo, Ohio has turned to one of the Government's favorite fund raisers (along with drug seizures) to solve the local budget shortfalls and/or someone has a friend in the concrete biz.

CommentLuv

2009-07-01T17:00:00.000-07:00

I added the CommentLuv plugin, because I luv you. In case you aren't familiar with it, what it does is makes your URL (in the comment) a "Dofollow" link and adds another link under your comment to the most recent post on your own blog. So, in theory, people reading your comment will be more likely to also visit your blog, plus it provides a backlink for your blog. Anybody who is in to all that SEO nonsense knows that is allegedly important for Google to rank your blog. Personally, I think people are just making most of that shit up to make themselves look smarter than they actually are, but it can't hurt. You can get all the details at the CommentLuv website.

"Authorized by the President" isn't the Definition of Legal

2009-07-01T15:43:00.000-07:00

During a visit to Stanford a while back Condi Rice gave us a great peek into the thinking of the Bush admin. and their ideas about who should be subject to the law. In this clip of her answering questions posed to her about waterboarding by a Stanford student, she states that "the president instructed us that nothing we would do would be outside of our legal obligations under the conventions against torture," and then concludes with "and so by definition, if it was authorized by the president, it did not violate our obligations under the conventions against torture." This, of course, is essentially a fancy way of saying that if the president says something is legal it is, regardless of what the actual laws (or Constitution in many cases) say. That's not quite the way it works though.

The Struggle for Marriage Equality Continues at Las Vegas Prop 8 Rally

2009-06-30T22:14:00.000-07:00

My most recent article on Meefers.com concerning the local anti-Prop. 8 rally:

Feelings of anger and disappointment at the upholding of Prop. 8's ban on same-sex marriage in California were quickly overcome by a renewed sense of energy and determination to continue the fight for marriage equality during a rally at the Southern Nevada LGBT Community Center in Las Vegas...continue reading

Vegas Artists Guild Holds Third Annual Spring Art Show at CSN Art Gallery

2009-06-30T22:00:00.000-07:00

Another of my articles on Meefers.com about an exhibition that I participated in as part of the Vegas Artists Guild (a great group that every artist in the Las Vegas area should belong to). My painting is the second one from the left in the picture, BTW.

For the third consecutive year, the College of Southern Nevada is hosting the Vegas Artists Guild's 2009 Spring Members' Show. Located at the Artspace within the the Cheyenne campus of the Las Vegas community college, the exhibition opened May 1st and runs through June 30th...continue reading

Photos From the May Day March for Immigrant Rights

2009-05-17T20:43:00.000-07:00

Here are some of the pictures I took at U.C.I.R.'s March for Immigrant Rights which was held on May 1st along the Strip in Vegas. The full pics (all 143 of them) can be seen on my facebook profile in the photo section. I also have most of them posted on myspace, but some of the files were too big to add there, so there are only 98 of them. It was a rather good (but busy) afternoon and I got some good shots.

My Article on the NV Domestic Partnership Bill on Meefers.com

2009-05-17T15:23:00.000-07:00

My third article for Meefers.com, which was entitled "Nevada Passes Domestic Partnership Bill Moving a Step Closer to Equality for All," concerns the recent passage of the state Domestic Partnership bill, the threat of a veto, some of the obvious contradictions involved in the opposition to the bill (in relation to previous stances by opponents of equality), and what the future positive ramifications of those contradictions might be.

Some of these contradictions include the central argument being used against this bill being that it gives domestic partners the same rights as married couples (opponents of gay marriage usually argue that they aren't against equal rights), the encouragement of Governor Gibbons to veto the bill by opponents (in spite of their professed concern for the will of the people being circumvented by some singular "activist"), and the laughable idea that Nevada is concerned about the sanctity of "traditional marriage," among others.

So, go read it and tell your friends to read it and then annoy people you barely know on myspace, facebook, and twitter by insisting they read it and then email the owner of Meefers.com and tell him how much you enjoyed reading it. Once again, I did the writing as well as the photography for the article.

Happy Mayday to All Fellow Workers

2009-05-01T14:01:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post, since I have a thousand things to do today. If you aren't personally doing something to commemorate the traditional day of the worker, then at least stop and take a moment to remember the Haymarket Martyrs. They were murdered because they dared to support the idea that workers shouldn't have to work as much as 18 hours a day and 6 or 7 days a week and that children should be allowed to actually be children, rather than work in a factory all day in exchange for food and lodging and very little else.

And while you're doing that, don't forget about the Industrial Workers of the World. A very large number of them were also murdered because they felt that every worker deserved to be represented in the workplace and to be treated fairly, regardless of their race, gender, or immigrant status. They, along with those earlier workers involved in demonstrations such as the one at the Haymarket Square, were ultimately responsible for the 8-hour workday, 5-day work week, minimum wage, overtime pay, and many of the other pro worker labor laws that the government eventually passed.

Scene at the 2009 Las Vegas AIDS Walk

2009-04-20T13:59:00.000-07:00

As my second article for Meefers.com, I did a feature story on the 2009 Las Vegas AIDS Walk, which was hosted by (AFAN) and raised over $433,000 (they're still counting) via individual donations and sponsorships. The amount of individual donations set a record for highest ever raised. This was actually the first time I had done the AIDS Walk and I was rather impressed with both the spirit of the people participating and the warm reception from those along the route. The article that I wrote is somewhat of a tribute to that and I really tried to convey the positive experience that it was.

Along the way, I took tons of pictures, so here are some of the highlights from the walk, as well as a few artsy ones I threw in at the end (click for the large versions):

Some of the eight thousand plus people who participated in the AIDS Walk this year. The buildings with all the crazy angles in the background are part of the Wold Market Center, which served as the start/finish point.

The Sin Sity Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence were there to entertain the crowd. A really awesome group that does fundraising for AIDS charities and advocacy for queer rights and safe sex awareness while "striving diligently to keep their sense of humor and never taking themselves so seriously that they forget to have fun."

Pictured here is Mother Loosy Lust Bea Lady.

I'm not sure what these guys were fighting about, but it probably had something to do with too much mead and too few wenches. That usually leads to trouble. They are actually from the Empire of Chivalry and Steel, an organization that promotes the culture and traditions of the Middle Ages through historical re-enactments.

This is a really cool drum group, called the Las Vegas J.A.C.L. Kaminari Taiko, that they had set up along the route.

She is one of the finalists for most intense person in the world.

I got a bit of a kick out of everyone climbing up the Clark County government building. Reportedly, there was one cop who tried to stop people at first, but then gave up after he realized that he would have to spend all day shooing thousands of people away. This is actually toward the end of the walk after most of the people had come down.

Hello Kitty.

Hello Elmo.

Between the height and the freakishly giant hands, I don't know how this guy isn't in the NBA. (I'll be here all week folks.)

This is the World Market Center. I just liked the abstract effect all the different colors and angles had when you zoom in real tight on this section of it.

The "Dollhouse" with one of the giant new condo towers being built rising up above it in the background. Due to the current economy, both are pretty much abandoned right now.

The World Market Center parking garage. I liked the abstract effect here too.

Liberace and Me

2009-04-17T23:10:00.000-07:00

For my first review for Meefers.com, I attended the 30th Anniversary of the Liberace Museum and Scholarship Foundation on Wednesday (April 15th). It was a really great night. They had a red carpet reception followed by a two-hour benefit attended by a bunch of stars from the Strip. If you have the opportunity to get to the museum, you should definitely do so. Liberace's outrageous outfits, cars, and custom pianos are all on exhibit and the museum offers guided tours. Also, Philip Fortenberry, the "Jersey Boys" pianist, performs daily in the Liberace Cabaret Showroom. The show, which is entitled "Liberace and Me," pays homage to the spirit and legacy of Liberace's music and its impact on Fortenberry.

Papa's Got a Brand New Bag

2009-04-15T22:23:00.000-07:00

I'm now covering the Las Vegas area as a freelance writer for Meefers.com, a national online publication based in Michigan. Meefers.com is a great magazine that publishes articles covering LGBT-related issues and events, as well as reviews of LGBT friendly businesses. In addition to writing, I will also be doing photography for the articles I submit. I'm really looking forward to this opportunity to bring some issues to the public arena.

Is This Really the Sexiest Video Ever Made?

2009-04-14T12:55:00.000-07:00

I haven't really had the time to watch every video ever made, but color me skeptical.

"I Want Them to be Afraid Every Time They See the Police"

2009-04-08T18:46:00.000-07:00

It's rare that you see that sort of statement from a police chief quoted in a newspaper. Not so much because it's rare for police to feel that way, but more so because most of them know enough not to be that honest about how they feel. But not Homer, La. Police Chief Russell Mills, who believes that the key to lowering crime in a community lies in harassing and beating up every black person in that community, even if they didn't do anything and especially if they are young and have friends:

"If I see three or four young black men walking down the street, I have to stop them and check their names," said Mills, who is white. "I want them to be afraid every time they see the police that they might get arrested."

Which is why it isn't that surprising when two of his officers end up under investigation for shooting an unarmed man and then planting a weapon next to him to justify the shooting. All of which was preceded by them chasing after that man's son, who equally unsurprisingly, was in no hurry to be questioned by them, in spite of the fact he wasn't wanted for anything at the time.

Stephen Baldwin Looks Stoned

2009-04-06T13:35:00.000-07:00

Who picked him to be the spokesman for marijuana prohibition? And why did they give him the talking points from the 50's?

Iowa is Going to Become a Mecca for Homosexuals

2009-04-04T12:59:00.000-07:00

It didn't take long for the typical reactions from the religious nuts to the decision by the Iowa Supreme Court overturning the ban on same-sex marriages. The rather tame lamenting of the lack of outlets for conservative anger by a U.S. News and World Report Religious bl og ger receives a quick answer when one of the first comments declares that "the people are going to take these decisions into their own hands." Followed by the more predictable and expected response that these horrible activist judges are going to destroy America with their evil agenda to do their jobs and uphold the Constitution. Then it took a rather comical turn with a new twist being applied to the old fear-mongering tactic. WorldNetDaily posted this audio of Iowa Congressman Steve King warning that all the scary homosexuals will be booking vacation packages and descending upon Iowa as a result of this decision.

BTW, while you're at the WorldNetDaily site make sure you look over the book "Shocked by the Bible," written by WND news editor Joe Kovacs. In it he "addresses incredible issues many people are simply unaware of" such as:

The practice of decking a tree with silver and gold is actually condemned by God
Animals had meaningful discussions with people.
There's a character in the Bible called a "dumb ass."
Underwear didn't disintegrate despite 40 years of heavy use.
The worst case of hemorrhoids in history is recorded.
Women's breasts are celebrated in the Bible.
Nagging wives are mentioned.
God ran lotteries.
There are magic tricks in Scripture.

Compelling stuff right there.

Update: Now that Vermont has overridden the governor's veto of legislation to legalize same sex-marriage, Republicans confused by the lack of their usual tactical means of dividing people and absent marching orders from their idols, have resorted to asking the readers of their blogs for ideas:

Normally this is where I’d gauge whether a constitutional amendment to overturn the decision is feasible or not, but since Vermont’s gone off-script I’m without an angle here. No reaction yet from prominent social cons either, although Huckabee, Romney, and Palin are all on record as supporting a Federal Marriage Amendment so it’s safe to assume they want this overturned even without the dastardly handiwork of “activist judges.” In lieu of further comment, let’s take the temperature of the Hot Air faithful with a poll.

In Honor of April Fool's Day: Pranks You Should Play on Your Friends and Family

2009-04-01T09:52:00.000-07:00

Disregard that silly warning at the beginning.

This video reminded me of an April Fool's Day prank I pulled as a kid when I put lighter fluid in my grandmother's contact lens case. Everybody had a good laugh about that. Well, everyone but grandma did.

Is Opposition to Same-Sex Marriage Really Just About Protecting the "Sanctity" of Marriage?

2009-03-28T20:02:00.000-07:00

One of the main excuses that is put up for the reason that same-sex marriage shouldn't be legalized is that gay couples can attain those same rights that other couples have through domestic partnership laws. This crops up quite often in the debates surrounding the prop 8 controversy in California, where there is already a domestic partnership law which allows for almost, but not quite, the same benefits of a marriage. However, it is also used more broadly when people arguing against same-sex marriage try to avoid looking like bigots by claiming that it isn't a matter of wanting to deprive gay couples of the same rights other couples have, but actually a simple desire to "protect" traditional marriage. It's not the rights involved they contend, just the terminology. Setting aside the fact that the Constitution prohibits religion based laws and has no provision for preserving discriminatory policies, regardless of how deep they might be rooted in tradition, let's see if this argument holds up to the scrutiny of reality.

Fortunately, Nevada has provided us a great opportunity to test if same-sex marriage opponents really are so ready to allow gay couples the same rights under a different, less sacred, name. Unfortunately, it's rather obvious that the argument falls far short of being true. Currently, the Nevada legislature is debating two bills sponsored by David Parks, an openly gay assemblyman from Clark County (which includes Las Vegas). One bill proposes the creation of a domestic partnership law and, in essence, gives them the same rights as married couples. The other bill would outlaw discrimination against individuals based on sexual orientation. Both bills involve simply the affording of gay people the same rights as anyone else and neither of them require the tainting of any sacred names. Yet anti-gay groups are up in arms against both bills and the reason is because they oppose the idea that same-sex couples might actually attain the same rights as straight couples. And there's no need for speculation about that motive.

How can we be so sure about their reasons? To put it simply, we know this is the case because they told us it was. The Las Vegas Review Journal had this report from yesterday's session:

Strong opposition to the bill was voiced by Richard Ziser, a Nevada Concerned Citizen lobbyist, who contended the bill was a move to circumvent the Protection of Marriage constitutional amendment.

Under the amendment, marriage in Nevada can be only between a man and woman.

Ziser said the bill gives domestic partners all the rights of married couples and yet says they are not married.

"Simply because you call it something else does not make it so," he said.

Yet, whenever the issue comes up in states in which domestic partnerships are recognized but same-sex marriages aren't, it's always contended that gay couples should be happy with domestic partnerships, because it's just a matter of having a different name applied. The sad truth is that homophobic bigots will use any argument that they can to prevent same-sex people from attaining the same rights as everybody else, even arguments they don't genuinely believe in. This is all the more reason that separate and unequal shouldn't be accepted as a policy and full rights have to be the goal.

The Myth of Fingerprint Identification

2009-03-21T16:39:00.000-07:00

It's a pretty accepted idea that fingerprint evidence is an airtight method of proving that an accused person was at the scene of a crime. However, contrary to what we are told constantly in movies, books, and actual courtrooms; fingerprints are not the judicial bedrock they have been portrayed as. The issue isn't so much that fingerprints themselves are unreliable, but rather that finding a perfect set of fingerprints to compare to a suspect at a crime scene is very rare. As pointed out in the LA Times, there has been doubt about the reliability of fingerprint identification since shortly after it was first used to convict people and that uncertainty has been revived in recent years:

The year was 1905. Forensic science was in its infancy. Scotland Yard had only recently begun collecting carefully pressed fingerprints from criminals, stashing the cards in pigeonholes of a makeshift filing system...After learning that a man named Alfred Stratton had been seen near the crime scene, he collected the unemployed ruffian's thumbprint and compared it with the one left at the crime scene. A close inspection showed there were 11 minute features that the two prints shared.
The prosecutor at Stratton's trial told jurors the similarities left "not the shadow of a doubt" that the crime-scene print belonged to Stratton.
But the defense had a surprising ally at their table: Henry Faulds, a Scottish doctor who two decades earlier was the first to propose using fingerprints to solve crimes.
Faulds believed that even if fingerprints were unique -- there was, after all, no scientific basis for the popular assumption -- the same was not necessarily true of "smudges," the blurry partial prints accidentally left behind at crime scenes in blood, sweat or grease.
A single bloody thumbprint, he felt, was not enough evidence to convict anyone of murder...
...Today, fingerprints are once again on trial.
In 2007, a Maryland judge threw out fingerprint evidence in a death penalty case, calling it "a subjective, untested, unverifiable identification procedure that purports to be infallible."
The ruling sided with the scientists, law professors and defense lawyers who for a decade had been noting the dearth of research into the reliability of fingerprinting. Their lonely crusade for sound science in the courtroom has often been ignored by the courts, but last month it was endorsed by the prestigious National Academy of Sciences.

The actual question isn't whether fingerprints themselves are reliable. No case has ever been found of two people with the same fingerprint. Even identical twins' fingerprints are slightly different. The problem lies in finding a quality fingerprint impression at a crime scene. Unlike when you stick your finger in ink and deliberately roll it back and forth, most fingerprints found by investigators consist of blurry, smudged prints that greatly limit the amount of common points that can be used to identify the actual perpetrators of a crime.

Happy Birthday to Me!

2009-03-17T12:12:00.000-07:00

In honor of St. Patty's Day here's a drunken, toothless Irishman singing off key and being belligerent:

Here's some other drunken Irishmen singing a little better:

Police Drug Kits Aren't So Good at Figuring Out the Difference Between Oregano and Pot Either.

2009-03-10T22:24:00.000-07:00

A seventy percent rate of false positives is nothing to get alarmed about. Let's be optimists and think of the glass as thirty percent full.

Obama's Official Spokesman Thinks He is Doing a Good Job

2009-03-10T17:19:00.000-07:00

The Huffington Post reported today that, during a typical hard-hitting journalistic grilling by the White House press corps, Robert Gibbs was asked to grade Barack Obama's performance after 50 days in office. Not surprisingly, he gave Obama a thumbs up:

By any reasonable estimation, what the president and the administration have accomplished in a very short period of time, even leaving aside the many challenges that we faced, the number of things the president has had to tackle, the number of things the president has moved through Congress and signed into law, I think not just this administration but the American people can be proud of getting us on a path towards a sustained economic recovery.

And no political assessment (these days) would be complete without the obligatory mention that the real reason that everything is a mess is because of the previous president's policies:

But... if we look at how our economy grew in the first sort of seven or eight years of this decade, I think most economists go back now and tell you that a lot of our "growth" was fueled by questionable mortgage lending packages and mounds of credit card debt. I don't think any reasonable economist would also demonstrate for you that that's a long-term path towards a sustainable economy.

Of course, it would be rather hard to argue against Obama's people in that regard at this point. In fact, I tend to be very much in agreement with Mr. Gibbs' statement that any reasonable economist would disagree with running up mounds of debt as a "long term path towards a sustainable economy." Which in turn makes me wonder why the Obama administration's plan to fix the economy involves running up massive mounds of debt during the foreseeable future. Actually, that sounds quite a bit like the plan that got us into the position we are currently in.

Should an Honor Student Really Have to Prove That She Understands English?

2009-03-06T19:45:00.000-08:00

In spite of her 3.9 GPA, the Iowa school system has determined that Lori Phanachone is officially illiterate and will be expelled unless she takes a test to prove that she knows English. All because she indicated on her registration form that her parents originally spoke a different language:

The school district's curriculum coordinator, Lori Porsche, said taking the test is mandatory because Phanachone indicated on her school registration that English was not the first language spoken in her home. Her parents are Laotian and still speak little English.

Phanachone, who was born in California and lived in upstate New York before moving to Storm Lake with her family in 2006, said she has never been enrolled in any English Language Learning or English as a Second Language program...Until she was ordered to serve in-school suspension last week, Phanachone said, she had A's in speech, accounting, chemistry and English composition. Her poorest grade, a B-plus, was in pre-calculus. But she said she fears what might happen to her grades as a result of her suspensions and time out of the classroom.

Porsche declined to discuss Phanachone's academic record but did not dispute her achievement claims, which fellow students confirmed.

It would seem that being able to pass (or in this case excel in) all your classes would be proof enough of a student's language abilities, even if your parents came from another country. Then again, when the purpose of schooling is to train children not to question authority rather than to educate them, learning to follow the rules (no matter how silly or racist they might be) is an important part of the process.

Let's Not Forget the Rest of the Story

2009-03-01T11:15:00.000-08:00

Forgive me if I don't get caught up in all the flowery tributes being offered up for Paul Harvey. First of all, he was less than the highest example of journalistic integrity. Many of his stories were urban myths, if not outright fabrications, passed off as actual fact. Others were true stories distorted to fit his political viewpoints. The very style that he is so revered for was stolen from Bill Stern, something that he never acknowledged until previously unavailable tapes of Stern's "Colgate Sports Reel" were discovered showing that his style was a virtual copy of Stern's previous broadcasts. But, if plagiarism and deceptive reporting were his only transgressions, I could overlook him as yet another stuffed shirt who championed style over substance. However, it's the hatred and fear-mongering that makes all these Paul Harvey tributes painting him as the embodiment of Americana so inappropriate.

Among other things, Harvey supported McCarthyism, sought and was a finalist for the VP nomination of the segregationist American Independent Party alongside George Wallace ("Hardcore Harvey railed against homosexuality, left-wing radicals and black militants"), and characterized the Watergate scandal as a "media overthrow of the United States government." Plus, like any good right wing blow hard, he was a war-mongering hypocrite, who himself avoided serving during wartime.

The fact that he received a psychiatric discharge from the Army during WWII, after intentionally injuring himself to avoid serving in the infantry, didn't prevent him from being a vocal supporter of the Vietnam War. However, he did have his famous change of heart about the Vietnam War when he declared to Nixon: "Mr. President, I love you...but you're wrong." I'm sure that it was just a coincidence that his son, Paul Jr., had been drafted into the army and subsequently chose to declare himself a conscientious objector rather than go to Vietnam didn't have any effect on Paul Sr.'s sudden epiphany about the merits of the war. More recently, he had a return to his blood thirsty roots during an appearance on the Larry King Show when he spoke of how it bothered him to hear about military planners' efforts to avoid killing civilians, and even more so, when he broadcast this nostalgic remembrance of America's past slaughter of Native Americans and enslavement of Africans as a key to our prosperity, during which he encouraged nuclear and biological warfare against innocent civilians:

I've been choking on something for weeks. Lets get it, up and get it out, for what it's worth. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Winston Churchill said that the American people, he said the American people he said, and this is a direct quote, "We didn't come this far because we are made of sugar candy." That was his response to the attack on Pearl Harbor. That we didn't come this far because we are made of sugar candy. And that reminder was taken seriously and we proceeded to develop and deliver the bomb even though roughly 150,000 men, women and children perished in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. With a single blow, World War II was over.

NewYork's September 11 Pearl Harbor, Winston Churchill was not here to remind us that we didn't come this far because we are made of sugar candy. So following the New York disaster we mustered our humanity, we gave old pals a pass even though men and money from Saudi Arabia were largely responsible for the devastation of New York and Pennsylvania and our Pentagon. We called Saudi Arabia our partners against terrorism and we sent men with rifles into Afghanistan and Iraq and we kept our best weapons in their silos. Even now, we're standing there dying, daring to do nothing decisive because we've declared ourselves to be better than our terrorist enemies, more moral, more civilized. Our image is at stake, we insist.

But we didn't come this far because we are made of sugar candy. Once upon a time we uh, elbowed our way onto and into this continent by giving smallpox infected blankets to Native Americans. Yes, that was biological warfare. And we used every other weapon we could get our hands on to grab this land from whomever and we grew prosperous. And yes, we greased the skids with the sweat of slaves. And so it goes with most great nation-states, which feeling guilty about their savage pasts, eventually civilize themselves out of business and wind up invaded and ultimately dominated by the lean, hungry, up and coming who are not made of sugar candy. Paul Harvey - Good Day! (read transcript)

But then he did have a really folksy voice and a soothing delivery.

The E-mail Never Stops

2009-02-28T02:48:00.000-08:00

I get so much Email these days it's insane. I'm starting to feel like Newman from Seinfeld:

I think I need a personal assistant to handle all this stuff. If anybody is up for it, drop me an E-mail (I recognize the irony). I can't really pay you, but you can eat all the Spam you find.

Everybody Has the Same Right to be Catholic as I Do

2009-02-24T12:10:00.000-08:00

That's the equivalent of saying that gay people aren't being discriminated against because they have the same right to marry someone of the opposite sex as you do. You really have to engage in some first class intellectual dishonesty to make that sort of logic work.

Now that I've gotten that out, here's a video of Wanda Sykes when she officially came out of the closet during a visit to the Las Vegas LGBT Center back in November:

Maybe This is Why the Banks are Failing

2009-02-21T15:27:00.000-08:00

You know those E-mails you receive about ten times a day from a banker and/or government official in Africa who needs your urgent aid to facilitate the transfer of millions of dollars that some deceased member of the government or royal family, who is either a distant relative or has a unaccounted for heir with a name matching yours? The ones that you long ago began deleting from your spam folder without even looking to confirm that it was really spam. Well, apparently Citibank isn't so up to date on this particular scheme.

According to the NY Times, Citibank was duped out of $27 million by an "elaborate" scheme that involved giving them his friends' phone numbers and having them pretend to be bank officials:

Swindles in which someone overseas seeks access to a person’s bank account are so well known that most potential victims can spot them in seconds.
But one man found success by tweaking the formula, prosecutors say: Rather than trying to dupe an account holder into giving up information, he duped the bank. And instead of swindling a person, he tried to rob a country — of $27 million.
To carry out the elaborate scheme, prosecutors in New York said on Friday, the man, identified as Paul Gabriel Amos, 37, a Nigerian citizen who lived in Singapore, worked with others to create official-looking documents that instructed Citibank to wire the money in two dozen transactions to accounts that Mr. Amos and the others controlled around the world.

Fortunately for Citibank (and Ethiopia), the transfers were too large to be processed by the conspirators' banks and the money was sent back, so the scheme unraveled. In hindsight, they probably should have asked Citibank to send it Western Union.

Could We Have Just Done Nothing?

2009-02-18T19:14:00.000-08:00

The prevailing go-to response when the stimulus bill and the various bailouts are discussed is some variation of the contention that we "couldn't have just done nothing." My response has always been to point out that this is wrong on two counts:

It assumes that the only two choices involved are doing the wrong thing or doing nothing, when there are many other things that could have been done instead of the one that involved spending a bunch of unnecessary money without actually addressing the underlying issues.
If what is being proposed is only going to make the problem worse, then we actually would be better off doing nothing rather than just adding fuel to the fire.

As a matter of fact, last week the Washington Post reported that the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has determined that the debt generated by the stimulus package will actually be harmful to the country's economy over time:

CBO, the official scorekeepers for legislation, said the House and Senate bills will help in the short term but result in so much government debt that within a few years they would crowd out private investment, actually leading to a lower Gross Domestic Product over the next 10 years than if the government had done nothing.

So, maybe we weren't beyond the point where we could have "just done nothing," after all.

Just How Much is A Trillion Dollars?

2009-02-09T13:38:00.000-08:00

If you spent a million dollars every day since the day Jesus was (supposedly) born, you would only spend 3/4 of a trillion dollars. So, expanding on that calculation, it would take roughly 30,000 years to spend the equivalent of the United States' current deficit of over $11 trillion (and counting), if you spent a million dollars every single day.

Is Barack Obama Going to Bring the Change that We Really Need?

2009-02-08T21:56:00.000-08:00

First a Little Faint Praise

I have very little doubt that Barack Obama is going to be better than George Bush. Of course, that's not exactly saying alot. Improving on George Bush's performance is just not the highest mountain to scale. Being the worst president in America's history and possibly the worst leader in the history of the western world during modern times is no easy task You have to really hone your craft and, as Bush was so fond of pointing out, it's hard work. Yet in just about every category, from abusing the Constitution to starting unnecessary wars and every point in between, Bush managed to excel at being bad.

But the real question here isn't whether Barack Obama can leap that short hurdle of being better than his predecessor. The question is will Obama bring "the change we need" to Washington, as promised, or will it be politics as usual at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Of course, this entails the question of whether someone who has spent the entirety of their adult life learning to work within the system and who would never be in a position to attain the presidency without that system, can be expected to make fundamental changes to that same system. That is the change we really need and it might be a bit of folly to expect that sort of change to come from within the very thing that we hope to see changed. In fact, let's take a look at Barack Obama's first few actions as president elect and subsequently after taking office to see if they can give us a bit of foresight into how much change he is really going to bring.

Barack Obama's Short-Lived Ban on Recent Lobbyists Among Cabinet Members

The prevailing thought is that the reason for all the corruption is the ease with which lobbyists gain access to the government. This is due in large part to career politicians who effortlessly move from jobs either in Congress or as White House staffers into positions as spokesmen for companies lobbying for legislation that will benefit their companies and then, periodically, rejoin government. We're to believe that Barack Obama's administration is going to be different because he has pledged not to allow his cabinet to be tainted by recent lobbyists. To ensure this, one of his first actions was to institute a "revolving door" ban that prevents anybody who has work as a lobbyist within the last two years from being involved in any decisions related to their former employers:

"If you are a lobbyist entering my administration, you will not be able to work on matters you lobbied on or in the agencies that you lobbied during the previous two years," Obama said. "When you leave government, you will not be able to lobby my administration for as long as I am president."

Problem is that another one of his first actions was to issue a waiver to that rule so that he could appoint a defense contractor lobbyist as the second in charge at the pentagon. William J. Lynn, the new Deputy Defense Secretary (pending Congress' rubber stamp), formerly worked for Raytheon Inc., who just happen to make 90% of their income from Pentagon contracts. Lynn has pledged to sell his Raytheon stock as a way of eliminating any sign of impropriety and something that is being lauded as a great sacrifice even though he stands to profit half a million dollars from the sale.

Another nominee, Mark Patterson, the prospective chief of staff to Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner (I'll get to him later), was a registered lobbyist for Goldman Sachs from 2005 until April 2008, according to public filings. Golman Sachs is one of the largest banking and investment firms worldwide and has a huge stake in the financial bailout which is being administered by the Treasury department.

According to the National Journal Magazine, at least 13 other recent lobbyists are in line for high level positions in Obama's Whitehouse staff including: William Corr, who lobbied through most of last year as an anti-tobacco advocate (deputy secretary at Health and Human Services); Richard Verma, a lobbyist for Steptoe & Johnson (assistant secretary for legislative affairs at the State Department); and Mark Gitenstein, who took a leave from the Mayer Brown law firm last summer (head of the Justice Department's Office of Policy -Development).

In addition, Tom Daschle, the former nominee as Secretary of Health and Human Servies (once again, I'll get to that later), is an "unofficial lobbyist" for the law firm of Alston & Bird. He also earned $220, 000 in speaking fees from health care groups some of which he recieved as late as two weeks ago. Not only that but his wife, Linda Daschle, is a registered lobbyist for a firm that includes health care clients.

Eliminating Earmarks or Just Renaming Them?

Another highly lauded ethics move was Barack Obama's ban on earmarks in the $825 billion economic stimulus package. Problem is that, in order to identify projects for the funding, local mayors and state governors were asked to submit proposals. The vast majority of these proposals have consisted of all the little pet projects that would normally be tacked on to other bills as earmarks. The net result is that the stimulus package has become one enormous list of earmarks and the process has become even more secretive and harder to track.

Some of these "ready to go" jobs eligible for the stimulus plan include: the building of a Metrolink station in Placentia, Calif.; a stretch of beach in Sandy Hook, N.J., that could really use some more sand; and a water park in Miami. Describing it as a "40 year wish list" for Democrats, the Wall Street Journal points to this list of proposals that has little to nothing to do with stimulating the economy: $1 billion for Amtrak, the federal railroad that hasn't turned a profit in 40 years; $2 billion for child-care subsidies; $50 million for that great engine of job creation, the National Endowment for the Arts; $400 million for global-warming research and another $2.4 billion for carbon-capture demonstration projects. There's even $650 million on top of the billions already doled out to pay for digital TV conversion coupons. Yet another list, encompassing 300-plus-pages and totaling $150 billion, by the United States Conference of Mayors includes a skate park in Portland, Maine and a mobster museum in Las Vegas.

Other provisions aimed at special interests, according to MSNBC, include an insurance exemption for companies that work on 65+ foot yachts, the lifting of a Medicare restriction that applies to only three hospitals nationwide, a requirement for the Transportation Security Administration to buy 100,000 new American made uniforms, and $198 million in compensation to Filipino veterans of World War II, most of whom live outside the United States. In addition, plans to include $200 million to resod the National Mall, $75 million to help smokers quit, and $400 million to fight HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases were dropped after they were roundly criticized.

"'No earmarks' isn't a game-ender," said Peter Buffa, former mayor of Costa Mesa, Calif. "It just means there's a different way of going about making sure the funding is there."
"Somebody's going to earmark it somewhere," said Howard Marlowe, a consultant for a coalition working to preserve beaches.

Instead of being spelled out in the bill as earmarks, the money will be allocated at the discretion of federal, state, and local officials with little to no legislative oversight or public scrutiny. Which means that lobbyist will have even more access to those in control of the money except now they will be able to do so indirectly from behind the scenes.

"We hate earmarks, but at least it's a way of tracking where influence is had," said Keith Ashdown of the watchdog group Taxpayers for Common Sense. "There is a challenge now that projects will be added behind closed doors without a paper trail."

Already the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials has submitted a list of 5,000 projects totaling $64 billion, which consists of just a list of the number of projects in each state and the overall price per state. The lack of specific information on the actual projects makes it impossible for lawmakers, advocacy groups or members of the public to scrutinize the true nature of them.

What's more striking than the amount of wasteful funding is the scarcity of funds that will go to projects which might actually stimulate the economy. According to the same Wall Street Journal article cited earlier, less than 5% of the $825 billion bill (approx. $30 billion) goes to fixing bridges or other highway projects. Broadband and electric grid development, airports and clean water projects account for another $40 billion in infrastructure related funding. Once you include the $20 billion for business tax cuts, you end up with a grand total of $90 billion out of $825 billion that could legitimately stimulate the economy. This works out to about 12 cents of every $1 in the bill and most of these projects will take a long time to help the economy.

Peter Orszag, the President's new budget director, told Congress a year ago, "even those [public works] that are 'on the shelf' generally cannot be undertaken quickly enough to provide timely stimulus to the economy."

So what exactly is being stimulated with the other $735 Billion, and when will this stimulus actually happen?

At Least We Can Count On Obama to Clean Up the Corruption in Washington

After the corruption and abuses of the last 8 years, the public was tired of constant scandals and partisan politics. Which is why the nominees for both parties ran as political outsiders and reformers. Barack Obama's promises to bring about change and end corruption on capital hill played no small part in his election victory. Yet, just weeks into office, there doesn't seem to be any shortage of partisan bickering or ethics scandals. While you certainly can't hold Obama entirely responsible for the partisanship in Washington, statements like these don't exactly help:

Republicans wanting to play nice with the Democratic majority and the Obama administration will need to quit listening to Rush Limbaugh, Obama said, and get used to the new sheriff in town.
"You can't just listen to Rush Limbaugh and get things done," Obama told GOP leaders whom he had invited to the White House. Obama set up the meeting to discuss his planned nearly $1 trillion stimulus package...
..."I won," he told GOP leaders. "I'm the president."

Meanwhile, even before he got into office, Obama had already lost one of his cabinet nominees to a "pay for play" scandal. This involves allegations that CDR Financial, an investment advisory company, contributed to PACs set up by New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson in return for favorable consideration in the awarding of contracts with the state. The post that Obama had nominated Richardson for, Commerce Secretary, oversees both foreign trade and business plus most federal infrastructure related contracts. It would seem that having the head of such a department undergoing a grand jury investigation concerning contract improprieties would be a bad idea, if for no other reason than for the sake of appearances. Especially, when you are trying to convince the public that you are going to end government corruption. However, Richardson was nominated anyway, even though the investigation was already underway and had been widely reported.

Another thing that George Bush was widely criticized for was cronyism among his government officials. One of the worst offenders being former Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez, who was criticized for using his office to push Republican policies and ideology rather than to uphold the law. And yet the new Attorney General under Barack Obama, Eric H. Holder Jr., faces his own criticisms of having a tendency to recommend policies that pleased his superiors rather than what was legally proper during his time as Bill Clinton's Deputy Attorney General. This includes his approvals of the flood of pardons at the end of Clinton's time in office that some have alleged involved payoffs by those pardoned.

The latest development in regards to Obama's nominees is that seemingly none of them know that they are required to pay their taxes. Ironically enough, the leader of the pack is the new Treasury Secretary, who overseas the IRS a part of his official duties. Timothy Geithner failed to pay over $34 thousand during the years he worked for the International Monetary Fund from 2001 to 2004. His claim is that it was a unfortunate mistake and that he "promptly" paid it as soon as he realized he had made an error. Problem is that every year, when the IMF sent him their portion of the Social Security and Medicare taxes (which is what he failed to pay), they also sent him a statement that he had to sign and send back stating that he was to use the funds to pay those taxes. In addition, an IRS audit of his 2003 and 2004 returns, conducted in 2006, revealed that he hadn't payed those taxes. Yet he still didn't pay the 2001 and 2002 back taxes until after he was informed that he was going to be nominated as the Treasury Secretary.

While Geithner did manage to survive and was confirmed in spite of his tax troubles, two other nominees were forced out by their own tax "mistakes." Former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, the nominee for the Secretary of Health and Human Services, along with Nancy Killefer, nominated for the newly created position of Chief Performance Officer, had to remove themselves from consideration for those positions as a result of past tax issues. Daschle's case is particularly interesting in that he suddenly realized in June of 2008 that he might owe taxes for the free use of a private car and driver, which was considered a form of income. That just happens to be right about the time when Obama locked up the Democratic nomination and he found out that he might be in line for a cabinet position. Regardless, he still didn't actually pay the back taxes that were due until January 4th of 2009, when he knew that he was going to be nominated. Furthermore, even before those issues came to light, Daschle was already being investigated by the Senate Finance Committee over his use of a company's private jet for trips to the Bahamas and the Middle East, which also could be considered income. Even more troubling, from an ethical standpoint, is that all of these suspected improprieties involve income he earned as an "unnofficial" lobbyist. The reason that he wasn't an official lobbyist is because he had to skirt the Congressional rule that prohibits former members from accepting employment as a lobbyist for a year after they leave office.

These scandals, in which ongoing investigations and previously disclosed improprieties were overlooked, tend to bring into question Barack Obama's true dedication to reforming Washington politics. Another, much more indirect scandal that possibly sheds some light on this question concerns former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, who was impeached over his attempts to garner favors in return for an appointment to Obama's former Senate seat. While there is no reason to believe Obama or anyone working for him was involved in the scheme, Blagojevich was recorded during the investigation discussing how Obama's "team" had refused to give him anything in return for preference toward their favored candidate. The fact that they didn't agree to participate in the scheme certainly is a good thing, but it does beg the question of whether a reform minded campaign should have reported that a high ranking public official had contacted them about selling a Senate seat.

So Can We Really Expect a Product of the System to Bring About Meaningful Change Within that System?

The problem isn't that Barack Obama is a bad person or that he has bad intentions toward this country. It's not that he himself is corrupt or unethical. The problem is that the political system itself is corrupt. In addition, ultimately Obama, everybody involved in his administration, and everyone else working in politics are products of that system. In order to get elected and to advance through politics a person needs to know how to "play the game" and has to keep people around them that know how politics works. Which is why the same people get recycled over and over again. It's also the reason that it is so hard find people to fill government posts that aren't tainted by the corruption of politics.

"There are two ways to look at this," said Bill Buzenberg, executive director of the Center for Public Integrity. "Either he is backtracking on his pledge, or it's that to find the best, the most-experienced people, it's impossible to fill these jobs without hiring people who have been lobbyists. It's disappointing either way, but it seems to be the [political] system we have."

The simple truth is that anybody who truly would change the system would never make it into a position to do so, because they would be filtered out by that system long before they had the chance.

Are Taxes Really Voluntary?

2009-02-03T14:44:00.000-08:00

The Government Has a Rather Odd Definition of Voluntary.

Taxes are voluntary, so long as you volunteer to pay them.

If You're in Vegas, Come Out Tomorrow

2009-02-03T13:08:00.000-08:00

Peter King Actually Said Something Worth Commenting On! (Surprised Me Too)

2009-01-29T10:57:00.000-08:00

In the midst of Monday Morning Quarterback, Peter King's weekly gossip column for Sports Illustrated where he kinda discusses football, he always pauses long enough from name dropping and telling us how great Brett Favre is to update us on how much he suffered while getting paid to fly for free during the week. This week, though, it was something much more substantial than a flight attendant not fluffing his pillow properly:

"What is wrong with this picture?...You can use a regular knife in first class on Continental. For the past -- oh, I don't know -- year or so, I've noticed when my frequent-flying gets me upgraded that they have real knives in first class now. Whatever happened to the edict that the airlines were taking metal knives off airplanes permanently because they didn't want them to possibly be used by terrorists in the future?"

Somebody needs to sit Mr. King down and reassure him of three known facts. First, terrorists never fly first class. Second, people who can afford to fly first class would never cause a disturbance or act violently. Lastly and most importantly, the government knows who the terrorists are. So, relax Peter there's nothing wrong with that picture and there's no reason to bother the good people in first class when the time could be better spent harassing Hooters waitresses in coach.

Just Because - Ali G interviews the Former Budget Director to Lyndsie Johnson (She Used to be President)

2009-01-28T17:24:00.000-08:00

The Moral is Don't Be High While Selling Stock

Is It Fair to Say Feminists Don't Care About Violence Against Men and That They Only Care About Violence Against Women?

2009-01-27T22:26:00.000-08:00

Note: this was originally published specifically as a response to a question that was posed recently by a member of another blog group, however more generally, this addresses criticisms of that type which are often directed toward feminists/feminism.
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The Strawman Cometh

Not only is it unfair, it's extremely dishonest and intellectually lazy. It's your typical, garden variety strawman which is only meant to distract from legitimate issues involved in a subject or debate. Something that is akin to saying "feminist issues don't need to be addressed, because they are wrong in their attitude toward men." The obvious fallacy lies in the fact that feminism's legitimacy should be based on the actual validity of their positions. If we assume, for the sake of argument, that feminists don't care about violence against men, then that doesn't invalidate such issues as equal property and contract rights, equal voting rights, opposition to forced marriages, sexual and reproductive rights, economic and employment equality, and, of course violence toward women.

All of these, and many more, are issues that feminism has dealt with and none of them are dependent on feminist's attitudes toward men in order to have value as an issue. In fact, every one of them is an issue that could be debated, independent of feminism's advocacy for them, as a stand alone subject. You certainly don't have to be apathetic toward violence against men to believe that women should have a right to vote, receive equal pay, and not be sexually harassed or physically abused.

Men Are Big Boys

The reason that feminism is associated closely with those issues is because they are issues that profoundly affect women. For obvious reasons, feminists have a primary interest in issues that effect women. It really shouldn't be surprising that a group chiefly populated by women would take up matters that relate mostly to women. By the same token, why shouldn't men be the ones advancing uniquely male issues, such as violence (exclusively) aimed at men? It generally follows that the person or group most effected by discrimination drives the discourse surrounding that topic. All the more so, being that feminist issues generally involve women's treatment by, or in relation to, men.

Furthermore, men simply don't need feminists to run to their rescue, because they are very much capable of standing up for their own rights. Men are overwhelming represented within every segment of society, including government, business, and the media. There is no shortage of access to venues for men to address issues that predominantly effect men. By contrast, most feminist issues would receive little, if any, attention if not for the fact that a group devoted to issues effecting women exists.

Feminists Are Multi-taskers

Having established that men are the ones responsible for men's issues, yet another reason this isn't a fair question is because it assumes and/or falsely implies that feminists aren't in fact involved with issues that relate to violence against men or other non-female groups. Truth is that activists are rarely involved in one, singular group or issue. There are many subjects and political disputes that effect individual activists that might not necessarily be universally connected to women's issues. Thus, while they might appeal to certain feminists, they would not be a part of feminism itself. For instance, a vegetarian feminist is likely to be involved in animal rights groups; an Asian feminist is likely to be involved in anti-racism groups; a feminist, who is also a pacifist, is likely to be involved in anti-war groups, etc.

It's rather naive or simple-minded (if not both) to believe that people involved in one group are incapable of being involved with or having sympathetic feelings toward other groups and issues that might be outside the realm of the first group. In regards to violence, it would be unlikely that you would find a peace rally that did not have its share of feminist attendees. While that might not relate specifically to violence toward men, it certainly would include them. So, not only is it unfair to make such a statement, it is an expression of ignorance and probably willful ignorance at that.

The True Nature and Goals of Anarchism

2009-01-25T16:54:00.000-08:00

Originally published on My HubPages

It's one of the most prevalent and enduring myths regarding Anarchism. It's reinforced daily with news reports of countries that have "descended into anarchy" or political pundits railing against things that we can't do because it would (gasp!) lead to anarchy. The idea that Anarchy and chaos are synonymous has been firmly entrenched within the lexicon of modern imagery. Yet, it couldn't be much further from the true nature of Anarchism. Anarchists don't oppose society, order, or laws in general. What they do oppose is the idea that one segment of any society should arbitrarily be elevated above and given the power to lord over the rest of that society, not the existence of society itself.

In order to understand the distinction it is essential to avoid confusing governance with the Government. The Government, as an institution, is a segment of the population which is set apart from and above the population in general. They are imbued with unwarranted privileges and vested with the authority to dictate to the rest of that population, usually against the will of the vast majority of that populace, generally by force, and often without having to observe those same rules themselves. On the other hand, governance is simply the rules by which a group structures the society in which they live. Anarchists believe that it is not only possible, but actually beneficial that members of any society be free and willing participants of the governance of that society. Such self-governance ensures that the members of that society have a vested interest in it's welfare and success. In contrast, a multi-tiered system of society creates a situation in which an individual or group of individuals is elevated above the rest of society. At best, this creates opportunities for corruption and abuses of authority. At worst, this leads to outright slavery of those at the bottom rungs of that ladder.

Furthermore, in reality, most Anarchists are opposed to unnecessary violence and destruction and many even are pacifists. The Government, however, has always, without exception, resorted to force of one type or another to impose their will upon their subjects. In fact, the very nature of hierarchal rule creates an "us against them" type of relationship that encourages conflict between those making the rules and those being ruled. Many simply accept the idea that, because some level of governance is necessary within a society, then we must bow down to and be abused by people who take advantage of that need to justify and legitimize their crimes and extort special privileges from the rest of society. Anarchists recognize that there is a better, less violent, way.

We Need the Wobblies Now More Than Ever! A Brief History of the Industrial Workers of the World

2009-01-25T00:29:00.000-08:00

Originally published on My HubPages
See all 35 photos

The Rise of the Industrial Workers of the World: The Working Class Fights Back!

"The working class and the employing class have nothing in common. There can be no peace so long as hunger and want are found among millions of the working people and the few, who make up the employing class, have all the good things of life.Between these two classes a struggle must go on until the workers of the world organize as a class, take possession of the means of production, abolish the wage system, and live in harmony with the Earth..." _Preambl_{e to t}_{he IWW Constitution}

With the economy in shambles and labor being asked to sacrifice to pay the cost of management's failures, it's time for a return to fighting unions run by rank and file membership. Instead of the current unions, that entertain ideas of betraying the retirees that came before them and selling out their new members and their own future in the process. Urging members to give back wages and benefits that workers literally fought and bled for decades to achieve; even as the corporate executives, who drove the industry into ruin, continue collecting multi-million dollar salaries without any repercussions. What we need is a return to the type of union epitomized by the Wobblies; a radical, aggressive union that isn't afraid to fight for its member's interests.

The Industrial Workers of the World were founded in 1905 amidst the excesses and abuses brought about by the Industrial Revolution. From the outset, they were radical, extremist, and unyielding in their determination to take that which they felt rightly belonged to the working class, refusing to just accept whatever scraps the bosses decided to leave them. Steadfast in their belief that all workers deserved to enjoy the fruits of their own labors, they demanded rather than negotiated better working conditions and pay.

The Wobblies, as they came to be known, employed direct action within the the workplace, such as slowdowns, general strikes, workplace occupations, sit-ins, and sabotage in their struggles against the bosses. Such tactics proved to be very effective and the IWW became one of the most powerful and influential labor unions numbering over 100,000 members at it's height. Most of the union's members were migrant workers riding from town to town by rail; seeking seasonal work; and keeping the bosses honest.

In order to maximize worker strength, they emphasized industrial unionism over craft unionism. This meant that all workers were organized as a singular unit, rather than segregated by individual trades. Industrial unionism afforded workers more influence and encouraged greater solidarity across trades, thereby preventing companies from pitting union members against each other in an effort to break strikes. Another major difference was that workers of all types and skill levels were encouraged to join the "One Big Union," regardless of occupation, race, creed, or sex; something that was unhear d of among American unions at the time. However, this vital strength would soon leave them vulnerable to their enemies' attacks.

The Fall: World War I, Government Crackdowns, and Internal Rifts

_{You ask me why the I.W.W. is not patriotic to the United States. If you were a bum without a blanket; if you had left your wif}_{e and kids when you went west for a job, and had never located them since; if your job had never kept you long enough in a place to qualify you to vote; if you slept in a lousy, sour bunkhouse, and ate food just as rotten as they could give you and get by with it; if deputy sheriffs shot your cooking cans full of holes and spilled your grub on the ground; if your wages were lowered on you when the bosses thought they had you down; if there was one law for Ford, Suhr, and Mooney, and another for Harry Thaw; if every person who represented law and order and the nation beat you up, railroaded you to jail, and the good Christian people cheered and told them to go to it, how in hell do you expect a man to be patriotic?}

_{This war is a business man's war and we don't see why we should go out and get shot in order to save the lovely state of affairs that w}_{e now enjoy. Unknown Wobbly testifying in court during the Espionage Act trials}

Unfortunately, shortly after their rise to prominence, the government, acting on the behalf of corporate interests, began engaging in a campaign of repression and persecution of the Wobblies. The Wobblies were fast becoming a formidable force in the labor movement and they were determined to put an end to it before it was too late. Companies often employed Pinkerton agents or hired goons along with military troops and police provided by government connections as strikebreakers to attack and intimidate striking workers. In one of the worst of many examples of labor clashes, 250 IWW members from Seattle travelled to Everett, Washington to protest restrictions on free speech and violent attacks on Wobblies by local police during a 1916 strike. Their ferry was met at the dock by the local sheriff and about three hundred deputized strikebreakers. When the Wobblies refused the sheriff's orders to turn back, him and his "deputies" opened fire on the boat. The union members returned fire and the ensuing melee resulted in eleven dead and twenty-seven wounded passengers; plus two dead and twenty-four wounded on shore.

Things got even worse with the onset of the First World War. Opponents took advantage of the IWW's anarchist, socialist, and pacifist beliefs; as well as their close affiliation with immigrants to strike at its membership. Beginning in 1917, IWW union halls throughout the country were raided by Justice Department agents and hundreds of Wobblies were arrested. They were charged with acts in violation of the newly passed Espionage Act including conspiring to hinder the draft, encourage desertion, incite revolution, and intimidate others in connection with labor disputes. The government used wartime hysteria to justify the imprisonment or deportation of thousands of IWW members.

In addition, portrayals of the Wobblies in government and corporate propaganda as "enemy aliens" and traitors for their opposition to American involvement in WWI led to many Wobblies being attacked by vigilante mobs. In Butte, Montana; Frank Little, a member of the IWW General Executive Board, was kidnapped by six masked men and lynched for criticising the war. Wesley Everest was beaten, castrated, lynched, and shot (the most complicated suicide ever!) in Centralia, Washington by a mob after being arrested following a gunbattle between Wobblies and group of war veterans, who had attacked the local IWW union hall during an Armistice Day Parade. Many other Wobblies throughout the country were beaten, maimed, or killed by police officials and/or vigilante mobs (often composed of thugs hired by business owners).

However, not all the Wobblies' problems were external. Even as the government was using the public's fear of communism to validate their oppressive actions; the IWW was experiencing its own internal struggle over communism. Historically, divisions had always existed between Communists and Anarchists, the two main groups comprising the IWW, involving statism and the role of politics in the union. While the two groups had, for the most part, been able to coexist prior to WWI, the combination of a lack of leadership, brought about by the government repression. and the success of the Russian Revolution brought those divisions to the forefront.

In 1920, the IWW suspended the Philadelphia Longshoreman's Local no. 8, one of it's largest and most celebrated branches, over false allegations by a communist rival that they had supplied weapons to anti-Bolshevik forces in Europe. Erosion of membership continued in the early 20's as some members began to leave to join communist organizations. Soon, the remaining communist members began pushing for the IWW to align itself with the Red International of Trade Unions (also called the Profintern), a Soviet created organization of worldwide communist labor unions. Anarchist members, who disagreed with communism's statist approach and the abuses under communist rule in Russia, resisted these efforts. Further defections were caused by increases in criticisms of Soviet leaders and policies being printed in the Industrial Worker and other Wobbly publications.

Finally in 1924, there was a rift between Wobblies in the eastern states, who favored centralized control of the union and political involvement, and those in the west, who favored more localized control and organizing on the job. This led to a second union headquarters being set up in Utah and claims from both them and the original in Chicago as the "real-IWW," including two separate IWW union halls in many towns. While the western branch of the IWW had folded by 1930, ths split, along with the passage of the Taft-Hartley Act of 1947, which severely restricted the tactics the Wobblies traditionally employed in disputes, contributed to the IWW quickly declining in membership during the next decades. Though they never actually broke up the Wobblies numbers and influence steadily decreased until they became a largely forgotten footnote in labor history. That is until recently, when they have begun to gain ground amongst young politically active workers.

The Wobblies are Coming (Back): A Resurgence

Although membership levels have never come anywhere close to reaching the heyday of the IWW, they have never stopped fighting for workers rights throughout the world. In addition to America, there are sizable active branches in Canada, Australia, Scotland, Germany and Britain; as well as a smaller branches and individual members across the globe. Just like the original Wobblies, today's members often seek out workers that the more established union can't or won't organize. One method they have used to overcome difficulties in organizing has been to organize the workers directly to act against wrongful labor practices without seeking formal company acceptance for the union.

One such group has always been Starbucks workers because of the aggressive anti-union tactics of management. Wobblies in New York, Minneapolis, Grand Rapids, and other cities throughout the country began organizing in 2003. Numerous union members at several locations were fired during the fight, but the union eventually won the right to unionize and fellow workers were reinstated during several court battles; and they continue to protest Starbucks' unfair labor practices.

Another industry that typically has been difficult to unionize is over-the-road (OTR) trucking. OTR truckers generally don't get paid hourly and only get paid based on how many miles they drive. Often they have to wait long hours at loading docks waiting for cargo to be loaded or unloaded. Since the government imposes limits on how many hours they can drive per day, these delays have a considerably impact drivers' ability to earn a living. Another issue for OTR drivers recently has been fuel prices. When prices are high, shippers are charged fees known as surcharges to offset the additional cost of transporting goods, but companies often resist paying or try to pay lower than the actual amount, which means the drivers end up paying the difference in shipping costs and therefore earning significantly less. At the same time, these companies often raise prices on products citing increased shipping costs even though they aren't in fact paying the proper fuel surcharges.

Over-the-road trucking companies have managed to keep other unions traditionally involved in trucking, such as the Teamsters, from organizing their drivers by classifying them as independent contractors, who are prohibited by labor law from forming or joining unions. The IWW, however, has fought for the rights of truckers anyway. They are currently involved in labor actions in support of drivers in North Carolina, Virginia, Stockton, CA., Oakland, CA., Long Beach, CA., and New Jersey, among other areas. In addition, they recently cosponsored the José Gilberto Soto Trucker Education and Organizing Center. Just like in the past, the IWW has often fought in solidarity with all workers, union and non-union alike, and even those who belong to other unions.

In addition, the IWW has continued to help organize unions for workers that are commonly overlooked as they first did for seasonal and migrant workers as well as women and minorities. The IWW has provided a union for sex trade workers seeking to decriminalize prostitution and provide safeguards against exploitation and abuse for workers in the sex industry. In Ottawa, Canada the IWW established a panhandlers union to protect the local homeless population from harassment by police, business, and government officials; as well as to help empower them to better their situation.

The UAW Could Learn a Thing or Two From the Wobblies

There are plenty of parallels to the days when the Wobblies first burst upon the scene. The economy is as imbalanced as it ever was, with close to eighty five percent of the nation's assets in the hands of only ten percent of the population. What's more the labor is under attack from corporations trying to maximize profits at the expense of the workers. By moving jobs to other countries, where they can take advantage of sweatshop style labor the Bosses hope to create leverage against workers to take away what pay and benefits they've acquired in the past century. Meanwhile, in spite of the headlines screaming about the downfall of the economy, the CEO's collect handsome paychecks for driving it into the ground, while the workers in those same companies are living in fear of losing their jobs, if they haven't already.

So why is it that union membership has steadily declined, even as their services are so desperately needed? Of course, the answer is that the unions no longer functio n as a representative of the union members. More often than not, the union leaders seek a cozy relationship with management that benefits themselves and the union's own management at the expense of workers. Instead of fighting to make companies hold Bosses responsible for their own mismanagement, which actually caused the "crisis," they allow companies to undercut the workers and their families; unfairly painting laborers as the bad guy (the $70/hr. lie) and workers' pay as the problem, even though it only represents ten percent of the actual cost of auto production.

The desire to avoid this sort of collusion and self service among union leaders and bosses is the reason that the IWW structured itself as a rank and file based organization with class warfare and worker solidarity as its principle function. The famous Wobbly slogan whenever asked who their leader was: "We Are All Leaders!" They pulled no punches with their bold assessment of the relationship between labor and management in the preamble to the IWW C onstitution (quoted above) and they lived up to it in spades.

Make no mistake about it, once the Bosses break the unions in Detroit, they won't hesitate to come for the rest of us. The UAW, the Teamsters and the rest of the major labor unions would do their members a huge service by following the example of the Wobblies and viewing industrial negotiations as a war between the exploiters and the exploited until that situation ceases to be the case. However, being that those unions have already gone too far down the wrong road to do that, workers should take it upon themselves to choose another, even better option. Join the Wobblies!

Some Prominent Wobblies

_{"Big" Bill Haywood}_{- prominent}_{union activist}_{in the 19th and early 20th century; founding member of the IWW; served as general-secretary treasurer from 1915-1918}
_{Joe Hill}_{- early IWW organizer and prominent songwriter for the}_{"Little Red Son}_gboo _k"_{; executed in 1915 after being falsely convicted of murder; considered folk hero and martyr, m}_{any of}_{his songs}_{are still used by labor groups today}
_{Frank Little}_{- labor organizer; anti-war activist; member of the IWW}_{General Executive Board}_{; lynched in 1917 during government crackdown on the Wobblies.}
_{Eugene V. Debs}_{- former politician; early leader of the locomotive firemen and railway unions; founding member of the IWW; ran for president in five times including in 1920, while in pr}_{ison during the}_{government crackdown}_{on the Wobblies (received over 900 thousand votes)}
_{Ben Fletcher}_{- early IWW organizer for}_{East Coast longshoremen}_{; one of the first African Americans to ever serve a leadership role in a labor group; served time in Leavenworth after being convicted of "conspiring to strike"}
_{Elizabeth Gurley Flynn}_{- early IWW speaker and organizer; feminist, immigrant right activist; co-founder of the}_ACLU
_{Hubert "Black Socrates" Harrison}_{- prominent early African American civil rights activist, intellectual, writer, and speaker; worked as staff lecturer for New York Board of Education}
_{Valentine "T-Bone Slim" Huhta}_{- songwriter, poet for the "}_{Little Red Songbook}_{;" writer for the "}_{Industrial Solidarity/Industrial Worker}_{," the official paper of the IWW; spent most of his life "}_hoboing_{" around the country as a migrant worker}
_{Lucy Parsons}_{- prominent speaker and writer; anarchist, feminist, and civil rights activist; mixed-race daughter of slaves; widow of}_{Albert Parsons}_{one of the}_{Haymarket Square Martyrs}_{; after her death in an accidental fire, the FBI confiscated her personal writings and library of radical books}
_{James Connolly}_{- well respected writer, editor, and publisher; Wobbly organizer in New York, New Jersey, and later Ireland; was arrested and later executed by the British military for taking part in the}_{1916 Easter Rebellion}_{in Ireland}
_{Mary "Mother" Jones}_{- labor organizer; founding member of the IWW; public speaker; prominent feminist and activist against child labor; praised as "miner's angel" by workers; denounced as "most dangerous woman in America" by management}
_{Helen Keller}_{- famous deaf and blind subject of the movie}_{"The Miracle Worker;"}_{most people, however, aren't aware of}_{her later life}_{as a feminist, socialist, anti-war activist, and member of the IWW}
_{Utah Phillips}_{- a prolific songwriter and storyteller, he helped to renew interest and increase membership in the IWW by}_{re-recording old Wobbly songs}_{and popularizing their cause during his shows; co-founder of}_{Hospitality House}_{a homeless shelter in Grass Valley, CA.}
_{Noam Chomsky}_{- prominent linguist, political activist, writer, philosopher, tax resister, anti-war protester; published}_{Syntactic Structures}_{a theory of “}_{generative grammar}_{” that transformed linguistics from an obscure discipline into a major social science}

Mother Jones