On This Day, 1973: The First Cell Phone Call
2 hours ago
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U.S. Army Pfc. Naser Jason Abdo was arrested on July 28 in possession of bombmaking materials near Ft. Hood, and has reportedly confessed to plotting to attack soldiers outside the base (Fox, AFP, CNN, LAT, Politico, Guardian, Reuters, Post, NYT, AJE). Abdo, who went missing from his post in Kentucky over the July 4th weekend, is said to have purchased six pounds of smokeless gunpowder and ammunition from a local gun store, prompting the clerk to alert the authorities (Post, Politico). A Muslim who was granted conscientious objector status in May for his refusal to fight in Afghanistan, Abdo's release from the army was put on hold after he was charged with possession of child pornography. [In Full With Links]SOMETHING about that story has a stench to it... But in these days of the Global War On Terror, we're unlikely to find out that this person was set up to keep him captive in a controlled environment simply because he was Muslim, and wanted out.
Libyan rebel commander killedHere's Foreign Policy Magazine Morning Brief's (Neoliberal) take.
Al Jazeera reports the head of the Benghazi-based rebel military forces has been killed by gunman.
The case is unusual, because he was apparently arrested by rebel security forces and was being escorted to questioning for any remaining ties he had to the Gadaffi regime.
While in transit, he and his two aides also in custody were gunned down. No official connection has been determined between the gunmen and Gadaffi, although officials were quick to curse Gadaffi for trying to "break the unity of rebel forces." Al Jazeera also notes that there are still many armed groups in the east that are not associated or coordinated with the Benghazi-based National Transitional Council... [Anonymous News Network, More at al Jazeera]
Libyan military chief killedAlbeit Dave Kenner at FP's Passport blog DOES note the intrigue:
Abdel Fatah Younis, the military chief for Libya's rebel forces, was assassinated along with two aides in the de facto rebel capital of Benghazi yesterday. Mustafa Abdul Jalil, the head of the rebel Transitional National Council (TNC), said that arrests had been made but gave few details regarding the identity of his killers.
Younis had been a trusted lieutenant to Qaddafi until defecting to the rebels in February. However, he was distrusted by many rebels for his long relationship with Qaddafi, and hated by the Qaddafi regime for what it viewed as his act of betrayal.
Reports before Abdul Jalil's press conference on Thursday indicated that Libyan security forces had arrested Younis for allegedly maintaining ties with Qaddafi. Abdul Jalil said that he had been called back to Benghazi for questioning related to a "military matter," but did not provide for any specifics... [Foreign Policy Morning Brief]
It is no secret that the rebels' military hierarchy has long been in turmoil. Younis himself feuded for months with Gen. Khalifa Heftir, who is said to enjoy a long relationship with the CIA, over control of the rebel forces. The New Yorker's Jon Lee Anderson wrote that, even after defecting, Younis was still "distrusted by the shabab [Libyan youth] and by many council members." To this day, the TNC's military hierarchy remains largely a mystery. [Foreign Policy Passport]And just in case anyone's wondering, THIS is why NATO and the West want Muammar al-Gadaffi dead... The West needs a dependent Africa.
Security Culture for Activists
A resource by The Ruckus Society, written by Jess Bell and Dan Spalding.
While opponents (like governments and corporations) use technology to snoop, spy and test our effectiveness, this guide walks activists through security measures we can take to safeguard ourselves against those dirty deeds.
Go to Ruckus Society's site and download the PDF
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The current impasse is the starkest illustration yet of that tension as the speaker labors to persuade House Republicans, who find the notion of increasing the debt limit repugnant, to do so in order to prevent what Mr. Boehner, a former businessman himself, knows could be a disastrous default. [In Full, NYTimes]
WASHINGTON -- Legendary U.S. legislator Sam Rayburn once said: "Any jackass can kick down a barn, but it takes a good carpenter to build one."» In Afghanistan, an Afghan government compound in Uruzgan has been attacked and seventeen killed even as Kandahar's recent spate of assassinations leave US war planners wondering whether our war on Afghanistan's society and culture is indeed lost.
It's an oft-repeated Capitol Hill adage that's making the rounds anew this week as the Tea Party, a political movement that didn't exist three years ago, continues to exert control over Republican legislators trying to come up with a viable proposal to reduce the country's massive $14.3 trillion debt and avert a potential financial calamity in less than a week.
"The entire political dynamic has been changed by the Tea Party movement," Mark Meckler, the founder of one of the biggest Tea Party groups, the Tea Party Patriots, said."The core values of the Tea Party Patriots -- fiscal responsibility, the constitution, limited government and free-market capitalism -- are now defining the debate around virtually every issue in the nation."[Winnipeg Free Press]
Analysts continue to assess the impact of the suicide bombing that killed Kandahar mayor and dual Afghan-American citizen Ghulam Haider Hamidi Wednesday, as TIME offers a profile of Hamidi, a staunch anti-corruption figure, and the Telegraph looks at the most recent adaptation in Taliban tactics, hiding bombs in turbans (AP, Reuters, ABC, TIME, Tel, LAT, Post, BBC, Globe and Mail). At least 17 people have been killed in an assault involving suicide bombers and gunmen on a government compound in the Uruzgan town of Tarin Kowt (BBC, AP). And the AP reports on the toll the war in Afghanistan has taken on Afghan police, who suffered more than twice as many casualties as Afghan soldiers or U.S. and foreign forces last year (AP). [In Full, with links]Foreign Policy also points out indirectly another way the West is attempting to destroy Afghanistan: "Afghanistan is set to get its own version of the popular British and American television series "The Office," when "The Ministry" premiers on Afghanistan's largest network,". Also see: Afghan gameshow brings relief, and a chance of cash (Reuters, Oct 24 2010)
Is America Ripe for a Tahrir Moment?
Imagine … it's the dawn of the 13th day of the occupation … you're tired, not sleeping or eating too great … you've been harassed, maybe tear gassed and beaten. But when you look at your compatriots you see emancipation burning in their eyes. Bloomberg is threatening to call in the National Guard, Obama is hemming and hawing, but you are sitting tight because much of the nation is cheering you on. Al Jazeera and BBC are beaming your struggle to a captivated world and the tension is building for Obama to break his silence. It feels much like it did in Tahrir Square moments before Mubarak caved. More @ Adbusters
August 2nd General Assembly on Wall StreetLast but not least... In light of the above manifestos and statements... The REST OF YOU, the ones who bank on the status quo should note, because time are going to get harder for you soon, that Prozac, used by 40 million people, does not work.
Published 2011-07-26 04:44:01 UTC by OccupyWallSt
From: New Yorkers Against Budget Cuts
The people who brought you the Bloombergville Occupation.
[email redacted, see site]
In response to the Sept. 17th Occupy Wall St. call, we decided to incorporate the organizing for the event with a New Yorkers Against Budget Cuts General Assembly on Wall St. on Aug. 2nd. In order to build the Sept. 17th call, we will use this opportunity to have the first NYC meeting for the Sept. 17th event.
Here is the link to the facebook event: http://tinyurl.com/4y8qczk
Plan For The September 17 Occupation Of Wall Street
Gather at 4:30: Meet At The Bull, Just South Of Broadway And Morris Street, At The North End Of Bowling Green Park
As the two U.S. political parties unite to dismantle Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security, it’s clear:
The bankers are looting decades-old peoples’ programs and the Democrats can’t help us.
Obama can’t help us.
Elected officials can’t help us.
It’s time for the people to meet and take the bull by the horns!
Go To OccupyWallStreet, News and Logistics for September 17th, for more
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The green eyeshades at CBO are proving their nonpartisan bona fides again today. This morning they announced that the Reid plan would save $2.2 trillion during the next decade — fully $1.3 trillion more than the Boehner plan. It’s not exactly as much or in the same way as the Senate majority leader has said he was after — but, crucially, the official budget scorekeepers said it was fair for Reid to claim 45 percent of the projected savings from the winding down of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. (Republicans, even though they made the same claim in some of their own proposals, had derided that as a gimmick.) The CBO also said Reid would save $840 billion in other spending by government agencies and would reduce interest payments by $375 billion over a decade.» In the House, fifty six year old congressman Wu of Portland Oregon with fourteen years in congress has become the second Democratic congressman to resign. In this case over accusations of having pressured an eighteen year old girl into having sex with him. He planned to stay in the House but resigned when Nancy Pelosi threatened an ethics committee investigation. Wu will most likely be replaced by another progressive Democrat, as Portland, at least the city, has the political tenor of Berkley in the sixties.
The announcement comes on the heels of what Boehner should view as a big favor from the CBO. Although the agency’s headline sounded bad — the Speaker’s plan wouldn’t save as much as he said it would ($850 billion vs. $1.2 trillion) — the announcement was politically and tactically good news for the House GOP leadership, because it masked the enormous difficulty they are having in gathering the votes needed to pass their legislation. The CBO scoring also gave Boehner the excuse he needed to go back to the legislative drafting board and “fix” his plan — probably so that it does more to appease conservatives, who complain it would take too small a first bite out of discretionary federal programs.
Two influential conservative groups , the Club for Growth and the Heritage Foundation’s political arm, opposed the first Boehner plan and are unlikely to be brought around after he unveils his changes, which is planned for this afternoon. But the Chamber of Commerce is urging a “yes” vote. [In Full]
“There is great difficulty finding jobs at the bottom of the employment ladder,” Goeke said. “People with skills and degrees are competing for the entry-level jobs. It's very hard to get jobs.”
In addition to the county's 11.5 percent unemployment rate, the price of monthly rents are among the highest in the nation.
In the county, a full-time worker must earn $33.27 per hour to afford a modest two-bedroom rental,
Santa Cruz SentinelNote that due to the fact this census was done during the winter, the figure for homeless youths is INCREDIBLY low-balled if one counts the roadie kids passing through town, with many staying, some having been here before while living with their parents who typically were on a nationwide quest for high paying work in the computer industry, leaving a legacy of "Corporate Kids" returning to the area when they finally move out of the family home which ended up being 'elsewhere'. They are not the high-earners their parents were. Either due to lack of opportunity, or perhaps they see the end of their parent's and America's middle class lifestyle looming and have 'opted-out'.
County's homeless population soars 22 percent in two years
By SHANNA MCCORD
07/26/2011
Image: Homeless people gather in a part of San Lorenzo Park (ed. where they are harrassed regularly by the police) on Tuesday.
SANTA CRUZ — Fueled largely by the sour economy and expensive rents, the homeless population in Santa Cruz County has soared 22 percent in two years.
The number of people without homes is estimated at 2,771, according to a count conducted in January by the United Way of Santa Cruz County and the nonprofit research firm Applied Survey Research of Watsonville.
The homeless tally in 2009, the last time a census was taken, was 2,265.
The 2011 Santa Cruz County Homeless Census and Survey report will be released at 10 a.m. today at a public meeting at Twin Lakes Church in Aptos.
Most alarming for researchers studying the community's homeless was the jump in number of people under age 25 living on the streets, and the number of people experiencing homelessness for the first time, which increased 40 percent in two years. [In Full]
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THE BABY AND THE BAATH WATER
Adam Curtis
Thursday, 16 June 2011
What is happening in Syria feels like one of the last gasps of the age of the military dictators. An old way of running the world is still desperately trying to cling to power, but the underlying feeling in the west is that somehow Assad's archaic and cruel military rule will inevitably collapse and Syrians will move forward into a democratic age.
That may, or may not, happen, but what is extraordinary is that we have been here before.
Between 1947 and 1949 an odd group of idealists and hard realists in the American government set out to intervene in Syria. Their aim was to liberate the Syrian people from a corrupt autocratic elite - and allow true democracy to flourish.
They did this because they were convinced that "the Syrian people are naturally democratic" and that all that was necessary was to get rid of the elites - and a new world of "peace and progress" would inevitably emerge.
What resulted was a disaster, and the consequences of that disaster then led, through a weird series of bloody twists and turns, to the rise to power of the Assad family and the widescale repression in Syria today.
I thought I would tell that story... [In Full]
A bomb exploded at the Norwegian capitol building in Oslo, killing eight people. Hours later, a gunman opened fire at an island camp for young members of Norway's ruling Labor Party, killing another 76, many of them teenagers. Police took into custody 32-year-old Anders Behring Breivik, who claimed responsibility for both attacks. “We are not sure whether he was alone or had help,” said a Norwegian police official. “What we know is that he is right-wing and a Christian fundamentalist.”
On the day of the attack, Breivik posted online a 1,500-page manifesto entitled “2083: A European Declaration of Independence,” in which he claimed membership in a militant group that planned to “seize political and military control of Western European countries and implement a cultural conservative political agenda.” The document, which describes a 2002 meeting in London to re-establish the Knights Templar and begin a new Crusade against Muslims, borrows from the writings of the Unabomber, Ted Kaczynski, and quotes extensively from anti-Muslim American bloggers.
Breivik's manifesto also criticizes the feminization of European males as paving the way for the Islamization of the continent. “The female manipulation of males has been institutionalised during the last decades,” he wrote, adding that in the “destructive and suicidal Sex and the City lifestyle (modern feminism, sexual revolution) … men are not men anymore, but metro sexual and emotional beings that are there to serve the purpose as a never-criticising soul mate to the new age feminist woman goddess.” [More @ Harpers Weekly Review]
"Following is an extract from Armageddon in Retrospect by Kurt Vonnegut in which he describes the scenes of ‘obscene brutality’ he witnessed as a prisoner of war in Dresden which inspired his classic novel Slaughterhouse-Five."The atom bomb may represent a fabulous advance, but it is interesting to note that primitive TNT and thermite managed to exterminate in one bloody night more people than died in the whole London blitz. Fortress Dresden fired a dozen shots at our airmen. Once back at their bases and sipping hot coffee, they probably remarked: “Flak unusually light tonight. Well, guess it’s time to turn in.”
The blood of Dresden
Kurt Vonnegut
I was among a group of 150 infantry privates, captured in the Bulge breakthrough and put to work in Dresden. Dresden, we were told, was the only major German city to have escaped bombing so far. That was in January 1945. She owed her good fortune to her unwarlike countenance: hospitals, breweries, food-processing plants, surgical supply houses, ceramics, musical instrument factories and the like.
Since the war [had started], hospitals had become her prime concern. Every day hundreds of wounded came into the tranquil sanctuary from the east and west. At night, we would hear the dull rumble of distant air raids. “Chemnitz is getting it tonight,” we used to say, and speculated what it might be like to be the bright young men with their dials and cross-hairs.
“Thank heaven we’re in an ‘open city’,” we thought, and so thought the thousands of refugees – women, children and old men who came in a forlorn stream from the smouldering wreckage of Berlin, Leipzig, Breslau, Munich. They flooded the city to twice its normal population.
There was no war in Dresden. True, planes came over nearly every day and the sirens wailed, but the planes were always en route elsewhere. The alarms furnished a relief period in a tedious work day, a social event, a chance to gossip in the shelters. The shelters, in fact, were not much more than a gesture, casual recognition of the national emergency: wine cellars and basements with benches in them and sandbags blocking the windows, for the most part. There were a few more adequate bunkers in the centre of the city, close to the government offices, but nothing like the staunch subterranean fortress that rendered Berlin impervious to her daily pounding. Dresden had no reason to prepare for attack – and thereby hangs a beastly tale.
Dresden was surely among the world’s most lovely cities. Her streets were broad, lined with shade-trees. She was sprinkled with countless little parks and statuary. She had marvellous old churches, libraries, museums, theatres, art galleries, beer gardens, a zoo and a renowned university... [More @ PulseMedia]
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"All martyrs of religious faiths, of freedom and of science have had to disobey those who wanted to muzzle them in order to obey their own consciences, the laws of humanity and of reason. If a man can only obey and not disobey, he is a slave; if he can only disobey and not obey, he is a rebel (not a revolutionary); he acts out of anger,disappointment, resentment, yet not in the name of a conviction or a principle." ~~Erich Fromm
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The floods in the Midwest are decreasing but the waters are spreading out across the region causing a massive amount of high humidity in combination with high temperatures, and it's expected to continue for at least a week. It IS possible that the Wheat and Corn harvests which did get planted will be seriously damaged... for the long term, if the climate continues to change in a similar direction over the years. (src)A Massive, deadly heat wave is spreading from Midwest to East. There is also a drought across the Southern tier of the US. More, and still more in the commentary.
"We are not scared any more. Your threats to arrest us are meaningless to us as you cannot arrest an idea,"Reuters says: "Hacking groups say they are back after FBI arrests"
Anonymous Hackers Group Declares Solidarity With Animal Liberation Struggle...and the sentiment is mutual:
Fight Against Oppression Won't be Affected by Recent Arrest of 14 Alleged Members
Los Angeles: In a computer-generated spoken communique on YouTube last week, the hackers group Anonymous voiced its solidarity with the struggle for animal liberation. Citing the commonality of oppression against humans and non-human animals, the group highlighted the injustice in animal experimentation and the unnecessary consumption of animal flesh, and asked the public not to turn their backs on non-humans capable of "emotions such as joy. anger. sadness & fear. both [humans and non-human animals] have families. mothers. fathers. brothers. sisters. sons & daughters".
"The North American Animal Liberation Press Office unequivocally supports the actions of Anonymous, as a critical component in the fight against a capitalist state intent on the destruction of habitat, oppression of those who are necessary to sustain its domination, and suppression of any dissent by those who recognize the need to act against tyranny."In full with video @ Auntie Imperial's News & Blog Review
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This is the way the world ends for the OECD, the nations that affected to be developed and civilized.The Amazing Dissolving Nation - James Kunstler, Clusterfuck Nation
This phase of globalism is certainly not the end of history, but it is looking like the end of accounting tricks, and possibly democracy, which has discredited itself with accounting tricks.
At a certain point in time, the sickening recognition sets in that appearances are not the same as reality - and then, all of a sudden, you're in a political maelstrom. Citizens of the various lands will discover that the money being argued over, shifted around from column A to column B, assigned to this or that actuarial table or budget line or account or obligation or vault or "structured vehicle"- that money is just ... not ... there.
There's no money. It was pretend money. From now on, none of you will get paid. Imagine a world where nobody gets paid.
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