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Saturday Morning Diary
Oh what a week.
Updates first: The "Ontario Four" still do not have their car, which is being held under suspicion of containing food labels from Whole Foods, as well as names and contact info for the perpetrators of a heinous crime: the liberation of some food from Whole Foods for the homeless. The crime, which happened long before the Ontario Four arrived in the Nation's Capitol, was carried out by persons who have Left the Area, and who Left the Area prior to anyone's awareness of what they had done. One young woman, who apparently resembled one of the said criminals, but who is completely innocent, was seized at the same time the car was, and charged, and has had to drop out of college while she fights a battle against the totally and completely inept DC Police.
Meanwhile, the search for food labels must be frustrating the cops, since all food labels are CANADIAN. And the search within Lenna's laptop will reveal nothing, since the crime was committed by people unknown to her. The saga continues...
Lori and Liz: After being targeted by the Capitol Police (a different animal from the DC police), and dragged out of a hearing, and arrested for doing absolutely nothing, legal actions are being contemplated. The fact that video exists, and from different angles, helps. Interesting charges are helping us to learn a little bit about how the police intent to proceed: Desiree, who initiated the action against Condoleezza Rice without sharing her intentions, got a misdemeanor charge, and no jury trial. Medea, who put two fingers in the air sometime after Des was removed from the courtroom, will get a jury trial.
It seems to me, as an observer, that the police do not want Des to have a potentially sympathetic jury, whereas they believe that Medea may garner less sympathy. I think they underestimate both women myself.
I think their asses are going to get kicked.
Other exciting events from the week:
Richard managed to get inside the Heritage Foundation to hear GWB give comfort to MoveOn and Code Pink on Thursday. Despite the wink and the smarmy smile that followed his obvious jibe at the Dems in Congress (who give Code Pink very little traffic, after all), just the mention has provided both organizations with a sense of having penetrated the fog a little. Yep, Bre'r George, just keep throwin' Bre'r Pink into that briar patch...
A highlight, for me, was to take some of my graduate students to a briefing in the Senate on arts education, Thursday morning. The examples of school success that is supported by rigorous and sequential arts experiences were heart-warming. I would venture to say that any revisions of the "No Child Left Behind" act ought to take into account both the loss of arts education in schools where more time on reading and math is mandated, as well as the evidence of how well the arts support the habits of mind that allow for deeper learning and more engagement with ideas. It's IMAGINATION, people. We need more of it.
Imagine what the world would be like now if more people had been able to imagine the future back in 2000 and 2004.
And imagine what the world could look like if we imagine a better course of action right now, And imagine what you might do to make that happen.
Today, I am imagining an action that involves some education to the Congress on what waterboarding actually "is". Yes, I can see it all unfolding....like a dance....
Just imagine.
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Thanks for the report on happenings in DC, from on the ground (or near it?) It's odd to get up and: brush teeth, wash hair, get dressed, get tea, open email & see that Pakistan is in State of Emergency & Blackwater are getting into the spy business. Next stop DCP for an update on the Ontario 4 & Code Pink, then the news, then breakfast if able to stomach it by then. Life is so odd now.
Karen,
Thanks for the update on the Ontario 4 and their vehicle (the mastermind of robbing from the rich and giving to the poor while not even allowing it's owners to know it's in the neighborhood doing such a thing.)
DC police sound hypervigilante against ghosts nowadays.
Regarding Richard in the Heritage Foundation, I certainly hope Richard will be telling us more.
And regarding the code pinkers, I hope they sue DC police's a$$e$ off! My advice to Code Pink is to find a way to bypass the media's story. They must make themselves sympathetic to the world. Go to the press, go to the foriegn press. And basically make sure their story of the 'big daddy government squashing the little guy' gets out there loud and clear. The same is true for the Ontario 4.
Karen,
On topic and a blog-spam at the same time. Mole333 has presented a diary of actions at daily kos. Here's the link in case it doesn't make the rec. list. VOTE THIS TUESDAY: A Roundup for Progressives and the first coment included some smart suggestions which I am posting here too:
So that diary and that comments removes it from the "Imaginary" phase and moves it to the ACTION JACKSON phase...YAY!
"And regarding the code pinkers, I hope they sue DC police's a$$e$ off! My advice to Code Pink is to find a way to bypass the media's story. They must make themselves sympathetic to the world. Go to the press, go to the foriegn press. And basically make sure their story of the 'big daddy government squashing the little guy' gets out there loud and clear. The same is true for the Ontario 4."
Absolutely, sparrow! I won't sit and take it when CodePink gets smeared by the police, just for exercising its rights.
Ally,
It's more than just 'exercising their rights'.
It's even more than the fact that they are doing nothing at all that warrants police brutality because they are quietly participating in civil disobedience or protests (sometimes) but not in last weeks instance. They are sitting in a room or wearing a t'shirt and for that they are being picked up, kicked, punched, and brutalized. And that these actions are happening due to a rogue of politicians forcing the police to 'shut up the dissenters'.
But to me what makes this worse and what the media should be relaying is that the Police are now committing crimes. The same people who wear the uniform and by the SAME PEOPLE who WE AS PARENTS teach our children are there to PROTECT US (them).
Who are the police protecting in these cases and who are they brutalizing? THAT is the key question.
(meant rogue group of politicians)
More updates:
We just got back from seeing RENDITION. HIGHLY recommended.
Tomorrow we begin the seminar on "Waterboarding for Dummies". It's a three-day seminar. Watch this space.
sparrow:
"Go to the press, go to the foriegn press. And basically make sure their story of the 'big daddy government squashing the little guy' gets out there loud and clear. The same is true for the Ontario 4."
Yes! That's what is needed to make an absolute mockery of your MSM and its ignorance and unwillingness to tell facts/news. Once the foreign media show US journalists to be lazy and ill-informed, heads may start to roll. After all - the Murdochs of the world - whilst being the most abominable of all life forms - don't like to be shown to be utterly stupid.
This morning's "Duh" moment:
When conservatives were talking about less Govt, they didn't mean less Govt in our lives, they meant les Govt as in just a dictator.....
I found out a couple of interesting things:
Elizabeth Walter was awarded "Democrat of the Year" for her work to promote election integrity (not that the same people who awarded it will take her advice re. what is done in King County..).
Huge crowds are expected Friday here at Town Hall for the meeting about the FCC and media.
Here is what I am talking about.
http://www.townhallseattle.org/greatHall.cfm
The purpose of the hearing is to fully involve the public in the process of the 2006 Quadrennial Broadcast Media Ownership Review that the Commission is currently conducting. This hearing is the sixth and final media ownership hearing the Commission intends to hold across the country. Previous FCC public hearings in the current review of media ownership issues were held in Los Angeles, CA on October 3, 2006; Nashville, TN on December 11, 2006; and Harrisburg, PA on February 23, 2007; Tampa Bay, Florida on April 30, 2007; and Chicago, Illinois on September 20, 2007.
The hearing is open to the public, and seating will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. The hearing format will enable members of the public to participate via "open microphone."
A live audio cast of the hearing will be available at the FCC's website at [ http://www.fcc.gov/ ]www.fcc.gov on a first-come, first-served basis. The public may also file comments or other documents with the Commission and should reference docket number 06-121 when filing by paper or submit your filing electronically by going to [ http://gullfoss2.fcc.gov/prod/ecfs/upload_v2.cgi ]http://gullfoss2.fcc.gov/prod/ecfs/upload_v2.cgi and enter proceeding number 06-121. Filing instructions are provided at [ http://www.fcc.gov/ownership/comments.html ]http://www.fcc.gov/ownership/comments.html.
SUNDAY NIGHT UPDATES:
From this morning:
http://codepinkdc.blogspot.com/
Dianne Feinstein stated on CNN today that Mukasey is the best we can expect and that if he isn't confirmed now, Bush will probably appoint someone worse during the holiday recess. This is unacceptable! Our senators are second-guessing what George W. Bush will do and this drives the votes of the U.S. Senate? Incredible!!
A small group of concerned citizens turned out at CNN this morning to voice our dissent to this confirmation. Karen, Liz, Leslie, Medea, Gael, Allison, Mona, Marietta, Carol, Jess, Steve, Dick, Clark, Mahboud, Vernon and I arrived around 10:30 this morning at the doors to the CNN studios to pressure Sen. Feinstein to change her mind. We staged a mock waterboarding on her way in and after the program. As we cornered Ms. Feinstein all she said and I paraphrase, "We're going to pass legislation to declare waterboarding illegal". On Wolf Blitzer's Late Edition she stated that only the CIA can waterboard legally.
***
And for tomorrow:
Press Release
For release: Monday November 5, 2007
Demonstration of Torture for Mukasey at Justice
Live Waterboarding at 10th and Pennsylvania NW
(Washington, DC) On the eve of the Senate Judiciary Committee vote on the nomination of Judge Michael B. Mukasey, anti-torture activists will demonstrate waterboarding at the Justice Department, 10th & Pennsylvania, NW, at noon on Monday November 5.
“Waterboarding is torture, and we’re here at the Justice Department to show the world and Judge Mukasey just exactly what this torture looks like,” said Clark Kissinger, organizer of the event. “Waterboarding is illegal under U.S. and international law, and it is shameful for anyone to pretend otherwise.”
Waterboarding is not “simulated drowning”—it IS drowning. The torturer forces water into the victim’s lungs, making breathing in a controlled manner impossible.
“Chuck Schumer and Dianne Feinstein are trying to have it both ways,” said Kissinger. “But no amount of equivocating can hide their craven failure to condemn criminal acts. A vote for Mukasey is a vote to leave the door open for torture.”
What: Live demonstration of waterboarding torture technique
Where: 10th and Pennsylvania NW in front of the Dept. of Justice
When: Noon, Monday November 5, 2007
http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2007/09/23/feinstein
FEINSTEIN Not Only Voted For Torture-She Tried To Cover-It-Up
Feinstein not only voted for the unconstitutional MCA last year, she tried to cover up her abandonment of principle yesterday by suggesting that an amendment outlawing waterboarding be attached to the FISA bill, but that would be even more pernicious. She already voted for the disastrous Intelligence Committee version of the FISA bill, which contains serious violations of the 4th Amendment and extends immunity to the telecom companies. So she’s proposing to condition any prohibition of undisputed torture on accepting these further affronts to the Constitution.