Showing posts with label protest. Show all posts
Showing posts with label protest. Show all posts

Monday, May 11, 2020

Complicity . . .

 

(from https://medium.com/@arlen.parsa/15-inspirational-quotes-about-speaking-up-against-injustice-336f382c1578)
“To sin by silence when they should protest makes cowards of men.” — Ella Wheeler Wilcox

“We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference.” — Elie Wiesel

“A man dies when he refuses to stand up for that which is right. A man dies when he refuses to stand up for justice. A man dies when he refuses to take a stand for that which is true.” — Dr Martin Luther King Jr

“Where you see wrong or inequality or injustice, speak out, because this is your country. This is your democracy. Make it. Protect it. Pass it on.” — Thurgood Marshall

“Silence becomes cowardice when occasion demands speaking out the whole truth and acting accordingly.”
– Mahatma Gandhi






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Saturday, December 7, 2019

True . . .

. . . colors . . .

What are you trying
To hide from me
Do you think that your protests
Can change what I see
So much is so obvious
Quite clear and so true
From the clouds of this bluster
Real colors show through


True Colors
©2017 Raymond M. Jozwiak
(from the unreleased 'Phatso'; improvisations on Moog Little Phatty)



Thursday, June 6, 2019

Amazing . . .

. . . without any grace whatsoever . . . 



(from https://www.factcheck.org/2019/06/anti-trump-protests-in-london-not-fake-news/)
". . . It’s possible Trump didn’t see the mass of protestors, as he said. But that doesn’t mean they didn’t exist, or that reports of such crowds are “fake news.”

USA Today reported that “[t]he protest route ran from London’s Trafalgar Square, past No. 10 Downing St. – Prime Minister Theresa May’s official office and residence – and on to Parliament Square, a large open green space across the street from the British Parliament.” . . . But “because of the way British police placed security barriers,” the newspaper explained, “[m]ost of the demonstrators were out of his sight.”. . . 

the Guardian, a British news publication, posted a short video of interviews with some of the protestors who gathered in those locations. (It also posted a longer video of people marching and listening to speakers criticize Trump.)

ABC News and CNN also published stories including a video and photos of more than a “very small” number of protestors holding signs with messages denouncing the president. There also was a parade-sized balloon depicting Trump as a baby, and a giant statue of Trump wearing an “impeach me” hat and sitting on a toilet with a phone in his hands.

NBC News reported that “[t]ens of thousands of protesters assembled in the streets of London on Tuesday” in what it said was the “largest of more than two dozen anti-Trump protests planned around the U.K. this week.” One of the groups that organized the demonstration claimed “some 75,000 people” attended the June 4 protest. . . . If so, that wouldn’t even be London’s largest ever gathering of Trump protesters. . . . “While thousands turned out, the protests were significantly smaller than the anti-Trump demonstrations that emerged during the President’s visit to the U.K. last July,” Time reported. The magazine said that time “[a]bout 250,000 people flooded the center of London, and an estimated total of 400,000 people protested across the U.K, resulting in a large-scale police and security operation, in which more than 10,000 police officers were deployed.”

. . . the president has a habit of labeling accurate news stories as “fake news.” This is yet another example. . . "





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Sunday, March 25, 2018

Obviously . . .

. . .  one last, desperate gasp for breath before dying . . .


". . . the NRA posted a short membership-drive video along with a brief message.
"Stand and Fight for our Kids' Safety by Joining NRA," it said. "Today's protests aren't spontaneous. Gun-hating billionaires and Hollywood elites are manipulating and exploiting children as part of their plan to DESTROY the Second Amendment and strip us of our right to defend ourselves and our loved ones.". . . "




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Thursday, April 21, 2016

Headlines . . .



"Massive Clinton voter fraud in NY
The Horn News‎ - 2 days ago"

"New York Primary Lawsuit: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know
Heavy.com‎ - 2 days ago"

"New York Voters Report Irregularities at Poll Sites
Wall Street Journal‎ - 1 day ago"

"NY voters file lawsuit over alleged election fraud - NY Daily ...
www.nydailynews.com/news/.../hundreds-ny-voters-..."

"Massive New York Protest Against Election Fraud - Reddit
https://www.reddit.com/.../massive_new_york_protest_against_election_"

"PSA: That Shady Postcard You Got About The Primary ...
gothamist.com/2016/03/23/voter_supression.php"

"New York election disaster: Voter rolls purged - WND.com
www.wnd.com/.../nyc-election-disaster-mess-leaves-mayo..."





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Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Weirdness . . .


. . . in my insulated little world.  A Serious Problem in OUR human one.


(from http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/breaking/bal-orioles-protests-freddie-gray-camden-yards-20150425-story.html)
" . . . When Saturday’s (Baltimore Orioles baseball) game. . . went to extra innings, fans were asked to remain inside the ballpark until further notice. Soon, they were prohibited from leaving Camden Yards, and every gate around the concourse was closed as word traveled that protesters were heading back downtown. In the bottom of the decisive 10th inning, the gates opened and fans were allowed to leave. . . "


(from http://ftw.usatoday.com/2015/04/orioles-john-angelos-baltimore-protests-mlb by Orioles COO John Angelos, son of owner Peter Angelo-in response to scattered violence during protests on Saturday)
". . . the principle of peaceful, non-violent protest and the observance of the rule of law is of utmost importance in any society. MLK, Gandhi, Mandela and all great opposition leaders throughout history have always preached this precept. Further, it is critical that in any democracy, investigation must be completed and due process must be honored before any government or police members are judged responsible. That said, my greater source of personal concern, outrage and sympathy beyond this particular case is focused neither upon one night’s property damage nor upon the acts, but is focused rather upon the past four-decade period during which an American political elite have shipped middle class and working class jobs away from Baltimore and cities and towns around the U.S. to third-world dictatorships like China and others, plunged tens of millions of good, hard-working Americans into economic devastation, and then followed that action around the nation by diminishing every American’s civil rights protections in order to control an unfairly impoverished population living under an ever-declining standard of living and suffering at the butt end of an ever-more militarized and aggressive surveillance state. . ."


(from http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/28/us/baltimore-freddie-gray.html?_r=0# - after Monday's
riots in West Baltimore)
". . . Maryland’s governor activated the National Guard on Monday and the city of Baltimore announced a curfew for all residents as a turbulent day that began with the funeral of 25-year-old Freddie Gray, the nation’s latest symbol of police brutality, ended with rioting by rock-throwing youths, arson, looting and at least 15 police officers injured. The violence that shook the city broke out in the late afternoon in the Mondawmin neighborhood of northwest Baltimore, where Mr. Gray’s funeral had taken place. Angry residents threw bottles, rocks and chunks of concrete at officers who lined up in riot gear with shields deployed. Cars were set on fire, store windows were shattered, a CVS drugstore was looted, and the cafe inside a century-old Italian deli was destroyed. Trouble also erupted at the city’s Lexington Market. . . "







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Monday, April 6, 2015

Scared . . .


. . . or belligerent?!!


(According to Reuters)
". . . Big Wall Street banks are so upset with U.S. Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren's call for them to be broken up that some have discussed withholding campaign donations to Senate Democrats in symbolic protest, sources familiar with the discussions said. Citigroup has decided to withhold donations for now to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee over concerns that Senate Democrats could give Warren and lawmakers who share her views more power, sources inside the bank told Reuters. JPMorgan representatives have met Democratic Party officials to emphasize the connection between its annual contribution and the need for a friendlier attitude toward the banks, a source familiar with JPMorgan's donations said. . ."






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Friday, September 21, 2012

Read. . .

. . . and think [Note to Mitt and friends, you may continue talking amongst yourselves]

 (from NBCNews.com by Jim Maceda, an NBC News foreign correspondent based in London and currently on assignment in Cairo. He has covered the Middle East since the 1970s.)

 ". . . This paroxysm of protest – and violence – had begun in Cairo. But what, really, began there?

Much of the mainstream media has played it as a spontaneous reaction to a disgusting film clip which denigrated Muslims and happened to be made and promoted in the USA.

But New York Times editorialist Ross Douthat argued it had nothing to do with a "genuine popular backlash," but everything to do with old-style power politics. For Jim Clifton, chairman of the pollster Gallup, it wasn't about religion or politics, but rather the desperate expression of young Arab males, deeply humiliated because they couldn't find jobs.

'Political manipulation'
Egyptian analysts seem to be more in agreement: Many protesters outside the U.S. Embassy were genuinely offended by the film. But the real driving force behind the protest – in Cairo and Benghazi – were radical Islamist groups who know how to exploit rage for political gain.

Actors and the assistant director of the film "Innocence of Muslims" told NBC News that the original spoken lines in the screenplay were dubbed over without their knowledge. NBC's Mike Taibbi reports.

"There are still a lot of questions that need to be answered," said Mona Eltahawy, an Egyptian journalist. "For instance, why after two months of being on YouTube did this film suddenly explode on the anniversary of 9/11? That is political manipulation and manufactured outrage that the right wing is all too happy to use.''

Egypt issues arrest warrants for Terry Jones, Coptic Christians over anti-Islam video

By "right-wing" Eltahawy means ultra conservatives – often called Salafists – who practice a strict, puritanical form of Islam and make up the fastest-growing Islamic political and social movement in the world. On the night of the Cairo embassy attacks, the Salafists saw an opportunity to flex their muscles.

"A lot of people went to the U.S. Embassy not just because of the film, and after the film died down, it wasn't about the film anymore," Eltahawy explained. "They went because of anti-U.S. sentiment, because they know in this region how easy it is to fan the flames of anger.". . . "



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Wednesday, June 13, 2012

What's with. . .

. . . Putin? ? ?


(from USA Today. . . )
"The young advertising specialist was handing out tickets for a ride to jail in a police truck in a bit of humor to offset the fear sparked by recent repressions against the opposition movement.

"It lightens the atmosphere, which is very tense right now," Vasilyeva said. "I even offered a ticket to a police officer, and he smiled too."

Demonstrators started out at Pushkin Square to show that are still angry over a presidential election they say was stolen by Putin, who is now on his third presidential term.

Organizers said about 120,000 people joined the march.

Police, who had clashed with protesters at the last protest, on the night before Putin's inauguration in May, stood by but took no action. Police said about 20,000 protesters arrived. . . "




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Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Objective . . .

. . . ???  Not quite.  Take your pick. . .

 1.  It is a depressing thing that in this day and age the police allow trash like this to think it is alright to threaten officers, throw things, knock down barricades, refuse lawful orders, etc.  There is only one way to put a stop to this kind of lawlessness and that is with a stern warning followed by force, deadly if necessary.  Then the message may get through. No you are not allowed to riot, destroy property and incite riots. The ringleaders of this kind of thing need to do serious jail time.

2.  After the veterans spoke and descended the stage, protesters milled about for a bit, trying to figure out their next move. That's when CPD suddenly accelerated aggressively. Initially, no order for dispersal was given, when suddenly police arrived in what can only be described as souped-up riot gear that gave the officers the appearance of Storm Troopers. CPD appeared ready for a violent confrontation with protesters, which of course became a self-fulfilling prophecy. Police attacked protesters, clubbing them across their heads with billy clubs, and generally shoving activists around. At least two protesters were badly injured. "Just saw protesters gushing blood from head," independent journalist John Knefel tweeted, "Photog witnessed it, called it terrifying."

3.  I look forward to reviewing their video evidence, because what I've seen and what my media colleagues on the front lines are reporting is that protesters were given considerable latitude to express their views in rallies and marches, then fought back when police tried slowly to move them back to try to disperse the crowd. It looked like every third person in the crowd was shooting video, so we ought to have ample evidence from multiple angles if officers engaged in unprovoked attacks.  And some may have. YouTube links welcome.

4.  Most protesters have left the area, while a small number have been detained. Police in riot gear have corralled the protesters in an intersection about a half-mile from the lakefront convention center where President Barack Obama is hosting a gathering of world leaders. There are now many more police officers on the scene than protesters. The confrontation began when some protesters dressed all in black are trying to move east toward McCormick Place. Some were throwing water bottles at police, and some officers responding by hitting protesters with batons.






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Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Good Work!!. . .

. . . Kudos to the Baltimore City Police for no use of violence.
Kudos to Occupy Baltimore for no use of violence.
So camping is out, but a spokesman for OB said last night
that this movement is about much more than a small piece
of real estate. I for one, am glad to hear it.
---------------------------------------------------
(from WBAL.com)
"City police officers closed downtown streets overnight as officers in riot gear cleared McKeldin Square, the plaza where Occupy Baltimore protesters built an encampment.

Police closed Pratt Street and some surrounding streets just after 3 a.m. About 100 police officers were seen in the area and the Police Department's helicopter was seen flying above.

WBAL reporter Kim Dacey said police surrounded and entered the camp at about 3:30 a.m. City police began dismantling the tents at the downtown encampment at Pratt and Light streets, which had been "occupied" since October by participants of a nationwide movement mimicking Occupy Wall Street in New York City.

City police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi told WBAL News that the scene was "extremely peaceful, very, very civil," and that the protesters were being moved to homeless shelters.

As of 5 a.m., Guglielmi said the process is still ongoing and that there would be more information shortly.

After police entered the square, some of the protesters left onto northbound Light Street, where police had also blocked the intersection with Lombard Street.

At 4 a.m., Dacey said some protesters told her that the action was mostly peaceful save for a few unspecified problems. Some of the protesters also said they had expected to get kicked out, but they didn't know it would be early Tuesday, Dacey said.

Unlike in other cities -- including Philadelphia, New York City, and Oakland, Calif. -- there were no significant clashes between the protesters and police reported.

The mayor's office issued the following statement:

"The City of Baltimore is committed to protecting individuals’ right to protest. However, our public parks and green-spaces should not be treated as permanent campgrounds and camping is prohibited. Individuals are free to peaceably assemble and demonstrate within the currently established guidelines. My administration is also committed to providing outreach and assistance to individuals experiencing homelessness.""




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Friday, November 25, 2011

Never discuss politics. . .

. . . or related topics with your family. I think, and hope, that although I ventured into that dangerous turf, I may have survived this ordeal 'relatively' unscathed. And I hope that I perceive correctly because I sincerely respect their points of view, although I am still entitled to my own and chose to defend it to the point where my loved one expressed some visible discomfort with the boisterous debate that ensued; even though she thoroughly agrees with me.

I don't understand why some of the 99% do not even realize that they fall precisely within that percentage.

Further. . .the significance of the Occupy movements could eventually rival the impact of the civil rights movement. Not only are many confused members of the 99% missing, priests, pastors and clergy of every kind are conspicuously absent.

The evils that sparked these protests are real and critical to the well-being of lots of people. Instead of feeling proud of giving turkeys to the poor, religious and non-religious alike should be joining in the protests against the haughty rich.

". . . The current crop of national bank leaders are being shown to be just as corrupt as were the temple bankers of Jesus day. If Jesus were present among us today, he would be moving from Portland, to Los Angeles to Kansas City, to Dallas, up to Chicago and on to Wall Street in New York City. He would join the protest in every city. . ."
(from Howard Bess)

Above inspired by writings of Howard Bess
[The Rev. Howard Bess is a retired American Baptist minister, who lives in Palmer, Alaska. His email address is HYPERLINK "mailto:hdbss@mtaonline.net" hdbss@mtaonline.net]




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Thursday, October 27, 2011

Ten reasons. . .

. . . only one of many situations that have led to the discontent of the general public.

(from Truthout.com)
". . . Here are ten reasons to take your money out of Bank of America - and park it at a credit union or community bank near you. (And yes, that may be near impossible if you have a mortgage with them, as refinancing away from any big bank nowadays is a nightmare.)

1. B of A rejects the right of customers to protest. When two Occupy Santa Cruz protesters in California marched into a local Bank of America to close their accounts, the response was, "You cannot be a protester and a customer at the same time," followed by a threat to call the police if the women didn't leave. (The attending officer later reiterated the bank manager's message.) Meanwhile, the fact that Bank of America charges a fee for closing an account prompted Rep. Brad Miller (D-North Carolina), who resides in Bank of America's headquarters state, to introduce a bill to protect customers from such fees.

2. To recoup ongoing losses from its stupendously dumb acquisitions of Countrywide Financial and Merrill Lynch, B of A pillages its customers. Thus, despite massive public outrage, the $5 debit usage fee for customers with less than a $5,000 balance and no mortgage with the bank will begin in 2012. B of A was the first large bank to confirm it would charge this fee, which is the highest in current discourse among the banks. Banks collect 24 cents from retailers for each customer swipe, much more than the median 8 cents it costs a bank to process the purchase. Senator Dick Durbin's (D-Illinois) response was to urge customers: "Vote with your feet. Get the heck out of that bank."

3. B of A's other fees are just as bad. According to its last annual report, the bank has 29.3 million active online subscribers who paid over $300 billion worth of bills in 2010. In May, B of A raised its checking account fees, which included e-banking, to $12, in line with JP Morgan Chase's decision to do the same, up from $8.95 per month. In June, it started a $35 overdraft fee, even on overdrafts of one cent. Next year, it will incorporate basic checking with a new "essentials'' account structure that makes monthly fees unavoidable, that will not include free bill pay, and that has a mandatory $6 minimum fee. Last Monday, Bank of America was charged (along with JP Morgan Chase and Wells Fargo) with colluding with the two major credit card companies, Visa and MasterCard, to keep ATM fees high; in other words, they were charged with "price-fixing," in direct opposition to antitrust laws. This is the third of three such suits filed recently, each seeking class action status.

4. Bank of America takes gross advantage of the military. It is the official bank of the US military and has branches by or on many bases, which provides the firm with another locus of extortion. B of A can entice military personnel to take out loans at usurious rates. Personal loans made to soldiers for a few thousand dollars can actually keep them indebted for the rest of their lives. Last May, Bank of America paid $22 million to settle charges of improperly foreclosing on active-duty troops. The firm spun these foreclosures as being Countrywide's fault for having started them before becoming part of B of A.

5. Bank of America is officially rated the biggest, scariest bank. Its stock price also fared the worst of the group of banks (which also included Citigroup and Wells Fargo) when Moody's Investors Service downgraded it on September 21. B of A's long-term holding company (parent bank) rating was chopped two notches to Baa1 from A2, and its retail bank rating was cut two notches from A2 to Aa3, placing B of A four notches below rival JP Morgan Chase and one below Citigroup, the third-largest US bank. Its bank holding company has the lowest rating among the top five banks with the largest derivatives positions. This caused great fear for investors involved in derivatives trades with the Merrill Lynch division, prompting them to request trades be moved to the part of the bank with the better rating - the retail part with the insured (peoples') deposits. That way, B of A doesn't have to pony up as much collateral to back the trades, as it would in a subsidiary with a lower rating.

6. B of A's derivatives position keeps rising. The total amount of derivatives in the FDIC-insured portion of B of A as of mid-year was $53.7 trillion, up 10 percent from $48.9 trillion the prior year, and up nearly 35 percent from its pre-fall crisis level of $40 trillion (the Merrill Lynch securities division holds $22 trillion in addition.) The bank has $5 trillion of credit derivatives, nearly double its $2.7 trillion pre-Merrill amount. In addition, because of its inherent zombie status and rating downgrades, the cost of insuring B of A against a possible default continues to rise in the credit derivatives market - a pattern that American International group (AIG) once followed.

7. Bank of America got the most AIG money of the big depositor banks. By virtue of having acquired Merrill Lynch's AIG-related portfolio, B of A got to keep approximately $12 billion worth of federal AIG backing, too. It also received more government subsidies than any other mega-bank except Citigroup. Its stimulus package included an initial Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) helping of $15 billion for the bank and $10 billion for Merrill, plus a second helping of $20 billion in January 2009 after it became clear that Merrill's losses had spiked to $15 billion - in order to ensure the takeover from hell went through and Fed chairman Ben Bernanke, then-Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson, and then-Merrill Lynch executive John Thain could pat themselves on the back for saving the world. The government guaranteed $118 billion in assets, mostly Merrill's, in the new merged firm. With the benefit of the Fed's nearly 0 percent money policy, and a depositor base to plunder, B of A repaid that aid.

8. Bank of America leads the big bank fraud lawsuit settlement tally. So far, it has racked up the largest settlement, $8.5 billion in June, to settle claims related to $100 billion worth of Countrywide-spun mortgage securities backed by faulty loans, with bigwig investors like Pimco, BlackRock, and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
B of A is also being sued by state and federal regulators for questionable foreclosure practices and a union benefits plan for hiding foreclosure problems that impacted its share price. It is one of 17 major US financial institutions being sued by the Federal Housing Finance Agency for billions of dollars of mortgage-securities-related losses that may require B of A to potentially repurchase $50 billion worth of allegedly fraudulent securities.

9. Even after lawsuits, B of A would still rather please investors than customers. Investors that won money in the $8.5 billion settlement were upset that B of A was continuing to service loans, instead of foreclosing on them more quickly. Now, B of A had a nasty incentive to kick people out of homes faster, rather than work with them to refinance or restructure mortgages. Two months later, their foreclosure process has, in fact, sped up. Bank of America foreclosure notices are surging again following a slight robo-signing- related slowdown, meaning they are now sending out a greater increase in default notices (90-day overdue loans) than other banks. The bank has $30 billion in residential mortgage loans in default, which will become foreclosures for thousands of families.

10. Bank of America, despite having been buoyed up by the government, did not pay taxes, and, given its glorious ineptness, will be laying off 30,000 workers. Not only did the bank pay no federal taxes for 2010 (or 2009) by making use of its posted pre-tax loss of $5.4 billion, it actually cited a tax benefit of $1 billion. Meanwhile, it has announced plans to cut up to 30,000 jobs over the next few years as part of its plan to save $5 billion, ostensibly due to the settlements it's paying for engaging in upper-management-approved fraud. . ."





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