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“Racism and the Occupy Movement” with Journalist Joanne Griffith and Occupy Detroit’s Lee Gaddies
This past Wednesday, Occupy Supply hosted a webinar on Racism and the Occupy Movement - the latest installment in our online discussion series featuring journalist and editor of "Re-Defining Black Power" Joanne Griffith and Occupy Detroit media coordinator Lee Gaddies. In my opinion this was one of the best presentations we've had and we were so fortunate to finally be able to work out the kinks and get a recording of the entire talk. We hope to continue to be able to provide recordings of our Occupy Supply webinars so that these conversations, ideas, and strategies can be shared for the benefit of the entire movement.
NYPD Marks New Year by Arresting, Throwing Around Occupy Wall Street Protesters
The New York Police Department (NYPD) responded with brute force in the first hours of the New Year to Occupy Wall Street’s attempt to re-take Zuccotti Park. The police went after live streamers, others with cameras and even bystanders and a National Lawyers Guild (NLG) observer.
Fight Over Fracking in New York State Among Top Issues for 2012
I'm saving my "What to Look for in 2012" listicle for tomorrow, but one of the issues that may not make the list, but which is terribly important, is the battle in the states over hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. 2011 was the year when this issue finally bubbled up to the surface (pardon the pun) and into the consciousness of the public. The critically acclaimed Gasland came out in 2010, but anti-facking forces benefited this year from some scientific revelations. Independent studies for the first time identified fracking as a cause of methane contamination and water pollution, and late in the year, the EPA agreed in a case in Wyoming.
You Could Even Say It Glows: NRC Votes to Fast-Track a More Dangerous Nuclear Future
To paraphrase the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Merry Effin' Christmas. In a news dump that came a day early (because who really wants to dump on Christmas-Eve Eve?), the Nuclear Regulatory Commission made a pair of moves Thursday that could have significant consequences for America's nuclear industry--and all the people who have to live with it.
Politifact’s Journalistic Research: Buying Whatever Business Lobbies Are Selling
Politifact won the "Pompous Response to Criticism of the Year" award yesterday for their rebuttal to criticism about their awarding of the Lie of the Year to the correct claim by Democrats that Paul Ryan's Path to Prosperity budget would end Medicare.
FBI Now Investigating Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
If Fannie and Freddie are guilty of misleading investors, they deserve to pay the penalty. And yet, I do sense more enthusiasm to go after these government sponsored enterprises than to go after the private banking firms which were far more responsible for subprime. This feeds a false narrative that government somehow caused the financial crisis by forcing lending to poor people. Fannie and Freddie followed the market in subprime and did not originate it.
An Army of Schneidermans: Court Finds Private Right of Action in Securities Fraud Law in New York
Until now, only the State Attorney General could bring action under the Martin Act, a securities fraud law in New York State that is much more expansive than federal statutes. Typically the plaintiff must prove intent to commit fraud; under the Martin Act the plaintiff need only prove that fraud was committed. Now, as a result of a new ruling, any aggrieved private actor can use the Martin Act as part of their lawsuit. This empowers investors of all sizes to go after the banks on securities fraud.
Graham Nash Video Tribute to Bradley Manning
Jack’s Liberty Underground Newsletter sent this out this morning. The images are fantastic; counter-culture heroes galore, and other great images. Note he doesn’t even feel the need to complete ‘The first casualty of war’…(is The Truth).
Occupy Des Moines Protesters Take Over Obama HQ, Iowa Democratic Party HQ
A unique pressure campaign has been playing out in Iowa, where the group Occupy Des Moines and other progressive groups briefly took over both the Obama for America and the Iowa Democratic Party headquarters, just as the media spotlight descends on the city two weeks before the caucuses.
With Anti-Immigrant Law, Alabama Is Again Ground Zero for Civil Rights
It’s not often that human rights and business profits line up on the same side of a political debate, but Alabama is a special place. The Cotton State was not only ground zero for some of the worst abuses under Jim Crow; it was also the flashpoint for early struggles that fused economic empowerment with civil rights, including the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Today, Alabama is once again a focal point for racial and class struggles, ignited by an anti-immigrant law that tests our definitions of economic citizenship in a world of fluid borders.
