“Every daring attempt to make a great change in existing conditions, every lofty vision of new possibilities for the human race, has been labeled Utopian.”
Emma Goldman (via dreamznhallucinations)
(via humanisticanarchistphil)
Philly Police Union Looks To Oust Retired Cop
The retired Philadelphia police captain committed an act so heinous, so unforgivable in the eyes of the FOP, that union president John McNesby filed a rare grievance that could result in Lewis being permanently expelled from the FOP and stripped of union benefits such as life insurance and free legal assistance.
“It’s quite unusual. We had to dig into the books to see what we could do and couldn’t do,” said FOP pension director Henry Vannelli, who made the motion to refer Lewis’ case to the union’s grievance committee. “We don’t want that guy around.”
Lewis’ inexcusable offense?
He wore his police uniform to the Occupy Wall Street protest in Zuccotti Park last year.
Kindergartner Charged with Battery. Why Are We Criminalizing Kids?
Increasingly, precincts have become de facto detention centers. In Albuquerque alone 90,000 students, were arrested between 2009-2010. In Texas, an estimated 300,000 kids were give misdemeanors in 2010. That number includes children as young as 6.
As if I needed another reason to loath public schools.
May 1: International Worker’s Day - Día Internacional de los Trabajadores
It is not surprising that the government, business leaders, mainstream union leaders, and the media would want to hide the true history of May Day, portraying it as a “communist” holiday celebrated only in the Soviet Union. In its attempt to erase the history and significance of May Day, the United States government declared May 1st to be “Law Day,” and gave us instead Labor Day—a holiday devoid of any historical significance other than a three weekend holiday at the end of the summer.
Obama Escalates in Yemen – Again
As usual, to the extent that most Democrats mention any of this, it will be to celebrate its political value: how it proves that Obama is so very Tough and Strong on national security. Because nothing exudes Strength — or the values of the Nobel Peace Prize — like continuously escalating secret wars and targeting people for death via remote-controlled aircraft from thousands of miles away without even knowing their names. The innocent corpses, the trampling on accountability and transparency, the ongoing fueling of Endless War, must not be permitted to interfere with the President’s re-election, so all of this is just best ignored, again.
Obama Justice and Medical Marijuana
It’s just extraordinary that Obama is affirming the “principle” that he can’t have the DOJ “turn the othe way” in the face of lawbreaking. As an emailer just put it to me: “Interesting how this principle holds for prosecuting [medical] marijuana producers in the war on drugs, but not for prosecuting US officials in the war on terror. Ortelecommunications companies for illegal spying. Or Wall Street banks for mortgage fraud.”
This comic page just came up in a conversation I was having, and I felt I just had to post it before the PA primaries were over. I think it speaks for itself.
Debtors' Prisons Make an American Comeback
Though it is technically no longer legal to jail people for failure to pay their debts, the debt-collection industry has figured out how to game the courts to create a series of jail-able offenses related to nonpayment.
I suppose everything old is new again. This just reinforces, despite the charade they put on, how united government and big business are. You owe a debt you are unable to pay, so that business colludes with the court system to harass you on technicalities, and more than likely incarcerate you in a for profit private prison, where you will continue to rack up debts you cannot afford. Thus, the circle of life is complete.
“The difference between a Democracy and a Dictatorship is that in a Democracy you vote first and take orders later; in a Dictatorship you don’t have to waste your time voting.”
~Charles Bukowski, Erections, Ejaculations, Exhibitions and Tales of Ordinary Madness
This seems an appropriate quote on the day of the primaries, in central Pennsylvania.
Back to Basics
I have neglected this blog for far too long. My goal is to make a concerted effort to post regularly and with more original content/commentary, rather than just reblogs from other Tumblr posts. So please keep your eyes peeled in the coming weeks for some changes and hopefully some interesting and exciting information.
