Tag: Protests

The Battle Of Athens

HUH?

The recent protests made me think of my glory days as an antiwar protester….it also made me think of some protests from the past….protests that are long forgotten but serve their purpose.

The Battle of Athens?

Could this be some random Greek saga or Is this some WW2 battle of note? Or is it some diatribe about Sherman crushing through Georgia?

That’s right a little history for this day…..this piece is about the actions of veterans from WW2.

In the post-war summer of 1946, the small town of Athens, Tennessee became the epicenter of an event that went down in history as the Battle of Athens. This wasn’t merely a physical confrontation, but a fight against entrenched corruption, and it was a battle that symbolized the broader struggle against tyranny and injustice in post-war America.

The protagonists of this historic grandstand were none other than returning World War II veterans, who, after fighting overseas, found themselves facing a new kind of enemy on home soil. The corruption in Athens had been brewing for over a decade under Sheriff Paul Cantrell and his associates, who’d manipulated the political landscape. These veterans, witnessing the disintegration of democracy and fairness in their town, decided the time had come to take action.

Their training, coupled with a deep-seated belief in justice, prepared them for the confrontation that unfolded.

The end of World War II brought a wave of relief and hope to millions, with service members returning home to rebuild their lives in peace. However, for the veterans of Athens, this was far from reality. They returned to find their town under the control of Paul Cantrell’s corrupt regime, characterized by rampant intimidation, voter suppression and a blatant disregard for the law. The local government had become a machinery of corruption, operating with impunity and stifling the voices of citizens.

These returning heroes, already seasoned by the horrors of war, were now confronted with a new battle, one threatening the very principles they’d fought to uphold. Unwilling to stand idly by, they were resolved to challenge the status quo, setting the stage for what became a historic uprising against corruption.

https://www.warhistoryonline.com/featured/battle-of-athens.html

And then there was more veterans that stepped up especially those from World War One….Remember the Bonus Army?….

Of course not!

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/macarthur-bonus-march-may-july-1932/

This is how you do things when injustice is rampant…..not like today when you sit on social media and piss and moan until the next celeb does something that impresses you or until you see the problem and try to understand (ha ha ha)

Be Smart!

Learn Stuff!

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Those Damn ‘Outside Agitators’!

First of all….who are these outside agitators?

Of all the hundreds of arrests how many were outside agitators?

Name some.

Or is it manure spread as fact?

That is the big term being batted around over the protests on college campuses…the accusation is that ‘agitators’ are running the show…I am not saying that other protesters are not involved….but I hear terms like ‘they do not look like a college student’….what does a college student look like?

Basically this is a concerted plan to divert attention away from what Israel is doing to make the grievances of the students is not legitimate.

In these instances, and others, authorities have not offered many specifics about who the “outside agitators” are, how significant their numbers are or how they differentiated outsiders from university-affiliated protesters.

Large-scale social movements can certainly be vulnerable to groups who seek to capitalize on the chaos for their own ends, said Aldon Morris, a professor emeritus of sociology and African American studies at Northwestern University. But time and again, authorities have leveled the broad accusation of “outside agitators” to undermine or stifle protests.

“The notion here is that student protests aren’t really legitimate because the claim is they are being taken over by outside agitators who are violent, anti-government, anti-democracy and so forth,” Morris told CNN.

The use of the term is nuanced. This time around, city officials, university administrators and supporters of the student protesters have allcited “outside agitators” as people who are trying to hijack the protests for their own means. But whether the person using the phrase is trying to quell the protests or defend them,it’s not always clear who these “outside agitators” are, and whether they can be classed as such in the first place.

“It seems to me that the ‘outside agitator’ claim is one to shift the focus away from the grievances of the students and their protest,” Morris said.

https://edition.cnn.com/2024/04/27/us/campus-protests-palestine-outside-agitator-cec/index.html

College students have a long history of protests…..as far back as 1960 college students have been protesting what they see as problems in this country.

USA TODAY revisited four monumental campus protests to explain how college protests have become a staple of American life and often influence the outcomes of political strife. Here’s a look at how previous campus protests unfolded — and whether they were successful in their causes.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/education/2024/04/28/us-has-long-history-of-college-protests-what-happened-in-the-past/73431111007/

History shows that students have a more moral compass than most of the ‘adults’ in this country…..are they wrong?

History proves my point…..

Recent protests have not yet reached the scale of the major student protests of the late 1960s against the Vietnam War or the 1980s against South African apartheid. But on campus, they may be “the largest student movement so far” of the 21st century, said Robert Cohen, a professor of social studies and history at New York University who has studied student activism. In recent decades, there were mass protests against the Iraq War, as part of the Occupy Wall Street movement, and after the killing of George Floyd, but they were primarily happening off campus.

Just like the protesters who came before them, the students who are now being arrested, and in some cases suspended, for setting up encampments on their campuses in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza have been demonized by politicians. At Columbia University, some protesters were removed and arrested by police after taking over the same building that antiwar protesters once occupied in 1968. The university has said that students who participated may be expelled.

Read More 

No they are not….they, protesters, see a problem and they bring light to the darkness of government and the media.

Just another attempt to cover Israel’s ass it seems.

Just who the Hell are these ‘outside agitators’?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Even Jews Have Had Enough

I hear justification of the destruction of Gaza everyday and I see news stories that push that line of thinking…..but the rest of the world wants the insanity to stop….yes even Jewish people are tired of the death and destruction….

This is a story that was not covered in the corporate media (I wonder why)…..

Thousands of Jewish-led protesters descended on the New York offices of the American Israel Public Affairs Council on Thursday, taking aim at both AIPAC and Democratic lawmakers who take millions of combined dollars from the lobby group while opposing a Gaza cease-fire.

Led by Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), the demonstrators marched from Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza outside the United Nations—where earlier this week the U.S. for the third time vetoed a Security Council cease-fire resolution—to AIPAC’s nearby New York headquarters on Third Street.

During the march, protesters carried large letters spelling “DUMP AIPAC” and a banner reading “AIPAC Funds Genocide,” as well as signs listing the names of New York Democrats who take campaign cash from the group while opposing a Gaza cease-fire. Members of Congress named and shamed at the rally include House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries ($829,835 in lifetime AIPAC contributions), Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand ($348,818), and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer ($101,570).

Other activists occupied the offices of Schumer and Gillibrand. JVP said 18 people were arrested for refusing to obey police orders to leave.

“If you want to know one reason why more electeds aren’t calling for a cease-fire—even though a cease-fire is the overwhelming demand from the people—look no further than AIPAC,” said JVP. “AIPAC uses money and racist bullying to ensure congressional complicity in the genocide of Gaza.”

“Last cycle, AIPAC endorsed over 100 lawmakers who voted to decertify the results of the 2020 election, allying themselves with the far-right,” the group added. “AIPAC is threatening our safety here in the U.S. in order to ensure unconditional U.S. support for Israeli violence.”

https://www.commondreams.org/news/aipac-2667345553

I have been saying that AIPAC has too much influence over Congress and it is both parties….I am glad to see that someone else is pointing this out to the public.

Then on Monday night Biden goes on national TV and makes a bold statement….

President Biden said Monday that he hopes a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas that would pause hostilities and allow for remaining hostages to be released can take effect by early next week. Asked when he thought a ceasefire could begin, Biden said: “I hope by the beginning of the weekend. The end of the weekend. My national security adviser tells me that we’re close. We’re close. We’re not done yet. My hope is by next Monday we’ll have a ceasefire.” Biden made the remarks in New York City after taping an appearance on NBC’s Late Night With Seth Meyers, the AP reports.

This would be great news if it comes about….but I also have this nagging thought….is Biden doing this to give Israel some cover from protests?

Why do Americans think Israel can do no wrong?

Is it some religious thing?

Or is it the Little Man Syndrome?

Just what is it?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

More Russian Antiwar

I recently wrote a post about the Russian antiwar movement (something the US is too indoctrinated to have)….since I am antiwar for the last 50 years I like to see people taking to the streets to protest….

I am updating the Russian antiwar news….

This Russian father is imprisoned because his daughter made an antiwar drawing….

There are both hopes and fears for a Russian dissident sentenced to two years in a penal colony after his daughter drew anti-war drawings at school, as he now appears to have fled house arrest and can’t be found. Aleksei Moskalyov, a single father from Yefremov, was separated from his daughter at the start of this month. He was placed under house arrest, while she was moved to a state-run orphanage and “forbidden to communicate with her father,” per the New York Times. Moskalyov came to the attention of police last April when Masha, now 13, “refused to participate in a patriotic class at her school,” reports the Guardian. She also drew an image of missiles being fired at a Ukrainian family, along with the words “No to war” and “Glory to Ukraine!,” per Reuters.

The next day, Moskalyov and Masha were “taken away from the school by police officers,” per the Times. “For three and a half hours they told me that I was providing inappropriate parenting for my child,” Moskalyov, 54, told OVD-Info. “They said she’d be taken away from me and I’d be put in jail.” He was initially fined. He’d allegedly described the Russian regime as “terrorists” and the Russian army as “rapists” on social media, per the Guardian. Months later, however, Moskalyov said authorities raided his home and detained him. “They locked me in a room for two and a half hours, turned on the Russian national anthem [at] full volume, and left,” he told OVD-Info.

Moskalyov was ultimately convicted of discrediting the armed forces and sentenced Tuesday to two years in a penal colony. But the Federal Penitentiary Service later said he’d removed his ankle monitor and fled his apartment shortly before 5am that day. Moskalyov’s lawyer couldn’t confirm that but said he last saw his client on Monday, per Reuters. Vowing to appeal the verdict, Vladimir Biliyenko appeared in court with new drawings from Masha, whom he’d visited in the orphanage. He also carried a photo of a letter she’d written to her father. “Dad, you are my hero,” it reads in part. Russian human rights group Memorial, which is banned from the country, says it considers Moskalyov to be a political prisoner. Police say they’re continuing to search for him.

Updated….the “heat” caught with this dad in Belarus….

Aleksei Moskalyov, an anti-war Russian father who fled house arrest hours before he was sentenced to two years in a penal colony Tuesday, has been arrested in Belarus, his lawyer says. Dmitry Zakhvatov tells Reuters that Moskalyov’s arrest in Minsk, more than 400 miles away from his hometown south of Moscow, was most likely the result of him turning his phone on and giving away his location. Earlier this month, the 54-year-old single father was separated from his 12-year-old daughter and reported to authorities after she drew anti-war drawings at school. He was convicted of discrediting the army after authorities found he had made anti-war remarks on social media. It’s not clear whether he will now face more charges.

Remember Pussy Riot?

One of the members has been in trouble with the Putin government for years and now one of the members is in deep dodo for her antiwar stance….

Russian authorities have put a member of the Pussy Riot punk group on a wanted list for criminal suspects as the Kremlin works to stifle political dissent. Russian news outlet Mediazona discovered an entry for Nadya Tolokonnikova in the Russian Interior Ministry’s database of wanted individuals on Wednesday. The entry, also reviewed by the AP, said Tolokonnikova faces criminal charges, but it didn’t specify what the charges are. Tolokonnikova became widely known for taking part in a 2012 Pussy Riot protest inside Moscow’s Christ the Savior Cathedral. She spent nearly two years in prison.

Earlier this month Russia’s top human rights lawyer, Pavel Chikov, said a criminal case had been launched against Tolokonnikova on the charge of offending religious believers’ feelings, which became a criminal offense in Russia after the 2012 Pussy Riot protest. Tolokonnikova left Russia and reportedly lives in the US. In 2021, the Russian government designated her as a “foreign agent,” a label that brings additional government scrutiny and carries pejorative connotations that can discredit the recipients. Russian authorities have applied the designation to independent media outlets and opposition activists.

It is good to see people that are committed to ending war and not just whiners.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Disturbing News About The 06 January Riot

Slowly but slowly some of the defendants are getting their time in jail and others are getting fined….all that is good news but some of the news is disturbing on another front.

You know how the Dems are going on about the protest and yet not all Dems think it was a bad idea.

More than a quarter of Republicans now approve of the Capitol riot, according to a new poll—and, puzzlingly, almost a fifth of Democrats agree. “Do you approve or disapprove of the Trump supporters taking over the Capitol building in Washington, DC on January 6th, 2021 to stop Congressional proceedings?” the Economist/YouGov poll asked 1,500 American adults, Some 27% of Republicans, and 19% of Democrats, said they either “strongly” or “somewhat” approve. The poll also found that 54% of Republicans believe “people participated in a legitimate public discourse” on Jan. 6, compared to 21% of Democrats, the Hill reports.

Some 71% of Democrats, and 27% of Republicans thought “people participated in a violent insurrection” was a more fitting description of the day’s events. Among Democrats, 90% thought former President Trump had at least some responsibility for the riot, while 43% of Republicans—and 52% of Trump supporters—thought he had none whatsoever. The poll also found that 42% of Americans, including 61% of Republicans, approved of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s decision to release tens of thousands of hours of Jan. 6 footage to Tucker Carlson, the Guardian reports.

More result from the poll….Biden, Ukraine, etc….

The poll was taken between March 11 and March 14. Some 34% of respondents, including 63% of Republicans, said they wanted Trump to run for president in 2024. Only 26%, including 45% of Democrats, wanted President Biden to seek a second term. The numerous other issues pollsters addressed included aid for Ukraine. Some 77% supported sending the country food and medical assistance, 53% supporting sending tanks, 44% were in favor of sending fighter jets, and 26% were in favor of sending US troops.

These results are very disturbing….19% of the Dems agreed with 06 January riot….seriously?

Those are not Dems they are probably so-called ‘centrist’ that think the center is the place to be.

I have been saying that Dens were not much better than the GOP….this does not change my mind in the least.

Does anyone else see a disturbing issue here?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Wounded Knee–50 Years On

Yep a little slice of American history that most young people have NO idea ever occurred.

50 years ago last month the Native Americans started their protest at Wounded Knee, the site of a US cavalry massacre of American natives….

The 1973 Siege at Wounded Knee is the longest “civil unrest” in the history of the US Marshal Service. For 71 days, the American Indian Movement (AIM) and members of the Oglala Lakota (Sioux) nation were under siege in a violent standoff with the FBI and US Marshals equipped with high powered rifles and armored personnel carriers.  Two people were killed, over two dozen wounded.  At stake, sovereignty and self-determination guaranteed through treaty rights.

Fifty years have passed but for American Indians the struggle for recognition of the nation-to-nation treaties continues to be seen as survival.  At the end of February, young Indian leaders joined older activists to gather at Wounded Knee to commemorate the violent events that began on February 27, 1973, and renew their call for self-determination and recognition of their treaties.

For older Wounded Knee veterans, this Fiftieth Anniversary year is a time for a ritual passing on of the struggle.  “You are the seventh generation. It’s your time to stand up and protect your water, defend your land,” proclaimed Vic Camp, son of Wounded Knee AIM leader Carter Camp, “Remember your treaty rights, protect those treaties . . .  we have to remind the United States government that this is our land.”

Bill Means, a veteran of the 1973 siege urged people to be clear on the purpose, “Remember, we came here for the 1868 Ft. Laramie Treaty. We didn’t come here just to raise hell. We had to make a statement, to tell the world that Indians are still alive, that this is still our land, and the Black Hills are not for sale!”

For the Lakota this fight for self-determination, the preservation of their nation and its land, were the central demands of the siege at Wounded Knee.  It was a fight for survival. During the negotiations in 1973 the local Oglala leaders were frustrated with the Justice Department’s refusal to grasp the central issue of the Treaty.  Gladys Bissonette, a revered Oglala elder admonished the Government negotiators, “In the past there were a lot of violations of the sacred treaties . . . This is real. We’re not playing here. So all you people that go back to Washington, think real good, because our lives are at stake. It concerns our children’s children, the unborn.”

Much has been written about the aftermath of the 1973 siege, including the murders of 60 AIM sympathizers and activists in the following year, known as the Reign of Terror, carried out by a local vigilante group self-titled “Goons” (Guardians of the Oglala Nation). U.S. District Court Judge Fred Nichols viewed this as the FBI colluding with vigilantes to target AIM sympathizers. The continued imprisonment of Leonard Peltier despite universal calls for clemency – even by the prosecutor – demonstrates the truth of the FBI’s intent to eliminate Indian activists even at the cost of truth.

Siege at Wounded Knee 50 Years Later: the Fight for Self-Determination Continues

I remember those days and thinking ahead…..the Native Americans are still trying to gain some sort of respect from this government and the nation at large….slow go and little has changed…..they still do not get the respect they deserve from either the government or the nation at large.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

 

Is There A Russian Anti-War Movement?

Speaking of antiwar protesters….

I do go on and on about the evils of war and the war in Ukraine….I try to explain why the anti-war movement in the US is a limp dick.

That aside do the Russians have the nuts to stand up and protest this god awful war?

The easy answer is ….yes they do!  And it is more vocal than the Americans.

Given the Russian government’s brutal repression of dissent, the level of Russian resistance to the Putin regime’s war on Ukraine is quite remarkable.

Beginning on the evening of February 24, 2022, the date of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, many thousands of Russians, defying threats from the authorities, staged nonviolent antiwar demonstrations across their nation. On the first night alone, police made 1,820 arrests of peace demonstrators in 58 Russian cities. Over the ensuing weeks, the mass protests continued, with the intrepid demonstrators chanting or holding up signs reading “No to War.” As the authorities viewed any mention of “war” as a crime, even elementary school children were arrested when they said the forbidden slogan. Some peace demonstrators took to holding up blank signs, but they, too, were arrested. By March 13, according to OVD-Info, a Russian human rights group, the police had made at least 14,906 arrests of these and other Russian peace demonstrators.

Russian war resisters also engaged in numerous other activities. Marina Ovsyannikova, an editor at Channel One Russia, disrupted the station’s main news program by holding up a sign reading: “NO WAR. Stop the war. Do not believe the propaganda.” Prominent cultural figures and politicians spoke out publicly against the war. By March 1, an online petition protesting the invasion had drawn a million supporters. Signers of open letters that called for stopping the war included 30,000 technology workers, 6,000 medical workers, 3,400 architects, more than 4,300 teachers, more than 17,000 artists, 500 scientists, and 2,000 actors and other creative figures. Other activists posted antiwar stickers in neighborhoods, replaced supermarket labels with protest statements, and even wrote peace messages on currency. Most startlingly, Russian soldiers began refusing to fight in Ukraine.

Naturally, the authorities were infuriated by this resistance and determined to crush it. Demonstrations were brutally suppressed through arrests, huge fines, and violence against activists. To bolster the legal basis for repression, the Russian parliament passed laws that provided 10 years imprisonment for spreading “fake” news about the armed forces and 5 years imprisonment for “discrediting the army.” In mid-March, Vladimir Putin publicly denounced “the scum and the traitors” who opposed his war policy and promised that the Russian people would “spit them out” like insects who had flown into their mouths. This “necessary self-cleansing of society will only strengthen our country,” he promised.

Homage to Russian War Resisters

I am glad to see that there are those with principles and nuts that will stand up to the policies of Vlad the Invader….

Maybe the US will find its guts and take to the streets….that is if they can back away from the game console or Twatter or Tki Tak long enough to make a difference.

I have my doubts.

Any thoughts that you would like to share?  (Please make it about antiwar protesters)

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

War, It’s Dark Is Worst Than It’s Light

Finally there is a call to arms over Ukraine….Sunday 19Feb23….a protest.

I was one of those ‘pinkos’ as we were called back in the day……when I returned from Vietnam I got deeply into the antiwar scene and since those days I have never wavered from my belief that war is a last result.

Step back into history for all those that have short memories….

Consider just one long-gone date in the world of give-peace-(not-war)-a-chance: January 27, 1973. On that day, the United States, North Vietnam, South Vietnam, and the South Vietnamese rebel forces signed an agreement initiating a cease-fire during which the U.S. would withdraw its troops and dismantle all its bases in the South. On that very same day in this country, the draft was ended, launching what would become America’s all-volunteer military. Richard Nixon was still president then. He had long been convinced, as Andrew Glass wrote at Politico, that “ending the draft could be an effective political weapon against the burgeoning antiwar movement. He believed middle-class youths would lose interest in protesting the war once it became clear that they would not have to fight, and possibly die, in Vietnam.”

Though it was already too late for Nixon to test out that thesis in terms of America’s disastrous war in Vietnam, almost half a century later, it seems as if he was onto something. I was in that “burgeoning antiwar movement” of the late 1960s and early 1970s; turned in my draft card in protest; was often in the streets demonstrating against the war; and worked as an antiwar journalist at a time when, among others, both rebellious students and antiwar soldiers demonstrated repeatedly, often in significant numbers, against a first-class horror thousands of miles away.

In this century, we haven’t exactly lacked Vietnam equivalents. After all, in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, the administration of President George W. Bush launched its Global War on Terror and, with it, two fiercely destructive distant conflicts that could have been considered Vietnam-competitive. I’m thinking, of course, of the invasions of Afghanistan in 2001 and Iraq in 2003. The devastating war in Iraq following that invasion continued for years, while the one in Afghanistan only ended (disastrously) in August 2021. And yet here was the odd thing: though there were large antiwar protests in February 2003 against the coming invasion of Iraq and more followed after that war began, unlike in the Vietnam era, they died out all too soon, while this country’s conflicts went grimly on (and on and on).

Originally posted at TomDispatch.

I see that I am one of a very few these days that opposes war…..so what happened to us antiwar people?

This is the American Conservatives take on my question….

On Feb. 15, 2003, 14 million people poured into the streets of 800 cities worldwide to oppose the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. It was a preemptive response to the preemptive war hatched by Bush administration, and according to the Guinness Book of World Records, it was the largest protest ever in human history. Yet the 2003 protest was also a swan song of sorts: the movement that gave rise to it is now all but defunct—namely, the antiwar left.

Two decades later, as U.S. hawks press for relentless escalation against nuclear Russia, and as European leaders unfailingly toe Washington’s line, there is no major movement of the left to channel dissent. Nor are there commanding antiwar figures comparable in stature to the likes of Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Labour M.P. Tony Benn, who spoke for the movement in 2003. Old antiwar groups, like the ANSWER Coalition, are either silent or struggling to be heard.

Some two-dozen House progressives on Monday called for diplomacy, but antiwar leftists who championed the likes of Sen. Bernie Sanders and The Squad must surely be disappointed, as the few elected socialists on Capitol Hill dutifully voted “Yes” on one massive Ukraine military-aid package after another. Some veteran left-of-center restrainers, meanwhile, such as former Ploughshares Fund boss Joe Cirincione, sound downright Kristolian, what with the calls to smoke out a “pro-Putin axis.”

Whatever Happened to the Antiwar Left?

I have been saddened by the lack of concern for our propensity for endless war…..but that could change (he said with fingers crossed)….

On February 19, Washington, DC, will witness a protest against the war in Ukraine that marks a sharp departure from past demonstrations. The lead demand is simple and direct, “Not One More Penny for war in Ukraine.” It is a demand that emphasizes what we in the US can do to end the war, not what others can do. After all, the only government we have the power to influence is our own.

Above and beyond that demand, the potential power of this unique and promising movement arises from the nature of the sponsoring organizations – The Peoples Party, a progressive new Party, and the Libertarian Party. It is in fact what much of the press would term a “right-left” Coalition, spanning a spectrum broad enough to actually bring the proxy war in Ukraine to an end. Fittingly, the organizers are calling the protest “Rage Against the War Machine.” With the war in Ukraine putting us the precipice of nuclear Armageddon, “rage” might be considered a mild reaction.

The Peoples Party is probably the lesser known of the two sponsoring organizations, because it’s newer. Its founder and National Chair is Nick Brana, a lead organizer of the protest. Brana was National Coordinator of the Bernie Sanders 2016 campaign, but has turned his back on the Democrats in disgust over the failure progressive Democratic pols to fight for the promises they made. Among the speakers at the Party’s founding convention in 2020 were Cornel West, Chris Hedges, Jimmy Dore and Nina Turner (co-chair of the Sanders 2020 campaign).

The Libertarian Party is better known. It has been around longer and, though small, is the third largest political party in the US by voter registration. The present National Chair, Angela McCardle, is the other lead organizer of the DC protest. In American political life, probably, the best known representative of libertarian values, most notably a principled anti-interventionist stance in foreign policy, is Ron Paul.

Right and Left To Join in D.C. Protest: ‘Not One More Penny for War in Ukraine’

Will this make a difference?

I wish I could be more positive but the American people do not have the capability of understanding the consequences of war anymore.

It is sad.

This country needs a “Rage against the war machine”

Feb. 19: We Need a Huge Rage Against the War Machine

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Capital Riot Has Consequences

I have reported on the fines and penalties handed out by the courts on those that participated in the 06 January insurrection…..and now there is a new consequence possible.

Democratic lawmakers in a handful of states are trying to send a message two years after the violent attack on the US Capitol: Those who engage in an attempted overthrow of the government shouldn’t be allowed to run it. New York, Connecticut, and Virginia are among states where proposed legislation would prohibit anyone convicted of participating in an insurrection from holding public office or a position of public trust, such as becoming a police officer, per the AP. While the bills vary in scope, their aim is similar. “If you’ve tried to take down our government through violent means, in no way should you be part of it,” New York state Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal said.

  • New York: Hoylman-Sigal is sponsoring a bill that would bar people convicted of engaging in an insurrection or rebellion against the United States from holding civil office, meaning they would not be able to serve as a judge or member of the Legislature.
  • Virginia: A state lawmaker introduced a bill this month, on the second anniversary of the Capitol riot, that would prohibit anyone convicted of a felony related to an attempted insurrection or riot from serving in positions of public trust—including those involving policymaking, law enforcement, safety, education, or health.
  • Connecticut: A proposed bill would prohibit people convicted of sedition, rebellion, insurrection or a felony related to one of those acts from running for or holding public office. Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff, who introduced the measure, said he wants the legislation eventually to bar them from holding state or municipal jobs.

Some Republicans say the legislation is unnecessary. In New York, Republican Assemblyman Will Barclay, the minority leader, called the bill there a “political statement,” saying it is “more political than it is a concern about public policy.” He said existing rules already apply to people in certain positions who are convicted of crimes and that those laws “should be sufficient.” The legislation is another example of how the Capitol riot has become a political Rorschach test in the country.

Stellar ideas in my book…..there has to be consequences for their actions….this should include anyone convicted of any charge pertaining to the riot.

Is there more news about the others involved?

More “Oath Keepers’ learn their fate….

A federal jury on Monday convicted four members of the Oath Keepers militia of seditious conspiracy, deciding they’d plotted to use force to keep former President Donald Trump in office. Roberto Minuta, 38; Joseph Hackett, 52; David Moerschel, 45; and Edward Vallejo, 64, also were found guilty of obstructing and conspiring to obstruct lawmakers and Congress in general, the Washington Post reports. “They claimed to wrap themselves in the Constitution, but they trampled it,” said prosecutor Jeffrey Nestler in the trial’s closing arguments. “They ignored the will of the people” while having “the audacity to claim to be oath-keepers.”

The four men’s case was split from the trial of Stewart Rhodes, leader of the Oath Keepers, and others because of limited space in the courtroom. In November, Rhodes also was found guilty of seditious conspiracy. Prosecutors said these four ranked lower in the far-right militia group than those in the other trial, more like troops than organizers. Hackett and Moerschel forced their way into the US Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, with a dozen others, the government said. Minuta came behind them with another group that fought officers inside, and Vallejo, an Army veteran, stayed with a stash of guns in a hotel in Virginia. Prosecutors said he repeatedly texted fellow conspirators that he was ready to join them at the Capitol but received no response.

When officers pushed Minuta and others out of the building, prosecutors said, he shouted “All that’s left is the Second Amendment!” The Oath Keepers met for dinner after the riot at an Olive Garden in Virginia and began planning their next move, per the Post. But they scattered, one member said, when they heard federal agents were looking for them. The jury deliberated for about 15 hours over three days before returning its verdict Monday, per the New York Times. Hackett and Moerschel were acquitted of damaging Capitol doors. US District Judge Amit Mehta allowed all four to await sentencing while under house arrest.

Any thoughts?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

The Resurrection Of “COINTELPRO”

Keeping with the protest angle…..

Back in my younger days I was a victim of the federal government’s master plan, COINTELPRO.

I tried to let my readers know a little of the history of the 1960-70s…..

The program never truly went away…..but is being resurrected to the point of the protests of the past.

Elon Musk has opened the floodgates to expose the FBI’s latest war on Americans’ freedom of speech.  The FBI massively intervened to pressure Twitter to suppress accounts and tweets from individuals the FBI disapproved, including parody accounts.  The FBI and other federal agencies also browbeat Facebook, Instagram, and many other tech companies.

Thus far, most of the American media has ignored or downplayed the story, known as the Twitter Files. Since many of the individuals who the FBI got squelched were pro-Trump, the violation of their rights is a non-issue – or a cause for quiet celebration.  At this point, it is difficult to know whether the scant reaction to the Twitter Files is the result of political bias, collective amnesia, or simply a total ignorance of American history.

The history of the FBI provides perhaps the best guide to the abuses that may be now occurring. From 1956 to 1971, the FBI carried out “a secret war against those citizens it considers threats to the established order,” a 1976 Senate report noted. The FBI’s Operation COINTELPRO involved thousands of covert operations to incite street warfare between violent groups, to get people fired, to portray innocent people as government informants, to destroy activists’ marriages, and to cripple or destroy left-wing, black, communist, white racist, and anti-war organizations.  The FBI let no corner of American life escape its vigilance; it even worked to expose and discredit “communists who are secretly operating in legitimate organizations and employments, such as the Young Men’s Christian Association and Boy Scouts.”

While many people are aware of how the FBI hounded Martin Luther King, Jr., and pressured him to commit suicide, that was not even the tip of the iceberg of the FBI’s racial persecution. Almost any black organization could be targeted for illegal wiretaps. One black leader was monitored largely because he had “recommended the possession of firearms by members for their self-protection.” At that time, some southern police departments and sheriffs were notorious for attacking blacks who stood up for their civil rights.

FBI Cointelpro is Back and Worse Than Ever

Keep this in mind when you decide to enter into the world of protests.  Big Brother is watching!

Be Smart!

Learn Stuff!

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”