-Quote from George Washington-

"When the government fears the people, we have liberty, but when the people fear the government, we have tyranny." - George Washington, American Revolutionary and first President of the USA

Thursday, June 30, 2011

Public apology to Cricket

I would like to apologize for the cruel way I have been to Cricket Communications.  I don't like the way Cricket is slowing down my connection and I respectfully ask you to speed up my connection to normal speed.  I don't know why I got this slow connection, and I would appreciate an email that explains why my connection is so slow.  This has been going on for about a month and a half.  Thank You.

heavy, metal

Thrash metal and death metal such as Metallica, Demon Hunter, Megadeth (which warns about subjects such as nuclear war, toxic waste and extinction, Anthrax and bands like it that are not satanic in nature are okay.  Ozzy Osbourne started metal, Iron Maiden is pretty tame compared to Metallica and Megadeth.

God Gave Rock And Roll

God gave rock and roll to you, gave rock and roll to you
Put it in the soul of everyone
Do you know what you want? You don't know for sure
You don't feel right, you can't find a cure
And you're gettin' less than what you're lookin' for

You don't have money or a fancy car
And you're tired of wishin' on a falling star
You gotta put your faith in a loud guitar

Chorus:
God gave rock and roll to you, gave rock and roll to you
Gave rock and roll to everyone (oh yeah)
God gave rock and roll to you, gave rock and roll to you
Put it in the soul of everyone

"Now listen"
If you wanna be a singer, or play guitar
Man, you gotta sweat or you won't get far
Cause it's never too late to work nine-to-five

You can take a stand, or you can compromise
You can work real hard or just fantasize
But you don't start livin' till you realize - "I gotta tell ya!"

God gave rock and roll to you, gave rock and roll to you
Gave rock and roll to everyone
God gave rock and roll to you, gave rock and roll to you
Put it in your'e Soul

(Instrumental break)

God gave rock and roll to you (to everyone he gave the song to be sung)
Gave rock and roll to you, gave rock and roll to everyone

God gave rock and roll to you (to everyone he gave the song to be sung)
Gave rock and roll to you, saved rock and roll for everyone
Saved rock and roll

Chorus repeats out...

"I know life sometimes can get tough! And I know life sometimes can be a drag!
But people, we have been given a gift, we have been given a role
And that roles name is... Rock and Roll!"

Wiccans are people too


The Homeless

Listen, you rich, stuck-up Ajax-Wipes!  The homeless have rights too, you buttlick-hipnicks.  I would just like to chew you out for treating them like crap.  Dismissed!

blogger

Who the F*CK crashed BLogger

Independence Day

Ecotopia is a stupid idea.  It split the country.  I am a F*CKIN YANKEE.

KFBW

KFBW The Brew 105.9 Portland plays the crappiest blandest music.  It sucks crap.  It sucks rotten eggs!!!

Systems of governenment

Communism and Capitalism are not political systems.  They are economic systems.  Fascism, democracy and monarchies are political systems, as well as empires.  Democracy can be either direct democracy (Athens) or a representative democracy (The USA).  Fascism can be like Hitler's system, or Mousolini's system of corporatism, which is an offshoot of fascism.  Monarchies and empires are at the whim of a king or emperor (Old England for a king, or Rome for an empire - also the Galactic Empire in Star Wars).  An offshoot of a monarchy is a constitutional monarchy (Modern day Great Britian, with a prime minister, a parliament and a monarch who's only power is choosing the prime minister from the majority party.)  I really feel that a representative democracy like the Founding Fathers of America intended is the best political system, and in my opinion, the best economic system is a mixed economy with a saftey net for the poor, and free markets with regulation of corporations.

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

The police

The police should protect and serve the law abiding citizens.

Who I am NOT

Listen here!  I am not Jesus Christ!  I am just a Wiccan who searches the Internet and is a smart dude.

The false prophet

The false prophet from Revelation sez he can make fire come down from heaven, well, I say it would just be a NUCLEAR BOMB.

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Portland City Council

What The Hell Is The Matter With This Council?

Let's have the cop screw with everyone!
Sit-Lie sucks!
Sit-Lie sucks!
What The Hell Is The Matter With This Council?

We were outside the City Council for our weekly protest against Portland joining the Joint Terrorist Task Force, The Sit-Lie ordinance and the water rate increase when Dan from Cop-Watch told us of a woman who was going to confront the Council about being harassed by a Portland Police Officer when she sat down to rest at the 6th Ave. Max station. She had her young son in a stroller and decided to sit on the stone wall that surrounds the Federal Courthouse. There were other people sitting, so she thought it would be OK for her to rest for a time. The new Sit-Lie (Lie) ordinance makes this illegal, even if you are just going to rest for a few minutes. A police officer approached her and ordered her off the wall in a way that upset her so much that she took the time to come before the City Council to report the incident and maybe hope for an apology; what she got was BS.

Our mayor thanked her for coming in his normal dismissive way. Fish and Saltzman had the good sense to be quiet but not our Amanda. Commissioner Fritz thanked her for coming and made a statement that cause my head to hurt. She thanked the woman for reporting the incident and added that the city has been criticized for using the new ordinance against just "Houseless" persons and it was good that the police were being even handed when telling people to move. I almost threw up my breakfast. After the woman completed her story I applauded and that caused our dear mayor to tell me that applauding was not allowed. I said something about him being a dictator and did my Irish walk-out and rejoined my friend outside to continue our protest.

The thought I had when leaving the council chamber was, we now have equal harassment of our citizens by the police, "Isn't that special!" First and foremost, the police have questionable jurisdiction here because the wall in question surrounding the Federal Courthouse is federal property and it is the Federal Marshals that have jurisdiction, not the PoPo. In our tight budget times it seems the cops should just deal with their responsibilities and not go shopping for new work.

A friend and brother just told me a story of a security guard trying to give him a hard time for sitting on the wall, security guards have no more authority to tell you to move from a Federal Building, wall or grounds than any other citizen.
I am ashamed of this council, they don't get it and do not understand that they just look stupid during these encounters and run the risk of causing an incident with these ill thought out ordinances that they keep passing. Mayor Adams, Commissioners Fritz and Leonard are all up for re-election in 2012, they should all be defeated.

For Justice,Peace and *Laughter,
Joe Walsh-Lone Vet
Individuals for Justice
Veterans Against Torture
Proud member of Oregon Progressive Party,  http://progparty.org/

War is failure, occupation a disgrace!

"Funding these wars is killing our troops"
 http://www.mfso.org/

* Why laughter?? Because without it I would have gone insane years ago.

Sen. ** harry reid must be replaced as Majority Leader, call me when you agree or just go away!

An ounce of practice is worth more than tons of preaching.
Mohandas Gandhi

Thoreau may have also brooded over the reaction of Emerson, who criticized the imprisonment as pointless. According to some accounts, Emerson visited Thoreau in jail and asked, "Henry, what are you doing in there?" Thoreau replied, "Waldo, the question is what are you doing out there?"

Molly Ivins, "It's like, duh. Just when you thought there wasn't a dime's worth of difference between the two parties, the Republicans go and prove you're wrong."

homelessness in California

From Indymedia Portland...

Free Gary Johnson! Homelessness in California is now punishable by a year in jail.

For protesting on the county steps against Santa Cruz laws that make it illegal for the homeless to sleep at night, homeless activists Gary Johnson (no relation to Becky Johnson) and Attorney Ed Frey were sentenced to 6 months in jail on June 10th. Bail was set for Ed Frey, pending appeal, at $50,000. Their only act of civil disobedience was sleeping. This occurred at their three month protest called "Peace Camp 2010". Revealing the political nature of the draconian sentences, Judge Gallagher told homeless activist Gary Johnson that he "could get some sleep in jail" before they were dragged away in chains for their 6 month sentences. The law they were protesting makes it illegal for the homeless to sleep at night, outside or in a vehicle.
[Photo by Liberation News.  Daily protests at the Santa Cruz Courthouse from 7:3
[Photo by Liberation News. Daily protests at the Santa Cruz Courthouse from 7:3
Free Gary Johnson! Overturn the Convictions of Ed Frey, Arthur Bishoff, and Collette Connolly! Hands off Christopher Doyon!

By Steven Argue

For protesting on the county steps against Santa Cruz laws that make it illegal for the homeless to sleep at night, homeless activists Gary Johnson (no relation to Becky Johnson) and Attorney Ed Frey were sentenced to 6 months in jail on June 10th. Bail was set for Ed Frey, pending appeal, at $50,000. Their only act of civil disobedience was sleeping. This occurred at their three month protest called "Peace Camp 2010". Revealing the political nature of the draconian sentences, Judge Gallagher told homeless activist Gary Johnson that he "could get some sleep in jail" before they were dragged away in chains for their 6 month sentences. The law they were protesting makes it illegal for the homeless to sleep at night, outside or in a vehicle.

On Friday, June 24, after two weeks in jail, Ed Frey was released on bail pending appeal with his bail of $50,000 dollars reduced to $110. Supporters quickly passed the hat and Ed Frey was released from jail on bail. Gary Johnson still sits in jail.

Also convicted for sleeping at the protest were Arthur Bishoff and Collette Connolly. A fifth protester, Christopher Doyon didn't show up for the kangaroo court trial and bench warrant was issued. A sixth protester, Eliot Anderson was freed by a hung jury that failed to convict him. A juror said of the case, Anderson should not have to gas his dog to try to get into a shelter to legally sleep.

Many potential jurors were upset by the fact that they were to sit through a two week trial for the "crime" of sleep. One example was an elementary school teacher who said, "When I first came to Santa Cruz, I lived in my van for three years. During that time, I was hassled, arrested, and jailed. There is no way I could be impartial in this case considering the pain these people are suffering." A number of potential jurors said such things, but of course they never made it on to the jury. People who are aware of what is going on generally don't make it onto juries in the United States. Those less aware people who made it onto the jury were told, in a typical manner, that they weren't allowed to have their own opinions. In the oft repeated mantra of blind stupidity and injustice in America's capitalist courts, Judge Gallagher told the jury, "Even if you disagree with the law, you must follow the law."

The four protesters were convicted of state anti-lodging law 647(E) for sleeping at the protest. Arthur Bishoff and Collette Connolly did not show up for the absurdity of sentencing and warrants were issued. Ed Frey and Gary Johnson were offered 400 hours of Community Service and 3 years probation for sleeping. In response, Gary Johnson, homeless, asked, "How can I take probation to obey all laws, when you've defined "sleeping" as lodging to the jury, making it a misdemeanor crime? How can I not sleep for six months during probation?" On basic principle and inability to comply, both Gary Johnson and Attorney Ed Frey turned down probation.

This was reminiscent of an earlier Santa Cruz case where Sandy Loranger did time in jail for feeding the homeless soup. When the judge offered her counseling instead of jail Sandy Loranger replied, "If feeding my fellow people is a crime, I am beyond rehabilitation."

The protest Gary Johnson, Ed Frey, Arthur Bishoff, and Collette Connolly were prosecuted for was peaceful in nature with the only act of civil disobedience being the illegal act of sleep outside. Basic protest facilities were included with Attorney Ed Frey providing the protesters with a needed port-a-potty. This helped provide the homeless with a safe place to sleep for months, despite the city government's failure to provide such needed relief for its citizens.

The protest also shamed the city government into modifying the city's law that makes it illegal for the homeless to sleep at night by providing a dismissal of the charges in court if the homeless being charged with sleep can show that they were on the waiting list for the insufficient shelter provided at the Homeless Service Center at the time they were ticketed. Other protests in the 1990s shamed the Santa Cruz City government into reducing the fine for sleeping at night outside or in a vehicle, but the Santa Cruz City Council continued to keep sleep at night for the homeless illegal at that time as well.

During those protests in the 1990s activists were arrested and brutalized by the infamously repressive Santa Cruz Police. Activist B.D. was tackled off his soap box and pepper sprayed by the Santa Cruz Police for giving a speech in favor of the homeless in front of numerous eyewitnesses and a video camera. In 1998 this author was beaten and arrested, spending four days in jail, for exercising my First Amendment right to distribute literature. It was literature in favor of rights for the homeless and opposed to police brutality.

The law for which Gary Johnson and Ed Frey were arrested, prosecuted, convicted, and sentenced was Penal Code Section 647(E), for "unlawful lodging". This is a California state law. It was also recently used in August 2010 by the Santa Barbara Police to ticket Courtney Caswell-Peyton, a Santa Barbara disabled woman who fell asleep in her wheel chair. She showed-up for court worried about the possibility of getting her first conviction for any crime. Facing strong protest in that case, the Santa Barbara DA dismissed the charge in the "interests of justice". While happy about not being convicted, she left court saying she was still homeless and questioning why she had no place to sleep.

Unlike the Santa Barbara dismissal, Gary Johnson, Ed Frey, Arthur Bishoff, and Collette Connolly were convicted in the notoriously bad Santa Cruz courts. Judge Gallagher is making an example of them for standing-up against the anti-homeless laws of Santa Cruz. The suspected reason cops charged the four with the state law rather than the Santa Cruz anti-sleeping law was a loophole where city laws didn't apply because the protest was on county property. But, as a cop once told this author, "this is Santa Cruz; we can find a law for anything". And find a law they did.

In 1983 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that an earlier version of Penal Code Section 647(E) was unconstitutional in the case of Kolender v. Lawson. It was an anti-vagrancy law that was brought to the supreme court after it was used by San Diego Police to repeatedly harass a Black man with dread locks who was committing no real crime. As a result of that Supreme Court ruling that version of Penal Code Section 647(E) was repealed by the state legislature in 2008.

Since the overturning of the original 647(E) a new version was passed by the State Legislature which states, "Who lodges in any building, structure, vehicle, or place, whether public or private, without the permission of the owner or person entitled to the possession or in control of it" "are guilty of disorderly conduct, a misdemeanor". Lodging is being used as a euphemism for sleeping here. This is the law the four protesters were convicted under.

In May 2011, this anti-homeless law 647 (E) was made even worse with the State Legislature making a second violation punishable of up to a year in jail and $2,000 fine. So now homelessness in the state of California is punishable by up to a year in jail if one is caught doing it twice.

Voting for this worsened anti-homeless law were Democrats and Republicans alike, including local Santa Cruz Democrat and darling of many reformist liberals, Bill Monning. Monning voted for that increased penalty at the same time that the people who actually stand-up for human rights were fighting the constitutionality of the law in court with their freedom on the line.

Here is a full list of those who voted for the worsened anti-homeless law: Achadjian, Allen, Ammiano, Atkins, Beall, Beth Gaines, Bill Berryhill, Block, Blumenfield, Bonilla, Bradford, Brownley, Buchanan, Butler, Campos, Carter, Charles Calderon, Chesbro, Cook, Davis, Dickinson, Donnelly, Eng, Feuer, Fletcher, Fong, Fuentes, Furutani, Galgiani, Gatto, Gordon, Grove, Hagman, Halderman, Hall, Harkey, Hayashi, Hill, Huber, Hueso, Huffman, Jeffries, John A. Pérez, Jones, Knight, Lara, Logue, Ma, Mansoor, Mendoza, Miller, Monning, Morrell, Nestande, Nielsen, Norby, Olsen, Pan, Perea, Silva, Skinner, Smyth, Solorio, Swanson, V. Manuel Pérez, Valadao, Wagner, Wieckowski, Williams, and Yamada.

None voted against.

As the California state government, dominated by Democrats, passes anti-working class austerity and extremely harsh anti-homeless legislation, the Democrat holding power in Washington, Obama, wages wars in an increasing number of the world's countries for the profit of arms manufacturers, oil corporations, and other imperialist capitalists and locks-up suspected whistle blower on U.S. crimes against humanity, Bradley Manning, under intolerable conditions. Bradley Manning is accused of releasing the helicopter footage that shows U.S. troops nonchalantly gunning down civilians including journalists, first aid respondents, and children in cold blood. Instead of charges of murder for those who committed it, it is Bradley Manning who goes to prison under Obama. Likewise, billions that could be used in a saner society for housing, healthcare, and education are squandered on war.

Meanwhile, the local Democrats in power in Santa Cruz send out their county and city cops to silence protests for human rights for the homeless, support legislation against immigrants like the "Secure Communities" program, and threaten to cut the already meager wages of In Home Support Workers, wages needed to provide the care that helps keep the disabled, elderly, and dying in their homes. While Santa Cruz Mayor Ryan Coonerty supports the city's anti-homeless laws, police repression, and has signed on with the anti-immigrant "Secure Communities" program, he opposes measures that would help fight homelessness like an increase in the minimum wage and has been part of carrying out austerity that includes the lay-off of workers and cuts in homeless services while at the same time hiring more cops.

As the current crisis of capitalism threatens the break-down all that is left that is civil in our society, the Democrats charge ahead with the Republicans in making sure it is the poor and working class who pay for the crisis of capitalism, not capitalist profits. All reformist dreams of the Democrat Party in any way being a source of any sort of "hope" should be abandoned in favor of recognizing reality. Labor unions must abandon their illusions in the Democrats and stop giving them our money and instead prepare to fight by putting union dues in strike funds. The true power of labor will never be found groveling at the feet of hostile Democrat politicians. Instead, labor has the potential to win demands by shutting down the profits of the capitalists.

As opposed to the Democrat's program of more war, more cops, criminalization of poverty, political repression, and austerity labor should move forward with our own demands. Those could include a massive jobs program to house the homeless, the seizure of housing foreclosed by the banks to be used by those who need it, and an end to capitalist medicine in the United States, a major cause of debt, homelessness, and death. Without an independent fight-back of the working class, using the power of the strike for political demands, the situation will just continue to grow bleaker.

A revolutionary worker's party should be built to advocate and lead on just such a class struggle program. To remain a tool of the working class in the long run such a party also needs to have an anti-capitalist program for the building of socialism. Political parties without a clear anti-capitalist program, once in power, just become mere rulers over the inherent injustices of the capitalist system. Instead of capitalism, an egalitarian socialist economy in the United States with production based on human need rather than capitalist profit could provide everyone with a job, housing, health care, and free education. Such a society needs to be built on principles of workers' democracy rather than Stalinist dictatorship or American style dictatorship of the wealthy.

The alternative to socialist revolution becomes increasingly clear as capitalist society becomes less and less able to take care of its people; climate change caused by capitalist greed becomes an increasing threat to the future of human civilization; the capitalist state becomes increasingly repressive; and the leading capitalist countries plunge the world into war after war of imperialist domination and conquest. As the great German revolutionary Rosa Luxemburg said in 1918, the alternatives are socialism or barbarism.

Free Gary Johnson! Overturn the Convictions of Ed Frey, Arthur Bishoff, and Collette Connolly! Hands Off Christopher Doyon!

End Laws making it Illegal for the Homeless to Sleep at Night!

Seize Housing From the Banks for those Who Need Housing! For a Nation Wide Jobs Program Building Housing for All!


This is an article of Liberation News, subscribe free
 https://lists.riseup.net/www/info/liberation_news

computer programmer union

Computer programmers should fight back against comparitively low salaries (Compared to execs of software companies such as Micro$haft.) and form a labor union.

Sunday, June 26, 2011

drug war

I saw a brown substance in my apartment when I ran my bathtub (To clean it).  It got me hallucinating.  It is coffee based acid.  (It looked like coffee color)

Friday, June 24, 2011

Kind Suggestion to KFBW

KFBW (The Brew 105.9) can play good hard heavy metal and punk at night (8:00pm-5:00pm).  This is just a kind suggestion.

DTV Music network

Someone can start a DTV (Free Digital TV - off air waves) network to play both classic music videos and current ones, like the old days of MTV when it was cool.  It can have punk, metal, hard rock, new wave, rap, and classic rock.  Just a cool idea.

Freddy Krueger

Freddy's gonna get you!!!
Censorship is unamerican!!!

Oregon State Prison

International fugitive Fred Monem, in hiding in Iran, said he is willing to serve a short prison sentence for his "mistake" of taking bribes while serving as Oregon's prison food buyer.

Monem, in recent e-mails to The Oregonian, said he never cheated the state.

"I never did anything to hurt anybody," Monem said this week, in his first public comments. "I always did my job to save money for the taxpayers of the state."

Monem, 52, is wanted on federal charges that he took $1.2 million in kickbacks from vendors selling distressed foods to the state Corrections Department. He fled the state in 2007 while negotiating a plea deal with federal prosecutors.

Monem's comments came as a federal judge Thursday spared Monem's wife from federal prison. Karen Monem, 47, pleaded guilty to participating in the scheme and in 2009 was sentenced to one year in federal prison.

Her date to show up for prison was postponed repeatedly so she could tend her ailing mother and son, who live with her in Salem. Prosecutors recommended that she be sentenced instead to probation and four months' home detention. She works as a store clerk and will be allowed to leave home for her job.

"Karen Monem has complied with all the requirements that the court imposed since she accepted responsibility," said Chris Cardani, assistant U.S. attorney.

The bribery case is one of the largest public corruption episodes in Oregon history.

Court records show Monem took kickbacks from five vendors from 2000 to 2006. The vendors sold foods pulled out of normal distribution channels because expiration dates were reached, packaging was wrong or manufacturers were overstocked. The foods typically are deeply discounted, and allowed Monem to drive down the costs of feeding Oregon's 14,000 inmates.

karen.monem.march3.2011.JPGView full sizeKaren Monem
Vendors paid their bribes to Monem in cash, delivered to his Salem home by courier or given to him directly during trips to Las Vegas. Federal agents found more than $500,000 in cash when they searched Monem's home and safe deposit boxes in early 2007.

"I got money from them because I knew how much they are making from us," Monem wrote. He said he didn't directly buy the foods but instead sent requests through the Corrections Department. "They would buy it if it was the best price," he said.

He said federal prosecutors "want to fry me for my mistake," saying he has been offered a six- to eight-year prison sentence. "I would come back and face the court if they give me the same thing, the offer [to] others," he said.

Prosecutors won't bargain.

"Mr. Monem is not in a position where he can negotiate terms with the government after he abandoned the state of Oregon, and abandoned his own family knowing that he was being investigated for public corruption," Cardani said.

Four food vendors pleaded guilty to bribing Monem, and served up to three months in prison.

"I know it wasn't right what I did but I never hurt anyone. I always did my job right. I just take some of their profit," Monem said. He said the state got good prices, vendors got sales and he got money. "It was win-win situation," he said.

Monem worked for the state Corrections Department for 10 years.

Life in his native Iran is "very hard," he said. "It would have been easier if I went to jail." He returned to Iran to care for his father, he said. His mother died before he got back, and he missed her funeral. "That is very bad in my country," Monem said

He said he isn't working because his father is "well off."

He said he can now return to the U.S. if he can get an acceptable plea deal.

"I would love to come back to my country," Monem said. "I grew up there. I never had any problem there. I love everyone there."

Cardani said the government is ready.

"We welcome Mr. Monem's return," he said.

-- Les Zaitz

Dan Saltzman Scandals



Monday, May 03, 2010


Smirkery: Dan Saltzman Scandal

The Mercury (here) has the story of the Portland City Commissioner approving $600,000.00 in city money to his girlfriend's charity--without disclosing the conflict.



5 comments:


Pete said...
What is it about the enlarged libido and lechery of our liberal white male Portland City Council members that invariably manifests itself in lax judgement, lewd and lascivious behavior? One thing we apparently didn't appreciate about Sam was his fiscally prudent lies and lustful predation. This seemingly (or is it seedily) contrasts with the luxurious love feast cultivated by our arboreal luminary on the City Council. His lavish budgetary tryst leaves one wondering why it isn't time for change and regeneration of the entire City Council!
djsteinb said...
With who Pete? For sure we'll just get another crop of the same style ultra liberal morons that cherish political correctness from sound governing and management. Maybe the GOP candidate Bob Forthan would be a good choice. At least he's a moron who doesn't understand English much less reality. That way he has a built in excuse for mistakes.
Pete said...
Dj, "At least he's a moron who doesn't understand English much less reality." Sounds like a perfect candidate for Saltzman's position. The only reality he needs face is that Saltzman awakens from a vegetative state every four years to the delight of arboreal defenders throughout the city and to run for reelection. Mary Volm is probably a more realistic candidate in terms of knowledge of the internal workings of City Hall and having the possibility of winning. She put her job on the line in opposing Adams over his ethics scandal and was summarily dismissed by Adams last Summer after two decades of service. She is obviously far more ethical than anyone currently on the Council. And while she is liberal she at least seems to understand the plight of small and mid size businesses and the reasons behind their flight from downtown Portland. Also she has an extensive understanding of Transportation issues. For example, she has railed against the failure of City Hall to properly maintain it's existing transportation infrastructure. For example, the City's failure to maintain NW 23rd Avenue over the past two decades, diverting funds to other more "favored" projects, has dramatically increased the scope and cost of its current reconstruction. Victoria has had Volm on several times and I have to respect Victoria's judgement on this race.
Victoria Taft, 11am - 3pm KPAM 860 said...
Michael Courtney is the true fiscal conservative in this race. Who? Then what do we do after that? Mary may occasionally throw fiscal sanity a bone.

State Assembly

Oregon should have a similar legislature to California.  We need a state assembly, based on the population, as well as a Senate.

Thursday, June 23, 2011

End Software Patents

Software patents are born out of corporate greed.  For example, greedy old Micro$haft claims that the Linux projects violate over 200 software patents.  Software patents are unjust and immoral.  The Open Source program, Guarddog got taken off because some greedy corper threatened a lawsuit.  This is bullsh*t.

Every company is in the software business, which means that every company has software liability. We estimate costs of $11.2 billion a year due to software patent suits (see our 2008 State of Softpatents report), and not just by Microsoft and IBM—The Green Bay Packers, Kraft Foods, and Ford Motor are facing software patent infringement lawsuits for their use of the standard software necessary for running a modern business.
Software innovation happens without government intervention. Virtually all of the technologies you use now were developed before software was widely viewed as patentable. The Web, email, your word processor and spreadsheet program, instant messaging, or even more technical features like the psychoacoustic encoding and Huffman compression underlying the MP3 standard—all of it was originally developed by enthusiastic programmers, many of whom have formed successful business around such software, none of whom asked the government for a monopoly. So if software authors have a proven track-record of innovation without patents, why force them to use patents? What is the gain from billions of dollars in patent litigation?
Change is happening now. The 2008 ruling of the appeals court of the US Federal Circuit on the case in re Bilski narrowed the scope of what is patentable. Some experts even question if software patents are still valid at all in the US. ESP, under the direction of Ben Klemens, played a key role in this case. See our resources for lawyers page for details.
This site is an overview of how courts self-expanded their jurisdiction to include software despite the protests of practitioners such as Bill Gates or Adobe Microsystems, of the economic damage done, how the story is evolving today, and how your company can help to restore the software market to a world run by innovators, not judges.

Roms protest

We need to fight to legalize the ROMS for obsolete consoles, and MAME games produced before a reasonable year (I would say 1997).  We can boycott all games protected by the ESA, and even hang a ROMS legalization banner from a freeway overpass or from a building. 

The Open Source software community can make games similar to these retro arcade games (Such as Donkey Kong, Zaxxon, Berzerk or others).   The software patents for these particular games expired.

Self Dedication in Wicca

  1. By the very definition of the word, you can’t initiate yourself, because to initiate requires more than one person. But what you CAN do is dedicate yourself to your path and to the gods you have chosen to follow. For many people, doing this as part of a formal ritual helps to cement their relationship with the Divine. Some people choose to wait until they have studied for a year and a day before having a formal self-dedication rite. It’s entirely up to you.
  2. You may want to wait until the time of the new moon to perform this self-dedication, because it is a time of new beginnings. Bear in mind that self-dedication is a commitment you are making; it should not be done at random or without significant thought beforehand.
    This goal of this rite is to bring the dedicant closer to the Divine, as well as to declare your connection to your spiritual path.
  3. You should perform this ritual skyclad, if at all possible. Find a place that is quiet, private, and free of distractions. Turn off your cell phone and send the kids out to play if you have to. You will need the following items:
    Begin by grounding yourself. Find your inner peace, and become good and relaxed. Shut out all the things from your mundane life that distract you -- forget for a while about paying the bills, your son’s baseball practice, and whether or not you fed the cat. Focus only on yourself, and the tranquility you’re entitled to.
  4. When you’re ready to proceed, sprinkle the salt on the floor or ground, and stand on it.
    Light your white candle, and feel the warmth of the flame. Look into the glow of the fire and think about what goals you have for yourself on your spiritual journey. Think about your motivations for performing this self-dedication.
  5. Stand before your altar, and say:
    I am a child of the Goddess and God [Lady and Lord] , and I ask them to bless me.
    Dip your finger into the blessing oil, and with eyes closed, anoint your forehead. Some people do this by tracing a pentagram on the skin with the oil. Say:
    May my mind be blessed, so that I can accept the wisdom of the gods. Anoint the eyelids (be careful here!) and say: May my eyes be blessed, so I can see my way clearly upon this path. Anoint the tip of your nose with the oil, and say: May my nose be blessed, so I can breathe in the essence of all that is Divine.
  6. Anoint your lips, and say:
    May my lips be blessed, so I may always speak with honor and respect.
    Anoint your chest, and say:
    May my heart be blessed, so I may love and be loved.
    Anoint the tops of your hands, and say:
    May my hands be blessed, so that I may use them to heal and help others.
    Anoint your genital area, and say:
    May my womb be blessed, so that I may honor the creation of life.
    Anoint the soles of your feet, and say:
    May my feet be blessed, so that I may walk side by side with the Divine.
  7. If you have specific deities you follow, pledge your loyalty to them now. Otherwise, you can use simply “God and Goddess”, or “Mother and Father”. Say:
    Tonight, I pledge my dedication to the God and Goddess. I will walk with them beside me, and ask them to guide me on this journey. I pledge to honor them, and ask that they allow me to grow closer to them. As I will, so it shall be.
    Take some time to meditate. Feel the afterglow of the ritual, and feel the energy of the gods around you. You have brought yourself to the attention of the Divine, so they will be keeping an eye on you. Accept the gift of their wisdom.
What You Need:
  • Blessing Oil (see link above)
  • Salt
  • A white candle
  • A quiet place

Homeless Protest

Homeless Camp out at Rose Parade for right 2 survive

Right 2 Survive put out a call to pitch a tent in downtown Portland to support the rights of the homeless to survive. This peaceful direct action raised awareness that there are not enough shelters or resources for the homeless. On any given day, there are 1,500 people sleeping in the streets, with nowhere to go, but city laws forbid them to set up tents. For 1 day only before the Rose Parade, the city allows everyone to camp out. For homeless activists, it's unfair that people are allowed to camp out for fun, but not for survival.
For most people, being homeless is one of their biggest fears. Yet millions of Americans have experienced homelessness. The National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty reported in 2007 that about 3.5 million people have experienced being homeless, 1.5 million of them children.
Homelessness is on the rise, as thousands of Americans have lost their housing and jobs in recent years. Often, the authorities respond, not with more support, but with criminalizing and increasing assaults on the homeless people, and cuts on social programs that provide them with support. In Portland, there are about 1,500 people sleeping in the streets on a given day. There are just not enough shelters and support for them.
To call attention to their plight, Right2Survive, a group of 9 people who are homeless, formerly homeless and allies, put out a call to folks to pitch a tent in downtown Portland on June 10th. Soon after 10 AM, about 50 homeless and supporters, set up camp on SW 4th Avenue and Washington. In no time, tents were erected on several city blocks. A huge sign stated the purpose of this action: Legal Camping Now; Land, Not Jail. A table with coffee, water, soft drinks and food was set up, and all day long, many homeless and non-homeless people stopped by and were fed. We were treated to fresh fruit, sandwiches, burritoes, cookies, donuts, chocolate cake and hot soup, thanks to all who cooked and/or donated food! Many curious people talked to us, and were given leaflets explaining the purpose of Right 2 Survive. A couple of police came and tried to evict us, but we stood our ground. Shortly, the city attorney appeared, but she too left, since for once, the "law" was on our side.
Ibrahim Mubarak is a member of Right2Survive, and one of the founders of Dignity Village. He informed me that the goal of this peaceful direct action was to protest against the city's anti-camping law, which makes camping illegal for homeless folks. Yet the city allows camping for all people for 1 day before the Rose Parade. "The city allows people to camp out for fun, but not for survival," he said. He added that the homeless are vulnerable to assault, especially women. One of the homeless' biggest complaints and fear is assault from the police. Many have told me that the cops often harass them at night, waking them up, searching their tents, and throwing away their only belongings, their sleeping bags, tents, papers, and things they value. Ibrahim said that people want to camp together, not only for comraderie, but for protection against violence and rape.
Leo Rhodes, a Street Roots poet and board member, said one of the biggest obstacles the homeless confront is the negative stereotypes that the media perpetrate. "Many of us have jobs, and are not drug addicts or have mental problems," he said. "Every March 31st, many shelters are closed because they think that the homeless won't die in the summer. We've tried to meet with city officials, but their solution is "Out of sight, out of mind." They want to sweep the homeless off the streets, because we're an "eyesore," but there's nowhere for us to go. We're here today to let everyone know that we're human beings too, and we need shelter."
The media showed up, including FOX. They interviewed Ibrahim, Leo and many others.
The next day, hundreds of people, who showed up for the Rose Parade, became informed of the Right 2 Survive camping. They saw the signs, including "100,000 Homeless Vets on the streets every night" when Ibrahim and others walked up several city blocks carrying the signs. When the Oregon National Guard float passed by, Ibrahim walked next to them, carrying a sign: "Support the troops? Give them homes," and "Beds, not bombs. 100,000 homeless vets."
Several homeless activists came down from Seattle to support this action. They talked about the growing tent cities in Seattle, Nickelsville (named after the scumbag mayor), Tent City 2 and 3. It's good to see such solidarity among the homeless and their allies. This was a very successful direct action, and more actions are planned in the future, because homelessness is not an "eyesore" that can be swept out of sight. It's a growing problem that more and more people will experience as the economy, our civil rights and our country are being destroyed by rapacious corporate power and a government that serves its interests, instead of the people's.
For more information, go to:  link to right2survive.wordpress.com

FBI Pigs on a wing

On the morning of September 24th, FBI agents served grand jury subpoenas and raided the homes of several anti-war and social justice activists in Minnesota, Michigan and Illinois. The FBI appears to be targeting people associated with the Freedom Road Socialist Organization and the Arab-American Action Network. Search warrants indicate agents were looking for connections between local antiwar activists and groups in Colombia and the Middle East. Most of the people whose homes were searched or who were issued subpoenas had helped organize or attended protests at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota, two years ago.The social justice community, mindful of the COINTELPRO intimidation tactics that the FBI has implemented in the past against anti-war and civil rights organizers, view the raids as an intimidation tactic. Within a day, activists organized a solidarity vigil, a press conference to raise public opinion of the matter, and put out a call for rallies nationwide.
Coverage Roundups: DC-IMC | Indybay | Chicago IMC | Twin Cities IMC
More Coverage from Twin Cities IMC: Oct6: Anti-War Activists: "We Have Nothing to Say to a Grand Jury" | Sept29: Midwest Social Justice Community Rallies Around Investigated Antiwar Activist | Sept24: At Least Four Minneapolis Houses Raided, Activists Subpoenaed in National FBI "Terror" Expedition Against Antiwar Activists | Breaking News
Demonstration Reportbacks: Portland, OR | Rochester, NY | Champaign, IL | Olympia, WA | Buffalo, NY | Washington, DC
Solidarity Statements: African People’s Solidarity Committee | Labor Activists Condemn FBI Repression | Send a Note of Protest and cc your local media
Related Stories: US Coast Guard admittedly spied in Olympia Activist circles | PA "Terror Watch" Bulletins Tracked Activists Across State
More Information: If An Agent Knocks | Committee to Stop FBI Repression

A Texas gulag

Texas Death Row prisoners say "¡Ya Basta!" to Inhuman Prison Conditions
by Texas Death Row Prisoners Wednesday, Jun. 08, 2011 at 4:07 PM
drivemovement@yahoo.com
Texas Death Row inmates are banning together and protesting in various ways as never before. This is because of new pseudo policies, which, as should be noted, the vast majority of staff members disagrees with and see as pointless and counterproductive.
ISSUES TO BE ADDRESSED
I-60 SUPPLEMENT

To: Ranking officers over the Death Row Inmate Population
From: The Death Row Inmate Population
Date: May 1, 2011

Texas Death Row inmates are banning together and protesting in various ways as never before. This is because of new pseudo policies, which, as should be noted, the vast majority of staff members disagrees with and see as pointless and counterproductive. In fact, it seems that the only two people pushing this heightened level of oppression are major Smith and Assistant Warden Lester. In the history of Texas Death Row there has never been so very many Use of Force and staff assaults, in such a very short period of time. This is the result of one thing and one thing only: the sudden dramatic rise in extreme psychological and physical violence that is being forced upon us. We just wished to be left alone and allowed to peacefully exist without beings viciously attacked as the TX Death Row inmate population has been lately.

Every ranking officer involved with the D.R building operations will be given a written copy of this May 1, 2011 list of “Issues To Be Addressed“ and all issues will be discussed with them extensively. This has been done repeatedly unofficially but as of 5-1-11 all ranking officers will be officially notified. If they so choose to violate TDCJ-CID policy, ACA standards, state & federal law they will do so of their own free will, knowingly, willingly and with intent. The issues to be addressed are as follows:


*Polunsky Death Row Ranking Staff: Warden Simmons, Asst. Warden Butcher, Asst. Warden Lester, Major Smith, Captain Dickens, Captain Bolton, Captain Miller, Lt. Newberry, Lt. Tully, Lt. McGee, Lt. Worthy, Lt. Duff, Lt. Cabiness, Sgt. Belknap, Sgt. Timmons, Sgt. Valentine, Sgt. Ferris, Sgt. Andrews, Sgt. Macias, Sgt. Beverly, Sgt. Williams, Sgt. McDaniel, Sgt. Helms, Sgt. Ancina, Sgt. Griggsby, (All C.Os will be made aware of the issues as well).

*References: Board Policy (B.P.) 3.9I, Administrative Directive (AD) 3.72, Use of Force Plan, PD-22, Death Row Plan and many other TDCJ policies-extensively, state laws (TX – Government Codex, etc.), extensive federal law (Hudson vs. McMillan, 503 U.S. I [I992]). An extremely detailed and exhaustive list of TDCJ-CID policies, ACA Standards, state and federal laws is available upon request.

NOTE: TDCJ-CID employees are subject to being charged criminally and/or held civilly liable in state and/or Federal Court for violations of state and/or Federal law. (TDCJ-CID policies and ACA standards are based on state and federal law). Polunsky unit staff members have been committing these violations daily.


ISSUSES TO BE ADDRESSED

To: Ranking officers over the Death Row Inmate Population
From: The Death Row Inmate Population
Date: May 1, 2011

In accordance with TDCJ-CID policy, ACA standards, state & federal law the Texas Death Row inmate population would like to bring the following issues to the attention of the ranking staff members in change of the security operations of Death Row. The following list of problems can easily be resolved by on-site ranking staff members and we respectfully request that they do indeed be resolved in an expedient manner.
The issues of relevance are as follows:

*Unsanitary conditions on the pods: Staff members have not been following policy concerning the cleaning of the pods. We request that adequate cleaning supplies be provided an appropriate number of S-S-I’s be assigned to cleaning duty and the pods be properly cleaned and sanitized per policy, there should be no mold in the showers, backed up drains, caked on dirt and dust on the dayroom bars and filth on the floors furthermore, there should never be a single day where an officer comes up with some unjustified excuse for not having the pods cleaned properly. (This has been happening more and more lately).

*Necessity Items I: Soap and Bippy (scouring powder) used to be passed out weekly without exception and extra soap and Bippy would be kept in the picket and passed out if needed. For example, if an officer in rushing to feed chow and accidentally spills the thick greasy liquid that accompanies many tray items – which happens quite often – the C.O. would give the inmate extra soap and Bippy to clean his food slot and door recently, soap and Bippy hasn’t been passed out. For a decade since D.R. has been on this unit this has never been a problem until recently.

*Necessity Items (Clothing) II: Recently, the necessity items that have been passed out have been exceedingly dirty and dingy. Also, previously we were allowed to keep our jackets and blankets year round and they would be washed about every 3 months. Because of the way the AC/Heating systems functions it is sometimes extremely cold in our cells during the summer, therefore we request to have our blankets year round. Furthermore, our jackets are our only protection from rain when on the outside recreation yard (regardless of the season). Therefore, we respectfully request that we be allowed our jackets year round.

*Shower Slots: For 10 years never once were the handcuff removal slots closed when inmates are showering, until recently. The exhaust vents in the showers do not work correctly when the slots are closed and this creates a terribly oppressive situation where the showering inmate cannot breathe correctly. Several inmates have passed out in the shower and many have vomited or become nauseous. There is absolutely no valid reason to close the slots on the showers. Furthermore the open slot is where people place their clothes. Now, the only options are to either place ones clothes on the filthy shower floor where they will get soaking wet or have the COs violate policy and place the items on the dayroom bars or hang them out on a door fixture. (Note: Many ranking officers have stated that holes are supposed to be drilled into the piece of plexi-glass on the shower doors in order to provide proper ventilation and either hooks or a tray are supposed to be secured inside the doors so we can hang up our clothes but this has not happened yet. The whole point of having a plexi-glass window on the shower door is for security purposes so staff can see inside especially during shakedowns, but because of the lack of ventilation the windows fog up and staff is unable to see inside. This is an obvious security risk as many staff members have noted.

*Mail Issues: Problems with ingoing and outgoing mail have dramatically increased recently. Mail has been coming up missing and as has been well documented mail is being held in the mailroom for outrageously excessive amounts of time. TDCJ-CID policy – specifically the Correspondence Rules, B.P. 3.9I – states that ingoing and outgoing mail is to be processed within 24 hours. (48 hours for inmates under specific official security threat watch). We respectfully request that the mail problems be immediately resolved.

*Property officer Martinez: The problems with C. O. Martinez are so very extreme that she is a major problem in and of herself and thus deserves to be counted as a major issue. Ms. Martinez is just absolutely incapable of engaging in her job in a professional manner. She routinely violates TDCJ policy as a matter of what seems to be a natural course for her. She is responsible for unjust confiscation of property as well as unjust denial of release of property (during visitation and otherwise). Ms. Martinez routinely holds property released and sent via mail for outrageously long periods of time. We respectfully request that an officer who can carry out property duties with an appropriate degree of professionalism immediately replace her.

• It should be noted that the mass amount of problems concerning property did not occur until Major Joe Smith became the highest-ranking officer over Texas Death Row. He is the one who allowed these problems to occur, he is the one who assigned C. O. Martinez –and before her, her ranking officer Ms. Smith– to property room duty. A striking example of what Major Smith has caused: The number of staff assaults and Use of Force (UOF) prior—in the many years prior – to Major Smith due the property? Zero. The number of staff assaults since Major Smith has become Major of Death Row and implemented extreme pseudo-policies (which are actually against real written TDCJ policy) concerning property? There have been many, many UOF and staff assaults because of Major Smith’s unjust actions concerning property the number is in the double digits if not the triple digits. From Zero in many years (Approximately 30 years) to at least a double digit number is absolutely shocking (a double digit number in a few years).

• Also, TDCJ-CID policy – specifically A.D. 3.72 – clearly states: “Access to each property room shall be limited to the assigned property officer and other limited personnel designated by the warden” (A.D 3.72 SEC. IV B.2). In the 30 years prison the Major Smith the other personnel was always the small number of other ranking officers on the D. R. building (Sgt.’s Lt.’s and the one captain assigned on the D. R.) Now, Major Smith has essentially given the property officer the rank of a Major or Warden! This is the root of the main problem concerning property issues. And this has been extremely demoralizing to ranking officers. We respectfully request that the policy that resulted in Zero staff assaults and Zero UOF be re-implemented and the limited number of D. R. supervising officers (Sgt., Lt., and Captain) be given 24 hour 7 day a week full property room access as had been the case for approximately 30 years prior to Major Smith. It might seem strange to some that we are requesting something that all of the ranking officers (and C.O. s) have been very vocally in favor of but we are simply thinking rationally and trying to resolve problems and prevent future problems from occurring.

• Level II and Level III Property: A dramatic rise in destruction unjust holding, arbitrary confiscation and disappearance of property recently and previously, when a person was dropped to L- II or III he was given all of his hygiene items in his possession at the time of leveling. Now, it seems staff is trying as hard as possible to extremely limit hygiene items, many times only giving leveled inmates, for example, two bars of soap and placing the other 20 in their property roam box. There are only two options: 1) When inmates are leveled give them all of their hygiene items or 2) Assign several new staff members to the job of daily bringing inmates replacement items from their property room held property when they run out (which is a daily occurrence because different inmates run out of different items and different times). We respectfully request that these property issues be immediately resolved.

• There is no written policy that prevents inmates from possessing hardback books on Level II or Level III, in fact, policy clearly states that we are allowed to possess all publications and literature including hardback books on L-II or L-III. For some unknown reason certain officers at certain times have prevented certain inmates from having hardback books in L-III. Now, in clear violation of policy, staff are attempting to prevent most inmates from having hardback books on L-III and now apparently, L-II also. We request that this “policy“ be immediately reversed. Note: if inmates are reading, then they aren’t causing problems. Furthermore, many of the larger books are religious and/or education and per policy religious and/or educational endeavors cannot be restricted due to disciplinary status.

• TDCJ-CID policy clearly states: “piddling (craft) privileges will not be considered a leisure activity that may be suspended as a (disciplinary) penalty” (GR–106, pg. 17). Policy states that we are not allowed to purchase arts and crafts items—in accordance with our In–cell Arts and Crafts program—on L-II and L-III but previously we were allowed to keep the those items which we possessed when leveled. We request that this be the case again. Note: If inmates are doing arts and crafts, then they are not causing problems.

*Leaking Cells: This has been a problem for years. This is really part of larger problem that can only be described as a sort of antagonistic battle between the maintenance department –which is out in general population far from the D. R. building– and Death Row inmates and D. R. staff. Quite a number of times D. R. Staff has presented maintenance with a list of all the cells that leak. They will come eventually, perhaps fix a few and outright lie and say they are fixed more or all. Then D. R. Staff will “blow it off” and say, “Well, we told maintenance”. F-Pod 63 cell is a perfect example of how quick and easy it is to fix a cell that leaks. F-63 leaked horrendously maintenance came scrapped of the old paint and soap and toilet paper people have stuck on the problematic area on the ceiling/back wall, quickly washed it and applied a beige sealer to the crack. This only took about 20 minutes and completely fixed the problem. We respectfully request that this be done to all leaking D. R. building cells immediately.

*Shower Procedure: Since the new “shower slot closing” policy was implemented another shower procedure policy has been implemented. For the decade that D. R. has been on this building C.O.’s have conducted inmate showering by going all the way around one row A, B, C, D, E and F section and then coming back around two row F, E, D, C, B and A section, or vice versa. Now, officers have only been showering people on one half of the pod at a time (usually A, B, C side first). The reason for implementing this new policy is said to be so we are not in the showers for a longer period of time, therefore, the showering process -with the slots closed– would not be so oppressive. This is illogical for several reasons. One, we were already given a short period of time to shower barely enough time to do so and we have still been showering properly so this has only resulted in officers just standing around waiting for people to finish showering and has not cut down on the time we spend in the shower. What it has resulted in is officers using this new shower procedure to dramatically and unjustly slows down showers and/or not do them at all in clear violation of TDCJ-CID policy. We respectfully request that we be showered as we have been for the last decade than D. R. has been on the Polunsky unit.

*Leveling Prior to a Disciplinary Hearing: Until recently D.R. Inmates were never dropped from Level I to Level II before a disciplinary hearing. This new pseudo- policy is in direct violation of TDCJ-CID policy, ACA standards, states & federal law. The only way a person can justifiably be immediately moved to L-II or L-III status is it they fall into one of the following categories: 1) He/she is a current escape risk. 2) His/ her presence would create a threat to the physical safety of other offenders or staff, or 3) It is necessary to maintain the integrity of an investigation, i.e. to preserve the integrity of information either in the offenders possession or another offenders possession. Now, against policy, people are being leveled for the most insignificant cases imaginable such as passing a newspaper (which is not even a real justifiable case). Being leveled is an extreme form of punishment which entails an offender having his recreation time immediately cut in half, his visits immediately cut in half, all of his commissary items taken (except hygiene and writing supplies) including his radio and hot-pot and losing his special visits if they were already scheduled (which can mean friends and family members losing hundreds or thousands of dollars on pre-bought plan tickets). Unjust leveling is not only an assault on an inmate it is also an assault on the inmates friends and family members.

*Passing between inmates: For the entire approximately 35 year history of modern Texas Death Row inmates have been allowed to pass items such as books, food, magazines and newspapers amongst each other. This has always been the case and in the 10 years D.R. has been on this unit it has never been a problem before (none of this is against policy). Now, suddenly certain ranking staff members have initiated a new pseudo-policy, really a manipulation of policy, attempting to ban us from passing anything amongst each other. This is an absolutely vicious and violent attack, an extreme form of assault and as many academics have noted, psychological violence is many times worse than physical violence. This is not done with others even inmates on 8 building in “closed custody” status for offenses such as assault and major contraband (drugs, cell phones, etc.) possession. Attempting to prevent us from sharing books, art and food with each other is oppressive in the extreme and we ask that this new pseudo- policy be immediately stopped.

*Officers passing between inmates: Death Row officers have always been allowed to pass items between inmates (once again, for the entire 35 year history of modern Texas Death Row). For example, if one inmate has a large GEO study book and is helping another with GEO studies he will ask an officer if he or she can please give the book to another inmate if the officer does not mind. The officer will inspect the book and pass it along if he or she chooses to do so. Policy states it is at the individual officer’s discretion to do so or not. Now, suddenly this has changed. We ask that this extremely oppressive change be stopped immediately.

*Food Service: Violations of food service policy have increased lately. The trays we are fed differ from those served to general population inmates and many of the serving carts are broken and do not heat up the food properly. Preliminary investigation has shown that all of the food carts are broken and several staff members have said they are broken beyond repair. It should be noted that the same food carts are in use that were in use when D. R. arrived here over 10 years ago. TDCJ policy states that we are supposed to be served the exact same thing that is served in the Officer’s Dining Room but this is not the case at all. Furthermore, we never receive the condiments that general population and staff receive and the portions we are served are smaller. We respectfully request that kitchen staff follow the meal plan menu and food service policy as soon as possible and continue to do so.

*Telephone Calls: All other inmates in the Texas Prison System are allowed telephone service except those on Death Row and inmates who are in Administrative Segregation for extreme rule violations. We are theoretically allowed only 5 minutes call every 90 days but even this is a hard thing to achieve. We respectfully request to be allowed the same telephone access as the general population. Note: it is against state and federal law to discriminate against one section of the prison population for no warranted reason.

*Death Watch Leveling: Previously, if an inmate who was on disciplinary status received an execution date the ranking staff members would give him the option of immediately being moved back up to Level I status and, of course, if the inmate committed any rule violations that warranted him being dropped to L-II or L-III when on Death Watch this would occur. We respectfully ask that this be the case again.

*Visitation List Changes: Previously, when D.R. was on the Ellis unit, D.R. inmates could change their visitation lists weekly if necessary. In the 10 years D. R. has been on the Polunsky Unit if an inmate needed to change his visitation list and he requested to do so and gave a reason, then the change was usually allowed. Now, changes to visitation lists are only allowed once every 6 months and this is an extremely oppressive policy. We respectfully ask that it be changed to allow visitation list changes once a week if necessary.

*Shaving Razors: For the entire 35-year modern history of Texas Death Row, D. R. inmates were allowed to purchase disposable shaving razor from commissary and were also given a state-issued razor once a week. D. R. inmates could possess however many shaving razors. Now, suddenly, this has changed and now we are only given a razor when we shower three times a week, although, many times not even that often. It should be mentioned that the “reason” for this is that an inmate was found with a shirt laced with razor blades. This same inmate has previously made a lasso and a knife and given it to officers and basically said: “Look what I can do! Look what I can do!” Furthermore, when this inmate was found with the “razor- shirt” he was on a section by himself for security purpose and on razor restriction and only had contact with officers. This new razor policy has done nothing but create a contraband market in razors. We ask that it be reserved.

*Commissary Issues:

• The Disciplinary Rules and Procedures are very clear, when an inmate is given commissary restriction as a result of a disciplinary hearing this does not include “legal correspondence materials and hygiene items” (GR-106 VII. A 1. C.2) or by policy it is not supposed to include these items but these items are routinely restricted under a given period of commissary restriction. We request this practice end.

• D.R. inmates are currently only allowed to when on Level I, spend $85 a month, yet the commissary prices have continuously increased and many items such as correspondence supplies and hygiene items are an absolute necessity. We respectfully request that the spend limit be increased to $150, and furthermore we request that we be allowed to purchase 60 stamps per spend period instead of 30.

* Inmate Legal Visits: For the decade that D. R. has been on this unit – in accordance with TDCJ-CID policy– we have been allowed inmate legal visits. Suddenly this has stopped and we respectfully request to be allowed inmate legal visits again.

*Excessive Use of Force: Recently, there has been a dramatic increase in excessive Use of Force (UOF). For example, for the first time in the approximately 35 year history of Texas D. R., an inmate was assaulted with a “beam bag“ concussion weapon and knocked unconscious and another was beaten with a metal riot baton. There have been many violations of the TDCJ “Use of Force Plan” as well as the “management and Utilization of state—Issued Chemical Agents” policy SM – 05.03. Furthermore, after a UOF – and indeed at other times–there have been many violations of the “offender management Restrictions” policy SM–01.29. We request that these violations stop.

* Televisions: Texas is the only state that does not allow its Death Row inmates to have televisions. We respectfully request to be allowed to purchase televisions. (Note: General population inmates have T.V.’s).

* Top-Down Staff Harassment: Recently there has been a dramatic rise in the harassment of lower ranking staff members by higher-ranking staff members. This has created a volatile environment for all and we respectfully request that this practice stop immediately.

*Pay Raise For Staff: Administrative officials have consistently spent literally millions of dollars on pointless so-called “security upgrades” to the Death Row building, for example, replacing the outside large security lights with longer extremely expensive gigantic stadium-style lights and repairing the already secure metal barriers/angle-iron between our walls with more metal, all pointless. Yet, the COs have not received the pay raises they have been requesting. We ask that all D. R. C. O.’s Sgt.’s and Lt.’s be given an immediate 15% pay raise. If millions can be spent on nonsense, then the Administration can spend a small amount on a pay raise for those who work at what has been called “one of the most secure prisons in the U.S.” This would help alleviate some of the oppression that the D. R. staff are suffering from and make this environment better for. Let us reiterate that we do not hate or even dislike most staff members here, we want this environment to be better for all.

*Grievance Procedure: There has been an increase lately of problems with the grievance procedure, including non–valid responses to meritorious issues and disappearances of grievances. We request this stop immediately and Polunsky Unit grievance staff follows proper TDCJ-CID policy, including the Grievance Operations Manual. Furthermore, it should be noted that many inmates feel that because the grievance procedure is a ‘joke’ their only option is to engage in acts of protest such as Uses of Force and some have been pushed to violence.

*I-60 Requests: I-60 Request Forms are not responded to now about 90% of the time. Once again, the “formal” avenues that are in place are no longer valid at all. We do not want to be engaged in protest actions, but we have been forced to because certain staff members have made the formal channels of resolving complaints completely invalid.

*Shakedown Team: Two special shakedown Teams have been created which consist of approximately 7 officers on two separate cards. These teams were created in order to search for weapons, cell phones and drugs, yet their main mission has become to oppress and viciously harass us. The shakedown teams routinely assault our property and this is one at the main issues that has forced people to engage in protest. The shakedown teams operate in an absolutely rogue and out-of-control manner and we request that this cease immediately.

Submission to Authorities

This is about submitting to authorities.  Paul wrote this.  Since free speech is a 1st Amendment right, Christians can protest.  I may be a Wiccan, but I know quite a bit about the Bible.

USA Secret Police

The USA Has their own gestapo now.  This is an Orwellian nightmare.  Ever read 1984?

The Secret Police and Political Dissent

by John W. Whitehead
2/6/2006

Once upon a time, a handful of colonists, fed up with being arrested and jailed for speaking out, decided to take on the British Empire. These great dissenters won the war. And when it came time to write the Constitution, they made sure that they included the rights to free speech and to protest by enshrining these essential freedoms in the First Amendment.

Unfortunately, many of us have not learned the lessons that our forefathers tried to teach us. Indeed, as we move further into the new millennium, the American government increasingly resembles the empire against which our ancestors fought.

This fact was made abundantly clear with the passage of the USA Patriot Act and more recently with the revelation that President Bush bypassed federal law in approving warrantless electronic surveillance of Americans. And a new bill, sponsored by Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), gives the Secret Service unbridled authority to suppress political dissent—one of the most basic and essential elements of democracy.

The proposed law, with the Orwellian title “Secret Service Authorization and Technical Modification Act of 2005,” states: “It shall be unlawful for any person or group of persons to willfully and knowingly enter any posted, cordoned off, or otherwise restricted area of a building or grounds so restricted in conjunction with an event designated as a special event of national significance.” Without defining what a “special event of national significance” is, the provision continues: “It shall be unlawful for any person or group of persons to willfully, knowingly, and with intent…engage in disorderly or disruptive conduct in, or within such proximity to, any building or grounds designated a special event of national significance.” The phrase “engage in disorderly or disruptive conduct” is not defined, either. This means that whatever constitutes an event of “national significance” or “disruptive conduct” is left entirely to the discretion of the secret police.

And the penalty for breaking this law would increase the maximum imprisonment from 6 months to 10 years if committed with a weapon or 1 year if committed without a weapon.

The proposed law also creates a new federal police force: “There is hereby created and established a permanent police force, to be known as the ‘United States Secret Service Uniformed Division.’” And: “Under the direction of the Director of the Secret Service, members of the United States Secret Service Uniformed Division are authorized to…carry firearms; make arrests without a warrant for any offense against the United States committed in their presence.”

This law reaches a legitimate and necessary concern. And to the extent that it merely intends to protect the President without trampling on the civil liberties of Americans, the law makes sense. But that is precisely the problem—it provides law enforcement officials broad authority and discretion over our most basic rights. By giving federal agents the ability to prevent a citizen from attending a political event based on the belief—unfounded or not—that they will protest or speak unfavorably about the government, the law violates the right to speak freely on matters of public concern. After all, at the heart of the First Amendment is the ability to criticize the government and have an open and free discussion about its policies. The law also allows these new federal police agents the power to arrest and conduct warrantless searches, arguably in violation of the Fourth Amendment.

All this despite the fact that federal law currently provides criminal penalties for entering a restricted area where the President or other person is protected by the Secret Service.
However, even under current law, the Secret Service has participated in harassment of individuals who have appeared at taxpayer-funded forums with the President if they are perceived to disagree with the Bush Administration’s position. For example, on March 21, 2005, two Denver students who had obtained tickets from their Congressman were expelled from a “town hall” forum because they had an anti-war bumper sticker on their car. Officials, including one who identified himself as a Secret Service agent, told the students the event was limited to audience members who shared the President’s views and that they would have to leave, even if they had no intention of disrupting the event. It apparently made no difference that the topic of the forum was Social Security reform, not the Iraq war. Similar incidents have occurred at presidential visits throughout the country.

The new law could seriously worsen the impact on free speech by banning any form of dissent, peaceful or not. It would allow the Secret Service, in effect, to declare martial law, cordon off areas and enforce exclusion zones at any event deemed a “special event of national significance.” This even if no Secret Service protectee were scheduled to speak or attend.

In fact, it most likely would be used against groups from diverse political backgrounds. For example, if the Secret Service declares the next U.N. conference on population control an “event of national significance,” it could arrest members of anti-abortion groups who want to protest. And under this new law, the Secret Service could shut down areas throughout the conference and arrest any potential protester who might violate the zone.

Sadly, the targets of the Secret Service under this law will not be terrorists or threats to national security. Perhaps that is the problem with post-9/11 America—the cloud of fear is so pervasive that we can no longer make commonsense judgments about own security and safety.

All law enforcement officers—federal, state and local—take an oath to uphold the laws and Constitution of the United States [Including Obama]. And while many of them make a commendable effort to fulfill this obligation, others fail to understand the very document they swore to uphold. Countless congressional actions are passed every year seeking to address legitimate and pressing problems. But many of them, like this one, naively assume that they will be enforced by individuals who have a clear understanding of and appreciation for our Bill of Rights.

Patriarchy

Patriarchy and Power - Over are two different things.  Women can be just as guilty of power-over as men can be.  


The teachings and ecclesiology of many of the world's major religions are patriarchic in nature. The founders and early leaders of Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, and Chinese philosophy were all men, and their influence has dominated both belief and practice.

Judaism

The patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, formed what is known as Judaism. Jewish tradition and law does not presume that women have more or less of an aptitude or moral standing required of rabbis. In fact, many biblical scholars consider the matriarchs, Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, and Leah, to have been superior in prophesy.[3] However, the longstanding practice holds that only men can become rabbis.
Orthodox Judaism does not permit women to become rabbis, but female rabbis have begun to appear in recent years among more liberal Jewish movements, especially the Reconstructionist, Renewal, Reform, and Humanistic denominations. Reform Judaism created its first woman rabbi in 1972, Reconstructionist Judaism in 1974, and Conservative Judaism in 1985, and women in these movements are now routinely granted semicha (rabbinical ordination) on an equal basis with men.
The idea that women could eventually be ordained as rabbis sparked widespread opposition among the Orthodox rabbinate. Norman Lamm, one of the leaders of Modern Orthodoxy and Rosh Yeshiva of the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary, totally opposed giving semicha to women: "It shakes the boundaries of tradition, and I would never allow it."[4] Writing in an article in the Jewish Observer, Moshe Y'chiail Friedman states that Orthodox Judaism prohibits women from being given semicha and serving as rabbis. He holds that the trend towards this goal is driven by sociology, not halakha.[5]
The issue of allowing women to become rabbis is not under active debate within the Orthodox community, though there is widespread agreement that women may often be consulted on matters of Jewish religious law. According to some reports, a small number of Orthodox yeshivas have unofficially granted semicha to women, but the prevailing consensus among Orthodox leaders (as well as a small number of Conservative Jewish communities) is that it is not appropriate for women to become rabbis.

Christianity

In 1 Timothy 2:8-15, Paul outlined the role of women in the Christian church, which includes dressing modestly and learning "in silence with all subjection"—not "to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man." In chapter 3, he delineates the roles and values of bishops and deacons, further discussing the supportive nature of their wives.

Catholicism

The spiritual leader of the Roman Catholic church is the Pope, frequently referred to as the "Holy Father." The church is structured hierarchically, with offices of priest, bishop, archbishop, and cardinal, all traditionally held by single men who have taken vows of chastity.
The Sacrament of Order is that which integrates men into the Holy Orders of bishops, priests (presbyters), and deacons—the threefold order of "administrators of the mysteries of God" (1 Corinthians 4:1). The Sacrament gives certain people the mission to teach, sanctify, and govern: The three functions referred to in Latin as the tria munera. Only a bishop may administer this sacrament because only a bishop holds the fullness of the Apostolic Ministry. Ordination as a bishop makes one a member of the body that has succeeded to that of the Apostles. Ordination as a priest configures a person to Christ the Head of the Church and the one essential Priest, empowering that person, as the bishop's assistant and vicar, to preside at the celebration of divine worship, and, in particular, to confect the sacrament of the Eucharist, acting in persona Christi (in the person of Christ). Ordination as a deacon configures the person to Christ the Servant of All, placing the deacon at the service of the Church, especially in the fields of the ministry of the Word, service in divine worship, pastoral guidance, and charity.
Traditionally, and in most jurisdictions currently, only men may be ordained as priest or bishop, as they act "in the person of Christ," who was incarnated as a man. In some jurisdictions women may become deacons. Generally, women who wish to dedicate their life to the Church enter a monastic order as nuns, the female equivalent of monks, not priests, and do not ascend the hierarchy of governance of the Church.

Eastern Orthodoxy

Orthodox clergy at All Saints Antiochian Orthodox Church, Raleigh, NC (L to R): priest, two deacons, bishop
Orthodox clergy at All Saints Antiochian Orthodox Church, Raleigh, NC (L to R): priest, two deacons, bishop
The Eastern Orthodox Church considers itself to be the original church started by Christ and his apostles. The life taught by Jesus to the apostles, invigorated by the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, is known as "Holy Tradition." The Bible, texts written by the apostles to record certain aspects of the life of the Church at the time, serves as the primary witness to Holy Tradition. Because of the Bible's apostolic origin, it is regarded as central to the life of the Church.
Other witnesses to Holy Tradition include the liturgical services of the Church, its iconography, the rulings of the Ecumenical councils, and the writings of the Church Fathers. From the consensus of the Fathers (consensus patrum), one may enter more deeply and understand more fully the Church's life. Individual Fathers are not looked upon as infallible, but, rather, the whole consensus of them together will give one a proper understanding of the Bible and Christian doctrine.
The Eastern Orthodox church follows a similar line of reasoning as the Roman Catholic Church with respect to ordination of priests.
Regarding deaconesses, Professor Evangelos Theodorou argued that female deacons were actually ordained in antiquity.[6] Bishop Kallistos Ware wrote:[7]
The order of deaconesses seems definitely to have been considered an "ordained" ministry during early centuries in at any rate the Christian East. … Some Orthodox writers regard deaconesses as having been a "lay" ministry. There are strong reasons for rejecting this view. In the Byzantine rite the liturgical office for the laying-on of hands for the deaconess is exactly parallel to that for the deacon; and so on the principle lex orandi, lex credendi—the Church's worshiping practice is a sure indication of its faith—it follows that the deaconess receives, as does the deacon, a genuine sacramental ordination: Not just a χειροθεσια but a χειροτονια.
On October 8, 2004, the Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church of Greece voted to restore the female diaconate.[8]

Islam

Although Muslims do not formally ordain religious leaders, the imam serves as a spiritual leader and religious authority. Traditionally and generally the position of imam is held by men.
The circumstances in which women may act as imams, that is, lead a congregation in salat (prayer), remains controversial. Three of the four Sunni schools, as well as many Shia, agree that a woman may lead a congregation consisting of women alone in prayer, although the Maliki school does not allow this. According to all currently existing traditional schools of Islam, a woman cannot lead a mixed-gender congregation in salat. Some schools make exceptions for Tarawih (optional Ramadan prayers) or for a congregation consisting only of close relatives. Certain medieval scholars, including Al-Tabari (838–932), Abu Thawr (764–854), Al-Muzani (791–878), and Ibn Arabi (1165–1240), considered the practice permissible, at least for optional (nafila) prayers; however, no major surviving group accepts such views.
Some Muslims in recent years have reactivated the debate, arguing that the spirit of the Qur'an and the letter of a disputed hadith indicate that women should be able to lead mixed congregations as well as single-sex ones, and that the prohibition of this developed as a result of sexism in the medieval environment, not as a part of true Islam.

Buddhism

The tradition of the ordained monastic community (sangha) began with Buddha, who established orders of Bhikkhu (monks) and later, after an initial reluctance, of Bhikkuni (nuns). The stories, sayings, and deeds of some of the distinguished Bhikkhuni of early Buddhism are recorded in many places in the Pali Canon, most notably in the Therigatha. However, not only did the Buddha lay down more rules of discipline for the Bhikkhuni (311 compared to the Bhikkhu's 227), he also made it more difficult for them to be ordained.
The tradition flourished for centuries throughout South and East Asia, but it appears to have died out in the Theravada traditions of India and Sri Lanka in the eleventh century. However, the Mahayana tradition, particularly in Taiwan and Hong Kong, has retained the practice, where nuns are called "Bhikṣuṇī" (the Sanskrit equivalent of the Pali "Bhikkhuni"). Buddhist nuns are also found in Korea and Vietnam.
There have been some attempts in recent years to revive the tradition of women in the sangha within Theravada Buddhism in Thailand, India, and Sri Lanka, with many women ordained in Sri Lanka since the late 1990s.

Chinese patriarchy

Chinese philosopher Mencius outlined the Three Subordinations: A woman was to be subordinate to her father in youth, her husband in maturity, and her son in old age. Repeated throughout ancient Chinese tradition, the familiar notion that men govern the outer world, while women govern the home serves as a cliché of classical texts and Confucianism.
In the Han dynasty, the female historian Ban Zhao wrote the Lessons for Women to advise women how to behave. She outlined the Four Virtues women must abide by: Proper virtue, proper speech, proper countenance, and proper merit. The "three subordinations and the four virtues" became a common four-character phrase throughout the imperial period.
As for the historical development of Chinese patriarchy, women's status was highest in the Tang dynasty, when women played sports (polo) and were generally freer in fashion and conduct. Between the Tang and Song dynasties, a fad for little feet arose, and from the Song dynasty forward footbinding became increasingly common for the elite. In the Ming dynasty, a tradition of virtuous widowhood developed. Widows, even if widowed at a young age, were expected to not remarry. If they remained widows, their virtuous names might be displayed on the arch at the entrance of the village.
Examples of patriarchic attitudes in twentieth and twenty-first century China include the immense pressure on women to marry before the age of 30 and the incidence of female infanticide associated with China's one child policy.

Feminist view

Some feminists claim that matriarchal societies have and do exist in the world, and that they offer a viable and attractive alternative to the prevalent patriarchal systems. The Modern Matriarchal Studies organization held conferences in Luxembourg (2004) and San Marcos, Texas (2005) in efforts to redefine the term "matriarchy."[9] Various chairs, called "priestesses" in the group's literature, conducted workshops and at the end of the conference declared that, “International Matriarchal Politics stands against white supremacist patriarchal capitalist homogenization and the globalization of misery. It stands for egalitarianism, diversity, and the economics of the heart. Many matriarchal societies still exist around the world and they propose an alternative, life affirming model to patriarchal raptor capitalism."[10]
Many feminist writers have argued that it is necessary and desirable to get away from the patriarchal model in order to achieve gender equality. Feminist writer Marilyn French, in her polemic Beyond Power, defined patriarchy as a system that values power over life, control over pleasure, and dominance over happiness. She argued that:
It is therefore extremely ironic that patriarchy has upheld power as a good that is permanent and dependable, opposing it to the fluid, transitory goods of matricentry. Power has been exalted as the bulwark against pain, against the ephemerality of pleasure, but it is no bulwark, and is as ephemeral as any other part of life […] Yet so strong is the mythology of power that we continue to believe, in the face of all evidence to the contrary, that it is substantial, that if we possessed enough of it we could be happy, that if some "great man" possessed enough of it, he could make the world come right. … It is not enough either to devise a morality that will allow the human race simply to survive. Survival is an evil when it entails existing in a state of wretchedness. Intrinsic to survival and continuation is felicity, pleasure […] But pleasure does not exclude serious pursuits or intentions, indeed, it is found in them, and it is the only real reason for staying alive.[11]
French offered the latter philosophy as a replacement to the current structure where, she says, power has the highest value.
Gender-issues writer Cathy Young, by contrast, dismisses reference to "patriarchy" as a semantic device intended to shield the speaker from accountability when making misandrist slurs, since "patriarchy" means all of Western society.[12] She cites Andrea Dworkin's criticism as an example of misdirected blame: "Under patriarchy, every woman's son is her potential betrayer and also the inevitable rapist or exploiter of another woman."