500,000 In LA

500,000 people filled the streets of downtown Los Angeles to protest the passage of proposed immigration reform bill HR 4437:

This is what Washington DC needs to look like for a few days.

Why do cops have to lie all the time?

NYPD RNC Mass-Arrests Challenged

The Associated Press | New York Times | Wednesday 22 March 2006



New York - A civil liberties group accused police Wednesday of lying about the circumstances surrounding the arrests of hundreds of protesters during the Republican National Convention.

In a letter to police and prosecutors, the New York Civil Liberties Union demanded a review of cases brought against protesters arrested on Aug. 31, 2004, at demonstrations near the World Trade Center site and Union Square.

"We are concerned that false police statements may have tainted hundreds of cases of people arrested at the two largest mass arrests during the convention," wrote the group's attorney, Christopher Dunn.

City law officials have said the arrests were justified.

[zombienote: Of course they said that. Why would they ever say anything else?]

The accusations stem from a tense standoff in 2004 between police and the tens of thousands of demonstrators at the GOP convention, where President Bush accepted his party's nomination for a second term.

[zombienote: "Tens of thousands, my ass. Hundreds of thousands. Check the pics below]



While demonstrations were mostly peaceful, sporadic clashes between police and protesters resulted in more than 1,800 arrests, mostly on misdemeanor charges like obstructing governmental administration.

Up to 10,000 officers were deployed at the four-day event - a show of force the civil liberties group called overkill and a threat to free speech. Two pending federal lawsuits claim most of the arrests were illegal.



The group's letter cited sworn statements by officers who said they were told by a supervisor, Deputy Inspector James Essig, that the protesters near Union Square had been warned to stop blocking traffic and disperse before the arrests began. About 400 people ended up in custody, including some rounded up with a mesh net.

During a deposition earlier this month, Essig testified that "at no time did he give an order to disperse nor did anyone else give such an order to disperse," Dunn wrote.

The group contends the contradictory statements are grounds to dismiss cases and discipline police officers.

A spokeswoman for Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau said prosecutors "have been reviewing these arrests as the situations merit, and of course we'll continue to do that."

NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said police acted properly.

[zombienote: Of course he did.Those evil civil liberties groups just have so much money to pay for trial lawyers and file frivolous suits.Unless, of course, it was them getting the jackboot and spy treatment. Then instead of liars, they become liberal whiners."

"That's Big Brother watching you," the demonstrator, Walter Liddy, said in a deposition.

Mr. Liddy's complaint about police tactics, while hardly novel from a big-city protester, stands out because of his job: He is a New York City police officer. The rallies he attended were organized in the summer of 2004 by his union, the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association, to protest the pace of contract talks with the city.

Now the officers, through their union, are suing the city, charging that the police procedures at their demonstrations — many of them routinely used at war protests, antipoverty marches and mass bike rides — were so heavy-handed and intimidating that their First Amendment rights were violated.

A lawyer for the city said the police union members were treated no differently than hundreds of thousands of people at other gatherings, with public safety and free speech both protected. The department observes all constitutional requirements, the city maintains

I wonder if they learned anything.... ]

Widespread March Protests Target War, Media

500+ Anti-War Actions Planned Across the US
t r u t h o u t | Press Release | 3.14.06

Marking three years since the US-led bombing and invasion of Iraq began, peace groups across the United States are holding anti-war actions March 15-22. United for Peace and Justice (UFPJ), the nation's largest anti-war coalition, is coordinating the local events as part of a nationwide week of action to end the Iraq war.

With more than 500 events planned in all 50 states, the anti-war movement will take to the streets to send a clear message to Congress and the White House: After three years of a failed policy, the Iraq war must end. It's time to bring all the troops home.

According to a CBS poll released Monday (3/13/06), 67% of the US public thinks the Iraq war has not made the US safer, and 59% wants to begin withdrawing troops from Iraq. The White House continues to ignore the majority opposition to the war, which has already cost the lives of more than 2,300 US troops and tens of thousands of Iraqis. After three years of war, Iraq is wracked by violence and threatened with the prospect of civil war, Iraqi civilians are suffering from a lack of basic services, including electricity and clean water, and women's rights are being eroded.

Anti-War Movement Targets Media Coverage of the War with Protests at Media Companies and News Outlets
common dreams | Press Release | 3.14.06

NEW YORK - March 14 - To kick off a week of activities and protests marking the third anniversary of the US invasion of Iraq, the anti-war coalition United For Peace and Justice, joined by top media reform organizations, are protesting at media outlets throughout the county including the headquarters of TV networks and outlets in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles.

“Many media outlets aided and abetted the war, not only in its run-up but for the past three years, by selective coverage and un-critical reporting,” says former network producer (ABC, CNN) and MediaChannel.org Editor Danny Schechter, author of two books and an independent film (WMD) on the subject. “Just as media companies aspire to hold the government accountable, the media itself has to be held account for jingoism posing as journalism.”

Here are the plans:

NYC Media March planned for March 15th - Noon - 2pm
We will take a tour to the headquarters of major media outlets with signs calling upon them to "Tell the Truth About the War!" There will be a silent vigil later that evening during the evening newscasts.

The March: At noon we will assemble at CBS (51 West 52nd) and then walk down 6th Avenue to NBC HQ (1230 Rock plaza), cross the street in front of CNN and TIME, walk downtown to Fox (48th and 6th), make a right on West 45th with a quick stop at Bertelsmann Headquarters, make a left down Broadway in front of ABC News, cross over to the Military Recruiters in the center of Times Square and then across 7th Avenue to Reuters (43 and 7th), make a left down 43rd Street to the NY Times, and then, return to Broadway and end at MTV/Viacom Headquarters (1515 Broadway).

At each stop, speakers will appeal to the public and the media executives inside.

At 6pm we will have groups hold silent vigils during evening newscasts at CNN (West 58th St), CBS Broadcast Center (West 57th and l0th), NBC (outside where the Today Show broadcasts) and Fox (48th and 6th).

* Planned meetings with media executives were cancelled when no network agreed to hear from delegations of anti-war activists.

Don't spy on ME, you fools.

The people who really threaten America are the same ones who sign your paychecks.

It is time to bite the hand that feeds you.


Arrest these people now

I know "Law Enforcement" and the DoD sniff this blog and doubtlessly keep tabs on it which means r-e-a-d-i-n-g it, so "they" have to know what is being said here.

And since you ARE reading this, take a note: You slack-jawed law-enforcement bozos need to get your head out of your collective asses and smell the real flavor. You are investigating the wrong goddamned people.

I am a good American - a great American. I help people - Americans - who have real problems.

You spy on Americans in service to the very people who are damaging America the most. It's not conspiracy theory or even rocket science. It's plain as frickin' day.



Get your heads into the bright light of day and arrest George Bush and everybody in his pathetic, criminal administration.

Enough is fucking enough.

Go do your damned job.

Wakey-Wakey, My Fellow Americans

The Lone Star Iconoclast | March 9, 2006

The polls have finally dropped to a 34% approval rating, or Bush’s core support group. Cheney’s approval is even lower.

At last, most Americans understand these guys are not to be trusted with our Nation’s security.

So, I ask you, America – Where is your outrage?

What more do you need to say “ENOUGH?”

These people stole our White House. They bastardized all four branches of our Government. They have done nothing for the People, not one thing the majority of the People have wanted.

If you haven’t read between the lines, then I’ll spell it out: I’m so damned pissed off I could chew nails!

You should be, too.

Don’t you dare roll over and hit that snooze button! Get your ass up – open your eyes.

America and the rest of Planet Earth can’t take another three years of Bush, Cheney, Rove, Rice, Rumsfeld and the rest! And they don’t deserve more time.

It has been 1,914 days since the Rehnquist Supreme Court allowed this illegal oligarchy overthrow of our Government. It’s high time we take it back.

Richard M. Nixon was tossed out of office for far less, and Spiro T. Agnew left the vice-presidency in disgrace over what amounted to a minor infraction compared to Cheney’s dishonorable, greedy, un-American activities.

Impeach the lot of the George W. Bush and Karl Rove Cabal.

And, speaking of Katrina and the criminally negligent Cheney Bush Administration response, there's a giant march planned for March 14th

A march had been planned for February 28, the eve of the scheduled March 1 evictions of Hurricane Katrina victims. FEMA moved the evictions to March 15, so activists have moved the march to March 14. A press conference on Capitol Hill will be followed by a march through Washington, D.C., past FEMA, past the Department of Homeland Security, and to the White House, where a permit has been obtained to rally in Lafayette Square Park until midnight. If Bush does not meet the marchers' demands, however, many plan not to leave.

And they shouldn't.

Nothing will change as long as our protests have a half-life of 20 minutes.

Cops Suing Cops ... for Spying on Cops

More about those cops whose rights were violated by other cops.

Police Become Ferocious Defenders of Civil Rights, When They're Under Investigation

The irony couldn't be more clear. New York City police and their union, the Police Benevolent Association, are suing the NYPD for spying on them at rallies and demonstrations held during their contract dispute with the city in the summer of 2004.

*****

"It's nice to see that police officers now agree with us," Dunn adds. "It sure is ironic, however, how cops turn into the biggest advocates of constitutional rights when they become the targets of police misconduct."

Much more in the full article at Counterpunch.

I welcome the participation of the police at protests...as long as they are PROTESTING and not "protecting and serving the Man".

Bush goes to India

and the Indian people show Americans how it's done.

Bush is less popular than a bag of 2 day-old anchovies in the sun.


Click pic for larger image.



Washington DC should look like that few more than a Saturday afternoon.

Note the Priests felt compelled to purify Ghandi's Tomb following Bush's offensive visit to it.

Crawford. Easter. It's on.

A Common Cause

By Cindy Sheehan and Sam Bostaph | t r u t h o u t | Perspective | Wednesday 01 March 2006

This is a time when people from all colors of the political spectrum must unite against this lawless administration. The recent escalation in fighting among Shi'ite and Sunni factions and their joint call for an end to the US occupation show clearly that the continued presence of US forces in Iraq serves no interest of the American people. All Americans must demand that George Bush stop his war in Iraq and bring our troops home now. All of us must demand that he stop using the war he started to justify his continuing lawless campaign against whomever he decides to call an enemy. The discovery of this latest spying program makes it clear that he has been using his foreign wars to justify a domestic one - he has been attacking us!

It is clear that the Bush administration seeks nothing less than to use the wars they started in order destroy the rule of law in this country and replace it with the rule of an undistinguished former cheerleader. After all, in terms of being governed, there are only two alternatives: either we are to be ruled by law or we are to be ruled by someone else. To be ruled by law means that every one of us has a solid foundation in law for planning his or her personal future and achieving personal goals. That was the original purpose of the US Constitution - to give us that legal foundation. To be ruled by someone else is to be a slave.

*****

Cindy and Sam are "we" in this struggle against the fascist, war-like society that America has become - particularly under the Bush regime - and "we" want a lot of company.

Whatever your political identification, please join us at Easter for a protest at Camp Casey in Crawford, Texas, from the 10th of April to the 16th. There, "we" will be joined by Katrina evacuees who are still unbelievably and unconscionably ensconced in the Astrodome and who will be invited to stay on our leased land next to the Secret Service checkpoint of the Bush faux-ranch on Prairie Chapel Road, until their homes are rebuilt in the Gulf States and they can return. The displaced Katrina victims care nothing about partisan politics or demented pork barrel peddling and cronyism; they just want to go home. "We" will be joined in Crawford by Progressive Democratic Congressional candidates from all over the country, who are running for office against pro-war Democrats and Republicans. "We" will again be joined by old hippies, grandmas and grandpas and young activists; and we will be joined by Iraqi war veterans, as well as fresh-faced students who look like they just walked off the pages of a Gap catalog onto the Texas prairie.