US PRISON POPULATION GREATER THAN ANY OTHER COUNTRY

I wasn't surprised to hear about this, but it appears to be very interesting to the British. They also point out that a good deal of manufacturing in the U.S. is done by prison laborers who work for virtually nothing at all (slavery).

Mitt Romney Speaks Out Against Obama

Mitt Romney harshly criticized President Obama's actions since he has taken office in a speech today on C-SPAN .

I'm getting tired of hearing Republicans complain about all of the things the President is doing to reverse the damage of eight years of Republican failure. While Bush was in office, he had the luxury of a Republican congress that gave him anything he asked for. Without any Democratic restraint he managed to spend every dime of the huge surplus that was left in the treasury when Clinton left office and put the country deeply into debt with the rest of world.

The answer to the country's financial problems is really simple: Stop spending $3 Billion per month blowing stuff up half-way around the world! Over three-quarters of our national budget goes to the military! This money should be spent at home, building schools, bridges, and hospitals; it should be spent on building housing and giving food to our poor; we should be investing in a space program! Instead, Mr. Romney speaks about building up our military even more! He wants to pump up our troop levels!

Listen, the Republicans had their chance and clearly failed miserably with their warlike policies. The result of their failure has been pain and suffering all over the world, including here at home.

The next time you hear some near-sighted republican complaining about Obama, do me and the rest of the world a favor and remind them that it was their policies which got us into this mess in the first place!
By now it is clear that republicans only care about their stock funds and protecting their wealth. They make their money from the blood and sweat of the poor and human suffering appears to mean nothing to them.

Demonstrators Halt Traffic In Oakland

This news is breaking as I write it. 200 demonstrators have shut down traffic on the freeway at the 880-980 Junction, in Oakland during rush hour. Police are arresting them in mass. I will add video as it becomes available.

Assemblywoman Fiona Ma Hopes She "Won't See War In Her Lifetime..."

Assemblywoman, Fiona Ma, Representing California's 12th Assembly District was in attendance at the installation of a Veteran's flag pole in front of City Hall today. There was much beating of war drums and general military pomp. I was dumbfounded when, while being interviewed on live television, Assemblywoman Ma said, "I hope that we won't see war in my lifetime...[but I feel it is likely that I will]."

I would like to be the first to point out to the Assemblywoman that we are at war right now and have been in a constant state of war ever since the beginning of the Korean Conflict. I am shocked that an elected official of her stature would make such an outrageous and simple-minded statement. Please, do the world a favor and send the Assemblywoman an email, informing her that we are currently at war and have been for many years. Here is a convenient link to the contact form on her website:

Inform Assemblywoman Ma that we are at war!

Betty Bowers Explains Traditional Marriage to Everyone Else

I realize this will offend some of my religious friends, but this is too good not to post and I think we can all agree that there are some "inconsistencies" in The Old Testament. The main problem I have with religion in general, is that people often use it to try to impose their own ideologies on other people. The debate on gay marriage stands out as an excellent example.

Chicago's Gun Ban to Go Before Supreme Court

The right to bear arms will undergo a trial by the Supreme Court, beginning today.

The Second Amendment to the United States Constitution is that part of the Bill of Rights which protects the individual right to keep and bear arms. According to the American Bar Association, there has been more disagreement on how to interpret the Second Amendment than any other part of the Constitution. Because there are supporters and detractors of the right to bear arms on both the right and the left, this battle will not be decided today. Other cases where the Supreme Court has sought to interpret the Second Amendment include: United States v. Cruikshank (1875), Presser v. Illinois (1886), Miller v. Texas (1894), Robertson v. Baldwin (1897), United States v. Miller (1939), and District of Columbia v. Heller (2008).


Personally, I don't want cops and criminals to be the only people with guns. I believe the intent of the framers of the Second Amendment was to prevent the Government from oppressing the American people through force and give the people a means to protect themselves against unreasonable government intrusion into their personal freedoms.

In light of the Supreme Court's recent decision to remove limits on Corporate political campaign contributions (effectively putting the US Government into the hands of private industry), I suspect the Court will betray the American people again and enforce the proposed weapons ban.

Here is a link to ABC's article on the subject: http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/supreme-court-hears-chicago-gun-ban-case/story?id=9780703

San Francisco Considers Law To Target Homeless And Poor

The City of San Francisco is considering a "sit-lie" law which would make criminals out of anyone who sits or lies on the sidewalks. This is inhumane legislation targeting homeless and poverty stricken people who have nowhere else to go. Of course police groups are in favor of the proposed law, because it will give them another excuse to search people for drugs and/or go on "fishing expeditions" to see if they can find some other reason to arrest them.

This really upsets me. It is the same wherever you go--new laws designed to restrict the freedom of the individual and secure the power of a police state are being drawn up in small rooms with little natural light. Where is a homeless person supposed to go if they can’t even sleep on the sidewalk? Will this new law effect other citizens who maybe just need a rest or are experiencing a medical emergency? Will the police profile and target only people who "appear" to be homeless and poor, or people who just dress a certain way?

It is already miserable to be homeless—it shouldn't be illegal too. Contrary to popular belief, most homeless did not become so out of choice and not because they are lazy, stupid, or immoral. I invite you to my pages devoted to raising awareness on homelessness: http://sites.google.com/site/homelessactionnetwork/. There you will find more information and pictures I have taken of homeless people:  I am often surprised by their cheerfulness and sense of pride. I usually give them a dollar or two for the privilege of photographing them. 

Please, help me raise awareness about this assault on our civil liberties by sharing this post with as many people as you can. Together maybe we can prevent this clearly oppressive law.

ANARCHIST WEBSITE COVERS OLYMPIC CEREMONY PROTESTS

These guys are totally radical!

Here is a link to their blog: http://northbayuprising.blogspot.com/

I lifted these videos from some of their posts:

Resist 2010: Eight Reasons to Oppose the 2010 Winter Olympics. (HIGH RES) from BurningFist Media on Vimeo.

Staggering Unemployment Graphic

I just had to share this with you all...Click "Play" to see the horrible results of eight years of neoconservative policies.

Former Timothy Geithner Testifies On Wall Street Bail Out

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner testified at a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing on Wednesday on the bailout of the giant insurance company, AIG. It was great to finally see someone having to answer some questions about what, in my opinion, was the biggest rip off of the American people since the inception of the Federal Reserve Bank.


At one point during the hearing, after a particularly tense round of questioning, Mr. Geithner made a great effort to appear indignant, saying to one of his questioners, "....you are suggesting that we weren't acting in the public's interest...!" 


Pretty comical, Mr. Geithner! Of course he knows that is the reason for the hearings in the first place.

Obama Takes All Questions From House Republicans

President Obama gave a courageous and brilliant performance today, when he spent an hour and a half on camera taking questions and discussing hot-button issues with house Republicans. Click to see it on C-SPAN.
In contrast to former President Bush, who never dared put himself in situations where he might actually have to form his own sentences in a debate format, President Obama answered all of his critics' questions competently and with pure logic. The Republican representatives, kept trying the same old tactics of political jockeying and inserting rhetoric and political attacks into their questions, but the President rebuffed them every time while answering their questions with perfect clarity.

Good job, President Obama!