Wow are the protests in Chicago against the police state are going strong. Yes, yes it’s officially against NATO but really the protests are much bigger than that. Protest news sometimes pours in so fast it’s hard to keep up. Here’s what I’ve been reading.
An article on the lead up to this weekend is a good place to start. From What Really Happened:
Chicago Militarized for NATO
“Ready or not, NATO arrived on May 19 and 20. Chicago’s in virtual lockdown. Residents feel occupied. Building occupants got special instructions.
This writer’s residence advised “leaving town between May 18 - 22.” Otherwise limit city travel. Have essentials on hand, including food and water. Consider working at home. Avoid certain parts of the city. Observe curfew and other mandates.”
—
From Alexander Higgins:
Martial Law In Effect – Preemptive NATO Raids Jailing Activists Without Charge
“The National Lawyer’s Guild reports that activists planning to protest the NATO summit in Chicago this weekend, where a martial law red-zone has officially been declared around the Chicago loop, have simply disappeared without a warrant or charges.
(snip)
After locating the activists, the Illinois States Attorney at the station were the activists are being detained refused to meet with NLG or even discuss the reason for the arrests.
More than 24 hours later 4 of the activists were released without charge while the other 5 arrested during that raid are still being held without charge.
Despite President Obama’s promises that NDAA powers to detain U.S. citizens without charge would not be used the government is doing just that and setting a dangerous precedent of throwing activists in jail just for planning to engage in constitutionally protected free speech activities.”
After Obama signed the NDAA I had people laughingly dismiss my rants of “this means Americans can just be rounded up and disappear”. “That will never happen” they said. It is happening right now and is why I won’t be voting for Obama again or anyone that voted in favor of this fascist legislation.
The National Lawyer’s Guild is an important part of protests. I’ve seen NLG at protests I’ve been part of and encourage you to donate to them. You can do that here.
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From Raw Story:
Nato protesters arrested in Chicago raid held on terrorism conspiracy charges
“Police claim the charges of conspiracy to commit terrorism, providing material support for terrorism and possession of an explosive or incendiary device, are the result of a month-long investigation into a group they believe was making Molotov cocktails. They had already been pulled over by police last week and asked about their protest plans in a stop they posted on YouTube.
Attorneys representing the men say the charges are fabricated and aimed at intimidating activists. “We cannot say enough that we believe that these charges are absolutely … very trumped up charges,” said Sarah Gelsomino of the Peoples Law Office. “Clearly in an attempt to continue this intimidation campaign on activists. Charging these people who are here to peacefully protest against Nato for terrorism, when in reality the police have been terrorising activists in Chicago, is absolutely outrageous.”
Surely the police wouldn’t arrest people on trumped up charges would they? Harumph!
Again from Raw Story:
Anti-war protesters falsely arrested in Chicago get $6.2 million settlement
“Some 800 people are to receive payments between $500 and $15,000 for false arrests carried out by the city of Chicago during a 2003 anti-war demonstration, according to the terms of a settlement offered by city attorneys on Thursday.
(snip)
The settlement comes after years of litigation during which attorneys for the plaintiffs brought two class-action lawsuits that showed police allowed the demonstration to take place even without a permit, but later decided to begin making mass arrests without properly warning the crowd to disperse.
Some of the people arrested and charged spent more than two days behind bars. Over 10,000 reportedly took part in the march, and more than 500 were arrested, many for no reason at all.”
—
Why are people protesting NATO? Here’s a good list.
NATO: Just why are people protesting?
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As usual Twitter is the best place to find up to the minute news of the protest activity. Not all tweets are true or even make sense but there’s so many lives streams posted that you can watch what is happening in real time.
#chicago2012
#ChicagoSpring
@Occupy Chicago
@OccupyWallSt
#protestnato
Posted by Vixen as News, Activism at 10:43 PM CDT
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When SOPA was defeated the Internet cheered the victory. But our legislators, always fond of stripping liberties instead of giving them, went back to work on another censorship bill. This version is called CISPA and is another nasty bit of legislation.
From the EFF:
Don’t Let Congress Use “Cybersecurity” Fears to Trample on Civil Liberties
“Congress is considering legislation that would create backdoor wiretaps into our daily communications. These “cybersecurity” bills would give companies a free pass to monitor and collect communications, including huge amounts of personal data like your text messages and emails. Companies could ship that data wholesale to the government or anyone else provided they claim it was for “cybersecurity purposes.” Tell Congress that they can’t use vaguely defined “cybersecurity threats” as a shortcut to shredding the Constitution.
Under Rep. Mike Rogers’ Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act of 2011 (CISPA),and Sen. John McCain’s SECURE IT Act, there are almost no restrictions on what information can be spied upon and how it can be used. That means a company like Google, Facebook, Twitter, or AT&T could intercept your emails and text messages, send copies to one another and to the government, and modify those communications or prevent them from reaching their destination if it fits into their plan to stop “cybersecurity” threats.”
—
From Security Watch:
House Poised to Debate CISPA: Where Are We Now?
“The House of Representatives is expected to begin debate on cyber-security legislation today, despite claims from privacy groups and technology experts that there are serious problems with the bill.
Introduced by Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) and Dutch Ruppersberger (D-Md.) in November, the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA) defines a new framework that would allow companies and governments to share information collected online with one another in order to fight cyber-attacks. CISPA is just one of several pieces of cyber-security legislation currently making its way through Congress.”
—
But Obama will surely veto this right? Sigh. I’m not sure what’s more depressing. The fact that Obama yet again betrays the people who voted for the candidate of change and transparency or the fact that people still believe he’s any different that the other puppets selected for the role of president. Remember when he was going to veto the National Defense Authorization Act? Yeah me too. But he signed that “lovely” little piece of fascist legislation into law. I don’t have hope for a CISPA veto.
From Security Watch again:
Obama May Back Down From CISPA Veto
“The House of Representatives is expected to begin debate on a controversial piece of cyber-security legislation today. The White House has weighed in, promising to veto the bill in its current form, but there are plenty who doubt that will happen.
(snip)
Many observers were skeptical over the possibility of a presidential veto.
“Obama threatened to veto NDAA, too. How’d that turn out?” Kendall Clark, CEO of startup Clark Stardog.com, wrote on Twitter.”
—
From the ACLU:
Tell Congress: No Cyber Spying! No CISPA!
“The House of Representatives is preparing to vote on legislation that would give the government, including military spy agencies like the National Security Agency, unprecedented powers to snoop through people’s personal information — medical records, private emails, financial information — all without a warrant, proper oversight or limits.
(snip)
Tell your Representative today to reject legislation that will make it easier for internet companies to share your personal information with military spy agencies.”
Posted by Vixen as News, Activism at 9:55 AM CDT
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From BoingBoing:
Two years after BP oil spill, a health crisis continues in the Gulf
“This Nation investigation into health problems caused by the BP oil disaster two years ago is a must-read. Reporter Antonia Juhasz chronicles the personal stories of families affected by lingering toxic crap—the oil, but also substances like Corexit, used to clean up the oil. Get ready to be newly outraged at our government, BP, and all the lawyers defending this disgrace while working-class Americans suffer and die from corporate recklessness and greed.”
Prepared to be outraged again indeed. The picture BoingBoing used for their post is just perfect. The sheet irony of sunbathers and oil spill clean up crew meeting up on the beach is a classic laugh or cry situation.
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From the Washington Post:
More Secret Service resignations in scandal; Obama gets Oval Office update from director
“A week after a Secret Service prostitution scandal began unfolding in the hallway of a Colombian hotel, six agents have lost their jobs and hundreds of people have been interviewed.
(snip)
It all started when an argument over payment between a Secret Service agent and a Colombian prostitute spilled into the hallway of the Hotel Caribe, where a contingent of agents and military personnel were staying as part of a security detail in advance of the president’s arrival for last weekend’s the Summit of the Americas in Cartagena, Colombia.”
It’s not a surprise at all that Secret Service agents hired prostitutes. I think the real lesson here is don’t argue about a prostitute’s fees. If you do the session then you pay her price.
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From the Guardian:
Occupy promises upsurge as activists prepare for ’summer of discontent’
“But Occupy Wall Street, whose occupation of Zuccotti inspired hundreds of other Occupy groups across the US, is determined to revive itself after a winter of reduced activities and the often violent police removal of its protest encampments in city centres across America.
Activists and organisers have vowed to carry out a massive upsurge in activities on a broad range of issues in a bid to revitalise a movement whose “We are the 99%” slogan triggered a national debate on income inequality.”
I’m very curious how the Occupy spring will turn out. The tent protests were inspiring and the police crackdown brutal. But even if the crackdowns hadn’t happened the movement needed to move beyond urban camping. In my neck of the woods the Occupy movement has turned it’s focus to local and state issues. While that’s great in many regards I think we need another wave of nationwide protests to spark up the movement again.
Posted by Vixen as News, Sex Workers at 8:15 PM CDT
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From the Daily Beast:
Governor Jan Brewer Signs Arizona’s Extreme New Abortion Law
“Life starts earliest in Arizona, which now defines gestational age as beginning on the first day of a woman’s last period, rather than at fertilization. In practice, that means the state has banned abortions after about 18 weeks (20 weeks from the last menstruation) except in the case of medical emergencies. While that provision has been much discussed, abortions after that point account for only about 1 percent of the procedures currently performed.
(snip)
Other parts of the law includes education in public schools prioritizing birth and adoption, signs throughout health-care facilities warning against abortion “coercion,” and an order for the state health department to create and maintain a website touting alternatives to abortion and displaying images of fetuses. Also required is abortion counseling for women aiming to abort pregnancies due to fetal abnormalities, and if the abnormality is certain to be fatal, the counseling incorporates perinatal hospice information before ending the pregnancy. It reaffirms existing barriers to access, like the requirement of a notarized parental consent form for minors and a mandatory ultrasound screening within 24 hours of having an abortion.”
I can’t believe this is law now. What the fuck?!?! The day after my period stops does not make me a pregnant woman!
Further down on the side column there’s this story from Detroit-”To Catch a Predator and Solve 11,000 Rapes Why are rape kits such a ‘low priority’ for police?” That’s certainly ironic. Maybe if legislators weren’t so obsessed with regulating women’s vaginas they could try to fund some rape kits.
Make sure you vote people. I’m sick of the two party system and am taking the vote against the incumbent if the incumbent sucks ass position. The people making these laws need to get voted out of office regardless of political party.
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Project Unbreakable is an art project that shoes survivors of sexual abuse holding up a quote from their abusers. From the FAQ:
“What started Project Unbreakable?
I’ve always been surrounded by survivors of sexual assault. One night in October, I was out with a friend and she chose to share her story with me. Though I had heard about a dozen stories prior, this story particularly affected me and forced me to realize how common this tragedy was. I woke up the next day with the idea for Project Unbreakable.
How do I participate?
You can email us at projectunbreakablesubmissions@gmail.com. They will appear at olapic.com/photos/projectunbreakable.
If you are submitting an image, please make sure of the following:
-the image is clear and easy to read
-the words are in quotations”
This is a moving project. So infuriating though that our legislatures are more concerned about regulating something the size of a mustard seed in our wombs than trying to prevent sexual abuse.
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From Jezebel:
This Is How Much It Costs to Own a Vagina: An Itemized List
“Given the national debate regarding birth control coverage, it’s increasingly clear that many people have no idea how much it costs it to own a vagina — folks are getting up in arms about the idea that the pill could set uninsured women back about $1000 a year, but in the grand scheme of things, that’s nothing. Do you even know just how much you’re shelling out for your clam? Were you aware of the fact that in your 20s alone, you will spend over $26,000 on vaginal maintenance? Herewith, we do the math on just how much that cooter is costing you.”
Interesting list. Some of these things are certainly optional-women don’t need to trim/shave their pubic hair. Although maybe they do. A stripper friend had to have a landing strip for work.
I would suggest US women stockpile some abortion money. Keep in hidden in case this war on reproductive rights heightens and you need to high tail it to Mexico for an abortion.
Posted by Vixen as News at 10:08 AM CDT
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The Rush Limbaugh scandal. Wow, this one has been fascinating to watch. When I first heard his slut/prostitute comments towards Sandra Fluke it didn’t shock me. This is standard vitriol from him. Personally, I think his “feminazi” term is one of his worst.
I love how social media is fueling this backlash against Rush. From Think Progress:
EXCLUSIVE: 140 Companies Drop Advertising From Rush Limbaugh [Update: 142]
“ThinkProgress has obtained an internal memo from Premiere Radio Networks listing 96 national companies that have “specifically asked” their advertisments not be played during the Rush Limbaugh Show. Premiere is the distributor of Limbaugh’s program. The advertisers have also requested to be excluded from other right-wing hosts including Michael Savage, Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity. According to the memo, the listed companies’ advertisements should be excluded from these programs because they have been “deemed to be offensive.”
(snip)
Previously, ThinkProgress has reported that 50 companies requested their advertising be pulled from the Rush Limbaugh show following his sexist attacks on Sandra Fluke. The publication of the memo adds an additional 90 companies to the list of companies that have dropped Limbaugh”
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Have you heard about the KONY2012 video? I saw a ton of posts about it on Facebook. If you haven’t Jezebel has a somewhat snarky article. (I do love snark.)
Think Twice Before Donating to Kony 2012, the Charitable Meme du Jour
“I admit that I instinctively hated the Kony 2012 Campaign as soon as I watched 15 seconds of the effort’s new viral video, produced by non-profit Invisible Children, which pledges to make extremely evil Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony famous, “not to celebrate him, but to raise support for his arrest and set a precedent for international justice.”
Okay, to be perfectly honest, I was skeptical before I even pressed play, since no less than 15 of my Facebook friends had posted about the video, beseeching everyone to “stop tweeting” and pay attention to the video’s 30 minute message. Fine, I thought, clicking on the video and wondering why the people who usually bombarded me with cat memes and status updates about getting high and eating McDonalds were suddenly fervent supporters of Ugandan children.”
Erm, I’m one of those people who posts cat memes… Anyway. I wasn’t going to post about Kony2012 because it’s been reported all over. But then I read this:
From Huffington Post:
Jason Russell Arrested? Co-Founder Of Invisible Children, ‘Kony 2012′ Creator, Not Charged In San Diego
“Jason Russell, the co-founder of Invisible Children, the advocacy group behind the “Kony 2012″ viral video, was detained and taken by police to a medical facility for evaluation on Thursday morning after he was reported to be in his underwear, yelling incoherently and disrupting traffic in a San Diego neighborhood.
Law enforcement officials say there are no charges pending against Russell.
Lt. Andra Brown of the San Diego Police Department told The Huffington Post that a 33-year-old white male was not arrested but “transported to a local medical facility for evaluation and treatment.” She would not confirm the identity of the man involved in the incident, but various media outlets report that it was the 33-year-old Russell.”
HP has a video allegedly of Russell naked outside having what looks to be some kind of fit. I certainly didn’t see any underwear. This is strangely compelling. If true what is going on here? This KONY2012 story just keeps getting weirder.
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From Salon:
NSA whistle-blower: Obama “worse than Bush”
“Thomas Drake, the whistle-blower whom the Obama administration tried and failed to prosecute for leaking information about waste, fraud and abuse at the National Security Agency, now works at an Apple store in Maryland. In an interview with Salon, Drake laughed about the time he confronted Attorney General Eric Holder at his store while Holder perused the gadgetry on display with his security detail around him. When Drake started asking Holder questions about his case, America’s chief law enforcement officer turned and fled the store.”
This is a good article on the hardship whisteblowers face. Drake talks about his disillusionment in Obama. I can relate to that. But don’t think I’m letting Bush off the hook here. I just think Obama is picking up where Bush left off in many areas including prosecuting whistleblowers.
Posted by Vixen as News at 11:23 PM CDT
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From The Telegraph:
Edna Milton Chadwell
“The Chicken Ranch served the men of La Grange — a town of several thousand people between the Texan cities of Houston and Austin — from 1915 to 1973. The establishment had got its name during the Depression, when clients who had no money paid for the girls’ services in farm produce, notably with chickens which were then used for egg production. It was said to be the oldest operating brothel in America when, in August 1973, it was closed down as a result of an exposé on Houston’s KTRK-TV by the investigative journalist Marvin Zindler.
(snip)
The brothel apparently enjoyed a roaring trade among local businessmen and students from the University of Texas and Texas A and M; it is even said that a nearby military base laid on a helicopter to ferry soldiers to and from their trysts. “We weren’t ostracised one bit,” Edna Milton claimed. “It was just as if I had a grocery store or an office or a restaurant.””
My mother loved musicals and Dolly Parton so I grew up singing the songs from “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas”. Looking back I don’t think I fully grasped what a whorehouse was. To me it seemed more just like a house of women roommates. I loved the songs and the pretty dresses and how the women lived communally.
Years ago I found one of the Chicken Ranch tip boxes on Ebay. Determined to win it I bid a large amount but ended up winning it for a bargain. I use it as my jewelry box and it’s one of my prized possessions.
I particularly like Chadwell’s quote about the casual acceptance of the Chicken Ranch in the community. I’d like to see a future where sex work businesses are seen as just that-businesses.
Posted by Vixen as News, Sex Workers at 11:53 AM CST
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I learned of both these stories via the Philip DeFranco Show, one of my fave YouTube channels.
From the Daily What:
Smear Campaign of the Day
“Smear Campaign of the Day: GOP presidential candidate Rick Santorum, who has been battling a certain “Google Problem” for nearly a decade, apparently thought it wise to have his latest political ad feature a Mitt Romney lookalike firing a brown, frothy substance at a cardboard cutout of his image.”
I can’t believe the Santorum campaign went with this ad. Yes, it’s awesomely funny. But seriously? Romney fires what looks like shit onto the man who’s name is synonymous with “The frothy mix of lube and fecal matter that is sometimes the byproduct of anal sex”? And the Santorum campaign gave this the green light? Crazy.
—
From Gizmodo:
Mitt Romney Gets Screwed Santorum-Style on Google
“Looks like Rick Santorum’s not the only Republican frontrunner to have a “Google” problem. Mitt Romney has one now, too. If you Google “Romney”, the third search result is SpreadingRomney.com, which provides hapless browsers with a not-so-flattering definition for the candidate’s name. Because internet.”
And what does Romney now mean? “To defecate in terror.” The founder of the site is referencing Romney strapping his dog in a dog cage to the roof of his car for 12 hours in 1983. What a sick fuck. More details at Dogs Against Romney.
Posted by Vixen as News at 10:46 PM CST
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From Planned Parenthood’s FB page:
“Today, let’s send Congress our own special valentine: “Listen up, or we’re breaking up. STOP the attacks on birth control!”
Sign our valentine below by adding your name and state in the comments! Or even better, post your own to our Facebook wall or to @ppact using #bc4us.”
Posted by Vixen as News, Activism at 1:54 PM CST
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Originally I was going to put this in the next Sex News Roundup post but it’s such a strong article I want to highlight it more.
From Rolling Stone:
One Town’s War on Gay Teens
“In Michele Bachmann’s home district, evangelicals have created an extreme anti-gay climate. After a rash of suicides, the kids are fighting back.
(snip)
For years, the area has also bred a deep strain of religious conservatism. At churches like First Baptist Church of Anoka, parishioners believe that homosexuality is a form of mental illness caused by family dysfunction, childhood trauma and exposure to pornography – a perversion curable through intensive therapy. It’s a point of view shared by their congresswoman Michele Bachmann, who has called homosexuality a form of “sexual dysfunction” that amounts to “personal enslavement.”
(snip)
The policy became unofficially known as “No Homo Promo” and passed unannounced to parents and unpublished in the policy handbooks; most teachers were told about it by their principals. Teachers say it had a chilling effect and they became concerned about mentioning gays in any context. Discussion of homosexuality gradually disappeared from classes. “If you can’t talk about it in any context, which is how teachers interpret district policies, kids internalize that to mean that being gay must be so shameful and wrong,” says Anoka High School teacher Mary Jo Merrick-Lockett. “And that has created a climate of fear and repression and harassment.”"
I’m glad to see Rolling Stone connecting the dots between gay bullying in schools and gay bullying by anti-gay churches. It’s not surprising that kids are bullying other kids for being gay if every Sunday they go to a church that tells them gay people are an abomination. The stories of the teens that committed suicide because of bullying were so sad. More focus needs to be put on the hypocrisy of these groups. Spewing hate against gays does not come from a religion of love and is not part of “family values”.
Posted by Vixen as News at 7:52 PM CST
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From RT:
Bradley Manning for Nobel Peace Prize?
“Bradley Manning, the US soldier accused of passing secret materials to Wikileaks, has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.
The nomination was proposed by The Movement of Icelandic Parliament, which asserts that revelations produced by the documents Manning allegedly exposed “have helped to fuel a worldwide discussion about America’s overseas engagements, civilian war casualties, imperialistic manipulations, and rules of engagement.”
RT spoke to one of the members of The Movement, MP Birgitta Jonsdottir.
She said the group “wanted to raise awareness about the situation with Private Bradley Manning, whom way too few people know of.”
“It is extremely important that we honor the whistleblowers of our world,” she said, so people will not be silenced from performing their civic duty “by reporting on crimes, be it corporate, state or military.””
This is big news. Let’s say he won. Would the US still put him in prison? Surely the nomination will bring more attention to his case. I was glad to see the reporter let the activist talk for awhile. I kept expecting him to cut him off but he let him finish his thoughts.
I think this is a lot more admiral a nomination than Obama’s. Nominating a president (and having him win) for the Nobel Peace Prize before he’s even done anything? That was ridiculous. Apparently I’m not the only one who thinks so.
From the Associated Press:
Nobel peace prize jury under investigation
“Nobel Peace Prize officials were facing a formal inquiry over accusations they have drifted away from the prize’s original selection criteria by choosing such winners as President Barack Obama, as the nomination deadline for the 2012 awards closed Wednesday.
The investigation comes after persistent complaints by a Norwegian peace researcher that the original purpose of the prize was to diminish the role of military power in international relations.”
With the war drums beating for Iran currently I don’t think Obama is much interested in diminishing “the role of military power in international relations”.
Posted by Vixen as News, Activism at 10:04 PM CST
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This first one isn’t breaking news but it’s new to me. I saw this posted over on FetLife:
Turn Off The Blue Light
“The Turn Off the Blue Light poster campaign has been designed to challenge the Irish public’s perception of sex workers, to get away from the overly negative or positive images of sex work that are so often seen, and instead show a more balanced, realistic view.”
What a great idea! I too “choose the job that suits my needs”-sex work supports my artistic hippie lifestyle.
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From AVN:
Buck Angel Asks Fans To Buy Girl Scout Cookies
“A YouTube video featuring the ruggedly handsome Buck Angel asking fans and the general population to forgo a boycott of Girl Scout cookies called for by a young girl.
The original YouTube video, which is no longer available, the girl asked people to boycott the Girl Scouts and the organization’s annual cookie sale after the group allowed a 7-year-old transgender girl to join a troop in Colorado.
Angel, a female to male transgender and former Girl Scout, recently posted his own YouTube video, and his response is gaining quite a bit of mainstream attention. News outlets such as the Los Angeles Times and Huffington Post have reported on the debate the original video sparked, as well as publishing Angel’s video.”
Buck’s video is here. Go Buck go! And the Girls Scouts too-very open minded of them.
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From the Free Speech Coalition:
LA City Council Approves Condom Ordinance in 9-1 Vote
“The LA City Council voted this morning, in open session, to approve a mandatory condom ordinance that would require adult productions to comply with condom usage on any adult set requiring a film permit in the Los Angeles City limits. The ordinance was approved 9-1.”
(snip)
Weinstein’s grandstanding on the condom issue is groundless – using provocative language like “epidemic” and quoting statistics that have proven to be inaccurate – Weinstein has politicized the issue of mandatory condom use while alienating the industry he claims to protect. He also has suggested that the City Council add an $85 fee to film permits for adult productions, in order to fund enforcement.”
I think this is more about the morality police trying to shut down pornography films rather than trying to protect performers.
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Stanley Siegel sent me his article via Twitter. I always appreciate readers that send in tips!
Curing Pornophobia
“The great majority of us watch pornography. Nearly 87 percent of men and 76 percent of women reportedly visit adult entertainment sites. In fact, pornography drives the economy of the Internet and our appetite for it has led to Internet innovation.
(snip)
If we learn to identify and understand our fantasies, we can use them to create sexual experiences that are more aligned with our true desires by intentionally choosing partners with whom we are sexually compatible. If we can even go a step further, by decoding what they say about our past, we can use that knowledge to heal the conflicts that originally gave rise to them. Understanding our sexual fantasies is a key to understanding who we are.”
Posted by Vixen as News, Sex Workers at 10:30 PM CST
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From BoingBoing:
Undercover police had children with activists
“Two undercover police officers secretly fathered children with political campaigners they had been sent to spy on and later disappeared completely from the lives of their offspring, the Guardian can reveal.
In both cases, the children have grown up not knowing that their biological fathers – whom they have not seen in decades – were police officers who had adopted fake identities to infiltrate activist groups. Both men have concealed their true identities from the children’s mothers for many years.”
Whoa man, how fucked up is this? I can’t even think of something snarky to say.
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A SOPA/PIPA update from the EFF:
The Internet Spoke and, Finally, Congress Listened!
“The misguided proponents of the disastrous Internet blacklist bills have blinked. Today, Senator Harry Reid announced he would postpone a cloture vote on PIPA scheduled for next Tuesday, which means, as a practical matter, that the bill is dead for now. Shortly after that announcement, Representative Lamar Smith issued a statement conceding PIPA’s evil House stepsister, the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), also wasn’t ready for prime time.
This is great news, and it is a direct result of this week’s mass protests. Together, we reminded the U.S. Congress who it works for. EFF alone helped users send more than 1,000,000 emails to Congress, and countless more came from other organizations. Web traffic briefly brought down some Senate websites. 162 million people visited Wikipedia and 8 million looked up their representatives’ phone numbers. Google received more than 7 million signatures on its petition. Everyone who wrote, called, and visited their Senators and Representatives this week sent a message that laws affecting the Internet can’t be made in a backroom by insiders bearing campaign cash.”
As the article rightfully points out this fight is not over. If you haven’t already I encourage you to join the EFF.
How has the movie industry reacted? By openly threatening the politicians they are buying.
From TechDirt:
MPAA Directly & Publicly Threatens Politicians Who Aren’t Corrupt Enough To Stay Bought
“Reinforcing the fact that Chris Dodd really does not get what’s happening, and showing just how disgustingly corrupt the MPAA relationship is with politicians, Chris Dodd went on Fox News to explicitly threaten politicians who accept MPAA campaign donations that they’d better pass Hollywood’s favorite legislation… or else:
“Those who count on quote ‘Hollywood’ for support need to understand that this industry is watching very carefully who’s going to stand up for them when their job is at stake. Don’t ask me to write a check for you when you think your job is at risk and then don’t pay any attention to me when my job is at stake,”
This certainly follows what many people assumed was happening, and fits with the anonymous comments from studio execs that they will stop contributing to Obama, but to be so blatant about this kind of corruption and money-for-laws politics in the face of an extremely angry public is a really, really, really tone deaf response from Dodd.”
—
From RAW Story:
Nancy Keenan decries Republican ‘war on women’
“On the the 39th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, NARAL Pro-Choice America President Nancy Keenan declared that 2011 was the year of the “War on Women.”
“In the more than 30 years I’ve spent defending a woman’s right to choose, I can’t recall a time when politicians have been more out of touch with our nation’s values and priorities,” Keenan wrote in at op-ed at The Huffington Post.
Legislation aimed at restricting or eliminating women’s access to abortion abounded in 2011, thanks in part to the 2010 elections where Republicans took control of the U.S. House of Representatives along with a number of state legislatures.”
The abortion issue always riles me up. It’s 2012 and we still haven’t moved past this? How can we ever get prostitution decriminalized if we’re still fighting over abortion? And how can we ever evolve and reform our electoral system if woman are still fighting for control of their wombs?
Posted by Vixen as News at 10:17 PM CST
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Tomorrow many internet sites will go black to protest the SOPA bill. I don’t know how to turn my domain black so I’ll most likely skip blogging or put up a black square.
From SOPA Strike:
“On Jan 24th, Congress will vote to pass internet censorship in the Senate, even though the vast majority of Americans are opposed. We need to kill the bill - PIPA in the Senate and SOPA in the House - to protect our rights to free speech, privacy, and prosperity. We need internet companies to follow Reddit’s lead and stand up for the web, as we internet users are doing every day.”
What’s so bad about this bill? Here’s a video to start you off:
PROTECT IP / SOPA Act Breaks the Internet
Wikipedia’s going black in a few hours but here’s their link about this protest:
Wikipedia:SOPA initiative/Take action
Posted by Vixen as News, Activism at 8:29 PM CST
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Wow, can you believe the sleazy Bush-like move Obama pulled NYE? While most of the country was out partying he signs a bill to lock up Americans without trial indefinitely. The candidate of change…really?
What’s this all about? Well, strap in as it’s not pretty. First up is the ACLU’s statement. I’m only posting a snippet but please read the entire statement at the link and afterward please consider joining this vital organization.
President Obama Signs Indefinite Detention Bill Into Law
“WASHINGTON – President Obama signed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) into law today. The statute contains a sweeping worldwide indefinite detention provision. While President Obama issued a signing statement saying he had “serious reservations” about the provisions, the statement only applies to how his administration would use the authorities granted by the NDAA, and would not affect how the law is interpreted by subsequent administrations. The White House had threatened to veto an earlier version of the NDAA, but reversed course shortly before Congress voted on the final bill.
“President Obama’s action today is a blight on his legacy because he will forever be known as the president who signed indefinite detention without charge or trial into law,” said Anthony D. Romero, ACLU executive director. “The statute is particularly dangerous because it has no temporal or geographic limitations, and can be used by this and future presidents to militarily detain people captured far from any battlefield. The ACLU will fight worldwide detention authority wherever we can, be it in court, in Congress, or internationally.
Under the Bush administration, similar claims of worldwide detention authority were used to hold even a U.S. citizen detained on U.S. soil in military custody, and many in Congress now assert that the NDAA should be used in the same way again. The ACLU believes that any military detention of American citizens or others within the United States is unconstitutional and illegal, including under the NDAA. In addition, the breadth of the NDAA’s detention authority violates international law because it is not limited to people captured in the context of an actual armed conflict as required by the laws of war.”
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From RSN:
NDAA: Congress Signed Its Own Arrest Warrants
“Responding to the Senate’s overwhelming passage of the ‘Homeland Battlefield’ bill, Ms. Wolf first published this piece on December 12, 2011. However, her argument took on new relevance over the weekend when President Obama used the media blackout of the holiday season to quietly sign the bill during a vacation in Hawaii. - JPS/RSN
I never thought I would have to write this: but - incredibly - Congress has now passed the National Defense Appropriations Act, with Amendment 1031, which allows for the military detention of American citizens. The amendment is so loosely worded that any American citizen could be held without due process. The language of this bill can be read to assure Americans that they can challenge their detention - but most people do not realize what this means: at Guantanamo and in other military prisons, one’s lawyer’s calls are monitored, witnesses for one’s defense are not allowed to testify, and one can be forced into nudity and isolation. Incredibly, ninety-three Senators voted to support this bill and now most of Congress: a roster of names that will live in infamy in the history of our nation, and never be expunged from the dark column of the history books.”
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From Indian Country:
Happy New Year: Don’t Bother Asking for an Attorney When You’re Detained
“The headlines said it all. The Huffington Post teaser shouted: HAPPY NEW YEAR: YOU CAN NOW BE DETAINED INDEFINITELY while Infowars proclaimed a more sedate: Happy New Year: Obama Signs NDAA, Indefinite Detention Now Law of the Land.
The NDAA is the $662 billion National Defense Authorization Act that President Obama signed into law on New Year’s Eve. In addition to funding the United States’ ongoing wars and the 900 military bases it maintains in 130 countries, the bill provides for the U.S. president to have draconian worldwide authority to have the military seize anyone suspected of “terrorism” or providing aid to terrorists or “associated forces” anywhere in the world, including U.S. citizens on American soil, and detain them without charge or trial indefinitely. “It’s a little New Year’s present to our constitutional republic,” Alex Jones says angrily in a YouTube video.”
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Getting rounded up is not some fantasy scare tactic. It’s happened in this country before and it can happen again. During World War II Japanese Americans were rounded up for being the wrong race. From Wikipedia:
Japanese American internment
“Japanese-American internment was the relocation and internment by the United States government in 1942 of approximately 110,000 Japanese Americans and Japanese who lived along the Pacific coast of the United States to camps called “War Relocation Camps,” in the wake of Imperial Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor.[1][2] The internment of Japanese Americans was applied unequally throughout the United States. Japanese Americans who lived on the West Coast of the United States were all interned, while in Hawaii, where more than 150,000 Japanese Americans composed over one-third of the territory’s population, 1,200[3] to 1,800 Japanese Americans were interned.[4] Of those interned, 62% were American citizens.[5][6]”
I think anyone who voted for this bill should be voted out of office regardless of political identification. Yup, that means I’m voting against Obama in 2012 despite voting for him in 2008. Some of my pro-choice friends tell me voting against Obama during the next election means voting to outlaw abortion. I counter that argument with this: If I get pregnant and I can’t get an abortion I can figure out how to give myself one. If I’m illegally detained for being a political protester I can’t figure out how to break out of a federal prison. That makes the choice easy for me.
Many I know are outraged over this. I certainly am. But not everyone. A disturbing trend I’ve noticed is people saying something to the tune of “this won’t affect me or anyone I know so why should I care”. I am baffled by this type of thinking.
Under that ideology straight people shouldn’t care about gay marriage because they can get married whenever they want. US residents shouldn’t care about the treatment of illegal immigrants because they’re legal. Non sex workers shouldn’t care about the West Mesa Murders because they’re not targets of a serial killer. But of course we care about the above and so we should care about this indefinite detention bill. Can you imagine who President Palin would like to round up? Just because this bill doesn’t affect you today doesn’t mean it won’t tomorrow.
Posted by Vixen as News at 10:11 PM CST
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