From the Internet Defense League:
“It was epic. While member sites broadcasted their support, we blasted our “cat signal” into the sky in cities around the world (on Batman’s opening night!)
Though the launch of a grassroots campaign to protect the Internet is worth celebrating, there’s nothing like an IRL event to feel the power of the Internet community. We had such a great time at the Internet Defense League launch parties that we thought we’d share a few highlights.”
You can still join this great group here. There’s now cool swag for donations including a mini cat signal.
I love this vid and Randy Rainbow’s my favorite new YouTuber.
“All these gay guys in suits are here with their hags.” Awesome! Seriously, more activists need to get jobs at Chick-fil-A and do this. That would be epic.
From the EFF: Time For Members of Congress to Pledge to Uphold Internet Freedom
“Today, EFF joins a broad, international coalition of civil society groups calling on elected officials to sign the new Declaration of Internet Freedom and uphold basic rights in the digital world. The Declaration is simple; it offers five core principles that should guide any policy relating to the Internet: stand up for online free expression, openness, access, innovation and privacy. Sign it here.
For too long in the US, Congress has attempted to legislate the Internet in favor of big corporations and heavy-handed law enforcement at the expense of its users’ basic Constitutional rights. Netizens’ strong desire to keep the Internet open and free has been brushed aside as naïve and inconsequential, in favor of lobbyists and special interest groups. Well, no longer.
(snip)
But right now, we are asking for your help in getting Congress to respect digital civil liberties and work for the Internet rather than against it. Sign the Declaration of Internet Freedom so we all can build a movement for a censorship-free, open, and innovative Internet. You can also join the conversation on Reddit and propose your own changes. But most importantly, at the next 2012 election campaign stop in your hometown, hand it to candidates running for office and ask them to sign it.
Tell your member of Congress: Pledge to uphold the Declaration of Internet Freedom. In the digital age, their election may depend on it.”
This is one of the many many reasons to love the EFF. I’ve signed it and you can too here.
Members sign up to receive code they can choose to include on their sites to alert visitors about a perceived threat to Internet freedom from legislation or elsewhere.
The Internet Defense League already has onboard sites that can motivate the online masses: WordPress, Imgur, Reddit, Cheezburger Network, Public Knowledge, the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Craigslist founder Craig Newmark have signed up.”
From the Internet Defense League:
“Beyond the blackout
The Internet Defense League takes the tactic that killed SOPA & PIPA and turns it into a permanent force for defending the internet, and making it better. Think of it like the internet’s Emergency Broadcast System, or its bat signal!
The Problem
Internet freedom and individual power are changing the course of history. But entrenched institutions and monopolies want this to stop. Elected leaders often don’t understand the internet, so they’re easily confused or corrupted.
The plan
When the internet’s in danger and we need millions of people to act, the League will ask its members to broadcast an action. (Say, a prominent message asking everyone to call their elected leaders.) With the combined reach of our websites and social networks, we can be massively more effective than any one organization.”
This is a brilliant idea! Power to the people baby! Plus I love the “cat signal”. Keeping activism fun is key to preventing burn out. I just joined. Want to sign up too? You can do that here.
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.”
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!
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.”
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.
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.”
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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.”
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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.”
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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.”
From Government Free VJJ
The Snatchel Project
“Let’s make a uterus or VJJ for each male rep in congress!
If they have their own, they can leave ours alone!
Follow these simple steps:
1. Knit or crochet a vagina or uterus
2. Print a message to enclose
3. Mail it to your male Senator or Congressional Representative
4. We’re in the process of arranging hand delivery to congressional offices in Washington, until then, go ahead and mail yours in!
5. Record your items in this spreadsheet so we can track which representatives still need to receive a “gift”!
6. Don’t forget to thank your representative if he respects women and supports our rights.
What a great idea! There’s instructions on how to knit and crochet on the site. I knit a uterus before for a friend getting a hysterectomy. It turned out super cute. I always get excited when activism and crafting join forces.
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.”
“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”.
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.”
I was tempted to dress up in a slutty costume-I love dressing up for protests. But December in Albuquerque is not warm weather so I went with warm clothes. I’m glad I did because no one else was dressed up either. Maybe the next Slut Walk I go to will be at a warmer time so I can wear my planned costume of a fishnet bodystocking and heels.
Roughly two dozen gathered for our event. Compared to bigger cities our group was small but that’s ok because every year our group grows a bit bigger. Before marching we gathered to make signs. Good signs are essential for a march. Ours said-My Consent Counts, Only “Yes” Means Yes, Rapists Cause Rape, Consent Is Sexy, Find The West Mesa Killer, My Clothes Can’t Consent. We walked down Central St. which is one of Albuquerque’s busiest streets. Central was also a symbolic choice because part of the street is known as the “War Zone” where many of the victims of the West Mesa Killer worked as street prostitutes.
We marched several blocks to gather at a local club that let us use a secluded room in back. While walking we came up with several chants, many of which repeated the messages on our signs. My favorite was “One two three four, we support sluts and whores”.
Once we arrived at the club we gathered in the back to read the list of fallen sex workers. Slips of papers with victims’ names were passed around the room. This is one of the hardest parts of Red Umbrella Day. Holding those slips of paper in my hand I wonder about the slain workers. Who were they? What was their story? We lit candles as we read aloud the victims’ names.
Our group was a diverse bunch-there were women and men, sex workers and non-sex workers, straight, gay and kinksters joined together for the night. As a sex worker myself I was particularly moved that so many people from different paths of life joined together to support us.
After all the names were read we held a moment of silence for all the sex worker victims that have not been identified. Then we invited the group to share their feelings. The space felt safe and non-judgmental. Several participants talked about being sexually assaulted, one person speaking about the assault for the first time. I was touched that we provided a safe and loving environment where these experiences could be shared. I felt a sense of community that night and walked away feeling renewed hope for both the sex worker and slut walk movements.
It’s that time of year again-holiday giving. If you can give to charity I encourage you to give to the following groups. Some are a repeat from last year, some are new.
American Civil Liberties Union
“The ACLU is our nation’s guardian of liberty, working daily in courts, legislatures and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties that the Constitution and laws of the United States guarantee everyone in this country.
(snip)
The ACLU also works to extend rights to segments of our population that have traditionally been denied their rights, including people of color; women; lesbians, gay men, bisexuals and transgender people; prisoners; and people with disabilities.
If the rights of society’s most vulnerable members are denied, everybody’s rights are imperiled.”
With the current loom of the indefinite detention becoming law the ACLU is one of the most important organizations out there fighting for our freedoms.
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Circle Sanctuary
“Circle, also known as Circle Sanctuary, is a non-profit international Nature Spirituality resource center and legally recognized Shamanic Wiccan church. Founded in 1974, Circle helps people from many spiritual orientations connect with each other as well as with the spiritual dimensions of Nature. Circle’s executive directors, Selena Fox and Dennis Carpenter, work together with staff and volunteers to carry out a variety of activities and services
As a Pagan I want to highlight Circle Sanctuary. They have been around for years and are an excellent resources for us Pagans.
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Electronic Frontier Foundation
“Blending the expertise of lawyers, policy analysts, activists, and technologists, EFF achieves significant victories on behalf of consumers and the general public. EFF fights for freedom primarily in the courts, bringing and defending lawsuits even when that means taking on the US government or large corporations. By mobilizing more than 61,000 concerned citizens through our Action Center, EFF beats back bad legislation. In addition to advising policymakers, EFF educates the press and public.”
Like the ACLU the EFF is one of the most important organizations fighting for a freedom. With the loom of SOPA happening it’s vital we support them.
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Food Not Bombs
“We recover food that would have been discarded and share it as a way of protesting war and poverty. With fifty cents of every U.S. federal tax dollar going to the military and forty percent of our food being discarded while so many people were struggling to feed their families that we could inspire the public to press for military spending to be redirected to human needs. We also reduce food waste and meet the direct need our our community by collecting discarded food, preparing vegan meals that we share with the hungry while providing literature about the need to change our society. Food Not Bombs also provides food to protesters, striking workers and organize food releif after natural and political crisis.”
Food Not Bombs is a great group though they don’t think of themselves as a charity. They run on the simple idea that we should feed the hungry instead of dropping bombs on people. They were one of the first groups at Ground Zero and at Katrina to feed the hungry. They are an awesome and important group.
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Sex Worker Outreach Project (SWOP)
“Sex Workers Outreach Project-USA is a national social justice network dedicated to the fundamental human rights of sex workers and their communities, focusing on ending violence and stigma through education and advocacy.”
SWOP does such good work. We sex workers need more groups like them.
For this year’s International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers I went down to an event in Albuquerque, NM. While I’ll blog about the event itself in a couple days I want this post to focus on the fallen sex workers whose names I read out that evening. A sign from the evening said “We remember”. We do. We remember and we seek justice for them.
Longtime readers know I don’t celebrate Christmas. The Christmas Resistance Movement seems more pertinent than ever. Mr. Radical and I haven’t exchanged gifts in years. It’s such a stress relief.
I was in a clothing store this past weekend and the place was packed with frantic shoppers. So many people looked so stressed. I couldn’t help but think how ridiculous it all was. Why not consider giving up the Christmas craziness? Realistically it’s too late to give it up this year if your family is expecting presents but why not scale back next year?
If you are buying presents this year consider buying handmade items. From Handmadeology: Reasons to Buy Handmade
“Buying handmade can become a total lifestyle choice. Choosing to buy handmade is just like choosing to buy local produce. You simply cannot compare mass produced products to artisan created goods in terms of inspiration, quality, and attention to detail.
(snip)
Buying handmade is also a tremendous boost to small business and to the economy as a whole. It’s small businesses that are the backbone of our economy. We need thriving small businesses in order for everyone to prosper. This certainly plays into our local markets, but in this day and age of global integration, the world economy can benefit as well.”
I recommend Etsy. There’s tons of handmade goodness over there. It’s such a treat to buy a product from the exact person who made it.
