Saturday, June 30, 2012

Jill Stein: Romneycare and Obamacare are class warfare and failures

Jill Stein: Romneycare and Obamacare are class warfare and failures

"If history is violence and sex, I'd rather not pay my respects. If I've caused offense, I'm just trying to talk sense. Forgive me if I'm too direct or politically incorrect."Jon Foreman

Thursday, June 28, 2012

SOPA, redux (DemandProgress)


It's us versus THEM again.
Hollywood attorneys are trying to use the courts to circumvent Congress and implement a backdoor SOPA/PIPA scheme.
Fight Back: YOUR FILES ON Google, Dropbox, Facebook, Tumblr, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr, etc. and even your emails are in jeopardy.
We need to make sure the judge understands that his decision will affect millions of people.
Demand Progress is fighting back in the courts and standing up for Internet users. We are taking on the United States and the MPAA. Please click here to support our legal brief -- the court will be hearing the case TOMORROW.
http://www.theinternetvshollywood.com/
BACKGROUND: One day after the Internet staged a massive blackout to protest Congress's Internet censorship legislation (SOPA/PIPA), the United States responded by seizing millions of ordinary user files hosted on the popular website Megaupload.com.
With an aim of shutting down Megaupload and other Cloud-based hosting services (like Dropbox, YouTube or even your email provider), the government is trying to claim website operators should face decades in prison for the misdeeds of some of their users.
But while they pursue trumped up criminal charges against the companies' founders, they are shutting down dozens of websites, and leaving ordinary Internet users without any way of retrieving their files.
Please click here to sign on as a supporter of Demand Progress's legal brief: The judge will be hearing the case TOMORROW, and we need to make sure he understands that his ruling affects millions of us.
http://www.theinternetvshollywood.com/
Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak called the case against Megaupload a "threat to innovation". Wozniak likened the Megaupload site to a highway and those who shared pirated movies and songs to speeding motorists.
"You don't just shut down the whole street because somebody is speeding," he said.
Numerous laws on the books already give copyright holders plenty of avenues to stop actual infringement, but that's not enough to satisfy Hollywood's lawyers and lobbyists.
And get this: The prosecutor in the case, Neil MacBride, previously served as the Anti-Piracy Vice President of the Business Software Alliance, where he represented the intellectual property interests of countless multinational corporations.
Now Hollywood's lobbyists, represented by the Motion Picture Association of America, want him to make it nearly impossible for ordinary Internet users to get their property back.
Please click here to sign on to our legal brief, and make sure the courts understand that millions of Internet users will be impacted by the judge's decision.
http://www.theinternetvshollywood.com/
Thanks!

"If history is violence and sex, I'd rather not pay my respects. If I've caused offense, I'm just trying to talk sense. Forgive me if I'm too direct or politically incorrect." Jon Foreman

Student Loan Interest Rates (From Rebuild The Dream)


This is pretty great -- new video from Rebuild the Dream about why student debt is a big deal:
Congress is about to vote on whether to let federal Stafford student loan rates double -- as if things weren't bad enough already! After you watch the video, I'd appreciate it if you could make a call to your senators.

"If history is violence and sex, I'd rather not pay my respects. If I've caused offense, I'm just trying to talk sense. Forgive me if I'm too direct or politically incorrect." Jon Foreman

National Call-in Day for Move To Amend on June 29 (From Move To Amend)


The Senate Judiciary Committee, Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Human Rights, chaired by Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), will be holding hearings on July 17, 2012, to examine the three proposed constitutional amendments currently introduced in the Senate, which address Citizens United v. FEC.

Invitations will be issued to the senators who have introduced amendments and to a panel of advocates/experts, who will testify to:

  • The impact of Citizen's United v. FEC
  • The rise of SUPER PACs
  • The impact of unlimited corporate spending on individual candidates
Move To Amend (MTA) has not been invited to participate yet. We have been in touch with Senator Durbin, who has complete discretion over who to invite, and MTA members in the eleven states of the individual committee members have already been in contact with their senators in pursuit of an invitation.

We are now calling on all of our members to contact Senator Durbin -- please make a quick call tomorrow: 
(202) 224-2152.
Click here for call in details and a script.

Question: Why should we care about being invited to this hearing, despite the fact that our amendment has no Senate sponsor yet?

Answer: We don’t expect that the Senate will actually pass an amendment any time soon, but it is important that our viewpoint be heard inside the beltway. Our movement is growing, our demands are clear. When and if Congress begins to move, it is imperative they know what the real solution is and that there is a broad movement supporting it.
We must make clear to them that the issue goes beyond Citizens United. The amendment must address corporate personhood and money as speech -- nothing short of that will do.

Tomorrow, June 29, is National Call-in Day for MTA! Please call Senator Durbin’s office and express your desire that Move To Amend be invited to the July 17 hearing. Find a short script, talking points, and the phone number here.

We’re hoping to raise a polite and non-violent ruckus by generating thousands of calls, and we’re counting on you to raise your voice tomorrow. It will take no more than five minutes of your time, so please add this event to your schedule.



"If history is violence and sex, I'd rather not pay my respects. If I've caused offense, I'm just trying to talk sense. Forgive me if I'm too direct or politically incorrect." Jon Foreman

Beyond Politics: LGBT* Workplace Discrimination

      What are the stresses of going to work? Having to get up at an hour you don't want to? That it'll be a slow day? Or a busy day? Maybe you have a rude customer or you're the one who gets to clean the bathrooms? But then pay day rolls around and you get that check. The check that will feed you and your family, the paycheck that will pay for that show you want to see, that new car you want, or whatever it may be. And you feel confident that you'll stay at your position, with reasonable upward mobility, based on merit and ability, right?
     
     If you answered yes to that last question then you are a heterosexual cisgender person (If you are cisgender, then your identity matches your sex). Current workplace discrimination laws do not protect people based on their sexual orientation or their gender identity.


     Now you might say, "So what? None of that is relevant to your work environment, go to work and do your job and worry about all of that on your own time."
     
     But consider the Transgender person who has to use the unfinished restroom one floor down, because of their gender identity. Or the person who has to leave their workplace completely, so that they may use the restroom.
And if you don't think that's a big deal, then please feel welcome to leave your place of employment every time you have to use the facilities.
     
     According to workplacefairness.org there are five ways you can be discriminated against for your gender identity and I'd like to discuss each of these.
"Many pre-operative transsexuals (transgender people) are fired the moment their employers find out about their plan to undergo sex reassignment surgery."
     
     This causes a lot of problems. Sure, if you're a well to do youth at your first time, part time job, this may not be a big concern. But for a lot of Transgender people, they put their personal lives aside to 'get ahead' and they aren't losing jobs, but careers. And this is a problem. This discrimination is the discrimination that costs people their livelihoods. According to surgeryencyclopedia.com sex reassignment surgery (SRS) can cost any where from $7,000 - $50,000 dollars, depending on your gender. This excludes the cost of hormone replacement therapy and regular therapy, both of which you are required to pursue by law before getting SRS. (Don't forget to consider the lack of coverage Transgender people face in their healthcare plans, if they can afford healthcare at all.)
     
     What if this is a dichotomy, what if Transgender people only have two choices, lose their job, or suppress their gender identity? Science suggests that suppression of one's gender identity can often lead to suicidal thoughts, and in the mindset of living in capitalist America, losing your job can cause serious depression as well. According to msnbc.com 41% of transgender people in the U.S. have attempted to commit suicide (which is 25% higher than the rate of the 'general population' as msnbc.com puts it) while 19% have reported being refused medical care because of their gender nonconforming status.
     
     "Transgender people who attempt to wear clothing appropriate to their gender identity are disciplined, reassigned or terminated, based on a failure to conform to a company dress code policy that makes no effort to accommodate transgender individuals." I don't have a lot to say on this one, but I'll say to anyone who says, "They're just clothes! It's not a big deal." to a transgender person, consider saying that to the employer/manager/boss person. Because if the outfit doesn't hinder the ability of the person to do their job, then it shouldn't be a problem, for the employer, whereas suppression of one's identity is a problem for the employee. This is true if the person is Transgender, a crossdresser, genderqueer or just gender non-conforming. Clothes are clothes, but that's a different piece for a different time.


     "Transgendered people have been refused access to workplace restroom facilities and harassed by coworkers and supervisors on the basis of their gender identity."
     
     Workplacefairness.org gave me a two-fer on this one. One of which I've already discussed (restroom discrimination).
     
     Harassment. Hostileworkenvironmentguide.com defines harassment as, "..an act committed by a person that makes another feel uncomfortable, offended, intimidated or oppressed."
     
     People are harassed in the workplace for their gender identity and sexual orientation. They are held from promotions, they are taunted, being called things like, 'faggot' and 'queer', they are being refused access to restrooms, being told to dress against their gender identity and even being fired.
     This is not equality.


     And this brings me to the final point of the five mentioned on workplacefairness.org:


     Many transgendered and gender-variant people are denied equal treatment in public accommodations, which can affect their ability to successfully function in the workplace. For example, transgendered people have been asked to leave restaurants, hotels, stores, medical facilities, and educational institutions. This discrimination may make it difficult, if not impossible, to successfully perform one's job.


     All of this to say that this needs to move beyond politics. While breath is being held, if even that much is being done, waiting to see if ENDA will even come out of committee, people are being fired, harassed, suppressed and repressed in the workplace for no other reason then because of who they love or how they identify.
     
     We don't need to wait for politicians in Washington, or in any city or state. We need to write to our editors to raise awareness. If you work for any small business, company or corporation that hasn't adopted a policy against workplace discrimination against people based on sexual orientation and gender identity, talk to the owner, write to the shareholders or the CEO and demand equality. If you know someone being discriminated against in your workplace, by employees or the employer, stand up for them. Gather together a coalition in your community of people against workplace discrimination. Target places of discrimination and provide support to anyone wanting to come out at work.
     
     People have power, this is beyond politics, this has to do with people's livelihoods and there lives. I hope you'll consider taking action.







"If history is violence and sex, I'd rather not pay my respects. If I've caused offense, I'm just trying to talk sense. Forgive me if I'm too direct or politically incorrect." Jon Foreman

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Transgender in the prison system

Transgender in the prison system

"A few weeks ago, Chrishaun “CeCe” McDonald, a Minnesota college student, was sentenced to 41 months in prison for second-degree manslaughter. McDonald is a 23-year-old African-American transgender woman. Though McDonald identifies as a female, her sentence entailed living in a male prison."

"If history is violence and sex, I'd rather not pay my respects. If I've caused offense, I'm just trying to talk sense. Forgive me if I'm too direct or politically incorrect."Jon Foreman

Interview with Vice Presidential Nominee of the Libertarian Party Judge ...



 "If history is violence and sex, I'd rather not pay my respects. If I've caused offense, I'm just trying to talk sense. Forgive me if I'm too direct or politically incorrect."Jon Foreman

Cyndi Lauper Launches National Program for Homeless LGBT Youth

Cyndi Lauper Launches National Program for Homeless LGBT Youth

"If history is violence and sex, I'd rather not pay my respects. If I've caused offense, I'm just trying to talk sense. Forgive me if I'm too direct or politically incorrect."Jon Foreman

Johnson Campaign Endorses 26 More Candidates

Johnson Campaign Endorses 26 More Candidates

"If history is violence and sex, I'd rather not pay my respects. If I've caused offense, I'm just trying to talk sense. Forgive me if I'm too direct or politically incorrect."Jon Foreman

The Hindu : Cities / Chennai : ‘Suicides among transgenders under-reported’

The Hindu : Cities / Chennai : ‘Suicides among transgenders under-reported’

"If history is violence and sex, I'd rather not pay my respects. If I've caused offense, I'm just trying to talk sense. Forgive me if I'm too direct or politically incorrect."Jon Foreman

Support Public Financing Over Corporate Cash (From the Green Party of the United States)


The Supreme Court just made another ruling allowing unlimited corporate money into state and local elections. The justices had an opportunity to revisit the awful decision they made in Citizens United, but chose corporate greed over democracy for a second time. It’s up to principled parties and candidates, like the Green Party, to voluntarily reject corporate cash.
As the Green Party presidential campaigns roll toward Baltimore, several candidates are working to win public matching funds to support their efforts. If they are able to raise $5,000 in small increments from 20 different states, they will qualify for public financing. That's double the funds available for advertising, ballot access support, and staff to travel the country and promote the Green Party.
One of those candidates, Jill Stein, is approaching this goal and needs a last-minute push to win matching funds. Her campaign has reached the threshold in 13 states and only needs $7,000 more in 7 key states (OH, NC, NM, FL, CO, VA, and CT). When she qualifies for public financing, donations up to $250 from all donors will be matched dollar-for-dollar by the public funds.
Candidates Roseanne Barr and Kent Mesplay are also raising funds on behalf of their campaigns.
Our national convention is just three weeks away! On July 14th in Baltimore, MD, delegates from around the country will gather to nominate the Green Party's 2012 candidate for President of the United States. For many Greens around the country, this may be the only time they get to see the Green Party on their ballot this year. In many states, our Presidential nominee's performance is a critical measure for winning permanent ballot access for all Green candidates. We hope you will join us in this historic nomination.
No matter who wins the nomination next month in Baltimore, we want more candidates speaking out about the Green party and its key role in transforming American politics.

Thank you for your support of the Green Party and all its candidates.


"If history is violence and sex, I'd rather not pay my respects. If I've caused offense, I'm just trying to talk sense. Forgive me if I'm too direct or politically incorrect." Jon Foreman

3 days left to change the presidential health care debate (From the Jill Stein For President Campaign)

As the Stein campaign closes in on federal matching funds, five leading advocates for Medicare for All havereleased a letter advocating support for Dr. Jill Stein. The letter was released as news came that two new states - Michigan and Oregon - have qualified for federal matching funds. 

Please copy, paste, and forward the following letter to every health care advocate you know. You can see ourlatest matching funds numbers by clicking here. Thank you.


Medicare for All
URGENT!  PLEASE FORWARD WIDELY!

Dear friends working for health care as a human right,

In all the sound and fury over the Supreme Court's health care ruling,  the simple truth is being lost:  We know how to provide affordable health care for every American.  There is a proven solution -- improved "Medicare for All" (or single-payer health insurance). It's working in nation after nation around the world.  It is the only fiscally responsible way out of the health care mess.  And it's not unconstitutional.

When President Obama slammed the door in the face of single-payer health care advocates, and abandoned the "public option", it seemed that we were doomed to debating slight variations on the failing status quo.  But in the wake of the Obamacare/Romneycare crackup, we have an incredible opportunity to reframe the health care debate by injecting a long-time advocate for Medicare-for-All (single-payer) into the presidential dialogue.

Jill Stein, a physician from Massachusetts, has just won 29 state primaries to secure the presidential nomination of the Green Party.  She is a powerful voice for universal, affordable health care, and we need to make sure she is heard.  Putting her on the ballot will also give millions of Americans the opportunity to go into the voting booth on November 6 and vote for a change in direction instead of more of the same.

But Dr. Stein needs our help. Thanks to an outpouring of support from across the nation, she is within striking distance of qualifying for federal matching funds. She only needs to raise $24,000 more by midnight on June 30.  That's not much money in the big scheme of things.  But it will make all the difference in making sure Jill Stein is on the ballot across the nation and can impact the health care debate this fall.

That's not much money to ask considering all the money we've spent trying to get Washington to listen to us.  We can do it.

So I'm urging you do two things.  First, go to Jill Stein's website,  http://www.jillstein.org/donate, and make a generous donation to her campaign.  Second, please forward this email to your friends and networks who care about solving our health care crisis. Spreading this message is critically important.

Dr. Stein will file for matching funds on July 1.  Please forward this email and help put her over the top!

Thank you for helping us open up a new dialogue on health care.

Sincerely,

  Dr. Andy Coates, national president-elect, Physicians for a National Health Program
  Katie Robbins, Healthcare-NOW! Board of Directors
  Dr. Margaret Flowers, Physicians for a National Health Program
  Mark Dunlea, Single Payer New York
  Gloria Mattera, Physicians for a National Health Program
        * organizations for identification purposes only

PS: While all donations are valuable, Jill Stein especially needs donations from the following key states to help her reach the required $5000 per state threshold.  If you know anyone in these states, please ask them to make a donation of up to $250:   AZ, CO, CT, DC, FL, ME, MI, MO, NC, NM, OH, OR, SC, TN and VA -- read all the nitty gritty details and updates here:http://www.jillstein.org/funding


"If history is violence and sex, I'd rather not pay my respects. If I've caused offense, I'm just trying to talk sense. Forgive me if I'm too direct or politically incorrect." Jon Foreman

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

"Urgent Letter From Seven Leading Peace Advocates" (From the Jill Stein For President Campaign)


URGENT!  PLEASE FORWARD WIDELY!

FROM: David Swanson, Medea Benjamin, Leah Bolger, Bruce Gagnon, Chris Hedges, George Martin and Kevin Zeese

Dear Friends in the Peace Movement,

We can't afford to let this opportunity slip by. By taking action over the next five days the peace community has a chance to inject a compelling and courageous peace advocate into the 2012 presidential campaign, to have a voice in the national debate over war, militarism, and military spending.

You know what is going to happen if we leave this election up to the two major party candidates. President Obama will defend his troop surges, his excessive Pentagon budgets, his preparations for war with Iran,  his escalation of the drone wars, his crackdowns on whistleblowers, his indefinite detention policy, and his new role as manager of the White House assassination list. Mitt Romney will not question these policies, but will promise to pursue them with even more enthusiasm. In debates and interviews, the American people will have the Big Lie drilled into their consciousness: that our nation must accept escalating military engagement and must visit worldwide violence against all who defy the U.S. government.

Peace PartyJill Stein stands ready to challenge the Big Lie. Jill Stein, a physician from Massachusetts, who has been a national board member of Physicians for Social Responsibility, has just won 29 state primaries to secure the presidential nomination of the Green Party. She is putting some badly needed fundamentals for peace on the table:

Cut the Pentagon budget by 50%. Halt the drone wars. Pardon the whistleblowers. Restore our civil liberties. Make the Middle East a nuclear-free zone. She is driving home the point that the Obama/Romney fascination with war and violence is dangerous for our nation and the world. We need to make sure she is heard.

Jill Stein is closing in on federal matching funds that would double the value of donations to her campaign. Because she doesn't receive big checks from Pentagon contractors and their lobbyists, public funding is essential to her campaign. She needs to raise about $24,000 by midnight on June 30th so that she can apply for matching funds.

That's not much money to ask of a national peace movement. We can do it. And the payoff for peace will be tremendous.

So we urge you do two things. First, go to Jill Stein's website:  http://www.jillstein.org/donate, and make a generous donation to her campaign. Second, please forward this email to your friends and networks. Forwarding this message is critically important.

Thank you for helping us open up a dialogue for peace.

Sincerely,

  David Swanson, author of War is a Crime and also of Daybreak: Undoing the Imperial President and Forming a More Perfect Union
  Medea Benjamin, co-founder of CODEPINK
  Chris Hedges, Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter and senior fellow at the Nation Institute
  Leah Bolger, retired naval commander and current president of Veterans for Peace
  George Martin, three term national co-chair of United for Peace & Justice
  Bruce Gagnon, coordinator of the Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space.
  Kevin Zeese, executive director of Voters for Peace
      * organizational affiliations listed for identification purposes only


PS. While all donations are valuable, Jill Stein especially needs donations from the following key states to help her reach the required $5000 per state threshold.  If you know anyone in these states, please ask them to make a donation of up to $250:   AZ, CO, CT, DC, FL, ME, MI, MO, NC, NM, OH, OR, SC, TN and VA.  Read all the nitty gritty details and updates here: http://www.jillstein.org/funding


"If history is violence and sex, I'd rather not pay my respects. If I've caused offense, I'm just trying to talk sense. Forgive me if I'm too direct or politically incorrect." Jon Foreman

No Labels Continues to Perpetuate Duopoly


No Labels is a 501(c)(4), whose co-founder Mark McKinnon is often seen on the MSM. I've taken issue with them before, here and I had to call them out today for perpetuating the two party, corporate owned duopoly. While they claim to want to get our government to, "stop fighting and start fixing." They are perpetuating the very Orwellian structure that keeps our system in constant conflict.

See the email below:

nolabels.org

Joshua,

Just over four months from now, we will elect either Barack Obama or Mitt Romney as president based on what they say they want to do. But America’s future will be decided by what our president can do in the years ahead. And increasingly, he can’t do enough.

But we’re working to fix that! Click here to check out one reform idea in our Make the Presidency Work! action plan, which will be fully unveiled in mid-July, and comment on the blog post to share your thoughts.

The impediments facing a modern president range from the political, where too much partisanship has limited necessary presidential action, to the institutional, where outdated laws make it difficult for a president to reform and modernize the bureaucracy.

Our Make the Presidency Work! action plan has a series of common sense ideas to fix these problems.

Click here to share your thoughts on our plan to Make the Presidency Work!

Support from No Labels members was critical to the impact of our Make Congress Work! action plan. Our most popular idea, No Budget, No Pay, now has over 70 bipartisan co-sponsors in Congress -- thanks in large part to the grassroots pressure that people like you have exerted on our leaders.

We’ve come a long way, and now No Labels wants your help to get the same momentum behind Make the Presidency Work!

You are helping us prove that good ideas can spark big change. Let’s keep it up!

Most sincerely,

Nancy Jacobson & Mark McKinnon
No Labels Co-Founders

P.S. Click here to join the conversation on the No Labels blog.


"If history is violence and sex, I'd rather not pay my respects. If I've caused offense, I'm just trying to talk sense. Forgive me if I'm too direct or politically incorrect." Jon Foreman

Greens Call on Deal to End Torture in Georgia Prisons Call on Georgians to Join One Day Solidarity Fast

(Distributed by the Green Party of the United States, http://www.gp.org)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
Monday, June 25th, 2012 

For further information, contact:
    678-298-9463 x3 
presssecretary@georgiagreenparty.org

Greens Call on Deal to End Torture in Georgia Prisons
Call on Georgians to Join One Day Solidarity Fast 

Eighteen months after Georgia Department of Corrections employees brutally suppressed a non-violent work stoppage led by inmates in as many as eleven of the state's 34 prisons, it is believed that the "Hidden-37" have been in solitary confinement ever since.  The Georgia Green Party today called on Governor Deal to end the torture; and on Georgians to join hunger striking Georgia inmates in a one day solidarity fast.  

"On Monday, July 2nd, if the state has not met the very reasonable demands of these hunger strikers, it will be time for us to share their hunger for justice," said incoming Georgia Green Party Chairman Bruce Dixon.  "We ask Georgians of faith, and Georgians hungry for justice to join our one day solidarity fast as we work to share the story of these Georgians whose 'starving for change' will take them into their fourth week without food."  

Party officers are responding to news that ten inmates at the Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Center have been on a hunger strike since Sunday, June 10th, 2012.  Among their number is Miguel Jackson, who was assaulted by multiple DoC employees while handcuffed. According to Mrs. Delma Jackson, his wife, "Miguel suffers daily for the injuries he sustained at Smith State Prison. He has chronic migraine headaches, a broken nose, and he suffers from post traumatic syndrome.  He still has the hammer indentions in his head."

On December 17th, 2010, in a meeting with representatives of over a dozen advocacy and community groups in Georgia, Timothy Ward, Facilities Director with the Department of Corrections acknowledged that 37 inmates had been subjected to 'protective custody' on suspicion of having served as instigators of the December 2010 strike, based on evidence that contraband cell phones had been confiscated from their personal property.  A story has emerged from correspondence with inmates and their families about the tortuous conditions at the Segregation Management Unit (SMU) at the Jackson Georgia facility. Inmates there are subjected to months of ongoing deprivation of access to showers and exercise.  Party activists have reports that these human beings are subjected to life under 24-7 video surveillance in a 4' x 6' plexiglass cell.  

The Georgia hunger strikers are believed to include several among the Hidden-37, referring to the 37 men whom Mr. Ward mentioned in December of 2010, although since that statement Shawn Whatley was later added to their ranks.  

Last month the Center for Constitutional Rights, representing many of the leaders in last year's hunger strike involving thousands of prisoners at California's Pelican Bay, brought litigation challenging as inhumane 8th Amendment violations, the extreme abuse of solitary confinement used at that prison.  CCR argues that "Solitary confinement for as little as 15 days is now widely recognized to cause lasting psychological damage to human beings and is analyzed under international law as torture."  

Earlier this week, the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Human Rights in the U.S. Congress held hearings on the subject, “Reassessing Solitary Confinement: The Human Rights, Fiscal, and Public Safety Consequences.”

Meanwhile, the Butts County prison which hosts the Georgia Solitary Management Unit and its death row as well is now home to hunger strikers who are demanding (1) medical attention for Miguel Jackson; (2) and that their custody be subject to the published standard operating procedures of the Department of Corrections, inclduing providing inmates (a) access to their property; (b) open visitation with the families; (c) access to the commisary; (d) regular access to exercise; and (e) classification reviews at thirty day intervals.  

"Miguel has been on hi max for eighteen months," said Mrs. Jackson. "He is being punished for officers beating him and the officers are going on with their lives as if nothing happened. Where is the justice in that?"

"Its time to dismantle the prison state built with our tax dollars and populated with our families and neighbors," said Bruce Dixon, state Green Party chairman.  "When addiction is treated as a criminal matter rather than a health concern, you have stepped out onto the slippery slope which now seeks ways to normalize abuse and torture.  But even when our family truly offend us, they are still our family.  The Green Party intends to explain, confront and curtail the carceral state with the power of organized people."

-- 30 -- 

Senate Judiciary Committee
Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Human Rights
“Reassessing Solitary Confinement: The Human Rights, Fiscal and Public Safety Consequences”
http://www.judiciary.senate.gov/hearings/hearing.cfm?id=6517e7d97c06eac4ce9f60b09625ebe8

Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR)
Lawsuit Challenges Solitary Confinement at California Prison
http://ccrjustice.org/newsroom/press-releases/lawsuit-challenges-solitary-confinement-california-prison

The Georgia 37 are at least 38. And we now know one of their names
http://www.georgiagreenparty.org/blog/hesco/Georgia_37_are_at_least_38_and_we_know_one_of_their_names

GA Prison Inmates Stage 1-Day Peaceful Strike Today
http://blackagendareport.com/content/ga-prison-inmates-stage-1-day-peaceful-strike-today

"If history is violence and sex, I'd rather not pay my respects. If I've caused offense, I'm just trying to talk sense. Forgive me if I'm too direct or politically incorrect." Jon Foreman

Beyond Politics: Bullying

A picture of bullying.

Bullying is causing an epidemic of mental health issues and suicide amongst our youth.


GOProud is a group that was formed by two former staffers of The Log Cabin Republicans, which is the Republican LGBT* Caucus. GOProud felt that The Log Cabin Republicans were ‘too moderate’.
Recently I was reading, doing research on different LGBT* Caucuses of different parties and while reading what GOProud stood for I came across where they believed that what would help with bullying (particularly of LGBT* youth) isn’t more money or more government intervention, but more school choice, and the choice of the parent to home school their children.

A few hours after reading that, I wrote the following as a response:
The problem is, GOProud, is that school choice isn’t the answer to bullying. But let’s be fair, money pits aren’t either. If you would’ve sent me to a private school in northwest Georgia, where I live, I would have been bullied just as much if not worse. And my school had all of those laminated anti-bullying posters, that’s the money pit! And it doesn’t work! It doesn’t work because teachers, administrators and janitors would turn a blind eye. For lack of a better term, it was Anarchy! There was no governmental system! As students we formed collectives and lived or died by those collectives. When it comes to bullying in schools, LGBT* or otherwise, let’s stop politicizing the issue. It comes down to, ‘who cares’? Do the people who work at the school care enough to stop it? Do the parents care enough to teach their kids not to bully? I’m tired of the rhetoric, and I’m sure you’ve heart it before, ‘what if that was your child’ or ‘what if that was you’? But seriously, let’s cut the rhetoric. This goes beyond rhetoric and politics. You should do it because you care and because you’re decent and you shouldn’t do it for any other reason than that. For the people who work at the schools and on the buses, if you won’t do it because it’s your job, do it as a decent human being. As philosopher Judith Jarvis Thomson put it, you are morally required to be a ‘Minimally Decent Samaritan.’ (As opposed to the Good Samaritan mentioned in the Christian Parable.)
This goes beyond politics. Bullying in schools can lead to life – long battles with depression, anxiety and other mental illnesses, if not suicide! (See some of the bullying statistics provided at the end of this piece.) Believe it or not, Lady Gaga pretty much gets it right. She says it isn’t the victim, it’s the bully. But I would look just a little further, if we’re getting at the root, let’s get at the root. Not to say that we can’t comfort and work with bullies who are abused at home, but parent’s who abuse their children need to be reprimanded and parents who teach intolerance and hatred that breeds violence need to be reprimanded. It’s time kids were raised with and by tolerance and understanding.
Now is not the time to wait for Congress to write a bill. Now is not the time to wait for your school board to decide. Now is the time to act. It’s time to stop turning a blind eye. Now is not the time for politics. It’s the time for people.
I grew up in the type of environment where bullies were a simple problem with simple solutions (the idea being that if you stand up to them, then they’ll leave you alone). I also grew up with the impression that depression was a new aged hippie liberal problem, and that it was all mind over matter. (“If you don’t mind, it don’t matter.”)
But despite all of this, bullying – its causes and its consequences – are all very important.
Emotional bullying may be more prevalent now then physical bullying, however, it doesn’t go unseen, only unnoticed. All the signs are there.
We don’t need Executive Orders or Hollywood movies, we each carry great capacities on our own, we just need to learn to not only be active, but to be proactive instead of reactive.
Statistics:
1/4 kids will be bullied sometime throughout their adolescence.
Suicide is the 3rd leading cause of death among young people.
For every 1 suicide there are at least 1000 attempts.
LGBT* youth are 2 – 3 times more likely to commit teen suicide than other youths.
About 30% of all completed youth suicides have been related to sexual identity crisis.
9/10 LGBT* teens have been reported being bullied at school within the past year.
14% of high school students have considered suicide and 7% have attempted.
I encourage you to utilize the resources below (and to share and discuss all others that you may know) to education yourself, your family, your friends and your entire community about the negative effects of bullying and what we all can do to A.) Stop bullying and B.) Comfort and counsel the bullied.
Resources:
Bullying.org – General Awareness
Solutionsforbullying.com – For Parents, Educators & Other Professionals
PFLAG – Parents, Family & Friends of Lesbians and Gays
GLSEN – Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network


"If history is violence and sex, I'd rather not pay my respects. If I've caused offense, I'm just trying to talk sense. Forgive me if I'm too direct or politically incorrect." Jon Foreman

Monday, June 25, 2012

Refer a Friend - Fastweb

By clicking this link and signing up for Fastweb.com, you will help my chances of winning a scholarship.

Refer a Friend - Fastweb

 "If history is violence and sex, I'd rather not pay my respects. If I've caused offense, I'm just trying to talk sense. Forgive me if I'm too direct or politically incorrect."Jon Foreman

The Chuck Report, Issue 4


More and more people are coming on board the Chuck Wagon. If this is your first time to receive The Chuck Report, welcome! We hope everyone continues to tell your friends and email list about this campaign to elect the REAL Republican - Chuck Hufstetler. Encourage them to visit our website atwww.ChuckHufstetler.com.
 
-- Last week, Chuck received the endorsement of the Georgia Right to Life. Chuck is the pro-life, pro-family conservative we need in the Senate.
-- Chuck and the team continue to knock on doors. If you are interested in helping, email us atChuck@ChuckHufstetler.com.
-- Voters are also being called. If you cannot go door to door but are willing to call voters to let them know about Chuck, email us at Chuck@ChuckHufstetler.com.
-- Come help us with the Independence Day events. We will be marching in the parade in Cave Spring, and participating in the activities in Calhoun and Cartersville. If you would like to help, email us atChuck@ChuckHufstetler.com.
-- Watch the Bartow County debate from last Tuesday at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoCl2MzKXBQ&feature=plcp
-- On July 10th at 6PM there will be a Meet-N-Greet with Chuck for Young Professionals at Paul's Oyster Bar, 2901 Shorter Avenue. Come and join the fun.
---------------------------------
Chuck Hufstetler for State Senate, District 52
Phone:  (706) 252-4085
Twitter:  @Chuck4Senate52


"If history is violence and sex, I'd rather not pay my respects. If I've caused offense, I'm just trying to talk sense. Forgive me if I'm too direct or politically incorrect." Jon Foreman

GotScholarship Scholarship Sponsorship

Please consider going to this website and sponsoring me for this scholarship:

http://www.gotchosen.com/ProfileViewer/tabid/88/userId/6539/Default.aspx

"If history is violence and sex, I'd rather not pay my respects. If I've caused offense, I'm just trying to talk sense. Forgive me if I'm too direct or politically incorrect." Jon Foreman

Sunday, June 24, 2012

VIDEO: How matching funds fit into strategy (From the Jill Stein For President Campaign)


Three new states are now 3/4 of the way to securing federal matching funds. Congratulations to Michigan, Ohio, and Virginia; you are almost there! These three states join Oregon and New Mexico near the finish line, and other states are making major progress too! Click here to see how our 15 priority states are doing.
With just over five days left to Double Your Green, campaign manager Ben Manski has recorded a short video explaining the importance of securing matching funds to the overall Stein strategy.See the video here: http://youtu.be/UFhqi2Ottnk

Please make sure you donate in this final week of our matching funds campaign. And please spread the word to people in key states -- ask them to donate too!


"If history is violence and sex, I'd rather not pay my respects. If I've caused offense, I'm just trying to talk sense. Forgive me if I'm too direct or politically incorrect." Jon Foreman