Showing posts with label Hero. Show all posts

Monday, December 31, 2012

Homelessness Abolished in Scotland!

New rights for the homeless come into force

The deputy first minister called it a "landmark" day in the fight against homelessness

Legislation which aims to effectively end homelessness in Scotland has come into force.

The change entitles anyone finding themselves homeless through no fault of their own to settled accommodation.
Previously, only those classed as being in priority need - often families with children - had that right.
It meets Scotland's historic 2012 homelessness commitment, first set 10 years ago by the Labour/Lib Dem government.
The change, passed unanimously last month under the Homelessness (Abolition of Priority Need Test) (Scotland) Order 2012, will give an estimated 3,000 more people a year the right to settled accommodation.
As the changes came into force, the deputy first minister also announced £300,000 would be spent over the next two years to help councils with their efforts to prevent homelessness.
'Heartache and trauma' Nicola Sturgeon said: "This is a landmark day in the fight against homelessness.
"I know the heartache and trauma of homelessness from working closely with households faced with the prospect of losing the roof over their head.
"Meeting our 2012 commitment guarantees that those who lose their home from no fault of their own will be guaranteed settled accommodation.
"It is absolutely right to offer this guarantee in a time of crisis for people. It sends the signal that we are there to help, there is hope and that the state will do what it can."
Official figures from February 2012 suggested the number of homeless people in Scotland is at its lowest for a decade.
Graeme Brown, director of the housing and homelessness charity Shelter Scotland, said: "Scotland can be very proud that it is making history by meeting the 2012 commitment - which is internationally regarded as the cutting edge of progressive homelessness reform.
"I congratulate all the local authorities who have made widespread changes in order to meet their new responsibilities to homeless people."

Source

Friday, December 28, 2012

Owen jones BBC Question Time (Gaza)

Monday, November 19, 2012

Anonymous message to pro-Israeli groups

Greetings from Anonymous,

It has come to our attention that conservative and pro-Israeli groups throughout the blogosphere have taken advantage of Operation Israel, attempting to solidify public opinion against Anonymous.

TheOtherMcCain.com posted an editorial this morning which stated the following: “If you ever doubted that Anonymous was a terrorist organization, they have now removed all reason for doubt.” The article only contained 55 words of original content by the site itself, the other 90 percent of the article was selected quotations by mainstream media sources.

Let us once again be perfectly clear: Anonymous does not in any way support the use of violence. Anonymous is a world wide collective of individuals whose means pursue human rights, justice, and universal equality for the citizens of every nation.

Pro-Israeli groups throughout the world have grown from a foundation of Israeli/US propaganda and lies.
They arbitrarily dismiss the apartheid system of racial segregation and oppression imposed by the Israeli government on the Palestinian people. The fact of the matter is, in the eyes of the media, only the United States and it’s allies are capable of labeling another state or organization as a terrorists. Throughout our campaign, we’ve been inundated with one response in particular; references to Hamas hiding in school buildings or using women and children as human shields. Selective memory seems to have given pro-Israeli organizations the ability to forget that in 2005 Israeli Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz appeared in court to defend the practice of using Palestinians as human shields in combat after a supreme court outlawed the practice, noting it violated International Law.

The reasons for Anonymous intervention through #OpIsrael should be abundantly clear: What is happening in Palestine is oppression. They have no navy, no army, or air force. There is no war in Gaza. There is only the continuous application of military force by Israel in an attempt to push every last person out of the Palestinian state, despite international laws that make these efforts illegal. This illegal expansion of territory by Israel in to the Palestinian state has been ongoing since1948, making refugees of over 700,000 Palestinians. Today,
Palestinians are not permitted to live in Israeli settlements, drive on Israeli roads or even travel is the “security” areas surrounding them. These Israeli only housing developments are being built on stolen land, even while being called illegal settlements by the International Court of Justice.

The violence inflicted upon the civilian residents of Gaza is well documented, despite the fact that Israel has adamantly opposed intervention by human rights organizations and the IDF constantly blocks and harasses international journalists.

Despite these facts, Anonymous has not used any anti-Semitic language during our campaign. Nor have we vocalized any support for Palestinian military operations or resistance groups. Our goal was to protect the rights of Palestinian people who are threatened with silence as Israel has made attempts to shut down cell phone and internet service throughout Gaza. We know what happens to victims of oppression when the lights go dark.

It is also worthy to note, that as of yesterday, members of Anonymous participating in #OpIsrael were making attempts to augment our Gaza Care Package for civilians in Tel Aviv by translating the same documents in to Hebrew in the event that they lose access to internet service as well. We do not racially or geographically differentiate between victims of violence or oppression anywhere in the world.

Both Palestinians and Israelis need to find common ground and end the violence that has already resulted in the deaths of innocent people, including children. Israel’s advancement on Palestinian Territories and the racist oppression of Palestinian people needs to end.

We are not terrorists. Governments that fund wars, practice deceit against their own citizens, condone corruption, and turn a blind eye to the deaths of innocent people are terrorists. The word terror does not belong to Israel or the United States. We will judge you by your actions.
Peace and Freedom to all,
#OpIsrael
#Anonymous
Anonymous Gaza Care Package
#OpIsrael Information and Tools
Original PR source

Source

Saturday, February 4, 2012

Lessig: 'Money Buys Results in Congress'

AMAZING video and must watch for everyone!

http://fora.tv/2012/01/17/How_Money_Corrupts_Congress_and_a_Plan_to_Stop_It#fullprogram

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Andrew Sullivan Is Wrong About Obama's Liberal Critics

'Weak-Kneed' Obama Killed Public Option - New Book

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

'U.N. Membership Will Give Palestine Hope'

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Heroes Discussing Poverty in America

http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/Remaki

Amazing panel on Poverty in America.

Inside Story US 2012: Is the American dream fading?

Monday, January 9, 2012

Ron Paul Hits Gingrich With Chickenhawk Label At Debate

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Cenk Uygur Evaluates David on TYT, Talks WolfPAC & Current TV

Friday, October 28, 2011

Grayson: It's Class Warfare vs. Class Surrender

WikiLeaks Financial Blockade (Alyona & Ana)

WikiLeaks Financial Blockade

(Alyona & Ana)

TEARS STREAM AS CITY COUNCIL UNANIMOUSLY AGREES ‘OCCUPY TENTS ARE A FORM OF SPEECH’ - Occupy Orange County in California

TEARS STREAM AS CITY COUNCIL UNANIMOUSLY AGREES ‘OCCUPY TENTS ARE A FORM OF SPEECH’

Posted on 10/26/2011 by Synthian

Late last night after a 5 and-a-half hour marathon city council meeting,
in which 72 speakers took the floor to express the need for the Occupy OC
Tent Village to be accepted as a form of free speech, the city council
passed an emergency motion to add the needs of “The 99%” to their official
agenda. This was a feat which, according to one more conservative
Councilman, he had never seen in 7 years of service.

The council members each spoke in turn to the civility, articulateness and
peaceful process represented by the Irvine Occupation at contrast with the
several other Occupational Villages in California, which were, at that
very moment being tear-gassed. The general sentiment being: “This is quite
clearly the model. And the occupation most in tune with city needs.”

One councilman stated clearly, “I disagree with most of what you’re
saying. But you’ve clearly shown that this is an issue of free speech. So
if you need to sleep on our lawn… by all means… sleep on our lawn.”

Shortly after, a motion was brought to the council to grant license to the
occupiers to occupy the public space overnight citing the unusual form of
the movement. (Another first in council history.)

It was then passed unanimously to the sound of thunderous applause.

Shortly thereafter, the City Council was invited to attend the General
Assembly of the People. (Which takes place each night in the Occupation
Village at 7:00 PM.)

On a personal note… I myself was stopped by the Mayor on my way up the
hall, when he said, “You know what concerns me?” “What’s that”, I asked.
Expecting him to cite a civil code. – “Do you have enough blankets, or
should I get you some?” He asked.

And that… my friends… is a reason for hope.

Video to be provided in short order.

Source

Scott Olsen - You Did this to My Brother

" Marines around the world are outraged by the injuries inflicted by police on Scott Olsen at Tuesday's Occupy Oakland protests.

Olsen is in a medically-induced coma after getting hit in the head by a police projectile.

http://www.businessinsider.com/this-veteran-could-be-th...

The following picture is taken from the Reddit thread "How I feel, as a United States Marine, about what occurred in Oakland."

http://www.reddit.com/r/occupywallstreet/comments/lqjx2... /

This man is not alone. In the five hours since the thread went up there have been over 600 comments.

http://www.businessinsider.com/marine-to-police-you-did...

Source

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Occupy Wall Street Library - Enlightment awaits at The People's Library

The People’s Library

Occupy Your Mind

Howard Zinn is here. Dominick Dunne and Tom Wolfe, too. Ernest Hemingway and Barbara Ehrenreich and Dr. Who and Beowulf: All here, and all free. Barnes & Noble may be endangered and the Borders across the street closed months ago, but The People’s Library at Liberty Square is open for business and thriving.

That a lending library would spring up fully operational on day one of an occupation makes sense when you consider that the exchange of ideas is paramount here, at a new crossroads of the world. Just as occupiers young and old mingle with Africans, Jews, Algonquins and Latinas, de Tocqueville rubs elbows with Nicholas Evans and Noam Chomsky.

Mandy Henk, 32, saw Adbusters’ call to occupy Wall Street and drove in from Greencastle, Indiana, on her fall break to work in the library. A librarian at DePaul University, she’d been waiting for “an actual movement” for years when she saw a photo of the library and a poster beside it that read: “Things the library needs: Librarians.”

“And here I am,” she said cheerfully as she shelved books into clear plastic bins, dozens of which line the northeastern edge of Liberty Square. Henk isn’t surprised that a library was erected so quickly. “Anytime you have a movement like this, people are going to bring books to it. People are going to have information needs. And historically, the printed word has played an extraordinarily important role.”

Young readers can find a wealth of age-appropriate material too, like A.A. Milne’s “When We Were Very Young,” “Oliver Twist” and “The Hobbit,” as well as more offbeat titles like “Tales For Little Rebels.”

Another volunteer librarian, Steve Syrek, 33, is earning his master’s degree in English at Rutgers University. He has commuted to Liberty Square from his Washington Heights apartment every day since October 7. A sign he made for the library was snapped up by the Smithsonian Institution: “Literacy, Legitimacy and Moral Authority: The People’s Library,” it read.

“More people arrived, more books appeared, and it’s just been growing ever since,” Syrek said. “And then everyone in New York City just has to clean out their basement,” he quipped, which would explain how inventory has ballooned to nearly 1,800. Authors like Naomi Klein, Eve Ensler and Katrina vanden Heuvel have donated signed editions, and vanden Heuvel has pledged hundreds of copies of The Nation, past and present.

As a result of the influx, the library has become something of a clearing house for books. “People are shipping us stuff from all over the country and we just give them out,” Syrek said. “We don’t need them to be returned.”

Volunteers log each book on LibraryThing, an online cataloging site, by scanning the ISBN number using an iPhone app. This just in: “Wicked,” “Eat Pray Love” and “Get Rich Cheating: The Crooked Path to Easy Street.” A blog and a Facebook page chronicle visits from literary luminaries and the formation of libraries at Occupy sites across the country.

On a recent Tuesday, a few people sat on the granite benches that face the bookshelves, so absorbed in their reading that they didn’t look up, despite the din around them. Henk, for one, appreciates the role of escapism, especially when you consider the weighty issues that drew everyone to Liberty Square.

“Stories are incredibly important for helping people to understand the world,” she said. “And so this is a place to come to understand the world.”

Source

Fifteen Ways to Help Occupy Wall Street

Peter Rothberg on October 25, 2011 - 5:34pm ET

More than six weeks into the occupation of Zuccotti Park by a ragtag band of a few hundred anti-corporate activists, Occupy Wall Street has quickly grown into an international movement and potent symbol of popular outrage over the widening gaps between rich and poor and the way that government has been hijacked to transfer wealth upwards to the one percent.

The movement's message has also gone surprisingly mainstream, as my colleague Katha Pollitt detailed in her latest Nation column explaining the OWS's appeal and why unlikely suspects like Deepak Chopra and Suze Orman have jumped on the Occupy Wall Street wagon.

After the first week of protests, I wrote a brief guide featuring some tips on how to help the then-burgeoning movement. Now, I've updated that primer with new suggestions and specific tips for supporting some of the many regional Occupy actions that have recently been established.

How to Support Occupy Wall Street

1. Go to Liberty Plaza to join those that Occupy Wall Street if you can. This is the epicenter of the movement and the inspiration for what's happening across the country. Carpools are being arranged va this Facebook group.

2. Send non-perishable food, books, magazines, coffee, tea bags, aspirin, blankets and socks to the UPS Store, c/o Occupy Wall Street, 118A Fulton St, #205, NY, NY 10038.

3. Have pizza delivered to the protestors at Liberty Plaza. Call Majestic Pizza Corp at 212-349-4046 and have your credit card ready.

4. Tell the nation's mayors to respect the people's right to free assembly. The eviction of the Liberty Square occupation was averted by massive public protest from those in the square and beyond. When you learn that an occupation is threatened, please use this list, courtesy of activist Cryn Johannsen, to find the relevant mayor’s phone number and ask him or her to let the protestors protest.

5. Circulate word of Occupy College's national series of Teach-ins on November 2nd and 3rd. More than 100 schools have signed on to date.

6. Donate to Occupy Wall Street through its website.

7. Get informed and let your friends and family know what's happening on Wall Street, what the movement is about, and why you care.

8. Read and circulate Nathan Schneider's Occupy Wall Street FAQ.

9. Support Occupy Boston. If you're in the New England area, OB offers a wide range of volunteer opportunities, including performing, first-aid, cooking, entertaining and child-care.

10. Defend Occupy Oakland. Currently facing significant police harassment, OO's encampment outside City Hall was raided by police just before 5:00am this morning, who lobbed flash grenades and reportedly fired tear gas. Initial reports say the police tore apart the protest camp and arrested at least 70 people. Call Oakland Mayor Jean Quan immediately at 510-238-3141 and implore her to stop arresting people.

11. Defend Occupy Denver, which was also forcibly rousted from its encampment with hundreds of protestors arrested. Sign your name to this petition to Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper politely demanding that he reopen Lincoln Park for the demonstration, and stop arresting non-violent protesters.

12. Print, post and forward these fliers.

13. Attend or organize a regional event.

14. Like and share this Facebook page.

15. Follow and RT @occupywallstnyc and @occupycolleges.

Source