[Peace-discuss] [Peace] Organize!
"E. Wayne Johnson 朱稳森"
ewj at pigsqq.org
Mon Jul 15 14:05:41 UTC 2013
I do feel lucky to be where I am right now.
Sometimes I do wonder why I should participate at all
any more in any USA issues.
*
I'd like to see Occupy! rejuvenated or revived or revisited.
Something that could be referred to as a Critical Mass has got to be
achieved. Some have called it getting to a Tipping Point.
Like-minded people have got to come together.
It needs to be better organized, better funded, and more
attractive to those with real influence in the society.
There needs to be planning and provision for the needs of
large groups people coming together. There needs to be
some security muscle to keep minimum order inside and prevent
disruptive elements from outside.
There should be a consensus agenda that resonates with what the
people are feeling in their hearts. It needs to draw enough
people who are tired enough of what is going down that they
are willing to do something to stop it. It should draw together
people from different aspects of the sociopolitical spectrum to
share their ideas, and some how be immune to the co-opting by
the money and influence peddling of the oligarchy and the MSM.
*
United States and its constitutive elements should be responsive and
responsible
to the people. Presently the political system operates primarily as a
well-entrenched oligarchy
protected by ballot access laws and various other props, chicanery and
shenanigans
that game the system for the benefit of a few. The oligarchy must be evicted
by whatever means prove necessary to accomplish their overthrow,
preferably through
legal channels.
A general re-empowerment of the people to make their own choices, good,
bad, or indifferent.
Establish new institutions to truly help people not just be profit centres.
Untangle bureaucracy and cut through red tape with the machete of common
sense.
Transparency in government to be the order of the day.
Stop those who prey upon the poor and unprivileged.
Stop vicious cycles that entrap the poor and the unlucky.
A pact against violence. The natural response is to use force. A bloody
revolution
is unlikely to achieve desirable goals. However there has to be meaningful
resistance and that can only be gotten legitimately by working through
legitimate channels.
Ya need the police on your side so that they can't make you leave.
Release from the prisons those who have been imprisoned for many
non-violent crimes.
Replace the punitive incarceration system with a choice of
reparative/restorative justice.
Abolish ridiculous tort claims that do nothing for consumer protection but
dramatically increase costs for the many at the benefit of a very few.
If ya don't know that coffee is hot...?
Cui bono? should be the litmus test of regulation.
Nader, et al. came up with a consensus agenda for national action in
2008 that
still looks pretty good to me, remarkably prescient in its present
applicability.
Some updating to the present situation is needed.
Foreign Policy: The Iraq War must end as quickly as possible with
removal of all our soldiers from the region. We must initiate the return
of our soldiers from around the world, including Korea, Japan, Europe
and the entire Middle East. We must cease the war propaganda, threats of
a blockade and plans for attacks on Iran, nor should we re-ignite the
cold war with Russia over Georgia. We must be willing to talk to all
countries and offer friendship and trade and travel to all who are
willing. We must take off the table the threat of a nuclear first strike
against all nations.
Privacy: We must protect the privacy and civil liberties of all persons
under US jurisdiction. We must repeal or radically change the Patriot
Act, the Military Commissions Act, and the FISA legislation. We must
reject the notion and practice of torture, eliminations of habeas
corpus, secret tribunals, and secret prisons. We must deny immunity for
corporations that spy willingly on the people for the benefit of the
government. We must reject the unitary presidency, the illegal use of
signing statements and excessive use of executive orders.
The National Debt: We believe that there should be no increase in the
national debt. The burden of debt placed on the next generation is
unjust and already threatening our economy and the value of our dollar.
We must pay our bills as we go along and not unfairly place this burden
on a future generation.
The Federal Reserve: We seek a thorough investigation, evaluation and
audit of the Federal Reserve System and its cozy relationships with the
banking, corporate, and other financial institutions. The arbitrary
power to create money and credit out of thin air behind closed doors for
the benefit of commercial interests must be ended. There should be no
taxpayer bailouts of corporations and no corporate subsidies.
Corporations should be aggressively prosecuted for their crimes and frauds.
We support opening up the debates beyond the two parties and the
Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD), a private corporation
co-chaired by former chairmen of the Republican and Democratic Party. It
is time for our Presidential Debates to once again be hosted by a truly
non-partisan civic-minded association.
On 07/15/13 11:52, Karen Aram wrote:
> Wayne
>
> Ok, you have the info, in Beijing, lucky you, out of the fray.
> People of substance rarely watch tv, certainly don't get their news
> from it.
> You're acurate, when it comes to critique on most counts, not all, but
> you make assumptions about those who are attempting to change the
> system locally.
> Your delivery is rude, and insensitive to others. You enjoy that.
> It leads me to question your intentions, you give the impression of
> someone who doesn't want to see progress when you disparage and
> discourage others.
> The only real way any change can come about is for people to start on
> a local level, and build up and out, and they are doing just that.
>
> Maybe we're beyond hope, but should we pass our cynicism onto the young?
> How about offering some solutions, suggestions as to what we should be
> doing, but nicely.
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Date: Mon, 15 Jul 2013 10:19:58 +0800
> From: ewj at pigsqq.org
> To: karenaram at hotmail.com
> CC: niloofar.peace at gmail.com; rachelstrm at gmail.com;
> peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net
> Subject: Re: [Peace-discuss] [Peace] Organize!
>
> I reside in Beijing presently.
>
> I pretty much have the same access to info that you have but the
> opinion shaping is not force fed to me as it would be if I
> were in the USA.
>
> I don't watch TV much. I got out of the TV habit some 40 years ago
> but I am aware that there are people who do watch TV and have I dabbled
> with it.
>
> I have followed the incidents with Assange, Snowden, Manning, that guy
> they
> blew up his car in California cant think of his name right now and too
> lazy to
> look in up, the Tsarnev bros, etc., Zimmerman, etc.
>
> The call goes out both far and near for - - -.
>
> I think it is reprehensible that the USA has more people in jail than
> any other
> country in the world by any statistical measure.
>
> Those of you who want "justice"
> for Martin seem to love Big Sibling more than B.S. loves itself.
>
> Jailing another person by the Over-dogs is Justice?
>
> Justice?
>
> Nay, Revenge.
>
> A scapegoat to atone for your sorry and pathetic existences
> and carry them off into the dessert. Cheesecake, please.
>
> A capacitor to suck off the back EMF harmlessly to ground.
>
> Kicking dogs is out-of-vogue. Hammer time for the carpenters.
>
> I just tell it as I see it. Why should that piss you off?
>
> Do you want to switch sides in this debate and see if I still piss you
> off?
> Is it me that pisses you or is it what I am saying? Or the way I say it?
>
> Which senseless killing is that your fearless leaders are going to stop?
>
> The killing of babies by the frenetic Lady Macbeth harpies of abortion?
> Hey, Pilate. Throw 'em yer towel.
>
> The mass murders at the hand of the American Empire?
>
> Those minorities shooting each other in Chicago?
>
> How?
>
> By disarming the people and leaving them completely
> helpless against those who make merchandise of them day and night?
>
> Is Occupy! working for the 1%?
>
> Seriously...
>
> Is it?
>
>
>
>
> On 07/15/13 9:29, Karen Aram wrote:
>
> Nilofar, I second that, well said. What so many are thinking.
>
> I just came from the "protest/gathering in Champaign", it was a
> discussion with impressive speakers. The leaders know exactly what
> to do to prevent the senseless killings in the future, They are
> impressive folks. They advised us to "get involved with the
> community, get on one of the many Boards or Councils, and become
> politically active." That is the only way to counteract the power
> of ALEC and the NRA. In the meantime they will warn their children
> how to keep a low profile so as not to be targeted if such a thing
> is possible, how sad, so much for childhood.
>
> Wayne you are in Dalian? Even in Shanghai one has limited access
> to information and facts of such happenings in the US. Your
> attempt to irritate/piss people off is effective. Your attempts to
> prevent them from proceeding in their goals to achieve progress
> are not.
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Date: Mon, 15 Jul 2013 08:50:51 +0800
> From: ewj at pigsqq.org <mailto:ewj at pigsqq.org>
> To: niloofar.peace at gmail.com <mailto:niloofar.peace at gmail.com>
> CC: karenaram at hotmail.com <mailto:karenaram at hotmail.com>;
> rachelstrm at gmail.com <mailto:rachelstrm at gmail.com>;
> peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net
> <mailto:peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net>; peace at anti-war.net
> <mailto:peace at anti-war.net>
> Subject: Re: [Peace] [Peace-discuss] Organize!
>
> Absolutely Zimmerman was functioning as a sort of vigilante
> doing a community watch. I would agree that this sort of
> community patrolling by civilian is a variety of vigilante-ism
> and is bound to lead ultimately to conflict between the watcher
> and those watched. The community watcher has all of the
> responsibility of a cop but not the authority of one.
>
> Vigilantes like Zimmerman are not subject to the rules that
> may sometimes restrain the police. I would not count on those rules
> in Florida. One of my friends a white guy got the literal piss
> beat out
> of him by a Florida cop. He was profiled by his out-of-state
> license plate. The only thing for him to do was to get his ass
> the hell out of Florida and tend his bruises.
>
> Profiling is applied epidemiology, a narrowing of the use of
> resources.
> Similar knowledge about rats stopped the black plague.
> (Now, that IS an unfortunate analogy!)
>
> Does this sort of talk stress you out?
> Go to the root cause.
>
> Profiling is an inevitable part of surveillance.
> Who among us likes surveillance?
> Where there is a perceived threat there is bound
> to be surveillance. In applied epidemiology it is
> sometimes called HACCP (hazard analysis/critical control point).
>
> Since the George Zimmermen and the Deputy Dawgs of
> the world do not stop and cavity search every person,
> there is profiling to establish probable cause.
> Zimmerman made a Terry Stop. Do we like Terry Stops?
>
> Look at her. She's groovy. Yeah. Check out that
> spade. He's groovy. Yeah all spades are groovy.
> Look at that. She's not groovy. Uh huh.
> Check out her body paint.
> An oldie. Faded San Franscisco art nouveau.
> Check out her stash. Aspirin.
> Send her in.
>
> *
>
> From my perspective, y'all are pursuing George because he
> is one of many white carpenters in an perceived army of Zimmerpersons.
> Easy pickin's. Low hanging fruit for social reformers.
>
> From my perspective, Martin and Zimmerman (good Mennonite names,
> eh?) are
> both part of the 99%. Zimmerman is part of the 99%. What social
> good is
> there if Occupy! pursues the 99%? Zimmerman sure 'nuf ain't part
> of the
> 1%, now is he?
>
> Go ahead and lynch Zimmerman. He's one of y'all.
> Not because he is white or black or a rat or a flea or
> Yersinia pestis.
>
> The challenge for OCCUPY! (as I see it) is to see the man
> behind the curtain and go after him.
>
> Some of y'all seem intent on joining the media circus.
> Enjoy your bread (or is it 'crackers'?)
> they supply you, but surely there
> has got to be something better and more useful.
>
> *
> You say vigilante as if it is a bad thing.
> OCCUPY! is a vigilante organization if it is anything at all.
>
> What?
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On 07/15/13 6:56, Niloofar Shambayati wrote:
>
> Zimmerman is a vigilante and nothing else. His suspicion was
> based on making assumptions based on a bigoted racial
> profiling that puts NYPD to shame, which in turn easily led to
> murdering Trayvon. Negative profiling directly leads to either
> dehumanizing the other or taking their individuality away from
> them. In either case, you see one mass of the same thing, the
> way Nazis portrayed the Jews, the way most Israeli Jews view
> the Palestinians, and the way our troops commit horrible acts
> of violence against Afghans and Iraqis. Thus for a hateful
> Zimmerman, Trayvon was just a profile, a microscopic part of
> the mass of "good-for--nothing, dangerous young black men."
> The vegetarian, animal-rights woman, who I am, uses the same
> logic, when encountering a fly or a mosquito that bothers me
> and justifies its killing.
>
> The people who profile Trayvon's parents as
> "blood-thirsty/greedy" black people, are no better than Zimmerman
>
> Niloofar
>
>
>
>
> On Sun, Jul 14, 2013 at 10:31 AM, "E. Wayne Johnson 朱稳森"
> <ewj at pigsqq.org <mailto:ewj at pigsqq.org>> wrote:
>
> The Martin/Zimmerman incident is not like the
> Champaign Police shootings of young black men.
>
> Zimmerman may be an asshole or not. I am not sure.
> Most but not all cops and wannabee cops are
> indeed quasi-assholes. Not all.
>
> But clearly Zimmerman was attacked, and on that basis he
> has been set free, because of the self-defense argument.
> The cause of the dispute betwen Martin and Zimmerman
> becomes irrelevant when Zimmerman is attacked.
>
> It's not like Zimmerman just pulled out his gun and
> Oba-nam Style executed him because he was wearing a hoodie.
> The law permits people to have encounters and disagreement.
> When it erupts into physical violence particularly
> life-threatening
> violence, then a line is crossed. The situation was
> examined very clearly.
>
> Justice my ass.
> It's not justice that they are crying for.
> It's blood.
> They want an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth
> They want blood for bloodshed.
>
> Well, actually what they want is Money.
>
> But since there isn't any money available,
> they'll settle for a few pints of blood,
> and several ounces of testicular flesh if that
> becomes available.
>
> It is really a disgusting distraction for a noble movement
> like Occupy! to get down and grub for cooties
> with the blood-lust crowd.
>
>
> On 07/14/13 22:02, Karen Aram wrote:
>
> Rachel
>
> After today's AWARE meeting at 5:00, I will be
> attending the protest, bringing a neighbor as well.
> Trayvon Marvin represents the many young black men
> from Emmet Till, Jimmie Lee Jackson, Robert Hall etc.,
> etc. murdered because of their race, with the
> perpetrators so obviously being acquitted by unjust
> laws and or decisions.
>
> Karen Aram
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> From: rachelstrm at gmail.com <mailto:rachelstrm at gmail.com>
> Date: Sun, 14 Jul 2013 03:51:39 -0500
> To: sdas-current at googlegroups.com
> <mailto:sdas-current at googlegroups.com>;
> sdas-list at googlegroups.com
> <mailto:sdas-list at googlegroups.com>;
> occupyCU at lists.chambana.net
> <mailto:occupyCU at lists.chambana.net>;
> peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net
> <mailto:peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net>;
> peace at anti-war.net <mailto:peace at anti-war.net>
> Subject: Re: [Peace-discuss] Organize!
>
> Hey folks---If anyone has heard of another demo being
> planned, I'm happy to send notices out, cancel this
> one, and redirect people there. I've contacted a
> number of African-American led organizations in town
> and can't seem to tell if something is already in the
> works. Either way, I'm happy to help try and get the
> word out and then redirect if need be.
>
> Okay, here's what I got to start.
> https://www.facebook.com/events/206857249471575/?context=create
>
> Please forward widely.
>
> *No Justice, No Peace x Protest the Verdict
> *
> *Sunday, July 14th, 2013 | 6pm-8pm*
> *Douglass Park | 512 E. Grove St. Champaign*
> "George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch volunteer
> who fatally shot Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black
> teenager, igniting a national debate on racial
> profiling and civil rights, was found not guilty late
> Saturday night of second-degree murder." We will stand
> together in Champaign-Urbana to demand accountability,
> to stand against racial injustice, and to protest the
> verdict that proved the injustice of the system. We
> stand with Trayvon’s family and we know that we are
> called to act---to fight for civil rights and for the
> removal of Stand Your Ground laws in every state, and
> we will not rest until racial profiling in all its
> forms is outlawed. Today we mourn, but tomorrow we
> organize. #blacklivesmatter
>
> Bring your friends, your family, your children, your
> neighbors. We stand together as a community--all of
> us. Art, protest signs, candles, and messages of
> outrage/hope/love/solidarity are encouraged.
> *Share on Facebook:
> *https://www.facebook.com/events/206857249471575/?context=create
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On Sun, Jul 14, 2013 at 2:36 AM, Rachel Storm
> <rachelstrm at gmail.com <mailto:rachelstrm at gmail.com>>
> wrote:
>
> I think we need an emergency demonstration
> tomorrow in response to the Zimmerman verdict to
> show that Urbana community members/activists/folks
> in solidarity do not stand for this outrageous
> demonstration of injustice.
>
> Can we plan to meet somewhere very public tomorrow
> (Sunday) at 6pm-ish?
>
> WHERE?
>
> Rachel
>
>
>
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>
>
> --
> Niloofar
>
>
>
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