Healing the wounds of the earth and its people does not require saintliness or a political party, only gumption and persistence. It is not a liberal or conservative activity; it is a sacred act. ~Paul Hawken
Continue readingTag: Civil Disobedience
Occupy Ottawa: In Davos, A Topless Occupation
In case you missed the news: #the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, was #occupied. Activists pitched yurts and igloos. And three brave Ukranian women went topless, braving the cold to draw attention to their …Read More
Continue readingAkaash Maharaj - Practical Idealism: TVO’s The Agenda: Resistance is Not Futile – Akaash Maharaj Videocast
In any democracy worthy of the name, it is not merely the right, but the responsibility of every citizen to resist unjust laws… but there is a contrast between making a scene, and making a difference. There is a choice between the comfort of self-righteous illusion, and the peril of
Continue readingAkaash Maharaj - Practical Idealism: TVO’s The Agenda: Resistance is Not Futile – Akaash Maharaj Videocast
In any democracy worthy of the name, it is not merely the right, but the responsibility of every citizen to resist unjust laws… but there is a contrast between making a scene, and making a difference. There is a choice between the comfort of self-righteous illusion, and the peril of
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Two Monday Morning Links
There are two pieces on the Occupy Toronto situation that are worth reading in today’s paper. The first is the editorial in the Toronto Star examining the possibilities for the future now that the occupiers will soon be decamping from St. James Park due to a judicial decision just handed
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: The roots of the UC-Davis pepper-spraying
That’s the title of a searing and insightful analysis by Glenn Greenwald as he examines both the mentality and the effects, both intended and unintended, of the excessive and brutal force used against Occupy demonstrators and others. Amongst his findings are the following: – excessive police force against non-violent protest
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: A Premeditated Act of Police Brutality
In this video, a group of college students are huddled on the ground in a defensive position at UC Davis on November 18. An officer, later identified as UC police Lt. John Pike, then casually douses them with a chemical agent. You’ll note that a number of bystanders who were
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: This Is What Revolution Looks Like
That is the title of Chris Hedges’ latest column on truthdig.org. Despite the attempts to dismantle the Occupy encampments, attempts that seem eerily coordinated, Hedges suggests that this is only the end of the first stage of a revolution by people who have seen the truth and refuse to go
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Occupy Wall Street Police Breakup
News has spread quickly about the cowardly breakup of the Zucotti Park Wall Street Occupiers. Here is a link to a livestream covering the protesters as they move throughout the streets of New YorkRecommend this Post
Continue reading350 or bust: Remembering the Montgomery Bus Boycott During Occupy Times
It was fifty five years ago today the Supreme Court of the United States of America upheld the decision of the Federal District Court for the Middle District of Alabama “that Alabama’s racial segregation laws for buses were unconstitutional.” I…
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: The Trial of Goldman Sachs
Even if you only have time to watch the opening statements by Chris Hedges and philosopher, activist and professor Cornell West, this video, a mock trial of Goldman Sachs by members of Occupy Wall Street, is well-worth watching. The array of ‘crimes’ …
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Finding Freedom in Handcuffs
That is the title of Chris Hedges’ latest column at truthdig.org, written after his arrest for sitting on the sidewalk in front of Goldman Sachs in New York. It is a powerful indictment of the immorality that pervades the ethos of unfettered capitalism…
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Chris Hedges’ Indictment of Goldman Sachs
Prior to his arrest the other day for sitting on the sidewalk in front of Goldman Sachs, Chris Hedges issued the following indictment of the investment banking and securities firm:Goldman Sachs, which received more subsidies and bailout-related funds t…
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: The Arrest of Chris Hedges
If you advance to the 30 minute mark of this video, you will see Pulitzer Prize winner, author, and activist Chris Hedges, along with other Occupy Wall Street protesters, being arrested by the NYPD for sitting down on the sidewalk in front of Goldman S…
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Seattle Police and the OWS Movement
Many thanks to Roxy Katt for her post and link to a story and video showing Seattle Police arresting a woman for opening up an umbrella while on the ground in a park, a practice recently banned by the city. While watching the video, I initially had th…
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: The Latest From Chris Hedges
For those who have not yet read Chris Hedges’ Death of the Liberal Class, his latest essay on truthdig, entitled A Movement Too Big to Fail, is must-reading.Using the thesis from his book, namely that the members and institutions of the traditional lib…
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: John Steinbeck and the Occupy Wall Street Movement
In my days as a high school English teacher, one of my favourite books to teach was John Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath, the story of dispossessed farmers who, due to drought and economic factors, are forced to leave their land behind and travel to Califo…
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Pop Quiz: Can You Detect The Bias In This News Report?
Hint: it’s from a Fox affiliate.Recommend this Post
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: A Victory For The Occupy Wall Street Movement
With the world watching, and over 300,000 names on a petition to stop it, the planned ‘cleanup’ of Zuccotti Park, formerly called Liberty Plaza Park, has been halted. The cleanup, which had been ordered by Mayor Bloomberg and was to have involved the …
Continue readingPolitics and Entertainment: Global News | Interactive map: ‘Occupy Wall Street’ events taking place across Canada on Saturday
Global News | Interactive map: ‘Occupy Wall Street’ events taking place across Canada on Saturday
“Occupy Wall Street” events across Canada are continuing the movement that began with a small group of people in New York City weeks ago. “Occupy” e…
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