Polidoc Productions

Congressman Cao Breaks from Republican Ranks Even Before Election

blog@polidoc.com (blog@polidoc.com) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 12:17:00 PST

Joseph Cao, Congressional Representative from Louisiana has an independent streak and won't buckle down to Republican Party rhetoric. As seen in this video on the day of his landmark election in December 2008, this lawyer hopes to represent his community even in areas that aren't considered Republican today.

On November 7, 2009, Cao, a lawyer and the first Vietnamese Representative in the history of the United States, demonstrated his willingness to break from the Republican Party rhetoric by voting for a landmark healthcare reform bill. While the bill is still considered a win for the insurance industry by and large, the young Republicans break sharpens points of difference between the teabagging Constitutionalist Party leaning Republicans from more moderate voices.

Cao, who ran as independent in a previous election, was the first Republican to win this district since Reconstruction.

Links for 2009-11-07 [Digg]

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST

VIDEO: YES Men's Survivaballs Dance To Protest Chevron
The fabulous YESMen along with Global Exchange are up to their activist antics bouncing their famous Halliburton Survivaball Executives down the San Francisco streets to shine a light on the profit before people and planet position of Chevron around the world.

YES Men Take Survivaballs for a Stroll On San Francisco Streets

noreply@blogger.com (Babette Hogan) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 19:30:00 PST

Fun video by Polidoc featuring the Yes Men's Halliburton Survivaballs Escorted down Market Street by "Chevron Minions" during this San Francisco action on November 1, 2009.

Serving up the message of corporate responsibility to San Ramon, CA based Chevron Oil, the YES Men marched down San Francisco streets after the premiere of their activist movie "The Yes Men Fix the World" on November 1, 2009. In conjunction with Global Exchange and other Bay Area environmental and human rights groups, the Yes Men hope to link Chevron's plan to expand its refinery in the East Bay to human and environmental rights abuses in other countries and part of the United States.

In "The Yes Men Fix the World," the infamous pranksters, amongst them Andy Bichlbaum, heaps doses of irony to shine a light on the negligence of companies that place profit over people. Clever vignettes, something that crosses between "Ocean's Eleven" "Pink Panther" and "Get Smart" weave the documentary pieces of their actions together into a great piece of entertainment. This movie now showing across the nation serves up a hopeful and eviscerating commentary on the corporate players of our world.

Links for 2009-11-06 [Digg]

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST

Gore: Civil Unrest Has a Role in Stopping Climate Change
Gore suggests the scale of the emergency means non-violent lawbreaking is justified. "Civil disobedience has an honourable history, and when the urgency and moral clarity cross a certain threshold, then I think that civil disobedience is quite understandable, and it has a role to play," he says.

Links for 2009-11-02 [Digg]

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST

Minority Rule is Killing Passage of What Americans Want
Health care debate reveals in full the Senate's anti-majoritarian tendencies. Democratic senators hold 60 votes (out of 100), yet so far they have struggled to fashion legislation because they fear a filibuster, which allows a mere 41 senators to stymie what the majority wants.Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/steven-hill/the-proble
One Year On, Obama's "Yes We Can" is Now "Incremental Change
A week or two ago I began to think about the reality that it had been about a year since Obama won the election. And, about a week or two ago, I began to see and read the first conversations about how the 2012 Election is set to begin in the spring of 2010. I do not know how many Americans can handle the beginning of another election right now.
Clinton in Pakistan encounters widespread distrust of U.S. |
Michael Moore: No matter how hard Clinton tried to reassure audiences in Lahore and Islamabad with talk of providing economic aid where it's needed most, Pakistanis seized on her visit as the perfect moment to lash out at a U.S. government they perceive as arrogant, domineering and insensitive to their plight.

Links for 2009-11-01 [Digg]

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 23:00:00 PST

Adviser fired for saying alcohol more dangerous than drugs
The message is very clear: These stupid policies are arbitrary, ignore scientific evidence, and make zero sense. Those scientific minds brave enough to point out these obvious flaws get fired, while the insane, lazy, and stupid continue to uphold a broken system that clearly doesn’t work, overcrowds prisons, and generally increases suffering.

Links for 2009-10-31 [Digg]

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PDT

BBC World Service - Africa - Rwanda opposition party launch
Kigali fracas leads to postponement of another opposition launch in Rwanda.
BBC NEWS | Americas | Fifteen shot dead at Mexico ranch
Fifteen people are killed on a remote ranch in northern Mexico, with a prominent union leader among the dead.

Waiting for the Elephant: Healthcare

noreply@blogger.com (Babette Hogan) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 14:24:00 PDT

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Progressive Talk Show Host Ed Schultz says that President Obama's backroom deals are leading to a trigger and denying a public option in which real competition can be created, all in the hopes of attaching a Republican or two to the healthcare reform bill in this video.

Links for 2009-10-30 [Digg]

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:00:00 PDT

Dennis Kucinich Wants His Single-Payer Provision Reinstated
Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) was none too happy when House leaders stripped his single-payer provision from their $894 billion health reform proposal. Today, he's urging House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to reinstate it.

Links for 2009-10-27 [Digg]

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 00:00:00 PDT

Chicago's Bank Showdown Resonates Populist Striking Energy
The American Bankers Association (ABA) and the banks and people of Chicago saw at least a thousand people get off buses and surround the entrance of Goldman Sachs headquarters in Chicago. This citizen journalist offers his personal feelings and insights in this short, inspiring piece.
350 Action: Don't Wait For Feds to Feed US Climate Reform
VIDEO: San Francisco City Surpervisor Ross Mirkarimi has little patience for the dos y dos politics of Washington. He wants activists to push their local and county leaders for what the state and federal are as yet unable to deliver. The Northern California 350 Action culminated in a rally at San Francisco's Justin Herman Plaza.

Protesters Storm Chain-Linked Fence of Coal Plant

blog@polidoc.com (blog@polidoc.com) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 08:48:00 PDT

Climate Activists Charge the Fence of a Coal Energy Plant in the United Kingdom in a series of protests leading up to the U.N. Climate Convention in Copenhagen in January, 2010.

Senate Moves Ahead with Co-op & State's Opt-Out Rights

noreply@blogger.com (Babette Hogan) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 14:05:00 PDT

International Climate Action Day Storms into San Francisco

noreply@blogger.com (Babette Hogan) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 22:18:00 PDT

Saturday marked a day of unprecedented international climate actions by activists in 181 countries who are building momentum to inspire political leaders to take substantial steps towards climate reform at the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen this December.

In the Bay Area of California, cyclists from as far away as Arcadia descended upon Justin Herman Plaza in San Francisco in the culmination of the kickoff. In a speech by San Francisco City Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi, who initiated the plastic bag ban in this country, urged people to push their municipal and state legislatures to take aggressive action to reform climate regulation, regardless of what the international community does (or does not) do. He is a consistent advocate for local control for attaining a green agenda.

The international day was spearheaded by the group 350.org and supported by numerous environmental activist groups, including GreenPeace. The number 350 represents the parts per million of carbon dioxide emissions that the atmosphere can bear if we want to avoid runaway global warming.

Creative Sprint Inspires Insurers to Embrace Competition

noreply@blogger.com (Babette Hogan) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 11:47:00 PDT

Heather Graham embodies an energized and healthy government sponsored public health insurance option in a race with health care insurance company execs who seem to have forgotten the benefits of competition. It's a very hopeful and funny ad campaign for public option.

The Yes Men Act UP Against the Chamber

blog@polidoc.com (blog@polidoc.com) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 23:36:00 PDT

"This event is about the only sane thing for the US Chamber of Commerce to do." defended the bold and theatrical Hingo Sembra, one of the celebrated or notorious Yes Men, depending upon your position, at a Press Club event in Washington, D.C. this morning. The Chamber of Commerce has been criticized recently for holding out against Climate Bill efforts, though a growing number of business have pulled away.

Sembra, a master of political hoaxes started his style of activism pretending to be a DOW chemical company executive and apologizing for the Bhopal disaster on the BBC. Based upon how nervous he appeared in this action, he might be suspecting his poser days are numbered. His new activist movie "The Yes Men Fix the World" premiered in NYC last week, introduced by the Reverend Billy, a political performance activist and Green Party candidate for Mayor of the city. And this last weekend, it had it's West Coast Premiere at the Bioneers 2009 convention where the audience responded with uproarious laughter and applause.

Anti Mountain Top Removal Protesters Arrested in West Virginia

blog@polidoc.com (blog@polidoc.com) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 19:47:00 PDT

Governor Joe Manchin of West Virginia has taken a lot of heat these days, all for the love of coal. Protesters in the State's Capitol insisted that the two-time Governor could arrest the violent surface mining of Coal River Mountain, situated in the South-West of the state, if he wanted to. However, the only thing arrested were the protesters.

Our friend and fellow videographer, "FluxRostrum" posted this video today showing local and student activists with a burning desire to speak truth to power squatting in the Governor's way.

Manchin has said that he does not have the authority to overstep the federally granted rights of the out-of-state corporations who conduct surface mining in his state. A legal opinion called Dillon's Law which instituted, the rights of property owners ( read "corporations") over the right of individuals (read "communities"), provides the necessary veil behind which the Governor can defend his inability to protect his citizens. However, the opinion can be challenged and that would be a strong statement from the pro-death penalty, anti-choice Democratic Governor of West Virginia for his constituents. Where the Governor's pro-corporate cards may be more apparent is in the lack of prosecution of errant coal and drug companies whose accidents have often cost local communities their survivability and have compromised the health of its residents.

West Virginia residents concerned with demanding local rights within their state may have to model themselves after other communities seeking to dominate local control. In Spokane, WA, a town under the oligarchical control of a few families, a nexus of organization have created Envision Spokane. Guided by the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund (CELDF), Envision Spokane has placed an initiative on their November ballot calling for a community bill of rights that could challenge Dillon's Law.

Lawyers are the new soldiers in the war against environmental degradation, according to Breean Beggs, Chief Catalyst and Counselor for the Center for Justice who spoke at the 2009 Bioneers.
"We have a democracy deficiency in this country." he said as he addressed an eager crowd that had gathered. The lack of democracy is apparent "When the whole status quo system comes after you for putting up your hand and saying, boy, this just doesn't seem right."

CELDF Executive director Thomas Linzey said, "The game is up all over the country...A crisis of jurisdiction has to happen." It is perhaps time for West Virginia communities to consider building its own coalition throughout the hallows.

The Yes Men and Reverend Billy Levitate an Immigrant Detention Center

blog@polidoc.com (blog@polidoc.com) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 10:12:00 PDT

"The Yes Men Save the World" premiered in NYC last weekend, introduced by Green Party candidate for Mayor of the Great Apple, Reverend Billy Talen. The Reverend has been preaching his philosophy of local community building and anti-credit cards for more than 10 years. In a city where shopping and high finance is a major passtime, he draws a loyal niche crowd.

After the screening and a march with the audience through city streets to the immigration detention center, Rev. Billy shared these words: "Once you understand that we're controlled by clowns, you can be a clown yourself. Once it's clown versus clown, maybe the best idea can win. And the best idea is compassion."

Bill Maher's Real Time Covers Great Turf in Show #170

noreply@blogger.com (Babette Hogan) — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 14:19:00 PDT

Great show from Bill Maher this week.

The lead segment features an interview with Admin. Lisa Jackson, Environmental Protection Agency who discusses the slow and steady path to reinstituting clean water and air regulations. Maher and Jackson banter about the balance of powers between state and federal powers. Over the last eight year, federal powers have exerted more and more influence over state rights, denying states like California the right to advance higher emission standards.

Real Time's second guest segment includes guests:

Thomas Friedman, columnist and author;
Janeane Garofalo, actor/comedian;
The bold Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH);
Richard Dawkins, author/biologist.

They cover the need for more bold moves from more Democrats. Points to Kaptur!

Again, great humor worth thinking about.

Senior Citizens March Against Mountain Top Removal

blog@polidoc.com (blog@polidoc.com) — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 22:09:00 PDT

Our friend Flux Rostrum has posted this video of a rally and march against Mountain Top Removal (MTR) going on over a five day period in West Virginia. Starting at the Capitol steps, senior members of ILoveMountains, Christians for the Mountains, and others have taken to the streets.

Jesse Johnson, the Green Party's 2008 Gubernatorial candidate was on hand and has described a growing tension between the marchers and coal workers. We'll update when we get more news.

Sierra Club's Anti-Coal Campaign Serves This Dish of Humor

blog@polidoc.com (blog@polidoc.com) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 16:54:00 PDT

The National Sierra Club ad campaign targets schools in 11 states which currently rely on coal power.

* Indiana University-Bloomington
* Indiana University of Pennsylvania
* Lewis and Clark
* Ohio University
* Penn State University
* SUNY-Binghamton
* University of Colorado - Boulder
* University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill
* University of Georgia
* University of Iowa
* University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
* University of Missouri-Columbia
* University of North Dakota
* University of Southern California
* University of Washington
* Virginia Tech
* Washington University-St. Louis

It offers a petition website for students.

Japan's Aggressive Regulatory Practices Makes Green Sense

noreply@blogger.com (Babette Hogan) — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 09:12:00 PDT

Today's NPR California Report looks at how Japan's energy regulatory practices have spurred greater competition and innovation amongst its companies. At first, manufacuturers resisted the aggressive standards, including a 1% increase in efficiency annually. However, now manufacturers embrace the regulations, seizing it as an opportunity to compete.

Pelosi Goes Back to the Matresses for Public Option

blog@polidoc.com (blog@polidoc.com) — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 10:41:00 PDT

From THE HILL:

“I don't even want to talk about a trigger,” Pelosi said at her weekly press conference. She said the “attitude” of her fellow Democrats is that “a trigger is an excuse for not doing anything.”

Caterpillar, FedEx Favor Carbon Tax Over Cap-and-Trade Measure

blog@polidoc.com (blog@polidoc.com) — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 10:31:00 PDT

From Bloomberg.com:
By Daniel Whitten, Sept 23

The chief executives of Caterpillar Inc. and FedEx Corp. said they prefer a tax on carbon dioxide emissions and criticized the cap-and-trade measure being debated in Congress.

The legislation approved by the House in June gives certain industries free pollution permits that would distort the market, said Fred Smith, CEO of FedEx, the package-shipping company based in Memphis, Tennessee.

“We very much believe that a straightforward graduated tax on carbon is better than the cap-and-trade,” Smith said in Washington today. He was among a group of executives who participated in an energy conference.

Without Energy Policy in Place, Global Capital will Evaporate in US

blog@polidoc.com (blog@polidoc.com) — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 10:13:00 PDT

from SolveClimate.com

Deutsche Bank last week released a research note of curious interest just ahead of this busy week of international climate meetings and upcoming Senate action on federal climate law. Called Creating Jobs and Growth: The German Green Experience, it reviewed the policy architecture responsible for Germany's rise as a global clean tech leader over the last decade.

The plot line goes like this: Thanks especially to a mechanism called a "feed-in tariff," Germany has been able to create 300,000 new jobs since 2000 in a booming renewable energy sector, with renewable energy supply more than doubling, jumping from 6.3 percent of total electricity supply in 2000 to 14 percent in 2007. The people of the European nation of 82 million also saw only modest electricity price rises.

Yes Men Sprung From Clink After SurvivaBall Action

noreply@blogger.com (Babette Hogan) — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 23:23:00 PDT

"Balls Across America" direct-action campaign launched
NYPD abuse of authority big factor in arrest

Andy Bichlbaum, co-founder of activist group the Yes Men, emerged after 26 hours in New York City's central lockup with all charges against him dismissed.[1]

"The judge just laughed," said Bichlbaum. "The police had a less well-developed sense of humor - and, it turned out, much less regard for the law. But all in all, I'm ecstatic that they arrested me."

At 10am Tuesday, Bichlbaum was arrested and charged with trespassing, after he and 21 "Survivaballs" [2] gathered on New York City's East River and announced they were to going to "take the UN by storm" from the water, since all the land approaches were sealed. Once at the UN, they would supposedly use the Survivaballs to blockade the negotiations and refuse to let world leaders leave the room until they'd agreed on sweeping cuts in greenhouse gas emissions, as Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon has demanded.[3]

The event was a "scenic and mediagenic way to call attention to what our leaders need to do in the run-up to Copenhagen," said Bichlbaum. [4] It was also the official inauguration of the Yes Men's "Balls Across America" series of civil disobedience actions, inspired by the call for direct action on climate change by website http://BeyondTalk.net.

Minutes after the balls began wading into the water, law enforcement swooped in on the protesters by land, sea, and air. In order not to harm their attackers, the balls admitted defeat and waddled out of the water and off the beach. Seven participants were given tickets for trespassing, and one - ringleader Bichlbaum - was whisked away to "the Tombs," New York's central processing facility at 100 Centre Street, due to an unpaid ticket for bicycle riding through Washington Square Park.

Bichlbaum's arrest led to hilarious prime-time coverage on CNN.[5]

"Sleeping on concrete was a challenge, but I met a lot of interesting people, and my arrest meant major prime-time news coverage we wouldn't have otherwise had," said Bichlbaum. "That's the whole point of civil disobedience. Thanks to my momentary discomfort, our symbol of the stupidity of not taking action on climate change was seen by tens of millions of people. It all worked out great, and I remain grateful to the NYPD for having accidentally made our event successful beyond our wildest dreams."

Despite Bichlbaum's gratitude, one thing stuck out for his attorney, Wylie Stecklow: in filing his report, the arresting officer had lied through his teeth.

"The officer said he'd seen Bichlbaum jump over the fence, which was obviously impossible, since the police arrived after the Survivaballs had all entered the beach," said Stecklow, who defended Bichlbaum at his arraignment yesterday morning. "And the officer said there were prominent signs posted to the effect that entering was forbidden - also untrue." [6]

"Perhaps the NYPD thought that if an officer did not swear that he saw Andy climb a fence, AND that there were signs providing notice that this area was off-limits, a judge might have dismissed the case," said Stecklow.

According to Stecklow, officers swearing to facts they couldn't possibly know is an all-too-common occurrence. "Often, during mass arrests, we see a Supervising Officer assigning junior officers to write up the paperwork. But these junior officers end up becoming the 'arresting officer,' requiring them to swear to facts that are not within their knowledge. This leads to constitutional violations and wrongful arrests, and undermines the confidence that citizens should have in the criminal justice system," said Stecklow.

The NYPD has, in recent years, been found guilty of making numerous unconstitutional arrests in cases of political protest, and then falsifying their statements to fit the arrests. There have in particular been several well-known cases involving the tackling and arrest of bicyclists, with false excuses then written into police reports. [7]

"My case doesn't matter in itself," said Bichlbaum. In fact, I'm really happy it turned out as it did. But I hope we can help expose the systemic and nefarious culture of lying within the NYPD, that has had the effect of criminalizing protest in New York City."

"The police have to be told very clearly that they can't lie and expect to get away with it," Bichlbaum added. "The stakes are far too high."

"We need to strengthen oversight of the police by those who empower them in the first place - you and I, the citizens of New York City," said Stecklow. "Right now, at a bare minimum, that means giving teeth to the formerly well-intentioned, now powerless body of the Civilian Complaint Review Board."

"Unfortunately, even when we have video proving police statements to be false, no one seems interested in investigating," added Stecklow. "That's got to change."

After reading the arresting officer's complaint against him, Bichlbaum decided to file a complaint with the CCRB in order to hold this officer accountable for his false statements.

"It's not much, but at least this guy will have to explain his story under oath. And then next time, maybe he'll think twice before filing a false statement to make the crime stick."

The Yes Men hope their next actions won't depend on police misconduct to make them a success. "With 'Balls Across America,' our goal is to get arrested fair and square, all across this fair land of ours," said Yes Men co-founder Mike Bonanno. "It's a great way to get attention for a crucial issue."

For more information, contact:The Yes Men event@theyesmen.org>

[1] Bichlbaum actually received an Adjournment with Contemplation of Dismissal,
which normally results in full dismissal in New York State
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adjourned_in_Contemplation_of_Dismissal).

[2] The Survivaball (http://survivaball.com) made its first appearance in 2006,
when "Halliburton representatives" attended a conference on catastrophic climate
change and demonstrated the functionality of the large inflatable suits which keep
corporate managers safe from global warming
(http://theyesmen.org/hijinks/survivaball). That hoax, and many more like it, are
documented in the new award-winning documentary film, The Yes Men Fix the World
(http://www.theyesmenfixtheworld.com), which opens theatrically in New York
October 7, before opening nationally October 23.

[3] http://nypost-se.com/news/un-chief-world-heading-for-climate-abyss/

[4] http://www.democracynow.org/2009/9/23/headlines#14
http://nypost-se.com/news/us_news/congress-cops-out-on-climate/
http://nypost-se.com/news/us_news/crap-and-trade/

[5] http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/offbeat/2009/09/23/moos.survivaball.cnn

[6] http://theyesmen.org/crimcomplaint715.pdf

[7] http://blip.tv/file/771625, http://glassbeadcollective.blip.tv/file/784711/

President Half Pregnant with Insurance Companies

noreply@blogger.com (Babette Hogan) — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 21:12:00 PDT

Congressman Anthony Weiner (NY- 9) discusses the healthcare system with Bill Maher on Real Time and takes a bold stand on Obama's centrist style that has contributed to the confusing conversation on healthcare.

"The President has tried to be half pregnant with the insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies....The healthcare insurance company shouldn't exist at all...It's not to say that they are venal. I'm sure there were some very good people in the '80s making $800 toilets for the Dept. of Defense. I'm not sure that's an argument for keeping them around."
-Anthony Weiner

Don't Mess with Health Care Executives' American Dream

blog@polidoc.com (blog@polidoc.com) — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 10:58:00 PDT

Protect Insurance Companies PSA from Will Ferrell

MoveOn.org Political Action brings us this bit of satirical political humor from Will Ferrell and friends.

Gore Calls for Scientists to Engage in Politics

noreply@blogger.com (Babette Hogan) — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 20:05:00 PDT

At the 2009 International Day of Peace held on September 21 in New York City, former Vice President Al Gore addressed a crowd of scientists and urged them to become involved in politics, but added with a smile, "Keep your day job."

Citing how other scientists have joined the Administration, Gore said, "Scientists can no longer in good conscience accept this division between the work you do and the civilization in which you live...We do have the capacity to make this generation one of those generations that changes the course of humankind. The stakes have never been higher."

US Secretary of Energy Doctor Steven Chu was amongst the first scientists tapped by President Obama to serve in the administration. However, Chu's political engagement had begun before the 2008 Presidential Election cycle, when an organization called Science Debate 2008 entreated Democratic and Republican candidates to engage in a national debate on science issues.

As a sign of the times, faith trumped science in the public arena. Science Debate 2008 chased the candidates throughout the campaign season. During the run-up to the Pennsylvania primary, Obama and Clinton put their campaign markers down on a faith-based conversation instead, which McCain (not renowned for his position on faith) declined. In a last ditch effort to establish a conversation, Science Debate 2008 acquiesced to receive written responses from the final majority party candidates, Obama and McCain, to questions that only glazed the topic on which environmentalists and scientists craved to vet candidates. Ironically, the Green Party, largely seen as the environmentalist party, was shut out despite efforts to get one of its Presidential candidates, Kent Mesplay, Ph.D., an environmental scientist in on the debate.

In a Parallel Universe, Climate Change Matters

noreply@blogger.com (Babette Hogan) — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 09:11:00 PDT

"SPECIAL EDITION" NEW YORK POST from The Yes Men on Vimeo.

"WE'RE SCREWED": MEDIA HEIST BLANKETS CITY WITH "SPECIAL EDITION" NEW YORK POST

Tabloid Tells Truth About Climate Change and How It Will Affect City, World

Early this morning, nearly a million New Yorkers were stunned by the appearance of a "special edition" New York Post blaring headlines that their city could face deadly heat waves, extreme flooding, and other lethal effects of global warming within the next few decades. The most alarming thing about it: the news came from an official City report.

Distributed by over 2000 volunteers throughout New York City, the paper has been created by The Yes Men and a coalition of activists as a wake-up call to action on climate change. It appears one day before a UN summit where Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon will push 100 world leaders to make serious commitments to reduce carbon emissions in the lead-up to the Copenhagen climate conference in December. Ban has said that the world has "less than 10 years to halt (the) global rise in greenhouse gas emissions if we are to avoid catastrophic consequences for people and the planet," adding that Copenhagen is a "once-in-a-generation opportunity."

Although the 32-page New York Post is a fake, everything in it is 100% true, with all facts carefully checked by a team of editors and climate change experts.

"This could be, and should be, a real New York Post," said Andy Bichlbaum of the Yes Men. "Climate change is the biggest threat civilization has ever faced, and it should be in the headlines of every paper, every day until we solve the problem."

The fake Post's cover story ("We're Screwed") reports the frightening conclusions of a blue-ribbon panel of scientists commissioned by the mayor's office to determine the potential effects of climate change on the City. That report was released in February of this year, but received very little press at the time. Other lead articles describe the Pentagon's alarmed response to global warming

("Clear & Present Disaster"), the U.S. government's sadly minuscule response to the crisis ("Congress Cops Out on Climate"), China's alternative energy program ("ChinaÕs Green Leap Forward Overtakes U.S."), and how if the US doesn't quickly pass a strong climate bill, the crucial Copenhagen climate talks this December could be a "Flopenhagen."

Another ad promotes civil disobedience, encouraging readers to visit http://BeyondTalk.net and pledge to risk arrest in a planned global action November 30, just before the conference in Copenhagen.

"We need strong action on climate change," said David Solnit of Mobilization for Climate Justice West, one of the partners in BeyondTalk.net. "But history shows that leaders act only when people take to the streets to demand it. That's what needs to happen now."

This paper is one of 2500 initiatives taking place in more than 130 countries as a response to the "Global Wake-up Call" on climate change. For more information, visit www.tcktcktck.org/wakeup

"Awakening the Dreamer" Symposium Stirs Up Faith in Future

noreply@blogger.com (Babette Hogan) — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 20:23:00 PDT

Awakening the Dreamer Symposium Trailer from Pachamama Alliance on Vimeo.

The Pachamama Alliance, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting a spiritual path that embraces environmental sustainability and social justice, continues itsw series of international symposiums introducing a new video in Ocotber. These meetings held all over the world lead people in a conversation about personal choices and its impact on our environment.

From the "Awakening the Dreamer" Website:

In the mid-1990's, through a mysterious set of circumstances, a group of North Americans visited a remote and intact group of indigenous people - the Achuar - located deep in the Amazonian region of Ecuador.

This relationship that was to become The Pachamama Alliance, was actually initiated by the indigenous elders and shamans themselves who, out of their deep concern for the growing threat to their ancient way of life, and their recognition that the roots of this threat lay far beyond their rainforest home, actively sought the partnership of committed individuals living in the modern world.
From the beginning, our indigenous partners have reminded us that one of the most powerful actions that can be taken in support of the rainforest and its inhabitants is to “change the dream of the North,” since it is our dream—our desires and appetites—that is driving the destruction of the rainforests around the world. Ultimately, to assure the long-term survival of our rainforests, and indeed of the natural world and even ourselves, we need to address the core values and ways of seeing the world that are deeply imbedded in our modern worldview.

For events in your area, go to Awakening the Dreamer.

Van Jones Says We Should All Stand Up and be A**holes

noreply@blogger.com (Babette Hogan) — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 09:25:00 PDT

Van Jones, Barack Obama's czar of green jobs, handed in his resignation on a quiet Labor Day weekend, on the eve of two of President Obama's speeches, after talk show host Glenn Beck targeted the civil rights activist for attention.

Jones, an eloquent and charismatic spokesperson who, last year alone, won high profile recognition as one of Times magazine 100 most influential people, considered himself "radical" as a young man. Since then, he adopted a pro-capitalist perspective focused on elevating the working-class poor through the employment in green jobs. Then, in 2004, Jones, along with many other Progressives, signed a petition calling for a public investigation of the events of 9/11. The controversy regarding the petition surrounds the 9/11 Truthers, considered broadly to be a conspiracy group who suspect a degree of federal administration culpability in the attacks of that fateful September.

Using these elements of Jone's life, Beck, with McCarthian hysteria, decried Obama for having "invited" a "radical" "Communist" into the White House. To those of us leaning towards progressive values, terms like "radical," "communist," and "socialist" are not scary, but a part of the glossary of words, including "libertarianism" "patriotism" and "capitalism" with which we can evaluate a government's responsiveness to its people.

In this report, The Young Turks, a progressive news/op ed channel, air a "controversial" piece of video which Fox News and Beck has used to hammer Jones' reputation. While at a public forum, a progressive in the audience asked Jones why Republicans were able to see their policies enacted but Democrats were not able to assert their policies despite holding the majority power in the two houses as well as the executive. Jones' asserted that the Republican party gets its policies through by sheer brute force that Progressives have to stand unyeildingly and that a man named Barack Hussein Obama could not do that for them. He called the Republicans a dirty word but also applied the same term to himself and suggested that we all toughen up.

Referring to the wailing Republicans, Young Turk host, Cenk Uygur said "They're not interested in being polite."

Brave New Nation presents this background interview of Carl Pope, Executive Director of the Sierra Club and Van Jones at the Ella Baker Center. Jones describes the fight he pursues as "not left vs. right but right vs. wrong."

references:
Huffington Post: "Thank you Glenn Beck"
Fox News: "Obama 'Green Jobs' Adviser Van Jones Resigns Amid Controversy"

Trolling the White House Garden

noreply@blogger.com (Babette Hogan) — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 11:04:00 PDT

This new video segment of Inside the White House features a follow-up story on the White House garden, the first garden of its kind on the grounds since Eleanor Roosevelt's minimalistic yet symbolic "Victory Garden."

The first Lady describes why this attention to food production is meaningful. "The garden is really an important introduction to what I hope will be a new way to how the country thinks about food...and I also want to encourage people to think about doing more family meals," Mrs. Obama says. "We've found that we've been able to do that, and part of the message is that if the President of the United States can sit down with his family and have dinner, hopefully more families find the time to do the same thing."

Back in April, when the First Lady announced that she was going to break ground on an organic garden, big-Ag shovelled considerable criticism her way for highlighting the local and pesticide-free choice rather than celebrating "conventional" farming practices which utilizes crop protection technologies, allowing us to prosper.

In a letter sent by Mid-America CropLife Association (MACA), an organization that represents producers of crop protection technologies, to Mrs. Obama and, by extension, to us, we are asked to consider, amongst other things, the great value modern agriculatural practices like the March delivery of California strawberries to the mid-West. While it is wonderful that we have plentiful crops in America and still have a capacity to ship around the nation (unlike Kenya and Afghanistan this year for example), all is not well with our conventional use of chemicals nor our dependence on their transport for sustainable living, particularly during a regional, state or national catastrophe.

With her first White House summer literally under her belt, Michelle Obama still takes heat for her organic choice from trolls in the comment sections of articles such as this Huffington Post one. One commenter even takes a crack at Van Jones, who appears nowhere in the article but has been recently called out as a "Communist" by right-wing drummer Glenn Beck. I'm sure that we will see something coming from Big-Ag soon in response to this latest episode of "Life at the Whitehouse."

references:
Times Online: Big Agriculture takes umbrage at Mrs Obama's organic garden, April 22, 2009
Solve Climate: Solving Kenya's Food Crisis One Indigenous Crop at a Time, Sept. 2, 2009
World Focus: One third of Afghans at Risk of Hunger, Malnutrition
Organic Consumers: USDA says Biotech Compatible with Organic