Glenwood Green Acres, Philadelphia

The commons is resources that are owned in common or shared between or among communities populations. These resources are said to be “held in common” and can include everything from natural resources and common land to software. The commons contains public property and private property, over which people have certain traditional rights. In some areas the process by which commonly held property is transformed into private property is termed “enclosure”. – Wikipedia

The Commons is Essential to Our Health, Security & Survival

The commons comprises valuable assets that belong to all of us. This includes clean air and fresh water; national parks and city streets; the Internet and scientific knowledge; ethnic cuisines and hip-hop rhythms; the U.S. Weather Service and blood banks. But it’s more than just things—it’s also the set of relationship that make those things work. When you stop to think about it, most essential elements of our lives exist outside the realm of private property.

The Commons is a Key Ingredient to Human Happiness

Happiness itself is a commons to which everyone should have equal access. That’s the view of Enrique Peñalosa, who is not a starry-eyed idealist given to abstract theorizing. He’s actually a politician, who as mayor of Bogotá, Colombia enacted ambitious plans to provide poor people with first-rate government services and pleasant public places.

“The least a democratic society should do,” he continues, “is to offer people wonderful public spaces. Public spaces are not a frivolity. They are just as important as hospitals and schools. They create a sense of belonging. This creates a different type of society—a society where people of all income levels meet in public space is a more integrated, socially healthier one.”

The Commons Needs Our Help. Here’s What You Can Do.

Start by noticing the commons all around you. This includes valuable assets we all need like ambulance service and the protection of watersheds. It also means recognizing the way people work together for the common good, such as Wikipedia or volunteer community groups.The next step is to start talking about all that we share and how we share it. From there, it becomes natural to claim the commons, challenging threats to the common good in your community and around the world. After that you’re ready to strengthen and expand the commons in many capacities as a neighbor, citizen, activist, voter, parent, artist or social entrepreneur.

Worth a complete read at the Energy Bulletin: 12 reasons youll be hearing more about the Commons in 2012.

Yes, this knowledge will upset you. But to turn away is to turn a blind eye to rape and murder. Though indirectly, we are responsible.

What we can — must — do is to help hold industry accountable and demand they end direct support of these abuses that include daily kidnapping, rape and murder.

Robin Wright recently visited eastern Congo with the organization Raise Hope for Congo, and is now back and asking companies to quit using conflict minerals.

Conflict minerals like tin, gold, tantalum and tungsten that are found in our cell phones, televisions, cameras and computers are incredibly valuable and fuel greed, corruption and violence in the region.

According to Wright and Raise Hope for Congo, the area is the worst place on earth to be a woman. She told Chelsea Handler last night, “Every 48 minutes a woman is being raped in and around these mines and it’s been going on for about six years, and nobody knows about it.”

WATCH: Robin Wright Campaigns Against Conflict Minerals | Ecorazzi.

Enough is enough. Change is possible – if we act. How You Can Help:  Take Action | RAISE Hope for Congo.

YOU MUST WATCH & SHARE. EVEN IF YOU DON’T CONSIDER YOURSELF “POLITICAL”. DO YOU CONSIDER YOURSELF A CITIZEN PROTECTED BY THE U.S. CONSTITUTION?

This isn’t some conspiracy theory. It’s REAL and it’s NOW. There’s no “might happen” if the current bill okaying these types of actions becomes law. It IS happening. The U.N. is even finally getting involved, to ask the US government about the human/civil rights abuses in response to Occupy. Yeah, I’m not crazy. This sh*t makes me and others feel crazy, though. I mean, who really thought this could happen here? >>>

This ex-Marine was unlawfully arrested (cuffed first, then falsely accused of jaywalking) at Occupy LA on November 25th. Before releasing him the police (one officer was a marine — huh?!?) threatened him with life imprisonment and with harm to his family.

“They advised me to leave and if I didn’t I would never see the light of day again.

One of the officers was a Marine. He told me that they would allow me to go free as long as i would never return. And they said if I do return, something will happen to my family.

The officer showed me a picture of my son, which I’ve never seen before. It’s not one that I know of, anybody that I know took it.

And at that point I was really scared; I wasn’t sure what to do; I just complied with everything they said. I told them that I was gonna leave right away — they wouldn’t see me again. Whatever I can say to basically let me go so I can find out to see if my family’s okay.”

He continues, then gives his name and DOB in case something happens to him, because our government is capable of making people disappear: Michael Lazlee (sp?). DOB 11-16-85. (I have kids this age. I have grand kids. Could this happen to them, to me, to you and yours? Yes, it can.)

Continual coverage at Occupation TV: http://occupationtv.tumblr.com/

First let me just say that Lindsey Graham is a raging lunatic:

“The enemy is all over the world. Here at home. And when people take up arms against the United States and [are] captured within the United States, why should we not be able to use our military and intelligence community to question that person as to what they know about enemy activity?” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said.

“They should not be read their Miranda Rights. They should not be given a lawyer,” Graham said. “They should be held humanely in military custody and interrogated about why they joined al Qaeda and what they were going to do to all of us.”

Okay, now…

THANK GOODNESS & SANITY:

A White House official said the administration stands by the veto threat. “We take this very, very seriously,” the official said.

But I would also add to this uproar over detaining American citizens:

We should not limit due process to US citizens. Everyone should be able to face their accusers and the evidence against them. We can’t choose which humans are allowed human rights and decide unilaterally not to abide by the Geneva Conventions.

Most Americans – including me until very recently – aren’t aware that most of the Guantánamo prisoners – some of whom are still being held without hope for ever receiving a trial (let alone a fair one) and seeing their families again – were innocents captured by the opportunistic warlords of the Northern Alliance in Afghanistan, who were paid a bounty of up to $5000 per head by the US. The warlords packed them like sardines in unbearably hot, metal shipping containers. Some of those who were lucky enough to survive this were then taken, blindfolded and shackled onto US military transport planes, where they were shackled belly-down and had to lay in their own urine and feces. All this before the actual torture by US military personnel at Guantánamo began – both physical and mental.

Is your heart breaking yet at our savagery? Yes, mine too — shattered. We Americans can claim no moral high ground while this continues.

While nearly all Americans head to family and friends to celebrate Thanksgiving, the Senate is gearing up for a vote on Monday or Tuesday that goes to the very heart of who we are as Americans. The Senate will be voting on a bill that will direct American military resources not at an enemy shooting at our military in a war zone, but at American citizens and other civilians far from any battlefield — even people in the United States itself.

Senators need to hear from you, on whether you think your front yard is part of a “battlefield” and if any president can send the military anywhere in the world to imprison civilians without charge or trial.

If enacted, sections 1031 and 1032 of the NDAA would:

1) Explicitly authorize the federal government to indefinitely imprison without charge or trial American citizens and others picked up inside and outside the United States;

(2) Mandate military detention of some civilians who would otherwise be outside of military control, including civilians picked up within the United States itself; and

(3) Transfer to the Department of Defense core prosecutorial, investigative, law enforcement, penal, and custodial authority and responsibility now held by the Department of Justice.

Read more, act and share: Senators Demand the Military Lock Up American Citizens in a “Battlefield” They Define as Being Right Outside Your Window » Blog of Rights: Official Blog of the American Civil Liberties Union.

ACLU: Urge your Senators to oppose sections 1031 and 1032 of the Defense Authorization bill. http://bit.ly/t75mu7

Submit Questions & Comments | The White House http://1.usa.gov/vJOILu

EMERGENCY: This happens Monday or Tuesday, everyone! Your Senators and the President need to hear from you NOW about this assault on our Constitutionally protected rights – on our democracy. Please, no matter where you stand on other issues, you MUST ACT NOW. Spread the word. Keep America free.

Here in Dallas, TX, there were a few actions. M and I participated in a N17 solidarity action organized by MoveOn.org to protest cuts to Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security (pics below). We got lots of supporting honks and thumbs up from drivers by. Only a few party poopers. One was a DISD school bus driver, though, which surprised us. On Tuesday, we’ll help deliver a petition pleading to save Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and other important programs for working people and retirees, to Representative Jeb Hensarling’s office. Hensarling (R-Texas) is the Republican co-chair of the Super Committee.

Occupy Oakland moves to a new location.
The video made me cry. Joyful peace breaking out as Occupy Oakland moved to a new location. Only a few folks stayed the whole night and camp was cleared by police the next morning. A people’s victory, nonetheless.

Bad that ended much better: Police pepper-sprayed peaceful UC Davis students. Read the account of how it got a whole lot worse from there. But then watch the video all the way through. At about the 6:00 min mark, you’ll see the cops looking around at each other trying to determine what to do next. Then they start raising weapons and pointing them at protesters. “Mic check!” rings out from the crowd and the people’s mic is used to inform police they will give them a brief moment to reconsider their actions and leave. That they (the students) will not follow. Then they chant, “you can go, you can go, you can go!” And the police slowly retreat. I got so choked up watching this. This is what we must do. Stand up to it, call it out, reclaim our rights and our democracy.

Since then: After a huge public outcry, the offending officers have been suspended. Truly, criminal and civil charges should be filed against them. The resignation of the university’s chancellor has also been called for.

Police Pepper Spray Peaceful UC Davis Students
Don’t forget to watch ALL the way through for the really good stuff

Sens. Bernie Sanders, Barbara A. Mikulski, Ben Cardin and Rosa DeLauro spoke at a rally at the U.S. Senate, urging the Super Committee to protect Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. From Sanders’ speech:
Hands Off Social Security

In New York City, where it all started here at home two months ago, tens of thousands (an estimated 30K+) of Occupy Wall Street protesters took to the streets and filled the Brooklyn Bridge. To cap it all off, a huge “Bat Signal” for the 99% was projected onto the Verizon Building. Watch:
Occupy Wall Street 99% Spotlight Signal #N17 #OWS #OccupyEverything

Seems right to wrap up with this video that a dear friend and Oakland Occupier shared on Facebook:
The Revolution Is Love

My response to “Protestor Accused of Assaulting Cop Now Accused of Punching a Fellow Occupier”, Dallas News – Unfair Park, by Robert Wilonsky Wed., Nov. 16 2011. (Note that Dallas Police dropped the assault charges when video proof surfaced that the cop was the one who did the assaulting.)

Bizarre. More details will surely out, but the actions Benavides describes in his letter would explain a lot of things. Many of us Occupy Dallas supporters have been very frustrated as we’ve tried to figure out where the heck to be, when and what for. We’ve donated goods and tried to talk with occupiers on-site, always leaving exasperated at the shoulder shrugging and even one woman’s condescending “You want to help? Oh, that’s so cool.” (Really?? We’d walked, carried signs and shouted with 150+ others for hours already. F-U.) Getting answers to our questions, even on behalf of others who’ve wanted to donate but couldn’t figure out how, has been an exercise in futility. There’s been no response to the allegations of open drug and alcohol use in the OD camp, mentioned in their own lawyer’s statement to them outside Dallas City Hall (there’s video). Their lawyer also says he didn’t see the fight at the cafe, contradicting OD’s own account on their blog. This is all very disappointing and plays right into the hands of those we’re protesting against. I’m washing my hands of the whole lot of them and leaving them to their games. There’s no time to waste on this stupid sh*t while people continue to suffer. Enough already. This is real life, children, not some video game.