Proposition 8 demonstration in Burlington, Vermont. Nov. 15, 2008

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McCain Campaign headquarters - Video Footage includes:
Angry McCain staff person threatens to arrest me
Interviews with paid volunteers
Central Florida McCain Chairman talks about the McCain campaign's ability to trump the Democrats because they do not have to rely on paid volunteers.

Obama campaign volunteer and community member talks about voter mobilization and the Acorn issue. Video, Sam Mayfield

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Obama communications director talks about voter turn out tactics and addresses what the Obama campaign is doing with all that money they are pumping into Florida. Video, Sam Mayfield

Early voting began October 20th in Florida.
I went to a few polling stations in Central Florida to see the turnout. Video, Sam Mayfield

As of October 1, 2008 the U.S. has a new division of military assigned to keep the country safe and maintain crowd control when necessary. The Army assigned the 3rd Infantry Division’s 1st Brigade Combat Team to duty within the continental United States.

"The 3rd Infantry Division’s 1st Brigade Combat Team has spent 35 of the last 60 months in Iraq patrolling in full battle rattle, helping restore essential services and escorting supply convoys.

Now they’re training for the same mission — with a twist — at home."
More news from the Army Times

After 35 months of training in Iraq, this military branch is now deployed to fight threats in the U.S. such as civil disobedience and massive protests.
This marks the first time an active military unit has been given a dedicated assignment to NorthCom, a joint command established in 2002 to provide command and control for federal homeland defense efforts and coordinate defense support of civil authorities.

The tricky part is that this initiative is in violation of the Posse Comitatus Act which is often cited as a major constraint on the use of the military services to participate in homeland security, counter terrorism, civil disturbances, and similar domestic duties. This law was created to prohibit the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps from performing any kind of police work or assisting law enforcement agencies to enforce the law.

The 2008 RNC in St. Paul exemplifies that an excessively forceful police presence leads to more violence. The blunt use of force and covert surveillance at the RNC is evidence that the government will take many measures, even preemptive ones, to silence the voices of dissent.

Can someone say Police State? The Government must be planning on huge numbers of people rising up against, take your pick; thousands of homes being foreclosed on while millionaires stay fat and rich, another illegal election process, poor plans to insure a clean energy future, a war with no end in sight, increased media consolidation that allows corporate media to pollute our airwaves and dull our brains, poor health care initiatives, a global political presence that embarrasses us while bullying other countries, further investments in military while a peace economy makes more sense.
You can add to the list of things to be outraged about in the comments section below.

No doubt, we have bigger issues in October 2008 to take on than snowboards with naked women on them.
This line of Burton boards though, is made in our backyard.

Do naked women need to be on snowboards for the ride down the mountain to be fun?
Do young men need to have snowboards with graphics on them that perpetuate the objectification and marginalization of women on them in order to really enjoy their day on the mountain?

Burton is hiding behind the disclaimer that "two professional riders requested these boards" and they are just honoring their requests. Does this mean that if two professional snowboarders requested a line of boards with bloddied women's faces on them that they would honor those requests as well?

Burton Love Series Snowboard Description:
Hi. My name is Love™ and I’m on the market for someone who’s looking to score serious action, no matter where they like to stick it. I enjoy laps through the park; long, hard grinds on my meaty Park Edges followed by a good, hot waxing. Whether you’re hitting it from the front or the back, my mid wide shape, supple flex, and twin tips like it kinky. Keegan and Mikkel love riding me, I hope you will too"

We can enjoy alpine recreation without graphic photos and violent language.

Call or email Burton at info@burton.com, 1-877-313-1977, to say this product line should be pulled, that it is offensive and is totally unnecessary.

October is DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AWARENESS MONTH. We can send a message to Burton that their boards and their entire Love line perpetuates violence against women and is not tolerated.
The world Health Organizations report on violence against women at
http://www.who.int/gender/violence/en/ . These statistics are real and have direct connections to media, marketing and advertising. To exempt oneself under the cover of creative freedom is lazy and dangerous. When young men are encouraged to be "hitting it from the front or the back," by a company they respect, they can't help but translate that image to the real women and girls in their lives. Bodies of data prove this, our media saturated culture helps build our image of the world around us.

Call or email Burton at info@burton.com, 1-877-313-1977, to say this product line should be pulled, that it is offensive and is unnecessary.

The Machine Gun and The Meeting Table: Bolivian Crisis in a New South America

By Benjamin Dangl
On Monday, September 15, Bolivian President Evo Morales arrived in Santiago, Chile for an emergency meeting of Latin American leaders that convened to seek a resolution to the recent conflict in Bolivia. Upon his arrival, Morales said, "I have come here to explain to the presidents of South America the civic coup d'etat by Governors in some Bolivian states in recent days. This is a coup in the past few days by the leaders of some provinces, with the takeover of some institutions, the sacking and robbery of some government institutions and attempts to assault the national police and the armed forces."

Morales was arriving from his country where the smoke was still rising from a week of right-wing government opposition violence that left the nation paralyzed, at least 30 people dead, and businesses, government and human rights buildings destroyed. During the same week, Morales declared US ambassador in Bolivia Philip Goldberg a "persona non grata" for "conspiring against democracy" and for his alleged ties to the Bolivian opposition. The recent conflict in Bolivia and the subsequent meeting of the heads of state raise the questions: What led to this meltdown? Whose side is the Bolivian military on? And what does the Bolivian crisis and regional reaction tell us about the new power bloc of South American nations?
Full article, photos here: http://upsidedownworld.org/main/content/view/1478/1/

Benjamin Dangl is the author of The Price of Fire: Resource Wars and Social Movements in Bolivia (AK Press), and is the editor of TowardFreedom.com, a progressive perspective on world events, and UpsideDownWorld.org, a website covering activism and politics in Latin America.
Email: BenDangl(at)gmail.com

Republican National Convention 2008

Media workers and activists are being scooped off the streets of in St.Paul, Minneapolis. More than 300 people have been arrested and detained.

8 organizers from the RNC Welcoming Committee, a group of activists facilitating actions around the RNC, have been arrested and face felony charges of "Conspiracy to Riot and Furtherance Terrorism". If found guilty they will face up to 7 1/2 years in prison. The 8 activists were among others arrested when Ramsey county police surrounded a house with M16 rifles and riot gear and proceeded to search and arrest the citizens. The search warrant indicated that they were looking for "bomb making material" such as card board, plastic bottles and twine. Police took laptops, cameras, notepads and other personal belongings.
This is the first such charge ever to be made in Minnesota. Police learned about activities by admittedly spying and infiltrating the group over the past year with an undercover cop and informants posing as a member of the group.


Here is a Copy of Affidavit Used in RNC-WC Raids

The New York City based media group I-Witness has been under watch and harassment of Ramsey county riot cops. Their rented house has been searched twice, their workers have been detained. Police also surrounded their workspace on a bogus claim that hostages were barricaded inside their building. I-Witness acts as a media watchdog for police misconduct towards citizens.

You can watch video of the first preemptive raid here


Philadelphia based Associated Press photographer, Matt Rourke, and three Democracy Now! producers, Nicole Salazar, Sharif Abdel Kouddous, and Amy Goodman are among the many media workers taken off the streets while peacefully doing their job.

You can contact the following offices and demand the immediate release of media workers. Demand that the county attorney's office not press charges against media workers.
Demand that felony charges be dropped for members of the RNC Welcoming Committee.

Chris Coleman, St. Paul Mayor: 651.266.8510
or Chris Rider from Mayor Coleman's office at 651-266-8535
Ramsey County Jail at 651-266-9350 (press extension 0)
Ramsey County Sheriff: 651.487.5149
Ramsey County Attorney Susan Gaertner 651-266-3222

Sign the petition below to make August 6 National Nuclear Disarmament Day and please encourage others to do the same.
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/nucleardisarmamentday

Burlington WILPF, Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, made history on August 6, 2008 in Burlington, Vermont by initiating and observing the first Nuclear Disarmament Day in The US.http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif

We are circulating a petition to Congress to make August 6th a national day of remembrance as Nuclear Disarmament Day

We will be going to Washington, DC on September 15 to lobby and bring the signed petitions to Congress.

Please sign the petition online by clicking on the address below and please encourage others to do the same.
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/nucleardisarmamentday/