[Poem] There was Earth in them, and they dug. They dug and they dug, and so their Day went by, and their Night. And they did not praise God, who, so they heard, wanted all this, who, so they heard, knew of all this. They dug and they heard nothing more; did not grow wise,… Continue Reading
I am following Tangerine Bolen, and creating a list of people who I am grateful for and who I feel have contributed to our great country this past year. Without their tremendous effort it is likely the freedom we depend on would be greatly diminished. Glenn Greenwald Edward Snowden Alexa O’Brien Daneil Ellsberg Chris Hedges… Continue Reading
I am developing compassion for the frontman. Once he/she recognizes the loathsome role they have been assigned by those who encouraged them, they would be better off not discussing it. For if they perceive their scapegoat is becoming uncomfortable rather than carrying out their task in blissful ignorance, history shows they will likely turn on… Continue Reading
…today, I read an article by John Keane, a professor at the University of Sydney, on his recent lunch with Julian Assange at Equador’s Embassy in London, where Assange has been confined for over 8 months. It was the first time someone took the time to address the strength that can shine through a person targeted and harassed for leaking facts that defy our modern authorities.
This story was something I read years ago. I love the imagery it creates. I thought I would take some time away to venture into the garden. I found it on Google Books, which allows you to embed. Here it is.
Complaints have only ever been a starting point. With this approach, we take one step further and begin to address the community ills. In doing so, we set up a standard for honor and dishonorable behavior at any level of leadership or citizenship.
Journalist Alexa O’Brien, has been targeted by the Obama administration because her work is controversial. She has joined the lawsuit against Obama and Leon Panetta, regarding the NDAA, 1021(b)(2) because her freedom of speech has been impaired and she fears for her safety. In the video below, she reads a statement after a recent hearing… Continue Reading
Below is an interview with former NY Times journalist and Pulitzer Prize winner, Chris Hedges who with other journalists and activists, has filed a lawsuit in NY against President Obama and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta for their bringing into law provision 1021 B2 of the NDAA. This interview occurred after recent oral arguments in the case were heard before the Second Circuit Court of Appeals on February 6, 2012.
Our community resides on a framework of anti-ethics. And until we recognize this, walk away from it, and build something else, where all individuals are respected and graced with honor, we will only be the indentured subjects of the one-eyed man, in the blind kingdom of cruelty and exploitation.
Interview with Daniel Ellsberg and Jake Appelbaum on regarding the NDAA lawsuit. Two part video interview. http://www.democracynow.org/blog/2013/2/6/part_2_daniel_ellsberg_and_jacob_appelbaum_on_the_ndaa_wikileaks_and_unconstitutional_surveillance
A 2011 interview, (below), with Aaron Swartz, hacker and activist. He discusses how the Wall Street Journal is planning their own “leaks” site. Apparently even though the New York Times harshly criticizes Julian Assange and Wikileaks, over 1/2 of all their papers contain source material they obtained from Wikileaks. Swartz was later targeted by the US government, and committed suicide, on January 10, 2013.
This common mechanism in our culture has particulalr significance in the evolving world of social media, where group dynamics rapidly develop opinion through 140 characters of information, (on Twitter). But as Chomsky describes, very few people have the stomach to acknowledge the impact or workings of this industry,even though it is very transparent.
Jesselyn Radack, a former Justice Department attorney and whistleblower, discusses the expanding culture of secrecy in the US government as well as in our most respected institutions, including academia and the press.
As our online life expands we understand the writing of others and identity differently.
Three former US government employees, from the Justice department, and the National Security Agency (NSA), witnessed unethical and illegal actions while employed. They spoke this week at the well known European conference for computer programmers and hackers, the annual Chaos Communication Congress in Hamburg, Germany, (#29c3).