occupyarkansas - Tumblr blog

[occupyarkansas]

These Arkansas cities will join hundreds of cities around the world in protesting US intervention in Syria.

Please join the one closest to you and make your voices heard.  The people do not want this war.

Mountain Home https://www.facebook.com/events/1408985362657649/

Little Rock ( https://www.facebook.com/events/622549261098670/)

Fayetteville ( https://www.facebook.com/events/561567937235638/?refid=54

[occupyarkansas]

A very incomplete list of rallies on August 31st against US intervention in Syria.

St. Louis, MO: https://www.facebook.com/events/509611722446791

PORTLAND, OR: https://www.facebook.com/events/323218307823420/

SALT LAKE CITY, UT https://www.facebook.com/events/1409460149276144/

SEATTLE, WA: https://www.facebook.com/events/652372694787638/

DENVER, CO: https://www.facebook.com/events/506703812739032/

OAKLAND, CA: https://www.facebook.com/events/403287799771789/

SALT LAKE CITY, UT https://www.facebook.com/events/1409460149276144/

SAN JOSE, CA: https://www.facebook.com/events/590167581029342/

CHARLOTTE: https://www.facebook.com/events/1408133369405180/

LITTLE ROCK, AR: https://www.facebook.com/events/622549261098670/

COLUMBUS, OH: https://www.facebook.com/groups/212920022203108/

SPRINGFIELD, OH: https://www.facebook.com/events/1409951602560340/

BUFFALO, NY: https://www.facebook.com/events/222845624537602/

San Francisco Bay Area. https://www.facebook.com/events/223736014449060/

Cleveland, Ohio https://www.facebook.com/events/184403395073243/

Menifee, CA https://www.facebook.com/events/568565469871271/

Grand Rapids Michigan https://www.facebook.com/events/416006291844788/

Mumbai, India https://www.facebook.com/events/397383013724329/

FRESNO, CA (1) https://www.facebook.com/events/186697314843916/

Fresno, CA (2) https://www.facebook.com/events/151287675080037/

Detroit Michigan https://www.facebook.com/events/496223563804562/

Cleveland, OH https://www.facebook.com/events/184403395073243/184773868369529/?notif_t=event_mall_reply

Ann Arbor Michigan https://www.facebook.com/events/502307436525659/

Kalamazoo Michigan https://www.facebook.com/events/158518751018642/?ref=br_tf

New Orleans Louisiana https://www.facebook.com/events/158518751018642/?ref=br_tf

Athens Greece https://www.facebook.com/events/160811104116473/

fayetteville Arkansas https://www.facebook.com/events/561567937235638/?refid=54

Boston MA https://www.facebook.com/events/1417584815119642/?

Huntington https://www.facebook.com/events/338271296307105/?ref=ts&fref=ts

Springfield, Missouri https://www.facebook.com/events/218380474995876/?ref=ts&fref=ts

Australia: Brisbane https://www.facebook.com/events/568428266527532/?ref=ts&fref=ts

London https://www.facebook.com/events/163267130532010/

FORT WORTH: https://www.facebook.com/events/510197189062404/ & https://www.facebook.com/events/503891873030349/

AUSTIN: https://www.facebook.com/events/190453154459560/

LA  https://www.facebook.com/events/404701396296159/

Bowling Green Kentucky https://www.facebook.com/events/1382122105350086/?context=create

NYC https://www.facebook.com/events/504830419598780/

Des Moines Iowa https://www.facebook.com/events/223133441172903/?ref=3

[occupyarkansas]

An Open Letter To All Activists.

Stop talking shit about other activists! None of us have it all figured out, but the common thread between our souls is that we all care deeply for the future of this fucked up world. We have to stop worrying about how wrong others are and start worrying about how wrong we are.  We have to stop pointing out others flaws and start looking at our own. We are alienating and dividing ourselves from our only hope for a better world, each other.

Stop bemoaning the things other people care about.  You don't have to be passionate about LGBT Rights or Civil Rights to respect that others are.  How can we expect others to fight for the things we care deeply about if we're busy telling them that the things they care about don't matter?

Have discussions not arguments, be accepting of the differences in our ideologies.  As I said earlier, none of us have it all figured out, we're all at least partially wrong in our world views.

Don't get sucked into ridiculous drama and infighting. Step back, breathe, and focus that energy on the things that matter.

Divide and rule (or divide and conquer) is a strategy that breaks up existing power structures and prevents smaller power groups from linking up.  This has been a political strategy for as long as political strategy has existed. The government doesn't have to divide us though, we're doing it for them. Stop it!

Start loving, listening, and accepting your brothers and sisters in this struggle.  It is our jobs to lift each other up, not drag each other down.

Positive Energy!

[occupyarkansas]

The Story of The Cleveland 4

The Cleveland 4 are Occupy Cleveland activists who were arrested on May 1st, 2012, accused of plotting a series of bombings, including an area bridge after the FBI, working with an informant, created the scheme, produced the explosives, and coerced the four into participating. We’ve likely all read the media reports of the incident but the following is a beautiful and sad first hand account from a lovely young lady who was close to all involved.

"When I first got to Occupy Cleveland, I had never been around any sort of Activism. I had never seen it. I sat by for a few hours toting a Guy Fawkes mask, hardly even knowing what it represented. I had the vaguest of ideas. I watched what I had come to learn to be a GA. I learned the lingo, the hand signs. *Twinkle Fingers!* I came out of my shell and stopped being afraid to speak. I had found my voice. A home. Something I loved doing. I fell in love.

At first I had a small tent and shared it with friends. We were evicted in less than a month. Then I spent months living in an 8’x10’ tent in public square, living off of semi-frozen cans of beats and donated food from local restaurants. I don’t think I’ll ever eat Auntie Annes again. We warmed up food on a steam grate while also using it to keep away frost bite.

For a while we had an office space. It didn’t last long, but it was a place to calm down and brush my hair without being in a mall bathroom. A few months later, we got a warehouse. We built small rooms in it. We made a kitchen. We made it our own little “Anarchist Commune”, which was more of a big cement room filled with people who had never lived on their own. It was our home. Many of the Occupy Cleveland members who covered most of the tent shifts lived there. We split up shifts at the tent and the warehouse was where we would rest and find our sanity. Some of the shifts felt like we were stranded on an island, forgotten. We counted the minutes until Kathy brought breakfast or waiting for the next occupier to arrive and relieve us. Our shifts were eight hours but they often ended up being longer. We were fighting for something though, right? Surely it had to affect something. We wanted to change the world.

I fell in love around this time. I had finally decided to date for the first time in a year. Brandon was one of the most amazing people I had ever met. He was sweet and the kindest boy I knew. We did tent shifts together, took care of one another, and traveled together. He kept me safe from getting arrested in St. Louis. He kept me away from danger so I could live stream. We would stay up all night hanging with everyone back at the warehouse. Among them was Connor, Skelly, and Tony. Doug came over sometimes, too, but he had a job. He had met Shaq. It wasn’t long before Shaq had conned the other boys to work for him as well. They were so excited. Doug once told me that he had finally found a father figure and he had never been so happy in his life. He spoke of how cool this guy was. I was so happy for all of them. They had found jobs when none of us could.

For a while Brandon found another job. He ended up not being able to make quota, though, so he went back to working for Shaq, coming home with fiber glass, paint and splinters all over. I imagine gutting houses wasn’t the best of jobs, but they were proud.

Their boss had even given them a house, rent free, as long as they fixed it up. They were still at the warehouse a lot, though. Soon, we were trying to plan for Heart fest. We had a vision of this awesome Occupy event to bring the community together. The city didn’t exactly make it easy for us, but we tried our best. There would not be a huge turn out. The last day of the Heart Fest would be May 1st. We planned to have a huge rally at First Energy. I was going to live stream the event. We spent night after night painting and sewing banners. I went to bed early the night before to get rest before the rally. Everyone was paranoid that there was going to be cops and that they were going to raid the warehouse! I thought it was funny. Why would they worry about a bunch of punk kids sitting on the sidewalk holding signs? I figured they hardly knew that we existed. Anyone that thought someone was an undercover, I deemed paranoid. I didn’t know how wrong I was.

I remember that night so well. I remember not being able to reach Brandon. I had some “rearrange the warehouse” brilliant idea. I was gone all day, so I didn’t get to see him. I got home around 11pm. It was quiet and emptier than was usual. I figured everyone ran off for a party. I sat up for an hour or so trying to get hold of Brandon through Josh and Connor. Neither answered. I found Brandon’s tobacco, cigarettes, and his phone at the warehouse. I got a little worried. It was weird, but I hoped he wasn’t too far.

At 9am my phone started ringing over and over. I forced myself out of bed and answered, thinking I had over slept. It seemed no one else was awake yet. The warehouse was silent.

"Juss. Are you awake? Are you ok? Did you hear?"

I’m not exactly a happy person in the morning. “I’m awake NOW. Whats up? Hear what?” What could be worth robbing me of five more minutes of sleep? I had a long day ahead of me.

"Uhm.. Sit down. Light a smoke or something. This isn’t good. Shit has hit the fan." “Uhhh… Yeah just.. Give me a sec.” I propped myself up in bed and fumbled through my pack for my smokes. I thanked the universe for having rolled them the night before. “The boys got arrested. Brandon, Josh, Tony, Connor, and Doug. They’re in jail.” “Haha. Oh shit. What did they do? Get caught spray painting? Public intox? Fuck!” “Juss.. It’s some huge shit. I wouldn’t be surprised if the cops show up at the warehouse. There was an article put out a few hours ago. They tried to blow up a bridge” All I could muster was a few vulgar phrases. I got off the phone and screamed. I screamed and screamed and then did all I could do. I sobbed. I curled up in my bed and sobbed. They had stolen my boys. They were gone. Kidnapped.

That was the first we heard. They had been arrested for hours and no one called to check in on us or let us know. Then, we cleaned the warehouse a bit, terrified someone had maybe left a joint out or something. We did anything we could to prepare for the raid we figured would be coming.

My phone started ringing from reporters. It had slipped out that I knew them; that I was dating Brandon. I ignored every call. What could I say? It didn’t seem real. There was absolutely no way they would blow anything up. They wouldn’t hurt anyone. It was like a nightmare that I couldn’t wake from.

People started filtering in and out of the warehouse. Someone dropped off Subway. I couldn’t eat. I felt like my insides were made of sludge. Sick to my stomach, I didn’t want anything but nicotine. Someone else showed up and handed me a lawyers number. I wrote it on my leg in case something happened and I couldn’t access my phone. A reporter showed up but didn’t stay long. Hardly anyone was there and no one felt like talking to them.

We would be raided soon, right? How do you deem a group of people “terrorists” and not search their home? They never showed up. The raid never came. I was dating Brandon. Surely, they would want to talk to me. I had to call my family to explain it all. To tell them that, if, for some reason, I got arrested, I would be ok. I didn’t do anything, I didn’t even know. I didn’t think it was real. I was afraid to go home. I didn’t want the police showing up and traumatizing my little brothers.

I still waited for the police. They would want to talk to Brandon’s girlfriend if they thought he was a terrorist, right? No, they knew how made up it was. They knew there wasn’t anything suspect at the warehouse because the terrorists didn’t exist.

I stayed at my friends the first night. I couldn’t sleep. I kept trying to text the boys over and over, hoping on some off chance that it was all just a nightmare and they would reply “Hey! We’ll be home soon!” It never happened. Someone dropped a cup and I almost jumped out of my skin.

The next day I read the affidavit. It was like a bad movie plot. It was obvious that it was entrapment. The feds had conned the boys into their terrorist plot. They were the culprits here. They caused this. They paid someone to do it. A convicted felon. He targeted innocent kids for their plot. He gave them everything he could to keep them around. Most of these boys had a history of mental health issues. Brandon met Shaq days after a visit to the psychiatric hospital for a suicide attempt. They were chosen because they were easy targets. They are not experienced activists. They are not crazy radicals. They are my boys.

I remember the first day they had court. “All Rise.” As we stood, I heard their chains rattling. It was the most eerie noise I ever heard. It took everything in me to not fall apart. My heart broke more and more as they walked further in.

I later found out they worked Tony over into testifying against the other boys. I’m sure they knew he would be the easiest to turn. He had a long criminal history and he had children. I was sobbing when he testified in court. He stopped for a moment, “I can’t do this.” The federal prosecutors reminded him that there would be repercussions if he didn’t continue. After all they did to him already, they had pulled him in even further. They conned him into “snitching”. He didn’t say much in court, but we found out he had been corroborating with the feds for months leading up to the trial. He belonged to them.

They will always be my boys. I will do everything I can for them. It’s hard to handle being afraid every month that we wont have anything to send for their commissary. Will they get letters? Will anyone visit them? Most of them can’t get visits very often, but I will do what I can for as long as I can. I’ll be there the moment they are “free”. I can’t wait to see their smiling faces.”

-Juss Strehle

If you would like to donate to these 4 you can do so here (https://www.wepay.com/donations/cleveland-4-support) donations are sparsely coming in and 100% of the money goes to stamps, phone calls, food, and anything else they may need.

If you would like to learn more you can do so here (http://www.cleveland4solidarity.org/)

Our love transcends 20-Foot high walls of cement, the memories we share outweigh 10,000 slamming metal doors, And I am not afraid” - Connor Stevens

[occupyarkansas]

Tom Cotton’s Hypocrisy Evident Again

However, it isn’t Cotton’s vote against the measure that’s drawing the most attention—it’s a bizarre statement attempting to justify his vote.

Unfortunately, too many students today struggle for years to repay their loans because Washington politicians dictate student-loan rates and end up hurting students and taxpayers alike. It’s causing tuition costs to skyrocket, leaving students buried in debt, often without jobs, and forced to delay buying a home and starting a family. As students struggle to repay their loans—regardless of the interest rate—taxpayers are on the hook for a $100 billion bailout—a burden hard-working Arkansans shouldn’t have to bear. A better path is to repeal Obamacare, which nationalized the student-loan business, and let Arkansas’s hometown banks work with students and families to finance higher education, just as they do with homes, farms, businesses, and other loans. I’m committed to bringing affordable higher education to every Arkansan and ending the federal-government monopoly on the student-lending business.

So, lets try to get this logic straight.

Cotton voted against lowering student loan interest rates because of Obamacare? Yes, the Affordable Care Act eliminated the roundabout system in which the federal government subsidized private insurers to issue student loans, generating approximately $61 billion in savings for the federal government.

That said, there are two major problems with Cotton’s logic.

First, saying that the federal government shouldn’t be involved in student loans is a fundamentally different issue then saying the interest rates should be artificially raised on students. By intertwining these two arguments, Cotton is engaging in a classic non-sequitur fallacy.

Second, Cotton is also wrong on the merits. The Washington Post looked at the same argument—advanced this time by Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN)—that the federal government is footing students with the bill for Obamacare. It rated the argument 4 Pinocchio’s, the lowest rating it can give, saying that “the entire frame of Alexander’s argument is bogus.”

Read More Here: http://tinyurl.com/l58qnba

[occupyarkansas]

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has called President Barack Obama's announcement of plans to limit sweeping US government surveillance programmes a "victory of sorts" for fugitive former spy agency contractor Edward Snowden.

"Today, the President of the United States validated Edward Snowden's role as a whistleblower by announcing plans to reform America's global surveillance program," Assange said in a statement on Saturday referring to Obama's announcement a day earlier.

[occupyarkansas]

Contaminated groundwater accumulating under the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant has risen 60cm above the protective barrier, and is now freely leaking into the Pacific Ocean, the plant’s operator TEPCO has admitted.

The Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), which is responsible for decommissioning the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, on Saturday said the protective barriers that were installed to prevent the flow of toxic water into the ocean are no longer coping with the groundwater levels.

°jw°

[occupyarkansas]

Proof that congress is bought and sold.

The numbers tell the story — in votes and dollars. On July 24th, the House voted 217 to 205 not to rein in the NSA’s phone-spying dragnet. It turns out that those 217 “no” voters received twice as much campaign financing from the defense and intelligence industry as the 205 “yes” voters.

That’s the upshot of a new analysis by MapLight, a Berkeley-based non-profit that performed the inquiry at WIRED’s request. The investigation shows that defense cash was a better predictor of a member’s vote on the Amash amendment than party affiliation. House members who voted to continue the massive phone-call-metadata spy program, on average, raked in 122 percent more money from defense contractors than those who voted to dismantle it.

Read More: http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2013/07/money-nsa-vote/

[occupyarkansas]

More info here: http://tinyurl.com/kpvtb3p

*remember remember*

[occupyarkansas]

America leads the developed world in LOW WAGE jobs by a long shot! In Belgium it’s 4%! Share your story!

Call your Congressional Rep today (contact info below) and demand they support H.R. 1010, The Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2013.

Read more here: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505144_162-57415828/research-shows-the-us-is-a-low-wage-country/

Sen. John Boozman (202) 224-4843 Twitter: @johnboozman Email: www.boozman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/e-mail-me

Sen Mark Pryor (202) 224-2353 Twitter: @senmarkpryor Email: www.pryor.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=ContactMe

REPRESENTATIVES

By district

1st — Rep. Eric “Rick” Crawford Phone: (202) 225-4076 Email: http://crawford.house.gov/contact/ Twitter: @RepRickCrawford

2nd — Rep. Tim Griffin Phone: (202) 225-2506 Email: https://griffin.house.gov/contact-me/email-me Twitter: @RepTimGriffin

3rd — Rep. Steve Womack Phone: (202) 225-4301 Email: http://womack.house.gov/contact Twitter: @rep_stevewomack

4th — Rep. Tom Cotton Phone:202-225-3772 Email:https://cotton.house.gov/contact/email-me Twitter:@RepTomCotton

[occupyarkansas]

The risk of death from childbirth is about 14 times higher than that from abortion.

Raymond EG and Grimes DA, The comparative safety of legal induced abortion and childbirth in the United States, Obstetrics and Gynecology, 2012, 119(2):215–219. via Guttmacher Institute (via actualfactsaboutabortion)

[occupyarkansas]

How cool would it be to live in a world where George Zimmerman offered Trayvon Martin a ride home to get him out of the rain that night?

-Nick Surkamp

[occupyarkansas]

One child, one teacher, one pen and one book can change the world.  

Education is the only solution.

Education First.

[occupyarkansas]

[occupyarkansas]

Fayetteville Community Radio is inviting your involvement in working with their Creative Committee to determine FCR’s identity and to develop a comprehensive branding and promotional campaign.

TIME and TALENT are of the ESSENCE

Advisory Board Nominations requested by Friday, July 12 to faycomradio@gmail.com

Creative Committee Meeting -- Sunday, July 14 at 2 p.m. at The Omni Center

General Community Radio Meeting -- Monday, July 15 at 7 p.m. at The Omni Center

They welcome interested professionals in the advertising, marketing and social media industries to serve as a volunteer Advisory Board. If you or someone you know has professional experience in these areas, please suggest individual professionals or companies you recommend, or express your personal willingness to serve on the Advisory Board of the Creative Committee.

NOTE: Please REPLY only to faycomradio@gmail.com .

OR for more information please call Joe Newman 479-236-1676 or Dawn Jones 479-236-5241

Campaign elements will include: logo design; brand elements; copywriting; web site design and maintenance; multimedia public service / public information and social media campaigns; production; public relations and media coordination.

It’s a Creative way to be of service to your community. And a wonderful chance to be part of the foundation of Fayetteville Community Radio!

Here are the links to the Facebook Events. Please "Join" if you intend to attend!

https://www.facebook.com/events/539996226061187/

https://www.facebook.com/events/174430949395361/

°jw°

[occupyarkansas]

In the name of God, The Most Beneficent, The Most Merciful.

Honourable UN Secretary General Mr Ban Ki-moon,

Respected President General Assembly Vuk Jeremic

Honourable UN envoy for Global education Mr Gordon Brown,

Respected elders and my dear brothers and sisters;

Today, it is an honour...

[occupyarkansas]

The most accurate map of the Pegasus pipelines path through Arkansas.

All credit for this tedious work of mapping it goes to William Huston.