Consider the U.S. government's role in:
Vast surveillance of whole populations
The destruction of protections in the Fourth Amendment to the US Constitution
against unreasonable search and seizure are even more extensive than we learned
one year ago. In aMay 2014 interview witih NBC News, Edward
Snowden said the government has
"All of your private records. All of your private communications, all of
your transactions, all of your associations, who you talk to, who you love, what
you buy, what you read, all of these things can be seized and then held by the
government and then searched later for any reason, hardly without any
justification, without any reason, without any real oversight, without any real
accountability for those who do wrong."
Denying women access
to birth control & abortion
 Two
recent Supreme Court decisions have elevated the rights of private corporations
and anti-abortion protesters to discourage women, by refusing insurance coverage
and by direct interference in front of abortion clinics. Sunsara Taylor, of
StopPatriarchy.org, says thatbecause of these rulings,
"Women across this country can be denied the ability to safely and
affordably prevent unplanned pregnancies because of the Dark Ages religious
beliefs of their employers. This will make birth control prohibitively expensive
for huge numbers of women at a time when access to abortion is undergoing record
and ominous restrictions. This comes just days after the Supreme Court struck
down a 'buffer zone' law in Massachusetts that had prevented anti-abortion
fanatics from approaching women within 35 feet of the entrance to an abortion
clinic. That law was passed in the context of hateful and vicious harassment
hurled at women and staff entering abortion clinics, and was enacted in the
immediate wake of the murder of two women working at abortion clinics in
Massachusetts in 1994 in order to increase the physical safety of abortion
providers."
(Photo from San Francisco protest of Hobby Lobby
decision)
Merle Hoffman, CEO of Choices Women's Medical
Center, calls on YOU to join her in becoming a
Freedom Rider for women's lives by donating, sending a statement or photos, or
coming down to be in Texas for the Abortion Rights Freedom Ride 2014: Ground
Zero Texas.
Violence and economic desperation in Central America is driving tens of
thousands of children, along with their mothers, to cross the US border without
papers. Instead of kindness and care, they are getting held in military
detention, and many, deported by the Obama administraiton, which has deported
more people than the Bush regime did. Revolution newspaperreported
"The migration of tens of thousands of impoverished, desperate children
has triggered what Barack Obama and other political leaders have had to admit is
a humanitarian crisis. This crisis engulfs South Texas and is sending shockwaves
through the entire Southwestern U.S., echoing into Mexico and beyond. But these
ruling class figures—of all stripes—are not taking responsibility for this
crisis. Instead, they are blaming, persecuting, and clamping down on the victims
of the workings of their system that have driven people to the desperate measure
of sending their unaccompanied children on a perilous trek to what they hope
will be safety."
USA #1 in Mass Incarceration
Foreign Policy reports today on US prison rates, implying thatbeing the biggest jailer on the globe may be a
foreign policy problem
"No other nation jails so many people for so long. Among countries with
the world's largest prison populations, the United States leads with 2.2 million behind bars. And the
countries that immediately trail the global champion of
freedom are either much larger or terrible human rights offenders. China comes
in second, Russia third."
And then there's indefinite detention, Guantanamo, Bagram, targeted
killing & special operations, support of military regimes across the globe,
and the failure of this system to do serious policy change to stop the global
destruction of the environment.
Thanks to The Onion for pointing out the dangers of excessive flag-waving in
U.S. Flag Recalled After Causing 143 Million
Deaths
 "It
has come to our attention that, due to the inherent risks and hazards it poses,
the American flag is simply unfit for general use," said Annin & Company
president Ronald Burman, who confirmed that the number of flag-related deaths
had noticeably spiked since 2003. "I would like to strongly urge all U.S.
citizens: If you have an American flag hanging in your home or place of
business, please discontinue using it immediately."
Studies conducted by the Annin & Company research and development
department revealed that faulty U.S. flags have caused more than just injuries
and deaths. During the mid-1950s, the flags were found to have the bizarre side
effect of causing fear, paranoia, and hysterical behavior among millions of
Americans. This was dismissed as an isolated event until September 2001, when
similar symptoms reemerged on a massive scale.
As hazardous as the flags may be on their own, Annin & Company
officials claimed the products become even more dangerous when used in
conjunction with other common household items.
"When combined with alcohol, excessive patriotism, grief, or
well-intentioned but ultimately misguided ideals, U.S. flags transform into
ticking time bombs, just waiting to go off," Burman said.
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 World Can't Wait
Conversation
Thursday, July 10
10pm Eastern / 7pm
Pacific
Topic for discussion: Iraq & the region. What is going on?
What are the "interests of the United States" as defined by Obama, and what are
our interests in this situation?
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