Why We Need Independent Media
MSNBC cuts away from an interview with a Congresswoman to go to the latest news on Justin Bieber. Proof positive that corporate news is not news at all.
Dispatch from Federal Workers’ Protest: Government Shutdown Day 4
On the morning of the fourth day of the U.S. government shutdown, Members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and hundreds of union and non-union federal workers came to the Capitol to protest. Some traveled from faraway states like South Carolina and Florida, and they represented various departments of the government, such as the U.S. Treasury, IRS, Departments of…
Dispatch from Federal Workers’ Protest: All Hell Breaks Loose at the Capitol
Thursday was the third day of our U.S. Federal Government shutdown protest, which drew far more protestors and media than before. But the peace at our protest ended abruptly at 2:20 pm. I heard sirens and saw six police cruisers chasing a black Infiniti down Pennsylvania Ave. past the reflecting pool towards us. At first…
Dispatch from Federal Workers’ Protest: Government Shutdown Day 2
We returned to the Capitol steps for the second day of the government shutdown. We carried the same signs and spoke the same message, but there were changes from the previous day. Some Capitol Police officers expressed solidarity with our cause, and tourists joined our protest. Both police and tourists are being affected by the shutdown. A Capitol Police guard walked up…
Dispatch from Federal Workers’ Protest: Government Shutdown Day 1
On October 1, the first day of the government shutdown, I joined 50 federal workers in an impromptu all-day protest at the U.S. Capitol. Just hours before, we were indefinitely suspended from our jobs. We reported to work, signed papers acknowledging the furlough and left. We had been preparing for a shutdown for several days,…
Government Shutdown, Another Episode in “Budget Wars”
At the stroke of midnight on October 1, the workings of the U.S. government will grind to a halt. That is, unless a deeply dysfunctional Congress fuels it with yet another stopgap measure to tide it over for a couple of months. Technically, when the fiscal year runs out on September 30, the government doesn’t…
Occupy Wall Street Turns Two
Sunday marked the return of Occupy Wall Street to New York City as preparations got underway to celebrate its second birthday on September 17. There were free teach-ins at Washington Square Park in many subjects, including the Trans Pacific Partnership, Green Living Principles, Economic and Banking issues, Immigration, Climate Change, and Money In Politics. Several…
Silent deterrent to war, Peace Vigil keeps watch over White House
The White House Peace Vigil takes up only a little sidewalk space on Pennsylvania Ave. but leaves a big footprint. For 32 years, two six-foot yellow signs with a white tarp between them have warned us about the dangers of nuclear weapons. This iconic statement for disarmament almost came to an end today. In the middle of the…
