Jamie Leigh Jones - And the 30 republicans who could care less
Mood:  don't ask
Now Playing: Rape and the tollerance of it happening, all for corporate military profits
Topic: CIVIL RIGHTS

 

 

 

Republicans for Rape

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There were 30 Senators Who Voted Against

the Ammendment in the Appropriations Bill 10-9-09

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Q5kVbiWnAQ&feature=player_embedded

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Yesterday, 30 Republican senators opposed an amendment to the Defense Appropriations bill that would prohibit federal defense contractors like Halliburton/KBR from getting money "if they restrict their employees from taking workplace sexual assault, battery and discrimination cases to court."

In other words, 30 GOP senators want to deny rape victims their day in court.

Think Progress has the story of the woman who prompted this amendment: In 2005, Jamie Leigh Jones was gang-raped by her co-workers while she was working for Halliburton/KBR in Baghdad. She was detained in a shipping container for at least 24 hours without food, water, or a bed, and "warned her that if she left Iraq for medical treatment, she’d be out of a job." (Jones was not an isolated case.) Jones was prevented from bringing charges in court against KBR because her employment contract stipulated that sexual assault allegations would only be heard in private arbitration.

 (more)

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Guess Who Received The Most Campaign Dollars From Private Contractors? (AUDIO)

By Justin Yuen

The thirty GOP Senators who voted against the Franken amendment, which protects women who were raped or sexually abused while working for private defense contractors, received generous contributions from those same private contractors. Are we surprised?  Didn't think so.

Listen Here

Congress Approves Release of SOA/ WHINSEC Names But Serious Concerns Remain
Mood:  bright
Now Playing: SOA - for the first time in US History....
Topic: POLITICS

Partial Legislative Victory!

Congress Approves Release of SOA/ WHINSEC Names

But Serious Concerns Remain

10.8.09  sent to my email
For the first time in the history of the SOA Watch Legislative Campaign, the U.S. Congress has approved legislative language opposing the negative practices and secrecy at the School of the Americas (SOA), now renamed WHINSEC. Congratulations and thanks go to all who worked so hard this year to achieve victory! SOA Watch is encouraged and hopeful about the outcome, however serious concerns remain.

On June 25, 2009, the House of Representatives approved an amendment to the Defense Authorization bill by a vote of 224 - 190 that required the Pentagon to release information about students and instructors at the SOA/ WHINSEC. This language was not passed by the Senate, so for the past three months, human rights advocates embarked on a multi-level pressure campaign to ensure the House-Senate conference committee included the amendment language in the final version of the bill. It was the second year in a row that the House passed this amendment by a wide margin, giving hope to many that the practice of secrecy at the SOA/WHINSEC would finally end this year.

Today the House of Representatives approved the conference report that includes the amendment language, but not in the exact form that was passed by the House.

The new language requires that the Secretary of Defense release the names of students and instructors but with two clarifications: names are only released for FY 2009 and FY 2010, and the Secretary of Defense can waive this provision should it be deemed to be in the national interest.

While the release of names for FY 2009 and FY 2010 is a welcome first step, the decision by the conference committee to maintain secrecy about who has attended the SOA/ WHINSEC for the past 4 years raises a red flag about what the Pentagon may be hiding. From FY 2005 to FY 2008, hundreds of serious human rights crimes, including the San José de Apartadó massacre among many others, implicated Latin American military officials throughout the region. The gap in knowledge about what role U.S. military training played in the practices of Latin American militaries for 4 years undermines the pursuit of a just foreign policy by denying the public and Congress the very information they need to make important foreign policy decisions.

In addition, the waiver granted to the Pentagon to deny the release of this vital information in the name of national interest ignores the many reasons why it is in the national interest for public disclosure of SOA/ WHINSEC graduates and instructors. What could be more of a national interest than human rights, democracy and transparency?!

SOA Watch is hopeful that in the next few weeks human rights advocates will receive the names of SOA/ WHINSEC attendees and begin the important human rights oversight work of the school that has been missing for the past 4 years.

In the next few weeks, SOA Watch will continue to press forward on a number of legislative campaigns, so watch for our alerts with new information that you and your local group can take action on.

Click here for the next step to take action NOW!

NEWS YOU CAN USE
Mood:  special
Now Playing: 18 news stories worth reading about from 10.9.09
Topic: MEDIA

http://current.com/

10.9.09

NEWS YOU CAN USE   

• http://current.com/items/91134701_in-a-surprise-obama-wins-nobel-peace-prize.htm  In a surprise, Obama wins Nobel Peace Prize

 

• http://current.com/items/91135476_nasa-bombs-the-moon-looking-for-water.htm NASA bombs the Moon looking for water

 

• http://current.com/items/91136097_video-police-beat-15yr-old-special-ed-student-for-untucked-shirt.htm VIDEO: Police Beat 15yr old Special Ed Student For Untucked Shirt

 

• http://current.com/items/91133129_republicans-for-rape-the-30-senators-who-voted-against-the-ammendment-in-the-appropriations-bill.htm  Republicans for Rape (the 30 Senators Who Voted Against the Amendment in the Appropriations Bill)

 

• http://current.com/items/91133220_china-traces-nerve-gas-back-to-north-korea.htm  China traces nerve gas back to North Korea

 

• http://current.com/items/91131906_massachusetts-legislature-to-debate-marijuana-regulation-measure.htm  Massachusetts: Legislature To Debate Marijuana Regulation Measure

 

• http://current.com/items/91131251_woman-thrown-off-plane-for-breast-feeding-sues.htm  Woman thrown off plane for breast-feeding sues

 

• http://current.com/items/91136429_4-presidents-4-prime-ministers-charged-with-war-crimes.htm  4 presidents, 4 prime ministers charged with war crimes.

 

• http://current.com/items/91137381_white-house-strips-immigration-policing-powers-from-arizona-sheriff-joe-arpaio.htm  White House strips immigration policing powers from Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio

 

• http://current.com/items/91132546_ucla-student-slashes-females-throat-in-science-lab.htm  UCLA Student Slashes Female's Throat in Science Lab

 

• http://current.com/items/91130038_no-nasa-is-not-bombing-the-moon.htm  No, NASA Is Not Bombing the Moon

 

• http://current.com/items/91129911_do-you-want-the-right-to-kill-yourself.htm  Do You Want the Right to Kill Yourself?

 

• http://current.com/items/91131167_the-lack-of-culture-in-newspaper-and-television.htm  The Lack of culture in Newspaper and Television

 

• http://current.com/items/91129537_gop-votes-against-measure-to-help-victims-of-rape-at-govt-contractors.htm  GOP votes against measure to help victims of rape at govt. contractors

 

• http://current.com/items/91130341_homeowner-shot-by-police-while-holding-intruder-at-gunpoint-files-lawsuit-against-phoenix.htm  Homeowner Shot by Police While Holding Intruder at Gunpoint Files Lawsuit Against Phoenix

 

• http://current.com/items/91129158_the-demise-of-investigative-journalism.htm  The Demise of Investigative Journalism

 

• http://current.com/items/91130342_sneak-attack-on-u-s-dollar.htm  Sneak attack on U.S. dollar

 

• http://current.com/items/91131444_sri-lankas-refugee-camp-for-240k-pictures.htm

Amazing pictures from the BBC of Menik Farm, the refugee camp in Sri Lanka currently housing over 240,000 Tamils. This is just one of the camps in the country housing Tamil refugees who fled the fighting in the country's north earlier this year.(This photo is not from their set, but is from Menik Farm. Click through for their photos.) The question for these refugees is how soon will the government let them return to their homes and villages? http://current.com/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8297760.stm

Is the U.S. Preparing to Bomb Iran?
Mood:  down
Now Playing: The idea to bomb Iran is growing...comptroller planing to spend billions
Topic: WAR

Tips for Security - Regarding Laptops, Connections & Your Files
Mood:  bright
Now Playing: keep your laptop / connections / files safe
Topic: ANYBODY * ANYDAY

The Basics: Best Practices
Every laptop user should have a healthy paranoia about the possibility of getting their notebook stolen or hacked while they're using a public Wi-Fi network at the airport or coffeehouse. Stay circumspect and use some of the tools built into your notebook's operating system to keep yourself safe.

Turn on your firewall. When you're on an open Wi-Fi network, make sure you have your laptop's firewall on and blocking unwanted incoming connections. In Windows' Control Panel, click on Windows Firewall. On your Mac, in System Preferences, go to Security and click on the Firewall tab to turn it on.

Password protect — or unshare — shared folders. When you're at home, sharing a document folder with other computers behind your firewall is a fine idea. But when you're out and about, you may not want everyone to be able to see your collection of family vacation photos. Make sure your shared folders are password protected when you're not on a safe network. Even better, turn off all sharing when you're on a public network.

Use https (secure connections to web sites) whenever possible. When you're checking your webmail like Gmail or Yahoo Mail, or visiting any site with the option, make sure you're using the https:// (instead of http://) connection to encrypt any information you submit there, like your password. Most modern webmail and calendar programs like Gmail and Google Calendar offer an https:// option.

Don't save your web site passwords in your browser without encrypting them. Sure, if you save your web site passwords inside your browser, you save a whole lot of time. However, if a thief, co-worker, or relative uses your computer, it's also dead simple for that person to log into your accounts. Three weeks ago I ran down how to secure your browser's saved passwords with an encrypted master password — do it.

Lock down your laptop with an actual lock. If you work in a public place often and tend to leave your laptop unattended, invest $15 to $30 on a physical laptop lock to anchor your notebook to the desk. It's a simple way to deter thieves.

Always have a current backup of your important data. Backing up your computer will help you restore things in the event of theft or a hard drive crash or coffee spill. When your laptop is docked back at home or the office, use an external hard drive to back up your documents. If you're constantly on the go, a remote backup service like Mozy or Carbonite works over the internet in the background, and can restore your files from anywhere.

Run anti-virus and malware protection software. Like a backup system, this is a best practice for all computers, not just your laptop. Just last week Microsoft released their new and free Security Essentials software. Download that and scan your notebook on a regular basis.

Advanced Security
The super-paranoid and technically-inclined can use hacker-level techniques for locking down files and disks. Those include:

Encrypting folders and disks. Using free tools you can encrypt an entire hard drive or just a folder full of files. When you encrypt data, you use a secret key to scramble it into an unreadable format, which foils any thieves' attempts to read your private files. To decrypt it, you need a master password. On a Mac, you can create an encrypted disk image by using the Disk Utility application. Macs also come with File Vault (in System Preferences, Security), which encrypts your home folders' contents keeping unwanted eyes out. Windows Vista and the upcoming Windows 7 offers BitLocker, a data encryption application. Alternately, you can use a free utility called TrueCrypt to encrypt a folder or drive.

Securing your network traffic via an SSH tunnel. Another common technique among the tech elite is the use of an SSH tunnel, or a secure connection to an outside computer (like your home server or office computer) to connect to the internet. From the network you're already on, it looks like you're sending encrypted information to a single destination; in reality, you're using a trusted remote server as a proxy for all your network activity. Here's more on how to encrypt your web browsing session with an SSH SOCKS proxy.

ORIGINAL ARTICLE IS HERE:

http://blogs.harvardbusiness.org/trapani/2009/10/how-to-lock-down-your-laptop.html#

Theory of the Derive
Mood:  mischievious
Now Playing: by Guy-Ernest Debord
Topic: ANYBODY * ANYDAY

(excerpt) 

......Our loose lifestyle and even certain amusements considered dubious that have always been enjoyed among our entourage — slipping by night into houses undergoing demolition, hitchhiking nonstop and without destination through Paris during a transportation strike in the name of adding to the confusion, wandering in subterranean catacombs forbidden to the public, etc. — are expressions of a more general sensibility which is no different from that of the dérive. Written descriptions can be no more than passwords to this great game.

The lessons drawn from dérives enable us to draw up the first surveys of the psychogeographical articulations of a modern city. Beyond the discovery of unities of ambiance, of their main components and their spatial localization, one comes to perceive their principal axes of passage, their exits and their defenses. One arrives at the central hypothesis of the existence of psychogeographical pivotal points. One measures the distances that actually separate two regions of a city, distances that may have little relation with the physical distance between them. With the aid of old maps, aerial photographs and experimental dérives, one can draw up hitherto lacking maps of influences, maps whose inevitable imprecision at this early stage is no worse than that of the first navigational charts. The only difference is that it is no longer a matter of precisely delineating stable continents, but of changing architecture and urbanism....

(more....)

VIDEO: Ralph Nader, Greg & Jason Kafoury, Lloyd Marbet and Matt Zawisky
Mood:  bright
Now Playing: Ralph Nader and Friends Speak at PSU University Place at 1:00Pm
Topic: NADER

Portland Book Tour Videos from Ralph Naders Speaking Event

Filmed on 10.4.09

Ralph Nader talked about his new book as well as on the issue of Single Payer Health Care and other social issues

 

 

 

His book is a novel titled:

"Only The Super Rich Can Save Us"

Here are a few videos from the event at 1:00PM

 

_________________

 

 

Greg Kafoury at

Nader Speaking Event (6:44 min)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmzfIcuemt4

 

 

Lloyd Marbet

Coal Power Plant in Oregon at

Nader Speaking Event (4:20 min)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HUi2_PV_qI

 

 

Ralph Nader book tour

"Only The Super Rich Can Save Us" (2:51 min)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqmMn4gAqCo

 

 

Jason Kafoury and Matt Zawisky

at Nader Speaking Event (5:40 min)

Ralph Nader and Friends

Speak at PSU University Place at 1:00Pm

Videos from the event arealso posted on Portland Indy Media

http://portland.indymedia.org/

 

 

Tyranny of the Majority: 3 wolves & 6 goats
Mood:  mischievious
Now Playing: Democracy ... I dont think so
Topic: POLITICS
Tyranny of the Majority:
If you ever found yourself in a vastly outnumbered minority, and the majority voted that you had to give up something as necessary to your life as water and air, would you comply? When it comes down to it, does anyone really believe it makes sense to accept the authority of a group simply on the grounds that they outnumber everyone else? We accept majority rule because we do not believe it will threaten us – and those it does threaten are already silenced before anyone can hear their misgivings.

[...]

Three wolves and six goats are discussing what
to have for dinner. One courageous goat makes
an impassioned case: “We should put it to a vote!” The
other goats fear for his life, but surprisingly, the wolves
acquiesce. But when everyone is preparing to vote, the
wolves take three of the goats aside.
“Vote with us to make the other three goats dinner,”
they threaten. “Otherwise, vote or no vote, we’ll eat you.”
The other three goats are shocked by the outcome of
the election: a majority, including their comrades, has
voted for them to be killed and eaten. They protest in
outrage and terror, but the goat who first suggested the
vote rebukes them: “Be thankful you live in a democracy! At least we got to have a say in this!”

More from author here... http://www.celticbear.com/weblog/2009/10/04/beyond-democracy-thoughts-on-anarchy/

Is Chavez a Dictator
Mood:  a-ok
Now Playing: Video is from Day 7
Topic: Venezuela Trip

 

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHQrqDcecXw&feature=player_profilepage

 

Investigation Could Sink American Police Force
Mood:  don't ask
Now Playing: Who are these people? Police? Military? Contractors? CIA?
Topic: CONSPIRACY

Investigation Could Sink American Police Force

Posted by sakerfa on October 2, 2009