4 days ago
Showing posts with label FREE SPEECH. Show all posts
Showing posts with label FREE SPEECH. Show all posts
Friday, 16 May 2008
Thursday, 17 April 2008
Tuesday, 15 January 2008
ACTION!
Government attempting to restrict use of National Mall
Take action right now to defend free speech rights!
Dear SLLU,
At a public meeting called by the National Park Service on Saturday, January 12 in Washington, D.C., representatives from the Partnership for Civil Justice, ANSWER Coalition, Nicaragua Network, Grassroots America, ImpeachBush.org and others demanded that there be no new restrictions placed on the right of the people to access the National Mall for free speech activities.
The National Park Service (NPS) is undertaking an initiative similar to that launched to exclude protests from New York City's Great Lawn. It will be used to further restrict or ban protest on the Mall from current levels. This is a component of a nationwide campaign of corporate-sponsored organizations working in partnership with government entities that claim that protests, rallies and demonstrations harm grass or "green space" or "natural resources" and must therefore be restricted or banned or shunted off to designated protest pits.
Take Action
Right now, you can email the National Park Service demanding that there be no restrictions on the right of the people to assemble. We have set up an easy to use mechanism that will allow your message to be sent to the National Parks Service by clicking this link.
It is urgent that people around the country take action to stop the plan of the Bush Administration's Interior Department to obstruct free speech rights for mass assembly protest in Washington, D.C. The Bush White House plans to complete this process and deliver a knockout punch to free speech rights by January, 2009, the very last month that Bush will remain in office.
The National Mall has been associated for decades as the site for mass assembly protest and gatherings. On January 18, 2003, the ANSWER Coalition organized a demonstration of 500,000 prior to the invasion of Iraq. The Nation of Islam led the Million Man March in 1995 on the Mall. The National Organization for Women sponsored the March for Women's Lives bringing more than a million people to the Mall in 2004. A huge gathering for immigrant rights took place on the Mall in 2006 as part of a nation-wide outpouring. From the Bonus Marchers of the early 1930s, to Dr. King's Poor People's March of 1968, and the anti-war Moratorium of 1969, the Mall is the historic anchor for the exercise of free speech rights in the United States.
A lawsuit filed by the Partnership for Civil Justice on behalf of the National Council of Arab Americans and the ANSWER Coalition successfully overturned regulations in New York City that were used to prevent mass assembly protest in the Great Lawn of Central Park during the Republican National Convention. Those planning changes to the use and access to the National Mall have stated that they see structure used to restrict use of the Great Lawn as a model for their activities.
The NPS has set up a "public-private" partnership that allows business interests and real estate developers -- in coordination with the government -- to determine the future of the National Mall. The Jan. 12 public meeting was intended to have low attendance to allow the government to claim public involvement while simultaneously excluding it. When confronted with the fact that they had done no legitimate outreach about the public meeting to the hundreds of thousands of people who have actually used the National Mall, the President of the Trust for the National Mall responded that she had sent notice to the Board of Trade! The NPS issues 3,000 permits a year for the use of the National Mall, but there has been no effort to notify any of those organizations about the proposed changes. Their attempt to exclude people from this process could not be more clear.
At the hearing the officials tried to quiet the outraged voices of the people, to change the topic of discussion, and to dismiss their concerns. They did, however, keep saying, just send us a message on-line. That is what we are asking everyone to do today.
The government is trying to end the public "comment" period by February 1, 2008. The ANSWER Coalition also demanded at the hearing that the sham process of the NPS be halted. We demanded that a moratorium be declared so that the people of this country can be able and informed to weigh in with their opinion. The National Mall belongs to the people. Click this link to send your message to the National Park Service.
Please Help With a Donation in this Free Speech Fight
Help us in this fight to keep the National Mall open for the exercise of free speech. We are undertaking a major organizing initiative to counter the government's plans. The ANSWER Coalition has an unwavering commitment to defend the free speech rights and civil liberties of the people of this country. But this challenge, which ranges from the streets to the courtrooms, requires significant funds, and we simply cannot do it without your help. Please click this link to make your donation right now.
A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition
http://www.answercoalition.org/
info@internationalanswer.org
National Office in Washington DC: 202-544-3389
New York City: 212-694-8720
Los Angeles: 213-251-1025
San Francisco: 415-821-6545
Chicago: 773-463-0311
Tuesday, 24 July 2007
THE WHITE ROSE
The White Rose - click on the ensignia and read:
Lessons for our Time - follow up article to the White Rose:
Sunday, 22 July 2007
ATTACK ON SCOTTISH MEDIA
This is from the Scottish Socialist Party. Union de-recognition is being rolled out faster across the country - faster than Thatcher could have even dreamed of. This is during the tenure of the "Labour Party" - which is now under the leadership of someone who has been selling himself as "left wing" for years and years (Blair never had to "spin" that lie - he likened himself to Thatcher etc)
http://www.scottishsocialistparty.org/pdfs/MediaWorkersVoice200707.pdf
Click on the Herald logo for a BBC report:
Tuesday, 10 July 2007
Wise words...
"Strange times are these in which we live when old and young are taught in falsehoods school. And the one man that dares to tell the truth is called at once a lunatic and fool" -- Plato.
"I think that we should be men first, and subjects afterward. It is not so desirable to cultivate a respect for the law, so much as for the right" Henry David Thoreau, Civil Disobedience, 1849
"As long as the world shall last there will be wrongs, and if no man objected and no man rebelled, those wrongs would last forever" Clarence Darrow
"If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality" Bishop Desmond Tutu
"He does not believe who does not live according to his belief" Thomas Fuller
Wednesday, 20 June 2007
Close the School of the Americas
Congress to take critical vote tomorrow!
Tell your representative: Close the School of the
In the next two days, Congress will vote on an amendment to close the notorious School of the Americas/WHINSEC. The School of the
Last year, in a similar vote, ANSWER (http://www.answercoalition.org/) activists made a decisive difference in challenging the school. We are continuing to support the work of the School of the Americas Watch (SOAW), which has carried on a long campaign to shut this institution down.
We expect a close vote and need as many people as possible flooding the offices of the House of Representatives with calls, e-mails and faxes in support of a YES vote on the amendment everyday through June 8th. This is it! You can make a difference and it's the people power of our movement that will get this amendment passed! Send an e-mail and free fax to Congress by using this link:
Thursday, 7 June 2007
Second Life Left Unity PRESS RELEASE
Photos of Cre-8 Garden and Demo at Linden Mansion
(Thanks to Dissdent Vollmar for some of these photos)
Over the past few days, groups on SL opposed to Globalisation have organised demonstrations against the G8, whom are at the present meeting in Rostock, Germany. There have been G8 demonstrations outside Reuters and other places. Tonight there will be a mass demo at the Linden Mansion.
SLLU have set up a "Tribute Garden" for people to go place either a flower, a candle - or a tribute of their own choosing on the site in memory of the millions of victims of globalisation
Isla Montevideo (41, 185, 32)
Isla Montevideo (41, 185, 32)
SLLU commend all of those who have organised and have taken part in these demonstrations against a cabal of self elected owners and distributers of the worlds assets. This cabal have tried to "sell" off some of the poorest countries water resources to the highest bidder. This is shameful and has led to demonstrations across the world.
A concerted effort by British campaigners has meant that Nepal's water system is safe, for now, from the profiteers.
Vicky Cann, the World Development Movement’s water campaigner said:
“Time and again water privatisation has failed to connect the poor in the developing world to affordable drinking water. That’s why the WDM joined campaigners from Nepal in calling for Severn Trent to withdraw from this contract.
“It is shocking to now learn, from media reports, that the Asian Development Bank (ADB) is threatening to terminate its multi-million dollar loan if the privatisation element of the project is not fulfilled. It is yet another blatant example of a donor trying to bully a poor country into doing what it wants. It is good to see that the minister in charge will not be railroaded by the ADB into privatising Kathmandu’s water supply before reviewing more options.”
Gopal Chintan, coordinator of the Water and Energy Users' Federation-Nepal said:
"People in Nepal are against multinational companies taking over Nepal's drinking water supply and we are pleased that Severn Trent has withdrawn its bid. What Kathmandu needs is public investment in its water supply and management - to cut the 40 per cent plus leakage rate and upgrade the water supply network served by the many small local rivers, springs and ponds,"
ENDS.
PLOT TRACER
Second Life Left Unity
Tuesday, 23 January 2007
Group Press Release: Free Speech in Second Life and the Anti-Front National Protests
The presence of the Front National in Second Life currently makes the whole issue of Free Speech within this virtual world a highly relevant one. So we would like to take this opportunity to define SLLU's position in relation to some of the difficulities surrounding this matter.
Our group's current position regarding 'free speech' within SL is outlined as follows:
We do not feel that residents have automatic 'rights' of free speech as such in SL other than those granted to us by Linden Labs. Those rights do not seem to be democratically decided by the community at large, and are subject to change at any time. So, as far as we are aware, there are no constitutionally enshrined rights to free speech within SL that are equivalent to those which exist in RL societies which aspire to democracy. Also, the fact that (as we understand it) all chat and IMs are accessible and able to be monitored by Linden Labs at all times, makes the entire concept of 'free speech' in SL very different to the concept as it would normally be applied in RL.
In principle at least, therefore, the idea of SL residents having a 'right' to free speech is somewhat illusory since it must by definition operate within what is potentially an authoritarian and non-democratic social structure - in practice, this is inconsistenty regulated, at Linden Labs' staffs own discretion.
As long as SL is structured as it is - we find it hard to envisage how the right to 'free speech' in the RL sense of the term would be technically possible to achieve. We do however think it is in Linden Labs' own interests to not be seen to excessively restrict freedom of residents' expression, even though they may theoretically have the power to do this, and we think it is currently residents' responsiblity to act in their capacity as a consumer pressure group and SL citizens and lobby LL to ensure that any restrictions on their freedoms of expression are kept as minimal as possible. We believe the successful future of Second Life depends on this balance of power being kept in check.
We would argue that the RL controversy surrounding Front National is grounds enough for the Lindens to consider whether LL wants to allow them to be represented in a PG zone, or whether what they stand for in SL is identical to what they stand for in RL, and thus incompatible with LLs own Community Standards. In RL They are associated with xenophobic violence within France, and advocate the enforced repatriation of immigrants. We interpret this as being rooted in a historically dangerous and inciteful nationalistic and racist ideology, even though the Front National are nowadays apparently fairly careful and eager to officially distance themselves from any such overt associations. However, the reality of what is and isn't enforced within PG is somewhat inconsistent, and we don't know of any previous precedents where LL has removed groups or individual residents from PG zones, based on their real life actions or political affilliations, because they have anticipated that they could pose a threat to the upholding of PG standards in the community. Therefore, we think the stronger case would be to look at removing them from PG, based on their actions inworld - which will need to be closely monitored - and to seek for LL to take seriously the existing reports of FN group members harassing residents and businesses in the area where they were originally based in Porcupine.
We do not as a group, seek an outright ban of FN from SL before their actions inworld merit it - because, as abhorrent as we may find their policies - we don't think an ideology can be extinguished merely by being conveniently pushed out of sight. We believe that now that this real-world political problem has been brought to wider attention amongst the SL community, it would be better for such an ideology to be combatted within SL by means of a counter-information and education campaign, and that this would be more likely to have beneficial knock-on RL consequences in terms of fully utilising this medium to raise awareness of RL political issues and conflicts.
To those who would criticise us for applying the term 'neo-fascist' to this organisation as empty rhetoric, we would argue that since neo-fascism implies an ideology with nationalistic, xenophobic, intolerant and extreme far-right tendencies, it's usage is justified. Furthermore, due to the extremity of of FN's proposed policies regarding immigrant repatriation, and because of their leader LePen's history of and conviction for 'holocaust minimisation', and his ties with Mussolini's daughter, for example, we do not think the parallels with historical European Fascism are unwarranted, or over-exaggerated. We also urge people to remember that although Second Life is popularly perceived as 'a game' - it is now increasingly being used as a platform for real-world political parties to campaign. The FN in SL are *not* gamers - they are seeking to represent and recruit for a real-life destructive political ideology, the implications of which should not be trivialised.
Regarding free speech within our organisation - we are a very diverse international group of people, and obviously none of us have totally identical views. It is important for us to debate and discuss these within the collective, and to act on the issues where we are able to achieve a measure of consensus.
It is essential for us, and we believe, for all people as human beings to be able to express their own views freely. We are strong believers in healthy dissent! But we also realise that if we, as individuals, are of interest to outside parties, because of our belonging to a particular group, we have a responsibility not to misrepresent our own views as being those of the entire group membership.
We do object to being personally sought out and approached, as individual group members, to give individual views which are then intentionally used to give a distorted picture of the group as a whole. On any matters where we have achieved group consensus, we seek to send out group-compiled releases, so that the distinction between the inevitable individual divergences, and areas where we are in majority agreement can be made clear.
Signed: SLLU
The SL Left Unity group was set up by members of the Scottish Socialist Party in November 2006. It has outgrown it's original kernel of SSP members into a world wide left unity group comprising of people from many countries and all walks of life who are interested in social justice and whom are critical of the current world wide neo-conservative capitalist system.
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