free rice
By steve | May 8, 2008
go to freerice.com. Nothing to sign up for. The site gives you words and a choice of definitions, and if you get them right, 20 grains of rice are donated to a third world country.
Topics: Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
March 19th, 2008 — YELL FIRE!
By laura | February 26, 2008
A CALL TO ACTION: March 19, 2008 will mark the beginning of the 6th year of the illegal invasion and occupation of Iraq. This is the time in which we live. This is our time to respond.
WE WILL NOT BE SILENT.
Please join us!! Click here for event details.
Music: Yell Fire! By Michael Franti and Spearhead.
All photos located on the internet. Photographers include Carol Ashley, Fred Askew, Elaine Brower, Thomas Good, Danny Hammontree, Laurel Jensen, Diane Greene Lent, Next Left Notes, Caroline Parker and WhyNotNews, among many others whose names we do not know.
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Take The World Can’t Wait Quiz
By laura | October 30, 2007
Question #1
What country in the Middle East refuses to confirm or deny that it has a nuclear weapons program and refuses to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty?
Question #2
What country agreed to be monitored by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and opened up its country to IAEA inspectors?
Question #3
What country has the IAEA severely criticized for falsifying information on Iran’s nuclear program?
Question #4
What country(ies) has/have ever used nuclear weapons on civilian populations?
Topics: Iran, Action Item | No Comments »
Oppose Islamo-Fascism Week
By laura | October 22, 2007
From WorldCantWait.org:
David Horowitz and his army of Campus Republicans are launching “Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week” October 22nd-26th on hundreds of campuses across the country. They are ominously calling this “the biggest conservative campus protest ever.” Invoking ’60’s themes like “free speech” and combating the “oppression of women in Islam” as a cover, they plan to harass Muslim Student Associations and Women’s Studies Departments, and silence anyone that questions the Bush regime’s official narrative, including even those concerned about global warming!
Given the Bush regime’s escalating threats toward Iran, the danger of a complicit campus environment cannot be underestimated. The College Republicans can claim to be the victim of the “academic left,” but people like them run this country and dominate the world. They are the ones holding “catch an illegal immigrant day” at the same time as the Bush regime’s ICE raids are ripping apart immigrant families. This is not just a question of campus politics and a few loud mouth bigots. If we ignore them, they will NOT go away. They have their sights set on the last remaining bastions of critical thinking with the aim of transforming all of society. If they can create an atmosphere at these colleges where it is okay to be openly racist and reactionary, where progressive faculty are intimidated by ridiculous claims of “left-wing academic dictatorship,” and radical dissenting ideas are ruled beyond the pale and off the table…then they have won, not only at the universities, but in their efforts to remake the social fabric of this country in a fascist way.
On the other hand, if we can politically confront these college Republicans and their “Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week,” expose their real agenda, raise awareness of the growing danger of U.S. fascism and the real fascist direction that the Bush regime has been taking this country in — the endless war, the torture, the Patriot Act, the unlimited domestic spying, and the whole police state infrastructure, the Christian Fundamentalism that is undermining women’s rights, gay peoples rights, science, and rational thought—and if we can bring forward a radical student movement that refuses to choose between Islamic Fundamentalism and the Bush Regime’s Christian Fascist war on the world… then we can turn Horowitz’s plan upside down.
This week will either strengthen their side or strengthen OUR side.
By bringing forward a determined and uncompromising student movement on campuses October 22-26th we can paralyze Horowitz’s ability to further target and blacklist professors and be a major part of transforming campuses into centers of intellectual ferment, activism, and organized resistance that are so desperately needed at times like these.
Topics: Action Item | 1 Comment »
OSU Lantern covers Sept. 29th protest
By laura | October 8, 2007
“Protest draws students, soldier”
From The OSU Lantern - 10/01/07
A diverse group of protesters, ranging from high school students to folk singers and soldiers, gathered Saturday in downtown Columbus to protest the war in Iraq.
One group missing was Ohio State students.
“They are more concerned about college football than Iraqi children having their limbs blown off,” said OSU medical student Elijah Smith, the only OSU student at the rally.
“I think kids at a college age are not affected by this war, but the people here know how Vietnam was and how it directly affected their lives and the lives around them.”
The Columbus Chapter of World Can’t Wait held the protest Saturday afternoon in front of the Federal Building on North High Street. At the same time, there were protests in Washington, D.C. and several other cities in the U.S. organized by Troops Out Now Coalition and World Can’t Wait.
According to the Web site, the goal is to bring the troops home from Iraq.
“The event Saturday (was) to allow people in the Columbus area to express their opinions on the continuing war against the people of Iraq,” said Steve Vargo, Columbus coordinator of World Can’t Wait.
He said he is a Vietnam Veteran and a Purple Heart recipient.
“There is a soldier here who has done three terms in Iraq,” Vargo said. “The essence of his speech was we are there for oil and now he is going back for his fourth term.”
Shouts of “health care not warfare” echoed in the background and Smith held a sign that read, “occupation is a crime from Iraq to Palestine.”
Smith said he worked in a field hospital during the initial invasion of Iraq in 2003 and described Iraqi civilians lying in hospital beds whose limbs had been blown off. They were young and old victims and they were forced to live with limited drinking water and electricity.
Another poster had a photo of President George W. Bush - with clown makeup on his face.
There were a few high school students at the protest. Thomas Worthington students Kurt Barnhart, Angelo Arnold and Bo Corbin held signs that read “support the troops, end the war.”
They found out about the event from teachers who encouraged students to investigate a variety of opinions and facts so they can form their own views of the war.
“While I don’t agree with everything that is said, it’s interesting to see a different perspective than what you would see in everyday media,” Arnold said.
“Go Bush,” a truck driver shouted as he drove by, honking his horn in protest of the protest.
Vargo said World Can’t Wait is trying to reach and motivate college students.
“For this event, we handed out fliers widely,” he said. “We did an advertisement on Facebook that went to every college in the greater Columbus area, and as far away as Antioch and Wilmington.”
Matt Swan can be reached at swan.352@osu.edu.
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Troops Out NOW! Protest Tomorrow
By laura | September 28, 2007
Saturday, September 29th, 2pm
@ the Federal Building, 200 N. High St.
NO to WAR! YES to IMPEACHMENT!
Over 4 years after the invasion and occupation of Iraq and we’re left with almost 4,000 dead U.S. soldiers, hundreds of thousands of dead Iraqi civilians, and hundreds of billions of dollars gone. It’s time to really support the troops by ENDING the WAR and BRINGING THEM HOME NOW!
Bring your voices! Bring your signs and banners! Make your presence known! Raise your voices for JUSTICE, TRUTH, & ACCOUNTABILITY!
Email vargo.che@hotmail.com for more information. Parking is suggested at either City Center of the Convention Center.
* In solidarity with the Troops Out Now National March on Washington D.C. that same day. For information on the DC march, visit www.troopsoutnow.org.
Topics: Action Item | No Comments »
Ignore your rights… and they’ll go away.
By laura | September 8, 2007
Yesterday’s arrests of anti-war protesters — declared “National Security Threats” — and disgusting display of our police state shows the First Amendment is on its way out. All the more reason to show up and SPEAK OUT on September 15th, while you still can.
The ANSWER coalition, an anti-war group, was holding a press conference yesterday to address the excessive fines they’ve received from DC authorities for their promotion of a September 15th protest. Last month they were fined tens of thousands of dollars for hanging up posters around the city. The alleged crime? Using unapproved adhesive. In actuality, they were using wheat paste, about the most natural and gentle adhesive you can imagine. You may be utterly shocked to also learn that this whole thing started after Fox News called on the DC government to take action against the posters.
Apparently we can’t hold press conferences on public property any more. And if you want to hang up a poster ::gasp:: — watch out! You may be declared a national security threat and trampled by police officers on horseback, apparently necessary to disperse a large crowd of a dozen people, followed by prompt arrest. Who do these protesters think they are, tax payers? American citizens protected by Free Speech rights? Don’t they remember George W. Bush saying the Constitution is just a damned piece of paper?
From A.N.S.W.E.R.:
Three anti-war activists were arrested in front of the White House today after the U.S. Park Police moved to suppress a press conference called to protest the fines and threats against the ANSWER Coalition for putting up anti-war posters promoting the September 15 March and Die-In in Washington DC.
…The press conference became a chaotic scene as U.S. Park Police interrupted the event on the basis that there was no permit for a folding table that was used as a speaker’s stand for media microphones. As U.S. Park Police officers surrounded the group, an officer on horseback rode into the crowd to disperse the media and onlookers…
Who the hell do we think we are — spending billions of dollars every month, killing thousands of our sons & daughters — to occupy “liberate” other countries so they can supposedly enjoy the fruits of democracy, when we aren’t free to exercise our inalienable rights here in Amerika?
They’re quelling dissent by any means necessary now. You think this is bad?
If you want to go even deeper down the rabbit hole, check out Bush’s Executive Order signed in July that nixes the Fourth Amendment for anti-war protesters: “Blocking Property of Certain Persons Who Threaten Stabilization Efforts in Iraq.” Or even worse: National Security Presidential Directive 51, which would essentially suspend the Constitution and make Bush a Dictator in the event of a “Catastrophic Emergency.”
I hate to say it, because people are so damned sensitive to the word — but this is a clear sign of fascism. It reeks of Police State as much as the Comfest incident.
Yeah, I said it. F A S C I S M.
I’m done saying “it’s coming” because clearly it’s already here. Perhaps people should question why they’re so uncomfortable with the word and admit their discomfort is actually plain ole’ cognitive dissonance? It’s their brain saying “hey, you say you love the flag so much, why don’t you stand up and defend the rights it signifies?” I suppose that’s asking too much.
See for yourself:
“IF YOU’RE NOT OUTRAGED, YOU’RE NOT PAYING ATTENTION.”
Topics: member blog | 1 Comment »
Declare it Now: Wear Orange!
By admin | August 13, 2007
Think of the millions of people in this country who are deeply distressed over the direction in which the Bush regime is dragging the country - and the world…
Think of all the people who are outraged over the way in which this regime is still so arrogantly seeking to bludgeon into submission people in the Middle East, and throughout the world, while trampling on the rights of the people in the U.S. itself…
Think of all the people who care about the future of humanity and the planet we live on, and who recognize the many ways in which this is increasingly in peril…
Think of all the people who are stirred with a profound restlessness by these feelings but are held back by the fear that they are alone and powerless;
Think of all the people who say that they wish something could be done to stop and reverse this whole disastrous course, but nothing will make a difference; or who hope that somehow the Democrats will do something to change this, when everyday it becomes more clear that they will not.
A groundswell of people wearing orange in their daily lives , assisted and amplified by the voices of prominent people and musicians wearing and promoting orange on TV, radio and on stage at concerts, can break people out of this conundrum where millions are just furious but still paralyzed by the paralysis of the loyal opposition Party and by the presidential elections’ anaesthetizing effects.
A groundswell of orange can turn into a groundswell of hope and danger – a groundswell that rises up from below and has the potential of sweeping Bush from office before his term is up.
This counter-force can alter the political atmosphere from one of paralysis and despair into one of massive mobilization and hope in the power of people acting independently to change all this. People will stand out loud in the crowd, making their sentiments visible as more people associate orange with “Bush & Cheney must go,” and find people who think as they do.
If the Bush program is not massively repudiated through impeachment, then everything he has set into motion will continue under the next President.
If you want Bush IMPEACHED and DRIVEN OUT, If you want this war to end NOW, you absolutely must, DECLARE IT NOW!
For more info, read this statement by Dr. Dennis Loo.
Topics: Action Item | 1 Comment »
Welcome
By admin | August 6, 2007
Who are we?
WE ARE PATRIOTIC AMERICANS! We’re Mothers, Fathers, Sisters and Brothers. We’re Students, Retired Lawyers, Veterans, Muslims, Jews, Christians, Unitarians, Atheists, Straight, Gay, Single, Widowed, Married and Divorced. Many have advanced degrees. Some are rich and some are poor…not one of us is like the other, and if you don’t know why, go ask your mother!
Despite the enormity of the task, we don’t take each other too seriously, for a revolution without dancing is a revolution not worth having!
For All is All in All…
We come from different political viewpoints but we all agree: we must bring the Bush program to a HALT. This is an audacious and historic venture born of urgent necessity. “The Bush Regime is setting out to radically re-make society very quickly, in a fascist way, and for generations to come. We must act now; the future is in the balance.”
In just the past year we have witnessed the destruction of peoples’ fundamental rights through government spying made legal, the installment of Roberts & Alito to the Supreme Court, the passage of the Patriot Act, and the legalization of torture in Bush’s new Military Commission Act. This law stripped the fundamental right of habeas corpus for 14,000 detainees in secret prisons around the world and for people anywhere in the world that the president accuses of being an enemy combatant. And all this happened without any real opposition in the halls of power.
This is how fascism happens here, with an orderly transfer of power to the executive branch. Unprecedented power goes to a president and administration claiming war-time powers in a war promised to last generations; who lied about Iraq and is now laying plans for a catastrophic war with Iran; who believes he is on a mission from God.
This is indeed a defining moment. It is not too late to stop this fascist trajectory. But if it goes unopposed by the people of this country, it could be too late. If we don’t stop it, this regime could succeed in silencing and suppressing dissent, critical thought, science, the ideals of equality and the way people think of basic human decency.
Millions of people deeply disturbed by this have been looking for a vehicle to express their outrage. We are working to punch a hole in the political atmosphere of acquiescence and fear and open the way for the kind of resistance needed to stop and reverse the direction this government is taking this society and the world.
We must pledge to take this forward, transforming anguish, outrage and frustration into truly meaningful, positive and massive political mobilization. It must become better organized, staying on the offensive as much as it can, and setting entirely different political terms than the ones presently accepted as realistic and which are in fact complicit in the fascist remaking of life and government.
We have important plans to make. All of us are now responsible for what happens next. The Bush regime must be driven out. This criminal regime must leave office politically repudiated and thoroughly discredited. Anything short of that is unacceptable to the world, to our children, to the future.
THE FUTURE IS UNWRITTEN…
WHICH ONE WE GET IT UP TO US.
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