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Freedom of Speech and Assembly

Video, Photo Essay & Samples Of News Coverage #StopWatchingUs

Thousands gathered by the Capitol reflection pool in Washington on Saturday to march, chant, and listen to speakers and performers as part of Stop Watching Us, a gathering to protest "mass surveillance" underNSA programs first disclosed by the whistleblower Edward Snowden. Billed by organizers as "the largest rally yet to protest mass surveillance", Stop Watching Us was sponsored by an unusually broad coalition of left- and right-wing groups, including everything from the American Civil Liberties Union, the Green Party, Color of Change and Daily Kos to the Libertarian Party, FreedomWorks and Young Americans for Liberty. The events began outside Union Station, a few blocks away from the Capitol and ended in front of the US Capitol Building.

Russell Brand And The Resonance Of Revolution

Russell Brand predicted a revolution on BBC Newsnight. With a rapid spitfire of cunning rhetoric he reduced Jeremy Paxman — the establishment’s private pitbull — to a cowering heap of journalistic fluff. The video instantly went viral. My newsfeed lit up with activists waxing poetics about the coming insurrection. All the major social movement pages implored their sleepy audiences to rise from their slumber like lions and reactivate that unshaken belief we all seemed to share just two years ago: that revolution is nigh. The extreme joy with which the left (from liberals to Marxists to anarchists) seems to have embraced Russell Brand as a spokesman for the revolution is, in the first place, an indictment of our own failure. We are just so happy to see our concerns, criticisms and claims reflected in the mainstream media by a charming, articulate and . . .

Russell Brand May Have Started a Revolution Last Night

Actor-slash-comedian-slash-Messiah Russell Brand, in his capacity as guest editor of the New Statesman's just-published revolution-themed issue, was invited to explain to Jeremy Paxman why anyone should listen to a man who has never voted in his life. "I don't get my authority from this preexisting paradigm which is quite narrow and only serves a few people," Russell responded. "I look elsewhere for alternatives that might be of service to humanity." And with that, the first shots of Russell's revolutionary interview were fired. Over the course of the following ten-or-so minutes, Brand and Paxo volleyed back and forth over subjects ranging from political apathy, to corporate greed, to gorgeous beards. Throughout the interview, Brand repeatedly dodged Paxman's efforts to trivialize his message — at one point Paxman literally called Brand a "very trivial man" — until finally, even the entrenched newsman appeared to relent against the rushing tide of Brand's valid arguments.

On Revolution: “We No Longer Have The Luxury Of Tradition”

The overthrow of the current political system is the only way I can be enthused about politics. I don’t vote because to me it seems like a tacit act of compliance; I know, I know my grandparents fought in two world wars (and one World Cup) so that I’d have the right to vote. Well, they were conned. As far as I’m concerned there is nothing to vote for. I feel it is a far more potent political act to completely renounce the current paradigm than to participate in even the most trivial and tokenistic manner, by obediently X-ing a little box. Total revolution of consciousness and our entire social, political and economic system is what interests me, but that’s not on the ballot. Is utopian revolution possible? The freethinking social architect Buckminster Fuller said humanity now faces a choice: oblivion or utopia.

Banksy Arrested By New York Police?

A few days ago we published an article, Bloomberg Threatens Banksy With Arrest For Public Art, that described how Mayor Bloomberg had spoken out against Banky's public art and approved the use of police force against his "Better Out Than In" artists residency in New York. We also included a photo array of some of Banky's iconic art work. Today, as reported below, a notice was put up his website saying that the exhibit for the day had been cancelled due to police activity. The report below indicates that Banksy and two of his colleagues may have been arrested this morning. From the report: Today Banksy put up on his Instagram the message, “Today’s art has been cancelled due to policy activity.” A commenter wrote, “Friend at 79th precinct said they nabbed banksy and 2 helpers in the act this morning around 6:00 a.m. :( They have them on video at another location too.”

Let’s Get This Class War Started

Class struggle defines most of human history. Marx got this right. The sooner we realize that we are locked in deadly warfare with our ruling, corporate elite, the sooner we will realize that these elites must be overthrown. The corporate oligarchs have now seized all institutional systems of power in the United States. Electoral politics, internal security, the judiciary, our universities, the arts and finance, along with nearly all forms of communication, are in corporate hands. Our democracy, with faux debates between two corporate parties, is meaningless political theater. There is no way within the system to defy the demands of Wall Street, the fossil fuel industry or war profiteers. The only route left to us, as Aristotle knew, is revolt. It is not a new story. The rich, throughout history, have found ways to subjugate and re-subjugate the masses. And the masses, throughout history, have cyclically awoken to throw off their chains.

Protect The Right To Protest: Stand With Moral Mondays

Petition to demand that you stop the attacks on our Constitutional rights to petition and protest the government. I am concerned about the conviction of Saladin Muhammad and the prosecution of all the 940 Moral Monday campaign arrestees. These courageous people were standing against the move to enact anti-worker and racist laws as part of a national corporate financed campaign to eliminate vital social programs and basic democratic rights. Muhammad, a founding member of Black Workers For Justice, led the organizing as an Organizer of the national United Electrical Workers Union (UE). and the North Carolina Public Service Workers Union-UE Local 150. UE Local 150 has been a leader in the campaign to repeal the North Carolina state ban on collective bargaining rights for public sector workers. This campaign included getting a ruling from the United Nations International Labor Organization (ILO) finding North Carolina and the U.S. out of compliance with international laws and treaties by its denial of public sector workers collective bargaining rights.

Sailors Union: Peaceful Protest Is Not Piracy

Working hand-in-glove, two unions of merchant seafarers in several countries are agitating for the release of the Arctic 30, a multinational group of officers, crew, activists and journalists seized at gunpoint by the Russian coast guard on September 18. Working from the Greenpeace vessel Arctic Sunrise, the activists were protesting new oil and gas development in the Pechora Sea (an arm of the Barents Sea), an arctic region deemed environmentally sensitive by Greenpeace. International outrage over the arrest of the protestors escalated after Russian authorities charged the Arctic 30 with piracy, a crime that carries long prison terms. “Peaceful protests and piracy are two very different things,” says Don Marcus of the Linthicum Heights, MD-based International Organization of Masters, Mates & Pilots (MM&P). “We have a problem when the officers and crew are charged with piracy as some kind of political expedient.”

Bill Ayers, Public Enemy

Ayers clarified that he remains proud of his motives, saying, “What I don’t have is regret for opposing that illegal, immoral, destructive, genocidal war with every fiber of my being. I can’t regret it. I crossed lines of legality, crossed lines maybe of common sense, but I can’t regret destroying property to try to stop the murder of 6,000 people a week. I just can’t regret it.” The fact that his detractors fixate on his radical activism while ignoring the destructive legacy of the Vietnam War angers Ayers. He contextualized it: “I don’t think what we did was brilliant—I’m not advocating anything. But I will say that what we did was a mosquito bite compared to what the government was doing.” Despite being labeled a “communist terrorist bomber” by the right wing, Ayers says he does not consider himself a radical. He told me, “I think on the 10 issues that I care most about, I’m in the majority in this country."

Elsipogtog: “Clashes” 400 Years In The Making

All those who live on the land governed by the treaty are bound by that relationship, by law and by history. That, at any rate, is how many Mi'kmaq people see it. Non-Native Canadians are more likely to know nothing about the relationship that allows them to live in parts of New Brunswick or Nova Scotia. If they do know, they probably see it as a social studies curiosity rather than the basis of their legal rights in this country. And that's where the media comes in. People who have been reading newspapers and listening to CBC News on the radio for years still have no idea about what should be the most basic self-awareness. It's hard to say why any given reporter or editor chooses to continue not providing this essential information. But we can identify the effects of this ongoing neglect. In the early 1800s, Mi'kmaq people were forced onto reserves.

Bloomberg Threatens Banksy With Arrest For Public Art

Mayor Michael Bloomberg who has aggressively and often illegally used the New York Police Department (often at great expense in fines and court orders) to attack protesters and to racially profile tens of thousands of New Yorkers is now threatening street artist Banksy with arrest. The artist is in the midst of "Better Out Than In," which he calls "an artists residency on the street of New York." While many New Yorkers seem to be enjoying his art -- flocking to search for it when he posts a photo and gives clues as to where it is located, Mayor Bloomberg promises to remove any art that is on public property. By backing the use of the NYPD to arrest Banksy for 'vandalism' it is very likely he has heightened the interest in Banksy's artist's residency in New York. I know we were enjoying watching Banksy from afar (in Baltimore) and now will be watching even more closely. Below the article describing Bloomberg's attack on street art is a photo display of some of Banksy's more iconic pieces of art.

Success! Palm Restaurant Withdraws Support Of Urban Camping Ban

The Boycott the Urban Camping Ban Coalition is pleased to announce that The Palm Restaurant has officially withdrawn support for Denver’s Urban Camping Ban Ordinance passed in May 2012. On May 6, 2012, Occupy Denver held their first Boycott in protest of the Urban Camping Ban at Snooze A.M. Eatery.1 It was attended by not just members of Occupy Denver, but activists from Denver and surrounding areas who were concerned about the treatment of their fellow human beings, the homeless. The “Urban Camping” Ban Ordinance was passed by the Denver City Council on May 14, 2012, at which time an ongoing weekly protest lead by Janet Matzen and Occupy Denver began at Snooze A.M. Eatery and later attracted coalition partners. On April 5, 2013, Snooze issued a statement reversing their position in support of the Ban.2 On April 26, 2013, the Boycott was moved to The Palm Restaurant Denver and a weekly Friday night boycott began.

Popular Resistance Newsletter – Fighting Tyranny Of National Security State

This week may be seen as a turning point in the fight back against NSA spying by creating new systems to overcome the surveillance state. There have been protests against the NSA’s spying program but they focus only on legislative solutions. While legislation is needed, many of the technological solutions lie within our own power and often merely require the government to get out of the way. President Obama’s independent commission is anything but independent. We are not going to get a “Church Committee” in the current Congress. The leadership of both parties and President Obama are too tied to the surveillance state – or, perhaps too afraid of it – to challenge it. The director of National Intelligence, James Clapper was not even reprimanded or forced to resign when he committed perjury before Congress about surveillance on Americans. Protests against the surveillance state continue to grow.

November 5th: One Million Masks, Expect Us – Anonymous

Although the clear goal of the march has not been announced, it is being held no doubt in support of victims of US oppression: such as Aaron Swartz, Julian Assange, Jeremy Hammond, Edward Snowden, Bradley Manning, and everyone else who has been trampled on by authoritarian illegal governments while fighting for truth, justice, freedom of speech and the finer attributes that make us the civilized and beautiful creations that we all are. Well most of us. Anonymous is an inclusive force, so if on the 5th of November (remember, remember) you want to join forces in support of the fight against evil, check on the net for an activity near year, or plan your own. After all we are all Anonymous. Masks are optional. As the Knights of the Internet say: We are Anonymous. We are Legion. We do not forgive. We do not forget. Expect us.

Aaron Swartz’ Legacy: SecureDrop Allows Anonymous Whistleblowing

Freedom of the Press Foundation has taken charge of the DeadDrop project, an open-source whistleblower submission system originally coded by the late transparency advocate Aaron Swartz. In the coming months, the Foundation will also provide on-site installation and technical support to news organizations that wish to run the system, which has been renamed “SecureDrop.” By installing SecureDrop, news organizations around the world can securely accept documents from whistleblowers, while better protecting their sources’ anonymity. Although it is important to note that no security system can ever be 100 percent impenetrable, Freedom of the Press Foundation believes that this system is the strongest ever made available to media outlets. Several major news agencies have already signed up for installations, and they will be announced in the coming weeks.

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Due to the attacks on our fiscal sponsor, we were unable to raise funds online for nearly two years.  As the bills pile up, your help is needed now to cover the monthly costs of operating Popular Resistance.

Urgent End Of Year Fundraising Campaign

Online donations are back! 

Keep independent media alive. 

Due to the attacks on our fiscal sponsor, we were unable to raise funds online for nearly two years.  As the bills pile up, your help is needed now to cover the monthly costs of operating Popular Resistance.

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