ra ra NAMASTE

litquake: The red thread of fate is an East Asian belief...

Sun, 11 Nov 2012 02:55:07 -0500

The red thread of fate is an East Asian belief originating from Chinese legend and is also used in Japanese legend. According to this myth, the gods tie an invisible red string around the ankles of those that are destined to meet each other in a certain situation or help each other in a certain way. Often, in Japanese culture, it is thought to be tied around the little finger.

The two people connected by the red thread are destined lovers, regardless of time, place, or circumstance. This magical cord may stretch or tangle, but never break.

Why I voted for Jill stein

Tue, 06 Nov 2012 13:50:53 -0500

Four years ago, I mailed in an absentee ballot while living in Spain. Everyone asked me, in Spanish or extremely rough English, “Obama?” As though there was a choice for whom I could vote. John McCain was crazy. Obama promised sanity. I was a die-hard Hilary Clinton fan, and the primary had made me hesitant of Obama, but after months of hearing about the election, I knew my only option was Obama.

This year was tumultuous. I changed everything, pretty much, in my life. Quit my job, moved across the country from my family and friends to Washington, and began a program in public service/affairs/policy. These changes definitely influence me daily; how I think, how I frame ideas and receive information. I’ve never wavered in my support of president Obama- both in speech and in donations. He is our commander in chief, and he is an absolutely fantastic alternative to Mitt Romney. But what’s troubled me this election-perhaps because I’m finally noticing- is that many people think there are only two choices. I’ve heard guys my age complain about the two party system before, but I never questioned it.

After seeing Jill Stein arrested twice this election season- first before the 2nd presidential debate in which she and other third-party candidates were not allowed to participate, and the second time a week or so ago when she was arrested for delivering supplies to a group of protesters protesting the expansion of the Keystone XL pipeline—i knew this woman was a badass. These events, as well as her positions on climate change, election processes, LGBT rights (she’s been in favor of marriage equality on the national level since 2002), and healthcare made me respect her. And not only do I respect her positions and ideas, I respect her moxie.

Voting for Jill Stein was not a referendum against president Obama. In fact, I grappled with the decision for an extremely long time. Is this rational? She can’t win the election by any regard. Will this make Obama lose? Is this wasting my vote? Will I make Obama lose?

The answer to all of these questions is no.

Yes, this race is difficult and close, especially depending on what news source you read. Am I confident Obama will win Washington? Yes. Am I confident Obama will win the electoral college? Pretty much. The age-old battle of “my vote doesn’t matter” vs “every vote matters!” that has stymied the GOTV process for my age group factors in here. In a sense, my vote for swaying it to Obama may not matter in a state like Washington. But my vote for Jill Stein actually counts more. It gives her a higher percentage of return. It gives her a chance not at winning, but at putting the Green Party on the ballot next time, and the time after. She’s gotten herself and the Green Party on 85% of the ballots this year- more than any other non-self funded (Ross Perot) third party candidate. It makes it more likely that she’ll receive enough votes to earn the Green Party federal election financing; that they’ll participate in the presidential debates next time. That people will notice third parties. That our system can, in fact, change.

My vote is not against Obama- although I know many will argue that a vote for someone else who’s not Obama is a vote for Romney- but I disagree. It’s a vote that says to both men “we can’t play this game anymore.” The game is rigged, and many don’t want to play. How effective is our GOTV strategy if we mobilize people with the hope of change and reform and then present them with only two options? My generation will be in the voting majority soon enough. If a large percentage of them— ~40%— grow up not voting, what sort of participatory democracy will we have? We’ll have a democracy controlled by those who are activists, who care deeply about problems that affect them, and who will advocate for their solutions to those problems. And throughout, a growing percentage of my fellow friends, colleagues and classmates will grow continually more disaffected, unhappy and excluded.

My vote for Jill Stein is a message to the democrats and republicans that this system doesn’t work. I had a conversation with co-workers the other day who said “I voted straight democrat because it’s easier.” This is not uncommon, on either side of the political spectrum. Sometimes identifying with an ideology, even though everything they say and do doesn’t fit with our beliefs, and voting on that is just easier. But is it right? Shouldn’t we as citizens question our parties and our officials, especially when we disagree with them? This year I also voted for a republican (lieutenant governor in Wa) because the democrat was fairly corrupt and is being investigated for ethics violations. But other than that, I voted for many democrats based on research that showed their ideas and records aligned somewhat with my own—and it was easier. I still fall victim to that partisan back-and-forth.

If we cannot hold our elected representatives—and the system in which we choose those representatives— accountable, is our system worth reforming, or discarding?

My vote for Jill Stein is not a vote against Obama. In many ways I view it as a vote for him, and a note that says “you get this one, but next time, it’s changing”

I may be misguided in this belief, but I welcome criticism and dialogue.

Photo

Mon, 22 Oct 2012 02:04:57 -0400

obama

Mon, 22 Oct 2012 01:58:30 -0400

I’m gonna stop letting the media influence and frighten me with this election. Of course it’s “tied” now, it’s all about creative journalism intent on harassing our, the viewers, emotions.

But what worries me the most about this election is not how I will be affected by a Mitt Romney presidency, but how those who were voiceless for so long, and who only just recently felt they could use their voices, will be silenced once again. How those LGBT youth— in places that don’t have Pride Centers or welcoming communities or parents who accept them—will be forced back in the closet, forced into permanent self-loathing, as Conservatives, emboldened by their win, will pronounce around the country that being gay is a sin and a Romney presidency affirms this. I worry how those kids will progress in a world that teaches intolerance through creative uses of an ancient, unrelenting text. I worry about communities that have no resources, no social or political capital with which to trade for equality, advocacy or rights, will continue to be marginalized through a failing education system and a polity that cares more about self preservation rather than mutual support.

I will be fine no matter what happens in this election; I’m strong, and I will always fight, good times or bad. I choose to exercise my right to vote in favor of Obama so that the voiceless will have a place in our politics, and our society.

YOU DON’T HAVE A FUCKING CHOCOLATE FEST! (Taken with...

Tue, 11 Sep 2012 20:12:20 -0400

YOU DON’T HAVE A FUCKING CHOCOLATE FEST! (Taken with Instagram at El Diablo Coffee)

My cute bedside table! Yes, it’s a #vintage suitcase!...

Tue, 11 Sep 2012 03:49:39 -0400

My cute bedside table! Yes, it’s a #vintage suitcase! (Taken with Instagram at Grex apartments)

My new #vintage #pyrex reminds me of @missfelic so I had to get...

Mon, 10 Sep 2012 00:51:33 -0400

My new #vintage #pyrex reminds me of @missfelic so I had to get it. :-) (Taken with Instagram)

#obama2012 I just realized this. Fuck yeah. (Taken with...

Mon, 10 Sep 2012 00:39:31 -0400

#obama2012 I just realized this. Fuck yeah. (Taken with Instagram)

I bought myself flowers at #Pikes Place Market (Taken with...

Sun, 09 Sep 2012 17:34:16 -0400

I bought myself flowers at #Pikes Place Market (Taken with Instagram)

Teehee “wine wallet”. I love #thrifting (Taken with...

Sun, 09 Sep 2012 14:25:39 -0400

Teehee “wine wallet”. I love #thrifting (Taken with Instagram)

I’ve been thinking about you. (me too) (Taken with...

Sat, 08 Sep 2012 23:57:42 -0400

I’ve been thinking about you. (me too) (Taken with Instagram)

#vintage sign (Taken with Instagram at Consign Design)

Sat, 08 Sep 2012 16:53:45 -0400

#vintage sign (Taken with Instagram at Consign Design)

#whiskey and lemonade. Yum (Taken with Instagram at Grex...

Sat, 08 Sep 2012 02:15:30 -0400

#whiskey and lemonade. Yum (Taken with Instagram at Grex apartments)

#freedom #obama2012 (Taken with Instagram)

Thu, 06 Sep 2012 16:38:27 -0400

#freedom #obama2012 (Taken with Instagram)

First meal in my new apartment, made with new cookware, served...

Sat, 01 Sep 2012 15:15:25 -0400

First meal in my new apartment, made with new cookware, served on new plates and eaten on my new bed. #new (Taken with Instagram at Grex apartments)

Center square #Albany (Taken with Instagram)

Sun, 26 Aug 2012 10:36:18 -0400

Center square #Albany (Taken with Instagram)

What do you mean you don’t want to pway? (Taken with...

Sun, 19 Aug 2012 00:19:43 -0400

What do you mean you don’t want to pway? (Taken with Instagram)

Rob riding that bull like a boss! At City Beer Hall (Taken with...

Wed, 15 Aug 2012 09:19:00 -0400

Rob riding that bull like a boss! At City Beer Hall (Taken with Instagram)

of-great-importance: thepeoplesrecord: Report: NYPD broke...

Mon, 30 Jul 2012 15:50:24 -0400

of-great-importance:

thepeoplesrecord:

Report: NYPD broke international law with OWS brutality
July 25, 2012

A report by a group of civil and human rights attorneys released Wednesday morning paints the clearest picture yet of the New York City police department’s aggressive tactics and over-policing, all of which resulted in the systemic suppression of the basic rights of Occupy protesters.

The report, which chronicles events from late September 2011 up to July of 2012, extensively documents numerous ways in which the NYPD acted with excessive force, attempted to intimidate and harass members of the press, expelled activists from public space due to the content of their speech, and ultimately concludes that authorities broke international law in their handling of Occupy Wall Street.

The executive summary states, in plain language:

“The abusive practices documented in this report violate international law and suppress and chill protest rights, not only by undermining individual liberty, but also by causing both minor and serious physical injuries, inhibiting collective debate and the capacity to effectively press for social and economic change, and making people afraid to attend otherwise peaceful assemblies.”

The authors of the report make several recommendations. First, they call for the city to enact a new, public protest policy, to be created in coordination with civil rights groups like the ACLU. Second, that Mayor Bloomberg establish an independent review of the policing of Occupy Wall Street since September 2011. Third, that New York State create an independent inspector-general to oversee the NYPD, and, if the state fails to do that, the report calls for the U.S. Department of Justice to step in to investigate the NYPD.

“The report calls for investigations and prosecutions of officials, and for new protest policing guidelines that ensure the NYPD respects core civil liberties and human rights,” said Sarah Knuckey, Adjunct Professor of Clinical Law and Research Director of Center for Human Rights and Global Justice (CHRGJ) at New York University School of Law, one of the report’s main authors. “If these things are not done, the U.S. Department of Justice needs to step in and investigate official misconduct, and bring charges where appropriate.”

The authors have filed the report – which focuses primarily on New York City, though subsequent reports will focus on other cities – with the DOJ, as well as with the United Nations as a formal complaint. They have also submitted it to the mayor’s office, the NYPD, and the New York City Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB).

Many involved with Occupy will be familiar with much that’s in the report, but its sheer scope makes the whole greater than the sum of its parts. And for international authorities who may be less well-acquainted with the less covered – though equally important – aspects of police repression, the report will likely prove a valuable tool.

“[This report] should serve as a wake-up call to the sleepwalkers who have not yet realized that the serious problems with the way New York City has been exercising its police powers are a real public health emergency that we have to deal with head-on and collectively, in a comprehensive and sustained way,” Gideon Oliver, president of the New York chapter of the National Lawyers Guild, told AlterNet.

Most shocking is the section titled “use of force”, and the accompanying 36-page table that documents 130 incidents of violence police committed against Occupy activists. The list of incidents by its very nature couldn’t be exhaustive, but is intended to show the wide range of force police used against activists. Some of the incidents are quite serious; punching, over-hand swinging of batons, and “intentionally applying very hard force to the broken clavicle of a handcuffed and compliant individual.” Reading through the table leaves one with a dizzying sense of brutality, as ten months of condensed violence flash before one’s eyes.

Source

I would love a report like this done on the amount of police brutality inflicted on PoC’s over the past, oh I dunno, let’s say 10 years (though that might be too much data)

and I would love for that report to have as much influence on policy as this one surely will

oh wait that won’t happen

#hungover on Miles’ couch. Cheez-its and Iron Man 2 on the...

Sat, 21 Jul 2012 14:22:25 -0400

#hungover on Miles’ couch. Cheez-its and Iron Man 2 on the iPad. (Taken with Instagram)