DO IT NOW: URGENT: Defend Occupy Wall Street

EMERGENCY: Occupy Wall Street tweets, "Raid happening NOW at #libertysq MOBILIZE!" Please sign the emergency petition against this outrage -- then call every phone number listed in the email you get afterward. Mayor, Governor, NYPD, everyone... Mayor Bloomberg: Respect First Amendment rights. Don't evict Occupy Wall Street. http://act.boldprogressives.org/sign/petition_defend_ows/?source=tw-2

DO IT NOW DOSSIER: stop attacks, call Bloomberg!

http://october2011.org/blogs/kevin-zeese/are-nyc-police-protesting-abuse-occupy-wall-street

Are NYC Police Protesting Abuse of Occupy Wall Street?

By Kevin Zeese - Posted on 26 September 2011

The report below is important for many reasons, but I found this in particular to be of interest: "Today we received unconfirmed reports that over one hundred blue collar police refused to come into work in solidarity with our movement.These numbers will grow. We are the 99 percent. You will not silence us." This is what happens in non-violent actions, if protesters stay non-violent, some police refuse to participate in the violence against the protesters. It also shows the critical of importance of everyone attending being ready to film from their phone or other equipment.  See  The People Are the Media and our media page. We are all the media and that gives us power.

Officer Bologna

Posted 2011-09-26 07:53:19 UTC by OccupyWallSt

Late last night we found out which white collar officer had maced our innocent protesters. We did not release this information as we had not yet come to a consensus on how to approach the situation. Earlier today we discovered that this information had already been released.

Yesterday, an NYPD spokesperson implied that we had edited the video to remove incriminating actions on the part of our peaceful protesters. Here are a few different angles and cuts of the event that we had not previously released:

As you can tell, we did not need to edit the video to implicate this officer in a gross and unconscionable crime.

This is the man who maced these young women without provocation.

His name is Antony Bologna. We demand that he is charged for his crimes. We demand that he receives jail time.

We demand that Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly resigns. Not only can he not control his most senior officers, he is involved in actively sheltering them from receiving any punishment.

We demand that Mayor Michael Bloomberg address our General Assembly and apologize for the police brutality and the cover-up that followed.

This was an attempt to make us weak, this was an attempt to destroy or derail our message, our conversation. It has not succeeded. We have grown, we will grow. Today we received unconfirmed reports that over one hundred blue collar police refused to come into work in solidarity with our movement. These numbers will grow. We are the 99 percent. You will not silence us.

Please call:
Mayor Bloomberg: +1 (212) 639-9675 or +1 (212) 788-2958 Deputy Commissioner of Public Information: +1 (646) 610-6700
NYPD Switchboard: +1 (646) 610-5000
First precinct: +1 (212) 334-0611

Make our voice heard. Make sure that the world knows that everyone deserves equal protection, service, and punishment.

Remain true to our principles of non-violence.

UPDATE: 4:51 PM EST Two more videos of Officer Bologna senselessly attacking peaceful protesters.

A reporter from Boston Herald was also maced by a white collar police officer

US Uncut Exposes Rush Limbaugh with One Simple Question

http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews/?akid=7519.187755.owKoql&id=660961&rd=1&t=1

Sometimes It’s Easy: US Uncut Exposes Rush Limbaugh with One Simple Question

 Carl Gibson, one of the founders of US Uncut, just steamrolled the drugged one. It was a thing of beauty. Rush would take a punch, hit the canvass, struggle to his feet, only to be flattened again. Eventually, as is always the case when right wing talkers find their asses handed to them, Ruash cheated. He spoke over Gibson, cut him off, spewed a slew of irrelevant right wing talking points, hung up on him, and then spent the next 10 minutes flailing desperately in an effort to make his audience forget what Carl’s question was.

So… What was the question? Well, a bit of background is in order first. Did you know that 47% of American households pay no income taxes? Let me tell you, every listener to right wing talk radio has heard that tired old talking point hundreds of times. It’s the ear bug of right wing talk that establishes the foundation of their resentment politics. After all, somebody has to be paying for all those welfare checks, right?

I probably don’t have to mention it to this crowd, but it is true, of course, that Limbaugh and his lieutenants (and the cultists that tune in faithfully every day) ignore the fact that everyone that works pays payroll taxes to the feds (about 12% of every dollar they earn)… They don’t mention the federal tax on gasoline… Or state, local and sales taxes. The truth is that nobody escapes the tax man, and that many of the folks that pay no federal income taxes nevertheless lose a higher percentage of their earnings to taxes than the super-rich do.

So yeah, virtually every day, Limbaugh tells his listeners that they are paying income taxes so that leech scum underclass of America can be coddled by the nanny state. So Carl called and politely as can be, asked:

Carl:  “…several multi-billion dollar corporations paid their CEOs more than they pay the government in taxes. Now I know how you feel about folks, I mean individuals who don’t pay their taxes, but I want to know how you feel about corporations that don’t pay taxes. Do you have the same antagonism for them?”

Rush: “How do I feel about how he felt about corporations that don’t pay income taxes?”

Carl:  “No, corporations.”

Rush:  “No, you said you know how I feel about individuals that don’t pay taxes… How do I feel about that?”

Carl:  “Well, I’ve heard you refer to the 47% of Americans that don’t pay taxes.”

Rush:  “Well, that’s… uh… they’re not illegally avoiding taxes, they don’t have to pay taxes because they’ve been exempted. Their votes are being purchased.”

Carl:  “Well, they have to pay a third of their income in sales and property and payroll and excise taxes too… but..” 

Rush:  “Look, the only major corporation I know not paying US taxes is General Electric.” 

Carl:  “GE, EBAY, Verizon, Exxon Mobil, Chevron, Bank of America, Citibank, I mean I can go on…”

Rush:  “Are you trying to tell me that every one of those corporations pay zero US taxes?”

Carl:  “Zero US taxes Rush. Sometimes they get money back from the federal government.”

And on, and on, and on and on… 

Eventually, Rush came back from his break to inform his listeners that ExxonMobil paidbillions in taxes!  It was just the caller's clever use of a technicality that allowed for him to make his claim.  It turns out that United States corporations can deduct the taxes they pay to other governments from their US tax bill.  

Are you kidding me?

Rush thinks it's OK for us to cut Social Security and Medicare while ExxonMobil pays nothing in taxes because they are sending money to other countries instead?  From there, Limbaugh just became a caricature of himself.  The plain fact is this:  Limbaugh had no good answer for Carl's question.  Limbaugh refused to say why he takes umbrage at the poor not paying federal income taxes while multi-billion dollar corporations that are enjoying record profits either pay no taxes, or even get refunds from the federal government.  

Listen for yourself (and you should - there's a lot of good stuff I left out):

By Mike Stark | Sourced from DailyKos 

DO IT NOW DOSSIER: Coburn does more GOP violence, CALL,complain!!

please call Dr. Coburn's office (Washington: 202-224-5754; Tulsa: 918-581-7651; Oklahoma City: 405-231-4941) fb.me/1a1EBJ2Z7
Sen. Coburn: ‘Good Thing I Can’t Pack A Gun On The Senate Floor’ | In yet another example of disturbing rhetoric from the GOP, yesterday Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) intimated that he’d like to threaten physical violence against his Senate colleagues, saying, “It’s just a good thing I can’t pack a gun on the Senate floor.” During a tour of Northeast Oklahoma, Coburn also called his fellow senators “career elitists” and “cowards.” After the Tucson shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) that claimed the lives of six people, there were renewed calls for elected officials to tamp down allusions to violence and be more cautious and respectful when talking about their colleagues, but Sen. Coburn apparently has no such concern. His cavalier remarks come only days after Gov. Rick Perry (R-TX) used menacing language about the Federal Reserve Chairman.

DO IT NOW DOSSIER: CALL MN ALEC MEMBERS NOW !!

 http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=230317733668739

MY previous post on call out ALEC




This is the ALEC list we were talking about at last night's
council meeting with Common Cause's state director.  I've also included the
names and phones at the end.

RECOMMENDED ACTION:  Call those on the list today and tomorrow.  They'll be
back by the weekend, some earlier.  Please send this out to all Minnesota
MoveOn members encouraging them to call and ask where they are this week.
Encourage Rebuild The Dream partners to also participate.  A suggested
script below:

"Hi, I'm hoping to meet [Representative/Senator] [Last Name] during our
state recess this week.  What events will she be at?"

Those who inform callers they are out of state, at a "task force" meeting,
in New Orleans, or at the American Legislative Exchange Council meeting
should:
1.  Email responses to Common Cause mdean@commoncause.org
2.  You can also post the results publicly via twitter as:  @CommonCauseMN
[Rep./Sen. [Name] staff confirmed in New Orleans] #ALECexposed

Common Cause will then file lawsuits against the legislators for violating
campaign finance rules.

NOTES:
Members and staff rarely refer to it as ALEC, chosing instead to make it
sound official with the "American" and other big words.  If you ask
specially about ALEC, the likely response is "I'm not aware of what that
is." followed by misinformation about what the legislator is actually doing,
so avoid saying ALEC during personal calls or visits.

Common Cause has a nearly complete list of Minnesota legislators here:
http://www.commoncause.org/siteapps/advocacy/search.aspx?c=dkLNK1MQIwG&b=486
0375

Primary names/phones to call (capitol/district #s), though calling all
elected officials you can in addition to these will also help discover
unknown ALEC members:
Carol McFarlane         (651) 296-5363 / (651) 429-6511
Chris Gerlach (651) 296-4120 / (952) 432-4100
Michael L. Beard        (651) 296-8872 / (952) 445-9374
Gen Olson       (651) 296-1282 / (952) 472-3306
Pat Garofalo    (651) 296-1069 / (651) 463-2112
Sondra L. Erickson      (651) 296-6746 / (763) 389-4498
Dave Thompson (651) 296-5252 / (612) 385-5950
Patricia Pariseau (retired, no numbers available)
Gretchen Hoffman        (651) 296-5655 / (218) 342-2010
Paul Anderson (651) 296-4317 / (320) 239-2726
Mary Kiffmeyer  (651) 296-4237 /      (763) 263-3876
Matt Dean       (651) 296-3018 /      (651) 429-8449
Roger C. Chamberlain (651) 296-1253
Ron Shimanski   (651) 296-1534 / (320) 327-0112
Ted Daley       (651) 297-8073 /      (651) 686-2839
Linda Runbeck   (651) 296-2907 / (763) 784-8822
Pam Myhra       (651) 296-4212 / 952.894.0544
Bruce D. Anderson (651) 296-5063 / (763) 682-1480
Connie Doepke  (651) 296-4315 / (952) 449-8696
Mike Parry      (651) 296-9457 / (507) 833-1883
Steve Drazkowski        (651) 296-2273 / (507) 843-3711

-----Original Message-----
From: tippingpointstrategies@gmail.com
[mailto:tippingpointstrategies@gmail.com] On Behalf Of Mike Dean - Common
Cause MN
Sent: Wednesday, August 03, 2011 11:04 AM
To: Henry (moveOn)
Subject: task force list

Henry:

Here is the list of MN legislators that are task force members.  It
will be released publicly in the next hour.

Encourage people to ask where their legislators are today?

Mike Dean
Common Cause Minnesota
612-770-6908

mdean@commoncause.org
Web site - http://www.commoncause.org/mn

DO IT NOW DOSSIER: Kucinich: White House Now Conceals Plan to Cut Social Security

Washington, Jul 26 -

Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) today released the following statement:

“Last Friday, the President told the nation that he offered a plan that would cut $650 billion from

Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. Last night in his address to the nation, the President

didn’t want to ‘bore’ Americans with the details of his plan but threatened that Congress must

accept a deal on the debt ceiling or seniors face the possibility that Social Security checks won’t

go out.

“Curiously, the President didn’t explain in his primetime address to the nation that ‘the deal’ he

has been advocating cuts Social Security benefits and pushes back the retirement age. These

changes are unwarranted and indefensible.

“Social Security is 100% wholly funded up to the year 2036 without any changes whatsoever.  It

has no place in the debt ceiling debate at all.  Furthermore, it is not the government’s money but

the money of the workers who have paid into the program their entire lives.

“Threatening the withholding of Social Security checks to advance an agenda that includes

cutting Social Security benefits is not befitting of the Democratic Party, it is not fair to the

American people, and it represents a sellout of the interests of seniors.

“I want to be supportive of the President.  It would be easier to be supportive if the President’s

candor matched the level of his eloquence."



CONTACT YOUR MEMBERS OF CONGRESS AND SENATORS. ALSO:call President Obama and tell him to BE A LEADER, use the Fourteenth Amendment and RAISE THE DEBT CEILING NOW:

202-456-2424

CALL out ALEC members in MN Leg NOW (or YOUR state)

NEXT STEP - FIGHT BACK! #liteson - lites on ALEC

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=230317733668739&view=wall

CALL out ALEC members in MN Legislature

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=230317733668739

The American Legislative Exchange Council is responsible for the MN shutdown crisis. This is an organization dedicated to (to put it delicately) keeping the rich rich and the corporatocracy going. In other words, stealing from those of us on the bottom!!  It’s a merger of corporations and legislators that masquerades as a “charity.”  It is getting more widespread exposure than ever before, as many of the model pieces of legislation have been released by a whistleblower.  The right wing Koch brothers and about 300 corporations are involved.  The Center for Media and Democracy has many great links and information.

We know that the Minnesota ALEC chair for MN is Mary Liffmeyer.  Her phone number is - Mary Kiffmeyer (R), 1-800-920-5875.

And we know about these members being spotted at an ALEC "DO" in Minnesota March 4^th at Bandana Square:

Rep. Matt Dean, co-coordinator (52B – Dellwood)p W651-296-3018
Sen. Warren Limmer (32 – Maple Grove) W 651-296-2159 H 763-493-9646
Sen. Gen Olson (33 – Minnetrista) W651 296-1282 H952-472-3306

The following are admitted ALEC members in Minnesota; (some 36 others are listed but maybe someone paid their membership . and that would prove very interesting, eh?)
Sen. Mike Parry (R) - 651 296 9457
Sen. John Sterling Howe (R) 651 296 4264, (c) 651 278 4693
Sen. Chris Gerlach (R) 651 296 4120 (majority whip)
Rep. Paul Anderson (R) 651 296 4317 (h) 320 239 2726
Rep. Mike Benson (R) 651 296 4378, (h) 507 993 1250
Rep. Steve Drazkowski (R) 651 296 2273, (h) 507 843 3711
Rep. Sondra Erickson (R) 651 296 6746
Rep. Joyce Peppin (R) 651 296 7806 (h) 763 428 4626
Rep. Linda Runbeck (R) 651 296 2907 (h) 763 784 8822
Rep. Ron Shimanski (R) 651 296 1534, (h) 320 0112
Rep.. Kurt Zellers (R) 651 296-5502
plus many freshmen legislators.

Notice any pattern? Kind of contradicts ALEC's claim to be bi-partisan.   We would "guess" the following are also members: Amy Koch, Geoff Michel, maybe Tony Sutton himself. How about Abeler, Hann? Garofalo? (1) Pick up the phone one and call.  (2) IF you're unable to reach your chosen ALEC member immediately, wait a few minutes or hours & try again.  (3) BE POLITE! BE POLITE! BE POLITE!  (4) Instead of attempting to change the mind of the person picking up the phone just employ a SIMPLE message:

"Stop threatening the future economic health of the people of Minnesota by refusing to tax the rich."

"I think the health of Minnesotans comes before politics"

"This country was built on compromise, STOP being an obstructionist & do the j-o-b voters elected you to do. Fulfill your oath of office. Represent the citizens not the corporations and the rich."

"Driving the CHILDREN, the poor, the disabled, veterans, students, seniors off a financial cliff in order to WIN a victory against Mark Dayton and the citizens is UNACCEPTABLE & WRONG."

“Next election you are gone.”

A rant against ALEC&Co by USuncut Minnesota on Shutdown day:  http://www.youtube.com/wat​ch?v=RiqBuTRMsvI&feature=f​eedf
POST SHUTDOWN action against ALEC:   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmNU3SumcN8

And how about the MN corporate sponsors ? We need to call out Cargill and other companies eventually, too.

They want to gut our State and our resources as quickly - and as cheaply - as they possibly can. Graft is at new heights in Minnesota. And who is hurt in the process matters not one whit to them. I have posted on ALEC abuse at www.USuncutMN.blogspot.com for months - and it's easy to subscribe.

Write and ASK your legislators - are YOU in ALEC? Did you use taxpayer money to go to the events? Are you ever ashamed of your greed and politicking when ALEC policies hurt REAL people? Ask your DFL legislators why they say NOTHING about this when they know what is up.  It is important to realize that these ALEC "folks" caused and will continue to aggravate trauma and hardship for THOUSANDS of Minnesotans – particularly CHILDREN who don’t vote. They should all be RECALLED. Besides the lobbying money and perk$ they've taken, most accepted salaries during the shutdown. They do NOT pay tax on campaign funds, although we think that is INCOME. They stole democracy in our State -- and are aligned w/members probably in YOUR state.

Now it is up to us, We the People, to defeat them and their puppets as the media and politicos seem intent to play scared and not confront the real problem - a very deeply entrenched Conservative agenda in America's State houses.

Tweet this !! Like this!! Share this!! It's up to US. Boycott Koch products!!

Don’t let ALEC members get relelected.
Write the media and ask why they don't cover this important story.  #MNrecallGOP
MN statute to recall MN ALEC members

USuncutMN@gmail.com                Facebook US Uncut Minnesota           twitter: USuncutMN

http://dbapress.com/quick-​and-dirty/tracking-alec-mo​del-legislation-through-re​al-legislatures

hERE IS AN OLDIE, BUT GOODIE LIST OF SOME ALEC MEMBERS:
http://alecwatch.org/chapt​erthree.html

See also, among many fine links:
http://www.thenation.com/a​rticle/161973/alec-exposed​-koch-connection
http://www.dane101.com/cur​rent/2011/07/13/center_for​_media_and_democracy_drops​_alec_document_bomb

This website, from Center for Media and Democracy, reveals great information about ALEC and some of their members. ALEC is an underhanded way for the corporations to undermine democracy without anyone knowing about it.

ALEC Exposed

www.alecexposed.org

The Center for Media and Democracy has EXPOSED over 800 "model" bills and resolutions secretly voted on by corporations and politicians through the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC).

Tweet this !! Like this!! Share this!! It's up to US. Boycott Koch products!!
Remember 1929 - and the DELUSION of the Middle east potentates that revolution couldn't happen there; it CAN happen here if the rich take our country !!

MN statute to recall MN ALEC members:  https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/?id=211c&view=chapter

AARP Tells Members They Won't Fight Social Security Benefit Cuts

It is important for AARP to hear from you about their sell-out of Social 


Security. They are a powerful force in DC and need to realize this will cost 


them dearly. Call 888-687-2277, end membership (ask for a refund) or 


tell them you will never join AARP as a result.

by Roger Hickey

The front page of today's Wall Street Journal features an article [Key Seniors Association Pivots on Benefit Cut] reporting that AARP "is dropping its longstanding opposition to cutting Social Security benefits." The piece is based on a conversation with AARP policy director John Rother. This is a big deal - not because AARP was ever such a strong force against proposed benefit cuts (other groups are doing that much more effectively), but because the mainstream media is now full of headlines like this from ABC News: AARP Appears to Switch Stance on Social Security Cuts and this column by David Von Drehle, from Time Online:Victory! The Grey Goliath Gives Way on Social Security.

AARP members across the country areoutraged. Some are burning their membership cards. The timing of this front page story couldn't be worse. Conservatives have fixated Congress and the White House on deficits and spending cuts that will kill jobs -- even though most Americans care more about jobs than deficits. Most Americans were heartened when Paul Ryan's plan for dismantling Medicare was decisively rejected by the very Republican voters of New York's 26th Congressional District - after Ryan got almost every Republican in the Congress to vote for it. Democrats were starting to re-learn how to campaign as defenders of Medicare and Social Security. And now this - from a top level AARP leader - a real momentum killer.

Now, this obviously well-planned article in the Wall Street Journal, timed just as Joe Biden's deficit reduction talks are moving to "the difficult stuff," gives aid and comfort to conservatives and New Democrats who are on a jihad to make Social Security cuts a focus of deficit reduction - even though America's largest retirement program has its own source of funding and can't contribute to the deficit.

It is well-known that Obama administration officials would like to have a deal on Social Security which changes the index by which benefits are raised each year (a big benefit cut) and which raises the retirement age (another big benefit cut) and also the lifts the cap which limits the percentage of their income that richer people pay in Social Security taxes (a revenue increase). So far, that's been a non-starter with Republicans, who can't support tax increases on the wealthy. But with the press now trumpeting AARP's dramatic move toward benefit cuts, Republicans might come under pressure to make a deal. The irony here would be the White House using the AARP to leverage a deal that cuts benefits - while doing nothing to reduce the federal deficit! Their answer if they could pull this off: It will reassure the bond markets.

This just in: The AARP has just issued a statement by their CEO, A. Barry Rand, entitled AARP Has Not Changed Its Position on Social Security. In it, Rand calls the WSJ piece inaccurate and misleading, but doesn't clarify what they think was inaccurate.

In the Journal article, John Rother was clear that he's willing to support SS benefit cuts. AARP in its statement just reiterates its commitment to "solvency" of the program. I believe SS can be made solvent without benefit cuts. John Rother disagrees. Where does the AARP as the largest organization claiming to represent seniors stand? They are not clear.

The AARP statement claims to oppose including Social Security in the deficit discussions. If they really mean that, the group that promotes itself as the most powerful defender of seniors in America should get their vaunted citizen's lobby in gear - to make sure Social Security doesn't become the sacrificial lamb of this dangerous season of budget cutting blood on the floor.

Baby boomers are now beginning to retire - and we have many fewer retirement assets (no pensions, devastated savings, unconventional work histories) - and we are going to depend on Social Security even more than previous generations. We know we didn't join for the movie discounts. If we can't depend on AARP to fight for decent Social Security benefits, maybe we need a more activist organization that will.

Roger Hickey is Co-Director of the Campaign for America’s Future. He was a leader of the campaign to stop the privatization of Social Security, and he is a founder and member of the steering committee of Health Care for America Now. In the late 1980s he and Jeff Faux created the Economic Policy Institute.