Winning Hearts & Minds

Wal-Mart workers plan Black Friday walkout

"A group of Wal-Mart workers are planning to stage a walkout next week on Black Friday, arguably the biggest holiday shopping day for the world's largest retail store. The walkout builds on an October strike that started at a Wal-Mart in Los Angeles and spread to stores in 12 other cities. More than 100 workers joined in the October actions. According to Anthony Bianco, author of Wal-Mart: The Bully of Bentonville, butchers at a Wal-Mart supercenter in Jacksonville, Texas, voted to form a union in 2000 -- the first time employees had done so. But soon after that, Wal-Mart eliminated butcher departments in its stores across the country." Continue reading →

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Police Taser Homeowner For Trying To Save Burning House With Garden Hose

"The 42-year-old commercial fisherman is still struggling to comprehend exactly how things deteriorated so quickly Thursday. He said he doesn’t understand why police shot him with a Taser that night as he tried to battle a house fire at 3420 Beechwood Ter. N. Jensen’s family, friends and neighbors have been quick to defend him and accuse police of crossing a line." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPolice Taser Homeowner For Trying To Save Burning House With Garden Hose

U.S. soldier could face death over Afghan massacre

[Should have been a drone pilot instead.] "Bales faces 16 counts of murder, six of attempted murder, seven of assault, two of using drugs and one of drinking alcohol. Seventeen of the 22 victims were women or children and almost all were shot in the head. The 39-year-old allegedly left his base in the Panjwayi district of Kandahar province on the night of March 11 to commit the killings, which included nine children. He allegedly set several of their bodies on fire. Prosecutors at the pre-trial hearing have alleged that Bales left the base twice to carry out the killings, returning in between and even telling a colleague what he had done." Continue reading →

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Americans protest against US terror drone attacks

"A group of American activists have staged a protest outside the CIA headquarters to voice their anger against Washington’s ongoing use of terror drone attacks. The use of terror drones as a weapon of war is an isolated method, raising many ethical questions in addition to political and legal concerns. The UN has condemned the US assassination drone strikes, saying they pose a challenge to international law. Hundreds of people have been killed in drone attacks in northwestern Pakistan's tribal areas since the beginning of this year. In Yemen, over 300 people have been killed in the airstrikes in the southern regions of the country so far in 2012." Continue reading →

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Bloomberg Strikes Again: NYC Bans Food Donations To The Homeless

"Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s food police have struck again! Outlawed are food donations to homeless shelters because the city can’t assess their salt, fat and fiber content, reports CBS 2’s Marcia Kramer. Glenn Richter arrived at a West Side synagogue on Monday to collect surplus bagels — fresh nutritious bagels — to donate to the poor. However, under a new edict from Bloomberg’s food police he can no longer donate the food to city homeless shelters." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBloomberg Strikes Again: NYC Bans Food Donations To The Homeless

Kill Lists Will Continue

"What media attention there has been has focused far too narrowly on the lists maintained by the White House and National Security Council that include American citizens. The reality is that kill lists have metastasized across the government to include the Pentagon and the CIA and are symptomatic of a transformation of U.S. foreign and defense policies. They have all become part of a ten year government created master plan to confront Islamic fundamentalism worldwide using drones and special operations teams, with little or no consideration for the local conditions that have led to the rise of religious extremism nor any concern for the consequences." Continue reading →

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Greeks clash with riot police as politicans pass austerity measures

"Conservative and socialist lawmakers from Greece's three-party coalition government voted to adopt the €18.5bn budget cuts by 2016 despite protests earlier in the day by more than 70.000 people who massed outside the parliament. Violent protesters threw fire bombs and rocks at police, who responded with stun grenades, tear gas and the first use of water cannon in Greece in years. Inside the building, lawmakers interrupted the debate as Parliament employees went on strike to protest wage cuts. Pasok leader Evangelos Venizelos announced that five of his party's deputies who voted against the measures were expelled from the party." Continue reading →

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Gen. Mark S. Martins on Gitmo Military Commissions: “The Will of Our People!”

"It may not be surprising or any sort of revelation — it’s pretty well known that temporary measures taken by the state have a way of staying permanent, after all — but to hear a government official basically come right out and admit that they’re creating a shadow legal system is still amazing to me." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGen. Mark S. Martins on Gitmo Military Commissions: “The Will of Our People!”

Obama urged to fulfill Guantanamo closure pledge

"Rights groups challenged President Barack Obama on Thursday to use his second term to close Guantanamo and end drone attacks, warrantless surveillance and extrajudicial killings. Shortly after he took office in January 2009, Obama declared that he would shutter the prison camp for 'war on terror' suspects within a year, saying it served as a recruiting tool for militant and hurt US national security. Rights groups have strongly criticized the president for his Guantanamo failures and for maintaining other stringent security tactics put into practice under his predecessor George W. Bush." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingObama urged to fulfill Guantanamo closure pledge