KHARTOUM, Oct. 15 (Xinhua) — The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) Thursday affirmed importance of cooperation with the Sudanese government to find lasting solutions to the conditions of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and refugees in the country, namely in Darfur, eastern Sudan and southern Sudan.
The UN’s probably right. Too bad the Sudanese government couldn’t care less about refugees.
So says at least one senator…
Health care reform legislation will be on President Barack Obama’s desk by Christmas, Americans will be mandated to buy insurance and those who can’t afford coverage will have a public option — or maybe they won’t, Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, told reporters from around the country today.
Four of the five committees that have approved legislation “will have a public option,” as an alternative for people who can’t afford private coverage, he said during a teleconference organized by Families USA, a health consumers advocacy group based in Washington, D.C.
Has Been Free I should say. I guess in March of 2009, former drug kingpin, “Freeway” Ricky Ross was released from prison for being a “model prisoner.” He was then sent to a halfway house and finally on September 29, 2009, he was completely released. How did I miss this?! Why didn’t anyone tell me? Here’s his Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1476132542&v=wall&ref=ts#/pages/Freeway-Ricky-Ross/183099564357?v=wall&ref=mf
Chris
This is a trailer for the new Kevin Booth documentary. This time he focues specifcally on Marijuana (as the title clearly indicates) as opposed to his last film, American Drug War, which evaluated all or most drugs related to the drug war. I hope he include the reality of Obama’s (at least so far) abandoment of his campaign promises concerning law enforcement’s handling of drugs. Anyway, I’ll be seeing this soon.
Chris
WERS News
1.4 trillion is the amount of the budget deficit for the 2009 fiscal year, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO). This deficit, the highest in our economy in over half a century, was estimated for 2009 until September 30th.For the month of September alone, the U.S. ran an estimated deficit of 31 billion.
Patrick Yoest for Dow Jones Newswires said that “The fiscal 2009 spending is equal to 25% of the nation’s gross domestic product, which the CBO states is “the highest level in over 50 years.”
Yoest said that “The CBO in its monthly budget report states that the fiscal 2009 deficit was estimated to equal 9.9% of gross domestic product in the U.S. – the largest deficit relative to the nation’s gross domestic product since 1945.
So much for fiscal responsibility!
WASHINGTON — Envoys from the UN Security Council’s top powers have called on Sudan’s feuding parties to urgently implement a 2005 peace accord and prepare for 2010 elections.
Wait, so there was a peace accord years ago? That didn’t do anything? Can ANYTHING stop the violence in the Sudan?
A health-care reform bill drafted by the Senate Finance Committee would cost $829 billion over the next decade and would meet President Obama’s goal of reducing the federal budget deficit by 2019, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said Wednesday.
We have a winner?!?
The bill would also expand coverage to 94 percent of Americans by 2019, the CBO said, up from the current 85 percent.
And the phrase “public option” is AWOL in this piece.
Title: Black Panthers Speak
Author(s): Phillip S. Foner. Includes writings by all your favorite Panthers: Bobby Seale, Huey P. Newton, Eldridge Cleaver, Fred Hampton, Angela Davis, and Stokely Carmichael, amongst others.
Year: 1995
Pages: 328
Good Guys: Black Panthers and some of their vanilla comrades who fought beside them in the black struggle
Bad Guys: Oppressive, White AmeriKKKA: Police, businesses, the entire U.S. Government (particularly the most rotten pigs, the FBI), and average, apathetic, ignorant citizens
My Rating: A-
Why Subversive?:
I suppose it is “strange” for a white, suburban kid to walk around, clutching a book of militant black politics demonizing the wahhitte man and all his evils. But, then again I am a “strange” guy. So, why did I read this gem of incendiary material? Well, two main reasons: 1) I’m chiefly a propagandist, if anything. Without a doubt the Panthers are accountable for some truly outstanding propaganda. They are completely biased, unabashedly, may I add and write for their side/interests. The point of their works is not to offer you a fair look at how our society works or how certain events went down. Ohh no, they share their perspective of what it is like to be a free-thinking black revolutinary in an extremely racist and violent country that does not value them as human beings. If one were to read “objective” newspapers of the day they would not have the same reaction. The media was never fair to the Panthers, because they served and still serve the government. So, the Panthers fought the mainstream propaganda with their own propaganda and successfully did so. Crucial events such as the Chicago Conspiracy trial, Huey P. Newton’s manslaughter charge, the brutal murder of Fred Hampton and Mark Clark at the hands of Chicago Police with connection to the FBI are discussed extensively. 2) This book has helped me better understand how fucked up our nation was and still is and how ignorant, we white Americans are. Of course, by reading this or anything else, it does not immediately make me an expert on race relations and I certainly can not say I understand what it was or still is like to be a minority in the US of A. But, it does offer me an awareness of the American Nightmare for blacks, minorities, revolutionaries, and especially black revolutionaries (longer sentences than white revolutionaries). If the Weathermen were black they would all have been imprisoned. For those that doubt the sinister nature of our government, please look through the lens of the black experience in America. If you are privileged and white, then you will not be able to relate to it, but you will have a better understanding of how our vicious, racist system works.
I’m not saying I agree with all the Panthers’ tactics, but this subversive book at least demonstrates how positive and successful the Panthers were in their individual communities. They were a national organization and in each of their many chapters, they had schools, free breakfast for children programs, free medical clinics, and drug rehabilitation for poverty-stricken blacks. Unfortunately, history textbooks and other media outlets place too much emphasis on the violent conflicts and militancy of the Party and not as much focus on their positive, survival programs. Don’t get me wrong, the militancy was an important factor, after all their name was the “Black Panther Party for Self-Defense” and these were clearly violent times with extreme Police Brutality. In the following video, Co-founder, Bobby Seale details the Party’s Ten Point Program/Platform:
If you like this subversive book and/or want to learn more about the Black Panthers, the Black Struggle, or racist white scumfucks, then I recommend the following:
Soul On Ice By: Eldridge Cleaver
Seize the Time By: Bobby Seale
The Autobiography of Malcolm X As Told To Alex Healy
Malcolm X Speaks
Live From Death Row By: Mumia Abu-Jamal
Seen above are Co-Founders, Bobby Seale, Chairman (left) and Huey P. Newton, Minister of Defense (right). Very badass.
Chris
Not looking good in Darfur…
KHARTOUM, Sept. 24 (Xinhua) — The United Nations and the African Union in Darfur (UNAMID) expressed Thursday its concern over the humanitarian situations at Korma area of north Darfur State in western Sudan.
Kids Like You & Me (KLYAM) 