Inside the Belly of the Beltway Beast

The market is collapsing, unemployment remains high (especially for people of color and recent grads), America's credit rating was just downgraded, and the U.S. is engaged in several hopeless and costly wars and military occupations... I am now actively helping to organize and build the October 6th to whenever occupation of Freedom Plaza. This could be the beginning of the paradigm shift many of us have been pushing for. The time is now to act (before it is too late)! We just need enough people to stop business as usual in DC, the capital of the empire. Here are some videos about October2011 made by Dennie Trainor Jr.: Why I will be in Freedom Plaza

Rep. Kucinich and eight other brave members of Congress are currently suing President Obama for Peace. Their case states that the commander-in-chief is in violation of the War Powers Act when it comes to the War on Libya. Obama absurdly contends that our military is not engaged in "hostilities" when it bombs buildings and kills people in this North African nation. Therefore, the pres claims the law does not apply. The War Powers Act was passed in order to further clarify Article 1 of our Constitution (that Congress and the President need to make such war-making decisions jointly). Passed in 1973, it was designed to check unlimited presidential military actions. Sadly, it has been ignored by presidents and Congress for at least a couple decades now. I doubt this lawsuit, although a very honorable step, will gain much ground. If folks haven't noticed things have not gone well for the peace and justice movement for the last few years... The American people, however, are gett...

There has been a call put out to the entire peace and justice movement to assemble in Freedom Plaza (downtown DC, along Pennsylvania Avenue), and to not leave until the U.S. Government begins withdrawing all it military forces from Afghanistan (this will be at the same time our nation completes a decade of war in this Third World country) and begins to redirect war funds to desperately needed social programs and protections for the environment. The original organizers are encouraging people not to leave until the demands are met. I think this does need to happen. But I also realize that those leaving their homes and camping out on the concrete slabs of Freedom Plaza will need support. They will need food and water brought into them. Folks will need to begin to organize themselves, as did the courageous protesters in first Egypt and Tunisia, and now currently in Spain. So will it last longer than a couple days, will the mass media largely ignore us? Again, I will repeat, this needs to h...

I have neglected my blog for too long. Work at the LoC is going well, although not very exciting. I did pass the criminal background check during the last month, and they know all about my past arrests and convictions. Here is a pic of a lotus at Lake Artemesia where I walk Bruno nearly every day. My current activism remains almost exclusively focused on courageous whistle blower, Bradley Manning (now moved from Quantico to more humane Leavenworth). The prosecution and persecution of Bradley and other whistle blowers reveals the repressive nature of Barack Obama’s presidency. Although he claimed “hope” and even pushed “government transparency” during his campaign, the reality of his time as president has proven to be the opposite. We (the Bradley Manning Support Network) had a tele-press conference for Bradley (exactly one year after his arrest) recently which featured Pentagon Papers’ Daniel Ellsberg and WikiLeak’s Julian Assange. It proved to be wildly successful. Here are a couple n...

Sorry it's been so long since I last posted. Life is good. 3/20 in Quantico was a big success, and now I am signed up with Zipcar so Bruno and I can be a bit more mobile. Here is the latest on Bradley Manning (securing his freedom is my focus now)... Mistreatment of Manning Criticized by UN Torture Investigator, Hundreds of Legal Academics and Hundreds of Thousands By Kevin Zeese Colonel: "Obama Could End Torture with One Phone Call" For Immediate Release For Further Information Jeff Paterson Kevin Zeese (301-996-6582 cell) Bradley Manning Support Network Email address removed 1-202-640-4388 Mistreatment of Manning Criticized by Leading Law Professors & UN Torture Investigator Hundreds of Thousands Write Obama Urging End to Manning Abuse Washington, DC: The eight months of solitary confinement of Bradley Manning at Quantico has drawn national and international criticism in the last week. Support is growing for him around the world with 500,000 writing President Ob...

There is a lot going on for me in March. And the weather was warming up nicely today; Bruno enjoyed his walks. March 13th we have the fundraiser for Bradley Manning's Legal Defense Fund. Location: Busboys and Poets at 5th and K Streets NW. March 19th Veterans for Peace lead a big protest and civil resistance action at the White House. March 20th we have a rally and march to the gates of Quantico (similar to what was done on MLK Day). Buses have been reserved to take folks from Union Station. Meanwhile, the resistance to union busting and the further destruction of the Middle Class intensifies in Wisconsin. Hundreds of protesters have reclaimed their state capitol building in Madison, staying overnight in the rotunda. This same beautiful resistance is now beginning to spread to Indiana and Ohio. I really don't think the corporate servant boy, Gov. Walker of Wisconsin will be re-elected in three years from now. It must also be pointed out that this beautiful show of people standi...

Who is Bradley Manning? In late May 2010, Private First Class Bradley Manning, an intelligence analyst with the US Army in Baghdad, was arrested, suspected of providing the “Collateral Murder” video to Wikileaks. This video was covered widely in the mass media and has been viewed as revealing a war crime. On June 6, 2010, he was charged with violating the Uniform Code of Military Justice, including eight criminal offenses and four noncriminal violations of Army regulations. The full charge sheet is available at www.bradleymanning.org/3163/charge-sheet-html. Bradley's arrest was precipitated by an alleged online chat confession to convicted felon and hacker Adrian Lamo. The details about and circumstances around this online chat are unconfirmed and somewhat dubious. The military held Bradley Manning in Camp Arifjan, Kuwait until late July, 2010, at which time they transferred him to U.S. Marine Corps Base Quantico in Quantico, Virginia. They have continued to hold him there in soli...

Special thanks to my friend Pat Elder for doing my most recent show. He is a real expert on the topic of the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery test and the access recruiters get to our youth! Maryland fight against militarism in schools 2/1/2011 - GreenTeaParty | Internet Radio | Blog Talk Radio

In a call published on Michael Moore's Website, our house decided to respond. A video will be put together with a cast of hundreds and released on the day of Julian Assange's extradition hearing... We hope that truth and a more transparent government will emerge from this chapter in history.

Happy Birthday to Dr. M. L. King Jr. (his actual birthday was Saturday); we are given a federal holiday for a great man! A man of amazing vision, a revolutionary (on a spiritual/ethical plane) leader, and someone with a prophetic message. Here's one of his quotes, as some of us will be protesting at the FBI Building (due to crack downs on nonviolent peace activists in the Midwest) and Quantico (where Bradley Manning has been held in solitary confinement for more than 7 months): "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere..." I have come to realize that much of this nation -- especially the government -- has reached the spiritual death that Dr. King warned about in his 1967 Riverside speech. This speech was made when King was being criticized for denouncing the war the U.S. waged in Vietnam. Below is an e-mail exchange I had with a devout liberal Democrat. This shows you that many still believe pleading with the politicians of the two wings of the corporate-domin...

In less than 11 hours it will be 2011. I am convinced 2011 will be better than 2010 for progressives and Americans in general. The economy will not fully recover, but more and more people will begin to realize they are being lied to by many powerful folks in government and in multi-national corporations. This increased awareness is healthy and greatly needed. I am hopeful because more people realize the current mainstream lifestyle of outrageous oil consumption is unsustainable and that this will require a major shift of resources and a complete redesigning of the way we live our lives. Many newspapers, magazines, broadcast outlets at this time of year review the top three stories or trends that marked 2010 and a preview of the coming year... So, I've got three lists of my own. Top 3 Local Stories for progressive activists 1. 135, mostly veterans (including Daniel Ellsberg), arrested at White House fence demanding end to wars and occupations in Afghanistan and Iraq AFP article on ...

Happy holidays to everyone! Bruno and I are packing to go over to G'town very soon... Here's the show -- special thanks to Max from Baltimore. Listen to internet radio with GreenTeaParty on Blog Talk Radio

My most recent Internet Radio show. I think it went really well. What is Fracking and why did Pittsburgh ban it?

Sometimes you just need to escape reality, and sometimes you have a hankering for a good game. It's great when these two wants collide. For me that's been fantasy role-playing. My Pathfinder (sometimes called D&D 3.75) campaign has had more than two dozen sessions, and that's what I would consider a long-running campaign. The makeup of the game has changed a couple times, and I think we are settling down to the five players we have now. I am pleased with the gaming troupe we have. I mentioned in a previous blog posting about Mike and how he came late into the campaign and was playing a disruptive character. Honestly I think it was more Mike as a player. I have played several fantasy role-playing games with him in the past -- and as a player he is usually very impulsive and makes poor decisions. Overall, he's a better DM, but even that is not saying much... But anyhow, yes, he was asked not to return to the group. And this last session just had a better feel to it. H...

Many thanks to Julia Willebrand for joining me for an enlightening conversation... Listen to internet radio with GreenTeaParty on Blog Talk Radio

My new job is going well, and it appears our contract is being expanded. That means that my co-worker and I will be overlooking other contractors from our firm arriving within the next month or two as the project moves into the next phase. Today I am home on a paid holiday! I don't think I've ever had Veterans Day off from work before. Bruno is doing well, and it seems that he is gaining much better bladder control and his listening skills are improving, as well. Later this morning we are going down to the lake! Anyhow, let me dive into a couple things. I love cooking! And a few weeks ago I made this delicious and nutritious soup for myself and my housemates. Here's the recipe I created. First make the chicken stock -- I stole this from the cool cookbook my sister Ellen bought me. It's "Japanese Hot Pots" by Tadashi Ono and Harris Salat. 1 pound chicken bones and wings 12 cups water, plus more for boiling the bones Place the bones in a large stockpot, fill it ...

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Five more days until my next Internet Radio show! I promise to write more very soon. I will share some info about cooking, fantasy role-playing (the non-kinky kind), and updates about Bruno... But here is the link to the show Tuesday evening: BDS: Movement for a Free Palestine

It has been a while since I wrote anything on this blog of mine. Well, I have started my new job at the Library of Congress! Very happy with that development, as poverty got real old. Can't really claim to be an activist currently, but I can say I am a proud former activist. I am considering pulling together a big fundraiser for heroic whistleblower Bradley Manning, but other than that -- no real activism/organizing. I am focused on doing my job and spending time with my best friend: Bruno. How was that for an introduction? OK, every morning, I am exposed to Homeland Security Director Janet Napolitano urging commuters to report any suspicious activity they may witness within the Metro system. It just has a very eerie and paranoid feel to it -- Big Sister is looking out for us, and watching us. It's also a blatant reminder that this country has changed a lot since my childhood (the national anthem still mentions "home of the brave," right?) This as news reports of peac...

I knew James Lee, the one the media is calling an environmental extremist, and who walked into Discovery Channel's HQ yesterday with a gun and some explosive devices. He came to many Washington Peace Center and Code Pink protests and events, and he liked to go by his last name only. In November 2008, he posted a video of the now late William Thomas (at his 24-hour anti-nuke vigil across from the White House) in a drunken state on the Washington Peace Center's blog (at that time it was open to the public). This video certainly did not help Thomas or his wife Ellen. He also posted extremely random and outrageous posts, clearly stating that he had the answers for world peace (drastic population reduction was a central one) and all of us at the Washington Peace Center should follow his instructions. It was a bit of an ordeal. He protested the small Washington Peace Center office for three or four days with a bullhorn, and then we entered into an informal mediation with him. Not muc...