Saturday, January 14, 2012

White House Will Not Support SOPA, PIPA

This is another victory for Occupy Wall Street and other activist groups that have been this proposed legislation. This amoral administration can be forced to do the right thing but we have to keep the pressure on. Next stop: the pipeline, Afghanistan, minimum wage, financial regulation and corporate accountability, money in politics, Bush tax cuts, creating JOBS, etc., etc.:

 Opponents of online piracy regulation bills SOPA and PIPA scored a major victory on Saturday.

The White House has officially responded to two online petitions, "Stop the E-PARASITE Act" and "Veto the SOPA bill and any other future bills that threaten to diminish the free flow of information," which urged the President to reject SOPA and PIPA.

The authors of the statement, Victoria Espinel, Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator at Office of Management and Budget, Aneesh Chopra, U.S. Chief Technology Officer, and Howard Schmidt, Special Assistant to the President and Cybersecurity Coordinator for National Security Staff, said that the White House will not support legislation that disrupts the open standards of the Internet.

"While we believe that online piracy by foreign websites is a serious problem that requires a serious legislative response, we will not support legislation that reduces freedom of expression, increases cybersecurity risk, or undermines the dynamic, innovative global Internet," the statement read in part.
Full article

Video: David Icke's Documentary at Occupy Wall Street (Part 1 of 2)

Video: Creation - Power To The People - Occupy Mix

Video: OWS Protesters Re-Occupy Liberty Square!

Occupy Wall Street Prepares to Occupy Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Source:

...on Sunday and Monday, the movement will take to the streets again to honor one of America's most famous protesters: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The events will begin with a Sunday night vigil at New York's Riverside Church, to be followed the next day by a baker's dozen protests across the nation against the Federal Reserve Bank.

[...]The Sunday night vigil will feature performances by a host of musicians, including Patti Smith and Steve Earle, as well as speeches by Russell Simmons, Yoko Ono, Norman Siegel and other notables. The following day, OWS plans a march from New York's African Burial Ground to the city's Federal Reserve Bank, which is located mere blocks from Wall Street. The event, called "Occupy the Federal Reserve," will be one of thirteen linked protests taking place in every city that has a Federal Reserve Bank, as well as Los Angeles (which doesn't have a Federal Reserve Bank, but is pretty important anyway).

Asked why OWS has taken aim at the Fed, Holder argues that the institution has become a key driver of economic injustice in America: "The Federal Reserve undermines our democracy. It's filled with bankers who are pushing for a deflated currency that will help inflate their pockets."

But ultimately, she notes, Sunday and Monday's protests will focus on honoring Dr. King's legacy of social engagement -- and making sure that it continues: "We're hoping to help inspire a new generation of activists and visionaries."

Poll: Many voters clueless about 2012

Politico:

Just over half of those surveyed, 53 percent, correctly answered Massachusetts when asked where Romney served as governor, according to a Pew Research Center poll. And only 45 percent of voters were able to identify South Carolina as the state where the next primary will be held, while just 44 percent identified Ron Paul as the GOP hopeful who opposes U.S. involvement in Afghanistan.

Sixty-nine percent of voters gave the correct answer of Newt Gingrich when asked which GOP 2012 candidate once served as House speaker, the survey found.

A higher percentage of Republicans than Democrats answered each of the above questions correctly. All in all, 43 percent of voters gave correct answers to at least three of the four questions, or 48 percent of Republicans and 41 percent of Democrats.