Video: Port Shutdown by Ken Lapworth

One of our fabulous Occupy supporters and Livestream viewers, Ken Lapworth, was on-scene for our Port action on December 12th. You may remember him from his last video about the Portland eviction. His latest installment is found below.

Ian's Account: The Occupy Seattle Port Shutdown, Part 2

This post is a continuation of my account of the December 12th Port shutdown and ensuing events. The original post can be found here.


After we left Terminal 18 in order to take and shut down Terminal 5, a large group of people, around 200 or so, marched over the bridge dividing the two Terminals. We streamed during the entirety of that march and were able to get footage of the scene below at Terminal 18, which can be found in the archives our our Livestream channel (click here to go to the main page). Night had fallen and the temperature dropped. My finger-less gloves were no longer keeping my hands warm.

We head over the bridge toward Terminal 5.

We saw no police presence as we headed up the bridge, something we would come to sorely regret. One motorist, angry at our presence, decided instead of waiting for us to pass that he would put on the gas and speed through our march. We watched in horror as a member of our bike swarm was hit. In order to avoid being dragged under the car, he jumped on the hood and was catapulted over the roof of the vehicle to fall to the side of the road. The car sped away.

In the night, one motorist didn't care to wait for us to pass.  Photo by Joseph H.

The car speeds away. Ian ran to try and get the license plate number, but others were successful.  Photo by Joseph H.

One Occupier, Joseph H., approached a police car that had arrived on scene with lights flashing. He attempted to give the license plate number to the authorities, but the officer rebuffed him until he threatened to take his picture and report him for his failure to act. Information has not yet been forthcoming regarding the hit and run, but the victim miraculously sustained only minor injuries.

At this time, six to seven police cars tore onto the bridge, lights flashing and sirens wailing. Many of us assumed the police cars were headed to apprehend the murderous motorist, however we seem to have been proven wrong. I believe they were headed to Terminal 18, as about 20 minutes later we received phone calls announcing that our friends still blockading the east side of the Port had been attacked. 

Many of us had completed the crossing over the bridge and at this dismaying news, turned around to hurry back to assist in defending our friends. However, organizers who were on the phone with personnel on-site at the blockade reported that Occupy Seattle's wall at Terminal 18 had been successfully removed by police. Somewhat disheartened, we turned back once again and continued on to Terminal 5.

We entered the parking lot to Terminal 5 and immediately set up a picket line there. The parking lot had two entrances, and some activists stayed at those entrances to provide a first line of defense should police move in. Many of us argued with each other as to the best tactics, having been shaken up by the reports of violence used at Terminal 18, but in the end Occupy Seattle set up a circling picket line with people linking arms to block the entrance. 

We blocked the entrance and we waited.

Terminal 5 is Occupied.  Photo by Rendao Liliang

As we milled about in the parking lot, our friends who had been attacked by police joined us. Many puffy faced from pepper spray and all outraged at the assault, they showed us their injuries and we shook our heads in anger.

Injuries sustained during the scuffle with the police.  Photo by Rendao Liliang

Finally police cars pulled into a parking lot across the street and got out of their vehicles. They monitored the situation from afar and we eyed them with suspicion. Our picket went on.

Finally we received a phone call from the union hall: the arbitrator had declared the Port unsafe due to our presence, work was canceled, and we had successfully shut down the Port. Applause erupted, and before police could act against us victory was declared and we marched away, pleased at a successful action.

We were dismayed, however, to learn that the Longshoremen sent home by the union arbitrator were being denied payment for time lost during our picket. Far from usual, this constituted a breach of contract on the part of the Terminal and we swore we would not let this unjust action go without Occupy Seattle's say.

We went to bed, got some rest, and some of us woke up the next morning, ready to return. A 6:30 AM picket was scheduled at Terminal 5, and around 20 of us showed up to express solidarity with longshore workers.

Early morning picket. Longshoremen are looking on, respecting our picket line.

Some workers crossed our picket line, though we thanked them for their work as they entered the Terminal. We later found out that they were machinists, non-ILWU workers who were not obligated to respect our picket. However, about 8 out of 10 of them expressed their support and thanks as they entered the port, with one woman relating to us that the Terminal authorities had denied her health benefits for an injury sustained on the job.

Longshoremen gathered in the parking lot and watched us. They are contractually forbidden for causing a work disruption, but as they huddled up to discuss us one casually sauntered by us. "You would need more people if you wanted to shut down the port," he said. I took a step toward him to ask him a question and he hurried away.

Eventually, the arbitrator arrived and asked us to move out of the parking lot so that the Longshoremen could go to work. We agreed, as we didn't have enough people to hold the line. 

To our shock and delight, he then led a round of applause from the port workers. As they filed into the Terminal, they shook our hands, thanked us, and hugged us. Footage of the applause can be found here, at the end of the video. We have since heard that they will be getting paid for their time on stand-by from the December 13th picket.

In the end, did we change anything? I don't know. Goldman Sachs and EGT, the companies that are the financial beneficiaries of the revenue generated on the backs of longshore workers, will most likely continue their corruption and union-busting tactics. We may very well have to return. But we have definitely sent a message to those who would exploit the working class:

We are the 99%. We are determined, we are focused, and we are angry. If you trample on our workers we will shut down your ports. If you use the police to brutalize us we will take to the streets. We are the ones who are too big to fail, and you would do well to remember that.

Oh, and you know what? I'll be there, filming every minute of it. Smile!

Ian's Account: The Occupy Seattle Port Shutdown, Part 1

Yesterday's controversial Port action swept the West Coast with Port closures, with varying degrees of police action taken against Occupy movements, to include at solidarity actions in cities outside of the region. Vancouver BC, Portland, Seattle, Tacoma, San Diego, Los Angeles, Oakland, and others joined the port shutdown with other Occupations obstructing other facilities in a move to send a message to Goldman Sachs and other shipping giants: "We are the 99%."

I attended one such shutdown as the Livestream reporter for the action at the Port of Seattle. It started with a rally put on by Hip Hop Occupies at approximately 12:30 PM, with a march directly after which took to the streets of Seattle for the long walk to the Port from Westlake Park. Laptop in hand, I followed the march, streaming the procession as it made its way down 4th Avenue to the Port fishing area on Spokane Street. Fellow team members Dan J. and Jenny D. accompanied me.

Some estimate 700-800 people in attendance, but I guessed closer to 1000. At one point the march stretched across two city blocks, yet we saw a very minimal police presence, excepting a helicopter hovering overhead with the Sheriff's department. When we turned down Spokane St. and marched into the Port, our chants were echoed back to us as we passed under overpasses.

During organizational meetings, the planned terminal to be shutdown had not yet been decided. If we had 1000 people or more, we would have the numbers to block every entrance of Terminal 18, but if we had less we would cross a bridge and close the smaller Terminal 5.

We chose to close Terminal 18.

A blockade was hastily erected at the main entrance of Terminal 18 at roughly 3:30 PM, constructed out of signs, scrap wood, and corrugated metal. Eli Sanders of the Slog has pictures here.

The blockade was constructed in minutes, with the exit lane left clear so that port workers attempting to go home would be able to leave the Terminal. However, two lanes were reduced to one, and traffic began to back up. The demonstrators quickly began to direct traffic, allow three cars at a time from each line to pass the blockade unhindered.  The entrance was blocked, however. We had shut down the Terminal 18.

Photo by Katia R.

Our action had not gone unnoticed. I lit a cigarette, content to observe the protesters building the blockade, until I turned around and saw a huge line of police officers on bicycles approaching the barricaded entrance.

Photo by Katia R.

Ian points out the approaching police to the Livestream audience while Dan holds the laptop.

The police acted quickly, setting up a bicycle barricade to prevent protesters from moving forward of the blockade and then, to our surprise, extending their barricade to block the exit lane. The crowd of protesters erupted into outraged shouts of "Let them leave!" This continued for approximately ten minutes as traffic piled up in the port, workers already late getting home now inexplicably detained.

While I am willing to admit that the Seattle Police Department may have shut down the exit lane in confusion, part of me is very much tempted to characterize this as an attempt on the part of the SPD to create a stressful situation that would make Occupy Seattle appear to be transgressors against Port workers. As the foremost trucker in the blocked traffic leaned out his window to see what was going on, he struck up a conversation with Occupiers sympathetic to his plight. 

"I know why you're doing this. I barely make enough to feed myself."

Photo by Katia R.

Finally the police changed their tactics and began to allow the truckers and other employers to leave the Port. What would they do next? They eyed the crowd uneasily.

At this point, organizers assessed the amount of people we had and declared that we could take Terminal 5 in addition to Terminal 18. A large contingent of people left to cross the bridge across the water and occupy that section of the port. In what some are calling a tactical error, around 100 protesters were left to hold Terminal 18, left to the mercies of the police. I joined the moving march in order to stream the erection of blockades at Terminal 5.

According to on-the-ground sources, the SPD escalated their tactics as the exit lane cleared. Seeing a possible entrance, they attempted to guide a truck laden with goods to be shipped through the exit. Occupiers then moved their bodies and the blockade to close that space as well.  The briefly empty exit lane then filled up again, and tensions mounted.

Seattle Police Department alleges that items were thrown at them during this time, while Occupiers I've spoken to deny this and state that the police were the first to use violence. The alleged weapons flung at police were lit flares, a pointed rebar, bags of paint, and bricks. Wendy Leigh, a writer for the Huffington Post, was on the scene and indicated that she saw no such thing. Whatever the case, it is confirmed that at this time Seattle Police Department used horses (one person was stepped on by a horse), flash bang grenades, and pepper spray in order to attack and disperse the crowd.  11 were arrested.

Seattle Police Department rode horses into the crowd to disperse the demonstration.

The remains of a flash bang grenade.  Photo by Joseph H.

Protesters indicate to police, among the wreckage of the blockade, that we are a peaceful demonstration.

Photos have been captured of an SPD officer punching a protester in the face, resulting in his fellow officers restraining him in his fury. KIRO TV's account of the police tactics can be found here.

This is the first of a two-part series. The second is posted here.

Port Shutdown: Why It Matters

Occupy Seattle has voted to stand with Occupy Oakland's call for action at West Coast ports in a controversial and visible action to send a message to multiple corporations who have acted against port workers:

"We're shutting down these ports because of the union busting and attacks on the working class by the 1%: the firing of Port truckers organizing at SSA terminals in LA; the attempt to rupture ILWU union jurisdiction in Longview, WA by EGT. EGT includes Bunge LTD, a company which reported 2.5 billion dollars in profit last year and has economically devastated poor people in Argentina and Brazil. SSA is responsible for inhumane working conditions and gross exploitation of port truckers and is owned by Goldman Sachs. EGT and Goldman Sachs is Wallstreet on the Waterfront" stated Barucha Peller of the West Coast Port Blockade Assembly of Occupy Oakland.   

Meetings have been occurring weekly since Occupy Seattle's General Assembly vote to support the port shutdown.  Held in West Seattle, the meetings were open to the public and organizers heard community concerns about the action in order to conduct the action in an efficient and community-friendly manner.  Continuing outreach has been staged at the Port of Seattle in order to talk to workers as they end their shifts about the impending shutdown.

Reportedly, Port workers who must remain anonymous due to their contracts, have attended the meetings in West Seattle and voiced their support for the move.

The Stranger's online blog, the Slog, posted today that the International Longshoreman and Warehouse Union (ILWU) has now stated that they do not support this action:

“Local 19 and the ILWU as a whole has taken a position against shutting down the ports on Dec. 12," Williams told me. "Obviously we support the Occupy movement as a whole and the causes they’re fighting for. But as far as shutting down the Port of Seattle, we’re not in favor of that. There’s a lot of jobs—union jobs and other jobs as well—associated with shutting down commerce, and we can’t support that.”

Far from concerned about the statement, organizers I spoke with were confident that this action was appropriate.  Longshoremen have been secretly meeting with Occupy Seattle on a regular basis and do support shutdown, and it's not hard to see why.  One only needs to look to the recent conflict between local unions and multinational conglomerate EGT in Longview to understand why a strong statement needs to be made to companies that represent the 1%'s interests to the detriment of union workers.

Why use a shutdown to get our point across?  At its most basic concept, we're sending a message by fucking with the 1%'s money.  Frankly, the impact to workers (who already support the action) is minimal.  They're still going to get paid.


On a broader scope, however, we only need to look as far as the iconic Letter from Birmingham Jail, written by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., to see why shutting down the Port of Seattle for a day will benefit union workers:

Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that a community which has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue. It seeks so to dramatize the issue that it can no longer be ignored.

In the end, ILWU's statement that they do not support port shutdown is an effort on the part of the union to cover their proverbial asses.  It would be a breach of contract to support our action, so they cannot speak positively for it.  They have no option.

Luckily, we do have options, and we're going to use them.  One of those is shutdown, and on the 12th of December we will be doing just that.

See you at the Port!

Who's REALLY Being Divisive, Newt?

Newt Gingrich attempted to "evict an idea whose time has come" recently by calling on President Barack Obama to denounce the "concept of the 99 and 1".

I repudiate, and I call on the President to repudiate, the concept of the 99 and the 1. It is un-American, it is divisive, it is historically false…You are not going to get job creation when you engage in class warfare because you have to attack the very people you hope will create jobs.

Watch (courtesy Think Progress):



Of course, Newt's repudiation has NOTHING to do with the fact that he is quite clearly a member of the 1%.  Recall that cool half million dollar tab he had running with Tiffany's?

Without addressing, of course, the fallacy in the statement that Occupy Wall Street is engaging in class warfare (you can't, after all, start a war that has already been declared on YOU), I think it's important that we stop and really recall how ludicrous his assertion is that this is pitting Americans against each other.

Divisive?  Maybe Newt should recall a few details from his own checkered past!  Including, for instance, his unpublicized financing of anti-gay groups determined to pit straight Americans against gay ones:

ThinkProgress previously reported on $200,000 that Gingrich funneled from an anonymous donor to the anti-marriage equality group Iowa for Freedom, which was also being funded by AFA Action, the political arm of the virulently anti-gay American Family Association. The Associated Press revealed yesterday that one of the cogs in Gingrich’s vast network of business enterprises and front groups, ReAL Action, provided $125,000 to AFA Action. The Des Moines Register reported this morning that ReAL Action also contributed $25,000 to yet another Iowa anti-LGBT group, the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition.

The American Family Association is, of course, an officially Southern Poverty Law Center-certified hate group.

In fact, his anti-gay policies were denounced as divisive by activist Nick Espinosa, who glitterbombed Gingrich at a Minnesota anti-gay group's event last spring:

"Feel the rainbow, Newt. Stop the hate. Stop anti-gay politics. It's dividing our country and it's not fixing our economy," the protester said, as he yanked out a box and dumped the sparkles on Gingrich, who sat next to wife, Callista.

So what part of the OWS movement do you think really troubles him more: our "dividing" of this country?  Or the fact that we want to get rid of tax cuts that benefit him (and his Tiffany's tab)?

Post-PDX Acknowledgments-- Police, Protesters, and A Really Big Dummy

It's been a long weekend.  After our Veteran's Day festivities at Occupy Seattle, a bunch of us went down to stand in solidarity with Occupy Portland on the night of their big eviction (smirk) as ordered by Mayor Sam Adams.  Full accounts of the night's events are found elsewhere, but before I get out of my Army dress blues and collapse into bed, I thought some acknowledgments were in order for the many characters on-scene in Portland.

Yeah, I'm in this picture.  Far left, in military uniform standing in front of the police.

To the Occupy Seattlites I rode with: thanks for the conversation.  Big thanks to Gabriel and Ken for driving to and from Portland all in one night.

To the Occupy Portlanders: thank you for the warm welcome.  You guys were great.

To the many dancers, musicians, and jokers milling around the encampment: thanks for keeping the atmosphere light.

To the proprietor(s) of Lotus bar: thanks for letting me use your bathroom.  Repeatedly.

To the "gentleman" who got in a heated argument with me about the movement, then stated that he would kill me were I not in uniform, then called me a dummy (it was written on a sign he was holding that he waved in my face) and forced me to walk away in disgust: I'm sorry your behavior was so unruly and disrespectful that it got you TASERed and arrested.  By the way?  I win the argument.

To the police officer who thought it was appropriate to take time out from keeping people safe in order to  yell at me for a minor uniform infraction: neither your sarcasm nor your penchant for harassment do honor to the uniform you wear.  I am confident that I wore my uniform with well-deserved pride, and I hope that someday you will too.

To the frightened hippie on the front line who helped me face down the police, even though tears were streaming down his face: sorry for squeezing your hand so hard.  I was scared too.

To the former Army Specialist in the Guy Fawkes mask who asked me to pin new "rank"-- a flower-- to his collar in military fashion: I have never been so pleased to "promote" someone.  Hoo-ah!

To the many police officers, male and female, who peered through their riot shields with near terror in their eyes: don't worry.  We're far more likely to hug you than hurt you.  Also, I was scared too.

To the man with the tattooed face who informed me his dog had been stolen and then gently told me "He was a good dog":  I'm sorry, brother.  I hope you find your dog.

To the horse who spooked and almost ran, having scented the tension in the air: easy, big guy!  Um.  I was scared too.

To my voice, which I seem to have misplaced after a night of continued chanting and shouting: I don't blame you for leaving, but please come back.  I miss you.

To every brave individual who stared authority in the face and said "I'm not moving": You are some of the bravest people I've ever met, and I am proud to have "held the line" with you.



To every single person who was in downtown Portland and helped ensure that last night's demonstration and police action ended peacefully and without violence: it doesn't matter which side of the line you were holding or if you were police or protester.  Your dedication to peace was awe-inspiring.

To Mayor Sam Adams, Mayor McGinn, and any other politician who dares to send our brethren in the 99% in riot gear to remove us from our adopted homes and infringe on our right to peaceably assemble: We cannot be divided and we cannot be silenced.  We are not here on your terms, but on ours.  We are the 99%, we are too big to fail, and we will not be moved.


I love you all.



PS: Not the guy with the sign that said "Dummy."  You actually suck and I don't love you at all.

Occupy Wall Street Hits The Road, Marches To DC

Occupy DC in Freedom Plaza should put the tea on, as they are expecting guests from Occupy Wall Street in New York City two weeks from now.

Starting today, a group of OWS protesters are walking from NYC to DC in order to reach the District in time for the congressional budget supercommittee, which is due to meet on November 23rd.  They plan on walking 20 miles a day.  Here's their (super cute) map:

Good luck to the walkers, and be sure to dress warmly.  

Thanks to reader Leah M. for the tip.

Openly Gay Soldier Runs For Colorado House

Since Don't Ask, Don't Tell's repeal, thousands have gay soldiers and veterans have come out as lesbian, gay, or bisexual.  It was only a matter of time until one ran for office, and one Colorado veteran has announced a bid for a seat in Colorado House District 28.

Carroll served two tours in Afghanistan and one Iraq with Army Special Forces Information Management Division, Special Operations Command and was openly gay despite Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. Carroll returned to Colorado after completing 6 years of active duty, joined the Colorado Army National Guard, 19th Special Forces Group, and served as a Veterans Affairs Specialist for Senator Mark Udall, assisting military and veteran constituents with cases pertaining to healthcare, housing, the Department of Veterans Affairs and Don't Ask Don't Tell repeal.

“This is an historic day,” Carroll explained, “as far as I know I am the first out Veteran and active National Guardsman in the country to officially run for office since the Repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.” Brian continued, “I am proud of the work that I did fighting alongside Mark Udall and the thousands of Service Members nationwide to repeal Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. I will continue to fight for equality, serving my country and our great state of Colorado in the Army National Guard while exercising my right to run for public office. I look forward to a robust and energetic campaign where I will have the opportunity to engage the voters and constituents of House District 28 to hear their concerns and hopes for a better future.”

Good luck to Carroll.

Why Sleeping At Westlake Is Important

The sleeping situation at Westlake Park for the 99% has come to a pivotal moment in the shape of the Occupy movement in the Emerald City, with roughly eighty percent of the protesters electing to take City Hall up on its offer for relocation to a more legal venue for camping, namely outside City Hall.  As a caveat to that accession to the authorities, Occupy Seattle has demanded that the first floor of the building remain open for restrooms and that a dedicated parking spot be made available to the protesters.

A courageous few have decided to stay in Westlake, and these few are, by all reports, urging others to join them.  The authorities have made it plain that anybody left in the park at 10pm will be arrested, and those choosing to stay will almost certainly spend the night not in the park, but in a jail cell.

Debate has been furious on the topic, with certain writers (Dominic Holden) taking to certain publications (the ever more milquetoast Slog) to make their assertion that people who knowingly flout the law in pursuit of social justice are not attempting to get their demands met, but are instead simply seeking arrest.  If you can stomach it, read his missive in which he calls stalwart activists "loons":

But a few folks have been pushing to stay at Westlake. These were the "fight the power" loons who mucked up the larger group's earlier decision to move. They seem to be saying that the point isn't longevity, maintaining a presence, or keeping this issue in the media—it's just getting arrested. 

If there are arrests tonight, chattering media yakkers will be tempted to say that those people are the Occupy Seattle movement. But by all indications, they're not. They're the slim minority. If a handful of outliers want to get arrested, great. They should just be civil in their civil disobedience. But if that handful of people break off from the group—that is, if over 100 people people decide to move to City Hall and just a few rabble stay behind—let's not tell ourselves that those few people are Occupy Seattle. Those are just the people who want to get arrested.

Mr. Holden and other naysayers would do well to examine the underlying reasons for breaking the law to prove a point.  In this case, City Hall has attempted to divide and undermine the protesters' position by forcing them to do what City Hall wants.  Those who object to this are not crazy, they are stubborn, and it is only through the stubborn repetition and reiteration of their position will they achieve victory.

Those seeking to stay in Westlake are not just loons who are out seeking arrest, they are people who are saying "I have no fear of arrest and you cannot control my message with handcuffs."

So, Dominic Holden of the Slog, please, just can it.  You may not feel that your convictions are worth getting arrested for, but these people do, and leave them to it.  They will be busy making history.  You're just making bad commentary.

UPDATE:

Occupy Seattle has rejected City Hall's offer and will be continuing to camp in Westlake Park.  The Tweet and my reaction:

If you live in Seattle and want to show your solidarity, reports of a police sweep of the park at 9:30 PM is lighting up Twitter.  If you choose to not get in the way of police, Occupy Seattle is recommending that you stand on the sidewalk and not in the park.  Take pictures.  The only way to fight police brutality is to document it.

ANOTHER, LESS IMPORTANT UPDATE:  The Slog, yet again, thinks staying in Westlake is silly blah blah blah.

Elizabeth Warren's Bid For The US Senate

It's fake, but still only slightly less awesome than her original video taking the super-rich to task for not contributing to society.

Confused About "Class Warfare?" Let Elizabeth Warren Break It Down For You

Elizabeth Warren, who is running for the nomination in the Massachusetts Senate campaign against Scott Brown, elucidating the fallacies at the heart of the protections Congress is currently extending to the super-rich:

The Protest CNN Doesn't Want You To Know About

A couple Fridays ago I reported on a group which was planning on occupying Wall Street in an effort to draw attention to the fiscal inequalities perpetrated on the American people due to the greed and malfeasance of corporate executives and their agendas.  I wondered at the time if it would be effective, not because it wouldn't be a great idea but because I was unsure that their protest could catch attention in the US.

I wasn't that far off.  We are now in the sixth day of the occupation of Wall Street, with hundreds participating, and there has been little to no coverage of the event in mainstream news outlets.  

Seriously, I Googled the term "Wall Street Occupation" with the words "New York Times," "MSNBC," and "CNN" and all I got was an iReport that has not been vetted nor approved by CNN.  The fact that the New York Times isn't reporting on this protest is bizarre and absurd.  

Until, of course, you consider that the protest is against the corporate interference in American fiscal interests and that the New York Times, CNN, and MSNBC are all large, corporate funded news outlets.  

Even more insane is the fact that you couldn't, for a while even e-mail your friends stories about the Wall Street protest if you use Yahoo!.  That's correct.  Their e-mail service was automatically and actively preventing this story from disseminating.  This is nothing short of censorship on the scale of China's news blackout of the Cairo uprising.  They eventually issued an apology and said they would work on the issue, but I'm not convinced this was a mistake.

This is now an arrestable offense in NYC.

People are getting arrested at the protest, of course.  Even though they are peacefully demonstrating as is  their right, protesters were arrested under a statute that is over a century old-- one preventing people from wearing masks.  That's right.  If you appear on Wall Street wearing a Guy Fawkes mask, you run the risk of being arrested.  

ThinkProgress has great coverage of the Wall Street protest, so click on over to monitor.  Event organizers are also requesting food assistance from sympathetic donors, so if you would like to support their efforts, click here.  And if you live in NYC?  Get your ass down there.

UPDATE:  Reader Neska L. points out that CNN HAS in fact covered the story, with a brief video, found below:

Of course, they make snide comments that organizing publication AdBusters is only found in super-granola Whole Foods and the majority of the story seemed to be about the inconvenience the protest is bringing to the thoroughfare.  Of course, this short video falls vastly short of the coverage afforded the Yemen protests on CNN.

Hey Look! This Rich White Elderly Person Is Fed Up!

When I'm 81, I plan on being a curmudgeonly old coot who yells at strange children and smacks my own with a cane.  I like that Clint Eastwood has a similar philosophy, as he recently spouted off to GQ how fed up he is with the modern GOP's stance on gay marriage:

I was an Eisenhower Republican when I started out at 21, because he promised to get us out of the Korean War. And over the years, I realized there was a Republican philosophy that I liked. And then they lost it. And libertarians had more of it. Because what I really believe is, let's spend a little more time leaving everybody alone. These people who are making a big deal out of gay marriage? I don't give a fuck about who wants to get married to anybody else! Why not?! We're making a big deal out of things we shouldn't be making a deal out of.

They go on and on with all this bullshit about "sanctity"—don't give me that sanctity crap! Just give everybody the chance to have the life they want.

Way to go, cranky old dude!

Nick Espinosa Does It Again

Everyone's favorite barbarian returned to Marcus Bachmann's reparative therapy clinic earlier today in Lake Elmo, Minnesota.

Nick Espinosa and 100 of his closest barbarians (to include a young man that can't be any more than 11) stormed Marcus' clinic parking lot, leading to the staff locking the doors.  They then glitter-baptized a "Marcus" impersonator and did a big Gaga routine.  It's pretty cute.  Like Nick.  Did I say that?

Another Rich Guy Thinks He Isn't Paying Enough Taxes

Warren Buffett created a stir when he wrote a piece denouncing Washington's efforts to keep tax loopholes available for the mega-rich last week, in which he wrote:

OUR leaders have asked for “shared sacrifice.” But when they did the asking, they spared me. I checked with my mega-rich friends to learn what pain they were expecting. They, too, were left untouched.

Another super rich guy has now joined the debate, and he supports Buffett's position.  What's more surprising is that he's a Republican.

Another multi-millionaire says the rich should be paying more taxes. Registered Republican and co-founder of H&R Block, Henry Bloch knows his opinion is not popular with many in his party. 

Like Warren Buffet, Bloch believes current tax code gives too many breaks to the rich.
He also has strong opinions about how much these tax breaks really contribute to job creation.

"That's so baloney," Bloch said. "Rich people don't create jobs. Companies create jobs."

This is another blow to the Reaganomically-minded Tea Party and the GOP at large, with "moderate" Republican candidate Mitt Romney scoffing at Buffett's remarks earlier:

Republican presidential nomination front-runner Mitt Romney, a multimillionaire ex-businessman, said Buffett had failed to take into account corporate taxes paid by his conglomerate Berkshire Hathaway. 

"The problem with rich people is that many of them are smart," Romney said in the key primary state of New Hampshire. 

"High taxes on entrepreneurs and investors dissuade them from putting Americans to work," he said. 

It's time these knuckleheads gave up the ghost on this "trickle down theory" bullcrap they are trying to shove down our throats to line their own pockets.

Texas: I'm Sorry, Y'all.

Yes, Texas, you just might owe us a bit of an apology.  A little bit of awesome from the Texas Democratic Party:

T-Shirts Pwn Neo-Nazis At Rock Concerts

Who doesn't love a free T-shirt?

A concert was held in Gera, Germany, this summer, sponsored by the German Neo-Nazi group the National Democratic Party.  For reasons I don't really have to go into, there are many Germans concerned about right-wing extremism, and some of those concerned citizens came up with a novel way to suggest alternatives to extremist haterz.

Free T-shirts were handed out to about 300 Neo-Nazi rock fans which read "Hardcore Rebels—National and Free" with a skull-and-crossbone flag emblazoned across it.  However, when those fans went home and washed the shirts, the right-wing logo dissolved in the wash and a new message was revealed:

"If your T-shirt can do it, you can do it too – we'll help you get away from right-wing extremism," reads the slogan on the shirts after their first washing. 

The shirts were handed to 250 people at a "Rock for Germany" festival in Gera by organisers after they had been donated anonymously. They were provided by Exit, a group which helps people disassociate themselves from the far-right.

This clever idea was suggested by Hamburg-based marketing expert who wishes to remain anonymous.  

Who wants to make T-shirts and hit up the Tea Party Express?

Library Strikes Blow Against Censorshit, Donates Banned Book To Students

The Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library, thanks to a donation from an anonymous donor, is sending 150 copies of a book recently banned in the Republic, MO School District to students in that district in a clear statement on this recent case of blatant censorship.

"Julia Whitehead, the Executive Director of the Vonnegut Library, told HuffPost that the gift was part of an effort to raise public awareness of the school board's decision, and that she hoped parents in the school district might get involved.

"'All of these students will be eligible to vote, and some may be protecting our country through military service in the next year or two,' Whitehead said in a statement. 'It is shocking and unfortunate that those young adults and citizens would not be considered mature enough to handle the important topics raised by Kurt Vonnegut, a decorated war veteran. Everyone can learn something from his book.'"

Of course, if they'd sent ME this book during high school, I probably would have been like, "WTF!  More summer reading?  FML."  But whatevs, it was a nice gesture.

This Is Why I Blog

So a quick break from news stuff.

Since Adam has gotten out of the hospital, he has been a nonstop crazytrain, making up for the time he spent asleep by taking me to the movies, looking for a place to live in Seattle, searching for work, and catching up with friends that have been worried about him.

Frankly?  I'm fucking exhausted.

This morning I got up early, put some posts up, and then tried to take a nap.  The energetic little bastard busted into the bedroom at least twice in order to wake me up and tell me something he was excited about, and finally I dragged myself out of bed.

He was outside on the phone, and passed it to me, saying that his friend Jenny had an important story to tell me.

When the whole ordeal was going on, Jenny was getting her news from OAQ, and when we all thought Adam was going to die, she called her friend Desiree in order to cry on a sympathetic shoulder.  Desiree lives in Jenny's small town in Morris, Kansas.  Also, Desiree is bisexual, and living in a small town, her only link to the LGBT community is online.

So imagine Jenny's surprise (and my delight) when Desiree told her that even before Adam's ordeal, she read OAQ, which was one of her news sources.  Jenny, in giving us her congratulations on Adam's recovery and our subsequent engagement, gushed to me on the phone how New Media has helped impact Desiree's life positively and I have been able to contribute to making one bi girl's experience just a little bit less lonely.

So thank you, Desiree, for reading.  Thank you for getting connected.  The only way to enact change for our troubled times is by making coalitions and getting people involved, and congratulations on being a member of a large, diverse, and far-flung (yet very close) community.  Hats off to you!

Also: big news for our wedding.  While it's many months away (and many of our mutual friends are rolling their eyes and doubting the whole thing is going to happen), I've already got half of it planned.  I'm kind of a bridezilla.

One of the important factors was deciding who would perform the wedding.  It only took a moment for us to decide, and this week I asked Dan Choi if he would marry me to Adam.  He graciously agreed, so one of my favorite people, best friends, and my most excellent colleague is going to be the one to get me hitched.  Thank you, Dan.

VIDEO: We Want Marcus!

Video has been released of the barbarian protest at Marcus Bachmann's counseling practice.  It's pretty damn cute, and at the end, the barbarians ask, "Marcus, what's in your closet?"