Youth Unemployment in United States in Line With Arab Spring Countries
Is it useful to think of the Occupy movement more as a “left” movement or a “youth” movement? To answer that question, it’s worth looking into data on the young, particularly as it relates to unemployment.
To leave the United States for a minute, one way people are trying to understand the Arab Spring is through the lens of mass youth unemployment and inequality. Given how high unemployment has been in these MENA – Middle-East and North African – countries, what else could we expect besides revolution?
For instance, in early February then IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn told a conference that ”this summer I made a speech in Morocco about the question of youth employment including Egypt, Tunisia, saying it is a kind of time bomb” and ”such a high level of unemployment, especially youth unemployment, and such a high level of inequality in the country create a social situation that may end in unrest.” Here is the “youth unemployment” blog tag at the IMF to give you a sense of what people there have been saying about it. In particular, they point out that it should be a major concern for the MENA and African regions.
Why SDPD Accused Occupy Protesters of Felony Conspiracy
San Diego police arrested four Occupy protesters on felony charges after they interrupted Mayor Jerry Sanders’ final State of the City address Wednesday night.
Disturbing a public assembly — such as a City Council meeting or Sanders’ annual speech — normally spurs only a misdemeanor charge. But in this case, police added a felony charge of conspiracy to commit a crime for each person.
I called Asst. Police Chief Boyd Long and asked why police added the felony charges. He wouldn’t go into too much detail, but said it was clear the group had planned to interrupt the mayor’s speech.
Long said police had warned the protesters before they entered Balboa Theatre about interrupting the meeting. Capt. Mark Jones “kind of pleaded with them,” Long said. “He said we have a free speech area outside.”
The protesters stayed inside and began chanting “mic check” at the start of Sanders’ speech. Long said police demanded the protesters stop chanting and most did. But four wouldn’t stop, he said, so police arrested them.
(Our editor and CEO were sitting directly behind the protesters, however, and said they never heard police tell the protesters to stop. Police simply moved into arrest the protesters, they said. Some protesters did stop chanting once police moved in the group’s direction and those who did weren’t arrested.)
Police arrested Alberto Ordonez, 27; Christopher McKay, 44; Tahra Ludwig, 37; and Michael Garcia, 48. Long said Ludwig started the group’s chant.
Long said the police kicked in the felony charges because the four protesters had identical scripts of the chant. He said the group had also made comments in an elevator with police “indicating they had all conspired before going to the meeting.”
Long declined to elaborate, saying the case is still pending.
With the conspiracy charge, each protesters’ bail increased by $10,000 from $500. With a misdemeanor, the arrested faced up to one year in jail. Now, with the felony, they face up to two years.
New Bill Known As Enemy Expatriation Act Would Allow Government To Strip Citizenship Without Conviction
NDAA has a friend.
First, Congress considered the National Defense Authorization Act, sections of which gave the President the authority to use the military to arrest and indefinitely detain Americans without trial or charge. The language was revised because of strong condemnation from the American people. But now a new bill has emerged that poses yet another threat to the American citizenry.
Congress is considering HR 3166 and S. 1698 also known as the Enemy Expatriation Act, sponsored by Joe Lieberman (I-CT) and Charles Dent (R-PA). This bill would give the US government the power to strip Americans of their citizenship without being convicted of being “hostile” against the United States. In other words, you can be stripped of your nationality for “engaging in, or purposefully and materially supporting, hostilities against the United States.” Legally, the term “hostilities” means any conflict subject to the laws of war but considering the fact that the War on Terror is a little ambiguous and encompassing, any action could be labeled as supporting terrorism. Since the Occupy movement began, conservatives have been trying to paint the protesters as terrorists.
The new law would change a part of US Code 1481 which can be read in full here. Compare 3166 to 1481 and the change is small. The new section makes no reference to being convicted as it does in section (7). So even though the language of the NDAA has been revised to exclude American citizens, the US government merely has to strip Americans of their citizenship and the NDAA will apply. And they will be able to do so without convicting the accused in court of law.
I hope I’m wrong, but it sounds to me like this is a loophole for indefinitely detaining Americans. Once again, you just have to be accused of supporting hostilities which could be defined any way the government sees fit. Then the government can strip your citizenship and apply the indefinite detention section of the NDAA without the benefit of a trial. This certainly must be questioned by American citizens. The way these defense obsessed Republicans think, our rights are always in danger of being taken away.
To read the full text of the bill, go here.
some recovered remains of the #OWS Library after it was trashed in the dump truck/dumpster by the police. via mediabistro <- read more.
president obama introduces “prolonged detention” and measure to detain people who the government “may see as a threat” for a “prolonged” undetermined amount of time. this man is a beast. give me my vote back. concentration camps coming soon.
President Obama Has Raised More Money From Wall Street Than Any Politician in American History
This opinion piece from Joe Scarborough in the Politico is worth a read:
One of the most famous scenes in movie history comes from “Casablanca,” when a corrupt official shuts down Humphrey Bogart’s cafe. Bogart asks the French captain — who also happens to be a gambling aficionado — why he’s closing the joint down. His response is a classic.
“I am shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on here.”
Political commentators have referred to Capt. Renault’s uproarious line for years when calling out hypocritical politicians. But few political narratives ever fit that scene as tightly as President Barack Obama’s bipolar approach to Wall Street. To fully understand the extent of Obama’s double-speak, it helps to let the “Casablanca” scene play out a bit, because after the corrupt captain makes his self-righteous declaration, a croupier hands him cash and says, “Your winnings, sir.”
Capt. Renault quietly thanks the croupier and then quickly returns…
Dean of St Paul’s Cathedral resigns over Occupy London protests
The perceived dithering and divisions of church officials over the protest camp outside St Paul’s in London have claimed a second major scalp with the resignation of the cathedral’s dean, the Right Rev Graham Knowles.
The dean – whose job is sufficiently senior that a replacement must be approved by the Queen – announced that mounting criticism over the cathedral’s handling of the situation made his position “untenable”.
In a statement read on his behalf to the media at the Chapter House, opposite St Paul’s, Knowles said: “In recent days, since the arrival of the protesters’ camp outside the cathedral, we have all been put under a great deal of strain and have faced what would appear to be some insurmountable issues.
“I hope and pray that under new leadership these issues might continue to be addressed and that there might be a swift and peaceful resolution.”
Last week the St Paul’s canon chancellor, Giles Fraser, stepped down after the cathedral’s governing chapter voted to begin possible legal action against the Occupy the London Stock Exchange camp, in place now for 16 days. A part-time cleric also resigned.
Cathedral elders have faced criticism not just over the possibility that force and violence will be used to evict the camp, but for the decision to close the cathedral for a week over health and safety concerns that remain unclear. The church has also experienced wider condemnation for failing to properly and publicly agitate on the excesses of finance and global banking until prompted to by the camp, part of a burgeoning global movement.
(via pod313)
The Liberty Youth: Occupy Wall St. = Socialist Oblivion
[Taken from http://kathryndelong.blogspot.com]
Initially, many libertarians seemed to sympathize with the Occupy Wall Street protestors. After all, the banking elite and big corporations have robbed U.S. citizens. Our taxpayer dollars funded the federal government’s bailouts.
But the Wall…
More #occupywallstreet wisdom. Via Evan O’Brien.
![womanoutofthebox:
peaceblaster:
Welcome to the Media Blackout
[via: @kennethlipp]
I got rid of my television almost two years ago. The idea being that I would no longer let what I watch and what information I get be dominated by the “boob tube”. I choose what goes into my mind, and by what medium. With each passing day I am more certain that since the very moment that I unplugged from that box, my personal growth and true understanding of the world around me have accelerated at a break neck pace.](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ls5vqs23161r3hmjno1_500.jpg)
Welcome to the Media Blackout
[via: @kennethlipp]
I got rid of my television almost two years ago. The idea being that I would no longer let what I watch and what information I get be dominated by the “boob tube”. I choose what goes into my mind, and by what medium. With each passing day I am more certain that since the very moment that I unplugged from that box, my personal growth and true understanding of the world around me have accelerated at a break neck pace.
Obama, Democrats Admit Plan to Co-Opt Occupy Wall St. Protests
He’s a shameless fucking prick if nothing else…
Very much like the Republican party co-oping the Tea Party movement.
Occupy Wall Street, Powered by Big Labor
So sayth Mother Jones. That’s right Mother Freaking Jones. This isn’t the “Vast Right Wing Conspiracy” trash talking the poor kids who want out of their $100K in college loans for their degree in underwater basket weaving, this is from the belly of the far left extremist beast.
So once again, we find out that the left’s so-called “grass roots” is really Astroturf (tm).
Honestly, is anybody actually surprised by this?
Protesters plan "occupation" at Federal Reserve Bank | StarTribune.com
Hoping to continue the momentum from the Wall Street protests in New York, activists are planning some civil disobedience at the Federal Reserve Bank in Minneapolis on Oct. 7, and they are not making any secret of it.
[…]
For protesters hatching the details for a confrontation against the powers that be, they are remarkably transparent, at least so far. They posted a public notice of their planning meeting, and when a reporter from the Star Tribune showed up, they were willing to let him take notes. Indeed, the group itself recorded the one hour, 40 meeting in Stevens Square Park in south Minneapolis on Tuesday, and planned to post it on its web site, occupymn.org
Asked about how they could organization an “occupation” but be completely open about it, Osha Karow, 23, who helped convene the meeting, told me, “We are trying to be transparent, because we want to be totally nonviolent . We want everyone to know what our intentions are and we also want everybody and anybody to be involved in the process. We are not really worrying about who gets the information, because we are hoping enough people come out who will be in solidarity with us.
”What about undercover police showing up to see what is going on at the meeting, he was asked. “We are not against the police, we are not anti-government employees,” he said.
(via britspittango)
