OCCUPY WALL STREET

[ruffryder]

Does anyone think we do not need all the law enforcement present at the OWS movements?

Do you think people can really assemble peacefully if there wasn't security there?

There is an issue arising about it starting to become costly and our tax dollars going to law enforcement. Just wondering thoughts on that.

[AtLast]

Originally Posted by ruffryder

Does anyone think we do not need all the law enforcement present at the OWS movements?

Do you think people can really assemble peacefully if there wasn't security there?

There is an issue arising about it starting to become costly and our tax dollars going to law enforcement. Just wondering thoughts on that.

There is a lot being spent on over time and contracting with other forces in other jurisdictions, etc. Also, the sanitation workers are involved as well as fire and the required emergency medical teams for protests/using free speech designated areas.

I think there is overkill, yet, I think that there needs to be police presence just as there is for any permitted demonstration. I certainly don't want a lack of emergency services available in case of illness or injury and things like heart attacks or strokes, drug overdoses and sexual assault- all things that are factored into any public gathering. And actually, the OWS demonstrators are entitled to the same kinds of public services utilized for free speech activities, including police protection, if needed. Unfortunately, other than the terrible acts of stupidity by some police departments in handling the protests, there have been crimes committed such as rape, and a 20 year old woman died due to a drug overdose at one Occupy protest. Public health administration is also needed with large, longer term demonstrations in which things like TB and hepatitis are transmitted- or other communicable diseases. There have been reports of both in Atlanta, but, I need more info about this as this is one of those things that something like Faux News could trump up and report. Just a fact of public gatherings and communal living. Again, these are services that all of us should expect from our public agencies, including public health info on how to take care of yourself in these kinds of settings.

The other thing is that there have been some tense interactions between groups that really attend these rallies and simply want to disrupt things and loot or damage property- they are not part of the Occupy movement- an example are the various anarchist groups that show up- and have for years.

This is straining municipal budgets that are already running in the red. But, people have been hurt at these demonstrations and there needs to be ER services available. People can get hurt at any kind of gathering and I do want there to be trained people on site to handle what could happen to anyone.

On another note- I watched the Ed Show and the interview of Scott Olsen, the ex-Marine that was severely injured by a tear gas canister at the Oakland OWS. It is obvious that his head injuries are serious and he is still having problems with speech. My heart was in my throat as I watched. This just should not have happened. The tear gas spraying at UC Davis, either. The guy is also being called un-American by right-wing jackasses. He is exercising the very rights he fought in Iraq for- and he gets called this! There are many vets that come out of war that speak out against war and other inequities. That is part of our democracy- and one I hope continues- I'm having a hard time with so much of how our freedoms are in danger via the Congress right now and giving police or federal agencies the right to search, seize or arrest without probable cause at all!

I really am upset after seeing this young man and his struggles with recovery- really bothering me. This could be my kid or Grandchild, yours, any of our loved ones (or our members here that are going out to the demonstrations) participating in a legal activity afforded us under our Constitution.

[SoNotHer]

Does anyone figures on emergency services and response? How much typically is being spent?

This is one of my morning emails. Does anyone know about this either?

__________________________________________________ _____________________________________

Tim Geithner, the U.S. Treasury Secretary, has a long history of enabling Wall Street misconduct.

Yet President Obama is allowing Secretary Geithner and other top officials in the Obama administration to pressure state Attorneys General to agree to a horrible settlement deal with banks that would let them off the hook for massive amounts of mortgage and foreclosure fraud.2

In exchange for meager penalties, the banks get immunity from future prosecution, even for misconduct that has not been fully investigated and misconduct that might still be ongoing.3

Any settlement like this would amount to little more than another bank bailout4, and according to published reports we might only have a small amount of time to stop it.

Call President Obama and tell him not to sell us out to Wall Street. Click here for the number to call and a sample script.

Americans are paying a heavy price for Wall Street greed. Millions are out of work, millions face foreclosure, and millions more are feeling the pain in some other way. But not one of the Wall Street crooks who drove our economy off a cliff has gone to jail. And without aggressive investigation and prosecution of misconduct, none of them will.

President Obama's political advisors have said that he plans on running against Wall Street as part of his reelection campaign.

But if President Obama really wanted to hold the banks accountable, he'd ensure his administration does nothing less than support investigating, prosecuting and punishing unscrupulous banks to the full extent of the law.

Top officials in the Obama administration cannot act in their official capacity without the backing of President Obama, who is ultimately responsible for what they do. The buck stops with him.

President Obama must stop his administration from pushing this terrible deal.

Call President Obama and tell him not to sell us out to Wall Street. Click here for the number to call and a sample script.

Matt Lockshin, Campaign Manager
CREDO Action from Working Assets

[atomiczombie]

Originally Posted by SoNotHer

Does anyone figures on emergency services and response? How much typically is being spent?

This is one of my morning emails. Does anyone know about this either?

__________________________________________________ _____________________________________

Tim Geithner, the U.S. Treasury Secretary, has a long history of enabling Wall Street misconduct.

Yet President Obama is allowing Secretary Geithner and other top officials in the Obama administration to pressure state Attorneys General to agree to a horrible settlement deal with banks that would let them off the hook for massive amounts of mortgage and foreclosure fraud.2

In exchange for meager penalties, the banks get immunity from future prosecution, even for misconduct that has not been fully investigated and misconduct that might still be ongoing.3

Any settlement like this would amount to little more than another bank bailout4, and according to published reports we might only have a small amount of time to stop it.

Call President Obama and tell him not to sell us out to Wall Street. Click here for the number to call and a sample script.

Americans are paying a heavy price for Wall Street greed. Millions are out of work, millions face foreclosure, and millions more are feeling the pain in some other way. But not one of the Wall Street crooks who drove our economy off a cliff has gone to jail. And without aggressive investigation and prosecution of misconduct, none of them will.

President Obama's political advisors have said that he plans on running against Wall Street as part of his reelection campaign.

But if President Obama really wanted to hold the banks accountable, he'd ensure his administration does nothing less than support investigating, prosecuting and punishing unscrupulous banks to the full extent of the law.

Top officials in the Obama administration cannot act in their official capacity without the backing of President Obama, who is ultimately responsible for what they do. The buck stops with him.

President Obama must stop his administration from pushing this terrible deal.

Call President Obama and tell him not to sell us out to Wall Street. Click here for the number to call and a sample script.

Matt Lockshin, Campaign Manager
CREDO Action from Working Assets

I already knew this about Geithner. I was not pleased when Obama first named him treasury secretary at the beginning of his presidency. It's an example of his two-faced strategy. It is why I won't vote for him next fall.

On another note, right on Dennis:

[persiphone]

wow....1400 cops to take out Occupy L.A. i wonder what that cost


http://news.yahoo.com/occupy-la-camp...GVzdAM-;_ylv=3

[persiphone]

"Occupy" protesters break into London office
Reuters – 1 hr 55 mins ago


LONDON (Reuters) - Demonstrators broke into an office building used by mining company Xstrata in central London on Wednesday and hung protest banners on the roof before police regained control of the building.

A group of about 60 from the "Occupy" movement entered the offices in Haymarket in protest at the pay of the company's chief executive, Occupy said in a statement.

Led by a samba band, they chanted and unfurled a banner which said: "All power to the 99 percent."

A spokeswoman for Xstrata said in a statement: "All executive pay is approved by the company's shareholders and is linked to company and individual performance."

Police removed the demonstrators and threw a cordon along the Haymarket, effectively sealing off the immediate area.

"At approximately 1550 hours (GMT) a containment was put in place outside Panton House, Haymarket, to prevent disorder by a group of protesters outside the building," police said in a statement.

"Some protesters have entered the building and officers are in the process of making arrests for aggravated trespass."

It was unclear how many people were arrested.

TV footage showed demonstrators walking up and down the staircase, watched by members of staff.

The raid took place on the same day as thousands of public sector workers marched through London as part of a national day of protest against government plans to change their pensions.

"In this time when the government enforces austerity on the 99 percent, these executives are profiting," Karen Lincoln of Occupy London said in a statement.

Occupy London grabbed the headlines last month when they pitched about 200 tents outside St Paul's Cathedral after they were thwarted in an attempt to stage a protest outside their initial target, the London Stock Exchange.

Their protest is part of a global movement for social and economic change. They say economic and political power lies in the hands of just 1 percent of the population.

(Reporting by Avril Ormsby and Clara Ferreira Marques)


i love that they were led by a samba band lol! awesome

[VintageFemme]

A great interview w/ Jackson Browne by Keith Olbermann about the Occupy Movement: http://current.com/shows/countdown/v...t-the-movement

...and just one of the videos I found on youtube from his performance at Zuccotti Park when he did visit:

[AtLast]

Originally Posted by SoNotHer

Does anyone figures on emergency services and response? How much typically is being spent?

This is one of my morning emails. Does anyone know about this either?

__________________________________________________ _____________________________________

Tim Geithner, the U.S. Treasury Secretary, has a long history of enabling Wall Street misconduct.

Yet President Obama is allowing Secretary Geithner and other top officials in the Obama administration to pressure state Attorneys General to agree to a horrible settlement deal with banks that would let them off the hook for massive amounts of mortgage and foreclosure fraud.2

In exchange for meager penalties, the banks get immunity from future prosecution, even for misconduct that has not been fully investigated and misconduct that might still be ongoing.3

Any settlement like this would amount to little more than another bank bailout4, and according to published reports we might only have a small amount of time to stop it.

Call President Obama and tell him not to sell us out to Wall Street. Click here for the number to call and a sample script.

Americans are paying a heavy price for Wall Street greed. Millions are out of work, millions face foreclosure, and millions more are feeling the pain in some other way. But not one of the Wall Street crooks who drove our economy off a cliff has gone to jail. And without aggressive investigation and prosecution of misconduct, none of them will.

President Obama's political advisors have said that he plans on running against Wall Street as part of his reelection campaign.

But if President Obama really wanted to hold the banks accountable, he'd ensure his administration does nothing less than support investigating, prosecuting and punishing unscrupulous banks to the full extent of the law.

Top officials in the Obama administration cannot act in their official capacity without the backing of President Obama, who is ultimately responsible for what they do. The buck stops with him.

President Obama must stop his administration from pushing this terrible deal.

Call President Obama and tell him not to sell us out to Wall Street. Click here for the number to call and a sample script.

Matt Lockshin, Campaign Manager
CREDO Action from Working Assets

There have ben figures thrown around about Occupy Oakland- at nearly a half million dollars spent just at the start of the occupation and the "raids" to move protest tents, etc. - for one month. But, there was no break-down of what this represents in terms of line items and how the city earmarks for possible needs out of the ordinary. I have no idea of the accuracy of these figures and when a "range" is given, I question it. Most likely, a month-end accounting from a municipality would be the only way to have some accurate figures. I do believe that with a good 3 years of revenue decreases due to the recession cities are dealing with tight budgets and that having to contract out for services is taking its toll. Much less expensive to have the lost positions in a budget. And well, think of those that were laid off. There have been so many public employment job losses that many cities are running on empty. But they still have an obligation to provide safety and emergency services- no matter the nature of an event or activity.

I have been thinking about how a lot of city workers that have seen their co-workers be laid off or have more to do because cities are not hiring when someone retires could get upset at seeing added costs to the very budget their job depends on. The "will I be next?" phenomenon at work. Here in CA, cities have had several sources of both state and federal funding sources dry up simply due to deficits caused by drops in all kinds of tax revenues. The monies really are not there. Hell, my county just had to float a measure to keep a county emergency hospital open that serves the public and loads of people that are homeless and uninsured. And the fact is that we have a huge population that still exists that tries to stay under the radar due to immigration status that has no other place to go for medical emergencies or care- especially for their children- what can they do?

One of my fears is that there will be a big backlash by municipal employees that are laid-off in the future and will blame in part, extra spending on the Occupy movement- even if that line of thought is faulty when all is considered. The 98/99% is getting screwed on a multitude of levels.

[SoNotHer]

"The 98/99% is getting screwed on a multitude of levels" - you can say that again, and again, and again...

Yeah, Carlin had it right. The game is rigged, and until the gig is up, the majority of us are going to stay down.

Originally Posted by AtLast

There have ben figures thrown around about Occupy Oakland- at nearly a half million dollars spent just at the start of the occupation and the "raids" to move protest tents, etc. - for one month. But, there was no break-down of what this represents in terms of line items and how the city earmarks for possible needs out of the ordinary. I have no idea of the accuracy of these figures and when a "range" is given, I question it. Most likely, a month-end accounting from a municipality would be the only way to have some accurate figures. I do believe that with a good 3 years of revenue decreases due to the recession cities are dealing with tight budgets and that having to contract out for services is taking its toll. Much less expensive to have the lost positions in a budget. And well, think of those that were laid off. There have been so many public employment job losses that many cities are running on empty. But they still have an obligation to provide safety and emergency services- no matter the nature of an event or activity.

I have been thinking about how a lot of city workers that have seen their co-workers be laid off or have more to do because cities are not hiring when someone retires could get upset at seeing added costs to the very budget their job depends on. The "will I be next?" phenomenon at work. Here in CA, cities have had several sources of both state and federal funding sources dry up simply due to deficits caused by drops in all kinds of tax revenues. The monies really are not there. Hell, my county just had to float a measure to keep a county emergency hospital open that serves the public and loads of people that are homeless and uninsured. And the fact is that we have a huge population that still exists that tries to stay under the radar due to immigration status that has no other place to go for medical emergencies or care- especially for their children- what can they do?

One of my fears is that there will be a big backlash by municipal employees that are laid-off in the future and will blame in part, extra spending on the Occupy movement- even if that line of thought is faulty when all is considered. The 98/99% is getting screwed on a multitude of levels.

[AtLast]

Originally Posted by SoNotHer

"The 98/99% is getting screwed on a multitude of levels" - you can say that again, and again, and again...

Yeah, Carlin had it right. The game is rigged, and until the gig is up, the majority of us are going to stay down.

Yup- rigged "every which way, but loose!" And I think that the 1/2% has a very good handle on how to keep us spinning around and to even lash out against each other- "divide & conquer" is alive and well in the USA. Building coalitions based upon the genuine ability to compromise just seems like the only way I can see breaking down those levels (not compromising with the 1%- talking about what the 98/99% must compromise about in forming effective tactics to reach goals).

[persiphone]

hijack alert. so this is not related but i found this tidbit of information to be utterly fascinating and shityourpants scary so i thought i'd share it here because....well.....i find the timing of things to be very....enlightening. so here it is. check your phones! the link to the vid shows in detail how to see if your android/smartphone is carrying this app/rooting thingy/whatchamacallit

[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T17XQI_AYNo&feature=player_embedded"]Carrier IQ Part #2 - YouTube[/nomedia]


Your Smartphone Is Spying on You
By Adam Clark Estes | The Atlantic Wire – 5 hrs ago


An Android developer recently discovered a clandestine application called Carrier IQ built into most smartphones that doesn't just track your location; it secretly records your keystrokes, and there's nothing you can do about it. Is it time to put on a tinfoil hat? That depends on how you feel about privacy.

The reason for this invasive Android app seems reasonable enough at face value. Even though it's on most Android, BlackBerry and Nokia devices, most users would never know that Carrier IQ is running in the background, and that's sort of the point. Described on the company's website as software to gain "unprecedented insight into their customers' mobile experience," Carrier IQ is ostensibly supposed to help mobile carriers and device manufacturers gather data in order to improve their products.

Tons of applications do this, and you're probably used to those boxes that pops up on your screen and ask if you want to help the company by sending your data back to them. If you're concerned about your privacy, you just tap no and go about your merry computing way. As security-conscious Android developer Trevor Eckhart realized, however, Carrier IQ does not give you this option, and unless you were code-savvy and looking for it, you'd never know it was there. And based on how aggressive the company has been in trying to keep Eckhart quiet about his discovery, it seems like Carrier IQ doesn't want you to know it's there either.


Eckhart first raised a red flag about Carrier IQ about two weeks ago when he started investigating reports that a software update on the HTC EVO 3D included "user behavior logging" code. The code had worried some geek bloggers when it showed up a couple months ago, but HTC and Sprint insisted that it wasn't much different than normal error-logging software and certainly didn't gather granular data like "contents of messages, photos, videos, etc." Eckhart wrote an exhaustive blog post about his startling findings -- CarrierIQ collected lots data, including keystrokes, and there way for the user to opt out "without advanced knowledge" -- and CarrierIQ flipped out. The company sent Eckhart a cease-and-desist letter demanding that he keep his mouth shut and threatening legal action. But after the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) took a look at the case and determined that Eckhart was working within his First Amendment rights, it backed off but still denied that they recorded keystrokes.


This week, Eckhart fired back with a 17-minute long video showing in painstaking detail how much data CarrierIQ collects, effectively undercutting the company's denial. It was even logging contents of text messages! Wired posted the video on Tuesday night and cemented its status "as one of nine reasons to wear a tinfoil hat." The magazine explains how CarrierIQ even undercuts other companies' security measures:
The video shows the software logging Eckhart’s online search of “hello world.” That’s despite Eckhart using the HTTPS version of Google which is supposed to hide searches from those who would want to spy by intercepting the traffic between a user and Google. … It’s not even clear what privacy policy covers this. Is it Carrier IQ’s, your carrier’s or your phone manufacturer’s? And, perhaps, most important, is sending your communications to Carrier IQ a violation of the federal government’s ban on wiretapping?

Oh, we're definitely in tinfoil hat territory now. CarrierIQ and the carriers have yet to respond to the latest claims -- we're doing our best to chase them down -- but if past smartphone tracking scandals are any precedent, they could end up answering to Congress.


Like many things in life, there are a couple of different ways to think about smartphone tracking. One way approaches privacy from a forward-thinking, technology-trusting and, heck, even progressive perspective. GPS-equipped smartphones are incredibly powerful tools that enables mankind to do all kinds of amazing things, thanks to the perpetual stream of data from the Internet. However, that stream runs both ways, and sometimes, the folks that build and maintain the network sometimes need to monitor your data in order to improve the technology. Who wouldn't want better service?


This brings us to the second approach. Tracking is creepy. In an Orwellian kind of way, it makes people nervous -- especially Americans -- that the government or the corporations or the system is closing in on them and stealing their freedom. Of course, not everybody feels so strongly about privacy, but as long as you can opt out, it's fine. Last week, Sen. Charles Schumer spoke out about a program at some malls in Virginia and Southern California that were anonymously tracking shoppers' movements by tracking their cell phone signals, and the only way to opt was by not going to the mall. Schumer did not approve. "Personal cell phones are just that -- personal," the New York senator said in a statement. "If retailers want to tap into your phone to see what your shopping patterns are, they can ask you for your permission to do so."
The CarrierIQ software is not dissimilar to the shopper tracking program. In fact, it's arguably worse since it follows you everywhere. In the age of social media, everybody is becoming increasingly aware of and often angry about the amount of private data companies are scooping up with or without their consent. This week, the Federal Trade Commission and Facebook came to an agreement that the social network must make all of their new programs opt-in so as not to break the law by violating users' privacy. Even Mark Zuckerberg admitted in a sincere-sounding blog post that his company had "made a bunch of mistakes" on the privacy front in the past. He went on to detail how "offering people control over the information they share online" was a top priority. This is Mark "Privacy is Over" Zuckerberg we're talking about here. With Facebook reportedly building its own mobile phone platform, wouldn't it be super ironic if people started defecting from the Android army and switching to the Facebook phone in the name of privacy?

Your move, Google.

/hijack