Good morning!

I watched this on Rachel Maddow’s show last night…or was it on Lawrence O’Donnell ?- no matter – the fact is I watched it…saw the lying sack of shit, Gingrich. HOPE you did as well. If not, as you can see, I’m featuring him today – Don’t ya love the title?  Newt was a prime mover in the removal of Glass/Steagal and now we know why. He was on the payroll of Freddie Mac to the tune of $1 Million Dollars. Only seriously disturbed people (and they are out there) will vote for or support a person who says, “If anyone quotes what I said yesterday, ­they are wrong!”.

Here’s the write:

Newt Gingrich Long Advocated Home Ownership Push Prior To A Reported Freddie Mac $1 Million Payday

WASHINGTON — Republican presidential contender Newt Gingrich has been one of the most influential conservative voices advocating the use of home ownership efforts to alleviate poverty. Although his work as a highly lucrative consultant for Freddie Mac may have been more political pomp than policy circumstance, Gingrich’s political clout was part of the mortgage giant’s push to grant bipartisan legitimacy to its epic housing gamble.

The former House speaker’s long record of pushing to expand home ownership casts significant doubt on his recent claim that he encouraged Freddie Mac to change its policies during the Bush era, when the mortgage giant shelled out roughly $30,000 a month for Gingrich’s work.

R.C. Hammond, a spokesman for the Gingrich campaign, confirmed the paycheck amount to HuffPost, but said the money went to Gingrich’s consulting firm, The Gingrich Group. “To say he was paid personally is inaccurate,” Hammond said. He went on to say that Freddie Mac paid the firm for “strategic advice on a wide variety of issues,” including dealing with the cost of employees’ health care. “He wasn’t brought in to help them with their lending practices,” Hammond said.

Gingrich’s work for Freddie Mac was lucrative. His consulting firm was paid between $1.6 million and $1.8 million over eight years to advise the mortgage giant, according to Bloomberg – a long time for an ex-lawmaker to work with a single client. And those ties have become extremely sensitive as the former House speaker’s polling numbers have improved. Many GOP primary voters loathe Fannie and Freddie, and Gingrich and his fellow Republican presidential contenders have attempted to blame the two mortgage giants — which played a destructive role in the housing bubble — for unrelated financial misdeeds on Wall Street that crashed the banking sector.

But dating back to Ronald Reagan’s first term, Gingrich pushed a conservative “Opportunity Society” platform that encouraged the ownership of property — particularly houses and corporate stocks — to promote individual responsibility and social progress. Gingrich has not sought to obscure his views on the matter. In several books, he has advocated for “property ownership.” In his 1995 book, “To Renew America,” Gingrich wrote:

“We want to ensure that, from day one, people who work hard can see their work pay off. Part of this process involves giving people control over their own housing. Poor people ought to be given a chance to buy the property they live in. “

When Gingrich resigned from Congress in 1998, both he and his top aide would move into the Fannie and Freddie fold. Gingrich was hired as a consultant for Freddie Mac in 1999.

Gingrich’s chief of staff, Arne Christenson, became a top lobbyist for Fannie Mae, where he boasted to reporters about providing low-down-payment mortgages, and penned at least one op-ed for the conservativeWashington Times newspaper defending Fannie Mae’s low-income housing efforts. Christenson wrote:

At least 50 percent of the units that Fannie Mae finances must serve low- and moderate-income people. Fannie Mae must also meet tough percentage-of-business goals for serving residents of underserved areas and for serving very low-income borrowers. For instance, in 2000, Fannie Mae provided $55.6 billion serving 675,000 households living in underserved census tracts – nearly 31 percent of the total households we served. With the exception of Freddie Mac, no other company in America faces the type of quantitative, targeted housing goals that Fannie Mae must meet. We have exceeded the HUD housing goals every year since 1994.

Christenson, who now works for American Express, did not return a call seeking comment. His op-ed was published in 2001, while Gingrich was being paid handsomely by Freddie Mac. Hammond said that Christenson had nothing to do with Gingrich getting the consulting job at Freddie Mac. “It’s kind of like one guy going to the Red Sox, and one guy going to the Yankees,” Hammond said.

During this period, President George W. Bush was promoting a platform to expand the conservative base dubbed the “Ownership Society,” an effort that Jackie Colmes of the Wall Street Journalnoted, at the time, was related to Gingrich’s long efforts to promote home ownership. Bush and Republican political strategists hoped to use home ownership to convert more middle-class and low-income voters into consistent Republicans. Owning a home, after all, comes with a host of tax liabilities — most notably property taxes and capital gains, if the home is sold. Making more voters wary of such tax rates would likely help enlist them in the conservative cause.

Gingrich was just one of dozens of political elites involved with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. William Daley, currently chief of staff for President Barack Obama — served on Fannie’s board for much of the Clinton years, and former Obama Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel served on Freddie’s board. The companies not only spent millions on campaign contributions and lobbying — they appointed influential figures from both political parties to lucrative positions at the company.

“When it came to Fannie, Freddie lobbying dollars and political connections, there were probably only a handful of people related to financial services in Washington whose hands were genuinely clean,” notes Joshua Rosner, managing director at Graham Fisher & Co. and co-author of “Reckless Endangerment,” a history of the recent banking collapse.

Most of these appointees played almost no role in the mortgage giants’ policies, but seemed to lend political legitimacy to their activities by their very presence on the payroll. “Occasionally when there’s a threat, they’ll call their friends and say, ‘I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to do this. Or, hey, Fannie’s opening a new multifamily development in your district, you should go to the ribbon cutting ceremony,’” Rosner said.

Several former Gingrich staffers declined to comment on Gingrich’s actual work at Freddie Mac. “I don’t know enough about it,” said Rick Tyler, who worked with Gingrich from July 1999 to June 2011, adding that he doesn’t remember Gingrich’s work on housing, despite the $1.6 million contract. A.J. Young, who served as CFO of The Gingrich Group, told HuffPost he could neither confirm nor deny the information in Bloomberg’s report. Nancy Desmond, a vice president with The Gingrich Group, did not respond to phone calls.

The official talking points for Gingrich’s campaign do not specify the candidate’s actual work with Freddie Mac. They state that Gingrich endorses government support for home ownership, but only “within a context of learning how to budget and save in a responsible way,” which the campaign says Freddie ignored during the housing bubble.

Despite advice that Gingrich may have provided to Freddie Mac, he was on the mortgage giant’s payroll during a massive accounting scandal at the company — which, along with a simultaneous Fannie Mae accounting disaster, was the largest in American corporate history. The company first began paying fines in 2002 to settle charges related to the 101 different violations detailed by its regulator, but continued to settle charges with authorities for years afterward. The debacle forced the company to re-state several years of corporate earnings and resulted in the ouster of Freddie CEO Leland Brendsel, along with an effort to regain his compensation. Gingrich continued to work for Freddie Mac, signing another contract with the company in 2006.

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Emily: In the midst of all of this, it’s nice to have a little laugh. Thanks.

AH: Hello. Happy to see you here. I remember watching a movie on Lizzie Borden, when I was very young, and the rhythmic song that went along…and stuck in my mind for weeks. Thanks for giving us the true bloody details.

Robert: Thank you. Between everything posted here and in the comments section, let’s keep this good thing going.

Clarence: Loved reading your comment. Yes, there is quite the team here, when it comes a variety of topics and aliens is certainly one that my readers enjoy. I am delighted that you have found what has been written by Howie, and PrP, Peter, etc., to be valuable, and inspiring. And to say that you are truly excited to be alive again…well, that is just wonderful. I HOPE that you’ll come back and share some of your 45 years of knowledge with us.

Zen Lill: Just wanted to say hello –  Sounds like all is going well!

Alycedale:  Excellent comment. I HOPE that you have inspired the stars to speak.

Note: Added 10:43 AM. Please let me be clear if my previous comment was not. What I meant Alycedale, was that I HOPE you have inspired the stars to confront their perpetrators publicly.

Mike: Thanks for your post.

Before I head out to start my day, it seems Glenn Beck thinks it is incredulous that bullets could hit the White House…in fact he finds the reports “laughable”.  Can you say, “Ass”. I can say a whole lot more but I’ll leave it at that.

Peace out.

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the “Donate” button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my “Donate” page)

Or if you would like to send a check via snail mail, please make checks payable to “Michelle Moquin”, and send to:

Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129

Thank you for your loyal support!

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2008-2011

“ Politics, god, Life, News, Music, Family, Personal, Travel, Random, Photography, Religion, Aliens, Art, Entertainment, Food, Books, Thoughts, Media, Culture, Love, Sex, Poetry, Prose, Friends, Technology, Humor, Health, Writing, Events, Movies, Sports, Video, Christianity, Atheist, Blogging, History, Work, Education, Business, Fashion, Barack Obama, People, Internet, Relationships, Faith, Photos, Videos, Hillary Clinton, School, Reviews, God, TV, Philosophy, Fun, Science, Environment, Design, The Page, Rants, Pictures, Church, Blog, Nature, Marketing, Television, Democrats, Parenting, Miscellaneous, Current Events, Film, Spirituality, Obama, Musings, Home, Human Rights, Society, Comedy, Me, Random Thoughts, Research, Government, Election 2008, Baseball, Opinion, Recipes, Children, Iraq, Funny, Women, Economics, America, Misc, Commentary, John McCain, Reflections, All, Celebrities, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Theology, Linux, Kids, Games, World, India, Literature, China, Ramblings, Fitness, Money, Review, War, Articles, Economy, Journal, Quotes, NBA, Crime, Anime, Islam, 2008, Stories, Prayer, Diary, Jesus, Buddha, Muslim, Israel, Europe, Links, Marriage, Fiction, American Idol, Software, Leadership, Pop culture, Rants, Video Games, Republicans, Updates, Political, Football, Healing, Blogs, Shopping, USA, Class, Matrix, Course, Work, Web 2.0, My Life, Psychology, Gay, Happiness, Advertising, Field Hockey, Hip-hop, sex, fucking, ass, Soccer, sox“

White House Window Hit By Bullet: Secret Service Says Ballistic Glass Stopped It

WASHINGTON — The Secret Service says a bullet hit an exterior window of the White House and was stopped by ballistic glass.

An additional round of ammunition was found on the White House exterior. The bullets were found Tuesday morning. A spokesman for the Secret Service, Edwin Donovan, declined to answer additional questions about the incident including the caliber bullets recovered or what room of the White House was behind the window that was hit, citing an ongoing criminal investigation.

The discovery follows reports of gunfire near the White House on Friday. Witnesses heard shots and saw two speeding vehicles in the area. An assault rifle was also recovered.

President Barack Obama, who was headed to a summit in Hawaii, was not at the home at the time of the shooting.

The Secret Service said it has not conclusively connected Friday’s incident with the bullets found at the White House. Previously, authorities had said the White House did not appear to have been targeted Friday night.

U.S. Park Police have an arrest warrant for Oscar Ortega-Hernandez, who is believed to be connected to the earlier incident. He is described as a 21-year-old Hispanic man, 5 feet 11 inches tall, 160 pounds, with a medium build, brown eyes and black hair.

He is believed to be living in the Washington area with ties to Idaho.

After the gunfire was reported, police said they found an abandoned car Friday night near the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge that crosses the Potomac River to Virginia.

U.S. Park Police spokesman Sgt. David Schlosser has said items found in the vehicle led investigators to Ortega. The suspect hasn’t been linked to any radical organizations but does have an arrest record in three states, Schlosser said Monday.

In 2010, there were a series of pre-dawn shootings at military buildings in the Washington area, including the Pentagon and the National Museum of the Marine Corps. Police charged a Marine Corps reservist with those shootings earlier this year. The suspect, Yonathan Melaku of Alexandria, Va., remains in custody.

***********

Readers:  So much back and forth on this Penn State rape. I just have to give my two.  I’m with Sarah. It’s simple. There is no excuse for how McCleary reacted when he walked in to that shower scene and saw that young 10-year old boy getting raped. It’s not like he had to fear anything by going in and picking up the boy and leaving. They were both naked – no weapons to be afraid of  - and McCleary is a huge guy. So…why didn’t he? Why didn’t he just walk in, pick up the boy and leave? That simple action is stopping the rape. And…If he did that simple action, he would’ve have truly stopped the rape and we would all know who that victim was.

No matter what McCleary says, what was the excuse for him to leave the kid there? There is no excuse. Unless I hear McQueary say that he picked the kid up and took him out of the locker room, in my opinion he didn’t stop the rape. He may want to think that he did something. And he may want everyone to think he’s the big hero that he stopped it, so he can get some credit for it…and escape being considered an accomplice. Because in my opinion, anything less than rescuing that young boy, at that given moment by taking him out of the scene and away from Sandusky, is not stopping the rape, but acting as an accomplice. Period.

Think I’m too harsh on McCleary? I don’t think so. But blog me, call me out if you do.

Thoughts on this or anything else? The forum is now open. Blog me.

Peace out. 

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the “Donate” button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my “Donate” page)

Or if you would like to send a check via snail mail, please make checks payable to “Michelle Moquin”, and send to:

Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129

Thank you for your loyal support!

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2008-2011

“ Politics, god, Life, News, Music, Family, Personal, Travel, Random, Photography, Religion, Aliens, Art, Entertainment, Food, Books, Thoughts, Media, Culture, Love, Sex, Poetry, Prose, Friends, Technology, Humor, Health, Writing, Events, Movies, Sports, Video, Christianity, Atheist, Blogging, History, Work, Education, Business, Fashion, Barack Obama, People, Internet, Relationships, Faith, Photos, Videos, Hillary Clinton, School, Reviews, God, TV, Philosophy, Fun, Science, Environment, Design, The Page, Rants, Pictures, Church, Blog, Nature, Marketing, Television, Democrats, Parenting, Miscellaneous, Current Events, Film, Spirituality, Obama, Musings, Home, Human Rights, Society, Comedy, Me, Random Thoughts, Research, Government, Election 2008, Baseball, Opinion, Recipes, Children, Iraq, Funny, Women, Economics, America, Misc, Commentary, John McCain, Reflections, All, Celebrities, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Theology, Linux, Kids, Games, World, India, Literature, China, Ramblings, Fitness, Money, Review, War, Articles, Economy, Journal, Quotes, NBA, Crime, Anime, Islam, 2008, Stories, Prayer, Diary, Jesus, Buddha, Muslim, Israel, Europe, Links, Marriage, Fiction, American Idol, Software, Leadership, Pop culture, Rants, Video Games, Republicans, Updates, Political, Football, Healing, Blogs, Shopping, USA, Class, Matrix, Course, Work, Web 2.0, My Life, Psychology, Gay, Happiness, Advertising, Field Hockey, Hip-hop, sex, fucking, ass, Soccer, sox“

Good morning!

Don’t you just love it when a presidential candidate doesn’t have an answer to a pretty important question? Herman Cain gets asked by the Journal Sentinel “…So you agree with president Obama on Libya?” Cain, looks above at the ceiling, as if the answer is hanging there, then closes his eyes and says, “Okay…Libya” – like he has to think about the president’s position in Libya recently.

Helloo…how could you forget what has just taken place only a short time ago? How could you forget the president’s position? And to make matters worse, he actually asks the interviewer after a very long pause, “president Obama supported the uprising, correct? President Obama called for the removal of Gaddafi.”

The more Cain opened his mouth the worse it got, until Cain says all flustered, “I’ve got all this stuff twirling around in my head”.

If you’ve got all this stuff twirling around in your head, and you cain’t handle it now, there is no way you’re going to be able to handle the challenging daily pressures of being the president. In his defense, a Cain spokesperson  said that Cain was tired. Sorry, that’s no excuse. The spokesperson said that,  ”He just had to take a moment to articulate his idea”. I don’t think so. If you think after he paused for 10 seconds, he articulated his idea, we have different definitions for the word “articulate”.

The presidency is the most challenging job I can imagine. You had better get used to long days and nights, and sometimes very little sleep. I don’t expect the president to remember every little detail of every issue, but I do expect the president to remember important facts so that he/she can make informed decisions.

I don’t know about you but my guess is you’re thinking the same same as me: I don’t want our country to get even more fucked up because our president is tired and cain’t remember…stuff is twirling around his head. Sounds like he’s dazed and confused to me.

Between this,  and the recent sexual harassment allegations, in my opinion Cain,  your run for our Commander in Chief is over. You’re now in 3rd place as a republican runner for president. My advice? Go have a pizza and take a nap….a very long nap.

Here’s the watch: 

*********

And for the newbies of my blog just joining me, I posted this information last week, but will continue to post it periodically to keep those that have just started reading my blog informed.

Google is blocking my blog…whether they know it or not.

There are hidden instructions to block access to “blog.michellemoquin.com.”

The blocking is designed to frustrate the potential reader. It doesn’t happen all the time but enough to discourage most looking to check out or continue to tune into my blog.

Believe me, it has been frustrating as well for me. It has been hell for me sometimes to find my blog, and be able to access it so that I can write. I am continually bugging my server about it so that it can be rectified as quickly as possible. No one seemed to have an answer.

Yesterday I got this from a loyal reader. (Much gratitude – you know who you are) He/she showed me what was hidden in the search instructions when one attempts to find my blog through google.

So…as you can see, below is the e-mail, that I received, informing me that Google is blocking my blog. Don’t ask me how I found out. Don’t ask me who gave me this information. I got it and that’s all that matters.

It is nothing that anyone sees when they Google my name or my blog, but it is there. This is the hidden message that is directing Google and others to block access to my blog.

I highlighted the important part in RED – Notice it says, “Block all blog.michellemoquin.com results.” If you google blog.michellemoquin.com you don’t see the hidden message, but it is there.

Subject: hidden implanted instructions on google

Donna: Thank you for your support by writing in. I may kick and scream about the situation but I don’t and won’t go down easily. I HOPE you’ll write in again.

Peter: What…is Guam the dumping ground for little critters? I HOPE the situation gets handled before it becomes disasterous. Hafa Adai. My best to you, Anna, Lea et al.

Vicki:  Evidently race…no racism  is stronger than almost everything and anything,  because people still vote in the GOP ( Greedy One Percent – love that too!) , knowing how bad their policies are for the 99 percent.

Oops…I just realized that I don’t think I went far back enough in the week to read. I do have some catching up to do.

Peace out.

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the “Donate” button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my “Donate” page)

Or if you would like to send a check via snail mail, please make checks payable to “Michelle Moquin”, and send to:

Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129

Thank you for your loyal support!

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2008-2011

" Politics, god, Life, News, Music, Family, Personal, Travel, Random, Photography, Religion, Aliens, Art, Entertainment, Food, Books, Thoughts, Media, Culture, Love, Sex, Poetry, Prose, Friends, Technology, Humor, Health, Writing, Events, Movies, Sports, Video, Christianity, Atheist, Blogging, History, Work, Education, Business, Fashion, Barack Obama, People, Internet, Relationships, Faith, Photos, Videos, Hillary Clinton, School, Reviews, God, TV, Philosophy, Fun, Science, Environment, Design, The Page, Rants, Pictures, Church, Blog, Nature, Marketing, Television, Democrats, Parenting, Miscellaneous, Current Events, Film, Spirituality, Obama, Musings, Home, Human Rights, Society, Comedy, Me, Random Thoughts, Research, Government, Election 2008, Baseball, Opinion, Recipes, Children, Iraq, Funny, Women, Economics, America, Misc, Commentary, John McCain, Reflections, All, Celebrities, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Theology, Linux, Kids, Games, World, India, Literature, China, Ramblings, Fitness, Money, Review, War, Articles, Economy, Journal, Quotes, NBA, Crime, Anime, Islam, 2008, Stories, Prayer, Diary, Jesus, Buddha, Muslim, Israel, Europe, Links, Marriage, Fiction, American Idol, Software, Leadership, Pop culture, Rants, Video Games, Republicans, Updates, Political, Football, Healing, Blogs, Shopping, USA, Class, Matrix, Course, Work, Web 2.0, My Life, Psychology, Gay, Happiness, Advertising, Field Hockey, Hip-hop, sex, fucking, ass, Soccer, sox"

Good morning!

“Occupy Your Town” is country wide. No surprise that “Occupy Oakland” is a huge player. Love that the passion for change is in my own backyard. So…today is the day.  ”Occupy Oakland” wants to shut down the city of Oakland with a citywide general strike. The proposed strike intends to close all banks and corporations for the day, while calling on laborers, teachers and students to join in en masse.

Oaklanders: Are you going to be there? If you plan on participating, there are some things you should know:

How YOU can Participate in the General Strike!

WAYS TO PARTICIPATE ON NOVEMBER 2 GENERAL STRIKE & DAY OF ACTION
called for by Occupy Oakland

Occupy Oakland is calling for no work and no school on November 2 as part of the general strike. We are asking that all workers go on strike, call in sick, take a vacation day or simply walk off the job with their co-workers. We are also asking that all students walk out of school and join workers and community members in downtown Oakland. All banks and large corporations must close down for the day or demonstrators will march on them.

The Occupy Oakland Strike Assembly has vowed to picket and or occupy any business or school which disciplines employees or students in any way for participating in the Nov 2 General Strike. Please email OccupyOaklandLaborSolidarity@gmail.com if you are the subject of any disciplinary action.

Occupy Oakland recognizes that not all workers, students and community members will feel able to strike all day long on November 2, and we welcome any form of participation which they feel is appropriate. We urge them to join us before or after work or during their lunch hours.

Below are some action ideas for strike participants to consider:

Gather in Downtown Oakland to help Shut Down the City

• Join the Mass Gatherings at 14th & Broadway 9:00am, 12:00pm, 5:00pm. Strike Rallies will be held at these times with political speakers as well as time for open mic so that everyone can make their voices heard. There will also be action announcements made from the stage on this intersection for those who are interested in participating in pickets and shut downs of banks and large corporations.
• Lead a march from your neighborhood, workplace, school, community center, place of worship etc into downtown Oakland to join one of these three mass gatherings. Have fun and be loud along the way to let people know why you are marching downtown!
• Form a mobile blockade or flying picket that can take over important intersections in downtown with street parties and other creative ways to make our voices heard and shut the city down.
• There will be numerous pickets and actions at banks and corporations across downtown but we need more! Get a group of friends, family members, co-workers or fellow students together to form an affinity group and make your voice heard and your presence felt at any of these locations in downtown. Let the stage on 14th & Broadway know about your action so they can announce it to the crowd.
• There are many other autonomous actions planned for the day that will be occurring throughout downtown. One of them is the anti-capitalist march at 2pm meeting at the intersection of Telegraph & Broadway and another is the Feminist & Queer bloc against capitalism that will meet at 4:30 at 14th & Broadway.
• Join the marches from downtown to shut down the Port of Oakland. These marches will be leaving at 4pm and another will be leaving at 5pm for the 2 mile march out to the port to stand in solidarity with the longshore workers and shut down the evening shift of the port.
• Join the 4pm Critical Mass ride from 14th & Broadway out to the Port to join the shut down
• Best not to drive into downtown: It is likely that many streets will be blocked to traffic so please bike or take public transportation if possible. It will also be useful to have a bicycle to move between actions or to march to the port.

Take Action in Your Own Neighborhoods and Communities

• Gather neighbors, co-workers, or fellow students together and organize group walks and small marches around the neighborhood to have fun, raise awareness and encourage others to join you in the streets! Bring noise makers, signs, banners and let your community know why your are participating in the strike.
• Stop at banks, large businesses, chain stores, gas stations, corporate headquarters, large commercial media outlets, etc. to protest and picket
• Gather in neighborhood centers and on the corners of main intersections to hold speak outs, BBQs and street parties – make your voice heard and raise awareness by reclaiming space where fellow community members can join you and talk about the issues that affect them most and how we can organize together to build a powerful movement
• If you must shop, only spend money at locally owned stores and as much as possible purchase locally-produced goods

Nonprofit and Community Organizations

• Use your personal and organizational social media accounts (websites, facebook, linked-in, electronic newsletters, etc) to support the actions and keep your constituencies updated about what is going on in the streets of Oakland.
• In the event of police violence, use your organization to denounce police repression and call for the release of all arrested strikers.
• Provide resources for your staff to participate: allow time away to participate in direct actions; encourage work on projects aligned with general strike and occupy goals, host sign and banner making parties!

Be Prepared

• Bring materials to make signs: Banner material. cardboard, poster paper, markers, paint, spray paint tape, dowels, etc
• Bring food and water to share!
• Bring noise makers, instruments, sound systems and other ways that we can transform downtown into a celebration of our collective power
• Write this legal number down on your body in case of arrest: 415.285.1011 The number will be staffed al day long and will coordinate legal support for those arrested in the strike.
• Remember these four common points that the General Strike Assembly has agreed upon:

1. Solidarity with the world-wide Occupy movement!
2. End police attacks on our communities!
3. Defend Oakland schools and libraries!
4. Against an economic system built on colonialism, inequality and corporate power that perpetuates all forms of oppression and the destruction of the environment!

A Few Chants For the Strike

• “Strike, Occupy, Shut it Down! Oakland is the People’s Town”
• “Every Hour, Every Day! The occupation is here to stay!”
• “Occupy Everything! Liberate Oakland”
• “Politicians & Bankers, Liars & Thieves, We’re taking it back! We’re not saying please!”
• “No more cops, we don’t need ‘em! All we want is total freedom”
• “Shut Down OPD! Not the Public Library!”
• “Let’s Go Oakland! Let’s Go!” [clap] [clap]

SEE YOU IN THE STREETS! MAKE OAKLAND PROUD!

Let’s make it safe and peaceful for all – Okay? 

AH: As someone once said, “History doesn’t repeat itself, people do”.

Play it peaceful wherever you are. xoxo

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the “Donate” button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my “Donate” page)

Or if you would like to send a check via snail mail, please make checks payable to “Michelle Moquin”, and send to:

Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129

Thank you for your loyal support!

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2008-2011

" Politics, god, Life, News, Music, Family, Personal, Travel, Random, Photography, Religion, Aliens, Art, Entertainment, Food, Books, Thoughts, Media, Culture, Love, Sex, Poetry, Prose, Friends, Technology, Humor, Health, Writing, Events, Movies, Sports, Video, Christianity, Atheist, Blogging, History, Work, Education, Business, Fashion, Barack Obama, People, Internet, Relationships, Faith, Photos, Videos, Hillary Clinton, School, Reviews, God, TV, Philosophy, Fun, Science, Environment, Design, The Page, Rants, Pictures, Church, Blog, Nature, Marketing, Television, Democrats, Parenting, Miscellaneous, Current Events, Film, Spirituality, Obama, Musings, Home, Human Rights, Society, Comedy, Me, Random Thoughts, Research, Government, Election 2008, Baseball, Opinion, Recipes, Children, Iraq, Funny, Women, Economics, America, Misc, Commentary, John McCain, Reflections, All, Celebrities, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Theology, Linux, Kids, Games, World, India, Literature, China, Ramblings, Fitness, Money, Review, War, Articles, Economy, Journal, Quotes, NBA, Crime, Anime, Islam, 2008, Stories, Prayer, Diary, Jesus, Buddha, Muslim, Israel, Europe, Links, Marriage, Fiction, American Idol, Software, Leadership, Pop culture, Rants, Video Games, Republicans, Updates, Political, Football, Healing, Blogs, Shopping, USA, Class, Matrix, Course, Work, Web 2.0, My Life, Psychology, Gay, Happiness, Advertising, Field Hockey, Hip-hop, sex, fucking, ass, Soccer, sox"

Good morning!

Kusma: Like I said earlier, I wish I had something better to write. I HOPE you and yours are well.

Sarah: What happens when that day will come, I’m not sure. But according to Pat Buchanan his day of doom will be 2041, where he claims will be the “end of white America”…whites being, as Buchanan claims in his new book, an “endangered species”. Here’s the write:

Pat Buchanan’s Gloomy Warning About ‘The End Of White America’ 

Pat Buchanan made a series of charged remarks about the racial makeup of the U.S. during an appearance on Sean Hannity’s Monday show.

Buchanan was talking about his new book, “Suicide Of A Superpower.” One of the chapters is entitled “The End Of White America.” Hannity said that Buchanan labels white Americans as an “endangered species” in the book. He asked Buchanan to respond to what was sure to be a controversy about the chapter, since Buchanan is never anything less than a lightning rod for his racial views.

“Are you against minorities?” Hannity asked. “Not at all,” Buchanan said. He said that the chapter was merely an attempt to examine what he thought would happen when whites no longer formed a majority of the American population.

“America is going to look very much like California right now,” Buchanan said, going on to paint a very gloomy picture of the state (bankruptcy, a “black-brown war among the underclass,” and so on), and claiming that, in Los Angeles, “half the people there don’t speak English in their own homes.”

Buchanan said that the people of color in California “are not bad or evil people,” but that they are bankrupting the state. He concluded, “What happens when all of America is like that, when every American city is like LA? …What California is today, America is in 2041 if we don’t change course.”

Buchanan then went on to discuss the voting patterns of various racial groups in the U.S. Noting that African Americans and Latinos vote overwhelmingly for Democrats, he predicted that the Republicans faced a dire future thanks to the current demographic trends. Buchanan seemed to think this was not a very good thing.

Buchanan, of course, is no stranger to controversy. Most recently, he drew fire for saying that African Americans were living on a “liberal plantation.”

Click here to watch the video.

*********

Lisa: Thank you. Not sure how many “Brassy Moments” I have been dishing out lately, but when a moment that moves me arrives, the inspiration drives me.

Bina: How hard it must’ve been for you and your family not knowing where your brothers were all of these years. I HOPE that you don’t give up. I wish you and yours the best and may you find each other soon.

Al: Hey there. I am well thank you.  I have no reason to complain, but I still do. :)  How you?

I have no idea if what is happening in South Dakota is happening in South Florida, but my guess is yes, since so many states are not following the Indian Child Welfare Act.  It seems to me that this particular subject has really gotten you concerned. As well it should. I’m not sure what you can do to help, but if you are inspired to do something, I would check it out. How amazing it would be to help someone like Bina, find their siblings.

Howie: Thanks so much for posting such an important topic on this radical amendment. The passing of Initiative 26 in Mississippe would be devastating for women, and a huge step backwards in women’s reproductive rights.

Readers: If you live in Mississippi, don’t stay home – get out the word- VOTE “NO” ON 26 on November 8th. Everyone else, pass it forward. Sign the pledge to vote No on 26. We don’t want this initiative to pass in Mississippi, Florida or any other state.

Here’s Rachel Maddow talking on this issue a few days ago:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Hcan: ”Occupy The Kochs” – Love it. Wish I was gonna be in D.C.

Queen of the Dark: Cute.

Peace out.

Blog me. 

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

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Thank you for your loyal support!

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2008-2011

" Politics, god, Life, News, Music, Family, Personal, Travel, Random, Photography, Religion, Aliens, Art, Entertainment, Food, Books, Thoughts, Media, Culture, Love, Sex, Poetry, Prose, Friends, Technology, Humor, Health, Writing, Events, Movies, Sports, Video, Christianity, Atheist, Blogging, History, Work, Education, Business, Fashion, Barack Obama, People, Internet, Relationships, Faith, Photos, Videos, Hillary Clinton, School, Reviews, God, TV, Philosophy, Fun, Science, Environment, Design, The Page, Rants, Pictures, Church, Blog, Nature, Marketing, Television, Democrats, Parenting, Miscellaneous, Current Events, Film, Spirituality, Obama, Musings, Home, Human Rights, Society, Comedy, Me, Random Thoughts, Research, Government, Election 2008, Baseball, Opinion, Recipes, Children, Iraq, Funny, Women, Economics, America, Misc, Commentary, John McCain, Reflections, All, Celebrities, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Theology, Linux, Kids, Games, World, India, Literature, China, Ramblings, Fitness, Money, Review, War, Articles, Economy, Journal, Quotes, NBA, Crime, Anime, Islam, 2008, Stories, Prayer, Diary, Jesus, Buddha, Muslim, Israel, Europe, Links, Marriage, Fiction, American Idol, Software, Leadership, Pop culture, Rants, Video Games, Republicans, Updates, Political, Football, Healing, Blogs, Shopping, USA, Class, Matrix, Course, Work, Web 2.0, My Life, Psychology, Gay, Happiness, Advertising, Field Hockey, Hip-hop, sex, fucking, ass, Soccer, sox"