Where Is It That We Live? Nazi Germany? The KGB-infested USSR? No, wait, it's America!
cn | 29 December, 2005 11:30
On December 22nd, the New York Times ran an article about NYC undercover police officers attending protests, rallies, and even vigils to gather information, videotape participants, and - as suggested by the article - inciting illegal actions by participants. From the article:
Beyond collecting information, some of the undercover officers or their associates are seen on the tape having influence on events. At a demonstration last year during the Republican National Convention, the sham arrest of a man secretly working with the police led to a bruising confrontation between officers in riot gear and bystanders.
Until Sept. 11, the secret monitoring of events where people expressed their opinions was among the most tightly limited of police powers.
Provided with images from the tape, the Police Department's chief spokesman, Paul J. Browne, did not dispute that they showed officers at work but said that disguised officers had always attended such gatherings - not to investigate political activities but to keep order and protect free speech. Activists, however, say that police officers masquerading as protesters and bicycle riders distort their messages and provoke trouble.
The article goes on to describe some of the tactics that lean toward incitement and has some video clips of the videos.
So, as in the title of this post I ask again - Where Do We Live?
(Original point to the story from the GuerillaScience Blog)
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1984 is Now!
ben | 23 December, 2005 19:23
The Oakland Tribune ran a great op-ed today - a brief examination of George Orwell's 1984 and how we're living through the novel now and a call to action for any American who believes in civil liberties. First, 1984:
In 1949, Orwell penned "1984," a dark, futuristic satire in which the totalitarian government used indoctrination, propaganda and fear to enforce order and conformity. His "Big Brother" — the face of this all-knowing regime — was never wrong, and to make sure of it, history was constantly being rewritten.
Orwell wrote his book as a cautionary tale to underscore the insidious danger of slowly eroded individual liberties. His Thought Police may not yet be on the march, but it's not hyperbole to point out the eerie parallels with today's America.
So what can we do about it? Well, it turns out, if we have a copy of 1984, we can send it to Congress:
We think it's time for Congress to heed the warning of George Orwell.To that end, we're asking for your help: Mail us or drop off your tattered copies of "1984." When we get 537 of them, we'll send them to every member of the House of Representatives and Senate and to President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney.
Feel free to inscribe the book with a note, reminding these fine people that we Americans take the threat to our liberties seriously. Remind Congress that it makes no sense to fight a war for democracy in a foreign land while allowing our democratic principles to erode at home.
Remind President Bush that ours is a country of checks and balances, not unbridled power.
Perhaps our nation's leaders can find some truth in this fiction and more carefully ponder the road we're traveling.
Bring or mail your books to the Oakland Tribune, 401 13th St., Oakland CA 94612. Doors are open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Do this. Now! (thanks boingboing for the tip)
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Weekly Coffee Lesson: Downside of Store-Bought, Starbucks, and Your Local Diner
ben | 04 December, 2005 17:50
Coffee is a green bean, usually grown in the mountains and often in the 
shade of jungle canopies. The bean remains green until it’s roasted, when it turns one of various shades of brown, depending on the roast time. The caveat to delicious, well-roasted coffee? It's like bread - it starts going stale as soon as it’s roasted.
This is usually not a problem for the caffeine junkie or the sleepy driver, but if you enjoy your coffee, even those of the flavored variety or espresso drinks, if you’re drinking your coffee from Starbucks, a bag from the grocery store, or with bacon and eggs at your neighborhood diner, the coffee you’re drinking is probably so stale you’re missing all the flavor and pleasure of drinking a fresh cup of coffee.
(More)Posted in Health/Nutrition . Comment: (0). Trackbacks:(0). Permalink