200 protesters turn out for rally against Barstool Sports website party
A controversial sports website based in the Boston area brought its national party tour to the House of Blues last night near Fenway Park, but not without vocal opposition from about 200 protesters who blasted the site for posting content that critics say is demeaning to women and makes light of rape.
“We’re down here because we want to let people know that the perpetuation of rape culture is not cool,” said Northeastern University junior Anna Siembor, 21, one of the creators of the blog Knockout Barstool, which organized last night’s protest at the nightclub on Lansdowne Street.
Hundreds protest T cuts in JP, highlight diversity of opposition to the plan
A parade of 75 speakers, including many Jamaica Plain officials and residents, blasted the MBTA’s proposed fare hike and service cuts at a Roxbury Community College meeting on Jan. 19. Another meeting was slated to be held Wednesday night in JP as the Gazette went to press.
At least 250 people attended the Jan. 19 meeting. A few people were willing to pay higher fares, but no one wanted service cuts. Those include killing the E Line subway/streetcar on the weekends and eliminating most of the JP Loop bus, among other slashings.
Joining local residents in opposition were officials from such major institutions as Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Northeastern University and Wentworth Institute of Technology. Other organizations joining the protests included Occupy Boston, the T Riders Union and the Massachusetts Senior Action Council.
Sarah Horsley, a JP resident Fenway Community Development Corporation employee, noted the unity of such a diverse group of people against the plan. “We’re not always on the same side of an issue, but we’re all here tonight saying this is not acceptable,” she said.
Online Campaign Prompts Sallie Mae to Change Fee Policy for Loan Suspensions
Score two for online consumer advocates – or, as they might be called, Occupy Online.
On Thursday, three months after Bank of America backed down from imposing a $5 monthly debit card fee in response to an online Change.org petition that collected 300,000 signers, Sallie Mae, the nation’s largest private student-loan provider, changed its fee policy in response to an online petition.
For years, Sallie Mae had required unemployed people who could not afford their monthly payments to pay a $50-per-loan fee every three months to suspend their payments temporarily, even as interest charges mounted.
Sallie Mae called this forbearance fee a “good faith deposit” – but it was neither credited to the borrower’s account nor refunded.
http://tinyurl.com/855z7bm
27 of 35 Bush Articles of Impeachment Apply to Obama
When Congressman Dennis Kucinich introduced 35 articles of impeachment against President George W. Bush on June 9, 2008, the 35 had been selected from drafts of nearly twice that many articles.
President Obama has accumulated his own massive list of high crimes and misdemeanors that were unavailable for Bush’s list (thing’s like openly murdering U.S. citizens, launching massive drone wars, selectively and abusively prosecuting numerous whistleblowers as spies, holding Bradley Manning naked in isolation, attacking Libya without so much as bothering to lie to Congress, etc.).
Nonetheless, it is instructive to review the 35 Bush articles in the Obama age. It quickly becomes apparent that Obama has either exactly duplicated or closely paralleled most of the 35.
http://tinyurl.com/7sp6ery
What Occupy taught the unions
The Obama administration’s dismal record on labor issues has been compounded by the rise of the Tea Party movement, which portrays unions as public enemy No. 1, and the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision, which opened the political floodgates to corporate money. By last year, organized labor realized that its days were numbered unless it took a different approach.
So it went back to basics. Across the country unions threw resources into community organizing, aiming to build a broad-based constituency outside of the workplace for progressive politics. In cities like Chicago, Philadelphia and Portland, Ore., newly formed community groups found ready support for organizing around issues of economic justice, but they were stymied by a national debate dominated by voices blaming government spending for an economic crisis caused by Wall Street.
Occupy Wall Street changed that. It flipped the debate from austerity to inequality, uncorked a wellspring of creative energy and started taking creative risks that unions typically shun. Within weeks unions adopted the 99 percent versus the 1 percent and started organizing actions under the Occupy banner. One labor leader said “the Occupy movement has changed unions'” messaging and ability to mobilize members. Union-affiliated organizers around the country say it has helped workers win better contracts and bolstered labor reformers.
Legislator Calls for Probe of Rose Kennedy Conservancy
“I question the need to pay 5 people over $650,000 collectively each year, not including bonuses, to manage a park that is only 15 acres,” Durant said. “I understand the economic benefit this park provides for North End businesses, and if it were a completely privately-funded entity as originally intended, the amount the Conservancy pays its personnel wouldn’t be an issue.”
Income inequality acknowlegement grows
The belief that there are serious conflicts between rich and poor in America is now held by Americans of all ages, all income levels, all education levels, all racial backgrounds, and all political and ideological persuasions.
When the Occupy movement began to take shape last year, some observers seemed perplexed by its steadfast refusal to present a detailed agenda, a list of demands or an outline of essential changes.
But as groups emerged in city after city across the country, sometimes clashing with elected officials and law enforcement, protesters held to that approach. They were content to call attention to the drastic disparities of wealth and income that have come to characterize American society, and let the facts speak for themselves.
The Pew survey indicates that the message got through. People may see it as an explanation for what they and their families have experienced first-hand over the last 30 years. It may help them understand why so many people are having such a hard time recovering from the crushing effects of the economic crisis of 2007-2008.
High School Students Join OWS in Walkout
New York City high school students walked out in solidarity yesterday afternoon against the city’s school closings and budget cuts. They converged with supporters from Occupy Wall Street in Union Square.
http://tinyurl.com/7jbvq59
Tea party, Occupy to demonstrate on same side in Worcester against NDAA
There will be a demonstration against the National Defense Authorization Act tomorrow outside the Harold D. Donohue Federal Building, 595 Main St. Both Occupy Worcester and the Worcester Tea Party urge their members to attend the event, which is part of a national day of protest.
Occupy Worcester will be there beginning at 3 p.m. The Worcester Tea Party will be there from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Both groups say the federal law enacted this year threatens civil liberties, saying that it will enable the indefinite detention of American citizens accused of supporting terrorism.
http://tinyurl.com/87svszk
Letter to the editor: I don’t like the ‘big city’ movement but love my local Occupy (Minnesota)
I have expressed my concerns over the actions of the “big city” groups, and even proposed a name change to disassociate the local group from the national Occupy movement. As a whole, the idea was rejected. But it was rejected in a friendly, Minnesota nice way. Contrast that with the way dissent is treated at Tea Party rallies.
The local group is comprised of honest, down-to-earth, hard-working, tolerant, kind Minnesotans. They are working to raise awareness of the evils that threaten our republic. There is nothing more American, or patriotic. Do not judge them based on the actions of the big city groups.
http://tinyurl.com/7m9pqg3
Confronting the myth of the rational insurgent – comparing the success rate of violent and nonviolent political campaigns
Occupy’s public discussions on “diversity of tactics” have often lacked historical perspective; discussions, at least online, have tended to degenerate to “Ghandi!” “No, ANC!” Now, however, Erica Chenoweth has developed a dataset and analyzed the historical record. Below the fold are slides summarizing the results of her study of 323 non-violent and violent campaigns from 1900-2006.
With NFL Players Behind Them, Groups Plan ‘Occupy Super Bowl’ Protests Of Indiana’s Assault On Workers
In the days since more than 10,000 protesters marched through downtown Indianapolis, union officials and other organizers have grappled with how, and if, they should make their voices heard during Super Bowl festivities. Daniels has warned opponents of the new law that disrupting the Super Bowl would give the state a “black eye.” Nevertheless, with the National Football League’s Players Association officially opposing the law, labor leaders and organizers affiliated with local Occupy groups have vowed to press on.
“If it does pass, we’ll use this, the world stage that is the Super Bowl, to spread the message that Indiana is an inhospitable place for working men and women,” Jeff Harris, Communications and Outreach Coordinator for the Indiana AFL-CIO, told ThinkProgress before the law passed. “And that the very people that built the stadium in which the Super Bowl is going to be played and the very people who built the city that is enjoying the limelight – the very people who made this possible – are being disrespected.”
http://tinyurl.com/6nj8ecq
Indiana’s ‘Right to Work’ Foes Could Bring the Fight to Super Bowl
Yesterday Indiana became the nation’s 23rd right-to-work state after the Senate approved the anti-union measure 28-22.
In protest, thousands of right-to-work opponents poured out of the statehouse in Indianapolis and took to the streets, chanting “Occupy the Super Bowl” as they marched.
Unionists and Occupiers are considering what actions to take as the nation’s attention focuses on the NFL championship in Indianapolis, with some saying the attack on workers merits a dramatic response.
Protesters Picket Freddie Mac
After news broke this month that Freddie Mac placed billion-dollar bets against homeowners in direct conflict with its mission of “making homeownership more affordable,” advocates of residents whose homes were foreclosed on protested on Thursday the mortgage giant’s West Coast headquarters in Los Angeles.
Carrying pickets, beating drums, and chanting, 150 people, including a contingent of Occupy LA members, blocked the entrance to Freddie Mac.
http://tinyurl.com/6qc84lv
NYC Stations Among Media Coalition Protesting NYPD’s Treatment of Reporters
A coalition of media organizations – including WABC, WNBC and WCBS – sent a letter yesterday to the New York Police Department protesting recent media access issues and police handling of reporters.
In November, the New York Press Club sent a letter to city officials protesting treatment of journalists during the Occupy Wall Street raid. In response, police commissioner Ray Kelly told officers that they could be disciplined for disrupting media access, according to the Washington Post. But journalists in New York City say that there continues to be interference while they work.
http://tinyurl.com/7vqk7ju
Occupy Wall Street Goes Virtual, Targeting Apple through Petitions
If you wonder what happened to the OSW movement and are worried that the protest against the 1% has died, you can relax. The protest is not dead. It just moved from Zuccotti Park to websites like change.org and SumOfUs, where OSWers channel their energy into writing and promoting petitions against corporations that misbehave. It started with petitions against Bank of America, $5 fee on debit cards and Target’s plan to open at midnight on Black Friday, and moved to a protest against Coca Cola’s intervention with a plastic bottle ban in national parks, and now it reached Apple.
Yes, Apple, a company that has fans like no other company, is facing now a public uproar with two petitions against the company that have managed to collect more than 200,000 signatures in just couple of days. The first, on Change.org calls Apple to “protect workers making iPhones in Chinese factories,” and the second, on SumOfUs, asks the company to “make the iPhone 5 ethically.”
http://tinyurl.com/7s9ptbv
Oakland police remove ‘Aquapy’ boat from Lake Merritt
Protesters said they launched the boat quietly on Sunday night, and announced that it was floating in the northeast corner of Lake Merritt on Tuesday.
The boat was positioned on the lake permanently, and protesters used smaller boats to ferry themselves and supplies to and from the craft.
Police towed the craft to shore on Wednesday after dark, and protesters abandoned the boat before police arrived, according to video accounts by protester Spencer Mills.
Occupy Provo to protest anti-terror laws
Occupy Provo and a Utah Valley University anti-capitalism student group are planning to protest what they say is an assault on civil liberties.
Occupy Provo has previously staged protests at Zions Bank Financial Center, the Wells Fargo Bank building and the Historic Utah County Courthouse, which houses offices for Sen. Orrin Hatch and Rep. Jason Chaffetz.
Kleinman Seeks To ‘Occupy’ Congressional Seat
Kleinman, who is an active member of Occupy Philadelphia, said a contributing factor in his decision to run was dissatisfaction with the decisions being made by his current representative, Allyson Schwartz.
“There were a number of causes, but mainly, we’re going down a path where our very democracy is threatened, and I don’t believe that Allyson has been on the right side of a number of issues in Washington that have a direct impact on the character of our country,” said Kleinman.
Those issues include Schwartz’s support of economic policies that he says allow American companies to move off-shore, as well as her support for the Patriot Act and her opposition to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, sometimes referred to as “Obamacare.”
http://tinyurl.com/7fz4cb9
In Oregon, Occupy trains its members ‘to be effective lobbyists’
Occupy Oregon has been focused on training its participants how to become effective lobbyists, said the group’s organizer Dr. Jim King.
The group also has compiled a list of eight legislative priorities that include creating a state bank and immigration reform.
“The game plan is to shorten the list and get people here when they need to be here,” King said.
http://tinyurl.com/7zrbyok
Occupy Orange movement formed (NY)
The spreading “Occupy” movement found a foothold in Orange County Thursday evening, with veterans from Zuccotti Park and other movements staging an informational rally at the Mulberry House senior center in Middletown.
Hundreds gathered – perhaps some motivated by the free buffet – to listen to the same guiding philosophies that drew hundreds to hold vigil on Wall Street last year. While no such similar feats are being planned for Orange County at the moment, the session served to brainstorm on smaller scale ideas.
The movement draws sympathizers for a variety of issues, whether they are skyrocketing foreclosure rates, excessive bonuses for corporate CEOs or just general frustration at the federal government. Another cause, drawing members of the CSEA, was the impending closure of the Valley View retirement home, which has yet to find a buyer. Loretta Schultz is a nurse there.
“We’re still fighting for it. Our patients shouldn’t have to worry about being homeless,” Schultz said. “I had a resident today crying because her daughter put an application in at another nursing home.”
http://tinyurl.com/7n9wqlm
In Canada, protesters rally on campus after being blocked day before
About 100 people marched across the University of Alberta campus Thursday, decrying both budget cuts at the institution and its handling of a “student-led” protest the day before.
Many of Thursday’s demonstrators were U of A students and faculty, while some were familiar faces from Occupy Edmonton, the group warned they could face trespassing charges the day before.
http://tinyurl.com/7j2o83d
Salvadoran vets occupy cathedral
A group of former guerrillas is occupying San Salvador’s Cathedral to demand better economic conditions, continuing a long tradition of the cathedral as a place to expose perceived injustices.
http://tinyurl.com/7f6a3r8
3 Responses to “The OB Media Rundown for 2/3/12”
You are a bunch of dopes. I had never heard of bar stool sports before. All you did was help this website reach a broader audience. Found the reason why you are against them, it was a text argument from one of your more sensitive creatures and the barstool guy, and your thin skinned guy went into a tizzy. You brainwashed communist cult members are fun to watch.
You guys should focus on economic issues, and leave the gender and identity politics to the clueless academics. You will naver gain support of most of the 99% by focusing on divisive issues like “the perpetuation of rape culture.” This is pseudo-intellectual drivel that will earn you more enemies than friends. Occupy will become irrelevant very quickly if folks like Anna Siembor are allowed to set your agenda. Focus on the ongoing economic collapse and the looting by Wall Street greedheads and their corrupt government enablers.
Oh, and no doubt the soft-core porno plagiarist who Barfool Sports loves the free publicity!
First thing tomorrow, I expect to see Occupy Boston issue a public condemnation of the hacking of the BPD website which seems to have been done in your name.