“The Solution to the Failed Drug War” by Jack A. Cole, a former narcotics officer

http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2008/09/13/the_solution_to_the_failed_drug_war/

“The Solution to the Failed Drug War” by Jack A. Cole, a former narcotics officer.

An excellent piece that points out how this has always been a war against racial minorities, and how many, many important people are against it.

Points out how there are more blacks locked up on non-violent drug crimes, than there were slaves during slavery.

Legalization is the only way.

The Ballad of Sarah Palin….

courtesy of YouTube and warpedcorp.com

Palin: Pray away the gay — She must be made to answer about this!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2008 Contact: Wayne Besen Phone: 917-691-5118 E-Mail: wbesen@truthwinsout.org Web: www.TruthWinsOut.org Truth Wins Out Calls On Sarah Palin To Comment On Her Church’s Support of ‘Pray Away The Gay’ Conference   Coalition To Hold Educational Forum On Thursday To Counter ‘Ex-Gay’ Program   ANCHORAGE – Truth Wins Out (TWO) today urged GOP Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin to speak out about her church’s support for an “ex-gay” conference that will be in Anchorage on Saturday. Palin is scheduled to be in Alaska today and should use her visit as an opportunity to inform Americans whether she agrees with her church that homosexuals can be cured through prayer, says TWO. “It is time Sarah Palin lets the American people know whether she shares her church’s view that being gay is a choice that can be prayed away,” said Truth Wins Out’s Executive Director Wayne Besen. “Voters are entitled to know who Palin is and what her views are on this issue before they go into the voting booth. Palin’s visit to Alaska is an opportunity for her to address whether she supports the goals of Focus on the Family’s divisive anti-gay conference.” The controversy began when Time Magazine discovered that Wasilla Bible Church, where the Palins worship, had a Sunday morning program insert advertising an upcoming Focus on the Family conference on curing homosexuality in Anchorage called Love Won Out. Truth Wins Out’s Executive Director, Wayne Besen, is now in Anchorage to oppose this anti-gay symposium. He will speak at a forum on Thursday evening in Anchorage with local religious and community leaders to discuss the danger of so-called “ex-gay” ministries.  The “God Loves You Just as You Are,” symposium is sponsored by the Metropolitan Community Church (7208 Duben Avenue) and will take place at 7:00 p.m.   “We appear wherever Focus on the Family spreads lies and fear,” said Wayne Besen, Executive Director of Truth Wins Out. “Love Won Out distorts gay life and conflates stereotypes with science, while selling false hope to vulnerable people. We are looking forward to working with Alaskan advocacy groups to counter Focus on the Family’s false and destructive messages.” John Paulk, an “ex-gay” leader who was on the cover of Newsweek originally founded the program. Love Won Out suffered a major setback after Paulk was photographed in a Washington, DC gay bar in 2000.  Besen is the author of “Anything But Straight: Unmasking the Scandals and Lies Behind the ‘Ex-Gay’ Myth.” TWO shadows this anti-gay seminar across the nation to ensure that the public is armed with the facts and aware that Focus on the Family is deliberately disseminating misinformation about gay and lesbian people. Truth Wins Out is a non-profit organization that counters right wing propaganda, exposes the “ex-gay” myth and educates America about gay life.      -30-

Big government Republican style fix — Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac taken over by feds…..

http://money.cnn.com/2008/09/07/news/economy/fannie_homeowners/index.htm?cnn=yes

REPUBLICAN government takeover of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae?  ( I keep mixing the names up!) I thought the Republicans stood for “smaller government” — not when it comes to huge corporations!

Any bailout of the housing industry will be thrown onto the backs of every citizen who is paying taxes.  That’s you and me!

Responsible or not, we are all going to pay the bill.  These “solutions” aren’t free you know.

The good (or not so good) news is that lending standards will remain somewhat tight — i.e. if you work at Burgar King or Big Box Store for $8 part time, you likely will no longer qualify for zero down on a $500,000 home!

Who knew such lenient standards had previously been in place?  But there really are plenty of examples of what I stated (previous paragraph) — in a scenario like that, we could easily have bought a $1,000,000 house. 

But why?  Just to lose it?  Didn’t the little guy working for minimum wage understand ANYTHING about what she/he was signing?  Maybe not — but how did they think $8/hour would afford a $500,000 home?

In the meantime:  Our search for a modest home — you know, one priced where we can legitimately afford it, with a couple of bedrooms and bathrooms and a living room and kitchen — maybe 1200 – 1500 square feet.  For less than a quarter million dollars…..that search continues.

I suspect it will conclude later this year (or very early 2009) with a foreclosure, that someone else bailed out of, because they couldn’t afford the inflated price.

David B. Cappiello

Interesting video from I-Reports on suspicious tactics used against protesters and other civilians around the RNC convention

In this report, the independent reporter essentially describes the mass arrests (many of which seem trumped up, and for no reason, other than to silence protest and intimidate people) as an experiment on ending “dissent” — in other words — an experiment in arresting masses of people, using police to intimidate, and divide groups who only intended to peacefully protest the government for a redress of their grievances (1st Amendment) — Bill of Rights — USA Constitution.

Again, my quote:  “It is a sad day in America”

As to the black SUV with black tinted windows — I believe I saw one of those near my house on an occasion when the man who currently occupies our high office was preparing to visit the candidate for congress (Republican) that happens to have my first and last name, here in Connecticut.  At the time, I was thinking, “that man appears to be watching our house”.  It wasn’t until later, or the next day, that a relative handed me an article that said they were preparing for Mr. Bush to visit Connecticut to fundraise for “the other David Cappiello”.  I made sure to tell all who would listen that Michael and I had no intention of protesting, nor visiting Henry Kissinger’s house, as we were not invited to the event (and obviously wouldn’t donate to the Republicans)

Now, it could have also been a coincidence….but there were a lot of strange noises and echoes on our phone during those days leading up to Bush’s visit to Connecticut to fundraise for “the other David Cappiello”.

Am I paranoid?  Maybe.  But it doesn’t mean we haven’t suffered civil liberties violations (albeit, not like the ones described in the I-Reports)

I can’t be certain that any of these activities were related to the visit, but they were strange. 

As citizens, learning of these types of intimidation tactics, and arrests, and false charges — it is clearly hoped that we will be pressured into conforming, keeping quiet, and never, ever protesting.

Shortly before the War in Iraq began (or maybe it was shortly after it started) I was invited by someone to a protest/rally on the green in Stratford, CT.  This person and his invitation, and his friendship with me, do seem suspect, years later. 

Anyway, there was a group of between 50 and 75 Stratford residents.  There was a man, close to my partner and I, who had the biggest camera with the most massive telephoto lens I’ve ever seen.

He seemed to be photographing us a lot, and others in the crowd….and then later someone over 100 feet away, who unraveled a banner that said “No war for Israel”.  This was directly behind us (although far away) and he was taking photos in that direction.

This made me worried that someone might think I was at the protest because I disliked Israel — WHICH IS NOT TRUE.  Actually, we have a lot of Jewish friends.  We viewed the Iraq War as Bush’s policy — and did not, and do not include Israel in this view.

We were there to protest an illegal war in Iraq, and had no issues with Israel.

Yet, in the height of the Bush era, when almost no one was speaking out (or being heard in a positive way) it caused paranoia and fear that somewhere in some government archive — a photo might be held that would falsely identify us with views that are actually not our views.

Of course, the person unraveling that banner might actually have more to fear than us.  That is, unless she was sent there by the government to put that in the background, as a prop for the photos being taken of the people at the demonstration!

Who knows?

I tell this story to demonstrate the reality of the fear of persecution that I have felt.  And I haven’t been arrested or detained, nor have I been involved in many protests.  (I’ve only publicly protested the war once)

But at this point, even people who write to elected officials, or send a letter to the editor, many times fear “the Patriot Act” etc.

When in Canada, a Canadian went out of his way, to tell us that “a Canadian version of the Patriot Act … is being used against you”.  He cited our comparison of the Bush regime to the Nazis (Bush’s Grandfather Prescott Bush was actually charged with crimes by the U.S. government for “trading with the enemy” i.e. doing business with the Nazis)  Of course, our comparison had to do with the Patriot Act and the repression of democracy in the 2000s.  Either way, the man told us we’d better watch it.  This man barely knew us, and he obviously had information about us that we didn’t give him.

And for what?  To shut us up? 

Some friends and relatives have called me paranoid.  The definition of paranoid varies from person to person.  Many have told me that I am correctly justified in being afraid, and that just because I “may be paranoid, it doesn’t mean they aren’t watching (me).”

Others have used the phrase paranoia to describe some sort of mental condition that they claim is based solely on my brain chemistry, and that nothing external has ever occurred.  Those are usually close relatives who want me to shut up.

Strange.  I haven’t shut up…although the mental damage caused by the last 8 years of fascism in the USA has quieted me down a bit.  (Also other physical health concerns like diabetes have taken a toll on the two of us)

Back when I held a demonstration in 2002 against “hate crimes”.  A demonstration in which I actually praised the local (Shelton) police for arresting and investigating a brutal crime against a gay man (Shelton, CT/Derby,CT) there were over 100 police officers involved.  They were from Shelton, Derby, Judicial police, State police (FBI? – they didn’t say that!)

The claim was that there were threats made against me by a hate group.  This may have been true.  But as I’ve said in letters to the editor that have been published in the past — how can we trust the police, even if they claim to be helping us — if the government is throwing around national security letters and the Patriot Act, and when we see videos like the one cited in today’s post?

And I had no reason to be paranoid?  I think some of my relatives and “friends” need to read a little more.

David B. Cappiello

Last day of RNC convention another 200 false arrests and a re-arrest of a journalist!

David says the right wing assaulted another 400 people protesting, and re-arrested a producer of Democracy Now! How’s that for police-state McCain style?

How can we possibly believe McCain stands for change, while right outside the doors of his rich-white-man-only convention, ordinary citizens, are being arrested for simply exercising their 1st amendment right to protest the government for a redress of grievances?

Also, a producer of Democracy Now! was arrested yet again!

PBS, thank you for covering this important story.  It seems that CNN (coward news network) and other mainstream media accidentally on orders, overlooked the mass arrests.

http://www.truthout.org/article/amy-goodman-and-two-democracy-now-producers-unlawfully-arrested-at-rnc - Amy Goodman arrested 9/2/2008 truthout.org

Another 200 arrested on 9/5/2008 according to truthout.org

I thought I read 400 somewhere else!

Disgusting.

These people need to be forced to read the Constitution and Bill of Rights, and then they should all be promptly fired (police and prosecutors that participated in the violations of civil liberties) and then THEY should be charged with crimes against humanity and crimes against the Constitution.

Don’t these officials all take an oath to “defend” the constitution when they are sworn in?

Just some questions from a young American yearning for the Freedom he once believed in….. really….as a C student, I absorbed a lot, and believed in American freedom.

I was taught otherwise over the past 8 years.

May the next 8 years restore my confidence and yours, in our American freedom!

David B. Cappiello

Home prices may go down to Great Depression era levels…..

http://finance.yahoo.com/tech-ticker/article/53094/U.S.-House-Price-Decline-Could-Be-Worse-than-Great-Depression?tickers=%5Egspc,fre,fnm

Very interesting….. article and video claims that inflation adjusted, housing prices are already down 24% from the peak prices.

I hope they keep dropping.  I want a home, on the cheap.

David B. Cappiello

Biden says that they will pursue criminal charges against Bush and company, if possible…

Please do!

David B. Cappiello

Letters to prosecutors involved in phony charges against journalists at the protests of the RNC

Amendment I

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

 

Date: Thu, 4 Sep 2008 06:54:12 -0700 (PDT)
From: David Cappiello
Subject: Inquiry regarding a case pending before your office….
To: RCA@co.ramsey.mn.us, info@susangaertner.com

Ramsey County Attorney Susan Gaertner:

 

I am writing to express my outrage, as a citizen of the USA, at the gestapo-like police tactics used against protesters of the Republican convention.  During these outrageous acts (in which the police force may be guilty of crimes)  several journalists were swept up, while simply doing their jobs — reporting on the situation.

 

The 1st amendment (in the Bill of Rights) to the United States Constitution guarantees a freedom of the press, and that the government will not take action to prohibit it.

 

If you charge the Democracy Now!  Producers Sharif Abdel Kouddous and Nicole Salazar(and other people, such as an Associated Press photographer) you will be participating in actions that are illegal under the Constitution of the United States.

 

Clearly, from the videos that are widely circulating over the world wide web (Internet) — it is the police who should be under investigation, and facing charges, for some of their tactics — not innocent reporters and photographers, engaging in Constitutionally protected activities.

 

Unlike your colleague in St. Paul, who has already made the mistake of filing phony charges — it is my understanding that you are still investigating the matter regarding the other Democracy Now staff (and others).

 

Partisan politics, and squelching legitimate protests and freedom of the press do not belong in any state, nor in any police force.

 

Please investigate the actions (and possible crimes) of the officers, and drop the charges against the Democracy Now! and Associated Press reporters/producers.

 

As a matter of fact, you should seriously consider dropping charges against most, if not all, of the protesters who were arrested.  An honest investigation will probably reveal that most, if not all, are innocent of any crime.

 

Do the right thing, because if you don’t, one day, whether now, or years down the road, this incident may be something you answer questions about before other governmental agencies. 

 

Your responsibility as prosecutor is to weigh the charges and verify them, before going ahead with any case.  You also have the ability to investigate and charge officers who may have made false arrests and/or acted with brutal force.

 

I hope that you will do the right thing, and drop the charges, rather than act under partisan pressure from the Republicans.

 

Respectfully,

 

 

David B. Cappiello

———-

——, CT  —–

Date: Thu, 4 Sep 2008 06:34:30 -0700 (PDT)
From: David Cappiello

Subject: Inquiry regaring one of the cases you are handling
To: john.choi@ci.stpaul.mn.us

St. Paul City Attorney John Choi:

 

This email is to confirm and reiterate my phone call, made moments ago, to your office.  Your secretary took my name and state quickly, but I do not believe she is keeping a list, as she said.

 

It is reprehensible that you would abdicate your duty as prosecutor, which is to first evaluate any charges made by police for validity and accuracy, before going ahead with a case.

 

This sir, will not be a notch on your belt, nor a case to file in your resume.  You one day, may find yourself before another governmental body, answering questions as to why you attempted to squelch the freedom of the press.

 

Times do change – and a politically biased case is bound to fail and be exposed for what it is, sooner or later.

 

Amy Goodman couldn’t possibly have committed the crimes she is charged with.  She isn’t even physically capable of committing obstruction of a peace officer.

 

The questions I am asking as a citizen myself are:

1.  Why is the Bill of Rights being violated?

2.  Why are reporters being targeted by the police, at a Republican convention protest, that they were lawfully reporting on?

3.  Why would prosecutors file phony charges?

 

Amy Goodman is a respected journalist, and honorable woman, and was simply engaging in her 1st amendment protected activities as a reporter –  simply asking officers questions.

 

In the USA, we claim to be a Democracy.  If we are, your actions clearly run counter to the Bill of Rights of the United States Constitution.

 

If you do not understand this, then you should resign your position, sir.

 

As I told your receptionist, “it is a sad day in America” because the 1st amendment has been blatantly violated and the lives of innocent reporters have been disturbed — in an effort to silence reporting of a legitimate news story:  the protest of the RNC convention.

 

Do your duty sir, drop these charges.  You should be investigating the police who made the arrests of these journalists.  The videos speak for themselves.  They are being viewed by hundreds of thousands of people at this point on various news services and video distribution services on the world wide web (internet).

 

David B. Cappiello

——, CT   —–

 

Republicans intimidating the media from reporting on protests at the convention

What are the Republicans really all about? Using brutal force against peaceful demonstrators, and arresting reporters, who are exercising the rights afforded them under our Bill of Rights. Amy Goodman, and other reporters from Democracy Now — as well as reporters from other well known news organizations have been arrested and are about to be charged with phony trumped up crimes!

Want an even stronger police state?  Vote McCain!  Want an end to violence and intimidation against the media and the public, and a restoration of our constitutional freedoms?  Vote for Barack Obama.  It’s that simple!

David B. Cappiello

http://www.democracynow.org/blog/2008/9/3/call_to_action_on_behalf_of_dn_journalists_facing_charges_for_reporting_on_the_republican_national_convention