This is not good. They say it’s not the Russians, but pro-Russian Ukrainians…but I dunno…
Ukrainians are passionate, that’s for sure, but to seize a police station? That says to me if it is Ukrainians, that they felt confident enough with *someone* backing them to pull such a stunt. *Someone* has to be orchestrating all of this behind the scenes…*someone* whom is power hungry and has a lot to gain.
<sigh>
Meanwhile, I hope my Russian reader is doing okay. I worry that your seeking information may have landed you in trouble….praying for you…
The U.S. Senate has asked residents that were forced out of their homes by tarsands in Alberta, Canada, to testify about their experience.
They say in the report that they don’t want to be used for political gain. I can’t blame them for that–enough evidence of people being used by politicians for them to be wary.
Tailings ponds which now cover an area the sized of Washington DC contain multiple toxic chemicals including arsenic, benzene, lead, mercury, naphthenic acid, and ammonia. As much as 2.9 million gallons of toxic tailings leak into the environment every day. A 2014 study showed that extreme concentrations of PAHs present in tailings may be evaporating into the air and then deposited into water. New federal research by Environment Canada released in February 2014 confirms that leaking tailings ponds are leaching into groundwater and then into the Athabasca River.
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As someone whom has suffered from mercury toxicity, this is particularly alarming to me. I can be a witness to how devastating this heavy metal is and how difficult it is to get it out of your system and get well again.
Meanwhile, the Enbridge pipeline project is due to get underway in Indiana. Yet, there are *crickets* from the environmental groups, media, etc. This is our “XL”…and no one gives a sh*t.
As a side note~ I know there are folks in the oil industry who read my blog–this is not meant to offend, but I can’t be silent on the destruction of the environment for humans, animals, plants, water, and soil.
A problem that plagues peaceful protestors are those that wish to cause trouble.
The problem is in knowing if they are bad actors looking to stir things up for their own amusement or agent provocateurs–sent in by agencies or the oil companies themselves to give the non-violent activists a bad name. The next problem is banishing them from the movement.
The person calling himself “james Moore” in the piece is typical. Not knowing the writer of the piece, it’s hard to know if this person said those things or whether it is fabricated to make them look bad. Or worse–to put this out there to justify police crackdown.
Like I’ve said before, I won’t support violence and many folks who would otherwise support environmentalists will back away from violent protests.
Setting police vehicles on fire is not violence in that it hurts a human being, but it is destructive…and is counterproductive if you think about all the toxins you’re sending into that very environment you’re trying to protect. You might feel a release of frustration for a moment or two, but in the end, it doesn’t further your cause.
Jan Resseger has another excellent post up on her take of the Americans for Prosperity, aka Koch Brothers, and what’s happened in Kansas.
Jeff Glendening, the director of the Kansas chapter of Americans for Prosperity was quoted—framing the legislation as part of a fight between those who stand for children and those who stand for “adult” interests—by the NY Times : “We appreciate the willingness of the Legislature to place the interests of Kansas children over the welfare of the teachers’ union.” This kind of rhetoric is widely promoted by far-right groups such as StudentsFirst and Stand for Children. These groups try to imply that teachers, who have committed their lives to nurture children, are somehow a class of people working purely out of self interest.
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Incredible. The teacher’s intentions are an example of a stunning psychological twist of the truth. They claim to be concerned for the welfare of the children…but with Common Core, shoving special needs and struggling students out the door, and money being siphoned away from public education…we know differently.
As was pointed out yesterday, the teacher’s union is the same as the police and fire fighter unions….yet no one would think of saying that those unions are operating against the welfare of the people.
Related to this, Fred Klonsky has a post up on the pension raids with a statement on the theft by Karen Lewis.
“This is a sad day for our paraprofessionals, especially our retired ones, who will see their pensions reduced and devalued significantly. They will lose the value of a third of their retirement savings, so instead of the people who crashed the economic system having to pay their fair share, our elected officials brutally attack the people who are most vulnerable—many of whom have become the head of their households, caring for both children and grandchildren,” Lewis said.
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Target the elderly/retired. They have worked their entire lives putting into the system. They deserve to have those pensions. Now that they are retired, they have less money to fight back with–sly ploy by cowards to attack the weaker.
As usual, the comments are insightful and compelling. They bring up the fact that it really isn’t that hard to get rid of “problem” teachers–all the administration has to do is harass them until they’ve had enough and leave. Done. Problem solved.
I’ve seen this in the state government, as well, so yeah, it’s not really that hard to get rid of someone. All you need is a bully in the midst while the administration looks the other way (or even worse–participates).
Urged on by conservative special interests such as Americans for Prosperity, Republican leaders pressed hard to eliminate due process rights for teachers.
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The handiwork of the Koch Brothers. Destroy public education so the Koch brothers don’t have to pay one more penny for unionized workers. More for me…poverty wages for you…
Warrior Publications has this up on the Mi’kmaq Warrior Trial. This is the first I have read of someone on the First Nations side having a gun. In the reports that I read, no one mentioned this…so this destroys some of the credibility of the reporting.
Because I am not down with bringing guns….you may not have the intention of using it, but bringing it makes it easier for someone to get hurt. You may only intend on using it in self-defense, but the other side does not know your intentions. If you live by the sword, you die by the sword, as they say.
If you are doing this for your children, be an example to them. Show them how to stand up for your rights without violence.
And the other side? Only an unethical coward would shoot someone whom is unarmed.
People have a right to protest, especially when their rights to their land are being pushed aside for dirty fracking, but I will not support violence on either side.
In Russia, the will of the state is expressed with signals of varying subtlety; the invocation of “national traitors” is among the less oblique examples of the genre. A new Web site called predatel.net—the word means “traitor”—has recently launched, featuring a list of public figures that the site’s anonymous creators deem to have betrayed Russia, whether by criticizing the annexation of Crimea or by supporting Western sanctions. As the site’s short manifesto puts it, “We believe that Russian citizens who insult our soldiers and who cast doubt on the need to fight neo-Nazis are traitors, no matter whether they are talented journalists, writers, and directors.” The site has a form for users to “suggest a traitor.”
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Holy crap. The Salem Witch Hunt on steroids. Label someone a “witch” on the internet, where the accused has little access to protest their innocence…or put forth a differing point of view without being labeled a “traitor”…pfft. Cowards.
Weak arguments attack the person (Ad Hominem). Strong arguments attack the idea.
I found a news piece on Alexi Navalny’s sentencing hearing:
Finally, the link to Irina Kalinina has this:
Dmitry Kiselyov, probably the single most influential person in the Russian mass media, considered by many as the Kremlin’s chief propagandist, provides another distinctive voice on Russian television. He is best known in the West for his idea that the internal organs of gays were not fit for donation and, more recently, for his reminder that Russia could turn America into “radioactive ash.”
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…and he calls the Ukraine people’s fight to keep their independence, a “mass psychosis”. Seriously.
(hat tip Diane Ravitch) The Dish posted this awesome video of a musical flash mob in Ukraine–the equivalent of our First Amendment (Freedom of Assembly) in action.
There’s just something about the defiance with music from the soul…brought tears to my eyes. If you recall, “Ode to Joy” was the only classical song my poor mother could get me to play, and until just recently, I could not play it, due to the mercury.
Jared Leto has a link up to a video against oil drilling in the rainforest of Yasuni. You might recall the Huaroani tribe was featured in the book Savages by Joe Kane. He chronicled the indigenous tribes’ slowly being overtaken by the oil companies–their health, their land, and their culture.
Yasuni is home to over 130 globally threatened species including the giant otter, white-bellied spider monkey, golden-mantled tamarin, giant armadillo and jaguar. Extinction risks are high for all threatened species.
655 different tree species have been identified within 1 hectare of land.
For reptile biodiversity, it is the 2nd richest area in the world.
More insect species are found in Yasuni than any other forest.
There are more frog and toad species within Yasuni than all of North America combined.
Ecuador has the 9th highest mammal biodiversity, and over half reside in Yasuni.
Many species are endemic to Yasuni.
It is home to the 5th largest bat reserve.
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The petition to sign here. Please don’t think because it’s *there* that it doesn’t affect us in America. It does. Everything is connected and when a species (plant or animal) dies, it affects other species….a domino effect, if you will.
Given that bats are dying of a disease of unknown origin, (yeah, it’s probably caused by chemical toxins), we should sit up and take notice that this area contains the 5th largest bat reserve.
Eagle 
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