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Jamie Rappaport Clark, Defenders of Wildlife <defenders@mail.defenders.org> · Today 04:00

Crisis - Wolves on the Brink   "I would like to see every wolf shot and killed this year 
that's left in Montana get them gone." - From an anti-wolf social media page
 --------------------------------------------------------------- Dear pbnb reader,  Hate is contagious. And deadly. And wolves are dying because of it.  In Idaho, the vendetta against wolves ruthlessly continues. Now, it's spreading to Washington state where just last month, the alpha female of the Teanaway pack was illegally shot and killed, throwing the pack's future into jeopardy.  Please donate today - your support will help give us the resources 
we need to protect wolves where and when they need it most.  http://action.defenders.org/site/R?i=zwhynmvJwMSuwhBKvHpdBA  There are fewer than 55 known wolves in the entire state of Washington, making the suspected intentional killing of the alpha female even more tragic.  Meanwhile, radical anti-wolf groups in the region are trying to work up a frenzy of fear and hatred by putting up billboard ads featuring anti-wolf propaganda and lies. This kind of damaging misinformation can catch the public's attention like wildfire - and we can't let that happen.  Help us fight the lies and get the truth out about wolves with a generous year-end donation to Defenders of Wildlife.  http://action.defenders.org/site/R?i=Xo_D2Neq1Qg9rEevBAoUwQ  We're working hard to prevent fear and hatred from spreading across the West. And we're stepping up our efforts in battleground states like Idaho, where extreme anti-wolf politicians have caused the deaths of more than 1,400 wolves since 2009 and made a mockery of wolf conservation.  We have already lived in a nation where wolves were pushed to the brink of extinction. And we're not going to let it happen again!  We can't tell you how grateful we are for your continued support.  Sincerely,  Jamie Rappaport Clark President Defenders of Wildlife      Defenders of Wildlife leads the pack when it comes to protecting wild animals 
and plants in their natural communities » http://action.defenders.org/site/R?i=uJ2EEGMgGsVwXvS65---tw    1130 17th Street NW  |  Washington, DC 20036  |  1-800-385-9712  HOME http://action.defenders.org/site/R?i=_NtgmLFAefHN5EqT542-hA  DONATE NOW http://action.defenders.org/site/R?i=Kaddh6Ih27sLvc0cZ_Nf7Q   CONTACT US http://action.defenders.org/site/R?i=5gwvt7-2l2wNFYivykfq3Q  RSS FEEDS http://action.defenders.org/site/R?i=Nwk-QGfzZ0oxiNb7RjAucg   PRIVACY POLICY http://action.defenders.org/site/R?i=AshU7sIRlUC7BL4cRzHReA  TERMS OF USE http://action.defenders.org/site/R?i=tgRTYLx0Ox2UnTj2NKVocQ  © Copyright 12/18/2014 Defenders of Wildlife.    Defenders of Wildlife is a national, nonprofit membership organization dedicated to the protection of all native wild animals and plants in their natural communities.  Defenders of Wildlife can be contacted at: 1130 17th Street, NW Washington, DC 20036
t r u t h o u t | In Monroe County, Ohio - just across the river from West Virginia - another fracking well has gone dangerously sideways. The wellhead, run by the Magnum Hunter Resources Corporation, is spewing natural gas out of control. More than two dozen families have been evacuated from their homes over concerns that the slightest spark could ignite a detonation.  The long and lingering dangers of fracked natural gas are a national issue, and a global issue in terms of environmental concerns, but unless you live next to a well, odds are you won't hear about these kinds of stories...unless you read Truthout. Our reporters and experts have been on the environmental beat since the day this organization was established. People know about what is happening in Monroe County because of us, and that matters, because Monroe County matters. Those families matter.  We need your help to continue reporting on the stories that matter. Right now, a matching grant challenge means that any donation you make will be matched dollar for dollar - if we meet the $10,000 target by the end of the day. Can you make sure we get there?  You might not think you have much to give - but any amount you can spare will make a difference, especially today. Please donate now to help Truthout survive!  Click here to donate: https://members.truth-out.org/donate (Truthout is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. EIN: 20-0031641) You can also donate by check, made payable to: Truthout, P.O. Box 276414, Sacramento, CA 95827 (Please include your email address on your check.) Or call in your donation: (213) 489-1971  Yours, William Rivers Pitt, Columnist and Editor  ----------- Support Truthout with a tax-deductible donation by clicking here: https://members.truth-out.org/donate  To ensure you receive our messages please add the following address to your email address book: messenger@truthout.org  If you are having trouble with this, read our guide: http://truth-out.org/whitelisting  Thank you!  _/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/   Go directly to our home page: http://www.truthout.org Click to SUBSCRIBE -> http://org2.salsalabs.com/o/6694/p/salsa/web/common/public/signup?signup_page_KEY=2160 Our Privacy Policy -> http://truth-out.org/privacy
Dear Friends of Mumia Abu-Jamal,   Mumia supporters may well remember that revolutionary Cuba was the only nation on earth to mobilize its population in a massive protest of over 100,000 in Holguin province demanding Mumia's freedom. Mumia, in turn, has always demanded that the Cuban Five, victims of a U.S. frame-up trial based on spurious changes of spying, be immediately released. Two of The Five, having served their sentences, have already been released. Today, President Obama announced at a Washington, D.C. press conference that the remaining three, Gerardo Hernández, Ramón Labañino and Antonio Guerrero, were released in a prisoner exchange that included U.S. spy Alan Gross and two other U.S. agents operating in Cuba.. The release of the remaining three Cubans is a major victory for the Cuban people and the movement that has fought so hard for the past 16 years to win their freedom.  The AP story below has the initial details on The Five and related issues. For now, the U.S. embargo/blockade of Cuba remains in place, requiring congressional action to change. Secretary of State John Kerry announced that the U.S. would be reviewing its designation of Cuba as a terrorist state. He added that he plans to visit Cuba.  Cuban President Raul Castro's speech today on this important new situation, reaffirmed Cuba's socialist course while affirming its ongoing effort at normalizing U.S.-Cuba relations. A pre-requistite to this, Castro explained, was an end to the heinous U.S. blockade/embargo, which has been for decades virtually unanimously condemned by the United States General Assembly (minus the votes of the U.S. and Israel).  Antiwar and social justice activists have long campaigned for the freedom of the Cuban Five, for an end to the embargo/blockade and all other efforts of U.S. imperialism to bring down revolutionary Cuban. Mumia's voice has always been heard loud and clear on these issues. The freedom of the Cuban Five is a victory for all humanity. The struggle to free Mumia is similarly a critical task before the entire social justice movement.  In solidarity,  Jeff Mackler and Laura Herrera, Co-coordinators, Mobilization to Free Mumia Abu-Jamal  Here's the AP release today, December 17, 2014:   WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama announced the re-establishment of diplomatic relations with Cuba on Wednesday and declared an end to America's "outdated approach" to the communist island in a historic shift aimed at ending a half-century of Cold War enmity.  "These 50 years have shown that isolation has not worked," Obama said in remarks from the White House. "It's time for a new approach."  As Obama spoke to Americans, Cuban President Raul Castro addressed his own nation from Havana, saying that while the two countries still have profound differences in areas such as human rights and foreign policy, they must learn to live together "in a civilized manner."  Wednesday's announcements followed more than a year of secret talks between the U.S. and Cuba, including clandestine meetings in Canada and the Vatican and personal involvement from Pope Francis. The re-establishment of diplomatic ties was accompanied by Cuba's release of American Alan Gross, who had been imprisoned for five years, and the swap of a Cuban who had spied for the U.S. for three Cubans jailed in Florida. Gross spoke with Obama from the plane carrying him back to the U.S.  Obama's plans are sweeping: He aims to expand economic ties with Cuba, open an embassy in Havana, send high-ranking U.S. officials to visit and review Cuba's designation as a state sponsor of terrorism. The U.S. also is easing restrictions on travel to Cuba, including for family visits, official U.S. government business and educational activities. But tourist travel remains banned.  Obama's action marked an abrupt use of U.S. executive authority. However, he cannot unilaterally end the longstanding U.S. economic embargo on Cuba, which was passed by Congress and would require action from lawmakers to overturn.  In a statement, the Vatican said Pope Francis "wishes to express his warm congratulations" for the efforts taken by Cuba and the U.S. "with the aim of overcoming, in the interest of the citizens of both countries, the difficulties which have marked their recent history."  U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called the news "very positive" and thanked the U.S. and Cuban presidents "for taking this very important step."  Obama said Gross' imprisonment had been a major obstacle in normalizing relations. Gross arrived at an American military base just outside Washington Wednesday morning, accompanied by his wife and a handful of U.S. lawmakers. He went immediately into a meeting with Secretary of State John Kerry, who said he looked forward to becoming the first U.S. secretary of state in 60 years to visit Cuba.  Licensed American travelers to Cuba will now be able to return to the U.S. with $400 in Cuban goods, including tobacco and alcohol products worth less than $100 combined. This means the long-standing ban on importing Cuban cigars is over, although there are still limits.  The U.S. is also increasing the amount of money Americans can send to Cubans from $500 to $2,000 every three months. Early in his presidency, Obama allowed unlimited family visits by Cuban-Americans and removed a $1,200 annual cap on remittances. Kerry is also launching a review of Cuba's designation as a state sponsor of terror.  Obama said he continued to have serious concerns about Cuba's human rights record but did not believe the current American policy toward the island was advancing efforts to change the government's behavior.  "I do not believe we can keep doing the same thing for over five decades and expect a different result," he said.  Some on Capitol Hill disagreed with his move.  Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., said the new U.S. policy would do nothing to address the issues of Cuba's political system and human rights record.  "But it potentially goes a long way in providing the economic lift that the Castro regime needs to become permanent fixtures in Cuba for generations to come," Rubio said.  Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said that while he remains concerned about human rights and political freedom inside Cuba, "I support moving forward toward a new path with Cuba."  U.S. officials said Cuba was taking some steps as part of the agreement to address its human rights issues, including freeing 53 political prisoners.  Cuba also released a non-American U.S. intelligence 'asset' along with Gross. Officials said the spy had been held for nearly 20 years and was responsible for some of the most important counterintelligence prosecutions that the United States has pursed in recent decades. That includes convicted Cuban spies Ana Belen Montes, Walter Kendall Myers and Gwendolyn Myers and a group known as the Cuban Five.  The three Cubans released in exchange for the spy are part of the Cuban Five — a group of men who were part of the "Wasp Network" sent by Cuba's then-President Fidel Castro to spy in South Florida. The men, who are hailed as heroes in Cuba, were convicted in 2001 in Miami on charges including conspiracy and failure to register as foreign agents in the U.S.  Two of the five were previously released after finishing their sentences.  Gross was detained in December 2009 while working to set up Internet access as a subcontractor for the U.S. Agency for International Development, which does work promoting democracy in the communist country. It was his fifth trip to Cuba to work with Jewish communities on setting up Internet access that bypassed local censorship.  Bonnie Rubinstein, Gross' sister, heard the news from a cousin, who saw it on television.  "We're like screaming and jumping up and down," she said in a brief telephone interview from her home in Texas.  Cuba considers USAID's programs illegal attempts by the U.S. to undermine its government, and Gross was tried and sentenced to 15 years in prison.  Gross' family has said he was in ailing health. His wife, Judy, said in a statement earlier this month that he had lost more than 100 pounds, could barely walk due to chronic pain and had lost much of the sight in his right eye.  He walked without assistance after he arrived back in the United States.  __._,_.___ Posted by: Jeff Mackler <jmackler@lmi.net> __,_._,___ 
_______________________________________________ Mumia-alerts mailing list Mumia-alerts@mailman.lmi.net http://mailman.lmi.net/mailman/listinfo/mumia-alerts  To subscribe from The Mobilization to Free Mumia Abu-Jamal list, please email 
mumia-alerts-request@free-mumia.org and type "subscribe" in the subject line. 
Thanks
Dear Friends and Activists, We just did an extensive interview for OpEdNews, the premiere site for progressive news and discussion, on the relevance of the Senate torture report, and we invite you to check it out. http://www.opednews.com/articles/Torture-Now-as-American-a-by-Joan-Brunwasser-Activism_Activist_Bush-Admin_CIA-Crimes-141211-166.html  And in this message we will further expound. The most important and latest revelation to come out of this has been the response of current CIA director Brennan, who asserted that whether torture led to good actionable intelligence or not was, in his words, "unknowable." Wow! After swearing up and down to us for a decade that absolutely, positively the best and most critical intelligence came from torturing people, now all of a sudden, now that the long stymied Senate report found exactly the opposite, now their fallback lie is that we can never really know the true and accurate answer as to the effectiveness of torture. Never mind that all those sworn declarations we heard before came from the torturers themselves by way of justifications. Never mind that the CIA went out of their way to destroy important evidence (video tapes of the actual torture). Never mind that all true interrogation professionals have always known that torture does NOT work. Never mind that even if torture did work, it would still be reprehensible for a civilized country to practice it. And never mind that the CIA's entire mission is knowing things, but now they claim they can't ever know anything about this (translated: they simply won't tell us). But worst of all, the reason we tortured people was not to protect the American people, to get good intelligence, or anything like that. No, the real reason we tortured people was to get the false confessions to justify the criminal invasion of Iraq, to seize strategic control of their oil fields, which has destroyed the stability of the Middle East, even such as it was, and the decades of blowback we are just starting to suffer as a result is our prize. Oh, did we mention lining the pockets of associates of the torturers with tons of no-bid contract booty? We would be remiss to point out that this is the precise case made by our first dramatic full length feature film, The Last War Crime, which has been censored in every possible way since we completed it over 2 years ago. But you can get a copy of the DVD screener to see for yourself from the page for our new film, Citizens United, The Movie, itself just about completed. The Last War Crime screeners: http://www.citizensunitedthemovie.com So please stay tuned. Lots more insightful commentary coming soon, including the 12th installment in our Hobby Lobby errors series, "The Religious Rights Of Incorporated States," and much more. You may forward this message to any friends who would find it important. Contributions to The People's Email Network or ActBlue are not tax-deductible for federal income tax purposes. 
Dear pbnb reader,  Police violence against people of color, that is illegal violence usually without consequence to the perpetrators, is not merely the product of too many law enforcement officers with racist attitudes.  Their name says it all. Police are enforcing laws, including with deadly force, to make people obey legislation that at its heart protects people that own property. The more you own, the more you are served and protected.  Of course we all want to live in a safer city and police play a significant role in that, but to address this violence we must recognize the underlying causes of street crime: unemployment, low wages, poverty, and completely irrational drug laws.  Unemployment is not a natural phenomenon that ebbs and flows; it’s a product of a system that requires a big pool of available cheap labor to keep wages low. A myriad of legislation ensures that unions are weak and wages stay depressed. It’s not a product of a free labor market, but what amounts to a regulated one.  When police use violence they do so as agents of a legal system (courts and prisons), that must keep a lid on people who fight back against desperate conditions. Whether they fight back blindly and often self-destructively, or more consciously and politically, the elites have passed laws that keep people in their place.  Of course the place for those in the elites, that is the top 20%, is to own 85% of America’s wealth. On a global scale, the top 1% of the population owns 50% of the world’s wealth. In the US, the wealthiest one percent captured 95 percent of post-financial crisis growth since 2009, while the bottom 90 percent became poorer.  Laws are designed to makes sure this inequality takes place, and make sure it stays this way. The police enforce these laws.  It’s crucial to the elites that police feel free to use violence without much reservation. They don’t want them second-guessing themselves. That’s why a whole set of laws have been enacted that make it almost impossible to indict or convict a cop of using too much force.  If you’ve been watching The Real News, you’ve seen all of this reported on in many of our stories.  So how come mainstream television never connects these dots when reporting on Ferguson or police violence in other cities? If it needs to be said, the 1% owns the mass media and there’s nothing like self-interest to make us see the world as one wants to see it – or to not see it at all.  It takes a Katrina or a militant mass protest for corporate media to acknowledge race in America – even though racism is inseparable from the issue of poverty and policing.  This society dehumanizes those it exploits. Racism is the ultimate dehumanizing of those who are super exploited. It justifies poverty level wages, mass unemployment and mass incarceration. It divides people of color from all those suffering desperate conditions.  Many TRNN guests have said the solution is not a retreat into ethnic identity, but a united front of all working, unemployed and enlightened people. Across the country, people are organizing and resisting. They are mobilizing in the streets and with an independent electoral strategy.  With your help, this revolution is being televised on TRNN.  Till the end of the year, every dollar you donate will be matched till we reach 200k. We believe that with sufficient resources, we can win the local TV market in Baltimore and then in many other cities across North America. It's a game changer.  Please help us make Real News.  Thanks from everyone at The Real News Network  Paul Jay  ============================================================  ** DONATE (http://therealnews.us6.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=156b1ee6f1&id=d9cf7aba9a&e=c6b808c5f2)
Dear pbnb reader,  Resistance is growing, but it’s not enough.  As we’ve reported, people are resisting. The powerful movements in Ferguson and across the country have shaken American politics out of its lethargy. But resistance is not enough. People in many places are setting their sites on governing. Only through governing can laws be changed and force - that’s right, the police, the courts, and the prisons - be used to enforce laws that insist on more equality.  When one looks at contemporary experience around the world, significant change comes about by combining mobilization in the streets with the ballot box. This does not have to mean becoming an appendage of the Democratic Party. While nationally this may look almost impossible at this time, at the level of cities and smaller states, there’s evidence a breakthrough is possible. When that happens, TRNN will be there.  People are making demands and so they should. Communities are calling for control of the police, saner drug laws, and policies that will create decent jobs. At best, the elites won’t make more than minor changes, although that’s better than nothing. The problem is, in the current political situation, they won’t even do that.  Why?  Capitalism has lost its dynamism. Far too few people own far too much. That's the root of the problem. A class that owns so much, that wields so much political power, is not capable of effective policy in the interests of the majority.  The top 20% are not even capable of effective public policy in the interest of their own class. They can't deal with systemic threats to the very system that made them wealthy. Nothing makes this more obvious than their inability to regulate the big banks or deal with regulating carbon emissions.  They are fractured. Different billionaires, pools of capital and the political class that represents them - bicker and claw for even more money and power. They unite around a policy of global dominance that destroys whole societies, driving them into a perverse medievalism – all in the name of promoting democracy.  Not capable of facing up to economic stagnation or the threat of climate change, war is the only answer they’ve ever had.  Our ruling elites are dysfunctional and not fit to rule.  They own a news media that makes it all seem so reasonable, so humane, and so inevitable. Perhaps, they even believe it.  History shows in periods such as these, the threat of fascism and war is great. The far right has considerable strength in the white working class, especially outside the major urban centers. The impotence and hypocrisy of the corporate Democratic Party bears great responsibility for this. Corporate television news, both overtly right and liberal, also played a major role in reviving the Republican Party after the debacle of the Bush years.  The weak link in the corporate media chain is in cities and smaller states, particularly those with large Black and Latino populations. Local news is based on an advertising model so they go where the money is. That usually means upper income whites. In Baltimore, 75% of the on-air talent on local corporate news is white – in a town that’s 63% black. This corporate news conglomerate has no interest in representing the interests of cities’ majority black population.  Local corporate television news addresses none of the concerns of white working class families either, who also face unemployment, low wages, the scourge of drug abuse and disintegrating families.  Young people of all backgrounds are thirsting for a realistic vision to fight for.  It’s from ordinary people like these that real change will come from. That’s who we want to watch our news. That's why The Real News is headquartered in Baltimore.  With your help, this revolution will be televised.  Till the end of the year, every dollar you donate will be matched till we reach 200k. (http://therealnews.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=156b1ee6f1&id=301fdb3b76&e=c6b808c5f2) I believe that with sufficient resources, we can win the local TV market in Baltimore and then in many other cities across North America. It's a game changer.  Please help us make Real News. (http://therealnews.us6.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=156b1ee6f1&id=851bde4a73&e=c6b808c5f2)  Thanks from everyone at The Real News Network  Paul Jay Senior Editor  ============================================================  ** DONATE (http://therealnews.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=156b1ee6f1&id=3df979d6ba&e=c6b808c5f2)
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 You can read the original version online:  http://ymlp292.net/zePcwc  ------------------------------------------------------ Long Distance Revolutionary:A Journey With Mumia Abu-Jamal”  had a stunning World Premiere at the Mill Valley Film Festival  
 and International Premier in Copenhagen. Hear an interview with  
 Mumia
  Samiya "Goldi" Davis Abdullah 1978 - 2014   Rest In Power  had a stunning World Premiere at the Mill Valley Film Festival 
 and International Premier in Copenhagen. Hear an interview with  
 Mumia
         "My father is still considered to be a dangerous individual…  
 his mind is what they fear, there is overwhelming evidence  
 that would exonerate him of his conviction. He is an innocent    
 man and the commonwealth has always known this, but  
 being too Black, too smart, and too strong… The government  
 will silence anyone that possesses the power to open the 
 minds of the people."

 - Goldi
 READ THE INTERVIEW HERE  
      http://prisonradio.wordpress.com/2011/09/08/interview-with-philadelphia-hip-hop-artist-and-mumia-abu-jamal%E2%80%99s-daughter-goldii/

 Prison Radio Essays   "Goldi's Visit" Song for Goldi,  Sung by Mumia Abu-Jamal

Listen http://www.prisonradio.org/media/audio/mumia/goldis-visit-song-206-mumia-abu-jamal     "The Visit"  text only by Mumia Abu-Jamal  read http://www.prisonradio.org/media/audio/mumia/visit-text-only-live-death-row-mumia-abu-jamal      "Why We Can't Breathe"  (2:13) Mumia Abu-Jamal Listen ( http://www.prisonradio.org/media/audio/mumia/why-we-cant-breathe-213-mumia-abu-jamal )   "Torture by Another Name"  (2:13) Mumia Abu-Jamal Listen ( http://www.prisonradio.org/media/audio/mumia/torture-another-name-213-mumia-abu-jamal )   "Making Torture Legal"  (2:34) Mumia Abu-Jamal Listen ( http://www.prisonradio.org/media/audio/mumia/making-torture-legal-234-mumia-abu-jamal )        Long Distance Revolutionary:A Journey With Mumia Abu-Jamal”  had a stunning World Premiere at the Mill Valley Film Festival 
 and International Premier in Copenhagen. Hear an interview with 
 Mumia
    .   Watch the short video, read more, and demand our right to speak. https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/protect-freedom-of-speech-keep-mumia-on-the-air/x/585261           Listen to Mumia’s weekly radio essays and interviews. These  perspectives are searing and profoundly illuminating. Mumia  
 tackles head on the vast implications of incarceration. These 
 hard hitting unvarnished critiques have one allegiance — to the 
 truth; not to a corporate master. When you listen to Mumia you 
 realize that the American media has become the public  
 relations arms of the Pentagon, Wall Street, and the White
 House.
  Long Distance Revolutionary:A Journey With Mumia Abu-Jamal”  had a stunning World Premiere at the Mill Valley Film Festival    
 and International Premier in Copenhagen. Hear an interview  
 with Mumia
  Join Prison Radio ( http://www.prisonradio.org/join-us )   Dear Brothers, Sisters, Comrades, & Friends -  The inhumanity of being seperated from your family weighs  
 heavily on every prisoner.  For Mumia, held in solitary, with  
 non-contact visits for 30 years, it was and is heart wrenching. 

 We are saddened to share the news that Samiya “Goldi” Davis 
 Abdullah, daughter of Wadiya Jamal and Mumia Abu-Jamal,  
 passed away earlier yesterday after a long fight with breast 
 cancer.  Born in 1978, she was just 36 years old. 
 She had just finished a Master’s Degree in Social Work at the  University of Pennsylvania and is survived by two young  daughters. (Seen here on picture at left Goldi visits Mumia in  
 1981 at Graterford as he was awaiting trial.) In one of the most 
 moving and personal pieces that he has written Mumia 
 describes her visit to him when he was in solitary confinement 
 on death row at SCI Greene.
  "The Visit" is in his first book Live From Death (Harper 
 Perennial) and was recreated in movie "Mumia: Long Distance 
 Revolutionary."
  Known as “Goldi”, her stage name, Samiya was a rapper of lyrical
grace and sharp, pointed consciousness, one who used her spoken word skills to highlight issues of racial inequality, criminal (in)justice, and always to promote Black liberation.  From a daughter’s perspective, she was a dynamic spokesperson, speaking stirringly of the impact incarceration has on children and families.  She was also a staunch advocate on behalf of her father’s innocence.  The irregularities of his trial and sentencing were also subjects she rapped on.  She raps on this track "Mumia 911" produced by Frank Sosa. Artists involved included Unbound Allstarts project Public Enemy's ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_Enemy_(band) ) Chuck D. ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuck_D ), Rage Against the Machine ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rage_Against_the_Machine ) front man Zack de la Rocha ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zack_de_la_Rocha ), Dead Prez ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Prez ) and Pharoahe Monch ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pharoahe_Monch ).  LISTEN HERE ( http://archive.prisonradio.org/audio/mumia/175_progess_drive/175_14.mp3 )        WATCH HERE ( http://vimeo.com/33498781 ) as Goldi recites "Trap Doors", from "All Out for Mumia", an event held on the 30th anniversary of his incarceration at the Constitution Center in Philadelphia 12/9/2011. The rhyme eloquently and poetically explains how her father was shot and subsequently framed for murder.   Goldi Performs at Mumia's 55th Birthday & Book Release Party. WATCH HERE ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkR2IH0QkoQ )    Michelle Alexander just donated to the Prison Radio defense Fund and asks you to also!   ( https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/protect-freedom-of-speech-keep-mumia-on-the-air/x/585261#pledges ) bit.ly/defendfreespeech ( https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/protect-freedom-of-speech-keep-mumia-on-the-air/x/585261#pledges )  "Please support this effort to raise funds to overturn legislation adopted in Pennsylvania that empowers prosecutors to silence prisoners - bar them from speaking publicly in any form. This law was passed in response to Mumia delivering the commencement address at Goddard College from behind prison walls. But this isn't just about Mumia. This law threatens the ability of ANY prisoner in Pennsylvania to speak to the media if a victim objects, in clear violation of free speech principles. If the law is allowed to stand, it will make it even more difficult than it already is for people in prison to have their voices heard. And you can be certain that copycat legislation will be adopted in other states whenever prisoners actually succeed in getting their message heard on the outside. This law needs to be overturned now." Michelle Alexander   PLEASE SUPPORT NOW!bit.ly/defendfreespeech ( http://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fbit.ly%2Fdefendfreespeech&h=uAQENQEBj&enc=AZN2O_kFf-9lVpCOfF0Mk1xibSvNH3E8setks4loPC1HGyu1SQQOLNejAwUNfZ2DRRW7a_0XheGtKiVb9tMZVR4B2vQp7Ln85BNY61MBNQh3tqDnoEpo8Y3RupoL0b3MiWZ0F-psFuo6CyL5QbnPnc_o7DVhylwznKhn5rEsbBuPrg&s=1 ) A big Thank You to each and every one of the 326 our donors we are 55% there! The deadline is 1/2/15.Please continue to support the campaign to defend our First Amendment rights          Support Prison Radio   $35 is the yearly membership.  $50 will get you a beautiful tote bag (you can special order a yoga mat bag, just call us).  $100 will get the DVD "Mumia: Long Distance Revolutionary"  $300 will bring one essay to the airwaves.  $1000 (or $88.83 per month) will make you a member of our Prison Radio Freedom Circle ( https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/PrisonRadio ).  Take a moment and Support Prison Radio ( https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/PrisonRadio )                Luchando por la justicia y la libertad, Noelle Hanrahan, Prison Radio Luchando por la justicia y la libertad,  Noelle Hanrahan Director, Prison Radio    Prison Radio  P.O. Box 411074 San Francisco, CA 94141 www.prisonradio.org  |  info@prisonradio.org  |  415-706-5222   To subscribe to our email newsletter or hard copy mailings with great posters, postcards and bookmarks, sign up here. ( http://www.prisonradio.org/ )
Lack of Prosecution of U.S. Officials Paved the Way for New Abuses HOLD THE TORTURERS ACCOUNTABLE  Reports of US-sponsored torture by the CIA and in Brazil (see below) have put the issue back in the media spotlight. SOA Watch maintains that torture is nothing new within the US military, and that it didn't start with 9/11. The lack of accountability for the use of the SOA torture manuals at the School of the Americas, and other atrocities, contributed to the torture that was perpetrated by the CIA and publicized in the Senate Intelligence Committee's report on CIA torture. Read the SOA Watch media release "Torture has a long History in U.S. Policy" here: http://soaw.org/news/news-alerts/4271-torture-has-a-long-history-in-us-policy-lack-of-prosecution-of-us-officials-paved-the-way-for-new-abuses Send a message to Congress and President Obama, to demand prosecutions of U.S. officials involved in torture and human rights abuses: http://org.salsalabs.com/o/727/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=16876 _________________________________________  Brazil's National Truth Commission Report Documents U.S. involvement in Torture in Brazil  The release of the Brazil's National Truth Commission report on December 10, 2014, promoted a sense of justice to many Brazilians. Previously unpublished documents from the 21-year long dictatorship shed light on torture, and other human rights violations used before and during the 1964-1985 era.  President Dilma Rousseff, who was tortured and jailed for 3 years, stated that Brazil deserves the truth [ http://g1.globo.com/politica/noticia/2014/12/dilma-chora-ao-receber-relatorio-final-da-comissao-da-verdade.html ]. The report not only goes into details on names of human rights violators and their victims, but it also depicts the roots of those violations: ""The collaboration of the United States was also immense in the formation and specialization of agents."" (Pg.141 [ http://www.cnv.gov.br/images/relatorio_final/Relatorio_Final_CNV_Parte_2.pdf ]) Volume II of this report explores specific facts about the U.S. involvement in the tortures tactics used in Brazil, including listing the names of graduates from the School of the Americas (SOA). Among the SOA graduates are Lúcio Valle Barroso (1933-) and Abílio Correa de Souza (1923-2001) who were the kidnappers, torturers and killers of Stuart Edgard Angel Jones - one of the most atrocious cases of that era (Pg.160 [ http://www.cnv.gov.br/images/relatorio_final/Relatorio_Final_CNV_Parte_2.pdf ]). Barroso, also known as "Dr. Celso", studied military intelligence at SOA from January through April of 1971 and Souza, known as "Dr. Pascoal" studied Combat Intelligence and Counter Intelligence at the SOA (Pg.235 [ http://www.cnv.gov.br/images/relatorio_final/Relatorio_Final_CNV_Parte_2.pdf ]). The SOA graduates were part of two Brazilian torture agencies, the Operation and Information Detachment (DOI) – Center of Operations and Internal Defense (CODI) and Center of Information of Security of the Aeronautics (CISA). Jones (1945-1971) son of Brazilian mother and U.S. born father and a member of the extreme left group MR-8, was moored to a car and taken around the CISA facilities in Rio de Janeiro. According to Alex Polari's testimony, a friend who watched Jones' torture through his cell window, he was forced to attach his mouth to the vehicle's exhaust pipe inhaling its emitted toxics. This and other brutal tortures tactics found on Brazil's report are directly related to the tortures published in the CIA report. The Senate Intelligence Committee's report depicts several torture methods that were passed on into Brazilian military officials.). The teachings of the SOA was passed along with the message that to preserve the life of militants was not something of concern during operations, neither police nor military members needed to justify their actions, if their counterparts were members of the regime's opposition (Pg.142 [ http://www.cnv.gov.br/images/relatorio_final/Relatorio_Final_CNV_Parte_2.pdf ]). The The Senate Intelligence Committee's report on CIA torture [ http://www.intelligence.senate.gov/study2014/sscistudy1.pdf ] states facts about the numerous manuals of Counter Insurgency Operations, like the "KUBARK Counterintelligence Interrogation Manual" drawn by the CIA in 1963 (Pg.18 [ http://www.intelligence.senate.gov/study2014/sscistudy1.pdf ]), that would teach ways to deprive victims from sensory stimuli so that they would hallucinate, incorporating in anything that the offices would want them to be as a form of entertainment for them. These "torture manuals" of interrogation techniques, were provided by the CIA to at least seven Latin American countries in the 1980s (Pg.18 [ http://www.intelligence.senate.gov/study2014/sscistudy1.pdf ]) – Brazil was one of them. A last striking finding is the USAID (United States Agency for International Development) involvement with police militarization in Brazil even before the coup of 1964. The training of Brazilian police in 1960 by policeman Dan Mitriori was done under the supervision of USAID. Mitriori believed that torture was a form of science and used homeless to train policemen in Belo Horizonte and in Rio de Janeiro de most brutal techniques of torture by reaching "vulnerable points of the human body". Torture then was used to gather information, to dissuade and intimidate as well as to disseminate terror among the opposition groups. Later, with the coup and the establishment of the militarism, the system of repression was perfected and institutionalized (Pg.104 [ http://www.cnv.gov.br/images/relatorio_final/Relatorio_Final_CNV_Parte_2.pdf ]). That was not only established during the dictatorship, but it still prevails within the police military of Brazil and its endless cases of brutality and repression.  The role of the School of the Americas (renamed the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation in 2001) and U.S. militarization in Latin America has always been to protect the status quo for the elites through military violence and repression. _________________________________________  To make a donation to support the movement, please visit http://SOAW.org/donate To make a tax deductible donation, please visit http://SOAW.org/educationalfund
Dear friends of the Homelessness Marathon,  If you run a non-profit, you not only have to be good at what you do, you have to be good at raising the money with which to do it. We're good at what we do, and except for our offshoot in Canada, we're the only ones who do it, but unfortunately, we really suck at fund raising. We've gotten as far as we have because people have been kind enough to overlook this flaw and have helped us anyway. Here's the URL for our current fund raising campaign:  https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/17th-homelessness-marathon/x/7550645  Please check it out and donate something if you can. Every little but helps, and we'll make it work with whatever we get. We always do.  Thank you, and best wishes for the holidays,  Jeremy Weir Alderson director, Homelessness Marathon http://news.homelessnessmarathon.org 
_________________________________________________________________  The A-Infos Radio Project

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