Monday, November 7, 2011

16 Protestors Arrested in Front of Goldman Sachs New York Headquarters

Occupy Wall Street - Police Arrests of Protestors in Front of Goldman Sachs Headquarters




Occupy Wall Street at Liberty Plaza on Nov. 3, 2011.
Unedited, live film of march from Liberty Square to Goldman Sachs headquarters in Manhattan
Police arrests of 16 protesters including Reverend Billy Talen and author Chris Edges.

Saturday, November 5, 2011

Occupy Wall Street Delivers Indictment to Goldman Sachs and Police Arrest 16 Peaceful Protesters

Occupy Wall Street at Liberty Plaza on Nov. 3, 2011.
Unedited, live film of march from Liberty Square to Goldman Sachs headquarters at 200 West Street in Manhattan.
Professor Cornel West joins the protesters from Liberty Square.
The protesters were chanting "banks got bailed out and we got sold out."
The crowd then read the Indictment against Goldman Sachs for looting billions of dollars from the American people:
"Goldman Sachs is found by the People's Hearing on November 3, 2011 to be guilty of felony crimes of violating the securities laws, perjury before a Senate Commission, looting of $78 billion dollars of taxpayer money, and caused irreparable financial harm and deep distress to millions of American People.
At the People's Hearing, Goldman Sachs must return the $78 billion they took from the American taxpayers.
Its senior officials, including its CEO Lloyd Blankfein who it elected, must receive prison time for fraud and burglary.
The Senior Executive of Goldman Sachs must be barred forever from the world of investment banking.
Goldman Sachs must also be prohibited and barred from commodities speculation, from fraudulent manipulation of financial markets, from lying to investors and financial regulators, and must be barred from using its company funds to manipulate the political process for lobbying to influence legislation.
We the People, since no governmental authority from the judiciary to the Congress, is willing to seek justice will march today to the doors of Goldman Sachs, and as part of our verdict, demand the immediate return of the $78 billion dollars that was looted without consent from the U.S. Treasury.
And once this money is turned over to us, we will, we will, we will, return it to the American people."
A crowd of about 16 people, including the Reverend Billy Talen and author Chris Hedges, then sat down in front of the entrance to the Goldman Sachs headquarters under threat of arrest.

Monday, October 24, 2011

ARCHIVES: No Blood For Oil.org - Voter March Affiliate

Voter March organized the first protest against the pending Iraq War on September 12, 2002 at the United Nations in NYC, and formed affiliate No Blood for Oil.org

In October 2002, No Blood for Oil.org helped organize bus tours to Washington, DC to protest the pending War in Iraq.  No Blood for Oil.org was very active during the height of the Antiwar movement from October 2002 to 2005.

See archives from No Blood for Oil.org on Oct. 19, 2002:



NO BLOOD FOR OIL











NoBloodForOil.org is an affiliate of Voter March that fully supports
the peace and anti-war movements and is adamantly opposed to
the unelected, illegitimate, unmandated President Bush and his 
Administration's plans to wage unilateral war against Iraq.
The initial National Steering Committee members are:

Louis Posner, New York metro - ny@nobloodforoil.org  

Jonathan Inskeep, Washington DC metro  
dc@nobloodforoil.org
Jamie Murray, West Coast la@nobloodforoil.org

 
BUSES from Grand Central Station, New York City:
Buses for the National March at Washington DC are leaving from 

East 42nd Street, between Third Avenue and Lexington Avenue 
(near Grand Central Station). Buses are departing at 6:00 AM sharp,
so please arrive at least 15 minutes early for boarding and ticketing.
Bring drinks and snack food with you as we will not stop on the way.
Buses are Deluxe Coaches with bathrooms, recliner seats and movies.
The buses are scheduled to arrive in Washington DC by 11:00 AM
and will depart from Wash DC at 5:00 PM sharp and will arrive
back in New York City (same location) at 10:00 PM.
Tickets are not refundable, but may be exchanged, i.e. you may sell or
transfer the tickets to another person, but you must provide us with the
name of the person you sold or transferred the tickets to. 
All tickets are "electronic tickets" which are your PayPal receipts or 
receipt by email confirmation. If you do not have an email address,
please provide a fax number. There are a limited number of bus 
tickets, and tickets are expected to sell out.
Round trip bus tickets are $32.00 each. There is also a suggested tip
of $2 to $3 per person for the bus driver. Group discounts are available
for purchases of 15 or more tickets,

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See Archives from No Blood for Oil.org on Feb. 19, 2003

We support the pro-peace and anti-war movement and are adamantly opposed to the illegitimate Bush Administration's plans to wage unilateral war against Iraq to increase economic, political and military influence over the Middle East and its oil resources.    

                                                              To The Victors, Go the Oil.  Credit:  Winston Smith  
Click on Protests Calendar for the latest info. on the Feb. 15th and 16th major anti-war protests in New York City, San Francisco and around the globe.
NoBloodForOil.org is an affiliate of Voter March
 
For "No Blood For Oil," the anti-authoritarian coalition of New York-based activists
(not related to Voter March NoBloodForOil.org), click on NBFO.net

10 Million Join World Protest, Rallies From Africa to Antarctica, People Prepare to March for Peace, Common Dreams, February 13, 2003, by John Vidal
Up to 10 million people on five continents are expected to demonstrate against the probable war in Iraq on Saturday, in some of the largest peace marches ever known.  link

The President Must Have Congressional War Resolution Before Starting War, by Jesse Jackson, Jr., Congressman, February 13, 2003.
Congressman Jesse L. Jackson, Jr., today said "U.S. soldiers, parents of U.S. soldiers, and other congressional colleagues filed a lawsuit in a Boston Federal Court arguing that, according to the U.S. Constitution, President George W. Bush only has the authority to go to war in Iraq if Congress passes an official declaration of war - and Congress has not passed such a declaration. Congress cannot willingly or voluntarily relinquish its constitutional authority and responsibility in this critical area."  link

Reckless Administration May Reap Disastrous Consequences 
by US Senator Robert Byrd
Senate Floor Speech - Wednesday, February 12, 2003 

To contemplate war is to think about the most horrible of human experiences. On this February day, as this nation stands at the brink of battle, every American on some level must be contemplating the horrors of war.
Yet, this Chamber is, for the most part, silent -- ominously, dreadfully silent. There is no debate, no discussion, no attempt to lay out for the nation the pros and cons of this particular war. There is nothing.   more 

ChickenHawks   Symbolman.com  Humor and animation
Nothin' from Nothin'  Blah3.com.  Humor and animation
The Dirty DozenBlah3.com.  Humor and animation
Make Your Own Bush Speech    UK.  Humor, animation and audio.
Bush's Oil War on Iraq  -   Democracy Means You.  Humor and animation.
Why We Must Invade Iraq,  Mark Fiore, Humor and animation.  

Sunday, January 30, 2011

ARCHIVES: Inauguration Protests in Wash., DC, Jan 21, 2001, Largest Since Nixon


Published on Sunday, January 21, 2001 in the Philadelphia Inquirer
Inauguration Protests Largest Since Nixon in 1973, Common Dreams, by Angela Couloumbis

WASHINGTON - Thousands of activists from across the country marched down the rain-slick streets of the capital yesterday, waving signs, chanting slogans, and maneuvering for spots at key inaugural ceremonies for a chance to denounce President Bush.

Organizers of permitted demonstrations along the inaugural parade route said more than 20,000 protesters had gathered in downtown Washington for mostly orderly rallies; police declined to give crowd estimates.

Hail to the Thief
Demonstrators protest against the election results as the inaugural parade passes by Freedom Plaza in Washington, January 20, 2001. Thousands of demonstrators booed the inauguration of President George W. Bush which took place amid the tightest security measures ever. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)

The protests were the largest for an inauguration since that of Richard Nixon in 1973 during the Vietnam War. Those drew about 60,000.

By late afternoon, police had arrested about a dozen protesters, charging most with disorderly conduct or other misdemeanors. One was charged with assault with a deadly weapon after slashing tires and trying to assault an officer, police said.

Some protesters said they were clubbed by police, but police denied the allegations. A few officers were hurt after protesters threw bottles at them, but none of the injuries required hospitalization, Deputy Police Chief Terry Gainer said.

Protesters clashed briefly with police at a few flash points, while Bush remained inside his car for most of the parade up a soggy, cold Pennsylvania Avenue. The motorcade sped up as it reached some protests, causing Secret Service agents to break into a run alongside the vehicles. At one point, police stopped the motorcade for five minutes because of the protests.

A couple of protesters threw bottles before Bush's limousine arrived, and one hurled an egg that landed near the new Cadillac, which featured puncture-proof tires and six-inch-thick bulletproof glass.

The President left the car to walk only after he reached a secure zone near the White House that held inauguration ticket-holders.

For the most part, activists called yesterday's protests a success, saying they had managed to get their message across despite some of the most stringent security measures taken by police at a presidential inauguration. More than 10,000 officers from 16 law-enforcement agencies, including the Secret Service, the U.S. Park Police, and the District of Columbia's police force lined the streets beginning at dawn.

"Bush may be president, but I know that when he goes to sit in the Oval Office for the first time, he's going to look out the window, and see and hear us," said Bob Rogers, a founder and organizer of yesterday's Voter March, a nonpartisan group protesting voter disenfranchisement and championing reforms to the Electoral College.

"I don't want to personalize this," Rogers said of Bush. "I'm not going to scream 'Hail to the thief,' as others may do. But I will say, 'Respect the presidency,' because during this election, it was not respected."

Others were not so diplomatic. At Freedom Plaza, a protest space along the parade route at 14th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, thousands of protesters held up signs calling Bush such epithets as "thief" and "pig." When Bush's motorcade passed, they booed and jeered and yelled obscenities. Some held up middle fingers.

And before the motorcade sped by, some activists upset over the lines at security checkpoints turned toward Bush's supporters in bleachers about 20 feet away, yelling "shame," and "ignorance is bliss," and making obscene gestures.

"It bothers me a little bit that they're screaming at us," said David Yiu, a Bush supporter from New York City who had a bleacher seat at Freedom Plaza. "I believe that everyone has the right to express a point of view. But you can express your point of view by calling your senator or your congressman. This is America. If you don't like something, you can change it."

Laura Brightman of Brooklyn, N.Y., did not share that sentiment.

Brightman, who joined about 2,000 people for a "Shadow Convention" led by the Rev. Al Sharpton, said the legal wrangling that followed the election proved that any honest attempt at change would be quashed by politics.

"We were sold out," she said, as others around her chanted, "No justice, no peace." "And when we tried to get justice [from the Supreme Court] we were sold again. The election was stolen."

At the Supreme Court building, Rudy Arredondo of Takoma Park, Md., put it this way: "Bush is a Supreme Court appointee. In my eyes, and in my children's eyes, he will never be a legitimate president."

Hundreds of Bush supporters had gathered earlier at the building to sing "God Bless America."

"Bush is a legitimate president," said Kevin Conner of the National Patriots March, a pro-Bush group that wanted to provide a counterpoint to yesterday's protests. "We want to send that message loud and clear. We are not going to sit by and fume and get mad when we read stories about left-wing radicals. We are going to stand up to it and be active."

Though the Christian Defense Coalition rallied for Bush along Pennsylvania Avenue yesterday, Conner's group of about 300 people was in the minority.

Cheri Honkala, director of the Kensington Welfare Rights Union, a Philadelphia advocacy group, traveled to Washington to march to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to protest what she said were injustices against the poor. Although her group did not have a permit to march, their action was successful and her group's message was heard, she said.

"People will go back to their states and continue to be homeless, but they feel rejuvenated," Honkala said, adding that her group had set up a tent made out of American flags and blankets in front of the Health and Human Services Department. "Being here today was very important for them."

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The protests were the largest since those during Nixon's 1973 Inauguration at the height of the Vietnam War.  Those protests drew about 60,000;  organizers of the Bush protests anticipated 20,000.

Though protesters had many disparate causes, most said they were motivated by the Florida election controversy.

 Bob Rogers, one of the organizers of the "Voter March" said the fact that Bush captured the White House even though Al Gore won the popular vote by 500,000 guarantied busloads of demonstrators.

 "These are moderate, working people, motivated by anger, embarrassment, that kind of sentiment," he said.  "They are wondering, "we put a man on the moon, why can't we count the vote?'"

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Read more at:

Thousands Take to Street to Protest, Daily News, Bowling Green, AP, Jan. 2001 

Inauguration Protests Largest Since Nixon, The Victoria Advocate, January 21, 2001 

Thousands Take to Street in Protest of Inauguration, The Southeast Missourian, January 21, 2001

Gore Returns to Private Life, The Tuscaloosa News, AP, January 21, 2001