March 11, 2013

Wal-Mart & ALEC Scandal: Company Subjects Female Prison Laborers to 'Slave-Like' Conditions

http://www.policymic.com/articles/7771/wal-mart-alec-scandal-company-subjects-female-prison-laborers-to-slave-like-conditions

We’ve learned that Wal-Mart and ALEC have been involved in trying to weaken federal laws prohibiting acts of bribery of foreign officials, while Wal-Mart actively tried to cover-up a bribery scandal in Mexico.

I believe that when an unfavorable or potentially public pattern of harm emerges, regardless of excuses or public denials, the culprit needs to be publicly exposed.

Wal-Mart claims they will not tolerate prison or forced labor in the manufacturing of products sold in their stores through a “Standards For Suppliers” mandate. This represents the “public face” of Wal-Mart – leading consumers to believe the company is against such exploitation, refusing to “profit” off of forced labor.

Wal-Mart uses ALEC’s Prison Industries Act. Under federal legislation, private companies have access to prisoners as a workforce. Thousands of products are made for consumers; from produce to aftermarket auto parts, the list is endless. This allows companies to attach labels reading “Made in USA.” Wal-Mart has tried to hide their use of prison labor for more than two decades by using sub-contractors and cut-outs.

(More at the link. Cross-posted from Occupy Underground.)

March 11, 2013

Wal-Mart & ALEC Scandal: Company Subjects Female Prison Laborers to 'Slave-Like' Conditions

http://www.policymic.com/articles/7771/wal-mart-alec-scandal-company-subjects-female-prison-laborers-to-slave-like-conditions

We’ve learned that Wal-Mart and ALEC have been involved in trying to weaken federal laws prohibiting acts of bribery of foreign officials, while Wal-Mart actively tried to cover-up a bribery scandal in Mexico.

I believe that when an unfavorable or potentially public pattern of harm emerges, regardless of excuses or public denials, the culprit needs to be publicly exposed.

Wal-Mart claims they will not tolerate prison or forced labor in the manufacturing of products sold in their stores through a “Standards For Suppliers” mandate. This represents the “public face” of Wal-Mart – leading consumers to believe the company is against such exploitation, refusing to “profit” off of forced labor.

Wal-Mart uses ALEC’s Prison Industries Act. Under federal legislation, private companies have access to prisoners as a workforce. Thousands of products are made for consumers; from produce to aftermarket auto parts, the list is endless. This allows companies to attach labels reading “Made in USA.” Wal-Mart has tried to hide their use of prison labor for more than two decades by using sub-contractors and cut-outs.

(More at the link.)

March 10, 2013

Interviewed: Icelandic activist who took down his government

via Occupy Canada.


http://rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/ethan-cox/2013/03/interviewed-icelandic-activist-who-took-down-his-government

Hörður Torfason: Well, in October 2008 we faced a [financial] collapse, which was a shock for the entire nation. We are a small country of 320,000 people in a nation that covers about 103,000 square kilometers. We have lived for decades being told by our government that we were one of the richest countries in the world, but something strange was going on, it didn’t really fit with reality. For people like me who travel the world and see a lot of things, there was something lacking. But people wanted to believe what was said and behaved accordingly. On October 6th 2008, the prime minister came on national television and told us something serious had happened. This was on a Monday and the banks were closed. We weren’t sure what was happening, but the government maintained that everything was under control. A lot of people lost a lot of money. Looking back at that time we all sort of knew that the money we invested with the national bank existed only in our dreams. The bank pretended to give you an interest rate on your money, but really it was all a fraud, so you didn’t lose the money you invested, you lost your dream, your imaginary earnings. This upset a lot of people. At first, people were at a loss and didn’t know what to do, me included. Since then, I’ve devoted my life to this struggle for our rights.

On October 11th, I stood in front of the parliament with two questions; Can you tell me what has happened in our country? And, can you tell me what we can do about it? I’m a known artist in my country, so I used my webpage, I sent out emails for others to come. Not many people came. I stood there and I talked to the forty or fifty people that gathered. They were shy but they were angry. So what I did is I said, “let’s talk. My question is this, do you have any ideas about what is happening [in this country]?” I stood there day after day at 12 o’clock, because that was the lunchtime for politicians working inside the house [parliament]. After three days I realized that standing and asking questions wasn’t enough. So I got a car, sound equipment, drove around and announced that I was planning a big demonstration. I called friends of mine, artists and intellectuals, to try and clarify what was really going on. The problem is that media is owned by the rich in our country and controlled by politicians and political parties, so I started these outdoor meetings to share information. It’s an old idea from the Greeks. That’s all I have been doing. I was trying to inform people about what was going on and start a conversation with the politicians. Little by little, these meetings grew into bigger demonstrations, where thousands and thousands of people marched. Every Saturday, there was an outdoor meeting with speakers, and a gathering of thousands of angry people trying to create a dialogue. Little by little we agreed on our three major demands; for the government to step down, for the board of the national bank to step down, and for the board of the financial supervisory authority to step down.

(More at the link.)

March 10, 2013

Businessman facing home foreclosure commits suicide

via Carlos, Occupy Fights Foreclosures


http://www.dailymail.com/News/Kanawha/201303070085

Agee said Tummons had been facing financial difficulties of late and was aware that officials were moving forward with foreclosure proceedings on his property.

"He knew it was coming," Agee said. "They had talked with him since mid- to late February."

Agee said the process servers met Tummons at his door, asked him to gather his things and then waited outside his home. He said Tummons did not seem resistant to the officers' requests.

"About 20 or 30 minutes went by and they checked back and asked him how it was going," Agee said. "He said, 'OK, give me a minute,' and then a few minutes later they heard the shot."

(More at the link, excepting which bank did this to him.)

March 10, 2013

There are two important factors regarding the DHS/TSA which are rarely taken into consideration:

1. The profit motive.

The 2006 Citigroup "Plutonomy Symposium" memo states that technological revolution is one of the drivers of plutonomy, of the very rich becoming ever-richer. We've already seen Halliburton awarded no-bid contracts by former employees then in government, and using the opportunity to charge taxpayers $45 per case of cola delivered to troops, and $100 per bag of laundry done. A nation-wide "homeland security" tech revolution, including drones and TSA scanners, are working to help further engorge the profit parasites.


Meet the Contractors Turning America's Police Into a Paramilitary Force

"The national security state has an annual budget of around $1 trillion. Of that huge pile of money, large amounts go to private companies the federal government awards contracts to. Some, like Lockheed Martin or Boeing, are household names, but many of the contractors fly just under the public's radar. What follows are three companies you should know about (because some of them can learn a lot about you with their spy technologies)."

http://www.alternet.org/meet-contractors-turning-americas-police-paramilitary-force?paging=off


2. That the profit motive helping drive the very rich to ever further heights, becomes self-reinforcing through government and lobbyists working to vote into law bills which simultaneously limit our freedoms and provide wild profiteering for the very rich.


Anonymous: Night Raid Equipment-Maker Lobbied for NDAA, Singles Out Sen. Rob Portman.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/12/19/1046972/-Anonymous-Night-Raid-Equipment-Maker-Lobbied-for-NDAA-Singles-Out-Sen-Rob-Portman#

"Anonymous singles out Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) for receiving a particularly large sum from companies and PACs lobbying for the NDAA. From the RT report:

'Robert J. Portman...we are truly disturbed by the ludicrous $272,853 he received from special interest groups supporting the NDAA bill that authorizes the indefinite detention of U.S. citizens on U.S. soil.

Even in Washington terms, over a quarter million is a ridiculous amount of money from special interest groups supporting an issue to any single legislator. Congressmen have been bought for far less, with around $50,000 considered a serious ante at anyone's table, and much less merely keeping you in the game.'

snip

Among the supporters of NDAA are California-based manufacturer Surefire, L.L.C., who won a $23 million contract from the Department of Defense three months ago."


---

The leaked Citigroup memo, "The Plutonomy Symposium: Rising Tides Lifting Yachts."

http://www.box.com/shared/9if6v2hr9h


Halliburton bills taxpayers $45 per case of soda, $100 per bag of laundry

http://www.halliburtonwatch.org/news/whistleblower_hearings_denied.html


Scattered analysis of the Plutonomy memo from which this post is drawn:

http://occupyobservations.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-leaked-2006-citigroup-plutonomy-memo.html

(This OP was a reply in the LBN forum, expanded slightly.)

March 10, 2013

After a winter under cover, Idle gets busy

Idle No More Denver ?@IdleNoMoreDenvr

“This is a spiritual movement. There is something else happening that can’t be explained by FB+ Twitter.” #IdleNoMore http://www.thestarphoenix.com/touch/story.html?id=8057203 …


http://www.thestarphoenix.com/touch/story.html?id=8057203

The 29-year-old is part of a new generation of young native leaders activated by the Idle No More movement.Continued on Page 14When the organized protests began, Oochoo decided it was time to show her appreciation for the spiritual healing she received by fighting for her people and their land.

“I realize that a spirit woke up inside of me,” she said.Whether mainstream media are paying attention or not, Idle No More activists say the movement is going strong and is here to stay. Much of the planning is taking place at the Core Neighbourhood Youth Co-op (CNYC) on 20th Street in Saskatoon.

The Treaty Six Grassroots Movement, a peaceful activist group that has organized round dances and protests in Saskatoon, meets regularly at the CNYC. The group welcomes everyone into the fold, aboriginal and non-aboriginal. Before meetings, smudge is burned and all join hands in a circle of prayer.

It doesn’t take long to notice that, in addition to the substantive issues of land protection and treaty rights, the movement has a powerful spiritual undercurrent.

(More at the link.)

March 10, 2013

Occupy Wall Street Weekly Round-Up March 8

fr0g5 ?@frogsarelovely

#Occupy Wall Street Weekly Round-Up | Occupy America http://bit.ly/WUyjVG #OWS


http://occupyamerica.crooksandliars.com/diane-sweet/occupy-wall-street-weekly-roud

There is a lot at the link, a great resource!

March 10, 2013

Scholarslip: A documentary about the student debt crisis

via Occupy New Mexico. I haven't watched this for quality control but here it is.

"Published on Dec 30, 2012

Determined to speak up about America's crumbling higher education system, three students at Arizona State University's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism rallied the voices..."

March 9, 2013

Fallout from 'Untouchables' Documentary: Another Wall Street Whistleblower Gets Reamed

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/blogs/taibblog/fallout-from-untouchables-documentary-another-wall-street-whistleblower-gets-reamed-20130304?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

A great many people around the county were rightfully shocked and horrified by the recent excellent and hard-hitting PBS documentary, The Untouchables, which looked at the problem of high-ranking Wall Street crooks going unpunished in the wake of the financial crisis. The PBS piece certainly rattled some cages, particularly in Washington, in a way that few media efforts succeed in doing. (Scroll to the end of this post to watch the full documentary.)

Now, two very interesting and upsetting footnotes to that groundbreaking documentary have emerged in the last weeks.

The first involves one of the people interviewed for the story, a former high-ranking executive from Countrywide financial who turned whistleblower named Michael Winston. You can see Michael's segment of The Untouchables at around the 4:20 mark of the piece. The story Winston told during the documentary is essentially an eyewitness account of the beginning of the financial crisis.

When I spoke to him last week, Winston was still as amazed and repulsed by what he saw at Angelo Mozilo's crooked subprime mortgage company as he was when he worked there. Winston, who had worked for years at high-level positions at companies like Motorola and Lockheed before joining Countrywide in the 2000s, described a moment in his first months at the company, when he rolled into the parking lot at the company headquarters.

(More at the link.)

March 9, 2013

Anonymous member arrested for DDOS'ing website with child pornography

Published on Mar 9, 2013

Yesterday, on March The 8th about 11am.. BackdoorMaaN's home was raided and he arrested and taken to custody because #DDOS attack on http://www.montenegro-gay.me/, gay portal of Monte Negro where are present minors, younger then 16-17 yo. According to Anonymous operations and fights against pedophiles he took down above mentioned website .
Till this moment and date , March The 9th 2013 no further infos are released or new charges . His equipment is under research of Cyber Crime Units .

As reaction on arrest , #OpFreebackdoorMaaN has been engaged by : Anonymous Squad No. 035 , XDevils Hackers , Anonymous Pakistan , AntiSec and Anonymous Collective .

Over 20 sites were attacked in retaliation. And the other members promise to "not rest".

In addition to these attacks, they also put CIA emails on Facebook and other attacks that can be found on the official Facebook group or accompanied through Twitter.

#FreeAnons l # FreebackdoorMaaN l #OpFreebackdoorMaaN l #Anonymous