As the world concentrates on the latest devastation in
the US, Sandy has already done some serious damage to other countries,
including Haiti and Cuba. Sandy took the lives of 54 people in Haiti
and 11 in Cuba.
While in the Caribbean area, Hurricane Sandy also
killed two people in the Bahamas, two in the Dominican Republic, one in
Jamaica and one in Puerto Rico. Total death toll in the Caribbean is
71, with tens of thousands made homeless and little money available to
rebuild.. read full article and watch videos.
In the wake of devastation by Superstorm Sandy, OWS is getting involved,
using its grassroots strength to help those affected and to organize
relief efforts.
With around 750,000 New Yorkers without power, large areas of New York
City remain under water and at least 18 people have been killed.
The OWS
volunteers started in the Lower East side and have been moving through
New York's five boroughs with members of international environmental
organization 350.org and recovers.org, a disaster aid group.
OWS is using the social media to coordinate its efforts, with the help
of local churches and city agencies. Anyone wishing to get involved
should tweet using the hashtag #SandyVolunteer. If you need help,
tweet using the hashtag #SandyAid.
There is also a Facebook page to help coordinate efforts as well as a Twitter page.
Volunteers are also out on the streets, giving aid where possible and
finding those in need, and passing the information on to Recovers.org. OWS is calling for people with "experience in or tools for medical and
psychological services, electrician work, plumbing, construction,
financial or legal services, debris and tree removal, childcare,
transportation, senior services or language skills," who can sign up at
one of three sites in the Red Hook in Brooklyn, Astoria in Queens and
in the Lower East Side in Manhattan.
A pay portal
has been set up for anyone wishing to make financial donations in the
recovery efforts. Also drop off points have been established throughout
Brooklyn, where people can donate food, water, flashlights, batteries,
candles and other necessities.
Drop off points are as follows:
Red Hook - Red Hook Initiative, 767 Hicks St
Park Slope - Residence, 258 15th St, apt #2
Sunset Park - St. Jacobi Church, 5406 4th Ave
Williamsburg - Residence, 75 Powers St. #2, 11211
Bedstuy - Residence, 136 Jefferson Ave, apt 2 11216
Harlem - Residence, 47 Saint Nicholas Avenue #4d, btw 112 and 113
In other response news, Mayor Michael Bloomberg's office has suggested the NYC Service
be employed, which is a government initiative coordinating volunteer
efforts on a year-round basis.
Bloomberg wrote on Twitter, "We've seen
an enormous outpouring of support from people who want to volunteer
& contribute." Volunteers will be notified once opportunities
become available.
Bloomberg also praised New York City's first responders, for their "heroic efforts to protect New Yorkers" during the storm.
"I can’t say enough about the extraordinary work of our first responders
at the FDNY and NYPD, EMS, hospital workers, and more," he said.
In his speech, Bloomberg says that it will take some
time to get things back "on the path to recovery." He admits it could
take up to five days to have the city's transportation system running
again. He also quoted Governor Andrew Cuomo as saying, "It was as bad
as anything I have experienced in New York."
While the latest Pepperdine poll taken between October 21 and 28 shows
the opposition at 50.5% and support for Prop 37 at 39.1%, the new round
of positive advertising will make the change.
Stacy Malkan, spokesperson for the Yes on 37 campaign said, “The Pepperdine poll
was taken after three weeks of deceptive opposition ads that went
unanswered and before the Yes on 37 message got on the air. The world’s
largest pesticide and junk food companies have been spending a million
dollars a day carpet bombing California with lies to confuse voters
about a simple labeling law."
"Now our ads are up and many voters are hearing our message for the
first time – that Prop 37 is a simple labeling law that gives us the
right to know what’s in our food, at no cost to consumers.”
“On the Yes side, support is rushing in from all sides. We have a strong
ground game with 10,000 volunteers out on the streets, we have a powerful ad, money is coming in the door and we have one of the most successful online organizing campaigns ever seen. We expect these will have a big effect during the last week in the campaign,” she continued.
“We are in this to win, and the pesticide and junk food companies
opposing this measure are worried we will win, as evidenced by their
recent infusion of $8 million more into the opposition campaign in the
last 10 days," Malkan said.
Total contributions to the "No on 37" campaign are now at $44.2
after Dupont contributed another $500,000 on October 29. On the "Yes"
side of the scale, the supporting campaign has raised $7.4 million.
Malkan said, “We have always been the underdog in this story, but we
believe that when voters go to the polls next week they will value their
right to know what’s in their food and vote Yes on Proposition 37.”
For more information visit: www.carighttoknow.org.
The projected path of Hurricane Sandy could impact as
many as 26 nuclear plants. Arnie Gundersen, the chief engineer of
energy consulting company Fairewinds Associates, warns of the dangers.
As the Frankenstorm hits the east coast, leaving
millions without power, Gundersen warns that even if engineers at plants
from North Carolina to New England say their plants have been shut down
and are safe from disaster, this could already be too late... read full article and watch video of the interview.
The streets of Madrid saw an entirely different
protest on Sunday, as thousands of sheep and other farm animals blocked
traffic in the annual "trashumancia", or transhumance event. While over the weekend, tens of thousands
of people were out on the streets of Madrid, protesting against
austerity measures and demanding the resignation of the Spanish
government, and even the police were having a demonstration of their own, another more traditional protest happened on Sunday. The annual transhumance event
was held, where more than 2,000 sheep and other farm stock were led
through the center of the city to defend ancient grazing, droving and
migration rights.
This colorful event has been running every year since 1994 and is
basically to defend the right to use ancient droving routes, which used
to crisscross the fields and woodland, where the sprawling city of
Madrid now stands. These
routes have been in existence since around 1273, and the shepherds,
following an age-old tradition, have to pay 25 maravedis (a type of coin
first minted in the 11th century) to the city hall to use the crossing.
Once this is paid, they can then take their flock through the city
streets with no hindrance.
As a tradition, shepherds in Spain have the right to use 78,000 miles
(125,000 kilometers) of paths throughout the countryside for seasonal
livestock migrations, from the cool mountain pastures in summer, down to
the warmer lowland grazing in the winter. This migration is called transhumance, or trashumancia in Spanish, and the Ministry of Agriculture has been promoting the annual fiesta since 1994. El Nuevo Herald
interviewed Jorge Jiménez, aged 25, who was walking with a donkey.
''We have been walking, we arrived yesterday afternoon from Hoyos del
Espino", which is more than 150 km to the West of Madrid.
"This is something beautiful, because it is a tradition of the Spanish people and serves to remind that we were migrating." Jiménez is computer science student originally from a livestock family.
Manuela Pozuelo, 45, was watching the parade with her 18-year-old son and daughter of 11.
"I think it is a very good idea, because it is something which you are
not used to here in Madrid, especially people who do not have a habit of
leaving the city to go to the villages," Pozuelo said.
Spaniards
are proud of their ancient sheep-rearing traditions. The native Marino
breed is highly thought of and has been exported to South America and
Australia, where they are renowned in the local wool industries.
Angered by the latest austerity measures and budget cuts, and calling
for the Spanish government to resign, thousands thronged the streets of
Madrid on Saturday.
Tens of thousands
of Spaniards marched on Spain's parliament in Madrid on Saturday
evening, accompanied by a massive police escort, and closely guarded by
officers with dog teams and in full riot gear and many police vans.
The march, which was 2.3 kilometers long, was organized by the "Surround
Parliament" protest group, as part of the ongoing anti-austerity
protests in the country.
On arrival at the parliament building, the protesters were met by an
even bigger police presence, which pushed them back, using a chain of
metal barricades.
As tens
of thousands of jobs were lost in the third quarter of 2012, with a
bank bailout a strong possibility, demonstrators have had enough.
70-year-old Alan Pipo told the AP, “And now they are going to give banks a bailout, rescue them as if they were princesses."
"They should be put out on the streets, just like all those families who
are being evicted from their homes because they are unable to keep up
with mortgage payments!" he added.
Paloma
Martinez, 62, said, We can't go on like this. We have a right to a
public health system and quality schools for our kids. We are indignant
and have no fear."
At one stage, the protesters held a minute's silence, with their backs
turned on parliament, showing their condemnation of the Spanish's
government's policies which have caused a quarter of the Spanish people
to become unemployed. They then shouted "resign" with their fists
clenched.
Part of the crowd also protested in front of Bankia bank, where a group
has been camping out since Monday of this week, demanding a halt to the
evictions that have so far affected 400,000 families in Spain
As reported on Digital Journal,
earlier in the day, almost 3,000 off-duty police officers also took to
the streets to protest austerity measures and the fact that their
Christmas bonuses are to be take away and carrying banners stating
"Police officers can no longer take it."
With 25% of the country unemployed, with a staggering 52.34% of the
young unable to find work, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has hiked taxes,
introduced harsh labor reforms and cut spending, as he tries to
persuade investors that his government can manage the crisis without a
full bailout.
Spain's troubled banks have been granted a 100 billion euro ($130 billion) loan facility by the 17 eurozone countries.
However, some researchers say that instead of cutting spending, it might be wiser to increase it.
Jerome Roos, a searcher on the EU debt crisis at the European University Institute in Florence, and founder of ROAR Mag,
told RT, “The alternative is actually not to cut spending, but to
invest in the economy, to invest in growth to make sure that there are
jobs. And the only way to ultimately get out of this debt, is to grow
out of debt and not to cut your way of debt.”
“Clearly things can’t continue the way they are now. Spain would do very
well to heed the lessons that were learned in the past decade from
three other countries - Argentina, Ecuador and Iceland - each of which
defaulted on part of its external debt.”
A bunch of youngsters in California are concerned
about the food that they are eating. While they can't personally vote
on Prop 37, they are urging others to say yes to the ballot initiative
to label GMOs.
You have to be 18-years-old to vote, but not to make
a video. A group of kids got together and made the above video, which
is doing the rounds on YouTube.
The kids urge Californians to vote yes
on Proposition 37, the ballot initiative to label genetically modified
food products and products that contain genetically engineered
ingredients.
All they, and other proponents of Proposition 37, are asking, is for a simple label, telling them what is in their food. No extra cost to the consumer, just transparency.
As they say in the video, the opposition to Proposition 37 does not
consist of one single human being, just a bunch of the biggest pesticide
and junk food companies.
For more information, visit www.carighttoknow.org/
Madrid
-
3,000 off-duty national police officers rallied outside the Ministry of
the Interior in Madrid on Saturday, protesting austerity measures and
budget cuts, including the loss of their Christmas bonuses.
The officers,
wearing blue caps, some wrapped in Spanish flags, blocked the central
Paseo de la Castellana Boulevard in Madrid, while their on-duty
colleagues looked on.
The protesters charged and threw fireworks into
the air. One banner said "Police officers can no longer take it."
One protester apparently required medical treatment, when a firework he intended to throw, went off in his hand.
The demonstrators
are members of the Confederación Española de Policía (CEP), the Unión
Federal de Policía (UFP) and the Sindicato Profesional de Policía (SPP).
As with all Spanish civil service workers, police are being hit by the
country's attempt to get the debt crisis under control. Prime Minister
Mariano Rajoy revealed a 2013 austerity budget earlier this month, as
the country continues into its second recession in three years.
As part of the latest cuts, starting January 1, police will lose three
of the six days of supplementary holidays that they are allowed every
year, in addition to their regular vacation, wage cuts when on sick
leave, along with the loss of their Christmas bonus.
Fran Estacio, a 33-year-old officer from Valencia, told AFP, "We came to
express our anger at the way the government treats us, not only because
they have removed Christmas bonuses, but also because they are
eliminating our rights."
Unemployment in Spain hit a record twenty-five per cent this week, which is the highest since the Franco dictatorship ended almost 40 years ago.
While still fighting extradition to the US on copyright violation
charges, Dotcom, founder of the notorious Megaupload, has announced the
upcoming launch of "Mega", a new and improved, raid-proof file sharing
service.
The new service is planned to be launched on the
one-year anniversary of Megaupload’s shutdown by the United States
Department of Justice, on January 19, 2013.
38-year-old Dotcom, formerly Kim Schmitz, currently resides in New
Zealand. The US government has been attempting to extradite him since
the raid on his premises at the beginning of this year.
His previous
project, Megaupload, regularly attracted 50 million users per day and
enjoyed support from many major figures in the American music industry,
and 15,600 US military members held accounts with the website.
Digital Journal
reported recently that Dotcom’s extradition hearing has been pushed
back until March 2013, when a court will decide whether he is to be
extradited to the U.S. to face various charges, including copyright
infringement and money laundering.
In the meantime, Dotcom has not been "resting on his laurels", so to
speak, but has produced a brand new product. He announced via Twitter
that the new service, Mega, will have security, bolstered by a so-called
“doomsday launch button” which could cause Mega to self-destruct in the
event of a raid.
On his Twitter account is the following tweet:
According to Wired,
Mega will be encrypted with a key that Mega itself will not have access
to, but it will give users and third-party application developers
control of access to files on the service.
Dotcom told Wired in a recent interview, “If servers are lost, if the
government comes into a data center and rapes it, if someone hacks the
server or steals it, it would give him nothing,” Dotcom explains.
“Whatever is uploaded to the site, it is going to be remain closed and
private without the key.”
Gizmodo reports that basically,
the idea is that the law cannot go after Mega, as it has no idea what is
stored on its servers. According to Dotcom, the only way this could be
illegal is if the law makes encryption illegal.
Dotcom says that investors are already lined up to take part in the new
venture, which he characterized as a “massive global network,” according
to TorrentFreak. “All non-US hosters will be able to connect servers & bandwidth,” he said.
He hopes that the new service will extend beyond file-sharing, to
include email, video applications and a host of other functions.
According to Dotcom, over 90% of the coding of Mega is now complete, and
a team of lawyers, partners and investors are ready to launch the
project. He wrote on Twitter that it took seven years of experience to
tailor the "ultimate file hosting solution", and he compared the new
service to a "poetry of logic."
While the domain that will ultimately host the new Mega project has not yet been announced, it is unlikely to be a .com.
It's down to Libertarian Party candidate, Governor Gary Johnson and
Green Party's Jill Stein to debate live in the second and final
third-party debate on October 30.
Digital Journal
reported on the first lively debate between the four third-party
candidates, including a full video of the event. The event was watched
by tens of thousands worldwide, as Larry King moderated the debate in
Chicago.
As the mainstream media and political establishment shun them, and
concentrate only on US President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney, the top
third-party candidates got a chance to air their views and present their
platform to the country, shortly prior to the election on November 6.
They spoke their minds on the topics Americans really care about
in 2012, some of which have been ignored completely by the top-two
candidates, including the war on terror, immigration, legalizing
marijuana, higher education funding, and gay rights.
A poll was taken on the Free and Equal Elections Foundation
website as to which candidates should continue to the final debate, and
the winners are Governor Gary Johnson of the Libertarian Party and Jill
Stein of the Green Party.
Christina Tobin, founder and chair of Free and Equal Elections, told RT, “The voters have spoken, and we are pleased to announce that Gary Johnson and Jill Stein will advance to the second debate."
According to Gayle Falkenthal for Communities at the Washington Times, the final count was as follows:
Gary Johnson: 26,187 first votes plus 1,962 runoff votes = 28,149
Jill Stein: 15,013 first votes plus 292 runoff votes = 15,305
Rocky Anderson: 3,938 votes plus 444 runoff votes = 4,382
Virgil Goode: 2,698 votes plus no runoff votes = 2,698
Johnson and Stein will move on to the second debate from Washington, DC,
this time answering questions dedicated solely to foreign policy.
The debate will be hosted live from RT's Washington, DC studio on
October 30 from 9:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Eastern Time, (October 31, 1:00
a.m. – 2:30 a.m. GMT) and will be aired on RT America as well as RT.com
and on RT’s YouTube channel.
It will be also be broadcast live at www.freeandequal.org/live and other media outlets to be announced including, hopefully, C-SPAN.
In a case of sheer irony, Luke Rudkowski of We Are Change got out on the
streets in New York City, interviewing Obama supporters in a slightly
underhanded way about the NDAA, the Patriot Act, Drone Wars and the
"Kill List."
Pretending that Mitt Romney, should he be elected,
is threatening to sign a bill called the National Defense Authorization
Act (NDAA), is planning on extending the Patriot Act, saying he would
instigate a "Kill List" and planning to use drones in foreign countries,
Rudkowski of We Are Change interviews unsuspecting Obama supporters.
Rudkowski states on the video page that he is not, in any way,
supporting or endorsing Romney, but just used these methods to get an
honest reaction and opinion from the people interviewed.
After each interview, he told the people what he was up to, and the
reactions are mixed, and very telling, to say the least. It seems
Obama's supporters are unaware of the NDAA, know little about the
Patriot Act, and had no idea there was such a thing as a "kill list" and
how the US is using drones to kill people, including civilians.
Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/335520#ixzz2ALYXKmsd
Some of your favorite stars have got together again,
impersonating scientists at leading biotech firms and ironically telling
you to trust them. But really, they want you to vote "Yes on 37" to
label GMO foods.
"Trust Us" is an ironic public service announcement by Consumer Advocates for Safe Food and Water, sponsored by Food and Water Watch, in support of Proposition 37, California's ballot initiative to label genetically engineered foods.
With a very diverse, all-star cast, including Danny DeVito, Emily
Deschanel, Glenn Howerton, Kaitlin Olson, KaDee Strickland and Kristin
Bauer van Straten, impersonating scientists at leading biotech firms
speaking their "subconscious minds" about why the general public should
just trust them and not fight for mandatory labeling of genetically
engineered foods (GMOs).
To learn more about Proposition 37
and Food & Water Watch's campaign to make labeling of GMOs the law,
and to help raise money to broadcast this public service announcement
and others like it far and wide, visit www.voteyes37.org and www.carighttoknow.org/
Julian Assange has been holed up in the Ecuadorian embassy since June,
has been granted political asylum by Ecuador, but the UK will not grant
him safe passage to leave the country. Now his health is suffering.
After losing his appeal against extradition to Sweden for questioning on alleged sex-related charges, Assange
entered the Ecuadorian embassy in London, seeking political asylum in
that country. It was feared that should he be extradited to Sweden for
questioning, he would then be sent on to the US
on charges of espionage, over the release of sensitive diplomatic
cables which have both angered and embarrassed the US government.
Despite the fact that Ecuador granted asylum to Assange in August, the
UK will not grant him safe passage to travel out of the country. UK
officials would arrest Assange should he step outside the door.
The Ecuadorian embassy in London is about the size of an apartment, and
Assange has a small room to himself. His health is now suffering,
possibly from confinement in such a small space.
A senior Ecuadorian diplomat says that Assange's health is
deteriorating, and that he should be given safe passage out of the
country's London embassy should it decline further.
Vice Foreign Minister, Marco Albuja Martinez told RT
in an exclusive interview, “We have officially asked the UK for safe
passage. But we are concerned that while UK authorities mull over the
decision, Julian Assange’s health may break down completely.”
News.com.au reports Martinez as saying, “Assange has grown noticeably thinner and we are very concerned about his health,” Martinez said.
“If he falls ill we will have to choose between two alternatives – to treat Assange at the embassy or hospitalize him.”
The news service also reports that Ecuador has requested a document from
the UK Government, guaranteeing his safe passage to hospital and back
to the embassy without arrest; but that no reply has yet been received.
“We will not put pressure on them and will patiently await an answer,” Martinez said.
However, a statement from the UK Foreign office reads, "Ecuador have not
told us that Mr Assange is ill. However, were they to do so, we would
consider the matter."
While
Martinez did not specify the medical problems involved, he did note
that Assange had lost weight and said that denying him proper facilities
for treatment would be “an issue of human rights.”
Recent photos of Assange show that the 41-year-old is looking pale and gaunt, as with the image above of his recent speech
to the UN General Assembly, and he has complained of a "racking cough."
He does, however, exercise daily with a personal trainer, who is an
ex-Special Forces soldier and fellow-whistleblower.
Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/335474
Bringing America's foreign wars to a close, taking corporate cash out of
politics and stopping indefinite detention. All election promises, but
not ones you'll find in the manifestos of Barack Obama or Mitt Romney.
There are other names on the ballot in the US presidential election, and
RT helped them air their views by broadcasting an alternative live
debate. RT talks to the presidential candidate from the Green Party -
Jill Stein.
In a face-to-face meeting between Ban Ki-moon and Psy
at the United Nations, the UN Secretary General joked that he felt
overshadowed by the South Korean rapper.
"I'm a bit jealous. Until two days ago someone told
me I am the most famous Korean in the world. Now I have to relinquish. I
have no regrets," he told the press.
In the video, watch the Secretary-General try out the dance moves made
famous in the ‘Gangnam Style’ video, with a little help from Psy, South
Korean rapper and reality TV star.. read more and watch video.
With a blackout from the mainstream media and the US political elite on
the alternative candidates, most of the news these days is focused on
the circus debates of Romney and Obama. Here is what the third-party
candidates have to say on the issues.
Organized by the Free and Equal Elections Foundation
with moderator, Christina Tobin, and hosted by multi-award winning
broadcast journalist Larry King, candidates from the Constitution,
Green, Justice and Libertarian parties sounded off on the issues facing
American voters.
The audience was allowed to participate in the lively
debates.
Speaking to RT,
Free and Equal Elections Foundation founder Christina Tobin said,
"We’re going to shift the power back to the people, back to the origins
of the Constitution, which doesn’t even mention parties or
corporations."
While the debate statements from the third-party candidates were
diverse, as much as they disagreed, there was one point on which all
candidates concurred, the general concept: that the Democratic and
Republican parties represent corporate interests, not the average
American.
Despite having their platforms for the most part silenced by the
two-party, ruling elite, the following candidates had their opportunity
here to speak their minds:
Jill Ellen Stein (born May 14, 1950) is an American
physician and internist. Stein was a candidate for Governor of
Massachusetts in the 2002 and the 2010 gubernatorial elections and is a
resident of Lexington, Massachusetts. She is a graduate of Harvard
College (1973) and the Harvard Medical School (1979). She serves on the
boards of Greater Boston Physicians for Social Responsibility and
MassVoters for Fair Elections, and has been active with the
Massachusetts Coalition for Healthy Communities.
Among others, Jill Stein has been endorsed for 2012 President by
linguist, author and activist Noam Chomsky and by Pulitzer Prize-winning
journalist and war correspondent Chris Hedges.
Ross Carl "Rocky" Anderson (born September 9, 1951) served
two terms as the 33rd mayor of Salt Lake City, Utah, between 2000 and
2008. He is the Executive Director of High Road for Human Rights. Prior
to serving as Mayor, he practiced law for 21 years in Salt Lake City,
during which time he was listed in Best Lawyers in America, was rated
A-V (highest rating) by Martindale-Hubbell, served as Chair of the Utah
State Bar Litigation Section[6] and was Editor-in-Chief of, and a
contributor to, Voir Dire legal journal.
As mayor, Anderson rose to nationwide prominence as a champion of
several national and international causes, including climate protection,
immigration reform, restorative criminal justice, LGBT rights, and an
end to the "war on drugs".
Virgil Hamlin Goode, Jr., (born October 17, 1946) is an
American politician who served as a member of the United States House of
Representatives from 1997 to 2009. In 2000 he switched to the
Republican Party. He represented the 5th congressional district of
Virginia.
He lost his seat in the 2008 election to Democrat Tom Perriello. Goode
subsequently joined the Constitution Party and is the party's 2012
presidential nominee.
Gary Earl Johnson (born January 1, 1953) is an American
businessman, a former Governor of New Mexico, and the Libertarian Party
nominee for President of the United States in the 2012 election. Johnson
served as the 29th Governor of New Mexico from 1995 to 2003, as a
member of the Republican Party, and is known for his low-tax libertarian
views and his strong emphasis on personal health and fitness. While a
student at the University of New Mexico in 1974, Johnson sustained
himself financially by working as a door-to-door handyman. In 1976 he
founded Big J Enterprises, which grew from this one-person venture to
become one of New Mexico's largest construction companies. He entered
politics for the first time by running for Governor of New Mexico in
1994 on a fiscally conservative, low-tax, anti-crime platform. Johnson
won the Republican Party of New Mexico's gubernatorial nomination, and
defeated incumbent Democratic governor Bruce King by 50% to 40%. He cut
the 10% annual growth in the budget: in part, due to his use of the
gubernatorial veto 200 times during his first six months in office,
which gained him the nickname "Governor Veto".
Johnson sought re-election in 1998, winning by 55% to 45%. In his second
term, he concentrated on the issue of school voucher reforms, as well
as campaigning for marijuana decriminalization and opposition to the War
on Drugs.
Unfortunately organizers forgot to start with the opening statements,
and Larry King apologizes, saying that opening statements were not
mentioned in his notes. After the first question is asked of the
candidates, the opening statements are then given.
The writer has decided to emphasize these opening statements, as these
clearly show the standing of each third-party candidate and what they
have to offer - for answers to the questions, readers will have to watch
the debates in the video above.
Opening statement by Green Party candidate, Jill Stein:
Video screen capture
Jill Stein - Green Party
"The American people are in crisis. We are losing our jobs,
decent wages, our homes by the millions, affordable healthcare and
higher education, the climate is in meltdown and our civil liberties are
under attack."
"The wealthy few are richer than ever, rolling in more dough than ever,
and the political establishment is not only not making it better, they
are actually making it worse, imposing austerity on everyday people,
while they continue to squander trillions of dollars on wars for oil
that we don't need, on Wall Street bailouts, and tax breaks for the very
wealthy."
"The American people are at the breaking point, and we need to turn that
breaking point in this election into a tipping point, to take back our
democracy, and the peaceful, just green future that we deserve. And we
do that by standing up and making sure that everyday people have a voice
in this election and a choice at the polls that is not bought and paid
for by Wall Street and by advancing the critical solutions that the
American people are clamoring for by large majorities. Our campaign is
calling for a green new deal, to create 25 million jobs, end
unemployment, jump-start the green economy, and that means putting a
halt to climate change and making wars for oil obsolete."
"We are calling for healthcare as a human right through Medicare for all
and for bailing out the students not the banks and making public higher
education free."
Opening statement by Justice Party candidate, Rocky Anderson:
Video screen capture
Rocky Anderson - Justice Party
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"We are at a pivotal moral point in our nation's history. We've
all suffered through the sell-out of our government to Wall Street,
young people are burdened with record, crushing tuition debt, millions
of families have lost their homes, retirement accounts have been
decimated, while Wall Street fat cats, who are buying our elections,
have made out like bandits."
"We've never had the disparity in income and wealth that we see between
the very wealthy and all the rest of us, since the 1920's. Our poverty
rate has never been so high since 1965. Child poverty and infant
mortality rates in the United States are next to the worst in the
industrialized world and among 50 nations, the United States has the
worst rate of women dying in connection with pregnancy and childbirth.
Under Obamacare there will be 30 million people without essential
healthcare by the year 2022."
"And during the Bush and the Obama years, our constitution has been
shredded while the imperial presidency has expanded, with presidents who
think they can unilaterally take us to war often, on a pack of lies.
With presidents who think they have the authority to round anyone up,
including US citizens, and imprison them up to the rest of their lives
without charges, without trial, without legal representation and without
the right of habeas corpus."
"And our elected officials are sound asleep, when the Pentagon is
warning that climate change is a greater long term security risk to the
United States than terrorism. So if you like the way things are going,
vote Democratic or Republican, but if you want real change, vote your
conscience, vote justice. Economic justice, social justice and
environmental justice."
Opening statement by Constitution Party candidate, Virgil Goode:
Video screen capture
Virgil Goode - Constitution Party
"I want to say thanks to Jill, Gary and Rocky for being here ...
but I want to name four positions on which I am very different from
Barack Obama and Mitt Romney."
"First, Obama and Romney both claim that they were and still are for a
balanced budget. Reality - the Obama budget this year was 1 trillion in
deficit. The Paul Ryan budget, which passed was 600 billion in
deficit. I have the courage to submit a balanced budget if I am elected
president, right after I am inaugurated."
"Secondly, I am for jobs and America for American citizens first, and
the only candidate that has called for a near complete moratorium on
green card admissions to the United States until unemployment is under
5%. It makes no sense to bring in so many foreign workers when
unemployment is so high in this country."
"Third, we need to end Super Pacs, political action committees, that
would be one of the best things that would open up our country for more
democratic process, greater voice by the people and lastly, we need term
limits. It's time to focus on doing the best job in Congress instead
of the next election, and the next fundraiser."
Opening statement by Libertarian Party candidate, Gary Johnson:
Video screen capture
Gary Johnson - Libertarian Party
"The country is in really deep trouble. We should not bomb Iran.
We should end the war in Afghanistan tomorrow, bring the troops home
tomorrow."
"Marriage equality is a constitutionally guaranteed right on a par with
civil rights in the 60's. Let's end the drug wars. Legalize marijuana
now."
"Let's repeal the Patriot Act. I would have never signed the National
Defense Authorization Act allowing for you and I, as US citizens, to be
arrested and detained without being charged. That's the reason we
fought wars in this country."
"I promise to submit a balanced budget to Congress in the year 2013,
that is a 1.4 trillion dollar reduction in federal spending. If we
don't do this now, we are going to find ourselves in a monetary collapse
and a monetary collapse very simply is when the dollars we have in our
pocket don't buy a thing, because of the accompanying inflation that
goes along with borrowing and printing money to the tune of 43 cents out
of every dollar we spend."
"I am the only candidate that wants to eliminate income tax, eliminate
corporate tax, abolish the IRS, and replace all of that one federal
consumption tax, the fair tax. I think it reboots the American economy,
it's the answer to our exports, it's the answer to American jobs."
All candidates start the debates by agreeing that the two-party system is just not working.
Green Party candidate, Jill Stein says, "We are calling for getting
money out of politics through public financing, we're calling for
opening up the airwaves to all qualified candidates. We are calling for
a Constitutional amendment to clarify that money is not speech, and
that corporations are not people. To take back our constitutional
rights."
Justice Party candidate, Rocky Anderson, says "This top-two option would
tell the duopoly, you go ahead, keep raising all your money, put your
own candidates out there, you can even have two people from the same
political party, and that means no choice for the voters."
Constitution Party candidate, Virgil Goode, says "I do not favor the
top-two system, I agree with Jill when she said money is not speech that
that the top-two system enhances those that have the most money. In my
view its a hindrance to true democracy for grassroots Americans who
don't want to be controlled by super Pacs and Pacs."
Libertarian Party candidate Gary Johnson, says, "As Governor of New
Mexico, completely outside the political system, I've always been
pro-choice regarding everything. So this top-two voting system, this
should be something that gets ferreted out on a local level, this should
be something that should be ferreted out at the state level, not the
national level. There are only a couple of voices being heard here, and
its Tweedle-Dee and its Tweedle-Dum."
The debates continue with each candidate giving their individual views
on the need for transparency in government, the NDAA, the war on drugs,
US military intervention in the world, and the use of drones.
Healthcare and the economic system are also discussed by the candidates
in detail as they answer each question posed to them.
---
After watching the debate, please take the time to rank the candidates in order of preference here.
Malala Yousufzai, shot by the Taliban in Pakistan over
her views on education for girls, is recovering from her ordeal, has
regained consciousness and is in a stable condition in hospital in the
UK.
15-year-old Malala Yousufzai has received worldwide attention for her efforts to promote the education of girls in Pakistan.
On October 9th, she was targeted by the Taliban
while on her way home from school and shot in the head.
The Taliban
stopped the school bus in which she was traveling with her friends and
the leader asked which girl was Malala Yousufzai, telling her to
identify herself, otherwise all girls would be shot. At that stage they
recognized Malala and shot her at point blank range.
The bullet struck just above the back of her left eye, traveled down the
side of her jaw, damaging her skull. It then went through her neck and
lodged in the tissue above her shoulder blade.
As reported on Digital Journal she was recently she was moved to the UK to ensure better hospital treatment for her grave wounds.
Malala traveled
in a medically induced coma to the UK last Monday.
The good news is
that she has since regained consciousness, although at present she
cannot speak, and has stood for the first time since being shot by the
Taliban. A photo of the recovering Malala can be viewed here.
While the international community has responded to this tragedy with
wonderful and significant donations to non-profit organizations that
support education in Pakistan, Malala's family is struggling with the
long-term rehabilitation costs and for her future education.
A team of
people who have both personal and public ties to Malala and her family
have now started a campaign to help fund both Malala's medical costs and also her future education.
Anyone interested in assisting with this campaign can do so here.
In a really cute video, kids tell us why it is
important to vote Yes on Proposition 37, the initiative requiring
genetically modified food to be labeled in California, USA.
Coming up in November this year, Californians will be voting on Proposition 37, which would require that all genetically engineered food be labeled.
The opposition (Big Pesticide and major junk food companies) are pumping millions of dollars into a misleading and often fraudulent
advertising campaign to debunk labeling and to confuse voters.
35
million dollars goes a long way to protecting their bottom line.
While the Yes on 37
campaign cannot match them in dollars, the grassroots organization can
fight back with a big heart and a genuine need to know what we are
eating.
In case you don't know what genetically engineered or genetically modified (GE or GMO)
foods are, the majority of processed foods in the supermarket contain
these. The food has been genetically modified with DNA from other
plants or animals, and also to produce its own built-in pesticides.
The
foods are untested, unlabeled and potentially unsafe for both your
health and the environment.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), does no independent safety
testing on GMOs and only relies on information supplied by the
biotechnology companies, who in turn, are merely thinking of their
bottom line.
A recent study in France
showed that genetically modified corn caused tumors and organ failure
in rats over a lifetime period. And yet, we have no idea of the
long-term effects of the same GMOs on humans.
If you live in California, give yourself the chance to choose what you are eating and feeding to your children by taking the pledge to vote Yes on 37 or, if you live elsewhere, to support the initiative.
As the kids in the video say, they can't vote, but you are an adult, so please vote "Yes."
For more information visit www.carighttoknow.org
where they say, "Prop 37 gives us the right to know if our food has
been genetically engineered. It helps us make the right food choices for
our families by putting a simple label on the groceries we buy and
telling us if our food has been genetically engineered.
Simple and clear labels. No cost to consumers. No loopholes - that's why
a broad and diverse Coalition from the Sierra Club, to farmers, nurses,
doctors and the Consumer Federation of America say YES to 37."
