An Earth Day poster assignment for school. This took me so long to finish cause I was being anal about the colors and I really don’t know anything about digital D: But yeah, BEEESSSS.
Monday, March 11
2pm, Augmented Reality and Activism Discussion
https://www.facebook.com/events/119705798214182/
https://www.facebook.com/events/535844116438813/
Tuesday, March 12
More than 70 cities will be protesting corporations that are part of a secretive lobby group called the American Legislative Exchange Council, or ALEC, that helps corporate interests literally write our laws.
Reblog if you support #F29 - Shut Down the Corporations!
More info & links to spread the word about ALEC’s mission to turn our Representative Democracy into Theocratic Feudalism…
American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) is a “corporate front-group” that represents the interests of big-name corporations by drafting legislation for state lawmakers. ALEC, which has the support of conservative heavy-hitters like Koch Industries, Walmart, and ExxonMobil, has written close to 800 model bills as templates for legislators on a wide range of issues.
ALEC Exposed: The Koch Connection, The Nation Magazine
ALEC Funding, PRWatch
American Legislative Exchange Council, SourceWatch
Climate Denial Report on ALEC and Exxon Funding for ALEC, Greenpeace
Governing the Nation from the Statehouses, Progressive States Network
Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing, Common Cause
ALEC: The Voice of Corporate Special Interests In State Legislatures, People for the American Way
Corporate America’s Trojan Horse in the States, Defenders of Wildlife and the Natural Resources Defense Council
ALEC Behind Voter Disenfranchisement Efforts, Center for American Progress
Ghostwriting the Law for Corporate America: American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)
The American Association for Justice Report on ALEC (PDF) May 2010
The Corporations Funding The Annual Meeting of ALEC Think Progress
Court Case Involving Occupy Protesters Resolved
Back in December of 2011, six members of Occupy Austin were arrested and charged with felonies for using PVC pipe and chains during a protest at the Port of Houston. It turned out that the people who built the restraints and encouraged the Occupiers to use them were Austin police officers undercover as members of the Occupy movement. Now, Harris County prosecutors have dropped the felony charges and the defendants have instead plead guilty to misdemeanors. Greg Gladden represented Ronnie Garza, one of the protesters originally charged with a felony.
All the defendants agreed to sentences that included time-served. Gladden says the fight to reduce the charges was worth it.
Occupy Southby.org
Tents Up for Occupy Austin’s Eviction Anniversary
On February 3 2012, Occupy Austin received about an hour’s notice before a violent police raid which cleared the encampment at City Hall. New regulations imposed a 10pm curfew and rules against tents, bedrolls or other “permanent” structures. As occupiers took the streets, there were several arrests. Activists and journalists were threatened by police ambush and, at one point, a pepper-spray can brandished by Austin Police Officer Jason Mistric. Three undercover police officers that had infiltrated the group in order to entrap its members were present throughout the day.
Demonstrators upset about Gov. Rick Perry’s refusal to expand Medicaid coverage interrupted his State of the State speech this morning and were quickly hustled from the House Chamber by state troopers.
One man, identified by friends as the Rev. James Caldwell, a Houston community activist, was detained by Capitol security officers after the 11:25 a.m. incident.
He was later escorted in handcuffs from the building, although troopers declined to say whether he would be charged with disorderly conduct or any crime.
More than a dozen other protestors with the Texas Organizing Project, wearing teal-colored t-shirts, were escorted from the statehouse after the outburst in the House Chamber.
Not long after Perry began his State of the State speech, Caldwell stood in the House gallery and shouted:
“Excuse me Governor Perry, but what do you plan to do about the 7 million uninsured in Texas. Why are you turning down the billions of Medicaid expansion funds?”
Other protestors sitting around him began chanting as troopers hustled to the group, and began escorting them out of the chamber. Perry, who had just announced a tax-rebate plan when the protest exploded, went on with his speech.
The House Chamber, standing room only with dignitaries and state officials to hear Perry’s speech, was briefly astir with whispering as the group was led out.
Ginny Goldman, executive director of the organizing project, said the group held a demonstration earlier in the day outside the Capitol. She said the group tried to deliver a 16,000-signature petition to Perry last September seeking to have Texas accept expansion of the federal Medicaid program.
Perry has opposed that expansion.
“People should not be arrested for coming to a public speech and asking a question,” Goldman said.
Gloria Payne, a spokesperson for the group, said members did not come to the Capitol to get arrested, but to highlight the plight of the uninsured millions in Texas.
“Rick Perry has said repeatedly that he will refuse to accept the $78 billion from the federal government to expand Medicaid coverage for hard working Texans,” she said. “This leaves us no choice but to bring it to the governor’s attention directly.”
