Author: DerrickJ

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PNN #238

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Water Producing Billboard

http://isupportorganic.blogspot.com/2013/10/billboard-in-peru-produces-water-out-of.html

The Dalai Lama Likes Pot

http://www.theatlanticwire.com/global/2013/10/dalai-lama-supports-medical-marijuana-use/70583/?fb_action_ids=10153353429695191&fb_action_types=og.likes&fb_source=other_multiline&action_object_map=%7B%2210153353429695191%22%3A155444351333106%7D&action_type_map=%7B%2210153353429695191%22%3A%22og.likes%22%7D&action_ref_map=%5B%5D

Homeless Programmer Released

http://www.activistpost.com/2013/10/update-homeless-journeyman-hacker.html

Friday, October 18th 2013. 1 ounce of silver is 22 dollars. 1 Bitcoin is 143 dollars. Peace News Now is brought to you by Bitcoin and Silver from friends of http://WeUseCoins.com and http://SunsOfLibertyMint.com. Trade value for value with “Fine Silver Quarters” from the Suns of Liberty Mint. That’s suns, with a “u”. The most divisible, usable silver on the planet. Order some today, that’s suns with a “u” http://SunsOfLibertyMint.com .

Engineers in Peru have invented a billboard that captures and filters moisture from the air, turning it into drinking water for any passers-by. The billboard is 50-feet tall and can produce 100 liters of water out of thin air every day. One billboard is capable of providing drinking water for hundreds of families per month. It was designed by Lima’s University of Engineering and Technology as an advertisement for enrollment. The billboard’s resourceful design takes advantage of atmospheric humidity to overcome the lack of transportable water in the coastal desert. Can you imagine these billboards in your city?

The Dalai Lama recently endorsed cannabis, and said it should be legal to use as medicine. The spiritual leader made the comments in the middle of a debate as Mexico City considers legalizing cannabis. He came to the event hosted by former president Vicente Fox, who supports legalization because it cuts off revenue for the drug cartels.

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As reported by Peace News Now this week, a homeless man named Leo, also called “The Journeyman Hacker,” was arrested after midnight for sleeping on a New York City Park bench. The out of work engineer’s crime was “trespassing.” He made headlines earlier this year when partnering with Patrick McConlongue to receive programming lessons.

Heather Callaghan at the Activist Post wrote an awesome article about this incident that I’d like to share with you.

Patrick had provided Leo with a laptop at his expense, and free software, books, Wi-Fi, and one hour lessons each day starting in August. Leo was set to go on The Today Show on Wednesday morning until police arrested him and confiscated his laptop and a new phone gifted to him. Patrick fought to have him released and push the hearing up so Leo could do his interview.

Patrick made this update Tuesday: Quote,

Leo was released early this morning, in an incredible turn around time. He was taken to the hospital in the middle of the night for throwing up (sounds like stress) but the hearing after went quickly. Leo said, “The Police were doing their job, the officer who arrested me was just following orders and was very polite.” The laptop and prototype phone were not returned but after walking back to the 10th precinct this morning, we were told some paperwork needed to be changed for it to be released and to return at 12:00AM to talk with the arresting officer.

Business Insider reported that Patrick went to the precinct but was unable to retrieve Leo’s personal belongings, including the Samsung computer Patrick purchased himself. Police refused to return the computer because Patrick could not provide a serial number, though he did show a receipt for the computer.

The two implored respect for the police and drew different kinds of jeers for their emphatic defense of the cops who arrested Leo. It almost sounded like a PSA to comply with the NYPD. They expressed sentiments for NYPD such as comparing them to 9/11 heroes and: “have faith in NYPD,” “they did nothing wrong,” “just doing their jobs,” “just following orders…” Whose orders?

If they did nothing wrong to arrest Leo, then why get him out – he would be a law breaker; and if NYPD acted rightly, that would mean they were justified in enforcing that law. Leo harmed no one – should he have been locked up and his few possessions taken and kept? It’s one thing to peacefully accept the crapstorm and find a solution; but it’s wholly another to eagerly defend unacceptable infringements. That complicity keeps bad behavior going.

Patrick made a point about the police action being part of an imperfect system. Meaning, it’s not their faults. Yet, how do broken systems continue? By its many enforcers who push empathy aside to “follow orders.” They did have a choice in the situation and they CAN give back Leo’s belongings.

Do You work in a bureaucracy? Remember that you are not just a cog in a machine. Your actions matter. The Milgram experiment proved the world is filled with people who will harm and even kill strangers when ordered by an authority. Be the exception. Think for yourself, and choose to do what is right.

Peace News Now is on the Next News Network and is brought to you by friends of http://WeUseCoins.com and http://SunsOfLibertyMint.com . Share this episode with your friends, and if you enjoyed it, send some bitcoin to http://Donate.PeaceNewsNow.com/. I’m Derrick J, reminding you that Peace is the way!

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PNN #237 http://WeUseCoins.com http://SunsOfLibertyMint.com

Utah Activists Adopt Highway around NSA

http://benswann.com/exclusive-utah-activists-adopt-a-highway-to-engage-in-anti-nsa-civil-disobedience-audio/

Off-Duty Deputy Arrested While Attempting Illegal Arrest

http://www.wistv.com/story/23686918/cell-phone-video-shows-off-duty-deputy-attempt-to-arrest-soldier-at-bar?clienttype=generic&mobilecgbypass&utm_source=buffer&utm_campaign=Buffer&utm_content=buffer139d4&utm_medium=facebook

Homeless Programmer Arrested

http://www.businessinsider.com/leo-the-homeless-coder-arrested-2013-10

Adopt the NSA? Wednesday, October 16th 2013. 1 ounce of silver is 22 dollars. 1 Bitcoin is 146 dollars. Peace News Now is brought to you by Bitcoin from friends of http://WeUseCoins.com . Bitcoin is doing for money what email did for communication. Learn more about the world’s favorite new currency at http://WeUseCoins.com

A group of individuals uniting under the banner of “Restore the Fourth” has successfully adopted the stretch of highway around the NSA Data Center in Utah. Read the original article written by Joshua Cook at BenSwann.com:

Over the past few months, tyrannical actions by the federal government have been revealed. The IRS targeting conservatives, the AP phone scandal, NSA surveillance, Drones, and vindictive actions during the government shutdown.

How do people resist this oppression? Protests are a start, like the protests on Washington D.C. over the weekend. Lawsuits and political campaigns can be helpful but are often controlled by the government. Alternative media has been vital in spreading information, but it needs to be coupled with an effective course of action.

Many feel it is becoming necessary to employ peaceful noncompliance to nonviolently oppose the government’s increasingly blatant violations of rights.

According to their Facebook page, the organization is a non-partisan, non-violent, nationwide advocacy and protest movement demanding an end to the unconstitutional surveillance employed by the US government. They successfully applied this month to take over maintenance of the the highway around the NSA’s Utah Data Center via the Adopt-a-Highway program.

This will put the group’s name on signs leading to the center.  Members will also be able to picket and protest while cleaning the road.  It gives the group 24 hour access to the highway, meaning it will be able to quickly see basic changes in what is going on there and learn some more about the organization and the people who work there.

More direct forms of civil disobedience can be adopted, such as the idea of destroying drones which some towns are already contemplating.

People feel that it is necessary to oppose the government on a practical level, such as civil disobedience.  Restore the Fourth’s adoption of a highway goes a step beyond a normal protest and allows 24 hour access to the already-problem-ridden Data Center. What would it take to implement this idea where you live? If similar actions became widespread, how would this change the political landscape?

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Video recorded on a cell phone by a restaurant goer reveals an off-duty law-enforcer tried to illegally arrest a woman after getting into an argument with her. Police arrested 49-year-old law enforcer Paul Derrick and charged him with assault. He has been suspended without pay.

According to reports, Paul approached a woman who appeared to be upset. 23-year-old Brittany Ball showed no interest in Paul, and the two started arguing. Then Paul, who was not in uniform and was drinking alcohol, left the restaurant and returned with handcuffs that he retrieved from his truck.

The off-duty law enforcer overpowered Brittany, handcuffed her, pulled her to her feet, and slammed her head into a metal table. At one point Brittany is positioned over a table while the law enforcer, who is a former Marine, says, quote, “This is how Marines deal with soldiers,” while slamming the woman into the table, and the table collapses.

It is not clear why Paul thought it was necessary to control Brittany. The video shows never yelled or resisted. Restaurant employees and other customers tried to intervene, but Paul warned them not to call the police. Thank goodness for the objective record kept by the cell phone video. When police arrived, they were shown the video and immediately arrested Paul and released the girl. Without video of this interaction, do you think police would have taken this law enforcer at his word?

In other news, New York City programmer Patrick McConlogue offered a homeless man named Leo either $100 or programming lessons. Leo opted for the programming lessons so that he could get a job. Thanks to weeks of help from Patrick, he’s now writing an app. He’s even slated to appear this morning on The Today Show! But Monday, Leo was arrested for the crime of sleeping on a park bench after hours. He was brought to jail, where Patrick has been working to get him out ever since. Who is doing more good for the world? The programmer who teaches the homeless valuable skills, or the law enforcer who cages peaceful people?

Peace News Now is on the Next News Network and is brought to you by friends of http://WeUseCoins.com and http://SunsOfLibertyMint.com . Share this episode with your friends, and if you enjoyed it, send some bitcoin to http://Donate.PeaceNewsNow.com/. I’m Derrick J, reminding you that Peace is the way!

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COPSLIE License Plate NH Supreme Court

http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20131013-NEWS-310130329

Valley Forge Veterans Protest

http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/video/#!/news/local/Protesters-Gather-at-Valley-Forge/227601051

Secret Law Keeps Govt Shutdown

http://www.upworthy.com/congress-did-something-so-spectacularly-creepy-that-its-too-unbelievable-to-make-up

New Guardian Gitmo Animation

http://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2013/oct/11/guantanamo-bay-hunger-strikes-video-animation?CMP=twt_gu

2 Years Ago American Teen Killed by Drone

http://gawker.com/we-killed-an-american-teen-2-years-ago-today-1444992834

Tom’s rethinks its strategy

http://www.pri.org/stories/2013-10-08/toms-shoes-rethinks-its-buy-one-give-one-model-helping-needy

Tuesday, October 15th 2013. 1 ounce of silver is 22 dollars. 1 Bitcoin is 135 dollars. Peace News Now is brought to you by Bitcoin and Silver from friends of http://WeUseCoins.com and http://SunsOfLibertyMint.com. Get “Fine Silver Quarters” from the Suns of Liberty Mint. That’s suns, with a “u”. These square silver pieces are the most divisible, usable silver on the planet. Order some today, that’s suns with a “u” http://SunsOfLibertyMint.com .

SeacoastOnline.com reports that a man has been trying for more than three years to get New Hampshire license plates that say “COPSLIE.” David Montenegro has been given the thumbs down by multiple Department of Motor Vehicles employees, then by state officials, and after that, a Superior Court judge. Now, with the state’s branch of the American Civil Liberties Union on his side, David is taking his fight for COPSLIE license plates to the state Supreme Court. On Nov. 7, the state’s highest court will hear oral arguments. The NHCLU filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court arguing that state and federal constitutions protect free speech, including messages on license plates.

The State argues that David’s rights to free speech have not been violated because even though you pay for them, the state owns all license plates. According to the State, “COPSLIE” is illegal to stamp on a license plate because, quote, “it is offensive to good taste.” Tellingly, they did approve his second choice, “GR8GOVT.” Is the DMV engaging in a wrongful picking and choosing of ‘viewpoints’ about government? Should agents of the State have the authority to determine what speech is acceptable? Share your thoughts on the Peace News Now Facebook Page.

Outside Valley Forge National Historic Park hundreds of veterans and other protesters marched around barricades and stop signs demanding congress reopen the monuments and parks. Meanwhile in Washington DC, veterans clashed with police outside the White House as PNN reported yesterday. The vets removed the barriers to the DC monuments, but were eventually stopped when riot police threatened that if the vets continue, quote, “things will get ugly.” Tourists and locals expressed delight at the actions of the veterans, but within twenty four hours, the Obama administration re-barricaded the monuments.

Speaking of the so-called government shutdown, it was revealed in a video going viral this week that congress played a sneaky trick to avert the rule of law. In the video, Congressman Chris Van Hollen is on the House floor asking for clarification on the rules of the shutdown. Normally any congressperson can call for a vote on any bill at any time. But just before the shutdown happened, Congress quietly passed a measure that said only House Majority Leader Eric Cantor can call for the shutdown to end. Were you aware of that? Is it reasonable for one man to have that kind of power?

While the Federal Government has shut down some of its functions over the stalemate in Congress, some other federal agencies continue to operate unaffected. The US military base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, for instance, is still in operation, where dozens of men cleared for release continue to languish behind bars. A recently published animation by the Guardian UK depicts the suffering of detainees who have been on hunger strike for months. The short film reminds viewers that the practices of the offshore torture camp violate human rights and can no longer be ignored by the international community.

Two years ago yesterday, on October 14, 2011 a remotely piloted aircraft operated by the United States launched a missile at a restaurant in Aden, Yemen, killing, among several other nearby civilians, an American citizen named Abdulrahman al-Awlaki, who was born in Denver to Yemeni-born parents and later moved with them back to Yemen. He was 16 years old. Al-Awlaki is one of four other American citizens killed by American drones.

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You’ve heard of TOMS Shoes. You buy a pair, and they give one to charity. But does the “buy one, give one” model actually alleviate poverty? Critics wonder if TOMS is displacing local shoe producers, by bringing in their shoes from elsewhere. TOMS is listening to those critics and announced plans to begin manufacturing some of its shoes in Haiti starting in a couple months. TOMS plans to employ 100 Haitians and build a “responsible, sustainable” shoe industry in Haiti. Unlike food subsidy programs which create dependence on handouts and destroy local farm economies, giving communities access to markets will do much more to lift individuals out of poverty and help them improve their own lives.  

Peace News Now is on the Next News Network and is brought to you by friends of http://WeUseCoins.com and http://SunsOfLibertyMint.com . Share this episode with your friends, and if you enjoyed it, send some bitcoin to http://Donate.PeaceNewsNow.com/. I’m Derrick J, reminding you that Peace is the way!

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Activists block Deportation

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/oct/11/activists-block-bus-deporting-illegal-immigrants/

Riot Police Harass Veterans at White House

http://noarmycanstopanidea.com/riot-police-arrive-at-white-house-to-harass-veteran-protesters/ http://thelibertarianrepublic.com/police-veterans-clash-outside-white-house-video/#axzz2hdCWPY2r

Get Your Liberty Balls Now!

http://thelibertarianrepublic.com/united-ball-get-liberty-balls-fight-back-big-government-video/#axzz2guP6fQd2

Audrey Tobias Aquitted

http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/10/09/audrey-tobias-found-not-guilty-in-trial-for-census-refusal-over-weapons-maker-link/

Monday, October 14th 2013. 1 ounce of silver is 22 dollars. 1 Bitcoin is 138 dollars. Peace News Now is brought to you by Bitcoin and Silver from friends of http://WeUseCoins.com . Learn about bitcoin at http://WeUseCoins.com

The Washington Times reports that immigrant rights activists shut down a court in Tucson, Arizona this week by preventing authorities from processing illegal immigrants who were to be sentenced to jail and eventually deported.

The activists had chained themselves to bus tires and to the court entrance early Friday morning and had been there for three and a half hours. The court canceled its proceedings for the day as a result of their protest.

The immigrants on the buses were being held under something called “Operation Streamline.” Operation Streamline is a practice where Judges sentence immigrants to labor in Arizona jails before they are deported, as a punishment for entering the country without following the rules. The program circumvents the 6th Amendment by denying people a trial by jury and turns the state into judge, jury, and executioner.

Activist Roberto Cintli Rodriguez said, quote, “When humanity is confronted with unjust laws, it is our responsibility to challenge them.” Friday’s move was a precursor to next week, when the activists plan to try to shut down the Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Phoenix.

Marisa Franco of the National Day Laborer Organizing Network said, quote, “Under the president’s administration, nearly two million families have been torn apart through detention and deportation. Our communities can no longer wait for the president to rediscover his moral compass or for Congress to actually do its job. We will do what any mother or father would do and keep our families together by preventing ICE from being able to tear them apart.”

On Friday, the activists posted live video of their protest online, showing some marching with signs in the middle of the road that read “End Streamline.” Others were lying down next to the bus tires to try to make sure the vehicles couldn’t move. In another video, activists had blockaded the entrance to the court where the illegal immigrants were supposed to be processed. The activists had linked arms inside of tubes, which makes it more difficult for authorities to separate them and remove them. One of those shooting the video said there were 70 people on the buses, and they were showing their shackles through the windows. One man on the video feed said, quote, “Today, for the first time in six years, we’ve seen Streamline be stopped.”

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The Blaze dot com reports this week that the “Million Vet March” descended on Washington, D.C., Sunday to protest the decision to close the city’s public memorials. Thousands of demonstrators arrived early in the morning and tore down barricades that had been set up to block people from visiting the popular attractions. According to a statement on its website, the group said military personnel and veterans are, quote, “being used a political pawns in the ongoing government shutdown and budget crisis.” The group also said it has no political leaning, but believes that the closing of memorials is, quote, “a despicable act of cowardice.” The veterans were met by a horde of police officers in riot gear surrounding the White House and beating their shields with batons.

The Libertarian Republic reports that the U.S. government came after Craig Zucker the owner of the famous Buckyballs toys, demanding that he pay a $57 million dollar fine to cover recall costs of his product. The government at first just forced him to stop selling the magnetic toys, but then they went even further. They are demanding that Zucker is solely responsible and should be forced to bear the burden of the fine individually.

Now Zucker is fighting back against this egregious case and has created a new product called Liberty Balls! They’re a new product that is much bigger than the original product, so they can’t get in trouble for selling them. They’re the kind of balls you need to stand up for your rights against government.

In other news, Audrey Tobias was found Not Guilty this week in a trial in Canada over her refusal to fill out a Census form. The 89-year old said she was willing to go to jail over the issue because she objected so strongly to the collection of Canadian Census data by American Arms Manufacturer Lockheed Martin. Kudos to Audrey for setting an example for the following generations. Imagine what would happen if everyone were as willing as Audrey to stand up for what is right.

Peace News Now is on the Next News Network and is brought to you by friends of http://WeUseCoins.com and http://SunsOfLibertyMint.com . Share this episode with your friends, and if you enjoyed it, send some bitcoin to http://Donate.PeaceNewsNow.com/. I’m Derrick J, reminding you that Peace is the way!

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