A Year of Edward Snowden

Today celebrates a year since Edward Snowden first showed us the beginning of a long, deep hole of NSA spying and lying. From Clapper lying to Congress, and getting away with it, to Obama saying metadata collection isn't a big deal, when we've learned that it clearly is. Check out my first and second articles written almost a year ago talking about the information shared by Snowden and the potential impacts.

Capitalism - The System of Greed and Exploitation

I used to think the problem in our system was the divide between Democrats and Republicans and that our stalemates were the cause of problematic laws and inequality. But more recently I've started to see a hard shift in my views. The GOP and the Democrats are not the problem, they are just a symptom of the problem, capitalism. Now before you get yourself all excited, I am not promoting communism in this article. That is a completely different topic. This article is solely to critique our capitalist system.

The basic principle of what capitalism has become is a system of greed. Take labor from the poor and barely pay them, strip bare the earth for resources and leave it to deteriorate, convince people they are happy by filling their lives with more and newer useless items, and most recently ending restrictions on donation caps basically equating that money = free speech.

Racism on Repeat - Jordan Davis' Murder's Trial Begins

The cover of Jet magazine shows
the legitimate fear these crimes create.

NOTE: I apologize in advance for my aggressive voice in this piece, but sometimes you just can't help it.

It hasn't even been a full year since George Zimmerman was acquitted of the murder (yes, murder) of Trayvon Martin in 2012, who threaten Zimmerman with the deadly weapon of a sidewalk after he was stalked by Zimmerman. And yet we find ourselves witnessing another high profile trial of Stand Your Ground racism at work in Florida. Showing once again how this law is aimed to protect white shooters, not black victims.

In November of 2012, Jordan Davis, 17, was gunned down by a 47 year old man who apparently feared for his life, after the shooter initiated contact over the teenagers "disrespectful" behavior. Michael Dunn (the shooter) told Davis and his friends to turn down their loud music and after their refusal and some heated words, he opened fire on the car, killing Davis.

Snowden Speaks at Length About Leaks

I just watched this interview with Edward Snowden and the German channel NDR where he goes into depth about his opinions, observations, and reaction to the his leaks. He also explains what the significance of his leaks are.

Video uploaded to LiveLeak December 27, 2013. You can view it here on LiveLink.

British Attack Anonymous... Using Anonymous' Tactics?

Yet another scandal has had the lid blown off by Edward Snowden with the revelation that the GCHQ used a DDoS attack on the hacktivist group Anonymous and LulzSec, originally reported on by NBC news. This time, the attack against Anonymous used the same tactics used by some Anonymous activist, that have since sent them to jail. But as a GCHQ spokesperson claimed, "all of GCHQ's work is carried out in accordance with a strict legal and policy framework." 

So, when Anonymous performs a DDoS, it's illegal. When GCHQ does it, it's completely legal.

Dirty Wars Nominated for Best Documentary Oscar

War is a dirty thing. It always has been and it will continue to be. The fact alone that all wars are fought because of greed or hate is inherently a terrible thing. So, to talk about covert warfare as if it were a shocking and wrong is almost silly, yet here we are.

Los Angeles Green Festival - Hemp

Los Angeles just hosted its 3rd annual Green Festival in October at the LA Mart in downtown Los Angeles. This eco-friendly convention showcased many different companies, movements, and ideas surrounding the green/environmental movement in America and around the world.

While there are a multitude of topics I could cover, I decided on hemp, a prominent figure in the convention showing up in many different forms, and providing a wide variety of environmental benefits.

With the multitude of ways hemp can benefit American society, it is still illegal to grow in the United States, due to the stigma of association to it’s THC filled counterpart. The irony of this is that the US Constitution was written on hemp paper and was widely used and farmed for most of America’s history.

Amy Goodman on Independent News

I recently attended the Los Angeles Green Festival, an event showcasing eco-friendly concepts from sustainable food to hemp clothing to electric cars.

As a blogger/journalist, the highlight of the event for me was a talk by Amy Goodman of Democracy Now! about her new book, The Silenced Majority: Stories of Uprisings, Occupations, Resistance, and Hope, a collection of  weekly column pieces co-authored with Denis Moynihan. As you may know from my Ladybud article on Pacifica Radio, I believe independent reporting is a must, and once again Goodman backed up my belief with eloquence.

Goodman began her lecture with a bang, explaining her honest belief that people who care about social issues like climate change, wealth disparity, and a broken prison system “are not a fringed minority, not even a silent majority. But a silenced majority.” According to Goodman, this silencing is coming from the corporate media, and control over media must taken back by the public.

Pacifica Radio, A Truly Progressive Voice of Dissent

Everyone loves a good NPR piece. For a long time, it was my go-to radio station. Recently, however, I’ve found a new love in Pacifica Radio. What is amazing about Pacifica is, well, everything. 

In an age of government spying, covert wars, and a crackdown on civil liberties, it is increasingly important to have a full understanding of vital issues and events within the United States and around the world. Pacifica is fiercely independent radio that is not afraid to confront tough issues and guide listeners through in-depth topics which most news organizations skim over. 

But what is Pacifica? What makes it different?

Million Mask March

On November 5th, the hacktivist group Anonymous called for an international day of action to protest, well whatever you want. Thousands, if not a million people around the world marched, protested and spread their messages of equality, freedom, and honesty. Here in Los Angeles, we marched for a variety of reasons, while the most vocal of the group being to end the Federal Reserve.