The rich man... is always sold to the institution which makes him rich.

Do we call this the land of the free? What is it to be free from King George and continue the slaves of King Prejudice? What is it to be born free and not to live free? What is the value of any political freedom, but as a means to moral freedom? Is it a freedom to be slaves, or a freedom to be free, of which we boast? We are a nation of politicians, concerned about the outmost defences only of freedom. It is our children's children who may perchance be really free.

The soldier is applauded who refuses to serve in an unjust war by those who do not refuse to sustain the unjust government which makes the war; is applauded by those whose own act and authority he disregards and sets at naught; as if the state were penitent to that degree that it hired one to scourge it while it sinned, but not to that degree that it left off sinning for a moment.
Henry David Thoreau

It is true that wealth has been greatly increased, and that the average of comfort, leisure, and refinement has been raised; but these gains are not general. In them the lowest class do not share. I do not mean that the condition of the lowest class has nowhere nor in anything been improved; but that there is nowhere any improvement which can be credited to increased productive power. I mean that the tendency of what we call material progress is in nowise to improve the condition of the lowest class in the essentials of healthy, happy human life. Nay, more, that it is still further to depress the condition of the lowest class. The new forces, elevating in their nature though they be, do not act upon the social fabric from underneath, as was for a long time hoped and believed, but strike it at a point intermediate between top and bottom. It is as though an immense wedge were being forced, not underneath society, but through society. Those who are above the point of separation are elevated, but those who are below are crushed down.

Henry George (September 2, 1839 – October 29, 1897) was an American political economist who inspired the economic philosophy known as Georgism, whose main tenet is that people should own what they create, but that everything found in nature, most importantly land, belongs equally to all humanity.

The Dickens..........Never close your lips to those

whom you have opened your heart

Not many of us have a personal band to follow only me around.....this is my real other family...

window of opportunity...........

David L. Smith of the Geneva Business Insider blog joins for our monthly conversation on world events. This week we dissect the Syrian chemical weapons attack and its geopolitical fallout. We also talk about the sea change that is taking place in public opinion as the people rise up to stop these endless illegal wars of aggression.

la penguin french Holland....

Following his re-election as president of the General Council of Corrèze in March 2011, Hollande announced that he would be a candidate in the upcoming primary election to select the Socialist and Radical Left Party presidential nominee. The primary marked the first time that both parties had held an open primary to select a joint nominee at the same time. He initially trailed the front-runner, former finance minister and International Monetary Fund managing director Dominique Strauss-Kahn.

Following Strauss-Kahn's arrest on suspicion of sexual assault in New York City in May 2011, Hollande began to lead the opinion polls. His position as front-runner was established just as Strauss-Kahn declared that he would no longer be seeking the nomination. After a series of televised debates throughout September, Hollande topped the ballot in the first round held on 9 October with 39% of the vote, not gaining the 50% required to avoid a second ballot, which he would contest against Martine Aubry, who had come second with 30% of the vote.

The second ballot took place on 16 October 2011. Hollande won with 56% of the vote to Aubry's 43% and thus became the official Socialist and Radical Left Party candidate for the 2012 presidential election. After the primary results, he immediately gained the pledged support of the other contenders for the party's nomination, including Aubry, Arnaud Montebourg, Manuel Valls and 2007 candidate Ségolène Royal.

stay on point.....

Obama Has Decided That It Is Safer To Buy Congress Than To Go It Alone

Paul Craig Roberts

http://www.paulcraigroberts.org/2013/09/01/obama-has-decided-that-it-is-safer-to-buy-congress-than-to-go-it-alone-paul-craig-roberts/

Now that the White House realizes that Obama cannot commit a war crime without cover, here is what we can likely expect. The argument will move away from whether or not Assad used chemical weapons and become an argument that Congress must not undermine US prestige and credibility by failing to support President Obama, the latest front man for American wars of aggression.

The White House will bribe, cajole, and intimidate the Congress. The regime's argument will be that with America's prestige and credibility on the line, Congress must support the President. The President and Secretary of State have made unequivocal statements of Assad's guilt and their determination to punish Assad. Given Washington's insanity, the way Washington punishes Assad for (allegedly) killing Syrians with chemical weapons is for Washington to kill more Syrians with cruise missiles.

If this doesn't make sense to you, you don't belong in Obama's government or in the American media, and you could never be a neoconservative.

Suite 1100
1101 17th Street NW
Washington, D.C. 20036

*** Security News ***

Taiwan bids to bolster security with free malware database
Resource is open to all in malware-addled Asian nation
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/09/02/taiwan_malware_knowledge_database_free/

'Anonymous' to Reg hack: We know SEA leaders' names
Anonymous hacktivists say they've taken down Syrian Electronic Army
hacktivists
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/09/02/anon_slurps_sea_data_launches_leaks/

Boffins follow TOR breadcrumbs to identify users
Anonymity? Fuggedaboutit! Watching TOR for months reveals true names
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/09/01/tor_correlation_follows_the_breadcrumbs_back_to_the_users/

Mother/daughter team jailed for million-dollar internet dating scam
Funds go to Nigeria, money mules go to prison
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/08/30/motherdaughter_team_jailed_for_milliondollar_internet_dating_scam/

NSA: NOBODY could stop Snowden – he was A SYSADMIN
Virtually unfettered access blew sensitive docs wide open
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/08/30/snowden_sysadmin_access_to_nsa_docs/

Facebook scammers raking in $200 MEEELLION in illicit profits
And Google's getting a slice of the action
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/08/30/facebook_scammers_raking_in_200_meeellion_in_illicit_profits/

Quantum crypto nearly ready to go mobile
Boffins demo 'QKD for smartphones'
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/08/29/quantum_crypto_nearly_ready_to_go_mobile/

Tor usage up by more than 100% in August
Secure network usage spikes worldwide, reasons unknown
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/08/29/tor_usage_up_by_more_than_100_in_august/

Python regurgitates Dropbox secrets to boffins
Researchers pick over the entrails to spot vulns
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/08/28/python_regurgitates_dropbox_secrets_to_boffins/

Supercomputer hacker coughs to flogging DoE logins to FBI agent
Guilty plea means gov access-flogger may only swallow 18 months'
porridge
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/08/28/hacker_plea_deal/

IBM lands spook data-sharing standard at Oz airports
Airline passenger data and 'other relevant material' checked in 'real
time'
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/08/28/ibm_gives_oz_customs_real_time_passenger_checks/

New York Times, Twitter domain hijackers 'came in through front door'
'Syrian Electronic Army' claims responsibility, registrar fingered as
vector
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/08/27/twitter_ny_times_in_domain_hijack/

Tesla cars 'hackable' says Dell engineer
REST authentication mess could allow attacker to open the sunroof
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/08/27/tesla_cars_hackable_says_dell_engineer/

ISPs scramble to explain mouse-sniffing tool
Would you trust faceless corporations with your, er, mouse movements?
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/08/27/isps_scramble_to_explain_away_mousesniffing/

Poison Ivy RAT becoming the AK-47 of cyber-espionage attacks
Just because it's simple to use doesn't mean the user is low-rent
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/08/27/poison_ivy_rat_apt/

Wall Street traders charged with stealing company code via email
Note to self ... add attachment 'secret-algorithms.zip' ...
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/08/27/wall_street_secrets_stolen_via_email/

Cryptome suffers brief take-down over Japanese 'terror' files
Bitten by attack dog, just a flesh wound
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/08/26/cryptome_suffers_brief_takedown_over_japanese_terror_files/

Chinese authorities say massive DDoS attack took down .cn domain
Middle Kingdom pledges immediate action
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/08/26/chinese_authorities_says_massive_ddos_attack_took_down_cn_domain/

Koobface worm-flinging gangster linked to pharma spam ops
Login-slurping worm band broke up, moved onto 'solo projects' – infosec
bod
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/08/26/koobface_carder_pharma_spam_tieup/

47 BC:

Julius Caesar, became the last king of the Ptolemaic dynasty of Egypt, ruling jointly
with his mother Cleopatra.

Earth Heal - News for an Earth in Transition

It Is Illegal To Feed The Homeless In Cities All Over The United States

Posted: 01 Sep 2013 06:12 PM PDT

1 September 2013

- What would you do if a police officer threatened to arrest you for trying to share a sandwich with a desperately hungry homeless woman that really needed it? Such a notion sounds absolutely bizarre, but this is actually happening in major cities all over the United States. More than 50 large U.S. cities have adopted "anti-camping" or "anti-food sharing" laws in recent years, and in many of these cities the police are strictly enforcing these laws.

Sometimes the goal appears to be to get the homeless people to go away. Apparently the heartless politicians that are passing these laws believe that if the homeless can't get any more free food and if they keep getting thrown into prison for "illegal camping" they will eventually decide to go somewhere else where they won't be hassled so much. This is yet another example of how heartless our society is becoming.

Dear Urgent Action Network,

Please be aware that the UK ambassador to Mexico is changing. Before the new ambassador is confirmed, could all activists yet to send appeal copies for this UA please address any correspondence to the Minister & Deputy Head of Mission Mr Alejandro Estivill-Castro. (amended below), at the same address.

Apologies for any inconvenience caused,

Individuals at Risk Programme

Mr Alejandro Estivill-Castro (Minister & Deputy Head of Mission)

UA 219/13 13 August 2013 URGENT ACTION AMR 41/048/2013
MARINES ABDUCT ADULT AND TWO CHILDREN
Name: Jose de Jesus Martinez Chigo (m), Diana Laura Hernandez Acosta (f), Raul David Alvarez Gutierrez (m)
MEXICO
Three people, two of them children, were detained by Mexican marines in the northern city of Nuevo Laredo in late July and have not been seen since. The military authorities have denied arresting them. They may have been subjected to enforced disappearance.

Jose de Jesus Martinez Chigo and 17-year-old Diana Laura Hernandez Acosta were driving home in the early hours of 29 July in Nuevo Laredo, northern Mexico, when marines stopped them at a checkpoint. According to a relative of Jose Martinez who was nearby and saw their arrest, marines forced them and another driver into a military vehicle and drove them to a provisional military compound at a local sports stadium. The relative drove after them and saw them go in. He told the family what had happened. Both victims' families went to the base the same day, but were told that no civilians were detained there. Relatives have filed a complaint at the local branch of the Federal Attorney General's Office (Procuraduria General de la Republica) supported by several eyewitness statements confirming the marines' involvement.

In a separate incident, 17-year-old Raul David Alvarez Gutierrez was stopped by marines at a checkpoint in the south of the city on 30 July at about 11.30am. Eyewitnesses including a family friend, have told his relatives that marines asked him to come out of his car and, after a brief conversation they took him to a military lorry. Raul Alvarez has not been seen since. The eyewitnesses have been unwilling to testify for fear of reprisals. Relatives tried to file a complaint with the Federal Attorney General's Office, but they were refused on the grounds that they could not provide witnesses.

The military authorities have so far failed to respond to requests from relatives and a local human rights organization for information concerning the detention and whereabouts of the three people.
Please write immediately in Spanish or your own language:

* Expressing concern that Jose de Jesus Martinez, Diana Laura Hernandez Acosta and David Alvarez Gutierrez appear to have been subjected to enforced disappearance by Mexican marines since 29 and 30 July, and calling on the authorities to reveal where they are and ensure their safety;

* Calling on the civilian authorities to carry out a prompt, full and impartial investigation into their apparent abduction by members of the Mexican Navy, publish its findings and bring those responsible to justice;

* Calling on them to ensure that the three people's families and eyewitnesses receive protection in line with their wishes, and ensure that all agencies cooperate with civilian investigations and measures to locate the victims.

PLEASE SEND APPEALS BEFORE 26 SEPTEMBER 2013 TO: (Time difference = GMT - 6 hrs / BST - 7 hrs)

Federal Attorney General
Jesus Murillo Karam
Procuraduria General de la Republica
Paseo de la reforma 211-213
Col. Cuauhtemoc, C.P. 06500
Mexico City, Mexico
Fax: 0052 55 5346 0908
Email: ofproc@pgr.gob.mx
Salutation: Dear Attorney General / Estimado Senor Procurador

Secretary for the Navy
Almirante Vidal Soberon Sanz
Secretaria de Marina
Eje 2 Oriente, Tramo Heroica Escuela Naval Militar Num. 861
Col. Los Cipreses, Delagacion Coyoacan
Mexico D.F., CP. 04830
Mexico
Email: srio@semar.gob.mx
Salutation: Dear Secretary /
Estimado Senor Secretario

And copies to:
NGO
Comite de Derechos Humanos de Nuevo Laredo
Calle Enriqueta Castaneda #8836
Col. La Joya
Nuevo Laredo C.P. 88125
Tamaulipas, Mexico

PLEASE SEND COPIES OF YOUR APPEAL TO
Mr Alejandro Estivill-Castro (Minister & Deputy Head of Mission), Embassy of Mexico, 16 St George Street, Hanover Square, London, W1S 1FD Fax: 020 7495 4035
Email: Embgbretana@sre.gob.mx ; mexuk@sre.gob.mx Website: www.sre.gob.mx/reinounido

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
The number of people who have gone missing in Mexico - whether abducted by criminal gangs or subjected to enforced disappearance by public officials - has grown substantially since December 2006 when the then federal authorities launched a large-scale policing operation, involving the deployment of the military, to combat organized crime. In February 2013, the current government, led by President Enrique Pena Nieto, published a list of more than 26,000 people who had been reported missing since 2006. The government has failed to provide any further information on the whereabouts of these people.

Amnesty International has documented at least 152 people who have gone missing since 2007. In at least 85 of these cases there is sufficient evidence of the involvement of public officials to make them enforced disappearances under international law. These include the enforced disappearance of six men in Nuevo Laredo by members of the Mexican navy in 2011. Despite the National Human Rights Commission recognising these enforced disappearances and recommending a full investigation, their whereabouts remain unknown and military officials have never been held to account (http://www.amnesty.org/es/library/info/AMR41/044/2011/es).

The government of President Pena Nieto has partly recognised the gravity of the situation, but not the scale of involvement of public officials in enforced disappearances and the consistent failure to conduct proper investigations. Many state governments are still in complete denial.

In only two cases of enforced disappearance have those responsible been brought to justice since 2006. In all other cases the perpetrators remain at large, which puts further people at risk and leaves the fate and whereabouts of thousands of victims unknown.

In May 2013 the Federal Attorney General established the Specialized Search Unit for Disappeared People (Unidad Especializada de Busqueda de Personas Desaparecidas) and initially staffed it with 12 prosecutors. It is possible that hundreds of cases have already been allocated to this unit but it is unclear whether it has been equipped with the necessary resources to carry out its tasks. The Federal Attorney General and the 32 State Attorney Generals have adopted common procedures for handling cases of people who have gone missing or been subjected to enforced disappearance, but these have not been made public, widely applied or assessed.

These are as yet small-scale and isolated measures which do not adequately address the systemic failure of federal and state authorities to respect the rights of victims to truth, justice and reparation. They are also insufficient to clarify the direct or indirect involvement of public officials in enforced disappearances.

Amnesty International's latest report on this issue, Confronting a nightmare. Disappearances in Mexico, was published on 4 June 2013 (http://www.amnesty.org/en/news/mexico-relatives-disappeared-deserve-more-promises-2013-06-04)

A web action for this campaign is available here: http://www.alzatuvoz.org/hastaencontrarles/ (in Spanish only).
PLEASE CHECK WITH THE INDIVIDUALS AT RISK PROGRAMME AT AIUK BEFORE SENDING APPEALS AFTER 26 SEPTEMBER 2013

Individuals at Risk Programme, Amnesty International UK, 17-25 New Inn Yard, London EC2A 3EA, 0207 033 1572, iar@amnesty.org.uk.

Individuals At Risk Programme

Tel: 020 7033 1572
Fax: 020 7033 1503
Email: iar@amnesty.org.uk
Website: www.amnesty.org.uk/cases

Amnesty International UK
Human Rights Action Centre
17-25 New Inn Yard
London
EC2A 3EA

*** PLEASE NOTE THAT THE IAR EMAIL IS ADMINISTERED BY A TEAM OF VOLUNTEERS WHO ARE IN THE OFFICE ON DIFFERENT DAYS. IN ORDER TO HANDLE YOUR QUERIES EFFICIENTLY AND QUICKLY PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT ALL EMAIL CORRESPONDENCE YOU SEND TO US IS ADDRESSED TO IAR@AMNESTY.ORG.UK***