Growing Movement: Expand Social Security or ‘Pay a Price’

Sen. Warren: ‘Social Security is incredibly effective, it is incredibly popular, and the calls for strengthening it are growing louder every day.’

by Lauren McCauley

Alberta Gaskins (Photo: Kevin G. Hall/MCT)

With Social Security cuts once again on the table in closed-door congressional budget negotiations, a growing movement has taken the offensive, demanding that lawmakers strengthen, rather than stranglehold, our social safety net.

A new survey by Public Policy Polling and MoveOn.org published Tuesday found that voters in 10 key swing districts “overwhelmingly” support raising Social Security benefits.

According to the findings, over 70 percent of those polled in each of nine areas said they oppose cuts to Social Security benefits, and an average 65 percent of those polled support an increase to the benefits. Further, almost 70 percent said they would be less likely to support a candidate who supported any cuts.

“Our results confirm that on Social Security, many congressional proposals and much media punditry have been far from aligned with the voting public,” said PPP analyst Jim Williams.

Perhaps more aligned with the voting public, on Monday Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) delivered a resounding speech on the Senate floor calling for a strengthening of, rather than cutting, essential safety nets like Social Security.

The absolute last thing we should do in 2013 – at the very moment that Social Security has become the principal lifeline for millions of our seniors — is allow the program to begin to be dismantled inch by inch.

Over the past generation, working families have been hacked at, chipped, and hammered. If we want a real middle class — a middle class that continues to serve as the backbone of our country — then we must take the retirement crisis seriously. Seniors have worked their entire lives and have paid into the system, but right now, more people than ever are on the edge of financial disaster once they retire — and the numbers continue to get worse.

That is why we should be talking about expanding Social Security benefits — not cutting them.

Warren closed with saying, “Social Security is incredibly effective, it is incredibly popular, and the calls for strengthening it are growing louder every day.”

As the Washington Post’s Greg Sargent postured, Warren’s articulation of this growing push against austerity cuts may provide a rallying call for “those who want to see the party embrace a more economically populist posture going forward,” with Social Security “becom[ing] a key issue in the argument over the Democratic Party of the future.”

Taking these demands one step further, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) put forth a new “Progressive Budget Blueprint” last week which proposed, among other things, cuts to defense and changes to the tax code balanced against progressive reforms to both Social Security and Medicare that would strengthen the programs.

As further evidence of a rising populist voice, last week a coalition of groups including National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, AARP, NOW, Paralyzed Veterans of America, Generations United, NARFE and Social Security Works rallied outside of the White House to protest against President Obama’s proposed Chained CPI, or Consumer Price Index, which he introduced earlier this year as an “olive branch” to Republicans in the ongoing budget negotiations.

“We came here today because the elephant in the room is a donkey,” said Max Richtman, President and CEO of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, referencing political party symbols. “The Chained CPI is in the president’s budget and we need to tell him that’s a bad idea.”

“We’re here to tell every politician, Republican or Democrat, peel away from your leader if you need to,” Terry O’Neill, president of the National Organization for Women, told the crowd. “Do not go along with the Chained CPI […] because you will pay a price at the polls.”

[The Chained Price Index (or CPI) ties Social Security COLAs (cost of living adjustments) to a much grimmer index instead of inflation as measured by the consumer price index because its proponents argue seniors simply switch to a more affordable alternative when prices rise. e.g. If the price of beef goes up, they switch to chicken…or pet food. It’s a path paved with the bodies of the poor and destitute who have worked their entire lives for their ‘just reward in the end’.]

Story line by Jeff Gray of photographyisnotacrime.com

Multiple recording devices, both audio & video, are needed by ordinary citizens in the face of any/all encounters with public officials because of their tendency to lie/exaggerate, even under oath and the penalty of perjury. Apparatchiks understand their official positions give them automatic credibility whereas the ordinary citizen has little or none in our hallowed halls of justice.

Coral Gables Encounter – Photo by Carlos Miller

Documenting public officials is a well established liberty protected by the 1st Amendment. Unfortunately, engaging in this activity can be very dangerous for the observer. Over the years, while running the Youtube channel HONORYOUROATH, one photojournalist has learned how critical it can be for your safety to record all encounters with public officials.

A perfect example of how a seemingly ordinary encounter with public officials can turn into a disaster for the citizen is the story of Rita Hutchins, a petite Idaho woman, who last year was requesting public records in Sandpoint City Hall for a lawsuit against the city when she was bullied by government officials, ordering her to leave.

She allegedly threw down a pen in frustration, which ricocheted off a desktop and grazed a city clerk, leading to her being charged with criminal battery.

Things spiraled out of control to the point where police raided her home late one night as can be seen in the video below.

Rita Hutchens, a middle-aged quilt artist from Sandpoint, Idaho, experienced the dreaded “midnight knock” — the hallmark of a totalitarian police state — as part of a Soviet-style campaign of official persecution. Her “offense” was to seek redress for being assaulted by a police officer in what was ruled to be an illegal arrest. (This is the teaser for a full-length documentary.)

If you don’t protect yourself by recording, it comes down to your word against the word of police, meaning you’re screwed.

Experience has shown in encounters with public officials, not only is it vital to record, but to record with multiple devices.

Police Lying Routine Rather Than the Exception:

On July 10th 2013 in Palatka, Florida, the recorded victim was cuffed and detained by Deputy Griffen of the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office while legally openly carrying a firearm. Even though Deputy Griffen terminated the recording on both of the victim’s cameras, the audio recorder in his back pocket went unnoticed, thus continued to record throughout the duration of the detainment.

As you can see in Deputy Griffin’s incident report, what he says happened and what actually happened are quite different.

CAMERA SNATCHING:

In June of 2013, Assistant Warden George Dedos of the Lake City Corrections Corporation Of America snatched this victim’s main camera from his hands and terminated the recording. Unknown to Warden Dedos, a back-up camera continued to record uninterrupted.

Illegal Arrest:

In a typical display of arrogant incompetence, the LEO in the following video argues that freedom of the press belongs only to journalists who are ‘credentialed’ and have the state’s blessing to act in said capacity. Of course, were it the case such permission was required, the press would not be ‘free’ by definition. This tautology appeared lost on this particular LEO and many like him. The violation of the photojournalists civil rights affected the LEO like water off a duck’s back.

Brevard County Sheriff deputies tried their best to intimidate PINAC editor Jeff Gray from video recording a traffic stop last month before they lost all patience and slapped the camera phone out of his hand, telling him photography “is a crime” (without ‘permission’) after he informed them he was working for Photography is Not a Crime. In fact, the press has no special privileges/legal rights beyond that of any citizen. But, it also has no less.

The LEO’s were unaware of a back-up camera on his ear, which picked up the action after his iPhone had shattered on the sidewalk. According to well established federal case law precedent, LEO’s who violate fundamental civil rights, such as this photojournalist’s, LOSE their qualified immunity status and may be held personally liable in a law suit or criminal prosecution for the same.

On October 23 2013, the victim was arrested by two Game Over Task Force Agents from the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office. At the point of arrest, one of the Task Force Agents struck his wrist with great force knocking the iPhone from his hand, shattering it on the asphalt. He believes the agents’ intent was to damage the iPhone so badly the recording would be stopped and destroyed.

At the time, he had four other devices recording. One of these devices was a dash board camera located in his vehicle. Three of his recorders were seized as evidence, but, the audio recorder and the dash cam were not seized.

It was the dash cam video which his wife published on YouTube the same day of his arrest. The YouTube video showed the arrest was questionable. It unleashed a social media frenzy and flood of calls directed at the sheriff’s office protesting the arrest.

It doesn’t take much money to invest in multiple cameras. During the Brevard County arrest, the victim was wearing an audio recorder on a lanyard around his neck, which costs less than $15, as well as a bluetooth spy camera, which can be purchased for $99, and a dash cam, which costs about $100.

PASS CODE & LIVE STREAM:

Sometimes it’s not enough to merely carry multiple recording devices. Countless stories on PINAC reveal police deleting video or losing the camera. If you record with a smart phone, you must have the pass code activated to protect the video recording from being deleted. It is also a good idea to use a live streaming app in case your phone is damaged or disappears. After the arrest in Brevard County, the reporter now uses the live streaming app called Bambuser.

A good example of Bambuser being used was during Pete Eyre’s arrest for jaywalking last month. He was able to continue recording, even after cops believed they had turned off his camera.

At all times carry at least three fully charged recording devices with plenty of available memory space. While most people aren’t going to engage in cop-watching activities, such precautions may prove cheap insurance to prevent you from being seriously victimized by the police (e.g. Olympia’s Scott Yoos in a trumped up charge of assaulting a LEO). It can also act as a prophylactic/cure for corruption in some violent street elements such as the more radical self described (A)narchists hostile to photojournalists. Odds are  high, today, most of us will experience an unwanted encounter with law enforcement at some point or violent street elements. It is best to be prepared and have in your possession at all times the equipment necessary to protect yourself.

Street Violence has escalated-a new dimension: Boredom motivated Assaults.

A ‘game’ some call “knock ’em out” where city youth sucker-punch/taze random pedestrians has resulted in some victims shooting their assailants a la Charles Bronson’s “Death Wish” (movie title). Whether motivated by boredom, turf wars, political pretexts, hostility toward photojournalists, or anti-state rhetoric, street violence is becoming increasingly pernicious and debilitating for equal access to our public spaces/venues. Citizens are beginning to resort to self-defense because they cannot rely on the police or our justice system for protection/public safety.

White youth attacks elderly black man for notoriety

Adversarial Justice

On the evening of 3-5-13 as City of Olympia officials debated the fate of civil rights for the homeless, Alex Daye, Peter Bohmer, and several others (including Dillingham and Russel) were arrested for ‘trespassing’ in an act of solidarity and civil disobedience to an unjust City ordinance essentially criminalizing the homeless who had nowhere to go.

In the ensuing months, TESC professor Peter Bohmer entered a negotiated plea to ‘tresspass’ (the phony charge of ‘assaulting’ a police officer was summarily dismissed) in exchange for a deferred prosecution providing he had no further arrests over the following 12 months.

Gary ‘Tahoe’ Jones, Coyote Scofflaw, et ux & their attorney(s)

The trial set for 11-18-13 in Thurston’s District Court for 6 remaining defendants, who refused anything less than a jury trial on the tresspass charges against them, was preceded by the preliminary matters recorded in this 11-4-13 clip. The proceedings lasted a total of perhaps 20 minutes. Judge Buckley presided. Each defendant had a separate attorney but their matters had all been joined for a single trial since each of the 6 (remaining) had refused to negotiate a plea or accept a bench trial.

defendant Gary ‘Tahoe’ Jones, one of Olympia’s homeless

Some discussion with the court was had regarding objections lodged by the State such as the number of peremptory challenges the defense would be allowed (normally 3) during jury selection. The prosecution wanted ‘parity’, i.e. an equal number of peremptory challenges for itself (18) as the TOTAL Judge Buckley decided the defense was entitled to (3 per party), thereby limiting the State to 3 rather than the 18 they sought. The court also vacillated momentarily before electing to allow each defendant’s attorney 30 minutes of questioning the jury panel during voir dire (for a total of 3 hours) while emphasizing it wasn’t requiring each counsel to use that maximum and hinting it would be pleased in the interest of expediency if they did not.

Dubious Courtroom Denizens

Judge Buckley entered bench warrants for 2 no-shows (Dillingham and Russel) despite one attorney’s attempt to excuse their absence by dint of a misunderstanding as to their required attendance. The judge would have none of it, smiled wryly, and entered a bench warrant for their arrest and a $2,500 bail requirement for their release. Les Ching, a one time city prosecutor and now defense counsel in private practice looked subdued and annoyed during the proceeding. When his client’s name was called, he had no explanation for his absence and admitted he had no means of communicating with him (Dillingham) except by e-mail. When the judge issued a bench warrant for his client’s arrest, Les asked the court for permission to withdraw from the case and it was granted. A best guess is Les may have been representing Dillingham pro bono. In any event, he looked unhappy as he took his leave from the courtroom.

Tahoe exits for temporary hallway huddle

One defendant whispered in this reporter’s ear during the proceedings. Apparently some hallway discussion between the defendants and their counsel had been had regarding his presence. An online discussion had precipitated an earlier thinly veiled threat by Alex Daye to prevent the photojournalist from covering the trial under the pretext of summoning him as a witness since he had been present during the arrests, camera in hand. When the reporter responded reasonable notice was required, the whispered rejoinder was that the trial had been ‘bumped’ (to the 18th) and there was plenty of time to provide such notice, but the group had decided to ‘allow’ the photojournalist to cover the trial instead. Since the anticipated defense rested on an appeal to principles of civil disobedience rather than on procedural/factual ones, the choice was well considered given that public appeals to principles of civil disobedience fall on deaf ears if they are not heard! Further footage will be gathered and posted here during the anticipated 2-day trial to begin 11-18-13.

Tahoe, et ux, confer with defense counsel

Tahoe & Co.

11-4-13 Oly 6 Preliminary Proceeding

LACEY, Wash. – Hundreds of people filled an auditorium Wednesday night to hear new recommendations about medical marijuana.

Kristi Weeks with the Department of Health discussed the proposals.
Read draft recommendations

“Home grown marijuana is no longer necessary,” said Weeks.

As she went on to address other recommendations, like eliminating collective gardens and establishing a registry maintained by the Department of Health, her comments were not well received.

Casey Young was upset about the recommendation to limit medical marijuana possession amounts to three ounces.

“Three ounces is nothing,” said Young. “We really don’t like your recommendations.”

Another man stood up and said, “we are chronically ill here. We are sorry that is inconvenient for you and that’s inefficient, but we don’t want to be apart of your profit making scheme.”

The Washington State Liquor Control Board said the comments will be considered before the board brings final recommendations to the Legislature by January 1.

SI0AX comments: [lame daughter explanation]

“I had to play the video twice and Google ‘civil standby’ to understand what happened.

It turns out the daughter had witnessed her parent’s divorce or something (maybe domestic violence). So, she and her mom move out without getting their things. Her mom sends her daughter to go get their stuff. She goes to her dad’s house (the home owner).

Her mom recommends a ‘civil service’ which is where a police officer stands by to insure people make a deal in getting their stuff back without violence.

It turns out the daughter didn’t make her presence known (she wanted to avoid her dad). So the officer (Hull) walks right into the house and the daughter’s dad (home owner Earl Lewis) is like “Why are you here?” Officer Hull is like “No reason”.

The officer then sees the Earl’s gun and tries to arrest him. Earl had a roommate living with him (Danny). So Danny sees this and starts video recording, making Officer Hull start playing it cool, who then tells him why he is there (‘civil standby’ for Earl’s daughter,  Amanda). Officer Hull calls backup. Deputy Kenneth Brown responds.

A month later, Earl goes to pickup his daughter, Amanda, who is living with her mom in another house (owned by a guy named Nick Jackson). As it turns out, Amanda is not there.

Earl’s ex-wife, p*ssed off, tells him to leave, which in turn p*sses off Nick (it seems likely the ex-wife is now dating the homeowner, Nick.) Nick gets p*ssed off at Earl (possibly because he knows he is her ex and that she talked sh*t about him.)

Then Nick gets a ‘heart attack’. The ex-wife calls 911; Deputy Kenneth Brown responds, like last time. Brown is p*ssed off at Earl recording (he recalls how Officer Hull was recorded last time). Then, after Nick’s ‘heart attack’ goes away, he gets even more p*ssed off at Earl video recording and attacks him.

Immediately, Deputy Kenneth and Nick “team up” against Earl. Deputy Kenneth arrests him while Nick kicks him in the face (Deputy Kenneth doesn’t mind, of course, ‘cuz he is also p*ssed off at Earl and it is revenge for the last recording.

They charge Earl for “assaulting” Deputy Kenneth and Nick.

I don’t know if I understood correctly though. A lot of stuff I put is speculation to help make this less difficult to understand. Earl doesn’t seem like a violent person unlike Deputy Kenneth and Nick.”

Sonny Free responds:

“All charges were dropped against the thug deputy by the DA’s office and he is still a deputy being a thug and throwing his weight around. That’s the problem in TN. Sheriffs and police chiefs are afraid of their own men and women they hire. No sheriff in TN will stand up against his own deputies because of fear of what they will do. It has always been that way. Remember, sheriffs are elected by the people and deputies are hired; a chief is appointed and city cops are hired. So, the Indians have the power and the chiefs have none. This deputy’s boss probably wanted to fire him but out of fear [or the police guild] he wouldn’t and the deputies know that. So, he will continue to be a thug, IMO.”

US Dept. of Justice Corruption Exposed

by Susan Duclos

In the video below Alex Jones interviews Robert Mazur, the man who successfully infiltrated the Medellin Cartel in Columbia, also known as the Infiltrator for the work he has done during his career. Mazur reveals corruption in the US Department of Justice (DOJ), as he exposes the mega bank system and their laundering money for crime syndicates with complete impunity by the US DOJ.

Obama’s good buddy and Attorney General Eric Holder has been plagued with scandals, the list including discriminatory hiring practice, Fast and Furious, Fort Hood, AP surveillance, targeting reporters, Marc Rich Pardon, Weather Underground pardon, threatening free speech,  opposition to second amendment rights, New Black Panther intimidation case, Arizona immigration law, etc… the full list can be found at RedState.

Greed isn’t a new imperative for Simpson Timber co. But transparently thumbing the eyes of its neighbors may be. The privately held corporation has decided to charge $250/yr. for vehicle permits to enter its forest lands in Mason County–limited to a couple of hundred. Other permits will allow entering on foot for $125/yr., also limited editions.

The corporation enjoys property tax rates of 10 cents (sometimes as low as 5) on the dollar for what residents would pay for the same holdings without the commercial timberland exemption law passed in the 1930’s in response to industry lobbyists. The company owns roughly 20% of the acreage in Mason County (i.e. by far the largest private holder) but, pays almost nothing in property taxes. Still, sympathy for the Devil requires a sober look at what would become of these vast tree farms without such tax incentives…massive housing tracks and shopping centers a la Lacey, WA? There’s also the issue of some miscreants using Simpson land, et al, as their personal free dump site (including Simpson itself!). This is likely a result of the exorbitant fees associated with the County’s official dump site.

Readers can read more about this obnoxious policy, including reactionary comments from local residents at KMAS Radio’s web site.

Kathleen Flenniken

Matthew Nienow, guest poet

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Timberland Regional Library District, 415 Tumwater Blvd. SW, Tumwater, WA 98501

(360) 943-5001 or 877-284-6237 · www.TRL.org

News Release                                                              

Media Contact: Leanne Ingle, Communications Specialist, 704-4508; 877-284-6237 x-2508

Spend an evening with the Washington State Poet Laureate & guest

Kathleen Flenniken & Matthew Nienow will share poems, discuss poetry at Shelton library, 6 p.m. Nov. 21

Washington is a hotbed of first-rank poets says Kathleen Flenniken, the Washington State Poet Laureate. Flenniken will be at the Shelton Timberland Library (William G. Reed Public Library) on Thursday, November 21 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. to prove it.

Flenniken will read from her work and talk about poetry and will also discuss tips and techniques for writing and publishing poems. She will be joined by Matthew Nienow, winner of a 2013 Ruth Lilly Poetry Fellowship from the Poetry Foundation.

Kathleen Flenniken

Flenniken’s most recent book of poetry, “Plume,” is a meditation on the Hanford nuclear site located in her hometown of Richland, Washington. It was recently chosen for the Pacific Northwest Poetry Series. Her first book, “Famous,” won the Prairie Schooner Book Prize in Poetry and was a finalist for a Washington State Book Award.

Flenniken’s goal as Poet Laureate is to visit all 39 Washington counties, especially areas that may have limited access to the arts and that are hardest hit as arts funding lags. She said: “I hope to build interest in reading and writing poetry. I didn’t start myself until my 30s, partly because I just hadn’t been exposed to the different styles and voices and possibilities in contemporary poetry. Poetry is like music—there are so many kinds, and we only need to know how to find the kind we need… I hope to pass that joy of discovery on to new audiences.”

A lifelong Washington resident, Flenniken was raised in Richland and currently lives in Seattle. She holds engineering degrees from Washington State University and the University of Washington, and a Masters in Fine Arts (MFA) from Pacific Lutheran University. She is president of Floating Bridge Press, a nonprofit organization dedicated to publishing Washington poets, and teaches poetry writing to students of all ages. Her website is http://kathleenflenniken.com. Flenniken also maintains a blog called The Far Field that features Washington poets and poetry: www.kathleenflenniken.com/blog.

Matthew Nienow

Nienow holds an MFA from the University of Washington and a degree in Traditional Small Craft from the Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding. His work has appeared in the Beloit Poetry Journal, New England Review, Poetry and two editions of the Best New Poets anthology (2007 and 2012). He has received awards and fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, the Elizabeth George Foundation and Artist Trust, among others. He lives with his wife and two sons in Port Townsend where he builds boats and custom wooden paddle boards.

The Washington State Poet Laureate

The role of the Washington State Poet Laureate is to build awareness and appreciation of poetry, including the state’s legacy of poetry, through public readings, workshops, lectures and presentations in communities, schools, colleges, universities and other public settings in geographically diverse areas of the state. The appointed poet laureate serves a two-year term. Flenniken’s term is 2012-2014.

The Washington State Poet Laureate program is a partnership between Humanities Washington, www.humanities.org, and ArtsWA, www.arts.wa.gov, and is funded by the National Endowment for the Arts and Humanities Washington.

The Shelton Timberland Library is located at 710 W Alder Street. For more information, please contact the library at (360) 426-1362 or visit www.TRL.org.