Egyptian Landslide

What if they gave an election and nobody came?

I caught this article on Al Jazeera the other day, reporting that owing to poor turnout, the Egyptian election commission has been forced to extend voting for a third day. In fact, Egyptians are avoiding the polls in such large numbers that the election commission is threatening fines for not voting -- which kind of pushes not voting into the realm of non-violent civil disobedience, when you think about it.

I couldn't help thinking that dissident/third parties in the US -- especially on the Left -- could learn something from this. For many years now, Americans have staged a sort of de facto boycott of elections, but it hasn't been organized and sent no unified message about oligarchy and corruption. Perhaps instead of pissing away time and energy trying to get "elected", outfits like the Green Party could instead send a message about the state of US electoral politics by calling for a boycott -- a "No Vote" campaign, mobilizing non-voters to take to the streets to express their intent and their reason for not voting, smashing the old stereotype of the "apathetic" non-voter.

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If You See Something, Say Something

For the past couple of months now, it seems as if every day my Twitter feed is packed to the gills with horrific police brutality stories: cops gone wild like gangstas, tasering, beating, shooting children, disabled people, homeless people, old people -- kittens, f'cripesake -- and walking free in court even though they've been caught red-handed on video.

In the meantime, Liberals and Progressives are doing their level best to push gun control laws which disarm the citizenry, while the police are allowed to shoot, beat, and torture anyone they want, anytime they want, without fear of punishment. That's right, Liberals want to disarm the people, when the real danger of violence comes from the State. Cripes, what the hell is wrong with you people?

So how about it, Liberal America? When the hell are you dumb motherfuckers going to wise up and pitch a gun control law that disarms the State?

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NYC Cops Arrest Cyclist For Videotaping Interaction With Cellphone Following Red-Light Stop, The Gothamist, 05.02.14
Man With Down's Syndrome Beaten By San Diego Police For Walking Down Street, Free Thought Project, 05.03.14
6 NYC Cops Charged With DUI; 3 Of Them Shot At People, Free Thought Project, 05.04.14
Outcry Over Latest Fatal Shooting By Albuquerque Police, Al Jazeera America, 05.06.14

Out Of The Closet

This poster addresses a long-standing problem faced for many years by marijuana smokers, including myself: that of being demonized and ostracized by society at large, which has made it difficult to speak out on government policy and organize for legalization.

In many ways, the problem faced by marijuana smokers is similar to that faced by gays and lesbians prior to the Stonewall Rebellion of 1969 -- being treated as if what we are doing is somehow evil or deviant.

This art is a call to action for DC voters to support the current Initiative 71 petition drives and seize the opportunity to "come out of the closet" by voting to legalize marijuana in DC.

Here's "What You Need To Know About Marijuana In DC". 

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