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  • This is what Democracy Looks Like?!?

    During the last few weeks, there’s been a lot of talk about the presidential debates. Some people bemoan one candidate or the other. Some bemoan both candidates. A few held drinking contests during the debates. After each debate, the media is full of analysis, pundits, and commentators to dissect the dialog, and to help people figure out what it all meant.

    The second presidential debate was especially noteworthy, for something that happened outside the debate hall (and something that many media outlets aren’t reporting).

    Green party presidential candidate Jill Stein and vice presidential candidate Cheri Honkala tried to enter the debate hall, and were blocked by police officers. After being denied entrance, Stein and Honkala sat down in the street, and were subsequently arrested for obstructing traffic.

    I’d love to present a long list of citations about this event, but there aren’t many to give. I first heard about it from Twitter, then read articles from the Huffington Post and the student-run Long Island Report.

    This is outrageous. Stein and Honkala will be on the ballot in 38 states, and most Americans will have the opportunity to vote for them. People deserve to hear their positions, as well as the positions of other third party candidates, such as Justice Party candidate Rocky Anderson, Libertarian Party candidate Gary Johnson, Constitution Party Candidate Virgil Goode, and Socialist Party USA candidate Stewart Alexander. And these aren’t the only third-party candidates running. Instead of being given options, we are being handed a charade, based on the notion that there are only two choices for president.

    We have always talked about our first amendment rights. Perhaps it is time to start talking about our first amendment caveats.

    • You have the right to freedom of speech. Unless you’re a third-party candidate.
    • You have the right to freedom of religion. Unless you’re a Muslim
    • You have the right to freedom of the press. Unless you’re a whistleblower.

    Perhaps Stein and Honkala should incorporate. I’m sure they’d get more freedom of speech that way.

    CryptoParty – Learn to protect your privacy – Sun, Oct 21st noon-6pm


    Cryptoparty Flyer

    For more details and a full schedule of events, see https://cryptoparty.org/wiki/Boston

    Sponsored by Tor Project, Free School University, Occupy Boston IT, ACLU of Mass., Pirate & Privacy activists

    Proposals Passed During the 14 October 2012 General Assembly

    Location Change for Tuesday 16 October GA

    We’ll have Tuesday’s GA at City Place, which is the transportation building food court. (The transportation building is located at 8–10 Park Plaza, near the Boylston Street T stop).

    Proposed by Carolyn. Passed in the consent bucket.

    Upcoming Proposal

    FAWG has been working on a financial restructuring proposal. Tentatively, we’ll start discussing this proposal during the Oct 28th GA. FAWG plans to make their proposal available on-line, several days in advance of Oct 28th. We also expect the discussion to take place over the course of several GAs.

    GA Minutes: http://wiki.occupyboston.org/wiki/GA_Minutes_Sun_Oct_14_2012

    This weekend: Let’s stand up to Scott Brown, Deval Patrick and the Israel Lobby

    This weekend, let’s stand up to the pro-Israel lobby and corrupting influence over American foreign policy and domestic politics.

    Democracy’s nemesis, The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), is coming to Boston for a summit of its 1% donors (only supporters who have more than $3,600 annually can attend!).  AIPAC’s government lackeys – including Deval Patrick and Scott Brown – will be on hand to pledge their loyalty to its agenda of endless war, Israeli occupation and apartheid, and rampant Anti-Arab racism and Islamophobia.

    But never fear, we’ll be there, too, to give AIPAC an appropriate reception: colorful, loud, classy protests, brooms to ‘sweep’ them out of our town. Join us for three days of education and activism as we stand up to the Israel lobby at the Expose AIPAC Summit.  Join us!

    On Saturday, October 13, we’ll gather for a teach-in featuring noted speakers, including Steven Walt, (co-author of The Israel Lobby), Jamal Abdi, Policy Director, National Iranian American Council, Representative Denise Provost, and Kristen Szremski of American Muslims for Palestine. We will meet at the Palestine Cultural Center for Peace at 41 Quint Avenue in Allston, from 3:45-7pm.

    On Sunday, October 14, we’ll bring our message directly to AIPAC and its biggest donors as they convene at the swanky Boston Seaport Hotel,  located at 200 Seaport Boulevard. We will meet at nearby Eastport Park 12pm for a picnic, music, and to get ready for the protest. The protest itself will begin at 1pm.

    On Monday, October 15, at noon, we’ll give AIPAC a “Get Out of Our Town Party” they’ll never forget.

    Why Expose AIPAC?

    With AIPAC-led sanctions on Iran already causing massive hardships for Iranian civilian, the Israel lobby is now drumming up American support for an attack on Iran.  AIPAC has spent millions of dollars to persuade American politicians of the need to support another aggressive war abroad, creating a climate in an election season where politicians are afraid to oppose AIPAC for fear of being denounced as anti-Israel.

    Meanwhile, AIPAC consistently lobbies on behalf of the Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands, facilitating the transfer of over $3 billion a year from the US government to Israel and ensuring the diplomatic protection that allows Israel to maintain separation walls and the siege of Gaza, and to engage in numerous other brutal methods of collective punishment deemed illegal under international law.

    Shockingly, most of  the American public is not aware that US foreign policy on the Middle East is being largely set in Israel, by way of AIPAC and the larger Israel lobby. Additionally, the Israel Lobby’s promotion of Islamophobia and anti-Arab racism have created an atmosphere in which billions of American dollars can be used to launch wars in the Middle East and to enforce a system of racial apartheid in the Occupied Palestinian Territories without Americans realizing the true human cost of American support for war and aggression.

    It’s time to defy AIPAC and demand an American policy in the Middle East based on respect for human rights and democracy- not on endless war. We refuse to accept AIPAC’s corrupting influence over our domestic politics and its attempts to get America bogged down in yet another war.

    It’s time to Expose AIPAC.

    For more information and a complete schedule of events, please click here.
    You can find the Facebook event here.
    Also, follow us on Twitter! @exposeAIPAC, #exposeAIPAC

    Report Back from HONK!

    You can't evict an idea who's time has come

    If I had to describe honkfest to someone who’d never heard it, I’d call it a “big activist mardi-gras street party in Somerville”. HONK! is loud, flamboyant, colorful, and full of energy.

    One of HONK’s big events is a parade that runs down Elm Street and Mass Ave, from Davis Square to Harvard Square. Occupy Boston marched in this parade, along with Veterans for Peace, Jobs with Justice, SEIU 615, Bread and Puppets, the Royal Frog Ballet, City Life/Vida Urbana, and bands. Lots and lots of really awesome marching bands.

    While we were lining up for the parade, I noticed some of the signs and banners that people were carrying; many of them had slogans that you might see at an Occupy action. So I started writing down a list:

    • Stop Corporate Greed
    • Reclaim the Streets
    • Smash a Bank
    • We are the 99%
    • Oink if you love the 1%
    • Hey 99%, Eat Cake!
    • End Stop and Frisk
    • End Corporate Speech
    • Give us Bread and Roses too
    • An Injury to One is an Injury to All
    • Solidarity
    • People Before Profit
    • Tax the Rich

    I think you could make the argument that Occupy’s most important contributions are the movement’s ideas and ideals. Those ideas and ideals were on proud display at HONK!

    Contact us

    Occupy Boston Media <Media@occupyboston.org> • <Info@occupyboston.org> • @Occupy_Boston