Radioman's Kansas City

Drinking Right Wing KoolAid

2012-01-28T03:17:00.000-06:00

The shameless lies conservative media tell their audience

Contrasting Arizona....a study in visual emotions

2012-01-26T12:28:00.000-06:00

Andy Rooneyisms...a good read

2012-01-26T06:52:00.002-06:00

ANDY ROONEY DIED AT AGE 92. THANKS ANDY

If you will take the time to read these. I promise you'll come away with an enlightened perspective. The subjects covered affect us all on a daily basis:
They're written by Andy Rooney, a man who has the gift of saying so much with so few words. Enjoy.......

I've learned.... That the best classroom in the world is at the feet of an elderly person.
I've learned.... That when you're in love, it shows.
I've learned.... That just one person saying to me, "You've made my day!" makes my day.
I've learned.... That having a child fall asleep in your arms is one of the most peaceful feelings in the world.
I've learned.... That being kind is more important than being right.
I've learned.... That you should never say no to a gift from a child.
I've learned.... That I can always pray for someone when I don't have the strength to help him in some other way.
I've learned.... That no matter how serious your life requires you to be, everyone needs a friend to act goofy with.
I've learned.... That sometimes all a person needs is a hand to hold and a heart to understand.
I've learned.... That simple walks with my father around the block on summer nights when I was a child did wonders for me as an adult.
I've learned.... That life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer it gets to the end, the faster it goes.
I've learned.... That we should be glad God doesn't give us everything we ask for.
I've learned.... That money doesn't buy class.
I've learned.... That it's those small daily happenings that make life so spectacular.
I've learned.... That under everyone's hard shell is someone who wants to be appreciated and loved.
I've learned.... That to ignore the facts does not change the facts.
I 've learned.... That when you plan to get even with someone, you are only letting that person continue to hurt you.
I've learned.... That love, not time, heals all wounds.
I've learned.... That the easiest way for me to grow as a person is to surround myself with people smarter than I am.
I've learned.... That everyone you meet deserves to be greeted with a smile.
I've learned.... That no one is perfect until you fall in love with them.
I've learned... That life is tough, but I'm tougher.
I've learned.... That opportunities are never lost; someone will take the ones you miss.
I've learned.... That when you harbor bitterness, happiness will dock elsewhere.
I've learned.... That I wish I could have told my Mom that I love her one more time before she passed away.
I've learned.... That one should keep his words both soft and tender, because tomorrow he may have to eat them.
I've learned..... That a smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks.
I've learned..... That when your newly born grandchild holds your little finger in his little fist, that you're hooked for life.
I've learned.... That everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you're climbing it.
I've learned.... That the less time I have to work with, the more things I get done.

--from an email

Trickle down economics smells a little like piss.

2012-01-25T13:20:00.002-06:00

OH shit, Whats this Iran-Strait of Hormuz shit? Bullshit or prelude to war?

2012-01-24T13:30:00.003-06:00

Tensions in the Gulf could reach a breaking point as a senior Iranian official said Iran would “definitely” close the Strait of Hormuz if an EU oil embargo disrupted the export of crude oil.

Mohammad Kossari, deputy head of parliament's foreign affairs and national security committee, issued the warning in respone to a decision by the European Union on Monday to impose an oil embargo on Iran over the country’s alleged nuclear weapons program.

“The pressure of sanctions is designed to try and make sure that Iran takes seriously our request to come to the table,” EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said.

However, with Washington’s decision to deploy a second carrier strike group in the Gulf, the EU’s attempt to pressure Iran economically could greatly increase the likelihood of all-out war in the region.

More on the story....

US Sends Carrier group Abe Lincoln thru Hormuz and Brits send more to increase pressure on Iran. More on this story...

Must See TV: Tim Hawkings: The CandyMan

2012-01-23T06:52:00.001-06:00

Newt doesn't hate the media, Newt LOVES the Media

2012-01-22T20:44:00.003-06:00

Newt Gingrich hates the media, right? He unloaded on John King at the Charleston debate for raising this issue of his ex-wife's allegations, blasting the "destructive, vicious, negative nature of much of the news media". In Myrtle Beach, he slapped Juan Williams down for asking a race-based question.

And the media despises Newt, right? He's so sarcastic and condescending towards us, brands us as elite liberals and uses us to whip up the Republican base.

Actually, wrong and wrong.

Read it all...

Iran calms down a bit after threats over Hormuz

2012-01-22T15:02:00.000-06:00

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps said on Saturday it considered the likely return of U.S. warships to the Gulf part of routine activity, backing away from previous warnings to Washington not to re-enter the area.

The statement may be seen as an effort to reduce tensions after Washington said it would respond if Iran made good on a threat to block the Strait of Hormuz - the vital shipping lane for oil exports from the Gulf.

"U.S. warships and military forces have been in the Persian Gulf and the Middle East region for many years and their decision in relation to the dispatch of a new warship is not a new issue and it should be interpreted as part of their permanent presence," Revolutionary Guard Deputy Commander Hossein Salami told the official IRNA news agency.

The apparently conciliatory comments may be a response to the European Union and Washington's rejection of Iran's declaration it was close to resuming negotiations with world powers and with the Pentagon saying it did not expect any challenge to its warships.

Breaking News in NY

2012-01-21T01:43:00.000-06:00

The Mexican Drug Wars

2012-01-15T20:03:00.000-06:00

-- From CNN

For most of us, Mexico is reduced several times a week to a sickening barrage of horror flick headlines. Thirty-five bodies left on the freeway during rush-hour in a major tourist city. A person's face sewn onto a soccer ball. Bodies found stuffed in barrels of acid. Heads sent rolling onto busy nightclub dance floors.

What could explain such savagery?

Traffickers don't have a political or religious ideology like al Qaeda.

The answer, some experts say, is a number. Something like $39 billion.

Read the story....

VIDEO: Mitt Romney, serial killer

2012-01-15T13:01:00.002-06:00

The Colbert Report
Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,Video Archive

Music Video: Navy PUMP IT!

2012-01-13T20:55:00.002-06:00

Bonus: http://youtu.be/D-dwDhvHE_I

Music Video Louis: What a Wonderful World

2012-01-13T20:32:00.000-06:00

US, Iran, Israel: Military Enemies Play Footsie

2012-01-06T21:43:00.000-06:00

Tension in the oil shipping lanes of the Gulf looks set to intensify amid indications that Iran, Israel and the US will hold military exercises designed to test weaponry and tactics.

As the US and European Union press ahead with oil sanctions on Iran, Tehran’s defence minister announced on Friday that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps will hold large-scale exercises in the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf next month.

On this story

IN Iran

The drills will be the “greatest naval war games” to be conducted by the Iranian military’s elite corps, Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi, said in remarks published by the semi-official Fars news agency. The exercises, called “the Great Prophet”, will take place in February and will be more extensive than Iranian naval manoeuvres in the Sea of Oman that ended this week.

The Iranian announcement came as it emerged that the US and Israel are gearing up for a major missile defence exercise in the next few weeks. The drill, called “Austere Challenge 12”, is designed to improve defence systems and co-operation between the US and Israeli forces.

According to an Israeli official cited by the Associated Press, the drill will test multiple Israeli and US air defence systems against incoming missiles and rockets.

Israel has deployed the “Arrow” system, which was jointly developed and funded with the US and is designed to intercept Iranian missiles in the stratosphere, far from Israel.

The announcements of the exercises are the latest indication of mounting tensions between Iran, Israel and the west over its nuclear programme. The EU is set to impose sanctions on oil imports from Iran on January 30 while the US is set to impose petroleum-related banking sanctions on Iran from June of this year.

Most defence experts believe it is highly unlikely that Iran will act on a threat to close the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s major sea lanes for the oil trade. However, many experts are concerned that the amount of military activity in the region could lead to an incident that triggers a conflict.

From Financial Times.

New autopilot will make another 9/11 impossible

2012-01-01T10:57:00.000-06:00

How 'autoland' will work

A hijack-proof piloting system for airliners is being developed to prevent terrorists repeating the 9/11 outrages.

The mechanism is designed to make it impossible to crash the aircraft into air or land targets - and enable the plane to be flown by remote control from the ground in the event of an emergency.

Scientists at aircraft giant Boeing are testing the tamper-proof autopilot system which uses state-of-the-art computer and satellite technology.

It will be activated by the pilot flicking a simple switch or by pressure sensors fitted to the cockpit door that will respond to any excessive force as terrorists try to break into the flight deck.

Once triggered, no one on board will be able to deactivate the system. Currently, all autopilots are manually switched on and off at the discretion of pilots.

The so-called 'uninterruptible autopilot system' - patented secretly by Boeing in the US last week - will connect ground controllers and security services with the aircraft using radio waves and global satellite positioning systems.

After it has been activated, the aircraft will be capable of remote digital control from the ground, enabling operators to fly it like a sophisticated model plane, maneuvering it vertically and laterally.

A threatened airliner could be flown to a secure military base or a commercial airport, where it would touch down using existing landing aids known as 'autoland function'.

After it had landed, the aircraft's built-in auto brake would bring the plane safely to a halt on the runway.

Boeing insiders say the new anti-hijack kit could be fitted to airliners all over the world, including those in the UK, within the next three years.

The latest move to combat airline terrorists follows The Mail on Sunday's disclosure three weeks ago that scientists in Britain and Germany are developing a passenger-monitoring device.

This will use tiny cameras linked to specialist computers to record every twitch, blink, facial expression or suspicious movement made on board flights in order to identify potential terrorists.

A Boeing spokesman said : "We are constantly studying ways we can enhance the safety, security and efficiency of the world's airline fleet.

"There is a need in the industry for a technique that conclusively prevents unauthorized persons gaining access to the controls and threatening the
safety of passengers.

"Once this system is initiated, no one on board is capable of controlling the flight, making it useless for anyone to threaten violence in order to gain control."

SOURCE:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-439820/New-autopilot-make-9-11-impossible.html New autopilot will make another 9/11 impossible | Mail Online

RELATED:
http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/boeing-autopilot-would-seize-back -control-from-hijackers-210923/ Boeing autopilot would seize back control
from hijackers

"THE MAYONNAISE JAR"

2011-12-28T10:55:00.000-06:00

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle,
When 24 hours in a day is not enough,
Remember the mayonnaise jar and 2 cups of coffee.

A professor stood before his philosophy class
And had some items in front of him.
When the class began, wordlessly,
He picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar
and proceeded to fill it with golf balls.

He then asked the students, if the jar was full.
They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured
them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly.
The pebbles rolled into the open Areas between the golf balls.

He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar.
Of course, the sand filled up everything else.
He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous 'yes.'

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

'Now,' said the professor, as the laughter subsided,
'I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life.
The golf balls are the important things - family,
children, health, Friends, and Favourite passions -
Things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, Your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, house, and car.

The sand is everything else --The small stuff.

'If you put the sand into the jar first,' He continued,
'there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls.
The same goes for life.

If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff,
You will never have room for the things that are important to you.

So...

Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.
Play with your children.
Take someone out to dinner.

There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal.

'Take care of the golf balls first --
The things that really matter.
Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.'

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented.
The professor smiled. 'I'm glad you asked'.

It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem,
there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend.

Iraq: Let the good times roll!

2011-12-23T12:46:00.002-06:00

Music Video: 1899 Music Box Carols

2011-12-21T12:01:00.000-06:00

North Korean 'Dear Leader' - Kim Jong Il - dies

2011-12-18T21:32:00.006-06:00

Won, Stocks Fall

South Korea’s won declined as much as 1.6 percent to a two- month low of 1,177.35 and government bonds dropped after the news. The Kospi index lost 4 percent to 1,766.82 as of 12:07 p.m. in Seoul.

Lampooned by foreign cartoonists and filmmakers for his weight, his zippered jumpsuits, his aviator sunglasses and his bouffant hairdo, Kim cut a more serious figure in his rare dealings with world leaders outside the Communist bloc.

“If there’s no confrontation, there’s no significance to weapons,” he told Madeleine Albright, then U.S. secretary of state, in a 2000 meeting in Pyongyang.

Those words took on greater significance in 2009 as Kim defied threats of United Nations sanctions to test a second nuclear device and a ballistic missile, technically capable of striking Alaska.

The following year North Korea lashed out militarily, prompting stern warnings from the U.S. and South Korea. An international investigation blamed Kim’s regime for the March 2010 sinking of the South Korean naval vessel Cheonan that killed 46 sailors. Eight months later North Korea shelled a South Korean island, killing two soldiers, two civilians and setting homes ablaze. The act followed reports by an American scientist that the country had made “stunning” advances to its uranium-enrichment program.

To contact the reporter on this story: Bill Austin in Tokyo at billaustin@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Charles W. Stevens at cstevens@bloomberg.net

Comment:

Landmine Billy

Something's been bugging me all day and I realized what it was while I was watching al Jazeera...brain washed zombies lack the ability to fake cry convincingly! North Korea has got to be the worst place on earth!

Time's person of the year is...

2011-12-14T15:54:00.004-06:00

Hardly a surprise!

Time's Person of the Year 2011 The Protester
Another busy day.... President Obama speeches at Ft Bragg to end the war in Iraq. The right thing to do. That made it a good day!

Amanpour off Sunday; Stephanopoulos back as ABC fixes what they broke

2011-12-13T18:24:00.002-06:00

Christiane Amanpour is leaving her job as host of ABC's "This Week" and returning to her roots both at CNN and in foreign reporting in a new arrangement that allows her to appear on both ABC News and CNN International, the two networks announced Tuesday.

George Stephanopoulos, her predecessor as host of "This Week," will return to the Sunday show while continuing his duties on "Good Morning America." ABC White House correspondent Jake Tapper will also have a "large role" on the show, as will other correspondents, according to an ABC News spokesman.

Amanpour will have a weekday show on CNN International. She will also continue at ABC News as a global affairs anchor across the networks' platforms and as the host of multiple primetime specials.

"Christiane has had a remarkable year for ABC News, and we are looking forward to her getting back out in the field, with her unique brand of storytelling and reporting, that is worldbeating and so impactful," said ABC News President Ben Sherwood. "Her interviews with Mubarak, Qaddhafi and others this year were simply world class. And we are thrilled to be able to work out this arrangement."

More....

The "KC 8" Occupiers in DC finally get themselves arrested on K Street

2011-12-08T12:16:00.003-06:00

The "OCCUBUS" left early Sunday from KC to pick up a delegation of 31 KC occupiers to head for Washington.

Most of those who boarded the bus for the trip are among the 'usual suspects' of key activists who are seen at most all of Occupy Kansas City's various events.

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By Monday aboard the cramped bus, they passed through St Louis to get 18 more passengers, then on through Ohio and then West Virginia, where they stopped to stretch their legs and breakfast.

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Monday afternoon, they had arrived in DC to to go to the mall but they were told to pitch tents at McPherson Square....where they attended that park's General Assembly meeting.

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The KC delegation introduced itself and listened and watched the much larger encampment at 6 o'clock. In fact, representatives from all over the country have arrived in DC to 'occupy' their congressional representatives this week.

Their first day, the Occupiers managed one end of Pennsylvania Avenue to visit the White House. And posed for a picture. This even as President Obama was preparing for a trip to Kansas City! To Osawatomie to make a major speech.

Tuesday morning, the KC occupiers headed up the hill to the people's legislature...the US capitol which is the highest point in Washington.

The day was warmer than the KC people expected but while Kansas City was getting light snow, the nation's capital was experiencing rain. Even so, the delegates from Kansas City walked briskly up the hill towards the capitol, anxious to get to the business at hand. The offices they went to were in the Longworth Building, not the actual capitol. This is where both Hartzler and Graves Missouri offices were located.

Only momentarily did they pause for a picture on their way to the federal congressional buildings where they had designs to 'occupy' the offices of Republican St Louis Rep Vicky Hartzler and Kansas City Rep Sam Graves.

The capitol complex is composed of the capitol itself and other large buildings filled with offices throughout. Eventually, the delegation found their way and split up to the offices of Reps Hartzler and Graves.

Marci, Ian and Chad get a picture taken for Think Progress which covers the Occupy DC events by groups visiting from around the country..

They forgot to make an appointments. Oh dread.

The occupiers from KC and St Louis filled Hartzler's office and learned the facts. A staffer greeted them. "She's not in", she has appointments and meetings and so had not prepared for them. The occupiers decided to 'occupy' the office until she came back to see them.

Here', KC's photogenic Marci explains to the group as they sat in Hartzler's office how one percent of the population holds 30 percent of the nation's wealth. They did not stay long and were thrown out.

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One new KC occupier, named David, was arrested for refusing to leave Hartzler's office and details of that are not yet forthcoming but his release is expected. The remaining Hartzler visitors had lunch and decided to go to join the Graves delegation in another office.

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The second delegation of a dozen Kansas Citians went originally to the Sam Graves (R-KC) office.

Similarly, he too had a full schedule but the group remained at his office, hoping to visit with him. They were joined by the Hartzler delegation who had been thrown out.

As they wrote letters to him, Graves showed up about 4pm, and the group told him it was his job to protect education and social security and health care but Melissa said the Republican really didn't say much, didn't seem moved much. She said a few others got a MUCH warmer reception after visiting Rep Emanual Cleaver's (D-KC) office. They met with him.

Tuesday the OKC group plans on Mic Checking with the other state groups where Speaker John Boehner speaks at a Christmas lighting ceremony as well as a VIP meeting at a restaurant.

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Wednesday's plans included marching on Washington's K Street where the banksters and big corporations offices are located .

As the day grew on, they marched down K street and were met by police...who began arresting those willing to take a stand in the rain.

VIDEO: Washington POST-

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We love you, some chanted. Others taunted them to come over to the occupiers side as those planning to be arrested lay on the wet pavement. Finally, Occupy KC got their turn to be arrested and by tweet, notified Kansas Citians of what was apparently a badge of courage. Reuters picked up on the story and dubbed them "The Kansas City Eight" (photos of the mass arrests).

FB PAGE: Occupy Kansas City

OccupyKC: Danni, Melissa, Jeremy, Chris, Marci, Shamus, Tamaryn, & Chad from #OccupyKC are being arrested on K St #99inDC

Laughing with glee on a video stream shot in a van, they appeared to show off their plastic wrist restraints for the camera. One presumes with their jubilance, no one was hurt and being arrested in a big DC march wasn't so bad. Later they were released, they said with help from the Natnl Lawyers Guild. They tweeted later more than half of those arrested were from cities other than Occupy DC. The ODC occupiers paid their $50 fines. They said one additional OKC occupier was arrested in a separate incident at the Supreme Court Building and held overnight. Adam was the only KC occupier to be at the court steps Wednesday night among the dozen arrested there.

Thursday, the group is kicking back, touring museums and the plan was to get on the bus for the return trip at about 8pm on Thursday night. Because of the arrests and the wet conditions, all but three stayed at youth hostels for their final night in DC. They said the tents were soaked. The group is reported to be in good spirits and happy with the trip.
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Now none of the issues about the 1 percent and 99 percent are news. As the streaming video photos were posted back on Kansas City's facebook page, one commenter made that note and got a response.

Mitch Dibble I'm glad all those donations went to good use, like bussing people to another occupy site to tell the crooked politicians the same shit they already know, expecting that they'll somehow change their minds and actually start working for .... (sarcasm font)

Wendy Hippie Cardwell-Reed Thank YOU OKC for being the change you want to see...At the very least you are doing what most are not; something. Happy to see my donations being put toward forward progress finally. (grateful font)

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President in Osawatomie

At 1pm Tuesday, President Obama began speaking to Osawatomie High school students and various dignitaries. More on Obama's major speech overshadowing other news...."We can't return to a 'You're on your own economy'" to save the middle class.

Populist Obama in KS - Daily KOS

CNN Obama Speech

Jewish Christmas

2011-12-04T15:27:00.002-06:00

Jewish Christmas Profiteering

The Teacher asked young Patrick Murphy: "What do you do at
Christmas time?

Patrick addressed the class: "Well Ms. Jones, me and my twelve
brothers and sisters go to midnight mass and we sing hymns; then
we come home very late and we put mince pies by the back door and
hang up our stockings. Then all excited, we go to bed and wait
for Father Christmas to come with all our toys.

"Very nice Patrick," she said. "Now Jimmy Brown, what do you do
at Christmas?"

Well, Ms. Jones, me and my sister also go to church with Mom and
Dad and we sing carols and we get home ever so late. We put
cookies and milk by the chimney and we hang up our stockings. We
hardly sleep, waiting for Santa Claus to bring our presents.

Realizing there was a Jewish boy in the class and not wanting to
leave him out of the discussion, she asked, "Now, Isaac Cohen,
what do you do at Christmas?"

Isaac said, "Well, it's the same thing every year...Dad comes
home from the office. We all pile into the Rolls Royce; then we
drive to Dad's toy factory. When we get inside, we look at all
the empty shelves...And begin to sing: "What A Friend We Have in
Jesus". Then we all go to the Bahamas."

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Another testimony to capitalism

A friend of mine quit the Canadian Forces and just started his own business in Kandahar . He's making land mines that look like prayer mats. Business is good. He says prophets are going through the roof.

Excellent VIdeo Documentary: The Face of OCCUPY KC

2011-12-02T11:37:00.004-06:00

Ongoing details about OCCUPY KC, visit the website http://www.occupykc.net
or the facebook page "Occupy Kansas City"

The Occupy KC Post: Read it!

2011-12-01T08:43:00.002-06:00

“We are one.” “Join us!” “We are the 99%.” The rhetoric of Occupier signs bears a fascinating resemblance to the rhetoric of the American Revolution. Whereas the rallying cries during the Revolution focused on a government out of touch with the people it governed, economic policies that irked its citizens, and unequal representation, the Occupy Movement is focused on … well … pretty much the same thing. Read on...

Video: Black Bloody Friday at Walmart: Cop body slam leaves grandpa bloody, unconscious!

2011-11-25T16:21:00.001-06:00

Beware of cops with shaved heads and no respect. Shun them.

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/11/25/police-body-slam-leaves-grandpa-bloody-unconscious-at-wal-mart/

The Occupy Movement: Against Plutonomy that makes the rich richer

2011-11-20T12:00:00.007-06:00

PBS' Bill Moyers explains what Occupy Wall Street is all about...even before OWS came into existence. Check it:

1%Big Bankers.... The Empire Strikes Back.

A well-known Washington lobbying firm with links to the financial industry has proposed an $850,000 plan to take on Occupy Wall Street and politicians who might express sympathy for the protests, according to a memo obtained by the MSNBC program "Up w/ Chris Hayes."

Imperial Bank Guards: When all else fails, protect the money from the people

Ten Things you can say to Irritate a Republican

2011-11-19T12:46:00.000-06:00

Read all ten...

Made in China

2011-11-17T04:29:00.001-06:00

Washington Times

Occupy Wall Street Park Raided, Tents cleared out overnight

2011-11-15T08:57:00.003-06:00

Crackdown on OWS: Zuccotti Park Raided Under Media Blackout, Pepper Spray and Batons Used, Tents Cleared Out

"We're being evicted!" the message went out around 1 am.
"The park has been cleared," the text message read a few hours later, as bedragged, pepper-sprayed protesters, having lost their home in the park, reconvened for a GA in Foley Square and vowed to keep the occupation going. Over 200 had been arrested, including city council member Ydanis Rodriguez. Blocks away, Mayor Michael Bloomberg held a press conference at which he declared that police would be now able to search people entering the park. More from Alternet

More videos from Alternet...

OccupyKC: Ugly, money stolen allegedly for dope, drama, and a fix

2011-11-14T12:41:00.006-06:00

The charges are ugly but given Occupy KC is such a new group where anonymity is common and startup organizing is not always ship shape... OKC is victim of a theft. Theft of its website URL (OccupyKC.com) and even some money given in good faith donations.

Even as behind the scenes actions have been underway to recover the money, the movement moves on.

First, the charges of an internet account stolen by an individual who "owns" the account along with the occupykc.com URL. TKC saw it on a website and went with it Monday morning, quoting an independent facebook page poster:

But it was indeed a stolen account by an individual who split with the dough and the URL too. The rogue Occupykc. com site remains--even still asking for donations-- but individuals in the movement warned potential contributors NOT to donate there, even on the a rogue website now.

The ugliness came out at Sunday night's GA (General Assembly) at Liberty Memorial when Treasury member Melissa reported the bad news that money was absconded and used for drugs and personal use by a thief who apparently owned the account, legally.

Since then, a new WEBSITE (www.OCCUPYKC.NET) has been established .

Melissa, who clearly has an accounting background, insists on multiple account signatories and a transparent set of NEW practices. Her proposal passed unanimously by a Sunday night group very unhappy that a thief was amongst them for the beginning month. Three people are in the current Treasury group which hopes for more members to keep tabs on the money. Melissa, Ian (shown in the picture), and Tam, who was coincidentally shot!!! last weekend in a random crime near her home.

Melissa described the theft as a 'drama to say the least' and has consulted a lawyer to see what can be done about the theft of the money. Meanwhile, the media group has replaced the hijacked occupykc .com with a new website, www.OCCUPYKC.NET.

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MY view is that it's too bad some of the 99 percent let us down but it's a young group, hard lessons are learned, and good people rise to maturity. This is just a distraction...for thievery has happened on a grand scale, in the (B)illions. Ah human greed, large and small.

GOP Sabotages Country to Defeat Obama!

2011-11-10T17:24:00.000-06:00

Sabotage

You don’t have to take our word for it, here’s how Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) described his priorities:

The single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president.

Survey Says: Americans Think the GOP is Trying to Sabotage the Economy to Hurt President Obama
Three polls out in the past week indicate that half of Americans believe the GOP is stalling the economy in order to hurt President Obama politically and prevent him from being re-elected:

Public Policy Polling national poll: 50 percent believe that “Republicans are intentionally stalling efforts to jumpstart the economy to insure that Barack Obama is not reelected,” compared to 41 percent who said they didn’t believe so and the rest unsure.
Washington Post national poll: 50 percent believe that “President Obama is making a good faith effort to deal with the country’s economic problems, but the Republicans in Congress are playing politics by blocking his proposals and programs,” including 54 percent of independents and 57 percent of moderates.
Suffolk University Florida poll: 49 percent believe “the Republicans are intentionally stalling efforts to jumpstart the economy to insure that Barack Obama is not re-elected,” compared to 39 percent who did not believe so.

Just Take a Look at Their Record
Today, on the eve of Veterans Day, Senate Republicans did not filibuster the Hiring Heroes Act of 2011, the part of the president’s jobs plan to help put our veterans back to work. We’d note that it is the sole part of the jobs plan voted on so far not financed by making millionaires and billionaires pay their fair share, something Republicans have strenuously objected to. While today’s willingness to do anything at all to help the economy was certainly welcome, Republicans have repeatedly and unanimously voted against millions of jobs for other Americans, including teachers, firefighters, cops, and construction workers:

Oct. 11: 100 percent of Senate Republicans voted against millions of American jobs in order to protect the very wealthiest Americans — the top 0.5 percent — from having to pay their fair share.
Oct. 20: 100 percent of Senate Republicans voted against nearly 400,000 jobs for teachers, firefighters, and cops in order to protect the very wealthiest Americans — the top 0.5 percent — from having to pay their fair share.
Nov. 3: 100 percent of Senate Republicans voted against 450,000 Americans jobs rebuilding our crumbling roads, bridges, airports, and other critical infrastructure in order to protect the very wealthiest Americans — the top 0.5 percent — from having to pay their fair share.

IN ONE SENTENCE: If Republicans don’t want the American people to believe they’re trying to sabotage the economy just to stop President Obama from being reelected, they can easily dispel this notion by starting to cooperate with President Obama and Democrats to pass bills that will put millions of Americans back to work.

Guest editorial

Blatantly Biased Tabloids and Clueless Mainstream Media Keep Missing the Obvious Big Story at OWS

2011-11-09T06:05:00.005-06:00

(From Alternet) Many mainstream news outlets are flummoxed at best, condescending at worst, when it comes to their coverage of the new movement.

"Occupy Wall Street, go home!" The New York Post has launched what can best be described, metaphorically, as an "all-out-war" on the protesters camping downtown in Zuccotti Park, making a naked effort to aid any ouster by throwing every filthy hippie stereotype in the book at the occupiers and seeing what sticks (so far, not much).

If the Post, and other media players, stepped away from Zuccotti Park, or flashpoint rallies, they might see something different: seriousness, cooperation, an "open-source movement " that is actually (really, it is!) different in key ways from other social justice coalitions that have come before it, instead of trying to fit this into a traditional media narrative.

Because while the Post's bias is clear, many other mainstream news outlets can be described as flummoxed at best, condescending at worst, when it comes to their coverage of a new movement that is leaderless, has no list of demands, and is aiming to be as much a state of mind as an organization, a multi-faceted sea-change rather than a single entity.

Occupy KC plans to move into a downtown park

2011-11-05T16:22:00.001-05:00

In a surprise move during the encampment's General Assembly Friday evening, consensus passed to divide the camp and move a contingent down to the small Oppenstein Park right in Kansas City's financial district.

The park is only a quarter block with limited grass and it's run--not by the city, but according to a sign by Jackson County Parks and Recreation. The park is at 12th and Walnut, surrounded by glass and steel buildings, big banks. Office space. Not so far from P&L district and Sprint Center.

Elements of the Occupy Kansas City group have wanted to move away from Penn Valley Park near the Liberty Memorial Mall because it's almost like a reservation...out of the way....safe enough-- but with little visibility because traffic is limited. Numbers of occupiers, whether actually camping, or just regularly visiting, have been disappointing compared to other larger cities.

Kansas City police have told campers that for the time being, they are not forcing the issue about sleeping in Penn Valley, or even tents which are forbidden without an expensive permit. The Occupy encampment has not had the several thousand dollars a month for a permit.

One spokesman told the Occupiers at GA that there won't be a problem moving to the 12th & Walnut; the mayor reportedly told a representative that one unacceptable location would be Ilus Davis Park where a week ago, Occupy KC held a rally. Davis is directly across from City Hall. But the Occupy presenter told the group this park in the financial district "would not be a problem."

This park, Oppenstein Brothers Memorial Park is right in the middle of downtown business 12th and Walnut....much like other cities like Occupy Wall street in New York.

In fact, right next to the park is Kansas City's Wall Street building at 11th and Walnut, M&I bank... Bank of America's only a block away and other financial houses are nearby. What it lacks that Penn Valley has is parking and relative safety....Relationship with Kansas City police has been good at Liberty Memorial...there's no report how Jackson County will take an occupy encampment downtown.

Homeless issue common at Occupy sites.

The financial district park is also an area where pedestrians can be found walking around late at night and, like this man, sleeping in the park. Occupy planners have voiced some concerned over how to work with homeless who might be likely there. There was agreement among the group's town planners that drugs and alcohol won't be tolerated, which has been the policy, though not actively enough enforced, if one believes a single media report.

In a logistics meeting after the GA decision, 'town planning work group" members expressed concern about the homeless who may join the group, or help them find other services. More on this, mostly audio is available of this meeting.

TWO camps...for now

For the time being, occupiers are not calling this a "move", but a "satellite expansion."

The point of the group is to protest banks and corporate influence on government... so many occupy sites around the country are also centrally located in downtown parks. The decision to move was just made Friday night so some logistics are being planned for a contingent of Penn Valley campers to move downtown.

Part of the strategy is to make the move before hard winter occurs; there are designs on moving the entire encampment at some point to this downtown location, away from the windy open field of Penn Valley.

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kctv5 coverage
Saturday, a demonstration was held outside the Westport Branch of Bank of America...(Broadway at Westport Rd), a move to urge customers to close their accounts with the bank and move them to home grown Credit Unions. This nationwide action is occurring right after Bank of America has withdrawn plans to charge its debit card customers $5 a month for use of the cards. KCTV5's coverage here....

Occupy KC: Hundreds attend downtown rally and march

2011-10-30T17:07:00.006-05:00

A warm and windy afternoon at Kansas City's Ilus Davis downtown park where several hundred attended Occupy KC's "We are One" rally and march. They listened to speakers, enjoyed the sun and marched to the northeast part of the city to demonstrate against racism. Oct 30th 2011, See many more! Rights on THESE additional hundred photos released.

More photos from Michael Bersin.

KCs Photo Artist Eric Bowers and his Beauty Shots!

Occupy Group Gears up for big Sunday in the Park

2011-10-29T07:55:00.005-05:00

Outreach is the theme of volunteer Occupy movement workers to build attendance on what might be one of the last good weather events of the fall season, the downtown Rally at Ilus Davis park-- a park one protestor says was 'designed' for civil discourse. Illus Davis is sandwiched between the new federal courthouse and Kansas City's city hall.

The 2pm rally features speakers then more outreach...a march to the northeast area calling attention to racism in our community.

Activists are fanning out to hand out fliers (like the one below) to urge attendance. Said one outreach worker on facebook, "

"Today we passed out 2,000 to 3,000 pieces of lit between myself and two other canvassers, 50% of it was by myself. If you want to do the most effective work ever talking face-to-face with the community and bringing them out to our event tomorrow."

While Sunday isn't a great day to reach the downtown workers, it lets the Occupy movement sample this centrally located park occupying two square blocks on Oak, between 9th and 11th. Some occupiers with a more 'in their faces' attitude plan to overnight in the park. The main encampment is just south of the Liberty Memorial Mall.

At right, a scene of the occupiers makeshift 'kitchen; Saturday night there was soup and burgers welcoming a contingent of veterans to the evening General Assembly which takes place at 6:30 each night.

A "GA" meeting is planned for the Davis park rally Sunday evening. Dress with a light jacket for a cool fall evening after a warm afternoon's march.

Occupy KC: Police put camp on warning again about tents; threaten tickets and arrests

2011-10-28T04:24:00.007-05:00

Tyler Crane
The Police came back again today (Thursday) to the occupy site around noon. The officers stated on the record that they would begin issuing tickets and removing tents. Arrest will be made if people do not comply and remove tents. They said this is the last warning. They could come back at any time and if we are not prepared then it will be a messy experience for everyone involved.

This is our 1st amendment right. We should not have to bend to the will of permits, fees, and intimidation. I encourage more people to come out and stay with us. The current occupiers that stay daily all agreed to stay and protect camp from being destroyed, even if that involves arrest or tickets.. Thank you all for your continued support and involvement in Occupy KC.
(Crane is one of the organizing activists at the site and wrote this on one of the site's facebook pages.) Here is the Occupy KC community page.

Mixed Messages

Perhaps we're having a case of goodcop-badcop and some disagreement among the street officers. This is the second time one officer has threatened or intimated ticketing and arrest and another officer has been more tolerant. KSHB is reporting just one line in their latest story, "Police say rumors they will force the protesters to leave are false."
Read more: http://www.nbcactionnews.com/dpp/news/local_news/protesters-say-they-have-no-plans-to-move-police-not-forcing-them-out#ixzz1c5nwiXOq

Someone slipped TKC a photo of a 99% sign in the window of city hall this morning...one of the more funny sights of the week. See a variety of the comments on this on Tony's Kansas City
and then this one

Occupy KC: Some occupiers plan to sleep at Ilus Davis Park Sunday

2011-10-27T02:32:00.000-05:00

Occupy KC will hold a rally and march on Sunday, Oct. 30 from 2 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The event, called “We Are One,” will start at 2 p.m. at Ilus W. Davis Park, 901 Oak St., in downtown Kansas City.

Participants will march to the Northeast neighborhood at 4 p.m., returning to Ilus Davis Park at 6:30 p.m. There will be speakers and a General Assembly from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.

According to Occupy KC organizers, the purpose of the event is to reach out to the Northeast community and “protest the racism and classism that continues to negatively impact that neighborhood.”

The KC Occupiers have had some division about whether to move from the Liberty Memorial area to Illus Davis park, sandwiched between City Hall and the new Federal Courthouse.

One General Assembly voted to move but the next night, a different GA reversed that decision for a number of reasons. The city has said there would be no arrests or removal of tents for the time being from the Penn Valley Park location but nothing has been discussed about a satellite encampment -- even for a night-- downtown.

Some committed activists plan to spend the night Sunday at Davis park and while some want to move the entire encampment downtown, others are inclined to stay where parking, porta-potties and other logistical benefits exist.

One big worry by many Occupiers, whether they overnight or not, is that Kansas City winters can be bone chilling, even dangerous without proper outfitting. More occupiers have brought tents as shelter from the cold and so far the city has not made an issue of it. Said one spokesman for the movement, people wanting to encamp downtown are free to go there but so far the decision stands not to formally move. So far, only two nights of freezing weather have occurred this season.

For more information, visit www.occupykc.com.

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Police in Oakland make 75 Occupier Arrests

VIDEO: Television video of the orders and the grenades

Mother Jones Occupier US MAP of encampments and arrests

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Lawrence protest shut down

At about the time Oakland police were shutting down that city's Occupy encampment, Lawrence police did the same in the hometown of the University of Kansas. said one local Occupier from KC:

Occupy Lawrence
The tents are down. The camp is gone. The occupation continues - and you are all invited to join - General Assembly 6pm South Park

Jim Davidson I gather on information and belief that the occupiers at South Park were ordered to disperse at 4 a.m. In response, they marched on the sidewalk near the park until 6 a.m., when the park "re-opened." There was an emergency assembly at 3 p.m. Tuesday, a regularly scheduled assembly at 6 pm, after which the crowd marched to City Hall for the city commission meeting. There they confronted the mayor. I gather from one attendee that his attitude was that the rules are the rules (Javert couldn't have said it better) and that the elders and betters in the community form the rules that the little people must obey. Supercilious twit Aron Cromwell.

Hudson Luce You can harass Aron Cromwell, which will piss him off and make him harden his position, or you can organize East and North Lawrence, and change the rules - and change the identity of the "elders and betters in the community". Neither of those neighborhoods had more than an 8% turnout in the last city election and none of them fielded a candidate, nor have they for the past 15 years. If you wonder why Lawrence is the way it is and live in those places, just look in the mirror...

Lawrence Rally Planned Saturday downtown

Now my view is that Lawrence, with its liberal university population, could SMOKE Kansas City's occupy population when it comes to turnout. The question is this: Has the City of Lawrence sufficiently pissed them off to protest Saturday? We shall see what they're made of. Are they conservative graduates of KU waiting to grow into their careers for themelves....or are they a liberal thinking, eager generation wanting to make a difference in their country instead?

OCCUPY KC: I'm Disappointed In Tony and his jones about unions

2011-10-24T11:25:00.005-05:00

KC's most popular blogger, Tony Botello claims to be supportive of the OCCUPY KC group which speaks for the 99 percent of ordinary folks against the 1 percent of millionaires and billionaires who are blatently bribing our government.

But Tony hates unions more than anything, no doubt in part because he's being sued by a former Firefighter union pres. That's not OCCUPYKC's problem. That's HIS.

My problem is that he's tried linking OCCUPY KC with takover unions which isn't really true at all. At their big event yesterday, one out of work electrical worker cooked up gallons of chili. That is hardly co-opting the movement. I was there. It was a sunny fun time about understanding racial advantages, making creative signs, understanding and working effectively with activists, and otherwise having a good Sunday afternoon with like-minded people. No union people put their causes in anybody's face at all.

Tony needs to chill out, keep his anger to himself regarding unions he somehow has his nose out of joint about. It was a fun time in the sun. It would have probably been fun time for MORE folks had Tony not had his nose out of joint on this group. I'm disappointed when he spoke of weekend activities, he so obviously ignored THIS one!

Cooking chili by an occupy enthusiast does not constitute being 'cooped' by the dreaded union movement that tends to support the middle class...in fact helped to DEFINE the middle class. The classes were mostly about being an effective activist with creative sign making and understanding how things work in society.

Shame on you TEE. There were both hispanic and blacks at the event, I know I was there. Shame on people who apply stereotypes because that's all they wanted to see.

He was suprised KSHB ran a 'fair' story about the Sunday educational program near OccupyKC's Liberty Memorial encampment. Why shouldn't they? They don't have a 'jones' of preconceived notions about this movement. If anything, a guy like Tony living in his mom's basement must surely part of the 99 percent! :) I hope he comes by and sees that while the movement is a bit counter-culture, it's not anything to be afraid of.

Good example of a Brain Study: If you can read this you have a strong mind: or not?

2011-10-23T17:39:00.000-05:00

7H15 M3554G3 53RV35 7O PR0V3 H0W 0UR M1ND5 C4N D0 4M4Z1NG 7H1NG5! 1MPR3551V3 7H1NG5! 1N 7H3 B3G1NN1NG 17 WA5 H4RD BU7 N0W, 0N 7H15 LIN3 Y0UR M1ND 1S R34D1NG 17 4U70M471C4LLY W17H 0U7 3V3N 7H1NK1NG 4B0U7 17, B3 PROUD! 0NLY C3R741N P30PL3 C4N R3AD 7H15.
PL3453 F0RW4RD 1F U C4N R34D 7H15 :)..

Occupy KC sunny Sunday all day event; Lawrence tickets their occupiers

2011-10-22T13:36:00.004-05:00

A purr-fect Sunday with 70 degrees for an allday Education Event at Liberty Memorial.

Occupy KC will host a 7-hour forum at the main Occupy site in the park just south of Liberty Memorial on Sunday, October 23. We will start at 12:Noon and go until 7pm. There will be guest lecturers that include professors, business professionals, subject matter experts and—of course—KC Occupiers.

We will show films that highlight and illustrate the problems we face in this challenging time of high unemployment, low class mobility and
oppression of the 99% at the hands of the wealthy few. We will also hold several work-groups throughout the day so that we don’t just talk about our problems, we actually get together and brainstorm ideas to solve those problems.

This is a major event that will serve to educate and inform the public about our causes and concerns. We want a very high turnout. Please come. Bring your family. Bring your friends. But also, bring your ideas, your concerns and your passion to empower the 99%.

This is a family-friendly event which means no drugs, no alcohol and (as best as we can help it) family-friendly language. The group Howjido will perform a Family sing-along at 4pm. There will be childcare provided throughout the day.

Best of all, all events, all lectures, all films, and all childcare are absolutely free.

Here are the hour by hour details of whats up

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Kansas City police remain tolerant but watchful

KC Police have assigned a team of officers to gently watch over and be available to the campers at Liberty Memorial. Friday evening, they stopped to visit with some of the curious campers to say their role is not to intrude or arrest anyone for curfew or tent violations. Occupiers are continuing to work with the city after gaining a reprieve from the Mayor's office to remain with tents to protect them on nights of freezing weather. The officers were diplomatic and supportive of the peaceful protesters.

Friday and Saturday campers were keeping the park tidy and visiting in small groups. Saturday, a group went to 43rd and Troost to help with a mid morning neighborhood cleanup.

Saturday night, some of the occupiers have organized what they're calling a Slumber Party for overnight when the weather is expected to be tame, with an overnight low around 50. Campers are invited to bring themselves and tents for a campout and talk ahead of Sunday's Education Event.

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Lawrence City not so Tolerant

At least eight members of the protest group Occupy Lawrence were ticketed early Saturday morning for remaining in South Park after hours.

Lawrence Police Department officers arrived at South Park at around 2 a.m., where members of the group have been camping for the past week. The citations included a summons to appear in municipal court on Nov. 15.

It appeared that those who wished were given the option to leave the park before being cited. Several members of the group said they left to avoid penalties and then returned after police officers had gone.

A handful of onlookers in a separate part of the park watched as protesters received tickets.
Occupy Lawrence member Jessica Barron said officers targeted members of her group, but failed to ticket anyone who did not appear to be a member.

"Their justification for issuing those tickets is they have to universally apply the law. But they did not universally apply the law."

Protester Stephen Robinson said he was happy to stay and receive a citation, but he would not be willing to be arrested because he could not afford to lose his job.

Protesters remained in the park after police officers left.

Check back to LJWorld.com for updates as the story develops.

Things not so perfect at New York's Occupation...from Huffington Post

Events at Zuccotti Park, the epicenter of the Occupy Wall Street movement in Lower Manhattan, have become increasingly dramatic in recent days, as egos have clashed, visions competed, and the unity of the protesters has been questioned.

Tents can stay for now....at OccupyKC

2011-10-20T22:58:00.003-05:00

The point of the evening bringing cheers was announcement at GA (the sunset General Assembly meeting) that the Mayors office had granted a reprieve from tent removal for the time being. The 40-50 occupiers were told there would not be the expected removal or arrest over tents tonight and for an undefined period. Police had earlier told group members that empty tents would be taken downtown sometime after midnight Thursday, and occupants would be ordered to remove theirs under penalty of arrest -- but that is on indefinite time hold.

Several people said the police who have been patrolling the area have been gentle and supportive of the group and one said she felt police didn't want to arrest anybody at the encampment.

Further discussions with the mayor's office are expected and group members leading suggested occupiers and supporters call the major's office to urge for continued reprieve, and to reduce or waive any fees normally required for renting the park space.

An attorney pointed out that tents don't constitute free speech and she warned that tents and other loose property could be inspected by police. There is a prominent sign at the encampment urging "No alcohol and no drugs". There have been active signs this group wants to stay on good terms with both police and the city's Parks and Recreation Department which has charge of Penn Valley Park.

It was also announced at the GA that the Lawrence encampment would be closed by law enforcement after 11pm at an occupation going on in one of that city's public parks. A representative from that encampment urged KC occupiers to join them Thursday night for a show of support. UPDATE: Reportedly the Lawrence encampment was NOT closed down. (Maybe they're deciding that its better politically to be tolerant, like NY Mayor Bloomberg has been)

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The large sculpture created out of overseas shipping containers, called the "IOU/USA" sculpture nearby has been taken down...all remaining now are a couple containers yet to be hauled away. The sculpture has been considered a fitting backdrop for the encampment and there was more than a little disappointment that it was time for the sculpture to be removed.

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Sunday, an all day set of educational and fun activities are planned at the Penn Valley encampment located at the entrance to Liberty Memorial's mall, and across from the Federal Reserve Bldg. Occupy camps all over the country are putting on education programs this Sunday.

Things not so perfect at New York's Occupation...from Huffington Post

Events at Zuccotti Park, the epicenter of the Occupy Wall Street movement in Lower Manhattan, have become increasingly dramatic in recent days, as egos have clashed, visions competed, and the unity of the protesters has been questioned.

Gadhafi gone...good riddance.

2011-10-20T14:08:00.004-05:00

Raah, raah, Gadhafi apparently is no more. Good for Obama, the UN, and the fighters who fought and died to take back their country from that asshole dictator. It's a big deal for the west who spend more time than they expected weeding him from power. Amazingly no American lives lost.

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Social Security recipients will receive a cost of living adjustment of 3.6% starting in January, their first raise in three years.

Because inflation has been very low in recent years, beneficiaries have not seen an increase since 2009, when they received a 5.8% boost.

However, most seniors are not likely to receive the full amount of the increase because an expected hike in Medicare premiums could eat up part of the raise. The change in Medicare premiums, which could increase by a double-digit rate, is expected to be announced next month.

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Tea Party to Businesses: "Stop Hiring!"

Just when I think conservatives can't surprise me any more, they surprise me with another jaw-dropper. And, no, I'm not talking about the recent Republican debate — though that yielded some real stunners, both from the candidates and the studio audience.

I'm talking about the latest attempt by conservatives to (further) sabotage the economy and smother any hope of recovery. There have been a more than few. But this latest one takes the cake.

The tea party has a message for American businesses: "Stop hiring!" Read more

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Occupy Wall Street Update: Movement Raises $435,000, Poll Finds 70% of Supporters Are Politically Independent

The latest news from and analysis of the "Occupy" movement:

--Occupy Wall Street has raised an impressive $435,000 so far, $85,000 of which was donated in-person at Zuccotti Park. What is that money being used for? "The protesters have been spending about $1,500 a day on food, and also just covered a $2,000 laundry bill for sleeping bags and jackets and sweaters. They’ve spent about $20,000 on equipment such as laptops and cameras, and costs associated with streaming video of the protest on the Internet." [via the AP] Read more

NO TENTS; Americans still unsure of Occupy Movement's goals

2011-10-19T06:45:00.013-05:00

NO TENTS AT OCCUPY KC ENCAMPMENT

IT was discussed at General Assembly Tonight WEDNESDAY that a KCPD officer stopped by and told them tents weren't allowed until or if they get a permit for them. Some GA participants said they were taking their tents down after the meeting. Reportedly, some of occupiers did not remove their tents as of the middle of the night. This was the second freezing overnight of the season.

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Occupy KC joins a hospital union rally in midtown Wednesday

Occupy KC joined a number of unions around kansas city in support of the SEIU (Service employees) in their contract dispute with Research Medical Center, now owned by hospital mega company HCA. The 6pm rally was held outside the hospital at Prospect & Meyer and featured speakers from the health care and other unions. About 100 people attended the hour long rally.

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The Occupy KC Movement has planned a downtown rally with speakers across from City Hall Sunday-after-next followed by a 4pm march and back to a Northeast KC destination. More speakers are then planned including a General Assembly meeting. Visitors who do not camp are advised to park downtown and go directly to the rally point at 10th and Oak. Some 'occupiers' (campers) may be marching to Kansas City's Ilus Davis Park to meet those already waiting there. Plans are not fully firmed up. Ilus Davis is a 2 square block green space located in downtown Kansas City between City Hall and the Federal Courthouse.

Survey shows most Americans unsure still of the Occupy Movement.

PRINCETON, NJ -- Less than half of Americans express an opinion about either the Occupy Wall Street movement's goals or the way it has conducted its protests. Those with an opinion are more likely to approve than disapprove.

The results are based on an Oct. 15-16 USA Today/Gallup poll. The Occupy Wall Street movement has attracted significant media attention for its nearly month-long protest of major U.S. financial institutions in New York, with similar demonstrations taking place in numerous other cities in the United States in recent weeks. More on the survey including additional results from Gallup.

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AP - The Republican presidential candidates tore into each other as never before in their latest debate, mindful that voting starts within 11 weeks and many GOP voters remain up for grabs.

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Jesus throws a fit with the merchants and moneychangers in the temple, telling them to get out.

Occupiers saying police are showing some leniency at base camp

2011-10-17T15:16:00.006-05:00

From the OccupyKC facebook page today:

Only a couple dozen people are braving the cold temperatures overnight at Penn Valley Park. On Saturday, when some 300 people marched from Liberty Memorial to Troost Park, police blocked side streets as marchers stayed obediently on the sidewalks. And officers cruised close by.

One Occupier said Lawrence's encampment uses tents but other cities found police much more interested in forbidding tents and overnight encampments, including St Louis, Denver, and Seattle. Tents have been tolerated in New York City.

The activity week after next weekend will not be a march, but a rally downtown in a 2 square block park across from Kansas City's City Hall. 2pm Sunday, after NEXT. The 30th.

MLK Monument Dedicated; Indie driver dies in fiery Vegas racecar crash up; VIDEO: Occupy Wall Street EXPLAINED!

2011-10-16T19:35:00.004-05:00

MLK's Washington Monument Dedicated. Obama Speaks

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama saluted Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Sunday as a man who "stirred our conscience" and made the Union "more perfect," rejoicing in the dedication of a monument memorializing the slain civil rights leader's life and work.

"I know we will overcome," Obama proclaimed, standing the 30-foot granite monument to King on the National Mall. "I know this," the president said, "because of the man towering over us."

Obama and his wife, Michelle, and Vice President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill, joined a host of civil rights figures for the dedication on the sun-splashed Mall. Designed as what King described as a stone of hope hewn from a mountain of despair, the memorial is the first to a black man on the National Mall and its parks.

"He had faith in us," said Obama, who was 6 when King was assassinated in 1968. Obama told the crowd, "And that is why he belongs on this Mall: Because he saw what we might become."

The dedication has special meaning for the Obamas. The president credits King with paving his way to the White House. Before his remarks, he left signed copies of his inaugural speech and 2008 convention address in a time capsule at the monument site. The first couple and daughters Malia and Sasha made a more private visit to the site on Friday night, before the crowds and the cameras arrived.

In his talk, he focused on King's broad themes - equality, justice and peaceful resistance - as the nation confronts, 48 years later, some of the same issues of war, an economic crisis and a lingering distrust of government in some quarters.

Referring to citizen protests against the wealthy and powerful that have spread from Wall Street and Washington, even abroad, Obama said: "Dr. King would want us to challenge the excesses of Wall Street without demonizing those who work there."

The monument, situated between the Lincoln and Jefferson memorials in what the designers call a "line of leadership," was 15 years in the making. Several speakers noted that its designers could not have predicted then that the monument would be dedicated by the nation's first black president.
Obama urged Americans to harness the energy of the civil rights movement for today's challenges and to remain committed to King's philosophy of peaceful resistance.

"Let us draw strength from those earlier struggles," Obama said. "Change has never been simple or without controversy." (Photos from CBS)

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Indie 500 winner Dan Weldon killed in massive crash

LAS VEGAS - Indianapolis 500 winner Dan Wheldon died Sunday in a fiery 15-car wreck at Las Vegas Motor Speedway when his car flew over another on Lap 13 and smashed into the wall just outside turn 2.

Wheldon was 33. Drivers were told of Wheldon's death in a meeting about two hours after the fiery, smoky crash that many drivers said was the worst they had ever seen.

The British driver won the Indianapolis 500 twice, including this year.

"IndyCar is very sad to announce that Dan Wheldon has passed away from unsurvivable injuries," IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard said. "Our thoughts and prayers are with his family today. IndyCar, its drivers and owners, have decided to end the race. In honor of Dan Wheldon, the drivers have decided to do a five-lap salute to in his honor."

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Video: Alan Grayson explains in less than a minute what Occupy Wall Street is about. CHECK IT!

OccupyKC Walk Saturday, Doomsday book, cool pictures

2011-10-15T17:21:00.008-05:00

Several hundred people, what some said were a slightly smaller group than last week, marched from Liberty Memorial to Troost Park Saturday. The day was sunny and warm and the procession was orderly and also loud chanting slogans as they marched east from the encampment.

"We are the 99percent", they chanted. Often as cars drove by and honked in support, the marchers turned and waved. The line was filled with people from all ages and walks of life, including many children walking and in strollers, people in wheelchairs, and even leashed dogs. Many signs.

Police blocked intersections and directed traffic along 31st. At one point, at 31st and Troost, the line of marchers crossed a neighborhood street event with live bands...contrasting the partying African Americans there with their own event and the predominantly white Kansas Citians marching along 31st past them.

Many arrived and parked around Liberty memorial and joined in...and once at Troost Park sat and listened and cheered speeches (as seen in the live stream available on occupykc.com)
.

After BBQ and a good rest, the group headed back to the encampment.

VIEW 50 pictures from the march along 31st

KC STAR OPINION: Occupiers are here in KC but they're not sure why

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Construction of the IOU/USA shipping container sculpture.

I happened to be looking at the this incredible 'aerial' shot taken from atop the Liberty memorial down the mall, towards the sculpture. You can see the Occupy KC encampment in the foreground:

And now this satellite shot on Google happens to have been taken as the IOU/USA construction was just beginning. Imagine this...a satellite shot of KC capturing this shot last summer:

The large IOU/USA sculpture is reportedly scheduled to come down, according to an in the know occupier. So parking will be limited as heavy equipment is moved in to break down the sculpture that has gained some national attention.

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Drudge reviews Pat Buchanan's doomsday book

"As the faith that gave birth to the West is dying in the West, peoples of European descent from the steppes of Russia to the coast of California have begun to die out, as the Third World treks north to claim the estate. The last decade provided corroborating if not conclusive proof that we are in the Indian Summer of our civilization." So begins Pat Buchanan in his hardcore work, SUICIDE OF A SUPERPOWER. "Will America Survive to 2025?" Buchanan, set for maximum controversy, launches all rockets at introduction "Disintegrating Nation" -- and does not let up for 400-plus pages. "America is disintegrating. The centrifugal forces pulling us apart are growing inexorably. What unites us is dissolving. And this is true of Western Civilization....Meanwhile, the state is failing in its most fundamental duties. It is no longer able to defend our borders, balance our budgets, or win our wars." The books reads as if its been written to be left behind in the ruins, only to be found by a future civilization.

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Occupy KC folks march from 3-5pm to Troost park today (10-15)

2011-10-15T09:22:00.004-05:00

Occupy KC plans a Saturday Oct 15th march from Liberty Memorial/IOU site to Troost Park. (30th-31st & Tracy) 3pm-5pm.
Here's their official site: www.occupykc.com

OccupyKC expects hundreds of individuals from the community to turn out and show their support for the global change movement that has been spreading around the globe. A variety of unique signs of expression will not disappoint.

Roger Lake from IBEW local 124 will speak before the march. Delmira Quarles will also be speaking about he importance of building a strong community. (News Release)

The march starts at the encampment site, which is the IOU/USA sculpture located across the street from the Liberty Memorial Mall in Penn Valley Park.

Occupy Wall Street Stays; NY Mayor backs down on park 'cleaning'; Bishop charged in "fail to report" sex case

2011-10-14T06:52:00.022-05:00

NEW YORK (AP) - The cleanup of a plaza in lower Manhattan where protesters have been camped out for a month was postponed early Friday, sending cheers up from a crowd that had feared the effort was merely a pretext to evict them.

Deputy Mayor Cas Holloway said the owners of the private park, Brookfield Office Properties, had put off the cleaning. Supporters of the protesters had started streaming into the park in the morning darkness before the planned cleaning, forming a crowd of several hundred chanting people.

"I'll believe it when we're able to stay here," said protester Peter Hogness, 56, a union employee from Brooklyn. "One thing we have learned from this is that we need to rely on ourselves and not on promises from elected officials."

Updates: Some 14 arrests Friday when hundreds marchers went to Wall Street and walked in the street as opposed to staying on sidewalks.

Denver police arrest 23 and tear down the Occupy Denver encampment on state capitol grounds overnight. San Diego pack up 1 arrested; 40 arrested for refusing to pack up in Seattle.

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Occupy KC plans a Saturday Oct 15th march from Liberty Memorial/IOU site to Troost Park. 3pm-5pm.
Here's their official site: www.occupykc.com

OccupyKC expects hundreds of individuals from the community to turn out and show their support for the global change movement that has been spreading around the globe. A variety of unique signs of expression will not disappoint.

Roger Lake from IBEW local 124 will speak before the march. Delmira Quarles will also be speaking about he importance of building a strong community. (News Release)

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The story with the banks...how they've got us by the....
(from Alternet)

The Occupy KC are urging their supporters to move their accounts from bigger banks to smaller, customer-owned credit unions--coincidentally the point of this article.

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Now THIS is Peculiar (from Occupy KC's facebook page!)

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Charge filed against KC Catholic Bishop Finn

(KMBCTV) Jackson County prosecutors filed misdemeanor charges against Bishop Robert Finn and the Kansas City diocese on Friday.

The charge is failing to report in connection with the case involving the Rev. Shawn Ratigan.According to the indictment, Finn and the diocese "had reasonable cause to suspect that a child may be subjected to abuse due to: previous knowledge of concerns regarding Father Ratigan and children; the discovery of hundreds of photographs of children on Father Ratigan's laptop."“Bishop Finn denies any criminal wrongdoing and has cooperated at all stages with law enforcement, the grand jury, the prosecutor’s office, and the Graves Commission. We will continue our efforts to resolve this matter,” said Gerald Handley, who is the counsel for Finn.

KC Bishop Finn

Finn released the following statement:"Today, the Jackson County Prosecutor issued these charges against me personally and against the Diocese of Kansas City-St Joseph. For our part, we will meet these announcements with a steady resolve and a vigorous defense. from KMBCTV

More links, comments and response from the Diocese are on TKC.

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Herman Cain's 9-9-9 Plan to Double Your Taxes

When you take a look at the actual effect of the three different parts of Cain's plan, they all act similarly to a flat payroll tax. And the three parts add up to 27 percent. This means that if you're an average worker who spends most of your paycheck each month (in other words, virtually all of us), you'll be paying 27 percent of your income in federal taxes under Cain's plan. This compares to a current federal tax burden of about 14 percent for an average family.

Bottom line: If you make, say, $50,000 a year, your current total federal tax burden is about $7,000. Under Herman Cain's plan, it would be about $13,000. Even if you tweak the numbers a bit to make up for different measurement methodologies, that's a big difference.

--- from Mother Jones

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Unusual meeting between US and Iran over terrorist act

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama said Thursday that officials at the "highest levels" of the Iranian government must be held accountable for a brazen and bizarre plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the United States on American soil, insisting leaders of the world will believe the U.S. case without dispute once they absorb the details.

U.S. officials, meanwhile, confirmed the Obama administration has had direct contact with Iran over the allegations. The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Susan Rice, met with Iranian officials at Iran's mission to the U.N. on Wednesday — a highly unusual contact for two countries that do not have diplomatic relations.

Obama would not say whether Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, or its president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, knew of the alleged plan. Yet he called it part of a pattern of "dangerous and reckless behavior" by the Iranian government and said people within that government were aware of a murder-for-hire plot.

The U.S. considers it an attempted act of terrorism.

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Kansas reverses error of ways due to populist protest; more on OKC.

2011-10-12T20:57:00.003-05:00

Huffington Post shows the nation once again how Kansas stupidly acts. No wonder most people think Kansas is just a 1930s black and white movie! Well it's not. we have pink hair protests!

Topeka agrees to prosecute domestic abuse cases again!

A monthlong dispute in Topeka, Kansas over who is financially responsible for handling domestic violence cases, which resulted in 18 suspects being released from jail, was resolved Wednesday when the local district attorney's office announced that it would resume prosecuting the cases.

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Occupy Kansas City on live video

Occupy Kansas city, at the Penn Valley park overlooking the Liberty memorial mall, has begun video streaming their GA (General) daily meetings. THey're slow, youthful and much like a fraternity meeting. But they're the mechanism most occupy movements nationwide use to decide what to do, where to march and protest, and handle the housekeeping of camping out. ALready, they're concerned about the coming of cold weather, as well as establishing a unified message.

Speaking of unified messages, KCUR wrote on the topic earlier today.
KCUR: Mixed Messages from Occupy Kansas City. Its a worthy read.

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One issue is how to handle the change in modern protesting....

The Occupy facebook page. Occupy Kansas City has a couple of them along with an official website, www.occupykc.com. Another march is being planned for next Saturday, tentatively set for downtown's P&L district in the afternoon. But that's subject to change at the whim of a 6:30pm nightly GA meeting.

. I've been participating in the Facebook Page because I like to debate politics. And OKC certainly is a political movement. But KCUR's right, there's lots of differing views. The question is, can libertarians, liberals, socialists, anarchists and peace&love groupies facebook together without people getting pissed off at each other.

Well it's a good cause, getting corporate money out of the government, but when you have everyone from graduates of poly sci schools to graduates of the college of hard knocks, you have a variety of opinions and expertise. It's fun though, if you like the politics and aren't too rude. They jump you if you are or put you on "ignore" if things get too personal.

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Bellylanding at downtown airport late this afternoon...front gear collapsed, nobody hurt.

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The difference between liberals and conservatives...plus a few more tidbits

2011-10-11T15:57:00.001-05:00

Skipwaves

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There are even differences in big conservative factions... like Rove and the Koch Brothers. More from Politico.

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Gladstone Democrat Kyle Yarber making the rounds in bid to unseat Republican Congressman Sam Graves.

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An editorial from the St. Louis Post Dispatch calls the work a between government, workers and companies to create more jobs with Ford and GM a bright spot in the effort to get people back to work.

(Automotive expansions) surely would not have happened had Missouri Republicans succeeded in their effort earlier this year to pass right-to-work legislation that would have diminished worker protections. They most certainly wouldn't have happened had the federal government not intervened to save the automotive industry from collapse.

The Ford and GM announcements show how bringing jobs back to the United States from overseas and investing in American workers are a bright spot that should give bickering politicians in Jefferson City and Washington, D.C., a clear path forward.

Together — not apart — we can all be job creators.

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An open letter and warning from a former tea party movement adherent to the Occupy Wall Street movement.

Boston Occupiers move to new park and get arrested overnight

2011-10-11T07:51:00.002-05:00

One of the dozens of people arrested Tuesday morning.

(CBS Boston) Boston Police say they arrested about 100 people after demonstrators left their base camp and occupied an area of the Rose Kennedy Greenway that was off-limits.

Part of the incident was recorded by protesters who put their video on YouTube.

Protesters were previously told they could gather without a permit, as long as they stayed within the confines of Dewey Square.

“This is a brand new area that the Greenway put a lot of resources into and they filled it up with all kinds of tables and tents and were making it a place to camp out. It’s not what it’s intent is,” Superintendent-in-chief Daniel Linskey told WBZ NewsRadio 1030.

“This is the first day the communication broke down between the protestors and the police,” Police Commissioner Ed Davis told WBZ NewsRadio 1030.

“The people who we had been speaking to for ten days make it clear that there were a group of anarchists that were uncontrollable that had taken charge. So, when they decide they’re going to shut down large sections of the city or go into areas that we’ve said are off-limits, we have to deal with them accordingly.”

Philip Anderson of Occupy Boston told WBZ-TV that’s not what happened.

“If that were true why were over 100 people arrested by the Boston Police Department?” he asked.
“Boston police beat union workers, beat students, beat veterans holding the American flag. And we just find that an unacceptable response to a demonstration that we were holding.”

Anderson said the relationship with police started well but “apparently we crossed a line in the sand that Boston Police had put down and our relationship did change last night. Their response was deplorable. It was violent. People were injured. People were denied medication. Hundreds of people were arrested and our relationship has changed. We’re not really sure where it’s going to go.”

More on the overnight raid from the Boston Globe...

Charlie Rose, PBS moderator of tonight's GOP Presidential debate, says, 'Indeed" questions will be asked about the Occupy protest movement. The debate is on PBS at 7pm Central Time.

Photos: OccupyKC March from Liberty to Plaza...peaceful time had by all

2011-10-09T19:15:00.014-05:00

Here's an excellent collection of photos of the march and speakers staged by the Occupy Kansas City group...several hundred people listened, walked, and carried signs. Paul Coleman's collection which he uploaded:

Out of several hundred walkers, only one reported confrontation of a man or two who got out on the street...it's unknown if they were let go after being detained.

One out of maybe 600? Not so bad, eh?

Facebook Community page Official website

Solidarity!

KC Photojournalist Artist Eric Bowers beautyshots of the march

8 Star Photos. More than a hundred Snapshots from Shanna Freedom..

KSHB 41's coverage

Photos from blogger Hip Suburban White Guy

More photos and story from blogger Show Me Progress on the KC day

From Michael Moore's site

OCCUPY KC: Sunday free concert, great day to enjoy a worthy cause!!

2011-10-08T10:28:00.000-05:00

OCCUPY KC MOVEMENT

TO HOLD SUNDAY EVENT WITH SPEAKERS, BAND, AND A MARCH TO THE JC NICHOLS FOUNTAIN

Event to include Union Representatives, UMKC Economics Professors, Musical Performances,
and a 4PM March to the JC Nichols Fountain in Mill Creek Park on the Plaza

The event will mark the tenth day that Penn Valley Park near Liberty Memorial has been
peacefully occupied by the nationwide “Occupy” movement that started with the Occupy Wall
Street movement in New York.

The event will be held on Sunday, October 9th at 12:30 in Penn Valley Park. Mary Lindsay, from
the group Move to Amend, will be speaking at 12:30. From 1:00 to 4:00 there will be musical
performances by The Vibe Tribe and The Jah Kings. At 4:00, the march will begin at Penn Valley
Park and head to the JC Nichols Fountain in Mill Creek Park on the Plaza and return to Penn
Valley Park by 6:30. At 6:30, John Salvest, the artist who designed the IOU sculpture at Penn
Valley Park, will be speaking, followed by Shery Green from Breaking the Silence. Next, Tim
Dupin, from the International Association of Firefighters Local 42, will speak. Lastly, UMKC
Economics Professors Fred Lee & Doug Bowles will speak as well.

The following is a tentative schedule for this Sunday’s event:

12:30: Mary Lindsay from Move to Amend

1:00: Musical Performance by The Vibe Tribe

2:00: Musical Performance by The Jah Kings

4:00: March from Penn Valley Park to the JC Nichols Fountain in Mill Creek Park on the Plaza
and back to Penn Valley Park

6:30: John Salvest (artist of the IOU sculpture at Penn Valley Park)

Shery Green from Breaking the Silence
Tim Dupin from International Association of Firefighters Local 42
UMKC Economics Professor Fred Lee
UMKC Economics Professor Doug Bowles
Additional participants are pending confirmation and any schedule changes will be sent out before the event.

The Occupy KC movement is a grassroots and leaderless movement that has sprung up in
solidarity with the Occupy Wall Street movement which took up residence of New York’s Wall
Street on September 17th in protest of recent economic injustices and increasing corporate
influence on the democratic process. The movement’s rallying cry is “We are the 99 percent”
which seeks to draw attention to the increasing concentration of wealth and power in a select
few individuals.

The movement has quickly spread to other cities with similar occupations
occurring in Boston, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Seattle, Portland, Cleveland, and Austin, in
addition to Kansas City. There are currently at 914 cities, and counting,with meet ups scheduled
on the Occupy Together website.

Insider gets top job with KC Police Dept - feature story

2011-10-07T12:41:00.001-05:00

Darryl Forte, 45, a deputy chief with the department, was chosen for Kansas City's newest police chief. The 30 year veteran replaces Jim Corwin who retired last month.

The Star ran an exceptionally revealing feature on Forte last month...and it's worth another look.

Arrests at St Louis Protest, Graves has Dem Competition... and more

2011-10-06T08:32:00.005-05:00

St. Louis (KSDK)-- The ongoing protest at downtown's Kiener Plaza resulted in more than a half dozen participants being hauled away to jail early Thursday.

The Occupy St. Louis group is part of a nationwide demonstration aimed at bringing awareness to the United States economy and corporate greed ruining the livelihoods of American citizens.

The Occupy St. Louis demonstrators have been setting up camp in Kiener Plaza or the past several nights, violating the city curfew ordinance that prohibits anyone being on the Keiner Plaza grounds after 10:00 p.m.

Several citations were issued over the past two nights to violators at the park, and the arrests early Thursday marked the first time police have actually taken anyone into custody.

Occupy StLouis is their new facebook page...you'll see comments and more photos.

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A former Shawnee Mission West High School teacher charged with having sex with three of her students appeared in a Johnson County court on Tuesday.

Michelle Preston, 27, surprised people in court as she is now pregnant. According to her lawyer, Preston's husband is the father of the baby. Fox4 is the source...more...

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Kyle Yarber (Dem) , 45, of the KC suburb of Gladstone spoke to a Kansas City political club Wednesday night in a 'get acquainted' effort to tell the group of his plans to run against US Rep Sam Graves (R-6th District.) Yarber has filed his intentions to run and raise money for his race but has not filed officially yet in Missouri because that doesn't occur until February. Yarber is a planning commissioner in Gladstone and is a career high school teacher who has worked in Plattsburg in Clinton County, and elsewhere. At right, Yarber at the club meeting where members discussed social security.

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Palin fans likely to suffer depression. Oh the Humanity.

The muted GOP reaction to Sarah Palin’s departure from the Republican presidential field Wednesday suggests the party had moved on months ago. Not so for the thriving cottage industry that grew at her feet, and whose future is now in danger.

Palin-lovers, Palin-haters, a half-dozen publishing houses, and elements of the mainstream media who tracked her plans long after the Republican campaign bypassed her suddenly face a future without their entertaining, unpredictable, and now scarcely-relevant subject. (Sorry Darla Jaye, we know how important she was to you!)

More on the candidate who is sooo yesterday...

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Project to put black babies "BACK TO SLEEP"

By Robert Joiner, Beacon staff

The message is catchy enough for most parents to remember. "Back to Sleep," it says, as a reminder to put infants to bed on their backs. Other messages urge parents to allow infants to sleep alone in their own cribs without blankets or other bedding that might cause them to suffocate.

Children's Hospital and other health organizations throughout the area are trying to find new ways to advocate for safe sleep for babies.

In spite of advice from a national safe sleep campaign dating back nearly two decades, sudden unexpected infant death statistics in St. Louis suggest that the message isn't reaching many parents of African-American infants. The rate of sudden death for them is at least twice as high as for other infants. Fm St Louis beacon. Read more.

Not a good sign, the missing Lisa baby girl who disappeared on Lister has not been found... it means more and more someone wanted a baby without having one. So sad, as many kids as there are who are adoptable legally! Hope it's not the parents...that would be a REALLY bad sign.

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Major work time waster...Instant Messenging..

While instant messaging can be a useful intra-office tool, its generally informal (and instant!) nature can also make it productivity’s worst enemy. How many times has a discussion about something work related quickly degenerated into a half-hour gossip session? And there’s always someone with a lot less to do who will tempt you into a chat marathon.

The solution: If you can’t disconnect completely, at least set your status to “Busy” for a good portion of the day. This will help deter frivolous chatter. If someone insists on bothering you with non-work related chit-chat, tell them (politely) that you are in the middle of something and ask if you can pick up the conversation another time (maybe during your lunch break?). Don’t feel bad about it – no one will fault you for your silence if you’ve got work to do. If they do, you probably don’t want to be chatting with them anyway.

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China Bill to rightsize their currency

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says the China currency bill is the most important jobs legislation Congress can enact, while House Speaker John A. Boehner calls it “dangerous” — and the White House has refused to take a stand.

“We share the concern of members about the valuation of the Chinese currency and the need to appreciate the value of the Chinese currency. We also are concerned that any action that might be taken would be effective and consistent with our international obligations,” White House press secretary Jay Carney told reporters Tuesday, demurring yet again on the issue that is dominating Capitol Hill. He wouldn’t commit to taking a stand before the Senate holds a final vote, which could come later this week.
The Senate officially began debating the bill Tuesday, after a 79-19 test vote Monday cleared the way. Mr. Reid used parliamentary moves to block out any amendments, trying to prevent the debate from spinning into a freewheeling fight over free trade and U.S. debt. -- Fm Washington Times

ST Louis Police roust OCCUPY Protestors at 4am, throw to sidewalk

2011-10-05T09:31:00.009-05:00

At 4:15 Wednesday morning, Lt. Tim Sachs of the St. Louis police force approached the thirty plus Occupy STLers in their sleeping bags and told them that they had ten minutes to start packing up and leave Kiener Plaza or they would be issued summonses. Within 6-8 minutes, at least 20 cop cars and 3 paddy wagons pulled up and 30 or more police officers piled out of them. The Occupy STLers were having a general assembly to discuss their options, but the police put an end to that, pouring into the the plaza and telling the occupiers to get their stuff on the sidewalk now. More on the story from ShowMeProgress St Louis

Organizers on Wednesday said police would arrest anyone in the park by the Arch after 10pm and hoped for a large number to attempt a campout by outnumbering police.

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Occupy KC protesters have remained at Liberty memorial, within sight of the Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank. It's located across the street from the Liberty Mall and parking is available nearby. There was reportedly an arrest of a suspicious character at the encampment yesterday but otherwise the group of about sixty has been working to keep the park area clean. One officer was present Wednesday evening to oversee parking and peace. There have been a couple dozen campers over-nighting and then more wandering over after work to participate in discussions, music and otherwise act like 1960's hippies and modern day progressives.

There was talk at a 6:30 pm daily General Assembly meeting Tuesday of moving downtown but no decision was reached by the informal group. Wednesday, the group addressed breakout discussions.

Aside from the rousted St Louis campers, and Kansas Citians, other Occupy protesters display signs in Joplin, Springfield and Columbia.

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At a time when Missourians are out of work, wondering if they will soon join the ranks of the unemployed, or recovering from the natural disasters that have hit this state over the past few months, at least a dozen Republican legislators, dedicated to cutting every dollar possible from the state budget, spent thousands for a three-day vacation in New Orleans. from The Turner Report

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MISSING KC baby, a big deal

National media (MSNBC) has picked up on a missing baby from Kansas City's east side. Police not saying much in a news conference Wednesday morning. Missing is 10 month old, Lisa Irwin, taken 10/4/2011 from 3620 N. Lister, Kansas City, allegedly taken from her room. Police are combing the child's house for clues.

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"Landmine Billy", a slightly conservative blog/facebook personality in town, and frequent KMBZ caller, will do Darla Jaye's show for a few days. She's out recovering from a total hip replacement.. Show should be somewhat listenable this week! Maybe she'll have a cranial replacement next and recover from her tea party way, frenetic ways.

Darla is no doubt in mourning...not over Steve Jobs death... but after learning that Sarah Palin showed a little brains by deciding not to run for president. Darla thought Palin was just quite the cat's meow.

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Competition for Mo SecState candidate Kander? ...and more

2011-10-04T09:46:00.013-05:00

Sanders

Tony's Kansas City blogs with confidence that KC politicos say Mike Sanders "is in" in a planned bid for Mo Secretary of State. Fellow Democrat Jason Kander's already announced and that would pit 2 strong democrats west side against each other for next year's primary. Sanders is Jackson County's executive. Kander's a state rep from Kansas City. More from TKC who's not always gentle with local politicos but he has an ear to the ground when it comes to pushing and shoving reputations. Blogger Tony Botello suggests Kander might bow out...but that sounds like a stretch.

KANDERDORSEMENTS. Given that, it would appear Tony's been out suggesting that Kander's got a list of endorsements already on Tuesday. Jeesh! Check it.

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Jobs for Kansas City. Huzza! Huzza!

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A tentative labor agreement between Ford and the United Auto Workers includes a $1.1 billion investment and an additional 1,600 jobs at the company's Claycomo plant, the Missouri Governor's Office says.

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And MORE jobs...health care

Missouri’s 13 community and technical colleges have received a $20 million federal grant to train as many as 4,600 people for careers in health care.

Gov. Jay Nixon announced the MoHealthWINS (Missouri Health Workforce Innovation Networks) program Monday, saying the money would be aimed at training unemployed adults for jobs such as medical equipment maintenance, licensed practical nurse or pharmacy technician.

Nixon said in a release that the program is health care-based because that is a targeted industry by the Missouri Strategic Initiative for Economic Growth and is considered a source of immediate and long-term jobs.

And MORE jobs ... soybeans

(New Madrid) A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held Friday to celebrate the grand opening of Pioneer Hi-Bred's largest soybean production plant.

The new facility, located on 129 acres of land near Interstate 55, will begin operations in October as soybean harvest gets underway in the area.

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Occupy COMO

Occupy Missouri...

Protesters continue the Occupy Wall Street sympathy encampments in KC, St Louis and smaller ones in Joplin, Springfield, and Columbia.

Several dozen have overnighted in KC near Liberty Memorial. In an informal general assembly, they've discussed moving downtown but have not decided to do so. The encampment is in its fifth day. Some are spending the night, and others wander in for a while before going home. The groups have facebook pages for communicating in Kansas City, St. Louis and Columbia.

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Beating the Banksters

Many banks are inventing brand new fees to stick you with -- and raising the ones they dreamt up years ago. Fortunately, there are workarounds to avoid these gotchas. ABC Has the list to save money...

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A new progressive blog appears in the Missouri Bloggerhood
http://www.progresswomen.com/ (Progress Women) Check it!

"By women, For Women"

Contributors are:
State Rep. Stacey Newman – St. Louis, Missouri
Sarah Felts – Columbia, Missouri
Brianna Lennon – Columbia, Missouri
Sarah Martin – Columbia, Missouri

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NJ Gov Chris Christie says nope, it ain't 'my time' to run for president. So that done (forget 'bout the big guy now), is this:

Would anyone who has a brain like to run against Barack Obama??

Anyone, anyone?

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Disappearing Students in Alabama

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Hispanic students have started vanishing from Alabama public schools in the wake of a court ruling that upheld the state's tough new law cracking down on illegal immigration.

Education officials say scores of immigrant families have withdrawn their children from classes or kept them home this week, afraid that sending the kids to school would draw attention from authorities.

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Boehner’s District Suffers From E. Coli Outbreak As House Republicans Try To Gut Food Safety

Despite yet another outbreak of food-borne illness — this time stemming from listeria infected cantaloupes — congressional Republicans are still trying to cut back on the nation’s food safety regulations. The tainted melons have caused 16 deaths so far, making this the deadliest outbreak in more than a decade, and it comes just a month after salmonella-tainted turkey forced food-giant Cargill into the third-largest food recall on record.

One in six Americans is sickened by food-borne illness each year, and more than 3,000 die. The annual cost to the country of food-borne illnesses is $152 billion, according to Georgetown University’s Produce Safety Project. However, the GOP has not only refused to fund the implementation of a landmark food safety law passed last year, but has said that the current rules on the books are too onerous, because the food industry “self-polices.” But as the current slew of recalls shows, that it clearly not the case. More on the story

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Seen on the 'nets: Oh how I wish our Declaration of Independence was finalized in it's original form: "Life, Liberty and Property"...if it weren't for slavery, it would have stayed that way.

The Rise of Killer Drones That Can Think for Themselves

The U.S. military may be a decade or so away from deploying an army of pilotless drones capable of collaborating and killing without any human guidance. READ MORE

St Louis and KC protests against the Bankster Machine... and more

2011-10-02T10:58:00.022-05:00

"Zero arrested for bankrupting the country. 700 arrested for walking on a bridge."

700 Protesters Arrests in NYC

(Reuters) - Police reopened the Brooklyn Bridge Saturday evening after more than 700 anti-Wall Street protesters were arrested for blocking traffic lanes and attempting an unauthorized march across the span.

The arrests took place when a large group of marchers, participating in a second week of protests by the Occupy Wall Street movement, broke off from others on the bridge's pedestrian walkway and headed across the Brooklyn-bound lanes.

"Over 700 summonses and desk appearance tickets have been issued in connection with a demonstration on the Brooklyn Bridge late this afternoon after multiple warnings by police were given to protesters to stay on the pedestrian walkway, and that if they took roadway they would be arrested," a police spokesman said.

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This is not your Koch Brothers Tea Party Protest. This is progressives and the middle class and they've had their belly full in NYC and around the country. ABC's coverage....

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Mini St Louis - KC Protests

ST. LOUIS • Demonstrators gathered Saturday outside the Federal Reserve Bank in downtown St. Louis and said they plan to be there "as long as it takes to get the point across."

Their point, as they see it, is that it's time for 99 percent of the population to speak out and act against the greed and corruption of the richest 1 percent.

The group that organized the action is OccupySTL. Its Web address is www.OccupySTL.org.

Paul, a 40-year-old EMT from St. Louis who declined to give his last name, said he expected other supporters to join the protest at one time or another on Saturday.
"If you are not part of the 1 percent, this is your movement," he said.

Paul said the demonstrators would not block the street or sidewalks or entrances to the building. He said the group has security officers, legal advisors and trained medical personnel. He is an EMT and his wife is a nurse. Whole story from ST Louis Today

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Kansas Citians also protested this weekend near the KC Federal reserve and within eyeshot of the large temporary structure of shipping containers that face the Reserve, displaying "I O U". Photo of "Day 2" camp out was taken by Eric Bowers, local photojournalist artist.

More on Occupy Kansas City found VIDEO on TKC's link including interviews and video of the protest

While I wasn't at the KC protest, looking at these well-produced videos, I detect a certain lack of specific focus... but a general protest of the establishment controlled by the top one percent. There are certainly plenty of causes and business at Hobby Lobby's sign material department should be brisk. Some boomers ended up banksters who have short hair and live in the suburbs. They aren't at the protest. Others are gray haired, long haired, fifty somethings now who live in midtown and are still protesting the banksters and big money lobbyists in Washington. Now joined by a new generation to protest the same problems.

AT right, the 65 foot Kansas City sculpture commemorating US debt...close to where the protest is being held. All about it from MSNBC.

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McCaskill's got some more competition on the GOP side for Missouri US Senate.
It's John Brunner from the St Louis area. More from ST Louis Today.

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Chiefs beat Vikings 22-17 for their first win

It had been several months since the Chiefs had reason to celebrate, but the benefits of a victory came rushing back to them in the moments after Sunday's 22-17 win over Minnesota at Arrowhead Stadium. "Winning is contagious,'' linebacker Derrick Johnson said.

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The Missouri Democratic Party filed a complaint with the Federal Elections Commission today over Senate candidate John Brunner’s failure to comply with federal election laws. According to the complaint, Brunner violated FEC law by refusing to file as a candidate for months, despite clear statements that he is a candidate for Senate and spending beyond the threshold for registration.

“For months, John Brunner’s campaign has relied on his ability to hide behind professional political consultants and his extreme personal wealth to avoid any accountability. It’s deeply troubling to see someone who made his fortune inheriting a multi-million-dollar cleaning products company using that money to run such an unclean campaign right out of the gate,” said Caitlin Legacki, Missouri Democratic Party spokeswoman.

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Findlaw discusses Missouri Priest Case

By Cynthia Hsu on September 29, 2011 8:43 AM | No TrackBacks

Reverend Joseph Matt, a Missouri priest who fathered a child with a married woman, is being sued along with the diocese. The priest was sued in an anonymous lawsuit filed by the woman's husband.
The woman's husband wants to keep his name out of the lawsuit to protect the identity of the child.

More on this....

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Missouri Democratic Party Chairwoman Susan Montee to run for lieutenant governor next year.

Montee said Friday she has been trying to recruit strong Democratic candidates for offices and believes she has the best chance of winning the lieutenant governor's office being vacated by Republican Peter Kinder.

Kinder has said he will not seek re-election and is instead considering a run for governor.
Montee served as state auditor for four years before losing re-election last year to Republican Tom Schweich.

Two other candidates already have entered the lieutenant governor's race. They are Republican House Speaker Steven Tilley and Democrat Becky Plattner, who is chairwoman of the Missouri Conservation Commission. from forward stl.

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My dad's reply

2011-10-01T21:42:00.002-05:00

I took my dad Fred to the mall the other day to buy some new shoes (he is 74).

We decided to grab a bite at the food court. I noticed he was watching a teenager sitting next to him.

The teenager had spiked hair in all different colors - green, red, orange, and blue.

My dad kept staring at her.

The teenager kept looking and would find my dad staring every time.

When the teenager had had enough, she sarcastically asked: "What's the matter old man, never done anything wild in your life?"

Knowing my Dad, I quickly swallowed my food so that I would not choke on his response; I knew he would have a good one!

In classic style he responded without batting an eyelid ..... "Got stoned once and had sex with a parrot. I was just wondering if you are my kid."

Report: Robin Carnahan not going to run! Wow.

2011-09-30T14:51:00.003-05:00

Steve Kraske of the Star reporting Robin Carnahan not seeking reelection for Mo sec state!

Missouri’s two-term secretary of state, Robin Carnahan, will announce this afternoon that she will NOT seek a third-term, Jeff City sources tell Prime Buzz.

Democratic State Rep Jason Kander of KC announces he's running for Sec of State, to replace Robin Carnahan who announced hours earlier she would not run for reelection. Kander currently serves in the Army National Guard. As a military intelligence officer in the Army Reserve, Kander volunteered in 2006 for deployment and served in Afghanistan. Rep. Kander currently serves on the Missouri Veterans Commission. Kander is a lawyer and lives with his wife Diana in Kansas City.
-- from Tony's Kansas City.

Skipwaves - stuff you might have missed this week

2011-09-29T08:36:00.007-05:00

Gavin Hullposted toShanin & Parks
‎"My father said, 'Politics asks the question: Is it expedient? Vanity asks: Is it popular? But conscience asks: Is it right?'" -- Dexter Scott King

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Wringing hands over Murders...Bloggers don't have the answer

Our friend Tony, of TKC's always lamenting about blacks shot down in neighborhood killings... 'oh what's the mayor doing?" "And the po po?" Preachin to the choir. The ones who see stuff in the bar or somebody's front yard...they don't read TKC or any of us.

Get it? This has to be on TV...perps and witnesses watch TV the night after the shootings to see how the TV stations handled it.

This isn't a blogger issue. WHY isn't our bud, Alonzo on TV? He should be someone to give good talking head...as opposed to old ministers and pro tem mayors.

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Wall Street Photos:
Corporate America - Rage Against the Investors

More...demonstrations set for the Police; plans underway for winter.

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Failed Board Member wants his old Presidency Back

A top Kansas City School source says Airick West has enough votes to reclaim the presidency of the Kansas City School Board.

West resigned the post during a power play inside the board in August. That was in the midst of the controversy over the sudden resignation of former school chief John Covington.

At the time, West was accused of trying to interfere with the execution of a multi- million dollar school district contract. That charge was never proved. West was replaced as president by Board member Derek Ritchey. In late August West made clear he wanted the presidency back. The Board has a private meeting late this (Wed 9/28) afternoon.

A public school board meeting is set for Wednesday night. -- from 20 pounds of Headlines

Question: What's allowed to be discussed in a 'private' meeting? A matter of personnel, or contract negotiation, certainly. But is BOE President a matter of 'personnel'? Did they talk about that? Is that proper?

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Missouri Lawmakers tackle Unaccredited School Exodus. from KOLR TV Springfield

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Kansas is among the 26 states asking the U.S. Supreme Court to quickly strike down the federal government's overhaul of health care.

The states requested Wednesday that the high court consider the overhaul's constitutionality by summer 2012.

Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt (R) said states and the American public need certainty about whether the overhaul law is constitutional.

Schmidt, a Republican, had Kansas join the other states in a federal lawsuit in Florida against the overhaul championed by President Barack Obama, a Democrat.

A judge in Florida struck down the entire law. A federal appeals court in Atlanta upheld most of it, though it invalidated a provision requiring most Americans to buy health insurance starting in 2014.

Health Exchange talks Stalled in Jeff City

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - The Affordable Care Act (ACA) mandates the creation of health care insurance exchanges, marketplaces that let individuals and small businesses comparison-shop for health coverage online. Defining the details of an exchange, however, is left up to individual states.

Missouri state senators heard testimony this month about whether or not the Show Me State should even create its own exchange. However, Andrea Routh, executive director of the Missouri Health Advocacy Alliance, says the discussion has stalled because some senators don't want to implement an exchange system, arguing the ACA is unconstitutional.

"There are some senators who are determined to find ways to have Missouri not implement a state-based exchange. And it's true, they don't want the federal government interfering either, but they are betting on it that the Supreme Court is going to overturn the entire federal law."

Routh says creating their own exchanges allows states to tailor the needs for themselves. States have until 2014 to create their own health insurance exchange system; otherwise a federally operated exchange will have to be implemented.

Kansas City small business owner Dawn Lindsey testified before the senate committee that she's looking forward to the health insurance exchange as an affordable option. She dropped her insurance plan after her monthly premium went up to about $1,000.

"There's a vast number of middle class people who don't fit into the answers that the free market has supplied. And we do fall through the cracks and we are uninsurable. They should care about that."

The state Senate Interim Committee on Health Insurance Exchanges will make its recommendation to the legislature by year's end.

Heather Claybrook, Public News Service - MO

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Army To cut 8.6 percent of troops

Apparently even the U.S. Army is laying off people. Starting in March, it will cut 50,000 troops, or 8.6 percent of its force, over five years, according to Lt. Gen. Thomas P. Bostick. The cuts will bring the total force to 520,400 active-duty soldiers by October 2016. Bostick told the Army Times that demand in Iraq and Afghanistan is diminishing, and the military must manage a drawdown anyway. Most of the cuts will come through retirements, buyouts, and voluntary and involuntary separations.

Read it at Army Times

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Video: Wall Street Protest Presses on

2011-09-28T20:41:00.001-05:00

The more support the Wall street occupiers get, the the longer they stay. That is important because they are educating the public, and fighting the corporate control so many of us are determined to break. We who must stay home for our families or other responsibilities need to make efforts as well if the middle class has any chance left. We are all in this together, Unions, Civil Rights, Environmentalists, and working poor.

Because right now those occupiers are entering their 3rd week. Rain has not broken them, arrests have not. Lack of food is an concern. And most are becoming more determined. Not only do they need our support, they deserve it.

The best thing you can do is GO THERE. Anytime, day or night you can hop on a train and get to Zuccotti Park now renamed Liberty Square. Bring some food to share. Reports are NYPD Blocking large amounts of supplies, people need to bring backpacks full of rations. Share your story with a protester, or listen to theirs. Instead of whining on facebook go preach Philosophy in the crowd and see how many common dreams Americans have, you would be surprised.

Any talent you have can be put to use at Liberty Square. Artists could go and paint the scene, musicians can sing to a ready audience, bloggers can interview almost anybody for a good story. You can participate in the general assembly, a refresher course in democracy that many Americans could use.

If you are stuck at home make sure to follow the Redneck Party on Facebook or Twitter. Pass the links and educate your social media network. Monitor this link for real time events! If the situation changes send out the alert through your circle of influence. Spread word and educate America, because corporate media is not our friend right now.

The Redneck party will be sending a care package, you can donate to it here. This is our first fundraiser an it is one we would like to see succeed. It is for the troops, the front line activists, and they deserve our support. If you can give 5 bucks, that's a meal and another day of fighting for these activists!

Without leaving the seat you are in right now, you can sign online petitions like this one to break up Goldman Sacks criminal enterprise. Look up more petitions online and tweet them!

Florida expected to move GOP primaries up to January!

2011-09-28T10:21:00.001-05:00

Washington (CNN) -- Florida is now expected to hold its presidential primary on the last day in January 2012, a move likely to throw the carefully arranged Republican nominating calendar into disarray and jumpstart the nominating process a month earlier than party leaders had hoped.

Florida House Speaker Dean Cannon told CNN on Tuesday that a state commission exploring potential primary dates is likely to choose January 31 to hold the nominating contest.

If that happens, it would almost certainly force the traditional early states of Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada to leapfrog Florida and move their primaries and caucuses into early- to mid-January.

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Rick Perry - a minion of big oil and big bid'ness. SOLD OUT!

2011-09-27T10:03:00.002-05:00

The nation’s biggest oil companies — many of them headquartered in oil-rich Texas — are raking in record profits this year and don’t need any more incentive to keep doing business. But Gov. Rick Perry (R-TX) and his hand-picked appointees are giving them one anyway, and literally taking money away from children and schools to pay for it.

Public education — along with Medicaid, women’s health care, and the Texas Forest Service — was gutted in the budget Perry signed this year. But the governor’s hand-picked appointees on the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality look likely to raid another $67 million from public schools to give Big Oil a tax break

More from THINK PROGRESS...

New York Spring? Dozens arrested in NYC's Wall Street Protest; Deadlock in Jeff City

2011-09-25T19:33:00.006-05:00

Scores of protesters were arrested in Manhattan Saturday as a march against social inequality turned violent.

Hundreds of people carrying banners and chanting "shame, shame" walked between Zuccotti Park, near Wall St., and Union Square calling for changes to a financial system they say unjustly benefits the rich and harms the poor.

At least 80 people were carted away in police vehicles and up to five were hit with pepper spray near 12th St. and Fifth Ave., where tensions became especially high, police and organizers said.

The National Lawyer's Guild, which is providing legal assistance to the protesters, put the number of arrests at 100. More from NY Daily News....

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POSTAL EMPLOYEES, COMMUNITY MEMBERS RALLY TUESDAY TO SAVE AMERICA’S POSTAL SERVICE

Working families, community members, faith leaders, and seniors will join Congressman Russ Carnahan and postal employees Tuesday at the Main Post Office in Downtown St. Louis as part of rallies nationwide to Save the United States Postal Service. The fate of the U.S. Postal Service is of concern to every American, every community, every business, and heated political rhetoric has often resulted in the public hearing misleading and incomplete information on...

Source: Forward Saint Louis

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— Democrats aren’t the problem, said State Representative Jason Kander of the stalemate in Jefferson City over an economic development bill.

The second term Democrat sent a message to supporters Sunday expressing despair over the state of the economic development bill being considered by the General Assembly.

“If you’ve seen the paper this week about the special session in Jefferson City, I hope you’ll forgive me for admitting that I am, at this moment, frustrated,” he said. “Unfortunately, due to a small minority of extremists in the House and Senate, we appear to be at a standstill.”

The entire package of legislation, supported by the Governor, business, and labor, and agreed to by bicameral, bipartisan leaders earlier this year, is stalled between the State House and Senate over the issue of tax credits.

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U.S. Handing Over Billions In Iraq Bases And Equipment To Avoid Shipping Home

Skipwaves: Stuff you might have missed this week

2011-09-24T15:32:00.006-05:00

Facebook’s new redesign aims to get you to provide more info they can use to serve you ads—and make more money. The question is whether users will be in control of privacy, says Justin Brookman.

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"Republicans understand the importance of bondage between a mother and child"---Dan Quayle

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NASA satellite meets its fiery doom over Pacific Ocean

After days of worldwide suspense, NASA declared Saturday that a decommissioned six-ton satellite came apart during a fiery fall over the Pacific Ocean.

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Respected Black Actor, Nails the Tea Party for what it really is.

Morgan Freeman laid down the chips on the Tea Party in a new interview with Piers Morgan that is due to air Friday night. The Oscar-winning actor sat down with the British TV host and, amongst other things, discussed his belief that the right wing Tea Party's anti-Obama stance is rooted in racism. MORE....

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Fox favors Perry, Romney-- not leader Ron Paul.

If you’ve noticed a lack of Ron Paul in the mainstream media’s coverage of the 2012 presidential race, it might not be an accident.

After he placed first in a Fox News poll, the outlet has removed the results from their website without explanation.

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Cain wins Florida Straw Poll bigtime
Texas Gov. Rick Perry's presidential campaign was dealt a worrying blow Saturday when he finished a distant second to businessman Herman Cain in a closely watched straw poll in Florida.
Cain won 37% of the 2,657 votes cast in the straw poll conducted at Presidency 5, a three-day convention sponsored by the Republican Party of Florida. Perry got just 410 votes, or 15.4%. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney finished third with 14%.
Michele Bachmann won just 40 votes to bring in last place. She had won the Iowa caucus although in that straw poll, she bought all the delegates votes. Say goodbye to Bachmann.

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Perry's lousy performances. Texas governor and 2012 candidate Rick Perry defended his recent debate performances. “Yep, there may be slicker candidates and there may be smoother debaters,” Perry said in Michigan on Saturday, “but I know what I believe in.” Why, asks The Daily Beast’s Mark McKinnon, does Perry not seem to care about one of the most critical parts of the campaign? George W. Bush spent six months prepping for debates. Even Dick Cheney rehearsed like crazy—but Perry sounded like he was hearing questions for the first time.

Read it at The Daily Beast

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Yemeni president's troops kill 40 in new battles (AP)
AP - Forces loyal to Yemen's newly returned president attacked pro-opposition troops with mortar shells and heavy gunfire Saturday and used rooftop snipers to pick off unarmed protesters fleeing in panic, killing more than 40 people and littering the streets of the capital with bodies.

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KC School Neighbor Nervous

Tremors were felt in Lee’s Summit after the Missouri State Board of Education dropped a bomb on the Kansas City School District Tuesday, voting to pull its accreditation on Jan. 1. But the Lee’s Summit R-7 School District is taking measures to minimize local impact.

State law allows students in unaccredited districts to transfer to any other district in their county or an adjoining county, and requires the unaccredited district to pick up tuition and transportation costs. But it’s not clear whether the Kansas City district would be able to cover those costs, especially if there’s a huge exodus, R-7 Superintendent David McGehee said. Therefore, he will ask the R-7 board next month to adopt a policy barring enrollment of out-of-district students before their tuition and transportation costs are paid. --Lees Summit Journal

Abbott & Costello Video: "Who's on First"

2011-09-23T20:28:00.002-05:00

Stuff: Darla, a NY Mosque, a falling space object, and a bear -- Oh My.

2011-09-22T15:03:00.011-05:00

A 1991 satellite is scheduled to fall to earth Sep23... officials hope it burns up and the debris ends up harmlessly in the Pacific. NASA officials don't know where it will hit. IT weighs about 6 tons, the size of a schoolbus.

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12 year old escapes a bear rummaging around in the family kitchen in California. How did the girl get away?...by CLAPPING. Who knew? Thats how you startle a bear so it will wander off. Ya hope. The home alone kid got upstairs to her room and called her dad, who called the sheriff. The bear broke a lot of stuff but animal control people coaxed it out of a nearby tree.

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NYC Ground Zero Mosque opens

The so-called Ground Zero mosque, where proponents of religious freedom clashed with conservative pols and the families of 9/11 victims for nearly two years, opened Wednesday without controversy.

Instead of protesters, who tried to shut down the Park51 center several times, spectators milled about the center before entering to view a photographic exhibition.

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FOX GOP Debate Thursday night
Since Rick Perry has taken the lead, he 'was the major target Thursday for 2nd place Mitt Romney and others who want a piece of the Presidential nomination. Pundits on competing MSNBC reported Romney got the best of Perry though both were seen as the top two candidates after the debate was over. Perry was seen as clumsy and uncomfortable. Not much other news came out of it, the third debate in consecutive weeks, other than this:

IRAQ SOLDIER BOOED. A soldier in Iraq outed himself as a gay soldier during the debate, asking Rick Santorum if he'd roll back the repeal of Don't Ask-Don't Tell. The audience was very quiet... except for the boos of the soldier. VIDEO

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Solve Social Security problems. Smoke. Live FAST, Die YOUNG!

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U.S. Violent Crime Plummets

Despite the tough economic times, violent crime continues to fall. New statistics released by the Justice Department show that violent crime fell 13 percent in 2010. Crime has been falling for several years, but this last drop is about three times as great as the annual declines for the last nine years.

The Justice Department survey, which is done by telephone, does not include murder. It does include rape, robbery, aggravated assault and simple assault. Almost two-thirds of the violent crimes counted by the survey were simple assaults in which the victim was not injured.

SO if crime is down, how come local news keeps leading with it? Could it be that they still follow the consultants' rule, "If it bleeds, it leads?"

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IS Obama tough enough to battle the Evil Empire between now and 2012?

KMBZ talker Darla Jaye mistakenly called Barack Obama a phony for his jobs bill on her face book page the other day. Darla has no clue about Obama. If he's not anything, he's not a phony. If he's anything, he's naive for his honesty. Too naive. People voted for the guy to get some fresh air...to get rid of the phoniness. But they expected that he wouldn't be so NAIVE because he's also so POLISHED. He's fighting th Evil Empire and it takes more than a young Luke to defeat them.

IT's a fair statement... with GWB in office for eight years, we forgot how treacherous the GOP can be. Obama was clearly caught unawares and so he made a lot of promises, underestimating the GOP.

Sadly, he's not come through with the promises that got him elected. Why? Because the phonies of the right are more effective than he is. More shrewd. They'll say anything. They'll brazenly accuse him of the very tactics they do without batting an eye. To stop the right, he either has to grow up really fast -- or step aside.

Hillary's lookin better all the time because she won't put up with this GOP Bullsh|t! She learned about them a long time ago.
"
He took two years, two valuable years when he had a mandate. Now he doesn't. Now it will take nukes to get them unseated because they're so shrewd and have so hoodwinked American's mental midgets into thinking they're what America needs.

Perry is the personification of the stupidity of America. He's a cartoon. A dangerous one. That's why he might get elected in 2012. I'm starting to wonder if Obama's enough of a Jedi Knight to take these rats out!

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100 years ago:
THE YEAR IS 1911
Here are some statistics for the Year 1911:

The average life expectancy for men was 47 years.
Fuel for this car was sold in drug stores only.
Only 14 percent of the homes had a bathtub.
Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone.
There were only 8,000 cars and only 144 miles of paved roads. The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.
The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower !
The average US wage in 1910 was 22 cents per hour.
The average US worker made between $200 and $400 per year. A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year.
A dentist $2,500 per year, a veterinarian between $1,500 and $4,000 per year, and a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year.
More than 95 percent of all births took place at home .
Ninety percent of all Doctors had NO COLLEGE EDUCATION! Instead, they attended so-called medical schools, many of which
were condemned in the press AND the government as "substandard."
Sugar cost four cents a pound.
Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen.
Coffee was fifteen cents a pound.
Most women only washed their hair once a month, and used Borax or egg yolks for shampoo.
Canada passed a law that prohibited poor people from entering into their country for any reason.
The Five leading causes of death were:
1. Pneumonia and influenza
2. Tuberculosis
3. Diarrhea
4. Heart disease
5. Stroke
The American flag had 45 stars...
The population of Las Vegas , Nevada , was only 30!!!
Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and iced tea hadn't been invented yet.
There was neither a Mother's Day nor a Father's Day.
Two out of every 10 adults couldn't read or write and only 6 percent of all Americans had graduated from high school.
Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at the local corner drugstores. Back then pharmacists said, "Heroin
clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind, regulates the stomach and bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health!"
( Shocking? )
Eighteen percent of households had at least one full-time servant or domestic help ...
There were about 230 reported murders in the ENTIRE U.S.A. !
I am now going to forward this to someone else without typing it myself.
From there, it will be sent to others all over the WORLD - all in a matter of seconds!
Try to imagine what it may be like in another 100 years.

The Long, Murderous Arm of the Law Has Killed Troy Davis | | AlterNet

2011-09-22T06:57:00.001-05:00

Let us not mince words: The state of Georgia just murdered Troy Davis. The state coroner will list homicide as his cause of death. But he wasn’t the first and, sadly, he won’t be the last person slaughtered in the name of U.S. law and order. There are today dozens more people scheduled to be killed by states, according to Amnesty International. Their likely deaths represent the ultimate act of perversity in a system that destroys untold thousands of primarily black and brown lives every day.

The Long, Murderous Arm of the Law Has Killed Troy Davis | | AlterNet

Executed: No stay of execution for condemned Georgia man whose guilt is in question

2011-09-21T21:48:00.008-05:00

The U.S. Supreme Court denied a last-minute stay of execution for Troy Davis after a delay to weigh arguments from Davis' legal team and the state of Georgia over whether his execution should be blocked.

The court's decision to deny the stay came after 10 p.m. ET, more than three hours after Davis' execution originally was scheduled today. The court did not comment on its decision.
The execution by lethal injection was expected to occur by 11 p.m. ET Wednesday evening.

There had been doubts about this man's guilt after several eyewitnesses recanted that they'd seen him kill a Georgia off duty policeman.

MOre details on the case from the AP.

MSNBC reports that because of the unavailability of a fatal cocktail normally used for executions--now no longer made in the US, Georgia is using a drug normally used to put down domestic pets.

MSNBC and CNN ran continual coverage on the protest outside a Georgia prison; Fox ran a lower screen crawl of the Supreme Court decision but went ahead with recorded repeats of their regular programs.

Witnesses at the execution heard his dying declaration that he wasn't the one who actually killed the Georgia off duty officer for which he was found guilty. Strapped to the geurney before the chemicals were injected, Davis said to the officers' family that he was not responsible for the death of their brother, father. He had previously asked his own family and friends to dig deeper into the case to show that he was telling the truth.

Davis was pronounced dead at 10:08 central time. The son and brother of the slain officer seemed satisfied by smiling, as described by journalists.

KCMSD loses accreditation

2011-09-20T16:31:00.002-05:00

A source confirms the State Board of Education and Commissioner have chosen to pull the District's provisional accreditation. Said one board member, please understand that this only weakens the resolve of the uncommitted and gives those who are stubbornly dedicated to turn things around stronger resolve.

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This is not particularly helpful to the young people going to school there but certainly reflects on the difficulty of educating low income students, many of whom want to succeed. Obviously the traditional method of education does not work for this population.

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Jay Leno: Michele Bachmann convicted!; VIDEO Congress: Preps for RealAlien Invasion

2011-09-17T08:47:00.008-05:00

Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann Friday evening hit the late-night comedy circuit with an appearance on NBC’s “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.”

“If you become president — and you seem pretty strident in your views…,” Jay Leno said, before Bachmann interrupted him.

“Convicted. I’m convicted,” she said.

“Convicted?” Leno replied. “No, you don’t get convicted until after you’re in office. That’s later. You have to get elected first.”

Congress okaying budget for War with Aliens from Outer Space!

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Magnificent Music Video: Jackie Evancho - 11, America's Got Talent Final - Sings Puccini

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TOWANDA, Kan. -- A Kansas high school teacher is apologizing after parents complained because she stepped on an American flag while discussing free speech rights in her class.
Officials at Circle High School in Towanda said Jennifer McKinsey, a U.S. government and history teacher, stepped on the flag this week while discussing controversial behaviors that are protected by the First Amendment.

Cherie Davis, a parent of a Circle student, complained to school officials.

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WHY DOES AT&T SUPPORT THE EXTREMIST IDEAS OF RICK PERRY?

Texas Governor Rick Perry holds some radical—and dangerous—views. He's open to Texas seceding from the United States. He believes Social Security is "a Ponzi scheme." He doesn't believe in global warming, but believes in teaching "intelligent design" to kids. He's anti-abortion and anti-gay-marriage. And he opposes the federal income tax, which provides 45% of government revenue.

And yet AT&T contributed $462,739 to Perry since 2000.¹ What's more, AT&T spent $18,349 to sponsor a lunch last December at a conservative summit and distribute 700 copies of Fed Up!, Perry's book which contains some of his most extreme ideas.² Why? Good question.

The last time a Texas governor ran for president—remember George W. Bush—AT&T gave the maximum amount allowed to the Bush-Cheney campaigns in the 2000 and 2004 elections. And we know how that turned out for the country.

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The plane leaves Heathrow Airport under the control of a Jewish captain. His co-pilot is Chinese. It's the first time they've flown together and an awkward silence between the two seems to indicate a mutual dislike. Once they reach cruising altitude, the Jewish captain activates the auto-pilot, leans back in his seat, and mutters, 'Ya know I don't like the Chinese.”

“No ‘rike’ Chinese?” asks the co-pilot, “why not? “You people bombed Pearl Harbor, that's why!”

“No, no,” the co-pilot protests, “Chinese not bomb ‘Peahl Hahbah’! That Japanese, not Chinese.”

“Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese -- doesn't matter -- you're all alike!”

There's a few minutes of silence.

“I no ‘rike’ Jews!” the co-pilot suddenly announces.

“Oh yeah, why not?” asks the captain.

“Jews sink Titanic!” says the co-pilot. “What? You're insane! Jews didn't sink the Titanic!” exclaims the captain, “it was an iceberg!”

“Iceberg, Goldberg, Greenberg, Rosenberg” – “No ‘mattah’ -- all same!”

Airshow accident tonight in RENO NEV...scores in audience hit

2011-09-16T19:59:00.007-05:00

horrible National Air Race air show accident at reno NV airport, a high performance WWII era P-51 crashes into an audience sitting in box seats... reports of 75 injured, many critically tonight. Multiple fatalities, people lying all over a runway. mass casualty situation.- msnbc

More...3 dead 56 injured by one early evening count ... the pilot a 74 (fixed age) year old veteran racing pilot from Florida.

More yet.. by Saturday afternoon 9.

The death toll from the Reno, Nevada, air race plane crash has risen to nine people, Reno police said Saturday. Seven people died on the tarmac, including the pilot, and two died in hospitals, police said. More than 50 people were transported from the scene with injuries, officials said shortly after the crash Friday. --CNN

A stunt pilot died at Downtown Kansas City airport on Aug 20th while flying a high performance stunt plane. That plane crashed into the grass a few hundred feet from the airport audience here. There were no injuries other than the fatality of the pilot. On that weekend, 2 others were killed in air show accidents elsewhere.

Radioman's Kansas City

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FB PAGE: Occupy Kansas City

OccupyKC: Danni, Melissa, Jeremy, Chris, Marci, Shamus, Tamaryn, & Chad from #OccupyKC are being arrested on K St #99inDC

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At right, a scene of the occupiers makeshift 'kitchen; Saturday night there was soup and burgers welcoming a contingent of veterans to the evening General Assembly which takes place at 6:30 each night.

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Events at Zuccotti Park, the epicenter of the Occupy Wall Street movement in Lower Manhattan, have become increasingly dramatic in recent days, as egos have clashed, visions competed, and the unity of the protesters has been questioned.

Tents can stay for now....at OccupyKC

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Sunday, an all day set of educational and fun activities are planned at the Penn Valley encampment located at the entrance to Liberty Memorial's mall, and across from the Federal Reserve Bldg. Occupy camps all over the country are putting on education programs this Sunday.

Things not so perfect at New York's Occupation...from Huffington Post

Events at Zuccotti Park, the epicenter of the Occupy Wall Street movement in Lower Manhattan, have become increasingly dramatic in recent days, as egos have clashed, visions competed, and the unity of the protesters has been questioned.

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Skipwaves

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Occupy Lawrence
The tents are down. The camp is gone. The occupation continues - and you are all invited to join - General Assembly 6pm South Park

Gavin Hullposted toShanin & Parks
‎"My father said, 'Politics asks the question: Is it expedient? Vanity asks: Is it popular? But conscience asks: Is it right?'" -- Dexter Scott King