May 15, 2012
Categories: Uncategorized . . Author: michaelshatz . Comments: Leave a Comment
G4S: Privatizing Police Departments and Prisons Around the World
“The government’s answer is to privatise us by stealth so the likes of G4S will be patrolling the streets, that is why we are all here today.” – Police officer in London, on why he protests.
Koch Industries, Wells Fargo, CBS, Facebook and CISPA
The vast majority of the media companies, the tech industry, the defense industry, the big five banks and many others in this country and around the world are behind legislation to censor the internet (see CISPA, ACTA, SOPA,).
Under proposed legislation, sharing photos, videos, music and any other potentially copyrighted material on the internet gives corporations the power to monitor your sharing and report it to the federal government. While they say the bill (CISPA) is only geared at thwarting cyber-threats, the language specifies sharing copyrighted material as a threat.
To put things more clearly, if CISPA passes, I will have to remove this photo of David Koch, along with a myriad of photos on my Facebook page, going back years. All those cute little cat pictures you share, with the funny captions, those are likely copyrighted photos, prior to the caption being added.
Facebook, being a CISPA supporter, along with Google, and virtually every company you have ever heard of, will be required to report and share your copyright infringement with the federal government, who will then have the option of prosecuting you. If convicted, you will face up to five years in prison on each count.
Wells Fargo, a CISPA supporter, is also heavily invested in the two largest for-profit prison corporations in America. Wells Fargo routinely lobbies for stricter laws and harsher sentences for non-violent “offenders” who are caught with drugs, or who may be in violation of immigration laws.
Koch Industries is not on the list of CISPA supporters, but Rep. Mike Pompeo did co-sponsor the bill. Pompeo is from Wichita, Kansas, which is also Charles and David Koch’s hometown. Wichita is also the international headquarters for Koch Industries.
Pompeo’s chief-of-staff is a former Koch employee and the Kochs donated more to Pompeo’s 2010 campaign than any other candidate in the nation, which is significant considering the vast amounts of money the Kochs funnel into political campaigns.
CBS is also a major supporter of CISPA, along with virtually every other mainstream media outlet in the country. But CBS’s role in the censoring of the internet began years ago, with the advent of CNET.com and Download.com.
CNET and Download.com are the two largest distributors of the software that allows people around the world to share files for free. CNET and Download.com are both owned by CBS/Viacom.
You have CBS claiming that copyright infringement is a major crisis that requires the censoring of the internet, despite the fact that CBS provided and continues to provide the primary vehicle for the infringement itself.
The content industry wants to take back their control over the flow of information. Our media corporations want to turn the internet into a cable television-like version of what we have now, where we have a few thousand channels that are owned by about six companies.
The End of Your Reign is Near
More than new laws or more deregulation or this measure or that, what we truly need are higher standards. Look at these people we elect. Look at what they do. And we accept this as inevitable. The same can be said of the vast majority of the media and our business leaders. We simply need to hold these entities accountable for their actions.
We can vote out those who have corrupted our system. We can bankrupt the corporations that control the media. We have the power. But first we have to show people how obviously corrupted our society has become. There are still tens of millions of people who remain in the dark.
Continue to amass peaceably in the streets and parks. Continue to infiltrate the system at the local, state and federal levels. Continue to expose the rampant corruption of those who seek to rule us.
The Occupy movement is not a protest. This is mass-global awakening and it cannot be stopped. The seeds have been planted and now we must water them with our continued dedication. We cannot allow prefabricated issues promoted by the media (alternative or mainstream) to distract us from our course.
To the banking institutions, corrupted officials and those who oppress others:
You are the parasite, not our people who gather in peaceful protest against cruelty and intolerance in our world. You are outnumbered and surrounded. The revolution has begun and the end of your reign is near. We will not stand for your atrocities and injustices any longer. You are the parasite, not our people who participate in large-scale community education efforts for the betterment of humanity.
History will judge you harshly for your actions.
Expect us…
Occupy Message to the Police
The police, in this nation, stomp out peaceful political dissent, stripping Americans of the right to hold our government accountable when the laws created by that government are not capable of doing so. People camping in parks and marching in the streets is as American as apple pie, and more importantly, these tactics are our primary form of exerting our power.
Furthermore, police restrict the rights of the free press, specifically in regards to photojournalists whose ranks have multiplied in recent years due to the advent of photo and video technology, which when coupled with the internet, can be used to share stories with the world with a click.
During the 1960′s police tried to stifle the civil rights movement.
Then it was the anti-war protesters of the Vietnam-era. Today, it is the Occupy movement, and it is global. Sadly, taking a bloody nose and citation along with a blast of pepper spray to the face in the process of defending our First Amendment rights is the purest form of patriotism.
Throughout history, those who have taken peoples’ freedom away have been described as “just following orders”. And throughout history, those guilty people who did not stand against tyranny, but rather assisted in its implementation, have been held accountable once their reign has ended.
Those who exert force upon peaceful protesters will be no different. You will be held to account for the crimes you commit against the American people. Bear this in mind as you assault your next dissenter.
To the honorable officers of the world, stand down. While you may be reprimanded or even fired, you will be punished knowing you have done the right thing. History will either vindicate you or expose you as the villain. The choice is yours.
Oppose Internet Censorship in America: Occupy the Grammy Awards
The content industry, specifically the media, the music, television and motion picture industries as well as the professional sports organizations have initiated a series of events which have come to a head with the adoption of ACTA, the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement.
ACTA is an international treaty that will censor the internet in the name of protecting copyrighted materials. For decades, the content industry has controlled the flow of information with minimal competition.
The booming success of internet-based companies like Google, Facebook, Youtube, Ustream, Twitter and other services that allow users to create and share content are threatening the traditional industry’s obsolete business model.
Our ability to share is at the heart of the issue. When we share digital media, that media may or may not be copyrighted material. Due to the high cost and impracticality of monitoring everything that is shared online, the content industry has convinced the governments of Europe, America, Canada, Australia, Japan and others to stop the sharing.
ACTA places the burden for filtering copyrighted materials onto the sites like Google, Facebook, Youtube and Twitter. Companies found to be in violation will be removed from the servers and may even face prison time. If it costs a company like Facebook even a mere ten cents to censor each user, with over 300 million users, Facebook would go bankrupt, along with Google, Youtube, Twitter and the other companies that allow us to share our content for free.
The content industry does not want to have to differentiate between legal and illegal sharing. They just want the sharing to stop.
SOPA, the Stop Online Piracy Act, was tabled by Congress after the largest online protest in history. SOPA was the second attempt by the United States government to enact legislation codifying ACTA into US law. President Obama signed ACTA in October of 2011.
While SOPA and its sister bill PIPA have been defeated, the victory is temporary. The United States government is bound by international treaty to censor the internet, returning control of the flow of information back to the content industry.
Sites like Youtube, Ustream, Facebook, Twitter and Reddit allow people all over the world to post and share real-time information with the entire world, regardless of income status or connections. These sites are essential to oppressed citizens all across the world in their fight for freedom.
The revolutions in both Egypt and Tunisia relied heavily on sites like Facebook, Youtube and Twitter for both organizing protests, avoiding government violence and, perhaps most importantly, spreading unedited video coverage to the whole world.
Today, protesters around the globe are dependent on the free nature of the internet and the services provided by these sites. Without these services, protesters cannot spread their message unless they are wealthy.
The content industry, our musicians, actors, athletes, journalists and writers sought to protect their money from piracy. In seeking this protection, their unions lobbied to the governments of the world. The governments of the world are now using the content industry as an excuse to censor the internet, taking away the peoples’ ability to fight their governments.
OCCUPY CONCERTS, AWARDS SHOWS, SPORTING EVENTS, MOVIE PREMIERS AND BOOK SIGNINGS. INFORM OUR CELEBRITIES AND THEIR FANS TO THE DANGERS OF ACTA. FIGHT TO SAVE THE INTERNET BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE.
Warsaw, Poland, Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2012.
