Video from K Street Protest

cross-posted from Sum of Change

Today, despite the persistant rain, thousands of people showed up on K Street in Washington, DC to protest the actions and lobbying efforts of big banks and to demand economic justice. The Washington Post is comparing the anger to what we have seen at Teaparty protests.

--Mark Freeman, foreclosure victim and SEIU member

--Kia Alvarez, member of Alliance to Develop Power

--Trenda Kennedy, Illinois People's Action

--Al Marshall, SEIU Local 1021

Interview with Neil Franklin of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition

cross-posted from Sum of Change

On Friday, May 14th 2010, I got the chance to sit down with Neill Franklin, the Executive Director of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP). (Full interview at the bottom)

Neill Franklin, LEAP's incoming executive director, is a 32-year law enforcement veteran who spent more than two decades with the Maryland State Police (leading the drug division's education and training) and then moved to Baltimore PD. Like a character from HBO's "The Wire," Neill could tell you stories of colleagues being gunned down in the line of fire, as he did in this Washington Post op-ed.

--Neill Franklin Shares His Story

To sum up: Mr Franklin is a 32-year law enforcement veteran. Many things he experienced doing that work led him to speak out against drug prohibition, but there were two events that really changed him. First off, he served on Mayor Kurt Schmoke's Board for Needle Exchange in Baltimore. Mayor Schmoke was an advocate for rethinking our policies regarding the war on drugs. But it was not until 2000 when he lost a good friend named Edward Totely. Mr Totely was assassinated while making an undercover drug buy. That is when Mr Franklin began to examine the negative consequences of the war on drugs.

--On the Obama Administration's Drug Policy

To sum up: Mr Franklin feels that President Obama's "balanced new approach" is balanced in rhetoric only because two thirds of the money goes to enforcement (not including the costs of incarceration).

--On the Gateway Drug Theory

To sum up: Mr Franklin feels it is a fallacy and that cigarettes and alcohol are greater gateway drugs yet remain legal.

--Drug Laws and the Fourth Amendment

To sum up: Mr Franklin argues that the laws surrounding drugs create an environment where police are under pressure to search for drugs, which leads many officers to unintentionally push the limits of the law.

--The CA Ballot Initiative and the Federal Response

To sum up: Mr Franklin congratulates the people of California for putting this issue on the ballot, and encourages people to get involved with that campaign. As for the federal response, he has some concern that the federal government may try to "flex their muscles and go into California and start arresting people." He says the federal government should allow that state to go ahead with control and regulation. "They should be bringing smart people together to figure out what the future policies will look like."

--Law Enforcement Reaction to Franklin's Work

To sum up: Mr Franklin finds that most law enforcement officials respond positively to his position.

Full, Unedited Interview

Celebrating One Year Of Grassroots Video

Today, Thursday May 13th 2010, marks one year since we signed the paperwork to register Sum of Change. We did not know what to expect when we started but we are proud of what we have accomplished so far. We feel privileged to be able to do this work and wake up every day more appreciative of this opportunity.

Below we have compiled links to many of our best projects for you to enjoy. Below that, we present our plans for the coming year, of which you are a major part. Please take some time this weekend to watch and digest as much as possible, then let us know what you think and what you would like to see in the future.

Sum of Change In Year One

Soon after Dr George Tiller was assassinated, we filmed and released our first video from the vigil that took place outside the White House in his honor and felt compelled to take our website live, before we had originally intended. Before long we were covering important events around town, such as the election in Iran. That event captivated many Americans and we captured their feelings of solidarity as they took to the streets of Washington DC.

From there, our work has blossomed. We shed light on the struggles of former felons in Virginia to restore their rights, well before the national media took notice. We covered labor issues like EFCA and union busting. We heard from inspiring voices for change, like William McNarry, Stewart Acuff, Richard Trumka, Michelle Singletary, Darcy Burner, Howard Dean, and our good friends from Grow the Hope.

We started production on our first feature documentary, titled Best When Boring, about pro-choice clinic escorts and the Washington Area Clinic Defense Task Force. Not long ago, we released the first preview.

We delved into the world of music, beginning with an interview with Tim Westergren from Pandora Internet Radio. From there were inspired to explore further and have highlighted talent from today like Nicky Egan, Petworth, and Dub FX, and talent from yesteryear like Elvis, Dizzy Gillespie, and Louis Armstrong. We also covered local cultural events like FlavorTripDC and Obscura Day.

Besides for these DC based events, we traveled to some fantastic conferences, including Netroots Nation, Organizing 2.0, the PA Progressive Summit, Democracy for America's Campaign Academy, and the Good Jobs Green Jobs Conference.

Out of all of this, however, health care reform was our primary focus. When our nation re-initiated the health care fight, we were there. We were there for the town halls. We were there with experts to educate the public about the facts of reform, including this simple explanation of the public option. We were there to see people sharing their personal stories with neighbors and legislators. We were there to challenge misinformation. When they said reform would fund abortion, we pressed the President of Operation Rescue and the folks at the March for Life in a fruitless search for someone who could explain how.

And we were there as reconciliation went through the final steps of the process. After reform passed, we were still there reaching out to grassroots folks, including David Waldman of Congress Matters, Dr. Margaret Flowers of Physicians for a National Health Program, and Jim Lindsay of the Virginia Organizing Project, to discuss what lessons were learned.

Throughout all of these events this past year, we worked aggressively on the front lines of the new media movement. We magnified the power of our work using cutting-edge web, video, and social networking technologies. Hand-in-hand with bloggers and other progressive video groups, we took steps to combat the forces of Status-Quo™ that dominate mainstream news outlet, as perfectly explained by our friend Chris Hayes at a Sum of Change housemeeting.

Moving Forward In Year Two

After the passage of health care reform, we knew we had to establish a new platform of issues upon which to provide in depth coverage. Health care dominated the headlines at Sum of Change, as it dominated political discussion across the country.

We deliberated, researched, and sought advice from viewers, and over the last couple months we explored a variety topics to see what the response would be. We continue to strive to cover all relevant stories, but it is important to have a core set of issues so that we can focus our efforts in the most productive way.

Therefore, we have decided upon 5 issues where we feel our focus is most needed: Green Energy, Immigration, Reproductive Justice, LGBT Rights, and The 2010 Elections. Over the next year (and beyond) you can expect a focused stream of in depth material on these topics.

Please continue to send us your input on these and any other topics that you find important. Without viewers like yourself, none of this would be possible and our work is based on interactive communication, not one-way dissemination.

We expect year two to be even more exciting than year one. Thank you for your continued support and we look forward to sharing a brighter future together.

Thank you,
Mitch Malasky and Will Urquhart

[UPDATED @ noon] National Nurses United Rally for Nursing-Ratio Limits

cross-posted from Sum of Change

About 1,000 nurses, with a handful of doctors mixed in, rallied today on Capitol Hill for National Nurses Week to "press the case for moving beyond insurance reform to improving the quality of care in U.S. hospitals and other healthcare settings."

One of the big topics of discussion, S 1031/HR 2273, The National Nursing Shortage Reform and Patient Advocacy Act (pdf). The focus of this legislation is to establish a minimum nursing-ratio, much like the law in California. We were able to grab Senator Boxer for a very quick explanation of the California law everyone was talking about:

We also got a minute to speak with Congressman Anthony Weiner to get his thoughts on the days events:

Senator Boxer's remarks on the National Nursing Shortage Reform and Patient Advocacy Act (pdf):

Senator Al Franken's opening remarks:

Congressman Weiner's opening remarks:

We've got lots more video from this event. Check Sum of Change for updates.

UPDATE: Permeable Cone Stocking (Oil Corral): Oil Spill Solution?

cross-posted from Sum of Change

UPDATE: Eric Lewis put together a more detailed drawing of the proposed permeable cone stocking, and there is a good discussion about it taking place over at Daily Kos.

UPDATE2: Just got an email from the Coast Guard, they have received 4,800 proposals to stop/contain the spill from all across the world.

Last night, I came across this picture on Daily Kos. With the failure of the containment dome, BP and the US government are now scrambling for a solution. We are joined today by Eric Lewis who came up with the permeable cone stocking idea.

Mr Lewis received a reply from Deep Water Horizon Response (DWHR), nothing significant most likely a stock response. We reached out to DWHR this morning and will update this post with any response.

The following inquiry was submitted to Deepwater Horizon Response on
05/10/10 10:27 (259571):
From : Joint Information Center
Date : 05/10/10 10:49

Dear Mr Lewis,

Thank you for your comments and suggestions. Unified Command is considering all options for mitigating both the response and clean-up efforts.

A telephone number has been set up to receive calls - 281 366 5511, and also an email account: horizonsupport@oegllc.com

For the most current information on the Deepwater Horizon Response, visit www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com.

Sincerely, Joint Information Center Team
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
From : Eric Lewis
Date : 05/10/10 10:27

I think I may have come up with an idea that will help contain the Gulf spill and can be manufactured relatively quickly. I am not an engineer, but I do have a Master of Industrial Design degree from The Rhode Island School of Design, where I received the Rachel Carson
Environmental award for ecologically responsible design.

Please find the attached jpeg sketch of a "Permeable Cone Stocking" concept.

The thought behind this is that it would avoid the complicated chemistry involved in deep sea high-pressure capture efforts, by making the tube between the leak and the surface PERMEABLE. As a result, this method allows some oil to escape, but more or less contains it within
the cone.

The drawing shows the bottom of the cone nailed to the ocean floor, but upon further consideration, it could simply be attached to a rigid steel hoop and positioned less precisely over the leak - so long as the majority of the spewing was going into the cone.

I very much hope you are able to find a solution soon. Thank you very much, and good luck!

Sincerely,

Eric Lewis

Masquerade Ball, A Republican Love Affair

cross-posted from Sum of Change

There is a pattern emerging amongst the radical right. Time after time, we find the conservative side engaged in an act, pretending to be authority figures, often times the same ones their base ridicules.

I will start with an example I saw on last night's Rachel Maddow show.

American College of Pediatricians? Religious, political activists pretending to be medical experts with the intent to mislead others into assuming some level of scientific or experienced authority on the subject. Want to know what the real American Academy of Pediatrics (you know, actual pediatricians and not political activists) has to say?

Official Statement:

Summary of Physician Guidelines

Pediatricians should be aware that some of the youths in their care may be homosexual or have concerns about sexual orientation. Caregivers should provide factual, current, nonjudgmental information in a confidential manner. These youths may present to physicians seeking information about homosexuality, STDs, substance abuse, or various psychosocial difficulties. The pediatrician should ensure that each youth receives a thorough medical history and physical examination (including appropriate laboratory tests), as well as STD (including HIV) counseling and, if necessary, appropriate treatment. The health care professional should also be attentive to various potential psychosocial difficulties and offer counseling or refer for counseling when necessary.

The American Academy of Pediatrics reaffirms the physician's responsibility to provide comprehensive health care and guidance for all adolescents, including gay and lesbian adolescents and those young people struggling with issues of sexual orientation. The deadly consequences of AIDS and adolescent suicide underscore the critical need to address and seek to prevent the major physical and mental health problems that confront gay and lesbian youths in their transition to a healthy adulthood.

From Pediatrics, Vol. 92, No. 4 (October 1993, pp. 631-34).

As for the "reparative therapy" that George Rekers suggested to them:

"Reparative Therapy"

The American Academy of Pediatrics in its policy statement on Homosexuality and Adolescence states: "Confusion about sexual orientation is not unusual during adolescence. Counseling may be helpful for young people who are uncertain about their sexual orientation or for those who are uncertain about how to express their sexuality and might profit from an attempt at clarification through a counseling or psychotherapeutic initiative. Therapy directed specifically at changing sexual orientation is contraindicated, since it can provoke guilt and anxiety while having little or no potential for achieving changes in orientation." [Policy Statement: Homosexuality and Adolescence, American Academy of Pediatrics, 1993.]

Taken from The American Psychological Association Online Fact Sheet — Just the Facts About Sexual Orientation & Youth: A Primer for Principals, Educators and School Personnel.

Let's move on. How about those Republican "census" mailers?

The Census Bureau? Pretending to be one of the bastions of big government?

And have you heard of Crisis Pregnancy Centers? This one's good, I promise.

These are fake clinics run by people who are anti-abortion. They have a history of giving women wrong, biased information to scare them into not having abortions.

These are religious and political advocacy groups (anti-choice activists to be specific), masquerading as the very professionals their cohorts intimidate (pdf), harrass, kidnap (pdf), bomb, and shoot. There is no uncertainty about their objective. They are not there to provide women with expert, medical advice. They have one goal: prevent abortions by any means.

The radical right has a love affair with deceiving people into believing they are experts, often the very experts they ridicule. This is all part of a greater conservative campaign strategy ingrained in them early in their training: win by any means necessary. These examples are not out of the ordinary.

Karl Rove is famous for having impersonated a volunteer in order to steal campaign stationary and spread fake invitations around promising "free beer, free food, girls and a good time for nothing."

This, sadly, is their proud tradition. I am going to end with this clip from the James O'Keefe scandal.

Maryland Leads the Way, Yet Again

cross-posted from Sum of Change

Sometimes, Maryland is the unrecognized progressive capitol of our country. The first affordable housing laws on the books, some of the nation's best public schools, a good living wage law, and one of the first states to write legislation protecting the right to access a clinic entrance.

Earlier this year, Baltimore followed in this fine tradition, becoming the first city to mandate that crisis pregnancy centers inform women that they do not provide abortion. Crisis pregnancy centers are religious activist organizations that prey on pregnant women. They impersonate medical centers and trick women into thinking they are experts of reproductive health care.

In truth, these religious advocacy groups have one goal: prevent women from having abortions by any means:

From now on, in Baltimore city, these organizations will have to be more honest about who they are. This is a good start.