Tag: Protests

Political Dissent

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

The authors of the United States Constitution understood that the freedom of the people to express their disagreement with government policies is absolutely vital to democracy. The First Amendment makes explicit the protections afforded to this kind of expression: Americans have the right to “peacably assemble and petition the government for a redress of grievances.” In other words, non-violent demonstration and disagreement are fundamental American values. They ensure that we have a government “by and for the people,” and that a lively debate about the direction of our country remains a constant facet of American public and political life.

However, it stands to reason that no form of expression is so aggressively assailed as disagreement with leadership. Those in positions of power have obvious interests in stifling public discourse about government lies, corruption, or ineptitude, and many of the tactics they employ to short-circuit public dissent constitute particularly insidious forms of censorship.

Political Dissent

Senator Brian Schatz Joins The Moral Panic With Unconstitutional Age Verification Bill

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

Senator Brian Schatz is one of the more thoughtful Senators we have, and he and his staff have actually spent time talking to lots of experts in trying to craft bills regarding the internet. Unfortunately, it still seems like he still falls under the seductive sway of this or that moral panic, so when the bills actually come out, they’re perhaps more thoughtfully done than the moral panic bills of his colleagues, but they’re still destructive.

Senator Brian Schatz Joins The Moral Panic With Unconstitutional Age Verification Bill

Related:

Bipartisan Senate bill would ban social media algorithms for minors

Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Chris Murphy (D-Conn), Katie Britt (R-Ala) and Tom Cotton (R-Ark) introduced the Protecting Kids on Social Media Act on Wednesday. The bill would set a minimum age of 13 to use social media sites, and would require parental consent and age verification for users under 18.

Regime Change Continues: Thousands Rally in Georgia’s Tbilisi Against Government

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)
Source.

Thousands of opposition supporters rallied Sunday in the Georgian capital Tbilisi as the Black Sea nation’s government faces mounting accusations of backsliding on democracy.

Demonstrators gathered outside the Georgian parliament for a rally organized by the country’s main opposition force, the United National Movement (UNM), founded by jailed ex-President Mikheil Saakashvili.

Protesters waved Georgian, Ukrainian and European Union flags and held a huge banner that read “For European future.”

Thousands Rally in Georgia’s Tbilisi Against Government

Related:

Regime change proceeds: State Departments sanctions Georgian judges, assassinations feared next

Denial of Mumia’s appeal: An affront to basic justice and the law

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

Mumia Abu-Jamal, his family and his supporters around the world had every reason and right to hope that all their hard work would pay off in persuading Judge Lucretia Clemons from the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas to follow and apply the law, as has been done in other cases involving Brady and Batson violations.

Denial of Mumia’s appeal: An affront to basic justice and the law

Zelensky regime leads request for social media platforms to censor “disinformation”

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

Ukraine has spearheaded a collective call to action, joining forces with seven other Central and Eastern European nations to combat “disinformation” on social media platforms.

Zelensky regime leads request for social media platforms to censor “disinformation”

Related:

A joint letter from European heads of government to global technology companies on the need to engage in the fight against disinformation

Social media has become a potent channel for spreading false and manipulative narratives. Paid ads and artificial amplification on Meta’s platforms, including Facebook, are often used to call for violent social unrest, bring violence to the streets and destabilize governments.

Wider Europe Briefing: Ukraine’s Big Plan To Fight Russian Disinformation And Why The EU Is Stalling On Belarus Sanctions

Now, Kyiv wants to repeat the trick by starting an “Information Ramstein” to combat Russian disinformation on a larger scale.

Deep Background: In a letter written by Ukrainian Culture Minister Oleksandr Tkachenko and addressed to the European commissioner responsible for transparency and values, Vera Jourova, he notes that “Ukraine is up against Russia’s vast and centralized information warfare and international influence machine, which includes assets from troll farms to state media, energy companies to corruption networks. Though it cannot compete in terms of scale, Ukraine does have one huge advantage: It can ally with its international partners to create coordinated, targeted, joint-influence operations.”

Watch: Austrian Lawmakers Stage Mass Walkout During Zelensky Speech

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

As we and others have observed recently, Western populations have grown weary of “sacrificing” their hard-earned money and tax dollars for Ukraine. Volodymyr Zelensky himself has this week acknowledged that ‘Ukraine fatigue’ is setting in, and waning enthusiasm and support for the war effort against Russia, which is clearly evident even to him, apparently.

Watch: Austrian Lawmakers Stage Mass Walkout During Zelensky Speech

‘NY Times’ won’t explain why Palestinians aren’t joining the big anti-Netanyahu demonstrations in Israel

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

Here’s a revealing video from Jerusalem, at one of the massive demonstrations that are shaking Israel’s far-right wing government. Note the sea of Israeli flags in the background, characteristic of the weeks of protest so far. And then watch what happens when some brave soul unfurls a Palestinian flag, perhaps to test Israel’s “democracy.” His attackers look like a combination of security officials and possibly other bystanders. This is yet another sign of Israeli apartheid.

‘NY Times’ won’t explain why Palestinians aren’t joining the big anti-Netanyahu demonstrations in Israel