Occupy Wall Street's first fatality

A protester in Seattle, Washington aligned with Occupy Wall Street says that an assault from a cop last week has caused a miscarriage, which if true marks the first loss of life from police brutality since the demonstrations began two months ago. Photographers were on hand November 15 to document 19-year-old Jennifer Fox being pepper-sprayed by police in Seattle while participating in an Occupy protest on the West Coast. Along with an assault on an 84-year-old activist, the incident involving Fox, then pregnant, was arguably not only the most disturbing scene out of the Occupy Seattle movement but out of the international demonstrations altogether. Less than a week later now, Fox says that she has suffered a miscarriage and according to her, doctors say that an attack from police is to blame.

"Everything was going okay until yesterday, when I started getting sick, cramps started, and I felt like I was going to pass out," Fox tells The Stranger out of Seattle. Although a checkup with her physician a month earlier proved the unborn child to be in perfect health, Fox says that things took a turn for the worst this week after her confrontation with the Seattle police. Five days after she was pepper sprayed and assaulted by cops, she found out on November 20 that the heart of her child stopped beating and she was experiencing a miscarriage.

Fox tells the Stranger that her physician says that police action led to the incident. While her reaction to a blast of pepper spray was caught on film, Fox adds that that was just a part of what she had to experience in Seattle last week.

"I was standing in the middle of the crowd when the police started moving in," says Fox. "I was screaming, 'I am pregnant, I am pregnant. Let me through. I am trying to get out.'" From there, she says, an officer with the Seattle Police Department lifted his foot, kicking her in the stomach. A moment later, another office charged at her on his bicycle, again attacking her and her unborn child.

"Right before I turned, both cops lifted their pepper spray and sprayed me. My eyes puffed up and my eyes swelled shut,"she says.

Checking in with doctors this week after experiencing excruciating pain, Fox tells The Stranger that physicians told her, “the damage was from the kick and that the pepper spray got to it [the fetus], too."

"I was worried about it, but I didn't know it would be this bad,” she says. “I didn't know that a cop would murder a baby that's not born yet.”

Fox adds that she is trying to obtain an attorney to represent her so that she can attempt to prosecute the Seattle PD over the assault. Across the country in New York City, two Occupy Wall Street protesters filed a federal civil-rights lawsuit against the NYPD on Monday alleging that they were falsely arrested and suffered from excessive police force during a demonstration there. Though police action across the country has spawned a few outbursts of brutality since the Occupy movement began, until Fox’s revelation there have been no deaths reported as a result of departmental force. Last month, US Military vet Scott Olsen suffered a fractured skull after being hit by a police projectile and though originally admitted to a hospital in critical condition, has since greatly recovered.

The Stranger and other outlets are currently investigation the legitimacy of Fox’s claims, seeking more information to confirm that the police assault could have indeed led to her miscarriage. Source

‘We have lost respect’ – former US Senator Mike Gravel

The US is like a drunkard who charges to war with anyone who might pose a threat, ex-Senator and former US presidential candidate Mike Gravel says.

“I like the US. But at the same time I think my country is an imperial country that is going downhill, and our leadership does not even acknowledge the problem,” confesses Gravel.

“Phony triumphalism has turned into a device to make Americans live in fear of a terrorist attack, yet you are a thousand times more likely to catch cancer than ever be hurt by that,” he points out.

“All I can say about what the US is doing – it‘s immoral,” Gravel says, explaining that “as a result of 9/11, we have altered our moral compass. And people began to get used to brutalizing each other.”

“We Americans used to think ‘oh, what happened in Germany could never happen with us!’ Well, it is happening with us. And it is happening to the detriment of our global position.”  Full story/Source

Lawmaking with pepper: Tear gas vs. US deal

A South Korean opposition MP has reportedly used tear gas powder against the parliament’s deputy speaker in a bid to block ratification of a key trade deal with the US.

Video footage from Yonhap showed Kim Sung-dong throwing a powder substance towards Chung Eui-hwa. The latter was seen wiping his eyes after the incident, while other lawmakers covered their mouths with handkerchiefs.

Security guards ushered Kim out of the chamber as he shouted in disgust.

The trade deal between South Korea and the United States was ratified with 151 votes in favor and seven against. Source

Confirmed: Egypt forces fire live ammo on protesters + Awakened American Protesters Face Pepper Sprays News Analysis

With over 33 people already confirmed dead and about 1,500 injured during Egypt’s revolution 2.0, the toll is expected to rise as the police have started using live ammunition on protesters. RT’s Paula Slier is in the eye of the Tahrir storm. Sounce

Finally, a Judge Stands up to Wall Street - Matt Taibbi

Federal judge Jed Rakoff, a former prosecutor with the U.S. Attorney’s office here in New York, is fast becoming a sort of legal hero of our time. He showed that again yesterday when he shat all over the SEC’s latest dirty settlement with serial fraud offender Citigroup, refusing to let the captured regulatory agency sweep yet another case of high-level criminal malfeasance under the rug. Source

War Crimes Tribunal Tries Bush and Tony Blair 'In absentia'

Overseas war crimes tribunal levels charges at G.W.Bush and Tony Blair... Quote: "Along the lines of what the Nazis did in world war 2" Source

Alleged WikiLeaks Source Bradley Manning Has A Court Date: 569 Days After His Arrest

One year, six months, and three weeks after he was first jailed in a military brig in Kuwait, alleged WikiLeaks leaker Bradley Manning will have his day in court: According to a blog post Monday from his lawyer David Coombs, the Army private first class will have a pre-trial hearing in Fort Meade, Maryland on December 16th, a day before his 24th birthday, to examine the government’s charges and evidence and determine whether to proceed with the case against him.

According to Coombs:

The primary purpose of the Article 32 hearing is to evaluate the relative strengths and weaknesses of the government’s case as well as to provide the defense with an opportunity to obtain pretrial discovery. The defense is entitled to call witnesses during the hearing and to also cross examine the government’s witnesses. Each witness who testifies is placed under oath; their testimony can therefore be used during the trial for impeachment purposes or as prior testimony should the witness become unavailable.

Since he was befriended and exposed by the hacker Adrian Lamo, Manning has been accused of leaking classified documents to WikiLeaks that include a video that showed an Apache helicopter firing on civilians in Baghdad, 91,000 secret files from the war in Afghanistan, about 391,000 classified files from the war in Iraq, and another 251,000 State Department Cables, by far the largest public breach of classified data in history. He’s been charged with crimes including computer fraud, theft of records, and “aiding the enemy,” which carries a potential death sentence, although prosecutors have said they’ll only seek life in prison.

The Bradley Manning Support Network plans to hold a rally in his support at the Fort Meade location, and posted a quote from Daniel Ellsberg, leaker of the Pentagon Papers and one of Manning’s most vocal supporters since he was arrested: “The charges against Bradley Manning are an indictment of our government’s obsession with secrecy,” he says. “Manning is accused of revealing illegal activities by our government and its corporate partners that must be brought to the attention of the American people. The Obama administration lacks the courage to confront the crimes and injustices that now stand exposed.” Source

Max Keiser: FINRA Let Corzine Run MF Global with Expired Broker License

Police lockdown and brutality on journalists at OWS + Awakened American Protesters Face Pepper Sprays News Analysis

An estimated 26 journalists have been arrested at Occupy Wall Street protests. Brutally handcuffed, thrown onto the ground, pepper sprayed, and threatened to have press credentials taken away – is this the future for freedom of press in the US?

Freedom of the press versus a press suppressed. A new reality for journalists reporting in the US – being roughed up, arrested and blocked from coverage. “It’s definitely unacceptable and not something that we should just let happen in a country that prides itself on freedom and the first amendment,”  said freelance writer and editorial assistant at Alternet Kristen Gwynne, who was handcuffed while text messaging and held for several hours. 

Petite 21-year-old Anna Lekas Miller was tear-gassed by police. “It tastes pretty disgusting and really hurts your eyes a lot,” she described. “I was arrested on the Brooklyn Bridge on October 1 covering the action for Alternet,” said Kristen Gwynne. 

There is also the brutal detention of Faith Laugier caught on tape by a colleague. “One cop literally came up, from behind, grabbed her and threw her to the ground,” said credentialed journalist Evan Shamar, describing the arrest. 

An estimated 26 journalists have so far been arrested covering Occupy Wall Street protests. A majority are members of alternative media.

“The media is there to be a watchdog, to report the news – not to give you gentle sound bites that don’t hurt your millionaire ears,” said Occupy Wall Street activist Jesse LaGreca. 

Not hurting millionaire ears are the corporate media, often covering the action from behind the barricades, but amidst the crowd – many journalists have been blocked regardless of their press passes and were even threatened to have their media credentials taken away. “Taking press passes is unprecedented behavior. It’s shocking to me. Our liberties as individuals and journalists are getting rolled back daily,” said editorial columnist and author Ted Rall. 

Not long ago, a journalist in America used to be respected. But now – times are different. “Being a journalist you have absolutely no credential that will keep you from getting arrested. You are just as much at risk of getting arrested, as everyone else,” said journalist Anna Lekas Miller. 

Some rights have simply gone out the window. “The United States has changed. Twenty-thirty years ago, when I got into this job – if you had press credentials – you could go anywhere, and it really was a free pass,” said Ted Rall. 

Police brutality at Occupy Wall Street protests has peaked recently, and some officials have even attempted to keep it under wraps. “They want to keep the journalists as separate from the protesters as they can, so they can see less of what’s actually happening," said Kristen Gwynne. 

Excuses for blocking the press given by authorities have varied, but many are just not buying it any longer. “Media journalists don’t have the right to video tape police activities… ummmm!.. It almost sounds like when Bush invaded Iraq and he said you’re not allowed to say bad things because that hurts our freedom,” said Jesse La Greca.

The U.S. has always prided itself in press freedom. It has tried to lead by example by lecturing other countries, but with Occupy Wall Street protests unveiling all sorts of ugly skeletons in America’s closet – the concept seems to be well on its way to becoming a thing of the past. Source

Awakened American Protesters Face Pepper Sprays 

News Analysis

Video images of a police officer pepper spraying protesters at close range at their sit in their ground in California Davis University have caused a lot of concern across the US. Questions like how authorities are or should be dealing with non-violent protests and how stronger force the Occupy Movement has become and in a lot of minds these days. Source

Mainstream news - US to bail out EUROPE or we BOTH collapse!! + Obama, Biggs, Walker's Own Words on Supercommittee

U.S. markets fell more than 2% Monday on fears over global debt. The Dow was down roughly 300 points in recent trading, and the S&P shed about 30 points.

On this side of the Atlantic, the 12-member bipartisan super committee is on the verge of failing to identify $1.2 trillion in federal budget cuts for the next 10 years. (See: Superfail: Why D.C.'s Fiscal Clown Show May Still Yield Results)

Across the pond, yields on Italian and Spanish debt continue to rest near 7% — levels never before seen in the history of the euro zone — while worries over a breakdown in interbank lending remain a serious concern.

"All the talk we hear of widening Italian/German bond yield spreads and rising interbank lending costs may seem a bit arcane to American investors, most of whom are more focused on the state of their own economy. The euro zone crisis is, however, of critical importance to investors all over the world," writes Dr. Jerry Webman, chief economist at OppenheimerFunds, in his weekly... Source


http://bloom.bg/udydux#ooid=tjcmUxMzpN0vcqkV805yZbUXxkWA7hme
U.S. President Barack Obama, Barton Biggs, managing partner and co-founder of Traxis Partners LP, and David Walker, chief executive officer of Comeback America Initiative and a former U.S. comptroller general, offer their views on a special debt-reduction committee in the U.S. Congress's failure to reach agreement. This report also contains comments from deficit supercommittee members John Kerry, a Massachusettes Democrat, Rob Portman, an Ohio Republican, and Patty Murray a Washington Democrat; Stuart Eizenstat, a partner at Covington & Burling LLP and former Undersecretary of State and Deputy Secretary of Treasury under President Bill Clinton, and David Kotok, chief investment officer at Cumberland Advisors Inc. (Source: Bloomberg)

Economic Hit Man John Perkins on the Failed Global Corporatocracy

In this episode of Capital Account with Lauren Lyster, we cover the US super committee's pending failure in negotiations to cut 1.2 trillion dollars from the national budget over the next 10 years, something that we spoke with Cato budget Tad Dehaven about last week. We also cover the occupy wall street protests, and the recent police episode where a cop sprayed unarmed and subdued protestors right in the face with pepper spray at the UC davis campus. Joining us to discuss these issues, and their impact on the economy and society is John Perkins. The former economic hit man tells Lauren about the "mutant form" of capitalism or corporatism that encourages corporations to scour the globe in search of resources and cheap labor irrespective of the ill effects that their actions cause. John Perkins argues that this is a failed system, and that our economy has been stolen from us by modern day Robber Barons.

Lastly, we end our show with a special little treat: a twitter war! Nouriel Roubini vs. James Rickards...Gold vs. Fiat Money...Currency wars turn to twitter wars! Source

Bring it On (Silver Liberation Army Dub Mix)