FascistBook Strikes Again by Cindy Sheehan

The other morning, I woke up and got my coffee and booted up my Air, like I do every morning, to check my email and take a gander on what's going on over in FacebookLand.

First of all, I have a "like-hate" relationship with Facebook. On my page, my friends, and I, have gotten into some really relevant, informative, and sometimes, very heated, debates/discussions. I look at my News Feed to catch up with the world that happened while I slept. I have also discovered, that most people don't use email to personally communicate any longer, they use FB private messaging. 

Also, FB has been helpful at spreading the good word about events and news, but I think activism is slowly being transformed to "clictivism." The immediacy of the real time of commenting has led to many unfortunate, hostile and rude things being said. I know I am guilty of that. I have noticed that a lot of us type things we wouldn't say if the person we were addressing was sitting next to us. 

However, the biggest drawback of Facebook is that we are literally handing all of our information over to the establishment on the paper plate of social networking. I stay because I believe the positives outweigh the negatives (for the moment). I have been known to disable my account for a few days though to take a self-imposed "Facebook break."

So, on the morning in question (Thursday, the 27th), I clicked on my FB bookmark and got a warning message that my account was being blocked for 30 days by Facebook because I posted "objectionable content." FB gave me the link to the "content" but, guess what? I couldn't see what the objectionable object was, because my account was blocked.

That day, dozens of other activists and truth tellers ALSO had their accounts blocked, but from what I understand, theirs have been restored, but mine hasn't.

If you're not familiar with Facebook, in your circle of "FRIENDS" (between my personal account and Soapbox account, I have about 13 thousand, or so), you can COMMENT on posts by others, and yourself; you can SHARE posts of others; you can LIKE posts; and communicate privately with other users. Also, on your own page, you can make STATUS UPDATES.

At this point, I can make STATUS UPDATES and post articles, but I can't do anything else. When I try to do something I am restricted by FB from doing, I get this message:

You've been blocked from using this feature because you may have violated Facebook's Terms. Please review the Community Standards to learn what's acceptable to share on Facebook.

If you need help, please contact us. 

I did "contact" FB to ask them what I did that necessitated a 30 day restriction and this is the response I received from it:

Hi,

Thanks for taking the time to submit this report. While we don't currently provide individual support for this issue, this information will help us identify bugs on our site.

To get answers to common questions and help from other people on Facebook, visit:

https://www.facebook.com/help

Thanks,
The Facebook Team  

I am getting the old run around from Facebook, and I understand that it is a corporation and it's founder must have been very upset at the ridiculous IPO, but I somehow don't think it was a coincidence that so many of us were shut down on December 27th, the day of the Great Facebook Purge of 2012.

It is very frustrating that I can't even know what I did to deserve a 30 day restriction, but I know that I NEVER post anything that calls for violence against another person or animal; or anything that is sexually explicit. What I do post are FACTS that are obviously uncomfortable or threatening to some. (And I have been known to drop an occasional, well...many times, I drop "F" bombs.)

In closing, a couple of years ago, my organization organized a protest in front of the CIA HQ in Langley, Va against its drone bombing program. We had a FB page that was shut down a few days before the event, without explanation. The day before the event, I went to the CIA to meet with "security" and the local cops to chat about the protest. One of the CIA security dudes asked me how many people we expected at the protest. I responded, "I don't know for sure, but we had about 300 signed up before you guys shut down our Facebook page."

He looked startled and replied, "Cindy, we don't have that capability."

Yeah, sure.      

UPDATE I:
I AM MIGRATING ALL OF MY SOCIAL NETWORKING TO
WORLDTRUTH.ORG


HERE IS THE LINK TO MY PROFILE:
http://www.worldtruth.org/cindysheehan/  

War Control by Cindy Sheehan

War Control

Cindy Sheehan

No More War by Ben Heine

Full disclosure: I hate guns; I always have—even before my oldest son was killed by a gun shot to the head in a foreign land that the US was/still is occupying. (By the way, Casey had a gun, armor, albeit inadequate, PLUS the First Cavalry, and he was still killed by a gun...interesting). I desperately wish we lived in a country, or on a planet, where not one weapon was necessary, but we don’t...yet.

After the recent tragedy in Sandy Hook, Ct, the predictable blather became the recycled “debate” about “gun control.” However, as profoundly devastating is that incident, I think the discussion needs to be around “War Control.” Besides saving millions of  lives, while the Pentagon just received over 600 billion of your tax dollars and needs to be shoved over the Fiscal Cliff, pushing War Control could also save OUR Social Safety Nets that Obama and his buddy, Boehner, are trying to destroy.

I am not opposed to back ground checks and waiting lists for gun ownership, but why is that restriction only placed on citizens? Here in the US we have an epidemic of Killer Cops and I believe that any new applicant to any police force needs to be first subjected to the most stringent background and psychiatric screening AND, then, the hopeful cop would have to pass the screening of a citizens' personnel review board that is comprised of a diverse cross-section of community members before he/she is allowed to openly carry a weapon in society. Why are our police forces becoming so militarized anyway? Obviously, to protect the 1%, not us.

Why is this image socially acceptable in MOST circles?

To me, the above image is disgusting—that is supposedly a police force, not Navy Seal Team 6! 

Gun koo-koos and Second Amendment Advocates have extreme emotional attachments to their guns and when I say that I “hate guns,” one would think I said that I hated babies or kittens, the reaction is so extreme. But putting our love of things that go “boom” aside, what does the Second Amendment to the US Constitution actually say?

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

I wonder how many lovers of the Second Amendment actually belong to a “well regulated Militia?" And what does that even mean? My point is, that if anyone thinks that he/she owns guns to fight the US police/war state in open rebellion, that concept is ridiculous. When the Second Amendment was written, more people died of infection or gangrene than died of the actual musket shot. In the days of gun powder and musket balls, the people may have had a fighting chance against the state—now our weapons are like fleas to an elephant. We are more powerful in concentrated resistance, not rebellion, anyway.

Besides the emotionally charged issue of gun control, why are few people making this point as Martin Luther King, Jr. did so eloquently in his Beyond Vietnam Speech exactly one year before he was assassinated: “The greatest purveyor of violence in the world today is my own government.”

Why, President Barack Obama even has his very own Kill List and an entire bloated military establishment to do his filthy killing for him. In Sandy Hook we rightfully mourn the deaths of those beautiful children, but in Pakistan, the ones killed in Obama’s drone attacks are called, “bug splat” by the drone pilots pulling the trigger thousands of miles away. However, the mentally ill murderer of 20 children in Sandy Hook is correctly vilified and pitied, while the by proxy baby killer, Obama, is enthusiastically welcomed and celebrated almost everywhere he goes. I don't get it.

Presidents of the US are inherently the CEO’s of a huge war machine that has momentum on its own, but why does putting ones hand on a bible and swearing an oath confer respectability upon mass murder? Here’s an even stickier question? Why, in the eyes of some, is mass murder by, say, someone named George Bush (R) more horrendous than the slaughter by a couple named Barack Obama (D) and Bill Clinton (D)? I obviously think any murderer is a low-life scum and wearing an expensive suit and tie and traveling with ones own squad of heavily armed goons does not give cover to murdering the innocent.

And, guess what, Faux-gressives? The NRA (National Rifle Association) isn’t really THE problem (I am not saying that I support the NRA, I don’t) and making it so is a huge distraction away from the real problem. According to the website, Open Secrets, here is the K Street (lobbying firms) Top 20 for government payola:

Lobbying Client	Total
US Chamber of Commerce	$95,660,000
National Assn of Realtors	$25,982,290
Blue Cross/Blue Shield	$16,238,032
General Electric	$15,550,000
Google Inc	$14,390,000
Pharmaceutical Rsrch & Mfrs of America	$14,380,000
AT&T Inc	$14,030,000
American Hospital Assn	$13,275,200
National Cable & Telecommunications Assn	$13,010,000
American Medical Assn	$12,980,000
Northrop Grumman	$12,980,000
Comcast Corp	$12,420,000
Boeing Co	$12,010,000
Verizon Communications	$11,670,000
Lockheed Martin	$11,518,870
National Assn of Broadcasters	$11,220,000
Royal Dutch Shell	$10,860,000
Southern Co	$10,500,000
Edison Electric Institute	$10,130,790
Exxon Mobil	$9,870,000

I don’t see the NRA anywhere on the above list, but I see a lot of war profiteers and oil companies…hmm? In 2012, the same site shows that the NRA spent a little over two million lobbying Congress--chump change to GE. And honestly, I have seen a few NRA spokesmen (I am not practicing gender-exclusive language, they're always men) on the “news” lately and they are not very articulate or well rounded. Their arguments boil down to basically, “ugh, we like guns, ugh.”

I was in Los Angeles the past few days where the LAPD was conducting another gun "turn-in." Private citizens bring in guns with no questions asked and then receive a grocery gift card depending on the value of the weapon. That's also a great strategy for War Control and I propose we pay the war machine NOT to produce implements of death and to go away and just leave the world alone.

In conclusion:

If owning a gun is wrong for Joe NRA, then it’s wrong for Officer Not-So-Friendly.

If it’s wrong to kill children in the US, then it’s wrong to kill children EVERYWHERE else.

If killing is wrong for me, then it’s wrong for Obama and the Empire.

I dream of (and work really hard for) the day when War Control is a reality and our priorities honor the beating of every heart while we watch our deadly tools of war rust, breakdown, and return to the soil. 

Cindy Sheehan On "The Bruce Montalvo Show" - 12/23/2012

My New Year's ReVolutions by Cindy Sheehan

My New Year's ReVolutions

* End all wars

* Bring US troops home

* Close 99% of Military Bases around the world

* Pay reparations to destroyed nations

* Abolish CIA, NSA, Homeland Security 

* Reduce Pentagon budget by 80%

* Fully fund schools from pre to University

* Forgive student loan debt

* Moratorium on foreclosures and evictions

* Institute a program of Medicare for all

* Arrest and prosecute US war criminals from the Clinton/Bush/Obama regimes

* Free all political prisoners

* Free non-violent offenders

* End drug war and legalize marijuana and hemp

* Reduce nation's dependence on fossil fuels

* Nationalize fossil fuel companies

* End fracking

* End offshore drilling

* End nuclear power

*Expand clean/renewable energy programs

* Transition off of GMO's and other harmful food additives

* Heavily and punitively Fine Monsanto

* Nationalize the Federal Reserve

* Lose 10 pounds

* Run a 10k 

It's sadly true that most of the things on my Resolution List are out of my control, but are more of a Wish List to reduce and/or completely eliminate the US Empire.

However, as I have done every year since I can remember, I do resolve to improve myself and to do everything I can this year to educate, inspire, perspire, and work for PEACE on EARTH!

   

  

       

As the US Celebrates the Season of Rabid Consumerism (Soapbox 12/23/12)

Economics of Happiness! — Helena Norberg-Hodge
(ORIGINALLY BROADCAST ON MARCH 10, 2012)

CAPITALISM CANNOT BUY HAPPINESS!

 

Cindy welcomes Helena Norberg-Hodge, an analyst of the impact of the global economy on cultures and agriculture worldwide and a pioneer of the localization movement. The destructive impact of globalization on our children is no less destructive than its historical impact on the Ladakh, an isolated Himalayan culture described in countercurrents.org here. Over the past three decades, Ms. Norberg-Hodge has studied this process in numerous cultures around the world and discovered that we are all victims of these same psychological pressures. In virtually every industrialized country, including the US, UK, Australia, France and Japan, there is now what can only be described as an epidemic of depression. In the US, a growing proportion of young girls are so deeply insecure about their appearance they fall victim to anorexia and bulimia, or undergo expensive cosmetic surgery. Why is this happening? Too often these signs of breakdown are seen as ‘normal:’ we assume that depression is a universal affliction, that children are by nature insecure about their appearance, that greed, acquisitiveness, and competition are innate to the human condition. What we fail to consider are the billions of dollars spent by marketers targeting children as young as two, with a goal of instilling the belief that material possessions will ensure them the love and appreciation they crave. But the reality is that consumption leads to greater competition and envy, leaving children more isolated, insecure, and unhappy, thereby fueling still more frantic consumption in a vicious cycle. In this way, the global consumer culture taps into the fundamental human need for love and twists it into insatiable greed.

This interview is from January 30, 2011.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE SHOW

Cindy Sheehan on war, peace, social justice, and life as an activist

Source: communities.washingtontimes.com

FLORIDA, December 20, 2012 — The words “controversy” and “Cindy Sheehan” often find themselves in the same sentence.

One of America’s most famous antiwar activists, Sheehan gained widespread notoriety after she launched a series of protests against the Iraq War. This came in the wake of the death of her son, Casey, who was an Army specialist, killed in action outside of Baghdad in 2004.

Over the last several years, Sheehan has branched her activism into the realms of writing and politics. There is far more to her views than we typically hear about.

She shares her opinions about the antiwar movement, social justice, and more in a forthright discussion.

****

Joseph F. Cotto: This is surely one of the most polarized eras in American politics. Do you believe that the antiwar movement has been a major contributing factor to this?

Cindy Sheehan: First of all, I am not sure your statement is valid, at least we aren't killing each other in a Civil War.

I believe that the Democrats and Republicans in the top echelons of our government are very similar in ideology and they play act at being in opposition to each other and only their tactics and empty political rhetoric are dissimilar.

No, I don't think the antiwar movement has been a major contributing factor to any policy change or polarization.

Cotto: Since Barack Obama was elected president, the antiwar movement seems to have quieted down a bit. Is this actually the case, or simply a matter of inadequate media coverage?

Sheehan: I think the antiwar movement that I was involved in from 2004-2008 was mostly an anti-Bush or anti-Republican movement, so when Obama came into office, (or in 2007 when the Democrats regained the majority in the House), the movement greatly dissipated. So, it is far smaller, but I also think media coverage is very inadequate.

For example, I have been to Martha's Vineyard in the Summer of 2009 to protest Obama on his vacation and there was no media coverage; then I held two antiwar camps in DC in 2010 and there was very little coverage. Consequently, I am still being falsely hammered from the right about not protesting Obama when nothing could be farther from the truth.

Cotto: What would you say are the goals of the modern American antiwar movement?

Sheehan: To oppose Republican waged wars and be silent on Democratic waged wars?

The above sentence is only 1/2 way sarcastic. I differentiate between a "antiwar" movement and a "peace" movement. I prefer to be a member of the peace movement. The peace movement is not partisan and calls for an end to all wars and the empire. We oppose nukes in all forms and not only war, but sanctions and preparations for war.

Cotto: Many antiwar activists speak about pacifism as a viable alternative to all forms of combat. In your opinion, is this a practical viewpoint?

Sheehan: I think the only justification for any kind of violence is self-defense. It's been a long time since the US has used its military in this way.

Cotto: During the years ahead, do you expect the antiwar movement to gain popular support? Why or why not?

Sheehan: I thought if Romney was selected in 2012 that the antiwar movement would grow among the Democrats, but our society is profoundly and fundamentally militaristic and hegemonic. To have popular support for an antiwar movement, our society would have to have a paradigm shift to be antiwar. I hope I am wrong, but sadly, I don't see that happening in the near future.

Cotto: Your son, U.S. Army Specialist Casey Sheehan, was killed in action outside of Baghdad during 2004. How did his death change your perspective about the Iraq War?

Sheehan: It didn't. I was always against the war.

Cotto: The term "social justice" is used quite often. How would you define it?

Sheehan: Economic, social, racial, and gender equality.

Cotto: What has been the greatest reward of being an activist?

Sheehan: Being able in all things to retain my integrity. I have also met some extraordinary people all over the world.

Cotto: This year, you ran for vice president as the nominee of the Peace and Freedom Party. Running for national office is an undertaking so massive that few of us can fully comprehend it. What did you learn from your candidacy? Overall, was it a positive experience?

Sheehan: I didn't learn much from this campaign. I learned a lot when I ran against Pelosi for Congress in 2008, though, and the biggest thing I learned was that the system is stacked against the 99 percent and the voice of the working-class is almost totally silenced.

My experience in 2012 running for VP was not really positive, but I am writing a book about it right now and don't want to give away too much.

Cotto: Now that our discussion is at its end, many readers are probably wondering how you came to be one of America's foremost antiwar activists. What inspires you to continue on in your work each day?

Sheehan: My surviving children and my four grandchildren give me my inspiration to continue everyday. I love everyone on this planet, not just Americans, and I work towards a day when war is obsolete and everyone on earth has equal access to basic human rights. If that vision is not realized before I can't go on anymore, I know that we will be closer because of my work and the work of the wonderful people I have been fortunate enough to associate with.

It's Alright To Cry

My condolences to everyone who lost someone at Sandy Hook Elementary.

Open Letter to Hugo Chavez from Cindy Sheehan

Open Letter to President Hugo Chávez

Cindy Sheehan

December 10, 2012

Cindy Sheehan and Hugo Chavez in Miraflores

Dear President Chávez,

Amigo, first let me congratulate you and the people of Venezuela on your recent electoral victory! I was so excited to see that you and the Bolivarian Revolution would be able to have a chance to continue the good work in your country—but as you told me the last time we met: “our country is your country,” and I am so proud of what you all are accomplishing there! I am really sorry that I couldn’t be down there on Election Day to celebrate with my friends, but my daughter got married that weekend, and I know how important family is to you, as it is to me.

I think you know that I admire you as a leader and have felt a connection with you as a friend on the occasions that we have met. As someone that cares about you as a person, and a world leader, I have been following your illness as close as I have been able to from up here in the Empire. I was very distressed to find out that your cancer has returned and you will be seeking further treatment.

As someone who has met with you and written about you and Venezuela extensively, many of my contacts here that also admire you and love you have written to me to try and tell you that there are alternatives to traditional cancer treatment, and in many cases, Western medicine can actually kill a person instead of curing him/her.

I don’t want to presume to know, or guess, what you have been doing to heal your illness, you have been as private as a person of your status is able to be about something that has such grave implications. I have tried to send you info, but I never know if it gets to you…and that’s why I have decided to write this open letter to you.

I am also sure that others have reached out to you with information on natural and healthier treatments and like I said, I have no idea what your regimen is, but if you would like me to pass on some information to you, please have someone contact me as soon as possible! Some of the treatments come from the wonderful magic of the rain forests in your part of the world.

You have inspired me so much that I have tried to model my own work on Socialist Revolution with a Bolivarian flavor and, as an historian myself, I believe that you and your legacy will go down in history as one of the most significant of our time. I also believe that you are too important to revolutionaries there in your country, and everywhere, for us to lose so soon.

Dear Friend, I have faith in you, your spirit and in your love for your country and humanity and I am sending all my best wishes to my comrades in Venezuela and to you for a speedy and full recovery.

I hope to see you soon and we will celebrate your health and the success of the Revolution!

Viva, Hugo Chávez!

Viva, Venezuela!

Viva, la Revolucion Bolivariana! 

Hasta la victoria, siempre!

Cindy Sheehan

CindySheehansSoapbox@Gmail.com

Open Letter to Hugo Chavez from Cindy Sheehan

(En Espanol)
December 11, 2012

Estimado Presidente Chavez:
Amigo , primero me gustaria felicitarlo a usted y a la Cuidadania de Venezuela por su reciente Victoria Electoral. Me dio mucho gusto saber que usted y La Revolucion Bolivariana seran capases de
continuar el buen trabajo que han hecho para su pais.

Pero como usted me dijo la ultima vez que nos
vimos.“Nuestro Pais es Nuestro Pais.”

Tengo que decirle que estoy muy orgullosa de lo que usted y su gente han logrado. Pero tambien al mismo tiempo estoy muy angustiada con mi misma por no poder haver estado presente el dia de sus elecciones para celebrar en persona con mis amigos de Venezuela.

Es que mi Hija se Caso ese fin de semana, Y yo se lo importante que es la familia para usted, lo mismo significa para mi.

Yo se que usted sabe que yo lo adimro como un Lider.
Y siempre he sentido que tengo una conexion con usted una linda amistad, en las occasiones que he tenido el gusto de conocerlo.

Como una persona que lo estima y lo respeta como persona y lider.
Me he mantenido informada sobre su enfermedad en lo mas possible desde aqui en el Imperio.

Estaba muy preucupada cuando me di cuenta que el Cancer le habia regresado y nececitara assistencia
y tratamiento medico.

Como alguien que a escrito de usted y de Venezuela en extenso.
Muchos de mis contactos que lo admiran igual como yo. Me han expresado su apreciasion para usted.

Me han escrito para decir me que hay alternativas a los tratramientos tradicionales para el Cancer.

En muchos casos la medicna del oeste en actualidad causa la muerte de la persona en ves de curar la. No quiero decir, o tal vez presumir como que se o adivinar lo que usted a hecho para
curarse de su enfermedad.

Usted a sido lo mas privado que una persona de su status pude ser capaz de ser bajo implicaciones tan graves.

He tratado de mandarle informacion al respecto pero no se si le a llegado. Por eso es que he dicidido escribir esta lettra abierta para usted. Estoy segura que varias personas han atemptado
contactarlo con informacion sobre tratamientos naturales y tratamientos mas saludables , pero como dije anteriormente you no tengo idea cual es su regimen.

Pero si a usted le gustaria mas infomacion al
respecto favor de contactarme lo mas pronto posible.

Muchos de los tartamientos vienen de el bosque natural en su parte del mundo.

Usted me a inspirado tanto..tanto que yo he modelado mi propio trabajo a base de la Revolucion Socialista con un sabor de Bolivia!

Y tambien como una Historiadora yo creo que su legacia sera escrita como una de las mas significantes de nuestro tiempo. Tambien creo que usted es demasiado importante para los revolucionarios en su pais para perderlo de repente.

Querido amigo tengo fe en Usted .Tengo fe en su Espiritu y en su amor para su Pais y para la Humanidad.

Y estoy mandando le mis mejores deseos a mis compatriotas en Venezuela y especialmente para que usted se recupere y este saludable lo mas pronto posible

Espero verlo muy pronto para celebrar su salud y sus triunfos para la Revolucion.


Viva, Hugo Chávez!

Viva, Venezuela!

Viva, la Revolucion Bolivariana!

Hasta la victoria, siempre!

Cindy Sheehan

CindySheehansSoapbox@Gmail.com

(Thanks to Comrade Montalvo for the translation!)