[Marie Colvin on CNN with Anderson Cooper Tuesday night. This video report contains graphic content. Viewer discretion advised.]
Marie Colvin, in her last report from Homs, Syria shows the heartwrenching slow death of a tiny baby boy as he lays in a hospital after being struck in the chest with shrapnel. She said it was important to share his story and images.
"That little baby is one of two children who died today," Colvin said. "That baby probably will move more people to think, what is going on, and why is no one stopping this murder in Homs that is happening everyday?"
The London Sunday Times’s Marie Colvin was killed early this morning when the home where she was staying was attacked along with French journalist Rémi Ochlik. Colvin, an American citizen, was the only British newspaper journalist inside the Homs neighborhood of Baba Amr, which has been under siege for weeks, and resulted in thousands of casualties.
Colvin, in an interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper the night before her death, said that the Syrian crisis was the worst conflict she had covered partly because of the amount of ammunition and shelling. "There's a lot of snipers on the high buildings surrounding the Baba Amr neighborhood. You can sort of figure out where a sniper is, but you can't figure out where a shell is going to land," she said.
Colvin and Ochlik's deaths Wednesday follow that of acclaimed New York Times author and journalist Anthony Shadid, who was reporting in eastern Syria when he died last week after suffering an apparent asthma attack.
[The above video, possibly created by an Occupy protester, examines the shooting of Scott Olsen and identifies the shooter as an Oakland Police officer. The video was uploaded to Youtube on Oct.26, 2011.]
The Oakland Police Department's "independent" investigation into the shooting of Iraq war veteran Scott Olsen during an Occupy Oakland protest may be ongoing, however an ambitious investigative journalist and editor, Ali Winston, may have already solved the case.
In the weeks and months afterward, rumors and accusations flew about the identity of the officer who fired the projectile that wounded Olsen, and the one who threw the concussion grenade on top of him. Rumors circulated on the Internet that either a San Francisco sheriff's deputy or an officer from the Palo Alto Police Department was responsible. Members of Anonymous even went so far as to publish pictures and the personal information of a San Francisco sheriff's deputy they believe tossed the stun grenade at Olsen.
But an extensive review of video footage and Oakland Police Department records by this reporter indicates that Robert Roche, an acting sergeant in the Oakland Police Department and member of OPD's "Tango Teams," threw the flash-bang at Olsen and his rescuers. It's also not the first time that Roche's actions have come under scrutiny. Police records show that Roche had previously killed three people in the line of duty.
In one clip of footage shot on October 25 by KTVU, the camera zooms in on a helmeted, gas-mask wearing officer in OPD insignia pointing a shotgun at the crowd. Olsen's inert body is also visible in front of the barriers. Another video clip shows the same officer training his shotgun on the crowd, lowering the firearm as a crowd gathers around Olsen, and stepping back behind a line of San Francisco sheriff's deputies on the barricade line. A grenade is then tossed at Olsen's body as rescuers arrive.
According to former San Francisco Sheriff Mike Hennessey and Sergeant Kara Apple, a Palo Alto Police spokeswoman, officers from neither agency were equipped with less-than-lethal shotguns or flash-bang grenades that night. A list of OPD crowd-control munitions published by Al Jazeera last year includes the Remington .357 shotgun and two types of CS or pepper spray-loaded blast grenades.
Other evidence includes markings on Roche's uniform and helmet that were verified through OPD's records, both regular markings and those that identified him as a member of Oakland PD's "Tango Team," or tactical unit. Concurring reviews of the video evidence by three attorneys also bolster Winston's findings. '"From the positioning of that officer in the line and his weapon, it appears it was likely the same cop who tossed the grenade at the medics trying to help Scott Olsen," said R. Michael Flynn, president of the San Francisco Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild."
The report also notes that Roche was cleared in two of the shooting deaths that involved him, however a third, the March 2008, shooting of fifteen-year-old Jose Buenrostro by Roche and two other officers led to a $500,000 wrongful death settlement from the City of Oakland in 2010.
Oakland's Tango Team was also on duty November 2nd of last year during the General Strike by Occupy Oakland. Another veteran, Kayvan Sabeghi, was seriously injured during that event. Video footage shows an unidentified OPD officer wearing a rucksack emblazoned with "Tango Team" striking Sabeghi with a baton. Sabeghi was later hospitalized for a ruptured spleen.
CREDO Mobile is calling on activists to contact Congress in order to save rural post offices, many of which are slated to be closed as part of a conservative effort to, it seems, privatize the United States Postal Services, a vital and successful program. The Postmaster General has announced the closing of 3,000 mostly rural post offices, which also will lead to the laying off of more than 200,000 workers. The supposed reason for the layoffs and closings is the false idea that the postal service is in financial trouble, something we previously reported on. The real problem is something else:
It's true the post office faces financial challenges. But the financial problems are in large part a direct result of an onerous and ill-considered 2006 law that mandates that the postal service pre-fund its retiree health care and pension benefits for 75 years -- something that no other government agency or private company is forced to do.
Eighty-five percent of the red ink comes from this pre-funding mandate despite the fact that, according to the Post Office Inspector General, the pension is over-funded and reserves for retiree health care are far higher than the federal government as a whole, the military and almost all Fortune 1000 companies.
Simply modifying the 2006 pre-funding mandate would provide considerable breathing room for the post office. And while some changes to the post office are certainly necessary to preserve and improve it in the 21st Century, now's not the time to close post offices and cut hundreds of thousands of jobs.
The money "saved" by these closings and layoffs wouldn't even affect the overall financial situation of the post office, but they could devastate the local communities and the poorer citizens that rely on the postal service. Take action now to stop this assault.
On December 17th, 2011, Palestinian political prisoner Khader Adnan was arrested by Israeli forces and placed in administrative detention. On December 18th, 2011, he began a hunger strike in protest of his ill treatment. 54 days later, he is in critical condition. This protest in Chicago was in solidarity with Khader Adnan and all Palestinian political prisoners.
Since the Chicago protest, support for Khader Adnan has spread throughout the United States and the world.
The following is a press release from American University Students:
American University Students are currently participating in a hunger strike, as of Friday,
February 17, in solidarity with Khader Adnan, who began his hunger strike the day
after his arrest on December 17. Adnan, a 33 year old baker, was taken by the Israeli
authorities during a night raid of his home in the West Bank at 3:30am. He has yet to be
charged; we will be on hunger strike until Khader Adnan is charged or released.
All Khader Adnan is asking for, along with the American University hunger strikers and
Amnesty International, is a charge. But the Israeli authorities refuse. According to Al-
Jazeera and Amnesty International, as of December, Israeli prisons have held 307
Palestinians in “administrative detention,” 21 of whom held a position of power on the
Palestinian Legislative Council elected in 2006. The justification of these detentions
is based in Military Order 1650 which allows indefinite detention without trial. These
practices directly violate Articles 9 and 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and
Political Rights.
Last week, Physicians for Human Rights examined Adnan’s condition and
concluded “he is in immediate danger of death.” He has lost 66 lbs and weighs only
132lbs. On Friday, February 17, AU SJP students initiated their own hunger strike,
donating the money they would have spent on food to Addameer, the prisoner support
and human rights association.
AU students have decided to sacrifice their physical energy and dedicate their mental
energy in order to encourage pressure on Israel to treat their prisoners humanely and
in order to show support for Khader Adnan. Khader Anan’s hunger strike has not
only inspired AU students to protest this injustice. Demonstrations have arisen around
the United States, specifically New York, Washington DC, Chicago, and all over the
occupied territories and Israel, in Gaza, Ramallah, Nablus, Hebron, Haifa, Tel Aviv, and
outside of the Ofer prison that holds Adnan.
Before I could finish typing this post, I caught a news update that makes for a wonderful conclusion. Israel has agreed to release detained Palestinian Khader Adnan without charging him as part of a deal to end his 66-day hunger strike, sources told Al Jazeera. Adnan had been detained by Israeli forces since Dec. 17 and was accused of being a spokesman for the Islamic Jihad. A baker by trade, Adnan was protesting his detention without trial when he set the record for the longest hunger strike by a Palestinian prisoner, which was previously set at 45 days in 1976. Adnan will serve out his administrative detention sentence, which lasts until April 17, and will then be released without charges.
Knowing they'll never get fair treatment from the corporate press, Occupy Maine creates their own public access TV program.
In this edition, Brian Leonard will cover the final GA in the Dome at Lincoln Park with attorney John Branson explaining the court judgement against Occupy. Bob Klotz interviews environmentalist Bill McKibben, and Regis Tremblay comments on the future of Occupy and why the movement is here to stay.
Update: Lawmakers in Virginia put off a final vote Tuesday on a highly contested bill that would require women in the eastern US state to undergo a transvaginal ultrasound prior to an abortion.
Republican Governor Bob McDonnell, a Roman Catholic father of five, was poised to swiftly sign the so-called "informed consent" bill -- adopted by the state senate earlier this month-- into law.
But a day after 1,000 protesters descended on the state capitol in Richmond, the House of Delegates held off on third and final reading of the legislation, leaving open the possibility it might yet be amended or dropped altogether when it comes before the chamber again on Wednesday.
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Over 1,000 demonstrators assembled outside of Virginia’s Capitol on Monday. Standing silently in the cold, they lined the walkway used by the legislators who have been voting on -- and voting away -- women's rights in Virginia.
The Richmond Times-Dispatchreported that a bill to require ultrasounds of women about to undergo an abortion was scheduled for passage on Monday, but was pushed back by the House:
With hundreds protesting outside the Capitol, the House of Delegates delayed multiple contentious bills that appeared poised for final passage today.
The chamber pushed back votes on a measure that would require an ultrasound of all women considering an abortion as well as adoption- and gun-related legislation.
The Capitol ground rules say that we cannot assemble, hold signs, chant, yell or protest. We think silence in the face of this struggle and their unconstitutional rules presents the strongest response to their assault on women. Please come out and stand up for our rights and for the rights of all women in VA to choose the best reproductive route for themselves. These people are used to signs, yelling, chanting etc. It is not new. They are not used to silently being stared at and having to look us in the eye. It gives us the power.
Tuesday, reports indicate that even as women continue to protest at the Capitol, the ultrasound bill is now headed to the Governor:
After garnering national attention and jokes at the state's expense, a bill to require ultrasounds of women about to undergo an abortion will likely head to Gov. Bob McDonnell after final passage in the House of Delegates today.
On Monday, about 1,000 people appeared at the Capitol to oppose the measure as part of a women's rights rally that came together quickly through social media and word of mouth.
Michael Moore talks with Rachel Maddow about the people and politics of Michigan and why it's so surprising that Mitt Romney is having difficulty polling well there.
Michigan has been cast as a must-win for Romney, however, he is lagging behind GOP candidate Rick Santorum in recent polls. Romney has also been ridiculed for a speech where he declared his love for the trees, lakes and cars in Michigan, and then there was the commercial showing him driving around Detroit in a car manufactured in Canada.
Even Moore, a fellow Michigan native, empathized a bit with the candidate on Monday night. "The poor guy -- I just start to feel sorry for him on some level -- not too much," he told Maddow.
Moore praised Romney's parents,the former Governor George Romney and his wife - a former Senator - Lenore,"Mitt's father George Romney supported the civil rights movement. When he was the CEO of American Motors he took a pay cut because he thought CEOs shouldn't be paid this much. He came back from Vietnam after a tour there, and said we're not being told the truth. ... And his mom, Lenore Romney was [one] of the chief backers of the Equal Rights Amendment. ...it's mind-boggling to see who [Mitt] has become."
"Those of us who are 45 and older, we remember the Romneys -- even if you're not a Republican -- you remember them somewhat fondly," he said.
Turning his attention back to their son, "This apple has fallen far from the tree," Moore lamented. "It's just mind boggling just to see who he has become or who he thinks he is."
There's no shortcut: The only way police departments respond to the community is when the community rises up. Unfortunately, far too often, people think expressing your outrage online is equivalent to showing up at your town council meetings. It isn't. Leaders will go as far as they think they can go without suffering public backlash:
Relations between Oakland police and the city’s residents have never been good, which is one reason why the department issued body-mounted cameras to its officers last year.
The goal was to increase accountability, which is important for a department that is facing afederal takeover this March.
However, the above video, which shows several officers with their body-mounted cameras turned off – a departmental violation - is just the latest example of Oakland police officers not wanting any accountability.The video is also a clear demonstration of just how high tensions are between Oakland police and citizens.
The video was produced by Jacob Crawford and journalist Ali Winston from footage obtained during the January 28th demonstration that included activists attempting to break into city hall.
“When the cameras are turned on, you see a green light,” said Crawford, a longtime Cop Watch activist whom I wrote about in 2010 after he was assaulted for attempting to video record a cop.“When the cameras are turned off, they just look like a pager.”
