theimpossiblecool:

Twain.

my boy.

(via kwa-z)

(via shedsumlight)

blackgirlphresh:

Uncompromising Photos Expose Juvenile Detention in America

On any given night in the U.S., there are approximately 60,500 youth confined in juvenile correctional facilities or other residential programs. Photographer Richard Ross has spent the past five years criss-crossing the country photographing the architecture, cells, classrooms and inhabitants of these detention sites.The resulting photo-survey, Juvenile-In-Justice, documents 350 facilities in over 30 states. It’s more than a peek into unseen worlds — it is a call to action and care.

“I grew up in a world where you solve problems, you don’t destroy a population,” says Ross. “To me it is an affront when I see the way some of these kids are dealt with.”

The U.S. locks up children at more than six times the rate of all other developed nations. The over 60,000 average daily juvenile lockups, a figure estimated by the Annie E. Casey Foundation (AECF), are also disproportionately young people of color. With an average cost of $80,000 per year to lock up a child, the U.S. spends more than $5 billion annually on youth detention. On top of the cost, in its recent report No Place for Kids, the AECF presents evidence to show that youth incarceration does not reduce recidivism rates, does not benefit public safety and exposes those imprisoned to further abuse and violence. Ross thinks his images of juvenile lock-ups can, and should, be “ammunition” for the ongoing policy and funding debates between reformers, staff, management and law-makers.

we, us, this country… are so broken. more love, please. this doesn’t even make any sense. 

(Source: sunrec, via viva-la-revolucion)

abaldwin360:

On the second anniversary of the signing of Affordable Care Act, the bitterness of the health-care fight remains a core fissure in American politics, and the nature of the fissure is clear. The two parties are fighting over whether access to regular medical care ought to be a…

(Source: New York Magazine)

rockyanderson2012:

Go here to support Rocky Anderson’s candidacy on American’s Elect! 

If Rocky Anderson leaps into first place on American’s Elect, I will give 100$ to whoever has the most people reblog and support Rocky (as I will count from the notes from this post) on Paypal. I (socialuprooting / John) will message the person privately. 

Rocky’s policies and new party should be pushing forward with a progressive movement to overthrow the two-party corporatist and militarist duopoly, perpetuated by both Romney and Obama. It all starts here, with you. If Rocky receives American’s Elect nomination, he will be on the ballot in all 50 states.

I’m serious about this, and you should be too. Let’s get spreading this message and pushing forward for Rocky’s nomination for American’s Elect.

(via trotskitty)

"America elected Barack Obama to prove that it wasn’t racist, but as a result wound up illustrating, beyond a reasonable doubt, that it is."

Son of Baldwin (via sonofbaldwin)

regrettably the truth. 

(via itsjust-insanity)

occupyallstreets:

Afghanistan War Is Now More Unpopular Than Iraq War

According to a New York Times poll, 69 percent of Americans think the U.S. shouldn’t be waging the Afghanistan war. That reinforces the findings of a recent Pew poll, in which nearly six-in-ten respondentssupported bringing U.S. troops home ASAP. It’s a major hemorrhage of support. Just a few weeks ago, the war was merely unpopular, with 54 percent saying it wasn’t worth fighting.

The new low represents the crossing of a certain psychological and cultural threshold. It means the Afghanistan war is now at least as unpopular as the Iraq war was at the height of public ire. In fact, by some measures, the war to beat the Taliban — the guys who gave safe harbor to the 9/11 terrorists — is now more unpopular than the one to get rid of Saddam and his alleged stockpiles of WMDs.

Take a look at what Pollingreport.com tallies for the Iraq war. During Iraq’s darkest days, in 2006, CNN’s poll registered opposition to the war in the high 50s or low to mid 60s. It took until the week George W. Bush announced the surge, in January 2007, for opposition to reach 67 percent. At no time between 2006 and 2011 did the poll register 69 percent opposition.

Read More

(via sans-nuage)

cultureofresistance:

Free Bradley Manning DC Metro

Fundraiser for an outdoor billboard in Washington, DC

(via sans-nuage)

(via sans-nuage)

newyorker:

Cartoon of the day. For more cartoons from this week’s issue: http://nyr.kr/HdIkdW

(Source: newyorker.com)

occupyallstreets:

Arizona Passes Internet Censorship Law

Thursday, the Arizona legislature passed Arizona House Bill 2549, which would update the state’s telephone harassment law to apply to the Internet and other electronic communications. The bill is sweepingly broad, and would make it a crime to communicate via electronic means speech that is intended to “annoy,” “offend,” “harass” or “terrify,” as well as certain sexual speech.

Because the bill is not limited to one-to-one communications, H.B. 2549 would apply to the Internet as a whole, thus criminalizing all manner of writing, cartoons, and other protected material the state finds offensive or annoying.

The Bill is currently on Governor Jan Brewer’s desk awaiting her decision on whether to veto or sign the bill.

Media Coalition, a trade association protecting the First Amendment rights of content industries, whose membership includes CBLDF, has been active in opposing the bill. On March 14, Media Coalition sent a memo to the Senate Rules Committee regarding constitutional infirmities in H.B. 2549. Yesterday they sent a letter to Governor Brewer urging her to veto the bill.

If passed, the law could create vulnerabilities for cartoonists and publishers who publish material online intended to shock, satirize, and criticize.

Beyond the example of the Mohammad cartoons listed in the Media Coalition letter, the taboo-pushing work of cartoonists like R. Crumb, Johnny Ryan, and Ivan Brunetti would potentially be vulnerable to prosecution, as could incendiary works such as Frank Miller’s Holy Terror and Dave Sim’s Cerebus.

Similarly, the culture of message boards, within and beyond comics, would be imperiled. With more titles released digitally each week, and an extremely active online ecosystem of professional and fan exchange, laws like this one are extremely worrisome for the creators, publishers, and readers of comics.

Source

THIS IS URGENT! Tell Governor Jan Brewer to veto the bill and stand against internet censorship. 

Phoenix Office: (602) 542-4331

Tucson Office: (520) 628-6580

Fax Number: (602) 542-1381

You can also email the Governor through her website http://www.azgovernor.gov/Contact.asp

(via socialuprooting)

viva-la-revolucion:

tiigerlilylove:

tiigerlilylove

HUMANITY IS GOING TO SHITZ RITE NOW.

feministsoccupyhalloween:

thepeoplesrecord:

Vigilante Madness in Pearland…Not Just in Sanford, Not Just Trayvon Martin!

It was just another Tuesday evening in a normally quiet neighborhood in Pearland, Texas, where kids are often found playing with one another and driving go-carts.

A family had just returned from Galveston on a spring break excursion, when upon their return, all of a sudden the unthinkable happened.

“You don’t belong in this neighborhood!”

These are the words that Jules Moor, a 13-year old black child, says that Deanna Johnson, a middle-aged white female, said to him after Johnson slammed her 2011 Jeep Wrangler into his go-cart on Tuesday, March 13, 2012.

STRUCK BY VEHICLE - According to court documents obtained from Jules’ attorney, Sylvester Anderson, Jules went for a ride in his go-cart in his neighborhood with another 13-year old boy who had been spending spring break with the Moor family. A third minor boy, another friend of Jules’, rode a small bicycle behind the go-cart.

Jules saw two cars behind him while driving back home, so he decided to drive his go-cart completely off the road to his right onto the grassy edge of the neighborhood park to avoid being in the way of traffic.

It is then that Jules states that Johnson swung her vehicle across the south-bound lane of the road, ran over the curb onto the grass and deliberately and intentionally rammed her vehicle head-on into the go-cart.

According to Jules, Johnson got out of her vehicle and confronted the boys in a hostile and threatening manner yelling “Where do you live? Who are your parents?” while shaking her finger at the kids. Jules goes on to say, “With all due respect, Ma’am, I live down the street,” to which Johnson allegedly tells him that she didn’t care and that she was calling the police.

Jules called his mother and told her that Johnson had hit his go-cart and didn’t know why.

A MOTHER DISRESPECTED

“He thought he was going to die,” said Theresa Moor, mother of Jules. “All I could do was stop what I was doing, grab my keys and make my way to my child.”

As Theresa arrived, she saw that the go-cart had been damaged severely and learned from Jules that Johnson had accused the boys of not living in the neighborhood. As Theresa approached Johnson to find out what happened, Johnson put her palm up to her face in a dismissive manner, refused to talk, went back to her truck and rolled up the windows.

Frustrated at the way things were transpiring, Theresa contacted the police and several Brazoria County Sherriff’s deputies arrived.

According to Theresa, she overheard Johnson claim that she was trying to “detain” the boys because they looked like some kids that they had seen earlier riding bicycles onto the driveways of houses in the neighborhood.

EXTERNAL INJURIES, INTERNAL SCARS

Jules and the other 13-year old boy in the go-cart sustained back and neck injuries as a result of the wreck. The boys had collars placed on their necks, were placed on stretchers and taken by ambulance to the emergency room of Southeast Memorial Hermann Hospital. They were treated and released, but Jules has since been diagnosed with PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) and is seeing a therapist regularly.

According to Theresa, her son has been completely traumatized and has not been the same after the ordeal. He doesn’t wish to talk about the wreck.

“My son is not the same,” says Theresa. “He doesn’t want to play outside anymore or leave the house alone. I just don’t know why she did this to my child.”

DUE PROCESS

It is still unclear why Johnson decided to do what she did. Johnson never apologized for ramming her truck into the go-cart and jeopardizing the lives of the three children and according to witnesses, was seen laughing as she spoke with the Sheriff’s deputies.

Johnson was not arrested or drug-tested upon the admission of her actions. The Sheriff’s department Captain that came on the scene decided not to arrest Johnson upon consulting with the District Attorney.

“I don’t think this was handled properly,” says Anderson.

Source

No shit it wasn’t “handled properly.”

fucking bitch

(Source: thepeoplesrecord)

(via socialuprooting)

thefistofartemis:

elisamexica:

theuppitynegras:

thelastasylum:

Every white person, in every state, in this whole damn country, needs to see this and understand it.  This concept is a very, very, simple one.

Put that nigga on hush!

shaaame….SHAAAAAME…..

When I first saw this interview I thought: this has to be scripted and then as it progressed, yeah….this is legit. :|