Hannah Strange
At least 250 people were arrested outside the Republican Convention last night as police used tear gas and pepper spray to disperse rioters attacking property and blocking roads in protest at the war in Iraq.
They had come in their thousands – grandmothers, veterans, young families and even disgruntled Republicans bearing banners and peace flags, to demand an end to the five-year conflict. And for the most part, the demonstrations passed off peacefully.
But once the main antiwar march had finished, splinter groups embarked on a violent rampage, smashing windows, slashing car tyres, throwing bottles and even attacking Republican delegates attending the nearby Xcel Centre.
Many of those involved identified themselves to reporters as anarchists. These protesters, some clad in black, wreaked havoc by damaging property and starting at least one fire.
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Republican Convention
The Minnesota National Guard sent 150 soldiers to help police tackle the riots, which flared as delegates were assembling in St. Paul for the four-day meeting. The convention has got off to a slow and subdued start as Republicans turn their attentions to the millions in Louisiana who have fled Hurricane Gustav.
Members of the Connecticut delegation said they were attacked by protesters when they got off their bus near the convention centre, KMSP-TV reported. Rob Simmons, a delegate, told the station that a group of protesters came toward his delegation and tried to rip the credentials off their necks before spraying them with a toxic substance that burned their eyes and stained their clothes.
One 80-year-old member of the delegation had to be treated for injuries, and several other delegates had to rinse their eyes and clothing.
Terry Butts, a former Alabama Supreme Court justice who is a convention delegate, was on a bus taking delegates to the arena when a brick thrown through a window sprayed glass on him and two others. Mr Butts said he wasn’t hurt.
“It just left us a little shaken,” he said. “It was sort of a frightening moment because it could have been a bomb or a Molotov cocktail."
Five people were arrested for lighting a rubbish bin on fire and pushing it into a police car, St. Paul police spokesman Tom Walsh said. Of those arrested, 119 faced possible felony charges.
At least four journalists were among those detained, including Associated Press photographer Matt Rourke and Amy Goodman, host of Democracy Now!, a nationally syndicated public radio and TV news programme.
Ms Goodman was intervening on behalf of two producers for her program, Sharif Abdel Kouddous and Nicole Salazar, when she was arrested, said Mike Burke, another producer.
The anti-war march was organised by a group called the Coalition to March on the RNC and Stop the War, whose leaders said they hoped for a peaceful, family friendly event. But police were on high alert after months of preparations by a self-described anarchist group called the RNC Welcoming Committee, which was not among the organisers of the march.
Most of the trouble was in pockets of a neighbourhood near downtown, several blocks from where the convention was taking place. Police fired tear gas canisters and used pepper spray on protesters who tried to block key streets.
Up to 200 people from various groups marched in a noisy “Funk the War" march. Clad in black, protesters smashed windows of cars and stores, tipped over rubbish bins, pulled down street signs and bent the rear-view mirrors on a bus. Some wore gas masks and bandanas to protect themselves from smoke bombs and other chemical irritants.
The war was likely to get a second day of attention outside the convention on Tuesday as Ron Paul, a Congressman and former Republican presidential candidate who opposes the Iraq war, was expected to speak to supporters at a Minneapolis rally. Separately, a group advocating for the poor was planning a protest march toward the convention centre.
Security has been tight in St Paul, in a bid to avoid a repeat of the chaotic scenes seen at the 2004 Republican convention in New York when more than 1,800 people were arrested. Yesterday snipers looked on from nearby buildings and a helicopter hovered overhead as some 10,000 surged through the streets during the main march.
“We joined up with an altruistic vision of promoting freedom and justice around the world,” said Vince Emanuel, a Marine lance corporal who did a tour of duty in Iraq from August 2004 to April 2005, explaining why he was marching.
“Except we saw the killing of innocent people and the destruction of property ... for a lot of us it was very disenfranchising."
The veterans group tried to hand a message to the campaign of Republican White House hopeful John McCain calling for a withdrawal from Iraq, reparations for the Iraqi people, and full medical benefits for veterans. No one from Mr McCain’s campaign received them, Mr Emanuel said.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Protestors Tear Gassed! Raw footage - gnooze tear ...
Some Obese Makes Others Pay the Price!
I have always been taught to defend my religion and freedoms by my parents. In recent years, I feel like the government has been challenging the people in our country to stand up for what they believe in. For example, the act to omit the "Under God" from the pledge of allegiance, and now taking away the options of beverages and snacks in the vending machines and lunch room.
The government is pushing our rights to the limit and not for "We the People", but for themselves and their wallets. The many acts and bills that are being passed have been proven to not do what they say. They also take money from tax payers that should be going to helping the economy but is actually helping the politicians get bigger houses and more cars. The government has compensated executives of health care companies such as Humana, Aetna , and UnitedHealth Group with a combined cost of 27.13 million. The compensation for politicians is also very high. (Michael Moore, "Sicko") If the government is using their money for themselves and acts that do nothing, then why should we trust them to do everything. We need to get more involved in our government and take charge of the decisions being made for our country.
Furthermore, this restriction of our rights takes away our ability to choose what we want. I have talked to several people about the situations being pushed upon us. First of all, the obesity in America has caused the school systems to require 3 Physical Education classes throughout the 4 year period in High School, which I have no problem with. I believe that this required class becomes a nuisance when the physically fit and active must also take 3 classes. The Schools are using this precaution as well as the one with the vending machines to lessen the plague of obesity by offering only some sort of diet beverages. The active people should be able to have the choice of a regular, non-diet beverage. These precautions are punishing physically fit and healthy people for the choices of others.
It isn't right for the school board to take away our options and our choice by changing what is in the vending machines. The vending machines give us choice and choice is one of our freedoms that we can always hang onto. What I want to do with my money shouldn't be tested and restricted by the government that has been known to trick and test the pubic. It is time for us to stand up for what we believe in.
~Baja Blast~
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
War on Terrorism?
| When someone mentions "the war on terrorism" we all know what they are talking about. Our battle with Iraq. It has been in the news since we can remember, and there isn't one person who hasn't heard about it. But are we really fighting a war on terrorism? Terrorism is using violence to intimidate for political purposes, and we believe 9/11 is an intimidation. But why did they attack us? "slay the pagans wherever ye find them" it is the "duty of every Muslim" to "kill Americans anywhere. you are the worst civilization witnessed by the history of mankind: You are the nation who, rather than ruling by the Shariah of Allah in its Constitution and Laws, choose to invent your own laws as you will and desire. You separate religion from your policies, contradicting the pure nature which affirms Absolute Authority to the Lord and your Creator." - bin Laden, wikipedia These were the words from Osama bin Laden to the USA. Why did they attack us? For our religion and government. Why do we attack back? Is it to establish a government run our way? Is it because they have oil? Is it because their religious views are "wrong?" First off the Constitution states a separation between church and state. Here is where it gets interesting If we attack Iraq for attacking us first, is that right? Say someone walks up and hits you. Is it right to hit them back? Or do you walk away? This is a larger scale of just that. Or did we attack Iraq for not being like us? Was their government and religion corrupt? If this is the reason, who next; China? Then we start the persecution of everyone who isn't "like us." But that makes us the bad guys for doing exactly what Bin Laden wanted to do to us. -Allman Joy |
The Key to a Cure
Imagine a future in which devastating diseases such as cancer, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, heart disease, and rheumatoid arthritis have been all but eradicated. In recent years, scientists have discovered that stem cells may hold the key to the cures for these diseases as well as over seventy others. However, scientists have been denied the resources they need to fully realize the promise of stem cells by the government. Time and time again, the current administration has vetoed bills that would allow for stem cell research funding, even though the majority of the proposed bills would not apply to stem cells derived from embryos created for the specific purpose of scientific research.
What many people fail to realize is that there are many different types of stem cells that do not come from an abandoned embryo. There are adult stem cells, which come from the bone marrow of either the patient or the donor; umbilical cord stem cells, which originate in the umbilical cord of babies; and skin stem cells, which can be altered to take on the characteristics of embryonic stem cells. In all three instances, an embryo is not used to attain these cells. But yet the government still fails to provide enough funding to allow scientists to transition to using these stem cells in place of embryonic cells.
In order for that transition to take place, scientists must first understand what causes embryonic stem cells to change into the specific specialized cells used to cure diseases, according to Dr. James Thompson of the University of Wisconsin. But the government refuses to allow the funding of this research because according to them it destroys a human life. But does that logic really work? Let's look at the mortality rates of diseases that could be cured if scientists were given the resources they need.
Cystic Fibrosis is a genetic disorder that could be treated with stem cell therapy. It affects more than 70,000 children and adults worldwide, who on average may live to age 40, only half the lifespan of a healthy person. Another disorder, Muscular Dystrophy, affects one in every 2,400 boys who will be lucky to live to see their coming of age at 18. This disease could also be treated with stem cells. These are just two of over seventy diseases that have the potential to be cured or treated with stem cells. Look at those mortality rates alone; already more people with friends, family, and a life, are being allowed to die because the government will not allow scientists to do their job and save them.
Yes, this research may come from aborted fetuses. And while I do not think that abortion is morally right, that doesn't change the fact that a huge majority of those fetuses would have been aborted whether or not they were going to be used for stem cell research. By allowing them to be used for research, those aborted fetuses are helping save millions of lives. So why are we allowing our friends and family to suffer and die when a cure exists if only the government would give it a chance?
--Lucky Charms
Year-Round School
Year-Round schooling has been discussed all around the United States . There are, as with any topic, advocates and opponents. Advocates of year-round school say that it decreases the amount of absences from both teacher and student and argue that it prevents the teachers and students from "burning out" over the long summer vacation. Opponents argue that all the breaks will make students learning suffer. The scheduling for year-round school depends on the location of the school district. They mostly consist of shorter summer breaks, but longer winter and spring breaks, along with other breaks here and there. Some schools have schedules such as attending school for four months straight (except weekends of course) then two months off or two months on and two months off. Others offer straight schooling for two months then one month off. Sometimes this shortens the amount of days in school from 180 days to roughly 163, which can be made up by longer class periods. Most common types of schedules are seven to twelve weeks of school with a one to three week break. This type of schooling can also offer the ability to have a larger capacity of students. While one set of students is on vacation the other set would be in school and vice versa. The ability to have more students would cut down on the amount of new schools needing to be built. As a student I feel there are some positives and some negatives to year-round schooling. I think it would benefit some students to not have the three long months of summer break and forgotten everything they learned the year before. However, not having the same school and vacation schedule as your friends is a huge drawback, in my opinion. Students like summer vacation because it is a time to be with their friends and have fun. I would definitely find it interesting and beneficial to try the year-round schooling. Having less schooling at one time and breaks more often is a definite positive for me. I think I would have to experience the year-round schooling for myself before making an absolute decision, but it's absolutely an opportunity worth pursuing. |