The nation of Syria has long been in turmoil. High levels of poverty and corruption run rampant throughout the authoritarian regime, starting at the very top with President Assad. Attempting to forge a lasting peace would be a daunting task at the best of times, let alone while the country teeters on the brink of civil war.
Plus now that Syria has captured the international spotlight, who really knows what forces are behind the slaughter of civilians. The Military Industrial Complex would love another invasion to grow fat off of, and sending in ruthless hitsquads to take out a bunch of innocents is one sure fire way to drum up enough support for an armed intervention. It certainly worked in Libya.
And despite the fact that Libyan rebel forces bolstered by NATO were complicit in war crimes, or that Gaddafi has now been replaced by equally despotic tyrants, if the world’s people have to endure too many more photos of child sized corpses next to empty shell casings, Syria could very well be the West’s next disastrous military endeavor.
One of Montreal’s protesters is now in hospital with brain damage, severed spine, broken vertebrae and little chance of recovery, according to reports.
As seen in the video above, the unidentified man has a brief scuffle with an officer, apparently holding on to the officer’s bicycle for a few seconds. Almost instantly, the man is full-speed tackled to the ground by another officer, striking the protesting man in the back of the neck with a police baton. The violent collision sent the man’s limp body to the ground where his head walloped against the concrete.
All this took place over a week ago. The mainstream media remains utterly silent. The identity of the man still has not surfaced.
This begs the question, what will happen to the police officer who all but killed a guy? Repercussions must be dealt to this bad cop, otherwise police will think they can get away with it. And so far it seems as if they are going to.
First up is a whimsical cartoon depicting what many of us have come to know: that underneath the overbearing exterior of power tripping authority figures resides a scared little child desperately trying to protect itself.
Second is a piece decrying the hypocrisy in American politics. This cartoon could be equally applicable to the Canadian Conservatives, except instead of a tank there’d be Harper flying an F-35 to a mega-prison while cutting social services.
Imagine if cops had to wear cameras where the video is streamed to a public database. How would they act with an unblinking and unbiased witness forever leaving them open to the people’s scrutiny?
Here’s my prediction: there would be less abuse of power. Police misconduct happens when they know they can get away with it. But under and ever-present eye to watch them, they’ll find it much harder to abuse the authority they’ve been entrusted with. (more…)
Pay close attention to what is going on right now in Bahrain (seen above), because what is happening there can happen anywhere.
Don’t kid yourself. Disgusting scenes of heavily armed security forces severely beating protesters and blatantly abusing their authority could very well spring up in our own backyards, should we simply neglect our duty to protect our precious freedom.
Democracy doesn’t happen on it’s own. It takes concerted effort by an educated, empowered and engaged population. When the people get too lazy, ignorant, distracted, or fearful, it leaves the door open for outside entities (like corporations and special interests) to discretely strip the public of their power, step by step.
Embrace your responsibility as a co-creator of a new, more just global civilization. Join the millions of people who’ve already flipped the script from passive to active, from observer to player. Be part of the change this planet needs – we can’t do it without you!
I was put on a paddywagon with other nonviolent protestors and taken to a parking garage in Parker Center. They forced us to kneel on the hard pavement of that parking garage for seven straight hours with our hands still tightly zipcuffed behind our backs.
My hands… turned blue. I am now suffering nerve damage in my right thumb and palm.
Some began to pass out. One man rolled to the ground and vomited for a long, long time before falling unconscious. The LAPD officers watched and did nothing.
It seems unreal, yet tales like Patrick’s are becoming an all too common occurrence. Why are the police relying on such a militarized response to peaceful protesters? Because they are paid to do it, and they are getting away with it. Simple as that.
For how much longer is up to Americans themselves. No doubt, each case of shocking brutality made public adds more fuel to the already overstuffed tinderbox. And when the people’s uprising hits in full force, I’d like to think most police will be standing on the right side of the protest line.
Shocking video emerged today of a commie-anarchist Iraq war veteran, reportedly hepped up on goofballs, viciously attacking peaceful police officers with his own soft tissue, inflicting superficial damage upon the riot cops’ blunt weaponry.
Or so we’d hear on the mainstream media. That is, if they’d even devote any airtime to these revolutionary moments in human history.
Of course, if the MSM started showing their viewers just how militarized our police forces have become or how drunk with power certain law enforcement personnel can get, the situation could quickly erupt beyond their control.
But that day is still coming, albeit more gradually. The world’s people are rising up, together, for the first time ever. And we won’t stop until the world shines as bright as we know it can.
Look at the photo above. Note the indifference of the soldiers, like it’s just another day on the job and another teen girl on her knees in distress. What sort of depraved society would deteriorate so far as to allow this kind of disgusting behavior to become commonplace?
Service in the military is mandatory for all Israeli youth, but who’s there to police these boys and girls with guns once they are set loose on the population?
The answer is no one.
At least not yet.
But give every Palestinian a video camera to capture atrocities and a Wifi connection to share it, and surely the world’s people would rise up and intervene against the institutionalized atrocities perpetuated by Israel.
More shocking videos of police brutality are emerging out of Oakland, as police clash with peaceful demonstrators once again.
Look how militarized the police have become, with their full body armor and potentially lethal use of force. It’s ridiculous, releasing such a strong-armed response upon unarmed civilians.
Don’t the OPD know that when video footage of their atrocities goes public that it will only provoke more angst from the population?
