The more things change the more they stay the same

I visited Hull awhile ago taking my Nephew to see some of the museums and catch up with the city after leaving its University last year. Not much has changed but I took my camera and got a few nice snaps of some landmarks, you know statues and churches the usual tourist targets. However just a little ways from the car park I near the local Jobcentre I  noticed quite a weird sight, right next to the Jobcentre was a phone-box only unlike all the other phone boxes which were cream coloured (Hull was never added to the old British Telecom network and so has its own telecommunications monopoly Kingston Communications). You see this phone box was the closest box to the home of Olympic Boxing Golden boy Luke Campbell and apparently no one found it strange to paint a phone box primarily used by those on the Dole bright gold. It reminded me of a famous picture of the Great Depression.

                                The 1930's

                               The 2010's

My DA

EDL Vs Seriously Wounded Fourteen Year Old Girl

What you see above is bravery

I'm sure we've all heard the story by now, but for those who haven't a quick recap, Malala Yousafzai is a young female student living in Taliban (for those keeping track that's the Pakistani Taliban) infiltrated and at times outright controlled Swat valley. Given the well documented brutality of the Taliban you'd think she'd keep her head down and her face veiled. But she didn't, since she believes strongly in the right to education for girls she anonymously (reasonable precaution and still very dangerous) opposed the Taliban's attacks on schools in the area she became quite famous for her protests and even wrote a diary about it for the BBC Urdu section of the world service in 2009 when she was eleven.

The night was filled with the noise of artillery fire and I woke up three times. But since there was no school I got up later at 10 am. Afterwards, my friend came over and we discussed our homework.

The Taleban have repeatedly targeted schools in Swat

Today is 15 January, the last day before the Taleban's edict comes into effect, and my friend was discussing homework as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

Today, I also read the diary written for the BBC (in Urdu) and published in the newspaper. My mother liked my pen name 'Gul Makai' and said to my father 'why not change her name to Gul Makai?' I also like the name because my real name means 'grief stricken'.

My father said that some days ago someone brought the printout of this diary saying how wonderful it was. My father said that he smiled but could not even say that it was written by his daughter.

It can not be overstated how risky and brave it is for anyone regardless of age to criticise a movement as brutal as the Taliban when living in close proximity to them and their bombs. From their very start the Taliban deal harshly with their critics, when they first captured Kabul in 1996 they celebrated by turning the football stadium into an execution ground and brutally beat and then hung Dr Najibullah the last leader of the Soviet backed Democratic Republic of Afghanistan and his brother despite both of them remaining in a UN compound since the DRA was overthrown in1992. Najibullah posed no threat to the new Taliban regime as the small core of PDPA (his party) loyalists had been broken up for four years and the legacy of Soviet Hind gunships and Mines killed their popularity with the Afghan population.

This is what the Taliban do to critics and Apostates to their ideology

Sadly as we all know the Taliban eventually tracked Malala down and attempted to assassinate her shooting her in the head and leaving her for dead. Fortunately she has survived and the shear volume of disgust at the Taliban's actions abroad and within Pakistan got the Pakistani government to step in and send her to the UK for treatment paying for every expense.

Now too me and I hope to you that last bit of news should be a good thing, that despite the terrible crime human empathy was enough to get two governments to coordinate efforts to save a brave young girls life, but I know of at least one other group whom share the Taliban's frustrations and outrage that this girl still lives, they have three letters
E
D
L

Yes thats right the group that loftily claims to protect Britain's streets (even though streets seem to take a lot of damage when they march through) and constantly denies that they hate Muslims Asians and Pakistanis and just oppose Islam and Militant Islamism have decided that the best thing to do in this situation is insult this girl who single handedly did more to oppose Islamic fundamentalism then all of them put together. Accusations that this girl is a "parasite" for daring to recieve life saving treatment that another government is footing the bill for, at least one member went as far as to call her a "Piece of shit" and another claimed if she lived she'd just give birth to more terrorists.



Here's the source if you don't believe me, and here's a bit more evidence straight from the horses facebook walls.

 As disgusting as this open display of hate is I am actually glad they were stupid enough to post it, as it proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that the EDL is nothing more then a hangout of bitter thugs and shows that all their robotic protestations of "We oppose Jihad only" and "We aren't racist we just don't like the militants"to be hollow PR.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish this brave young girl a speedy recovery, if you wish to do the same you can do so here.

The Black Panther Party for Self Defense

 This month is the 42 anniversary of the founding of the Black Panther Party for Self Defense. On October 15th 1966 Huey P. Newton and his friend Bobby Seale after months of frustration with the already established Black political groups in Oakland established their own group which quickly grew into a local and then national political party and social movement.

I personally believe that the Black Panthers were one of the most important political developments in post war America and that their destruction by the authorities a tragedy for American Idealism. In an era where on the one hand White radical movements were trying to reach accommodations with the establishment after the Vietnam War wound down removing the urgency for more affluent Americans to fight for change. And on the other black and other minority groups whom had grown impatient with the slow pace of reform advanced by the mainstream civil rights movements meant many young black Americans grew parochial and turned to extreme Black Nationalism whose beliefs could often be mistaken for a KKK document with a find and replace treatment.

The Black Panthers remained defiant and contemptuous of the hypocrisy and corruption of the American establishment and rejected simplistic Nationalism/racism in favour of Socialism and reaching out to all the oppressed in America and the world.

 The History of the Black Panthers






The group grew to have branches all over America and beyond, in addition to an international section in Algeria (which also held similar refuges for over Revolutionary groups like the South Vietnamese National Liberation Front) the Panthers inspired black Brits to form their own Black Panther party. Though rather wisely the British Panthers realised that just copying the gang across the pond wouldn't be very effective in dealing with issues facing Black Brits so developed an independent program.

Fundamentally the Black British and the Black American experience was different, right from source. Black Americans were dragged, screaming and kicking, from the shores of Africa to an utterly hostile America, whilst my parents, they bought a ticket on the ‘The Windrush’ bound for London! So, right off, you have it there, a major fundamental difference.

The British Black Panthers were mostly active from 1970-73 tackling racism, police discrimination and community issues, but quickly wound down soon after. Nevertheless the Party did provide much needed political experience to many in the Black community such as Darcus Howe. And members and ex-members could be found forming or taking part in many other community groups.

Unfortunately the original Black Panthers also succumbed to the pressure put on them by the FBI. Huey in particular degenerated from a community stalwart and dedicated leader to a crack addicted murderer prone to bouts of violence, before a drug dealer gunned him down in 1989. COINTELPRO doesn't excuse his and similar meltdowns on the part of Panther Activists but the enormous strain heavy handed policing put on the organisation (It should be remembered that similar methods and resources were not placed against White racist militia's like the Minute Men or the KKK, even though both were quite active in the same period) not to mention the deliberate attempts to drive wedges between party members (extremely risky given the party was well known to be armed) were contributing factors to this decline, and responsible for a lot of the political and criminal fallout that the implosion of the Black Panther Party caused.

Nowadays the Panthers legacy has been hijacked by the so called "New Black Panther Party" a group that is blatantly racist and makes a mockery of the Cause and dedication of the original Black Panthers many of whom paid a high price for their commitment to end an oppressive system that oppressed billions around the globe.

In fact so successful has this group been in hijacking the imagery and legacy of the Black Panther Party that the Huey P. Newton foundation an organisation set up by Huey's widow Frederika Newton to archive information on an by the Party and its surviving members had to publish a lengthy condemnation of the New Black Panthers making it clear that the party is doing nothing more then the ideological equivalent of squatting.

In response from numerous requests from individual's seeking information on the "New Black Panthers," the Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation issues this public statement to correct the distorted record being made in the media by a small band of African Americans calling themselves the New Black Panthers. As guardian of the true history of the Black Panther Party, the Foundation, which includes former leading members of the Party, denounces this group's exploitation of the Party's name and history. Failing to find its own legitimacy in the black community, this band would graft the Party's name upon itself, which we condemn.

Photo source
Second Photo

Enemies of the Internet

Yep this is another one of them preachy posts, once again accompanied by a nice Infographic from the good people of Open-Site, for a quick recap of similar posts click on the following links:

Technology production
Piracy
Online Activism


 Today's theme is sort of a companion piece to the one about Activism (though arguably they are all interconnected) its about those whom threaten all the good things the Internet gives us, including pornography and fan sites about obscure television shows an out of print pulp series.

From Open-site.org 

If you think that identity theft is the worst-case-scenario of Internet use, you clearly don’t live in any of the nations that make the list of top “Enemies of the Internet.” Not only do these governments monitor their citizens’ web activity, but they also make it nearly impossible for them to safely share and gather information through anonymous microblogs, Facebook pages or Twitter accounts. One nation sports a cyber police force that is larger than the city of Orlando, Florida. And when protests erupted in another country, Twitter accounts were created for the sole purpose of diverting citizens from spreading information. Although these nations represent the extremes of national cybersecurity, the measures they use are based in legislative bills like SOPA, PIPA and CISPA. Check out the following infographic to find out which nations make this list. The next time you surf the web, think carefully about who’s watching you and who’s blocking you.

 If you're finding the graphic a bit small you can get the full sized version here.

Anyway I believe this is a fairly comprehensive list of nations that have less then liberal attitudes to the world wide web. In fact do take a look at both lists in the second image, we have the usual suspects China, Burma, Belarus, Russia, Cuba etc all well known for Authoritarianism but we also have a few surprises, Bahrain, Egypt and Tunisia, all of which had until the Arab Spring been well known for tourism and an accommodating attitude to Westerners.

And yet all of them at least embraced legislation that allowed their security forces to monitor the web. Why is this necessary? Well its quite easy to co-opt mainstream or old media either nationalise it or keep it in private hands and reach an agreement with the owners. Murdoch used to be the perfect example of this in the UK before the phone hacking scandal ruined his credibility and usefulness to government. Remember private ownership of the media doesn't necessarily equal independent or free.

Of course the problem with that framework is lying about a problem doesn't make the problem go away. People whom are frustrated and not getting anywhere through official means often go "underground"  and the internet has made this much easier to do and more effective to reach a larger audience. Owning the Times and Government FM simply won't stop dissent from spreading hence monitoring programs, and criticism laws (which we'll get to later) and don't hold your breadth for the new governments in Egypt and Tunisia to get rid of these particular laws. You would be surprised how useful such measures are once someone else has done the hard work and took the flack for implementing them.

For example in South Africa the ANC kept very unpopular Apartheid era laws in case their Administration faced an insurrection. Or did you think they just forgot about the legal justifications to arrest and beat them when they were the people's Vanguard?


Bahraini bloggers have often faced arrest and fines and that was before the protests against the Monarchy kicked off in full. Now you can expect a night raid and assault.

You may also wonder why Australia and France are on the list, after all those are civilised "Democratic" Western liberal nations. So why are they playing follow the leader with the Moustachioed Despots? Put simply because the same tensions that make surveillance and arbitrary detention so attractive to Governments exist in all nations. Can you honestly think of a nation that is completely homogeneous in outlook and harmonious? I can't... well that's not true North Korea (As its government portrays it anyway) seems pretty orderly, but given that its society is heavily militarised and has an extremely powerful police and intelligence service suggests that harmony is manufactured to some extent. And even they have very restrictive internet monitoring programs.

In the UK Tory and Labour governments have been blocking sites since the 90's. Some because of allegations of terrorism promotion and child pornography but, sometimes file sharing, I can't access Piratebay.Se anymore to give a recent example. In fact if I remember correctly in the 90's most websites blocked or shut down were Scatological pornsites (I'm not checking to make sure, you do that if you want too) which while unpleasant content wise isn't exactly what I'd call and economic or societal menace.

And of course I'm sure we're all familiar with the Alphabet bills in America and the EU trying to increase restrictions on the internet in our lands. SOPA, PIPA, CISPA, ACTA and so on. This initiatives need to be fought, not because they'll take away free films and music (even though its been debunked that piracy negatively affects those industries) but because they all legalise attacks from both government agencies and corporate "Rights holders" to attack our democratic space. You are naive in the extreme if you don't realise that these measures open the door to censorship of ideas and groups. And maybe you don't care all that much when the groups being shut down are "terrorists" or of the political and social opposition, but can you honestly guarantee that that is were the line stops? Would you be so complacent if the party bringing in these policies was one that opposed your beliefs and tried to silence your activism and debate?

Again credit to the Open-Site for the infographic.

More from this series:

Technology production
Piracy
Online Activism

From Crisis to Co-operatives

From FSRN

Over the last few years, Europe has experienced a severe financial crisis, with countries like Greece and Spain facing skyrocketing debt and unemployment. More than a decade ago, a similar situation was unfolding in Argentina. In 2001, the country suffered a debilitating economic crisis and, as a result, defaulted on its foreign debt and stopped pegging the Argentine peso to the U.S. dollar.  When the peso to dollar conversion jumped suddenly to three to one, many Argentines lost two-thirds of their savings overnight.

Banks closed.  Companies went out of business.  And fully one-quarter of the population was left without work.  Tens of thousands of those people, in desperation, started to make their living from garbage.  Working as “cartoneros,” which means “cardboard people” they sorted through trash to find recyclable materials to sell.  Thus was born Buenos Aires’ informal recycling system, which still exists today.

Eilís O’Neill has more on how the cartoneros, who originally struggled to exist on what they could make on their own, eventually organized into cooperatives in order to help each other and to demand that the government support their efforts.

This documentary was produced by Eilís O’Neill  in Buenos Aires. Documentary editor is Shannon Young. Technical production by Jeannine Etter. La Plataforma provided music for this documentary.

In 2001 Argentina suffered one of the worst economic depressions since the 1930's, surprisingly this traumatic period went unnoticed by most as 9/11 and the Invasion of Afghanistan diverted attention. I'm also certain that the fact this occurred in South America a region that at the time (late 80's through the 90's) was prone to economic collapse and street protests. Venezuela had food riots in Caracas, the old Dictatorships failures to secure living standards saw all of them chucked out the Presidential palaces etc.

Which as the above documentary demonstrates is quite shameful. Not only was it a case of ignoring a whole nation in severe difficulty, it also means that the rest of the world may have missed out on a very important example of the people power and the tenacity of ordinary people to Organise in the face of extreme adversity and societal collapse. 2001-02 saw ordinary shop floor staff occupying and reopening abandoned factories (for those who haven't already seen it I recommend The Take a documentary about factory occupations) and others still became Cartoneros "Cardboard people" they would and still do sort through rubbish for recyclable material to sell.

You may be wondering, isn't that what the homeless do all over the world? And the answer is sadly yes, but what makes the Cartoneros different is that they began to organise themselves into Cooperatives and establish routines and preferred buyers for certain materials, which enabled individual Cartoneros to work fewer hours, take days off and  improve their health and housing.

In fact several have become so large and well established that a number of them like El Ceibo now own their own sorting areas and factories.

They went from this

To this

But beyond the specific example of sorting recyclables the Cartoneros show the world the power of organisation, by hard work and solidarity the unemployed living on the very fringe of formal society have managed to improve their own conditions and become important institutions in Urban Centres.

In particular the Documentary makers think the Argentine experience will be of use to the Greeks (probably should of recorded it in Greek then) as not only do the two nations share similar triggers for their woes (the Argentine Peso was pegged to the US dollar for years) but the severity of both financial meltdowns means both nations faced a breakdown in formal society.

9/11 First Responders Still not Receiving proper Medical Care

From FSRN

In the hours, days, and months following the September 11th terrorist attacks, thousands of first-responders and workers took part in the recovery efforts and removal of debris in lower Manhattan. Many were exposed to harmful chemicals, such as benzene, petroleum, asbestos, dioxin and other toxic substances. Federal officials in Washington and New York downplayed the dangers of working at the site and, according to government documents and whistleblowers, concealed or misrepresented information that could have spared thousands from exposure. In 2010, after mounting pressure, lawmakers passed the Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, but only after funding was decreased. Cancer was also excluded from the list of illnesses. That changed Monday, when The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health said some 50 types of cancer would be covered for monitoring and treatment by the program. For more we’re joined by Captain Michael McPhillips. He worked in lower Manhattan and was later diagnosed with emphysema and other illnesses. He is the director of social services and benefits with the FealGood Foundation, an advocacy organization that aids workers from 9/11. He joins us from New York.

More on the FealGood Foundation: http://www.fealgoodfoundation.com/index.html
For a list of the cancers covered under the new plan from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health: http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/wtc/stac/cancer.html

In the aftermath of 9/11 just before the invasion of Afghanistan was confirmed and the troops were still being prepared, I can remember President Bush and New York Mayor Giuliani  had photo opportunities and speeches about the first responders, calling them hero's and doing their best to become associated with these men and women's adoration from the American people. That neither of those gentlemen bothered to help all those responders whose lives have subsequently been made hell for doing their jobs and helping their nation and city during a terrible crisis is damning.

It not only shows the callous disregard career politicians have for the people they supposedly serve so long as their own agenda's are advanced and their approval ratings kept in good health. It also shows America's health care system for what it is, a cruel joke. European health systems are not perfect, but I guarantee that if America (or at the very least New York State) had adopted any one of them those responders would of received proper treatment without the spectre of bankruptcy.

I would also like to take this opportunity to criticise current President Obama and Mayor Bloomberg both of whom have been in office now for several years, and as the above report makes clear haven't done anything to help these much lauded hero's either. In fact given Obama was pretty quick to congratulate himself for the passing of his extremely anaemic Health Care Reforms (Obamacare for Fox news viewers) the raw deal the first responders continues to receive clearly show his administration to be both callous and incompetent. It's true his reforms as weak as they were faced a lot of opposition but do you know what would of been a good counter to the critics? Creating a plan to give the first responders and others in similar situations like crisis management or emergency response assistance with their medical bills. This would not only give you some good propaganda but also clearly demonstrate how Government intervention in the Health system can be beneficial. It would also help out thousands of emergency service workers whom often have the dangerous nature of their work count against them in insurance premiums.

Here's a list of the responders suffering from absorption cancers acquired in the rubble of the World Trade Centre.

 1-R. Alexander Lung Cancer Deceased
2-J. Armenia Cancer
3-K. Arsenault Thyroid Cancer
4-V. Albanese Cancer Deceased
5-D. Armagno Liver Cancer
6-L. Angellone Lung Cancer
7-Anspach Esophageal Cancer Deceased
8-Archili Small Intestines Deceased
9-Aviles Brain Cancer Deceased
10-Aviles Lung Cancer Deceased
11-C. Acosta Testicular Cancer
12-M. Bishop Lung Cancer
13-T. Brophy Colon Cancer Deceased
14-D. Bayles Carcinoma
15-P. Bruno Skin Cancer
16-R. Brady Red Cell Cancer
17-F. Bolusi Brain Cancer Deceased
18-H. Brown Lung Cancer Deceased
19-F. Brinkworth Laryngeal Cancer Deceased
20-R. Burke Lung Cancer Deceased
21-Bassi Non-Small Cell Lung Deceased
22-Blovin Small Cell Lung Deceased
23-Boyles Pancreatic Cancer Deceased
24-Butler Colon Cancer Deceased
25-L. Blieka Prostate Cancer
26-Brown Rectal Cancer Deceased
27-R. Borcherding Cancer Deceased
28-K. Crzartoryski Lung Cancer Deceased
29-S. Callan Mesothelioma
30-R. Chelsen Multiple Myeloma Deceased
31-J. Claude Bone/Lung Cancer Deceased
32-J. Cahill Prostate Cancer
33-C. Caruso Thyroid Cancer
34-C. Clark Lung Cancer Deceased
35-D. Conroy Lung Cancer Deceased
36-J. Costello Lung Cancer Deceased
37-Cozza Leukemia Deceased
38-J. Colleluori Brain Cancer Deceased
39-Christiano Multiple Myeloma Deceased
40-Chiarantan Non-Small Cell Carcinoma Deceased
41-Collazo Leukemia Deceased
42-Casertano Cancer Deceased
43-D. Catapano Lymphocytic Leukemia
44-K. Cassidy Cancer Deceased
45-L. Dipasqua Digestive Cancer
46-B. Deblancio Prostate Cancer
47-J. Devlin Tongue/Lung Cancer
48-F. Doig Cancer
49-K. Delano Larynx Cancer Deceased
50-J. Duffy Leukemia Deceased
51-Diamond Cancer Deceased
52-Damiano Larynx Cancer Deceased
53-Davidson Lung Cancer Deceased
54-Duffy Lung Cancer Deceased
55-Dunn Gastric Carcinoma Deceased
56-K. Devine Leukemia
57-M. Debiase Cancer Deceased
58-B. Emery Cancer
59-R. Ehmer Kidney Cancer Deceased
60-Edwards Colon/Lung Deceased
61-B. Ellicott Cancer Deceased
62-B. Edwards Cancer
63-J. Ferraya Cancer
64-L. Ferrara Brain Cancer
65-V. Fristia Multiple Myeloma
66-J. Ferrari Cancer
67-T. Fay Non-Hodgkin’s
68-D. Fink Skin Cancer
69-L. Ferrell Squamous Cell
70-E. Ferraro Brain Cancer Deceased
71-B. Foss Stomach Cancer Deceased
72-W. Franklin Cancer Deceased
73-R. Ford Cancer Deceased
74-Fradella Lung Cancer Deceased
75-Folk Lung Cancer Deceased
76-Falu Lung Cancer Deceased
77-B. Galfano Intestinal Cancer Deceased
78-D. Gasak Thyroid Cancer
79-R. Geidel Cancer
80-M. Gavin Non-Hodgkin’s
81-R. Grossman Brain Cancer Deceased
82-M. Gallo Cancer
83-J. Garafolo Cancer
84-A. Gonzalez Thyroid Cancer
85-M. Gajewski Lung Cancer Deceased
86-Gyuris Leukemia Deceased
87-Gorman AML Leukemia Deceased
88-J. McFarland Brain Cancer Deceased
89-R. Helmke Cancer Deceased
90-A. Herrmann Cancer Deceased
91-A. Hoare Lung Cancer
92-R. Hauber Esophageal Cancer Deceased
93-S. Higts Cancer
94-K. Hawkins Kidney Cancer Deceased
95-W. Holfester Non-Hodgkin’s Deceased
96-D. Hoganson Prostate Cancer
97-Hubert Lung/Brain Cancer Deceased
98-R. Hillaire Thyroid Cancer
99-J. Hawe Cancer Deceased
100-G. Iacono Brain Cancer Deceased
101-A. Incarbone Lung Cancer Deceased
102-Isaac Cervical Cancer Deceased
103-J. Jones Cancer Deceased
104-S. Johnson Cancer Deceased
105-V. Johnson Cancer Deceased
106-Joseph Lung Cancer Deceased
107-M. Kendrick Lung Cancer Deceased
108-D. Knecht Lung Cancer Deceased
109-P. Kirshner Cancer
110-T. Lockwood Leukemia Deceased
111-Lewis Kidney Cancer Deceased
112-G. Levy Leukemia Deceased
113-Lorenzo Liver Deceased
114-F. Lombardo Follicular Lymphoma
115-D. Mahmoud Cancer Deceased
116-B. McCauley Cancer Deceased
117-T. McCaffrey Throat Cancer Deceased
118-J. McNamara Colon Cancer Deceased
119-P. Malano Lymphoma
120-M. Mahoney Cancer Deceased
121-B. McKiernan Cancer
122-J. McCabe Cancer
123-K. Meshia Cancer
124-J. Marino Non-Hodgkin’s
125-F. Macari Lung Cancer Deceased
126-R. Manetta Cancer Deceased
127-W. Marzocchi Blood Cancer Deceased
128-R. McCormick Non-Hodgkin’s Deceased
129-C. McMurray Brain Cancer Deceased
130-P. Murphy Cancer
131-J. Murray Colon Cancer Deceased
132-M. Morales Lung Cancer Deceased
133-S. McCarthy Cancer Deceased
134-S. Mosiello Cancer Deceased
135-V. Mauro Colon Cancer Deceased
136-Mazarese Colon Cancer Deceased
137-McAuslan Lung Cancer Deceased
138-Mungen Lymphoma Deceased
139-McCoy Lung Cancer Deceased
140-Melaniff Lung Cancer Deceased
141-Mollahan Kidney Cancer Deceased
142-Mucciola Cancer Deceased
143-Muligan Lung Cancer Deceased
144-C. Milosevich Lung Cancer Deceased
145-R. Natal Pancreatic Cancer Deceased
146-V. Navarra Lung Cancer Deceased
147-A. Nuccio Melanoma Deceased
148-T. Neal Cancer
149-W. O’Conner Lung Cancer Deceased
150-R. Oswain Cancer Deceased
151-O’Loughlin Stomach Cancer Deceased
152-Orsulich Lung Cancer Deceased
153-F. Paultre Cancer Deceased
154-G. Pennington Lymphoma Deceased
155-S. Petrovich Tongue Cancer
156-D. Phillips Cancer Deceased
157-Pacheco Gastric Cancer Deceased
158-Pappalardo Lung Cancer Deceased
159-Perrotti Renal Cancer Deceased
160-Puma Cancer Deceased
161-R. Pfiefer Cancer
162-G. Quibell AML Leukemia Deceased
163-B. Quick Cancer Deceased
164-P. Rooney Leukemia Deceased
165-L. Reiss Cancer
166-R. Ragucci Cancer Deceased
167-B. Richardson Cancer
168-R. Reilly Liver/Abdominal Cancer
169-P. Rodriguez Thyroid Cancer Deceased
170-J. Rodriguez Cancer
171-D. Reeve Mesothelioma Deceased
172-R. Ruggiero Cancer
173-T. Roberts Esophagus Cancer Deceased
174-J. Ryan Cancer Deceased
175-M. Ryan Lymphoma Deceased
176-S. Ryan Leukemia
177-Regan Pancreatic Cancer Deceased
178-R. Richards Multiple Myeloma
179-H. Smith Kidney Cancer Deceased
180-M. Summers Lung Cancer Deceased
181-G. Schump Non-Hodgkin’s
182-F. Stuck Throat Cancer Deceased
183-K. Specht Thyroid Cancer
184-R. Schor Carcinoma Deceased
185-M. Snadecky Cancer Deceased
186-W. St. George Cancer Deceased
187-J. Sullivan Pancreatic Cancer Deceased
188-J. Stroehlein Brain Cancer
189-J. Stillitano Cancer
190-A. Schille Multiple Myeloma
191-V. Scudieo Colon Cancer
192-Sciciliato Esophageal Cancer Deceased
193-Suweidan Cancer Deceased
194-M. Tom Liver/Brain Cancer Deceased
195-J. Thomas Lung Cancer Deceased
196-M. Tynan Prostate Cancer
197-M. Tervellione Cancer
198-W. Voight Cancer Deceased
199-C. Vidro Multiple Myeloma Deceased
200-B. Viania Lymphoma Deceased
201-Vincent Liver Deceased
202-E. Vallebuona Non-Hodgkin’s
203-R. Wiebicke Multiple Myeloma Deceased
204-J. Walcott Leukemia
205-R. Winter Leukemia Deceased
206-R. Williamson Cancer Deceased
207-J. Young Cancer Deceased
208-S. Yurek Brain Cancer Deceased
209-R. Zane Cancer Deceased
210-B. McFadzen Leukemia
211- J. Rodriguez Cancer
212-L. Heyward Lymphoma Deceased
213-A.Jurinko Pancreatic Deceased
214-M.Bananhan Throat Cancer
215-R. Lingo Lymphoma
216-D.Otten Cancer Deceased
217-P.Pallas Cancer Deceased
218-G.Allen Colon Cancer Deceased
219-F. Ghussin Cancer Deceased
220-R. Graves Cancer Deceased
221-R.Dillion Cancer Deceased
222-J.Daley Cancer Deceased
223-P.Farrenkopf Cancer Deceased
224-R.Hess Cancer Deceased
225-R.Hodges Cancer Deceased
226-E. Reilly Cancer Deceased
227-H.Wanamaker Cancer Deceased
228-P.Berger Cancer Deceased
229-C.Brown Cancer Deceased
230-C.Capobianco Cancer Deceased
231-F.Rosario Cancer Deceased
232-W.Moreau Cancer Deceased
233-L.Badia Bladder Cancer
234-J.Boylan Sarcoma
235-C.Cole Brian Cancer Deceased
236-J.Cortazzo Blood Cancer Deceased
237-B.Cornell Thyroid Cancer
238-J. Dimarco Leukemia
239-S.Adrian Brian Cancer Deceased
240-R.Dunbar Cancer Deceased
241-D.Feser Cancer Deceased
242-E.Gilpin Cancer Deceased
243-J.Goosdbee Cancer Deceased
244-C.Hanarhan Cancer Deceased
245-G.Mausberg Cancer Deceased
246-E.Ortiz Cancer Deceased
247-C.Ocasio Cancer Deceased
248-A.Peluso Cancer Deceased
249-G.Rex Cancer Deceased
250-R.Rivera Cancer Deceased
251-E.Thompson Cancer Deceased
252-R.Weintraub Cancer Deceased
253-B.Mohammed Cancer Deceased
254-A.Baez Cancer Deceased
255-G.Wong Gastric Cancer Deceased
256-L.Johnston Lung Cancer Deceased
257-R.Jakubowsky Cancer Deceased
258-R.Nicosia Cancer Deceased
259-P.Gerasimczya Cancer
260-D.Howley Cancer
261-S.Rabiner Cancer
262-R.Bradley Leukemia
263-G.Spinelli Cancer Deceased
264-D.Collins Non-Hodgkin’s
265-C.Russo Throat Cancer
266-B.Gray Prostate Cancer
267-V.Nitti Thyroid Cancer
268-A-Falco Pancreatic Cancer Deceased
269-T.Wilson Tongue Cancer
270-G.Kavakos Cancer Deceased
271-B.Malloy Cancer Deceased
272-J.O’Neill Cancer Deceased
273-C.Sealy Cancer Deceased
274-E.Tietjen Cancer Deceased
275-W.Wilson Cancer Deceased
276-P.Triola Kidney Cancer
277-R.Dambakly Lymphoma
278-A.Noonan Leukemia
279-C.Capolino Leukemia
280-K.Wolfe Throat Cancer
281-G.Carl Throat Cancer
282-M.Behetti Lung Cancer
283-J.Colon Non-Hodgkin’s
284-L.Acevedo Leukemia
285-F.Krines Cancer
286-S.Mozes Non-Hodgkin’s
287-R.Yecchione Non-Hodgkin’s
288-R.Wallen Myelodysplasia/Prostate Cancer
289-J.Costanza Cancer
290-M.Mulqueen Colon Cancer
291-R.Lafuence Brain Cancer
292-J.Treuman Brain Cancer
293-M.Jezycki Leukemia
294-M.Young Stomach Cancer
295-S.Blihar Prostate Cancer
296-V.Dinnen Esophageal Cancer Deceased
297-J.Burke Prostate Cancer
298-D.McLarney Cancer Deceased
299-J.Rappa Cancer Deceased
300- M.Sartoretti Non-Hodgkin’s
301-T.McCauley Throat Cancer
302- F.Feeney Cancer Deceased
303-B.Fanara Small Cell Lung/Brain
304-L.Massa Lung Cancer
305-F.Zambrano Non-Hodgkin’s
306-E.Cahlstadt Prostate Cancer
307-C.Hudson Prostate Cancer
308-J.Clark Prostate Cancer
309-S.Riedel Prostate Cancer
310-C.Cooper Bladder/Kidney Cancer
311-J.Fenrich Colon Cancer
312-M.Mckay Bone Cancer Deceased
313-A.Bachmann Lung Cancer Deceased
314-S.Tallone Lymphoma
315-G.Danza Brain Cancer Deceased
316-J.Bruinsma Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
317-P.Workman Multiple Myeloma
318-D.Curaba Bladder Cancer
319-P.Sullivan Leukemia Deceased
320-F.Thomas Sarcoma
321-R.Torres Colon Cancer
322-D.Mulholland Colon Cancer
323-T.Frank Pancreatic Cancer Deceased
324-M.Donnelly Brain Cancer
325-S.Reisman Brain Cancer
326-C.Pupo Cancer Deceased
327-D.Smith Stomach Cancer
328-A.Mangaracina Thymic Carcinoma
329-M.McHugh Lung Cancer Deceased
330-L.Sullivan Cancer
331-J.Leho Cancer Deceased
332-J.Kristofferson Esophageal Cancer Deceased
333-S.Lancelot Lung Cancer Deceased
334-J.Loia Lung Cancer
335-D.Morales Cancer Deceased
336-C.Strucker Cancer Deceased
337-N.Couluris Cancer Deceased
338-J.Kelly Cancer
339-C.Jones Esophageal Cancer
340-J.Wright Skin Cancer
341-J.Riccardi Lung Cancer
342-A.Mangaracina Cancer Deceased
343-D.Roblez Cancer
344-G.Walsh Mylo-Fibrosis

 Though I hate the slogan and what it was used to justify, I do believe that here it is at least appropriate. "Never Forget"

Head to the FEAL Good foundation for more information and ways you can help.

The word "Nazi" isn't rhetoric anymore

If NSDAP were still around I could see a copyright suit

The article by Laurie Penny

"After the immigrants, you're next." That's what was written on flyers that appeared this week in the gay clubbing district of Athens. As violence against immigrants and ethnic minorities escalates across Greece, supporters of the ultra-right Golden Dawn party have also begun to promote hate attacks on homosexuals and people with disabilities. These fascists march with black shirts and flares through Athens, terrorising ethnic and sexual minorities, waving an insignia which looks like nothing but an unravelled swastika, and declaring disdain for the political process. And yet, across Europe, they continue to be treated as a mere symptom of Greece's economic crisis.

Once, right-wing thugs only came out to attack immigrants at night. Now they do so in daylight, unafraid of the consequences because there rarely are any. In recent weeks, the number and severity of the attacks have increased – on 12 August, a 19-year-old Iraqi asylum seeker was fatally stabbed by a gang on motorcycles just streets away from the Greek parliament – and if migrants report attacks to police, they risk being arrested.
Not only are crimes against immigrants in Greece considered low priority, much of Golden Dawn's support base comes from police ranks. Exit polls in the May 2012 elections suggested that in some urban districts up to 50 per cent of Greek police voted for the racist group, which now holds 7 per cent of the seats in parliament.

Behold the guardians of Grecian Democracy

The stabbings, beatings and motorbike attacks have become so routine that in many parts of the capital, immigrants are afraid to go out alone. While Greece has long had a large migrant population – 80 per cent of refugees to the European Union arrive in Greek ports – families who came to the country seeking safety are now afraid for their children. A recent Human Rights Watch report, Hate on the Streets, found that "national authorities – as well as the EU and the international community at large – have largely turned a blind eye" to xenophobic violence in Greece.

An example of the heroic defence of Greece

Turning a blind eye would be bad enough. But now the Minister for Public Order, Nikos Dendias, has pledged to crack down on immigration, which he described as an "invasion" and "a bomb at the foundations of society". Tellingly, Dendias also described the presence of foreigners in Greece as a more significant threat than the economic crisis – a message he would no doubt plaster across the walls of Athens if he could.
Whipping up racism has become a strategy for diverting an embittered nation's attention away from the government and public spending crisis. Like many flagging centre-right administrations, the New Democracy coalition is mimicking the language of far-right extremists, pandering to rather than pacifying public xenophobia. With Dendias's support, the police are rounding up immigrants, arresting and deporting thousands in raids across Athens and nearby cities – a programme named, with no apparent irony, after Zeus Xenios, the Greek God of hospitality.

Golden Dawn's surge in popularity and confidence did not come from nowhere. The party has been active for decades, but four years ago, before the first wave of austerity cuts in Greece, it was regarded as something of a joke. This summer, with its party at the table in parliament, members of Golden Dawn are setting up "Greeks only" supermarkets and distributing food parcels to the unemployed in Syntagma Square – but only for "real Greeks".

Trivia time: Free lunch was a flagship program of the Black Panther Party

The left does not need to point to the historic correlation between imposed economic austerity and the rise of fascism: Golden Dawn is making that link explicit, celebrating it. But simple willingness to capitalise on public anger will never, in any nation, make racist thugs the voice of the people.

Germany the past

Greece the future

As with many fascist groups, Golden Dawn claims to represent the marginalised working class. Like far-right groups across Europe – including the English Defence League and the new British Freedom Party – Golden Dawn declares itself the enemy of a bankrupt democratic system, exploiting for its own ends popular anger against neoliberal economic mismanagement. However, although it professes to stand against austerity, it has no economic project: its tactics are simply violent, divisive and nauseatingly racist. And the governments of Greece and Europe seem willing to tolerate this as the social cost of an ongoing austerity consensus.

Behold our continents guardians of stability and prosperity (stop laughing)

The European Union was established after the Second World War to ensure socio-economic unity on a continent ripped apart by fascism. In the Greece of today, Golden Dawn is being treated as a serious political party, despite its members' eschewal of democratic process and tendency to assault rival politicians on television.
Long after the Nazi party took power in Germany in 1933, after the Reichstag had been burned and anti-semitic violence became official state policy, European governments remained more worried about the possibility of a socialist Germany than a fascist one. Almost until the Second World War, it remained more important to many world leaders that Germany pay down its debts. Drawing historical parallels with Nazism is a weary rhetorical technique that commentators on left and right have cheapened by tossing the simile into discussions of food labelling and over-enthusiastic traffic control. In this case, however, it's not rhetoric.

And we thought Nick Griffins Question Time appearance was bad

Actual fascists in actual black shirts are actually marching around Athens waving swastikas and burning torches, and maiming and murdering ethnic minorities, and world governments appear frighteningly relaxed about it as long as the Greek people continue to pay off the debts of the European elite. When the lessons of history are taught by rote, they can be easy to miss when most needed. This time, Europe must remember that the price of fostering fascism is crueller and costlier by far than any national debt.

 A well thought out article and from the Indy no less, Golden Dawn received 6.9% of the vote, hardly a landslide but historically Fascist parties have been very good at seizing power without achieving majority support, for example the Nazi's highest vote share in a relatively free and fair election was 37.4% in July 1932, however by November that had dropped to 33.1%. In January 33 Hitler was made Chancellor and his party accelerated the repression of rival parties like the Communists and SPD making the results of elections after that date suspect.

In Italy the National Fascist Party managed a meagre 2 seats in the 1921 elections and yet was able to seize control of Italy a year later with its march on Rome. In Spain Franco and the Falange had to rely on an alliance of Conservatives, Political Catholics and the support of Italy and Germany (the infighting on the Republican side didn't hurt) to establish his vision of a united Spain.

Hell in the 60's Greece was controlled by a small group of Fascist military officers and an inept king managed to place tanks on the streets of Athens and cobble together a 7 year junta.

Fortunately there is still hope, Greeks themselves at least are taking the threat of Golden Dawn seriously, and opposition to them is fierce, determined and often violent. We must also not be dismissive of Golden Dawn as an isolated anomaly or a purely Greek phenomena. Far right fringe groups have been networking for years all over Europe. 

When Fascism first made a big splash in Europe Red terrorism, Jewish Diaspora and stagnant economies were filling seats in the beer halls and arm bands on angry thugs. Coupled with a divided Left (in Germany the KPD focussed on fighting the SPD as late as 1933) and a naive Conservative business class willing to gamble on the jackboots to stave off the Red flag revolutionaries. Today we have Al-Qaeda terrorism, immigration and the economic downturn have all combined to give these new generations of skinheads openings to exploit. We can't really do much about that but we can keep the threat these groups really represent and unite accordingly.