Suburu: Don't Sell Cars Where Women Can't Drive! via change.org

Saudi women are calling on Subaru to pull out of Saudi Arabia until they have the right to drive. Join them! Amazing! Last week, a group of Saudi women activists started a Change.org petition calling on Saudi authorities to drop charges against Manal al-Sharif, a woman arrested for driving her own car. Days later, the charges were dropped! Then, they launched a second petition calling on U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to speak out publicly for Saudi women's right to drive. Clinton initially resisted, but after 20,000 Change.org members joined the call, she declared, "What these women are doing is brave, and what they are seeking is right," at a major press conference. Now, the same Saudi women are launching their biggest campaign yet: calling on car company Subaru to pull out of Saudi Arabia until women have the right to drive. Please click here to sign their petition, then send this email to everyone you know. Subaru markets heavily to women, especially in the U.S. and Europe -- and has built up a progressive brand for itself. Yet the company still sells cars in Saudi Arabia, the only country on earth where women are prohibited from driving or even riding a bike. (The ban is a huge impediment for women who are forbidden to drive to work, stores, or even a hospital. Many women can't afford male drivers, and those that can are often harassed by them.) The activists at Saudi Women for Driving tell us, "Manal was released, Mrs. Clinton spoke out, and some brave women have started driving in defiance of the ban. This is already the largest women's rights movement in Saudi history and no one here knows what will happen next, but a big company like Subaru pulling out could help change our country forever. Help us do it!" It's simple: A massive campaign to push Subaru to pull out of Saudi Arabia -- and the threat that they might leave -- will put huge pressure on the Saudi royal family and shine a bright light on the "gender apartheid" in the country. It's a chance for the company to live up to its brand and make a huge difference for nearly 13 million women. Change.org members have already won more than 200 campaigns in 2011. Let's win this one, too. Click here to stand with Saudi women and ask Subaru to pull out of Saudi Arabia until women win the right to drive:   http://www.change.org/petitions/subaru-stop-selling-cars-where-women-cant-drive Thanks, - Weldon and the Change.org team

ACTION ALERT: "Homosexuals Are Sexual Predators" via change.org

Censure Commissioner Bill James for his anti-gay hate speech While most Americans celebrated the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” Bill James, a County Commissioner in Mecklenburg, North Carolina, used it as an opportunity to bash LGBT people. “Homosexuals are sexual predators,” James wrote. “Allowing homosexuals to serve in the U.S. military with the endorsement of the Mecklenburg County Commission ignores a host of serious problems related to maintaining U.S. military readiness and effectiveness, not the least of which is the current Democrat plan to allow homosexuals (male and female) to share showers with those they are attracted to.” It’s not the first time Commissioner James has used his spot on the County Board to promote anti-gay bigotry. During debate over a domestic partnership bill, Commissioner James called homosexuality a “crime against nature” that should be prosecuted by police. And last year, Commissioner James turned to a colleague whose son died from complications from AIDS, and called the son “a homo.” He then compared homosexuality to alcoholism, and argued that all gay people bring AIDS on themselves. We can’t let this kind of hate speech by public officials go unanswered – and we have a chance in the next few days to do something about it. Right now, the rest of the county commission is publicly debating whether to censure James. Condemnation by the commission would send a strong signal that bigotry by elected officers holds no place in our society. Thousands of people from Mecklenburg and around the country already speaking out. Join them by signing the petition to the Mecklenburg County Board and tell them to censure James for his anti-gay attacks: http://www.change.org/petitions/view/tell_mecklenburg_county_board_censure_anti-gay_politician_who_called_lgbt_people_sexual_predators?alert_id=uezSJFIOjS_LhaGcEuIEB&me=aa Thanks for taking action, The Change.org team

Seeking Justice For Ian Tomlinson

On April 1st 2009 an English newspaper vendor was on his way home from work when he came across an area containing a number of G20 protestors and riot police. Around 19.30 he collapsed in the street and died.

The Police initially reported that he had died of a heart attack. Allegations started to emerge that he had been assaulted by police before his death and a statement was released by Police stating that they had had no interaction with him prior to his collapse. A week later a video was obtained by The Guardian newspaper from a New York man who had been in London on business. The footage (above) show Ian Tomlinson walking in front of riot police and dog handlers, walking away from them. One officer then struck his legs from behind with a baton and pushed him to the ground. The footage shows this was an unprovoked attack on an innocent passerby who minutes later collapsed and died.

The first autopsy result confirmed the cause of death as being a heart attack. Dr. 'Freddy' Patel is currently suspended from duty pending an investigation by the General Medical Council and faces at least 26 charges of inappropriate conduct related to 4 other cases. The second autopsy was performed at the request of The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) and of Ian Tomlinson's family. It returned the cause of death as being internal bleeding resulting from a blow to the abdomen with complications caused by psorosis of the liver. A third autopsy was requested by the defence and this returned the same verdict as the second one.

Other videos by passersby and journalists have also been made public of the incident but The IPCC claimed that no CCTV cameras existed in the area where the assault had taken place. A newspaper later published pictures of 6 CCTV cameras in the area and the statement was withdrawn by The IPCC. The officer who struck Ian Tomlinson has recently been named as PC Simon Harwood and The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has taken until very recently to make a decision on whether or not to prosecute him.

The CPS announced on July 22nd that there would be no prosecution in the case as the differing opinions in the 3 autopsy results made it too difficult to determine the true cause of death and therefore to bring a case against the officer in question. PC Harwood is facing a disciplinary hearing for gross misconduct.

A picket against The Department Of Public Prosecution (DPP) has been arranged for Friday 30th July and pickets will also be carried out throuhout the UK in support. Those wishing to attend the London picket should be at The Office of Department of Public Prosecution,Rose Court, 2 Southwark Bridge, SE1 9HS at 12 noon. Those unable to attend can look for a protest in their area, or just do one yourself or with some friends. Those unable to do that can show their support in the way that I will be. Change your avatar picture to a picture of Ian Tomlinson for 1 day, and tell everyone you speak to his story.

RIP Ian Tomlinson. Justice must be had.

Mental Freedom and Mindfulness

Looking at the AIM and its members may overwhelm people no matter what religion, race, creed or political affiliation. The members are dedicated and inspired. Each one of us came from our own respective parts of the globe and picked up good and bad habits along the way. Whether we were prosecuted by our families and chased out of our homelands due to religion, spent decades as government slaves in the prison system, spent 16 hours a day for weeks in silence in meditation, sabotaged KKK rallies in our youth, or studied a lifetimes worth of documents on corrupt political systems of the world and achieved high levels of education, we have converged under one banner.

Our mission isn't to bond by exclusion the way many organized religions have gained followers. Its not about a drive to be part of something exclusive. The only thing we have realized is that we are ALL part of something exclusive on this rock which is being a human and surprisingly enough, this understanding is what separates our reality as a group from the realities of others. By understanding this connection in our waking consciousness we know that we can never be free as a species unless all of us are free. Freedom is a state of mind as we have seen from many of the great writers and leaders of our time. They were forced to endure and found peace when they were physically confined. You can cage the physical person but you cannot cage their ideas and thoughts. We see this in the words of Nelson Mandela and Mumia. The ideas start small and then they expand like a wildfire. Mental emancipation is slowly spreading but the contraints run deep as they are almost embedded in our DNA.

The old corrupt thought of entitlement based on name or family lineage, justice based on commerce, or superiority based on race, gender or religion are the instruments used for centuries to create the mental prison that has alienated us from ourselves as we are separated in our mental cells. We cannot be mentally free while these institutions are in place because they perpetuate ego and economic cannibalism. Those in power have actually convinced us, and aided us in stealing from each other as long as we give them a cut. Being trapped in these mental cells we have learned to cut each others throats for our own piece of a cake that those who have manipulated us have taught us to want. By living in these mental cells we have had no choice but to look at ourselves separately because we feel thats what our "purpose" is. These concepts of differences are fueled by capitalism, world governments, religious nationalism, consumerism, sexism and racism.

The point is not for every person to drop everything they're doing and dedicate their lives the way members of the AIM have, the point is to dedicate our lives to one other. The systems that seem to be concreted into turning us against each other so we are easily manipulated will not be taken down by our "right to bare arms" against them. It will be taken down by every day actions of every person under its rule. Propping up your fellow human is the antithesis of these driving forces. If someone feels helpless against defending women's rights against Sharia law, a time will come when a person will be ready and the illusion of helplessness will subside. Until then, theres people who need your help in your own community and if you're one of those people that needs the help, we will help you and theres still always something to give.

The AIM is not only about helping all our brothers and sisters, it is about educating to help bring others out of their mental incarcerations so that they to can have a healthy mind to combat the manipulators. No one has to be part of any group to help a child to care for another. Theres always something you can do, no matter how small. Its the volition behind it that spreads.

To all the AIM members, we need to lead by example. Communication is key, we must hold a high standard because if we are separate, then we can never unify others. Up the ante people.

-VNON

Bad News All Day!

After several days of not feeling too good and having a house full of people and cats, I woke up this morning for the first time in 3 days without pain searing through my head and making my eyes feel like they're on fire. The relief lasted only until I read some blogs and news stories.

A quick round up of how bad it is in the world today...

Having submitted to International pressure The Islamic Regime of Iran had agreed not to 'stone' to death Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, a 43 year old mother of two. It looked likely that she would instead face death by hanging for the crime she has been convicted of. The crime being adultery. This announcement was no victory but it was a step towards ending the barbaric practise if stoning people to death. This morning I was sent a message with a link to an article that stated that The IRI had taken a stand and would in fact go ahead with Sakineh's original sentence of stoning, and also that this is not only for the crime of adultery but also the crime of the murder of her husband. This is a charge that has never previously been mentioned in connection with Sakineh and it seems now to be a last ditch attempt or excuse to justify her murder sentence.

I also learnt that in the same city in Iran where Sakineh is being held a 26 year old woman has been punished for refusing to conform to The Islamic dress code (wearing a hijab). Elnaz Babazadeh was stopped by the local authorities and when she refused to conform to the dress code three agents jumped into her car, threatened her with a gun, raped her, executed her and dumped her body near a cemetery.

Next I find out that in that city alone The IRI will also be stoning a pregnant woman, will be hanging 18 people for the 'crime' of homosexuality, have been carrying out mock stonings on a teenager in preparation for the real thing and are holding a large number of juvenile 'offenders' on death row. All this from a country that has recently been awarded a seat on The UN Commission on the Status of Women??

While The IRI is clearly a gender-apartheidist regime that controls it's people with fear, violence, rape and torture, it is not only women and children who are targeted. As a result of the high profile campaign started by Mission Free Iran to prevent the stoning of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, MFI have received another letter from Iran begging for help from the international community. This letter is sent at great risk to the family of those involved and shows how desperate they are for help. The letter was sent by the Mother and younger brother of a community and human rights worker named Behnam Ebrahimzadeh. He has been tortured and imprisoned by The IRI and his family now fear for his life as he languishes in an Iranian prison without access to medical treatment for the broken bones he sustained during his arrest and torture.

Also in today's news, 37 year old William L. Garner was executed at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility near Lucasville. He died by lethal injection at 10.38am local time. Garner became the 6th condemned inmate to be executed in Ohio this year and the 39th overall since capital punishment resumed in 1999. He also became the 31st condemned inmate to be put to death this year in the USA and the 1219th overall since the nation resumed executions on January 17, 1977.

If you wish to become involved with any of the many campaigns to help with any of the issues I have mentioned today then please visit some of the links and blogs posted below. They are also a great source of information if you want to find out more about anything I have mentioned.

Just to show that there is some hope in this world for true equality, the UK announced on Wednesday that it will now consider cases of asylum for people fleeing countries due to fear of violence or prosecution because of their sexuality. In some ways it's a small step, but it is long overdue and for me it was a reminder that if we keep working we will see change. It reminds me never to stop until that day has come. I was also overwhelmed by the blogs, videos and pictures from all over the world showing global acts of solidarity on Sunday's International Day Against Stoning. Please check them out in the links below.

Mission Free Iran

Iran Solidarity

Death Penalty News

July 11 - Copenhagen 

July 11 - MFI

Iran Solidarity - Sakineh Posts