A Culture of Greed Out of Control - Gangster Capitalism

The late Justice Louis Brandeis’ warning to the nation:” We can have democracy in this country, or we can have great wealth concentrated in the  hands of a few, but we can’t have both.”

An era era of gangster capitalism has arrived; the inevitable result of unregulated Globalization. The 0.1% have taken control, another 0.9% ride on their coat tails and the 99%, face a bleak future. Democracy is now only window dressing to tame the masses. Think of it as a reverse Robin Hood movement where the rich steal from everyone else. The US statistics are startling. While the richest 1% of Americans take home almost a quarter of national income today, in 1976 they took home just 9% -- meaning their share of the national income pool has nearly tripled in roughly three decades.with the share of the nation's wealth by top 1 % now 40%. Those in the middle have actually seen their incomes fall, millions have fallen out of the middle class and have found work in box stores where the minimum wages have been declared below the poverty line or they have joined the growing ranks of the unemployed. And this at a time when there is a record demand by the 1% for ocean going yachts and luxury goods. 


The roots of the economic crisis are pretty clear. Globalization without regulation has allowed the owners of large corporations in Western economies to accumulate and hold on to their wealth. Political crooks and cretins their pockets stuffed with money from the oligarchy and their heads filled with half baked and self serving ideologies,  provide the controlling votes and legislation to open the floodgates. Here is what the 0.1% and their carpet-baggers of lobbyists, lawyers and bankers are doing to plunder the wealth of nation states:

•  They have emptied their factories in America and Europe and passed on the their technology and work to lower cost producers principally in China and India thus putting millions of people out of middle class jobs.
• To gain public support they have aggressively marketed an absurd view of Freedom!! influenced by utopian and simplistic Libertarian ideals and Ayn Rand's "Atlas Shrugged" that denies any form of regulation, declares Governments as the enemy of private enterprise by obstructing the freedom to pollute; evade taxes, eliminate unions, employee benefits and minimum wages, disallow casino banking, The good news!! is that a PayPal billionaire inspired by Ayn Rand and Libertarian principles, has announced plans to build a whole new libertarian colony off the coast of San Francisco. Click and read about it here. We can only hope there will be ample space to house The Tea Party and Rand Paul.
  
  
  
• Forget about trickle down economics; the rich hang on to it and with the aid of corrupt banking systems, accountants, lobbyists and lawyers find ways to avoid their responsibilities as corporate citizens by operating and placing  their earnings in a web of tax havens outside their respective nation states. A grotesque example, only one of many, is Apple Inc.who is reportedly sitting on 137 billion dollars in tax havens and paid taxes in 2011 at a rate of only 9.8% on 13 billion dollars of profits.
• The substantial productivity gains in America have been fully absorbed within corporate offices and not passed on to workers  Totally corrupt politicians and their cretinous followers pave the way for this grand larceny to take place.  Eventually much of this money is laundered into tax havens and eventually ending up in The City in London and Wall Street. In that sense the corporate owners are no different from the drug dealers and 3rd world kleptomaniacs. 

The more divided a society becomes in terms of wealth, the more reluctant the wealthy become to spend money on common needs. The rich don’t need to rely on government for parks or education or medical care or personal security—they can buy all these things for themselves. In the process, they become more distant from ordinary people, losing whatever empathy they may once have had. They also worry about strong government—one that could use its powers to adjust the balance, take some of their wealth, and invest it for the common good.


The reason we have so much inequality is that the top 1 percent want it that way. The most obvious example involves tax policy. Bush by lowering tax rates on capital gains, which is how the rich receive most of their income, has given the wealthiest Americans close to a free ride. 

I've drawn on US references in this discussion but the theme is  much the same with variations better or worse in the UK and Western Europe;

The top 1 percent have the best houses, the best educations, the best doctors, and the best lifestyles, but there is one thing that money doesn’t seem to have bought: an understanding that their fate is bound up with how the other 99 percent live. Justice Louis Brandeis was right ” We can have democracy in this country, or we can have great wealth concentrated in the  hands of a few, but we can’t have both." Eventually history has shown that when people have had enough they finally force a change. This greed and injustice produced the Russian and French revolutions and today we are seeing revolutionary changes in the Middle East and massive angry demonstrations throughout southern Europe. Hopefully some visionary leaders like another Mandela will show up to peacefully force the obscenely wealthy off their pedastels; otherwise violence is inevitable and with an uncertain outcome.

Corrupt Capitalism. Time to take to the streets

 "While globalism has it's benefits, the flaw is that there is no good governance at that level, meaning that it ends up being a playground of the powerful" David  Creelman,

“Growth for the sake of growth is the ideology of the cancer cell.” 
― Edward Abbey, The Journey Home

“Fascism is capitalism plus murder.” 
― Upton Sinclair


The .01% want to run the world and want the 99.99% to either help out or get out of the way. The only roles they see for for the nation state are to release their national assets for private  acquisition  and  to police a labour force offered at the lowest cost to service their needs and fight their wars. Their corporate mandate is solely profits and growth and it is assumed that any benefits to nations and their citizenry will naturally trickle out as corporate needs are met.

By their terms Globalization has been a phenomenal success. It has industrialized the Far East, opened new markets and massively improved their profits by closing up services and production in the West and moving it to areas where labour costs are much lower and social benefits are virtually non existent. It accounts for about 7 million middle class jobs being taken out of Europe and the United States


Capitalism is beginning to come apart at the seams. What is happening in Greece, Spain, Portugal and elsewhere has become intolerable and German/French demands reducing these nations to long term penury can't continue. There is a similar build-up of middle class impoverishment in France and the US while we tolerate the rich hiding their wealth offshore, compounding it with hedge funds and bribing politicians while the young increasingly face a dim future and politicians obey their masters and advocate cost cutting of social benefits, letting the infrastructure and ecology deteriorate and selling off the nation's heritage to carpet baggers as the only solution. As with the Greeks and Spaniards it is time to take to the street and bring to a halt this rape. If only the Greeks do it then the gang in Brussels can cut them off but if this mass movement spreads the oligarchies and bankers will have to capitulate. Democracy started in Greece and maybe they can lead in fixing it.

D

http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2012/09/26-8

http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2012/09/26

Globalization and The Divine Right of Kings

I'm getting impatient with economists who always put growth at the top of agenda.  Why don't we have an economy like say, 2004.  People were busy, living well, kids could get jobs.  If that existed only due to great liquidity well, why not recreate that kind of liquidity?  We don't need a bigger economy than 2004, just the same one. (David Creelman - Creelman Research)


My response;
I have to conclude that we are systematically building a human disaster. It makes no sense so why are we doing it? The answer is that a small number of obscenely rich people are benefiting and they have the financial means to corrupt our politicians and courts to do their bidding and control the media to baffle the public. They are seeking a return to the 17th century when the Divine Right of Kings ruled the land. It was a political doctrine of royal and political legitimacy asserting that a monarch was subject to no earthly authority thereby deriving the right to rule directly from the will of God. Like these ancient kings the obscenely rich don't want the nations they live in touch any of their wealth. It has been estimated that this off shore theft amounts to between 21 and 32 trillion dollars; a staggering amount exceeding the GDP of the US and Europe.

In the United States the rationale for this modern day Divine Right has been packaged in a witches brew from the philosophy of Ayn Rand (an ardent atheist, a hack writer of pot boilers, and worshiper of male power) , Milton Friedman (a naive believer in unregulated markets that will eventually work things out for the best) and Religious Fundamentalists (who proclaim the Divine Right of  their leaders).  Ronald Reagan and Alan Greenspan were Rand's and Friedman's ardent cheerleaders. Financed by their kings (the Koch brothers and others) the Tea Baggers enthusiastically repackaged this rubbish and have led the political charge with leaders like Paul Ryan, Mike Huckabee, Sharon Angle, and Sarah Palin all professing divine inspiration and a return to a marriage of church and state, long discarded by the Founding Fathers. I suspect the Libertarians and visible spokespersons on Fox News and talk radio don't necessarily buy into all this rubbish and take a deep breath to let it wash over them in order to support their shared neocon agenda of enriching the rich ( and their paid servants) at the expense of the rest of us.

It took revolutions to end the Divine Right of Kings in Europe, Russia, and Iran (and it removed a few heads). With youth unemployment and underemployment in Europe and the United States running as high as 50% , wages and social services collapsing, public anger and demonstrations mounting, there is no end in sight. All of this is happening while the 1% become richer each year, It is only a matter of time before this anger spills over with unpredictable outcomes. The demand for reform has become violent in parts of the Middle East (The Arab Spring) and something like this (hopefully without the religious part) could happen here.

Let's Eat Bugs!

Hungry? Lacking protein? Eat an insect, UN says

In 2008 the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization held a conference in Chiang Mai, Thailand to assess the dietary value of insects as food and discuss how to harvest more of them. Scientists from 15 countries probed the role of edible forest insects. They explored insect protein as a contributor to better nutrition, the economics of collecting edible forest insects, methods of harvesting, processing and promoting insect eating with snacks, dishes, condiments -- even recipes.

Animals that eat insects are known as Insectivores. Many humans are Insectivores because insect-eating is common in cultures in parts of the world, such as North, Central and South America; and Africa, Asia, Australia and New Zealand. Over 1,000 insects are known to be eaten in 80% of the world's nations.

Tasty and nutritious dishes of insects includes crickets, cicadas, grasshoppers, ants, various beetle grubs (such as mealworms), the larvae of beetle, various species of caterpillar, flies,wasps,scorpions and tarantulas. Add arachnids that includes shrimps, snails; slugs, lobsters and crabs.

Whether we want to or not we all eat insects. Canned and frozen fruit and vegetables, flour and rice all contain limited quantities of these harmless insects cruelly referred to by Food and Drug Administrators as insect filth. The illustrations below include a  lollipop with ants, a bowl of mealworms, a variety of deep fried assorted insects, and fried insect pupae.



Israel has recently been invaded by a plague of locusts arriving from Egypt. Moshe Basson is the chef of the popular Jerusalem restaurant Eucalyptus. He is also a food historian specializing in Biblical food traditions, and an expert on wild edibles native to the Holy Land.
So naturally, Basson has appeared on TV serving locusts with dipping sauce, according to Haaretz.

Here is another article you may want to read about eating nutritious bugs

Here are some hair raising menus from an annual event at the Waldorf Astoria. It takes courage to try these mouth watering delicacies   







Recipes
You can eat insects as tasty snacks just as is or consider one of the many mouthwatering recipes;

Here is a challlenging recipe

Grasshopper Goulash
20 GRASSHOPPERS  chopped
2 handfuls of moss
6 owlets eyes
3 cups of chicken blood
2 grass snakes innards
3 cups of maggots

Fry the chopped grasshoppers with the owlets eyes and innards from the snakes. Once well cooked add the chicken  blood.  Simmer for 15 mins. Serve on a bed of pan fried maggots and garnish with the finely chopped moss

This is a friendlier recipe
Grasshopper Gumbo
    Ingredients (6 servings):
    1/2 cup lemon juice
    1 tablespoon olive oil
    1 teaspoon honey
    1/2 teaspoon freshly grated ginger 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
    2 tablespoon minced fresh herbs -- parsley, mint, thyme and/or tarragon.
    12 frozen grasshoppers, katydids, locusts, or other suitably sized Orthoptera, thawed
    1 red pepper, cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
    1 small yellow onion, cut into 8 wedges
 
Directions: Mix all ingredients for the marinade in a  baking dish. Add the insects, cover, and marinate overnight. When ready to cook, remove the insects from the marinade. Pat them dry, for ease of handling. Assemble each kabob, alternately skewering the insects, tomatoes, and onion wedges to create a visually interesting lineup. Cook the kabobs two or three inches above the fire, turning them every two or three minutes and basting them with additional olive oil as required. The exact cooking time will vary, depending on the kind of grill and types of insects used; however, the kabobs should cook for no longer than 8 or 9 minutes.(from Utterly Outrageous Recipes)


Now Here is A Desert
Fruitcake, Desert
1 cup Cricket or Grasshopper Flour
1/4 cup Cherries, Dried, Chopped
1/4 cup Cranberries, Dried, Chopped
1/4 cup Water
 
This recipe is very traditional  and does not take into account advances in cooking technology -such as yeast. It is, however, a wonderful nutrition bar packed  with protein, carbohydrates, sugars, and about 2% fat (better than most
granolas). Mix all ingredients together to make a coarse dough. Pull off enough dough to make finger-sized strips and lay
these on a lightly oiled cookie sheet. Bake at 350oF for 20 min or until the outside is deep tan (adjusting for the colour of
the flour) and a toothpick stuck into one comes out clean. Cool and serve as nutrition bars for snacks, hiking, or camping or store for later use.Var. - Add 1/4 c Rolled Oats and a tad more Water to make this more like a granola bar. Var. -
Substitute other Bug Flours for slightly differing taste.  From Edible Insects

Another Idea
My father late in life often placed all his is food in a blender and then drank it as a brown mush.. You may want to consider this if any of these menus displease you.

Why Should We Eat Bugs?
Well they are cheap, plentiful and everywhere. Canada's north for example is filled with them  and after the birds and fish have had their fill there are still billions of them ready to drink your blood and strip the leaves from the trees. Why not eat them instead of poisoning them and thus saving other living creatures at the same time.

They are rich in protein, and we are rapidly depleting our fish supply and polluting and despoiling our land raising cattle. .Prices are soaring and manipulated by speculators thus putting much needed protein out of the reach of billions of people. Insects are plentiful everywhere, an affordable supply that offers local employment to harvest and market. 

Global Warming is rapidly depleting coral reefs around the world. Half the coral cover of Australia's Great Barrier Reef is already gone and we can expect a similar deterioration  in he size and number of fish. We will have to start thinking about eating bugs for our protean.                                  .

Marketing Insect Eating to Westerners

Children under two will eat anything and maybe this is a place to start. Another ready consumer groups are drunken university students and entomologists. The problem is overcoming the prejudice of most others (including I confess the writer of this blog). One marketing approach that sells billions of everything is TV and print advertising about how the rich, young and beautiful celebrities  live. If they are seen happily eating insects we will all soon stampede to follow. They will be paid handsomely to claim they eat bugs and and who is to know whether they do or don't .

Then it will be up to the fast food outlets offering bug topped pizzas, bugburgers, cheese bugburgers topped with onions and lots of catsup and the market will soon take off. Our palates will adjust and bugs will become a normal item on our shopping list.

And with a thousand or more bugs to choose from, both wild and farm raised,  how interesting it will be for chefs, food writers and shoppers ( and possibly for medical specialists).

Scary Lies and Just Plain Dumb Quotes by Republicans

Some Republican thoughts to ponder. My comments in blue

"We’ve got a Muslim for a President who hates cowboys, hates cowgirls, hates fishing, hates farming, loves gays, and we hate him," . As the Dallas Sun reported, the crowd responded with a loud cheer. -Hank Williams Jnr    Hmmm!! mentally still an angry irrational child

 But the Lord says, 'Be submissive wives; you are to be submissive to your husbands." -because God was speaking through him  Rep. Michele Bachmann   I wish I could convince my wife of this


 "I'm not familiar precisely with what I said, but I'll stand by what I said, whatever it was." —Mitt Romney Sounds entirely agreeable whatever it was.

"Carbon dioxide is portrayed as harmful. But there isn't even one study that can be produced that shows that carbon dioxide is a harmful gas." -Rep. Michelle Bachmann,  I wonder why the ice caps are melting?

“If we took away the minimum wage-if conceivably it was gone-we could potentially virtually wipe out unemployment completely because we would be able to offer jobs at whatever level.”
—Michele Bachmann, Energy and Community Development Committee. January 2005 It's the Chinese solution

“You know what, evolution is a myth….Why aren’t monkeys still evolving into humans?” 
—Christine O’Donnell We need to talk to zoo keepers about this.

  
Christine O'Donnell "It is not enough to be abstinent with other people, YOU ALSO HAVE TO BE ABSTINENT ALONE. The Bible says that lust in your heart is committing adultery, so you can't masturbate without lust."  She has a point here. Lust is very important. How does she know?

If we took away the minimum wage -- if conceivably it was gone -- we could potentially virtually wipe out unemployment completely because we would be able to offer jobs at whatever level." Rep. Michelle Bachmann,  Not very original; this is an old tradition still; practised in most of the world. . The Koch Brothers recommend this for America and are footing most of the Tea Baggers bills so it must be right.

 "There are hundreds and hundreds of scientists, many of them holding Nobel Prizes, who believe in intelligent design."  Rep. Michelle Bachmann iIf you put a bunch of scientists in a room they will debate everything. But to be serious abut it, did the dinosaurs die off only five thousand years ago because there was no room in Noah's Arc?

"We needed to have the press be our friend ... We wanted them to ask the questions we want to answer so that they report the news the way we want it to be reported." Sharron Angle  Most politicians would agree with her

 "This president I think has exposed himself over and over again as a guy who has a deep-seated hatred for white people or the white culture....I'm not saying he doesn't like white people, I'm saying he has a problem. This guy is, I believe, a racist." - Glen Beck  Glen must know a lot about the white culture of his strange friends. Obama is a polite guy but just maybe he doesn't like Glen Beck's friends:

"I'm thinking about killing Michael Moore, and I'm wondering if I could kill him myself, or if I would need to hire somebody to do it. ... No, I think I could. I think he could be looking me in the eye, you know, and I could just be choking the life out. Is this wrong? I stopped wearing my What Would Jesus -- band -- Do, and I've lost all sense of right and wrong now. I used to be able to say, 'Yeah, I'd kill Michael Moore,' and then I'd see the little band: What Would Jesus Do? And then I'd realize, 'Oh, you wouldn't kill Michael Moore. Or at least you wouldn't choke him to death.' And you know, well, I'm not sure." –responding to the question "What would people do for $50 million?", "The Glenn Beck Program, Michael Moore must have said a few things that offended Beck. Obviously he therefore has no right to live.

When I see a 9/11 victim family on television, or whatever, I'm just like, 'Oh shut up' I'm so sick of them because they're always complaining." –"The Glenn Beck Program," It must have been something he ate

"The only [Katrina victims] we're seeing on television are the scumbags." –"The Glenn Beck Program," Obviously poor and mostly coloured folk who got caught up in the lowlands.

 "Corporations are people, my friend… of course they are. Everything corporations earn ultimately goes to the people. Where do you think it goes? Whose pockets? Whose pockets? People's pockets. Human beings, my friend".- Mitt Romney If they shower you with millions to do their bidding why not pretend they are citizens and call them your friends.

“American scientific companies are cross-breeding humans and animals and coming up with mice with fully functioning human brains.”
—Christine O’Donnell Obvious that Democrats are doing this to turn them into Tea Baggers

The exact phrase ‘separation of Church and State’ came out of Adolph Hitler’s mouth, that’s where it comes from. So the next time your liberal friends talk about the separation of Church and State, ask them why they’re Nazis.”
—Glen Urquhart, the Tea Party-backed Republican nominee for the Delaware House seat held by Rep. Mike Castle, April 2010 This proves that Demcrats are Nazis!!


T]he reason I got involved in public service, by and large, if I had to credit one thinker, one person, it would be Ayn Rand." –Paul Ryan That explains it all - deregulation, bank buubbles; hedge fund scandals and the 1%

Chuck Devore: "We have to prepare for the next enemy. It's not Afghanistan. It's the PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA. Makes sense: Enemies=military spending=wars=profits=flag waving support

Trent Franks on Obama: "He has no place in any station of government and we need to realize that he is an ENEMY OF HUMANITY." Of course he is, as are all Democrats. Trent is a Repug Congressman who knows his enemy

Glen Urquhart: "The exact phrase 'separation of Church and State' came out of Adolph HItler's mouth, that's where it comes from. So the next time your liberal friends talk about the separation of Church and State, ASK THEM WHY THEY'RE NAZIS." Canada, the UK and European nations and the US Founding Fathers separated Church and State before Hitler was born. Glen is a bit weak on history but most senators are.

Kristi Noem on driving (she has received 30 tickets and multiple arrest warrants for skipping court): "OBVIOUSLY, I'M NOT PROUD OF MY DRIVING RECORD, but I've been working hard to be a better example to young kids and young drivers out there" Nominated the "hottest freshman representative (Repug) obviously with a bit of a character flaw

Lamar Smith Repug congressman: "The greatest threat to America is not necessarily a recession or even another terrorist attack. The greatest threat to America is a LIBERAL MEDIA BIAS." Those liberals hate our America and must be stopped. Sounds like a Texan Tea Bagger

Joe Miller on GUNS AT HIS RALLIES: "It's not unusual in political rallies, it's not unusual in parades, to see that type of thing.; He is a Repug from Alaska and there are a lot of bears to shoot up there. A true Tea Bagger he says we should carry a gun everwhere. Unfortunately he lost in the election.

 Rand Paul on health care: "The fundamental reason WHY MEDICARE IS FAILING is WHY THE SOVIET UNION FAILED -- socialism doesn't work And that is why it is failing  in socialist countries like Canada, the UK, Norway, Luxembourg, Singapore and Germany.  Rand Paul is an inspired Libertarian so how can we disagree with his profundity.

The leader of the Mississippi Tea Party is calling on God to save the country from "criminal invaders" following the Supreme Court's decision to uphold the health care reform law.
Roy Nicholson, chairman of the Mississippi Tea Party, posted a statement on the group's website Friday saying that the court's 5-4 decision has "killed" the "constitutional republic" and that a "dictatorial junta" of "criminal invaders" is now controlling the federal government. He fears that a "banana republic" is coming next.Wow!! this is frightening Frankly if the Tea Baggers have their way the US will be well on the way to becoming a banana republic so what's the problem?

  Here is an earlier blog about Scary Bible quotes applied to the law that explains the logic(???!) and self-righteous indignation of so many devout Tea Party members.

 

 

I Can't Take it Anymore - Feb 2015 update

Jan 2015 update. The sweeping victory of Alexis Tsipras's left-wing Syriza party raises hope for a better life in Greece and dashes Merkel's demands for endless austerity.  Read on.

"The Tsolakoglou government has annihilated all traces for my survival, which was based on a very dignified pension that I alone paid for 35 years with no help from the state. And since my advanced age does not allow me a way of dynamically reacting (although if a fellow Greek were to grab a Kalashnikov, I would be right behind him), I see no other solution than this dignified end to my life, so I don’t find myself fishing through garbage cans for my sustenance. I believe that young people with no future, will one day take up arms and hang the traitors of this country at Syntagma square, just like the Italians did to Mussolini in 1945"
Dmitri  Christoulas

* * *

Our Capitalist Manifesto: Welcome to laissez-faire Global Capitalism!! Anything goes! We the bankers and international oligarchs own the system, enforce the rules, and the public must pay for it.  As personal profit is our sole motive we shelter our wealth off shore to hide it from Nation States, lend without discipline and constraints to create collapsing bubbles, day trade for speculation from tax havens sums that exceed by many times the world's daily GDP , and take ownership of the media and flood the political system with largess to ensure it does our bidding. We grab hold of an ever increasing share of the nation's wealth from a less worthy citizenry and accept that many will provide their inexpensive labour within a modern framework of serfdom.

In the US, Canada, Great Britain and the greater part of Europe the public, largely disillusioned and passive, have retreated from participation in the public debate. Demonstrations are scattered, lacking teeth and soon forgotten. France is currently an exception that raises hope for revolutionary reforms. This hope for change comes from a movement on the Far Left that has become the third force in the election battle. It is a revolutionary call for citizens to take charge to gain their rights and bring an end to laissez-faire capitalism. It's apparent that there is an awakening of a disillusioned public, many of whom in the past have retreated from voting. With more than 15% of the popular vote and not far behind the UMP(conservatives) and PS(Socialists) they have become a deciding factor in who will take power in France. It is also a cry that is reaching the public in Greece, Spain and other countries now facing years of brutal restraints to pay off the bankers who are largely responsible for creating the financial mess they are in.

This movement is being led by a fiery orator,  Jean-Luc Melanchon who is attracting audiences of  70, 000 or more wherever he speaks filling public squares and surrounding streets.  Here is a video of his oration in Toulouse. You don't have be bilingual to gain an impression of his passionate delivery and the audience's enthusiastic response. 

His critics, of which he has many, say that his programs for radical reforms are unaffordable, in conflict with France's trading partners and excessively idealistic.Clearly his critics are right if France decided to go it alone, but I think Melanchon  is reaching out for an international audience to bring about unbearable pressures on laissez-faire capitalism and those fighting to maintain the status quo. 

The months ahead will determine whether this movement burns out from exhaustion or this is the beginning of a constructive and hopefully non-violent revolutionary movemencan't take it anymoret that will spread.

Alexis Tsipras

Feb 2015 Update!! On Jan 25th the Greeks finally gave voice to "I can't take it anymore" and elected the left-wing party SYRIZA led by Alexis Tsipras winning a legislative election for the first time ever, securing 149 out of the 300 seats, 2 seats short of an absolute majority. On the other hand, conservative and then-ruling New Democracy lost 53 seats and obtained it's worst result ever in terms of seats won.

Pussy Riots and Western Hypocrisy

The Western response to the Pussy Riot conviction is a classic example of a superficially informed  public being easily manipulated to turn these punk women into heroines, to deny the government the right to set standards and laws, and to confirm Putin as a corrupt and much hated despot. The reality is that the US Government and particularly the Neo Cons are using this event to attack Putin and destabilize the government. Putin stands in the way of  US hegemony, NATO's missile shield and their ambitions in the Middle East. He also brought to a halt the rape of Russia during the Yeltsin period (that was ably assisted by Larry Sommers and others from the US). In short, Putin stands in the way of US intentions to dominate on the world stage.

The acts of this group in a public museum, a supermarket and then in a cathedral would be a criminal offense and punishable in any Western country. A conviction and some time served, long enough to discourage this kind of public behaviour seems reasonable. A year sounds like a sufficient deterrent and my guess is that when the dust settles, good behaviour, public pressure and the fact that one of them is a mom will see them released in that time frame.  Public standards are at stake here and the choice is whether any society has the obligation to draw a line somewhere or whether young punks can do as they please without punishment. The calls for leniency from leaders in the West is shear hypocrisy. Does anyone seriously believe that the invasion of a church, mosque or synagogue by punks uttering insults and obscenities and similar invasions of public space such as supermarkets and Moscow's Biological Museum to stage, video tape and photographing a group of about 20 participation in sexual intercourse would go unpunished in the United States and Western Europe?

They no doubt have a just cause in objecting to corruption in the Kremlin but they should surely accept that these public acts will result in arrest, punishment, public shock and outrage. An arrest ensures publicity and that is why they accept punishment.

Aside from their acts in the Cathedral here are some of the facts about these "nice girls" who are simply expressing their right to free speech.

1. Pussy Riot is not a "band" as Western media call it. It is an extremist group. They have held no concerts or recordings, they have never written a song. But yes, beginning in November 2011 they are planning to include some "music" in their defacing and attacks, so thus they are called a "band".

"Pussy Riot" is an outgrowth from the organization "Voina", which means War in Russian. They have open connections and financial assistance from the U.S. government-sponsored National Endowment for Democracy.

2. They openly admit that their acts are criminal. For example, aside from the "Holy shit, Holy shit" masked shouting in the church, Voina/Pussy Riot have also attacked "capitalist" McDonald's staff by throwing live cats at them, overturned police cars, once with a police officer inside, stolen a frozen chicken in a supermarket and inserted it in the vagina of one of the group's members, fire-bombed property with petrol bombs, staged and filmed full penetration sex acts in Moscow's Biological museum. Here is a video in French that includes a moderator's expression of disgust and presents clips from their acts. that shows their disgusting acts. One has to ask why during their tour in America interviewers like Colbert, Leno and others are treating them like sweet young girls. As for Google it presents an overwhelming avoidance of the facts. 

[link to plucer.livejournal.com] Such nice innocent girls.

And their big supporter who was recently arrested at one of their demonstrations is Gary Kasparov, the world renowned retired chess player who holds both American and Russian citizenship. In Russia his popular support is about 6%, about the same as the Pussy Riot.

In the real world, Kasparov is a clear de facto puppet of Western opposition to Putin. Back in 1991, he was awarded the “Keeper of the Flame” by the Century for Security Policy (an organization founded by Frank Gaffney Jr. of the Project for a New American Century), typically reserved for American neocon defense policy wonks, including Cheney, Wolfowitz, Rumsfeld, Perle, Gingrich and Caspar Weinberger. Kasparov is allegedly still connected with the organization. Also read Washington’s “Fifth Column” in Russia. 

Kasparov was recently an invitee to the secret Bilderberg meeting on June 12th in Virginia. The Bilderberg  Group meet once a year, in North American or European location, and attendance is limited to about 120 to 140 business and financial leaders from the world's largest corporations and leading politicians from Europe and America.  They discuss shared international concerns and set a foundation for future collaborations on objectives. Clinton, Merkle and Obama have attended past meetings.

  I'm sure the Pussy Riot are thrilled to have all this international support. Do they really know that they have  well organized extreme right wing elements in the US behind much of this publicity with the clear intention to topple Putin  and replace him with a leader more like Yeltsin who will accept US leadership and business as usual? 

In the meantime being a Pussy Riot is spreading worldwide. Here is one young women's comments.
“Initially there was desire, a very strong desire to become part of Pussy Riot. That was some sort of dream of mine. I didn’t even know how real it could be, how I could join those awesome girls and be close to them, then it all somehow happened. … It was so cool. It is just happiness. For me, it is just one big chunk of happiness to be a Pussy Riot girl.” 

Maybe a meeting for this profound girl could be arranged with Dick Cheney, Woolfowitz, Richard Perle or Hillary to discuss their shared dreams for Russia.

Postscript from Counter Punch: The Secret History of Pussy Riot 

 

We are Being Raped and Like Sheep Passively Accept Our Fate and Follow the Herd

James Henry, former chief economist at McKinsey and an expert on tax havens estimates that as much as 32 trillion euros worldwide is held by a handful of dictators and  billionaires (a staggering sum roughly equal to the combined National Debt of the USA and the European Union) and this statistic doesn't include their non financial assets like mansions, yachts, private jets and art. 
  
 The reality is that .001% of the worlds' population are systematically skimming off the wealth of ordinary citizens.  Take the time to listen to this interview with James Henry wherein he describes the collusion between the extremely wealthy, bankers, lawyers, lobbyists and greased politicians to facilitate this massive ongoing theft.

By what logic can we justify this grotesque transfer of wealth that if repatriated and taxed would go a long way to resolving the crisis with the Euro and eliminating any justification for dismantling social spending? Why are we sidestepping this fundamental issue? HSBC, Goldman Saks, JP Morgan, Barclay's, Deutsche Bank and Credit Suisse have been the dominate players in facilitating money laundering  and setting up offshore accounts. Contrary to the public's general understanding, the small offshore banks are mainly conduit for sums eventually ending up on Wall Street, Swiss banks and The City in London. Each of these centres do not report to tax authorities the money deposited by foreigners and there is a long history of benefiting from the illegally gained and laundered wealth of the dictators, drug dealers, tax avoiding corporations and oligarchs they do business with. It is referred to as Hot Money.  Their political donations, investment in lawyers and extensive lobbying renders them untouchable. And compounding this injustice the banking system demands indebted nations to accept high interest loans, years of austerity and the selling off of public assets to reduce it's debts while at the same time assisting their wealthiest citizens to the avoid taxation that would alleviate many of the problems. A disgusting two-faced banking logic earning money from indebted nations while earning more by helping its richest citizens to hide their wealth and thereby avoiding their rightful taxation contribution.  Facilitating the rape of a nation's wealth is clearly a corruption of the banking system but lawyers and politicians keep them out of jail.

  And this wealthy group never has enough and with the support of  their corrupted politicians advocates the dismantling of government programs such as social security and Medicare, privatizing public utilities, eliminating unions, further deregulation and promoting the denial of man made global warming as a means for their further enrichment without government interference. They must have more. There is no end to their gluttonous demands. They have become the untouchables ably supported by their bankers and richly rewarded politicians.

Their credo is don't tax us, don't regulate us and some of it will trickle down. Their justification is the Laffer Curve as it is applied to the highest incomes. It is much loved by the Tea baggers, Libertarians and their devoted followers, but not by any serious economist. The curve states the obvious. At the low end of the curve the government role is minimized with insufficient tax revenues to support social programs and public investments, and oligarchs and banks and businesses have all of it to invest;  at the highest end of the curve heavy taxation keeps most money in the hands of governments who conservatives believe will only waste it and not enough is left for business investments. The conservative assumption is that if the government can't get their hands on revenues the economy will thrive from private investments. Well Globalization, off-shoring wealth in tax havens and the casino effect of hedge funds have changed all these assumptions and recent studies overwhelmingly show that wealth has poured up to the untaxed rich instead of trickling down with the income gains of the wealthiest at the expense of the public. For example in 1978, CEOs in the US took home 26.5 times more than the average worker. They now make on the average roughly 206 times more than workers and the pay isn’t always tied to the performance of their businesses. Commonly huge CEO pay increases often occur when stocks are plunging and jobs are cut.

The reality in this nightmare is that the wealth of the untaxed rich (better known as Hot Money) mainly ends up in offshore accounts where aside from self indulgences is mostly directed to investments in speculative Hedge Funds and foreign investments. Casino like electronic day trading and the marketing of complex and often fraudulent financial products with this Hot Money simply compounds this theft. What we have here is a greed driven human chain without principles and with no purpose other than 'having more' with oligarchs, bankers, traders, media hacks and hangers on  all chasing money. With the immense wealth created within this system they buy their politicians to do their bidding and the nation-state can no longer represent the needs of it's citizens.This is a power grab by people without a vision other than personal gain. I don't think they even know where they want to take us and where it will end. 


The public is easily led, confused by the complexity of what is happening and their attention easily diverted by divisive media created issues to influence opinion. There is no limit to the lies, distortions, flag waving and inflaming imagery the rich will invest in publicizing to deflect the public's attention from their massive theft and their determination  to place nation-states under their control. The politicians who mouth this filth are their paid prostitutes. Clearly democracy is in conflict with their greed driven goals and must be converted to bread and circuses to entertain and manipulate the masses. Simply the music of the pied piper leading the many to the slaughter.We are sheep and our pastures are drying up.

Ayn Rand and the worship of selfishness

The question isn't who is going to let me; it's who is going to stop me.

Learn to value yourself, which means: fight for your happiness.


A creative man is motivated by the desire to achieve, not by the desire to beat others.

 The man who does not value himself, cannot value anything or anyone.

 To reduce you to a body, to teach you an animal's pleasure, to see you need it, to see you asking me for it, to see your wonderful spirit dependent on the upon the obscenity of your need. To watch you as you are, as you face the world with your clean, proud strength - then to see you, in my bed, submitting to any infamous whim I may devise, to any act which I'll preform for the sole purpose of watching your dishonor and to which you'll submit for the sake of an unspeakable sensation ...I want you - and may I be damned for it!
 
If it's worth doing, it's worth overdoing.


― Ayn Rand

Ayn Rand

The word "Freedom" has now taken on a narrow meaning within the mainstream of American opinion: "What I personally want I must have" It's the concept that has always been used by small children, thieves, dictators and ancient kings. It's the chant of infants " Gimme; it's mine and you can't have any."

Ayn Rand in "Atlas Shrugged" popularized Rand's philosophy of Objectivism: advocating rational selfishness and free markets(unregulated). I like Paul Krugman's view of this philosophy: "There are two novels that can change a bookish fourteen-year old’s life: The Lord of the Rings and Atlas Shrugged. One is a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with its unbelievable heroes, leading to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood, unable to deal with the real world. The other, of course, involves orcs." 

 
Reagan, Greenspan and Milton Friedman became great fans of Rand and her thoughts  have popularized the Libertarian movement and heavily influenced Paul Ryan and the Tea Party, The Supreme Court and right wing extremists. Rand's early years were spent in Stalinist Russia  and this clearly influenced her hatred of Governments and her obsessive faith in the good will of rich and powerful men acting in a free and unregulated economic system. She claimed that in such a privatized system there never would be a need for regulations and social legislation because the economic system would work so well. She died in 1982 before events proved how utterly wrong she was about human nature. I wonder whether this rigid ideologue might have changed her views if she had lived to observe the rape of Russia under Yeltsin, the greed driven destructive behaviour of Wall Street and British bankers that came close to destroying the economies of the West, the alarming rise in unemployment in a deregulated laissez-fare market and the obsessive greed of an oligarchy intent on keeping it all.

 Mike Wallace interviewed her in 1959 and taking the time to listen to some of these You Tube tapes will give you an idea of what an ideologically narrow and naive woman she was.  A rigid ideologist, just like the communists she detested, she was determined to fit all human affairs into a simplistic model. Her model simply rejected government and replaced it with a blind faith in the leaders of laisez-faire capitalism.

Her influence still dominates the thinking within Wall Street, the Republican Party and the Supreme Court. No doubt her philosophy has provided a justification for the selfish values of wealthy men like the Koch Brothers and many others like him; gave birth to the Tea Party and popularized and strengthened the Libertarian movement. She was a pro-choice atheist, and viewed all religions and beliefs in the supernatural as barriers to reason so I am sure she would have been puzzled by the Tea Baggers (and most mainstream Republicans) who have blended her "Objectivism" in with a curious reinvention of evangelical Christianity, a contempt for intellectuals, blacks, the poor and foreigners, and a love for the military.

Rand's beliefs continue to dominate Republican political thinking in America despite the alarming wealth gap widening between the 1% and the rest of America. Freedom is now all about me. Rand vigorously rejected any form of social conscience and the Social Contract as influenced by John Locke in the Declaration of Independence and refined by the eminent American philosopher John Rawls as purely signs of human weakness. 
 

It is hard to conceive of a functioning democracy based on a philosophy of selfishness and laissez faire capitalism run by an oligarchy of wealth, free from any restraints. As described in Ayn Rand's writings it advocates a rejection of the social reforms of the 20th century and reduces the role of the nations state to that of a modern Sparta. Not a promising outlook.

Democracy enroute to Barbarism

In the Tea Baggers the Republican Party seems to have joined forces with quite a gang of social misfits. Here is the latest in a Nazi SS uniform.

Saturday's Le Monde has several pages dedicated to the French philosopher who recently died, Claude Lefort, and in particular his book entitled "democratic invention" that deals with the theme of 'neither socialism nor barbarism' , a refreshing examination of the spectrum of political and power systems. A fascinating read when looking at the world we live in and the political struggles taking place.

History clearly has shown us that total power corrupts. Monarchies, communism, dictatorships and religious dynasties inevitably become self serving and end up victimizing their citizenry. Their replacement, Democracy, a relatively modern intervention on a large scale (admittedly invented in ancient Greece) , attempts to mix a blend of centralized power with a fair amount of economic freedom to independently pursue ones own interests. As a system in North America and Western Europe it seems to have enjoyed its heyday from 1945 to the end of the century.

Now we are seeing the rapid rise of oligarchic power undermining that of central governments. If the current political struggle in the United States is an example of what is happening then democracy may just be a brief passage en route to the barbarism Claude Lefort talks about.

Where can this end? We are already seeing oligarchies doing battle with nation states to undermine their power so that they can escape into an international world where they can freely fight it out with their peers to own it all. I see the governors of nations states where an oligarchy unduly controls power as increasingly becoming the paid servants of this New World Order.

Under these conditions citizens are increasingly powerless, democratic elections become meaningless, and social systems break down. In the past this predictably led to social unrest, a sense of desperation, marching in the streets, civil disobedience, economic breakdown and if unchecked, revolution. A major difference over the past several decades has been the creation of a consumer society of entertained, preoccupied and indoctrinated citizens. In English speaking countries this has resulted in a surprisingly passive public and the streets are empty. In the United States living under permanent wartime conditions this has further reinforced their sense of loyalty and faith in their country.

The American oligarchy is clearly financing and controlling the Republican party including their inept and confused Tea Party members. If they should gain power they will clearly serve their masters by ensuring the deregulation of banking and corporations, reducing taxation by down scaling or eliminating social legislation that has evolved over the past century and the introduction of a church state alliance to control the allegiance of the masses. An assured highway to the barbarism that Claude Lefort talks about.

The US experience with democracy has lasted now for over two hundred years. The first 160 years reflects a heroic struggle by many great leaders to create an essentially middle class and just society. With the arrival of Reagan and his successors Bush Snr, Clinton, Bush Jr. and now Obama much of this is being dismantled, presumably to service the demands of their oligarchic princes. 

Guantanamo Bay North at the G20 Meeting in Toronto

My 14 year old grandson lives in the centre of Toronto and decided to take his bicycle down to see what was going on. Twenty thousand police officers dressed and armed like Darth Vader was worth checking out. He committed no crime but was arrested, manacled and thrown into a cage along with several hundred people until he was released 23 hours later. His telling of his experience confirms much of what you are about to read.   

My Abuse and Arrest at the G20.   
Prepared by Tommy Taylor, who is 29 years old. Born and raised in Mississauga, Ontario. Valedictorian from Iona CSS in '98, Government of Ontario awarded scholar. Graduate of the Vancouver Film School and the University of Waterloo Centre of Cultural Management. He is a theatre director and  playwright in Toronto..

I'm going to start by saying that at no point in this note will I be exaggerating, bending the truth or lying in any way. I can also say I've never felt this angry, violated or betrayed. If you're moved to action, educate yourself to what happened this weekend, and pass along my story.

Black Bloc left alone to create carnage and photo ops.

Second, to those who are disgusted with the violence and vandalism - I agree. It was disgusting, but happened to property, by a small group. You can see the photos everywhere of the few individuals who did that. They were also allowed to by police, who parked the cars and left. Everywhere else there was organized riot police in the thousands. They left Yonge Street alone - why? Just read more than the headlines and photo ops - http://2010.mediacoop.ca/
I'm not going to wig out in a conspiracy theory way, just read for yourself. It happened to me and I still find it hard to believe, I don't want to believe it. My country broke my heart.

So here is what happened.

PART ONE: Grandmas, Idiots and High School Reunions

I was home during the day on Saturday June 26th until around 1:00pm when I went over to Allan Gardens Park (which is literally across the street from my apartment). Hey, if Mayor David Miller was encouraging people to get out do things in the city, why not? There were a few tents left over from the Tent City, which slept there the night before. Various groups were getting signs still ready to march over to the 'Free Speech Zone" at Queen's Park - far away from all things G20. I met a group of grandmothers who were marching on behalf of grandmothers in Third World countries who have adopted millions of children whose parents have died of AIDS. (To all those who are speaking out against the violence in the streets of Toronto and damning the protesters - where were your voices of outrage at this? Or do you only care when the irreplaceable Starbucks has its window smashed? When it's on your front doorstep you cry and give the rest of the world your apathy - why are you only upset now?)

I walk with the grannies and arrive in Queens Park. There are thousands of police in all kinds of riot gear, mounted police units (people chant of "Get those animals off those horses" made me laugh). There were students, seniors, media, everyone, thousands! And it was so peaceful and a tremendous sense of community. The riot squads were quite scary, but people were chanting "You're pretty, you're cute, take off the ugly riot suit!", which also made me laugh, and many of the officers in the riot gear laughed too, one of them quipped "I wish, this thing's hot". Cool, this was fun. Good messages, free speech, the grannies along side the burly boys of the Steel Workers Union. Someone gave me a marker and bristol board. I made a sign "Apathy Will Kill You." After a while of awesome speeches, interesting people and wasted money (1.2 Biliion...?) I give away my sign and head home to Jarvis & Gerrard. Like on the way there, cops are lined up everywhere, watching everything - no holes anywhere. Strange absence of cops at Yonge and Dundas Square...they were all over it earlier....

At home I soon read about the violence happening along Yonge...what? Where are the cops? It's guys in ALL black, easy to see. Why are they just running along with no one to stop them...there were cops there. Ok. Weird. These guys suck for doing this, because this is all anyone will see and read about. And now it's justification for the gross amount of force and money spent. Then comes word about the police cars parked and abandoned, they even rolled down the windows before leaving. What? No radios or any equipment inside the cop cars? No police in sight? Arrest these idiots before they ruin any chance at - oh, too late. So then the media starts to assemble the evening news with the fiery money shots of Yonge St and the burning cars. Vandal assholes taking the bait and acting in a predictable destructive way. Idiots.
Watch an account by a photo journalist who followed them:
http://www.pacificfreepress.com/news/1/6497-alt-perspectives-on-toronto-protests.html

Argghh! But, hey, at least things were cool in the "Free Speech Zone". My girlfriend Kate gets home with her co-worker Ben and their friend Simon at around 7pm. She asks if it's ok to go out and see what's going on. I said sure, the Free Speech Zone is awesome, there's all kinds of causes, we can go take a look. So, off we go along College Street. There are people on sidewalks and taxis and cars, all very normal. We got to Bay and College when around 20 mini-vans full of riot cops honked their horns and went flying through the intersection - I had never seen anything like it, it was crazy. We arrived at University Ave to find it completely blocked off by riot cops in full gear. The "Free Speech Zone" was completely blocked in. The cops wouldn't answer any questions, wouldn't move, wouldn't look at you. Nothing. Then rows of riot police form on College behind us, start banging their shields and march in, followed by a rows of mounted horse units. Then out of nowhere two young guys are pepper sprayed nnearby, everyone runs, nothing is said by police, no announcements. People help the guys and pick them up, they don't know what happened or why.

Up on the steps of a building I see a friend from high school, Derek. We head over, catch up - he came down to see what was happening, but was blocked off from Queen's Park on all sides. Shortly after some homeless people threw on arm bands and had extending night sticks and tackled people standing around and dragged them behind the dense line of riot cops and dragged them away. Secret under-cover homeless police - oo la la. Still no messages from the police and no violence to be seen except from them. I remember on JackAss when Johnny tried being tasered and peppered sprayed and said the spray was the worst thing he's ever had done to him and never again, poor dudes on the ground. Nothing happened. So, guess the day was over and police didn't want the protest getting any bigger (is what we thought). Derek went back to Mississauga and we decided to head home and Simon went to a bar.

PART 2: A Blue Raspberry Slushie and the Lost Tactical Squads - A Saturday night in TO.

Now 9pm. Kate, Ben and I were thirsty and I remembered reading a story about the ice cream truck guy that parked at City Hall at Queen and Bay and how G20 was killing his business, and I like blue raspberry slushies. So down we went, he was up front with his feet on the dashboard. I was very thirsty at this point, so it was great. The streets seemed a little empty, but people were around, walking, going places to eat, taxis and cars driving around. Seemed like the oncoming rain and shut-out from the police killed the protests. We said "All people will talk about is the violence, to bad." Then things changed around us. It was now just after 9pm, all the violence from earlier in the day was long over and the vandals who committed it, gone. Vans and buses of riot police and tactical teams were swarming. We couldn't see any protesters, but the streets were filing with cops, cars tried backing away and had to jump the curb, people were getting confused, and no cop were saying anything.

We thought it best to head east and get home right now, who knew what was happening. The guys in green tactical gear were pretty scary and shouting to each other "We're in the wrong place, go west! Go west!" They got in there vehicles of all kinds (from armored personnel carries to Budget panel vans), big gas guns, crazy gear. Kate needed a bathroom desperately, nothing was open now and there were quite scary police squads everywhere - now very confusing as to what's happening. We see two construction workers peeking their heads out of the door of a store. We run over and Kate talks her way into the bathroom. We talk to the guys, its confusing, but no signs of violence. The workers wish us well and head back inside.

Were now at Bay St and King St, trying to head east. The sky opens up and the rain pours on down. Heavy. We see a group marching AWAY from the fence, away from G20, they get blocked in by police, but are then let go and told to move east--great, towards home! It's a crowd of maybe 200 people, all kinds. Some flags and signs lead the group. The free speech zone was shut down, so I guess there was nowhere else to go. We live in Canada, so before you say that everyone should have gone home, no. Is that the country you want to live in? Where you can't speak up? One day you'll have to actually face an issue of injustice that will make you actually stand up and go outside and use your freedom, use your voice - and you'll be glad you can. Imagine if you couldn't? What country does that make you think of? So, with no instructions from the surrounding police I ask someone marching in the street and they seem to think it's back to Allan Gardens Park, perfect! We live there!


PART 3 - Tommy Taylor, You're Under Arrest

So the three of us follow, on the sidewalk, away from the central group. Occasional clapping on some great slogans chanted. There are regular people on the street watching, who live and work in the area. We get to Front St continue south to the Esplanade and stop in front of the Novotel. Hotel? Apparently the workers are on strike at Novotel for unfair treatment and some delegates from G20 will be staying there. We are across the street on the sidewalk , in front of The Keg. The marchers sit down and chant "peaceful protest". And it is. Everyone is calm; it's actually pretty awesome to see. There are some awful things in this world and when our economic and political leaders gather in one place to decide the world's solutions and futures (including the government of China), people are going to want to have their voices heard. That's the Constitution, thankfully.

Then they start singing "Give Peace a Chance", wow- it's actually a cliche of a protest! It was a lot of fun, a great thing to witness live instead of stock footage form the 60's and 70's when people were changing the way sexuality, gender and ethnicity are treated in North America. Without public protests we would still have slavery and women couldn't vote. Would you go back and tell those people to go home? No word from police yet, and why would there be? It's 10:00 at night on Saturday on small sub-street in Toronto with no traffic tonight. Everyone's peaceful and out of the way, and only in a number of 200. It actually seemed like just a little whimper from the numbers I saw together earlier, but at least they had heart and spirit. We join in singing "Give Peace a Chance" - how could you not, it felt so great. Then, riot cops show up on the sides of the street. Uh-on. They're blocking it off, time to go.

We head towards them to leave; they say 'Get Back', no problem. We turn to leave the other way, more riot cops "Get Back". Okay, We ask if we can please leave - no response. They haven't said anything. There are journalists in here, a couple comes out of The Keg and tries to leave, they are told, "It's too late." Too late for what they ask, and are told nothing. We ask again (Kate has become quite distraught and upset) if we can please leave and are told, "You should have left when we told you." Wait, what? When? Everyone is saying the same thing. They the phone number for legal aid starts making the rounds, people write it on their arms and hands (I already had it on a post-it note). They guy from the Keg can't believe it. They guy in the wheelchair on his way home is stunned. The confused guy with cerebral palsy is freaking out and scared. A few First Nations people around us say, "Well, this is familiar. Welcome to our club everyone." A gay couple hugs, in tears. And older lady (the splitting image of Jane Goodall) asks what's happening. The media with the huge cameras seem at a loss. The riot police have the full gear, shields, helmets, masks down, saying nothing. The leaders of the march ask for negotiator to get people out of here. No response. They give official media a chance to leave that have badges, but no one else. Not even people who have obvious news camera and photo cameras. Steve Paikin from TVO managed to get out. We all chant, “Let us go!” They begin pulling people out of the sitting crowd and take them away. There was no resisting, they turned around and offered their hands. Then a riot cop with a classic cop mustache announces, "You're all under arrest. You will all be charged and you cannot leave. "

We can't believe we're about to be arrested. They won't tell us why we are under arrest, which they legally have to. We were on the sidewalk the whole time. People from the condo above The Keg throw things down at the group. We throw nothing back and a few riot police laughed. The workers in The Keg are all at the window, confused, one of them starts crying a walks away. Everyone is trying to find out why we just can't go home. Then the riot squads form a half circle around us, shield to shield. People angry, afraid. We were nowhere close to the fence; there was no violence - what was this? People singing a John Lennon song all arrested? Confusing. Upsetting. I want to get out of there with Kate and go home and I can't. I hate the way this made me feel. I didn't do anything. Nothing was happening here with these people, whom I was now a part of. Some sat down, many were on dying cell phones trying to call family and friends, some kids trying to call parents and asking to borrow phones, journalists calling their offices for help...scary.

The unmoving riot officers had arm badges saying they were from Calgary. Then all at once, they took some pill and took a sip from the tubes attached to their riot gear. It became clear they were a little confused, a supervisor was yelling at them they were in a wrong formation, some of them tripped over each other. I noticed the street was blocked off at both ends, no media anywhere at either end...denied access to see what was happening down here. Soon the street was full of buses and paddy wagons and riot cops outnumbered people 5 to 1. Many of the cops behind the semi-circle took off gear and lay down, sweaty on the sidewalk, obviously overworked. One by one, officers would come through the shrinking semi-circle line and take people roughly away. People would turn and offer their hands peacefully, waiting to go.

Next to us was a guy with a green mohawk, punky looking guy, two approaching arresting officers laughed and said "I want to get this guy right here", they pushed through the other people, grabbed and spun him around and pushed him away roughly. He didn't say anything or resist in anyway. Jesus. Another male officer says to the gay couple "I'll go find some lady officers to arrest you boys." His patch says Toronto. Really? Surely, two female officers take one of them away. We can see people put into paddy wagons, or filling buses. I use Ben's phone to call my parents, who were out. I call the legal aid number, no answer. I call my friend Chris Legacy (we were going to hang out on Sunday, now maybe not) he is out. I tell his mom, Linda what is happening, she is worried and hope were okay and wants us to call when we can. They push through the crowd and pick out Ben (who is a bright yellow shirt, his work uniform shirt, he's Brazilian with long black hair and a beard). Kate and I kiss, then they take Kate away and there is not a thing I can do except watch them handcuff her and make her walk away backwards. I hated the feeling I had at the moment, I never felt it before and I hated I was being forced to feel it.

My new Name!

I turned and offered my hands, I was handcuffed and made to walk backwards across the street to officers in front of the Novotel. I'm handed over, searched, asked my name - all very peaceful. My arresting officer, Toronto Constable Caesar, asked me if I understood I was being arrested - I said I understood, but I didn't know why. He paused. "You're being charged with - " He stops, talks with someone else, moves me, and says "Mischief". Another officer comes over with a form and a clipboard, Caesar says "Finally got a clipboard huh?" the officer replies "Yeah, this thing is fucked up".

My evidence bag.

My official arrest time is 12:48am. But they've held me since 10:30pm. They search me, take my house keys and a post it note from my pocket (that's all I had). I give the answers to the form questions and am put in metal handcuffs (hands in front now), Caesar says they need my shoe laces, so sits me down on the curb and takes them off and bags them. He helps me up; I can see Kate with other officers, random people all over, forms being filled out, and handcuffs going on. I see officers in bucket hats, and ask, "Who are those guys with the Gilligan hats?" I'm told those are officers from Saskatoon, an officer then jokes, "yeah, those hats are gay." Another adds, "Well most of them are faggots anyway. Except the dykes." They laugh. Real police solidarity there. Cops everywhere are chugging bottles of Gatorade and water and throwing the bottles to the ground. We all had stickers with numbers stuck on us and pink wristbands with the same number. I was #0106. No one has read me my rights. I hoped I would end up in a wagon with Kate.

Our wristbands.

Here are two videos from some people who were in the condo. Listen to the Rocket Scientists who yells, "You guys are dumb!" then breaks into a Beavis and Butthead laugh. No media was allowed to see what was happening to us, so, here's what it looked like:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2KEou7WFV8&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTCXuxhVGXM&NR=1



PART 4: Taken on a Ride

So, handcuffed and waiting around I see cops on the sidewalk lying on their shields, gulping Gatorade. Kate is put into a paddy wagon. I'm brought over to a different one and put in after a young guy. The back of the wagon has two seating areas, dived by a steel wall. There are no lights; the back wall is angled so you have to hunch over. I introduce myself to my fellow prisoner, he does the same. His story is much like mine. 45 minutes later we now have 6 guys on the bench. The last one in is a photojournalist, the officers toss in his evidence bag (with big fancy camera and case) "That's my camera!" he yells, they laugh and slams the door. The police's attitude is very relaxed, casual, many smiling and laughing. I overheard many talking about the confusion they faced in the day and right now. The other guys tell me they never had their rights read either and were all told different reasons for the arrest "Disturbing the peace" "Obstructing Justice" and so on. No one clear reason we were all there. I can only make out their silhouettes when they lean forward, no lights.

We can hear the guys on the other side of the truck. One of my 6 guys shouts "Tim?!", "Yeah?" we hear back. Turns out they went to elementary school together in rural Ontario way back when. The ages of the guys in the truck range from 15-47. The only light that comes in is from tiny circles in the metal doors, the glass is dirty, so we can't make out too much. We drive for 1 minute and stop. They turn off the truck and leave. The truck behind us backs over and stays put, still on. Our truck now begins to smell of fumes..I don't think this was on purpose, as the drivers seemed confused about where to go, we could make out there was many discussion happening between all kinds of officers outside. But diesel fume headaches started in. After another 10 minuets we drove to a large prisoner transfer bus.

One by one we were let out of the small truck and lead aboard the bus.

Our bus looked a lot like this.

The first portion of the bus had sectioned off pairs of seats with plastic and metal cages with their own doors. Inside were female prisoners, two by two. I saw Kate sitting with another young girl. She didn't see me, she looked so sad. The back section was all open seating. They told us it was two to a seat and move to the back. We filled up all the seats and were left with one extra guy. They yelled at him "Sit down now!" he told them there were no more seats, they yelled "GET IN A SEAT NOW!". So he sat on the floor. Some girls were asking about a bathroom, as we've been in police custody for almost 4 hours now. No reply. "Where are we going?" No reply. "Will we get a phone call?" No reply. Some of the guys had no shoes, some had no laces and some still had their shows fully intact. The mix on the bus was great. All ethnicities, ages and genders. Protesters, pedestrians, media, the homeless, tourists - but mostly everyone in there was from Toronto. So, with about 12 girls up front and about 20 guys in the back - all in handcuffs, off we went. I tried calling to Kate, but she couldn't hear me. No one had any phones, cameras, no way to record anything from here on out.

Everyone couldn't believe what was happening to us. We all talked about our rights, what phone number to call, where we might be headed (the general thought was the new detention centre they built inside the Toronto Movie Studios at Pape and Eastern. And sure enough, as the bus left the St. Lawrence Market area, we headed east. There was a sense of outrage on the bus, but when we got our phone call and legal counsel, this would be exposed for the farce it was. A girl started getting really wild and screaming - it was a bit much, a few guys laughed, and I heard a "Shut-up" - it was unmistakably Kate, she wasn't into the girl next to her loosing her mind just yet. I called out "I love you!" another guy jokes “Will you be my prison wife?”

We arrived outside of the wet and dark Toronto Film Studio, with its large gates and armored guards and dozens of police cars and fenced off areas. It was creepy. The buildings were huge and grey with red signs with white numbers on them. It was something from a George Orwell novel. Large spotlight pointing down from posts, in the rain. Our bus was stopped in front of a large garage door to one of the hanger-sized buildings. The door rolls open a light pours out from it. We drive inside.


PART 5: Behind the Grey Door.

As we go in there are rows of cages on left hand side. About 12'x20' and around 10' high. They were cages. Chain cages full of people. From what I could see they were all young people in these cages, maybe the young offenders. I have never seen anything like this, only in holocaust films, sci-fi films or pictures of Guantanamo Bay (and no, am I not comparing this to those events, I'm just sharing what came to mind and the only things I can reference it to).

There are skids of bottled water and Gatorade the police are drinking from. The men on the bus are talking about how the police cars were abandoned and no police officers stopped the infamous Black Bloc - to learn more about that here:
http://www.prisonplanet.com/peaceful-protesters-attacked-arrested-while-cop-car-arsonists-left-alone.html

We all agreed that we were the hundreds of protesters left at the end of the day; long after the violence was done that afternoon. But hey, how do you justify to the people of Canada that we spent 1.2 Billion dollars? You arrest all the protesters. We thought we might held for 24 hours so that the streets would be cleared from people demonstrating their right to free speech. I mean, they closed down the "Free Speech Zone" in a public space, so... why were we there? Finally an officer comes on the bus and states “come forward and give your number". So one by one we go. Outside we are handed off to a Court Service officer, all with "Special Constable" patches. Some have removed their nametags, others have them still on. Some are Barrie Court Services, some Toronto. I'm given to a shorter female constable who removed my metal cuffs and put me in the plastic binds - she had trouble getting them tight enough "My gloves are too sweaty" she says, a male office grabs the tie and pulls them - tight. My wrists are already raw from the cuffs; I say they are too tight. "You’ll live" I'm told. Oh.

She asks where I'm supposed to go, no one really knew. Everyone there seemed a little overworked and confused. Someone told her to make sure I read 'the sign'. She takes me towards an ominous black corridor - it was this pocket of darkness in this hanger that lead to another section. Kate had already disappeared inside it. She stops in front of a sign, which states that all video and audio would be recorded in the cells and could be used as evidence, etc etc. She asked if I understood and I said I did. I was actually happy to read that, in case anything in violation of the law happened to me inside. We walked into the darkness...


PART 6: Welcome to Cell Block OL 6 in Detention Level 2 Prisoner #0106, or
Come for the cup of water, stay for the condom-ball.

Inside the former movie studio, I almost can't believe it. I've never seen this outside of movies. It is almost unreal. There are no windows to be had. The cavernous ceiling is 200 ft high, I can barely see it. It makes the warehouse from the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark look small. Hanging about down to about 15 ft off the ground are rows of intense florescent lights. Dozens of rows as far as I can see in either direction. Over each cell is a small black pod container a camera. It appears to be a maze made of industrial shelving, construction office trailers, wooden decks and walkways and cages. The cages are roughly 12' by 20' and around 10' high. There is sheet metal on 3 sides; the front side has a sliding door section that locks. Inside each cage is a porto-potty with the door removed, no toilet paper. It reaches close to the ceiling is about 4'x4' around. Those potties -bright orange, with an elaborate art deco style molding. A 1.2 billion dollar porto-potty to be sure. I pass rows of the cages with people bleeding, crying slumped on the concrete floor. Huddled, asking to call family, asking for water, asking what the charge is, wanting to know their rights. All the officers were ignoring them and laughing. Laughing at people. I have never seen anything like this.

Like this, but little bigger with one bench and huge outhouse.

My officer was asking where to take me - no officers knew. One officer tells her "Who knows? This place just got fucked up. Good luck". She sighs. Finally it's decided and I'm taken down a row of cages, I see Kate in a cage with about 30 girls, huddled, still wet and in this place (which I just notice is freezing). She smiles - 'I love you!" I call to her, I hear "I love you too!" as I'm brought around the corner. I see the girls have no door on their potty, with mostly male officers around them walking by, looking in. We're near the wall and I see a cage full of about 35 men. Cell Block OL 6 says a white sign on the cage door. In I go. I recognize some of the guys from the bus and paddy wagon. Hello agains are said. We are still handcuffed with the vinyl ties; I now have a cut on my wrist. I see the guy with the green mohawkish cut - he looks troubled.

Soon enough, a few more guys are brought. There are no 40 men in the cell. The young, short male office with spiky orange hair and a shirt labeled Toronto Police jokes to us "What do they think this is Auschwitz?" This is what he said. 40 witnesses and the video/audio equipment that was right above us. They have since stated this footage would be made public. Amazing, I can't wait. There is one steel bench in the cell that seats five. There is standing room only. The floor is cold concrete, dirty and covered in chipped splotches of bright green paint - from when the movie studio would use green screen. Anyone who sat was covered in a bright green dust.

The camera - I hope you're getting all this up there.

I was now around 2:00am. I've been held since 10:30pm, not read my rights, not explained anything, not yet charged, no phone call. And in an overcrowded cell with no access to water. Every guy had to pee; there was a line around the inside of the cell to piss. Trying to pee with your hand cuffed together was horrible...but we all managed...the outhouse was messy. No toilet paper. So, here we all were. Ages from 16-78. Three German men asked why the guard made a joke about Auschwitz. They were here from Germany, left a bar, got arrested. They said they had no idea Canada was like this; they said the world thought we were free. The said "poor Canadians, this is shame".

The stories from the men in the cell were all very similar. Some were protesters in the Novotel March, one man was having dinner at the Keg with his girlfriend (who was also arrested), there were two journalists, a homeless old man with a big grey bird and long hair with scruffy clothes- he was almost in tears and confused, he said they grabbed him walking on Carlton. He then asked us "What's a G20?" Sick. The 16 year old kid hasn't been able to call his parents and now he's locked up with 39 men. The cage houses all kinds. There's a young gay couple curled up together. Some men have no shoes, some no laces and some still have both. Wet socks and feet and clothes in this freezing, unending hanger. And now we're thirsty.

Stories are exchanged, we all discuss what to say to our lawyers or legal aid when we call. One guy explains how he was working at a music store up at Ossington, left work, saw his buddy across the street gave him the rock and roll horns with his hand, then a cop saw him and said 'Don't give the cops the finger!" while running at him and then tackling him. He was bleeding and his clothes ripped. He was shocked. Still thirsty. We ask why were in here. 'Because you committed a crime." quips a Barrie Court Services officer - a tall, bald man with one hell of mean streak. It looked ugly. Some officers were laughing and joking at us. I was feeling the crowded cell growing tense and angry. One black, shorter male Toronto Officer came over as we began pleading for an explanation, for water and for some of use to be moved into another cell. He came over and said, "This is wrong. Guys, I'm sorry, this is fucked up. But there's nothing I can do. This place is just chaos. I'm sorry." he leaves. Very thirsty.

In police custody for 6 hours now, no water, no anything. We start to get worried. We are still very polite guards "Please, we need water. Please help us. Please help this 16-year-old kid. Please split us up, we can't even all sit in here". We look at the camera and beg for help. We can hear people in the other cells yelling and begging for water. We hear a girl 'Please! I need my medication! HELP ME!". I yell "Help that girl, what the hell is going on here!" Other cages begin to yell. I find out later this girl was in my girlfriends cell and was way passed her medication time. The male officers were laughing in at her and tapping their keys along the bars leering at the girls in wet clothes. Finally two female officers took the girl away. They also had a 17-year-old girl in her cage as well. Still thirsty.

7 hours into custody, the people break. A shout for water breaks into a little riot, all cells yelling water, shaking the cages, and kicking at the doors. People with cracked lips and cracking voices - I've been awake for 22 hours now. Luckily a guy in our cell kept a watch. The place is going insane, we are told by guards “We're working on it!" some are apologizing, some are obviously lost and confused, others are laughing.

Finally water reaches our cell. They have a blue jug on an office chair, rolling it around with one officer pushing, one with a key, and one holding styrofoam dixie cups. We are told to line up. Many of the men say "Thank-you". I had to beg for water. BEG FOR WATER. For 9 hours. I hated being made to feel grateful for this tiny sip of water. Many gulped their cup down, some took it slow. "So shut-up now." said the officer. Well, guess who was starting to get hungry after 8 hours in custody?

An older First Nations man produces a condom and blows it up into a balloon. We all laugh - the water did us good. In fact we all got along really well, making the best of things we could. Quiet guys, big loud guys, punks, well dressed men, journalists, people who were at work, protesters, homeless, gay guys. We all got along, totally united. So, with this condom balloon, we started bouncing it around, like volleyball. We then called it Condom-Ball. The rules were to bounce it with your elbows or legs, and try and catch the tip in your empty dixie cup (as they were tied together, like a volleyball bump already - too easy). Some guys got really into it, some were laughing, some thought it was gross, but funny. We joked about starting a condom-ball league. We'd rent the cages and have teams of 40 guys in each one. I'm looking forward the security footage from our cell - look at these crazy violent protesters....playing games. So, some dude popped the condom with his cuffs, we all jokingly booed him and someone said "Now you'll have to pay child support, never break the rubber!" Then the First Nations guy pulled out another condom. We cheered. They guy who broke the last one volunteered for blow-up duty. Someone said " When we get out I'm gonna say being in a cell with 40 guys sucked, until we found a condom" we all laughed our asses off. Soon people tired of the game, as we were wet, crowded and hungry and still didn't know anything.


PART 7: Awake for 25 Hours, Imprisoned for 10 of them.

It was weird feeling being locked in a cage like. Told by my captors that it was wrong (but also laughed at by others), begging for food and water. Then, down the hall across from my cell I saw this: the bald Barrie officer was dragging in a kid with mild cerebral palsy (I saw him with a friend while they were arrest, he was so scared). He pushed and then they said something to him, his clothes were torn and his eyes read from crying. I guess they wanted his shoes, because he struggled to lift his leg (his pants were falling down) when the officer slammed his leg down 'Never mind. Stop being stupid" he laughed at the kid, as did the other officer. Away they went. Heard a door slam.

The guy who took his girlfriend to the Keg tells us how he told her it would be safe out "The violence was long over, and even the Mayor had said to go and enjoy Toronto.." he called out for his girl "Trudy!?!" we hear a "Yeah!? Is that you Sean?" he looks happy and yells "Yeah Baby!" she yells back "It's over!!!" we all start laughing. Later I find out from Kate that Trudy was in her cell and also yelled, "Just joking!" but he didn't hear because we were all laughing. The laughs were hard to come by. I was still sick that I begged for water and had been here for 11 hours and I hadn't done a thing. And that I watched helpless as they roughed up a kid with CP. This was like some sick, twisted social experiment. All handcuffed, we ask "what if we have shit? No toilet paper!" 45minutes later they push a few sheets threw the fence "We're bound, we can't even wipe!" the male officer says "Figure it out boys." Laughs. We make a pact that none of us will shit. I find out from Kate that the girls had to make a human wall when using the bathroom and help wipe each other. They also had to beg for toilet paper. Apparently they didn't think girls needed much for the bathroom. So women asked for tampons or pads, the male guards laughed and said, "that explains your attitudes."

Haha, cerebral palsy is hilarious. BEG FOR WATER!

It was 6am, we couldn't lie down or even all sit. We tried rotating on the steel bench. It was freezing. The Germans missed their flight. Another guy visiting his girlfriend from Manitoba misses his bus. Trudy's boyfriend tells us she was to be on a bus up north to camp where she would be a counselor to children with disabilities. Good thing those kids are now safe from her, I mean, the woman had dinner at The Keg! Oh no! We hear that one cell contains a lawyer who has stated all our rights had been violated. Another holds a TTC Streetcar Driver in full uniform whose streetcar was caught in a blocked off zone, he left his vehicle and was arrested. What?

People are hungry. We plead to the passing guards for food or and explanation, or to tell us what's happening - even too split us up so we can lie on the cold concrete. They say will be processed, interviewed, charged and released in about maybe 3 hours - we can also make a call then to legal aid. And food? "We're working on it." We ask they guards how they could be a part of this. Some look guilty as hell, some laugh. We get the attention of Toronto Special Constable White, a short balding man with glasses. He comes to us; we all desperately and calmly explain what's happening to us. White listens, apologizes, admits that it's wrong and says, "I'm just a pea in a pod. I can't help." So, the old "I'm just following orders", which followers of human right violators have used for ages - wrong is wrong, whither it's your paycheck or not. But hey, this is the G20, blood money for all!

White leaves us, apologizing and saying he's going to try and help. 10 hours, a sip of water, no food, nothing. The gay couple has curled up on each other trying to sleep and keep warm. The man next me says, "I'm jealous." I say "Me too." he says, "I'm starting to look for the cutest guy in here." I say, "Well, when in prison..." we chuckle, but it's an empty chuckle.


PART 8: "Food" for the disillusioned.

You know what smells? 40 guys who haven't showered in 30 hours with an open door outhouse and wet socks. I wonder what happened to Ben? Tension is mounting in the cell, some guys are getting wild-eyed. Some are starting to freak out. We've been in the cage for 10 hours, crammed together. Finally food arrives in the form of a plastic wrapped dinner roll with a slice a processed cheese in it, and slathered in butter. Everyone digs into their food, devouring them. It's around 8:30am. One guys asks "Why is there so much butter?" the officer replies "It's not butter, it's margarine." he jokes back " I can't believe it's not butter!" Some us laugh, some are too into the sandwich to notice anything else.

I suggest we write a message in the chain ceiling with our dixie cups for the people watching on the camera. We all decide "HELP" is the best option - maybe they'll do something and at least split us up. A quiet young guy in glasses puts it up. Nicely done. I find out that Kate's cell (Cell Block OL 5) made a peace symbol and that Ben's cell block (OL 2) made a chandelier from some danger tape the pulled inside, the cups and the ends of the plastic handcuffs the chewed off. Fancy. I hope the officers on the other sides of the cameras saw the dangerous people they had. Then two officers arrive and take away the green mohawk guy. We ask about the rest of us and we're told "Soon." That's all. We ask about our rites and and Toronto Court Services Special Constable # 99257 says, "We can hold you for as long as it takes to process you." I ask him "is that the law? What if it takes four years to process, you can hold us?" He says, "Yes". I tell him he's lying. I demand to know his name (his name tag was off) and says "Your fault if you believe me." looks nervous and quickly leaves. Never gave a name. We were told many times about being processed and we'd reach what they called "the Otherside". What was there? I don't know. They said that we'd have to wait again there anyways. What was this Otherside? Someone suggested we'd be turned into cheese slices. I said I would make terrible Soylent Green. A few guys laughed emptily.


PART 9: No Help for a Broken Heart.

We are thirsty again; it's been 15 hours in police custody. Still 39 guys overcrowded. Getting very scary. Awake for around 30 hours. Had one sip of water and cheese shit-bun. The 16 year old hasn't been able to call his parents. We yell for someone to help us, to help this 16 year old kid - for someone to do anything, to please help us. We get the attention of black female Toronto Special Constable Ottey, with short hair and glasses. We tell her about the 16 year old, she writes down his information and says she'll do something about it. I see her several times in the next few hours, ignoring us as we ask for an update. Poor kid. His poor parents. We see officer White a few more times, he always apologizes. They say they are looking for people they suspect of bigger crimes first - an officer comes by and yells "Islam! Is there an Islam in here?" Nope, no one by that name here.

We start loosing it a little bit. Saying to every office 'You know this is wrong look at us in here!" We hear from the other cells that some only have 20 or 15 guys. Why is this happening? How is this happening? Some guys start screaming, kicking the cage, and shaking it. We can hear this happening all over the place. We yell for help, some cops are laughing, some look devastated and helpless. I'm so thirsty and I'm screaming for water. It felt like nothing I've ever felt before. A prisoner. Innocent. Screaming at my captors for water. Right then my heart broke.

I looked around at the screaming men, the scared kid, the huddled couple, the disgusted Germans, the confused old man, the First Nations man who didn't seem surprised at all, the guards laughing, the others dismayed. Thought about the peaceful things I saw at the park, the grandmothers with AIDS orphans, Kate taken away in handcuffs, the kid with CP roughed up, begging for water and my heart simply broke. That's the only way I can describe it. My beloved country, my city. I looked down at my t-shirt - bright blue with a big white maple leaf and in bold, caps letters below: FREEDOM. I kid you not. I was proud to wear that shirt earlier that day. Now it stung. I was so helpless and empty. For those of you who may not think this sounds like much, or is justified, you weren't there. People from all walks of life were breaking in that place, including police officers. One guy lost it and went into "Fucking pigs! Fucking giving us swine flu! Fuck you!" I always thought people who said things like this don't appreciate that the police have a hard job and deal with so much crap. But right then, I got this guy and those people. People who have been victims of the police. Are all bad? No. But they give into their own kind of mob mentality. I saw the blood lust in those Riot Cops eyes and the disregarded from some of these guards. One man yelled 'We are people! We pay your salary through taxes!" the officer yelled "You don't paying any fucking taxes, look at you!", the university educated, employed man in awe asked "What the hell do you mean?" He walks away laughing.

We yell and scream, beg and cry out. Eventually officers arrive and say "You've been in here too long. Sorry, we'll move some of you" and take six guys, then another six. I went with the second six.


PART 10: Meet the New Rat Cage, Just Like the Old Rat Cage

I'm lead down to Cell Block OL 2. Across from us are large sections of industrial shelves and we can see into deck area where 4 trailers meet, they each have a door. The door I can see says "Booking Room 10" with a red light above it. Cops lean on the railing, laughing, and dancing when people chant slogans from their cells. They think it's hilarious. Coming on 15 hours in custody. There are already around 15 men in this cell. They tell us some guys got removed a while ago. There are many similar stories in here and another journalist. There is one guy in an English soccer jersey that tells me he was at a bar, stepped out for a smoke and was arrested. He was a huge soccer fan and was about to miss the big Germany/England match. The 16 year old was now in this cell. Around 10am there was a shift change in officers and we began begging for water again, maybe these guards would help us. I notice the evidence shelves under label OL 6, there are 5 bags - but there were 40 guys in that cell...where's all our stuff?

My mouth was pasty and dry. Some guys mouths were cracked. We were once again ignored and told to wait. More promises of the Otherside. Some try to sleep on the concrete and share the single metal bench. Officers wander the hallways aimlessly, some calling out names, asking each other what happened to certain prisoners -confused. Several officers repeatedly pass our cell asking for the same names and numbers. Why don't they know where they put anyone? There were hundreds of officers in this place. Why so slow to process? What was the charge? Where is our phone call? I beg for more water. I'm getting dizzy and have been up for 31 hours. The lights never dimmed, no blankets. The majority of everyone I've met so far lives in Toronto.

Another cheese sandwich arrives. My mouth was so dry I had trouble swallowing. Some guys used theirs as pillows. One man asks a guard if he has any kids, the guard says he does and so what? The man says that his two kids have no idea where he is and were expecting him two hours ago. The guard writes some info down and says he'll see what he can do. I'm seeing some spots and getting woozy.


PART 11: Lights Out Tommy Taylor

The next thing I know, I'm outside the cell, surrounded by a few guards. An older female guard with short dark hair and glasses is offering me a cup of watered down Tang and instructing my binds be cut. I'm given a second cup of juice and new, looser cuffs. They ask if I'm ok, I'm so confused about why I'm outside the cell and ask "what's going on?" they ask if I'm alright, and I say "I guess so" then they open the cage and put me back. The guys make room on the bench and sit me down. Asking if I'm ok. "What happened?" I ask with a now splitting headache. "You passed out man!" they tell me. Timber. Over I went, boom to the ground. They yelled to the guards for help, the officers wouldn't come in to get me so the guys had to pick me up and take me to the door. I was then up on my feet and being given juice...so the blanks were now filled in.

I passed out. After begging for water. I passed out and fell over in jail. What was happening to me? No sleep, no water. They men went nuts "Is this what it takes, a guy passing out! Christ!! What's wrong with you monsters!" My head kills, they ask for medical attention for me, I second the motion and we're told "Not right now". Guys slump to the floor in defeat. The female officer who helped me aids in bringing some watery orange Tang to all the cells. We line up, quietly and broken for our drink. I find out from Kate that this same female officer broke down and cried with the women at their cell. She was sobbing and apologizing "This is wrong, you shouldn't be here. This is all so wrong". There own officers couldn't handle it, she was worn down by the injustices she was being ordered to do. This happened in Toronto.

Across from our cell Special Constable C. Smit, a short white female officer with blonde/brown hair stands guard. We nicely talk with her through the cage. "Please tell us how you can do this? We are begging for water in here. This guy is only 16 and this guy passed out. Your co-workers laugh. They are joking to us about our rights and laughing at a disabled kid. You know this is wrong, what's happening" after too much of this, with tears in her eyes she breaks "I don't know anything, no one here knows anything! I'm not even a cop.." she then leaves in a hurry. Madness.


PART 12: Live from Cell Block OL 1, it's Test Their Logik!

So, from out of the blue in the cage next ours a rap starts. About the G8/G20. It's awesome, and holy hell. It's the rap from a video I watched about rap duo appearing at the party supposed to happen Saturday night. And holy hell, those rappers, Test Their Logik are in jail. And now they are singing live in prison. Every cage joining in the chorus "G8, G20, they few, we many!". They do the whole song, the place gets pumped and they finish with everyone singing. Then when it's over well clap, yell, cheer and rattle our cages. It was so awesome; it reminded me of when the prisoners hear the opera song in Shawshank Redemption. Brilliant moment for all of us in detention hell. The song is "Crash the Meeting", see it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ninV5yx7FW4


PART 13: See you in the Parking Lot Special Constable Milrod

The "fuck the pigs" guy is loosing his damn mind. A young guy on the new officer shift, with reddish hair and a goatee seems ready for a fight. He says to the guys in our cell "I want to see all you guys outside in the parking lot, then we'll see what's what. I'll take you down." Wow. He walks way laughing. I inform an actual Toronto Police Officer of what he said and his name. Next we saw Milrod, his nametag was gone and he didn't look at us our speak to us. It's on camera Milrod, with 30 witnesses.

The cops are stilling searching for random names. They claim processing is taking long. One officer says, "We had to arrest 1,000 people, so wait". We theorize that we'll be held until just before the legal 24 hours they can hold without charging, which coincides with the end of the G20 Summit. Spirits are broken, guys lying all around. Two are removed for processing and they tell us they are clearing our cell next. Finally. It's almost 3pm we're told when we ask for the time.

The only evidence I can see that it's the day is a tiny hold 200 feet up with light on the outside. I wonder if anyone knows what happened down at the Novotel or what's happening in here? We've only seen officers - no lawyers, medics or media (other than the ones in cages). It's getting close to 24 hours in custody. I haven't slept in 40 hours and new prisoners are being brought in.. We're told they are trying to process the women first, as they are out of room for female prisoners. I find a silver lining in that, hoping Kate might have gone home.


PART 14: Time to rush and time for rain.

So, they tell us they've doubled the staff and will be moving quickly. Some guys have pulled their hands out of the plastic cuffs. Some are too tight. Some guys are still in metal cuffs. 22 hours in cuffs. Bloody wrists. My head is in hell, my elbow hurts, and my wrists kill. I pull my one hand finally out. Finally I can stretch my arms, after 22 horrid hours. Rub my wrists, but it stings. I guess I always saw people rub their wrists in movies after removing handcuffs - that's bull, it hurts too much. The guards don't care that we're doing this. Why were we all in handcuffs if we were already locked up?

So, bags of evidence are rushed around as officers call out names, holding photographs of some guys, looking around. They mostly just call numbers. My wrist tag is pretty worn out by now, but I remember my number, 0106. The crazy fuck the police guy has exactly 12 stickers on his body with his name. Looks like the police had fun with him. I hear them say "Santos!" That's Ben's last name! I few minutes later I see Ben taken down a hallway with his evidence bag. Awesome I think. See you soon buddy!

We're told we're being taken straight outside. No processing, no interview, no phone calls. We're leaving. The officer who was there when we first arrived and made the Auschwitz joke comes back in for his next day of work, sees us and says, "Holy shit, you guys are still here? What the fuck is going on here?" and walks away. A few more guys are taken from our cell, we're all calling each other brother now, pounding our handcuffed fists and reminding each other of how we'll stay in touch and to tell everyone what's happening in here. Then there is a loud steady booming. A rainstorm. The sound fills the entire chasm. Sounds like heavy rain. They finally take the 16-year-old kid.

As time passes I think about what do when I'm out. Then I hear my name. I almost can't believe it. 23 hours. Was it over? I answered questions about my date of birth and address. They opened the door and led me away. Around the corner, back through another area to the fabled Otherside.


PART 15: Break on Through to the Otherside.

So, just after the G20 was officially over, just before the legal 24 hours they could hold me, I was being rushed out. Convenient. They found a way to keep 500 legal protesters from their Constitutional rights. In this country. Canada. My shirt feels dirty. When I make it to the Otherside I see signs that let me know I was a Level 2 Detainee and I was heading in Levels 3 & 4.

Inside this hanger, more cages and metal detectors. The L3 area housed small groups of men and women, looking battered, some bleeding. They all made peace sign and told me to tell everyone about them. Down another hall, rows of single person cells. These look like leaders, organizers, many bloody. I see the green mohawk guy. He says "Adios". I'm then put into another cage with some former cellmates. They tell me now to worry; they are taking us out one by one from here. There is a younger black guy with an awesome baseball cap; an officer asks, "How'd you get to keep that hat?" "Because I look good in it." he replies smoothly. We all laugh, including the officers. I'm taken out, cuffs cut off and put against a wall to have my photo taken again.

Against the wall I'm told that was arrested for "breach of peace", I will not be charged, but if I am arrested for this or a similar crime again, I will be charged and appear in court. Do not join any more protests and assemblies during the G20. Do you understand these terms." I said I did. He then said "And the bad news is it's raining cats and dogs out there. Take him out" Then, I try to take my jacket from my evidence bag, but am told to head out, don't stop.

I'm out in the pouring rain, it's around 9:30pm, still a little light. I'm told to cross the parking lot. There are large gates with a turnstile to the side. GO through the turnstile riot cops tell me. Out I go. A crowd across the street under tarps and umbrellas cheers for me. I see a basket of apples, I eat 4 and gulp a glass of water. Pats on the back. My mind is ablaze, I can't focus. I don't see Ben or Kate.


PART 16: Scream.

The detention centre was as Eastern Ave. and Pape. I have no money, no wallet, no phone. My head is aching, my wrists raw, body sore and awake for 43 hours. I walk up Pape to Queen. I have a long walk home to Jarvis/Gerrard. My keys and shoelaces are in a bag. Some people didn't get their shoes back. Standing in the rain. No shoes. The angry is whelming up inside, my brain is exploding, tears are filling my eyes and I scream and punch the construction wall next to me. How did this happen? Where are my friends? What did I do? Who was in charge in there? I'm crushed, lost and might as have been hit like by a truck.

I make my way finally to a pay phone by a bar. It's raining and dark. I make a collect call home, Kate answers. She's was out around 4pm and told nothing about myself. I have trouble speaking when she asks if I'm okay. I can barely keep it together. I tell her I'm fine. I'm not. She asks if they beat me - I don't know. I'm standing soaking wet in the rain on a collect call on a payphone with cars whizzing by. It took everything not to fall to my knees. She says take a cab, she's called my parents and the Legacy's are worried. Come home. She hasn't heard from Ben. He's not answering his phone. I finally hail a cab and fall into it.


PART 17: Homecoming.

I arrive home at 11:00pm. Kate's waiting outside. We hug and kiss. I'm starving, soaked, thirsty and sore. We go inside, I call my family and my friend Chris. I can't talk long, I just tell them I'm home and safe. Ben's mom hasn't heard from him, he's not answering his phone. We finally hear from him at 1:00am. They detained him and accused him of being Black Bloc. He was still in bright yellow shirt from work. Horrible things happened to him and Kate. I peel off my soaking wet Canada Freedom t-shirt. I throw it on the ground and get a lighter. I want to burn it. I don't. I drink juice, we eat. We're so sad. Our lives have changed. I was shivering and couldn't form sentences. A shower. I couldn't sleep. I had 38 emails. Where are you? My production team for the show I'm directing at SummerWorks wonder where I am, we have things to do. I send brief messages, make a note on facebook. I also notice how many people are raging about the protesters on facebook. Of course, the news is all about burning cop cars and broken windows. Things went exactly as I said when I saw those photos the previous afternoon. Jesus, it worked. Everyone got spoon fed a justification for the 1.2 Billion spent.

NOW:
That's all true. Think about it. Is this Canada? Do you think this is right? You don't want to live in a country where this happens. It's changed my whole outlook and attitude on life. My responsibility to every human being in this world. Plato said, "The Price of Apathy towards public affairs is to be Ruled by Evil Men." I used that as a tagline for a play I co-wrote and directed in the 2006 Toronto Fringe, called Lifeboat. Back then I felt pretty good that I explored these issues in my theatre work. Now I know it has to be a part of my life. The World needs you. Educate yourself. Your comfort is shame; your looking away kills people. You're not small. You're not helpless. You can something. You have a voice, don't let them silence you before you even try to speak.

This guy, Dan, was in my cell, he’s gay and was segregated by homophobic police:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ntcr5E_LE7M&feature=related

Think this is bullshit? Fine, stick with the mainstream media, but look what they say:

Read what happened to other at The Toronto Star:
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/torontog20summit/article/829921--i-will-not-forget-what-they-have-done-to-me

Read what happened to National Post photographers:
http://news.nationalpost.com/2010/06/27/12572/

FInd some truth:
http://www.prisonplanet.com/peaceful-protesters-attacked-arrested-while-cop-car-arsonists-left-alone.html

Watch an account from a prisoner, jump to 2:20 minutes:
http://www.youtube.com/user/Nostos5#p/a/f/0/J1rfVnllhTU

Read all the news you and be your own judge:
http://2010.mediacoop.ca/

Added comments by Tommy: This report has appeared on Blogs and facebook pages in 21 different countries to date (it was posted June 29) and translated into 7 languages. I myself have received 4,922 messages of love, support, shame and hope from Canadians and the rest of the world. My story has been featured in almost every major news outlet in Canada, as well as all the independents. All I ask is for the Detention Centre footage be shown, not to mention the street CCTV footage. We need a public inquiry into G20.

I wrote this when I got home, please forgive spelling and grammar issues..