from: William Hughes

Ed Norris is the former Police Commissioner of Baltimore City. Currently, he is a popular radio talk show host, on 105.7 WHFS (FM), in town. On Feb. 24, 2010, he appeared on a panel to discuss the crime situation in Baltimore. The event, held at a local bistro/pub, was sponsored by “Investigative Voice,” See: investigativevoice.com To learn more about Mr. Norris, check out: wikipedia.org and ednorris.com Mr. Norris said that the HBO’s “The Wire” program gave an “accurate portrayal” of crime conditions in the city during his tenure in office.

from: William Hughes

On Thursday morning, Feb. 25, 2010, a sidewalk summit advocating “Medicare for All,” was staged in Washington, D.C., at Lafayette Park, North, not far from the White House. Here are some sights and scenes from that spirited event. For background, see: http://www.healthcare-now.org/

from: William Hughes

Ed Norris is the former Police Commissioner for Baltimore City. He said our drug policy doesn’t work. Norris urged ‘legalizing” all drugs. He said prohibition doesn’t work. Norris said: “As long as it is illegal, they’re [the drugs], going to be in demand...They’re not killing each other for the drugs. They’re killing each other for the money. And, that’s the problem... You can’t legislate morality.” The ex-Mayor of Baltimore, Sheila Dixon also participated in the exchange of views. REGRETFULLY, AS A RESULT OF VIDEO DIFFICULTIES, ONLY THE AUDIO PORTION OF THIS PROGRAM IS AVAILABLE. The event was held on Feb. 24, 2010, in Baltimore, MD. It was sponsored by “Investigative Voice,” See:
http://investigativevoice.com/ To learn more about Mr. Norris, check out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_Norris

from: William Hughes

On Monday, Feb. 22, 2010, the Pulizter Prize winning author Taylor Branch, spoke in Baltimore, MD. He talked about the necessity of Healthcare Reform in the U.S. Mr. Taylor drew some parallels with this current struggle for social justice and with the heroic battle for Civil Rights in America, under the leadership of the legendary Martin Luther King, Jr. Mr. Taylor is a noted biographer of MLK. See: http://taylorbranch.com/ The event was held at the Church of the Redeemer in Baltimore. It was sponsored by Health Care for All at: http://healthcareforall.com/HTML1.phtml and http://healthcareforamericanow.org/ and the March to the Finish Line at: http://melaniesmarch.com and Progressive Maryland, at: http://www.progressivemaryland.org/page.php?id=268
Matthew Weinstein, MD Coordinator, Health Care for America Now, served as the moderator.

From: sc

FORBIDDEN DREAMS is a documentary about some martyred Palestinian children: Mohammed, Safaa, Ahmed, Omar-- those children who lost their lives in the death chambers of the IOF in Gaza; their stories told by their friends and families. It consists of testimonies of bereaved families from Northern Gaza; a story of children whose dreams had been cut short. The documentary is produced by the One Democratic State Group in Gaza. odsg.org/co Forbidden Dreams

from: William Hughes

On Feb. 18, 2010, Jonathan Tasini presented a “Petition to End the Filibuster,” to aides of U.S. Senate Majority Leader, Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV), in the Hart Office Building, in Washington, D.C. Mr. Tasini is a union leader, organizer and a progressive, who is running as a Democrat for the U.S. Senate in New York state. He has been a champion of free lance writers. Mr. Tasini also maintains a blog called, “Working Life.” He is antiwar and has endorsed the “Medicare for All” position. For background on Mr. Tasini’s “Petition to End the Filibuster,” go to: http://www.jonathantasini.com/

from: William Hughes

On Wed. evening, Feb. 17, 2010, John Yoo gave a talk on the campus of the Johns Hopkins U., in Baltimore, Md. Before the controversial law professor could get into his talk, however, it was interrupted by two activists. They stood to his right in front of the auditorium and held a banner, which read: “Try Yoo for Torture!” The protesters refused to sit down, but they were not arrested and remained in the same position during Yoo’s entire speech. Yoo had served in the administration of the Bush-Cheney Gang in the Justice Department. He authored two dubious legal memos which claimed sweeping presidential power to commit torture. The two memos are referred to by his critics--and there are many--as the “torture memos.” For background on Yoo, see: http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/ and
http://www.velvetrevolution.us/ and http://www.codepinkalert.org/ and http://www.firejohnyoo.org/

From Pablo Ouziel

In this video, we distill out the findings of the Chapter 11 ("Deliberate Attacks against the Civilian Population") of the Goldstone Report to make it accessible to the lay public. The factual and legal findings are narrated by Noam Chomsky. The video also contains live testimonies of Khalid, Kawthar and Samar Abd Rabbo before the UN Fact Finding Mission headed by Justice Richard Goldstone. www.goldstonefacts.org

The real story behind Israel's invasion of Gaza.

from: William Hughes

On Jan. 29, 2010, Doctors Margaret Flowers and Carol Paris were arrested outside a hotel, at the Inner Harbor, in Baltimore, MD, where President Barack Obama was to give a speech. They were on a sidewalk outside the Renaissance hotel holding a banner. The doctors had a letter that they wanted to give to the President and/or one of his aides, re: Medicare for All. They were arrested for trespassing, according to to a police officer at the scene. Later after getting into a police car, this reporter was advised, the two doctors were released, without going to the local lockup. Each was then given “a citation” for trespassing. For background on this issue, check out Dr. Flowers’ visit to the White House, on Jan. 28, 2010, at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxziSRM6fdo

from: William Hughes

On Thursday, Feb. 4, 2010, Mayor Sheila Dixon’s controversial plea deal, in the two criminal cases pending against her with the State Prosecutor’s Office, was accepted by the Trial Judge. As a result, she is no longer the Mayor of Baltimore City. At a curbside press conference, outside of the Court House East, Dixon’s attorney, Arnold Weiner, spoke to the media. He insisted: “Mayor Dixon got a fair deal under all the circumstances.” Mr. Weiner is one of Baltimore City’s top criminal defense lawyers. For details on the plea deal and the Mayor’s “probation before judgment” sentence, go to: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bal-dixon-sentenced0204,0,3904936.story For my slant on the case, see: http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/view/130841 and http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=liamh2#p/search/0/lJ4Ak7qvZV4