Funding the Israeli killing machine is helping push us off the "fiscal cliff."

Barack Obama can continue funding the murderous and barbaric Israeli killing machine engaged in genocidal pogroms against the Palestinian people forced to live in what amounts to a concentration camp every bit as evil and pernicious as the Warsaw Ghetto was yet there isn't enough money to fund a national public health care program, quality public schools or adequate child care nor create the kind

of huge job creating programs required like WPA and CCC.

While squandering our tax dollars on this barbarity in Gaza Strip these same politicians hypocritically talk about preventing our Nation from taking a dive off this "fiscal cliff" when their immoral policies are shoving our Nation crashing onto the sharp, jagged rocks below the "cliff."

How much more of this senseless, cruel, insanity paid for with our tax-dollars are the American people going to take from these Wall Street bribed politicians like Obama and their puppets in Israel before saying "ENOUGH!"

Does anyone really believe Obama and the Democrats were not aware Israel was going to go on this rampage and murderous killing spree in Gaza Strip? How goddamn stupid do these barbaric and demonic monsters in power think we are?

Militarism and wars are what is shoving our Nation off the "fiscal cliff."

And then we get this from Obama--- at press conference in Thailand; this from the man who is engaged in killing sprees and drone attacks across the globe:

"Let's understand what the precipitating event here that's causing the current crisis and that was an ever-escalating number of missiles that were landing not just in Israeli territory but in areas that are populated, and there's no country on Earth that would tolerate missiles raining down on its citizens from outside its borders,”  at the start of a three-nation tour in Asia.

With Obama just weeks after the election we got:

* A sleazy sex scandal involving the head of the CIA and a four-star general.

* Notice we are about to fall off the "fiscal cliff."

* And now this genocidal carnage in Gaza.

We are off to a fine post-election beginning; one can only surmise and wonder what the next four years of Obama holds in store--- another scandal and war every week as foreclosures and unemployment continue with more working class families being shoved off the "fiscal cliff" crashing onto the rocks of poverty?

Alan L. Maki

Election 2012; the six-billion dollar presidential election… a perversion of democracy: Where do we go from here?                          By: Alan L. Maki

I'm not as disheartened by the election results as many people are.

Jill Stein- Green Party, Rocky Anderson- Justice Party and Stewart Alexander- Socialist Party didn't get as many votes as we hoped they would but they have set something in motion--- political independence from the two Wall Street parties--- for which all liberals, progressives and leftists should be appreciative.

Never before, since 1948 and the onslaught of McCarthyism, have progressive alternatives had their voices heard as in this election. This has been an important victory we can build on--- if we seize the initiative in a united way. We have a base to work from.

The American people were faced with two "choices," Obama and Romney, both with the same Wall Street agenda wrapped in different words by Madison Avenue.

I think these alternative campaigns will have impact far beyond the votes these candidates (Rocky Anderson, Jill Stein and Stewart Alexander) received.

What would be disheartening is if Stein, Anderson and Alexander were to withdraw from their next responsibility--- helping to build movements to fight Obama and the Democrats and Republicans explaining that Wall Street is our enemy. I don't think Stein, Anderson and Alexander intend to shirk their responsibility; others appear ready to join with us.

New Progressive Alliance (NPA) should ask Stein, Anderson and Alexander to announce they are coming together to put people to work through pressuring Obama to re-establish the WPA and CCC to assist the victims of Hurricane Sandy. 

This could have the potential of forging the kind of people's unity capable of bringing together a grassroots response and alternative to Wall Street's agenda. Finance it all through a special temporary emergency "tax on the rich."

As part of this letter supporting this initiative we could ask the backers of these three parties to sign on to the letter, too. The candidates and their backers working together supporting and organizing around a short concise statement which should conclude the appeal explaining why this special temporary tax on the rich is needed because the Democrats and Republicans continue to squander the wealth of our Nation on wars in the same destructive way to our country as Hurricane Sandy.

Poor people are the hardest hit victims of Hurricane Sandy; people without jobs are going to be poor. Doesn't it make sense to employ the poorest victims of Hurricane Sandy in the rebuilding of their lives and their working class communities?

I still think we can't afford the luxury of multiple progressive/left parties until we break free from the two-party trap. Would the vote have been much better for these alternative parties had they joined efforts and put forward one progressive alternative? Yes.

If we built committees in every congressional district to back an initiative to bring back the WPA and CCC we would have a good base to work from in future elections, too.

Press conferences, petitions, letters, demonstrations... kick it off with a letter jointly signed by Rocky Anderson, Jill Stein, Stewart Alexander and their running mates.

A big part of the problem we face is all the confusion being spun through the mainstream media by the over-paid political hacks and Obama apologists.

Keep it simple: re-establish WPA/CCC to help the victims of Hurricane Sandy financed with a special temporary tax on the rich.

Ask everyone who signs the letter to host meetings of a few people in their homes using a conference call with Rocky, Jill and Stewart as the catalyst to discuss how we move forward.

All this crap about how liberals, progressives and the left are weak and feeble is not true. It is just as bad to put forward the view that we are weak and feeble as those who used their liberal, progressive and left views to promote Obama.

                                                                                                                                 ( Over )

Barack Obama should be pushed to use his Executive Order privilege to re-establish the WPA and CCC--- then daring Congress to refuse the funding.

Now is no time to withdraw from struggle... now is the time to kick our struggles up a notch.

Alan L. Maki

Director of Organizing,

Midwest Casino Workers Organizing Council

58891 County Road 13

Warroad, Minnesota 56763

Phone: 218-386-2432

Cell: 651-587-5541

Primary E-mail: amaki000@centurytel.net

E-mail: alan.maki1951mn@gmail.com

Blog: http://thepodunkblog.blogspot.com/

A progressive program for real change...

* Peace--- end the wars and occupations in Iraq, Afghanistan & Libya; shutdown the 800 U.S. military bases on foreign soil. No new Wall Street imperialist wars. End drone attacks.

* A National Public Health Care System - ten million new jobs.

* A National Public Child Care System - three to five million new jobs.

* Re-establish the Works Progress Administration (WPA) - three million new jobs.

* Re-establish the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) - two million new jobs.

* Tax the hell out of the rich and cut the military budget by ending the wars to pay for it all which will create full employment.

* Enforce Affirmative Action; end discrimination.

* Raise the minimum wage to a real living wage based on all cost of living factors & indexed to inflation.

* What tax-payers subsidize in the way of businesses, tax-payers should own and reap the profits from.

* Moratorium on home foreclosures and evictions.

* Defend democracy by defending workers' rights including the right to collective bargaining for improving the lives and livelihoods of working people. Rescind “At-will” employment the main impediment to union organizing.

* Roll-back and freeze the price of food, electricity, gas and heating fuels; not wages, benefits or pensions; no more concessions.

*Defend and expand Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare; repeal Obamacare which is nothing more than the “Health Insurance and Pharmaceutical Industry Bailout and Profit Maximization Act of 2010.”

Wall Street is our common enemy.

How is Barack Obama's Wall Street war economy working for you?

Let's talk about the politics and economics of livelihood for a real change.

Newaygo County, Michigan: Burial ground for democracy

I appreciate all the responses from people concerning my recent arrest on warrants that are over 21 years old.

In Michigan, the statute of limitations--- according to the law is:

The statute of limitations for a misdemeanor, as expressed in the Michigan Code of Criminal Procedure section 767.24, is six years.

But, this didn't deter the Grand Rapids Police Department from arresting me on twenty-one year old bogus misdemeanor warrants carrying a maximum fine of $500.00/6 months in jail and turning me over to Newaygo County authorities who then established an outrageous TEN THOUSAND DOLLAR bond who then went so far as to place restrictions on this bond that I couldn't enter anyplace serving alcoholic beverages--- meaning I can't meet with casino workers in their places of employment--- and prohibits me from participating in demonstrations.

This is obviously unconstitutional and criminal harassment on the part of the Grand Rapids Police Department and the Newaygo County Sheriff, Newaygo County Prosecutor and Newaygo County District Court Judge.

It is assumed that any police officer should have the basic knowledge of the laws when it comes to such warrants and the common sense and human decency to question the validity of a twenty-one year old warrant for which he was so well informed he advised me of what the charges consisted of.

The arresting Grand Rapids Police officer "joked" that "we finally got our man after over twenty years."

He directed his "jokes" to me and those he was communicating with via his radio.

We have now learned that no less than 17 people, including the judge and prosecutor and the Chief of Police in Grand Rapids, Michigan were all aware of my arrest, the charges involved, and when the warrant was issued over twenty-one years ago while I was still sitting handcuffed in the back of the Grand Rapids police cruiser on the corner of Alpine and Leonard Streets--- they all made the “complex” and “complicated” decision to carry out this arrest.

This is an outright abuse by public officials and police who engaged in harassment for political persecution in carrying out this dirty deed under "color of law."

The irony in all of this is that these very same public officials and police who knowingly arrested me knowing the warrants were bogus from the time they were issued and then executed these warrants knowing full well they well past the statute of limitations will now go marching into federal court with expensive, high-powered attorneys who will be charging tax-payers an arm-and-a-leg claiming their positions make provide them with immunity from civil actions.

And then they pass this entire repressive, rotten and corrupt system off to the rest of the world as the United States being “the world’s greatest bastion of democracy.”

Grand Rapids Mayor George Heartwell is even aware of these dirty deeds and has remained shamefully silent.

About my arrest on Thuirsday evening November 1

By now many of you have heard about my arrest on Thursday evening November 1 and the outrageous, unconstitutional $10,000.00 bond that was placed on me by corrupt Newaygo County officials in Michigan who executed a TWENTY-ONE YEAR OLD warrant to arrest me for “using the telephone to threaten” a right-wing, racist bigot who punched and shoved my ten-year old son Jeremy because Jeremy was “fishing from his dock.”  This vicious attack by an adult on my son, a child at the time, left his lip bleeding and swollen with a black eye and scraped bleeding knees and a badly bruised chest--- all of which was photographed by the police I called.

The Newaygo County Sheriff and Michigan State Police refused to arrest Scott Plants for this vicious and brutal attack on my ten year old son which he carried out against my son in retaliation for my political views. As Scott Plants viciously attacked my ten-year old son as he kicked our beagle dog who had tagged along on Jeremy’s fishing adventure, Scott Plants shouted for all neighbors within hearing distance--- “go fish in Russia.”

This was one of several vicious attacks on my children in which right-wing bigots attacked my children in retaliation for my political views expressed through speeches and writings with my two children having been targeted by shot-gun toting members of the right-wing hate group Michigan Militia whose members shot at them as they waited for their school bus--- with the Michigan State Police capturing these vile culprits only to let them go with the explanation that “they were only dick hunting.” Duck hunting in the off-season hunting of spring.

The State Police of the Newaygo Post who laughed this vile attack on my children off as “right-wing versus left-wing violence” even thought there was no violence at all from the “left.” A few years later one of the Michigan State co[ps who thought it was so funny my kids were shot at ended up getting killed in a shoot-out with one of the very same men they apprehended for shooting at my kids… this wasn’t so funny anymore as these bigoted cops mourned the death of one of their own ilk.

Grand Rapids, Michigan police arrested me on this bogus twenty-one year old warrant and I was immediately transferred to the hands and jail of the Newaygo County Sheriff in White Cloud, Michigan.

Newaygo County is home to some of the worst poverty in the United States while being a “wilderness” playground for the extremely wealthy many of whom own poverty wage-paying sweatshops in Newaygo County and around the Midwest.

At the present time a national defense committee is being established to try to prevent my imprisonment on these bogus charges.

This kind of political repression is on the increase all across the United States and is sure to intensify no matter if Obama is re-elected or Romney is elected.

We have no national committee against political repression which is directed against those of us fighting for peace, social and economic injustice.

We have agreed to establish a “National Committee to defend Alan Maki and All Victims of Political Repression.”

We will mount not only a legal but educational campaign intended to expose how political repression is carried out by the police, the courts, the political establishment and employers seeking to maintain poverty wages while driving down the standard of living of all working people.

For many years, every since its creation, the FBI has been used to spin a web of political repression--- attacking those who dare to struggle against racist and for the rights of working people.

Politicians created the legislation and “special committees” to enable the FBI working through its “Red Squads”--- special units led by FBI “Special Agents” consisting of city, county and state police and now including private “detective agencies” like Altegrity/USIS and all kinds of union-busting outfits--- to carry out this political repression.

I, along with tens of thousands of other activists have been targeted by the FBI and their “Red Squads,” so called because the FBI continues to use the Communist Control Act to carry out these dirty deeds.

As my 50,000 plus page FBI dossier clearly shows, the perverted  Director of the FBI, J. Edgar Hoover personally assigned the FBI to attack me--- an attack that has been dutifully carried out by the police and the courts with the permission of both the Democrats and Republicans with the malicious attack from Minnesota State Representative Tony Cornish--- who admits to amassing his own personal file on me--- being the latest and most recent where he designated me in an e-mail he sent to thousands of politicians across the Midwest, including each and every state legislator in  Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan which obviously emboldened the FBI, Grand Rapids Police Department, Newaygo County Sheriff, a corrupt prosecutor and judge to execute this twenty-one year old warrant which was bogus from its very creation with no other intent than to use the “color of law” to carry out this political repression which is the government’s response to my outspoken views and activities for peace, against racism and for social and economic justice.

The terms of this outrageous ten-thousand dollar bond being used to enforce these fabricated bogus charges against me, restrict me to having to remain in the State of Michigan--- an obvious attempt to thwart our union organizing campaign in the Indian Gaming Industry--- which seeks to empower workers employed in the Indian Gaming Industry at poverty wages forced to work in unhealthy smoke-filled casinos--- and very conveniently under the terms of the racist “Compacts”--- intended to use racism to maintain the poverty on Indian Reservations creating huge pools of cheap labor.

The Indian Gaming Industry created by these “Compacts” arranged by corrupt tribal politicians, local, state and federal politicians and the mobsters who own the slot machines and table games and every other profitable venture associated with the Indian Gaming Industry, is every bosses dream come true: legislatively created poverty wages imposed on workers who have NO RIGHTS under state or federal labor laws.

These racist and anti-labor “Compacts” created by the Democrats with Republicans looking on smiling with bi-partisan approval are now being enforced by the private and quasi-governmental detective agency which hires a bunch of thugs which include former FBI and CIA agents as well as state, county and local police with the FBI and other police agencies sharing their “information and files” with Altegrity/USIS.

Why did these corrupt Newaygo County officials acting in collusion with the FBI and Grand Rapids Police Department decide to execute this twenty-one year old fabricated bogus warrant based on outright lies after twenty-one years?

Because the complainant whose story two Newaygo County Sheriff Deputies and the Newaygo County Prosecutor prompted by the FBI testimony could not have been held up in court. Only weeks after the death of the complainant are these law-enforcement officials fully backed by the prosecutor and judge now executing these warrant claiming I used the telephone to intimidate these violent bigots.

How convenient, the police will now have free reign to further fabricate more lies without there being a complainant or “witness” to these bogus charges--- another dream come true; this time for the FBI led “Red Squads”, and quite conveniently for the managements of the Indian Gaming Industry.

The terms and conditions of this outrageous ten-thousand dollar bond include prohibiting me from participating in demonstrations or entering any establishment serving alcoholic beverages which means I am prohibited from entering any casino.  

I hope all of you will consider participating in getting involved in our efforts defending me from these fabricated bogus charges based on lies in twenty-one year old warrants.

Think about this:

Why would any Judge establish a ten-thousand dollar bond for charges which carry a maximum penalty of six-months in prison and a $500.00 fine?

Why would any Judge even consider enforcing such twenty-one year old warrants which could have been served at any time on me?  

Something to think about:

Newaygo County Judge Drake was the very the very prosecutor who authorized these bogus warrants faced on charges he helped to fabricate twenty-one years.

Does anyone think the execution of these warrants with a ten-thousand dollar bond being imposed with the undemocratic restrictions imposed by the terms of the bond has anything to do with “justice?”

Plain and simple: This is harassment and political repression taken to the extreme. But this is what political repression in this country has spun. Like a snowball rolling down a steep long hill on a warm spring day the campaign of hate and harassment just keeps getting bigger and bigger--- the intent being to destroy the lives of living, breathing human beings as was demonstrated by the violent death of my good friend and fellow activist, Native American trade unionist and human rights activist, Greg Paquin, last spring. Greg’s death was the direct result of where these campaigns of hate generated by the FBI’s “Red Squads” ultimately lead. The FBI and local law enforcement working together with the judiciary and reactionary politicians collaborated to make Greg Paquin’s life a living hell as they fabricated charges based on outright lies against him, too.

There is no legitimate reason why human beings should be subjected to these kinds of vicious hate campaigns instigated by the FBI and we are going to see what we can do to put an end to these kinds of politically motivated campaigns of hate.

I would also note that right-wing bigot Richard Mellon-Scaife has put his billions of dollars to work in creating several public front groups--- including KeyWiki staffed by a known pedophile working out of a cave in New Zealand and Accuracy In Media staffed by a pervert in an expensive suit--- being used to “expose” “Communists” and it is not coincidental that I have been singled out along with Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie whose “crime” is participating in meetings with Communists--- for outrageous and vicious attacks by both of these right-wing outfits funded by the nefarious right-wing bigot Richard Mellon-Scaife. Attacks that just happen to coincide with these recent attacks by politicians like Minnesota State Representative Tony Cornish who (retired from law enforcement), instead of apologizing to me for calling me “a very dangerous person” because I use my constitutionally protected rights to speak out, write and act in defense of worker’s rights which are human rights; Cornish has now proceeded to calling me “one of the most dangerous men in the world.” 

Please consider joining with us to put an end to this officially promoted bigotry where corrupt politicians working in league with law enforcement, prosecutors and the judiciary are trying to stifle and smother our struggles for peace, social and economic justice.  

Today, Newaygo County is a burial ground for democracy but as we have seen, this could be, and is, anyplace U.S.A.--- a country these reactionary sleaze-balls hiding their wicked reactionary agenda under the “color of law” proclaim to people everywhere to be “the world’s greatest bastion of democracy.”

A law suit against, and to halt, these ghastly charges and undemocratic, unconstitutional behavior is being prepared for the federal courts.

My next court appearance has been scheduled for November 12, 2012 at 8:30 A.M. in Newaygo County District Court with Judge Drake presiding.

At the arraignment on November 12 I will be asking these charges be dropped based on the facts:

1.) The complaining witness is now dead;

2.) These warrants should have been dismissed long ago under statute of limitations;

3.) These warrants were knowingly bogus at the time based on lies fabricated by Drake, the police and Karen Plants, Scott Plants husband at the time, from the very time they were issued twenty-one years ago;

4.) The bond is reduced to personal recognizance with no draconian stipulations;

5.) Judge Drake removes himself from this case for obvious conflict of interest;

6.) All charges are dropped;

7.) I am fully and completely compensated for this injustice I am being subjected to.

The Michigan Supreme Court will be asked to intervene by investigating the judicial misconduct, malfeasance and misfeasance in this case of Judge Drake with the request that Judge Drake be permanently removed from “the bench” for participating in this wholly egregious, outrageous judicial misconduct intentionally carried out to deprive me of my most fundamental and basic constitutionally protected democratic and human rights.

Anyone who has ever read the United States Constitution and Bill of Rights along with the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights and then considering these bogus warrants can recognize the injustice in progress in this case.

My Defense Committee will make this case a focus of the upcoming December 10 Anniversary of the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights. 

The foundation-funded outfits whose finances are derived from the donations of the very “philanthropists” who profit from the injustices of working people refuse to take on these cases so grassroots efforts like ours are required.

Many people have called to ask me what they can do. As a first step, please circulate and distribute this as widely as possible since education and informing a wide circle of friends is the first step.

Your suggestions are encouraged and welcome.

We realize everyone is very busy on a variety of issues but we request you find a way to fit this into your busy schedule.

Thanking you in advance for you involvement and participation.

I appreciate the concern from everyone--- the calls, visits and e-mails.

Yours in the struggle,

Alan L. Maki
Director of Organizing,

Midwest Casino Workers Organizing Council