the newspaper today

the newspaper today, originally uploaded by traceytakesphotos.

This is dedicated to all those who die needlessly in terrorist attacks. What happened in London today is tragic beyond all belief but it is only a symptom of a much larger problem. That our great rich nations of the world continue to not deal with terrorism properly and only treat it like an unpreventable dieses, much like the pharmaceutical giants deal with our major health crisis. They wait until the dieses have spread and then try to prescribe medicine. Not enough is done to prevent the problem from happening like proper diet, exercise and a healthier environment. The same is true for how we deal with terrorism. We continue to fight terrorism by occupying a country that had nothing to do with September 11th. We round up Muslims around the world without due process and without following the rules of law. We ignore pockets of abject poverty, which become feeding grounds for religious fundamentalists. We refuse to investigate human rights abuses and the use of torture around the world. We refuse to work together with other countries to band together and share information properly and to tackle the terrorist treats as a multilateral investigative operation. We refuse to address the real grievances of the Muslim world by ignoring the situations in Palestine and our military dominance in the Arab countries. We continue to spread the message of freedom and democracy and of rebuilding, while only protecting our economic interests and import of other countries natural resources. We continue to enact trade agreements that open up foreign markets so that corporations can dominate while we subsides our farmers and gradually impoverish the majority of the world, many of which already live on less than a dollar a day. How is any of this making us safer? When terrorist leaders roam free and a bombing can happen anywhere, anytime. Now the world will focus its attention on the situation in London, sifting through rubble to find a clue to those that wish to do us harm. Guessing? The focus should remain on the rich nations of the world who come together every year at the G-8 summit. Here, the world's leaders sit down to discuss problems far greater then terrorism. Poverty and Climate Change. Issues that effect us all as a world community. Although there has been much work on poverty, through debt reduction there is much to be done about giving developing nations capital and letting them manage their natural resources. It can be looked upon as simple as the old proverb about teaching a man to fish instead of giving a fish. Although there is nothing simple about dealing with the complexity of developing nations, who's problems we are only beginning to understand. Meanwhile climate change is a whole other story. The richest nation in the world, the US has a president who ignores the research of the scientific community and has words like "urgency" removed from the G-8 accord. He refuses to sign the Kyoto protocol and would rather push forward an agenda of nuclear power and does nothing to tap into our abundance of alternative energies like solar, wind and biodiesel. Why? Because George W. and Cheney are oil men. Thousands of protesters came to Scotland for this year's G-8 summit to bring attention to the real issues, maybe the media would have begun to take notice. Now there message will be drowned in a sea of rhetoric, of terrorism fear mongering, of Bush and Blair telling us like trained ventriloquists to stay steadfast and not to falter to an enemy we can't see and are doing little to stop. The biggest tragedy of all is not those who were killed and maimed in London today, but to the fact that our leaders are ignoring the issues that lead to the attacks while pursuing their own agenda of world domination.

Here is an opinion piece I liked from www.nyc.indymedia.org:

"Bike to Avoid Transit Scare"
by CMer

The London blast has once again has demonstrated the cold-blooded capacity of criminals to kill innocent civilians. When these criminals act, civilians are the victims in Industrial and underdeveloped nations alike. Only the tools and banners are different. The killer is always faceless or hides under some artificial banner of legitimacy. The victims are always the pawns.

Society as a whole becomes the victim of pragmatic opportunists and ideologues. Once again, the elitists and fanatics exploit opportunities to advance their own agendas under a guise of unity and preservation of a superior civilization. The same civilization that is destroying the planet for the advancement of individual and corporate gain. The guardians of the constitution have now sanctioned eminent domain for the sake of the corporation. Laws protecting the sanctity of the individual against the state have now been eroded.
Any American can go to jail indefinitely or be kidnapped to another place and face an eternal legal limbo. The privacy of conversation and home
is no longer sanctified by our constitutional safeguards. President Bush, like one famous despotic leader has received another opportunity to advance a social engineering agenda. I do not
have the messianic or organizational capacity to oppose this lunatic, however I believe the biking is a powerful and silent symbol against oil wars.

Manhattan is an ideal place to culturally promote a sustainable mode of life. It is 2.5 miles wide and 13 miles long, making the metro an extravagantly expensive and archaic transport alternative, so avoid the fare hike. The bike also provides for needed exercise.

Bike Against Bush and Oil Wars

Also don't forget: 2nd Friday of every month...Brooklyn Critical Mass

Hey don't believe the hype!!

Critical Mass in NYC has been under attack for almost a year, Brooklyn's Critical Mass has been around for more than a year. While the Cops have showed up to "escort" the ride, there have been no arrests. Its important for your mental health to be able to ride your bike with your friends, and not have to fear arrest.

When? THIS FRIDAY July 8th, 7PM

Where? Williamsburg Bridge Brooklynside, Northside, by the statue

Why? cause we need to