Thailand under curfew amid army coup

Pat Macpherson, Ashley Wells, Pfc. Sandoval, Wisdom Quarterly; BBC.co.uk

It's Orwellian, it's draconian, and it's coming to a town near you: A police state (with militarized civilian troops, deputies, and spies) is a state of collapse. Wage peace now.

  

Go Thailand! We're practicing in D.C., too!

A curfew has begun across [Theravada Buddhist] Thailand after the army announced it had taken control and suspended the constitution following months of political turmoil [as Red Shirts vie for revolutionary change and civil liberties against the conservative Yellow Shirts who want to preserve the corrupt status quo].

 

The army chief imposed the 22:00 to 05:00 curfew, along with a ban on political gatherings and suspension of normal television programming.

 

Key political figures have been detained and others ordered to report to the military. The army said it needed to restore order and enact political reforms.

 

You Occupy, we oppress (conspiracyplanet)

It declared martial law on Tuesday but then gathered political leaders together for talks on the crisis.

 

However, army chief Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha went on air on Thursday to announce the coup.

 

Several key figures at the talks, including opposition protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban and pro-government protest leader Jatuporn Prompan, were detained. More + VIDEO

 

Thai soldiers guard the "Democracy Monument" in Buddhist Bangkok (reuters.com)

Scotsfest, Los Angeles/OC(scotsfest.com) The Scottish Highland Games are coming! May 24-25, 2014 at the Orange County Fairgrounds. Find us at our new home: scottishfest.com

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The United We Stand Festival (concert)

Pat Macpherson, CC Liu, Wisdom Quarterly; UnitedWeStandFest.com; UCLA (tickets)

Awake the Nation! Free & Equal sets out to unite us as We the People, May 10 (UWSF)

Coming to a University Near You!
The United We Stand Festival will kick off at UCLA on May 10th for a University Bus Tour across America, combining music and education to awaken the nation!
 
Inspiring young and old alike to help elect principled leaders who are not swayed by special interests, we can restore a world of peace, liberty, harmony, justice, ecology, prosperity, and happiness for all.

Musical headliners at UCLA include Public Enemy, members of Wu-Tang Clan, Immortal Technique, The Siren, Cynic, Tatiana Moroz, Rooftop Revolutionaries, A-Alikes, Luminaries, Jon Goodhue, Sounds of Solidarity, and more.

Speakers include media legend Larry King, Ben & Jerry, Marianne Williamson (NY Times bestselling author and independent congressional candidate for CA-33), David Bronner (CEO of Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps), and Sean Stone (son of Hollywood bigwig Oliver Stone, who created) host of Buzzsaw.


Other notable figures include Dr. Jill Stein (our 2012 Green choice for president), Gov. Gary Johnson, Amber Lyon (Emmy-winning journalist/whistleblower), Ben Swann (Emmy-winning journalist), Diane Goldstein (Law Enforcement Against Prohibition), Mnar Muhawesh (Mint Press News), and many more.

TICKETS are on sale now at the revolutionary price of $17.76 (but use promo code WETHEPEOPLE for a 50% discount at checkout!) at UCLA's Central Ticket Office and online through TicketMaster.

Free & Equal Elections Foundation is an election reform organization dedicated to the idea that all enjoy an equal share of the rights and responsibilities of our nation's governance. We strive to create a system in which all citizens are equal in ability to participate.



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(UprisingRadio) Join Uprising TV's exciting new campaign to televise Uprising for Free Speech TV. Contribute, get involved, join the revolution...or at least watch it from your couch. We have only until April 30th 2014 to raise the funds to make it possible!

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Radio host and Wisdom Quarterly friend in Pasadena Sonali Kohlhatkar has been active in bringing attention to the liberation of women in Afghanistan (RAWA) as well as covering the most gripping social justice issues of our day. More

Zen teacher Alan Watts called Pacifica the only truly "free speech" outlet in the world.

Revolution: East and West (Ukraine, Thailand)

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Thailand wants a people's coup, as does Ukraine, and Pussy Riot wants to protect prisoners

  

FEMEN (feminist topless protest collective) started its fight with the dictatorship in Ukraine, a former member of the Soviet Union now leaning in favor of joining the West through the European Union, four years ago. Now FEMEN's brothers are making a revolution and it appeals to the world for help. Ukrainians need our support! Revolution cannot be stopped! Ukraine must be cleansed of its dictatorship! Together we will win this fight -- and with it the struggle against sexism (patriarchal systems, bias based on gender or biological sex), racism, and extreme class divisions. 

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An independent congressional panel has concluded the National Security Agency’s bulk collection of phone records is illegal. In a new report, the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board says the NSA program should be brought to an end, is illegal, and has had only minimal benefits in stopping any kind of "terrorism." 

(Tom Tomorrow/thismodernworld.com)

The panel says the program "lacks a viable legal foundation under [PATRIOT Act] Section 215, implicates constitutional concerns under the First and Fourth Amendments [about intrusions into our privacy, searches, and seizures], raises serious threats to privacy and civil liberties as a policy matter, and has shown only limited value, adding: "The board recommends that the government end the program." President Obama said last week he intends to reform the bulk collection, but his plan would preserve it.

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Sextremism: FEMEN means death for patriarchy (sexist male domination)

 

Ukraine to scrap anti-protest laws

(BBC.co.uk, Jan. 27, 2014)

Police state (Sergei L. Loiko/latimes.com)

The Ukrainian president and opposition leaders have agreed to scrap anti-protest laws that had fueled anger at the government, the presidency says.

 

Pres. Viktor Yanukovych also offered an amnesty to protesters, but only if they cleared barricades and stopped attacking government buildings. The president made the offer in talks with the three main opposition leaders.

 

The demonstrators had demanded the protest law be repealed, but they also want Mr. Yanukovych [who is accused of being a traitor who is selling out Ukraine to Putin and Russia] to quit.

 

The law was hastily passed in parliament by Yanukovych loyalists on 16 January. The changes included a ban on unauthorized tents in public areas [, a ban on wearing protective helmets or masks], and criminal responsibility for slandering government officials. 

 

Correspondents say it is likely to be overturned during a special session of parliament on Tuesday, arranged last week to discuss the crisis.

 

Unrest spreads east

The [anti-protest] law angered protesters and helped to spread unrest across Ukraine, even to Mr. Yanukovych's Russian-speaking strongholds in the east. The protesters, closely allied to the opposition parties, targeted government buildings and have briefly occupied several ministries in Kiev. More Watershed moment - Who are the protest leaders? - Media: Point of no return? - Q&A: What's behind crisis?

 

Thailand's Red Shirts vs. Yellow: People's Coup

Red: leftwing, Yellow: rightwing

(BBC, Jan. 26, 2014) BANGKOK, Thailand - Protesters block early election vote. They have surrounded polling stations, blocking early voting ahead of next week's [hastily convened] general election, officials say. [Street demonstrations are bringing down Thailand's first female prime minister, Yingluck Shinawatra, sister of corrupt billionaire and former Thai PM Thaksin Shinawatra, who pulled her strings.] Meanwhile, one opposition leader was shot dead as he addressed a crowd at a rally outside a polling station in east Bangkok where advance voting was supposed to take place. Jonathan Head reports from Bangkok. More + VIDEO

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