Occupy Everywhere in 2012

"Occupy Everything in 2012" will become a clarion call for the entire year as The People demand jobs with justice and full human rights for all, and an end to crony-Capitalism, corrupt governments and war.

For the past four months, ordinary people have come forward and "occupied" public spaces to draw attention to injustice in America as part of a new great awaking that is occurring throughout the world. Peaceful people have taken to the streets and the twitterverse to demand more from their governments.

The Occupy movement that began on Wall Street and Washington last September quickly spread to cities throughout the U.S. and has become a roaring cacophony of the righteous. Dr. Martin Luther King reminded us to "break the silence of the night" when issues at hand become grave and conformist apathy threatens to take over. Such a time is now upon us.

From a handful of dedicated activists, Occupy Everything Together responses have emerged across Texas, U.S. and the world. We will occupy banks and businesses, city halls and county jails, freeways and foreclosed homes, malls and military bases.

The year ahead will become known as the great upheaval of 2012 when truth and love overcame and lies and autocracy...if we "occupy" our hearts and minds with peace and justice every day of the year.

Will the Occupy movement spread and break through the bureaucratic intransigence and corporate and government collusion to change 'politics as usual'? Will the plight of the homeless, the jobless and the economically disenfranchised be addressed? Will the military-industrial beast be slayed before another global war commences? It all depend on whether The People - ordinary citizens like you and me - stand together as one.

Occupy 2012 will also be a unique year in an age-old attempt by the 99% to overthrow oligarchs and tyrants who seek to seize power over their fellow man and woman instead working to bring about peace and justice in free society. As with past changes, we can't be certain what form these "occupations" will take nor even how they will end.

Recently, occupiers occupied campaign headquarters of President Obama and Republican candidates for office to make their voice heard in the political debate. They sought to bring attention to everything ...... MORE Page 2>

Texans #1 .... in greenhouse pollution

Once again, Texas has been singled out at the most polluting state in the nation. According to new federal data, Texas generated 294 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions in 2010, greater than the next two states - Pennsylvania and Florida - combined.

Texas, home to just under 25 million people in a world of 6 billion, contributes about 1% of total global pollution. Coal-fired power plants in Texas accounted for 61 percent of total GHG emissions in 2010, while oil refineries added 15 percent. Chemical producers added 13 percent.

Getting the military out of Texas schools

Texans for Peace has joined with a group of concerned north Texans - Peaceful Vocations - to request that the State Board of Education (SBOE) put an end to the U.S. military access to student records and required military testing of students.

As part of the National Coalition to Protect Student Privacy, we continue to insist that schools withhold personal information about students and cannot require children to take the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (IASVAB) test. Many schools require students to take this test, even without a parent's permission. Schools also regularly release personal information and student records to the U.S. Department of Defense.

It is the position of Texans for Peace that children should be allowed to attend school without being accosted by military propaganda and certainly all personal student records should be maintained and secured locally...not handed over to a federal government agency.

Already against the next war - Iran

Not content to waste trillions of dollars on wars in Vietnam, Iraq, Central America and Afghanistan, the military-political-media-industrial complex is frothing at the mouth to start a war with Iran and push the us towards WWIII.

As we stand on the brink of another global conflagration, the question becomes "why do Texans, especially those who oppose waste of federal tax dollars, continue to support such nonsense wars?"

Before we march off to another war, perhaps Texas schools should be required to educate our citizens accurately about the history of U.S. warmongering since the end of WWII. Ignorance can no longer be used as an excuse.

1% "more equal" than others when it comes to appraisals

The Travis County (Austin) property Appraisal District has long published tax appraisal records online in order to aid government transparency. However, it appears that some citizens get to play by other rules and have their records omitted from the database.

The Austin Bulldog reports that a handful of wealthy home owners like Michael Dell, Sen. John Cornyn, actor Sandra Bullock and others mostly in the "1%" category are able to suppress their records. Appraisal records are public records that qualify for full and complete disclosure under the Texas Public Information Act unless a property owner meets the lawful requirement for confidentiality.

Spanish judge reopens Guantanamo torture probe

10 Reasons the US is No Longer the Land of the Free

Woody Guthrie at 100

The Myth of Military Budget Cuts

Stop the School-to-Prison Pipeline

'We're Not Broke': The Movement That Helped Spark Occupy Wall Street

The NY Times and the End of Truth

The Foreclosure-to-Rental Screwjob

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