J_B's man down South!

[Peter_Puget]

I am sure J_B is finding his man down South to be a rare source inspriation amongst all the bad news of late. He's been making the good fight against freedom of speech, a free press, drug laws, and properties rights for so long he must be getting tired. Now it looks like he is going to have to do everything himself. Why he's just like J_B here on cc.com.

 

A man of the people!

[j_b]

Who's your daddy, jackboot?

 

[video:youtube]8iGGjGSdqf8

[prole]

 

I thought this post was about this...

 

Georgia Prison Strike: A Hidden Labor Force Resists

 

Last week a diverse group of nonviolent protesters across Georgia stood up for their rights, calling for decent wages, better social services and respect for their civil liberties. It didn't take long for the government to crack down on the demonstrations, however: the protesters were already in prison.

 

The uprising of Georgia inmates on December 9 defied the stereotype of the chaotic "prison riot" in the public imagination. Yet neither did "Lockdown for Liberty" fit within the conventional model of civil disobedience or industrial action. But when the inmates in at least six different prisons refused to leave their cells to report to work and other activities that day, a strike began. And it effectively paralyzed a small chunk of the bureaucratic monstrosity of America's prison system.

 

The incarcerated have historically filled the dregs of the American workforce, an emblem of racial subjugation often invisible in the politics of labor and social policy. It was against this hidden legacy of exploitation that the Georgia inmates, with the support of the NAACP and other civil rights advocates, raised issues common to incarcerated people nationwide: abusive treatment, degrading living conditions, a lack of accountability in the administration and parole authorities, and a lack of basic educational and social services (see below).

 

Pointedly invoking the term "slave" to describe the circumstances under which they toiled, the strikers showed how historically entrenched racial divisions play out today in the black-white disparities throughout the criminal justice system. Still, Georgia protesters included Latinos and whites as well as blacks, in a joint effort to resist and challenge structural injustices.

 

Their demands were hardly radical, but rather, embodied mainstream standards for reasonable and humane treatment: protection from cruel and unusual punishment by officers, affordable medicine when they're sick, and above all, fair pay for their labor. According to the Atlanta-Journal Constitution, "state law forbids paying inmates except for one limited program."

 

Final Call quoted reports trickling out from inmates earlier this week:

 

One brother told me, ‘We will ride until the wheels fall off,' and that's been the sentiment amongst the men when they started this,” said Elaine Brown, a spokesperson for the strike... Part of our purpose for doing this is that

 

Georgia is the only state that does not pay it's inmates at all. Some guys in here work seven days a week and they don't get a dime,” said Dondito, one of the strikers, who requested anonymity.

 

You can almost hear the zero-tolerance conservatives in Washington now: how dare these criminals demand better treatment from the state? The official reaction was to immediately curtail what few resources the inmates possess. According to news reports, prison staff locked down four facilities, attempted to transfer out the leading troublemakers, cut off the hot water, and revoked cell phone privileges (yes, according to Facing South, "Cell phones are contraband in Georgia's prisons, but widely available for sale from correctional officers.")

 

The strike was called off after six days, following reports of violent crackdowns and rising fears that the situation would escalate. But by then, the inmates had made their mark with one of the largest prison protests in U.S. history. The decision to end the strike, moreover, seems like the beginning of another phase in the inmates' collective action, now that they've caught national political attention. The AJC reported:

 

an inmate at Smith State Prison in Glenville said in a telephone interview prisoners had agreed to end their “non-violent” protest to allow administrators time to focus on their concerns rather than operating the institutions without inmate labor.

"We've ended the protest,” said Mike, a convicted armed robber who was one of the inmates who planned and coordinated the work stoppage. “We needed to come off lock down so we can go to the law library and start ... the paperwork for a [prison conditions] lawsuit.

 

The proactive militancy of the strike organizers underscores the the fact that the entire action not only proceeded largely without violence, but also spread rapidly through several institutions thanks to careful planning and clandestine technology--messages spread via cell, expanding the traditional jailhouse grapevine.

 

It may be a while before we see another prisoner strike going viral, as the potential for prison-based activism remains constrained by the criminal-justice power structure. But the Georgia inmates helped change the public face of Americans who've been caught up in the country's incarceration industry. Under the most oppressive of conditions, they used disciplined strike tactics to align their grievances with broader struggles for human rights.

 

It makes sense. Prison is the everyday reality lived by a huge swath of the population (roughly one in one hundred, according to recent surveys) Meanwhile, the impact of prison labor leaves a hidden imprint on our economy as well. Noah Zatz of UCLA Law School has estimated that:

 

well over 600,000, and probably close to a million, inmates are working full time in jails and prisons throughout the United States. Perhaps some of them built your desk chair: office furniture, especially in state universities and the federal government, is a major prison labor product. Inmates also take hotel reservations at corporate call centers, make body armor for the U.S. military, and manufacture prison chic fashion accessories, in addition to the iconic task of stamping license plates.

 

As a captive workforce and disenfranchised populace, the prison system reaches deep into American society, and the distance between the people on the inside and those on the outside is increasingly a matter of luck--whether you're unfortuate enough to have been born the wrong color or in the wrong neighborhood. If the movement launched by the Georgia inmates, and their demands for dignity, look surprisingly familiar, there's a good reason for that: they are us.

 

For more information, follow the Black Agenda Report's ongoing coverage of the Georgia prison activists.

 

The strikers' demands, which they continue to press with state officials, are as follows:

 

A LIVING WAGE FOR WORK: In violation of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution prohibiting slavery and involuntary servitude, the DOC demands prisoners work for free.

 

EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES: For the great majority of prisoners, the DOC denies all opportunities for education beyond the GED, despite the benefit to both prisoners and society.

 

DECENT HEALTH CARE: In violation of the Eighth Amendment prohibition against cruel and unusual punishments, the DOC denies adequate medical care to prisoners, charges excessive fees for the most minimal care and is responsible for extraordinary pain and suffering.

 

AN END TO CRUEL AND UNUSUAL PUNISHMENTS: In further violation of the Eighth Amendment, the DOC is responsible for cruel prisoner punishments for minor infractions of rules.

 

DECENT LIVING CONDITIONS: Georgia prisoners are confined in over-crowded, substandard conditions, with little heat in winter and oppressive heat in summer.

 

NUTRITIONAL MEALS: Vegetables and fruit are in short supply in DOC facilities while starches and fatty foods are plentiful.

 

VOCATIONAL AND SELF-IMPROVEMENT OPPORTUNITIES: The DOC has stripped its facilities of all opportunities for skills training, self-improvement and proper exercise.

 

ACCESS TO FAMILIES: The DOC has disconnected thousands of prisoners from their families by imposing excessive telephone charges and innumerable barriers to visitation.

 

JUST PAROLE DECISIONS: The Parole Board capriciously and regularly denies parole to the majority of prisoners despite evidence of eligibility.

--from here.

[billcoe]

Thug.

 

You see the story a few days back. Hilarious. Wikileaks material shows that Chavez and crew manipulated the $ of oil so that they could sell a bunch of oil way undermarket value ($78 and up range open market at the time of the cable) at $5 a barrel to China. It's reported that the Venezuelans were furious when they learned that China turned around and resold the very same oil to several countries (including Japan and the US!) at full price. LOL!!!!

 

Here's the Wall Street journal version of events, the article I'd read earlier had specially named Japan and the US as end user recipients: http://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2010/12/15/wikileaks-china-profits-off-cheap-venezuelan-oil/

 

This link has some interesting jb like takes on US hegemony in this arena: http://crooksandliars.com/karoli/wikileaks-cable-big-oil-loves-venezuela-eno

[j_b]

Thug.

 

how else would you characterize a right wing neanderthal who uses red-baiting to try smearing his opponents?

 

You see the story a few days back. Hilarious. Wikileaks material shows that Chavez and crew manipulated the $ of oil so that they could sell a bunch of oil way undermarket value ($78

...

 

don't trust everything you read in the wikileaks releases: ¡Viva WikiLeaks! Sicko Was Not Banned in Cuba

[klenke]

I'd like to know j_b's opinion on Mr. Chavez and the direction Venezuela is heading so we can have it here for the record. Instead of him saying a whole lot of nothing (about the subject at hand) in this thread, how about he says something of substance?

[j_b]

Either you are dense or you are trolling. Why should I have to answer smears meant to portray me as a "commie" considering the history of such smears in American politics? Give me one good reason why I should take the bait laid by the far right wing goon who started this thread? Are you a far right wing goon too? I am genuinely interested, please answer the question.

 

btw, I have already said several times what I thought of Chavez or ideologies in general, and what my preferred model would be. If you are genuinely interested in my perspective on Chavez there are likely better threads for it.

[Fairweather]

Either you are dense or you are trolling. Why should I have to answer smears meant to portray me as a "commie" considering the history of such smears in American politics? Give me one good reason why I should take the bait laid by the far right wing goon who started this thread? Are you a far right wing goon too? I am genuinely interested, please answer the question.

 

btw, I have already said several times what I thought of Chavez or ideologies in general, and what my preferred model would be. If you are genuinely interested in my perspective on Chavez there are likely better threads for it.

 

Um, because the smears were largely true--and you are, in fact, a communist. You have defended Chavez at every turn. Every single one. We warned you about this guy from the beginning and you have defended him.

 

Your preferred model, if I recall, was 1930s republican Spain. Well, guess what: they were communists too. Killed thousands of Catholics and clergy without trial, if I recall.

Edited December 19, 2010 by Fairweather

[j_b]

I am a commie for entrepreneurship and private property. Fuckwit. And stop lying, goon, I haven't defended Chavez at every turn. I have defended him against your pathological lying. Can you tell the difference?

[j_b]

1930's republican spain? where the fuck do yo come up with such drivel? 1930's republican Spain was a state during civil war.

[j_b]

for all the smearing of their opponents that right wing goons do, they are the supporters of dictatorships, death squads and torture. Fairweather managed to explicitly support the military grab in Honduras just over a year ago (the only putsch of recent time in the western hemisphere) after which hundreds of innocents died during the repression of protests against return to oligarchic rule.

[j_b]

Your preferred model, if I recall, was 1930s republican Spain. Well, guess what: they were communists too. Killed thousands of Catholics and clergy without trial, if I recall.

 

This post is a perfect example of the Manichean small mind of the far right wing thug. There were communists indeed but there were also just republicans, i.e. people against the dictatorship of monarchy and church in Spain (gee, what a new concept for a so-called "Republican"). Thousands of catholics and clergy were summarily killed, but so were 10's of thousands of "republicans", most of whom were dumped in mass graves. It was a civil war followed by a 40 year long bloody military dictatorship.

[j_b]

I mean how deluded does one have to be a right wing goon?

 

The Second Spanish Republic was the legally established government of Spain between April 14, 1931 and its destruction by a successful military rebellion led by General Francisco Franco assisted by Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany.[citation needed]

 

The Second Spanish Republic was proclaimed when King Alfonso XIII left the country following municipal elections in which republican candidates won the majority of votes. Its government went into exile on April 1, 1939, when the last of the loyalist Republican forces surrendered to rebel forces (calling themselves nacionales) led by Generalísimo Franco at the end of the Spanish Civil War.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Spanish_Republic

 

but do watch out because the commies are going to get ya!

[Fairweather]

 

OCD ALERT.

 

 

BTW, isn't it funny (not) how fascist regimes always seem to spring up as a direct result of communist power grabs? Maybe if you guys knocked off with your bizarre Utopian shenanigans, the likes of Mussolini, Hitler, Franco, Pinochet, et al wouldn't bring on the backlash--or even exist.

[j_b]

our bizarre utopian shenanigans like a secular republic. Where do they find neanderthals like you, jackass?

[j_b]

we'll also note the usual lack of substantial response to any of the points I made. Debating with right wing thugs like you is a huge fucking waste of time.

[j_b]

Just one last one for the road because it's too much fun to expose your continual lies.

 

how fascist regimes always seem to spring up as a direct result of communist power grabs?

 

In Spain, the popular front, a coalition of the left and republicans, was overwhelmingly elected by popular support in 1936. The fascists militias became very active after that and the cycle of violence led to a fascist regime.

 

btw, Chavez has been in power for 12 years and was also repeatedly overwhelmingly supported by Venezuelans over that period. Just compare to how Bush became president. Thug.

 

 

[Fairweather]

our bizarre utopian shenanigans like a secular republic. Where do they find neanderthals like you, jackass?

 

You live in a secular republic, dumbshit--and you're still not happy. (Because you're a fucking commie.)

[j_b]

retarded troll can't even follow a simple discussion. We were talking about the Spanish civil war, fuckwit.

[Fairweather]

Just one last one for the road because it's too much fun to expose your continual lies.

 

how fascist regimes always seem to spring up as a direct result of communist power grabs?

 

In Spain, the popular front, a coalition of the left and republicans, was overwhelmingly elected by popular support in 1936. The fascists militias became very active after that and the cycle of violence led to a fascist regime.

 

 

 

 

I love the way you commies bandy about "popularly elected" like it absolves later transgressions. A popularly elected leader ceases to be legitimate when he usurps electoral mechanisms within the constitution he swore to uphold, abolishes a legislature, ignores rulings of the judiciary in this regard, or when he fails to submit to subsequent scheduled elections. Adolph Hitler comes to mind of course--so does Allende, Zalaya, and your buddy Chavez. Spain's 1936 election, in the midst of the Red Terror, means nothing in light of the subsequent property and human rights violations which took place under their regime. The communist morons from here and elsewhere who fought in International Brigades on behalf of Republican Spain deserved what they got: 70% dead.

 

[j_b]

ridiculous blowhard who has shown repeatedly in this very same thread he knew zilch about the Spanish civil war is going to give us a history lesson about it now LOL

[Fairweather]

j_b: Wikipedia expert.

 

What an embarrassment.

[j_b]

At least, if anything I have shown I could look up references instead of making it all up like you do.

[j_b]

Apparently American officials in Honduras don't agree with Fairweather on the cause of the coup that he supported like a good thug he is. Is anybody surprised?

 

By July 24, 2009, the U.S. government was totally clear about the basic facts of what took place in Honduras on June 28, 2009. The U.S. embassy in Tegucigalpa sent a cable to Washington with subject: "Open and Shut: The Case of the Honduran Coup," asserting that "there is no doubt" that the events of June 28 "constituted an illegal and unconstitutional coup." The Embassy listed arguments being made by supporters of the coup to claim its legality, and dismissed them thus: "none... has any substantive validity under the Honduran constitution." The Honduran military clearly had no legal authority to remove President Zelaya from office or from Honduras, the Embassy said, and their action -- the Embassy described it as an "abduction" and "kidnapping" -- was clearly unconstitutional.

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-naiman/wikileaks-honduras-state_b_789282.html

[Nitrox]

"Reasonable restrictions" on speech, right j_b?