The Legal System's Best Kept Secret: Jury Nullification

One page from the first issue of our new little newsletter to be put around the community.

Occupy 3rd Anniversary, New York City September 17, 2014

I will be posting to the blog from New York September 17 and 18.

"The 99 Downtown Party" Was a Big Success

Haven't posted here for awhile due to lot of work involved with our yearly community event.

The 99 Gallery and Center and NEK99% hosted their third annual totally free community event "The 99 Downtown Party" Saturday at the gallery. Music by Michael Hahn and Hornbeam, hotdogs by Scotty Dogs and the Condiment Queen and a variety  of activities for adults and children made the afternoon fun for downtown residents and visitors from afar. The young lady who won the Newport Idea suggestion box gift card raffle wrote "make recycling more convenient".

Independence Vs. Revolution

 As is their tradition, NPR today, July 4th, played the Declaration of Independence in it's entirety read by Americans of all backgrounds. Usually I listen to the first stirring sentences and then my attention trails off. But his year I listened to the whole thing carefully. I listened because the word "revolution" crops up more and more these days. Not necessarily a revolution of the violent kind. Often it's used in the context of  social revolution or a revolution of the heart, but I think it's mostly used out of frustration, "We need a revolution", because so many Americans are upset with the current situation. It doesn't make any difference whether you're right or left, or whether you blame government or corporations (or if you understand that it's really both), whether you think there's too much regulation or not enough, the fact is that inequality is increasing, the rich are getting richer and the middle class is declining and  social mobility is rapidly becoming an American myth. People feel the effects and get angry, but don't really know who to blame. Immigrants? President Obama? Republicans who won't compromise? The Supreme Court? But in fact what's taking place is a social process which involves a huge complicated system, really too big for most people to wrap their heads around. So for both left and right it's sometimes a great stress reliever to contemplate throwing everything out and just starting over.

   In this context it's good to start thinking about revolutions and how they generally go. People  point to the American revolution as an example of a courageous people with much sacrifice overthrowing the yoke of oppression and ending up with something not half bad. The states stayed together and whatever you think about our leaders we mostly have maintained a rule of law. The founders were not all motivated by high ideals, but they did craft a system aimed at preventing the worst abuses they witnessed in 18th century Europe.

   But mostly revolutions haven't gone that way. Kudos to France for, after terrible bloodshed and several permutations of despots, ending up with a government that has a lot of things about it we might imitate. The English don't seem to do revolution very seriously, instead politely and quietly confining their despots to gilded cages. Poor Russia---no matter what kind of system they try they can't seem to escape the tyrannical oligarchy, which just seems to come back with new titles. Cuba lucked out to a certain extent in that their new leaders didn't end up looting the country as many do, and due to the plucky nature of the Cubans themselves, have managed to survive all manner of deprivations caused by U.S. sanctions. We had a lot of hopes for the Arab Spring, but now take it as a cautionary tale. If it seems too easy, it probably is. And you might start asking which of the various powerful forces in the background are really pulling the strings. And if it's not easy, you might want to think about the loss of life to millions, the creation of refugees, the breakdown of social order that opens the door to untold demons waiting in the wings for chance to grab power in the midst of disorder. The jury is still out for some of the Arab Spring uprisings. Possibly because many Tunisians  speak French as well as Arabic, they will end up following the path of their linguistic compatriots. Maybe because French is the language of lovers.

   So why did things go relatively well for us? I'm not a historian, but it seems to me that what should be properly called "The War for Independence" was not really an "American Revolution". It's clear from the list of grievances in the Declaration of Independence that the colonies had functioning governments. One of their biggest gripes was that the British Crown kept erratically and brutally interfering with that government, with no recourse on the part of the colonies, and was asking them to pay taxes for the benefit of this meddling. So we weren't tossing out anything. We were just asking to separate ourselves from somebody else's government.

   This is really different from overthrowing the government you have in place. When you do that you create a power vacuum, like the U.S. did in Iraq. The results of this are not usually good. In the midst of social disorder, people do not meet in the town square and make rational and just rules for how to run society. They worry about not getting killed, how to get basic necessities like food, water and electricity. Mostly they panic. Things that were working before even if unfairly grind to a halt. I believe most people are good people, but disorder is a paradise for all manner of bad people who will try to capitalize on it. Often it will be the people with the biggest weapons. We're not talking guns here. We're talking tanks, rocket launchers, bombs.

   So if things are really bad, should we just lay down and take it? Hell no. But here's a saying:

                      When you want to take down an old supporting wall, first you build the new wall.
                       Then you take down the old wall.

   I don't know how much time we have, but we really need to get busy building the new wall. I'll leave it to you to think about ways we can do that.------Diane Peel

Four Legged Friends

This pet is homeless. So is his human companion.

Walking around downtown Newport, a low income area, I've noticed how many people have dogs. I don't have a dog myself, but I do have a cat, and I know that dogs have to eat and sometimes need medical care, which can be an expense for people on low incomes. I also know several people on disability who have pets they are quite attached to. One lady has rabbits. I know some of these people will go without food themselves to feed their pets.

I also know lots of better off people who have dogs. I know how much they care about these four legged friends. Sometimes in this world when your two legged acquaintances have failed you, the love and faithfulness of a four legged friend is the best therapy in the world. As a nurse, I also know that animals are healthy and a visit from a “therapy” dog can really brighten up the day for a frail elder.

Now if I were a really mean person, one without a shred of empathy, I'd probably say that poor people shouldn't have pets because they can't afford them. But I'm not. I hope you aren't either, because the calming health-giving effects of a faithful pet for people whose lives are full of turmoil, stress and less-than-wonderful humans, a dog might make the difference between keeping it all together and going off the deep end. This is good for all of us.

Lately here at the center we've been grappling in a personal way with the problem of homelessness in Newport. This has made me realize a problem I hadn't really thought much about before. It's hard enough to find affordable housing if you are a person on social security or disability who doesn't drive a car and has to live near services. It's even harder if you have a pet. If that pet is a golden retriever, it may be impossible. The housing that some people are forced to live in if they are very low income is hardly fit for humans, let alone human and a pet who needs a little space.

So for all of you out there who love your four legged friends, imagine what it would be like to have to either give them up or be homeless. Not much of a choice.

Time to Get Off the Sofa

Mary asks us to discuss solutions, then DO something. Because, yes, the situation is critical.




YES        

Yes, climate change is real and it is primarily human caused.  Soon it will be out of control
Yes, inequality is real and the rich are getting richer and the poor poorer at an increasing rate.
Yes, most of us are worse off than our parents were and have little hope of economic growth.
Yes, unemployment, underemployment, low wages, poorer working conditions are increasing.
Yes, money rules elections - the political system is irrelevant.
Yes, multinationals are unregulated and uncontrollable.
Yes, US infrastructure is in deplorable condition, approaching that of third world countries.
Yes, college is un-affordable for all but the rich and college loans are oppressive.
Yes, huge agricultural conglomerates dominate our food supply and negatively affect our health.
Yes, capitalism depends on continual consumerism, with little or no social benefits.
Yes, capitalism depends on unemployment and low wages.
Yes, democracy is dead.
Yes, human rights are at risk in the US.  Violations of human rights starts with US government.
Yes, our educational system is very confused, and federal government controls too much.
Yes, our economy is destroying our environment.
Yes, China will out-grow, out-consume, and out-produce the US.
Yes, the industrial age is over and we are in the communication age, with less economic output. 
Yes, we are at the limit of available fossil fuels, and other resources.

So now what?
So now what do we do?

•        Accept the consequences with a huge collective sigh - ‘oh, well.... there is always change!’?
•        Protest, march, occupy, petition, rally, write letters to the editor or politicians, speak up at community meetings, organize community groups, use alternative currency?
•        Practice individual life-style behavior - recycle, re-use, slow food, low consumerism, organic gardening, buy local, weatherize home, install home solar or wind energy systems, down-size, purchase hybrid/electric car, use public transportation or bicycle, lower thermostat, use smart-house technology, car-pool?
•        Withdraw - commune living, home-schooling, off-the grid, back to nature, don’t vote, smoke/ use drugs, hoard, join a survival group? 
•        Don’t worry, there are great new technological solutions coming soon: smart cities, giant off-shore tidal wave power generation, giant wind or solar farms? 
•        Act charitably, share, give, raise funds for good causes, reach out to neighbors? 
•        Revolt, rebel, overthrow the government, secede from the US, blow up Fort Knox?

Mary Brenner

Recent Events from NEK99% and at The 99 Gallery and Center

The gallery is currently showing some paintings from the large collection of Seattle artist Donald Peel's "Dream Series".  The show will be up until June 30. Stop in any time to view the art, have a cup of coffee, borrow a book from our library or use the wifi. We are open most afternoons from noon or 2 PM depending on the day of the week. The gallery has a new number 802-323-7759.

   "Painting Tuesdays with Mary" continues Tuesday afternoons from 2 to 4 PM. Call first to confirm 802-323-7759. This is a chance to visit with other artists and share your work. Mary will provide watercolor instruction for those interested in getting started in this medium.

   NEK99% will be back out at the Fish (the statue of the fish in front of the Hebard Building on Main Street) in Newport at noon on Fridays with signs, info or just to talk with people about any issue people are concerned about. (Someone will be there even if weather suggests cancellation would be a good idea.) We will be videotaping people's concerns for You tube, the NEK99% Facebook page and NETV. All are welcome to come.

   Last but not least, NEK99%'s internet engineer Marina Brown has developed a vtwiki site using software provided by Wikimedia. The wiki is user-driven information--radical in a subtle way, because information is people owned and controlled and all have equal access (but see the submission guidelines, there are a few rules.). Check out vtwiki.com and become and editor!