Driving Is Thriving — Non-Profit Changes How Texans Relate To Vehicles
Non-Profit Changes How Texans Relate To Vehicles In the United States, and especially in Texas, owning or possessing a car is equivalent to holding a shining pearl of freedom. It is so crucial to being “free” in this country that one could legitimately say car owners and those whose access has been cut off live completely different lives on opposite sides of the coin. For many in this country, and especially Texas, driving is thriving. Those who can’t afford the price of admission are relegated to public transportation, and that’s if they are lucky enough to live in a city populated by liberals who believe in supporting such a foreign concept. Foreign to Texas, that is. In downtown Austin, an even stranger recipe is on the brew. A little non-profit, launched in Oct. 2006, called “Austin Car Share,” has been making waves in the state’s capital. You could call their business model, cars on demand, or maybe cars
Brewing For Democracy Austinites Organize Brewery Cooperative — Citizens Reclaim Economic Freedom, Workers’ Rights, Community… ‘Pint By Pint’
Citizens Reclaim Economic Freedom,
Workers’ Rights, Community… ‘Pint By Pint’
AUSTIN, Texas In the heart of Austin, a strange trend is brewing: Small collectives of people, average citizens by most measures, are opting out of corporate economic structures in favor of an old American standby, the co-op.
A co-op, shorthand for “cooperative,” is a business model typically reserved for rural farm communities, and most frequently the product of worker or consumer movements among small groups or single business entities. A common sight in Texas and other states with still-open ranges and agriculture activity during the mid-70s, the co-op traces its modern roots to the 1800s, when the Rochdale Society of Equitable Pioneers established a food co-op in Rochdale, England.
The idea is simple, on its face. Individuals who are served by the co-op are the actual owners, otherwise known as members, along with its employees, who also retain status as the co-op’s management. The business is governed as a democracy, with members voting on issues presented by management. Ultimate authority is delegated to an elected board of directors, comprised of nine people, seated three at a time for three-year terms.
However, on a large scale, the co-op does not exist on any playing field currently occupied by America’s major corporate entities. While a striking resemblance to this idea is the basis for America’s market economy, it is motivated solely by profit. Co-ops are different. Instead of profit, the co-op functions only in the interests of its customers, and typically arising from a necessity that is lacking in a community.
Yet in spite of its relatively small real estate in the public consciousness, a strange collection of independent individuals in Austin, Texas are on the verge of coming across a genuine world’s first. Black Star co-op, a beer community
Cheers! Blogger-Crawl Nets VIPs,
Cheers! Blogger-Crawl Nets VIPs,
Tough TURF
Tough TURF
Grassroots Group Tripping Up
Fighting Texas Treason A Lesson In Effective Protesting — TURF Has The Formula To STOP The Trans-Texas Corridor
TURF Has The Formula To STOP The Trans-Texas Corridor AUSTIN, Texas
What Really Happened? — Interview with Jason Bermas, 9/11 Documentarian
Interview with Jason Bermas, 9/11 Documentarian
ADDISON, Texas Post-2001 America is not the land it once was.
Since the attacks of Sept. 11, the country has seen dramatic shifts in its world standing, weakening economic stability, the demolition its bill of rights and care for international law, all while going about the process of ending the lives of thousands of its own and allegedly over a million more overseas.
Since that fateful day, a movement of vocal dissent has risen out of every prior political faction or ideology, comprised of people who recognize shortcomings in the American government’s explanation of the attacks, and want some answers. Some wear black and wave signs at highway overpasses. Others pass out DVDs at public events. And yet more shout questions at federal politicians with an eager video camera at the ready.
While frequently involved with the anti-war movement, the 9/11 Truthers are focused on what they feel is the root of President Bush’s extraordinary power grab and prolonged military occupation of Iraq.
One DVD commonly distributed at 9/11 Truth and anti-war events is Loose Change: Second Edition, created by filmmakers Dylan Avery, Jason Bermas, and Corey Rowe. The film alleges that criminal elements within the United States government were complicit in the attack, and that what happened in New York, Washington D.C., and on-board United Flight 93, was not as the 9/11 Commission Report claims.
Since its release, the 9/11 Truth movement has exploded in popularity. A 2004 Zogby poll found that half of New York City residents believed the government had some foreknowledge of the attacks. Just two years later, a CBS/New York Times poll determined that only 16 percent of the American public thinks the government is telling the truth about 9/11. Their banners, signs, and cries of “Investigate 9/11!” are becoming ubiquitous across America.
Loose Change: Second Edition is one of the most-watched films ever released on the Internet. Its successor, based on a refined philosophy of film making and a deluge of new research, video, eye-witness accounts and political progress, is Loose Change: Final Cut, released on the Internet and DVD November 2007.
Recently, Stephen Webster, contributing writer of the Lone Star Iconoclast, had a chance to sit down with Jason Bermas, co-creator of the film. The following is excerpted from that interview.
Live Free Now? — California’s Freedom Law School Hosts Conspiracy Convention In Dallas
California’s Freedom Law School Hosts Conspiracy Convention In Dallas DALLAS, Texas The Phelan, California-based Freedom Law School, headed up by Iranian-born Peymon Mottahedeh, recently sponsored the Texas Justice, Peace and Freedom conference in Dallas, which headlined several of the most well-recognized iconoclasts in post-9/11 America. Speakers included William Rodriguez, the last man out of the twin towers on 9/11; Dave vonKleist, creator of 9/11 In Plane Sight and a new blockbuster DVD 911 Ripple Effect, and host of The Power Hour radio program; Jason Bermas, co-creator of Loose Change Second Edition and Loose Change Final Cut; and a host of other IRS dissidents, 9/11 doubters, and New World Order warriors. The three-day conference, kicked off Friday, Nov. 16, opening with a six-hour class on the United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights, and moved quickly into a banquet speech by Tommy Cryer, a Constitutional attorney who beat the Internal Revenue Service in tax court after refusing to file 1040 forms. Day two featured a screening of America: Freedom to Fascism, a documentary by deceased filmmaker Aaron Russo which asserts that the Income Tax is actually voluntary and that no law can be pinpointed which requires citizens to pay it. The film, in short, further stipulates that the Great Depression was carefully guided into fruition by elite banking families, and the Federal Reserve Bank is driving the nation into another economic collapse in order to guide the government into full-blown fascism, finally concluding with mandatory human implants of radio frequency identification chips. The screening was followed by a clip of Loose Change Final Cut, the latest and last edition of the popular 9/11 conspiracy documentary, introduced by co-creator Jason Bermas; Joe Banister, a former special agent for the IRS, who described how he became a tax protester; and Anthony Saltalamacchia, a maintenance worker at the World Trade Center who survived the attacks of 9/11. The day was closed out with a banquet speech by G. Edward Griffin, author of “The Fearful Master: A Second Look at the United Nations,” who explained how the Federal Reserve Bank was created to enslave America. Other noted speakers on Sunday included Robert Lawrence, another IRS protester whose tax evasion charges were dropped; Ted Gunderson, former chief of the Dallas, Los Angeles, and Memphis FBI offices; and a conclusion to the conference given by William Rodriguez. Interspersed throughout the conference, the Freedom Law School’s President, Peymon Mottahedeh, encouraged the 200-or-so people in attendance to join the school’s tax protester legal defense fund or purchase one of their many “Freedom Packages,” which include courses and information on everything from beating traffic tickets and pressing charges against IRS agents to evading state income tax offices and methods to purge a citizen’s social security number, or “slave security number” as it was called, from government computers. However, the “Total Freedom Package,” which includes 11 separate courses on fighting the government on multiple fronts, much like freedom itself, is not free. To be precise, this piece of freedom only costs $2,000, a savings of $710 over purchasing each information package separately. The one thread that tied together nearly every attendee was a common and genuine love of Congressman Ron Paul, whom several speakers referred to as “the nation’s last and best hope for freedom.” On the Freedom Conference’s pro
Cheney Receives Angry Welcome In Dallas — Protesters Interrupt Vice President’s Speech, Snag Spotlight Of Local Media Coverage
Protesters Interrupt Vice President’s Speech,
Snag Spotlight Of Local Media Coverage
DALLAS “This is MY sidewalk,” said a plainclothes Dallas police officer with a snarl of anger. “And we ain’t gonna argue that. You move, or you go to jail. Got me?”
Dismayed, a small, splinter group of dissenters who had walked around to the rear of Dallas’ Hyatt Regency Hotel turned around and shook their heads. “This, ladies and gentlemen, is the land of the FREE! Obviously!” shouted Rick Burnley, poet laureate of the Crawford Texas Peace House, into his weathered, worn bullhorn.
As Burnley’s words reverberated off the side of the skyscraper, situated directly at the base of Dallas’ famous Reunion Tower, the sidewalk’s owner flashed a scowl of annoyance and charged back toward the group. “And you can’t use that so close to the building!” he shouted, index finger shaking furiously. “If I catch you doing that one more time, you’re going down!”
Increasingly frustrated, Burnley dropped the megaphone and glanced at his fellow protesters. “That’s just fing bullst!” he curled. “We can’t walk on a public sidewalk or use our instruments to amplify our voices? Thank you, Royal Imperial Guard!”
A row of motorcycle officers, some 25 strong, stood idly across the street watching the confrontation. On that day, Vice President Dick Cheney was in town, promoting the administration’s war in Iraq and drumming up support for an attack on neighboring Iran. His speech, followed by a question and answer session with a pre-screened audience, was the yearly crowning achievement, the couronner r
The New Revolutionary — Up-Close-And-Personal With Political Hip-Hop Artist Immortal Technique
Up-Close-And-Personal With Political Hip-Hop Artist Immortal Technique DALLAS, Texas America is in a state of revolution. There’s a whiff of change in the air, subtly affecting every institution, every industry, and every ideology. Ours is a revolution of ideas and technology. Ours is a further human evolution, strengthening by the moment. It’s as though we’re all just waiting for the ball to drop. The business of rap and hip-hop
William Rodriquez and the Tower of Doom
Additional Reporting ndiebenow
Associate Editor Of The Lone Star Iconoclast
DALLAS
Supreme Court Decision Legalizes Price Fixing — Texas Entrepreneur Sues Ladies’ Apparel Maker, Case Forges New Ground In Anti-Trust Law
Texas Entrepreneur Sues Ladies’ Apparel Maker,
Case Forges New Ground In Anti-Trust Law
FLOWER MOUND, Texas Highland Village, Texas entrepreneur Phil Smith has seen better days.
In 2001, he and his wife were riding a wave of success. Their company, PSKS, Inc., which operated three “Kay’s Kloset” locations around the metro-area, enjoyed a high tide of sales. Things were looking rosy.
Today, the outlook is grim. The company has closed two of its stores, and downsized the third, located in Flower Mound’s popular Parker Square shopping center. After a prolonged court battle with one of their most popular distributors, the Supreme Court ruled against him, despite two prior rulings in his favor by a jury and an appeals court. With their financial leeway shrinking and the loss of a line of big-ticket items, Smith is not as confident as he once was.
One of the most popular lines of leather products carried in their shops women’s handbags, clothing and accessories sold under the name “Brighton” is produced by the company Leegin, based in Industry, Calif. In 2002, Kay’s Kloset discounted a number of Brighton products, along with a wide swatch of their stock, for a seasonal sale.
“I was trying to compete with some of the other area businesses that also had Brighton products on sale,” said Phil Smith during a telephone interview. “It is perfectly normal that we’d be discounting some of our stock. Stores like ours have sales from time to time.”
When Brighton found out about it, however, the company reacted sharply.
“They stopped shipping their products to me,” said Smith. “Then they amassed a database on my customers through warranty cards, though special offers for registering their purchases
Peaceful Warrior — Gun Enthusiast, Veterans For Peace Activist Murdered
Gun Enthusiast, Veterans For Peace Activist Murdered Even with regard to his outspoken political views, Denton resident David Honish, 52, was a quiet man. “He was the first neighbor who’d greeted us when we moved in,” said Christopher Largen, Honish’s next-door neighbor. “He never really had many guests over, and he was always working in his garden. For the life of me, I can’t remember him ever saying a single negative thing about his brother, and we talked a lot.” On Thursday night around 11:30 p.m., Officer David Carol of the Flower Mound, Texas police department found Honish slumped over the steering wheel of his white Ford F-150, on the dirt shoulder off of Highway 377 at the intersection with FM 1171. He was discovered on routine patrol and declared dead on the scene. According to sources, Honish suffered two gunshot wounds not one, as reported by other media organizations with bullets impacting his face and neck. Honish had moved to Denton from Austin nearly a year and a half ago, with the intent of opening the largest indoor firing range in North Texas. His brother, Mark, 44, who now stands accused of the murder, was to be his business partner. According to David’s ex-wife, the two had an ongoing feud, although police and investigators have been reticent to speculate on a motive. In David Honish’s truck, a printed e-mail to his brother containing a seemingly ambiguous threat was discovered. “You don’t roar at me and wag your finger in my face, EVER AGAIN IN THIS LIFETIME [expletive]! I explained to you in Feb 2006 that I was finished taking [expletive] from you. I meant it. There will be severe consequences for noncompliance … because of your own stupidity and your ongoing felony possession of firearms,” David wrote. There was no further stipulation as to what consequences he was referring to, although the legal reference seemingly points to a detrimental, albeit non-violent series of events that had been set in motion. Flower Mound police made a cast of tire tracks found at the scene, and matched them to Mark’s black Ford pickup. Officers who went to confront Mark, who piloted chartered aircraft for a living, discovered him leaving his home in Trophy Club on his way to work. Officers then found several drops of blood on the driver’s side of the vehicle’s running board. Another portion of the pickup’s exterior appeared to have been recently wiped down. Detectives also matched the mud on the pickup’s tailpipe to mud from the scene. In spite of the firearms possession claim made by David Honish against his brother, Mark has not been charged with any such crime. Flower Mound Police Public Information Officer Wendell Mitchell was not aware of a murder weapon being found, and the investigation will be ongoing for some time. The Quiet Type Though known by many people, and highly regarded as intelligent, well-spoken, polite and courteous, few actually knew David Honish in any personal respect. “David used to play with my kids sometimes,” said a neighbor who asked her name not appear in print. “He got along really well with almos
True Grit: A Hero’s Stand Of Conscience — Sgt. Buswell Fired, Demoted, Harassed For 9/11 Dissent
Sgt. Buswell Fired, Demoted, In August of 2006, The Lone Star Iconoclast reported on the investigation into an Army Intelligence Analyst stationed at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas. Sergeant First Class Donald R. Buswell, a 20-year veteran of the United States Army and holder of a purple heart, became the target of an investigation into his use of military e-mail networks due to his dissenting opinion regarding the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. At the onset of the investigation, one of Buswell’s commanding officers, Col. Luke S. Green, Fifth Army’s Chief of Staff at Fort Sam Houston, made an alarming accusation. In a letter appointing Major Edwin Escobar to head up the investigation into Buswell, Col. Green claimed the Sergeant had “made statements disloyal to the United States” (emphasis added) when he questioned the validity of the Administration’s official 9/11 story. An American Hero Buswell joined the Army at the age of 22, while he was living with his father, Winthrop, in New Hampshire. His many jobs with the Army have included Explosives Ordinance Disposal, Metalworker, and, since 1990, Intelligence Analyst. He has been deployed in numerous combat tours, from Rwanda to Bosnia, the first Gulf War, and the ongoing Iraq conflict. On April 15, 2004, while jogging in the shadow of Saddam’s Baghdad palace on the outskirts of Camp Victory, Donald Buswell suffered shrapnel wounds after a series of rockets landed in his vicinity. To his horror, Buswell watched as two nearby Iraqi men suffered a direct hit. As they lay screaming in agony, Buswell ran to the men and attempted to put out the fires. A fifth and final shell landed next to them, but failed to detonate. Had it struck true, Buswell’s selfless decision to stop and render aid would have been his last. He never really believed an off-the-cuff e-mail exchange could snuff out what has otherwise been a career of distinguished service to the Untied States. The Tyranny of Ideas In July 2006, Sgt. Buswell was reassigned from Ft. Hood, Texas to Ft. Sam Houston, Texas, though he retained his job as an Intelligence Analyst. Coming in from another base, Buswell wanted to make sure his superiors knew of his views, so as to head off any potential of a hostile workplace. He went to Chief Warrant Officer Mario Torres, a legal advisor to his Compartmentalized Information Facility at Fort Sam Houston. Buswell told Torres he would not be willing to write reports or give speeches that required him to say things he didn’t believe regarding 9/11. He shared with Torres his belief that the facts of what happened that day contradict large portions of the official story contained within the 9/11 Commission Report. He used the words “inside job,” but Torres didn’t see a problem. Buswell would not be working on anything related to 9/11, said Torres, who claimed the Sergeant’s views versus the official story were about the equivalent of liking beer over wine. Buswell’s concerns were dismissed, and he went to work. The statements in question were made in response to an unsolicited mass e-mail, sent by a “Larry Anderson, JMC” (Joint Military Command) on Aug. 2, 2006. Anderson’s e-mail contains a short v
Harassed For 9/11 Dissent
Hell Freezes Over — Another Easter Weekend, Another Camp Casey In Crawford This Time, With Snow
Another Easter Weekend, Another Camp Casey In Crawford This Time, With Snow
CRAWFORD Flakes of white fell quietly on the prairie as black-clad youths danced in the mud. Nobody could remember a time when Texas was snowed in for Easter. But it happened in 2007.
In the summers of 2004, 2005, and 2006, Crawford was practically hell; or at least purgatory. Thousands of Bush supporters, near constant harassment from the locals, overbearing temperatures, and, to them, The Devil Himself living right next door
Cowardly And Deceptive Means
Cowardly And Deceptive Means I think the term “Democratic leadership” has become an oxymoron. From the green fields of Crawford, Texas, during the sweaty summer of 2005, a rallying cry was issued from coast to coast. Thousands gathered just miles from the Bush Ranch, sparking a flurry of media coverage and the onset of an inevitable national debate. People of ever political stripe came together and built the most powerful emerging movement in America which now holds a commanding majority in the electorate. In short, the Peace People Cleaned House. They swept a dearth of Iraq war supporters from their representative halls, proving our democracy may yet be salvageable. This is not about partisanship. It is not liberal or conservative to be against dropping our brave men and women into a pit of razors. It is not Left or Right to wish our wounded soldiers were receiving proper medical care at governmentt-run facilities. There is no Left or Right when ideology becomes of principal import over and above the health and safety of our sons and daughters. But seriously, folks. This is getting absurd. The amount of disgust that pursed through my veins at the notion of a “non-binding resolution” opposing the troop surge reached a level that nearly gave this Faithful Muckraker a Dick Cheney. Ehrm, I mean, coronary. The Texan in me wants to stand up and shout: “You yellow-bellied, silver-tongued, lying, traitorous, unwashed, flat-footed, cowardly, good-fer-nothin, rot-gut scoundrels!”
First, the facts of this so-called “surge” …
The president has “decided” to send in 21,500 additional troops, or so he said. (It is actually more.) Once complete, the “surge” would bring troop levels to
Happy Anniversary, Mr. President — Resolution To Impeach George W. Bush Introduced To Texas Legislature On Fourth Anniversary Of Iraq Invasion
Resolution To Impeach George W. Bush Introduced
To Texas Legislature On Fourth Anniversary Of Iraq Invasion
AUSTIN Lon Burnam is prepared to face what he is sure will be a political fallout over his actions.
Burnam, a six-term State Representative from Fort Worth’s 90th district, spends his off hours as the Director of The Dallas Peace Center; a position he has held since May 1, 2000. To Camp Casey alumni who spent weeks in Crawford, he’s one of the big wheels that helped open the flood gates during Cindy Sheehan’s first summer in Texas. To the leadership of The Crawford Peace House, he’s a close and frequent ally, ever-present at peace planning sessions. But to his colleagues in the Texas House, many of them moderate Republicans, he is, as of March 19, 2007, a definitive persona non-grata.
On Thursday, March 1, The Lone Star Iconoclast obtained a copy of Representative Burnam’s impeachment resolution. It may be found on page five. Burnam also took time out of his busy schedule to submit to a Q&A interview with investigative reporter Stephen Webster. Their discussion follows.
……….
ICONOCLAST: Representative Burnam, you are going to propose an impeachment resolution to the Texas legislature on March 19, which is also the fourth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq. Correct?
BURNAM: Correct.
ICONOCLAST: That’s pretty audacious, considering the state you are in. Why do you feel this must be done?
BURNAM: There are a number of these resolutions being filed around the country, and I think it is about time. We have to get a reality check. We’re going to have to stop, look, and see where we are. Indeed, I have believed all along he was lying and misrepresenting issues to the public. In the last four years, a lot of people have figured that out.
What the guy’s done is committed high crimes and misdemeanors, and he should be impeached. Now, granted, this is the Texas legislature, and this isn’t going to get very far in the legislative process. But there’s no other issue more compelling that when your government starts a war – an elective, totally optional war of aggression. People who were in leadership positions need to held accountable. That is my intent in filing this impeachment resolution.
ICONOCLAST: Let’s talk about some of the specific charges given by your resolution. … One of the first reasons that you give for filing the impeachment resolution is that President Bush conspired with others to defraud the United States of American by intentionally misleading the Congress and the nation regarding an Iraqi threat to the American people to justify a war in direct defiance to the United Nations Security Council. Would you care to expand on that?
BURNAM: That’s pretty straightforward. If you recall the facts, and we go further into the charges in the resolution, that’s exactly what he did. I think a lot of people have forgotten that.
ICONOCLAST: Doesn’t it say in the resolution authorizing President Bush to use force that it was given because Al Qaeda was known to be in association with Saddam Husain in Iraq?
BURNAM: I don’t know if it said that precisely in the resolution, but everybody was given that impression at the time.
ICONOCLAST: The second reason you give in the resolution states taht the decision to go into Iraq was unnecessarily reckless, and though Saddam Husain w
Free Hugs! (for war supporters)
Free Hugs!
So, you support peace. Most of us do. But you can
The Tragedy of King George the Second
The Tragedy of King George the Second Act V, Scene IV
The Costs of America
The Costs of America
Safer Deals: The Physicians — Is Medicine Going To Pot?
Is Medicine Going To Pot? CRAWFORD On June 28, 2006, the United Nations warned Britain, the United States, and Canada that new, highly potent strains of cannabis are just as dangerous as cocaine or heroine. According to statements by the international agency, the drug is no longer “soft and relatively harmless,” as popular belief dictates. The U.N.’s Office on Drugs and Crime claimed it was a mistake for the U.K. to reclassify cannabis from a Class B drug to a Class C, which constituted lower penalties for citizens caught in possession of the substance. Along with Costa’s warnings, the United Nations delivered a report that claims over 160 million people worldwide use the drug. The study also claims that a “significant” number of those who use the potent strains of cannabis suffer from severe anxiety, panic attacks, extreme paranoia and “psychotic symptoms” during intoxication. They also claimed it has no medicinal value for society, and that to legalize its use for medicinal purposes would send the wrong message. “Today the harmful characteristics of cannabis are no longer that different from those of other plant-based drugs such as cocaine and heroin,” said Costa. “Policy reversals leave young people confused as to just how dangerous cannabis is.” However, an increasing number of scientific studies stand in stark contrast to the United Nations’ statements. Some of the most recent medicinal uses discovered include THC-based treatments for cancerous tumors and Alzheimer’s disease. Brain Cancer & Tumors In February of 2000, a team of scientists in Madrid, Spain, led by Dr. Manuel Guzman of Complutense University, came upon an astonishing discovery: the researchers managed to destroy brain tumors in rats previously thought incurable by injecting the animals with concentrated THC, the main psychoactive compound in the cannabis herb. The results of the study, reported in the March 2000 issue of Nature Magazine, showed that three of the 45 infected rats completely recovered from their cancers, while nine more THC-treated rats lived as much as 35 days longer than rats that were not given the drug. “All the rats left untreated uniformly died 12-18 days after glioma (brain cancer) cell inoculation,” read the study. “Cannabinoid (THC)-treated rats survived significantly longer than control rats. THC administration was ineffective in three rats, which died by days 16-18. Nine of the THC-treated rats surpassed the time of death of untreated rats, and survived up to 19-35 days. Moreover, the tumor was completely eradicated in three of the treated rats.” The same research team also irrigated healthy rats’ brains with THC concentrate for seven days to search for harmful neurological effects, but found none. “Careful MRI analysis of all those tumor-free rats showed no sign of damage related to necrosis, edema, infection or trauma,” wrote Dr. Guzman. “We also examined other potential side effects of cannabinoid administration. In both tumor-free and tumor-bearing rats, cannabinoid administration induced no substantial change in behavioral parameters such as motor coordination or physical activity.” <FONT face=
