Search Episodes (Who s Got the Guns )

Added 01/30/12
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The Dalit Massacre of Paramakudi

[LESS INFO] 0 VIEWS | ADDED 11:57:20 01/30/12
Tamil Nadu Police uses teargas, lathi and guns on unarmed dalit protesters. 11th September, 2011 was the day Paramakudi resident Valiswamy’s wife Gayatri gave birth to their first child. He was a dalit while she was from an upper caste family. In a caste sensitive area like Paramakuddi, inter-caste marriages are rare and they have to survive immense social pressure to come together. Valiswamy and Gayatri had fought hard and negotiated a truce with these forces. He was on his way to the hospital when he was caught in the Paramakudi firings, a widely reported incident in which the Tamil Nadu police opened fire on a group of unarmed dalits who were staging a peaceful protest. Valiswamy would not survive to see his newborn. “The families of the bereaved have received their compensations from the government but other than that, nothing has happened. The perpetrators are scot free. In fact, the chief minister has since been effusive in her praise for the state police. And the dalits are continuing to live in a stifling atmosphere of violence and fear. The incident has been a backlash to dalit morale in Tamil Nadu.” Dalit activist and IndiaUnheard Community Correspondent Mani M. aka Makkal Sevakan sounds angry and weary as he describes the situation in Paramakudi 5 months after the police’s attempts to disband a peaceful protest against the incarceration of popular dalit leader John Pandian resulted in the murder of 6 dalits and injuring many others. The incident caused uproar in the country. Dalit and Human Rights Organizations from across the nation condemned the attack and called for investigation. The media covered the incident extensively. The fact finding team set up to probe the incident made a strong case against the actions of the police but still as Mani puts it ‘nothing has happened.’ 54 years ago, Paramakudi was witness to one of the biggest caste riots in the country, a skirmish that cost the life of dalit iconoclast and leader, Immanuel Sekaran who was amongst the first Tamil Nadu dalits to advocate for dalit empowerment and rights against 3000 years of upper caste oppression. On 11th September, John Pandian was scheduled to arrive to pay his respects at Sekaran’s memorial. But using the sensitive atmosphere caused by recent murder of a dalit high school boy for allegedly writing offensive graffiti against the upper castes as a pretext, the police pre-emptively arrested him. When the crowd gathered to receive Pandian heard news of the arrest, they protested by peacefully occupying the road. The police’s diplomatic response was teargas and a lathi charge. The mood soured and the crowd turned unruly. A few protestors began pelting stones against the police. The police responded with gunfire. “It is not like the police could not handle the situation. There is an upper caste festival in Paramakudi each year that goes smoothly without the need to resort to pre-emptive arrests and lathi and gunfire. But the first time the dalits try to get together and organize a festival, it ends in tragedy,” says Mani. Mani was in Chennai on the fateful day when he heard of the Paramakudi firings. He immediately got on the first train. When he arrived, he saw a wasteland of police barricades, empty streets and burning vehicles. Some of Mani’s friends who had been part of the protest had managed to record footage of the police bashing in the heads of the people and shooting at unarmed civilians. The footage, which offers a birds eye view of the incident, justifies the statements of the fact finding group but there has been similar footage before and witness accounts and reports and photographs and yet, ‘nothing has happened.’ Of all the cases filed in the Tamil Nadu Courts under the Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribes Protection Act, 95% are acquitted. It is a disturbing figure that makes the atrocities seem insignificant or routine. In the 1969 Kilvenmani massacre, 44 landless dalit labourers were burnt alive for demanding better wages. In 1997, the dalit panchayat president and others were murdered in Melavalau. In September 2002, at Kaundampatti in Dindigul district, a dalit worker was forced to drink urine for having lodged a complaint of trespass with the police. In May 2002, two dalits were forced to eat human excreta in Thinniyam village in Tiruchi district. In 2011, on the 54th anniversary of a dalit massacre and the subsequent murder of Immanuel Sekaran, 6 dalits are killed in broad daylight by the state police. And not a single perpetrator has been brought to justice. Almost as if nothing had happened. ——————————————- For a brief account of the dalit struggle in Tamil Nadu, read http://www.pragoti.in/node/3947

Yakuza Dead Souls Who's Got Your Back Trailer [HD]

Added 01/18/12
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Timothy Bottoms at the 2011 International Press Academy Satell...

Added 12/19/11
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Updated: The Shocking Truth About Naomi Wolf's Factless Assert...

Added 11/26/11
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Updated: The Shocking Truth About Naomi Wolf's Factless Assertions

[LESS INFO] 5 VIEWS | ADDED 17:30:07 11/26/11
In an article for The Guardian , Naomi Wolf wrote this: > In other words, for the DHS to be on a call with mayors , the logic of its chain of command and accountability implies that congressional overseers, with the blessing of the White House, told the DHS to authorise mayors to order their police forces – pumped up with millions of dollars of hardware and training from the DHS – to make war on peaceful citizens. This follows the ongoing meme that DHS has coordinated the Occupy crackdowns on a national level; that they are orchestrating the violence behind the clearing of Zuccotti Park and others. Wolf carries this to her conclusion: > So, when you connect the dots, properly understood, what happened this week is the first battle in a civil war; a civil war in which, for now, only one side is choosing violence. It is a battle in which members of Congress, with the collusion of the American president, sent violent, organised suppression against the people they are supposed to represent. Occupy has touched the third rail: personal congressional profits streams. Even though they are, as yet, unaware of what the implications of their movement are, those threatened by the stirrings of their dreams of reform are not. It's a factless, incendiary assertion dripping in hyperbole, grounded in speculation that's been going on for a couple of weeks now. It began with a tweet. A tweet from Michael Moore speculating that the coordination seemed like something being coordinated by DHS and sanctioned, nay, possibly even requested, by the Obama administration. Here are the two links Wolf provides as evidence: One to Wonkette ; the other to Washingtonsblog.com . Both articles point back to this absurd article on the Examiner.com site (a very, very right-wing Phil Anschutz, write-out-of-your-butt-with-no-evidence kind of site). Washingtons Blog goes one step further, updating with this: > (And for those who are understandably doubtful about Examiner.com as a news source, here’s an AP story from a couple hours ago that verifies everything except the specific mention of DHS coordination. ) Got that? The headlines on both of these stories (Wonkette and Washingtons Blog) were splayed across the sites in very large heading fonts: “Homeland Security Coordinated….” and yet the AP confirms everything BUT DHS coordination. Still, that didn’t stop Wolf from ignoring the AP story entirely and writing a piece for the Guardian that included links to bolster her argument that are as factless as her hyperbole, and stem from right-wing sites with anonymous sources. No one has a source, no one has any evidence, and the originating story which Michael Moore and now Naomi Wolf breathlessly spread quotes an anonymous source with the promise of still more to come in the future, from a "reporter" for Examiner.com who no one seems to know . Miraculously, this "reporter" got a tip from DHS that no national reporter received, and even though Mr. Ellis walks back his original accusation, he promises updates in the future. Well, it’s the future. It’s two weeks later and crickets from Mr. Ellis. Mission accomplished, though. Ask people who are paying attention to the OWS movement and they’ll swear up and down that yes, it was coordinated by DHS because MICHAEL MOORE and now NAOMI WOLF say so. Truth: We don’t know. It isn’t completely out of the realm of possibility for mayors to consult with DHS. After all, that’s what they’re there for. To help local and state governments deal with threats, real, rumored or perceived. At best, one can conclude that maybe they did, and maybe they didn’t coordinate, and if they did coordinate, no one knows to what extent they did or whether there was any sort of "blessing" and/or mandate from DHS to what they ultimately chose to do. The best anyone can say is "maybe". But if Wolf were not trying to stoke an international narrative she has chosen, she would have had a look at Portland, where there is some evidence that DHS was consulted because the occupiers were adjacent to federal land. > There is another line of thinking out there that runs directly counter to the federal-coordination theory: Ruiz wouldn’t comment on this, but one well-placed city source said, in fact, that the feds were mostly inclined to leave Schrunk Plaza open. It was city officials who cajoled them into getting on board—lest they watch most of Occupy’s camp merely move several hundred feet south onto federal land. Which would have been awkward for the city. But also interesting. Should you accept as fact the idea that the feds were reluctant and the city pushed them along? NO. Why? Because it’s attributed to an anonymous source with nothing to back it up, which makes this theory as worthy as the DHS coordination theory, or just speculation with no facts behind it. Josh Holland at AlterNet also notes: > Ironically, the occupation that arguably maintains the best relationship with local officials is Occupy DC, and the Washington, DC government is directly overseen by Congress. Look, if DHS somehow instructed these cities to dress up their cops in riot gear, pepper spray kneeling protesters, use billy clubs to keep them from crossing imaginary borders, and ultimately throw the lot of them out, then yes, by all means shake your fist. But it's irresponsible for Wolf to publish such incendiary accusations -- accusations of real, physical civil war -- in an international publication, to cite magical articles with unsourced accusations and call it fact. Some might actually call it a lie. Wolf's hyperbole does harm to the OWS movement and those honest people out there conducting themselves peacefully and with clear intent, because she intentionally tried to stir the fires of anger and discontent and anti-government sentiment on an international level. She should have to either retract or clarify her accusations. Update Joshua Holland has written his own excellent response to Wolf's specific accusations. > When you don’t “connect” wholly disparate “dots,” what you get is far less dramatic. Mayors in a handful of cities, responding to local political pressures, decided to break up their local occupations — decisions that were announced to the press well in advance — and were advised as to how best to do so. One doesn’t have to like that fact to recognize that it’s hardly shocking, and anything but a sinister assault on local communities’ autonomy. Also, regarding PERF's* involvement, an interview with the director in The Boston Phoenix : > But what is PERF? And what role, if any, did it play in the police actions? According to PERF Executive Director Chuck Wexler, not the one he had hoped. His organization is more concerned with improving police practices and policies, he said. He cited a report PERF published in June, which gives advice that runs exactly counter to how Occupy has been handled in most cities — emphasizing communication, respect for the First Amendment, and avoidance of violent methods at nearly all cost. "Over the years, we've taken on racially biased policing, violent crime, the Gates-Crowley thing in Cambridge," he said. "It's not always pretty, and it's not easy, but I think we owe it to the public to identify best practices." * PERF is the Police Executives' Research Forum, a group who views themselves as a progressive organization dedicated to reducing police brutality and establishing best practices for police officers in various situations. Until recently, they've been a big target of the right wing for their support of gun control laws.

Updated: The Shocking Truth About Naomi Wolf's Factless Assert...

Added 11/26/11
2 Views

Updated: The Shocking Truth About Naomi Wolf's Factless Assertions

[LESS INFO] 2 VIEWS | ADDED 17:30:07 11/26/11
In an article for The Guardian , Naomi Wolf wrote this: > In other words, for the DHS to be on a call with mayors , the logic of its chain of command and accountability implies that congressional overseers, with the blessing of the White House, told the DHS to authorise mayors to order their police forces – pumped up with millions of dollars of hardware and training from the DHS – to make war on peaceful citizens. This follows the ongoing meme that DHS has coordinated the Occupy crackdowns on a national level; that they are orchestrating the violence behind the clearing of Zuccotti Park and others. Wolf carries this to her conclusion: > So, when you connect the dots, properly understood, what happened this week is the first battle in a civil war; a civil war in which, for now, only one side is choosing violence. It is a battle in which members of Congress, with the collusion of the American president, sent violent, organised suppression against the people they are supposed to represent. Occupy has touched the third rail: personal congressional profits streams. Even though they are, as yet, unaware of what the implications of their movement are, those threatened by the stirrings of their dreams of reform are not. It's a factless, incendiary assertion dripping in hyperbole, grounded in speculation that's been going on for a couple of weeks now. It began with a tweet. A tweet from Michael Moore speculating that the coordination seemed like something being coordinated by DHS and sanctioned, nay, possibly even requested, by the Obama administration. Here are the two links Wolf provides as evidence: One to Wonkette ; the other to Washingtonsblog.com . Both articles point back to this absurd article on the Examiner.com site (a very, very right-wing Phil Anschutz, write-out-of-your-butt-with-no-evidence kind of site). Washingtons Blog goes one step further, updating with this: > (And for those who are understandably doubtful about Examiner.com as a news source, here’s an AP story from a couple hours ago that verifies everything except the specific mention of DHS coordination. ) Got that? The headlines on both of these stories (Wonkette and Washingtons Blog) were splayed across the sites in very large heading fonts: “Homeland Security Coordinated….” and yet the AP confirms everything BUT DHS coordination. Still, that didn’t stop Wolf from ignoring the AP story entirely and writing a piece for the Guardian that included links to bolster her argument that are as factless as her hyperbole, and stem from right-wing sites with anonymous sources. No one has a source, no one has any evidence, and the originating story which Michael Moore and now Naomi Wolf breathlessly spread quotes an anonymous source with the promise of still more to come in the future, from a "reporter" for Examiner.com who no one seems to know . Miraculously, this "reporter" got a tip from DHS that no national reporter received, and even though Mr. Ellis walks back his original accusation, he promises updates in the future. Well, it’s the future. It’s two weeks later and crickets from Mr. Ellis. Mission accomplished, though. Ask people who are paying attention to the OWS movement and they’ll swear up and down that yes, it was coordinated by DHS because MICHAEL MOORE and now NAOMI WOLF say so. Truth: We don’t know. It isn’t completely out of the realm of possibility for mayors to consult with DHS. After all, that’s what they’re there for. To help local and state governments deal with threats, real, rumored or perceived. At best, one can conclude that maybe they did, and maybe they didn’t coordinate, and if they did coordinate, no one knows to what extent they did or whether there was any sort of "blessing" and/or mandate from DHS to what they ultimately chose to do. The best anyone can say is "maybe". But if Wolf were not trying to stoke an international narrative she has chosen, she would have had a look at Portland, where there is some evidence that DHS was consulted because the occupiers were adjacent to federal land. > There is another line of thinking out there that runs directly counter to the federal-coordination theory: Ruiz wouldn’t comment on this, but one well-placed city source said, in fact, that the feds were mostly inclined to leave Schrunk Plaza open. It was city officials who cajoled them into getting on board—lest they watch most of Occupy’s camp merely move several hundred feet south onto federal land. Which would have been awkward for the city. But also interesting. Should you accept as fact the idea that the feds were reluctant and the city pushed them along? NO. Why? Because it’s attributed to an anonymous source with nothing to back it up, which makes this theory as worthy as the DHS coordination theory, or just speculation with no facts behind it. Josh Holland at AlterNet also notes: > Ironically, the occupation that arguably maintains the best relationship with local officials is Occupy DC, and the Washington, DC government is directly overseen by Congress. Look, if DHS somehow instructed these cities to dress up their cops in riot gear, pepper spray kneeling protesters, use billy clubs to keep them from crossing imaginary borders, and ultimately throw the lot of them out, then yes, by all means shake your fist. But it's irresponsible for Wolf to publish such incendiary accusations -- accusations of real, physical civil war -- in an international publication, to cite magical articles with unsourced accusations and call it fact. Some might actually call it a lie. Wolf's hyperbole does harm to the OWS movement and those honest people out there conducting themselves peacefully and with clear intent, because she intentionally tried to stir the fires of anger and discontent and anti-government sentiment on an international level. She should have to either retract or clarify her accusations. Update Joshua Holland has written his own excellent response to Wolf's specific accusations. > When you don’t “connect” wholly disparate “dots,” what you get is far less dramatic. Mayors in a handful of cities, responding to local political pressures, decided to break up their local occupations — decisions that were announced to the press well in advance — and were advised as to how best to do so. One doesn’t have to like that fact to recognize that it’s hardly shocking, and anything but a sinister assault on local communities’ autonomy. Also, regarding PERF's* involvement, an interview with the director in The Boston Phoenix : > But what is PERF? And what role, if any, did it play in the police actions? According to PERF Executive Director Chuck Wexler, not the one he had hoped. His organization is more concerned with improving police practices and policies, he said. He cited a report PERF published in June, which gives advice that runs exactly counter to how Occupy has been handled in most cities — emphasizing communication, respect for the First Amendment, and avoidance of violent methods at nearly all cost. "Over the years, we've taken on racially biased policing, violent crime, the Gates-Crowley thing in Cambridge," he said. "It's not always pretty, and it's not easy, but I think we owe it to the public to identify best practices." * PERF is the Police Executives' Research Forum, a group who views themselves as a progressive organization dedicated to reducing police brutality and establishing best practices for police officers in various situations. Until recently, they've been a big target of the right wing for their support of gun control laws.

Occupy Sympathizer Plays APEC Dinner

Added 11/14/11
9 Views

Occupy Sympathizer Plays APEC Dinner

[LESS INFO] 9 VIEWS | ADDED 22:00:04 11/14/11
Click here to view this media The more surprising aspect of this clip is not that someone who performs in front of these world leaders should openly sympathize with the Occupy movement, but that everyone was surprised he wasn't whisked away by security, as if that would be the appropriate or at least the usual response. Then we read further down and are told that few of those leaders were even listening and the irony becomes clearer. In any event, expect Fox News and the usual suspects to have a field day with this tomorrow. Brianna Keilar's blog report for CNN: > HONOLULU, Hawaii (CNN) - As President Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama and the heads of 18 other nations dined together Saturday night, they were unwittingly serenaded for almost 45 minutes by a musician playing a song about the Occupy Wall Street movement. "We occupy the streets, we'll occupy the courts, we'll occupy the offices of you, till you do the bidding of the many, not the few," sang Matthew Swalinkavich, a well-known local guitarist who calls himself Makana, the Hawaiian word that means "the gift". Makana was invited by the White House to perform during the APEC leaders dinner. Dressed in a suit, Makana at first played traditional Hawaiian-style music as leaders arrived at Honolulu's Hale Koa Hotel. He continued his performance during dinner, positioned next to the four tables where leaders and their spouses dined. Eventually he unbuttoned his shirt to reveal a t-shirt that said, in handwritten letters, "Occupy with Aloha," and began playing a song he recently wrote called "We Are the Many". Video recorded on a cell phone by Makana's sound technician showed some leaders turning their attention toward him as he sang the song, but most appeared not to notice. "I started out very cautiously because my intention was not to disrupt their dinner. My intention was to subliminally convey a message that I felt was paramount to the negotiations," Makana told CNN. "Eventually I got enough courage to go into it for an extended period of time. And I ended my show with the line 'the bidding of the many not the few.' I sang it about fifty times in different ways for them to hear." And here is a report by Yes Lab : > Honolulu - A change in the programmed entertainment at last night's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) gala left a few world leaders slack-jawed, though most seemed not to notice that anything was amiss. During the gala dinner, renowned Hawaiian guitarist Makana, who performed at the White House in 2009, opened his suit jacket to reveal a home-made “Occupy with Aloha” T-shirt. Then, instead of playing the expected instrumental background music, he spent almost 45 minutes repeatedly singing his protest ballad released earlier that day. The ballad, called “We Are the Many,” includes lines such as “The lobbyists at Washington do gnaw.... And until they are purged, we won't withdraw,” and ends with the refrain: “We'll occupy the streets, we'll occupy the courts, we'll occupy the offices of you, till you do the bidding of the many, not the few.” Those who could hear Makana’s message included Presidents Barack Obama of the United States of America, Hu Jintao of China, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono of Indonesia, Prime Minister Stephen Harper of Canada, and over a dozen other heads of state. "We Are the Many", lyrics and video below the fold. We Are The Many Ye come here, gather 'round the stage The time has come for us to voice our rage Against the ones who've trapped us in a cage To steal from us the value of our wage From underneath the vestiture of law The lobbyists at Washington do gnaw At liberty, the bureaucrats guffaw And until they are purged, we won't withdraw We'll occupy the streets We'll occupy the courts We'll occupy the offices of you Till you do The bidding of the many, not the few Our nation was built upon the right Of every person to improve their plight But laws of this Republic they rewrite And now a few own everything in sight They own it free of liability They own, but they are not like you and me Their influence dictates legality And until they are stopped we are not free We'll occupy the streets We'll occupy the courts We'll occupy the offices of you Till you do The bidding of the many, not the few You enforce your monopolies with guns While sacrificing our daughters and sons But certain things belong to everyone Your thievery has left the people none So take heed of our notice to redress We have little to lose, we must confess Your empty words do leave us unimpressed A growing number join us in protest We occupy the streets We occupy the courts We occupy the offices of you Till you do The bidding of the many, not the few You can't divide us into sides And from our gaze, you cannot hide Denial serves to amplify And our allegiance you can't buy Our government is not for sale The banks do not deserve a bail We will not reward those who fail We will not move till we prevail We'll occupy the streets We'll occupy the courts We'll occupy the offices of you Till you do The bidding of the many, not the few We'll occupy the streets We'll occupy the courts We'll occupy the offices of you Till you do The bidding of the many, not the few We are the many You are the few

Occupy Sympathizer Plays APEC Dinner

Added 11/14/11
1 Views

Occupy Sympathizer Plays APEC Dinner

[LESS INFO] 1 VIEWS | ADDED 22:00:04 11/14/11
Click here to view this media The more surprising aspect of this clip is not that someone who performs in front of these world leaders should openly sympathize with the Occupy movement, but that everyone was surprised he wasn't whisked away by security, as if that would be the appropriate or at least the usual response. Then we read further down and are told that few of those leaders were even listening and the irony becomes clearer. In any event, expect Fox News and the usual suspects to have a field day with this tomorrow. Brianna Keilar's blog report for CNN: > HONOLULU, Hawaii (CNN) - As President Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama and the heads of 18 other nations dined together Saturday night, they were unwittingly serenaded for almost 45 minutes by a musician playing a song about the Occupy Wall Street movement. "We occupy the streets, we'll occupy the courts, we'll occupy the offices of you, till you do the bidding of the many, not the few," sang Matthew Swalinkavich, a well-known local guitarist who calls himself Makana, the Hawaiian word that means "the gift". Makana was invited by the White House to perform during the APEC leaders dinner. Dressed in a suit, Makana at first played traditional Hawaiian-style music as leaders arrived at Honolulu's Hale Koa Hotel. He continued his performance during dinner, positioned next to the four tables where leaders and their spouses dined. Eventually he unbuttoned his shirt to reveal a t-shirt that said, in handwritten letters, "Occupy with Aloha," and began playing a song he recently wrote called "We Are the Many". Video recorded on a cell phone by Makana's sound technician showed some leaders turning their attention toward him as he sang the song, but most appeared not to notice. "I started out very cautiously because my intention was not to disrupt their dinner. My intention was to subliminally convey a message that I felt was paramount to the negotiations," Makana told CNN. "Eventually I got enough courage to go into it for an extended period of time. And I ended my show with the line 'the bidding of the many not the few.' I sang it about fifty times in different ways for them to hear." And here is a report by Yes Lab : > Honolulu - A change in the programmed entertainment at last night's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) gala left a few world leaders slack-jawed, though most seemed not to notice that anything was amiss. During the gala dinner, renowned Hawaiian guitarist Makana, who performed at the White House in 2009, opened his suit jacket to reveal a home-made “Occupy with Aloha” T-shirt. Then, instead of playing the expected instrumental background music, he spent almost 45 minutes repeatedly singing his protest ballad released earlier that day. The ballad, called “We Are the Many,” includes lines such as “The lobbyists at Washington do gnaw.... And until they are purged, we won't withdraw,” and ends with the refrain: “We'll occupy the streets, we'll occupy the courts, we'll occupy the offices of you, till you do the bidding of the many, not the few.” Those who could hear Makana’s message included Presidents Barack Obama of the United States of America, Hu Jintao of China, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono of Indonesia, Prime Minister Stephen Harper of Canada, and over a dozen other heads of state. "We Are the Many", lyrics and video below the fold. We Are The Many Ye come here, gather 'round the stage The time has come for us to voice our rage Against the ones who've trapped us in a cage To steal from us the value of our wage From underneath the vestiture of law The lobbyists at Washington do gnaw At liberty, the bureaucrats guffaw And until they are purged, we won't withdraw We'll occupy the streets We'll occupy the courts We'll occupy the offices of you Till you do The bidding of the many, not the few Our nation was built upon the right Of every person to improve their plight But laws of this Republic they rewrite And now a few own everything in sight They own it free of liability They own, but they are not like you and me Their influence dictates legality And until they are stopped we are not free We'll occupy the streets We'll occupy the courts We'll occupy the offices of you Till you do The bidding of the many, not the few You enforce your monopolies with guns While sacrificing our daughters and sons But certain things belong to everyone Your thievery has left the people none So take heed of our notice to redress We have little to lose, we must confess Your empty words do leave us unimpressed A growing number join us in protest We occupy the streets We occupy the courts We occupy the offices of you Till you do The bidding of the many, not the few You can't divide us into sides And from our gaze, you cannot hide Denial serves to amplify And our allegiance you can't buy Our government is not for sale The banks do not deserve a bail We will not reward those who fail We will not move till we prevail We'll occupy the streets We'll occupy the courts We'll occupy the offices of you Till you do The bidding of the many, not the few We'll occupy the streets We'll occupy the courts We'll occupy the offices of you Till you do The bidding of the many, not the few We are the many You are the few

Condi Rice's Warmongering Continues: 'Time To Confront The Ira...

Added 11/06/11
5 Views

Condi Rice's Warmongering Continues: 'Time To Confront The Iranian Regime'

[LESS INFO] 5 VIEWS | ADDED 23:45:47 11/06/11
video platform video management video solutions video player Watch and see how it's done on today's edition of This Week with Christiane Amanpour. Amanpour feeds Condoleezza Rice some softballs that reflect the wise foreign policy agenda of the Beltway bobbleheads, and Condi hits them out of the park by 1) damning Obama's centrist foreign policy decisions with faint praise and 2) pushing the latest neocon agenda of the reasonableness of going to war with Iran. Stop me if any of this sounds familiar: > AMANPOUR: A deadly morning in Baghdad today, as three bombs exploded in a sprawling market. The attack came as shoppers were preparing for the Muslim festival of Eid. And it comes just hours after Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki told his security forces to prepare for stepped-up violence. The backdrop, of course, is the U.S. decision to pull out of Iraq by the end of the year. It's a decision that now has some concerned that Al Qaida will re-establish a foothold in the country, all questions for former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. She has a new memoir, "No Higher Honor." And I spoke with her earlier. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) AMANPOUR: Madam Secretary, thank you for joining us. RICE: It's a pleasure to be with you, Christiane. AMANPOUR: So you write in your book, obviously, a lot about the Bush administration, the Bush years. You also talk about when you first met the current president, Barack Obama, during a hearing, and you say his questions were sharp, not rude, he actually seemed interested in my answers. And you say you were really impressed. And lot of people questioned whether he had what it took to be commander-in-chief of the lone superpower. Did he prove them wrong? RICE: Obviously, I think Barack Obama has done a number of things right, particularly in the war on terror. And I think that President Obama has, indeed, carried the war on terror forward in a very effective way. AMANPOUR: So let me ask you, then, about the most controversial of events of your tenure, and that was the Iraq war. For better or for worse, the United States is in it. President Obama has now decided to call an end and to bring all the troops out, portraying it actually as a triumph. Others are saying it was a defeat. Do you think it was right not to push and keep for -- I mean, at the very least, 10,000 U.S. troops to guarantee some kind of security, to train, and to be there for counterterrorism? RICE: Frankly, I think it would help the regional balance to have a residual American presence there. We need to find a way to help the Iraqis sustain themselves through this period and to -- to deal with their somewhat meddlesome neighbor in Iran. AMANPOUR: Of course, the administration says it's because the Iraqis wouldn't agree to immunity. But the real issue is that this administration insisted on it ceding to State Department and Pentagon lawyers' demand that they get this immunity ratified by the Iraqi parliament. You did not do that. You got the agreement without forcing it through the parliament. Why did they have to do that? Was it a mistake for President Obama to do that? RICE: Well, Christiane, I'm really rather reluctant to criticize negotiations that I didn't participate in. But it would have clearly been better to have a residual force, from my point of view, and perhaps there was a way out of the immunity clause that wasn't taken. AMANPOUR: So is there a risk now of everything that America paid unraveling? RICE: Yes. What is at risk here is not just the sacrifice of the United States, which is considerable, but also a pillar of a new kind of democratic stability in the Middle East. AMANPOUR: And perhaps equally important, if not more, is Afghanistan. The Obama administration sources are telling me are likely to change their role, even before 2014, from a combat to a much lesser role, maybe advisory. Is that safe at this time? Is the Taliban anywhere near being defeated? RICE: Well, I'm not inside, but I don't see that the Taliban is anywhere near being defeated. And, in fact, if you're looking for some kind of political arrangement, then ultimately there will have to be a political arrangement in Afghanistan, that brings former warring elements in. But if you're looking for that arrangement, you should be in the strongest position, not the weakest. And I don't think that right now the Afghan government and the NATO mission is in a position to make that kind of political deal. So, yes, I think there's a considerable risk in speeding up a timetable for Afghanistan. AMANPOUR: In your book, you also write about Iran. The IAEA, the nuclear agency of the U.N., this week is about to reveal, apparently, more details showing, apparently, that Iran is trying to weaponize. Do you think the United States, the Obama administration, has to ratchet up the confrontation? You talked this week about confronting Iran. Does that involve military confrontation by the U.S.? RICE: Well, the United States should certainly make clear that the president of the United States will consider military action, if necessary, because you never want to take that card off the table. I think there are other ways to confront Iran. You can confront Iran through even tougher sanctions. And I also think, Christiane, this is one of the downsides of having our forces out of -- out of Iraq, because we can confront the Iranians in Iraq. So, yes, I think it's time to confront the Iranian regime, because it's the poster child for state sponsorship of terrorism. It's trying to get a nuclear weapon. It's repressed its own people. The regime has absolutely no legitimacy left. We should be doing everything we can to bring it down and never take military force off the table. John Amato: > I had to weigh in here quickly because Condi was so incompetent as President Bush's National Security Advisor during his first term. Condi Rice is famous for saying this about the bogus claims the Bush administration made about those aluminum tubes that Saddam was supposedly trying to acquire so he could nuke the heck out of Cleveland. > > In 2002, Rice had said that the tubes were "only really suited for nuclear weapons programs," adding that "we don't want the smoking gun to be a mushroom cloud." She absurdly had this to say also to the WaPo: > But, as reported by The Washington Post more than a year ago, the internal debate among intelligence analysts was intense, with the experts at the Department of Energy who specialize in uranium enrichment adamant that the tubes were not suitable for a nuclear program. They argued that the tubes were intended for Iraqi rockets. Administration officials at the time did not acknowledge that debate, though Rice acknowledged yesterday she was aware of it. "I knew that there was a dispute," she said. "I actually didn't really know the nature of the dispute." Here's Condi on Meet The Press (05/20/06) changing the story that was originally given to America for attacking Iraq in the first place since the truth didn't work out too well: > RICE: I understand that Americans see on their screens violence. They continue to see Americans killed, and we mourn every death. These are very hard things to do. But I would ask that people remember why we are there. We are there because we are trying to--having overthrown a brutal dictator who was a destabilizing force in the Middle East, we're trying to help the Iraqis create a stable foundation for democracy and a stable foundation for peace." I seem to recall a different rationale for why we're there: > "Citing Bush administration officials, The New York Times reported Sunday that Iraq tried to buy thousands of high-strength aluminum tubes. The tubes, Rice said, "are only really suited for nuclear weapons programs, centrifuge programs." [CNN, 9/8/2002] Bob Somerby aptly asked if Condi ever knew anything, anything at all : > "Does Condi Rice ever know anything back in 2004? According to the White House, she didn't know about objections to the uranium-from-Africa story because she hadn't read the whole National Intelligence Estimate! And in May 2002, she said she hadn't known that terrorists might use airplanes as missiles—even though intelligence agencies has issued such warnings for years. Now, she says she didn't know something else—she didn't know the state of aa critical, year-long discussion about those aluminum tubes. I didn't know, Rice told [Wolf] Blitzer. And she was singing a sweet old refrain.

Condi Rice's Warmongering Continues: 'Time To Confront The Ira...

Added 11/06/11
3 Views

Condi Rice's Warmongering Continues: 'Time To Confront The Iranian Regime'

[LESS INFO] 3 VIEWS | ADDED 23:45:47 11/06/11
video platform video management video solutions video player Watch and see how it's done on today's edition of This Week with Christiane Amanpour. Amanpour feeds Condoleezza Rice some softballs that reflect the wise foreign policy agenda of the Beltway bobbleheads, and Condi hits them out of the park by 1) damning Obama's centrist foreign policy decisions with faint praise and 2) pushing the latest neocon agenda of the reasonableness of going to war with Iran. Stop me if any of this sounds familiar: > AMANPOUR: A deadly morning in Baghdad today, as three bombs exploded in a sprawling market. The attack came as shoppers were preparing for the Muslim festival of Eid. And it comes just hours after Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki told his security forces to prepare for stepped-up violence. The backdrop, of course, is the U.S. decision to pull out of Iraq by the end of the year. It's a decision that now has some concerned that Al Qaida will re-establish a foothold in the country, all questions for former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. She has a new memoir, "No Higher Honor." And I spoke with her earlier. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) AMANPOUR: Madam Secretary, thank you for joining us. RICE: It's a pleasure to be with you, Christiane. AMANPOUR: So you write in your book, obviously, a lot about the Bush administration, the Bush years. You also talk about when you first met the current president, Barack Obama, during a hearing, and you say his questions were sharp, not rude, he actually seemed interested in my answers. And you say you were really impressed. And lot of people questioned whether he had what it took to be commander-in-chief of the lone superpower. Did he prove them wrong? RICE: Obviously, I think Barack Obama has done a number of things right, particularly in the war on terror. And I think that President Obama has, indeed, carried the war on terror forward in a very effective way. AMANPOUR: So let me ask you, then, about the most controversial of events of your tenure, and that was the Iraq war. For better or for worse, the United States is in it. President Obama has now decided to call an end and to bring all the troops out, portraying it actually as a triumph. Others are saying it was a defeat. Do you think it was right not to push and keep for -- I mean, at the very least, 10,000 U.S. troops to guarantee some kind of security, to train, and to be there for counterterrorism? RICE: Frankly, I think it would help the regional balance to have a residual American presence there. We need to find a way to help the Iraqis sustain themselves through this period and to -- to deal with their somewhat meddlesome neighbor in Iran. AMANPOUR: Of course, the administration says it's because the Iraqis wouldn't agree to immunity. But the real issue is that this administration insisted on it ceding to State Department and Pentagon lawyers' demand that they get this immunity ratified by the Iraqi parliament. You did not do that. You got the agreement without forcing it through the parliament. Why did they have to do that? Was it a mistake for President Obama to do that? RICE: Well, Christiane, I'm really rather reluctant to criticize negotiations that I didn't participate in. But it would have clearly been better to have a residual force, from my point of view, and perhaps there was a way out of the immunity clause that wasn't taken. AMANPOUR: So is there a risk now of everything that America paid unraveling? RICE: Yes. What is at risk here is not just the sacrifice of the United States, which is considerable, but also a pillar of a new kind of democratic stability in the Middle East. AMANPOUR: And perhaps equally important, if not more, is Afghanistan. The Obama administration sources are telling me are likely to change their role, even before 2014, from a combat to a much lesser role, maybe advisory. Is that safe at this time? Is the Taliban anywhere near being defeated? RICE: Well, I'm not inside, but I don't see that the Taliban is anywhere near being defeated. And, in fact, if you're looking for some kind of political arrangement, then ultimately there will have to be a political arrangement in Afghanistan, that brings former warring elements in. But if you're looking for that arrangement, you should be in the strongest position, not the weakest. And I don't think that right now the Afghan government and the NATO mission is in a position to make that kind of political deal. So, yes, I think there's a considerable risk in speeding up a timetable for Afghanistan. AMANPOUR: In your book, you also write about Iran. The IAEA, the nuclear agency of the U.N., this week is about to reveal, apparently, more details showing, apparently, that Iran is trying to weaponize. Do you think the United States, the Obama administration, has to ratchet up the confrontation? You talked this week about confronting Iran. Does that involve military confrontation by the U.S.? RICE: Well, the United States should certainly make clear that the president of the United States will consider military action, if necessary, because you never want to take that card off the table. I think there are other ways to confront Iran. You can confront Iran through even tougher sanctions. And I also think, Christiane, this is one of the downsides of having our forces out of -- out of Iraq, because we can confront the Iranians in Iraq. So, yes, I think it's time to confront the Iranian regime, because it's the poster child for state sponsorship of terrorism. It's trying to get a nuclear weapon. It's repressed its own people. The regime has absolutely no legitimacy left. We should be doing everything we can to bring it down and never take military force off the table. John Amato: > I had to weigh in here quickly because Condi was so incompetent as President Bush's National Security Advisor during his first term. Condi Rice is famous for saying this about the bogus claims the Bush administration made about those aluminum tubes that Saddam was supposedly trying to acquire so he could nuke the heck out of Cleveland. > > In 2002, Rice had said that the tubes were "only really suited for nuclear weapons programs," adding that "we don't want the smoking gun to be a mushroom cloud." She absurdly had this to say also to the WaPo: > But, as reported by The Washington Post more than a year ago, the internal debate among intelligence analysts was intense, with the experts at the Department of Energy who specialize in uranium enrichment adamant that the tubes were not suitable for a nuclear program. They argued that the tubes were intended for Iraqi rockets. Administration officials at the time did not acknowledge that debate, though Rice acknowledged yesterday she was aware of it. "I knew that there was a dispute," she said. "I actually didn't really know the nature of the dispute." Here's Condi on Meet The Press (05/20/06) changing the story that was originally given to America for attacking Iraq in the first place since the truth didn't work out too well: > RICE: I understand that Americans see on their screens violence. They continue to see Americans killed, and we mourn every death. These are very hard things to do. But I would ask that people remember why we are there. We are there because we are trying to--having overthrown a brutal dictator who was a destabilizing force in the Middle East, we're trying to help the Iraqis create a stable foundation for democracy and a stable foundation for peace." I seem to recall a different rationale for why we're there: > "Citing Bush administration officials, The New York Times reported Sunday that Iraq tried to buy thousands of high-strength aluminum tubes. The tubes, Rice said, "are only really suited for nuclear weapons programs, centrifuge programs." [CNN, 9/8/2002] Bob Somerby aptly asked if Condi ever knew anything, anything at all : > "Does Condi Rice ever know anything back in 2004? According to the White House, she didn't know about objections to the uranium-from-Africa story because she hadn't read the whole National Intelligence Estimate! And in May 2002, she said she hadn't known that terrorists might use airplanes as missiles—even though intelligence agencies has issued such warnings for years. Now, she says she didn't know something else—she didn't know the state of aa critical, year-long discussion about those aluminum tubes. I didn't know, Rice told [Wolf] Blitzer. And she was singing a sweet old refrain.

RnRTV #257: Lulu Banned, U2 Doc and Sir Paul Getting Hitched!

Added 09/21/11
10 Views

RnRTV #257: Lulu Banned, U2 Doc and Sir Paul Getting Hitched!

[LESS INFO] 10 VIEWS | ADDED 19:13:00 09/21/11
Rock news to light your fuse. Hosted by Share Ross. Metallica/Lou Reed Lulu banned by London Underground; Pregnant Beyonce has interesting cravings; U2 documentary reveals rough period; REM split up and Sir Paul registers to get married at Marylebone Town Hall. The London Underground have banned promo posters for Lou Reed and Metallica's forthcoming album, Lulu from being displayed in stations. A spokesperson claimed it looked too much like graffiti. Of course the Undergournds decision to ban it will help promote the release as nothing pushes an album to the top than censorship. Pregnant Beyonce has been having some interesting cravings lately. She has reportedly been eating bananas dipped in tomato ketchup, Bounty ice creams smothered in hot chili sauce, oreo cookies with gherkins pickles and a slightly more normal croissants stuffed with melted dime bars for breakfast. There's a new U2 documentary out, "from the sky down" that lays bare a tumultuous time for the band 20 years ago where there was infighting and creative differences. The group were pretty much saved by the song, "One" and there is a long section in the film where you actually hear them write the tune. Bono says in the doc, "Making Achtung baby is the reason we're here now. After 30 years of making music together, REM have announced that they are breaking up. Guns N Roses have confirmed more fall tour dates. Zakk Wylde has been forced to file a restraining order against a 20 year old neighbor/obsessed fan who left a sacrifice outside his front door. --------- WHATEVER: Lindsay Lohan got a job! Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez went on a romantic movie date together in Atlanta. ------------ A registrar has confirmed Sir Paul McCartney made a last minute visit to London Town hall to post a notice of marriage to Nancy Shevell. Paul also married his first wife Linda there in 1969. No date has been set yet. Divas like Beyonce have to stay in shape. Now you can stay fit easily with these Eastbay coupon codes and Footlocker promo codes . Save 15% and 10% on Nikes, Adidas, Vans and Converse! Get football gloves and save moola!

Rick Perry Texify and Kim K Says No Ray J - NTN #078

Added 09/16/11
16 Views

Rick Perry Texify and Kim K Says No Ray J - NTN #078

[LESS INFO] 16 VIEWS | ADDED 19:35:22 09/16/11
Nearly The News #078 PERRY TO TEXIFY AMERICA Crystalair.com is reporting that GOP presidential hopeful Tex. Gov. Rick Perry says he believes the solution to all of America's problems is to quite simply to "just be more like Texas." Perry laid out his three-point plan at a recent meeting of the Legally Employed Texan Latinos Association. "I don't know what kind of Muslim-Ebonics religion Obama practices, but here in Texas we only got three religions," Perry told the smallish crowd, pointing to guns, high school football and Christianity where people give as much money as they possibly can to the guy with the best hair. http://www.crystalair.com/story.php?id=201108009 HEADS OR TAIL BACKS That same website is also reporting a rule change for the NFL season. In addition to video reviews of every scoring play and moving kick-offs to the 35 yard line, the coin toss to determine possession will now be replaced with a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors. "We've known for a long time that flipping a coin in the air was an absurd way to determine who gets the ball," said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. "We think this new rule removes the element of chance and restores football to a 100% game of skill and concussions.” http://www.crystalair.com/story.php?id=201109001 KIM K SAYS NO WAY TO RAY J And finally, this scoop from Derfmagazine.com, who say despite their past relationship, Kim Kardashian and her former boyfriend Ray J were unable to agree on terms for him to videotape her wedding. Many believed that Ray J would get the job, considering his work with Kim in the past. “I’m truly disappointed,” said a crestfallen Ray J. “I know just how to videotape Kim and I would have made sure that the wedding video was a thing of beauty… with lots of tongue.” http://www.derfmagazine.com/news/entertainment/kardashian-wedding

Lowkey Ft Immortal Technique Voices Of The Voiceless

Added 08/30/11
7 Views

Lowkey Ft Immortal Technique Voices Of The Voiceless

[LESS INFO] 7 VIEWS | ADDED 04:46:23 08/30/11
Verse 1: (Lowkey) "From West 10 to the West Bank, I write righteous rhymes with my right and wrestle the devil with my left hand, Never work for a Zionist, never been a yes man, My art is like Rembrandt painting pictures of death camps, The average person is allergic to the words of wisdom, This is for everyone of Saddam's Kurdish murder victims, And all the pure souls that never had the chance to speak, Truth pumps in my arteries and causes my heart to beat, For soldiers haunted and tortured by guilty memories, Who realised too late to reveal their real enemy, It's all dead wrong For every victim of racist persecution from Auschwitz to Hebron, My words may sting cowards, For people that were atomised by the Thermate in the Twin Towers Those living through the wars, Ask me what I do this for, Put the world in its place before it put you in yours, Chorus: (Singer) What happens under darkness shall come to light, Can't silence us even though you try, (Lowkey) You can try to avoid us but it's pointless You can never avoid the voices of the voiceless (Singer) Take our freedom, Can't take our pride, Come what may we will survive, (Lowkey) You can try to avoid us but it's pointless, You can never avoid the voices of the voiceless Verse 2: (Immortal Technique) Keep my third eye hidden under my New York fitted, A crazy unmarried man that deserves to be committed, The future is encrypted in my troubled lyrics, Dream that I've been somewhere for weeks, then wake up in a couple minutes, Sweat dripping with visions of population control, Thoughts overflowing my world like the melting of the North Pole, My people are targeted by military crack committees, So I'm bucking at the feds like natives in Rapid City, Reality savage, my words are like a riot in Paris, The voice of the voiceless, that voice is social imbalance, So stand strong or sit harder in your mental palace, Blinded inside a Kingdom united to its old habits, But now, Middle Passage coming, War Chant, African drumming, Gatling gun humming, Rapid fire mechanism, reckless living, That checks the rhythm of perfectionism, Slave condition, While you're singing God save the system, (Chorus) Verse 3: (Lowkey) Detain my body, but you can't imprison my mind, If it's my time I'll probably die with my fist in the sky, These are the thoughts of a man who can't escape from his coma, Cries of a young virgin girl who got raped by them soldiers, (Immortal Technique) Birthing a screaming bastard, post colonial nation, Subject to childhood diseases, famine, war and inflation, Education moulded you into your masters image, And you forgot who the fuck you were before the war was finished (Lowkey) You're hearing the ghosts of Nagasaki, You're hearing Hiroshima, Beautiful babies being born with the weirdest features, You might never see me in the charts, But Inshallah my seed can see peace in Iraq, (Immortal Technique) But peace and freedom can never be given, That's historically forbidden, Cos only collision is the recipe, Changing the course of destiny, So I'm strapped with weaponry, (Lowkey & Immortal Technique) Cos the government don't give a fuck about protecting me. (Chorus)

Lowkey Ft Immortal Technique Voices Of The Voiceless

Added 08/30/11
66 Views

Lowkey Ft Immortal Technique Voices Of The Voiceless

[LESS INFO] 66 VIEWS | ADDED 04:46:23 08/30/11
Verse 1: (Lowkey) "From West 10 to the West Bank, I write righteous rhymes with my right and wrestle the devil with my left hand, Never work for a Zionist, never been a yes man, My art is like Rembrandt painting pictures of death camps, The average person is allergic to the words of wisdom, This is for everyone of Saddam's Kurdish murder victims, And all the pure souls that never had the chance to speak, Truth pumps in my arteries and causes my heart to beat, For soldiers haunted and tortured by guilty memories, Who realised too late to reveal their real enemy, It's all dead wrong For every victim of racist persecution from Auschwitz to Hebron, My words may sting cowards, For people that were atomised by the Thermate in the Twin Towers Those living through the wars, Ask me what I do this for, Put the world in its place before it put you in yours, Chorus: (Singer) What happens under darkness shall come to light, Can't silence us even though you try, (Lowkey) You can try to avoid us but it's pointless You can never avoid the voices of the voiceless (Singer) Take our freedom, Can't take our pride, Come what may we will survive, (Lowkey) You can try to avoid us but it's pointless, You can never avoid the voices of the voiceless Verse 2: (Immortal Technique) Keep my third eye hidden under my New York fitted, A crazy unmarried man that deserves to be committed, The future is encrypted in my troubled lyrics, Dream that I've been somewhere for weeks, then wake up in a couple minutes, Sweat dripping with visions of population control, Thoughts overflowing my world like the melting of the North Pole, My people are targeted by military crack committees, So I'm bucking at the feds like natives in Rapid City, Reality savage, my words are like a riot in Paris, The voice of the voiceless, that voice is social imbalance, So stand strong or sit harder in your mental palace, Blinded inside a Kingdom united to its old habits, But now, Middle Passage coming, War Chant, African drumming, Gatling gun humming, Rapid fire mechanism, reckless living, That checks the rhythm of perfectionism, Slave condition, While you're singing God save the system, (Chorus) Verse 3: (Lowkey) Detain my body, but you can't imprison my mind, If it's my time I'll probably die with my fist in the sky, These are the thoughts of a man who can't escape from his coma, Cries of a young virgin girl who got raped by them soldiers, (Immortal Technique) Birthing a screaming bastard, post colonial nation, Subject to childhood diseases, famine, war and inflation, Education moulded you into your masters image, And you forgot who the fuck you were before the war was finished (Lowkey) You're hearing the ghosts of Nagasaki, You're hearing Hiroshima, Beautiful babies being born with the weirdest features, You might never see me in the charts, But Inshallah my seed can see peace in Iraq, (Immortal Technique) But peace and freedom can never be given, That's historically forbidden, Cos only collision is the recipe, Changing the course of destiny, So I'm strapped with weaponry, (Lowkey & Immortal Technique) Cos the government don't give a fuck about protecting me. (Chorus) My TIP JAR

RE:POLICE FATALLY SHOOT UNARMED MAN - Laying Face Down and Sho...

Added 08/10/11
1 Views

RE:POLICE FATALLY SHOOT UNARMED MAN - Laying Face Down and Shot in The Back! CAUGHT ON

[LESS INFO] 1 VIEWS | ADDED 07:34:51 08/10/11
"I have A Big Issue WiTH pOLIce Brutality!! Oscar Grant III, fatally shot by an unidentified BART(Oakland,CA) officer early New Year's Day. Oscar Grant was unarmed, laying face down and shot in the back. REPORT: OAKLAND, Calif. - Law enforcement officials urged patience while they investigated details surrounding the fatal New Year's Day shooting of a 22-year-old man by a transit agency police officer. Bay Area Rapid Transit Police Chief Gary Gee said on Sunday that the agency is ""committed to completing an unbiased, thorough and detailed investigation"" of the shooting death of Oscar Grant. ""This case is not even four days cold. We're in the early stages of the investigation and we will do a very thorough job,"" he said. Several unanswered questions remained after BART officers went to Oakland's Fruitvale station to investigate reports of a supposed brawl on a train on which Grant was riding around 2 a.m. Thursday. A friend of Grant's who was with him on the crowded Oakland train station platform at the time of the shooting said Grant pleaded with officers not to harm him. ""Oscar yelled, 'You shot me! I got a four-year-old daughter,'"" said Fernando Anicete. ""Oscar was telling us to calm down and we did. We weren't looking for any trouble."" Anicete was among more than 50 people attending a tearful news conference in Oakland on Sunday where Grant's family announced they planned to file a $25 million claim against the Bay Area Rapid Transit agency this week. A claim is the first step in the process of suing the agency. The family's attorney John Burris said the shooting was intentional, and that he planned to ask Alameda County prosecutors to seek criminal charges against the officer. Burris said Grant, of Hayward, Calif., posed no threat to officers when a bullet entered his back and ricocheted to his lung area, killing him almost instantly. ""The officer leaned (in), was straddling over him and pointed his gun directly into the backside and shot (Grant),"" said Burris, adding that Grant was handcuffed - after he was shot. ""This was not a deadly force situation."" Gee said BART police are fully cooperating with the district attorney's investigation. Grant's mother, Wanda Johnson, and Sophina Mesa, his daughter's mother, wept uncontrollably as Burris spoke about Grant. They did not speak, but several said Grant, a butcher at a supermarket near the train station where he was killed, was a loving father showing signs of maturation. Cephus ""Bobby"" Johnson, Grant's uncle, said he text messaged his nephew just after midnight Thursday saying, ""Happy New Year ... I love you."" Johnson never got a reply. ""I wondered why he didn't text me back,"" a teary-eyed Johnson said. ""And then I found out why."" BART spokesman Jim Allison has said the officer's gun went off while police were trying to restrain Grant and that Grant was not cuffed. The unidentified officer is on paid leave as BART investigates the shooting. Mario Pangelina, Mesa's brother who was riding on the same train, two cars behind Grant on Thursday morning, said Sunday he saw Grant beg police not to Taser him because of his child. ""He kept saying, 'Please, please don't Tase me,'"" Pangelina said. ""He was not acting hostile."" Other witnesses said Grant was lying on his stomach on the station's platform when he was shot. Recordings of the shooting by witnesses have surfaced and Burris said BART had confiscated numerous cell phone images from others he believes contain additional footage. Services for Grant will be held Wednesday."