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Washington Freedom Summit – Friday Session 1 – Mark Meckler – Citizens for Self Governance – Video

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Washington Freedom Summit - Friday Session 1 - Mark Meckler - Citizens for Self Governance
Washington Freedom Summit Presents - Mark Meckler Mark was the co-founder of Tea Party Patriots and served as National Co-coordinator until 2009 when he foun...

By: NWGrassroots

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Washington Freedom Summit - Friday Session 1 - Mark Meckler - Citizens for Self Governance - Video

Freedom on the internet: Hungary ranks no. 8 in study

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Independent watchdog organizationFreedom Housereleased its fourth annual Freedom on the Net report last week; in its ranking of 60 countries examined in terms of internet freedom, Hungary placed eighth to earn the country the free label, despite slipping some four points to a score of 23, where 0 is the ideal score. Iceland and Estonia were ranked in the top two places.

In announcing the release of Freedom on the Net 2013, Freedom House noted a worldwide decline in internet freedom, thanks to various incidents of broad surveillance, new laws controlling web content, and growing arrests of social-media users.

Hungarys own drop in score and increase in what Freedom House deemed Violations of User Rights was in line with the majority of the 60 nations studied as a whole: Some 35 nations assessed in the survey had broadened their technical or legal surveillance powers over the past year, and all but one received a worse score from Freedom House.

While blocking and filtering remain the preferred methods of censorship in many countries, governments are increasingly looking at who is saying what online, and finding ways to punish them, said Freedom on the Net project director Sanja Kelly. In some countries, a user can get arrested for simply posting on Facebook or for liking a friends comment that is critical of the authorities.

And in Hungary? A few excerpts from the report are as follows.

For key points in understanding Hungarian internet freedom, Freedom House noted Revisions to the criminal code, passed on June 25, 2012[,] could allow the government to block websites if host providers fail to respond to takedown notices; the Supreme Court fined two blog owners for defamation based on readers' comments, even though the comments were deleted and The fourth modification of the constitution annulled previous decisions of the Constitutional Court, causing uncertainty as to how previous legal protections, particularly regarding free speech, will be interpreted.

The National Core Curriculum for 2013 drastically decreased the number of IT classes in primary and high schools, possibly maintaining and further increasing the digital divide between social groups, as children coming from poor families may not have access to computers and other digital devices in their homes.

In June 2012, the Supreme Court fined two blog owners who were found guilty of defamation for comments that were posted by users on their websites, even though the comments were subsequently deleted. Additionally, cyberattacks against government websites continued to take place, and there was one case of physical assault against an online journalist covering a rally in October 2012.

The Fundamental Law of Hungary acknowledges the right to freedom of expression and defends freedom and diversity of the press, though there are no laws that specifically protect online modes of expression.

A series of interviews conducted with journalists in 2012 provide a picture of the extent of self-censorship in Hungary, which is due to political and economic pressure on both traditional and online media outlets. According to most of the interviewees, the media laws had not made any difference when it came to self-censorship; instead, as one respondent noted, the two-thirds majority push of executive power, the unprecedented leverage of that power, and the rise of the Fidesz party have had a greater effect on self-censorship. Another journalist added that party finance is entangled with media financing. Political and economic influence is exerted through public and private advertising. A respondent explained that there was always some other interest at play, political or from the side of business and advertisingor both simultaneously, because these two often go hand in hand.

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Freedom on the internet: Hungary ranks no. 8 in study

'Defined Voices': Giap, Wallace, and freedom

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'Defined Voices': Giap, Wallace, and freedom By Ramzy Baroud

"Nothing is more precious than freedom," is quoted as being attributed to Vo Nguyen Giap, the Vietnamese general who led his country through two liberation wars. The first was against French colonialists, the second against the Americans. And despite heavy and painful losses, Vietnam prevailed, defeating the first colonial quest at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu (1954) and the second at Ho Chi Minh Campaign (1975).

General Giap, the son of a peasant scholar, stood tall in both

He died on Friday, October 4, at the age of 102.

On the same day, the former black panther Herman Wallace, who had spent 41-years of his life in solitary confinement in Louisiana State Penitentiary, died from incurable liver cancer at the age of 71. Just a few days before his death, Judge Brian Jackson had overturned a charge that robbed Herman of much of his life. According to Jackson, Herman's 1974 conviction of killing a prison guard was 'unconstitutional.'

Despite the lack of material evidence, discredited witnesses and a sham trial, Wallace, who was a poet and lover of literature, and two other prisoners known as the Angola Three, were locked up to spend a life of untold hardship for a crime they didn't commit.

Now that Wallace is dead, two remain. One, Robert King, 70, was freed in 2001, and the other, Albert Woodfox, 66, is still in solitary confinement and "undergoes daily cavity searches," according to reported the Independent newspaper.

"When his conviction was overturned it cleared the slate - he could die a man not convicted of a crime he was innocent of," King said of the release of Wallace, who died few days later.

One of the last photos released while on his hospital bed, showed Wallace raising his clinched right fist, perpetuating the legendary defiance of a whole generation of African Americans and civil rights leaders. While some fought for civil rights in the streets of American cities, Wallace fought for the rights of prisoners. The four decades of solitary confinement were meant to break him. Instead, it made it him stronger.

"If death is the realm of freedom, then through death I escape to freedom" Wallace quoted Frantz Fanon in the introduction to a poem he wrote from prison in 2012.

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'Defined Voices': Giap, Wallace, and freedom

PH upholds freedom of navigation amid China warning

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by Paterno Esmaquel II Posted on 10/07/2013 3:10 PM |Updated 10/07/2013 4:40 PM

PH VS CHINA. The Philippines claims that Panatag, a disputed area in the South China Sea, lies within its exclusive economic zone. China says it's theirs.

MANILA, Philippines The Philippines upheld freedom to navigate the South China Sea after China on Monday, October 7, blasted the United States, Japan, and Australia for interfering in maritime disputes.

There's such a thing as freedom of navigation. A big percentage of world trade passes through our waters waters that are a subject of dispute right now, Philippine Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda said in a press briefing.

Referring to the US, Japan, and Australia, Lacierda said: Do they have an interest? Yes, they have an interest because of freedom of navigation.

Lacierda issued this statement after China on Monday criticized the 3 countries.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said: The alliance between the US, Japan, and Australia should not be used as an excuse to interfere in disputes over territorial sovereignty; otherwise, it will only complicate the situation and hurt the interests of relevant parties. We urge these countries to respect facts, tell right from wrong, be discreet, and refrain from any word or deed that is not conducive to the proper handling of relevant issues and to regional stability."

She added China upholds a long-standing and clear-cut position on South China Sea disputes.

This position includes rejecting third parties in settling maritime conflicts, such as the United Nations (UN) tribunal before which Manila filed an unprecedented case against Beijing.

READ: PH-China dispute 'acid test' for int'l law - Carpio

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PH upholds freedom of navigation amid China warning

Monster iSport Freedom

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By Tim Gideon

In an attempt to bring a touch of luxury and high performance to the realm of exercise headphones, Monster recently released the wireless Bluetooth iSport Freedom. At $279.95 (list), there's nothing subtle about these on-ear headphonesthe price is as eye-catching as the design. Exercise buffs will enjoy the iSport Freedom, which is built to withstand a tough workout. Audiophiles should steer clear, howeverthis is one of the more wildly sculpted, bass-boosted sound signatures we've heard in this price range, and the results are not always positive. The price seems high for exercise headphones, and especially a pair that provides such a lopsided audio experience.

DesignVisually, the iSport Freedom is very striking. Dark gray accents are offset by neon yellow-green, rubberized sweatproof material. The earpads are made of this same material, and are not uncomfortable but lack the plush, cushioned feeling many on-ear headphones go for. They opt instead for a secure, sweat-proof fit that should serve you well during intense workouts.

Controls for playback, answering calls, adjusting volume and skipping tracks are located on the outside panel of the right earcup. The Power button is also located here. Hold the Power button down to pair the headphones with your mobile device. The pairing process with an iPhone 4s was quick and painless.

On the left earcup, there are two covered ports: a micro-USB charging connection and a 3.5mm connection for the included optional audio cable. This cable is a nice touch, as it allows you to use the iSport Freedom as a traditional pair of headphones when you have no battery power. It also includes a single-button remote for easy control of playback and track navigation, as well as answering calls through the headphones' built-in microphone. When it's connected, Bluetooth streaming capabilities are disabled, so you won't waste battery power when listening via the cable in passive mode.

The headphones fold down easily, collapsing at hinges just above each ear. You get a drawstring carrying pouch, a USB charging cable, and the aforementioned audio cable.

PerformanceOn tracks with intense sub-bass content, like the Knife's "Silent Shout," the iSport Freedom delivers serious bass response. At top volumes, it does not distort, and the deep lows are delivered with subwoofer-like intensity. It sometimes sounds as if the boosted bass lacks contour and definition, though. There's such a tremendous presence in the very low frequencies, it seems that some of the low-mids and mids that help define these sounds are a bit lost in the mix.

This isn't to say the iSport Freedom is muddyif anything, it can sound a bit too bright. Basically, the very deepest and very highest frequencies seem overly sculpted. On Bill Callahan's "Drover," we hear this plainly. Too often, his baritone vocals can sound muddy on this track if there has been a lot of bass boosting applied. But in the case of the iSport freedom, the bass boost, though tremendous, does little to his voicethat's because it's not boosting much in the low-mids. The drums, on the other hand, get a huge dose of deep bass, and sound overly bass-heavy and thumpy on this track. Callahan's voice is never lost, however, because the high-mids and highs are so seriously tweaked. In fact, his voice and guitar strumming sound too bright and occasionally tinny.

On Jay-Z and Kanye West's "No Church in the Wild," the iSport freedom sounds a bit better. The attack on the kick drum loop here gets a bunch of added high-mid edge, and it cuts through the mix with intensity, while the sub-bass synth hits that punctuate the beat are delivered with booming low-end. The extremes of the crisp highs and deep lows make for quite a dynamic mix, but for the sound signature is extremely unnatural.

Classical tracks also sound a bit too bright, though they do get a bit of extra low-end richness. On John Adams "The Chairman Dances," the higher register strings own the spotlight and sometimes sound too strong in the high-mids and highs, but the lower register strings do balance things out a bit, and the large drum hits that end this piece receive a nice bit of low-end roundness.

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Monster iSport Freedom

U.S. surveillance erodes its leadership in Internet freedom

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Internet freedom has declined in the United States over the past year as a result of its surveillance policies, reflecting a trend that appears to have caught on worldwide, according to a recently released study.

The study [PDF], conducted by Freedom House, gauged Internet freedom in 60 countries by tracking obstacles to access information online, limits on content, and violations of user rights. Among the issues cited in the report are government agencies' outright blocking of specific Internet content, surveillance measures, and legal and violent repercussions taken against those who use the Internet to criticize governing or religious bodies.

Iceland was the top-ranking nation on the list, which may not come as a surprise considering its recent role as a safe-haven for controversial Internet whistleblowers. Edward Snowden, for example, has recently expressed a desire for refuge in the country.

Estonia was the second-ranked country on the list (down from first last year), followed by Germany and the U.S., both of which received a score of 17 on Freedom House's scale of 1-to-100, which assigned points for higher rates of violations of Internet freedom. Australia, France, Japan, Hungary, Italy, and the UK round out the top ten.

Despite its relatively high ranking, the U.S. showed a significant decline in overall Internet freedom as a result of the revelations of its surveillance capabilities and their impact on the global Internet, Freedom House explained.

"While there is no evidence that the NSA surveillance programs were abused to suppress political speech, they have drawn strong condemnations at home and abroad for their wide-reaching infringements on privacy," the report says. "Since many large technology companieswith millions of users around the worldare based in the United States, the NSA was able to collect information on foreigners without having to go through the legal channels of the countries in which the targeted users were located."

However prevalent this trend may be in the U.S., it is also a sign of a much broader movement among international governments of all kinds. In 35 out of the 60 countries examined, Freedom House marked increases in the sophistication of communications monitoring technology, the scope of the people monitored, and the enactment of laws enabling the government to spy on its citizens.

Russia, for example, has increased its surveillance capabilities significantly since the Arab Spring began in late 2010, going as far as legalizing the government's wiretapping of opposing political parties, the report says.

The report also included the caveat that the problem is likely more common than its research reflects.

"There is a strong suspicion that many of the remaining 25 countries' governments have also stepped up their surveillance activities, though some may be better than others at covering their tracks," the report says.

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U.S. surveillance erodes its leadership in Internet freedom

Meridian Freedom Project debuts Monday

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MERIDIAN A project designed to open doors for Meridian students will be announced Monday.

The Meridian Freedom Project is a year-round after-school program for middle school and high school and high school students in the Meridian Public School District. Slated to open in June 2014, the program seeks to build a corps of academically capable, socially conscious and mentally disciplined young leaders in Meridian.

"We're replicating the Sunflower County Freedom Project (SCFP) and will be the first affiliate of that project," said Anna Stephenson, who serves as program development director of the Meridian Freedom Project (MFP).

In 1998, Sunflower County Freedom Project founders and Teach For America alumni Chris Myers-Asch, Shawn Raymond and Gregg Costa set out to establish a program to create more pathways to college for their students in Sunflower County. Fifteen years later, 100 percent of the students completing the Freedom Fellowship, a six-year-commitment to the Freedom Project, go on to attend four-year colleges and universities across the country.

As SCFP's first expansion site of the newly formed Freedom Project Network, the Meridian Freedom Project will allow for future Freedom Projects. MFP will honor the legacy of the Meridian Freedom Schools at its opening during summer 2014, in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of Freedom Summer '64. The Freedom Projects are led by Teach For America Alumna who returned to their roots to teach in the Mississippi and Arkansas Delta. SCFP Executive Director Vaish Shastry is from Pine Bluff, Ark., while both of Stephenson's parents are native Mississippians, her father, a native of Meridian.

"I am thrilled to help grown the Freedom Project in Meridian," Stephenson said. I have seen the power it has on Freedom Fellows in Sunflower, and I cannot wait to watch it transforms the lives of our Meridian students."

According to Stephenson, the idea behind MFP is "to create another opportunity for kids to find a pathway to college." The project's success is attributed to its dedication to providing year-round rigorous core academic support, arts enrichment, health and fitness training, character development and educational travel. Freedom Fellows those who participate in the project live by four LEAD principals: Love, Education, Action and Discipline. By practicing these principles of the Freedom Project, participants become leaders in their schools and communities.

Support for the MFP began with Parents for Public Schools graduates who traveled to Sunflower in 2012 to tour the program. According to Stephenson, they were immediately hooked. The MFP Board Amy Elliott, chairman; Dr. Bill Scaggs, president emeritus of Meridian Community College; and Flo Bradley, CEO of FloBradley.com established an administrative collaboration with The Montgomery Institute.

"Observing the young people engaged in Sunflower as they live the LEAD principles is a 'game-changing' experience," Scaggs said. "They demonstrate remarkable self-respect and optimism, as well as a couple of old fashioned characteristics: grit and gumption!"

The Meridian Freedom Project is geared to students in grades sixth through 12th in the Meridian Public School District, beginning with those in grades sixth through eighth and progressing with them until they graduate from high school.

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Meridian Freedom Project debuts Monday


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