Protests // Current

Lieberman 9 Arrested in D.C. Senate Office: Raw Video

Over 50,000 die every year for lack of health care and more for denial of care despite... more

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Weiner Amendment Would Transform HR3200 into Something Useful

The Weiner Amendment to HR 3200 would replace some of the bill with Conyors HR626... more

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Dr. Margaret Flowers and Charles Loubert, 81, Stay in Jail for CEO of CareFirst

Baltimore, MD – Two physicians and two supporters were arrested today at a sit-in at... more

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St Louis Health Care Reform Protesters Arrested at Athem Blue Cross

Protesters read a statement about a woman who's life saving treatment was denied by... more

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Sit-In Protesters Spend the Night at Humana

“We’ll stay here. I guess we’ll just stay overnight. I think this is a life and... more

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CIGNA Kills Girl, Doctor Arrested

Grigor Sarkisyan tells us of his daughter who was denied treatment and died because of... more

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Public Option Doesn't Fly

I just received the following email from an action group telling people to push back... more

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Doctor Remains in Jail for CEO of CareFirst

http://mobilizeforhealthcare.org/2009/10/29/physicians-and-supporters-arrested-at-caref... more

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New York 9 Arrested

A 19 year old, a med student and an elderly man on Medicare were part of the nine... more

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"Showdown In Chicago": Protesters Crash Bankers Convention, (VIDEO, IMAGES)

Via National People's Action, here is some footage from the protesters at the ABA conference. From the footage, it's clear there are some strong emotions from the protesters.

At one point a protester grabs a megaphone and says:

"The American Bankers Association has helped loosen the rules that protect us, allowing the unfettered greed that has brought us to the brink of a recession. And for those bankers who are members and support the ABA's war against the working and middle class, shame on you!"

The crowd soon begins chanting "Shame On You!" in unison.

Via Progress Illinois' Twitter feed, here's more video of Sen. Durbin's speech. In this section, he calls for a "showdown" with Wall Street.

According to the Twitter feeds of National People's Action and the SEIU, the protesters are headed to the ABA's "Roaring '20s"-themed cocktail party. (Perhaps the ABA is not aware of the irony of having such an event.)

Sen. Dick Durbin spoke in front of the protesters earlier today. Here's a clip from the video, in which Durbin tells the story of homeowner who was struggling to stay in her home -- and was apparently talked into agreeing to a seemingly atrocious mortgage. The woman's mortgage was riddled with hidden fees and by, "the types of things even a Wall Street lawyer couldn't explain to anyone," Durbin said.

The American Bankers Association's annual convention in Chicago has become the scene for a series of major protests, which are set to continue through Tuesday. Dubbed "the Showdown in Chicago." (http://www.showdowninchicago.org/index.html) (Check back here frequently for updates on the protests.)

Groups like the National People's Action, the Service Employees International Union, Americans For Financial Reform and the AFL-CIO are expected to turn out with thousands of protesters. Sen. Richard Durbin (D - Illinois) is scheduled to address the protesters Sunday evening. Conference speakers include Newt Gingrich, conservative columnist George Will and FDIC chairman Sheila Bair.

Check out these photographs of the "Showdown in Chicago," taken by organizers of the protest.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/25/showdown-in-chicago-prote_n_333245.htmlVia National People's Action, here is some footage from the protesters at the ABA... more

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Global Warming Summit- 350- Rallys 10-24-09

Activists held events around the world to increase knowledge and gain support for the... more

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Billionaires for Wealthcare: Guerrilla Theater: Public Option Annie

Billionaires for Wealthcare is a grassroots network of health insurance CEOs, HMO... more

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Guerillas in Their Midst AHIP Pollster Interrupted By Singing Troupe Of Protesters

Republican pollster Bill McInturff was the keynote speaker on the final day of the America's Health Insurance Plans's state issues conference on Friday morning.

But his speech on how the health care reform debate was playing among the public was interrupted before it even began. A group of protesters began aggressively cheering McInturff for the work he has done for AHIP (he's a hired pollster for the private insurance lobby and, most infamously, was the force behind the 'Harry and Louise' ads in 1994)

McInturff, initially thinking that the cheering was legitimate, thanked the "AHIP officials" in the back of the room for giving him mental encouragement for his speech. He was not being paid for his appearance, he noted.

And then, the protesters -- dressed in business attire to fit into the crowd -- began singing. A relatively lengthy and harmonious rendition of "Tomorrow" from the musical Annie ensued, only with the chorus focused on government-run insurance. "The option, the option, we must have, the option... " went the rendition, in reference to the public plan.

The whole episode lasted a few minutes before the troupe (around 5 or 6 protesters) was escorted out by security.

McInturff, who remarked earlier that he didn't have a joke to lead off with, pointed to the exiting protesters and said "there's my joke." But while his speech had been interrupted, the pollster actually admitted to being mildly impressed.
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"If you are going to have protesters at least you can hire people who sing," he said. "That was very good singing."

The musical was written and performed by Billionaires for Wealthcare, a grassroots network of health insurance CEOs, HMO lobbyists, talk-show hosts, and others profiting off of our broken health care system. A group official writes to say: "We'll do whatever it takes to ensure another decade where your pain is our gain. After all, when it comes to health insurance, if we ain't broke, why fix it?"

Check it out for the lyrics too!Republican pollster Bill McInturff was the keynote speaker on the final day of the... more

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Terrorist attack in Iran

Erlich: CIA could be fuelling ethnic unrest, but that does not mean they are behind... more

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Pittsburgh police, G-20 arrests, and the US Constitution

We must punish police who violate the constitution.

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The Movement Against the Banks - Real Grassroots vs Wall Street

A massive rally in Chicago next week aims to express public displeasure with the massive bank bailout outside the American Bank Association annual meeting. Protesters will converge at 11:30 on Monday, October 26, at 301 North Water Street, where the meeting is taking place.

"The same financial institutions that caused the economic crisis and took billions in taxpayer bailouts are back to earning incredible profits," rally organizers—including Public Citizen, the AFL-CIO, and Change to Win—declare. "Meanwhile, Americans face shrinking pensions, rising foreclosures and unemployment, state budget cuts, predatory lending, outrageous overdraft fees, and sky-high credit card interest rates."

Protesters will demand oversight and accountability and reforms that would rein in the banks. It is an important moment, since Congress takes up regulatory legislation, including the idea of a Consumer Financial Protection Agency, this month.

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The site calls for criminal penalties for the bankers: "On the one-year anniversary of the Banksters blowing a hole in the global economy, no employee of a major American bank or financial institution is behind bars," Bankster points out. "Compare this to what happened after the Savings and Loan heist almost 20 years ago. No less than 1,852 S&L officials were prosecuted and 1,072 were jailed. Over 500 CEOs and top officers were indicted. What is going on here? Don't we believe in holding people accountable anymore? Tell the U.S. Department of Justice and the FBI to get cracking!"

Among the other citizens' groups featured on the site are the "10 percent is enough" campaign that brings together leaders from all the major world religions to oppose usurious interest rates on moral grounds.

And just in time for Halloween, the anti-death-bonds campaign focuses on an issue Michael Moore brought to light in his new movie, "Capitalism: A Love Story": employers and investment firms such as Goldman Sachs taking out life insurance policies on working people and naming themselves the beneficiaries, so they can benefit from your death.

All of these issues should galvanize public opposition to the banks' control of their own regulators in Washington. As Bankster puts it, "If you want to rein in the Banksters and if you think America deserves better than a ‘boom and bail’ economy, you need to muscle up and weigh in." Only engaged citizens can stop the banks.

more at link....A massive rally in Chicago next week aims to express public displeasure with the... more