Occupy Denver - Day 7

A small group of dedicated citizens seems to have taken up residence near the central steps on Broadway between Colfax and 14th. Justin, who goes by the nickname of Crunchy, says they have a great relationship with the cops, who come by for coffee and to voice their support. Last night a group of anarchists, so-called, blocked the sidewalk and yelled "Fuck the cops", but were eventually convinced not to by the majority gathered there. General assembly is held daily at 7:00 pm and the big rally/march is this Saturday at noon.

Occupy Denver

"Occupy" groups based on the Occupy Wall Street demonstration in NYC are now springing up around the country, including Denver. Although I'm tempted to go down to the Capitol grounds right now, it is a bit late. They have a FB page #occupydenver (over 1000 likes so far) and you can follow them in real time here without signing up for anything.

According to Brandi Williams of indigojourney who is on the scene in Denver, about 75 people are marching right now (9:51 pm). Add info in the comments here if you have any.

Update:
OccupyChicago has gone live:
Watch live video from Occupy Chicago on www.justin.tv

The Slippery Slope of Reality - Part 4

Dr. Dave at Shrink Rap Radio was kind enough to let me relate the story of my recent misadventures of the mind after hip surgery. Tune in to his show for the last in this 4-part series on lucid dreaming.

He's got 280 of these interviews online - mostly with famous psychologists, spiritualists, and mind-seekers. I am a total fan and very appreciative that he invites me on the show occasionally. If you have any interest in the inner world, you'll love his podcasts, which are also available on iTunes.

Plutonium at Rocky Flats

From: LeRoy Moore
RE: Plea for Support

Last week two specialists that we hired collected 40+ samples at Rocky Flats, primarily along the eastern edge of the site on land proposed for the privately financed Jefferson Parkway. Earlier studies showed this area to be heavily contaminated with plutonium. Our request to U.S. Fish & Wildlife for permission to have our sampling done on the Rocky Flats site was denied, so the samples were collected outside the fence. In five or six weeks we will know whether or not the sampling shows that highway construction in the area would stir up clouds of plutonium-laden dust that would endanger workers, nearby residents and others. We took this step because it appeared that government agencies weren't going to do the sampling that we believe should be done before construction of a toll road. We very much need financial support to help pay the cost of this work and follow-up activities, including publicity and grassroots efforts. Cost for the sampling and analysis alone will run several thousand dollars. While it's on your mind, please make as audacious a donation as you can. Either send a check earmarked for Nuclear Guardianship to Rocky Mountain Peace & Justice Center, Box 1156, Boulder, CO 80306, or make a donation on line at http://rmpjc.org, using the "Project Support" button under PayPal. Thank you for your generosity.
LeRoy Moore, Ph.D., Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center P. O. Box 1156, Boulder, Colorado 80306-1156 USA E-mail address: leroymoore@earthlink.net

More road closures

Police Chief Search Town Hall Meeting

Join Mayor Hancock and Manager of Safety Justice Alex Martinez for a town hall meeting.  You will have the opportunity to provide feedback on the attributes you, the residents of Denver, are looking for in the next Denver Police Chief.

 

WHEN: Wednesday, September 28, 2011 - 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

 

WHERE: Manual High School, Auditorium - 1700 E. 28th Ave., Denver, CO

 

Input can also be provided before and after the meeting. Send your suggestions today by email to chiefsearch@denvergov.org.  To get the latest information about the Police Chief Search, go to www.denvergov.org\mayor and click the “police search” tab to get the latest information about Mayor Hancock’s search for a new chief.

 

Big Dog

I've posted the exploits of Big Dog (our military's pack carrier robot) in the past, but this is the first music video of Big Dog that I've seen.

Marijuana Prosecutions For 2010 Near Record High

Pot Arrests Now More Than Half Of Total Drug Arrests Nationwide

Washington, DC: Police made 853,838 arrests in 2010 for marijuana-related offenses, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's annual Uniform Crime Report, released today. The annual arrest total is among the highest ever reported by the agency and isnearly identical to the total number of cannabis-related arrests reported in 2009.

According to the report, marijuana arrests now comprise more than one-half (52 percent) of all drug arrests in the United States. An estimated 46 percent of all drug arrests are for offenses related to marijuana possession.

"Today, as in past years, the so-called 'drug war' remains fueled by the arrests of minor marijuana possession offenders, a disproportionate percentage of whom are ethnic minorities," NORML Deputy Director Paul Armentano said. "It makes no sense to continue to waste law enforcements' time and taxpayers' dollars to arrest and prosecute responsible Americans for their use of a substance that poses far fewer health risks than alcohol or tobacco."

Of those charged with marijuana law violations, 750,591 (88 percent) were arrested for marijuana offenses involving possession only. The remaining 103,247 individuals were charged with "sale/manufacture," a category that includes virtually all cultivation offenses.

By region, the percentage of marijuana arrests was highest in the Midwest (63.5 percent of all drug arrests) and southern regions (57 percent of all drug arrests) of the United States and lowest in the west, where pot prosecutions comprised only 39 percent of total drug arrests.

By contrast, the percentage of arrests for heroin and cocaine was lowest in the Midwest (14 percent of all arrests) and highest in the northeast (29 percent of all arrests).

Overall, law enforcement agents nationwide arrested 1,638,846 people last year for drug abuse violations,surpassing arrests for all other crimes.

Since 2000, law enforcement have reported making an estimated 7.9 million arrests for marijuana violations.

For more information, please contact Keith Stroup, NORML Legal Counsel, at             (202) 483-5500      , or Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director, at: paul@norml.org.

Early Adrienne

Adrienne Anderson fought corporate polluters all of her life. Here is some vintage footage of her early work.

Elevated from the comments:

parkhilldad has made a comment on Duck Pond - Ferril Lake 8-16-10: "Are you a whack job? The ecology of this site will always be out of whack. It's a man-made lake in an urban setting. This video is completely out of context - why not show the lake this year after the renovations and increased water flows? This site continues to be an important bird area for Colorado." (Editor's reply) Glad you asked, parkhilldad - I was working on an article to go with this recent video, but your introduction probably says it best. I would just add ..."to which we are flushing Lowry Landfill Superfund Site pollutants". Also, may I suggest that you search on this site for Duck pond pollution and educate yourself before you start calling people names. What did our $1.6 million buy for this toxic cesspool?