Did you know that over 80,000 people demonstrated at the recent G8 summit held in Germany on June 6-8? Did you know that demonstrators engaged in peaceful civil disobedience and effectively blockaded the entrances to the conference area, delaying the beginning of the summit? Did you read about this in your local paper? No! Because this article is the only thing the local fishwrapper has seen fit to publish regarding G8 lately. Don't despair, however; Olympia's own Rochelle Gause was present at the G8 summit protests in Heiligendamm, Germany earlier this month. Her article on the summit and the protests will appear in the July issue of Works In Progress.

The mainstream media is doing a great job of presenting a corporate-friendly view of the world. How fortunate we are that alternative new sources, struggling as they may be, still exist to present a fuller picture.

Story courtesy of www.komotv.com

CLARKSTON, Wash. -- A 3-year-old boy died after shooting himself in the chest with a handgun in.

Police said the boy was apparently playing with a 9mm semi-automatic at the home of his mother's boyfriend on Monday.

Ladies and Gentlemen: If you own a firearm, and ever have a child playing in/outside your home....LOCK THEM UP! I don't even have a child and I make sure they are all locked up and out of reach when a child is at my place. There are enough things to get children killed in this world and this is the one thing that will constantly be under attack as long as stupid people don't take necessary precautions.

If you have a child, teach them about the dangers associated with firearms. If you have a young child, who obviously won't comprehend the lesson (ie a 3 y/o) keep them out of reach, unload them, lock them up, WHATEVER you have to do.

I am pretty darn pro-gun but people have to start taking better precautions. And for anyone interested, passing another law won't help this. We need better education and INDIVIDUALS need to step-up and take some responsibility. You may never serve jail time if your child accidentally shoots their self(sp?) but can you live with that?

From ZNet:

A new breed of struggle is flowering in the Northwest anti-war movement. Its aim: to stop public ports from being used for export of war materials. Activists in Washington state are evolving from demonstrators and lobbyists into direct actors against the war masters, blocking streets and facing arrest as needed.

This development isn't happening in a vacuum. A product of anger over congressional inaction on the war and repulsion at the militarization of U.S. society, it is also inspired by a rising resistance movement among GIs.

A statement from the Port Militarization Resistance (PMR) puts it this way: "The weapons shipments, and the use of our public property to prolong and supply the war in Iraq, have made us complicit in crimes against humanity. We refuse to be complicit any longer."

The first action took place last year in Olympia, near Fort Lewis. Participants blocked entrance to their port to stop the Army from shipping war materials.

In 2007, activists declared victory when the Army announced it was going elsewhere. The new location turned out to be Tacoma, 30 miles north of Olympia. Students from the nearby University of Puget Sound, military veterans, teachers, a city councilman, and many others quickly sprang into action, aided by organizers of the blockades in Olympia. As Tacoma protester Leah Coakley said, "We will not serve as a pit stop for the war machine."

1+1=3 Dinosaur Jr.