(This piece is written from my perspective - that of an American.) On September 11th 2001 my country, America, suffered a horrendous attack on our homeland. With regards to that day and our national security a retired CIA officer said, “on that day the gloves came off.” That of course is how the whole country felt. We all saw the towers fall and could not believe it. It was devastating and we all felt it nationwide.

(This piece is written from my perspective - that of an American.) Right now the U.S. military (the military of my home country) is spread out all over the globe. There is no doubt Americans support their troops that point is never questioned and when when i msay theirs I means ours as I am an American also. But why our military leaders insist we be spread ourselves out all over the map is another question entirely, one we have a right to be asking. Bob Gates said recently that cuts to US defense would hurt our military might. ( http://www.freep.com/article/20110525/NEWS07/105250374/Defense-Secretary-Robert-Gates-Cuts-will-hurt-U-S-military-might) The insinuation of course was that we and of course “American Interests” would be less safe , but who exactly is he talking about?

Throughout the world, individuals, groups and organizations stand up to proclaim their dissent. We demand the banning of animal agriculture, fishing and hunting.

When we think of the wars raging today the country of my birth (America) is involved in Iraq and Afghanistan and think of private contractors many things come to mind. We may think of the overcharging of the government for services by Halliburton. We may think of the many scandals involving Blackwater (Xe) including illegally smuggling weapons and others for which they were banned from Iraq. We may think of DynCorp’s multiple instances of being involved in sexual slavery.

Our societies have to pronounce on the unjustifiable character of meat consumption from an ethical viewpoint: it involves sacrificing the basic interests of innumerable sentient beings whereas eating meat is unnecessary. Let's abolish meat!

This article discusses how to detect police spies, in the flesh, in their vehicles and how to observe their tactics, as well as a historical perspective on the use of spies. It is also very critical of community policing groups like Cellular On Patrol and the alumni of the FBI's National Citizens' Academy, who practice harassment tactics against American citizens, sometimes to the point where their victims commit suicide.

All across the world now ordinary people are rising up against repressive regimes which rob from them the ability to live free lives and have true multi-party democracies. People who no longer wish to have their voices silenced by governments repressing dissent or alternate views with torture, imprisonment and blacklisting/ social isolation have begun to rise up across the world. The ugly response from the powerful elite has been clear for people across the globe to see. They wanted the people that sweep and sell fruit and cater to their needs to be kept quiet, knowing their place and that they should shut up and stay there, but people are saying they have had enough.

Snoop Dog on being a Gay Rapper

The constitution of my country, United States the Constitution, has been the blueprint for this nation’s government since being written by the founding fathers. In the Constitution some of the most important and fundamental guiding principles regarding how our government should be carried out and what every citizen’s relationship to it should be has been written for all to see lest we forget. The people wrote it and stated unequivocally that it was to be a government meant to serve the needs of the people of this nation. It was not meant to be a form of excessive controls over people nor a way to exploit the citizens of this land in favor of lining the pockets of other interests.

When I was at the University of Connecticut here in America from 2003 – 2006 I went through an experience involving group harassment starting in my sophomore year and ending about when I graduated. There were many things which came out of that experience and writing helps put them in their place. The best and most rewarding for have been insights which came from looking back and analyzing what happened so that I could share what I have learned . That way, others going through the same struggles can look at some of what I’ve written and perhaps find something they may find helpful in their struggle. There are many people overseas who want to come and study here. I write about my experiences to help inform people about the potential realities of prejudice here in the USA.

When I was a student getting earning a four year degree at a state university here in the US, I went through harassment based mainly on racial prejudice. It was an opportunity for me to see how current structured harassment can take place and develop within a group; though at the time I did not realize this. There were many aspects and specific facets to the harassment, and though I didn’t realize it at the time, what it provided was a way to see these things and discuss how they happened. This way any others going through such experiences would have something describing what they may be going through in a way which could be helpful.

When I was a student at the University of Connecticut, matriculated in the landscape architecture program, I experienced three years of group harassment. I graduated and have thought long and hard about what happened, how it happened and what to do in order to prevent it happening in the future to other people. Fortunately for me, I documented some of it through video and audio evidence. This, backed up with still images and documentation, helped me to remember, recount and to make sense of it in some ways.