Category Archives: Freedom

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Ottawa occupiers and other protesters across this country have been misusing the word, Emilie Nicolas writes.

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To be perfectly honest, I havent been feeling Black History Month this year.

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Perhaps in part because two consecutive winters of cancelled indoor gatherings would take its toll on any kind of large celebrations. But mostly, Im finding it hard to detach my attention from rampant misuses of the word freedom by Ottawa occupiers and other protesters across this country.

Freedom being the most important rally cry for Black people on this continent across centuries, the so-called Freedom Convoy, with its occasional Confederate flags, is being distracting, to say the least.

When Haitians rebelled against French enslavers, freedom or death became one of the key mottos. It came about in a context where the living conditions for enslaved Africans were so utterly inhumane, that many chose to take their lives to affirm that although their bodies were in chains, their will remained free. Basically, the ancestors chose to live freely or die freely unfreedom being no life at all.

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After the revolution, a good part of the population chose to exercise that freedom by building agricultural villages on a model inspired by their West African roots. Freedom meant freedom to sustain oneself in communities built for supporting one another, freedom to practice your ancestral religion and culture, freedom to have a family, freedom of movement; the freedom to live, really.

In the United States and in the British empire (including Canada), abolition of slavery came later. And even when it did come, living as a racialized minority in settler-colonial states created other barriers to freedom. Several battles had to be fought. People had been emancipated, but without access to good land, and the means to sustain themselves, were they really free

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If you are a sharecropper in the Old South, where youre not paid enough to not go into debt, and debt is punishable with prison, are you free? If you are a Black Loyalist denied employment in Nova Scotia, unable to feed your family, are you free? Over the decades, the old overtly racist practices that maintained degrees of unfreedom despite emancipation were replaced by the subtler yet very effective systemic inequalities we still see today.

Freedom is still fought for today because casual dehumanization still limits what people can aspire to, because organized intergenerational poverty still hinders people from sustaining themselves and supporting one another, because racial profiling and mass criminalization still threaten to put Black bodies in chains, and violently end lives in the name of the law.

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Fighting for freedom today also means healing. It requires taking the time and space necessary to address intergenerational trauma, and the ways its been impacting communities. In short, its about freeing the mind from harmful ideas that still impact our mental health, self-esteem, and our ability to truly show up for one another. And the freedom to reconnect with the parts of our heritage that have been stigmatized or lost by decades if not centuries of prejudice and forced assimilation.

Which brings me back to the Freedom Convoy, a large portion of which has been fighting for the freedom to infect others with a potentially life-threatening virus. And in doing so, has chosen to exercise a freedom to deprive entire neighbourhoods of sleep and rest with non-stop dangerous level of noise, a freedom to harass and scare fellow citizens, freedom to desecrate a cenotaph and make a mockery of Indigenous ceremonies, freedom to urinate and defecate in the streets, freedom to yell homophobic and racist slurs, freedom to stack potentially explosive gas tanks in residential areas.

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I am not surprised, to be honest, that a significant group of people today would choose to define freedom, basically, as the freedom to harm others without consequences. Its been a recurrent feature on this continent. If it wasnt the case, Black history would look completely different.

For centuries, Black people have stood against freedom defined as the freedom to cause the unfreedom of others. Who else, this week, wants to actively, energetically join that fight?

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Nicolas: The meaning of freedom - Montreal Gazette

In honor ofBlack History Month, Central Ohio Freedom Fund (COFF) has been making daily posts to social media, each centered on a person or group that has impacted the social justice movement. Rather than focusing on familiar faces from the Civil Rights era, however, COFF has embraced the posts as an opportunity to turn a spotlight on a numberof locals helping to shape the present.

A lot of times with Black history, and especially with Black History Month, we tend to highlight our ancestors and the people who came before us, and we tend to forget about the people who are currently making history, COFF organizer Stacey Little said by phone. Lets highlight some folks who are doing stuff now, who are here, who people can access. … We wanted to uplift some of what was already out there, what was already going on.

Little said documenting this history as it unfolds serves multiple purposes, including uplifting the marginalized voices currently doing the heavy lifting, as well as creating a public record so these actions arent lost or erased, which is something weve seen happen over time.

The subjects of early posts have included: attorney Sean Walton, who has represented the families of multiple people killed by law enforcement, including the families of Henry Green and Casey Goodson, Jr.; poet, author and cultural critic Hanif Abdurraqib; the podcast Columbus Cant Wait, which has engaged the community on issues of politics and police violence, among other topics; Dispatch journalist (and former Alive staffer) Erica Thompson; and artist Richard Duarte Brown, recipient of the 2022 Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson Fellowship.

The posts will continue through the end of the month, Little said, ending with a tribute to the ancestors upon which this current movement is built. In the coming weeks,COFF will also highlight some of the youngsters just now beginning to make waves, effectively linking multiple generations of activism. In that sense, the ongoing campaign mirrors the evolution of COFF, the members of which have spent the last year learning from the past and assessing the present, all with aneye on creating a greater future impact.

The last year, we werent really able to do anything, navigating through COVID and all of that, Little said. There was a moment of reset, of reorganizing, and were going into this year doing the things weve really wanted to do.

Organizers including Little formed COFF in March 2020, the group rising to greater prominence alongside theresurgent Black lives matter movement that swept through the country in May 2020. Initially, the group formed around a goal of providing funds for people in Franklin County who were in jail not because they were convicted of a crime or incarcerated, but because they couldnt make bail. In the years since, though, this vision has gradually expanded, with the group championing legislation that could reduce the need for a more generalized community bail fund.

In Ohio, a pair of bipartisan, companion bills SB 182 and HB 315 would reform the current bail system in twocrucial ways: (1) the legislation would require a pretrial release decision be made within 48 hours of arrest, reducing the number of people in jail waiting for the court to determine their pretrial fate; and (2) it would establish a system that would allow the court to determine if a person posed a threat to public safety.

Moving forward, we always have to be ready for whats next, and whats next after we end cash bail? said Little, who, along with other COFF members, has engaged in conversations with community bail funds in cities such as Chicago and Philadelphia, learning from others immersed in these types of direct actions as a means of plotting new ways forward. "What is next for our community? And how can we still take care of our community when things change?"

Newly developedinitiatives include Commissary Comrades, where a $35 monthly donation can provide toiletries andother essentials for someone imprisoned, as well asexpanded training and educational series centered on abolition. In the future, the group'smission could expand, connecting ex-felons with services to help them reacclimate to life outside of prison. And eventually, Little said, COFF would prefer to turn over leadership of the group to those previously bailed out by it.

Thats really the ultimate goal, isnt it? Little said. We want people who have been directly impacted in positions of leadership, making decisions and freeing other folks. In the meantime, in the system were working in, its more about getting better at taking care of folksand connecting them to resources and other things of that nature. Thats how were always thinking, how were always moving forward.

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Central Ohio Freedom Fund pays tribute to the present, looks to the future - Columbus Alive

Enes K Freedom dropping a three is running rounds on social media in the middle of all the big trades news and rumors.

As James Harden missed his third straight game with left hamstring tightness, Kevin Durant remains out with a sprained knee ligament, and Kyrie Irvings ineligibility to play home games, the Brooklyn Nets got under the hammer of Boston Celtics.

Without their three superstars, the Nets werent competitive at all and lost their 9th straight giving Cs a 126-91 victory, making it their fifth 30-plus points victory in the last 9 games. This win also brought the Celtics their 6th straight victory, tying the Raptors for the best winning streak in the East this season.

Also read: Golden State Warriors Playoff Picture: An insight into the strength, weaknesses, playoff matchup, and a possible trade for a washing machine

While each of the Nets starting-5 failed to score in double digits, Jayson Tatum and Co had 4 starters scoring 10+ points in a free-flowing game where they shot over 55% from the field and 35% from the 3-point line. Jaylen Brown had yet another player of the match night.

Celtics had a 26-point lead to begin the 4th quarter and so everyone in the Boston uniform felt they shouldnt be left behind in trying their hands out from the 3-point line.

In a game where almost every Celtics player had an attempt from the perimeter, the last man anyone wanted to see shoot a three would be Enes K Freedom. But the center had a go at it, and to everyones surprise, he made his only attempt from the downtown.

On the night flooded with trade news, his 3-pointer by Freedom sent NBA Twitter on a frenzy.

Even the Nets fans wished it to be a dream that would never come true.

Meanwhile, a Cs fan tried to have some fun offering Freedom for Harden on a Nets fans Twitter space.

Also read: Michael Jordan used to always say you were born at the wrong time!: Charles Oakley describes the banter between him and MJ after the Knicks lost the 1994 NBA Finals to Hakeem Olajuwon and co

Both these teams look to have swapped places compared to when this season started. While everything has started clicking for the Celtics, the Nets struggle to get even one of their regular starters. Also, they literally have exchanged places in the Eastern Conference standings.

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"Aint no way Enes Kanter Freedom is splashing threes on the Nets": NBA Twitter goes on a frenzy as Celtics... - The Sportsrush

The report documents votes pertaining to reproductive freedom taken by all members of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate during the first session of the 117th Congress. Not only did Auchincloss have a perfect score, but as did the entire state of Massachusetts.

"NARAL's annual Congressional Record on Reproductive Freedom is an important metric to measure our elected leaders' commitment to our values," said NARAL Pro-Choice America President Mini Timmaraju in a statement. "We saw notable gains for reproductive freedom in last year's Congress, including the historic removal of the discriminatory Hyde Amendment from spending bills and the passage of the Women's Health Protection Act in the Housethe first standalone vote in Congress to proactively protect abortion rights."

"With our fundamental rights under unprecedented attack, it is more important than ever that our leaders in Congress rise up to meet this moment and fight for our freedom to make our own decisions about our lives, families, and futures," she continued.

NARAL Pro-Choice America's 2021 Congressional Record on Reproductive Freedom comes during a time of uncertainty for the future of legal abortion. Later this year, the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule on a direct challenge to Roe v. Wade.

The case, Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, involves Mississippi's 15-week abortion ban and threatens to end the constitutional right to legal abortion. Any ruling that upholds Mississippi's ban will overturn Roe's core protections.

To view the full Congressional Record on Reproductive Freedom, click here.

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Auchincloss Recognized For 100% Record On Reproductive Freedom - Patch.com

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--SaverLife and the Intuit Financial Freedom Foundation (IFFF) today announced the launch of a national campaign to encourage more people to jumpstart their savings journey at tax time. The campaign builds on multiple years of research and success helping more than 100,000 people with low-to-moderate incomes pledge to save over $120 million at tax time. The partnership is accelerating paid digital outreach to find and motivate tens of thousands of new people to save a portion of their tax refund and maintain savings year-round.

SaverLife and IFFF first joined forces in 2018 to provide the tools many people need to build a strong foundation for long-term financial health. This shared purpose has been at the center of the tax time initiatives the two organizations have worked on together for the last five years.

Expanding the Intuit-SaverLife Partnership in 2022

IFFF is donating nearly $1 million in cash and in-kind services to support SaverLifes new digital media outreach campaign to broadly promote its successful Tax-Time pledge and tips for navigating tax time on saverlife.org, while testing new tactics that encourage savings, including challenges tailored to a users personal financial goals.

With Intuits deep experience in providing the tools, skills, and insights that help empower people to take control of their finances at tax time and beyond, and SaverLifes expertise in savings innovations, the partnership seeks to transform tax time into a powerful opportunity for financial health and prosperity among individuals with low-and-moderate incomes.

Since 2018, IFFF has invested $4.2M in SaverLife to bring an interactive savings experience to its members. The Foundations 2022 commitment is intended to accelerate the success of SaverLife's Tax Time program so that more people can build a strong financial foundation during one of the most critical financial moments of the yeartax time.

The last 18 months of the pandemic have solidified the importance of everyone engaging with the tax system, said Leigh Phillips, CEO of SaverLife. Together with Intuit, we have turned tax-time into an empowering moment to kick-start financial health all year long. We have built a successful program to support people living with low-to-moderate incomes to make the most of the tax season by ensuring they file, have the resources and information they need to maximize their tax refund and encourage them to save a portion of their refund.

SaverLifes new digital outreach campaign calls attention to its successful gamification tools to incentivize savings and to real-life testimonies from savers who have taken the tax time pledge. SaverLife will leverage current trends in digitized personalization to test new tactics to encourage savings, including challenges tailored to a users personal financial goals. Even small nudges can lead to long-term behavioral changes. As before, SaverLife will offer $20,000 worth of prize-based challenges through weekly instant win $50 scratchers.

At Intuit, everything we do starts with the belief that everyone deserves the opportunity to prosper, said Susan Mason, director at IFFF. Now more than ever, circumstances demand that we think and do things differently. We know from research that most people want to save but have to use their tax refund to catch up. We want them to be able to get ahead as well. The investment and partnership with SaverLife have been and continues to be critical to creating a world where everyone can do just that.

Separate from the Foundations funding and in-kind services, Intuit is also offering SaverLife members the opportunity for virtual taxpayer assistance to help them prepare and file their 2021 tax returns for free with TurboTax and assistance from Intuit volunteer tax experts.

For more on SaverLife, please visit: saverlife.org/ Visit the SaverLife blogs: saverlife.org/money-101 Follow SaverLife on Twitter: @wearesaverlifeVisit SaverLife on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/saverlife/

About SaverLife

SaverLife (formerly EARN) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit on a missionto inspire, inform, and reward the millions of Americans who need help saving money. Through engaging technologies and strategic partnerships, we give working people the methods and motivation to take control of their financial future. SaverLife has a number of esteemed investor partners including Intuit Financial Freedom Foundation, MetLife Foundation, Prudential, JPMorgan Chase & Co., MasterCard, and Capital One. For more information or to join the SaverLife movement, please visit saverlife.org.

About the Intuit Freedom Financial Foundation

Intuit Financial Freedom Foundation is Intuits charitable foundation dedicated to public/private/not-for-profit partnerships and programs that help bring opportunities to prosper to all, especially those living with lower incomes. Intuit believes citizen engagement in preparation and filing of tax returns is an important, empowering opportunity for Americans to understand and improve their personal financial lives. This is especially true for lower income Americans and why Intuit has donated TurboTax to millions, founded Tax Time Allies, and provides funding and other support to nonprofits that build financial freedom including savings for those who need it the most.

Read more from the original source:

SaverLife, Intuit Financial Freedom Foundation Launch National Campaign to Help Thousands More People Use Tax Time to Learn More About and Take...

Edgar Bunton| Springfield News-Leader

The other day, Governor Mike Parson declared a pre-emptive state of emergency for a snowstorm that had not even occurred yet. Many area schools closed down over this alleged "emergency."

I will not live in fear of some "snowstorm" which I have taken to calling the "Snowverreaction."Even though it is far milder than storms we have had in the past, it is being used by government and cultural elites to limit our freedom, plain and simple.

Let's get some facts straight:

Did you know over99 percentof those who venture out into blizzards survive? They don't want you to know it, but it's true. Maybe we should worry about heart disease before we go cancelling school to protect against "weather."

Some claim winter gear like hats, coats and gloves protect against the cold, but many coat-owners still suffer frostbite. My sister's Scentsy dealer wore a coat and died from a heart attack two days later. Funny how the people who make money selling cold weather gear are the first to cry about how important it is.

Elitists say ice and snow may cause a car's tires to slip. They say we should drive slower and avoid treacherousroads. Are these the same people who said speeding and drunk driving were the main risks justafew months ago? Interesting they weren't even a little worried about snow over Labor Day weekend.

A lot of people who are injured or killed in these events were actually victims of other issues, and their suffering is being politicized to make people afraid. Someone drove off the road and hit a tree? Mark it "snowstorm."Someone needed their ear partially amputated due to frostbite? Mark it "snowstorm."

Most of those injured or killed by "weather" had pre-existing conditions that made them susceptible to the cold or vehicular accidents.

There is no reason to close schools and workplaces with theeconomy the way it is. This morning, I called my kids' school and demanded they resume in-person classes immediately. I urge all of you to do the same. Kids need to be in school, and if some silly, fearful cowards want to keep their kids home, that's fine. But I'm no coward. I am brave and don't care who knows it! As a taxpayer, I expect the school buses running with an army of terrified, underpaid drivers navigating slick country roads and risking their lives and the lives of others on my behalf.

And for anyone who "feels" that my logic on this topic is warped and ridiculous, please remember that this same reasoning is just as solid regardless of the issue youuse it on.

Edgar Bunton,Buffalo

Link:

A 'snowverreaction' created to restrict our freedom - News-Leader

Over the past two years our neighbors to the north have been held captive by government mandates limiting their freedoms and ability to make a living. The Canadian government has asserted that vaccination is an essential component in moving past the COVID-19 pandemic. Effective Jan. 15, 2022, all travelers entering Canada, including truck drivers, must use ArriveCAN to provide mandatory travel information, including proof of vaccination. The U.S. has also followed suit with a similar mandate for truckers coming from Canada and Mexico.

This was proverbially the straw that broke the camels back and a group of truckers who lost their jobs decided to drive to the nations capital Ottawa, Ontario, to voice their dissension. The movement has grown exponentially with thousands of semis and private vehicles joining in convoys from across the nation converging on Ottawa on Jan 29.

The small fringe minority of people who are on their way to Ottawa who are holding unacceptable views that they are expressing do not represent the views of Canadians who have been there for each other, who know that following the science and stepping up to protect each other is the best way to continue to ensure our freedoms, our rights, our values, as a country, Prime Minster Trudeau said Wednesday, Jan. 26.

Prime Minster Trudeau also said that Canadians who have stepped up to do the right thing, by getting vaccinated are the ones protecting the freedoms and the rights of Canadians to get back to the things we love to do.

RECORD BREAKING

These statements have angered many Canadians as they have come out in support of their freedoms regardless of their vaccination status and ethnic background in large numbers. American truckers have also joined. The Canadian citizens have rallied to the cause and at every overpass and side road they gathered waving flags, holding signs and giving out supplies to the drivers.

Brian Hunstad of Saskatchewan said that on Monday, Jan. 24, when the convoy came through it was insane. Probably a thousand people by the overpass, cars and lights as far as the eye could see. One of my friends joined the convoy for 60 miles and in Canada we have gravel side roads every two miles and he said on every road there were people waving them on. Hunstad himself drove to Regina the capital Saskatchewan on the Jan. 29 to protest at the Provincial Legislature buildings. It was pretty cool, it was different, weve been to a few protests but this was different. No anger, everyone was happy and ready to be done with all these mandates and lock downs. Just regular people with their families ready for this to be done, very joyful.

Hunstad said that there were over 500 trucks registered for the Regina convoy and the numbers overwhelmed the police so they limited the number allowed in the city. Many of the trucks parked in fields and it was so big there was no official count. Canadians arent like Americans, we dont wear our flag on our sleeve but its different now, I saw vehicles driving around with flags. Saskatchewan has announced that the mandates will be coming down soon but that has nothing to do with our deal, it is just that someone has got to be first.

Since Jan. 23, 2022, the groups Go-Fund-Me page has raised over $10 million (Canadian) to cover the cost of the journey and to take care of the truckers who have now settled into Ottawa for the long haul and are making sure their presence is made know by the blast of their horns. The Freedom Convoy organized by Tamara Lich, Benjamin Dichter and Chris Barber held a press conference on Jan. 30 and outlined their goals and plans. They plan to peacefully remain in Ottawa until the government restores the freedom of all Canadians by lifting all COVID mandates and allowing the country to return to normal. They said they have enough funds to remain in the capital for years if necessary. The Prime Minster has declined to meet with the truckers and is currently quarantining after a positive COVID test.

The organizers have joined forces with locals and are supplying the needs of the truckers, showers, hot meals and food. While some of the trucks are lining the streets of Ottawa, many are parked in fields around the city. The group is committed to remaining peaceful, are guarding monuments, shoveling snow, playing hocking, picking up garbage and feeding the homeless.

TRUDEAUS UNPOPULARITY

While many Canadians support the convoy there are some who feel that demanding all mandates be lifted and blocking streets is the wrong way to go about effecting change. Especially as many in the convoy along with flags are sporting F**k Trudeau signs.

Prime Minster Trudeau is far from popular in much of Canada and in the last election he only received 21 percent of the vote but Canada doesnt have term limits for their leaders. The convoy leaders believe that they are representing the other 80 percent that dont have a voice and have lost jobs and businesses due to the lock downs. In some of the provinces those without a vaccine passport are restricted from shopping, going to gyms, attending sporting events and Quebec was even going to implement a tax on the unvaccinated but that plan is now going to be abandoned.

While thousands gathered in province capitals and in Ottawa, many from both sides of the border gathered at several major crossing. Large numbers gathered at the Sweet Grass, Mont./Coutts, Alberta, crossing. Jake Zacharias was there with his drone filming on Jan. 29. We saw people, all kinds, vaccinated, unvaccinated uniting, coming together for the first time in two years. We saw hope, we saw people who are done with all the mandates, we saw the Canada we used to have. Freedom to choose. Freedom of speech. There were well over a 1,000 vehicles I would say on the 29th but its tough to say though.

The truckers, farmers and citizens have remained at this crossing ever since and have slowed traffic to a crawl, with estimates of over a seven hour wait listed on the border website. Yet the emergency lane is clear for emergency vehicles. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police have been negotiating with the group with little success and they have threatened the peaceful protesters with arrest. But their efforts to hire tow trucks have met with refusal by local companies to tow the protesters. Residents have been delivering food, fuel and supplies by side roads as the police have barricaded the main highway near Milk River, Alberta, and refusing to allow traffic through. On Tuesday, Feb. 1, farmers in tractors broke through the barricade by taking the ditch and going around it, leading a number of tractors, semis and smaller vehicles to join the border group.

I havent been there since Saturday. But what I hear is that the RCMP have blocked all roads going to the border. They are not letting anyone in. The truckers are still holding the line. As far as I know any truckers that wanted to leave were able to leave. And now the RCMP is turning around all traffic at the blockade. Not allowing them to go to the border or to the convoy blockade, Zacharias said in a recent update.

The Freedom Convoy has sparked interest and support world-wide. Across Europe, Central America, Australia and the U.S. truckers are organizing their own convoys for freedom. According to the press conference, the convoy has started a cultural movement for cultural unity in Canada that has blossomed into a global cultural movement, pushing back against the political class who have failed us and are pushing us into serfdom.

See more here:

Freedom Convoy 2022 | TheFencePost.com - The Fence Post

Good afternoon Greenpointers,

If youve got cabin fever, or if youre just looking to get out of the house, try one of these fun (and entirely indoors) activities who knew Williamsburg had paintball? We got the scoop on a new independent play opening on February 13, and if youre feeling particularly magnanimous, lend a helping hand with a volunteer opportunity from North Brooklyn Angels.

Theres never a shortage of restaurant news in North Brooklyn, and this week was no exception. Keep an eye out for Lingo, a soon-to-open Japanese restaurant and the first Brooklyn location of popular local chain Jacks Wife Freda. A new fast-casual spot, SoBol, is opening soon in Williamsburg as well. Win Son Bakery launched a limited run of ice cream for the Lunar New Year.

In news specific to Greenpoint, we profiled Chef Clark Riley of the newly opened Stowaway, a Southern cafe and bistro thatll surely satisfy any biscuit craving you might have.

In design updates, we have a cool apartment tour to check out, as well as a profile on the chic new 42 Hotel.

We spoke again to Trevor of Freedom Market, whos taking the initiative on the road. Mikeys Hook Up is celebrating 20 years in business with a documentary series on YouTube.

In more unfortunate news, the Black Lives Matter flag at PS 110 was stolen and replaced by an All Lives Matter flag. Weather conditions likely contributed to stray voltage that tragically led to a dog and its owner being electrocuted.

Were you at the Equinox gym in Williamsburg this weekend? Someone might be looking for you!

In and around Greenpoint

Gothamist reported that the deadline on a natural gas permit for Greenpoint Energy Center had been extended, yet again.

Paulie Gees and Xian Famous Foods collaborated on a new pizza!

Newtown Creek Alliance released a new video highlighting the neighborhoods Green Roofs.

The newly opened Greenpoint Pilates Studio has an Open House this Saturday.

Representative Carolyn Maloneys office will be distributing free COVID-19 tests and masks at the Greenpoint YMCA on February 7, 8 9 AM.

Sign up to volunteer for North Brooklyn Angels Angel Baby Project here.

The rest is here:

Greenpoint This Week: Freedom Market, North Brooklyn Angels, and More. - greenpointers.com

Editors note: Opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are those of the author alone and do not reflect the editorial position of ClarkCountyToday.com

Today, Feb. 4 will go down in history for Woodland Middle School, which is just 20 miles north of Vancouver.

Did you hear it? No that rumbling in Woodland (gateway to Mt. St. Helens) at 8:30 this morning; was not the mountain; these were eruptions of cheer and celebration from over 100 mask-less middle school students exercising their freedom to BREATHE freely. They came to school this morning without their MASK and gathered in unity. Just watching these students looking around and smiling in conversation with one another was watching Christmas morning happening all over again! The gift of FREEDOM could not have been more precious than on the faces of these children. Children need to BE FREE, which means to LIVE FREE. Masks do not work. They limit oxygen, not viruses.

Hats off to Woodland Middle School Principal James Johnston who stood with his mask-less students, behind a plastic face shield so we could see his smile as he spoke. The face shield had a batman scarf attached at the bottom of the shield which gave me an impression that he was warm and open and truly cares for his students. They could see his face, read his lips even though there was a shield. This was important to him. I commend him. Its NOT his fault this is happening in his school. These are his students. He receives his students well, nonverbal communication synched well with his words and he spoke to a few select parents. These parents respect him. He is not the enemy.

Principal Johnston gave options for what is to happen next for his students by speaking out options to all his mask-less students. He took the time to closely engage each student as they were addressing concerns and he did so in a way that did not appear to discriminate in my humble opinion. He seems like a great man doing his duty to protect his students RIGHTS. Options to put the mask back on and go to class. Or go to the library and open their chrome books. Other options about having to fill out a form, possibly calling the parent to come get them, which he would help the students with individually. Parents that were present only had positive responses to his direction regarding their children.

One parent mentioned, sending her child to the library was segregating him from his classmates and this should not happen. We can agree, but we also realize this is the first step in the right direction.

Yesterday, high school students made an important impact to STOP this MASK MANDATE. Now ALL schools in Clark and Cowlitz county and across this entire state can and more and more students will be equipped with the FREEDOM to replicate this FREEDOM STAND.

On a side note, I cannot help but smile to see this effort come from our students, and God, yes God. The timing of this was not a coincidence. On Feb. 1 our Clark County Council members voted AGAINST our mini-initiative Petition to STOP MEDICAL DISCRIMINATION. They tried to silence 11,505 Registered Voters who came out to sign our legitimate historical petition. All we needed was 8,311 votes but we had over 3K more signatures. Only one brave council member listened to us. Only one. Thank you Eileen Quiring OBrien. Thank you for your dedication to support FREEDOM. We will never forget you.

Then as God would have it, the very next day, Washougal High School stood up and made national news. (Fox News, Jesse Watters). Today, Woodland Middle School stood up.

Harlyn Thompson, BSN, RNBattle Ground

Originally posted here:

Letter: This Freedom Train is rolling through your town - clarkcountytoday.com

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About the author: Thomas Peterffy is founder and chairman of Interactive Brokers and is chairman of theCouncil of Trustees of Common Sense Society, an international educational foundation active inthe United States and Europe.

I was born in the fall of 1944 in the bomb shelter of a Budapest hospital. The Russian army was pushing the Germans back towards Berlin. Hitler decided to make a last stand in Budapest. It failed, but we ended up with hundreds of bombed out buildings. I grew up in what remained of one of those bombed out buildings with my mother and grandmother.

Nobody thought that the Russian army would stay there for the next 46 years, but they did. They were defending socialism and installed a Communist government.

Shortly after my grandmother passed away when I was 7, my mother told me that when I woke up the next day I would be alone. Not to worry, she said. She would be home by the time I would have to leave for school. I insisted that she take me along wherever she was going. I was too scared to be alone.

We had to get up at 4:30 in the dark and freezing winter morning to walk to the nearby baker. By the time we got there, quite a few people were already standing in line and many more were still coming. We joined them in the breadline. While we stood there, shivering in the freezing cold, I asked my mother why we had to wait there, two hours before the baker opened? She explained that the baker did not have enough bread for everyone and that people towards the end of the line would usually have to leave empty-handed.

Despite the cold, standing in the breadline for the first time was interesting. Everybody got a four-and-a-half pound loaf, still hot from the oven. I clutched it to my chest all the way home to keep warm.

After the third time, I told my mother that she should go by herself. I was more scared of the cold than I was of the ghosts in the dark apartment.

For my 10th birthday, my mother gave me an alarm clock and told me that I was now old enough to stand in the breadline. When she couldnt get any on her way home from work, I would have to go and spend my early morning hours in the breadline.

In 1956 when I was 12, the so-called Hungarian Revolution forced the Soviet soldiers to withdraw to their barracks. It seemed as if the people had prevailed. But after a few days of freedom, Mao told Khrushchev that if he let Hungary go, all the socialist countries would fall like dominoes. More Soviet tanks and troops came in and they propped up the government.

But the Communist Party bosses came to understand that they were sitting on a powder keg.

If they did not allow a minimal level of private enterprise, the people would no longer accept the needless suffering. So they allowed an individual or a family to start businesses. They were not allowed to hire any employees. Still, these new enterprises miraculously eliminated many of the shortages and everyday life became easier.

When I was in college, it was compulsory to study Marxism and Leninism. The first tenet, paraphrased, was that the Communist Party and its cause is sacrosanct. It represents the interest of the people and any act or word that could be construed to be against it must be crushed and punished, immediately.

The second was that the capitalist economy is a chaotic series of booms and busts. Thousands of businesses make decisions without knowing what everybody else is doing. Without coordination, most products and services will be in imbalance; oversupply or undersupply. This is very expensive. Companies go bankrupt. People get laid off. The economic consequences are terrible.

On the other hand, a socialist economy is planned with perfect information. The planners know what everybody is doing and can perfectly regulate supply to meet demand.

This sounded pretty logical. So why did it not work? Why did we have to stand in breadlines in the freezing cold for hours?

But these were questions we were not allowed to ask. The first tenet forbid them. Anyone who did ask was kicked out of school, with slim chances for a job. Some went to jail. We did not dare to discuss any of these topics even among ourselves. Anyone who found themselves in trouble with the authorities would be forced to give us up to save their own skin. This was perhaps the most difficult aspect of life for all of us to bear.

We lived behind the Iron Curtain like zombies. Covering our eyes and ears, reciting meaningless slogans in unison that none of us believed. Thats why I had to take a chance and leave, when I could. Its also why freedom of expression is not just another freedom, to be listed alongside others. The ability to speak ones conscience and to debate ideas openly is the cornerstone of all freedom.

If we cannot freely debate the reasons for breadlines, we will not be able to avoid standing in them.

Guest commentaries like this one are written by authors outside the Barrons and MarketWatch newsroom. They reflect the perspective and opinions of the authors. Submit commentary proposals and other feedback toideas@barrons.com.

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Peterffy: Freedom of Expression Is the Cornerstone of Liberty - Barron's