Category Archives: Freedom

Richard Tiegs| Special to the Iowa City Press-Citizen

The recent celebration of Martin Luther KingDay had me ruminating about freedom.

I dont normally think about freedom in music unless it is a patriotic song or freedom is used in the lyrics. After all, those of us writing music are too concerned about following the rules of good writing.

Looking back, I think my first real recognition of freedom in music came when I was in high school and commuting to play in the local university orchestra with my violin teacher, a cellist. We were doing a Hungarian dance.

The conductor used an interpretation that was different to me than how I read the music. I rarely have heard other orchestras do it the same way.

His study of the music allowed him the freedom to help us interpret it in a different way. This form of freedom is interpretive freedom of the black dots sprinkled across the page.

The next freedom I remember learning was called rubato. This word is derived from the Italian word for to rob.

To employ rubato in music means that one quickens and slows a tempo to be more expressive. In a love song, you might use rubato quickening to show ardor and rubato slowing to show tenderness.

It is this gentle quickening and slowing that give the piece its character. Rubato will drive a strict tempo person bonkers. But it is the director or performer using their freedom with tempi to make a statement.

Looking back, freedom came in another form that I didnt realize was a freedom. The fermata (you may call it a hold or the birds eye) is a freedom to be taken in music.

Just how long is musically good to hold something? Again, the performer/conductor has some freedom.

Hold it too short and the dramatic effect of the music may be lost. Hold it too long and you lose the audiences interest or you get an unintended effect of humor (like a Bugs Bunny cartoon).

A related freedom is the caesura (a short pause) and grand pause (a longer pause). A caesura is a cessation of sound to add emphasis to a statement. A grand pause is longerand used for more dramatic effect, like before the final Hallelujah in Handels so-named chorus.

Total silence and then the final resolution. The difference between fermata and caesura is sound or no sound. Silence is part of music, as my choir director reminded us about a recent selection.

As a conductor, I have the freedom to interpret music as my studies of the score may indicate. As a composer, I try to give hints at what was going on in my head as I jotted the notes down. As the performer, I try to take all the hints of the composer, the guidance of the director, and my knowledge and being to create a satisfying performance.

That is how I give my spirit the freedom to soar as I live a slave to the muse.

Richard Tiegs took a break from his practicing music for the Camelot pit orchestra to share his thoughts on freedom.

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Yes, you can find freedom in music. Here's how. - Iowa City Press-Citizen

For two years now, weve seen Republicans cry My body, my choice in response to the stay-at-home orders and mask mandates put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic. A popular saying among the left, pro-choice crowd has become the new chant for the right, anti-masker agenda as if wearing a cloth over ones face is as invasive as a pregnancy.

As much as I hate to admit it, it makes sense that the political right has adopted such a saying. They claim to be, after all, the defenders of our first amendment rights defenders of our freedom of speech.

So why is it that a year since Donald Trumps presidency ended, and a year since the Jan. 6 insurrection, these supposed freedom of speech warriors are censoring themselves? Lets go Brandon is not as powerful or impactful of a phrase as they think it is. In fact, its a display of the constant irony within pro-Trump groups.

The phrase Lets go Brandon grew in popularity among right-wing circles because its a coded, clean version for F Joe Biden. The phrase started during an NBC interview with NASCAR driver Brandon Brown in October. Behind Brown and the reporter, the crowd chanted F Joe Biden, which the interviewer misheard as Lets go Brandon.

The slogan quickly took off within right-wing groups and became yet another catchphrase that Trump supporters like to stick to the bumper of their cars.

Republicans like to proclaim themselves as defenders of our first amendment rights. However, like any political party, they tend to be hypocritical from time to time. For example, When Twitter banned Trump a year ago, Republicans seethed at the idea that Big Tech was infringing upon the first amendment. At the same time, Republicans have been fierce advocates against trans people using their desired bathroom, which is just as much, if not more, of an infringement on first amendment rights.

Being freedom of speech warriors is only one of the many titles Republicans have given themselves over the years. They also used to claim to be the party that advocates for traditional familial values. However, with the rise of Republican superstars like Matt Gaetz and cheating adulterer Trump, these traditional values Republicans once highlighted during the Nixon and Reagan eras seem to be deteriorating.

And even though these traditional values are breaking down, it is apparently still too controversial to say f out loud. Ill admit, the f-word might be too strong of a word to use, I suppose it may corrupt the ears of little children around the country, after all. Oh no! For next time, it might be useful to invest in a thesaurus. There are quite literally thousands of different synonyms to replace the F in FJB.

Many Republicans claim that Democrats want to establish an Orwellian, 1984-esque communist regime. They claim their Democratic neighbors are communists, socialists and Marxists without ever fully grasping the difference between the three. There is no Big Brother waiting to smite you for going against the Democratic agenda. You will not be hunted down and slaughtered if you criticize the president or call him names. If there was a Big Brother who did these things, most people would have died a long time ago.

The reality is, I think there really is not much else to defend when it comes to our freedom of speech we already have it. With the exception of incitement, defamation and a few other kinds of speech that obviously should not be protected, most of what you say is protected under the first amendment. You could say the most heinous and disgusting things, but guess what? Hate speech is protected by the Constitution, and so is your right to cuss out the president.

So why not just say F Joe Biden? Its not a call to arms nor is it some kind of wicked battle-cry. And its definitely not some funny inside joke especially because everyones in on it. I wish I could say that this catchphrase is one big Gen-Z meme created to get a laugh out of people, but of course it isnt. Maybe we truly are living in some dystopian novel.

Representatives on the House floor are sporting Lets go Brandon merch and Florida Republican Bill Posey went as far as to end an October floor speech with the popular saying and a fist bump. Its not just in Washington either. A cryptocurrency called LGBcoin, or Lets Go Brandon Coin, attempted to sponsor Brown, whose name started this charade.

There are many Democrats and non-Trump supporters who think this whole ordeal is ridiculous. At the same time, many Republicans seem to actually enjoy the self-censorship they are participating in. Republican ad maker Jim Innocenzi said this new saying is done with a little bit of a class.

I think many would say that there really is nothing classy about this whatsoever. But regardless of whether the public thinks its classy or not, this whole ordeal just screams idiocy and highlights the hypocrisy of the GOP. The party of freedom of speech once spoke freely and didnt censor themselves on live TV. But now, months after the incident, pro-Trump Republicans are censoring themselves when that is the very thing they swore to fight against.

Honestly, if you want to criticize, ridicule or simply just cuss out the president or any other elected official just do it. There is no need to censor your language or hide behind a thinly veiled joke in order to get your point across. Its cowardly. Those that chant Lets go Brandon are playing into the exact thing they are supposedly trying to protect this country from.

Just swear next time. Itll save you from embarrassment.

Livia LaMarca mostly writes about American politics and pop culture. Write to her at [emailprotected].

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Opinion | The party of freedom of speech is censoring themselves - The Pitt News

What amounts to political incorrectness is highly subjective. As the old saying goes, one mans meat is another mans poison, but in so saying perhaps I may be accused of being non-PC because I failed to make it gender-neutral.

But the danger that I perceive is that the current level of hypersensitivity to any contrary opinion risks losing touch with basic reality, let alone common sense.

The notion that we should all get along with one another regardless of differences of opinion is, I suggest, a measure of the extent to which human beings are civilized as distinct from mere animals fighting to survive.

This is hardly a novel concept. Certainly Voltaires thinking along the lines that I disapprove of what you say but I will defend to the death your right to say it was articulated in the mid-18th century.

We can all benefit from learning to accommodate the views of those with whom we disagree profoundly, but that presupposes that we have given them the opportunity to express themselves.

I disapprove of pulling down or desecrating statues of people who, historically, behaved in a manner judged fundamentally wrong or immoral by current standards.

There are more constructive and informative ways of reminding us of the tragic legacy of the past than just destroying such statuary.

History should never be expunged or rewritten if subsequent generations are to learn from the mistakes of the past.

In absolute terms, what is the difference between removing 17th-century slave trader Edward Colstons statue from its perch in the English city of Bristol and denying memorials to the victims of Tiananmen Square?

Instead of throwing Colstons statue into the harbor, how much more could have been achieved by attaching an explanation of the mans involvement in a diabolical trade, to remind people that slavery, in any form and at any time, is evil?

The acquittal of the four people indicted for criminal damage to Colstons statue has set up a hue and cry among swaths of Conservative members of the British Parliament and the minions of the fascistophile yellow press who are screaming for a law that will prevent such a miscarriage of their concept of justice.

There are more than enough laws on the statute books to deal with the impugned behavior.Yet all these yapdogs have found a champion in the person of Suella Braverman, Britains current attorney general.

This worthy is actively considering referring the jurys verdict to the Court of Appeal under a rarely used statutory power in her armory.

To do this, she will have to point to a grave error of law in the trial judges directions to the jury. The particular beauty of acquittal by a jury selected randomly from the local population is that, ordinarily, it cannot be overturned.

Even if Braverman does refer it to the Court of Appeal and that court finds fault in the judicial directions, the acquittal of the four people charged cannot be reversed.

But the concern of leading lawyers expert in criminal law is the attack upon the jury system, because, as the late Lord Devlin said, no tyrant could afford to leave a subjects freedom in the hands of 12 of his countrymen.

Rather than being blinded by what appears to have been verdicts that ran counter to the evidence, Braverman should be asking herself why a jury of ordinary Bristolians returned this verdict.

Every barrister experienced in criminal law which Braverman is not knows that juries have a remarkable facility for effecting a just outcome. That is part of the genius of the jury system.

Even if given impeccable directions by a trial judge and equally appropriate guidance by prosecuting counsel, a jury will return a verdict that accords with their understanding of their oath to try the defendant faithfully and give a true verdict according to the evidence. The critical words are true verdict.

There are occasions when a jurys verdict of not guilty may conflict with the evidence that has been adduced. But a close examination will usually reveal that the verdict is true to the innate justice of the case.

Some of us have experienced such an outcome where the judge abused his position of power over the proceedings to favor the prosecution. Done with skill, such judicial bias can withstand examination by an appellate court.

But a jury alive to such judicial attempts to achieve a conviction will, on occasion, do justice by acquitting the accused. By and large, juries dislike attempts to railroad them into a conviction.

Or as one cynic observed, should a jury be deprived of its inalienable right to be told what to do by the judge?

On other occasions, it may just be that the compelling human drama of the case conflicts with the letter of the law, and a jury sensitive to the facts effects justice by an acquittal.

Sometimes, a critical analysis of the prosecutions case indicates that the majesty of the law is akin to taking a steamroller to crush a nut. A robust jury could demonstrate its low regard for such a mismatch.

Suella Braverman, as a product of an administration mostly notable for its lack of anyone of genuine judgment or ability, not counting the liars and sleaze merchants, really would be wise to consult appropriate members of the legal profession before demonstrating such bigotry and jumping on board the ignoramus express.

Much the more significant issue is why such a jury would thumb their nose at the law. One answer readily to hand is that they wished to show the contempt in which they hold Prime Minister Boris Bunter Johnson.

What should not happen in an advanced society is the sort of knee-jerk reaction Suella Braverman epitomized in her pronouncement in the light of the jurys verdict.

This prostitution of the law for political purposes is anathema to the basic philosophy of the common law.

But Braverman has form for this.

While paying lip service to the obligation to honor an international treaty, her plastic concept of legality holds that a treaty can be breached because, in the cant of the Brexiteers, Parliament is sovereign. This overlooks the fact that it was the government holding a majority in Parliament that entered that treaty.

As the Bristol jury demonstrated, pigs do not have wings.

Neville Sarony QC is a noted Hong Kong lawyer with more than 50 years at the Bar. Follow him on Twitter @NevilleSarony

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Dimming the lamp of freedom - Asia Times

In most stories, the liberation of the concentration camps is the beginning of the end of a nightmare. But Austrian film Great Freedom shows that the truth wasnt as simple for everyone. In many cases, LGBTQ+ concentration camp inmates were simply transferred to prison cells.

Thats the most inhuman scandal explored in director Sebastian Meises Cannes Un Certain Regard winner: Germanys Paragraph 175, a provision of a German criminal code that reigned from 1871 to (shockingly) early 1994, criminalizing all homosexual acts between men. The story is told through the eyes and heavy, wearied soul of the fictional Hans Hoffmann, who is repeatedly imprisoned over decades in post-World War II Germany for being gay. Hes played by Franz Rogowski, the muse of German director Christian Petzold (Undine, Transit) and one of the most striking actors working in European cinema and beyond.

Over the course of his imprisonment, Hans forms a deep but often volatile bond with longtime cellmate Viktor (played by fellow Austrian actor Georg Friedrich), at turns platonic, romantic, sexual, and parasitic as Hans slowly resigns himself to the belief that life wont change and his may perhaps even be best lived out within the drab, crumbling walls of the dank prison.

RelatedRelated

Meise and co-writer Thomas Reider spoke to real men affected by the Paragraph while researching the film and eventually shot it in an actual prison in eastern Germany, forgoing recreating the cells on a studio. This devastating movie is now Austrias submission for the Best International Feature Academy Award, and last month landed on the shortlist of 15.

Rogowskis training as a dancer shows in his physical commitment to the role gaining and losing pounds across a shoot that took place before and then during the pandemic while conveying his characters broken interior through a somber, low-key, unmannered performance that suggests an actor who just shows up to set and does his job without pageantry. Meise, in our interview below for the film, confirmed that to be true.

Mubi releases the movie March 4 at NYCs Film Forum, followed by a national expansion. Academy voters shouldnt miss the vital Great Freedom, which tells a story of which not many of us including even the filmmaker before he embarked on the project are aware. While Paragraph 175 was repealed just over 25 years ago, the nation didnt start owning up to its actions until just a few years ago, issuing long-overdue apologies in hopes of redressing the continuing pang of systemic national guilt.

IndieWire: What was your knowledge of Paragraph 175, in terms of the criminalization of homosexuality in Germany?

Sebastian Meise: Actually, I didnt know so much about it. We came across these reports of gay men who were liberated from concentration camps and directly put into prison by the Allies, or put into prisons to serve their remaining sentences. We read that it was an article in some book about being gay in Hamburg and I couldnt really believe it. It sounded so bizarre. I discovered I have more knowledge about the queer history of the United States. I knew about the Stonewall riots. I was not aware of the dimension of the persecution. I did not know that there was a Paragraph like this. It was just not in our consciousness, in Austria and Germany. We never heard about this in school. I talked about this with the older generation, like with my father, for example. He didnt know anything about it, and he grew up at this time. We talked about this with a younger generation of gay people; they also had no knowledge. So we started researching, and the story grew more and more.

The story is fictional, but you did talk to a lot of actual people in the process. How did you find these individuals?

Theres a gay museum in Berlin, the Archive of the Memory. They conducted a series of interviews with people with personal experience. So we met these people. What we did in Vienna, theres an old gay caf, and theres always some older gay couples sitting in the back. We just went to them and talked to them. It turned out that everyone had experience with law enforcement back in the 60s. There was one very moving situation where one man, he was there with his long-life partner, he never told his partner he was in prison back in the 60s. It was such a taboo for them because in Austria and Germany, the state never acknowledged the fact that [being gay] had been a crime.

Since this wasnt abolished until the mid-1990s, what do you feel is the position toward the Paragraph is in Germany now?

Many things have changed in terms of LGBT rights, of course, but it was only 2017 that they took the first steps concerning apologies and things like this. In Austria, it was only this year that the Minister of Justice made an apology and declared officially that this was against human rights.

You shot the film before and during the pandemic, in an actual prison. Tell me about that atmosphere as a filmmaker where the actors are sharing a real cell, theyre sleeping in their cells, theyre smoking in their cells, just as you see in the movie.

There was a big discussion if we should shoot the cells in a studio, and I am not so much a fan of studio work because its just clean, and shooting in a real location does something to the atmosphere. Of course, it was a film set. It was an empty prison, and we decorated it and painted the walls and all that. It was cold. It was not easy to shoot. We had to bring the lights up. The real place did something to the team, and this is what I like about filmmaking: to have an anchor in reality somehow.

Mubi

How did you come to cast Franz Rogowski? We know him from the films of Christian Petzold and Michael Haneke. It sounds like you had him in mind writing it.

Halfway through the script, you see this film is going to happen one day probably, and you start to think about the cast. As a couple, [Franz Rogowski and Georg Friedrich] were in my mind immediately We were writing the characters for them, without knowing if they would even take the parts. But they did. Thank god. They came quite late, but there was space to improvise. Not too much, because it was a tight schedule, but we tried to give them places where they can find themselves or find the relationship.

The film tracks Hans persecution over the decades, as he is repeatedly sent back to prison for deviant practices.

This came quite early in the writing process because we were looking to translate the life he is in. I always said this is a story about two people who are stigmatized for life. Hans cannot change himself. The minute he walks out of prison, he is persecuted again. We were trying to find a way to translate this. Hes trapped in a time loop, somehow. This chronological way of telling the story we thought could be the best [approach].

Mubi

The way the film moves between time periods is fluid and seamless. Were there subtle modulations Franz would do in his performance, whether between the 40s, 50s, or 60s, to mark the passage of time or a world-weariness taking hold?

Its really subtle, but he lost like 12 kilos, in shooting from one era to another. Its not too obvious, but we were trying to find a way that makes it real somehow in addition to all the makeup stuff, which is always fake somehow. We were trying to find a way that, every time we come into another time with him, hes in a completely different stage of his life. He has a completely different energy. In the 40s, hes more like this animal, full of fear. In the 50s, hes full of energy, and in the 60s, hes more or less calmed down, and not believing that things will ever change.

He seems like the kind of actor who just shows up to set and is effortless about his approach. He doesnt seem like hes doing a lot of method or obsession between takes. What is his style?

He likes to talk a lot. Hes completely contrary to Georg. The great thing about [Franz], what I really love about him, he always tries to find a way not to act but just be the character.

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Dont Overlook Austrias Gay Prison Drama Great Freedom in the International Oscar Race - IndieWire

FAIRFAX, Va., Jan. 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Freedom Financial Holdings, Inc. (the "Company") (OTCQX: FDVA) andThe Freedom Bank of Virginia (the "Bank") along with its Board of Directors announce the approval of a new mission and strategy for the Freedom Foundation (the "Foundation") focused on economic inclusion. The Freedom Foundation's new mission is to support and foster relationships with non-profit organizations that promote financial inclusion and make the communities Freedom Bank serves, more vibrant, and more equitable.

The Foundation will receive donations from the Bank and its employees, as well as coordinate an annual event to leverage the platform to promote economic inclusion in the local community. The Foundation's renewed focus builds on the exciting work the Bank has engaged in with the Community Business Partnership (CBP) in launching the NOVA Technology Loan Fund which provides financing and technical assistance for minorities and entrepreneurs of color.

Joseph J. Thomas, President and CEO, commented, "I am thrilled to reinvigorate the Freedom Foundation with such an important focus and one that really resonates with my Freedom colleagues, clients, board members and me. To achieve the Foundation's new mission, we will seek philanthropies that foster financial inclusion and align with our values and strategies. Additionally, the Foundation will amplify the energy and engagement of Freedom Bank's employees by supporting financial inclusion organizations that our colleagues are committed to through a charitable employee match program. We are excited to start 2022 off with this new chapter for the Foundation and look forward to the meaningful impact our efforts will have in promoting economic inclusion in our communities."

In connection with reestablishing the Foundation, the Bank is rolling out a company-wide dedicated commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEI&B) led by an internal DEI&B Committee. The initiative has been named "Keep Dreaming" and is timed with the celebration of Martin Luther King Jr's birthday. This initiative will include educational sessions, training, and volunteering opportunities to ensure each employee flourishes at Freedom Bank and that there is an organized way to help the communities the Bank serves.

About Freedom Bank

Freedom Bank (OTCQX: FDVA) is a next-generation community bank, headquartered in Fairfax, Virginia, offering commercial banking, personal banking, and mortgage banking solutions using banker expertise and innovative technology to build lead relationships with clients. Focusing on businesses, real estate owners, and professionals, Freedom Bank concentrates on key industry verticals to deliver unique, sector-specific solutions to help clients meet their goals and realize their dreams. Freedom Bank had total assets of $ 846.6 million on September 30, 2021, and sales office locations in Fairfax, Vienna, Reston, Manassas, and Chantilly, VA. The Freedom Bank Mortgage Division is headquartered in Chantilly, VA and the Freedom Bank Small Business Lending Division is headquartered in Harrison, NY. For information about Freedom Bank, visit our website at http://www.freedom.bank.

Contact:Joseph J. Thomas, President & Chief Executive OfficerPhone: 703-667-4161Email: [emailprotected]

SOURCE The Freedom Bank of Virginia

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Freedom Bank Board of Directors Approve New Mission and Strategy for The Freedom Foundation - PRNewswire

Suyen Barahona, a civic leader and president of UNAMOS, has been a political prisoiner since June 13, 2021.My mothers name is Esperanza (Hope), I am filled with her. Lets continue united. Courage. Justice and Liberty.By Xenia Barahona (Confidencial)

HAVANA TIMES A drone hovered over the house. Then dozens of riot police and special forces violently burst in with weapons of war and dogs. They abducted her. They arbitrarily took our sister, Suyen Barahona. Today held as a political prisoner with more than 165 Nicaraguans unjustly incarcerated because they exercised their right to think freely.

Suyen has a contagious laugh. She loves life and is a person of fierce hope. She has a profound love for her country and lives out her principles of solidarity and justice.

As a child Suyen was quiet, observant but she was also independent. Perhaps because she grew up with over-protective older siblings or perhaps because she was the youngest for many years, she learned to defend herself and to articulate her positions at an early age. During her years at Colegio Centro America the motto to love and serve became her own.

She volunteered to play with the children at La Mascota Hospital and she taught children to read and write in El Recreo -one of Managuas poorest neighborhoods-. It was during these school activities where she met her beloved best friend Ana Margarita Vijil. Together they have worked for the country they love so much.

Suyen has always had a keen interest in Nicaraguan young people having opportunities. She never failed to find time to read or edit an essay by a young man or woman applying for a scholarship that could help them realize their aspirations. I remember on more than one occasion, she said, It is difficult to be a young person in this country. They just need a little support. We have run into several young people, many unknown to us, who have told us how Suyen helped them believe in themselves and helped them elevate their voice.

Suyen, a name from the Asian origin of our family, means precious jewel.

She has an unwavering belief in womens empowerment, and she has worked towards their independence and the realization of their dreams. In 2013 she supported a group of women entrepreneurs by providing business administration workshops. She shared her enormous excitement and admiration for these womens creativity and ingenuity with us.

Her nieces speak of how their aunt has been an example to them. She has taught them how to be strong girls and support other women. Her eldest niece narrates:

My aunt Suyen is joyful, and she is an empowered woman. She is courageous, empathetic, resilient, kind and funny. She has always taught us to be super power girls and that we should show the strength, courage and power of girls and women. She encouraged us to participate in activities that serve others. Thanks to her I began visiting a nursing home. She also told us to try new things and so my sister got involved in theater classes. She leaves an impression wherever she goes and her name is engraved in the hearts of those who know her.

For us, her family, her determination, and tenacity became even more evident when she became a mother. After an emergency cesarean she gave birth to her little miracle. Her baby, born at 32 weeks, had to remain in the hospital for a month. Despite her fresh wound and without a second thought she traveled daily to the hospital, sometimes three times a day, to care for her son. While there, she met Grace a tiny premature baby whose mother could not breastfeed. Immediately, Suyen shared her breast milk with her. This is the way she approaches life. In adversity she moves forward with her unwavering determination, encouraging those around her, sharing what she has with those in need, always with a smile.

It has been similar with her activism. She worked tirelessly in defense of the environment putting her knowledge and her studies at the service of the country. When she shared with us that she wanted to enter politics, we were completely taken aback, so she said, Well then, tell me? Is there any other way in which we can peacefully bring about change? Several years before 2018 you would see her with a small group of people at traffic lights with her posters demanding citizens rights and free and fair elections.

After April of 2018, with her eyes filled with tears she spoke to us of the pain of the mothers who had lost their children and of the families of political prisoners held in the prisons. She continued protesting, civically, firm in her convictions. She continued in solidarity with journalists, activists and feminists while demanding the liberation of all political prisoners.

When we asked her if she was not afraid, she responded, It is important to control it and keep moving forward despite the fear. She is an example of never giving up. She is an example of solidarity and love. She would say, I want my son and the young people of Nicaragua to be able to resolve issues without resorting to violence. We must create a culture of tolerance, of participation.

She is our precious jewel. From prison, after countless interrogations and more than 7 months of having her taken from us, she continues to resist, her spirit of solidarity ever present. I am worried about the elderly [imprisoned]. I insist that it is unjust, that they cannot be treated in this way, she shared.

On New Years Eve, in addition, to telling us how very much she loves us, her words of encouragement were: My mothers name is Esperanza. I am filled with her. Lets continue united. Courage. Justice and Liberty.

Through her commitment she has wanted to help break the cycle of violence and build a Nicaragua based on respect for human rights, democratic principles, inclusion and justice. By accepting the presidency of UNAMOS and by defending the human rights of all people, she has had to face persecution, incessant harassment, arbitrary arrest, isolation and solitary confinement yet, she did not shy away from this moment in history. Quite the contrary. She has faced the challenge with courage, integrity, and dignity.

The isolation faced by political prisoners violates all human rights. It is cruel and inhumane. We demand our right to weekly visits. Above all we want her immediate and unconditional freedom, and we know that Suyen, above all, wants the freedom of ALL political prisoners.

Read more from Nicaragua here on Havana Times

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Suyen Is Filled with Hope, We Want Her Freedom - Havana Times

Jalen Johnson was almost a Buc. Instead, hell be a member of the opposition on Wednesday.

When Mercer pays a visit to Freedom Hall to take on East Tennessee State, Johnson is expected to play a big role for the Bears. The former Tennessee and Wake Forest guard is averaging 14.6 points a game for Mercer while shooting 46% from 3-point range.

Back in 2020, Johnson had announced he was transferring from Tennessee to ETSU. Before he ever met his prospective new teammates in Johnson City, he changed his mind.

Two weeks after his commitment, ETSU coach Steve Forbes was hired away by Wake Forest. Johnson wound up transferring to Wake instead, where he played sparingly.

After one season with the Demon Deacons, Johnson headed for Mercer as graduate transfer and hell be facing some players who could have been his teammates Wednesday night.

We were looking forward to bringing him to ETSU, Bucs guard Ledarrius Brewer said. But we cant really help it. The guy, he moved on. He did whats good for his career, but I mean, Im definitely looking at it like yeah, he bailed on us. So Im going to make it tough on him.

ETSU coach Desmond Oliver recruited Johnson at Tennessee and hes hoping for a better outcome than the last Vols transfer ETSU faced. UNC Ashevilles Drew Pember lit up the Bucs for 27 points in a 79-64 win.

We havent had much success with that this year, Oliver said. Some players have had their way. We have allowed people to play against ETSU that I am associated with have great games. When does it stop?

ETSU, beginning a three-game homestand, comes in 11-8 overall, 3-3 in the Southern Conference. Mercer is 11-7 overall and tied with Chattanooga for first in the SoCon at 4-1.

Felipe Haase is averaging 15.5 points per game to lead Mercer. Hes making 49% of his 3-pointers to lead the SoCon.

Point guard Neftali Alvarez hasnt played since suffering a leg injury in early December.

Mercer is coming off a 71-64 win over The Citadel. Its lone SoCon loss was a 15-point setback to Furman.

Greg Gary is in his third season coaching the Bears.

Jordan King was surprised to learn of a disparity in his scoring statistics. In games following an ETSU loss, King is averaging 17 points. After a win, he gets just 10.4.

I guess the loss just gets to me, King said. I feel like we have to come out stronger. After wins, I feel like we settle down and not play as hard. I think we have to carry that over after we win games.

I definitely have to look at the film and see what Im doing wrong. I have to figure it out.

Overall, King is averaging 12.4 points a game, tied for second on the team with Brewer. David Sloan still leads the way at 12.7.

Sloan has had 10 assists in two of the last three games and leads the SoCon with an average of 4.7.

I actually did that a lot in Juco, so its nothing new to me, Sloan said. I just want to win and at the end of the day I feel like getting my teammates involved just keeps everybody happy.

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Former ETSU commit Johnson to visit Freedom Hall with Bears - Johnson City Press (subscription)

Good afternoon! We dont have a ton of concrete articles from yesterday, but there are plenty of D.C. United developments going on as preseason gets underway, plus the latest in the Washington Spirit ownership saga.

Lets get started with the bad news: For roughly the 900th time in the last 13 months, a United player has picked up some kind of knock playing for his national team:

International soccer must be stopped at all costs.

I mean this at least somewhat seriously, since FIFA and every confederation has responded to the realities of the pandemic by flooding the calendar with more national team fixtures than ever before, but Uniteds luck in particular has been terrible on this front. Edison Flores needing an MRI on his knee is just the latest development. Generally speaking, this is an attempt to gauge what degree of sprain a player has, and knee sprains are not generally gone after a week or so.

Moving on to less bad news:

Andy Najar wants the raise that he frankly earned last year with his play. Its good to hear that United is in talks with him, but those talks are now entering the preseason, meaning they werent squared away during the long winter break. Could be fine, could be not fine.

Hayden Sargis, a 6 center back, is the newest name linked to a move to the Black-and-Red. 33 appearances at the USL Championship level, for an independent club that expects itself to contend every year, is very good for a 19 year old at a position that teens dont often get to play. United currently has six players who are capable of playing in the back three, but with Najar probably only able to play around 75% of the schedule at the max and Chris Odoi-Atsem more of a wingback who can fill in deeper, specialist depth is not a bad idea.

OK, so I hope you enjoyed the positive news. Here comes a quick turn back towards bad news:

Zach Thornton left United this offseason, and now Oka Nikolov a longtime Bundesliga goalkeeper as a player, who was on staff as a coach (not goalkeeper-specific) is off to LAFC. So now theyre down a goalkeeper coach, and an assistant coach. Its not ideal!

In more upsetting news, United had to release a statement after the teams eMLS player was subject to racist comments on a stream over the weekend:

Theres absolutely no place for talking to anyone like that. Hopefully MLS and Twitch are going to take steps to foster a better environment that extend beyond banning one account.

OK, over to the Spirit, who are having a very big day today in a way that we wont really be able to judge for a bit:

Essentially, Y. Michele Kang and Steve Baldwin are going to make their cases to the NWSL Board of Governors. It seems to me like one case is much stronger than the other, what with the support of the teams players and the much higher valuation being offered, but what do I know?

Lets shift gears and get into some self-promotion. I was just on Equalizer Soccers podcast talking about the Spirit, but also getting into the other big NWSL news items from the last week. Give it a listen:

What Charlotte FC coach said about teams roster and lack of DPs as training begins | Charlotte ObserverThe echoes of where United was last year and where Charlotte are right now feel pretty strong, at least as far as a coach trying to do something very new. To end on a positive note, theres one key difference: Uniteds non-DP starters are pretty good, while Charlotte...well, it might be a rough debut season for (insert nickname for this team once one organically comes up).

OK, so plenty of stuff has come out this morning as well, but thatll be included in tomorrows Freedom Kicks. Until then, stay warm and try to have a good Tuesday!

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Tuesday Freedom Kicks: D.C. United news, Washington Spirit ownership updates, and more - Black And Red United

SAN MATEO, Calif., Jan. 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ --BestCompaniesAZhas namedFreedom Financial Network (FFN), a leading digital personal finance company helping people on their path to financial freedom,one of the "100 Best Arizona Companies," and awarded the company the "Trailblazer" distinction.

The list, published earlier this week, highlights 100 organizations that have been instrumental in making Arizona "a great place to work and live," according to BestCompaniesAZ. The organization is honoring FFN with the Trailblazer award for pioneering and sustained exceptional performance over the past two decades and making a significant contribution to Arizona.

"BestCompaniesAZ has been at the forefront of recognizing sought-after employer brands and creating prestigious workplace awards programs in Arizona since 2002. As we celebrate 20 years, we are proud to recognize companies across our state who are making a positive difference in the lives of their employees and our communities," said Denise Gredler, Founder and CEO of BestCompaniesAZ.

FFN, founded in California in 2002, opened its Tempe, Arizona, office in April 2006 with six employees. Today, it employs almost 2,500. "The Phoenix market has proven to be an exceptional base for FFN's growth," says Brad Stroh, FFN's co-founder and co-CEO. "As Freedom continues to expand its services, solutions and client base in 2022, Arizona will continue to be integral to our success in helping consumers move forward in creating better financial futures. We're a special company with a great team changing lives, and we're excited to keep building our team in Arizona."

Freedom Financial Network helps people make better financial decisions by managing expenses and debt, saving money, and planning. The company provides innovative technology and relationship-driven support for every step of a consumer's financial path, including personal loans, debt solutions and restructuring, home equity lines of credit, and financial tools and education.

In addition, Freedom Financial Network recently announced that it had surpassed $15 billion in consumer debt resolved, and more than $6.5 billion in loans originated. The company has now served more than 1 million Americans and is innovating new solutions to expand the depth and breadth of its financial services offerings. Freedom also announced that it is hiring more than 200 remote and hybrid employees for roles in sales, engineering, technology and product in California, Arizona and Texas.

BestCompaniesAZ's 20th anniversary listing honors well-known employer brands. For the full list, visit https://bestcompaniesaz.com/100-best-companies-in-arizona/

Freedom Financial Network (www.freedomfinancialnetwork.com)Freedom Financial Network is a leading digital personal finance company, built to help people. We do what traditional banks don't: Put people first. We believe in treating people like humans, not account numbers. We help everyday people get on, and stay on, the path to a brighter financial future, with innovative technology and personalized support at every step. We help people control expenses, manage debt, save money, plan ahead, and make better financial decisions. By leveraging our proprietary data and analytics, and artificial intelligence we are able to offer solutions tailored for each step of a consumer's financial journey, including personal loans, home equity loans, help with debt, and even financial tools and education.

For information on career opportunities at FFN, visit: https://jobs.freedomfinancialnetwork.com/

BestCompaniesAZArizona's Employer Branding Partner, BestCompaniesAZ, specializes in helping corporate clients develop, strengthen and market their unique employer brands through a variety of digital marketing, events, communication, and award programs. Founded in 2002, BestCompaniesAZ pioneered the intersection of recruiting, human resources, marketing, and public relations and has evolved into an exclusive, niche PR, marketing and employer branding firm that specializes in building and promoting strong employer brands. For more information, visit BestCompaniesAZ.com.

SOURCE Freedom Financial Network

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Freedom Financial Network Named one of the "100 Best" Arizona Companies by BestCompaniesAZ - PRNewswire

I am a constitutional conservative, born in the heartland of the West and raised in the plains of Texas. While the conservative label can mean many things, at its core it means preserving liberty, equality and the constitution. Without free and fair elections, no country can claim it values liberty or equality.

Unfortunately, Americas elections are plagued with corruption and partisanship. But we can fix these flaws with the Freedom to Vote Act. We can strengthen our elections by making certain they do not unfairly favor one party, and striving to put people of all backgrounds on an equal playing field. We also need strong election security so fraud doesnt taint the results. The Freedom to Vote Act does these things and more, and I urge my fellow conservatives to support it.

One way we can promote equality in elections is by banning gerrymandering, a tactic partisans use to draw congressional lines in a way that virtually guarantees their party wins. Most representatives can safely win their seats without needing to find broad support in the communities they represent.

Because of gerrymandering, only 43 U.S. House races about 10 percent were competitive in 2020. Representatives in gerrymandered districts tend to be more extreme because no matter what they do, they likely arent risking their electoral prospects. The will of voters in those districts who didnt support the elected candidates becomes swallowed up in partisan ambition and extreme polarization. As defenders of equality, conservatives should oppose gerrymandering. The Freedom to Vote Act would ban partisan gerrymandering and allow states to choose how to draw fair districts.

Making voting accessible is another way our elections can promote equality. Recent attempts by partisans to decrease the number of voting days, arbitrarily reject valid voter ID methods, and discourage vote by mail are betrayals of the principles and values the Constitution aspires to. The Freedom to Vote Act proposes at least 15 consecutive days of early voting, and Election Day would be an official holiday. These are sensible reforms that ensure all people have enough time and opportunities to vote.

Lastly, many conservatives have been concerned about corruption in our electoral process in some cases leading them to contest legitimate results and even engage in violence. The Freedom to Vote Act imposes penalties for voter intimidation and giving false election information. Additionally, it gives election officials greater protections against partisan removals, protects against the intentional mishandling of ballots, and prevents the illegal purging of voter rolls. It also requires disclosure of all political spending, including online ads, and cooperation between candidates and super PACs. Conservatives should support this bill to make elections more secure.

It is vital to the health of our democracy that we restore faith in our elections. A threat to one persons vote is a threat to all. As we strive to live up to our ideals of liberty and equality, we must put down our partisan hats and recognize the need to strengthen our institutions and eliminate the partisan corruption tearing it down. Our constitutional republic depends on it.

Amy Wudel is an advocate for election reform and eliminating political corruption. She volunteers for many democracy groups, including RepresentUs. The Fulcrum covers whats making democracy dysfunctional and efforts to fix our governing systems. Sign up for our newsletter at thefulcrum.us. The Fulcrum is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news platform covering efforts to fix our governing systems. It is a project of, but editorially independent from, Issue One.

2022 The Fulcrum. Visit at thefulcrum.us. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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Commentary: The Freedom to Vote Act aligns with conservative values - Kennebec Journal & Morning Sentinel