William Cardenas was beaten savagely by LAPD while lying on the ground. Someone video’ed it. Now it’s on YouTube. And all over the media.

This happened Aug. 8 in Hollywood. On July 8 in Hollywood, LAPD savaagely beat two protestors at an anti-Minutemen counter-protest and we got it on video and posted it on YouTube.

Last night, after getting at least a dozen people subscribing to my YouTube videos in that day, I checked the stats for the July 8 beating video and it showed 37,000 viewings which was way up. A few hours later it was 82,000. This morning it’s a mind-boggling 132,000. People must be looking for the Aug. 8 video and finding this one too.

And why two beatings by Hollywood LAPD a month apart?

PS There are so many hits happening so fast on the videos now that depending on which way you view the link, YouTube gives a different number of total views. For example, one screen is currently showing 132,000 while another is at 83,000.

William Cardenas beating YouTube video

Anti-minutemen beating You Tube video

[tags]William Cardenas, LAPD beating[/tags]

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The Tuesday election was a huge victory for the Left and a repudiation of Bush and the neocons. Now that we’ve all done the Happy Dance for a few days, what’s next?

Our task is to take that energy and create an independent people’s movement so real change can happen, rather than have it get sucked into the Democratic Party where it will be neutralized and rendered harmless.

Most of the current Democrats in Congress voted for the wars and for destruction of civil rights. They will need to be forced into ending the wars because, as we all know, the imperial designs of the ruling class are based on controlling that Middle East oil.

Happily, the Dems will be more coherent and rational than the neocons (well, it would be difficult to be less rational, now wouldn’t it?.) They know the US is losing the Iraq war. However, they will probably blunder into thinking they can somehow forestall the inevitable defeat. They can’t.

Thus, a people’s movement is now more essential than ever. Genuine protest often gets sucked into the vortex of the Democratic Party. This election showed genuine nationwide rage and hatred against Bush and the neocons. Let’s take that energy and create a lasting movement out of it. That’s the way to end the wars.

P.S. Life of Riley has some good thoughts on the elections and what it means for the Left.

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From a peace worker who has worked for years to help end violence in the war-torn country of Sri Lanka. Back home, he lives in the country and owns several guns.

Do I find any inconsistency between working for peace and being a gun owner? Sometimes. But being pro-peace and anti-violence does not mean being either pacifist or anti-gun. In my view, it means being pro-human.

Read the whole post.

P.S. He lives in Utah

Yesterday, I walked into a store here in Southern Utah carrying a .38 Special Smith & Wesson revolver, and no one looked at me twice. Having lived for 25 years in Los Angeles, just carrying a gun into a store seems somehow wrong. Here, it’s commonplace. The Utah Constitution guarantees the right to bear arms, and it is legal to go anywhere in the state with a sidearm strapped to your hip.

His real point though is the small town atmosphere is more conducive to people knowing and respecting each other.

I’m sure my city friends are shaking their heads as they read this, wondering which is stranger: walking into a store with a pistol and nobody noticing, or someone chasing you down to make sure you’ve got a product you’ll be happy with.

I grew up in a small town. After all my years in the city, I’d almost forgotten what it’s like to live in a place where both guns and people are respected.

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Yes, that classic treatise by Karl Marx is now a stage performance.

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