by William Hughes
On Monday, January 17, 2011, peace and social justice activists honored Martin Luther King, Jr. Day by staging a spirited demonstration in front of the national headquarters of the FBI, in Washington, D.C. to demand the FBI keep its "hands off our activists." This is in reference to recent FBI harassment and raids on the homes and offices of antiwar activists in Chicago, Minneapolis and Michigan. They also demanded the release of Bradley Manning, currently imprisoned at the U.S. Marine base at Quantico, Virginia. This video features interviews with Coleen Rowley, Dr. Margaret Flowers, Gael Murphy, Joan Stallard, Malachy Kilbride, Medea Benjamin, Kevin Zeese, Max Obuszewski and Maria Allwine.

by William Hughes
Featured in this video, besides scenes at the White House fence, are the following activists: Kevin Zeese, Jim Baldridge, Max Obsuzewski, Ellen Barfield, Katherine Hoffman and David Swanson. To learn more about the rally led by the Veterans for Peace, go to: http://veteransforpeace.org

by William Hughes
On Tuesday afternoon, September 28, 2010, a demonstration was staged in front of the FBI's headquarters in Washington, D.C. in response to recent FBI raids and grand jury subpoenas targeted the Antiwar Movement, according to the press release of the organizers. Speakers included Sharon Black, Medea Benjamin and Rev. Graylan Hagler. See http://vimeo.com/billyclubvideos for a more complete video of the event.

by William Hughes
On September 25, 2010 at the Baltimore Book Festival, former Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura discussed his book, American Conspiracies: Lies, Lies, and More Dirty Lies that the Government Tells Us. He told the standing-room-only audience that he believes the three New York City skyscrapers that came down on 9/11 were brought down by controlled demolition and that Arianna Huffington asked him to contribute an article to the Huffington Post, but when he did contribute one on 9/11 it was pulled from the site after a couple of hours. (In its place they posted the statement, "Editor's Note: The Huffington Post's editorial policy, laid out in our blogger guidelines, prohibits the promotion and promulgation of conspiracy theories -- including those about 9/11. As such, we have removed this post." It is common practice in mainstream media to dismiss anyone who questions or presents evidence that challenges the official story of 9/11 as a "conspiracy theorist" without further examination. This happens even though the official story itself is a conspiracy theory, and the news is full of reporting on other conspiracies.) Ventura was joined on the program by Richard Sher, a former news reader for WJZ-TV in Baltimore. See http://vimeo.com/billyclubvideos for a more complete video of the event.

by William Hughes
A spirited rally was held in a park, on Sunday afternoon, August 8, 2010, in the town of Quantico, Virginia, to support Private Bradley Manning who is currently incarcerated in a prison at the Quantico Marine Base, which surrounds this town bordering on the Potomac River. Private Manning is charged with releasing a video showing “the killing of civilians and journalists in Iraq” by U.S. forces, according to a press release from one of the event’s sponsors. Medea Benjamin, co-founder of CODEPINK, served as the moderator for the rally, which was entitled “Free Bradley Manning." Background on the alleged whistleblower Bradley Manning can be found at the website of the the Bradley Manning Support Network (BradleyManning.org). Speaking at the demonstration were: Jeff Paterson, Ellen Barfeld, Mike Marceau, Matt Southworth, Phyllis Bennis, Ray McGovern, Josh Stieber, Andrew Castro and the Rev. Lennox Yearwood. According to Medea Benjamin, Iris Tharp, the mayor of Quantico, granted, at the 11th hour, a permit to hold the demonstration because she is a “supporter of free speech.”

by William Hughes
On Tuesday morning, June 22, 2010, David Swanson of WarIsACrime.org and Washington Director of Democrats.com held an impromptu press conference in front of Union Station in Washington, D.C. He was sharply critical of Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD) on the issue of “off the books” military spending. Meanwhile, Hoyer, who is the Democratic majority leader in the House, was giving a speech inside Union Station in the Columbus Room. Swanson was interviewed by Stephanie Condon, Washington correspondent for CBS Interactive, and Dina Gusovsky, Washington, D.C. correspondent for RT.com (formerly known as Russia Today). Swanson is a journalist himself and the author of Daybreak: Undoing the Imperial Presidency and Forming a More Perfect Union.

When a crew from ABC News' Nightline showed up Saturday, March 6, 2010 at the "Treason in America: 9/11, the Wars and Our Broken Constitution" conference in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, Dylan Avery and Korey Rowe, of the Loose Change documentaries, turned the tables on Nightline reporter Chris Bury and confronted him on the lack of mainstream news coverage of unanswered questions of the 9/11 tragedy. A videographer attending the conference captured the entire interview, and it was posted to YouTube that same day. It remains to be seen how much of this will make it into the edited Nightline segment, but conference attendees expressed concern that ABC came only because the "Pentagon shooter," John Patrick Bedell, is being linked to the 9/11 Truth movement, which espouses nonviolence, in an effort to demonize it, and that the interview would not be presented fairly.

Update: The ABC Nightline segment was posted 3/8/10: http://blogs.abcnews.com/nightlinedailyline/2010/03/inside-a-911-truther-convention-.html. RT (previously known as Russia Today) also covered this story: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-7GCs-2NUg

by William Hughes
At an event on Feb. 24, 2010 sponsored by Investigative Voice (investigativevoice.com) in Baltimore, Ed Norris, former Police Commissioner for Baltimore City, urged legalizing all drugs and said prohibition doesn’t work. He said, “As long as it is illegal, they’re [the drugs], going to be in demand...They’re not killing each other for the drugs. They’re killing each other for the money. And, that’s the problem... You can’t legislate morality.” Sheila Dixon, Baltimore's recently resigned mayor, also participated in the exchange of views. As a result of video difficulties, only the audio portion of this program is available.

by William Hughes
On Wednesday evening, Feb. 17, 2010, John Yoo gave a talk on the campus of the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. Before the controversial law professor could get into his talk, however, it was interrupted by two activists. They stood to his right in front of the auditorium and held a banner, which read: "TRY YOO FOR TORTURE." The protesters refused to sit down, but they were not arrested and remained in the same position during Yoo's entire speech. Yoo had served in the Bush-Cheney administration in the Justice Department. He authored two controversial legal memos which claimed sweeping presidential power to commit torture. The two memos are referred to by his critics--and there are many--as the "torture memos."

by William Hughes
On the evening of Jan. 27, 2010, Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) spoke before a capacity audience at Loyola University Maryland in Baltimore. He urged the U.S. Congress to pass a law authorizing the auditing of the Federal Reserve System. Rep. Paul was also sharply critical of the bailout of Wall Street banks and how their policies, and the policies of “The Fed,” have contributed to the recession.

by William Hughes
On Oct. 29, 2009, activists demanding "Medicare for all" held a demonstration in Baltimore, Maryland outside the 17-story 1st Mariner Tower, which houses the offices of insurance giant CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield. The demonstrators were advocating for a single-payer system that puts patients' needs before corporate profits. A 15-foot vampire, "Count Bleed-Ya-Dry," represented a grasping insurance industry and was roundly hooted by the protesters. Del. Jill P. Carter and Kevin Zeese were among those that shared their views in support of a single-payer healthcare system. For more background, see: http://mobilizeforhealthcare.org/

by William Hughes
On Wednesday afternoon, September 30, 2009, Mad As Hell Doctors rallied in Lafayette Park in front of the White House. The group supports a single-payer healthcare system. Two of their slogans are: “Everybody in! Nobody out!” and “Single payer or bust!” The doctors have been on a nationwide tour promoting their cause via a huge Care-A-Van of vehicles proudly displaying their symbolic white ribbons. Along the way they have staged many rallies and town hall meetings, given speeches, and canvassed numerous neighborhoods for new advocates. Their initiative, which sees “healthcare for all” as a moral and social justice issue for all Americans, was launched in Sequim, WA on Aug. 28. Dr. Margaret Flowers of Baltimore helped to organize the rally and also served as its MC. For background see their web site, www.madashelldoctors.com

by William Hughes
On the evening of Sept. 16, 2009, a protest was staged at Goucher College in Towson, Maryland, just north of Baltimore City, on the appearance of Karl Rove on campus as a guest speaker. Rove was a senior advisor, 2001-2007, to former President George W. Bush. Just as Rove was being introduced, at least three activists stood up in the audience and denounced him. They were quickly escorted out of the auditorium by the police and instructed not to return. As far as this observer knows, the police took down their names, but the protesters were not arrested. According to the protest announcement on the ANSWER Coalition website, Rove "should be on trial for carrying out a war of aggression in Iraq, and implementing a system of torture, secret prisons, racial and religious profiling, and massive spying on the people of this country."more...

On Monday, July 20, 2009, BGM followed Richard Gage, AIA, founder of Architects and Engineers for 9/11 Truth, on the final day of his visit to Washington, D.C. as he and several members of his group visited the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Gaithersburg, the American Institute of Architects headquarters in D.C. and the White House to try to expose what they say are problems with the official investigations of the collapses of the three skyscrapers on Sept. 11, 2001.more...

by William Hughes
On Thursday, July 30, 2009, advocates for a single-payer healthcare system, similar to Medicare but improved and expanded to include all Americans, stormed Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. Dr. David L. Scheiner of Chicago, President Barack Obama's personal physician for 22 years before the president took office, criticized the president's current healthcare reform proposal and endorsed the single-payer system as embodied in U.S. House of Representatives bill HR 676.more...

by William Hughes
On June 3, 2009, filmmakers Eric Nadler and Bob Coen held a congressional screening, in the Canon Office Building, of their documentary "Anthrax War." They are also coauthors of Dead Silence: Fear and Terror on the Anthrax Trail, a companion book to the film. Trailers for the documentary and more detailed information about the investigative project of Nadler and Coen, which was conducted on a global scale, can be found at www.anthraxwar.com. According to Nadler, the deadly anthrax attacks in the days following 9/11 sparked a boom in bio-defense which is now a $50 billion industry in the U.S. This huge entity, "a cash cow," the authors underscored, has been largely privatized and is operating with little oversight.

9/11 truth activist David Slesinger (www.911courage.org) visited Marcus Raskin, co-founder of Institute for Policy Studies, on April 22, 2009 at his Washington, D.C. office to ask him about his views on the 9/11 truth movement.

by William Hughes
On Thursday, April 30, 2009, in a massive act of non-violent "civil resistance" over 50 activists were arrested at a protest action in front of the White House. The protesters refused to move from the sidewalk when ordered to do so by the police. The activists were demanding that the administration of President Barack Obama uphold the supremacy of the law and investigate and prosecute wrongdoers in the Bush-Cheney administration responsible for "acts of torture." The demonstration was sponsored by the group Witness Against Torture. The activists also charged that many of the most egregious torture policies carried out by the Bush-Cheney administration "remain in place."

Jack Blood of Deadline Live reported yesterday, April 16, 2009, that he was told by Loose Change director Dylan Avery that there is now a very good possibility that Barry Jennings' death could have been due to foul play. According to Blood, Avery hired a private investigator to look into Jennings' mysterious death. However, the investigator ended up referring the case to law enforcement before refunding his pay and asking Avery to never contact him again. Avery also visited Jennings home and found it vacant and for sale.more...

9/11 truth activist David Slesinger (www.911courage.org) caught up with historian Howard Zinn (author of A People's History of the United States) after he spoke at Busboys and Poets in Washington, D.C. on Feb. 2, 2009 for an interview about his views on the 9/11 truth movement.more...

Dr. S. Shyam Sunder, NIST's lead investigator for the World Trade Center disaster, reported that the collapse of WTC 7 was caused by fires in the building initiated by falling debris from the collapse of WTC 1, but that structural damage from the debris "had little effect in causing the collapse of WTC 7." In fact Sunder attributed this first ever total collapse of a tall building by fire to "heating of floor beams and girders" which caused a "critical support column to fail, initiating a fire-induced progressive collapse."

Just after the NIST briefing concluded, Architects and Engineers for 9/11 Truth (ae911truth.org) held a press conference to refute NIST's claims.more...

Many people are unaware that a third New York City skyscraper, 47 stories tall, collapsed on September 11, 2001 in what some say looked like a controlled demolition. There is still no official explanation for its collapse. On July 6, 2008 the BBC—whose reporters announced the collapse 20 minutes before it actually happened—aired a program The Conspiracy Files: 9/11 - The Third Tower on the mysterious collapse of World Trade Center Building Seven that includes an interview with Barry Jennings, a City Housing Authority worker who was trapped for hours in the building by explosions.

Now Dylan Avery, director of the popular Loose Change videos, which challenge the official version of 9/11, has released an earlier uncut interview he did with Jennings because he feels it provides key information which did not come out in the BBC piece. When the long-awaited National Institute of Standards and Technology report on WTC 7 is released, it is expected to attribute the collapse to fires in the building and structural damage caused by debris hitting the building from the collapse of the second WTC tower (WTC 1). However, in this interview Jennings is very insistent that the explosions he experienced in WTC 7 occurred before the collapse of either of the two main towers.more...

With unseasonably mild temperatures reaching 57 degrees, a large demonstration of protestors from all over the country and parts of the world gathered on the National Mall in front of the U.S. Capitol on Saturday, Jan. 27 to rally against President George W. Bush’s latest military buildup in Iraq.

Although many major news organizations reported the attendance to be in the tens of thousands, rally organizers with United for Peace and Justice (UFPJ) announced that the total was 500,000.more...

On Wednesday, December 20, 2006 the Federal Communications Commission ruled 3-2 along partisan lines that telephone companies seeking to enter the pay-TV market will not be bound by the same regulations as the cable companies. While the telcos claim that the ruling will lead to better services, more choices and lower prices, local municipalities will be restricted in their ability to negotiate franchise agreements that provide for public access channels and institutional networks or require extending service to all houses.more...

Students from Baltimore City schools joined about 7,000 in a march on Washington, D.C. Monday, December 1, 2006 from the Supreme Court to the Lincoln Memorial. A BGM video of the event should be available soon.