LisaG

In the lead up to an election, campaigners campaign and organizers organize - this year artists made art -- lots of political art and music to Get Out The Vote and energize people about candidates. Here's a piece from MC YOGI - aka Nicholas Giacomini - a Bay Area hip hop lover with a yoga studio in Point Reyes.

We have unlawful search and seizure. We have unlawful arrest without probably cause.... Mass arrest and detention without probable cause.... Then you have excessive force. Spraying people point blank range with mace who aren't resisting and who are peaceful is excessive force. Beating people in jail is excessive force... Those all should be criminal complaints.

Jay Smooth of The Ill Doctrine, and New York's longest running hip-hop radio show, WBAI's Underground Railroad.

Does your Granny know that McCain plans on cutting health benefits by over 1.3 TRILLION dollars? That's what US Action, AgitPop want you to know. Talking points provided at WWW.TELLYOURGRANNY.COM. Come on, you know you owe her a call . . .

Former Army Reserve Sergeant Nick Morgan was caught under the hooves of a horse ridden by Nassau County police officer Quagliano. The horse stepped on Morgan's face, breaking his lower orbital (cheekbone) in three places. Bleeding heavily from his face, Morgan drifted in and out of consciousness until another police officer appeared and dragged him away from the scene. After a delay in which Nassau County police refused to take Morgan to the hospital, he was finally taken to Nassau County Medical Center, handcuffed to a gurney, given Motrin and a prescription for antibiotics, and sent on to jail.

"I never thought that much about where my food came from until I learned that the average American meal travels 1500 miles before it is eaten. You should wonder if something's wrong when your thanksgiving dinner is better-traveled than your entire family."

Now that we've had a few weeks to settle, a look back at Labor Day in the Twin Cities. Video was released today of an apparent mass arrest of utterly peaceful concert goers at the SEIU Labor Day concert, held on Day One of the Republican National Convention. My personal favorite moment in the tape is an off-camera exchange.

Watching the high profile role that Rage Against The Machine took outside both conventions (the NYTimes went with the inflammatory headline "At Both Conventions, a Band Salutes Anarchy"), we thought you might enjoy this interview with Rage guitarist Tom Morello, conducted a few months ago when we were just starting up at GRITtv.

Chris Raab, chief evangelist for Afro-netizen on social networking for social change.

DUC: The Distribution to Underserved Communities Library Program distributes books on contemporary art and culture free of charge to rural and inner-city libraries, schools and alternative reading centers nationwide. The program reaches readers in all 50 states and has placed over 200,000 free books in public libraries, schools, and alternative pedagogical venues. (I like the sound of that!)