Inform Yourself: Documentary Series features Gasland (2010) & Food, Inc. (2008)

Dear Viewers,

The High Priority Party Platform serves to inform you about the harsh realities that take place right before your eyes. Please do not be afraid to act. Once we are educated about certain issues then our fear of it passes, and our ability to launch a successful offensive/defensive becomes possible and real. Inform Yourself : Documentary Series is back with a major push for issue that force viewers to react, bring awareness and cause for action. First up, Gasland (2010) directed by Josh Fox. This film is informs viewers about the serious dangers posed by "fracking," and the costs/consequences being forced onto average Americans and American Taxpayers.

Our second film is Food, Inc. (2008) directed by Robert Kenner. This film provides a discourse for discussion on food in the US. The High Priority Party will consider both films as a basis for forming an informed platform on the issue of energy and Food Consumption. Both films are featured on Netflix, and the Party asks that viewers obtain a subscription to this website to minimize the costs ($8 per month) related to this Documentary Series program. All our featured documentaries are found on Netflixs. So, this educational discourse should not be an expensive endeavor, please do not make it one, unless you can afford it. And as always, stay informed...
-Cowan Amaye-Obu

Farming for Freedom

One important platform for the High Priority Party is the teaching of farming techniques and the adoption of empty lots for farming of fruits and vegetables. The food produced would be used to feed the hungry and the homeless. This type of program would encourage the learning of farming methods in the children and adult citizens, creating a connection with the land. It would also help alleviate hunger, as this is a anti-hunger program. Furthermore, the knowledge learned from this program would have a boundless and liberating effect on the community. Thus, the High Priority Party will stand for Anti-Hunger. Thank you. 

Remembering How Bad Gov. Rick Scott is For Florida

            Just in case if you forgot how bad Rick Scott has been for the State of Florida. Let me remind you of the facts (feel free to use these!):

During Rick Scott's first term, he:

1. Ended Teacher Tenure

2. Rejected Federal Funding for High Speed Rail (originally signed by Charlie Christ in conjunction with the Obama Administration)

3. Required applicants for welfare to undergo drug screening.

4. Required women seeking abortions to have ultrasound.

5. Signed into law a bill allowing for voter suppression and requiring photo ID to vote, as well as, purging eligible voters from voting lists (which unfairly targeted minorities in the 2012 Presidential Election).

6. Restricted early voting

7. Reneged on voter passed amendments banning gerrymandering in Florida.

8. Rejected Federal Funding for Healthcare in Florida, instantly driving the cost up for eligible Floridians.

9. Let's not mention his stance on the Stand Your Ground Law...

Please don't forget how much division this "overner" has promoted in this state. His record is already public record, not to be brushed under the rug or forgotten amid catchy "Let's Get To Work," commercials, or his recent attempts to solicit the Latino vote. Florida needs a leader, and remember, Mega-millionaire 'Overnor' Rick Scott, isn't it!

-Cowan Amaye-Obu

Sources

Rick Scott Wikipedia

The Richest

MSNBC

Florida Governor

Lets Get To Work

Net Neutrality Petition

An important golden rule for internet use has been net neutrality, the treatment of all data on the internet equally. This treatment is termed 'open internet." Ultimately, the opposite of this golden rule is the ability to charge differentially, based on the user, website, and content. The ability to discriminate which users are entitled to special internet services, like faster speed and broader access to internet customers, is termed, "closed internet."

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is considering the "closed internet" model. With this new position on internet use and function, companies will have "paid prioritization," in reaching potential customers.

According to Time Magazine writer Sam Gustin, the internet has become a "new public utility," and access to and from it should remain uniform. As a High Priority Party Member, I believe the open internet platform is essential to future internet use and serves as protection from the Corporate Behemoths and their technology workers. Join me in signing this petition, with Senator Al Franken to keep our internet open to the public and not bought off by the Corporations.

Click Here to sign the petition

Other information and our sources on the subject...
Net Neutrality
Time Magazine Writer Sam Gustin
What is Net Neutrality by ACLU
Open Internet by FCC
LA Times Article
Forbes Article for Closed Internet

The Big Fix: Florida's Restaurant Industry

This article is pending review due to sensitive information.

The Putnam County Mess

"The state is the community of all people living in that state. We are the state. This applies at least to a democracy. In order to organize a functioning society, the state needs public goods. Schools, universities, public transport, utilities etc. In this context, it is interesting to see what is going on with privatization. Privatization originates from the latin word, "privare," which means "to deprive." In the process of privatization, public goods are bought by private investors. Sometimes they even receive them as a present. This is nothing else than depriving society of public goods. You can sum it up as follows: Society is deprived of a certain good, that the private investor is interested in for reasons of profit. -Herman Scheer German Bundestag"

For months, Putnam County residents have been alarmed about the attempt to privatize the Landfill Operations of the Putnam County Sanitation Department. The deal will sale off 340 acres to a private Waste Management Company, who in turn would pay a leasing fee to the County for usage. This issue was of little importance to my Putnam County family, until we discovered the Palatka Wastewater and Treatment Plant was dumping leachate water directly into sewers in our neighborhood. The need for answers or simple information became preeminent.

The question of why County Landfill Workers, were dumping this leachate water in manholes in North Palatka was only silenced when County Officials stated it was "perfectly legal."The interests of Putnam County Commissioners in the safety of their citizens and the environment seemed to be taking a backseat to the larger issue, which exposed the bids for privatization of public Putnam County Landfills.

Putnam County Commissioners were accepting bids for the privatization of their public landfills to specifically avoid a mandate by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to remediate the County landfills which have been contaminating local groundwater sources. Putnam County Officials are also seeking to avoid US EPA sanctions on their landfill methane gas emissions. The current County landfills do not satisfy US EPA requirements and are without the Leachate collection system and liners like most modern Landfill systems.

To remediate the cost of modernizing the County Landfills, County Administrators are accepting bids to sell 340 of the County's 1,200 acre landfill. Which, ultimately is a gamble to avoid EPA penalties and to push the costs of updating the system to a third party. The costs to update the landfill is estimated by the County to be over $120 million dollars.

Now, what third party, would agree to such a precarious situation, given the price tag and pressure from the Federal government? The bid was between two private companies: Republic Services, and Advanced Disposal Services. Currently, Republic Services is projected to win the contract bid. According to Palatka Daily News, Putnam County will receive:
 1. $25 million in purchasing and permitting fee within the next 12 years.
2. $2.4 million in host fees
3. $5.5 million for closure financial assurance fees.

Somehow, through this contract, this will entitle the County to $178 to $204 million to be paid by Republic Services. However, what does Republic Services, a $19 billion dollar company and the third largest waste management company in the US, have to gain? Only time will tell. But questions like, will leachate dumping in my mother's neighborhood stop or why should the county sell its valuable, taxpayer-provided land to a private, profit-making enterprise, remain?

On, May 6, 2014, at 5pm, Putnam County Commissioners at the County Commission Chambers on Crill Avenue in Palatka, will publicly accept Republic Services. Putnam County residents will once again have another reason to hold their noses while traveling through town!

-by Cowan Amaye-Obu "The Putnam County Mess."

Sources

1. Palatka Daliy News 

http://palatkadailynews.com/view/full_story/24990949/article-Landfill-panel-signs-off-on-memo-to-commission?instance=article_results

 http://www.palatkadailynews.com/view/full_story/24652767/article-Landfill-questions-await-answers?instance=article_results

2. Putnam County PPT http://www.putnam-fl.com/bocc/images/stories/pdfs/landfill_privatization_powerpoint_updated.pdf

3. http://www.dontdumponputnam.com

4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landfills_in_the_United_States

5. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_Services

6. http://www.republicservices.com/corporate/home.aspx

7. http://www.advanceddisposal.com/about-advanced-disposal.aspx

Inform Yourself: Documentary Series- Environmental

Inform Yourself: Documentary Series
           This week's theme is our environment. The High Priority Party will form our Environmental Policy based on information and not political stances. The issue of the best energy sources (coal, oil, solar, wind, hydro, or nuclear.), global warming/climate change, pollution, conservation, and the most important, water is gathering passionate charges for immediate action. This year alone has seen multiple oil spills in the Great Lake Regions, the Gulf of Mexico (again), the Mississippi River, the Puget Sound in Washington State, and I am sure I have missed a few. These spills should be the wake up call for everyone for two reasons: if we fail to protect our precious water sources, there will be scarce fresh drinking water sources for the future generations. Second, we need to finally address our dependence on big Coal, and Big Oil... With that said, take out your notebooks and study this week's films. Remember to subscribe to Netflix, as all our feature films will be uploaded onsite. This educational exercise should not be an expensive one!

1. First, Last Call at the Oasis (2011) is a documentary on the world's water crisis. It will help viewers become aware of what is at hand now and in the future in terms of water.

Our second feature, Pandora's Promise (2013), maybe the more important of the two at the moment. Faced with misleading information and propaganda about where we get our energy, Big Oil & Coal, has won both in terms of rewards and contracts. Our environment has suffered because of this and so, it is High Time, to re-evaluate our commitment to oil, coal, and gas as our Climate changes and our waterways are polluted. Much is at stake and nothing less than the truth is needed. Here, the High Party finds historical & current evidence to support Nuclear Power.

On a lighter note, a third movie, which is not a documentary, but a Russian-English film, attempts to shed light on the use of propaganda to sway the public. Watch the film, Branded (2012), and help yourself identify the hidden forces controlling your world.

Thank you for viewing!

-Cowan Amaye-Obu