MEDIA ROOTS – Media Roots is a not-for-profit community news sharing platform that has been keeping followers in the loop since 2009. We follow stories that are often marginalized by mainstream outlets and are always looking for fresh perspectives, particularly from the artist and activist community.
Is there a song about the struggle for justice that you’ve heard recently that you think needs to get out there?
Did you watch a film online that deserves a solid review?
Have you read a poem or story that really captures the spirit of a social movement that’s important to you?
Submit your review (1000 words max.), as well as a hyperlink to the original content, for consideration by September 23 and our editors will select the top two entries for distribution on the site. A grand prize of $50 will be awarded in the form of an online gift card and both will receive a Media Roots T-shirt!
With your submission please include your name, phone number, and your city and state. (Only your name will be published with the article.) Also, please mention your desire to contribute to Media Roots in the future, if applicable. All submissions will become property of Media Roots and can be used for any purpose.
Good luck and we look forward to hearing from you!
MEDIA ROOTS – Federal agents are continuing to detain a Marine Corps veteran in Chesterfield, Virginia for posts made on his website that expressed discontent for the federal government and accuse elements of it for orchestrating the 9/11 attacks.
On the evening of August 16, FBI agents accompanied by US Secret Service and Chesterfield County police officers approached the home of Brandon J. Raub, 26, a decorated combat engineer who had served tours in Iraq and Afghanistan from 2005 to 2011.
After talking with authorities for “20, 30 minutes” it is still unclear what justification was used for his detainment as his posts did not mention any specific threats of violence to any person or place, nor did they include any imagery of destruction.
Having risen to the rank of sergeant, Raub returned home and continued to serve his country by helping establish the Richmond Liberty Movement. As an organizer, he frequently updated his web page with sentiment of an impending revolution. As a citizen journalist, he made several contributions to Don’t Tread on Me, a blog that serves the expanding liberty movement in the US. And as an American citizen, he could become an example of what’s to come with the newly signed, and heavily debated, National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
Mr. Raub was most likely legally abducted under state statute. In the Commonwealth of Virginia, individuals may be interned for up to 30 days if deemed necessary by a public mental health official. However, coincidentally, the state is leading the country in fighting the NDAA that was drafted in-part by Senator McCain and signed into law on December 31, 2011 by President Obama. In April 2012, state legislators passed a law that forbids state agents from assisting the federal government in the suspension of due process against citizens of that state. The law went into effect on July 1, 2012 which means Chesterfield Police were in direct violation by aiding FBI and US Secret Service in Raub’s detainment and transport should this have been executed under the controversial law.
Both the Richmond bureau of the FBI and the US Secret Service claim that Raub was not arrested but rather simply detained for psychological examination. Chesterfield Police also claimed they did not make an arrest but were only aiding in the transport of Raub. This, however, is classic doublespeak as the very definition of arrest is to “seize a person by legal authority and take into custody,” which is exactly what occurred.
Additionally, Article I, Section 9 of the US Constitution has been clearly violated. Drafted well after the Magna Carta which initially enshrined the concept of Habeas Corpus, the section specifically safeguards against unlawful detention: “The Privilege of the Writ of Habeas Corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in Cases of Rebellion or Invasion the public Safety may require it.” The Latin phrase literally means “may you have the body” and implies that a person detained by the state must be formally charged within a very short period of time. In the United States, the government is given 24 hours to arraign an individual and makes no mention of lawfully detaining a person for merely the potential to commit a crime.
Those close to Raub have boycotted the corporate media throughout this encounter and consequentially are getting very little exposure among the masses. “We believe that the mainstream media is compromised,” writes Raub’s mother, Cathleen Thom. “Thank you to all the real media sources out there who daily place their very lives on the line to report uncompromising truth to the American people.”
The civil liberties organization, The Rutherford Institute, publically stands by Raub in a statement issued earlier today. “For government officials to not only arrest Brandon Raub for doing nothing more than exercising his First Amendment rights but to actually force him to undergo psychological evaluations and detain him against his will goes against every constitutional principle this country was founded upon.”
Several pages on the internet are springing up in support of the liberty activist such as I Am Brandon Raub which has received a several dozen Likes in the past 24 hours.
Oskar Mosco for Media Roots.
Photo provided by Flickr user banspy.
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Filmed by Mr. Raub’s mother, the video shows Mr. Raub acting in a civil manner
as he is unlawfully detained by federal agents.
Marine who served with Brandon Raub testifies to his sanity
MEDIA ROOTS – Since we U.S. citizens all live under a government, which has chosen to engage in perpetualwar at great cost, it is important to use every tool available in order to analyze our collective condition. Heliofant’s recent release, entitled I, Pet Goat II, is a mindblowing short film rife with explanatory symbolism and profound juxtaposition, from which we all may learn.
The animated film tackles many intertwining, contemporary dilemmas: false flag attacks, rampant consumerism, corporate power, invasive religion, and money’s influence over politics. On an esoteric level, Heliofant broaches the Illuminati, the Masons, the Orphic Egg, the hammer & sickle, and the Federal Reserve. For Heliofant’s own breakdown of some of the symbolism, click here.
Beautifully elucidating the last decade of chaos and human suffering, the moving film leaves many feeling encouraged. After all, we still have the beauty of personal choice. Through exercising this choice, we may eventually save ourselves.
Christian Sorensen for Media Roots
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Heliofant: I, Pet Goat II
A story about the fire at the heart of suffering. Bringing together dancers, musicians, visual artists and 3d animators, the film takes a critical look at the events of the past decade that have shaped our world.
Original soundtrack “the Stream”, written and performed by Tanuki Project.
Animation is about half keyframe animation and half motion capture. Motion capture recording by Lartech.
MEDIA ROOTS – The criminal trial for my alleged resisting arrestwas again delayed this morning after prosecutors demanded access to a video that captured the aftermath of the March 25 detainment when I defied an unlawful order by a US Park Police offcier to put away my video camera. The trial showed increased public interest with several additional pedicab operators in attendance in court this morning for the outcome of the trial will heavily influence the future of this green mode of transport on the National Mall.
Citizen journalists, while lawfully protected by the Constitution, continue to be harassed – and occasionally detained – by many officers of the law for recording them during their duties. I was fortunate enough to be invited to the studios of Russia Today yesterday to discuss how citizen journalists’ rights continue to be marginalized yet how affective their work is at holding law enforcement accountable.
Oskar Mosco
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Liz Wahl and Oskar Mosco discuss the plight of citizen journalists.
MEDIA ROOTS – For two weeks every July, elite diplomats, oil executives, U.S. presidential hopefuls, Ivy League Presidents, media CEOs, and other members of the .01% carouse together at a secluded Redwood camp out called the Bohemian Grove in Monte Rio, CA.
The Bohemian Club of San Francisco hosts the powerful soiree, where the rich and powerful network, give talks, discuss policy and drink heavily. Regrettably, like other closed door gatherings of the global elite, the public is largely ignorant of this annual meeting.
Aside from the heavy partying similar to how co-eds act on a Cancun vacations or Puerto Vallarta resorts, probably the most peculiar thing that happens at the Grove is the ‘Cremation of Care’ ceremony, where 50 men in monk robes ritualistically sacrifice a life size coffin effigy to a giant 40 foot owl called ‘Molock.’
Media Roots and RT’s Abby Martin went to find out if people in DC know about the Bohemian Grove:
Bohemian Grove: Orgy of Power for the Ruling Elite
The Occupy Wall Street movement and those who protest the Bohemian Grove share some stark commonalities. Both are justifiably concerned that an elite group of men make political and economic decisions behind closed doors, without due transparency. Both are justifiably concerned that police in riot gear – who themselves belong to the 99% – go against their own socioeconomic interests when guarding the power structure of the elite. Finally, both OWS and Bohemian Grove protestors are outraged that money purchases political power, and those without wealth consequently have no voice in the U.S. political process. To counteract the ‘Cremation of Care’ ritual, protesters held a ‘Creation of Care’ ceremony to show how they want the Grove’s policy makers to care about the impact made by their policies, not burn them away. Abby’s interviews with women and men from Occupy the Bohemian Grove protest shed light on these common concerns:
Occupy Protesters Take on the Bohemian Grove
The Bohemian Grove highlights a glaring problem within the U.S. political system: elites meet in secret and deliberate policy behind closed doors, with no transparency, away from the electorate. As the Occupy Wall Street and Occupy Bohemian Grove movements acknowledge, our own ignorance and idleness allows these activities to continue unabated. Only through an engaged and informed citizenry can we create an equitable future together where our political representatives works to serve the interests of the community, not themselves. Even though this year’s Bohemian Grove meeting is already half over, the questions it raises persist:
Abby Martin gives a wrap up of the weekend’s events from Oakland, CA
MEDIA ROOTS – Media Roots is a not-for-profit community news sharing platform that has been keeping followers in the loop since 2009. We follow stories that are often marginalized by mainstream outlets and are always looking for fresh perspectives, particularly from the artist and activist community.
MEDIA ROOTS – Federal agents are continuing to detain a Marine Corps veteran in Chesterfield, Virginia for posts made on his website that expressed discontent for the federal government and accuse elements of it for orchestrating the 9/11 attacks.
MEDIA ROOTS – Since we U.S. citizens all live under a government, which has chosen to engage in 
MEDIA ROOTS – For two weeks every July, elite diplomats, oil executives, U.S. presidential hopefuls, Ivy League Presidents, media CEOs, and other members of the .01% carouse together at a secluded Redwood camp out called the