Two months ago, Luke Rudkowski of WeAreChange and I confronted Senator Rand Paul at the Capitol building as he was leaving a public press conference. We asked him why he endorsed war mongerer Mitt Romney for President if he stands for so many things that Rand Paul is against.

A week after the video went viral, my workplace received multiple threatening phone calls from a staffer representing the Media Relations Committee at the Capitol. The representative said I could be arrested and charged with trespassing and harassment for my actions. He also threatened to strip me of my press credentials. It was confirmed to me that Senator Rand Paul had directly filed the complaint.

I proceeded to meet with the Media Committee of Bureau Chief heads of all the major mainstream outlets in the Capitol building to explain my side of the story. They told me that they had worked extremely hard to “get access” to Congress and that they can’t have people like me set it back.

After a month of silence on their end about what the final charges would be against me, I decided to come out with the story for the sake of providing the public the truth.

I was interviewed about the incident via WeAreChange:

I explain the full Rand Paul incident to WeAreChange (transcript below)

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UPDATE: 10 AUGUST 2012 13:32 PDT

WE ARE CHANGE — “This is Luke Rudkowski here, reporting on another incident of the suppression of the free press. This time it’s of a US Senator trying to get a journalist fired for asking him tough questions. I’m joined by the one and only Abby Martin of MediaRoots.org and RT.

“Now, if you remember, myself and Abby Martin collaborated together on questioning U.S. Senator Rand Paul on his endorsement of Goldman Sachs/Bilderberg puppet Mitt Romney for the 2012 Elections.”

Luke Rudkowski (on the street):  “Hey, Senator [Rand] Paul. My name is Luke of We Are Change. We had an interesting conversation before about the Bilderberg group. And, knowing what you know, how can you support Romney when The Guardian reported he was at the Bilderberg meeting?”

Abby Martin (walking into the building):  “Hey, Rand. Abby Martin from Media Roots. I just wanted to ask you one quick question. You know, your endorsement for Mitt Romney. People had a lot of questions about it.”

Luke Rudkowski:  “Now, the video was a really big hit online. But the most interesting part of the story happened after the video was already up. Abby, can you tell us exactly what happened to you after that video went online?”

Abby Martin:  “After that week passed, the next week I went into the studios, I went into RT America. My boss said, ‘Come in to our office. We need to talk to you.’ And they just said, you know, ‘What did you do last week? And why are we getting threatening phone calls from the Capitol police and also the Senate Media Relations Committee at the Capitol Building?’

“And I just told them exactly what happened. I showed them the video. I said that it was totally unaffiliated with RT America. And they said this guy was calling them, threatening them, saying they were gonna send the Capitol police down to arrest me, threatening to strip, not only, me of my press credentials, but everyone at the station of their press credentials.”

Luke Rudkowski:  “This is just for asking a question, asking U.S. Senator Rand Paul.

“And can you tell us who these phone calls came from and where they originated?”

Abby Martin:  “They were originated from the Senate Media Relations Committee. I’m not gonna say the guy’s name because I don’t, it’s Mike something; I forget his last name. But he oversees that entire committee. And, so, he was calling to threaten me on behalf of him coming from, directly from, the Senator. So, this was confirmed to me later. And I’ll tell you what happened after that.

“I, actually, had to go meet with them in the Capitol Building. And it was really intense and an intimidating experience. But, yeah, they called RT America, were threatening to arrest me, threatening to strip me of my press credentials and of the entire office.

“So, once I explained to my boss and producers what exactly happened, they were just like: It doesn’t sound like you did anything wrong. If I were you I would definitely get a lawyer or just meet with him. Because he kept following up saying that he wanted to meet me, so he can hear my side of the story. And I didn’t know how to respond; like, should I get a lawyer involved?

“And, so, finally I just wrote him back. And I said, ‘Alright. I’ll meet with you. So, I had to go to the Capitol Building and meet with this guy, and in a small room, like an interrogation room. And it wasn’t just him. It was the Bureau Chief of Al Jazeera, the Bureau Chief of CNN, Fox News, MSNBC. All these Bureau Chief heads sat at a table and just, basically, confronted me about what had happened and wanted to get my side of the story. They said, you know, ‘Did you sneak Luke [Rudkowski] in?’ Like, ‘How do you get in there?’ And I was just like, ‘No. We were registered independent press. All we did was just go into the metal detector and go into the Capitol Building. I mean no one even checked our, no one even checked. It was like so lax. I mean you remember what happened. We walked in there. We even told the woman at the front desk, we’re here for this press event down the way. And she was like, ‘Just go ahead.’

Luke Rudkowski:  “They weren’t that lax when they found my cookies and water and all the snacks I had in my book bag and made me throw everything out, made me a little bit mad.

“But people also need to know we were registered press inside the Senate Building. We hold different press credentials because, Abby, you have a Senate press pass. I have a different press pass, that I won’t mention or name. But I do have that magic piece of laminated piece of paper, that grants me some access and leeway to get into different places.

“But we were registered for an event inside the Senate Building. Nobody sneaked in. We walked in through security. We were walking towards the event. We saw Rand Paul and we asked him a question. There’s no other way to go around it. We have to ask these guys serious questions. The mainstream media doesn’t do it. And these people came at you with full litigious might, verbal and email jujitsu trying to attack you and scare you and intimidate you for simply asking a question.

“I mean it must’ve been a very scary feeling because I remember you telling me they were very vague in the beginning about what they were gonna do. They threw out all these options, possible jail, possible losing your credentials, possibly hurting the entire RT office. And just because they didn’t pick on me shows you that they were looking for any reason to respond, any reason to try to intimidate and harass and they found a reason. It was because you were working for RT. And that’s the only reason they did this. It wasn’t a threat. It wasn’t nothing. They did it just to intimidate and scare you.”

Abby Martin:  “There was a very scary, it was very, very scary. And I was in contact with you the whole time saying, ‘What should I do? Should I come out with this story? This story is huge. I mean Rand Paul is trying to get me stripped of my press credentials for what happened. I mean that is insane.”

Luke Rudkowski:  “Or fired, or arrested for simply asking him a question.”

Abby Martin:  “Yeah. And I remember telling my boss, ‘Just have them come arrest me. This is outrageous. This is completely unfounded.’ And, as you know, now there was no charge that they could really do. It was totally baseless. It was completely empty threats. It was very underhanded intimidation tactics against journalism. You know, D.C. is just really scary like that.

“I just had no idea that that would happen for what we did. I mean if we went up to Rand Paul and we were just like, ‘Hey, man. We really like you. Thank you for what you do.’ I mean just the fact that we asked him something he didn’t like he ran away like a coward with his head down, didn’t want to answer the questions.

“He was having a public press event in that room and we were there registered. I was there registered. I was registered under Media Roots to ask him questions. I mean that’s why we were there. That’s why he was having a public press event there, which is why they were having a press conference there. And that’s why we went there.

“So, yeah, it was just really intense, really scary, intimidating. And, you know, at this point, I’m just gonna come out with this story ‘cos I think people need to know, who still think that Rand Paul is somehow, you know, has to make deals for him to play the long game, so he can do good things later. No. I mean he’s sold out. Like, he’s a sell-out to the Republican establishment. And he’s underhandedly trying to intimidate journalists who confront him about his selling out.”

Luke Rudkowski:  “This is a U.S. Representative of the people trying to arrest and fire a journalist for asking questions. I mean the story is huge. It’s unprecedented. I never; I mean I’ve worked the Senate beat many times. And I go out to the Senate Building. And I ask all these hard questions to all the senators. And I never experienced or I never went through something that you went through. And it’s pretty insane to have Rand Paul, Mr. Libertarian, himself, use the full might of any rules and regulations, that he could throw at you, throw at you to try to intimidate you.

“But, luckily, knowing you for a while now, I definitely know you will not be intimidated. I know this will only embolden you. And I know you also have new plans and you also have a new show, that you’re gonna be working on. Can you update us on what’s next for you?”

Abby Martin:  “Yeah. It certainly won’t intimidate me. In fact, I would love to see him again. In D.C., there’s politicians running around. It’s absurd.

“I won’t be going into the Capitol Building anymore to do it. But I think they’re everywhere. So, you can find out where these people are and talk to them. But, yeah, I mean I want to also clarify one point. He also, the guy who called RT, said that I can be charged with harassment as well. That was another charge that they were throwing out there, kind of blanketly, without any foundation whatsoever.

“But coming up on RT, actually, I haven’t been anchoring for the last two weeks and I won’t be all of August because I’m preparing to take over the Alyona Show. But I’m not gonna take over her show. I’m gonna make a whole new show undercutting the left/right paradigm, corporate/top-down media establishment where I’m talking about Big Brother Watch, surveillance issues, government expansion. I’m talking about things, that are censored in the mainstream media, that get a back-page story. And also talking about heroes in journalism, like Luke, highlighting grassroots activists, people who are out there doing awesome things, that need to be highlighted and are not given enough exposure, and also highlighting the villains, the corporate CEOs and the politicians, that are doing really messed up stuff, so, kind of putting them on the spotlight. And that’s the idea, for the show right now. So, stay tuned for that.”

Luke Rudkowski: “Well, if you need me to question Rand Paul, I can definitely do it. As a matter of fact, I will do it. But I wanna congratulate you on your new show. I hope people tune in. Check out Abby on Twitter @AbbyMartin.

“You’re an amazing human being. Keep up the great work. And I’m very happy to see you not afraid, not intimidated, emboldened and only strengthened by this attack. It will not stop us. The more you try to stop us, the more we grow, the more unstoppable we become.”

Luke Rudkowski:  “Anything else we didn’t get into that you wanted to get into, Abby?”

Abby Martin:  “Yeah. I mean when the corporate media doesn’t ask these questions, then who else can? And when people say this is ambush journalism, that’s unfounded as well because—people who are like, ‘Oh, how come you couldn’t get in a meeting with him? He said he had a meeting with you.’—they don’t have meetings with people who are not already totally funded by the top-down establishment. I mean that just doesn’t happen. So, sometimes they need to be confronted and about legitimate things. I mean that’s just the way it has to happen.

“And, yeah, just once again, you know, the people who say, ‘Get an appointment! This is ridiculous! Why would he answer you?’ Well, he was happy to talk to Luke before about Bilderberg before he was in the establishment.”

Luke Rudkowski (street footage with Rand Paul):  “For people who don’t know what’s going on, can you tell people who are the Bilderberg group? If you feel comfortable doing so.”

Luke Rudkowski:  “Yeah. He talked about how bad the Bilderberg group is, how they want a world government, how we need an audit of Goldman Sachs. But then when I was talking to him it was just complete silence, which made the video very awkward.”

Luke Rudkowski (street footage with Rand Paul):  “I’m just trying to get answers. And that’s why I’m here talking with you. And that’s why I’m persistent the way I am.  I know you can hear me.”

Abby Martin:  [Laughs]

Luke Rudkowski:  “He didn’t say a single word at all.”

Luke Rudkowski (street footage with Rand Paul):  “I know you’re trying to ignore me. But the video will play for itself. It will be on YouTube.”

Luke Rudkowski:  “Nothing.”

Luke Rudkowski (street footage with Rand Paul):  “We could have explained everything to our audience. They are only gonna have more questions about you, Mr. Rand. And you’re only hurting yourself by not answering the question.”

Luke Rudkowski:  “At all.”

Luke Rudkowski (street footage with Rand Paul):  “Before you became Senator, you talked about the Bilderberg group and auditing Goldman Sachs. But right now you’re supporting Romney. A lot of your supporters are let down. And I’m let down by your reaction, which I think pretty much made the video as popular as it is because of that, because of that awkward kind of silence, that we went through there.

“And I did try many times when I first started covering the Senate and Congress, I’ve tried to get little sit-down interviews and I call them ahead of time. And after 30 failed attempts and 30 failed responses, this is the only way to really get answers. And we’re also gonna be releasing another video this week showing me being very polite to a politician, asking him for an interview, and him just walking away and going in his car and not talking to anyone. So, the only way to really get answers is not from the corporate mainstream media. It’s to go out there and to ask the damn questions. That’s the only way. Don’t ask for permission. Ask for the truth and ask for accountability. That’s the only way you could really do it. And that’s the only way to be independent fully.”

Abby Martin (c. 12:17):  “And these people work for us. These people, we pay their salary. I mean they are public servants to the people. So, if we want answers on why they do shady stuff and are endorsing warmongerers who want to invade Iran and start World War III, I mean, we have the right to do that.”

Luke Rudkowski:  “Yeah. We have at least the right to question them on their abuse of authority and their horrible actions. And the free press, pretty much, is the most important thing in this country. And we don’t have one. And that’s why we’re living in the world we’re living in now.

“And I applaud people like yourself, Abby. And other brave, independent journalists out there who were willing to take the risk, who were willing to face arrest, persecution for just asking the right questions. And I appreciate your guts. And I know you’re gonna continue on an amazing journey. You’ve got a great career ahead of you. And full-speed ahead. Thank you for everything you do.”

Transcript by Felipe Messina for Media Roots and We Are Change

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MEDIA ROOTS — On June 28, 2012, the Supreme Court upheld the controversial Affordable Healthcare for America Act, which will enact an individual mandate forcing Americans to buy health insurance or face a fine. In a tight 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court rejected the argument that mandated healthcare is legal under the Commerce clause. Instead, the Court rested its decision on the fact that any fine assessed for non-compliance is a tax and therefore the federal government’s authority to tax is upheld.

Abby Martin of Media Roots and RT interviews Cenk Uygur, host of The Young Turks, concerning the mainstream media rush to erroneously report the decision and the practical merits of the Affordable Healthcare Act ascension to law.

Abby Martin Interviews Cenk Uygur on Obamacare

Cenk Uygur provides a sober and honest evaluation of the Act better known as ‘Obamacare.’ He focuses in on the conservative nature of an individual mandate, mentioning how its origin stems from the ultra-conservative Heritage Foundation think tank. Uygur hammers this idea home by clarifying the bill does not do enough as it provides no public option outside of private insurers.

Hats off to Cenk Uygur for sharing an honest and unique perspective on the Affordable Healthcare Act that you will not find anywhere in the mainstream.

Chris Martin for Media Roots

Photo by flickr user Texas GOP Vote

MEDIA ROOTS —  A month ago, Luke Rudkowski of WeAreChange and Abby Martin of Media Roots confronted Senator Rand Paul on camera at the Capitol building as he left a press conference.  The question they both asked him repeatedly is why he endorsed Mitt Romney if he stands in opposition to almost every Libertarian principle that both he and his father, Ron Paul, hold so dear.  Rand’s handler tried to shield Paul from Luke and Abby but failed to do so, creating a few cringe worthy moments that made Rand seem like an utter coward.  He silently looked down in embarrassment without even giving them a glance as he skirted away.

Some people may say that any form of ‘ambush’ journalism is unfair; since you don’t have permission to confront someone, don’t expect a friendly attitude or response.  However, in the past, a pre-Senate Rand Paul was spotted on the street by WeAreChange and asked about Bilderberg.  He seemed eager to speak candidly about the subject, throwing out a lot of anti New World Order rhetoric.

When Abby’s video hit YouTube, the comments and reactions were evenly split.  Some WeAreChange fans said they were okay with his endorsement, and that Rand Paul had to ‘make a deal’ in order to gain ground for their cause.  Others were furious at Abby and Luke for challenging ‘one of their own.’  Overall, many expressed the thought that Rand had sold out and betrayed his own father by catering to the Republican establishment.  Rand and Ron have been big allies with WeAreChange’s philosophical agenda for years, dovetailing off of WeAreChange’s association with the Alex Jones and Infowars.  To those unfamiliar with these different groups’ involvement in underground politics, WeAreChange acts as emissaries of the confrontational style of journalism Alex Jones has been known for, i.e. bullhorning in public buildings and confronting politicians about the New World Order.  Arguably, Alex Jones is following in the footsteps of Bill Cooper and David Icke with a heavy philosophical dose of the John Birch Society.

I started listening to Alex Jones in early 2004, and from the very first broadcast he spoke very favorably of one politician in particular, a Congressman named Ron Paul.  At the time I knew of people like Cynthia McKinney and Dennis Kucinich, but had no knowledge of anyone on the ‘right’ who held strongly to some of my personal beliefs about foreign policy, freedom and civil liberties.  After doing a bit of research on Ron Paul, he seemed like the real deal.  It made sense why Alex Jones was such a fan since Jones considered himself a ‘paleo conservative,’ neither Republican nor Democrat. 

Many years later, Paul’s son, Rand, came onto the scene and became a U.S. Senator in Kentucky; this was directly after the media coverage of the Tea Party movement had reached its peak.  Originally, the Tea Party phenomenon was started by 9/11 ‘truthers’ who were fans of Ron Paul and Libertarianism in general because of its focus on restoring liberties and cutting back on military intervention.  Eventually, the Tea Party was co-opted by the likes of Fox News and the RNC which turned it into a mainstream commodity to package and sell.  Rand stood side by side with the Tea Party and even considered himself one of the first Tea Party Senators.  His father, Ron Paul, seemed generally pleased at its success–the Tea Party’s growing appeal would only catapult him to more fame.

Slowly it became clear that Rand was following in his father’s footsteps in a lot of ways, sometimes being one of the few Senators to vote “no” on a bill simply because of a possible threat to civil liberties.  However, it was also clear from the beginning that he was different from his father and didn’t have enough political cache to speak ill of American foreign policy or the War on Terror.  He definitely didn’t risk saying anything remotely close to his dad’s statements about 9/11 being a result of CIA blowback.

Alex Jones still promoted Rand, along with his father Ron, regardless of their differences on 9/11 and the War on Terror.  WeAreChange and the Infowars community seemed to be mostly excited about Ron and his son becoming such well known fixtures in the mainstream media and Republican party.  But there were exceptions–early on I noticed that certain fans became leery of these events, wondering why elements of the RNC would accept Rand and his father with open arms unless there was a bigger chess game at play.

The attention reached its peak during the 2011 Republican presidential primaries, when Ron Paul collected over 200 delegates. Just like in 2008, Ron Paul hinted at running third party if he lost the primary, but didn’t end up launching a third party bid after losing the nomination.  After discovering that Mitt Romney was the clear victor, it’s most likely that both Pauls were asked by their ‘friends’ in the Republican party to endorse him for president.  Apparently, Rand felt compelled to do just that.  Less than a month after the dust had settled, he went on television to announce his endorsement for the war mongerer.

Was he offered a sweet deal or did he go into it with the underlying understanding that if he solidified his friendship with the Republican overlords it would pay off in the long term?  Surely he knew that the liberty movements’ reaction would range anywhere from mildly unhappy/confused to feeling betrayed–but he decided to do it anyway.  Or, is a third possibility conceivable–that Ron and Rand Paul have been used as tools by the Republican party for longer than the Romney endorsement; now they may actually be inadvertently helping this so called ‘New World Order’ they both profess to oppose?

If you have been following the history of the evolution of the Pauls as I have, you can see that Abby and Luke’s video confrontation at the Capitol asking Rand about his curious endorsement of Romney blew up the internet with a heated albeit much needed debate.  Many Paul fans feel as if they have been mislead, and that the Pauls are playing into the hands of the very untrustworthy establishment that has shut out their movement for so long.  Can we blame them?

UPDATE: A week after this confrontational video was broadcast, Abby’s workplace, Russia Today, received an ominous phone call from a Senate committee staffer who represents mainstream media access to the Capitol building.  This representative implied that Abby had trespassed (she did not, they were both credentialed press for the event) into the Capitol to ‘harass’ Rand Paul.  It turns out that it was Rand Paul’s staff that put the pressure on this committee to try to strip Abby of her press credentials and intimidate her.  Luckily, the Rand Paul campaign was extremely naive and had no idea that Abby only becomes stronger and more aggressive in the face of adversity and threats.  Rand Paul has opened a can of worms on this that they will not be able to close. Trying to get a journalist in trouble or even fired from their organization for simply asking a question is one of the sleaziest and oldest tricks in the book; we are even surprised that politicians still employ these strong arm techniques instead of more subtle and nuanced approaches.

I’ve been on the fence for a long time about what the Pauls are really trying to accomplish.  Now that we know for sure that Rand Paul tried to threaten and intimidate Abby simply for asking him why he endorsed Mitt Romney, I think I can safely hop to one side of the fence–the side in which Rand and possibly Ron Paul are clearly working on behalf of the “establishment.”

Robbie Martin for Media Roots

To hear Abby and I discussing these events on our most recent podcast click here, or stream below


Media Roots Radio – Rand Paul Crackdown, Gay Rights, Illuminati & NWO Distraction by Media Roots

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MEDIA ROOTS — In recent months, the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) has been performing deadly operations in Honduras to combat the War on Drugs.  Abby Martin of Media Roots and RT interviews Professor Adrienne Pine of American University about the most recent DEA slayings in the region.  They discuss the complete disregard for sovereignty, due process and rules of engagement.  

Professor Pine points out that America’s War on Drugs is enhanced by stunting the roots of democracy in Honduras.  She cements this assertion by sharing, “The police and the military forces in Honduras were the forces responsible for carrying out a coup in 2009 and then for violently enforcing it.”  Professor Pine goes on to explain that the U.S. financially supports the Honduran police and military, despite the State Department’s own warnings of widespread corruption among the agencies.  Rather than pulling back from the overt sanctioning of corruption to promote an undercurrent of civilian led democracy, the U.S. continues to fan the flames by inserting military and DEA assets.

DEA Agents out of Control in Honduras

Professor Pine focuses on the origins of the disastrous American foreign policy in Latin America with the Plan Columbia incentives where civilians were murdered and dressed like guerillas to collect U.S. taxpayer funded bounties.  She then compares the U.S. sanctioned murders on foreign soil to the streets of America, where impoverished African-American and Latino-American populations pay a disproportionate price for the failed policies of the Drug War.  

Drawing a correlation from the War on Terror to the War on Drugs, the professor explains how America’s brutal imperial policies are now coming full-circle as the Iraq model is being adopted across Central and South America.  The interview takes an interesting turn as the discussion turns to U.S. government complicity in drug trafficking.  

The total cost of the DEA from 1972 to 2009 exceeds $536 billion.

Chris Martin for Media Roots

Photo by HonCOAwikiMpubdom

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

 Written by Christian Sorensen and Abby Martin

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 Photo by Flickr User Laser Burners