Big Apple Coffee Party

Big Apple Coffee Party along with NYC Free Assange is moving the Vigil to Free Julian Assange and Chelsea Manning Thursday, January 2, 2020 from the New York Times Building to Grand Central Terminal, located at 42^nd Street and Park Avenue from 4:30-5:30PM. We will meet in the Main Concourse of the Terminal at the Information Booth Clock. We will be distributing flyers and holding our signs calling for the freedom of Julian Assange and Chelsea Manning. Be there!

Although Amazon seems to be the prime offender, (no pun intended) lack of antitrust enforcement goes back to the 1970s with the implementation of the Consumer Welfare Standard put forth by Robert Bork. Simply, the Consumer Welfare Standard states that regulators and courts should pursue consumer welfare and economic efficiency as the main criterion to look to when evaluating a merger or alleged anticompetitive behavior. The consequence is that other entities such as local businesses and the communities that they reside in are of little concern. Also, with the recent creation of tech platforms such as Amazon, businesses, mostly small, have no protection from the creator of the platform also acting as a business competitor on the platform. This is an incredible asymmetry of power that regulation has not rectified. More enforcement of existing antitrust regulation needs to be implemented and, if necessary, new regulations and legislation need to be created to level the playing field on the new tech platforms. To these ends, Big Apple Coffee Party has adopted the following resolution at the December 17, 2019 general meeting:

23. In Support of Greater Antitrust Enforcement Against Monopoly Power

WHEREAS, the basis for antitrust enforcement is more than just the adherence to the outmoded “Consumer Welfare Standard” (if the consumer benefits, there can’t be any antitrust issues), so that the community benefits of small business can be better recognized and protected, and

WHEREAS, there should be a review of the tech platforms and their effect on competition, barriers to entry, privacy, and market concentration, and

WHEREAS, because of the lack of antitrust enforcement, the number of new (small) business formations has been seriously reduced that leads to lack of competition, reduction in product quality, variety and innovation, and

WHEREAS, there should be a clearer and more expansive approach and guidelines to the review of mergers and acquisitions that includes the effect on consumer prices, promotion of greater competition, and concentration of economic power, and stronger enforcement of existing antitrust regulations, therefore be it

Resolved, Big Apple Coffee Party will work, along with allies, to support the greater use of existing antitrust laws and regulations and, if necessary, the creation of news laws and regulations to maintain a proper balance within the market structure of commercial enterprises.

We  are still getting great responses to PROPAGANDA: How Propaganda Manufactures Consent presented at Community Church on November 19, by people who either attended in person or watched the video. Over 350 people had the opportunity to see panelists Max Blumenthal, Margaret Kimberley, and Aaron Maté with moderator Lee Camp deliver exciting and provocative presentations on various aspects of how propaganda is pervasive in our society today. Over 1800 people have watched the video online. You can watch the entire forum here.

Some people decided to come to their first general meeting of BACP based on their positive response to the December 19 event. We were happy to see them, and we hope that trend continues.  

Join us Tuesday, December 17, at 6:00 pm for our next Big Apple Coffee Party general meeting. Please RSVP to this notice, and we will send the location of the meeting at a member’s home on the Upper West Side.

 We will discuss developments in the efforts to free Julian Assange and Chelsea Manning. We will continue to follow up on the issues of U.S. sanctions, climate crisis, NYCHA housing,the privatization of the Postal Service, and the growing threat of war.

The next Vigil to Free Julian Assange & Chelsea Manning will be Thursday, Dec. 19, at The New York Times Building, 8th Avenue @ 40 Street, 4:30 pm – 6:00 pm. (Please support NYC Free Assange by “liking” our FB page here.)

We look forward to seeing you at our meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 17. This will be the last BACP meeting of 2019. Please RSVP to let us know if you can or cannot attend.

Our next meeting will be Tuesday, January 14, 2020 at a member’s home.

Max Blumenthal, one of the featured presenters at Big Apple Party’s PROPAGANDA: How Propaganda Manufactures Consent on November 19, 2019, had false charges of “simple assault” against him dropped by the US Government. Journalist Max Blumenthal, who had been arrested on a 5-month-old warrant and jailed for nearly two days on trumped up charges, was exonerated when the U.S. Government dropped the bogus charges against him.

“The Grayzone has learned that Secret Service call logs recorded during the alleged incident were either not kept or destroyed. The mysteriously missing evidence included print documents and radio recordings that may have exposed collusion between Secret Service officers operating under the auspices of the US State Department and violent right-wing hooligans in an operation to besiege peace activists stationed inside Venezuela’s embassy in Washington, DC.”

As reported in “US Government drops case against Max Blumenthal after jailing journalist on false charges” by Ben Norton, The Grazyzone, December 7, 2019, “Blumenthal, who is the editor of The Grayzone, was arrested at his home on October 25 by a team of DC cops who had threatened to break down his door. He later learned that he was listed in his arrest warrant as “armed and dangerous.” a rare and completely unfounded designation that placed Blumenthal at risk of severe harm by the police.”

Norton continues, “The government’s case rested entirely on a false accusation by a right-wing Venezuelan opposition activist, Naylet Pacheco, that Blumenthal and Benjamin Rubinstein had assaulted her while they were delivering food to Venezuela’s embassy in Washington, DC in the early morning on May 8. (Rubinstein is the brother of journalist and Grayzone contributor Alexander Rubinstein who was reporting from inside the embassy at the time.)”

The Grayzone has reported extensively on the corruption of coup leader Juan Guaido, whom Washington recognizes as “interim president” of Venezuela, as well as the scandals plaguing Guaidó’s “ambassador” to the United States, Carolo Vecchio.

We had a great turnout for PROPAGANDA: How Propaganda Manufactures Consent at Community Church on November 19.  Over 350 people had the opportunity to see panelists Max Blumenthal, Margaret Kimberley, and Aaron Maté with moderator Lee Camp deliver exciting and provocative presentations on various aspects of how propaganda is pervasive in our society today. If you weren’t lucky enough to be there, you can watch the entire forum by clicking the logo on the right.

Join us Tuesday, December 3, at 6:00 pm for our next Big Apple Coffee Party general meeting. Please RSVP to this notice, and we will send the location of the meeting at a member’s home on the Upper West Side.

We will do an analysis of the impact of the November 19th event and discuss developments in the efforts to free Julian Assange and Chelsea Manning. We continue to follow up on the issues of U.S. sanctions, climate crisis, NYCHA housing, privatization of the Postal Service, and the growing threat of war.

The Thursday Vigils to Free Julian Assange & Chelsea Manning continue after our Thanksgiving break. The next vigil will be Thursday, Dec. 5, at The New York Times Building, 8th Avenue @ 40 Street, 4:30 pm – 6:00 pm.  are growing as is the visibility and support of NYC Free Assange. (Please support NYC Free Assange by “liking” our FB page here.)

We look forward to seeing you at our meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 3. Please RSVP to let us know if you can or cannot attend.

Our next meeting will be Tuesday, December 17, at a member’s home.

It was an electrifying evening at Community Church of NYC as Max Blumenthal, Margaret Kimberley, and Aaron Maté with moderator Lee Camp delivered an unforgettable forum on how propaganda is pervasive in our society today. A video of the event is available now. Click Propaganda logo on right

Thank you all, panelist, moderator, and enthusiastic audience for making this evening a huge success.

Tuesday, November 19, 2019
Community Church of New York
40 East 35 Street, NYC
7:00 pm-9:00 pm
(doors open 6:30 pm)

PANELISTS:
Max Blumenthal, Award-winning Author and Journalist and Founder of the idependent news website, The Grayzone.

Margaret Kimberley, Editor and Senior
Columnist at Black Agenda Report.

Aaron Maté, Journalist, Host of Pushback airing on The Grayzone.

MODERATED BY;
Lee Camp, Stand-up Comedian, Writer, Activist and the Host of the national TV show, Redacted Tonight.

Join us Tuesday at 6:00 pm for our next Big Apple Coffee Party meeting. Please RSVP to this notice, and we will send the location of the meeting at a member’s home on the Upper West Side.

The Thursday Vigils to Free Julian Assange & Chelsea Manning are growing as is the visibility and support of NYC Free Assange. (Please “like” our FB page here.) 

The next vigil will be Thursday, Nov. 7th, at The New York Times Building, 8th Avenue @ 40 Street, 4:30 pm – 6:00 pm.  Julian Assange and Chelsea Manning are languising in prison.  They need our help.

We will share more news (and volunteer opportunities) for PROPAGANDA: How Propaganda Manufactures Consent. See flyer below! There is no reserved seating, but do let us know if you plan to attend at bigapplecoffeeparty@gmail.com and on our FB event page.  The venue is large, and there should be no problem getting in.  Doors open at 6:30 pm. Invite your friends.  Don’t miss this important and amazing forum.

We continue to follow up on the issues of U.S. sanctions, climate crisis, NYCHA housing, and the growing threat of war.

We look forward to seeing you at our meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 5. Please RSVP to let us know if you can or cannot attend.

Our next meeting will be Tuesday, November 12, at a member’s home.

Big Apple Coffee Party Meeting, Tuesday, October 22, 6:00 pm, All Souls Unitarian Church.

It is with regret that after four years of holding a monthly BACP meeting as guests of All Souls, our next BACP meeting on Tuesday, October 22, will be our last at 80th St. and Lexington Ave.  We are grateful for the time we enjoyed at All Souls and invite you to join us for this final meeting there.

We are excited to announce that our plans for Propaganda, our next BACP forum, are just about finalized.  Please Save the Date: November 19, 2019, 7-9:00 pm.  We can’t wait to share the details with you.  We will, as usual, need your help to make this event a huge success.  We will discuss needs and volunteer opportunities on Tuesday.

We have been organizing, promoting, and attending Thursday Vigils to Free Julian Assange & Chelsea Manning and have joined with others to create NYC Free Assange. (Please let us know if you’d like to be added to the NYC Free Assange email list. Please “like” the NYC Free Assange FB page here.)  

The next vigil will be Thursday, October 24th  at The New York Times, 8th Ave. @ 40 Street, 4:30 – 6:00 pm. 

We look forward to seeing you at the BACP meeting on Tuesday. Please RSVP to let us know if you can or cannot attend.

(While we explore other meeting locations, we will meet twice a month on the second and fourth Tuesdays at a member’s home. Our next meeting will be Tuesday, November 5th on the UWS.)

Wednesday at 6:00 pm, Upper West Side

Please RSVP to this notice, and we will send the location of the meeting at a member’s home on the Upper West Side.

We have been organizing, promoting, and attending Thursday Vigils to Free Julian Assange and Chelsea Manning and have joined with others to create NYC Free Assange. (Please “like” our FB page here.) 

The next vigil will be Thursday, September 12, at The New York Times Building, 8th Avenue @ 40 Street, 4:30 pm – 6:00 pm.  The U.S. seeks Julian Assange’s extradition where he will face a 17-count indictment under the Espionage Act.  On July 31, The DNC lawsuit against WikiLeaks and Julian Assange was dismissed. The judge declared Julian Assange “a publisher” and Wikileaks “an international news organization.”  Chelsea Manning, the whistle blower who revealed the Collateral Murder video, is in prison and is now receiving fines of $1,000 a day. She refuses to participate in the framing of Assange.  Imprisoned whistle blower Jeremy Hammond has been called to testify against his will at the same grand jury as Chelsea.  He will also refuse, but it will add a year to his 10 year sentence due to end later this year.

The facts surrounding the “suicide” of Jeffrey Epstein are being unexplored and the case itself is being buried by the mainstream media. As we plan for the next BACP forum on Propaganda, we will discuss the implications.

We continue to follow up on the issues of U.S. sanctions, climate crisis, NYCHA housing, and the growing threat of war with Iran.

We look forward to seeing you on Wednesday. Please RSVP to let us know if you can or cannot attend.

(We meet twice a month split between Tuesdays and Wednesdays and between a member’s home and All Souls Church. Our next meeting will be Tuesday, September 24th at All Souls Church.Lexington Avenue and 80th Street.)