#Fast4FOIA Day 18 - YouTube Video

Today is Day 19 of the #Fast4FOIA. I began a liquids-only fast on February 27 to peacefully protest how the U.S. Department of Justice violates the Freedom of Information Act. This fast is expected to last about 22 days ; it may end sooner, if, before the end of 22 days, the DOJ files its Answer to the Complaint in my FOIA Lawsuit. In January, I filed a lawsuit under FOIA to obtain records of the speeches of U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara because no records were ever released in response to my FOIA Request.

If this fast runs for the full 22 days, then I will have exceeded the longest fast undertaken by Mahatma Gandhi. There were two fasts, which Gandhi undertook, which were tied for the longest at 21 days.

I am posting daily reports on the #Fast4FOIA blog and posting daily videos on the #Fast4FOIA YouTube Channel. I am providing direct links to select vidoes, where you can see the progression of my weight loss on this liquids-only fast.

#Fast4FOIA - Week 2 Update Here is a list of my YouTube videos : Day 17 [I show you how my belt on the fifth notch has become loose.] Day 11 [I show you that I began to wear my belt on the fifth notch.] Day 07 [I show you how my belt on the fourth notch has become loose.] Day 04 [I show you how my belt at the third notch fits me too loose.] I have experienced severe hunger pains at different points in this fast, but I have remained faithful to my liquids-only regimen. Everything I have consumed is documented on the #Fast4FOIA blog. (I am only consuming coffee, sometimes iced tea spiked with extra lemon or lime juice, low-calorie Gatorade for minerals, Campbell's chicken broth soup, and prune juice to induce bowel movements. I can see myself reaching Day 22 of this fast, if it is necessary. All of this, because the DOJ believes it can violate FOIA without any consequences. I can't believe I'm writing this, but it looks like I should make it to Day 22, and, if so, I will have outlasted U.S. Attorney Bharara.* I have the utmost respect for the Assistant U.S. Attorneys in the public corruption unit, but I cannot accept that the U.S. Attorney's Office, which is so celebrated for fighting corruption, can violate FOIA so openly. * In my last newsletter, I complained that there was an apparent conflict of interest in U.S. Attorney Bharara overseeing this FOIA Lawsuit. I had applied for permission to file a letter motion, requesting his recusal. Now, because U.S. Attorney Bharara was removed from office by President Trump, I don't have to make such a filing. This lawsuit is not going to go forward like the DOJ thinks. It already isn't. I'm still looking for pro bono counsel. If anybody would like to volunteer to help me, I would be very grateful. But much more than my own gratitude, all the people filing FOIA Requests with the DOJ would be grateful, because there is a chance here to help bring the DOJ into compliance with FOIA. Louis Flores louis.flores@progressqueens.com (929) 279-2292

RELATED #Fast4FOIA Day 12 - FOIA Lawsuit over records of speeches of U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara (NYC : Nes & Analysis) #Fast4FOIA - Day 12 (YouTube) #Fast4FOIA Blog (Tumblr) Judge Koeltl assigned to oversee FOIA lawsuit over speeches given by U.S. Attorney Bharara (Progress Queens) EDITORIAL : DOJ and Manhattan Federal Court begin to put the fix in second FOIA Lawsuit (Progress Queens) Preet Bharara gives a public speech before the press, but there is no recording or transcript. Why ? (Progress Queens)

#Fast4FOIA Day 12 - FOIA Lawsuit over records of speeches of U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara

#Fast4FOIA Day 12 - YouTube Video

The liquids-only fast that Louis Flores is on is expected to last 21 days, but it may end sooner, if the U.S. Department of Justice files it Answer to the Complaint in the lawsuit before the completion of the 21 days. Friday was Day 12 of the #Fast4FOIA started by reporter and activist Louis Flores on 27 February. The fast began as a peaceful protest against the DOJ for its record of violating the Freedom of Information Act. In January, Flores filed a lawsuit under FOIA to obtain records of the speeches of U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, because no records were ever released in response to a FOIA Request made by Flores. Even though Flores has protested outside the U.S. Attorney's Office, the DOJ refuses to settle this lawsuit. The DOJ has a pattern and practise of violating FOIA. News reports have revealed that the DOJ fought to defeat improvements to FOIA under the Obama administration. In prior litigation between Flores and the DOJ, the DOJ admitted that it waits for the makers of FOIA Requests to file lawsuits before the DOJ process FOIA Requests in clear violation of the spirit of FOIA.

RELATED #Fast4FOIA - Day 12 (YouTube) #Fast4FOIA Blog (Tumblr) Judge Koeltl assigned to oversee FOIA lawsuit over speeches given by U.S. Attorney Bharara (Progress Queens) EDITORIAL : DOJ and Manhattan Federal Court begin to put the fix in second FOIA Lawsuit (Progress Queens) Preet Bharara gives a public speech before the press, but there is no recording or transcript. Why ? (Progress Queens)

Blogger Louis Flores debuts Progress Queens, a new Web site about news and politics

Progress Queens : News and Politics

The evolution of online news The Internet has allowed for many Web sites to publish news online, but the avalanche of information fails to connect with people. One of the biggest reasons that people are disconnecting from the news is that the mainstream media never gives people the whole truth about how our government is run. Progress Queens was created to address this problem. Progress Queens upends mainstream media Whereas the mainstream media fails to make the connections to lobbyists, consultants, and outside contractors in the many corruption scandals that impact government and big business, you can count on Progress Queens to always make that connection for you. Progress Queens is fighting for a truly progressive reform agenda based on the values that we should each of use economic gains to help those with the least and keep our elected officials accountable to voters at all times. Follow us on Twitter : @progressqueens.

RELATED Progress Queens : News and Politics (ProgressQueens.com)

Twawking Tweets - Pilot Video - NY Democratic Primary for Governor

"Twawking Tweets" - Pilot Video "Twawking Tweets" is a pilot video for a TV show that gives voice to voters' concerns as expressed entirely over Twitter. In this format, tweeted messages from average voters are highlighted and discussed within the context of larger political, social, and economic issues. Entirely Twitter-driven, this show will amplify the voices of regular people, giving power to their views and opinions. For more information, contact Louis Flores at : louisflores (at) louisflores (dot) com.

Controversial LGBT Poster Debuted At Brooklyn Pride, First Project of "The Reformers"

(Some Of) The Faces That Sell-Out The LGBT Community

We're celebrating Brooklyn Pride pic.twitter.com/jiRcM5pff2

— Louis Flores (@maslowsneeds) June 14, 2014

RELATED The Faces That Sell-Out The LGBT Community (LGBT Sell-Outs)

At the Brooklyn Pride festival yesterday, the city's LGBT community turned out for food and entertainment, a street fair, and a rude wake-up call. A poster showing the faces and names of 16 LGBT leaders, who, over the years, have stopped fully advocating for the community on whose behalf they serve, was taped up along several blocks of Fifth Avenue in Brooklyn. Some posters were affixed to the front doors of Port-A-Potties, a popular place for festival-goers to congregate. Outside one Port-A-Potty, a group of gay men surveyed the poster. One remarked of the leadership of the Human Rights Campaign, or HRC, the largest LGBT advocacy organization in the United States, by observing, "HRC doesn't hire people of color." This observation is backed up by criticisms made by many LGBT civil rights activists, most notably, by the San Francisco-based blogger and activist, Michael Petrelis. When Mr. Petrelis blogged about HRC's sudden funding of LGBT equality efforts in Alabama, Mr. Petrelis noted the lack of any people of color in HRC's partner for that state. Mr. Petrelis is not involved in the postering effort in Brooklyn, but his observations help to underscore how many activists raise criticisms about the LGBT community's leaders, which our leadership organizations never fully address. The failure of LGBT community groups to be fully accountable and transparent to the broader constituency forms the basis of the controversial "LGBT Sellout Faces" poster that was taped up along the route of the Brooklyn Pride festival.

LGBT sellout poster reaction : "HRC doesn't hire people of color." pic.twitter.com/l1j4RvC1qz

— LGBT For Change (@lgbt4change) June 14, 2014

Another reaction to LGBT sellout poster : "OMG I have friends on this, but you're right." #BrooklynPride pic.twitter.com/hq0Kzyp2wp

— LGBT For Change (@lgbt4change) June 14, 2014

Besides poster-sized forms that were taped up along the route of the Brooklyn Pride festival, a flyer of the poster was also handed out by activists calling for reform of LGBT community groups and their leadership. At one point, a flyer was handed to a volunteer for HRC. The volunteer said he refused to take an "anti-HRC flyer." A companion HRC volunteer refused to take the flyer, as well. But a third HRC volunteer, perhaps a supervising volunteer, accepted the flyer, and this third volunteer inquired about the nature of the flyer.

When told that veterans, including Lt. Dan Choi, and GetEQUAL pressed for DADT repeal, HRC volunteer had no reply. @lgbt4change

— LGBT For Change (@lgbt4change) June 14, 2014

When a reform activist told the third HRC volunteer that the flyer represented LGBT leaders, who have "sold-out" the community, the volunteer noted that former HRC President Joe Solmonese, who appeared on the flyer, was no longer in a leadership post at HRC, but the volunteer asked why was the current HRC president, Chad Griffin, appearing on the flyer ? The activist responded that under Mr. Solmonese, HRC was not responsive to the LGBT community's demands for reform, which is why he was forced to step down. Mr. Griffin, in his relative short tenure at HRC, has created controversy by claiming credit for the nation-wide movement for marriage equality, a claim that flies in the face of the truth that grassroots activists have been pressing for equal civil marriage rights for decades before Mr. Griffin's ascention into HRC's top leadership post. The HRC volunteer replied that volunteers are "told to respond" by saying that "HRC repealed Don't Ask, Don't Tell," referring to the U.S. military's former discriminatory policy against LGBT recruits. When challenged with the truth about how U.S. servicemember veterans, such as Lt. Daniel Choi and others, as well as members of the grassroots group GetEQUAL lead the charge to press Congress and the White House to repeal DADT, and that HRC was busy soliciting donations from military contractors to fully press for a revolutionary end to the Defense Department's discrimination against LGBT servicemebers, the HRC volunteer responded that volunteers are "told to respond" by saying that HRC was responsible for passing the Matthew Shepard Act, referring to the hate crimes law named after a student, who died in 1998 of torture-related injuries he received in a vicious hate crime attack in Laramie, Wyoming. The way HRC claims the progress and successes in LGBT equality made by other groups is a long-standing complaint about how HRC disrespects the grassroots role of many LGBT activists and their grassroots organizations. As it appeared pointless to continue the conversation with the third HRC volunteer, the activist distributing the "LGBT Sellout Faces" flyer walked away, leaving the HRC volunteer with a copy of the flyer. In the last year, many grassroots LGBT activists have been questioning the equality movement's leadership. In New York City, voters rejected the fordmidable mayoral campaign of former New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn. Former Speaker Quinn, the highest-ranking LGBT politician in New York City government, spent 15 years in office without having enacted one transformative LGBT equality law during her incumbency in office. In the same year when former Speaker Quinn's political career came to an abrupt halt, LGBT activists succeeded in unseating former Gay Men's Health Crisis CEO Marjorie Hill. GMHC, as the agency is better known, suffered a series of grave financial reversals under Ms. Hill's leadership. Other agency officers, such as Dirk McCall, separated from GMHC during the management reshuffle. In San Francisco, LGBT activists are working to unseat San Francisco Board of Supervisor Scott Wiener, who is viewed by many as a neoliberal Democratic politician working to serve wealth campaign contributors and real estate developers instead of San Francisco's LGBT constituency. The "LGBT Sellout Faces" poster was the first project of "The Reformers," a new activism group formed by the documentary filmmaker Wolfgang Busch and the blogger Louis Flores, who are calling on a political and nonprofit overhaul in LGBT leadership.

Christine Quinn Six-Part Term, Limits Flip-Flop Chronology

Term Limits research from "Roots of Betrayal : The Ethics of Christine Quinn" reaches The Guardian newspaper

The Guardian reporter Harry Enten tweeted a link to the free Scribd preview of the book, Roots of Betrayal : The Ethics of Christine Quinn.

Part of reason why I never thought Quinn wud have an easy ride was cause of work done by folks like @stopchrisquinn http://t.co/eK0RmCvrOl

— Harry Enten (@ForecasterEnten) September 2, 2013

His tweet was in connection to a five-part series of tweets sent by the book's author, Louis Flores, that document Christine Quinn's series of flip-flops on term limits.

Christine Quinn Term Limits Flip-Flop Chronology 2001 (1/5) : opposed extending term limits : http://t.co/iHGCkkgcT5 @ForecasterEnten

— Stop Christine Quinn (@stopchrisquinn) September 2, 2013

Christine Quinn Term Limits Flip-Flop Chronology 2001 (2/5) : 2001 : Wrote of dangers of TL : http://t.co/cUphbyKnjd @ForecasterEnten

— Stop Christine Quinn (@stopchrisquinn) September 2, 2013

Christine Quinn Term Limits Flip-Flop Chronology (3/5) : 2002 : voted to extend term limits http://t.co/KgJZoniLAv @ForecasterEnten

— Stop Christine Quinn (@stopchrisquinn) September 2, 2013

One more Christine Quinn flip-flop position on Term Limits : 2005 : http://t.co/DU4VtXEgEp @ForecasterEnten I'm updating book and blog.

— Stop Christine Quinn (@stopchrisquinn) September 4, 2013

Christine Quinn Term Limits Flip-Flop Chronology (4/5) : 2007 : Opposes extension of term limits http://t.co/1h8vBMiFyh @ForecasterEnten

— Stop Christine Quinn (@stopchrisquinn) September 2, 2013

Christine Quinn Term Limits Flip-Flop Chronology (5/5) : 2008 : votes to override term limits : http://t.co/WIp43Ty1LL @ForecasterEnten

— Stop Christine Quinn (@stopchrisquinn) September 2, 2013

Unauthorized Christine Quinn Political Biography Book Reading At Bluestockings

"Roots of Betrayal : The Ethics of Christine Quinn" -- Book Signing and Discussion

On Tuesday, July 23 at 7 p.m., the LGBT blogger and activist Louis Flores will be at Bluestockings, 172 Allen Street, Lower East Side, to present a short YouTube video from his online activism, which shows how the closing of St. Vincent's Hospital led to the beginning of his research about the political betrayals of Christine Quinn. And then the author will read from Vol. I of Roots of Betrayal : The Ethics of Christine Quinn. A Q&A will follow.

Please RSVP to the Facebook event : "Roots of Betrayal : The Ethics of Christine Quinn" -- Book Signing and Discussion

Roots of Betrayal : The Ethics of Christine Quinn can presently be purchased at the following bookstores :

• Book Thug Nation, 100 N. Third Street, Williamsburg, Brooklyn ;
• Spoonbill & Sugartown Booksellers, 218 Bedford Avenue, Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
• St. Mark’s Bookshop, 31 Third Avenue, Manhattan ; and
• Bluestockings, 172 Allen Street, Manhattan.

2013-06-26 "Roots of Betrayal : The Ethics of Christine Quinn" - Press Release by Connaissable

Suzannah B. Troy Endorses "Roots of Betrayal" : It Was Better Than "Cats" !

Yesterday, the blogger and artist Suzannah B. Troy starred in a humorous YouTube video promoting the publication and sale of Volume I of Roots of Betrayal : The Ethics of Christine Quinn. Ms. Troy says in the video, "This book is better than Cats!" -- a reference to a campy commercial for a Broadway show that was often parodied.

Roots of Betrayal, written by the LGBT blogger and activist Louis Flores, examines the arc of Christine Quinn’s political career, which nominally began as a hero’s journey before it morphed into a tale about political betrayals. The entire book will be serialized this summer in four volumes reminiscent of pamphleteering done in our tradition of bringing about political change.

“Before the advent of blogs and digital social media, political pamphlets allowed activists to mobilize voters,” said Flores. “My hope is that Roots of Betrayal will educate voters offline about how Christine Quinn is the worst mayoral candidate this year.”

Volume I of Roots of Betrayal will become available for sale at Book Thug Nation in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and at St. Mark’s Bookshop in Manhattan.

Author Of Roots Of Betrayal Is Interviewed By BQ Brew

In my first major interview to support Roots of Betrayal : The Ethics of Christine Quinn, I shared my opinions about the many ways that New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn has betrayed the LGBT community, how she turned her back on St. Vincent's Hospital, and how she has become a predictable supporter of billionaire real estate developers.

Read more : Uncovering Quinn’s Political Roots with Author Louis Flores

Please read the interview and share your links with your friends.

Roots of Betrayal : The Ethics of Christine Quinn - Copyright 2013 by Louis Flores - Uncorrected Proof Not... by Connaissable

Chapter 1 Excerpt of ''Roots of Betrayal : The Ethics of Christine Quinn''

An excerpt of Chapter 1 of Roots of Betrayal : The Ethics of Christine Quinn has been published as a free .pdf ; it can be found here : Roots of Betrayal : The Ethics of Christine Quinn (Sribd)

Roots of Betrayal : The Ethics of Christine Quinn can be purchased at the following bookstores :

• Book Thug Nation, 100 N. Third St., Williamsburg, Brooklyn ;
• Spoonbill & Sugartown Booksellers, 218 Bedford Ave., Williamsburg, Brooklyn ;
• St. Mark’s Bookshop, 31 Third Ave., Manhattan ; and
• Bluestockings, 172 Allen St., Manhattan.

Looking to create a Progressive political blogging network in New York City

Are you a -- or do you know any -- Progressive political bloggers interested in being a part of a network of online activists in New York City ?

The activist and blogger Louis Flores and the journalist Gary Tilzer are looking for bloggers to be a part of a collective of online activists. Members of this network will blog about citizen issues in New York City, while helping us to establish an online network of Progressive activists.

Description : Bloggers and online activists -- who care about Progressive issues, government transparency, and improving direct Democratic participation in our own governance -- can enhance their civic participation by forming an online network. Because of the 2013 mayoral election in New York City, our network can play an important role in voter education and mobilisation.

What We’re Looking For : We want someone with passion and expertise in an area of civic issues. If you have a perspective to share, we want you to join us !

Requirements :

• You should have experience with online writing
• You should have a unique interest in an area of New York City civic issues
• You are eager to engage with voters and can commit to blogging regularly
• You are eager to expand your online activism beyond blogging and into areas, such as producing original YouTube videos that educate and mobilise the public
• You have an Adsense-like account (but not limited to Google platform), so that you can monetize your own blogging and YouTube videos, if possible

What You're Looking For : As a blogger and an online activist, you want to stop the neoliberal political doctrine of standard flim-flam politicians in New York City.

• You will be an online activist in the resistance movement fighting the dangerous neoliberalism doctrines of New York City politicians
• You will be inspired to develop your online activism skills
• Our network will offer you an expanded platform to expand your online reach
• You will be making a difference

Get in touch with us today ! If you would like to join our network, please send us the following information via email to: stopchrisquinn (at) gmail (dot) com :

• A brief description about your background, your experience with writing for activism, and any special skills that you may have
• Link to your existing blog
• Describe your interests in activism (what issues do you care about most and why)

Thank you for all that you do.

Google YouTube Censorship Warning

I had to write to Google tonight, because of a threat of censorship on one of my YouTube accounts. The timing is very interesting. Why all of a sudden now does one of my entire YouTube channels get flagged for deletion ? Hmmmmmmmmm.

Anti-Quinn Activists Need More Resources To Educate Voters

NY1 Exclusive : Anti-Quinn Activists Still Have Work To Do : New Poll Shows Quinn In Front Of Other Potential Democratic 2013 Mayor Candidates

Last night on the Road To City Hall program on NY1, it was mentioned amongst the panel of experts that, given voters' relative low negative perception of City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, the Stop Christine Quinn protest effort still has work to do, because voters are not yet educated on Speaker Quinn's horrible record while in office.

One of the activists, Louis Flores, has posted a solicitation for resources, in order to escalate his efforts.

Here are some of the poll findings :

What are New York City Democrats’ impressions of these mayoral aspirants ?

• 65% have a favorable opinion of Quinn, while 17% have an unfavorable one. 18% have either never heard of her or are unsure how to rate her.
• 49% have a favorable impression of Thompson, while 20% do not. 31% have either never heard of him or are unsure how to rate him.
• 48% of New York City Democrats have a positive view of de Blasio, while 20% have an unfavorable one. 32% have either never heard of him or are unsure how to rate him.
• When it comes to Liu, 43% have a favorable impression of him while 27% have an unfavorable one. 30% have either never heard of him or are unsure how to rate him.
• 26% of Democrats have a positive opinion of Albanese while 20% have an unfavorable view of him. 54% have either never heard of him or are unsure how to rate him.

Poll results have a margin of error of +/- 3.3 percent.

Left unsaid during the panel discussion was the impact of all the totally biased/fluff pieces being published by The New York Times, which favours Speaker Quinn, like her Betty Crocker story with its staged photo, the café story, and her luxury condo feature story.

It seems that Speaker Quinn's favourability ratings are being artificially inflated due to the biased and deliberately fluff news pieces being published about her.

Quinn uses NYPD to Block Protesters (Again) (No Surprise)

During a peaceful and legal protest against the mayoral campaign of New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, NYPD officers used physical force to attempt to move protesters off of a wide public sidewalk and onto the other side of the street. When we refused and maintained our right to free assembly, they used the bodies to block us from distributing leaflets.

Are the NYPD blocking anti-Quinn protesters again, because she has agreed to retain Ray Kelly as Police Commissioner ?

Speaker Quinn has become emboldened ever since she overturned term limits, got away with using millions of dollars of taxpayer dollars in an illegal slush fund, weakened the campaign finance laws, and used major real estate projects to extract campaign donations from developers in a system that many describe as a "pay-to-play" culture. Now, she is using the NYPD as her own private army. The impression that Mayor Mike Bloomberg has influenced her is an understatement.

Because of her record of corruption, activists are basically waiting for Speaker Quinn to be caught in more scandals, before the mayoral election this year.

The protest last night took place at a "housing debate" in Brooklyn.

Suzannah B. Troy and Louis Flores In Front of Clayton Patterson's Door

A photo of me with Suzannah B. Troy, from 2010. Photo Copyright © 2010 by Clayton Patterson.

Are NYPD Cyber Searching Political Blogs ?

NYPD Violate #Handschu and Deny #FOIL Request by @maslowsneeds christine-quinn-sold-out.blogspot.com/2012/11/NYPD-V… #FirstAmendment #FreeSpeech #dueprocess

— Stop Christine Quinn (@stopchrisquinn) November 25, 2012

NYPD continue to monitor peaceful activists in violation of the Handschu Agreement. In this latest case, NYPD officials are visiting this blog even though NYPD refuse to answer to a Freedom of Information request by the author of this blog.

Remember, this is on top of the fact that there have been allegations that Speaker Quinn has instructed the NYPD to use physical force against the author of this blog.

If Speaker Quinn can't find a way to violate due process by firing you, then she puts the NYPD on the case, to harass and cybermonitor you ?

2012 11 24 NYPD Cybermonitoring Louis Flores Handschu Agreement

NYPD Deny FOIL Request by Louis Flores

NYPD denies FOIL request by Louis Flores, even though NYPD Captain Jack Jaskaran contacted Louis Flores after Louis Flores filed a complaint with CCRB after Officer Lamonica used excessive force to thwart First Amendment rights of Louis Flores.

Captain Jack Jaskaran was asked to contact me after Officer Lamonica used excessive force against me. I sent the standard FOIL request letter template made available by the NYCLU on their website, only filling in my name and a brief description about me, and the NYPD denied having any records, which is a lie not correct. Note how Captain Jaskaran said that he had watched my YouTube video and read my blog, according to my notes of our telephone call. If Captain Jaskaran was only "investigating" the complaint I filed with CCRB, did CCRB give him my phone numbers ? And if Captain Jaskaran was indeed "investigating" the CCRB complaint, where are those records ?

2012 09 28 NYPD FOIL Response and Jack Jaskaran Notes Louis Flores

Roots of Betrayal One Sheet

Roots of Betrayal : The Ethics of Christine Quinn - By Louis Flores -- One Sheet

Should the Jackson Heights Plaza be named after Mahatma Gandhi ?

Post a comment below -- let me know what you think about naming the plaza along 37th Road in Jackson Heights after Mahatma Gandhi ? Around the world, many people name roads and other structures after Mahatma Gandhi. In India, many roads are named after Mahatma Gandhi, and even in Paris, there is an avenue named after the famous leader in the area between l'arc de Triomphe and La Défénse. Let me know what you think about naming the Jackson Heights plaza after Mahatma Gandhi ?

Dalida Tribute Video