Mediaboss Marketing

Free speech activists at the Free Press and the Free Press Action Fund are calling upon the Federal Communications Commission to address its crackdowns against First Amendment freedoms during recent meetings.

We write to express grave concerns about recent actions that call into serious question the Federal Communications Commissions commitment to fostering free expression, reads a letter authored by Free Press and Free Press Action Fund Deputy Director and Senior Counsel Jessica J. Gonzlez and Policy Director Matt Wood. In particular, the actions of FCC security and other FCC staff have chilled free speech and public participation in FCC decision-making processes that are supposed to be open to the public.

The letter details a series of incidents in which the federal agency and members of its security staff have silenced dissenting voices, manhandled a reporter and barred members of the public from attending the agencys monthly open meeting without due process.

During one incident, on the morning of March 23, 2017, two Free Press Action Fund members, Joe DeGeorge and David Combs, attempted to attend the FCCs open meeting wearing plain white T-shirts that read Protect Net Neutrality in black letters. FCC security personnel informed the two that they would not be allowed to enter the public meeting room unless they removed the T-shirts or flipped them inside out to conceal their message.

This was a clear-cut violation of Mr. DeGeorges and Mr. Combs constitutional right to free speech, the letter says. The Supreme Court has repeatedly held that the First Amendment safeguards peoples rights to express their disagreement with government policies, even in limited public forums like the FCC meeting room.

The incident wasnt an isolated event, the groups allege, but one in a growing series of FCC efforts to stifle free speech and public participation at open meetings.

Many of these attempts to limit public speech and participation have targeted those who question or disagree with FCC Chairman Ajit Pai and the Trump administration over their plans to limit free speech on the internet by repealing net neutrality rules, they claim.

The groups are calling on the agency to apologize to those targeted, and respond to a list of demands, including providing a clear explanation of the FCC policy to protect the First Amendment rights of the public and reporters to peacefully participate in future agency open meetings.

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Groups accuse FCC of First Amendment trespasses - Compliance Week (subscription) (blog)

SAN FRANCISCO (CN) A federal judge Wednesday was unmoved by accusations that hed forced Uber to fire its star engineer Anthony Levandowski for refusing to deliver evidence that could prove Levandowski and Uber stole trade secrets from its driverless car rival Waymo.

The accusation came from Levandowskis attorneys at a hearing on his motion to intervene in Waymos lawsuit, accusing him and Uber of stealing its technology to build a competing self-driving car.

Levandowski sought to interveneto request modifications to a May 15 provisional relief order from U.S. District Judge William Alsup, to clarify that Alsup had not ordered Uber to fire him if he refused to waive his Fifth Amendment rights and produce key evidence in the case.

Alsup ruled from the bench that Levandowskis May 18 motion is moot, based on assurances from Uber attorney Karen Dunn that Uber fired Levandowski on its own initiative, not based on Alsups order.

Uber told Levandowski in a May 26 letter that it had fired him from his job leading Ubers driverless car program for not cooperating with its internal investigation into Waymos allegations, and announced the firing publicly on May 30.

I issued a very fine-tuned preliminary injunction order and Im not going to take back one word on that, Alsup said Wednesday.

Fearing criminal prosecution, Levandowski invoked his Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination to avoid producing documents or answering questions about them at his deposition, a motion Alsup denied.

In his provisional relief order, Alsup directed Uber to make Levandowski return thousands of files he stole from Waymo before resigning to work for Uber, writing that Levandowki had likely concealed troves of self-incriminating evidence by invoking his Fifth Amendment rights.

Waymo, a Google spinoff, says Levandowski downloaded 14,000 confidential files from its server just before he resigned in January 2016 to form a competing driverless car company called Otto, which Uber quickly acquired. The files include information on Waymos secret LiDAR system, a laser-based scanning and mapping technology its driverless cars use to see their surroundings.

Waymo sued Uber and Otto in February, claiming Levandowski used its technology to set up Otto, and that Uber snapped up Otto to get its hands on Waymos technology to fast-track its floundering driverless car program. It did not name Levandowski as a defendant.

On Wednesday, Levandowskis attorney Miles Ehrlich told Alsup that his provisional relief order had forced Levandowski to choose between his job at Uber and waiving his Fifth Amendment rights, because it required Uber and Otto to exercise the full extent of their corporate, employment, contractual, and other authority to force Levandowski to produce the stolen files and tell Uber what he did with them after leaving Waymo.

Levandowski said in his motion that the judges order meant that Uber would be held in contempt had Levandowski refused to waive his Fifth Amendment rights and Uber not fired him, since it would fail to measure up to the courts command that Uber exercise every lawful power it has over Mr. Levandowski.

Ehrlich said Wednesday that Alsups order is an unconstitutional state action that requires correction. He said the state cannot force people to self-incriminate on pain of losing their jobs, but Alsup had forced Levandowski to do so by coercing, or at least providing significant encouragement to Uber to fire him if he did not cooperate.

We are required to addresses the injury that is still ongoing, Ehrlich told Alsup. The injury is not being fired; the injury is being forced by state action to this unconstitutional choice. All of us understood you to be saying that Uber fire every bullet it had against Mr. Levandowski to waive his Fifth Amendment right.

Ehrlich said that Uber had kept Levandowski on as an employee throughout the litigation, had not demanded that he waive his Fifth Amendment rights, and had not threatened to fire him if he refused to do so, until Alsup delivered his order. And that according to Alsup himself, the first of two letters Uber sent to Levandowski about his job status after Alsup issued the order blamed the judge, meaning me, and said the judge is making us do this, were going to fire you unless you cooperate with this investigation.

Responding to Alsups concern about whether Uber fired Levandowski on its own initiative, Uber attorney Dunn told the judge that Uber fired Levandowski because he had ignored an internal deadline Uber set for him to turn over evidence.

It is very hard to look at this entire situation and pretend the court order doesnt exist, Dunn said. The courts order certainly provided substantial additional heft to what we had been urging, and the letters made clear that this has to do with our urging, in addition to the courts order.

Turning to Levandowskis state action argument, Alsup said that though a government employer cannot use the Fifth Amendment to threaten to fire employees who do not cooperate with an investigation, a private employer, like Uber, can.

Sometimes on a preliminary injunction you can order remedial relief that is something that the other side may not be strictly entitled to but is necessary in order to remedy the wrong that has been done. There is broad equitable power to carry out what is the right thing to do, Alsup said. So a federal district court surely has the authority, as part of remedial provisional relief, to order a private company to do something that it would have the authority to do on its own.

The Fifth Amendment is not a bar to the relief granted, and Im not taking back a single word of it, and its not going to be modified in any way.

Also Wednesday, Alsup heard Ubers motions seeking to staythe case while it appeals to the Federal Circuit his denial of its motion to force arbitration, and to dismissWaymos state Unfair Competition Law claim.

Ruling from the bench, Alsup denied the motion to, saying a stay would harm Waymo.

But he indicated he would grant Ubers motion to dismiss Waymos unfair competition claim based on Silvaco Data Systems v. Intel Corp. In that case, California trial and appeals courts found that using infringing software is not trade secret infringement.

Uber says Waymos unfair competition claim (UCL) and its California Uniform Trade Secrets Act (CUTSA) claim are based on the same allegations, and that the UCL claim is pre-empted by CUTSA.

I want you to know Im stuck with the Silvaco case, Alsup told Waymo attorney James Judah, though the judge said he believes Silvaco was wrongly decided. Im sympathetic to your position, but youre going to lose your motion.

I feel like youve got to go to the Legislature and get them to fix this, but I cant fix it for you.

Ehrlich is with Ramsey & Ehrlich in Berkeley; Dunn with Boies Schiller Flexner in Washington, D.C.; and Judah with Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan in San Francisco.

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Originally posted here:
Judge Won't Budge on His Order in Waymo v. Uber Trade Secrets Case - Courthouse News Service

This list was first made in 2011 and thats when we had about 50 Digital Marketing agencies, when I started my career in 2006 there were hardly few! This number is growing now we have about 300 Digital Marketing agencies in India and surprisingly most of them have varied clientele which confirms Industries are finding digital marketing as an important integration to their marketing mix.

Here is a list of social media anddigital marketing agenciesthat are quite popular from my perspective. The agencies listed here operate from different locations within India, provide a niche service and have already has some brands and personalities that they serve to.

This list is updated on July 1st 2015, it was first posted in 2011 and since then Industry has been growing exponentially:

Services: Design & Build, Affiliate Marketing, Content Strategy, Branded content, Creative, User experience, Mobile, CRM, Social Media, Managed services, Analytics, SEO, PPC, User research, Social business design, Media planning and buying Technology

Brands: American Express, Sprint cinema, eBay, E-ON Energy Fit, Coca Cola, Sony, Volvo, Zwitsal, Comcast, etc.

Location: Ahmedabad, New Delhi and Mumbai

Services: SEO, SMM, PPC Campaign management, Digital Marketing, Digital Planning Media, Email Marketing, Social Media Management & Consultancy & Facebook Marketing.

Brands: NA

Location: Ahmedabad

Services: SEO, PPC, Conversion, SMM, Content marketing and Email Marketing

Brands: Suntogs, Toesox, Woodjoy, Goldcrown, Adrift, Casa Factory, City Camping,Gold crown, LabelsOnline.com, etc.

Location: Ahmedabad

Services: Search engine marketing, Search Media Ecosystem, Content Creation & Management, Online Reputation Management & E-commerce Solutions.

Brands: Go4Advisory, Dsynhub, Radhakrishna group, technowin, tally world, etc.

Location: Ahmedabad

Services: SEO, PPC, Email/E-newsletter, E-coupon/E-certificate, Social Media, Webinars, presentation and Net-working

Brands: NA

Location: Ahmedabad

Services: SEO, PPC, SMO, ORM, Creative Design, Web Development, Digital PR, Content Marketing, Mobile App, etc.

Brands: Titan Eye+, Amaara, Y Optima, Just Mexican, Pavitraa, The Cloud, Bhaskara Fiat, Petal Nissan, Arch Avenue, Planet Hyundai, Trade Reader, Techcronus, etc.

Location: Ahmedabad

Services: Digital, Creative Branding, Leadership + Vision, Photography, SMM, Environments, Websites. etc.

Brands: Sanket&Bhoomi, Insignia Technolabs, Minter Project, Amul Caf, AnveshanTechfest, Juice Lounge, Rollacosta, Aeon Salons & Academy, Ninis Kitchen, etc.

Location: Ahmedabad

Services:Social Media Marketing, Digital Marketing, Facebook Application development, Facebook ad management.

Brands:DAMAC, Prestige Smart Kitchen, PVR cinemas, Reliance Footprint, Penguin India, Audi, Honda, Hyundai, Marriott Hotels and Resorts, Sandisk, Cashkaro.com, ITC Limited, Chevrolet, Hard Rock Caf, Mom & Me, Barista, Nandos, UniverCell, etc.

Location:Bangalore

Services: Digital Branding, Online Advertising, Content Management, Communities, Social Media Frameworks, Mobile, Email Marketing, Videos, Youtube Marketing, Web Experiences and Customer Experiences.

Brands: Google, Youtube, Chrome, India Get your Business Online, Max Life Insurance, Axe, Unilever, iCreate Software, via.com, Azven Realty, IBM, Queue Up, Kiwi Kiss, etc.

Location: Bangalore

Services: SEO, Designing, Websites, eCommerce Portals, Apps, Training, etc.

Brands: Ascent Capital, Assetz, Habanero, Indus League, Infosys, Scogen, Unilever, TVS, Vodafone, Toyota, Sri Sri Ayurveda Panchakarma, Sidvin, etc.

Location: Bangalore

Services: Article Writing, SEO, Blog Writing, Content marketing, e-book, Copy Writing, Whitepapers and Social Media.

Brands: ING, Sothebys, AES, ezbob, ProvPlan, Shaw, WBR, Slidely, Genie Ventures, blackglass, Adept Central, Creatice Natives, Digitcom, MiniDisc, etc.

Location: Bangalore

Services: Digital Marketing, User Experience, Mobile Apps, Web Development, Strategy and Planning, Design and Technology.

Brands: Perfios, StoryBoard Wedding, Ade, Jorgits, SavvyMob, Place for Change, etc.

Location: Bangalore

Services:Digital, Design, Tech, Films and Events.

Brands: Printo, TaxiForSure, Bleed Hope, Mini Klub, Crafty Culture, WonderLa, Reynolds, United Spirits, Jade Magnet, Esplanade, Jade Magnet, Nestle, Adobe, Intel, Aditya Birla Group, etc.

Location: Bangalore

Services: Advertising, Branding, Video, Web design, product Design, Social Media and Online Engagement.

Brands: Britannia,Wipro, Sikkim Manipal University,Fastrack, Gone mad, Splash, Galaxy, Mirchy, The WoodRose, Durex, Clebrations, etc.

Location: Bangalore and Delhi

Services: Creative, Social, SEO, Media, Search, Website, Google Analytics, Mobile and ORM.

Brands: Tanishq Mia, Micromax, HDFC, Mumbai Fighter, Skore, Coca Cola, Mahindra, FedEx, Mahindra, Book my show, American Express, Intel, etc.

Location: Bangalore, Delhi, Mumbai

Services: SMM, Digital advertising, Digital Activation, Mobile App Development, Web Development, Interactive App Development and Facebook apps and games.

Brands: London Dairy, Yateem Optician, Greenpeace, Clarins, Lulu, Police, Mindshare, Thiery Mugler, Malabar gold and diamonds, Tiffany, Rainbow, Toy store, etc.

Location: Bangalore and Kochi

Services: Strategise, Build brands, Create connected experiences, Build platforms and Offline capabilities.

Brands: Investa, Nataraj, Oxfam, Fab India, Virgin money, ITC Infotech, Wipro, Intuit, IIHT, Cleartrip, Fabindia, Maison, Closethegap, Fansonstands.com, etc.

Location: Bangalore

Services: Brand Marketing, Corporate, Healthcare, Public Affairs, Social Change, Technology, Crisis Management, Creative Studio, Corporate Social Responsibility, Product Marketing, Media Influence, etc.

Brands: American Express, Bulova, Coca-Cola, Ford, LG Electronics, Unilever, Nestle, Guinness, Grohe, Shutterstock, etc.

Location: Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai, New Delhi

Services: Digital Marketing & Customer Acquisition, Omni Channel Strategy &Solutions, Digital Media Distribution &Solutions and Mobile App Development.

Brands:@home, Puravankara, Spaces, Marks & Spencer, Sterling Hospitals, Sony, Philips, Gulf, Myntra.com, TRENDIN.com, MTS, Carat Lane, etc.

Location: Bangalore and Mumbai

Services: Creative design, Digital Analytics, Optimization and Technology.

Brands: Royal Sundaram, Endeavour, Dynavac, CureGarden, TNPL, Hotelogix, Outsource Images, Apollo Clinic, Idex, Indian Myra, Venue, etc.

Location: Bangalore

Services: Ecommerce, Design, Development, Digital Marketing, etc.

Brands: Educomp, Delhivery, Microsoft, Hindustan Unilever Limited, IIT Bombay, Honeywell, IIMB, Andromeda, GSK, Lixar, Delhi Tourism, 99Labels, SignEasy, etc.

Location: Bangalore and New Delhi

Services: Lead Generation, Social Media Marketing, Event Marketing and Insights

Brands: Txtweb, Intuit, Aissel, nine hills, TEg Analytics, etc.

Location: Bangalore

Services: Software Development, Website Development, Web Application, Mobile Development, Content Management, Logo Design, Website Maintenance, E-Commerce, Web Hosting, SEO, SMM, SEM, PPC, Email Marketing and Keywords Research.

Brands: Healing Source, Tredence, SuperSell, Outsource2alpha, Careermet, Infinityre Solutions, m1advisory, Oyepatola, Baporia Group, etc.

Location: Bangalore

Services: Digital Media, Technology, Design and Analytics.

Brands: Schneider Electric, Featherlite, Bajaj Allianz, Manipal Global, Manipal Hospitals, SMUDE, Vertebrand, Prestige group, Kemwell , Sterling Holidays, Ola cabs, Sulekha., etc.

Location: Bangalore

Services: Graphic Design, Website Design, Logo Design, Branding, Photography, Copywriting, etc.

Brands: NA

Location: Bangalore

Services: Strategy & Consulting, Advertising & Branding, Web Designing, Web Development, SEM, SEO, Media Planning, SMM, Campaign Monitoring & Analytics, Mobile Marketing Solutions, Mobile Application Development, Mobile couponing and Mobile ui.

Brands: Lenovo, Heineken, Parachute, Move On, Livon, Kingfisher, Royal Enfield, Nike, Caf Coffee Day, Van Heusen, Dewars, Lee, Peter England, Titan, TRESemme, Eristoff, etc.

Location: Bangalore and Mumbai

Services: Online Marketing Services like PPC campaigns, SEO and Site Optimization Content Campaigns; Analytics & Reporting; Web and Mobile Development.

Brands: Google, Enova, Wyndham, Comcast, TD Bank, Discover financial services, American Express, etc.

Location: Bangalore

Services: Digital & Social Media Marketing, Integrated Communications, Experience & Solutions and Mobile Marketing.

Brands: Van Heusen, Bangalore Fashion Week, Myntra, Allen Solly, Signature IPL Nights, Zivame, Jealous 21, DC Design, Amante, Scullers, Schwarzkopf, Body Shop, etc.

Location: Bangalore, Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata

Services: Email Marketing, Mobile Marketing, SEO, Digital Media, Content Marketing, Design and Development.

Brands: Shaadi.com, ThinkVidya.com, Basics, India Today, Outlook, Ola, Taxi For Sure, ibibo, Spot on, ezeego, Giftingnation, Bangalore City College, Jain University, HelloTravel.com, etc.

Location: Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Delhi

Services: Digital Marketing, Digital Strategy, Creative & Design, Websites, Business Consulting, Organic Search, Paid Search, Social Engagement, Content Development and Mobile Marketing.

Brands: Microsoft, Suzuki, Incredible India, Unicef, Sony, Subway, Kerala, Dentsu, Sahara, IBM, etc.

Location: Bangalore

Services: Brand Identity, Ads & Outdoor Advertising, Packaging, Brochures, Brand Experience, Online and Brand Collaterals.

Brands: Astoria Hotels, Aravindaksa, Bhagirath Construction, Glofab, i4 apps, Ionisys, Kuberan, mytrainings.in, Own, Print Field, Synergic, TripOn, White Lotus, Vivo etc.

Location: Bangalore and Cochin

Services: Digital Branding/Social Media Marketing, Design Services, Content, CSR, Training, etc.

Brands: Freudenberg, Indiaplaza, Microchip, IEEE, Pearson Schools, Grundfos, IndiaProperty.com, Sharp, Igus, Keune, Savaari, Sequence, Enteg, Think3, Stemade, etc.

Location: Bangalore, Chennai, New Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad

Services: SMM, Social Media Strategy Creation, Social Media Profiles Setup, Analysis and Improving Campaigns.

Read more from the original source:
List of 300 Indian Social Media & Digital Marketing ...

Metin Dogan lies in front of a tank at the entrance to Istanbul's Ataturk airport.

In a world where traders compete with computer programs that can place thousands of orders in the blink of an eye, Metin Dogans qualifications for teaching them about the process of rapid decision making are, on the face of it, few.

Dogan earns about 6,000 liras ($1,700) a month giving private math lessons, but he says hes not interested in economics. He doesnt own any stocks or bonds.His message that the pursuit of money amounts to a life wasted seems out of place atthe Istanbul stock exchange, where an audience of investors gathered May 26 to listen to the brawny 41-year-old speak.

The act thats made Dogan an authority on timely decisions, according to his hosts, was to throw himself under a rebel tank during last summers coup attempt, inspiring throngs of pro-government demonstrators who helped defeat it. In the nation thats been reforgedout of that struggle, those may be the only credentials he needs.

His hour-long talk was thin on investment advice, but these days success in Turkish business requires a skillset he has in spades. Loyalty isparamount: Purges since that nighthave reached into all parts of Turkish public life, ensnared more than 100,000 state-employed workers, seen parliamentarians jailed on terror charges, and driventheir free colleagues to brandish ballot papers in ostensibly secret votes.

Private industry hasnt been immune either. The seizure of companies whose owners are deemed sympathetic to the oppositionhas silenced dissent among those who remain, and inspired lurid acts of devotion from would-be oligarchs vying to buy seized businesses on the cheap.

The building where Dogan deliveredhis talk bears witness to such power struggles. TheBorsa Istanbul fired 120 staff members thought to favor the putschistsafter three people were gunned down here on thatfateful night lastJuly.While its often forgotten that the purge of PresidentRecep Tayyip Erdogans enemies was acceleratedbut not triggeredby the failed coup, its harder to overlook that here.Dogans host,Himmet Karadag, is chairman of an exchangethats seen four CEOs in just over twoyears.

Dogan says he didnt take on the tank in pursuit offame, though hes gotten plenty of that. When he set out July 15 to confront the soldiers encircling Istanbul airport in theirbotched attempt to overthrow Erdogan, he says he was going there to die. He wasnt intending to reenact a more famous tank standoff, though what eventually happened certainly evoked that famous picture.

It came to me that if people saw someone getting crushed under a tank, theyd realize the situation wasnt a joke and theyd spill out on the streets, he said at the exchange. If our people didnt come out into the streets quickly, then the other half of society would have and then it would be too late.

Soldiers involved in the coup attempt surrender on the Bosporus bridge in Istanbul, on July 16, 2016.

Photographer: Stringer/Getty Images

By dawn the next day, thousands had followed Dogan into the fray. Since then, he says he hasnt had a day off. His schedule is packed with speaking engagements, including 50 schools and 30 universities so far. He says he tries to instill in young people a love of god and country. At the stock exchange, the packed auditorium hangs on every word, rapt by a tale of accidental heroism that made the former nightclub bouncer a star.

People were in shock, Dogan says of the first fewuncertain hours of the coup attempt, when his compatriots were glued to TVs trying to make sense of the standoff between military and police, and Dogan was racing toward the action on a motorbike.There had to be a way to snap them out of it, he says.

There ought to be very little difference between my truth and yours.

Dogan says hes not a member of the ruling AK Party, currently led by Erdogan, its founder. He says he doesnt watch the news orread newspapers, and contends hes never registered to vote before Aprils constitutionalreferendum (which in a country with compulsory participationputs him in a minority).Though hes now met the prime minister, Dogansays he isnt sure he could have identified BinaliYildirim before invitations from government ministries started rolling in.

Knowing who Yildirim is has become less important since the referendum. Dogan says he was part of the51 percent majority who endorsedconstitutional changes that will abolish the prime ministers job, concentrating even greater power in Erdogans hands. Meanwhile, the failed coup has become a curriculum item, with first-year pupils dressing up as putschists and martyrsin childrens day ceremonies across the country.

Dogans professed disregard for politicsmakes hima draw forofficialstrying to present the presidents vision as something beyond party-political concerns. Quizzed in an interview about the lessons investors should draw from Dogans talk, Karadag, the Borsachairman, lamented that in Turkey, politics often getsmixed in unnecessarily.

There ought to be very little difference between my truth and yours, he said.

I realized then that maybe God wanted me to speak.

Dogan was on a bus returning from the gym when he got his first inkling of thecoup attempt, he says. He was appalled to hear fellow passengers unanimously celebrating. Thank goodness! he remembers hearing someone say. Another exclaimedJust in time,he says.

In his determination to get to the scene before the other half took to the streets, Dogan touches on the theatrics of the occasion. He says he saw how anti-government protesters were tricked into coming out during the Gezi Park protests in 2013, and if the same crowd got out first this time, it would be too late. It was important to be seen to lie down in front of a tank, rather than go the more obvious route of smashing a soldiers face in, he says, otherwise the wrong sort of people could have been provoked onto the streets.

Once in place, I left my head a little bit to the side so it would squash my heart and kill me quickly, he said.The only time Dogan says he felt fear was when the standoff ended, and he instinctively lit a cigarettein full view of CCTV cameras. His 77-year old mother doesn't know he smokes.

Coups are, according toEdward Luttwak, the author of Coup dEtat: A Practical Handbook, consummately about theater. But there are those who take this notion too far, claiming the latest one in Turkey was staged, Dogan tells the crowd at the stock exchange.

Soldiers accused of being involved in the attempted coup as they arrive at acourthouse inside Sincan Prison in Ankara on May 22.

Photographer: DemAltan/AFP via Getty Images

Dogans audience may have recalled that the head of research for one of Turkeys largest brokerageswas avictim of that phenomenon.Some speculate that it was a false-flagevent stage-managed to give Erdogan an opportunity to purge the military of opponents, the analyst wrote in a note to clients three days after the revolt, before dismissing the theory as far-fetched.

He was debarred from the profession and criminally charged.

You know how some people say it was a plot? Dogan asks the crowd. Its because those people have neither the brain nor the heart to understand how two million people could have gone out in response to Erdogans request, out of love, to die.

Erdogans request that night was broadcast via FaceTime from the presidentialjet. I invite our people into the squares,he said from a 4.7-inch screen, propped up in a news anchors hand. Although Dogan only watched when he was safely home the next day, the newsthat Erdogan wasalive turned the tide. By morning, most members of the armys rebel faction who hadnt been killed or fled had been rounded up.

Dogan says he shunned publicity when his pictures first started making the rounds. Some friends recognized that he was the man in the picture blanketing Twitter timelines, but he said nothing. The day after the coup failed, a Moroccan man with a shiny bald head like his own gave interviews claiming to be the tank man. Still he said nothing. Then he says he learned that the tanks commander had threatened to kill a subordinate when the younger soldier hitthe brakes.

I realized then that maybe God wanted me to speak, Dogan says.

Children need to learn to give their lives for their country without question.

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He muses whether he survivedbecause his life has been spent looking out for the little guy. Dogans account of his personal history is littered with tales of fighting injustice. One kid stole anothers eraser in primary school, so he beat the thief. A policeman manhandled a young girl at a protest he organized, so he beat the officer. As a bouncer in the nightlife district of Taksim, he explains, there was so much injustice to contend with that the streets were covered either my blood or blood thatIdspilled.

Dogan says he loves Erdogan because he stands up to injustice, just like him.Despots breed of our fear, Dogan tells the stock exchange crowd, alluding to enemies of his president. Ifrather than shrinking awaywe stand up to them, well see that theyre the pathetic ones.

Dogan says hell continue to travel throughout Turkey to give speeches, focusing on youth education. Children need to learn to give their lives for their country without question, Dogansays. We need heroes.

View post:
Erdogan's 'Tank Man' Spreads Turkey's New Patriotism - Bloomberg

Today, the House of Representatives voted unanimously in support of a resolution brought by Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA) to condemn the assault by Turkish security personnel on peaceful protesters. This was purely symbolic since the resolution does not have the force of law.

McClatchy reports: Royce of California, the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, called the violence an act of suppression on American soil and an affront to the First Amendment rights of U.S. citizens. Yet the conduct of Erdogans armed bodyguards has gone largely unchallenged, said Royce, who sponsored the resolution.

Last month, on Tayyip Erdogans orders his guards injured nine people who were exercising their first Amendment right to protest Erdogans warm reception by Donald Trump. Incidentally, Trump had words of praise for Turkeys dictator.

Our presidents response to this affront to our constitution was shameful and hardly the strong leadership the alpha-male Donald often promised to be during the campaign.

Again, according to McClatchy:

Although the State Department continues to investigate the matter, the Trump administration released two members of Erdogans detail after holding them briefly following the clash. The guards returned to Turkey with Erdogan.

There is reason to applaud the fact that for a brief moment, Republicans in the House of Representatives took a symbolic step to defend the right to protest under the first amendment of our Constitution. They joined with Democrats to rightfully condemn the violence and the disrespect inherent in Erdogans order that his guards attack people protesting on American soil.

This comes on a day, when I was wondering if anyone in the Republican Party understood that the freedoms enshrined in our constitution are what makes America great. Those freedoms can be cause for discomfort if youre the President, or a member of Congress but we still defend them.

This is the same day the Republican Majority on the Senate Intelligence committee did all they could to manipulate events and words to avoid the big Russia elephant in the room. Senator Burr put his Archie Bunker mask on to silence Senator Kamala Harris for her effective questioning as Democrats worked to ascertain if Donald Trump asked todays witnesses, Dan Coates and Mike Rogers, to shut down the Russia investigation. I was wondering if Republicans thought our sovereignty just isnt worth defending.

As Sarah Jones reported, a few hours after the story about Eric Trump stealing from kids with cancer to enrich the Trump family broke, Eric Trump said Democrats arent people. That statement sent chills down my spine bringing back memories of similar sentiments expressed by people responsible for genocide in Rwanda and earlier in Hitlers Germany.

The combination of these events, along with Trumps public praise for brutal dictators and his attacks on our allies, have cast doubt on if were still in America. Trumps lack of leadership on this incident reaffirmed his love for dictators and his disrespect for the America envisioned by the Founding Fathers.

For a brief moment, House Republicans joined with House Democrats to unanimously condemn the brutal assault of peaceful protestors at the hands of Erdogans guards. It was standing up for our values, albeit symbolically. A baby step by Republicans who have placed more emphasis on loyalty to Donald Trump than to America. But it was still a step to stand up for our sovereignty.

In simple terms, if you come to America, you follow our rules and that means you dont get to order your thugs to brutalize people on American soil for any reason, let alone for exercising their right to protest under our constitution. Of course, notably absent was Donald Trumps well established ability to go alpha male against those he believes dont respect our values, who dont respect us as Americans.

For a brief moment, it felt almost like governance as we knew it. This vote proves that Republicans can stand up for America when they choose to even if its purely symbolic. This vote also confirms our worst suspicions about the Republican Party. The other simple truth is they arent even willing to take a symbolic step to condemn Russias disrespect for our values, our Constitution and our sovereignty.

Image:CNN

Assault on Protesters in DC, First Amendment, House Republicans

See original here:
House Unanimously And Symbolically Condemns Erdogan's Assault On The 1st Amendment - PoliticusUSA