Mn-prog-events Mailing List: Progressive Calendar 08.26.07

[David Shove (shove001]

             P R O G R E S S I V E   C A L E N D A R    08.26.07

1. KFAI/Indian      8.26 7pm

2. RNC welcome      8.27 10am
3. Feminist films   8.27-31 11:30am
4. Women's equality 8.27 5pm Duluth MN
5. Park/payToilets? 8.27 6:30pm
6. Amnesty Intl     8.27 7pm
7. Climate crisis   8.27 7:30pm

8. Korten/CTV       8.28 8am/5pm
9. Iraq forum       8.28 4/6:30/6:30pm (3 of them)
10. Impeach4Peace   8.28 7pm
11. Full moon tour  8.28 7pm

12. Rock-Tenn/KFAI  8.29 11am

13. Michael Cavlan  - Sens Klobuchar and Coleman should resign
14. Mother Jones    - Kucinich wins debate poll, ABC covers up results
15. Ralph Nader     - Government contracts: what do they have to hide?
16. Brian Concannon - Whitewashing the history of abolition  (Haiti)
17. Mumia Abu-Jamal - The power of history: (Haiti)
18. Paul J Watson   - Canadian police caught attempting to stage riots
19. ed              - Go army  (poem)

--------1 of 19--------

From: Chris Spotted Eagle <chris [at] spottedeagle.org>
Subject: KFAI/Indian  8.26 7pm

KFAI¹s Indian uprising for Aug. 26th, 2007 from 7:00 - 8:00 p.m. CDT

AVERAGE FAMILY is a world premiere by Larissa FastHorse, with direction by
Peter C. Brosius at The Children¹s Theatre Company (CTC), Main Stage, 2400
Third Avenue South, Minneapolis, opening on September 7th at 7:30 p.m. and
runs through October 6th. CTC is the nation¹s leading theater for young
people and families and recipient of the 2003 Tony Award for Outstanding
Regional Theatre.

The Play: The Roubidouxs, an urban American Indian family living in
Minneapolis; and the Monroes, a back-to-nature clan from Northern
Minnesota, sign up to face-off in a reality TV show which promises a brand
new vehicle as the prize. Their challenge is to survive for three months
as an 1840¹s frontier family on the Minnesota prairie and they¹ve been
given roles to play. The Roubidouxs¹ assignment is to portray the
³Indians.² Both families embark on an adventure fraught with laughable
predicaments and harrowing incidents - all of which is caught on the
confession cam! In the end, when one family reconnects with their Dakota
culture, it leads to startling revelations for all, inspiring the true
spirit of generosity.

Guests and company:

Larissa FastHorse (Lakota), Playwright. ³Being able to do this play, with
a primarily American Indian cast in a large theater, is a dream come true
for me,² said Larissa FastHorse.  ³American Indian characters are rarely
the majority of a cast or mainstream productions and their stories are
often dealt with as special,¹ "diverse,¹ or "alternative.  For CTC to
put this show up as a main stage work like any other is very brave and
terribly exciting for the future of theater.²

Larissa FastHorse has been involved with the arts and been an advocate for
her heritage for many years.  After devoting some time to being a dancer
and choreographer, she became involved with the American Indian film
community and spoke at film festivals and panels.  In 2000, she was a
delegate to the United Nations in Geneva, speaking on the power of film
for indigenous peoples.  She worked in feature film and television
development at Universal Pictures and Paramount.

Peter C.  Brosius, Artistic Director. ³I have wanted to bring a piece
about contemporary American Indian reality to our stage for some time.
Larissa FastHorse, who was raised in South Dakota and is a member of the
Rosebud Sioux Tribe, Lakota, brought this powerful and inventive story to
us. Her talent, her heart, and her commitment to her native culture are at
the center of all she does.  It is my great pleasure to present her first
piece of work for theater.²

Note:  Ticket discounts for seniors and students.  Discount of $5 (not
valid with other discounts) for those who self ID as members of the
American Indian community, See press release, attached, for more details.

* * * *

Indian Uprising a one-hour Public & Cultural Affairs program is for and by
Native Indigenous People broadcast each Sunday at 7:00 p.m. CDT on KFAI
90.3 FM Minneapolis and 106.7 FM St. Paul.  Producer and host is volunteer
Chris Spotted Eagle. KFAI Fresh Air Radio is located at 1808 Riverside
Avenue, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55454, 612-341-3144.

For internet listening, go to www.kfai.org <http://www.kfai.org> and for
live listening, click Play under ON AIR NOW or for later listening via the
archives, click PROGRAMS & SCHEDULE > Indian Uprising > STREAM.  Programs
are archived for two weeks.


--------2 of 19--------

From: RNC Welcoming Committee <rnc08 [at] riseup.net>
Subject: RNC welcome 8.27 10am

The RNC Welcoming Committee will be holding a press conference on Monday,
August 27th, at 10:00 a.m., at the Jack Pine Community Center, located at
2815 E. Lake St., Minneapolis.

The Welcoming Committee is accepting questions as of this release, to be
answered at said press conference.  All submissions must be received by
Monday, August 20th.  They will be answered at what could well be the
first ever, open source, user-created press conference.

Questions should be submitted to rnc08 [at] riseup.net.


--------3 of 19--------

From: Erin Parrish <erin [at] mnwomen.org>
Subject: Feminist films 8.27-31 11:30am

[This schedule will be printed just this ONCE. If you want it, SAVE it]

August 27-August 31: Minnesota Women's Consortium Free Feminist Film
Festival. Spend your lunch hour (or an evening) with us, popcorn and
great movies!
    * Monday, August 27 at 11:30AM: Real Women Have Curves (PG13- 86
min.)
    * Tuesday, August 28 at 11:30AM and 5:30PM: North Country (R- 126
min.)
    * Wednesday, August 29 at 11:30AM: Rabbit-Proof Fence (PG- 94 min.)
    * Thursday, August 30 at 11:30AM: Water (PG13- 117 min.)
    * Friday, August 31 at 11:30AM and 5:30PM: Cannibal Women in the
Avocado Jungle  of Death (PG13- 90 min.)

Check the blog or the July 25 issue of the Capitol Bulletin for
descriptions of each movie. All showings are at 550 Rice Street, St. Paul.
Please RSVP for the Tuesday and Friday evening showings.


--------4 of 19--------

From: Debbie <ddo [at] mchsi.com>
Subject: Women's equality 8.27 5pm Duluth MN

Please join us for food, fun, and fellowship
in celebrating Women's Equality Day
August 27, 2007
5:00-7:00pm
The Building for Women - 32 E. First Street Duluth

Celebrating the ratification of the Constitution's 19th Amendment on
August 26, 1920, instituted by Rep. Bella Abzug and first established in
1971. Join us for entertainment, women elected officials past/present.
Bring a dish to share!

Women's Equality Day Celebration
Contact: Terri Griffiths - event coordinator 218-525-3809 218-393-1254
tjgriffiths [at] charter.net

Sponsors
American Association of University Women-Duluth Branch The Building for Women
Aurora Northland Lesbian Center Women's Health Center
Lake Superior College Center for Student Development The White House Project
North Country Women's Coffee House PAVSA
The Million Moms March YWCA
The League of Women Voters' Duluth Chapter

In honor of Betty Friedan, Bella Abzug, Coretta S. King
Women Who Changed the World - and those who continue their Legacy
Celebration, Remembrance, Transition
Our Past Is The Future
Feminist Moving Forward


--------5 of 19--------

From: G Livesay <portx10 [at] yahoo.com>
Subject: Park/pay toilets? 8.27 6:30pm

This just in, Bureaucrat Bob Bierschied backs PAY toilets at parks.  You
heard it here first folks.  According to my secret decoder ring he has
found a way to attach a parking meter to a port-o-john.  I mean, why else
would he be buying all those parking meters?  What would the parks
department do with all those parking meters?

It appears Arlington Arkwright park will be the testing ground for these
new PAY port-o-johns.  Bureaucrat Bob sure knows marketing.  Since the
city has closed the only SAFE gate for pedestrians to use the OL park, no
one will be tempted to walk up to the corner gas station.  Bureaucrat Bob
can take advantage of the COMPLETE LACK of SIDEWALKS to force people to
use the PAY port-o-johns.  After all, who wants to get hit by a car?

COMMUNITY INPUT PUBLIC MEETING:
Arlington/Arkwright Dog Park
Monday, August 27, 2007
6:30 p.m.
Faith Baptist Church
1365 Westminster Street

Neighbors of the Arlington/Arkwright off-leash dog park have expressed
concerns regarding its operation and the actions of some of the park's
users.

Payne/Phalen District Five Planning Council's Community Planning and
Economic Development Committee established a subcommittee to examine the
concerns of neighbors and park users and suggest solutions.  The
sub-committee met on July 9, 2007 and heard these concerns.  City staff
agreed to investigate some of the issues raised to see what changes are
possible or practical.  Dog park users agreed to investigate forming an
organization to more effectively address concerns raised by and about park
users.  All agreed to meet later and report back.  This will be a public,
follow-up meeting.

Deborah Eide Administrative and Outreach Assistant District Five Planning
Council Deborah.Eide [at] visi.com 1014 Payne Ave. St. Paul, MN 55130 Phone:
651-774-5234 Fax: 651-774-9745


--------6 of 19--------

From: Gabe Ormsby <gabeo [at] bitstream.net>
Subject: Amnesty Intl 8.27 7pm

Augustana Homes Seniors Group meets on Monday, August 27th, from 7:00 to
8:00 p.m. in the party room of the 1020 Building, 1020 E 17th Street,
Minneapolis. For more information contact Ardes Johnson at 612/378-1166 or
johns779 [at] tc.umn.edu.


--------7 of 19--------

From: Eric Angell <eric-angell [at] riseup.net>
Subject: Climate crisis 8.27 7:30pm

Regular meeting of the Climate Crisis Coalition of the Twin Cities (3CTC).
EVERY 2nd and 4th Monday at 7:30 pm.  The Freight House Dunn Brothers, 201
3rd Ave S, next door to the Milwaukee Road Depot, Downtown Minneapolis.
Stop global warming, save Earth!

In solidarity w/people and the planet, Eric 651-644-1173


--------8 of 19--------

From: Eric Angell <eric-angell [at] riseup.net <mailto:eric-angell [at] 
riseup.net>>
Subject: Korten/CTV 8.28 8am/5pm

Dear Minneapolis Television Network (MTN 17) viewers:

"Our World In Depth" cablecasts on MTN Channel 17 on Saturdays at 9pm and
Tuesdays at 8am.  Households with basic cable can watch!

8/25 9pm and 8/28 8am "David Korten: The Great Turning from Empire to
Earth Community". Presentation by author Korten recorded in April in Mpls.

Revered St. Paul Neighborhood Network (SPNN 15) viewers:

"Our World In Depth" cablecasts in St. Paul on Tuesday evenings and
Wednesday mornings.  All households with basic cable can watch!

8/28 5pm and midnight and 8/29 10am "The Public Intellectual, the Internet
and the War on Terror"  Professor, author and blogger Juan Cole engages an
audience on issues of privacy, the Internet, and US foreign policy in the
Mideast and Asia.  Hosted by the U of MN.


--------9 of 19--------

From: Charles Underwood <charleyunderwood [at] hotmail.com>
Subject: Iraq forum 8.28 4/6:30/6:30pm (3 of them)

Tuesday, 8/28, 4 pm, Iraq Summer coalition sponsors town hall forum on
Iraq, Minnetonka Community Center, 14600 Minnetonka Blvd, Minnetonka
(targeting Jim Ramstad). www.noiraqescalation.org/iraq_summer or
minnesotafd [at] iraqsummer.org or 612-465-8803.

Tuesday, 8/28, 6:30 pm, Iraq Summer coalition sponsors town hall forum on
Iraq, Cascade Room, Atwood Center, St Cloud State University, 720 4th Ave
S, St Cloud (Michele Bachmann's district).
www.noiraqescalation.org/iraq_summer or minnesotafd [at] iraqsummer.org or
612-465-8803.

Tuesday, 8/28, 6:30 pm, Summer coalition sponsors town hall forum on Iraq,
Lakes and Plains Carpenters Great Hall, 710 Olive St, St Paul. (targeting
Norm Coleman), www.noiraqescalation.org/iraq_summer or
minnesotafd [at] iraqsummer.org or 612-465-8803


--------10 of 19--------

From: Impeach <lists [at] impeachforpeace.org>
Subject: Impeach for peace 8.28 7pm

Impeach for Peace
We meet Tuesdays at 7pm at Joe's Garage (Restaurant along Loring Park)
1610 Harmon Pl Minneapolis, MN 55403 (612) 904-1163


--------11 of 19--------

From: "wamm [at] mtn.org" <wamm [at] mtn.org>
Subject: Full moon tour 8.28 7pm

Coldwater Full Moon Tour: Edible Plants

Tuesday, August 28, 7:00 p.m. (Gather); 7:15 p.m. (Walk) Minnehaha Park,
54th Street South, Minneapolis (South End of the Pay Parking Lot). Walk up
and down the Mississippi gorge with Henry Fieldseth, founder of the
Friends School Plant Sale and specializes in knowledge of growing native
plants. August's full moon is called the Green Corn Moon or the Grain
Moon. The fruits of summer are bountiful and Henry will point what is
edible along the paths around Coldwater. Plus the traditional group howl!
FFI: Visit <www.friendsofcoldwater.org>.


--------12 of 19--------

From: Lydia Howell <lhowell [at] visi.com>
Subject: Rock-Tenn/KFAI 8.29 11am

Andy Driscoll, Producer/Host
Truth to Tell -- co-host: Craig Cox
Wednesdays at 11:00 AM
KFAI Radio, 90.3 Minneapolis/106.7 St. Paul
651-293-9039 / Fax: (same, call ahead) / Cell: 651-492-2221
email: _andy [at] driscollgroup.com

LISTEN WEDNESDAY, August 29 @ 11:00 AM:  ROCK-TENN RECYCLING AND ITS
ENERGY SUPPLY

TTT's Andy Driscoll and co-host Craig Cox talk with principal players in
the controversy over just how St. Paul's paper-recycling Rock-Tenn
Corporation will replace its sorely needed steam supply when Xcel Energy's
downtown St. Paul coal-fired plant shuts down forever. **Guests:

 State Sen. Ellen Anderson, Chair of the Minnesota Senate Environment,
Energy and Natural Resources Budget Division of Senate Finance, and member
of the Energy, Utilities, Technology and Communications and the
Environment and Natural Resources committees.
 Nina Axelson - Rock-Tenn Community Advisory Panel staff person;
 Justin Eibenholzl, Energy and Environmental Justice advocate, Southeast
Como Improvement Association (SECIA) and member of Rock-Tenn Community
Advisory Panel.
 Jack Greenshields, Rock-Tenn Corporation Senior Vice President and
General Manager
 Representative of Neighbors Against the Burner (NAB)


--------13 of 19--------

Date: Sat, 25 Aug 2007 21:15:32 -0400
From: Michael Cavlan - ollamhfaery [at] earthlink.net
Subject: Cavlan Condemns Minnesota Senators Klobuchar and Coleman
http://twincities.indymedia.org/newswire/display/31088

Summary: This week Minnesota Senators Amy Klobuchar and Norm Coleman
helped put US Senate Bill 1927 into law. This bill is more commonly known
as the FISA Bill.

Ms. Klobuchar and Mr Coleman, you both swore an oath to "support and
defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign
and domestic". On August 3rd you voted "yea" on S. 1927 handing the Bush
Administration virtually unlimited access to the private lives, liberties
and pursuit of happiness in direct contravention to our 4th Amendment
right to protection against unreasonable searches and seizures. Given the
record of abuses of power that this administration has shown, this is
unforgivable.

In doing so you have both abandoned your oath of office and are no longer
qualified nor deserving of representing the State of Minnesota as our
Senators.

I am asking with all the respect due your office that you both submit your
resignations effective immediately in order that someone who has a deeper
understanding of the critical importance of defending the Constitution
during this national crisis can step forward and take your place as our
Senators in Washington DC.

As a final note, I ask that those groups and activists who regularily
protest the Offices of Norm Coleman now direct their attention to the
offices of Senator Klobuchar as well.

Sincerely,
Michael Cavlan RN
Candidate US Senate 2006
Minneapolis / St. Paul IMC: http://twincities.indymedia.org/


--------14 of 19--------

MOTHER JONES magazine
Kucinich Wins Debate Poll, ABC Covers Up Results

http://www.motherjones.com/mojoblog/archives/2007/08/5255_kucinich_wins_d.html

Presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich's supporters (and, according to
his website, even some non-supporters) are demanding that ABC explain
its actions of the last few days.

On Monday afternoon, Congressman Kucinich took a significant lead in the
ABC online poll: Who won the Democratic debate? About the time that he
took that lead, ABC removed the poll from its prominent position on the
ABC website. Then a new poll suddenly went up, "Who is winning the
Democratic debate?"

Those events could be seen as technical glitches, but there was more to
come. Kucinich took the lead in the second poll, also, and that poll,
too, was dropped. ABC also "forgot" to announce the results (Kucinich
tied with Sen. Hillary Clinton as the winner), and news about the poll
is nowhere to be seen on the ABC website. Kucinich was also cut out of a
group photo of all the candidates in the debate.

It's a wonder viewers were even able to vote for Kucinich in the poll.
He was not permitted to answer a question from debate moderator George
Stephanopoulos until the debate had been under way for half an hour.

So far, the network has failed to respond to questions about these events.

Posted by Diane E. Dees on 08/22/07

PARTIAL LIST OF ABC ADVERTISRES.  Not everyone will contact every
advertiser here, so if you have to pick and choose, I suggest you use
the following criteria:

1. Call the ones you do business with first.
2. Call companies that you have considered doing business with.
3. If you find a hometown company, call them.

Some pointers on the calls:

1. Be polite.
2. No need to threaten them.  Just politely but strongly register your
objection and your demand that they pull their support of ABC.

Ok, that's it.  Now here is the list.  Have at it.

     Aloha Airlines
     http://www.alohaairlines.com/
     Mailing Address:
     Aloha Airlines Customer Relations
     P.O. Box 30028
     Honolulu, Hawaii 96820
     Telephone support: 888-771-2855 (or) 808-539-5994
     Fax support: 808-539-5999

     Sears
     http://www.sears.com
     Mailing:
     Sears National Customer Relations
     3333 Beverly Road
     Hoffman Estates, IL 60179
     Customer Service #: 1-800-349-4358

     Mr. Clean and Swiffer
     Divisions of Home Made Simple
     Email Form

     Charles Schwab
     http://www.schwab.com/
     866-855-9102
     Charles Schwab Bank, N.A.
     5190 Neil Road, Suite 100
     Reno, NV  89502-8532

     Kellogg's
     Email Page
     Consumer Affairs Number: 800-962-1413

     Chase Rewards Card
     Email Page
     Phone: 1-800-432-3117

     AAA

     Go to http://www.aaa.com and enter your zipcode to find your
state/local numbers

     Bounty
     A division of Proctor & Gamble
     Email page

     Symantec
     World HQ (Cupertino, CA) #: 1-408-517-8000

     Subway
     http://www.subway.com
     Subway Franchise Headquarters
     325 Bic Drive
     Milford, CT 06460 USA
     Tel.(203) 877-4281 / (800) 888-4848
     Customer Service Form

     Mitshubishi
     http://www.mitsubishicars.com/...
     1-888-MITSU2005
     1-866-876-3018

     T-Mobile
     http://www.t-mobile.com/
     1-800-937-8997

     Mazda
     http://www.mazdausa.com/
     1-800-222-5500

     CitiGroup
     http://www.citigroup.com/
     399 Park Avenue
     New York, NY 10043
     U.S.A.
     800-285-3000

     Claritin
     http://www.claritin.com
     1-800-CLARITIN
     Email Form

     Jell-O
     Product of Kraft Foods
     Email form
     Choose your age and "General Comment about Kraft" as the "subject"

     Home Depot
     http://www.homedepot.com
     1-800-553-3199

     Red Lobster
     http://www.redlobster.com
     Corporate HQ:
     5900 Lake Ellenor Drive
     Orlando, FL 32809
     (407) 245-4000

     Hyundai Motor America
     http://www.hyundaiusa.com
     800-633-5151
     HQ: 714-965-3000

     CashCall
     A Division of First Bank & Trust
     1-877-289-0685
     Customer Service: 1-877-525-2274

     Comcast
     http://www.comcast.com
     1-800-COMCAST
     Email form

     Aflac
     http://www.aflac.com/...
     Media Relations: 1-706-243-8004
     Customer Service: 1-800-992-3522
     Admin Service: 1-877-353-9487

     Nissan
     http://www.nissanusa.com
     (800) NISSAN-1 (or 800-647-7261)
     Email form - http://www.nissanusa.com/... (start with the topic
"general question")

     Carl's Junior
     (877) 799-7827
     Email form


--------15 of 19--------

Transparency and Government Contracts
What Do They Have to Hide?
By RALPH NADER
CounterPunch
August 25 / 26, 2007

Several weeks ago, I joined with Grover Norquist, President, Americans for
Tax Reform in urging state governors to emulate and go beyond the advances
in bringing more openness to governmental expenditures put forth by
Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels.

Early in 2005, Governor Daniels issued an executive order which enables
Hoosiers to find on the Internet the total number of state contracts
entered into each year, the total amount of dollars awarded under state
contracts each year, and the number and percentage of Indiana businesses
and out-of-state businesses to whom state contracts are awarded each year.
In addition the entire text of most contracts covered by the executive
order is available online.

Mr. Norquist and I disagree on many other issues, but we strongly share
the belief that taxpayers should be able to easily access clear and
concise information on how their tax dollars are being spent by
governments at all levels.

At the federal level, the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency
Act will create a free, publicly searchable website for all federal
contracts and grants. Senator Tom Coburn (R., Okla.) and Senator Barack
Obama (D. IL) introduced this bill requiring the dollar amounts and
recipients of all grants and earmarked contracts be placed in a publicly
accessible database.

This important step toward transparency was signed into law by President
Bush on September 26, 2006, the law states that the Office of Management
and Budget (OMB) has to ensure the existence of a searchable website is
available no later than January 1, 2008. Lawmakers from both sides of the
aisle came together and joined forces to move in the right direction. But
this is only a first step, since the actual contract language will not be
made available.

When he was Director of the OMB in the federal government, Mitch Daniels
expressed his support for putting all federal contracts and grants online
above a minimum amount and invited public comment. Included in his
proposal were defense contracts, prudently redacted, which, of course,
means a large area of governmental spending historically off limits to
public scrutiny.

Recently Iowa's Republican Senator Chuck Grassley enthusiastically
supported the idea of amending the Federal Funding Accountability and
Transparency Act, to include the full text of contracts. Senator Grassley,
a champion of the taxpayer and government whistleblowers knows that
greater transparency will benefit taxpayers.

There is momentum to require the full text of government contracts be put
online. But, don't underestimate the power of lethargy. I first wrote to
President Bill Clinton and asked him to issue an Executive Order setting
procedures for every agency of the federal government to place its
contracts online back in January of 2000. On February 8, 2000, President
Clinton wrote back saying he had forwarded this request to the OMB's
Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs for review. On September 10,
2001, I wrote to Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr., then the Director of the Office
of Management and Budget, urging him to give taxpayers access to the full
text of government contracts. On June 6, 2003, as a result of Mr. Daniels
drive on this issue, a Federal Register Notice was issued asking for
public comments on a pilot project to put contracts online. His successors
at the OMB have not followed up.

We are moving in the right direction with the Federal Funding
Accountability and Transparency Act, but as we all know the "devil is in
the details." Requiring federal agencies and departments to post online
the full text of all federal contracts would be a wonderful next step. The
computer age should make it possible to efficiently allow for certain
redactions related to legitimate concerns about business confidentiality
and national security in contracts before they are posted online in a
publicly-available database.

A large coalition from across the political spectrum has been pushing for
increased transparency in government, which is good for a more competitive
procurement process, the taxpayer and our democracy.

Contracting out what the state and federal government do and contracting
to obtain what governments need is a large part of our economy. The former
includes letting corporations perform government functions and the latter
includes buying supplies like fuel, paper, food, medicines and vehicles.
Taken together, they amount to spending trillions of dollars over the past
decade - our tax dollars.

Putting the full text of these contracts online will: could give taxpayers
both savings and better value; let the media focus more incisively on this
vast area of government disbursements to inform the wider public;
encourage constructive comments and alarms from the citizenry; and
stimulate legal and economic research by scholars interested in structural
topics related to government procurement, transfers, subsidies and
giveaways.

Congress should amend the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency
Act.

And, Governors should work expeditiously to make the full text of all
state contracts, ranging from procurement of goods and services to grants,
leaseholds and labor contracts, available to the public on the Internet in
a clear and searchable format.

Transparency is one of the core principles of representative democracy.
Another way of putting it is that "information is the currency of
democracy."

Ralph Nader is the author of The Seventeen Traditions


--------16 of 19--------

Amazing Grace
Whitewashing the History of Abolition
By BRIAN CONCANNON
CounterPunch
August 25 / 26, 2007

This week the world officially commemorated one of the pivotal events of
modern history with deafening silence. On August 23, 1791, a group of
slaves in Haiti led by a man named Boukman ignited a revolt that changed
the world. They attacked their French masters, and kept fighting until
Haiti wrested independence from Napoleon in 1804. Haiti's rebellion
metastasized: the independent nation run by former slaves inspired people
held in bondage throughout the world, and forever undermined the "moral"
and philosophical underpinnings of slavery. Slavery held on for decades -
more than seven decades in the U.S. - but from that time on it was
fighting a losing battle.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
(UNESCO) proclaims August 23 the official "International Day for the
Remembrance of the Slave Trade and Its Abolition," but there is little
behind the proclamation. The UNESCO website's link to "Activities
Worldwide" shows a blank page for the United States. France, alone among
former slave trading countries, has an activity listed, but that is for
last March's launch of a virtual UNESCO exhibit, aptly titled: "Lest We
Forget." The link to the virtual exhibit does not work. There is no
mention of the anniversary in any major U.S. media outlets, and very
little even on the internet.

In contrast, the film Amazing Grace, about William Wilberforce and the
fight to end the slave trade in the British Empire, made a big splash when
it opened last February. In less than four months, enough people saw the
film in the United States for the movie to gross $21 million.

Wilberforce, a wealthy member of the British Parliament, risked his
reputation, his political career and even his health in a long struggle to
convince his colleagues to pass the Slave Trade Act. The Act became a
critical step in ending slavery when enacted in 1807, and both Wilberforce
and the Act deserve an important place in history.

But neither deserves to overshadow the Haitians and their revolution.
Haitians risked their lives as well as their health and careers - over
300,000 Haitians died fighting for abolition, many cruelly tortured and
mutilated along the way. Haitians actually ended slavery in the country,
for good, while the Slave Trade Act only ended the transport of slaves by
ship in the British Empire (the Empire did not actually abolish slavery
until 1834). But it is the Slave Trade Act, not Haiti's revolution, which
is widely celebrated as the beginning of the end of slavery.

The orator, statesman and emancipated slave Frederick Douglass was
appointed U.S. Minister to Haiti, where he saw the disservice that history
was already doing to the country. In an 1893 address to the Chicago
World's Fair, Douglass acknowledged the contributions of Wilberforce and
the other abolitionists in England and the United States. But he reminded
his listeners that:

"Until Haiti struck for freedom, the conscience of the Christian world
slept profoundly over slavery. Until she spoke no Christian nation had
given to the world an organized effort to abolish slavery..... Until she
spoke, the slave trade was sanctioned by all the Christian nations of the
world, and our land of liberty and light included."

Amazing Grace actually advanced the process of writing Haiti out of the
history of abolition. I caught only one reference to Haiti in the film - a
sentence about the revolution's outbreak in a scene from the early 1790's.
The film managed to chronicle the abolition movement's progress through to
1807 without even mentioning 1804's actual abolition.

The world had another chance to give Haiti its due three years ago, during
the bicentennial of the nation's independence. On the big day, January 1,
2004, Thabo Mbeki, President of the most powerful African nation, South
Africa, came to celebrate. But the former slaveholding nations, led by the
United States, disliked the economic policies of the people Haitians had
elected to serve them, so they boycotted the events. They also forced the
less powerful countries of Africa and the Caribbean to stay away, so
Haiti's historic celebration was muted.

Instead of sending congratulations to Haiti's government, the United
States sent guns and money to those trying to overthrow it. When the
international spotlight did arrive in Haiti seven weeks later, it came to
witness the violent return of another brutal U.S.-supported dictatorship.
That dictatorship led to another 4,000 Haitians dying in political
violence.

I enjoyed Amazing Grace despite its slighting of Haiti, and found it a
compelling and inspiring film. That might be because I, like most
moviegoers, am a lot closer socially and economically to William
Wilberforce than to Boukman and his comrades, or even to their descendants
in Haiti today. I am willing to work hard for what I believe in, but I do
not put my life on the line. At the end of a hard day's fight I sleep in a
comfortable bed with a full stomach.

We all risk being closer morally to John Newton, the slave-ship captain
turned preacher who wrote the hymn that gave Amazing Grace its title.
Newton had a series of religious conversions that led him to abandon
slave-trading and eventually become a prominent abolitionist. But he
traces his original conversion to 1748, while he continued to work on
slave ships until 1754. By some accounts, he continued to profit from
investments in slave-trading companies for decades more.

Haiti has always challenged Americans by embodying conflicts between our
espoused ideals and our limited willingness to implement them. In
Douglass' youth, we had declared all men created equal, but we refused to
recognize Haiti because it was governed by men with the wrong skin color.
In 2004, our government proclaimed that democracy was worth establishing
in Iraq by brutal force, but not protecting in Haiti. Our peace and human
rights movements protested the Bush Administration's violations of
international law in overthrowing Iraq's dictator, but silently accepted
the same Administration's overthrow of Haiti's elected president. In 2007,
we make and watch movies that celebrate the end of slavery, but we refuse
to allow the slaves credit for their own liberation.

They say that those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat
it. Americans cannot or will not accurately remember our own past, or
Haiti's, but it is the Haitians who are condemned when we repeat the past.
They pay the price for our coups d'etat, our development assistance
embargos, and our occupations. We cannot take back the previous punishment
we have inflicted on Haiti, but we can remember it, and thereby do our
best to avoid repeating it.

Brian Concannon Jr. is a human rights lawyer and directs the Institute for
Justice & Democracy in Haiti, www.ijdh.org


--------17 of 19--------

The Power of History: (Haiti)
By Mumia Abu-Jamal
[Liberation-News]
[col. writ. 8/19/07]

Recently, while speaking with a younger journalist, I made mention of
several points of Haitian history, and the writer looked at me blankly.

Although he was well-read, and had even traveled to Haiti, he hadn't the
faintest idea of many of the historical facts to which I made reference.

He simply had never read nor heard of them.

As a student of history, I recommended he read the work of the late
radical scholar-activist, C.L.R. James on Haiti: The Black Jacobins:
Toussaint Louverture and the San Domingo Revolution, originally published
in 1938.  He knew of the book, but he never read it.

C.L.R. James was a man of remarkable brilliance, and a man who wore many
hats and mastered many skills.  His book, The Black Jacobins, is regarded
as a masterwork of history, with perhaps the best telling of the story of
the Haitian Revolution (at least in English).

James, a revolutionary organizer as well as an accomplished scholar,
probed deeply into the forces that led to revolution, both in Haiti and in
France.

One such factor was the relentless brutality of French slavery in Haiti,
where sugar factories exploited black labor so totally that the life span
of a captive worker there was 7 years.  7 years.  To replenish this slave
labor force, more and more Africans were captured from West Africa's
coast, to work the sugar factories of Haiti.

Black suffering and death meant white profits and sweets.

James cites an axiom commonly used in France at the time of the French
Revolution: "The Ivory Coast is a good mother."

What that meant was slavery and brutality was good for business!

Were it not for the immense wealth extracted from African slavery in
Haiti, James explains, the French Revolution would never have happened.
Quoting the French historian Jaures, James teaches us that "The
slave-trade and slavery were the economic basis of the French Revolution."

"Sad irony of history," comments Jaures. "The fortunes created at
Bordeaux, at Nantes, by the slave-trade, gave to this bourgeoisie that
pride which needed liberty and contributed to human emancipation." Nantes
was the centre of the slave-trade.  As early as 1666, 108 ships went to
the coast of Guinea and took on board 37,430 slaves, to a total value of
more than 37 million, giving the Nantes bourgeoisie 15 to 20 per cent of
their money. [p.35]

Haiti also had other impacts on the world.

Its Revolution spelled the end for Napoleon's dream of a Franco-American
empire.  Shortly after the Revolution cut off profits to France, Napoleon
communicated to Thomas Jefferson his willingness to sell Louisiana to the
US for several million bucks,

Jefferson leaped at the offer, and by the alleged sale (so-called because
Napoleon sold land that belonged to Indians, not France), the United
States doubled its size overnight.

History is important; it teaches us why things are the way they are.

It teaches not only about yesterday, but about today.

--(c)

Mumia Abu-Jamal is a political prisoner in the United States, with what
could be the final decision on his legal appeals possibly coming down
this summer.  That decision could give Mumia his freedom, a new trial,
life in prison, or execution.  It is time to turn up the heat against
this injustice.

Free Mumia!
For more on the case of Mumia Abu-Jamal read:
Top Ten "Fry Mumia" Myths Debunked
(Myth #1) "Five eyewitnesses saw Mumia shoot officer Faulkner."
http://indybay.org/newsitems/2007/07/19/18436405.php

Subscribe to Liberation News:
http://lists.riseup.net/www/info/liberation_news

[The ruling class wants the millions it is crushing to think that
resistence is impossible, has never happened. When the Haiti revolution
happened, Southern slaveholders went ballistic - don't let the slaves know
it can be done! Slaveholders slept with pistols under their pillows,
fearing (just) retribution from slave uprisings. In spite of the horrible
odds, some southern slaves rose up and murdered their masters in their
beds. The masters then killed ten or more blacks for every murdered white;
still blacks rose up, knowing their likely fate. But this shattered the
myth of the happy darky, and led to the American abolition movement. -ed]


--------18 of 19--------

Canadian Police Caught Attempting To Stage Riots
Authorities admit rock-wielding "black bloc anarchists" were really police
infiltrators
Paul Joseph Watson
Prison Planet
Friday, August 24, 2007

Quebec provincial authorities have admitted that three rock-wielding
mask-wearing "anarchists" were in fact police infiltrators used to gather
information on protesters at this week's SPP summit, but authorities are
still ludicrously denying the fact that the provocateurs were intent on
causing a riot in order to justify a heavy-handed response.

Yesterday, debunkers attempted to claim that identical yellow marks on the
boots of the "anarchists" and the police were simply Canadian Safety
Industry seals and dismissed allegations that the three "anarchists" were
undercover cops. Those same trolls and apologists for the authorities have
egg on their face today after the police were forced to admit their role
in using disguised cops to infiltrate the protesters before staging their
arrests when they were exposed as agent provocateurs.

"Police came under fire Tuesday, when a video surfaced on YouTube that
appeared to show three plainclothes police officers at the protest with
bandanas across their faces. One of the men was carrying a rock," reports
CBC.

"In the video, protest organizers in suits order the men to put the rock
down, call them police instigators and try unsuccessfully to unmask them."

"Quebec provincial police admitted Thursday that three of their officers
disguised themselves as demonstrators during the protest at the North
American leaders summit in Montebello, Que. However, the police force
denied allegations its undercover officers were there on Monday to provoke
the crowd and instigate violence."  Protest organizers confirmed that four
arrests had been made in total during the summit, all of legitimate
demonstrators, meaning that the arrests of the "anarchists" was a staged
event purely for public and media consumption to create the myth that the
police were responding to the fact that one of the anarchists was wielding
a rock and attempting to break through a police line.

Watching the video, it is clearly evident that as soon as the trio are
exposed as police, they try to casually drift back into police ranks
before cops are forced to stage their arrests.

Firstly, why should we accept the notion that it's legitimate for police
officers to engage in tactics more familiar to rogue intelligence agencies
by disguising themselves as anarchists in order to spy on completely
non-violent protesters who are merely exercising their right to peaceably
assemble?

Secondly, if the police had to go to the lengths of staging arrests to
perpetuate the myth that the "anarchists" were real protesters then why
should we believe for a second that they weren't intent on causing
violence, since they had armed themselves with projectiles?

The so-called "black bloc" anarchists are completely infiltrated and
controlled by the security services and are routinely employed at major
protest events to cause riots and demonize legitimate peaceful protesters.

In Seattle in 1999 at the World Trade Organization meeting, the
authorities declared a state of emergency, imposed curfews and resorted to
nothing short of police state tactics in response to a small minority of
hostile black bloc hooligans. In his film Police State 2, Alex Jones
covered the fact that the police allowed the black bloc to run riot in
downtown Seattle while they concentrated on preventing the movement of
peaceful protestors. The film presents clear evidence that the left-wing
anarchist groups are actually controlled by the state and used to demonize
peaceful protesters.

At the WTO protests in Genoa 2001 a protestor was killed after being shot
in the head and run over twice by a police vehicle. The Italian Carabinere
also later beat on peaceful protestors as they slept, and even tortured
some, at the Diaz School. It later emerged that the police fabricated
evidence against the protesters, claiming they were anarchist rioters, to
justify their actions. Some Carabiniere officials have since come forward
to say they knew of infiltration of the so called black bloc anarchists,
and that fellow officers acted as agent provocateurs.

At the Free Trade Area of Americas protests in Miami in late November
2003, more provocateuring was evident. The United Steelworkers of America
calling for a congressional investigation, stated that the police
intentionally caused violence and arrested and charged hundreds of
peaceful protestors. The USWA suggested that billions of dollars
supposedly slated for Iraq reconstruction funds are actually being used to
subsidize "homeland repression" in America.

The leadership of the black bloc has been completely usurped by the
authorities and anyone who still professes to be a member of the group is
either supremely naive or completely stupid. To dress up like terrorists,
all in black with ski masks and bandanas (like the police) immediately
sends out a negative message to the watching public and demonizes
legitimate protesters.

The black bloc should be immediately disbanded and anyone that dresses in
their garb and threatens to engage in violence at a protest should be
exposed to the media for what they are - dirty cowboy cops who think their
job is to spy on and abuse peaceful protesters, scum who prey on the weak
and give good police a bad name while ensuring the right to protest is
chilled.


--------19 of 19--------

 Go army. Kill all
 that you can kill. Die all that
 you can die. Kill. Die.


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   - David Shove             shove001 [at] tc.umn.edu
   rhymes with clove         Progressive Calendar
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