Progressive Calendar 10.07.08 | <– Date –> <– Thread –> |
From: David Shove (shove001![]() |
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Date: Tue, 7 Oct 2008 15:21:07 -0700 (PDT) |
P R O G R E S S I V E C A L E N D A R 10.07.08 1. IRV in court 10.08 8:30pm 2. Peak oil 10.08 11:30am 3. Genomics 10.08 11:30am 4. Czech 10.08 2:30pm 5. Lebanon/book 10.08 6:30pm 6. AI 10.08 7:30pm 7. Eagan peace vigil 10.09 4:30pm 8. New Hope demo 10.09 4:45pm 9. Northtown vigil 10.09 5pm 10. Wellstone: accident? 10.09 7pm forum 11. Vs Zionism/JoelKovel 10.10 11:30am/1pm/4:15pm/6pm 12. Frank Wilderson 10.10 7:30pm 13. Cynthia McKinney - This election, dump the Congress bailout zombies 14. Flo Razowsky - Launch of Int'l Jewish Anti-Zionist Network (IJAN) 15. Leonardo Boff - Democracy came to the factory --------1 of 15-------- From: FairVote Minnesota <info [at] fairvotemn.org> Subject: IRV in court 10.08 8:30pm IRV Goes to Court FairVote Minnesota is a co-defendant in the lawsuit challenging IRV's constitutionality and the right of Minneapolis, as a home-rule charter city, to use IRV under Minnesota law. The time has finally arrived for our day in court. Arguments will be heard October 8 at 8:30 a.m. in Hennepin County District Court by Judge George McGunnigle. The hearing, open to the public, will be held in Room 1355 of the Hennepin County Government Center, 300 S. 6th St., Minneapolis. Given the amount of interest in this case, seats may fill quickly - so if you want to attend, please arrive early. Moving Forward in Minneapolis Big news: This week, the City of Minneapolis Elections Department issued a memo indicating they are moving ahead with plans to implement IRV in city elections in 2009. To-date, the main challenge for the city has been selecting voting equipment that will facilitate IRV elections. After evaluating options, the city has recommended using existing voting machines supplemented by hand counts where necessary. This removes all uncertainty about how IRV will be implemented in Minneapolis - a huge step towards a successful IRV election in 2009! It's time for IRV. Help Make IRV a Reality in Minnesota: Contribute While FairVote Minnesota's legal counsel is donating their services related to the Minneapolis lawsuit, we have other expenses related to winning this crucial battle and working to bring IRV to other parts of Minnesota. We need your help. FairVote Minnesota is close to its $25,000 fundraising goal related to the lawsuit. But close won't cut it. We need to raise $8,000 more in the next week to continue the fight for better democracy. Can you give $25, $50, $100 or even more [9] to help us decisively defeat the Minneapolis court challenge and continue the progressive momentum for IRV in Minnesota? Donations can be made at www.fairvotemn.org/contribute/online or by mail to FairVote Minnesota, PO Box 19440, Minneapolis, MN 55409. Other ways to help: Join our Speakers Bureau. Contact info [at] fairvotemn.org. Host a party to educate neighbors and friends about IRV. We'll help you organize an IRV dessert election. Contact info [at] fairvotemn.org. Help with data entry from the comfort of your own home. Contact infor [at] fairvotemn.org. --------2 of 15-------- From: Kevin Chavis <kevinchavis [at] gmail.com> Subject: Peak oil 10.08 11:30am Fossil Fuel Decline and the Energy Gap Why Relocalization is Inevitable By Jon Freise Wednesday October 11:30 to 1pm at the Neighborhood Energy Connection Many peak oil planning groups have concluded that Relocalizing people, food and jobs into close proximity is the best solution to peak oil (and peak energy). Some notable examples: Transition Towns http://totnes.transitionnetwork.org/ (The intro page has an excellent vision!) Community Solution http://www.communitysolution.org/ City of Portland: Peak Oil Task Force http://www.portlandonline.com/osd/index.cfm?c=ecije Please come to this talk where we will examine the data supporting Relocalization. We will look at the latest fossil fuel data: - Up to date analysis of oil production. - Latest data on the decline of oil sold on the world market. - World coal production forecasts. - North American and world natural gas production forecasts. We will take a look at some of the solutions - Energy Return of alternative fuels - Efficiency improvements to existing buildings - Transportation efficiency improvements It will be clear an "energy gap" will open between our needs and our available supplies of energy. We will examine the latest academic papers that predict the amount of economic damage this "energy gap" will cause. And we will take a look at a few countries currently suffering energy shortages. At the end there will be a discussion about what topics the Energy Transition Working Group should be covering over the next year to better understand and prepare for what is going to happen. Talk held in the Community Room at the NEC (2nd floor of the Mississippi Market on the SW corner of Selby and Dale. Direct bus via #21 or #65. Please do not park in the store parking lot). Neighborhood Energy Connection 624 Selby Avenue Saint Paul, MN 55104 --------3 of 15-------- From: Consortium on Law & Values and JDP Program <lawvalue [at] umn.edu> Subject: Synthetic genomics 10.08 11:30am Synthetic Genomics: Risks and Benefits for Science & Society Robert Friedman, PhD, J. Craig Venter Institute Wednesday, October 8, 2008 11:30am-1:00pm Coffman Memorial Union Theater (1st Floor) Dr. Friedman will discuss the rapidly developing field of synthetic genomics (and more generally, synthetic biology) which offers great promise for both basic biological research and as a new and powerful tool for biotechnology. The hope is that this new technology will allow dramatic breakthroughs in the production of new vaccines, diagnostics, and pharmaceuticals; in renewable, carbon-neutral energy sources; and in bio-based manufacturing in general. Dr. Friedman will try to disentangle the set of concerns that is unique to synthetic genomics, or where the use of synthetic genomics significantly adds to societal concerns about the use of biotechnology, or new technology in general. He will first briefly review the basics of this new technology and discuss its potential, that is, the reasons why this research is being pursued at the Venter Institute and many other labs around the world. He will then turn to each of the societal issues mentioned above, focusing on those aspects of synthetic genomics that make it different from other types of work with recombinant DNA. Finally, he will attempt to identify those areas where the miscommunication between scientists and the public is most troublesome. Robert Friedman, PhD, is Deputy Director of the J. Craig Venter Institute's La Jolla, California facility. Dr. Friedman also directs JCVI's Policy Center and is active in several projects ongoing in the Institute's Environmental Genomics Group. He is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Commentators: Jeffrey P. Kahn, PhD, MPH Brian Van Ness, PhD Dir., Center for Bioethics Depart. Head & Professor, Maas Family Chair in Bioethics Genetics, Cell Biology & Professor, Dept. of Medicine, Development Public Health & Philosophy This event is free and open to the public. This lecture is intended for students, faculty, researchers, scientists, policymakers, and community members. Continuing Education Application for 1.5 hours of general Continuing Legal Education (CLE) for attorneys has been submitted. --------4 of 15-------- From: Lauren Merritt <merri350 [at] umn.edu> Subject: Czech 10.08 2:30pm October 8, 2008 - Martin Burtora, Czech Scholar, Discussion on Social Reforms. Time: 2:30pm - 4:00pm. Cost: Free and open to the public. Martin Butora, Czech Scholar, will discuss social reforms in post-Communist Czech Republic. Light deserts will be served. Location: 250 Wulling Hall, 86 Pleasant Street SE (East Bank), Minneapolis, --------5 of 15-------- From: Lydia Howell <lhowell [at] visi.com> Subject: Lebanon/book 10.08 6:30pm Wednesday, October 8th, 6:30PM CATHY SULTAN, on her new book TRAGEDY IN SOUTH LEBANON Amazon/True Colors Bookstore 4755 Chicago Ave. South, Minneapolis The war in Iraq has taken our attention away from other troubled areas of the Middle East. Cathy Sultan draws us back to Lebanon and Israel in Tragedy in South Lebanon, which was released this past April. Through history, research, and personal interviews, she chronicles life in southern Lebanon and northern Israel during the brutal summer 2006 war. As in her other critically acclaimed books, Sultan focuses on ordinary people, who are overlooked by politicians and military leaders and become victims of poor decisions made by the governments of Israel, Lebanon, and the United States. She vividly portrays the polluting effects of cluster bombs and explains how different factions within the Lebanese government keep it on the brink of further violence. She writes of the the tiny Shabba Farms area's importance to Hezbollah and of the refugee camp that holds members of Fatah al-Islam, a Sunni militant group, despite efforts of the Lebanese army. Sultan also addresses media treatment of the war, dispels common myths about the region, and includes a timeline of Lebanese history, and maps depicting violence around the area. Cathy is the author of two other award-winning books about the Middle East, which are now difficult to find, but I've managed to scrounge up some copies. In 1969 she moved to Beirut with her Lebanese husband and two young children. She and her family survived the Lebanese civil war that began in 1975, a story recounted in A Beirut Heart. Sultan and her husband now reside in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. She sits on the Executive Board of the National Peace Foundation, where her projects include a new partnership with Interfaith Peace Builders, co-leading delegations to Israel and Palestine. --------6 of 15-------- From: Gabe Ormsby <gabeo [at] bitstream.net> Subject: AI 10.08 7:30pm AIUSA Group 640 (Saint Paul) meets Wednesday, October 8th, at 7:30 p.m. Mad Hatter Teahouse, 943 West 7th Street, Saint Paul. --------7 of 15-------- From: Greg and Sue Skog <family4peace [at] msn.com> Subject: Eagan peace vigil 10.09 4:30pm CANDLELIGHT PEACE VIGIL EVERY THURSDAY from 4:30-5:30pm on the Northwest corner of Pilot Knob Road and Yankee Doodle Road in Eagan. We have signs and candles. Say "NO to war!" The weekly vigil is sponsored by: Friends south of the river speaking out against war. --------8 of 15-------- From: Carole Rydberg <carydberg [at] comcast.net> Subject: New Hope demo 10.09 4:45pm NWN4P-New Hope demonstration every Thursday 4:45 to 5:45pm at the corner of Winnetka and 42nd. You may park near Walgreens or in the larger lot near McDonalds; we will be on all four corners. Bring your own or use our signs. --------9 of 15-------- From: EKalamboki [at] aol.com Subject: Northtown vigil 10.08 5pm NORTHTOWN Peace Vigil every Thursday 5-6pm, at the intersection of Co. Hwy 10 and University Ave NE (SE corner across from Denny's), in Blaine. Communities situated near the Northtown Mall include: Blaine, Mounds View, New Brighton, Roseville, Shoreview, Arden Hills, Spring Lake Park, Fridley, and Coon Rapids. We'll have extra signs. For more information people can contact Evangelos Kalambokidis by phone or email: (763)574-9615, ekalamboki [at] aol.com. --------10 of 15-------- From: David Shove <shove001 [at] tc.umn.edu> Subject: Wellstone: Accident? 10.09 7pm forum NESG (North East Suburban Greens) presents James H. Fetzer, Ph.D., McKnight University Professor Emeritus, in a forum "Wellstone: Accident?" Dr Fetzer will tell the results of his extensive research into the death of Paul and Sheila Wellstone in the small plane crash in Minnesota. Dr. Fetzer, retired from the University of Minnesota Duluth in 2006, is the author of 20 books and more than 100 papers on various subjects, such as the philosophy of science, artificial intelligence, among others. Thursday October 9, 7pm Maplewood Library 3025 Southlawn Drive Maplewood Mall (North of St Paul) 651-704-2033 Admission is free but donations to help defray costs will be appreciated. DIRECTIONS: 1. Fastest and most direct .. ten minutes from St, Paul 94 to 35 E north to 694 East - Take White Bear Avenue Exit - go south (or right) Immediately another right at stop light (Co Rd. D) Continue three blocks, turn left (Southlawn Drive) Shortly, the library will be on the right. OR 2. Less freeway .... fifteen minutes from St, Paul 94 to 35 E north Get onto Hwy 36 going East Go to Hwy 61 - Turn left or north. Drive to Beam Avenue (across from Toyota) and turn right. Drive past the hospital to Southlawn Drive, and turn left. Maplewood Library is on the left side of Southlawn ... drive til you see it. Contacts: Dori Ullman 612-414-9528 doriandter [at] aol.com David Shove 651-636-5672 shove001 [at] tc.umn.edu --------11 of 15-------- From: Eric Angell <eric-angell [at] riseup.net> Subject: Vs Zionism/Joel Kovel 10.10 11:30am/1pm/4:15pm/6pm Joel Kovel: Overcoming Zionism Tour Friday October 10 11:30am interview on KFAI radio show, Northern Sun News with Don Olson, 90.3fm and 106.7fm and streamed at www.kfai.org. Note: through Oct. 24, available at www.kfai.org in the Northern Sun News archives. 1-3pm presentation at U of M, Herbert Hanson Hall, Room 1-102. this is the new building next to Carlson Business School on Riverside Ave and the U of M's West Bank. 4:15-5:30pm weekly outdoor demo-vigil for Palestinian Rights, Snelling and Summit Aves in St. Paul... appearance by Joel. 6pm dinner and presentation Middle Eastern food starting at 6pm followed by presentation. Macalester-Plymouth United Church, 1658 Lincoln Avenue, St. Paul... adjacent to Macalester College. Saturday, Oct. 11 6:30pm presentation at University of MN, Duluth. Sunday, Oct. 12 1pm debate/presentation at Carleton College, Northfield. Monday, October 13 2:30 - 3:30pm presentation at Macalester College, student center/John B Davis Auditorium. 5 - 6:15pm presentation at William Mitchell Law School. 7pm al Aqsa event. Joel Kovel Joel Kovel is a well-known Jewish activist and scholar and writer on the Middle East. His latest book is "Overcoming Zionism: Creating a Single Democratic State in Israel/Palestine". Joel Kovel argues that the inner contradictions of Zionism have led Israel to a "state-sponsored racism fully as incorrigible as that of apartheid South Africa and deserving of the same resolution." As Bishop Tutu was being disinvited and then reinvited to speak at the University of St. Thomas, Joel Kovel was facing the cancellation of the distribution of his book at the University of Michigan due to pressure from a right wing Zionist group. Like the reaction to the disinvitation of Bishop Tutu, a successful campaign on the campus and nationally was able to reverse the decision. Events organized by the Coalition for Palestinian Rights (CPR). http://coalitionforpalestinianrights.wordpress.com/ Coalition_for_Palestinian_Rights [at] yahoo.com --------12 of 15-------- From: david unowsky <david.unowsky [at] gmail.com> Subject: Frank Wilderson 10.10 7:30pm MAGERS AND QUINN PRESS RELEASE : For Immediate Distribution : Frank Wilderson III discusses his new book Inconegro, 7:30pm Friday October 10 at Magers & Quinn Booksellers. "Wilderson [will] become a major American writer. Mark my word."--Ishmael Reed "Into the wake of great literature fighting human bondage, Frank Wilderson pours Incognegro. And, like the offerings of Ellison, Fanon, Baldwin and Morrison, this revolutionary love story must be widely read, generously shared, and relentlessly engaged."--Joy James, author of Shadowboxing: Representations of Black Feminist Politics "Fast paced, critical, humorous, hilarious at times, Incognegro asks provocative questions about post-Apartheid South Africa and post-civil rights America with all the passion, the drama and the political clarity of a great autobiography. With perspectives from different times and places in the two continents, and with an unerring eye and ear for a telling detail and image, Frank Wilderson brings a novelistic and dramatic imagination to a story of our times. It is a multi-layered narrative of a life molded in struggles for human dignity in America and Africa, at once a gripping story of race politics and a biography of his soul."-- Ngugi wa Thiong'o, author of The Wizard of the Crow In 1995, a South African journalist informed Frank Wilderson, one of only two Black American members of the African National Congress (ANC), that President Nelson Mandela considered him "a threat to national security." Wilderson was asked to comment. Incognegro is that "comment." It is also his response to a question posed five years later by a student in a California university classroom: "How come you came back?" Although Wilderson recollects his turbulent life in South Africa during the furious last gasps of apartheid, Incognegro is a quintessentially American story. Wilderson taught at Johannesburg and Soweto universities by day. By night, he helped the ANC coordinate clandestine propaganda, launch psychological warfare, and more. In this mesmerizing memoir, Wilderson's lyrical prose flows from childhood episodes in the white Minneapolis enclave "integrated" by his family to a rebellious adolescence at the student barricades in Berkeley and under tutelage of the Black Panther Party; from unspeakable dilemmas in the red dust and ruin of South Africa to political battles raging quietly on US campuses and in his intimate life. Readers will find themselves suddenly overtaken by the subtle but resolute force of Wilderson's biting wit, rare vulnerability, and insistence on bearing witness to history no matter the cost. A literary tour de force sure to spark fierce debate in both America and South Africa, Incognegro retells a story most Americans assume we already know, with a sometimes awful, but ultimately essential clarity about global politics and our own lives. Frank B. Wilderson, III is the award-winning author of Red, White, & Black: Cinema and the Structure of US Antagonisms(Duke University Press, 2007) and the director of Reparations - Now (in-progress). Frank B. Wilderson, III helped the ANC coordinate clandestine propaganda and launch psychological warfare while teaching in apartheid-era South Africa. He is the recipient of The Eisner Prize for Creative Achievement of the Highest Order; The Judith Stronach Award for Poetry; and The Maya Angelou Award for Best Fiction Portraying the Black Experience in America. He teaches African American studies and drama at the University of California, Irvine. FFI: David Unowsky 612/822-4611 davidu [at] magersandquinn.com --------13 of 15-------- The Big Boys Got Their Bailout, But the Elected Leadership and the Voters Meet at the Election Day Showdown by Cynthia McKinney October 6, 2008 At the precise moment when we couldn't imagine it getting worse, it does. After all, the Democrats, since they acquired majority status in the Congress, delivered funding for George Bush's wars several times. They authorized retroactive immunity for telecoms that helped Bush's Administration illegally spy on us. And they never really considered any alternatives to the basic bailout wish list given to them by Bush and his Treasury Secretary, Henry Paulson. Sadly, I must say that this failure on the part of the Democratic leadership is by far the greatest perfidy of the Democrats yet. I shudder to think what betrayal of the Constitution and the people of this country yet awaits us. I am forced to ask, "What do they stand for?" I think they have shown us time and time again what they stand for, what their values are, and that they are willing to leave the people behind in their quest to acquiesce to what Bush's base asks for. And remember, Bush told us that his base were the haves and the have mores! So, if the Democratic leadership is more loyal to them than they are to the working people in this country, then a new political alignment of historical proportions is taking effect that the working people of this country must recognize. By their policy choices, it should now be clear that the Democratic leadership in Congress must be removed and a political party that reflects the people's values must be built. Not only do the people need a party of their own, it should now be clear to a vast number of people that the people in this country need a movement that places our values on the political agenda. This was what I said in my remarks accepting the Green Party's nomination as their candidate for President of the United States. In 2000, when there was clear evidence that the election had been tampered with, and that particularly, black voters had been disfranchised, the Democratic leadership did nothing to recognize and correct this fact. Criminal behavior was met with de facto acceptance, a failure to investigate, and ultimate acquiescence by the Democratic leadership. Through my Congressional office, on my own initiative, I investigated and discovered one of the mechanisms used to disfranchise voters and put my findings on the Congressional Record. Sadly, because of inaction by the Democratic Congress, the basic mechanism used by the Republicans to steal the vote in 2000 could, in fact, be used today to further disfranchise voters. Further, one million black votes across our country were not even counted, 78,000 of them in Florida alone. What kind of election is it when the votes don't get counted! In addition, in the late 1990s, electronic voting machines were introduced into the U.S. election architecture. From that time until today, where they are used, voters and inexperienced or untrained election staff have had to cope with machine meltdowns; screen freezes; dead and dying batteries in the middle of the voting process; deployment of untested machines, particularly in the South, that failed repeatedly due to heat; vote flipping (usually in only one direction); ballots that don't list all the candidates without manipulation of the machine - which could be problematic for some voters; incorrect ballots being displayed on the machines so that voters are allowed to vote in elections for which they are not eligible; machine sleepovers in insecure places where they could be tampered with; meaningless recounts in the absence of a paper trail where only bits and bytes previously entered can be counted; and the absence of a paper ballot that allows for accountability and transparency during and after an election. Later, it was learned that these machines were not only hackable, but that the instrument used by the voter, the PCMCIA card, could be programmed to change the outcome of the election! Some of the machines were found to have wireless adaptations that opened the election to an additional level of insecurity due to wireless capabilities in everyday blackberries, treos, and other handheld devices. With all of these defects known, electronic pollbooks were allowed to become an additional part of the election architecture and they produced an additional layer of disfranchisement when incorrect voter information was loaded into them and voters had no means to contest it. In too many cases that took place in my own 2006 election, voters were turned away from the polls only because the pollbooks contained incorrect information! Elections in this country are now firmly in the grips of electronic voting machine technicians, inexperienced and poorly trained official poll workers, and computer companies using secret software. Sadly, the Democratic leadership has done nothing to eliminate this potential source of fraud, even in this - an election year! In 2004, the Democratic nominee, John Kerry, promised that the black vote was not going to be disfranchised as it had been in 2000. John Kerry conceded the election the day after Election Day, even as reports were coming in of massive black voter disfranchisement. It was the Green Party and the Libertarian Party that went to Ohio and sorted out exactly what happened and pressed for criminal prosecution of those guilty of election fraud. Sadly, in 2004, after the experience of 2000, an estimated three million votes were not counted. The Green Party's Bob Fitrakis in Ohio is sounding the alarm again for this year's election. Some blogs like Bradblog, and organizations like Black Box Voting continue to sound the alarm now, even more urgently, and press for election integrity. Last week I became the first Presidential candidate to sign the StandingForVoters.org pledge to not concede the election unless all votes are counted, and all challenges to the results have been adequately made. We really need the Democrats to sign such a pledge because they have caved in the past two Presidential elections. In addition to that, the Democrats now have the power of the majority. They are in control of the Congress. And the way the Constitution is written, power flows up from Capitol Hill to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue - not the other way around. But even while in control, the Democrat leadership has done nothing to prepare the way for election integrity in this election. Even in the face of massive preparations for theft again by the Republicans through the use of the same techniques used in 2000 and in 2004 and adding to them voter caging (removing targeted voters from the voter rolls) and enforcement of new voter ID laws. Even judges appointed by Democrats have helped to thwart citizen legal action on behalf of election integrity! It should be clear that even in an election year, there are serious issues that should be on the table; the Democrats control the Congress and can make public policy to their liking - reflecting their values. And that's where I want to begin my discussion of the bailout. Nancy Pelosi is the third most powerful individual in the United States government as Speaker of the House - third in line for the Presidency of the United States. She controls when bills are scheduled for consideration in the House of Representatives, or even whether they are considered or not. The people of this country and her colleagues in the House gave her this position because the people hunger for change and they thought that the Democratic Party would deliver that change to them. The people of this country want peace, not war and occupation; justice, not fraud; community, not hooliganism. And so, the people of this country voted the Democratic Party into majority status to attain all of that, public policy that reflects their values. Nancy Pelosi, by virtue of her position, has been dealt a royal flush. By now, Nancy Pelosi could have used that winning hand to stop the funding for war and occupation - $720 million every day - and decided, instead, to subsidize education so no university student graduates one hundred thousand dollars in debt just because he or she wanted an education. Pelosi could have insisted on reflecting the people's values and our Constitution by repealing the Patriot Acts, the Secret Evidence Act, and the Military Commissions Act. But she did not. She could have used that royal flush to provide a single-payer, Medicare-for-all, type of health care system for this country, consistent with the wishes of the Democratic Party's base, particularly organized labor and an increasing number of health care professionals. But she did not. In light of the tremendously important election this year, she could have insisted on enacting some measure of election integrity to prevent another election being held where the announced outcome is truly in doubt. But she did not. She could have taken her seat at the table as the one player in the room with the winning hand, but she did not. Instead, she assumed the position of the beautiful girl in the short skirt holding the platter of drinks, serving the men at the table. She could have been the leader and spokesperson for us all, but she is not. It is clear that our country is at a financial crossroad, and the times call for courageous, daring acts on behalf of the people from those gifted with leadership positions. That, too, is not happening. >From the myriad writings that I have read, including those of former Comptroller General David Walker, it is clear that the financial status of our country is subject to get worse before it gets better. The Bush-Pelosi-Reid bailout exacerbates the situation because the fundamentals of the economy were not dealt with in what is perhaps the most massive transfer of wealth in our modern history. And while the money could have gone to people in need and for programs contributing to the public good, preparing our country for the future, it did not. I published two papers outlining fourteen points that the Congress could have implemented even without a bailout, but most certainly should have implemented with one. The second paper, written on my son's birthday, was entitled, "A Birthday Gift for a Generation: A U.S. Financial System of Our Own." Taken in conjunction with the Power to the People Committee's platform available on the campaign website at (http://votetruth08.com/index.php/resources/campaignplatform), those fourteen points are as follows: 1. Enactment of a foreclosure moratorium now before the next phase of ARM interest rate increases take effect; 2. elimination of all ARM mortgages and their renegotiation into 30- or 40-year loans; 3. establishment of new mortgage lending practices to end predatory and discriminatory practices; 4. establishment of criteria and construction goals for affordable housing; 5. redefinition of credit and regulation of the credit industry so that discriminatory practices are completely eliminated; 6. full funding for initiatives that eliminate racial and ethnic disparities in home ownership; 7. recognition of shelter as a right according to the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights to which the U.S. is a signatory so that no one sleeps on U.S. streets; 8. full funding of a fund designed to cushion the job loss and provide for retraining of those at the bottom of the income scale as the economy transitions; 9. close all tax loopholes and repeal of the Bush tax cuts for the top 1% of income earners; 10. fairly tax corporations, denying federal subsidies to those who relocate jobs overseas repeal NAFTA; 11. Appointment of former Comptroller General David Walker to fully audit all recipients of taxpayer cash infusions, including JP Morgan, Bear Stearns, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and AIG, and to monitor their trading activities into the future; 12. elimination of all derivatives trading; 13. nationalization of the Federal Reserve and the establishment of a federally-owned, public banking system that makes credit available for small businesses, homeowners, manufacturing operations, renewable energy and infrastructure investments; and 14. criminal prosecution of any activities that violated the law, including conflicts of interest that led to the current crisis. Michael Ruppert recently wrote on his blog (http://www.mikeruppert.blogspot.com/): "There is no victory until the paradigm is broken. Until we change the way money works, we change nothing. Right now, the entire economic paradigm of infinite growth is vulnerable, weak, and exposed. The dribble being offered by Obama and McCain only exposes the fact that everything is broken; that the system itself is the enemy." Everyone can see that the system is broken: a system that was not created to serve the people of this country. It was totally within Pelosi's purview and that of the Democratic Party to change all of that, but they didn't. In fact, I'm shocked by some of my former colleagues who voted for this bill, particularly the Members of the Congressional Black Caucus who supported this. With this vote, and the failures of the Democratic Party up to now, it should be patently clear that the Democratic Party cannot reflect our values because it is in complete obeisance to someone else's. The elected leadership of both the Democratic and Republican parties should resign. That's why I can hear Kenny Rogers's sweet voice wafting through the air now: "You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em, Know when to walk away and know when to run. You never count your money when you're sittin' at the table. There'll be time enough for countin' when the dealin's done. Now ev'ry gambler knows that the secret to survivin' Is knowin' what to throw away and knowing what to keep. Cause ev'ry hand's a winner and ev'ry hand's a loser, And the best that you can hope for is to die in your sleep." However strong the Big Boys might appear after the October 3rd bailout vote, they still have a "leak" in their game: the people get to vote on November 4th. And that's the biggest "scare card" in the entire deck! Power to the People! --------14 of 15-------- Date: Tue, 7 Oct 2008 09:28:24 -0500 From: flo x <flowalksfree [at] gmail.com> Subject: PRESS RELEASE:International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network launch October 7, 2008 Press release: For Further information, Flo Razowsky 612 850 4942 Announcing the Launch of the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network (IJAN) Over the Jewish High Holidays - Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur - which are a time for reflection and atonement for the individual and collective injustices we have committed or have allowed to happen... In honor of the 60th anniversary of Al Nakba ('Catastrophe' in Arabic) and the eighth anniversary of the second Palestinian intifada which inspired a stronger solidarity movement and growing criticism of Israel... And with hope for a year of greater possibility for justice in Palestine, the broader region and our world... We launch the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network - IJAN - with the release of our founding charter. Our pledge in the Charter will be carried out through our commitments to: 1) solidarity with Palestinian self-determination, 2) participation in global movements to end imperialism, and 3) the extrication of Jewish history, politics, community, and culture from the grip of Zionism. Charter of the International Jewish anti-Zionist Network We are an international network of Jews who are uncompromisingly committed to struggles for human emancipation, of which the liberation of the Palestinian people and land is an indispensable part. >From Poland to Iraq, from Argentina to South Africa, from Brooklyn to Mississippi, Jews have taken up their quest for justice, and their desire for a more just world, by joining with others in collective struggles. Jews participated prominently in the workers' struggle of the depression era, in the civil rights movement, in the struggle against South African Apartheid, in the struggle against fascism in Europe, and in many other movements for social and political change. The State of Israel's historic and ongoing ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people from their land contradicts and betrays these long histories of Jewish participation in collective liberation struggles. For the people of this planet to live in safety, justice and peace, the Israeli colonial project must be brought to an end. We joyfully take up this collective task of undermining a system of conquest and plunder that has tormented our world for far too long. We pledge to: Oppose Zionism and the State of Israel We pledge to: Reject the colonial legacy and on-going colonial expansion We pledge to: Challenge Zionist organizations We pledge to: Commit our solidarity and work toward justice Do you stand against racism in all its forms? Then we call you to join with us in ending Israeli apartheid. For the complete Charter, http://www.ijsn.net/about_us/charter/ --------15 of 15-------- Democracy Came To The Factory Leonardo Boff Theologian, Earthcharter Commission Democracy is doubtless the best model of political organization that humanity has found. But where it has been introduced in the context of capitalism, it has lived in permanent crisis. Due to its own internal logic, capitalist relations produce social inequalities and exclusions that undermine the basis of the very idea of democracy. A democracy that coexists with misery and exploitation becomes a farce and represents the negation of that democracy. It is well known that democracy always stops at the gates of the factory. Within a factory, with few exceptions, there is a dictatorship of the powerful and their administrators. In spite of this contradiction, the desire to make «democracy a universal value,» never ceases; it is the undying dream of the noted Italian theoretician, Norberto Bobbio, or of perhaps the best Portuguese political thinker Boaventura de Souza Santos' «endless democracy,» this is to say, democracy as a project to be realized in all spheres of human coexistence and indefinitely perfectable. Everywhere there are attempts to break the unique thinking and unique model of capitalist production, inventing forms of participatory production and opening new ways through which the democratic spirit may be concretized. I recently had an opportunity to attend a democratic exercise in production, in a pottery factory in the city of Neuquen, in South Argentina, the gateway to Patagonia. Specifically, Ceramica Zanon, that was owned by a multinational economic group, whose principal owner was Luis Zanon, of Ital Park enterprises, the front man of the privatization of Aerolineas Argentinas and one of the one hundred wealthiest businessmen in Argentina. This businessman was about to declare that firm bankrupt, in 2001. He went so far as to fire 380 workers, and at the same time, he received multimillion loans from several financial organisms, so that he would wind up wealthier for the bankruptcy. So it was a fraudulent bankruptcy, as has been shown. The workers resisted; they began to organize, connecting with other labor organizations, social movements, universities, churches, and soon, mobilizing local and national civil society. All attempts of the police to evict them were frustrated. They took over running the factory, and in a democratic way they organized the complex production of high quality pottery with modern Italian machinery. When bankruptcy was declared in 2005, they changed the factory's name. It is now called, «Fasinpat» (from the Spanish, "fábrica sin patrones," or, factory without masters.") They adjusted democratically the departments, introduced rotation of functions so that everyone would learn more, and made arrangements with the local university. And not just that. The factory is not limited to the production to pottery, it also produces culture, with libraries, school visits, shows in the courtyard, attended by large numbers, cooperation with the Mapuche nation, which offered their rich system of symbols that are now used in production. 470 workers now work there monthly, producing 400 thousand square meters of several types of pottery. It was a pleasure to see the relaxed faces of the workers, free from the servitude of alienating work, conscious that they are carrying forward, in production, a real democracy that creates humanizing relationships among them. They propose that the State expropriate the factory, without paying the debts for having been fraudulent, and hand the management over to the workers themselves, to serve the community through public works such as constructing houses for the people, health centers, schools and other social needs. As can be seen, democracy can always grow and show it has humanizing character. Leonardo Boff 09-26-2008 Free translation from the Spanish by contacto [at] servicioskoinonia.org, sent by Melina Alfaro, done at REFUGIO DEL RIO GRANDE, Texas ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ - David Shove shove001 [at] tc.umn.edu rhymes with clove Progressive Calendar over 2225 subscribers as of 12.19.02 please send all messages in plain text no attachments To GO DIRECTLY to an item, eg --------8 of x-------- do a find on --8 vote third party for president for congress now and forever
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