Mn-prog-events Mailing List: Progressive Calendar 10.18.08

[David Shove (shove001]

            P R O G R E S S I V E   C A L E N D A R    10.18.08

1. End imperialism  10.18 9am
2. Peace walk       10.18 9am Cambridge MN
3. Sex/Peru/Ecuador 10.18 10am
4. NWN4P Mtka       10.18 11am
5. Northtown vigil  10.18 2pm
6. Corp media lies  10.18 6pm
7. Nader film       10.18 8:30pmPOSTPONED
8. RNC 2008/CTV     10.18 9pm

9. Kevin Zeese - Finance crisis means US must end Iraq & Afghan wars

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From: anh <jade.dragon [at] gmail.com>
Subject: End imperialism 10.18 9am

Conference on War, Socialism and the People's Struggle: A conference on
imperialism and how to end it

SAT, 10/18 from 9am - 5pm @ U of M, Humphrey Institute Room 25, 301 19th Ave
S. Minneapolis

Over the last six years there has been an upsurge in the people's struggle
in the United States: The growth of a mass anti-war movement not seen
since the fight against the war in Vietnam in the 1960s and 1970s; the
emergence of an immigrant rights movement and the largest struggle for
equality since the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s; and a
growing fight back against foreclosures, job cuts and cuts in health care,
education, welfare and a growing economic crisis.

Fight Back! has covered these struggles and sees the growth of the
people's struggle calling for a higher level of understanding of our
common struggle against imperialism- a system based on giant corporations
that cross the globe in search for ever-greater profits, and these
corporations' control of our government and use of military force to
achieve their goals.

Fight Back! is sponsoring this conference so that activists can share
their experiences and learn more about imperialism and how we can fight to
end it and replace it with a system of socialism, where people's needs,
not corporate profits, are the basis of society. Join us on Saturday, Oct.
18 in Minneapolis, Minnesota for this important conference on imperialism
and how to end it.

At the conference there will be workshops and discussion that brings
together activists from the anti-war, immigrant rights, the labor,
oppressed nationality, student and low income movements. There will be
presentations from some of the leaders of these movements and from Freedom
Road Socialist Organization. We will also be talking about how grassroots
organizing, bringing together a broad united front of different forces,
building a revolutionary organization and the direction for the people's
struggle in 2009, especially in light of the economic crisis. Organized by
Fight Back News.  For more information go to frso.org.

9-9:45 Registration

9:45 Welcome

10:00 - 11:30 Summation from front lines of anti war struggle, RNC 2008 -
Jess Sundin and leaders of the anti-war movement will deliver a
presentation that evaluates the protests against the Republican National
Convention, the political tasks to oppose the war in Iraq and U.S.
imperialism's attacks around the world. There will be a brief discussion
on the impact of the upcoming elections on the anti-war movement.

11:30 - 1 pm - Mass Line - The mass line is the basic
political/organizational approach that socialists use to organize.
Although the term 'mass line' was coined by the Communist Party of China,
the basic method of reliance on, and the mobilization of, the masses of
people has been utilized by all successful revolutionary parties. Mick
Kelly will use organizing of the protests against the Republican National
Convention as the context for this study of the mass line.

1:00-2:00 Lunch

2:00 - 3:15 Imperialism- Imperialism controls much of our world.  U.S.
imperialism is attempting to dominate Iraq and control the land and
resources of the Middle East. Imperialism is not just an aggressive
foreign policy. Stephanie Weiner and Kati Ketz will lead a study that will
define imperialism and talk about the attitude of progressives toward it.

3:00 - 4:15 Economic crisis- Rising Unemployment, looming inflation, a 700
Trillion dollar bailout of the rich.  An economic crisis has arrived.
Steff Yorek and Cherrene Horazuk will lead a discussion on the Marxist
political economy, the source of the crises taking place in the economy
and a discussion of what we are likely to see coming down the road.

4:15 - 5:00 Revolutionary organization- To successfully create social
change requires organization.  Tom Burke will explore the relationship of
revolutionary organization to the Marxist Theory of Knowledge and
introduce Freedom Road Socialist Organization.


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From: Ken Reine <reine008 [at] umn.edu>
Subject: Peace walk 10.18 9am Cambridge MN

every Saturday 9AM to 9:35AM
Peace walk in Cambridge - start at Hwy 95 and Fern Street


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From: biego001 [at] umn.edu
Subject: Sex/Peru/Ecuador 10.18 10am

Advocating for Victims of Sexual Violence in Peru & Ecuador
10am Saturday October 18, 2008

Speakers
Dr. José Manual Vinces Rodríguez, Attorney and Pastor
Loida Carriel Espinoza, Journalist

Please join us in the Romero Rm (lower level) in the Mosaic of the Americas
Bldg at Lake St. and 27th Ave. S.
cost is $3 for members, $4 for non-members

Description:
Dr. José Vinces, attorney and pastor, and Loida Carriel, journalist, are
touring the U.S. to speak about their work representing victims of sexual
and domestic violence in Peru and Ecuador though the faith-based Peruvian
human rights organization, Paz y Esperanza. The Minnesota-based
non-profit, Peace and Hope Partnership International, collaborates with
Paz y Esperanza to provide legal, aftercare and pastoral care services to
nearly 300 women and children in Peru who are seeking justice for the sex
crimes committed against them. Their work has led to the capture and
conviction of sexual molesters and the establishment of policies and laws
that protect women and children. In 2009, Paz y Esperanza will launch a
similar project in Guayaquil, Ecuador, a city with more than 3 million
inhabitants that has high rates of sexual and domestic violence against
women and children.

Paz y Esperanza is known as a leader in the field of human rights in Latin
America, and was a leader in establishing the Peruvian Truth and
Reconciliation Commission. It seeks access to justice for the most
excluded sectors of society through the promotion of their rights, the
defense of abused women and children, citizenship education, sexual
education in churches, legal reform and monitoring of the legal systedm.

A benefit concert to support Paz y Esperanza's work in Peru and Latin
America will be held on Saturday, October 18, 2008 from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m.
at Park Avenue United Methodist Church located at 3400 Park Avenue South
in Minneapolis.

For more information contact:  Colleen Beebe, Peace and Hope Partnership
International, (612) 728-9118 colleenbeebe [at] comcast.net or visit
www.peaceandhopeinternational.org .


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From: Carole Rydberg <carydberg [at] comcast.net>
Subject: NWN4P Mtka 10.18 11am

NWN4P-Minnetonka demonstration- Every Saturday, 11 AM to noon, at Hwy. 7
and 101.  Park in the Target Greatland lot; meet near the
fountain. We will walk along the public sidewalk. Signs available.


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From: Vanka485 [at] aol.com
Subject: Northtown vigil 10.18 2pm

Peace vigil at Northtown (Old Hwy 10 & University Av), every Saturday
2-3pm


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From: Suzanne Linton <bahiabaubo [at] hotmail.com>
Subject: Corp media lies 10.18 6pm

Lies of Corporate Media
 Saturday October 18 6pm
 Sunday   October 19 1am 11am
Watch Michael Cavlan's alternative news show .. "Lies and Omissions of the
Corporate Media" It has first hand insight in to the events of the RNC and
some excellent footage. St Paul cable SPNN Channel 15.


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From: PRO826 [at] aol.com
Subject: Nader film 10.18 8:30pmPOSTPONED

Due to a death in the family of the owner at the Match Box Coffee shop,
the viewing of 'An Unreasonable Man' documentary will not be viewed at the
dates listed below.  The viewing will be rescheduled for the following
week, Oct 24th and Oct 25th at the same times listed below.  We apologize
for any inconvenience to those who made the trek over to Matchbox Coffee
Shop tonight.

Sincerely, Danene Provencher, The Nader Team, _Danene [at] votenader.org_
(mailto:Danene [at] votenader.org)

Nader for President 2008 Movie Nights (2 separate evenings) -  viewing of
"An Unreasonable Man" on Ralph Nader.
At Match Box Coffee Shop  1306 Second Street NE Minneapolis, MN 55413
October 17th, 6:30pm
October  18th, 8:30pm


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From: Eric Angell <eric-angell [at] riseup.net>
Subject: RNC 2008/CTV 10.18 9pm

Minneapolis Television Network (MTN) viewers:
"Our World In Depth" cablecasts on MTN Channel 17 on Saturdays at 9pm and
Tuesdays at 8am, after DemocracyNow!  Households with basic cable may
watch.

Sat, 10/18, 9pm and Tues, 10/21, 8am
RNC 08: Stories from the Streets: Poor People's Economic Human Rights
Campaign

Footage from the streets of St. Paul during the "March for Our Lives".
Cheri Honkala and Deeq Abdi share their experiences during the 2008 RNC.
Hosted by Karen Redleaf.


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The Finance Crisis Means the US Must Find a Way to End the Two
War-Quagmires
Now the Cost of War Really Matters
By KEVIN ZEESE
CounterPunch
October 17 / 20, 2008

Nobel prize winning economist Joseph Stiglitz predicts the Iraq war will
cost the United States $3 trillion.  Nouriel Roubini, the economist who
predicted today's financial crisis in 2006, predicts the U.S. will suffer
its worst recession in 40 years, lasting up to two years with 9%
unemployment and another 15% drop in housing prices.  He predicts we are
seeing only the first round of government injection of funds into the
finance system.

Throughout the Iraq war and occupation peace activists have pointed to the
cost of war as one reason why the occupation must end.  The "cost of war"
clock is almost universal on anti-war sites.  But now, with reports that
the $1.8 trillion spent on bailing out the U.S. finance system is not
enough to save the U.S. economy, the cost of war and the military budget
must be reconsidered. The U.S. will need to choose - continued occupation
or creating a new economy.

Unlike the depression which ended in part because of World War II, this
time military spending is contributing to economic demise.  Military
spending takes money from the rest of the economy and prevents a federal
budget that invests in re-tooling the economy.  Spending hundreds of
billions on the Iraq and Afghanistan war, and hundreds of billions more
annually on military spending is one reason why the U.S. economy is
faltering.  The DoD is expected to put forward an even bigger budget
request before the next president takes office.  This will force the next
president to quickly confront whether the military continues to dominate
U.S. foreign policy and the U.S. budget.

The long-term cost of a military-dominated foreign policy has been a
massive disinvestment in the civilian economy.  The U.S. has been facing a
failing infrastructure for a generation but instead of spending money on
regional and local rapid transit the U.S. spends it on overpriced military
equipment.  Instead of building schools so kids are not working out of
trailers, it is spent on building hundreds of military bases around the
globe.  No doubt the hollowing out of the U.S. economy is in large part
the result of lack of investment in keeping the economy strong, investing
in workers, ensuring productivity and keeping manufacturing in the U.S. As
President Eisenhower warned: "Every gun that is made, every warship
launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from
those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed".
Sadly, money for war was more important than money for human needs and has
dragged the economy down.

It is fair to say that the U.S. government is addicted to militarism.
Elected officials keep spending on the military even though it hurts the
security of the United States by undermining the civilian economy.  The
military is the most heavily funded area in the discretionary spending of
the federal budget.  For as long as I can remember half of the
discretionary spending of the U.S. budget has gone to the military. When
the cost of Iraq and Afghanistan are included the military is more than
half of all discretionary spending.  This has meant decades of
disinvestment in the civilian sector, no wonder the infrastructure is
failing, the U.S. is behind other countries in creating new, clean energy
sources, college education is becoming unaffordable and the health care
problem has not been fixed.

The reality is war is only good for a small portion of the economy as most
corporations do not profit from war. The companies that benefit are those
that destroy everything in the "shock and awe" campaigns that have become
the hallmark of U.S. invasions.  The second group that profits from war is
the occupying companies that get paid to rebuild what aerial bombardment
destroyed and support the massive overseas U.S. military presence.  This
includes not only the construction companies but the private security
firms (which provide more troops in Iraq than the U.S. military) and the
oil companies that profit from rising prices caused by destabilization of
oil producing countries.

Oil is a good example of how war has become a major drag on the U.S.
economy.  Destabilization of Iraq has resulted in dramatic rises in oil
prices until the economic crisis hit - a steady incline of rising prices.
Exxon-Mobil became the most profitable company in world history in 2008
posting an $11.68 billion profit, $1,485.55 a second, in the second
quarter of 2008. For them the Iraq war has been a victory. Yet, what did
it do to the pocketbooks and household budgets of Americans?

When it comes to the rebuilding destroyed nations, the U.S. exports its
culture of corporate corruption.  There are insider deals made with
companies like Halliburton and Blackwater.  When the DoD auditor finds it
impossible to audit Halliburton's books - because of sloppy and incomplete
records - are they punished?  No, they are given another contract.  Are
they punished when there are reports of corruption, e.g., charging for
empty trucks driving back and forth across the desert, or lavish living
outside of Iraq, or overcharging for simple things like laundry?  Of
course not.  Local contractors in Iraq could have done the job much more
cheaply - and unemployment in Iraq would have been lessened undermining
one attraction of the insurgency - but instead Vice President Cheney's old
company got the contract.  Iraq rebuilt its nation after the first Gulf
War much more effectively than the U.S. did in the current occupation.
Corruption won out over common sense.

The Earth is facing the challenge of Global Climate Change yet rather than
investing in the new energy infrastructure, or the research and
development of inexpensive solar panels, investments that will create
millions of jobs, the U.S. invests in war. In fact, the projected total US
spending on the Iraq war could cover all of the global investments in
renewable power generation that are needed between now and 2030 in order
to halt current warming trends. The $700 billion that Congress has
allocated for military operations in Iraq to date could have built over
9000 wind farms with the overall capacity to meet a quarter of the
country's current electricity demand. If 25% of our power came from wind,
rather than coal, it would reduce carbon emissions by over 1 billion
metric tons - equivalent to approximately 1/6 of the country's total CO2
emissions in 2006.

And, the military is a gigantic user of fossil fuels. The war is
responsible for at least 141 million metric tons of carbon dioxide
equivalent since March 2003. To put this in perspective, CO2 released by
the Iraq war to date equals the emissions from putting 25 million more
cars on the road in the US this year.

War is bad economics especially wars conducted on borrowed money.  The two
quagmires the U.S. is currently in - Iraq and Afghanistan - are not being
funded by current taxes - they are being funded by borrowed money.  Thus,
not only will these wars be a drag on the current budget, but a drag on
the finances of our children and grandchildren.

And, what are the effects on American families and the American workforce
when vets come home.  Not only are there the medical bills that the
underfunded Veterans Administration has to pay, but there are the damaged
psyches of the vets. Iraq and Afghanistan, because they are occupations of
countries that do not want the U.S. there, are unlike previous wars.
There is no front-line to go behind for a break.  Everywhere is a
potential enemy.  Nine out of ten soldiers serving in the occupations have
been shot at or have seen comrades shot.  As a result we are seeing
hundreds of thousands coming home injured. What will it cost to
re-socialize these veterans?  What will it do to their families?  How will
they fit into the workforce?

The cost of the war has been underestimated from the beginning.  The
government convinced itself that Iraqi oil would pay for the war; that war
taxes were not needed.  It would have been unpatriotic for an economist to
tell the truth - that fighting two, long wars at once could bankrupt the
country.  That was a truth that was not to be uttered as far as the
militarist U.S. government was concerned.

But is the U.S. government learning from the financial meltdown?  Are they
seeing the connections?  It does not seem so.  Both Senators Obama and
McCain, along with President Bush, are calling for an escalation of the
war in Afghanistan.  None of the three is calling for a complete
withdrawal from Iraq.  Even Senator Obama's plan leaves 30,000 to 85,000
troops and more than 140,000 private contractor troops in Iraq. And, both
candidates, along with their party leadership want to expand the U.S.
military - even though we already spend as much as the whole world
combined. In fact, on the same day the U.S. passed the $700 billion
bailout, it also passed a $700 billion military and occupation budget.
This was done with no debate.  No one in Congress, except for a few on
what is described as the political extreme, ever discusses cutting the
wasteful, extravagant and overstuffed military budget.

When this era of U.S. history is looked at people will say it was foolish
of the government to fight two long wars, really two occupation-quagmires,
at once.  And now that the financial meltdown has begun, if the government
fails to rapidly end these occupations and re-think a foreign policy and
federal budget dominated by militarism, historians and future Americans
will wonder how the government could have been so thoughtless.

Kevin Zeese is Executive Director of the Campaign for Fresh Air and Clean
Politics (www.FreshAirCleanPolitics.net) whose projects include Voters for
Peace (www.VotersForPeace.US), True Vote (www.TrueVote.US) and Climate
Security (www.GlobalClimateSecurity.org).


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