| Progressive Calendar 02.01.12 /2 | <– Date –> <– Thread –> |
From: David Shove (shove001 umn.edu)
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| Date: Tue, 31 Jan 2012 13:29:58 -0800 (PST) | |
*P R O G R E S S I V E C A L E N D A R 02.01.12* 1. People'sBailout 1.31 6pm 2. Start PolParty 1.31 6pm 3. Mark Doty book 1.31 6:30pm 4. Money 1.31 7pm 5. War/women 1.31 7pm 6. Referenda hearing 2.01 8:15am 7. Rape/capitalism 2.01 4pm 8. Roseville Wal-Mart? 2.01 6:30pm 9. Michael Smith - Obama selects Bush as running mate 10. Randall Jarrell - The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner 11. ed - bumpersticker --------1 of 11-------- From: "MN Coalition for a People's Bailout" mnbailout [at] yahoo.co Subject: People'sBailout 1.31 6pm Next Meeting of the MN Coalition for a People’s Bailout Tuesday, Jan 31, 2012 6:00 p.m. Walker Community Methodist Church 3104 16th Ave S, Mpls, 55407 We will report on our Opening Day rally and prepare for hearings on our bills to Put a 2-year Moratorium on Home Foreclosures on Eviction of Tenants from Foreclosed property (HF1886 / SF1521), our bill to Tax the Rich (bill numbers TBA) and the bill to undo cuts to immigrants (HF1888). We will also make plans for more ACTIONS to make our demands heard and acted upon! --------2 of 11-------- >From Ken Pentel Start PolParty 1.31 6pm Dear Supporters and Trackers of the Ecology Democracy Network, One of the reasons I started the Ecology Democracy Network was to help move Minnesota and the United States closer to an ideal democracy. Erin Smith, builder of the Ecology Democracy Network and my running mate in 2010 (At that time it was Erin Wallace.), as well as author of Starting a Political Party in Minnesota, is stepping-up and offering two classes below that I feel bring us closer to that ideal. Please participate and help spread the word. Ken Registration begins January 5th. Politics: How to Start a Political Party in Minnesota (Southwest) Instructor: Smith Tuesday, 6:00 pm - 8:30 pm; 1 session starting January 31, 2012, ending January 31, 2012 Location: Southwest High School (612) 668-3100 Tuition: $18.00 Materials Cost: $0.00 Learn more about what it means to exercise your democratic rights. In this class we will cover the steps necessary to create a political party in Minnesota. Students will also be given materials and resources helpful in this pursuit. Politics: Getting on the Ballot in a State Partisan Office as an Independent (Southwest) Instructor: Smith Tuesday, 6:00 pm - 8:30 pm; 1 session starting February 28, 2012, ending February 28, 2012 Location: Southwest High School (612) 668-3100 Tuition: $18.00 Materials Cost: $0.00 Have you ever had an issue important to you but don't see that issue represented when you walk into the booth to vote? Have you ever thought of running for office but not with a major party? Then this class is for you. We will cover a step-by-step process to get you on the ballot for State House, State Senate, US House, US Senate, Governor, Secretary of State, State Auditor, or AttorneyGeneral. --------3 of 11-------- From:patty pattypax [at] earthlink.net via justcomm.org Mark Doty book 1.31 6:30pm This Tuesday is LIttle Book of the Odd Month Club and we are reading and will be discussing the book, Heaven's Coast by Mark Doty. Please come even if you have not read this wonderful book. Pax Salons ( http://justcomm.org/pax-salon ) are held (unless otherwise noted in advance): Tuesdays, 6:30 to 8:30 pm. Mad Hatter's Tea House, 943 W 7th, St Paul, MN Salons are free but donations encouraged for program and treats. Call 651-227-3228 or 651-227-2511 for information. --------4 of 11-------- Richard Kotlarz richkotlarz [at] gmail.com Money 1.31 7pm Week #2 Sessions: Tuesday, 1/31/12 - Money, Society and the Spirit Suggested theme – The Presidential Candidates Wednesday, 2/1/12 - Deconstructing & Renewing the Economic Order This week’s subject – The genesis of “Money” and the “Economic Life” The birth of a “Dollar” Location: Macalester College (Old Main, Rm 009), 1600 Grand Avenue, St Paul, MNTime: 7 to 9 pm Facilitators: Richard Kotlarz: richkotlarz [at] gmail.com, 218-828-1366 Richard is a seeker after the truth about money and the economic life, who has engaged in literally thousands of discussions on money-related topics with people from all walks of life, across the U.S., and in Canada and Europe. Steven Gorg: steve [at] stevegorg.com, 651-334-7624 Steven is a professional environmental engineer who has come to see that becoming truly conscious about Money is the portal through which a meaningful and effective ecological and social transformation can be achieved. Richard and Steven have discovered that, concerning money, there is a story to be told and a vision to behold of which We the People are getting hardly even an inkling through conventional media, academic orthodoxy, or popular culture. Offered under auspices of Experimental Community Education of the Twin Cities (EXCOTC) Quote of the Week: “Iceland used to be a volcanic rock inhabited by fishermen and a few farmers. Then they discovered investment banking. One hedge fund manager explained it this way, Lewis writes: ‘You have a dog, and I have a cat. We agree that each is worth a billion dollars. You sell the dog for a billion, and I sell the cat for a billion. Now we are no longer pet owners, but Icelandic banks, with a billion dollars in new assets.’” Tom West – editor/general manager, Morrison County Record, Little Falls, MN; Quoting from “Boomerang”, by Michael Lewis * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * General Course Offering Information • What is the real story behind all the bad economic news? • Why are we not richer by our burgeoning tangible wealth, instead of poorer by a snowballing financial “debt”? • How could it be that an innocent child born in the U.S. today is already, according to the “experts,” a quarter-million dollars in “debt”? When did newborn babies borrow this money? How are they supposed to “repay” it? Is their future mortgaged before it starts? Has “original debt” replaced “original sin”? • If every dollar in circulation is “borrowed” into existence through “loans” from private banks, where does the money to pay the “interest” come from? • After a century of explosive growth in real economic activity, why have we not grown out of our “debt”? Is there a perverse logic built into the system that is causing us to grow into it our “debt”? • Why in the last century have family farmers been forced off the land by financial foreclosure, or threat of foreclosure, until now those living on the farm comprise less that two-percent of the population? • What is this “debt” burden doing in real terms to our civilization, our earth, ourselves? What is “debt” anyway? What is its effect on the psyche of generations growing up in saturation of its financial demands, ecological devastation and social disintegration? • If I am well-educated, working hard and “playing by the rules” in the “richest country on earth,” why can I not pay my bills and/or why am I perpetually in debt? • Has fear of financial destitution replaced fear of dying as the most dreaded eventuality in people’s lives? • Is there hope? These and many other monetary riddles haunt our post-modern world. Indeed, they are increasingly experienced as threatening the viability of our personal lives, the existence of civilization, and even the continuation of life on earth itself. Can we get a perspective on this? Can we turn a corner? Is there a vision on the other side? These questions and more will be explored in two separate series of two-hour evening sessions that will meet every week on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively. Tuesday session: Money, Society and the Spirit This is conceived of as a discussion that will introduce the attendee to the way money originates and how, generally, the financial order, political life and civilized culture arises from that process. From there we will explore money and economy along whatever avenues of inquiry are of interest to those attending. All are welcome, whether having attended a previous session or not. The tenor of Tuesday’s conversation session will be informal. It will start at 7 pm (promptness is helpful), and end at 9 pm, or however long people want to stay and talk. Wednesday session: Deconstructing & Renewing the Economic Order For those interested in a more structured, rigorous and substantive learning experience, each Wednesday evening there will be a class that will offer specific content much in the manner of a college course, but without right answers, grades or accreditation. Nevertheless, there will be an emphasis on intellectual rigor and conversational discipline. In particular each attendee will be asked to set aside his or her previously acquired “financial sophistication,” and be ready to approach the subject with a clean slate. Holding forth on one’s opinions, ideologies or expertise about the financial order and will be strongly discouraged. This will be a serious exploration of “Money,” a topic that has so far bedeviled human experience, along new paths of inquiry. The first hour will be devoted to a lecture-presentation, and the second opened up to discussion based on what had been presented. Each class will have an announced topic or theme, and, as required, hand out material. The tenor of the Wednesday’s class session will more formal, and the importance of starting promptly (7 pm), and ending on time (9 pm), is emphasized. Regular attendance is strongly recommended, and any content missed can be covered in one-on-one or small-group discussions with the facilitators outside the class session. Those who wish to join in after the class sessions have started are welcome, but are encouraged to meet with a facilitator outside of class in preparation. We will be embarked upon a serious course of study, analysis and exploration, and it is crucial that a rigor of thought and discipline of discourse be observed. The rewards, we believe will be great. The Tuesday and Wednesday sessions are separate offerings, and it is not necessary to attend both, but they are designed to compliments each other, and attending both could create a more comprehensive experience. The facilitators are available outside of scheduled sessions for special consultation. Both classes are free, but there are costs, so donations will be gratefully accepted. We ask that those who attend and find the benefits of the sessions to be real seriously consider the gesture of making an offering at whatever level seems good. At the root of our work is a pay-it-forward spirit, and the ideal that we all benefit if we look to the needs of others, as we would appreciate others considering ours. Economically speaking, that is how we become visible to each other in an actual way that reaches beyond the merely theoretical or rhetorical. Monies or other resources received will be used with an eye toward ensuring that the unfolding public conversation and consciousness about “money” will continue. Experience suggests that we will have a wonderfully fruitful time. Dates & Times (Sessions held every Tuesday/Wednesday, from January 24/25 through May 22/23, 2012): All sessions will convene from 7 to 9 pm: Money, Society & the Spirit Deconstructing & Renewing the Economic Order January 24, 31 January 25 February 7, 14, 21, 28 February 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 March 6, 13, 20, 27 March 7, 14, 21, 28 April 3, 10, 17, 24 April 4, 11, 18, 25 May 1, 8, 15, 22 May 2, 9, 16, 23 --------5 of 11-------- >From : WAMM War/women 1.31 7pm Art Exhibit: “Not About Bombs” January 31 through March 3; Friday, February 3, 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. (Opening Reception) Intermedia Arts, 2822 Lyndale Avenue South, Minneapolis. “Not About Bombs” is an exhibit that addresses how a female perspective can fit into the modern context of turmoil and conflict through art and avoid falling into the typical ways that women are represented... and misrepresented. The women in this exhibit contribute art that is visually and conceptually accomplished, but unpredictable and emotionally engaging. Because if anything, as a long, drawn-out, mind-numbing war comes to a "close," emotional investments in Iraq are few and far between. Featured Artists: Sama Alshaibi, Dena Al-Adeeb, Sundus Abdul Hadi, Tamara Abdul Hadi, and Julie Adnan. Sponsored by: Intermedia Arts and the Iraqi and American Reconciliation Project (IARP). FFI: Visit www.intermediaarts.org or call 612-871-4444. --------6 of 11-------- From: Tam McGehee [Roseville City Council member] Referenda/capitol 2.01 8:15am Hearing on HF 1911 Senate Office Building room 10 Here is the link to House File 1911. https://www.revisor.mn.gov/bin/bldbill.php?bill=H1911.0.html&session=ls87 Section 6 is of interest as it appears that someone is attempting to try to intervene on the part of citizens like those in Roseville regarding indebtedness. Although referendum is often not a "progressive" concept, I believe it is essential to any democracy. It cannot and should not result in the massive issue ballots in some states, but it can, if properly implemented be self-limiting. I think this section as it stands is too broad and will have too much opposition. Therefore, I would like to recommend a compromise to section 6. I believe that an across the board reverse referendum option should be available statewide for any indebtedness imposed by any taxing authority (municipal government, EDA, HRA, Port Authority, or any others not mentioned) if the funding of the contracts, bonds, capital notes, or any other forms of indebtedness requires an increase to the existing tax levy in excess of 1% of the existing tax levy and going forward for the life of the debt instrument. As for the mechanism, the current 5% of voters in the last general election as the number of signatures required in a thirty day period is a sufficiently high bar. This requires that individuals must work hard to collect the signatures in the allotted time and there must be sufficient community support for a vote. There are too many special interests gaining the attention and votes of our government at all levels. At the municipal level assistance by the legislature to allow citizens to protect themselves from unwanted indebtedness would restore some elements of true democracy to the "grass roots" level of government. Roseville has seen "representative democracy" at its worst this past year. The option of a reverse referendum would have cost taxpayers nothing with proper planning by the city and removed the threat and expense of ongoing litigation. --------7 of 11-------- Rape/capitalism 2.01 4pm Subject: Dismantling Rape Culture, Dismantling Capitalism @ MCTC February 1st DISMANTLING RAPE CULTURE DISMANTLING CAPITALISM A Panel & Open Discussion hosted by MCTC Pride Club, Sisters for Social Justice, and Socialist Alternative 4PM Wednesday, February 1st @ MCTC Whitney Hall L-3000 Across the globe this year, tens of thousands have marched to demand an end to rape and a culture which tolerates systemic gender-based violence. But where should the movement go from here? How can real progress be made to stop epidemic levels of rape and pervasive sexual objectification when the corporate media, most politicians, and the legal system treat these problems as inevitable? Socialists argue that the oppression of women and LGBTQ people are intimately linked to capitalism, and dismantling the rape culture means dismantling the wider systems of exploitation and oppression. But is a socialist transformation of society possible? And how can the fight for LGBTQ and women's rights be linked with the fight against capitalism? Join us for this important discussion. --------8 of 11-------- From: Joy Anderson Roseville Wal-Mart? 2.01 6:30pm Apparently Wal-Mart has filed for Preliminary Plat Approval and this is coming before the Planning Commission on Wednesday, February 1, 2012 at 6:30 PM. As far as I know the only notification provided by the City was a small legal notice in the January 17th Roseville Review. I did not see anything about this in the City News or This Week's News Update on the city's web site and postcard notification was not sent to any of the surrounding neighborhoods. Thursday evening the Planning Commission agenda was posted - lo and behold there it was! Citizens from the City of Chanhassen recently fought against Wal-Mart building in their community and won. Sadly, a citizen commented using Roseville as one of the reasons for not wanting Wal-Mart. "We don't want to become another Roseville". Check out this link: http://chanhassenfirst.org/ Joy Anderson Roseville About Joy Blomberg Anderson: http://forums.e-democracy.org/p/7iwioSUJsT39p5yJo3ohXO --------9 of 11-------- Obama Selects Bush As Running Mate Return of “The Decider” Stuns Washington; GOP Presidential Debates Thrown Into Chaos by Michael K. Smith / January 30th, 2012 Related Headlines Bush Pick Hailed as “Pragmatic Master Stroke” Outraged Biden Joins Tea Party, Threatens To Sue Obama Lauds Bush Vow To “Follow the Cheney Tradition” as VP Washington, January 27 — Barack Obama today named George W. Bush of Crawford, Texas as his running mate, the first ex-president selected to run for Vice President on a major party ticket. The president announced his historic step before an ebullient crowd of Blackwater mercenaries on the White House lawn. ”There’s an electricity in the air, an excitement, a sense of new possibilities and of pride,” Obama told a section of cheering snipers moments after disclosing the stunning development. Calling for an end to partisan bitterness, Obama introduced Bush as “an exciting choice” and “clearly the best” for healing a divided nation. Bush thanked the president for continuing the family dynasty, and offered to formally adopt him into the Bush clan if he thought it would “help carry the South.” Obama said the decision to choose the former president was a ”difficult” one, but explained: ”GW has excelled in being bailed out, and this country certainly needs more of that!” He added that GW’s political return was ”really the fulfillment of a classic American tradition: to fail continually at everything and emerge triumphant anyway.” Harvard Lawyer Obama Cites Constitution ”History speaks to us today,” Obama told the Blackwater throng. ”Our founders said in the Constitution, ‘We the people’ – not just the identity politics focus groups, but all of us.” ”Our message,” the president went on, ”is that America is a country of diversity where the spirit of conciliation overcomes all philosophical differences. As President Bush has said many times: ‘ politics stops at the water’s edge.’” Bush, who was anointed president in 2000, has received the endorsements for the Vice Presidency of numerous Democratic Party organizations, including, On Our Knees, Inertia Unlimited, and Strength Through Servility. Increase in Pragmatic Energy Seen ”He loves Israel, he’s charismatic, he believes in God,” enthused one adviser to Obama. ”We have broken the barrier. He will energize, not just southerners, but a lot of Republicans, which will make the Democratic Party more inclusive.” Another adviser to Obama said that although Bush had engendered “unfortunate” bad publicity around foreign policy issues, he nevertheless would bring “new chemistry, new passion, and new understanding” to the ticket, especially of an often overlooked minority group: the rich. “People never seem to realize that as wealth concentrates in fewer and fewer hands, the wealthy become a smaller and smaller minority group,” said Obama campaign manager Marshall Cash. In the last three weeks Obama interviewed seven prospective candidates and made it plain that he was seriously considering a break in precedent and selecting a candidate who “reflects our values,” rather than just another identity politics token. Ranking aides to Obama indicated last week that Bush had outdistanced Biden in his personal interview with Obama, as well as in his press comments afterward. Some aides said Biden had proved somewhat disappointing, a comment that angered the outgoing vice-president, who is threatening to sue. Factors in Choice Listed What apparently swayed Obama, Democratic officials said, was Bush’s experience in ramming through deeply unpopular policies, his considerable support among Blue Dog Democrats, and perhaps most important, his appeal to blue-collar superpatriots, coupled with his traditional “tough love” views, which seem to coincide with the president’s. Bush had emerged in recent weeks as the strong favorite among pragmatic liberals, typified by the vastly influential NAACR, the National Association for the Advancement of Crackpot Realism. But Democratic advisers to Obama said the decision in favor of The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner -Randall Jarrell (1914-1965) Bush was based heavily on the notion that his political strength would enhance Obama’s support among the super-rich and religious fanatics. “They vote,” explained Obama at the announcement ceremony. At the conclusion of the day’s historic event, Obama and Bush clasped hands high overhead in the classic victory stance and called for world peace through the obliteration of Iran. Michael K. Smith is the author of The Madness of King George from Common Courage Press. He co-blogs with Frank Scott at www.legalienate.blogspot.com. Read other articles by Michael. --------10 of 11-------- Randall Jarrell - The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner >From my mother's sleep I fell into the State, And I hunched in its belly till my wet fur froze. Six miles from earth, loosed from its dreams of life, I woke to black flak and the nightmare fighters. When I died they washed me out of the turret with a hose. --------11 of 11-------- Bumper sticker Indefinitely detain the rich ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Shove Trove
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