After activists block their permit, Canadian company uses US trade agreement to sue Salvadoran gov'tAfter activists block their permit, Canadian company uses US trade agreement to sue... more
Sarah Lyon is a great person and a fantastic artist, but that is only the beginning. She is also a great adventurer and has done a beautiful job of documenting her travels as she rides across the country capturing images of other female mechanics for her calendars.Sarah Lyon is a great person and a fantastic artist, but that is only the beginning.... more
I just received the following email from an action group telling people to push back on the public option Pelosi has announced. This is far from over
___________________________________________________________________
Help Salvage Health Care Reform
Call Selected Congress Members. Call them now!
Demand a vote on Medicare-for-all
Demand the Kucinich Amendment to allow state single-payer plans
Today the House unveiled its healthcare reform package. And the news is all bad.
The Weiner Amendment, which would substitute the clean, clear language of HR 676 for the behemoth of a bill introduced, may not be given its vote in the House-in spite of Speaker Nancy Pelosi's promise.
The Kucinich Amendment, which would give the states a clear path for enacting their own single-payer legislation, was stripped from the bill. Since California is within one signature of having a state-wide, single-payer system, the Kucinich amendment is crucial to California.
We have a small window of opportunity to get the Kucinich Amendment back in the bill and to make sure that Speaker Pelosi follows through on her promise to allow a vote on single-payer-the first ever in the House.
Democratic House leaders can insert what is called a "Manager's Amendment" into legislation, even when it is closed to any other amendments. The managers are the majority and minority members who "manage" debate for the bill on each side.
Today, tomorrow, and beyond, call the "managers"listed below. Insist that the Kucinich Amendment is restored into the healthcare bill.We also need to urge these leaders to exert pressure on Speaker Pelosi-and exert it on her ourselves-to follow through on her promise to put the Weiner Amendment to a vote.
The "gang" that holds our future in their hands includes:
Speaker Nancy Pelosi: Washington, DC, office (202) 225-4965; San Francisco office (415) 556-4862
It's crucial for everyone to make these calls, to make them more than once, and to tell others to make these calls. Act NOW!I just received the following email from an action group telling people to push back... more
another good man assassinated while the tyrants walk the earth
Aushev worked to publicize human rights abuses and organize rallies against Ingushetia's (Russian province) unpopular former president, Murat Zyazikov
this is the third assassination of a human rights activist in as many months
Aushev fought the unpopular former perisdent in the volitale North Caucasus, an action which made him powerfull enemies.
Aushev died when the car he was driving in was sprayed with automatic gun fire, a woman driving with him was also badly injured..
Aushev's assassination follows the killing in July of Natalya Estemirova, a prominent human rights activist who was found shot in Ingushetia after being kidnapped in Chechnya.
Aushev said that agents had tried to abduct him last month when his vehicle was stopped for an ID check at a police checkpoint outside the provincial capital...RIP Maksharip Aushev
another good man assassinated while the tyrants walk the earth... more
Concerned to avert global disaster, the pressure group Climate Campers meet in the park to discuss radical solutions which include holding your breath to offset your carbon footprint. Will this prove to be too little too late, or does every little help?Concerned to avert global disaster, the pressure group Climate Campers meet in the... more
This December world leaders will gather in Copenhagen to come up with a global response to climate change.
The World Hunger Strike is a voice of all global citizens being raised for global leaders to hear. We as citizens of the world acknowledge the time is now that our global leaders MUST sign a deal that will reduce global emissions that are contributing to climate change that will increase the death by starvation worldwide of our Brothers and Sisters.
From October 18th right up to and including the Copenhagen Conference of the 7th to the 18th of December, the Greenhouse Neutral Foundation is calling for volunteers to register and participate in a rolling global HUNGER STRIKE for periods of 1, 3, or 5 days. (*conditions apply)
On average there is a death from hunger around the world every 3 seconds of every day. During the course of the World Hunger Strike campaign there will have been 1,756,800 people around the world that will have died of hunger
This is a PROTEST everyone - not just the green movement can participate in and we will YELL at world leader and save the lives of many least able to cope with the future the face.
I implore you to take part even for just 1 day.
I will start my 5 day protest this Sunday October 18th at midnight.
The Center for Constitutional Rights has a great new legal guide for activists called “If An Agent Knocks.”
From CCR:
Federal law enforcement agencies like the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) have a dark history of targeting radical and progressive movements. Some of the dirty tricks they use against these movements include: the infiltration of organizations to discredit and disrupt their operations; campaigns of misinformation and false stories in the media; forgery of correspondence; fabrication of evidence; and the use of grand jury subpoenas to intimidate activists. Today’s activist must know and understand the threat posed by federal law enforcement agents and their tactics as well as several key security practices that offer the best protection.
Federal agents have many tools at their disposal to target activists. While it is important to know and understand these tools and tactics, it is of critical importance that you resist any paranoia of government surveillance or fear of infiltration, which will only serve to paralyze you or your organization in your quest for social change. If fear of government repression prevents you from organizing, the agents of repression will have won without even trying.
I think it is worth noting that in the recent appellate ruling in the SHAC 7 case, the court argued that educational materials on the SHAC website were relevant to the “terrorism” charges against them. Specifically, the court noted that the SHAC website had “a series of links dedicated to educating activists on how to evade investigators. These links were entitled, ‘Ears and Eyes Everywhere,’ ‘Dealing with Interrogation,’ ‘When an Agent Knocks,’ and ‘Illegal Activity.’”
Clearly, knowing your rights is perceived as a dangerous, dangerous thing. So get to it.
Thanks to Matthew for the link, and the excellent work on this publication.The Center for Constitutional Rights has a great new legal guide for activists called... more
Casa Ramirez, a Mexican folk art store in Houston's Heights neighborhood,...[boasts walls that are] covered with paintings and colorful Day of the Dead dolls. The bookshelves are jammed with tomes on Latino art, culture and history. Piñatas dangle from the ceiling. And colorful blouses imported from Chiapas, Mexico hang on crowded racks. Throughout the shop, the flames of votive candles flicker at little makeshift altars.
(Gardella, A., 2009, October 9, par.1-2)
Macario Ramirez and his wife, Chrissie, opened the store in 1984. They don't just peddle their native wares; they also offer lectures on Mexican culture and traditions by Ramirez and visiting artists and authors, many of whom live in town. "Houston is a microcosm of Latino cultures," says Ramirez, 74.
(Gardella, A., 2009, October 9, par.3)
His devotion to Mexican traditions, such as the Day of the Dead festivities -- in which ancestors are honored and remembered each November -- provides an economic boost to local artists, including painter Laura López Cano.
(Gardella, A., 2009, October 9, par.4)
In addition to serving as his artists' biggest booster, Ramirez is a self-described "hands-on activist." He financially supports alternative education programs that benefit Latinos, pickets oil companies accused of polluting Houston's East End (an area with a sizable Latino population) and demonstrates on behalf of undocumented immigrants. "I never forgot being poor," says Ramirez, who speaks with a Tejano accent and peppers his sentences with Spanish words and phrases.
(Gardella, A., 2009, October 9, par.6)
[more story at the link....]Casa Ramirez, a Mexican folk art store in Houston's Heights neighborhood,...[boasts... more
ANSWERLA is holding a rally on Tuesday 9/15/09 to protest government budgets cuts in Long Beach. California. But this is happening all over the country in government at all levels. California recently cut back state employees hours forcing them to work less days and without pay. Meanwhile spending continues as we see hiring for new positions posted. The following is an email sent out to members.
Long Beach politicians want to pass a city budget on the backs of working people and students. On Sept. 15, the City Council will vote on a budget to gut much-needed social programs. Join us at a rally and speak out that night to stop the cuts. Then join us at the Council meeting. Make your voice heard!
This budget is no different than what's happening at all government levels. This year, we've seen trillions handed over to rich bankers and corporations, while millions of people lose jobs and homes. California has suffered the worst, with $15 billion in cuts to social programs--all done under the pretext of "not raising taxes." This means not raising taxes on the banks and corporations that have robbed working people.
Long Beach Mayor Bob Foster and City Manager Pat West are using the same pretext to eliminate library services/programs for children, to furlough city workers, to abandon substance abuse programs, and to eliminate homeless services, while refusing to cut the repressive LBPD's budget by even one penny. It is time to fight back and demand that the rich shoulder the burden of the crisis they created!
Taking the Struggle to City Hall
For several weeks, Long Beach community members, students and activists have been speaking out at City Council meetings. Here's what some have said:
"Why is half of our budget dedicated to the police? Why can they make six figures doing overtime, yet a teacher can’t even get half of that? And what have they done? They have executed mentally disabled men like Roketi Su’e, imprisoned witnesses that videotaped the execution, and shut down entire communities to hide their crimes. I think there are some fundamental problems here, but they are being masked by propaganda about 'security' and safety. But what will provide more 'security' than rights? A right to a job. A right to a home. A right to healthcare. A right to education. There are alternatives to eliminating social services. We don’t need to eliminate programs being destroyed by the state budget, the city can take them up or make similar or better programs to take their place." --Douglas Kauffman, 21, CSULB student, life-long Long Beach resident and ANSWER activist
"I am a full time student and worker. I was born and raised not too far from this very building. It is unfathomable to me how politicians like you can get six figure salaries, while you are preparing to cut social services that are needed by working people who don't make six figures in even 5 or 10 years of backbreaking work. You say 'we will not tax the people,' and yet what you really mean is that you will not tax the banks and corporations." --Orlando Pardo, 20, Cerritos College student, Long Beach resident and ANSWER activist
Join us this Tuesday to defend people’s needs! People from all around Southern California are encouraged to come. No cuts to social services!
Initiated by Communities United For Justice, the ANSWER Coalition and the Party for Socialism and Liberation.
Long Beach Rally to Stop Budget Cuts
Defend People's Needs! Fight Back!
This Tuesday, Sept. 15, 5pm
Corner of Pacific Ave. & Ocean Blvd., Long Beach
(Behind the library)ANSWERLA is holding a rally on Tuesday 9/15/09 to protest government budgets cuts in... more
Care to know why those advertising dollars are being pulled?...of course you don't...it puts in play the chicanery of the leftist socialosts.
~ & Here's a synopsis for those who may care - !
The particularly unsavory left-wing pressure group Color of Change has an axe to grind with Glenn Beck — and it’s personal.
The extremist racial grievance group isn’t happy that Beck did several news packages on Van Jones, President Obama’s controversial green jobs czar who describes himself as a communist. (Green really is the new red.)
Jones is a founding board member of Color of Change, but Color of Change doesn’t want you to know that. Maybe having an avowed America-hating radical on the group’s board is bad public relations.
The group deleted references to Jones on its “about” page. That page used to say, “James Rucker and Van Jones came together in the wake of [Hurricane] Katrina to use the organizing power of the Internet to give Black Americans and our allies a renewed and strengthened political voice.”
But now it doesn’t.
The old page still exists in the Google cache. (The cache will eventually be cleared, so for safekeeping, I made a PDF of the page here.) The 501(c)(4) group’s 2006 and 2007 tax returns (IRS Form 990) show Jones as a director.
Jones was also on the board of the Apollo Alliance, a hard-left environmentalist group that is now running large chunks of the Obama administration. Beck pounded away at the Apollo Alliance and Jones on a recent show.
On its website, Color of Change invited people to sign a petition to spare the life of convicted multiple murder Stanley Tookie Williams. From the petition:
Stanley Tookie Williams has become a true asset to our community. As a co-founder of the Crips, Tookie created untold suffering and death. There is nothing romantic or glamorous about the kind of violence the Crips unleashed. But Williams has taken responsibility for the harm he’s done. And since then, he has saved the lives of countless young Black males. He will continue to do the same—but only if he’s allowed to live. It would be senseless for the State of California to kill a man who is working every day to stop the madness of gang violence.
Mass murderers don’t usually get clemency. Williams was executed in 2005.
The race-baiting conspiracy theorists of Color of Change appear to be enjoying some success in their campaign to convince advertisers to boycott the “Glenn Beck Program,” which airs at 5 p.m. Eastern time on weekdays.
The group’s co-founder James Rucker gloats in an op-ed at the Huffington Post that Progressive Insurance and several other advertisers have dropped Beck’s show since Color of Change started promoting a boycott. Of course it’s not all that surprising that Progressive Insurance dropped Beck. After all, the company was founded by left-wing philanthropist Peter B. Lewis.
Rucker is a former MoveOn.org organizer. He is also a co-founder of the Secretary of State Project, the group that helped to elect Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie. Ritchie, a former community organizer who has worked hand in hand with ACORN.
President Obama today honored 16 individuals the 2009 Presidential Medal of Freedom.
"This is a chance for me and the United States of America to say thank you to the finest citizens of this country and all countries," the president said, standing in front of the 16 recipients in the White House.
The honorees included gay rights activists, political leaders, athletes, scientists, civil rights leaders and actors.
"The men and women we honor today have led very different lives and pursued very different careers," Mr. Obama said. "What unites them is a belief... that our lives are what we make of them... and that the truest test of a person's life is what we do for one another."
The president praised the honorees for pursuing their passions with hard work and persistence, without seeking fame.
Honorees include Nancy Goodman Brinker, Pedro José Greer, Jr., Jack Kemp, Sen. Ted Kennedy, Stephen Hawking, Billie Jean King, Rev. Joseph Lowery, Dr. Joseph Medicine Crow, Harvey Milk, Sandra Day OConnor, Sidney Poitier, Chita Rivera, Dr. Janet Davison Rowley, Mary Robinson, Desmond Tutu, and Muhammad Yunus.President Obama today honored 16 individuals the 2009 Presidential Medal of Freedom.... more
Washington, 12 August (WashingtonTV)—A group of more than 250 intellectuals, activists and defenders of democratic rights called on United Nations chief, Ban Ki-moon, to take “immediate and urgent action” on Iran, following its disputed presidential election, the Guardian newspaper reported on Wednesday.
.....Washington, 12 August (WashingtonTV)—A group of more than 250 intellectuals,... more
The head of a Russian charity and her husband have been found dead in Chechnya a day after their abduction, activists and officials said.
The bodies of Zarema Sadulayeva and her husband were found with gunshot wounds in a car boot near the Chechen capital, an interior ministry official said.
Armed men seized the two on Monday from the offices of Ms Sadulayeva's charity, Let's Save the Generation.
The case follows July's abduction and killing of activist Natalia Estemirova.
On Tuesday, Alexander Cherkasov of the Memorial human rights group was quoted as saying that Ms Sadulayeva's body and that of her husband had been found in the Chernorechye suburb of the Chechen capital, Grozny.
Let's Save the Generation supports children affected by violence in war-torn Chechnya.
The southern Russian republic was the site of years of war between local separatists and Russian forces in the 1990s.
Ms Estemirova was a prominent campaigner who had been investigating human rights abuses in Chechnya for Memorial.
She was found dead shortly after being bundled into a car outside her home in Grozny. Her killing provoked an international outcry.
Memorial's chairman has accused Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov of involvement in her death.
In a radio interview last week Mr Kadyrov denied the accusation, but denounced Ms Estemirova as person "without honour, merit or conscience".
In recent years many of Mr Kadyrov's most prominent critics have been shot dead, including Ms Estemirova and investigative journalist Anna Politkovskaya.
He denies any involvement in their murder.The head of a Russian charity and her husband have been found dead in Chechnya a day... more
On Sunday (06-28-09) was the 36th Annual San Francisco LGBT Pride Parade.
The gay community gathered on a joyful march along Market Street in the spirit of its celebration theme: "In order to form a more perfect union…"
Mayor Gavin Newson e other local authorities participated on this event to show their support and commitment to preserve everyone's civil rights.
This event that usually attracts a joyful crowd this year seemed to have motivated everyone to come out. It felt like the rainbow was attracting everyone to show their support to marriage and family equality.
Prop. 8 gave the gay community a sense of union that is beyond the aspect of civil union. It made us realize that denying lawful recognition to longtime commitment among same gender couples affects the lives of their children as well.
The thought that children of same sex gender grew up by under the social stigma of their illegitimacy status, it's enough reason to recognize that Prop. 8 is extremely unfair!
Meanwhile, gays everywhere shall stand up and keep on shouting out loud: "homophobia got to go!"On Sunday (06-28-09) was the 36th Annual San Francisco LGBT Pride Parade.
The gay... more
Ken Wiwa (born 1968, Lagos), also known as Ken Saro-Wiwa Jr., is a Nigerian journalist and author. His book In the Shadow of a Saint is a memoir of his father, executed activist and political prisoner Ken Saro-Wiwa.
Educated in Nigeria and at Stancliffe School and Tonbridge School in England and University College London, Wiwa moved to Canada in 1999, where he was a writer in residence at Massey College in the University of Toronto and was a columnist for The Globe and Mail. He was twice nominated for the National Newspaper Awards for Feature writing and was selected in 2005 as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum. His memoir of his father, In the Shadow of a Saint, won the 2001 Hurston-Wright Non Fiction Award. In 2005 he returned to Nigeria and the following year former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo appointed Wiwa as his Special Assistant on peace, conflict resolution and reconciliation. He is currently serving President Umaru Yar'Adua as the Special Assistant on International Affairs.Ken Wiwa (born 1968, Lagos), also known as Ken Saro-Wiwa Jr., is a Nigerian journalist... more
This picturesque community among the redwoods, once dubbed "the Berkeley of the north" for its reputation for unabashed liberalism, has repeatedly thumbed its nose at the federal government.
Over the years, its civic leaders have declared this city a sanctuary for military resisters to the Persian Gulf War and barred local enforcement of the Patriot Act. If they had had enough pull, President George W. Bush would have been impeached at least once.
Now Arcata is at it again, with a law blocking the military from recruiting anybody in town under the age of 18. And this time, the law has the backing not of a few City Council activists, but of thousands of voters who went to the polls in November.
On the same day, voters in Eureka, a historically politically staid city a dozen miles away, surprised everybody by approving an identical measure.This picturesque community among the redwoods, once dubbed "the Berkeley of the north"... more
From the article...LOS ANGELES -- Two animal rights activists were charged Monday with conspiracy, stalking and other crimes against researchers at University of California, Los Angeles and executives of a juice company.
Linda Faith Greene, 61, and Kevin Richard Olliff, 22, pleaded not guilty to the charges during their arraignment in Superior Court.
The Los Angeles County district attorney's office issued a statement calling the pair "alleged domestic terrorists" and describing them as associates of the Animal Liberation Front, an extremist animal rights group.
A county grand jury indictment was handed up March 27 and charged each with three counts of conspiracy to commit stalking, three counts of stalking, two counts of conspiracy to threaten a public officer or school employee and two counts of threatening a public officer or school employee. They were arrested Thursday.
The indictment alleges that an unnamed co-conspirator tried to place an incendiary device on the doorstep of UCLA professor Lynn Fairbanks' home in July 2006 but it was actually left at an elderly neighbor's house and failed to explode.
One of the overt acts in the conspiracy was Greene, acting as press officer for an animal rights Web site, posting a "communique" by the ALF which took responsibility for what it called a "moletov cocktail," according to the indictment.
Greene, Olliff and others conducted demonstrations at the professor's home and on the UCLA campus, during which they chanted threats through a bullhorn and disputed law enforcement claims that the wrong house was targeted, according to the indictment.
Greene is also accused of identifying Fairbanks as a "target" on a Web site, publishing her addresses and other personal information online.
The indictment alleges a similar campaign against a neurobiology professor, Dario Ringach, who later gave up primate research, citing harassment from animal rights activists and concerns for his young children.
A telephone message seeking comment was left Monday evening at the office of attorney David B. Rutan, who represented Greene and Olliff when UCLA got a temporary restraining order against animal rights activists.
Dr. Jerry Vlasak, an animal rights activist with North American Animal Liberation Press Office, said Monday that Greene and Olliff violated no laws.
"They're using their constitutional right to free speech. They're not breaking any laws or breaking in to sabotage or destroying vehicles or equipment," Vlasak said. "Everyone knows who they are. They're high-profile activists who never tried to hide their identities. Linda did TV interviews."
The indictment further alleges that Greene and Olliff stalked executives of Los Angeles-based POM Wonderful Juice Co., picketed at a corporate family picnic and conducted demonstrations at their homes.
Vlasak said the activists targeted POM because they believe the company was using animal experiments to support claims that pomegranate juice could improve erectile function in men with mild impotence problems.
A telephone message seeking comment from POM after hours was not immediately returned.
Greene was held on $450,000 bail and is due back in court Friday for a bail review hearing. Olliff was held on $460,000 bail.
Both defendants are scheduled for a pretrial hearing on May 20.
Over the past couple of years, animal rights activists have aggressively protested animal research at the homes of scientists.
Earlier this year, four people pleaded not guilty in connection with an attempted break-in at the home of a UC Santa Cruz breast cancer researcher in 2008. Last December, a man pleaded no contest to making harassing phone calls to UC San Francisco researchers at their homes and telling them that they would die the same way they made animals suffer.From the article...LOS ANGELES -- Two animal rights activists were charged Monday with... more
This is a trailer from a production that Alberto Arce has filmed and directed. He was on the last voyage of the DIGNITY that got into Gaza, and he was there during Israel's murderous assault on a civilian population. Although much is in Spanish and Arabic, it makes no difference. It is the language of a people being wiped out in front of the eyes of the world with American money and American support.This is a trailer from a production that Alberto Arce has filmed and directed. He was... more
