Progressive Calendar 01.25.09
From: David Shove (shove001tc.umn.edu)
Date: Sun, 25 Jan 2009 05:56:59 -0800 (PST)
           P R O G R E S S I V E   C A L E N D A R   01.25.09

1. Stillwater vigil  1.25 1pm
2. Iraq/Arnove       1.25 2pm
3. RNC8 defense      1.25 3pm
4. Marty/Kip/health  1.25 3pm
5. John Kolstad gig  1.25 7pm

6. CUAPB courtwatch  1.26 9am
7. MN health bill    1.26 12:30pm
8. Peace walk        1.26 6pm RiverFalls WI
9. Vs vs immigrant   1.26 7pm
10. Amnesty Intl     1.26 7pm
11. 3CTC/no burners! 1.26 7pm
12. Iraq/Arnove      1.26 7pm

13. Richard Broderick - Blood and soil: The price of Zionism
14. PNHP              - For Marty health bill; vs $$ for HMOs
15. ed                - Burners and dumps  (poem)

--------1 of 15--------

From: scot b <earthmannow [at] comcast.net>
Subject: Stillwater vigil 1.25 1pm

A weekly Vigil for Peace Every Sunday, at the Stillwater bridge from 1- 2
p.m.  Come after Church or after brunch ! All are invited to join in song
and witness to the human desire for peace in our world. Signs need to be
positive.  Sponsored by the St. Croix Valley Peacemakers.

If you have a United Nations flag or a United States flag please bring it.
Be sure to dress for the weather . For more information go to
<http://www.stcroixvalleypeacemakers.com/>http://www.stcroixvalleypeacemakers.com/

For more information you could call 651 275 0247 or 651 999 - 9560


--------2 of 15--------

From: Lydia Howell <lydiahowell [at] visi.com>
Subject: Iraq/Arnove 1.25 2pm

SUNDAY, JAN. 25, 2PM
MAY DAY BOOKS, 301 Cedar Ave. S.(basement of HUB Bikes),West Bank,
Minneapolis
612-333-4719
or
MONDAY, JAN.26,7pm
ST. JOAN OF ARC CHURCH, 4537 Third Ave, S., MInneapolis

Iraq: The Logic of Withdrawal By Anthony Arnove
Published by Metropolitan Books paperback | 208 pages 1/9/2007 | US$13.00
ISBN: 0805082727


--------3 of 15--------

From: Ted Dooley Law <teddooleylaw [at] winternet.com>
Subject: RNC8 defense 1.25 3pm

Defend The RNC8! Town Hall Meeting
Sunday January 25th, 3-6pm
Walker Church: 3104 16th Ave S. Minneapolis

In what appears to be the first use of criminal charges under the 2002
Minnesota Patriot Act, Ramsey County Attorney Susan Gaertner has charged 8
anti-RNC organizers with four Felony Conspiracy charges, including
Conspiracy to Riot in Furtherance of Terrorism. The potential consequences
of these charges are enormous. Not only could we lose 8 of our friends and
allies to prison, it also creates a dangerous precedent for the
suppression of dissent.

The Friends of the RNC8 invite you to join us at a Town Hall meeting to
get updates on the case and discuss what we can do to defend our friends
and community members. Topics covered will include: updates on the case;
repealing the MN Patriot Act; using political pressure to get the charges
dismissed; creating a broad-based RNC 8 Defense Committee; and other
strategies for resisting the attack on our loved ones and the larger
movement.

Support Committees, like Friends of the RNC 8, are the first line of
direct support for activists facing or serving prison time. But these
committees don't typically have the ability, by themselves, to wage major
campaigns for high-profile causes. This is where you can plug in. We've
already been in touch with many Twin Cities activists excited to form the
backbone of a new group mobilizing around the special circumstances of the
RNC 8 case, and we hope you will join them.

Featured Speakers include:
 *Coleen Rowley--Retired FBI agent, TIME Magazine's 2002 Person of the
Year
 *Phyllis Kahn--MN State Representative (DFL-59B)
 *Peter Rachleff--Professor of History, Macalester College
 *Michelle Gross--President, Communities United Against Police Brutality
 *Meredith Aby--Anti-War Committee
 *Mordecai Specktor--Publisher of American Jewish World, Father of Max
Specktor

Speakers will be followed by small-group sessions and participatory
discussion, with a focus on action! The event is free and open to the
public. Snacks and child care will be available.

FFI: info [at] rnc8.org
for media: press [at] rnc8.org, 612-886-4565

Defend the RNC8! http://rnc8.org
http://www.myspace.com/rnc8support
Get updates with Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/friendofthernc8

Sign a petition to Defend the RNC8 at
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/defendthernc8


--------4 of 15--------

From: cynthiajahnke [at] att.net
Subject: Marty/Kip/health 1.25 3pm

MN Universal Health Care: Making it a Reality Part I

In early 2008, Minnesotans overflowed into the corridors and other areas
inside the Capitol pushing their legislators to enact universal health
care.  In that hearing the Senate Health Housing and Family Security
Committee passed the Minnesota Health Plan by a large margin.

Now is the perfect time for Minnesota once again take the lead in health
care & make sure OUR government makes the MN Health Care Plan a reality.
On Monday, Jan. 26, the committee on Health, Housing and Family Security,
chaired by Sen. John Marty, will hold a meeting to consider the next step
for the Minnesota Health Act S.F. 118.  The meeting will be held at 12:30
p.m Room 15 at the State Capitol.  We can help push this legislation to
the next level by attending the meeting.

Join in THE CONVERSATION. TUNE YOUR RADIO TO:

Of the People this Sunday, January 25th at 3 p.m. on AM950 KTNF (formerly
Air America Minnesota) with Host James Mayer.  Or stream us:
http://www.am950ktnf.com/listen

 Call-in line: 952-946-6205

Join us during the first program of our series of broadcasts about REAL
Universal Health Care with Senator John Marty co-author of the Plan
explaining how important it is to make our large presence known and seen
at that committee hearing on Monday, Jan. 26. He and Host James Mayer will
then turn to health care expert author and researcher, Kip Sullivan to
demonstrate for us what he demonstrates in his key book, "The Health Care
Mess: How We Got into It And How We'll Get out of It."

Threats to the health, strength and endurance of healthy democracy,
society and environment don't go away for the weekend. For a few weekend
moments you can refresh and regenerate your energy with James Mayer on Of
the People, a place to go for good news that the "news" corporations
monopolizing our airwaves seldom let through:  people taking action
together, on real solutions.

We hope you will tune your radio to 950 AM and join us not only in your
car, but at home as well, or stream us:http://www.am950ktnf.com/listen
(You will be asked to put in a MN zip code).

Again, when we're on-air we invite you to call us at 952-946-6205 or
e-mail us at info [at] jamesmayer.org

Off-air, you can reach us by calling James Mayer at 651-238-3740, by
e-mail at info [at] jamesmayer.org, or by U.S. mail, address: James Mayer, 970
Raymond Ave, St. Paul, MN 55114.

If you can find a moment, forward this message to "add voice and strength
to our contribution to government of, by and for the PEOPLE ". This is a
call to action to send this to your contacts and friends, asking them to
do the same and join us on:

Of the People this Sunday, January 25th at 3 P.M. on AM 950, KTNF.
Volunteer Opportunities


-------5 of 15--------

From: Sue Horns Kolstad <2sorns [at] gmail.com>
Subject: John Kolstad gig 1.25 7pm

Papa John Kolstad  with Western Swing Band The Muleskinners
January 25, 7:00  at Merlins Rest
3601 East Lake St, Minneapolis


--------6 of 15--------

From: Michelle Gross <mgresist [at] visi.com>
Subject: CUAPB courtwatch 1.26 9am

COURTWATCH: DARRYL ROBINSON'S TRIAL
Monday, January 26
9:00 a.m.
Hennepin County Government Center, 300 S 6th St, Minneapolis

Stand with CUAPB vice president Darryl Robinson as he fights false charges
placed on him after Minneapolis police beat him during copwatch.  Cops
punched him and choked him to unconsciousness repeatedly - while he was
handcuffed.  Now he faces ridiculous charges including "obstructing the
sidewalk," "failure to obey a cop" and "obstructing legal charges."
Darryl has vowed to fight these charges to the end and we need to be there
with him.  COPWATCH IS NOT A CRIME AND COPWATCHERS ARE NOT CRIMINALS!


-------7 of 15-------

From: Diane J. Peterson <birch7 [at] comcast.net>
Subject: MN health bill 1.26 12:30pm

Monday, January 26, 2009
12:30 PM
MHP Hearing, Senate Health, Housing and Family Security Committee - St. Paul

Attend the 1st Legislative Hearing for the Minnesota Health Plan!

Senate Health, Housing and Family Security Committee meeting, hearing of
the Minnesota Health Plan
Monday January 26, 2009, 12:30 p.m.
Minnesota State Capitol, Room G 15

Members of the Health, Housing and Family Security Committee:
John Marty (DFL) District 54, Chair
Patricia Torres Ray (DFL) District 62, Vice Chair
Paul E. Koering (R) District 12, Ranking Minority Member
Linda Berglin (DFL) District 61
John P. Doll (DFL) District 40
Sharon L. Erickson Ropes (DFL) District 31
Michelle L. Fischbach (R) District 14
David W. Hann (R) District 42
Linda Higgins (DFL) District 58
Debbie J. Johnson (R) District 49
Tony Lourey (DFL) District 08
Ann Lynch (DFL) District 30
Yvonne Prettner Solon (DFL) District 07

What can you do?
1. Please plan to attend to show your support!
2. Contact the committee members before the hearing, especially if you are
a constituent. Please let them know you support the Minnesota Health Act.


-------8 of 15--------

From: Nancy Holden <d.n.holden [at] comcast.net>
Subject: Peace walk 1.26 6pm RiverFalls WI

River Falls Peace and Justice Walkers. We meet every Monday from 6-7 pm on
the UWRF campus at Cascade Ave. and 2nd Street, immediately across from
"Journey" House. We walk through the downtown of River Falls. Contact:
d.n.holden [at] comcast.net. Douglas H Holden 1004 Morgan Road River Falls,
Wisconsin 54022


--------9 of 15--------

From: Lydia Howell <lydiahowell [at] visi.com>
Subject: Vs vs immigrant 1.26 7pm

Lets get some pro-immigrant voices there!
Suggested talking points below.
-amalia

Monday, January 26 - 7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Sen. Ron Latz & Rep. Steve Simon
The Depot Coffee House
9451 Excelsior Blvd., Hopkins, MN

Minnesota Anti-Immigrant Group Targets Lawmakers to Push Immoral
Political Agenda

Minnesotans Seeking Immigration Reform (MINN-SIR, see attachment for
biography) is asking their anti-immigrant base to attend three different
town hall meetings scheduled in January by Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party
members, Sen. Ron Latz <http://www.ronlatz.org/ <http://www.ronlatz.org/>>
, Rep. Ryan Winkle, and Rep. Steve Simon. The DFL Party currently supports
a pathway tocitizenship, family reunification; legalizing future migration
flows,protects due process and human rights, and protects U.S. workers
andemployers.

However, sometimes party members don't always support their party's
positions. Instead, party members will support the constituents with the
loudest voice, even if it's anti-immigrant.

Let your voice be heard. Push your local lawmakers to support immigrant
rights by attending one of the town hall meetings.

Five things to say to your Elected Officials:

. While some individuals may be arguing an extremists anti- immigrant
position, the majority of Americans are welcoming to all walks of life and
do not support an anti-immigrant.

. Immigrants are our neighbors, our co-workers, our friends. Reactionary
policies that force them into the shadows haven't worked, and are not
consistent with our values. Those policies hurt all of us by encouraging
exploitation by unscrupulous employers and landlords. We support policies
that help immigrants contribute and participate fully in our society.

. Some propose that we disregard the importance of family unity in our
immigration system. But Americans agree that honoring family is a core
value, and one of the values that we most respect in others. Welcoming
newcomers but separating and splitting their families is contrary to who
we are as a nation.

. Anti-immigrant extremists are preventing a legal immigration system that
works and distracting us from addressing our real challenges on education,
health care and employment.

. We've tried the policies of isolation and division, and they don't work
for anybody. We need workable, inclusive policies that serve our entire
state, even as we push the federal government to fix our broken
immigration system.


--------10 of 15--------

From: Gabe Ormsby <gabeo [at] bitstream.net>
Subject: Amnesty Intl 1.26 7pm

Augustana Homes Seniors Group meets on Monday, January 26th, from 7:00 to
8:00 p.m. in the party room of the 1020 Building, 1020 E 17th Street,
Minneapolis. For more information contact Ardes Johnson at 612/378-1166 or
johns779 [at] tc.umn.edu.


--------11 of 15---------

From: Christine Frank <christinefrank [at] visi.com>
Subject: 3CTC/no burners! 1.26 7pm

WE ALL BREATHE THE SAME AIR:
WHY TWIN CITIANS OPPOSE INCINERATORS

The next 3CTC Environmental Forum is on local opposition to burners in the
Metro Area.  There will be two featured speakers-Joellen Cross and Nancy
Hone.  Cross was active against the Phillips Wood Burner and is author of
the pamphlet "Say NO to Air Pollution".  Hone is the coordinator of
Neighbors Against the Burner (NAB), the group that opposed the Rock-Tenn
incinerator located in St. Paul at I-94 & the Cretin/Vandalia Exits. They
will discuss their two struggles, how opposition was organized and the
outcomes.  The program will take place Monday, January 26th at 7:00 PM at
Mayday Books, 301 Cedar Avenue South on the West Bank, Minneapolis.

The forum is sponsored by the Climate Crisis Coalition of the Twin Cities.
It is free and open to the public.  It is preceded by the Clean-Energy
Vigil to Cool Down the Planet at 5:00 PM out on the Plaza outside of the
bookstore and the 3CTC Business Meeting at 6:00 PM.  All are welcome. For
more information, EMAIL:  christinefrank [at] visi.com or PHONE: 612-879-8937.
SAVE MOTHER EARTH!  SEE YOU THERE!


--------12 of 15--------

From: braun044 <braun044 [at] tc.umn.edu>
Subject: Iraq/Arnove 1.26 7pm

Public Forum
Iraq and Afghanistan:  The Case for Immediate U.S. Withdrawal
Speaker:  Anthony Arnove

January 26, 2009, 7:00 pm
St. Joan of Arc Church
4537 Third Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN

Anthony Arnove is the author of Iraq:  The Logic of Withdrawal and The
Essential Chomsky, and is editor of Iraq Under Siege: The Deadly Impact of
Sanctions and War.  He has appeared on many radio and television news and
talk programs and has been published in the Nation, the Financial Times, Z
magazine and many other publications.  Anthony Arnove will make the case
for why the US needs to withdraw from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

This is also an opportunity for people in the peace community to come
together to reaffirm our commitment to stop the wars and end the
occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan and bring all the troops home now.


--------13 of 15--------

Blood and soil: The price of Zionism
by Richard Broderick
Twin Cities daily Planet
Jan. 21, 2009 Minneapolis/St.Paul, MN

Richard Broderick is a co-founder of the MInnesota chapter of POETS
AGAINST WAR and a regular contributor of commentary to the Twin Cities
Daily Planet

Well, another Israeli "war" on the Palestinians, another shelling of UN
facilities where refugees fled to escape massacre, another round of brazen
excuses, another Palestinian government building reduced to rubble,
another round of craven U.S. politicians falling all over each other in
their rush to defend Israel's boundless "right to exist" - a right that
entails the destruction of another nation's existence - another
magnaminous Israeli truce that it will break whenever it feels like then
blame on its opponents.

By now it should be clear that this litany of war crimes and
rationalizations for those crimes are not a reaction to anything happening
in the moment. They are, unfortunately, the inevitable products of
Zionism, Israel's dominant ideology. Just as the Bush Administration's
embrace of preemptive war, torture, and disregard for the Constitution was
not a reaction to 9/11 but expressions of the Administration's philosophy,
so state-sponsored terror, lawlessness, massacre, death squads, and ethnic
cleansing are expressions of Zionism.

This should come as no surprise. Zionism was born of the late 19th century
ferment of politics, race, pseudo-science, imperialism, and rejection of
18th rationalism, a "Blood and Soil" fever that ultimately gave rise to
all of the fascist or semi-fascist movements of the 20th Century.

In Poland between the wars, Zionism took a toxic turn to the right when
its original goals were clarified and hardened by what came to be known as
Revised Zionism promoted by Ze'ev Jabotinsky and his followers.  Revised
Zionism called for the creation of a Greater Israel that would stretch
from Iraq in the east and into Southern Lebanon in the north.  Unabashed
admirers of Mussolini, the Jabotinsky sect took to wearing black shirts
and employing the fascist salute.

Many members of Zionist terror organizations like Irgun and the Stern Gang
- the folks who, incidentally, invented the car bomb - came from the
ranks of Jabotinsky's followers, including Menachem Begin and Yitzak
Shamir, the first two Likud Prime Ministers. The Likud Party, still one of
the dominant political forces in Israel today, is itself the direct heir
of Revised Zionism.

Fearing that the creation of a Jewish state would end up subsuming Jewish
identity, many Jews vigorously opposed the establishment of Israel,
ranging from prominent secular Jews like Albert Einstein to the Orthodox
wing of Judaism.

Over the past 60 years, Israel and its apologists have carried on a
cynical campaign to erase those misgivings, playing on the horror of the
Holocaust to silence critics within and without the Jewish community,
turning all concerns about Israel's crimes into evidence of Jewish
self-hatred or anti-Semitism, even though it could be argued that Zionism
betrays both the moral strivings of the Jewish people and the long history
of suffering of European Jewry.

Fortunately, this bullying propaganda campaign has never succeeded in
silencing Jewish opposition to Israeli crimes. It is heartening to see
that some of Zionism's fiercest critics are still Jews: Noam Chomsky and
Norman Finkelstein; Jewish Voices for Peace, the Israeli Committee Against
Home Demolition, the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network, and Peace
Now.

As for the rest of us non-Jewish Americans - why should we care about
any of this?

Good question. Israeli apologists repeatedly make the case that Israel is
signaled out for criticism, implying that this is so because of covert
anti-Semitism. The subtext of this argument is that, even if Israel is
subjecting the Palestinians to politicide, that oppression pales in
comparison to the horrors being committed elsewhere in the world - that
Gaza might be hell, but it certainly doesn't compare to the lower rings of
hell in places like the Congo or Burma or Sudan.

And it's true - Israel's crimes against humanity are not on a scale found
in some other parts of the world. But here's the difference. While you and
I and other American taxpayers are not underwriting the junta running
Burma, we are very much paying - through the nose - for the oppression,
degradation, and massacre of the Palestinians. We're also arming the
forces that carry out those abuses and offering critical political cover
for the government that orders those forces into action.

How much are we paying? Well, the $3 billion in direct U.S. aid to Israel
we keep hearing about is only a drop in the bucket to the real sum being
transferred from our pockets. A State Department report in the early 80s
estimated that the total value of all U.S. support for Israel was closer
to $20 billion a year if you count trade concessions, tax deductions
claimed by individuals and organizations contributing to Israel, loan
forgiveness and so on in addition to direct aid.

No one knows what that figure might be today, but it is safe to say that
it is far greater than $20 billion. Whatever the precise figure, one thing
is certain: What has happened and will go on happening in Gaza, Jerusalem
and the West Bank, what happened in southern Lebanon in 2006, in Jenin in
2001, and in the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps in 1982 could not take
place without our help.

In this moment when America has taken a huge step in redeeming its
shameful history of racial oppression, it is painful, indeed infuriating,
to consider the extent to which our nation's resources are being diverted
to serve the cause of an indelibly racist ideology in another part of the
world.

But that is precisely what is going on. It is time for all of us, Jews and
Gentiles alike, to stand up and repudiate not just the crimes of the Bush
Administration, but also the crimes of the Zionist movement. Time for us
all to stand up and say, "No. No more. Not in our name."

/Originally published 1/21/09/

Ground Zero <http://www.tcdailyplanet.net/blog/100> - Rich Broderick
teaches journalism, serves on the board of the Twin Cities Media Alliance,
and sometimes still finds time to write for the TC Daily Planet.


--------14 of 15--------

Date: Thu, 22 Jan 2009 13:42:45 -0600
From: Kip Sullivan <kiprs [at] usinternet.com>
Subject: Letter opposing MHSA

Here's a letter that was delivered to members of the Legislature
yesterday. It is from the co-chairs of the MN chapter of Physicians for a
National Health Program, the national organization of docs that supports
single-payer. The letter indicates PNHP opposes the Minnesota Health
Security Act. You're welcome to distribute it.
 - Kip


January 21, 2009
Dear Senator:

We are the co-chairs of the Minnesota chapter of Physicians for a National
Health Program (PNHP). Our chapter was formed in 2007 and now has more
than 200 MN physician members. At the national level, PNHP represents
15,000 doctors. As you may know, PNHP supports state and federal
legislation which establishes universal healthcare with a single-payer
system. In Minnesota, we strongly support the Minnesota Health Act (SF
118/HF 135).

The evidence indicates that only a single-payer system can reduce health
care costs without harming patients. Single-payer systems reduce costs
several ways, including bypassing the insurance company middleman and
thereby cutting administrative costs. Insurance companies have very high
administrative costs (typically 20 percent of expenditures) compared with
the administrative costs of public programs (Medicare's administrative
costs have been at 2 percent of expenditures for the last two decades).
Moreover, a system of hundreds of insurance companies imposes much higher
administrative costs on providers than a single-payer system does.

We are writing to notify you of a position PNHP-MN recently adopted. We
will no longer remain neutral about legislation that sends more tax
dollars to insurance companies. We will support legislation that expands
public health insurance programs only if the tax dollars that finance
those programs go directly from the state or federal agency to clinics,
hospitals and other providers. If the legislation requires that tax
dollars go first to insurance companies (which is the case for Minnesota's
Medical Assistance, General Assistance Medical Care, and MinnesotaCare
programs), we will oppose it.

Our new policy applies to the Minnesota Health Security Act (MHSA), a bill
that would insure all children by July 2010. While we support the goals of
the MHSA (universal coverage for children and comprehensive benefits) we
oppose the bill in its current form. We remain committed to single-payer
health care as the most efficient, equitable, and cost effective system of
universal coverage. Our concern with the MHSA is its preservation of the
wasteful practice of delivering tax dollars to insurance companies.  The
MHSA authorizes the Department of Human Services (DHS) to administer the
new program, and to determine whether the program will be a single-payer
program (that is, one in which DHS reimburses clinics and hospitals
directly) or a privatized, multiple-payer program (that is, one which
sends tax dollars to HMOs).

In the past we remained neutral about legislation which delivered more tax
dollars to insurance companies. We are changing that position for two
reasons. First, the health care crisis is worse than it has ever been, and
the economy is worse than it has been in decades. These conditions mean
fewer tax dollars are available, and more demands are being placed on
those dollars. We believe that in such an environment scarce dollars can
no longer be wasted on excessive administrative costs. Second, momentum
for health care reform is historically high. Minnesota is at a policy
crossroads. If we cannot find the resolve now to bypass the health
insurance middleman, we probably never will. If we decide now to funnel
even more tax dollars to the insurance industry, we are not only wasting
20 percent of each dollar, but we are deciding to strengthen the industry
most fervently committed to opposing a single-payer system.

We also encourage you to support legislation that removes the HMOs from
MinnesotaCare, Medical Assistance, and General Assistance Medical Care.
This will save the taxpayer at least 10 percent of the current cost of
these programs, and perhaps more. Given the large deficit facing the state
and the improbability of a tax increase, the "deprivatization" of these
programs may be the only means available to the state to generate
additional revenues for these programs. Obviously, we make this
recommendation for the same reason we oppose expanding existing
(privatized) public programs -- to cut costs. In the meantime, we will
continue to organize, advocate, and lobby for passage of the single-payer
Minnesota Health Act. We appreciate your support as well.

Sincerely,
Elizabeth Frost, MD and Ann Settgast, MD


--------15 of 15--------

 Move burners and dumps
 to country clubs. Watch the rich
 stall fall crawl sigh die.


----------------------------------------------------------------------------

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