Progressive Calendar 06.14.07 | <– Date –> <– Thread –> |
From: David Shove (shove001tc.umn.edu) | |
Date: Thu, 14 Jun 2007 20:03:22 -0700 (PDT) |
P R O G R E S S I V E C A L E N D A R 06.14.07 impeach bush & cheney 1. Kids/education 6.15 8:30am 2. Support HAH 6.15 9:30am 3. Peace/food 6.15 2pm 4. Palestine vigil 6.15 4:30pm 5. Kristen Olson 6.15 6:30pm 6. Zine-a-thon 6.15 7pm 7. NOW/subdivide 6.15 8:30pm [check time] 8. RenewableEnergy 6.15-18 Custer WI 9. Juneteenth 6.16 10am 10. NWN4P Minnetonka 6.16 11am 11. Northtown vigil 6.16 2pm 12. Bike-in/Bell 6.16 2pm 13. Health care mess 6.16 9pm 14. Class workshop 6.17 9am 15. Viva Latinos 6.17 12noon 16. Love yer enemy 6.17 12:30pm 17. Stillwater vigil 6.17 1pm 18. Impact/act! 6.17 3pm 19. AI 6.17 3pm 20. Burma 6.17 4pm 21. KFAI/Indian 6.17 4pm 22. Immigration/KFAI 6.17 9pm 23. Mikael Rudolph - Impeach for peace 24. Glen Ford - Obama's Siren Song --------1 of 24-------- From: Human Rights Events Update <humanrts [at] umn.edu> Subject: Kids/education 6.15 8:30am 2007 Human Rights Law and Policy Conference Children Left Behind: A Child's Right to Education in the U.S. Friday, June 15, 2007 8:30 am - 4:30 pm Dorsey and Whitney LLP 50 South Sixth Street, 15th Floor Minneapolis, Minnesota Minnesota Advocates will host its fifth annual human rights law and policy conference, Children Left Behind: A Child's Right to Education in the United States. Children deserve equal access to a quality education without discrimination. The human right to education promotes a child's right to a quality education in a safe and respectful learning environment. When education assists children in recognizing their capabilities, they are able to reach their full potential and contribute to society. Prominent keynote speakers will discuss why addressing this issue as a right for all children is important, what the current state of education in the U.S. is, and how it measures up to international human rights standards for education. Expert panelists from a wide range of disciplines and backgrounds will address the barriers children face to accessing equal education, such as race, class, geography, disability, segregation, poverty, legislation and funding. They will also discuss strategies to eliminate inequity within the education system. A group of young adults will perform spoken word during lunch. Topics: Education as a Human Right The Current State of Education Identifying the Barriers to Accessing Education in the U.S. Addressing the Barriers to Equitable Access to Education Strategizing a Minnesota Response Panelists: Featured speakers include Mary Jo Brooks Hunter, Hamline University School of Law; Anne Carroll, St. Paul School Board Member; Peggy Flanagan, Minneapolis School Board Member; Amy J. Goetz, School Law Center; Baris Gumus-Dawes, Institute on Race and Poverty; Natela Jordan, Human Rights Center, University of Minnesota; Carlos Mariani, The Minnesota Minority Education Partnership; Joe Nathan, Center for School Change, University of Minnesota; Kathleen O'Donnell, Program Manager, Destination 2010, The Minneapolis Foundation; Ladan Yusef, Crossing Barriers. CLE, CEU and university credits will be applied for. Questions? Contact Julia Kashaeva: (612) 341-3302, ext. 127; jkashaeva [at] mnadvocates.org --------2 of 24-------- From: PRO826 [at] aol.com Subject: Support HAH 6.15 9:30am Help is needed to persuade others to attend the Minneapolis City Council meeting on Friday at 9:30am. Homeless Against Homelessness (HAH) has requested that I share this info with Greens and other progressives. The Panhandling proposal will be on the council agenda and for those who are opposed to penalizing the economically disadvantaged and "blaming the victim", please attend in support of economic justice. FFI: _www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us_ (http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us) Danene Provencher, Mound Subject: Support HAH 6.15 9:30am -- From: Mike Cavlan greenpartymike <ollamhfaery [at] earthlink.net> And while you are there, carry signs, T-shirts etc in support of Impeachment. --------3 of 24-------- From: Charles Underwood <charleyunderwood [at] hotmail.com> Subject: Peace/food 6.15 2pm Friday, 6/15, 2 to 7 pm, Community Celebration of Peace with free food, dance, intergenerational activities, Dunning Rec Center, 1221 Marshal Ave, St Paul. 651-222-0399. --------4 of 24-------- From: Charles Underwood <charleyunderwood [at] hotmail.com> Subject: Palestine vigil 6.15 4:30pm Friday, 6/15, 4:30 to 5:30 pm, vigil to end the occupation of Palestine, Snelling & Summit Aves, St Paul. Karen, 651-283-3495. --------5 of 24-------- From: Krisrose02 [at] aol.com Subject: Kristen Olson 6.15 6:30pm Friday!! Hope you are well and summer is treating you fine. It's been hot, and green, and just plain beautiful. Kerri and I are hoping to see you Friday. It's been a while, but we're back at the Smooth Grind in Roseville, rolling out some new songs, some old favorites, and planning on having a good time with good friends. It's air conditioned (!), there's free wifi (just in case you feel like computing), and super good coffee, sandwiches, banana chocolate chip muffins, and of course if you are there, the best company around! Come see us: Friday, June 15th 6:30 - 9:00 pm The Smooth Grind 2723 Lexington Ave N (651) 490-0490 (this is on Woodhill and Lexington one block north of Cty Rd C, next to the Oasis) Grant, Rose, Shelby, and Jenny will all make appearances (and we'll be singing Happy Birthday to Rose!!) with much love, Kristen and Kerri --------6 of 24-------- From: Arise!Bookstore <arise [at] arisebookstore.org> Subject: Zine-a-thon 6.15 7pm 24-hour Zine-a-thon! Friday, June 15th, 7pm Arise! Bookstore presents the 24hr Zine-a Thon as the kickoff event for this year's "Made From Scratch" DIY Summer series. Arrive at Arise! on Thursday June 14th at 7:00PM for a quick zine workshop from local zinester and coordinator of the Twin Cities Zinefest Gordon Byrd. After the workshop, participants will leave and create a zine to share with the group the next day, Friday June 15th at 7:00PM. Participants will be responsible for their own supplies. Gordon Byrd will also read from his zine Upwalls. Suggested donation $3-5. Arise! Bookstore 2441 Lyndale Ave. Minneapolis, MN 55405 www.arisebookstore.org --------7 of 24dx-------- From: t r u t h o u t <messenger [at] truthout.org> Subject: NOW/subdivide 6.15 8:30pm [check time] NOW | When Environmentalists, Developers and Activists Clash, Who Wins? http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/061307U.shtml In the 1970s and 1980s, land developer Gary Bradley worked to transform Austin, Texas's pristine hill country into lucrative residential subdivisions. When local residents learned of new plans to develop 4,000 acres over nearby Barton Creek, they rose up to stop Bradley and his partners in their tracks. On Friday, June 15, at 8:30 pm, NOW talks with filmmaker Laura Dunn about her documentary, "The Unforeseen," which captures the drama, passion and heartfelt convictions on all sides of the conflict without making easy targets of any of them. -------8 of 24------- From: Charles Underwood <charleyunderwood [at] hotmail.com> Subject: Renew energy fair 6.15-18 Custer WI 6/15 to 6/18, Midwest Renewable Energy Fair in Custer, WI. www.the-mrea.org/energy_fair.php --------9 of 24-------- From: Tom Cleland <tomcleland [at] comcast.net> Subject: Juneteenth 6.16 10am http://www.juneteenthminnesota.org/events.html Saturday, June 16 Juneteenth Parade 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. Parade starts at Penn Ave at 12th Avenue North Juneteenth Festival 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Theodore Wirth Park, Minneapolis Along Glenwood Avenue between Xerxes and Theodore Wirth Parkway --------10 of 24-------- From: Carole Rydberg <carydberg [at] comcast.net> Subject: NWN4P Minnetonka 6.16 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. Bring your own signs. --------11 of 24-------- From: Lennie <major18 [at] comcast.net> Subject: Northtown vigil 6.16 2pm Mounds View peace vigil EVERY SATURDAY from 2-3pm at the at the southeast corner of the intersection of Co. Hwy 10 and University Ave NE in Blaine, which is the northwest most corner of the Northtown Mall area. This is a MUCH better location. We'll have extra signs. Communities situated near the Northtown Mall include: Blaine, Mounds View, New Brighton, Roseville, Shoreview, Arden Hills, Spring Lake Park, Fridley, and Coon Rapids. For further information, email major18 [at] comcast.net or call Lennie at 763-717-9168 --------12 of 24-------- From: Shanai Matteson <matt0423 [at] umn.edu> Subject: Bike-in/Bell 6.16 2pm BIKE-IN AT THE BELL Saturday, June 16, 2pm-midnight Bell Museum courtyard 10 CHURCH ST SE MINNEAPOLIS $8, $5 if you ride your bike The third annual Bike-In at the Bell brings together bicycle enthusiasts, transportation advocates, environmental groups, artists, and community leaders for a celebration of people-powered transportation. Part community education fair, part family picnic, Bike-In at the Bell is a chance for adults and children to learn about how their transportation choices can positively impact their environment and community. Learn about local bike organizations and bike friendly businesses; find out how to navigate bike trails across the state; play fun, bike-themed carnival games; and decorate your bike for an art bike parade. These games, activities, and workshops will be followed by an evening program that will include a bike fashion show and an outdoor film screening. Link: http://www.bellmuseum.org/bike-in/index.html Shanai.Matteson [at] bellmuseum.org Phone 612/624-3808 Fax 612/626-7704 --------13 of 24-------- From: Lydia Howell <lhowell [at] visi.com> Subject: Health care mess 6.16 9pm Minneapolis Television Network (MTN 17) viewers: "Our World In Depth" cablecasts weekly on MTN Channel 17. Households with basic cable can watch. "Our World In Depth" is on Saturday at 9 pm and the following Tuesday at 8 am (as well as other times). 6/16 and 6/19 "The Health Care Mess" w/author and organizer with Physicians for a National Health Plan, Kip Sullivan. Hosted by Eric Angell. --------14 of 24-------- From: Lydia Howell <lhowell [at] visi.com> Subject: Class workshop 6.17 9am This is a chance (a CHEAP chance!) to get a workshop from a couple of women who've been working on class and social change for years. I highly recommend their work! It's a whole different aspect of diversity, and one that people rarely acknowledge. -Betsy CLASS MATTERS: Building Stronger Cross-Class Alliances A Workshop for Activists Sunday June 17th 9:00 am - 5:00 pm Hamline University, St. Paul, MN Movements for social change are stronger when people from more classes are involved. But while we may of the best intentions of creating class-diverse groups, if we live a class-segregated life and recruit from our social networks, we'll end up with members with roughly the same level of education and income as our own. Class is the elephant under the carpet in many social change groups. When we do manage to create a diverse coalition, misunderstandings, different ways of doing things, and different amounts of money and clout often tear the group apart. This workshop will open up this unspoken issue to talk about class differences and how we can bridge them to build stronger movements for social change. Facilitators: Betsy Leondar-Wright and Felice Yeskel Betsy Leondar-Wright grew up in a middle-class white-picket-fence suburb, but as a teenager moved into a mansion and went to prep school and Princeton. She has worked for economic justice for over 25 years, and has collaborated with activists across the entire class spectrum from homeless to ultra-rich. For 9 years she was the Communications Director at United for a Fair Economy. She co-authored UFE's book "The Color of Wealth: The Story Behind the U.S. Racial Wealth Divide." After noticing how often coalitions fracture along class lines, she began interviewing activists and thinkers about how to work better together across the class divide; these interviews formed the basis of her book "Class Matters: Cross-CLass Alliance Building for Middle-Class Activists." Currently she is researching how people tend to operate differently in social change meetings depending on race and class. She is on the Board of Class Action. Felice Yeskel grew up Jewish and working-class in New York City. At the age of 5 she traveled across New York to attend elementary school on 68th Street and Park Avenue, a very different neighborhood, where she first experienced the power of class differences. Felice is a Founder and the Executive Director of Class Action and Co-Founder of United for a Fair Economy. She is an educator and activist and the co- author of Economic Apartheid in America, a 2nd edition was published by The New Press in the fall of 2005. Suggested Fee: Free-$10 for low-income seniors, students and unemployed people $11-$25 for employed people $26+ for wealthy people Registration is REQUIRED. For More Info contact: Class Action at (413)585-9709 or email info [at] classism.org or register online at www.classism.org (register early, space is limited!) This workshop is co-sponsored by Class Action, Class Matters, and EdChange --------15 of 24-------- From: Pulse <Pulse [at] pulsetc.com> Subject: Viva Latinos 6.17 12noon Viva Latinos This Sunday, June 17, there will be a Latin Fiesta on Lake Street from noon to 8 p.m. There will be crafts, music and food on Lake Street between Bloomington and 14th Avenue in front of the Mercado Central. There will be two stages - one will be dedicated to the latest in Mexican music hits with Grupo Innovacion, Aliados de La Sierra and Los diamantes de Ojinaga flying in just for the festival, plus several other Mexican local bands. The other stage will be dedicated to Tropical Latin music such as Salsa and Reggaeton. --------16 of 24-------- From: Charles Underwood <charleyunderwood [at] hotmail.com> Subject: Love yer enemy 6.17 12:30pm Sunday, 6/17, 12:30 to 2 pm, Michael Luick-Thrams speaks on "Loving Your Enemy: Midwest Churches' Outreach to Germans during World War II" as part of ELCA's Peace with Justice Forum, Central Lutheran Church, 3rd Ave and 12th St, Mpls (near Mpls Convention Center). $7 lunch available, validated parking available at Central ramp on south side of church. dhilden [at] comcast.net --------17 of 24-------- From: scot b <earthmannow [at] comcast.net> Subject: Stillwater vigil 6.17 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 --------18 of 24-------- From: Lydia Howell <lhowell [at] visi.com> Subject: Impact/act! 6.17 3pm Sun, June 17, 3pm "Building Sustainable Alternatives: A Call to Action! IMPACT our World!" @Mayday Bookstore, 301 Cedar Ave.S. basement of hUB Bikes, West Bank, Minneapolis (612)333-4719 Come launch IMPACT's sustainability phase! Participate in monthly gatherings dedicated to forming a community that supports its participants. Decide on, plan, and take actions to create the better world we all desire. This will be a friendly gathering, so feel free to bring some food to be shared potluck-style. Also, bring a short list of possible actions and anyone who shares our common desire to create a better world. This is what democracy looks like! Events are FREE Please consider giving a donation to, or patronizing, our host: Mayday Bookstore IMPACT (Ideas to Mobilize People Against Corporate Tyranny) is a grassroots group of concerned citizens whose purpose is to raise awareness about the impact of corporations on our society, promote sustainable lifestyles, and mobilize ourselves and our communities to take cooperative action. We believe another world is possible: a world where people and the earth are more valued than profits! FFI: http://wmom.typepad.com/impact/ --------19 of 24-------- From: Gabe Ormsby <gabeo [at] bitstream.net> Subject: AI 6.17 3pm GROUP 37 JUNE MEETING REMINDER: SUNDAY, JUNE 17TH - 3 TO 5 P.M. Join us for our regular meeting on Sunday, June 17th, from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. The main focus of this meeting will be to plan approaches and future work for our Philippines sub-group. An escalating trend of extrajudicial killings in the Philippines is gaining international attention, and our group recently formed a sub-group to focus efforts on the Philippines. In our second hour, we will catch up with the work of our various sub-groups and other Amnesty International news and campaigns. Everyone is welcome, and refreshments will be provided. Location: Center for Victims of Torture, 717 E. River Rd. SE, Minneapolis (corner of E. River Rd. and Oak St.). Park on street or in the small lot behind the center (the Center is a house set back on a large lawn). A map and directions are available on-line: http://www.twincitiesamnesty.org/meetings.html --------20 of 24-------- From: Leslie Reindl <alteravista [at] earthlink.net> Subject: Burma 6.17 4pm Sunday, June 17, 4 pm: Honoring a 21st century hero: Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, on her 62nd birthday. Suu Kyi won the Nobel Peace Price in 1991 for her struggle for democracy against the military dictatorship of Burma. She is still under house arrest in Rangoon. Program includes "State of Fear," Frontline report of visits with Karen people along the Thai/Burma border and details of her house arrest and persecution of her family and supporters. Burma stories by Robert Fuller, who taught Suu Kyi in Ramgoon, reports by Burmese community in Twin Cities. Burmese desserts and beverages. Free. Centennial United Methodist Church, 1524 W. County Road C2 (corner of Snelling about a mile north of Highway 36), Roseville. FFI Don Hopkins, 651-628-9713. --------21 of 24-------- From: Chris Spotted Eagle <chris [at] spottedeagle.org> Subject: KFAI/Indian 6.17 4pm KFAI¹s Indian uprising for June 17, 2007 #218 Guest: TOM GOLDTOOTH, Diné (Navajo), Executive Director, Indigenous Environmental Network (nonprofit), www.ienearth.org. IEN is a network of grass-roots Indigenous Peoples empowering Indigenous Nations and communities towards sustainable livelihoods, demanding environmental justice and maintaining the Sacred Fire of cultural traditions. IEN is dependent on private foundations and individual donations but does not solicit for federal grants. From June 27 to July 1, the United States Social Forum, www.ussf2007.org, is being held in Atlanta, Georgia. ³People world-wide knows that another world is needed. The Social Forum movement believes that is possible. At the US Social Forum people from all over the country will gather to think about what kind of world is needed and how we can get there. The US Social Forum is a very special kind of gathering: one that has never taken place in this country up to now. It isn't a conference with an agenda and a program of events; it's a gathering whose participants produce our own agenda and our own programs.² A workshop at the US Social Forum, Indigenous Voices: A Plenary from the Heart of Mother Earth (June 29), is being co-moderated by GoldTooth. ³The Indigenous Peoples plenary will provide an understanding of the Indigenous identity as developed by their history, culture, spiritual relationship, treaties and inherent rights to their land. Speakers from Alaska, Hawaii and other areas of Turtle Island including the southeastern region, will provide an understanding of the impacts of colonization and neo-colonialism in the United States FFI on Plenaries, contact: heather [at] USSF2007.org. * * * * Indian Uprising a one-half hour Public & Cultural Affairs program is for and by Indigenous People broadcast each Sunday at 4:00 p.m. over KFAI 90.3 FM Minneapolis and 106.7 FM St. Paul. Producer and host is volunteer Chris Spotted Eagle. KFAI Fresh Air Radio is located at 1808 Riverside Avenue, Minneapolis MN 55454, 612-341-3144. www.kfai.org KFAI's website's "Program Archives² of current programs are available for two weeks. Programs can also be heard via KFAI's "live streaming" using RealAudio or MP3. Go to www.kfai.org and click "KFAI Live Streams." -------22 of 24------- From: Andy Driscoll <andy [at] driscollgroup.com> Subject: Immigration/KFAI 6.17 9pm COMING JUNE 17th @9:00 PM: Minnesota Immigration Matters featuring Humphrey Institute¹s Katherine Fennelly; Kim Hunter, Immigration Lawyer; journalists Abdi Aynte and Marco Fernández Landoni and others. KFAI is at 90.3 FM Minneapolis/106.7 St. Paul and streaming at KFAI.org. NOW ONLINE @KFAI.org <">http://www.kfai.org/node/2435> <http://www.kfai.org/node/2435> - A 2-HOUR DISCUSSION OF THE STATE OF TWIN CITIES AND MINNESOTA MEDIA. We explore the recent purchase of the Star Tribune by a private equity firm, the subsequent excision of 140 jobs there, and the rapid changes in the print news business from newsroom to press room, from classroom to neighborhood and constituent (ethnic) news organizations. All archived Truth to Tell programs here: <http://www.kfai.org/node/682>. Our shows can also be heard at TWIN CITIES DAILY PLANET Single-Payer Health Care <http://www.tcdailyplanet.net/node/4064> and the Central Corridor here: <http://www.tcdailyplanet.net/node/4265>, which will soon be televised by Saint Paul Neighborhood Network (SPNN). --------23 of 24-------- From: Impeach For Peace <minneapolis [at] impeachforpeace.org> Subject: My speech in front of 2 MPLS City Council members yesterday Hello friends, I [Mikael Rudolph] spoke at a Minneapolis mini-Town Hall meeting arranged by the local Green Party leadership which was attended by 2 of the 13 Minneapolis City Council members as well as 30-35 citizens and was recorded for airing on a local cable-access channel. We have one solid supporter on the council for impeachment and he says he thinks that there are 4 votes for an impeachment resolution at this point. On his advice we are going to try to set up a signature campaign in each of the wards over the next month and then hand DIY impeachment stacks to each City Council member that have come directly from their ward as well as commitments from business owners and other prominent local officials. This is all contingent upon getting more volunteer assistance, of course, as usual... Here is what I said as found here if you care to comment on our site: (http://impeachforpeace.org/impeach_bush_blog/?p=2151). Please remember that the more traffic to impeachment-related sites, the higher the Alexa rating. The higher the rating, the more additional traffic is drawn to it - all helping to raise the public awareness to the impeachment cause. Make a daily habit to click on: www.ImpeachforPeace.org (and other impeach sites listed in the right column on our face page) and read the latest impeachment-related news. If you want to use any or all of it if you get an opportunity to speak the truth to power, please do. These are our words, not mine: "I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend - what? Our borders from the Mexican terrorists? No. My political party, my staff?, tax breaks for the wealthiest and Profit margins for multi-national corporations? No. That oath is not even to defend and protect the citizens of this great nation. Article II Section 1 of the Constitution calls for the incoming President to swear on his honor to "preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States." All other public servants from Water Commissioner up through Congress and including the Vice President swear an oath that includes some version of committing "to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic". This includes members of city councils. Having sworn that oath, having given their word of honor, public officials such as members of the Minneapolis City Council are "under oath" for the duration of their terms of office. oath: A solemn, formal declaration or promise to fulfill a pledge, often calling upon God, a god, or that which is held most sacred or valuable by the swearer. To some for whom one's word and name in and of themselves are sacred - always being witnessed, as exemplified by the character of John Proctor in Arthur Miller's "The Crucible", which means "A severe test, as of patience or belief; a trial.", who simply had to lie to have his life spared from a witchhunt. Proctor did not lie, saying: "Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life!" and after saying that he was "not worth the dust on the feet" of those of such character that they were hung for standing on principle and telling the truth in full integrity, Proctor said "How may I live without my name?" That, my neighbors, is an oath. Article II, Section 4 of the Constitution states: The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors. The definition of "high crimes & misdemeanors" is under continual debate, but it seems to be generally agreed upon that if a crime is committed by a member of the executive branch, not able to be justifiably excepted on national security grounds, it by definition becomes a "high crime" as an abuse of authority, but criminal activity is not the only impeachable offense. Jon Roland of the Constitution Society wrote: "Holding a particular office of trust is not a right, but a privilege, and removal from such office is not a punishment." In other words, public office is a gift from the populace given daily. If no longer deserved, that gift should cease and that privilege should be revoked.. Roland went on to say: "the appropriate subject matter for an impeachment and removal proceeding is the full range of offenses against the Constitution and against the rights of persons committed by subordinate officials and their agents which have not been adequately investigated or remedied. It is interesting to note that this was written in January of 1999 concerning the merits of the impeachment trial which our previous President was undergoing. 1). The Supreme Court in Rosul v. George W. Bush ruled detainees were being wrongfully imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay Detention Center in Cuba. The Bush Administration's detainment policies and actions were ruled unconstitutional and illegal - in violation of Amendments V, VI &VII. The use of torture, legally justified by Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and thus condoned by President Bush and Vice President Cheney is an additional violation to the 8th Amendment. 2). The Supreme Court again in Hamdan v. Donald Rumsfeld, George W. Bush, et al.) ruled that the Military Commissions instituted by the Bush Administration violate the Universal Code of Military Justice and the Geneva Conventions to which we are bound by American law. Again, the Bush Administration's actions were found by the highest court of the land to be illegal and unconstitutional - violating Amendments V, VI, VII . 3). A Federal Court in NSA vs. ACLU found the NSA program of broad data-mining and warrantless wire-tapping of U.S. citizens illegal and unconstitutional - violating the Fourth Amendment. What do these three cases have in common other than the obvious? All programs have continued, having their names and definitions changed or modified like a gold ring in a pig's snout. Rep. Dennis Kucinich' (D-OH) bill to impeach Vice President Cheney, which just yesterday gained an 8th cosponsor, Maxine Waters of California - thank you very much! - focuses on the manipulation of pre-war intelligence, lying about WMDs, lying about a connection between Iraq & Al Qaeda, Saddaam/Osama, Saddaam/Osama , Saddaam/ Osama , Saddaam/Osama and lying about Iran posing an immediate and dire threat (Deja vu anyone?). An argument for impeachment could be made about the legality of this self-appointed Unitary Executive Bush's signing statements - more than all previous Presidents combined - thus largely taking upon himself the Constitutionally granted law-making authority which rightfully belongs to Congress. An argument could be made regarding possible criminal financial interactions with convicted felon Jack Abramoff, illegal profiteering by Cheney through Halliburton, Brown & Root, Bechtel and Blackwater and especially the compromising of our national security with the "outing" of Non-official Cover CIA agent Valerie Plame in an act of political retribution against her husband Joseph Wilson. It is not hyperbole to consider this bootless, cowardly action coming during wartime as possibly high treason for various members of this "all hat and no cattle" Connecticut Cowboy administration. All of these crimes & misdemeanors could and should bring down Bush as well as Cheney since Bush has done nothing to hold anyone in his criminal regime accountable - which he is duty-bound to do. Even if not convicted of any direct wrong doing himself, Bush could and should be impeached and removed from office for neglecting to hold those under him accountable in violation of his oath. Conversely, this President has bent over backwards shielding and protecting Karl Rove from legal liability in the Scooter Libby case and especially now in protecting Alberto Gonzales from justice being served for the Attorney General's politicizing of the Judicial Branch through wrongful firings of federal attorneys. The most common argument against impeachment is that if we impeach Bush, we'll get Cheney as President. Personally I fear impeaching Cheney might make Bush President, but actually nearly all resolutions of the hundreds passed or in process around the nation, including the one we are asking Councilman Gordon to bring forth for a vote on the Minneapolis City Council, call for the impeachment of both Cheney and Bush. The argument that such a resolution would be non-binding is specious as well. Since when are the opinions of the local citizenry as embodied by our local elected officials not of value? Grassroots politics, which this nation's ongoing health is deeply reliant upon, are all about speaking the truth to power upwards through the system which is what we are doing here today. Impeachment is not extreme. We are a nation of laws. No American is above the law, and those privileged to be granted the authority to lead should be held more stringently to the law, not less. Is it too late? Impeachment hearings against Richard Nixon began on May 9th, 1974. Nixon resigned on August 8th - less than 3 months later. Nixon was to be impeached for obstruction of justice, abuse of power and defiance of subpoenas. Anyone following the "Attorneygate" story recognizes the current parallels. When House Speaker Nancy Pelosi decreed impeachment to be "off the table" and said Democrats were "ready to govern", the nation - which had spoken clearly in the November mid-term election - was told to look forward to an end to the Iraq War, accountability for the Bush Administration and the passage of progressive domestic legislation to help so many damaged by this most atrocious administration. Instead, the corporate faction of the national Democrats just handed over a blank check to Bush's War. Modest yet decent gains such as a raise in the minimum wage only have come by making huge concessions to the corporate Republicans and to Bush's veto and signing statement threats. Democrats gambling on waiting out the Bush term and expecting another landslide win in '08 take heed: Yesterday's Los Angeles Times/ Bloomberg poll says just 27 percent of Americans approve of the way Congress is doing its job. Congress with Democrats in the majority of both Houses has lower approval ratings than President Bush. The possibility of at least the Senate returning to the GOP if not both Houses and the swearing in of President Fred Thompson, or whomever, is a real concern, not a nightmare fantasy. Democrats, when one party has shown strength and integrity in holding the other accountable historically, they have made gains in the next elections. This wishy-washy waiting game isn't working for you. In our appeals to the Minneapolis City Council over the past few months for passage of an impeachment resolution we received a broad spectrum of replies from those that could be bothered to respond to their constituents - about half of them. After multiple appeals and inquiries, Council member Lisa Goodman finally replied: "I'll make it simple for you. I do not have the time to reply to this set of questions or to chat about this on the phone about this issue." Others, including Council member Paul Ostrow, who believes that "this President may go down as the nation's worst" and also including Council members Betsy Hodges and Ralph Remington, see this federal issue as "outside of the pervue" of the council. The Minneapolis City Council, to their great credit, recently passed a "Bring the Troops Home" resolution 9-0 with 4 abstentions. Council members Gordon and Glidden are to be greatly commended for their every effort to make this happen and for "yay" votes on our behalf (applause). This resolution, apparently based upon the fact that constituents have family members "over there" and our tax dollars are continuing to fund this misguided and unwelcome occupation, leaving less for domestic needs, makes resoundingly clear that the City Council does indeed feel that federal policy - even foreign policy IS within their pervue. Council members Gordon and Glidden, thank you again for coming. I don't have family "over there", but it is MY Constitution, MY Bill of Rights, those are MY freedoms and MY liberties, that my father rode a Navy destroyer to the Phillipines in 1945 ready to defend, and many of your families gave blood for that are under comprehensive assault by these confirmed domestic enemies to the Constitution who took our White House by bloodless coupe d-etat in Florida in 2000 and extended their infestation of it in like manner in Ohio in 2004. An extremely dangerous precedent is being set. Lying to congress to initiate a war of aggression, an ongoing occupation for war- profiteers of a country 80% of whose citizens want us to leave, 50% of whom feel violence against American troops is justified, whose parliament has passed a resolution asking us to leave, suppression of the press and free speech, false news reports being generated from the White House and distributed despite a cease and desist order from a lower court - all of this is now permissible for any future President. The suspension of habeas corpus/due process, the very basis of the democratic ideal and dream since 1215 is in effect today. They are discussing - DISCUSSING - restoring it in Congress. Habeas corpus does not exist in America today. It is dead. What more do we need? If this President is not impeached, if this Vice President is not impeached, the impeachment clause should be lifted from the Constitution through Amendment. I am calling upon you as my proxie on my City Council to fulfill your oath - even if the vote would be 12-1 against impeachment, which it won't be. America desperately needs leaders at this time, this crucible in our nation's history. I am calling upon you to lead. The rest can follow or tell them on my behalf to get the hell out of our way. Justice must and will be served. Honor your oaths. --------24 of 24-------- A Knife in Our Heart Obama's Siren Song By GLEN FORD CounterPunch June 13, 2007 Barack Obama is the antithesis of Black Power, a man who promises with every word he speaks, with every nuance of phrase and body language, and through his voting record as a U.S. Senator, that he personifies the definitive end of black organized struggle in the United States - a unilateral surrender to white racism. This is his appeal to the white masses: that they will no longer be challenged to confront history, or to relinquish privilege in the present. Obama's siren song to African Americans is of an entirely different nature. He does not have to sing it; we provide the music, ourselves. The lyrics and melody are actually alien to Obama, but he has heard them off and on in his strange sojourn through life, and senses their power to sway us. He understands that most of us will demand nothing from him - not even elemental allegiance. His "black" flank, he knows, is covered, while his white "progressive" flank is neutralized and confused by black failure to recoil at his betrayals of the most basic elements of social democracy. The field is wide open to the greatest opportunist to emerge from melanin-rich ranks in the New Millennium. Obama has already cashed in on his "Race, but not really, Card" - to the tune of $25 million dollars in contributions in the first three months of this year, three-quarters of it from corporations. This does not happen by accident. Since setting foot in the U.S. Senate, Obama has directed his entire message machine to the task of convincing corporate America that he is a friend who can be counted on to leave the actual Power Game in their hands. One of his first votes was to transfer most class action suits to federal courts, where multi-billion-dollar companies found guilty of race, gender or general employee abuse are fined the equivalent of the millionaire CEO's latest weekend at the casinos in Monaco. In the process of taking class action suits out of state courts, where the penalties to offending corporations have historically been much harsher, Obama voted against an amendment to put a cap of 30 percent on credit card debt charges. A fraction of that multi-billion dollar gift to the most unproductive sector of the economy wound up in his campaign coffers. The alienated man from Kansas, Hawai'i, Indonesia and Harvard has not skipped a beat in his pursuit of Power Approval. He stood down while only California Senator Barbara Boxer stood up to challenge the theft of black voting rights in the 2004 election. He coddled American Manifest Destiny queen Condoleezza Rice and Bush Supreme Court nominees, while doing nothing - absolutely nothing - to materially aid Katrina victims. He has stuck like Crazy Glue to positions on the Iraq war and health care that are practically indistinguishable from Hillary Clinton's - and in no way threaten the military-industrial complex or health care-insurance industries. Obama vows to add 100,000 more troops to the U.S. aggression and occupation force, to be deployed...wherever his masters want them to go. Obama is a company man. He knows the language, the subtle and overt signals, and emits them like a beacon. Ruling circles have gotten the message, and that is why corporate media have made him a contender, and corporate billfolds have financed him. The "skinny kid" made his bones at the Democratic National Convention, in August, 2004, while he was still an Illinois senatorial candidate - a shoo-in against the hopeless and deranged black Republican Alan Keyes. Obama put all white fears to rest: "There is no white America. There is no black America. There is no Latino America. There is no Asian America. There is only the United States of America." Hallelujah! Therefore, there is no specific oppression of Black people in America (carried out by whites), and there is no Black polity worth paying attention to. Voila, the problem of centuries is solved! The litany of Obama's subsequent transgressions against the entirety of black struggle is too long to recount in this article, and can only be understood as methodical elements of a studied plan to eliminate race as a subject of debate in American political life. Obama is the NOT-Black candidate, who just looks black, and will absolve white folks - like a priest behind a screen - of historical, present, and future sins. He will integrate the mythical American narrative, washing it clean of real facts by his very presence and gleaming smile. He is happy. White folks are happy. Blacks are happy. Oh, happy days! In his journey to personal identity - dishonestly but expertly packaged for white and corporate audiences in his two books - Obama learned a salient and elemental fact of black life: we want recognition by the nation as a whole, and some connection to the national narrative. African Americans have claimed at least five U.S. presidents - Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson, Abraham Lincoln, Warren Harding, and Calvin Coolidge - as "soul brothers" in blood, alleging they have Black ancestors. It does not matter that none of them, including Lincoln, thought of black people as equals or even, in some cases, human. Such is the hunger. We at Black Agenda Report are not immune to the illness. While our team was operating out of Black Commentator, in 2003, Bruce Dixon and I discovered that Obama was listed as a member of the Democratic Leadership Council (DLC), the corporate-funded rightwing of the party, created by white southern Democrats (Bill Clinton, Al Gore) for the purpose of blunting black and labor influence in the party's affairs. Obama was at the time a national nobody, not ranked as a front-runner in the Illinois senatorial primary. We called him on his alleged affiliation with the DLC, which was posted for all to see. He claimed to know nothing about it - a transparent lie. But we gave the "brother" a pass, and engaged him in a dialogue. There followed a month-long series of interchanges in which Obama danced like Mr. Bojangles to get around the issues at hand. Was he a DLC Democrat, by affiliation or political affinity? Finally, tiring of the charade and the reflexive spin from Obama's mouth, Dixon and I compiled three questions to the wannabe senator, the answers to which would determine if he should be in the DLC and, therefore, unworthy of our support. Obama, a genius at double-speak, fudged all three, on the Iraq war, universal health care, and NAFTA/so-called free trade. We gave him a pass, and said he was clean, although both of us knew by then he was an inveterate liar and evader. He had actually flunked the "bright line" test. Neither of us wanted to be the ones to put a damper on an up-and-coming black star. We understood that our people didn't want crabs in the barrel, pulling brothers down, or the appearance of it. We apologize, to our people and to history. Since that time as a nobody, Obama has become a great presence that threatens the very fabric of black politics, having declared there is no such thing. At a recent gathering of black trade unionists who support the most left-wing social democratic agenda that is allowed in American political discourse, Obama was treated as a savior - despite the fact that his applause-filled speech endorsed almost none of the specific planks of black trade unionists. He had fudged again, and gotten away with it. No white man could pull it off, but Obama did, and entertained fans for an hour afterwards, taking pictures with folks who wanted to show their grandchildren that they had been in the presence of the next Black president. He is a knife in our heart. Glen Ford is executive editor of Black Agenda Report, where this piece appears. He can be contacted at glen.ford [at] blackagendareport.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------- - David Shove shove001 [at] tc.umn.edu rhymes with clove Progressive Calendar over 2225 subscribers as of 12.19.02 please send all messages in plain text no attachments To GO DIRECTLY to an item, eg --------8 of x-------- do a find on --8 impeach bush & cheney impeach bush & cheney impeach bush & cheney impeach bush & cheney
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