Progressive Calendar 06.14.07
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


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