Progressive Calendar 06.30.11
From: David Shove (shove001tc.umn.edu)
Date: Thu, 30 Jun 2011 16:13:20 -0700 (PDT)
             P R O G R E S S I V E   C A L E N D A R   06.30.11

1. Vs shutdown     6.30 5pm
2. AWC new mem     6.30 7pm

3. Ffunch ffunch   7.01 11:30am
4. Palestine vigil 7.01 4:15pm
5. ShutDown/RiseUp 7.01 5pm

6. CUAPB           7.02 1:30pm
7. Northtown vigil 7.02 2pm
8. Unions/DeLeon   7.02 7pm

--
Info on the Progressive Calendar

This will be the last PC to come from the present server/editor
(garnet/pine) at the UofM. It is going away at midnight tonight.

For a few months I will be on GopherMail, an old system the U will soon
bury. Meanwhile I have to learn it. We finally got the addressbook from
the old server to the newer one after much agony.

The newer server is pickier about addresses than the old one; it will be a
while till I can get the whole PC address list working. It's just chance
which works now. And it may (who knows?) be a lot harder to edit stuff in
Gophermail. Lots of questions.

Then some time in late summer (??) the U will finish converting ALL of its
previous servers to gmail as a way they say to save money in tight budget
times. So then there will be another learning curve.

-ds

--------1 of 8--------

Date: Wed, 29 Jun 2011 13:38:59 +0000 (UTC)
From: lydiahowell [at] comcast.net
Subject: Vs shutdown 6.30 5pm

Rally at the Capitol
@5 pm - the doors to the Capitol are LOCKED.

5-7 pm - speaker rally. People who will be hurt by a shutdown/social cuts
will speak, Money Outta Politics will speak, Vets for Peace Tom White, and
many other surprise speakers - people from ALL communities have been
invited to speak.  If your group has a message on FIGHTING BACK - please
call 612 492 1411, ASAP.

At 7 pm, AFSCME has the Capitol lawn. They will doing a ceremony @ 9 pm to
LIGHTS ON the Capitol. Bring a flashlight!

WE APPLIED TO THE CITY OF ST. PAUL FOR A CAMPING PERMIT for low-income
people who want to stay since ALL State parks will be closed. It was
denied. We feel this violates our free speech and freedom of assembly
rights as other organizations WERE granted permits. "Camp No State and/or
City Parks" will hopefully be established with lights and water available
until the shutdown ENDS, as we will file a lawsuit.

There is a website, shutdownriseup.org established to help people find
shutdown actions and rallies!  CONTACT: UScutMN [at] gmail.com Â

In Defense of Good Government

by MN State Senator John Marty June 28, 2011

Why does one need to write in defense of good government? Because right
wing politicians have vilified government. Under their relentless attacks,
government is portrayed as evil - something Grover Norquist wants to
reduce "to the size where I can drag it into the bathroom and drown it in
the bathtub."

Norquist is not an insignificant figure. He founded Americans for Tax
Reform, and is a key strategist behind the Republican Party attack on
government. This assault on government is not a compassionate attempt to
serve the public good. Norquist says, "Our goal is to inflict pain. It is
not good enough to win; it has to be a painful and devastating defeat....
It is like when the king would take his opponent's head and spike it on a
pole for everyone to see." Inflicting pain on others does not further the
values of democracy. Contrary to the public's desire for civility,
Norquist says, "We are trying to change the tones in the state capitals --
and turn them toward bitter nastiness and partisanship."

Here in Minnesota, and next door in Wisconsin, it is obvious how
successful Norquist and his allies have been in that battle. Let's step
back from that. I want to speak in defense of good government. In Abraham
Lincoln's words, our government was instituted "of the people, by the
people, and for the people." Government is not them. It is us. Government
is not inherently good or evil; it's how people choose to govern
themselves.

As society and the economy become more complex, we need government to
create the infrastructure to establish justice and to promote the general
welfare. In primitive societies, with smaller communities and simpler
lives, government was also much smaller. Food and necessities were
produced locally; labor was done by family or neighbors. There was no Wall
Street. No corporate boards made decisions affecting the lives of truly
anonymous workers and consumers. No need for air traffic control or a
pollution control agency. In our increasingly complex society, we need to
work together to give all children access to quality education, to ensure
that products we buy are safe, to pay for roads and bridges and public
safety, to protect the environment, and to help those who are sick and
vulnerable and unable to fend for themselves. It is through government
that we can effectively address these needs.

It is also, almost always, less expensive to do so collectively - it's far
cheaper to pay for a clean public water supply than to have each household
drill their own well, and test and purify their own water. Yet right-wing
politicians across the country have been signing Norquist's No New Taxes
pledge ; a pledge that allows no exceptions, whether for growing needs,
for emergencies, or natural disasters. Under the anti-tax ideology, if
children go hungry, that's tough. If bridges collapse, too bad. After the
35W bridge collapse, Governor Pawlenty supported a tax increase to fund
bridge construction needs (his spokesman explained, "Yes, it's accurate to
describe this as a breaking of the [no-tax] pledge," because of the
"extraordinary circumstances"). However, when pressure from the anti-tax
lobby became too strong, Pawlenty backed away. But the bridge collapse was
real, and the need to address transportation safety didn't disappear.

The only thing that changed was Pawlenty's decision to ignore the need in
favor of an ideological pledge against taxes. Meeting the needs of
society can be expensive. Back in 1941, the attack on Pearl Harbor did not
come at a convenient time for the United States. Our nation was still
struggling to recover from the Great Depression, and the federal
government had no financial capacity to fund World War II. Yet all
Americans sacrificed. In addition to the unmatched human sacrifice on the
battlefield, there was an incredible economic sacrifice that needed to be
paid for with higher taxes. Americans understood the need to work
collectively to stop the brutal fascism that was taking over the world. As
a nation, we pulled together to build a better future for the next
generation.

This is not a defense of all government. No one in the Minnesota
legislature has been more outspoken than I in criticizing inappropriate
spending, such as for corporate subsidies. No one has been more outspoken
in fighting against government intrusion into private lives and decisions
about whom one can marry. No one has been more outspoken against the
corruption of special interest money in politics and the need for
government reform.

I'm speaking out in defense of good government, which includes
criticism of bad, ineffective, and inappropriate government. But it also
requires defending that which government needs to do, even if it means
higher taxes. The people of Minnesota and our economy do better if we
invest in early childhood education. We all benefit if everyone has access
to preventive health care. We benefit if low-income workers have public
transportation to get to their jobs and quality childcare to watch their
children while they are at work. Failing to provide chemical dependency
treatment to prisoners makes us less safe when they have served their
time. Making college too expensive for students robs us all of their
potential. The right-wing assault on government has been so brutal that
there are times when few Democrats are willing to stand up and speak out.
The rhetoric of Democrats from President Obama on down focuses on the need
for cutting spending ( yes, some of that focus is on inappropriate
spending) but it feeds on the Republican frame that government is evil and
less spending is better.

A decade ago, even among DFLers, there were only a handful of votes
against the huge Minnesota income tax cuts that led to our current budget
crisis.

Republican legislative leaders say we are spending too much and we need to
cut back. Their budget makes deep cuts in services. But do we make
Minnesota a better place by cutting the funds needed for investigation of
child abuse? Or by denying health care to sick and disabled people? Much
of the growth in government comes, ironically, from our failure to invest
the funds needed to prevent those problems. If it requires more revenue to
meet those needs, we should raise taxes rather than accept those cuts.
When Republican legislators are voting, unanimously, for cruel cuts which
affect the most vulnerable people in society , and some of those same
politicians support tax increases for a publicly-funded stadium for a
billionaire team owner, it is time to speak out. There is no better
illustration that government is not inherently good or bad. I choose to
speak out, not only in criticism of bad  government, but also, in defense
of good government.

To the Point!  is published by the Apple Pie Alliance. Â
www.apple-pie.org . If you know others who would enjoy To the Point! ,
please forward this.


--------2 of 8--------

From: Meredith Aby <riot369 [at] gmail.com>
Subject: AWC new mem 6.30 7pm

There are a lot of events being organized this week around the government
shut down. For more information on these events check out the following
sites:
Invest in MN: www.investinmn.org
Concerned Citizens to stop the MN State Shutdown:
www.USuncutMN.blogspot.com
Shut Down, Rise Up! www.ShutDownRiseUp.org

Anti-War Committee New Members Meeting
Thursday, June 30th @ 7pm @ Diamonds Coffeeshop Meeting Room, 1618
Central Avenue Northeast, Minneapolis
It is now more important than ever for new members to join the Anti-War
Committee and stand together with us. Show the FBI we will NOT stop our
solidarity work and we will NOT be silenced. New members are always
welcome; we hope you can join us! Organized by the Anti-War Committee.


--------3 of 8--------

From: David Shove <shove001 [at] tc.umn.edu>
Subject: Ffunch ffunch 7.01 11:30am

Ffunch 7.01 11:30am

Meet the FFUNCH BUNCH!
11:30am-1pm
First Friday Lunch (FFUNCH) for progressives.
Informal political talk and hanging out.

Day By Day Cafe 477 W 7th Av St Paul.
Meet on the far south side.

Day By Day has soups, salads, sandwiches, and dangerous
apple pie; is close to downtown St Paul & on major bus lines


--------4 of 8--------

From: Eric Angell <eric-angell [at] riseup.net>
Subject: Palestine vigil 7.01 4:15pm

The weekly vigil for the liberation of Palestine continues at the
intersection of Snelling and Summit Aves in St. Paul. The Friday demo
starts at 4:15 and ends around 5:30. There are usually extra signs
available.


--------5 of 8--------

From: luce guillen-givins <luce [at] riseup.net>
Subject: Shut down/rise up! 7.01 5pm

We're converging under the banner of "Shut down, rise up!" to respond to
the Minnesota's expected government shutdown, and we'd like you to join
us.

Starting on *July 1st*, we'll be coming together in Powderhorn Park (3400
15th Ave S, Mpls) every evening to share resources, organize political
action, and build community. *A free meal will be provided starting at 5pm
every day,* followed by a general assembly. We'll also have music and fun!
Bring what you can and take what you need!

For more info, see: http://ShutDownRiseUp.org/
For updates, subscribe to our announcements list by sending an email to:
SDRU+subscribe [at] googlegroups.com
Check out our poster/pamphlet:
http://shutdownriseup.files.wordpress.com/2011/06/shutdownriseup-poster-print-low-res.pdf


--------6 of 8--------

From: Michelle Gross <mgresist [at] visi.com>
Subject: CUAPB 7.02 1:30pm

Meetings: Every Saturday at 1:30 p.m. at Walker Church, 3104 16th Avenue
South http://www.CUAPB.org

Communities United Against Police Brutality
3100 16th Avenue S
Minneapolis, MN 55407
Hotline 612-874-STOP (7867)


--------7 of 8--------

From: Vanka485 [at] aol.com
Subject: Northtown vigil 7.02 2pm

Peace vigil at Northtown (Old Hwy 10 & University Av), every Saturday
2-3pm


--------8 of 8--------

From: jtmiller jtmiller <jtmiller [at] minn.net>
Subject: Unions/DeLeon 7.02 7pm

Working Democracy Book Club:

"The Burning Question of Trade Unionism," by Daniel De Leon
Read and discuss this important speech delivered by De Leon in 1904,
whose lessons are even more applicable today.
http://www.marxists.org/archive/deleon/works/1904/040421.htm

Saturday, July 2, 2011 7:00 PM
Mayday Books 301 Cedar Ave S Minneapolis, MN 55454
612-333-4719

From: Tom Dooley <fellowcommoditydooley [at] gmail.com>

Class struggles everywhere; Greece, Portugal, Wisconsin, Ohio, Egypt
again, even general strike in Greece.
Stop in Sat eve at Mayday 7pm. Participate re strikes as the workers
weapon.

Food, drink, air cond.
FFI 612 333 4719
www.meetup.org/working-democracy


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   rhymes with clove         Progressive Calendar
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