March 13th, 2014 Northbay Uprising Radio News

Tune in Thursdays 4 to 5pm (PST), online [link], and in the San Pablo Bay Area at 89.5FM KZCT [link], breaking the blockade of censorship, with research archives and verifiable sources!
Join the Community Journalist program, send news & info to [NorthbayMDS@gmail.com].

Know more with the Community Journalist's Notebook [link]!


Interview with
Rev. Edward Pinkney

Read documentation of the fascism suffered by the People of Benton Harbor in Michigan, here [link]
* Blogtalk Radio show, [Blogtalkradio.com/Rev-Pinkney]
* "Occupy the PGA!" [OccupyThePGA.wordpress.com]
* "NAACP: Burn Baby Burn! (your membership cards)" campaign
* BANCO [www.bhbanco.org]
* "Beware the Emergency Fiscal Manager: A cautionary tale from Benton Harbor, Michigan" [www.youtube.com/watch?v=5T-UXrv3N80]: (posted 2011-11-09) Rev. Edward Pinkney tells a gathering at Silicon Valley DeBug, "My city was taken over by a dictator." Michigan's Public Act 4 allows the state to send a non-elected appointee to take over a city, displacing the mayor and other officials. Pinkney traces the action to a struggle over lakefront land coveted by Whirlpool Corporation for commercial development. He warns, "The Emergency Financial Manager is coming to your town!" Rev. Pinkney's talk was sponsored by Silicon Valley DeBug, CHAM Deliverance Ministry, San Jose Silicon Valley NAACP, United Food and Commercial Workers Local 5 and UNITE-HERE Local 19


ACTION HEADLINES!
with articles researched for veracity, and archived for historical purposes, by participating Northbay MDS committees, each leading it's own section.

from the liaison group to the Solano Peace, Justice & Freedom Coalition [link]:
* Clergy, Veterans occupy Beale AFB, with 5 arrests [link]
* Peace and Justice organizer Medea Benjamin of San Francisco targeted for kidnapping and torture by USA-subsidized police in Egypt [link]

from the liaison group to the San Pablo Bay Ecological Preservation Association [link]:
* Benicia: "Rail plan opponents pack library" [beniciaheraldonline.com/rail-plan-opponents-pack-library]
* Letter to Prime Minister of Japan concerning 3rd Anniversary of the Fukushima nuclear disaster [link]
* "New Technique Allows Frequent Water Quality Monitoring For Suite of Pollutants" [link]
* ExxonMobil chief executive sues to stop fracking, citing concerns over property value of his home near fracking site [link]

from the San Pablo Bay Sovereignty think tank [link]:
* "Solano Community College District Celebrates 2.8MW of SunPower Solar Power Systems" [link]

from the  Committee to Defend Workers' Rights!
* San Francisco court workers harassed for union affiliation [link]
* "Bay Area adjunct professors organize to improve conditions for students, faculty" [link]

* SEIU 1021 calls out dishonesty of pension 'reformers': The following response by Tom Popenuck, SEIU 1021's North Coast regional vice president, and Lisa Maldonado, executive director of the North Bay Labor Council, appeared in Tuesday's Press Democrat (Santa Rosa), a monopolist newspaper (Read the full response at the "Press Democrat" newspaper, headlined "Close to Home: Chuck Reed's pension cuts bad for everyone" at [link]): "The Press Democrat's recent story on San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed's visit to Santa Rosa (“San Jose mayor Reed pitches pension changes,” Feb. 27 [link]) and the accompanying editorial (“The dangers of ignoring San Jose mayor,” March 2 [link]) simply regurgitate the same myths and mistruths the anti-pension crusaders have been propagating for the past five years. ...  But besides the manipulative dishonesty of the anti-pensioners, one has to ask if Reed's plan is good policy for our communities. Poverty among seniors is already a moral and humanitarian problem, but it also is a drag on the economy and requires local governments to spend more social services. ... So why would we support unnecessary, mean-spirited policies that end up hurting everyone? Instead we should be looking to increase retirement security policies that make for healthier communities and vibrant local economies."

* "Schools Industry Council: Hundreds discuss building workplace power, improving public education", 2014-03-11 from "1021 Newswire": On March 8, hundreds of classified employees of school districts from San Francisco to Sacramento to Santa Rosa flocked to Napa Valley College for the annual Schools Industry Council Summit. SEIU 1021 officers and staff leaders addressed the fights and struggles facing not only employees of public schools, but also 1021 members and public sector workers across the Bay Area.
Members discussed the victory of Proposition 30, the ongoing fight for adequate funding for all the services that make public schools successful, and new tensions that have sprung up among administration, districts, teachers and classified employees in these days of budget cuts and austerity measures.
Participants also heard about legislation, good and bad, to watch and advocate for or against in the coming months, as well as ways to bring these important issues to the attention of parents and other citizens in the community through personal social connections. They also took part in breakout sessions to discuss changes brought about by pension reform; the basics of contract negotiations; how to promote member engagement at the workplace; protecting health care benefits; and the new merit system for promotions.

"Help Raise Oakland Minimum Wage to $12.25 -
The Lift Up Oakland Campaign [LiftUpOakland.org], initiated by EBASE, ACCE, SEIU 1021, UNITE HERE 2850, UFCW Local 5, Bay Area ISO and others, aims to gather 30,000 signatures by the end of May to raise Oakland’s minimum wage to $12.25, with a measure on the November ballot, plus paid sick days and an automatic yearly cost of living adjustment, which would secure for the People of Oakland the highest minimum wage in the U.S., and an increase in local economic activity! Organizing a grassroots campaign to get it on the ballot and win the election builds a community-labor alliance that can fight for even more freedom for the People! Unions and community groups in San Francisco and Berkeley are also considering measures to raise the wage, but Oakland is taking the lead and we need your help to win.
For more information, contact [toddchretien@mac.com] of the Bay Area International Socialist Organization (ISO), who are Signature Gathering at Oakland's First Friday Art Walk, at their campaign tent on Telegraph near 25th Street. ISO adds, "We’ll have petitions, clip boards, buttons and campaign literature and we’ll pair you up with other activists to gather signatures, so don’t be shy. Drop by anytime between 4pm and 8pm!  Call 510-470-8036 for more information of if you have any trouble finding the tent."


from the "San Pablo Bay Sovereignty" think-tank:
* "Occupy the Farm rally in response to City Council decision March 12; Student and Community Groups rally against the decision of Albany City Council to approve development proposal on the Gill Tract Farm" [link]

from the committee to "Free 'em All!":
* Glenn Ford, innocent prisoner on death row at Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola, freed after 26 years (2014) [link]
* Save a life, Pardon Timothy Tyler -

Timothy Tyler, now 45 years old, was thrown in prison 22 years ago for selling a psychedelic to a friend who pressured him into it and happened to be a police informant. He's watched murderers and rapists leave prison while he has no chance of ever leaving, after being sentenced under a three-strike law for having prior marijuana arrests. Life sentences should only be distributed to violent offenders who are likely to harm others if released from prison. We should never have allowed our justice system to be bloated with nonviolent offenders. Clemency for Timothy, and Clemency for the other victims of the Drug War!
But there's hope! Obama has already pardoned 8 nonviolent drug offenders in his term. Obama has pardoned less prisoners than any other president in modern history, so let's be sure he hears how great of an injustice Timothy received. Timothy has more than paid any debt to society for his actions, 20 years after being thrown behind bars.
Sign the petition now [change.org/petitions/my-brother-was-sentenced-to-life-without-parole-for-a-nonviolent-drug-offense]. You really could save a life with two clicks.
---
message from Petition by Carrie Tyler of Las Vegas, NV:
My brother Timothy Tyler was just 25 years old when he was sentenced to die in prison for a nonviolent drug offense. He's watched murderers and rapists leave prison while he has no chance of ever leaving. He is now 45 years old and I want to bring him home.
Timothy was a young Grateful Dead fan, who in May of 1992, sold pot and LSD to a friend who turned out to be a police informant. He had never been to prison before, but a judge was forced to give him double life without the possiblity of parole because of two prior drug convictions — even though both those convictions resulted in probation.
Life without the possibility of parole means my brother will never have a chance to live outside of prison walls. It's effectively a death sentence.
Tim made mistakes when he was young, but after 22 years in prison, he has more than paid his debt to society. He is not a threat to anyone. He wasn't given a chance to get clean and sober to think about the damage he was doing to his life. They locked him up and threw away the key.
But there's hope.
In December, President Obama granted clemency to 8 nonviolent drug offenders who were serving mandatory sentences for crack cocaine. And the Department of Justice recently asked for Bar Associations throughout the country to send them more clemency petitions for nonviolent drug offenders.
It costs $25,000 per year to keep my non-violent brother in prison for a mistake he made more than 20 years ago.  So far, that is over half a million dollars.  Not only is that not justice, but it's a waste of money.
I need your help to show them that Americans think Timothy has paid his debt to society and shouldn't be housed in a cage at the expense of taxpayers anymore. He should be granted clemency. 

from the Committee for the Investigation of Civil & Human Rights abuse:
* "On a Random Day in the U.S. There Are More Than 66,000 Requests for Help Escaping Domestic Violence" [link]

from the Committee for the Study of Fascism's USA Fascism archive [link]:
Documenting the process of fascism in the homeland!
* Benton Harbor in Michigan, under an unelected fascist regime, faces voter intimidation by their sorry-excuse of a Mayor [link]
* Chevron attacks Pulitzer Cartoonist over web-video criticizing Chevron [link]
* State "Tea Party" Governors stand against private-donation "MoveOne" campaign for wider health-care, state lawsuit in Louisiana [link]
* "Understanding the Propaganda Campaign Against Public Education" [link]

* "Bringing Home the Big Bucks in the Public Sector", 2014-03-14 from "NewsWeek"[http://mag.newsweek.com/2014/03/14/bringing-home-big-bucks-public-sector.html]: The Center for Media and Democracy issued a report last month titled "EXPOSED: America's Highest Paid Government Workers.*" That asterisk is to draw attention to the fact that the big bucks do not go to civil servants, but to executives at companies that derive all or most of their revenue from taxpayers. ... Visit the Center for Media and Democracy at: "ALEC Exposed" [alecexposed.org/wiki/ALEC_Exposed], "PR Watch" [prwatch.org], "Source Watch" [sourcewatch.org/index.php/SourceWatch].
Given all the news these days about public sector pay, three important questions to answer are: Which jobs funded by tax dollars pay the most? How much do they pay? And who holds those jobs? Let's start with teachers. Average teacher pay last school year was under $57,000, but the highest-paid educator the taxpayers support earned $9.5 million last year. Those big bucks went to Nathaniel A. Davis, the chief executive officer and chairman of the board of K12 Inc., which runs virtual privatized schools for taxpayers. What of garbage removal, the stinky work of burly men whose wages Martin Luther King Jr. was trying to get modestly increased back in 1968 when he was murdered in Memphis? These days, you can haul in $7.7 million a year in garbage. That big payday went to David Steiner, CEO of Waste Management, who also owns about $59 million worth of stock in the company that contracts to pick up garbage for cities, towns and counties, but also has private-pay customers. And how about prison guards? Newspapers often run stories on how some guards rack up overtime to make more than $100,000 a year. But pay in this field can range as high as $6 million. That is what GEO Corporation paid CEO George Zoley in 2012. GEO operates jails and prisons with about 77,000 beds that, it boasts to shareholders, are occupied 96 percent of the time with inmates - adult and juvenile. These are but a few examples of how the privatization of local and state government services makes a few employees wildly rich. It is a very different set of facts from the meme that justified laws restricting the rights and pay of public sector workers in Michigan, Ohio, North Carolina, Wisconsin and other states where governors ran on a platform that public sector workers make too much money. Research by many scholars, notably Professor Paul C. Light of New York University and the Brookings Institution, has shown that privatization does not save taxpayer money. The total cost for federal contract employees averages twice that of what civil service workers cost; for military contractors, the figure is three times as much, Light showed from official pay data. Advocates for contract workers say they can be used on a temporary basis, making the long-term cost lower. But the data show the number of contract workers is growing, so while individuals may get laid off, more new ones get hired.
Evidence abounds that privatization has spawned abuse, fraud and waste, especially at companies paying the most. The for-profit education industry, for one, appears to be rife with fraud at every level, from kindergarten to college. The firm Davis heads, K12 Inc., has yet to show it is superior to public schools. In Kansas, the company's Lawrence Virtual High School posted a graduation rate last spring of 26.3 percent, compared to the 90.9 percent rate at the city's two public high schools. The local school board kicked out K12 management last month, but the company will collect its fee until June 30. Experienced teachers and education researchers, notably Diane Ravitch, have challenged its effectiveness and its secretive policies, including what it pays teachers and supervisors. Investors may also wonder about the firm. In the last four years K12 Inc. revenues, 86 percent of which come from taxpayers, grew more than three times faster than pretax profits, not a sign of financial health or skilled management. One hedge fund manager last fall called it a "horrible" company that fails investors and students. Given K12 Inc.'s management failures, why would any school board hire it? The answer may lie in its membership in the American Legislative Exchange Council, an association of self-proclaimed conservative state legislators who have an affinity for paying corporations to do taxpayer work. ...  These few examples, among many, raise a provocative question that taxpayers should put to their elected leaders: Why are we taxed to pay multimillion-dollar salaries to unaccountable executives for services that civil servants do for a fraction of the cost?

from the Committee for the Study of Fascism's World Fascism archive [link]:
* Fascism in the Republic of Honduras [link], a dictatorship created 2009 by USA which is worse than anything Cuba is claimed to have done... and this is not the only dictatorship created by the USA, as shown by the example of Haiti since the United States invasion and occupation of 2004, Colombia's death-squad regime subsidized by USA taxpayer dollars, and Mexico's Drug War fueled by our drug money, with each example showing the same process of fascism, featuring militerized police, capitalist militias and cocaine traffickers masquerading as politicians, with death-squads murdering thousands of so-called "leftists" every year!

* Celebrate 10 years of "Freedom" in Iraq!
From Haifa Zangana’s presentation to the European Parliament in Brussels, “US War Crimes: The Continuing Deterioration of Women’s Rights in Iraq”, 2014-01-29 [worldcantwait.net/index.php/features/iraq/8487-us-war-crimes-the-continuing-deterioration-of-women-s-rights-in-iraq]: “The regression in women’s situation is devastating. I will focus on violence in the public sphere and how it became so prominent that women have been forced to give up hard earned rights, such as employment, freedom of movement, abolition of polygamy, and the right to education and health services, seeking instead, protection for themselves and their families. The occupation of Iraq in 2003 left Iraqi women in a terrible state of regression on two interrelated levels. The first level is relevant to women as citizens in an environment that lacks guarantees and protection by a credible national criminal justice system embodying international standards. This subjects women as well as men to violations of their human rights. The second level is to do with gender-related violence in public which is particularly relevant during occupation, war and armed conflict, often providing the context for sexual abuse, rape, and trafficking of women and girls.”

* Ukraine: Target for fascist coup [link], containing links to articles, photographs, and analysis of the fascist political parties being aided by the USA State Dept.
Dmytro Yarosh, Deputy Secretary of the powerful National Defense and Security Council for the fascist government in western Ukraine, is the leader of the Right Sector militias, who were used by the USA State Department to kill "leftists", Russians, and other minorities within Ukraine's major cities during the coup against the democratically elected government of the more popular political parties. In a recent BBC video, Dmytro Yarosh said: “National-Socialist [Nazi] ideas are popular here. …
We want a clean nation, not like under Hitler, but a little bit like that.”
Confederate flags and fascist symbols go up in Kiev City Hall, February, 2014, during the coup, displayed by the victorious Svodoba Party (flag on the right, with the hand), originally the National Socialist "Nazi" Party of the Ukraine, re-founded during the 1990s, to show their recognition for support by an international network of fascist parties, including those that survived World War 2 in the USA:


UKRAINE WAR ALERT: Say NO to another U.S. war!
Urgent call for anti-war actions March 10 to March 17! The threat is real. Sanctions, war build up, warships with guided missiles to the Black Sea, F-15 fighter jets on Russia's border are dangerous provocations. Washington has recognized and committed more than $10 billion to an illegal fascist government that seized power from elected officials.
Actions large and small are urgently needed -- informational picket lines, visits to congressional offices, protests at media centers against war propaganda, vigils, and challenges to government officials.
Let's make our voices heard. No new U.S. war! Stop media lies about Ukraine!
Actions have begun across the entire USA, for the entire list (updated 2014-03-12), scroll below on this page. Already, in NEW YORK CITY, there will be a march from CNN to Fox News! Happening Friday, March 14, 5 pm to 6 pm, there is a rally at CNN (Broadway & 59th St) then a march down Broadway to FOX News (49th St. & 6th Ave.), giving Manhattan a little media trouble as they break the blockade of censorship! For updates, visit their Facebook event page [facebook.com/events/226160010906938].

From the respected "International Action Center", organizers of the action in New York and elsewhere:
"UKRAINE: What the media isn't telling you"
Corporate media have always lied about the reasons for war, from Vietnam and Iraq to Libya and Syria. If you turn on CNN or FOX News, read the New York Times or listen to NPR, you aren't getting the real story. Here are 10 things the U.S. corporate media won't tell you about what's happening in Ukraine.

1. Washington planned the coup in Ukraine.
U.S. State Department official Victoria Nuland was caught on tape plotting who would be the next head of Ukraine. She bragged that the U.S. had spent $5 billion funding the so-called democracy movement there. Senator John McCain went to Kiev, spoke at rallies and was photographed with the leader of the fascist Svoboda party. Neo-Nazi forces took over buildings and threw out the elected government in a coup d'etat, then passed new laws with no quorum in the parliament.

2. There has been no Russian invasion.
Washington officials have threatened Russia for "invading" Ukraine. It's a Big Lie meant to cover up U.S. involvement in the coup. Russia has a military base in Crimea, a predominately Russian ethnic area, and is legally allowed to station up to 25,000 troops in the country. Russia has said it may act to protect civilians if they are threatened by the neo-Nazis in Kiev. That is all.

3. The U.S. war buildup. 
The Navy has deployed the USS Truxton, a warship armed with guided missiles, to the Black Sea. Six F-15 fighter jets and 60 military personnel have been sent to Lithuania, in addition to those already stationed there. The U.S. and EU are imposing sanctions and travel bans on Russian officials. Politicians from Hillary Clinton to John McCain have compared Russian President Vladimir Putin to Hitler. When preparing for war, the U.S. always uses this bogus comparison to demonize leaders of opponent countries.

4. Neo-Nazis dominate the new government.
The openly racist, anti-Semitic and pro-Hitler Svoboda party is one of three major parties in the government. Svoboda led the street actions that forced elected President Yanukovych to flee. The Right Sector, armed fascists who have beaten opponents and vandalized public property, are now in charge of the military. Immediately after the coup, Ukraine's chief rabbi, Moshe Reuven Azman, urged Jews to flee Kiev. The government's first act was to ban the use of Russian and other minority languages. Opponents of the coup have been beaten, disappeared, or had their offices and homes vandalized and burned.

5. Coup leaders hired snipers to justify their takeover.
A leaked call between Estonian and European Union officials reveals that people behind the new government hired snipers to kill protesters and police in Kiev. President Yanukovych was blamed for the killings and this was used to justify the coup.

6. Wall Street and Big Oil want to control Ukraine - and Russia.
Oil and gas pipelines in Ukraine bring fuel from Russia to Europe. Big Oil wants to control the pipelines to cut the flow from Russia and hike their own profits. The U.S. has even offered the new government gas from dangerous fracking drilling here! Russia is the world's largest producer of gas, oil and industrial minerals. They want to break up Russia too. Wall Street would love to get its claws deeper into Ukraine and Russia - to drive up profits and push down wages for workers here and there.

7. NATO's drive to expand.
As part of the Western drive to dismantle Russia, the Pentagon wants to establish military bases on the Ukraine/Russia border. The U.S. dominated NATO alliance has expanded aggressively into eastern Europe in the past 20 years, adding 12 countries to its roster so far. U.S./ NATO forces continue to occupy Afghanistan to the south.

8. Billions for coup in Ukraine, cuts for food stamps in U.S.
In early February, Congress and the Obama administration agreed to cut SNAP food assistance benefits for hungry families by $8.7 billion, claiming there's no money. Yet just weeks later, they announced $10 billion in assistance to the neo-Nazis in Kiev. Secretary of State John Kerry personally delivered the first billion on March 4.

9. Power for the 1%, misery for workers.
The new regime has appointed wealthy oligarchs as governors of rebellious regions of Eastern Ukraine. It's also agreed to an IMF austerity plan drafted by Washington to cut workers' pensions, unemployment insurance and social programs - just like the cutbacks workers from Detroit to Greece face.

10. People across Ukraine are fighting back.
People in Eastern Ukraine and throughout the country are organizing against the coup. Some have taken over regional and city buildings and refused to hand them over to the new authorities. Others are marching on military bases and demanding that the troops not obey the commands of the neo-Nazis in Kiev. Some are calling on the Russian government to protect and assist them. The people of Ukraine remember well what Nazi rule was like during World War II, and they will not stand for it again.

Fight Fascism! Never Again!
NOT ANOTHER WAR!
Across the U.S., anti-war activists, low-wage workers and community members are beginning to mobilize to counter the latest U.S. war moves against Russia and express outrage at the campaign of disinformation emanating from Washington and corporate media outlets about recent events in Ukraine.
In response to a call to action from the International Action Center, actions are planned in more than a dozen cities, and we are learning about new events every day (see list below).
Many of these actions will also oppose the dangerous U.S. support and funding for extreme right-wing attacks and economic destabilization against elected governments in Venezuela and Syria. These are violations of international law and crimes against peace.
But more is urgently needed – informational picket lines, leafleting, visits to congressional offices, protests at media centers against war propaganda, vigils and challenges to government officials. Let's make our voices heard!
As the 15th anniversary of the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia and occupation of Kosovo approaches, there is growing anger that the U.S. government is giving $10 billion in loans to an unelected, right-wing regime in Kiev, while hungry children and families here are being told to get by with $8.9 billion in cuts to SNAP food assistance.
The provocative U.S. war moves against the people of Eastern Ukraine, Crimea and Russia include sanctions, sending warships with guided missiles to the Black Sea, and war games with F15 fighters on Russia's border. This, too, will cost billions of dollars that should be spent to bail out the city of Detroit, create jobs and fund schools.
Corporate media outlets such as CNN, Fox News and the New York Times have colluded with leaders in Washington to whip up a new Cold War sentiment against Russia, while covering up the U.S. role in the recent violent events in Ukraine.
Unmentioned by corporate media are the enormous U.S. financial and military interests at stake – from control of Ukraine's oil and gas pipelines connecting Russia with Western Europe, to the prospect of NATO military bases on Russia's western border.
The U.S. hand is clear in the opposition protests that unseated the elected government of Ukraine. Washington has trained, funded and given political support to an undemocratic movement rooted in the wealthy oligarchy, just as it is doing today in Venezuela. State Department officials were caught on tape plotting the February coup and bragging that the U.S. had already spent $5 billion to make it happen
Also censored from mainstream media coverage is the real character of the junta in Kiev, which is dominated by outright neo-Nazi movements such as the Svoboda party and Right Sector. Today these fascists are carrying out violent repression against leftists and other opponents of the coup. Their continued rule not only endangers Jewish, immigrant, LGBTQ and minority-language communities throughout Ukraine, but threatens to plunge the world into war.
WE NEED YOU! Join one of the protests below. If there's no activity yet in your area, call one and send the details to iacenter@iacenter.org. It can be as simple as distributing informational leaflets in your neighborhood or having a soapbox speak-out with a few friends on a busy street corner.
Join us! Educate, organize and protest. Let's stop the next U.S. war before it starts.
List of actions (as of 3/12/14)
* NEW YORK CITY: Fri, March 14, 5 pm rally at CNN, 10 Columbus Circle (Broadway & 59th St) 6 pm March down Broadway to FOX News, 49th St. & 6th Ave. [facebook.com/events/226160010906938]
* ATLANTA: No new U.S. war! Stop media lies about Ukraine - march on CNN Center. Details to come
* BALTIMORE: Sat, March 15, 12 noon at McKeldin Square (Pratt and Light streets), downtown Baltimore. For more info call [443-221-3775] [facebook.com/events/286862011469555/]
* BUFFALO, NY: Sat, March 15, 1:00 pm at Elmwood & Bidwell [facebook.com/events/1469256476623488/]
* DURHAM, NC: Fri, March 14, 5-6 pm at Brightleaf Square (corner of Gregson & Main Sts).
* HOUSTON, TEXAS: Thurs, March 13, 4-6 pm at Mickey Leland Federal Bldg (Smith Street at St. Joseph Parkway due to construction – 1919 Smith St.). Endorse / more info: [713-503-2633] [facebook.com/events/302477889900411/]. For daily updates: [facebook.com/events/765632556788433]
* LOS ANGELES: Fri, March 14, 5:30 pm at corner of Echo Park Ave & Sunset Blvd [facebook.com/events/1479540222265472]
* MINNEAPOLIS, MINN.: Sat, March 15, 12 noon at Mayday Plaza (3rd Street & Cedar Ave), West Bank, Minneapolis. More info, contact [612 522-1861] or [612 827-5364]
* OAKLAND, CALIF.: Mon, March 17, 4:30 pm at Oscar Grant Plaza  (14th & Broadway) [facebook.com/events/607827069300677]
* PHILADELPHIA: Tues, March 11, 4:30 pm at 15th & Market
* TUCSON, ARIZONA: Fri, March 14, 5:30 pm at the Federal Building downtown, then march to John McCain's office
* SAN DIEGO, CALIF.: Mon, March 17, 5-6:30 pm rally, at NBC Building
* BOSTON: Details to come soon! 
* ROCKFORD, IL: Details to come soon!

PLUS: Protest on Mon, March 24, 5 pm at United Nations (43 St & 1st Ave, NYC)
15th Anniversary of the U.S./NATO 78 day bombing of Yugoslavia! Demand ‘Not Another War! U.S. out of Ukraine & Balkans'!

Resources -
* Stay informed! Find more information on Ukraine and upcoming actions at [iacenter.org/]
* Variety of downloadable signs helpful for demonstrations: [iactucson.org/signs]
* UKRAINE: What the media isn't telling you [iacenter.org/ukraine/ukraine-1-031114/]
* United National Antiwar Coalition (UNAC) demands ‘U.S. hands off Ukraine and Venezuela’ [unacpeace.org/]
* Veterans for Peace - San Diego: ‘Preparing for war with Russia’ [sdvfp.org/preparing-for-war-with-russia/]
* Sara Flounders: ‘Why are Nazi & Confederate flags on display in Kiev?’ [iacenter.org/struggle/ukraine2--030514/]
* Glen Ford: ‘Hillary and other assorted barbarians at Russia’s gate’ [blackagendareport.com/content/hillary-and-other-assorted-barbarians-russia's-gate]
* Fred Goldstein: ‘U.S. whips up crisis over Crimea’ [workers.org/articles/2014/03/12/u-s-whips-crisis-crimea/]
* Ajamu Baraka: ‘Ukraine and the Pathology of the Liberal Worldview: An African American Perspective’ [counterpunch.org/2014/03/07/ukraine-and-the-pathology-of-the-liberal-worldview/]
* Transcript of leaked Victoria Nuland-Geoffrey Pyatt call [bbc.com/news/world-europe-26079957]
* Leak: Estonian FM says Maidan snipers were not Yanukovich's [dailykos.com/story/2014/03/05/1282285/--BREAKING-Leak-Estonian-PM-says-Maidan-snipers-were-not-Yanukovich-s]


No more invasions of the Middle East!
Take action now to prevent a war against the People of Syria, and take a stand against the USA's support for al Qaeda-affiliated militias who are killing minorities in Syria!
2014-03-14 message from the Syria Solidarity Movement [www.syriasolidaritymovement.org] [solidarity@syriasolidaritymovement.org]: As we approach the March 15 end of the third year of deadly conflict in Syria, some organizations are pushing for greater US intervention and escalation of the conflict. They have organized a concerted lobbying campaign in the halls of Congress along with public demonstrations and publicity. They are well funded and have professional lobbyists and marketing consultants.
We believe it is important to speak out and make clear that the people calling for more war and aggression are a MINORITY. They do not speak for the majority of Syrian and Arab Americans who want the conflict and bloodshed to end, not escalate.  They certainly do not speak for the majority of Americans who are sick of US wars and intervention.
We are launching a telephone campaign to the offices of influential House and Senate members over the coming week, starting Friday March 14 and continuing through to Friday March 21.
We invite you to join us and to phone several key members of Senate and House listed below,  as well as your own Representative and Senators.
We can politely but firmly ask such questions as:
* Why is the US continuing to spend our tax dollars to arm, train and pay Syrian rebels, effectively turning them into paid mercenaries?  
* Why are we allied with al-Qaeda and trying to force regime change on a secular government that has done no harm to the United States?
* Why don't we support UNCONDITIONAL negotiations, rather than demanding unacceptable conditions before the negotiations begin?
We have seen how in Libya the "no fly zone" and "humanitarian support" turned into unending violence and an attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission.  Let us express our strong opposition to this.
Please phone your own members of Congress and some of the key members listed below.
Choose your own points from the above or express your own viewpoint.
Peace in Syria depends on stopping foreign aggression and attacks. We can stop unnecessary, foolish, expensive and wasteful U.S. intervention!
KEY CONGRESSIONAL AND SENATE REPRESENTATIVES -
Name / Party / Chamber/ Committee / Phone / Legislative Aide to Talk with
* Frank Wolf (Va) / R / House / Religious Minorities / 202-225-5136 / Jill Shatzen
* Ann Eshoo (Ca) / D / House / Religious Minorities / 202-225-8104 / Hannah Murphy
* Robert Menendez (NJ) / D / Senate / Chair For Relations / 202-224-4744 / Patricia Enright
* Carl Levin (Mi) / D / Senate / Chair Armed Services / 202-224-6221 / Jack Danielson
* Tim Kaine (Va) / D / Senate / For Relations / 202-224-4024 / Mary Naylor
* Louis Gohmert (Tx) /  R / House / Christian /  202-225-3035 / Kimberly Willingham
* Elliot Engel (NY) / D / House / Ranking For Affairs / 202-225-2464 / Mira Resnick
* Bob Corker (Tenn) / R /  Senate / Vice Chair For Rels / 202-224-3344 / Laura Herzog
* Ed Royce (Ca) / R / House / Chair For Affairs / 202-225-4111 / Chelsea Wilson
* Howard "Buck" McKeon (Ca) / R / House / Ranking Armed Services / 202-225-1956 / Ashley Schapitl


ACTION CALENDER!

Fracking in California: Can We Still Be a Climate Leader? 
Friday, March 14, 7:00 - 9:00 PM
Sierra Club SF Bay Chapter, 2530 San Pablo Avenue, Berkeley
Fracking and acidizing, techniques that the oil industry wants to greatly expand in California, pose major risks to the water we drink, the air we breathe, our climate, and our future. They could drive California backwards instead of forwards as the climate leader. We will discuss efforts to stop fracking including state legislation, local initiatives, rallies, demonstrations, and bird-dogging Gov. Brown.
Presenters will be from the Bay Chapter's "Don't Frack California" team.
Cost:  $3 suggested donation.


Low-Wage America Fights Back! public meeting 
Saturday, March 15 at 5:30pm
at the Oakland Peace Center [111 Fairmont Avenue, Oakland]
Sponsored by the ISO, contact [laney@norcalsocialism.org]
Please RSVP and INVITE YOUR FRIENDS at: [facebook.com/events/692263160836441]
Featured speakers (organizations listed for identification purposes only) :
* Trish Kahle – Kahle is a Whole Foods worker, currently involved in the struggle for a Whole Foods cashier who was fired for taking a day off to care for her special needs son when schools were closed due to extreme cold, and part of the Workers Organizing Committee of Chicago. Read her story here: [socialistworker.org/2014/02/05/whole-foods-doesnt-care]
* Pamela Davis - Davis is a former Walmart worker who was fired from the Richmond Walmart for joining an Unfair Labor Practices strike in 2013, and a leader of OUR Walmart in the Bay Area. Read her story here: [labornotes.org/2013/09/hundred-arrested-protesting-walmart-firings]
*  Jason Hughes – Fired from McDonalds for taking part in a strike in the summer of 2013, and now a leader in the low-wage workers fight. Read his story here: [alternet.org/activism/fast-food-national-day-action-calls-strikes-100-cities]
*  And more TBA!
And, join us before the public meeting to hit the streets to gather signatures to get $12.25 on the ballot.
Saturday, March 15 at the SEIU 1021 Union Hall! Meet at 100 Oak Street
in Oakland from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm! Hosted by SEIU 1021 or at Oscar Grant Plaza in front of Oakland City Hall at 2pm.


Hear and see Reverend Pinkney March 15 in LA and March16 in San Jose!
FIGHTING FOR OUR FREEDOM,
Lessons for California from Benton Harbor, Michigan,
Confronting Corporate Power and the Police State
Special San Jose Appearance of Rev. Edward Pinkney
5 PM Sunday, March 16, 2014
African American Center, Sixth and Julian Street, San Jose
Sponsored by: CHAM Deliverance Ministry, Benefit for the People’s Tribune

Reverend Edward Pinkney of Benton Harbor, MI: Confronting corporate power and the police state -
Rev. Edward Pinkney is a minister in the forefront of the struggle against corporate power and the police state in Benton Harbor, Michigan. He is founder of the Black Autonomy Network Community Outreach (BANCO). BANCO works to defend the poor against corporate power, and to reform the court system in Benton Harbor, a town with 70% unemployment and more people in prison per capita than anywhere in the world. Community struggles involve those against racial profiling, police abuse and unsolved murders of Black residents. In addition, in Benton Harbor, as in many other cities in America, peaceful protests are surrounded with police in riot gear. The police videotape and take pictures of participants as a means of intimidation.  Now the county has acquired a vehicle with extraordinary military power. This 20-ton armored vehicle can be used for “terrorist-type attacks.” It is odd that Berrien County, an unlikely place for a national terrorist attack, would seek such a monolithic machine.
Whirlpool is the main corporation that runs Benton Harbor and that influences the city’s decisions. Once a thriving industrial town, today, the Whirlpool corporation is leading a redevelopment effort which is taking over lakefront property deeded to the city, and is displacing the largely jobless community. The plan is to privatize all of Benton Harbor’s 16 parks and outsource all remaining land that Whirlpool does not control. The main parks they want have waterway access which will be part of the effort to turn Benton Harbor into a vacation land for the rich.
More recently, the struggle against Whirlpool has taken the form of resisting an undemocratic state law that put an Emergency Financial Manager (EFM) in charge of Benton Harbor (and other cities in Michigan). The EFM has dictatorial powers and has stripped elected officials of all authority for running the city. This struggle has been documented on the Rachel Maddow television program on MSNBC. 
Some years ago, the community exercised their democratic rights in a recall election of a city commissioner backed by the Whirlpool Corporation. After a successful recall election, Rev. Pinkney was arrested for "vote fraud" and convicted by an all-white jury. He later had his probation revoked and was sentenced to 3-10 years for quoting the Biblical admonition from Deuteronomy that "God will punish those who act unjustly against others" in the People's Tribune, a national newspaper based in Chicago. He served almost one year in prison for that charge. A victory for free speech was won when the Michigan Appellate Court overturned this ruling.
Rev. Pinkney travels the country speaking at many venues, including Cornell University, Michigan State University, Michigan University, Washington State University, Western Michigan University, Wayne State University, Laney College in Oakland, California, U.S. Social Forum, Left forum, and many other venues.
For more information please contact Speakers for a New America at 800-691-6888 or email info@speakersforanewamerica.com.


Engaged Faith: An Update from Haitian Fr. Didi Horace
with translation by Pierre Labossiere
date              Friday, 4/4/14
time              7 PM
where           Newman Hall/ Holy Spirit Parish
                     2700 Dwight Way
                     Berkeley
admission        Free
information  510-482-1062
 Newman Nonviolent Peacemakers and the Fr. Bill O’Donnell Social Justice Committee welcome Fr. Didi and Pierre as we strive with them to rekindle the faith community’s engagement with Haiti. Free will donations to HERF will be gratefully accepted.
Many of us are familiar with “the too painful to look at” facts about Haiti: 10 years after the coup which ended the reforms of the Aristide government; four years following the earthquake which killed hundreds of thousands; the cholera epidemic carried to Haiti by UN ‘Peacekeepers;’ billions of dollars on non-disbursed foreign aid with billions more unaccounted for; luxury hotels built to promote tourism while sweatshops provide the only labor for the hundreds of thousands of Haitians still living in tent camps.
We are less familiar with the community-driven responses to these realities exemplified by the parishioners of native born Father Didi Horace. As Superior of Voluntas Dei, Haiti, he oversees its seven missions in largely rural areas of Haiti with one in Port au Prince. Each mission includes a school which also provides for the nutritional and healthcare needs of its students, some of whom walk four miles daily to attend. His ministry brings him in daily contact with both the issues of everyday life confronting rural and urban life and church-based initiatives to address them. Fr. Horace is visiting the Bay Area for the first time.
Pierre Labossiere [Co-founder of the Haiti Action Committee; Haiti Emergency Relief Fund (HERF); Haiti Committee, East Bay Sanctuary Covenant] is very familiarproviding tangible support to the Haitian poor who have been largely ignored. Besides direct aid (food, clean water systems, medical supplies) HERF funds schools, mobile health clinics staffed by visiting US medical teams, and micro loans for everything from local food production to worker cooperatives. Pierre will translate Fr. Didi’s presentation.


Miss Alameda's Resilience Climate Change Expedition, with Recycle Woman!
March 15, 2014

Jessica Robinson, also known as Miss Alameda, is an environmental advocate and producer. For over two years Jessica has been working on a mini documentary about Climate Change for Al Gore's Climate Reality Project, conducting interviews with experts in the field of sustainability and climate change. Among them Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom, Mayor of Alameda, Marie Gilmore, and many more. The documentary is focusing on how the community can leverage grass roots efforts to help address and solve climate change in order to make the proper behavior changes. Be part of this exciting documentary and join Miss Alameda on her new expedition!
$25 for the Entire Day which includes film, snacks, tours, lunch and panel discussion!
$15 student discount
BUY YOUR TICKETS NOW!
Any questions, email Miss Alameda @ jessicajanerobinson@gmail.com
Both part 1 and 2 of Miss Alameda's documentaries will create her complete Climate Change Expedition. The expedition will highlight the infrastructure we have in the Bay Area and how Zero Waste is one of the tools we have to stop Climate Change. The documentaries will be filmed and released on the web, youtube,and you can be part of it ClimateRealityProject.org and other websites.

SCHEDULE
Saturday March 15, 9:00- 6:00
8:30am Check In: 2218 South Shore Center, Alameda
9:00- 11:00am Screening: Trashed with (Jeremey Irons)
Morning snacks and coffee provided.
11:00- 12:00 Tour South Shore Center Diversion Program
Lunch Provided
12:00- 4:00 Bay Area Green Tours Zero Waste Tour of El Cerrito Recyling Center, Berkeley Transfer Station and Urban Ore.
4:00-5:00 Panel Discussion with experts on zero waste and climate change.
5:00-6:30 Optional Tour of restaurant & Dinner $25 at the Trabocco Restaurant


Detroit: The Rise and Fall of a Labor/Black Stronghold
Saturday, March 15, 4:30 - 6:30 PM
at the Humanist Hall, 390 27th St., Oakland (Near 19th St. BART. Additional parking in back, near 411 28th St.
Speaker with discussion period.
$2 donation requested.
presented by the Spartacist League [slbayarea@fastmail.net], [510-839-0851]
Co-sponsored by Labor Black League for Social Defense, "For Black Liberation Through Socialist Revolution!"


Show support for Napa city's resolution calling on the state and federal governments to...
Label Genetically Engineered Foods!
When: Wednesday March 19th at 4:00 PM.
Where: The Community Room attached to the McCarthy Library at Napa Valley College (Parking is $2).
The Napa County Local Food Advisory Committee advises the Napa County Board of Supervisors on food-related matters and took up this issue. A subcommittee was formed to suggest language in support of GE food labeling, and this recommendation will be voted upon by the Food Council as a whole and hopefully the Board of Supervisors and City Council.  This Food Council vote is very important, since the Board of Supervisors will likely follow its recommendation, so we hope that anyone who can attend the meeting will do so and speak in support. (This issue is timely as our own state senator, Noreen Evans, is in the process of carrying a state bill, SB1381, to label genetically engineered foods in California in our state legislature.)
We hope to see and hear from a lot of supporters on March 19th!---
Suggested Language to Be Voted Upon on March 19th:
Napa County Local Food Advisory Council (NCLFAC) Recommendation to Support Mandatory Labeling of Genetically Engineered (GE) Food Products -
Whereas, food is a fundamental necessity for human life, and individuals and families have the right to choose the foods they consume, and
Whereas, consumers have the right to receive accurate and thorough information about the products they eat and feed to their families, and
Whereas, many processed foods that are commonly sold in grocery stores contain genetically engineered (GE) ingredients, and neither pre-market safety testing nor labeling is mandatory, and
Whereas, NCLFAC places a high value on consumers who are informed, and the labeling of GE foods would allow consumers to choose for themselves whether or not they purchase and eat them.
Therefore be it resolved that the Napa County Local Food Advisory Council recommends that the Napa County Board of Supervisors declare support for passing federal and state regulations requiring labeling of all foods that are developed through genetic engineering or include genetically engineered ingredients in their manufacture, and
Be it further resolved that the Napa County Board of Supervisors express this support to the Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, our United States Congressional Representatives, the President of the United States, our State Senate and State Assembly Representatives, and the Office of the Governor.


*"Decolonizing Permaculture"*
Planting Justice is hosting Adam Brock from Grow Haus [http://www.thegrowhaus.com/] and the Denver Permaculture Guild
@ Impact Hub Oakland
on Wednesday the 19th, 6-8 pm.
An interactive workshop around how to align the permaculture movement with the struggle for collective liberation with lessons from IPC Cuba, Denver Permaculture Guild and a Permaculture pattern language that Adam has been developing.
Tickets are on sale, $5-$10 sliding scale @ Tickets and Info [http://fundraise.plantingjustice.org/oakland/events/decolonizing-permaculture-interactive-workshop-adam-brock/e31775]. Only 35 spots so please buy a ticket ahead of time!! It's going to be a great night!
Facebook event: Decolonizing Permaculture Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/events/631466276925849].
Big ups to the persyn who helped send out the word, Wiley Rogers, Media Wizard | Planting Justice [wileyrogers@gmail.com], who says "!Doyourthing! !EverybodyHappy!"


Peter Dale Scott : Deep Politics, Dark Events
Saturday, March 19, 7:30 PM
Hillside Club, 2286 Cedar Street, Berkeley
Hosted by Bonnie Faulkner

Peter Dale Scott, a former Canadian diplomat and professor emeritus at U.C. Berkeley, is a leading political analyst and highly regarded poet. Scott's latest book is American War Machine... Deep Politics, the CIA, Global Drug Connection, and the Road to Afghanistan.
$12 advance tickets: brownpapertickets.com :: 800-838-3006 or Pegasus (3 locations), Marcus Books, Moe's, Walden Pond, Diesel a Bookstore, Mrs. Dalloway's Books, SF: Modern Times
$15 door


Anonymous Internet Communication (The People vs. NSA, et al.)
Sunday, March 16, 2014 - 10:30 am to 12:30 pm
at NPML [6501 Telegraph Ave. Oakland, CA 94609] [marxistlibr.org] [510-595-7417]
It’s no secret that the NSA was and is secretly spying on people here at home and around the globe.  The justification given for this activity is that it can prevent terrorism and crime. There are challenges to NSA surveillance pending in the courts and in congress, based on the First and Fourth Amendments.
While we wait for Congress or the courts to do something, we can right now actively protect our individual privacy, using freely available technical tools and best practices.  Mr. Keith Davis, a recently retired software engineer specializing in business security software, will discuss these tools and how to use them.  He will provide specific strategies, including technical details about Message Encryption, Virtual Private Networks (VPN), The Onion Ring (TOR), Firewalls, UseNet, Bitcoin, Bitmessage and others.
Mr. Davis will discuss the motivations for Internet Anonymity and the different levels of privacy that can be obtained (with corresponding effort and/or technical expertise).  He also will provide caveats and warnings associated with the use of privacy tools and practices.  There will be a Q&A and discussion period following the presentation.


"Viva Venezuela: Fighting for Socialism" Film Showing
March 19, 7:00 pm
at 2969 Mission St. at 26th St., San Francisco, near 24th St. BART; #14, 49 MUNI
Contact: ANSWER Coalition at answer@answersf.org or 415-821-6545

Today, although the right-wing of Venezuela, backed by the U.S., is trying to undermine the Venezuelan revolution, this film conveys that the people who support the revolutionary government, are fighting to build a better society for all Venezuelans without the private economic dictatorships seen elsewhere in the Americas.
This inspirational new documentary was filmed in the streets, barrios, universities and workplaces of Caracas during mobilizations for the 2012 presidential elections. It gives a voice to the activists, students and workers working to build a collective, socialist society through the Bolivarian Revolution. (Spanish with English subtitles, 71 min.)


Remembering Iraq 11 Years Later: Then and Now!
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
at the First Unitarian Universalist Church & Center - MLK Room
1187 Franklin St, San Francisco, CA 94109
RSVP for the event! [http://calendar-codepink.nationbuilder.com/60200/remembering_iraq_11_years_later_then_and_now]
In Justice & Accountability, Witness Iraq, and the Peace and Justice Committee of the Unitarian Universalist Church in SF will hold a panel discussion to commemorate the 11th year anniversary of the war on Iraq titled “Remembering Iraq 11 Years Later: Then and Now.”
The panel is meant to be an evening of remembering Iraq before, during and after the war and how the current day struggles of Iraqis, inside and outside of the country, continue whether in the form of surviving the violent attacks in the country or surviving life in foreign lands.
A CODEPINK organizer and Iraqi refugee, Farah Muhsin Al Mousawi, will moderate the discussion.
Panelists include:
• Inder Comar of Comar Law, a San Francisco attorney representing Sundus Shaker Saleh, an Iraqi refugee and the lead plaintiff in the class action lawsuit against key members of the George W. Bush Administration (Saleh v. Bush)
• Aaron Hughes, an Iraq War veteran, artist and activists who is actively involved Warrior Writers Project, The Dirty Canteen, The National Veterans Art Museum, Iraq Veterans Against the War, and The Center for Artistic Activism
 • Zaid Faransso, an Iraqi refugee and former medical resident at Baghdad’s Medical City