Labor Power! Reasons to Fight for Human Rights!

"BART WORKERS -- I Cant Believe There Is Not A Strike Committee! and other things I found out at the Saturday, Sept 21 ATU community outreach event" 
2013-09-22 message of solidarity from Charles DuBois [510-830-9494]:
First off, thank you to the cooks and other organizers and workers who tended to the food and other thankless but needed details.
We recently stumbled across a slogan: "In 2013, unions cannot win a decent contract, just fighting for a decent contract!"

From the General to the Specific -
U.S. Imperialism is declining, like the British Empire before them. There is never going to be a return to the "good times". Suffering this decline, the capitalists take it out on our hides.
They have several game plans.
They have their strategy meetings.
They have their media. And prior "brainwashing"
They have their army of scab-herding police.

What do we have?
What is our game plan?
Where are our strategy meetings?
Where is the union's story?
Is the union enabling, organizing daily outreach?

We have to have more than just a fight for a decent contract.
We need to get back to truthful basic. This was and is about taking back Wisconsin. The Labor Council Bureaucracy is trying to change the script into surrender
Calling All non-asleep union human beings!
Talk to your co-workers about putting together a rank and file strike committee.
Is it possible to put together a functioning strike committee that meets daily??
That answer will be resolved by you union stalwarts, as you attempt to do just that.
Don't wait for the leadership. They have feet of clay.
There will be retaliations and such. Speaking of which, George, from Ashby Station is up on some charges related to the picket line. This as an atrocity! It is another symptom of "feet of clay" that none of the unions have publicized this!
There should be delegations of BART workers going to other union meeting to reporting about workers like George, and community outreaches (like yesterday's) the BART unions are doing and would like other unions to join and help. Recruit assistance, directly from the rank and file at those meetings.
Send another delegation to the ILWU, for a good strong start.
We should and can find ways to publicize this victimization. It must be fought hard NOW! This is another illustration of the need for a strike committee.

STRIKE COMMITTEE, STRIKE COMMITTEE, STRIKE COMMITTEE NEEDED!
It is important to beat this victimization before a settlement. I can't stress enough that all thinking members must put their heads together and organize the rank and file to take matters in their own hands. Look at the writing on the wall. Look at the behavior of your former "leaders"(cause they aint leading, now), passively watching the bosses methodically construct their Wiley Coyote ACME-BART trap.
Unlike the road runner though, these bankrupt union "leaders" will put your heads in that trap, cause "that's what Jerry Brown said we gotta do".
Uh uh.
WE, gotta organize and convene a Strike Committee!
Vigorously get George's, and any other worker victims case out to the public.
Picket line defenders get good sympathy, if the union tells the aggressive truth.
Convene a Strike Committee meeting.
Announce to the working class public that the ATU, SEIU, and AFSCME rank and file is taking over the negotiations, and the strike preparations.
Proudly announce that you are appealing directly to the Bay Area workers and unemployed. Baby's mama's, AND the young men that can't find work.
Announce that you want to make this a united fight, especially with the poor Black and Brown working class communities, to take back ALL the service cuts. To challenge and stop police killing and violence against us.
"Come to the first of our union - community speak outs and planning meetings for justice for the working poor."
That's right. Call Out The Angry Masses. Meetings. Picket lines. Mass rallies where we let our revolutionary youth speak. Let's see about winning this strike with Oakland Mass Action that we try and infect the rest of Bay Area with, workers across the country. "Workers revolution" will no longer be an abstraction, but a concrete idea and aspiration.
I think, once the head is wrapped around the need to be bold and play for keeps, that the above suggested organization and direction is rather sensible. What is needed is the union stalwarts with the will and backbone to stand against the bosses and bureaucrats allegations of 'radical revolutionaries'. Take it as a complement and keep on organizing!
So, if this sounds like work and sacrifice, just remember the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

I do have a few ideas on a few necessary things the union, or George's union friends can do to use his case to give BART a P.R. black eye, or something.
I don't know when it's "too late" to organize a Strike Committee. But how difficult could it be for 5-10 dedicated rank and file union stalwarts putting their heads together to find a way to put the membership in control. People; you know who i am talking about. Those workers with opinionated integrity, who need to step up.
And all you workers with a functioning brain... You see what is coming. A train wreck, engineered by the intervention of the Labor Council Bureaucrats and joined, abided and abetted by your local union leadership -- This is could be said to be a 'Safety Issue' -- mortally wounding a union!!
I say there is still some ways to win. Organize a rank and file strike committee!
I say this, believing that in the Bay Area, or the rest of the country will never have such favorable circumstances. For quite a while. Tomorrow is not just another fight. In the real world, if the Bay Area bosses win this one - - and you all know, or have the feeling that it's going to be a really BAD tester.
If we lose this one, do we really think any more unions will rise to concretely support the ILWU, when they have their show down??
I tell you, a lot more is at stake here than the current crew surrounding Jack Heyman will THINK towards. If they aren't encouraging their friends about the need for a delegated strike committee, now, then what are they doing?
So it was encouraging to hear about locations and preparations for scab labor. If somebody is forming a committee about this please consider that there is a way to organize this and publicize this, as "Our lesson from the ILWU" - Stop Poliice Murder. An Injury to One, Is an Injury To All!
It is of these events, where conversion, development into a political strike becomes making history. Making sacrifice. Making victories. But one must be of the mind to "play for keeps" Think like a South African miner.

Union, Black and Brown, Shut it Down, join the fight!
Workers of the world unite!!

Exposing the fascist agenda of privatization

United States Fascism [link]
[OutsourcingAmericaEXPOSED.org]


"Exposed: The 'Privatizers and Profiteers' Taking Over Public Services; New online tool from Center for Media and Democracy tracks privitization and its drastic effects on public, environmental health"
2013-09-24 by Jacob Chamberlain from "Common Dreams" [commondreams.org/headline/2013/09/24-1]:
An online tool launched by the Center for Media and Democracy (CMD) on Tuesday provides an in-depth look into the multinational corporations behind the privatization of public services across the U.S..
CMD, the creators of ALECexposed.org—a web resource that shines a light on the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and its dealings with U.S. lawmakers—says the new web-tool, OutsourcingAmericaEXPOSED.org, will provide weekly "corporate profiles of America’s most notorious corporations that are quietly working with state and local lawmakers to take over public services with little accountability."
"Across the country, for-profit companies are engaged in a hostile takeover of our schools, roads, prisons, drinking water, and even local government itself," said Lisa Graves, Executive Director of the CMD, adding that the "project will give taxpayers the tools they need to identify these privatizers and profiteers, their eye-popping salaries, and the raw deals contained in their contracts that puts taxpayers on the hook, and it will tell taxpayers how they can take back control of public assets and public services."
Some of these privatizers, as highlighted recently by CMD [http://www.prwatch.org/news/2013/09/12249/lockup-quotas-help-profit-prison-companies-keep-profits-high-and-prisons-full], include for-profit prison corporations who enter into contracts with state governments that ensure profits through mandated "lock-up quotas." If a state enters into one of these contracts and fails to incarcerate the number of prisoners required by the quota, the private prison company can seek financial retribution from that state. This forced compensation falls on the taxpayers.
Such private prison companies, including Corrections Corporation of America and GEO Group, will be highlighted in CMD's new site tool with other corporations from around the world that seek to privatize U.S. public services.
The site's first corporate profile is that of Sodexo, a French multinational that supplies food to school kids, soldiers, universities, public hospitals, and other governmental entities. According to CMD, Sodexo "has a lengthy record of paying workers poverty wages, overcharging clients, opposing unions, and violating food and safety standards."
Accompanying CMD's new resource is this video created by cartoonist Mark Fiore, which offers a colorful explanation of the privatization deals being made across the country:

Privatization's deadly fallout at Lawrence Livermore Laboratories

"Privatizing national lab management misguided" 
2013-09-25 by Roger Logan and Jeff Colvin from "San Francisco Chronicle" [sfgate.com/opinion/openforum/article/Privatizing-national-lab-management-misguided-4843513.php]:
Roger W. Logan is legislative director at the Council of Engineers and Scientists Organizations. Jeff Colvin is legislative director of the Communications Workers of America local that represents technical and professional employees at the University of California. Logan worked and Colvin is working at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
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In their obsession with privatization as the cure-all for government and bureaucratic inefficiencies, Big Business and its political allies continue to beguile the American public with promises that this is the way to save tax dollars, provide better services or products and, in some cases, create jobs.
But taxpayers, Congress and the Obama administration would be wise to do more than beware of these pledges; they should take a look at what happens when private corporations become government contractors. Unencumbered by scrutiny and driven by self-interest and short-term profit, they flout the nation's fair-employment laws and dodge accountability.
A case in point: Several years ago, the U.S. Department of Energy put management of our nuclear weapons research and development labs out for bid. Against the advice of many, DOE awarded the contract for both labs (Lawrence Livermore in the Bay Area and Los Alamos in New Mexico) to a single private partnership comprising the University of California Regents, Bechtel Corp., and other private companies. This created the Holy Grail of unaccountable profiteering: Not just a for-profit monopoly, but a taxpayer-funded for-profit monopoly.
Right off the bat, the combined management fees - footed by the taxpayer - rose by at least $240 million over six years as Lawrence Livermore National Security notified 430 employees - most of them, long-tenured professionals over age 40 - that their services would no longer be needed. The employees were given one hour to pack up their belongings while being watched, had their badges confiscated, then were "perp-walked" out the gate like common criminals. The layoffs of career scientists and researchers drained the lab of experience and know-how - certainly not a move that enhances national security and readiness.
LLNS whined to Congress that a $280 million budget shortfall necessitated the first layoffs in the lab in 35 years.
Now more than a third of the laid-off workers are suing LLNS for wrongful dismissal and, in some instances, age discrimination. After a two-month-long trial on five of the cases earlier this year, an Alameda County Superior Court jury found the partnership liable for kicking the employees to the curb, and awarded them $2.7 million. Rather than cut its losses by settling the remaining 125 cases, LLNS has opted to fight each one - and, why not, when LLNS is insisting that DOE and the taxpayers should cough up the $2.7 million to pay for its unlawful actions?
Meanwhile, a coalition of liberal and conservative think tanks proposes "re-imagining the national labs." They recommend changes that only a government contractor could love in a report titled "Turning the Page" released this summer. Most of the purported reforms would give contractors even more leeway and even less accountability at a time that clearly demands more aggressive oversight and control on behalf of the common, not corporate, good.
LLNS' outrageous disregard for U.S. tax dollars, its own employees, the civil justice system and, now, its own legal liability is a travesty. The lab partnership broke the law, has made a mess of workers' lives and has cost the taxpayers more, not less money.
If ever there were a poster boy for privatization gone bad, this is it.

Resources for forums, workshops and meetings

A page for the collection of ideas and advice on how to organize successful meetings.
For suggestions on additional materials, please contact NorthbayMDS (@) Gmail.com.

5 Collaborative Exercises to Move Your Project Forward"
2013-09-25 by Cat Johnson [http://www.shareable.net/blog/5-collaborative-exercises-to-move-your-project-forward]:
Do you have an idea for a project or enterprise? Is the vision for it fleshed out? If the core idea is in place but the details remain a bit vague, how do you actualize it? Recently, Simone Cicero, the man behind the Meedabyte blog [meedabyte.com], detailed some of the ways that he and a group of workshop participants worked to clarify the vision for a new initiative he’s working on in Italy called RuralHub [meedabyte.com/2013/08/30/back-from-societing-summer-school-envisioning-the-rural-hub].   
Over three-days, Cicero used several collaborative techniques to get people talking, sharing ideas, and thinking in new ways. Many of the techniques are based on design thinking, which, in contrast to analytic thinking, encourages creative brainstorming without judgement. This sets a tone of openness and generates unexpected solutions. Below are five collaborative techniques used in the RuralHub workshop that you can use to move your project forward.

Talk to Me Bubbles [jaycousins.wordpress.com/2009/10/28/laptop-bubbles] -
This was originally a laptop exercise where event participants would tape a bubble to their laptop that said, “Talk to me about…”. People would fill in the blank, essentially inviting anyone to come talk with them about their shared interests. The exercise has evolved. One version of it has people wearing the bubbles on their backs, but the spirit of the game remains.


5 Minute Speed Dates
For this "speed dating" exercise, workshop participants were randomly paired up, while dancing to “energizing music” and asked the question, “What does RuralHub mean to you?” The results were compiled into a Metaplan mind map where they could be visualized and organized (see Metaplan below).

The Metaplan [en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metaplan] -
A Metaplan is a visual representation of a loose brainstorm session. All the ideas are gathered (post-its work nicely for this) and categorized. From this, ideas and connections emerge that may not have been previously recognized.
A Motivation Matrix can help identify high power/high interest stakeholders. Photo: Gamestorming


Prune the Product Tree [innovationgames.com/prune-the-product-tree/] -
This exercise is a way to shape the vision for your project. Like pruning a tree, the idea is to create a balanced product that has a strong base and branches that can grow in the direction that users desire. Participants use an illustration of a tree to map core features and potential growth areas. This technique was used in the workshop to clarify what products and services RuralHub should provide.

These are just a few examples of collaborative exercises that can be used to move a project or idea forward. These and other exercises can be found at Gamestorming [gogamestorm.com], an online collection of games designed to get creative results. Are there any collaborative techniques you’ve found particularly useful? Let us know in comments.

Anaheim attacking houseless people

Defend those without homes! campaign page [link]
Human Rights abuse in Anaheim [link]

"Anaheim Moves Against Its Homeless Community"
2013-09-24 from NOTES BY NORSE: Both Anaheim and Santa Cruz are ramping up their assaults on the homeless, without specifying what they're doing (why acknowledge unconstitutional and cruel behavior?) or masking it under other labels.  In Santa Cruz it's "public safety", "the needle menace", and "the perception of danger"; in Anaheim, they're calling it "blight", "increasing police tools", etc. (See "Santa Cruz attacking houseless people" [link]). 
The Anaheim ordinance's definition of "camping" (Yuppie-speak for "survival sleeping") is "Residing in or using any Public Area for living accommodation or lodging purposes with one's personal property or while storing one's personal property;  and/or constructing, maintaining, occupying, or inhabiting or using camping facilities and/or constructing, using or maintaining camping paraphernalia.  For the purposes of this section "camping" shall not include merely sleeping outside in a park or the use of a blanket, towel, or mat in a park during the time the park is open to the public."

TEXT OF THE ORDINANCE AT [anaheim.net/docs_agend/questys_pub/MG41822/AS41861/AS41864/AI44292/DO44294/DO_44294.pdf]

STAFF REPORT AT [anaheim.net/docs_agend/questys_pub/MG41822/AS41861/AS41864/AI44292/DO44293/DO_44293.pdf]

HOMELESS ENCAMPMENT EVICTION STORY AT:  [blogs.ocweekly.com/navelgazing/2013/06/hunt_library_fullerton.php]

YET ANOTHER "NO SHELTER, NO RELIEF" 15-POINT PLAN TO "END HOMELESSNESS" BY FUNDING POVERTY PIMPS: [anaheimptf.org/plan]

"Anaheim City Council Now Declaring War on Homeless"
2013-09-23 by Gabriel San Roman from "OC Weekly" [blogs.ocweekly.com/navelgazing/2013/09/anaheim_homeless.php]:
Homeless tent (Josue Rivas / OC Weekly)

A week after activist Stephen Baxter held a 'sleep-in' protest in downtown Fullerton over the city's war on the homeless, Anaheim will try to one-up them with a punitive ordinance of its own. The city municipal code already forbids staying in a public park between the hours of 10:30 p.m. and 5 a.m., which has the homeless laying their head elsewhere for the night--but that's not enough for councilwoman Kris Murray and her crew!
On Tuesday, council members will decide on a proposal aimed at banning camping and storage of personal property on public property at any time.
 In a staff report submitted by Director of Community Services Terry Lowe, the ordinance is framed as one that will "serve as a tool in the City's effort to promote and support safe, clean and accessible neighborhoods and eliminate blight." Never once are the homeless referenced directly, but it couldn't be clearer who the intended target is.
If Anaheim's city council should approve the crackdown--and it almost assuredly will--no homeless person can use a tent for living purposes at any hour in public areas including parks, alleys, parking lots, or any other publicly owned property. Nor could they store personal belongings such as the tents themselves, sleeping bags, bedrolls, cooking equipment, books, money and appliances in addition to other possessions in such spaces.
Public parks are the most visible places where the city's homeless population set up tents during the day. Since the eviction of a sizable homeless encampment in Fullerton by the shuttered Hunt Library earlier this year, many of those displaced turned up on the east lawn of La Palma Park in Anaheim.
La Palma Park in Anaheim (Josue Rivas / OC Weekly)

The belongings of the homeless would be subject to 90-day impounds so long as they are given "proper notice." Anaheim police can immediately confiscate possessions if they are left after hours at the park or deemed to be contraband, a threat to public health and safety or evidence of crime. Retrieval is allowed when the Chief of Police finds proof of ownership to be "satisfactory."
 If that's not the case, the city stands poised to make money off of the confiscations, whether through depositing unclaimed money into the general fund or holding auctions.
Enforcement of the ordinance entails fines for infractions. The first violation would cost $100. A second violation within a year is punishable up to $200 with every subsequent infraction in that time span costing $500.
"I would categorize this ordinance as part of the larger 'criminalization of homelessness' that many communities fall back on when they choose to be less creative with their problem solving," says Jennifer Lee-Anderson, Co-Chair of the Anaheim Poverty Task Force and policy planning consultant on homelessness. "The $100 to $500 fines that are noted in the proposed ordinance are part of the reason that many chronically homeless are simply cycled through the criminal justice system repeatedly."
Near La Palma Park, the city is just weeks into a newly opened storage area and outreach center. The homeless can take advantage of Conex boxes set up to leave their personal belongings during the day. The city-owned parking lot by Glover Stadium is close to where people continue to set up tents. In a heavy-handed way, the ordinance could encourage more homeless to participate in the pilot program but is also a cause for concern and clarification. "There's no language that exempts the storage area," adds Lee-Anderson expressing disappointment that she learned about this proposal from the Weekly and not city staff. There is also the issue of other public areas in Anaheim far beyond La Palma Park where homeless persons stay.
For the past six years, Jim Carter has taken students at Servite High School, where he works, to serve meals at La Palma Park every Thursday. "I understand where the city comes from. I understand where the police come from," says Carter, also a member of the Anaheim Poverty Task Force that has drafted a 15 point plan to address homelessness. "I don't think [the ordinance] is a good thing. Unless it comes with a long-range plan to help these people move out of this situation, it's just going to add stress to them. Where are the homeless going to go?"
"What would have been nice is if the city adopted the 15 point plan in full," Carter mentions, emphasizing the key recommendation of establishing a multi-service center. "If the city is not willing to find a location where we can put a shelter, it's never going to change."
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UPDATE, SEPT. 25, 9:57 A.M.: Members of the Anaheim city council decided last night to continue discussing homelessness in the city at its next scheduled meeting. They did not take up a vote on a controversial ordinance that would have banned camping and storing personal property in public areas including parks. A number of people took to the podium to criticize the effect such a move would have on the city's homeless population.
"We are not going to put up with criminalizing the mentally ill and the homeless," Ron Thomas, father of Kelly Thomas, said to the council. "Where are they to live? Do you have those answers?"
"What we are asking you right now is to delay the vote on the ordinance," said Annan Aboul-Nasr, Co-Chair of the Anaheim Poverty Task Force. "We have solutions. We look forward to sitting down with you again and looking at positive strategies that can help the homeless...not criminalize them."
Councilwoman Kris Murray took issue with the characterization once the ordinance made its way through yet another marathon meeting of the city council. "I want to clear up some misconceptions that the city is looking to criminalize homelessness," she said. "That is false." She made the statement despite the fact that the proposed ordinance would entail prohibitions and fines directly affecting them.
A rarity inside council chambers came next. Buckling under public outcry, Murray motioned for continuance so that more outreach with organizations working on homelessness could take place before the October 8 city council meeting. All present members voted accordingly.

Democratize cable access television!

"Cable Companies Urged to Make Public Access Television Shows More Accessible"
2013-09-07 by Amy Goodman from "Democracy Now!" [democracynow.org/blog/2013/8/7/cable_companies_urged_to_make_public_access_television_shows_more_accessible]:
Mitsuko Herrera, policy adviser for Montgomery County, Maryland’s Department of Technology Services. She’s a member of the Federal Communications Commission’s Consumer Advisory Committee.
---
Many cable companies refuse to list the titles of shows that air on public access television stations in their on-screen guides. Now media activists are pushing for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to intervene.
In 2010, President Obama signed into law the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act (CVAA), which aims to make modern digital media platforms fully accessible to people who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind or with low vision. The CVAA will be implemented largely through rules drafted and enforced by the FCC, a regulatory body that is widely criticized as being too close to the industries it is supposed to regulate. Today we look at how the FCC is implementing two sections of the CVAA. Sections 204 and 205 of the law specify that video service and equipment providers make it easier for users to turn on closed captioning, and also require that on-screen channel guides be presented in a way that allows for the text on the screen to be audio interpreted, so that people who are blind or have low vision, can hear the program descriptions. For years now, established cable companies, along with new video service providers like AT&T and Verizon, have been downgrading the capacity of PEG TV channels, including the elimination of detailed, on-screen program descriptions from these noncommercial, community media institutions, effectively marginalizing the channels and the content they provide. We speak with Mitsuko Herrera, a member of the Federal Communications Commission’s Consumer Advisory Committee.

AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org, The War and Peace Report. I’m Amy Goodman, with Nermeen Shaikh.

NERMEEN SHAIKH: We now discuss another media issue. In 2010, President Obama signed into law the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act, or CVAA, which aims to make modern digital media platforms fully accessible to people who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind or with low vision. The CVAA will be implemented largely through rules drafted and enforced by the FCC, the Federal Communications Commission, a regulatory body that is widely criticized as being too close to the industries it’s supposed to regulate.
Today we look at how the FCC is implementing two sections of the CVAA. Sections 204 and 205 of the law specify that video service and equipment providers make it easier for users to turn on closed captioning, and also require that on-screen channel guides be presented in a way that allows for the text on the screen to be audio interpreted, so that people who are blind or have low vision can hear the program descriptions.

AMY GOODMAN: This rule-making procedure has attracted hundred of comments to the FCC, many of which are from providers of PEG television channels, or "public access, educational, and government access" channels. For years now, established cable companies, along with new video service providers like AT&T and Verizon, have been downgrading the capacity of PEG TV channels, including the elimination of detailed, on-screen program descriptions from these noncommercial, community media institutions, effectively marginalizing the channels and the content they provide.
To help explain what’s at stake with this arcane rule-making process at the FCC, where industry lobbyists hold tremendous influence, we’re joined by Mitsuko Herrera, policy adviser for Montgomery County, Maryland’s Department of Technology Services. She’s a member of the FCC’s Consumer [Advisory] Committee.
Why don’t you lay out what’s at stake? And I think part of why this can all happen is that people don’t understand what’s going on, Mitsuko. So in very lay terms, what’s going on?

MITSUKO HERRERA: Well, what really is at stake is that many in the industry have voluntarily tried to make video program guides, the on-screen guides, more accessible, but other ones have not. And so, Congress stepped in and said that we need a rule, and the FCC is drafting the regulations which enforce that rule.

NERMEEN SHAIKH: So, Mitsuko, could you talk about which industries have made video on-screen guides more difficult to access?

MITSUKO HERRERA: Well, the problem is, is that for a lot of media companies now, they’re national in scope. And so what they tend to do is they provide information about national programs and very little information about local programs. So, for example, there are stations that carry Democracy Now!, stations like Cambridge Community Media, Dakota Media Access and TV Santa Barbara; they carry Democracy Now! with closed captions, but if I go and look on the on-screen guide, it would not note, and I would not, as a person who wants to use closed captions, know that this is a closed-caption program. We did a study, and we found that 67 percent of people use the channel guide to determine what to watch. So if you don’t have information on that guide, increasingly you’ll be shut out.
What several local media groups have asked for is that the FCC go further and actually make these rules meaningful, by requiring that cable and satellite operators and so forth carry information about local programs. So they describe to you the channel name, the program title and a short description of what you’re about to watch. Many in the disability community have noted that they cannot find and determine whether a program has closed captioning or video descriptions for those with vision disabilities without having to actually watch the program, move through the titles. And so, what they want is to simply be able to see what’s on beforehand. And that was testimony that was actually presented to Congress by an Iraq War veteran who basically said, "I pay for this service. I want to be able to access it. As a person with a vision disability, I can’t tell what it is."

AMY GOODMAN: Now, I just want to show a on-screen comparison on Verizon FiOS, for example, in New York City, to make this point. And especially for those who don’t watch TV as much, they may not understand. For all the local programming—I mean, Time Warner, for example, in New York doesn’t have this. They actually do ID every single, you know, station, whether it’s Manhattan Neighborhood Network, CUNY TV or MSNBC, and they have all the programs listed, like everyone else. But on Verizon FiOS, there’s just one channel after another that says "local"—I think it’s "local origination." And it never—

MITSUKO HERRERA: Correct.

AMY GOODMAN: —lists a station. And then, within that—let’s say you go to Manhattan Neighborhood Network in New York City—it’s four-hour chunks, so it’ll say, "8:00 to noon, noon to 4:00." So if you want to record a show, if you want to TiVo it, you have to record all four hours. But because it’s not identified, you can’t do a daily record, like people say, you know, do all the Law & Order shows, for example. You can’t do that on—so, you have very much diminished capacity. And as you were saying, if you do a search for a channel, you won’t find it, because it’s not listed. Democracy Now! is not listed. CUNY Television is not listed. You have no idea what all these channels are. Now, what’s the difference between the phone companies, the telecoms, like Verizon and AT&T—I mean, I’m talking about Verizon FiOS that doesn’t list any of these local programming, programs or stations—and the cable companies, like Time Warner, who do?

MITSUKO HERRERA: Well, the—in one sense, for AT&T and Verizon, when they built out the system, they were at a more regional level. However, there is a fix that’s possible. It simply requires an investment. And that’s what we’re hoping the FCC will do. For cable operators, it’s a mixed bag. In some cases, like Time Warner in New York, they will carry it. In Montgomery County, Comcast carries information. However, if you go to a Comcast system in another state, they don’t carry that information. So, that’s the problem with a voluntary rule, is that some people do it, and some people don’t. If everybody was doing it, there wouldn’t have been a need to enact the federal statute in the first place.

NERMEEN SHAIKH: Well, the National Association—

MITSUKO HERRERA: And what you’re also seeing—and I think you raised a good point about, particularly, is that the other features don’t work, so you can’t record it on your DVR, you can’t find it again. If I’m watching a program, I can’t tell what it is that I’m watching. And for a person who has a vision disability, it’s even worse, because that’s all you’ll see. You can’t necessarily turn to the channel and then determine what it is you’re watching. And what will end up happening is, is that the cable manufacturers are looking at new technology, which really functions much more like a Siri, so you’ll be able to go to your television and verbally say, "Find sports. Find Democracy Now!" But if it’s not listed and that information isn’t on the guide, the search features don’t work. And that means, increasingly, that independent media gets blocked out from being accessible in the ways that most people now use to watch television.

NERMEEN SHAIKH: Well, the National Association of Counties, the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors and the U.S. Conference of Mayors wrote in their joint filing to the FCC, quote, "In order for audible on-screen menus to have functional utility to the visually impaired, the on-screen menu itself should be populated with information that is meaningful and helpful in program selection. In order to provide accessibility, the cable operator should be required to carry the program title as provided by the local government authority that produces local PEG programs. Currently, many local PEG programs are displayed on the on-screen menu as simply 'local government access.'" So, Mitsuko, could you talk about how you expect this to change, whether you think it will now?

MITSUKO HERRERA: Well, the FCC has an obligation to issue a final rule in this proceeding by October of this year. So, there are many local, independent stations who have filed comments at the FCC noting that this a problem, so that the FCC has a clear record that action is needed. The FCC can enact a rule which requires that local cable operators provide the program guide option to local stations. So, we’re not saying that—if you don’t have a guide, you don’t have to offer one, but if you do have a guide, you have to make it so that local, independent media has the ability to have their program information viewable on the guide.

AMY GOODMAN: How do they justify leaving them out? I mean, for Verizon FiOS, what if they just didn’t say "MSNBC," they just said "national network," and it was just, you know, four-hour chunks through the day? Why do they make this decision?

MITSUKO HERRERA: Well, I mean, that’s a—that’s an interesting—

AMY GOODMAN: What do they gain by this decision to diminish the value of local programming?

MITSUKO HERRERA: Well, I think that it becomes an ever-winding death spiral, where you sort of say, "Well, people aren’t watching it—of course, we’ve made it very difficult for people to watch it—so, therefore, we really shouldn’t have more local stations. We should just fill them with more reality TV, or we should fill them with more paid programming." So, in a sense, if you—if you have corporations who do things that make it easy and accessible for people to view local, independent media, you probably feed an appetite for people to want more of that in their communities. And those are—and that means that there’s channel space that they have to devote to it. It’s worth noting that AT&T has in its communities segregated all of the local media onto a channel 99 platform, so it doesn’t even appear on the guide.

AMY GOODMAN: Explain that, for people who don’t have AT&T. Explain what AT&T has done.

MITSUKO HERRERA: So what AT&T will do is that they will go and take all of the local media, noncommercial, so where they’re required to have public broadcast stations and the local commercial markets, those channels appear on the guide. For all of the public, educational, government access channels—so if you want access to find out what’s happening in your local community, if you want a place where people can independently produce stories—those channels are all segregated, and you have to go to channel 99, and then you’ll have to flip through the list of all the channels that they may carry. So there may be anywhere from 20 to a hundred different channels that are listed. And then you’ll have to go and wait for it to load up, and then it will go to that channel. And then if you want to switch to—

AMY GOODMAN: Load like a video loads.

MITSUKO HERRERA: Exactly, exactly, with all the attendant delays. And, in fact, they had testimony in Congress where in about the time that I was speaking is about how long that it took to get to a particular channel. And if you want to go to a different channel, you have to go through that same process. You can’t flip back and forth between channels. You can’t find out what programs are being offered. And AT&T will talk about this as "Isn’t this a wonderful thing, because we’ve given you access to all these channels on your television?"—although it’s not the same type of access that we give you to commercial stations, it’s not necessarily easy for the viewers to find. And, lo and behold, what they’ll start to find is that as people can’t find your programming, and they don’t know what you’re producing, they stop watching. And then the companies can come in and say, "Well, people aren’t watching. Maybe we shouldn’t carry these channels."

AMY GOODMAN: So what is happening today? Why is there a deadline of today, Wednesday, August 7th?

MITSUKO HERRERA: The deadline today is a filing. The FCC, because they have to create a rule by October, they’ve asked for comments. And what they’ve—people have submitted comments, and Wednesday was the deadline for reply comments to be sent. However, people can still file late, so it’s really—the deadline isn’t so much the driver. What’s important is that people note: "I want access. I want to be able to view, on the guide, information about the program I’m watching. I want to be able to know, before I watch a local program, whether it has closed captions or video descriptions."

NERMEEN SHAIKH: Mitsuko, can you talk more broadly about the quality of broadband services in the U.S. and the role of municipal broadband networks in making up for shortfalls in commercial offerings?

MITSUKO HERRERA: Well, for the most part, we still haven’t really solved the problem of, one, how do you build broadband to places where it’s expensive to build, where there is a low population density, typically? Sometimes you can have expenses in urban areas, but they tend to—the networks tend to be—pay for themselves, because you can get more subscribers per mile. Community networks are places where in—communities, they sort of fall under two categories. One category can be that there’s local governments who build their own networks as a way of more cost-effectively providing services, whether that’s broadband to school, public safety networks and so forth. In other areas, there are community networks where they serve every household. Those communities tend to be places where they had a municipal electric system, so it was cost-effective and they already reached every home. And in those cases, what they’re really trying to do is to say, for whatever reason, the commercial entity decided that our community wasn’t worth the investment. And local communities are saying for themselves, "We are worth the investment. We need to have broadband technology and access to it in our homes in order to be part of a modern economy."
And what many local governments are doing, as well, is that they’re recognizing that about half the people who have access to broadband and could afford it have decided not to get it, because they really don’t see what’s useful about it. Seniors disproportionately make up a large percentage of those groups. So what they are doing then is partnering with other groups to provide training, so that people understand this is how I can make my business more effective. For example, Etsy is a site where people sell homemade goods, homemade crafts. For a lot of people, they’re not aware of that. But suddenly it opens up a whole new home economy.

AMY GOODMAN: We want to thank you very much, Mitsuko, for joining us. Mitsuko Herrera is a policy adviser for Montgomery County, Maryland’s Department of Technology Services, member of the Federal Communications Commission’s Consumer Advisory Committee. This is_Democracy Now!_, democracynow.org, The War and Peace Report. I’m Amy Goodman, with Nermeen Shaikh.

Theocracy taking hold in Vallejo: Christian Dominionism

* Human Rights abuse in Vallejo, "the City of God" [link]
* Dominionism as False Christianity [link]
* Christian Dominionism is Fascism [link]

Vallejo Faith Organization (VFO) has been in control of Vallejo city government since 2007 when they took over the Office of Mayor through fraudulent means, and practice the ideology of "Christian Dominionism", which, according their works and statements, is the worship of the dictates of a physical Apostle whose words they regard as representative of "God", who advocates the acquisition of power through the use of capitalism, despite the hundreds of millions killed through capitalism's process of extracting wealth from the impoverished.
Vallejo Mayor Osby Davis is a believer and activist in the "New Apostolic Reformation" movement, has held "Christian Businessmen prayers" in his Mayor's Office, and seeks to impose a regime of dictatorship against Vallejo majority. As Mayor, Osby has for many years supported official condemnation & damnation of non-Believers to hell [especially the LGBTQ community of Gays, Lesbians, etc.].
For those who don't know, community-style fascism has already been imposed in places like Benton Harbor, Michigan, where big business and corrupt capitalists dictate to the city how to live according to "morality", including getting rid of ecology protection laws, labor laws, and other obstacles to "good Christian" businessmen...
Working hand-in-hand with the corrupt Christian fascists within the Federal and State Governments, "Dominionists" like Vallejo Mayor Osby Davis make life a living hell for the "disobedient children", especially those who dare speak up against police violence, including the homeless, the resident pagans, and the grieving mother of Guy Jerome Jarreau, jr. a man whose murder by Vallejo Police sparked an investigation which resulted in the police department attempting to silence her through outright terrorism!!!
He has never once advocated for the single mothers or poor tenants because according to the ideology of the "New Apostolic Reform" practiced by Mayor Osby Davis, the poor deserve a living hell for not being blessed with wealth.
All "Dominionists" believe power should be in the hands of the wealthy, hence "Dominionists" are literally fascists!
* Vallejo Faith Organization convinces their members to remain ignorant of political concepts that are not based in private control over money. Public services are privatized (but more resources are given to the militarized Vallejo Police). During the 2012-03-16 Prayer Breakfast, VFO member Osby Davis stated that the government of Vallejo, of which he is Mayor, "CANNOT HELP THE POOR, NOR SHOULD IT".

 * Many of their members are materialistic and allow their greed for material wealth to supersede their religion's codes of morality. (1 Timothy 6:10) "The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil". For example, many members openly profess to uphold modern capitalism as "God's plan" even though this system is predatory, buy jewelry rather than use the money for the needy, and choose to purchase gas-guzzling vehicles which ruin the air for their neighbors.

* They are a "hate group" in that their political ideology calls for demonization (called "love" by their practitioners) against non-Christians and Gay/Lesbian/Trans folks. Every one of their targets are claimed to be "inhabited by demons".
* Dominionist politicians have been documented stating that Global Warming is a hoax. [link]

* Dominionists are overthrowing the Federal Constitution of the USA, especially the 1st Amendment's guarantee against the adoption by government of an official religion, in order to establish the "Kingdom of God" on Earth. [link]
* Christian Dominionism is actually a mutated version of the type of Christians described in the New Testament of Holy Bible. They are anti-Christian [link]

May God Bless Osby Davis!

"Nope, Lies, Hate, Fail" image from [facebook.com/OsbyDavis]

Anthony Summers, 2013 candidate for Vallejo City Council, adherent to the ideology of the "New Apostolic Reformation Movement", and member of the Democrat Party, is a religious supremacist... 
"No Longer a Democrat"
2013-09-30 "Vallejo Independent Bulletin" Editor's note: The below correspondence was sent to several elected Democratic party politicians.
---
I just received your robomail about the Affordable Care Act. I'd like to inform you that because the local Democratic Party chapter endorsed a Vallejo City Council candidate who is a well-known homophobe and anti-abortion advocate, I have left the Democratic party after 40 years. His affiliation with the radical Christian Dominionist objectives are not consistent with the National and California Democratic Party platforms. This blatant deception perpetrated by local political manipulative Jon Riley and supported by you and others no longer permit me to support the Party.
I have copied this message to the presidents of the caucuses which represent my interests: Progressive, Women's, Native American, Chicano Latino, Disabilities, and LGBT. I have written to the National Committee under a separate correspondence. The actions of the Solano County Committee are as shameful as the actions of the Republican party on the national level: clearly bought and sold by special interests who are funded by out of area entities and whose motives are personal. I will not allow my city, my party, and my state be betrayed without vehement objection.
Very Sincerely,
[signed] Mónica L. Tipton, M.A.

"Who needs enemies?"
by Greg Gazaway, published 2013-09-17 by Times Herald [timesheraldonline.com/letters/ci_24111099/who-needs-enemies]:
Unions and Democrats have historically been stalwart supporters of gay rights. The unions, through their negotiations with management, were some of the first to call for domestic partner benefits from some of the largest national companies in America. One of the only examples of true "economic trickle-down theory" is that local employers have also added those same benefits to their policies. Even Walmart has decided to recognize their employees' same sex relationships. And, it almost goes without saying that the National Democratic Party Platform supports full gay rights, including marriage equality, and has for many years.     
In addition, it was a small cadre of union organizers whose efforts were crucial to the organization of the 1987 National March on Washington for Gay and Lesbian Rights, and without whom the march could not have helped kick off the modern gay rights movement, along with a great deal of help from the National Democratic Party.     
It is with that history in mind, that I share how sad it is to learn that our local unions here in Vallejo are endorsing Anthony Summers for City Council. It is equally abhorrent to learn that the Solano County Democratic Committee have cravenly followed suit.     
I can't help but be dismayed that our once-historic allies have turned their back on local gays and lesbians and are endorsing someone affiliated with one of the most hateful figures in modern day anti-gay efforts, Ed Silvoso.     
With friends like these, the unions and local Democrats endorsing the likes of Anthony Summers, who needs enemies?


Solano Dems Forward or Backwards?
Tonight, Wednesday October 23, 7 p.m. the Solano County Democratic Central Committee will hold their monthly meeting at 675 North Texas Street, in Fairfield. Members of a coalition of progressive women’s groups, LGBT groups and citizens concerned about social justice, will be in attendance to ask the Solano Democrats to withdraw their endorsement of Vallejo City Council candidate Pastor Anthony Summers. Summers opposes a woman’s right to choose and he has a long history of actively working against LGBT rights. Solano County’s citizens are uniting in a grassroots action to uphold the Democratic Platform of pro- choice and pro-equality and asking the endorsement of Anthony Summers be rescinded. By all indications, if elected, Anthony Summers would be a lightning rod for controversy and a divisive council member as Vallejo tries to move forward. A Summers’ victory would further stigmatize Vallejo a non-inclusive community. This endorsement of Summers is an affront to pro-choice men and women as well as LGBT citizens within Solano County. This endorsement is also contrary to well-established Democratic ideals. Members are asking the Central Committee, organized Labor and elected Democrats, to reconsider and rescind their endorsement of this candidate in order to move the County of Solano Forward united to Democratic ideas. This coalition invites the public to witness and speak against the Democratic Central Committee’s handling of this matter. Will the Democrats attempt to squelch grassroots concerns, dishonor the Democratic Party Platform and demand grassroots’ obedience? Or, will the Local Democrats be respectful of Democratic core constituents’ grievances, respect the Democratic Platform and rescind this endorsement? Wednesday, October 23, 675 North Texas Street, in Fairfield, 7 p.m.





"Get Straight or Just Die: Serious Questions Surrounding Vallejo City Council Candidate Anthony Summers"
2013-09-18 by Marc Garman from "Vallejo Independent Bulletin" [ibvallejo.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1752]:
Note: Videos such as those posted have a habit of disappearing from the internet when they are brought to the attention of the general public. Full copies of all media has been made and is held as backup in case that occurs.
---
At this point, City Council Candidate Anthony Summers has made clear that he is not willing to interview with VIB. However, troubling questions regarding Summers and those he has chosen to affiliate himself with remain and must be brought to the attention of the Vallejo voters.
I am going to lay out some basic connections between Anthony Summers and homophobic evangelism and plans for genocide overseas. I have a lot more information which will be brought forward, but the information below will give you the general idea.
Of course, Summers has been recently trying to distance himself from his colleagues who carry the torch against my gay friends and neighbors. He is intent on being elected. However, there is irrefutable documented close and supportive involvement between Summers and Dominionist homophobic minister Ed Silvoso as recently as 2012.
Silvoso's order is more formally referred to as the "New Apostolic Reformation" If you think Summers has given up his embrace of this ideology in one year and suddenly become honestly welcoming to folks from the LGBT community, or really any of those not adherents to his specific brand and flavor of evangelism...well... I have a bridge to sell you.

Connecting the dots:
1) Last year Summers was one of the stars of a Christian movie produced with evangelist and New Apostolic Reformation leader Ed Silvoso. They talk about transforming Vallejo. It all sounds very positive. Here is the trailer:
"Transformation Vallejo Trailer" posted 2012-05-21 by "Transform Our World" [youtube.com/watch?v=NLwk9BFGbG8]: Ed Silvoso and Harvest Evangelism in partnership with marketplace and pulpit ministers in Vallejo, California present "Transformation Vallejo." "Yes there are signs of trouble all around us, and yes, Vallejo has gone through a bankruptcy, however that's not the end of our story." Michael Brown, Marketplace Minister, Vallejo, CA.

2) However, if you start to look into Silvoso and his views...it becomes more clear what he is really about. "EXORCISING GAY DEMONS" [youtube.com/watch?v=3yZRBs0i820]: From event held at Laurence Khong's Faith Baptist Church in Singapore, August 30, 2008.

3) Silvoso and Summers are also in agreement with Cindy Jacobs, who organized the religious event "The Call" for Texas Governor Rick Perry. She believes, for example, that a blackbird die off in Arkansas was a result of the Don't Ask Don't Tell legislation in connection with gay US service members being repealed. I have footage of Summers embracing Cindy Jacobs in 2009 at a prayer event held on the Vallejo waterfront. Here's the bit about the blackbirds [youtube.com/watch?v=mgZNDyH0Nts]:

4) Silvoso is also connected to, and supports Julius Oyet in Uganda who is a member of their parliament, a devotee of the New Apostolic Reformation and is pushing for the passage of legislation to make homosexuality a death penalty offence there. Oyet begins by mentioning the "Seven Mountains" which refers to the planned dominion (thus the term Dominionist) by the New Apostolic Reformation over the seven aspects of society: Religion, Media, Government, Family, Education, Business, Arts & Entertainment.
Video upload 2012-02-19 by Bruce Wilson [youtube.com/watch?v=ILxaQbrQsgk]: While international attention concerning Uganda's looming Anti Homosexuality Bill has focused on Ugandan MP David Bahati, powerful Ugandan evangelical leader Julius Oyet, part of C. Peter Wagner's New Apostolic Reformation, claims to have been a committee that picked Bahati to introduce the bill in Uganda's parliament.
5) Here is a 20 minute documentary by Bruce Wilson on the activities of the New Apostolic reformation in Uganda. [youtube.com/watch?v=IF1W8tM2XEI]:

Summers has been selling the Ed Silvoso "Transforming Vallejo" video on the campaign trail. Half the money goes to his campaign, the other half to Silvoso. I would call that financial support.
Is Summers going to go on a gay killing spree? No, certainly not. However his financial and in kind support of Silvoso, Jacobs and their hate speak gives those who WILL commit hate crimes the justification they need to feel vindicated in their acts. By creating a dialog in which the gay community is set aside as “the others” also contributes to discrimination and horrible consequences such as suicides among the young or impressionable who may come to believe they are perhaps possessed by demons. I tend to believe that most of my readers find Cindy Jacobs and her blackbirds laughable and kooky, but there may be others who derive a darker meaning.
Summers, an anti-choice evangelistic minister with a very disturbing collection of affiliations has been endorsed by the Dems and by Labor, but only because they were obviously told to by Jon Riley. Riley, a former Vallejo firefighter and now head of the Napa-Solano Labor Council represents his special interest group, (and the Jump Start Vallejo slate) as any lobbyist would. He wants his agenda carried forward and wields considerable influence to be used for that purpose. Summers obviously is willing to do Riley's bidding to propel his own Dominionist agenda.
Unfortunately, this has tainted the other candidates who may have redeeming qualities on the shared Jump Start Vallejo slate (Dew, Malgapo, Verder-Aliga & Summers ). For now I can only refer to Jump Start Vallejo as THE SLATE OF HATE.
Supporting those who engage in acts of hate materially, financially or through knowing inaction is tantamount to collusion even when cloaked by piety or other benevolent acts. Can we let this pass?
And on a pragmatic note, I wonder if known affiliations to homophobic movements or direct connections to hate groups is the sort of marketing tool Vallejo needs to promote a Business Friendly image? Probably not. Especially in the Bay Area.
I welcome a response from Pastor Summers.


"Christian Dominionists" tend to create delusions of persecution, despite being in control of the political life in Vallejo, as part of their programming to separate themselves from the world of non-believers:
2012-06-07 "Standing up for faith"
2012-06-07 letter by Marti Gaydish to the editor of "Vallejo Times Herald" [link]:
Thomas More was executed for his faith. But, that was 1535, in England, in the religious wars between the Old Faith (Catholics) and the Reformists.
Salvador Lara Puente was executed for his faith -- that wasn't in the long distant past. He was shot by Mexican government authorities in 1926 because he practiced his religion. Salvador is part of the story behind the current movie "For Greater Glory".
St. Salvador was killed 86 years ago. Since then, the faithful have been killed in Spain, Germany, China and other countries. We are so fortunate that our Constitution establishes the right to freely practice religious faith. Our faith is practiced in our daily lives: How we raise our children, how we act at work, how we care for those in need because we see in them the face of our Savior.
We do not leave the secular world for a given time, to show faith to God and then return, leaving faith practices behind. Yet this is how the administration views our faith, that we should not carry religion with us always. The faithful are gathering to oppose this view of the government.
Please join our public expression of faith, at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Plaza at noon on Friday, and on a walk from St. Vincent's on Florida to City Hall, Sunday, between 3 and 5 p.m. We look forward to being with you. See www.standupforreligiousfreedom.com.


Christian Dominionism and Homophobia -
Wherever the public allows for politically motivated expressions of Christian Dominionism, as shown by the administration by Vallejo Mayor Osby Davis, we see openly acceptable examples of conservative-minded hatred mimicking as rationality. 

"Same-sex marriage op-eds were a clear break from tradition"
2012-04-07 letter by Anthony Mills of Vallejo to the editor of "Vallejo Times-Herald" [timesheraldonline.com/ci_20346820/same-sex-marriage-op-eds-were-clear-break]:
This is in response to the two pro-homosexual op-ed pieces that appeared under the headline "Same-Sex Marriage and Vallejo" (April 1).
It is written in both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible that men shall not consort with men and neither shall they dress as women.(Leviticus 18; 22-20; 13 - Romans 1, 27 - 1 Corinthians 6; 9-2 Peter 2; 4-6).
What is taking place with this pro-homosexual movement, that is undeniably gaining momentum, is a clear break with the Judeo-Christian tradition.
And what is to be the replacement? Society is built upon invisible pillars; the oldest pillar is marriage between a man and a woman.
This can be traced back to the very origins of the human race. Never has there been any consideration to what is now referred to as same sex, "marriage."
What is the force that relentlessly propels what was utterly unacceptable two decades ago since the dawn of civilization?
Is Osby Davis "misguided" because he refuses to join the bandwagon that is on the road to oblivion? Homosexuality is a dead end street! Google: "Statistics Homosexual Lifestyle," and there you can read for yourself the grim details. Homosexuality cannot exist unless it is supplied (other than test tube babies and clones,) by the offspring of straight conventional people.
Pro-homosexuals desperately want to be accepted as "mainstream" and "normal." When this is accomplished they are to further their agenda beyond equality to dominance.
Already in the local public schools, children as young as 8 years are being indoctrinated in what is referred to as an "alternate" lifestyle.


"Misuse of the Bible"
2012-04-21 letter by Jonathan Branfman of San Francisco to the editor of "Vallejo Times Herald"[timesheraldonline.com/ci_20449362/misuse-bible]:
As a Jewish gay man, I was appalled to see an op-ed abusing the Bible as a weapon of hatred ("Clear break from tradition", Anthony Mills, April 7). Like many religious Americans, my faith guides me to accept all people, regardless of orientation. My congregation believes each person is created "b'tzelem elohim" -- in God's divine image (Genesis 1:27). This includes gay folks.
Furthermore, anyone who personally knows gay people must laugh at the "statistics on homosexuality" that Mr. Mills cites to justify his disgust for us. For example, this site claims that 33 percent of gay people "admit to minor/adult sex." For this to be true, one-third of us would have to be in prison, which clearly isn't the case. I encourage readers to Google "APA homosexuality" for the American Psychological Association's page of accurate facts on gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) people.
Or better yet, talk to us! Ask your own gay cousin, daughter, coworker, or friend: When did you know you were gay? How? What are your hopes for a relationship, a family? How do prejudice and discrimination affect you?
The paranoia around gayness is crumbling as America realizes: We all know someone gay. Gays aren't sinister aliens -- we're your kids (and some of your parents). For Americans who have figured this out, Mr. Mills' accusations of "indoctrination," "oblivion," and a hostile gay takeover ring hollow.
While homophobia may mask itself in religion or bogus "statistics," it is truly nothing but ignorance. As ignorance fades, so will the hatred and fear it feeds.
---

(Meanwhile, over at "Topix.com", where many articles from the "Vallejo Times Herald" are republished by readers hostile towards progressive attitudes, the following commentary for this letter is found)

Vallejo Faith Organization pastor Matthias Esoimeme is an anti-intellectual who disdains education (except as dictated by his religious leader), a consequence of which can be seen in the following candidate's statement, which he had edited with the help of his congregation.





2011-11-03 "Vallejo Faith Organization - Anti-Gay Agenda?" from Jonathan Gordon (Vallejo Community Activist)
[http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/11/03/1032952/-Vallejo-Faith-Organization-Anti-Gay-Agenda]
Politics is personal. I know Pastor Matthias Esoimeme featured in these video clips. In fact, I exchange pleasantries with Matthias every Saturday at the Vallejo Farmers Market and at community meetings we both attend. And, over the last few years I have had a number of conversations with him. Last week I told him I was not voting for him, and in this diary I will explain why.
Matthias is featured in this interview conducted by Marc Garman. The letter beyond the fold is an analysis of the video by a local Vallejo  rights activist, David Crumrine. The letter was submitted to the local newspaper, the Vallejo Times Herald.
Matthias Esoimeme's Anti-Gay Agenda, Member of the homophobic Vallejo Faith Organization Marc Garman (left) - Matthias Esoimeme (right)

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Dear Editor,
A recent interview with the Vallejo Faith Organization’s candidate for Vallejo City Council, Pastor Matthias Esoimeme has yielded some interesting information on this candidate and his views about the gay community. He freely admits his role as part of the Vallejo Faith Organization as well as their ties with Ed Silvoso, and his Dominionist group of homophobic religious fanatics who have been preying on the citizenry of Vallejo for the past few years. He still uses that tired old cliche about loving the sinner but hating the sin. But after watching a clip of the interview on YouTube, some other very problematic issues come to light.
1. He thinks that gay people having children is a bad thing.
2. He says that being gay is a choice and can be changed.
3. He insinuates that gay people are recruiting others to become gay and says that it risks a human population collapse and that our country risks being “overthrown” by other nations.
4. He says that the reason individuals become gay is to take advantage of “a protected status” such that they can “not be touched" by employers for committing wrongful acts.
5. He says that since transgenderism is not mentioned in the Bible, that it does not actually exist.
Lastly, he talks about gays having a "lower mentality" in comparison to heterosexuals. Isn’t this the same type of discriminatory rhetoric that racial bigots profess?
This is an example of certifiable hate speech. Esoimeme should issue a retraction immediately for his homophobic and discriminatory comments in an attempt to find a way to heal the wounds he has caused. He should also undertake some sensitivity training to learn the truth about homosexuality, transexuality, discrimination, bigotry and the danger it poses to our youth in our schools.
We are fighting an epidemic of “bullycide” where youths are killing themselves due to hate speech like this and due to bullying on campuses. A candidate for public office making these kind of extremist and ignorant comments is not right for Vallejo.
We do not need more division within our city, we need to find ways to bring our community together. The Bible should not be used as a weapon to harm people, nor as a shield from behind which to hide hateful rhetoric and label it as religious freedom.
[signed] David Crumrine
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Pastor Matthias Esoimeme is best understood as a natural outgrowth of the of the Vallejo Faith Organization [http://www.streetprophets.com/storyonly/2011/10/8/02721/6287], also known as VFO. The VFO has been engaging in Memetic Warfare on Vallejo for years using the LBGT community as its target.
Sidenote - Deployment of memetic weapons: Fundamentalists, notably those supporting the neoconservative agenda, place considerable emphasis on the challenge of sin -- in justifying their support for faith-based governance. Their focus is on very tangible manifestations of sin as understood in religious terms. Seven Deadly Sins of Fundamentalism - assessing memetic weapons capability of neoconservatism [http://www.laetusinpraesens.org/musings/sins.php#depl]
The VFO is large enough and active enough in our community to influence the social norms and change the understanding of language in Vallejo. The 20 or so churches supporting VFO have used their "bully pulpit" to create an environment where it is normal to consider LBGT individuals sinful.
Excerpt from How to Detect Evil: Book Review of People Of The Lie by M Scott, Peck, M.D.
[begin excerpt]
There is today in America a disease, a sickness of hatred. It’s very existence is a universal form of group narcissism. Peck calls it, “enemy creation,” or “hatred of the ‘out-group.’” If a group does not have an enemy, “it will most likely create one in short order.” Peck wrote, “The groups become cliques. Those who do not belong to the group are despised as being inferior or evil or both.”
Jerry Falwell was fond of telling the story of how he learned the secret of being a successful pastor. As a young man he went to an older minister and asked, “What do I have to do to be a success?” The old pastor put his arm on Jerry’s shoulder and said, “Son, if you want to be a success, keep a good fight going all the time!”
[end excerpt]
Matthias learned his political skills on the job in Vallejo. Here is a 2008 video of Matthias speaking out in support of "YES on 8", the California Marriage Protection Act. As the viewer can see Matthias has not changed his views on the LBGT community.

I would like to mention the Prop 8 campaign in Vallejo because of the unusual vote outcome in our county. The Vallejo Faith Organization with the help of the local Mormon and Catholic community were able to mobilize the their faithful to create this outcome: "On Nov. 4, 2008, Solano County voted 55.9% for Proposition 8, which amended the California Constitution to ban same-sex marriages. It was the only Bay Area county to approve the initiative." From Wikipedia: Solano County Politics
A month ago at a political meeting where I was talking about the influence of the Vallejo Faith Organization on Vallejo politics Matthias was present. After the meeting Matthias engaged me in an extended conversation. I knew about his views on the LBGT issues, but I did not know much about his humanities breadth. So, I found myself framing our conversation in terms of the influence of Enlightenment thinkers on the Constitution and American institutions rather than talking about LBGT issues.
He immediately took exception and stated the source for the U.S. Constitution was the Bible. I mentioned Descartes, Newton, Spinoza, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson and these were not recognized. But all he said was that I was wrong ... the source is the bible.
And no conversation would be complete without mention of Sodom. And, of course I disagreed with his interpretation. I offered to sit down with him and show him what I believed based on using Strong’s Concordance. Surprisingly for a Pastor he was unfamiliar with Strong's and it’s use.
He changed tactics, again, and questioned my personal beliefs by asking me what church I was affiliated with. I said that I felt comfortable calling myself a Deist and believed in the Jefferson Bible. However, Matthias was not familiar with these.
I went back to defending the founding documents of the United States as being, in part, inspired by the Enlightenment. And, the conversation did not get much further than that.
From Wikipedia: Age of Enlightenment: " .... The new intellectual forces spread to urban centers across Europe, notably England, Scotland, the German states, the Netherlands, Russia, Italy, Austria, and Spain, then jumped the Atlantic into the European colonies, where it influenced Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson, among many others, and played a major role in the American Revolution. The political ideals influenced the American Declaration of Independence, the United States Bill of Rights, the French Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, and the Polish–Lithuanian Constitution of May 3, 1791."
As David said above, "A candidate for public office making these kind of extremist and ignorant comments is not right for Vallejo." I agree with David: Matthias is not right for Vallejo.
Specifically, I reject Matthias as a canideate for Vallejo City Councel because he holds misguided and simplistic ideas about the LBGT community. Second, I think he should have a better understanding American history, American civics, and of the ideas of the Enlightenment. Third, I reject his ideology of category simplifications that supports memetic warfare against Progressive values in the Vallejo community.
Lastly, I think Matthias is being used by the Vallejo Faith Organization to make their regular slate of candidates look more normal and main stream. The other Vallejo Faith Organization candidates are much more polished than Matthias, and I hope to mention them in a future diary.
And on that note, I will end this diary on pledge to keep talking to Matthias. I'm  hoping I'm able to show him some examples of the tragic outcomes for children who are targeted by those that categorize LBGT individuals as sinners, e.g., see Daily Kos diaries like Chrislove's  CA Christian Coalition: Anti-gay bullying simply "part of maturing," "not a real problem" [http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/09/19/1018406/-CA-Christian-Coalition:-Anti-gay-bullying-simply-part-of-maturing,-not-a-real-problem?via=hotlist].


2011-10-23 "Vallejo Faith Organization - Dominionism Proxy?"
[http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/10/23/1029159/-Vallejo-Faith-Organization-Dominionism-Proxy?]
The Vallejo Faith Organization (VFO) is an influential political force in my community. So much so, that all the candidates running for office have had to factor them into their campaign considerations. I would normally take "City of God" as a "metaphor" for the VFO's approach to governance and chalk it up to colorful language ... In other words, just ignore it.
Screen capture from video about VFO - (YouTube access set to private on September 2, 2011.)

But, the more I have looked into the operation of VFO, the more I realized they had a more long term goal. And, from what I can surmise this goal is to "transform" the city of Vallejo into a "City of God". Beyond the fold let me share some of what I discovered.

What is the Vallejo Faith Organization?
 Pictured below is the Vallejo Faith Organization's website splash page announcing the formation of the organization in 2007 and outlining it's goals and beliefs.  Click here for a large version of the screen shot below.

 Over the last few years the VFO has backed a number of candidates for local City Council and School Board offices. The VFO has held numerous prayer breakfasts, public prayer rallies, political forums, and voter registration drives. They have conducted legal seminars educating pastors, and initiated an adopt a school program. Their campaign to pray  over city streets, businesses, and government institutions is an ongoing group activity. In 2008 VFO played a significant roll in Solano county delivering the YES vote on Prop 8.
Consider this key establishment passage from the VFO mission statement:
"God wants to unify business, education, government, and the faith community - all working together in the transformation of our beautiful city." From the VFO Website:Our Mission [http://vallejofaith.org/]
To understand the significance of the above establishment statement, one must consider it literally, not metaphorically.If you only remember one thing from this diary remember to take the statements from organizations like VFO literally.
Who is behind VFO? "(name) was one of the very first in the Vallejo area to attend a seminar with Ed Silvoso and quickly brought the concept of marketplace ministry to his pastor Danny Jefferson." From the Harvest Evangelism Website: Vallejo City of God [http://www.harvestevan.org/vallejo-city-of-god.html]
Ed Silvoso and Pastor Danny Jefferson (L to R) - Screen capture from a video by Marc Garman: Vallejo's Faith Community Gather in Prayer:

"One defining aspect of transformationalism is its focus on what are called marketplace ministers. In this context, as in many Christian circles, the term 'marketplace' is used to represent business, education, and government—i.e., everything outside the church and family." From Wikipedia, Christian Transformationalism: Marketplace Ministers [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Transformationalism#Marketplace_ministers]
The unifying philosophy behind VFO can be found in the doctrines of the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR). For additional information and references on NAR see Rachel Tabachnick's Resource Directory for the New Apostolic Reformation on the Talk to Action website [http://www.talk2action.org/story/2010/1/20/131544/037].
For the practical implementation of this vision of a "City of God" VFO enlisted the professional services of Harvest Evangelism, one of the leading international suppliers social transformation technology. Harvest Evangelism, owned by CEO & NAR Apostle Ed Silvoso, practices a variation on Dominionism called Christian Transformationalism [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Transformationalism].
Screen capture from Harvest Evangelism: Vallejo City of God:

Ed Silvoso's International Transformation Network is active in over 300 cities on 6 continents [http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/International_Transformation_Network]. It originates, publishes, and markets a complete line of educational materials and tools for transforming communities.
Ed Silvoso's global Adopt Your Street tool is tracked by a Google Maps Application. This sophisticated collaboration tool is one of the many technologies developed by Harvest Evangelism. Below some quotes from the instructions on using this Adopt Your Street application.
"Plot the street address you wish to "adopt."* It could be your home, at your school, at your place of work – or all of them! Or it could be a street you adopt simply because you feel led to pray for it. —Involve each member of the family in the process!"
"Comment on the street address you have adopted.* Who are you praying about? What are the needs of your neighborhood, your workplace, your school? What are you asking God for? What changes are taking place?
"Communicate with each other.* "Follow" others' comments and let them "follow" yours."
California Canopy of Prayer [http://www.transformourworld.org/en/blogs/1875-california-canopy-of-prayer]
If you go to the Harvest Evangelism's Transform Our World Adopt Your Street website and "drill down" you can see if your street or home is being watched and prayed over [http://www.transformourworld.org/en/adopt].
Below is a screen capture representing the whole world from Harvest Evangelism's Transform Our World website. I had to spend a lot of time to get this screen capture. I had to "drill down" in each state in North America and each nation on each continent to get all the markers across the world.

It should be noted that this Adopt Your Street program can be adapted as a powerful social organizing tool for the New Apostolic Reformation. And it would not surprise me if the tool could be used for political canvasing and voter microtargeting [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microtargeting].
Below is a quote from the Vallejo Faith Organization website stating that one of their core values is to elect political candidates and to advance the outcome of a political issues or legislation. This is what would normally be called a political action committee (PAC) [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_action_committee].
"Participation in the election process and holding Elected Officials accountable." From the VFO Website: Our Core Values.
Who are the potential followers of the movement in Vallejo?
In the "Our Members" section the doctrine of Marketplace Ministry is introduced. "The Vallejo Faith Organization (VFO) is comprised of pastors and Marketplace Ministers (Business persons.) Members are people from many Christian Denominations, ethnicity and political party affiliations." From the VFO Website: Our Members.
The Vallejo Faith Organization is a regional meta-church organization comprised of alliances of churches from different denominational backgrounds. I would estimate there are about 14 local church involved in VFO with perhaps about 2000 members(potential voters).
What is the VFO doing in the Vallejo community?
Below is a screen shot of a video that illustrates members of VFO "praying" over Vallejo. Part of the transformation process is driving out territorial demons and generational curses.
 * Screen capture from video about VFO [youtube.com/watch?v=JJ_B-xBbnOw] - (YouTube access set to private on September 2, 2011.)

* Below is a screen  capture from Harvest Evangelism's Transform Our World website: Adopt Your Street

* Screen capture from video about VFO [youtube.com/watch?v=JJ_B-xBbnOw] - (YouTube access set to private onSeptember 2, 2011.)

The video mentioned above has been re-posted here: Vallejo Faith Organization on the Move in our city!! [youtube.com/watch?v=OMCKcSkVlcM] (No guarantee this will stay up).
Clearly VFO is doing much more in the Vallejo community than is reported in this diary, so consider this diary an introduction. My next diary will take a close look at some of the local VFO backed candidates running for office.


Vallejo Faith Organization's homophobic leader P. Daniels (Danny) Jefferson rallying for Dominionism in Vallejo with his master Ed Silvoso, and Vallejo Mayor Osby Davis.
"Vallejo Faith Organization on the Move in our city!!"
posted by "RehobothVallejoCA" [youtube.com/watch?v=JJ_B-xBbnOw]: VFO on the move impacting the City of Vallejo!!! The church is alive and well building the Kingdom of God! Come and join us as we reclaim one street at a time! Vallejo will be what me make it!! And remember VALLEJO IS THE CITY OF GOD!!!


"Vallejo, California Mayor Faces Backlash After Anti-Gay Remarks"
2009-11-27 from [rodonline.typepad.com/rodonline/2009/11/vallejo-california-mayor-faces-backlash-after-antigay-remarks.html]:
The evangelical Christian mayor of Vallejo, California, is under fire after calling gay and lesbians "sinful".
In an article about the escalating tensions between recent gay arrivals and evangelicals in the Bay Area city, the New York Times [nytimes.com/2009/11/20/us/20sfmetro.html] quoted Vallejo Mayor Osby Davis as saying: "They're committing sin and that sin will keep them out of heaven. But you don't hate the person. You hate the sin that they commit."
Davis, who is a lawyer, is a devout follower of the charismatic Assemblies of God and advertises himself as a "Christian attorney". Two years ago, Davis won a bitter mayoral race by just two votes in a recount over an openly gay candidate. On Top Magazine reports [ontopmag.com/article.aspx?id=4922&MediaType=1&Category=26]: "Several gay candidates say the city is replete with anti-gay sentiment. They point to prayer circles formed outside the City Council chamber and political 'faith forums' hosted by a coalition of local churches."
One outraged Vallejo resident told KTVU [ktvu.com/news/21730259/detail.html]: "It's not okay for him to say that. That's his own personal belief and it's shocking to hear someone say that, especially today in California and Vallejo as diverse as it is."
The mayor offered an "apology" and says his remarks were taken out of context. Gay activists in the city are not impressed. They will push for the mayor's censure and a demonstration is planned for December 1.


"Vallejo mayor faces backlash after gay comments"
2009-11-25 by Carolyn Tyler from "ABC KGO-7" television news [http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/local/north_bay&id=7139980]:
The city of Vallejo may be best known for declaring bankruptcy but now it is in the headlines for comments the mayor made about gays.
"I apologize if my words were offensive, they were not intended to be offensive," Vallejo Mayor Osby Davis said.
Davis finds himself in the middle of a controversy after an interview published this weekend in the New York Times. The article, titled "Faith and Tolerance Collide in Vallejo," quotes Davis talking about gay people, saying, "They're committing sin and that sin will keep them out of heaven." He also calls Vallejo "a city of God."
"I'm not going to discuss my faith with anybody anymore," Davis said Wednesday.
Davis does not deny making the comments, but says they were taken out of context.
Gay Vallejo resident Charles Legalos wants the City Council to censure the mayor and says his apology is an excuse.
"I would like to hear him explain in what context those comments would be appropriate coming from an elected public official," Legalos said.
Two years ago, Davis won a bitter mayoral race by just two votes in a recount over an openly gay candidate. Members of the gay community say there has been tension since then, but Davis says he has been a consensus builder.
"There's nothing people can point to in the past two years of my election or course of my campaign that would suggest that I've been anything but fair," Davis said.
Davis feels the controversy is the last thing his city needs. Vallejo is dealing with bankruptcy and tough financial decisions. Father Lou Bordisso, who is openly gay, is organizing a protest against the mayor, saying Davis has violated the separation of church and state.
"I think anyone in political office does not have the right to try to impose their beliefs on the population," Bordisso said.
The mayor has asked extended an olive branch, asking for a meeting with Bordisso, but that has not yet happened.
"We need to pull in a common direction for the benefit of the city," Davis said.