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Sat. April 11 - 11:00 am
Corporate Bail-Out Protest
On the sidewalk in front of the Federal Reserve Bank
101 Market St., San Francisco
near Embarcadero BART Station
Bail out the people, not the CEO's!
Peacefully protest the greed that resulted in 12 million unemployed and foreclosures up 81%.
We want our economy restored for the public.
Sign up at:
http://www.anewwayforward.org/demonstrations/
There will be protests in over 40 other cities nationwide at the same time.
Organized via A New Way Forward.
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Saturday, April 11, 2:00 p.m.
Letter of Invitation to the April 11 Teach-In Organizing Meeting
OPEIU Local 3
1050 South Van Ness #201 (upstairs) -- between 21st St. & 22nd St.
Please let us know ASAP if you can attend the April 11 teach-in organizing meeting. We are asking folks to please RSVP by replying to
- Money for jobs and social services, not for war
- Tax the rich/progressive taxation
- Single payer healthcare for all
- Pass the Employee Free Choice Act
- Immediate moratorium on foreclosures and evictions
- No more bailouts for Wall Street -- bail out working people
- Stop the ICE raids and deportations
Dear Bay Area Sisters and Brothers:
On behalf of the San Francisco Labor Council, the South Bay AFL-CIO Labor Council, and the Workers Emergency Recovery Campaign (WERC), we would like to invite you to a meeting to plan a teach-in to be held on May 9th in San Francisco on the economic crisis and the need for a worker-community recovery plan.
The teach-in organizing meeting will be held Saturday, April 11 at 2 p.m. at the office of OPEIU Local 3 in the Mission District of San Francisco. The address is 1050 South Van Ness #201 (upstairs) -- between 21st St. & 22nd St.
The May 9 teach-in is framed by the set of demands approved by San Francisco Labor Council delegates in mid-January and by the Workers Emergency Recovery Campaign. They are as follows:
- Money for jobs and social services, not for war
- Tax the rich/progressive taxation
- Single payer healthcare for all
- Pass the Employee Free Choice Act
- Immediate moratorium on foreclosures and evictions
- No more bailouts for Wall Street -- bail out working people
- Stop the ICE raids and deportations
These demands were recently endorsed by the California Federation of Teachers at their convention. They are widely supported by labor and community organizations across the country.
It is our desire that the teach-in provide a forum that will reflect the needs and concerns of all of those being negatively impacted by the crisis. To this end, the planning meeting is being convened as a space for us to come together, share ideas, and begin to forge a common action program for moving forward. Within the overall framework of developing a progressive response to the crisis, and the conviction that any stimulus and bailout must serve working people, not Wall Street, our intention is for the agenda for May 9th to be decided through a process of open discussion and identification of common points of concern.
We hope to come out of May 9th with a set of agreed actions, including a mass mobilization, and the establishment of joint labor-community committees to build an ongoing and pro-active response to the crisis.
It is imperative that we unite in this moment of deepening crisis. We sincerely hope you can join us to plan for the May 9th event -- which will be held at the Plumbers Hall in San Francisco: 1621 Market St. @ Franklin St. from 1 to 5 p.m.
Please let us know ASAP if you can attend the April 11 teach-in organizing meeting. We are asking folks to please RSVP by replying to
In solidarity,
Alan Benjamin, Conny Ford, Fred Hirsch, Bill Leumer, Denis Mosgofian and Tim Paulson
On behalf of the Teach-in Planning Committee
Initial List of invited groups, individuals, and organizations:
All Bay Area Labor Councils and their affiliated unions, all unions affiliated with San Francisco Labor Council, and all Council community-based allies that have partnered with the SF Labor Council in joint political campaigns.
Also:
Council of Community Housing Organizations
Community Housing Partnership
Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center
Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation
Chinatown Community Development Corporation
South of Market Community Action Network
St. Peter's Housing Committee
Mission Economic Development Agenda
La Raza Centro Legal
San Francisco Day Laborers
Dolores Street Community Services
Chinese Progressive Association
POWER
San Francisco Tenants Union
Housing Rights Committee
Coleman Advocates for Children and Youth
San Francisco Child Care Providers Association
Harvey Milk Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Democratic Club
Bernal Heights Democratic Club
PODER
ACORN
San Francisco Organizing Project
Women of Color Resource Center
East Bay Housing Organizations
Just Cause
Representatives from the offices of Supervisors Avalos, Daly, Mar, Campos,
Mirkarimi, and Chiu
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Celebrate the release of the new book by Mumia Abu-Jamal:
"Jailhouse Lawyers: Prisoners Defending Prisoners vs. the USA"
Friday, April 24th (Mumia's birthday!), 6:30 P.M.
Humanist Hall
411 - 28th Street, Oakland
$25.00 donation or what you can afford.
Featuring:
Angely Y. Davis
Mistah F.A.B.
Lynne Stewart
Tory Serra
Avotcja
Kiilu Nyasha
JR Minister of Information POCC
Ed Mead
Tiny aka Lisa Gray-Garcia
Molotov Mouths
Prison Radio, 415-648-4505
www.prisonradio.org
www.mumia.org
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4/26/2009 SF Speak-out and Video With UE Chicago Republic Workers And Screening
Sunday April 26, 2006 2:00 PM
ILWU Local 34
2nd St and Embarcadero on the left side of AT&T Park
The UE Republic workers of Chicago who occupied their factory to demand their pay and compensation as a result of their factories closure will be speaking and screening a labor film of their occupation on Sunday April 26, 2009 at 2:00 PM in San Francisco at ILWU Local 34 next to AT&T at 2nd St & Embarcadero St. in San Francisco.
The meeting which is being hosted by ILWU Local 34 and also sponsored by Laborfest.net, UPWA.info, Transport Workers Solidarity Committee and other unions and organizations will be the first eye witness report of this important event which electrified the US labor movement. As a result of protests throughout the country including San Francisco at the Bank Of America, the workers won their demands. Bay area workers who are in struggle will also speak at this forum.
To endorse, support or to get more information about this labor solidarity event contact
(415)282-1908 or lvpsf@labornet.org
YouTube - Angry Laid-off Workers Occupy Factory in Chicago
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNIQ1-ghsPs
http://www.ueunion.org/ue_republic.html
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Write a letter to Congress today!
'Right to Travel to Cuba' bills introduced in Congress
Thousands of people are writing to tell Congress: End the travel ban to Cuba. A "Right to Travel to Cuba" bill has been introduced in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. The bill is simple and self-explanatory: it would end all restrictions on travel from the United States to Cuba. The bill has received bipartisan support, and already has 123 co-sponsors in the House, and 20 in the Senate.
President Obama has proposed lifting travel restrictions on Cuban-Americans. These bills call for the lifting of travel restrictions for all people in the United States. The travel restrictions are part of the larger economic blockade of Cuba. The blockade, which uses food and medicine as a weapon against the Cuban people, must be brought to an end as well.
Please take a moment right now to write members and Congress and tell them you support these important bills. We suggest the following letter, but by clicking this link, you can customize it however you like.
https://secure2.convio.net/pep/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=239
I fully support the Right to Travel to Cuba bills, H.R.874 and S.428, that were introduced in Congress, Feb. 2009. Polls show a strong majority of Americans support a lifting of the travel ban.
It is time that this policy--which harms those in Cuba as well as those in the United States--come to an end.
It is a welcome development that President Obama is lifting restrictions on travel to Cuba for Cuban-Americans, as well as the right to send remittances to their loved ones in Cuba.
Now Congress has the opportunity, and responsibility, to extend that right to all citizens and residents of the United States.
Please act today and become a co-sponsor of H.R.874 or S.428. If you have already done so, I appreciate your positive and just action on behalf of my right to travel to Cuba.
Please take a moment right now and forward this email to your friends and family members and on social networking sites. Thank you!
In Solidarity,
ANSWER Coalition
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ARTICLES IN FULL:
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1) U.S. GOVERNMENT SPENT 37.3 CENTS OF EVERY 2008 FEDERAL TAX DOLLAR
ON MILITARY; ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY AND SCIENCE SPLIT 2.8 CENTS
For Immediate Release
Contact: Jo Comerford, Executive Director
413.584.9556 (o); 413.559.1649 (c)
http://www.nationalpriorities.org/taxday2009
2) Police Shoved Man Who Died During G-20 Protests
By MATTHEW SALTMARSH
April 9, 2009
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/09/world/europe/09protest.html?ref=world
3) Fidel Castro Meets 3 U.S. Lawmakers
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
April 7, 2009
Filed at 9:26 p.m. ET
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/04/07/world/AP-CB-Cuba-US.html?ref=world
4) Too Old for Foster Care, and Facing the Recession
By JULIE BOSMAN
April 8, 2009
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/08/nyregion/08foster.html?ref=nyregion
5) Contractors Reach Deal on Destroyer
By CHRISTOPHER DREW
"Pentagon officials had estimated that the first of the new destroyers, also known as the Zumwalt class, would cost $3.3 billion, with additional ships costing at least $2.5 billion each if the Navy had built the 10 that were originally planned. But if only the three are built, independent analysts said, various economies of scale would be lost, and the average cost could rise to $5 billion or more."
April 9, 2009
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/09/business/09defense.html?ref=business
6) The seven Congress members who are visiting us
By Fidel Castro Ruz
Granma.cu, "Reflections of Fidel,"
April 6, 2009
http://www.granma.cu/ingles/2009/april/mar7/Reflections-6april.html
7) Thousands flee bomb attacks by US drones
Daud Khattakin and Christina Lamb
From The Sunday Times
April 5, 2009
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article6036512.ece
8) Obama to seek $83.4 billion for Iraq, Afghan wars
By ANDREW TAYLOR - 10 minutes ago
April 9, 2009
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gTwALhA-6u9xoToe67OlHgdxXsfQD97F6AJG1
9) Texas: New Charges for Cuban Militant
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
National Briefing | Southwest
April 9, 2009
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/09/us/09brfs-NEWCHARGESFO_BRF.html?ref=world
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1) U.S. GOVERNMENT SPENT 37.3 CENTS OF EVERY 2008 FEDERAL TAX DOLLAR
ON MILITARY; ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY AND SCIENCE SPLIT 2.8 CENTS
For Immediate Release
Contact: Jo Comerford, Executive Director
413.584.9556 (o); 413.559.1649 (c)
http://www.nationalpriorities.org/taxday2009
U.S. GOVERNMENT SPENT 37.3 CENTS OF EVERY 2008 FEDERAL TAX DOLLAR
ON MILITARY; ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY AND SCIENCE SPLIT 2.8 CENTS
The United States can do better! It's time to "close the spigot" of defense spending.
NORTHAMPTON, MA - As taxes come due on April 15, taxpayers can take stock of how the federal government spent each 2008 income tax dollar: 37.3 cents went towards military-related spending, while environment, energy and science-related projects split 2.8 cents, according to a new analysis released by National Priorities Project (NPP).
In its annual release, Where Do Your Tax Dollars Go?, NPP offers a breakdown of how the federal government spent the median income family's 2008 tax payments in each state and 200 cities.
According to National Priorities Project, 37.3 cents for military-related spending breaks down as follows: 29.4 cents for current military and war spending coupled with 7.9 cents for military-related debt. At 3.8 cents of each dollar, veterans' benefits receive similar proportions of a federal tax dollar as housing and community programs and food-related programs.
"The first page of our tax publication offers a look at Bush-era spending. The second page - focused on the environment, energy and science - looks forward to promising Obama administration shifts," notes Jo Comerford, Executive Director of National Priorities Project. "Funding for the environment, energy and science decreased relative to budget spending as a whole during the Bush presidency, while President Obama's February overview of his first budget indicates these priorities are likely to change."
Comerford continues, "Secretary Gates has begun ringing in 'the new day for defense spending' heralded by President Obama by cutting Cold War weapons systems, putting others on hold for further review and promising greater budget oversight. Yet, the total U.S. military budget continues to exceed $600 billion annually, making it imperative that we take a closer look at Pentagon spending in the months ahead - especially now as Congress and the Obama administration begin preparing for the Quadrennial Defense Review."
National Priorities Project is the leading source for the cost of the Iraq War, offering breakdowns of the cost by state, city and congressional district. Spring 2009 releases include a calculation of war costs for Afghanistan and Iraq and associated trade-offs based on analyses of the $75.5 billion FY2009 war supplemental and the $130 billion allocated for the Iraq and Afghanistan wars allocated in the FY2010 defense budget. Visit www.nationalpriorities.org for more information.
The National Priorities Project (NPP) is a 501(c)(3) research organization that analyzes and clarifies federal data so that people can understand and influence how their tax dollars are spent. Located in Northampton, MA, since 1983, NPP focuses on the impact of federal spending and other policies at the national, state, congressional district and local levels. For more information, go to http://nationalpriorities.org.
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2) Police Shoved Man Who Died During G-20 Protests
By MATTHEW SALTMARSH
April 9, 2009
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/09/world/europe/09protest.html?ref=world
A video released on the Internet on Tuesday showed that a man who died of a heart attack during protests in London last week had been pushed aggressively to the ground by a police officer.
The release of the video sparked immediate reaction from politicians, and the home secretary said a criminal investigation might be warranted.
The man, Ian Tomlinson, 47, a newspaper vendor, had been present during the protests against the Group of 20 meeting in London last week. A police statement released soon after the episode on April 1 had made no mention of any police contact with him.
In a statement Wednesday, London's highest ranking police officer, the commissioner for the Metropolitan Police, Sir Paul Stephenson, said: "The images that have now been released raise obvious concerns and it is absolutely right and proper that there is a full investigation into this matter, which the Met will fully support."
The investigation is now in the hands of the Independent Police Complaints Commission, or I.P.C.C., which investigates complaints about police conduct.
The I.P.C.C. confirmed Wednesday that it had received the footage, originally obtained by The Guardian newspaper. The Guardian said the video had been shot by a bystander during the protests.
"We are now in the process of analyzing it, along with the other evidence we have obtained on the case," it said in a statement. "We continue to call for witnesses to the incident."
A spokesman for the I.P.C.C. declined to elaborate on the timetable of the investigation.
The home secretary, Jacqui Smith, called for the inquiry to be completed "as quickly as possible." She said a criminal investigation could follow if the I.P.C.C. thought one was needed, The Press Association reported.
The video has been posted on YouTube. It shows Mr. Tomlinson walking in front of a police line, with his hands in his pockets; he does not speak to the police. It then shows him being shoved from behind by a police officer in riot gear and falling to the ground.
Mr. Tomlinson then sits up, looking dazed. After the incident, he suffered a heart attack and died.
Mr. Tomlinson's stepson, Paul King, 27, told the B.B.C. that the family wanted "justice." He said his father, who sold copies of the London Evening Standard newspaper for a living, had not been a protester and had merely been in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Mr. Tomlinson's death has stoked anger about police heavy-handedness among protest groups that were present at the demonstration.
The conduct of London's police force has been closely scrutinized since the death of Jean Charles De Menezes, a Brazilian bystander who was shot dead by the police during a counterterrorism operation at the Stockwell subway station in 2005.
"This video clearly shows an unprovoked attack by a police officer on a passer-by. It is sickening," David Howarth, who represents the opposition Liberal Democrats on justice issues, said in a statement Wednesday.
Mr. Howarth had attended the protests to monitor police behavior.
"There must be a full-scale criminal investigation," he added. "The officer concerned and the other officers shown in the video must immediately come forward."
"Questions must also be asked about the hyping up of the prospect of violence in the run up to the demonstrations. An atmosphere was created in which this sort of conduct became more likely."
Chris Grayling, the Conservative Party's domestic affairs spokesman, said the revelations were "extremely alarming and leave big questions to be answered by the police."
"The inquiry must be completed quickly so that any further appropriate action can be taken."
The Guardian said it had a dossier including a sequence of photographs and witness statements from people in the area at the time, some of whom said they saw police officers attack Tomlinson. It said it had handed the documents to the police complaints commission.
The police deployed approximately 5,000 officers on April 1, the day before the G-20 meeting, and a similar number on April 2, the day of the gathering, which centered around the ExCel center near Canary Wharf in east London.
In the build-up to the gathering, protesters smashed the windows of a Royal Bank of Scotland building in London.
The police cited "isolated incidents of violence and disruption" on April 1 and arrested 86 people that day, with 32 arrests the following day.
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3) Fidel Castro Meets 3 U.S. Lawmakers
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
April 7, 2009
Filed at 9:26 p.m. ET
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/04/07/world/AP-CB-Cuba-US.html?ref=world
HAVANA (AP) -- Signaling its willingness to discuss improved relations with the U.S., Cuba on Tuesday granted three visiting members of the Congressional Black Caucus the first meeting with Fidel Castro by American officials since he fell ill in 2006.
Caucus leader Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., said she found Castro ''very healthy, very energetic, very clear thinking'' during his nearly two-hour session with the lawmakers. She said caucus members also visited his home and met his wife.
The surprise encounter came a day after the full delegation of six representatives spent more than four hours talking privately with Cuban President Raul Castro, his first encounter with U.S. officials since formally replacing his brother as head of state nearly 14 months ago.
And it comes as Washington discusses whether to warm up long-chilly relations with Cuba. President Barack Obama has ordered an assessment of U.S. policy toward the communist nation and some members of Congress are pushing to lift a ban on Americans visiting the island.
''We believe it is time to open dialogue and discussion with Cuba,'' Lee told a news conference in Washington upon the caucus members' return. ''Cubans do want dialogue. They do want talks. They do want normal relations.''
Lee said the group would present its findings to Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D.-Calif., and White House and State Department officials.
Rep. Laura Richardson, D-Calif., who also met Fidel with Rep. Bobby Rush, D-Ill., said Castro ''looked directly into our eyes'' and asked how Cuba could help Obama in his efforts to change the course of U.S. foreign policy. Richardson said she had the impression that 82-year-old Fidel wants to see changes in U.S.-Cuba relations in his lifetime.
Fidel Castro has not been seen in public since undergoing emergency intestinal surgery in July 2006 and it was his first meeting in several years with American officials. Although he gave up his presidential duties after becoming ill, he remains an influential force in Cuba.
Among the last U.S. officials to see him face-to-face were state governors visiting the island separately on farm trade missions in 2005: Dave Heineman of Nebraska and Kathleen Blanco of Louisiana.
Lee's group was in Cuba five days on a trip meant to encourage dialogue between the United States and Cuba.
Jeffrey Davidow, the White House adviser for this month's Summit of the Americas, which Obama will attend, says the U.S. president has no plans to lift the 47-year-old trade embargo against Cuba. But he says Obama will soon ease travel and financial restrictions affecting the island as his administration reviews its Cuban policy.
Lee's delegation is sympathetic to Cuba, with most of its members openly praising the country's communist government while decrying U.S. policy.
Before the meeting with Fidel Castro was revealed, Lee said her group's talks with Raul Castro left lawmakers ''convinced that President Castro sees normalization of relations and an end to the embargo as a benefit to both countries.''
Raul Castro ''said everything was on the table,'' Lee added.
In commentaries Monday in state news media, Fidel Castro said that Cuba is not afraid to talk directly to the United States and that the Cuban government does not thrive on confrontation as its detractors have long claimed. He also welcomed the visit by the U.S. lawmakers.
Opponents of the Castro government have long argued that while Cuban officials publicly call for an end to the trade embargo, they strive to antagonize Washington so it will keep the sanctions in place. The critics say Cuban leaders want to be able to blame the country's problems -- from restricted public Internet access to chronic food shortages -- on trade sanctions.
A member of the visiting U.S. delegation, Rush of Illinois, said he found the 77-year-old Raul Castro ''to be just the opposite of what is being portrayed in the media.''
''I think that what really surprised me, but also endeared me to him, was his keen sense of humor, his sense of history and his basic human qualities,'' Rush said, adding that they talked about the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and promised to send Fidel a book on the late civil rights leader.
''They want to have the kind of relationship they had prior to the blockade. They deserve that,'' Rush said of the Castros.
The American lawmakers were ''in conversation with him as though we were old family members,'' said Rush, who was once a Black Panther.
''I intend to do everything that I can when we get back to the States to make sure that normalization with our relationship with Cuba is given proper consideration both within the House of Representatives and the neighborhoods of America,'' Rush added.
Bills in both houses of the U.S. Congress would effectively bar any president from prohibiting Americans from traveling to Cuba except in extreme cases such as war.
Lee predicted the measures will be approved, but said that will not spell the end of the trade embargo.
''This would be a wonderful step, allowing American citizens the right to travel to Cuba, but much would follow after that,'' she said in an interview.
The lawmakers' meeting with Raul Castro touched on few specific issues, especially thorny ones like Cuba's checkered human rights record.
''We did not come to negotiate, we came to associate and cultivate,'' said Rep. Emanuel Cleaver of Missouri.
Lee said the legislators would use their visit to prepare a report for Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on the situation in Cuba.
''Our basic message back to our country would be, it's time to talk to Cuba,'' Lee said. ''The time is now.''
Asked about the lawmakers' trip, before the session with Fidel Castro was reported, State Department spokesman Robert Wood said members of Congress are free to go where they want and to discuss issues with world leaders.
''And I'm sure that the members of that delegation will be raising some of the concerns that the U.S. government has with Cuba in terms of allowing Cubans to have the same rights and freedoms as (citizens of) other countries in the hemisphere,'' Wood said.
Associated Press Writer Jim Abrams in Washington contributed to this report.
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4) Too Old for Foster Care, and Facing the Recession
By JULIE BOSMAN
April 8, 2009
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/08/nyregion/08foster.html?ref=nyregion
Even in boom times, young people who become too old for the foster-care system often struggle to make it on their own, lacking families, job skills or adequate educations. Now, the recession has made the challenges of life after foster care even more formidable, especially for those seeking federal housing vouchers, which are contingent on having an income.
Since the beginning of this year, the city's Administration for Children s Services has been providing letters to those about to leave the foster care system, certifying that they are likely to be eligible for public assistance and thus easing the application process when they are ready. Yet, many child-welfare advocates worry that a growing number will still end up homeless.
They get a lot of resources until they re 21, and then essentially none, said James J. Golden, the executive director of the Edwin Gould Academy in East Harlem, which provides housing exclusively to former foster children. It s like falling off a cliff for some of them.
In New York, foster children are allowed to leave the system when they turn 18 but can stay until 21; last year, 407 wards turned 21, while 547 opted out early 375 at age 18, and 172 at 19 or 20.
Once discharged from the system, some move in with family or friends, get jobs or go to college. Others apply for welfare as their sole source of income, and often end up homeless.
Administrators at the Chelsea Foyer at the Christopher, which houses dozens of former and current foster youths, said that typically, 90 percent of their residents were employed, but that in February only 70 percent had jobs.
They are the low man on the totem pole for jobs anyway, said Jerome Kilbane, the executive director of Covenant House New York, a nonprofit that operates shelters for young people. Now they are even more at a disadvantage.
Michael Smith, 20, said he was increasingly anxious as he approached the day in August that he will have to leave his foster home in Brooklyn. He has been searching for work since October, leaving rÈsumÈs at places like McDonald s and the clothing stores Express and H & M.
Mr. Smith graduated from high school in Queens in 2006 and went to Kingsborough Community College, but he dropped out after his sickle-cell anemia caused him to miss class frequently.
I m coming up to my 21st birthday, when I m no longer going to be supported, Mr. Smith said. I feel overlooked all the times I do go apply for these jobs. But I have to do this, or else I ll be out on the street.
Officials at the Administration for Children s Services say they do everything possible to avert that, including the letters that help smooth the application process for public assistance.
The child-welfare agency and the 36 foster-care groups with which it contracts begin to prepare children for independence as early as age 14. There are workshops on budgeting, job hunting, how to sign up for health insurance and how to negotiate with a landlord over rent.
At age 19, foster youths begin to talk to caseworkers about housing options, which commonly include Section 8 vouchers, public housing projects and supportive housing, where counseling and job training might be available on site.
The Administration for Children s Services provides a one-time stipend of $750 as a cushion to foster youths when they exit the system. They are also eligible for a monthly payment of $300 from the city, from the time the leave foster care until they are 21 Ω, if they are not receiving any other public housing subsidy, such as Section 8.
Most of those leaving foster care are entitled to Section 8, which typically allows tenants to rent apartments for one-third of their monthly income. But that means they need income to qualify. And with unemployment rates in New York rising precipitously, foster-care workers are worried.
To be honest, I m afraid that our youth are really going to be unable to secure housing, said Jane Feyder, the assistant director at the New York Foundling Fontana Center for Child Protection. They don t have the work experience that other people have who are looking for jobs right now. They re competing with so many other people who have advantages over them.
Even advocates for foster youth acknowledge that they are a particularly difficult group to employ.
Many lack high school diplomas, having spent adolescence being shuttled from home to home. The responsibilities of a first job can come as a shock, and many quit out of frustration.
A year ago, if they d lose one $9- an-hour job, there was usually another one that we could find them, Mr. Golden said. Now it s a little more costly to become unemployed.
One of the former foster children in his care, Jessica Molina, landed a job in January 2008, working in computer technology at Merrill Lynch. She was laid off in June when the company downsized, and has been working at temporary jobs since.
Like everyone else, I have my fingers crossed that I ll find something, Ms. Molina, 22, said. But looking at the gaps in her rÈsumÈ, she is often reminded of the constant moves between group homes she endured during her teenage years. Sometimes you re looked at as a castaway, she said. It s like coming from a totally different place.
Brenda Tully, the program director for Chelsea Foyer at the Christopher, said residents have been laid off or seen their hours reduced at jobs in gyms, nightclubs and clothing stores.
There s a much greater fear among the young people about what to expect, Ms. Tully said. They are very, very concerned that they re not going to be able to find housing that s affordable.
Stephany Diaz, a housing specialist for New York Foundling, one of the city's largest foster-care agencies, said she has begun prodding youths to apply for public assistance once they are officially discharged from care.
I used to discourage them to go down that route, she said. But now we almost have to.
Since 2002, the Administration for Children s Services has tried to move teenagers out of group homes and into foster care, hoping that when the time comes to leave, the children would have families to turn to.
We want children to leave care with a loving, caring and supportive adult who s going to continue to work with them long past their 21st birthday, said Lorraine Stephens, a deputy commissioner at the Administration for Children s Services. We don t want any kid to leave without someone connected to them.
But many children have tenuous connections to foster families, at best.
Mr. Smith, whose aunt is his foster parent, said staying with her after his 21st birthday is not an option. She s moving in with her boyfriend, he said.
Melissa Diaz, 19, left the foster care system more than a year ago, shortly after her foster mother died. Ms. Diaz later moved to Covenant House, and after nearly three months of searching found a job stocking shelves at Duane Reade.
She is training to become a nursing assistant and trying to earn enough money to become independent and afford housing on her own. That would be great, she said. It would be a blessing from God.
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5) Contractors Reach Deal on Destroyer
By CHRISTOPHER DREW
"Pentagon officials had estimated that the first of the new destroyers, also known as the Zumwalt class, would cost $3.3 billion, with additional ships costing at least $2.5 billion each if the Navy had built the 10 that were originally planned. But if only the three are built, independent analysts said, various economies of scale would be lost, and the average cost could rise to $5 billion or more."
April 9, 2009
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/09/business/09defense.html?ref=business
Two military contractors, General Dynamics and Northrop Grumman, agreed on Wednesday to a Pentagon deal that would clear the way for the Navy's multibillion-dollar stealth destroyers to be built at General Dynamics' shipyard in Maine, Pentagon officials said.
Northrop Grumman, which had expected to build one of the DDG-1000 destroyers at its shipyard in Mississippi, will contribute major components for all three vessels. It will also receive contracts for two other destroyers as the Navy restarts production of an earlier model.
Stock analysts said the deal, pushed by Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, appeared to be to the benefit of both contractors.
"Mr. Gates delivered a gift to the shipbuilders," said Loren B. Thompson, a military consultant and the chief operating officer of the Lexington Institute, a research group.
Military officials said the precise financial arrangements still needed to be worked out.
Pentagon officials had estimated that the first of the new destroyers, also known as the Zumwalt class, would cost $3.3 billion, with additional ships costing at least $2.5 billion each if the Navy had built the 10 that were originally planned.
But if only the three are built, independent analysts said, various economies of scale would be lost, and the average cost could rise to $5 billion or more.
Still, in proposing a range of cuts in arms programs on Monday, Mr. Gates said he would build only one of the destroyers if General Dynamics and Northrop Grumman did not agree to have all three built at Bath Iron Works in Maine.
Mr. Gates said it would have been far too costly and inefficient to have both shipyards gear up to be the lead contractor.
Representative Gene Taylor, a Democrat from Mississippi and the chairman of a House seapower subcommittee, said the deal was also good for Northrop Grumman because it ensured that the company was "aligned with where the Navy sees its future."
Under the plan, Northrop Grumman will restart production of the DDG-51, also known as the Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, at its Ingalls shipyard in Pascagoula, Miss., and build the first two vessels. General Dynamics will build the third once it completes work on the DDG-1000s at the Bath Iron Works, and the companies would split any subsequent orders.
Military analysts have estimated that the DDG-51s could cost an average of $1.5 billion to $2 billion each, depending on how many are eventually built.
Navy officials had originally embraced the shift to the DDG-1000, in part because it will have new types of radars, designed by Raytheon, that allow it to make precise scans in relatively cluttered areas near coastlines as well as at sea. That capability was designed to fit the Navy's increasing emphasis on operating in shallower, coastal waters.
But as the cost estimates rose, Navy officials began backing away from the new ship last year, saying they could no longer afford it.
Still, the DDG-1000 had substantial political support from Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Democrat from Massachusetts, where Raytheon is based, and other legislators from New England who were concerned about losing jobs at the Maine shipyard.
Mr. Gates also said on Monday that the Navy would gradually slow the production of aircraft carriers, with the number dropping to 10, from 11, after 2040. His proposals included advance money for expanding construction of the Virginia-class submarines to two each year, starting in fiscal 2011, from one now.
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6) The seven Congress members who are visiting us
By Fidel Castro Ruz
Granma.cu, "Reflections of Fidel,"
April 6, 2009
http://www.granma.cu/ingles/2009/april/mar7/Reflections-6april.html
AN important US political delegation is visiting us right now. Its members belong to the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) which, in practice, has functioned as the most progressive wing of the Democratic Party.
The Congressional Black Caucus was founded in January 1969 by the 12 African-American legislators who were members of the U.S. Congress at that moment. During the first 50 years of the 20th century only four African Americans were elected to Congress.
Presently, as a result of the struggles they have waged, the CBC has 42 members. Several of its representatives have maintained very active and constructive positions on Cuba-related topics.
The first Caucus delegation visited us in February 1999 and was headed by Maxine Waters; the second came in January 2000.
Influential members of that Congressional group publicly expressed their positions and carried out other positive actions during the battle for the return of young Elián to his homeland.
In May 2000, another Caucus delegation visited us. It was presided over by the then Caucus President James Clyburn, from North Carolina, and was made up of Bennie Thompson from Mississippi and Gregory Meeks from New York. These congressmen were the first to learn from me of Cuba's disposition to grant a number of scholarships to low-income youths, to be selected by the Congressional Black Caucus, so that they could come to Cuba and study medicine. We made a similar offer to the "Pastors for Peace" NGO, which is presided over by Reverend Lucius Walker, who sent the first students to the Latin American School of Medicine (ELAM).
When the anti-Cuban pressures and activities of the Bush administration were intensified with respect to travel and the presence in Cuba of persons under U.S. jurisdiction, Black Caucus legislators addressed Secretary of State Colin Powell and managed to secure a license that legally allowed American youths to continue their medical studies - which they had already begun - in Cuba.
Powell, a military chief of great authority and prestige, could possibly have become the first black president of the United States, but he turned down the nomination out of respect for his family who, on account of the assassination of Martin Luther King, strongly opposed his nomination.
The Black Caucus delegation visiting Cuba this time is headed by Barbara Lee, the representative of the state of California. She first traveled to Cuba accompanying the then black Congressman Ronald Dellums. She was his assistant and afterwards occupied his seat when he retired. On that occasion I had the honor of meeting her and admiring her combative spirit and capacity for struggle.
The group she is presiding over right now is made up by seven members of Congress. The other members of the delegation are: Melvin Luther Watt, from North Carolina; Michael Makoto Honda, from California; Laura Richardson, also from California; Bobby Rush, from Illinois; Marcia L. Fudge, from Ohio; and Emanuel Cleaver II, from Missouri.
Patrice Willoughby, executive assistant of the Congressional Black Caucus, plus four military personnel from the Congressional Liaison Office under the orders of Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Wolf, are accompanying the delegation.
I value the gesture of this legislative group. They have been strictly adhering to the program they requested. The aura of Luther King is accompanying them. Our press has given broad coverage of their visit. They are exceptional witnesses to the respect that U.S. citizens visiting our homeland always receive. It is unlikely that they have seen any face displaying a look of hatred, and perhaps they admire the total absence of illiterate people or children shining shoes on the streets. The swarms of children, teenagers and youths attending schools and universities; the day-care centers, senior citizens homes, hospitals and polyclinics run by highly skilled medical staff offering assistance to all citizens will not be lost to a critical eye. In the midst of this international economic crisis there are no citizens queuing in search of jobs. People walking through the streets, active and almost always happy, do not conform to the stereotyped images of Cuba that are often shown abroad.
Our homeland demonstrates that a small Third World country, which has been besieged, attacked and blockaded for decades, can bear its poverty with dignity. Many citizens in the world's richest nation do not receive the same kind of treatment and a considerable number of them do not even vote. However, that right is exercised by more than 90% of our population, who know how to read and write and who have acquired a significant level of culture and political knowledge.
Within the delegation, there are opinions which are shared by all; others are personal points of view. Generally speaking, its members believe that 68% of the U.S. population favors a change of policy toward Cuba.
One of them expressed the need to take advantage of this historical moment, when the presence of an African-American president in the White House coincides with a current of opinion that favors the normalization of relations.
When Alarcón commented that removing Cuba from the list of terrorist states -on which it is arbitrarily included - was a moral duty, he was reminded that both Nelson Mandela and the African National Congress were labeled as terrorists by the U.S. Congress.
Another member of the delegation thanked the Cuban authorities and the presidency of the Black Caucus for organizing the trip and maintaining this kind of exchange.
Another representative explained Obama's tremendous significance for the United States and the need for him to be reelected. He said that the president sees himself as a political leader who should govern all social sectors of the country. Nevertheless, he said he was sure that Obama would change Cuba policy, but that Cuba should also help him.
A fourth member of the Caucus said that despite Obama's electoral victory, U.S. society is still racist. He added that Obama represents the only opportunity that nation has to move forward and leave behind all the wrongdoings accumulated by former governments. He said that the president cannot go beyond lifting travel restrictions and allowing remittances by Cuban-Americans, because announcing an end to the blockade or the full normalization of bilateral relations would mean that he would never be reelected. He also confirmed that the anti-Cuban right wing still has enough power to attack him and prevent his reelection.
Finally, speaking frankly during a visit to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, another legislator stated that the United States should not waste the opportunity of acknowledging that its Cuba policy has been a total failure. He added that his government should apologize to Cuba for all these years of hostility and for the blockade, because only then will we be in a position to move on together towards resolving the bilateral dispute. He affirmed that he would do whatever is possible to eliminate the blockade.
During a visit to the Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Center, one CBC member, expressing the sentiments of the others, described Cuba's results in the field of biotechnology as "excellent," and said that, at this moment in time, the political atmosphere was favorable for building bridges of understanding and communication between the scientific communities of our respective countries. He recommended that we should be careful to patent everything, in line with international copyright standards, to prevent us being robbed of the efforts that led to such wonderful work.
All of them expressed how greatly impressed they were during the visit to the center, where the minister of science, technology and the environment, together with the directors of several scientific institutions, explained to them the work being undertaken by our country in that field.
The main activity on April 4, the day that marked the 41st anniversary of the death of the human rights martyr, was a visit to the park in the Cuban capital named after Martin Luther King, where there is a black-veined dark green marble monolith bearing the bronze embossed image of the great black combatant who was assassinated by racists. Barbara Lee, Laura Richardson, Emanuel Cleaver II and Bobby Rush spoke at the event. The four of them publicly emphasized the positive impact of the meetings they had had.
Yesterday Sunday, at 13:20, Congresswoman Barbara Lee arrived at the Ebenezer Church of the Martin Luther King Center's Ebenezer Church, where she was welcomed by Raúl Suárez and other leaders of the Cuban National Council of Churches. Also present were Alarcón and other officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Prior to that, Barbara visited two other churches in Vedado. She addressed the congregations, reiterating certain previous public statements and stating her intention to take certain steps with the administration in order to promote a change in Cuba policy and the reactivation of exchanges between the churches of both countries.
I have summarized the exchanges that have taken place. I have been careful not to disclose the names of those who have made certain statements, because I do not know whether they are interested in making them public.
I simply wished to offer the necessary details so that our population may have as much information as possible on the sensitive subject of relations between Cuba and the United States under Obama's presidency and the visit of the Black Caucus delegation to Cuba.
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7) Thousands flee bomb attacks by US drones
Daud Khattakin and Christina Lamb
From The Sunday Times
April 5, 2009
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article6036512.ece
AMERICAN drone attacks on the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan are causing a massive humanitarian emergency, Pakistani officials claimed after a new attack yesterday killed 13 people.
The dead and injured included foreign militants, but women and children were also killed when two missiles hit a house in the village of Data Khel, near the Afghan border, according to local officials.
As many as 1m people have fled their homes in the Tribal Areas to escape attacks by the unmanned spy planes as well as bombings by the Pakistani army. In Bajaur agency entire villages have been flattened by Pakistani troops under growing American pressure to act against Al-Qaeda militants, who have made the area their base.
Kacha Garhi is one of 11 tented camps across Pakistan's frontier province once used by Afghan refugees and now inhabited by hundreds of thousands of Pakistanis made homeless in their own land.
So far 546,000 have registered as internally displaced people (IDPs) according to figures provided by Rabia Ali, spokesman for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and Maqbool Shah Roghani, administrator for IDPs at the Commission for Afghan Refugees.
The commissioner's office says there are thousands more unregistered people who have taken refuge with relatives and friends or who are in rented accommodation.
Jamil Amjad, the commissioner in charge of the refugees, says the government is running short of resources to feed and shelter such large numbers. A fortnight ago two refugees were killed and six injured in clashes with police during protests over shortages of water, food and tents.
On the road outside Kacha Garhi camp, eight-year-old Zafarullah and his little brother are among a number of children begging for coins and scraps. "I want to go back to my village and school," he said.
With the attacks increasing, refugees have little hope of returning home and conditions in the camps will worsen as summer approaches and the temperatures soar.
Many have terrible stories. Baksha Zeb lost everything when his village, Anayat Kalay in Bajaur, was demolished by Pakistani forces. His eight-year-old son is a kidney patient needing dialysis and he has been left with no means to pay.
"Our houses have been flattened, our cattle killed and our farms and crops destroyed," he complained. "There is not a single structure in my village still standing. There is no way we can go back."
He sold his taxi to pay for food for his family and treatment for his son but the money has almost run out. "God bestowed me with a son after 15 years of marriage," he said. "Now I have no job and I don't know how we will survive."
Pakistani forces say they have killed 1,500 militants since launching antiTaliban operations in Bajaur in August. Locals who fled claim that only civilians were killed.
Zeb said he saw dozens of his friends and relatives killed. Villagers were forced to leave bodies unburied as they fled.
Pakistani officials say drone attacks have been stepped up since President Barack Obama took office in Washington, killing at least 81 people. A suicide attacker blew himself up inside a paramilitary base in Islamabad, killing six soldiers and wounding five yesterday.
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8) Obama to seek $83.4 billion for Iraq, Afghan wars
By ANDREW TAYLOR - 10 minutes ago
April 9, 2009
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gTwALhA-6u9xoToe67OlHgdxXsfQD97F6AJG1
WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama is seeking $83.4 billion for U.S. military and diplomatic operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, pressing for special troop funding that he opposed two years ago when he was senator and George W. Bush was president.
Obama's request, including money to send thousands more troops to Afghanistan, would push the costs of the two wars to almost $1 trillion since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, according to the Congressional Research Service. The additional money would cover operations into the fall.
Obama is also requesting $400 million to upgrade security along the U.S.-Mexico border and to combat narcoterrorists.
Budget office spokesman Tom Gavin said the White House would send an official request to Congress late Thursday.
Robert Gibbs, the White House press secretary, acknowledged that Obama has been critical of Bush's use of similar special legislation to pay for the wars. He said it was needed this time because the money will be required by summer, before Congress is likely to complete its normal appropriations process.
"This will be the last supplemental for Iraq and Afghanistan. The process by which this has been funded over the course of the past many years, the president has discussed and will change," Gibbs said.
The request is likely to win easy approval from the Democratic-controlled Congress, despite frustration among some liberals over the pace of troop withdrawals and Obama's plans for a large residual force of up to 50,000 troops - about one-third of the force now there - who will train Iraqis, protect U.S. assets and personnel and conduct anti-terror operations.
The outlines of the request were provided in documents presented at a closed-door congressional briefing.
According to the documents, obtained by The Associated Press, the request would fund an average force level in Iraq of 140,000 U.S. troops. It would also finance Obama's initiative to boost troop levels in Afghanistan to more than 60,000 from the current 39,000. And it would provide $2.2 billion to accelerate the Pentagon's plans to increase the overall size of the U.S. military, including a 547,400-person active-duty Army.
Some Democrats were not pleased.
"This funding will do two things - it will prolong our occupation of Iraq through at least the end of 2011, and it will deepen and expand our military presence in Afghanistan indefinitely," said anti-war Rep. Lynn Woolsey, D-Calif. "Instead of attempting to find military solutions to the problems we face in Iraq and Afghanistan, President Obama must fundamentally change the mission in both countries to focus on promoting reconciliation, economic development, humanitarian aid, and regional diplomatic efforts."
But House GOP Leader John Boehner of Ohio predicted Republicans would overwhelmingly support the request, provided congressional Democrats don't seek to "micromanage" the war by adding a timeline or other restrictions on the ability of military officials to carry on the fight.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates, a holdover from the Bush administration, said, "The reality is the alternative to the supplemental is a sudden and precipitous withdrawal of the United States from both places, and I don't know anybody who thinks that's a good idea." He said, "The reality is it would put everything we have achieved in Iraq at tremendous risk, and I believe it would greatly endanger our troops."
Obama was a harsh critic of the Iraq war as a presidential candidate, a stance that attracted support from the Democratic Party's liberal base and helped him secure his party's nomination. He opposed an infusion of war funding in 2007 after Bush used a veto to force Congress to remove a withdrawal timeline from the $99 billion measure.
But he supported a war funding bill last year that also included about $25 billion for domestic programs. Obama also voted for war funding in 2006, before he announced his candidacy for president.
The upcoming request will include $75.8 billion for the military and more than $7 billion in foreign aid. Pakistan, a key ally in the fight against al-Qaida, will receive $400 million in aid to combat insurgents.
The upcoming debate in Congress is likely to provide an early test of Obama's efforts to remake the Pentagon and its much-criticized weapons procurement system. He is requesting four F-22 fighter jets costing about $600 million as part of the war funding package but wants to shut the F-22 program down after that.
The special measure would include $3.6 billion for the Afghanistan National Army.
The White House wants the bill for the president's signature by Memorial Day, said a House Democratic aide.
Obama announced plans in February to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq on a 19-month timetable.
His new request would push the war money approved for 2009 to about $150 billion. The totals were $171 billion for 2007 and $188 billion for 2008, the year Bush increased the tempo of military operations in a generally successful effort to quell the Iraq insurgency.
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9) Texas: New Charges for Cuban Militant
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
National Briefing | Southwest
April 9, 2009
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/09/us/09brfs-NEWCHARGESFO_BRF.html?ref=world
An anti-Castro Cuban militant has been accused in a federal indictment of lying about his involvement in a series of 1997 bombings that targeted tourist spots in Cuba. The man, Luis Posada Carriles, a former operative for the Central Intelligence Agency and United States Army soldier, was indicted on 11 counts, including perjury and obstruction of a federal proceeding. Mr. Posada, 81, had previously been indicted on six counts, including immigration fraud and lying to federal authorities in a bid to become a naturalized American citizen. The indictment, which was filed in El Paso, is the first time he has been accused in the United States of being involved in the bombings. Cuban authorities have long accused Mr. Posada of orchestrating the bombings as well as a deadly 1976 bombing of a Cuban jetliner. Felipe Millan, a lawyer for Mr. Posada, said his client maintained his innocence. The new indictment charges that Mr. Posada, who is wanted in Venezuela and Cuba in the airline bombing, lied about being involving in "soliciting other individuals to carry out ... bombings in Cuba."
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