TONIGHT!
To
all Bay Area Supporters of Lynne Stewart:
Join a joyous CELEBRATION of Lynne's liberation and a BENEFIT for her ongoing medical care.
When:
Wednesday, January 29, 6:00 to 9:00 pm
Where: 1015
Folsom St. (between 6th and 7th St., San Francisco) - venue requires
participants to be at least 21 years of age.
Special
Feature: A live report from Lynne Stewart via Skype; Convey to Lynne your
own greetings!
Refreshments
(food and beverages)
Suggested
Donation: $20 (no one turned away)
RSVP:
mya.shone@gmail.com
If you cannot attend, please send donations (by check or money order) to Lynne Stewart Organization, 1070 Dean Street, Brooklyn, NY 11216.
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Send Obama a message for Medicare for All Single Payer Now
[ http://www.singlepayernow.net ]
Send President Obama, Michele Obama, & Congresswoman Pelosi that San Francisco Supports Medicare for All
Fri 11:20am, Jan 31
Corner of Mason and California in SF
Dear Healthcare Activist,
Please help us send a message to Michele Obama, President Obama, and Nancy Pelosi to fix our healthcare system by supporting HR 676, the Expanded and Improved Medicare for All act. HR 676, sponsored by Congressman John Conyers Jr., has 51 co-sponsors. HR 676 would remove the insurance companies from our lives and give everyone healthcare from birth to death. HR 676 includes full dental, vision, and long term care.
HR 676 has no copays or deductibles, and would be paid from a national tax which would remove the need to pay insurance company premiums. The removal of insurance companies from our lives would save Americans $400 billion a year. Under the best case scenario, the Congressional Budget Office estimated that the Affordable Care Act will still leave 3 million Californians without health insurance. Michele Obama and Nancy Pelosi are raising money for the Democratic Party at a luncheon at the Fairmont Hotel on Friday, January 31. We will be holding banners for Medicare for All.
Please let us know if you can help hold banners.
The number of people who volunteer to hold banners from 11:20am to 1pm will let us know how many banners to make.
Thank you,
Don Bechler Chair - Single Payer Now
[ http://www.singlepayernow.net ]
415-695-7891
Single Payer Now survives on the generosity of our supporters. Please consider making a donation [ https://salsa.wiredforchange.com/o/6055/p/salsa/donation/common/public/?donate_page_KEY=3489 ].
www.SinglePayerNow.net [ http://singlepayernow.net ]
| 415-695-7891 | dbechler@value.net [ mailto:dbechler@value.net ]
Send Obama a message for Medicare for All Single Payer Now
[ http://www.singlepayernow.net ]
Send President Obama, Michele Obama, & Congresswoman Pelosi that San Francisco Supports Medicare for All
Fri 11:20am, Jan 31
Corner of Mason and California in SF
Dear Healthcare Activist,
Please help us send a message to Michele Obama, President Obama, and Nancy Pelosi to fix our healthcare system by supporting HR 676, the Expanded and Improved Medicare for All act. HR 676, sponsored by Congressman John Conyers Jr., has 51 co-sponsors. HR 676 would remove the insurance companies from our lives and give everyone healthcare from birth to death. HR 676 includes full dental, vision, and long term care.
HR 676 has no copays or deductibles, and would be paid from a national tax which would remove the need to pay insurance company premiums. The removal of insurance companies from our lives would save Americans $400 billion a year. Under the best case scenario, the Congressional Budget Office estimated that the Affordable Care Act will still leave 3 million Californians without health insurance. Michele Obama and Nancy Pelosi are raising money for the Democratic Party at a luncheon at the Fairmont Hotel on Friday, January 31. We will be holding banners for Medicare for All.
Please let us know if you can help hold banners.
The number of people who volunteer to hold banners from 11:20am to 1pm will let us know how many banners to make.
Thank you,
Don Bechler Chair - Single Payer Now
[ http://www.singlepayernow.net ]
415-695-7891
Single Payer Now survives on the generosity of our supporters. Please consider making a donation [ https://salsa.wiredforchange.com/o/6055/p/salsa/donation/common/public/?donate_page_KEY=3489 ].
www.SinglePayerNow.net [ http://singlepayernow.net ]
| 415-695-7891 | dbechler@value.net [ mailto:dbechler@value.net ]
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THIS BOY IS JUST SO STRANGE
a free concert of original songs & monologues
featuring Tommi Avicolli Mecca, Joel Mark and Diana Hartman
Saturday Feb. 1 at 8pm and Sunday Feb. 2 at 3pm
Eric Quezada Center, 518
Valencia/16th
"This
boy
is just so strange" is something a fifth-grade nun said to
singer/songwriter Tommi Avicolli Mecca because he draped his sweater
over his shoulder "like a girl" (gender non-conformity was not something
the brides of Jesus understood). It's also the name of his latest work,
a series of musical snap shots that could be subtitled "how I survived
the gender binary system."
From a working-class Italian neighborhood in South Philly and the wild and wonderful gay liberation movement of the early 70s to a sudden and impetuous move to San Francisco in the 90s, this musical winds around a lifetime and comes out somewhere in the social construct called the present.
They say that southern Italians (both sides of Avicolli Mecca's famiglia are from il mezzogiorno) are born with an opera libretto, not a silver spoon. Witness his rendition of "Un bel di" in his monologue about coming out to la mia famiglia. Puccini would have had a field day with this guy's life.
Featuring Joel Mark on acoustic bass and Diana Hartman on vocals and as various characters in the journey, the show is funded by a grant from Faetopia. It's FREE, but donations gladly accepted and shared among the performers.
From a working-class Italian neighborhood in South Philly and the wild and wonderful gay liberation movement of the early 70s to a sudden and impetuous move to San Francisco in the 90s, this musical winds around a lifetime and comes out somewhere in the social construct called the present.
They say that southern Italians (both sides of Avicolli Mecca's famiglia are from il mezzogiorno) are born with an opera libretto, not a silver spoon. Witness his rendition of "Un bel di" in his monologue about coming out to la mia famiglia. Puccini would have had a field day with this guy's life.
Featuring Joel Mark on acoustic bass and Diana Hartman on vocals and as various characters in the journey, the show is funded by a grant from Faetopia. It's FREE, but donations gladly accepted and shared among the performers.
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*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*FREE CHELSEA MANNING
For
every signature, we mail a letter to top
decision-makers!
decision-makers!
The internet is a tool with the capability to revolutionize our
democracy. PVT Chelsea Manning recognized its power when she released Iraq and
Afghanistan war databases so the public could see and analyze the truth for
themselves.
Now, we need your help harnessing the internet as a force to
ensure decision-makers in Washington D.C. know that people worldwide still
support Chelsea and believe she deserves clemency.
For each person who signs our petition, we will mail letters on
their behalf to the two individuals with the power to give Chelsea clemency.
One letter will be sent to President Obama in the White House, and another
letter will be postmarked to court martial Convening Authority Major General
Buchanan.
Our goal is to generate so many letters that we can’t be
ignored. If each person reading this e-mail signs our petition, then soon
President Obama’s and Maj. Gen. Buchanan’s mailrooms will fill with thousands
of individual letters. If each of you share this petition with your friends,
encouraging them to sign, then our impact will grow exponentially.
Outraged by Manning’s 35-year prison sentence for promoting
government transparency?
http://www.privatemanning.org/pardonpetition
Snowden
and Manning deserve clemency
based on NYT criteria
based on NYT criteria
http://ymlp.com/z9ltdc
Last
week, the New York Times editorial board thrilled government transparency
advocates worldwide when they released an article calling on President Obama to
grant clemency to Edward Snowden. They declare him a whistleblower loud and
clear in the article’s title, and detail
the NSA’s legal and ethical violations which Mr. Snowden uncovered.
Firedoglake’s
Kevin Gosztola, who reported on PVT Manning’s trial last summer, praised the
NYT for its support of Snowden while challenging them on another point “If
Snowden is a whistleblower, what is Chelsea Manning?” This summer the NYT’s
editorial board called Manning’s 35
year-sentence “excessive”, but they stopped short of
calling her a whistleblower.
There are close parallels in the stories of Snowden and Manning as detailed on Gosztola’s blog:
Just as the Times makes clear that Snowden could not have gone through ‘proper channels,’ it would have been impossible for Manning as well… Had she sent specific documents in the sets to get the attention of members of Congress or had she gone to superiors within the military and said this should not be secret, she most certainly would have lost her security clearance...
Six bullet points on violations Snowden revealed and legal actions he provoked are offered by the Times editors to further advance the argument that he is a whistleblower. Certainly, the same could be done for Manning:
· Manning revealed a video of a 2007 Apache helicopter attack, which shows two Reuters journalists being gunned down in Baghdad. The video, which featured soldiers begging superior officers for orders to fire on individuals, was withheld from Reuters, even though the media organization filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit.
· Frago 242, which the US and the UK appeared to have adopted as a way of excusing them from having to take responsibility for torture or ill-treatment of Iraqis by Iraqi military or security forces, was revealed in the Iraq War Logs.
· Yemen president Ali Abdullah Saleh agreed to secretly allow US cruise missile or drone attacks that he would say were launched by his government
· Both the administrations of President George W. Bush and President Barack Obama pressured Spain and Germany not to investigate torture authorized by Bush administration officials
· US government was well aware of rampant corruption in the Tunisian ruling family of President Ben Ali and the FBI trained torturers in Egypt’s state security service. The information released by Manning was one of the “small things“ that helped to inspire the Arab Spring
· Al Jazeera journalist Sami al-Hajj was sent to Guantanamo Bay prison “to provide information” on the “al Jazeera news network’s training program, telecommunications equipment and newsgathering operations in Chechnya, Kosovo and Afghanistan, including the network’s acquisition of a video of [Osama bin Laden] and a subsequent interview” of bin Laden, a clear attack on press freedom
· Partly basing its ruling on diplomatic cables Manning released, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), the court condemned the CIA for its extraordinary rendition program and found Macedonia had been responsible for the torture and violation of German car salesman Khaled el-Masri’s rights when he was abducted. Macedonia was ordered to pay $78,500 in damages to Masri.
If you’re wondering why government transparency advocates should present a unified front in fighting for whistleblower protections, you have only to look to the words and experiences of these whistleblowers themselves. While Snowden flees persecution by the same administration and same set of laws that were used to imprison Chelsea, he has clearly stated that ”Manning was a classic whistleblower.” She “was inspired by the public good.”
Do
you support both Manning and Snowden? Tell us why on our
facebook page. Leave a comment, a graphic, or a
picture of you holding a sign with your message. We will share some of our
favorite messages and images with our 105,000+ facebook followers in the coming
weeks.
Help
us continue to cover 100%
of Pvt. Manning's legal fees! Donate today.
of Pvt. Manning's legal fees! Donate today.
https://co.clickandpledge.com/sp/d1/default.aspx?wid=38591
COURAGE
TO RESIST
http://couragetoresist.org
484 Lake Park Ave #41, Oakland CA 94610
510-488-3559
http://couragetoresist.org
484 Lake Park Ave #41, Oakland CA 94610
510-488-3559
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Bay
Area United Against War Newsletter
Table
of Contents:
A.
ARTICLES IN FULL
B.
EVENTS AND ACTIONS
C.
SPECIAL APPEALS AND ONGOING CAMPAIGNS
D.
VIDEO, FILM, AUDIO. ART, POETRY, ETC.
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A.
ARTICLES IN FULL
(Unless
otherwise noted)
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1) Dimon’s Pay Jumps to $20 Million in a Year of Legal Woes for JPMorgan Chase
By PETER EAVIS January 24, 2014, 12:29 pm http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2014/01/24/dimons-pay-jumps-to-20-million-in-a-year-of-legal-woes-for-jpmorgan-chase/?ref=business
Jamie Dimon, JPMorgan’s chief executive, has been awarded total pay of $20 million for 2013, a huge increase over the amount he received for 2012, according to a regulatory filing released on Friday.The bank’s board of directors approved the increase even though a steady stream of scandals and a raft of regulatory actions have in recent months cast doubt on Mr. Dimon’s leadership at the nation’s largest bank. The big raise for 2013 came in the face of opposition from a vocal minority of board members, who wanted Mr. Dimon’s compensation for 2013 to be roughly equal to his pay for 2012, which totaled $11.5 million.
Last year, the board decided to cut Mr. Dimon’s 2012 bonus payout, a decision that was driven in part by a desire to hold him accountable for some the issues that led to a multibillion-dollar trading loss stemming from a bad bet on derivatives.
Mr. Dimon’s 2013 package is made up of $18.5 million of restricted stock, which he will be free to sell over the coming years, as well as a base salary of $1.5 million.
The filing said that the board approved the increase in part because, under Mr. Dimon, the bank had taken steps to deal with its regulatory problems. It added that some of the regulatory actions related to practices at two firms that JPMorgan purchased – Bear Stearns and Washington Mutual — and therefore predated Mr. Dimon’s stewardship. Mr. Dimon was, however, in charge of JPMorgan when the two problematic firms were acquired.
Mr. Dimon’s 2013 pay was close to the $23.1 million he got for 2011, when he was the highest-paid chief executive at a large bank. Over the last five years, Mr. Dimon has been paid nearly $70 million.
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2) Russia Plans to Extend Snowden Asylum, Lawmaker Says
2) Russia Plans to Extend Snowden Asylum, Lawmaker Says
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3) On Moroccan Hill, Villagers Make Stand Against a Mine
3) On Moroccan Hill, Villagers Make Stand Against a Mine
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/24/world/africa/on-moroccan-hill-villagers-make-stand-against-a-mine.html?ref=world
IMIDER, Morocco — On a hilltop nearly 5,000 feet high in the Atlas Mountains here, a tiny outpost has taken shape over the past two years. The small stone buildings are decorated gaily with graffiti, and there is an open-air gallery. Many doors bear inspirational inscriptions from people like the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Mother Teresa. On the dam of a nearby reservoir, someone has painted the face of a local activist, now in jail on what the locals regard as trumped-up charges.
It is an unlikely spot for a settlement, but it was established with a purpose: to protest a mining company’s expropriation of precious water supplies, as well as the pollution that results from the mining.
The inhabitants are drawn from the nearby municipality of Imider, 6,000 people scattered over seven villages and neighbor to the most productive silver mine in Africa.
But while the area may be rich in silver, it is home to some of the poorest people in Morocco.The people of Imider (pronounced ee-me-DER) say they have grown to resent the mine because they get nothing from it except pollutants. So two years ago, some of them climbed up the hill and cut the water supply to the mine. Since then, they have occupied the hill as they continue to fight the Imiter Mettalurgic Company and, by extension, the king of Morocco, its principal owner.
“We were ready to talk,” said Brahim Udawd, 30, one of the leaders of the protest movement, referring to the events that led to the occupation of the hilltop. “But nobody paid attention to us, so we closed the water valve. They take the silver and leave us the waste.”
These days, the hilltop, Mount Alebban, is relatively calm. Women come daily to cook in the little stone houses and participate in the regular strategy meetings that the villagers hold.
“We have been here for two and a half years, and nobody is hearing our cry for help,” said Mina Ouzzine, 40. “I voted yes for a new constitution because I hoped there will be change, more equality. We are only equal in poverty.”
In 2011, when the Arab revolutions led to the fall of dictators in Egypt and Tunisia, the Moroccan king, Mohammed VI, managed to stall the protests by offering constitutional overhauls that guaranteed more power to an elected government and more freedoms to Moroccans. But none of that has helped the people here.
While for some, the conflict of Imider is mostly ideological, others say that it is not just about ordinary people rising up to make their lives better but also part of a larger problem that is echoed in conflicts with big mining companies across the globe.
The occupation of the hill was set off in the summer of 2011 after students who were used to getting seasonal jobs were turned down. That led the other villagers — even those with jobs — to show solidarity and move to block the mine’s production abilities. One of the main demands of the villagers is that 75 percent of the jobs at the mine be allocated to their municipality.
“The bigger the mine, the more capital intensive the industry and the fewer the jobs,” said Gavin Hilson, who specializes in mining and development at the University of Surrey Business School. “Even if the policy in place is to create jobs, there are only so many jobs it can create.”
Exactly what is happening with the water is in dispute. The villagers say they want the company held responsible for environmental damage that they say is the cause of disease, livestock fatalities and desertification.
“In the 1990s, I used to have trees, fruits, oil, almonds,” said Bou Tahar, 70, a farmer. But they died after the mine began taking the water, he said, adding, “Since we cut the flow in 2011, our wells are starting to fill up again.”
According to Mr. Hilson, these kinds of disputes are not uncommon. “If you’re operating in a place like that with quite a few people living in the community, it would be suicidal to exhaust the place from its water supply or to reach a point where villagers become agitated over the consumption of water,” he said. “It is always challenging to operate in dry environments. There are issues with water, with waste disposal and community development because it all revolves around water.”
The company categorically denies the townspeople’s accusations and says that an environmental impact study has proved that it is not contaminating the water supply or harming the environment. The company says that the mining was certified as meeting global environmental standards and that it has put in place irrigation systems for the farmers.
“We are very careful, and we don’t pollute the water or the land around the mine,” said Farid Hamdaoui, a manager at the mine. “We recycle 62 percent of the water we use, and we have authorization from the state to pump the water we use.”
Company officials say their processing capacity dropped 40 percent in 2012 and 30 percent in 2013, after the villagers cut off one source of their water. These days, they use another source in an effort to make up the loss.
Mr. Hamdaoui said that despite having the king as the main shareholder, the company did not gain any special treatment from the government. He said the company was spending more than $1 million a year to build schools and to support community projects.
“We don’t substitute for the state, but we work with the state in a proactive social program,” he said. “The mine cannot unfortunately solve all the problems of unemployment in the region.”
Still, the activists who refer to themselves as the “Movement on the Way of 96,” a reference to a similar upheaval in 1996 that was crushed by the authorities, maintain that the company is in fact receiving favorable treatment from the state.
The governor and other elected officials declined to comment on the dispute, which settled into a stalemate after negotiations broke down in November.
After each meeting held at the foot of the hill, the villagers walk back home holding up three fingers — one for the Berber language, one for the land and one for mankind — hoping for someone to hear their call.
“The king forgot about us. He tours the country helping people, and he never comes to this region,” said one woman. “He is our father, and he has forgotten about his children.”
IMIDER, Morocco — On a hilltop nearly 5,000 feet high in the Atlas Mountains here, a tiny outpost has taken shape over the past two years. The small stone buildings are decorated gaily with graffiti, and there is an open-air gallery. Many doors bear inspirational inscriptions from people like the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Mother Teresa. On the dam of a nearby reservoir, someone has painted the face of a local activist, now in jail on what the locals regard as trumped-up charges.
It is an unlikely spot for a settlement, but it was established with a purpose: to protest a mining company’s expropriation of precious water supplies, as well as the pollution that results from the mining.
The inhabitants are drawn from the nearby municipality of Imider, 6,000 people scattered over seven villages and neighbor to the most productive silver mine in Africa.
But while the area may be rich in silver, it is home to some of the poorest people in Morocco.The people of Imider (pronounced ee-me-DER) say they have grown to resent the mine because they get nothing from it except pollutants. So two years ago, some of them climbed up the hill and cut the water supply to the mine. Since then, they have occupied the hill as they continue to fight the Imiter Mettalurgic Company and, by extension, the king of Morocco, its principal owner.
“We were ready to talk,” said Brahim Udawd, 30, one of the leaders of the protest movement, referring to the events that led to the occupation of the hilltop. “But nobody paid attention to us, so we closed the water valve. They take the silver and leave us the waste.”
These days, the hilltop, Mount Alebban, is relatively calm. Women come daily to cook in the little stone houses and participate in the regular strategy meetings that the villagers hold.
“We have been here for two and a half years, and nobody is hearing our cry for help,” said Mina Ouzzine, 40. “I voted yes for a new constitution because I hoped there will be change, more equality. We are only equal in poverty.”
In 2011, when the Arab revolutions led to the fall of dictators in Egypt and Tunisia, the Moroccan king, Mohammed VI, managed to stall the protests by offering constitutional overhauls that guaranteed more power to an elected government and more freedoms to Moroccans. But none of that has helped the people here.
While for some, the conflict of Imider is mostly ideological, others say that it is not just about ordinary people rising up to make their lives better but also part of a larger problem that is echoed in conflicts with big mining companies across the globe.
The occupation of the hill was set off in the summer of 2011 after students who were used to getting seasonal jobs were turned down. That led the other villagers — even those with jobs — to show solidarity and move to block the mine’s production abilities. One of the main demands of the villagers is that 75 percent of the jobs at the mine be allocated to their municipality.
“The bigger the mine, the more capital intensive the industry and the fewer the jobs,” said Gavin Hilson, who specializes in mining and development at the University of Surrey Business School. “Even if the policy in place is to create jobs, there are only so many jobs it can create.”
Exactly what is happening with the water is in dispute. The villagers say they want the company held responsible for environmental damage that they say is the cause of disease, livestock fatalities and desertification.
“In the 1990s, I used to have trees, fruits, oil, almonds,” said Bou Tahar, 70, a farmer. But they died after the mine began taking the water, he said, adding, “Since we cut the flow in 2011, our wells are starting to fill up again.”
According to Mr. Hilson, these kinds of disputes are not uncommon. “If you’re operating in a place like that with quite a few people living in the community, it would be suicidal to exhaust the place from its water supply or to reach a point where villagers become agitated over the consumption of water,” he said. “It is always challenging to operate in dry environments. There are issues with water, with waste disposal and community development because it all revolves around water.”
The company categorically denies the townspeople’s accusations and says that an environmental impact study has proved that it is not contaminating the water supply or harming the environment. The company says that the mining was certified as meeting global environmental standards and that it has put in place irrigation systems for the farmers.
“We are very careful, and we don’t pollute the water or the land around the mine,” said Farid Hamdaoui, a manager at the mine. “We recycle 62 percent of the water we use, and we have authorization from the state to pump the water we use.”
Company officials say their processing capacity dropped 40 percent in 2012 and 30 percent in 2013, after the villagers cut off one source of their water. These days, they use another source in an effort to make up the loss.
Mr. Hamdaoui said that despite having the king as the main shareholder, the company did not gain any special treatment from the government. He said the company was spending more than $1 million a year to build schools and to support community projects.
“We don’t substitute for the state, but we work with the state in a proactive social program,” he said. “The mine cannot unfortunately solve all the problems of unemployment in the region.”
Still, the activists who refer to themselves as the “Movement on the Way of 96,” a reference to a similar upheaval in 1996 that was crushed by the authorities, maintain that the company is in fact receiving favorable treatment from the state.
The governor and other elected officials declined to comment on the dispute, which settled into a stalemate after negotiations broke down in November.
After each meeting held at the foot of the hill, the villagers walk back home holding up three fingers — one for the Berber language, one for the land and one for mankind — hoping for someone to hear their call.
“The king forgot about us. He tours the country helping people, and he never comes to this region,” said one woman. “He is our father, and he has forgotten about his children.”
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4) In Rural Jails, E-Cigarettes Are a Calming Vapor
4) In Rural Jails, E-Cigarettes Are a Calming Vapor
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5) Soldier’s Family Found Dead in Apparent Murder-Suicide
KILLEEN, Tex. — An apparent murder-suicide involving the husband and the two children of a soldier who had recently returned from a deployment to Afghanistan is providing a new twist to a persistent problem at the sprawling Fort Hood Army base here.
Soldier suicides have been dismayingly familiar in recent years at Fort Hood, which is north of Austin. In 2010, officials reported that 22 soldiers had taken their own lives that year, including a murder-suicide involving a sergeant and Iraq war veteran who shot his wife before killing himself with the gun.
But this week, Fort Hood has been struggling to make sense of a suicide involving not a service member, but one’s family.
Army investigators said on Thursday that the civilian in the suspected murder-suicide, Rouhad Ahamd Ezzeddine, 43, the husband of Pfc. Carla Santisteban, 33, appeared to have killed the couple’s two children before committing suicide. The bodies of Mr. Ezzeddine and their two daughters — Zeinab Rouhad Ezzeddine, 4, and Leila Rouhad Ezzeddine, 9 — were discovered Tuesday morning in their single-story duplex-style house in the Pershing Park neighborhood of Fort Hood.
Army officials have released few details, citing the continuing investigation. They said Private Santisteban was assigned to the 15th Brigade Support Battalion, Second Brigade Combat Team, First Cavalry Division. The Army’s Criminal Investigation Division said in a statement that the deaths appeared to be the result of a murder-suicide, but that a final determination would not be made until the investigation was complete.
“This is a terrible tragedy for the mother and families of these children,” Maj. Gen. Anthony R. Ierardi, Fort Hood’s senior commander, said in a statement. “We are doing everything possible to care for the family in this time of profound grief and loss.”
It was unclear if anything like it had happened before at Fort Hood involving the spouse of a soldier. Fort Hood officials said they do not have a method to track civilian suicides. In recent years, the focus, both at Fort Hood and throughout the Army, has been on preventing soldier suicides, and very little is known about the suicide rate of Army spouses. Repeated deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan have put a tremendous amount of stress on Army families, as have other problems that affect both military and nonmilitary households, like depression and alcohol abuse.
In January 2010, Deborah Mullen, the wife of Adm. Mike Mullen, then the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke of the problem of spousal suicide at a military suicide prevention conference in Washington. She said Army leaders told her that they lacked the ability to track suicide attempts by family members of Army personnel because there were too many to track. “I was stunned,” Ms. Mullen said, according to The Associated Press.
At Fort Hood, nearly 70 soldiers have committed suicide since 2009, Army officials said. The base, one of the largest military installations in the world, has an on-post population of about 80,000, including more than 43,000 assigned military personnel. The number of suicides in one year appeared to peak in 2010 with 22. Last year, suicides dropped to five, with two additional cases still unconfirmed and under investigation. Fort Hood officials believe one of the reasons for the decrease has been their focus on behavioral health issues for soldiers and families.
The base is home to a fitness center that treats the mind, body and even spirituality of soldiers and their families. Called the Comprehensive Soldier Fitness Training Facility, it provides a range of services, including financial advice, a climbing wall, yoga classes, meditation as well as marriage and other types of counseling.
“The Army and we here at Fort Hood remain committed to the welfare of our soldiers and their families,” General Ierardi said. “While there has been some progress in reducing the number of suicides over the past year here at Fort Hood, every suicide is one too many, and there remains more work to be done to support our soldiers and address their needs in times of challenge and crisis in their lives.”
5) Soldier’s Family Found Dead in Apparent Murder-Suicide
KILLEEN, Tex. — An apparent murder-suicide involving the husband and the two children of a soldier who had recently returned from a deployment to Afghanistan is providing a new twist to a persistent problem at the sprawling Fort Hood Army base here.
Soldier suicides have been dismayingly familiar in recent years at Fort Hood, which is north of Austin. In 2010, officials reported that 22 soldiers had taken their own lives that year, including a murder-suicide involving a sergeant and Iraq war veteran who shot his wife before killing himself with the gun.
But this week, Fort Hood has been struggling to make sense of a suicide involving not a service member, but one’s family.
Army investigators said on Thursday that the civilian in the suspected murder-suicide, Rouhad Ahamd Ezzeddine, 43, the husband of Pfc. Carla Santisteban, 33, appeared to have killed the couple’s two children before committing suicide. The bodies of Mr. Ezzeddine and their two daughters — Zeinab Rouhad Ezzeddine, 4, and Leila Rouhad Ezzeddine, 9 — were discovered Tuesday morning in their single-story duplex-style house in the Pershing Park neighborhood of Fort Hood.
Army officials have released few details, citing the continuing investigation. They said Private Santisteban was assigned to the 15th Brigade Support Battalion, Second Brigade Combat Team, First Cavalry Division. The Army’s Criminal Investigation Division said in a statement that the deaths appeared to be the result of a murder-suicide, but that a final determination would not be made until the investigation was complete.
“This is a terrible tragedy for the mother and families of these children,” Maj. Gen. Anthony R. Ierardi, Fort Hood’s senior commander, said in a statement. “We are doing everything possible to care for the family in this time of profound grief and loss.”
It was unclear if anything like it had happened before at Fort Hood involving the spouse of a soldier. Fort Hood officials said they do not have a method to track civilian suicides. In recent years, the focus, both at Fort Hood and throughout the Army, has been on preventing soldier suicides, and very little is known about the suicide rate of Army spouses. Repeated deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan have put a tremendous amount of stress on Army families, as have other problems that affect both military and nonmilitary households, like depression and alcohol abuse.
In January 2010, Deborah Mullen, the wife of Adm. Mike Mullen, then the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke of the problem of spousal suicide at a military suicide prevention conference in Washington. She said Army leaders told her that they lacked the ability to track suicide attempts by family members of Army personnel because there were too many to track. “I was stunned,” Ms. Mullen said, according to The Associated Press.
At Fort Hood, nearly 70 soldiers have committed suicide since 2009, Army officials said. The base, one of the largest military installations in the world, has an on-post population of about 80,000, including more than 43,000 assigned military personnel. The number of suicides in one year appeared to peak in 2010 with 22. Last year, suicides dropped to five, with two additional cases still unconfirmed and under investigation. Fort Hood officials believe one of the reasons for the decrease has been their focus on behavioral health issues for soldiers and families.
The base is home to a fitness center that treats the mind, body and even spirituality of soldiers and their families. Called the Comprehensive Soldier Fitness Training Facility, it provides a range of services, including financial advice, a climbing wall, yoga classes, meditation as well as marriage and other types of counseling.
“The Army and we here at Fort Hood remain committed to the welfare of our soldiers and their families,” General Ierardi said. “While there has been some progress in reducing the number of suicides over the past year here at Fort Hood, every suicide is one too many, and there remains more work to be done to support our soldiers and address their needs in times of challenge and crisis in their lives.”
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6) Hospital Chain Said to Scheme to Inflate Bills
6) Hospital Chain Said to Scheme to Inflate Bills
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7) Florida: More Pilot Whales Found Dead
7) Florida: More Pilot Whales Found Dead
Boaters discovered 25 dead pilot whales off the southwest coast on Thursday, raising the death toll to 33. The whales were found on Kice Island, south of Naples and near Marco Island, said Blair Mase, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration stranding coordinator. They appeared to have been there for about a day, and were part of a pod first seen Sunday. The whales were found two days after eight others were found dead near Lovers Key, 40 miles north. The deaths also come about a month after more than 50 whales were found stranded in the Everglades. The cause of death has not been determined. Pilot whales are susceptible to mass strandings because they are often unwilling to leave even one sick whale behind. Ms. Mase said the number of strandings in the last year is high.
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8) On Children’s Website, N.S.A. Puts a Furry, Smiley Face on Its Mission
8) On Children’s Website, N.S.A. Puts a Furry, Smiley Face on Its Mission
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9) Accidents Surge as Oil Industry Takes the Train
9) Accidents Surge as Oil Industry Takes the Train
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10) Protesters Block Polling Places in Thai Capital
10) Protesters Block Polling Places in Thai Capital
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11) Family Sues in Protracted Ohio Execution
11) Family Sues in Protracted Ohio Execution
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12) North American Machinists Union Slate Challenges Top Leaders
12) North American Machinists Union Slate Challenges Top Leaders
JAN. 25, 2014
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2014/01/25/business/25reuters-machinist-election.html?src=busln
SEATTLE — North American members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace workers on Saturday nominated challengers seeking to replace top union leaders, a move that could lead to a tougher negotiating stance toward major companies.
At stake is control of about 339,000 dues-paying members at companies ranging from aerospace and defense giants Boeing Co and Lockheed Martin Corp to United Airlines, heavy equipment maker Caterpillar Inc, a factory owned by furnishing retailer Ikea AB, and even Maine lobstermen.
On Saturday, members at several of roughly 800 local lodges nominated candidates to challenge current IAM President R. Thomas Buffenbarger, General Secretary-Treasurer Robert Roach and eight general vice-presidents, members and union officials said.
Results of the nomination are expected next week after the lodges submit results to national leaders.
The nominations could spark a runoff Feb 8 to decide which nominees the lodges will endorse. If the challengers win support from at least 25 local lodges, an election would be held in April, the first contested IAM ballot in more than 50 years. If fewer than 25 lodges support the challengers, the incumbent leaders would automatically be elected.
Jay Cronk, a Metro-North Railway mechanic in New Haven, Connecticut, who is challenging Buffenbarger for IAM president, said he's opposed to what he and other members see as high spending by the current leaders. With membership declining, top leaders' salaries should not keep rising and they should not have a private jet for travel,
"We have developed a culture of privilege at the top," said Cronk, who also served as staff member of the national union organization for 14 years.
According to Department of Labor records, Buffenbarger was paid $304,000 in total compensation in 2012, the latest figure available, up from $293,000 in 2011. Roach's total compensation was $271,000 in 2012 and $258,000 in 2011.
Membership has declined to 577,000 active and retired members in 2012 from about 731,000 in 2000, according to the Department of Labor.
The incumbent leaders say the challengers lack experience and skills to run a union with a $1 billion strike fund, a $9 billion health and pension fund and annual spending of more than $160 million.
It was unclear whether the challengers could obtain the 25 lodge endorsements needed to trigger an election, said Richard Sloan, a spokesman for the IAM's current leaders.
"We have not had a contested election since 1961," Sloan said. "That means no candidate except the incumbents have ever exceeded the requirement of 25 locals nominating. Much of the reason for that is the candidates that run are fools and flakes and fops and didn't come up to the level of seriousness required of candidates."
Of the Learjet, Sloan noted IAM members make plane at Bombardier Inc and it costs less than commercial flights for the 250 days a year Buffenbarger travels.
While the issues in the contest initially revolved around spending and management of the union, a leadership change also could affect the direction the union will take on pensions and other key contract elements.
The IAM recently made headlines when it negotiated an eight-year extension to the IAM labor contract with Boeing that would ensure the company's newest jetliner, the 777X, would be built in Washington state, where IAM has about 31,000 members. In exchange, workers agreed to replace their pension with a defined-contribution retirement plan. They also accepted lower raises and higher health care costs.
The contract was widely rejected by Seattle-area members in November. In January, international leaders held a second vote on a revised contract, despite objections from local union leaders in the Seattle area, who said the new offer was too similar to the first one that had been rejected.
The contract was approved by 51 percent of members who voted. The decision roiled the membership, exposing deep divides on pensions versus job security, and has prompted members to file unfair labor practice charges against the union and Boeing.
Jason Redrup, an elected business representative of the local 751 in Seattle, who is running for one of the eight general vice president positions, said he would have tried to persuade members not to vote away their pensions.
"As a leader I would not advocate that members give up so much," he said. "If they decided to do it, that's their right."
The IAM nominations are being rerun after a complaint filed last year prompted the U.S. Department of Labor to investigate. It found that there was insufficient notice of the nominations, and ordered the union to hold them again.
(Reporting by Alwyn Scott)
SEATTLE — North American members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace workers on Saturday nominated challengers seeking to replace top union leaders, a move that could lead to a tougher negotiating stance toward major companies.
At stake is control of about 339,000 dues-paying members at companies ranging from aerospace and defense giants Boeing Co and Lockheed Martin Corp to United Airlines, heavy equipment maker Caterpillar Inc, a factory owned by furnishing retailer Ikea AB, and even Maine lobstermen.
On Saturday, members at several of roughly 800 local lodges nominated candidates to challenge current IAM President R. Thomas Buffenbarger, General Secretary-Treasurer Robert Roach and eight general vice-presidents, members and union officials said.
Results of the nomination are expected next week after the lodges submit results to national leaders.
The nominations could spark a runoff Feb 8 to decide which nominees the lodges will endorse. If the challengers win support from at least 25 local lodges, an election would be held in April, the first contested IAM ballot in more than 50 years. If fewer than 25 lodges support the challengers, the incumbent leaders would automatically be elected.
Jay Cronk, a Metro-North Railway mechanic in New Haven, Connecticut, who is challenging Buffenbarger for IAM president, said he's opposed to what he and other members see as high spending by the current leaders. With membership declining, top leaders' salaries should not keep rising and they should not have a private jet for travel,
"We have developed a culture of privilege at the top," said Cronk, who also served as staff member of the national union organization for 14 years.
According to Department of Labor records, Buffenbarger was paid $304,000 in total compensation in 2012, the latest figure available, up from $293,000 in 2011. Roach's total compensation was $271,000 in 2012 and $258,000 in 2011.
Membership has declined to 577,000 active and retired members in 2012 from about 731,000 in 2000, according to the Department of Labor.
The incumbent leaders say the challengers lack experience and skills to run a union with a $1 billion strike fund, a $9 billion health and pension fund and annual spending of more than $160 million.
It was unclear whether the challengers could obtain the 25 lodge endorsements needed to trigger an election, said Richard Sloan, a spokesman for the IAM's current leaders.
"We have not had a contested election since 1961," Sloan said. "That means no candidate except the incumbents have ever exceeded the requirement of 25 locals nominating. Much of the reason for that is the candidates that run are fools and flakes and fops and didn't come up to the level of seriousness required of candidates."
Of the Learjet, Sloan noted IAM members make plane at Bombardier Inc and it costs less than commercial flights for the 250 days a year Buffenbarger travels.
While the issues in the contest initially revolved around spending and management of the union, a leadership change also could affect the direction the union will take on pensions and other key contract elements.
The IAM recently made headlines when it negotiated an eight-year extension to the IAM labor contract with Boeing that would ensure the company's newest jetliner, the 777X, would be built in Washington state, where IAM has about 31,000 members. In exchange, workers agreed to replace their pension with a defined-contribution retirement plan. They also accepted lower raises and higher health care costs.
The contract was widely rejected by Seattle-area members in November. In January, international leaders held a second vote on a revised contract, despite objections from local union leaders in the Seattle area, who said the new offer was too similar to the first one that had been rejected.
The contract was approved by 51 percent of members who voted. The decision roiled the membership, exposing deep divides on pensions versus job security, and has prompted members to file unfair labor practice charges against the union and Boeing.
Jason Redrup, an elected business representative of the local 751 in Seattle, who is running for one of the eight general vice president positions, said he would have tried to persuade members not to vote away their pensions.
"As a leader I would not advocate that members give up so much," he said. "If they decided to do it, that's their right."
The IAM nominations are being rerun after a complaint filed last year prompted the U.S. Department of Labor to investigate. It found that there was insufficient notice of the nominations, and ordered the union to hold them again.
(Reporting by Alwyn Scott)
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13) America on Probation
OpEd By Bill Keller
13) America on Probation
OpEd By Bill Keller
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/27/opinion/keller-america-on-probation.html?hp&rref=opinion
IN recent years Americans have begun to wise up to the idea that our overstuffed prisons are a shameful waste of lives and money. Lawmakers have recoiled from the high price of mass incarceration (the annual per-inmate cost of prison approaches the tuition at a good college) and some have recognized that our prisons feed a pathological cycle of poverty, community dysfunction, crime and hopelessness. As crime rates have dropped, the public has registered support for reforms that would have fewer nonviolent offenders languishing in prison. For three years in a row, the population of America’s prisons has inched down; 13 states closed prisons last year. Efforts to fix the perpetual misery machine that is our criminal justice system have won support not only from progressives and academics but from conservatives (both fiscal and evangelical), from enlightened law enforcement groups, from business and even from advocates for crime victims.
This emerging consensus is good news, since our prisons are an international scandal, and we can only hope the new attitude doesn’t evaporate with the next Willie Horton-style rampage or spike in the crime rate. But it raises an important question: What is the alternative? How do we punish and deter criminals, protect the public and — the thing prisons do most abysmally — improve the chances that those caught up in the criminal justice system emerge with some hope of productive lives?
That has become about the hottest subject in criminal justice, the focus of a profusion of experiments in states and localities, and of researchers trying to determine what works. California alone, which is under a Supreme Court mandate to relieve its inhumanely congested prisons, is offering counties $1 billion a year to try out remedies. A study released on Monday by the Urban Institute examined 17 states, red and blue, testing an approach called Justice Reinvestment — reducing prison costs and putting some of the savings into alternatives. Perhaps the most striking thing, said Nancy La Vigne, the principal investigator on the report, is the enthusiasm of law-and-order states that a few years ago might have shunned such programs as bleeding-heart liberalism.
In conversations with a wide range of criminal justice experts, I found several broad strategies that seem promising:
SENTENCING America has long been more inclined than other developed countries to treat crime as a disposal problem; “trail ’em, nail ’em and jail ’em,” is our tough-on-crime slogan. Beginning in the ‘70’s, rising crime rates, compounded by the crack epidemic and the public fear it aroused, set off a binge of punitive sentencing laws. Three-strikes, mandatory minimum sentences and requirements that felons serve a minimum portion (often 85 percent) of their sentence lengthened the time offenders — especially drug offenders, and especially black men — spent in lockup. Restoring common sense to sentencing is the obvious first step in downsizing prisons. New York rolled back its notorious Rockefeller drug laws, California has softened its three-strikes law and several other states have tinkered with rigid sentencing laws. But there is stiff resistance from prosecutors, who use the threat of long sentences to compel cooperation or plea deals. Reformers concede that those draconian laws have had a modest effect on the crime rate, but because of them we are paying to imprison criminals long past the time they present any danger to society. “Keeping a 60-year-old in prison until he’s 65 does close to zero for crime rates,” said Jeremy Travis, president of John Jay College of Criminal Justice. “If we’re really seeing something deep going on here, the proof will be whether legislators have the political will to roll back sentencing.”
SUPERVISION For every inmate in our state and federal prisons, another two people are under the supervision of probation or parole. Caseworkers are often poorly paid and usually overwhelmed. About all they can do is keep count of an offender’s violations until the system decides to kick that offender back to prison. A few jurisdictions have tried to make parole and probation less of a revolving door back to prison, with some encouraging results. They focus attention on offenders considered most likely to commit crimes. They send caseworkers out of the office and into the community. They use technology (ankle bracelets with GPS, A.T.M.-style check-in stations, Breathalyzer ignition locks to keep drinkers from driving) to enhance supervision. They employ a disciplinary approach called “swift and certain,” which responds promptly with a punishment for missing an interview or failing a drug test. The punishments start small, then escalate until the offender gets the message and changes his behavior — preferably before he has to be sent back to prison. Mark Kleiman, a U.C.L.A. public policy professor who is a champion of the technique, says, “It’s basically applying the principles of parenting to probation.”
DIVERSION Many jurisdictions now send drug offenders to special courts that divert nonviolent drug abusers to treatment instead of prison. Adam Gelb, director of the Public Safety Performance Project at the Pew Charitable Trusts, said more than 2,000 drug courts have been created. The popularity of drug courts has spawned other specialized venues — veterans’ courts, domestic violence courts — that aim to address problems rather than simply dispense punishment.
RE-ENTRY We release more than 650,000 prisoners into society every year, often just dropping them on a curb to fend for themselves. Two-thirds of them are rearrested within three years. A number of programs aim to improve the odds that a released felon will have options besides unemployment, homelessness and a return to crime. Some feature prerelease counseling and enlist family members to assure a safe landing. “Ban the box” initiatives encourage employers to eliminate the box on job applications that asks if you have ever been arrested. A criminal history can still count against you in hiring, but it doesn’t eliminate you from consideration. (Target is the biggest retailer to ban the box.) Sherrilyn Ifill, president of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, says another simple measure is to repeal rules that say a felon can’t be licensed as a barber or beautician.
POLICING It may seem counterintuitive, but sophisticated police work has helped reduce prison populations in New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, New Orleans and other cities while also bringing down violent crime, according to David Kennedy of John Jay. Instead of wholesale policing of “bad neighborhoods” and indiscriminately stopping and frisking residents, they target micro hot spots, such as drug corners, and small groups of violent actors, such as gang members. Police in these cities have become more selective about who gets arrested and put into the criminal justice system in the first place.
Although the government has stepped up evaluation of all these programs (see the National Institute of Justice’s impressive CrimeSolutions.gov website), most of the evidence is still tentative. Joan Petersilia of the Stanford Criminal Justice Center, who is monitoring California’s wild experiment in prison downsizing, says the reform movement has been hampered by a lack of rigorous science — and by public impatience. To know what works, she said, “We have to stay the course, and we never do in criminal justice policy.” Sooner or later crime ticks back up, and, she said, “When fear gets in the American public, they will pay anything for prisons.”
The quest for safe and humane alternatives to lockup faces opposition from prosecutors protecting their leverage, from corrections employee unions protecting jobs and from a private prison industry protecting profits. (Private prison operators, who house about 9 percent of prison inmates, have a vested interest in keeping prisons full because they are paid based on occupancy.) Liberal skeptics, in turn, point out that these programs do not solve the root problems: communities, bereft of good schools, decent housing and jobs, that become cradles of crime. They are right, of course, but they remind me of critics who oppose charter schools because the real problem is poverty. I’m all for reaching out to those trapped on the bottom. But in the meantime, why not try to save some lives?
IN recent years Americans have begun to wise up to the idea that our overstuffed prisons are a shameful waste of lives and money. Lawmakers have recoiled from the high price of mass incarceration (the annual per-inmate cost of prison approaches the tuition at a good college) and some have recognized that our prisons feed a pathological cycle of poverty, community dysfunction, crime and hopelessness. As crime rates have dropped, the public has registered support for reforms that would have fewer nonviolent offenders languishing in prison. For three years in a row, the population of America’s prisons has inched down; 13 states closed prisons last year. Efforts to fix the perpetual misery machine that is our criminal justice system have won support not only from progressives and academics but from conservatives (both fiscal and evangelical), from enlightened law enforcement groups, from business and even from advocates for crime victims.
This emerging consensus is good news, since our prisons are an international scandal, and we can only hope the new attitude doesn’t evaporate with the next Willie Horton-style rampage or spike in the crime rate. But it raises an important question: What is the alternative? How do we punish and deter criminals, protect the public and — the thing prisons do most abysmally — improve the chances that those caught up in the criminal justice system emerge with some hope of productive lives?
That has become about the hottest subject in criminal justice, the focus of a profusion of experiments in states and localities, and of researchers trying to determine what works. California alone, which is under a Supreme Court mandate to relieve its inhumanely congested prisons, is offering counties $1 billion a year to try out remedies. A study released on Monday by the Urban Institute examined 17 states, red and blue, testing an approach called Justice Reinvestment — reducing prison costs and putting some of the savings into alternatives. Perhaps the most striking thing, said Nancy La Vigne, the principal investigator on the report, is the enthusiasm of law-and-order states that a few years ago might have shunned such programs as bleeding-heart liberalism.
In conversations with a wide range of criminal justice experts, I found several broad strategies that seem promising:
SENTENCING America has long been more inclined than other developed countries to treat crime as a disposal problem; “trail ’em, nail ’em and jail ’em,” is our tough-on-crime slogan. Beginning in the ‘70’s, rising crime rates, compounded by the crack epidemic and the public fear it aroused, set off a binge of punitive sentencing laws. Three-strikes, mandatory minimum sentences and requirements that felons serve a minimum portion (often 85 percent) of their sentence lengthened the time offenders — especially drug offenders, and especially black men — spent in lockup. Restoring common sense to sentencing is the obvious first step in downsizing prisons. New York rolled back its notorious Rockefeller drug laws, California has softened its three-strikes law and several other states have tinkered with rigid sentencing laws. But there is stiff resistance from prosecutors, who use the threat of long sentences to compel cooperation or plea deals. Reformers concede that those draconian laws have had a modest effect on the crime rate, but because of them we are paying to imprison criminals long past the time they present any danger to society. “Keeping a 60-year-old in prison until he’s 65 does close to zero for crime rates,” said Jeremy Travis, president of John Jay College of Criminal Justice. “If we’re really seeing something deep going on here, the proof will be whether legislators have the political will to roll back sentencing.”
SUPERVISION For every inmate in our state and federal prisons, another two people are under the supervision of probation or parole. Caseworkers are often poorly paid and usually overwhelmed. About all they can do is keep count of an offender’s violations until the system decides to kick that offender back to prison. A few jurisdictions have tried to make parole and probation less of a revolving door back to prison, with some encouraging results. They focus attention on offenders considered most likely to commit crimes. They send caseworkers out of the office and into the community. They use technology (ankle bracelets with GPS, A.T.M.-style check-in stations, Breathalyzer ignition locks to keep drinkers from driving) to enhance supervision. They employ a disciplinary approach called “swift and certain,” which responds promptly with a punishment for missing an interview or failing a drug test. The punishments start small, then escalate until the offender gets the message and changes his behavior — preferably before he has to be sent back to prison. Mark Kleiman, a U.C.L.A. public policy professor who is a champion of the technique, says, “It’s basically applying the principles of parenting to probation.”
DIVERSION Many jurisdictions now send drug offenders to special courts that divert nonviolent drug abusers to treatment instead of prison. Adam Gelb, director of the Public Safety Performance Project at the Pew Charitable Trusts, said more than 2,000 drug courts have been created. The popularity of drug courts has spawned other specialized venues — veterans’ courts, domestic violence courts — that aim to address problems rather than simply dispense punishment.
RE-ENTRY We release more than 650,000 prisoners into society every year, often just dropping them on a curb to fend for themselves. Two-thirds of them are rearrested within three years. A number of programs aim to improve the odds that a released felon will have options besides unemployment, homelessness and a return to crime. Some feature prerelease counseling and enlist family members to assure a safe landing. “Ban the box” initiatives encourage employers to eliminate the box on job applications that asks if you have ever been arrested. A criminal history can still count against you in hiring, but it doesn’t eliminate you from consideration. (Target is the biggest retailer to ban the box.) Sherrilyn Ifill, president of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, says another simple measure is to repeal rules that say a felon can’t be licensed as a barber or beautician.
POLICING It may seem counterintuitive, but sophisticated police work has helped reduce prison populations in New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, New Orleans and other cities while also bringing down violent crime, according to David Kennedy of John Jay. Instead of wholesale policing of “bad neighborhoods” and indiscriminately stopping and frisking residents, they target micro hot spots, such as drug corners, and small groups of violent actors, such as gang members. Police in these cities have become more selective about who gets arrested and put into the criminal justice system in the first place.
Although the government has stepped up evaluation of all these programs (see the National Institute of Justice’s impressive CrimeSolutions.gov website), most of the evidence is still tentative. Joan Petersilia of the Stanford Criminal Justice Center, who is monitoring California’s wild experiment in prison downsizing, says the reform movement has been hampered by a lack of rigorous science — and by public impatience. To know what works, she said, “We have to stay the course, and we never do in criminal justice policy.” Sooner or later crime ticks back up, and, she said, “When fear gets in the American public, they will pay anything for prisons.”
The quest for safe and humane alternatives to lockup faces opposition from prosecutors protecting their leverage, from corrections employee unions protecting jobs and from a private prison industry protecting profits. (Private prison operators, who house about 9 percent of prison inmates, have a vested interest in keeping prisons full because they are paid based on occupancy.) Liberal skeptics, in turn, point out that these programs do not solve the root problems: communities, bereft of good schools, decent housing and jobs, that become cradles of crime. They are right, of course, but they remind me of critics who oppose charter schools because the real problem is poverty. I’m all for reaching out to those trapped on the bottom. But in the meantime, why not try to save some lives?
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14) Intensive Small-Group Tutoring and Counseling Helps Struggling Students
14) Intensive Small-Group Tutoring and Counseling Helps Struggling Students
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15) Proposal to Raise Tip Wages Resisted
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15) Proposal to Raise Tip Wages Resisted
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16) Profits Up, Wages Down: What Economics Has to Say
"Profits are revenues minus costs, and with growth actually pretty tepid in recent years, at least in advanced economies, profits have been pushed more by squeezing costs, of which labor is usually the largest, than by particularly buff revenues. As a Goldman Sachs analysis put it last week, 'the strength [of profits] is directly related to the weakness in hourly wages' and 'profits are likely to accelerate in 2014 as G.D.P. and productivity growth recovers but wage growth picks up only gradually.'”
By JARED BERNSTEIN
http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/01/27/profits-up-wages-down-what-economics-has-to-say/?ref=business
It won’t surprise many readers to learn that in recent years profits have been doing a whole lot better than most workers’ wages.
We just learned that for the fourth year in a row, the real median weekly earnings for full-time workers fell slightly. The orange bars show the real, or inflation-adjusted, changes in these medians since 2007. The blue bars show nominal growth, which as you can see, has slowed in response to the weak job market. Interestingly, the only year of substantial growth in the real median was 2009, a year when nominal wage growth actually decelerated. The reason for the earnings gain was thus deflation: prices actually fell slightly that year (the Consumer Price Index was down 0.4 percent). That’s definitely not how we want to make real earnings grow. 
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
Profits, on the other hand, have been putting on a show. As a share of national income, corporate profits were 14.6 percent in the third quarter of 2013, the most recent quarter for which we have data. In the history of these data going back to 1947, there was only one quarter higher than that — the last quarter of 2011. The equity indexes may have gotten whacked last Friday, but for 2013 the Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index was up 27 percent, its strongest showing in 16 years.
The two inverse trends are related. Profits are revenues minus costs, and with growth actually pretty tepid in recent years, at least in advanced economies, profits have been pushed more by squeezing costs, of which labor is usually the largest, than by particularly buff revenues. As a Goldman Sachs analysis put it last week, “the strength [of profits] is directly related to the weakness in hourly wages” and “profits are likely to accelerate in 2014 as G.D.P. and productivity growth recovers but wage growth picks up only gradually.”
Let’s unpack all of this.
It’s not unusual for profits to recover before wages, especially given the increase in global trade, wherein multinationals can sell to wherever the growth is, while relatively immobile labor has to wait for domestic demand to return. But based on the official dating of the expansion, as of this January it’s 55 months old, solidly middle-aged given that the average length of the last five expansions is 76 months (this calculation ignores the short 12-month expansion in 1981-82 to avoid a negative bias to the average).
The simple economic theory of wage formation would argue that workers must be getting increasingly unproductive. That is, if you’ve studied this corner of economics, you may recall the assertion that your hourly wage is equal to your “marginal product,” meaning the dollar value your work adds to the firm’s output. Now, this theory applies to the average worker, so it entertains differences in real wage trends across the wage scale, explaining them by referring to differences in the marginal product of the losers versus the winners.
But there are a lot of problems with the theory. First, even at the average, in recent years real compensation has grown more slowly than productivity. This dynamic, by the way, is behind the historically large decline in labor’s share of national income, a trend that is wholly inconsistent with conventional marginal product theory (which assumes constant income shares for labor and capital or profits).
Second, as the Economic Policy Institute recently pointed out — and it has carefully tracked the “real” wage story for decades — even in the lowest fifth of the wage scale, workers have become more highly educated. The institute’s analysis reveals that since the late 1960s, the share of low-wage workers with at least some college has increased from 17 percent to 46 percent.
Now, it could of course be the case that employers’ skill demands are just outpacing the educational upgrading that has occurred. But while such upgrading is extremely and especially important in generating upward mobility for less-advantaged children, as I pointed out in a recent post, economists are increasingly recognizing that inequality and wage stagnation cannot be explained by unmet skill demands alone.
This next chart is quite revealing in this regard. It plots unit labor costs against unit profit costs. That is, one of the things implied by all of the above is that accounting for productivity growth (which embodies the skill of the labor force), profits have outpaced workers’ earnings. These unit labor cost and profit measures offer precisely that — the growth of wages and profits, net of productivity’s growth (for technical reasons regarding the treatment of interest income, the data are published only for nonfinancial corporations, but including finance would probably strengthen the results). Compensation net of productivity is up a measly 10.5 percent since 2000, while profits net of productivity have doubled. And remember, that’s average compensation. Median compensation has done even worse relative to productivity.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
Stagnant wage growth is an extremely deep problem. It is a primary root of the inequality problem and it strikes at the heart of what has historically defined the American social contract: study, work hard, play by the rules and you’ll have the opportunity to get ahead.
If we’re ever going to do anything about it, we must see beyond the marginal product theory, which leads policy makers to exclusively promote more education (again, that’s a crucial part of the solution). Fortunately, there’s much better economic theorizing about wage formation that introduces the crucial concept of bargaining power (Robert E. Hall and Alan B. Krueger provide a useful summary).
In some of these models — the ones that make sense to me — the tautness of the job market is a key factor as employers and potential workers hash out an agreement on wages (or not — some negotiations fail). The employer would like to offer just enough to make the hire, and if there’s a line outside her door, that amount goes down. For the worker, it’s the opposite. As Professors Hall and Krueger note, “the job seekers’ bargaining position … is much stronger if the next job prospect is easy to find.”
The economist Lawrence Katz, an important thinker is this debate because of his deep contributions to the literature on education as a wage determinant, agrees: “The only moments we’ve had of broadly shared prosperity have been in tight labor markets.”
Absent more individual and collective bargaining power for the vast majority of workers who lack it, some of whom have college degrees, we will be hard pressed to turn these wage trends around. Such power is not the only determinant of wages, but it may well be the most important and the one most sorely lacking.
16) Profits Up, Wages Down: What Economics Has to Say
"Profits are revenues minus costs, and with growth actually pretty tepid in recent years, at least in advanced economies, profits have been pushed more by squeezing costs, of which labor is usually the largest, than by particularly buff revenues. As a Goldman Sachs analysis put it last week, 'the strength [of profits] is directly related to the weakness in hourly wages' and 'profits are likely to accelerate in 2014 as G.D.P. and productivity growth recovers but wage growth picks up only gradually.'”
It won’t surprise many readers to learn that in recent years profits have been doing a whole lot better than most workers’ wages.
We just learned that for the fourth year in a row, the real median weekly earnings for full-time workers fell slightly. The orange bars show the real, or inflation-adjusted, changes in these medians since 2007. The blue bars show nominal growth, which as you can see, has slowed in response to the weak job market. Interestingly, the only year of substantial growth in the real median was 2009, a year when nominal wage growth actually decelerated. The reason for the earnings gain was thus deflation: prices actually fell slightly that year (the Consumer Price Index was down 0.4 percent). That’s definitely not how we want to make real earnings grow.
Profits, on the other hand, have been putting on a show. As a share of national income, corporate profits were 14.6 percent in the third quarter of 2013, the most recent quarter for which we have data. In the history of these data going back to 1947, there was only one quarter higher than that — the last quarter of 2011. The equity indexes may have gotten whacked last Friday, but for 2013 the Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index was up 27 percent, its strongest showing in 16 years.
The two inverse trends are related. Profits are revenues minus costs, and with growth actually pretty tepid in recent years, at least in advanced economies, profits have been pushed more by squeezing costs, of which labor is usually the largest, than by particularly buff revenues. As a Goldman Sachs analysis put it last week, “the strength [of profits] is directly related to the weakness in hourly wages” and “profits are likely to accelerate in 2014 as G.D.P. and productivity growth recovers but wage growth picks up only gradually.”
Let’s unpack all of this.
It’s not unusual for profits to recover before wages, especially given the increase in global trade, wherein multinationals can sell to wherever the growth is, while relatively immobile labor has to wait for domestic demand to return. But based on the official dating of the expansion, as of this January it’s 55 months old, solidly middle-aged given that the average length of the last five expansions is 76 months (this calculation ignores the short 12-month expansion in 1981-82 to avoid a negative bias to the average).
The simple economic theory of wage formation would argue that workers must be getting increasingly unproductive. That is, if you’ve studied this corner of economics, you may recall the assertion that your hourly wage is equal to your “marginal product,” meaning the dollar value your work adds to the firm’s output. Now, this theory applies to the average worker, so it entertains differences in real wage trends across the wage scale, explaining them by referring to differences in the marginal product of the losers versus the winners.
But there are a lot of problems with the theory. First, even at the average, in recent years real compensation has grown more slowly than productivity. This dynamic, by the way, is behind the historically large decline in labor’s share of national income, a trend that is wholly inconsistent with conventional marginal product theory (which assumes constant income shares for labor and capital or profits).
Second, as the Economic Policy Institute recently pointed out — and it has carefully tracked the “real” wage story for decades — even in the lowest fifth of the wage scale, workers have become more highly educated. The institute’s analysis reveals that since the late 1960s, the share of low-wage workers with at least some college has increased from 17 percent to 46 percent.
Now, it could of course be the case that employers’ skill demands are just outpacing the educational upgrading that has occurred. But while such upgrading is extremely and especially important in generating upward mobility for less-advantaged children, as I pointed out in a recent post, economists are increasingly recognizing that inequality and wage stagnation cannot be explained by unmet skill demands alone.
This next chart is quite revealing in this regard. It plots unit labor costs against unit profit costs. That is, one of the things implied by all of the above is that accounting for productivity growth (which embodies the skill of the labor force), profits have outpaced workers’ earnings. These unit labor cost and profit measures offer precisely that — the growth of wages and profits, net of productivity’s growth (for technical reasons regarding the treatment of interest income, the data are published only for nonfinancial corporations, but including finance would probably strengthen the results). Compensation net of productivity is up a measly 10.5 percent since 2000, while profits net of productivity have doubled. And remember, that’s average compensation. Median compensation has done even worse relative to productivity.
Stagnant wage growth is an extremely deep problem. It is a primary root of the inequality problem and it strikes at the heart of what has historically defined the American social contract: study, work hard, play by the rules and you’ll have the opportunity to get ahead.
If we’re ever going to do anything about it, we must see beyond the marginal product theory, which leads policy makers to exclusively promote more education (again, that’s a crucial part of the solution). Fortunately, there’s much better economic theorizing about wage formation that introduces the crucial concept of bargaining power (Robert E. Hall and Alan B. Krueger provide a useful summary).
In some of these models — the ones that make sense to me — the tautness of the job market is a key factor as employers and potential workers hash out an agreement on wages (or not — some negotiations fail). The employer would like to offer just enough to make the hire, and if there’s a line outside her door, that amount goes down. For the worker, it’s the opposite. As Professors Hall and Krueger note, “the job seekers’ bargaining position … is much stronger if the next job prospect is easy to find.”
The economist Lawrence Katz, an important thinker is this debate because of his deep contributions to the literature on education as a wage determinant, agrees: “The only moments we’ve had of broadly shared prosperity have been in tight labor markets.”
Absent more individual and collective bargaining power for the vast majority of workers who lack it, some of whom have college degrees, we will be hard pressed to turn these wage trends around. Such power is not the only determinant of wages, but it may well be the most important and the one most sorely lacking.
*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
17) Pete Seeger, Songwriter and Champion of Folk Music, Dies at 94
17) Pete Seeger, Songwriter and Champion of Folk Music, Dies at 94
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/29/arts/music/pete-seeger-songwriter-and-champion-of-folk-music-dies-at-94.html?hp
Pete Seeger, the singer, folk-song collector and songwriter who spearheaded an American folk revival and spent a long career championing folk music as both a vital heritage and a catalyst for social change, died Monday. He was 94 and lived in Beacon, N.Y.
His death was confirmed by his grandson, Kitama Cahill Jackson, who said he died of natural causes at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital.
Mr. Seeger’s career carried him from singing at labor rallies to the Top 10 to college auditoriums to folk festivals, and from a conviction for contempt of Congress (after defying the House Un-American Activities Committee in the 1950s) to performing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial at an inaugural concert for Barack Obama.
For Mr. Seeger, folk music and a sense of community were inseparable, and where he saw a community, he saw the possibility of political action.
In his hearty tenor, Mr. Seeger, a beanpole of a man who most often played 12-string guitar or five-string banjo, sang topical songs and children’s songs, humorous tunes and earnest anthems, always encouraging listeners to join in. His agenda paralleled the concerns of the American left: He sang for the labor movement in the 1940s and 1950s, for civil rights marches and anti-Vietnam War rallies in the 1960s, and for environmental and antiwar causes in the 1970s and beyond. “We Shall Overcome,” which Mr. Seeger adapted from old spirituals, became a civil rights anthem.
Mr. Seeger was a prime mover in the folk revival that transformed popular music in the 1950s. As a member of the Weavers, he sang hits including Lead Belly’s “Goodnight, Irene” — which reached No. 1 — and “If I Had a Hammer,” which he wrote with the group’s Lee Hays. Another of Mr. Seeger’s songs, “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?,” became an antiwar standard. And in 1965, the Byrds had a No. 1 hit with a folk-rock version of “Turn! Turn! Turn!,” Mr. Seeger’s setting of a passage from the Book of Ecclesiastes.
Mr. Seeger was a mentor to younger folk and topical singers in the ‘50s and ‘60s, among them Bob Dylan, Don McLean and Bernice Johnson Reagon, who founded Sweet Honey in the Rock. Decades later, Bruce Springsteen drew the songs on his 2006 album, “We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions,” from Mr. Seeger’s repertoire of traditional music about a turbulent American experience, and in 2009 he performed Woody Guthrie’s “This Land Is Your Land” with Mr. Seeger at the Obama inaugural. At a Madison Square Garden concert celebrating Mr. Seeger’s 90th birthday, Mr. Springsteen introduced him as “a living archive of America’s music and conscience, a testament of the power of song and culture to nudge history along.”
Although he recorded more than 100 albums, Mr. Seeger distrusted commercialism and was never comfortable with the idea of stardom. He invariably tried to use his celebrity to bring attention and contributions to the causes that moved him, or to the traditional songs he wanted to preserve.
Mr. Seeger saw himself as part of a continuing folk tradition, constantly recycling and revising music that had been honed by time.
During the McCarthy era Mr. Seeger’s political affiliations, including membership in the Communist Party in the 1940s, led to his being blacklisted and later indicted for contempt of Congress. The pressure broke up the Weavers, and Mr. Seeger disappeared from television until the late 1960s. But he never stopped recording, performing and listening to songs from ordinary people. Through the decades, his songs have become part of America’s folklore.
“My job,” he said in 2009, “is to show folks there’s a lot of good music in this world, and if used right it may help to save the planet.”
Peter Seeger was born on May 3, 1919, to Charles Seeger, a musicologist, and Constance de Clyver Edson Seeger, a concert violinist. His parents later divorced.
He began playing the ukulele while attending Avon Old Farms, a private boarding school in Connecticut. His father and his stepmother, the composer Ruth Crawford Seeger, were collecting and transcribing rural American folk music, as were folklorists like John and Alan Lomax. He heard the five-string banjo, which would become his main instrument, when his father took him to a square-dance festival in North Carolina.
Young Pete became enthralled by rural traditions. “I liked the strident vocal tone of the singers, the vigorous dancing,” he is quoted in “How Can I Keep From Singing,” a biography by David Dunaway. “The words of the songs had all the meat of life in them. Their humor had a bite, it was not trivial. Their tragedy was real, not sentimental.”
Planning to be a journalist, Mr. Seeger attended Harvard, where he founded a radical newspaper and joined the Young Communist League. After two years, he dropped out and came to New York City, where Mr. Lomax introduced him to the blues singer Huddie Ledbetter, known as Lead Belly. Mr. Lomax also helped Mr. Seeger find a job cataloging and transcribing music at the Archive of American Folk Song at the Library of Congress.
Mr. Seeger met Mr. Guthrie, a songwriter who shared his love of vernacular music and agitprop ambitions, in 1940, when they performed at a benefit concert for migrant California workers. Traveling across the United States with Mr. Guthrie, Mr. Seeger picked up some of his style and repertory. He also hitchhiked and hopped freight trains by himself, trading and learning songs.
When he returned to New York later in 1940, Mr. Seeger made his first albums. He, Millard Lampell and Mr. Hays founded the Almanac Singers, who performed union songs and, until Germany invaded the Soviet Union, antiwar songs, following the Communist Party line. Mr. Guthrie soon joined the group.
During World War II the Almanac Singers’s repertory turned to patriotic, antifascist songs, bringing them a broad audience, including a prime-time national radio spot. But the group’s earlier antiwar songs, the target of an F.B.I. investigation, came to light, and the group’s career plummeted.
Before the group completely dissolved, however, Mr. Seeger was drafted in 1942 and assigned to a unit of performers. He married Toshi-Aline Ohta while on furlough in 1943.
When he returned from the war he founded People’s Songs Inc., which published political songs and presented concerts for several years before going bankrupt. He also started his nightclub career, performing at the Village Vanguard in Greenwich Village. Mr. Seeger and Paul Robeson toured with the campaign of Henry Wallace, the Progressive Party presidential candidate, in 1948.
Mr. Seeger invested $1,700 in 17 acres of land overlooking the Hudson River in Beacon and began building a log cabin there in the late 1940s. In 1949, Mr. Seeger, Mr. Hays, Ronnie Gilbert and Fred Hellerman started working together as the Weavers. They were signed to Decca Records by Gordon Jenkins, the company’s music director and an arranger for Frank Sinatra. With Mr. Jenkins’s elaborate orchestral arrangements, the group recorded a repertoire that stretched from “If I Had a Hammer” to a South African song, “Wimoweh” (the title was Mr. Seeger’s mishearing of “Mbube,” the name of a South African hit by Solomon Linda), to an Israeli soldiers’ song, “Tzena, Tzena, Tzena,” to a cleaned-up version of Lead Belly’s “Goodnight, Irene.” Onstage, they also sang more pointed topical songs.
In 1950 and 1951 the Weavers were national stars, with hit singles and engagements at major nightclubs. Their hits included “Kisses Sweeter Than Wine” and Mr. Guthrie’s “So Long (It’s Been Good to Know Yuh),” and they sold an estimated four million singles and albums.
But “Red Channels,” an influential pamphlet listing performers with suspected Communist ties, appeared in June 1950 and listed Mr. Seeger, although by then he had quit the Communist Party. He would later criticize himself for having not left the party sooner, though he continued to describe himself as a “communist with a small ‘c.’ ”
Despite the Weavers’ commercial success, by the summer of 1951 the “Red Channels” citation and leaks from F.B.I. files had led to the cancellation of television appearances. In 1951, the Senate Internal Security Subcommittee investigated the Weavers for sedition. And in February 1952, a former member of People’s Songs testified before the House Un-American Activities Committee that three of the four Weavers were members of the Communist Party.
As engagements dried up the Weavers disbanded, though they reunited periodically in the mid-1950s. After the group recorded an advertisement for Lucky Strike cigarettes, Mr. Seeger left, citing his objection to promoting tobacco use.
Shut out of national exposure, Mr. Seeger returned primarily to solo concerts, touring college coffeehouses, churches, schools and summer camps, building an audience for folk music among young people. He started to write a long-running column for the folk-song magazine Sing Out! And he recorded prolifically for the independent Folkways label, singing everything from children’s songs to Spanish Civil War anthems.
In 1955 he was subpoenaed by the House Un-American Activities Committee, where he testified, “I feel that in my whole life I have never done anything of any conspiratorial nature.” He also stated: “I am not going to answer any questions as to my association, my philosophical or religious beliefs or my political beliefs, or how I voted in any election, or any of these private affairs. I think these are very improper questions for any American to be asked, especially under such compulsion as this.”
Mr. Seeger offered to sing the songs mentioned by the congressmen who questioned him. The committee declined.
Mr. Seeger was indicted in 1957 on 10 counts of contempt of Congress. He was convicted in 1961 and sentenced to a year in prison, but the next year an appeals court dismissed the indictment as faulty. After the indictment, Mr. Seeger’s concerts were often picketed by the John Birch Society and other rightist groups. “All those protests did was sell tickets and get me free publicity,” he later said. “The more they protested, the bigger the audiences became.”
By then, the folk revival was prospering. In 1959, Mr. Seeger was among the founders of the Newport Folk Festival. The Kingston Trio’s version of Mr. Seeger’s “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?” reached the Top 40 in 1962, soon followed by Peter, Paul and Mary’s version of “If I Had a Hammer,” which rose to the Top 10.
Mr. Seeger was signed to a major label, Columbia Records, in 1961, but he remained unwelcome on network television. “Hootenanny,” an early-1960s show on ABC that capitalized on the folk revival, refused to book Mr. Seeger, causing other performers (including Bob Dylan, Joan Baez and Peter, Paul and Mary) to boycott it. “Hootenanny” eventually offered to present Mr. Seeger if he would sign a loyalty oath. He refused.
He toured the world, performing and collecting folk songs, in 1963, and returned to serenade civil rights advocates, who had made a rallying song of his “We Shall Overcome.”
Like many of Mr. Seeger’s songs, “We Shall Overcome” had convoluted traditional roots. It was based on old gospel songs, primarily “I’ll Overcome,” a hymn that striking tobacco workers had sung on a picket line in South Carolina. A slower version, “We Will Overcome,” was collected from one of the workers, Lucille Simmons, by Zilphia Horton, the musical director of the Highlander Folk School in Monteagle, Tenn., which trained union organizers.
Ms. Horton taught it to Mr. Seeger, and her version of “We Will Overcome” was published in the People’s Songs newsletter. Mr. Seeger changed “We will” to “We shall” and added verses (“We’ll walk hand in hand”). He taught it to the singers Frank Hamilton, who would join the Weavers in 1962, and Guy Carawan, who became musical director at Highlander in the ‘50s. Mr. Carawan taught the song to the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee at its founding convention.The song was copyrighted by Mr. Seeger, Mr. Hamilton, Mr. Carawan and Ms. Horton. “At that time we didn’t know Lucille Simmons’s name,” Mr. Seeger wrote in his 1993 autobiography, “Where Have All the Flowers Gone.” All of the song’s royalties go to the “We Shall Overcome” Fund, administered by what is now the Highlander Research and Education Center, which provides grants to African-Americans organizing in the South.
Along with many elders of the protest-song movement, Mr. Seeger felt betrayed when Bob Dylan appeared at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival with a loud electric blues band. Reports emerged that Mr. Seeger had tried to cut the power cable with an ax, but witnesses including the producer George Wein and the festival’s production manager, Joe Boyd (later a leading folk-rock record producer), said he did not go that far. (An ax was available, however. A group of prisoners had used it while singing a logging song.)
As the United States grew divided over the Vietnam War, Mr. Seeger wrote “Waist Deep in the Big Muddy,” an antiwar song with the refrain “The big fool says to push on.” He performed the song during a taping of “The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour” in September 1967, his return to network television, but it was cut before the show was broadcast. After the Smothers Brothers publicized the censorship, Mr. Seeger returned to perform the song for broadcast in February 1968.
During the late 1960s Mr. Seeger started an improbable project: a sailing ship that would crusade for cleaner water on the Hudson River. Between other benefit concerts he raised money to build the Clearwater, a 106-foot sloop that was launched in June 1969 with a crew of musicians. The ship became a symbol and a rallying point for antipollution efforts and education.
In May 2009, after decades of litigation and environmental activism led by Mr. Seeger’s nonprofit environmental organization, Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, General Electric began dredging sediment containing PCBs it had dumped into the Hudson. Mr. Seeger and his wife also helped organize a yearly summer folk festival named after the Clearwater.
In the ‘80s and ‘90s Mr. Seeger toured regularly with Arlo Guthrie, Woody’s son, and continued to lead singalongs and perform benefit concerts. Recognition and awards arrived. He was elected to the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1972, and in 1993 he was given a lifetime achievement Grammy Award. In 1994, President Bill Clinton handed him the National Medal of Arts, America’s highest arts honor, given by the National Endowment for the Arts. In 1999, he traveled to Cuba to receive the Order of Félix Varela, Cuba’s highest cultural award, for his “humanistic and artistic work in defense of the environment and against racism.”
In 1996, Mr. Seeger was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as an early influence. Arlo Guthrie, who paid tribute at the ceremony, mentioned that the Weavers’ hit “Goodnight, Irene” reached No. 1, only to add, “I can’t think of a single event in Pete’s life that is probably less important to him.” Mr. Seeger made no acceptance speech, but he did lead a singalong of “Goodnight, Irene,” flanked by Stevie Wonder, David Byrne and members of the Jefferson Airplane.
Mr. Seeger won Grammy Awards for best traditional folk album in 1997, for the album “Pete,” and in 2009, for the album “At 89.” He also won a Grammy in the children’s music category in 2011 for “Tomorrow’s Children.”
Mr. Seeger kept performing into the 21st century, despite a flagging voice; audiences happily sang along more loudly. He celebrated his 90th birthday, on May 3, 2009, at a Madison Square Garden concert — a benefit for Hudson River Sloop Clearwater — with Mr. Springsteen, Dave Matthews, John Mellencamp, Joan Baez, Ani DiFranco, Roger McGuinn of the Byrds, Emmylou Harris and dozens of other musicians paying tribute. In August he was back in Newport for the 50th anniversary of the Newport Folk Festival.
Mr. Seeger’s wife, Toshi, died in 2013, days before the couple’s 70th anniversary. Survivors include his son, Daniel; his daughters, Mika and Tinya; a half-sister, Peggy; and six grandchildren, including the musician Tao Rodriguez-Seeger, who performed with him at the Obama inaugural. His half-brother Mike Seeger, a folklorist and performer who founded the New Lost City Ramblers, died in 2009.
Through the years, Mr. Seeger remained determinedly optimistic. “The key to the future of the world,” he said in 1994, “is finding the optimistic stories and letting them be known.”
Pete Seeger, the singer, folk-song collector and songwriter who spearheaded an American folk revival and spent a long career championing folk music as both a vital heritage and a catalyst for social change, died Monday. He was 94 and lived in Beacon, N.Y.
His death was confirmed by his grandson, Kitama Cahill Jackson, who said he died of natural causes at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital.
Mr. Seeger’s career carried him from singing at labor rallies to the Top 10 to college auditoriums to folk festivals, and from a conviction for contempt of Congress (after defying the House Un-American Activities Committee in the 1950s) to performing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial at an inaugural concert for Barack Obama.
For Mr. Seeger, folk music and a sense of community were inseparable, and where he saw a community, he saw the possibility of political action.
In his hearty tenor, Mr. Seeger, a beanpole of a man who most often played 12-string guitar or five-string banjo, sang topical songs and children’s songs, humorous tunes and earnest anthems, always encouraging listeners to join in. His agenda paralleled the concerns of the American left: He sang for the labor movement in the 1940s and 1950s, for civil rights marches and anti-Vietnam War rallies in the 1960s, and for environmental and antiwar causes in the 1970s and beyond. “We Shall Overcome,” which Mr. Seeger adapted from old spirituals, became a civil rights anthem.
Mr. Seeger was a prime mover in the folk revival that transformed popular music in the 1950s. As a member of the Weavers, he sang hits including Lead Belly’s “Goodnight, Irene” — which reached No. 1 — and “If I Had a Hammer,” which he wrote with the group’s Lee Hays. Another of Mr. Seeger’s songs, “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?,” became an antiwar standard. And in 1965, the Byrds had a No. 1 hit with a folk-rock version of “Turn! Turn! Turn!,” Mr. Seeger’s setting of a passage from the Book of Ecclesiastes.
Mr. Seeger was a mentor to younger folk and topical singers in the ‘50s and ‘60s, among them Bob Dylan, Don McLean and Bernice Johnson Reagon, who founded Sweet Honey in the Rock. Decades later, Bruce Springsteen drew the songs on his 2006 album, “We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions,” from Mr. Seeger’s repertoire of traditional music about a turbulent American experience, and in 2009 he performed Woody Guthrie’s “This Land Is Your Land” with Mr. Seeger at the Obama inaugural. At a Madison Square Garden concert celebrating Mr. Seeger’s 90th birthday, Mr. Springsteen introduced him as “a living archive of America’s music and conscience, a testament of the power of song and culture to nudge history along.”
Although he recorded more than 100 albums, Mr. Seeger distrusted commercialism and was never comfortable with the idea of stardom. He invariably tried to use his celebrity to bring attention and contributions to the causes that moved him, or to the traditional songs he wanted to preserve.
Mr. Seeger saw himself as part of a continuing folk tradition, constantly recycling and revising music that had been honed by time.
During the McCarthy era Mr. Seeger’s political affiliations, including membership in the Communist Party in the 1940s, led to his being blacklisted and later indicted for contempt of Congress. The pressure broke up the Weavers, and Mr. Seeger disappeared from television until the late 1960s. But he never stopped recording, performing and listening to songs from ordinary people. Through the decades, his songs have become part of America’s folklore.
“My job,” he said in 2009, “is to show folks there’s a lot of good music in this world, and if used right it may help to save the planet.”
Peter Seeger was born on May 3, 1919, to Charles Seeger, a musicologist, and Constance de Clyver Edson Seeger, a concert violinist. His parents later divorced.
He began playing the ukulele while attending Avon Old Farms, a private boarding school in Connecticut. His father and his stepmother, the composer Ruth Crawford Seeger, were collecting and transcribing rural American folk music, as were folklorists like John and Alan Lomax. He heard the five-string banjo, which would become his main instrument, when his father took him to a square-dance festival in North Carolina.
Young Pete became enthralled by rural traditions. “I liked the strident vocal tone of the singers, the vigorous dancing,” he is quoted in “How Can I Keep From Singing,” a biography by David Dunaway. “The words of the songs had all the meat of life in them. Their humor had a bite, it was not trivial. Their tragedy was real, not sentimental.”
Planning to be a journalist, Mr. Seeger attended Harvard, where he founded a radical newspaper and joined the Young Communist League. After two years, he dropped out and came to New York City, where Mr. Lomax introduced him to the blues singer Huddie Ledbetter, known as Lead Belly. Mr. Lomax also helped Mr. Seeger find a job cataloging and transcribing music at the Archive of American Folk Song at the Library of Congress.
Mr. Seeger met Mr. Guthrie, a songwriter who shared his love of vernacular music and agitprop ambitions, in 1940, when they performed at a benefit concert for migrant California workers. Traveling across the United States with Mr. Guthrie, Mr. Seeger picked up some of his style and repertory. He also hitchhiked and hopped freight trains by himself, trading and learning songs.
When he returned to New York later in 1940, Mr. Seeger made his first albums. He, Millard Lampell and Mr. Hays founded the Almanac Singers, who performed union songs and, until Germany invaded the Soviet Union, antiwar songs, following the Communist Party line. Mr. Guthrie soon joined the group.
During World War II the Almanac Singers’s repertory turned to patriotic, antifascist songs, bringing them a broad audience, including a prime-time national radio spot. But the group’s earlier antiwar songs, the target of an F.B.I. investigation, came to light, and the group’s career plummeted.
Before the group completely dissolved, however, Mr. Seeger was drafted in 1942 and assigned to a unit of performers. He married Toshi-Aline Ohta while on furlough in 1943.
When he returned from the war he founded People’s Songs Inc., which published political songs and presented concerts for several years before going bankrupt. He also started his nightclub career, performing at the Village Vanguard in Greenwich Village. Mr. Seeger and Paul Robeson toured with the campaign of Henry Wallace, the Progressive Party presidential candidate, in 1948.
Mr. Seeger invested $1,700 in 17 acres of land overlooking the Hudson River in Beacon and began building a log cabin there in the late 1940s. In 1949, Mr. Seeger, Mr. Hays, Ronnie Gilbert and Fred Hellerman started working together as the Weavers. They were signed to Decca Records by Gordon Jenkins, the company’s music director and an arranger for Frank Sinatra. With Mr. Jenkins’s elaborate orchestral arrangements, the group recorded a repertoire that stretched from “If I Had a Hammer” to a South African song, “Wimoweh” (the title was Mr. Seeger’s mishearing of “Mbube,” the name of a South African hit by Solomon Linda), to an Israeli soldiers’ song, “Tzena, Tzena, Tzena,” to a cleaned-up version of Lead Belly’s “Goodnight, Irene.” Onstage, they also sang more pointed topical songs.
In 1950 and 1951 the Weavers were national stars, with hit singles and engagements at major nightclubs. Their hits included “Kisses Sweeter Than Wine” and Mr. Guthrie’s “So Long (It’s Been Good to Know Yuh),” and they sold an estimated four million singles and albums.
But “Red Channels,” an influential pamphlet listing performers with suspected Communist ties, appeared in June 1950 and listed Mr. Seeger, although by then he had quit the Communist Party. He would later criticize himself for having not left the party sooner, though he continued to describe himself as a “communist with a small ‘c.’ ”
Despite the Weavers’ commercial success, by the summer of 1951 the “Red Channels” citation and leaks from F.B.I. files had led to the cancellation of television appearances. In 1951, the Senate Internal Security Subcommittee investigated the Weavers for sedition. And in February 1952, a former member of People’s Songs testified before the House Un-American Activities Committee that three of the four Weavers were members of the Communist Party.
As engagements dried up the Weavers disbanded, though they reunited periodically in the mid-1950s. After the group recorded an advertisement for Lucky Strike cigarettes, Mr. Seeger left, citing his objection to promoting tobacco use.
Shut out of national exposure, Mr. Seeger returned primarily to solo concerts, touring college coffeehouses, churches, schools and summer camps, building an audience for folk music among young people. He started to write a long-running column for the folk-song magazine Sing Out! And he recorded prolifically for the independent Folkways label, singing everything from children’s songs to Spanish Civil War anthems.
In 1955 he was subpoenaed by the House Un-American Activities Committee, where he testified, “I feel that in my whole life I have never done anything of any conspiratorial nature.” He also stated: “I am not going to answer any questions as to my association, my philosophical or religious beliefs or my political beliefs, or how I voted in any election, or any of these private affairs. I think these are very improper questions for any American to be asked, especially under such compulsion as this.”
Mr. Seeger offered to sing the songs mentioned by the congressmen who questioned him. The committee declined.
Mr. Seeger was indicted in 1957 on 10 counts of contempt of Congress. He was convicted in 1961 and sentenced to a year in prison, but the next year an appeals court dismissed the indictment as faulty. After the indictment, Mr. Seeger’s concerts were often picketed by the John Birch Society and other rightist groups. “All those protests did was sell tickets and get me free publicity,” he later said. “The more they protested, the bigger the audiences became.”
By then, the folk revival was prospering. In 1959, Mr. Seeger was among the founders of the Newport Folk Festival. The Kingston Trio’s version of Mr. Seeger’s “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?” reached the Top 40 in 1962, soon followed by Peter, Paul and Mary’s version of “If I Had a Hammer,” which rose to the Top 10.
Mr. Seeger was signed to a major label, Columbia Records, in 1961, but he remained unwelcome on network television. “Hootenanny,” an early-1960s show on ABC that capitalized on the folk revival, refused to book Mr. Seeger, causing other performers (including Bob Dylan, Joan Baez and Peter, Paul and Mary) to boycott it. “Hootenanny” eventually offered to present Mr. Seeger if he would sign a loyalty oath. He refused.
He toured the world, performing and collecting folk songs, in 1963, and returned to serenade civil rights advocates, who had made a rallying song of his “We Shall Overcome.”
Like many of Mr. Seeger’s songs, “We Shall Overcome” had convoluted traditional roots. It was based on old gospel songs, primarily “I’ll Overcome,” a hymn that striking tobacco workers had sung on a picket line in South Carolina. A slower version, “We Will Overcome,” was collected from one of the workers, Lucille Simmons, by Zilphia Horton, the musical director of the Highlander Folk School in Monteagle, Tenn., which trained union organizers.
Ms. Horton taught it to Mr. Seeger, and her version of “We Will Overcome” was published in the People’s Songs newsletter. Mr. Seeger changed “We will” to “We shall” and added verses (“We’ll walk hand in hand”). He taught it to the singers Frank Hamilton, who would join the Weavers in 1962, and Guy Carawan, who became musical director at Highlander in the ‘50s. Mr. Carawan taught the song to the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee at its founding convention.The song was copyrighted by Mr. Seeger, Mr. Hamilton, Mr. Carawan and Ms. Horton. “At that time we didn’t know Lucille Simmons’s name,” Mr. Seeger wrote in his 1993 autobiography, “Where Have All the Flowers Gone.” All of the song’s royalties go to the “We Shall Overcome” Fund, administered by what is now the Highlander Research and Education Center, which provides grants to African-Americans organizing in the South.
Along with many elders of the protest-song movement, Mr. Seeger felt betrayed when Bob Dylan appeared at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival with a loud electric blues band. Reports emerged that Mr. Seeger had tried to cut the power cable with an ax, but witnesses including the producer George Wein and the festival’s production manager, Joe Boyd (later a leading folk-rock record producer), said he did not go that far. (An ax was available, however. A group of prisoners had used it while singing a logging song.)
As the United States grew divided over the Vietnam War, Mr. Seeger wrote “Waist Deep in the Big Muddy,” an antiwar song with the refrain “The big fool says to push on.” He performed the song during a taping of “The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour” in September 1967, his return to network television, but it was cut before the show was broadcast. After the Smothers Brothers publicized the censorship, Mr. Seeger returned to perform the song for broadcast in February 1968.
During the late 1960s Mr. Seeger started an improbable project: a sailing ship that would crusade for cleaner water on the Hudson River. Between other benefit concerts he raised money to build the Clearwater, a 106-foot sloop that was launched in June 1969 with a crew of musicians. The ship became a symbol and a rallying point for antipollution efforts and education.
In May 2009, after decades of litigation and environmental activism led by Mr. Seeger’s nonprofit environmental organization, Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, General Electric began dredging sediment containing PCBs it had dumped into the Hudson. Mr. Seeger and his wife also helped organize a yearly summer folk festival named after the Clearwater.
In the ‘80s and ‘90s Mr. Seeger toured regularly with Arlo Guthrie, Woody’s son, and continued to lead singalongs and perform benefit concerts. Recognition and awards arrived. He was elected to the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1972, and in 1993 he was given a lifetime achievement Grammy Award. In 1994, President Bill Clinton handed him the National Medal of Arts, America’s highest arts honor, given by the National Endowment for the Arts. In 1999, he traveled to Cuba to receive the Order of Félix Varela, Cuba’s highest cultural award, for his “humanistic and artistic work in defense of the environment and against racism.”
In 1996, Mr. Seeger was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as an early influence. Arlo Guthrie, who paid tribute at the ceremony, mentioned that the Weavers’ hit “Goodnight, Irene” reached No. 1, only to add, “I can’t think of a single event in Pete’s life that is probably less important to him.” Mr. Seeger made no acceptance speech, but he did lead a singalong of “Goodnight, Irene,” flanked by Stevie Wonder, David Byrne and members of the Jefferson Airplane.
Mr. Seeger won Grammy Awards for best traditional folk album in 1997, for the album “Pete,” and in 2009, for the album “At 89.” He also won a Grammy in the children’s music category in 2011 for “Tomorrow’s Children.”
Mr. Seeger kept performing into the 21st century, despite a flagging voice; audiences happily sang along more loudly. He celebrated his 90th birthday, on May 3, 2009, at a Madison Square Garden concert — a benefit for Hudson River Sloop Clearwater — with Mr. Springsteen, Dave Matthews, John Mellencamp, Joan Baez, Ani DiFranco, Roger McGuinn of the Byrds, Emmylou Harris and dozens of other musicians paying tribute. In August he was back in Newport for the 50th anniversary of the Newport Folk Festival.
Mr. Seeger’s wife, Toshi, died in 2013, days before the couple’s 70th anniversary. Survivors include his son, Daniel; his daughters, Mika and Tinya; a half-sister, Peggy; and six grandchildren, including the musician Tao Rodriguez-Seeger, who performed with him at the Obama inaugural. His half-brother Mike Seeger, a folklorist and performer who founded the New Lost City Ramblers, died in 2009.
Through the years, Mr. Seeger remained determinedly optimistic. “The key to the future of the world,” he said in 1994, “is finding the optimistic stories and letting them be known.”
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B.
EVENTS AND ACTIONS
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WORKING TOGETHER, WE CAN . . .
SAVE BERKELEY’S HISTORIC POST OFFICE
Come to the Berkeley City Council Meeting
Tuesday, January 28th, 2014, at 7:00 p.m.
Fill the Council Chambers at Old City Hall.
Convince the Council to vote YES. Let’s make this the law.
MUSIC! RALLY! on the steps!
The Zoning Overlay Ordinance on Berkeley’s Historic Civic Center District which includes our historic Post Office has gained national attention. The Planning Commission voted to recommend the Ordinance features to the City Council. Tuesday, January 28th the Council will vote on the Overlay. Again we must fill the room to overfull!
Berkeley’s Historic Civic Center District includes Berkeley’s Old City Hall, New City Hall, Berkeley High School, Veteran’s Memorial Hall, the YMCA, and the Berkeley Main Post Office at 2000 Allston Way. These are all on the National Register of Historic Places. The Zoning Overlay will help to preserve the area’s use for community, cultural, and civic purposes. We say our Post Office is NOT FOR SALE. It was funded by taxpayers in 1914, and belongs to the people.
Berkeley’s Historic Civic Center District is our Public Commons. Let’s protect it with appropriate zoning. Although the uses of buildings change, the end result must be a stronger community, not richer real-estate developers. Let us show that we are a city of caring citizens in community.
Phone or Email
Mayor Bates and your City Council Member by January 27, 2014,
and ask him/her to vote to pass the Zoning Overlay Ordinance to save Berkeley’s Historic District.
Mayor Tom Bates 981-7100 mayor@cityofberkeley.info
District 1 Linda Maio 981-7110 lmaio@cityofberkeley.info
District 2 Darryl Moore 981-7120 dmoore@cityofberkeley.info
District 3 Maxwell Anderson 981-7130 manderson@cityofberkeley.info
District 4 Jesse Arreguin 981-7140 jarreguin@cityofberkeley.info
District 5 Laurie Capitelli 981-7150 lcapitelli@cityofberkeley.info
District 6 Susan Wengraf 981-7160 swengraf@cityofberkeley.info
District 7 Kriss Worthington 981-7170 kworthington@cityofberkeley.info
District 8 Gordon Wozniak 981-7180 sgwozniak@cityofberkeley.info
Save the Berkeley Post Office!
HALT THE HEIST - SAVE OUR PUBLIC COMMONS
www.savethebpo.com
www.savethepostoffice.com
savetheberkeleypostoffice@gmail.com
Labor Donated
SAVE POST OFFICES & OUR PUBLIC POSTAL SERVICE
SAVE POSTAL EMPLOYEES’ LIVABLE WAGES, UNION JOBS
Copyright © 2014 Citizens to Save the Berkeley Post Office, All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email because you are a supporter of Citizens to Save the Berkeley Post Office
Our mailing address is:
Citizens to Save the Berkeley Post Office
1300 A Shattuck Ave
Berkeley, Ca 94709
STOP THE TRANS PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP (TPP)
Hello Everyone,
Letting you know of this upcoming event to STOP the TPP!! This was written by 600 corporate advisors in secret with no public input. If this legislation is “Fast Tracked” it will affect all of our lives globally from the food we eat to the internet and more! If you can’t come to the Jan. 31st action please call your Senators and Rep. Pelosi (She’s the Democratic Minority Leader of the House)
“NO to FAST TRACK” of TPP
Senator Dianne Feinstein Tel: 415 – 393 - 0707 / 202 - 224-3841
Senator Barbara Boxer Tel: 510 – 286 - 8537 / 202 - 224-3553
Representative Nancy Pelosi Tel: 415 - 556 – 4862 / 202 – 225-0100
Inter-Continental Day of Action
STOP the TPP!!
January 31, Friday
4:30 pm – Meet at Rep. Pelosi’s office
7th and Mission Street
San Francisco
March down Market Street to Senator Feinstein’s office
5:30 pm – Senator Feinstein’s office
One Post Street
(Market & Montgomery Streets)
San Francisco
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Forwarded from the San Francisco Tenants Union:
After hosting successful neighborhood conventions in the Mission, Chinatown, Richmond/ Haight, Castro and SOMA/ Tenderloin, the citywide convention will bring us all together to discuss and vote on the proposals that were generated from the neighborhoods.
If you live in rent-controlled housing in San Francisco, please join us.
Saturday, February 8th,
Tenderloin Elementary School
627 Turk St. @ Van Ness
Lunch at Noon. Convention from 1:00-4:00pm.
The San Francisco Anti-Displacement Coalition (SFADC) is a new coalition of organizations that have joined together in this moment of crisis to fight the widespread displacement of residents from San Francisco. Our focus for 2014 is to support policies and actions that stop the wave of evictions and loss of rent controlled housing that is devastating our communities and that threatens the economic and social diversity of our city.
RENTERS: WE WANT TO HEAR YOUR VOICE!
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Call to Action for February 8 Solidarity Rally against LGBTQ and Political Repression in Russia on the Opening Day of the Olympic Games
What: Planning meeting to organize an action in solidarity with targets of fascism in Russia
When: Tuesday, January 21, 2014, 6:00-7:30pm
Where: New Valencia Hall, 747 Polk Street, Civic Center (at Ellis Street and on/near Civic Center BART/Muni and #19, 31, 47, 48 & 49 Muni bus lines)
Dear friend,
Please don't miss the next community organizing meeting on Tuesday, January 21, 2014, the purpose of which is to further decided details for a public rally on Saturday, February 8 in San Francisco demanding queer and civil rights in Russia during the Olympic Games and to show solidarity with targets of escalating fascism.
The 2014 Winter Olympics will be held in Sochi, Russia from February 7–23. Many of you are aware that state-supported violent bigotry and repression against the lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender/queer community and others in Russia is an increasingly serious reality. Also being targeted are dissidents, radicals, feminists, artists, immigrants, and national and religious minorities. The Putin Administration, instead of advancing equality for all, is dragging Russia backward by instituting laws making it a crime to be gay or to even advocate for LGBT rights, throwing socialists, anarchists, and feminists like punk rock group Pussy Riot into prison, and clamping down on all forms of public protest. These policies aim to divert working people’s anger at economic austerity measures and are emboldening a growing fascist movement. (Links to more information can be found below.)
We believe that oppressed and working people everywhere have a stake in the fight to stamp out dangerous rightwing scapegoating. What’s needed is a public display of solidarity in order to show that people in the Bay Area support civil liberties for all, the separation of church and state, and solidarity with the oppressed—in Russia and here at home.
We invite you to join the ad hoc community group meeting to discuss and plan a visible and disciplined protest rally happening at UN Plaza 11am-1pm on Saturday, February 8 in San Francisco to oppose Putin’s repression and also hopefully plan other community actions on February 7 as well. Your ideas, support, endorsement, and help are all greatly needed. The next planning meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 21, 6:00–7:30pm at New Valencia Hall, 747 Polk Street in San Francisco (between Ellis and Eddy and near Civic Center BART/Muni). Wheelchair accessible. Everyone is welcome. We hope to see you there—please spread the word.
For more information or to get involved, please contact Masha at 415-678-8232 or Toni Mendicino at 415-730-2917, or email .
More information can be found here:
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/aug/10/gay-russian-teens-avoid-propaganda-law
http://therussianreader.wordpress.com/2013/11/09/dmitry-chizhevsky/
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/opinion/article/downfall-toward-fascism/489100.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/rising-russian-nationalism-sets-off-ethnic-tension/2013/11/11/9c9c15ae-495c-11e3-b87a-e66bd9ff3537_story.html
www.socialism.com/drupal-6.8/?q=node/2594 (“Russia’s new anti-LGBT law denounced”)
http://www.stormfront.org/forum/t1006504/
http://www.vocativ.com/11-2013/russian-neo-nazis-now-beating-gays-ukraine/
WORKING TOGETHER, WE CAN . . .
SAVE BERKELEY’S HISTORIC POST OFFICE
Come to the Berkeley City Council Meeting
Tuesday, January 28th, 2014, at 7:00 p.m.
Fill the Council Chambers at Old City Hall.
Convince the Council to vote YES. Let’s make this the law.
MUSIC! RALLY! on the steps!
The Zoning Overlay Ordinance on Berkeley’s Historic Civic Center District which includes our historic Post Office has gained national attention. The Planning Commission voted to recommend the Ordinance features to the City Council. Tuesday, January 28th the Council will vote on the Overlay. Again we must fill the room to overfull!
Berkeley’s Historic Civic Center District includes Berkeley’s Old City Hall, New City Hall, Berkeley High School, Veteran’s Memorial Hall, the YMCA, and the Berkeley Main Post Office at 2000 Allston Way. These are all on the National Register of Historic Places. The Zoning Overlay will help to preserve the area’s use for community, cultural, and civic purposes. We say our Post Office is NOT FOR SALE. It was funded by taxpayers in 1914, and belongs to the people.
Berkeley’s Historic Civic Center District is our Public Commons. Let’s protect it with appropriate zoning. Although the uses of buildings change, the end result must be a stronger community, not richer real-estate developers. Let us show that we are a city of caring citizens in community.
Phone or Email
Mayor Bates and your City Council Member by January 27, 2014,
and ask him/her to vote to pass the Zoning Overlay Ordinance to save Berkeley’s Historic District.
Mayor Tom Bates 981-7100 mayor@cityofberkeley.info
District 1 Linda Maio 981-7110 lmaio@cityofberkeley.info
District 2 Darryl Moore 981-7120 dmoore@cityofberkeley.info
District 3 Maxwell Anderson 981-7130 manderson@cityofberkeley.info
District 4 Jesse Arreguin 981-7140 jarreguin@cityofberkeley.info
District 5 Laurie Capitelli 981-7150 lcapitelli@cityofberkeley.info
District 6 Susan Wengraf 981-7160 swengraf@cityofberkeley.info
District 7 Kriss Worthington 981-7170 kworthington@cityofberkeley.info
District 8 Gordon Wozniak 981-7180 sgwozniak@cityofberkeley.info
Save the Berkeley Post Office!
HALT THE HEIST - SAVE OUR PUBLIC COMMONS
www.savethebpo.com
www.savethepostoffice.com
savetheberkeleypostoffice@gmail.com
Labor Donated
SAVE POST OFFICES & OUR PUBLIC POSTAL SERVICE
SAVE POSTAL EMPLOYEES’ LIVABLE WAGES, UNION JOBS
Copyright © 2014 Citizens to Save the Berkeley Post Office, All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email because you are a supporter of Citizens to Save the Berkeley Post Office
Our mailing address is:
Citizens to Save the Berkeley Post Office
1300 A Shattuck Ave
Berkeley, Ca 94709
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STOP THE TRANS PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP (TPP)
Hello Everyone,
Letting you know of this upcoming event to STOP the TPP!! This was written by 600 corporate advisors in secret with no public input. If this legislation is “Fast Tracked” it will affect all of our lives globally from the food we eat to the internet and more! If you can’t come to the Jan. 31st action please call your Senators and Rep. Pelosi (She’s the Democratic Minority Leader of the House)
“NO to FAST TRACK” of TPP
Senator Dianne Feinstein Tel: 415 – 393 - 0707 / 202 - 224-3841
Senator Barbara Boxer Tel: 510 – 286 - 8537 / 202 - 224-3553
Representative Nancy Pelosi Tel: 415 - 556 – 4862 / 202 – 225-0100
Inter-Continental Day of Action
STOP the TPP!!
January 31, Friday
4:30 pm – Meet at Rep. Pelosi’s office
7th and Mission Street
San Francisco
March down Market Street to Senator Feinstein’s office
5:30 pm – Senator Feinstein’s office
One Post Street
(Market & Montgomery Streets)
San Francisco
*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
Forwarded from the San Francisco Tenants Union:
After hosting successful neighborhood conventions in the Mission, Chinatown, Richmond/ Haight, Castro and SOMA/ Tenderloin, the citywide convention will bring us all together to discuss and vote on the proposals that were generated from the neighborhoods.
If you live in rent-controlled housing in San Francisco, please join us.
Saturday, February 8th,
Tenderloin Elementary School
627 Turk St. @ Van Ness
Lunch at Noon. Convention from 1:00-4:00pm.
The San Francisco Anti-Displacement Coalition (SFADC) is a new coalition of organizations that have joined together in this moment of crisis to fight the widespread displacement of residents from San Francisco. Our focus for 2014 is to support policies and actions that stop the wave of evictions and loss of rent controlled housing that is devastating our communities and that threatens the economic and social diversity of our city.
RENTERS: WE WANT TO HEAR YOUR VOICE!
*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
Call to Action for February 8 Solidarity Rally against LGBTQ and Political Repression in Russia on the Opening Day of the Olympic Games
What: Planning meeting to organize an action in solidarity with targets of fascism in Russia
When: Tuesday, January 21, 2014, 6:00-7:30pm
Where: New Valencia Hall, 747 Polk Street, Civic Center (at Ellis Street and on/near Civic Center BART/Muni and #19, 31, 47, 48 & 49 Muni bus lines)
Dear friend,
Please don't miss the next community organizing meeting on Tuesday, January 21, 2014, the purpose of which is to further decided details for a public rally on Saturday, February 8 in San Francisco demanding queer and civil rights in Russia during the Olympic Games and to show solidarity with targets of escalating fascism.
The 2014 Winter Olympics will be held in Sochi, Russia from February 7–23. Many of you are aware that state-supported violent bigotry and repression against the lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender/queer community and others in Russia is an increasingly serious reality. Also being targeted are dissidents, radicals, feminists, artists, immigrants, and national and religious minorities. The Putin Administration, instead of advancing equality for all, is dragging Russia backward by instituting laws making it a crime to be gay or to even advocate for LGBT rights, throwing socialists, anarchists, and feminists like punk rock group Pussy Riot into prison, and clamping down on all forms of public protest. These policies aim to divert working people’s anger at economic austerity measures and are emboldening a growing fascist movement. (Links to more information can be found below.)
We believe that oppressed and working people everywhere have a stake in the fight to stamp out dangerous rightwing scapegoating. What’s needed is a public display of solidarity in order to show that people in the Bay Area support civil liberties for all, the separation of church and state, and solidarity with the oppressed—in Russia and here at home.
We invite you to join the ad hoc community group meeting to discuss and plan a visible and disciplined protest rally happening at UN Plaza 11am-1pm on Saturday, February 8 in San Francisco to oppose Putin’s repression and also hopefully plan other community actions on February 7 as well. Your ideas, support, endorsement, and help are all greatly needed. The next planning meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 21, 6:00–7:30pm at New Valencia Hall, 747 Polk Street in San Francisco (between Ellis and Eddy and near Civic Center BART/Muni). Wheelchair accessible. Everyone is welcome. We hope to see you there—please spread the word.
For more information or to get involved, please contact Masha at 415-678-8232 or Toni Mendicino at 415-730-2917, or email .
More information can be found here:
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/aug/10/gay-russian-teens-avoid-propaganda-law
http://therussianreader.wordpress.com/2013/11/09/dmitry-chizhevsky/
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/opinion/article/downfall-toward-fascism/489100.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/rising-russian-nationalism-sets-off-ethnic-tension/2013/11/11/9c9c15ae-495c-11e3-b87a-e66bd9ff3537_story.html
www.socialism.com/drupal-6.8/?q=node/2594 (“Russia’s new anti-LGBT law denounced”)
http://www.stormfront.org/forum/t1006504/
http://www.vocativ.com/11-2013/russian-neo-nazis-now-beating-gays-ukraine/
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THIS
BOY IS JUST SO STRANGE
a
free concert of original songs
featuring
Tommi Avicolli Mecca, Joel Mark and Diana Hartman
Saturday
Feb. 1 at 8pm and Sunday Feb. 2 at 3pm
Eric
Quezada Center, 518 Valencia/16th
Says
Tommi, who wrote the songs and monologues in the show:
"This
boy is just so strange" is something a nun said (in a heavy South Philly
accent of course) to my Mama because I draped my sweater over my shoulder
"like a girl" (gender non-conformity was not something the brides of
jesus understood), it's also the name of my latest musical excursion, which
could be called "how I survived the gender binary system" or Tommi,
the sissy rock opera.
And
to paraphrase Liza, it's Tommi with an "i" not Tommi with a
"y."
From
a working-class Italian neighborhood in South Philly and the wild and wonderful
gay liberation movement of the early 70s to the very gay Castro in San
Francisco in the 90s, this musical winds around a lifetime and comes out
somewhere in the social construct called the present.
They
say that southern Italians (both sides of the family are from il mezzogiorno)
are born with an opera libretto not a silver spoon. I've been singing since I
can remember, sometimes to the horror of neighbors and family, especially after
I got a guitar for graduation and struggled to learn chords.
Featuring
Joel Mark on acoustic bass and Diana Hartman on vocals, she also plays various
characters. Funded by a grant from Faetopia. FREE, but donations gladly
accepted and shared among the performers. ALSO RUNS SUNDAY FEB. 2 at 3pm.
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New
Trial Date for Beale AFB Anti-Drone Protestors Arrested April 2013
"Wheatland
4", Anti-Drone Protestors to Put Drone Warfare on Trial
(Defendants: Martha Hubert, Robin Ryan, Bill Doub and Toby Blome)
When:
February 3, (Original date was Jan. 13)
Where:
Sacramento, U.S. Courthouse, 50l I St.
8:00-9:00
am: Pre-trial Anti-Drone Rally, and press conference outside the
courthouse
9:00am:
Trial begins.
In
April, 2013, 5 activists were arrested on April 30, 2013, while attempting to
deliver a letter to the Commander at Beale AFB during a nonviolent protest of
drone warfare. 4 of the defendants face trespassing charges and a maximum
of 6 months in jail. Barry Binks, the 5th arrestee had his charges
dropped due to his veteran status. Please attend the pre-trial rally and
join the trial to stand in unity with us against the brutality and illegality
of drone warfare.
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C.
SPECIAL APPEALS AND
ONGOING
CAMPAIGNS
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Sireen Khudairy Appeal Update.
Sireen
Khudairy was arrested again at 4am on Tuesday 7th January 2014. According to
reports she has been taken to Huwwara military point. When the Israeli army
took her from her home they didn't show any papers to her or the person she was
with.
This
follows eight months of harassment of this 24-year-old Palestinian woman who is
a teacher, activist and supporter of the non-violent action against the Israeli
occupation. She was previously imprisoned from May to July 2013, and has been
subjected to frequent harassment ever since. See further details at:
http://freesireen.wordpress.com
Please
help by contacting your Embassies urgently to demand her release and spread her
appeal widely. Follow updates on:
https://www.facebook.com/FreeSireenKhudiri?ref=hl
Please
contact us to let us know any action you take. We will pass this information on
to her family. Thanks for your solidarity and support.
Steven Katsineris, January 2014
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U.S.
Court of Appeals Rules Against Lorenzo Johnson’s
New Legal Challenge to His Frame-up Conviction!
Demand the PA Attorney General Dismiss the Charges!
Free Lorenzo Johnson, Now!
New Legal Challenge to His Frame-up Conviction!
Demand the PA Attorney General Dismiss the Charges!
Free Lorenzo Johnson, Now!
The
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit denied Lorenzo Johnson’s motion to
file a Second Habeas Corpus Petition. The order contained the outrageous
declaration that Johnson hadn’t made a “prima facie case” that he had new
evidence of his innocence. This not only puts a legal obstacle in Johnson’s
path as his fight for freedom makes its way (again) through the state and
federal courts—but it undermines the newly filed Pennsylvania state appeal that
is pending in the Court of Common Pleas.
Stripped
of “legalese,” the court’s October 15, 2013 order says Johnson’s new
evidence was not brought into court soon enough—although it was the prosecution
and police who withheld evidence and coerced witnesses into lying or not coming
forward with the truth! This, despite over fifteen years and rounds of legal
battles to uncover the evidence of government misconduct. This is a set-back
for Lorenzo Johnson’s renewed fight for his freedom, but Johnson is even more
determined as his PA state court appeal continues.
Increased
public support and protest is needed. The fight for Lorenzo Johnson’s freedom
is not only a fight for this courageous man and family. The fight for Lorenzo
Johnson is also a fight for all the innocent others who have been framed and
are sitting in the slow death of prison. The PA Attorney General is directly
pursuing the charges against Lorenzo, despite the evidence of his innocence and
the corruption of the police. Free Lorenzo Johnson, Now!
—Rachel
Wolkenstein, Esq.
October 25, 2013
For
more on the federal court and PA state court legal filings.
Hear
Mumia’s latest commentary, “Cat Cries”
Go
to: www.FreeLorenzoJohnson.org for more information, to sign the petition, and
how to help.
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PUSH
CHELSEA'S JAILERS TO RESPECT HER IDENTITY
Call
and write Ft Leavenworth today and tell them to honor Manning's wishes around
her name and gender:
Call:
(913) 758-3600
Write
to:
Col.
Sioban Ledwith, Commander
U.S.
Detention Barracks
1301
N Warehouse Rd
Ft.
Leavenworth KS 66027
Private
Manning has been an icon both for the government transparency movement and
LGBTQ activists because of her fearlessness and acts of conscience. Now, as she
begins serving her sentence, Chelsea has asked for help with legal appeals,
family visits, education, and support for undergoing gender transition. The
latter is a decision she’s made following years of experiencing gender
dysphoria and examining her options. At a difficult time in her life, she
joined the military out of hope–the hope that she could use her service to save
lives, and also the hope that it would help to suppress her feelings of gender
dysphoria. But after serving time in Iraq, Private Manning realized what
mattered to her most was the truth, personal as well as political, even when it
proved challenging.
Now
she wants the Fort Leavenworth military prison to allow her access to hormone
replacement therapy which she has offered to pay for herself, as she pursues
the process to have her name legally changed to ‘Chelsea Elizabeth Manning.’
To
encourage the prison to honor her transgender identity, we’re calling on
progressive supporters and allies to contact Fort Leavenworth officials
demanding they acknowledge her requested name change immediately. Currently,
prison officials are not required to respect Chelsea’s identity, and can even
refuse to deliver mail addressed to the name ‘Chelsea Manning.’ However, it’s
within prison administrators’ power to begin using the name ‘Chelsea Manning’
now, in advance of the legal name change which will most likely be approved
sometime next year. It’s also up to these officials to approve Private
Manning’s request for hormone therapy.
Call:
(913) 758-3600
Write
to:
Col.
Sioban Ledwith, Commander
U.S.
Detention Barracks
1301
N Warehouse Rd
Ft.
Leavenworth KS 66027
Tell
them: “Transgender rights are human rights! Respect Private Manning’s identity
by acknowledging the name ‘Chelsea Manning’ whenever possible, including in
mail addressed to her, and by allowing her access to appropriate medical
treatment for gender dysphoria, including hormone replacement therapy (HRT).”
While
openly transgender individuals are allowed to serve in many other militaries
around the world, the US military continues to deny their existence. Now, by
speaking up for Chelsea’s right to treatment, you can support one brave
whistleblower in her personal struggle, and help set an important benchmark for
the rights of transgender individuals everywhere. (Remember that letters
written with focus and a respectful tone are more likely to be effective.) Feel
free to copy this sample letter.
Earlier
this year, the Private Manning Support Network won the title of most
“absolutely fabulous overall contingent” at the San Francisco Pride Parade, the
largest celebration of its kind for LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay Bisexual, Transgender
and Questioning) people nationwide. Over one thousand people marched for
Private Chelsea (formerly Bradley) Manning in that parade, to show LGBTQ
community pride for the Iraq War’s most well-known whistleblower.
Help
us continue to cover 100%
of Pvt. Manning's legal fees! Donate today.
of Pvt. Manning's legal fees! Donate today.
https://co.clickandpledge.com/sp/d1/default.aspx?wid=38591
COURAGE
TO RESIST
http://couragetoresist.org
484 Lake Park Ave #41, Oakland CA 94610
510-488-3559
http://couragetoresist.org
484 Lake Park Ave #41, Oakland CA 94610
510-488-3559
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SAVE
CCSF!
Posted
on August 25, 2013
Cartoon
by Anthonty Mata for CCSF Guardsman
DOE
CAMPAIGN
We
are working to ensure that the ACCJC’s authority is not renewed by the
Department of Education this December when they are up for their 5-year
renewal. Our campaign made it possible for over 50 Third Party Comments to be
sent to the DOE re: the ACCJC. Our next step in this campaign is to send a
delegation from CCSF to Washington, D.C. to give oral comments at the hearing
on December 12th. We expect to have an array of forces aligned on the other
side who have much more money and resources than we do.
So
please support this effort to get ACCJC authority revoked!
LEGAL
CAMPAIGN
Save
CCSF members have been meeting with Attorney Dan Siegel since last May to
explore legal avenues to fight the ACCJC. After much consideration, and
consultation with AFT 2121’s attorney as well as the SF City Attorney’s office,
Dan has come up with a legal strategy that is complimentary to what is already
being pursued. In fact, AFT 2121’s attorney is encouraging us to go forward.
The
total costs of pursuing this (depositions, etc.) will be substantially more
than $15,000. However, Dan is willing to do it for a fixed fee of $15,000. He
will not expect a retainer, i.e. payment in advance, but we should start
payments ASAP. If we win the ACCJC will have to pay our costs.
PLEASE
HELP BOTH OF THESE IMPORTANT EFFORTS!
Checks
can be made out to Save CCSF Coalition with “legal” in the memo line and sent
to:
Save
CCSF Coalition
2132
Prince St.
Berkeley, CA 94705
Or
you may donate online: http://www.gofundme.com/4841ns
http://www.saveccsf.org/
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16 Years in Solitary Confinement Is Like a "Living Tomb"
American
Civil Liberties Union petition to end long-term solitary confinement:
California
Corrections Secretary Jeffrey Beard: We stand with the prisoners on hunger
strike. We urge you to comply with the US Commission on Safety and Abuse in
America’s Prisons 2006 recommendations regarding an end to long-term solitary
confinement.
In
California, hundreds of prisoners have been held in solitary for more than a
decade – some for infractions as trivial as reading Machiavelli's "The
Prince."
Gabriel
Reyes describes the pain of being isolated for at least 22 hours a day for the
last 16 years:
“Unless
you have lived it, you cannot imagine what it feels like to be by yourself,
between four cold walls, with little concept of time…. It is a living tomb …’ I
have not been allowed physical contact with any of my loved ones since 1995…I
feel helpless and hopeless. In short, I am being psychologically tortured.”
That’s
why over 30,000 prisoners in California began a hunger strike – the biggest the
state has ever seen. They’re refusing food to protest prisoners being held for
decades in solitary and to push for other changes to improve their basic
conditions.
California
Corrections Secretary Jeffrey Beard has tried to dismiss the strikers and
refuses to negotiate, but the media pressure is building through the strike. If
tens of thousands of us take action, we can help keep this issue in the
spotlight so that Secretary Beard can’t ignore the inhumane treatment of
prisoners.
Sign
the petition urging Corrections Secretary Beard to end the use of long-term
solitary confinement.
Solitary
is such an extreme form of punishment that a United Nations torture rapporteur
called for an international ban on the practice except in rare occasions.
Here’s why:
The
majority of the 80,000 people held in solitary in this country are severely
mentally ill or because of a minor infraction (it’s a myth that it’s only for
violent prisoners)
Even
for people with stable mental health, solitary causes severe psychological
reactions, often leading people to attempt suicide
It
jeopardizes public safety because prisoners held in solitary have a harder time
reintegrating into society.
And
to add insult to injury, the hunger strikers are now facing retaliation – their
lawyers are being restricted from visiting and the strikers are being punished.
But the media continues to write about the hunger strike and we can help keep
the pressure on Secretary Beard by signing this petition.
Sign
the petition urging Corrections Secretary Beard to end the use of long-term
solitary confinement.
Our
criminal justice system should keep communities safe and treat people fairly.
The use of solitary confinement undermines both of these goals – but little by
little, we can help put a stop to such cruelty.
Thank
you,
Anthony
for the ACLU Action team
P.S.
The hunger strikers have developed five core demands to address their basic
conditions, the main one being an end to long-term solitary confinement. They
are:
-End
group punishment – prisoners say that officials often punish groups to address
individual rule violations
-Abolish
the debriefing policy, which is often demanded in return for better food or
release from solitary
-End
long-term solitary confinement
-Provide
adequate and nutritious food
-Expand
or provide constructive programming and privileges for indefinite SHU inmates
Sources
“Solitary
- and anger - in California's prisons.” Los Angeles Times July 13, 2013
“Pelican
Bay Prison Hunger-Strikers' Stories: Gabriel Reyes.” TruthOut July 9, 2013
“Solitary
confinement should be banned in most cases, UN expert says.” UN News October
18, 2011
"Stop
Solitary - Two Pager" ACLU.org
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What
you Didn't know about NYPD's Stop and Frisk program !
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=rfJHx0Gj6ys#at=990
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Egypt:
The Next President -- a little Egyptian boy speaks his remarkable mind!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QeDm2PrNV1I
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Wealth
Inequality in America
[This
is a must see to believe video...bw]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=QPKKQnijnsM
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Read
the transcription of hero Bradley Manning's 35-page statement explaining why he
leaked "state secrets" to WikiLeaks.
March
1, 2013
Alternet
The
statement was read by Pfc. Bradley Manning at a providence inquiry for his
formal plea of guilty to one specification as charged and nine specifications
for lesser included offenses. He pled not guilty to 12 other specifications.
This rush transcript was taken by journalist Alexa O'Brien at Thursday's
pretrial hearing and first appeared on Salon.com.
http://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/bradley-mannings-surprising-statement-court-details-why-he-made-his-historic?akid=10129.229473.UZvQfK&rd=1&src=newsletter802922&t=7
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You
Have the Right to Remain Silent: NLG Guide to Law Enforcement Encounters
Posted
1 day ago on July 27, 2012, 10:28 p.m. EST by OccupyWallSt
Occupy
Wall Street is a nonviolent movement for social and economic justice, but in
recent days disturbing reports have emerged of Occupy-affiliated activists
being targeted by US law enforcement, including agents from the FBI and
Department of Homeland Security. To help ensure Occupiers and allied activists
know their rights when encountering law enforcement, we are publishing in full
the National Lawyers Guild's booklet: You Have the Right to Remain Silent. The
NLG provides invaluable support to the Occupy movement and other activists –
please click here to support the NLG.
We
strongly encourage all Occupiers to read and share the information provided
below. We also recommend you enter the NLG's national hotline number
(888-654-3265) into your cellphone (if you have one) and keep a copy handy.
This information is not a substitute for legal advice. You should contact the
NLG or a criminal defense attorney immediately if you have been visited by the
FBI or other law enforcement officials. You should also alert your relatives,
friends, co-workers and others so that they will be prepared if they are
contacted as well.
You
Have the Right to Remain Silent: A Know Your Rights Guide for Law Enforcement
Encounters
What
Rights Do I Have?
Whether
or not you're a citizen, you have rights under the United States Constitution.
The Fifth Amendment gives every person the right to remain silent: not to
answer questions asked by a police officer or government agent. The Fourth
Amendment restricts the government's power to enter and search your home or
workplace, although there are many exceptions and new laws have expanded the
government's power to conduct surveillance. The First Amendment protects your
right to speak freely and to advocate for social change. However, if you are a
non-citizen, the Department of Homeland Security may target you based on your
political activities.
Standing
Up For Free Speech
The
government's crusade against politically-active individuals is intended to
disrupt and suppress the exercise of time-honored free speech activities, such
as boycotts, protests, grassroots organizing and solidarity work. Remember that
you have the right to stand up to the intimidation tactics of FBI agents and
other law enforcement officials who, with political motives, are targeting
organizing and free speech activities. Informed resistance to these tactics and
steadfast defense of your and others' rights can bring positive results. Each
person who takes a courageous stand makes future resistance to government oppression
easier for all. The National Lawyers Guild has a long tradition of standing up
to government repression. The organization itself was labeled a
"subversive" group during the McCarthy Era and was subject to FBI
surveillance and infiltration for many years. Guild attorneys have defended
FBI-targeted members of the Black Panther Party, the American Indian Movement,
and the Puerto Rican independence movement. The NLG exposed FBI surveillance,
infiltration and disruption tactics that were detailed during the 1975-76
COINTELPRO hearings. In 1989 the NLG prevailed in a lawsuit on behalf of
several activist organizations, including the Guild, that forced the FBI to
expose the extent to which it had been spying on activist movements. Under the
settlement, the FBI turned over roughly 400,000 pages of its files on the
Guild, which are now available at the Tamiment Library at New York University.
What
if FBI Agents or Police Contact Me?
What
if an agent or police officer comes to the door?
Do
not invite the agents or police into your home. Do not answer any questions.
Tell the agent that you do not wish to talk with him or her. You can state that
your lawyer will contact them on your behalf. You can do this by stepping
outside and pulling the door behind you so that the interior of your home or
office is not visible, getting their contact information or business cards and
then returning inside. They should cease questioning after this. If the agent
or officer gives a reason for contacting you, take notes and give the
information to your attorney. Anything you say, no matter how seemingly
harmless or insignificant, may be used against you or others in the future.
Lying to or misleading a federal agent is a crime. The more you speak, the more
opportunity for federal law enforcement to find something you said (even if not
intentionally) false and assert that you lied to a federal officer.
Do
I have to answer questions?
You
have the constitutional right to remain silent. It is not a crime to refuse to
answer questions. You do not have to talk to anyone, even if you have been
arrested or are in jail. You should affirmatively and unambiguously state that
you wish to remain silent and that you wish to consult an attorney. Once you
make the request to speak to a lawyer, do not say anything else. The Supreme
Court recently ruled that answering law enforcement questions may be taken as a
waiver of your right to remain silent, so it is important that you assert your
rights and maintain them. Only a judge can order you to answer questions. There
is one exception: some states have "stop and identify" statutes which
require you to provide identity information or your name if you have been
detained on reasonable suspicion that you may have committed a crime. A lawyer
in your state can advise you of the status of these requirements where you
reside.
Do
I have to give my name?
As
above, in some states you can be detained or arrested for merely refusing to
give your name. And in any state, police do not always follow the law, and
refusing to give your name may make them suspicious or more hostile and lead to
your arrest, even without just cause, so use your judgment. Giving a false name
could in some circumstances be a crime.
Do
I need a lawyer?
You
have the right to talk to a lawyer before you decide whether to answer
questions from law enforcement. It is a good idea to talk to a lawyer if you
are considering answering any questions. You have the right to have a lawyer
present during any interview. The lawyer's job is to protect your rights. Once
you tell the agent that you want to talk to a lawyer, he or she should stop
trying to question you and should make any further contact through your lawyer.
If you do not have a lawyer, you can still tell the officer you want to speak to
one before answering questions. Remember to get the name, agency and telephone
number of any investigator who visits you, and give that information to your
lawyer. The government does not have to provide you with a free lawyer unless
you are charged with a crime, but the NLG or another organization may be able
to help you find a lawyer for free or at a reduced rate.
If
I refuse to answer questions or say I want a lawyer, won't it seem like I have
something to hide?
Anything
you say to law enforcement can be used against you and others. You can never
tell how a seemingly harmless bit of information might be used or manipulated
to hurt you or someone else. That is why the right not to talk is a fundamental
right under the Constitution. Keep in mind that although law enforcement agents
are allowed to lie to you, lying to a government agent is a crime. Remaining
silent is not. The safest things to say are "I am going to remain
silent," "I want to speak to my lawyer," and "I do not consent
to a search." It is a common practice for law enforcement agents to try to
get you to waive your rights by telling you that if you have nothing to hide
you would talk or that talking would "just clear things up." The fact
is, if they are questioning you, they are looking to incriminate you or someone
you may know, or they are engaged in political intelligence gathering. You
should feel comfortable standing firm in protection and defense of your rights
and refusing to answer questions.
Can
agents search my home or office?
You
do not have to let police or agents into your home or office unless they have
and produce a valid search warrant. A search warrant is a written court order
that allows the police to conduct a specified search. Interfering with a
warrantless search probably will not stop it and you might get arrested. But
you should say "I do not consent to a search," and call a criminal
defense lawyer or the NLG. You should be aware that a roommate or guest can
legally consent to a search of your house if the police believe that person has
the authority to give consent, and your employer can consent to a search of
your workspace without your permission.
What
if agents have a search warrant?
If
you are present when agents come for the search, you can ask to see the
warrant. The warrant must specify in detail the places to be searched and the
people or things to be taken away. Tell the agents you do not consent to the
search so that they cannot go beyond what the warrant authorizes. Ask if you
are allowed to watch the search; if you are allowed to, you should. Take notes,
including names, badge numbers, what agency each officer is from, where they
searched and what they took. If others are present, have them act as witnesses
to watch carefully what is happening. If the agents ask you to give them
documents, your computer, or anything else, look to see if the item is listed
in the warrant. If it is not, do not consent to them taking it without talking
to a lawyer. You do not have to answer questions. Talk to a lawyer first.
(Note: If agents present an arrest warrant, they may only perform a cursory
visual search of the premises to see if the person named in the arrest warrant
is present.)
Do
I have to answer questions if I have been arrested?
No.
If you are arrested, you do not have to answer any questions. You should
affirmatively and unambiguously state that you wish to assert your right to
remain silent. Ask for a lawyer right away. Do not say anything else. Repeat to
every officer who tries to talk to or question you that you wish to remain
silent and that you wish to speak to a lawyer. You should always talk to a
lawyer before you decide to answer any questions.
What
if I speak to government agents anyway?
Even
if you have already answered some questions, you can refuse to answer other
questions until you have a lawyer. If you find yourself talking, stop. Assert
that you wish to remain silent and that you wish to speak to a lawyer.
What
if the police stop me on the street?
Ask
if you are free to go. If the answer is yes, consider just walking away. If the
police say you are not under arrest, but are not free to go, then you are being
detained. The police can pat down the outside of your clothing if they have
reason to suspect you might be armed and dangerous. If they search any more
than this, say clearly, "I do not consent to a search." They may keep
searching anyway. If this happens, do not resist because you can be charged
with assault or resisting arrest. You do not have to answer any questions. You
do not have to open bags or any closed container. Tell the officers you do not
consent to a search of your bags or other property.
What
if police or agents stop me in my car?
Keep
your hands where the police can see them. If you are driving a vehicle, you
must show your license, registration and, in some states, proof of insurance.
You do not have to consent to a search. But the police may have legal grounds
to search your car anyway. Clearly state that you do not consent. Officers may
separate passengers and drivers from each other to question them, but no one
has to answer any questions.
What
if I am treated badly by the police or the FBI?
Write
down the officer's badge number, name or other identifying information. You
have a right to ask the officer for this information. Try to find witnesses and
their names and phone numbers. If you are injured, seek medical attention and
take pictures of the injuries as soon as you can. Call a lawyer as soon as
possible.
What
if the police or FBI threaten me with a grand jury subpoena if I don't answer
their questions?
A
grand jury subpoena is a written order for you to go to court and testify about
information you may have. It is common for the FBI to threaten you with a
subpoena to get you to talk to them. If they are going to subpoena you, they
will do so anyway. You should not volunteer to speak just because you are
threatened with a subpoena. You should consult a lawyer.
What
if I receive a grand jury subpoena?
Grand
jury proceedings are not the same as testifying at an open court trial. You are
not allowed to have a lawyer present (although one may wait in the hallway and
you may ask to consult with him or her after each question) and you may be asked
to answer questions about your activities and associations. Because of the
witness's limited rights in this situation, the government has frequently used
grand jury subpoenas to gather information about activists and political
organizations. It is common for the FBI to threaten activists with a subpoena
in order to elicit information about their political views and activities and
those of their associates. There are legal grounds for stopping
("quashing") subpoenas, and receiving one does not necessarily mean
that you are suspected of a crime. If you do receive a subpoena, call the NLG
National Hotline at 888-NLG-ECOL (888-654-3265) or call a criminal defense
attorney immediately.
The
government regularly uses grand jury subpoena power to investigate and seek
evidence related to politically-active individuals and social movements. This
practice is aimed at prosecuting activists and, through intimidation and
disruption, discouraging continued activism.
Federal
grand jury subpoenas are served in person. If you receive one, it is critically
important that you retain the services of an attorney, preferably one who
understands your goals and, if applicable, understands the nature of your
political work, and has experience with these issues. Most lawyers are trained
to provide the best legal defense for their client, often at the expense of
others. Beware lawyers who summarily advise you to cooperate with grand juries,
testify against friends, or cut off contact with your friends and political
activists. Cooperation usually leads to others being subpoenaed and
investigated. You also run the risk of being charged with perjury, a felony,
should you omit any pertinent information or should there be inconsistencies in
your testimony.
Frequently
prosecutors will offer "use immunity," meaning that the prosecutor is
prohibited from using your testimony or any leads from it to bring charges
against you. If a subsequent prosecution is brought, the prosecutor bears the
burden of proving that all of its evidence was obtained independent of the
immunized testimony. You should be aware, however, that they will use anything
you say to manipulate associates into sharing more information about you by
suggesting that you have betrayed confidences.
In
front of a grand jury you can "take the Fifth" (exercise your right
to remain silent). However, the prosecutor may impose immunity on you, which
strips you of Fifth Amendment protection and subjects you to the possibility of
being cited for contempt and jailed if you refuse to answer further. In front
of a grand jury you have no Sixth Amendment right to counsel, although you can
consult with a lawyer outside the grand jury room after each question.
What
if I don't cooperate with the grand jury?
If
you receive a grand jury subpoena and elect to not cooperate, you may be held
in civil contempt. There is a chance that you may be jailed or imprisoned for
the length of the grand jury in an effort to coerce you to cooperate. Regular
grand juries sit for a basic term of 18 months, which can be extended up to a
total of 24 months. It is lawful to hold you in order to coerce your
cooperation, but unlawful to hold you as a means of punishment. In rare
instances you may face criminal contempt charges.
What
If I Am Not a Citizen and the DHS Contacts Me?
The
Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) is now part of the Department of
Homeland Security (DHS) and has been renamed and reorganized into: 1. The
Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (BCIS); 2. The Bureau of Customs
and Border Protection (CBP); and 3. The Bureau of Immigration and Customs
Enforcement (ICE). All three bureaus will be referred to as DHS for the
purposes of this pamphlet.
?
Assert your rights. If you do not demand your rights or if you sign papers
waiving your rights, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) may deport you
before you see a lawyer or an immigration judge. Never sign anything without
reading, understanding and knowing the consequences of signing it.
?
Talk to a lawyer. If possible, carry with you the name and telephone number of
an immigration lawyer who will take your calls. The immigration laws are hard
to understand and there have been many recent changes. DHS will not explain
your options to you. As soon as you encounter a DHS agent, call your attorney.
If you can't do it right away, keep trying. Always talk to an immigration
lawyer before leaving the U.S. Even some legal permanent residents can be
barred from returning.
Based
on today's laws, regulations and DHS guidelines, non-citizens usually have the
following rights, no matter what their immigration status. This information may
change, so it is important to contact a lawyer. The following rights apply to
non-citizens who are inside the U.S. Non-citizens at the border who are trying
to enter the U.S. do not have all the same rights.
Do
I have the right to talk to a lawyer before answering any DHS questions or
signing any DHS papers?
Yes.
You have the right to call a lawyer or your family if you are detained, and you
have the right to be visited by a lawyer in detention. You have the right to
have your attorney with you at any hearing before an immigration judge. You do
not have the right to a government-appointed attorney for immigration
proceedings, but if you have been arrested, immigration officials must show you
a list of free or low cost legal service providers.
Should
I carry my green card or other immigration papers with me?
If
you have documents authorizing you to stay in the U.S., you must carry them
with you. Presenting false or expired papers to DHS may lead to deportation or
criminal prosecution. An unexpired green card, I-94, Employment Authorization
Card, Border Crossing Card or other papers that prove you are in legal status
will satisfy this requirement. If you do not carry these papers with you, you
could be charged with a crime. Always keep a copy of your immigration papers
with a trusted family member or friend who can fax them to you, if need be.
Check with your immigration lawyer about your specific case.
Am
I required to talk to government officers about my immigration history?
If
you are undocumented, out of status, a legal permanent resident (green card
holder), or a citizen, you do not have to answer any questions about your
immigration history. (You may want to consider giving your name; see above for
more information about this.) If you are not in any of these categories, and
you are being questioned by a DHS or FBI agent, then you may create problems
with your immigration status if you refuse to provide information requested by
the agent. If you have a lawyer, you can tell the agent that your lawyer will
answer questions on your behalf. If answering questions could lead the agent to
information that connects you with criminal activity, you should consider
refusing to talk to the agent at all.
If
I am arrested for immigration violations, do I have the right to a hearing
before an immigration judge to defend myself against deportation charges?
Yes.
In most cases only an immigration judge can order you deported. But if you
waive your rights or take "voluntary departure," agreeing to leave
the country, you could be deported without a hearing. If you have criminal
convictions, were arrested at the border, came to the U.S. through the visa
waiver program or have been ordered deported in the past, you could be deported
without a hearing. Contact a lawyer immediately to see if there is any relief
for you.
Can
I call my consulate if I am arrested?
Yes.
Non-citizens arrested in the U.S. have the right to call their consulate or to
have the police tell the consulate of your arrest. The police must let your
consulate visit or speak with you if consular officials decide to do so. Your
consulate might help you find a lawyer or offer other help. You also have the
right to refuse help from your consulate.
What
happens if I give up my right to a hearing or leave the U.S. before the hearing
is over?
You
could lose your eligibility for certain immigration benefits, and you could be
barred from returning to the U.S. for a number of years. You should always talk
to an immigration lawyer before you decide to give up your right to a hearing.
What
should I do if I want to contact DHS?
Always
talk to a lawyer before contacting DHS, even on the phone. Many DHS officers
view "enforcement" as their primary job and will not explain all of
your options to you.
What
Are My Rights at Airports?
IMPORTANT
NOTE: It is illegal for law enforcement to perform any stops, searches,
detentions or removals based solely on your race, national origin, religion,
sex or ethnicity.
If
I am entering the U.S. with valid travel papers can a U.S. customs agent stop
and search me?
Yes.
Customs agents have the right to stop, detain and search every person and item.
Can
my bags or I be searched after going through metal detectors with no problem or
after security sees that my bags do not contain a weapon?
Yes.
Even if the initial screen of your bags reveals nothing suspicious, the
screeners have the authority to conduct a further search of you or your bags.
If
I am on an airplane, can an airline employee interrogate me or ask me to get
off the plane?
The
pilot of an airplane has the right to refuse to fly a passenger if he or she
believes the passenger is a threat to the safety of the flight. The pilot's decision
must be reasonable and based on observations of you, not stereotypes.
What
If I Am Under 18?
Do
I have to answer questions?
No.
Minors too have the right to remain silent. You cannot be arrested for refusing
to talk to the police, probation officers, or school officials, except in some
states you may have to give your name if you have been detained.
What
if I am detained?
If
you are detained at a community detention facility or Juvenile Hall, you
normally must be released to a parent or guardian. If charges are filed against
you, in most states you are entitled to counsel (just like an adult) at no
cost.
Do
I have the right to express political views at school?
Public
school students generally have a First Amendment right to politically organize
at school by passing out leaflets, holding meetings, etc., as long as those
activities are not disruptive and do not violate legitimate school rules. You
may not be singled out based on your politics, ethnicity or religion.
Can
my backpack or locker be searched?
School
officials can search students' backpacks and lockers without a warrant if they
reasonably suspect that you are involved in criminal activity or carrying drugs
or weapons. Do not consent to the police or school officials searching your property,
but do not physically resist or you may face criminal charges.
Disclaimer
This
booklet is not a substitute for legal advice. You should contact an attorney if
you have been visited by the FBI or other law enforcement officials. You should
also alert your relatives, friends, co-workers and others so that they will be
prepared if they are contacted as well.
NLG
National Hotline for Activists Contacted by the FBI
888-NLG-ECOL
(888-654-3265)
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*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
Free
Mumia NOW!
Prisonradio.org
Write
to Mumia:
Mumia
Abu-Jamal AM 8335
SCI
Mahanoy
301
Morea Road
Frackville,
PA 17932
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Rachel Wolkenstein
August
21, 2011 (917) 689-4009
MUMIA
ABU-JAMAL ILLEGALLY SENTENCED TO
LIFE
IMPRISONMENT WITHOUT PAROLE!
FREE
MUMIA NOW!
www.FreeMumia.com
http://blacktalkradionetwork.com/profiles/blogs/mumia-is-formally-sentenced-to-life-in-prison-w-out-hearing-he-s
*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
"A
Child's View from Gaza: Palestinian Children's Art and the Fight Against
Censorship"
book
https://www.mecaforpeace.org/civicrm/contribute/transact?reset=1&id=25
*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
Justice
for Albert Woodfox and Herman Wallace: Decades of isolation in Louisiana
state
prisons must end
Take
Action -- Sign Petition Here:
http://www.amnesty.org/en/appeals-for-action/justice-for-albert-woodfox-and-herm\
an-wallace
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*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
WITNESS
GAZA
http://www.witnessgaza.com/
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Write
to Bradley
http://bradleymanning.org/donate
View
the new 90 second "I am Bradley Manning" video:
I
am Bradley Manning
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-P3OXML00s
Courage
to Resist
484
Lake Park Ave. #41
Oakland,
CA 94610
510-488-3559
couragetoresist.org
"A
Fort Leavenworth mailing address has been released for Bradley Manning:
Bradley
Manning 89289
830
Sabalu Road
Fort
Leavenworth, KS 66027
The
receptionist at the military barracks confirmed that if someone sends
Bradley
Manning a letter to that address, it will be delivered to him."
http://www.bradleymanning.org/news/update-42811
This
is also a Facebook event
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=207100509321891#!/event.php?eid=2071005093\
21891
Courage
to Resist needs your support
Please
donate today:
https://co.clickandpledge.com/sp/d1/default.aspx?wid=38590
"Soldiers
sworn oath is to defend and support the Constitution. Bradley Manning
has
been defending and supporting our Constitution." --Dan Ellsberg, Pentagon
Papers
whistle-blower
Jeff
Paterson
Project
Director, Courage to Resist
First
US military service member to refuse to fight in Iraq
Please
donate today.
https://co.clickandpledge.com/sp/d1/default.aspx?wid=38590
P.S.
I'm asking that you consider a contribution of $50 or more, or possibly
becoming
a sustainer at $15 a month. Of course, now is also a perfect time to
make
a end of year tax-deductible donation. Thanks again for your support!
Please
click here to forward this to a friend who might also be interested in
supporting
GI resisters.
http://ymlp.com/forward.php?id=lS3tR&e=bonnieweinstein@yahoo.com
*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
The
Battle Is Still On To
FREE
MUMIA ABU-JAMAL!
The
Labor Action Committee To Free Mumia Abu-Jamal
PO
Box 16222 • Oakland CA 94610
www.laboractionmumia.org
*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
KEVIN
COOPER IS INNOCENT! FREE KEVIN COOPER!
Reasonable
doubts about executing Kevin Cooper
Chronicle
Editorial
Monday,
December 13, 2010
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/12/13/EDG81GP0I7.DTL
Death
penalty -- Kevin Cooper is Innocent! Help save his life from San Quentin's
death
row!
http://www.savekevincooper.org/
http://www.savekevincooper.org/pages/essays_content.html?ID=255
URGENT
ACTION APPEAL
-
From Amnesty International USA
17
December 2010
Click
here to take action online:
http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/siteapps/advocacy/index.aspx?c=jhKPIXPCIoE&\
b=2590179&template=x.ascx&action=15084
To
learn about recent Urgent Action successes and updates, go to
http://www.amnestyusa.org/iar/success
For
a print-friendly version of this Urgent Action (PDF):
http://www.amnestyusa.org/actioncenter/actions/uaa25910.pdf
*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
Short
Video About Al-Awda's Work
The
following link is to a short video which provides an overview of Al-Awda's
work
since the founding of our organization in 2000. This video was first shown
on
Saturday May 23, 2009 at the fundraising banquet of the 7th Annual Int'l
Al-Awda
Convention in Anaheim California. It was produced from footage collected
over
the past nine years.
Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTiAkbB5uC0&eurl
Support
Al-Awda, a Great Organization and Cause!
Al-Awda,
The Palestine Right to Return Coalition, depends on your financial
support
to carry out its work.
To
submit your tax-deductible donation to support our work, go to
http://www.al-awda.org/donate.html
and
follow the simple instructions.
Thank
you for your generosity!
*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
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*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
D.
VIDEO, FILM, AUDIO. ART, POETRY, ETC.:
[Some
of these videos are embeded on the BAUAW website:
http://bauaw.blogspot.com/
or bauaw.org ...bw]
*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
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*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
Exceptional
art from the streets of Oakland:
Oakland
Street Dancing
*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
NYC
RESTAURANT WORKERS DANCE & SING FOR A WAGE HIKE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_s8e1R6rG8&feature=player_embedded
*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
On
Gun Control, Martin Luther King, the Deacons of Defense and the history of
Black Liberation
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzYKisvBN1o&feature=player_embedded
*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
Fukushima
Never Again
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LU-Z4VLDGxU
"Fukushima,
Never Again" tells the story of the Fukushima nuclear plant meltdowns in
north east Japan in March of 2011 and exposes the cover-up by Tepco and the
Japanese government.
This
is the first film that interviews the Mothers Of Fukushima, nuclear power
experts and trade unionists who are fighting for justice and the protection of
the children and the people of Japan and the world. The residents and citizens
were forced to buy their own geiger counters and radiation dosimeters in order
to test their communities to find out if they were in danger.
The
government said contaminated soil in children's school grounds was safe and
then
when
the people found out it was contaminated and removed the top soil, the
government and TEPCO refused to remove it from the school grounds.
It
also relays how the nuclear energy program for "peaceful atoms" was brought
to Japan under the auspices of the US military occupation and also the criminal
cover-up of the safety dangers of the plant by TEPCO and GE management which
built the plant in Fukushima. It also interviews Kei Sugaoka, the GE nulcear
plant inspector from the bay area who exposed cover-ups in the safety at the
Fukushima plant and was retaliated against by GE. This documentary allows the
voices of the people and workers to speak out about the reality of the disaster
and what this means not only for the people of Japan but the people of the
world as the US government and nuclear industry continue to push for more new
plants and government subsidies. This film breaks
the
information blockade story line of the corporate media in Japan, the US and
around the world that Fukushima is over.
Production
Of Labor Video Project
P.O.
Box 720027
San
Francisco, CA 94172
www.laborvideo.org
lvpsf@laborvideo.org
For
information on obtaining the video go to:
www.fukushimaneveragain.com
(415)282-1908
*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
1000
year of war through the world
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiG8neU4_bs&feature=share
*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
Anatomy
of a Massacre - Afganistan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6BnRc11aug&feature=player_embedded
Afghans
accuse multiple soldiers of pre-meditated murder
To
see more go to http://www.youtube.com/user/journeymanpictures
Follow
us on Facebook (http://goo.gl/YRw42) or Twitter
(http://www.twitter.com/journeymanvod)
The
recent massacre of 17 civilians by a rogue US soldier has been shrouded in
mystery.
But through unprecedented access to those involved, this report
confronts
the accusations that Bales didn't act alone.
"They
came into my room and they killed my family". Stories like this are common
amongst
the survivors in Aklozai and Najiban. As are the shocking accusations
that
Sergeant Bales was not acting alone. Even President Karzai has announced
"one
man can not do that". Chief investigator, General Karimi, is suspicious
that
despite being fully armed, Bales freely left his base without raising
alarm.
"How come he leaves at night and nobody is aware? Every time we have
weapon
accountability and personal accountability." These are just a few of the
questions
the American army and government are yet to answer. One thing however
is
very clear, the massacre has unleashed a wave of grief and outrage which
means
relations in Kandahar will be tense for years to come: "If I could lay my
hands
on those infidels, I would rip them apart with my bare hands."
A
Film By SBS
Distributed
By Journeyman Pictures
April
2012
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Photo
of George Zimmerman, in 2005 photo, left, and in a more recent photo.
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/04/02/us/the-events-leading-to-the-sooti\
ng-of-trayvon-martin.html?hp
SPD
Security Cams.wmv
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WWDNbQUgm4&feature=player_embedded
*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
Kids
being put on buses and transported from school to "alternate
locations" in
Terror
Drills
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFia_w8adWQ
*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
Private
prisons,
a
recession resistant investment opportunity
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIGLDOxx9Vg
*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
Attack
Dogs used on a High School Walkout in MD, Four Students Charged With
"Thought
Crimes"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wafMaML17w
*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
Common
forms of misconduct by Law Enforcement Officials and Prosecutors
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViSpM4K276w&feature=related
*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
Organizing
and Instigating: OCCUPY - Ronnie Goodman
http://arthazelwood.com/instigator/occupy/occupy-birth-video.html
*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
Rep
News 12: Yes We Kony
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68GbzIkYdc8
*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
The
New Black by The Mavrix - Official Music Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4rLfja8488
*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
Japan
One Year Later
http://www.onlineschools.org/japan-one-year-later/
*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
The
CIA's Heart Attack Gun
http://www.brasschecktv.com/videos/assassination-studies/the-cias-heart-attack-g\
un-.html
*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
The
Invisible American Workforce
http://www.democracynow.org/2011/8/5/new_expos_tracks_alec_private_prison
*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
Labor
Beat: NATO vs The 1st Amendment
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbQxnb4so3U
For
more detailed information, send us a request at mail@laborbeat.org.
*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
The
Battle of Oakland
by
brandon jourdan plus
http://vimeo.com/36256273
*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
Officers
Pulled Off Street After Tape of Beating Surfaces
By
ANDY NEWMAN
February
1, 2012, 10:56 am
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/01/officers-pulled-off-street-after-ta\
pe-of-beating-surfaces/?ref=nyregion
*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
This
is excellent! Michelle Alexander pulls no punches!
Michelle
Alexander, Author of The New Jim Crow, speaks about the political
strategy
behind
the War on Drugs and its connection to the mass incarceration of Black
and
Brown people in the United States.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P75cbEdNo2U&feature=player_embedded
If
you think Bill Clinton was "the first black President" you need to
watch this
video
and see how much damage his administration caused for the black community
as
a result of his get tough attitude on crime that appealed to white swing
voters.
This
speech took place at Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem on January 12,
2012.
*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
FREE
BRADLEY MANNING
http://www.bradleymanning.org/news/national-call-in-for-bradley
I
received the following reply from the White House November 18, 2011 regarding
the
Bradley Manning petition I signed:
"Why
We Can't Comment on Bradley Manning
"Thank
you for signing the petition 'Free PFC Bradley Manning, the accused
WikiLeaks
whistleblower.' We appreciate your participation in the We the People
platform
on WhiteHouse.gov.
The
We the People Terms of Participation explain that 'the White House may
decline
to address certain procurement, law enforcement, adjudicatory, or
similar
matters properly within the jurisdiction of federal departments or
agencies,
federal courts, or state and local government.' The military justice
system
is charged with enforcing the Uniform Code of
Military
Justice. Accordingly, the White House declines to comment on the
specific
case raised in this petition...
That's
funny! I guess Obama didn't get this memo. Here's what Obama said about
Bradley:
BRADLEY
MANNING "BROKE THE LAW" SAYS OBAMA!
"He
broke the law!" says Obama about Bradley Manning who has yet to even be
charged,
let alone, gone to trial and found guilty. How horrendous is it for the
President
to declare someone guilty before going to trial or being charged with
a
crime! Justice in the U.S.A.!
Obama
on FREE BRADLEY MANNING protest... San Francisco, CA. April 21, 2011-
Presidential
remarks on interrupt/interaction/performance art happening at
fundraiser.
Logan Price queries Barack after org. FRESH JUICE PARTY political
action:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfmtUpd4id0&feature=youtu.be
Release
Bradley Manning
Almost
Gone (The Ballad Of Bradley Manning)
Written
by Graham Nash and James Raymond (son of David Crosby)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAYG7yJpBbQ&feature=player_embedded
*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
Julian
Assange: Why the world needs WikiLeaks
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVGqE726OAo&feature=player_embedded
*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
School
police increasingly arresting American students?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zl-efNBvjUU&feature=player_embedded
*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
FYI:
Nuclear
Detonation Timeline "1945-1998"
The
2053 nuclear tests and explosions that took place between 1945 and 1998 are
plotted
visually and audibly on a world map.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9lquok4Pdk&feature=share&mid=5408
*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
We
Are the 99 Percent
We
are the 99 percent. We are getting kicked out of our homes. We are forced to
choose
between groceries and rent. We are denied quality medical care. We are
suffering
from environmental pollution. We are working long hours for little pay
and
no rights, if we're working at all. We are getting nothing while the other 1
percent
is getting everything. We are the 99 percent.
Brought
to you by the people who occupy wall street. Why will YOU occupy?
OccupyWallSt.org
Occupytogether.org
wearethe99percentuk.tumblr.com
http://wearethe99percent.tumblr.com/
*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
We
Are The People Who Will Save Our Schools
YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFAOJsBxAxY
*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
In
honor of the 75th Anniversary of the 44-Day Flint Michigan sit-down strike at
GM
that began December 30, 1936:
According
to Michael Moore, (Although he has done some good things, this clip
isn't
one of them) in this clip from his film, "Capitalism a Love Story,"
it was
Roosevelt
who saved the day!):
"After
a bloody battle one evening, the Governor of Michigan, with the support
of
the President of the United States, Franklin Roosevelt, sent in the National
Guard.
But the guns and the soldiers weren't used on the workers; they were
pointed
at the police and the hired goons warning them to leave these workers
alone.
For Mr. Roosevelt believed that the men inside had a right to a redress
of
their grievances." -Michael Moore's 'Capitalism: A Love Story'
-
Flint Sit-Down Strike http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8x1_q9wg58
But
those cannons were not aimed at the goons and cops! They were aimed straight
at
the factory filled with strikers! Watch what REALLY happened and how the
strike
was really won!
'With
babies & banners' -- 75 years since the 44-day Flint sit-down strike
http://links.org.au/node/2681
--Inspiring
*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
HALLELUJAH
CORPORATIONS (revised edition).mov
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ws0WSNRpy3g
*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
ONE
OF THE GREATEST POSTS ON YOUTUBE SO FAR!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8C-qIgbP9o&feature=share&mid=552
*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
ILWU
Local 10 Longshore Workers Speak-Out At Oakland Port Shutdown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JUpBpZYwms
Uploaded
by laborvideo on Dec 13, 2011
ILWU
Local 10 longshore workers speak out during a blockade of the Port of
Oakland
called for by Occupy Oakland. Anthony Levieges and Clarence Thomas rank
and
file members of the union. The action took place on December 12, 2011 and
the
interview took place at Pier 30 on the Oakland docks.
For
more information on the ILWU Local 21 Longview EGT struggle go to
http://www.facebook.com/groups/256313837734192/
For
further info on the action and the press conferernce go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jz3fE-Vhrw8&feature=youtu.be
Production
of Labor Video Project www.laborvideo.org
*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
UC
Davis Police Violence Adds Fuel to Fire
By
Scott Galindez, Reader Supported News
19
November 11
http://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/275-42/8485-uc-davis-police-violence-add\
s-fuel-to-fire
UC
Davis Protestors Pepper Sprayed
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AdDLhPwpp4&feature=player_embedded
Police
PEPPER SPRAY UC Davis STUDENT PROTESTERS!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuWEx6Cfn-I&feature=player_embedded
Police
pepper spraying and arresting students at UC Davis
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmJmmnMkuEM&feature=player_embedded
*---------*
UC
Davis Chancellor Katehi walks to her car
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=CZ0t9ez_EGI#!
Occupy
Seattle - 84 Year Old Woman Dorli Rainey Pepper Sprayed
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTIyE_JlJzw&feature=related
*---------*
THE
BEST VIDEO ON "OCCUPY THE WORLD"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S880UldxB1o
*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
Shot
by police with rubber bullet at Occupy Oakland
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0pX9LeE-g8&feature=player_embedded
*---------*
Copwatch@Occupy
Oakland: Beware of Police Infiltrators and Provocateurs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrvMzqopHH0
*---------*
Occupy
Oakland 11-2 Strike: Police Tear Gas, Black Bloc, War in the Streets
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Tu_D8SFYck&feature=player_embedded
*----*
Quebec
police admitted that, in 2007, thugs carrying rocks to a peaceful protest
were
actually undercover Quebec police officers:
POLICE
STATE Criminal Cops EXPOSED As Agent Provocateurs @ SPP Protest
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoiisMMCFT0&feature=player_embedded
*----*
Quebec
police admit going undercover at montebello protests
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAfzUOx53Rg&feature=player_embedded
G20:
Epic Undercover Police Fail
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrJ7aU-n1L8&feature=player_embedded
*----*
WHAT
HAPPENED IN OAKLAND TUESDAY NIGHT, OCTOBER 25:
Occupy
Oakland Protest
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlPs-REyl-0&feature=player_embedded
Cops
make mass arrests at occupy Oakland
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R27kD2_7PwU&feature=player_embedded
Raw
Video: Protesters Clash With Oakland Police
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpO-lJr2BQY&feature=player_embedded
Occupy
Oakland - Flashbangs USED on protesters OPD LIES
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqNOPZLw03Q&feature=player_embedded
KTVU
TV Video of Police violence
http://www.ktvu.com/video/29587714/index.html
Marine
Vet wounded, tear gas & flash-bang grenades thrown in downtown
Oakland
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMUgPTCgwcQ&feature=player_embedded
Tear
Gas billowing through 14th & Broadway in Downtown Oakland
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OU4Y0pwJtWE&feature=player_embedded
Arrests
at Occupy Atlanta -- This is what a police state looks like
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YStWz6jbeZA&feature=player_embedded
*---------*
Labor
Beat: Hey You Billionaire, Pay Your Fair Share
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PY8isD33f-I
*---------*
Voices
of Occupy Boston 2011 - Kwame Somburu (Paul Boutelle) Part I
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DA48gmfGB6U&feature=youtu.be
Voices
of Occupy Boston 2011 - Kwame Somburu (Paul Boutelle) Part II
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjKZpOk7TyM&feature=related
*---------*
#Occupy
Wall Street In Washington Square: Mohammed Ezzeldin, former occupier of
Egypt's
Tahrir Square Speaks at Washington Square!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ziodsFWEb5Y&feature=player_embedded
*---------*
#OccupyTheHood,
Occupy Wall Street
By
adele pham
http://vimeo.com/30146870
*---------*
Live
arrest at brooklyn bridge #occupywallstreet by We are Change
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yULSI-31Pto&feature=player_embedded
*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
FREE
THE CUBAN FIVE!
http://www.thecuban5.org/wordpress/index.php
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmS4kHC_OlY&feature=player_embedded
*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
One
World One Revolution -- MUST SEE VIDEO -- Powerful and beautiful...bw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aE3R1BQrYCw&feature=player_embedded
"When
injustice becomes law, resistance becomes duty." Thomas Jefferson
*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
Japan:
angry Fukushima citizens confront government (video)
Posted
by Xeni Jardin on Monday, Jul 25th at 11:36am
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVuGwc9dlhQ&feature=player_embedded
*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
Labor
Beat: Labor Stands with Subpoenaed Activists Against FBI Raids and Grand
Jury
Investigation of antiwar and social justice activists.
"If
trouble is not at your door. It's on it's way, or it just left."
"Investigate
the Billionaires...Full investigation into Wall Street..." Jesse
Sharkey,
Vice
President,
Chicago Teachers Union
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSNUSIGZCMQ
*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
Coal
Ash: One Valley's Tale
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6E7h-DNvwx4&feature=player_embedded
*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*---------*
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