Northland Anti-War Coalition July 12, 2009 Meeting Minutes
-Present: Joel K., Scott B., Gary S., Sue D., Ron M., Mark J., Adam R.
-Chair: Scott B.
1. VETERANS FOR PEACE REPORT: Gary reported on the Vets for Peace parade float that has been touring local cities and towns this summer. The response has been far more positive than negative, and the level of opposition to the war seems to be just as high with the Obama administration as when Bush was president. The city of Virginia is the only place that is still prohibiting the Vets for Peace float.
2. PASTORS FOR PEACE REPORT: Joel reported on the July 7 fundraising event held for the Pastors for Peace humanitarian mission to Cuba. 50 people attended, though the event ended up costing more than planned. NAWC voted to donate $50 to help defray the cost of the event.
3. PALESTINE UPDATE: While Bob was unable to be at the meeting, he sent forward a report to be passed on. We are still waiting to hear if the new Minnesota Palestine coalition will be able to come and address our August planning meeting. Feedback is welcome on the Palestine texts that have been sent out over the NAWC email list the past couple of weeks, and the tri-fold brochure that Adam has produced as part of NAWC's ongoing education work on Palestine.
4. FALL PROTEST PLANS: Adam reported that the National Assembly to End the Iraq & Afganistan Wars is calling for local protests against the war to be held round the country on Oct. 17. The National Assembly has also endorsed Oct. 5 (the anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan) as a day of action. NAWC will be holding an evening candlelight vigil on Oct. 5 in front of the Army Reserve base on MN Point. The theme of the vigil will be the human cost of the Iraq & Afghan wars so far, and the need to end the Afghan war now to prevent the death toll from getting any higher. We will also hold a march and rally on Oct. 17 around the theme of "Stop Funding the War, Start Funding Human Needs". The Oct. 17 protest will have a panel of speakers addressing different areas that could be funded if it weren't for the wars (health care, anti-poverty programs, education, home foreclosure relief, veterans programs, city parks, etc.). The march will begin at the Lakeplace Park and will culminate in front of the Duluth Federal Building.
5. HEALTHCARE NOT WARFARE: Ron reported on NAWC's history in dealing with the issue of health care. He also reported that he is circulating a petition in support of single payer health care. Email Ron at navyman3269436@yahoo.com
6. GUANTANAMO BAY: Ron also reported on a new national campaign to shut down the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. NAWC will discuss what type of events we might be able to hold around this issue at our next meeting.
7. RALLY FOR LAKE SUPERIOR: Joel reported that the Rally for Lake Superior will take place on July 19. This is to protest the dumping of military waster barrels in the lake in the 1950s. NAWC is a co-sponsor of this event, and will try to have a table there. The event starts at 11am at the Canal Park Maritime Museum, and culminates with a noon rally at Endion Beach.
8. PEACE PROJECT & COUNTER-RECRUITMENT CAMPAIGN: Joel reported on a statewide peace lobbying group called the Peace Project. If you are interested in helping with this project, email him at jrkilgour@yahoo.com. Joel also reported that the Truth In Recruiting committee is looking to do some counter-recruitment work this fall aimed at local High School counselors. He will report more about this at next month's meeting.
9. HONDURAS COUP: NAWC voted to oppose the military coup in Honduras, and to call on the U.S. to break all ties with the military government. Joel will draft a NAWC statement on the issue.
10. ANNOUNCEMENTS:
-Women in Black will be holding a vigil at noon on Wednesday, July 15 at the intersection of Lake Ave. & Superior St. in Duluth.
-The next Iraq Moratorium event will be a 4-5pm vigil at the intersection of Hammond Ave. & Broadway in Superior, followed by a presentation by Bob K. on "Healthcare Not Warfare" at the Amazing Grace coffee shop.
-Socialist Action has issued statements on the military coup in Honduras and the recent turmoil in Iraq. You can view the statement at www.the-red-raven.blogspot.com
-Students at St. Scholatica are organizing a fundraising volleyball tournament on July 25 at the Buffalo House. The event is to raise money for refugees in Pakistan. For more info email Josie at jjohns15@css.edu
*meeting notes taken by Adam R.
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Sunday, July 12, 2009
Friday, July 10, 2009
Walk for the Lake July 19
During the 1940s, 50s and 60s, Honeywell and the US Army Corps of Engineers dumped over a thousand barrels of military waste into Lake Superior, some of which is dangerously close to the city of Duluth water intake. The barrels are known to contain high levels of benzene and PCBs, and some evidence suggests radioactive material. The Red Cliff Band of Chippewa have begun recovering and testing the barrels.
Join us on Lake Superior Day, July 19, for a walk and rally to support Red Cliff and demand the safe clean-up of this waste.
The walk begins at 11am at the Marine Museum on Canal Park, with a rally at 12:30 at Endion Beach (near the Canal Park Lodge). Speakers include Al Hunter, poet, teacher and former chief of the Rainy River Reserve in Ontario; and Jean Buffalo, activist and former chairwoman of the Red Cliff Band. Music by Rachael Kilgour and Robi Myerson, and poetry from Ellie Schoenfeld.
For more information, contact Nukewatch 715-472-4185 or nukewatch1{at}lakeland{dot}ws, Read more to see the route map and sponsoring organizations.
Sponsored by:
Adeline Inc Salon
Beyond Nuclear (Maryland)
Citizens for Alternatives to Chemical Contamination (Michigan)
Duluth Area Green Party
Great Northern Solar
Green Mercantile
Loaves & Fishes Community
Lake Superior Greens
Living Lakes Coalition (Illinois)
Northland Anti-War Coalition
Nuclear Energy Information Service
Nukewatch
Positively Third Street Bakery
The Reader Weekly
Smart Set, Inc. (Minneapolis)
Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Duluth
Unitarian Universalist Green Sanctuary Committee
Veterans for Peace Chapter 80
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Thursday, July 9, 2009
Toxic Monster Mash!
Support Nukewatch at the 1st annual Toxic Monster Mash!
Saturday, July 18
10 p.m.
Red Star Lounge at Fitger's
-Dress as your favorite toxic monster, biologist, or military waste barrel - prizes for best costume!Saturday, July 18
10 p.m.
Red Star Lounge at Fitger's
-Enjoy neon martinis and music by DJ Focus
-Toxic barrel photo booth
-Freewill donations at the door, 21+
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Monday, July 6, 2009
Spike For Swat Sand Volleyball Tournament!
Students from The College of St. Scholastica and UMD, combined with the Rotaract clubs from CSS and Duluth are hosting a sand volleyball tournament as a fundraiser for refugees in Pakistan. The Tournament will take place at the Buffalo House in Duluth, MN on July 25th and 26th. Team registration is $100, with 100% of the proceeds going to the Swat Crisis. The 1st place winners will receive $300, 2nd place $200, and 3rd place $100. Registration deadline is July 17th.
A little bit about the Swat Crisis: The Pakistani government launched an operation against the Taliban in the Swat Valley which led to a humanitarian crisis. The UNHCR announced that 3.5 million civilians have fled the war zone. All the proceeds from the tournament will be used to support these affected souls. $100 can support 8 families of 4 for a week.
Contact Josie Johnson at JJohns15{at}css{dot}edu or Lacora Bradford at LBradfor{at}css{dot}edu
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Friday, July 3, 2009
A second chance to hear Dr Smadar Lavie
Folks who had a chance to listen to author and activist Smadar Lavie speak in June found her presentation to be one of the most insightful and though-provoking takes on the conflict in Israel-Palestine and the politics of race and gender. She'll be speaking again in Duluth with a more detailed take on the situation of Israel's non-European majority.Colonialism and the Zionist Project:
Collective Rights of Mizrahi (Eastern) Jews in Israel
with Smadar Lavie
Hubert H. Humphrey Distinguished Visiting Professor on the Islamic World and the Middle East, Macalester College
Thursday, July 9
5:00 PM
Peace Church
1111 11th Ave. E, Duluth
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Thursday, July 2, 2009
MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE: Social and Ethnic Divisions Among Israeli Jews and the Politics of Palestine
On June 13th about 35 folks gathered at the Friends Meeting Hall in Duluth to hear a presentation by anthropologist and feminist Dr. Smadar Lavie, Hubert H. Humphrey Distinguished Visiting Professor of the Islamic World and the Middle East at Macalester College. To do complete justice to all she covered would be impossible, so let me focus on just two major aspects that are likely to be new to many readers--the nature of the Mizrahim population and why it has pushed Israeli politics to the right.
The Mizrahim are Jews whose origins are North Africa and the former Ottoman Empire margins of Europe. They make up 63% of the Jewish population of Israel and 50% of the total population of the state of Israel when one includes the Palestinian citizens of Israel. Though the majority, they are generally socially and economically at the bottom of Israeli society. On the other hand, the Ashkenazi Jews from Eastern and Central Europe, though numerically a minority, form the economic and cultural elite of Israeli society and represent the familiar European face of Israel typically seen by the rest of the world.
From 1948 till the present, the Mizrahim have been settled in the border zones of Israel by the politically powerful Ashkenazim. The Ashkenazi right wing's policy of settlements has been a boon to the economically disadvantaged Mizrahim, who have received good affordable housing and other benefits in return for their political allegiance to the right. Thus, they have been the major contributing factor to the rightward drift of electoral politics. According to Lavie, the Mizrahim are considered "true Israelis" only when they become cannon fodder on border zones or pawns to replace expelled Palestinians in order to make impossible their legitimate right of return. The ultimate irony is that, being of Middle Eastern origin and economically disadvantaged, the Mizrahim have the greatest potential for dialogue--if not coalition--with the Palestinian citizens of Israel and Palestinians at large. It's their manipulation by the elite Ashkenazi minority that prevents this. Netanyahu's current government is only the latest manifestation. In Lavie's view, putting the Mizrahim in settlements is not unlike the movement of poor landless Scots to Northern Ireland by the British.
Much more could be said and sadly I have not at all covered the complexity of how feminism within the various groups figures in the equation. Mizrahi feminism is inspired by US feminists of color while Ashkenazi establishment feminism reflects the limitations of their class status.
Given the circumstances, Professor Lavie's conclusion is that the clock is ticking on a just solution to the problem of Palestine. For her, a just and lasting peace would only be accomplished through a secular one-state solution because only such a state could encompass all the social class, religious and cultural variation within Palestinian, Mizrahi and Ashkenazi cultures.
In any case, no solution is possible without an understanding of the social class, economic and power disparities between Ashkenazi and Mizrahi Jews. Potential US or European intermediaries have to speak directly to the concerns of the Mizrahim and not just talk to their Ashkenazi manipulators.
To say the least, the challenges are daunting.
-Bob Kosuth , Duluth MN BBC (rkosuth(at)hotmail(dot)com)
For a fuller treatment by Ms. Lavie, see: http://electronicin tifada.net/v2/article10208. shtml or Left Curve no. 33, 2009 (www.leftcurve. org) "A Year into the Lebanon2 War"
Read more...
The Mizrahim are Jews whose origins are North Africa and the former Ottoman Empire margins of Europe. They make up 63% of the Jewish population of Israel and 50% of the total population of the state of Israel when one includes the Palestinian citizens of Israel. Though the majority, they are generally socially and economically at the bottom of Israeli society. On the other hand, the Ashkenazi Jews from Eastern and Central Europe, though numerically a minority, form the economic and cultural elite of Israeli society and represent the familiar European face of Israel typically seen by the rest of the world.
From 1948 till the present, the Mizrahim have been settled in the border zones of Israel by the politically powerful Ashkenazim. The Ashkenazi right wing's policy of settlements has been a boon to the economically disadvantaged Mizrahim, who have received good affordable housing and other benefits in return for their political allegiance to the right. Thus, they have been the major contributing factor to the rightward drift of electoral politics. According to Lavie, the Mizrahim are considered "true Israelis" only when they become cannon fodder on border zones or pawns to replace expelled Palestinians in order to make impossible their legitimate right of return. The ultimate irony is that, being of Middle Eastern origin and economically disadvantaged, the Mizrahim have the greatest potential for dialogue--if not coalition--with the Palestinian citizens of Israel and Palestinians at large. It's their manipulation by the elite Ashkenazi minority that prevents this. Netanyahu's current government is only the latest manifestation. In Lavie's view, putting the Mizrahim in settlements is not unlike the movement of poor landless Scots to Northern Ireland by the British.
Much more could be said and sadly I have not at all covered the complexity of how feminism within the various groups figures in the equation. Mizrahi feminism is inspired by US feminists of color while Ashkenazi establishment feminism reflects the limitations of their class status.
Given the circumstances, Professor Lavie's conclusion is that the clock is ticking on a just solution to the problem of Palestine. For her, a just and lasting peace would only be accomplished through a secular one-state solution because only such a state could encompass all the social class, religious and cultural variation within Palestinian, Mizrahi and Ashkenazi cultures.
In any case, no solution is possible without an understanding of the social class, economic and power disparities between Ashkenazi and Mizrahi Jews. Potential US or European intermediaries have to speak directly to the concerns of the Mizrahim and not just talk to their Ashkenazi manipulators.
To say the least, the challenges are daunting.
-Bob Kosuth , Duluth MN BBC (rkosuth(at)hotmail(dot)com)
For a fuller treatment by Ms. Lavie, see: http://electronicin tifada.net/v2/article10208. shtml or Left Curve no. 33, 2009 (www.leftcurve. org) "A Year into the Lebanon2 War"
Read more...
Monday, June 29, 2009
Honduran coup leaders trained at SOA/WHINSEC
School of the Americas Watch reports that several leaders of yesterday's military coup in Honduras were trained at the infamous US Army School of the Americas.
The coup was staged by the Honduran military on behalf of the country's ruling elite, in an attempt to derail a vote on a resolution to open a constitutional assembly. Honduras is run by an entrenched oligarchy, and the constitutional changes proposed by populist president Manuel Zelaya would have opened the Honduran democracy to it's poor majority. President Zelaya was forcibly removed from office and is now in exile in Costa Rica.
While there doesn't appear to be evidence of direct US involvement in the coup, and Secretary of State Clinton has called for Zelaya's reinstatement, the US government is indirectly complicit by training Latin American militaries to make war on their own people through the SOA and similar institutions.
Today the Honduran people are rising up against the coup leaders. Check out Honduras Indymedia, Narco News or Presente!, the SOA Watch magazine for more analysis and reports.
- posted by Twin Ports SOA Watch
Read more...
The coup was staged by the Honduran military on behalf of the country's ruling elite, in an attempt to derail a vote on a resolution to open a constitutional assembly. Honduras is run by an entrenched oligarchy, and the constitutional changes proposed by populist president Manuel Zelaya would have opened the Honduran democracy to it's poor majority. President Zelaya was forcibly removed from office and is now in exile in Costa Rica.
While there doesn't appear to be evidence of direct US involvement in the coup, and Secretary of State Clinton has called for Zelaya's reinstatement, the US government is indirectly complicit by training Latin American militaries to make war on their own people through the SOA and similar institutions.
Today the Honduran people are rising up against the coup leaders. Check out Honduras Indymedia, Narco News or Presente!, the SOA Watch magazine for more analysis and reports.
- posted by Twin Ports SOA Watch
Read more...
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Pastors for Peace caravan to Cuba
Pastors for Peace send-off& SALSA DANCE PARTY
Tuesday, July 7
Lafayette Community Center (3026 Minnesota Ave on the Point)
'Over the Top' dance studio
8:00 p.m. until ?: Dance, dance dance!
Once again, Pastors for Peace is gearing up to defy the US embargo on Cuba by delivering aid to the island without a license. And once again, one of the legs of the Friendshipment caravan will start in Duluth. Come on out to support Pastors for Peace and shake your salsa thang!
This year we're lucky to hear from Ellen Bernstein, a long-time staffperson at the Interreligious Foundation for Community Organizing (IFCO) who has traveled to Cuba 60 times since 1990. She recently led the Congressional Black Caucus on their April tour of the island and also works with the Latin American School of Medicine to recruit low-income students in the US to study medicine on a full scholarship in Havana.
Sponsored by the Twin Ports Cuba Solidarity Committee.
Tuesday, July 7
Lafayette Community Center (3026 Minnesota Ave on the Point)
6:00 p.m. beans & rice dinner, presentation by Ellen Bernstein
7:30 p.m. Salsa lessons with Juliana Bertelsen of'Over the Top' dance studio
8:00 p.m. until ?: Dance, dance dance!
$10 suggested donation, no-one turned away
Once again, Pastors for Peace is gearing up to defy the US embargo on Cuba by delivering aid to the island without a license. And once again, one of the legs of the Friendshipment caravan will start in Duluth. Come on out to support Pastors for Peace and shake your salsa thang!
This year we're lucky to hear from Ellen Bernstein, a long-time staffperson at the Interreligious Foundation for Community Organizing (IFCO) who has traveled to Cuba 60 times since 1990. She recently led the Congressional Black Caucus on their April tour of the island and also works with the Latin American School of Medicine to recruit low-income students in the US to study medicine on a full scholarship in Havana.
Sponsored by the Twin Ports Cuba Solidarity Committee.
Read more...
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Duluth – Rania Friendship Exchange Report
Wednesday, July 1
7PM
Science Auditorium, College of St Scholastica
7PM
Science Auditorium, College of St Scholastica
Come learn about Rania, a city in Iraqi Kurdistan from six Duluthians who traveled there in May for a friendship exchange. The delegation included Brooks Anderson, Marv Heikkinen, Donna Howard, Arno Kahn, Tom Morgan and Salima Swenson. The returned travelers will speak about their experiences with the Kurdish people and a future relationship between Rania and Duluth. Mayor Don Ness will be presented with a letter from the mayor of Rania, and members of Duluth Sister City International will also attend. The presentation will be followed by Q&A, refreshments and a chance to learn how you can get involved!
Read more...
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
End SOA/WHINSEC secrecy - act today!
UPDATE (6/25): WE WON, BY A VOTE OF 224-190! Now it must pass a House-Senate Conference Committee to become law. Stay tuned to SOA Watch for more.Most House Democrats supported the measure, including our own James Oberstar and David Obey. SHOCKINGLY, Collin Peterson of Minnesota (including Bemidji, Detroit Lakes) and Bart Stupak of the UP voted AGAINST transparency. If you are a constituent of either Peterson or Stupak, please contact them to express your disappointment.
ON WEDNESDAY, June 24, the House will vote on a Defense Authorization Act amendment that would require the Army to release names, ranks, countries of origin and courses attended for students of the notorious School of the Americas/WHINSEC.
SOA/WHINSEC is a US-run training program for Latin American armed forces that has graduated the worst human rights abusers, dictators and coup-leaders in the hemisphere. In 1996, the Pentagon was forced to release SOA training manuals that advocated torture, disappearances and blackmail against nuns, trade unionists, students and indigenous activists.
In 2000, the Pentagon "closed" the SOA and reopened it under a new name - the Western Hemispheric Institute for Security Cooperation (WHINSEC). They promised that the school would be more transparent, yet they have consistently blocked the release of student data to human rights groups.
This information must be public, so that we can track the activities of graduates and expose the SOA/WHINSEC for what it is: a training ground for the hired guns of transnational corporations.
TAKE ACTION TODAY!!!
Please call your representative and urge him or her to vote yes on this amendment. Here are the numbers for our area representatives:David Obey (WI-7, including Superior and Ashland):
(202) 225-3365
James Oberstar (MN-8, including Duluth and Grand Rapids):
(202) 225-6211
Colin Peterson (MN-7, including Detroit Lakes and Bemidji):
(202) 225-2165
SUGGESTED MESSAGE:
Hello, My name is __________, and as your constituent, I urge you to vote YES on the McGovern-Sestak-Bishop-Lewis amendment to the National Defense Authorization bill.
The amendment would release the names, country of origin, rank and dates of attendance at WHINSEC for graduates and instructors. This amendment is supported by Chairman of the Armed Services Committee, Congressman Ike Skelton.
As you may know the School of the Americas, renamed WHINSEC, has a notorious history linked to serious crimes and human rights abuses throughout Latin America. In the past few years under WHINSEC, known human rights abusers have attended the school and WHINSEC instructors have been arrested in Colombia for returning home and aiding the drug cartels. None of this information would be known if the basic information about enrollment at WHINSEC were not disclosed. This information is vital to the work of Congress and human rights organizations who seek protection of human rights and promoting transparency, however all FOIA requests for this information are now being denied.
What is WHINSEC hiding?! Voting YES on the McGovern-Sestak-Bishop-Lewis amendment is a vote FOR human rights and FOR transparency. I urge your boss to vote YES!!!
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Sunday, June 21, 2009
The Real Nuclear Bullies
by Bob Kosuth
Published in the Reader Weekly 6/18/09
The Reader's May 28 article on North Korea's nuclear ambitions immediately reminded me of a 1981 collection of essays entitled Protest and Survive (Monthly Review Press), in which Daniel Ellsberg makes the point that the US has in fact used nuclear weapons repeatedly since 1945 just as one uses a gun pointed at someone's head regardless of whether the trigger is pulled or not. Since Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the utility of nuclear weapons is not in the application but the threat.
Obviously, this is what the North Koreans are trying to accomplish as well. What has made it so sensitive and unacceptable is that the nuclear prerogative is one that the US wants to preserve only for itself and its intimate friends.
One of the best buddies of the US in the nuclear club is the state of Israel, which is in possession of a sizeable number of nuclear weapons. Unlike North Korea, Israel has never opened itself up to international inspections or signed any non-proliferation agreements.
The North Koreans have stated publicly that their intention in developing nuclear weapons is to call attention to US/Western/Israeli hypocrisy on nuclear weapons issues and demand direct state to state talks and full diplomatic relations with the US.
The situation with Iran is similar. It's ok for the US and Israel to be able to threaten Iran with nuclear weapons but the reverse is not acceptable. It's encouraging that many young Iranians have rejected the idea of being pawns in this game as evidenced in the recent election even though their voices are now being stifled. Similarly, both in Israel and around the world many Jews have begun to separate their Jewish identities from Zionist colonialism in Palestine. Unfortunately, in both places there still exist powerful elites who manipulate fear and nationalism to stay in power.
The North Korean situation brings all of this to the fore. The media pundits and academics are having a field day debating who's on first in Pyongyang and why, calibrating whether North Korean missiles can reach Sara Palin in Alaska (Can US missiles reach North Korea? Can Israel bomb Iran? Duh!), and whether or not North Korea can eventually become another China, quietly buying US debt and supplying cheap goods to Walmart.
All of this frenetic media and State Department bluster is, of course, intended to drown out any honest examination of who wrote and continues to enforce the nuclear weapons game rules in the first place. Any re-evaluation of these issues will have to start on Main Street because it will surely not be forthcoming from any addresses on Pennsylvania Avenue.
Read more...
Published in the Reader Weekly 6/18/09
The Reader's May 28 article on North Korea's nuclear ambitions immediately reminded me of a 1981 collection of essays entitled Protest and Survive (Monthly Review Press), in which Daniel Ellsberg makes the point that the US has in fact used nuclear weapons repeatedly since 1945 just as one uses a gun pointed at someone's head regardless of whether the trigger is pulled or not. Since Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the utility of nuclear weapons is not in the application but the threat.
Obviously, this is what the North Koreans are trying to accomplish as well. What has made it so sensitive and unacceptable is that the nuclear prerogative is one that the US wants to preserve only for itself and its intimate friends.
One of the best buddies of the US in the nuclear club is the state of Israel, which is in possession of a sizeable number of nuclear weapons. Unlike North Korea, Israel has never opened itself up to international inspections or signed any non-proliferation agreements.
The North Koreans have stated publicly that their intention in developing nuclear weapons is to call attention to US/Western/Israeli hypocrisy on nuclear weapons issues and demand direct state to state talks and full diplomatic relations with the US.
The situation with Iran is similar. It's ok for the US and Israel to be able to threaten Iran with nuclear weapons but the reverse is not acceptable. It's encouraging that many young Iranians have rejected the idea of being pawns in this game as evidenced in the recent election even though their voices are now being stifled. Similarly, both in Israel and around the world many Jews have begun to separate their Jewish identities from Zionist colonialism in Palestine. Unfortunately, in both places there still exist powerful elites who manipulate fear and nationalism to stay in power.
The North Korean situation brings all of this to the fore. The media pundits and academics are having a field day debating who's on first in Pyongyang and why, calibrating whether North Korean missiles can reach Sara Palin in Alaska (Can US missiles reach North Korea? Can Israel bomb Iran? Duh!), and whether or not North Korea can eventually become another China, quietly buying US debt and supplying cheap goods to Walmart.
All of this frenetic media and State Department bluster is, of course, intended to drown out any honest examination of who wrote and continues to enforce the nuclear weapons game rules in the first place. Any re-evaluation of these issues will have to start on Main Street because it will surely not be forthcoming from any addresses on Pennsylvania Avenue.
Read more...
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Israeli feminist and antiracist activist speaks in Duluth
Israeli Feminism and One State for Israel/PalestineFeaturing Dr. Smadar Lavie
Hubert H. Humphrey Distinguished Visiting Professor on Islam and the Middle East, Macalester College
Saturday, June 13
4:30PM
Friends Meeting House
1802 E 1st St, Duluth
4:30PM
Friends Meeting House
1802 E 1st St, Duluth
Dr Smadar Lavie is an Israeli author and anthropologist currently teaching at Macalester College. An outspoken feminist and anti-racist activist, Dr Lavie has faced repression in Israel as a result of her support for the rights of Arabs and Mizrahi (non-European) Jews. She advocates a peaceful, one-state solution to the conflict in Israel/Palestine. Please join us for what promises to be an eye-opening presentation.
You can read an essay written by Dr Lavie about the siege of Gaza and the politics of racism in Israel on the Electronic Intifada website.
Read more...
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Attend the July 10-12 National Assembly Conf. in Pittsburg
U.S. wars of intervention, mass murder and occupation are crimes against humanity. We must build a broad, united mass movement of the American people to end them.
U.S. wars of intervention, mass murder and occupation are crimes against humanity. We must build a broad, united mass movement of the American people to end them. How can this be accomplished? Share your ideas and proposals at the Second Open National Antiwar Conference sponsored by the National Assembly to End the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars and Occupations at La Roche College, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, July 10-12, 2009.
We demand:
- Stop the U.S. Wars and Occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan! Bring All the Troops Home Now!
- No to War Against Iran!
- No to U.S. Aid and Support for Israel’s Occupation of Palestine!
- End the Siege of Gaza!
- Trillions for Jobs, Pensions, Health Care, Homes, Education and the Environment! Not a Cent for the War Machine or for Bailouts to Wall Street and the Banks!
The purpose of the July conference is to plan actions to advance these demands. The warmakers never rest in prosecuting their wars and interventions and they accord no respite for the victims of such aggression. So there must be no “time out” or drift for the U.S. antiwar movement. We must stay out in the streets, mounting ever larger protests and bringing to heel those who are committed to expanding the U.S. empire, whatever the cost to humanity. That is what we will be talking about on July 10-12.
Our focus is Iraq and Afghanistan -- where hundreds of thousands of U.S. troops, and contractors/mercenaries are at war – and Palestine, the victim of the U.S.- financed Israeli occupation. At the same time, Iran is faced with sanctions, threats and preparations for murderous assault if Washington and its partner, Israel, choose to play the “military card.” Meanwhile, Pakistan, bombed by the Bush regime, suffers the same acts of war under Obama’s lead.
We say NO to all these acts of aggression and occupation! For the immediate withdrawal of all U.S. troops, bases, and weapons. Out Now! Washington’s unprecedented military spending and corporate malfeasance – trillions for death, destruction and vast riches for the few – have lowered living standards and curtailed rights. All of this has contributed to a massive global economic crisis. Working people face depression-like conditions as millions lose jobs, homes, pensions and health care. The nation’s infrastructure, including schools, inner cities, hospitals, public transportation, and more, is in rapid decline. Misery, deprivation and poverty rise as social programs are cut, yet the U.S. government appropriates unlimited funds for wars and occupations.
The National Assembly to End the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars and Occupations is a growing network of local, state and national organizations. Endorsed by 600 groups and prominent individuals, it was founded in June, 2008 at a national conference attended by over 400 activists in Cleveland, Ohio.
Our central objective remains to unify the diverse forces that make up today’s antiwar movement in periodic, independent, broad and massive demonstrations that challenge the warmakers and demand an end to their policies of aggression, intervention and occupation.
During the past year we participated in antiwar protests at the Democratic and Republican Party conventions, supported coordinated antiwar actions in scores of cities in October and December 2008, collaborated with national and local organizations in building the March 21, 2009 mobilizations marking the sixth year of the invasion of Iraq and participated in organizing the April 4, 2009 New York antiwar protests.
Our conferences are conducted democratically, with all groups and individuals having the right to submit action proposals for discussion, debate and vote. Decisions are made by majority rule based on one person, one vote. These are invaluable tools for the antiwar movement to be the inclusive, independent mass force we must become to stop the warmakers.
We have learned from the struggles for civil, women’s, trade union, and LGBT rights and against the Vietnam War that successful challenges to the status quo are the product of collective, united, mass social movements. In the face of escalating wars and global economic crisis, we will convene again in July in Pittsburgh to strive for the unity required to end the bloodshed and occupations and replace current U.S. foreign policy with one that promotes peace and respect for the right of self-determination.
CONFERENCE AGENDA
Friday Night, July 10
7 p.m. – 9 p.m.: Roundtable Discussion on the question: "What Can Be Done to Broaden and Unite the Antiwar Movement?" with Speakers from Local Antiwar Coalitions and Key Constituency Groups – students, trade unionists, communities of color, veterans and military families, faith groups, immigrants. Questions to be discussed: How can we build the antiwar movement among the named groups? What can be done to overcome the divisions in the antiwar movement?
Saturday Morning, July 11
9 a.m. -- 9:05 a.m.: Welcoming Remarks, Molly Rush, one of the Plowshares 8 (which included Phil and Daniel Berrigan) who protested against nuclear warheads at a General Electric plant in King of Prussia, Montgomery County, in September 1980; founder of Pittsburgh’s Thomas Merton Center in 1973 and leader of peace and justice movement
9:05 a.m. — 10:05 a.m.: Keynote Speakers
Subject: “Collapse of the U.S. Economy While the U.S. Government Wages Wars on Several Fronts” by Michael Zweig, professor of economics and Director of the Center for Study of Working Class Life at the State University of New York at Stony Brook; active in American Federation of Teachers Local 2190; National Steering Committee member, U.S. Labor Against the War; articles published in The American Economic Review, The American Economist, Labor Notes, Monthly Review, The Nation, New Labor Forum, Rethinking Marxism, Review of Black Political Economy, Review of Radical Political Economics, Tikkun, and UE News; author of “What’s Class Got to Do With It: American Society in the Twenty-First Century” and “The Working Class Majority: America’s Best Kept Secret”; executive producer of the film Meeting Face to Face: the Iraq–U.S. Labor Solidarity Tour; Appeared on Bill Moyers Journal, Democracy Now!, CNN Radio and Al Jazeera English
Steve Early, Labor Journalist; for 27 years was International Representative for the Communications Workers of America and prior to that a staff representative for the United Mine Workers; author of Embedded With Organized Labor: Journalistic Reflections on the Class War at Home
Subject: “Strengthening the Movement to End the Occupations of Iraq, Afghanistan and Palestine” by Zaineb Alani, member of the National Assembly Administrative Body; Iraqi poet and activist; saw firsthand the impact of two successive wars and has 40 extended family members still living in Iraq; Fulbright Scholar; her anthology of poems, “The Words of an Iraqi War Survivor and More” was published by Xlibris Corporation; serves as liaison to the international peace movement.
10:05 a.m.—12 noon: Discussion and debate of action proposals submitted by conference attendees
12 noon –1:30 p.m.: Lunch
1:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.: Workshops I
3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.: Continuation of discussion and debate; vote on action proposals (one person, one vote)
6:00 p.m. – 7 p.m.: Dinner
7 p.m. – 9 p.m.: Public Meeting – Speakers Include Gail Austin, Black Voices for Peace; Christian Parenti, correspondent for The Nation and author of The Freedom: Shadows and Hallucinations in Occupied Iraq; Chris Gauvreau, National Assembly Continuations Body, CT United for Peace, Builder of New England United; Monadel Herzallah, President, Arab American Union Member Council; Brian Becker, National Coordinator, A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism); Jorge Mujica, one of the country’s most important leaders in the struggle to defend immigrant rights; Sara Flounders, Stop War on Iran Campaign, International Action Center; Ahmed Shawki, Steering Committee, National Council of Arab-Americans, Editor, Haymarket Books; Michael Schwartz, Professor of Sociology and Faculty Director of the Undergraduate College of Global Studies at Stony Brook University, author of War Without End: The Iraq War in Context, his writings on Iraq have appeared on numerous internet sites, including Tom Dispatch, Asia Times, MotherJones.com, and ZNet, and in print in Contexts, Against the Current, The International Socialist Review, and Z Magazine. (entertainment to be announced)
9 p.m.: Informal Socializing; Caucuses
Sunday Morning, July 12
9 a.m. – 10:25 a.m.: Workshops II
10:35 a.m. – 10:55 a.m.: “New Challenges Facing the Antiwar Movement” by Michael T. McPhearson, Veterans For Peace Executive Director; Co-Chair, United for Peace and Justice
10:55 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.: “An Assessment of the First Year of the National Assembly to End the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars and Occupations” by Marilyn Levin, Member, National Assembly Administrative Body; Greater Boston United for Justice with Peace
11:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.: Adoption of Structure Document
12:15 p.m. – 1:15 p.m.: Lunch
1:15 p.m. -- 2:00 p.m.: Election of Administrative Body
2:00 p.m.: Conference Adjourns
2:00 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.: Administrative Body Meets to Elect Secretary, Treasurer and Subcommittee
CONFERENCE WORKSHOPS:
1. Afghanistan and Pakistan: Washington’s Escalating War Policies
2. The Economy and the War Budget: Attacks on Workers and the Poor
3. The Future of the Earth: Climate Crisis, Global Warming and the Wars
4. The Palestinian Struggle After Gaza
5. What We Can Learn From the Movement to End the War in Vietnam
6. Mass Action: Central Strategy for Ending the Wars and Occupations
7. What It's Like To Be a Deployed Soldier, Vet, or Family Member Opposed to the Wars
8. Haiti is Ourselves: U.S. Role in 100 Years of Oppression & Similarity to Other Struggles
9. Defending Immigrant Rights Against ICE Raids and Unlawful and Indefinite Detentions
10. Torture, Renditions, Unlawful Detentions, Guantanamo, and Wrongful Prosecutions: Holding Those Who Give the Orders and CarriyThem Out Accountable
11. Campus Antiwar, Counter-Recruitment & Palestinian Rights Organizing
12. Iraq Today: A Land of Blood and Oil
13. Abuse and Discrimination Against Women, Gays and Lesbians in the Military
14. The Continued Threat of Nuclear Weapons: Washington’s Attempt to Disarm Other Nations While the U.S. Retains Its Stockpile
15. Racism: A Cornerstone of U.S. Foreign Policy
16. Why We March and Lobby
17. Is War a Force That Gives Us Meaning?
18. New Weapons of War: Crimes Against Humanity
19. Iran: The Key to Understanding U.S. Policy in the Middle East
20. Pirate Panic: What is the Truth Behind the U.S. War on Somalia?
21. Assault on Civil Liberties Since 9/11
Read more...
U.S. wars of intervention, mass murder and occupation are crimes against humanity. We must build a broad, united mass movement of the American people to end them. How can this be accomplished? Share your ideas and proposals at the Second Open National Antiwar Conference sponsored by the National Assembly to End the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars and Occupations at La Roche College, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, July 10-12, 2009.
We demand:
- Stop the U.S. Wars and Occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan! Bring All the Troops Home Now!
- No to War Against Iran!
- No to U.S. Aid and Support for Israel’s Occupation of Palestine!
- End the Siege of Gaza!
- Trillions for Jobs, Pensions, Health Care, Homes, Education and the Environment! Not a Cent for the War Machine or for Bailouts to Wall Street and the Banks!
The purpose of the July conference is to plan actions to advance these demands. The warmakers never rest in prosecuting their wars and interventions and they accord no respite for the victims of such aggression. So there must be no “time out” or drift for the U.S. antiwar movement. We must stay out in the streets, mounting ever larger protests and bringing to heel those who are committed to expanding the U.S. empire, whatever the cost to humanity. That is what we will be talking about on July 10-12.
Our focus is Iraq and Afghanistan -- where hundreds of thousands of U.S. troops, and contractors/mercenaries are at war – and Palestine, the victim of the U.S.- financed Israeli occupation. At the same time, Iran is faced with sanctions, threats and preparations for murderous assault if Washington and its partner, Israel, choose to play the “military card.” Meanwhile, Pakistan, bombed by the Bush regime, suffers the same acts of war under Obama’s lead.
We say NO to all these acts of aggression and occupation! For the immediate withdrawal of all U.S. troops, bases, and weapons. Out Now! Washington’s unprecedented military spending and corporate malfeasance – trillions for death, destruction and vast riches for the few – have lowered living standards and curtailed rights. All of this has contributed to a massive global economic crisis. Working people face depression-like conditions as millions lose jobs, homes, pensions and health care. The nation’s infrastructure, including schools, inner cities, hospitals, public transportation, and more, is in rapid decline. Misery, deprivation and poverty rise as social programs are cut, yet the U.S. government appropriates unlimited funds for wars and occupations.
The National Assembly to End the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars and Occupations is a growing network of local, state and national organizations. Endorsed by 600 groups and prominent individuals, it was founded in June, 2008 at a national conference attended by over 400 activists in Cleveland, Ohio.
Our central objective remains to unify the diverse forces that make up today’s antiwar movement in periodic, independent, broad and massive demonstrations that challenge the warmakers and demand an end to their policies of aggression, intervention and occupation.
During the past year we participated in antiwar protests at the Democratic and Republican Party conventions, supported coordinated antiwar actions in scores of cities in October and December 2008, collaborated with national and local organizations in building the March 21, 2009 mobilizations marking the sixth year of the invasion of Iraq and participated in organizing the April 4, 2009 New York antiwar protests.
Our conferences are conducted democratically, with all groups and individuals having the right to submit action proposals for discussion, debate and vote. Decisions are made by majority rule based on one person, one vote. These are invaluable tools for the antiwar movement to be the inclusive, independent mass force we must become to stop the warmakers.
We have learned from the struggles for civil, women’s, trade union, and LGBT rights and against the Vietnam War that successful challenges to the status quo are the product of collective, united, mass social movements. In the face of escalating wars and global economic crisis, we will convene again in July in Pittsburgh to strive for the unity required to end the bloodshed and occupations and replace current U.S. foreign policy with one that promotes peace and respect for the right of self-determination.
CONFERENCE AGENDA
Friday Night, July 10
7 p.m. – 9 p.m.: Roundtable Discussion on the question: "What Can Be Done to Broaden and Unite the Antiwar Movement?" with Speakers from Local Antiwar Coalitions and Key Constituency Groups – students, trade unionists, communities of color, veterans and military families, faith groups, immigrants. Questions to be discussed: How can we build the antiwar movement among the named groups? What can be done to overcome the divisions in the antiwar movement?
Saturday Morning, July 11
9 a.m. -- 9:05 a.m.: Welcoming Remarks, Molly Rush, one of the Plowshares 8 (which included Phil and Daniel Berrigan) who protested against nuclear warheads at a General Electric plant in King of Prussia, Montgomery County, in September 1980; founder of Pittsburgh’s Thomas Merton Center in 1973 and leader of peace and justice movement
9:05 a.m. — 10:05 a.m.: Keynote Speakers
Subject: “Collapse of the U.S. Economy While the U.S. Government Wages Wars on Several Fronts” by Michael Zweig, professor of economics and Director of the Center for Study of Working Class Life at the State University of New York at Stony Brook; active in American Federation of Teachers Local 2190; National Steering Committee member, U.S. Labor Against the War; articles published in The American Economic Review, The American Economist, Labor Notes, Monthly Review, The Nation, New Labor Forum, Rethinking Marxism, Review of Black Political Economy, Review of Radical Political Economics, Tikkun, and UE News; author of “What’s Class Got to Do With It: American Society in the Twenty-First Century” and “The Working Class Majority: America’s Best Kept Secret”; executive producer of the film Meeting Face to Face: the Iraq–U.S. Labor Solidarity Tour; Appeared on Bill Moyers Journal, Democracy Now!, CNN Radio and Al Jazeera English
Steve Early, Labor Journalist; for 27 years was International Representative for the Communications Workers of America and prior to that a staff representative for the United Mine Workers; author of Embedded With Organized Labor: Journalistic Reflections on the Class War at Home
Subject: “Strengthening the Movement to End the Occupations of Iraq, Afghanistan and Palestine” by Zaineb Alani, member of the National Assembly Administrative Body; Iraqi poet and activist; saw firsthand the impact of two successive wars and has 40 extended family members still living in Iraq; Fulbright Scholar; her anthology of poems, “The Words of an Iraqi War Survivor and More” was published by Xlibris Corporation; serves as liaison to the international peace movement.
10:05 a.m.—12 noon: Discussion and debate of action proposals submitted by conference attendees
12 noon –1:30 p.m.: Lunch
1:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.: Workshops I
3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.: Continuation of discussion and debate; vote on action proposals (one person, one vote)
6:00 p.m. – 7 p.m.: Dinner
7 p.m. – 9 p.m.: Public Meeting – Speakers Include Gail Austin, Black Voices for Peace; Christian Parenti, correspondent for The Nation and author of The Freedom: Shadows and Hallucinations in Occupied Iraq; Chris Gauvreau, National Assembly Continuations Body, CT United for Peace, Builder of New England United; Monadel Herzallah, President, Arab American Union Member Council; Brian Becker, National Coordinator, A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism); Jorge Mujica, one of the country’s most important leaders in the struggle to defend immigrant rights; Sara Flounders, Stop War on Iran Campaign, International Action Center; Ahmed Shawki, Steering Committee, National Council of Arab-Americans, Editor, Haymarket Books; Michael Schwartz, Professor of Sociology and Faculty Director of the Undergraduate College of Global Studies at Stony Brook University, author of War Without End: The Iraq War in Context, his writings on Iraq have appeared on numerous internet sites, including Tom Dispatch, Asia Times, MotherJones.com, and ZNet, and in print in Contexts, Against the Current, The International Socialist Review, and Z Magazine. (entertainment to be announced)
9 p.m.: Informal Socializing; Caucuses
Sunday Morning, July 12
9 a.m. – 10:25 a.m.: Workshops II
10:35 a.m. – 10:55 a.m.: “New Challenges Facing the Antiwar Movement” by Michael T. McPhearson, Veterans For Peace Executive Director; Co-Chair, United for Peace and Justice
10:55 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.: “An Assessment of the First Year of the National Assembly to End the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars and Occupations” by Marilyn Levin, Member, National Assembly Administrative Body; Greater Boston United for Justice with Peace
11:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.: Adoption of Structure Document
12:15 p.m. – 1:15 p.m.: Lunch
1:15 p.m. -- 2:00 p.m.: Election of Administrative Body
2:00 p.m.: Conference Adjourns
2:00 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.: Administrative Body Meets to Elect Secretary, Treasurer and Subcommittee
CONFERENCE WORKSHOPS:
1. Afghanistan and Pakistan: Washington’s Escalating War Policies
2. The Economy and the War Budget: Attacks on Workers and the Poor
3. The Future of the Earth: Climate Crisis, Global Warming and the Wars
4. The Palestinian Struggle After Gaza
5. What We Can Learn From the Movement to End the War in Vietnam
6. Mass Action: Central Strategy for Ending the Wars and Occupations
7. What It's Like To Be a Deployed Soldier, Vet, or Family Member Opposed to the Wars
8. Haiti is Ourselves: U.S. Role in 100 Years of Oppression & Similarity to Other Struggles
9. Defending Immigrant Rights Against ICE Raids and Unlawful and Indefinite Detentions
10. Torture, Renditions, Unlawful Detentions, Guantanamo, and Wrongful Prosecutions: Holding Those Who Give the Orders and CarriyThem Out Accountable
11. Campus Antiwar, Counter-Recruitment & Palestinian Rights Organizing
12. Iraq Today: A Land of Blood and Oil
13. Abuse and Discrimination Against Women, Gays and Lesbians in the Military
14. The Continued Threat of Nuclear Weapons: Washington’s Attempt to Disarm Other Nations While the U.S. Retains Its Stockpile
15. Racism: A Cornerstone of U.S. Foreign Policy
16. Why We March and Lobby
17. Is War a Force That Gives Us Meaning?
18. New Weapons of War: Crimes Against Humanity
19. Iran: The Key to Understanding U.S. Policy in the Middle East
20. Pirate Panic: What is the Truth Behind the U.S. War on Somalia?
21. Assault on Civil Liberties Since 9/11
Read more...
Friday, May 22, 2009
JROTC update
On May 19, the Duluth school board accepted a compromise recommendation to phase out JROTC. Members Nancy Nilsen and Tim Grover had pushed to temporarily spare JROTC so that this year's juniors could complete the full 4 year program. The compromise plan would, in theory, end JROTC after the 2009-2010 school year, but effectively sets the stage for years of emotional pleas from junior class after junior class, and years of school board stalling tactics.
As part of the plan, one of the JROTC instructors will likely lose her job. Jackie Ring, a fully-credentialed teacher who was brought on board a few years ago under pressure from the union, will go. Peter Palen, whose only teaching certification is from the Navy, will stay. Questions to the board about this decision were left predictably unanswered.
Adeline Wright spoke on behalf of parents who don't think sparing JROTC is a good idea (statement below).
The big surprise came from a woman who took the podium and identified herself as a former employee of the Navy Recruiting Command. She praised JROTC as a "great program", but agreed with Adeline that if the district is short on cash, it should "go into books" and not JROTC. She also explained that JROTC cadets do NOT have an edge when it comes to applying for the Naval Academy, which is one of the arguments that spared JROTC in the first place. (Truth in Recruiting activists had pointed this out months ago, but this time board members seemed to listen).
The details of the compromise are not set in stone. The board won't formalize the 2009-2010 school budget until its June meeting. In the meantime, keep the pressure on. Tell the board and administration that they should close JROTC at the end of this year, but if they insist on phasing it out to do so responsibly. This means:
1. Close JROTC enrollment to new students; and
2. Make sure that the one teacher they keep to instruct the class is fully credentialed and union!
Duluth School Board
Mary Cameron (At Large): mary.cameron@ duluth.k12. mn.us; 341-8893
Laura Condon (District 4): laura.condon@ duluth.k12. mn.us; 624-7045
Gary Glass (At Large): gary.glass@duluth. k12.mn.us; 525-2384
Tim Grover (District 3): tim.grover@duluth. k12.mn.us; 722-5961
Nancy Nilsen (At Large): nancy.nilsen@ duluth.k12. mn.us; 628-2125
Judy Seliga Punyko (District 2): Judy.SeligaPunyko@ duluth.k12. mn.us; 525-4688
Ann Wasson (District 1): ann.wasson@duluth. k12.mn.us; 728-1931
Assistant Superintendent
Joe Hill: joe.hill@duluth. k12.mn.us; 336-8739
-----------------------------------------
Read more...
As part of the plan, one of the JROTC instructors will likely lose her job. Jackie Ring, a fully-credentialed teacher who was brought on board a few years ago under pressure from the union, will go. Peter Palen, whose only teaching certification is from the Navy, will stay. Questions to the board about this decision were left predictably unanswered.
Adeline Wright spoke on behalf of parents who don't think sparing JROTC is a good idea (statement below).
The big surprise came from a woman who took the podium and identified herself as a former employee of the Navy Recruiting Command. She praised JROTC as a "great program", but agreed with Adeline that if the district is short on cash, it should "go into books" and not JROTC. She also explained that JROTC cadets do NOT have an edge when it comes to applying for the Naval Academy, which is one of the arguments that spared JROTC in the first place. (Truth in Recruiting activists had pointed this out months ago, but this time board members seemed to listen).
The details of the compromise are not set in stone. The board won't formalize the 2009-2010 school budget until its June meeting. In the meantime, keep the pressure on. Tell the board and administration that they should close JROTC at the end of this year, but if they insist on phasing it out to do so responsibly. This means:
1. Close JROTC enrollment to new students; and
2. Make sure that the one teacher they keep to instruct the class is fully credentialed and union!
Duluth School Board
Mary Cameron (At Large): mary.cameron@ duluth.k12. mn.us; 341-8893
Laura Condon (District 4): laura.condon@ duluth.k12. mn.us; 624-7045
Gary Glass (At Large): gary.glass@duluth. k12.mn.us; 525-2384
Tim Grover (District 3): tim.grover@duluth. k12.mn.us; 722-5961
Nancy Nilsen (At Large): nancy.nilsen@ duluth.k12. mn.us; 628-2125
Judy Seliga Punyko (District 2): Judy.SeligaPunyko@ duluth.k12. mn.us; 525-4688
Ann Wasson (District 1): ann.wasson@duluth. k12.mn.us; 728-1931
Assistant Superintendent
Joe Hill: joe.hill@duluth. k12.mn.us; 336-8739
-----------------------------------------
Adeline Wright's statement to the Duluth school board
As the mother of a Duluth Public school student and a successful local business owner, I am concerned about your recent decision to fund JROTC for another year and maybe more, even as you have cut specialist time in grade schools and made deep cuts to co-curricular activities.
I say this with respect for the JROTC students who are here tonight; they are upstanding kids. But it is important to look at the big picture.
In order to fund the $170,000 JROTC program, you will have to make that money up from somewhere else. Does this explain the $200,000 in cuts that we read about in the paper this morning? If so, this move seems short sighted considering sports and other co-curricular programs promote self esteem and teambuilding equal to JROTC and, as far as I know, are not struggling with enrollment. It’s my understanding that JROTC is at 50% enrollment and decreasing every year. Why is it being singled out among all of these other good programs?
Many of my federal tax dollars are already going to the military. Since the military considers JROTC one of its best recruiting programs, it seems that we should ask them to pick up the cost of the program rather than pay for it out of our scarce district resources.
JROTC is clearly important to many students, but you can’t deny that it is controversial and at this point it doesn’t make fiscal sense. Members of the board have said that they want to keep JROTC in fairness to the juniors in the program. But I encourage the board and administration to consider the worth of your time and realize that if you keep JROTC, you will be faced with the very same emotional and time-consuming debate about next year’s juniors, and the next year’s.
It's a hard decision and some kids might be disappointed, but don’t forget about all of the thousands of kids who are not participating in JROTC and are going to lose out on programs that are just as dear to them as JROTC is for these students. Please stop funding JROTC at the end of this year. Thank you.
Read more...
Report on the May NAWC Meeting
NAWC MINUTES 5/17/09
Present: Joel K, Scott B, Carl S, Adam R, Peter K, Joan N, Sue D
Walk for the Lake: We voted to sponsor Nukewatch's annual July 19 Walk for the Lake to draw attention to the toxic munitions scrap barrels dumped in Lake Superior near Duluth's drinking water intakes in the 50's and calling for their removal. This includes a $50 donation from NAWC. Also, Joel K is organizing a "Toxic Monster Bash" party on the evening of July 18.
Smadar Lavie: Smadar Lavie is an ethnic minority Jewish Israeli who is a visiting professor at Macalester College in Minneapolis. We have met with her before and agreed to have her up to give a forum on the issue of minorities in Israel and solidarity with Palestine. She is available the week of June 15-19. We determined to seek out a venue, possibly the Friends Meeting House, and confirm a date and time with Smadar. Joel K. will do outreach to local churches, and Scott will outreach to Chum.
Financial Report: Peter reported that we have $1034 in the account and $100 in petty cash.
Minnesota Peace Project: A new state-wide project to lobby Congress against the wars is underway. NAWC agreed to partner with the Minnesota Peace Project in their efforts.
Counter-Recruiting: There will be a counter-recruitment activist conference in Chicago on July 17-18. NAWC approved $160 for assistance to bring two local youth to the conference. Interested parties should contact Joel K.
There is no news on the Duluth School District cutting JROTC. The decision was delayed at the last school board meeting, and a final decision probably will not take place until the June meeting. The committee will work with Progressive Action to meet with school board candidates on the issue and has delivered letters from high school students and parents to board members. More letters are encouraged. Joel K agreed to put some letters on the NAWC blog.
National Assembly: The national organization attempting to untie the anti-war movement will be having its conference July 10-12 in Pittsburgh. We endorsed the conference and approved at least $100 for travel assistance for those going, with the final amount to be determined at the next meeting. We will discuss further what to bring to the Assembly at the June Meeting. Joel and Adam agreed to talk to the Central Labor Body about sending a report, endorsement or representative. It was determined that we will hold a joint report-back session with those going to this conference and the counter-recruitment conference later in the summer or early fall.
Iraq Moratorium: In order to revitalize the third Friday actions, it was determined to hold a summer forum series immediately following the Superior Grandmothers for Peace picket at 5 PM each month. We will switch off locations between the Red Mug in Superior and Amazing Grace in Duluth. June's topic will be Israel and Palestine, hopefully with Smadar Lavie as a guest speaker (update: she is unavailable that evening), and it will take place at the Red Mug. July's will be at 5:15 at Amazing Grace, on Health Care Not Warfare. August will be on Soldiers' Mental Health, location tbd.
Military Families Speak Out: Joan reported that MFSO has taken a position for immediate withdrawl from Afghanistan. After polling, 84% of the membership was opposed to the war in Afghanistan. Joel and Joan agreed to work on some press statements before the deployment of Duluth's 114th Fighter Wing to Afghanistan, Joel agreed to look into getting a banner with the GI Rights Hotline on it, and Adam agreed to develop more literature on Afghanistan.
Fall Project: It's a good bet that the National Assembly will call for October local protests, and we should have one regardless. To build for it, we discussed trying to bring in a big-name speaker on Afghanistan, namely Andrew Bacevich. Joan agreed to try and reach out to him and determine what it would take to get him here. We decided to explore joint sponsorship with the St. Scholastica Center for Peace and Justice.
Announcements: The League of Women Voters is having a meeting on Instant Runoff and Rank Choice Voting on Tuesday, May 19 at 7 PM in the UMD Kirby Student Center Room 311.
Read more...
Present: Joel K, Scott B, Carl S, Adam R, Peter K, Joan N, Sue D
Walk for the Lake: We voted to sponsor Nukewatch's annual July 19 Walk for the Lake to draw attention to the toxic munitions scrap barrels dumped in Lake Superior near Duluth's drinking water intakes in the 50's and calling for their removal. This includes a $50 donation from NAWC. Also, Joel K is organizing a "Toxic Monster Bash" party on the evening of July 18.
Smadar Lavie: Smadar Lavie is an ethnic minority Jewish Israeli who is a visiting professor at Macalester College in Minneapolis. We have met with her before and agreed to have her up to give a forum on the issue of minorities in Israel and solidarity with Palestine. She is available the week of June 15-19. We determined to seek out a venue, possibly the Friends Meeting House, and confirm a date and time with Smadar. Joel K. will do outreach to local churches, and Scott will outreach to Chum.
Financial Report: Peter reported that we have $1034 in the account and $100 in petty cash.
Minnesota Peace Project: A new state-wide project to lobby Congress against the wars is underway. NAWC agreed to partner with the Minnesota Peace Project in their efforts.
Counter-Recruiting: There will be a counter-recruitment activist conference in Chicago on July 17-18. NAWC approved $160 for assistance to bring two local youth to the conference. Interested parties should contact Joel K.
There is no news on the Duluth School District cutting JROTC. The decision was delayed at the last school board meeting, and a final decision probably will not take place until the June meeting. The committee will work with Progressive Action to meet with school board candidates on the issue and has delivered letters from high school students and parents to board members. More letters are encouraged. Joel K agreed to put some letters on the NAWC blog.
National Assembly: The national organization attempting to untie the anti-war movement will be having its conference July 10-12 in Pittsburgh. We endorsed the conference and approved at least $100 for travel assistance for those going, with the final amount to be determined at the next meeting. We will discuss further what to bring to the Assembly at the June Meeting. Joel and Adam agreed to talk to the Central Labor Body about sending a report, endorsement or representative. It was determined that we will hold a joint report-back session with those going to this conference and the counter-recruitment conference later in the summer or early fall.
Iraq Moratorium: In order to revitalize the third Friday actions, it was determined to hold a summer forum series immediately following the Superior Grandmothers for Peace picket at 5 PM each month. We will switch off locations between the Red Mug in Superior and Amazing Grace in Duluth. June's topic will be Israel and Palestine, hopefully with Smadar Lavie as a guest speaker (update: she is unavailable that evening), and it will take place at the Red Mug. July's will be at 5:15 at Amazing Grace, on Health Care Not Warfare. August will be on Soldiers' Mental Health, location tbd.
Military Families Speak Out: Joan reported that MFSO has taken a position for immediate withdrawl from Afghanistan. After polling, 84% of the membership was opposed to the war in Afghanistan. Joel and Joan agreed to work on some press statements before the deployment of Duluth's 114th Fighter Wing to Afghanistan, Joel agreed to look into getting a banner with the GI Rights Hotline on it, and Adam agreed to develop more literature on Afghanistan.
Fall Project: It's a good bet that the National Assembly will call for October local protests, and we should have one regardless. To build for it, we discussed trying to bring in a big-name speaker on Afghanistan, namely Andrew Bacevich. Joan agreed to try and reach out to him and determine what it would take to get him here. We decided to explore joint sponsorship with the St. Scholastica Center for Peace and Justice.
Announcements: The League of Women Voters is having a meeting on Instant Runoff and Rank Choice Voting on Tuesday, May 19 at 7 PM in the UMD Kirby Student Center Room 311.
Read more...
Duluth DFL supports the RNC 8 and demands investigation of RNC-related police violence
On May 16, Duluth DFL delegates passed two resolutions related to the fallout from the 2008 Republican National Convention. The first echoes a Amnesty International's call for an independent investigation into charges of police violence before and during the protests - a demand that has been widely ignored by the DFL establishment in St Paul and Minneapolis. The second resolution asks DFL gubernatorial hopeful and current Ramsey County Attorney Susan Gaertner to drop charges against the RNC 8, a group of anarchist organizers who were swept up in pre-protest police raids and charged with conspiracy and "furthering terrorism."
The resolutions follow a strong statement in support of the RNC8 by the Duluth Central Labor Body.
Resolution for Investigations of Civil Rights Abuses During the RNC
Whereas tens of thousands of Minnesotans were inspired by the war in Iraq and other disastrous policies of the Bush Administration to take part in protests against the Republican National Convention (RNC) when it was held in St Paul on September 1-4, 2008; and
Whereas the RNC was designated a “National Security Event” by the Department of Homeland Security, leading to the heavy influence of Bush-era federal agencies in RNC-related law-enforcement operations; and
Whereas human rights, civil liberties and press freedom organizations have raised serious accusations, supported by video evidence, of excessive police force and civil rights violations against participants in RNC-related protests, including but not limited to: raids on activist homes and confiscation of political literature; surveillance and infiltration of activist groups; the offensive use of chemical irritants, impact rounds, batons, tasers and rubber bullets; mass arrests of activists and passersby; and the detention and harassment of journalists covering the protests; and
Whereas in September of 2008, Amnesty International called for “city and county authorities to ensure that all allegations of ill-treatment and other abuses are impartially investigated, with a review of police tactics and weapons in the policing of demonstrations”; and
Whereas investigations into RNC-related police actions to date have been limited to internal police department reviews and an RNC Commission Report headed by two former prosecutors who interviewed a total of forty law enforcement agents and one activist;
Therefore, be it resolved that the Duluth DFL strongly reaffirms the first amendment rights of all Americans to freely assemble, speak and petition their government for redress; and
Be it further resolved that the Duluth DFL demands a thorough and impartial investigation into accusations of police violence and civil rights abuses against activists during the Republican National Convention in St Paul; for the findings of this investigation to be made public; for responsible parties to be disciplined; and for measures to be put in place to ensure that future police operations in Minnesota respect our constitutionally-guaranteed rights to assembly, speech, and a free press.
Passed by the City of Duluth DFL, in Convention, May 16, 2009, voice vote, one and only one dissenting vote.
Resolution In Support of the RNC 8
and Against The Minnesota Anti-Terrorism Act
and Against The Minnesota Anti-Terrorism Act
Whereas, in the days leading up to the Republican National Convention (RNC) in St Paul, local and federal law enforcement agencies carried out a series of raids on activist centers and the private homes of RNC protest organizers, seizing political literature, mobile phones and computers and detaining over one hundred people; and
Whereas, the raids resulted in the arrest of several protest organizers; and
Whereas, on September 3, 2008, Ramsey County prosecutors formally charged Luce Guillen-Givins, Max Specktor, Nathanael Secor, Eryn Trimmer, Monica Bicking, Erik Oseland, Robert Czernik and Garrett Fitzgerald with CONPIRACY TO COMMIT RIOT IN FURTHERANCE OF TERRORISM, without evidence that the eight young activists committed any act of violence; and
Whereas, changes to the Minnesota criminal code under the so-called Anti-Terrorism Act of 2002 threaten free speech and the right to organize by defining acts that “further terrorism” so broadly as to include actions that “disrupt or interfere with the lawful exercise, operation, or conduct of government, lawful commerce, or the right of lawful assembly”; and
Whereas, in December of 2008, Ramsey County prosecutors amended the complaint against the eight activists with three additional felony counts of CONSPIRACY TO COMMIT RIOT, CONSPIRACY TO COMMIT CRIMINAL DAMAGE TO PROPERTY, and CONSPIRACY TO COMMIT CRIMINAL DAMAGE TO PROPERTY IN FURTHERANCE OF TERRORISM; and
Whereas, Ramsey County prosecutors and the Ramsey County Sheriff’s office have consistently and publicly linked civil disobedience with terrorism and violence; and
Whereas, conspiracy charges and the conflation of dissent to violence have historically been used to undermine social movements, and particular the labor movement; and
Whereas, delegates to the Duluth Central Labor Body, recognizing the threat posed by these prosecutions to the right to organize, unanimously approved a resolution on March 12, 2009 condemning the Minnesota Anti-Terrorism Act and the prosecution of the RNC 8; and
Whereas, on April 9 of this year Ramsey County Attorney Susan Gaertner responded to pressure from the DCLB and others by dropping terrorism-related charges against the RNC 8, but is moving forward with prosecution under the two remaining felony conspiracy counts;
Therefore, be it resolved that the Duluth DFL affirms the right to organize collectively and calls on Ramsey County Attorney Susan Gaertner to dismiss all charges against Luce Guillen-Givins, Max Specktor, Nathanael Secor, Eryn Trimmer, Monica Bicking, Erik Oseland, Robert Czernik and Garrett Fitzgerald; and
Be it further resolved that the Duluth DFL goes on record as opposing 609.714 of the Minnesota criminal code (“CRIMES COMMITTED IN FURTHERANCE OF TERRORISM”) as a threat to free speech and the right to organize, and calls on Minnesota state legislators to repeal this law with haste.
Passed by the City of Duluth DFL, in Convention, May 16, 2009, voice vote, one and only one dissenting vote.
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Saturday, May 2, 2009
Tribe to begin removing barrels from Lake Superior near Duluth
The Red Cliff Band of Chippewa will begin removing rusty, half-century- old Department of Defense barrels from Lake Superior near Duluth this summer.
By Mike Simonson/Wisconsin Public Radio
The Red Cliff Band of Chippewa will begin removing rusty, half-century- old Department of Defense barrels from Lake Superior near Duluth this summer.
A report released today says a scan of Lake Superior’s bottom found 591 targets that are probably munitions barrels dumped during the Cold War.
The Red Cliff Band has been investigating the dumping of more than 1,400 barrels a few miles from the Duluth harbor for five years. Now, they’ve signed their largest contract with the Department of Defense -- $1.2 million over the next two years -- to remove about 70 of those barrels and examine the contents to see if they pose a danger to the fish habitat and drinking water of Lake Superior.
This report is the culmination of last year’s lake bottom sonar and camera survey of 96 square miles. It found nearly 600 likely barrels in varying states of rust. Pictures show concrete mixed with what’s being called “munitions debris”...scrap from a 1950’s secret grenade project that the United States wanted to keep secret from the Soviet Union.
For decades, environmental groups have speculated that there is more than concrete and metal in the 60 gallon drums. Now, through a DOD program that pays to clean up ammo dumps on reservations and ceded Indian territories, investigators hope to have answers later this summer.
In addition, the investigation of Lake Superior’s bottom off the Duluth Harbor has found three sites where barrels were dumped 50 years ago by the Department of Defense.
This sonar and camera grid scan last summer and fall found 591 likely barrels off Lester River, the Sucker River, and Talmadge River, but did not find barrels in four other expected locations off Knife River, French River, Shoreview Road and Knife Island sites. The investigation by EMR engineering of Duluth and commissioned by the Red Cliff Band of Chippewa has not completely eliminated those areas as likely barrel dump sites; the barrels could be outside the 96 square mile sonar grid.
The Red Cliff Band may go beyond removing and testing barrels. It is also asking for another $365,000 to do a toxicology study on the Lake Superior sediment to see if it has been contaminated by the barrels. The report states: “This is considered key to determining the potential threat the contents of the barrels may pose to area residents, aquatic life and the environment and whether or not preservation of the rich resources cherished by all who share the splendor of Lake Superior warrants further remedial efforts.”
[reprinted from the Duluth News-Tribune]
Read more...
By Mike Simonson/Wisconsin Public Radio
The Red Cliff Band of Chippewa will begin removing rusty, half-century- old Department of Defense barrels from Lake Superior near Duluth this summer.
A report released today says a scan of Lake Superior’s bottom found 591 targets that are probably munitions barrels dumped during the Cold War.
The Red Cliff Band has been investigating the dumping of more than 1,400 barrels a few miles from the Duluth harbor for five years. Now, they’ve signed their largest contract with the Department of Defense -- $1.2 million over the next two years -- to remove about 70 of those barrels and examine the contents to see if they pose a danger to the fish habitat and drinking water of Lake Superior.
This report is the culmination of last year’s lake bottom sonar and camera survey of 96 square miles. It found nearly 600 likely barrels in varying states of rust. Pictures show concrete mixed with what’s being called “munitions debris”...scrap from a 1950’s secret grenade project that the United States wanted to keep secret from the Soviet Union.
For decades, environmental groups have speculated that there is more than concrete and metal in the 60 gallon drums. Now, through a DOD program that pays to clean up ammo dumps on reservations and ceded Indian territories, investigators hope to have answers later this summer.
In addition, the investigation of Lake Superior’s bottom off the Duluth Harbor has found three sites where barrels were dumped 50 years ago by the Department of Defense.
This sonar and camera grid scan last summer and fall found 591 likely barrels off Lester River, the Sucker River, and Talmadge River, but did not find barrels in four other expected locations off Knife River, French River, Shoreview Road and Knife Island sites. The investigation by EMR engineering of Duluth and commissioned by the Red Cliff Band of Chippewa has not completely eliminated those areas as likely barrel dump sites; the barrels could be outside the 96 square mile sonar grid.
The Red Cliff Band may go beyond removing and testing barrels. It is also asking for another $365,000 to do a toxicology study on the Lake Superior sediment to see if it has been contaminated by the barrels. The report states: “This is considered key to determining the potential threat the contents of the barrels may pose to area residents, aquatic life and the environment and whether or not preservation of the rich resources cherished by all who share the splendor of Lake Superior warrants further remedial efforts.”
[reprinted from the Duluth News-Tribune]
Read more...
Monday, April 20, 2009
Not One More Year of JROTC!
Contact the Duluth school board today! All out to the 4/21 board meeting!
It's official: Duluth's JROTC program is on the agenda for next week's Duluth school board meeting. The good news is that several members have changed their minds and will vote to cut the program. The bad news is that we expect a proposal to keep JROTC for one more school year (and another $170,000), so that current JROTC juniors can graduate from the program. You see where this is going: the board could use the same excuse next year and the year after that and...
The vote could be close. We need to send a clear message to the board: not one more year of JROTC. Here's what you can do:
1. TUESDAY, April 21: we need a big turnout for the board meeting! It starts at 6:30 pm in the Old Central building downtown (Lake Ave & 2nd St). Get there early if you want to speak.
2. Contact members of the board and administration by email or phone.
Duluth School Board
Mary Cameron (At Large): mary.cameron@ duluth.k12. mn.us; 341-8893
Laura Condon (District 4): laura.condon@ duluth.k12. mn.us; 624-7045
Gary Glass (At Large): gary.glass@duluth. k12.mn.us; 525-2384
Tim Grover (District 3): tim.grover@duluth. k12.mn.us; 722-5961
Nancy Nilsen (At Large): nancy.nilsen@ duluth.k12. mn.us; 628-2125
Judy Seliga Punyko (District 2): Judy.SeligaPunyko@ duluth.k12. mn.us; 525-4688
Ann Wasson (District 1): ann.wasson@duluth. k12.mn.us; 728-1931
Assistant Superintendent
Joe Hill: joe.hill@duluth. k12.mn.us; 336-8739
JROTC talking points:
1. JROTC violates the independence of our educational system. We expect schools to encourage critical thinking, but as a marketing program of the US military, JROTC instills pro-military points of view about history, military spending and democracy. For example, JROTC textbooks suggest that citizenship means following the chain of command, even when we disagree. They instruct students that a huge military is necessary for our defense and that the Vietnam war was lost because the US military was "weak."
2. JROTC discriminates. The Pentagon reserves the right to vet JROTC instructors for sexual orientation and certain disabilities, meaning they are the only district employees not fully protected by state human rights law.
3. JROTC is dishonest about its motives. Peter Palen wrote in the Duluth News Tribune that JROTC "is not a recruiting activity." But his former boss, then-Secretary of State William Cohen, told Congress in 2000 that JROTC "is one of the best recruiting devices we could have." Congress and the Pentagon expect the Duluth schools to keep a minimum number of "physically fit" students enrolled in JROTC.
4. JROTC is not an effective use of community resources. JROTC costs the district an astounding $170,000/year while hardly attracting enough student interest to keep the military itself from axing it. 56 students are enrolled in JROTC this year, out of nearly 10,000 students in the district. In the face of a multi-million dollar deficit, keeping JROTC would mean that the district would have to make up the savings by slashing $170,000 from other - likely more popular - school programming.
Read more...
It's official: Duluth's JROTC program is on the agenda for next week's Duluth school board meeting. The good news is that several members have changed their minds and will vote to cut the program. The bad news is that we expect a proposal to keep JROTC for one more school year (and another $170,000), so that current JROTC juniors can graduate from the program. You see where this is going: the board could use the same excuse next year and the year after that and...
The vote could be close. We need to send a clear message to the board: not one more year of JROTC. Here's what you can do:
1. TUESDAY, April 21: we need a big turnout for the board meeting! It starts at 6:30 pm in the Old Central building downtown (Lake Ave & 2nd St). Get there early if you want to speak.
2. Contact members of the board and administration by email or phone.
Duluth School Board
Mary Cameron (At Large): mary.cameron@ duluth.k12. mn.us; 341-8893
Laura Condon (District 4): laura.condon@ duluth.k12. mn.us; 624-7045
Gary Glass (At Large): gary.glass@duluth. k12.mn.us; 525-2384
Tim Grover (District 3): tim.grover@duluth. k12.mn.us; 722-5961
Nancy Nilsen (At Large): nancy.nilsen@ duluth.k12. mn.us; 628-2125
Judy Seliga Punyko (District 2): Judy.SeligaPunyko@ duluth.k12. mn.us; 525-4688
Ann Wasson (District 1): ann.wasson@duluth. k12.mn.us; 728-1931
Assistant Superintendent
Joe Hill: joe.hill@duluth. k12.mn.us; 336-8739
JROTC talking points:
1. JROTC violates the independence of our educational system. We expect schools to encourage critical thinking, but as a marketing program of the US military, JROTC instills pro-military points of view about history, military spending and democracy. For example, JROTC textbooks suggest that citizenship means following the chain of command, even when we disagree. They instruct students that a huge military is necessary for our defense and that the Vietnam war was lost because the US military was "weak."
2. JROTC discriminates. The Pentagon reserves the right to vet JROTC instructors for sexual orientation and certain disabilities, meaning they are the only district employees not fully protected by state human rights law.
3. JROTC is dishonest about its motives. Peter Palen wrote in the Duluth News Tribune that JROTC "is not a recruiting activity." But his former boss, then-Secretary of State William Cohen, told Congress in 2000 that JROTC "is one of the best recruiting devices we could have." Congress and the Pentagon expect the Duluth schools to keep a minimum number of "physically fit" students enrolled in JROTC.
4. JROTC is not an effective use of community resources. JROTC costs the district an astounding $170,000/year while hardly attracting enough student interest to keep the military itself from axing it. 56 students are enrolled in JROTC this year, out of nearly 10,000 students in the district. In the face of a multi-million dollar deficit, keeping JROTC would mean that the district would have to make up the savings by slashing $170,000 from other - likely more popular - school programming.
For more information, contact the Truth in Recruiting committee at truthinrecruiting(at)riseup(dot)net or call Joel at 218-340-4356
Read more...
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Terrorism Charges Dropped Against the RNC 8
GAERTNER DROPS TERRORISM ENHANCEMENTS, CONTINUES CRIMINALIZATION OF DISSENT
April 9, 2009 Contact: Celia Kutz, press@rnc8.org, 612-886-4565
In the surest sign yet of the power of post-RNC court solidarity, Ramsey County Attorney Susan Gaertner has dropped two of four unfounded charges against the RNC 8. Caving to months and months of public pressure, Gaertner dropped one count of Conspiracy to Commit Riot in Furtherance of Terrorism, and one count of Conspiracy to Commit Criminal Damage to Property in Furtherance of Terrorism.
“We are heartened by the fact that our supporters have won this concession,” said defendant Nathanael Secor. “It’s taken a tremendous show of strength and solidarity over the past seven months.”
Originally facing a single charge–Conspiracy to Riot in Furtherance of Terrorism–Gaertner’s office added three additional charges against the eight defendants in December of last year. Now, two of those charges have been dropped, clearly demonstrating that all the charges are a matter of political maneuvering, not a reasoned look at the evidence.
On March 28, supporters delivered to Susan Gaertner’s office a stack of over 3,000 petitions urging her to drop all four charges. Among other statements, a resolution from the 17,000-member Duluth Central Labor Body in support of the RNC 8 was also delivered. National media attention, including an appearance on MSNBC on Wednesday morning, has drawn significant attention to the case at the same time as Gaertner is accelerating her campaign for Governor–having just hired full-time staffers, opened an office on University Avenue, and planned appearances at several DFL events in the next month. Additionally, the broad-based RNC 8 Defense Committee has succeeded in calling widespread attention to the Minnesota PATRIOT Act, and played an instrumental role in applying the pressure that led to this reduction of charges.
In removing the controversial MN PATRIOT Act from the debate at this moment, Susan Gaertner obviously hopes to defray the costs of this unprecedented prosecution on her campaign for Governor, and to mitigate the overwhelmingly negative public opinion of Ramsey County’s repressive behavior during and since the RNC.
“Make no mistake,” said defendant Luce Guillen-Givins, “This change to the complaint against us is a token gesture meant to placate our supporters and bolster a floundering political prosecution.”
As defendant Eryn Trimmer pointed out, “This move only focuses attention more acutely on the outrageous nature of the two remaining charges, Conspiracy to Commit Riot and Conspiracy to Commit Criminal Damage to Property.”
In the months leading up to the RNC, the defendants were involved in open, public organizing with a broad coalition of Twin Cities activists and community members. We continue to assert that the only “conspiracy” committed by the RNC 8 was to provide basic and necessary infrastructure for people who wished to engage in their fundamental right to dissent.
“We’re relieved and gratified that the most sensational part of the charges has been dropped,” said St. Paul peace and justice activist Betsy Raasch-Gilman, member of Friends of the RNC 8. She continued, “We hope that the conspiracy charges will also be dropped. If planning a protest can be called conspiracy, the right to free speech is in real danger.”
Friends of the RNC 8 asks Susan Gaertner to continue in the direction of justice by dropping all the remaining charges, thereby saving enormous financial resources for the people of Minnesota in this time of rampant foreclosures, unemployment and economic turmoil. We also remind supporters that while we should rightly celebrate this small victory, the time for increased action to defend the RNC 8 is now. Political organizing is not conspiracy. Dissent is not a crime.
Read more...
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Screening of the Anti-War Film "Madison"
Brent Notbohm, UW-Superior Associate Professor/Filmmaker, is screening his anti-war film, Madison, at the Teatro Zuccone at 222 East Superior Street in downtown Duluth this weekend (Friday, April 3rd and Saturday, April 4th). Tickets for Madison can be purchased at the door and cost $8 for adults/$6 for students and seniors.
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