Cynthia McKinney, former U.S. Congresswoman and the 2008 Green Party presidential candidate.
Adam Shapiro, documentary filmmaker, human rights activist and Palestinian rights activist. Adam was a co-founder of the ISM in Palestine. He was filming the voyage of the Arion for the Free Gaza Movement last week.
AMY GOODMAN: Former Congress member Cynthia McKinney arrived back in the United States Tuesday following her deportation from Israel. McKinney was one of 21 activists seized by the Israeli military in international waters last week as they tried to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza. Also aboard the Free Gaza boat was Nobel Peace Prize laureate Mairead Maguire. Last week’s trip was the Free Gaza movement’s first since it aborted an attempt in January after the Israeli navy threatened to shoot the civilian passengers on board. That sailing had come just weeks after an Israeli Navy vessel deliberately rammed another of its boats, almost forcing it to sink. Cynthia McKinney joins us now in Washington D.C. We are joined here at the Firehouse by Adam Shapiro. He was filming the Free Gaza trip last week. He is a Palestinian human rights activist and co-founder of the International Solidarity Movement. Both former Congress member McKinney and Adam were detained for the past week and just deported back to the United States.
Cynthia McKinney why did you go? What happened to you in the Israeli jail?
CYNTHIA McKINNEY: I went because there’s a gross injustice being carried out everyday. This is my second attempt to get into Gaza with the Free Gaza organization. And for the two times I attempted to get in, two times I have been thwarted by the Israeli military. The cause is the human rights of the Palestinian people. The world saw the operation Cast Lead where the United States supplied white phosphorus, depleted uranium, cluster bombs, DIME weapons, were rained down on the defenseless people of Gaza. Of course, we desperately wanted to get in to take humanitarian relief supplies. And both times I have tried to go with Free Gaza, they’ve been thwarted—we have been supported thwarted by the Israeli military.
AMY GOODMAN: Now were you on one of the boats that was rammed?
CYNTHIA McKINNEY: I was on the Dignity. And yes it was rammed in international waters…
AMY GOODMAN: When was this?
CYNTHIA McKINNEY: ..This was in December, just a day or so after the outbreak of Operation Cast Lead. I was contacted by Free Gaza and asked to go within 24 hours and I said, yes, I would go.
AMY GOODMAN: I wanted to play a comment made last week by Israeli government spokesperson Mark Regev who dismissed the humanitarian mission of the Free Gaza Movement.
MARK REGEV: Israel every day is allowing humanitarian support to reach the people of Gaza. Food stuffs, medicines, energy and so forth. This boat was not about that. This boat was about political activists who have been apologists for the Hamas regime who have nothing whatsoever to say about Hamas’s brutal treatment of the people of Gaza.
AMY GOODMAN: Former Congress member McKinney, your response?
CYNTHIA McKINNEY: Well, clearly, we just had a visit to Gaza by President Carter, Former President Carter. Basically, he acknowledged that with the complete and utter devastation that the people of Gaza experienced at the hands of weapons that were supplied to Israel by the United States, he said that unfortunately the Palestinians are treated worse than human beings. I challenge the Israelis to respond to what President Carter had to say.
AMY GOODMAN: Former Congress member McKinney, tell us about the jail. Were you able to reach the Obama administration while you were there?
CYNTHIA McKINNEY: Well, the jail was very interesting. In fact, the first most interesting thing I witnessed was the seemingly endless stream of people of color who are being processed as we were being processed. And on my cell block, there were women from Africa and Asia who thought they were going to Israel because Israel was the Holy Land. And many of them, not all of them, but many of them had United Nations refugee status. They have been certified by UNHCR as refugees, but what they were told as they faced the threats and intimidation from the police is that the United Nations is not in Israel.
AMY GOODMAN: Adam Shapiro, you are Palestinian rights activist long known for this. You were on the boat. You were roughed up, you were filming when the Israeli military came on board. Describe what happened.
ADAM SHAPIRO: Well, they boarded us, four zodiac ships as well as eight naval warships, they surrounded our boat and can immediately towards the wheel house where I was along with the captain and one other crew member. I was documenting the whole trip and filming as they boarded the ship. Two soldiers came after me immediately, recognizing I think that they don’t want any footage of what was happening and they don’t want the world to know how they behave. I tried to keep the camera as long as I could. But I was pummeled repeatedly in the back and arms and choked and eventually they got the camera out of my hands. They have since taken all of our tapes, all of our flashcards and all of that, so we don’t have a record to show the world of what happened on board. The rest of the time we were detained in one room of the ship as we spent the better part of six hours navigating back to an Israeli port where we were processed and ultimately jailed.
AMY GOODMAN: There was another Al-Jazeera reporter on board as well ?
ADAM SHAPIRO: There was an Al-Jazeera reporter and cameramen. They lost all of their footage and camera as well.
AMY GOODMAN: Their computer was taken?
ADAM SHAPIRO: Yes, it was taken, completely reformatted and erased. And so again, we don’t seem to have a record to show the world what happened.
AMY GOODMAN: Your response to Israeli Spokesperson Regev?
ADAM SHAPIRO: Well Mark Regev is known for his colorful descriptions of how great life is in Gaza as far as Israel is concerned. However, all of the reporting, including the most recent International Committee for the Red Cross, shows the number of trucks Israel is allowing into Gaza is completely insufficient for what is needed. And so yes, it is true, he can say Israel allows foodstuffs and medicines to get in, but two trucks a day or 20 trucks a day is far inferior to what is needed. And we have seen, since the international outcry following January’s attack has subsided the number of trucks Israel has allowed in has decreased. And so, what we are saying, Free Gaza is a humanitarian effort to bring in the kinds of medicines and foods that are needed. But the Free Gaza movement is also a political organization in the sense we are human rights organization, And human rights for Palestinians is inherently political. And we are challenging Israel politically too, and this week I think has been a success for those of us who are fighting for Palestinian rights. We were not able to get into Gaza but we have shown the world the true colors of the Israeli occupation, and the double standard by which the United States and other countries are dealing with Israel.
AMY GOODMAN: Former Congress member McKinney, we only have ten seconds. But, you’ve just been deported. What are your plans right now?
CYNTHIA McKINNEY: Well, I would like to see the children of Gaza have the coloring books and crayons that we had on board with us. I would like to see the houses that have been destroyed rebuilt. I would like to see the lives rebuilt for the people of Gaza and I would like to see the people of Palestine have, and enjoy their human rights.
AMY GOODMAN: Do you think president Obama is headed in that direction?
CYNTHIA McKINNEY: I think you can probably answer that as well as we can, because while we were in detention, the Foreign Ministry of Ireland made protests and asked the government of Israel to release its nationals, several Members of Parliament
AMY GOODMAN: …We have 5 seconds….
CYNTHIA McKINNEY: from the United Kingdom…
AMY GOODMAN: … 5 seconds….
CYNTHIA McKINNEY: …also wanted to censure Israel. Nothing from the United States.
AMY GOODMAN: Cynthia McKinney, Adam Shapiro, Thank you so much. I’m Amy Goodman. Thanks for joining us.
monte letourneau WIGP CC, GPUS NC Delegate http://montesite.net ———- Forwarded message ———- From: Marnie Glickman <marnie@greenchange.com> Date: Wed, Sep 16, 2009 at 11:28 PM Subject: [usgp-dx] Get Rev. Billy Talen on Bill Maher To: USGP Discussion
Dear Green friends,
I don’t watch TV. And I don’t own one. But there is a TV host I’m hearing a few good things about — Bill Maher.
In June, Bill Maher asked, “Shouldn’t there be one party that unambiguously supports cutting the military budget, a party that is straight up in favor of gun control, gay marriage, higher taxes on the rich, universal health care — legalizing pot — and steep, direct taxing of polluters?… what we need is an actual progressive party to represent the millions of Americans who aren’t being served by the Democrats.”
Let’s introduce Bill Maher — and his national audience — to Reverend Billy Talen, the Green Party candidate for mayor of New York City.
Rev. Billy is an eloquent spokesperson for the Green movement. He’s smart, dynamic and hilarious too.
Going live again starting @ 9:00 AM Jul 24, at this posting the channel is revisiting streams from the last year or so.
Live broadcast started today around 1:30 PM Jul 23 from Durham NC, and went quite well for an unrehearsed roll out by mostly complete noobs.
Today there was more foreground discussion of technical difficulty than there was technical difficulty, but i expect that will improve greatly tomorrow. Starlene Rankin, Craig Seeman, and several others did a fine job showing just how easy it could be to make it work despite not having done it before.
Over the weekend there will be speeches, workshops, and forums:
On Saturday afternoon at 3:00 pm, Cynthia McKinney will speak about her recent efforts, with the Free Gaza Movement and Viva Palestina, to bring medical and other supplies to Gaza in the wake of Israel’s brutal invasion. Ms. McKinney and other Free Gaza human rights activists were aboard the Spirit of Humanity when it was seized by Israeli gunboats. The ‘Free Gaza 21,’ including Ms. McKinney, were held in a prison in Ramla, Israel, until their release last week http://gp.org/press/pr-national.php?ID=234;
The Green Party will present a public forum on the need for a single-Payer health care funding system on Friday, July 24 from 3:30-4:30 pm http://gp.org/press/pr-national.php?ID=236;
Green candidates and officeholders will be speaking, like former Green Party presidential candidate Jesse Johnson, who will be presenting a film “Coal Country” addressing the horrors of mountaintop removal in coal mining.
Some of us already have high hopes that this will lead to a more open, inclusive, and transparent future for the GPUS, and that other nationals and state parties will follow the lead to broadcast internationally once it’s simplicity and effectiveness are shown.
If you get bored waiting for the cameras and action to move from location to location read the new issue of Green Pages, the official publication of record of the Green Party of the United States, while you wait @ Green Pages, Vol. 13, No. 1 – http://gp.org/greenpages-blog
Get the real story, delete the middleman, make your own new!
27 January 2010
With our new two year cycle it will soon be time to address new proposals that are too late for the Feb 15th deadline.
Next year we will be accepting new proposals,
So state parties have only one year left to do a good job proposing amendments for next cycle.
Even with this deadline so close, it is still more important to me to build a list of state liaisons.
Liaisons will contact and list those interested in helping write or amend amendment proposals,
so that proposals can be brought to the table, and negotiated, in a more timely and effective way next cycle.
We need at least one member in each state party to be PlatCom Liaison
[each member state must have at least one "delegate" to the Platform amendment process in order to be effectively represented
(representation of a caucus, committee, or non member state, is at the very least available through a supportive member state)].
Liaisons will need to keep record of those interested in drafting proposals from their state
and those with authoritative experience consulted by the state party,
shepherd the proposal through the process,
and negotiate in behalf of their state’s proposals.
The only requirement for a liaison is
that the state party find a way to trust them with it’s representation
and interest them in the work.
We are working now to identify which states still need liaisons, and to list those who are liaisons,
so we can help individuals with an interest to find out who they need to be working with.
If you or someone you know has an interest in drafting a proposal and do not know your liaison,
it is at this point likely it should be you.
By the end of 2010 every NC delegate, state steering person, and person interested in amending the Platform,
should know who their state liaison(s) is.
Becoming, or finding, a liaison is more important than proposing an amendment, at least for this cycle.
I expect to focus my efforts on this for the rest of this cycle,
So it seems I am your “go to” for any questions, names, or ideas (@ geanark@gmail.com ).
In only one year we will already be open for submissions again.
This cycle our schedule is compressed, and there is not much time for each step.
Next year the process will be open to input for a much longer time.
Hopefully next time some amendment proposals and liaison infrastructure will be ready ahead of time,
and we then can have some real fun hammering out, in a more widely participated in environment,
an even more awesomer document for the POTUS delegates to vote on.
If you are under the impression you may be your state’s go to on platform proposals,
or if you think you know who it should be, please contact me, (@ geanark@gmail.com ),
or someone like Holly Hart, also on the committee, who can fwd you to me.
As soon we get a preliminary list it will go up on PlatCom’s site somewhere prominent i’m sure.
Please help put this call out to your state party members whenever possible.
in service, monte letourneau – WIGP CC, GPUS NC Delegate
also@http://montesite.net & http://geanark.posterous.com/
Contacts: Scott McLarty, Media Coordinator, 202-518-5624, cell 202-904-7614, mclarty@greens.org Starlene Rankin, Media Coordinator, 916-995-3805, starlene@gp.org
Global Greens statement on Colombian presidential candidate Antanas Mockus, possible first Green Party head of state
• Colombian election day is May 30; polls have placed Mockus in the lead
WASHINGTON, DC — Global Greens Coordination has issued a statement on the possible victory of Green Party Antanas Mockus in the upcoming Colombian presidential election on Sunday, May 30. Polls have shown Mr. Mockus leading in his race against Juan Manuel Santos of the ruling ‘U’ Party.
The first round of the elections will take place on May 30, with a runoff election on the June 20 if no candidate achieves a majority.
The Global Greens Coordination ((http://www.globalgreens.org/ggc/ggc_homepage) is the coordinating body of the Global Greens, representing more than 80 green parties from around the world. The Green Party of the United States is a participating member.
Greens worldwide celebrated a victory earlier in May, when Caroline Lucas became the first Green Party member ever elected to Parliament in the United Kingdom, representing Brighton Pavilion.
* * *
Declaration of the Global Green Coordination regarding the presidential election campaign of the Colombian Green Party and its candidate Antanas Mockus
The Global Green Coordination representing more than 80 green parties from around the world, greets the surging campaign for the upcoming presidential elections being conducted by the Colombian Green Party and its candidate Antanas Mockus. The spectacular support they are receiving opens a completely new and promising perspective for this country, delivering hope to overcome the dominating violence, corruption and social injustice. We call on the Colombian electorate to vote for Antanas Mockus and the proposals of the Colombian Green Party.
Antanas Mockus as President would mean putting an end to the eight years of the Uribe government, marked by failure to respect the constitution, stressing often a militaristic approach to resolve conflicts, contributing to intensify regional tensions, tolerating a high level of corruption and the maintenance of an unacceptable level of poverty despite the economic growth achieved by the country.
The election of Antanas Mockus would open the possibility of setting a new course based on moderation, strict enforcement of the constitution, citizen’s participation, honesty, respect for human rights, job creation and the emergence of new opportunities for young people including a determined effort to improve the education system, which is a key to the future of the country. At the same time, electing Antanas Mockus would help to relegate to the past the artificial tensions which have characterized relations between Colombia and neighboring countries in recent years.
Greens worldwide will be following closely this electoral process and will put pressure on the institutions in which we are represented as well as on the governments of our countries in order to ensure that the democratic and honest nature of the electoral contest is fully respected by the Colombian Government. We hope that all parties refrain from the temptation to manipulate or violate the free and democratic elections that the country deserves. These elections can and should become a model of democracy and an example for everyone.
Once again we would like to call the people of this great country of Colombia to support the perspective that Antanas Mockus and the Green Party are offering to the voters: his proposals open the way to a better future for all Colombians and a unique chance for peace and hope.
The members of the Global Green Coordination
Note: The first round of the Colombian presidential elections will be on 30 May, with a runoff election on the 20 June if no candidate gains a majority. For more information about the Green Party in Colombia: http://www.partidoverde.org.co (Español).
Currently i still feel many of us are “talking” past each other,
but we are consistently increasingly on the same page.
I still have a sense that the vast majority of the GPUS basically agrees on how to do things,
down to the content of the platform by and large,
and trust that the NC will find a way to articulate that in voting for good proposals.
As i have come to see the GPUS NC, as it currently is, as un-poll-able,
excepting putting a proposal in que for formal vote,
i come increasingly to believe many votes should fail,
and many more should be tuned up and brought back around frequently,
in one form or another, until we have found something
approaching (albeit barely) optimum.
Unfortunately, in a personal sense i seldom vote against the imperfect,
and prefer to vote for what i believe is considered near consensus.
The rise of hierarchy is due to the fact
that consensus does not work well on the battlefield.
In this era the battlefield is an electronic one,
supporting broad consensus and more diverse and distributed visions and decisions.
Electronic means can bring the responsiveness of hierarchy to consensual decision making.
We can build the tools to embody such self governance in GPUS bodies,
we can proof them out and graft them onto US “democracy” as law,
when it gets us elected…
While we do, the corps(es) will be building similar toolage,
people will more frequently expect to join in governance council,
in the “private” sphere.
None of this will change the core dynamic of consensus.
No matter who he is, or what he has done,
Sitting Bull must still go sit for days at the fire of Red Cloud’s clan
many times before he is ready to call for Grand Council.
One must work out the issues between one’s clan and any others,
and eliminate faction and discord in the nation,
then find the favored plan and means of major clans and elders,
then work to forge a plan that all can consent to.
Then one goes to council with one’s nation.
Lacking leisurely time to react to the changes we have wrought,
we at this point can only be jealous of the ancient practices,
before kings, priests, soldiers, and guns.
Telephones, TV, Radio, the papers,
we have become inured to the idea that mass media
is either one on one, or one to many.
The email list is no camp fire, we must find better ways,
but until we do, any elder must still go to the camp of his competitor,
and find a way to caress his ear with what he wants to hear.
However, we do increasingly have the means to create the electronic clan fire,
and we do not have much time to do it.
We all know this, but as individuals we all keep forgetting.
The process as we have come to expect it is unwieldy,
and we are far from helpless to fix it.
Until then, patience will remain it’s own reward in these matters.
If you’re hankering to see a mess of progressives, and recently former Dems, who are seriously looking at alternatives to voting for Obama, check out the comments on any one of many articles posted Sept. 2-3 at CommonDreams.org.
These first two are defiantly rife with mentions of, and opportunities to mention, the Green Party; I commented profusely on the first one:
Odds are you will find many more articles with comments expressing similar sentiments, the following might be a great place to start, the sentiments quoted below seemed much more common in the above articles:
Today We Risk Arrest for Justice; Tomorrow We Organize for It Letter from Young People at the Tar Sands Action by Young Climate Activists http://www.commondreams.org/view/2011/09/02-5 “No votes for any Democrat in the 2012 election, not a local or state or federal level. NO INCUMBENTS either. We’ve seen that trust got us.” “By the way I think voting for the Green Party candidate for president makes more sense than not voting.”
I stressed organizing, voting, mesplay.org, and gp.org, see what you can find to comment upon.
Green Party Candidates’ videos can be found on YouTube.com, this is by no means an exhaustive list.
Please share these videos with those who have not had a chance to hear these candidates speak.
The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) condemns
the Israeli naval commandeering of a ship carrying humanitarian
supplies to the besieged territory of Gaza. Please sign this online petition @:
Here is the message that we are going to append:
On June 30th, 2009, the Israeli navy attacked, boarded, and captured the humanitarian aid ship,
the SPIRIT OF HUMANITY while it was in international waters, heading toward the Port of Gaza.
The Isreali navy kidnapped the SPIRIT OF HUMANITY’s 21 crew and passengers, including former
U.S. Congresswoman, Cynthia McKinney and Irish Nobel Peace Laurate, Mairead Maguire.
Please take action to call for the release of these brave humanitarian aid workers who were trying to
deliver medical supplies, humanitarian aid, and children’s toys to the people of Gaza who are
still suffering from the consequences of Israel’s deadly assault in December 2008/January 2009.
Some of the sites below allow comments, they are marked COMMENTS, please do, as much as possible.
Please also consider signing up for social bookmarking sites and clicking the buttons that allow one
to post to Digg.com and other such sites, where you can also share your comments.
We just received a report that Cynthia refused to sign a deportation order which
contained a statement that she violated the Israeli blockade.
The US Embassy said that Israeli law requires that inmates who refuse to sign a
deportation must be kept in jail for 3 days before they are sent away.
By this measure, It will be Sunday before we know when and if she will leave Israel.
Don DeBar
July 2, at 1:33am
Cynthia McKinney was able to get a call out to a colleague, Don Debar,
she sends a message that she is fine, keep calling, faxing and emailing.
Keep protesting, too! She is being held at the Ramle Prison in Israel…
she has seen an attorney today provided by Free Gaza.
She had no information on any of the 21 being released.
Mairead Maguire is possibly being held or detained somewhere else.
FREE the FREE GAZA 21!
Demand that Israel return the ship along with the DANGEROUS CARGO–CRAYONS!
“We were in international waters on a boat delivering humanitarian aid to people in Gaza when the
Israeli Navy ships surrounded us and illegally threatened us, dismantled our navigation
equipment, boarded and confiscated the ship.
John Judge (Press Secretary during the 2008 campaign) sent this tonight:
I just got a call from former Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney from inside
an Israeli prison at Ramale where she and 20 other humanitarian aid workers from
9 different countries are still being held by Israeli authorities.
US Embassy officials have spoken to Ms. McKinney and are aware of the situation.
Four of the group are US citizens. Among them is Mairead Maguire, from Ireland,
a Nobel laureate and renowned peace activist. They have named themselves the
“Free Gaza 21.” They are demanding their release.
All those aboard were taken off the ship and into custody, and brought into Israel
and imprisoned. Immigration officials in Israel said they did not want to keep them,
but they remain imprisoned.
State Department and White House Officials have not effected their release or taken a
strong public stance to condemn the illegal actions of the Israeli Navy, enforcing a
blockade of humanitarian assistance that has been condemned by President Obama.
Green Party: President Obama and the US State Dept. must demand release of Cynthia
McKinney and 20 other human rights activists on Free Gaza relief boat seized by
Israeli gunboats – 2009-06-30 Washington, DC http://www.gp.org/press/pr-national.php?ID=230
Barghouthi condemns Israeli attack on Free Gaza ship
Cynthia McKinney Demands Immediate Release After Her Gaza-Bound Boat is Seized by Israeli Navy
Former U.S. lawmaker and Green Party leader Cynthia McKinney, a longtime activist for the Palestinians,
says her boat, the Spirit of Humanity, was carrying medical supplies, cement, olive trees and
children’s toys to Gaza when it was seized by an Israeli navy ship.
Cynthia McKinney Aboard Boat Headed for Gaza, Intercepted by Israeli Naval Force
The ex-congresswoman and long-time activist for the Palestinians was among a group of individuals turned back after their boat tried to enter Israeli waters in an attempt to land in Gaza to distribute medical supplies.
FOXNews.com – Tuesday, December 30, 2008 http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2008/12/30/mckinney-aboard-boat-headed-gaa-intercepted-israeli-naval-force/
Israeli Navy takes control of aid boat headed for Gaza
Small ferry carrying medical supplies that set sail from Cyprus Monday with
21 peace activists, medical supplies intercepted off Strip’s shore;
passengers say army jammed boat’s radio signals
Ali Waked, Anat Shalev – 06.30.09, 16:18 / Israel News
Collateral damage? – AlJazeeraEnglish – Inside Story – 30 June 09
Details of the Human Rights Watch Study “Precisely Wrong” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWYkGFuDpOk
COMMENTS
Richard Goldstone and UN delegates hear testimonies of
Gaza Strip residents as part of UN Human Rights Council’s
investigation of Operation Cast Lead. According to Goldstone,
goal of hearing is to bring story of victims to world -06.30.09, 21:33
Gazan police struggle to operate after the war – 2 Feb 09
“about 120 (police) were killed on the first day of air strikes”
“lately we have been targeted” “specifically targeted”
“the central jail has been flattened”
(Israel blows up jails and police stations first,
then holds them responsible for not stopping the rocket attacks) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWYkGFuDpOk http://www.youtube.com/user/AlJazeeraEnglish
I thought i had some pretty good pics this evening.
but those damn greens are an active lot, they keep moving.
Sometimes it was me:outside smoking, hard to get a shot from this far.
Most times it was everyone else.
too late, bad photographer; left to right now:
George Martin, with Peace Action, and our great and benevolent old guard apparatchik, is already going.
Winston Sephus Jr, is a good state Treasurer candidate, (like the rest he’s aware movement doesn’t photo well).
Bob Levis, working to replace Sensenbrenner, all the way off stage already.
Leon Todd, for Lt Governor, face ablur.
Rae Vogler, doing quite well against Kohl, but you can hardly tell from this pic.
Claude VanderVeen, running for the 7th State Senate seat, looks like he’s thinking, but he always does.
Ruthie, invaluable Co-Chair of… too many committees, is definately gonna be in motion.
Before i can snap another even Liz (yet another one of our army of overpaid professional cadre), will also be to moving too fast for my cheap camera to capture.
Thought i had some good ones of Rae, but this is the best result here, you can almost see the charm, charisma, and command of the issues that make her such a good candidate, but that stuff doesn’t even photo well even when she’s not all blurry.
ditto ..3, other side of mike stand, between them these two shots have a neat symetricality…
Aaahh, i have one of both George and Rae standing still, i like to get the behind the scenes, but this one says nothing.
all it says is hey, look at all the cool Cuban rum Rick brought, and salmon, behind Rae! and look how high the ceiling is.
It says it clearly however.
Ahh, Winston and Bob stand still for me…
no, wait, everyone’s actually moving still.
Here we have my favorite, a large swarm consisting of much of our statewide horde of operatives, standing, listening, i think they were even trying to help me get a good shot.
but that one there just can’t stop being such an activist, you should see George dance, man!
L2R again:
Claude VanderVeen thoughtful guy for 7th dist. State Senate.
George Martin, dances for Peace Action Wisconsin, United for Peace & Justice, coalition generally, and well, Peace.
Marc Sanson, Rae’s campaign manager, pondering his candidates words.
Ruth looking thoughtful too.
Gee, i guess they do stand still sometimes.
Must think, communicate, reach consensus, then act.
but moving much of the time, activists are active!
well, at least as active as i’m gonna get.
While the main thing we could learn from this is that a good photographer doesn’t go outside for a smoke during the climatic photo op,
but there’s the other lesson too:
For more proof that greens are too active to capture, we flashback to Radfest:
Here we have two candidates and myself.
On the left is Nelson Eisman, running for Governor, with David Cobb, our last presidential candidate, in the center.
Even though the three of us are holding each other up, we still can’t stand quite still.
So it is that David, the old hand, gave out some good candidate advice,
well, for the likes of me good anyway.
He said that a candidate should always make sure to occasionally hold a pose, or more importantly, just be still, so that everyone will get a good shot of that moment.
I somewhat caught Nelson reacting too actively to the concept itself,
while Dave practises…
Our hordes of fanactic secret cadre watch studiously, calculating, absorbing like blank slate sponges.
David does it some more, but wait, everyone is being still here.
Well as our dictatorial head muck a muck, and presidential loser…
well, when he speaks the cadre must slavishly listen.
but wait, whats this??
This young man is speaking quite activly, and is currently in motion
empatically pulling the trigger on those in the crowd…
i wish i could remember the young man’s name.
He was laying down the most powerful of raps at a police brutallity rally earlier in the summer.
and here’s George quite in motion.
hmmmm have we learned something here today boys and girls?
something about the sun, even overcast and in shade, being better at capturing the activist than lifeless indoor bulbs.
We had some fun tonight, Rae was charming in her new (to me) haircut, and i learned even better how not to photograph.
Earlier Leon, Bob, Chris, Chad, and myself were at the UWM student union for a green fair.
Then later Chad signed on as primary contact with GPUWM, and Chris Doering is aboard.
Now we need two more, of the 6 of us, to sign up by mon afternoon.
We also found out GPUWM has accumulated a 318$ budget!!
now maybe we should figure out how to spend it
agenda item number 1? anyone?
I CONSIDER MYSELF A CONSENSUS,
OF SEVERAL LEVELS OF EVOLUTION AND BRAIN STRUCTURE
the bi-cameral/hemispheric minds
THE EGO IS A SENSORY INTERFACE ILLUSION,
IT IS SO NOT REALLY THERE
there is never really an i,
it is always really we
we keep it in the back of our “subconscious” those things we have chosen to forget
no one is really ever alone in there, anywhere, anytime
and all states are available to the mind of that self,
that are availble to any component
just so’s y’all can lump me in whatever box of ideas you need me to fit in:
besides being a dedicated and active Green Party activist,
though far to lazy and forgetful for my ‘leadership’ positions;
i also think the following are quite likely:
war always sucks,
but virtual war is rocking good fun,
when you get to take a break and live now and then
high levels of US ‘defense’ and ‘administration’ were involved,
at the very least, in not preventing 911,
certain individuals more so than bureacraticity can explain
we have passed peak oil, deal with it
“burning petroleum for fuel is like burning money for heat” ?Mendeleev
Hugo Chavez is the best single being to happen to the Americas since Simon Bolivar
in this stead he, like Bolivar, is more than a man, he embodies
the progressive compromise with capital, and military hierarchy, but just barely, movement
Anarkik being is all about organization, consensus, and democracy
mob rule is man with big stick rule, chaos does not organize
anarks rule selves collective, organize is only way to do so leaderless
if you are not an anark,
consider it the next time your movement is beheaded
by assasination, or co-opted by excess capital accumulation
it happens every time it matters
the reductionist, determinist, absolutest, inhuman assumptions of the culture of ownership,
esp. as it pertains to communal industrial capital
and it’s control by very few for very selfish prosaic and combative reasons,
has no real human rationale, nor has it ever fit the needs or realities of the majority of humans,
much less other fellow inhabitants of earth
way too much collateral damage occurs every day in Iraq,
our school budgets, our hearts, our minds, our liberties, and our relations,
colatteral human damage from the war is just about everywhere touched by the dollar or english speakers
the most important capital can not be owned,
human imagination is a wage,
it must be earned hourly, and must be fed daily
whatch this space, this is a short list now,
but i have a long list of additions already in mind
A Few Thoughts on the Coup in Honduras – Jeremy Scahill Junne 29, 2009 “Rebel Reports” –
There is a lot of great analysis circulating on the military coup against Manuel Zelaya in Honduras.
I do not see a need to re-invent the wheel. (See hereherehere and here). However, a few key things
jump out at me. First, we know that the coup was led by Gen. Romeo Vasquez, a graduate of the
US Army School of the Americas. As we know very well from history, these “graduates” maintain ties to
the US military as they climb the military career ladders in their respective countries.
That is a major reason why the US trains these individuals.
Secondly, the US has a fairly significant military presence in Honduras.
Joint Task Force-Bravo is located at Soto Cano Air Base, Honduras.
The base is home to some 550 US military personnel and more than 650 US and Honduran civilians:
They work in six different areas including the Joint Staff, Air Force Forces (612th Air Base Squadron),
Army Forces, Joint Security Forces and the Medical Element. 1st Battalion, 228th Aviation Regiment,
a US Army South asset, is a tenant unit also based at Soto Cano.
The J-Staff provides command and control for JTF-B.
The New York Times reports that “The unit focuses on training Honduran military forces, counternarcotics
operations, search and rescue, and disaster relief missions throughout Central America.”
Significantly, according to GlobalSecurity, “Soto Cano is a Honduran military installation and home of the Honduran Air Force.”
This connection to the Air Force is particularly significant given this report in NarcoNews:
The head of the Air Force, Gen. Luis Javier Prince Suazo, studied in the School of the Americas in 1996.
The Air Force has been a central protagonist in the Honduran crisis.
When the military refused to distribute the ballot boxes for the opinion poll, the ballot boxes were stored
on an Air Force base until citizens accompanied by Zelaya rescued them.
Zelaya reports that after soldiers kidnapped him, they took him to an Air Force base,
where he was put on a plane and sent to Costa Rica.
It is impossible to imagine that the US was not aware that the coup was in the works.
In fact, this was basically confirmed by The New York Times in Monday’s paper:
As the crisis escalated, American officials began in the last few days to talk with Honduran government
and military officials in an effort to head off a possible coup. A senior administration official,
who briefed reporters on the condition of anonymity, said the military broke off those discussions on Sunday.
While the US has issued heavily-qualified statements critical of the coup
—in the aftermath of the events in Honduras—the US could have flexed its tremendous economic muscle
before the coup and told the military coup plotters to stand down.
The US ties to the Honduran military and political establishment run far too deep for all of this to have gone
down without at least tacit support or the turning of a blind eye by some US political or military official(s).
Here are some facts to consider: the US is the top trading partner for Honduras.
The coup plotters/supporters in the Honduran Congress are supporters of the “free trade agreements”
Washington has imposed on the region.
The coup leaders view their actions, in part, as a rejection of Hugo Chavez’s influence in Honduras and with
Zelaya and an embrace of the United States and Washington’s “vision” for the region. Obama and the
US military could likely have halted this coup with a simple series of phone calls.
For an interesting take on all of this, make sure to check out Nikolas Kozloff’s piece on Counterpunch, where he writes:
In November, Zelaya hailed Obama’s election in the U.S. as “a hope for the world,” but just two months
later tensions began to emerge. In an audacious letter sent personally to Obama, Zelaya accused the
U.S. of “interventionism” and called on the new administration in Washington to respect the principle
of non-interference in the political affairs of other nations.
Here are some independent news sources on this story: School of the Americas Watch NarcoNews
Eva Golinger’s Postcards from the Revolution
ALBA representatives reaffirm support to Hondura`s Legitimate Government http://mathaba.net/news/?x=620928
(the Bolivarian Alliance of the Peoples of Our America)
Much has been going on in Honduras this month leading up to this,
from a recent coup attempt (ablove), to an Earthquake, an OAS meeting,
and two important futball games.
Now, what we’re going to do is put the government and the structure of the state
at the service of the Salvadoran people–the totality of the Salvadoran people-
-but fundamentally, of that great majority who are oppressed and excluded from
the country’s social and economic development. [The people who for]
not just the last twenty years but for last 200 years or more
have not had the possibility of participating in the formation of public policies.
A government like the one I’m going to create will give them the protagonist’s role,
which, until now, they have not had.”
Mauricio Funes http://www.thenation.com/doc/20090330/lovato?rel=hp_picks
The Nation magazine is running an interview (following) with Mauricio Funes,
elected a few days ago to be the first leftist president of El Salvador.
Most leftists in the world question his identifying with “the left,”
as he appears to be quite conservative. But make no mistake,
the progressive community of the world sees this victory as a step up for El Salvador,
which has been ruled by extremely brutal right wing fascists for a long time –Jack
A Conversation with Mauricio Funes
By Roberto Lovato & Josue Rojas
On March 15, the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN)
became the first leftist party to clinch a presidential election in the history of El Salvador.
By 10 pm, it became clear to Salvadorans and to the world that the former guerrillas
had ended more than 130 years of oligarchy and military rule
over this Central American nation of 7 million.
In the streets, thousands of red-shirted sympathizers chanted “¡Si Se Pudo!” (Yes, We Could),
while they celebrated the victory of the FMLN’s Mauricio Funes.
Funes captured 51 percent of the vote, to 49 percent cast for Rodrigo Avila of the Nationalist Republican Alliance party, which had been in power for twenty years.
Though Funes, a former journalist, is the best-known Salvadoran on his country’s TV networks,
he is little known outside the region.
Thanks to a collaboration between The Nation and New America Media (NAM),
reporters Roberto Lovato and Josue Rojas had the opportunity to interview
El Salvador’s next president on the night of his election.
What follows is an excerpt from this interview with Funes, who addressed numerous issues:
the meaning of his presidency, El Salvador’s relationship with the United States,
immigration and other domestic and foreign policy concerns.
Immigration has become one of the defining issues of the US-El Salvador relationship.
How will your administration’s approach to this issue differ from that of the outgoing Saca administration?
The fact that we’re going to rebuild the democratic institutions-
-enforce the constitution and make of El Salvador a democratic state that respects the rule of law-
-is the best guarantee to the United States that we will significantly reduce the flows of out-migration.
Salvadorans who leave to go the United States do so because of the institutional abandonment,
the lack of employment and dignified ways to make a living.
This forces them to leave in search of new possibilities in the US.
It’s not the same for us to ask the US government to renew TPS [temporary legalization]
without a Salvadoran effort to avoid further migration flows,
as to do so from a position in which we have undertaken efforts to reduce the migration flows.
What’s the first message you’d like to send to President Obama?
The message that I would like to send to President Obama
is that I will not seek alliances or accords with other heads of state from the southern part of the continent
who will jeopardize my relationship with the government of the United States.
Opinion polls in El Salvador indicate that large majorities of its citizens reject key policies that define,
in many ways, the relationship between El Salvador and the United States,
specifically CAFTA, dollarization and the Iraq war.
What will your approach be to these issues?
We can’t get mixed up in repealing CAFTA…nor can we reverse dollarization,
because that would send a negative message to foreign investors,
and then we’d be facing serious problems because we wouldn’t have enough investment to stimulate the national economy.
What do you think the United States government should be concerned about with regard to El Salvador at this time?
To the degree that we do our part, which is to rebuild our productive capacity
and to create a coherent social policy that improves the quality of life,
there will be fewer reasons to leave for the US and we’ll reduce migration flows.
And that should be a concern for the US.
Where will the effects of the transition in power be felt most immediately?
We’re going to change the way we make policy.
And one of the most significant changes is that we will no longer have a government
at the service of a privileged few.
And we will no longer have a government that creates an economy of privileges for the privileged.
Now, we need a government like the one envisioned by [Archbishop of El Salvador] Óscar Arnulfo Romero,
who, in his prophetic message, said that the church should have a preferential option for the poor.
Paraphrasing Monseñor Romero, I would say that this government should have preferential option for the poor,
for those who need a robust government to get ahead and to be able to compete in this world
of disequilibrium under fair conditions.
This government implies a break from traditional policy-making.
Now, what we’re going to do is put the government and the structure of the state at the service of the Salvadoran people-
-the totality of the Salvadoran people-
-but fundamentally, of that great majority who are oppressed
and excluded from the country’s social and economic development.
[The people who for] not just the last twenty years but for last 200 years or more
have not had the possibility of participating in the formation of public policies.
A government like the one I’m going to create will give them the protagonist’s role,
which, until now, they have not had.
how to get involved locally in a campaign (would need some help with this one to do it penultimately)
summary of candidates and their positions
future convergence of corp and machine and the need for a more consensual, human, sustainable governace machine
universal spiritual needs and rights and recognition of them in the context of the needs creating the green movement and being expressed thereby, the question of the party’s roles, issues, responsibilities, and limitations, especially as individuals
outside smoking, hard to get a shot from this far.
