Monday, May 2, 2011

I'm not the Deather by Cindy Sheehan



"The goal of modern propaganda is no longer to transform opinion but to arouse an active and mythical belief."
Jacques Ellul, philosopher

Class, let’s review what Barack (Nobel Peace Laureate) has done since achieving the office of POTUS:
On day three, he ordered his first drone bombing strike in the tribal regions of North Pakistan thus murdering a reported 36 civilians. Since that day, the US has used this tactic of abject terror 192 more times resulting in hundreds of civilian deaths. In the four years the Bush stain used this tactic of terror it was used 43 times. In this area, Obama is definitely an overachiever.
Let’s stay with Afghanistan—Obama has tripled troop strength there, and according to justforeignpolicy.org, since Obama has taken office, 910 us troops have been killed in Afghanistan, compared to 575 in seven years that Bush was president. Now, don’t get me wrong, I am not defending the Bush Stain, I am just pointing out that in some aspects that of Obama is far worse.
He promised during his campaign that if he were elected POTUS, he would “end the war in Iraq.” He even said, “You can take that to the bank.” What we don’t know is if that was one of the banks that failed since the bailouts began in 2008, with Obama’s avid support.
Well, troop strength in Iraq is down, while almost 6000 Americans are working at the embassy in Baghdad that is 104 acres huge. Does it seem like we are leaving Iraq any time soon and what do we need an embassy the size of Vatican City in a country that we supposedly are in the process of leaving?
Besides Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, the Nobel Laureate has started a new bombing war in Libya where the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (drones) is also happening. The day before Osama bin Laden was allegedly killed by US Navy SEALS, the UN/NATO/US violated the “no fly zone” by going out of it to Tripoli and killing one of Qaddafi’s sons and three of his grandchildren. Is that the plan, there? Bloomberg News (not exactly a leftwing source) says that “thousands” have been killed since the bombing campaign two months ago and hundreds of thousands have fled the country. Obama, like Bush before him, is a disgusting “Deather,” but if one doesn’t believe someone who has already lied about so many things that makes one a “Deather?”
The Bush/Obama freak show didn’t invent using “convenient” enemies, nor did it invent killing hundreds of thousands of innocent people exploiting these enemies. It’s not that I don’t believe Obama about Osama because he’s Obama, I don’t believe him because he is just one in along line of butt-naked Emperors.
It was widely reported and ridiculed today that I don’t believe that Osama bin Laden is dead and that makes me a “Deather.” I guess this slur is a riff on the “Birther” movement that claims that the current POTUS was not born in the US and therefore is not qualified to be in office—I think the Birther movement is a ruse and distraction from the real issues, as is OBL’s latest death.
First of all, I find it cute that the Lamestream media is reading my Facebook wall and reporting it as “news.” That’s almost as ridiculous as reporting what Obama said on Sunday evening as “news.” The only proof of Osama being dead again that we were offered was Obama telling us that there was a DNA match between the man killed by the Navy SEALS and OBL. Even if it is possible to get DNA done so quickly, and the regime did have bin Laden DNA lying around a lab somewhere--where is the empirical proof? I read one analysis where a wagging tongue said we know because "people who know" have told us. Now we don't actually have to see proof? So we just accept the words as proof? Here’s some more food for thought—one doesn’t have to be dead to have a DNA test done. They don’t kill deadbeat dads to prove paternity, do they?
Another thing we were told without any proof, other than Obama saying so, is that Osama bin Laden was hastily buried at sea to conform to Islam. A). Islam does not encourage burial at sea. B) Where is the video? In this day and age, one would think the Empire would want to be very careful about proving its case. C) The nearest Sea is hundreds of miles away from Islamabad where OBL was allegedly killed again. D). Islam DOES NOT say “within 24 hours” it just says, as soon as possible. E) When did this Empire ever care about Islam? Look up Dr. Aafia Siddiqui and how her religious sensibilities were/are assaulted—then look at the photos from Abu Ghraib, or recall the Koran being flushed down the toilet.
Then after the US put out a photo-shopped picture of the “dead” OBL, it was quickly proven and reported to be a fraud. The White House responded to this exposure claiming that it didn’t release the “real photo” because it was too “grisly.” The Empire thinks you and I are stupid—and it is sad that many of us are.
Secondly (from my “first of all” above), I never said anywhere, not even on my Facebook Wall, that I don’t think Osama bin Laden is dead—this is just another smokescreen. I said that I don’t believe the story that protruded from the evil collusion of the Empire and its toady Lamestream media like a cancerous mole that has metastasized to the size of a grapefruit. Like I told Anderson Cooper in August of 2005, “reporting” is not regurgitating the spiel of the Emperor or his spokesliar.
I have written over and over on my Facebook wall since this whole farce began that, even though I don’t believe one word of the story yesterday, there are many things that OBL could be, but being killed yesterday by Navy SEALS was not one of them.
FACT: Osama bin Laden and al Qaida were constructs of     the CIA.
FACT: The US armed the Mujahadeen and the CIA trained it during its resistance against the occupation and violence of the USSR.
FACT: OBL NEVER claimed responsibility for 9/11.
FACT: The Taliban was willing to extradite him to a neutral third country after 9/11, if the US showed proof that he was guilty of “masterminding” 9/11. The US refused and commenced bombing.
FACT: Any of the wealthy, Saudi, bin Laden family that was in the US on 9/12/2001, was flown out of the country, although all other flights were grounded.
FACT: Benazir Bhutto, Pakistani politician and hardly a wild-eyed radical told David Frost in an interview dated November 2, 2007, that Osama had already been murdered.
FACT: Up until May 2nd, 2011, the supposed new death day of OBL, the FBI didn’t even list him as one of the Ten Most Wanted for 9/11—hmmm, interesting?
FACT: The US admits to presenting a fake photograph of the dead again OBL to the world.
FACT: Millions of people are dead, displaced, wounded, tortured, imprisoned, or heartbroken since 9/11/2001, and the perpetrators of these crimes, the Bush Stain, are running around freely, arrogantly, and wrongly.
Why would the president who can pronounce “nuclear” boldly lie to the world (again) about the US’s convenient enemy? Because the distraction of the Royal Wedding is over and Obama’s policies were beginning to reek? Even people who chastised me for being against the humanitarian bombing of civilians in Libya were starting to come around.
The economy is in the toilet and partially due to the new US misadventure in the oil producing world, we are paying four-dollars plus per gallon for fuel. The ongoing Fukushima disaster is too scary for us to think about so we needed something to be jingoistic over and to buy Chinese made American flags so we could wave them wildly while dancing in the streets?
Many wagging tongues have exulted over the fact that this “triumph” assures Obama’s reelection in 2012—I guess that means that A) He won’t need to raise the one billion dollars his campaign is seeking, and B) The new re-killing of OBL was Obama's campaign kick-off.
I am disgusted beyond belief that the persons responsible for my sons death are being protected by Obama’s DOJ, but I am freaking amazed that everyone doesn’t automatically sprinkle a healthy dose of skepticism on any pronouncement of The Empire by now.
Why didn’t Osama get re-executed during Bush’s regime? Because after 2005, Bush had negative credibility—and the same people who are celebrating OBL’s newest murder would have recognized the lies for what they are.
Well, the only thing some of us can be grateful for is the fact that this has to be the final time that Osama meets his maker—the Empire shot its wad on this one—but does this mean that I don’t have to take my shoes off and be physically molested every time I fly, now? Is the US war of terror against the Arab world now over? (Not according to the Secretary of War--oops, State--Hillary Clinton).
All I do know for sure is that this Empire is the Empire of Death—and to call someone who questions the fables, a “Deather” is just blatant demonization and a reactionary response to fortify the fraud.

Support Peace & Justice in Sacto

Dear Family, Friends, and Colleagues,

Over the last 24 hours global attention has been monopolized by a certain event, but our work in California goes on. We aim to occupy the State Capitol beginning May 9, 2011, and seek to sustain that occupation as long as possible.

Two days ago, we met with numerous teachers’ unions in Oakland, California, to further strengthen the ties that bind us together: challenging gross austerity measures brought to bear by a Democratic governor (here), Republican administrations elsewhere, and a federal government that seems clueless from the top on down to the plight of people nation-wide.

Three days ago, we met with colleagues at a university in Sacramento outside a meeting where students were being intimidated and threatened with university and criminal punishment for exercising their rights to free speech and organization.

Four days ago, we maneuvered Interstate 80 joining together tax-reformers, anti-war groups, prison-reformers, climate activists, indigenous peoples, and more for more than simple solidarity.

We aim to take the power back. We strive to Take California.

In 7 days we will descend on Sacramento with thousands of others suffering at the hands of elitist, corporate power structures and systematic failures. Prior to that, we have much, much more to do.

And we need your help doing it. We do our damnedest to operate on a shoestring budget, but we still need shoestrings, and we ask you to contribute what you can to this cause.

There are several ways to do so. Please pick one.

Drop us a line, if you wish, and we will give you our thanks directly.
Love and Peace,
Cindy and Gregory

Monday, April 25, 2011

I Couldn't Care Less about the Royal Wedding

VIDEO: I COULDN'T CARE LESS ABOUT THE ROYAL WEDDING:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxi6XQWQMhQ&feature=player_embedded#at=22



Perfect companion piece to my piece:
One Wedding and Unlimited Funerals



One Wedding and Unlimited Funerals by Cindy Sheehan


I guess I must be a glutton for punishment because I just snapped off CiaNN in frustration and anger for about the 5000th time.
Yesterday, I was treated to Candy (“I never met a warmonger I didn’t love”) Crowley fairly gushing with bloodlust over her three warmonger, kill Qaddafi, bomb the shit out of the Libyan people, guests—Republican Senators: Lindsey Graham (R-Closet); John McCain (R-Mordor) and Joseph Lieberman (R-Tel Aviv {okay, I know that Lieberman is technically an "I," but he out Republicans Ronald Reagan in every instance}). (Wow, even I got lost in that last round of parenthetical statements.)
Anyway—if one has an insatiable thirst for institutional violence on a massive and very extravagant scale—like Miss Crowley—then whom else would you have on your program to talk about the US/British/NATO war crimes in Libya? Certainly not Cindy Sheehan, Cynthia McKinney or Dennis Kucinich? Heck no, if one of us were interviewed on CiaNN, we may actually tell the truth about what’s really happening in Libya and the tiny cat’s paw of doubt may begin to creep into the minds of the average consumer of CiaNN’s “All war, All the time,” news-o-tainment.
Today, the airwaves are all atwitter about the impending ROYAL WEDDING! The CiaNN mouthpiece for everything establishment—(sorry it wasn’t Candy, but I don’t know what her name is, but does it really matter, anyway?)—was interviewing some British talking-twit who could hardly contain his spittle of excitement as he fairly swooned over the impending nuptials of William and Kate (plus 8?) and opined to the CiaNNer that, even though the “subjects” are facing “harsh austerity measures,” EVERYONE in Great Britain is salivating over the prospect of a ROYAL SPECTACLE.
Really? I remember a few months ago, Will’s dad, the sad-sack Charles, and his wife, the inconceivable, Camilla, left a Robber Class to-do on Regent (irony?) St in London, and their limo was pounced upon, rocked and stoned by a group of students protesting the steep increase in school fees after they recognized the Royal Scandals. The film of this incident shows, not a frightened Chucky and Cammie, but a highly insulted and shocked (“We are not amused”) royal couple!
England, along with Greece and France, has been ground-zero for the increasingly militant protests against the savage global austerity measures being put in place to protect the vast fortunes of people like Great Britain’s Royal Family—(give me a break—appropriate their assets and put them in public housing in Liverpool—the only thing giving them “special” status is the accident of their inbred births) while putting the rest of us into increasing income insecurity.
I am sure there are some people in Great Britain who want to see a Royal Spectacle—even those in the class that suffers directly because of the Royal Scandals—I know this because a large percentage of the population here in the US think that the Robber Class deserves their own special obscene perks. Weddings, like Princess Chelsea’s, that cost in the millions instead of the hundreds like ours, are celebrated, not raided. Princess Chelsea held a $1500 a plate reception and people who could pay three months rent with one plate of Clinton swill defended this Robber Class excess!
Then there are the King and Queen of America who don’t find anything amiss with taking expensive vacations with their Subjects footing huge portions of the bill, while unemployment is still at Depression-era levels, and when the Subjects, who are lucky enough to have jobs, can’t afford even a “staycation.” When the Obamas took their first $50,000/week vacation in 2009 on Martha’s Vineyard, I was incensed and expressed it (as is my custom). One male Imperial Subject asked me, “Cindy, where do you expect him to stay? A Motel 6 in Orlando, Florida?” My answer was, “Hell yeah, if it’s good enough for us, it’s good enough for them.”
Besides the fact that I will get sick to the point of vomiting over the Royal Scandals’ new Royal Spectacle this week, Great Britain and the USA are involved in three major shooting wars which are killing many people (and, ironically, being famous for dropping Hellfire missiles on Arab wedding parties) in parts of the world that are resisting being made Subjects to the collaboration of the Robber Class of these two countries.
The only coverage we will see on US Lamestream Media about Robber Class violence is existentially supportive—and I do mean “existentially,” because the Robber Class Media has every intention of lining its own pockets with the booty that war brings!
The only solution to the ills that plague us from this global bourgeoisie is a peasant’s (working-class) revolution—and the only way we will ever see one of those is if we stop being co-dependant with the very people who welcome our extinction after our usefulness to them is used up.
If you don’t believe me, all you have to do is do a little research into worldwide attacks against education AND the elderly
Closer to home, King Bush “misunderestimated” his “mandate” to privatize Social Security, so the US Branch of the Global Robber Class had to install a more sympathetic puppet who has a “free pass” from “liberals” who think any criticism of the new King is “racist.” This meme comes mostly because of the fraudulent, yet convenient, Tea Party Society.
King Obama is getting away with far more than John McCain (R-Mordor) ever could have.
Here in my state, California, a group of us are planning to March On and Occupy Sacramento protesting the savage austerity measures being placed on our state’s most “vulnerable” beginning on Worker’s Day, May 1st.
More information can be found at Strike California!


Sunday, April 24, 2011

STRIKE CALIFORNIA!



Dear Friend,

Today, I diverted from my regular course of planned chores to economize on gas/energy, to make an unplanned trip to check my P.O. Box--it's Saturday, so the traffic was light and there were many available parking spaces. On my way into the post office, I passed an elderly couple holding a sign reading "Homeless, Please Help!" The woman was stooped and looked worn out and stressed and the man was bundled up in a wheelchair as it's still very unseasonably cold here in the North Bay.

I am unusually skilled at sniffing out BS and very experienced in homeless people and sometimes there are scams. I lived in San Francisco for two years where one can't walk 10-20 feet without being hit up, but these two elders were in Vacaville--where the homeless population is escalating and not the "traditional" population.

I gave the couple all the cash I had in my purse, which wasn't much, (only about $5) and, more importantly, I chatted with them. They are staying in a very shabby hotel that charges by the week and asks no questions. Although down on their luck, the woman told me that they are inviting another couple to stay in the other bed in their room--she is 70 and he is 71! The woman also told me they just had to hang on until the 1st when they were going to be put into a studio apartment so I went to buy them some food and I got $20 more for them to be able to stay one more night in the flea-bag roach motel for one more week. I am not wealthy, or even in that neighborhood, but I have a roof over my head and plenty of family and friends around so I will never have to worry about that horror and I can't get this sad story out of my head.

I am choking up just to think about the four homeless Elders in my community and they are only four that I heard about today. What kind of society do we live in when our Elders are being put out to pasture, but not a nice, warm, pastoral setting in a land of milk and honey; but a cold, hungry, hardhearted world of cold shoulder and cruelty. Mr. and Mrs. Homeless Senior Citizen were not lazy, drug addicted parasites--they simply fell through the widening cracks of societal greed and institutional violence where money for bombs is plentiful, but for people's needs is drying up.

Here in my state, California, where the above passion play occurred, the Governor, Jerry Brown (D) is balancing a 26 billion dollar budget shortfall (caused by the 15 billion a year sucked out of California by the Feds's war of terror against the world), by cutting 13 billion in funding for essential services to seniors, students, the disabled, and already poor families. Jerry Brown calls them the "vulnerable."

Peace of the Action and Bay Area CODEPINK are organizing a march (endorsed by over 35 groups and individuals) from San Francisco (starting on May Day) and ending up in Sacramento on May 9th to protest the fact that the 660,000 millionaire households in California are not being asked to bear the burden of the downturn of this economy due to war profiteering and other globalization of greed.

We are planning on constructing a tent city on the grounds of the State Capitol to highlight that even Democrats need to be protested when they protect corporate interests and the war machine at the expense of others.

Please click on Strike California above for more information--we hope you can join us in this march/strike, but if you can't, could you please donate $13 for Peace and Justice. Thirteen is our lucky number to raise grassroots support to defend against this class war being waged on us by Democrat and Republican alike. Please click on this link to make a tax deductible donation of $13, or whatever you can afford to help us meet our expenses!

THANK YOU!

LOVE, PEACE AND SOLIDARITY

CINDY SHEEHAN

PS: NO NEW SOAPBOX THIS SUNDAY DUE TO THE HOLIDAY--HAPPY HOLIDAY, OR SUNDAY, OR WHATEVER!







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P.O. Box 6264, Vacaville, Ca 95696
Phone: 707-359-4085, Email: Cindy@CindySheehansSoapbox.com, Web: www.CindySheehansSoapbox.com

Cindy

Saturday, April 23, 2011

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Sunday, April 17, 2011

HARD-BOYLED TRUTH: PROF FRANCIS BOYLE ON CINDY SHEEHAN'S SOAPBOX !

Hell Boyles Over:  (Not really.)  Click here to listen or download, beginning at 2:00 PM San Francisco time.  This Sunday (April 17th), Cindy presents one hellaciously illuminating show, featuring popularly demanded Professor Francis Boyle, who refuses to buy the common brown, squishy and stinky "party line" proffered by our ruling class, or corporatocracy.  (See his Faculty profile here.)  He wants WORLD PEACE!  The man speaks good sense.  He PREFERS logic and truth - a very serious "character defect," which can cost an adherent profoundly in terms of popular acceptability.  (Non-"official" viewpoints completely disqualify one from being a "serious" and relevant pundit.)  No; the real truth about this show is that Professor Boyle's Integrity boils over.  He and Cindy discuss the Democratic Party's immense skills at co-opting social movements that might be effective.  Both agree that today our Peace Movements are mostly front organizations for the Democratic party.  Dr. Boyle totally endorses the honesty & sincerity of people at the grassroots level in these organizations - but he does have grave doubts about the National leadership of such groups.  concurring with Cindy, he explicitly cites "Uniting for Peace and Justice" and "MoveOn.org" as working to keep the Peace Movement inactive and ineffective.  One real gem of wisdom is their parallel observations that "Obama is a "gift to the ruling class," in that they can further their objectives quicker with him than they could with Bush, who lost so much popular support in the country.  (One could regard Obama as the black "velvet glove" on the "iron fist" of the U.S. Empire.) Anyway, please be sure to use the "Click here" link above, and check out Francis's talk with Cindy!  Plus, get your very own copy of Two-Time Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient Major General Smedley Butler's woefully still not famous speech: "War is a Racket."  And then, please do go read itYes - We're still keeping our very special video for mothers:  Click on Smedley's picture (on the right) to watch Smedley's very own special message, "Now You Mothers."  (I wonder just what would Smedley think of enforcing no-fly zones in Libya?  What would he say about "protecting" Libyan civilians by killing Libyan civilians, the way NATO did?)

Saturday, April 16, 2011

From "Vulnerable" to Invincible: A program and action for economic health.

"There’s class warfare, all right but it’s my class the rich class, that's making war, and we're winning." Warren Buffett

From “Vulnerable” to Invincible
“Mayday! Mayday!
Cindy Sheehan
“Our problems stem from acceptance of this filthy, rotten system.”      Dorothy Day
Once upon a time, many years ago, when things weren’t quite so f’ed up here in Duh-merica, the Democratic candidate for president from Nowhereville, Arkansas made the expression, “It’s the economy, stupid,” a catch-phrase for his successful bid to unseat the incumbent, George H.W. Bush. Pappy Bush had been wildly popular (we love our “successful wars” here) after his attack on Iraq but had not addressed the recession we were suffering under at the time.
Now, as we all know, Bill Clinton was elected and enacted NAFTA, GATT and other so-called Free trade agreements, which had the affect of sending our decent paying jobs with benefits to other countries that didn’t have such “horrible” restrictions on them such as minimum wage laws, collective bargaining, worker safety, and environmental protection.
Besides the “free” trade agreements, Clinton’s administration all but made it a crime to be poor by publicly chastising and further impoverishing “welfare Queens” so his regime could repeal the Glass-Steagall Act to make the fat banker cats morbidly obese. Clinton was not and is not politically identified (by name) as one of them evil Republicans—but his regime advanced the neoliberalism of our economy further than Bush I could have.
The Glass-Steagall Act was one of the financial reforms enacted during the Great Depression to prevent just what happened in 2008 when the derivative and housing markets crashed on the poor, again. Glass-Steagall prevented financial institutions from going into partnerships that would make them “too big to fail.” When there is a failure of these “too big” cabals, it can be catastrophic—as witnessed in 2008. However, although many people in the working class lost pensions, savings, homes and jobs, the people who created the problem, however, received welfare from the US government in the form of “bailouts.” Barry O. is a big fan of bailing out his largest donor: Goldman Sachs.
I am bringing back these bad old times to remind everyone that the class war waged on us from above just didn’t start in 2009, or 2000, or 1776, even. This war has been being waged for centuries by the wealthy who treat the rest of us like slaves who are allowed to have just enough to be able to minimally nourish ourselves and keep ourselves just healthy enough to work for the peanut shells they toss us.
Here in the US we did enjoy a brief historical moment where it seemed like we got a small respite and we began to grow stronger with the democratization of the work place by unions that fought for labor rights, not for the bosses. Through the GI Bill and the advancement of free, or heavily subsidized state university education our access to education began to equalize. Everyone knows that knowledge is power.
The GI Bill also provided vets with the opportunity to participate in the “American Dream” of home ownership that has steadily descended into a nightmare.
The constant wars (both foreign and domestic) began to take a toll on our nation’s soul and the sweet smell of uprising was in the air until we descended into a false “peace dividend” and the somnambulance of the “Me” decade.” The crimes of Reagan/Bush began to pull us kicking and fighting out of our slumber until a plain-talking, intelligent, and charismatic savior for Capitalism took over and dramatically escalated the attacks on labor that began in earnest during Reagan’s years. Yet, Clinton was a Democrat, so those that should have been paying attention cut him an incredible amount of slack like (sometimes the same) people are doing for Obama, now.
So, for the last ten years, our nation has been waging a Global War of Terror against the world and the first person of color to occupy the Oval Office is dropping bombs on an African nation. Another military misadventure is plunging our nation further into economic despair, but Obama and the Congress just collaborated to cut 38 billion from Federal social programs and ZERO from the Pentagon and war budgets while retaining about 44 billion dollars in tax cuts for the wealthy.
This is not just a Federal problem it is a state problem, too, as recently highlighted by the battle in Madison—where labor was pitted against a Republican governor and legislature. Are all 50 states ruled by Republicans? Are even the 46/50 states that are in budget crisis and cutting social services ruled by Republicans? No and NO!
I was driving on a treacherous road from Ukiah, Ca to Mendocino one treacherously rainy day and I heard my Democratic governor come on the car’s radio to congratulate the “courageous” California state legislature that had the courage to cut 13 billion from California’s 26 billion dollar deficit—but Jerry Brown’s voice became appropriately grave when he “regretted” the fact that the cuts were going to affect California’s most “vulnerable” citizens the most harshly.
Peace of the Action, Bay Area CODEPINK and many other endorsing organizations are calling for a March from San Francisco beginning on May 1st to conclude in Sacramento on May 9th, where we will construct a tent city on the grounds of the state capitol building calling for solidarity actions and demanding our People's Agenda be instituted, including, but not limited to these points:

A)  It doesn’t take “courage” to attack the already poor. Many “vulnerable” Californians from the disabled to the elderly to the young will suffer under Brown’s savage austerity measures.
B)   I highly doubt that Brown is “sorry” about cutting more money from these people who have almost zero political clout in Sacramento, obviously.
C)  Why don’t we try “savage austerity” measures for the rich? According to a 2009 report, the state of California “boasts” the most millionaires of any other state, by far—over 662,000 “millionaire households” in the Golden State. Instead of penalizing the already poor, how about an “excess wealth” tax to spread a little of the pain around? The rich won’t be deprived of any necessity and not having to cut back even more will benefit the poor immensely!
D)  End California’s participation in the US’s global war of terror against the world. According to the CostofWar.com of the National Priorities Project, since 2001, Californian’s have ponied up 150 billion (that’s billion with a “b”) dollars to the Feds for these evil wars of aggression. Fifteen billion a year would go far to helping relieve our deficit.
E)   Institute a state banking system. (See: Bank of North Dakota)
F)   Retool our advanced weapon’s industry here in Cali for public transportation, environmental clean-up, and alternative forms of energy.
G) A moratorium on home foreclosures and evictions.
Admittedly, this is an aggressive pro-humanity agenda, but unless WE propose it and fight for it, the status quo will eat us alive.
Why aren’t labor unions and other social justice activists already camping on Jerry Browns’ state house lawn? Is it because he is a Democrat and unions just financially line the coffers of Democrats without expecting anything in return? Is it because most people don’t realize that an “Injury to one is an injury to all,” and that even though one is not jobless or homeless today, all that could easily change in a heartbeat?
Whose side are you on? Are you on the side of the people who attack our basic human rights with every move they make, or are you on the side of the people who are being attacked?
The organizers of this march and strike have been warned by some in the “Peace Industrial Complex” that we are not allowed to camp on the lawn of OUR State Capitol—but we are bringing our agenda and demands to the “belly of the beast,” and if Jerry Brown wants to be a jackass and have us arrested, or removed, that’s better for our cause—it will highlight the fraudulence of the “two” party system. There are also many tent cities in or near Sacramento that hide their poverty and forced-vulnerability under bridges or near the river—bring your problems to the lawn of the people who caused them—join us.
One of my favorite protest signs of all time reads, “THEY only call it class warfare when we fight back.”
Well, it’s way past time to fight back. We need to extend the protests in Madison against the repeal of the right to collective bargaining to the cuts against even people who don’t belong to unions—the most “vulnerable” of our society.
If anything, Jerry Brown and the California legislature are brilliant strategists who went after the vulnerable and not the ones who already know they have power—(Scott Walker screwed up on that one)—in this economy we are all vulnerable and we have to stick up for each other!
"An injury to one is an injury to all" and we are all brothers and sisters even if we don’t carry a union membership card in our wallets or purses.
Let's make the '10s the WE decade. 
http://strikemay2011ca.org/
(WEBSITE UNDER CONSTRUCTION)
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Take California: Call for March & Strike on Sacramento

Take California: Call for March & Strike on Sacramento


Peace of the Action (POTA), CodePINK, Cindy Sheehan, several other entities, and all Vulnerable Folks are calling on us to march, strike, and occupy Sacramento and beyond beginning May Day, 2011.

We seek your endorsement for - and participation in - this march/strike to strengthen our approach, our numbers, and our will.

Strike: No Business As Usual
No More Taxes for Wars & Occupations
No More Tax Breaks for the Rich & Their Corporations

To be clear, this is a march and strike in direct challenge to Governor Jerry Brown and the legislature’s austerity measures in California. The budget “fixes” proposed will come down on the backs of the most vulnerable, while continuing to provide corporate welfare, funds and use of California National Guard in wars of aggression, and a regressive tax structure.

We believe there is a better way.
  • Close Corporate Tax Loopholes & Incentives
  • Fully fund education and other social programs
  • End state funding for National Guard Units leaving California
  • Raise Taxes (Employ Austerity) on California’s 650,000 Millionaire Households
  • Employ Massive Prison Reform & Drastically alter Criminalization Codes


All this is to say: End the financial and discriminatory wars on women, workers, unions, immigrants, indigenous peoples, disabled, and people of color, the poor, and homeless communities.

All this is to say: End the ecocidal war against the state and the planet.

All this is to say: End the cycle of perpetual war, occupation, and terrorism being conducted around the globe.

We recognize the work we do in California now can be a model employed in other states and nations, and likewise seek your support to galvanize the effort and spread the word to your members, friends, allies, and colleagues. We will share our successes and failures every step of the way, and will help organize in every other state and nation as appropriate.

The Plan: March. Strike. Occupy.

May Day - International Workers Day: Begin Marches across the state to Sacramento.
  • San Francisco, Bay Area: 1130am, 24th and Mission, March with Coalition of Immigrants & Workers to Civic Center (100pm); Depart on March to Ferry Building (300pm); Ferry to Vallejo (600pm)


May 2 - May 8: March through American Canyon, Napa, Suisun, Fairfield, Vacaville, Winters, Woodland, and Davis.
  • Theme/Issue/Focus for each overnight location
  • Regular press conferences with Rallies at each location
  • Flyering, Bannering, Actions at each location


May 9 & Beyond: Arrive Sacramento, Join Teacher’s Union Occupation of Capitol, Occupy
  • Set up Tent City occupation of Capitol grounds
  • “Refuse to Move”
  • Manage logistics, expand our ranks, employ tactics
  • Teach-Ins, Die-Ins, Human Be-Ins, and more


We encourage and urge everyone to bring your strength, your issue, and your expertise to directly challenge California’s corporatocracy right where it presides: Sacramento.

We will not set an end date. We don’t intend to leave. We will not back down.

To endorse, email or call:

Peace of the Action (POTA)
unitedrevs@gmail.com or gregory@gregoryvickrey.com
202.487.1201 (name, number, organization, email)

Cindy Sheehan
Cindy@CindySheehansSoapbox.com

Bay Area Code Pink
info@bayareacodepink.org
510.540.7007 (name, number, organization, email)

Sunday, April 10, 2011

NEW INFO FOR RE-CREATING REVOLUTIONARY COMMUNITIES--AUDIO FILE OF 4/10 CONFERENCE CALL


 Re-Creating Revolutionary Communities bi-weekly conference call featuring activist, Kevin Zeese


Besides being articulate, well-informed, dedicated to peace, economic equality and social justice, Kevin is a very good friend of mine--this picture is Kevin and I in my trailer at Camp Casey in Crawford, Texas in the summer of 2005.


Listen to the one hour call to hear what Kevin is up to this days with ItsOurEconomy.org.


Kevin also referenced this study: Competing Budget Priorities 
and these websites:

www.USUncut.org and www.AmpedStatus.org

RECORDINGS OF THE CONFERENCE CALL








 NEXT CONFERENCE CALL FOR RE-CREATING REVOLUTIONARY COMMUNITIES IS SCHEDULED FOR APRIL 25--MORE DETAILS AT THE DATE APPROACHES.

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES FOR 
RRC

1. Transcription Volunteer - In addition to the audio versions of our conference calls, we'd like to make available transcribed versions for those that cannot listen, or prefer the written word. With that in mind, we need a volunteer or volunteers to transcribe our conference calls every couple of weeks.

If interested, email: unitedrevs@gmail.com with "transcribe" in the subject line.

2. Research Volunteers - We need two volunteers who can help us with research.

a. Events - We need someone who can research and collect information on events that are national in scope and occur around the country. There are many rallies, conferences, protests, and etc. happening and scheduled, and we'd like to compile them. Following that, we will need help researching and collecting local and international events.

b. Resources - We need someone to further our basic resource list. We have had numerous suggestions come in via email (and they will be added), but we need a volunteer to research and collect more.

If interested, email: unitedrevs@gmail.com with "research" in the subject line.

Cindy Sheehan's 90 Second Speech at NYC Antiwar Rally yesterday

DEAR FRIEND,
CHECK OUT THE VIDEO OF MY 90 SECOND SPEECH IN NYC YESTERDAY:

CLICK THIS LINK TO WATCH THE SPEECH
ALSO, DON'T FORGET TO LISTEN TO CINDY SHEEHAN'S SOAPBOX TODAY AT
www.CINDYSHEEHANSSOAPBOX.COM, 2PM PACIFIC TIME
(OR ANYTIME AFTER AT THE ARCHIVES)
OUR GUESTS TODAY ARE KAREN TOSTADO FROM UNITED WE STRIKE AND FORMER ECONOMIC HIT MAN, JOHN PERKINS.
REMEMBER, I CAN ALWAYS BE REACHED AT: CINDY@CINDYSHEEHANSSOAPBOX.COM
Peace
Cindy

CINDY'S EVENTS IN BOSTON
MONDAY, APRIL 11
1PM:     UMASS BOSTON IN THE CAMPUS CENTER

7PM:     First Parish In Cambridge (Harvard Square)

          3 Church St
          Cambridge, MA

Friday, April 8, 2011

CINDY IN NYC AND BOSTON, APRIL 9-11; OVERTHROW THE CORPORATOCRACY!



Cindy in NYC ON SATURDAY, APRIL 9

12 NOON: Cindy will be speaking at the UNAC (United National Antiwar Committee) rally and march in NYC on April 9th.



CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO

4:30 PM: Cindy will be speaking at the Brecht Forum with Green Party Candidate for NY Governor, Howie Hawkins on:

"Dawn of a New Revolt, Challenging Corporate America's Two Parties"



CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION

**************************************************


CINDY IN BOSTON ON MONDAY, APRIL 11TH

1PM: UMASS BOSTON IN THE CAMPUS CENTER

7PM: First Parish In Cambridge (Harvard Square)

3 Church St
Cambridge, MA

*************************************************

DON'T FORGET TO LISTEN TO CINDY SHEEHAN'S SOAPBOX
SUNDAY, APRIL 10, 2PM (PDST) AND ANY TIME AFTER AT THE ARCHIVES
www.CindySheehansSoapbox.com
Cindy's guests this Sunday are Karen Tostado from United We Strike and
former Economic Hit Man, John Perkins!
Listen for the reasons to and some strategies to OVERTHROW THE CORPORATOCRACY!

 ***************************************************
CLICK TO DONATE TO CINDY SHEEHAN'S SOAPBOX
















Thursday, April 7, 2011

GOP is Concerened About Spilled Milk guest article by Nicholas Scott


GOP Is Concerned About Spilled Milk
It comes as no surprise to see the GOP’s recently unveiled legislation proposing to strip the Environmental Protection Agency’s power over emission regulations. The proposal slices the EPA’s budget by 30% -- the largest cut to any agency. In addition, it restricts the EPA from regulating greenhouse gas emissions and from employing water pollution limits in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. This, of course, was but a small component of a much larger flank against the White House environmental and energy agenda that has been taking place recently.
The assault on energy took place on Capitol Hill last Thursday, bringing out the EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson to face the House Republicans for the first time since they had initially proposed to cut her budget. A battle took place in front of a House Appropriations subcommittee hearing, and some blows were exchanged. A variety of concerns were raised to Jackson, some going as far as asking whether the agency’s propsed climate rules  would regulate spilled milk. Republican Rep. Jeff Flake from Arizona made the underhanded comment, asking:
“How can the EPA promulgate new rules like this? What’s next – sippy –cups in the house cafeteria?”
Jackson replied:
“We made it clear in our rules that we were going to apply the rules to spilled milk.”
It is clear that the GOP has little concern for the risks posed by unregulated environmental toxins. A pertinent example of how such a lack of regard can result in tragedy can be seen from what occurred in Libby, Montana during the last ten years, where more than four hundred deaths have been attributed to mesothelioma, a rare lung cancer resulting from the exposure to environmental toxins. The EPA, responding to the absurdly high mortality rate, sent a team of scientists who discovered excessive evidence pointing to asbestos laced insulation being the direct cause of disease. With the mesothelioma life expectancy lasting no longer than fourteen months at most, it is quite disturbing to know the potential for devastation certain toxins have. 
Though asbestos is quite different from carbon emissions, they are both environmental toxins and the threat they pose, if unregulated, is undeniable. They are both silent killers that cause cancer slowly over time. Mesothelioma symptoms (and other lung disease) include coughing, shortness of breath, and chest heaviness. Because these symptoms are so similar to other common ailments, lung disease is often left undiagnosed until it is far too late.
Some Democrats have vowed to fight the efforts being made by the GOP to limit the agency’s authority. Rep. Norm Dicks, the democratic representative from Washington’s 6th congressional district, has made it his personal vendetta, stating:
“I’m going to fight every step of the way against efforts to weaken and take back the environmental improvements we’ve made.”
But despite the adamant response this legislation has received from the liberals; democrats themselves are not off the hook when it comes to the degradation of our environment. President Obama has proven to be a bit over zealous when it comes to “clean coal.” In 2009, the president proposed spending a $3.4 billion stimulus package on clean coal projects. Jeff Biggers of the Washington Post had this to say about clean coal:
"Never was there an oxymoron more insidious, or more dangerous to our public health [than clean coal, …Invoked as often by the Democratic presidential candidates as by the Republicans and by liberals and conservatives alike, this slogan has blindsided any meaningful progress toward a sustainable energy policy."
For Obama to champion clean coal makes him no better than the House GOP who is trying to ban the clean air act. This can further be seen in the way The Obama administration handled the crisis in the Gulf of Mexico. After disaster struck, the president was quick to point fingers at BP and the Minerals Management Service. But just two weeks before the Deepwater Horizon rig imploded, devastating the Gulf of Mexico, the president was quoted saying thing:
“It turns out, by the way, that oil rigs today generally don’t cause spills. They are technologically very advanced.”
Really? If Obama would have taken two minutes to research the subject, he could have found countless instances of recent oil rig leaks.
So where does that leave us?
On a dying planet, I guess.

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