From snug.bug at hotmail.com Sun Mar 1 12:57:02 2009 From: snug.bug at hotmail.com (Brian Good) Date: Sun, 1 Mar 2009 12:57:02 -0800 Subject: [Sosfbay-discuss] Liquor Store Economic Indicator Message-ID: I stopped in at the liquor store at Rengstorff and Central Expressway Friday evening. Usually on a Friday night there'd be eight of us lined up at the checkout. Now there was just me and one desperate-looking guy investing lotto. It was the last Friday of the month, and the money from February's government checks had run out. Must be there's no day labor money for beer. That's Hard Times indeed. Brian _________________________________________________________________ Windows Live?: Life without walls. http://windowslive.com/explore?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_allup_1a_explore_032009 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From cls at truffula.sj.ca.us Sun Mar 1 16:39:47 2009 From: cls at truffula.sj.ca.us (Cameron L. Spitzer) Date: Sun, 1 Mar 2009 16:39:47 -0800 (PST) Subject: [Sosfbay-discuss] Liquor Store Economic Indicator Message-ID: <20090302003947.7B57A6A895@truffula.sj.ca.us> Maybe they're just shopping more carefully. Sixpack of Rolling Rock at the corner liquor store, $9.50. Same product at the nearby Asian supermarket, just as cold, $5.50. -Cameron From tnharter at aceweb.com Sun Mar 1 21:36:13 2009 From: tnharter at aceweb.com (Tian Harter) Date: Sun, 01 Mar 2009 21:36:13 -0800 Subject: [Sosfbay-discuss] [Fwd: [G-C-F] Backed by Green Party, Comic Pastor Runs for Mayor of NYC] Message-ID: <49AB704D.2030602@aceweb.com> I'm a fan of Reverend Billy! Tian -------- Original Message -------- Subject: [G-C-F] Backed by Green Party, Comic Pastor Runs for Mayor of NYC Date: Sun, 1 Mar 2009 21:06:11 -0800 From: Hank Chapot To: gpca forum Bill Talen had a long history of theatrical activism in San Francisco, long before inventing Reverend Billy. You may remember his show as a politician wherein ticket buyers enjoyed a crappy hotel meal of cheap chicken and then were forced to sit through political speeches before he and his actor/wife melted down in front of the assembled. Laura L. and I were seated at a table of, "Forest managers for Pavement PAC ", or some such thing. (1993?) One joke I remember was "Scientists tell me their are millions of species living on my skin. So, is my face an endangered habitat or can I wash it once in a while?" Badda Bing! ************************************* Backed by Green Party, Comic Pastor Runs for Mayor Katie Orlinsky for The New York Times Reverend Billy, a street activist, in Union Square. He was nominated by the Green Party for mayor last week. Published: March 1, 2009 Reverend Billy of the Church of Stop Shopping is ? to say the least ? not your typical candidate for mayor. With his blond pompadour, cobalt blue suit, black shirt and white collar, he made his announcement in Union Square on Sunday accompanied by a choir in green robes. But he has the nomination of an actual political party and might have a spot on the ballot in November, something Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg has yet to secure. ?Even if you have 20 billion dollars, you?re not going to buy this election!? he shouted through a white bullhorn to a small gathering of supporters and reporters. ?This campaign will be the revolt of the fabulous 500 neighborhoods, amen!? Reverend Billy, 58, a longtime street activist and performance artist whose real name is William C. Talen, said he was approached by leaders of the state?s Green Party in December. He decided to run last month and received the nomination late last week. He now has to get at least 7,500 signatures to get on the ballot in November. ?When the Green Party approached him, he was thinking that Bloomberg was essentially purchasing a third term,? said Michael O?Neil, 29, the campaign?s press officer. ?He wanted to run because it seemed unlikely that any of the front-runners in the election would speak to the issues that have been challenging New York City?s neighborhoods.? Reverend Billy, who according to Mr. O?Neil makes a living with paid appearances at colleges and other venues, said refocusing attention on the city?s neighborhoods ? he used the word ?neighborhood? dozens of times ? would be the centerpiece of his campaign, though he said little about other issues, like subway fares and the economic crisis. He did make it clear that he did not approve of Mr. Bloomberg?s pursuit of a third term. ?We?re at a critical point in the city?s history right now,? he said. ?The mayor?s trying to privatize Union Square. We?re surrounded by logos everywhere. We need to oppose that.? Reverend Billy, who grew up in the Midwest and arrived in New York from San Francisco in 1994, has long been known for his colorful street-theater tirades on what he sees as corporate intrusions on American life. He was arrested during a protest in Union Square in 2007 and that year was the subject of the documentary ?What Would Jesus Buy?? But Gloria Mattera, the co-chairwoman of the Green Party?s campaign committee, insisted that this was a serious candidacy. ?We?re planning on talking in each borough,? she said. ?Our team is already formed. This is a chance not just to stand up against Bloomberg but to stand up against corporate interests as well.? Mr. O?Neil said the campaign hoped to raise at least $250,000 to qualify for matching funds from the city. ?He?s the alternative that we?re desperate for,? said one supporter, Elizabeth Culbert, 34, a freelance writer who lives in the West Village. ?He?s worked for so many years for New York, and I think he?ll put up an extremely good fight.? Steve Kraftsow, 49, who was walking through Union Square during the rally, did not share that enthusiasm. ?Never met him, never heard of him,? he said. ?I haven?t even considered the mayoral race yet. What I know is I want a mayor who can handle the fiscal responsibilities. I liked Bloomberg, but vote for Billy? It?s not out of the question. I just need to learn more about him.? _______________________________________________ cal-forum mailing list cal-forum at cagreens.org http://lists.cagreens.org/mailman/listinfo/cal-forum -- Tian http://tian.greens.org Latest change: Added pictures of the fall I took at critical mass in SF. From j.m.doyle at sbcglobal.net Mon Mar 2 12:46:20 2009 From: j.m.doyle at sbcglobal.net (Jim Doyle) Date: Mon, 02 Mar 2009 12:46:20 -0800 Subject: [Sosfbay-discuss] candidate reverend billy Message-ID: <49AC459C.8000203@sbcglobal.net> Mr. O?Neil said the campaign hoped to raise at least $250,000 to qualify for matching funds from the city. That means raising $1,000 per day, 5 days a week, for one year. said refocusing attention on the city?s neighborhoods ? he used the word ?neighborhood? dozens of times ? would be the centerpiece of his campaign, though he said little about other issues, like subway fares and the economic crisis. "little about other issues, " that cuts, that pulls the rug out from under a candidate From tnharter at aceweb.com Mon Mar 2 13:15:05 2009 From: tnharter at aceweb.com (Tian Harter) Date: Mon, 02 Mar 2009 13:15:05 -0800 Subject: [Sosfbay-discuss] candidate reverend billy In-Reply-To: <49AC459C.8000203@sbcglobal.net> References: <49AC459C.8000203@sbcglobal.net> Message-ID: <49AC4C59.6060607@aceweb.com> Republicrats start speaking from a rug. Reverend Billy is a sidewalk activist. Try pulling the rug out from under one of them! Jim Doyle wrote: > Mr. O?Neil said the campaign hoped to raise at least $250,000 to > qualify for matching funds from the city. > > That means raising $1,000 per day, 5 days a week, for one year. > > said refocusing attention on > the city?s neighborhoods ? he used the word ?neighborhood? dozens of > times ? would be the centerpiece of his campaign, though he said > little about other issues, like subway fares and the economic crisis. > > "little about other issues, " that cuts, that pulls the rug out from > under a candidate > > -- Tian http://tian.greens.org Latest change: Added pictures of the fall I took at critical mass in SF. From j.m.doyle at sbcglobal.net Mon Mar 2 13:22:17 2009 From: j.m.doyle at sbcglobal.net (Jim Doyle) Date: Mon, 02 Mar 2009 13:22:17 -0800 Subject: [Sosfbay-discuss] green focus Message-ID: <49AC4E09.2060308@sbcglobal.net> GREEN PARTY COUNTY CONTACTS MESSAGE This is an announcement from the GPCA Contact List. For more information, or questions related to the topic of the posting, please do not hit reply. Follow the contact directions stated in the email. Please circulate ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dear Fellow Greens: The Green Focus Team is working on the first 2009 issue of GREEN FOCUS -- the Green Party of California's newspaper, which now has a circulation of 10,000. We expect to have copies available by May 1, 2009, just in time for the Venice Plenary and summer tabling. We want to make this the best issue yet. To do that, we need your help! *** PRODUCTION/ADMINISTRATIVE HELP WANTED *** *** Please Respond by March 15, 2009 *** If you have newspaper or magazine experience (e.g., layout, distribution, or collections and billing), please e-mail us at gfsubs at cagreens.org . *** EDITORIAL HELP WANTED*** *** Please Submit by March 15, 2009 *** WRITERS -- We need lots of articles! What's going on in your local -- what accomplishments would you like to brag about, what challenges do you face? Got a candidate running for office? Is there an urgent issue you want to share with your fellow Greens? Do you want to tell the world why you are Green? Please send articles -- up to 750 words -- in SIMPLE TEXT, NO FORMATTING to gfsubs at cagreens.org . PHOTOGRAPHERS -- It's just not a newspaper without pictures! Please send images of your fellow Greens, events and issues. TIFF or EPS format is preferred. CMYK color and resolution of at least 300 dpi are -musts-. Please e-mail us if you have any questions. Send your images to gfsubs at cagreens.org . Green Focus reserves the right to edit content and to accept or reject articles and pictures. We will try to fit all accepted articles into the current issue, but space considerations may force us to hold some articles for future issues. ...Your Green Focus Team ... From wrolley at charter.net Tue Mar 3 16:37:59 2009 From: wrolley at charter.net (Wes Rolley) Date: Tue, 03 Mar 2009 16:37:59 -0800 Subject: [Sosfbay-discuss] My Column for Friday MH Times Message-ID: <49ADCD67.8090409@charter.net> An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From j.m.doyle at sbcglobal.net Tue Mar 3 17:01:17 2009 From: j.m.doyle at sbcglobal.net (Jim Doyle) Date: Tue, 03 Mar 2009 17:01:17 -0800 Subject: [Sosfbay-discuss] agenda items Message-ID: <49ADD2DD.10807@sbcglobal.net> GREEN PARTY COUNTY CONTACTS MESSAGE This announcement is advance notice that there will be County Polling on the May 19th Special Election ballot measures March 15th to April 30th. Proposition 1A Stabilizes State Budget. Reforms California Budget Process. Limits State Spending. Increases "Rainy Day" Budget Stabilization Fund. Proposition 1B Election Funding. Payment Plan. Proposition 1C Lottery Modernization Act. Proposition 1D Protects Children's Services Funding. Helps Balance State Budget. Proposition 1E Ensures Funding for Children's Mental Health Services. Helps Balance State Budget. Proposition 1F Elected Officials' Salaries. Prevents Pay Increases During Budget Deficit Years. From snug.bug at hotmail.com Wed Mar 4 09:22:34 2009 From: snug.bug at hotmail.com (Brian Good) Date: Wed, 4 Mar 2009 09:22:34 -0800 Subject: [Sosfbay-discuss] Community Meeting Tonight: IS STANFORD A SAFE PLACE FOR WAR CRIMINALS? Message-ID: IS STANFORD A SAFE PLACE FOR WAR CRIMINALS? Condoleezza Rice is coming back to Campus? Rice was central to the execution of the Iraq war, internationally considered an illegal, aggressive war, and she directly ordered the torture of U.S. detainees, among numerous allegations of human rights & international law violations. Community-wide meeting Wednesday, March 4th 6-8 p.m. Old Union Room 200 (food will be provided!) HOW WILL WE HOLD CONDOLEEZZA RICE ACCOUNTABLE FOR HER ACTIONS? 1.2 million Iraqis, 4200 Americans killed. Learn more: antiwar.stanford.edu JOIN US. _________________________________________________________________ Hotmail? is up to 70% faster. Now good news travels really fast. http://windowslive.com/online/hotmail?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_HM_70faster_032009 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From snug.bug at hotmail.com Wed Mar 4 11:57:11 2009 From: snug.bug at hotmail.com (Brian Good) Date: Wed, 4 Mar 2009 11:57:11 -0800 Subject: [Sosfbay-discuss] Harpers: "This country was a dictatorship" Message-ID: Formerly secret legal opinions from the Bush administration were released by the Justice Department Monday. A top DOJ official issued a memo five days before Bush left office repudiating these opinions and claiming they had not been relied upon since 2003. Scott Horton doesn't believe it, and questions why the memo took so long. A Columbia University lecturer and Harpers Contributing Editor, Horton wrote: "We may not have realized it at the time, but in the period from late 2001-January 19, 2009, this country was a dictatorship." (1) According to the New York Times (2), powers conferred by these memos included: * Use of US military forces domestically to combat terrorism suspects and conduct raids without obtaining search warrants, and seize property * unilateral abrogation of foreign treaties * ignoring guidance from Congress in dealing with suspected terrorists * warrentless domestic eavesdropping * subordination of 1st amendment rights to wartime exigencies Reasoning justifying these opinions included these claims: *the right to use of deadly force in self defense makes lesser matters, such as 4th Amendment privacy issues, trivial *the military could operate against terrorist suspects domestically despite the the Posse Comitatus Act because they would be acting not to enforce laws but to further national security Walter Dellinger, a high-level DOJ official under Clinton, called these opinions (largely authored by John Yoo) "irresponsible", saying the assertion ?that Congress had absolutely no role in these national security issues was contrary to constitutional text, historical practice and judicial precedent.? Horton's abstract: "[Yoo] concluded that in wartime, the President was freed from the constraints of the Bill of Rights with respect to anything he chose to label as a counterterrorism operations inside the United States.... John Yoo?s Constitution is unlike any other I have ever seen. It seems to consist of one clause: appointing the President as commander-in-chief. The rest of the Constitution was apparently printed in disappearing ink." The broad counterterrorist powers are particularly astounding when contrasted with pre-9/11 behavior by the intelligence agencies as reported by James Bamford in his recent PBS program "The Spy Factory". (3) Bamford says that though then-NSA Director Hayden knew the law allowed eavesdropping on known terrorists, Hayden told the House Intelligence Committee in 2000 that if Osama bin Laden came into the United States he would enjoy 4th Amendment protections on search and seizure. At some point Hayden told Bamford the NSA was monitoring only six people inside the USA. Before 9/11, NSA was monitoring phone calls between alleged 9/11 hijackers inside the USA and the al Qaeda communications hub in Yemen, Bamford says. IMHO you needn't be a crazy conspiracy theorist to note that the prospect of new powers and increased funding (Bamford says that between 2000 and 2008 budgets doubled) highly motivated the spooks to "stand down" and allow the 9/11 attacks to go forward, claiming that privacy laws and inadequate funding had made detecting the plot impossible. A whole lot of conscientious and principled public servants resigned from the DOJ, the FBI, the State Department, and the intelligence agencies during the Bush years. Citizens need to create an environment that encourages whistleblowers to come forward and tell their stories. http://harpers.org/archive/2009/03/hbc-90004488 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/03/us/politics/03legal.html?_r=1&hp http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/spyfactory/ _________________________________________________________________ Windows Live? Contacts: Organize your contact list. http://windowslive.com/connect/post/marcusatmicrosoft.spaces.live.com-Blog-cns!503D1D86EBB2B53C!2285.entry?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_UGC_Contacts_032009 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From j.m.doyle at sbcglobal.net Wed Mar 4 15:30:30 2009 From: j.m.doyle at sbcglobal.net (Jim Doyle) Date: Wed, 04 Mar 2009 15:30:30 -0800 Subject: [Sosfbay-discuss] Saturday event Message-ID: <49AF0F16.6020701@sbcglobal.net> The citizens of Arcata and Eureka voted on and passed a "Youth Protection Act" which went into effect this past December 1-st that prohibits recruiters from initiating contact with minors. David Meserve will speak about the challenges of implementing the new city ordinances. Not the least of which is a suit filed by the Department of Justice. He will also conduct a brainstorming session to fill an 'idea toolbox' for people to use to create counter-recruitment activities in their own communities. The event will be held Saturday, March 7 at 4:00 PM At First Christian Church 80 South 5^th St., San Jose (behind San Jose City Hall) From snug.bug at hotmail.com Wed Mar 4 16:06:08 2009 From: snug.bug at hotmail.com (Brian Good) Date: Wed, 4 Mar 2009 16:06:08 -0800 Subject: [Sosfbay-discuss] NPR Covers Rice Return to Stanford Message-ID: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=101443131 Campus pastor Lindsey Holley is quoted, saying Condi's decisions on treatment of prisoners at Gitmo "could be considered war crimes" and noting the lack of public calls for her to take responsibility. Former Secretary of State (and current Hoover Institution fellow) George Schultz said "I'm delighted to have her back." He expects lively discussion: "She'll be challenged, but so will they be challenged because sometimes you know more than they do." "I don't believe in confrontation," Rice said, saying that was "outside civil discourse." History Professor Barton Bernstein feels it's "incumbent upon me morally to indicate my great dismay and thorough disapproval of the administration in foreign policy and what we believe to be her important role in those decisions." Stanford Democrats club President Ashwin Mudaliar said "I don't think protest is completely necessary. Professor Rice has done a lot for this university, and we should give her due respect for that." Democrats club political director Beth D'Aunno proposed "a big old invitation signed by every student on campus" to speak three nights about her role in the Iraq War, and what she gained from her experience in the administration "that will help her to be even better moving forward." Rice plans to hold seminars and after-dinner talks in dorms. She will be seen at basketball games and maybe on the gold course after trading her pressure-cooker life for one of leisurely reflection on the last 8 years. _________________________________________________________________ Windows Live?: Life without walls. http://windowslive.com/explore?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_allup_1a_explore_032009 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From JamBoi at Greens.org Thu Mar 5 08:29:16 2009 From: JamBoi at Greens.org (Drew Johnson) Date: Thu, 5 Mar 2009 08:29:16 -0800 (PST) Subject: [Sosfbay-discuss] Harper's: "(under Bush)...this country was a dictatorship." Message-ID: <64399.24.130.110.66.1236270556.squirrel@greens.org> http://harpers.org/archive/2009/03/hbc-90004488 George W. Bush?s Disposable Constitution By Scott Horton Yesterday the Obama Administration released a series of nine previously secret legal opinions crafted by the Office of Legal Counsel to enhance the presidential powers of George W. Bush. Perhaps the most astonishing of these memos was one crafted by University of California at Berkeley law professor John Yoo. He concluded that in wartime, the President was freed from the constraints of the Bill of Rights with respect to anything he chose to label as a counterterrorism operations inside the United States. Here?s Neil Lewis?s summary in the New York Times: ?The law has recognized that force (including deadly force) may be legitimately used in self-defense,? Mr. Yoo and Mr. Delahunty wrote to Mr. Gonzales. Therefore any objections based on the Fourth Amendment?s ban on unreasonable searches are swept away, they said, since any possible privacy offense resulting from such a search is a lesser matter than any injury from deadly force. The Oct. 23 memorandum also said that ?First Amendment speech and press rights may also be subordinated to the overriding need to wage war successfully.? It added that ?the current campaign against terrorism may require even broader exercises of federal power domestically.? John Yoo?s Constitution is unlike any other I have ever seen. It seems to consist of one clause: appointing the President as commander-in-chief. The rest of the Constitution was apparently printed in disappearing ink. We need to know how the memo was used. Bradbury suggests it was not much relied upon; I don?t believe that for a second. Moreover Bradbury?s decision to wait to the very end before repealing it suggests that someone in the Bush hierarchy was keen on having it. It?s pretty clear that it served several purposes. Clearly it was designed to authorize sweeping warrantless surveillance by military agencies such as the Defense Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency. Using special new surveillance programs that required the collaboration of telecommunications and Internet service providers, these agencies were sweeping through the emails, IMs, faxes, and phone calls of tens of millions of Americans. Clearly such unlawful surveillance occurred. But the language of the memos suggest that much more was afoot, including the deployment of military units and military police powers on American soil. These memos suggest that John Yoo found a way to treat the Posse Comitatus Act as suspended. These memos gave the President the ability to authorize the torture of persons held at secret overseas sites. And they dealt in great detail with the plight of Jose Padilla, an American citizen seized at O?Hare Airport. Padilla was accused of being involved in a plot to make and detonate a ?dirty bomb,? but at trial it turned out that the Bush Administration had no evidence to stand behind its sensational accusations. Evidently it was just fine to hold Padilla incommunicado, deny him access to counsel and torture him?in the view of the Bush OLC lawyers, that is. Among these memos was one for the files from Steven Bradbury, whom the Senate refused to confirm to run OLC, but who continued as a squatter in the position through the end of the Bush Administration. In his memo, the self-styled OLC head rejected a series of John Yoo-authored memos, noting the painfully obvious reasons why they were incorrect (for instance, Yoo?s penchant for misquoting the Constitution). He did this on January 15, 2009?as he was clearing his desk and preparing to hunt for a new job. So why did he leave the ridiculous Yoo memos in place until the last possible second? Michael Isikoff furnishes a very plausible analysis on MSNBC: We may not have realized it at the time, but in the period from late 2001-January 19, 2009, this country was a dictatorship. The constitutional rights we learned about in high school civics were suspended. That was thanks to secret memos crafted deep inside the Justice Department that effectively trashed the Constitution. What we know now is likely the least of it. http://www.harpers.org/subjects/NoComment No Comment By Scott Horton March 5, 8:19 AM Accountability Debate: Less Amnesty, More Prosecution Yesterday, the Senate Judiciary Committee looked into the idea of a commission to investigate possible criminal conduct by the Bush Administration. It was a curious affair, with Republicans joining together to criticize the commission concept on the grounds that it might get in the way of efforts to prosecute the Bush team. Daphne Eviatar of the Washington Independent summarized it this way: ?If there?s reason to believe that these Justice Department officials have given approval for things that they know not to be lawful and sound, go after them,? [Ranking Member Arlen Specter] said, referring to recent memos released from the Office of Legal Counsel that authorized extreme and arguably illegal executive powers. ?Some of the opinions that are now disclosed are more than startling ? they?re shocking.? The revelations, said Specter, who?s a former federal prosecutor, are ?starting to tread on what may disclose criminal conduct,? he said. The witnesses called to support the Republican position seemed to agree. David Rivkin, a former Justice Department official in the Reagan and first Bush Administrations, called a truth commission ?a profoundly bad idea, a dangerous idea, both for policy and for me as a lawyer for legal and constitutional reasons.? Such a commission ?is to establish a body to engage in what, in essence, is a criminal investigation of former Bush Administration officials,? he said. Matters such as the interrogation and treatment of terror suspects and domestic warrantless wiretapping, however, are ?are heavily regulated by comprehensive criminal statutes.? Any such investigation, then, ?ensures that the commission?s activities would inevitably invade areas traditionally the responsibility of the Department of Justice.? Rivkin went on to strengthen the case for a criminal prosecutions by arguing that if a commission were to unearth evidence of criminal activity and not prosecute it, it would leave former Bush Administration officials open to prosecution abroad. Of course, the Federalist Society and its network have adopted it as an article of faith that inquiries into abuses of presidential power by Republicans are a bad idea?which makes sense given how often these inquiries tend to come to a focus on Federalist Society members. But Rivkin is plainly correct that a commission and a team of federal prosecutors are likely to cross paths and get in the way of one another in sorting through the Bush mess. The comments seemed to have clear impact on Senator Patrick Leahy, though perhaps not the way the Republicans imagined. After the hearing was over, he drew back on his vision of the role of amnesty in the process, suggesting in an interview with MSNBC?s Rachel Maddow that immunity would only rarely be granted and then in consultation with prosecutors at the Justice Department. From JamBoi at Greens.org Thu Mar 5 08:52:47 2009 From: JamBoi at Greens.org (Drew Johnson) Date: Thu, 5 Mar 2009 08:52:47 -0800 (PST) Subject: [Sosfbay-discuss] Due 2 Pressure from Greens & Progressives Healthcare Summit to include 2 (out of 118!!!) Single Payer Advocates Message-ID: <65217.24.130.110.66.1236271967.squirrel@greens.org> http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/40448 Two Spokespeople for Americans Will Join 118 Lobbyists Etc. at the Healthcare Summit - Rally Cancelled Submitted by davidswanson on Thu, 2009-03-05 02:19. * Civil Rights / Liberties This afternoon we received word that Dr. Oliver Fein, president of Physicians for a National Health Program, has been invited to participate in tomorrow's White House summit on health care. He will therefore be joining Rep. John Conyers in the meeting as a strong advocate for a single-payer national health program. Given this development, we are canceling the demonstration outside the White House that was planned for tomorrow. While it remains true that the number of single-payer advocates in the summit will be few in number, we feel we have won an important victory and that demonstrative activity at the White House at this juncture is unnecessary. Please continue to urge your members of Congress and President Obama to support single-payer national health insurance, the only fundamental solution to our health care crisis. And thanks to everyone who called and e-mailed the White House about including the single-payer viewpoint at the summit - you helped make this victory happen! Date: Wed, 4 Mar 2009 20:53:54 +0000 From: Scott McLarty Subject: [usgp-dx] GP ADVISORY Greens support protest of Obama's barring of single-payer advocates from March 5 health summit at White House GREEN PARTY OF THE UNITED STATES http://www.gp.org For Immediate Release: Wednesday, March 4, 2009 Contacts: Scott McLarty, Media Coordinator, 202-518-5624, cell 202-904-7614, mclarty at greens.org Starlene Rankin, Media Coordinator, 916-995-3805, starlene at gp.org Greens urge widespread protest over President Obama's exclusion of Single-Payer/Medicare For All advocates from the March 5 health care reform summit at the White House ? Two protests scheduled: (1) in front of the White House on Thursday, March 5, organized by Physicians for a National Health Program and other single-payer groups; (2) "Burn Your Health Insurance Bill Day" outside of a health insurance lobby meeting in Washington, DC, on Wednesday, March 11 ? "The First 100 Days: What Would a Green Administration Look Like?" (video and text) http://www.gp.org/first100 WASHINGTON, DC -- Green Party leaders said today that Americans should be furious over President Obama's barring of advocates for single-payer (also called Medicare For All) from his March 5 health care summit. Greens urged widespread protest, including rallies and phone calls to the White House and to Congress members, over the exclusion. Polls have demonstrated consistent popular support for a national health care program that guarantees universal coverage (http://www.wpasinglepayer.org/PollResults.html). The 120 guests invited to the White House meeting include lobbyists for the for-profit insurance industry, as well as members of Congress, including Senate Finance Committee Chair Max Baucus, who has declared the single-payer ?off the table.? The Center for Responsive Politics has documented the campaign money that the insurance industry has given to Democrats and Republicans for their leverage over health care and other policies (http://www.opensecrets.org/industries/indus.php?ind=F09), with a total of $46,002,881 in insurance lobby contributions in 2008. Green Party leaders encourraged support for and attendance at two protest actions in Washington, DC over President Obama's exclusion of single-payer voices from the summit: ? Physicians for a National Health Program (http://www.pnhp.org) and other members of the Leadership Conference for Guaranteed Health Care and the National Single Payer Alliance, will demonstrate on Thursday, March 5, from noon to 1:00 pm at Lafayette Square in front of the White House. Health care providers are encouraged to bring their white coats. More information: Danielle Alexander, 202-662-0614, danielle at pnhp.org ? Single-payer supporters will hold a "Burn Your Health Insurance Bill Day" demonstration (http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/03/03) on Wednesday, March 11, 10 am in front of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in downtown Washington, DC. The address is 1150 22nd Street, NW, near the Dupont Circle and GWU/Foggy Bottom Metro stations. Inside the Ritz-Carlton, America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), the main Washington lobbying group for health insurance corporations, will meet to discuss plans to derail single-payer (http://www.ahip.org/links/policy2009/). "President Obama, along with most Democrats and Republicans in Congress, has chosen the demands of the for-profit health insurance industry over America's need for universal health care. The Green Party supports the single-payer national health plan, which covers all Americans and would rescue those who now face financial ruin because they lack insurance or have inadequate coverage," said David Doonan, Village Mayor of Greenwich, New York and a member of the Green Party. "Single-payer will cut national health care costs by as much as a third, significantly reduce what working Americans pay for health coverage, and provide everyone with guaranteed quality care regardless of ability to pay, income, age, or prior medical condition. Furthermore, single-payer will give everyone full choice of health care provider and drastically cut the paperwork that plagues physicians and other health professionals," added Jody Grage, treasurer of the Green Party of the United States. Greens note that enactment of a Single-Payer program would boost the ailing US economy and provide relief for businesses large and small, since it would cancel the high expense and administrative burden of employer-based health care benefits (http://www.gp.org/press/pr-national.php?ID=158). Rep. John Conyers' (D-Mich.) bill for Single-Payer (HR 676, http://thomas.loc.gov/home/gpoxmlc110/h676_ih.xml) has strong Green Party support. Read "An International Perspective on Health Care Reform" by Connecticut Green Party member John R. Battista, MD (http://www.gp.org/first100/?p=119), published on the Green Party's web site as part of "The First 100 Days: What Would a Green Administration Look Like?" (http://www.gp.org/first100) For a comparison of mandate plans and Single-Payer , see "Talking Points: Why the mandate plans won't work, and why Single-Payer 'Medicare for All' is what we need" by Len Rodberg, PhD, published by Physicians for a National Health Program (http://www.pnhp.org/news/2008/december/talking_points_why_.php). See also: Green Party information page on Single-Payer: http://www.gp.org/organize/sicko.html "President Obama can either work to enact health care for all Americans or he can support insurance and HMO industry profits, say Greens" Green Party press release, January 29, 2009 http://www.gp.org/press/pr-national.php?ID=174 Video clips: 2008 Green presidential candidate Cynthia McKinney speaks on Single-Player health care and racial health care disparities http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEHd4lRVUuU More on health care: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEHd4lRVUuU Health, the environment, and the economy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVNTOa8owQQ MORE INFORMATION Green Party of the United States http://www.gp.org 202-319-7191, 866-41GREEN Fax 202-319-7193 ? Tally of Green election victories http://www.gp.org/2008-elections/election-results.html ? Green candidate news http://www.gp.org/2008-elections/candidate-news.php ? Green candidate database for 2008 and other campaign information: http://www.gp.org/elections.shtml ? Green Party News Center http://www.gp.org/newscenter.shtml ? Green Party Speakers Bureau http://www.gp.org/speakers ? Green Party ballot access page http://www.gp.org/2008-elections Green Pages, Vol. 13, No. 1 The official publication of record of the Green Party of the United States http://gp.org/greenpages-blog ~ END ~ From snug.bug at hotmail.com Thu Mar 5 10:02:38 2009 From: snug.bug at hotmail.com (Brian Good) Date: Thu, 5 Mar 2009 10:02:38 -0800 Subject: [Sosfbay-discuss] 9/11 Widows Ask Sen. Leahy for True Criminal Investigations Message-ID: An Open Letter to Senator Patrick Leahy Dear Senator Leahy, We felt compelled to write to you regarding your recent call for the formation of a ?Truth Commission?. According to your press comments, this Commission is supposed to look at the following: * the politicization of prosecution in the Justice Department * the wiretapping of U.S. citizens * the flawed intelligence used to justify the invasion of Iraq * the use of torture at Guantanamo and so-called black sites abroad These are serious allegations of criminal activity by certain members of the Bush Administration. While we applaud your initiative in looking into these matters, we feel this approach is wrong. As the Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, you already have the responsibility and legal authority to investigate matters relating to federal criminal law without having to form a special commission. You are also bound by your oath of office to support and uphold the Constitution by ensuring that those who govern also abide by the rule of law. Furthermore, a ?Truth Commission? will not fix the real problems that our country faces, nor will it guarantee that we will get to the truth. The 9/11 Commission, which you want to model your commission after, is a perfect example of that flawed process. The 9/11 Commission was mandated to follow the facts surrounding the events of September 11, 2001 to wherever they might lead and make national security recommendations based upon those facts. Sadly, prior to even beginning their investigation, like you, the 9/11 Commissioners agreed amongst themselves that their role was to fact find, not fault find. This decision resulted in individuals not being held accountable for their specific failures. These people were shown to be incompetent in the 9/11 Commission?s Final Report but were left in their positions, or worse, promoted. No one should be allowed to make this compromise on behalf of the American people. How can any agency be deemed fixed or reformed if the people working there are inept? How can anyone feel safer? At the 9/11 Commission hearings, little actual evidence was ever produced. Many individuals were not sworn in, critical witnesses were either not called to testify or were permitted to dictate the parameters of their own questioning, pertinent questions were omitted and there was little follow-up. Whistleblower testimony was suppressed or avoided all together. The National Security Agency, an intelligence agency that is responsible for the collection and analysis of foreign communications and foreign intelligence, was barely investigated at all. With the narrative of the 9/11 Commission?s final report predetermined and with the preexisting intention to never hold anyone accountable in place, the 9/11 Commission was doomed to fail as a real investigation. The end result of the 9/11 Commission?s work was that some of the recommendations that they produced were in fact, based on distortions and omissions. Since their mandate of a complete accounting was ignored, the recommendations were incomplete at best. There was clearly no desire on the part of Congress to force the Commission to meet its legislative mandate. Accordingly, there were no repercussions for the fact that the investigation and its recommendations were incomplete. It could be surmised that holding no one accountable was more important than uncovering and disclosing the truth. This could compromise the future safety of American citizens. Why then would you want to model another Commission after it? Why would you want another Commission at all? Senator Leahy, in light of the fact that the 9/11 Commission?s worst offense was not fully investigating the September 11th attacks, completing that investigation should also be included on your list of matters to be examined. America?s founding fathers, prescient in their fears of unrestrained power, created three separate but equal branches of government. They had hoped to maintain and enforce the limits of the Executive Branch. The Bush Administration was allowed to circumvent too many Constitutional restrictions effectively undermining America?s system of justice, our nation?s integrity and commitment to the rule of law. The Bush Administration?s seizing of power proves the adage that ?absolute power corrupts absolutely?. The days of no fault government must end; and where there is clear criminal activity, people must be prosecuted. The law must be upheld without exception before we can be assured of the safety of the nation. These duties cannot be ignored for the sake of expediency. Senator Leahy, our nation needs you to investigate and, if warranted, refer the cases for criminal prosecution in transparent trials. We do not need another meaningless commission resulting in no accountability at the taxpayers? expense. Show all Americans that you have the courage to uphold the law, bring accountability to those who abuse their positions of power and prevent such abuses from happening again. The November 2008 elections proved that Americans want the rule of law restored for those in Washington who are elected to represent us. You, Senator Leahy, are in the position to lead the way and work toward the change we were promised. Sincerely, September 11th Advocates Patty Casazza Monica Gabrielle Mindy Kleinberg Lorie Van Auken http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/40410 I wrote the following to Sen. Leahy: senator_leahy at leahy.senate.gov Senator Leahy, I support the 9/11 widows' call for true criminal-track investigations of the crimes of the Bush regime, not the cover-up commission you seem to be proposing. The widows presented 300 questions to the 9/11 Commission. They only got 27 answers. That's not right. http://www.justicefor911.org/Appendix4_FSCQuestionRatings_111904.php Brian Good _________________________________________________________________ Express your personality in color! Preview and select themes for Hotmail?. http://www.windowslive-hotmail.com/LearnMore/personalize.aspx?ocid=TXT_MSGTX_WL_HM_express_032009#colortheme -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From snug.bug at hotmail.com Thu Mar 5 01:25:09 2009 From: snug.bug at hotmail.com (Brian Good) Date: Thu, 5 Mar 2009 01:25:09 -0800 Subject: [Sosfbay-discuss] 9/11 Widows' Call for Criminal Investigations Message-ID: Senator Leahy, I support the 9/11 widows' call for true criminal-track investigations of the crimes of the Bush regime, not the cover-up commission you seem to be proposing. The widows presented 300 questions to the 9/11 Commission. They only got 27 answers. That's not right. http://www.justicefor911.org/Appendix4_FSCQuestionRatings_111904.php Brian Good _________________________________________________________________ Windows Live?: Life without walls. http://windowslive.com/explore?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_allup_1a_explore_032009 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From j.m.doyle at sbcglobal.net Thu Mar 5 18:03:31 2009 From: j.m.doyle at sbcglobal.net (Jim Doyle) Date: Thu, 05 Mar 2009 18:03:31 -0800 Subject: [Sosfbay-discuss] GPCA national delegates Message-ID: <49B08473.3090106@sbcglobal.net> GREEN PARTY COUNTY CONTACTS MESSAGE This is an announcement from the GPCA Contact List. For more information, or questions related to the topic of the posting, please do not hit reply. Follow the contact directions stated in the email. Dear Greens, Two years ago, as part of the national party's re-apportionment process, the number of national party delegates from California was increased from 13 to 42. Because our delegates (and alternates) have two-year terms, the majority of those seats are now up for election: 32 of the 42 delegate seats, and 28 of the 42 alternate seats will be voted on at the upcoming May state party plenary meeting. (Note: About 14 to 18 current delegation members will likely be running for re-election -- mostly for delegate seats. But even so, over 40 seats will still be open for new delegation members). If you would like to apply for one of these seats, please send your statement to: apps-archive at lists.cagreens.org as soon as possible, and definitely no later than March 16, 2009. (Please indicate whether you are applying to be a delegate or an alternate). Your statement should include biographical information about positions, experience, skills, and/or service that you have had (both within and outside of the Green Party), along with your vision or commitment for the position. (Please see statements submitted by previous candidates for examples, here: http://www.cagreens.org/cc/co-cos/applications_2008/gpus_delegation/ ). You should also be familiar with the delegate and alternate duties, guidelines, and expectations, which are listed on our state party website at: http://www.cagreens.org/delegates/delegate_guidelines.shtml If you have any questions, please contact any current delegation members whom you may know, or you can contact our delegation co-chairs: Sanda Everette ( sanda at greens.org ) and Greg Jan ( gregjan4 at yahoo.com ). Of course, please be sure to forward this message to all relevant local and county listserves and e-mail lists! And thanks in advance for helping us to maintain California's delegation to the national party! Sincerely, Sanda Everette Greg Jan From carolineyacoub at att.net Fri Mar 6 12:03:31 2009 From: carolineyacoub at att.net (Caroline Yacoub) Date: Fri, 6 Mar 2009 12:03:31 -0800 (PST) Subject: [Sosfbay-discuss] Fw: Battle the Top 10 Germ Hot Spots - INSTRUCTIVE READING Message-ID: <484685.51645.qm@web81205.mail.mud.yahoo.com> You can be green and clean--or clean and green, whichever is highest priorty. ----- Forwarded Message ---- From: "Irenejeff at aol.com" To: hilary1 at uwclub.net Sent: Friday, March 6, 2009 8:23:59 AM Subject: Battle the Top 10 Germ Hot Spots - INSTRUCTIVE READING By Melissa Breyer, Senior Editor, Healthy & Green Living If we could take a tour of our homes wearing germ-vision goggles, we might be reluctant to re-enter after running out the door screaming as if we?d just escaped from the world?s creepiest haunted house. Germs are everywhere. I happen to not think that?s such an awful thing?although I don?t want to breed germs like pets, not all germs are so bad. In a story I posted about germs in January (Eating Dirt, Embracing Germs), I wrote about researchers who were concluding that the millions of bacteria and viruses that enter the body along with ?dirt? spur the development of a healthy immune system. But just because I?m soft on germs doesn?t mean I plan on playing perfect hostess to germs that may endanger my kids?wherein lies a bit of a conflict. When I saw a story on germ hot spots and the less innocent germs that lurk in the corners (and surprising surfaces) in our homes, the mother bear in me wanted to bust out the fatigues and shock and awe every last E.coli with bleach and triclosan, even though I run an all-natural household. Every conventional suggestion for battling these hot spots relies on solutions that I know are bad for my house and the planet. So instead, I devised a different plan of attack that skips bleach and its friends, and relies on tested alternatives and some simple strategizing. Here?s my plan. 1. THE KITCHEN SPONGE Statistics show that there can be 250,000 bacteria per square inch on the handy kitchen sponge?yes, the very implement that we use to clean our food prep areas and eating surfaces is swarming with bacteria. The moist pores that make a sponge such an effective cleaning device also make it a perfect cozy village for germs, and very hard to disinfect. Wiping counters or dishes with a dirty sponge will only transfer the bacteria, like dastardly E. coli, from one item to another. Solution: Beware of sponges labeled with ?anti-bacterial? or ?kills odors? as those are impregnated with triclosan. Instead, use pure cellulose sponges and sterilize them every day by one of these three methods. ? Boil in water for three minutes. ? Wet, squeeze, and cook in the microwave for two minutes. ? Run sponge through the dishwasher. 2. DISH RAGS Dish rags present the same problem as kitchen sponges, but since they don?t have the same pervious texture they are less attractive to bacteria. Solution: Rinse the rag well and allow to dry for several hours before using again?most bacteria can only live for three hours without moisture. You can also apply any of the sterilizing methods from Kitchen Sponges. 3. THE KITCHEN SINK Do you hear a buzz in your sink? Salmonella, campylobacter, and E. coli are having a little party in your drain. Not really, I don?t think germs have parties, or voices, but still ? the kitchen sink is a terrific venue for bacteria. Food and grime get stuck around and in the drain, and bacteria like that very much. From there, migration to the basin and faucet handles isn?t such a stretch. Solution: Scrub the drain area and as far down as you can with baking soda and a toothbrush to get rid of food particles and grime. Always clean the sink after you have prepared food containing dangerous organisms. And clean the sink two times a week with a homemade antibacterial soft-scrub formula, see recipe below. 4. WET LAUNDRY This one is as gross as it is surprising. I don?t really know how to tell you this, but there?s poop in your laundry. A report from ABC News states that there is about 0.1 gram of fecal material in a piece of underwear, which adds up to approximately 100 million E. coli bacteria in an average undergarment load. Yuck and yikes. And as many of us don?t use bleach and scalding water for laundry, much of that bacteria just takes a swirly swim and is up and running to contaminate our hands as we transfer to the dryer. Solution ? Wash all undergarments in the same load, and make it the last load of the day to avoid contaminating successive loads. ? Add a few drops of tea tree oil to your laundry detergent, or use lavender or tea tree oil castille soap. ? If you don?t use hot water for cleaning, consider using it just for underwear loads. ? Don?t let laundry sit between wash and dry cycles, this gives germs a chance to multiply. ? If you don?t dry your laundry on high heat for a full cycle, consider doing so just for underwear loads. ? Wash hands after putting wet laundry in the dryer. ? Don?t place dirty laundry on the folding/sorting table where clean laundry will be placed. ? Don?t put clean laundry back in the dirty hamper to bring it back to the dresser. 5. BATHTUB I?m sorry to tell you this, but many garbage cans are cleaner than bathtubs, which can ring in at about 100,000 bacteria per square inch. Solution ? Use an anti-bacterial soft scrub (see formula below) once a week, paying special attention to soap scum and bath rings which can be a great breeding ground for germs. ? Also use the soft scrub and a toothbrush for the drain and faucet/handle areas. ? In addition, spray with straight white distilled vinegar weekly, which kills bacteria as well as mold. 6. FLOORS The kitchen gets food spills, the bathroom gets toilet bowls splashes?bacteria heaven. Most of us aren?t touching or eating off the floor that often, but are kids might be! Solution ? Wipe us spills immediately to deter bacteria from multiplying. ? Close the toilet seat before flushing to avoid spray. ? Clean your kitchen and bathroom floors a hot-water, hard clean weekly, depending on what type of flooring you have (use the soft scrub below for tile). For more tips, read Easy Greening: Natural Floor Cleaning. ? Spray around the toilet with straight white vinegar. 7. KITCHEN GARBAGE Not surprisingly, the kitchen garbage can is a germ magnet?food waste and a dark, moist environment makes bacteria so very happy. Solution ? Use a trashcan with a pedal opener to avoid having to touch the can regularly. ? Use a stainless steel trash can?ions in stainless steel actually kill germs! ? Take out the trash regularly. ? Odor equals bacteria. Clean your bin once a week with the soft scrub formula below, and follow with a vinegar rinse. 8. TOYS Oh, kids and germs?they go together like peas and carrots. And once you factor in the germs from all the friends and classmates, that are transported into your home, sick-city. Solution: Of course there?s always the old weekly bleach-dunk, but not for me, or any of else concerned about our kids inhaling bleach fumes. ? Opt for toys that are easy to clean. ? Some toys can be put through the dishwasher. ? Try a vinegar dunk. ? Cloth toys can be washed in the washing machine. ? Teach kids the importance of washing their hands. 9. PHONE Hello germs? Hello dirty little phone. Both home phones and mobile phones are ideal places for germs to thrive. Between our hands and our mouth, the top germ transmitters, the phone is tremendously germy. In addition, when was the last time you cleaned your phone? Solution: Wipe down weekly with very hot water, and wipe with a vinegar saturated paper towel. 10. CUTTING BOARD Again, gross. According to the ABC report, there are 200 times more fecal bacteria on a cutting board than a toilet seat. Seriously. If you think about it, the toilet seat itself doesn?t have direct contact with a lot of bacteria, while the cutting board hosts a lot of raw food which is often loaded with bacteria. Solution: Plastic cutting boards may be easier to clean and sanitize, but wooden ones also contain natural oils that can kill bacteria. ? Grooves on your boards can harbor bacteria, so when you have the grooves, throw the board out. ? Invest in different cutting boards for produce, bread and meat. ? Glass and plastic which are not very absorbent are the best for meats because juices don?t seep into the material. ? If they fit and the manufacturer states the material is safe, run your cutting boards through the dishwasher. ? Or, hand wash them with Annie?s method: 3 percent hydrogen peroxide alternated with straight white vinegar. Let each material rest on the cutting board for 10 minutes or so before rinsing. DIY Antibacterial Soft Scrub (Inspired by Annie?s Homemade Soft Scrubber) 1/2 cup baking soda Tea tree, lavender, or peppermint Castille soap (see note) 5 drops antibacterial essential oil such as peppermint, tea tree oil, oregano, lemon, thyme, or eucalyptus Pour the baking soda in a bowl and slowly stir in enough liquid soap until you have a thick paste, add essential oil. Use as you would a commercial soft scrub. Note: Only use liquid soap if you have soft water. If you have hard water, use liquid dish detergent. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From snug.bug at hotmail.com Fri Mar 6 14:10:15 2009 From: snug.bug at hotmail.com (Brian Good) Date: Fri, 6 Mar 2009 14:10:15 -0800 Subject: [Sosfbay-discuss] Fw: Battle the Top 10 Germ Hot Spots - INSTRUCTIVE READING In-Reply-To: <484685.51645.qm@web81205.mail.mud.yahoo.com> References: <484685.51645.qm@web81205.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Message-ID: I recently learned that the microbial population on and in our bodies exceeds the number of our own cells by a factor of ten. (1) At the fish-packing plant where I worked in Fort Bragg we would hose down the plant every day and spread rock salt on everything. I recommend salting cutting boards every few weeks, especially if you cut chicken or pork on them. I lean sponges up against the wall like a ladder so they can dry on both sides. Reference (1) below discusses the effect of antibiotic and antibacterial products in breeding resistant strains of microbes after these products wind up in the sewers, the rivers, and the landfills. I remember Michael Pollan saying in a radio interview that the US feedlot industry would collapse in one day if they were not allowed to feed antibiotics to the cattle. Pollan says 70% of antibiotics in the USA are fed to animals on factory farms. (2) 1. http://www.actionbioscience.org/evolution/meade_callahan.html 2. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/16/magazine/16wwln-lede-t.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1 Date: Fri, 6 Mar 2009 12:03:31 -0800 From: carolineyacoub at att.net To: rayacoub at yahoo.com; zenobiasmith at hotmail.com; yacoub8003 at yahoo.com; GATORSAN at izoom.net; mabalateo at comcast.net; mo7934 at comcast.net; kogee at chelseagroup.com; cwg.mj at sbcglobal.net CC: sosfbay-discuss at cagreens.org Subject: [Sosfbay-discuss] Fw: Battle the Top 10 Germ Hot Spots - INSTRUCTIVE READING You can be green and clean--or clean and green, whichever is highest priorty. ----- Forwarded Message ---- From: "Irenejeff at aol.com" To: hilary1 at uwclub.net Sent: Friday, March 6, 2009 8:23:59 AM Subject: Battle the Top 10 Germ Hot Spots - INSTRUCTIVE READING By Melissa Breyer, Senior Editor, Healthy & Green Living If we could take a tour of our homes wearing germ-vision goggles, we might be reluctant to re-enter after running out the door screaming as if we?d just escaped from the world?s creepiest haunted house. Germs are everywhere. I happen to not think that?s such an awful thing?although I don?t want to breed germs like pets, not all germs are so bad. In a story I posted about germs in January (Eating Dirt, Embracing Germs), I wrote about researchers who were concluding that the millions of bacteria and viruses that enter the body along with ?dirt? spur the development of a healthy immune system. But just because I?m soft on germs doesn?t mean I plan on playing perfect hostess to germs that may endanger my kids?wherein lies a bit of a conflict. When I saw a story on germ hot spots and the less innocent germs that lurk in the corners (and surprising surfaces) in our homes, the mother bear in me wanted to bust out the fatigues and shock and awe every last E.coli with bleach and triclosan, even though I run an all-natural household. Every conventional suggestion for battling these hot spots relies on solutions that I know are bad for my house and the planet. So instead, I devised a different plan of attack that skips bleach and its friends, and relies on tested alternatives and some simple strategizing. Here?s my plan. 1. THE KITCHEN SPONGE Statistics show that there can be 250,000 bacteria per square inch on the handy kitchen sponge?yes, the very implement that we use to clean our food prep areas and eating surfaces is swarming with bacteria. The moist pores that make a sponge such an effective cleaning device also make it a perfect cozy village for germs, and very hard to disinfect. Wiping counters or dishes with a dirty sponge will only transfer the bacteria, like dastardly E. coli, from one item to another. Solution: Beware of sponges labeled with ?anti-bacterial? or ?kills odors? as those are impregnated with triclosan. Instead, use pure cellulose sponges and sterilize them every day by one of these three methods. ? Boil in water for three minutes. ? Wet, squeeze, and cook in the microwave for two minutes. ? Run sponge through the dishwasher. 2. DISH RAGS Dish rags present the same problem as kitchen sponges, but since they don?t have the same pervious texture they are less attractive to bacteria. Solution: Rinse the rag well and allow to dry for several hours before using again?most bacteria can only live for three hours without moisture. You can also apply any of the sterilizing methods from Kitchen Sponges. 3. THE KITCHEN SINK Do you hear a buzz in your sink? Salmonella, campylobacter, and E. coli are having a little party in your drain. Not really, I don?t think germs have parties, or voices, but still ? the kitchen sink is a terrific venue for bacteria. Food and grime get stuck around and in the drain, and bacteria like that very much. From there, migration to the basin and faucet handles isn?t such a stretch. Solution: Scrub the drain area and as far down as you can with baking soda and a toothbrush to get rid of food particles and grime. Always clean the sink after you have prepared food containing dangerous organisms. And clean the sink two times a week with a homemade antibacterial soft-scrub formula, see recipe below. 4. WET LAUNDRY This one is as gross as it is surprising. I don?t really know how to tell you this, but there?s poop in your laundry. A report from ABC News states that there is about 0.1 gram of fecal material in a piece of underwear, which adds up to approximately 100 million E. coli bacteria in an average undergarment load. Yuck and yikes. And as many of us don?t use bleach and scalding water for laundry, much of that bacteria just takes a swirly swim and is up and running to contaminate our hands as we transfer to the dryer. Solution ? Wash all undergarments in the same load, and make it the last load of the day to avoid contaminating successive loads. ? Add a few drops of tea tree oil to your laundry detergent, or use lavender or tea tree oil castille soap. ? If you don?t use hot water for cleaning, consider using it just for underwear loads. ? Don?t let laundry sit between wash and dry cycles, this gives germs a chance to multiply. ? If you don?t dry your laundry on high heat for a full cycle, consider doing so just for underwear loads. ? Wash hands after putting wet laundry in the dryer. ? Don?t place dirty laundry on the folding/sorting table where clean laundry will be placed. ? Don?t put clean laundry back in the dirty hamper to bring it back to the dresser. 5. BATHTUB I?m sorry to tell you this, but many garbage cans are cleaner than bathtubs, which can ring in at about 100,000 bacteria per square inch. Solution ? Use an anti-bacterial soft scrub (see formula below) once a week, paying special attention to soap scum and bath rings which can be a great breeding ground for germs. ? Also use the soft scrub and a toothbrush for the drain and faucet/handle areas. ? In addition, spray with straight white distilled vinegar weekly, which kills bacteria as well as mold. 6. FLOORS The kitchen gets food spills, the bathroom gets toilet bowls splashes?bacteria heaven. Most of us aren?t touching or eating off the floor that often, but are kids might be! Solution ? Wipe us spills immediately to deter bacteria from multiplying. ? Close the toilet seat before flushing to avoid spray. ? Clean your kitchen and bathroom floors a hot-water, hard clean weekly, depending on what type of flooring you have (use the soft scrub below for tile). For more tips, read Easy Greening: Natural Floor Cleaning. ? Spray around the toilet with straight white vinegar. 7. KITCHEN GARBAGE Not surprisingly, the kitchen garbage can is a germ magnet?food waste and a dark, moist environment makes bacteria so very happy. Solution ? Use a trashcan with a pedal opener to avoid having to touch the can regularly. ? Use a stainless steel trash can?ions in stainless steel actually kill germs! ? Take out the trash regularly. ? Odor equals bacteria. Clean your bin once a week with the soft scrub formula below, and follow with a vinegar rinse. 8. TOYS Oh, kids and germs?they go together like peas and carrots. And once you factor in the germs from all the friends and classmates, that are transported into your home, sick-city. Solution: Of course there?s always the old weekly bleach-dunk, but not for me, or any of else concerned about our kids inhaling bleach fumes. ? Opt for toys that are easy to clean. ? Some toys can be put through the dishwasher. ? Try a vinegar dunk. ? Cloth toys can be washed in the washing machine. ? Teach kids the importance of washing their hands. 9. PHONE Hello germs? Hello dirty little phone. Both home phones and mobile phones are ideal places for germs to thrive. Between our hands and our mouth, the top germ transmitters, the phone is tremendously germy. In addition, when was the last time you cleaned your phone? Solution: Wipe down weekly with very hot water, and wipe with a vinegar saturated paper towel. 10. CUTTING BOARD Again, gross. According to the ABC report, there are 200 times more fecal bacteria on a cutting board than a toilet seat. Seriously. If you think about it, the toilet seat itself doesn?t have direct contact with a lot of bacteria, while the cutting board hosts a lot of raw food which is often loaded with bacteria. Solution: Plastic cutting boards may be easier to clean and sanitize, but wooden ones also contain natural oils that can kill bacteria. ? Grooves on your boards can harbor bacteria, so when you have the grooves, throw the board out. ? Invest in different cutting boards for produce, bread and meat. ? Glass and plastic which are not very absorbent are the best for meats because juices don?t seep into the material. ? If they fit and the manufacturer states the material is safe, run your cutting boards through the dishwasher. ? Or, hand wash them with Annie?s method: 3 percent hydrogen peroxide alternated with straight white vinegar. Let each material rest on the cutting board for 10 minutes or so before rinsing. DIY Antibacterial Soft Scrub (Inspired by Annie?s Homemade Soft Scrubber) 1/2 cup baking soda Tea tree, lavender, or peppermint Castille soap (see note) 5 drops antibacterial essential oil such as peppermint, tea tree oil, oregano, lemon, thyme, or eucalyptus Pour the baking soda in a bowl and slowly stir in enough liquid soap until you have a thick paste, add essential oil. Use as you would a commercial soft scrub. Note: Only use liquid soap if you have soft water. If you have hard water, use liquid dish detergent. _________________________________________________________________ Windows Live? Groups: Create an online spot for your favorite groups to meet. http://windowslive.com/online/groups?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_groups_032009 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From carolineyacoub at att.net Fri Mar 6 16:58:02 2009 From: carolineyacoub at att.net (Caroline Yacoub) Date: Fri, 6 Mar 2009 16:58:02 -0800 (PST) Subject: [Sosfbay-discuss] Fw: URGENT: SB 810 Leno HEARING, Tuesday, March 10 1:30PM Capitol, Press Conference Wednesday, March 11, 9:15AM Message-ID: <771909.10386.qm@web81205.mail.mud.yahoo.com> ----- Forwarded Message ---- From: Lynn Huidekoper To: jsincalif at aol.com; carolineyacoub at att.net; wandadon at earthlink.net; mcbeattie at jps.net; atallam at gmail.com; kbock3 at sbcglobal.net; perrysandy at aol.com; monicasb at sbcglobal.net; jam at batnet.com; brogregm at sbcglobal.net; lcois33 at yahoo.com; biscayne140 at yahoo.com; pammysalvatierra at yahoo.com; josanlo at msn.com; tonyufcw428 at yahoo.com; kamwu88 at yahoo.com; luther at sjguild.org; paor69 at yahoo.com; kathyjasper at yahoo.com; jennlou00 at yahoo.com; kduncan111 at comcast.net; ed.morillo at rov.sccgov.org; carolgarvey2003 at yahoo.com; spanish.editor at el-observador.com; janelle at caljustice.org; watieca at aol.com; leiningerbill at verizon.net; benavidez75 at yahoo.com; jamboi at greens.org Sent: Friday, March 6, 2009 4:54:09 PM Subject: URGENT: SB 810 Leno HEARING, Tuesday, March 10 1:30PM Capitol, Press Conference Wednesday, March 11, 9:15AM join us: ?SB 810 ?Campaign 2009 California healthcare system act ? informational hearing Assembly Health Committee ? Tues.? March 10, 2009, 1:30 PM, room 4202 ____________________________________________________________________________ ? ? senator mark leno introduces sb 810, leno California healthcare system act Wed.? March 11, 2009, 9:45AM, room 1009 ? ? Join this Great Movement of 2009 to finally bring the tragedy of our Broken healthcare system to an end. ? ? Here are three more actions you can take: ? ? Action #1??????? Contact Organizations to send SB 810 Endorsement Letters to Senator Mark Leno State Capitol Sacramento, CA, 95814 ? Action #2??????? Contact Individuals - ask them to send a Support Letter to their own Legislator, and to pass it on, ask their friends and family to send a letter to their ?Legislators. ? Action #3. ????? Schedule a meeting at their Members district office including representatives of organizations from the district. ? The district office staff and the Member will become familiar with the supporters of SB 810 and will learn they can count on a growing number of constituents to back them up on their support for SB 810. ? ? Dan Hodges, Chair?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? Carolyn Negrete, Legislative Liaison ? Health Care for All-California, 5634 Delcliff Circle, Sacramento, CA 95822,? 916 424 5316, cnegrete at comcast.net, ? ? *1.?A Sample Endorsement Letter is available at www.healthcareforall.org. *2.? A Sample Urge to vote Aye Letter is available at www.healthcareforall.org.? Your own experience is alwaysbest. ? ?Carolyn Negrete, 916-424-5316? "The arc of history, though long,?bends toward justice." Martin Luther King, Jr.? -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: ASK - Assembly Informational Hearing 3-10-09.doc Type: application/octet-stream Size: 36352 bytes Desc: not available URL: From carolineyacoub at att.net Fri Mar 6 17:07:02 2009 From: carolineyacoub at att.net (Caroline Yacoub) Date: Fri, 6 Mar 2009 17:07:02 -0800 (PST) Subject: [Sosfbay-discuss] Earth Hour--TURN OUT YOUR LIGHTS Message-ID: <402206.88594.qm@web81202.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Earth Hour 2009 will start at 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 28. Last year more than 50,000,000 people in 400 cities on all seven continents participated. You can go online and download a toolkit that includes everything you need to organize an Earth Hour event in your community. If I were going to be here, you betcha I would be into this hot and heavy. Unfortunately, I will be at a wedding in Phoenix where I don't believe I'll have access to the light switches. But I hope some of you will get together and do something fun in the dark to save Planet Earth. Caroline -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From carolineyacoub at att.net Sun Mar 8 10:19:50 2009 From: carolineyacoub at att.net (Caroline Yacoub) Date: Sun, 8 Mar 2009 10:19:50 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Sosfbay-discuss] Earth Hour Message-ID: <764272.79629.qm@web81201.mail.mud.yahoo.com> I didn't include a link in my note about Earth Hour, because there wasn't one. All you have to do is Google Earth Hour. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From carolineyacoub at att.net Sun Mar 8 13:15:27 2009 From: carolineyacoub at att.net (Caroline Yacoub) Date: Sun, 8 Mar 2009 13:15:27 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Sosfbay-discuss] March 4, 2009 General Meeting Message-ID: <115990.38789.qm@web81202.mail.mud.yahoo.com> I apologize for not getting these out sooner. Some of you might have wanted to go to the Stop Recruiting Kids event at First Christian Church in San Jose on March 7. Jim Doyle can probably tell you how that went. There was also a Raging Grannies movie at Cinequest. Sorry. Meeting Present: Fred, Carol, Tian, Cameron, Roy,Merriam, Jim Doyle, Caroline Facilitator: Drew, Timekeeper: Roy, Note Taker: Caroline, Vibes Watcher: Fred Introductions. Announcements: Stop Recruiting Kids event; David Ledesma was interviewed on Flashpoint on KPFA; CiviCRM stands for Civic Constituent Relationship Management. Greenspiration--Roy on Sustainability Councils; Carol and Dru on Summit in Denver On January 20, Roy was interviewed for Planning Commission. He is a green contractor. He wasn't selected, but he left them with the idea that there should be a Sustainability Council, and he should be on it. Neighborhood Sustainability Councils should become "viral" and spread. He said we should get a group of 5 people together, then we should find a people ?knowledgeable in waste management,? water management, etc to give talks. We should give a BIG party for youth. We should give lots of awards e.g. for kid with best sustainability project. We should give each kid a tree to plant. Get green companies to help support it, give them a chance to promote their wares. Give away cool software. Merriam said there was a huge thing for youth on climate change in Washington DC. We should find the kids in our area who went, see if they want to share ideas. (Here's an idea: we could give away tickets at Junior State) Carol and Drew on Denver Summit Carol gave a detailed report on this in her earlier e-mail, but, for any of you who may have missed it, here are a few topics discussed: -voting machines with instant feedback invented by Chris Beusey(sp?) in Menlo Park -Transpartisanism--getting above partisan politics to think more wholistically, create dialogue. Transpartisan tool-kit, helping to get over normal problems like stereotypes -Barbara Marx Hubbard said, "Let's focus on a positive, transformative vision--where we want to go." -Kent Mesplay spoke on Green outreach to Native People, going to ask Native Americans to become leaders in the Transpartisan Movement -Cynthia McKinney spoke on Peace, Justice, and Dignity -Steve Shefferman(sp?) said Greens had an impact beyond their numbers. -Peggy Holman brought in the "Change Handbook". Good ideas about facilitating meetings, networking, not top-down, self-organizing process. The "law of two feet"--if you're not engaged by a topic, you walk away. ? Treasurer's report ? We had $1,638.76 (more after hat passing, but I don't know how much) . Jim says we need to start raising money. He suggested we read "Fundraising for Dummies."? No disrespect intended, I'm sure. Merriam suggested we put on spaghetti feeds. We formed a spaghetti committee, which will meet at Caroline's house on Thursday, Mar 12, at 1:00. The committee is Merriam, Fred, Drew, Caroline, and Tian. Other interested persons are welcome. We will address accountability, health care, and sustainability. We will find people to speak and table on these topics at the spaghetti feeds. We will work on finding venues and food. Accountability There are groups for 9/11 Truth? and Arrest Bush and Cheney. Carol said the Green Party should support these causes. Brian was at Stanford meeting with people who want to hold Condoleeza Rice accountable. Events: we need people to volunteer to work at and be in charge of these activities ? March 7--sorrry March 12--spaghetti meeting, 1:00 ?March 12??? 7:00 LWV public forum on Electoral College: Can we do better?? City of Mt. View Council????? ??????????????????? Chambers, 500 Castro Street March 19--Speak out for anniversary of war at Martin Luther King library March 21--Peace march in S.F. ?March 21 and 22--Peace activities on Stevens Creek and Winchester with David Ledesma March 28--Earth Hour 8:30, turn off your lights April 22--SJSU Earthday celebration ??????????????? SCU Earthday celebration ??????????????? Possible south county Green celebration ??????????????? Various and sundry farmer's markets and local events. Be there, wear your Green Buttons April 25--Junior State May 2 (&3?) Berryessa Art and Wine Festival. Heavy lifters needed May 14--Bike to Work Day. Green Party will have an Energizer Booth. June 20-21--Juneteenth July 4th weekend (3,4,5) Downtown San Jose. August--nothing so far September Labor Day Weekend--Saturday, Sunday, Monday--Downtown San Jose September 19--Santa Teresa Community Fest October--nothing? so far November--Junior State December--Holiday Peace Fair First Sunday Schwag It has been noted that we need to raise cash. We don't currently have much to sell at tabling events. Tian got the prices for a large variety of sellable things. We decided that the initial investment was too high, given the current state of our finances. We discussed alternatives: plants, bag clips, Salvation Army shirts, painted rocks, and seeds. Caroline is going to paint rocks, Drew is going to grow plants, Carol is going to package seeds. Drew would like some egg cartons or yogurt containers to start the plants in. If anybody thinks of some more free or cheap, or easy-to-make things that we could sell, please put it on sosfbay. Caroline -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From j.m.doyle at sbcglobal.net Sun Mar 8 16:04:23 2009 From: j.m.doyle at sbcglobal.net (Jim Doyle) Date: Sun, 08 Mar 2009 16:04:23 -0700 Subject: [Sosfbay-discuss] GPCA national party delegates Message-ID: <49B44EF7.3020000@sbcglobal.net> GREEN PARTY COUNTY CONTACTS MESSAGE This is an announcement from the GPCA Contact List. For more information, or questions related to the topic of the posting, please do not hit reply. Follow the contact directions stated in the email. --------------------- There is an error in the GPUS Delegation election announcement circulated on March 4 and copied below. The correct address to which candidates should send their applications is applications at cagreens.org . If you sent a message to apps-archive at lists.cagreens.org be assured that the list is being monitored and your message will be found. Original message: Dear Greens, Two years ago, as part of the national party's re-apportionment process, the number of national party delegates from California was increased from 13 to 42. Because our delegates (and alternates) have two-year terms, the majority of those seats are now up for election: 32 of the 42 delegate seats, and 28 of the 42 alternate seats will be voted on at the upcoming May state party plenary meeting. (Note: About 14 to 18 current delegation members will likely be running for re-election -- mostly for delegate seats. But even so, over 40 seats will still be open for new delegation members). If you would like to apply for one of these seats, please send your statement to: applications at cagreens.org . as soon as possible, and definitely no later than March 16, 2009. (Please indicate whether you are applying to be a delegate or an alternate). Your statement should include biographical information about positions, experience, skills, and/or service that you have had (both within and outside of the Green Party), along with your vision or commitment for the position. (Please see statements submitted by previous candidates for examples, here: http://www.cagreens.org/cc/co-cos/applications_2008/gpus_delegation/ ). You should also be familiar with the delegate and alternate duties, guidelines, and expectations, which are listed on our state party website at: http://www.cagreens.org/delegates/delegate_guidelines.shtml If you have any questions, please contact any current delegation members whom you may know, or you can contact our delegation co-chairs: Sanda Everette ( sanda at greens.org ) and Greg Jan ( gregjan4 at yahoo.com ). Of course, please be sure to forward this message to all relevant local and county listserves and e-mail lists! And thanks in advance for helping us to maintain California's delegation to the national party! Sincerely, Sanda Everette Greg Jan From snug.bug at hotmail.com Sun Mar 8 18:08:03 2009 From: snug.bug at hotmail.com (Brian Good) Date: Sun, 8 Mar 2009 18:08:03 -0700 Subject: [Sosfbay-discuss] FW: Eyewitness Gaza with Donna & Darlene Wallach, March 13th/18th In-Reply-To: <18644905.1236560258066.JavaMail.root@localhost> References: <18644905.1236560258066.JavaMail.root@localhost> Message-ID: I highly recommend this presentation. I attended at De Anza College a couple of weeks ago and it was mind-boggling. My writeup of that event appears at the bottom of this communication. Date: Sun, 8 Mar 2009 16:57:38 -0800 From: activist at sbm4peace.org To: snug.bug at hotmail.com Subject: Eyewitness Gaza with Donna & Darlene Wallach, March 13th/18th Eyewitness Gaza Eyewitness Gaza Human rights activists, Darlene and Donna Wallach, tell and show what life is like for Palestinians under daily siege. Friday, March 13, 2009 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM Saratoga Public Library, Community Room 13650 Saratoga Avenue (at Fruitvale Avenue) Saratoga, CA 95070 Wednesday, March 18, 2009 6:30 PM - 9:00 PM Milpitas Public Library, Community Room 160 North Main Street (at Weller Lane) Milpitas, CA 95035 Donna Wallach and Darlene Wallach are Jewish social justice activists. Last August 2008 they travelled to the Gaza Strip, Palestine on the SS Free Gaza and SS Liberty of the Free Gaza Movement, the first boats to arrive in Gaza from the outside world in decades. They recently returned from Gaza after volunteering with the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) accompanying Palestinian fishermen and farmers, and witnessing daily violations of the ceasefire by the Israeli military. They are passionate about justice and equality for all. Come listen to them speak about the spirit, resilience, kindness, generousity, and sense of humor of the Palestinian people and the peaceful ways they survive the extreme hardships of Israeli blockade and violence. With a brief introduction to the context of conflict in Gaza by by Sharat G. Lin Free Admission Refreshments will be served (donations accepted) Wheelchair accessible Sponsored by the San Jos? Peace and Justice Center (www.SanJosePeace.org), South Bay Mobilization (www.sbm4peace.org), Arab American Cultural Center (aaccsv.org), Friends of South Asia (www.friendsofsouthasia.org), and Our Developing World (www.magiclink.net/~odw). Contact: 408-297-2299 Download flyer (English) PDF: http://www.indybay.org/uploads/2009/03/04/flyer-eyewitness_gaza-20090313_18.pdf - - - - - - Report on the Wallach Sisters' Powerful Event at De Anza? Thursday night the Wallach sisters Darlene and Donna gave an emotional presentation on Gaza to a standing-room-only crowd of 100 people at De Anza College. They showed video showing Israeli gunboats shooting close across the bows of a Palestinian fishing boat, aggressively throwing wakes, and firing powerful water cannons into the wheelhouse. They said the water from these cannons has a strong chemical odor. They said that in 2006 the Israelis arbitrarily imposed a 6-mile fishing limit at the Gaza coast, while in most of the world a 12-mile limit is recognized. In 2008 14 Palestinian fishermen were killed by Israeli gunboats illegally entering Palestinian waters, and recently another was shot and wounded. They report that Israeli soldiers destroyed Palestinian houses and farms to create a buffer zone along the border, and that they shoot at or near farmers who enter their own fields. One doctor told them that soldiers shoot at his house every day, and one farmer has been unable to farm for 5 years because of the shooting. They stood on the fields with their hands up, calling for the Israelis to stop shooting near them. The blockade has been oppressive. 278 people died unnecessarily because they could not get across the border for needed medical treatment in Israel; 33,000 factory workers lost their jobs because supplies and components can't get through. Lack of building materials has led to overcrowded schools with 40 students in a class, and double schedules. Supplies to keep sewage plants operating properly can not be obtained. In the incident when the Israelis kidnapped Darlene at sea, the Israelis held the three boats for ten days, When they were returned, expensive GPS units had been stolen, and one of the engines had been damaged. The fishermen were threatened that if they have international observers on their boats again, the boats will be confiscated. Darlene commented that conditions in jail were better for her than conditions in Gaza, which she described as "an open air prison". She had 24-hour electricity, hot and cold water, and three meals a day. The Gazans are lucky to get 6 hours of electricity a day. The banks closed in November, bringing the economy to a halt. The Israelis are holding 12,000 Palestinian prisoners. Some are held in pits in the ground in cold weather, sometimes in combat areas. Darlene reacted angrily to a question about creating a Ghandian campaign of nonviolent resistance. She said that the everyday life of the Palestinian people was nonviolent resistance. Audience members recommended the book "The Israel Lobby" by Mearsheimer and Walt, political scientists at the University of Chicago and Harvard, and "West Bank Story," a comic film about a romance betweenDavid and Fatima. My whole life I have avoided confronting this issue because it's inconvenient and unpleasant, and it didn't seem to have anything to do with me. It was important to see the talk in a room full of other people; I "knew" most of that they said from having read stuff on the internet, but it didn't sink in. I recognize that my reaction was much like that of people who don't want to think about the dishonesty of the official 9/11 reports. I think the Wallachs felt impelled to get involved because the issue does involve them, just as my personal experiences forced me to do something about getting to the truth of 9/11. I thank the Wallach sisters for their courage and dedication to what's right, and I thank them for shocking me out of my wilful ignorance. ### You are subscribed to this list as snug.bug at hotmail.com. Click here to unsubscribe, or send email to unsubscribe.337721.265455706.4742715214136757305-snug.bug_hotmail.com at en.groundspring.org. Our postal address is 48 South 7th St. Suite 102 San Jose, California 95112 United States _________________________________________________________________ Hotmail? is up to 70% faster. Now good news travels really fast. http://windowslive.com/online/hotmail?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_HM_70faster_032009 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From snug.bug at hotmail.com Sun Mar 8 19:34:22 2009 From: snug.bug at hotmail.com (Brian Good) Date: Sun, 8 Mar 2009 19:34:22 -0700 Subject: [Sosfbay-discuss] Colin Powell last Monday In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: I note that Colin Powell managed to slither onto the Stanford campus for a couple of hours last Monday apparently without arousing any controversy. http://news.stanford.edu/news/2009/march4/colin-powell-speaks-030409.html When he spoke at De Anza College in Cupertino in November, 2005 he inspired an all-afternoon "War Crimes Tribunal" that was pretty well attended, also demonstrations three nights running. Where's the outrage? Don't let anyone tell you Colin Powell is a nice man. Powell was involved early in his career in the coverup of the My Lai massacre. (1) His book My American Journey justifies the Americans' practice of shooting Vietnamese "military-age males" from helicopters. If the man ran, he would be judged hostile and killed. If he stood in place and allowed the Americans to shoot at him, he would be allowed to live. (2) Later, Powell defended Brig. Gen. John W. Donaldson from court-martial murder charges after the general's helicopter pilots alleged that he had killed Vietnamese civilians indiscriminantly. (2) Powell served as senior military advisor to Secretary of Defense Cap Weinberger during a time when the Reagan administration was supporting Central American death squads and the murderous Contras in Nicaragua. (3) Later he pressured Central American regimes to support the Contras, "trying every weapon in [his] arsenal to break up the peace process," according to one Congressman. (4) As Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Powell recommended the 1989 invasion of Panama that was condemned by the U.N. and the Organization of American States. Human rights organizations protested that military policies designed to minimize U.S. casualties caused unnecessary civilian deaths. (5) In preparations for the ground war phase of Gulf War I, Powell repeatedly expressed impatience with delays to commencing the war, fearing that the Russians would succeed in brokering a peace settlement. Poppy Bush badly needed a war to do away with his "wimp factor". General Schwarzkopf wanted to allow the Iraqis to peacefully withdrawal from Kuwait with a one-week timetable. According to award-winning journalist Robert Parry, Powell sabotaged this plan by substituting an unrealistic two-day timetable. Ultimately, retreating Iraqi troops were slaughtered in the famous "Highway of Death" atrocity. (6) (10) Norman Solomon calls Powell's presentation to the U.N. about alleged Iraqi WMD "fudged, exaggerated and concocted, often presenting deceptions as certainties.... [H]e played fast and loose with translations of phone intercepts to make them seem more incriminating.... " but though many of his claims were "ripped apart" within a few days by mainstream British press, the press in the USA was almost universally fawning and admiring. (7) Though Powell has tried to put the blame for the WMD debacle on bad intelligence from lower-level intelligence officers, his State Department colleagues were skeptical of the WMD claims and according to former Assistant Secretary of State Carl Ford, "the State Department's intelligence bureau put in a very deliberate and strong and lengthy dissent" to claims about Iraq's nuke program. (8) Four months before Powell tried to sell the WMD case to the U.N., mainstream Knight-Ridder journalists Warren Strobel and Jonathan Landay published a story called "Some Administration Officials Expressing Misgivings on Iraq" that said: "a growing number of military officers, intelligence professionals and diplomats.... charge that administration hawks have exaggerated evidence of the threat that Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein poses - including distorting his links to the al-Qaida terrorist network - have overstated the amount of international support for attacking Iraq and have downplayed the potential repercussions of a new war in the Middle East." (9) Robert Parry concludes that Powell "has always been an opportunist who consistently put his career and personal status ahead of America?s best interests.... Powell repeatedly has failed to stand up against actions that were immoral, unethical or reckless. At every turning point, Powell protected his career above all else." (10) If I'd known he was coming I would have baked a cake. Windows Live? Contacts: Organize your contact list. Check it out. _________________________________________________________________ Express your personality in color! Preview and select themes for Hotmail?. http://www.windowslive-hotmail.com/LearnMore/personalize.aspx?ocid=TXT_MSGTX_WL_HM_express_032009#colortheme -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- An embedded and charset-unspecified text was scrubbed... Name: ATT00000 URL: From snug.bug at hotmail.com Sun Mar 8 19:36:10 2009 From: snug.bug at hotmail.com (Brian Good) Date: Sun, 8 Mar 2009 19:36:10 -0700 Subject: [Sosfbay-discuss] Colin Powell last Monday In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Sorry for the double post--forgot the refs I note that Colin Powell managed to slither onto the Stanford campus for a couple of hours last Monday apparently without arousing any controversy. http://news.stanford.edu/news/2009/march4/colin-powell-speaks-030409.html When he spoke at De Anza College in Cupertino in November, 2005 he inspired an all-afternoon "War Crimes Tribunal" that was pretty well attended, also demonstrations three nights running. Where's the outrage? Don't let anyone tell you Colin Powell is a nice man. Powell was involved early in his career in the coverup of the My Lai massacre. (1) His book My American Journey justifies the Americans' practice of shooting Vietnamese "military-age males" from helicopters. If the man ran, he would be judged hostile and killed. If he stood in place and allowed the Americans to shoot at him, he would be allowed to live. (2) Later, Powell defended Brig. Gen. John W. Donaldson from court-martial murder charges after the general's helicopter pilots alleged that he had killed Vietnamese civilians indiscriminantly. (2) Powell served as senior military advisor to Secretary of Defense Cap Weinberger during a time when the Reagan administration was supporting Central American death squads and the murderous Contras in Nicaragua. (3) Later he pressured Central American regimes to support the Contras, "trying every weapon in [his] arsenal to break up the peace process," according to one Congressman. (4) As Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Powell recommended the 1989 invasion of Panama that was condemned by the U.N. and the Organization of American States. Human rights organizations protested that military policies designed to minimize U.S. casualties caused unnecessary civilian deaths. (5) In preparations for the ground war phase of Gulf War I, Powell repeatedly expressed impatience with delays to commencing the war, fearing that the Russians would succeed in brokering a peace settlement. Poppy Bush badly needed a war to do away with his "wimp factor". General Schwarzkopf wanted to allow the Iraqis to peacefully withdrawal from Kuwait with a one-week timetable. According to award-winning journalist Robert Parry, Powell sabotaged this plan by substituting an unrealistic two-day timetable. Ultimately, retreating Iraqi troops were slaughtered in the famous "Highway of Death" atrocity. (6) (10) Norman Solomon calls Powell's presentation to the U.N. about alleged Iraqi WMD "fudged, exaggerated and concocted, often presenting deceptions as certainties.... [H]e played fast and loose with translations of phone intercepts to make them seem more incriminating.... " but though many of his claims were "ripped apart" within a few days by mainstream British press, the press in the USA was almost universally fawning and admiring. (7) Though Powell has tried to put the blame for the WMD debacle on bad intelligence from lower-level intelligence officers, his State Department colleagues were skeptical of the WMD claims and according to former Assistant Secretary of State Carl Ford, "the State Department's intelligence bureau put in a very deliberate and strong and lengthy dissent" to claims about Iraq's nuke program. (8) Four months before Powell tried to sell the WMD case to the U.N., mainstream Knight-Ridder journalists Warren Strobel and Jonathan Landay published a story called "Some Administration Officials Expressing Misgivings on Iraq" that said: "a growing number of military officers, intelligence professionals and diplomats.... charge that administration hawks have exaggerated evidence of the threat that Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein poses - including distorting his links to the al-Qaida terrorist network - have overstated the amount of international support for attacking Iraq and have downplayed the potential repercussions of a new war in the Middle East." (9) Robert Parry concludes that Powell "has always been an opportunist who consistently put his career and personal status ahead of America?s best interests.... Powell repeatedly has failed to stand up against actions that were immoral, unethical or reckless. At every turning point, Powell protected his career above all else." (10) If I'd known he was coming I would have baked a cake. 1. http://www.consortiumnews.com/2000/121700b.html 2. http://www.consortiumnews.com/2000/121700c.html 3. http://www.consortiumnews.com/2000/121900a.html 4. http://www.consortiumnews.com/2000/122200b.html 5. http://www.consortiumnews.com/2000/122600a.html 6. http://www.consortiumnews.com/2000/122600b.html 7. http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/18820.html 8. http://www.consortiumnews.com/2005/091605.html 9. http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/22200/ 10. http://www.consortiumnews.com/2004/112604.html Windows Live? Contacts: Organize your contact list. Check it out. Express your personality in color! Preview and select themes for Hotmail?. See how. _________________________________________________________________ Hotmail? is up to 70% faster. Now good news travels really fast. http://windowslive.com/online/hotmail?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_HM_70faster_032009 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- An embedded and charset-unspecified text was scrubbed... Name: ATT00000 URL: From cbrouillet at igc.org Tue Mar 10 13:40:53 2009 From: cbrouillet at igc.org (Carol Brouillet) Date: Tue, 10 Mar 2009 13:40:53 -0700 Subject: [Sosfbay-discuss] Goodbye Organic Farmers.../Tabling Seeds & info... Message-ID: Dear Green Party activists, At our last meeting we discussed what merchandise we should get for our tabling efforts- everything from T shirts to pens and I volunteered to follow up on my idea of - organic seeds... I contacted Seeds of Change to find out if we could get seeds for our tabling/fundraising. We can get a collection of 4 seed packages which they suggest retailing at $10 each. The 4 choices include- Italian Kitchen Collection Genovese Sweet Roma Paste Tomato America Spinach Cal WonderOrange Basil Bell Pepper Kids Fun to Grow Collection Red Core Chantenay Howden Pumpkin Mammoth Mideast Prolific Carrot Sunflower Cucumber Salad Starter Collection Mesclun Mix Cal Wonder Orange Fox Cherry Shungiku Edible Bell Pepper Tomato Chrysanthemum Zesty Salsa Collection Jalapeno Chile Slow Bolt Cilantro Roma Paste Tomato Valencia Onion It's geared for schools and for students to sell, but we might find Green Party members also interested in doing outreach to their communities (considering the current political situation- and perhaps as a way to get people more aware of the corporate onslaught against our ability to get healthy food). I'm including here just one of a flurry of posts that I have received on new bills which do threaten small farmers. We could create our own informational literature on this- but Seeds of Change will also send us some- though they tend to inform on basic health/educational rather than political issues...) Here are the options for quantity. Pleases give me feedback ASAP so I can order this- or we can go through the treasurer depending on the size of the order. (I don't mind donating some $ towards this effort- beats the hell out of plastic coffee mugs in my opinion....) Starter Package MHFR09ST- S22396 COST $600 Includes: 100 collections at $6/box SCHOOL PROFIT $400 25 Italian Kitchen 25 Kids Fun-to-Grow 25 Salad Starter 25 Zesty Salsa School Garden Starter Kit ? 25 seed packs, 10 garden markers, 5 catalogs Door-to-door order forms for future orders Bulk order form for future orders All shipping charges Full School Package MHFR09FL - S22397 COST $2,250 Includes: 375 collections at $6/box SCHOOL PROFIT $1,500 100 Italian Kitchen Collections 100 Kids Fun-to-Grow Collections 100 Salad Starter Collections 75 Zesty Salsa Collections School Garden Starter Kit ? 25 seed packs, 10 garden markers, 5 catalogs All shipping charges Custom Order MHFR09CT (order minimum of $100) Includes: Collections as selected at $6/box School Garden Starter Kit ? 25 seed packs, 10 garden markers, 5 catalogs Door-to-door order forms for future orders Bulk order form for future orders All shipping charges All potential earnings are based on sale of collections at the suggested retail price of $10.00 each. Stop HR 875, HR 814, SR 425, And Soon, HR 759 OR Say Goodbye to farmers markets, CSAs, and roadside stands The above so called "food safety" bills in Congress were written by the nation-less corporations such as; Monsanto, Cargill, Tysons, ADM, etc. These bills are all associated with the opposite of food safety. What is this all about then? - By Linn Cohen-Cole - March 04, 2009 In the simplest terms, organic food and a rebirth of farming were winning. Not in absolute numbers but in a deep and growing shift by the public toward understanding the connection between their food and their health, between good food and true social pleasures, between their own involvement in food and the improvement in their lives in general, between local food and a burgeoning local economy. Slow Food was right - limit your food to what comes from your region and from real farmers, and slow down to cook it and linger over it with friends and family, and the world begins to change for the better. And as we face an unprecedented economic crisis, and it is hard to be sure what has value, one thing that always does is food. Which is why the corporations are after absolute control over it. But what obstacles to a complete lock on food do they face? All the people in this country who are "banking" on organic farming and urban gardens and most of all, everyone's deepening pleasure in and increasing involvement with everything about food. Farmers markets. Local farmers. Real milk. Fresh eggs. Vegetable stands. Click here to read more... http://www.treehuggersofamerica.org/Say_Goodbye_To_Farmers.php -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From fredd at freeshell.org Tue Mar 10 15:23:14 2009 From: fredd at freeshell.org (Fred Duperrault) Date: Tue, 10 Mar 2009 15:23:14 -0700 Subject: [Sosfbay-discuss] Goodbye Organic Farmers.../Tabling Seeds & info... Message-ID: <49B6E852.2030804@freeshell.org> Again, whoever you are, please sign your messages at the end. These last three messages appear to have been sent by Ms./Mr. Anonymous. Thanks, Fred D. Dear Green Party activists, At our last meeting we discussed what merchandise we should get for our tabling efforts- everything from T shirts to pens and I volunteered to follow up on my idea of - organic seeds... I contacted Seeds of Change to find out if we could get seeds for our tabling/fundraising. We can get a collection of 4 seed packages which they suggest retailing at $10 each. The 4 choices include- Italian Kitchen Collection Genovese Sweet Roma Paste Tomato America Spinach Cal WonderOrange Basil Bell Pepper Kids Fun to Grow Collection Red Core Chantenay Howden Pumpkin Mammoth Mideast Prolific Carrot Sunflower Cucumber Salad Starter Collection Mesclun Mix Cal Wonder Orange Fox Cherry Shungiku Edible Bell Pepper Tomato Chrysanthemum Zesty Salsa Collection Jalapeno Chile Slow Bolt Cilantro Roma Paste Tomato Valencia Onion It's geared for schools and for students to sell, but we might find Green Party members also interested in doing outreach to their communities (considering the current political situation- and perhaps as a way to get people more aware of the corporate onslaught against our ability to get healthy food). I'm including here just one of a flurry of posts that I have received on new bills which do threaten small farmers. We could create our own informational literature on this- but Seeds of Change will also send us some- though they tend to inform on basic health/educational rather than political issues...) Here are the options for quantity. Pleases give me feedback ASAP so I can order this- or we can go through the treasurer depending on the size of the order. (I don't mind donating some $ towards this effort- beats the hell out of plastic coffee mugs in my opinion....) Starter Package MHFR09ST- S22396 COST $600 Includes: 100 collections at $6/box SCHOOL PROFIT $400 25 Italian Kitchen 25 Kids Fun-to-Grow 25 Salad Starter 25 Zesty Salsa School Garden Starter Kit ? 25 seed packs, 10 garden markers, 5 catalogs Door-to-door order forms for future orders Bulk order form for future orders All shipping charges Full School Package MHFR09FL - S22397 COST $2,250 Includes: 375 collections at $6/box SCHOOL PROFIT $1,500 100 Italian Kitchen Collections 100 Kids Fun-to-Grow Collections 100 Salad Starter Collections 75 Zesty Salsa Collections School Garden Starter Kit ? 25 seed packs, 10 garden markers, 5 catalogs All shipping charges Custom Order MHFR09CT (order minimum of $100) Includes: Collections as selected at $6/box School Garden Starter Kit ? 25 seed packs, 10 garden markers, 5 catalogs Door-to-door order forms for future orders Bulk order form for future orders All shipping charges All potential earnings are based on sale of collections at the suggested retail price of $10.00 each. *Stop HR 875, HR 814, SR 425, And Soon, HR 759 OR Say Goodbye to farmers markets, CSAs, and roadside stands * *The above so called "food safety" bills in Congress were written by the nation-less corporations such as; Monsanto, Cargill, Tysons, ADM, etc. These bills are all associated with the opposite of food safety. What is this all about then?* - By Linn Cohen-Cole - March 04, 2009 In the simplest terms, organic food and a rebirth of farming were winning. Not in absolute numbers but in a deep and growing shift by the public toward understanding the connection between their food and their health, between good food and true social pleasures, between their own involvement in food and the improvement in their lives in general, between local food and a burgeoning local economy. Slow Food was right - limit your food to what comes from your region and from real farmers, and slow down to cook it and linger over it with friends and family, and the world begins to change for the better. And as we face an unprecedented economic crisis, and it is hard to be sure what has value, one thing that always does is food. Which is why the corporations are after absolute control over it. But what obstacles to a complete lock on food do they face? All the people in this country who are "banking" on organic farming and urban gardens and most of all, everyone's deepening pleasure in and increasing involvement with everything about food. Farmers markets. Local farmers. Real milk. Fresh eggs. Vegetable stands. Click here to read more... http://www.treehuggersofamerica.org/Say_Goodbye_To_Farmers.php -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- An embedded and charset-unspecified text was scrubbed... Name: file:///tmp/nsmail.asc URL: From snug.bug at hotmail.com Tue Mar 10 20:30:26 2009 From: snug.bug at hotmail.com (Brian Good) Date: Tue, 10 Mar 2009 20:30:26 -0700 Subject: [Sosfbay-discuss] schwag Message-ID: I suggest useful stuff: Soap, toothpaste, lightbulbs. When I was in college we used to buy gallon jugs of egg shampoo for ten dollars. We could get shampoo and liquid soap in jugs and sell it in small bottles. Encourage people to bring their own used bottles. I don't know what kind of restrictions or squeamishness might be involved in selling edibles, but we could sell olive oil, rice, pasta, and dry beans the same way. Also used books. _________________________________________________________________ Express your personality in color! Preview and select themes for Hotmail?. http://www.windowslive-hotmail.com/LearnMore/personalize.aspx?ocid=TXT_MSGTX_WL_HM_express_032009#colortheme -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From cls at truffula.sj.ca.us Wed Mar 11 10:28:47 2009 From: cls at truffula.sj.ca.us (Cameron L. Spitzer) Date: Wed, 11 Mar 2009 10:28:47 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Sosfbay-discuss] schwag Message-ID: <20090311172847.169476A91A@truffula.sj.ca.us> Microsoft has really blown it with Vista, and Ubuntu 8.10 is getting really good reviews outside of the usual open-source advocacy venues. http://www.crn.com/software/211800390 http://lifehacker.com/5072351/a-users-look-at-ubuntu-810-intrepid-ibex http://www.dedoimedo.com/computers/ubuntu-8-10-review.html Microsoft admitted in its 10-K filings (the only place corporations tell the truth) over a decade ago that free software was its only real competition. This is the year that drawing the connection between the Green and software freedom movements matters more than ever. People have heard of "Linux" now, but nobody's put anything in their hands yet. I'm burning some copies and working on a low-literacy flyer to go in the CD sleeve. I think the way to make it less imposing is to move most of the instructions to the web. For those who came in late, a few years ago the county party passed a resolution endorsing the concept of truly free software. I think it's one of our best schwag items. It's been a struggle to keep the CDs among the tabling literature, because most of us doing the tabling don't like it, or can't explain it, or something. We distribute free software to new users on a CD that can boot and run a PC without installing, and can also do a permanent, self-maintaining installation. The going rate for a "live Linux CD" on Ebay is a dollar, plus five for "shipping and handling." They cost 25 cents to make, not counting labor, and contain about nine billion dollars worth of software. The pitch is "give this to the person who takes care of your computer for you." Macintosh users don't need one, having decided to throw money at the problem instead. -Cameron From carolineyacoub at att.net Wed Mar 11 17:58:55 2009 From: carolineyacoub at att.net (Caroline Yacoub) Date: Wed, 11 Mar 2009 17:58:55 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Sosfbay-discuss] schwag Message-ID: <929853.48298.qm@web81202.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Brian had a good idea about schwag that won't cost us anything--used books!? We must all have something interesting lying around that we won't read again. Pop it in the tabling kit! ? The Sunnyvale library is having Earth Day related talks on April 20, from 1:00-3:00 and on April 21 from 12:00-3:00. Wanna help table? Caroline -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From carolineyacoub at att.net Wed Mar 11 18:04:03 2009 From: carolineyacoub at att.net (Caroline Yacoub) Date: Wed, 11 Mar 2009 18:04:03 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Sosfbay-discuss] Fwd: March 12 Free Public Lecture Sponsored by NASA Ames Message-ID: <160152.22498.qm@web81201.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Anybody want to go to a free lecture about Darwin in Mt. View Thursday night? Caroline --- On Wed, 3/11/09, Peg Keenan wrote: ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Nasa Lectures < NasaLectures at mail.arc.nasa.gov> Date: Mon, Mar 9, 2009 at 3:16 PM Subject: March 12 Free Public Lecture Sponsored by NASA Ames To: NASA-lectures at lists.arc.nasa.gov Lecture on Darwin and the Origin of Life Ames is proud to announce the first lecture in a series on the Evolution of Science and Technology.? On Thursday, March 12 at 7:00 PM at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, Dr. James Strick of Franklin & Marshall College will talk about Charles Darwin and his thoughts on the origins of life.?? Employees and members of the public are invited to attend this free public lecture sponsored by Ames and the NASA Astrobiology Institute. Additional lectures in the series, which honors the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin's birth among other significant anniversaries, will be announced at a later date. About the Talk:? Many people assume that Charles Darwin's theory of evolution is inseparably linked to life first arising by natural chemical means.? But what did Darwin really say about this? Interestingly, he said very little in public about the origin of life, and what he does say is remarkable for its apparent ambivalence.? Discussing the subject in private letters with supporters, Darwin took varying positions over time.? This talk will attempt to interpret Darwin's writing on the origin of life in the context of the larger public debate over his theory of evolution, as well as Victorian debates over spontaneous generation of life, medicine, science, and the germ theory of disease.? It will also draw connections to modern origin of life research supported by NASA as part of the quest to understand the potential of the universe to harbor life beyond Earth. About the Speaker:? Dr. James Strick is an Associate Professor, science historian, and author in the Department of Earth and Environment at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, PA.? Dr. Strick's interests are centered on the history of biology and the environmental sciences with research focuses on the history of ideas relating to the origin of life, microbiology, the Gaia paradigm, and NASA's program in Astrobiology, including studies of possible life on Mars. For directions to the Mountain View Center of the Performing Arts, located at 500 Castro Street in Mountain View, CA visit:? http://www.ci.mtnview.ca.us/mvcpa/directions < http://www.ci.mtnview.ca.us/mvcpa/directions> -- -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From snug.bug at hotmail.com Thu Mar 12 08:51:15 2009 From: snug.bug at hotmail.com (Brian Good) Date: Thu, 12 Mar 2009 08:51:15 -0700 Subject: [Sosfbay-discuss] FW: Amnesty: Protest this Friday: Is Stanford a Safe Place for War Criminals? In-Reply-To: <9c25e1530903120822y737a7620ldebb891f97532478@mail.gmail.com> References: <1412785445.2870811236841649811.JavaMail.root@zm03.stanford.edu> <1382091588.2871561236841997072.JavaMail.root@zm03.stanford.edu> <9c25e1530903120822y737a7620ldebb891f97532478@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: Action is at 326 Galvez (that's what Embarcadero turns into) Condoleezza Rice makes her first major appearance on campus and speech this Friday. Is it to students? No. Is it to alumni? No. Is it open to the public? No. It's at an economic summit that is invite only, $2500 entry, an elite event closed to students. The SIEPR Economic Summit, this Friday. (http://siepr.stanford.edu/#SummitAnchorLink) Is she afraid of us, the Stanford community, demonstrating our disapproval of her actions over the past 8 years... Including serious allegations of lying to the American people in the run-up to the Iraq War and personally approving the use of torture? Can you think of any other reason for scheduling at 8am Friday dead week? Condoleezza Rice is speaking on Friday, March 13th at the Francis C. Arrillaga Alumni Center. We plan to be there from 7:30 a.m. For more info about Condoleezza Rice?s alleged war crimes, check out the research Stanford Says No To War has put together here: http://www.stanford.edu/group/antiwar/cgi-bin/mediawiki/index.php?title=Condi_coalition_letter_draft. Stanford Says No to War is calling a protest at this talk of Condoleezza Rice?s presence at Stanford. We will hand out a flyer with information about Condoleezza Rice?s actions and, if we see her, salute her with our shoes, a common form of showing disrespect in various cultures. We will not throw the shoes. Please join us! Friday, March 13, 2009. 7:30 am onwards. Francis C. Arrillaga Alumni Center. _______________________________________________ iraq_coalition mailing list iraq_coalition at lists.stanford.edu https://mailman.stanford.edu/mailman/listinfo/iraq_coalition For more info http://antiwar.stanford.edu -- _________________________________________________________________ Windows Live?: Life without walls. http://windowslive.com/explore?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_allup_1a_explore_032009 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From fredd at freeshell.org Thu Mar 12 20:06:41 2009 From: fredd at freeshell.org (Fred Duperrault) Date: Thu, 12 Mar 2009 20:06:41 -0700 Subject: [Sosfbay-discuss] [Fwd: Fwd: Freeman's Attack on "Israel Lobby"] Message-ID: <49B9CDC1.2010808@freeshell.org> Cheers for Charles Freeman! -------- Original Message -------- Subject: Fwd: Freeman's Attack on "Israel Lobby" Date: Thu, 12 Mar 2009 01:27:06 EDT From: EarthstarRadio at aol.com To: josutter at juno.com CC: fredd at freeshell.org, mssharei at yahoo.com Colleagues -- More bullying by the Israeli lobby here in the USA. -- Roger ------------------------------------------------------------------------ From: frankscott at comcast.net Sent: 3/11/2009 1:53:59 P.M. Pacific Daylight Time Subj: Fwd: Freeman's Attack on "Israel Lobby" at least he didn't go down quietly... note the last sentence and then keep repeating, as in prayer , that we have a two party system... Begin forwarded message: > > Institute for Public Accuracy > 915 National Press Building, Washington, D.C. 20045 > (202) 347-0020 * http://www.accuracy.org * ipa at accuracy.org > ___________________________________________________ > > PM Wednesday, March 11, 2009 > > Freeman's Attack on "Israel Lobby" > > > Amb. Chas Freeman, who Tuesday said that he no longer accepts an offer > to chair the National Intelligence Council, has released a statement > reading in part: "The tactics of the Israel Lobby plumb the depths of > dishonor and indecency and include character assassination, selective > misquotation, the willful distortion of the record, the fabrication of > falsehoods, and an utter disregard for the truth. The aim of this > Lobby is control of the policy process through the exercise of a veto > over the appointment of people who dispute the wisdom of its views, > the substitution of political correctness for analysis, and the > exclusion of any and all options for decision by Americans and our > government other than those that it favors." > http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2009/03/10/ > freeman_speaks_out_on_his_exit > > RAY McGOVERN, rrmcgovern at gmail.com > McGovern was a CIA analyst for 27 years. He said today of Freeman's > withdrawal: "It is unprecedented that pro-Israeli hawks were able to > sabotage the innards of the intelligence community in this fashion." > He just wrote a piece titled "Timidity Derails Obama Intel Choice." > http://consortiumnews.com/2009/031109a.html > McGovern, with several other noted intelligence veterans, wrote in a > letter to Director of National Intelligence Denis Blair on March 8: > "We are not surprised that many pundits and other public figures, > aghast at the appointment of a senior intelligence official able to > take a more balanced view of the Arab-Israel issue, have launched a > strong campaign to derail the Freeman appointment. ... It will surely > come as no surprise to you that, as DNI, you can expect to be on the > receiving end of relentless, agenda-laden lobbying. Reaction to the > Freeman appointment seems a harbinger of things to come." > http://consortiumnews.com/2009/031009a.html > McGovern is a member of Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity > and was one of the writers/briefers of the President's Daily Brief for > Presidents Nixon, Ford, and Reagan. > He wrote a piece published in today's Miami Herald titled "Steer clear > of attack on Iran." > http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/other-views/story/943518.html > > JIM LOBE, jlobe at starpower.net > Lobe is the chief of the Washington bureau of Inter Press Service and > has written extensively on the "neo-conservatives." He blogs at: > http://www.ips.org/blog/jimlobe . > Lobe just co-wrote the piece "Freeman Withdrawal Marks Victory for > Israel Lobby." He said today: "This was a major test of the [Obama > administration's] willingness to stand up to the so-called 'Israel > Lobby,' particularly the right-wing and neo-conservative leadership > vanguard that carried out the public assault on Freeman?s record and > character. It's pretty clear that, in this case -- which was a very > important one -- Obama flunked. Nor was it only Obama. The fact that, > in contrast to a very distinguished group of retired diplomats, > including former UN Amb. Thomas Pickering, no major Democratic > lawmaker was willing to speak out in defense of Freeman is as > remarkable as it is deplorable." > http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=46059 > > For more information, contact at the Institute for Public Accuracy: > Sam Husseini, (202) 347-0020, (202) 421-6858; or David Zupan, (541) > 484-9167 > > _________________________________________________________________ > You received this message as a subscriber on the list: > public at lists.accuracy.org > To be removed from the list, send any message to: > public-unsubscribe at lists.accuracy.org > > For all list information and functions, including changing > your subscription mode and options, visit the Web page: > http://lists.accuracy.org/lists/info/public > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Need a job? Find employment help in your area . -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tnharter at aceweb.com Thu Mar 12 22:35:28 2009 From: tnharter at aceweb.com (Tian Harter) Date: Thu, 12 Mar 2009 22:35:28 -0700 Subject: [Sosfbay-discuss] 9/11 truth and cookies! Message-ID: <49B9F0A0.90901@aceweb.com> Tuesday Carol Brouillet turned another page of the latest chapter in her quest for truth, justice and accountability for the Bush Administration. See more about it at: http://tian.greens.org/PaloAlto/LyttonPlaza/index.html Please notice that no cookies were left on your hard drive by this email or the web page it references. -- Tian http://tian.greens.org Latest addition: pictures of the best organic entertainment in Mtn View. Last evening I traded a District of Columbia quarter for 1 Chinese Yuan. From JamBoi at Greens.org Mon Mar 16 02:18:25 2009 From: JamBoi at Greens.org (Drew Johnson) Date: Mon, 16 Mar 2009 02:18:25 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Sosfbay-discuss] Food 4 Thought: Green Event May 2nd 5pm Message-ID: <4248.76.126.236.53.1237195105.squirrel@greens.org> Location Details TBD, but please mark your calender now and plan to attend on the evening of Saturday May 2nd 5-9pm for organic pasta fun, music and a community-caring Green Party of Santa Clara Event. We'll be holding a gathering to raise our consciousness on the current state of some of our ongoing coalitional campaigns and take a survey to find out where you'd like the party to put its emphasis as well as to raise funds to make this all happen. Carol Brouillet will be MCing, live music is planned and speakers on Single Payer Health Care, Sustainable Living and Gardening, Clean Money Campaign will be feeding our thought. Other Green-allied tablers from the Green-related organizations such as Peace and Justice Center of San Jose, Truth In Recruiting - Santa Clara, Veterans for Peace, Junior States, San Jose State Ecology Club, etc., etc., etc. Speaking of which, If you are aware of a Green-allied group that you'd like to join us at the event, please e-mail me at JamBoi at Greens.org with that idea and we'll put in an invitation out to them. Also please let us know if you want to participate! Location and further details to follow... Credits: Merriam came up with overall idea, the clever name and will be on location, media, Caroline hosted the first planning session including yummy treats, Tian is working on getting the live music etc., Fred and I are working on further publicity. Green is Go! Drew From JamBoi at Greens.org Mon Mar 16 09:49:14 2009 From: JamBoi at Greens.org (Drew Johnson) Date: Mon, 16 Mar 2009 09:49:14 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Sosfbay-discuss] Green Jobs Info Fair: Mar 18th, DeAnza College Message-ID: <2865.76.126.236.53.1237222154.squirrel@greens.org> DeAnza College in Cupertino (280 and Stevens Creek) The Future of Green Jobs (for all but w/ special emphasis on Minority Students) The future of green jobs provides opportunity for all students. Come to a green jobs information fair on the De Anza campus to learn how you can be a part of the socially-conscious green revolution. Wednesday, March 18 9:30 a.m - 1:30 p.m. Hinson Campus Center, Conference Room B ?? Hear industry representatives talk about green job opportunities ?? Learn which classes to take to prepare for these new jobs ?? Meet representatives from socially responsible green industries ?? Get information about potential internships ? The event will feature speakers throughout the day, and information tables will be hosted by green job representatives. Feel free to come and go as needed, but do stop by and check it out! For more information about the event, contact Marc Coronado at 408.864.8409 or coronadomarc at deanza.edu. ?Have you heard the latest news about the final economic recovery bill? $500 million for green jobs training is included in the package! What does this mean to the Environment? A 68 million ton reduction in our nation?s carbon footprint, a cut equivalent to a city the size of Chicago, IL going completely carbon-free! What does this mean to you? 1.6 million new green jobs, including 135,000 green jobs created by a $4.5 billion investment in greening federal buildings. The Green Jobs Act was signed into law in December 2007. Since then, many environmental organizations have fought time and again to secure federal funding for green jobs training. In September, tens of thousands rallied across the country for Green Jobs Now. And in the past few months, they made more than 300 phone calls and sent more than 30,000 emails to Congress. Thanks to these collective efforts, this recovery package will make a significant investment in people and the planet. Information provided by Environment California Legislative Director, Dan Jacobson, and Green For All, a national organization dedicated to building an inclusive green economy strong enough to lift people out of poverty. The Future of Green Jobs event is sponsored by LEAD! Latina/o Empowerment at De Anza, Wise 37 and Latina/o Heritage Events. Funding for the event is provided by DASB. From j.m.doyle at sbcglobal.net Mon Mar 16 18:29:43 2009 From: j.m.doyle at sbcglobal.net (Jim Doyle) Date: Mon, 16 Mar 2009 18:29:43 -0700 Subject: [Sosfbay-discuss] Weekend Of Protest Message-ID: <49BEFD07.1030307@sbcglobal.net> *6TH Anniversary of the Illegal Iraq Occupation - Weekend Of Protest **END THE ILLEGAL OCCUPATION OF IRAQ, AFGHANISTAN, PALESTINE STOP MILITARIZING OUR YOUTH ? FUND PEOPLE'S NEEDS NOT WAR Coalition Against Occupation** (FOCUS - MAIZ - One Voice! - South Bay Mobilization - Students For Justice, De Anza - YAVE)* * SATURDAY, March 21*, 11am assemble @ Santana Park, corner of Tisch Wy. & S Monroe (behind Santana Row), 11:30am march to corner of Stevens Crk & Winchester. Ends at 3pm. *SUNDAY, March 22*, assemble 12noon Stevens Creek & Winchseter. Ends at 3pm From snug.bug at hotmail.com Tue Mar 17 01:10:26 2009 From: snug.bug at hotmail.com (Brian Good) Date: Tue, 17 Mar 2009 01:10:26 -0700 Subject: [Sosfbay-discuss] Leaked Red Cross Report on Torture Contains Actionable Language Message-ID: Beginning with the chapter headings on its contents page ? ?suffocation by water,? ?prolonged stress standing,? ?beatings by use of a collar,? ?confinement in a box? ? the document makes compelling and chilling reading. The stories recounted in its fewer than 50 pages lead inexorably to this unequivocal conclusion, which, given its source, has the power of a legal determination: ?The allegations of ill treatment of the detainees indicate that, in many cases, the ill treatment to which they were subjected while held in the C.I.A. program, either singly or in combination, constituted torture. In addition, many other elements of the ill treatment, either singly or in combination, constituted cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.? Summary: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/15/opinion/15danner.html?pagewanted=1&_r=2&th&emc=th&adxnnlx=1237276955-/sWnxBQO66dZyH/H30vlqQ Longer article: http://www.nybooks.com/articles/22530 _________________________________________________________________ Express your personality in color! Preview and select themes for Hotmail?. http://www.windowslive-hotmail.com/LearnMore/personalize.aspx?ocid=TXT_MSGTX_WL_HM_express_032009#colortheme -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tnharter at aceweb.com Tue Mar 17 23:33:23 2009 From: tnharter at aceweb.com (Tian Harter) Date: Tue, 17 Mar 2009 23:33:23 -0700 Subject: [Sosfbay-discuss] [Fwd: Fwd: please let Greens know] Message-ID: <49C095B3.6070000@aceweb.com> On the Sixth Anniversary of the Invasion of Iraq -- speak out to end wars and occupation Speak Out and Vigil Stop Funding Wars!! Fund our community's needs instead! Six years of war and occupation in Iraq, eight years of war and occupation in Afghanistan, huge numbers of civilians dead in both countries and Americans are less secure than we were in 2001. Santa Clara County taxpayers have paid $6.5 billion to date just for the war in Iraq. We cannot continue to afford the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan either morally or financially! Thursday, March 19, 4:30 to 6:00 p.m. in front of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. library, 150 E. San Fernando St., San Jose COME OUT and SPEAK OUT! Initiated by the San Jose Peace & Justice Center http://www.sanjosepeace.org - Tian http://tian.greens.org Courage does not always roar. Sometimes it is a quiet voice at the end of the day, saying... "I will try again tomorrow." -------------- next part -------------- An embedded message was scrubbed... From: Charlotte Casey Subject: please let Greens know Date: Tue, 17 Mar 2009 14:32:31 -0700 (PDT) Size: 5771 URL: From tnharter at aceweb.com Wed Mar 18 00:05:34 2009 From: tnharter at aceweb.com (Tian Harter) Date: Wed, 18 Mar 2009 00:05:34 -0700 Subject: [Sosfbay-discuss] [Fwd: Take Action on the Sixth Anniversary of the Iraq Invasion] Message-ID: <49C09D3E.50504@aceweb.com> -------- Original Message -------- Subject: Take Action on the Sixth Anniversary of the Iraq Invasion Date: Tue, 17 Mar 2009 22:19:56 -0800 (PST) From: San Jose Peace & Justice Center Reply-To: San Jose Peace & Justice Center To: Take Action on the 6th Anniversary of the Invasion of Iraq stop funding wars Thursday March 19 in San Jose: Speak Out and Vigil to Demand: Stop Funding Wars! Fund Our Community's Needs Instead! 4:30 to 6:00 p.m. in front of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. library, 150 E. San Fernando St., in downtown San Jose. Thursday March 19 in Palo Alto: Peace Vigil, Speakers, Action Leafletting: ?Out of Iraq? Does Not Mean ?Into Afghanistan?, Money for Human Needs, Not War 6:00 to 7:00 PM: Lytton Plaza, University Avenue & Emerson Street, in downtown Palo Alto. Saturday, March 21 in San Francisco: March and Rally to End the Occupations of Iraq, Afghanistan and Palestine 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. March from Justin Herman Plaza to Civic Center in San Francisco Bus from San Jos? to SF: 9 a.m. County parking lot, First and Hedding, 10 a.m. Park & Ride lot at Page Mill Rd and I-280, $5 to $20 sliding scale. For tickets, to reserve seat or for further info, call the San Jose Peace & Justice Center at 408-297-2299. Saturday and Sunday, March 21 and 22 in Santa Clara: End the Occupations in Iraq, Afghanistan and Palestine Saturday, 11:00 a.m. gather at Santana Park , march to Winchester and Stevens Creek. Saturday and Sunday, protest from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m at the Peace Crossroads, Stevens Creek and Winchester Blvds., Santa Clara. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ You are subscribed to this list as tnharter at greens.org. Click here to unsubscribe, or send email to unsubscribe.340480.266878765.656050746312924565-tnharter_greens.org at en.groundspring.org. Our postal address is 48 South 7th. St. San Jose, California 95112 United States -- Tian http://tian.greens.org Latest addition: pictures and commentary from 9/11 TRUTH and cookies! That evening I traded a District of Columbia quarter for 1 Chinese Yuan. From carolineyacoub at att.net Wed Mar 18 22:14:35 2009 From: carolineyacoub at att.net (Caroline Yacoub) Date: Wed, 18 Mar 2009 22:14:35 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Sosfbay-discuss] Fw: Re: Seed funding proposal Message-ID: <230204.41110.qm@web81202.mail.mud.yahoo.com> I vote yes. Caroline --- On Wed, 3/18/09, TNHarter at aol.com wrote: From: TNHarter at aol.com Subject: Re: Seed funding proposal To: j.m.doyle at sbcglobal.net, cbrouillet at igc.org Cc: carolineyacoub at att.net, TNHarter at aol.com, fredd at freeshell.org, MKmusic03 at aol.com, andid at cagreens.org, jamboi at greens.org Date: Wednesday, March 18, 2009, 10:03 PM In a message dated 3/18/09 8:20:47 PM, j.m.doyle at sbcglobal.net writes: Based on Carol's offer to donate $300 for the immediate purchase of seeds I propose that the Green Party of Santa Clara reimburse? her? from the first $300 of the proceeds or the total of the proceeds if the proceeds do not reach $300. I agree. I second the proposal. I have no clarifying questions or concerns. Let's do it ASAP! Tian Courage does not always roar. Sometimes it is a quiet voice at the end of the day, saying... "I will try again tomorrow." ************** Great Deals on Dell 15" Laptops - Starting at $479 (http://pr.atwola.com/promoclk/100126575x1220029050x1201385914/aol?redir=http:%2F%2Fad.doubleclick.net%2Fclk%3B212974460%3B34272906%3Bh) -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From carolineyacoub at att.net Fri Mar 20 11:58:40 2009 From: carolineyacoub at att.net (Caroline Yacoub) Date: Fri, 20 Mar 2009 11:58:40 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Sosfbay-discuss] Fw: Food 4 Thought/Campbell Community Center Message-ID: <812140.34024.qm@web81205.mail.mud.yahoo.com> I'm hoping we can get something larger. How have the union halls turned out? Caroline --- On Fri, 3/20/09, MKmusic03 at aol.com wrote: From: MKmusic03 at aol.com Subject: Food 4 Thought/Campbell Community Center To: j.m.doyle at sbcglobal.net Cc: cbrouillet at igc.org, carolineyacoub at att.net, fredd at freeshell.org, MKmusic03 at aol.com, jamboi at greens.org, TNHarter at aol.com, tnHarter at aceweb.com Date: Friday, March 20, 2009, 12:22 AM Hi Jim, Thanks for finding out about the Campbell Community Center.? How much does the room cost?? Do you think we should make an appointment to see the room?? Also can you find out about the Cambrian Community Center (on Union Ave.)? Is a room for 50 big enough?? I'm thinking we should have a room with an occupancy of 75- 100 people.? And a room with a separate kitchen? What do you all think? Merriam Also, here is a copy of an email reply I have from the person at the Campbell Community Center: Hi Jim - The only room available for May 2nd is our Activity Room (E-46), and 50 people is the maximum occupancy for that room.? It does not have a separate kitchen, but it is all inclusive in the room.? There is a stove, microwave, refrigerator, sink, and counters. Please let me know if you would like to see the room.? We show it by appointment only. Thank you, Laura Smith (408) 866-2138 Jim Doyle ************** Feeling the pinch at the grocery store? Make dinner for $10 or less. (http://food.aol.com/frugal-feasts?ncid=emlcntusfood00000001) -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From carolineyacoub at att.net Fri Mar 20 12:02:39 2009 From: carolineyacoub at att.net (Caroline Yacoub) Date: Fri, 20 Mar 2009 12:02:39 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Sosfbay-discuss] Fw: GPLAC-Forum Digest, Vol 41, Issue 39: Healthcare; The Economy; Toddd Cretien Speaks in LA; AIG; Amy Goodman; Death Penalty Message-ID: <738673.20673.qm@web81207.mail.mud.yahoo.com> --- On Fri, 3/20/09, Shane Que Hee wrote: From: Shane Que Hee Subject: GPLAC-Forum Digest, Vol 41, Issue 39: Healthcare; The Economy; Toddd Cretien Speaks in LA;AIG;Amy Goodman; Death Penalty To: Date: Friday, March 20, 2009, 5:35 AM >X-Sieve: CMU Sieve 2.2 >From: gplac-forum-request at lists.cagreens.org >Subject: GPLAC-Forum Digest, Vol 41, Issue 39 >To: gplac-forum at lists.cagreens.org >Reply-To: gplac-forum at lists.cagreens.org >Date: Fri, 20 Mar 2009 04:12:18 -0700 >X-BeenThere: gplac-forum at lists.cagreens.org >X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.8 >List-Id: Green Party of Los Angeles County Discussion Forum > >List-Unsubscribe: , > >List-Archive: >List-Post: >List-Help: >List-Subscribe: , > >Sender: gplac-forum-bounces at lists.cagreens.org >X-Probable-Spam: no >X-Spam-Hits: 1.049 >X-Spam-Score: * >X-Spam-Report: ADVANCE_FEE_2,RCVD_IN_DNSWL_LOW >X-Scanned-By: smtp.ucla.edu on 169.232.46.240 > >Send GPLAC-Forum mailing list submissions to > gplac-forum at lists.cagreens.org > >To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit > http://lists.cagreens.org/mailman/listinfo/gplac-forum >or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to > gplac-forum-request at lists.cagreens.org > >You can reach the person managing the list at > gplac-forum-owner at lists.cagreens.org > >When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific >than "Re: Contents of GPLAC-Forum digest..." > > >Today's Topics: > > 1. John Goodman hides the rest of the story (Shane Que Hee) > 2. A Modest Proposal: Nationalize the Banks, Thursday, March 26, > 7:30pm (Shane Que Hee) > 3. Free Money in the USA! [ you'll love this timely piece (3 min > 36 sec) ] (Shane Que Hee) > 4. LINK: Free Money in the USA! [ you'll love this timely piece > (3 min 36 sec) ] (Shane Que Hee) > 5. March 25 - War & Crisis in the Obama Era: How can we win the > change we need? Green Party Socialist Presents (Shane Que Hee) > 6. Bill Moyers asks: "Why will Amy Goodman of Democracy Now! > never show up on 'Meet The Press?'" (watch video) (Shane Que Hee) > 7. Media Alert!! - Foreclosure Protest (Shane Que Hee) > 8. Death penalty system in California costs more than $125 > million per year (Shane Que Hee) > > >---------------------------------------------------------------------- > >Message: 1 >Date: Thu, 19 Mar 2009 12:09:50 -0800 >From: Shane Que Hee >Subject: [GPLAC-Forum] John Goodman hides the rest of the story >To: gplac-forum at lists.cagreens.org >Message-ID: <6.2.3.4.2.20090319120855.041508e0 at mail.ucla.edu> >Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed > > > >Date: Thu, 19 Mar 2009 09:31:00 -0700 > >From: Don McCanne > >Subject: John Goodman hides the rest of the story > > > >Health Affairs Blog > >March 19, 2009 > >The U.S. Health System: The Rest Of The Story > >By John Goodman > > > >Here is a paper (link below) with as many as 100 references that you > >almost never see cited in Health Affairs, or in the Journal of the > >American Medical Association (JAMA), or in the New England Journal > >of Medicine (at least not in their public policy articles). In fact, > >if you are a regular reader of these publications, I think you are > >going to be very surprised. > > > >My colleagues Linda Gorman, Devon Herrick, Robert Sade and I > >discovered that public policy articles in the leading health > >journals (especially the health policy journals) tend to cite poorly > >done studies over and over again in support of two propositions: (1) > >Our health care system needs radical reform and (2) the reform needs > >to be modeled along the lines of the systems of other developed > >countries. At the same time, these articles tend to ignore > >contravening studies that are often published in economics journals > >and subject to much more rigorous peer review. > > > >In our rest-of-the-story literature review, we focus on eight questions: > > > >1. Does the United States spend too much on health care? > > > >2. Are U.S. outcomes no better and in some respects worse than those > >of other nations? > > > >3. Is the large number of uninsured in the U.S. a crisis? > > > >4. Does lack of health insurance cause premature death? > > > >5. Are medical bills causing bankruptcy? > > > >6. Are administrative costs higher for private insurance than public > >insurance? > > > >7. Are low-income families more disadvantaged in the U.S. system? > > > >8. Can the free market work in health care? > > > >**** > > > >Response to "The U.S. Health System: The Rest Of The Story" > >By Don McCanne > > > >John Goodman says that he wants us to hear the rest of the story, > >but then he doesn't tell it to us. > > > >He and his colleagues have pieced together a document using classic > >Goodman rhetorical deceptions. They pull out of the literature > >isolated items that support their position without identifying them > >as exceptions to the great body of information available in the > >health policy literature. They repeat the use of many studies that > >have been discredited as manipulations or distortions based on > >libertarian ideology, even though they are aware of the highly > >credible challenges to those reports. They use silly diversions to > >attack some of the most solid and important studies in the health > >policy literature. Patching these deceptions together creates > >magical conclusions that would seem to refute the most fundamental > >principles that can be gleaned from a couple of decades of solid > >health policy science research. > > > >Using health policy reports retrieved from the refuse bin, they then > >end with the conclusion that we should adopt their favored proposal > >for reform, health savings accounts, a non sequitur to the specious > >arguments they have presented. Even though the policy community has > >dismissed HSAs as a serious response to the tragic dysfunction of > >our health care system and its financing mechanisms, the authors > >persist in abandoning their academic purity in pushing their cause. > > > >"The Rest of the Story" might appeal to ideologues, but it is > >repulsive to those of us who are outraged by the the physical > >suffering and financial hardship faced by the millions of U.S. > >residents who are victims of a flawed financing system, unable to > >afford or receive the care that they need in a $2.5 trillion health > >care industry. > > > > rest-of-the-story/comment-page-1/#comment-24954>http://healthaffairs.org/blog/2009/03/19/the-us-health-system-the-rest-of-the-story/comment-page-1/#comment-24954 > > > >Paper on health care reform by John Goodman et al: > > f>http://www.ncpa.org/pdfs/sp_Do_Other_Countries_Have_the_Answers.pdf > > > >------------------------------ > >Message: 2 >Date: Thu, 19 Mar 2009 12:12:10 -0800 >From: Shane Que Hee >Subject: [GPLAC-Forum] A Modest Proposal: Nationalize the Banks, > Thursday, March 26, 7:30pm >To: gplac-forum at lists.cagreens.org >Message-ID: <6.2.3.4.2.20090319121139.046dd980 at mail.ucla.edu> >Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"; format=flowed > > > >Date: Thu, 19 Mar 2009 09:54:26 -0700 > >Subject: A Modest Proposal: Nationalize the Banks, Thursday, March > 26, 7:30pm > >From: fsp los angeles > > > > > >Dear Friend, > > > > > > > >Does the theft of trillions of dollars in > >workers? money, resources and public services?to > >line the pockets of bankers and bosses?make you > >see red? You are invited to bring your ideas > >and opinions to A Modest Proposal: Nationalize > >the Banks, a public meeting on how workers can > >stop this robbery by taking over the banks and > >running them for our own benefit. Find out how > >Russian Revolutionary V.I. Lenin demystified and > >explained how to successfully accomplish this task. > > > > > > > >Thursday, March 26, 7:30 p.m. > > > >Solidarity Hall, 2170 W. Washington Blvd., in Los Angeles. > > > >Off the 10 freeway on bus lines #30, 31 &35 > > > > > > > >A mouth-watering home cooked dinner with > >vegetarian option will be served at 6:30 p.m. for an $8.00 donation. > > > > > > > >For more information call 323-732-6416, email > >fsplosangeles at gmail.com > >or visit www.socialism.com > > > > > > > >Auspices: Freedom Socialist Party > > > >------------------------------ > >Message: 3 >Date: Fri, 20 Mar 2009 02:44:00 -0800 >From: Shane Que Hee >Subject: [GPLAC-Forum] Free Money in the USA! [ you'll love this > timely piece (3 min 36 sec) ] >To: gplac-forum at lists.cagreens.org >Message-ID: <6.2.3.4.2.20090320024325.046cb9d0 at mail.ucla.edu> >Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed > > > > > >Date: Thu, 19 Mar 2009 23:14:57 -0700 > >Subject: Free Money in the USA! [ you'll love this timely piece (3 > >min 36 sec) ] > >From: Peter Thottam > > > > > > ni>http://www.peterthottam.com/RoubiniMarch82009_Highlights.htm#Roubini > > > >Paul Finn is an an old friend from my 2002-03 antiwar days. A > >timely piece from > >him re AIG and the bankster takeover of the US govt, military and > >media has been added to > >my Economic Forecast page. Enjoy... (see the top of page - center > >youtube clip)... > > > >Peter > > > >-- > >Peter Thottam (JD MBA) > >Mobile: (310) 497-7255 > >Website: www.peterthottam.com > > > >"We have more possibilities available in each moment than we realize." > >- Thich Nhat Hanh (Vietnamese Monk, Activist and Writer. b.1926) > > > >--~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ > >This message is sent to you via the "Thottam Activist Group" > >listserve. For more options, visit this group at > >http://groups.google.com/group/peterthottam > > > >-~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~--- > > > >------------------------------ > >Message: 4 >Date: Fri, 20 Mar 2009 02:44:55 -0800 >From: Shane Que Hee >Subject: [GPLAC-Forum] LINK: Free Money in the USA! [ you'll love this > timely piece (3 min 36 sec) ] >To: gplac-forum at lists.cagreens.org >Message-ID: <6.2.3.4.2.20090320024419.046cbd60 at mail.ucla.edu> >Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed > > > > > >Date: Thu, 19 Mar 2009 23:17:33 -0700 > >Subject: LINK: Free Money in the USA! [ you'll love this timely > >piece (3 min 36 sec) ] > >From: Peter Thottam > > > > > >http: > //www.peterthottam.com/RoubiniMarch82009_Highlights.htm > > > >correct direct link above... (clip at center top of page) > > > >On Thu, Mar 19, 2009 at 11:14 PM, Peter Thottam > ><peterthottam at gmail.com> wrote: > > > > ni>http://www.peterthottam.com/RoubiniMarch82009_Highlights.htm#Roubini > > > >Paul Finn is an an old friend from my 2002-03 antiwar days. A > >timely piece from > >him re AIG and the bankster takeover of the US govt, military and > >media has been added to > >my Economic Forecast page. Enjoy... (see the top of page - center > >youtube clip)... > > > >Peter > > > >-- > >Peter Thottam (JD MBA) > >Mobile: (310) 497-7255 > >Website: www.peterthottam.com > > > >"We have more possibilities available in each moment than we realize." > >- Thich Nhat Hanh (Vietnamese Monk, Activist and Writer. b.1926) > > > > > > > > > >--~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ > >This message is sent to you via the "Thottam Activist Group" > >listserve. For more options, visit this group at > >http://groups.google.com/group/peterthottam > > > >-~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~--- > > > >------------------------------ > >Message: 5 >Date: Fri, 20 Mar 2009 04:08:27 -0800 >From: Shane Que Hee >Subject: [GPLAC-Forum] March 25 - War & Crisis in the Obama Era: How > can we win the change we need? Green Party Socialist Presents >To: gplac-forum at lists.cagreens.org >Message-ID: <6.2.3.4.2.20090320040657.0495fbb0 at mail.ucla.edu> >Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"; format=flowed > > > >Date: Fri, 20 Mar 2009 01:55:56 -0700 > >From: josmand at yahoo.com > >Subject: March 25 - War & Crisis in the Obama > >Era: How can wewin the change we need? > > > >*** PLEASE FORWARD *** > > > >War & Crisis in the Obama Era: How Can We Win the Change We Need? > > > >Wednesday, March 25th - 7pm > >University of Southern California?Leavey Library > >651 West 35th Street > >Los Angeles, CA 90089-2571 > > > >Will Obama end the war or do we have to? Over a > >trillion dollars spent on the wars on Iraq and > >Afghanistan so far. The worst economic crisis > >since the Great Depression. Will Obama's > >solutions work? Have we left the era of > >neoliberalism? Is the war really ending August 31, 2010? > > > >For people who want to see an end to the > >occupation and a bailout for working people, > >what do we do now in the Era of Obama? What > >kinds of solutions would be big and bold enough > >to actually force the policy makers and economic > >elite to pay for their own crisis? How can we get there? > > > >Join us with guest speaker, Todd Chretien > >frequent contributor to the International > >Socialist Review and a Bay Area organizer. > > > >For more information contact the L.A. I.S.O. > >(213) 309-2713 or email lacityiso at yahoo. com > > > > > >www.socialistworker .org > > > >www.socialismconference.org > > > >sponsored by the Los Angeles Branch of the > >International Socialist Organization. > > > >------------------------------ > >Message: 6 >Date: Fri, 20 Mar 2009 04:10:17 -0800 >From: Shane Que Hee >Subject: [GPLAC-Forum] Bill Moyers asks: "Why will Amy Goodman of > Democracy Now! never show up on 'Meet The Press?'" (watch video) >To: gplac-forum at lists.cagreens.org >Message-ID: <6.2.3.4.2.20090320040854.0495b380 at mail.ucla.edu> >Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed > > > >From: mdgv2002 at yahoo.com > >Subject: DN!: Bill Moyers asks: "Why will Amy Goodman of Democracy > >Now! never show up on 'Meet The Press?'" (watch video) > >Date: Wednesday, March 18, 2009, 4:52 PM > > > >Mike Varady has sent you a blog post from > >Democracy Now!, a daily independent > >radio and TV news program: > >In this week's Bill Moyers Journal, Moyers talks with prominent > >bloggers Jay Rosen and Glenn Greenwald on the role of the > >establishment media in the dysfunctional political system. > > > >rightwing George Will on every week but rarely has anyone progressive > > > >To read the whole post: > > l_amy_goodman_of_democracy_now_never_show_up_on_meet_the_press_watch_video>http://www.democracynow.org/blog/2009/2/9/bill_moyers_asks_why_will_amy_goodman_of_democracy_now_never_show_up_on_meet_the_press_watch_video > > > > >The person who sent you the blog post added the following comments: > >Hi -- If you're not familiar with Amy Goodman, she's a major > >progressive journalist known for the depth of her reportage, for > >being hardhitting, and for being thoroughly honest with no > >compromise. She'll never appear on the major tv shows, as Bill > >Moyers points out, and I've often wondered why George Stephanopolis > >almost constantly has (he does, occasionally, of course -- but it's > >not nearly well-balanced. In fact, you could say that because of all > >the Will apeearances, Stephanopolis's Sunday morning show is > >subliminally rightwing in its politics, no matter how hard it tries > >to avoid looking like it.) -- Mike > > > >------------------------------ > >Message: 7 >Date: Fri, 20 Mar 2009 04:12:59 -0800 >From: Shane Que Hee >Subject: [GPLAC-Forum] Media Alert!! - Foreclosure Protest >To: gplac-forum at lists.cagreens.org >Message-ID: <6.2.3.4.2.20090320041231.04958100 at mail.ucla.edu> >Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"; format=flowed > > > >Date: Wed, 18 Mar 2009 22:08:08 -0700 > >From: iacenterla at action-mail.org > >Subject: Media Alert!! - Foreclosure Protest > > > >ATTENTION ASSIGNMENT DESK! > > > >FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE > > > >PRESS CONFERENCE & RALLY > > > >In Front of At-Risk Home - > >Homeowners Eligible for President Obama?s Plan > >Ask Aurora Loan Services: > > > >WHY ARE YOU AUCTIONING OFF OUR HOMES?! > > > >DEMAND AURORA STOP EVICTING, START NEGOTIATING > > > > > > > >WHEN: FRIDAY, March 20, 2009, 12 Noon > > > >WHERE: Home of Mauricio Alas - 1121 E. 113th St., Los > Angeles, CA 90059 > > > >CONTACT: GLORIA SAUCEDO, Director, Hermandad Mexicana ? (818) 989-3019 > > > > ROSIE MARTINEZ, > > Executive Board, SEIU Local 721 ? (213) 351-1397 > > > > JOHN PARKER, > > International Action Center ? (310) 677-6407 > > > > MARTHA ROJAS, > > Labor/Community Coalition ? (818) 989-3019 > > > >Why is Aurora Loan Services, owned by Lehman > >Brothers Bank, FSB, sabotaging the ?Making Homes > >Affordable Program? and unwilling to wait for > >the soon-to-be-announced plan by the Treasury > >Department to buy up toxic loans, which may > >assist these very same homeowners they are in a rush to foreclose? > > > >With more than 1 in 11 homeowners in the U.S. > >currently in default on their loans and with > >over 3 million foreclosures occurring in the > >U.S. last year, millions of homeowners and > >residents facing foreclosure and eviction were > >hoping that President Obama?s, ?Making Homes > >Affordable Program?, would afford them relief so > >they could stay in their homes. However, many > >financial institutions are refusing to abide by the plan. > > > >Angry homeowners and residents will be holding a > >press conference outside of the home of Mauricio > >Alas who, like many families across the nation, > >is in jeopardy of losing his home even though he > >is eligible for the President?s plan. > > > >These homeowners will be providing testimony on > >this lender?s refusal to negotiate using the government?s guidelines. > > > >?How can it be that these financial institutions > >that caused this crisis in the first place and > >receive our tax dollars are allowed to ignore > >federal mandates to modify loans and refinance > >homes,? said Gloria Saucedo of Hermandad > >Mexicana Transnacional, which, along with the > >Labor/Community Coalition of SEIU Local 721 > >offers free loan modification and counseling > >assistance to homeowners and residents. > > > >Rosie Martinez, executive board member of SEIU > >Local 721 stated her frustration with Aurora: > >?Many of our union members are facing the same > >problems with their home loans. This is a > >national crisis and we are in a state of > >emergency. Since these companies are getting > >away with ignoring federal guidelines we need at > >least a 2-year moratorium on all foreclosures, > >especially here in California where the > >unemployment rate has reached over 10 percent.? > > > >#30# > > > >------------------------------ > >Message: 8 >Date: Fri, 20 Mar 2009 04:14:24 -0800 >From: Shane Que Hee >Subject: [GPLAC-Forum] Death penalty system in California costs more > than $125 million per year >To: gplac-forum at lists.cagreens.org >Message-ID: <6.2.3.4.2.20090320041355.049655b0 at mail.ucla.edu> >Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"; format=flowed > > > >Date: Fri, 20 Mar 2009 02:24:40 -0400 > >Subject: Death penalty system in California > >costs more than $125 million per year > >From: daytonbear at gmail.com > > > > > >Death penalty system in California costs more than $125 million per year > > > >http://www.aclunc.org/news/press_releases/california_still_the_high > est_spender_on_the_death_penalty;_new_mexico_abolishes.shtml > > > >California Still the Highest Spender on the > >Death Penalty; New Mexico Abolishes > > > >Other States Reconsider Budget Implication of Death Sentences > > > >Per-prisoner price rises to $175,000 more each year > > > >For Immediate Release: March 18, 2009 > > > >SAN FRANCISCO?New Mexico will become the 15th > >state in the U.S. to replace the death penalty > >with the effective alternative of permanent > >imprisonment. While states across the country > >reconsider the death penalty in light of its > >high costs and failure to provide any benefit, > >California continues to spend even more money on > >the most dysfunctional death penalty in the > >country. New Mexico is the first western state > >to end its death penalty, with Montana and > >Colorado also reviewing their death penalty > >systems. Kansas has also introduced legislation to end death sentences. > > > >Following Gov. Richardson?s announcement, the > >ACLU of Northern CA (ACLU-NC) released a new > >report revealing that California continues to > >spend more money on the death penalty, even > >while fewer counties actually send anyone to > >death row. Only five counties?Alameda, Los > >Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San > >Bernardino?sentenced more than one person to > >death in 2008, setting themselves apart as the > >five most active death penalty counties in the state. > > > >?Gov. Schwarzenegger should follow Gov. > >Richardson?s lead. Ending the death penalty in > >California would free up more than $125 million > >for other public safety needs, including helping > >victims and solving more murders,? said Natasha > >Minsker, Death Penalty Policy Director for > >ACLU-NC. ?With teachers receiving layoff > >notices, and police and prosecutors forced to > >cut staff, California cannot afford to continue > >with business as usual when it comes to the death penalty.? > > > >In March 2008 the ACLU of Northern California > >produced the first comprehensive analysis of the > >costs of the death penalty in California. The > >Hidden Death Tax revealed that the state pays > >$90,000 more per year per inmate to house people > >on death row than it would pay if all those > >individuals were condemned to permanent > >imprisonment instead. When the costs of > >mandatory appeals are included, the per-prisoner > >price rises to $175,000 more each year. > > > >In one year since that report was released, the > >population of California?s death row has grown > >by 11, to a total of 680 people, adding almost > >$1 million to the annual cost of housing people on death row. > >Death row housing costs alone now total $61.2 > >million more each year than the cost of housing > >in the general prison population. Once the > >mandatory appeals begin in these cases, the > >added cost to the state will be almost $2 > >million each year, on top of the $57 million we > >already pay each year for court, prosecution, > >and defense costs in death penalty cases. The > >recently approved state budget also continues to > >include $136 million in funds to begin > >construction of a new death row facility, a > >project that will cost more than $400 million to complete. > > > >Data from death sentencing in 2008 also reveals > >that fewer California counties are sentencing > >more people to execution, creating huge burdens for the entire > state to bear. > > > >Last year, the ACLU-NC analyzed county-by-county > >trends in death sentencing in California. Death > >by Geography revealed that a small minority of > >counties actively pursue death sentences; in > >fact, only 10 counties accounted for nearly 83% > >of death sentences from 2000 to 2007. Figures > >updated to include 2008 demonstrate that even > >fewer counties continue to send more people to California?s death row. > > > >?It?s shocking that states as diverse as New > >Mexico, Montana and Kansas re-evaluate the costs > >and benefits of the death penalty, California > >continues to waste money,? said Delane Sims, > >Death Penalty Outreach Coordinator for the > >ACLU-NC. ?As someone who lost loved ones to > >murder, I can tell you that there are more important uses for that money.? > > > > > >ACLU of Northern California > >39 Drumm Street, San Francisco, CA 94111 > >T (main): 415.621.2493 | T (civil liberties > >counselor): 415.621.2488 | F: 415.255.1478 > > > > > > > >------------------------------ > >_______________________________________________ >GPLAC-Forum mailing list >GPLAC-Forum at lists.cagreens.org >http://lists.cagreens.org/mailman/listinfo/gplac-forum > > >End of GPLAC-Forum Digest, Vol 41, Issue 39 >******************************************* -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From alexcathy at aol.com Sat Mar 21 10:06:08 2009 From: alexcathy at aol.com (alexcathy at aol.com) Date: Sat, 21 Mar 2009 13:06:08 -0400 Subject: [Sosfbay-discuss] OP-ED by Cathy Deppe on Plight of Low-Income Working Women Message-ID: <8CB785E769F3195-1388-2C5D@webmail-mf01.sysops.aol.com> Dear Friends, This weekend is the 9to5 Fifth Annual Regional Leadership Conference & Policy Day in Northern California SAN JOSE CONFERENCE: SATURDAY, MARCH 21, 2009, 10 AM ? 2 PM African American Community Services Agency 304 N. 6th Street (at Julian), San Jose, CA 95112 Keynote Speaker: State Assemblywoman Fiona Ma Sponsor, California Paid Sick Days SACRAMENTO POLICY DAY: MONDAY, MARCH 23, 2009, 7:30 AM ? 5:30 PM On the eve of the conference, California Progress Report, an influential progressive web site out of Sacramento, published an Op-Ed piece by Cathy Deppe.? Dear progressive friends, please click the link below to check it out and leave a comment.? So far, the only comments posted have been Rush Limbaugh - styled attacks on "welfare moms," "minorities," and "illegal immigration."? Now that the damned Republicans have finally been thrown out of power, rightwing "trolls" prowl the Internet, meaner and nastier than ever.? And of course, the "progressive" California Progess Report, out of "fairness," never moderates their shit. Alex Walker? = = = = = = = = = = Posted on the California Progress Report, March 19, 2009 www.californiaprogressrep ort.com/2009/03/low-income_sing.html Low-Income Single Moms Struggle to Survive in Recession with No Health Insurance by Cathy Deppe National Association of Working Women In California, we a re facing the worst recession in the past twenty-five years. Every week, 9to5 California Chapter of the National Association of Working Women receives calls at our offices in Los Angeles and San Jose from low-income mothers struggling to survive. We hear stories about the plight of low-income mothers who work at jobs that lack health insurance and paid sick days. Many are afraid to go to the doctor because they can't afford to pay. Other low-income mothers go to work sick because they can't afford to stay home. And others are getting fired for just being sick... Read Original Article at: www.californiaprogressreport.com. Please leave a comment. So far, the only comment posted to Cathy's Op-Ed is a Rush Limbaugh=2 0styled attack on "single mothers on welfare," "minorities" and "illegal immigration." = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From j.m.doyle at sbcglobal.net Sun Mar 22 14:35:38 2009 From: j.m.doyle at sbcglobal.net (Jim Doyle) Date: Sun, 22 Mar 2009 14:35:38 -0700 Subject: [Sosfbay-discuss] GP non profit status Message-ID: <49C6AF2A.9020502@sbcglobal.net> For your general information for a question that arises from time to time here is a recent email exchange with Warner. I wrote Is there a formal document that certifies or recognizes our non profit status? His answer follows: Not that I know... Political parties generally are considered "nonprofit" under the federal tax code and can incorporate under state law. However, most political party activity is unincorporated and regulated via either state or federal regulations -- e.g., FPPC; FEC. The tax id number is required because any nonprofit activity can have taxable income and because banks require it for their necessary records keeping. Political parties are NOT 501(c)(3) -- that is, no donations are tax deductible by the donors. A copy of the FPPC Form 410 showing the GPSCC is a general state political committee is probably the closest to any paperwork we have about this. Warner From fredd at freeshell.org Sun Mar 22 15:23:26 2009 From: fredd at freeshell.org (Fred Duperrault) Date: Sun, 22 Mar 2009 15:23:26 -0700 Subject: [Sosfbay-discuss] Fw: Food 4 Thought/Campbell Community Center Message-ID: <49C6BA5E.90308@freeshell.org> If you want me to reserve the Willow Park Clubhouse as a backup venue, in the event you can't find an affordable spot that is the right size, let me know. Fred I'm hoping we can get something larger. How have the union halls turned out? Caroline --- On *Fri, 3/20/09, MKmusic03 at aol.com //* wrote: From: MKmusic03 at aol.com Subject: Food 4 Thought/Campbell Community Center To: j.m.doyle at sbcglobal.net Cc: cbrouillet at igc.org, carolineyacoub at att.net, fredd at freeshell.org, MKmusic03 at aol.com, jamboi at greens.org, TNHarter at aol.com, tnHarter at aceweb.com Date: Friday, March 20, 2009, 12:22 AM /Hi Jim, Thanks for finding out about the Campbell Community Center. How much does the room cost? Do you think we should make an appointment to see the room? Also can you find out about the Cambrian Community Center (on Union Ave.)? Is a room for 50 big enough? I'm thinking we should have a room with an occupancy of 75- 100 people. And a room with a separate kitchen? What do you all think? Merriam/ Also, here is a copy of an email reply I have from the person at the Campbell Community Center: Hi Jim - The only room available for May 2nd is our Activity Room (E-46), and 50 people is the maximum occupancy for that room. It does not have a separate kitchen, but it is all inclusive in the room. There is a stove, microwave, refrigerator, sink, and counters. Please let me know if you would like to see the room. We show it by appointment only. Thank you, Laura Smith (408) 866-2138 Jim Doyle ************** Feeling the pinch at the grocery store? Make dinner for $10 or less. (http://food.aol.com/frugal-feasts?ncid=emlcntusfood00000001) -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- An embedded and charset-unspecified text was scrubbed... Name: file:///tmp/nsmail.asc URL: From fredd at freeshell.org Sun Mar 22 18:08:00 2009 From: fredd at freeshell.org (Fred Duperrault) Date: Sun, 22 Mar 2009 18:08:00 -0700 Subject: [Sosfbay-discuss] Anual Good Government Luncheon - Program Message-ID: <49C6E0F0.1090804@freeshell.org> On Sunday, May 19, (12 Noon to 2:15 pm), YOU, and the public, ARE INVITED to ATTEND the 2009 GOOD GOVERNMENT LUNCHEON & PROGRAM featuring FRANCISCO PLANCARTE. The annual event, sponsored and organized by the Democratic World Federalists, will be held at GOLDEN GATE UNIVERSITY, 536 Mission Street (Located between 1st and 2nd Streets.), San Francisco, CA 94105. Mr. PLANCARTE will address the inadequacies of the United Nations and the international law system, and then discuss ways to replace antiquated forms of global management with effective democratic governance. (Francisco Plancarte is the founder of the World Alliance for Transforming the United Nations (WATUN) and is a /civic activist /whose home is Guadalajara, Mexico.) The Program will follow the 12 Noon Luncheon. Also, a Q & A and discussion session will follow the speaker's presentation. Registration will begin at 11:30 am. ADMISSION: Regular Luncheon-Program - $30 Youth & Students - $15 Program, Dessert & Beverage - $10 For RESERVATIONS &/or DONATIONS write & mail checks to: Democratic World Federalists, 55 New Montgomery St., Suite 225, San Francisco, CA 94105 (Please RSVP and mail reservation checks by April 15.) RSVP and/or more info. contact Fred Duperrault, 650-691-1215, fredd at freeshell.org or the DWF Office, 415-227-4880, dwfed at dwfed.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From jims at greens.org Sun Mar 22 20:16:44 2009 From: jims at greens.org (Jim Stauffer) Date: Sun, 22 Mar 2009 19:16:44 -0800 Subject: [Sosfbay-discuss] GP non profit status In-Reply-To: <49C6AF2A.9020502@sbcglobal.net> References: <49C6AF2A.9020502@sbcglobal.net> Message-ID: <49C6FF1C.6020107@greens.org> You also have to make a distinction between taxable and tax-exempt non-profits. A political party can be a taxable non-profit (501(c)4), like a PAC. But a party is never considered tax exempt (501(c)3). Jim Jim Doyle wrote: > For your general information for a question that arises from time to time > here is a recent email exchange with Warner. > > I wrote > Is there a formal document that certifies or recognizes our non profit > status? > > His answer follows: > > Not that I know... Political parties generally are considered > "nonprofit" under the federal tax code and can incorporate under state > law. However, most political party activity is unincorporated and > regulated via either state or federal regulations -- e.g., FPPC; FEC. > The tax id number is required because any nonprofit activity can have > taxable income and because banks require it for their necessary records > keeping. Political parties are NOT 501(c)(3) -- that is, no donations > are tax deductible by the donors. A copy of the FPPC Form 410 showing > the GPSCC is a general state political committee is probably the closest > to any paperwork we have about this. Warner > > > > _______________________________________________ > sosfbay-discuss mailing list > sosfbay-discuss at cagreens.org > http://lists.cagreens.org/mailman/listinfo/sosfbay-discuss > From fredd at freeshell.org Mon Mar 23 10:26:58 2009 From: fredd at freeshell.org (Fred Duperrault) Date: Mon, 23 Mar 2009 10:26:58 -0700 Subject: [Sosfbay-discuss] Anual Good Government Luncheon - Program Message-ID: <49C7C662.8000204@freeshell.org> CORRECTION: APRIL 19 is the correct date for this event, NOT May 19. My apologies. (Time flies when you're having fun.) On Sunday, May 19, (12 Noon to 2:15 pm), YOU, and the public, ARE INVITED to ATTEND the 2009 GOOD GOVERNMENT LUNCHEON & PROGRAM featuring FRANCISCO PLANCARTE. The annual event, sponsored and organized by the Democratic World Federalists, will be held at GOLDEN GATE UNIVERSITY, 536 Mission Street (Located between 1st and 2nd Streets.), San Francisco, CA 94105. Mr. PLANCARTE will address the inadequacies of the United Nations and the international law system, and then discuss ways to replace antiquated forms of global management with effective democratic governance. (Francisco Plancarte is the founder of the World Alliance for Transforming the United Nations (WATUN) and is a /civic activist /whose home is Guadalajara, Mexico.) The Program will follow the 12 Noon Luncheon. Also, a Q & A and discussion session will follow the speaker's presentation. Registration will begin at 11:30 am. ADMISSION: Regular Luncheon-Program - $30 Youth & Students - $15 Program, Dessert & Beverage - $10 For RESERVATIONS &/or DONATIONS write & mail checks to: Democratic World Federalists, 55 New Montgomery St., Suite 225, San Francisco, CA 94105 (Please RSVP and mail reservation checks by April 15.) RSVP and/or more info. contact Fred Duperrault, 650-691-1215, fredd at freeshell.org or the DWF Office, 415-227-4880, dwfed at dwfed.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- An embedded and charset-unspecified text was scrubbed... Name: file:///tmp/nsmail.asc URL: From the_alliance47 at yahoo.com Mon Mar 23 12:19:57 2009 From: the_alliance47 at yahoo.com (Edward) Date: Mon, 23 Mar 2009 12:19:57 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Sosfbay-discuss] GP non profit status Message-ID: <506516.85763.qm@web54301.mail.re2.yahoo.com> I don't think that political parties are even considered 501c4, because Campus Greens was a 501c4 and we could not endorse candidates (nonpartisan or partisan), we could not release public voter guides endorsing a certain vote on propositions, and we could not say that we were part of the Green Party (officially, we supported Green values, but legally not part of the Green Party). 501c4 is still very much educational when it comes to political actions but there are ways to bend the laws to engage in legal political activities as a 501c4. Jim makes a good point distinguishing 501c3 and 501c4. Contributions to 501c4 are not tax deductible and contributions to political parties are definitely not tax-deductible. Many organisations (like MoveOn) have both a PAC and 501c3, but tax code gets complicated when you try to work the system. -edward Date: Sun, 22 Mar 2009 19:16:44 -0800 From: Jim Stauffer Subject: Re: [Sosfbay-discuss] GP non profit status To: sosfbay discussion group Message-ID: <49C6FF1C.6020107 at greens.org> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed You also have to make a distinction between taxable and tax-exempt non-profits. A political party can be a taxable non-profit (501(c)4), like a PAC. But a party is never considered tax exempt (501(c)3). Jim Jim Doyle wrote: > For your general information for a question that arises from time to time > here is a recent email exchange with Warner. > >? I wrote > Is there a formal document that certifies or recognizes our non profit > status? > > His answer follows: > > Not that I know...? Political parties generally are considered > "nonprofit" under the federal tax code and can incorporate under state > law.? However, most political party activity is unincorporated and > regulated via either state or federal regulations -- e.g., FPPC; FEC.? > The tax id number is required because any nonprofit activity can have > taxable income and because banks require it for their necessary records > keeping.? Political parties are NOT 501(c)(3) -- that is, no donations > are tax deductible by the donors.? A copy of the FPPC Form 410 showing > the GPSCC is a general state political committee is probably the closest > to any paperwork we have about this.? Warner -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From j.m.doyle at sbcglobal.net Mon Mar 23 13:22:26 2009 From: j.m.doyle at sbcglobal.net (Jim Doyle) Date: Mon, 23 Mar 2009 13:22:26 -0700 Subject: [Sosfbay-discuss] fixing the economy Message-ID: <49C7EF82.5030306@sbcglobal.net> Subject: This Would Work: This was an article from the St. Petersburg Times newspaper on Sunday. The Business Section asked readers for their ideas on "How Would You Fix the Economy?" I think this reader nailed it! Dear Mr. President, Patriotic Retirement: Thers' about 40 million people over 50 in the work force. Pay them $1 million dollars apeice Severance Pay with these stipulations 1) They leave their jobs. Forty million job openings - Unemployment fixed. 2) They buy NEW American cars. Forty million cars ordered - Auto Industry fixed. 3) They either buy a house or pay off their mortgage - Housing Crisis fixed. From WB4D23 at aol.com Tue Mar 24 14:56:39 2009 From: WB4D23 at aol.com (WB4D23 at aol.com) Date: Tue, 24 Mar 2009 17:56:39 EDT Subject: [Sosfbay-discuss] Reequest for Agenda Items -- County Polling; Plenary Delegates Message-ID: I request the following items for the agenda at the next GPSCC general meeting: 1. County Polling on May 19th Special Election ballot measures 2. Appointment of Delegates and Alternates for the May 16-17th state party meeting in Los Angeles County. Warner **************Feeling the pinch at the grocery store? Make dinner for $10 or less. (http://food.aol.com/frugal-feasts?ncid=emlcntusfood00000001) -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tnharter at aceweb.com Wed Mar 25 00:51:47 2009 From: tnharter at aceweb.com (Tian Harter) Date: Wed, 25 Mar 2009 00:51:47 -0700 Subject: [Sosfbay-discuss] Talking about legalizing it... Message-ID: <49C9E293.8000306@aceweb.com> > This is very important - Please contact the Assembly committee, as > well as your own rep, and pass the word; note Assemblymember Nancy > Skinner of N. Oakland/Berkeley, newly elected is on this committee - > > > > AB390 Public Safety Committee Hearing Scheduled > > > > Hearings for Tom Ammiano's California Marijuana Legalization > > bill AB 390 http://www.canorml.org/news/ammianobill.html have been > > tentatively set for March 31st in the Assembly Public Safety > > Committee. > > > > IT IS VITAL THAT WE HIT THE LEGISLATURE WITH AS STRONG A SHOW > > OF SUPPORT AS POSSIBLE BEFORE THIS DATE! > > > > PLEASE visit NORML's legislative alert to contact your > > assembly member: > > http://capwiz.com/norml2/issues/alert/?alertid=12758896&type=ST&show_alert= > > > > Especially important are the members of the Assembly Public > > Safety Committee and the Speaker's Office. > > > > The Public Safety Committe members are: > > Chairman Jose Solorio - D, Santa Ana Phone 916-319-2069; Fax 916-319-2169 > > Warrren Furutani - D, Carson- Lakewood - Torrance - Long Beach > > 916-319-2055; Fax 2155 > > Jerry Hill - D San Mateo, SF Peninsula 916-319-2019; Fax 2119 > > Fiona Ma - D - Western SF 916-319-2012; Fax 2112 > > Nancy Skinner - D - Berkeley, Oakland 916-319-2014; Fax 2114 > > Curt Hagman - R Vice-Chair - Covina, Chino, Diamond Bar 916-319-2060; Fax > > 2160 > > David Gilmore - R - Hanford - Bakersfield 916-319-2030; Fax 2130 > > > > Speakers Office: Karen Bass - D LA - Crenshaw/Westwood/Baldwin Hills, > > Korea, Li'l Ethiopia Phone 916-319-2047; Fax 916-319-2147 > > > > Download AB390 flyers and pass them out! > > http://www.canorml.org/AB390flyers.pdf > > - > > ------------------------------------------------------------- -- Tian http://tian.greens.org Latest change: Pictures from the 6th Anniversary march 4d Iraq invasion. Iceland has a population around 300,000, similar to that of Peoria, IL. From alexcathy at aol.com Wed Mar 25 09:22:55 2009 From: alexcathy at aol.com (alexcathy at aol.com) Date: Wed, 25 Mar 2009 12:22:55 -0400 Subject: [Sosfbay-discuss] Public Education Under Attack ~ Food for Thought and Commentary In-Reply-To: <6.2.3.4.2.20090325031558.046b6940@mail.ucla.edu> References: <6.2.3.4.2.20090325031558.046b6940@mail.ucla.edu> Message-ID: <8CB7B7D1654195F-1318-1185@FWM-D45.sysops.aol.com> Dear Green Friends, The announcement below was posted to the GPLA e-list.? I think this is a textbook example of the main challenges of the California Green Party today.? Is there a distinct difference between being the Green Party and the so-called "progressive" wing of the Democratic Party?? Or are we Greens?just "liberals in a hurry" like some described U.S. Communists in the 1930s.? I hope I don't offend anyone.? I am just throwing this out as food for thought and comment.? For a couple of years I have pleaded for a serious discussion of education and I never seen anything about these issues like I've seen about, say, Iraq,? Afghanistan, Israel, and Palestine. ? PUBLIC EDUCATION IN ONE-PARTY DEMOCRATIC LOS ANGELES The Los Angeles Unified School District is a never-ending train wreck.? It's a monstrous bureaucracy operating out of a twenty-story downtown skyscraper: tremendous waste in both capital and operating expenditures; a merry-go-round of superintendents including Admiral DavidL . Brewer with his $45,000 expense account and his $3,000 monthly housing allowance on top of his $300,000-a-year salary.? In DecemberLAUSD paid this bum $517,500 to sail away midway through his four-year contract to run the nation's second-largest school system (and simply because Mr. Brewer was "black" those claiming to be "Our Leaders" in inner-city Los Angeles told us his half-million dollar golden parachute was a sign of "respect" for "Our Community"). =C 2 Meanwhile, the United Teachers of Los Angeles (UTLA), is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Los Angeles Democratic Party Machine.? My Congresswoman Diane Watson, my Assembly Member Karen Bass, and half the inner-city Dem bosses (just like Assemblyman Joseph Coto in San Jose) like to boast about their education backgrounds and their special love for "education" -- the liberal catch-all "solution" for every problem including global warming and world peace.? If the Democratic Party nominated a ham sandwich for high office theUTLA would endorse it on the ground that a flat sandwich is closer to the "grassroots" that they all pretend to bleed for and any objections to the failure of the sandwich to articulate policy positions dismissed as "cultural bias."? Los Angeles "public" school are, in effect, semi-privatized already.? The better schools are in neighborhoods where parents and the community raise a lot of money.? Don't say it isn't so.? My grandson attends a "public" elementary school where hundreds of thousands of dollars are contributed every year by kids' families to support things like a computer lab, music, and chess classes.? Meanwhile, kids in lousy schools are still stuck in inadequate facilities where young, idealistic, committed teachers routinely get dumped on and "Good ole' Boys" with seniority get rewarded.? And by the way, this has nothing whatsoever to do with the ethnicity or "race" of the people involved.? I've seen "People of Color" as some of the worst r eactionary deadbeats.? The conventional Democratic Party liberals -- those world famous "Hollywood Liberals" who gave a lot of money to Barack Obama -- safely ensconced in Malibu, Beverley Hills, or Santa Monica do not send their own children to such schools, if they send their kids to public schools at all.? These liberals cry "Fight the cuts!? Fight the cuts!" and their "activism" is done.? THE 10 KEY VALUES OF THE GREEN PARTY Our 10 Key Values include Grassroots Democracy, Decentralization, Respect for Diversity, Community Based Economics, and Sustainability.? The monstrous centralized arrogantLAUSD/UTLA Establishment with their sick "racial" politics and their gutless mantra about "education" as the solution to all problems, while leaving the dysfunctional economic and social systems undisturbed, stands in opposition to our key values?? For example, given our 10 Key Values why... exactly... should the Green Party take a knee-jerk position in support of the monstrous centralized arrogant race-obsessed LAUSD/UTLA Establishment? ? When I lived in San Jose, my wife taught school in the East Side Union High School District and in the San Jose Unified School Disrtrict where our daughter teaches English today.? During those years Mr. Jose Coto ran the East Side Union High School District into the ground.? Nevertheless, that scoundrel was rewarded for his incompetence with a nice cushy seat in the California State Assembly where today all his sins are forgiven and forgotten and Assemblyman Joe Coto is routinely praised by people who ought to know better as a Democrat supposedly "fighting back" against the meanie Republicans. The Green Party in the cities must be the Second Party -- the small 'd' democratic opposition -- to the corrupt and incompetent Democrats.? The right-wing California Republicans, sure enough, want to destroy public education.? Therefore, it is our duty to articulate a convincing progressive reform agenda.? We must make a complete break with the mental slavery of thinking of ourselves as "Liberal Democrats."? We need to stop thinking that all we have to do to define a Green position is take the slogans whispered by Democrats and yell them louder. I hope I don't offend anyone.? I am just throwing this out as food for thought and comment.? ? Alex Walker Los Angeles Greens -----Original Message----- From: Shane Que Hee To: gplac-forum at lists.cagreens.org Sent: Wed, 25 Mar 2009 4:16 am Subject: [GPLAC-Forum] Public Education Under Attack ~ Join the Fight Back Conference ~ This Friday & Saturday, March 27th & 28th ~ UTLA Human Rights Committee Conference in Los Angeles From: fdorrel at sbcglobal.net Subject: Public Education Under Attack ~ Join the Fight Back Conference ~ This Friday & Saturday, March 27th & 28th ~ UTLA Human Rights Committee Conference in Los Angeles Date: Tue, 24 Mar 2009 06:09:58 -0700 UTLA Human Rights20Committee Conference ?Public Education Under Attack? ?Join the Fight Back? Friday & Saturday, March 27th-28th At UTLA 3303 Wilshire Blvd. 10th Floor, Los Angeles 90010 . . . Charters and Privatization-- Mat Taylor, Sarah Knopp, Room 826 An overview of the challenges and issues surrounding the charter school spread in Los Angeles and elsewhere, and strategies to face the increasing privatization of public education (Facilitator: Mark Rich) . . . -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From alexcathy at aol.com Wed Mar 25 10:43:32 2009 From: alexcathy at aol.com (alexcathy at aol.com) Date: Wed, 25 Mar 2009 13:43:32 -0400 Subject: [Sosfbay-discuss] F.Y.I. Special Election - California Senate District 26 Message-ID: <8CB7B885978BEB9-1188-170C@MBLK-M15.sysops.aol.com> Dear Friends, See pasted below the results of yesterday's special election for California's 26th State Senate District.? This is the election that I briefly ran in as a Green Party candidate before withdrawing in February.? A couple of points worthy of note: At a time when the California State Legislature is a laughingstock, Curren Price is *REWARDED* for his incompetence with a promotion from the state assembly to a better-paying gig in the state senate.? AIG gives bonuses to the world's worst executives. California gives "bonuses" to the world's worst legislators.? At a time of one of the gravest crises in the history of the United States, Curren Price is going to the California State Senate with 8,442 votes without ever having to answer a single serious question. This is a mockery of democracy and a sad commentary on politics today. Nathan Shifren, a right-wing, race-baiting Republican wingnut, came in 4th place with 2,731 votes. In a mid-March candidates debate, Shifren bemoaned the presence of "Mexican illegal aliens" in California, the teaching of "Marxist" courses in public schools and free-lunch programs for the poor: He said: "Here's my program: Make your own doggone lunch."? He called for lower taxes and warned, "We can't kowtow to these environmental wackos who want to bring us into the Dark Ages."? So much for the dysfunctional Republican Party as my "choice" for an alternative to the Democrats.? Cindy Henderson, the Peace and Freedom Party candidate, came in 7th in an 8-candidate field with less than 2% of the vote.? So much for the Peace and Freedom Party as an alternative to the Greens.? I withdrew in February because my analysis of the campaign indicated that the short campaign, continuing high levels of voter apathy, and the need for more money convinced me that my campaign was hopeless. On paper we have 3,000 registered Greens in the district.? With the right kind of campaign organization, I could have gotten around 13% of the vote or even more.? Without campaign organization I would have gotten a lousy single-digit vote and I did not want to embarrass the Green Party. With Obama and the Democrats already floundering in Washington and the continuing dysfunction of Republicans and Democrats in California, I still think 2010 will be a historic good year for California Greens.? Alex Walker ?? ? =? =? =? =? =? =? =? =? =? =? =? =? =? =? =? =? =? =? =? =? =? = http://www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_11990696 Curren Price Wins State Senate Race, Runoff in May The Associated Press Posted: 03/24/2009 11:54:57 PM PDT LOS ANGELES?Democratic Assemblyman Curren Price handily finished first Tuesday in a race for the vacant state Senate seat that represents much of Los Angeles, but will need to win a May runoff after failing to get a majority of the vote. A former Ing lewood city councilman who was elected to the Assembly in 2006, Price garnered 31.6 percent of the vote, besting five Democratic opponents, one Republican and one candidate from the Peace and Freedom Party. Democrat Mike Davis was second with 21.78 percent, well ahead of the remaining six candidates vying for the 26th Senate District seat left empty when Democrat Mark Ridley-Thomas was elected to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors last November. Price is almost certain to win the runoff in the heavily Democratic district. He'll have to run against the the only Republican on the ballot Nachum Shifren, who finished a distant fourth Tuesday with 11.53 percent of the vote, and Peace and Freedom Party candidate Cindy Henderson, who got less than 2 percent of the vote. The runoff will be part of a statewide special election on May 19. Price spokesman Fred MacFarlane said Price had no doubts about winning the runoff and intended to begin the work of the senate district despite being two months from officially getting the job. "He's very confident that he will be successful," MacFarlane said. "He's not intending to wait until May 19. He wants to be able to reach out to the constituents of the 26th District." The 26th Senate District includes a large part of Los Angeles?from Silver Lake to South Los Angeles?as well as Culver City, West Hollywood and the unincorporated community of Ladera Heights. Two-thirds of its voters are Democrats. The other Democratic candidates Tuesday were, in o rder of finish, Los Angeles County commissioner Robert Cole, financial analyst Jonathan Friedman, Culver City school board member Saundra Davis and management consultant Mervin Evans. Price and his allies raised more than $1.4 million, easily besting the combined fundraising efforts of his opponents. He also lined up a long list of endorsements, including Ridley-Thomas and Senate leader Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento. Price's opponents slammed him for campaign contributions from business interests and because he only recently moved into the district to run. Only a small part of his Assembly district overlaps the Senate district. Officials said the election cost the county $2.2 million. =? =? =? =? =? =? =? =? =? =? =? =? =? =? =? =? =? =? =? =? =? = http://rrcc.co.la.ca.us/elect/09031288/rr1288pa.html-ssi County of Los Angeles Department of Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk MARCH 24, 2009 - 26TH STATE SENATE SPECIAL PRIMARY Semi-Final Official Election Returns As of Date: 03/24/2009 Time: 23:05??????????????????????????? Votes? Percent ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ?????????????? STATE SENATE???????????????? 26TH DIST TERM ENDS 11/10?????????????????????? ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ?? CURREN D PRICE JR? DEM? 8,442? 35.65% ?? MIKE DAVIS???????? DEM? 5,158? 21.78% ?? ROBERT COLE?? ??? ?DEM? 3,133? 13.23% ?? NACHUM SHIFREN?? ? REP? 2,731? 11.53% ?? JONATHAN FRIEDMAN? DEM? 1,864 ? 7.87% ?? SAUNDRA DAVIS?? ?? DEM? 1,803 ? 7.61% ?? CINDY V HENDERSON?? PF ?? 414 ? 1.75% ?? MERVIN LEON EVANS? DEM ?? 136 ? 0.57% ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????=C 2 TOTAL PRECINCTS??????? 354??????????? PRECINCTS REPORTING?????? 354?? 100.00 REGISTRATION?????? 390,409? =? =? =? =? =? =? =? =? =? =? =? =? =? =? =? =? =? =? =? =? =? = ? -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tnharter at aceweb.com Wed Mar 25 11:52:19 2009 From: tnharter at aceweb.com (Tian Harter) Date: Wed, 25 Mar 2009 11:52:19 -0700 Subject: [Sosfbay-discuss] F.Y.I. Special Election - California SenateDistrict 26 In-Reply-To: <8CB7B885978BEB9-1188-170C@MBLK-M15.sysops.aol.com> References: <8CB7B885978BEB9-1188-170C@MBLK-M15.sysops.aol.com> Message-ID: <49CA7D63.9020905@aceweb.com> alexcathy at aol.com wrote: > > http://rrcc.co.la.ca.us/elect/09031288/rr1288pa.html-ssi > > County of Los Angeles > Department of Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk > MARCH 24, 2009 - 26TH STATE SENATE SPECIAL PRIMARY > Semi-Final Official Election Returns > > As of Date: 03/24/2009 Time: 23:05 Votes > Percent > > > STATE SENATE 26TH DIST TERM ENDS > 11/10 > > > CURREN D PRICE JR DEM 8,442 35.65% > MIKE DAVIS DEM 5,158 21.78% > ROBERT COLE DEM 3,133 13.23% > NACHUM SHIFREN REP 2,731 11.53% > JONATHAN FRIEDMAN DEM 1,864 7.87% > SAUNDRA DAVIS DEM 1,803 7.61% > CINDY V HENDERSON PF 414 1.75% > MERVIN LEON EVANS DEM 136 0.57% > > > TOTAL PRECINCTS 354 PRECINCTS REPORTING 354 > 100.00 > REGISTRATION 390,409 > Wow! Peace & Freedom beat a Democrat! That proves there is hope for LA. -- Tian http://tian.greens.org Latest change: Pictures from the 6th Anniversary march 4d Iraq invasion. Iceland has a population around 300,000, similar to that of Peoria, IL. From alexcathy at aol.com Wed Mar 25 13:04:40 2009 From: alexcathy at aol.com (alexcathy at aol.com) Date: Wed, 25 Mar 2009 16:04:40 -0400 Subject: [Sosfbay-discuss] F.Y.I. Special Election - California SenateDistrict 26 In-Reply-To: <49CA7D63.9020905@aceweb.com> References: <49CA7D63.9020905@aceweb.com> Message-ID: <8CB7B9C10D12BC7-898-EE0@webmail-me19.sysops.aol.com> Dear Tian, Mervin Evans is actually a well-known character in L.A. Politics.? Also note that Saundra Davis is a well-regarded, very progressive, elected African-American on the Culver City School Board.? Sandra Davis ought to be a Green but... well... you know how that goes.? Robert Cole was Barack Obama's campaign coordinator and successfully raised significant money.? Cole was the closest thing to an authentic "Barack Obama Democrat" in this race and he didn't do so well, either.? It's gonna take a real "insurgency" to break the political machine in this town. Alex Walker -----Original Message----- From: Tian Harter To: sosfbay-discuss at cagreens.org Sent: Wed, 25 Mar 2009 11:52 am Subject: Re: [Sosfbay-discuss] F.Y.I. Special Election - California SenateDistrict 26 Wow! Peace & Freedom beat a Democrat! That proves there is hope for LA. -- Tian http://tian.greens.org Latest change: Pictures from the 6th Anniversary march 4d Iraq invasion. Iceland has a population around 300,000, similar to that of Peoria, IL. _______________________________________________ sosfbay-discuss mailing list sosfbay-discuss at cagreens.org http://lists.cagreens.org/mailman/listinfo/sosfbay-discuss -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From j.m.doyle at sbcglobal.net Wed Mar 25 20:23:17 2009 From: j.m.doyle at sbcglobal.net (Jim Doyle) Date: Wed, 25 Mar 2009 20:23:17 -0700 Subject: [Sosfbay-discuss] LA election turnout Message-ID: <49CAF525.7070307@sbcglobal.net> Tian reported the number of votes for each candidate and the number of registered voters. Combining the two the turnout was 6 % of the registered voters. So the big winner was none of the above with 94 % of the vote! From green at bionictoad.com Wed Mar 25 23:10:48 2009 From: green at bionictoad.com (Ray Tobey) Date: Wed, 25 Mar 2009 22:10:48 -0800 Subject: [Sosfbay-discuss] F.Y.I. Special Election - California Senate District 26 In-Reply-To: <8CB7B885978BEB9-1188-170C@MBLK-M15.sysops.aol.com> References: <8CB7B885978BEB9-1188-170C@MBLK-M15.sysops.aol.com> Message-ID: <49CB1C68.7070205@bionictoad.com> Alex, A premiere author on the psychology of persuasion conducted an experiment with important implications for political campaigns. Most of us have been in hotel rooms where a little card asks us to participate in a conservation program. Instead of having the staff wash the towels everyday, the card suggests that we reuse towels a couple of times like we often do at home. Towels on the floor will be washed, those hanging on the rack will not. The job of the psychologist was to figure out what to say on the card to get people to participate. He tried 4 versions of the pitch: 1. Do this for the environment. 2. Do this for our children. 3. Do this to save money. These arguments got between 20 and 30% compliance, each. The final version of the card said: 4. Do this because the majority of hotel guests do it. This argument got 45% compliance. It is called the psychology of social proof - humans often do not evaluate an argument on its merits. Instead, we observe people around us for clues about how to behave. This pattern appears in many circumstances. For example, we might go out to dinner where two restaurants are side by side. If one is quiet and nearly empty but the other full and boisterous, most of us choose the full one because we assume our neighbors know where good food is or because this is where the trendy crowd eats. Social proof is one of six motivators of persuasion that psychologists have identified. When you say observe that the winner never answered a serious question, you imply that serious questions are relevant to the electoral process. I don't think so. You write that California gives bonuses to the worst legislators. That may be true, but I believe that legislative performance has almost nothing to do with such decisions. We Greens have been arguing serious questions for many years. We talk about legislation, issues, platform, principles. We sound like the first 3 versions of the social proof experiment, and our election results confirm what the psychologists have been saying for many years. /These arguments are not persuasive./ In this special election, only 6.16% of those registered actually cast a ballot. I could use the district voter roll as case study in targeting. I would examine these questions: 1. Which 6% voted? 2. How does their psychology differ from the other 94%? 3. What changes not the thinking, but the behavior of these voters? 4. Which tactics should a campaign apply to the various groups? You wrote about campaign organization and there aren't many advocates more committed to that than I am. However, I suggest that a thorough understanding of political sociology is far more important. Among its implications are methods for building strong campaign organizations. I wouldn't presume to say that I have the answers. Asking the right questions is the part I'm working on. I hope my comments are constructive in addition to lengthy, - Ray alexcathy at aol.com wrote: > Dear Friends, > > See pasted below the results of yesterday's special election for > California's 26th State Senate District. > > This is the election that I briefly ran in as a Green Party candidate > before withdrawing in February. > > A couple of points worthy of note: > > At a time when the California State Legislature is a laughingstock, > Curren Price is *REWARDED* for his incompetence with a promotion from > the state assembly to a better-paying gig in the state senate. AIG > gives bonuses to the world's worst executives. California gives > "bonuses" to the world's worst legislators. > > At a time of one of the gravest crises in the history of the United > States, Curren Price is going to the California State Senate with > 8,442 votes without ever having to answer a single serious question. > This is a mockery of democracy and a sad commentary on politics today. > > Nathan Shifren, a right-wing, race-baiting Republican wingnut, came in > 4th place with 2,731 votes. In a mid-March candidates debate, Shifren > bemoaned the presence of "Mexican illegal aliens" in California, the > teaching of "Marxist" courses in public schools and free-lunch > programs for the poor: He said: "Here's my program: Make your own > doggone lunch." He called for lower taxes and warned, "We can't > kowtow to these environmental wackos who want to bring us into the > Dark Ages." So much for the dysfunctional Republican Party as my > "choice" for an alternative to the=2 0Democrats. > > Cindy Henderson, the Peace and Freedom Party candidate, came in 7th > in an 8-candidate field with less than 2% of the vote. So much for > the Peace and Freedom Party as an alternative to the Greens. > > I withdrew in February because my analysis of the campaign indicated > that the short campaign, continuing high levels of voter apathy, and > the need for more money convinced me that my campaign was hopeless. On > paper we have 3,000 registered Greens in the district. With the right > kind of campaign organization, I could have gotten around 13% of the > vote or even more. Without campaign organization I would have gotten > a lousy single-digit vote and I did not want to embarrass the Green Party. > > With Obama and the Democrats already floundering in Washington and the > continuing dysfunction of Republicans and Democrats in California, I > still think 2010 will be a historic good year for California Greens. > > Alex Walker -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From alexcathy at aol.com Thu Mar 26 07:15:43 2009 From: alexcathy at aol.com (alexcathy at aol.com) Date: Thu, 26 Mar 2009 10:15:43 -0400 Subject: [Sosfbay-discuss] F.Y.I. Special Election - California Senate District 26 In-Reply-To: <49CB1C68.7070205@bionictoad.com> References: <8CB7B885978BEB9-1188-170C@MBLK-M15.sysops.aol.com> <49CB1C68.7070205@bionictoad.com> Message-ID: <8CB7C346D9632F2-11B8-66@webmail-md16.sysops.aol.com> Dear Ray, Thank you for posting this.? I downloaded your commentary, reformatted it into a Word document and saved it in a special folder that I keep for unusually helpful commentary. Are you going to attend the campaign strategy sessions down here this weekend?? This is good stuff.? I think 2010 will be a good year for Greens but we really have to think these things through and devote a full year to really getting it together for the campaigns. Alex Walker -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From green at bionictoad.com Thu Mar 26 10:52:14 2009 From: green at bionictoad.com (Ray Tobey) Date: Thu, 26 Mar 2009 09:52:14 -0800 Subject: [Sosfbay-discuss] Strategy Meeting In-Reply-To: <8CB7C346D9632F2-11B8-66@webmail-md16.sysops.aol.com> References: <8CB7B885978BEB9-1188-170C@MBLK-M15.sysops.aol.com> <49CB1C68.7070205@bionictoad.com> <8CB7C346D9632F2-11B8-66@webmail-md16.sysops.aol.com> Message-ID: <49CBC0CE.80907@bionictoad.com> alexcathy at aol.com wrote: > Dear Ray, > > Thank you for posting this. > > I downloaded your commentary, reformatted it into a Word document and > saved it in a special folder that I keep for unusually helpful > commentary. Are you going to attend the campaign strategy sessions > down here this weekend? This is good stuff. I think 2010 will be a > good year for Greens but we really have to think these things through > and devote a full year to really getting it together for the campaigns. > > > Alex Walker Reluctantly, I decided not to attend the strategy meeting. I offered to make a presentation on a new strategic approach - that of learning how to win elections and preparing to do so. My offer was firmly rejected. (Synopsis of presentation here ) I think the meeting's agenda focuses on goals far beyond the Party's ability to achieve at present. With Green campaigns scoring fewer votes than ever and our registration falling, this agenda seems like a deliberate look away from important questions and looming problems. Since I can't say "here's another way", I'd be left saying "please don't do this." That would make me very frustrated and would probably annoy others. So I'm planning not to go. - Ray -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tnharter at aceweb.com Fri Mar 27 15:46:12 2009 From: tnharter at aceweb.com (Tian Harter) Date: Fri, 27 Mar 2009 15:46:12 -0700 Subject: [Sosfbay-discuss] 6th Anniversary of the Iraq War Observances Message-ID: <49CD5734.6020806@aceweb.com> You can see the pictures I took at events in San Jose and San Francisco. I made no attempt to represent the whole event. It was more of an ?if I?m interested and I think you will be to, then I took a picture.? See what I saw starting on this URL: http://tian.greens.org/SanFrancisco/PeaceMarch/March09/index.html The feel of the events was more of a "hanging out with old friends" than I got when half the local population was out. Some thought there was a lack of publicity of the event, but I think it more likely that this was the small dedicated minority that wants to end the imperialism enough to talk about it on Saturday afternoon. I got several emails about it, and I know a number of websites that advertised for it. -- Tian http://tian.greens.org Iceland has a population around 300,000, similar to that of Peoria, IL. From tnharter at aceweb.com Sat Mar 28 00:53:12 2009 From: tnharter at aceweb.com (Tian Harter) Date: Sat, 28 Mar 2009 00:53:12 -0700 Subject: [Sosfbay-discuss] Fossil Fools Day next Wednesday! Lets do something! Message-ID: <49CDD768.2030401@aceweb.com> Well, the facts on climate change may be dire, but there are some creative ways to look at them. Check out this article somebody gave me at Critical Mass this evening: http://tian.greens.org/MountainView/ClimateChange/SlingShot/FossilFoolDay09.html -- Tian http://tian.greens.org Latest change: Pictures from the 6th Anniversary march 4d Iraq invasion. Iceland has a population around 300,000, similar to that of Peoria, IL. From j.m.doyle at sbcglobal.net Sun Mar 29 18:14:47 2009 From: j.m.doyle at sbcglobal.net (Jim Doyle) Date: Sun, 29 Mar 2009 18:14:47 -0700 Subject: [Sosfbay-discuss] ballot propositions Message-ID: <49D01D07.2010004@sbcglobal.net> Here is a list of the ballot propositions to be discussed at next Wednesday's meeting. As well as links to the discussions by the Legislative Analyst's Office and the opening summaries copied from the discussions at the web site of the Legislative Analyst's Office. I hope this helps us to be prepared for the discussion on Wednesday. Jim Doyle Proposition Description Proposition 1A Prop 1A combines a 4-year tax hike of about $16 billion with a state spending cap Proposition 1B Modification of California Proposition 98 (1998) to free up money for state's budget overruns . Proposition 1C Sell rights to future lottery proceeds as a way of raising some cash now for state budget. Proposition 1D Asks voters to approve taking money from Prop 10 in 1998 for purposes not allowed in that 1998 vote. Proposition 1E Asks voters to take money from Prop 63 for purposes not allowed in that 2004 vote. Proposition 1F No pay raises for state legislators in years when there is a state budget deficit Proposition 13 (SCA 4) Prohibit re-evaluating new construction for property tax purposes when the new construction was undertaken to seismically retrofit an existing building. The legislative analyst's full descriptions and analyses are at http://www.lao.ca.gov/ballot/2009/1A_05_2009.aspx http://www.lao.ca.gov/ballot/2009/1B_05_2009.aspx http://www.lao.ca.gov/ballot/2009/1C_05_2009.aspx http://www.lao.ca.gov/ballot/2009/1D_05_2009.aspx http://www.lao.ca.gov/ballot/2009/1E_05_2009.aspx http://www.lao.ca.gov/ballot/2009/1F_05_2009.aspx And hsere are the copies of the summaries provided by the Legislative Analyst's Office. Proposition 1A Summary of Legislative Analyst?s Estimate of Net State and Local Government Fiscal Impact * Higher state tax revenues of roughly $16 billion from 2010?11 through 2012?13 to help balance the state budget. * In many years, increased amounts of money in state ?rainy day? reserve fund. * Potentially less ups and downs in state spending over time. * Possible greater state spending on repaying budgetary borrowing and debt, infrastructure projects, and temporary tax relief. In some cases, this would mean less money available for ongoing spending. Ballot Label *Fiscal Impact*: Higher state tax revenues of roughly $16 billion from 2010?11 through 2012?13. Over time, increased amounts of money in state rainy day reserve and potentially less ups and downs in state spending --------- Proposition 1B Summary of Legislative Analyst?s Estimate of Net State and Local Government Fiscal Impact * Fiscal impact would depend on how current constitutional provisions would otherwise be interpreted. * Potential state savings of up to several billion dollars in 2009?10 and 2010?11. * Potential state costs of billions of dollars annually thereafter. Ballot Label *Fiscal Impact*: Potential state savings of up to several billion dollars in 2009?10 and 2010?11. Potential state costs of billions of dollars annually thereafter. --------- Proposition 1C Summary of Legislative Analyst?s Estimate of Net State and Local Government Fiscal Impact * */Impact on 2009?10 State Budget./* Allows $5 billion of borrowing from future lottery profits to help balance the 2009?10 state budget. * */Impact on Future State Budgets./* Debt-service payments on the lottery borrowing and higher payments to education would likely make it more difficult to balance future state budgets. This impact would be lessened by potentially higher lottery profits. Additional lottery borrowing would be allowed. Ballot Label *Fiscal Impact*: Allows $5 billion of borrowing from future lottery profits to help balance the 2009?10 state budget. Debt-service payments on this borrowing and higher payments to education would likely make it more difficult to balance future state budgets. ---------- Proposition 1D Summary of Legislative Analyst?s Estimate of Net State and Local Government Fiscal Impact * State General Fund savings of up to $608 million in 2009?10 and $268 million annually from 2010?11 through 2013?14, from temporarily redirecting a portion of funds from the California Children and Families Program in place of state General Fund support of health and human services programs for children up to age five. * Corresponding reductions in funding for early childhood development programs provided by the California Children and Families Program. Ballot Label *Fiscal Impact*: State General Fund savings of up to $608 million in 2009?10 and $268 million annually from 2010?11 through 2013?14. Corresponding reductions in funding for early childhood development programs provided by the California Children and Families Program. ---------- Proposition 1E Summary of Legislative Analyst?s Estimate of Net State and Local Government Fiscal Impact * State General Fund savings of about $230 million annually for two years (2009?10 and 2010?11) from redirecting a portion of Proposition 63 funds to an existing state program in place of state General Fund support. * Corresponding reduction in funding available for Proposition 63 community mental health programs. ---------- Proposition 1F Summary of Legislative Analyst?s Estimate of Net State and Local Government Fiscal Impact * Minor state savings related to elected state officials? salaries in some cases when the state is expected to end the year with a budget deficit. Ballot Label *Fiscal Impact*: Minor state savings related to elected state officials? salaries in some cases when the state is expected to end the year with a budget deficit. ---------- From j.m.doyle at sbcglobal.net Sun Mar 29 22:06:28 2009 From: j.m.doyle at sbcglobal.net (Jim Doyle) Date: Sun, 29 Mar 2009 22:06:28 -0700 Subject: [Sosfbay-discuss] agenda items Message-ID: <49D05354.3020500@sbcglobal.net> a) fundraising - tools and techniques b) long term project c) report - Coalition for a Downtown Hospital d) tabling, lead persons i) Earth Day, week of ii) JSA iii) Cinco de Mayo iv) Gay Pride From snug.bug at hotmail.com Sun Mar 29 22:25:15 2009 From: snug.bug at hotmail.com (Brian Good) Date: Sun, 29 Mar 2009 22:25:15 -0700 Subject: [Sosfbay-discuss] Rolling Stone on the Bailout Message-ID: This is a fantastic rant by Matt Taibbi. As usual I couldn't keep my remixing fingers off the knobs, so my version here is cut by 40%. I cut most of the profanity and attitude. Just the facts are obscene enough. http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/26793903/the_big_takeover/print THE BIG TAKEOVER: The global economic crisis isn't about money - it's about power. How Wall Street insiders are using the bailout to stage a revolution by MATT TAIBBI (as digested by Brian Good from 8830 words to 5066) We're officially, royally fucked, our empire a permanent laughingstock. Treasury Secretary Geithner will stuff taxpayers' billions into a dying insurance giant, AIG, a corporation that grew rich insuring the concrete and steel of America's industrial heyday only to destroy itself chasing phantom fortunes at the Wall Street card tables, like a dissolute nobleman gambling away the family estate as the British Empire waned. The latest bailout came as AIG posted the largest quarterly loss in American corporate history ? $61.7 billion. Over three months that's $27 million every hour, $7,750 a second. After 8 years of ransacking airport travelers' purses and briefcases for explosive toothpaste, Americans had no way to search the balance sheets of companies that held life-or-death power over our society and we didn't spot holes in the national economy the size of Libya (whose entire GDP last year was smaller than AIG's 2008 losses). Worse than our foolish role in this gruesome comedy about the marriage of greed and stupidity is our continuing denial ? we still think it's an unfortunate accident instead of the creation of the Wall Street psychopaths we allowed to gang-rape the American Dream. When Geithner announced the new $30 billion bailout, AIG was painted as just another victim of bad luck and crummy markets."When the world catches pneumonia, we get it too," CEO Edward Liddy said, as if AIG was a soup line orphan sick from someone else's financial rain. In fact one cause of its "pneumonia" was its world-sinking $500 billion bets made with money it didn't have after more than a decade of scheming systematically to evade regulators. When AIG finally left the Wall Street casino, broke and busted after dawn, it owed money all over town ? and your taxpayer dollars in the bailout scam will go partly to the other high rollers at its table. In this casino, middle-class taxpayers cover billionaires' bets. People aren't pissed off enough. Don't think it's only money, just a bonus-killing Wall Street stumble. The worldwide economic meltdown and the bailout together made a kind of revolution, a coup d'?tat that cemented and formalized a creeping political trend of decades: the takeover of the government by connected insiders who used money to control elections, buy influence and systematically weaken financial regulations. The crisis was the coup de gr?ce: Given virtually free rein over the economy, insiders wrecked the financial world, then granted themselves broad emergency powers to clean up their own mess. Thus gambling-addict leaders of companies like AIG end up not jailed, but with a death grip on the Treasury and the Federal Reserve ? "our partners in the government," as a shockingly casual Liddy put it after the latest bailout. This colossal power grab threatens to turn the federal government into a giant Enron ? a huge, impenetrable black box filled with self-dealing insiders who scheme for individual profit at the expense of an ocean of unwitting involuntary shareholders, the taxpayers. I. PATIENT ZERO AIG's giant fortune came from a century of bets on sensible policyholders who wear seat belts and build houses on high ground. They blew it all in a year or two by turning everything over to a financial bureaucrat who seemed to think making huge bets with other people's money made him Brad Pitt. This guy, Joseph Cassano, Patient Zero of the global meltdown, ran a 400-person unit called AIG Financial Products, or AIGFP. A pudgy, balding Brooklyn College grad with beady eyes, Cassano cut his teeth in the Eighties working for Mike Milken, the junk bond "genius" who relied on insider schemes to evade detection while wreaking financial disaster. Cassano's scam was right out in the open, thanks to Washington's deregulation of the Wall Street casino. "These guys look for holes in the [regulatory] system," says a government source involved with the AIG bailout. "Whatever is unregulated, all the action is going to pile into that." Cassano's mess grew from an investment boom fed partly by a relatively new financial instrument called a collateralized-debt obligation (CDO). It's a box of diced-up assets: mortgages, corporate loans, aircraft loans, credit-card loans, even other CDOs. So long as the debtors pay their bills, money flows in. No matter how dicey the individual assets, some money always flows in. A single, unemployed ex-con trying to pay for a six-bedroom house may look like a bad investment, but hide his loan with a bunch of auto loans, credit-card debt, corporate bonds and other crap, and somebody will pay up. Even in an apocalypse, with 90% in default, 10% will still pay. The inventors of the CDO divided up the stuff and put that $10/$100 into its own level, then convinced Moody's and S&P to give that top "tranche" the highest AAA rating ? meaning nearly zero risk. The seal of approval allowed banks to turn financial waste into investment-grade paper and sell it to pensions and insurance companies, which were forced by regulators to keep their portfolios as safe as possible. Because CDOs offered high returns it was a win-win deal: Banks made a fortune selling CDOs, and the institutional investors made much more holding them than they would in truly safe products like Treasury bills. "The banks knew they were selling crap," says a London-based trader from one of the bailed-out companies. To get AAA ratings, they cooked upa crazy mathematical "kind of model saying that this or that combination of debtors would only default once every 10,000 years," says one young trader who sold CDOs for a major investment bank. "It was nuts." By inducing conservative investors to buy even the crappiest mortgages, the CDOs inspired an explosion of irresponsible and predatory lending. It became hard to find enough subprime mortgages ? enough unemployed meth dealers willing to buy million-dollar homes for no money down ? to fill all the CDOs. The volume of CDOs and similar instruments created the need for some way to hedge these massive bets ? insurance in case the housing bubble burst. This was particularly true for investment banks, many of which were "warehousing" CDOs after they wrote more than they could sell. Enter Joe Cassano. Bold and arrogant, Cassano became chief of AIGFP in 2001. AIG head Maurice "Hank" Greenberg admired Cassano's hard-driving ways, though the top guys never fully understood what Cassano did. Basically Cassano said, "You know insurance, I know investments; you do your thing, and let me do mine." Given free rein, Cassano sold a lucrative form of "insurance" to all those CDO-holders--another new financial instrument called a credit-default swap, or CDS. The CDS was popularized by young, creative bankers later dubbed the "Morgan Mafia". Plotting in 1994 to bypass limiting requirements for cash reserves to back up loans, they devised an early version of the credit-default swap which, in its simplest form, is just a bet on an outcome. Say Bank A writes a million-dollar mortgage on a town house and wants to hedge its risk that the borrower will default. It pays Bank B a premium of $1,000 a month for five years in return for CDS protection by which Bank B agrees to pay Bank A the full million-dollar value of the mortgage if the borrower can't pay. In the late 1990s Morgan convinced regulators that buying CDS protection moved the risk off their books, so they should be allowed to lend more without increasing cash reserves. Using credit swaps, AIGFP made the world's largest bet on the housing boom, promising to pay if the mortgage-backed CDOs went bust. In theory there's nothing wrong with that, except Cassano didn't have to post any money upfront. When a $100 corporate bond is sold, someone has to show 100 actual dollars. To sell a $100 CDS guarantee, you needn't show a dime. Cassano sold investment banks billions in guarantees with no assets behind them. Secondly, Cassano's Bank B was selling "naked" CDS deals in which neither party actually held the underlying loan -- not only insuring Bank A's mortgage, but selling CDSs as a speculative vehicle to Banks C, D, and E through Z for the very same mortgage --essentially letting them bet that someone else's house would burn down, letting them take out term life insurance on the AIDS victim down the street. It was Wall Street gambling, and Cassano was taking book for every bank that wanted to bet against the housing market--and he didn't have the cash to pay off if he was wrong. Over seven years, Cassano sold $500 billion worth of CDS protection, at least $64 billion of it tied to subprime mortgages. AIG had not even a fraction of that amount, but why worry about a disaster that will never come? AIGFP's returns went from $737 million in 1999 to $3.2 billion in 2005. Over the past seven years, the subsidiary's 400 employees got $3.5 billion and Cassano got at least $280 million. Then it all went kablooey. II. THE REGULATORS Cassano's gamble was possible only because just as he took over AIGFP Sen. Phil Gramm ? a grinning, laissez-faire ideologue from Texas ? engineered the most dramatic deregulation of the financial industry since paper money was invented. For years, Washington had kept watch over the nation's banks. Since the Great Depression, commercial banks ? which serve individuals and businesses ? had not been allowed to double as investment banks, which raise money by issuing and selling securities. The Glass-Steagall Act, passed during the Depression, also kept all banks out of the insurance business. In the late Nineties, all that changed. Funds-hungry Democrats got "business-friendly". In 1997 and 1998, the banking, brokerage and insurance industries spent $350 million on political contributions and lobbying. Money is fast-talking, and a 1999 bill that repealed key aspects of the Glass-Steagall Act enabled the creation of financial megafirms like Citigroup. Old-fashoned local bankers don't write million-dollar mortgages for meth heads, but if a megabank sold such loans to some fool in China, that's just shrewd business, right? The next year Gramm compounded the problem with legislation making it impossible to regulate credit swaps as either gambling or securities. Commercial banks ? which, thanks to Gramm, now had to compete directly with investment banks for customers ? were driven to buy credit swaps to loosen yield-seeking capital. "By ruling that credit-default swaps were not gaming and not a security, the way was cleared for the growth of the market," said Eric Dinallo, head of the New York State Insurance Department. The blanket exemption allowed Cassano to sell as many CDS contracts as he wanted, building a huge position without government interference. Investment banks hedged their CDS deals; insurance companies didn't have to. AIG bet "massively" on the housing market, says a government source involved in the bailout. The biggest joke was that Cassano's wheeler dealering was regulated by the Office of Thrift Supervision. That the behemoth AIG was (un)regulated by the small OTS (instead of the tougher Fed and SEC) was possible because another 1999 law allowed certain kinds of holding companies to choose the OTS as their regulator, provided they owned one or more thrifts (savings-and-loans). After AIG purchased a thrift in Delaware in 1999, the OTS regulated their entire operation. The London-based AIGFP should have been regulated by one of Europe's tougher outfits, like Britain's Financial Services Authority, but the OTS convinced the Europeans it could handle these giant companies. By 2007, the EU had legitimized OTS supervision of three mammoth firms ? GE, AIG and Ameriprise. That was the year the subprime crisis exploded, and in fact the OTS lacked the muscle. That year the Government Accountability Office criticized the "disparity between the size of the [OTS] agency and the diverse firms it oversees," noting that the OTS had only one insurance specialist on staff ? though it was the primary regulator for the world's largest insurer! "There's this notion that the regulators couldn't do anything to stop AIG," says a government official who was present during the bailout. "That's bullshit.... These regulators have ultimate power. They can send you a letter and say, 'You don't exist anymore.'" When AIG finally blew up, its ostensible OTS overseer, C.K. Lee, said he believed Cassano's credit swaps were "fairly benign products" because the company told him "there was no big credit risk." In early March, after AIG's latest bailout, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner called AIG a "huge, complex global insurance company attached to a very complicated investment bank/hedge fund that was allowed to build up without any adult supervision." Even so, AIG might have been OK but for its lack of internal controls. In the six months preceding its meltdown, insiders say, the chief financial officer and chief risk-assessment officer positions were empty. The 18th-largest company in the world had no one checking its balance sheet and tracking its assets. Consultants that were called in a few weeks before the bailout found that senior executives couldn't answer basic questions, such as how much exposure the firm had to the residential-mortgage market. III. THE CRASH Before 2005, AIG's solid name and AAA rating allowed Cassano to sell CDS protection with little cash in reserve. Then crummy accounting practices damaged AIG's credit rating, triggering clauses in the CDS contracts that forced him to post substantially more collateral on his deals. By 2007 AIGFP's portfolio was clearly poisonous, racking up $352 million in losses even as Cassano told investors on a conference call that he could see no reasonable scenario "that would see us losing $1 in any of those transactions." When a company accountant expressed concerns, , Cassano personally excluded him from the financial review, saying he might "pollute the process." The following February, with $11.5 billion in annual losses, AIG announced Cassano's resignation, citing "material weakness" in the CDS portfolio--but they let him keep $34 million in bonuses and retained him as a consultant for $1 million a month through the end of September 2008, even after taxpayers gave AIG $85 billion to fix his mistakes. What finally sank AIG was another credit downgrade in September, from AA to A, which necessitated billions in collateral for Cassano's CDS deals-- more than AIG's liquid assets. Even so, management dithered for days, not recognizing the trouble. The weekend of September 13th, AIG leaders were summoned to the offices of the New York Federal Reserve. Regulators from Dinallo's insurance office were there, and Geithner, then chief of the New York Fed. Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson, preoccupied with Lehman Brothers' collapse, was in and out. Also present was Lloyd Blankfein, CEO of Goldman Sachs. Strangely absent was OTS. The next day Treasury officials proposed that Blankfein and the other bankers in attendance try to raise private money. A one-day time frame made the result a foregone conclusion. The bailout was on. When AIG's plans to pay $90 million in deferred compensation to former executives became known, Congress balked, and the payments were canceled. But in January, 2009 AIG decided to pay out another $450 million in bonuses to the 400 employees in AIGFP. $1.1 million in taxpayer-backed money apiece to the guys who spent a decade punching a hole in the fabric of the universe! The planet's in flames, and some Wall Streeters still won't fly coach. "These people need their trips to Baja, their spa treatments, their hand jobs," says an official involved in the AIG bailout, apparently not even half-kidding. "They don't function well without them." IV. THE POWER GRAB Step one in Wall Street's power grab was to create financial products so complex and inscrutable that ordinary Americans ? not to mention federal regulators and even the CEOs of corporations like AIG ? were too intimidated to try to understand them. Add shrewd political investments, and the nation's top bankers could scrap any meaningful oversight of the financial industry. Phil Gramm, chairman of the Senate Banking Committee in the late 1990's, collected $2.6 million in only five years. His 1999 law that gutted Glass-Steagall passed 90-8 in the Senate, supported by 38 Democrats, including Biden, Kerry, Daschle, Durbin, even Edwards. The Act not only helped create the too-big-to-fail behemoths like Citigroup, AIG and Bank of America ? it helped them crush smaller competitors, leaving the big firms with even more money and power to lobby for further deregulation. "We're moving to an oligopolistic situation," Kenneth Guenther, a top executive with the Independent Community Bankers of America, lamented after the Gramm measure was passed. >From 1998 to 2008 financial companies spent $1.7 billion on federal campaign contributions for both parties and another $3.4 billion on lobbyists. The regulatory situation worsened in 2004 in an extraordinary move that never even got to a vote. The European Union was threatening strict regulation of America's big investment banks if the U.S. didn't strengthen its own oversight. The top five investment banks met on April 28th and ? helped by then-Goldman Sachs chief and future Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson ? proposed to the SEC chief that if they voluntarily curtailed risky activity they should be released from any lending restrictions. The discussion lasted just 55 minutes, and no representative of any major media outlet was there to record the fateful decision. SEC chief William Donaldson, a former investment banker himself, OK'd the proposal, and the EU dropped its threat to regulate the five firms. Donaldson and his successor Christopher Cox named a commission of seven people to oversee five companies whose combined assets totaled more than $4 trillion. In the last year and a half of Cox's tenure, the group had no director and did not complete a single inspection. The banks, which had originally complained about being regulated by both Europe and the SEC, ended up regulated by no one. With capital requirements lifted, those top five banks leaped into the raging housing bubble just like everyone else on Wall Street. Bear Stearns's debt-to-equity ratio soared from 12-1 to 33-1 as it drowned itself in bad mortgage loans. Goldman Sachs, sitting pretty with its CEO Hank Paulson appointed to run the Treasury, jumped into the housing craze too, and by the summer of 2008 Goldman was Joe Cassano's biggest customer, with $20 billion of exposure in Cassano's CDS book. This might explain the presence of Goldman chief Lloyd Blankfein with ex-Goldmanite Hank Paulson that weekend of September 13th. "If AIG went down," market analyst Eric Salzman explained, "there was a good chance Goldman would not be able to collect." The AIG bailout, in effect, was Goldman bailing out Goldman. Eventually, Paulson elevated another ex-Goldmanite, Edward Liddy, to run AIG ? a company whose bailout money would be coming, in part, from the newly created TARP program, administered by another Goldman banker named Neel Kashkari. V. REPO MEN When people lose homes to foreclosure or go bankrupt on credit-card debt, the government doesn't rescue them. But when Goldman Sachs ? its average employee made $350,000 last year--faced potential losses on unregulated insurance purchases for its insane housing bets, the government was there in a flash. Rich bankers bail out rich bankers, using the taxpayers' credit card. Cloistered Wall Streeters are reluctant to share information with outsiders who don't know what LIBOR is or how a REIT works. They don't even try to explain, just roll their eyes and say "trust us". The eye roll is part of the psychology. The State is now being asked not just to call off its regulators or give tax breaks or funnel a few contracts to connected companies; it is intervening in the economy to preserve the megafirms' influence. Paulson's bailout transformed the government into a giant bureaucracy of entitled assholedom, one that socializes "toxic" risks but leaves the profits and the management of the bailed-out firms in private hands. And it all happens in secret, far from the prying eyes of NASCAR dads, liberal readers of obscure novels, subprime mortgage holders and other financial losers. Some aspects of the bailout were absurdly secretive. A few lines in the Federal Reserve's weekly activities summary show the moment where a big chunk of your money disappeared forever. The H4 report ("Factors Affecting Reserve Balances") is just about all the Fed ever tells the world about its doings. For the week ending February 18th, under the heading "Repurchase Agreements" is the number zero. It's significant. In pre-crisis days, the Fed managed the money supply by buying and selling securities through Repurchase Agreements, or Repos, dumping $25 billion or so onto the open market every week, buying up Treasury bills, U.S. securities and even mortgage-backed securities from institutions like Goldman Sachs and J.P. Morgan, who would usually "repurchase" them within a week. That's how the Fed controlled interest rates: Buying up securities gives banks more money to lend, making loans cheap; selling the securities back to the banks reduces the money available for lending, raising rates. Look at weekly H4 reports back to the summer of 2007: As the credit crunch started around August, the Fed buys a few more Repos than usual ? $33 billion or so. By November, as private-bank reserves dwindled, the Fed was injecting $48 billion into the economy. In December, it's $58 billion; by March (the Bear Stearns rescue) it's $77 billion. In May 2008, it's $115 billion, and it stays stratospheric through 2008, as high as $125 billion in short-term loans into the economy ? until suddenly, at the start of this year, it's nothing. It's zero because the Fed had quit using transparent repurchase agreements to pump money into private companies. Now newly invented government operations are injecting cash into the economy, most of them secretive and with names like Term Auction Facility, Term Securities Lending Facility, Primary Dealer Credit Facility, the Commercial Paper Funding Facility and a monster called the Asset-Backed Commercial Paper Money Market Mutual Fund Liquidity Facility (ABCPMMMFLF). There's also a Money Market Investor Funding Facility, plus three facilities called Maiden Lane I, II and III to aid bailout recipients like Bear Stearns and AIG. While the rest of America, and most of Congress, bugs out over the $700 billion TARP bailout, these new Federal Reserve creatures are quietly pumping trillions into private companies ($3 trillion so far in loans, and perhaps $5.7 trillion more in guarantees of private investments). Technically it's not taxpayer money, but it still affects taxpayers because the Fed's activities impact the economy as a whole. This new, secretive Fed activity completely eclipses the TARP program in economic influence. Who gets that money? How much disappears through new holes in the hull of America's credit rating? Are these new institutions temporary? Will they be permanent, state-aided crutches to Wall Street, designed to systematically suck bad investments off the ledgers of irresponsible lenders? "They're supposed to be temporary," says Paul-Martin Foss, an aide to Rep. Ron Paul. "But we keep getting notices every six months or so that they're being renewed. They just sort of quietly announce it." A GAO letter says the Fed cannot be audited by Congress or anyone else. The Accounting and Auditing Act of 1950, 31 USC 714(b), dictates that congressional audits of the Federal Reserve may not include "deliberations, decisions and actions on monetary policy matters." The exemption, Foss notes, "basically includes everything." VI. WINNERS AND LOSERS In January, when only $1.2 trillion had vanished, Rep. Alan Grayson of Florida asked where all the money went. Federal Reserve vice chairman Donald Kohn's response was a classic eye roll: naming names might discourage banks from taking the money, Kohn said. When Grayson asked about the terms of the loans the Fed was making, and whether the valuations of purchased assets were in line with market rates, Kohn answered evasively: "The ones that have market values are marked to market." In essence, the Fed told Congress to lay off and let the experts handle things: Don't worry. Trust me. The Fed is a kind of shadow government with a budget many times the size of the normal federal outlay, administered dictatorially by one man, Fed chairman Ben Bernanke. The Senate spends "hours and hours and hours arguing over $10 million ... but there has been no discussion about who has been receiving this $3 trillion," says Sen. Bernie Sanders. "It is beyond comprehension." It's not just the Fed--the Treasury, too, maintains secrecy surrounding its implementation even of the TARP program, which was mandated by Congress. What criteria did the Treasury use to determine which banks received bailout funds and which didn't? When the Congressional Oversight Panel, charged with monitoring the bailout money, asked Paulson how he decided who got the money, Treasury directed the panel to a copy of the TARP application form on its website. One member of Congress theorized that "if you knew Hank Paulson, you got the money." Thus the big banks devour market share at the expense of smaller regional lenders. Paulson's buddies at Citi and Goldman and B of A got theirs fast ? remember that TARP was originally passed because money had to be lent that day, that minute, to stave off emergency. Five months into the TARP program, some smaller banks not only haven't received funds, they can't even get a call back on their applications. "Community bankers [feel] that no one up there cares much if they make it or not," says Tanya Wheeless, president of the Arizona Bankers Association. This is completely backward, since small, regional banks did little of the predatory lending that sank the economy. They stick mainly to "bread-and-butter banking," says Wheeless. Still, the lion's share of bailout funds has gone to larger, "systemically important" banks. "It's like Treasury is picking winners and losers," one state banking official said. The bailout hurt regional lenders by boosting the political power of their giant national competitors. After the relentless building of ever-larger megacompanies and a deregulated environment that gradually fed all the little fish to an ever-shrinking pool of Bigger Fish has brought us near collapse, the government should slowly break down too-big-to-fail monsters to manageable units. Instead, regulators close ranks and use near-secret bailout processes to double down on the same faulty, merger-happy thinking that caused the problem, creating a constellation of megafirms under government control that are even bigger, more unwieldy and more crammed to the gills with systemic risk. Paulson and his cronies turned the federal government into one gigantic, half-opaque holding company that owns the world's most appallingly large and risky hedge fund, a controlling stake in a dying insurance giant, huge investments in a group of teetering megabanks, and shares in various auto-finance companies, student loans, and other failing businesses. Like AIG, this new federal holding company has no mechanism for auditing itself and is run by leaders who have little grasp of the daily operations of its disparate subsidiaries. So AIG's rip-roaringly shitty business model has been writ almost inconceivably massive ? and, to echo Geithner, "without adult supervision". How much of what kinds of crap is actually on our balance sheet, and what did we pay for it? When exactly will the rent come due, when will the money run out? Does anyone know what's what? Where on the spectrum of capitalism to socialism are we? Is there a dictionary term for it? It would be funny, if it weren't such a nightmare. VII. YOU DON'T GET IT The real question now is whether the Obamites will restore sanity to the financial system and permit the general public to participate or whether the new financial bureaucracy will remain obscure, secretive and hopelessly complex. It may bode ill that Obama's Treasury secretary, Geithner, is one of the architects of the Paulson bailouts; as chief of the New York Fed, he helped orchestrate the Goldman-friendly AIG bailout and the secretive Maiden Lane facilities used to funnel funds to the dying company. Neither did it look good when Geithner ? himself a prot?g? of notorious Goldman alum John Thain, the Merrill Lynch chief who paid out billions in bonuses after the state spent billions bailing out his firm ? picked a former Goldman lobbyist named Mark Patterson as his top aide. Geithner's early moves reek of Paulsonism. He talks about partnering with private investors to create a "bad bank" that would systemically relieve private lenders of bad assets ? the kind of massive, opaque, quasi-private bureaucratic nightmare that Paulson specialized in. Geithner even refloated a Paulson proposal to use TALF, one of the Fed's new facilities, to essentially lend cheap money to hedge funds to invest in troubled banks while practically guaranteeing them enormous profits. Hedge fund managers love this idea. "This is exactly what the financial system needs," said Andrew Feldstein, CEO of Blue Mountain Capital and one of the Morgan Mafia. Strangely, few aside from those who run hedge funds express such enthusiasm. While the finances may be complex, the politics aren't. By creating an urgent crisis that can only be solved by those fluent in a language ordinary people can't understand, Wall Street shut the vast majority of Americans out of their own political future. The age of the CDS and CDO has made us financial illiterates. By complicating an already too-complex economy, Wall Street used the crisis to effect a historic, revolutionary transformation of democracy into a two-tiered state with plugged-in financial bureaucrats above and clueless customers below. Most galling is when Wall Streeters think they deserve not only their huge bonuses and lavish lifestyles but also the awesome political power their own mistakes have granted them. When challenged, they cite their stress, 90-hour weeks, divorces, and hemorrhoids. "Wait a minute," you say. "No one ever asked you to stay up all night eight days a week trying to get filthy rich shorting what's left of the American auto industry or selling $600 billion in toxic, irredeemable mortgages to Taco Bell clerks. Why do we give taxpayer money to you? Why aren't you in jail?" They'll just roll their eyes. You Don't Get It. These people were never about anything except turning money into money to get more money; valueswise they're on par with crack addicts or sex obsessives who burgle homes to steal panties. Yet these are the people in whose hands our entire political future now rests. Good luck with that, America. Enjoy tax season. ### _________________________________________________________________ Internet Explorer 8 ? Get your Hotmail Accelerated. Download free! http://clk.atdmt.com/MRT/go/141323790/direct/01/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From alexcathy at aol.com Mon Mar 30 10:30:13 2009 From: alexcathy at aol.com (alexcathy at aol.com) Date: Mon, 30 Mar 2009 13:30:13 -0400 Subject: [Sosfbay-discuss] Your Poli-Sci Homework - Repubican Richard Riordan Op-Ed Message-ID: <8CB7F7451BA6629-93C-E40@webmail-mh24.sysops.aol.com> Dear Green Friends, Richard J. Riordan was the Republican mayor of Los Angeles from 1993 - 2001. He was elected in 1993 as the first Republican mayor in thirty years when Mayor Tom Bradley retired. It was a difficult time in L.A. The economy was recovering from a major recession and the 1992 Rodney King uprising. In office Riordan streamlined certain business regulations and established "one-stop" centers around the city for functions such as permit applications. He appointed African-American Bernard Parks as chief of the LAPD. He strongly supported subway and light rail projects. Riordan spearheading the creation of neighborhood-based councils and campaigned heavily for reform-oriented candidates for the School Board. A wealthy venture capitalist, Riordan put a lot of his own personal money into California schools, nearly $50 million for new classroom furnishings, including computers. The Op-Ed posted on California Geening in it's entirety, was published in Sunday's Los Angeles Times. Richard Riordan is generally considered "Too Liberal" for today's right-wing California GOP. I think Riordan is (unintentionally of course) making a case for independent (definitely not Republican) political action. I am thinking about submitting a "Blowback" column to the L.A. Times web site, but I don't want to shoot my mouth off without getting input from other Greens.? Greens: this is your Political Science homework: Read this op-ed and post a critique on the California Greening blog at: http://cagreening.blogspot.com/ = = = = = >From the Los Angeles Times, Sunday, March 29, 2009 California's May Ballot Scam by Richard Riordan If you think Bernard Madoff is the swindler of the year, stop and consider Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Legislature, the gang responsible for the ballot measures we'll be voting on in May. Let's start with the misleading titles of their initiatives. Take Proposition 1B. It's called "Education Funding. Payment Plan," but all it really does is allow the Legislature to continue stealing money from education with the promise that the state will kick in $9.3 billion to K-12 education and community colleges starting in 2011. Or how about Proposition 1C, the "Lottery Modernization Act"? What this measure does is allow the state to borrow against future lottery money to fund this year's budget. It also promises to improve marketing of the lottery to sell more tickets. But by its nature, the lottery places a disproportionate burden on the poor, who are more likely to buy tickets. It's hard to see how that's "modernization." Then there's Proposition 1D, with its clunky and dishonest title: "Protects Children's Services Funding. Helps Balance State Budget." How does it "protect" children's services funding? By taking $1.6 billion currently committed to children's health services and preschool and throwing it into the budget maw. . . . = = = = = Pleas e leave a comment. In the context of our struggle with the city-hating R epublicans in Sacramento and Democratic Party Machine in Los Angeles, I agree with a lot of what he says. I have my opinions about what is right and what is wrong with this essay, but I want to know what you thing. And please, no "Lefty" clich?s. Don't write about "ending the war" and spending lots more money on "human needs" or overthrowing capitalism next week.? Please comment on specifics.? URL: http://cagreening.blogspot.com/2009/03/poli-sci-homework-republican-richard.html -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From j.m.doyle at sbcglobal.net Mon Mar 30 11:25:29 2009 From: j.m.doyle at sbcglobal.net (Jim Doyle) Date: Mon, 30 Mar 2009 11:25:29 -0700 Subject: [Sosfbay-discuss] white house farm/garden Message-ID: <49D10E99.9090600@sbcglobal.net> The web site http://whitehousefarmer.com/ has a picture of the workers preparing the white house lawn for planting. From tnharter at aceweb.com Mon Mar 30 14:36:21 2009 From: tnharter at aceweb.com (Tian Harter) Date: Mon, 30 Mar 2009 14:36:21 -0700 Subject: [Sosfbay-discuss] white house farm/garden In-Reply-To: <49D10E99.9090600@sbcglobal.net> References: <49D10E99.9090600@sbcglobal.net> Message-ID: <49D13B55.1010903@aceweb.com> Rainbow told me that Obama had laid down the law "NO BEETS!" I don't expect them to plant beets. Jim Doyle wrote: > The web site > http://whitehousefarmer.com/ > has a picture of the workers preparing the white house lawn > for planting. > > > _______________________________________________ > sosfbay-discuss mailing list > sosfbay-discuss at cagreens.org > http://lists.cagreens.org/mailman/listinfo/sosfbay-discuss > -- Tian http://tian.greens.org Latest change: Invitation to make something good from fossil fools day! Iceland has a population around 300,000, similar to that of Peoria, IL. From j.m.doyle at sbcglobal.net Mon Mar 30 18:08:42 2009 From: j.m.doyle at sbcglobal.net (Jim Doyle) Date: Mon, 30 Mar 2009 18:08:42 -0700 Subject: [Sosfbay-discuss] junior state dates Message-ID: <49D16D1A.8020509@sbcglobal.net> from their web site http://www.jsa.org/dates-and-locations/dates-and-locations.html Northern California Spring State Santa Clara Marriott April 24 - 26 Santa Clara, CA So the dates are set for their next session. But the full description is as of 3-30-209 not yet ready: Download a Pre-Convention Information Packet (coming soon) From snug.bug at hotmail.com Tue Mar 31 00:19:26 2009 From: snug.bug at hotmail.com (Brian Good) Date: Tue, 31 Mar 2009 00:19:26 -0700 Subject: [Sosfbay-discuss] Why Accountability is Job One Message-ID: Bush is gone, Hope is here, and sanity is restored, right? Obama is closing Gitmo, he's repudiated Bush policies, and everything's OK? Think again. We can hope Obama won't torture, won't lie us into war, won't jail us without court supervision, won't wiretap without warrants. But if he doesn't punish the ones who did, he's establishing the principle that adherence to the Constitution and to international law is optional. He's opening the door to the possibility that the next President--Rumsfeld, or Limbaugh, or Coulter--might be much worse than Bush was. The only way to protect the rights of future generations is to establish them in the present through accountability for the past. If President Obama doesn't re-establish our freedoms by prosecuting violations, he will be throwing them away. He has no right to do that. _________________________________________________________________ Internet Explorer 8 ? Get your Hotmail Accelerated. Download free! http://clk.atdmt.com/MRT/go/141323790/direct/01/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From snug.bug at hotmail.com Tue Mar 31 11:13:40 2009 From: snug.bug at hotmail.com (Brian Good) Date: Tue, 31 Mar 2009 11:13:40 -0700 Subject: [Sosfbay-discuss] Scott Horton on Torture Wed, Noon, "Courting Condi" April 6 Message-ID: You may remember last December's Harper's cover showing Bush and Cheney in jail. The article, "Justice after Bush: Prosecuting an outlaw administration" can be read here: http://www.harpers.org/archive/2008/12/0082303 ?The Justice Department itself was the center of the crime scene? Horton has said. On Wednesday he'll be at Stanford Law School, room 280A, 12:30. "Courting Condy," a film about Condi Rice, will be shown Monday, April 6th. Billed as the "first ever musical docu-tragi-comedy", it's about a fantasy romance and real crimes. I've seen extracts from the serious side of it. They're devastating. The film-maker will be there, and food. I've been assured that everyone is welcome. April 6, 7pm at the Havana Room in the Graduate Community Center, 750 Escondido Road, Stanford, CA. Here's the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_0_kmEl060 (From Embarcadero, turn left at the stop sign onto Campus Drive. At the gas station go straight. Turn left on Escondido road. It's on the right. Parking is free at that hour, but you may have to walk quite a distance so come early--or bicycle!) _________________________________________________________________ Internet Explorer 8 ? Get your Hotmail Accelerated. Download free! http://clk.atdmt.com/MRT/go/141323790/direct/01/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From j.m.doyle at sbcglobal.net Tue Mar 31 16:56:50 2009 From: j.m.doyle at sbcglobal.net (Jim Doyle) Date: Tue, 31 Mar 2009 16:56:50 -0700 Subject: [Sosfbay-discuss] ballot propositions Message-ID: <49D2ADC2.2090003@sbcglobal.net> Here is a list of the ballot propositions to be discussed at next Wednesday's meeting. As well as links to the discussions by the Legislative Analyst's Office and the opening summaries copied from the discussions at the web site of the Legislative Analyst's Office. I hope this helps us to be prepared for the discussion on Wednesday. Jim Doyle Proposition Description Proposition 1A Prop 1A combines a 4-year tax hike of about $16 billion with a state spending cap Proposition 1B Modification of California Proposition 98 (1998) to free up money for state's budget overruns . Proposition 1C Sell rights to future lottery proceeds as a way of raising some cash now for state budget. Proposition 1D Asks voters to approve taking money from Prop 10 in 1998 for purposes not allowed in that 1998 vote. Proposition 1E Asks voters to take money from Prop 63 for purposes not allowed in that 2004 vote. Proposition 1F No pay raises for state legislators in years when there is a state budget deficit Proposition 13 (SCA 4) Prohibit re-evaluating new construction for property tax purposes when the new construction was undertaken to seismically retrofit an existing building. The legislative analyst's full descriptions and analyses are at http://www.lao.ca.gov/ballot/2009/1A_05_2009.aspx http://www.lao.ca.gov/ballot/2009/1B_05_2009.aspx http://www.lao.ca.gov/ballot/2009/1C_05_2009.aspx http://www.lao.ca.gov/ballot/2009/1D_05_2009.aspx http://www.lao.ca.gov/ballot/2009/1E_05_2009.aspx http://www.lao.ca.gov/ballot/2009/1F_05_2009.aspx And hsere are the copies of the summaries provided by the Legislative Analyst's Office. Proposition 1A Summary of Legislative Analyst?s Estimate of Net State and Local Government Fiscal Impact * Higher state tax revenues of roughly $16 billion from 2010?11 through 2012?13 to help balance the state budget. * In many years, increased amounts of money in state ?rainy day? reserve fund. * Potentially less ups and downs in state spending over time. * Possible greater state spending on repaying budgetary borrowing and debt, infrastructure projects, and temporary tax relief. In some cases, this would mean less money available for ongoing spending. Ballot Label *Fiscal Impact*: Higher state tax revenues of roughly $16 billion from 2010?11 through 2012?13. Over time, increased amounts of money in state rainy day reserve and potentially less ups and downs in state spending --------- Proposition 1B Summary of Legislative Analyst?s Estimate of Net State and Local Government Fiscal Impact * Fiscal impact would depend on how current constitutional provisions would otherwise be interpreted. * Potential state savings of up to several billion dollars in 2009?10 and 2010?11. * Potential state costs of billions of dollars annually thereafter. Ballot Label *Fiscal Impact*: Potential state savings of up to several billion dollars in 2009?10 and 2010?11. Potential state costs of billions of dollars annually thereafter. --------- Proposition 1C Summary of Legislative Analyst?s Estimate of Net State and Local Government Fiscal Impact * */Impact on 2009?10 State Budget./* Allows $5 billion of borrowing from future lottery profits to help balance the 2009?10 state budget. * */Impact on Future State Budgets./* Debt-service payments on the lottery borrowing and higher payments to education would likely make it more difficult to balance future state budgets. This impact would be lessened by potentially higher lottery profits. Additional lottery borrowing would be allowed. Ballot Label *Fiscal Impact*: Allows $5 billion of borrowing from future lottery profits to help balance the 2009?10 state budget. Debt-service payments on this borrowing and higher payments to education would likely make it more difficult to balance future state budgets. ---------- Proposition 1D Summary of Legislative Analyst?s Estimate of Net State and Local Government Fiscal Impact * State General Fund savings of up to $608 million in 2009?10 and $268 million annually from 2010?11 through 2013?14, from temporarily redirecting a portion of funds from the California Children and Families Program in place of state General Fund support of health and human services programs for children up to age five. * Corresponding reductions in funding for early childhood development programs provided by the California Children and Families Program. Ballot Label *Fiscal Impact*: State General Fund savings of up to $608 million in 2009?10 and $268 million annually from 2010?11 through 2013?14. Corresponding reductions in funding for early childhood development programs provided by the California Children and Families Program. ---------- Proposition 1E Summary of Legislative Analyst?s Estimate of Net State and Local Government Fiscal Impact * State General Fund savings of about $230 million annually for two years (2009?10 and 2010?11) from redirecting a portion of Proposition 63 funds to an existing state program in place of state General Fund support. * Corresponding reduction in funding available for Proposition 63 community mental health programs. ---------- Proposition 1F Summary of Legislative Analyst?s Estimate of Net State and Local Government Fiscal Impact * Minor state savings related to elected state officials? salaries in some cases when the state is expected to end the year with a budget deficit. Ballot Label *Fiscal Impact*: Minor state savings related to elected state officials? salaries in some cases when the state is expected to end the year with a budget deficit. ---------- From carolineyacoub at att.net Tue Mar 31 17:11:08 2009 From: carolineyacoub at att.net (Caroline Yacoub) Date: Tue, 31 Mar 2009 17:11:08 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Sosfbay-discuss] Fw: agenda attached Message-ID: <174188.52222.qm@web81207.mail.mud.yahoo.com> --- On Tue, 3/31/09, Jim Doyle wrote: From: Jim Doyle Subject: agenda -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: proposed agenda April 2009.doc Type: application/msword Size: 29696 bytes Desc: not available URL: From tnharter at aceweb.com Tue Mar 31 19:41:02 2009 From: tnharter at aceweb.com (Tian Harter) Date: Tue, 31 Mar 2009 19:41:02 -0700 Subject: [Sosfbay-discuss] Agenda Item Message-ID: <49D2D43E.4040102@aceweb.com> I'd like to put the question "Should we think of endorsing this march?" on the agenda. -------- Original Message -------- Subject: [peace-council] come to San Jose on June 26 Date: Mon, 30 Mar 2009 15:21:57 -0700 (PDT) From: Charlotte Casey Reply-To: peace-council at yahoogroups.com To: Peace Council Everybody remember that REALLY HOT day last June when you all came on the train and we marched to Jeppesen? How about doing it again? It seems like the fact that the Obama Justice Dept. is also arguing that the ACLU suit should not go forward because state secrets would be revealed demands some kind of response. Jeppesen should not be left off the hook! So I'm thinking about Friday, June 26, The International Day of Support for Victims of Torture. That gives us plenty of time to plan a good protest. What do you all think? -- Tian http://tian.greens.org Latest change: Invitation to make something good from fossil fools day! Iceland has a population around 300,000, similar to that of Peoria, IL. From tnharter at aceweb.com Tue Mar 31 19:46:43 2009 From: tnharter at aceweb.com (Tian Harter) Date: Tue, 31 Mar 2009 19:46:43 -0700 Subject: [Sosfbay-discuss] [Fwd FYI:] Menlo Park Drive Less Challenge Message-ID: <49D2D593.1080009@aceweb.com> Posters note: I almost wish something like this was going on down here. Tian _______________________Begin forwarded material: Menlo Park is sponsoring a Drive Less Challenge that launches on Earth Day. I've provided the email we are using to spread the word. I'm forwarding this for two reasons: 1) We'd love to have you join us! 2) We thought you may be interested to see what we are doing. This is a pilot of what will hopefully become an annual event! Check out the website Adina Levin, the champion of this event, has created. It's a great template that could easily be used in other cities. We'll keep you posted on how it goes. Carol McClelland Co-Chair - Green Ribbon Citizens' Committee - Menlo Park I'm writing to invite you to join me in Menlo Park's "Drive Less Challenge" from April 22 - April 28. As someone who is concerned about the environment and global warming, I want to make a difference. Driving is the single biggest source of greenhouse gas pollution in California, and many of us drive alone much of the time. Small changes in how we drive add up to a big difference. The Drive Less Challenge is a chance to think about how we get from place to place, and try out some changes. It starts on Earth Day and continues for a week. Every day you log your trips, and look for practical alternatives to driving alone. Is it practical to carpool to the meeting? Bike to the store? Take the train to the city? This is a chance to look for opportunities in our daily life to make the biggest impact that is in our hands. Participants will be publicly recognized and there will be prizes for people who take green trips (bike, walk, carpool, or transit). We'll be able to see how others are doing and challenge each other to do more. I'm proud of what we're doing here in Menlo Park to be proactive on climate change, and think that this is a great way to have a greater impact as a community. I'm looking forward to taking action by committing to the Drive Less Challenge myself, and hope you will join me. Go to http://www.driveles schallenge. com and sign up there to take the Drive Less Challenge. You can help achieve more change by spreading the word: * Please forward this email to 5 more people * Please forward this email to a list of people who would want to know about the challenge - at work, school, neighborhood, organization, faith community * Print a poster and put it a window. Or print cards and hand them out. Printing files are here: http://drivelesscha llenge.com/ ?page_id= 11 * If you are a local business, or know local business people who want to sponsor with prizes, ask them for sponsorship, using this form: http://drivelesscha llenge.com/ ?attachment_ id=154 For more information about spreading the word and sponsorship, contact Adina Levin, alevin at alevin. com _______________________End forwarded material. -- Tian http://tian.greens.org Latest change: Invitation to make something good from fossil fools day! Iceland has a population around 300,000, similar to that of Peoria, IL.