SFGP WEEKLY For The Week of 7/14/05 - 7/21/05 This Week: ********************************************************** ************************************************** News: 7/8: If we are fighting insurgency in Iraq, what makes us think insurgency won't come to us? 7/9: Terrorism, "The War on Terror" and the Message of Carnage 7/12: Nurses and Teachers "Stop Arnold" 7/12: California Senate Passes Historic Marriage Equality Legislation ********************************************************** - 7/15: Green Convergence at the Bohemian Grove - 7/15: Sup. Ross Mirkirimi Hosts Art Opening Commemorating the 60th Anniversary of the Hiroshima Bombing - 7/16 and 7/23: Defend a Woman's Right to Choose! Stop the anti-abortion "Crusade for Life" - 7/17: United Farm Workers Rally and March - 7/21-7/23: "Spiritual Activism Network" Conference ********************************************************** Announcements: - Joke of the Week - Become A Sustainer! ********************************************************** ********************************************************** News ***************************************** 7/8: If we are fighting insurgency in Iraq, what makes us think insurgency won't come to us? By Robert Fisk "If you bomb our cities," Osama bin Laden said in one of his recent video tapes, "we will bomb yours." There you go, as they say. It was crystal clear Britain would be a target ever since Tony Blair decided to join George Bush's "war on terror" and his invasion of Iraq. We had, as they say, been warned. The G8 summit was obviously chosen, well in advance, as Attack Day. And it's no use Mr Blair telling us yesterday that "they will never succeed in destroying what we hold dear". "They" are not trying to destroy "what we hold dear". They are trying to get public opinion to force Blair to withdraw from Iraq, from his alliance with the United States, and from his adherence to Bush's policies in the Middle East. The Spanish paid the price for their support for Bush - and Spain's subsequent retreat from Iraq proved that the Madrid bombings achieved their objectives - while the Australians were made to suffer in Bali. It is easy for Tony Blair to call yesterdays bombings "barbaric" - of course they were - but what were the civilian deaths of the Anglo-American invasion of Iraq in 2003, the children torn apart by cluster bombs, the countless innocent Iraqis gunned down at American military checkpoints? When they die, it is "collateral damage"; when "we" die, it is "barbaric terrorism". Read the rest of the article at: http://news.independent.co.uk/world/fisk/article297623.ece ********************************************************** 7/9: Terrorism, "The War on Terror" and the Message of Carnage By Norman Solomon t r u t h o u t | Perspective When the French government suggested a diplomatic initiative that might interfere with the White House agenda for war, the president responded by saying that the proposed scenario would "ratify terror." The date was July 24, 1964, the president was Lyndon Johnson and the war was in Vietnam. Four decades later, the anti-terror rationale is not just another argument for revving up the US war machinery. Fighting "terror" is now the central rationale for war. "The contrast couldn’t be clearer between the intentions and the hearts of those who care deeply about human rights and human liberty, and those who kill, those who’ve got such evil in their hearts that they will take the lives of innocent folks," President Bush said Thursday after the London bombings. "The war on terror goes on." A key requirement of this righteous war is that all inconvenient history must be deemed irrelevant. "By accepting the facile cliché that the battle under way against terrorism is a battle against evil, by easily branding those who fight us as the barbarians, we, like them, refuse to acknowledge our own culpability," journalist Chris Hedges has observed. "We ignore real injustices that have led many of those arrayed against us to their rage and despair." Voices of reason, even when they’ve come from within the country’s military establishment, have been shunted aside. In late November 2002, a retired US Army general, William Odom, told C-SPAN viewers: "Terrorism is not an enemy. It cannot be defeated. It’s a tactic. It’s about as sensible to say we declare war on night attacks and expect we’re going to win that war. We’re not going to win the war on terrorism. And it does whip up fear. Acts of terror have never brought down liberal democracies. Acts of parliament have closed a few." …... Two years after 9/11, Norman Mailer asked: "What does it profit us if we gain extreme security and lose our democracy? Not everyone in Iraq, after all, was getting their hands and/or their ears cut off by Saddam Hussein. In the middle of that society were hordes of Iraqis who had all the security they needed even if there was no freedom other than the full-fledged liberty offered by dictators to be free to speak with hyperbolic hosannas for the leader. So, yes, there are more important things to safeguard than security and one of them is to protect the much-beleaguered integrity of our democracy. The final question in these matters suggests itself. Can leaders who lie as a way of life protect any way of life?" The president who lied his way into an invasion of Iraq is now exploiting Thursday’s atrocities in London to justify US policies that are bringing daily atrocities to Iraq. Bush is intent on sending a message to "the terrorists" by continuing the Pentagon’s war effort. The idea of communicating by killing is very familiar. There’s nothing new about claiming to send a righteous message with bullets and bombs. In his book "War Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning," former war correspondent Chris Hedges writes that he saw such transmissions up close: "Corpses in wartime often deliver messages. The death squads in El Salvador dumped three bodies in the parking lot of the Camino Real Hotel in San Salvador, where the journalists were based, early one morning. Death threats against us were stuffed in the mouths of the bodies." Hedges adds: "And, on a larger scale, Washington uses murder and corpses to transmit its wrath. We delivered such incendiary messages in Vietnam, Iraq, Serbia, and Afghanistan. Osama bin Laden has learned to speak the language of modern industrial warfare." And Hedges notes: "It was Robert McNamara, the American Secretary of Defense in the summer of 1965, who defined the bombing raids that would eventually leave hundreds of thousands of civilians north of Saigon dead as a means of communication to the Communist regime in Hanoi." Forty years later, with a "war on terrorism" serving as the central theme of pro-war propaganda, the United States and its military allies are routinely sending lethal messages. It should not surprise us when such messages are returned to sender. (article reprinted in full. - e.d.) *********************************************************** 7/12: Nurses and Teachers "Stop Arnold" By Charles Kalish Green gadfly and resident of SF's Bernal Heights, Charles Kalish, joined the Nurses, Teachers and the Raging Grannies in their "Stop Arnold" campaign on Tuesday. He's written about their protest here, and asks that you email Giuliana Milanese at gmilanese@calnurses.org to get more information or join the campaign. The Nurses and Teachers (and Raging Grannies) were in full form this afternoon - down at Yahoo headquarters in Sunnyvale. Their "Stop Arnold" campaign was in the Silicon Valley to protest another billionaire fundraiser for Arnold's anti-worker ballot initiatives. Today Yahoo founder, Jerry Yang, was hosting Arnold's oligarchy. I felt honored to be among the heroines and heroes who have managed to stop this Schwarz'ngr/Corporate juggernaut in its tracks. Giuliana Milanese took me down there. She's an organizer for CNA, the Californa Nurses Association. Our nurses and teachers have taken the offensive with innovative tactics including brilliant TV commercials. They have reframed the public discussion, in this case about the Governor's power grabbing Special Election in November. They are exposing the beast for what it is: a mean spirited, dishonest campaign by Schwarz'ngr and his wealthy supporters to capture even more power and wealth for themselves - an almost identical replica of what Bush, Cheney, Rove and Delay are doing nationally. The latest commercial from the teachers spotlights the Schwarz'ngr strategy: create a "phenomenon of anger" against teachers and all public workers by blaming them continuously for California's economic woes. It clearly illuminates the vicious "blame game" mentality of Schwarz'ngr and Company. Meanwhile the Austrian-American California governor has collected $100K contributions from everyone from Chevron-Texaco and Wal-Mart to Anheuser-Bush and Donald Fisher. Who is Donald Fisher? Fisher is an example of the extent to which greed and power can pervert the human animal. We in San Francisco have a particularly insulting relationship with this odious creature. He lives here and he continually uses his enormous wealth (The GAP) to manipulate the local body politic. Most recently he is alleged to have paid for a hit piece bearing a swastika against local progressive Supervisor, Gerardo Sandoval. Fisher is now using his wealth to try to drive Sandoval into poverty. Fisher's strategy is to put the fear of God into all progressives in San Francisco who dare to mess with him. He's shown that he will use any means to increase his strangle hold on this city. What does this have to do with the nurses and Schwarz'ngr? I believe that Fisher reflects the ugly reality of the mentality and the morality of the Schwarz'ngr/Bush phenomenon. The California nurses and teachers have learned how to expose them for what they are. All of us had better understand the likes of Donald Fisher because we will be doing battle with them for years to come. It's going to be a hard battle to beat Schwarz'ngr in November. He and his funders will spend hundreds of millions of dollars; they will be at their meanest; they will stoop so low as to vilify even our care providers and our educators. They will try to destroy anyone who gets in their way. Nonetheless, this oligarchy can be beaten. Our nurses and teachers are proving that. They are in the vanguard of the people's revolution for economic and social justice in America. I urge everyone to add yourselves to Giuliana's mailing list and to participate whenever and however possible in the Stop Arnold campaign. It symbolizes everything we stand for, locally and nationally. Email her at gmilanese@calnurses.org Yours, Charles (Reprinted in full. - e.d.) *********************************************************** 7/12: California Senate Passes Historic Marriage Equality Legislation By LGBT Legislative Caucus, Equality California, And Allies Join Forces to Revive Equal Marriage Rights Legislation for Same-Sex Couples Sacramento, CA – With a 5-2 vote, the Senate Judiciary Committee passed Equality California-sponsored Assembly Bill (AB) 849, the Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act, authored by Assemblymember Mark Leno (D-San Francisco), Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez (D-Los Angeles), and supported by more than 30 other co-authors. The Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act would grant equal marriage rights to same-sex couples and affirm the religious freedom of all Californians. State Senate Pro Tem Don Perata (D-Oakland) and Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Senator Joe Dunn (D-Garden Grove) have been working with the LGBT Legislative Caucus to move the bill forward. The previous marriage bill (AB 19) was narrowly defeated by four votes in the Assembly in early June. Through a common procedural move, the exact language of the bill was placed into the body of another bill (AB 849) that was moving through the legislature. The bill now heads to the Senate Appropriations Committee after legislators return from summer recess on August 15. "I am buoyed by the support of many of my colleagues in the Senate, who are co-authors of the measure, and who believe we can pass this bill this year and move it out of the Assembly and to the Governor's desk this September," stated AB 849's lead author, Assemblymember Mark Leno. "Because civil rights battles are never won in a day, we must move this issue forward whenever we can. This is the year to do it. We came so close to victory in June. With a few more months to make our case, the LGBT Legislative Caucus believes we will prevail.” Read the full article at: http://www.eqca.org/site/apps/nl/content2.asp?c=9oINKWMCF&b=40337&ct=1165583 *********************************************************** *********************************************************** Events ************************************* 7/15: Green Convergence at the Bohemian Grove Friday, July 15th through Sunday, July 17th 12:00 noon- 8:00pm Each year, the most powerful men in the world meet for a summer retreat in Bohemian Grove, one of the last stands of ancient redwood, nestled along the Russian River in Sonoma County. Correspondingly, activists gather to greet these powerbrokers as they set about for their two week vacation which culminates with a secret ceremony "the Cremation of Care". Activists plan full day activities on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, July 15-17. On Friday, from 12- dusk, join Greens and activists of all stripes at the gates of Bohemian Grove. Bring banners, signs, drums and costumes. Saturday, 11 am rally, noon march to the gates to protest the Bohemians: War for Oil in the Middle East, environmental destruction across the globe, the rich recieve tax cuts while the poor get service cuts. Sunday: Green Convergance, Monte Rio Outdoor Ampetheater. 10:00 am gather, 11-1 special guest speakers and music. 1:00 pm design your own protest- community discussion to plan ongoing actions to stop the war, environmental destruction, loss of civil liberties caused by the Bohemians. ***************************************************** 7/15: Sup. Ross Mirkirimi Hosts Art Opening Commemorating the 60th Anniversary of the Hiroshima Bombing Friday, July 15th 5:30pm- 9:00pm 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlet Pl., SF (City Hall) Rm. 282 On Friday, July 15th, 2005, Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi hosts the monthly Third Friday’s Art Reception in his City Hall office, Room 282. In commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing, this month’s featured artists are Lewis Suzuki and Iri and Toshi Maruki. Lewis Suzuki was born in Los Angeles and studied art in Japan, New York, and California. His watercolors are bold and impressionistic and enrich and strengthen the spirit of the viewer. Through his art, Mr. Suzuki hopes to give a sense of joy and hope in our difficult and changing world. “I feel that art has a place in enriching the life of humanity. Through my art, I hope to strengthen that part of culture.” --Lewis Suzuki Iri and Toshi Maruki traveled to Hiroshima three days after the bomb was dropped and witnessed the destruction first hand; several relatives and many friends perished. Three years passed before the Maruki’s were able to begin to paint what they had seen and this helped them to heal emotionally. Nine hundred sketches were merged together to create the first of 15 murals commemorating the tragedy of the victims. “It is a dreadful, cruel scene, but I wanted to paint it with kindness.” --Toshi Maruki ************************************************************ Defend a Woman's Right to Choose! Stop the anti-abortion "Crusade for Life" Saturday, July 16th and Friday, July 23rd 8am- noon 815 Eddy St. (at Franklin), SF "Crusade for Life" will be in San Francisco from July 15-24, protesting against reproductive rights. Planned Parenthood is collecting names and phone numbers of anyone interested in being on an "on-call" list in the event of problems or harrassment by protesters. We are invited to join Planned Parenthood, Radical Women, Code Pink, and various others to defend a woman's right to choose. The "Crusade for Life" plans to disrupt our community by harassing women at health clinics from July 15-27. We need your help to defend our clinics and to send the message that the Bay Area is pro-choice and stands up for reproductive rights! Saturday, July 16 and 23: Meet at Planned Parenthood to be a visible pro-choice force. ************************************************************ United Farm Workers Rally and March Saturday, July 17th 11:30am Dolores Park, SF Come show your support for the UFW struggle against Gallo and our appreciation for UFW's support for queers over the years. How well I remember Cesar Chavez speaking at the 1987 National March on Washington, I was on the press flatbed and got some pics of him for the Philly Gay News, even got to shake his hand...now our shared history of supporting each other (my GLF group in the early 70s supported the grape boycott) is being raised to another level...queers are making a special effort to be visible in Sunday's march...please let me know if you can join us. nos vemos Domingo! Si se puede! *********************************************************** "Spiritual Activism Network" Conference Thursday, July 20th- Sunday, July 23rd UC Berkley Campus Berkely, CA Come to an exciting upcoming conference in Berkeley on July 20th-23rd! The conference will focus on creating a national, inter-faith "Spiritual Activism Network" and will feature an impressive array of nationally-prominent speakers, religious and spiritual leaders, political analysts, and performing artists. To date, over 900 people have registered, and it may well mark a turning point in the public paralysis around the destructive role of the religious right in American politics ... not to mention an excellent opportunity to expand our membership. Please visit the Tikkun conference site below and see if you'd like to attend! http://www.tikkun.org/community/spiritual_activism_conference/main-page.html... ********************************************************** ***************************************** Announcements: ********************** ************************************************************ Joke of the Week Iraq Vs. Vietnam Q. What's the difference between the Vietnam War and the Iraq War? A. George W. Bush had a plan to get out of the Vietnam War. Plus!!!! Bush's Propaganda Tour During a propaganda tour, President Bush visits a school to explain his politics to kids. He invites the kids to ask him questions. Bobby stands up and tells him "Mr. President, I got 3 questions": 1. How come, that although the count of votes was not in your favor, you still won the election? 2. Why do you want to attack Iraq without an imminent reason? 3. Don't you also consider the bombing of Hiroshima the biggest terrorist attack of all times? Before the president can answer, the recess bell rings, and the kids leave the room. After they came back, Bush invited them again to ask questions. Joey stands up and tells him "Mr. President, I got 5 questions": 1. How come, that although the count of votes was not in your favor, you still won the election? 2. Why do you want to attack Iraq without an imminent reason? 3. Don't you also consider the bombing of Hiroshima the biggest terrorist attack of all times? 4. Why did the recess bell ring 20 minutes early? 5. Where's Bobby? ************************************************************ Become a Green Party Sustainer! As you may know, the SFGP is supported by our wonderful sustaining donors -- 175 and growing. In the next 12 months we hope to double that figure, and you can help us achieve our goal by signing up to make a regular contribution to the Green Party. Our sustainer program nearly pays all of our basic monthly operating expenses, including rent and utilities on the office, and drastically reduces the amount of work needed to raise money. Our sustainers free us up to do what we're really here for - to pursue Green values through the democratic system. Sustainers also ensure that we are able to keep our office, which has hosted numerous campaigns' headquarters including the successful Prop A, Instant Runoff Voting initiative. Becoming a Green Party sustainer is easy, fun, and secure! Online: http://www.sfgreenparty.org/makeadonation/makeadonation.html Phone: 415-701-7090 ************************************************************ For more info on our activities, please see our website, http://www.sfgreenparty.org. You can also email us questions at info@sfgreens.org. 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