2008 Sept Oct

Because People Matter Progressive News and Views

September / October 2008

Botox Nation

Let’s face it, the Bush Presidency has been a Botox Presidency par excellence—everything we were told and sold actually served to hide reality from our eyes. And what do the wrinkles represent? On an individual level they represent the realities we don’t want to see, the wear and tear of living and aging that eventually leaves us with a furrowed brow. But we can’t face aging so we Botox the reality as if we can fool mother nature and hile Botox is derived from a bacteria that postpone the inevitable. People do this for practical reacarries a low risk of botulism, many Amerisons (jobs, love), but now we have a whole industry tellcans spend millions every year injecting it ing them they should, that they must do this. And why to reduce wrinkles around the eyes with the hope that not? After all, every other aspect of reality in America it will make them look younger has already gotten the cosmetic and hide their years. In fact, the fix. We cannot see our own cosmetic fix permeates every Just take a look at our Botox violence and its impact nook and cranny of American Congress. They are incapable society and is propped up by a of impeaching the President on the rest of the world. multi-million dollar industry. because they themselves can’t Tummy tucks, facelifts, breast face reality—that they sent over implants, liposuction, hair implants, and penis enlarge4000 US youths and over a million Iraqis to their unnecments are readily available to change our appearance and essary deaths. They prefer the “culture of make believe” make us feel better about ourselves. which says that there was something honorable in our We are indeed a Botox Nation, and every day we mission in Iraq, that our boys are fighting to “defend celebrate the big lie and the big fix. The cosmetic fix is America.” So what does Congress do when the Botox has applied everywhere—to our politics, our wars, our enviworn off and the realities of war become visible? They ronment, our news. We are incapable of seeing who we vote over and over again to refund the war, and apply are, what we do. more verbal cosmetics and nostrums to make it look We cannot see our own violence and its impact on better than it really is! The mass media didn’t want us to the rest of the world. We are a nation that needs to lie hear about the real ongoing violence so they completely about our war in Iraq. The war is now in the process of blacked out the 2008 Winter Soldier testimonies last being “Botoxed’—the wrinkles are being removed and a March. The picture of the war and its everyday brutality smooth brow now shows. The environmental crisis has that the soldiers testified about would have interrupted also been Botoxed—all we need to do is drill for more the ongoing cosmetic fix, shown the wrinkles, and furoil, buy up Iraqi oil contracts, and we can drive our big ther weakened support for the war. trucks and SUVs as carelessly as before. In politics, it The network news is the biggest supplier of symbolic is the same—presidential candidates are symbolically Botox to our make believe world. Most of them, includBotoxed and polished to remove obvious wrinkles and ing the so-called “liberal” New York Times, lied us into contradictions. Reality must not be allowed to intrude. this 6 year Iraq war. They told us it was about WMDs,

Applying The Cosmetic Fix by Richard Nadeau

W

DWB

Alive in Sacramento by Roger White We’re all familiar with the popular stereotype of the overly touchy black who has made “the White Man” the center of his obsessive racial paranoia. But periodically a study comes out that confirms the worst fears of blacks. Sacramento’s Community Racial Profiling Commission released such a report in August from Lamberth Consulting confirming that blacks are twice as likely to be pulled over by Sacramento police as non-black drivers. According to the study “Asian and white motorists are stopped less often than would be expected by their presence in traffic and Hispanic motorists are stopped at about the rate expected. black motorists are stopped at a higher rate than would be expected by their presence in traffic.” Is this because blacks are speeding at rates higher than others? Apparently not. “There was no evidence that either black or Hispanic motorists are more likely to exceed the speed limit by 15 mph or more than were any other drivers. In fact slightly more white motorists were exceeding the speed limit by 15 mph or more….” Such studies are regularly dismissed by critics who claim that racial justice advocates ignore the outcomes of these stops. If a higher rate of black motorists are actually up to no good while they’re behind the wheel (as evidenced by higher citation rates after traffic stops) then why shouldn’t the police target black drivers more than others? As it turns out, black citation rates are lower than their stop rates by 4 percent. Whites, Asians and Hispanics are stopped and cited at roughly the same rates. The report also found that the percent of searches that result in a seizure of contraband—the “hit” rate—was highest for “Hispanic motorists, with white and black motorists closely bundled at a fraction of a percent point below them.” The

When drivers get pulled over for no good reason …they sometimes have an attitude about it. authors pointed out that the differences between the races were “statistically insignificant.” In other words, blacks are no more likely to be engaged in traffic violations or criminal activity while driving than any other racial group in Sacramento. It’s important to also point out that even if blacks were more likely to be involved in criminal activity that by itself would not be grounds to disproportionally stop black drivers. Violations of the vehicle code should drive traffic stops not one’s membership in a race presumed to have higher rates of criminal activity. I took part in the first racial profiling study of disproportionate traffic stops in Baltimore, Maryland back in 1996. We also found that blacks were being stopped at higher rates than whites on I-95 without justification. We also found that whites were actually more likely to be speeding than black motorists. Since then studies from Akron, Ohio, Oakland, California, and Massachusetts have showed the same thing—blacks singled out by police for stops, searches, and arrests while driving. Unfortunately, Sacramento is not alone. Getting stopped is often more than simply an inconvenience for African Americans. When drivers get pulled over for no good reason—like because of their race—they sometimes have an attitude about it. That encourages cops to get an attitude back which can lead to ugly confrontations, harassment, and in some cases police brutality and misconduct. The number one road (excuse the pun) into the criminal justice system is the traffic stop. We are regularly told by conservatives that what is holding back blacks more than anything else is an insidious victim mentality that cripples our initiative and

told us that Iraq had a role in 9/11, told us that Iraq was an immediate threat to the United States, even though the country had been militarily devastated in the first Gulf War. We were told that if we didn’t launch a preemptive war and attack first, we would be seeing mushroom clouds outside our bedroom windows. Of course, we were told that our own motives were exemplary. We now know that we actually fought the war to liberate the Iraqi people and sow the seeds of democracy throughout the Middle East. Only in a Botox world could this preposterous lie be given even a smidgeon of credibility. Few of the media or politicians have really accepted responsibility. They may soon be lying us into another war against Iran, or Venezuela, or some other chosen enemy of the Botox oil hungry empire. Since the Iraq war and occupation, the media have been systematically applying the cosmetic fix to the war—the military slaughter in Falluja and Haditha, the realities of the “surge,” were deliberately hidden from our perceptions. I guess such depictions would have been just too real for us to see. Remember the attempt by the Bush administration at the beginning of the war to prevent us from seeing pictures of caskets filled with dead Americans? That’s what I mean when I say this war has been “Botoxed.” Its been made to look a lot better than it is. The war is in reality a crime against humanity, an unnecessary war of aggression, according to the standard set down at Nuremburg. But we cannot be allowed to see or grasp this reality, can we? So Congress keeps on funding the war. And why not? In the Botox nation no one’s responsible because no one has been or will be made accountable! Everything in America finally gets the cosmetic fix! Richard Nadeau has been a peace and environmental activist since the 1960s. He lives in Sacramento and is an editor with Because People Matter.

retards our willingness to take responsibility for our own lives. One way for our society to help blacks move from victimhood to selfhood is to stop race-based victimization. A good place to start is by holding police departments accountable for failing to address racial bias in traffic enforcement.   Roger White is a criminal justice researcher with the Service Employees International Union. He lives in Sacramento.

Inside this issue: Editorial.............................................. 2 Teach Peace.......................................... 2 Living Green in Sacramento............... 3 Eat Local............................................. 3 Lower the Dropout Rate...................... 4 Home in the Projects........................... 5 Will the Votes Be Counted?................ 5 Media Edge Moving Out.................... 5 Immigrant Communities fight back.... 6 Public Education................................. 7 Ballot Propositions/Mayoral Race/Bill Durston............................................ 8-9 Prop 11/Gerrymandering................. 10 Joan Lee remembered......................... 10 Free Speech Victory........................... 11 No One is Leaving Iraq..................... 11 Sacramento Area Peace Action 12 Israel/Palestine.................................. 13 Big Media.......................................... 13 You Go Hugo.................................... 14 The Frozen Six.................................. 14 Calendar............................................ 15 Progressive Media............................. 16

 Because People Matter September / October 2008 www.bpmnews.org

because

People Matter

Volume 17, Number 5

Published Bi-Monthly by the Sacramento Community for Peace & Justice P.O. Box 162998, Sacramento, CA 95816 (Use addresses below for correspondence) Editorial Group: Jacqueline Diaz, JoAnn Fuller, Charlene Jones, Jeanie Keltner, Rick Nadeau Coordinating Editor for this Issue: Jeanie Keltner. Design and Layout: Ellen Schwartz Calendar Editor: Chris Bond Advertising and Business Manager: Edwina White Distribution Manager: Paulette Cuilla Subscription Manager: Gordon Kennedy

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On the cover The children of Tricia and Shane Stirling join Archna Sharma and Aaron Grace’s three boys at the July 26 peace rally at 16th and B’way. Say Peace! (Thanks to Keith for the photo.)

Editorial

Jeanie Keltner, Co-coordinating Editor for this issue

Ted Olson and the disappearing phone calls 9/11 myth continues to unravel

“Give up on all that 9/11 stuff,” a friend says.” spiracy” excoriated by Hillary when Whitewater It’s going to be like the Kennedy assassination. and Bill’s sex life were being dragged across TV We’ll never find out what really happened.” screens. And who turned up that dirt? Ted Olson But I’m not giving up. The story is as gripping and Ken Starr in the Scaife-bankrolled Arkansas as a John Le Carré novel, and as a former Lit. Project. Before that, in the Iran-Contra investigaprofessor, I can’t resist the plot’s exciting twists tion, Olson had been Reagan’s personal lawyer. and surprises. Take, for example, the story of the And no one who deeply studies Iran-Contra disappearing phone finds it hard to believe calls. that 9/11 was an inside Many people job. Iran-Contra was “They don’t come any more parremember that the first likewise a covert grab tisan and power-grabbing and named 9/11 victim for executive power ruthless than Ted Olson. There was Barbara Olson, against the Constituisn’t a more consummate Bush wife of the Solicitor tion—a practice run insider… .” General. The blond for the Bush regime, —David Neiwert baby-faced conservawhich is staffed with (http://firedoglake.com/2007/09/12/tedtive TV personality, the (unpunished) lawolson-and-the-pushovers/) CNN reported Sepbreakers of that bloody tember 12, called from operation. the plane that allegedly But Olson truly ended up hitting the Pentagon and asked her changed the history of the world when he argued husband to tell the pilot—who she said had been the Supreme Court case of Bush vs Gore in 2000 driven to the back of the plane with the other and forced Florida to stop counting the lawful passengers by dark men with box cutters—how votes that in fact had chosen Gore president. The to stop the hijacking. Her call made the tragedy president owes Ted a lot. immediately real and personal and gave the pubConsider what it means to the official story if lic its first picture of the highjackers. Olson was lying about those phone calls. And did But from the start Ted Olson couldn’t keep his his wife die at the Pentagon? stories straight. Consider what Rumsfeld told a Parade magaHe first told CNN that his wife had “called him zine interviewer at the Pentagon a month after twice on a cell phone.” Two days later, he was 9/11: “…a terrorist can attack any time, any place, saying, “[Barbara] had trouble getting through, using any technique and it’s physically impossible because she wasn’t using her cell phone—she was to defend … against every conceivable technique. using the phone in the passengers’ seats. I guess Here we’re talking about plastic knives and she didn’t have her purse, because she was calling using an American Airlines flight filed with our collect, and she was trying to get through to the citizens, and the missile to damage this buildDepartment of Justice, which is never very easy.” ing and similar (inaudible) that damaged the But cell phone calls from planes at high altiWorld Trade Center (emphasis added). http:// tudes were only made possible in 2004. And www.defenselink.mil/transcripts/transcript. according to an official at American Airlines, the aspx?TranscriptID=3845. plane she was flying on was not equipped on SepSo truth is coming out. tember 11 with airfones. For one we have an incredibly rich trove of That no supporting records exist—from the on-the-spot real time video and interviews full of airline, the telephone or credit card company, evidence that doesn’t match the official story— or the Solicitor General’s Office which allegedly and it’s plastered all over the internet, where it accepted her collect calls—is clear from their can be and has been poured over, analyzed, slowabsence in the report the FBI prepared of all calls mo’d, evaluated, probed—by thousands of earnest from all four planes for the Zacarias Moussaoui researchers. trial in 2006. The FBI said of Flight 77 that only And there’s the internet itself—which enables one call from Barbara Olson was “attempted” and the discoveries to be shared, disputed, supported, it lasted 0 seconds! added to. (And in VIDEO for the millions of So there were no calls? And Ted Olsen was intelligent compatriots deficient in reading skills.) lying? Most importantly, the JFK assassination didn’t Well, when I looked into his history, it would precipitate a war and surveillance state promised have been more surprising if he had been telling to be global and endless. the truth. Years ago Olson told a congressional The 9/11 Truth movement has become interinvestigation that he could easily “imagine an national. Many of the millions worldwide who infinite number of situations where government marched against the US attack on Iraq have officials might quite legitimately have reasons to joined the movement, as have former and current give false information out.” Indeed he has made defense ministers, prime ministers, intelligence his career lying in public to advance the power of analysts, military leaders and legislators from the executive branch. Canada, Italy, Germany, England, Japan. Famous in conservative Washington for their I beg you to read their stories and the stories lavish parties, Ted and Barbara often joked they of other experts in aviation, finance, explosives, were at the center of the “vast right-wing conarchitecture, and politics at Patriotsquestion911.

org. Almost daily more highly qualified people in high positions dare to reject the official story and call for a new investigation. The truth of 9/11 is not tangential to our struggle for peace and justice, as some lefties assert. It is central to the way power operates in this world right now, the brutal gangsterism of late stage capitalism. Imagine: the people behind 9/11 not only had planes fly into buildings and then blew them up, they placed bets in the stock market in the days before so the disaster made them hundreds of millions! We will not stop the neo-Orwellian war regime’s bloody pursuit of control of the planet’s resources until we destroy the myth of 9/11. More info at http://unansweredquestions. org/index.php/2008/04/08/ted-olson-report-ofphone-calls-on-911-undermined/.

Learn the true news and then Teach Peace Check out www.teachpeace.com the website of the same-named organization in Davis. If you’re a teacher, you’ll be especially interested in their materials for teaching peace to people of all ages. But here we want to point out the site’s other extensive resources. Along with important articles from the world press on crucial topics in the news (like Russia, Georgia and Ossetia), there is also an extensive library of all the latest political documentaries to watch with a click of your mouse.

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www.bpmnews.org September / October 2008 BECAUSE PEOPLE MATTER 

Living Green in Sacramento Kill your lawn! By Kevin Wehr This June, Anne Hartridge and Matt George decided to “do the right thing.” When the Governor declared an official drought—after many years of dwindling water resources—the East Sacramento couple let their lawn die, planning to move towards environmentally-friendly landscaping. But before they could move to the second step, a neighbor reported them. The City’s civil code requires yards to be “irrigated, landscaped, and maintained.” The two were fined $746 (later rescinded). This shows how difficult it can be to go green in this city. City officials are trying to encourage environmental responsibility—albeit in fits and starts. J Street was repaved partially with recycled tire rubber and meters reconfigured as bike lock stands. Urban infill projects fight sprawl. Of course much more needs to be done, especially in terms of zoning and building—the forces for blind development still favor building in delicate green spaces, flood zones, and sprawling towards the Sierras, and city officials are beholden to developers for election money. Our garbage is still trucked all the way to Nevada, and our per-capita water use is among the highest in the nation. So while we must continue to push our elected officials to do the right green things (including getting rid of silly un-environmental codes), there are many things we can do ourselves, often without spending a lot of money. Like our East Sac neighbors we can replant lawns with

drought-tolerant native species and never water again. Or better yet, use a recent code change and existing irrigation to grow a vegetable garden in your yard—it’s not too late to plant chard, kale, spinach, lettuce, or even butternut squash! Bury soaker hoses at the rooting level or under mulch,

…there are many things we can do ourselves, often without spending a lot of money. or use drip irrigation, and savor the flavor of homegrown veggies. I have replanted my lawn with native California poppies and other wildflowers—with a beautiful range of colors and times of bloom—but of course some of the year they die off, perhaps to the ire of my neighbors (please don’t fine me!). But that is what the landscape looks like here in summer. Nowadays, unnatural emerald green lawns scream environmental irresponsibility instead of “neighborliness”! And when my 90 year old house needed new drain pipes, I put in several diversions and now my grey water flows to those plants needing year-round water. This was easy enough to build into the system, with the bonus of reusing dish and laundry water and easing my impact on our water resources. But no bleach down the drain, please! If you have the means, buy a hybrid or put

solar panels on your roof—but even these expensive endeavors are not necessary to have a relatively large impact on your environmental footprint. There are many simple things we can do: install compact fluorescent bulbs and turn them off when not in the room; keep car tires properly inflated, and even better buy a cheap bike and ride it around town; put in a timed thermostat, or better yet keep the windows open at night for the cooling delta breezes, then close everything up in the morning to keep cool in and heat out—you might not even need much AC with this easy routine. And of course we should buy locally and organic, or grow our own. We should save water and energy wherever and however we can, but we should also not martyr ourselves for the environment. While consumer choices and individual actions can help a lot (both in aggregate and for our own pocketbooks), it is worth noting that these little steps will not solve our problems, and the larger economic and political systems must continue to be our main target for thorough-going change: capitalism requires continued growth and use of natural resources and unless we slow that down we are headed off a cliff. Similarly, elected officials are embedded in that same economic system in order to finance their campaigns, and we need to step off of that treadmill as well. So get out and tend your garden, ride your bike, and plant trees. But don’t miss the forest for the trees! Kevin Wehr is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology at CSUS.

Eat local and change the world Get healthier too

By Archna Sharma and Aaron Grace “In a world where life itself is a commodity to be sold to the highest bidder, those of us who decide to pick up a shovel and work the unused land around us, to take back our stolen land and lives, to grow our own food, literally hold the seeds of revolution in our hands.” ‘Anonymous, Earth First’

S

o you say you wanna a revolution? It’s 2008 and change is the mantra political drums are incessantly beating. But no single candidate or policy decision or ballot measure holds more impact than the actions of the food consumer. This is where the revolution begins. As food consumers we have a profound power to demand that our food be conscientiously grown, not genetically modified, and with as little negative environmental impact as possible in production and distribution. It is our duty to consider the consequences of allowing a global food monopoly. Supporting the local food economy goes far beyond the freshness of our produce. “Long-distance food” means the breakdown of our social and psychological consciousness. Long-distance transport of food promotes extra packaging, over-refrigeration, excessive fuel consumption and enormous waste. Our own bodies suffer from consuming food that has traveled across continents and oceans. Long-distance transport and long-term storage demand preservatives and additives. In recent decades, food scientists have successfully extended the storage life of easily perishable foods by altering plant biology using safety-untested approaches such as genetic engineering. Meaningful human connections are an aspect of food choices. Shopping in a supermarket we lose face-to-face interaction and we are left with feelings of oblivious indifference. Besides losing the security of knowing exactly what it is that we are eating, we sacrifice natural human contacts and diminish our own mental and emotional capacities. Long-distance food means no locally owned

farms, dairies or grocers, leaving us stranded and powerless. Community self-sufficiency means supporting local farmers’ markets as the mandatory first step in this revolution. Some of us may have a yearning to grow the foods that we enjoy; others may feel the need to grow for the nourishment of the local multitude. Consider the vision of our own local, urban Sacramento farm, Soil Born, reflecting a national movement of creating smaller farms. They desire to co-op a small network of local urban growers to create a source of fresh organic foods especially for underserved neighborhoods in well-populated areas where land and water is available. What’s interesting about local farming, urban gardening, and organic growing in general is that nothing here is frighteningly new. For millennia we have provided for ourselves locally. The convenience of on demand eating, however, has created the de-evolution we now suffer. For Sacramento residents the solution starts with the continued support of our ever-growing local farmers’ markets throughout the region. Let’s stop waiting for our politicians to enact change and act ourselves in our own best interests. 1. Shop the farmers’ markets 2. Eat in season 3. Demand locally grown food at your favorite restaurants 4. Visit a local farm 5. Plant a garden 6. Utilize CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) 7. Stop wasting food 8. Learn how to compost 9. Initiate guerrilla gardening by planting in areas bereft of life It all starts with a seed. There’s a Certified Farmers’ market in Sac every day but Friday (see www.marketlocations.com) Archna Sharma and Aaron Grace are a married couple, the parents of three boys, advocates of home birth, members of the 9/11 truth movement and work at the Sunday downtown farmers’ market.

José Hernandez does the vegetable honors at the Sunday Farmer’s market at W and 8th. photo by Doug Austin

 Because People Matter September / October 2008 www.bpmnews.org

Nature’s Way to Lower the Dropout Rate Get D in School and Save Billions By Lauren Ayers with Ginny Jones

H

CAAC Goes to the Movies

Almost Every Month The Central America Action Committee shows interesting and informative videos on social justice, labor struggles, and so much more! Call to see what’s playing this month… WE ALSO HAVE A VIDEO LIBRARY YOU CAN CHECK OUT. 1640 9th Ave (east off Land Park Dr) INFO: 446-3304

they discovered D-rich foods to compeneadlines recently bemoaned that one out sate for reduced sun exposure: lard (pork of four California high school students fat), salmon, sardines, herring, fish liver oil do not graduate. Worse, black and (some in beef liver, free range egg yolks, and Hispanic kids are two to three times more likely cheese). to drop out than Asian and white kids,1 which is In the old days people took cod liver oil related to the Achievement Gap, in which black containing both D and omega-3s in winter. and Hispanic students are, on average, up to four Unfortunately removing mercury and PCBs years behind Asian and white students in school. in fish oil, also removes vitamin D. People of color also have a higher incidence of Sardines are a wonder food, providing cancer, heart disease, diabetes, asthma, and men- the essential omega-3s DHA and EPA, caltal health problems. cium, protein, True, racism is and vitamin Vitamin D…increases undoubtedly a cause of D. And low on calcium absorption photo: National Marine Fisheries Service the Achievement Gap, the food chain, and the constant stress thus without the twenty-fold, and the of racism (overt and risk of mercury. For America’s health plummeted in recent decades calcium circulating in our subtle, personal and five months I offered compared to other countries—from 14th place institutional) is a factor my second grade for life expectancy in 1980 down to 29th by 2007. blood is absolutely crucial in higher rates of illness.2 students sardines as a Now we’re 30th in infant mortality. Illness costs &3 for a whole range of brain But there is another snack (lemon juice or American business more than $1 trillion a year profound yet overlooked salsa makes sardines in lost productivity19 and billions in prescripfunctions. influence rather easy to more appealing). tion costs. In 2002, the top 10 pharmaceutical fix. Namely, vitamin D Their parents and I companies made more money than the other 490 deficiency. think it made a difference in their school succompanies in the Fortune 500 combined.20 16 Dr. Michael Holick, in The UV Advantage, cess. Fortified milk, on the other hand, has only As a teacher, it is frustrating to see the state explains that blacks make five to 10 times less a paltry amount of D and 70 percent of African spend hundreds of millions on curricula, after vitamin D in their skin from sun than whites, due Americans, 50 percent of Hispanics, and 90 perschool programs and teacher training when a to having more melanin, which blocks UVB rays. cent of Asians are lactose intolerant.17 fraction of that money could improve school The Center for Disease Control found 10 times Most people, and especially growing children, meals. Better brain chemistry would make test more blacks than whites D deficient.4 Hispanics should get D supplements, especially in winter scores shoot up,21 and improve behavior.22As 5 are also lower than average in D. Asians—with when, regardless of skin tone, anyone north of Pollan explains, USDA-subsidized school meals highest test scores and lowest dropout rates— Los Angeles makes less vitamin D. But you don’t are nothing more than price-supports for Big have more melanin than whites, but also conneed to swallow cod liver oil; powdered D (made Ag. Drop by a school at lunch and see how food sume much more D-rich fish than all groups. from lanolin) mixed into food has no fishy taste. is loaded with trans fats, corn syrup, and artifiSo why is Vitamin D so important? Anyone Michael Pollan, in The Omnivore’s Dilemma cial colors and flavors while skimping on fresh who researches nutrition is aware of the huge and In Defense of Food—An Eater’s Manifesto, vegetables. attention now being given to this factor—more lauds Dr. Weston Price’s discoveries about tradiEven with reports of widespread D deficiency, than a “vitamin,” a hormone essential to the func- tional diets and health. Price, a dentist, studied the FDA has resisted the pleas of experts to raise tioning of almost all bodily systems. A good inindigenous communities from the Outer Hebthe recommended daily allowance (RDA) from depth presentation of Vitamin D benefits is www. rides to African tribes in Nutrition and Physical its inadequate 200-600 IU. Compare that to the lifespannutrition.com/30MinutesSunshine. Degeneration (1945, Price-Pottenger Nutrition 20,000 IU that a (pale) person wearing a bathpdf, but news about this gift from the sun is Foundation, San Diego, CA (619) 574-7763). Dr. ing suit can make at noon during summer in widespread in alternative and mainstream health Price, and hundreds of researchers since, shows only 15 minutes!23 Sadly, because most vitamin 6 7 8 news. Tuberculosis, cancer, asthma (chief that Vitamin D is crucial for health. D research has been very recent, informacause of school absence), diabetes,9 high blood tion—especially about the need for much larger pressure,10 coronary disease,10 muscle weakness,11 Saving Billions doses—is not yet always included in medical osteoporosis,12 depression,13 and schizophrenia14 Over half the state budget’s General Fund courses, so you may know more than your doctor are just some of the health conditions that can be goes to education, K-12 and higher education.18 about D. Research shows that even 10,000 IU a alleviated, cured, or prevented by this essential Improving student nutrition would mean less day is safe.24 nutrient. Vitamin D is especially important for need for intensive tutoring, special ed (Seriously To sum up, most Americans need more vitastudents because it increases calcium absorption Emotional Disturbed and children at the extreme min D, crucial for countless aspects of health. twenty-fold, and the calcium circulating in our end of the ADHD spectrum), and retention But school breakfasts and lunches provide too blood is absolutely crucial for a whole range of (repeating a grade). Students who eat well grow little, which is a major, but invisible, factor in brain functions.15 up less impulsive (lower crime rates) and more the high dropout rate and the Achievement Gap. Vitamin D comes from two sources: sunlight productive, and need less health care. And as The return on investment of adding tasteless D3 and food. Ultraviolet rays (UVB, not UVA) make adults, their better food choices and better health (from sheep lanolin) to school meals would be D in natural oils in our skin—if you don’t wash would boost our nation’s productivity and cut the huge, a few dollars a year per student would supthe oil off before being in the sun or too soon current 16 percent of the Gross Domestic Prodport lifelong health and success for our youth. afterwards. As ancient humans moved north, uct spent on medical care.

Best   Burger The burgers and fries are  described  as   legendary

Biting into this feast, the first thing you notice is that you can taste the beef. The French Ground Steak Burger w/cheese is the thing to order. That is a mouthful to say, and it’s definitely more than a mouthful to eat. Featuring

Harris Ranch Steak freshly ground and formed into a 1/3 lb. patty. Stop by soon. Nationwide Freezer Meats 1930 H Street, Sacramento (H and 20th Streets) 444-3286. Just remember H20 stands for H and 20th Street ««««

Want to check your vitamin D level? Ask your doctor to order a 25(OH)D test. Then compare your results to the Canadian Paediatric Society (CPS) chart 26 (www.cps. ca/english/statements/II/ FNIM07-01.htm).

For more info and list of footnote sources, go to www. goodschoolfood.org 1, 2, etc.

Lauren Ayers teaches elementary school and is writing a nutrition curriculum for kids. Ginny Jones is a writer and activist.

www.bpmnews.org September / October 2008 BECAUSE PEOPLE MATTER 

Home in the Projects

Demythologizing poverty by Tessa Janian

P

rojects! And ghettos! And slums, oh my! High crime rates! And poverty! And gangs, oh my! To hear the general public talk about public housing, one would think these are the worst places in the world to live, that there’s nothing but crime and despair. But, to hear from people who’ve actually lived in public housing, you come away with a different perspective, a perspective of hope, of understanding, of pride. The concept of public housing has been so demonized in our culture throughout recent decades. Sacramento Stories set out to dispel some of the myths by hosting a public housing forum featuring stories from people who know from personal experience the benefits of getting a hand up. Speakers from World War II to Vietnam to the Reagan Revolution told their stories of growing up in public housing and the richness of life that can come from experiencing and accepting the generosity of community. According to Mary Ellen Burns, Co-Creator of Sacramento Stories, public housing was a place of real community. People helped each other find jobs, food and clothes. It wasn’t charity; it was community,” she said. “We never felt poor.” “We knew everyone was in the same boat.” “It was the last great childhood.” These are words used to describe growing up in public housing. But not all stories reflected fond memories. It

Will the votes be counted?

… public housing was a place of real community. was clear that people could sense public disapproval and suspicion. Again and again, people told stories of being “looked down on” or experiencing the judgment of people seeming to say, “Oh, those poor unfortunates living in the projects” or absorbing ridicule for being “the downtrodden Mexican family looking for a handout.” These stories left a sense that we tend to slip into judgment, into superiority. We prefer to look away, to not want to see. We deny that people in public housing are trying to have a better life, make a better life. Yet, those judgments didn’t stick. Those were just an outsider’s views. What people living in public housing knew about themselves was immeasurable. Great lessons of humanity, kindness to those without and feeling wall-to-wall love were the foundation of growing up in public housing. So often we forget that America is about extending generosity, about giving a hand up when people are in need. Public housing was established to provide our veterans, the poor and the working poor with a way to overcome obstacles, to raise a family, to have a roof over their heads. Over the years, public housing became something else. We demonized and separated our public housing neighbors from the rest of America. We’d come to think that providing for the basic dignity of people isn’t worth doing, that somehow people don’t deserve to have opportunity to be lifted up. And we filled our streets with the homeless. It’s easy to dismiss what is presented as a drain on society, to discount its value. It’s a whole other story when a human being looks you in the face, grabs you by the hand and says, “The

JoAnn Anglin addresses guests and writers on the myths of public housing. Photo: Tessa Janian

Sac State professor Sam Rios shares his story of growing up in public housing. Photo: Tessa Janian

projects are not a place you end up. They’re a place where you begin.” Tessa Janian is a freelance editor and writer living in Folsom. She focuses on issues of social justice and public interest. Visit her website at www.polishedediting.com.

by Jeanie Keltner Those who get news from the independent press are aware that the elections since 2000 have been compromised by the use of Diebold voting machines. Watch these eight short segments of Stephen Spoonamore, a conservative Republican cybertheft expert for the big credit companies, as he explains why no election without paper ballots can be trusted. Spoonamore is expert in statistics as well as computers and asserts that statistics alone show many stolen elections—for example the Max Cleland/Saxby Chambliss contest in Georgia— since the machines came into use. Thanks to Debra Bowen, our Secretary of State, California now has voter-verified paper trials in all precincts, but voters in other states are not so lucky. Which means that the country as a whole is not so lucky either. Without paper ballots, it’s a sham democracy. See http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=9vNvweInGFs&feature=related.

Moving the Edge outward By Jeanie Keltner

Act locally—then grow!

Congratulations to “Media Edge”! Following the example of “Democracy Now!,” “Media Edge,” Sacramento’s own fastpaced progressive magazine show on Access Sacramento (see back page for times) is creating a network of local community access stations. It will soon be seen in Humboldt County and also in Palo Alto, with other cities in the works. The “Media Edge” folks, Randy Van Dalsen, Michael Stavros, Bob Dreizler, Mary Brasell and Anni Wilson, can inspire us all to become the media. We must break the monopoly of the corporate entertainment-news that has so much to answer for in our current dire situation. You can see many of the gripping segments at any time by going to their website www.wethemedia.tv..

 Because People Matter September / October 2008 www.bpmnews.org

Standing up to Fear

Immigrant communities push back Some of the Places You Can Find BPM Sacramento Area

Coffee Works Crest Theater Dimple Records, Arden Wy Flowers Restaurant Galleria (29th & K) Grinders Hart Senior Center Lido Cafe Light Rail: 65/Folsom 4th Ave/Freeport Los Jarritos Luna’s Cafe & Juice Bar Mercy Hospital, 40th/J Pancake Circus, 21st/ Broadway Planned Parenthood: Franklin Blvd, Watt Ave., 29th St. Queen of Tarts Quick Market Sacramento Bagel, 47th/H Sacramento Natural Foods Coop Sacramento Public Library (Main & many branches) Starbucks (B'wy & 35th) The Beat The Bread Store Time Tested Books Tower Theater (inside) Tupelo (Elvas & 57th) Underground Books (35th St. near B'way) Weatherstone Coffee

Chico Area

By Felicia Martinez

On May 12, 2008, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) conducted the largest single-site immigration raid in US history at Agriprocessors Inc, a meatpacking plant in Postville, Iowa. Nearly 400 people—including 18 minors—were arrested. While immigration raids are not new, their frequency and size have increased considerably in recent years. In “FY07 Accomplishments,” ICE claims to have removed “a record 276, 912 illegal aliens [sic]” from the US during fiscal year 2007. Even though stakes are increasingly high for non-citizen immigrants and their families, grassroots efforts such as know-your-rights educational campaigns and community patrols, have helped immigrant communities push back against the fear ICE’s tactics are intended to create. Immigration raids like Postville are part of a larger strategy ICE dubs “interior enforcement,” a smorgasbord of policies and practices to find and remove undocumented and even certain legal permanent residents from the US. In response, immigrant rights groups have adjusted their work to help community members to prepare for and respond to the intrusion of immigration enforcement into their daily lives.

Many residents, equipped with knowledge of their rights, kept their doors locked during the raid and did not open them even when ICE officers pounded them.

Davis

Bogey’s Books Espresso Cafe Roma Davis Natural Food Coop Newsbeat University Mall

Greenhaven area

Buckthorn’s Coffee, 7465 Rush River Dr

Nevada City

US Post Office For a complete list, visit our web site: www.bpmnews.org. Where would you like to see BPM? Let Paulette Cuilla know, 916-422-1787.

One such response is the formation of rapid response networks. When a Van Nuys toner manufacturing plant was raided by ICE earlier this year, a coalition of seven LA based community, legal, and labor organizations united to form a comprehensive rapid response team which assisted the apprehended workers in multiple ways, including securing the release of two-thirds of the people initially detained. As a result, these workers were able to prepare for their pending immigration hearings at home instead of in ICE custody. A rapid response network, however, can only be implemented once a raid in progress. Thus another essential component of response to interior enforcement has involved know-yourrights educational campaigns, which empower community members to take control of their own reactions to the presence of immigration enforcement. Here in Sacramento, Community Advocates United for Immigrant Liberation (CAUIL) has distributed know-your-rights materials and has conducted know-your-rights trainings at schools, community groups, and churches. “There is a lot of fear and uncertainty in the immigrant community,” explains Fátima

A woman looks on in horror during the ICE raid in Postville, IA. photo: Fair Immigration Reform Movement www.fairimmigration.org

Castañeda, CAUIL member. “People are not very well informed about their rights. Most don’t know that they have a right not to open the door to officers without a warrant. Many are surprised to know they have a right not to answer questions or self-incriminate.” During a May ICE raid in the Canal neighborhood of San Rafael in Marin Country, know-your-rights trainings conducted by organizations such as Canal Alliance paid off. In a post-raid summary, the Canal Alliance reported that many residents, equipped with knowledge of their rights, kept their doors locked during the raid and did not open them even when ICE officers pounded them. One resident, for whom ICE had a warrant, was reportedly told by ICE officers that they would break down the door if he did not open it. Instead of letting the officers in, the man stepped outside of his apartment and into ICE custody while locking the door behind him in order to prevent ICE officers from getting to the rest of the household. In some of the know-your-rights trainings that CAUIL has conducted locally, CAUIL members give participants the opportunity to prepare for such a situation by participating in a mock raid. “People are very shy at first,” reports Castañeda, “but with encouragement…their passion to feel respected comes out. They begin to assert their rights and for that moment, they look proud and feel safe. They feel human.” In the San Diego communities of Barrio Logan of Sherman Heights, another model of community empowerment has been in place since 1992. In response to aggressive police presence, the Raza Rights Coalition trained community volunteers to document police abuse. Local residents were organized into Community Patrols, equipped with video cameras, pens, paper, and knowledge about how to document police actions. Some years later, the Border Patrol began to make itself present in these communities, and the Community Patrols went to work monitoring the “migra” itself. Supported by the American Friends Service Committee’s Project

Know-your-rights information is available from the National Immigration Law Center, www.nilc.org.

Voice, these Community Patrols claimed a victory in 2002, the year that Border Patrol agents began boarding San Diego’s public transportation in order to conduct ID checks. Through an organized effort, community members forced the Border Patrol to cease its operations on public transportation. Most recently, the Community Patrols have monitored and documented ICE operations in the neighborhoods. According to Adriana Jasso, Program Coordinator for Project Voice, the Community Patrols have “exposed ICE taking mothers, fathers and leaving children behind. The ability to capture this on camera and then make a public statement about the moral character of such policy has been very effective.” But perhaps more importantly, as Jasso explains, “It has also sent a clear message to police, Border Patrol, and ICE agents that communities will not give in entirely to fear.” Felicia Martinez is a poet and attends Mills College. She has worked with immigrants and immigrant rights organizations.

 



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www.bpmnews.org September / October 2008 BECAUSE PEOPLE MATTER 

What’s the future of public education? St Kevin, St Hope and Sac High by Murray Cohen

I

n September 2003 Sacramento Unified School District (SUSD) handed over Sacramento High School to St. Hope, Inc, a private corporation headed by Kevin Johnson, retired NBA star and local entrepreneur, now running for mayor. St. Hope’s petition for an Independent Charter school had been accepted by SUSD, including its request that the new school be sited at Sacramento High School, Sacramento’s oldest high school. Parents, students, and teachers could stay at Sac High under the new regime or attend other district schools. Many parents and students had been satisfied with the school, especially its successful Performing Arts Unit. Others had philosophical and political objections to turning their school over to a private corporation with a religious affiliation. Teachers had similar concerns, along with the threatened loss of seniority and union protection.

Johnson has bought into the neo-liberal, “free” market, privatizing agenda A group of parents and teachers challenged the board’s decision and lost. A severely truncated version of the Performing Arts Unit was tried at the 65th St Armory. It didn’t work out. St. Hope’s Sacramento High opened with one third its potential students. Angry parents were promised an equivalent comprehensive high school within the attendance area by Sept. 2008. But that turned out to be a small former elementary school without “comprehensive high school” facilities. Parents rejected the offer of some portables and filed a new complaint against the District, which withdrew its offer. And that is how things stand. St. Hope calls its campus Sacramento High School and considers it a “public” school. Indeed, it and two St. Hope elementary schools are administered by a subsidiary,“St. Hope Public Schools.” Administrators at the new Sac High, who, like teachers, are employees of St. Hope, Inc, encourage disaffected parents to stop whining and send their kids to “Sac High,” as though nothing has changed. Current school population (800) is about half pre-charter enrollment. Sacramento High School was privatized in 2003, when George Bush was riding high in his wars on terror and social security. But privatizing a large urban high school with a long tradition

wasn’t easy. True, it was “underperforming” according to District criteria. But some schools were doing worse. Certainly the board was under lots of pressure to join the charter movement. But why Sac High and not Johnson or Burbank? And why an Independent Charter? Most people involved will probably tell you: Kevin Johnson, the homegrown NBA star who remained clean and earnest throughout his career and had come Will it ever be Sac High again? Photo: Seth Sandronsky, 2003 home to serve his community as an educator and redeveloper. “Saving” the “underperforming” high school he had starred ambitious young man from the old poor neighat by privatizing it under his own brand name fit borhood might see a privatized Sacramento in perfectly with the mood of basketball crazy High as centerpiece of his dream of an Oak Park Sacramento and the country. renaissance, a “win-win” way of doing good, Though Johnson’s public image has been sulwhile doing well for himself, almost like multilied by recent scandals, he may well be elected nationals in the “third world.” mayor. Even the progressive-minded who are Johnson, like Obama, lends our crudely basketball fans might be persuaded by Johnson’s selfish system some style and grace, and both grace on the court. And Johnson seems sincerely may even retain the ghosts of the sort of controubled and angered by the long festering victions that a Rice or a Gonzales would think historical crimes and injustices against African “quaint.” Here’s a scenario for Frank Capra: Americans and others in the not so distant past. maybe as mayor, Johnson would see the light, But he stops there, blind to this same history’s that undermining weakened public, democratic deep connection to the deindustrializing, warinstitutions—like our limping schools—is really mongering present, with its greedy, sadistic not the way to fight injustice, ignorance, and corporate culture eating the heart and soul out poverty. Leaving the dark world of market soluof working people. Johnson has bought into the tions, he’d return Sac High to its rightful ownneo-liberal, “free” market, privatizing agenda, ers, the people living in the neighborhoods, and which has sold the country on the idea that greed reinvent Sac High, say, as a Dependent Charter, is good, private is better than public, and the in which “petitioning” parents and teachers, problems of the “poor” are best addressed by transformed by the mayor’s vision, would crerewarding one deserving individual at a time, ate a school that educates minds beautiful and starting with oneself. strong enough to seriously confront the violence The US has never seriously attacked its racist and ugliness created by untrammeled greed. core. What better proof than that the task was Maybe as mayor he would also be point man assigned to the country’s most often underfunded for rebuilding public education in California by public schools. The project was designed to advocating adequate funding and a just distribufail, and it has. At the same time, privatization tion of wealth. Now that would be an admirable was pushed as the only solution to social probgoal for a retired point guard, who clearly, and lems—by just the sort of people who created maybe not cynically, has learned that life is neithem—people with power, too much money, ther a game nor something to be merely owned, and wanting more investment opportunities in a bought and sold. world of desperate billions willing to work for a lot less than even poor Americans. It’s easy Murray Cohen is a retired teacher and a to understand how an idealistic but personally member of BPM’s editorial group

Charter schools

Public Money, private agendas By Murray Cohen California State law designates two types of charter schools: Dependent and Independent. Dependent Charter Schools are controlled by the granting authority, usually a school district. Employees work for the District, maintain seniority, and are protected by a union contract. Students have the same rights and privileges as any other public school students. Dependent Charter Schools are usually “petitioned” by groups of parents and teachers whose approach to curriculum is outside the mainstream and might require certain district or union waivers. Dependent Charter Schools are special, but are clearly public schools. Independent Charter Schools are the offspring of the school voucher movement. The “petitioning” entity tends to be a private corporation. What makes an Independent Charter School “public” is its access to vast amounts of local, state, and federal tax dollars. For instance, St. Hope’s projected revenue for Sac High for 2008 is $8,597,766, all public money—for a projected enrollment of 800 students—$10,747 per student! Public high schools in Sacramento budget about $700 per student. In addition, Independent Charters have many wealthy private and

institutional donors who want them to them to compare favorably with public schools to further the privatizing movement. St. Hope Corporation selects 11 of the 12 board members that administer St. Hope Public Schools (SHPS); one is selected by the School District. Anyone can be fired at any time, just as in any nonunion private business. SHPS also indirectly decides which students to admit and who to dismiss by demanding adherence to its peculiar culture and protocols. Given the relationship between the “petitioning” corporation, which controls the public funds, and the educational entities it establishes, ethical and legal lapses would seem to be expected. And St. Hope has had a few of them—mostly minor incidents in which students from Sac High “volunteered” or were paid with public money to work for one of St. Hope’s fuzzily related “entities.” Things can get more serious. A few years ago, 60 of LA’s 150 Independent Charters went bankrupt and $100,000,000 went down someone’s lucky drain. In ways such as this, Independent Charter schools can be “public” like Halliburton and Blackwater are “public” institutions. All are private corporations that have well-connected (and not necessarily Republican) friends who want to grow rich privatizing public institutions.

 Because People Matter September / October 2008 www.bpmnews.org

LAST DAY TO REGISTER TO VOTE IN NOVEMBER 4 ELECTION IS OCTOBER 9!!

People’s Democracy? State Ballot Measures, November 4, 2008

by Rick Bettis

I

n a great wave of popular reform at the beginning of the 20th century, California voters in 1910 approved the initiative, referendum, and recall processes, as part of a progressive reform movement led by Governor Hiram Johnson and the California Direct Legislation League. The movement was motivated by the all-powerful Southern Pacific Railroads’ stranglehold on state government. Originally intended as a “people’s reform,” the initiative and referenda processes unfortunately can now be made to serve moneyed special interests due to ubiquitous use of paid signature gatherers earning one to two dollars per signature. With $2 million an interest group can qualify almost anything for the ballot. The numerous ballot measures typical in California’s statewide elections may be placed on the ballot by legislative action or by initiatives that require submission of valid signatures of registered voters (5 percent for Statutes and Bonds, and 8 percent for Constitutional Amendments, of the total votes in the most recent gubernatorial election). Most campaigns try for a “safety margin” of at least 25 percent. A period of 150 days is allowed to gather these signatures. Bond measure financing is for 30 years and measures usually end up costing, with interest, double the stated cost. The ballot measures are sometimes difficult to understand and advertising is often misleading, so it is important to learn who the actual supporters and opponents are and understand their “agendas.” This can be determined by going to the Secretary of State website www.sos.ca.gov. and clicking on “Campaign Finance,” “Propositions and Ballot Measures” and “Contributions Received.” As of August 12 there were 12 measures on the November Ballot. For Proposition 4 see page 9; for Prop. 11 see below. Following are brief summaries of the remaining ten.

Marriage Equality: Vote NO on Prop. 8 Proposition 8 would amend the California Constitution to provide that only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California—denying gays and lesbians the respect, dignity and responsibility that come with marriage. Our California Constitution promises the same basic rights and freedoms to everyone; no one group can be singled out for unfair treatment. Equal protection under the law is a founding principle of the United States of America. Prop. 8 undermines that principle, and singles out a single group of people—gays and lesbians—for unequal treatment under the law. Like freedom of religion and freedom of speech, the freedom to marry is fundamental to our society. Marriage allows couples to make legal their lifetime commitment to one another, and gives couples the opportunity to fully take responsibility for each other. Protecting the freedom to marry is about upholding the ideals of equality, freedom and fairness for all. Vote NO on Proposition 8. (This material excerpted from The Equality for All website. The Equality for All campaign includes ACLU of Northern California, AntiDefamation League, National Council of Jewish Women, Asian & Pacific Islander Equality, California NOW, California NAACP and many others.) (www.noonprop8.com. )

Prop 1—High–Speed Rail Bonds—A $9.95 billion dollar bond measure to partially fund a $40 billion high speed rail system to eventually connect major urban areas from San Diego to Sacramento. The first phase is between Los Angeles and San Francisco. At 200 miles per hour, a trip from Sacramento to LA would take 2 hours. Running on electric power the rail system could displace both auto and airplane travel, reducing fossil fuel use and greenhouse gas emissions. Opponents feel it would not be cost effective and construction would have negative impacts. Prop. 2—Treatment of Farm Animals— Requires enclosures or tethers that allow animals to stand, sit, lie down, and fully extend their limbs. This measure is supported by animal rights and humane societies and opposed by some ranching and food processing businesses. Prop. 3—Children’s Hospital Bond Act—Authorizes $980 million in bonds to fund children’s hospitals which provide specialized care for serious illnesses. Eighty percent would go to eight non-profit hospitals and 20 percent to the University of California hospitals. Supported by numerous children’s healthcare advocates.

Prop. 5—Nonviolent Drug Offenses. Sentencing, Parole and Rehabilitation—Would require the state to expand treatment and rehabilitation for nonviolent drug offenders and parolees and reduce the criminal consequences of nonviolent offenses. Social justice advocates indicate that additional costs of prevention and rehabilitation would be offset by reductions in prison and parole operating costs and the cost of new prison facilities. Prop. 6—Police and Law Enforcement Funding, Criminal Penalties and Laws—Requires that nearly $1 billion annually in state general funds be used for local law enforcement programs and facilities. It would also require the prosecution of more 14 year olds as adults and would give counties less flexibility in the use of drug and mental health funds for juveniles. Proponents want a strong “crackdown” on crime. Numerous social justice advocates oppose this measure and call for increases in rehabilitation, education, and other prevention programs. Prop. 7—Renewable Energy Generation— see Ballot Propositions, page 10

YES on Proposition 11 Hold politicians accountable By JoAnn Fuller Voting “yes” on Proposition 11 means ending the conflict of interest of politicians drawing their own election districts. It means fair election districts drawn by a diverse group of citizens, not politicians, so we can hold our leaders accountable and throw them out of office if they aren’t doing their jobs. A “yes” vote is a vote for change. A “no” vote means more of the same gridlock with politicians continuing to draw their own gerrymandered districts. Prop. 11 was drafted by the League of Women Voters and California Common Cause, in consultation with consumer, labor, and minority groups. For several years political leaders assured the public that they understood that redistricting reform was necessary and they would pass a reform bill. Like Lucy pulling the football out from Charlie Brown, each year something happened to stop reform. So, these trusted “good government” organizations formed a broad coalition to ensure real reform. Why was this important to California Common Cause and other reform groups? We were involved in the last redistricting process, encouraging voters to come to hearings and testify where the lines should be drawn to give their communities the most clout. Instead, voting districts were drawn behind closed doors to help certain incumbents, both Republicans and Democrats, hold their seats and exclude potential challengers from the district. Gerrymandered districts mean cities and communities are often divided into multiple, oddly shaped districts solely to protect incumbent legislators. Large cities will need to be divided into multiple voting districts. But now, cities such as San Jose, Long Beach, Stockton and Fresno are split many ways. This means it is hard for organizers to bring neighborhoods together and lobby for what they need. Because they are divided among several representatives, they can’t focus their demands on one politician, and their power is dissipated. After the last census, the Democrats were the majority party in the state legislature. They drew

voting district boundaries to keep the status quo. Any seat that was Republican became super Republican, and the same for Democrats. This change locked in Republican seats, and even led to an increase in Republican representation to 47 in the Legislature, despite declining registrations. A community-centered redistricting process drawn more equally might change representation as people move into new areas. Drawing districts for specific candidates means that elections are no longer responsive to voter intent. Proposition 11 creates a diverse, qualified, independent Commission to draw fair districts that truly respect California’s diverse population for the first time. Commission members are selected by a three-step process. Beginning January 2010 and every ten years thereafter, the California State Auditor will initiate an application process open to registered voters in a manner that “promotes a diverse and qualified applicant process.” This could mean advertising in newspapers or other publications in communities, professions, etc. From this group of applicants, persons with conflicts of interest will be removed, and a threeperson auditor panel will pick 60 finalists, 20 Democrats, 20 Republicans and 20 others, who are qualified and represent California’s diversity. This group is submitted to legislative leadership, and they can strike up to two each from each group of 20. The Auditor will then draw eight commissioners from this pool. The eight commissioners will choose the final six based on diversity and qualifications for a total of 14. Potential commission members could include university professors, CPAs, nurses, community advocates and more. There are also provisions in the initiative requiring the Commission to represent the state’s significant diversity, including ethnic and regional considerations. Prop. 11 also mandates that the Commission operate under open meeting rules, publicly post potential maps and hold hearings so the public can present its case for drawing district lines in a certain way. One of the most innovative aspects of the initiative is the criteria for drawing lines. Proposisee Yes on 11, page 10

www.bpmnews.org September / October 2008 BECAUSE PEOPLE MATTER 

LAST DAY TO REGISTER TO VOTE IN NOVEMBER 4 ELECTION IS OCTOBER 9!!

Our Race to Take Our Country Back Will you help?

by Bill Durston, MD

Democratic Candidate for House of Representatives, California 3rd Congressional District

Prop 4 Puts our Teens at Risk Vote NO

By Katharyn McLearan Does Prop. 4 sound familiar? It should. We defeated similar propositions before—Prop. 73 and Prop. 85. Parents rightfully want to be involved in their teen’s lives. We want our daughters to come to us if they become pregnant—and most do. But, tragically, some live in dangerous homes. Prop. 4 would put such vulnerable teens in jeopardy of being kicked out of their homes, beaten or worse. Prop. 4 is dangerous. It may sound good but in the real world it would have terrible consequences. Laws like Prop. 4 can’t force teens to talk to their parents, but may force them to seek illegal, unsafe abortions, go over state borders or even consider suicide. Research shows teens have delayed care and counseling in states with forced notification laws. That is why the CA Medical Association, the CA Nurses Association, the CA Teachers Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the CA School Counselors Association and others, all oppose Prop 4.

“Research shows teens have delayed care and counseling in states with forced notification laws.” Prop. 4 is not about family involvement. “Family notification” can be simply a state-scripted form letter sent to another relative who may not live in the same town. Involving another family member doesn’t protect a teen in a dangerous home or create family support. Notifying another family member, however, will trigger an investigation and her parents will still find out. She is trapped. A scared pregnant teen may not seek care at all. Prop. 4’s provision of judicial bypass is also absurd. A scared pregnant teen who can’t tell her parents isn’t going to navigate a crowded court system and reveal intimate details about her life to an unfamiliar judge in an impersonal courtroom. And, with Prop. 4 doctors would be at risk of lawsuits where they could be sued decades later. In the real world, we know what does work. The real answer to teen pregnancy and reducing abortion starts with caring families. We should try to foster an atmosphere that assures our daughters that they can always come to us. We must emphasize prevention through professional counseling, as well as comprehensive, age-appropriate sex education that includes abstinence and birth control. To learn more, visit: www.NoOnProposition4. org. To learn how you can help protect teen safety, contact: [email protected] Katharyn McLearan is Director of Public Affairs, Planned Parenthood, Mar Monte.

Are you upset, as I am, that Congress continues to write blank checks for the Bush Administration to waste $200,000 a minute of our taxpayers’ money, not to mention countless lives, in the war and occupation in Iraq; that the US is the only industrialized democracy that doesn’t have universal access to medical care, yet we pay twice as much per capita as other countries for health care; that gasoline has gone from $1.46 a gallon to over $4 since Bush took office, while the oil companies make record profits; that we have government of, by, and for special interests instead of of, by, and for the people? If so, as civil rights leader, Florynce Kennedy, said, “Don’t agonize, organize.” Please join me in taking a vote in Congress away from the neocons and winning it back for the people who understand the issues discussed in Because People Matter. I am running for Congress in California’s 3rd Congressional District(CD) against a career politician, Dan Lungren, who is in lock step with the Bush-Cheney Administration. When Lungren flew Cheney out to fundraise for him last April, he said Cheney was “one of the finest public servants we’ve had in my lifetime…I happen to believe in the policies he’s most involved with.” Lungren takes big contributions from oil companies like ExxonMobil. At the Elk Grove town hall meeting, Lungren stated, “Do I take contributions, have I gotten some from those companies? Yes I have. If I could get more I’d take more.” Like most “hawks” in Congress, Lungren never served in the military himself. His father was Richard Nixon’s personal physician and got him a medical deferment during Vietnam. I am a Vietnam combat veteran and Emergency Physician. Concerned citizens who knew me from my work as past president of Sacramento Physicians for Social Responsibility and my opposition to the Iraq war asked me if I’d run for Congress against the carpet-bagging, neocon Lungren, and I accepted this challenge as the most immediate and tangible thing I could do to help take back our democracy. For a full listing of my background and positions, please go to the

Dr. Durston with his family in 2007, l–r daughter Annie, wife Diane, son Jeff, and Bill. photo courtesy Bill Durston

Durston for Congress website at www.durstonforcongress.org. But this is not my campaign, it is our campaign—and with your help, it is a winnable one. California’s 3rd CD, stretching from eastern Sacramento County to the Nevada border, now has the narrowest Republican registration advantage of any district in the state with a Republican incumbent. To be sure, Lungren has more money in his campaign coffer, on top of using taxpayers’ money for partisan politicking. But we can win this race through old-fashioned grassroots activism—phone banking, precinct walking, social networking, emailing, blogging, and using other non-corporate media. And of course, monetary contributions can be made via the website or by mail to Durston for Congress (5429 Madison Ave, Sacto, CA 95841). Whatever Congressional District you live in, please get involved in our campaign to take an important step toward taking back our democracy by winning back a vote in the 3rd CD. Go to the “Events” and “Action Alert” on our website, call our Fair Oaks office at 916-479-7001 or our 24 hour campaign line at 916-622-VOTE, email [email protected], or just drop in to our office at 4146 Sunrise Boulevard in Fair Oaks to find out what you can do to help.

The Sacramento Mayoral Race A Clear Choice

By Rick Bettis The Mayor’s race offers Sacramento voters a clear choice between a two term incumbent with over twenty years experience in our city government and a wealthy celebrity developer. Mayor Heather Fargo, a UC Davis graduate in Environmental Planning, helped local governments plan parks before becoming a city council member and then mayor. She has provided leadership in • Revitalizing the central city with new residential and commercial development while emphasizing transit oriented pedestrian and bike friendly growth. • Passing city resolutions critical of the ill-conceived Patriot Act and the Iraq War. • Adopting Living Wage and Affordable Housing ordinances. • Adopting an Affordable Sustainability Master Plan that includes conservation of energy and other resources. • Providing flood control for the city and

the region. • Enhancing Community Oriented Policing in the city and the Neighborhood Services Department. Her opponent, former NBA star Kevin Johnson, has promised “change” and said he will stimulate economic growth by attracting more private investors. He has loaned his campaign $500,000 and his campaign has received three times more money than Fargo’s from developers and other business interests. Rick Bettis is a frequent contributor to Because People Matter.

Heather Fargo

www.fargoformayor.com

Kevin Johnson

www.kevinjohnsonformayor.com

10 Because People Matter September / October 2008 www.bpmnews.org

Ballot Propositions Yes on 11 from page 8 from page 8

Noon Hour Witness Against the Death Penalty. Third Mondays 12noon to 1pm. 11th and L Streets State Capitol INFO: 455-1796

Sacramento Soapbox Progressive Talk Show Access Sacramento, Channel 17 with Jeanie Keltner. Monday, 8pm, Tuesday noon, Wednesday, 4am. Now in Davis, Channel 15, Tuesday, 7pm.

Requires private and public utilities to generate 50 percent of their power from renewable energy sources, wind solar, geothermal, by 2025. Currently the Public Utility Commission mandates 20 percent by 2020. Supporters, including alternative energy producers, believe this mandate is necessary to meet greenhouse gas reduction goals. Opponents, including affected utilities, believe the mandate is unrealistically high and the measure is poorly drafted and unenforceable. Prop. 8—Eliminates Right of Same-Sex Couples to Marry—Defines marriage as being between only a man and a woman, negating the recent California Supreme Court ruling. Proponents include conservative religious groups and individuals. Opponents include civil and human rights advocates. A similar measure was defeated in 2000. Prop. 9—Criminal Justice, Victims Rights, Parole—Requires victims notification and an opportunity for input during the criminal justice process, including bail pleas, sentencing, and parole. It reduces the number of parole hearings and increases the number of people permitted to testify on behalf of the victim. Supporters are victims rights advocates who believe that these rights must be enhanced and included in the constitution so they cannot be easily be changed. Civil liberties and social justice opponents believe that existing law adequately protects victims rights and that the rights of the accused should not be degraded. Prop. 10—Alternative Fuel Vehicles and Renewable Energy—Authorizes $5 billion in bonds from the General Fund to be used for high fuel economy and alternative fuels vehicle research, development and purchase, as well as alternative energy research, education and development. Proponents say this funding is needed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and provide energy security. Opponents say use of General Funds is not justified, and such spending should be subject to the legislative process. Prop. 12—Veterans Bond Act—Provides $900 million in bonds for farm and home aid for California veterans. Supporters say that this funding is necessary to meet the needs of returning war veterans. The full text of all propositions as well as in depth analyses and support and opposition statements are at the Secretary of State website given above. Rick Bettis is a member of Sacramento Media Group and Sacramento League of Women Voters.

tion 11 creates clear, ranked criteria that must be followed, including Constitutional requirements, compliance with the Voting Rights Act and keeping cities, neighborhoods and communities of interests together. For the first time, Prop. 11 puts the Voting Rights Act into the California Constitution and requires it be followed in drawing districts. Also for the first time, districts are required to keep neighborhoods and communities of interest together. Requiring that communities be kept together will be especially important to efforts to organize people where they live. As it is now, voting districts often break up cities and communities. Not only is it difficult to get a politician to listen to a community or city split into multiple districts, it

also makes bringing people together more difficult. Prop. 11 will make it easier for people to come together to work to solve the problems in their communities because they will know who to reach out to in their community, and they will have a leader who clearly represents them. YES on 11 sends a message to politicians that voters have had enough and it’s time for change. Proposition 11 will put voters back in charge and force politicians to work together to solve real problems like healthcare, education, and water allocations. For a complete list of endorsements and to read the text of the proposition, go to www.yesonprop11.org or contact California Common Cause at (916) 443 1792. JoAnn Fuller is associate director of California Common Cause and a community activist.

How Gerrymandering Hurts Minority Communities: A deluge of problems for a divided Watts On November 12, 2003, a freak storm dumped over five inches of rain and hail on Watts, overwhelming storm drains and flooding the community. Over 150 buildings and homes were heavily damaged, over 50,000 people lost power, and about 6,000 people sought aid from the county’s emergency center. Many people had lost everything: mattresses, clothes, cars. However, the government was slow to aid the people. When residents asked their representatives for help, they were passed from one

politician to another. Since the neighborhood had been split between three voting districts, they couldn’t get anyone to pay attention to them. Watts is a historically black community in southern Los Angeles with a large Latino population. The community has long suffered from high rates of poverty and crime. If redistricting protected communities instead of incumbents, Watts could demand to be kept intact and receive the services and investment that other undivided communities get.

The shaded regions represent the borders of Watts, while the bold lines represent district divisions in 2001. Info thanks to Nicolas Heidorn of the Yes on Prop 11 Campaign.

Joan Lee: 1927-2008 Fiery Compassion

By Margie Metzler

Peace Action on the Web Keep up to date on peace activism in Sacramento. Check out

www.sacpeace.org.

Joan B. Lee, beloved and admired advocate for all issues of peace and justice, died peacefully on Saturday, July 26, at the age of 80. Chair of the Sacramento Gray Panthers, Legislative Liaison of Gray Panthers California, and a Board member of the National Gray Panthers, she was also the local rep of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, and worked with many other social justice groups. She was an articulate and well-known local and national voice for improving healthcare, nursing homes, workers’ and disabled people’s rights, public transportation and affordable housing. Most recently, she advocated tirelessly for SB 840, Senator Sheila Kuehl’s truly universal health care bill which will bring full coverage for everyone for everything, forever, for less! Assemblyman Dave Jones’ description of Joan in the Bee obituary captures both her toughness and compassion:

“Joan conveyed the plight of seniors and families and poor people in ways that policymakers and legislators could understand. She had a real grasp of facts and figures and policy, but she was very effective at putting a human face on issues.” Joan earned her degree in Gerontology and Communications in her 50s, and in addition to her activist passion, she was a single mother and professional working woman—as well as an artist, musician/cellist, poet. Joan is survived by her husband and co-organizer, Arnie Godmintz, and by her three children, John Lee and wife Debbie and their son Anthony; Cathy and her daughters Calliope, Amethyst and Eleanor; and David and wife Linda, and their daughter Patricia. Joan was a long-time active member of the Unitarian Universalist Society in Sacramento where a memorial service was held Friday, August 15.

www.bpmnews.org September / October 2008 BECAUSE PEOPLE MATTER 11

On the free speech front by Cres Velucci

ACLU Sacramento strikes again

Supervisors axe ‘No Free Speech Zones’ plan The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors— after fierce, last minute-pressure from the ACLU of Sacramento—dropped plans to, in effect, create “No Free Speech Zones” in county buildings. The failed attempt brought back memories of the ill-conceived “parade ordinance” the Sacramento City Council approved too quickly in 2003 before an international conference in Sacramento targeted by anti-WTO, fair trade activists. It took years to overturn that mistake. But the ACLU, which has re-formed in Sacramento and has taken on big causes, stepped into action this spring, convincing the City Council to rescind a staff decision and allow the display of 120,000 flags along Capitol Mall commemorating civilians and US military killed in Iraq. More recently, the ACLU said a County plan to ban flyers, brochures or other printed materials not produced by the County in county buildings would be patently “draconian,” according to a letter from the ACLU to the Board of Supervisors only minutes before a vote was scheduled. Jeff Kravitz, constitutional law professor at Patino Law School and member of the Sacramento ACLU Board of Directors, addressed the Supervisors, calling the proposal a “direct assault on the First Amendment of the US and California Constitution” and a “violent attack on the values of free society…it is somewhat shocking anyone would propose such an ordinance before a democratically elected government board.” When Supervisor Roger Dickinson learned there had been only one “incident” involving non-County literature, he said, “It sounds like we have a solution crying out for a problem.” The board agreed, voting to reject the proposal. The ACLU charged that the law is so “unconstitutionally vague and overbroad” it would prohibit any flag from being displayed, even flags flown in the board chambers. It also would not ban sticks generally, but sticks that carry free speech messages, and would restrict labor activities. For more info: www.ACLUSac.org.

Zoe Lackemacher (kneeling left), Alani Colmenarez (striped shirt), Hannelore Colmenarez (right front). photo: Bill Lackemacher

No Petitions!

Raley’s threatens to arrest free speech activists Raley’s could soon become a high-profile target of labor and civil libertarians because of a stance it is taking throughout its chain threatening with arrest and suing free speech activists. In Suisun City recently, Raley’s repeatedly threatened to arrest and eventually sued community activists attempting to circulate a petition to recall the Suisun City Council for, among other things, approving a Wal-Mart SuperCenter over objections of voters and public safety experts. Raley’s is the only grocery store in the only mall in Suisun, leaving citizen members no place to gather signatures. Raley’s, according to Sacramento civil rights lawyer Mark Merin, is making a habit of harassing and suing activists on private but still quasipublic areas, which is not a allowed under key cases in California, including the noted “Pruneyard” decision which allows free speech activity on private property such as malls.

Don’t Fool Yourselves No one is leaving Iraq…. except impoverished Iraqis By Paolo Bassi

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be immune from Iraqi law, control Iraqi air space, ive and a half years after violating intercarry out military operations and have the power national law and invading Iraq, the Bush to arrest and hold Iraqis? No nation littered with regime shows no sign of handing Iraq back foreign military bases is free in any sense.  to anything resembling an independent sovereign The violence in Iraq is almost always portrayed government—at least not until Iraq has served as ethnic and religious strife, as if the invasion is its purposes. Recently Barack Obama claimed he a mere sideshow. This strife has been furthered will begin ending the military occupation. Howby Washington and plays directly into the Bush ever, a mere reduction in troops does not end regime’s hands. The confusion and insecurity the occupation. Iraq is firmly in the grip of overprovide the necessary cover under which the lapping corporate and military interests which occupation continues. Peace and a stable, secular will lay down the law, and Iraqi government comshould Obama even think mitted to the welfare of Empires by nature about interfering with their its people is the last thing feed off both the plans, he would be naïve Washington wants. about presidential power. Contrary to the distorthome nation and the No one is leaving Iraq except ed liberal view that Iraq is conquered peoples. impoverished Iraqi refugees. an expensive mistake, Iraq And ratcheting up the war in is in fact a great victory Afghanistan—“the graveyard for corporate globalism of empires” —is hardly peace. and the neo-cons. Events in Iraq have unfolded Far more significant is what both Obama and in accordance with the nature and methods of John McCain do not say. Neither utters a word imperialism. Only the weapons and sophisticaabout a future Iraqi government’s control over its tion of the propaganda have changed since the massive oil reserves or its trade and investment conquests of Cuba and the Philippines by US policies. Likewise, there is silence over the future forces just over a century ago. Iraq is simply busiof billion dollar construction and security conness as usual.  tracts and Iraq’s now-privatized essential services, Considering the mind-numbing human and handed out to mostly US corporations as lucrafinancial cost, it may appear that empire is countive spoils of war. ter-productive. Empires by nature feed off both If anything reveals Washington’s real intenthe home nation and the conquered peoples. tions, it is the dozens of permanent military bases The home country is manipulated by its political being built all over Iraq. Even if most of the US elites to pay the cost in money and blood. The Military pulls out, will its remaining forces still conquered nation then provides resources, future

The last three flags placed on the Iraq Body Count Exhibit, May 2008. photo: Daniel Costa

As a result of Raley’s assaults, the California Healthy Communities Network has started a “Free Speech Project” to examine these kinds of attacks. Some activists in Sacramento have said they will be boycotting Raley’s until it stops threatening to arrest and suing peaceful individuals. For more info: www.CalHCN.org. Cres Velucci is a member of Veterans for Peace in Sacramento.

A couple views the Iraq Body Count Exhibit at sundown. photo: Daniel Costa

markets and possibly real estate for permanent use. It is a vicious, violent fraud but perfectly rational for the pursuit of corporate profits. To believe that, now as Iraq lies prostrate, US corporations and military will simply walk out is delusional and misjudges the nature and logic of imperialism and predatory capitalism. As Thomas Friedman, a major cheerleader for the invasion and corporate globalism, stated in his book, The Lexus and the Olive Tree, “The hidden hand of the market will never work without a hidden fist…and the hidden fist…is called the US Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps.” Sometimes the corporatocracy’s intelligentsia tell the truth.  Imperialism is, of course, far more than the pursuit of temporary profits. The fifty or so new military bases are not intended to control only Iraq. Continued US military presence also serves to intimidate Iran, Syria and any others who may resist Washington’s hegemony in Central Asia. Iraq is also likely to be a base for future corporate wars in Asia. Since no country is left that is both capable and willing to aid Iraq directly, Iraqis are essentially alone. The only foreseeable hope for Iraqis is a mass, secular non-cooperation movement, one which makes the country unmanageable. It has worked before, and if history teaches us anything, it is that occupations, like empires, do end. Paolo Bassi is a member of the Sacramento Media Group.

12 Because People Matter September / October 2008 www.bpmnews.org

Sacramento Area Peace Action

Voices of Justice for the World Below are reports on the August, 2008 talks by Iranian-American Mazda Majidi and JewishAmerican Anna Baltzer and the June, 2008 attack on Palestinian Mohammed Omer who spoke in Sacramento in December 2006.

Iran/US Who’s the Bully? Excerpted from an article by Mazda Majidi. Reversing the roles of aggressor and victim has been a central part of the Bush Administration’s Iran propaganda campaign, willingly endorsed by the US mass media. In early June, Israel conducted a military exercise involving over 100 fighter jets. It was a provocative maneuver that a Pentagon official called a “dress rehearsal” for an Israeli aerial bombardment of Iran’s nuclear plants. This was shortly after Shaoul Mofaz, Israel’s deputy prime minister, said, “If Iran continues its nuclear arms proMazda Majidi gram we will attack photo: Bill Hackwell it.” On July 9 and 10, Iran test fired long and midrange missiles. Coming on the heels of the Israeli aerial exercise and renewed Israeli threats, the obvious purpose of the tests, as clearly stated by Iranian officials, was to demonstrate Iran’s capability of defending itself if attacked. The US has repeatedly carried out war games, using aircraft carriers, warships and nuclear powered submarines in the Persian/Arabian Gulf, off the coast of Iran, with the obvious intent of threatening Iran. But in the corporate media, Iran is portrayed as the aggressor and the US and Israel as defending themselves from this dangerous bully. However, the US “victim” happens to outspend the “bully” militarily by 100 to one. The “bully” has no nuclear weapons while the US “victim” has 10,000 nuclear warheads. There is no question that Bush would like to bomb Iran. Not just to destroy the nuclear facilities but to destabilize the government. This is consistent with past US actions including the 1953 overthrow of the democratically elected government and reinstallation of the Shah’s dictatorship. If past US bombing campaigns are any indication, an attack on Iran would kill thousands of people and destroy much of the country’s civilian infrastructure. How Washington continues to behave toward Iran and if it will attack depends on its estimates of the consequences. To be sure, Washington must be weighing what the American public will tolerate. Now is the time to let legislators know that another costly pre-emptive war is not acceptable. Call your Congressperson: 202-224-3121 and organize!

A Jewish American Woman in the Sacramento Speaker Mohammed Omer brutalized by Israelis Occupied Territories by Brigitte Jaensch (Based on an interview Anna Baltzer gave to KDVS radio host France Kassing in conjunction with her August talk in Davis.)

The granddaughter of Jewish holocaust refugees, Anna Baltzer at first did not believe what Palestinian refugees told her about Israel treated them. She developed a different view of reality from doing her own research and living in Palestine. Two realities are checkpoints and the wall, which as Baltzer discovered, are about “debilitating Palestinian life”. Both are located within occupied Palestinian lands and serve to stop Anna Baltzer Palestinians from photo courtesy A. Baltzer getting to jobs, to school, to their farms, to their villages, and even to the hospital. The wall, made of concrete, razor wire and/or electric fencing also illegally confiscates more Palestinian land and steals critical resources, especially water. Both are part of Israel’s effort to make life so miserable for the indigenous Palestinian people that they will abandon what little is left of the lands Israel has not already taken. Palestinians who live inside Israel can lose their right to be there and refugees are not allowed to return to their homeland, while she, “as a Jewish woman could move to Israel tomorrow and have more rights to Palestinian land than Palestinians do.” This is “the result of Zionism” an attempt to create an artificial majority of Jews on land, “in which the majority of people who have rights to the land are not Jewish. This process will not end until this notion of Jewish state is challenged for what it is, inherently undemocratic.” “Rights should not depend on your religion or ethnicity. It is the equivalent to having a state in which your rights depend on your skin color.... As a Jewish person, I simply can’t support a system that seeks security for Jewish people at the expense of other people—the idea that somehow for our refugee, diaspora population to have a home, we have to deny a home to another refugee, diaspora population. It does not work. Might does not equal right.” As a US citizen, Baltzer acknowledges, “We are very much responsible and complicit in what is happening. And we have the clout—with the money that we give to Israel—to change things.” Anna Baltzer’s website: annainthemiddleeast. org; she also recommends fiveforpalestine.org.

Catch these Fall Events:

Join SacPeace! Send your name, address, email and phone, with your check to SacPeace for: $30/individual; $52/family; $15 low-income to: Sacramento Area Peace Action 909 12th St, Suite 118 Sacramento, CA 95814 More information: 916-448-7157, [email protected].

And bring your friends, family, and colleagues. (See calendar or www.sacpeace. org for details.) Gloria LaRiva, September 7, recently returned from Venezuela and Bolivia, speaks on: Revolutionary Movements & US Intervention in Latin America Richard Becker, Oct 6: War, Global Warming & Economic Crisis -- Will the Election Change the Course?” Antonia Juhasz, Oct 30: The Tyranny of Oil: The World’s Most Powerful Industry, and What We Must Do To Stop It. Forum Series on Palestine/Israel Covering history, US foreign policy; Zionism, environmental degradation, recent events, campaigns to end the occupation. FMI [email protected]

In 2006, Mohammed Omer commemorated the anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights with us. Some of what he talked about that Sunday afternoon in 2006 is that, like all 1.5 million persons in Gaza, his life is at risk. Now, this “voice of the voiceless” will be a specific Israeli target.

On June 26, 2008, after meetings with officials and citizen groups in the Netherlands, Greece and England, and being awarded the Martha Gellhorn Prize for Journalism in London, Omer was on his way home With his bulletproof to Gaza. Israeli vest and Cannon D20 in border police took hand, Mohammed is on him into an interthe front lines. rogation room. photo: courtesy Mohammed Omer Riffled his luggage. Mocked that he’d brought gifts for “those I love.” “Oh, you have love in your culture?” They made him strip naked. Did invasive full body searches. Held a gun to his head, threatening to pull the trigger. Jack-booted him in the throat. Pinched and jabbed the soft tissue around his eyes and ears. Dragged him by his feet, though his own vomit, making his head bump on the cement floor. He needed to be hospitalized for days. He’ll need some surgery. One Israeli government version is that he “lost his balance.” Another version is that although they treated him humanely, he was stressed and had a nervous breakdown. Dutch official Jan Wijenberg disagrees: “This is by no means an isolated incident, but part of a long term strategy to demolish Palestinian social, economic and cultural life... I am aware of the possibility that Mohammed Omer might be murdered by Israeli snipers or bomb attack in the near future.” Several groups met with Congresswoman Matsui’s staff about what happened. They stressed that per the US State Department website, if it chooses, Israel will treat US citizens like it does Palestinians—like it did Mohammed Omer. Matsui has consistently supported aid to Israel, including the $170 million that was passed by Congress on the same day that Omer was beaten. She can be reached at 202-225-7163. Mohammed Omer writes for Washington Reports on Middle East Affairs and international newspapers. His website is www.rafahtoday.org..

Get your Stop War Lawn Sign! Order from SacPeace, 916-448-7157 Sliding scale $5-10.

www.bpmnews.org September / October 2008 BECAUSE PEOPLE MATTER 13

Israel/Palestine

Palestinian Loss of Land 1946 to 2005

Two-state rhetoric, binational reality By Brigitte Jaensch

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etween the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, there are 5+ million Jewish Israelis and 5+ million Palestinians. In the part called Israel, plus land taken over by the Separation Wall, there are 1.3 million Palestinian citizens of Israel and another 280,000 Palestinian residents in Jerusalem who aren’t Israeli citizens. In the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, the so-called occupied Palestinian territories (oPt), there are almost 500,000 Jewish Israeli settlers.

The level of the apartheid, the racism and the brutality are worse than the worst period of apartheid [in South Africa]. And as Professor Virginia Tilley explains, the Palestinian and Israeli parts are “bound inextricably by trade, labor, and natural resources…. Most of the West Bank aquifer is tapped for use inside Israel…. Any visitor looking at these massive planned [Israeli settlement] communities and their huge road network, promptly loses any idea that the Israeli government has any intention of removing them—or that it even has the capacity to do so.” Israel would never move its settlers out and let Palestinians move in. And to bulldoze or otherwise destroy all that construction would be environmentally and ecologically ruinous. Israeli journalist Akiva Eldar writes, “… a binational reality exists, in which one ethnic group [Israeli] rules by force over another ethnic group [Palestinian].” According to Mondli Makhanya, editor-in-chief of the Sunday Times of South Africa, who observed things in the West Bank this July with a South African delegation: “The level of the apartheid, the racism and the brutality are worse than the worst period of apartheid.… The apartheid regime viewed the blacks as inferior; I do not think the Israelis see the Palestinians as human beings at all.” Still politicians remain wedded to the rhetoric of two-states, i.e., creating a Palestinian state in the oPt, albeit in a West Bank modified by “facts on the ground.” Those facts on the ground, i.e., the massive Israeli encroachment into the West Bank, have killed the two-state option. A viable state cannot be made out of the disconnected bits of land Israel has not taken, and those bits are

completely encircled by land Israel has taken. All this happened during the decadeslong “peace process,” which Henry Siegman, former executive director of the American Jewish Congress, says is perhaps “the most spectacular deception in modern diplomatic history. … [It is] a fiction that has served primarily to provide cover for [Israel’s] systematic confiscation of Palestinian land.” Moreover, he says, “Israel will never allow the emergence of a Palestinian state,” but it “would allow—indeed, it would insist on—the creation of a number of isolated enclaves that Palestinians could call a state, but only in order to prevent the creation of a binational state in which Palestinians would be the majority.” But the only legitimate future for the binational reality is a binational state even though a binational state would be opposed virulently and almost certainly violently. It would not be the “Jewish” state, which is the raison d’être of the 120-year Zionist effort, and realists like Professor Tilley are sensitive to the “compelling psychological and political character” of the “Jewishness of Israel.” And they also recognize the desperate need of the Palestinian people to have a safe haven in which to heal from the physical and emotional exhaustion of 60 years of exile and 40 years of occupation. But a fully democratic binational state most satisfactorily addresses the two-state stumbling blocks: there’d be no demographic reason to oppose the right of return of the Palestinian families who were ethnically cleansed to make Israel. Jerusalem would be shared, not divided. And no new borders would be needed. By undoing the Jewish-preferential construct, two domestic Israeli problems would also end: The Palestinian citizens of Israel would no longer be considered Israel’s “cancer from within” and a demographic “threat” or “time bomb.” And Israel’s Palestinian citizens would finally be given equal status, rights and services.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s government interjected impediment after impediment to the Annapolis talks (as the latest round of the peace process is called). Now he has resigned, stalling the talks for months before a new Israeli government is installed. And the priority for the pro-Israel community in the United States is not peace talks, but an attack on Iran before Bush leaves office. And the Palestinian factions remain divided, too. A binational state is surely the only viable future for Israel/Palestine, but the same ideologies and political jockeying that brought about the “binational reality” compel politicians to remain faithful to the two-state rhetoric. Brigitte Jaensch is a Sacramento-based human rights advocate. Five excellent information sources about the “binational reality” are: Married to Another Man: Israel’s Dilemma in Palestine by Ghada Karmi One Country: A Bold Proposal to End the Israeli-Palestinian Impasse by Ali Abounimah Overcoming Zionism by Joel Kovel Palestine Inside Out: An Everyday Occupation by Saree Makdisi, The One State Solution: A Breakthrough for Peace in the Israeli-Palestinian Deadlock by Virginia Tilley

Should Big Media Get Bigger? FCC hands it over again By Charlene Jones Racial and ethnic minorities make up 34 percent of the US population.Yet they own only 7.7 percent of full-power radio stations and 3.15 percent of television stations, according to the media reform organization FreePress. While women comprise 51 percent of the population, they own just 5.87 percent of full-power commercial broadcast TV stations and just 6 percent of commercial radio stations. The Federal Communications Commission December 2007 decision to again lift media ownership rules makes everything much worse. The FCC vote to allow “cross-ownership,” would lift a ban that has stood for decades prohibiting one company from owning a broadcast station and the major daily newspaper in the same market. Further ownership consolidation would continue to, in effect, ban opportunities, smother voices, marginalize divergent views and ignore issues that matter to millions, especially women, people of color, working class and the nation’s poorest.

Fortunately, the US Senate, by a near-unanimous vote in May, vetoed the Federal Communications Commission’s December decision to enable the biggest media conglomerates to grab even more. The “Resolution of Disapproval,” SJR 28 introduced by Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-ND), would nullify the FCC’s new rules if passed by Congress and signed by the President. Introduced in the House as HJRes 79 by Reps. Jay Inslee (D-Wash.) and Dave Reichert (R-Wash.), its passage is the next struggle to push back Big Media. Members of the House must hear from their constituents about how critical a vibrant media is to the health of community and country. Under-representation of minorities and women in the ownership of broadcast media is one more condition that will only worsen if the FCC decision is allowed to stand. An onslaught of recent corporate media concentration continues to eradicate public discourse and debilitate an unsteady democracy.Thousands of phone calls and more than a quarter million letters from members of

FreePress’ “Stop Big Media” campaign made a difference in the Senate. Support HJR79 and take back the media. Put the pubic back into public airwaves. For more information, contact the Sacramento Media Group at 916-443-1792 or smg@ commoncause.org or www.freepress.net. Charlene Jones is a member of Sacramento Media Group.

Time Tested Books now buying

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www.timetestedbooks.net

14 Because People Matter September / October 2008 www.bpmnews.org

You go, Hugo, and take your goody-goody goodie bags with you By Mark Drolette

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Coffee from Nicaragua Support Sacramento’s sister city, San Juan de Oriente, Nicaragua, by purchasing organic whole-bean coffee grown in the rich volcanic soil on the island of Omotepe, Nicaragua. Thanks to the efforts of the Bainbridge-Omotepe Sister Island Association in Washington, we are able to bring you this wonderful medium roast coffee. Your purchase helps the farmers on the island and helps support Sacramento’s long relationship with San Juan de Oriente. All profits go directly back to the Nicaraguan communities. $9.00 a pound. Available in Sacramento at: The Book Collector, 1008 24th St.

enezuela’s anti-American, thrice freelyelected dictator, Hugo Chávez, strikes again. According to The Tico Times, Costa Rica’s leading English language newspaper, “[S]ome 800 Costa Ricans have traveled to Venezuela for free eye surgery over the last few years, 93 in June alone, on a gift from President Hugo Chávez’s government.” Only an anti-democratic, manipulative lowlife like Chávez would give people something for nothing just because it’s, like, the right thing to do. Please! Everyone knows people improve their lousy little lives only when they take personal responsibility seriously. If Costa Ricans want better eyesight, then instead of lazin’ under pineapple trees all day long, they oughtta go to medical school and learn how to operate on their own damn selves. When I get a splinter you think I whine and say: “Oh, please, please, please, Mr. Dictator, fly me to your decrepit little country and take my sliver out, free of charge?” NO! I go to the country club and ask one of my doctor friends there to remove it, just like everybody else. The article again: “Under the program, Venezuelan doctors travel to Costa Rica to examine Costa Ricans with eye trouble. Patients with cataracts or pterygium—a benign growth on the eye—qualify for a trip to Venezuela.” An opthalmologist explains that “cataracts and pterygium are common in Costa Rica, in part because of the strong sun.” This is exactly my point about personal responsibility. Hey, Einstein-itos! Stay outta el sol! Didja ever think about only going out at night? Or working graveyard? Or working period?  There’s more: “The Venezuelan government pays for the charter airplane, the surgery and

housing and food during the patients’ 10-day stay in Venezuela. Costa Ricans need only pay the $26 Costa Rican airport tax.” If Helpin’ Hugo were really sincere, he’d eat that departure tax, too. Whassa matter, Huey, keepin’ some el dough-o for yourself-o for a bunch o’ new red camisos, or maybe more copies of that Venezuelan constitution your nannified citizens love to sit around and read? You’d never catch industrious Americans doing that, no sir-ree, not even back when we had a constitution. My favorite: “Each patient also receives a goodie bag with pajamas, underwear, slippers, deodorant, soap, shampoo and talcum powder.” Goodie bag?? How low can Chávez go? Even lower, apparently, than last winter’s tawdry little stunt, when, according to former Massachusetts Congressman Joe Kennedy whose non-profit corporation provides energy assistance to 250,000 poor people in fifteen US states and the District of Columbia, Chávez was the only one among every “oil company…, OPEC nation and…major crude oil exporter in the world” to whom Kennedy had written who responded—by discounting $100 million worth of heating oil. So, what do we get this year? The oldest trick of the tyrant trade: free toiletries. Monster! Poorly-sighted Costa Ricans benefiting from Chávez’s largesse may be blind to his true commie colors, but not so Venezuela’s neighbor. Seems a laptop found in the jungle proved irrefutably Chávez had given FARC revolutionaries, I mean, terrorists, $300 million to fight the deathsquad-supporting, check it, American-friendly government of Colombia. Sure, turned out later the story was utterly fabricated but, still, it doesn’t diminish how damning it would’ve been had it

been true. Doe-eyed Chávez supporters even unbelievably paint the silver-tongued despot as some sort of peacemaker, citing his indispensable assistance last January in getting FARC to release two longheld hostages. Well, if Hugo’s such a miracle worker, let’s see him mediate my divorce. Which, come to think of it, reminds me of at least one person FARC can keep in the jungle for a few years, or until the statue of limitations on spousal abuse expires, whichever comes last. (My attorney tells me that was a joke. OK.) To advance his subversive agenda of compassion and fair play, Chávez is shameless. Articulate, funny, charismatic, innovative, popular, intelligent—hell, if we’d wanted someone like that directing our policies, you think we’d have elected George W. Bush, even though we, uh, didn’t? Twice? And let’s not forget impressionable American kids who might read about Chávez’s “good” deeds—that is, if they could read. Do you want them thinking it’s acceptable for the leader of a nation with eleven percent of our oil to squander revenues from same on wild extravagances like, say, free education and universal health care, as if people are entitled to those things? Remember: Dealings, not “feelings” (yecch!), make America the great corporation, er, country it is today. Free eye care for Costa Ricans, cheap heating oil for Americans, peacemaking efforts in Colombia—unchecked, Chávez’s leftist nambypambyism squarely targets that greatest of American values, the profit motive. Kill that and you’ve killed profit—and that, people, is as un-American as it gets. Mark Drolette writes political satire from Costa Rica

For six demonstrators arrested at Capitol Bldg June 26

Charges Dropped “In The Interest of Justice.” By Paulette Cuilla, one of the frozen six Is this a democracy that arrests citizens for speaking out and calling for an end to this illegal, immoral, occupation of another country? 4,143 American soldiers dead, countless numbers grievously wounded. Over one million innocent Iraqis dead. And all justified by lies. I don’t understand how the American people can allow this to go on. It is our jobs, as citizens of a democracy, to speak out when our elected officials are not carrying out the people’s requests.  Remember, democracy is an action, something you do, not something you have. If we don’t act now, we (the people) will lose. The men and women who stood with me the day six were arrested are heroes and sheroes of democracy. They were willing to speak out against this war, in spite of intimidation and demand for silence. We are not the criminals; the real criminals are the warmongers who started this war and the war profiteers who insist that it continue. Paulette Cuilla is a human rights and enviOn June 26, about 20 people froze in random poses for 10 minutes in front of the Governor’s office. At a signal they unfurled signs saying “Stop War,” “Troops Home Now.” Six people were arrested, ronmental activist working with many groups in including the writer, above. (photo courtesy Paulette Cuilla) Sacramento.

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www.bpmnews.org September / October 2008 BECAUSE PEOPLE MATTER 15

September / October Calendar ONGOING EVENTS 11th OF EVERY MONTH: Sacramento 9/11 Truth Demonstration. 11th and L Streets, facing Capitol nor th entrance. INFO: www.truthaction.org, 916372-8433. MONDAYS: Sacramento Poetry Center hosts poetry readings. 7:30pm. 1719 25th Street. www.sacramentopoetrycenter.org. 1st MONDAYS: Organic Sacr amento: Counter ongoing threats to our food. 6:30pm. INFO: www. organicsacramento.org. 1st MondayS: Sac Media Group. 6–8pm. Coloma Community Center, 4623 T Street. INFO: 443-1792, [email protected]. 3rd MONDAYS: Capitol Outreach for a Moratorium on the Death Penalty. 12 noon–1pm, 11th & L Street. INFO: 455-1796. 3r d MONDAYS: SAPA Peace and Sustainability Committee. 6–8pm. INFO: Peace Action, 448-7157. 3rd MONDAYS: Sacto 9/11 Truth:Questioning the “War on Terror.” 6– 8pm. Denny’s 3rd & J St. Info: sac911truth@gmail. com 372-8433. 3rd MONDAYS: Lesbian Cancer Support Group. 6:30 Bring partners or support people with you. Open discussions with everyone. INFO: Roxanne Hardenberg; ROXANNE1040@ aol.com. TUESDAYS: Call for Peace Vigil. 4–6pm. 16th and J St. INFO 448-7157. TUESDAYS: Improv workshop. Solve the world’s problems through improv games! 7–9:30pm. Geery Theatre, 2130 L street, Sac. $5.00, first time free. INFO: Damion, 916-8214533, [email protected]. 2nd TUESDAYS: Gray Pan-

thers. 1–3pm. Hart Senior Ctr., 27th & J St. 2nd TUESDAYS: Peace Network (speakers and discussion), 6:30pm. Luna’s Cafe, 1414 16th Street. INFO: Sac Area Peace Action 448-7157. 4th TUESDAYS: Peace and Justice Films. 7pm. Peace Action, 909 12th Street. INFO:448-7157. 4th TUESDAYS: (Odd numbered months) Amnesty Int’l. 7pm. Sacramento Friends Meeting, 89057th St. INFO: 489-2419. 1st WEDNESDAYS: Peace & Freedom Party. 7pm. INFO: 456-4595. 3r d WEDNESDAYS: CAAC Goes to the Movies. 7:15pm. INFO: 4463304. THURSDAYS: Urban Farm Stand, 4–7pm, River Garden Estates, 2201 Northview Dr. THURSDAYS:Daddy’sHere. Men’s support group; info on custody, divorce, raising children. 7–8:30pm. Free! Ctr for Families, 2251 Florin Rd, Ste 102. INFO: terry @fathersandfamilies.com. 568-3237x 205. 1st and 2nd Thursdays: Storytelling at the Hart Senior Center, 27th & J sts. 7pm. Free. INFO: 916362-9013, or PaulIdaho@ comcast.net. Fridays: Movies on a Big Screen. Independent, quirky movies and videos. 7pm. 600 4th St, West Sac. INFO: www.shiny-object. com/screenings/. 1st FRIDAYS: Community Contra Dance. 8–11pm; 7:30pm beginners lessons. Clunie Auditorium, McKinley Pk, Alhambra & F. INFO: 530-274-9551. 2nd FRIDAYS: Dances of Universal Peace. 7:30– 9:30pm. Sacr amento

Friends Meeting House 890 57th St. $5–$10 donation requested. INFO: Joyce, www.sacramentodancesofuniversalpeace. org, 916-832-4630. 4th FRIDAYS: Dances at Christ Unity Church, 9249 Folsom Blvd. All Welcome $5–$10 donation requested. INFO: Christine 4575855, www.sacramentodancesofuniversalpeace. org.

Send calendar items for the Nov. / Dec. 2008 issue to [email protected] by Oct. 10, with “calendar item” in the subject line. Make it short, and PLEASE use this format: Day, Date. Name of event. Description (1–2 lines). Time. Location. Price. INFO: phone#; e-mail. For the most current listing of Sacramento peace & justice events, go to www.sacpeace.org. For weekly updates, email [email protected] and put SacPeaceUpdates in the subject.

COMMUNITY CALENDAR Sunday, September 7

Lecture. Union activist and presidential candidate Gloria LaRiva,recently returned from Venezuela and Bolivia, speaks on: Revolutionary Movements & US Intervention in Latin America. 7pm. 909 12th Street. INFO: 448-7157.

Thursday, September 11

Paul Zarembka speaks on “The Hidden History of 9/11.” 7-9pm. Sierra 2 Ctr, Garden Room, 2791 24th St. Free. See Marxist School box below.

1st SATURDAYS: Health Care for All. 10am–noon. Hart Senior Ctr, 27th & J. For single-payer universal health care. INFO: 916424-5316; cnegrete@ comcast.net.

Saturday September 13

1st SATURDAYS: Sacramento Area Peace Action Vigil. 11:30am–1:30pm. Arden and Heritage (entrance to Arden Mall). INFO: 448-7157.

Motivational Speakers. Terry Moore, Claudia Epperson and Jim Nolt speak on the importance of education, life’s struggles, positive friendships, and being successful in life. 5-6:30, Underground Books, 2814 35th Street. Free. INFO: 737-3333.

2nd & 4th SATURDAYS: Community Contra Dance. 8–11pm; 7:30 lessons. Coloma Center 4623 T Street. INFO: 395-3483. 3rd SATURDAYS: Sacramento Area Peace Action Vigil. 11:30am–1:30pm. Marconi & Fulton. INFO: 448-7157. 3rd Saturdays: Underground Poetr y Series, open mic plus featured poets. 7–9pm Underground Books, 2814 35th Street (at Broadway), Sacramento. $3. INFO: 737-3333. SUNDAYS: Sacto Food Not Bombs. 1:30pm. Come help distribute food at 9th and J Streets. 1st SUNDAYS: Zapatista Solidarity Coalition. 10am–noon. 909 12th St. Info: 443-3424. 2nd SUNDAYS: Atheists & Other Freethinkers. 2:30pm. Sierra 2 Center, Room 10, 2791 24th St. INFO: 447-3589.

Poetry Workshop. Bringing poetry to Sacramento and Natomas, encouraging writers of all backgrounds. Bring 10 copies of your one page poem for critique. 10-11:30 am. South Natomas Community Center, 2921 Truxel Rd, in the Natomas Room. Free.

Saturday September 20

Saturday September 20

Dinner. The Teach Peace Foundation annual awards dinner for special contributions to our community. 6-9pm. 600 Alhambra Blvd. Tickets: $60; $45 in advance. INFO: (530) 554-7061.

Sunday, September 21

“Hands off Iran!” monthly demo & vigil. Noon–2 pm. 16th and Broadway. INFO: Veterans for Peace, 916-698-8131 or 916-613-1106.

Saturday September 27

Poetry Workshop. Bringing poetry to Sacramento and Natomas in a new way, encouraging writers of all backgrounds. Poets should bring 10 copies of their one page poem for critique. 10-11:30 am. South Natomas Community Center, 2921 Truxel Rd, in the Natomas Room. Free.

Wednesday, October 1

Fundraiser. Beyond the Proscenium Productions presents “Beyond Pasta”, a fundraiser featuring pasta with homemade sauces by gourmet members of the board of directors and a sneak preview of“Matt and Ben”, by Brenda Withers and Mindy Kaling. (Show premieres October 16th at California Stage.) 6pm. Luna’s Café, 1414 16th St. INFO: 916-743-1640. $25.

Monday, October 6

Lecture. Richard Becker, Coordinator ANSWER Coalition, speaks on Global Warming & Economic Crisis: Will the Election Change the Course? 7pm. 909 12th Street, Sacramento. INFO: 916448-7157.

Thursday, October 9

Progressive Forum. Join us for a dialogue on current issues facing the progressive movements and their allies in our region. Confirmed speakers: Bill Fletcher, David Bacon, Renee Saucedo.9am-2pm. Walnut Suite: University Union. CSU –Sacramento. INFO: Duane Campbell 361-9072. Free.

Saturday October 11

Poetry Workshop. Bringing poetry to Sacramento and Natomas in a new way, encouraging writers of all backgrounds. Poets should bring 10 copies of their one page poem for critique. 10-11:30 am. South Natomas Community Center, 2921 Truxel Rd, in the Natomas Room. Free.

Sunday, October 12

7th Annual Freethought Day Fair. Noon-5pm. Front & L Streets, Old Sacramento. INFO: 4473589.

Sunday, October 12

“Hands off Iran!” monthly demo & vigil. Noon–2 pm. 16th and Broadway. INFO: Veterans for Peace, 916-698-8131 or 916-613-1106.

Thursday, October 16

Todd Chretien speaks on “Marxist Theory of the State.” 7-9pm. Sierra 2 Ctr, Garden Room, 2791 24th St. Free. See Marxist School box below.

Saturday October 25

Poetry Workshop. Bringing poetry to Sacramento and Natomas in a new way, encouraging writers of all backgrounds. Poets should bring 10 copies of their one page poem for critique. 10-11:30 am. South Natomas Community Center, 2921 Truxel Rd, in the Natomas Room. Free.

Thursday, October 30

Lecture. Antonia Juhasz, author of The Bush Agenda: Invading the World One Economy at a Time, speaks on tour with her new book: The Tyranny of Oil: The World’s Most Powerful Industry, and What We Must Do To Stop It. 7pm. Location TBA. INFO: 916-448-7157.

Saturday, November 8

5K Fun Run and Walk. My Sister’s House hosts “5th Run for a Safe Haven”. All proceeds will go towards My Sister’s House and its efforts to stop domestic violence. 8-11am, William Land Park, Sacramento. INFO: Nilda Valmores, 868-7820.

Karl Marx meets Henry George

The Marxist School of Sacramento

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P.O.Box 160564 Sacramento, CA 95816 September / October 2008 Activities

Point of View Speaker Series

Lectures are held in Sierra 2 Ctr, Garden Room, 2791 24th St., 7–9pm Thursday, September 11—Paul Zarembka speaks on “The Hidden History of 9/11.” Zarembka is professor of economics at SUNY, Buffalo. Copies of his book, The Hidden History of 9/11, a collection of essays and analysis, will be available for sal at the talk.

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Thursday, October 16, Todd Chretien, former Green Party candidate for State Senate, will speak on “Marxist Theory of the State” INFO on other events: www.marxistschool.org; info@marxistschool. org; 799-1354. All activities are free and open to the public.

Resources for Enlisted Personnel & Veterans Discharges • DEP • Discrimination • Gay • AWOL/UA • Harassment • Hazing• Conscientious Objection Free, confidential information from The GI Rights Hotline, www.girights.org, 800-394-9544

Counseling: free & confidential: 916-447-5706; www.therapistsforsocialresponsibility.org;

The Henry George School presents a Georgist-Marxist dialogue to discuss the causes and solutions to the economic downturn. Henry George will be portrayed by Wayne Luney, Karl Marx by Leon Lefson. Thursday, September 18th, 7pm. Arden-Dimick Library, 891 Watt Ave.

Classes on “Progress and Poverty” will begin in November. All programs, classes and film nights are free and open to the public. For more information, call726-7268.

Justice 4 All Includes Women of Color Conference To Establish A National Women of Color Agenda Friday–Saturday, September 26 -27, 2008

All events will take place at Christ Unity Church Center 9249 Folsom Blvd., Sacramento, CA 95826 An Alcohol Free, Smoke Free Event see www.justice4allincludeswomenofcolor.com

Last Day to REGISTER to VOTE in NOVEMBER is OCTOBER 9!!

SAY PEACE!

Progressive News and Views

Inside: Botox Nation, Living Green in Sacramento, Home in the Projects, Election issues, and of course, much more

September / October 2008

Because People Matter

Progressive Media Editors’ Picks!

ä Soapbox!—Jeanie Keltner talks with

activists and analysts from Sacramento and beyond about the issues of the day. Where to watch: Access Sacramento cable channel 17. Every Monday at 8pm. Call in comments on 2nd and 4th Mondays. Repeats Tuesday at noon, Wednesday at 4am. In Davis, on channel 15, Tuesdays at 7pm.

ä Media Edge—Sacramento’s own

magazine format show, covering local progressive events and speakers, as well as internationally known commentators, with clips from some of the best independent political video being made now. Where to watch: Access Sacramento channels 17 and 18 and Davis Channel 15. Sundays 8–10pm Nevada County channel 11 Mondays 10:30pm–12:30am, West Sacramento channel 21 Mondays 9-11pm. See scheduled segments at www.wethemedia.org.

ä Democracy Now—Amy Goodman’s

award-winning magazine format show.

Where to watch: Access Sacramento TV, Cable Channels 17 and 18, Weekdays 6pm, 12midnight, 5am. Dish Network Satellite TV, Channel 9415, Free Speech TV, M–F: 9am, 4pm, 9pm, 5am, Pacific time. Link TV, Channel 9410, Monday–Friday, 8am, 3pm. KVMR 89.5 FM Mon–Thu 7pm. KDVS 90.3 FM Mon–Fri noon. KPFA 94.1 FM Berkeley, M–F 9am

Progressive Radio Stations

äKVMR 89.5 FM ä The Voice, 88.7 Cable FM; and streaming audio on www.Accesssacramento.org; SAP Comcast Channels 17 & 18 ä KYDS 91.5 FM äKDVS 90.3 FM ä KPFA 94.1 FM Berkeley äKZFR 90.1 FM Chico People Powered Radio! managed and operated by volunteers, provides mostly locally produced and community oriented programs.

(Other) Progressive Newspapers

ä The Flatlander: a free community newspaper of fun, opinion and politics in the Davis Area. [email protected]. Publication every 2 months, next issue is April/May The Flatlander P.O. Box 72793 Davis, CA 95617 ä Likewise, we are greatly impressed with the lively goodlooking Midtown Monthly. It’s not political, but it has the kind of useful and delightful info about life, art, food and music in Sacramento and beyond that creates the sense of community needed for an uncertain future. Look for the Rock Creek Free Press in the back of some BPM stands and other places you find BPM (always at the downtown main library). It’s a great progressive paper with emphasis on the undernews. And just like BPM it needs support from the people who are sick of the disinformation news. Check it out and subscribe (after subscribing to BPM).

Here’s a hot tip! If you don’t have cable TV, and you do have a PC (doesn’t work on Mac), you can watch Access Sacramento programs as they are being aired by going to www.accesssacramento. org and clicking on the “Watch Channel 17” button at the top of the first page.

Great Speeches and Interviews-Local and national speeches and interviews to challenge your thinking. An in-depth radio program on the current issues. Where to listen and/or download: Listen Sundays 6-8pm on Comcast Ch. 17, 18, set your TV menu to SAP or listen on The Voice www.AccessSacramento.org L i s te n o r d ow n l o a d f ro m w w w. archive.org/bookmarks/sgl Blogged on www.SacramentoForDemocracy.org

Don’t bitch at the media— become the media!

Have you taken the TV production training at Access Sacramento? Would you like to learn or put your technical talents to use? Soapbox! urgently needs crewmembers to help set up, run cameras, and take viewers’ phone calls on the 2nd and 4th Monday of each month. Call 444 3203 if you’re interested in taking the training or joining us at Soapbox! for fun—and the best pizza in town, from Pieces.

Online News Sources:

www.Truthout.org: essays on current events, some videos, like Keith Olbermann’s MSNBC Countdown shows. www.CommonDreams.org News Center: Breaking News & Views for the Progressive Community. www.Brasscheck.org: Progressive videos on many subjects, from Steven Colbert’s speech at the White House Correspondent’s dinner and speeches by leftwing MP George Galloway, to extensive information on 9/11 and the attacks on our civil liberties. www.TheRealNews.com: a nonprofit progressive website offering daily news videos including interviews and debates. They plan soon to expand to television. www.GoLeft.tv: Progressive Online Television. In the world of media monopoly, news has been replaced with a new invention called “infotainment.” GoLeft.tv is a progressive political T.V. news source that fills that gap between the media’s dumbed down infotainment and real news reporting. www.innworldreport.net: Daily professional viewer/listener supported journalism available in over 20 million homes across America. www.whatreallyhappened.com: 9/11 and other coverups.

Sacramento and Central Valley Indymedia: www.sacindymedia.org.

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