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From the open publishing newswire:
previous stories: [ Community support is needed on the Parry Center picket line! I Parry Center Strike I Call Kim Scott and Demand Binding Arbitration to End This Strike I Call for Support for Parry Center Strike, Pics, and Report on Parry Center Rally I Parry Center, the striker's demands I Day 2 of the Parry Center Strike I Pictures from Parry Center Strike and Supporters' Building Occupation I Report from the Parry Center Strike I Breaking News: Group of Concerned Citizens Occupies Parry Center Offices I Portland Social Workers Go On Strike For Children ] related links: [ SEIU Local 503 I Jobs With justice ]
From the open publishing newswire:
Every morning Elizabeth joined her classmates in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. She never thought about what it meant, she just followed through with the other students repeating the words which came out like one very long run-on sentence. It was a mechanical exercise.
Today was different. A new girl, Amy, had transferred to her school from a school in another city. When the time came for the Pledge of Allegiance, she remained sitting, drawing on her notebook. No one ever gave much thought to the process before, until that day, but it was as if someone had scraped their fingernails on the chalkboard. Everyone felt very uncomfortable and they knew it was because one student was not reciting the pledge but they did not know why this bothered them. The students began scanning each other, looking out the corners of their eyes, with an expression of incredulity. Never, in all their years, had they seen someone sit down and draw during the pledge. Amy seemed completely unaware of the tension and happily drew upon her notebook. Other Childrens Stories: [ Why Do Old People Frown? I Should I Trust The Police? I Mommy, What is Government? ] [ Stephen DeVoy ]
From the open publishing newswire:
I just got back from the Multnomah County Commissioners board meeting and would like to say that the board passed the resoltion against the Patriot Act four to one. It was pretty interesting from my standpoint. Lots of great speakers (shy of twenty) spoke talking about civil rights, harassment from the government, discrimination under the Patriot Act, etc. No corporate media in sight were to be seen, only Portland Indymedia and KBOO yay!
All the board members excpet for Lonnie Roberts voted against the Patriot Act. I wasn't suprised or anything, but it just reminded me how afriad some people are to speak up, whatever their intent. Good work everyone who spent those lonely hours at night and long meetings working hard to get this passed.
From the open publishing newswire:
You know holiday shopping is offensive and wasteful. You know Christmas "wish lists" and "gift exchanges" degrade the concept of giving. You know Christmas marketing is a scam, benefiting manufacturers, stores, and huge corporations, while driving individuals into debt. You know this annual consumer frenzy wreaks havoc on the environment, filling landfills with useless packaging and discarded gifts. Yet, every year, you cave in and go shopping. The relentless onslaught of advertising exerts constant pressure. So do the unified bleatings of herds of shoppers, who call you "Scrooge" if you fail to enthusiastically join their ritual orgy of consumption. Friends and family needle you with gift requests, store windows beckon with shiny colorful packages, the same "classic" holiday jingles are piped constantly through every speaker in town. How can you resist? [ Christmas Resistance ]
From the open publishing newswire:
On Dec. 3rd N.P.R. (National Public Radio) ran a show called "On the Media". They did a piece, which was titled "All you need is Hate"; they spoke to a group called "Panzerfaust". Panzerfaust is a White Power music distribution company that is running a program called Project School yard. In this program they are distributing thousands of copies of racist music to schoolchildren. They described the project like this "This fall, Panzerfaust Records embarked on a venture called Project Schoolyard. It's basically a distribution effort for hate music. Based in St. Paul, Minnesota, Panzerfaust is, according to Newsweek magazine, "one of the top 'white power' record labels in the country." Through methods as simple as direct mail and handing out CDs to kids filing off the school bus, Project Schoolyard aims to hand out 100,000 CDs to kids who may not even realize what they're being handed".
N.P.R. not only didn't criticize what Panzerfaust was doing, they actually played their songs and had only one person say anything in rebuttal to the blatant hate being spouted by the Panzerfaust rep. related: [ Area skinheads announce racist flyer outreach contest | Organizing Below The Radar | Withstanding Fascism & Brutality ]
From the open publishing newswire:
The latest gentrification zone in Portland will be in the area around the east end of the Burnside Bridge. But what gets done there by developers is still an open debate. Are you ready for the struggle? Y'all have certainly noticed changes in lower East Burnside. It is officially a PDC urban renewal area (mostly a good thing, though that could be argued long and hard). Part of the project is creating an "anchor" complex at the end of the bridge. The PDC is entertaining three proposals - two of which would involve bringing "big box" retail stores (a Home Depot or a Lowe's) into the heart of Portland. The third proposal would house all local businesses (including a "chef's cooperative"). An article about the issue can be found here. [ Public presentation of the Burnside Bridgehead development proposals: THURSDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2004, 4 PM, State of Oregon Bldg 800 NE Oregon, Rm 140 ] [ Discussion/workshop of the Burnside Bridgehead proposals: MONDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2004, 5 PM, State of Oregon Bldg 800 NE Oregon, Rm 140 ] [ Portland Development Commission ]
From the open publishing newswire:
As reported here on portland indymedia and throughout the alternative press, the 2004 pResidential sElection was not "free and fair". Across the nation, voters were illegally disenfranchised before sElection Day, intimidated at the polls, had their registrations lost, or dealt with long lines and faulty equipment. Additionally, evidence has been piling up that hundreds of thousands if not millions of votes were discarded, miscounted, or electronically manipulated. People of color were disproportionally targeted. "Third party" candidates Ralph Nader (independent), David Cobb (Green), and Michael Badnarik (Libertarian) have been pursuing legal means to demand recounts in various states, while independent researchers like Bev Harris of Black Box Voting have continued to uncover criminal shenanigans by election officials. Despite this critical mass of energy working toward justice, John Kerry has been nearly silent despite the resources allegedly collected for this very eventuality; either he and the Democratic Party leadership have no backbone (true in any case), or don't intend to win anyway.
LOCAL EVENTS: Capitol Building in Olympia: NATIONALLY: [ 51CapitalMarch.com ] recent local efforts: [ ActionSpeaks meeting notes | Report-back from Democracy Is Dying gathering ] related: [ A STOLEN ELECTION - THE VIEW FROM MY BLACK HELICOPTER | Columbus, Ohio: Protesters hand deliver letter to Blackwell | Conyers Hearings on Ohio Vote Fraud Coverage/Portland Indy | truthout reports from D.C. hearing on Ohio votefraud ]
From the open publishing newswire:
I was disgusted with the columnist known as "The Nose" and his take on the anti-fur rally last week in Portland. I wrote a letter to the editor saying that others who disagree with him should have some space to voice their views. Of course, they didn't print it.
The Willamette Week hires snotty, writers with snotty attitudes. They have a chance to make a difference but instead simply spout snotty reactions and judgements with regards to the protesters. Anyone out there who is an animal lover should let the WW know that that paper sucks and that any newspaper with any merit would not have to sell escort services to support themselves. [ Fur Free Friday report-back on pdx indymedia ] some previous smack-downs of the WW:
From the open publishing newswire:
Another unfounded assumption by the corporate media is that American soldiers are in Iraq to help the Iraq people by compassionate activities like giving candy to children, building schools and other projects, protecting them from "terrorists" (actually their own fathers, mothers, sisters and brothers) and helping them hold free and fair elections. Considering the devastation that has been visited upon Iraq and its people by the US military and the poisoning of their land for 4.5 billion years with radioactive uranium, I would say this was similar to a mugger assaulting much weaker people, stealing their possessions and then handing them a lollipop as compensation. The fact that most Americans do not laugh out loud at such ridiculous assumptions is a tribute to decades of brainwashing about the benevolent intentions of US foreign policy.
From the open publishing newswire:
The meeting was attended by 2 dozen people, ranging in age from high-school students to seniors and everything in between. There was numerous unaffiliated people, as well as representatives from local high schools, Students for Unity at PSU, the Industrial Workers of the World, Code Pink, forest activist groups, Radical Women, Reclaming Pagan Cluster, Jobs with Justice, United for Peace and Justice, Veterans for Peace, Peace and Justice Works.Motivated by our strong affinities (detesting Bush) everyone from labor to environmentalists, students to elders, and Dean enthusiasts to anarchists worked admirably together! At the meeting we set up something of a "spokescouncil" model (like the spokes on a wheel), with two primary planning groups, and a of variety of satellite groups and projects. An initial flyer [pdf] [jpg] is now available! [ J20 PDX I Counter-Inaugural ]
From the open publishing newswire:
Activists working to protect ancient forests within the Blue River Face Timber Sale in the Mckenzie Ranger District of the Willamette National Forest have been informed the US Forest Service and Rosboro Lumber have reached an agreement to drop units 5d and 3d from the sale. Unit 5d is where tree-sitters have been occupying a stand of massive old-growth trees in an effort to call attention to Forest Service policys in the district. Unit 3a is at this point the only unit remaining in the sale. The offical reason the Forest Service is giving for the dropped units is unit 5d would not be cost effective to log because helicopters would have been required for yarding and it was deemed not profitable. They are saying unit 3d was dropped because steep slope skyline yarding would have caused adverse impacts. Mckenzie Watershed Guardians must ask the question: Why is the Forest Service suddenly concerned about steep slopes and erosion when we have been telling them for the last 3 years that Blue River Face Timber Sale is an environmental nightmare? Previous Features: [ Ecodefense Update: Blue River Face Tree-sit is now Blue River Face Tree Village (11/13/2004) I Occupation of Blue River Face Timber Sale continues (10/10/2004) I all stories ]
From the open publishing newswire:
A racist group, the Tualatin Valley Skins, will be trying to distribute 10,000 flyers of racist material for their "Flyer Outreach Contest." This group has flyered Portland, Eugene, Tualatin, Sherwood, Tigard and Beaverton. It has been reported that they have also disrtibuted bags of candy with their hate literature outside people's doorsteps to try and attract young people. The Tualatin Valley Skins will be distributing racist literature in Portland on Jan.8, 2005. They will be meeting at Gabriel Park SW 45 & Vermont at 1:00pm. Are there any Anti-Racist groups/people that are or would be intersted in organizing to counter this event????? If anyone has any suggestions, group contacts, or info, email me
From the open publishing newswire:
There is a widespread public perception in the US that violent crime is rampant and only the bold and dangerous work of police officers is protecting us from it. This perception is largely unsupported by facts. Perception of crime and danger has increased while actual incidence of crime has decreased. Sensationalistic media are to blame. The resulting public perception feeds would-be totalitarians in business and government.
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Meanwhile, activists have been taking matters into their own hands, staging demonstrations both locally and elsewhere, and plan to rally on and before Dec. 13, when electors will sit to certify their states' results.