From the open publishing newswire: For over 40 years, the people of Cuba have been the target of the U.S. government's ruthless and inhumane blockades, hurting those citizens who are most vulnerable. The embargo causes shortages of food, medicine, and other important supplies and is an immoral policy that uses hunger and disease as political weapons. The Pastors for Peace Caravan to Cuba challenges this policy by delivering much needed supplies to Cuba every year. Please consider making a donation and help make a difference in their lives.
The Caravan focuses on delivering medicines, educational supplies, sports equipment and tools. For a full list of accepted donations, contact Melissa Patrick at 281-756-9663 [and see article].
Donations can be dropped off thru July 1st to the following locations
Meet & Greet Potluck Reception - Be sure to join us in welcoming the Caravanistas when they stop in Houston on their way to Cuba. Hear about the importance of the campaign to end the US blockade against Cuba, and how the Caravanistas plan to defy it when they take the aid across the border into Mexico. We will still be collecting donations that day, so bring a contribution and/or a dish, or just come as you are, and let the Caravanistas know we support them in their journey. Saturday, July 1st, 3:00pm at St. Dominic Center, 2403 Holcombe Blvd.
For more information on the 17th Pastors for Peace Caravan to Cuba, contact Gordon Anderson at 832-860-6464, or visit
www.pastorsforpeace.org.
From the open publishing newswire:The Southern Girls Convention brought folks from all around the South and the country for a weekend of workshops, networking, and partying. A good turnout of guys and girls showed up at the University of Houston to enjoy the events and to talk about serious issues concerning women and social justice in a two-day series of workshops. “They’ve got their shit together,” Alexis told me as we chatted about how the convention was going... ( read more).
The event kicked off on Friday with a party [ photos] and registration at the Artery on Friday. It continued on Saturday and Sunday at the UC Underground at the University of Houston. Workshops were presented on a variety of topics including; Drag 101 [ more], Drumming, Popular Education, Strategic Action Planning, Reproductive Choice and Monkeywrenching, Carceral Christianity and a variety of other topics.
The Thursday beforehand, Houston Indymedia hosted a Be the Media workshop, which yielded a large amount of community news coverage:
Articles Gislaine [1 2], Meg);
Photos (Jaden Davis, M@x [1, 2], RoB [1, 2], Katie
Audio Rachel:DIY Grassroots Action, Southern Girl Organizers' 2 Cents, A Florida Southern Girl, Southern Girls Convention, Even Cowgirls Get to Choose, Unreasonable Woman Diane Wilson. If you attended please contribute by writing an article or comenting on these stories.
from the open publishing newswire: PART ONE of three reports from the Peace In Iraq caucus. Fort Worth Representative Lon Burnham hosted the Peace in Iraq caucus at the Democratic State Convention to encourage democratic peace activists to hold elected leaders accountable for invading Iraq and for the occupation aftermath. Representative Burnham said that three times the office of republican senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson threatened him with arrest for trying to deliver petitions related to peace issues. Both republican senators Kay Bailey Hutchinson and John Cornyn refuse to hear any alternatives other than the Bush Administration's pro-war stance. Burnham said the only way to reach uniformed voters and closed minded politicians it to keep taking it to the street. While Hadi Jawad and Rahul Mahajan spoke, delegates blew up beach balls for the: Got Balls? End the War protest to be held outside the convention center. Dallas and Ft. Worth peace activists worn pairs of balls around their necks and tossed beach balls around in the 99 degree heat while delegates attended all day caucuses inside the convention. As caucuses ended protesters where joined by delegates. Texas democrats as a whole are not being represented by their elected leaders. In precinct and senate district conventions, democrats have overwhelmingly passed resolutions calling for impeachment of both Bush and Cheney, and withdrawal from Iraq. Democratic leaders have refused to support these demands. Lon Burnham's message to delegates was simple, a war-mongering democrat is no better than a war-mongering republican. Neither deserve your support.
Read the full story with photos:
State Rep. Lon Burnham: confronting pro-war democrats. Part 1 Rahul Mahajan: failure of the democratic anti-war movement. Part 2 Crawford Peace House: upcoming protests. Part 3
Political Prisoner Jeff "Free" Luers writes: This June marks my 6th year in prison. From behind these walls I have strived to remain an active part of this struggle...
For the last three years, June 11th has been celebrated as an international day of solidarity with me, Jeffrey Luers... Right now there are more than a dozen people sitting in American jails (or on strict bail release) accused of Earth/Animal Liberation Front actions. Six people were originally arrested. These arrests were based almost entirely on the testimony of one police informant, Jacob Ferguson. Bill Rodgers - accused of multiple arsons - took his own life in a jail cell. Unfortunately, several of those arrested are now cooperating with the state.
This June, I ask you to show them the solidarity that you have shown me. I ask that foremost in your mind be the thought that the state is trying to break this struggle with repressive and intimidating arrests and sentences. I hope you understand that it's not just those of us in prison being punished with these sentences; they are designed to be examples to you, to frighten you into compliance. This June I'm asking you to demonstrate that you can't be intimidated. [read the whole article]
In solidarity with the Weekend of Resistance Against the Green Scare Houston Indymedia teamed up with Houston Anarchist Black Cross and devoted our Friday, June 9th radio show (which comes on at 7:30pm on KPFT 90.1fm) to in-depth coverage of the Green Scare , and its impact of the earth and animal liberation movements, as well as repression of activists of all stripes in the United States. Listen to the show here.
Houston ABC will also be hosting a letter writting party, on behalf of Green Scare Prisoners. This will take place on Tuesday June 13th at Little Onion Creek coffee shop at 3833 Richmond (at Wesleyan).
Green is the new Red | North American Earth Liberation Prisoner Support Network | GreenScare.org | Free Free Now!
Friday's session was a critical day in our ongoing campaign to close the School of the Americas and to bring accountability to a “school of shame.” Now we know where Members of the House stand – and who we need to target. You now have the opportunity to invite at least 55 Members who voted with us but who aren’t yet co-sponsors of HR 1217 to sign on to our bill to suspend and investigate the SOA/ WHISNEC. See the final roll call here
Call your Member of Congress and to ask them to support the McGovern Amendment to cut funding to the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation, the place the world knows as the School of the Americas (SOA/WHINSEC). You can reach Congress at 202-224-3121 or toll free at 888-355-3588. You can also email and fax your Representative right from the SOA Watch website: http://www.soaw.org/legislative latest update
HIMC coverage of Houstonians inprisoned for protested the SOA | Photos from Letter writing party for Ken and Donte | On Wednesday June 7th KPFT local news had an interview with Donte Smith, a Houston native and SOA protester currenlty located at FMC Fort Worth prison, where he's serving 3 months for crossing the line last fall at the School of the Americas at Fort Benning, GA. Listen to it on the KPFT Archives
From the Open Publishing Newswire: The Empire Knights of the Ku Klux Klan have announced they are holding a rally against illegal immigration on Saturday, June 17. ARA (Anti-Racist Action) is calling all concerned community members to attend a counter-rally in front of the downtown library, followed by a march to the courthouse. ARA encourages people to bring airhorns, instruments and other noise-making devices in order drown out the hate of the Klan. The Klan has a long and violent history in America. From the lynchings and murders of Southern Blacks, to the bombings of churches to hate crimes that continue to this day, the Klan has more than demonstrated its ability to leave violence and hatred in its wake. If we allow the Klan to assemble in our streets without standing up to them, then we welcome the potential for this violence to spread into our own community. Ignoring hate groups is ineffective, for if no one who is against the Klan shows up, then only the supporters will be there, making it that much easier for violent racists to organize in our town. We must all come together to stand up to the Klan. Sponsored by Anti-Racist Action For more information, email to permianbasinara@riseup.net. Houston Anti-Racist Action will be sending a caravan to Midland for this event. Houstonians interested in accompanying us, contact houstonara@yahoo.com
On May 25th the US Senate passed the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006 with a vote of 62-36. This legislation is being presented as much more reasonable and fair than the enforcement only House Bill HR 4437, which provoked some of the largest protests in the history of this country.
There are some positive aspects to this legislation; it includes the DREAM act, which would allow undocumnted students to recieve education benefits and possibly legal status as well. It is however an extremly complex bill, that addresses; border and interior enforcement, employment, visas, backlogs, guestworker program and a 3 tiered process for undocumented people in this country, as well as amendments tacked on at the last moment [Migramatters does a great job of breaking down the contents of this bill]. Many of these provisions have caused immigrant advocacy groups to balk.
The Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law states: “The three-tier legalization program is absurdly complex, unworkable, and
will likely not include even half the undocumented people residing
permanently in the U.S. No more than 3 million immigrants will qualify for tier one legalization..."
They further identify the following problematic features with S2611:
-forces immigrants to abandon their right to appeal erroneous deportation
decisions in order to preserve their right to "voluntary departure."
-makes it even more difficult for legitimate asylum seekers to win protection
from deportation to countries where they face torture and imprisonment.
-broadens the definition of "aggravated felonies" to crimes that are neither
felonies or aggravated, and then provides for mandatory detention and
deportation of all such "felons" regardless of their present immigration
status or length of residence in the country.
-will cause the deportation of thousands of immigrants who have United States
citizen children.
-will substantially increase the militarization and criminalization of the
US-Mexico border, destroying border communities and further ramping up border
deaths and criminal violence.
Dozens of other organizations have expressed their opposition to S2611. Many of them have endorsed a National Statement to Support Human and Civil Rights for All Immigrants And to Oppose Compromise Immigration Reform Proposals.
S2611 will now go to a compromise comittee where it will be somehow combined with HR4437 and potentially made into law.
Enron founder Ken Lay was found guilty on 10 of 10 counts of all sorts of fraud and conspiracy charges, and former CEO Jeff Skilling guilty on 19 of 28 similar counts. Both walked out of the downtown federal courthouse Thursday after they each paid a $5 million bond. Sentencing is scheduled for September 11, and they're expected to get enough years to put them in prison for the rest of their lives. Their high number of convictions means they'll serve time in a medium security prison instead of Club Fed facility. These convictions
scratch the surface of crimes Enron engaged in, and leave out of the picture the damage it did to Western states
in the energy market
manipulations, and the donations "Kenny Boy" made to the Bush administration that allowed him to shape the nation's energy policies. Democracy Now! explored the Enron-Bush connection. Timeline of the Enron scandal
This past May 1st thousands of Houstonians took to the streets for Mayday to protest for immigrant and workers rights on what was dubbed "a day without an immigrant". One of them, Tanner Pucket, ended up in the custody of the Houston Police Department. Tanner has a court appearence on May 30th and is trying to find photos or witnesses to his arrest. If you have any information that might be helpful; please see this article for contact information.
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Help Provide Aid to the Citizens of Cuba!!!
Southern Girls Converge on Houston; Volunteers Bust Ass on Coverage
Houston delegates protest at the Democratic State Convention
Weekend of Resistance to the Green Scare
Closing the School of the Americas now
Rally Against the Klan, Midland TX June 17th
A look at the Senate immigration bill
Enron Verdict: What does it all mean?
Mayday arrestee is looking for witnesses
Raza Youth Empowerment Summit
