Activism

War, Peace, & Abuses of Power: David Swanson in Fresno, CA

davidswanson — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 14:54:18 -0500

Q&A video that follows this one is at:
http://youtube.com/afterdowningstreet

Party at John Yoo's House Sunday: You're Invited

davidswanson — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 11:19:48 -0500

November 22, 2009, Bay Area, CA

* 10-11 a.m. protest at John Yoo's (Torture Professor) house, 1241 Grizzly Peak Blvd., Berkeley, CA

Followed by events on David Swanson's book tour: "Daybreak, Undoing the Imperial Presidency and Forming a More Perfect Union"

* 12:00 p.m. in downtown Walnut Creek
Community Center
1375 Civic Drive (in Civic Park)
Walnut Creek 94596
925-933-7850
http://www.mtdpc.org

* 3 p.m. at DIESEL, A Bookstore in Oakland
5433 College Ave., Oakland, CA 94618, (510) 653-9965

* 7:30 PM in the Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists Hall, 1924 Cedar at Bonita, 1 block East of MLK Jr. Way
Wheelchair accessible. Donation requested.
Co-sponsored by the BFUU Social Justice Committee
http://www.bfuu.org

CONTACT THE ORGANIZERS:
Cindy Sheehan
cindy@cindysheehanssoapbox dot com

Susan Harman
susanharman1@gmail dot com

Mary Alice O'Connor
maryalice@mtdpc dot org
http://www.mtdpc.org

_____

November 23, 2009, Los Angeles, CA

At St. Bede's Church in Mar Vista at 7:30 p.m.
3590 Grand View Blvd., LA 90066 (Mar Vista)

Sponsored by:
CODEPINK: Women for Peace
Progressive Democrats of Los Angeles
Progressive Democrats of the Santa Monica Mountains
Westside Progressives
Winograd for Congress

CONTACT THE EVENT ORGANIZERS:
Ilene Proctor
proctor at anet dot net

Marcy Winograd
Winograd4congress at gmail dot com

_____

November 24, 2009, Orange County, CA

7 p.m. at

Teamsters Local 952
140 South Marks Way
Orange, CA 92868
Phone: 714.740.6200

CONTACT THE ORGANIZERS:
Pat Alviso & Jeff Merrick
Military Families Speak Out
Orange County & South Bay Chapter
http://www.mfsooc.org
http://www.myspace.com/ocmfso
562-833-8035
mfso-oc at earthlink.net

NYC Event Not to Miss

davidswanson — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 10:03:31 -0500

David Swanson Book Event: "Daybreak: Undoing the Imperial Presidency and Forming a More Perfect Union"

New York City - December 1, 7:00 p.m.

With Mark Crispin Miller.
AND With John Nichols, author of the Foreword to "Daybreak".

At McNally Jackson books.
52 Prince St.
(b/t Lafayette & Mulberry)
New York, NY 10012
212-274-1160

Come Together Right Now

davidswanson — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:33:44 -0500

By David Swanson

If you have an interest in grassroots organizing, international alliance building, the peace movement, the labor movement, the conversion of the U.S. economy from weapons to human needs, the preservation of life on earth (come on, admit it), the weaponization of space, or the autobiographical insights of smart and determined people, then I cannot more strongly recommend that you get a copy of "Come Together Right Now: Organizing Stories from a Fading Empire," by my friend and ally Bruce Gagnon.

Gagnon provides further confirmation of Randy Shaw's thesis in "Beyond the Fields," that the best organizers come out of the United Farm Workers. Gagnon got his training as an organizer working for the UFW in Florida after having grown up Republican, joined the military, and then been reached and persuaded by the peace movement. Gagnon later came to the decision that organizing the poor to demand basic needs was the uphill struggle it was, at least in part, because those with power were directing too many of our resources into wars and militarization. Gagnon became a leader of the peace movement in Florida, and then the leader of an international network of activists called the Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space.

I was privileged to participate in the Global Network's annual conference last year in Omaha, Nebraska. And just this month Bruce and I spoke at a rally in Maine, where he has made his home for several years.

Bruce's book is part autobiography, but it is made up largely of articles and reports and diary entries and even a play that he wrote during the past 20-some years. These thoughts of an activist and an organizer, as he was thinking them, presented here in chronological order tell a wonderful personal story, but also a story of where our country and world have gone. In early descriptions of campaigns we see Gagnon and his allies able to make use of "mainstream" media outlets. Fourteen years ago he already had a crystal clear grasp on how Washington, D.C., corrupted movements, and he was proposing that all social justice movements get out of that town and engage in grassroots organizing and educating. But he made no mention of investing in communications media. In contrast, five years ago, Bruce was writing about two strategies:

"work hard to reach people by speaking to them directly; and utilize mass communications where possible. When mainstream media is not available to us, create our own and promote it widely."

I recommend visiting the Global Network's website and assisting in that project. Figures in Bruce's book suggest that the United States is spending at least $70 billion a year (as of four years ago, no doubt higher now) on military space development.

"Queen Isabella," Gagnon writes, "began the 100-year process of building the Spanish Armada after Columbus' 'successful' return voyage from the Americas. Spain's naval armada helped create a global war system, that we suffer from today, as all the European powers were soon building navies to 'compete' for control and domination of the sea lanes for resources and markets."

Gagnon suggests that debating whether so-called "missile defense," the offensive intentions of which he documents, can ever work misses the larger view. We are "debating the size of the cannon balls on the Spanish armada ships rather than discussing the long-term implications of creating a new arms race in the heavens." Whether or not "missile defense" ever works, Gagnon writes, it has "already allowed the Pentagon and the aerospace industry to move tens of billions of dollars into research and development programs for space offensive warfare."

According to NASA's director in 2005 Mike Griffin, "For America to continue to be preeminent among nations, it is necessary for us to be the preeminent space-faring nation."

But we are not preeminent in raising life expectancy or lowering infant mortality. We're nowhere near preeminent in reducing poverty or achieving an environmentally sustainable economy or lifestyle. We have no preeminence in educational achievements. Preeminence in job security, limited work hours, paid leave, healthcare, family stability, community support, quality of life, and happiness all belong to other nations. Yet we've given such massive secret unaccountable budgets to the military that a movie in theaters now depicts, in a not entirely fictionalized manner, a program in which people were trained in skills as stupid and fantastical as staring at a goat until it dies -- a program that referred to its trainees as Jedi, clearly influenced by someone having viewed the movie "Star Wars."

Bruce Gagnon's book and his life are models of how, on every level, we can shift our priorities to what, in contrast to Star Wars, we might call earth lives.

David Swanson is the author of the new book "Daybreak: Undoing the Imperial Presidency and Forming a More Perfect Union" by Seven Stories Press. You can order it and find out when tour will be in your town: http://davidswanson.org/book.

The Iraq Peace and Reconciliation College Tour

davidswanson — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 09:54:53 -0500

By David Swanson

Mark Manning, who created the amazing film "Road to Fallujah," sent me information on a new project that should be of interest to peace activists and college students, which sadly are two groups of people without enough overlap. It involves setting up events on college campuses that will include live video-conferencing with Iraqi college students, as well as screenings of Manning's film. Find out more here:
http://www.globalaccessmedia.org

"The goal of the tour," Manning says, "is to connect the next generation of leaders of the United States and Iraq, and help them build lasting relationships into the future.

"From my time of living with the civilians of Fallujah, Iraq, I have been motivated by the desire to make a connection possible between the people from differing cultures and on opposing sides of conflict."

Following the events, Manning says, "the Global Access Media team will then mentor these students in Iraq and the U.S. as they build both personal and organizational relationships."

Suggesting what I assume to be optimism rather than naivete, Manning says: "The tour will run as the United States withdraws from Iraq and as the Iraqis struggle to maintain control of their new democratic society. There has been an exodus of leaders in Iraq, so these upcoming graduates of Baghdad University will step directly into positions of power. We plan to provide this new generation of leaders the opportunity to build effective relationships with their U.S. counterparts."

Also this spring, in a separate project that I'm involved in, peace activists will be planning massive and sustained nonviolent resistance to wars in Washington, D.C., and will be encouraging U.S. college students to use their alternative spring breaks to take part. Be watching for announcements of this opportunity to put understanding into action.

California Tumbles Into the Sea

davidswanson — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:49:07 -0500

Next stops on the David Swanson "Daybreak" Tour to discuss my new book "Daybreak: Undoing the Imperial Presidency and Forming a More Perfect Union":

Nov. 19 Davis, CA
Nov. 20, Grass Valley, CA
Nov. 21, Fresno and Fair Oaks, CA
Nov. 22, Bay Area, CA
Nov. 23, Los Angeles, CA
Nov. 24, Orange County, CA

Video: David Swanson Discusses "Daybreak" and Imperial Presidency on Martha's Vineyard

davidswanson — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 17:14:38 -0500

Talking Peace and Justice with College Students: David Swanson in Philadelphia & Villanova

davidswanson — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:28:44 -0500

David Swanson Discusses "Daybreak" in Kutztown PA

davidswanson — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 05:58:59 -0500

Audio: Bob Fertik on Lieberman

davidswanson — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:59:49 -0500

Bob Fertik is guest tonight with "Kicking Just Say No Joe" (Lieberman) to the curb at http://www.theurbanjournal.org