|
|
Thursday, September 21st, 2006
| |
11:56 am - Citgo BUYcott!
|
Published on Monday, May 16, 2005 by CommonDreams.org
Buy Your Gas at Citgo: Join the BUY-cott!
by Jeff Cohen
Looking for an easy way to protest Bush foreign policy week after week? And
an easy way to help alleviate global poverty? Buy your gasoline at Citgo
stations.
And tell your friends.
Of the top oil producing countries in the world, only one is a democracy
with a president who was elected on a platform of using his nation's oil
revenue to benefit the poor. The country is Venezuela. The President is Hugo
Chavez. Call him "the Anti-Bush."
Citgo is a U.S. refining and marketing firm that is a wholly owned
subsidiary of Venezuela's state-owned oil company. Money you pay to Citgo
goes primarily to Venezuela. There are 14,000 Citgo gas stations in the US.
(Click here http://www.citgo.com/CITGOLocator/StoreLocator.jsp to find one
near you.) By buying your gasoline at Citgo, you are contributing to the
billions of dollars that Venezuela's democratic government is using to
provide health care, literacy and education, and subsidized food for the
majority of Venezuelans.
Instead of using government to help the rich and the corporate, as Bush
does, Chavez is using the resources and oil revenue of his government to
help the poor in Venezuela. A country with so much oil wealth shouldn't have
60 percent of its people living in poverty, earning less than $2 per day.
With a mass movement behind him, Chavez is confronting poverty in Venezuela.
That's why large majorities have consistently backed him in democratic
elections. And why the Bush administration supported an attempted military
coup in 2002 that sought to overthrow Chavez.
So this is the opposite of a boycott. Call it a BUYcott. Spread the word.
Of course, if you can take mass transit or bike or walk to your job, you
should do so. And we should all work for political changes that move our
country toward a cleaner environment based on renewable energy. The BUYcott
is for those of us who don't have a practical alternative to filling up our
cars.
So get your gas at Citgo. And help fuel a democratic revolution in
Venezuela.
Jeff Cohen is an author and media critic (www.jeffcohen.org)
|
|
(1 comment | comment on this)
|
| Wednesday, May 31st, 2006
| |
12:40 pm - IMMIGRANT SOLIDARITY CALL IN DAY TODAY FROM 2:30-5:30!
|
*PLEASE POST WIDELY*
The Time Is Now!
On Wednesday, May 24, between 2:30 and 5:30 PM Eastern Time, call your Senators.
Tell them to “Keep Our Families Together.”
Tomorrow the full Senate will finally vote on a very important immigration
bill. Months of actions, marches and rallies by youth, immigrants and their
allies have brought us to this point, but the final bill in the Senate could
still have severe consequences for immigrants and their families in America.
Remember, WE ARE AMERICA!
Now is the time for immigrant youth and their friends to act!
On May 24 join thousands of youth from across the United States in a
national call-in day for immigrant rights. This will be our last and best
chance to impact the immigration debate in the Senate. That afternoon, a
smaller group of youth from across the country will be at the Capitol in
Washington, DC sharing personal testimony at a national press event.
1) Make the Call!
On Wednesday, May 24 dial 1-800-637-1928.
This number will get you to the Senate switchboard, where you can be
transferred to your Senators’ offices. (Michigan folks..our senators are Levin and Stabenow)
Note: A list of Senators for each state will be available on
http://www.immigrantrightsmovement.org
www.immigrantrightsmovement.org
2)What You Can Say:
The number of calls matters. If we get enough calls into the Senate, we
might overwhelm the switchboard, and that’s a good thing.
Expect to only have a few moments to actually talk with folks in your
Senator’s offices.
If you do get through to your Senators, give them the following message.
My name is [your name], I live in [your city] and I am [your age]. I’m calling because I am
very concerned about the immigration bill that the Senate will vote on this
week. The most important thing the Senator must remember is to "keep our
families together.” (I added...support the rights of all immigrants to explain more what i'm talking about)
|
|
(1 comment | comment on this)
|
| Tuesday, May 30th, 2006
| |
12:50 pm - Anti-Immigration arguments are simply rediculous
|
BY ROBERTO RODRIGUEZ & PATRISIA GONZALES
MAY 15, 2006
“WHAT IS IT ABOUT ILLEGAL YOU DON’'T UNDERSTAND?”
FIRST PERSON BY ROBERTO RODRIGUEZ
Anti-immigrants like to bandy about the phrase: What is it about illegal you
don’t understand? And they go ballistic at the thought of “amnesty” – at
the thought of treating all human beings equally and humanely.
Here’s a question that should help clarify the meaning of illegal: In U.S.
history, which of the following were not simply common practice, but legal?
a) forced removal of native peoples and the theft of their lands.
b) slavery, segregation & racial discrimination and the denial of voting
rights to women.
c) mass internment of U.S. citizens of Japanese descent and the mass
repatriation of U.S. citizens of Mexican descent.
If you answered yes to all of them, you would be correct. But let’s fast
forward to 2006. Which country asserts the right to:
a) wage preemptive and permanent worldwide war against nations that do not
pose an imminent threat?
b) secretly and indefinitely detain suspects incommunicado, without charges
at home and also outside of its legal system, while exempting its military
from the international war crimes tribunal and claiming that the Geneva
Conventions on war do not apply to this nation?
c) spy on its own citizens outside of the law, and also asserts the right to
use the military for domestic purposes?
If you guessed the United States -- right again. The U.S. formulation of
what is legal/illegal emanates from its military arsenal. (Since the 1950s,
the United States has overthrown dozens of legitimate governments and
propped up brutal military dictatorships). President Bush is but carrying on
a tradition that says that whatever he says is legal, is legal, or else.
Truthfully, that legal/illegal formulation– in relation to immigration --
can be traced to a much earlier era when Europeans first arrived on this
continent.
Americans like to collectively forget/deny that Europeans never had the
legal right to seize lands or peoples (as slaves or subjects). American
Indian law scholar, Steven Newcomb (Five Hundred Years of Injustice) has
long argued that EuroAmericans have never established a recognized
international legal claim to any land in the Americas. The basis for such
claims comes from the so-called doctrine of discovery and the Catholic papal
bulls of the 15th & 16th centuries that “gave” European powers the “right
“to divide up and conquer the non-Christian world.
Law scholar Sharon Helen Venne (Our Elders Understand our Rights) also
asserts that the institution of the law itself was created by Europeans to
specifically deny indigenous peoples their humanity and their rights as
human beings and as peoples, thus facilitating land theft and attempts to
eliminate and/or dehumanize native populations.
This history is the context of legality/illegality in regards to
immigration. It includes a clearly illegal war against Mexico in the 1840s
– a history that has treated Indians-Mexicans as demonic, uncivilized,
criminal and now equates them with terrorism. The only reason immigration is
illegal in relationship to Mexicans is because this society continues to
view Mexicans – most of whom are indigenous-based peoples -- as subhuman.
The book, Decade of Betrayal, (Balderrama & Rodriguez) reveals the inhumane
anti-Mexican U.S. deportation policies during the 20th century.
Additionally, an examination of laws regulating immigration from Canada and
Mexico shows that they’'ve always favored the northern border.
Historically, Canadians were able to cross into the United States for six
months, no questions asked. After those six months, there were no migra
hunter battalions looking for them or other Europeans who had overstayed
their visas. All sides fail to address the fact that 40 percent of the
undocumented population comes in this way. Yet, government always finds a
way to single out and hunt down Mexicans.
It’s time to repeat the phrase: What is it about illegal you don’'t
understand?
There actually is an alternative by way of the policies of the European
Union that would solve this crisis overnight. All workers from member
nations are eligible to work in each others’ countries, without losing
their rights, citizenship or humanity.
Thus, we can clearly see that notions of illegality are arbitrary. As
University of New Mexico scholar Margaret Montoya notes: All law is
narrative. That’s why if this nation wants to sign multinational agreements
such as NAFTA (U.S., Canada and Mexico) or CAFTA (Central America) or the
FTAA (Americas), then human beings cannot be left out of the equation.
That’s the narrative being inscribed in the jungles of Chiapas and by
millions of people marching on U.S. streets -- that “no human being is
illegal.”
Shall we debate the meaning of amnesty and who actually needs it?
|
|
(comment on this)
|
| Thursday, May 18th, 2006
| |
12:03 pm - Support Farm Workers Rights!
|
SIGN LETTER FOR FARMWORKERS WHO MAKE 32 CENTS FOR MCDONALDS AND CHIPOTLES
Help them win this new campaign. They won Taco Bell with our help, sign this
letter now!
Farm workers who pick tomatoes for McDonald's hamburgers and
Chipotle's burritos earn about 45 cents for every 32-pound
container of tomatoes they pick, working from dawn to dusk
without the right to overtime pay. That means they have to pick
more than 3,500 pounds of tomatoes to earn $50. The 45-cent
piece rate has not changed in nearly 30 years. Annual income for
farm workers is extremely low--averaging $7,500 to $10,000,
according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
>The vast majority of these farm workers receive no benefits: no
>health insurance, no sick leave and no vacation pay. Some
>families live in 10-foot by 10-foot rooms and pay $160 a week
>in rent, while McDonald's earns huge profits--$2.28 billion
>last year.
>
>Please take action today to help end these deplorable
>conditions. Tell McDonald's and Chipotle to support fair wages
>for farm workers and sign an agreement with the Coalition of
>Immokalee Workers.
>
>http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/farmworkers/5d8wex447witxk?
>
>Last year, Taco Bell signed an agreement with the Coalition of
>Immokalee Workers to pay an additional one cent per pound for
>tomatoes it purchases. But McDonald's and Chipotle (initially a
>subsidiary of McDonald's and now a publicly traded company in
>which McDonald's is the controlling shareholder) have refused to
>sign a similar agreement to raise wages in the fields.
>
>Although Chipotle's manifesto, titled "Food With Integrity,"
>takes a strongly activist stance for humane conditions in its
>supply chain for farm animals, the manifesto says nothing about
>the conditions under which people are laboring to harvest its
>produce.
>
>The Coalition of Immokalee Workers is calling on Chipotle to
>expand its "Food With Integrity" mission to include "Work With
>Dignity" for farm workers who harvest its tomatoes by improving
>wages and allowing workers to participate in the protection and
>advancement of their own rights. Further, the coalition is
>calling on Chipotle to ask McDonald's to join Taco Bell in
>improving wages and human rights in the fields.
>
>Send a letter to McDonald's CEO Jim Skinner and Chipotle CEO
>Steve Ells demanding that they sign the agreement with the
>Coalition of Immokalee Workers to improve wages and conditions
>for farm workers.
>
>http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/farmworkers/5d8wex447witxk?
>
>Thank you for all you do.
>
>In solidarity,
>
>The Working Families e-Activist Network, AFL-CIO
>
>****
>AFL-CIO NOW: A daily news blog for working people
>
>http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/np1PV_d1WuWL/
>--------------------------------------------------
>
>Visit the Web address below to tell your friends about this.
>
>http://www.unionvoice.org/join-forward.html?domain=wfean&r=qp1PV_d1TqWe
|
|
(comment on this)
|
| Monday, May 15th, 2006
| |
1:57 pm - URGENT ACTION IN SUPPORT OF IMMIGRANTS!
|
2 URGENT ACTIONS BELOW:
SPEAK OUT AGAINST BUSH'S PLAN TO DEPLOY NATL GUARD TO BORDER
Press Conference Tonight
Meet at 8pm at the Cristo Rey Rectory (Miller Rd across from the church) to
watch Bush's address about immigration and the deployment of the Natl Guard
to the border.
Press will arrive at 9pm at Cristo Rey Church (201 W Miller Rd) to hear our
response.
Talking Points:
We are OPPOSED to further militarization of the US-Mexico border.
* Recognize that the current Militarized Border Enforcement Strategy is
a failed policy. Since 1998 more than 2000 migrants - men, women, and
children - have lost their lives in the deserts of the US-Mexico borderlands
trying to make their way into the United States. These tragic and
unnecessary deaths must stop. The border blockade strategy has militarized
the US-Mexico border, which drives migrants into remote desert regions yet
has failed to stem the flow of immigrants into the United States. Further,
the fragile desert environment has sustained severe damage as a result of
migrants moving through remote desert regions and responding enforcement
patrols. Indeed, a militarized border control strategy has never in United
States history successfully stemmed the flow of immigrants. We recognize
the right of a nation to control its borders, but enforcement measures must
be applied proportionately, humanely, and with a conscious effort to protect
the people and the land.
* Address the status of undocumented persons currently living in the US.
Workers and their families currently living in the US must have access to
a program of legalization that offers equity-building paths to permanent
residency and eventual citizenship for workers and their families.
Legalizing the undocumented workforce helps stabilize that workforce as well
as their families. A stable workforce strengthens the country.
* Make family unity and reunification the cornerstone of the US
immigration system. Migrants enter the United States either to find work
or to reunite with family members, yet the arduous and lengthy process
forces families to make potentially deadly choices. Families must be
allowed to legally and timely re-unify as well as to immigrate together as a
unit.
* Allow workers and their families to enter the US to live and work in a
safe, legal, orderly, and humane manner through an Employment-Focused
immigration program. International workers' rights must be recognized and
honored in ways that protect: the basic right to organize and collectively
bargain, individual workers’ religious freedoms, job portability, easy and
safe travel between the US and homelands, achievable and verifiable paths to
residency, and a basic human right of mobility.
* Recognize that root causes of migration lie in environmental,
economic, and trade inequities. Experiences of Mexico and countries further
south demonstrate that current trade and aid strategies that are based on
greed and lack of basic respect deeply and negatively impact workers, their
families, and the environments in migrants' homelands. This is forcing a
quest-for-survival based migration of unparalleled proportions.
International agreements must be negotiated in ways that build mutual and
just relationships. Such agreements must be designed to meet the needs of
the present without compromising future generations' abilities to meet their
needs. New strategies must include incentives for the public and private
sectors to invest in economic and environmental repair and sustainable
development in the sending communities.
2ND URGENT ACTION:
I spoke with Ann Francis, Lansing community organizer. She and other people
in Michigan actually met with Sen. Levin last week in Washington, DC. He
told her that the phone calls they get about immigration are 9 to 1 ANTI-
immigrant. That's scary. We all need to be calling our senators!
Call 1-800-833-6354 and ask for Levin and Stabenow's offices and encourage
compassionate immigration reform--use talking points above.
|
|
(comment on this)
|
| Monday, April 10th, 2006
| |
3:45 pm - Student Forum to Oppose Nazis!
|
**********PLEASE POST WIDELY*******************
The National Socialist Movement, also known as America's Nazi Party, will
be holding their racist and fascist national rally on the steps of OUR
STATE CAPITAL on April 22nd!
WE MUST TAKE ACTION! COME TO A PUBLIC FORUM TO DISCUSS WHAT STUDENTS ARE
PLANNING TO DO ON APRIL 22ND TO COUNTER THE NAZI'S MESSAGE OF HATE.
What: Student Forum to Oppose Nazis
When: Wednesday, April 12th, 7pm-9pm
Where: MSU International Center Library, 1st Floor of International Center
* The National Socialist Movement's (NSM) belief system follows Adolf
Hitler in that they call for the eradication of "inferior races."
* They are racist, sexist, and anti-Semitic
* The NSM is associated with the Ku Klux Klan, Aryan Skinheads, and the
Racial Nationalist Party of America
MSU students must unite against Nazis!
For more information: afdlansing@riseup.net
Forum hosed by: Lansing-CAN (Lansing Coalition Against Nazis)
*************PLEASE POST WIDELY**********************
|
|
(5 comments | comment on this)
|
| |
3:44 pm - Detroit High School Walkout Needs Support!
|
********PLEASE TAKE ACTION!!!!********
Right now, 40 high school students at the Detroit Melvindale High School,
attempted to walk out as part of the national day of action on immigration.
The students were stopped by the Dean of Students, Shannon MacDowell, who
threatened them with a 3 day suspension.
Students are being separated and taken individually to detention, and their
parents were called to the school. The situation is very tense, with
reports that the
administration of the high school is being offensive and intimidating.
It is not illegal for students to walk out of their school.
Please call the school and share your support of the student walk out!
Call: 313-389-3320
If you know of any lawyers that the students could talk with, please email
me back or call my cell: 646-496-7626.
|
|
(1 comment | comment on this)
|
| Monday, April 3rd, 2006
| |
12:53 pm - Transgender Awareness Training
|
**************PLEASE POST WIDELY******************
WHAT: Student Leader and Ally Activation and
Empowerment Session
WHEN: Saturday, April 8th, 12:00-3:00
WHERE: MSU Union - Multicultural Center
Samuel Lurie, well-known trainer on Transgender Issues is coming to MSU this Saturday to educate Allies and train students on how to get more involved in the campaign to add Gender Identity to the anti-discrimination policy! Session information is below. TO REGISTER: send an email to lbgtc@msu.edu with your name and let them know you're interested in the student session. See you there!
Samuel Lurie - Student Leader and Ally Activation and Empowerment
Saturday, April 8th, 12:00-3:00
MSU Union - Multicultural Center (NOTE LOCATION CHANGE)
Updated website - http://www.msu.edu/~phitaumu/lurie.html
Phi Tau Mu (FTM) Alpha-Male Chapter
http://www.msu.edu/~phitaumu
**********************************************
|
|
(comment on this)
|
| Wednesday, March 29th, 2006
| |
3:19 pm - Killer Coke!
|
<<<<<<<<<<<<< Forward Widely >>>>>>>>>>>>>
Keg Party to Kick Coca-Cola Off MSU's Campus
Take A (Keg)Stand Against Coca-Cola
Thursday, March 30 - 12:30 pm
At The MSU Administration Building
Join us in the administration building to tell the administration that we
will not stand for our university to continue to do business with Killer
Coke.
Come Freely Drink out of our Michigan Brewing Company Keg, a good
alternative to Coke!
In Colombia since 1998, 8 union leaders have been murdered by paramilitary
forces in cooperation with Coke plant managers. Hundreds of others have been
tortued, intimidated, or kidnapped for joining the union.
In India Coca Cola steals and pollutes water allowing thousands to go
thirsty.
All over the world Coca Cola has been causing human rights and environmental
abuses.
As students we do not want our university doing business with such a
terrible corporation
For more info on Coke and thier crimes goto www.msusej.org &
www.killercoke.org
|
|
(comment on this)
|
| Monday, March 27th, 2006
| |
12:35 pm - Armenia Forever
|
En Español a continuación
Dear Friends:
On the eve of a new anniversary of the Armenian Genocide perpetrated by
Turkey, we are launching a worldwide campaign in support of our beloved
Republics of Armenia and Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabagh).
The collected support signatures will be saved on CDs that will be
delivered to the governments of Armenia and all other nations through their
embassies. A copy will be sent to the UN as well.
Armenia Forever! was set up by IAN (www.ian.cc), the website of
Spanish-speaking Armenians from Latin America as well as Spain. IAN has
been developed by all Armenian institutions in Argentina.
We especially invite you to:
1) Express your very valuable support through Armenia Forever!
www.armeniaforever.ian.cc
2) Forward our link www.armeniaforever.ian.cc to your members or
contacts. We need the largest number of people showing the world our will to
support Armenia and Karabagh.
3) Download an Armenia Forever! Banner and include it in your websites.
Please click on http://www.armeniaforever.ian.cc/banners.php?lan=ing to download
the Banner.
Contact information: To contact us please write us at info@ian.cc
We look forward to receiving your decisive support,
Best Regards,
IAN Team
Buenos Aires – Argentina
En Español
Estimados Amigos:
Ante un nuevo aniversario del IMPUNE Genocidio Armenio perpetrado por Turquía,
lanzamos una campaña mundial de adhesiones en solidaridad y apoyo de
nuestra queridas Repúblicas de Armenia y de Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabagh).
A 30 años del golpe de Estado en Argentina que se llevó miles de vidas por
parte del terrorismo de estado nuestra acción se circunscribe en la lucha
mundial por la defensa de los derechos humanos para que NUNCA MAS se
sucedan Genocidios en ninguna parte del mundo.
Las adhesiones obtenidas serán entregadas en CD a los gobiernos de
Armenia, y de países de Europa, América, Oriente y Asia a través de sus
respectivas Embajadas. Asimismo una copia será enviada a la ONU.
Armenia Forever! es una creación de IAN (www.ian.cc), el sitio web de
los armenios y sus amigos de habla hispana, tanto de Latinoamérica como de
España. IAN
ha sido desarrollada por todas las instituciones armenias de Argentina.
Queremos invitarlos especialmente a:
1) Que sumen su muy importante adhesión en Armenia Forever!
www.armeniaforever.ian.cc/index.php?lan=esp
2) Que reenvíen nuestro link www.armeniaforever.ian.cc a sus bases de
afiliados o contactos. Necesitamos la mayor cantidad de participantes
posibles que muestren al mundo nuestra voluntad de apoyar a Armenia y
Karabagh.
3) Que descarguen un Banner de Armenia Forever! y lo incluyan en sus
importantes sitios web. Para esto, hay que hacer clic en
http://www.armeniaforever.ian.cc/banners.php?lan=esp
Información de Contacto: Para contactarse con nosotros, por favor
escríbanos a info@ian.cc
NOTA: El sitio está disponible en español y en inglés.
A la espera de su decisivo apoyo,
Los saludamos con la mayor atención,
El Equipo de IAN
Buenos Aires - Argentina
|
|
(1 comment | comment on this)
|
| |
12:32 pm - Kick Coke off Campus Petition!
|
**********************FORWARD WIDELY****************************
Kick Coca-Cola off Michigan State University
Tell the Adminstration and Food & Housing to cut our university's ties
with global human rights violations and environmental abuses!
Sign the petition and pass it on!
http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/msucutcoke
****************************************************************
|
|
(comment on this)
|
| |
12:27 pm - Rally this Friday!
|
Almost a million people in LA protested the HR bill 4437, a punitive bill
against immigrants, today; 40,000 marched today in Colorado; 500,000 in
Chicago....
BE AT THE MICHIGAN STATE CAPITOL ON FRIDAY, MARCH 31ST AT 11AM TO RALLY IN
MICHIGAN!
Sayrah
****************************************************
HALF A MILLION PROTESTORS IN LOS ANGELES
LAPD estimates 500,000 at protest; Bush faces wedge issue for party
Lucas Jackson / Reuter
LOS ANGELES - Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators protested moves to
impose stricter U.S. immigration laws in California on Saturday, while
President Bush urged wary Republicans to take up his proposal.
The Los Angeles Police Department told NBC News that an estimated 500,000
protesters clogged the streets in front of Los Angeles city hall to protest
a proposed law they see as punitive to undocumented workers. The estimate
was based on aerial surveillance.
“This bill is wrong because this is a country for everybody who wants to
live a better life and this is a free world,” said protester Lionel Vanegas,
who owns an accounting firm.
********************************************************
TENS OF THOUSANDS PROTEST BILL IN COLORADO
DenverPost.com: Tens of thousands protest bill
There is a video of the march when you go to this link
Click to View this Article
Tens of thousands protest bill
Immigration bill sparks Denver gathering
The Denver Post
DenverPost.com
Tens of thousands of protesters snarled traffic in and around Civic Center
Park today to voice concerns about a House-passed immigration bill that
makes unlawful presence in the U.S. a felony. More details to follow.
|
|
(1 comment | comment on this)
|
| Friday, March 17th, 2006
| |
12:07 pm - KISS MY GENDER 2!
|
************PLEASE FORWARD WIDELY*************
Kiss My Gender, a local radically and politically focused drag show, is returning to Lansing! Now called Kiss My Gender 2, the show is organized by Drag King Rebellion (DKR), a local drag troupe that combines pop, hip hop and dance routines with a radical political message. All proceeds from the show will be given to Transgender Michigan’s TJ Jourian’s Scholarship Fund, which is a scholarship for Michigan students who are actively working to counter Transgender oppression. In addition, all tips will be donated to FLOC (The Farm Labor Organizing Committee), a grassroots union representing migrant farmworkers - the people who pick the food we eat, often working for poverty wages in fields laced with pesticides, under a broiling sun. So, by attending the show, you’ll not only have a great time, but you’ll be supporting two very worthy causes!
--------------------------------------------------------------------
SAVE THE DATE FOR KISS MY GENDER 2– THURSDAY, MARCH 23RD
--------------------------------------------------------------------
WHAT: Kiss My Gender 2
WHEN: Thursday, March 23rd 9:30pm-1am DJ and Dancing 1am-2am
WHERE: The Temple Club, 500 E Grand River Ave, Lansing, 48906
Shuttle service will be provided to and from the MSU Union
For Info: 517.214.6335
Although "Kiss My Gender 2" is organized by DKR, the show features over 10 other performers from Lansing, East Lansing, Detroit, Flint and Ann Arbor. These performers include Azziza Infiniti, Alayna Angel Kennedi, Tom Follary, Jordan Royce, Asher Stone and Moltyn Decadence. Last year’s “Kiss My Gender,” which was also held at the Temple Club, was incredibly successful, with over 400 people in attendance from around the state! Whether you're looking for fun, artistic social justice commentary, or a chance to dance, you'll find it all at Kiss My Gender 2. YOU DON'T WANT TO MISS THIS!
For more information on DKR and "Kiss My Gender 2," visit
http://www.geocities.com/dragkingrebellion
dragkingrebellion@yahoo.com
For more information on Transgender Michigan’s Scholarship Fund:
http://www.transgendermichigan.org
For more information on FLOC:
http://www.floc.com
**************PLEASE FORWARD WIDELY********************
|
|
(1 comment | comment on this)
|
| Wednesday, January 18th, 2006
| |
12:18 pm - DEFEND AFFIRMATIVE ACTION!
|
***************FORWARD WIDELY**********************
Show your support of Affirmative Action this Friday!
Friday at 9am, the State Board of Canvassers will be meeting to decide on
the language that will be used in the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative
(MCRI) Ballot Proposal. This is the ballot proposal that is aimed at
banning Affirmative Action in the state of michigan. It is very
important that there is a strong presence of people who support
Affirmative Action because we can influence what the wording will be to
the proposal. There will be time for people to get up and speak.
There are two parts of the current language of the ballot proposal in
particular that need to be changed that say the proposal will:
1. "ban preferential treatment of women and minorities"
2. "ban discrimination"
Both of these are misrepresentations of the proposal's intention, which
is to ban Affirmative Action.
please come if you can.
Friday January 20th, 2005
9am
525 W. Ottawa
1st Floor
Williams Bldg
(it is just west of the Capital Bldg.)
contact dmitch@riseup.net 517.242.3501 if you have any questions.
***************FORWARD WIDELY**********************
|
|
(1 comment | comment on this)
|
| Sunday, December 18th, 2005
| |
1:49 pm - FIGHT RACIST VOTER FRAUD
|
For those of you don't know, last Wednesday two people, Paul Mitchell and Doyle Occonor, who serve on the Board of Canvassers, defied a court order and voted "No" on or refused to vote for the MCRI (an initiative that would ban all affirmative action in education and in hiring) being added to the ballot.
Background on this is that the MCRI sought out Black voters in Urban areas and lied to them, telling them that the MCRI was FOR Affirmative Action when, in reality, it would BAN Affirmative Action.
Now the two men are facing contempt of court charges and the 300 Detroit High School Students and Lansing residents who attended the meeting are being trashed in the press as "unruly" and "almost violent"
there are a few links below to send letters to the editor as well as to write Granholm in support of Mitchell. Please take a minute to write something short and send it so that we encourage standing up to racism and fraud as opposed to just following orders. I have also posted a letter that I sent and a letter that Sayrah sent as examples.
Solidarity,
Jordan
LINKS:
Lansing State Journal (who depicted our actions as 'ugly'):
http://www.lsj.com/contactus/ltr_editor.html
Detroit News (who described us as insulting):
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051215/POLITICS/512150335
(click on 'comment on this story')
i also wrote gov. granholm in support of him:
http://www.michigan.gov/gov/0,1607,7-168-21995-65331--,00.html
or you can call her and leave a message: 373-3400
LETTERS:
Sayrah's:
"I was disappointed at your inaccurate coverage of the state canvassers
hearing. I was one of hundreds of Michigan residents who took off work and
waited patiently to participate in the public comments part. We spoke
eloquently about why the board members should not certify the signatures,
but your paper depicted our hours of testimony as merely insults. What I
find insulting is the Court of Appeals ordering elected officials how to
vote! I applaud Paul Mitchell for his courage in protecting the Michigan
electorate from fraud by voting against certifying it. The sounds of
democracy are noisy and passionate, but I would prefer that over the
frightened silence of facism."
Jordan's:
I am writing to commend Paul Mitchel who stood up to corruption and voted "NO" to the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative at the Board of State Canvassers meeting on Wednesday, December 14. Doyle O'Connor also deserves praise for declining to vote.
These two men are now facing contempt of court charges for refusing a court order to put the MCRI on the ballot.
However, these men should be praised for acknowledging that voters of color were lied to across the state and that, had the MCRI acted ethically to begin with, we would not be in this predicament. Criticism should be reserved for the MCRI, who maliciously lied to Black voters, and for the courts and legislature who have ignored valid accusations of racially targeted fraud.
I suggest that instead of criticizing him, we follow the example of Paul Mitchel and stand up for justice rather than blindly follow orders.
|
|
(2 comments | comment on this)
|
| Tuesday, December 13th, 2005
| |
1:17 pm - EMERGENCY MOBILIZATION!
|
******************************************
EMERGENCY MOBILIZATION!
This Wednesday 10:00AM - Lansing
******************************************
The Michigan Court of Appeals is attempting to force the Board
of State Canvassers to put Ward Connerly's anti-affirmative
action initiative (MCRI) on the ballot, despite the fact that
there has not been even a single hearing to investigate the
racially-targeted voter fraud perpetrated by the MCRI campaign
to get it on the ballot.
Come to Lansing to protest this -- Tell the courts, the Board of
Canvassers, and the powers that be that racially-targeted fraud
and deception will not be accepted as a means to overturn civil
rights gains!
Hearing of the Board of State Canvassers
Wednesday, December 14, 10:00AM
Lansing Center, Room 203
333 East Michigan Avenue, Lansing, MI
Click here for directions:
http://www.lepfa.com/main_files/lc_directions.htm
____________________________________________________________
Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action, Integration &
Immigrant Rights, And Fight for Equality
By Any Means Necessary (BAMN)
|
|
(1 comment | comment on this)
|
| Wednesday, November 30th, 2005
| |
11:41 am - Fight Military Recruitment!
|
**************forward widely****************
Fight Military Recruitment In Our Communities!
Thursday, December 1st, 2005
12:00 Noon
Meet at the marine recruitment center located in East Lansing on Grand
River near Division St.
This action will be in solidarity with the Mother Rosa Parks Anniversary
National Day of Action Against Poverty, Racism and War.
www.troopsoutnow.org
www.direct-action.net
**************forward widely*************************
|
|
(2 comments | comment on this)
|
| Tuesday, November 15th, 2005
| |
3:11 pm - Transgender Day of Remembrance
|
PLEASE POST WIDELY
The Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) was set aside to memorialize those who were killed due to anti-transgender hatred or prejudice. The event is held in November to honor Rita Hester, whose murder in 1998 kicked off the "Remembering Our Dead" web project and a San Francisco candlelight vigil in 1999. Since then, the event has grown to encompass memorials in dozens of cities across the world.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
SAVE THE DATE FOR TDOR EVENTS AT MSU - MONDAY, NOVEMBER 21st, 6-8PM
--------------------------------------------------------------------
WHAT: Transgender Day of Remembrance
WHEN: Monday, November 21 from 6pm-8pm
WHERE: Iowa Room (MSU Union) from 6pm-7pm
March to and Rally at MSU Administration Building 7pm-8pm
Phi Tau Mu (MSU'S Transgender Support and Advocacy Group) and Phi Tau Mu
Allies will be making space to remember, mourn and celebrate those who have perished before us, and make our voices heard for a better and safer
tomorrow.
An indoor vigil and speak out will be held in the Iowa Room, followed by a
march and rally. Mark your calendars NOW to set aside 2 hours on the evening of Monday, November 21st to remember those killed and join the movement to stop others from happening.
For more information about the actual Transgender Day of Remembrance, please visit http://www.gender.org/remember/day/what.html.
Phi Tau Mu (FTM) Alpha-Male Chapter
http://www.msu.edu/~phitaumu
phitaumu@msu.edu
|
|
(1 comment | comment on this)
|
| Wednesday, November 2nd, 2005
| |
11:58 am - DIA DE LOS MUERTOS
|
DIA DE LOS MUERTOS
TODAY
4:30 at wharton center for march
5:30 at rock for viewing of altars
afterwards going to Bessy for an Immigration Forum
|
|
(comment on this)
|
| Friday, October 28th, 2005
| |
4:04 pm - SUPPORT STRIKING NURSES
|
PLEASE FORWARD WIDELY
*A committee of Lansing area concerned citizens has been formed to support
the striking Ingham nurses. We are collecting signatures from organizations
and from individuals (titles and affiliations might also be included).*
*
A half page ad will be placed in the State Journal and perhaps the City
Pulse. This Wednesday is our target date.*
*You may submit your name or the name of your organization to appear in the
ad by e-mailing to the following address:*
*
*
* comfornurses@gmail.com*
*
*
*We asking for a $25 contribution from organizations and a $5 contribution
from individuals to support the cost of the ad (or less if that is not
possible). Please, make checks payable to Lansing Area Communities for
Nurses, c/o John Masterson, 6200 Cooper Road, Lansing, MI 48911. You're
welcome to sign on for the ad and pay later if necessary.*
*
*
*The body of the ad will read:*
*
*
*_____________________________________
*
*WE SUPPORT OUR NURSES!*
*
On October 12th, the unionized RNs of Ingham Regional Medical Center (IRMC)
went on strike to support issues vital to the community: patient safety, and
the quality of nurses' pensions in the hospital.
STAFFING: Nurses at Ingham Regional Medical Center are frequently mandated
to work 16+ hour shifts without notice, creating unsafe conditions for
patients. Other hospitals in the area do not mandate overtime hours.
Establishing staffing standards is vital to ensuring patient safety.
PENSION: The hospital administration is demanding that the nurses' pensions
be reduced to virtually nothing. In addition, the proposed plan will give
the nurses no disability or death benefits, making it one of the worst
hospital pension plans in the state. This plan will not attract the quality
of nurses that our community deserves.*
*We, the undersigned, support the striking nurses because we care about the
future of our hospital and the quality of healthcare that our families
receive.*
*
*
|
|
(comment on this)
|
|
|
|
|
