Thursday, February 28, 2013

2 rabble rousing analysts on Latin America + Israeli Apartheid Week!

Laura Carlsen, two major talks in Olympia on the Drug Wars and Neoliberalism.
1) Latin America's Challenge to Neoliberalism https://www.facebook.com/events/214326362039336
Monday, March 4, 2013 7-9pm, Olympia Center, Room 101, 222 N Columbia St, Downtown Olympia
2) A Nation at Risk: Drug Wars, Democracy, and Dependency in Mexico https://www.facebook.com/events/446797372059675
Tuesday, March 5, 2013 11am-1pm, The Evergreen State College, Seminar II, Room E1105

Laura Carlsen is a political analyst and writer who has lived in Mexico City for 25 years and is  the Director of The Americas Program, www.cipamericas.org, at the Center for International Policy,  She has written extensively on NAFTA, the drug war, immigration and gender issues in Americas Updater, Counterpunch, La Jornada and others. She is a columnist for Huffington Post and Foreign Policy in Focus, and a commentator with Al Jazeera, CCTV, NBC, Democracy Now!, NPR and Mexican television and radio stations. Laura Carlsen is co-editor of "Confronting Globalization: Economic Integration and Popular Resistance in Mexico" and has participated as an analyst and activist in the movement against militarization and the drug war on both sides of the border. Both events are free and open to the public! Sponsored by OMJP (Olympia Movement for Justice and Peace), MEChA de Evergreen and the TESC Political Economy and Social Movements Program.

EVENT: Eyewitness Updates on Honduras: Attacks on LGBTQ Community and Unions
https://www.facebook.com/events/406819922734669/
Friday, March 8, 6PM, Media Island, 816 Adams St. SE, Olympia, free event (donations accepted), food for purchase by MIJAS
Come out to hear Chuck Kaufman as he speaks about his first hand experiences organizing delegations to Honduras. Three years after the Honduras coup, Indigenous, LGBTQ, Teachers, Labor and Farmers are subjected to continual violence. The Resistance Front calls for greater international solidarity to stop the violence. This is Chuck Kaufman's final stop on a NW tour speaking on this issue, Evergreen masters student Caitlin Payne Roberts will give a recap of her experience doing solidarity work in Honduras and the delegation trip she took with Chuck. Introducing both will be Bruce Wilkinson, who traveled to Honduras 6 months after the coup and now works for Alliance For Global Justice. MIJAS will be selling food and talk about their project in honor of International Women's Day.

On June 28, 2009, democratically elected Honduran President Manuel Zelaya was rousted from his bed by the military and flown into exile. Under the coup government, and the illegitimate government of Porfirio Lobo, "selected in sham elections," violence and repression against the people of Honduras has continued to grow.

  • More than 55 small farmers, members of cooperatives farming land they are entitled to under the country's land reform laws, have been murdered by government forces and "security guards" of large landowners.
  • Thirty LGBTQ activists have been murdered, many of them tortured and mutilated first.
  • African-descended Garifuna people on Honduras' Caribbean Coast are being violently evicted to make way for tourism projects.
  • In May, four indigenous Miskito people, including two pregnant women, a 14-year old boy and a 21-year old youth were wrongfully slaughtered when a US helicopter with DEA agents aboard, negligently fired at Miskito families in a community boat. Four other indigenous family members of the boat were badly wounded. Six of the sixteen persons on the boat were children.
The US government trains and funds the Honduran military and corrupt police. It was the primary force behind recognizing the coup government and returning Honduras to membership in the Organization of American States.

Join Chuck Kaufman who has traveled to Honduras frequently since the coup to learn about the violence against marginalized communities there, how they are fighting for their economic and civil rights, and what you can do to help. Chuck Kaufman is National Co-Coordinator of the Alliance for Global Justice with 25 years of Latin America solidarity work and anti-war, anti-US militarism work in the US. He has led many delegations to Honduras since the coup and is one of the key organizers in the Honduras Solidarity Network.

AFTER the EVENT: Heartsparkle Players – Playback Theatre:  "Stories of Women Making a Better World: Their Struggles, Successes and Resilience" in recognition of International Women's Day, and in collaboration with the Olympia Fellowship of Reconciliation, 7:30, Traditions, $5-10

ALSO: Israeli Apartheid Week at The Evergreen State College
https://www.facebook.com/events/397306510366028/


You're invited to Evergreen's Second Annual Israeli Apartheid Week!

During this week, hosting by the Mideast Solidarity Project and the Olympia Movement for Justice and Peace, please join us in conversation about the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict, the nature of Israel as an apartheid system and to build Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) campaigns as part of a growing global BDS movement. If you don't know what BDS is, come to these events! If you aren't sure why "apartheid" is an accurate term, or disagree, come to these events! We will have current Evergreen students reporting on their recent travels in Palestine, in addition to various films and an introductory workshop. We welcome everybody--students, friends, community members, faculty, and staff. All events will have facilitated discussions after the main event.

Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW): March 4th- 8th. More info about the international movement: http://apartheidweek.org/

Sunday: Author and Activist, Remi Kanazi: Hosted by MSP and The Rachel Corrie Foundation
Time: 2-4PM workshop, 6PM poetry reading Location: the Washington State Labor Council, 906 Columbia St. SW.
https://www.facebook.com/events/288730851256532/

Monday: Intro to Israel/ Palestine
Time: 4-5 PM Location: Lecture Hall 3
https://www.facebook.com/events/539843806050493

Student Report back from Palestine
Time: 5:30- 7 PM Location: Lecture Hall 3
https://www.facebook.com/events/407730202653910

Wednesday: Film screening: Five Broken Cameras
Time: 6 Pm Location: Lecture Hall 3
https://www.facebook.com/events/506621916054946

Thursday: Film Screening: Slingshot Hip-Hop
Time: 4 PM Location: Sem 2 B1105
https://www.facebook.com/events/496086030429158

Sponsored by Mid-East Solidarity Project


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Thursday, February 14, 2013

[olympiaworkers] Honduras: Attacks on LGBTQ & Unions; Rising Resistance Front! Speaker Chuck Kaufman, 3/8 6pm, Media Island

EVENT: Eyewitness Updates on Honduras: Attacks on LGBTQ Community and Unions
https://www.facebook.com/events/406819922734669/
Friday, March 8, 6PM, Media Island, 816 Adams St. SE, Olympia, free event (donations accepted)
Come out to hear Chuck Kaufman as he speaks about his first hand experiences organizing delegations to Honduras. Three years after the Honduras coup, Indigenous, LGBTQ, Teachers, Labor and Farmers are subjected to continual violence. The Resistance Front calls for greater international solidarity to stop the violence. This is Chuck Kaufman's final stop on a NW tour speaking on this issue, Evergreen masters student Caitlin Payne Roberts will give a recap of her experience doing solidarity work in Honduras and the delegation trip she took with Chuck. Introducing both will be Bruce Wilkinson, who traveled to Honduras 6 months after the coup and now works for Alliance For Global Justice.

On June 28, 2009, democratically elected Honduran President Manuel Zelaya was rousted from his bed by the military and flown into exile. Under the coup government, and the illegitimate government of Porfirio Lobo, "selected in sham elections," violence and repression against the people of Honduras has continued to grow.

  • More than 55 small farmers, members of cooperatives farming land they are entitled to under the country's land reform laws, have been murdered by government forces and "security guards" of large landowners.
  • Thirty LGBTQ activists have been murdered, many of them tortured and mutilated first.
  • African-descended Garifuna people on Honduras' Caribbean Coast are being violently evicted to make way for tourism projects.
  • In May, four indigenous Miskito people, including two pregnant women, a 14-year old boy and a 21-year old youth were wrongfully slaughtered when a US helicopter with DEA agents aboard, negligently fired at Miskito families in a community boat. Four other indigenous family members of the boat were badly wounded. Six of the sixteen persons on the boat were children.
The US government trains and funds the Honduran military and corrupt police. It was the primary force behind recognizing the coup government and returning Honduras to membership in the Organization of American States.

Join Chuck Kaufman who has traveled to Honduras frequently since the coup to learn about the violence against marginalized communities there, how they are fighting for their economic and civil rights, and what you can do to help. Chuck Kaufman is National Co-Coordinator of the Alliance for Global Justice with 25 years of Latin America solidarity work and anti-war, anti-US militarism work in the US. He has led many delegations to Honduras since the coup and is one of the key organizers in the Honduras Solidarity Network.

AFTER the EVENT: Heartsparkle Players – Playback Theatre:  "Stories of Women Making a Better World: Their Struggles, Successes and Resilience" in recognition of International Women's Day, and in collaboration with the Olympia Fellowship of Reconciliation, 7:30, Traditions, $5-10

-bruce
360-742-0864

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

[olympiaworkers] The machines of self-management have been switched on!

From Viome http://www.viome.org/

After 3 days of intense mobilization, the factory of Vio.Me. has started
production under workers' control earlier today! It is the first
experiment in industrial self-management in crisis-striken Greece, and the
workers of Vio.Me. are confident this is going to be only the first in a
series of such endeavors.
The march was massive and vibrant.

The mobilization kicked off with a big
assembly of the workers and solidary organizations and individuals in
a central downtown theater on Sunday evening. Here the course of
action of the solidarity movement was discussed, and everyone had the
chance to take the microphone and to express their opinion on the workers'
struggle.
Really talented artists played in support of the Vio.Me struggle.

On Monday evening there was a march in
the city center followed by a huge benefit concert with several well
known folk bands and singers. Among them Thanassis Papakonstantinou,
one of the most important contemporary Greek songwriters who is in a
sense "part of the movement" since he always supports with word
and deed the efforts of society for self-determination. The
attendance exceeded everyone's expectations. Unfortunately about a
thousand people didn't manage to get in, as the stadium was packed.
The stellar moment of the night was when the workers took the
microphone and explained their vision of another society, based on
social justice, solidarity and self-management. Five thousand people
were applauding, shouting and chanting songs of support. It was then
that everyone realized that this endeavor is bound to succeed!
One of the Vio.Me. workers addresses the people.

Early next morning the mobilization went on with a vibrant march towards
the factory. The workers were
already in their positions and the production was triumphantly
kick-started in front of the cameras of national, local and
alternative media. The workers organized a guided tour of the factory
and explained all the details of the production process to journalists
and participants in the solidarity movement.
The first batch of products produced under worker's control!

There is still a long
road ahead: The costs of production are high, access to credit is
impossible and getting a part of the market in
times of recession is uncertain. The workers are however optimistic:
The proceeds from the benefit gig and the donations of supportive
groups and individuals collected through viome.org should be
enough to keep the company afloat in the first few months. And the
support of the social movements means many of the products will be
distributed through the existing structures of social and solidary
economy. The workers of Vio.Me. are already researching new cleaning
products, based on non-toxic ecological ingredients, apt for home
use. The factory makes quality building materials (mortars, plasters,
tile adhesive paste and jointing materials, waterproof grouts, etc.)
and the workers know very well how to improve the quality even more
while lowering the production costs and hence the price. The
challenge is now to find a market for these materials, which
unfortunately are too voluminous to be transported across long
distances, and should be sold within Greece or the surrounding Balkan
countries.
The 40 workers of Vio.Me. and hundreds
of participants in the solidarity movement have for three days
lived an unforgettable experience, which however is only the start of a
long and difficult road. Now more than ever we need to be united and
strong, determined to build a new world based on solidarity, justice
and self-management!