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So, what exactly is the role of women in Venezuela's revolutionary Bolivarian Social Movement?

SATURDAY JANUARY 7th, 6-9pm
Musicians Union Hall 325 NE 20th Ave.

From the hills of Caracas to the banks of the Orinoco River, grassroots women organizers speak about:

• Leadership and collective action
• Gender, race and class
• Agrarian reform and food sovereignty
• Labor rights and sustainable development
• Community health initiatives

This event is a fundraiser for the Portland Central America Solidarity/Cross-Border Labor Organizing Committee's delegation to the World Social Forum in Caracas, Venezuela.

Sliding Scale Donation: 5-10$, no one will be turned away
Tamales and Hugo Chavez t-shirts for sale!

 http://www.pcasc.net
616 E Burnside

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Hey you all-- This is my last night in Portland, Oregon (at least living here) after being here for seventeen years. Its been one strange trip for sure. So--my parting words--ahem--no drum roll, no woids of wisdom--but some evening thoughts.

I read with interest recently some of the stuff from Jeff Luers who is a passionate thoughtful fellow and I have to agree with a lot of what he said in terms of the emergency nature of what confronts us ANd the needed real long term committment from activists to make the necessary changes.

We are at the brink of destroying the planet as we know it-environmentally we are rapidly poisoning the nest. Civil liberties are becoming distant history, economic equality a myth... This city has a lot going for it. I see people trash KBOO and it looks to me like its the fundamentalists spurting their venom on whoever and whatever disagree with them. My way or the highway. Fundamentalism, whether its left or right--is wrong and destructive.

Exposure and transparency linked to truth and accuracy unbridled by fundamentalism are powerful allies. This world will go on with us or without us. The human race is ugly and beautiful all at the same time. It has its evil side and it writes poetry and dances. But the forest is pure and the moon shines on us tonight with hope in her eye.

I love Portland and all the great people here and will miss you all so much. Regards Alan Graf--da hippielawyer

Read More [ http://www.hippielawyer.com ]

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December 22, 2005 Dispatch:

This last week I've been talking to a lot of people about the recent arrests. I know what it is like to be where these people are now. In my conversations with people I can tell they are afraid. Not just for those arrested, but for themselves. Scared to talk, scared to act, and scared to support.

These people need your help. You might not know them. They might not be part of any activist community. But they represent the heart of this movement and this struggle. Because they are the ones accused of actions that have become legendary and made into songs. They are the ones bearing the brunt of this struggles' resistance. They are the scapegoats for the Department of Justice. They are suffering for every act of defiance this movement has carried out under whatever banner.

We owe it to these people to support them. We owe it to them to not be controlled by fear. YOU have to help them! If you ever considered yourself part of this struggle, a part of this movement, if you were ever just thankful somebody was brave enough to make a stand - YOU have to help them!

(As of this writing, Stanislas "Jack" Meyerhoff, one of those arrested, has agreed to testify against the others charged. Jacob Ferguson has been identified as another informant and is still free and uncharged. These men are cowards and scum of the lowest order. They should be treated accordingly.)

December 25, 2005 Dispatch

Earlier this week it was reported that William Rodgers, accused of Earth & Animal Liberation Front arsons, committed suicide in his jail cell. I know very little other than that. However, I find the circumstances suspicious and strongly encourage people to push for an investigation.

The news is incredibly sad. If William did in fact take his own life it is the first time an earth/animal liberation prisoner has done so. It is a devastating precedent.

There are four people left who desperately need your support. Write to them. Support them. Let them know they are not alone. Let them know there are people who will stand by them until they are released. Be there for them. - Jeff "Free" Luers

Free's Defense Fund; PO Box 3; Eugene, OR 97440
Portland IMC prisoner support page w/ updated info on these and other political prisoners | freefreenow.org

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According to the federal courts in Eugene (on Jan 4) Daniel's status conference (next hearing) will be held on Jan 25, in the Eugene Federal Courthouse, in Judge Coffin's Court, at 1:30 pm. Questions and concerns can be directed to FriendsOfDanielMcG@yahoo.com.

homepage: myspace.com/DanielMcGowan

Read More

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Once again, a suspect's failure to respond properly to getting zapped with fifty thousand volts, has resulted in the logical sequiter: The cops "transitioned to more lethal force," and shot and killed him. Of course, he was apparently in a stolen car, so that makes it o.k.

The story so far, goes like this: A police officer shot and killed a man in a car in Northeast Portland early Wednesday morning. The shooting occurred after the police lieutenant's sister called him and said she saw a strange car by her house when she looked out her window. The officer said he was nearby so he checked it out and asked for backup around 2 a.m. When he got there, the officer said a man was slumped over in the car so he opened the door. The man had been sleeping, got scared when he saw the police officer and stepped on the gas. Police said the man hit a tree and kept trying to back up. That's when they said a second officer tasered the man. Police said this didn't stop him and the lieutenant shot and killed him. Read More [ Pigs murder again | another Fouad Kaady death! ]

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The KBOO Bike Show is now being podcast.

On the air since 2001, this KBOO show features voices from around the globe talking about bicycle news and views. The program is live on the air every first Wednesday from 9-10 am.

Streamed: kboo.fm
Podcast: bikeshow.portlandtransport.com

INFO: www.YeaBikes.net/radio

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This evening, like every Tuesday since July, a counter-recruiting, anti-war, pro-peace demonstration was held in front of the military recruiting office on NE Broadway.

About a dozen of us were doing the same things we usually do: Standing and holding "NO WAR" signs on the sidewalk and in the parking lane, waving at motorists, leafletting, and visiting with each other. One of the Vets for Peace wh was present was waving the VFP flag.

Suddenly, a Portland Police squad car swerved into the parking lane, coming close to a protestor calling herself "Sprout." Another squad car pulled up. The officers got out and one stated everyone in the parking lane was going to be issued a citation. He also pointed to our candles on the sidewalk and said whoever put them there was getting a ticket for littering. He warned us not to block the sidewalk (we weren't) or we would be ticketed. He started writing Sprout a ticket. She questioned the officer as to why she should receive a citation, and refused to give her name.

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What does Greg Schumacher, of Schumacher Fur Co., do when the persistent protestors are ruining his holiday fur sales with their weekly demonstrations? What any corporate-minded shopkeeper would do, have a Protest Sale! Yes, sometimes truth is stranger than fiction, and that is exactly what Schumacher did on the last day of 2005 when around 25 anti-fur activists arrived at his shop. Schumacher climbed into the display windows to hang giant signs inside the full-window store front that read, "50% OFF EVERYTHING, PROTEST SALE, (during protest only)." This act of desperation was met with grins and chuckles from seasoned activists who interpreted the "protest sale" as an incremental victory.

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We decided to climb to the top of Horse Butte, hoping to lift ourselves above the fog. We reached the top and our breath was taken away, as much from the spectacular view as from the strenuous climb. Up on top the day was clear, and the snow-covered peaks of the Madison Range rose like craggy islands from the fog. We followed the ridge for a few miles, walking in the footsteps of a bison herd that had passed the same way a few days earlier.

The mist lifted in layers, periodically removing the mountains and placing us in a dream-like world and blurring the shapes of nearby trees, rock outcroppings, and one another. Then, just as suddenly, the mist would dissolve, the sky would become blue again, and the view would be restored. We followed in the tracks of buffalo along the ridge and finally down, off the Butte and back into the thick fog at the valley's bottom. As we neared the flats below, vague forms took shape. As we drew closer these forms crystallized into five magnificent bulls, each weighing nearly a ton and standing six feet tall at the hump.

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17th Yellowstone Bison Killed in Montana Hunt

In spite of continuous national public outcry calling for Montana to cancel its controversial bison hunt, the state's zero-tolerance policy against the country's last wild bison continues. On New Years Day it resulted in another bison death in Gardiner, Montana, just outside the boundaries of Yellowstone National Park.

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Update from the BFC - Slaughter resumes | Second Bison Killed in Montana's First "Hunt" in 15 Years

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Lately, I have been the sporting type. But heaven knows I am mostly a nerd monger. I played football, not 'mercan football, but fotbol, as a child, and that is still my favorite sport. My partner and my friends have been looking at me like I'm crazy when I say I'd rather go the hockey match in NE than drink organic beer in the SE. I even fear telling them where I'm going sometimes. But, it is true. After all these years of sticking my nose up in the air at those silly masses of people who give a damn that the home team wins or not, in what seemed to me to be a big self induced illusion, the game, I am currently one of them. I am one of them though for different reasons, perhaps a spy or a scientist in their midst, and it feels good. Let me tell you why I think I have the fever.

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On Saturday December 10th approximately 40 participants of Portland's Black Bloc, and a number of Anti-Imperialists marched in solidarity with democratic labor against the forces of the WTO and its minions. Shortly after the march began we broke off and stormed the libertarian Cascade Policy Institute in order to demonstrate our disgust with their private market, think tank activism. Libertarian think-tank Cascade Policy institute "leads the way locally in confronting smart growth myths and presenting alternative policy solutions."

In contrast to community-based democratic planning, the Institute's alternative solutions rely on property rights, and market incentives. Cascade Policy's stand on unbridled "laze faire" capitalism, and their statement of principles illustrates that even the thinly-enforced, loosely defined environmental protections still in effect are too much for this hard-right think-tank. With statements like: "Over the last three decades America has increasingly looked to the federal government to protect the environment. Yet laws such as the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts, Superfund, and The Endangered Species Act have proven costly and disappointingly ineffective." CPI clearly demonstrates their intent to rob us of our few hard won gains. CPI's president and CEO published the following classics: Free Market Environmentalism: Not an Oxymoron Wheels to Wealth: Why Low-Income Workers Need Cars, Not Transit Save the World, Ignore Global Warming

These are just a few examples of CPI's efforts to normalize the hard rights conspiracy to privatize our common resources. Their efforts stem from a bipolar worldview of America's political landscape. Recently libertarians ran a $100,000 Enron-funded campaign to keep "Portland's" General Electric private. The people of Portland need to ask our selves: What do we stand for:

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Haiti's Judicial and Executive Branches are both getting what they deserve this holiday season- each other. After 22 months of close collaboration to trample Haiti's Constitution and democracy, they have now turned their destructive energies on each other.

The Cour de Cassation (Supreme Court) outraged Interim Prime Minister Gerard Latortue on December 8 by decreeing that Dumarsais Simeus was wrongfully disqualified from the upcoming Presidential elections. Latortue retaliated the next day by firing five of the Cour's justices, replacing them with henchmen. The judiciary went on strike, which has shut down the justice system for four weeks. It is a measure of how far Haiti has strayed from constitutional rule since the February 2004 coup d'etat that both sides in this dispute are wrong. The Cour de Cassation wrongly reinstated Simeus' illegal candidacy not once, but twice. Simeus cannot be President because the Constitution requires Presidential candidates to have lived in the country for the last five years, and to have never taken foreign citizenship. Mr. Simeus readily concedes in media interviews that he resides in Southlake Texas and has obtained U.S. citizenship.

Prime Minister Latortue's objection to the Cour's decision is right, but he is the wrong man to make it. The same residency requirement applies to Presidents and Prime Ministers alike, and Mr. Latortue lived in Boca Raton Florida for years before being illegally installed as Prime Minister by the U.S. and Haitian elites in March 2004. The Constitution requires an interim government to hold elections within 90 days from taking office, but Latortue will have 700 days in office, at the very least. Latortue's response to the Cour's decision is equally wrong. As in the U.S., justices in Haiti can only be removed through specific procedures, for duly established wrongdoing or permanent physical or mental incapacity. Latortue did not even give lip service to any of these procedures, he just fired the justices. Later his aides claimed that the justices were old and needed to be retired, but the Constitution does not recognize that claim.

Fr. Gerard Jean-Juste, for example, was arrested without a warrant in October, 2004. When the government could produce no evidence against him, a courageous judge, Judge Fleury, ordered him released. The Minister of Justice then forced Judge Fleury off the bench, This "pre-trial" detention may be a death sentence- Fr. Jean-Juste has just been diagnosed with leukemia. The kind of leukemia he likely has can be treated, but not in Haiti's prisons. Amnesty International, the UN Human Rights Commission, 45 members of the U.S. Congress and human rights groups all over the world have criticized the injustice of Fr. Jean-Juste's persecution. Not one member of the Haitian judiciary has spoken against it, at least in public.

Half Hour a Week for Haiti | Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti

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Happy New Year from EcoTV!

Our website has undergone some serious revamping thanks to the efforts of Democracy Catalyst. There is a main page with articles on a variety of relevant topics. There is a page dedicated to each show, including our pilot show, "And Why ANWR?", our first hour long show "Clean Cars Go Far!", and one we are working on called "Is Hydro a Go?"

There is also a new section called Programs In Progress. On this page, we will upload clips and hyperlinked text as we put together the show for next week. You are encouraged to participate by telling us what you think as well as what you'd like to see. You even have a chance to submit content, or to edit or remix our content in whatever way you see fit, so long as it's not for commercial use and you give us credit for the content.

EcoTV now has a one hour TV series on community access cable. You can watch us on the following days, times, and channels beginning January 1st, 2006:
Sunday 11:00 A.M. on Channel 21
Monday 9:00 P.M. on Channel 21
Saturday 6:00 P.M. on Channel 11

Be sure to watch for our show! "Clean Cars Go Far!" airs between all different kinds of shows, so enjoy your EcoTV sandwich in whichever flavor you prefer. You may also view our show from the website. EcoTV is gearing up to create as much educational content as possible for possible inclusion in projects designed to educate people about energy and its place in our economy and lifestyle.

EcoTV would like to take this opportunity to thank you for participating in this and other efforts to protect our public lands and energy future. Through our efforts, we can educate people about the realities of our current energy situation, and what people can do about it now to be better prepared and even proactive as we transition from a way of life reliant on fossil fuels to more sustainable energy technologies.

ecotv.org

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Now in its sixth incarnation, The City Repair Project brings you the Village Building Convergence May 19th - 28th, 2006. Please come to the info share, January 5th 6:30-8:30 p.m. to find out how to set up a project for your neighborhood. The info share will be held at City Repair headquarters, 2122 S.E. Division. To download a Request for Proposal, go to www.vbc.cityrepair.org. Contact City Repair at vbc@cityrepair.org or 503.235.8946 for more information.

Proposals for projects are due January 30th. What is a VBC project? VBC projects express the profound power of community in action. Neighbors collaborate to create welcoming gathering places. The physical projects may be very different -- past examples include artwork, playground equipment, gardens, buildings, shelters, and community notice boards or kiosks. Whatever the project, the benefits ripple throughout the community. Neighbors become a creative team, strengthening trust, connection, and hope.
[Previous VBC articles: VBC6 Request for Project Proposals! | Photos from VBC4]

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Children in Washington State are being given "patriotism tests" which are completely unrelated to their studies. The paper gauges whether or not the student shows fealty to the power of the state and whether the student believes in the right to overthrow a corrupt government.

A reader from Washington State writes to highlight a questionnaire paper handed out to her daughter and the rest of her classmates in the 10th grade classroom.

The reader comments:

"We live in Washington state. My daughter is in 10th grade and found this to be interesting. She has a GPA of 3.75 and uses her brain. This was given to her in English class, and has nothing to do with the materials they were studying. They are grooming our kids"

(I tried to upload the original paper, I'm new at this still)

I will type the questions as seen on the paper given to the students. They had to put whether they agreed of disagreed with the question.

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The elites of capitalism have made one too many mistakes. Blatant mistakes like: Enron, Iraq, Katrina, executing Stanley Tookie Williams, CIA torture camps, forcing yet another power plant on to indigenous lands, rolling blackouts, further steps to criminalize queers, steps to criminalize democratic labor, building a bigger fence around Mexico, and whole sale attacks on the activist community. All this has played to a steady backdrop of economic imperialism, and racist celebrations of this nation's history.

Everyday people are starting to say this shits played out. One of our collective members recently had to tell a conservative, Republican, member of their family that they shouldn't talk about this countries need to "kill the president" in the house. Merry Christmas indeed!

It's clear that all this oppression is unifying people. Our unity is strength. Our unity strikes fear into the hearts of the federal capitalist's government, and drives them to dump billions into snitches, under-covers, and NSA programs to spy us out, and break us up.

It's also clear that the government has a monopoly on force. When the people have had enough, every single one of us will have to defend ourselves from this dying government. The struggle needs you! We have a need, and duty to learn the skills to survive.

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Already, the corp choir is singing the "suicide by cop" song, together with refrains of "troubled young man," "called and threatened to kill a cop," etc. The sweet refrains of "perhaps, if we could train all of our officers in crisis intervention..." (currently only twelve are so trained. No matter that the killer of Fouad Kaady (deputy Willard) was a graduate of that vaunted training).

It seems to me that what is needed is a little accountability. The Sheriff is whining about a fourth of his force being on paid leave due to the recent spate of killings. Maybe if he would see to it that there were real hearings, that real consequences were meted out to those who use lethal force as a first option (rather than issuing medals, as in Popo), perhaps the training might be a little more effective, and we would not be paying time and a half, or double time, plus the wages of useless suspended officers, to cover the streets.

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"Struggle" here in the U.S. seems far more centered around feel-good activism than it does creating change; more about symbolic dissent than actual resistance. It is almost like for most people being aware of the problem and being upset by it is enough. It isn't and it never will be.

Five years ago I said we were running out of time to act. In those 5 years, this movement has grown weaker and more withdrawn. There is less cell activity and more people in jail. There are fewer protests and more factionalized in-fighting. It has become easier to isolate ourselves in self-marginalized cliques pointing fingers at each other instead of raising a united fist.

This summer, I wrote a few controversial pieces about this movement. I flat-out said we had grown timid and weak. I tried to pick a fight. I wanted people to get angry. I wanted to see the lifeblood of this movement stir. I got one letter in response. One. He said he felt the same and was glad someone had the courage to voice it. The only other response was from the nice man who types these Dispatches and sends them to you. He argued with me (thanks, bro).

Today, I received 5 letters about my last Dispatch. I'm sure I'll get more. These folks were trying to cheer me up and make me smile. I appreciate the gesture and concern sincerely, make no mistake. Still, I point this out because to me it is demonstrative of our movement at large. Few people want to address the tough questions: Where are we going? Why aren't we more successful? How do we evolve our tactics? How do we create real and meaningful change? Most activists are willing to point out the good. Many are quick to get positive energy going. Even if at the end of the day nothing changes. It is easier than facing the often difficult truth.

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With a long anticipated noise variance permit In Defense of Animals had acquired to use a bull horn for the Christmas Eve fur demonstration, the Schumacher Fur Co. owners thought they were going to beat the activists at their own game. But once again they were left shamed and looking stupid.

When around 30 dedicated anti-fur activists arrived at SW 9th and Morrison, Greg Schumacher had rented, no doubt at considerable cost, four huge speakers on tripods which were blaring obnoxious Christmas tunes to drown out the activist's bull horn and raised voices.

Undeterred, activists started chanting with messages like, "Stop the anal electrocution, stop the pain, Schumacher Fur is to blame!" That's when the furriers got amped and turned up the volume to ear drum shattering levels. I can't overstate how loud the music got; imagine being in the front row of at a hip hop show when you can almost feel your teeth vibrating from the sound waves. The volume was lowered slightly when a couple bicycle cops arrived, but still the volume was clearly beyond anything allowed by city ordinance, even if they had a permit, which states that you can use amplification as long as it's not audible more than 150 feet away. This music could be easily heard several blocks away!

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Make no doubt about it, there is a MIDWAY type naval battle ocurring between Australia and Antarctica. A fleet of Japanese whalers are intent on harpooning to death any whale they see and these boats are being opposed by Greepeace and Sea Shepherd vessels. To see a first hand picture of the harpooning of a whale see Greenpeace. Although these incidents are being widely covered on Oceania Indymedia there is no news of this in the Northern Hemisphere. Remember that once there were abundant numbers of whales in the Northern Pacific. But these were long ago decimated by whaling fleets. Now they come down South, to a designated Sanctuary. Read More [ GreenPeace | Oceania Indymedia | Take action: * Tell Gorton's and Nissui that their customers do not support whaling! ]

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