From the open publishing newswire: With input from many groups including Common Cause Oregon, Occupy Portland, Move to Amend, and Portland Alliance from Democracy, the resolution outlines key legal points and highlights public opposition to Citizens United
This Thursday (January 12) at 2:00 pm the Portland City Council will be voting on a resolution urging the Oregon congressional delegation to amend the U.S. Constitution to address corporate personhood and reverse the Citizens United decision.

read it here

Please plan to join us in the Council Chambers at City Hall at 1221 SW 4th Avenue (between 4th and 5th Avenue and Madison and Jefferson, enter on 4th Ave side) at 2:00 pm.

Can't make it on Thursday? Contact City Hall to express your support for this important resolution. Phone numbers and emails for members of the City Council.

Reportback - Resolution Passed!

From the open publishing newswire: WISCONSIN - January 4 - Over the holidays, the United States Department of Agriculture announced its approval of a novel strain of genetically engineered corn, developed by Monsanto, purportedly being "drought tolerant."

Despite receiving nearly 45,000 public comments in opposition to this particular genetically engineered (GE) corn variety (and only 23 comments in favor), the Obama administration gave Monsanto the green light to release its newest GE corn variety freely into the environment and American food supply, without any governmental oversight or safety tracking.

www.cornucopia.org

[ Related: Bt Crops Failures & Hazards
| Super-Rice without GM ]

From the open publishing newswire: On Wednesday, January 4th,2012, the Portland Alliance for Democracy and Move to Amend Portland chapter and their allies rallied outside City Hall in Portland Oregon to support and strengthen the proposed city resolution supporting a federal constitutional amendment to End Corporate Personhood.
Rally to End Corporate Personhood

On January 12th at 2 PM, the city council has scheduled the official hearing on the resolution and will likely take a vote. So plan on being at this city council meeting, to offer support and/or to testify in favor of an improved resolution and to support allowing us all to vote by referring language to the ballot.

An excellent write up on this campaign

From the open publishing newswire: Wednesday, January 4th, join the Alliance for Democracy and Move to Amend Portland chapter and our allies as we rally outside City Hall to support and strengthen the proposed city resolution supporting a federal constitutional amendment to End Corporate Personhood.

In addition to supporting the revised resolution, we will also call on the city council to refer to Portland's voters a ballot measure, so we can all give voice to our desire that the constitution must be amended to end corporate personhood and the money is not speech. We want them to refer to the voters language very similar to that which was presented to the voters in Madison, WI, and Boulder CO and Missoula MT and approved in all three overwhelmingly. If you can't be at City Hall on Jan 4, you can still join us via an on-line petition

Rally/Hearing details:
Wednesday, January 4th at Portland City Hall
8:30 - gather, 8:45 -9:15 - rally

Move To Amend | Alliance For Democracy | Sign the online petition

[ Reportback: Video of Jan 4th Rally Supporting Portland City Council Resolution to End Corporate Personhood ]

From the open publishing newswire: Human Resources Director Irene Chrest, fired Luke after demanding private information regarding a medical condition that causes him to fall asleep. Combined with having to work two jobs, this medical issue is a serious issue for him. Management's cruel, heartless firing of Luke is one more example of the lack of respect this employer has for their workers.

Important Update: "UNITE HERE thanks each and every one of you for your passionate response to the firing of Lucas Fielder at the Vancouver Hilton. From our understanding, community far and wide placed calls to the General Manager of the hotel protesting their despicable act of firing Luke four days before Christmas and only one day after he spoke out for better wages at his union's December 20th Candlelight Vigil. Additionally, over 35 community members delegated the General Manager (and City Hall!) on Thursday, Dec 22nd to protest the company's actions. We are talking to the company, and are going to give them a chance to respond, and do the right thing - which is to reinstate Luke to his job!

At this point, we are not advocating for any further actions and we will keep everyone updated on next steps as our struggle for justice for Luke and all workers at the Vancouver Hilton continues!" In solidarity, UNITE HERE

From the open publishing newswire: The statement from Occupy's unnamed "media team" says a 4 p.m. march and 10 p.m. assembly are planned "for camp defense and witness." It also says:

The Occupy Movement manifested as a direct response to the social and economic injustices caused by a corrupt and heartless financial system. Occupy Olympia did not create the problems faced at camp. These are the same problems faced in communities around the country. Occupier Kyle Tanner states, "It's disappointing that the state chooses to continue to sweep the realities of budget cuts under the rug rather than face the systemic inequities." Since the early days of the occupation, Occupy Olympia has provided the community with free medical services, food, and shelter, all of which are needs the state has failed to meet. "While Occupy Olympia has been offering social services, it's important to remember that the Occupy Olympia encampment is, and continues to be, a political encampment. Any attempt to discredit that would be a false representation of what the Occupy movement is all about," states Occupier Owen Prout. Though the future of the physical camp may be uncertain, the community that camp has built will continue to fight the atrocities committed to benefit the 1%.

From the open publishing newswire: We are the front-line workers who haul container rigs full of imported and exported goods to and from the docks and warehouses every day. We have been elected by committees of our co-workers at the Ports of Los Angeles, Long Beach, Oakland, Seattle, Tacoma, New York and New Jersey to tell our collective story. We have accepted the honor to speak up for our brothers and sisters about our working conditions despite the risk of retaliation we face. One of us is a mother, the rest of us fathers. Between the five of us we have 11children and one more baby on the way. We have a combined 46 years of experience driving cargo from our shores for America's stores.

We are inspired that a non-violent democratic movement that insists on basic economic fairness is capturing the hearts and minds of so many working people. Thank you "99 Percenters" for hearing our call for justice. We are humbled and overwhelmed by recent attention. Normally we are invisible. Today's demonstrations will impact us. While we cannot officially speak for every worker who shares our occupation, we can use this opportunity to reveal what it's like to walk a day in our shoes for the 110,000 of us in America whose job it is to be a port truck driver. It may be tempting for media to ask questions about whether we support a shutdown, but there are no easy answers. Instead, we ask you, are you willing to listen and learn why a one-word response is impossible?

 link to cleanandsafeports.org

From the open publishing newswire: We've all seen the recent images of the police brutality against Occupy, but this conduct hasn't occurred overnight. For years, US police abuse has been spiralling upwards, this article sharing a uniquely insightful vision of what that's meant, how it's occurred, and an amazing effort to awake America.

Excerpt: When we see these brutally nightmarish visions of police violence against innocent protesters, we're shocked because we haven't been aware that our police have behaved this way for many years now. Of course, that's also why we see -- despite the video evidence -- some people blaming the Occupy supporters for their own brutalization, refusing to believe that our police could do such harm without good reason. Even worse though, our 'authorities' are well aware of this tendency, and play upon it, i.e., the claims that the UC Davis police felt 'threatened' in an attempt to legitimize the brutal pepper spraying videotaped there.

Attempts to somehow 'demonize the victim' are an old story, and it's far easier to blame most victims than face the far harsher reality of what our society has become, how empty some of the assumptions about our police, about our own safety, are.

Continue Reading: link to www.opednews.com

From the open publishing newswire: At 4:30 a.m. on November 14th, a group of anarchists broke out the windows of the Umpqua Bank at NE 18th and Alberta. Umpqua Bank tries to sell itself as "green" and a "community" bank, and we wanted to shatter that illusion. Umpqua Bank has been known for financing timber giants all over Oregon that are responsible for the destruction of our precious temperate rainforests, and with them the possibility of a livable future.

Alberta Street has been incredibly gentrified in recent years, and Umpqua Bank is a big part of that. Forcing People of Color out of one of the few neighborhoods they were historically allowed to live in is racism, plain and simple.

Repost From:
 http://pugetsoundanarchists.org/node/1090

From the open publishing newswire: On the night of monday the 14th 9 windows of a bank of america where smashed out with rocks. This was a gesture of solidarity for our comrades in oakland and chapel hill. For an indefinite general strike, an occupation of territory and the permanent conflict with the existing order.

repost from:
 http://pugetsoundanarchists.org/node/1097

From the open publishing newswire: Occupy Eugene still serving 800 meals daily and visiting banks too!
Occupy Eugene Protesters Join "National Day of Action." By Desmond O'Boyle (KLCC Radio)

As part of the "National Day of Action" Occupy Eugene demonstrators are rallying against corporate greed today [November 17, 2011]. Protesters marched to Umpqua Bank where they hung a banner protesting the banks alleged involvement with clear cutting. A group remained blocking both entrances. Protesters then marched to U.S. Bank and Wells Fargo where they found both had closed. Signs were posted alerting customers they would remain closed until further notice.

From the open publishing newswire: Please join us at Terry Shrunk Plaza at 9:30 a.m. to open an account in a truly local bank or local credit union. These establishments are ready and waiting for those opening new accounts, with refreshments. Did you know that two-thirds of private bank deposits in the state of Oregon are held by just five Wall Street banks? If you are you still banking with the "too big to fail" banks that crashed our economy, it's time to bring your money home and start banking local. When it comes to moving your money, finding a truly local bank can be hard because so many banks and credit unions use slick marketing campaigns to makes themselves "look local".

However, we've done the research and we've built an online resource called Oregon Banks Local to find out how "local" the banks and credit unions in your neighborhood truly are.

The more people that begin to invest locally here in Oregon, the more of an impact we make on rebuilding Main Street Oregon. Let's start by banking with truly local banks and credits unions.

[ RELATED: Goldman Sachs Declares War on Community Bank, by Greg Palast ]

From the open publishing newswire: Portland Rising Tide, a direct action environmental group confronting the root causes of climate change resurrected the first ever undead zombie army against coal. On Monday October 31st, the zombie army against coal marched from Occupy Portland at 3:00 PM to two Bank of America branches in downtown Portland. One protester, Tim Swenson, was arrested in the protest for allegedly putting red corn syrup on the exterior of the Bank of America on 2nd and Morrison. A spokes-zombie for Portland Rising Tide, David Osborn, stated, "The connections between Bank of America, coal and climate change are too strong to ignore and too devastating to our future to not act against. We call for the immediate release of Tim Swenson and for Bank of America, the true criminal, to be held to account for its actions."

Currently, the cities of Longview and Cherry Point, Washington, are facing proposals to export up to 140 million tons of coal annually. Six other ports across the Northwest are in talks with coal export companies. If constructed, the export terminals will bring up to 26 mile-long trains through the Columbia River gorge, releasing 500 pounds of coal dust per car. Bank of America is the highest lender to coal companies across the nation.

For more information visit: www.portlandrisingtide.org