Hi. Sunday’s kickoff of Ash Grove Summer Concerts ranked well within the top level of anything I’ve ever produced. Bernie Pearl, Berrie Fikes and
It was breath-taking and a wonderful vision for artists and audience of our best hopes for the future. They were that good and we reveled in it. The kids sold $400 in t-shirts, if you need that as a standard. So, for all you who missed Sunday, especially west siders, here’s a chance to share that experience.
Ed
From: Sherman Pearl <shrmpoet@yahoo.com>
Sent: Sun, June 19, 2011 10:51:45 AM
Subject: Get Lit Players at Beyond Baroque
SPECIAL PROGRAM NOTE FROM BEYOND BAROQUE:
Big poetry treat next Saturday, June 25, 7:30 p.m. Special guests at Beyond Baroque will be the Get Lit Players, young poets from inner city schools throughout
Get Lit will perform at Beyond Baroque just before taking their program to
For more on Get Lit: http://www.getlit.org/
* * *
From: The RAIN Newsletter (21-6-11)
http://www.counterpunch.org/swanson06212011.html
Now Will Obama and Congress Listen? -- How US Mayors Passed an Antiwar Resolution
By DAVID SWANSON
David Swanson is a writer in Charlottesville, Va.
CounterPunch June 21, 2011
The U.S. Conference of Mayors has just done something it hasn't done since
Here's a page that organized this: http://www.wardollarshome.org
Activist groups are already taking the opportunity to ask Congress and the President to finally listen to what has, after all, been majority public opinion for a long time.
The President is about to announce whether he will violate his commitment to a significant withdrawal from
Here's the resolution's key language. There are two "resolved clauses." The first reads:
"NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the U.S. Conference of Mayors supports efforts to speed up the ending of these wars; and"
The second was edited and debated on the floor of the conference to read (I think):
"BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the U.S. Conference of Mayors calls on the U.S. President and Congress as soon as strategically possible to bring these war dollars home to meet vital human needs, promote job creation, rebuild our infrastructure, aid municipal and state governments, and develop a new economy based upon renewable, sustainable energy, and reduce the national debt."
Prior to editing, it had read:
"BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the U.S. Conference of Mayors calls on the U.S. Congress to bring these war dollars home to meet vital human needs, promote job creation, rebuild our infrastructure, aid municipal and state governments, and develop a new economy based upon renewable, sustainable energy."
This resolution could have passed in a batch of resolutions without debate, but Mayor Pete Lewis of Auburn, WA, asked that it be pulled, resulting in a debate and vote individually on this resolution.
Lewis expressed horror that such a resolution might have been passed during
Here's how the debate went down on Monday.
11:16 a.m. Pete Lewis speaks first. "I live in a military state." [As opposed to WHAT?] "Making political statements in this forum about the war I do not believe is proper." He equates this with bashing
11:18 Mayor Soglin of
11:21 Mayor John Dickert of Racine, WI, mentions meeting with Mayor of Kabul (the actual mayor of Kabul, not Karzai) and mentions the horrible state of U.S. infrastructure and its low rating. He wants troops cared for at home and wants the resolution passed.
11:23 Mayor Mick Cornett of
11:26 Mayor Randy Hayes of
11:28 Mayor Craig Lowe of Gainesville, FL, says this is a resolution that supports troops by trying to bring them home, this is the only resolution anyone has urged him to vote for, and Vietnam veterans have urged him to vote for it. Vote our consciences, he says.
11:31 Mayor Robert G. Sabonjian of
11:33 Mayor Joy Cooper of
11:34 Mayor Scott Smith of Mesa, AZ, says the headlines in the news will be "Mayors Try to End Wars" even if the resolution is actually about the redirection of spending.
So far so good. Now the changes start:
11:37 Mayor Raul
11:38 Mayor Villaraigosa of
Two whereas clauses are added by the amendment. Roughly, they are:
Whereas every member of USCM and the Americans they rep support our brave men and women in uniform and their families. [EVERY AMERICAN WHO LIVES IN A CITY??? ME???]
Whereas the drawdown of troops should be done in a measured way that does not destabilize the region and can accelerate the transfer of regional authority to local authorities.
11:41 Another mayor claims, and Villaraigosa admits he was just informed, the amendment was not offered in committee.
11:41 Mayor Brown of
11:42 The vicechair of the committee urges passage.
11:42 Another mayor veteran backs the amendment, and with it the resolution.
11:43 Another mayor says support the troops, oppose the wars, get the money home.
11:44 Another mayor wants to add in the president, add "As soon as strategically possible", and add "to reduce the national debt." Amounting to another amendment or three.
11:45 Mayor Michael Nutter of
11:50 The amendment adding the two whereas clauses passes.
11:50 A new amendment is proposed and passed to change the second Resolved clause as above.
11:52 The whole resolution passes.
Now, will Congress or the President listen?
RESEARCH AND INFORMATION NETWORK (RAIN)
Director : Abie Dawjee
tel: 0027 31 2072276. fax: 0866893206.
mobile: 082 352 352 6 e-mail : abie@iafrica.com
No comments:
Post a Comment