Archive: Michael Munk's 2009 Regional
(Oregon & Washington) Messages:

Jan 7-8 David Swanson in Newport, Corvallis by Michael Munk Wed, Dec 30, 2009

Cuba sends back Portland Unitarians by Michael Munk Mon, Dec 28, 2009

Rothstein too kind on Yip Harburg by Michael Munk Sun, Dec 27, 2009

Oregon doc: start over on health care reform by Michael Munk Wed, Dec 23, 2009

Oregon earth activist free after 8 years by Michael Munk Sun, Dec 20, 2009

As this story notes, he was first released "by mistake" in October But finally a Lane Co judge ruled that his 23 year sentence was "too harsh" and he walked out of prison on Dec 16. Oregon prison springs eco-saboteur 'Free' by mistake, then takes him back By Bryan Denson, The Oregonian October 02, 2009, 4:39PM The man who drew the longest prison sentence in U.S. history for eco-sabotage walked out of prison this morning. After years of appeals, Jeffrey M. Luers, known to Eugene's anarchist clan as "Free," was just that. But just as quickly, he was sent back to prison. The Oregon Department of Corrections acknowledged today that it mistakenly allowed Luers to take advantage of a new law, House Bill 3508, which grants reduced sentences for certain classes of inmates. Luers' sentence for arson made him ineligible for early release, said prisons spokeswoman Jennifer Black, in Salem. "It's a mistake we wish hadn't happened," she said. "We're reviewing processes and hoping that it just does not happen again." Luers was released from Columbia River Correctional Institution in Northeast Portland this morning and given 24 hours to check in with his parole officer in Lane County. He checked in this afternoon, where he learned of the error. Authorities took the 30-year-old radical environmentalist back to prison, a rude reversal for those who worked years to get Luers out. The day began with Luers' supporters writing on the Friends of Jeff Luers Web site: "We are still pinching ourselves." Luers' appellate lawyer in Salem, Shawn Wiley, weighed in with an e-mail comment to The Oregonian: "This day is long overdue. Jeff is a kind, thoughtful, intelligent young man, and our community benefits much more from his presence in it rather than behind bars." But their joy was short lived. Luers' saga began in 2001, when Lane County Circuit Judge Lyle Velure sentenced him to 22 years, 8 months in prison after finding him guilty of two crimes in Eugene -- attempting to set fire to a gasoline tanker owned by a petroleum distributor, then firebombing three pickup trucks at a Chevy dealership. The sentence drew gasps because it was by far the stiffest punishment handed to an eco-saboteur in the United States. Across the nation, environmental activists and civil libertarians expressed outrage. At that time, Luers' crimes were paltry compared to those committed by better known eco-saboteurs. Rod Coronado, for instance, who waged a multi-state arson campaign against the fur industry, was sentenced to less than five years in federal prison. After Luers was sent to prison, arsons by underground groups such as the Earth Liberation Front and Animal Liberation Front ceased in Oregon, once a hotbed of environmentally motivated firebombings and vandalism. Law enforcement authorities said Luers' long sentence served as a deterrent to those who might consider setting fire to SUVs, mink ranches or Forest Service installations. In a phone interview from prison in September 2001, Luers told The Oregonian that the gravity of his sentence did not strike him until he lay in a prison bunk one day realizing his parents might die before he is freed. Luers told the newspaper that he set fire to the pickups to protest gas-guzzling vehicles and the disproportionate amount of pollution they belch into the air. He described the arson at Eugene's Romania Chevrolet as a final, desperate act of an environmental crusade that began benignly with letters to politicians, door-to-door work with the Sierra Club and tree sits to prevent logging. "It was an escalation to a level I'd never gone before and I could never live down," Luers told The Oregonian. "At that point, for me, I could no longer say I was an activist. In my mind, I'd taken it to the next level." The Oregon Court of Appeals ruled in February 2007 that Lane County must re-sentence Luers because Velure erred by convicting him of two counts of arson and imposing consecutive prison terms under Oregon's mandatory-minimum sentencing law. Lawyers negotiated an agreement that re-sentenced Luers to 10 years in prison, which would have brought him home this Christmas. Passage of House Bill 3508 this year gave Luers even more good news. He was one of the roughly 2,000 Oregon prisoners to get notice recently that they were eligible for a fractional reduction of their sentence, Black said. For Luers, this meant freedom a few months early. But today's foul-up nixed his freedom. Luers is scheduled for release on Dec. 16. visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

Wu and McDermott only NW votes against war by Michael Munk Fri, Dec 18, 2009

Blumenauer, McDermott 2 of 12 against more Iran sanctions by Michael Munk Wed, Dec 16, 2009

An Oregonian's new comic of Gaza by Michael Munk Mon, Dec 14, 2009

Nonfiction: 'Footnotes in Gaza' By Steve Duin, The Oregonian=20 http://www.oregonlive.com/books/index.ssf/2009/12/nonfiction_footnotes_in= _gaza.html December 12, 2009, 11:00AM View full sizeJoe Sacco"The people were afraid. There was no shouting = there. No screaming." Families look for their relatives after a massacre = in the Gaza Strip in 1956. Joe Sacco, a Portland writer and artist, = investigated the incident in his new book, "Footnotes in Gaza."=20 When Abed El-Aziz El-Rantisi sat quietly and listened to the memories of = the massacre at Khan Younis, he could still hear the screaming and = wailing over the body of his uncle.=20 "I couldn't sleep for many months after that," El-Rantisi told Joe Sacco = three years before the Hamas official was assassinated by an Israeli = missile. "It left a wound in my heart that can never heal.=20 "They planted hatred in our hearts."=20 After spending three months examining the roots of that hatred, and more = than six years getting his graphic thoughts in order, Sacco doubts that = peace will break through the scorched earth of the Gaza Strip.=20 "I hold out less hope now than ever," the Portland cartoonist said.=20 Yet as you quietly make your way through "Footnotes in Gaza: A Graphic = Novel," and the murderous echoes of the Israeli purges at Khan Younis = and Rafah, what hope and optimism remains for journalism and comics.=20 Sacco first became curious about the extraordinary events of November = 1956 when Harper's Magazine enlisted journalist Chris Hedges and Sacco = to report on how Palestinians in Khan Younis were dealing with the = Israeli occupation in 2001.=20 During the Suez Canal Crisis, a United Nations document suggested, the = Israelis killed 275 Palestinians in the camp. Nine days later, Sacco = discovered another 111 Palestinians were killed in Rafah.=20 For young Palestinians who don't have "the luxury of digesting one = tragedy before the next one is upon them," Sacco's curiosity about "the = events of 1956 (was met) with bemusement. What good would tending to = history do them when they were under attack and their homes were being = demolished now?"=20 But Sacco, 49, didn't want all trace of the carnage visited upon those = villages to vanish with raw memories of the survivors. He understood the = killings in Khan Younis and Rafah were mere "footnotes to a sideshow of = a forgotten war."=20 He wanted to raise their profile, if only for the sake of "the = grandchildren and great-grandchildren of refugees who arrived with = nothing and for whom nothing fundamental has changed."=20 "Footnotes to Gaza" is a milestone of comics and journalism. When Sacco = was researching this graphic history in Gaza in 2002, his guide, Abed = Elassouli, would often introduce the cartoonist to potential interviews = by presenting them with a copy of "Palestine," Sacco's first (1991) swan = dive into the Middle East.=20 "When they opened the book," he said, "they got a view of what they were = living." Had his portrait been in prose, Sacco added, "They wouldn't = have gotten what I was doing. Because it was comics, they got it right = away."=20 The experience should be no different for Sacco's American audience.=20 As the United States was gearing up for the war in Iraq -- and Israel = and the Palestinians swapped the lead role in their endless = murder-suicide pact -- Sacco interviewed dozens of the aging = Palestinians who lived through the 1956 massacres.=20 Although he dutifully reports the rationale that Israeli Foreign = Minister Golda Meir forwarded to Dag Hammarskj=F6ld, the U.N. secretary = general -- the United Nations' food depot was "attacked by an unruly = mob," Meir insisted, "and Israel authorities were compelled to take = action to prevent large-scale looting and destruction" -- Sacco's = exhaustive research reaches dramatically different conclusions.=20 One Palestinian after another remembered Israeli troops pulling their = fathers and uncles from their homes on Nov. 10, 1956, lining them up = against the walls of Khan Younis' Mamluk castle, and gunning them down.=20 Two days later, the soldiers ordered all the young males into the = streets of Rafah and marched them down to the local schoolyard, beating = them with baseball bats as they ran the gauntlet into the school, and = shooting any Palestinian who tried to break away.=20 "There was an attempt to screen for Palestinians who were in the = Egyptian Army," Sacco said, "but it also seemed they were trying to = terrorize the military-age male population.=20 "They did terrorize people. Who knows what that spawned in the long = run?"=20 Beyond, of course, a generation of Abed El-Aziz El-Rantisis.=20 Sacco's attention to detail in his drawing and his journalism is = extraordinary. He is, he argues "a newspaperman at heart," in endless = pursuit of "the facts, the definitive version, not a bunch of 'on the = other hands' and 'possibles' or even 'probables.'"=20 And the disdain for "objective journalism" that he acquired at the = University of Oregon is largely rooted in his early exposure to media = coverage of the Middle East conflict.=20 "When I was growing up, the only time Palestine was mentioned on = television was when there was a hijacking, a bombing or a rocket fired = at Israel," Sacco said. "In my mind, I associated Palestine with = terrorism."=20 Gaining a more balanced view of the deep-seated -- and deep-seeded -- = hatred, and the context of the atrocities committed by both sides, = required "a long self-education," Sacco said. "It took reading. It meant = spending time in Europe. Europeans have a more nuanced perspective about = the Palestinians. They don't have the filter of American journalism."=20 Sacco makes no apologies for a viewpoint that is sympathetic to the Gaza = refugees, and no concession that he sacrifices one speck of truth to = that perspective. When the eyewitness testimony is flawed, and a tower = of memories collapses, he is fastidious in negotiating the rubble. When = he hears the ring of trauma, not truth, he closes his notebook.=20 "It's up to us," he writes during one of his evening gut-checks with his = Palestinian guide, "to fill history's glass with as much truthful, = cogent testimony as we can."=20 "Footnotes in Gaza" is energized by Sacco's relentless reporting, = self-deprecating asides ("And thus begins the aggravating mismatch = pitting hapless cartoonist against wily ex-guerrilla,") and the design = sense that he brings to each of its 389 pages. The graphic investigation = provides essential context for the bitterness that keeps Palestinians = and Israelis at one another's throats.=20 And it rescues the terrible events of November 1956 from the "pile of = obscurity" that is the final, silent resting place for the refugees who = lack a champion and a voice.=20 FOOTNOTES IN GAZA=20 Joe Sacco =20 Metropolitan Books=20 $29.95, 389 pages =20 =20 visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

Last international brigades vet in Oregon dies by Michael Munk Sat, Dec 12, 2009

Only one NW Dem stands up against Obama's wars by Michael Munk Mon, Dec 7, 2009

Dec 13; Red Tour of Portland by Michael Munk Sat, Dec 5, 2009

Peace prize for a warmonger by Michael Munk Fri, Dec 4, 2009

Last chance to speak up for realt health reform by Michael Munk Thu, Dec 3, 2009

Almanac singer dies in Portland by Michael Munk Wed, Dec 2, 2009

Fwd: Only Wu and Walden back Obama's war escalation by Michael Munk Tue, Dec 1, 2009

War tax debate begins by Michael Munk Tue, Dec 1, 2009

Wed: PDX, Eugene, Corvallis oppose Obama's wars by Michael Munk Mon, Nov 30, 2009

[ PROGRESSIVE DEMOCRATS OF OREGON ] State affiliate of Progressive Democrats of America Oppose Escalation in Afghanistan! Dear friends , On Tuesday evening President Obama will announce the deployment of tens of thousands of new troops to Afghanistan. Demonstrations against this escalation will be taking place across the country on Wednesday, December 2, 2009. I n Oregon there are demonstrations scheduled Wednesday in Portland, Corvallis and Eugene. Portland: 5:00 p.m., Terry Schrunk Plaza (SW 3rd & Madison, across from Federal Building). More info here Corvallis: 4:00 p.m., Benton County Courthouse (4th St & Monroe). More info here Eugene: 12 noon rally, Wayne Morse Free Speech Plaza, 8th Ave. & Oak St. 4 p.m. peace vigil, Old Federal Bldg, 7th & Pearl St. More info here Progressive Democrats of America opposes the occupation and war in Afghanistan as well as Iraq. PDA calls on the Obama administration to "bring the military home to their families and redirect wasteful military spending to meet human needs at home and abroad." Please attend these events if you can and spread the word. If you know of other anti-escalation events that PD Oregon should publicize, please send information to pdaoregon@igc.org Progressive Democrats of America is a grassroots PAC that works both inside the Democratic Party and outside in movements for peace and justice. Our goal in 2009: Expand progressive influence in Congress as we build on our 2008 electoral successes. PDA's advisory board includes seven members of Congress and activist leaders such as Tom Hayden, Medea Benjamin, Thom Hartmann, Jim Hightower, and Lila Garrett. Join a PDA Issue Organizing Team; learn more here . visit my website www.michaelmunk.comW Progressive Democrats of Oregon State affiliate of Progressive Democrats of America [http://pdamerica.org/] Oppose Escalation in Afghanistan! Dear Michael, On Tuesday evening President Obama will announce the deployment of tens of thousands of new troops to Afghanistan. Demonstrations against this escalation will be taking place across the country on Wednesday, December 2, 2009. In Oregon there are demonstrations scheduled Wednesday in Portland, Corvallis and Eugene. Portland: 5:00 p.m., Terry Schrunk Plaza (SW 3rd & Madison, across from Federal Building). More info here: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/event.php?eid=19275 Corvallis: 4:00 p.m., Benton County Courthouse (4th St & Monroe). More info here: http://oregonprogressivenetwork.org/actions/?id=3581 Eugene: 12 noon rally, Wayne Morse Free Speech Plaza, 8th Ave. & Oak St. 4 p.m. peace vigil, Old Federal Bldg, 7th & Pearl St. More info here: http://oregonprogressivenetwork.org/actions/?id=3579 Progressive Democrats of America opposes the occupation and war in Afghanistan as well as Iraq. PDA calls on the Obama administration to "bring the military home to their families and redirect wasteful military spending to meet human needs at home and abroad." Please attend these events if you can and spread the word. If you know of other anti-escalation events that PD Oregon should publicize, please send information to pdaoregon@igc.org ------ Become a Change makes Change sustaining partner: http://pdamerica.org/articles/misc/2008-01-24-01-07-46-misc.php Progressive Democrats of America is a grassroots PAC that works both inside the Democratic Party and outside in movements for peace and justice. Our goal in 2009: Expand progressive influence in Congress as we build on our 2008 electoral successes. PDA's advisory board includes seven members of Congress and activist leaders such as Tom Hayden, Medea Benjamin, Thom Hartmann, Jim Hightower, and Lila Garrett. More info: http://pdamerica.org Find Chapters: http://pdamerica.org/orgs/findstate.php | Find Local Events: https://www.thedatabank.com/dpg/309/mtglist.asp?formid=meet&mtgview=L Spread the progressive word--Shop PDAstore! https://www.pdamerica.org/pdastore Make http://pdamerica.org your home page! To unsubscribe: http://www.thedatabank.com/smSub.asp?aacwc=37155309561478102353659879122 To view our Privacy Policy: http://pdamerica.org/misc/privacy-policy.php ------=_Part_444319_228858850.1259614543164--

How about a WAR TAX to pay for Obama's wars? by Michael Munk Fri, Nov 27, 2009

Defeat Obama's insurance industry bailout! by Michael Munk Thu, Nov 26, 2009

Wu among 53 Dems denying you Cuba visit by Michael Munk Tue, Nov 17, 2009

Emma Goldman in Oregon by Michael Munk Sun, Nov 15, 2009

=20 November 15, 2009=20 = http://www.oregonlive.com/O/index.ssf/2009/11/oregons_trails_firebrand_em= ma.html Oregon's Trails: Firebrand Emma Goldman left mark in Portland By John Terry, Special to The Oregonian=20 Emma Goldman was in no way someone that Portland's early 20th-century = patricians could embrace or even tolerate.=20 Library of CongressEmma GoldmanEach time the most outspoken anarchist in = America -- perhaps the world -- graced the Rose City, she inflamed local = moralists to the boiling point.=20 Goldman, after all, advocated aggression to strip society of = governmental encumbrances and capitalism. She practiced free love; = railed against oppression of the poor; defended workers rights; and = preached female equality, birth control and abortion. She rallied = against World WarI draft laws and opposed all war as unnecessary and = destructive.=20 The self-educated product of an abusive Russian/German home, she came to = the United States in December 1885 and soon cultivated credentials as a = revolutionary firebrand. She first visited Portland in May 1908 at age = 49. Despite her 4-foot-10, 120-pound frame, she was by all reports an = awesome presence.=20 Goldman proved a perfect fit for Portland's radical element, which = included communist sympathizers John Reed and Louise Bryant, avant-garde = artists Carl and Helen Walters, Dr. Marie Equi and errant lawyer Charles = Erskine Scott Wood, among others.=20 Historian Michael Munk, author of 2007's "The Portland Red Guide," = suggests it may have been a Goldman lecture that brought together Reed = and Bryant, later famous for their roles in the Russian Revolution. = Nonetheless, "the outcry against (Goldman) was overwhelming," Robert = Hamburger wrote in his 1998 biography of Wood, "Two Rooms: The Life of = Charles Erskine Scott Wood."=20 Wood, attorney for some of Portland's most moneyed residents, was solid = with the establishment. But at heart, he was bohemian and anarchist.=20 When the YMCA and the Arion Society reneged on contracts to rent Goldman = halls for her lectures, Wood "denounced the YMCA and took the press to = task for misrepresenting her as an advocate of guns and bombs and = violence," Hamburger wrote.=20 Goldman tried to calm fidgety locals. "Do not be alarmed," she told a = reporter for The Oregonian. "I have no dynamite in my pocket. ... = Education is the only bomb sanctioned by true anarchism, which stands = for freedom in the truest and highest sense."=20 Wood found Goldman a hall and introduced her at her first lecture. = Goldman continued to visit Portland.=20 In July 1914, "as usual, she showed up with no money," Hamburger wrote. = "She counted on Wood to look after her, to pay the advance on her hall, = to pay for advertising fliers and to use his influence to publicize her = talks. Emma expected Wood's indulgence. Wood understood. Though she = sometimes irritated him, he continued to support her with affectionate = loyalty and bemused forbearance."=20 Munk says Goldman viewed Wood "as not quite radical enough but a big = help in setting up her Portland lectures."=20 On Aug. 6, 1915, Goldman took the stage at Turn Verein Hall at Southwest = Fourth and Yamhill to speak on "Birth Control: How and Why Small = Families Are Best." A plainclothes officer interrupted with a warrant = charging her with distribution of immoral circulars.=20 "Wood presented himself as her attorney and insisted the officer read = the warrant aloud to the audience," Hamburger wrote. "Then Emma = surrendered to the officer, descending the stage to a rousing cheer from = the crowd."=20 The next day, Goldman and fellow activist Dr. Ben Reitman were charged = with dispensing "literature of an illegal character." Wood mounted a = spirited defense, arguing that the issue was not salacious material but = free speech. Goldman and Reitman were found guilty and fined $100.=20 Wood appealed in Multnomah County Circuit Court. On Aug. 13, Judge = William N. Gatens ruled in Goldman's favor.=20 "The trouble with our people today is that there is too much prudery," = the judge said. "We are all shocked by many things publicly stated that = we know privately to ourselves, but we haven't got the nerve to get up = and admit it."=20 In 1917, Goldman and fellow anarchist/longtime paramour Alexander = Berkman were arrested in New York and convicted of conspiracy against = the U.S. Selective Service Act. They served two years in federal prison = and were deported to Russia. =20 Disillusioned by the cruelty of the Soviet regime, Goldman retreated = first to France then to Canada and continued to preach pacifist anarchy. = She was granted one visa to lecture in the United States but never again = visited Portland. She died of a stroke on May 14, 1940.=20 -- John Terry=20 visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

Oregon congressional delegation on AfPak war by Michael Munk Wed, Nov 11, 2009

The Big O reported today = http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/11/oregon_lawmakers_weigh_i= n_on_a.html written opinions of Oregon's congressional delegation about = whether Obama should escalate the AfPak war for the second time.Here are = the bolltom lines: Sen. Ron Wyden: "The president has a big hill to climb to convince me we = ought to send more troops."=20 Sen. Jeff Merkley: " I have major reservations about our current = strategy...I am going to be asking the Obama administration a lot of = questions.".=20 Rep. David Wu, 1st District : I would support what McChrystal and the = president decide going forward. This is not a popular position in = Oregon. Oregon is anti-war, and we all should be. .. (But) the = methodology (McChrystal) laid out sounds like a reasonable set of = approaches to go forward." Rep. Greg Walden, 2nd district :" The president needs to clearly define = the mission and provide the necessary resources for that mission and our = troops to succeed."=20 Rep. Earl Blumenauer, 3rd District: "I have concerns about committing = more U.S. troops. I am deeply skeptical that a military solution is what = is called for or even possible."=20 Rep. Peter DeFazio, 4th district: "I think it would be a mistake to add = a bunch more troops. " Rep. Kurt Schrader, 5th district: "I am opposed to a military strategy = that includes an increase in troops deployed to Afghanistan"=20 Perhaps the lack of enthusiasm showed by the delegation may be reflected = in this report=20 Official: Obama wants his war options changed http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091112/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_us_afghanistan=20 visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

Big O ignores; Al-Jazeera cover Oregon war protest by Michael Munk Tue, Nov 10, 2009

From: MichaelP November 10, 2009 VIA Gerry = Cavanaugh =20 Oregon war protest gets international coverage=20 = http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2009/11/20091110191657129146.h= tml If your computer is video-capable he above link leads you to a YOUTUBE = video clip of the 8hyrlong daily antiwar vigil outside the courthouse in = Corvallis, Oregon =3D=3D the place I live. Michael The future of American troops in Afghanistan is again in the headlines = in the US amid reports that Barack Obama, the president, has made up his = mind about future troop levels there. Despite speculation in US media, the White House is strongly denying = that Obama has decided to send as many as 40,000 more troops to = Afghanistan. As Washington considers its next move in Afghanistan, protesters in a = small US town are continuing an anti-war vigil they began eight years = ago. Sebastian Walker reports on the demonstration against the war in = Afghanistan from the western US state of Oregon.

Why false health reform passed the House. by Michael Munk Sun, Nov 8, 2009

Weiner caves to Obama, Pelosi, Waxman! by Michael Munk Sat, Nov 7, 2009

Only Schrader suppresses discussion of UN war crimes report by Michael Munk Wed, Nov 4, 2009

The AIPAC denunciation (HR 836) of the UN war crimes report passed the House 344-36 with 22 voting "present" ( a mild protest) and 30 not voting. The only Oregon Dem to support this despicable resolution was the Blue Dog wantabe Schrader. Baird and Blumenauer ruighteously stood up against it, while DeFazio and Wu voted "present." Voting NO were: Baird Baldwin Blumenauer Boustany Capps Carson (IN) Clarke Clay Davis (KY) Dingell Doggett Edwards (MD) Ellison Filner Grijalva Hinchey Johnson, E. B. Kilpatrick (MI) Kucinich Lee (CA) Lynch McCollum McDermott McGovern Miller, George Moran (VA) Olver Pastor (AZ) Paul Price (NC) Rahall Snyder Stark Waters Watt Woolsey ---- ANSWERED "PRESENT" 22 --- Becerra Cooper Dahlkemper DeFazio Delahunt Duncan Eshoo Farr Heinrich Hirono Honda Johnson (GA) Jones Kaptur Loebsack Lofgren, Zoe Luján Obey Speier Tierney Welch Wu ---- NOT VOTING 30 --- Abercrombie Ackerman Bachmann Barrett (SC) Boucher Brady (PA) Capuano Conyers Davis (AL) Davis (TN) Deal (GA) Gordon (TN) Gutierrez Hall (NY) Holt Meeks (NY) Murphy, Patrick Nunes Pallone Pascrell Payne Pingree (ME) Price (GA) Sánchez, Linda T. Sires Souder Stupak Towns Velázquez Wamp -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

Baird defends discussion of Goldstone war crimes report by Michael Munk Mon, Nov 2, 2009

Does your Rep oppose discussion of the UN war crimes report? by Michael Munk Sat, Oct 31, 2009

Nov 13-14: Centralia Commenmoration by Michael Munk Fri, Oct 30, 2009

A COMMEMMORATION OF THE CENTRALIA TRAGEDY OF 1919 On November 13 and 14 at Centralia College, there will be a commemoration of the Centralia Tragedy of 1919, a major event in labor history in which four Legionnaires and one member of the Industrial Workers of the World lost their lives. Lewis County residents, members of the Pacific Northwest Labor History Association, staff and faculty from Centralia College and The Evergreen State College, and rank-and-file union workers are organizing the commemoration. The year 2009 is an anniversary year for several significant labor events: the Centralia Tragedy in 1919, the Spokane Free Speech fight in 1909, the Seattle General Strike in 1919, the West Coast Waterfront Strike in 1934, and the World Trade Organization demonstrations in 1999. Commemorations of all these events have been or are being organized in several locations around Washington State. While it long remained a painful event that community members were reluctant to discuss, this began to change in 1997 with the creation of a mural, "The Resurrection of Wesley Everest," on the side of a former Elks Lodge. The making of the mural is one of the subjects of Anne Fischel's documentary film, "Lewis County: Hope and Struggle." The film also examines the events of 1919 and interviews community residents about economic changes in Lewis County since that time. "Lewis County: Hope and Struggle" will be screened at Corbet Hall at Centralia Community College on Friday, November 13, at 7:00 p.m. as the kick-off for the commemoration. Also shown will be a trailer for "The Forgotten: Armistice Day 1919," an upcoming film by Michael Duffy. The screening will be preceded by a music performance from folk legend Mark Ross and followed by a discussion, and is free to the public. Events continue at 10:00 am on Saturday, November 14, with several workshops and panels that bring relevance to today's labor and workplace issues. Subjects include jobs in the woods, organizing in retail jobs, the I.W.W. today, excerpts of Ursula Richards-Coppola's forthcoming feature-length film, "The Ghost of Hangman's Bridge," and music of the labor movement. Guests leading the panels include author and historian Sandy Polishuk, Gary Lyle of the United Food and Commercial Workers, Steve Fluke and Bill Street of the International Association of Machinists, Chip Elliott of the Industrial Woodworkers of America, Josh Simpson of Iraq Vets Against The War, musicians Brendan Phillips and Mark Ross, and labor historian Aaron Goings. The workshops will be held at Washington Hall on the Centralia College campus, followed by a 1:30 p.m. walking tour of historic Centralia Tragedy sites. The day will conclude with a visit to Wesley Everest's gravesite, located in the pauper's section of the local cemetery. All events are free to the public and no registration is necessary. Mark Ross and Brendan Phillips will perform in Olympia at the Alexander Berkman Collective at 8:00 p.m. as a fundraiser for local-area I.W.W. members. For more information contact Brendan Maslauskas Dunn at maslauskas84@gmail.com For more information on the commemoration, contact Peter Kardas, Director of The Evergreen State College Labor Center, at 360-867-6526 or kardasp@evergreen.edu visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

Nov. 8: Willamette Reds Event in Salem by Michael Munk Wed, Oct 28, 2009

Progressive Portland: White Flight: in disguise? by Michael Munk Tue, Oct 27, 2009

The White City=20 by Aaron M. Renn 10/18/2009=20 Aaron M. Renn is an independent writer on urban affairs based in the = Midwest. His writings appear at The Urbanophile. Among the media, academia and within planning circles, there's a = generally standing answer to the question of what cities are the best, = the most progressive and best role models for small and mid-sized = cities. The standard list includes Portland, Seattle, Austin, = Minneapolis, and Denver. In particular, Portland is held up as a = paradigm, with its urban growth boundary, extensive transit system, = excellent cycling culture, and a pro-density policy. These cities are = frequently contrasted with those of the Rust Belt and South, which are = found wanting, often even by locals, as "cool" urban places. But look closely at these exemplars and a curious fact emerges. If you = take away the dominant Tier One cities like New York, Chicago and Los = Angeles you will find that the "progressive" cities aren't red or blue, = but another color entirely: white.=20 In fact, not one of these "progressive" cities even reaches the national = average for African American percentage population in its core county. = Perhaps not progressiveness but whiteness is the defining characteristic = of the group.=20 The progressive paragon of Portland is the whitest on the list, with an = African American population less than half the national average. It is = America's ultimate White City. The contrast with other, supposedly less = advanced cities is stark. . This raises troubling questions about these cities. Why is it that = progressivism in smaller metros is so often associated with low numbers = of African Americans? Can you have a progressive city properly so-called = with only a disproportionate handful of African Americans in it? In = addition, why has no one called these cities on it? As the college educated flock to these progressive El Dorados, many = factors are cited as reasons: transit systems, density, bike lanes, = walkable communities, robust art and cultural scenes. But another way to = look at it is simply as White Flight writ large. Why move to the suburbs = of your stodgy Midwest city to escape African Americans and get = criticized for it when you can move to Portland and actually be praised = as progressive, urban and hip? Many of the policies of Portland are not = that dissimilar from those of upscale suburbs in their effects. Urban = growth boundaries and other mechanisms raise land prices and render = housing less affordable exactly the same as large lot zoning and = building codes that mandate brick and other expensive materials do. They = both contribute to reducing housing affordability for historically = disadvantaged communities. Just like the most exclusive suburbs. This lack of racial diversity helps explain why urban boosters focus = increasingly on international immigration as a diversity measure. = Minneapolis, Portland and Austin do have more foreign born than African = Americans, and do better than Rust Belt cities on that metric, but = that's a low hurdle to jump. They lack the diversity of a Miami, = Houston, Los Angeles or a host of other unheralded towns from the Texas = border to Las Vegas and Orlando. They even have far fewer foreign born = residents than many suburban counties of America's major cities. The relative lack of diversity in places like Portland raises some tough = questions the perennially PC urban boosters might not want to answer. = For example, how can a city define itself as diverse or progressive = while lacking in African Americans, the traditional sine qua non of = diversity, and often in immigrants as well? Imagine a large corporation with a workforce whose African American = percentage far lagged its industry peers, sans any apparent concern, and = without a credible action plan to remediate it. Would such a corporation = be viewed as a progressive firm and employer? The answer is obvious. Yet = the same situation in major cities yields a different answer. Curious. In fact, lack of ethnic diversity may have much to do with what allows = these places to be "progressive". It's easy to have Scandinavian = policies if you have Scandinavian demographics. Minneapolis-St. Paul, of = course, is notable in its Scandinavian heritage; Seattle and Portland = received much of their initial migrants from the northern tier of = America, which has always been heavily Germanic and Scandinavian.=20 In comparison to the great cities of the Rust Belt, the Northeast, = California and Texas, these cities have relatively homogenous = populations. Lack of diversity in culture makes it far easier to = implement "progressive" policies that cater to populations with similar = values; much the same can be seen in such celebrated urban model = cultures in the Netherlands and Scandinavia. Their relative wealth also = leads to a natural adoption of the default strategy of the upscale = suburb: the nicest stuff for the people with the most money. It is much = more difficult when you have more racially and economically diverse = populations with different needs, interests, and desires to reconcile. In contrast, the starker part of racial history in America has been one = of the defining elements of the history of the cities of the Northeast, = Midwest, and South. Slavery and Jim Crow led to the Great Migration to = the industrial North, which broke the old ethnic machine urban consensus = there. Civil rights struggles, fair housing, affirmative action, school = integration and busing, riots, red lining, block busting, public = housing, the emergence of black political leaders - especially mayors - = prompted white flight and the associated disinvestment, leading to the = decline of urban schools and neighborhoods.=20 There's a long, depressing history here. In Texas, California, and south Florida a somewhat similar, if less = stark, pattern has occurred with largely Latino immigration. This can be = seen in the evolution of Miami, Los Angeles, and increasingly Houston, = San Antonio and Dallas. Just like African-Americans, Latino immigrants = also are disproportionately poor and often have different site = priorities and sensibilities than upscale whites. This may explain why most of the smaller cities of the Midwest and South = have not proven amenable to replicating the policies of Portland. Most = Midwest advocates of, for example, rail transit, have tried to simply = transplant the Portland solution to their city without thinking about = the local context in terms of system goals and design, and how to sell = it. Civic leaders in city after city duly make their pilgrimage to = Denver or Portland to check out shiny new transit systems, but the = resulting videos of smiling yuppies and happy hipsters are not likely to = impress anyone over at the local NAACP or in the barrios. We are seeing this script played out in Cincinnati presently, where an = odd coalition of African Americans and anti-tax Republicans has formed = to try to stop a streetcar system. Streetcar advocates imported = Portland's solution and arguments to Cincinnati without thinking hard = enough to make the case for how it would benefit the whole community. That's not to let these other cities off the hook. Most of them have let = their urban cores decay. Almost without exception, they have done = nothing to engage with their African American populations. If people = really believe what they say about diversity being a source of strength, = why not act like it? I believe that cities that start taking their = African American and other minority communities seriously, seeing them = as a pillar of civic growth, will reap big dividends and distinguish = themselves in the marketplace. This trail has been blazed not by the "progressive" paragons but by = places like Atlanta, Dallas and Houston. Atlanta, long known as one of = America's premier African American cities, has boomed to become the = capital of the New South. It should come as no surprise that good for = African Americans has meant good for whites too. Similarly, Houston took = in tens of thousands of mostly poor and overwhelmingly African American = refugees from Hurricane Katrina. Houston, a booming metro and emerging = world city, rolled out the welcome mat for them - and for Latinos, = Asians and other newcomers. They see these people as possessing talent = worth having.=20 This history and resulting political dynamic could not be more different = from what happened in Portland and its "progressive" brethren. These = cities have never been black, and may never be predominately Latino. = Perhaps they cannot be blamed for this but they certainly should not be = self-congratulatory about it or feel superior about the urban policies a = lack of diversity has enabled. visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

Where Oregon Dems stand on Afghan war escalation by Michael Munk Sat, Oct 24, 2009

If it matters to Oregon, read the NYTimes by Michael Munk Sat, Oct 17, 2009

.Frustrated Liberal Lawmaker Balances Beliefs and Politics By CARL HULSE New York Times: October 18, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/18/us/politics/18liberal.html?_r=1&hp WASHINGTON - Representative Earl Blumenauer should be experiencing the most fulfilling days of his more than 35 years in public service. The liberal Democrat from Portland, Ore. - known for his bowties, his Trek bicycle and a pragmatic brand of progressivism - embraced Barack Obama's presidential candidacy early in 2008 and campaigned hard alongside him, steadily gaining confidence that the young senator from Illinois was the ideal liberal remedy to eight years of conservative dominance. Now political reality has set in, testing Mr. Blumenauer's faith that Mr. Obama's election and big Democratic majorities in Congress would yield quick advances in the progressive agenda. Instead of forging ahead, Mr. Blumenauer, 61, finds himself fighting to retain one of the touchstones for liberals this year, a public insurance option in the health care overhaul, and is watching his hopes of curbing global warming grow cold in the Senate. Mr. Blumenauer, a seven-term congressman, is bracing for a tough vote on sending more troops to Afghanistan while he frets about the detention facility at Guantánamo Bay remaining open. "It has been a hard landing for a lot of the people that I represent," Mr. Blumenauer, referring to his largely liberal constituency, said as he assessed the first months of the Obama administration. As health care legislation moves to the floor with other major issues close behind, the question for Mr. Blumenauer and those who share his ideology will be whether they relent on some of their core beliefs to support less satisfying compromises, despite being in what, on the surface, is a commanding political position. "It is still something that I am struggling with," he said. Mr. Blumenauer is just one example of what might be called the Frustrated Left, a substantial caucus of Congressional Democrats who dreamed that Mr. Obama would usher in a new era of liberal problem-solving only to see Congress and the new administration collide with the old problems of partisanship, internal disagreement and the challenge of mustering 60 votes to get just about anything done in the Senate. While Congressional leaders try to appease moderate and conservative Democrats who can provide the crucial votes for passage, more liberal Democrats from safer districts sometimes simmer, feeling that they are being taken for granted while it is assumed they will get on board when the time comes. On health care, Democrats are growing more optimistic that they can find a compromise approach to creating a government-run insurer to compete with the private sector - an issue that as much as any other has split the party's liberals and moderates - even as progressive voices outside of Congress insist that there be no compromise. "The fact is that Earl Blumenauer could stop a bill going through that does not have a public option in it," said Jane Hamsher, founder of the progressive blog firedoglake.com. "Is it his loyalty to the party, partisan politics over principle? We are going to get to see that." Mr. Blumenauer strongly favors a public option and in late July was one of more than 60 Democrats who signed a letter to the leadership saying that, essentially, they would not back a final bill without an acceptable public plan. But on health care - as on other domestic issues, global warming and foreign policy - he must weigh whether it makes more sense to take what he can get as opposed to standing firm and perhaps seeing the overall effort collapse. "It would be very hard for me to do," Mr. Blumenauer said of voting for a final health care overhaul without a public plan. "But if it gets to the point where the choice is doing some things that will make a significant difference without a public option or letting the whole thing die, that too would be hard." Mr. Blumenauer got on board early with Mr. Obama after concluding that he offered the chance for a more decisive change in course than Hillary Rodham Clinton could provide. He first met Mr. Obama at the 2004 Democratic convention in Boston and endorsed him in late January 2008. "There was something going on here, this guy has got some real capacity being able to, I think, connect, communicate," remembered Mr. Blumenauer. Mr. Obama won Oregon and Mr. Blumenauer's district going away, setting sky-high expectations among his followers in the Pacific Northwest. Mr. Blumenauer, a member of the tax-writing and climate change committees with a devotion to trying to improve the livability of American cities, said he did not think Mr. Obama had shifted his ideological stance since his election and did not blame the president for the problems slowing the liberal agenda. He said he saw a combination of factors - the troubled economy, the sheer scope of the nation's problems and an unexpected level of Republican opposition - as the culprits. "The combination of the economic shock and frankly the political upset and outrage has changed the landscape," Mr. Blumenauer said. "The Barack Obama that I campaigned with is pretty much the same guy. But it is an environment that is unprecedented and would press anyone's skills." Back home, Mr. Blumenauer said his constituents had shown patience with the pace of things, partly, he suggested, because they were so disenchanted with the Bush administration. Activists and pollsters in Oregon said that they agreed but that the patience of Mr. Blumenauer's liberal base was not unlimited. "I think people realize you can't do everything precisely all at once," said Steve Novick, a Democratic advocate in Portland who lost a Senate bid in 2008. Senator Ron Wyden, whose move to the Senate opened up the House seat for Mr. Blumenauer in 1996, said Oregon residents grasped the complexity of the problems facing the country. "Look at what is coming at us: Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran," he said. "There is a sense that there is going to be a lot of heavy lifting, but people want to stay at it until it happens." Even with his frustrations, Mr. Blumenauer said that having a Democratic administration had paid tangible benefits. The secretaries of the housing and transportation departments have visited Portland, and he recently hosted Lisa P. Jackson, the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, in his office. "They want to be a partner on the cleanup rather than ignoring it," he said, referring to environmental cleanup projects in his state. And though some of his preferred legislative approaches might be stalled or fall victim to compromise, Mr. Blumenauer said he believed that Mr. Obama and the Democratic majorities in Congress would ultimately be successful in advancing a liberal agenda on the major issues. "We are going to be working on climate, on health care, on the economy for every minute of the next two Congresses and beyond," he said. "Will the public be patient enough? Will the political process hold together? "This is not going to be easy," he said, "but I think we are seeing a process that makes me actually optimistic, even though it is not exactly like I would have liked." visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

Blumenauer to vote for single payer by Michael Munk Fri, Oct 16, 2009

Oregon's socialist beaches by Michael Munk Wed, Oct 14, 2009

To the editor The Oregonian Oct. 14, 2009 http://blog.oregonlive.com/myoregon/2009/10/letters_to_the_editor_remove_t.html Socialist beaches I just returned from a fabulous two days in Neskowin and had this thought. A huge "socialist experiment" has been going on in Oregon for many decades. All Oregonians -- and visitors of all stripes -- relish an opportunity to use it and promote it. It's the beaches of the Oregon Coast. All owned by the people -- no private beaches. Many private businesses depend on the dynamics of the public good (free access) and their own entrepreneurship. Come and enjoy the partnership of public and private effort. RICHARD WHITE Northwest Portland visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

If you want real health reform, act now! by Michael Munk Wed, Oct 14, 2009

Oct 18: Jeff Kovac in Corvallis by Michael Munk Mon, Oct 12, 2009

Oct 15: Casacde Locks CO camp author at Hood River by Michael Munk Sun, Oct 11, 2009

Jeffrey Kovac, a graduate of Sunset High School and Reed College ['70] , = is a professor of chemistry at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, = and the author of "Refusing War, Affirming Peace: A History of Civilian = Public Service Camp #21 at Cascade Locks" (Oregon State University = Press, $21.95 paperback, 192 pages). He will discuss his book at 7 p.m. = Thursday at the Hood River County Library Meeting Room and at 7:30 p.m. = Friday at Powell's City of Books in Portland.=20 WWII pacifists served, too, in Oregon=20 By Jeffrey Kovac=20 The Oregonian October 11, 2009 http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2009/10/wwii_pacifists_served= _too_in_o.html Lewis & Clark College Digital CollectionsUnidentified members of = Civilian Public Service Camp #21 construct a rock wall at the Cascade = Locks Ranger Station. =20 =20 By JEFFREY KOVAC=20 =20 Largely overlooked and unmentioned in the discussion of America's = military entanglements in Iraq and Afghanistan is the story of some = 12,000 conscientious objectors who refused to fight in World War II and = instead performed free labor in Civilian Public Service camps across the = United States.=20 Motivated primarily by their religious beliefs, these men at 152 camps, = including eight sites in Oregon, worked in areas such as soil = conservation, forestry, firefighting, agriculture, social services and = mental and public health. Some served as subjects in a variety of = medical experiments.=20 The Civilian Public Service program operated from 1941 to 1947 and = provided a unique structure for COs to do "work of national importance = under civilian direction" as an alternative to military service. You = might find a conservative Mennonite from the Midwest bunking next to a = Harvard Ph.D. Collectively, however, these men stood fast to their = pacifist principles even in the face of widespread criticism.=20 =20 View full sizeCPS was an uneasy compromise between conscientious = objectors and the government during a popular war. As a country built on = the principles of religious and personal freedom, the United States has = always been a haven for dissenters, including those opposed to war for = religious, moral or political reasons. Yet, during times of war, there = is a natural tendency to close ranks behind the military, to support the = troops.=20 The emergence of the CPS program as a partnership between the federal = government and historic peace churches that ran many of the camps seems = all the more remarkable, given the spectrum of alternatives that COs = have faced during past wars, ranging from jail time to draft dodging. = Uncle Sam accepted that these men had a moral objection to military = service but at the same time let it be known they still had a duty to = serve their country.=20 One of the most notable CPS camps was right here in Oregon in the = Columbia Gorge. On Dec. 5, 1941, two days before Pearl Harbor, 71 = conscientious objectors, nearly all from California, arrived by train at = CPS Camp #21 at Cascade Locks to begin their alternative service, = expecting to serve for a year.=20 View full sizeAfter the U.S. entered the war, their term of service = became the duration of the war plus six months, the same as those in the = military. Eventually, the camp, which was actually seven miles east in = Wyeth, housed nearly 200 men, who, despite long hours of physical labor = on work projects for the Forest Service, were able to build a vibrant = pacifist community that came to be known as the "Athens of CPS." About = 550 men spent some time at Cascade Locks during the war.=20 Under the leadership of camp director the Rev. Mark Y. Schrock, a young = Church of the Brethren minister from Indiana, the COs developed a strong = educational program that included a systematic attempt to create a = philosophy and strategy for building a postwar pacifist world, a project = called the School of Pacifist Living. They also nurtured the arts = through concerts, plays and the publication of a literary magazine, The = Illiterati.=20 As World War II progressed, some combatants employed tactics that were = morally questionable, yet few civilians in the United States objected. = The men of CPS #21, however, showed remarkable moral courage both in = withstanding enormous pressure to join the military, and then taking = strong public stands against the more extreme tactics used during the = war.=20 The removal and incarceration of persons of Japanese ancestry, both = citizens and noncitizens, along the West Coast, provoked a protest among = the men at Cascade Locks. Specifically, they objected to the attempt by = the War Relocation Authority to remove George Kyoshi Yamada, a = California college student and Japanese American CO, and send him to an = incarceration camp.=20 Schrock wrote letters to his superiors on the church's Brethren Service = Committee and to the U.S. Selective Service, stating that he would not = sign Yamada's discharge papers because in doing so he would be = "participating in what fair minded men of today and all future ages must = see as a crime and an insane inhumanity to man."=20 The COs wrote their own letter, signed by Camp President Charles Davis, = himself a recent college graduate who later served twice as Oregon's = public utility commissioner, in which they expressed their willingness = to engage in nonviolent direct action to prevent Yamada's removal from = camp. The War Relocation Authority ultimately reconsidered and allowed = Yamada to remain in CPS, although it reassigned him to an inland camp at = Colorado Springs, Colo.=20 In publishing a literary magazine, the COs directly raised the question = of the importance of art for pacifism. Their answer was that it was = important for the pacifist to "present his philosophy to the haunters of = libraries, concerts and galleries."=20 Mainly a poetry magazine, The Illiterati included the early work of = William Stafford, who would later become Oregon's poet laureate. The = Illiterati and the other artistic efforts were attempts by those with = creative impulses to make sense of both the war and their own situation = in CPS.=20 The destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, by atomic bombs = outraged the men at Cascade Locks, who immediately formed a group to = study the issue of atrocity bombing and began to send telegrams and = letters to pacifist leaders around the country. The bombings effectively = ended the war, but many COs continued their efforts and became = anti-nuclear activists during the 1950s.=20 The story of CPS #21 shows that even in a time of war it is possible to = follow the dictates of conscience and take a positive stand for peace. = Regarded as unpatriotic cowards by the public, the COs served their = country, even as they continually looked for ways to make the world a = better place by objecting to actions and policies that they felt were = immoral.=20 visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

Oct 16: new book on Cascade Locks CO camp by Michael Munk Sun, Oct 11, 2009

Jeff Kovac introduces his new book, "Refusing War, Affirming Peace: A History of Civilian Public Service Camp #21 at Cascade Locks " at the main Powell's on Burnside on October 16 (Friday) at 7:30 PM. The camp in the Columbia Gorge held C.O.'during World War II. Jeff jkovac@utk.edu is professor of chemistry at the U. of Tennessee visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

Oct 15: Civil disobedience for single payer in Medford, Eugene? by Michael Munk Sat, Oct 10, 2009

Dorothea Lange exhibit open in Portland by Michael Munk Wed, Oct 7, 2009

Portland State University Daily Vanguard=20 October 7, 2009 Dorothea Lange in Oregon The Littman Gallery reveals a treasure trove of the photographer's = rarely seen work shot in Oregon By Joel Gaddis, Vanguard Staff =20 photo courtesy of Oregon Cultural Heritage Commission=20 Dorthea Lange:The iconic female photographer had a knack for capturing = candid reflections of day to day life during the Depression.=20 A man on horseback holds a child, his face obscured by shadows. In the = background, we see a woman standing beside a ramshackle tent, staring = off into the distance. All around them, a landscape of open plains and = scrub brush stretches out, seemingly infinite. This is a snapshot of the = Fairbanks family, taken in Malheur County, Ore., during the 1930s. The = woman behind the camera was Dorothea Lange, a photographer whose iconic = images have come to define our understanding of the Great Depression. = Throughout October and November, the Littman Gallery will be hosting = Dorothea Lange in Oregon: 1939 Farm Security Administration Photos, an = exhibition commemorating Lange's work in the region that is rarely = displayed. Born in 1895 in Hoboken, N.J., Lange developed a passion for = photography at an early age. After a series of classes and internships, = she eventually opened her own photo studio in San Francisco. It was = here, amid the onset of the Depression, where Lange looked to the = streets and used her camera to capture the widespread dejection of a = working class without work.=20 Photographs such as "White Angel Bread Line," which depicted a group of = unemployed men waiting for food, illustrated Lange's aptitude for = distilling the human condition with striking and poignant intensity. = This skill did not go unnoticed and, in 1935, she was commissioned as a = field photographer for the Resettlement Administration (later called the = Farm Security Administration, or FSA). This was a program enacted by = President Franklin D. Roosevelt with the aim of improving conditions for = farmers and migrant workers. Lange's task was to document firsthand the = ameliorative effects of the FSA's efforts. In 1939, her work with the = FSA brought her to Oregon, where she produced the images that comprise = the Littman Gallery display. =20 This will be the first time that the photographs have been displayed in = a gallery setting, as they were previously only available through the = Library of Congress. According to Linda Gordon, author and professor of = history at New York University, the relative invisibility of Lange's = Oregon photography was what prompted her to get involved with the Lange = project.=20 Gordon recently completed a biography of Lange's life and will be = providing an introductory speech for the exhibition. She will also be = giving a presentation on Lange's 1940s-era photographs documenting the = internment of Japanese-Americans on Friday, Oct. 9 at Reed College.=20 "Lange was really the first person who showed that it was possible to = create documentary photography that was simultaneously great art," said = Gordon. "The political impact was greater because of the quality of her = photos." Gordon attests that Lange's work helped bolster support for = Roosevelt's New Deal. =20 Yet, in spite of their great significance, the photos that Lange took in = Oregon-a total of over 500 images-have remained in relative obscurity = for some time. Organizations such as the Oregon Cultural Heritage = Commission and PSU Friends of History are now helping to bring a number = of these important cultural documents back into the light.=20 It hasn't been easy. For the last eight years, Michael Munk, historian = and member of the OCHC, has been trying to foster interest in a showing = of Lange's pictures of the Pacific Northwest. Munk claims he had no idea = that Lange had photographed in the area until he stumbled upon a shot = she had taken along an Oregon highway. Inspired by this discovery, he = became dedicated to bringing wider attention to this little known = treasure trove of local history.=20 For a while, Munk and the OCHC were unable to drum up enough support to = launch an exhibition. Munk says he was "perplexed by the unenthusiastic = response," but persevered in his efforts.=20 With financial backing and the assistance of photographer Rick Regan, = who has made high-quality prints of the photos from the Library of = Congress' digital archives, the project has finally come to fruition. = David Milholland, president of OCHC, is thrilled to be unveiling the = pictures. He believes they provide a valuable window into a past that = may seem distant to the postwar generation, but has a great deal of = relevance to contemporary society. On Oct. 10, a series of speakers will = present dramatic renditions of Lange's notes, accompanied by a slide = show presentation of the related pictures. The event will even include = popular music from the Depression era to create authentic ambience.=20 David Horowitz, a history professor at Portland State who helped = organize the workshop, will be taking part in the dramatic readings. = Horowitz discovered Lange through his studies of populism and forms of = expressive culture in the 1930s, and clearly has a great deal of respect = for the message behind Lange's photography.=20 "Her work brings out the strength of ordinary people," Horowitz says. He = also emphasizes the connection between Lange's work and our current = economic situation. =20 The exhibition could hardly be timelier. The anniversary of the 1929 = stock market crash that precipitated the Great Depression falls on Oct. = 28 and the reality of our present recession weighs heavily on the minds = of most Americans. Lange's powerful portraits serve as a reminder that = hard times can bring out some of humanity's most admirable attributes: = fortitude, tenacity and a deep sense of kinship. visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

Nader's Oregon Progressive Party by Michael Munk Mon, Oct 5, 2009

The last Oregon Progressive party was formed to support Henry Wallace's = 1948 campaign. =20 =20 =20 a.. HOME =20 Ralph Nader for President National Campaign Oregon Campaign News Common Dreams CounterPunch Huffington Post OpEd News Dissident Voice=20 Peace Groups Portland Alliance for Democracy Beyond War Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon Oregon Peaceworks International Shadow Project Portland Peace & Justice Coalition Yamhill Valley PeaceMakers=20 Contact Us info@progparty.org Navigation a.. Recent posts =20 Oregon Peace Party becomes Progressive Party On September 18, 2009, the Peace Party changed its name to the = Progressive Party. The paperwork was filed with the Oregon Secretary of = State (SoS), who will very soon be ordering new voter registration cards = that will reflect the name change. "Progressive" more accurately reflects the party's positions on = social justice, consumer advocacy, environmental protection, and = worker's rights, in addition to its dedication to peace. Unfortunately, the Oregon Legislature demands that, when a minor = party changes its name, it loses its entire membership. Everyone who was = registered with the Peace Party now needs to re-register as a member of = the Progressive Party. Click the link below to download Oregon's voter registration form. = Mark the circle next to Other: Progressive Party. Sign it. Mail it to = your county elections office (addresses are on the form). Don't forget = the 42 cent stamp! =20 visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

Actions alert: Josephine County by Michael Munk Tue, Sep 29, 2009

Afgan war resister in Ft Lewis stockade by Michael Munk Mon, Sep 28, 2009

Army Prisoner Isolated, Denied Right to Legal Counsel 28 September 2009 http://www.truthout.org/092809A?n by: Dahr Jamail, t r u t h o u t | Report Afghanistan war resister Travis Bishop has been held largely "incommunicado" in the Northwest Joint Regional Correctional Facility at Fort Lewis, Washington. Bishop, who is being held by the military as a "prisoner of conscience," according to Amnesty International, was transported to Fort Lewis on September 9 to serve a 12-month sentence in the Regional Correctional Facility. He had refused orders to deploy to Afghanistan based on his religious beliefs, and had filed for Conscientious Objector (CO) status. Bishop, who served a 13-month deployment to Iraq and was stationed at Fort Hood, Texas, was court marshaled by the Army for his refusal to deploy to Afghanistan. Given that he had already filed for CO status, many local observers called his sentencing a "politically driven prosecution." By holding Bishop incommunicado, the military violated Bishop's legal right to counsel, a violation of the Sixth Amendment to the US Constitution, according to his civil defense attorney James Branum. The Sixth Amendment is the part of the Bill of Rights that sets forth rights related to criminal prosecutions in federal courts, and reads, "In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district where in the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defense." Attorney LeGrande Jones, who practices in Olympia and was designated by Branum as the local counsel for Bishop, was also denied access to Bishop, on the grounds that Jones was on an unnamed and unobtainable "watch-list," which constitutes deprivation of counsel. Jones was denied entry to Fort Lewis and told he would never be allowed to enter the base. Fort Lewis authorities never gave him a reason for his being denied access to the base and his client. To this, Branum told Truthout, "Fort Lewis authorities have a duty to tell LeGrande the reasons why he is being barred from Fort Lewis, and therefore [barred] from communicating with his client in the Fort Lewis brig." Until September 18, Bishop's condition was unclear due to his having been completely cut off from the public. Branum, who is the legal adviser to the Oklahoma GI Rights Hotline and co-chair of the Military Law Task Force, also represents Leo Church, another war resister being held at Fort Lewis. Church, who was also stationed at Fort Hood, went AWOL (Absent Without Leave) to prevent his wife and children from becoming homeless. The fact that he was unable to financially support his family off his military pay alone dictated that Church seek other means to support them. With his pleas to the military for assistance going unheeded, he opted to go AWOL in order to support his dependents. According to Branum, "Church received eight months jail time because he put the safety and welfare of his children over his obligation to the Army. Leo tried to get help from his unit, but was denied." Branum told Truthout that Church had been able to contact him while at Fort Lewis, but the call was monitored by a guard, violating his attorney-client privilege. Gerry Condon, with Project Safe Haven (an advocacy group for GI resisters in Canada), and a veteran himself as a member of the Greater Seattle Veterans for Peace, told Truthout he believes Bishop and Church are being held in a way that is both "intolerable and unconstitutional." Condon, who is working to try to support both Bishop and Church, told Truthout, "They are denied all visitors, except for immediate family, clergy and legal counsel [legal counsel is limited at this time]. No friends or fiancés. This is not the normal practice at other brigs." Branum told Truthout he feels that how Bishop and Church are being treated at Fort Lewis is "part of a broader pattern the military has of just throwing people in jail and not letting them talk to their attorneys, not let visitors come, and this is outrageous. In the civilian world even murderers get visits from their friends." Speaking further of the conditions in which the military is holding Bishop and Church, Condon added, "Fort Lewis authorities have made it virtually impossible for Bishop and Church to make phone calls. They must first get money on their calling account. This must be done by money order and according to several other similarly prohibitive procedures. And the money may not be credited to the account until a month after it is received. Plus, officials at the Fort Lewis brig must approve the names of people that can be called." Condon told Truthout, "Travis Bishop is a leader in what has become an international GI resistance movement that is attempting to bring troops home from both occupations by following their consciences and international law. They deserve all the support we can give them, especially while they are in prison - they are owed their constitutional liberties." Branum told Truthout that as far as he knows, he may well be the only person on Bishop's call list. Both Bishop and Church have been prevented from adding any names to their respective "authorized contacts" lists (even for family members), which effectively cuts them off from almost all contact with the outside world. According to Branum, mail and commissary funds sent by friends and supporters will likely be "returned to sender" due to what he feels is "a cruel and inhumane policy." In addition, there are no work programs at the Fort Lewis brig, nor any classes available for soldiers to take while they are incarcerated. Generally, work programs and/or classes are available for incarcerated soldiers. "By participating in work programs and school classes, soldiers being held in brigs can get time cut off their sentences," Branum explained to Truthout, "But these don't exist at Fort Lewis, so that means Travis and Leo can't get time taken off their sentences. Travis will do a minimum of 10 months, and could have theoretically worked an additional month off his sentence if Fort Lewis had these programs." Branum, who is the lead attorney for both Bishop and Church, told Truthout the actions of officials at Fort Lewis violate his clients' constitutional rights. "Bishop and Church's defense team and supporters are in the process of negotiating with Fort Lewis officials to ensure transparency and that Bishop and Church's legal rights are being met," Branum stated in a press release on the matter that was published on September 17. "The unusual circumstances of isolation of these soldiers is unquestionably illegal. If Fort Lewis doesn't change its ways, we will be forced to go to court and demand justice." On September 18, officials at Fort Lewis finally allowed Branum to speak with Bishop on the telephone, but not privately. Bishop was accompanied by two guards, who monitored his conversation with Branum. In addition, Fort Lewis authorities claimed that the recently rebuilt/remodeled brig does not yet have proper facilities to facilitate a private telephone conversation. Speaking further about the conversation he was finally allowed to have with Bishop, Branum added, "In the phone call we did get to do, they still refused to let Travis talk to me privately. He actually had two guards in the room with him the entire time, which obviously negates any compliance with attorney-client privilege. And presumably the phone call was taped (all of the other brigs have special rooms for attorney calls, that have phone lines to the outside that are not taped) which is completely unconstitutional. The brig of course will say, "well we won't listen to that tape" but that is bullshit, and it is illegal." "The only reason they [Fort Lewis authorities] let me talk to Travis on Friday [September 18] was that he was finally "medically cleared," Branum told Truthout, "This took 10 days in this case, and it looks like this is their standard operating procedure, which is completely wrong." When Truthout questioned the public affairs office at Fort Lewis about Bishop's situation, we were told all matters were being handled "legally, and according to standard operating procedure," and "any wrongdoing would be investigated." Branum added, "They are giving the excuse that "we don't have the secure room for attorney phone calls set up yet," but can't tell me when they are going to have the room set up." Branum and Jones are planning to file a lawsuit against Fort Lewis in the near future, specifically targeting the denial of attorney-client privilege. Both soldiers are being supported by two GI resistance cafes: Under the Hood cafe (in Killeen, Texas, near Fort Hood) and Coffee Strong (in Tacoma, Washington, near Fort Lewis). visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

Sept 30: Econvergence opens in Portland by Michael Munk Sat, Sep 26, 2009

The Northwest Gathering on the Economic and Ecological Crises will begin = in less than a week. Please visit the conference website, = www.econvergence.org, to see what an amazing event has been organized = with the help of an amazing group of organizations here in the Northwest = region. The conference has always been run on a shoe-string budget. Only because = the First Unitarian Church and the Sociology Department at PSU provided = the space needed free of charge, only because of the generosity of Noam = Chomsky who is donating the entire proceeds from ticket sales to his = keynote address, only because many traveling to speak at the conference = are paying their own way, only because many here in Portland are housing = guests coming from out of town, and only because conference organizers = have all worked on a voluntary basis without payment is a truly = magnificent program stretching over more than four days now ready to = unfold. What remains is to be sure the word gets out so as many people as = possible will know to take advantage of this incredible opportunity to = learn more about the nature of the economic and environmental crises we = face and what can be done about them. Unfortunately our budget provided little money for publicity and has = been exhausted by the posters, flyers, and handouts we have already = printed up. Our best way to get the word out is through all the = organizations who have participated in building the conference, many of = whom have also organized panels or workshops featuring their own = activities. If all 56 participating organizations use their own means of = communicating with their own members to let them know about the = conference, there will be strong attendance at everyone's panels and = workshops and not just at the keynote and major plenaries. And if others = included in this emailing who work with organizations who could not = formally affiliate for a host of reasons also helped us to get the word = out now, the regional response to the crises we are all dedicated to = overcoming will be even stronger. We believe our website sells the conference well. This means the key is = getting your members to visit www.econvergence.org. Anything else you = tell them or sent them about the conference, of course, is that much = more helpful. I have attached a pdf file with our flyer. I have also = attached a Microsoft word file with a shortened version of our press = release which also appears below. I hope to see you all -- and many, many of the members of your = organizations -- at Econvergence in just a few days. In Solidarity, Robin Hahnel, on behalf of the Econvergence Steering Committee Author and Activist Noam Chomsky Presents Keynote at Econvergence = Conference Three day conference hosted by over 50 Northwest labor, environmental, = and social justice organizations features international experts on = challenges of current environmental and economic crises. Portland, Oregon - Over 50 Northwest labor, environmental and social = justice organizations are inviting the public to join them to explore = ways to respond to the current global economic and environmental crises = at the Northwest Gathering on the Economic and Ecological Crises hosted = at the First Unitarian Church of Portland and the Smith Student Union at = Portland State Univeristy. Events begin with a rally for a real economic = recovery on Wednesday, September 30 and run through Sunday, October 4. Information about the conference -- including the locations and times = for events, information about speakers, the schedule for Chomsky's = keynote, 9 major plenaries, 93 panels and workshops, 2 rallies, a = special art exhibit and poetry reading, a film premier, and a band = concert - is all available on our website: www.econvergence.org. = Admission to the conference is FREE. Noam Chomsky will give his keynote, "When Elites Fail," at 7 PM on = Friday, Oct. 2. Derrick Jensen will speak at 6:30 PM on Sat., Oct. 3. = Tickets for both speakers can be purchased from Tickets West through the = conference website. Chomsky and Jensen will be joined over the weekend = by other nationally known speakers including Tom Palley, Eric = Holt-Gimenez, David Korten, Cindy Corrie, Danny Schechter, Barbara = Garson, John Bellamy Foster, Laura Carlsen, Jo Ann Bowman, Martin = Sanchez, Laura Regan, Jonathan Skinner, and Lisa Sullivan. About the Conference - "Our ministry has a long history of aiding = campaigns that promote social justice and environmental preservation. = The goal is to inform and inspire the participants to rise to new = heights in addressing the dual challenges facing the economy and = environment," said Rev. Kate Lore, Social Justice Minister of the First = Unitarian Church of Portland.=20 "This gathering will explore ways to break through the political = gridlock that brought on the crises and so far has weakened legislative = responses to the point where they have been largely ineffective." said = Robin Hahnel, economics professor and a conference organizer. visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

Finally! Lange's Oregon photos at PSU Oct 1. by Michael Munk Tue, Sep 22, 2009

About eight years ago, I happened across a photo in American Heritage = magazine in an article about social movements of the 1930s It showed a = Technocracy billboard captioned, "Dorothea Lange spotted this sign = beside an Oregon highway in 1939." Really? I had no idea Lange was = taking pictures in Oregon in 1939 but soon learned from her Library of = Congress website that she had traveled to the Northwest in the fall of = that year documenting the impact of Farm Security Administration = programs.with her remarklable eye and camera Over 400 of her archived = photos depicted Oregonians and Oregon sites from Portland to Dead Ox = Flat in Harney County, from Celilo on the Columbia River to Merrill on = the California border--images ranging from Carleton farm women quilting = to and an 11-year working with his grandmother in 105 degree heat in = Polk County hop fields--a panorama of struggling rural Oregonians not = long before World War II pulled them out of the Great Depression. Excited by my discovery, I soon found that local art and history = communities were largely unaware of this treasure. I had assumed our = museums, photo galleries and other cultural institutions would be eager = to be the first to exhibit a world famous photographer's view of Oregon = and was surprised they were not. My colleagues at the Oregon Cultural = Heritage Commission were supportive but our efforts to secure funds to = move ahead were not successful. I was perplexed by the unenthusiastic = response but continued to use every opportunity to generate interest in = the Lange photos for the next eight years. So I am gratified that on October 1, Oregonians will finally have a = chance to experience "Dorothea Lange in Oregon: 1939 Farm Security = Administration Photos" when a small selection of her photos and comments = opens with a public reception at Portland State University's Littman = Gallery. Sponsored by OCHC and PSU's Friends of History, it will run = through November 25. It is free to the public at the Gallery, 250 Smith = Center, 1825 SW Broadway, PSU. The opening: reception will be 5-7 PM = October 1. Other events in connection with the exhibit (all free except = Wordstock) include: October 8: Portland native and New York University History Professor = Linda Gordon will present a lecture, "Dorothea Lange's Depression-era = Photography of Oregon: Assumptions Challenged," at 1pm in 238 at PSU's = Smith Center.=20 October 9: Prof. Gordon, co-author of Impounded: Dorothea Lange and = Japanese Americans in World War II{ 2006) will lecture on "Impounded: = Dorothea Lange and Censored Images of Japanese American Internment" at = 4:30 PM Reed College in the Vollum lecture hall. Part of Reed's 2009 = Public Policy Lecture Series, it is sponsored by its American studies = Program, the Ducey Lecture Fund and PSU's Friends of History. October 10: At 10AM, OCHC multi- media presenters and Prof. Gordon = appear in " Dorothea Lange's Photographic Imagery of Great Depression = Oregon" in 238 Smith Center, PSU. This event is part of the PSU Alumni = Association's October Weekend. At 2PM, Prof. Gordon will mark the release of her new book, Dorothea = Lange: A Life Beyond Limits (W.W. Norton, 2009) at the Wordstock Book = Fair, University of Oregon Non-Fiction Stage. Wordstock happens at the Oregon Convention Center, 777 NE Martin Luther = King Jr. Blvd. Daily admission (10 am - 6 pm) $5, children 13 and under = free. =20 Lange's comments on these two photos: Grants Pass:"Hop farmers advertise for pickers as far away as = San Francisco," "But they don't say what they pay," a picker told = Lange.=20 =20 Oct 27, 1939 Merrill, Klamath County." Neglected baby, parked = in truck in which they came from Mississippi. Father drunk, mother = sleeping, 3 p.m., in dirty tent. There is another 5-weeks old baby. = (Attention called to this by camp nurse)"=20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20

Oregon senators also abandoned ACORN by Michael Munk Sat, Sep 19, 2009

Dan Handelman reminds us:: "Wyden and Merkley also voted to cut funds". Only 11 stood up (Murray did not vote) On Fri, 18 Sep 2009, Michael Munk wrote: "Congrats" to Oregon Dem representatives DeFazio, Blumenauer, Wu and Schrader (and Baird) who joined Repub Walden in capitulating to the nutcakes and voting to cut off all federal funding to ACORN. Only 75 Dems stood up. Published on Thursday, September 17, 2009 by Salon.com VIA Lloyd Marbet The Distracting Benefits of ACORN Hysteria by Glenn Greenwald Earlier this week, I wrote about how the Fox-News/Glenn-Beck/Rush-Limbaugh leadership trains its protesting followers to focus the vast bulk of their resentment and anxieties on largely powerless and downtrodden factions, while ignoring, and even revering, the outright pillaging by virtually omnipotent corporate interests that own and control their Government (and, not coincidentally, Fox News). It's hard to imagine a more perfectly illustrative example of all of that than the hysterical furor over ACORN. ACORN has received a grand total of $53 million in federal funds over the last 15 years -- an average of $3.1 million per year. Meanwhile, not millions, not billions, but trillions of dollars of public funds have been, in the last year alone, transferred to or otherwise used for the benefit of Wall Street. Billions of dollars in American taxpayer money vanished into thin air, eaten by private contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan, led by Halliburton subsidiary KBR. All of those corporate interests employ armies of lobbyists and bottomless donor activities that ensure they dominate our legislative and regulatory processes, and to be extra certain, the revolving door between industry and government is more prolific than ever, with key corporate officials constantly ending up occupying the government positions with the most influence over those industries. Exactly as one would expect, the prime beneficiaries of all of that pillaging continue to grow. The banks that almost brought the world economy to collapse but then received massive public largesse because they were "too big to fail" are now bigger than ever; as The Washington Post delicately put it: "The crisis may be turning out very well for many of the behemoths that dominate U.S. finance." Everything involving the government turns out well for these "behemoths" because they own and control the U.S. Government. Just this week, The Post detailed how the government and Wall St. are now so intertwined that banking executives are spending vast resources to increase their presence in Washington: So, too, for [BlackRock Chairman Laurence] Fink, who said much hinges on his relationship with Washington. He often has talked to White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner and his predecessor, Henry M. Paulson Jr. Fink was among the first regulators reached out to when they needed urgent advice on pricing exotic securities or predicting the global fallout from the failure of large financial firms like Lehman Brothers. "We are going to be spending more time inside the Beltway, either by helping the government or, if we are asked, shaping policy and decisions," Fink said. "It is beholden on us on behalf of our clients to have input in Washington" . . . Some firms are bringing Washingtonians to them. A year ago, James B. Lockhart III was the top federal regulator overseeing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac when the Bush administration seized the two mortgage finance companies, saving the home loan market from collapse. When Lockhart said last month that he would step down from the Federal Housing Finance Agency, he was snapped up quickly. Today he is vice chairman of WL Ross, which is looking to make money by buying mortgage assets and loans cast off by lenders as unprofitable. Other former federal officials are scrambling for a piece of the action. Joseph J. Murin, former president of Ginnie Mae, which guarantees securities linked to government-backed mortgages, and former Federal Housing Administration commissioner Brian Montgomery, set up a consulting shop on L Street in mid-August. As previously documented, Goldman Sachs itself has a virtual lock on the top Treasury positions no matter which party is in power. The vaunted bipartisan "Baucus plan" was literally written by a Baucus aide who just left her position as Vice President of Wellpoint to write the health care reform plan for the Senate -- a revelation which barely caused a ripple. And the Supreme Court is on the verge of striking down the few limits on corporate involvement in our politics, a ruling which may (or may not be) constitutionally defensible but which will flood American politics with so much corporate money that it will give new meaning to the term "oligarchy." So with this massive pillaging of America's economic security and its control of American government by its richest and most powerful factions growing by the day, to whom is America's intense economic anxiety being directed? To a non-profit group that devotes itself to providing minute benefits to people who live under America's poverty line, and which is so powerless in Washington that virtually the entire U.S. Senate just voted to cut off its funding at the first sign of real controversy -- could anyone imagine that happening to a key player in the banking or defense industry? Apparently, the problem for middle-class and lower-middle-class Americans is not that their taxpayer dollars are going to prop up billionaires, oligarchs and their corrupt industries. It's that America's impoverished -- a group that is growing rapidly -- is getting too much, has too much power and too little accountability. Anonymous Liberal has a superb post on the manipulative inanity of the Fox-generated ACORN "scandal" (h/t D-day): Let's take a step back and consider just what ACORN is. It is a non-profit organization whose mission is to empower and improve the lives of poor people. As with many other organizations, ACORN has a number of legally distinct parts, each of which has different sources of funding and engages in different kinds of activities (ACORN's conservative enemies routinely conflate these various parts to imply that ACORN is using federal money for improper political purposes). Since its founding the 70s, ACORN and its employees and volunteers have fought successfully to, among other things, increase minimum wages across the country, increase the quality of public education in poor areas, and protect people from predatory lending practices. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, ACORN helped rebuild thousands of homes and assisted victims in relocating and finding housing outside of New Orleans. The ACORN activity that has drawn the most conservative ire is its voter registration efforts which, consistent with ACORN's mission, are primarily aimed at low-income voters (who tend to vote Democratic). . . . But even if you take these film-makers at face value and assume the worst, the reality is that ACORN has thousands of employees and the vast majority of them spend their days trying to help poor people through perfectly legal means (and receive very little compensation for doing so). Even before yesterday's Senate vote, the amount of federal money that went to ACORN was very small. This is a relatively insignificant organization in the grand scheme of things, but it's an organization that has unquestionably fought over the years to improve the lives of the less fortunate in this country. That the GOP and its conservative supporters would single out this particular organization for such intense demonization is telling. In September of last year, the entire world came perilously close to complete financial catastrophe. We're still not out of the woods and we're deep within one of the worst recessions in U.S. history. This situation was brought about by the recklessness and greed of our banks and financial institutions, most of which had to be bailed out at enormous cost to the American taxpayer (exponentially more than all of the tax dollars given to ACORN over the years). The people who brought about this near catastrophe, for the most, profited immensely from it. These very same institutions, propped up by the American taxpayer, are once again raking in large profits. But rather than focus their anger on these folks, conservatives choose to go after an organization composed almost entirely of low-paid community organizers, an organization that could never hope to have even a small fraction of the clout or the ability to affect the overall direction of the country that Wall Street bankers have. ACORN's relative lack of political influence was on full display yesterday, when the U.S. Senate (in which Democrats have a supermajority) not only entertained a vote to defund ACORN, but approved it by a huge margin (with only seven Democrats opposing). If one were to watch Fox News or listen to Rush Limbaugh -- as millions do -- one would believe that the burden of the ordinary American taxpayer, and the unfair plight of America's rich, is that their money is being stolen by the poorest and most powerless sectors of the society. An organization whose constituencies are often-unregistered inner-city minorities, the homeless and the dispossesed is depicted as though it's Goldman Sachs, Blackwater, Haillburton and combined, as though Washington officials are in thrall to those living in poverty rather than those who fund their campaigns. It's not the nice men in the suits doing the stealing but the very people, often minorities or illegal immigrants, with no political or financial power who nonetheless somehow dominate the government and get everything for themselves. The poorer and weaker one is, the more one is demonized in right-wing mythology as all-powerful receipients of ill-gotten gains; conversely, the stronger and more powerful one is, the more one is depicted as an oppressed and put-upon victim (that same dynamic applies to foreign affairs as well). It's such an obvious falsehood -- so counter-intuitive and irrational -- yet it resonates due to powerful cultural manipulations. Most of all, what's so pernicious about all of this is that the same interests who are stealing, pillaging and wallowing in corruption are scapegoating the poorest and most vulnerable in order to ensure that the victims of their behavior are furious with everyone except for them. UPDATE: John Cole highlights what might be the most telling aspect of all of this: demands for a "Special Prosecutor" into Obama's so-called "relationship with ACORN" from the very same circles that vehemently objected to investigations into torture, illegal government spying, politicized prosecutions, military contractor theft, Lewis Libby's obstruction of justice, and virtually every other instance of Bush-era acts of criminality. Those, of course, are the very same people who, before that, demanded endless inquiries into Whitewater and Vince Foster's murder. © 2009 Salon.com Glenn Greenwald was previously a constitutional law and civil rights litigator in New York. He is the author of the New York Times Bestselling book "How Would a Patriot Act?," a critique of the Bush administration's use of executive power, released in May 2006. His second book, "A Tragic Legacy", examines the Bush legacy. visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

Oregon Dems voate against ACORN by Michael Munk Fri, Sep 18, 2009

Warmonger Wu backs Obama's war! by Michael Munk Wed, Sep 16, 2009

In this outrageous and uninformed rant, Wu reveals himself on the pro-war side of the Dems and opposed to more thoughful members of his own party as well as to most real experts on Afghanistan. You can protest his position at his Portland office (503) 326-2901 or by email from his website http://www.house.gov/wu/email.shtml . Note that he won't respond to emails from people outside his district. War in Afghanistan: an ongoing threat to our security by David Wu, guest opinion The Oregonian: September 16, 2009 http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2009/09/war_in_afghanistan_an_ongoing.html As someone who has consistently opposed the Iraq war, I find myself in the incongruous position of supporting a concerted military and civilian effort in Afghanistan. I'm aware that eight years is a long time for any conflict, and we're in a precarious situation in Afghanistan because the previous administration chose to focus on Iraq. But we now have new military leadership and a new strategy for Afghanistan. Our troops deserve an opportunity to succeed in this neglected but crucial war. It's vital to remember that we're fighting in Afghanistan because al-Qaida killed almost 3,000 Americans on American soil. That's more Americans than the Japanese killed at Pearl Harbor. Afghanistan's Taliban have given shelter and resources to al-Qaida, which attacked the United States and would love nothing better than to do so again. Our military efforts in Afghanistan have driven al-Qaida and Taliban operations into Pakistan, a nation with nuclear weapons. If al-Qaida acquires a nuclear weapon, where would it be used? Given the regional nuclear tinderbox enveloping Pakistan and India, success in the Afghan war is not only a matter of U.S. national security, but it also has implications for world stability. I recently returned from a fact-finding mission to Afghanistan. The trip corroborated eight years of reading and study of the Afghan situation and made me even more sensitive to the need to give our troops the resources and time to execute our new strategy. U.S. and NATO forces have two priority missions. First, military resources are being used to secure Afghanistan against a return of the Taliban and al-Qaida to provide a space for the Afghan government to establish effective control. Second, we are training the Afghan National Army and the Afghan National Police, as well as creating a community defense initiative so Afghan national forces, in concert with local community defense forces, can resist Taliban attack and allow us to wind down our combat mission. At the same time, the strategy seeks to integrate security for the Afghan people with effective local governance and economic development. Programs focusing on limiting corruption, providing local justice and building civil service institutions are crucial to fostering a more accountable government that serves the Afghan people and provides a sustainable alternative to the Taliban. We're also working to create economic alternatives to the insurgency, particularly in agriculture, and grow an economy that provides opportunities for the Afghan people. All these initiatives will help the people and government of Afghanistan build a sufficiently stable state to prevent the establishment of major terrorist sanctuaries. We must give our commanders on the ground the resources and time they need to get the job done. This isn't a blank check. Our patience and our resources are not infinite. The Afghan government must do its part to provide accountability and enhance legitimacy. This must be a cause of the Afghan people. I say this knowing that many Oregonians oppose this war. Frankly, I wish we didn't have to fight it at all, but al-Qaida has killed Americans before and intends to do so again. If we leave Afghanistan now, we leave control of the country open to the hands of the Taliban. They will provide shelter to al-Qaida, complete with training camps for terrorists. The Iraq war was a war of choice. Afghanistan is a war of necessity. Without it we greatly increase the chance of another attack on U.S. soil. We must protect the long-term interests of our nation. We cannot tolerate Afghanistan's Taliban providing a continuing sanctuary for terrorists. This is no Vietnam. The Viet Cong never followed us home. Al-Qaida will visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

Oct 2: Chomsky in Portland by Michael Munk Sun, Sep 13, 2009

followup to Merkley's east OR townhallls by Michael Munk Wed, Sep 2, 2009

Merkley Healthcare Town Halls in eastern OR by Michael Munk Wed, Sep 2, 2009

Single Payer Music Tour finances by Michael Munk Sun, Aug 23, 2009

SING OUT FOR SINGLE PAYER FINANCIAL REPORT EXPENSESl $25,551 RECEIPTS: Donations prior to 7/1 $15,818 NW Ashland 1,000 Bend ---- Florence 300 OR Country Fair --- Corvallis --- Coos Bay --- Newport 150 Yachats 200 Eugene 300 Portland 300 McMinnville 200 Astoria 300 Vancouver 125 Olympia 125 Port Angeles --- Seattle 2,145 Tacoma ---- Bellingham 200 $22,133 post 7/1 2,253 $24,386 Projected shortfall: $1165 By folk musicians' standards, this was a howling success! To have this much fun and do this much great work and only have it cost me $1165 ... pretty fantastic. I know that I haven't written to the folks who mailed checks to me. I just had no time at all before I left for the tour, and I came straight to Sweden afterward. I hope I have time to write to each of you and thank you for your generous support of this amazing Road Show. I hear that we were instrumental in inspiring the Mad As Hell Doctors' Road Show http://www.madashelldoctors.com/, leaving from Oregon for Washington, DC on September 8th I hear we may have inspired a Senate campaign. I hear we raised enough money in Portland to finance a radio advertising campaign for single payer. I know we have more than 60 musicians traveling the country now who know how vital this issue as and they're talking about it at their shows. I know that thousands of people took literature to educate themselves and their neighbors. I know we raised thousands of dollars for our host communities. It couldn't have happened without your help. You're fantastic! I extend my profound gratitude to all of you who made this happen... Anne Feeney http://annefeeney.com http://cdbaby.com/all/unionmaid - Buy CDs! 412-877-6480 (cell) visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

Blue Dog Schrader ready to vote against health reform by Michael Munk Fri, Aug 21, 2009

No wonder he's been ducking! Let him know your opinion Sept 7 at the Labor Day picnic in Oaks Park. Make sure he knows 30 Oregon unions endorse single payer.. Scratching at the Blue Dogs' door by Rick Attig, The Oregonian August 20, 2009 http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2009/08/scratching_at_the_blue_dogs_do.html Congressman Kurt SchraderOregon's freshman congressman, Democrat Kurt Schrader, dropped by the Editorial Board Thursday morning to talk about health care, renewable energy, immigration and his eagerness to join the Blue Dog Coalition, a group of 52 fiscally moderate and conservative Democrats in the House. Schrader, a longtime budget chief in the Oregon Legislature, is keen on joining the Blue Dogs and pressing his party leadership to be more fiscally accountable. One of his first surprises in Washington was learning that you can't just join the Blue Dogs, you have to apply for membership and establish a voting record that proves you deserve to run with these particular dogs. Schrader's trying to make his mark: He's now growling about the high cost of the massive health care reform bill before the House. Schrader told us this morning that he's prepared to vote against the health care bill unless Democratic leaders find ways to substantially rein in its anticipated costs. He concedes that the bill includes many promising reforms, and would benefit Oregon and Oregonians in substantial ways. But the costs, he insists, are too high. Schrader argues persuasively that there are straightforward ways to shave tens of billions of dollars from the bill. For example, he objects to the fact that the bill would provide health care subsidies for families with incomes up to 400 percent of the poverty line -- about $88,000 for a family of four. He says that setting the bar at 300 percent of the poverty line would save $50 billion. Lowering it to 250 percent, he says, could save another $50 billion. He says insurance premium subsidies in the bill are "too rich" and the maximum out of pocket cost, limited to $5,000 per person, could be doubled to reduce the bill's high potential costs to taxpayers. Schrader isn't hung up on the issue of a "public option," saying that he envisions less of a "government" plan and something similar to the nonprofit models he is familiar with in Oregon, such as CareOregon, a nonprofit that would compete with private insurers and help drive down costs. Schrader isn't sure how much support there is in the House for the kinds of cost reductions that he wants to see applied to the health care bill. He says that the Blue Dogs are generally skeptical of the health care bill as now written, and so are at least half of his fellow Democratic freshmen in the House, most of whom were elected in districts formerly held by Republicans. If Schrader holds to his position on the health care bill, and joins other more fiscally conservative Democrats to pressure Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other House leaders to trim costs, it could lead to a health care bill with much broader support in Congress and the public. It would also lead, presumably, to the Blue Dogs opening their kennel door and inviting in the freshman congressman from Oregon. visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

Schrader and Wu haven't joined Blumenauer and Defazio by Michael Munk Wed, Aug 19, 2009

A Fax To Kurt Schrader and David Wu David Dunning provided this link/article. To: Representatives David Wu and Kurt Schrader Re: standing up for a public option Dear Kurt, Dear David, Here is the text of the FAX that I just sent to your Oregon colleagues, Pete Defazio and Earl Blumenhauer: “THANK YOU for signing on to the list of House Democrats who have committed to vote against any healthcare insurance bill that does not at least contain a public option! Please also consider signing as a cosponsor to HR 676!� I wish I could be sending the same FAX to you! Unfortunately, I did not find your name on the list of now 64 House Democrats who have made such a commitment. An oversight on your part? Just remember, if you stand against the 76% of Americans who want a choice of a public health insurance option, you will stand alone for re-election! Please contact me when you have added your name to this list so I can keep my political contributions file for you up to date. Thanks you. 　 Sincerely, 　 　　 David Dunning, Ph.D. visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

California disease by Michael Munk Mon, Aug 17, 2009

In a weird but revealing article only in today's print Oregonian (that is, not on its website) two growth-obessesed Californians discover and warn us against a new disease they name for their state. Joel Kotkin's and Bill Watkins' "California Disease: Migration puts Oregon at rsik of contracting economic malady" (D1) turns out to be a simple, poorly-disguised rant to open Oregon to anarchistic growth exploited by greedy speculators and free of taxes and any enviromental or growth planning. In the course of denouncing California's "general disregard for business and economic activity" (who knew?), they label protection of the environment and human lives as "regulation and red tape that increases the uncertainty for any project and raises the cost." Oregon's land use planning and taxes, they assert, make it harder for communities to "grow." And in their obsession with "growth," they warn Oregonians that migration from California includes "These people," as they call the "large numbers of the retired and semi-retired,." and claim they "generally have little interest in ecnomic growth" and "bring with them political attitudes that could slow down the state's economic recovery."(!). Is that why we need those "death panels"? At the other end of the age scale, California also exports unemployed young people who threaten to make Portland "the slacker capital of the world." Their parting shot imagines the future of the "fair state" of Oregon as one of "devastated communities and wasted opportunities." Until we "check with our doctors" and swallow their magic growth pill, we are condemmed to suffer from the dreaded "California disease." visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

Problems along the Woody Guthrie Trail by Michael Munk Thu, Aug 13, 2009

DeFazio: We're not taking about single payer by Michael Munk Thu, Aug 13, 2009

OR-WA hate groups by Michael Munk Thu, Aug 13, 2009

Blumenauer, Schrader, Baird duck town halls by Michael Munk Wed, Aug 12, 2009

Are all these Dems ducking not because they fear nutcakes but because they fear single payer supporters will try to smoke them out on how they will vote on HR 676? To the Edtor, The Oregonian August 12, 2009 I'm writing with some concerns I have about the way Rep. Kurt Schrader, D-Ore., conducted his recent town hall meeting in Pacific City. Instead of a town hall forum, attendees were told to wait at tables and then each got two minutes to speak to Schrader. Schrader did not speak to the group as a whole, but sat behind a table while his helpers rounded up people by names and carefully stuck to the two-minute time limit, which gave us barely enough time to get our concerns out. I felt really cheated by the process as there's something to be said for publicly speaking to a group. Also, constituents from outside of Pacific City were denied a two-minute session at the table with Schrader. One of the reasons I heard for this was that the Schrader feared protest from the Americans for Prosperity group. What I missed was a public airing of concerns, the bouncing of ideas off of one another and just working together for solutions like we did at Sen. Jeff Merkley's, health care town hall. Finding common ground and being heard is an important part of Democracy. DEE SUTTON-VELEZ Neskowin http://blog.oregonlive.com/myoregon/2009/08/letters_renewed_calls_for_civi.html visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

Updated list : Oregon unions for single payer by Michael Munk Tue, Aug 11, 2009

Aug 12: Everett Town Hall by Michael Munk Tue, Aug 11, 2009

WA Congressman Larsen Hosts Health Care Town Hall Wednesday, August 12th 5:00pm - 6:00pm Weyerhaeuser Room, Everett Station 3201 Smith Ave. Everett, WA As you know, right wing elements throughout the United States are disrupting town hall meetings and trying to shout down those who support meaningful health care reform. The right wing Tea Partyers were successful in outnumbering single payer advocates at Congressman Larsen's June town hall meeting in Ferndale, WA. Yesterday the right wing met their match at Congressman Larsen's Mt. Vernon WA town hall meeting. There were 150 people inside the PUD building on Freeway Drive and at least that many outside on the lawn. There was a sea of single payer signs and banners on the lawn that vastly outnumbered right wing signs. The right wingers were unable to disrupt the meeting and Congressman Larsen allowed many single payer advocates to ask him good questions. We need to match our Mt. Vernon showing. We need to let the right wing know that the voices of single payer--the voices of reason--outnumber them and are a buffer against their disruptive tactics. Spread the word that we need a good showing at Congressman Larsen's town hall meeting in Everett on 8/12. Courtesy of Aileen Satushek, Board Member United for National Healthcare You can e-mail her at: supporter@unitedforhealthcare.org visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

Thursday in Tigard: Meet for Single Payer by Michael Munk Wed, Aug 5, 2009

An opportunity to lean on Wu Tigard Single Payer Healthcare Forum, Thursday, August 6th Join us for...A Conversation about the most compelling issue or our lifetime SINGLE PAYER HEALTHCARE HR676: Expanded and Improved Medicare for All Act 6:30 PM Thursday, August 6th. Walnut Fire Station Community Center 12617 SW Walnut, Tigard, OR (1/4 mile West of 121st and Walnut) Park and enter on the left side of the fire station. The meeting room is at the back of the parking lot. We will discuss practical strategies, doable actions and creative ideas to advance the "single payer conversation" at the grassroots and state level all the way to the halls of Congress. Bring your ideas and a friend with you. It's not just a cause... it's the beginning of a compelling and meaningful adventure! visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

Ann Feeney on her SP Tour by Michael Munk Wed, Aug 5, 2009

OR Town Hall schedules for Schrader and WU by Michael Munk Wed, Aug 5, 2009

Obama denounced on Oregon state secrets case by Michael Munk Tue, Aug 4, 2009

Obama Administration Weighs in on State Secrets, Raising Concern on the Left By ADAM LIPTAK New York Times: August 4, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/04/us/politics/04bar.html?_r=1 WASHINGTON A Supreme Court filing from the Obama administration last month has set off alarm bells on the left. The filing was a friend-of-the-court brief, and it mostly dealt with an excruciatingly technical question about the attorney-client privilege. But its last five pages were about the state secrets privilege, which was not at issue in the case. That privilege, a favorite tool of the Bush administration, allows the government to shut down lawsuits by invoking national security. The Obama administration's brief argued, though no one had asked, that the state secrets privilege was rooted in the Constitution. The federal government files friend-of-the-court briefs in the Supreme Court all the time, and it is not unusual for it to alert the court to related issues, usually to make sure that the court's ruling is no broader than it needs to be. But the filing has raised eyebrows and suspicions among liberals already disappointed that the Obama administration has not rejected a number of legal doctrines associated with the Bush administration. Jon B. Eisenberg, a lawyer for an Islamic charity in Oregon, said the filing reflected "the good old Bush-Cheney inherent presidential power theory." Mr. Eisenberg said he suspected that the administration was hoping to use the attorney-client case to invite the Supreme Court to say something helpful to it about state secrets. Mathew A. Miller, a Justice Department spokesman, said there was no reason for concern. "The brief says only that the state secrets privilege, along with other governmental privileges, has a constitutional basis," Mr. Miller said, "which is a position that has been taken by the Department of Justice for many decades under administrations of both parties." On the campaign trail and in more recent statements, President Obama has indicated that he wants to limit the use of the state secrets privilege. In courtrooms, however, there has been little evidence of a new approach. The administration's brief said the government should be allowed to appeal rulings rejecting the state secrets privilege right away, rather than after the whole case is decided. Rulings concerning the attorney-client privilege, on the other hand, the brief said, should not be subject to immediate appeal. The differing treatments are warranted, the brief argued, because the state secrets privilege is grounded in the Constitution. But that point is controversial, and the brief's account of the relevant decisions was incomplete. A federal judge in San Francisco, for instance, last year rejected a version of the constitutional argument in a case brought by Mr. Eisenberg's client, Al-Haramain Islamic Foundation. The foundation said it had been subjected to illegal surveillance in the Bush years. Both the Bush and Obama administrations have argued that the charity's suit must be dismissed under the state secrets privilege. This is where the issue of the pedigree of the privilege really matters. If the privilege is an ordinary common-law rule of evidence, Congress is probably free to alter it. If it is required by the Constitution, things get more complicated. The judge in San Francisco, Vaughn R. Walker, ruled that Congress had indeed overridden the state secrets privilege when it enacted the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978. The judge said that by setting up a secret court to consider requests for intelligence surveillance, and by setting up other domestic regulations of foreign intelligence surveillance, "Congress intended for the executive branch to relinquish its near-total control over whether the fact of unlawful surveillance could be protected as a secret." The government's recent brief cited the leading Supreme Court decision on state secrets, United States v. Reynolds in 1953, but it said nothing about Judge Walker's reading of it. "Reynolds itself," Judge Walker wrote, "leaves little room for defendants' argument that the state secrets privilege is actually rooted in the Constitution." The Reynolds case concerned an Air Force accident report. The government refused to turn it over in an injury lawsuit, saying that disclosure of the report would endanger national security by revealing military secrets. When the report was finally released in 1996, it contained no secrets, but it did show that the deaths of nine men in the crash of a B-29 bomber had been caused by the Air Force's negligence. Thus, the first case in which the Supreme Court recognized the state secrets privilege illustrated how problematic it can be. By giving the executive branch close to unilateral power to have lawsuits dismissed on national security grounds, the privilege can become a way to conceal government misconduct. The recent brief from the Obama administration cited just one decision directly invoking the Constitution as the basis for the state secrets privilege. Other courts have said the state secrets privilege is rooted in the common law. The decision cited in the brief dismissed a lawsuit from a German citizen, Khaled el-Masri, who said he had been abducted and abused by the Central Intelligence Agency. A report from the Council of Europe substantially confirmed Mr. Masri's claims. The state secrets privilege, Judge Robert B. King wrote in 2007 for a unanimous three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in Mr. Masri's case, "performs a function of constitutional significance." Mr. Miller, the Justice Department spokesman, cautioned against reading too much into the recent filing. "The brief says nothing about either the scope of the privilege or the ability of Congress to legislate in the area," Mr. Miller said. Experts in legal ethics said the solicitor general, who represents the government in the Supreme Court, was not required to cite decisions from lower courts cutting against its position. But issues as urgent and important as the state secrets privilege deserve particularly considered treatment, as Judge King of the Fourth Circuit recognized. "This inquiry is a difficult one," he wrote, "for it pits the judiciary's search for truth against the executive's duty to maintain the nation's security." visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

DeFazio's August 12-19 Town Hall Schedule by Michael Munk Tue, Aug 4, 2009

Aug 10-30: Obama's listening tour of Oregon by Michael Munk Mon, Aug 3, 2009

Spy on peace groups exposed at Ft. Lewis by Michael Munk Sun, Aug 2, 2009

Army Looking Into Monitoring of Protest Groups By WILLIAM YARDLEY New York Times, August 3, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/02/us/02army.html?ref=us SEATTLE - The Army says it has opened an inquiry into a claim that one of its employees spent more than two years infiltrating antiwar groups active near one of the nation's largest military bases. The groups say the employee infiltrated their activities under an assumed name and gained access to their plans as well as names and e-mail addresses of some members. The man, John J. Towery, a civilian employee at Fort Lewis, south of Tacoma, Wash., works as a criminal intelligence analyst for the post's Force Protection Division, say officials at Fort Lewis, the nation's third largest Army post. The Army would not disclose the nature of the investigation or address the claim that Mr. Towery had shared information about civilians. It said Mr. Towery was not available for an interview. "Mr. John Towery performs sensitive work within the installation law enforcement community, and it would not be appropriate for him to discuss his duties with the media," the Army said in written statement. "Fort Lewis is aware of the claim with regard to Mr. Towery. To ensure all regulatory guidelines were followed, the command has decided that an inquiry is prudent, and an officer is being appointed to conduct the inquiry." Brendan Maslauskas Dunn said he met Mr. Towery in spring 2007, when Mr. Maslauskas Dunn became involved with Port Militarization Resistance, a group that has frequently tried to disrupt military shipments in Olympia, Tacoma and other ports nearby. Mr. Maslauskas Dunn, who was also active in at least one other group, Students for a Democratic Society, said Mr. Towery had identified himself as John Jacob, using his middle name as his last. He said he worked as a civilian at Fort Lewis doing computer support, Mr. Maslauskas Dunn said. Mr. Towery, he said, frequently attended protests but had not been among those who agreed in advance that they would be willing to be arrested. He said Mr. Towery had often worked as a "watcher" who tracked law enforcement at the protests. At one point early on, Mr. Maslauskas Dunn said, Mr. Towery brought at least one of his children to an event. He said Mr. Towery often spent time at a meeting place for anarchists in Tacoma. Mr. Maslauskas Dunn and another member of the group, Drew Hendricks, said that Mr. Towery had been among a handful of people who ran e-mail lists for some of the groups and that this had given him access to names and e-mail addresses. Mr. Maslauskas Dunn said Mr. Towery would sometimes call group members while he was at work at Fort Lewis and provide information about the movements of some units and equipment. "A lot of information he did give us was easily accessible online," Mr. Maslauskas Dunn said. "You just had to do a little research." Mr. Hendricks said he and other group members did not accept classified information if it was offered by people in the military. Mr. Hendricks, who said he lived in Olympia and repaired printers for a living, said Mr. Towery had drawn his suspicion more than once in the past, including after he posted inaccurate information about a military movement on an activist Web site. Yet he and Mr. Maslauskas Dunn, who said he worked as a janitor at a lumber mill in Shelton, Wash., said Mr. Towery's identity was inadvertently discovered after a public records request made with the City of Olympia. The request yielded an e-mail message Mr. Towery had sent to another person with a military address relating to the protesters' activities. That led Mr. Hendricks and other group members to try to determine who Mr. Towery was. After they learned it was the man they had known as Mr. Jacob, they discussed it at City Council meeting in Olympia last week and posted the information on a Web site. Mr. Maslauskas Dunn said that in a meeting last week, Mr. Towery told him and another group member that he was not reporting information to Fort Lewis and that he genuinely wanted to join "the peace movement" but was under pressure to share some information about protesters with local law enforcement authorities. "What he said is that the world isn't just in black and white, that there are areas of gray and that it's in those areas of gray that he lives his life," Mr. Maslauskas Dunn said. He said Mr. Towery told them that the Army had reassigned him, at least temporarily, and that he was being investigated "for espionage." Mr. Maslauskas Dunn and Mr. Hendricks said they were skeptical of suggestions that Mr. Towery might have infiltrated the group purely on his own, as a so-called renegade without Army approval. Stephen Dycus, a professor at Vermont Law School who focuses on national security issues, said the Army was prohibited from conducting law enforcement among civilians except in very rare circumstances, none of which immediately appeared to be relevant to the Fort Lewis case. Mr. Dycus said several statutes and rules also prohibited the Army from conducting covert surveillance of civilian groups for intelligence purposes. "Infiltration is a really big deal," he said. He said it "raises fundamental questions about the role of the military in American society." Catherine Caruso, a spokeswoman for Fort Lewis, said in a written statement that "the Fort Lewis Force Protection Division, under the Directorate of Emergency Services, consists of both military and civilian employees whose focus is on supporting law enforcement and security operations to ensure the safety and security of Fort Lewis, soldiers, family members, the work force and those personnel accessing the installation." visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

How single payer came back on the table by Michael Munk Sat, Aug 1, 2009

Again: Blumenauer and McDermott were the only NW Dems among the 57 who signed that letter. Will they, Schrader, Wu , DeFazio, Baird et al vote fior 676 next month? As it looks to me, here's a brief sumnmary of the politics that led to the promised House vote on 676 next month. Waxman's Energy & Commerce committee was the scene of the showdown. The seven Blue Dog Democrats on the committee had held up reform for the past several weeks.With a push from Obama whip Emanuel (enabler of many of the Dogs in the last congressional campaign) Waxman struck a deal with four of them --their leader Mike Ross (ARK), Bart Gordon (TN), Baron Hill (IN) and Zack Space (OH). In return for their votes, the deal would (1) delay the full House vote past August, (2) weaken the bill's public health care option and (3) cut $100 billion from health care spending over 10 years, much of it from insurance premium subsidies to uninsured middle income families. Those outrageous concessions finally produced some outrage from House progressives, 57 of whom signed a letter to House leadership threatening to vote against a weak bill. In response, Waxman renegotiated his deal on behalf of Obama with his committee's Blue Dogs and progressives that would (1) delink the public option from Medicare and force it to negotiate its own reimbursement rates, (2) restore the middle-income subsidies by shifting funds from existing federal health care programs and (3) reduce the limit of premiums for the uninsured from 12% to 11% of a household's annual income. But now Waxman faced another challenge from the Left. Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) proposed a single payer amendment that would have forced every member of the committee to vote it up or down--a possible embarrasment to progressive members (including Waxman who was a co-signer of 676 last year but took his name off this year).With the support of Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Mike Doyle (D-Penn.), Bobby Rush (D-Ill.), Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) and Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Weiner offered to withdraw his amendment IF Pelosi promised to bring 676 to a floor debate and vote. She agreed and Waxman and Weiner sealed the committee vote at 31-28. In that vote, only three of the original Blue Dogs (Jim Matheson of Utah, Charlie Melancon of Louisiana and Bart Stupak of Michigan) and two other Democrats (John Barrow of Georgia and Rick Boucher of Virginia) held out and joined every Republican to vote no. The four other Blue Dogs honored their deal with Waxman and voted with their party. No one expects 676 to win in September, but it will be a significant test of strenght between the progressives and their opponents in the Democratic party. No Democrat will have anything to lose by supporting it--they can tell their constituents they supported single payer in a losing effort and went on to pass whatever the Rules Committee will decide will be the final version of the Obama bill in the House (which evidently will be heavily influenced by the Senate's version. I confess I am not completely clear on how "robust" the public option is in Waxman's bill is, but the opportunity to watch House Democrats stand up and be counted on single payer 676 is a worthwhile achievment. visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

Blumenauer, McDermott (+ 55) threaten weak Dem health bill by Michael Munk Thu, Jul 30, 2009

But where are Wu, DeFazio, Schrader, Baird et al? So far, every progressive threat has evaporated to just a handful of House Dems. Let's see how many of the 57 will actually oppose a mild healthcare reform bill if Obama's whip confronts them again. The signers of the letter are: Woolsey, Grijalva, Kilpatrick, Nadler, Hare,Roybal-Allard, Ellison, Blumenauer, Watts, Edwards,Olver, Kucinich,Richardson ,Waters Conyers,Chu, Hinchey,Johnson,Watson,Spier, Pascrell, Doggett, Kaptur, Hirono,Filner,Sanchez, Fudge,Lee, Carson, Lee, Honda McDermott, Clay,McGovern, Clarke, Massa, Pingree, Jackson, Cummings,Thompson, Moore, Payne, Stark,Towns,Brown,Hastings Valezquez, Gutierrez, Napolitano, Sires,Tierney, Capuano, Fattah, Serrano,Farr,l Delahunt, E.B.Johnson Liberal Democrats threaten to reject House healthcare compromise http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-health-overhaul31-2009jul31,0,2426079.story By Noam N. Levey and James Oliphant LA Times, July 31, 2009 Reporting from Washington -- After months of marching in line as senior Democrats worked with the White House to develop healthcare legislation, liberal lawmakers from solidly Democratic districts are threatening a revolt that could doom President Obama's bid to sign a major bill this year. In the House, liberals are furious at their leaders for striking a deal with conservative Democrats that would weaken the proposal to create a government insurance program, a dream long cherished on the left. .On Thursday, 57 of these liberals sent a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) warning that they would vote against any bill that contained the terms of the deal. "We have compromised and we can compromise no more," an angry Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-Petaluma) said at a raucous news conference outside the Capitol. Meanwhile in the Senate, a growing number of Democrats and Republicans were taking aim at an effort led by finance committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) to develop centrist healthcare legislation that could attract GOP support -- in part by eliminating a government plan entirely. The rising tide of liberal anger sent the White House scrambling, with Obama calling at least one left-leaning lawmaker to offer reassurance before Congress leaves town for its August break. On Thursday afternoon, Pelosi and other House Democratic leaders also met privately with a group of labor leaders, consumer advocates and AARP to enlist their support. Ever since the Democrats won congressional majorities in 2006, party leaders have struggled to balance the demands of their liberal and more conservative members. And although the leadership has more than a month to rally enough votes to pass healthcare bills when Congress returns in September, the latest unrest is raising a menacing specter for the president and his allies. Some worry about a possible repeat of the healthcare debacles in the early 1970s and '90s, when divisions within the party helped doom bids to create universal coverage. "Historically, the good has become the enemy of the perfect," warned Ron Pollack, a veteran of past healthcare battles who heads the consumer group Families USA. "I'm afraid we have seen that repeated a little bit in the past several days." Scores of liberal Democrats favor a single-payer system similar to those in Canada and Britain, where the government controls the delivery of healthcare. (Eighty-six House Democrats are cosponsoring a bill to create a single-payer system in the U.S.) But most, eager to break the decades-long logjam blocking a healthcare overhaul, decided that they would have to compromise this year. During the presidential campaign and after taking office, Obama voiced his support for liberal healthcare principles. And many lawmakers put their faith in liberal leaders such as Pelosi and Reps. Henry A. Waxman (D-Beverly Hills), Charles B. Rangel (D-N.Y.) and George Miller (D-Martinez), the three committee chairmen who wrote the bill being debated in the House. That measure -- and a similar one developed by Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) and his staff -- includes a provision creating a government-run insurance plan as an alternative to private coverage. "What the American people want, very clearly, is a Medicare-type public option in 50 states in this country which will give them the choice against private insurance companies," said Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent from Vermont who caucuses with the Democrats. Polls have shown consistently that a large majority of Americans favor such a plan. But senior Democrats in the House and Senate are contending with a growing cadre of centrists in their party, many of whom are uneasy about expanding government's role in healthcare. "It's the moderates that give [Democrats] their majority," said Will Marshall, president of the centrist Progressive Policy Institute. "The bigger the Democratic majority grows, the more moderate it becomes. Democrats are a center-left coalition, so big legislative initiatives need to be shaped accordingly." House leaders bowed to that idea this week. Facing the prospect that a group of conservative Democrats in the 52-member Blue Dog Coalition might block a healthcare bill from moving through the energy and commerce committee, they modified the bill. The backlash was swift and severe. "We're at a point where there's no retreat, and we can and must hold the line," said Rep. Raul M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.), co-chair of the liberal Congressional Progressive Caucus. In a letter, liberal lawmakers attacked the deal. "We regard the agreement reached by Chairman Waxman and several Blue Dog members of the committee as fundamentally unacceptable," they wrote. "This agreement is not a step forward toward a good healthcare bill, but a large step backwards." In the Senate, John D. Rockefeller IV (D-W.Va.), a widely respected, longtime advocate of a healthcare overhaul, took aim at a key part of the Baucus efforts to craft a bipartisan bill: a proposal to create a system of insurance cooperatives in place of a government plan. "We cannot afford to hang our hat on any unproven, unregulated or unreliable model for health insurance coverage," said Rockefeller, who also expressed his expectation that Baucus' effort would fail to produce a bill before the August recess. "I have a sense the tide is moving the other way," he said. Pelosi, meanwhile, was left to try to downplay the divisions in her party. "We have tremendous diversity, whether it is generational, geographic, philosophical, ethnic, gender, you name it," she said. "It is a great kaleidoscope." visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

Blumenauer, McDermott (+55) threaten weak Dem health bill by Michael Munk Thu, Jul 30, 2009

You don't see Wu, Schrader, DeFazio, Baird et al So far, every progressive threat has evaporated to just a handful of House Dems. Let's see how many of the 57 will actually oppose a mild healthcare reform bill if Obama's whip confronts them again. The signers of the letter are: Woolsey, Grijalva, Kilpatrick, Nadler, Hare,Roybal-Allard, Ellison, Blumenauer, Watts, Edwards,Olver, Kucinich,Richardson ,Waters Conyers,Chu, Hinchey,Johnson,Watson,Spier, Pascrell, Doggett, Kaptur, Hirono,Filner,Sanchez, Fudge,Lee, Carson, Lee, Honda McDermott, Clay,McGovern, Clarke, Massa, Pingree, Jackson, Cummings,Thompson, Moore, Payne, Stark,Towns,Brown,Hastings Valezquez, Gutierrez, Napolitano, Sires,Tierney, Capuano, Fattah, Serrano,Farr,l Delahunt, E.B.Johnson Liberal Democrats threaten to reject House healthcare compromise http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-health-overhaul31-2009jul31,0,2426079.story By Noam N. Levey and James Oliphant LA Times, July 31, 2009 Reporting from Washington -- After months of marching in line as senior Democrats worked with the White House to develop healthcare legislation, liberal lawmakers from solidly Democratic districts are threatening a revolt that could doom President Obama's bid to sign a major bill this year. In the House, liberals are furious at their leaders for striking a deal with conservative Democrats that would weaken the proposal to create a government insurance program, a dream long cherished on the left. .On Thursday, 57 of these liberals sent a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) warning that they would vote against any bill that contained the terms of the deal. "We have compromised and we can compromise no more," an angry Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-Petaluma) said at a raucous news conference outside the Capitol. Meanwhile in the Senate, a growing number of Democrats and Republicans were taking aim at an effort led by finance committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) to develop centrist healthcare legislation that could attract GOP support -- in part by eliminating a government plan entirely. The rising tide of liberal anger sent the White House scrambling, with Obama calling at least one left-leaning lawmaker to offer reassurance before Congress leaves town for its August break. On Thursday afternoon, Pelosi and other House Democratic leaders also met privately with a group of labor leaders, consumer advocates and AARP to enlist their support. Ever since the Democrats won congressional majorities in 2006, party leaders have struggled to balance the demands of their liberal and more conservative members. And although the leadership has more than a month to rally enough votes to pass healthcare bills when Congress returns in September, the latest unrest is raising a menacing specter for the president and his allies. Some worry about a possible repeat of the healthcare debacles in the early 1970s and '90s, when divisions within the party helped doom bids to create universal coverage. "Historically, the good has become the enemy of the perfect," warned Ron Pollack, a veteran of past healthcare battles who heads the consumer group Families USA. "I'm afraid we have seen that repeated a little bit in the past several days." Scores of liberal Democrats favor a single-payer system similar to those in Canada and Britain, where the government controls the delivery of healthcare. (Eighty-six House Democrats are cosponsoring a bill to create a single-payer system in the U.S.) But most, eager to break the decades-long logjam blocking a healthcare overhaul, decided that they would have to compromise this year. During the presidential campaign and after taking office, Obama voiced his support for liberal healthcare principles. And many lawmakers put their faith in liberal leaders such as Pelosi and Reps. Henry A. Waxman (D-Beverly Hills), Charles B. Rangel (D-N.Y.) and George Miller (D-Martinez), the three committee chairmen who wrote the bill being debated in the House. That measure -- and a similar one developed by Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) and his staff -- includes a provision creating a government-run insurance plan as an alternative to private coverage. "What the American people want, very clearly, is a Medicare-type public option in 50 states in this country which will give them the choice against private insurance companies," said Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent from Vermont who caucuses with the Democrats. Polls have shown consistently that a large majority of Americans favor such a plan. But senior Democrats in the House and Senate are contending with a growing cadre of centrists in their party, many of whom are uneasy about expanding government's role in healthcare. "It's the moderates that give [Democrats] their majority," said Will Marshall, president of the centrist Progressive Policy Institute. "The bigger the Democratic majority grows, the more moderate it becomes. Democrats are a center-left coalition, so big legislative initiatives need to be shaped accordingly." House leaders bowed to that idea this week. Facing the prospect that a group of conservative Democrats in the 52-member Blue Dog Coalition might block a healthcare bill from moving through the energy and commerce committee, they modified the bill. The backlash was swift and severe. "We're at a point where there's no retreat, and we can and must hold the line," said Rep. Raul M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.), co-chair of the liberal Congressional Progressive Caucus. In a letter, liberal lawmakers attacked the deal. "We regard the agreement reached by Chairman Waxman and several Blue Dog members of the committee as fundamentally unacceptable," they wrote. "This agreement is not a step forward toward a good healthcare bill, but a large step backwards." In the Senate, John D. Rockefeller IV (D-W.Va.), a widely respected, longtime advocate of a healthcare overhaul, took aim at a key part of the Baucus efforts to craft a bipartisan bill: a proposal to create a system of insurance cooperatives in place of a government plan. "We cannot afford to hang our hat on any unproven, unregulated or unreliable model for health insurance coverage," said Rockefeller, who also expressed his expectation that Baucus' effort would fail to produce a bill before the August recess. "I have a sense the tide is moving the other way," he said. Pelosi, meanwhile, was left to try to downplay the divisions in her party. "We have tremendous diversity, whether it is generational, geographic, philosophical, ethnic, gender, you name it," she said. "It is a great kaleidoscope." visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

Leaving AFPAC prematurely by Michael Munk Wed, Jul 22, 2009

The Oregonian's editorial begins:, "When the United States launched its invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, commentators invoked Rudyard Kipling's memorable poem, "The Young British Soldier." "When you're wounded and left on Afghanistan's plains, And the women come out to cut up what remains, Jest roll to your rifle and blow out your brains An' go to your Gawd like a soldier." read the rest at http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2009/07/exorcising_kiplings_ghost.html My response: To the Editor Your editorial "Exorcising Kipling's ghost" (July 18) extends The Oregonian's record of never opposing a single one of America's unnecessary and eventually unpopular (did someone say "imperialist"?) wars. From Korea to Vietnam to Iraq and now Afghanistan you have been a reliable cheer leader for the bipartisan, knee jerk reflex to impose our will on any nation labeled unfriendly by force of (very pricey) arms. So now you uncritically justify Bush's and now Obama's Afghan war, by offering that; eight years out, it is somehow still intended to "establish a stable, democratic government." A more honest rendition would exchange those meaningless adjectives with the less attractive purpose of imposing pro-US regimes on "AFPAC" by killing anyone who resists. War enablers should consider that that most of the violence in Afghanistan is resistance to the US invasion and occupation. If our goal was to actually reduce bloodshed among the civilian population as well as our own troops, we would indeed leave "prematurely." And since Obama's proffered goal is will eventually be recognized as unachievable, we are bound to leave "prematurely"--no matter how far in the future that may be. Unfortunately, you will not recognize that and allow your support to expire until many more thousands of human lives and billions of dollars" have been wasted. Michael Munk For a closer reasoing see Chris Hedges http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/20090720_war_without_purpose/ visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

July 21-27: Single payer tour in Washington by Michael Munk Tue, Jul 21, 2009

We believe that single payer health insurance is the only real solution = to 50 million uninsured and countless millions of underinsured people in = this country. We're working closely with health care professionals and = activists in all three states. This tour is sponsored and endorsed by = all the groups mentioned above, along with generous contributions from = many doctors, nurses and concerned individuals, including Peter Yarrow = of Peter, Paul and Mary. We hope you'll catch one of these shows and = PLEASE - tell your friends. Call your Representative in Congress today = and thank him or her for sponsoring HR 676. If s/he is not one of the 80 = co-sponsors, ask him/her to sponsor HR 676. Call your Senators and ask = them to sponsor SB 703. Thank you! National Health Care NOW!! read the lyrics and listen to "We're Nursing as Fast as We Can" by Joan = Hill listen to "National Health Care Now!" by Anne Feeney print out a Sing Out for Single Payer Road Show poster as a 8.5x13 .jpg or a 11x17 .png =20 SING OUT FOR SINGLE PAYER ROAD SHOW!! Tuesday, July 21st, 2009 = 7:00 PM =20 Sing Out for Single Payer Road Show with Adam & Kris, Brian = QTN, Bluegrass Dave Wilmoth, Wickline, Anne Feeney and Jason Luckett Unitarian Universalist Chruch 4505 E 18th Street Vancouver, WA 98661 360-254-8703 Price: donations Cindi Fisher @ cindipacha@gmail.com - Sponsored by Vancouver = Health Care Now! =20 Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009 8:00 PM =20 Sing Out for Single Payer Road Show - Anne Feeney, Jason = Luckett, Sharon Abreu & Michael Hurwicz, Bluegrass Dave Wilmoth, = Wickline, Brian QTN and more! River's Edge 1011 First Street Snohomish, WA 98102 360-568-5835 http://www.riversedge.bz Price: $10 suggested =20 Thursday, July 23rd, 2009 8:00 PM =20 Sing Out for Single Payer Road Show with Adam & Kris, Brian = QTN, Bluegrass Dave Wilmoth, Anne Feeney, Jason Luckett, Wickline and = more!! Olympia Community Center 222 Columbia St NW Olympia, WA Price: donations suggested =20 Friday, July 24th, 2009 7:00 PM =20 Sing Out for Single Payer Road Show with Sharon Abreu, = Michael Hurwicz, Anne Feeney, Bluegrass Dave Wilmoth, Jason Luckett & = more Peninsula Community College Student Center 1502 East Lauridsen Blvd. Port Angeles, WA 98362 360-683-8407 Price: donations Carlyn syvanenx@teleport.com is the contact - This event is = organized by Reform Health Care Now! and the Green Party of Clallam = County =20 Saturday, July 25th, 2009 8:00 PM =20 Sing Out for Single Payer Road Show with Anne Feeney, Jason = Luckett, the Seattle Labor Chorus, Bluegrass Dave Wilmoth, Sharon Abreu = & Michael Hurwicz, Sheila Liming, Wickline and Ben Silver! The Quincy Jones Theater 400 23rd Avenue Seattle, WA 98122 PNHP is sponsoring this show! =20 Sunday, July 26th, 2009 7:00 PM =20 Sing Out for Single Payer Road Show with Rebel Voices, Anne = Feeney, Jason Luckett, Sharon Abreu & Michael Hurwicz, Bluegrass Dave = Wilmoth and Ben Silver! First United Methodist Church 621 Tacoma Ave Tacoma, WA 98402 253 590 6543 Price: donations=20 Marilyn Kimmerling is the contact. Sponsored by the Micah = Project. =20 Monday, July 27th, 2009 7:30 PM =20 Sing Out for Single Payer Road Show with Ben Silver, = Citizens' Band, Bluegrass Dave Wilmoth, Sharon Abreu & Michael Hurwicz, = Jason Luckett and Anne Feeney! Whatcom Peace and Justice Center 100 E Maple Street Bellingham, WA 98227 (360) 734-0217 http://www.whatcompjc.org/calendar.html Price: donations =20 =20 visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

14 Dems vote for F-22 boondoggle by Michael Munk Tue, Jul 21, 2009

Oregonian challenged on unemployment rate by Michael Munk Sun, Jul 19, 2009

To the editor, The Oregonian: RE: " Oregon unemployment No. 3 in nation, behind Michigan, Rhode Island" (July 18): Why do you report only the low-ball figure for unemployment in Oregon? As the New York Times' front page July 15 informed us, our actual rate is 23.5%. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/15/business/economy/15leonhardt.html?scp=1&sq=broader%20unemployment%20rate&st=cse The Labor Department measures unemployment in several different ways but the public is told only about the one that results in the lowest possible figure.The most accurate measurement counts unemployed people who didn't tell an interviewer they had been looking for work during the survey week. Most of them didn't look because they did not believe any jobs were available and were just as unemployed as those who said they looked.. In addition, the low-ball measurement excludes people working part time but seeking full time employment. If you use the low-ball figures, at least note it is about half the broader count. Perhaps its main justification is that it minimizes the true size of what Marx called the "reserve army of the unemployed"-- a necessary component of any economy that calls itself capitalist. Michael Munk visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

Wyden joins anti health reform gang of Six by Michael Munk Fri, Jul 17, 2009

Oregon unemployment rate at 23.5% by Michael Munk Wed, Jul 15, 2009

Read it yourself on the front page of the NYTimes (not The Oregonian) today http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/15/business/economy/15leonhardt.html?_r=1&ref=us That's what Oregon's true rate is as meassured by the Labor Department'availble report-- but one rarely publizied in the media.The latest "official" seasonally adjusted rate, as reported by The Oregonianand other local media, is 12.2%Why is that about half the true rate?Because the "official" rate counts as unemployed only those who told aninterviewer they were actively looking for work during the monthly surveyweek.So if an unemployed person was discouraged from looking because of the lackof jobs, or sick or for whatever reason didn't say they were looking, theyare not officially unemployed.The broader and essentially secret rate includes workers who gave up lookingthat week as well as those who were working part time but were seeking fulltime work.It's all part of the official government effort to minmize the size of whatMarx called "the reserve army of the unemployed", which is required bycapitalism. visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

Radical historian William Appleman Williams and Oregon by Michael Munk Wed, Jul 15, 2009

I was fortunate to have Bill Williams as my very influential professor = in his full-year graduate course in US diplomatic history at the = University of Oregon, where he taught briefly from 1955-57. But he liked = Oregon enough to return in 1968 to join the history department at Oregon = State University and stay for the next 20 years until retirement. He = died at his home in Waldport in 1990 at age 68. His papers are at OSU. Off Dead Center: William Appleman Williams=20 By Greg Grandin This article appeared in the July 20, 2009 edition of The Nation. VIA = Steve Weiss =20 Oregon State University Libraries Special Collections/Daily Barameter William Appleman Williams near his home in Waldport, Oregon, circa 1986. "Why William Appleman Williams, for God's sake?" asked Arthur = Schlesinger Jr. in 1999 when he learned that Williams's The Contours of = American History had been voted one of the 100 best nonfiction books of = the twentieth century by the Modern Library. Schlesinger had spent the = better part of half a century fighting the influence of Williams, = describing him in 1954 as "pro-communist" to the president of the = American Historical Association. In 1959 the New York Times picked = Schlesinger's The Coming of the New Deal and Williams's The Tragedy of = American Diplomacy as best books of the year, calling the first, in a = nod to a liberalism still vital, a "spirited study" and the second a = "free-swinging attack" on US foreign policy, hinting at the raucous = dissent to come. But forty years later, Schlesinger considered the fight = won. The victory of the United States in the cold war had disproved = Williams's jeremiads against an American empire careening toward = disaster, while the concomitant collapse of the left had confirmed = Schlesinger's position as curator of America's historical = sensibility--liberal, democratic, pragmatic. Schlesinger was one of the = Modern Library's jurors, and his own The Age of Jackson made the cut. = Still, he couldn't keep Williams, dead for nearly a decade, out of the = pantheon. For God's sake.=20 Williams was not the first historian to identify the United States as an = empire, and much of his criticism of Eisenhower-era conformity echoed = that of contemporaries like C. Wright Mills. Yet Williams was unique in = linking domestic disquiet to a long history of expansion, which in his = grandest formulations he traced back to England's Glorious Revolution, = making him one of America's most consequential dissident intellectuals. = He was ahead of many scholars in considering how the violence visited = upon American Indians by Western expansion helped forge America's = double-edged nationalism: espousing universalism, the Puritans wanted to = subdue the "barbarians," Williams remarked in The Nation in 1959, while = the Puritans' desire to be "left alone" could only be realized by = "exterminating" them; the "American dream" for the country to become "a = world unto itself" is not as "isolationist a policy as we have liked to = think." "Gunfire removed the hardy," he wrote in Empire as a Way of = Life, and displacement and disease extirpated the rest: "the coughs, the = sneezes, and the laying on of hands were like the bombs over Hiroshima = and Nagasaki." Williams's criticism of containment--Washington's = post-World War II efforts to isolate the Soviet Union and limit the = spread of Communism--got him labeled a moral relativist when in fact he = was an ethical absolutist. What is good for us is a non-negotiable good = for them. "And if all that the rumors of catastrophe mean," he said on = America's bicentennial, "is that the barbarians will land at Plymouth = Rock, I can only say that I will give over in peace. They would move us = off dead center."=20 By this, Williams meant breaking the cycle in which outward movement = through territorial conquest, market expansion or war becomes the = default solution to all social ills, and he spent most of his career = trying to identify the problem that expansion deferred. At his most = polemical and Freudian, tendencies that escalated in tandem with the = Vietnam War, he argued that "Americans denied and sublimated their = violence by projecting it upon those they defined as inferior." And he = was acutely attuned to how "moralizing about the failures of other = countries" could be an excellent career move. But in Contours, published = in 1961, he reached into seventeenth-century British history to argue = that the relationship between liberalism and empire was in effect a = grand compromise, with expansion serving as a means of containing the = factionalism generated by incipient capitalism. Empire, he wrote = elsewhere, "was the only way to honor avarice and morality. The only way = to be good and wealthy."=20 In America, the "presence of a continent defended only by weaker souls" = made the merging of Puritan purpose with individualism "even more = convenient"; the framers of the Constitution were acutely aware that = private property generated interests too corrosive and passions too = explosive for a circumscribed territory. James Madison was empire's = great "theorist," who was "nothing if not comprehensive." Williams = quoted a phrase of Madison's every chance he could: "Extend the sphere" = and "you make it less probable that a majority of the whole will have a = common motive to invade the rights of other citizens." Demands for a = leveling of wealth could be defused by opening up "surplus social = space." Thomas Jefferson once proposed redistributing property each = generation as a way of retaining republican virtue in a small place, but = he abandoned the idea to become, in Williams's words, the "epic poet" of = the "urge to escape, to run away and spend one's life doing what one = wanted--or in starting over again and again." In 1906 the German = sociologist Werner Sombart had identified the pull of an open frontier = as one explanation, among many, for why there was no socialism in = America. And others in the 1950s, such as John Rawls and Louis Hartz, = considered the problem of "property" in liberal thought, particularly as = it related to the difficulty of achieving social democracy within a = capitalist framework. Yet Williams was one of the first to link these = questions explicitly to imperialism--or, more precisely, to realize the = way expansion warps any consideration of the dilemma.=20 From 1957 to 1967, Williams taught in the history department at the = University of Wisconsin, where he had received his doctorate. He had a = considerable influence on the emerging New Left, drawing around him = young bohemians and intellectuals compelled by watching him work out "an = alternative radical critique to sterile Stalinism," as one of his = teaching assistants, Herbert Gutman (himself a pioneer in US labor = history), explained the attraction. Williams's many graduate students, = including Walter LaFeber and Lloyd Gardner, dominated diplomatic history = for decades. In the years after 9/11, however, his name was often = invoked while his insights were routinely ignored, especially by = liberals who sought to cast the Bush doctrine as an aberration, tracing = its roots to the Israel lobby, Leo Strauss or perhaps Leon Trotsky. It = took an ironic remark by a neocon historian to stress the perennial = pertinence of Williams's ideas. "Can a generation raised on the = teachings of William Appleman Williams and Walter LaFeber believe that = the alleged sins of neoconservatism--excessive idealism, blinding = self-righteousness, utopianism, hubris, militarism, and overweening = ambition, and throw in if you want selfishness and greed--are somehow = new sins?" asked Robert Kagan in 2008. As it happens, it was a question = Williams had already answered. "We have been playing hide-and-seek for = two centuries" in avoiding history, he wrote in America Confronts a = Revolutionary World (1976), a game that has given us a "large = playground" but has suspended us between past and future, "best = epitomized in this motto: 'Limbo is our Way of Life.'"=20 William Appleman Williams was born in 1921 in the wheat and oat town of = Atlantic, Iowa, founded after the Civil War and named, according to the = historian, by a flip of a coin because it sat halfway between the two = coasts. Williams credited his interest in politics and history to an = underappreciated prairie cosmopolitanism (his mother and grandmothers = were "liberated women"), one as open to the world's ideas as the local = farmers were, via the Rock Island Railroad, to the continent's two great = ocean markets. Educated at Missouri's Kemper Military Academy, he = graduated from Annapolis and then served in the Pacific in World War II. = At war's end, the Navy sent him to Corpus Christi, Texas, to train as a = pilot. But in retaliation for his work with the NAACP--which, with the = help of local Communists, was taking on General Motors, King Ranch and = the local Catholic church--he was ordered back to the Pacific to take = part in Operation Crossroads, an experiment that entailed the nuclear = destruction of Bikini Atoll to test the effects of radiation on military = personnel and equipment. A wartime back injury prevented his = participation, sparing him the illnesses that afflicted many Crossroads = alumni but leaving him in a shoulder-to-thigh cast for months. With = little to do except read, he deepened his interest in history and = philosophy. Shortly after he left Texas, an African-American activist = was murdered. Williams often cited this and other instances of "routine = violence" that met demands for equality, as well as his close-call = escape from Crossroads, as contributing to his radicalization. "Yes, = sir, that will make a socialist out of you," he once said to an = interviewer, referring to the killing, "unless you are dead."=20 He began graduate school at Madison in 1947, the same year Wisconsin = voters sent Joseph McCarthy to the Senate. McCarthyism, though, largely = passed over Madison; the university's greater challenge was resisting = liberal orthodoxy. Williams remembered later in his life that the campus = was alive with a postwar class of "alert veterans" outspoken on issues = like the Korean War, an engagement "largely forgotten in all the talk = about the silent generation of the 1950s and the activism of the 1960s." = Also vital to campus life was "thoughtful dialogue with first-rate = conservatives"--not today's mean-spirited ids to liberal superegos but = scholars who honestly grappled with American history.=20 Above all, Madison was a stew of ideas, with =E9migr=E9s from Europe and = refugees from New York drawing on European social and cultural theory to = reinvigorate older Progressive Era historiography. The German = sociologist Hans Gerth introduced Williams to Continental philosophy and = Frankfurt School Marxism, which sent him "soaring," according to Paul = Buhle and Edward Rice-Maximin in their excellent intellectual biography = William Appleman Williams: The Tragedy of Empire. The Americanists = brought him "back down to earth." At some point, Williams felt compelled = to decide between thinkers who saw the world as a dynamic whole, such as = Hegel, Marx and Spinoza, and those who viewed it as made up of = "atomistic elements" only mechanically related. "I chose Spinoza," he = said. He also chose Marx, "exhilarated" by his "capacity to see in one = piece of evidence a set of relationships that reveal an economic truth, = a truth about an idea, a social verity, and a political truth." He = focused on diplomacy because "if there is a Spinozian whole for an = historian, then it has to involve foreign policy and the periodization = of history."=20 This self-description makes Williams sound more like a Hegelian than a = Spinozian or a Marxist. Indeed, despite his searing indictment of = empire, he was openly obsessed with the idea of America as the = embodiment of a world spirit. "America," he wrote toward the end of his = life, "is the kind of culture that wakes you in the night, the kind of = nightmare that may [yet] possibly lead us closer to the truth." Williams = was a serious, empirical scholar whose prose could be as dense as any = academic's, but he often broke out of form to riff in a style as = sprawling as his subject matter. "If we start with reform and go on to = modernize, prosperity, improve, uplift," he said of the action words of = American expansion, "then we come out with purify, put right, purgation, = overtake, and never look back. Finally, we find stewards as policemen, = which leads us backward and forwards to benevolence, surveillance, = reform, paternalism, and systematic discipline in the name of progress." = Intoxicated by the "dialectical tension" of "coming apart at the seams = at midnight" and "stitching it back together in a sentence or two at 3 = a.m.," Williams, a jazz drummer, increasingly expressed himself with bop = rhythm and beat imagery. "Assume the worst," he warned in his last great = work, chanting its title with a frequency worthy of Howl's Moloch: = "empire as a way of life will lead to nuclear death."=20 But Williams also got in close. For all his talk about grand historical = narratives, he rendered his subjects with an intimacy beyond the reach = of most historians, of whatever political persuasion. Gen. Douglas = MacArthur "had an instinct for the viscera," and his lunge for power = stemmed as much from the dynamics of the military-industrial complex as = from the frustrations of his Scottish aristocratic family's = three-generation bid to break into American politics. "One has to touch = one's cap," Williams said, to any "man sitting on that combination of = personal and social dynamite, and somehow keeping it under control." = Then there's "Ol' Lyndon" Johnson, "first and always" a "southern white = who grew up wandering hither and yon across that no man's land that = divides the lowers from the maybe middles," his Confederate = "consciousness of being first among the damned" making him aware of the = New Deal's betrayal of African-Americans in ways Northern patricians = like John F. Kennedy never could understand. One has the feeling = Williams knew these people, or men very much like them, during his = service in the Pacific and his time in Corpus Christi.=20 Well before the publication of The Tragedy of American = Diplomacy--Williams's best-known book, it has been reissued this year on = its fiftieth anniversary--tragedy had become a favored genre of scholars = operating within the "vital center" of American intellectual life. = "History is not a redeemer, promising to solve all human problems in = time," Arthur Schlesinger cautioned in 1949 in a Partisan Review essay = nominally about the Civil War but really a brief for containment; it is = rather a "tragedy in which we are all involved, whose keynote is anxiety = and frustration." Other "tough-minded" liberal intellectuals, such as = Richard Hofstadter and Reinhold Niebuhr, invoked the force of instinct = and passion in mass society as something of a deus ex machina to stress = history's tragic dimensions. The notion that evil did not "proceed from = a cruel system"--that is, a system that could be engineered to produce = ever more virtue--but from man's "dark and tangled aspects," as = Schlesinger interpreted Niebuhr, helped transform liberalism from a = politics of hope to one of fear. The policy implications were clear: the = New Deal was the outer limit of reform, beyond which lay the nether = lands of totalitarianism, and the Soviets needed to be confronted with = the same resolve with which the Union defeated the Confederacy and = Franklin Delano Roosevelt beat the Nazis.=20 Williams viewed this dramaturgical turn as a manifestation of America's = "New Babbittry," a middlebrow provincialism that, despite gestures to = liberal internationalism, garrisoned American thought from the rest of = the world--as well as from its own past. In the mid-1950s, Williams was = recruited to write for The Nation by editor Carey McWilliams, himself = recently brought from the West to revive the magazine, politically and = financially besieged for taking an anti-anti-Communist stance during the = editorship of Freda Kirchwey. Both men favored a show-me skepticism in = their dealings with East Coast intellectuals. But Williams, trained in = European criticism and well read in Freud, was particularly unimpressed = by the moral theatrics of their work and unconvinced by their justifying = pretensions. "There is a great book to be written some day," he quipped, = that could explain how historians like Schlesinger who blamed the cold = war on Stalin's paranoia "came by the power to render such flat-out = psychiatric judgments without professional training." At The Nation, = McWilliams used the historian to lend "depth" to front-of-the-book = reporting, giving him free rein to develop a prescient critique of = still-unnamed neoconservatism. In a 1956 review/essay, Williams = identified Hofstadter's celebrated The Age of Reform--with its heavy use = of psychology to explain violent episodes in American history, including = the Spanish-American War--as signaling a turning point in American = thought. Absolved from having to examine the relationship between = ideology and interests, liberals had rendered history into "myth." = "Perhaps the major American casualty of the cold war," he wrote in = another essay, "has been the idea of history."=20 But if the "New Babbitts" wanted history as dinner theater, Williams = could do that too. In 1955 Williams produced a Nation "fable," casting = the cold warrior as a composite of four historical types: Puritan, = Planter, Hamiltonian and Homesteader:=20 The Puritan elected himself America's first elite. He originally = intended to establish a righteous Eden. His handmaiden was to have been = Calvin's Virgin of unexploited wealth. But the Devil, cleverly = camouflaged as the noble savage, already claimed the Virgin. Thus the = Puritan had first to contain and defeat the red man.... But the = pietistic intensity of his awareness of the Devil withered the Puritan's = sense of purpose. Morality ceased to be the means of communicating with = God and the guide to the good life.... Only the Devil, warned the = Puritan, spoke of the general welfare. Thus the Puritan gave way to the = Planter, who comforted and wooed the Virgin.... Not until the Puritan = pointed to the evil of the slave did the Planter and the Virgin take up = the language of noblesse oblige. It was then too late. The hell of a = fellow who occasionally feeds the neighborhood does not become m'Lord = through rhetoric....=20 And on it goes, with Williams introducing the Hamiltonian empire = builder, who vanquished the Planter, and the Homesteader, a potential = repository of a nonimperial America but compromised by his ties to the = Hamiltonian and the Planter. At this point Williams was an assistant = professor at the University of Oregon, a land-grant university tucked = into a remote corner of the continental United States. Yet here he was, = precociously seizing on the then-influential "myth and symbol" school of = American studies to sweepingly reinterpret all of US history. He = perversely cast FDR not as a Hamiltonian but as a Planter who renovated = noblesse oblige for the industrial age and reconciled the Homesteader = (Henry Wallace!) to the "machine." Williams made the story's endpoint = 1955, hoping that Soviet nuclear power would rescue history from the = "Puritan memory hole" and free Eisenhower from crusaders who mistook = "catechism for wisdom." The tale helps decode his subsequent writings, = in particular his recurrent concern with the externalization of = morality: "good" came to be understood as expansion ("Calvin's Virgin"), = whereas anything that stood in its way--from American Indians to the = Confederacy, from the Soviet Union to the Third World--was "evil." = "Americans became very prone to define their rivals as unnatural men," = he wrote, "almost, if not wholly, beyond redemption."=20 Three years later, Williams published Tragedy, taking Frederick Jackson = Turner's "frontier thesis"--which held that the westward advance of the = United States determined the unique character of American society--and = standing it on its head. Since the end of the nineteenth century, = Turner's ideas, Williams wrote in an earlier essay, "rolled through the = universities and into popular literature as a tidal wave." But most = historians had misconstrued their importance, debating whether or not = the frontier had closed when Turner said it did, in the 1890s, or if a = continent of "free land" actually led to political or social democracy. = The very term "frontier," he argued, emphasized the "static" over the = "dynamic," distracting scholars from viewing the thesis as a "classic = illustration of the transformation of an idea into an ideology," the = influence of which extended into the twentieth century. The real task, = Williams said, was to understand how Turner served as a guide to = policy-makers, including presidents Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow = Wilson, who saw the American border not as a line to stop at but as one = to cross.=20 Tragedy traced the nascence of America's modern, nonterritorial empire = to the industrial crisis of the 1890s, which brought violence and strife = and threatened much worse. There emerged in reaction a "convergence of = economic practice with intellectual analysis and emotional involvement" = that created a "very powerful and dangerous propensity to define the = essentials of American welfare in terms of activities outside the United = States." With profits falling, cities swelling, workers marching and = agrarians protesting, the United States, far from being "thrown back = upon itself," as Turner described the result of reaching the Pacific, = cast further afield. Militarists might have been dreaming of national = regeneration, farmers and industrialists of international markets, labor = leaders of social peace and a piece of the pie, intellectuals of an = outlet for individualism in a world of corporate concentration, and = missionaries of deliverance, but all came to share a vision in which = domestic progress and prosperity were dependent on unfettered expansion. = The result was the Spanish-American War, when the United States got Cuba = and Puerto Rico, along with what Williams thought the real prize: the = Philippines, a foothold in the Pacific needed to pre-empt Europe's and = Japan's drive to divvy up China. The acquisition of overseas = territory--as opposed to the fruits of mainland Manifest = Destiny--provoked a great national debate between imperialists and = anti-imperialists. This debate was ultimately reconciled by a third = camp, which advocated an "Open Door" of market expansion; this would = allow the United States to use its ascendant economic strength to best = competitors while remaining free from the burdens of direct colonialism. = The Open Door promised perpetual peace. "In a truly perceptive and even = noble sense," Williams wrote, its designers "understood that war = represented the failure of policy." Yet the policy delivered constant = conflict. The grail was the Chinese market. But rivals like Japan, = czarist Russia and Germany kept getting in the way, embroiling the = United States in its own Great Game of geopolitics and war. Rather than = discrediting the Open Door, opposition heightened the magnetism of the = idea, uniting realists and idealists and pulling anti-imperialists into = intervention. Fully committed to opening Chinese markets yet faced with = a bloody insurgency in the US-occupied Philippines, a fierce critic of = annexation like William Jennings Bryan argued that Washington should = establish a protectorate on the islands until stability was achieved, = just as "we have protected the republics of Central and South America."=20 Williams presented the Open Door as a variant of the dependent = relationship between liberalism and empire, deferring yet again the = problems of property. At the same time, the myth perpetuated by = expansion--that a "harmony of interests" could be secured under = crisis-prone industrial capitalism--was projected outward, obscuring the = consequences of expansion. Neither revolutions in Mexico, China and = Russia nor insurgencies against Marine occupations in the Philippines = and the Caribbean were dealt with as effects of economic restructuring = or US militarism. Rather, missionary certainty blended with the ideal of = self-determination into an all-encompassing "imperial anticolonialism," = allowing Americans to believe that self-interest and the world's = well-being were mutually reliant. It was, Williams wrote, "as neat a = circle as ever drawn freehand." Tragedy locates the origins of = containment in Washington's overreaction to the 1917 Bolshevik = Revolution; later works would trace the policy back to the French and = Haitian revolutions, both of which spawned an "idealism that was so = broad as to question the uniqueness and mission of America."=20 Thus hard-wired into the Weltanschauung--a "conception of the world and = how it works, and a strategy for acting upon that outlook on a routine = basis as well as in times of crisis"--that drives the United States = forward were the terms of its own denial, a point unintentionally = affirmed by Adolf Berle, a brain-truster of FDR's presidency. Berle = favorably reviewed Tragedy in the New York Times, thinking it a = corrective to the excesses of the early cold war. Yet he quibbled with = Williams's use of the word "imperialism"; the United States in the = nineteenth century, he said, "did expand, but into empty land. It is one = thing to conquer a subject people; another to occupy vacant real = estate."=20 Tragedy appeared in stores a month after the Cuban Revolution, with = deteriorating relations between Washington and Havana providing daily = illustrations of many of its arguments. "A more saddening example," = Williams remarked in a revised edition, "of reading world history since = 1917 in terms of the Bolshevik Revolution would be very difficult to = find." The ongoing influence of Frederick Jackson Turner was practically = certified by Kennedy, who responded to Cuba and other Third World = problems by declaring that "America's frontiers today are on every = continent." Kennedy's 1961 Alliance for Progress (which Berle was = instrumental in organizing) read like a screenplay based on Tragedy, = with the United States in the dual role of preacher and constable, = promoting both modernization and counterinsurgency to tragic ends in one = country after another. And history continued to be kind to Tragedy's = arguments. "After all," said Williams in 1973, in response to his = critics, "Korea, Cuba, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Chile did happen." So did, = in his lifetime, Iran, Guatemala, Indonesia, Brazil, Laos, Argentina, = Angola, Mozambique, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Afghanistan. Yet through = it all he would continue to discern the same pattern of denial. "The = essence of American foreign relations is so obvious as to have been = often ignored or evaded," Williams wrote in 1972; the "American Empire = just grew like Topsy."=20 Williams most likely would have considered Andrew Bacevich, who = contributes an afterword to the anniversary edition of Tragedy, a = "first-rate conservative," someone to argue with over the wisdom of = containment. Bacevich graduated from West Point in 1969 and served in = Vietnam the following year, and when he began to study international = relations at Princeton, he considered the New Left historian his = "personal nemesis." But he eventually came to appreciate Williams's = analysis as resonating with his own postwar realism and based his = American Empire (2002) largely on the Open Door thesis, arguing for the = essential continuity of US foreign policy--driven by the quest for = foreign markets and a belief that domestic well-being was predicated on = expansion--from Woodrow Wilson to Bill Clinton. He still thought, = however, that Williams's view of the cold war was "wrong" for = downplaying the Soviet Union's massive "abuse of human rights." Lately, = Bacevich has focused on how some of the actions taken in the name of = anti-Communism helped gestate neocon utopianism, yet he still proposes = deployment of a restricted version of containment, stripped of its = pastoral urges, against Islamic extremism. When asked what book he would = recommend to Barack Obama, Bacevich picked not Tragedy but Niebuhr's The = Irony of American History (1952), calling it a corrective to the Bush = doctrine's delusion that history could be "coerced toward some = predetermined destination." Wise diplomacy, Niebuhr wrote, embraces a = "modest awareness of the limits of our own knowledge and power."=20 Niebuhr's conversion of the Christian concept of humility before God = into a foreign policy ethics, however, cut two ways, upholding realism = while justifying its own form of idealism. Niebuhr was an = anti-imperialist in his youth, yet Irony served as something of a blank = postdated check, underwriting intervention and liquidating its deficits. = His interpretation of history as a series of "ironies" folded the = violence involved in the rise of the United States--which Niebuhr and = Williams described in strikingly similar terms--into a transcendent = understanding of evil and, conveniently enough, projected onto the = Soviet Union. In 1946, for instance, Niebuhr had called the bombing of = Hiroshima and Nagasaki "morally indefensible." Six years later, Irony's = first page warned that there is an "element of tragedy" in the struggle = of "freedom against tyranny." Though "our civilization" is "confident of = its virtue it must yet hold atomic bombs ready for use so as to prevent = a possible world conflagration."=20 Williams thought this a theology of evasion. It was easy to lampoon what = he described as the "high noon" fantasies of Henry Luce's American = Century. Yet hand-wringers like Niebuhr--whom Williams called the "most = sought-after soul sitter for American liberalism"--played their part in = justifying expansion. Williams had no illusions about the Soviet Union; = he criticized its repression of intellectuals. Russians, he said, paid a = "terrible price in terror and hardship." But he too could appreciate = what he called history's "harsh irony": by bringing a preponderance of = power to bear against the USSR, which emerged from World War II with an = exhausted military, wasted farms and factories, ruined cities and a = "sad, weary, and lethargic population," the United States eventually = conjured up the enemy it feared; armed with the threat of containment, = Stalin drove "the Soviet people to the brink of collapse" until he = turned his country into a nuclear power. Williams identified in the = debates about how to respond to a revived USSR the same merry-go-round = logic that emerged after 1898. "Containment-liberation" was "two sides = of the same coin": idealism gets us in; realism keeps us there while = promising to get us out.=20 Bacevich values Williams as an interpreter of America's Weltanschauung = yet believes his contributions to global history "do not stand the test = of time," since he underestimated the ability of the United States to = regroup after Vietnam and overestimated the importance of Third World = revolutions. It is true that Williams was at his weakest when, = forgetting his criticisms of Hofstadter, he attributed psychological = mass support to imperialism. For the most part, he thought change would = come not from within the system--"where is Du Bois?" C.L.R. James asked = after finishing Contours--but from expansion hitting a wall, which = Williams kept thinking was imminent. The "General Theory of Relativity = is likely to antiquate the frontier thesis," he wrote in 1955; Turner = had "met his match in Einstein and Oppenheimer." In the 1960s, Vietnam, = along with the revolt of the Third World, had "set the outer limits of = the American Empire." And in the 1970s, the arms race and energy crisis = brought the empire to bay. Yet each time Williams was proven wrong, his = larger argument was confirmed. Third World revolutions didn't succeed on = their own terms, but they did propel US history: Eisenhower begot = Kennedy, who turned to counterinsurgency to bypass the nuclear impasse; = Jimmy Carter begot Ronald Reagan, who responded to the melancholy 1970s = by remoralizing and remilitarizing diplomacy, opening the Third World to = hasten the shift from industrial to financial capitalism; Bill Clinton = abandoned the New Deal's noblesse oblige to go global, equating = America's interests with the world's, at which point George W. Bush = enters stage right. If we start with Niebuhr, who eventually found the = irony of Vietnam too much to bear, we have to somersault over this = history to explain the past seven years. With Williams, the present = flows from the past.=20 Williams did not believe, as did many progressives of his day, that = liberalism was a way station on the road to social democracy; he thought = that whatever transformative force the philosophy once held had mutated = either into a corrosive, anti-intellectual individualism or a = justification for monopoly capitalism, in both cases kept alive only by = a constant "fleeing forward." Thus he was free to find traces of a = latent socialism in the unlikeliest places, including in the South's = culture of defeat and resentment (a "prism-prison" that distorts some = truths, leading to racial supremacy and "hawkish bellicosity," but that = clarifies a healthy distrust of the state) and in the writings of = aristocrats, conservative politicians and businessmen who, even if they = still defended hierarchy, candidly confronted the predicaments of = capital. His most famous restoration project was Herbert Hoover; it = seemed that every time Schlesinger wrote a book about FDR, Williams = would counter by finding some new, underappreciated quality in the man = New Dealers loved to ridicule.=20 But his true inspiration was the "courageous and deeply intelligent" = civil rights movement, which rejected the "white man's theory of escape = through the frontier" to work on "the here and now." Just as Williams = could tease out the expansionist assumptions in the smallest asides, he = found glimmers of a true American socialism in understated opposition to = the evangelical impulse: "I'm not concerned with the New Jerusalem," he = quoted Martin Luther King Jr. "I'm concerned with the New Atlanta, the = New Birmingham, the New Montgomery."=20 Having been chastened by so many wrong predictions about the end of = empire, Williams, if he were around, might think the United States = capable of slipping the knot of the current crisis to set out beyond the = borders of its territory and markets yet again. But he would certainly = appreciate the irony that China, long imagined as the ultimate frontier, = the great absorber of American surplus, now keeps the United States = afloat to serve as its capital and commodity market. Frederick Jackson = Turner survived the bomb, Vietnam and the 1970s. But he has possibly met = his match in Wen Jiabao, China's premier, who in March reminded the = United States about its trillion-dollar debt to Beijing and criticized = its "unsustainable model of development characterized by prolonged low = savings and high consumption."=20 Williams would likely empathize with Barack Obama, the way he did with = LBJ, as someone charged with cleaning up the mess others made, "striving = to do all that was possible within the orthodoxy he had been taught." = But he would be suspicious of the president's endorsement of Niebuhr. In = 2007 Obama impressed New York Times columnist David Brooks by saying he = shared the theologian's view of history as tragic and ironic and the = belief that there's "serious evil in the world"--though Williams might = recognize it as a shrewd bid to win over our current crop of soul = sitters. He might also understand Obama's embrace of the rhetoric of = exceptionalism as an attempt to bridle that vanity and shift = attention--as much as interests, ideology and the twenty-four-hour news = cycle permit--to building a New America, one that finally kicks the = habit of externalizing evil and jumping the perimeter.=20 He would, however, think dangerous the conceit that domestic and foreign = policy could be hoodwinked into going their separate ways. Kennedy tried = that, Williams once wrote, but saber-rattling to appease militarists = made him a "hostage of the right." We need to "reconceptualize this war = as existing in the mental space of the Pashtun nation," says = counterinsurgent theorist John Nagl of the conflict along the = Afghanistan-Pakistan border. Williams would know that the war already = exists in the American mental space: in the denial of Washington's role = in nurturing Islamic extremism; in the reliance on bomber drones to wage = low-cost war; and in Obama's refusal to completely forsake rendition and = other Bush-era extrajudicial innovations. Here, Williams might say, is = "a fact that contains the whole, and a whole that contains every fact" = of a legal system incapable of absorbing the excesses of expansion and = war, as well as the deference that imperial power commands.=20 Ultimately, he would worry that Obama, as he believed FDR did before = him, is responding to the current crisis by shoring up the settlement = that ended the previous one (in this case, the contraction of the = 1970s)--by recycling the policy-makers (like Iran/Contra luminary Robert = Gates and derivative-enabler Lawrence Summers) responsible for the = overleveraging of American power. But "empire as a way of life" is = forgiving of mistakes, as Williams might say, provided they are made on = behalf of that life.=20 A lazy reading of Williams has him decamping back to Oregon at the end = of the 1960s after a decade teaching at Madison, disillusioned with New = Left radicalism and increasingly strident in his predictions. Yet = Williams's real anguish did not concern the left--he liked to tweak its = conceits yet remained to his last days forgiving of its excesses--but = with what might be called the atrophy of the Weltanschauung, as = reflected in the degeneration of astute self-awareness into hardened = ideology. For all their differences, Adolf Berle and Arthur Schlesinger = were of Williams's world, and to a large degree their intelligence was = honed by answering dissent. Schlesinger tried to dismiss Williams, but = he was compelled to spend many long years arguing with him. Berle even = invited him to join the Kennedy administration as a foreign policy = adviser (Williams declined). Today, policy-makers and their = intellectuals talk exclusively among themselves, thinking themselves = accountable only to the distant opinions of "history." Recently asked to = comment on her role in the invasion and occupation of Iraq, Condoleezza = Rice responded by saying that she had been reading Dean Acheson's = Present at the Creation, which taught her that "you have to keep moving = forward, recognizing that it will be a long time before history = adjudicates one way or another on outcomes."=20 Until Judgment Day comes, we have to settle for Clio's answer to a more = modest inquiry: why William Appleman Williams? Because as history has = shown since the publication of The Tragedy of American Diplomacy, things = can always get worse.=20 About Greg Grandin Greg Grandin, a professor of history at New York University, is the = author, most recently, of Fordlandia: The Rise and Fall of Henry Ford's = Forgotten Jungle City (Metropolitan).

Ashland charity charges evidence seized illegally by Michael Munk Tue, Jul 14, 2009

Lawyers want evidence from Islamic group tossed by The Associated Press July 14, 2009 http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/07/lawyers_want_evidence_from_isl.html EUGENE -- Lawyers for the co-founder of the U.S. chapter of a defunct Islamic charity have asked a federal judge to suppress evidence collected by the government in its conspiracy case. During a hearing Monday in U.S. District Court, defense attorneys Steven Wax and Lawrence Matasar claimed the search warrant targeting the foundation was based on previous illegal surveillance, and that computer data seized in the 2004 search exceeded the scope of the warrant. Prosecutor Chris Cardani said the information taken from foundation hard drives was key to the case and was obtained in an appropriate manner. Judge Michael Hogan did not say when he might rule on the defense motions. Trial for defendant Pete Seda, also known as Pirouz Sedaghaty, is scheduled for Nov. 30. Seda, 51, is also charged with tax fraud stemming from a $150,000 contribution to the branch of the Al-Haramain Islamic Foundation that he co-founded in Ashland. The government alleges the branch smuggled money to Muslim fighters in Chechnya but filed tax forms claiming it was used to buy property for a prayer house in Missouri. The U.S. Treasury Department froze Al-Haramain's assets after declaring the organization had ties to Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda-linked Islamic fighters in Chechnya. The government of Saudi Arabia dissolved the foundation in 2004. Wax said in court documents that the U.S. government had been secretly spying on the charity since the 1990s. Noting the search warrant authorized seizure of information about an IRS form, he has questioned electronic searches done for more than 20 names that included Saudi Arabian associates of bin Laden. Internal Revenue Service agent Colleen Anderson, who filed a sworn statement requesting the warrant, testified the key words were part of an "evolving process" within the reasonable scope of an investigation. Under questioning by Cardani, she likened the process to one used when paper files are seized and searched, with investigators using newly discovered information to have a second look at previously examined documents. Under questioning by Wax, FBI agent David Carroll said information obtained from foundation computers may have been shared with FBI headquarters and Russian investigators. The defense lawyers also challenged the assertion that Seda's son voluntarily consented to let agents search buildings not mentioned in the search warrant, which was served while Pete Seda was outside the U.S. visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

This week's Oregon single payer tour by Michael Munk Mon, Jul 13, 2009

We believe that single payer health insurance is the only real solution = to 50 million uninsured and countless millions of underinsured people in = this country. We're working closely with health care professionals and = activists in all three states. This tour is sponsored and endorsed by = all the groups mentioned above, along with generous contributions from = many doctors, nurses and concerned individuals, including Peter Yarrow = of Peter, Paul and Mary. We hope you'll catch one of these shows and = PLEASE - tell your friends. Call your Representative in Congress today = and thank him or her for sponsoring HR 676. If s/he is not one of the 80 = co-sponsors, ask him/her to sponsor HR 676. Call your Senators and ask = them to sponsor SB 703. Thank you! National Health Care NOW!! read the lyrics and listen to "We're Nursing as Fast as We Can" by Joan = Hill listen to "National Health Care Now!" by Anne Feeney print out a Sing Out for Single Payer Road Show poster as a 8.5x13 .jpg or a 11x17 .png =20 SING OUT FOR SINGLE PAYER ROAD SHOW!! =20 Monday, July 13th 7:00 PM Corvallis =20 Sing Out for Single Payer Road Show with Raina Rose, Chris = Chandler, Paul Benoit, Jason Luckett, Anne Feeney, David Rovics, Green = Mountain Grass, Patrick Dodd and Citizens' Band Central Park Gazebo 8th Street and Madison Avenue Price: donations welcomed Paul Hochfeld is the contact - phochfeld(@)msn.com=20 =20 Tuesday, July 14th, 5:00 PM Coos Bay =20 Sing Out for Single Payer with Raina Rose, Patrick Dodd, = Green Mountain Grass, Jason Luckett, Anne Feeney, Citizens' Band and = more! Mingus Park 752 N 10th St 541-217-8044 Price: donations welcome Rick Staggenborg, MD is the contact - stagmd(@)hotmail.com; = Sponsored in part by the Pacific Greens of Coos County. Come straight = from work. Refreshments available & plenty of parking! =20 Wednesday, July 15th,7:00 PM Newport =20 Sing Out for Single Payer Road Show with Anne Feeney, Jason = Luckett, Bluegrass Dave Wilmoth, Jesse Dalton, Patrick Dodd, David = Rovics, Pickles, Wickline and more! Cafe Mundo NW Coast and 2nd St 541-265-9747 Price: $10 suggested Contact: Joanne Cvar cvar(@)peak.org =20 Thursday, July 16th, 6:00 PM Yachats=20 Sing Out for Single Payer with David Rovics, Anne Feeney, = Jason Luckett, Wickline, Patrick Dodd, Jesse Dalton, Pickles and = Bluegrass Dave Wilmoth! Green Salmon 220 N Hwy 101 541 563 3615 http://www.thegreensalmon.com/ Price: donations welcome Contact: Joanne Cvar cvar@peak.org =20 Friday, July 17th 8:30 PM Eugene =20 Sing Out for Single Payer Road Show with Adam & Kris, Anne = Feeney, Wickline, Raina Rose, Green Mountain Grass, Jason Luckett, Brian = QTN, and Patrick Dodd The Very Little Theater! 2350 Hilyard Street http://www.thevlt.com/Calendar/Calendar.htm Price: donations welcome Charlotte Maloney - charuhc(@)comcast.net and Jeanine Malito = - Jmalito(@)continet.com are the contacts =20 Saturday, July 18th 7:30 PM Portland =20 Sing Out for Single Payer Road Show with Anne Feeney, Al = Bradbury, Pickles, Hunter Paye, Patrick Dodd, General Strike, Bluegrass = Dave Wilmoth, Jason Luckett, Jesse Dalton, Wickline, Dick Weissman and = more! SEIU Local 49 Auditorium 3536 SE 26th Ave. Price: donations OR Jobs with Justice is organizing this! Contact Margaret = Butler - margaret(@)jwjpdx.org =20 Sunday, July 19th, 2:30 PM McMinnville=20 Sing Out for Single Payer Tour with Raina Rose, Green = Mountain Grass, Patrick Dodd, Wickline, Anne Feeney, Lewis Childs, Jason = Luckett and more! Mc Minnville Community Center - Room 203 600 NE Evans St http://annefeeney.com/specialevents.html Price: donations Contact - lizmarliastein@verizon.net - Sponsored by the = Yamhill County Democrats, the Marion, Polk & Yamhill Counties Central = Labor Council, and USW Local 8378 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 =20 visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

Pastors for Peace: NW to Cuba by Michael Munk Sat, Jul 11, 2009

I had no notice about this tour and was out of town when they passed = through Oregon and Washington . Hope some will support these righteous = folks Portland, OR Sunday July 5 =20 Albany, OR Monday July 6 =20 Corvallis, OR Tuesday July 7 Morning =20 Newport, OR Tuesday July 7 Evening =20 Eugene, OR Wednesday July 8 =20 Ashland, OR Thursday July 9 Seattle, WA Monday July 6 =20 Olympia, WA Tuesday July 7 =20 Bremerton, WA Wednesday July 8 =20 Richland, WA Thursday July 9=20 =20 From Willamette Reds http://willamettereds.blogspot.com/ July 7, 2009 Going to Cuba: Pastors for Peace=20 Pastors for Peace "caravanistas" stopped in Corvallis today to present = information about the caravan and its purpose. This project was founded by the Interreligious Foundation for Community = Organization (IFCO) in 1988. The participants deliver humanitarian aid - = mostly medical and educational supplies and also other items - to Cuba, = challenging the US economic blockade (and travel restrictions imposed on = US citizens by the US government). It also serves as a way to build a = network of supporters and to educate people about the blockade. They will get to Cuba on July 24 after crossing from Texas to Mexico. = Watch the media for information around July 21 - that is when they = expect to get to the US/Mexico border. In prior years, they were refused = permission to cross but after engaging in lengthy fasts, finally got = across. Learn more about the IFCO and the caravan and how you can = support them at www.pastorsforpeace.org. You can also call the White = House comment line at 202-456-1111 to say that you support Pastors for = Peace, normalized relations with Cuba, an end to the blockade, and = freedom for the Cuban 5. Another speaker, from the National Committe to Free the Cuban Five, told = us about the cases of the five Cubans who have been imprisoned in the US = in various prisons for the last 11 years. They were convicted unjustly = in US federal court in 2001 on conspiring to commit espionage and other = related charges, in spite of their actions which were solely to monitor = Miami-based terrorist groups in order to stop the terrorist attacks on = Cuba. There are many ways to help with this issue, which most Americans = are ignorant about. See www.freethefive.org visit my website www.michaelmunk.com Saturday, July 18, 4:30 PM 1830 23rd St. NE, Salem Celebrate our Cuban, French and Spanish revolutionary traditions with a = fundraiser for the Cuban 5 and some get-together time with friends. Food = and drink provided, posters and buttons for sale, a video to watch-but = please bring something to share if you can.And let's get some music! visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

OR-WA single payer singout tour schedule by Michael Munk Sat, Jul 11, 2009

We believe that single payer health insurance is the only real solution = to 50 million uninsured and countless millions of underinsured people in = this country. We're working closely with health care professionals and = activists in all three states. This tour is sponsored and endorsed by = all the groups mentioned above, along with generous contributions from = many doctors, nurses and concerned individuals, including Peter Yarrow = of Peter, Paul and Mary. We hope you'll catch one of these shows and = PLEASE - tell your friends. Call your Representative in Congress today = and thank him or her for sponsoring HR 676. If s/he is not one of the 80 = co-sponsors, ask him/her to sponsor HR 676. Call your Senators and ask = them to sponsor SB 703. Thank you! National Health Care NOW!! read the lyrics and listen to "We're Nursing as Fast as We Can" by Joan = Hill listen to "National Health Care Now!" by Anne Feeney print out a Sing Out for Single Payer Road Show poster as a 8.5x13 .jpg or a 11x17 .png =20 SING OUT FOR SINGLE PAYER ROAD SHOW!! Saturday, July 11th, 2009 = 3:00 PM =20 Anne Feeney Singing Out for Single Payer! Chez Ray Oregon Country Fair Veneta, OR http://oregoncountryfair.org =20 Sunday, July 12th, 2009 2:15 PM =20 Anne Feeney Singing Out for Single Payer! Blue Moon Stage Veneta, OR http://oregoncountryfair.net =20 Monday, July 13th, 2009 7:00 PM =20 Sing Out for Single Payer Road Show with Raina Rose, Chris = Chandler, Paul Benoit, Jason Luckett, Anne Feeney, David Rovics, Green = Mountain Grass, Patrick Dodd and Citizens' Band Central Park Gazebo 8th Street and Madison Avenue Corvallis, OR Price: donations welcomed Paul Hochfeld is the contact - phochfeld(@)msn.com =20 Tuesday, July 14th, 2009 5:00 PM =20 Sing Out for Single Payer with Raina Rose, Patrick Dodd, = Green Mountain Grass, Jason Luckett, Anne Feeney, Citizens' Band and = more! Mingus Park 752 N 10th St Coos Bay, OR 97420 541-217-8044 Price: donations welcome Rick Staggenborg, MD is the contact - stagmd(@)hotmail.com; = Sponsored in part by the Pacific Greens of Coos County. Come straight = from work. Refreshments available & plenty of parking! =20 Wednesday, July 15th, 2009 7:00 PM =20 Sing Out for Single Payer Road Show with Anne Feeney, Jason = Luckett, Bluegrass Dave Wilmoth, Jesse Dalton, Patrick Dodd, David = Rovics, Pickles, Wickline and more! Cafe Mundo NW Coast and 2nd St Newport, OR 541-265-9747 Price: $10 suggested Contact: Joanne Cvar cvar(@)peak.org =20 Thursday, July 16th, 2009 6:00 PM =20 Sing Out for Single Payer with David Rovics, Anne Feeney, = Jason Luckett, Wickline, Patrick Dodd, Jesse Dalton, Pickles and = Bluegrass Dave Wilmoth! Green Salmon 220 N Hwy 101 Yachats, OR 97498 541 563 3615 http://www.thegreensalmon.com/ Price: donations welcome Contact: Joanne Cvar cvar@peak.org =20 Friday, July 17th, 2009 8:30 PM =20 Sing Out for Single Payer Road Show with Adam & Kris, Anne = Feeney, Wickline, Raina Rose, Green Mountain Grass, Jason Luckett, Brian = QTN, and Patrick Dodd The Very Little Theater! 2350 Hilyard Street Eugene, OR 97405-2954 http://www.thevlt.com/Calendar/Calendar.htm Price: donations welcome Charlotte Maloney - charuhc(@)comcast.net and Jeanine Malito = - Jmalito(@)continet.com are the contacts =20 Saturday, July 18th, 2009 7:30 PM =20 Sing Out for Single Payer Road Show with Anne Feeney, Al = Bradbury, Pickles, Hunter Paye, Patrick Dodd, General Strike, Bluegrass = Dave Wilmoth, Jason Luckett, Jesse Dalton, Wickline, Dick Weissman and = more! SEIU Local 49 Auditorium 3536 SE 26th Ave. Portland, OR 97202 Price: donations OR Jobs with Justice is organizing this! Contact Margaret = Butler - margaret(@)jwjpdx.org =20 Sunday, July 19th, 2009 2:30 PM =20 Sing Out for Single Payer Tour with Raina Rose, Green = Mountain Grass, Patrick Dodd, Wickline, Anne Feeney, Lewis Childs, Jason = Luckett and more! Mc Minnville Community Center - Room 203 600 NE Evans St McMinnville, OR 97128 http://annefeeney.com/specialevents.html Price: donations Contact - lizmarliastein@verizon.net - Sponsored by the = Yamhill County Democrats, the Marion, Polk & Yamhill Counties Central = Labor Council, and USW Local 8378 =20 Monday, July 20th, 2009 7:00 PM =20 Sing Out for Single Payer with Anne Feeney, Jason Luckett, = Bluegrass Dave Wilmoth, Wickline and more! Blue Scorcher Cafe & Bakery 1493 Duane St Astoria , OR 97103 Price: donations katree@pobox.com or tduncan@pacifier.com for more = information =20 Tuesday, July 21st, 2009 7:00 PM =20 Sing Out for Single Payer Road Show with Adam & Kris, Brian = QTN, Bluegrass Dave Wilmoth, Wickline, Anne Feeney and Jason Luckett Unitarian Universalist Chruch 4505 E 18th Street Vancouver, WA 98661 360-254-8703 Price: donations Cindi Fisher @ cindipacha@gmail.com - Sponsored by Vancouver = Health Care Now! =20 Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009 8:00 PM =20 Sing Out for Single Payer Road Show - Anne Feeney, Jason = Luckett, Sharon Abreu & Michael Hurwicz, Bluegrass Dave Wilmoth, = Wickline, Brian QTN and more! River's Edge 1011 First Street Snohomish, WA 98102 360-568-5835 http://www.riversedge.bz Price: $10 suggested =20 Thursday, July 23rd, 2009 8:00 PM =20 Sing Out for Single Payer Road Show with Adam & Kris, Brian = QTN, Bluegrass Dave Wilmoth, Anne Feeney, Jason Luckett, Wickline and = more!! Olympia Community Center 222 Columbia St NW Olympia, WA Price: donations suggested =20 Friday, July 24th, 2009 7:00 PM =20 Sing Out for Single Payer Road Show with Sharon Abreu, = Michael Hurwicz, Anne Feeney, Bluegrass Dave Wilmoth, Jason Luckett & = more Peninsula Community College Student Center 1502 East Lauridsen Blvd. Port Angeles, WA 98362 360-683-8407 Price: donations Carlyn syvanenx@teleport.com is the contact - This event is = organized by Reform Health Care Now! and the Green Party of Clallam = County =20 Saturday, July 25th, 2009 8:00 PM =20 Sing Out for Single Payer Road Show with Anne Feeney, Jason = Luckett, the Seattle Labor Chorus, Bluegrass Dave Wilmoth, Sharon Abreu = & Michael Hurwicz, Sheila Liming, Wickline and Ben Silver! The Quincy Jones Theater 400 23rd Avenue Seattle, WA 98122 PNHP is sponsoring this show! =20 Sunday, July 26th, 2009 7:00 PM =20 Sing Out for Single Payer Road Show with Rebel Voices, Anne = Feeney, Jason Luckett, Sharon Abreu & Michael Hurwicz, Bluegrass Dave = Wilmoth and Ben Silver! First United Methodist Church 621 Tacoma Ave Tacoma, WA 98402 253 590 6543 Price: donations=20 Marilyn Kimmerling is the contact. Sponsored by the Micah = Project. =20 Monday, July 27th, 2009 7:30 PM =20 Sing Out for Single Payer Road Show with Ben Silver, = Citizens' Band, Bluegrass Dave Wilmoth, Sharon Abreu & Michael Hurwicz, = Jason Luckett and Anne Feeney! Whatcom Peace and Justice Center 100 E Maple Street Bellingham, WA 98227 (360) 734-0217 http://www.whatcompjc.org/calendar.html Price: donations=20 =20 visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

Recent entries in the Oregon Encyclopedia by Michael Munk Fri, Jul 10, 2009

Anne's Single Payer show in Bend by Michael Munk Thu, Jul 9, 2009

We had about 100 people out for the Single Payer Road Show in Bend last = night. The weather was iffy so I'm sure we lost a few summer soldier = types to their TVs.=20 I've attached a couple images of the event. =20 Raymond Duray Central Oregon Progressive Alliance 98 NW Riverside Blvd. #1 Bend, OR 97701 541.318.8169 phone ray_duray@bendbroadband.com

SING OUT FOR SINGLE PAYER comes to Oregon by Michael Munk Wed, Jul 8, 2009

Bill Gordon: 1908-2009 by Michael Munk Tue, Jul 7, 2009

Longtime social/political activist Gordon dies at 101 The Oregonian, July 8, 2009 by Joan Harvey http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2009/07/longtime_socialpolitical_activ.html William "Bill" Gordon, a respected leader in social and political causes in Portland for more than 50 years, died Friday, July 3, in his Woodstock neighborhood home at age 101. His work ranged from early opposition to the Vietnam War to advocacy on issues related to aging, health care, housing and homelessness, politics and poverty. He was a strong supporter of the civil rights and women's liberation movements. "He was a tireless advocate," said Janet Byrd, who worked with Gordon on housing beginning in the early 1980s. "He was already a kind of legend. I was in my late 20s at the time and he was in his late 70s, and he made me feel old." He served on many boards, including the Oregon Health Action Campaign, Portland Fair Share, Multnomah County Commission on Aging, Gray Panthers, New Jewish Agenda, and Eastside Democratic Club. He was a member of Congregation Neveh Shalom. In an interview in 1995, three decades into retirement, Gordon said he devoted at least 20 hours a week to his causes. "A lot of people have lots of hobbies," he said. "I've chosen to be an active volunteer. It's my form of physical and mental exercise." His dedication began early. He was born Wolf Gordonovich on Feb. 26, 1908, in Shumskas, a Jewish shtetl (settlement) in what was then part of Poland, now Lithuania. His father died when he was 2, and he immigrated to the United States with an older brother in 1920. He never saw his mother again; she and most of his relatives were killed in the Holocaust. After graduating from Experimental College at the University of Wisconsin, he was a social worker in Chicago during the Depression. He was an enrolled Communist, organizing the city's National Union of Social Workers. He left the party in the early 1950s but was kept under surveillance by the FBI during the McCarthy era and later. He lost a job in Denver because of his Communist past. He later took pride in his 150-page FBI file. Gordon moved to Portland in 1953 to become activities director of the Jewish Community Center. He worked for the now Mittleman center for 20 years, retiring in 1973. He married a fellow activist and child advocate, Helen Appelman, in 1935; she died in 1984. The Helen Gordon Child Development Center at Portland State University is named for her. Survivors include his daughter, Linda; sons, Larry and Lee; and four grandchildren. A private gathering has been held; a memorial service will be later. He donated his body to Oregon Health & Science University for medical research. The family suggests remembrances to the Helen Gordon Child Development Center. -- Joan Harvey; joanharvey@news.oregonian.com visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

Oregon unions for single payer, their reps in Congress aren't by Michael Munk Tue, Jul 7, 2009

Oregon Teachers, Machinists, Nurses, Public & Transit Unions Endorse HR 676 Six more Oregon unions, including both the Oregon Education Association (NEA) and AFT Oregon, the statewide affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), have endorsed HR 676, single payer healthcare legislation introduced by Congressman John Conyers (D-MI). In April, the 57th Annual State Convention of AFT Oregon, representing 12,000 teachers statewide in twenty locals, endorsed HR 676, reports Mark Schwebke, AFT Oregon President. In the same month, the Representative Assembly of the Oregon Education Association (OEA), representing about 47,000 educators, reaffirmed its support for single payer healthcare. AFT Oregon has sent letters to both of the state's senators and all its congressmen urging them to support HR 676 and has also advised the AFT Executive Council of the position taken. Other Oregon unions that endorsed HR 676 are AFSCME District Council 75, with 25,000 members; the State Council of Machinists (IAM); Portland Local 757, Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) with 4,600 members; and AFT Local 5017, Oregon Federation of Nurses & Health Professionals. #30# HR 676 would institute a single payer health care system by expanding a greatly improved Medicare system to everyone residing in the U. S. HR 676 would cover every person for all necessary medical care including prescription drugs, hospital, surgical, outpatient services, primary and preventive care, emergency services, dental, mental health, home health, physical therapy, rehabilitation (including for substance abuse), vision care, hearing services including hearing aids, chiropractic, durable medical equipment, palliative care, and long term care. HR 676 ends deductibles and co-payments. HR 676 would save hundreds of billions annually by eliminating the high overhead and profits of the private health insurance industry and HMOs. In the current Congress, HR 676 has 83 co-sponsors in addition to Conyers. Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders has introduced SB 703, a single payer bill in the Senate. HR 676 has been endorsed by 552 union organizations in 49 states including 128 Central Labor Councils and Area Labor Federations and 39 state AFL-CIO's (KY, PA, CT, OH, DE, ND, WA, SC, WY, VT, FL, WI, WV, SD, NC, MO, MN, ME, AR, MD-DC, TX, IA, AZ, TN, OR, GA, OK, KS, CO, IN, AL, CA, AK, MI, MT, NE, NY, NV & MA). For further information, a list of union endorsers, or a sample endorsement resolution, contact: Kay Tillow All Unions Committee For Single Payer Health Care--HR 676 c/o Nurses Professional Organization (NPO) 1169 Eastern Parkway, Suite 2218 Louisville, KY 40217 (502) 636 1551 Email: nursenpo@aol.com http://unionsforsinglepayerHR676.org 07/03/09 visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

Bonnie Tinker dies by Michael Munk Tue, Jul 7, 2009

pursued peace, equality by Casey Parks, The Oregonian=20 Friday July 03, 2009, 6:46 PM Above everything, friends say Bonnie Tinker wanted equality. They say = Tinker, 61, was controversial, but she was a catalyst. They also say she = worked for justice until the day she died. Tinker was killed Thursday in Virginia, where she was attending a Quaker = conference, when a Mack truck turned in front of the bicycle she was = riding. Tinker hit the truck then was run over by it. She died at the = scene. Bonnie TinkerTinker was a leader in Portland activism circles. She was a = leader in the anti-war group Seriously P.O.'d Grannies and director of = Love Makes a Family, which supports nontraditional families, including = those led by same-sex parents. Since the 1970s, she has been involved in = hundreds of other activist events, friends say. "If there was a demonstration and something she could get arrested = about, she was there," said Susie Shepherd, a local lesbian activist who = knew Tinker for decades. "Bonnie never knew a sideline to sit on. She = only knew sidelines as something to step over, pulling someone with her, = to do something about injustice. That was an absolutely righteous part = of her." Tinker led efforts that included banning military recruiters from = Portland schools and advocating nontraditional as well as transracial = families. She got her start as a teenager, during one of the most = significant high school lawsuits ever. Tinker had graduated from high = school when two of her siblings were suspended for wearing black arm = bands to school to protest the Vietnam war. In Tinker v. Des Moines, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the right of = students to wear black arm bands and make other free-speech displays in = public schools. "That set the tone for the rest of her life," longtime friend Kristan = Knapp said. "She was a leader. She wasn't afraid to speak out." And she inspired others: "She was the one who pushed us a lot, who would = say, 'We haven't been down to the recruiting center this week; let's = go,'" said DeEtte Waleed, another member of the P.O.'d Grannies. "She = would come up with really creative ideas to call attention to stopping = the war. It was infectious." It also, sometimes, got her into trouble. She and partner Sara Graham, = 67, were charged with disorderly conduct and interfering with police = after they held up anti-war signs in front of a World War II-era tank in = the middle of the 2007 Grand Floral Parade during the Portland Rose = Festival. She was arrested but acquitted another time when she and four other = grandmothers were charged with misdemeanor criminal mischief for using = red paint in April 2007 to write the number of U.S. service members = killed in Iraq on the windows of a military recruitment center. Sometimes her methods did agitate people, Shepherd said. "She may have ticked people off, but along the way she picked up a lot = of lost souls and gave them a purpose," she said. "Sometimes you have to = be unorthodox to get something done. She did absolutely dedicate her = life to it." Tinker is survived by Graham, along with their three children, Alex, = Josh and Connie. -- Casey Parks; caseyparks@news.oregonian.com visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

Bellingham O supporers feels betrayed by Michael Munk Tue, Jun 30, 2009

Washington State healthcare news by Michael Munk Sat, Jun 27, 2009

Single Payer Advocates Pressure Wyden. by Michael Munk Thu, Jun 25, 2009

From Conason's oped column in the Oregonian today: "... many of the most intransigent Democrats don't bother to make actual = arguments to support their position. Nor do they seem to worry that = Democratic voters and the party's main constituencies overwhelmingly = support the public option and universal coverage. Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., has simply stated, through her flack, that = she refuses to support a public option. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., who has = tried to fashion a plan that will entice Republicans, warns that the = public option is a step toward single-payer health care - not much of an = objection to a model that serves people in every other industrialized = country with lower costs and superior outcomes. =20 Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., feebly protests that her state's = mismanagement by a Republican governor must stall the progress of the = rest of the country. Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., says he has a better plan = involving regional cooperatives, which would be unable to effectively = compete with the insurance behemoths or bargain with pharmaceutical = giants. The excuses sound different, but all of these lawmakers have something = in common - namely, their abject dependence on campaign contributions = from the insurance and pharmaceutical corporations fighting against real = reform. Consider Landrieu, a senator from a very poor state whose = working-class constituents badly need universal coverage (and many of = whom now depend on Medicare, a popular government program). According to = the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonpartisan watchdog outfit, she = has received nearly $1.7 million from corporate medical interests, = including hospitals, insurance companies, nursing homes and drug firms, = during the course of her political career. visit my website www.michaelmunk.com From The Lund Report: VIA Steve Weiss Single Payer Advocates Pressure Wyden Sen. Ron Wyden is part of a stonewalling group of Democrats on the = Senate Finance Committee who refuse to acknowledge public polls in favor = of single payer and a public option=20 By:=20 David Rosenfeld=20 =20 June 24, 2009 -- Close to 100 people rallied for single payer healthcare = today on the steps of the Federal Building in downtown Portland to = deliver Sen. Ron Wyden a message: They want change, not compromise.=20 Today's rally organized by Jobs with Justice was part of a series of = demonstrations and calls to action taking place this week by several = different groups aimed at putting pressure on Wyden to reconsider a = single payer health plan or at least a public health plan option.=20 Wyden has done neither, though he says he'll support a public option if = his own plan doesn't succeed. He sits on the powerful Senate Finance = Committee where debate on a single payer health plan has been completely = shut out and initial legislation submitted last week did not include a = Medicare-like public health plan option. But a House version of a similar bill does include the option to buy = into a plan administered by the government. President Barack Obama supports a government-run health plan option - = which has quickly turned into the most contentious part of national = reform efforts - but he signaled yesterday that it wasn't a deal = breaker. He said he wouldn't veto a bill that did not include it. "The public plan, I think, is an important tool to discipline insurance = companies," Obama told reporters at a White House press conference = Tuesday. "For us to be able to say, here's a public option that's not = profit-driven, that can keep down administrative costs, and that = provides you good, quality care for a reasonable price as one of the = options for you to choose, I think that makes sense." As Republicans and a group of a dozen or so conservative Democrats decry = initial healthcare proposals as too expensive, attention is once again = swinging toward Sen. Wyden's Healthy Americans Act, which represents the = most compromise and bi-partisan support. Mainly that's because it = doesn't include a public option. The Wall Street Journal featured an interview with Wyden over the = weekend. In it, Wyden takes a page from the Republican playbook when he = says, "People don't want the government in the driver's seat . . . They = don't want the decisions (about their treatment) made in Capitol hearing = rooms with a bunch of legislators in dark suits." Obama had an answer, and it involved the industry's own opposition. "If = private insurers say that the marketplace provides the best quality = health care," Obama said. "If they tell us that they're offering a good = deal, then why is it that the government, which they say can't run = anything, suddenly is going to drive them out of business? That's not = logical." Dana Welty, RN, a critical care nurse at OHSU, came to the rally to send = Wyden a message. "We're out here advocating for single payer and to get Wyden to do the = right thing and listen to doctors, nurses and patients and not just = insurance companies and people with money," Welty said. Several recent polls show vast support for the public option. The most = recent New York Times, CBS News poll out of close to 900 people surveyed = found 72 percent supported a government-administered insurance plan - = something like Medicare for those under age 65. Welty said as a nurse, she sees first hand the devastating affect of our = failed healthcare system. "The numbers we talk about, the 50 million people without insurance and = the 18,000 people who die every year because they don't insurance, they = come in to where I work," Welty said. "They are sick and they die right = in front of me where I work. Sometimes literally they die in our arms. = The situation we're in is personal to me, it affects me every day and it = makes me angry." Also at today's rally Dr. Paul Gorman, a physician at OHSU, joined the = chorus of doctors who support a single-payer health plan. A poll in = April by Physicians for a National Health Program found 42 percent of = physicians supported single-payer. For 25 years, Gorman has worked in various healthcare settings. "I'm = here today because decades of market manipulation trying to improve the = situation has only made things worse," Gorman said. He pointed to infant mortality in the US that ranked 12th in the world = in 1960 and now ranks 34th. "I'm here today because I'm a proud American = and we can do better," he said. "We're not here because of a healthcare = crisis but a health insurance crisis." The rally ended with a march to Regence Blue Cross Blue Shield of = Oregon. According to OpenSecrets.org, Blue Cross/Blue Shield is among = Wyden's top 5 contributors over the past five years, pitching in more = than $50,000 into his election war chest. Wyden, however, was not among = the top 10 Senators to receive healthcare lobbying dollars.=20 For an audio version of this story from KBOO Radio 90.7 FM click here. Take Action=20 Call Wyden's office in Portland at (503) 326-7525, in Washington DC at = (202) 224-5244, in Eugene at (541) 431-0229, in La Grande at (541) = 962-7691, in Medford at (541) 858-5122, in Bend at (541) 330-9142, and = Salem (503) 589-4555. Stay in touch with Jobs with Justice in Portland. Join Single Payer Action If you're a physician, consider joining Physicians for a National Health = Program.

Wyden: why I'm for for-profit health insurance by Michael Munk Mon, Jun 22, 2009

Anne Feeney's NW tour for Single Payer by Michael Munk Sat, Jun 20, 2009

Merkley's Town Halls June 27-28-29 by Michael Munk Fri, Jun 19, 2009

Merkley : No interest in single payer by Michael Munk Fri, Jun 19, 2009

Obama signs up McDermott and Defazio for wars by Michael Munk Thu, Jun 18, 2009

Obama and Anti-War Democrats 18 June 2009 by: Norman Solomon, t r u t h o u t | Perspective Days ago, a warning shot from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue landed with a thud on Capitol Hill near some recent arrivals in the House. The political salvo was carefully aimed and expertly fired. But in the long run, it could boomerang. As a close vote neared on a supplemental funding bill for more war in Iraq and Afghanistan, The San Francisco Chronicle reported that "the White House has threatened to pull support from Democratic freshmen who vote no." In effect, it was so important to President Obama to get the war funds that he was willing to paint a political target on the backs of some of the gutsiest new progressives in Congress. But why would a president choose to single out fellow Democrats in their first Congressional term? Because, according to conventional wisdom, they're the most politically vulnerable and the easiest to intimidate. Well, a number of House Democrats in their first full terms were not intimidated. Despite the presidential threat, they stuck to principle. Donna Edwards of Maryland voted no on the war funding when it really counted. So did Alan Grayson of Florida, Eric Massa of New York, Chellie Pingree of Maine, Jared Polis of Colorado and Jackie Speier of California. Now what? Well, for one thing, progressives across the country should plan on giving special support to Edwards, Grayson, Massa, Pingree, Polis and Speier in 2010. If we take the White House at its word, they may find themselves running for re-election while President Obama withholds his support - in retaliation for their anti-war votes. But it's not enough to just play defense. We also need to be supporting - or initiating - grassroots campaigns to unseat pro-war members of Congress. In the Los Angeles area, the military-crazed and ultra-corporate Congresswoman Jane Harman will face the progressive dynamo Marcy Winograd in the Democratic primary next year. Harman's vote for the latest war funding was predictable. But dozens of Democrats with longtime anti-war reputations also voted yes. Among the most notable examples were Oregon's Peter DeFazio and Washington's Jim McDermott, who apparently found their anti-war constituencies in Eugene and Seattle to be less persuasive than the White House chief of staff. "White House aides worked the halls during the hours before the vote, and chief of staff Rahm Emanuel called some lawmakers personally," McClatchy news service reports. "DeFazio, who was undecided and wound up voting yes, said he talked to Emanuel by phone for about five minutes as Obama's top aide explained the administration's strategy in the war on terror." This is a crucial time for anti-war activists and other progressive advocates to get more serious about Congressional politics. It's not enough to lobby for or against specific bills - and it's not enough to just get involved at election time. Officeholders must learn that there will be campaign consequences. When progressives challenge a Democratic incumbent in a primary race, some party loyalists claim that such an intra-party contest is too divisive. But desperately needed change won't come to this country until a lot of progressive candidates replace mainline Democrats in office. On behalf of his war agenda, the president has signaled that he's willing to undermine the political futures of some anti-war Democrats in Congress. We should do all we can to support those Democrats - and defeat pro-war incumbents on behalf of an anti-war agenda. visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

Hope DeFazio gets this by Michael Munk Thu, Jun 18, 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Coos County Democrats Pass Single Payer Health Care Resolution Coos Bay, Oregon - June 18, 2009 - The Central Committee of the Coos County Democratic Party unanimously passed a resolution urging the United States Congress to pass a single-payer Medicare-For-All program which will provide quality, comprehensive, cost-effective health care for all Americans. The Committee's voice adds to a growing call for Congress to pass health care reform. Recent polling indicates over three quarters of Americans favor health insurance reform with a public option. Over sixty percent think the reform should be a single payer Medicare-For-All plan. Committee Chairperson Molly Ford said the endorsement was enthusiastic. "Basic healthcare is the right of all Americans." Ford said. "Untreated illness is a risk to our life, our liberty, and our pursuit of happiness." Ford noted nearly two-thirds of all non-seniors in America were uninsured for a time or were underinsured in the last year according to the government's own research. "All of us regardless of our station in life deserve to be cared for when we are sick and protected from illness when we are well," Ford said. Dr. Rick Staggenborg, member of Physicians for a National Health Care Program (http://www.pnhp.org/), hailed the resolution as an important step in a series of important steps. "We would like for our representatives in Congress to realize that they have a lot more to gain by supporting a single payer Medicare-For-All plan than they do by opposing it," Dr. Staggenborg said. He added the potential savings on health insurance paperwork in a not-for-profit system amounts to $350 billion per year, more than enough to provide comprehensive coverage for every uninsured American. "We can't afford another huge and permanent bailout either economically or politically," Dr. Staggenborg said. "A single payer system provides us with the care we deserve at a cost we all as a country can afford." The Central Committee of the Curry County Democrats passed a single payer health care resolution earlier this year. Both Committees encourage individuals to endorse the resolution on their own. Citizens can register their support of a similar resolution on line by visiting Senator Bernie Sanders' (I-Vt.) website (http://sanders.senate.gov/). They can also call, email, or write their own legislators. "Now is the time to make our voices heard," Ford said. "It really does make a difference." Contact: Mark McKelvey Coos County Democratic Party Secretary 541-267-6199 cbwaldenwood@hotmail.com visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

Why DeFazio voted for the wars by Michael Munk Wed, Jun 17, 2009

Buried in a McClatchy report (Oregonian, June 17) on the House voting for Obama's wars: "White House aides worked the halls during the hours before the vote, and chief of staff Rahm Emanuel called some lawmakers personally. Rep Peter DeFazio who was undecided and wound up voting yes, said he talked to Emanuel by phone for about five minutes as Obama's top aide explained the adminsitration's strategy in the war on terror." visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

2nd NW Representative signs on to HR 676 by Michael Munk Tue, Jun 16, 2009

Sponsors of Single Payer 676 rise to 83 by Michael Munk Mon, Jun 15, 2009

JULY: Feeny's great single payer NW music tour! by Michael Munk Sat, Jun 13, 2009

We believe that single payer health insurance is the only real solution = to 50 million uninsured and countless millions of underinsured people in = this country. We're working closely with health care professionals and = activists in all three states. This tour is sponsored and endorsed by = all the groups mentioned above, along with generous contributions from = many doctors, nurses and concerned individuals, including Peter Yarrow = of Peter, Paul and Mary. We hope you'll catch one of these shows and = PLEASE - tell your friends. Call your Representative in Congress today = and thank him or her for sponsoring HR 676. If s/he is not one of the 80 = co-sponsors, ask him/her to sponsor HR 676. Call your Senators and ask = them to sponsor SB 703. Thank you! National Health Care NOW!! =20 SING OUT FOR SINGLE PAYER Tuesday, July 7th 2009 6:00 PM Sing out for Single Payer Road Show with Anne Feeney, = Jason Luckett, Raina Rose, Trevor Smith, Andrew Pressman, Pat Dodd and = Citizens' Band! =20 Unitarian Center 87 Fourth Street Ashland, OR Price: $10-20 donations suggested brain(a)mind.net - Wes Brain is the contact - Sponsored by = Southern Oregon Central Labor Council and Southern Oregon Jobs with = Justice =20 Wednesday, July 8th, 2009 7:00 PM Sing out for Single Payer Road Show with Anne Feeney, = Jason Luckett, Raina Rose, Trevor Smith, Andrew Pressman, Pat Dodd and = Citizens' Band! =20 Pioneer Park 1565 NW Wall St Bend, OR Price: donations Raymond Duray is the contact=20 =20 Thursday, July 9th, 2009 6:00 PM Sing out for Single Payer Road Show with Anne Feeney, = Jason Luckett, Raina Rose, Trevor Smith, Andrew Pressman, Pat Dodd and = Citizens' Band! =20 Florence Events Center 715 Quince St Florence, OR=20 Price: donations welcome Stuart Henderson is the contact=20 =20 Friday, July 10th 3:00 PM=20 Anne Feeney Singing Out for Single Payer! Hoarse Chorale Stage Oregon Country Fair Veneta, OR http://oregoncountryfair.org =20 Friday, July 10th 5:15 PM=20 Anne Feeney Singing Out for Single Payer! Kesey Stage Oregon Country Fair =20 Saturday, July 11th 3:00 PM=20 Anne Feeney Singing Out for Single Payer! Chez Ray Oregon Country Fair =20 Sunday, July 12, 2:15 PM=20 Anne Feeney Singing Out for Single Payer! Blue Moon Stage Oregon Country Fair =20 Monday, July 13th, 7:00 PM=20 Sing Out for Single Payer Road Show with Raina Rose, Chris = Chandler, Paul Benoit, Jason Luckett, Anne Feeney, David Rovics, Green = Mountain Grass, Patrick Dodd and Citizens' Band Central Park Gazebo 8th Street and Madison Avenue Corvallis, OR Price: donations welcomed Paul Hochfeld is the contact - phochfeld(@)msn.com=20 =20 Tuesday, July 14th, 5:00 PM=20 Sing Out for Single Payer with Raina Rose, Patrick Dodd, = Jason Luckett, Anne Feeney,David Rovics, Citizens' Band and more! Mingus Park 752 N 10th St Coos Bay, OR=20 541-217-8044 Price: donations welcome Rick Staggenborg, MD is the contact - stagmd(@)hotmail.com Come straight from work. Refreshments available & plenty of = parking! =20 Wednesday, July 15th, 7:00 PM=20 Sing Out for Single Payer Road Show with Anne Feeney, Jason = Luckett, Patrick Dodd, David Rovics and more! Cafe Mundo NW Coast and 2nd St Newport, OR 541-265-9747 Price: $10 suggested Contact: Joanne Cvar cvar(@)peak.org =20 Thursday, July 16th, 6:00 PM=20 Sing Out for Single Payer with David Rovics, Anne Feeney, = Jason Luckett, Patrick Dodd and more! Green Salmon 220 N Hwy 101 Yachats, OR=20 541 563 3615 http:// www.thegreensalmon.com Price: donations welcome Contact: Joanne Cvar cvar@peak.org =20 Friday, July 17th, 8:30 PM=20 Sing Out for Single Payer Road Show with Adam & Kris, Anne = Feeney, Raina Rose, Jason Luckett and Patrick Dodd The Very Little Theater! 2350 Hilyard Street Eugene, OR=20 Price: donations welcome Charlotte Maloney - charuhc(@)comcast.net and Jeanette = Malito - Jmalito(@)continet.com are the contacts =20 Saturday, July 18th, 7:30 PM=20 Sing Out for Single Payer Road Show with Anne Feeney, Jason = Luckett, Dick Weissman and more! SEIU Local 49 Auditorium 3536 SE 26th Ave. Portland, OR=20 Price: donations OR Jobs with Justice is organizing this! Contact Margaret = Butler - margaret(@)jwjpdx.org =20 Sunday, July 19th, 2:00 PM =20 Sing Out for Single Payer Tour Details TBA Salem, OR Price: donations =20 Monday, July 20th, 7:00 PM =20 Sing Out for Single Payer with Trevor Smith, Anne Feeney, = Jason Luckett and more! Details TBA Astoria , OR Price: donations =20 Tuesday, July 21st, 8:00 PM=20 Sing Out for Single Payer Road Show with Anne Feeney, Brian = QTN, Jason Luckett, Adam & Kris and more! Washington State University (tentative) Vancouver, WA Price: donations call me at 412-877-6480 or email me at anne@annefeeney.com = if you can help with this show=20 =20 Wednesday, July 22nd, 8:00 PM=20 Sing Out for Single Payer Road Show with Anne Feeney, Jason = Luckett, Brian QTN and more! AVAILABLE YOUR PLACE Chehalis? Aberdeen?, WA If you'd like to host the Single Payer Road Show call me at = 412-877-6480 or email me at anne@annefeeney.com =20 Thursday, July 23rd, 8:00 PM=20 Sing Out for Single Payer Road Show with Adam & Kris, Briant = QTN, Anne Feeney, Jason Luckett and more!! Details TBA Olympia, WA =20 Friday, July 24th, 7:00 PM=20 Sing Out for Single Payer Road Show with Adam and Kris, = Rebel Voices, Anne Feeney, Jason Luckett & more Olympic Community College Student Center Port Angeles, WA 360-683-8407 Price: donations Carlyn Syvanenx@teleport.com is the contact - This event is = organized by the League of Women Voters and the Green Party of Clallam = County =20 Saturday, July 25th, 8:00 PM=20 Sing Out for Single Payer Road Show This show is definitely happening. Details soon..=20 Seattle, WA WA State Jobs with Justice and PNHP are involved in = organizing this show! =20 Sunday, July 26th, 7:00 PM=20 Sing Out for Single Payer Road Show Details TBA Everett, WA Price: donations=20 call me at 412-877-6480 or email me at anne@annefeeney.com = to host the show!! =20 Monday, July 27th, 8:00 PM=20 Sing Out for Single Payer Road Show with Citizens' Band, = Adam & Kris, Jason Luckett and Anne Feeney! Whatcom Peace and Justice Center 100 E Maple Street Bellingham, WA=20 (360) 734-0217 http://www.whatcompjc.org/calendar.html Price: donations = -------------------------------------------------------------------------= -------------------------------------------------------------------------= ----------- I'm about $10,000 short of what I need to make this happen. = I want to be able to offer each musician $100/show + gas money. You can = tell from the roster of musicians that these are not people who can = afford to give up a week's wages or more to come on this tour - but = they're doing it anyway, because they trust me and know that this is a = unique moment in history. It's important to be able to leave most of = the money we raise at these concerts in the communities where the = concerts take place so that local organizers can continue their = important work. If you each sent me $10 right now, I'd have enough money to = pull this off in a big way. Please send a check to:Anne Feeney, 2240 Milligan Avenue, = Pittsburgh, PA 15218 as soon as you read this. If you want to make a tax-deductible contribution of $500 or = more, you can send it to: Universal Health Care for Oregon ,PO BOX 11156, Eugene, OR = 97440 (Be SURE to note "Sing Out for Single Payer" or put my name = in the memo of your check) If you want to use a credit card, there is a Paypal "Donate" = button at http://annefeeney.com/specialevents.html Or maybe you can help me with an in-kind contribution or = loan: I need clipboards, stationery, postage stamps, envelopes, = the use a digital camera, the use of a digital video camera and tripod, = the use of a van from Los Angeles to Seattle Or maybe you can forward this to a generous friend... You've never let me down, and I'm sure you won't now, = either. It seems I've always got my hand out for something-or-other = when I come to you... You may get tired of it, and believe me, I get = tired of it, too. I can't even apologize for it - It's a big and = necessary part of my life's work. But I so appreciate the folks who get it and just step up to = the plate. Many thanks to Jerry Tucker, Kay and Walter Tillow, Labor = Campaign for Single Payer, Peter Yarrow, Dr. Paul Hochfeld, Neal = Eckstein, Karen Newman, Hilary Chiz and Matt Redabaugh for chiming in = generously and early! I want to thank Sign and Display Workers' Local 510 for = donating a 10' x 4' banner to our Road Show... and Gary Huck for the = fabulous graphic. Thanks to all the wonderful organizers who are hosting this = tour, promoting this tour, housing us and feeding us! Together, WE CAN make progressively funded comprehensive = universal health care available to everyone in this country! National Health Care NOW!! My love and thanks to all of you! Anne PS - If you buy some of my CDs this month, it'll help keep = me from going under at home while I'm out on this adventure! = http://cdbaby.com/all/unionmaid Anne Feeney=20 anne@annefeeney.com=20 http://annefeeney.com=20 2240 Milligan Ave.=20 Pittsburgh, PA 15218=20 (412)877-6480 (cell)=20 "Anne Feeney is the best labor singer in North America." -- = Utah Phillips=20 "Anne is a role model for us. She has lived her songs." -- = Peter Yarrow=20 "Congratulations on your fine songwriting!" -- Pete Seeger =20 =20 visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

Last Portland vet of 34 strike dies by Michael Munk Fri, Jun 12, 2009

=20 Friday, June 12th, 2009 PORTLAND, OREGON'S NEWS WEEKLY. NEWS AND CULTURE FOR JUNE 10TH AND = BEYOND.=20 Marvin Ricks, the Last Great Portlander, Dies at 97 by James Pitkin=20 News / Unions | Email This Post |=20 Marvin Ricks, the last survivor of the great West Coast Waterfront = Strike in Portland and probably the only Portlander left who was worth a = damn, died peacefully in bed on Wednesday surrounded by family. He was = 97. Ricks fought scab workers, defended picket lines and did time in jail = for his role in the seminal 1934 strike. According to the International = Longshore & Warehouse Union, AFL-CIO, Ricks was the last surviving = Portland veteran of the strike that rocked the West Coast for three = months. Starting that May that year, thousands of workers shut down every U.S. = port on the Pacific Coast, demanding an independent union. They won, but = only after battling police and hired goons in every major West Coast = city, including Portland, where one strike-breaking worker is the only = known casualty. Ricks was a 22-year-old dockworker at the time and acted as muscle for = the union, a member of the so-called "riot squad." Charged along with 31 = others with murdering a scab, he spent 42 days in jail before the charge = was dismissed. He retired from the docks in 1976, still a proud member = of the union. Some of Ricks' exploits were chronicled in a 2007 WW interview. Michael Munk, a local historian, forwarded this email message today: His son and daughter just wrote that Marvin Ricks, the last survivng = veteran of the 1934 longshore strike in Portland, died June 10 at the = age of 97.=20 As a young longshoreman in 1934, he served in one of the "riot = squads" that discouraged scabs from crossing picket lines and was one of = the "29 innocent men" wrongly jailed in the death of one of the scabs. = He always took Broadway cabs because they delivered food to the picket = lines during the strike and kept the card of business women who made = sandwiches and provided their services on credit to strikers. Brother = Ricks was an regular speaker at ILWU Local 8's annual Bloody Thursday = commemoration at Oaks Park where he urged today's members not to forget = the sacrifices of their union brothers that made the ILWU one of the = most progressive unions in the country. His children wrote that "He passed away yesterday at Beaverton Hills = with Patty holding one hand and Bob the other. He had completed all he = wanted to do and went softly with the flow." Marvin Ricks, 1911-2009 R.I.P. Photo by Amy Ouellette. Share and Enjoy:=20 a.. =20 b.. =20 c.. =20 d.. =20 e.. =20 f.. =20 1.. Q & A . Marvin Ricks [COLUMN] The last survivor of a historic = Portland strike fought...=20 2.. In Memoriam: Beloved Member of Greek & Restaurant Communities Dies = At Coast Willamette Week sends condolences to the family of Ilias...=20 3.. Former Local TV anchor Richard Ross dies When we learned veteran = Portland anchorman Richard Ross died...=20 4.. A Day In The Life of A Strike Now in their 73rd day of striking, = workers and...=20 5.. West-Coast Ports Shut Down as Part of May Day War Protest Ahh, May = Day in Portland. Nothing new for our... Tags: Marvin Ricks, Obituary This entry was posted on Friday, June 12th, 2009 at 1:03 pm and is filed = under News, Unions. You can follow any responses to this entry through = the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own = site.=20 advertisement advertisement Leave a Reply Click here to cancel reply.=20 Name (required) Mail (will not be published) (required) Website =20 a.. Related Posts 1.. Q & A . Marvin Ricks [COLUMN] The last survivor of a historic = Portland strike fought...=20 2.. In Memoriam: Beloved Member of Greek & Restaurant Communities Dies = At Coast Willamette Week sends condolences to the family of Ilias...=20 3.. Former Local TV anchor Richard Ross dies When we learned veteran = Portland anchorman Richard Ross died...=20 4.. A Day In The Life of A Strike Now in their 73rd day of striking, = workers and...=20 5.. West-Coast Ports Shut Down as Part of May Day War Protest Ahh, May = Day in Portland. Nothing new for our... -------------------------------------------------------------------------= ------- visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

Monday: Labor history at Laughing Horse Books by Michael Munk Fri, Jun 12, 2009

Kristof: American's encounter with Canada's single payer by Michael Munk Thu, Jun 11, 2009

28th Oregon labo runion for 676 by Michael Munk Wed, Jun 10, 2009

Oregon Nurses Local 5017 has just become the 28th Oregon labor organization to endorse Single Payer HR 676: It is the 542nd union local nationalwide to endorse it. Why do Wyden, Merkley, Blumenauer, DeFazio, Wu and Schroder all oppose it? The current list: !. Oregon AFL-CIO Oregon Education Association, Portland Oregon State Council International Association of Machinists, Portland Oregon Area District Council, International Longshore & Warehouse Union, Portland Council 75, American Federation of State County and Municipal Employes, Salem Southern Oregon Central Labor Council, Central Point Central Oregon Labor Council, Bend Marion, Polk, and Yamhill Counties Central Labor Council, Salem Local 206 International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Portland Local 48 International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Portland Local 757 Amalgamated Transit Union , Portland Local 247 United Brotherhood of Carpenters, Portland Local 8378 United Steelworkers , McMinnville Local 290, United Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters, Portland Local 5 ILWU, Portland Local 483 Laborers International Union of North America, Portland Southern Oregon Area Local, American Postal Workers Union, Medford Local 7901, Communications Workers of America CWA, Portland Local 3214 AFSCME, Eugene Local 3571 American Federation of Teachers, Portland Branch 82 National Association of Letter Carriers, Portland Local 2277, American Federation of Teachers, Portland Local 555, United Food and Culinary Workers, Tigard Local 290 Plumbers and Steamfitters, Portland Local 5017. Oregon Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals, AFT Healthcare NW, Portland Local unions attending the Regional Council of United Steelworkers Southern Oregon Jobs with Justice, Ashland 28.. Jobs with Justice, Portland visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

Wyden a major roadblock to health care reform by Michael Munk Sun, Jun 7, 2009

The NYTimes reports http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/07/us/politics/07policy.html?hp "Senator Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat who is a longtime proponent of revamping health care, said Mr. Obama seemed to be wrestling with how far he could push Congress. The president is very much aware that to bring about enduring change - health care reform that lasts, gets implemented, wins the support of the American people and does not get repealed in a couple of years - you need bipartisan support," said Mr. Wyden, who was among two dozen Senate Democrats who met with Mr. Obama about health care last week. "So he's grappling with, how do you do that?" NOTE that "bipartisan" support is code for a fake reform--protection of for profit health care and taxing employes on their employer paid health benefits.Then note that Wyden supports the phony "trigger" --code for killing even the public option..PO is NOT Single Payer. Robert Reich's Blog How Pharma and Insurance Intend to Kill the Public Option, And What Obama and the Rest of Us Must Do June 5, 2009, VIA http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/talk/blogs/robert_reich/2009/06/the-public-option-smokescreens.php?ref=fpblg I'ved poked around Washington today, talking with friends on the Hill who confirm the worst: Big Pharma and Big Insurance are gaining ground in their campaign to kill the public option in the emerging health care bill. You know why, of course. They don't want a public option that would compete with private insurers and use its bargaining power to negotiate better rates with drug companies. They argue that would be unfair. Unfair? Unfair to give more people better health care at lower cost? To Pharma and Insurance, "unfair" is anything that undermines their profits. So they're pulling out all the stops -- pushing Democrats and a handful of so-called "moderate" Republicans who say they're in favor of a public option to support legislation that would include it in name only. One of their proposals is to break up the public option into small pieces under multiple regional third-party administrators that would have little or no bargaining leverage. A second is to give the public option to the states where Big Pharma and Big Insurance can easily buy off legislators and officials, as they've been doing for years. A third is bind the public plan to the same rules private insurers have already wangled, thereby making it impossible for the public plan to put competitive pressure on the insurers. Max Baucus, Chair of Senate Finance (now exactly why does the Senate Finance Committee have so much say over health care?) hasn't shown his cards but staffers tell me he's more than happy to sign on to any one of these. But Baucus is waiting for more support from his colleagues, and none of the three proposals has emerged as the leading candidate for those who want to kill the public option without showing they're killing it. Meanwhile, Ted Kennedy and his staff are still pushing for a full public option, but with Kennedy ailing, he might not be able to round up the votes. (Kennedy's health committee released a draft of a bill today, which contains the full public option.) Enter Olympia Snowe. Her move is important, not because she's Republican (the Senate needs only 51 votes to pass this) but because she's well-respected and considered non-partisan, and therefore offers some cover to Democrats who may need it. Last night Snowe hosted a private meeting between members and staffers about a new proposal Pharma and Insurance are floating, and apparently she's already gained the tentative support of several Democrats (including Ron Wyden and Thomas Carper). Under Snowe's proposal, the public option would kick in years from now, but it would be triggered only if insurance companies fail to bring down healthcare costs and expand coverage in he meantime. What's the catch? First, these conditions are likely to be achieved by other pieces of the emerging legislation; for example, computerized records will bring down costs a tad, and a mandate requiring everyone to have coverage will automatically expand coverage. If it ever comes to it, Pharma and Insurance can argue that their mere participation fulfills their part of the bargain, so no public option will need to be triggered. Second, as Pharma and Insurance well know, "years from now" in legislative terms means never. There will never be a better time than now to enact a public option. If it's not included, in a few years the public's attention will be elsewhere. Much the same dynamic is occurring in the House. Two members who had originally supported single payer told me that Pharma and Insurance have launched the same strategy there, and many House members are looking to see what happens in the Senate. Snowe's "trigger" is already buzzing among members. All this will be decided within days or weeks. And once those who want to kill the public option without their fingerprints on the murder weapon begin to agree on a proposal -- Snowe's "trigger" or any other -- the public option will be very hard to revive. The White House must now insist on a genuine public option. And you, dear reader, must insist as well. This is it, folks. The concrete is being mixed and about to be poured. And after it's poured and hardens, universal health care will be with us for years to come in whatever form it now takes. Let your representative and senators know you want a public option without conditions or triggers -- one that gives the public insurer bargaining leverage over drug companies, and pushes insurers to do what they've promised to do. Don't wait until the concrete hardens and we've lost this battle. visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

Join Ad for more progressive Oregon taxes by Michael Munk Sun, Jun 7, 2009

Oregonians Agree - We Need a Balanced Solution to Our Budget Crisis The big vote on tax reform will occur any day now. Salem should = support a balanced solution to our budget crisis by asking those who are = thriving even in this tough economy to pay a little more.=20 If our legislature fails to take bold action, the state will have = to enact deep, crippling cuts to education, healthcare and human = services. Add your name to our newspaper ad calling for a balanced solution = to our budget crisis. =20 These are difficult times, and we all understand the need for shared = sacrifice - but we shouldn't balance the budget on the backs of Oregon's = working families. To reduce the severity of cuts to education, = healthcare and human services we need profitable corporations and the = wealthy to pay their fair share of the cost of government.=20 We stand behind those legislators with the courage to support a = reasonable solution to our budget crisis and will oppose any efforts to = undo these reforms via a ballot measure.=20 =20 =20 First Name*=20 Last Name*=20 Email*=20 Zip/Postal Code*=20 =20 =20 a.. Home=20 b.. About Us=20 a.. Our History c.. Issues=20 d.. News=20 e.. Resources=20 f.. Calendar of Events=20 g.. Contact Us =20 visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

Obama' NW House parties for health care by Michael Munk Mon, Jun 1, 2009

Seattle challenges Murray's opposition to signle payer by Michael Munk Sun, May 31, 2009

Hope Portland can do as well for Wyden on June 5! Thousands hit Seattle streets seeking changes to health care Thousands joined a health-care rally and later a mellow, slow-moving = parade in downtown Seattle, complete with belly dancers, drums, air = horns, children, bicycles and lots of signs, both mass-produced and = hand-drawn. Many said they wanted a single-payer national = health-insurance system - the type of insurance that's widely used in = Europe and Canada. By Katherine Long Seattle Times staff reporter May 31, 2009 = http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/health/2009282093_healthmarch31m.ht= ml Philip Bradford with SEIU Health Care 775NW, the long-term-care workers = union, cheers at the rally Saturday.=20 A banner leads the way Saturday after a big crowd calling for changes to = the health-care system marches down South Jackson Street after a rally = at Pratt Park. The march was endorsed by more than 150 organizations, = and people from all over the state attended.=20 The crowd was mostly Democratic, but that didn't stop them from shouting = down Sen. Patty Murray's general remarks about the need for health-care = reform with a more specific call for a single-payer health-insurance = system. Thousands joined a health-care rally and later a mellow, slow-moving = parade in downtown Seattle, complete with belly dancers, drums, air = horns, children, bicycles and lots of signs, both mass-produced and = hand-drawn. Many said they wanted a single-payer national health-insurance system - = the type of insurance that's widely used in Europe and Canada. Organizers put the crowd size at 3,500. Seattle police gave an estimate = of 2,500 as of 1 p.m. - although the crowd seemed to grow as the day = wore on. More than 190 organizations endorsed the rally, including dozens of = unions, women's organizations, health-care workers and churches. Many protesters said health-care changes are needed now because so many = people have no health care, whether that's because their employer no = longer offers it, it's too expensive or because they're unemployed. "The system is broken, and it's going to be so complex to fix it that we = might as well tear it up and start over," said Larry Neilson, a Seattle = medical transcriptionist, echoing a common sentiment. "I work in health care, and I can't afford insurance," said Neilson, who = came to the rally wearing a doctor's white coat with the whimsical name = "Dr. Schlock" embroidered over the pocket. Protesters pointed out that the country has one of the most expensive = health-care systems in the world, but lags behind other countries on = such health indicators as the infant-mortality rate. Typical was a banner several protesters carried that read: "Diagnosis: = the greedy health insurers are parasites! The cure? Single payer = option." The demonstrators shouted down Murray as she concluded her = pro-health-coverage remarks at Pratt Park in Central Seattle, where the = march began. "I am heading back to Washington," Murray started, and was drowned out = by chants of "Single payer, single payer! Protesters said they were disappointed that Murray hasn't said anything = in support of the single-payer option. "Did you see Patty Murray shouted down?" asked Stuart Ferguson, a = Democratic precinct committee chairman for the 46th District. "I hope = she took notice. The more people that do it, the more successful we'll = be." Ferguson said he voted for President Obama, but he's disappointed the = administration has invited insurance companies to the negotiating table. He and many other protesters said they fear the administration's efforts = at change won't go far enough. But when they chanted for Obama to pay attention to their concerns, the = crowd did it in Spanish, not English. The chant, "Obama, escucha, = estamos en la lucha," means, "Obama, listen, we are in the fight." Barbara Hansen and Sara Baldwin, both of Seattle, said they each had = children who had just graduated, or were about to graduate, from college = and could no longer receive health care through their parents' plans. If her daughter got into a serious bike accident on the way to work, it = would cost the family so much money that it could force them to sell = their house, Hansen said. "There are so many more uninsured people today than there were a year = ago," said Linda Arkava, a cardiac nurse at Swedish Medical Center, who = spoke to the crowd just before Murray did. "I see thousands of dollars wasted when people are unnecessarily = admitted. They come to us needing acute care - it costs so much more = money, and they suffer so much more." Katherine Long: 206-464-2219 or klong@seattletimes.com =20 visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

Wyden targeted by MoveON over health care by Michael Munk Fri, May 29, 2009

Note that MoveOn is NOT supporting single payer. It promotes the "public option" that protects for-profit health insuance. Wyden has already been targeted by unions for financing his own plan by taxing health insurance benefits for some employes and this goes after his severe limitation of where a public option would be available. MoveOn.org Targets Democrats on Health Care 29 May 2009 http://www.truthout.org/052909S by: Alexander Bolton | Visit article original @ The Hill MoveOn.org is pressuring centrist Democratic senators on health care with a new ad campaign urging them to support a government-run option as part of broad legislation lawmakers will mark up next month. The liberal advocacy group announced Friday that it would run radio ads targeting five Democratic senators and centrist Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe (Maine). The Democrats under pressure are Sens. Kent Conrad (N.D.), Ron Wyden (Ore.), Tom Carper (Del.), Maria Cantwell (Wash.) and Bill Nelson (Fla.). All six sit on the Senate Finance Committee, which has jurisdiction over a major portion of health care reform, including finding ways to pay for it. Of the group, Wyden faces reelection in 2010. MoveOn.org has also organized "thousands" of members, including doctors, nurses and small-business owners, to visit senators' district offices to call on them to support the so-called public plan option. "President Obama and 70 percent of voters support health care reform that includes a public health insurance option to contain costs, increase competition and guarantee coverage," the narrator in the ad states. "The insurance industry says with new rules they can do it alone, but they'll find a way to put profits first. We need a health insurance choice not run by the insurance companies to keep costs down and ensure access to quality, affordable care." The question over whether to make the public plan option available in all parts of the country has emerged as one of the thorniest of the health care debate. Republicans say a nationwide public plan option would be a "non-starter" and would represent a march toward a single-payer, socialized health care insurance system. They argue that government competition would drive private health care companies out of business. The campaign calls to mind an effort liberal advocacy groups waged earlier this year to pressure centrist Democrats to support President Obama's budget proposal. Health care reform has become an increasingly contentious topic between centrist Democrats and groups on the party's left wing. Last week, three major labor unions, including the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, launched ads in Oregon criticizing Wyden for a proposal he drafted that has attracted the support of Republican leaders. Wyden's plan does not call for a government-run health care option to be made available across the country, as liberals want. He would limit the public option to underserved areas of the country where Americans can choose only between two or fewer private plans. The contest between liberal advocates and centrist Democrats seeking to attract broad GOP support for a reform plan will heat up next month. The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee is scheduled to hold its first walk-through of draft legislation June 2-3. The committee is scheduled to begin marking up the bill June 16. The Senate Finance Committee is expected to follow and mark up its own bill, which would pay for the massive overhaul. visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

Merkley's obfuscation on health care by Michael Munk Wed, May 27, 2009

Oregon at heart of state secrets climax by Michael Munk Tue, May 26, 2009

The Ashland, Oregon charity and its attorneys have been stonewalled by both the Bush and Obama adminsitrations over wiretapping and "state secrets" may also have used by the Oregon Bar Assoication to drop their investigation of a Portland attorney who fronted for the CIA's "torture taxi" program. Showdown Looming on "State Secrets" Judge threatens to penalize US in wiretap case. by: Carrie Johnson | Visit article original @ The Washington Post May 26, 2009 http://www.truthout.org/052609B President Obama vowed last week to rein in the use of a legal privilege that allows the administration to discard lawsuits that involve "state secrets," promising that a new policy is in the works that will quell criticism by civil libertarians. But hours after Obama's speech laid out a "delicate balance" on national security, his Justice Department was criticized by a federal judge in California overseeing a case that has delved deeper than any other into one of the government's most highly classified data-gathering programs. The Obama administration has invoked the state-secrets privilege in resisting a lawsuit filed by an Oregon charity whose attorneys may have been subjected to warrantless wiretapping. Late Friday, Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn R. Walker issued a terse order that raised the prospect of "sanctions" for government lawyers who have not responded to his order for a plan for how the case should proceed. The sanctions may include awarding monetary damages to the charity, the al-Haramain Islamic Foundation. The document amounts to "Judge Walker's enough-is-enough order," said Jon Eisenberg, an attorney for the now-defunct charity. A Justice Department spokesman declined to comment on the judge's order, which requires the government to respond in court by Friday. The Haramain case is one of the national security battles left over from George W. Bush's presidency. Civil liberties groups and left-leaning members of Congress have used the matter to argue that Obama's approach as president conflicts with his campaign promises of transparency. In a speech at the National Archives on Thursday, Obama said that the administration is "nearing completion of a thorough review" of the way in which his predecessors invoked the state-secrets privilege. The president said that his lawyers would apply a stricter legal test for the kinds of material that can be protected and that the attorney general must personally sign off on any future cases involving the privilege. "We must not protect information merely because it reveals the violation of a law or embarrasses the government," Obama said. His words came on the heels of an appeals court ruling in late April striking down the government's use of the state-secrets privilege in a separate case, involving the "extraordinary rendition" of terrorism suspects to countries where they allegedly faced torture. A panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit narrowed the scope of the privilege and argued for judges to play a greater role in assessing the validity of such claims by the executive branch. A bill moving through the Senate, written by Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.), would empower federal judges to review sensitive evidence and test government assertions. Neither the White House nor the Justice Department has taken a position on the legislation. In the Haramain case, officials at the National Security Agency have determined that attorneys for the charity, who mistakenly received documents reflecting that they may have been the subject of government eavesdropping, do not have a "need to know" about the electronic surveillance program. That has set Justice Department lawyers who are defending the NSA on a collision course with Walker. Both sides in the case must appear before the judge in San Francisco on June 3 to explain their positions and discuss ways to proceed. visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

Wyden challenged by Single Payer Activists by Michael Munk Mon, May 25, 2009

Single Payer Advocates Crash Wyden Forest Grove Meeting VIA Philip Kauffman May 25, 2009 Advocates of a single payer health care system held a silent protest demonstration at Senator Ron Wyden’s town hall meeting in Forest Grove, Oregon on Sunday. The protesters demanded that Senator Wyden open the debate on health care reform to include advocates of a single payer, everybody in, nobody out, free choice of doctor and hospital health care system. The protesters charged that Senator Wyden is backing a health care plan that is mere piecemeal tinkering of the current system. About ten minutes into the event Rick Staggenborg MD, of Physicians for a National Health Program (PNHP), asked Senator Wyden if he would sit down with single payer advocates. Wyden remains steadfastly opposed to single payer, but said he would sit down with the single payer advocates. But Senator Wyden did nothing to ensure that single payer advocates were represented in recent Senate Finance Committee hearings. Big business and health insurance companies dominated the sessions. More than 41 witnesses testified over three days of hearings on health care before the Committee. Not one of the 41 was an advocate of a single payer system — even though recent polls show that the majority of Americans, the majority of doctors and even the majority of health economists favor a single payer system. Thirteen doctors, nurses, lawyers and other single payer activists were arrested at those hearings for demanding that one single payer advocate be allowed to testify. All were charged with “disruption of Congress” and face arraignment starting this week in Washington, D.C. About fifteen minutes into the Wyden town hall meeting, five single payer activists walked to the front of the room and put on surgical masks with messages written on them. “Everybody in. Nobody out,” read one. Another read — “Healthcare is for people, not for profit.” The activists were Single Payer Action’s Philip Kauffman, Dr. Joe Eusterman of PNHP, Jamie Partridge of the Portland Jobs with Justice Healthcare Committee, an unidentified woman, and Martha Perez, a healthcare professional based in Portland. Wyden did not recognize the silent protesters until a news photographer began taking photos. Wyden then turned and was surprised by the presence of the protesters. (See video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDo5r28hqgw) But the protesters continued their silent protest as a backdrop to Senator Wyden as he took questions for over an hour. About 60 citizens attended the town hall meeting. “A majority of the people who attended the Wyden town hall meeting support single payer and many thanked us for our silent protest,” said Kauffman. “Wyden parroted the insurance industry line that we need a ‘uniquely American’ approach to healthcare. At that point a member of the audience said — ‘I think we already have a uniquely American system. It doesn’t work.’” “I respect what Senator Wyden has done for this state and country,” Dr. Eusterman said. “He has been courageous and honorable, but on the issue of health care, he is dead wrong.” This is news article is located on the web at http:// www.singlepayeraction.org/blog/?p=739 Regards, Philip Kauffman Single Payer Action

OR-WA July music tour for single payer by Michael Munk Sat, May 23, 2009

Unions fighting Wyden on health care by Michael Munk Sat, May 23, 2009

Wyden calls them "DC lobbyists" but 24 Oregon labor organizations have endorsed single payer (list below). The real problem is that the three unions foghting Wyden, the National Education Association (NEA), the American Federation of State, County and Municipal employees (AFSCME) and the Food and the Unmited Food and Commerical Workers (UFCW). are not attacking Wyden on the most importamnt issue--his protection of the for profit health insurance industry and his opposition to Single Payer. The NEA had not endorsed single payer, but Council 75 (Salem) amd Local 4314 (Eugene) of AFSCME and Local 555 of the UFCW (Tigard) have endorsed single payer HR 676. So rather than spending $60,000 on attacking Wyden for his tax on privater health insurance benefits, why don't they sdtand up for health consumers and attack him for opposing single payer? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------> Wyden fires back at labor union health care ad May 22, 2009 http://www.kgw.com/news-local/stories/kgw_052209_health_wyden_ad_unions.86dec51.html?npc By MATTHEW DALY, Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON (AP) -- Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden is firing back at labor unions thathave criticized him for supporting a health care plan that could tax somehealth care benefits for upper-income workers.Three labor unions have spent $60,000 on radio ads in Portland and Eugenecharging that Wyden's plan would tax health care benefits as income.Wyden, a Democrat, responded Friday with his own ad, noting that hisproposed "Healthy Americans Act" is opposed by both "insurance companylobbyists" and "a couple of D.C. labor unions."The ad, running on radio stations in Portland and Eugene, calls the unionclaim false. It says Wyden's plan would save middle-class taxpayers about$300 a year.At the end of the ad, Wyden's voice is heard saying he approves the message"because I won't let D.C. lobbyists stop health care reform again -- notthis time."The dustup between the usual political allies showed the high stakes of thecurrent push for health care reform, which President Barack Obama andcongressional Democrats have made a top priority.Wyden's proposal, which is among several being considered by the SenateFinance Committee, would, as the labor ad charges, tax employer-sponsoredhealth care benefits in a major restructuring of health care coverage. Butthe ad omits a crucial element: the plan would give standard tax deductionsto anyone earning less than $125,000 a year, or $250,000 a year for couples.A 2008 analysis by the Lewin Group, a consulting firm that works withgovernment and private clients, found that families that are currentlyinsured and have incomes of less than $150,000 a year would see net savingsunder Wyden's plan.Wyden's chief of staff, Josh Kardon, said only those people who earn morethan $250,000 a year and receive "Cadillac health packages" would pay taxesunder Wyden's plan. Everyone else would see a tax savings, he said.Wyden went up with his own push-back ad -- paid for by his re-electioncampaign -- because, "We are not in the habit of allowing untruths to gounanswered," Kardon said.Don Loving, public affairs director of Oregon Council 75 of the AmericanFederation of State, County and Municipal Employees, said the labor ad wasintended to "inform Oregonians about what we feel is a very bad plan bySenator Wyden."Loving acknowledged that Wyden is usually considered a strong labor ally."This is a friend of ours. We haven't lost sight of that. But we just feelhe's way off base on this," Loving said. "We are adamantly opposed to theconcept of taxing health care benefits."The National Education Association and the United Food and CommercialWorkers joined with AFSCME to pay for the ad, which will run for severalmore days in Portland and Eugene.Some analysts said the union attack was not really about Wyden's health careplan -- which has little chance of being enacted without major changes --but was aimed at discouraging congressional Democrats from moving forward onproposed taxes on employer-provided health benefits, alcoholic beverages andsoft drinks as a way to pay for insurance coverage for tens of millions ofAmericans who now lack health insurance.Labor unions say their members sacrificed pay raises to get health benefitsand have no intention of allowing those benefits to be taxed. ------------------------------------------------------------- The 24 Oregon labor organizations now endorsing HR 676: Oregon AFL-CIO, SalemSouthern Oregon Central Labor Council, Central PointCentral Oregon Labor Council, BendMarion, Polk, and Yamhill Counties Central Labor Council, SalemCouncil 75, American Federatuion of State, County and Municipal Employees,SalemOregon Area District Council, Internatioonal Longshore & Warehouse Union,PortlandLocal 206, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, PortlandLocal 48, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, PortlandLocal 757. Amalgamated Transit Union , PortlandLocal 247 United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners, PortlandLocal 8378 United Steelworkers , McMinnvilleLocal 290, United Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters, Portland Local 5, ILWU, PortlandLocal 483, Laborers International Union of North America, PortlandSouthern Oregon Area Local, American Postal Workers Union, MedfordLocal 7901, Communications Workers of America, PortlandLocal 3214, AFSCME, EugeneBranch 82, National Association of Letter Carriers PortlandLocal 3571. American Federation of Teachers, PortlandLocal 2277, AFT, PortlandLocal 555, United Food and Commercial Workers, Tigard,Oregon locals attending the Regional Council of United Steelworkers .Jobs with Justice, PortlandSouthern Oregon Jobs with Justice, Ashlandvisit my website www.michaelmunk.com

Sign Cuba travel petition, get $100 off your visit by Michael Munk Thu, May 21, 2009

Orbitz Launches Open Cuba Travel Petition Website May 11, 2009 = http://travel-industry.uptake.com/blog/2009/05/11/orbitz-open-cuba-websit= e/ Chicago based Orbitz has launched a website (www.opencuba.org/) to give = Americans the opportunity to petition the U.S. Government to open up = travel to Cuba. =20 OpenCuba.org, from Orbitz Visitors to Orbitz are urged to visit the Open Cuba website and sign a = petition calling for an end to the travel ban. The website also lets = visitors write personal letters to President Obama, VP Joe Biden, = Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and members of Congress, urging them = to ease the travel restrictions and sanctions against Cuba. And to give their campaign some added heft, Orbitz also released the = findings of a new Orbitz-Ipsos Poll. The poll shows that 67% of of all = Americans favor ending the U.S. Government's 50-year ban on travel to = Cuba. In a press statement, Barney Harford, president and CEO of Orbitz = Worldwide, said that "President Obama recently took a bold step in = easing travel restrictions for Cuban-Americans. The OpenCuba.org = campaign calls on the President and Congress to take action to end the = travel ban to Cuba, giving all Americans the freedom to visit what once = was a premier tourist destination for U.S. citizens." Orbitz executives will formally present the aforementioned petition to = U.S. officials in Washington, DC, later this year. Every person who = signs the petition will receive a $100 coupon redeemable on Orbitz = against a vacation to Cuba valid if and when the U.S. Government removes = the ban on travel to Cuba, and as soon as Orbitz is able to offer such = travel on its website. And this is where Orbitz is mixing good business with politics. If the = Obama Administration opens up Cuba, Orbitz can take credit for a = successful lobbying campaign, and enjoy the rush of travelers booking = packages to Cuba in order to redeem the $100 coupons. If it doesn't work (which seems more likely at this point), no harm = done. Either way, by being at the forefront of this campaign, they get = all the media publicity that is sure to follow in the next few days now = and again when the petition is handed over to officials in Washington = DC. Win-win situation for Orbitz. visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

DeFazio: why I don't support single payer by Michael Munk Thu, May 21, 2009

May 22: Cultural Marxism at Eugene by Michael Munk Wed, May 20, 2009

See attachment visit my website www.michaelmunk.co =20 =20 =20 =20 =20

It's called capitalism by Michael Munk Wed, May 20, 2009

To the editor, The Oregonian: Your columnist David Brooks admits (May 17) he has come to a "stark conclusion: There are deep structural forces, both in Medicare and the private insurance market, that have driven the explosion in health costs. It is nearly impossible to put together a majority coalition for a bill that challenges those essential structures. Therefore, the leading proposals on Capitol Hill do not directly address the structural problems. They are a collection of worthy but speculative ideas designed to possibly mitigate their effects." Indeed. That's why those forces have pushed single payer, the reform the public supports, "off the table." But why is Mr. Brooks unable to name those "deep structural forces" which make serious health care reform impossible? Here's a hint: they are inherent in a system that delivers care to the sick to generate private profit. That system mobilzes its political "forces" to protect those profits. It's called capitalism. Michael Munk visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

Moderate labor hits Wyden on health care by Michael Munk Tue, May 19, 2009

Better than nothing, but the ad fails to list the 24 Oregon unions who = have endorsed Single Payer and doesn't call out Wyden for proecting the = for-profit insurance industry. Unions Pressuring Liberal Dem Senator Wyden From The Left On Health Care = Plan By Eric Kleefeld - May 19, 2009 TPM = http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/05/unions-pressuring-liberal-dem-= senator-wyden-from-the-left-on-health-care-plan.php?ref=3Dfpc A new group of labor unions is joining together to pressure a Senator on = what they view as an anti-working families health plan, with the unions = preferring instead a greater public option and opposing taxation of = health benefits. The Senator is none other than ... liberal Democrat Ron = Wyden from Oregon. The National Education Association, AFSCME and the United Food and = Commercial Workers are joining together to run this radio ad in the = Portland and Eugene markets: =20 Click To Play=20 "The last thing we need is to pay more. But Senator Ron Wyden would tax = the health care benefits we get at work - as if they were income," the = announcer says. "Taxing health benefits? That doesn't make sense." Check out the full script after the jump. Announcer: Finally, Congress is working to fix health care. They = should start by making insurance affordable for families and businesses. We should also have a choice - keep the insurance we have, or pick = another plan, including a public health insurance option. That way we'll = have good benefits at a price we can afford no matter what happens. The last thing we need is to pay more. But Senator Ron Wyden would tax = the health care benefits we get at work - as if they were income. Taxing = health benefits? That doesn't make sense. Tell Senator Wyden that Oregon families want quality, affordable = health care - not taxes on their health care benefits. Call Senator Wyden today at 888-460-0813. We can fix health care = without taxing the benefits we already have. Paid for by The National Education Association in partnership with = AFSCME and the United Food and Commercial Workers.=20 visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

Big O censors single payer mail by Michael Munk Sun, May 17, 2009

Every Sunday, The Oregonian runs a little box on its letters page tallying up the numbers of letters received, published and naming "the most popluar topic." You wouldn't know it from its meager news coverage of the hot health care debate, but last week (May 8-15) Oregonian readers (115 of 457) were most interested enough to write in support of SINGLE PAYER HEALTH CARE..The next topic that engaged readers was the Chavez street renaming controversy which drew 24 letters. Obama and the for-profit health insruance industry proclaim this most popular option is "off the table" and I guess the Oregonian thinks so too. Because if you haven't much attention to single payer in its news pages or in letters to ist editor, the Big O explained that it published only one letter (of 73 ) on the most popular topic because " most used the phrase 'single payer option' and many cited " Sen Max Baucus as "dismissive" of the popular health care reform proposal. It seemed to its editors that many of the letters were "very similarily worded" and "apparently inspired" by "campaigns." So, the editor tells us, she just let the other 114 letters from actual readers on this crucial health care debate "pile up." No wonder newspapers are becoming less relevant. visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

Another WA Rep against the wars by Michael Munk Fri, May 15, 2009

From: "Alice/Bruce McCain" So sad for Oregon.... But: Jay Inslee is a Rep. from Washington, also (our kids' in Woodinville's rep, I believe). He also stood up, and that's more courageous than McDermott's vote. We have lived in both districts, and Rep. McDermott has a lifetime hold on his seat, being in a very liberal district. a. On Friday, May 15, 2009, at 01:48 AM, Michael Munk wrote: Blumenauer, Wu, Schraeder, DeFazio and Baird all voted the extra war money. McDermott seems to be the only NW Rep who stood up against it It was 368-60 -5 to pay almost $100B for the wars. Look up where your Rep stood (or sat) at http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2009/roll265.xml

Oregon Senate Dems stall progressive tax by Michael Munk Fri, May 15, 2009

Income tax reform is the most important leguislation before the Oregon legislature Today's story on the proposed reform of the state's unprogressive income tax, notes that while it has significant support in the House, Senate Dems under President Peter Courtney (Salem) are not enthusiastic. Dertails at http://www.oregonlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2009/05/oregon_house_democrats_propose.html visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

Oregon Dems vote for Obama's wars by Michael Munk Fri, May 15, 2009

Blumenauer, Wu, Schraeder, DeFazio and Baird all voted the extra war money. McDermott seems to be the only NW Rep who stood up against it It was 368-60 -5 to pay almost $100B for the wars. Look up where your Rep stood (or sat) at http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2009/roll265.xml US House backs $96.7 bln bill for Iraq, Afghan wars May 14, 2009 http://www.reuters.com/article/bondsNews/idUSWAT01146720090514 WASHINGTON, May 14 (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday approved a $96.7 billion measure to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan through Sept. 30 as well as rush critical economic and security aid to Pakistan. The biggest chunk is $47.7 billion to support military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan through Sept. 30. Obama had originally requested in total $84.3 billion. It also includes $1 billion for Pakistan as it tries to fight militant Taliban insurgents spilling over the border from Pakistan. It also has $3.1 billion for eight Boeing Co (BA.N) C-17s and 11 Lockheed Martin (LMT.N) C-130 transport planes. The Senate is working on its own version of the bill and differences, which will have to be resolved, including money for the International Monetary Fund and how to close the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, that houses terrorism suspects. visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

Oregon Doc returns: Cuba travel ban not enforced by Michael Munk Thu, May 14, 2009

Ban-Challenging Doc Returns from Cuba http://blogs.wweek.com/news/2009/05/14/ban-challenging-doc-returns-from-c= uba/ Willamette Week, May 14th, 2009 by Megan Brescini=20 |=20 Your move, President Obama. As previously reported, retired 94-year-old Dr. Charles Grossman spent a = week in Cuba as a tourist to challenge America's ban on trade and travel = to Cuba. Grossman returned at 6 am on May 11, was immediately put in = handcuffs and shackles, and thrown in jail with a million dollar bail. = No, not really. He went through customs with very little to-do: "I handed in my card which had Cuba written in big letters," Grossman = says. "And the government official looked at it and said 'welcome home' = and that was my greeting, that was all I got." Which begs the question, if the ban is no longer enforced, why have a = ban at all? visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

Union Maid: NW Single Payer Tour in July by Michael Munk Thu, May 14, 2009

Tomorrow May 13: Call in for single payer by Michael Munk Tue, May 12, 2009

Wouldn't it have to go through Oregon? by Michael Munk Mon, May 11, 2009

Washington State, California Ponder High-Speed Rail Line Sunday 10 May 2009 http://www.truthout.org/051109E?n by: Les Blumenthal | Visit article original @ McClatchy Newspapers California and Washington State are carefully considering building a high-speed rail in their states similar to this one in Milan. (Photo: Reuters) Washington - Washington state and California officials have held preliminary discussions about a high-speed, state-of-the-art rail line that would connect San Diego and Vancouver, B.C., with trains that could travel in excess of 200 miles per hour. The talks come just weeks after Congress approved a $787 billion economic stimulus bill sought by the White House that included $8 billion for high-speed rail in the Northwest and nine other corridors around the nation. Washington state will seek nearly $900 million in federal money to double to eight the number of daily roundtrips from Portland to Seattle in the next three years or so. Even with the improvements, the trains will be able to travel at 110 mph over only limited sections of track. But Scott Witt, director of the Washington state Department of Transportation's rail and marine program, said that though he and others are focused on the "here and now," high-speed trains running nearly the length of the West Coast aren't just a fantasy. "They would go like a son of a gun," he said. Witt envisions trains like the Shinkansen, the bullet trains in Japan, or France's TGV trains that regularly travel at near 190 mph. The bullet trains, in tests, have traveled at 277 mph, and the TGV trains have been tested at 320 mph. Both countries and others are working on Maglev or electromagnetic propulsion trains that could cruise at speeds approaching 400 mph. Constructing a truly high-speed West Coast rail corridor wouldn't be easy. It would require entirely new rails and a new corridor that smoothed out grades and corners. Picking a route and deciding where the trains would stop would be politically bruising. And the cost could be astronomical. The 1,500-mile line, by some estimates, could cost between $10 million and $45 million per mile to build. Witt said he has been talking with his counterpart in California for about three weeks. "It's very, very preliminary," Witt said. "But it makes a lot of sense." An alliance with California and perhaps Oregon would make it easier to leverage federal planning funds, he said. "We've been a highway culture in the West," Witt said. "It could be time for a change." California voters last year approved the sale of nearly $10 billion in bonds for a San Diego to Sacramento high-speed train. In Japan and France, however, high-speed rail is funded not by borrowed money but with revenue from a steep gas tax, which also encourages people to take trains rather than drive. Yet the reality in the Northwest, at this point, has more to do with the little engine that could than a bullet train speeding up the Interstate 5 corridor at near airplane speeds. In including $8 billion in the stimulus package for high-speed rail, President Barack Obama said it would be a "down payment" on bringing the nation's rail system into the 21st century. "This is not some fanciful, pie-in-the-sky vision of the future," Obama said. "It's been happening for decades. The problem is it has been happening elsewhere, not here." The stimulus funding initially will provide grants for ready-to-go projects. The first of the grants could be awarded before the end of summer. Follow-on funding would be used for more extensive corridor programs and longer-range planning. Federal officials estimate the existing intercity passenger rail service uses one-third less energy per passenger-mile than cars. If high-speed rail lines were built on all the federally designated corridors, the officials said it could reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 6 billion pounds annually. Congress also has approved spending an additional $5 billion over the next five years on high-speed rail projects. "We make no bones about it, this will not fund a high-speed rail network," said Robert Kulat, a Federal Railroad Administration spokesman. "But it kicks it down the track." Since 1994, Washington state and Oregon have invested $1.1 billion in the rail corridor from Portland to Seattle, Witt said. Federal funding would help pay for some long overdue upgrades that could allow the trains to travel up to 110 mph near Kelso and Centralia. The Talgo trains, built in Spain with a suspension system that allows them to lean going through corners, are capable of speeds up to 125 mph. But the trains are mostly limited to 79 mph until track, crossing and train control improvements are made. Federal stimulus money will not allow an increase in service from Seattle to Vancouver, B.C. There is now one train a day, but that will increase to two a day prior to the 2010 Winter Olympics. The passenger trains share the tracks with freight trains on a BNSF mainline. Last year, the Portland-Seattle line carried 750,000 passengers, an 82 percent increase over the past 10 years. By 2023, the trains could be carrying 3 million passengers a day on 13 daily roundtrips between Portland and Seattle and four between Seattle and Vancouver, B.C., according to the state's rail master plan. Corridor improvements could reduce travel times from Portland to Seattle by almost an hour, from three hours and 25 minutes to two hours and 30 minutes. But the cost - $6.5 billion - could be prohibitive. Even so, Witt said, federal stimulus funding was a start. "It's a huge opportunity," he said. Washington state has one other ace in the hole: Democratic Sen. Patty Murray. As chair of the Senate transportation appropriations subcommittee, Murray is positioned to help. "This is real stuff about moving people, creating jobs and reducing greenhouse gases," Murray said. As for a high speed San Diego to Vancouver run, Murray said not to dismiss it out of hand. "Obviously it would be in the future and it would be great," she said. "But if this (stimulus spending) can lead to that, it would be amazing." visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

May 10:Oregon Doc returns from Cuba by Michael Munk Wed, May 6, 2009

Willamette Week May 6, 2009 . NEWS .=20 [INTERNATIONAL] Cuba Or Bust http://wweek.com/editorial/3526/12525/ A 94-year-old doctor's Challenge to president Obama. Share: | Permalink Email | Print | Rate It! | 1 comment Grossman: "If I don't get arrested, I hope many more people will = follow the example."=20 IMAGE: Megan Brescni =20 BY MEGAN BRESCNI | mbrescni at wweek dot com=20 In the early morning hours of May 3, Dr. Charles Grossman boarded a = plane that took him about 2,900 miles away from his Portland home for a = week.=20 The 94-year-old doctor's goal was not a vacation, but to challenge = President Obama by flying to Havana.=20 His challenge goes back a few weeks to when Grossman read in The Wall = Street Journal that Obama had lifted the U.S. ban on Americans visiting = family in Cuba, or sending money to the island.=20 While many saw this as progress in America's 50-year history of = contentious relations with Fidel Castro's Cuba, Grossman says it's an = inadequate step by the new president.=20 Grossman, who retired in 2008 from his medical practice as a general = practitioner and donating his time at a downtown medical clinic, wants = the travel and trade bans on Cuba completely abolished.=20 "I want Obama to lift the ban now," the bowtied Grossman said last week = before leaving. "Not when I'm dead."=20 Some federal lawmakers agree.=20 They have introduced legislation aimed at ending all travel restrictions = to Cuba. The Freedom to Travel to Cuba Act was introduced by Sen. Byron = Dorgan (D-N.D.) and is co-sponsored by Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).[and 23 other = Senatoers} other (Oregon's other senator, freshman Democrat Jeff = Merkley, says he's still reviewing the legislation).=20 In the House, Reps. Earl Blumenauer and Peter DeFazio (both D-Ore.) are = [among 132]co-sponsors of similar legislation. =20 To draw attention to the legislation and encourage Americans to pressure = their congressmen and senators to pass it, Grossman has intentionally = committed a crime by leaving for Cuba on Sunday, May 3, from Vancouver, = B.C., without a visa. He got to Vancouver from Portland by plane.=20 "I could go as a doctor and say I'm going to study what's going on there = and possibly get permission," Grossman said. "But I think any tourist = ought to be able to go.=20 "If I don't get arrested, I hope many more people will follow the = example," Grossman said. "Give the government trouble. If they have a = thousand tourists going to Cuba then they've got problems."=20 A member of the nonprofit Physicians for Social Responsibility, Grossman = says lifting the ban would promote international diplomacy and help the = United States regain its role as a leader in diplomatic efforts. = Increased trade and tourism could improve the economies of both = countries. And he says opening Cuba to the masses presents an = opportunity to examine the pluses and minuses of a single-payer health = system.=20 He plans to return May 10 to Vancouver and then fly back to Portland.=20 Under the Bush administration, the Office of Foreign Assets Control = under the Department of the Treasury would typically assess a $7,500 = fine on people suspected of traveling to Cuba.=20 Obama's administration has not made it clear whether it intends to = enforce the travel ban similarly.=20 While in Cuba, Grossman plans to visit a few friends, one of whom is the = former head of the country's health department and previously served = with Grossman on the board of International Physicians for the = Prevention of Nuclear War.=20 "People were meant to live with other people," Grossman says, "not = fight."=20 visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

May 7: See Oregon WPA art in Portland by Michael Munk Sun, May 3, 2009

Gallery in small coastal town earns a big reputation by Lori Tobias The Oregonian, May 3, 2009 Trisha Kauffman, co-owner of Art Space Gallery Cafe, samples soup made = by her daughter, Kiva, who helps out in the cafe.=20 BAY CITY -- It's no small feat that Trisha and Craig Kauffman managed to = resurrect the Art Space Gallery Cafe after a wild winter storm wiped it = out, but it's perhaps even more amazing that it existed at all, and for = 21 years.=20 Set on the edge of this community of 1,265, the little gallery in the = middle of nowhere has earned a name as an authority on historic Oregon = artists, particularly those from the Depression era.=20 It's an unlikely story that begins simply: A small-town waitress falls = for an aspiring artist and winds up in a Seattle museum moved to tears = by a painting.=20 Ever since, Trisha Kauffman has made it her mission to find and show the = works of Oregon artists most have long forgotten.=20 "It was an incredible time period," Trisha Kauffman says of the days = when Franklin Roosevelt's Works Progress Administration (later known as = the Work Projects Administration) funded artists. "The times were so = hard, but art was important and the money was provided."=20 The couple's devotion to mounting shows that might otherwise go unseen = has earned them respect and admiration from many.=20 Art Space Gallery Cafe . Where: Fifth Street and U.S. 101, Bay City=20 . Hours: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sundays through Wednesdays=20 . Gallery: Ongoing and changing art exhibits=20 . Cafe specialty: Homemade soups and bread; custom catering available=20 Portland exhibit . What: The Art of Working, an art show by Oregon WPA artists curated by = Trisha Kauffman=20 . Where: Central City Concern Employment Access Center, 2 N.W. Second = Ave.=20 . When: 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday=20 Trisha Kauffman "has an amazing repository of historical significance," = says Ginny Allen, author of "Oregon Painters, The First Hundred Years."=20 "There are galleries in Portland that feature artists from the '30s, = '40s and '50s, but Trisha and Craig are at the top of galleries that do = that well."=20 Nearly wiped out=20 All was almost lost.=20 On the night of Dec. 2, 2007, Craig Kauffman struggled against = floodwaters and high winds to get to Art Space. Inside were 170 original = works by Ruth Patterson Hart, an artist from the 1930s and '40s who = crafted works mirroring everyday life -- some worth as much as $4,000. = Also on display were 100 black-and-white photographs by Ed Stiernberg, = known for his still- life images and nature under a microscope.=20 When Craig Kauffman opened the door, he found water gushing down the = walls and pooling on the floor. Winds topping out at 129 mph hurtled = sections of the roof three blocks away.=20 "It was so intense," Craig Kauffman recalls. "You had to shout to = communicate. It sounded like a freight train."=20 Then, the lights went out -- for three months.=20 Thanks largely to Craig Kauffman, not one piece of art was ruined, and = only two mattes were damaged. Now, nearly a year and a half later, the = gallery cafe is back on its feet, with homemade soup and bread. Trisha = Kauffman calls it a soup kitchen. It's only fitting, she says.=20 Trisha and Craig Kauffman met in a Garibaldi restaurant in 1983 when = Trisha was a waitress. Craig, an artist earning a living as a carpenter, = came to fix the door. He taught her about art. She helped him win shows = in Portland galleries. Then Trisha Kauffman decided to show his work = herself. She offered $500 down, $350 a month, to the owner of a building = once the site of Depression-era bread lines. The owner agreed.=20 A pivotal moment=20 Trisha Kauffman cooked with one baby on her back, another in a baby = swing. She studied art books and visited city galleries and museums. = Then one day she walked into the Seattle Art Museum and saw an artist = she recognized.=20 "I said, 'Oh, it's one of the Run-guys,'" she recalls of seeing an = Arthur Rundquist piece. "I walked right up to the painting. There was a = man on the ground bleeding, and a police officer, and a man being beat = with a billy club and a man marching with a sign that read 'We just want = to make a living.' I started to cry."=20 That's when Trisha Kauffman began searching out Works Progress = Administration artists.=20 "I called Doug Lynch and said, 'I'd like to meet you.' He said, 'You = must be crazy; no one is interested in that period.' I said, 'I am. I = love labor art.'"=20 Lynch, who died April 17 at age 96, created the murals on the linoleum = in the original Timberline cantina. Trisha Kauffman has been asked by = Lynch's family to represent his work.=20 But it wasn't always easy convincing people that their gallery was the = real deal.=20 "When I went to Portland to get artists, I would take photos and say, = 'No, it really is a gallery,' because people would hear 'the coast' and = think seashells and seagulls with googly eyes," she says, then, = laughing, points to a mono print of a seagull by Nelson Sandgren behind = her. "That is the only seagull you will see here."=20 Over the years, the pair have mounted shows by such WPA artists as = Lynch, Albert Rundquist, Arthur Rundquist, Martina Gangle, Charles = Heaney, William Givler and Ralph Chesse.=20 "Trisha and Craig have presented these painters in a way that gives them = the recognition they deserve even after all this time," Allen says.=20 Next up, Trisha Kauffman will curate a show in Portland for Central City = Concern featuring WPA artists. Then she'll come back to Bay City to = dream up new soups and mount new shows.=20 "It's not a monetary process for sure," Trisha Kauffman says. "But I = think it's wonderful. It's a great way to live."=20 -- Lori Tobias; loritobias@aol.com=20 visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

Oregon doc: Cuba or Bust by Michael Munk Fri, May 1, 2009

Dr. Grossman intends his "illegal" trip to draw attention to pending = legislation in Congress. The Freedom to Travel to Cuba Act (S. 428) is = co-sponsored by 25 Senators, including Oregon's Ron Wyden (where's = Merkley?), and the companion version House (HR 874) is co-sponsored by = 132 Representatives, including Oregon's Earl Blumenauer and Peter = DeFazio (where's Wu and Schrader?). Cuba or Bust For This 94-Year-Old Doc http://blogs.wweek.com/news/2009/05/01/cuba-or-bust-for-this-94-year-old-= doc/ Willamette Week, May 1st, 2009=20 by Megan Brescini=20 On April 13, President Obama lifted a U.S. ban that had made it illegal = for Americans to visit family in Cuba or send them money. While a big step, it's not enough for Charles Grossman, a 94-year-old = retired doc (and all around nice guy) who held a press conference today = in advance of his law-challenging trip to Cuba. He wants the United States to allow tourism and trade that could set the = stage for international diplomacy with Cuba - and strengthen both = countries' economies. Dr. Grossman also sees improved relations with Cuba as an opportunity to = study the pluses and minuses of a single-payer healthcare system. The 94-year-old firebrand is taking action to make it happen by leaving = today for Cuba. While he could very likely get approved for travel as a = researcher, or doctor, he's not doing that. He's going illegally to challenge what he sees as insufficient action by = Obama in lifting the ban. Will he be arrested when he returns or fined? = Stay tuned. We'll be following this story. Share and Enjoy:=20 a.. =20 b.. =20 c.. =20 d.. =20 e.. =20 f.. =20 Tags: charles grossman, cuba, Obama, tourism, trade ban Leave a Reply Click here to cancel reply.=20 Name (required) Mail (will not be published) (required) Website =20

Oregon Physician to Defy Cuba Travel Ban, Challenge Obama by Michael Munk Fri, May 1, 2009

Ask your Reps: Are you with us on health care? by Michael Munk Tue, Apr 28, 2009

NW reps are sabotaging health care reform by Michael Munk Fri, Apr 24, 2009

Schraderopposes single payer; joins Blumenauer by Michael Munk Wed, Apr 22, 2009

Oregonian today: Restore the Murnane Wharf! by Michael Munk Wed, Apr 22, 2009

This is from the Oregonian's webpage. The print article is in today's = (Wednesday) edition. Note some of the anti-union comments below and = counter them with your own. Vendors to move into the space on May Day! Seeking to restore the memory of a Portland labor leader - Francis J. = Murnane by Anne Saker, The Oregonian=20 Tuesday April 21, 2009, 8:35 PM Photo:Micah, Escamilla/The Oregonian The Murnane Wharf, the city's lone memorial to a labor leader, is = disappearing under the construction of the new Portland Saturday Market. = The wharf, once used by boaters and the Portland Fire Bureau, is named = for Francis J. Murnane, longtime president of Local 8 of the = International Longshore and Warehouse Union.=20 Portland already has a memorial to a labor leader. But until last month, = almost nobody remembered it.=20 In the mid-20th century, the Port of Portland employed thousands of men, = and dockworker Francis J. Murnane was their president. For more than 30 = years, he fought for his members and campaigned to save a host of city = monuments. Then he dropped dead at the union hall after delivering a = stemwinder on racial justice a week after the Rev. Martin Luther King = Jr. was assassinated.=20 Saving history . Francis J. Murname used his organizing skills to help save = now-treasured Portland fixtures, including The Benson Bubblers, which = were about to be removed when he championed them to the City Council, = and a broken-down Skidmore Fountain, which was to be dismantled when he = pressed the council to find money to save it.=20 . He fought to prevent the scuttling of the Portland Sternwheeler, the = last sternwheeled tugboat to ply the Willamette River.=20 Murnane's union brothers pushed the city to memorialize the man called = "the longshoreman with the soul of a poet." In 1979, the city christened = a working wharf at the site of Portland's oldest dock at the foot of = Southwest Ankeny Street.=20 But then memories dimmed, and the Murnane Wharf was forgotten, even by = his own Local 8 of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union.=20 Now, in an accelerated drive that coincides with the push to name a city = street in memory of labor leader Cesar Chavez, Local 8 is agitating to = restore the dilapidated wharf at the site of the new Portland Saturday = Market or to build a new monument.=20 "I really didn't want to tell you this, but I will: I haven't found a = soul that even knew that was there. I didn't know, either," Local 8 = President Jeff Smith said. "But now that we know, it's pretty important = to us to revitalize and take care of it."=20 In life, Murnane touched nearly every corner of Portland. Famed as a = fiery orator, he campaigned for years to preserve the Benson Bubblers, = the Skidmore Fountain, the Campbell Memorial to fallen Oregon = firefighters at West Burnside Street and 18th Avenue, Vista Avenue's = iron fences, the Portland sternwheeler, the Council Crest streetcar. He = helped create the public trust that put the Pittock Mansion on the road = to restoration.=20 More information . The Murnane memorial Facebook page: http://tinyurl.com/ctvmjz=20 . Latest on Saturday Market: Vendors will move May 1 to the new site = just south of the Burnside Bridge and be open for business the next day. = The city expects by then to have finished the covered plaza where most = vendors and the food court will go. The market will have a "soft" = opening May 16.=20 . The lower portion of the project, featuring a large fountain and = grassy park, won't be done until June. The grand opening for the whole = market area is July 16.=20 It's not entirely clear how the Boston-born Murnane came to Portland, = but a union history reports that he attended St. Lawrence Academy, = Lincoln High School and the institution now known as the University of = Portland. The practicing Roman Catholic considered the priesthood, then = a legal career. Instead, he got a job in a plywood mill. After World War = II service as an Army engineer, he returned to Portland to work the = waterfront.=20 Murnane joined the longshore union and climbed the leadership ladder to = serve repeatedly as Local 8 president at a time when organized labor had = some muscle locally and nationally. He organized the fight against the = federal government's efforts to deport the Australian-born Harry = Bridges, who led the international from San Francisco.=20 In his frequent orations to City Council, Murnane set aside the = longshoreman's wardrobe for a suit and tie; in his off hours, he favored = the opera. Local author Michael Munk, who wrote a history of the city's = left-wing politics called "The Portland Red Guide: Sites & Stories From = Our Radical Past," said Murnane's activism spread beyond union politics. = Photo: The Oregonian/1968=20 In a photo taken about six weeks before he died in 1968, Francis J. = Murnane poses on the lawn of the Pittock Mansion. Murnane, who also = fought to preserve Portland's civic treasures, helped create the public = trust that led to the mansion's restoration. "Back in the '40s, he was a candidate of the Henry Wallace Progressive = Party for the Legislature. He led the local support groups for the = victims of McCarthyism. He was very active in left-wing politics," Munk = said. "So when I heard later that he had become a preservationist, I = thought, well, it's a second career for him."=20 A week after King was shot to death in Memphis, Tenn., Murnane stood up = among his brother longshoremen and spoke passionately about the evil of = discrimination. A few minutes later, Murnane collapsed from a fatal = heart attack. He was 53. He had never married or had children.=20 His funeral drew 500 mourners. Bridges, who had just attended King's = funeral, stood at Murnane's grave and called the day the saddest of his = life.=20 Union members wanted the waterfront park, then under construction, to be = named for Murnane. Instead, the city built a working wharf, just south = of the Burnside Bridge, and in September 1979, Bridges returned to = Portland to dedicate the Murnane Wharf.=20 The wharf bore a bronze plaque in tribute to Murnane's "years of service = to the men along the shore, whose labor, sweat and skills have helped = make our city one of the great ports of the world."=20 When the plaque was stolen in 1989, the Portland Development Commission = paid $500 to replace it. That was just about the last anyone heard about = the Murnane Wharf. City officials simply called it the Ankeny Dock. In = 2006, the wharf was closed as a hazard. At some point, the replacement = plaque disappeared, too.=20 In August, Munk -- who knew of the wharf from his book research -- = noticed that the cantilevered walkway for the new Saturday Market on the = west bank of the Willamette would be built right on top of the wharf, in = effect obliterating it. Munk approached Mayor Tom Potter, who promised = to look into it.=20 Last month, Munk published an article in the Street Roots newspaper = about the wharf. The piece galvanized Local 8. Despite years of = discussion about a Chavez commemoration, union members and city = officials were surprised to learn that the city actually did have a = memorial for a labor leader who spent his life in Portland.=20 PDC officials say they want to restore the memorial but don't have the = money. Smith, the Local 8 president, said the union has launched a = petition drive and, of course, a Facebook page for a new memorial.=20 "I couldn't hold a candle to Francis Murnane as the leader of the = union," he said. "I've got so much stuff to do now as president of Local = 8 that my guys would laugh me out of the room if they thought I was = downtown taking care of water fountains."=20 -- Anne Saker; annesaker@news.oregonian.com=20 -------------------------------------------------------------------------= -------------------------------------------------------------------------= ------------------------- COMMENTS (4)Post a comment Posted by Lost2Time on 04/21/09 at 8:43PM Portland longshoremen will be remembered by their 6 figure salaries. Inappropriate? Alert us. Post a comment Posted by rogeregon on 04/21/09 at 8:55PM Why talk about an Oregon labor leader when we can rename some historic = street after Caesar Chavez! Oregon history languishes but the illegals = pouring in here want us to replace our history with theirs! Inappropriate? Alert us. Post a comment Posted by Overlookjewl on 04/21/09 at 9:54PM Many in North Portland remember him. He also worked to oppose the I-5 = freeway going along the North Willamette bluff.=20 Thank you for lifting him up into conscience again. Inappropriate? Alert us. Post a comment Posted by GoByFoot on 04/21/09 at 11:12PM I love this about the labor movement: There are so many people who get = skills in organizing and public speaking by being in a union, and they = bring those talents to our communities for the good of everybody. I've = seen it time and again in volunteer work, public office, etc. Francis = was a good example of this. I hope the city builds him something nice. Inappropriate? Alert us. Post a comment Username (Don't Have a Username? Sign up here):=20 Password: Remember Me =20 Welcome back, ! Comments: (you may use HTML tags for style) =20 visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

Greens endorse Oregon tax reform by Michael Munk Mon, Apr 20, 2009

2 more Oregon unions endorse single payer by Michael Munk Mon, Apr 20, 2009

But Blumenauer is against it and no Oregon members of Congress have endorsed it. USW and CWA Locals Endorse HR 676 Two more local unions in Oregon have endorsed HR 676, single payer healthcare legislation introduced by Congressman John Conyers (D-MI). In McMinnville, Steelworkers Local 8378 endorsed HR 676 and submitted its resolution to the Marion, Polk and Yamhill Counties Central Labor Council for consideration, reports Joseph Munger, President of the USW Local. In Portland, Communications Workers of America Local 7901 also endorsed the Conyers bill. Mark Sturbois, a member of the 1,000 member CWA local as well as the Health Care Committee of Portland Jos with Justice, reports that the endorsement resolution was passed by the Local's Executive Board with a recommendation to endorse. Sturbois stated that the resolution for HR 676 was "well received as the best avenue for controlling costs and providing universal coverage. We voted last year to endorse the resolution at the AFL-CIO convention in Oregon and thought it was important to back that up with our own endorsement," Sturbois said. #30# HR 676 would institute a single payer health care system by expanding a greatly improved Medicare system to everyone residing in the U. S. HR 676 would cover every person for all necessary medical care including prescription drugs, hospital, surgical, outpatient services, primary and preventive care, emergency services, dental, mental health, home health, physical therapy, rehabilitation (including for substance abuse), vision care, hearing services including hearing aids, chiropractic, durable medical equipment, palliative care, and long term care. HR 676 ends deductibles and co-payments. HR 676 would save hundreds of billions annually by eliminating the high overhead and profits of the private health insurance industry and HMOs. In the current Congress, HR 676 has 74 co-sponsors in addition to Conyers. HR 676 has been endorsed by 508 union organizations in 49 states including 125 Central Labor Councils and Area Labor Federations and 39 state AFL-CIO's (KY, PA, CT, OH, DE, ND, WA, SC, WY, VT, FL, WI, WV, SD, NC, MO, MN, ME, AR, MD-DC, TX, IA, AZ, TN, OR, GA, OK, KS, CO, IN, AL, CA, AK, MI, MT, NE, NY, NV & MA). For further information, a list of union endorsers, or a sample endorsement resolution, contact: Kay Tillow All Unions Committee For Single Payer Health Care--HR 676 c/o Nurses Professional Organization (NPO) 1169 Eastern Parkway, Suite 2218 Louisville, KY 40217 (502) 636 1551 Email: nursenpo@aol.com http://unionsforsinglepayerHR676.org 04/19/09

Spokane pychology partners named as torture enablers by Michael Munk Sun, Apr 19, 2009

Report: Spokane psychologist key in expanding torture By Karen Dorn Steele, Spokane Statesman-Review December 12, 2008 http://www.spokesmanreview.com/breaking/story.asp?ID=18203 Dr. Bruce Jessen, a senior military psychologist with offices in Spokane, had a key role in expanding the controversial use of torture against enemy combatants, according to a report released Thursday by U.S. Sens. Carl Levin and John McCain, ranking members of the Senate Armed Services Committee. The torture policy - approved at the highest levels of the Bush administration over objections of many military officials - allowed the Joint Personnel Recovery Agency where Jessen worked to operate "outside its charter" teaching coercive techniques used at Guantanamo and other detainee facilities, the committee's executive summary says. JPRA efforts in support of "offensive" interrogation operations "went beyond the agency's knowledge and expertise (and) contributed to detainee abuse," the report says. Many details of the complete report are still classified and are undergoing a publication review. In a series of stories last summer, The Spokesman-Review reported that Jessen and his partner, James E. Mitchell, principals in Mitchell Jessen & Associates in the American Legion Building in Spokane, were subjects of the congressional inquiry launched by Levin's committee, where McCain is the ranking minority member. Jessen and Mitchell have declined repeated interview requests. They've released one statement saying they are proud of their work for the government and oppose torture. The newspaper, using published, unclassified documents, also reported on the agency where Jessen and Mitchell learned the techniques: the JPRA's "White Bluffs Facility" west of Spokane. The agency oversees Fairchild Air Force Base's Survival School and teaches Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape (SERE) techniques to government employees headed overseas. The agency's SERE training - designed to prepare American soldiers and other U.S. personnel to resist coercive techniques by enemies that refuse to follow international protocol on the treatment of prisoners - was perverted in the Bush administration, the new report says. Levin's committee spent more than 18 months on its investigation, reviewing thousands of documents and holding public hearings in June and September. "As we began to dig into what happened, the influence of SERE resistance training techniques on our interrogation policies and practices became more and more obvious and became the focus of our investigation," Levin said in a statement released today with the report. "These techniques were designed to give our students a taste of what they might be subjected to if captured by a ruthless, lawless enemy . (they) were never intended to be used against detainees in U.S. custody," Levin said. The techniques included stripping detainees naked, putting them in stress positions, using dogs to scare them, hooding them, depriving them of sleep, blasting loud music for hours, and waterboarding - simulated drowning. The committee discovered that the SERE program's influence on the interrogation of detainees started in April 2002, when Jessen, the senior SERE psychologist at JPRA, circulated a "draft exploitation plan" to JPRA Commander Randy Moulton and other officials. "The contents of that plan remain classified but Dr. Jessen's initiative is indicative of the interest in JPRA's senior leadership in expanding the agency's role," the report says. Three months later, the Department of Defense's deputy general counsel for intelligence, Richard Shiffrin, contacted JPRA seeking detailed information on SERE techniques. The JPRA replied, listing sensory deprivation, sleep disruptions, stress positions, waterboarding, slapping and "treating a person like an animal," the report says. Some military officials objected to the coercive techniques. For instance, the Defense Department's Criminal Investigative Task Force "was troubled with the rationale that techniques used to harden resistance to interrogations would be the basis for the utilization of techniques to obtain information," the report says. The Air Force, the Army, the Navy and the Joint Chiefs of Staff had significant concerns and asked for more policy review, but they were overruled by the White House. The new torture policies were first implemented in Afghanistan and then spread to Iraq and Guantanamo. When evidence first surfaced with photos taken at Abu Ghraib, Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz tried to defuse public outrage by saying detainee abuse was the result of "a few bad apples." That claim was "simply false," Levin said. The Armed Services Committee inquiry reached the opposite conclusion: . In an unprecedented request, the Department of Defense's general counsel first solicited information from the JPRA on detainee exploitation using SERE techniques in December 2001. . President Bush in February 2002 determined that humane treatment called for in the Geneva Conventions didn't apply to al-Qaida or Taliban detainees - clearing the way for the use of the SERE techniques. . The CIA added its approval. In an October 2002 meeting with Guantanamo staff, Jonathan Fredman, the CIA's chief counsel, said anti-torture statutes are written "vaguely" and added, "if the detainee dies you're doing it wrong." The Department of Justice's Office of Legal Counsel explicitly approved waterboarding as a CIA interrogation technique. . Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld's December 2002 approval of aggressive techniques based on SERE at Guantanamo Bay was a "direct cause of detainee abuse there." . In late 2003, prisoner abuse appeared in Iraq at Abu Ghraib after the same practices had been used in Afghanistan and Guantanamo. In September 2003, the JPRA sent a team to Iraq to teach the SERE techniques, which then were approved as "Standard Operating Procedures" for all U.S. forces in Iraq. The Armed Services Committee investigation is "an effort to set the record straight on this chapter in our history that has so damaged America's standing and our security," Levin said. The Mitchell Jessen revelations have sparked controversy among psychologists about whether they should assist military interrogations of al-Qaeda members. At a sidewalk protest last August in front of their downtown Spokane offices, EWU psychology graduate Willow Moline said the work of Mitchell and Jessen at the detention sites "gives psychology an extraordinarily bad name." --------------------------------------------- The article is illustrated with a photo of "The Joint Personnel Recovery Agency's "White Bluff" facility, near Airway Heights, is involved in using satellites to track military and other government employees and contractors missing in foreign countries. JPRA also trains U.S. coalition forces and oversees SERE training at Fairchild Air Force Base and the Pentagon's four other survival schools, according to senior military officials. This photo was taken from unrestricted airspace. (FILE The Spokesman-Review) Document: Report executive summary (PDF) visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

Judge questions state secrets defense in Oregon case by Michael Munk Sun, Apr 19, 2009

Apr 17 2009, by Marc Ambinder The Atlantic http://politics.theatlantic.com/2009/04/court_rejects_states_secrets_privilege_for_nsacharity_case.php Judge Skeptical Of State Secrets Privilege For NSA/Charity Case The Obama administration suffered a bit of a legal setback this afternoon: a federal judge in California rejected the administration's assertion of the state secrets privilege in the civil suit brought by an [Ashland, Oregon] Islamic charity that was allegedly subjected to illegal NSA surveillance. The order, in Al-Haramain v. Bush, requires the government to come up with a way to safeguard the classified information it plans to present in the NSA's defense by May 8. Judge Vaughn Walker noted that the government has elsewhere made provisions for the discussion of Top Secret/SCI information. It so happens that the plaintiffs attorneys have been cleared to that level. Walker crafted his order narrowly to prevent the government from appealing it immediately to the Ninth Circuit. On May 8, it will be interesting to see whether the administration presents a plan for safeguarding classified info -- or whether it re-asserts the state secrets privilege. Order.April%2017.pdf visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

Support HB3272 for a more progressive Oregon income tax. by Michael Munk Sat, Apr 18, 2009

Today: Big O. on working class poets by Michael Munk Sun, Apr 12, 2009

Today's Sunday Oregonian has my article on Portland's working class poets with good illustrations. If you don't get the paper you can read the text at http://blog.oregonlive.com/books/2009/04/northwest_writer_timothy_egan.html visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

Memo to Gates re $83 B for Obama's wars by Michael Munk Fri, Apr 10, 2009

OR-WA Printing Local Endorses HR 676 by Michael Munk Fri, Apr 10, 2009

Teamster Printing Local Endorses HR 676 The Executive Board of Local 767M, Graphic Communications Conference/IBT, has endorsed HR 676, single payer healthcare legislation introduced by Congressman John Conyers (D-MI). The 900 member local union represents workers in the printing industries of Washington and Oregon. Executive Board member John Walsh, who was instrumental in bringing the resolution forward, said after the vote: "The runaway cost of healthcare erodes our wages and is a sticking point in contract negotiations. People without coverage suffer from preventable illnesses and face bankruptcy. Americans need effective, fair, affordable healthcare, and we cannot achieve that as long as profit takes priority over people. As our national experience with Medicare has shown, single payer is the best way to make the system effective and fair, and removing profiteering is crucial to controlling cost. For these reasons, we have endorsed single payer as the best concept and HR 676 as the best legislation." #30# HR 676 would institute a single payer health care system by expanding a greatly improved Medicare system to everyone residing in the U. S. HR 676 would cover every person for all necessary medical care including prescription drugs, hospital, surgical, outpatient services, primary and preventive care, emergency services, dental, mental health, home health, physical therapy, rehabilitation (including for substance abuse), vision care, hearing services including hearing aids, chiropractic, durable medical equipment, palliative care, and long term care. HR 676 ends deductibles and co-payments. HR 676 would save hundreds of billions annually by eliminating the high overhead and profits of the private health insurance industry and HMOs. In the current Congress, HR 676 has 74 co-sponsors in addition to Conyers. HR 676 has been endorsed by 505 union organizations in 49 states including 125 Central Labor Councils and Area Labor Federations and 39 state AFL-CIO's (KY, PA, CT, OH, DE, ND, WA, SC, WY, VT, FL, WI, WV, SD, NC, MO, MN, ME, AR, MD-DC, TX, IA, AZ, TN, OR, GA, OK, KS, CO, IN, AL, CA, AK, MI, MT, NE, NY, NV & MA). For further information, a list of union endorsers, or a sample endorsement resolution, contact: Kay Tillow All Unions Committee For Single Payer Health Care--HR 676 c/o Nurses Professional Organization (NPO) 1169 Eastern Parkway, Suite 2218 Louisville, KY 40217 (502) 636 1551 Email: nursenpo@aol.com http://unionsforsinglepayerHR676.org 04/09/09 visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

Kulongoski and the F-22 boondoggle by Michael Munk Tue, Apr 7, 2009

By now, we understand that Steve Duin's take on Gov.Ted Kulongoski is spot on.> If you missed it, go to http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/04/post_63.html Kulongoski is a timid, do-nothing excuse for a political leader. But when he thinks something is really important, he does act. That's why his bizarre proposal for a casino in a new Portland hotel contrasts is akin with his enthusiasm to spend hundreds of billions on the Pentagon F-22 boondoggle. Kulongoski was one of 12 governors signing a letter urging Congress to buy those war planes. http://www.f22-raptor.com/advocacy/index.html has the letters of support from governors and members of Congress. Even Secretary if War Gates challenged the military-industrial complex on it. The Big O's editorial "Unlease the accountants of war" (March 15) is right to question why members of Congress routinely waste precious taxpapyer dollars but why did edit out the names of Oregon political leaders among them?. Letters asking President Obama to approve billions for the useless aircraft were recently signed by Gov. Ted Kulongoski and Rep Greg Walden and include what look to be the signatures of Senators Wyden and Merkley.* visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

Oregon troops to guard fancy hotel in Iraq! by Michael Munk Mon, Apr 6, 2009

Sen Merkley and Single Payer Health Care by Michael Munk Sun, Apr 5, 2009

From Unions for Single Payer HR676 Oregon unionists and activists have a unique opportunity to make a vital contribution to the struggle for single payer healthcare legislation. As the article below from the Corvallis Gazette-Times indicates, Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley told a community meeting in Corvallis, "I will support a single-payer plan if we can get it to the floor." During the November campaign Merkley indicated support for single payer, but this is the first time he has done so since being elected. If Senator Merkley will introduce a Senate companion bill to Congressman John Conyers' House single payer bill (HR 676) or co-sponsor the single payer bill (S 703) just introduced by Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, the national struggle for will be lifted to a new level. We need to put the single payer solution on the table in the Senate as well as the House. For Senator Merkley to take such a step he must hear from a movement within his state that persuades him that popular support and activism for single payer is massive and is stronger than the power of the health insurance and pharmaceutical corporations. Our hope is that Oregon's union movement can take up the challenge of persuading Senator Merkley to take this action. We are sending this memo to all Oregon unions that have endorsed HR 676 asking them to contact Sen. Merkley: 1) Send a letter to Sen. Merkley telling him that your union has endorsed HR 676 and ask him to introduce HR 676 in the Senate or sign on as a co-sponsor of S 703. If you can, send him a copy of your union's resolution endorsing HR 676. 2) Ask other community organizations or individuals to write or call Sen. Merkley. 3) Make an appointment to meet with him during the congressional recess April 6 to April 17th when members will be in their home districts. 4) Attend community forums and meetings where he is appearing and raise the single payer health care issue in ways that show the popular support. Please let us know whatever actions you decide to take and any responses you receive. . Thank you for your efforts. It is our unions that must lead this struggle to bring health care justice to the nation. If we can help in any way, please let us know. http://www.gazettetimes.com/articles/2009/03/22/news/community/1loc02_merkley.txt Merkley backs single-payer system By Rachel Beck Corvallis Gazette-Times "Health care" were the two words on everyone's lips Saturday in a public meeting with U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley. About 150 people packed a conference room at the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library for a town hall meeting, Merkley's first in Corvallis since his November election victory over incumbent Gordon Smith. Merkley described his four committee assignments and the challenges he hopes to help solve. "We are facing one of the most difficult moments we've seen in the economy in our lifetimes," he said. Fielding questions, he said, "I will support a single-payer plan if we can get it to the floor." But he said there must be a bill on the table by summer or Congress will get bogged down by other issues. "We may not get this opportunity for another 20, 30 years," he said. Merkley said he has signed on to a bill that would quadruple money to health clinics, which are cost-effective. He also supports wellness programs, particularly for youth, which act as preventative care. Merkley said lack of oversight over companies such as Halliburton was a huge problem, and a questioner asked if he would refuse campaign contributions from such companies. Merkley said the question was too broad. Dr. Paul Hochfeld of Corvallis drew a parallel between the senator's answer and the power of insurance companies in the healthcare debate. He wanted to know how the political process could be fixed to keep industry from unfairly influencing legislation. Merkley didn't offer specifics but said the current campaign funding models aren't working to make sure voices are heard equally. The economy was another topic. Merkley compared stimulus funding to a short-term pain with long-term benefits, much preferable to not doing anything and facing worse problems down the road. Merkley said after the meeting that he was struck by how many people turned out and the energy of the crowd. Topics raised were mostly the same he's heard elsewhere in the state. "I think by and large it's the same cross-section of addressing fundamental concerns of healthcare and jobs," he said. He said he and fellow Democrat Sen. Ron Wyden hope to work to highlight Oregon as a state on the cutting edge of renewable energy technology.

Oregonian blacks out AIPAC protest by Michael Munk Thu, Apr 2, 2009

This 9 minute video seems to be the only coverage of the important protest of the March 31 Oregon's AIPAC fund raiser Among other scenes , it shows the arrest of vet Jim Walsh while protesting murder at a fundraiser for AIPAC. Includes video footage of his alleged "crime". Why is our media silent? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIB4KCAjWP0&feature=channel_page Gordon Sturrock visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

Making Oregon income tax more progressive by Michael Munk Sat, Mar 28, 2009

Alliance for Democracy reports: Rep Chip Shields is sponsoring a bill that would change the top individual income tax rate from 9% to 11%, applied only to income over $500,000.00. This is estimated to apply to only about 8500 out of Oregon's 1.8 million taxpayers. Projected increase in tax revenue would be approximately $220 million over 2 year period His bill number is HB 3272. Call you state representative to voice your support. visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

Merkley would support single-payer IF by Michael Munk Mon, Mar 23, 2009

For-profit utiltity apologists exposed. by Michael Munk Sun, Mar 22, 2009

Big O covers up OSU's prof's nomination hold up by Michael Munk Fri, Mar 20, 2009

Her nomination was held hostage by an anti-Cuba cabal led by Sen Menendez (D-NJ) and the Miami exiles who were protesting a slight relaxation in Cuba relations in the omnibus budget bill. Note (below) that The Big O's report on her eventual confirmation never even mentioned the delay--let alone the reason for it. I suspect it just ran the AP story because no one on its sharply reduced editorial staff was aware of the situation. If they were, they were protecting the cabal. OSU's Lubchenco confirmed as head of NOAA by The Associated Press The Oregonian March 20, 2009 http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2009/03/osus_lubchenco_confirmed_as_he.html Oregon State University marine biologist Jane Lubchenco has been confirmed as the new undersecretary of the U.S. Commerce Department for oceans and atmosphere. The Thursday vote by the U.S. Senate makes her the first woman in charge of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which overseas fisheries, oceans and the National Weather Service. Echoing President Obama's recent remarks on federal funding for stem cell research, Lubchenco says that science, not politics, will guide the agency as it confronts global warming, declining fisheries and forecasting natural disasters. She says she expects her agency to also play a role developing a green economy, especially in coastal areas. visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

March 29: Protest Oregon's Likudniks by Michael Munk Thu, Mar 19, 2009

Oregon's Israeli war crimes deniers--the state's brach of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee-- are having their annual money raiser Sunday, March 29 at the Mittleman Jewish Community Center. Americans United for Palestinian Human Rights (AUPHR) asks Americans to protest their $7 million daily subsidy to the IDF at 4pm outside the Center, 6651 SW Capitol Highway near the Hillsdale shopping center. Main fund raisers are rightwing ranter Peter Beinart and Pacific NW AIPAC director Zack Bodner. Oregon's political leaders are almost all in the tank for the Israeli lobby. Last year, the AIPAC fund raiser was attended by these Democrats: Governor Ted Kulongoski, current US Senator Jeff Merkley, State Senators Peter Courtney (Salem), Vicki Walker (Eugene), Ben Westlund (Tumalo), and State Reps.Mitch Greenlick (Portland) and Rep. Brad Witt (Clatskanie). Contact Info: 503-421-6845 URL: http://www.endisraeliapartheid.org visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

Kulongoski & other Oregon politicans support Pentagon boondoggles by Michael Munk Wed, Mar 18, 2009

Rachel Corrie's family speaks out by Michael Munk Tue, Mar 17, 2009

Statement from the Family of Rachel Corrie, March 16, 2009 http://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2009/03/16 OLYMPIA, Washington - March 16 - We thank all who continue to remember Rachel and who, on this sixth anniversary of her stand in Gaza, renew their own commitments to human rights, justice and peace in the Middle East. The tributes and actions in her memory are a source of inspiration to us and to others. Friday, March 13th, we learned of the tragic injury to American activist Tristan Anderson. Tristan was shot in the head with a tear-gas canister in Ni'lin Village in the West Bank when Israeli forces attacked a demonstration opposing the construction of the annexation wall through the village's land. On the same day, a Ni'lin resident was, also, shot in the leg with live ammunition. Four residents of Ni'lin have been killed in the past eight months as villagers and their supporters have courageously demonstrated against the Apartheid Wall deemed illegal by the International Court of Justice-a wall that will ultimately absorb one-quarter of the village's remaining land. Those who have died are a ten-year-old child Ahmed Mousa, shot in the forehead with live ammunition on July 29, 2008; Yousef Amira (17) shot with rubber-coated steel bullets on July 30, 2008; Arafat Rateb Khawaje (22) and Mohammed Khawaje (20), both shot and killed with live ammunition on December 8, 2008. On this anniversary, Rachel would want us all to hold Tristan Anderson and his family and these Palestinians and their families in our thoughts and prayers, and we ask everyone to do so. We are writing this message from Cairo where we returned after a visit to Gaza with the Code Pink Delegation from the United States. Fifty-eight women and men successfully passed through Rafah Crossing on Saturday, March 7th to challenge the border closures and siege and to celebrate International Women's Day with the strong and courageous women of Gaza. Rachel would be very happy that our spirited delegation made this journey. North to south throughout the Strip, we witnessed the sweeping destruction of neighborhoods, municipal buildings, police stations, mosques, and schools -casualties of the Israeli military assaults in December and January. When we asked about the personal impact of the attacks on those we met, we heard repeatedly of the loss of mothers, fathers, children, cousins, and friends. The Palestinian Center for Human Rights reports 1434 Palestinian dead and over 5000 injured, among them 288 children and 121 women. We walked through the farming village of Khoza in the South where fifty homes were destroyed during the land invasion. A young boy scrambled through a hole in the rubble to show us the basement he and his family crouched in as a bulldozer crushed their house upon them. We heard of Rafiya who lead the frightened women and children of this neighborhood away from threatening Israeli military bulldozers, only to be struck down and killed by an Israeli soldier's sniper fire as she walked in the street carrying her white flag. Repeatedly, we were told by Palestinians, and by the internationals on the ground supporting them, that there is no ceasefire. Indeed, bomb blasts from the border area punctuated our conversations as we arrived and departed Gaza. On our last night, we sat by a fire in the moonlight in the remains of a friend's farmyard and listened to him tell of how the Israeli military destroyed his home in 2004, and of how this second home was shattered on February 6th. This time, it was Israeli rockets from Apache helicopters that struck the house, A stand of wheat remained and rustled soothingly in the breeze as we talked, but our attention shifted quickly when F-16s streaked high across the night sky. and our friend explained that if the planes tipped to the side, they would strike. Everywhere, the psychological costs of the recent and ongoing attacks for all Gazans, but especially for the children, were sadly apparent. It is not only those who suffer the greatest losses that carry the scars of all that has happened. It is those, too, who witnessed from their school bodies flying in the air when police cadets were bombed across the street and those who felt and heard the terrifying blasts of missiles falling near their own homes. It is the children who each day must walk past the unexplainable and inhumane destruction that has occurred. In Rachel's case, though a thorough, credible and transparent investigation was promised by the Israeli Government, after six years, the position of the U.S. Government remains that such an investigation has not taken place. In March 2008, Michele Bernier-Toff, Managing Director of the Office of Overseas Citizen Services at the Department of State wrote, "We have consistently requested that the Government of Israel conduct a full and transparent investigation into Rachel's death. Our requests have gone unanswered or ignored." Now, the attacks on all the people of Gaza and the recent one on Tristan Anderson in Ni'lin cry out for investigation and accountability. We call on President Obama, Secretary of State Clinton, and members of Congress to act with fortitude and courage to ensure that the atrocities that have occurred are addressed by the Israeli Government and through relevant international and U.S. law. We ask them to act immediately and persistently to stop the impunity enjoyed by the Israeli military, not to encourage it. Despite the pain, we have once again felt privileged to enter briefly into the lives of Rachel's Palestinian friends in Gaza. We are moved by their resilience and heartened by their song, dance, and laughter amidst the tears. Rachel wrote in 2003, "I am nevertheless amazed at their strength in being able to defend such a large degree of their humanity--laughter, generosity, family time-against the incredible horror occurring in their lives.....I am also discovering a degree of strength and of the basic ability for humans to remain human in the direst of circumstances...I think the word is dignity." On this sixth anniversary of Rachel's killing, we echo her sentiments. Sincerely, Cindy and Craig Corrie On behalf of our family ### The Rachel Corrie Foundation for Peace and Justice continues the work that Rachel Corrie began and hoped to accomplish, and carries out that work with her vision, spirit, and creative energy in mind. We conduct and support programs that foster connections between people, that build understanding, respect, and appreciation for differences, and that promote cooperation within and between local and global communities. The foundation encourages and supports grassroots efforts in pursuit of human rights and social, economic, and environmental justice, which we view as pre-requisites for world peace. visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

Weird story from Eugene by Michael Munk Tue, Mar 17, 2009

Putnam is not as precise about this story as he should be. East of Eugene http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/talk/blogs/justiceputnam/2009/03/east-of-eugene.php#_login by Justice Putnam Will Moody robbed the Owl Drug Store on Hwy 99 after it closed on a Sunday night in December. No one saw or suspected him. He made away with $2,568.00 and 400 tablets of Zestril. Will Moody had cased the Owl Drug Store for over two months and expected more cash. But there were other establishments on his list; he could still get the rest of the $12,000 by February. Will Moody stood six-foot five and weighed 250 pounds. After returning from Iraq in 1990 at the age of 23, he enrolled at the University of Oregon and majored in Music. Drinking beer at a local pub, Will Moody was dared to race the fastest man on the Oregon football team; a five-foot-ten inch, 180-pound cornerback. Will Moody won the race. The next day, the head coach persuaded Will Moody to be timed running both the 100 and the 40 yards. The coach never before had a full back that could run 100 yards in 9.5 seconds or the 40 in 4.3. Will Moody played for the team until he tore the anterior crusciate ligament in his left knee before the end of the season. Will Moody graduated after only two years at the University of Oregon. He decided to stay local and worked at the same job for the next four years. His intelligence and perseverance was noticed and he was promoted sooner than most. When the Eugene Police Department assigned a detective to investigate the robbery of the Owl Drug Store, they chose their newest detective, Will Moody. Will Moody interviewed the owner of the Owl Drug Store. Will took notes and filed his report. He noticed that illegible handwriting by the patrol officer first on the scene rendered "Zestril" as "Zoloft" on the initial burglary summary. Will Moody included Zoloft on his report. Margaret Moody was Seventy-eight years old and suffered from a diseased heart. Her son Will depleted his and her savings for the medical procedures that sustained her. With a $95,000.00 heart surgery scheduled for late March, Will Moody had only a week left to make the second $15,000.00 pre-payment required by his mother's new HMO. Her previous HMO had been consumed by the much larger entity in a consolidation of companies. The new HMO wrote new policies for the acquired policyholders. Will Moody had to come up with a fifty percent co-pay. Margaret Moody kissed her son as he left from the first of his twice-daily visits. She walked out to the attached garage to pull some chicken from the deep freeze. Stumbling on the steps out her service porch to the garage, she fell, breaking her hip. She was not found until Will Moody arrived for his visit that evening. Margaret Moody contracted pneumonia and died two weeks later. © 2006 by Justice Putnam and Mechanisches-Strophe Verlagswesen visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

Red Cross documents US torture regime by Michael Munk Sun, Mar 15, 2009

The confidential International Red Cross expose mentions the torture taxis as the CIA's "own air force." It included Portland's "Bayard Foreign Marketing LLC" and its lawyer Scott Caplan as well as Boeing's travel subsidiary. Read Mark Danner's scoop in the NY Review of Books at http://www.nybooks.com/articles/22530 . visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

Amy Goodman:Obama protects health insurance profits by Michael Munk Wed, Mar 11, 2009

Put Single-Payer on the Table by: Amy Goodman 10 March 2009 http://www.truthout.org/031109HA President Barack Obama promises health-care reform, but he has taken single-payer health care off the table. Single-payer is the system that removes private insurance companies from the picture; the government pays all the bills, but health-care delivery remains private. People still get their choice of what doctor to go to and what hospital to use. Single-payer reduces the administrative costs and removes the profit that insurance companies add to health-care delivery. Single-payer solutions, however, get almost no space in the debate. A study just released by Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, a media watchdog group, found that in the week before Obama's health-care summit, of the hundreds of stories that appeared in major newspapers and on the networks, "only five included the views of advocates of single-payer - none of which appeared on television." Most opinion columns that mentioned single-payer were written by opponents. Congress is considering H.R. 676, "Expanded and Improved Medicare for All," sponsored by John Conyers, D-Mich., with 64 co-sponsors. Yet even when Rep. Conyers directly asked Obama at a Congressional Black Caucus meeting if he could attend the White House health-care summit, he was not immediately invited. Nor was any other advocate for single-payer health care. Conyers had asked to bring Dr. Marcia Angell, the first woman editor in chief of The New England Journal of Medicine, the most prestigious medical journal in the country, and Dr. Quentin Young. Young is perhaps the most well-known single-payer advocate in America. He was Martin Luther King Jr.'s doctor when King lived in Chicago. "My 15-minute house calls would stretch into three hours," he told me. But he came to know Barack Obama even better. Though his medical partner was Obama's doctor, Young was his neighbor, friend and ally for decades. "Obama supported single-payer, gave speeches for it," he said. This past weekend, hundreds turned out to honor the 85-year-old Young, including the Illinois governor and three members of Congress, but the White House's response to Conyers' request that Young be included in the summit? A resounding no. Perhaps because Obama personally knows how persuasive and committed Young is. After much outcry, Conyers was invited. Activist groups like Physicians for a National Health Program (pnhp.org) expressed outrage that no other single-payer advocate was to be among the 120 people at the summit. Finally, the White House relented and invited Dr. Oliver Fein, president of PNHP. Two people out of 120. Locked out of the debate, silenced by the media, single-payer advocates are taking action. Russell Mokhiber, who writes and edits the Corporate Crime Reporter, has decided that the time has come to directly confront the problem of our broken health-care system. He's going to the national meeting of the American Health Insurance Plans and is joining others in burning their health-insurance bills outside in protest. Mokhiber told me, "The insurance companies have no place in the health care of American people. How are we going to beat these people? We have to start the direct confrontation." Launching a new organization, Single Payer Action (singlepayeraction.org), Mokhiber and others promise to take the issue to the insurance industry executives, the lobbyists and the members of Congress directly, in Washington, D.C., and their home district offices. Critical mass is building behind a single-payer system. From Nobel Laureate in Economics Joseph Stiglitz, who told me, "I've reluctantly come to the view that it's the only alternative," to health-care providers themselves, who witness and endure the system's failure firsthand. Geri Jenkins of the newly formed, 150,000-nurses-strong United American Nurses-National Nurses Organizing Committee (nnoc.net) said: "It is the only health-care-reform proposal that can work. ... We are currently pushing to have a genuine, honest policy debate, because we'll win ... the health insurers will collapse under the weight of their own irrelevance." Dr. Young has now been invited to a Senate meeting along with the "usual suspects": health-insurance providers, Big Pharma and health-care-reform advocates. I asked Young what he thought of the refrain coming from the White House, as well as from the leading senator on the issue, Max Baucus, that "single-payer is off the table." "It's repulsive," sighed Young. "We are very angry." But not discouraged. I asked him what he thought about Burn Your Health Insurance Bill Day. "Things are heating up." he chuckled. "When things are happening that you have nothing to do with, you know it's a movement." visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

Plumbers Local Endorses HR 676 by Michael Munk Sun, Mar 8, 2009

Oregon Plumbers Local Endorses HR 676 Portland, Oregon. Plumbers and Steamfitters Local 290 has endorsed HR 676, single payer healthcare legislation introduced by Congressman John Conyers (D-MI). The 4,000 member local has jurisdiction in Northern California, Southwest Washington and Oregon. Eric Fanning, who introduced the endorsement resolution, said after it passed: "The membership of United Association Local 290, Plumbers and Steamfitters, is fully aware of the crisis in health care where profits trump patient care. The Massachusetts plan has proven to be a failure. Senator Ron Wyden's proposed plan would tax our health and welfare contributions, and this does not benefit organized labor. Health Care for America Now (HCAN) would create a two-tiered health care system. HR 676, we believe, is the best solution to our health care crisis." #30# HR 676 would institute a single payer health care system by expanding a greatly improved Medicare system to everyone residing in the U. S. HR 676 would cover every person for all necessary medical care including prescription drugs, hospital, surgical, outpatient services, primary and preventive care, emergency services, dental, mental health, home health, physical therapy, rehabilitation (including for substance abuse), vision care, hearing services including hearing aids, chiropractic, durable medical equipment, palliative care, and long term care. HR 676 ends deductibles and co-payments. HR 676 would save hundreds of billions annually by eliminating the high overhead and profits of the private health insurance industry and HMOs. In the current Congress, HR 676 has 64 co-sponsors in addition to Conyers. HR 676 has been endorsed by 487 union organizations in 49 states including 120 Central Labor Councils and Area Labor Federations and 39 state AFL-CIO's (KY, PA, CT, OH, DE, ND, WA, SC, WY, VT, FL, WI, WV, SD, NC, MO, MN, ME, AR, MD-DC, TX, IA, AZ, TN, OR, GA, OK, KS, CO, IN, AL, CA, AK, MI, MT, NE, NY, NV & MA). For further information, a list of union endorsers, or a sample endorsement resolution, contact: Kay Tillow All Unions Committee For Single Payer Health Care--HR 676 c/o Nurses Professional Organization (NPO) 1169 Eastern Parkway, Suite 2218 Louisville, KY 40217 (502) 636 1551 Email: nursenpo@aol.com http://unionsforsinglepayerHR676.org 03/08/09

Kulongoski and Gregoire: more money for war toys by Michael Munk Sun, Mar 8, 2009

If you want to know who's wasting your money on hi tech war machines, check out http://www.fa22-raptor.com/about/index.html --a website sponsored by its lead merchant of death Lockheed-Martin aircraft. To get a true sense of the war lobby, look at the letters to Obama from bi-partisan supporters who include 44 Senators, 194 Representatives and 12 Governors. Oregon's Kulongoski and Washington's Gregoire are among the governors pleading with Obama to spend more on the F-22., but Kulongoski was joined only by Repub Walden from the Oregon House delegation. Gregoire, however, was joined by Dicks, Hastings and Reichert. In the Senate, the Senators from war profiteer Boeing Murray (who originated the letter) and Cantwell appealed to Obama and it sure looks like Jeff Merkley's signature on the letter as well. Check with him and Wyden (signatures are often not clear)

Once I built a bank... by Michael Munk Wed, Mar 4, 2009

Int'l Women's Day 3/8 in Seattle by Michael Munk Wed, Mar 4, 2009

OSU Prof hostage to Cuba embargo by Michael Munk Tue, Mar 3, 2009

Dem Senator Holds Up Science Nominees to Force Continuation of Cuba Embargo By Elana Schor - March 3, 2009, http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/03/dem-senator-holds-up-science-nominees-to-force-continuation-of-cuba-embargo.php?ref=fp6 Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ), a strong supporter of the U.S. trade embargo against Cuba, is launching a full-on battle this week to remove several provisions from the 2009 government spending bill that would open a small crack in the slammed door of relations with Havana. Menendez fired a broadside at the Obama administration yesterday for backing a provision buried in the $410 billion spending bill, which must become law by next week in order to keep the government running. The New Jersey senator, a Cuban-American, objects to language in the bill that would allow Cuban-Americans to visit relatives on the island once a year and end limits on the sale of American food and medicines in Cuba. Polls suggest that the majority of Cuban-Americans side with the administration, rather than Menendez -- an influential poll of the community, conducted in Florida every year since 1991, found in December that 55% of Cuban-Americans supported lifting the embargo against Havana. But regardless of where public opinion stands, Menendez's effort is no longer confined to the spending bill. The WaPo reports today that the senator has held up two Obama science nominees in an attempt to twist the arms of his fellow Dems: Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) has placed a "hold" that blocks votes on confirming Harvard University physicist John Holdren, who is in line to lead the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and Oregon State University marine biologist Jane Lubchenco, Obama's nominee to head the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. According to sources who asked not to be identified because they were not authorized to discuss the matter, Menendez is using the holds as leverage to get Senate leaders' attention for a matter related to Cuba rather than questioning the nominees' credentials. That Menendez has resorted to holds on nominees isn't surprising. Anonymously delaying nominees is an unfortunate yet time-honored tactic in the Senate, where the 2007 ethics bill imposed a six-day limit on the "holding" power but did not eliminate it outright. But the nominees Menendez has chosen to hold are pivotal presidential allies in the push to regulate carbon emissions -- and Menendez has been admirably outspoken about the need to act on climate change. Was holding up Holdren, a longtime critic of Bush-era science policy, the best way to start a reasoned dialogue on Cuba policy? visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

What's going on in Eugene and parts south? by Michael Munk Mon, Mar 2, 2009

On the heels of a guilty plea by the perps in the KKK attack on a Black resident's Medford home, we have Eugene's Roberts family attacking Blacks students at a local high school. A positive note is that some other students confronted the racist family and told them their behavior was not tolerated. Check out the local comments following this story. Five face charges after high school scuffles After a fight, family members show up at North Eugene High School and assault three bystander youths, police say By Jack Moran The Eugene Register-Guard http://www.registerguard.com/csp/cms/sites/web/news/cityregion/8538056-41/story.csp : Friday, Feb 27, 2009 Police said the father of a North Eugene High School student involved in an on-campus fight Thursday went to the school and used racial slurs while assaulting a group of black students who were not part of the initial dispute. The man, William Ray Roberts, 36, of Eugene, was lodged in the Lane County Jail on charges of third-degree assault, a felony, and a misdemeanor count of second-degree intimidation. Three other adults and one teenager face criminal charges in connection with a series of racially charged confrontations at the high school Thursday involving Roberts' family. "This was a scene filled with a lot of tension," Eugene Police Department spokeswoman Melinda Kletzok said of the noon-hour incidents. Eugene police said Roberts went to the school at 220 Silver Lane after learning that his 15-year-old son, who is white, had gotten into a fight with a black student during the lunch hour. Roberts arrived at the campus with his wife, Meta Pauline Reeder, 40, and another family member, identified as Justin William Reeder, 23. Kletzok said Roberts and his family, for an unknown reason, confronted three black students who were sitting on a bench. Roberts allegedly used racial slurs against the students and, along with his wife, assaulted two of them, Kletzok said. Justin Reeder also became involved in a fight with a student while at the school, police said. Police said the teens who were allegedly assaulted by Roberts' family suffered cuts and scrapes. Some time later, the mother of one of the teens, Michelle Marie Dumilieu, 38, of Eugene, arrived at the campus and tried to confront Roberts' family, police said. Dumilieu allegedly ignored officers' instructions to calm down, and was arrested after scuffling with police. Officers took Dumilieu into custody on misdemeanor charges of resisting arrest, interfering with police and physical harassment. She was released later in the afternoon. Like her husband, Meta Reeder faces a felony charge of third-degree assault. She was cited and released. Justin Reeder received a citation for fourth-degree assault, a misdemeanor. Roberts' son was cited for disorderly conduct, second-degree criminal mischief and intimidation. The black student who fought with Roberts' son in a school hallway does not face any charges in connection with the incident, Kletzok said. Eugene School District spokeswoman Kerry Delf said a group of North Eugene students representing a variety of backgrounds stood up to Roberts' family as the adults allegedly assaulted the teens sitting on the bench. North Eugene High "has a fairly diverse student body," Delf said. "A group of students saw what was happening and spontaneously supported the students and let (Roberts' family) know that what they were doing would not be tolerated. "We see that as something really positive that came out of a negative situation," she said. Delf said racial minorities comprise nearly 27 percent of the student body at North Eugene. At each of the district's other three high schools, minorities make up about 20 percent of the student body. The high school's principal, Laurie Henry, issued a letter Thursday to students and their families explaining what had happened, and what the school was doing in response. "Many students were aware of the event and may have differing perceptions of what actually occurred," Henry wrote. "Concerned students and staff are gathering (Thursday) afternoon, and there will be additional outreach and discussion continuing (today)," she said. "Any student with continuing concerns is encouraged to talk to a teacher, administrator or school counselor. "It is important to note that the student body at (the high school) responded to racist behavior with conviction and with unity," Henry wrote. "I am proud of our students." visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

Oregon charity wins denial of Obama state secrets claim by Michael Munk Sat, Feb 28, 2009

Court of Appeals Denies DOJ Attempt to Hide Evidence of Warrantless Wiretapping By Daphne Eviatar 2/27/09 The Washington Independent http://washingtonindependent.com/31898/court-of-appeals-denies-doj-attempt-to-hide-evidence-of-warrantless-wiretapping A U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in San Francisco today rejected the Obama Justice Department's "state secrets" attempt to continue Bush's concealment of warrantless wiretapping. The DOJ filed an emergency appeal last week hoping to halt the release of documents showing that the National Security Agency, under President George W. Bush, had secretly wiretapped the Al-Haramain Islamic Foundation - a Saudi charity with an office in Ashland, Oregon that the government deemed a terrorist organization and shut down. Al-Haramain and its lawyers, who claim they were also wiretapped, need the documents (which they've already seen because the government released it accidentally) to proceed with their lawsuit against government officials. Today, they got a significant step closer. The Justice Department now has to file a plan with the district court setting out how and when it will release the relevant documents, said Jon Eisenberg, a lawyer representing Al-Haramain. He said his clients may also be able to obtain access to a series of secret arguments that were filed earlier in the case, which they have not been permitted to see. The Ninth Circuit's refusal to consider the emergency appeal is significant because it also leaves the district court's ruling in effect. The lower court had rejected the government's argument that the "state secrets privilege" allows executive agencies to disregard the requirements of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

left discontent with Obama's wars but no real challenge by Michael Munk Sat, Feb 28, 2009

Progressive Forces Push Hard for Dems to Rethink Iraq and Afghanistan By Joe Garofoli, San Francisco Chronicle. February 27, 2009. http://www.alternet.org/mediaculture/129348/?page=1 Brave New Films, MoveOn, SEIU and netroots bloggers are urging the Dems to rethink the surge in Afghanistan and Obama's exit plan for Iraq. Tools A great majority of Americans approve of President Obama's early performance in office, but some of his staunchest supporters on the left are criticizing his troop surge proposal for Afghanistan and the withdrawal plan for Iraq that he's set to announce today at Camp Lejeune, N.C. On Thursday, liberal filmmaker Robert Greenwald -- whose anti-McCain viral videos helped shape the campaign narrative in Obama's favor -- released the first of a series of documentary online videos that urge Americans to rethink Afghanistan and has called for congressional hearings on the surge. Historian-activist Howard Zinn, a liberal eminence grise, called Obama's plan to send 17,000 additional troops there "disastrous." Obama announced a 19-month withdrawal Iraq plan today that would leave behind as many as 50,000 of the 142,000 troops currently there, even after August 2010. On the campaign trail, Obama promised that troops would be out of Iraq in 16 months, but compromised after his military commanders suggested a 23-month timetable. Soon after Obama's Iraq plan leaked, he began getting objections from the left. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Wednesday she didn't see any justification for 50,000 troops remaining in Iraq. Usually supportive MSNBC commentator Rachel Maddow said this week that Obama's plan "looks very much more like a Bush plan than it did like a Barack Obama-the-campaigner plan." They are the latest to emerge from the liberal group hug that has embraced Obama since he secured the Democratic nomination last year to now criticize him. While the president has long expressed a desire to pull U.S. troops out of Iraq while bolstering forces in Afghanistan, liberal critics are challenging a president who encourages debate on every issue. "I don't expect to agree with my wife on everything let alone with the president of the United States," Greenwald said Thursday. Noting that many major social movements -- like those supporting women and civil rights -- sprang up outside the political establishment, he said: "It is critical to build a movement that is not part of the Democratic Party." Others are poking at Obama's military budget, released Thursday. As a candidate, he called for revising military priorities, but his budget proposal includes a $534 billion request for the Pentagon -- or $20 billion more than Congress appropriated for fiscal year 2009, said Miriam Pemberton, a research fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies, a liberal think tank. If the administration is planning to pull troops out of Iraq, "then what are we spending that money on?" asked Pemberton, who specializes in military affairs. "We're here to loyally support the administration and keep (Obama) honest and pointed in a direction where we think his heart wants to go." Pelosi questioned what the 50,000 troops would be doing in Iraq, telling MSNBC that a little more than a third, 15,000 or 20,000, would be sufficient. Two-thirds of respondents to a Washington Post/ABC News survey released Thursday support Obama's proposed Afghanistan troop surge. Sixty percent said the costs of the Iraq war have outweighed its benefits. With Democrats holding the White House and Congress, "for now, the more important battle is between Obama's own progressive vision of big bold change versus the D.C. establishment (including many Democrats, some of whom work for the president) and conventional wisdom," Mike Lux, author of "The Progressive Revolution: How the Best in America Came to Be," wrote Thursday on OpenLeft, a liberal blog. "President Obama, you should ignore the voices of the D.C. conventional wisdom and follow your vision of big, bold change." Liberals can't define themselves, as Salon.com's Glenn Greenwald wrote, by "whatever Obama supports." "If you succeed in muting all your critics to the left, all you do is create a situation where your program is defined in the press and the Congress and the public imagination as the most-leftwing-possible proposal," wrote Matt Yglesias, who blogs for the liberal think tank the Center for American Progress. "And the furthest-left proposal can't possibly win." On Thursday, a group of prominent liberal bloggers including Glenn Greenwald -- and backed by MoveOn.org and Service Employees International Union -- announced they had formed a political action committee, Accountability Now, that would challenge congressional Democrats who are "more responsive to corporate America than to their constituents," according to its new executive director, Jeff Hauser. But they're not going after Obama. Yet. "Accountability Now is focused on Congress, which obviously has a role to play in authorizing and funding the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan," Hauser said. "We are waiting to see whether or not a divide develops between the public and Congress on the wars -- at this time, we do not yet have an opinion with respect to Obama's plans." visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

KKK back in Oregon by Michael Munk Wed, Feb 25, 2009

Throughout its history, SW Oregon has had a racist reputation. Settled = predominantly by southerners, it tended toward the pro-slavery side = during the debates over Oregon statehood and constitution. Although it = also supported the Socialist party in the early years of the 20th = century, some of that support was seen as an rightwing populist impulse = rather than dedciated support for socialism. In the 1920s, the area = became notorious for its poweerful Ku Klux Klans, which held massive = parades in Medford, Roseburg, Grants Pass, Ashland and other towns. Many = current residents remember that as late as the 1960s, several of those = towns enforced "sundown" laws that prohibited Black people from spending = the night. Few Blacks live there now. Those who do still face racism.=20 Two face prison for 'KKK' image They pleaded guilty to conspiring to interfere with civil rights of = local family http://www.mailtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=3D/20090225/NEWS/902= 250315 February 25, 2009=20 =20 By Chris Conrad Medford Mail Tribune Two Medford men face up to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty = Tuesday to a federal charge of conspiring to interfere with civil rights = after they burned the image of a cross and the letters "KKK" in the yard = of a mixed race couple last spring. Gary Moss, 38, and Devan Klausegger, 29, lodged their pleas in a = Portland federal court. They are scheduled for sentencing on May 5. According to their plea agreement, Moss admitted he poured the flammable = liquid on the front lawn of the residence of Sol and Jonathan Whyte in = the shape of a cross and the letters "KKK." Klausegger then handed Moss a small explosive device that Moss used to = ignite the liquid. They admitted these actions were done with the intent = to interfere with the victims' rights because Jonathan Whyte is black. Moss and Klausegger face a maximum punishment of 10 years in prison, up = to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sol Whyte said a federal lawyer has told her the pair will agree to = spend four and a half years behind bars as part of the plea deal. "I wish it was more, but I am comfortable with that amount," she said. The Whytes have worked to put the tumultuous events of the past year = behind them, but their two daughters still long for their previous home. "We had a huge backyard that they really liked," Whyte said. The cost of the unexpected move forced Whyte to return to full-time = work. Before the hate crime was committed in her front yard, she stayed = home to care for her daughters. Moss and Klausegger's actions have not soured the Whytes on Medford. = They were grateful for the support they received from their neighbors = and several groups within the city, Whyte said. "We have heard that people have come together to try and make sure this = doesn't happen again," Whyte said. The Whytes will be relieved when Moss returns to jail after sentencing. = They were told he was released months ago after completing a drug and = alcohol treatment class while in jail. "He had a sensor on his leg, but we still had to keep looking behind us = to feel safe," Whyte said. "I will be glad when he's back in jail." Reach reporter Chris Conrad at 776-4471; or e-mail = cconrad@mailtribune.com.

FEB 26: KEEP OREGON'S GUARD IN OREGON by Michael Munk Tue, Feb 24, 2009

KEEP OREGON'S GUARD IN OREGON CALL IN DAY, THURSDAY FEB 26 Time is running short before half of Oregon's National Guard troops are slated to deploy to Iraq in late March/early April, so we have scheduled a call-in day this Thursday, February 26, for you to contact your state representatives and senators in Salem! While the Campaign to Keep Oregon's Guard in Oregon has progressed well, securing a total of 14 cosponsors on the proposed legislation to keep the guard home (HB 2556, HR 4 and SR 1), we need to put some serious (but polite!) pressure on the Governor, the Speaker of the House, the Senate President, and the committee chairs who have the ability to move the legislation forward. Here are the people to call, and a sample script is below. Please note there is also a toll free number to call Salem, which you can use to get through to any of these offices--1-800-332-2313: Speaker of the House, Representative Dave Hunt (House District 40/Gladstone): 503-986-1200 (can make sure HB 2556 and HR 4 get scheduled for a hearing) Chair of the House Rules Committee: Representative Arnie Roblan (House District 9/Coos Bay): 503-986-1409 President of the Senate, Senator Peter Courtney (Senate District 11/Salem): 503-986-1600 (can make sure SR 1 gets scheduled for a hearing) Chair of the Senate Rules Committee: Senator Richard Devlin (Senate District 19/Tualatin): 503-986-1719 Governor Ted Kulongoski: 503-378-4582 "Hello, my name is Concerned Citizen (if applicable, add "and I am a constituent.") and I am one of the 7200 people who signed a petition to keep our Oregon National Guard at home (or: I belong to one of the 56 organizations that supports the Keep Oregon's Guard in Oregon campaign, or I am a supporter of the Campaign's goals). "I urge you to hold hearings on (and/or to support) HB 2556 and (HR 4 or SR 1) immediately. Those who question whether the bill and resolutions are constitutional are avoiding the question of whether the federalization of our Guard is legal. The Authorizations for the Guard to be deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan are not valid and the Governor should keep the Guard in Oregon. "I would like to see HB 2556 and (HR 4 or SR 1) passed before the late March deployment, and for our state to take a stand. If there are questions about the law, let the courts sort that out. Our Guard should not be sent to Iraq or Afghanistan under the current federal authorizations. The budget is a high priority, but for this issue, Oregonians' lives are at stake." Here are similar points in list form **In January at the Capitol, a campaign of 56 organizations delivered the names of over 7000 people from across the state who want legislation to keep our Guard home. **We want Speaker Hunt and President Courtney to schedule hearings so that the people can testify. We believe the hearings will build support for the legislation. **22 states plus Washington DC are now participating in the nationwide effort to keep the Guard home. In Maryland, a Senate Committee already agreed to hold a hearing just days after the bill was introduced. **Voting for House Joint Memorial (HJM) 5 is not an acceptable substitute to passing the bill and resolutions calling on the Governor to keep the Guard in Oregon. While it is not harmful for the Legislature to "send a message to Congress," the Governor must take a stand against the misuse of the National Guard. The legislators who are co-sponsoring the Oregon bill and resolutions are: Representatives Jules Kopel-Bailey, Michael Dembrow, Chris Edwards, Mitch Greenlick, Nick Kahl, Jim Thompson, Carolyn Tomei and Chip Shields. The Senators are: Laurie Monnes-Anderson, Rod Monroe, Bill Morrisette, Diane Rosenbaum, Vicki Walker and Martha Schrader. If your representative or senator is not on this list, call or write and ask them to co-sponsor! The more co-sponsors we have, the easier it will be to move this through the system. To find your legislator's info, go to http://www.legislatorpro.com/oregon . One last thing for those who are really up to the task: It will help if the Committee Administrators for the House and Senate know that people are interested in these bills. So call these numbers and ask if a hearing has been set up yet: House Rules administrator: Jerry Watson 503-986-1532, HB 2556 and HR 4 Senate Rules administrator: Lisa Nuss 503-986-1667, SR 1 Let's be sure our bill and resolutions get hearings! Keep phones ringing all over the Capitol! --Dan Handelman and Leah Bolger for the Campaign to Keep Oregon's Guard in Oregon. http://www.pjw.info/guardhomecampaign08.html Other members of the House and Senate Rules Committees: Vice-Chair House Rules Committee: Representative Vicki Berger (HD20-Salem): 503-986-1420 Representative Tobias Read (HD27-Beaverton): 503-986-1427 Representative Mary Nolan (HD36-Portland): 503-986-1900 Representative Bill Garrard (HD56-Klamath Falls): 503-986-1456 Representative Bob Jenson (HD58-Pendleton): 503-986-1458 Representative Sara Gelser (HD16-Corvallis): 503-986-1416 Vice-Chair Senate Rules Committee: Sen. Ted Ferrioli, (SD30-John Day): 503-986-1730 Sen. Jason Atkinson (SD2-Grants Pass): 503-986-1702 Sen. Ginny Burdick (SD18-Portland), 503-986-1718 Sen. Rick Metsger (SD26-Welches), 503-986-1726 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------->> visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

Obama backs Bush prisoner policy- again! by Michael Munk Sat, Feb 21, 2009

Obama is batting about zero on human rights so far. Even his positive steps (Gitmo, torture and black sites) contain loopholes while "state secrets" and Afghan prisoner rights simply ape Bush.Where is Moveon, PDA, Progressive for Obama etc? Thery claimed they'd have influence on him if they backed him. Obama backs Bush: No rights for Bagram prisoners Feb 20, 2009 AP http://www.comcast.net/articles/news-politics/20090221/Terror.Detainees/ WASHINGTON - The Obama administration, siding with the Bush White House, contended Friday that detainees in Afghanistan have no constitutional rights. In a two-sentence court filing, the Justice Department said it agreed that detainees at Bagram Airfield cannot use U.S. courts to challenge their detention. The filing shocked human rights attorneys. "The hope we all had in President Obama to lead us on a different path has not turned out as we'd hoped," said Tina Monshipour Foster, a human rights attorney representing a detainee at the Bagram Airfield. "We all expected better." The Supreme Court last summer gave al-Qaida and Taliban suspects held at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, the right to challenge their detention. With about 600 detainees at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan and thousands more held in Iraq, courts are grappling with whether they, too, can sue to be released. Three months after the Supreme Court's ruling on Guantanamo Bay, four Afghan citizens being detained at Bagram tried to challenge their detentions in U.S. District Court in Washington. Court filings alleged that the U.S. military had held them without charges, repeatedly interrogating them without any means to contact an attorney. Their petition was filed by relatives on their behalf since they had no way of getting access to the legal system. The military has determined that all the detainees at Bagram are "enemy combatants." The Bush administration said in a response to the petition last year that the enemy combatant status of the Bagram detainees is reviewed every six months, taking into consideration classified intelligence and testimony from those involved in their capture and interrogation. After Barack Obama took office, a federal judge in Washington gave the new administration a month to decide whether it wanted to stand by Bush's legal argument. Justice Department spokesman Dean Boyd says the filing speaks for itself. "They've now embraced the Bush policy that you can create prisons outside the law," said Jonathan Hafetz, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union who has represented several detainees. The Justice Department argues that Bagram is different from Guantanamo Bay because it is in an overseas war zone and the prisoners there are being held as part of a military action. The government argues that releasing enemy combatants into the Afghan war zone, or even diverting U.S. personnel there to consider their legal cases, could threaten security. The government also said if the Bagram detainees got access to the courts, it would allow all foreigners captured by the United States in conflicts worldwide to do the same. It's not the first time that the Obama administration has used a Bush administration legal argument after promising to review it. Last week, Attorney General Eric Holder announced a review of every court case in which the Bush administration invoked the state secrets privilege, a separate legal tool it used to have lawsuits thrown out rather than reveal secrets. The same day, however, Justice Department attorney Douglas Letter cited that privilege in asking an appeals court to uphold dismissal of a suit accusing a Boeing Co. subsidiary of illegally helping the CIA fly suspected terrorists to allied foreign nations that tortured them. 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Seattle City Council Endorses single payer by Michael Munk Fri, Feb 20, 2009

How about other NW cities? Any health activitists out there? Seattle City Council Endorses HR 676 The Seattle City Council has joined the growing nationwide movement of cities, counties, and state legislatures to urge Congress to pass HR 676, national single payer healthcare, introduced by Congressman John Conyers (D-MI). The cities, counties, and states endorsing HR 676 (including Tuskeegee, AL; Warren County, TN; Lorain, OH; Erie, PA; Indianapolis, IN; and the Kentucky House of Representatives) are listed at http://unionsforsinglepayer.org/more Many of the resolutions passed are available at that website. We urge everyone to take similar action in your city, county or state. This is a good way to build the support for HR 676. Our unions can lead the way to make HR 676 politically possible! The news release below was issued by Seattle Councilmember Nick Licata who authored the resolution. THE TIME FOR REAL HEALTH CARE REFORM IS NOW On Tuesday, February 17 the Seattle City Council affirmed their unanimous support for universal access to quality health care. In doing so, Seattle joined 24 other cities and counties and 18 states passing similar resolutions. I authored and sponsored this resolution upon the request of the Washington chapter of Physicians for a National Health Plan (PNHP). Resolution 31111 urges the U.S. Congress to enact legislation to establish and implement this right by adopting HR 676, the U.S. National Health Insurance Act, proposed by Representative John Conyers or HR 1200, the American Health Security Act, proposed by Representative Jim McDermott. Both bills are the "single-payer" model, which would guarantee everyone access to all medically necessary care, including prescription drugs, with no co-pays or deductibles. Only the single-payer model contains costs by eliminating the administrative waste and bureaucracy associated with the private insurance industry, and it would assure patients their personal choice of doctor and hospital. The resolution also requests our Washington State Congressional delegation to support these bills. Other city councils calling for the bill's passage include those in Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, San Francisco and Louisville, Ky. The U.S. Conference of Mayors at its June meeting in Miami passed a similar resolution. Local government is closer to the people and their health care struggles than most elected officials. We see the real impacts of our communities and constituents suffering. Additionally, the costs to the City of Seattle of providing health-care benefits to its employees have risen while City revenue has not kept pace. Here are some sobering facts: An estimated 160,000, 15.6% of King County residents less than 65 years of age, do not have health insurance. The number of uninsured children in Washington State has reached the highest level in more than a decade; 3% of children in King County are uninsured Seattle's community health clinics provide treatment for individuals regardless of their ability to pay and approximately 60% of their new patients are uninsured costing King County $139,821,202 in 2006. A recent letter from PNHP to the previous Secretary-designate Tom Daschle, Health and Human Services says: Candidly, we are alarmed by some comments by members of the Senate and by the Obama transition team that suggest that the single-payer option is being excluded from consideration - is 'off the table' - in the health reform debate.other proposals "share the fatal flaw of preserving a central role for the investor-owned health insurance industry in a private-public financing mix. This approach simply won't work, as numerous state-based experiments patterned after this model have shown. These plans always fail because they are unable to control costs." The resolution can be linked here: http://clerk.ci.seattle.wa.us/~scripts/nph-brs.exe?s1=&s2=&s3=31111&s4=&Sect4=AND&l=20&Sect2=THESON&Sect3=PLURON&Sect5=RESN1&Sect6=HITOFF&d=RES3&p=1&u=%2F%7Epublic%2Fresn1.htm&r=1&f=G #30# In the 110th Congress, HR 676 had 93 co-sponsors in addition to Conyers. HR 676 has been endorsed by 481 union organizations in 49 states including 118 Central Labor Councils and Area Labor Federations and 39 state AFL-CIO's (KY, PA, CT, OH, DE, ND, WA, SC, WY, VT, FL, WI, WV, SD, NC, MO, MN, ME, AR, MD-DC, TX, IA, AZ, TN, OR, GA, OK, KS, CO, IN, AL, CA, AK, MI, MT, NE, NY, NV & MA). For further information, a list of union endorsers, or a sample endorsement resolution, contact: Distributed by All Unions Committee For Single Payer Health Care--HR 676 c/o Nurses Professional Organization (NPO) 1169 Eastern Parkway, Suite 2218 Louisville, KY 40217 (502) 636 1551 Email: nursenpo@aol.com http://unionsforsinglepayerHR676.org 02/20/09

Obama lawyeron torture: don't weaken the President! by Michael Munk Tue, Feb 17, 2009

Obama's War on Terror May Resemble Bush's in Some Areas By CHARLIE SAVAGE New York Times February 17, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/18/us/politics/18policy.html?pagewanted=1&tntemail1=y&_r=1&emc=tnt WASHINGTON - Even as it pulls back from harsh interrogations and other sharply debated aspects of George W. Bush's "war on terrorism," the Obama administration is quietly signaling continued support for other major elements of its predecessor's approach to fighting Al Qaeda. In little-noticed confirmation testimony recently, Obama nominees endorsed continuing the C.I.A.'s program of transferring prisoners to other countries without legal rights, and indefinitely detaining terrorism suspects without trials even if they were arrested far from a war zone. The administration has also embraced the Bush legal team's arguments that a lawsuit by former C.I.A. detainees should be shut down based on the "state secrets" doctrine. It has also left the door open to resuming military commission trials. And earlier this month, after a British court cited pressure by the United States in declining to release information about the alleged torture of a detainee in American custody, the Obama administration issued a statement thanking the British government "for its continued commitment to protect sensitive national security information." These and other signs suggest that the administration's changes may turn out to be less sweeping than many had hoped or feared - prompting growing worry among civil liberties groups and a sense of vindication among supporters of Bush-era policies. In an interview, the White House counsel, Gregory B. Craig, asserted that the administration was not embracing Mr. Bush's approach to the world. But Mr. Craig also said President Obama intended to avoid any "shoot from the hip" and "bumper sticker slogans" approaches to deciding what to do with the counterterrorism policies he inherited. "We are charting a new way forward, taking into account both the security of the American people and the need to obey the rule of law," Mr. Craig said. "That is a message we would give to the civil liberties people as well as to the Bush people." Within days of his inauguration, Mr. Obama thrilled civil liberties groups when he issued executive orders promising less secrecy, restricting C.I.A. interrogators to Army Field Manual techniques, shuttering the agency's secret prisons, ordering the prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, closed within a year and halting military commission trials. But in more recent weeks, things have become murkier. During her confirmation hearing last week, Elena Kagan, the nominee for solicitor general, said that someone suspected of helping finance Al Qaeda should be subject to battlefield law - indefinite detention without a trial - even if he were captured in a place like the Philippines rather than in a physical battle zone. Ms. Kagan's support for an elastic interpretation of the "battlefield" amplified remarks that Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. made at his own confirmation hearing. And it dovetailed with a core Bush position. Civil liberties groups argue that people captured away from combat zones should go to prison only after trials. Moreover, the nominee for C.I.A. director, Leon E. Panetta, opened a loophole in Mr. Obama's interrogation restrictions. At his hearing, Mr. Panetta said that if the approved techniques were "not sufficient" to get a detainee to divulge details he was suspected of knowing about an imminent attack, he would ask for "additional authority." To be sure, Mr. Panetta emphasized that the president could not bypass antitorture statutes, as Bush lawyers claimed. And he said that waterboarding - a technique that induces the sensation of drowning, and that the Bush administration said was lawful - is torture. But Mr. Panetta also said the C.I.A. might continue its "extraordinary rendition" program, under which agents seize terrorism suspects and take them to other countries without extradition proceedings, in a more sweeping form than anticipated. Before the Bush administration, the program primarily involved taking indicted suspects to their native countries for legal proceedings. While some detainees in the 1990s were allegedly abused after transfer, under Mr. Bush the program expanded and included transfers to third countries - some of which allegedly used torture - for interrogation, not trials. Mr. Panetta said the agency is likely to continue to transfer detainees to third countries and would rely on diplomatic assurances of good treatment - the same safeguard the Bush administration used, and that critics say is ineffective. Mr. Craig noted that while Mr. Obama decided "not to change the status quo immediately," he created a task force to study "rendition policy and what makes sense consistent with our obligation to protect the country." He urged patience as the administration reviewed the programs it inherited from Mr. Bush. That process began after the election, Mr. Craig said, when military and C.I.A. leaders flew to Chicago for a lengthy briefing of Mr. Obama and his national security advisers. Mr. Obama then sent his advisers to C.I.A. headquarters to "find out the best case for continuing the practices that had been employed during the Bush administration." Civil liberties groups praise Mr. Obama's early executive orders on national security, but say other signs are discouraging. For example, Mr. Obama's Justice Department last week told an appeals court that the Bush administration was right to invoke "state secrets" to shut down a lawsuit by former C.I.A. detainees who say a Boeing subsidiary helped fly them to places where they were tortured. Mr. Craig said Mr. Holder and others reviewed the case and "came to the conclusion that it was justified and necessary for national security" to maintain their predecessor's stance. Mr. Holder has also begun a review of every open Bush-era case involving state secrets, Mr. Craig said, so people should not read too much into one case. "Every president in my lifetime has invoked the state-secrets privilege," Mr. Craig said. "The notion that invoking it in that case somehow means we are signing onto the Bush approach to the world is just an erroneous assumption." Still, the decision caught the attention of a bipartisan group of lawmakers. Two days after the appeals court hearing, they filed legislation to bar using the state-secrets doctrine to shut down an entire case - as opposed to withholding particular evidence. The administration has also put off taking a stand in several cases that present opportunities to embrace or renounce Bush-era policies, including the imprisonment without trial of an "enemy combatant" on domestic soil, Freedom of Information Act lawsuits seeking legal opinions about interrogation and surveillance, and an executive-privilege dispute over Congressional subpoenas of former White House aides to Mr. Bush over the firing of United States attorneys. Addressing the executive-privilege dispute, Mr. Craig said: "The president is very sympathetic to those who want to find out what happened. But he is also mindful as president of the United States not to do anything that would undermine or weaken the institution of the presidency. So for that reason, he is urging both sides of this to settle." The administration's recent policy moves have attracted praise from outspoken defenders of the Bush administration. Last Friday, The Wall Street Journal's editorial page argued that "it seems that the Bush administration's antiterror architecture is gaining new legitimacy" as Mr. Obama's team embraces aspects of Mr. Bush's counterterrorism approach. Anthony D. Romero, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union, said the sequence of "disappointing" recent events had heightened concerns that Mr. Obama might end up carrying forward "some of the most problematic policies of the Bush presidency." Mr. Obama has clashed with civil libertarians before. Last July, he voted to authorize eavesdropping on some phone calls and e-mail messages without a warrant. While the A.C.L.U. says the program is still unconstitutional, the legislation reduced legal concerns about one of the most controversial aspects of Mr. Bush's antiterror strategy. "We have been some of the most articulate and vociferous critics of the way the Bush administration handled things," Mr. Craig said. "There has been a dramatic change of direction." visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

Ask Obama: Why are we in Afganistan? by Michael Munk Tue, Feb 17, 2009

Anti-War Group Asks Obama: Are More Troops in Afghanistan 'Digging an Even Bigger Hole'? By Elana Schor - February 17, 2009, 4:47PM http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/02/anti-war-group-asks-obama-are-more-troops-in-afghanistan-digging-an-even-bigger-hole.php As the Los Angeles Times' report yesterday observing liberals' frustration with President Obama echoes elsewhere in the mainstream media, it's worth noting that some groups on the left are maintaining a healthy independence from the administration. One good example: Obama announced today that he will send upwards of 10,000 [17,000] troops to Afghanistan before the conclusion of his internal strategy review on the state of the so-called "forgotten war" in South Asia. Former Maine Democratic congressman Tom Andrews, now the chair of the Win Without War coalition, thoughtfully asked Obama today to consider whether adding more troops amounts to "digging an even bigger hole" in Afghanistan despite diplomatic urging to reconsider a military escalation. Here's Andrews' statement in full (followed by Obama's statement on the troop increase): Clearly, U.S. policy in Afghanistan has failed, as numerous reports point to security conditions that have gone from bad to worse. That is why we applaud the president's decision to conduct a fundamental review of U.S. policy in Afghanistan. But it is also why we are concerned that the deployment of additional combat troops is being announced at the outset of the review process and not at its conclusion. The risks are significant--particularly in light of the warnings of several analysts that the presence of foreign soldiers fighting a war in Afghanistan is probably the single most important driving force in the resurgence of the Taliban. Reducing our military footprint could, therefore, be one of the most effective measures that can be taken to weaken the armed opposition. We hope that the president will soon provide the nation with a comprehensive plan for Afghanistan and the region that is fundamentally different from the approach which led us to where we find ourselves now. The first principle for someone who finds himself in a hole is to stop digging. The US policy 'hole' in Afghanistan is not of the new administration's making. But it is important for the president to consider if adding new U.S. combat forces in Afghanistan, without a new and comprehensive plan for U.S. policy there, might be digging an even bigger hole. Obama's official statement on Afghanistan today: This reinforcement will contribute to the security of the Afghan people and to stability in Afghanistan. I recognize the extraordinary strain that this deployment places on our troops and military families. I honor their service, and will give them the support they need. This increase is necessary to stabilize a deteriorating situation in Afghanistan, which has not received the strategic attention, direction and resources it urgently requires. That is why I ordered a review of our policy upon taking office, so we have a comprehensive strategy and the necessary resources to meet clear and achievable objectives in Afghanistan and the region. This troop increase does not pre-determine the outcome of that strategic review. Instead, it will further enable our team to put together a comprehensive strategy that will employ all elements of our national power to fulfill achievable goals in Afghanistan. As we develop our new strategic goals, we will do so in concert with our friends and allies as together we seek the resources necessary to succeed. visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

Obama uses state secrets against Oregon foundation by Michael Munk Tue, Feb 17, 2009

Obama administration seeks to block lawsuit over illegal wiretapping By John Burton and Marge Holland World Socialist News http://www.wsws.org/articles/2009/feb2009/stse-f16.shtml16 February 2009 For the second time in less than a week, lawyers from the Justice Department headed by Obama administration Attorney General Eric Holder have embraced the Bush administration's pseudo-legal argument that the "state secrets" doctrine bars civil lawsuits challenging the methods used in its so-called "war on terror." On February 9, Obama administration lawyers argued before the United States Court of Appeal for the Ninth Circuit, headquartered in San Francisco, that the maintenance of "state secrets" mandates the dismissal of cases challenging "extraordinary rendition" - that is kidnapping and torture - by the US government. (See "Obama administration defends torturers") The most recent intervention also occurred in San Francisco, with the filing of papers February 11 to block an order by United States District Judge Vaughn R. Walker reinstating the claim of the Al-Haramain Islamic Foundation that it was the target of government wiretapping. The surveillance was carried out without the required court approval, under the "Terrorist Surveillance Program." The blatantly illegal electronic surveillance took place before the Bush administration made the Ashland, Oregon-based charity a "Specially Designated Global Terrorist" organization and froze its assets. During legal proceedings arising from the asset seizure, government attorneys mistakenly turned over classified documents that detailed illegal wiretaps to the charity's lawyers. After discovering the error, the government sent FBI agents personally to each member of the Al-Haramain legal team and forced the return of the documents, but not before they were read and disseminated. Al-Haramain sued George W. Bush, alleging that the secret government documents established that its federal privacy rights had been violated by Bush's illegal federal wiretaps, including some that recorded confidential attorney-client conversations. Walker, an appointee of George H.W. Bush, initially dismissed the complaint on the basis that the charity could not use the information in the classified documents to allege that the government illegally spied on it, and therefore could not prove "standing" that it was an "aggrieved person" entitled to challenge the surveillance program. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals subsequently affirmed this Alice-in-Wonderland decision. On January 5, however, Walker reinstated the case after Al-Haramain produced a series of public statements by government officials corroborating allegations that the charity had been the victim of illegal surveillance. These included an October 2007 speech by a deputy FBI director at a conference of the American Bankers Association and American Bar Association on money laundering. In a key provision of his ruling, Walker directed that lawyers for Al-Haramain have access to confidential material, ordering the government to provide top-security clearance to three of the charity's lawyers. Filed as a supplement to a motion for a stay of the January 5 order initiated by Bush administration lawyers before the Obama inauguration, the recent papers argue that the "state secrets privilege" -a cold-war era judge-made doctrine - allows the executive branch to keep information confidential when it asserts that national security might be jeopardized. Walker had ruled that "state secrets" do not trump a provision in the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which authorizes federal district judges, "whenever any motion or request is made by an aggrieved person," and "notwithstanding any other law," to "review in camera and ex parte [confidentially] the application, order, and such other materials relating to the surveillance as may be necessary to determine whether the surveillance of the aggrieved person was lawfully authorized and conducted." The provision continues: "In making this determination, the court may disclose to the aggrieved person, under appropriate security procedures and protective orders, portions of the application, order, or other materials relating to the surveillance only where such disclosure is necessary to make an accurate determination of the legality of the surveillance." Just like Bush administration lawyers who preceded them, the current Obama administration attorneys are asserting legal positions directly contrary to federal privacy laws. "We are aware of no prior case where the state secrets privilege has been held to be preempted by statutory law to decide whether alleged surveillance has occurred and to grant security clearances for the disclosure of classified information to a party seeking that information in order to litigate their claims," they wrote in their papers before Judge Walker. The reason there are no such precedents, of course, is that the Bush administration's utter disregard for the letter of laws passed during the post-Watergate era, when attempts were made to reign in government spying, is