Archive: Michael Munk's 2009 Portland Messages

Jan 6: David Swanson and David Rovics at Powell's by Michael Munk Wed, Dec 30, 2009

Oregon in January: David Swanson and David Rovics Jan. 6 Portland, OR Jan. 7 Newport, OR Jan. 8 Corvallis, OR David Swanson speaking about his new book "Daybreak: Undoing the Imperial Presidency and Forming a More Perfect Union." http://davidswanson.org/book Portland, OR, January 6, 2010 7:30 p.m. at Powells Burnside & 11th Portland, OR http://www.powells.com/events CONTACT ORGANIZER: Barbara Ellis barbaragellis@earthlink.net visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

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

Reply to Rothstein: Yip Harburg's politics by Michael Munk Sat, Dec 26, 2009

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

Health care reform: We can do better By Paul Gorman=20 December 23, 2009 VIA Steve Weiss As an Oregon physician for over 25 years, I know we can and must do = better on health care reform. What we have seen in the Congress over = recent months indicates how pointless it has been to compromise with = those who really oppose any reform. The health reform process began with = the president giving in on essential goals such as universal access, and = now it ends with a bill that preserves and solidifies the worst of our = current system. The opposition played a cynical political game all = along, whittling away at proposed reforms through the summer and fall = until little is left, and now opposing the final bill anyway. We were = played.=20 What they ended up with is a bill where the government will require = people who can't afford health insurance to buy it, pouring billions = into an insurance system that clearly does not work. Millions of new = customers for insurance companies at taxpayer expense, without achieving = the fundamental goals of reform:=20 -We still won't have universal access: Millions will be left out and = thousands will die every year because they have no access to care. = According to a Harvard study, over 120 Americans die every day for lack = of access to care.=20 -We still won't have free choice: Big insurance companies will still = dictate what doctor or hospital you can go to, what treatments you can = have and what you will pay for them.=20 -We still won't have affordability: Billions will still be wasted on = claims-processing paperwork. Premiums, co-pays and deductibles will = still be set to guarantee profits for insurance companies, while = individuals, businesses large and small, and even governments go = bankrupt.=20 Those are the big three. To add insult to injury:=20 -We still won't have portability: Anytime you switch jobs, get laid off = or start a small business, you'll be changing insurance plans, changing = doctors (those included in the plan), changing treatments (drugs covered = by the plan). This guarantees discontinuity and poorer outcomes.=20 -We still won't have accountability: Private insurers will set health = policy in private, without the transparency and accountability that a = public process guarantees. You will still have no recourse, no say in = the matter.=20 -We still won't have quality: We pay twice what most modern nations are = paying but we have worse outcomes. This new legislation does not = fundamentally change an insurance system that's seen health outcomes = falling and costs rising for decades. Why can't Americans have the best = health care in the world?=20 What we must do now is start over. Most of us can agree on certain = goals, and we must tell the president and Congress that we expect any = reform package to meet these goals:=20 -Health care for every American, no exceptions, cradle to grave.=20 -Free choice of doctors and hospitals, like Medicare patients have.=20 -Patients and their doctors make decisions about care.=20 -Health policy must be public policy, with accountability and = transparency.=20 -No one should go bankrupt because of health care costs - not patients, = not businesses, not state and local governments, not our country.=20 We should accept nothing less.=20 Paul Gorman is a Portland physician and belongs to Physicians for a = National Health Program. visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

from the Dill Pickle Club by Michael Munk Wed, Dec 23, 2009

red tour =3D success By marc moscato | Published: December 14, 2009 You'd be sorry to have missed Mike Munk's "Red Tour of Portland" this = past Sunday. Among highlights were locations of labor strikes, union = organizing halls, the office of Dr. Marie Equi and drinks below the = balcony of Paddy's (where the all the action happened at Portland's = first gay bar). We've posted a few pics here. As one tour participant stated, "I think my favorite part was all the = jaywalking en masse. I like how Micheal Munk treated downtown like a car = free zone." Special thanks goes out to our tour leader. We still have copies of = Munk's book Portland Red Guide available at the shop, or order one with = the link below. =20 visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

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

As this October 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

Blumenauer and Schrader vote for war, Wu against by Michael Munk Fri, Dec 18, 2009

PGE forced to refund part of Trojan profits by Michael Munk Thu, Dec 17, 2009

Dill Pickle's Sunday Tour of Red Portland photos by Michael Munk Wed, Dec 16, 2009

a..=20 Red Tour of Portland with Mike Munk Thumbnails Detail Comments=20 =20 P1017700 P1017699 P1017698=20 =20 All rights reserved=20 Uploaded on Dec 14, 2009=20 0 comments=20 =20 All rights reserved=20 Uploaded on Dec 14, 2009=20 0 comments=20 =20 All rights reserved=20 Uploaded on Dec 14, 2009=20 0 comments=20 =20 P1017696 P1017692 P1017690=20 =20 All rights reserved=20 Uploaded on Dec 14, 2009=20 0 comments=20 =20 All rights reserved=20 Uploaded on Dec 14, 2009=20 0 comments=20 =20 All rights reserved=20 Uploaded on Dec 14, 2009=20 0 comments=20 =20 P1017688 P1017682 P1017679=20 =20 All rights reserved=20 Uploaded on Dec 14, 2009=20 0 comments=20 =20 All rights reserved=20 Uploaded on Dec 14, 2009=20 0 comments=20 Thanks to the participants in this past Sunday's "Red Tour = of Portland." It was great to see all of you and learn about the city's = working class traditions. We still have copies of Michael's book, The Portland Red = Guide: Sites & Stories of Our Radical Past available in our shop (open = Wed - Sun 12-6), or you can purchase with the handy link below. =20 =20 =20

Blumenauer 1 of 12 against more Iran sanctions by Michael Munk Wed, Dec 16, 2009

Portlander's new comic of Gaza by Michael Munk Sun, Dec 13, 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

No Oregon Dems stand 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

Last Chance to Bid for Portland Red Guide by Michael Munk Fri, Dec 4, 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

Dec 13: Dill Pickle's radical walking tour by Michael Munk Thu, Dec 3, 2009

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

Dec 13 : Portland Red Guide Walking Tour by Michael Munk Wed, Dec 2, 2009

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_444292_1402023664.1259614482662--

Health care in Yamhill County by Michael Munk Mon, Nov 30, 2009

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

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

Emma Goldman is Portland by Michael Munk Sun, Nov 15, 2009

=20 November 15, 2009 = 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 visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

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

Nov 15: Mad As Hell Doctors Town Hall by Michael Munk Mon, Nov 9, 2009

Oregon's very own Mad As Hell Doctors are back from their whirlwind road = trip to Washington DC. We educated the public in over two dozen cities = and over forty venues. We heard the stories of hundreds affected by our = broken non-system and listened to the fears of others. Now we want to = share what we learned on our trip with the Portland community. Please pass this event info on and use the below flyer to let your = community know about this opportunity to hear about the doctor's journey = and learn about Single Payer. =20 WHAT: Mad As Hell Doctors Town Hall=20 WHEN: Sunday November 15, 2009 7-9PM WHERE: First Unitarian Church 1034 SW 13th Ave. Portland, OR =20 All across the country we met with thousands of supporters who demand = Single Payer Now! We made the front page of newspapers, got on local TV = networks, did dozens and dozens of radio appearances, and broke through = the national media blackout, on the Ed Show, Democracy Now, and = Countdown. We have begun a movement and now we must cultivate it for = the next journey. The long term journey for a single payer system of = healthcare delivery. With the House having passed their bill, it is more important than ever = to continue educating and advocating about Single Payer. It is an = inevitable solution to our healthcare crisis and there is still hope for = a Senate vote on Bernie Sanders' Single Payer bill and we must continue = to push for the inclusion of the Kucinich Amendment during = reconciliation of the final bill. Please join us in continuing the fight for healthcare for all and = building a system where patient's care is given precedence over profit. Thanks and we hope to see you on the 15th. Philip Kauffman MAHD Grassroots Coordinator pmkauffman@gmail.com visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

Single payer advocate 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

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 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

To Dec 18: Photos and words of Iraq-Afghan vets by Michael Munk Wed, Oct 21, 2009

"Exit Wounds" Exhibit at The City Club of Portland Exit Wounds:Life After War - Soldiers' Stories Words and 2000 photographs by American Veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars organized by Portland photographer Jim Lommanson September 24 - December 18, 2009 City Club of Portland: 901 SW Washington Street, Portland, Oregon 97205 Monday-Thursday, 9:30AM-4:30PM (closed when meetings are in session). for details go to http://exitwoundshomecoming.blogspot.com/ visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

If it matters to Oregon, read the NYT 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 Thu, Oct 15, 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

More on Oregon CO camp book by Michael Munk Sun, Oct 11, 2009

Jeffrey Kovac, a graduate of Sunset High School and Reed College, 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

Oct 15: Civil disobedience for single payer in Portland 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

City Council votes for single payer by Michael Munk Fri, Oct 2, 2009

Are Blumenauer, Wu and Schrader listening? Portland council approves resolution urging passage of health care reform By Mark Larabee, The Oregonian http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2009/09/portland_council_approves_reso.html September 30, 2009, 11:42AM The Portland City Council passed a resolution today urging the U.S. Congress to enact the United States National Health Care Act sponsored by Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., which calls for a national taxpayer-funded health care system. The council resolution was co-sponsored by Mayor Sam Adams and Commissioners Randy Leonard and Amanda Fritz. It passed 4-0 with support from Commissioner Nick Fish. Commissioner Dan Saltzman was absent. Leonard said 50 million people living in the United States lack health insurance, and he pointed out that people in most developed countries have better care than that available here. "America's health system faces a deepening crisis," Leonard said. "All other developed countries cover everyone at a lower cost than the U.S. We fail to include everyone and we get worse results. This is the last frontier in the fight for rights for all in this country." Fish said the broken health care system is conspiring with the bad economy, putting in danger the increasing number of low-income and homeless people. "Whose voices will we listen to?" Fish said. "The voices of the people or the voices of the large pharmaceutical companies? It is essential that all Americans enjoy health care" Labor unions and other workers rights group, doctors, nurses and people with health issues spoke in support of the council resolution. The council directed the city attorney to copy the resolution to President Barack Obama and members of the Oregon congressional delegation accompanied by letters urging them to work to adopt and implement comprehensive health care coverage for all U.S. residents. The resolution also states that the council will encourage Portland residents to participate actively in the debate by informing their elected officials of their wishes and expectations on health care reform. visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

Nader in Portland Sunday for single payer by Michael Munk Fri, Oct 2, 2009

Friday Peace Rally Demands End to Afghan war by Michael Munk Wed, Sep 30, 2009

Below is the news release we just sent out about Friday's rally and march. If you are interested in being at the Square tomorrow (Thursday) morning to help with bannering (arrive at 6:15 AM, stay till 7 or 7:30 AM...or later?) please get back to me asap!! I am reminded that when Barack Obama was elected, this was part of his acceptance speech: "I may not have won your vote tonight, but I hear your voices," Obama said. "I need your help and I will be your president, too." What this means to us at PJW is that whether or not you voted for President Obama, he wants to hear your voice and your opinion, even if you disagree with him. This is a particularly important time to say "No!" to the occupation of Afghanistan, as he weighs General McChrystal's request for even more troops. Please circulate this information and we will see you on Friday at 5 PM for the rally and march! --dan handelman for Peace and Justice Works Iraq Affinity Group iraq@pjw.info For Immediate Release Wednesday, September 30, 2009 What: "The Invasion of Afghanistan, 8 Years Later": Expanded Friday Rally and March for Peace and Justice When: Friday, October 2, 2009, 5:00 PM Where: Pioneer Courthouse Square, SW Yamhill and Broadway Who: Portland Peaceful Response Coalition (PPRC), Peace and Justice Works Iraq Affinity Group, the First Unitarian Church, and other groups Contacts: PPRC (503) 344-5078 pprc@riseup.net www.pprc-news.org Peace and Justice Works Iraq Affinity Group (503) 236-3065 iraq@pjw.info Peace Groups Gear Up to Call for End of War in Afghanistan Expanded Friday Rally and March for Peace and Justice Friday, October 2, 2009, 5:00 PM Pioneer Courthouse Square, SW Yamhill and Broadway As President Obama considers his top General's request for more U.S. soldiers to risk their lives, Portlanders will call for an end to the occupation of Afghanistan this Friday. At an expanded Friday Rally and March for Peace and Justice on October 2, 2009 at 5 PM at Pioneer Courthouse Square (SW Yamhill and Broadway), protestors will consider "The Invasion of Afghanistan, 8 Years Later." Banners promoting the event have been parading about Portland on Burnside and near the Hawthorne and Morrison Bridges. Early morning "human billboard" bannering is also expected at 6:30 AM this Thursday, October 1, at Pioneer Courthouse Square to greet early morning commuters (weather permitting). Speakers, including several who are in town for a conference on the economic and enviromental crises, will tie the occupations of Afghanistan and Iraq, the bombardment of Pakistan, the threats against Iran and other foreign policy issues together. Just some of these concerns are US dependency on oil, use of depleted uranium and other toxic weapons, and the skyrocketing costs of the occupations. The US has now spent over $1 trillion on these occupations, which would have been much better spent on human needs. The US invaded Afghanistan on October 7, 2001, ostensibly to capture Osama Bin Laden and Al Qaeda members suspected of planning the attacks of 9/11. The current government of Afghanistan has welcomed US and NATO's military presence while complaining bitterly of the hundreds of civilian casualties caused by airstrikes and ground troops. Since the US is now allied with the governments of Iraq and Afghanistan after having driven out those who were in power in each country in 2001 and 2003, these conflicts should not be labelled "wars." "Traumatized by 9/11, the people of the United States were hounded and defrauded into war and occupation in Afghanistan eight years ago," said Will Seaman, a volunteer with Portland Peaceful Response Coalition. "We said no then, we say no today, and we will not rest until the United States rejects this nightmare of empire, until all the troops are home, and until we have paid reparations for the terrible crimes our country has committed against the people of Afghanistan." The October 2 event is an expanded Portland Peaceful Response Coalition (PPRC) Friday rally in cooperation with Peace and Justice Works Iraq Affinity Group, and the First Unitarian Church. Supporters include Freedom Socialist Party, War Resisters League- Portland and others. Endorsers include Dorothy Day Catholic Worker House, Rural Organizing Project, PDX Peace, Center for Intercultural Organizing, and Women's International League for Peace and Freedom-Portland Chapter. Portland's Friday rallies for peace and justice have been an institution since late 2001. A march will commence at about 5:30 PM, winding through downtown to engage rush hour commuters, ending at the First Unitarian Church. That evening at 7 PM, political analyst Noam Chomsky is speaking at the conference, known as EcoNvergence. The rally is being coordinated in conjunction with the EcoNvergence, which runs from October 2-4: more information on the gathering is at http://www.econvergence.org . The rally and march are also in solidarity with other actions happening nationwide to end the occupations of Afghanistan and Iraq. For more information, contact Peace and Justice Works at 503-236-3065 or PPRC at (503) 344-5078. 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.

Tomorow (Sat): Israeli feminist in Portland by Michael Munk Fri, Sep 25, 2009

From: "Anne McLaughlin" Gila Svirsky in Portland Saturday, September 26 We are so lucky to have this great activist visiting Portland this weekend. Don’t miss the opportunity to hear her speak! 7 pm First Unitarian Church 1011 SW 12th Ave, Buchan Building Grassroots Paths to Peace in Palestine/Israel: perceptions of an Israeli Activist.Followed by a discussion of local work for Middle East peace and justice by a panel of Portland activists Gila Svirsky is an Israeli writer and peace activist, who has headed Israel’s major peace and human rights organizations. In 2000, she co-founded and led the Coalition of Women for Peace, which brings together nine Israeli women’s peace organizations, raising the visibility and volume of the feminist peace movement in Israel. Svirsky has been an activist with Women in Black since its inception in 1988, helping grow the movement into a network of vigils spanning the globe. She is currently chair of B’Tselem, Israel’s foremost human rights organization in the Occupied Territories. sponsors: Peace Action Committee of First Unitarian Church, Friends of Sabeel, Lutherans for Justice in the Holy Land – Central Lutheran Church, Americans United for Palestinian Human Rights, Jewish Voice for Peace, American Jews for a Just Peace

Tomorrow Sept 24: PDX Rally for Honduras by Michael Munk Wed, Sep 23, 2009

From: David Delk=20 =20 Portland Central America Solidarity Committee (PCASC) has called for a = rally to support the constitutional, democraticallly elected president = of Honduras, who was overthrown by a military junta betwen two and three = months ago. President Zelaya's crime seems to have been enacting a new = higher minamum wage and to support the preasents and working class of = Honduras. The president has now returned to Honduras and is at the = Brazilian embassy. =20 =20 Rally to support President Zelaya on Thursday, Sept 24 at 6 PM in = Pioneer Square.=20 David e. Delk, Alliance for Democracy - Portland Chapter 503 232 5495 = www.afd-pdx.org =20 -------------------------------------------------------------------------= ------- EMERGENCY RALLY- Thursday 9-24-09, 6pm, Pioneer Square=20 Democratically elected president of Honduras, Manuel Zelaya, was = overthrown in a US backed military coup; an overt threat to the social = movements of Latin America. In Zelaya=92s absence a large social = movement, based on unions and community groups has challenged the = authority of the coup government by waging national strikes and weekly = mass protests. Now President Zelaya has covertly returned to his = homeland after nearly 3 months in exile and has taken refuge at the = Brazilian embassy.=20 The coup government is attacking protesters who have gathered around the = Brazilian Embassy to protect Zelaya. The de facto regime imposed a = military curfew resulting in the arrests of hundreds of protesters. = Dangerous quantities of tear gas are being used on protesters as well as = rubber bullets and at least 24 people have been hospitalized. Several = deaths have been reported.=20 The people of Honduras are screaming out for international support! Meet = at Pioneer Square Thursday 9-24-09 at 6pm for an emergency rally! Alert from yesterday from SOA Watch: President Zelaya is Back in Honduras! SOA Graduates Fire Rubber Bullets and Tear Gas at Zelaya Supporters Call the State Department (202-647-4000) and the White House = (202-456-1111) Photo: Honduran President Manuel Zelaya addresses thousands of = supporters who have gathered in front of the Brazilian embassy on = Monday, September 21, 2009 in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. President Manuel Zelaya, after over eighty days in exile, has returned = to Honduras. In a BBC interview, Zelaya said "[We travelled] for more = than 15 hours... through rivers and mountains until we reached the = capital of Honduras, which we reached in the early hours of the morning. = We overtook military and police obstacles, all those on the highways = here, because this country has been kidnapped by the military forces."=20 The coup regime has imposed a curfew for the entire country from 4pm = yesterday afternoon until 6pm this afternoon. Media outlets are being = silenced and cell phone and email correspondence is being limited, in a = repeat of the tactics immediately following the June 28 military coup by = SOA graduates. Thousands defied the orders and gathered in front of the = Brazilian embassy, where Zelaya is currently staying. Radio Globo = reported from the convergence in front of the Brazilian embassy: "We are = here peacefully, unarmed because we are the people and don't fear the = military. The military must serve the people and their democratically = elected president, Mel Zelaya." However, the SOA graduate-led Honduran military and the police moved = this morning against the peacefully assembled crowd in front of the = Brazilian Embassy and disbursed them with bullets and water tanks. = Supporters of the constitutional president of Honduras are being = attacked and beaten. The embassy is now surrounded by the military. The = coup regime leader, Roberto Micheletti, threatened to cancel the = embassy's immunity if Zelaya were not handed over to the de facto = regime. An overall atmosphere of insecurity is now being imposed. = President Zelaya called on the armed forces not to attack their own = people and encouraged the Honduran people to continue mobilizing for = peace and the restoration of constitutional order. The National = Resistance Front Against the Coup has sent out a call for a national = strike today, and for people to come from all parts of the country to = the capital to continue the show of popular support for the return of = the democratically elected president. Our fear that the coup authorities would crack down even harder, now = that their end is near, is materializing. Click here to contact your Member of Congress to demand that they take a = stand for democracy and against the SOA-graduate-led military coup. Please take a couple minutes and call the State Department at = 202-647-4000 to deliver the following message: "Work for the = unconditional immediate reinstatement of President Zelaya and pressure = the SOA graduate-led Honduran military to stop the violence against the = people and their democratically elected president, Mel Zelaya. Ensure = that the coup plotters will be held responsible for their actions. Any = bloodshed will be on the hands of the coup government and security = forces." Call the White House comment line at 202-456-1111 with the same message. = Visit NarcoNews for a detailed report back of yesterdays events. Visit www.SOAW.org for updates throughout the day.=20 -------------------------------------------------------------------------= ------- visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

Sept 30: City Council votes on 676 by Michael Munk Wed, Sep 23, 2009

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 uniformed 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 Afganistan. 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

Full disclosure required for Hovde's I-5 bridge rant by Michael Munk Mon, Sep 14, 2009

To the Oregonian editor: Readers perplexed by Hovde's rant for the $4 billion I-5 bridge boondoogle "Debating the details is fine, but we need a new I-5 bridge" September 13) should know she lives in oil-addicted and public transit-hating Vancouver and earns income and shops sales tax free in Portland. That's why she ignores the necessary toll on any new proposed bridge and the increased congestion its 12 lanes would cause. And if she wants to avoid paying Oregon income tax, she can resign as an Oregonian columnist and work in Washington. Michael Munk visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

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

How about a toll on the Columbia bridges today? by Michael Munk Tue, Sep 1, 2009

Fwd: [pdx] That health care rally tomorrow Saturday by Michael Munk Fri, Aug 28, 2009

That health care rally tomorrow Saturday by Michael Munk Fri, Aug 28, 2009

Why not an I-5 toll now? by Michael Munk Mon, Aug 24, 2009

To the Editor, The Oregonian Your editorial "A straight answer on tolling" (Aug 21) notes the resistance in Vancouver and Clark County to tolls on the proposed new I-5 bridge, and points out that this $4 billion boondoggle won't be built without it. That puts in the spotlight the car and sales tax free shopping-obsessed culture of our neighbors across the river, who caused much of the bridge congestion by voting against light rail.. So here's a suggestion: if, as you write, a toll is a "way to manage congestion" on the bridge and relieving congestion is the purpose of the project, why not impose tolls on the current bridge? If you're right, that would at once help relieve congestion and save billions of dollars for that unnecessary boondoggle. Michael Munk visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

Aug 25: Thelma Streat on Ch 10 by Michael Munk Sat, Aug 22, 2009

Thelma Johnson Streat (1912-1959) grew up in Portland and attended the Portland Museum Art School in 1934 on a scholarship from Paul Robeson. Check her out in my Portland Red Guide (p.104). Oregonian A & E, August 21,2009 HISTORY MYSTERY by Kristi Turnquist Those intrepid investigators of the "History Detectives" series travel to Bend in this week's episode to help a woman find out if paintings she inherited are historically significant. When Evelyn Cook's aunt, Thelma Johnson Streat died, Cook inherited six large paintings that Streat created. Cook believes the works are mural studies commissioned by the WPA in the 1930s or 1940s. The subject matter of Streat's paintings is contributions of African Americans to medicine, transportation and industry. "History Detectives" host Elyse Luray is on the case, visiting Oregon, San Francisco and Chicago to find out if the studies became murals and if any of Streat's murals are still extant. The series, co-produced by Oregon Public Broadcasting, airs at 9 p.m. Mondays on OPB. 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

Two more unions join 30 Oregon unions for single payer by Michael Munk Thu, Aug 20, 2009

And not a single one of Oregon's six Dems in Congress who count on union support have endorsed HR 676 or S. 703 American Federation of Government Employees Local 2157 and Painters Local 10 have endorsed HR 676, single payer healthcare legislation introduced by Congressman John Conyers (D-MI). AFGE Local 2157 represents 600 employees at the Portland VA Medical Center and outlying clinics in Oregon as well as at the Veterans' Benefits Administration offices and Willamette National Cemetery. The local endorsed HR 676 following a presentation by member Betsy Zucker and Jobs with Justice activist Peter Shapiro. Local 2157 President Leonard Fearn said: "We are proud to join the growing number of unions who support single payer healthcare. Private insurance adds cost, but no value, to our health care dollars. Single Payer Now." Local 10 of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT) also endorsed HR 676. Travis Giobbi, a Local 10 apprentice, submitted the resolution and reports that the local forwarded its resolution to their International Union Convention which meets in September. http://unionsforsinglepayerHR676.org 08/20/09 visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

Rose and Aaron Director by Michael Munk Thu, Aug 20, 2009

Rose Director Freidman's obit in the NYTimes today http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/19/business/19friedman.html?ref=obituaries appears in edited form in The Oregonian. Oregonians might be interested in her older brother Aaron's time as director of the Portland Labor College in 1924-26. His radicalism (he invited Communists and Wobblies to speak) got him in trouble with the conservative AFL unions which sponsored the College. He went on to the U of Chicago, where he studied with former Reed econ professor Paul Douglas and where that radicalism was replaced with the conservatism for which he became prominent. He persuaded his younger sister Rose to transfer from Reed to the Chicago in 1932. Read more about the first Portland Labor College in my Portland Red Guide (pp.71-72). 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: Representative 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

Sat Aug 15th: CASCADIA TO CARACAS by Michael Munk Fri, Aug 14, 2009

Wu won't commit to single payer by Michael Munk Fri, Aug 14, 2009

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

Reports on Wu's town hall by Michael Munk Thu, Aug 13, 2009

AUPHR president did support AIPAC demonstrator by Michael Munk Wed, Aug 12, 2009

I have received more information about AUPHR's role in the Walsh case that corrects at least part of yesterday's message. It turns out that despite Michael Meo's report that AUPHR did not want to support Walsh, its president Peter Miller did attend the trial and spoke in his defense. I have no idea what that says about the organization, but Meo says he was unaware of Miller's support for Walsh when he sent me his report and gave me permission to send it to my "PDX" list. Glad to make the correction. Meo writes: No decision was taken at the meeting; it was a consensus among the people there that Joe Walsh was not what the group wanted to support. Still, when Peter Miller subsequently attended the trial he couldn't help but be there as the representative of the AUPHR, since he's its president. He had presided at the AUPHR meeting, and brought up the question, of the upcoming trial of Joe Walsh. I'd say that the headline mis-represents the event. Joe Walsh got arrested, AUPHR was not supportive, but its president spoke eloquently and effectively in his defense (a fact of which I was unaware when responding to your news, that Joe had won his trial). Joe was isolated, but not abandoned. Peter Miller, the leader of AUPHR, supported him (among others).

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

AUPHR disgraces itself in AIPAC protester case by Michael Munk Wed, Aug 12, 2009

Yesterday Steve Duin wrote about the legal consequences of Oregon AIPAC's illegal arrest of Jim Walsh by rent-a cops of Mittleman Jewish Community Center. Read it at http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/steve_duin/ Michael Meo sends this follow-up reporting that Portland's American United for Palestinian Humanl Rights refused to support Walsh because they believed he was arrested for not obeying the police. In fact the court found the police violated the law. Michael regrets he did not protest at the AUPHR meeting. I was there, at the AIPAC protest, holding the Pacific Green Party banner. I was in the front line of those shoved aside as the police informed us that we no longer could stand on the sidewalk where we had been standing. I considered getting arrested, but I was employed, as a teacher, and the sole support of a family of four, and I chose to move back. When Joe Walsh got arrested, I thought he had stuck his neck out for nothing. He was very calm about it, when later in the day he reported on his processing through the Police Station; he said it was going to be dismissed as unconstitutional. He was right. A couple of weeks later, I was at the meeting of the Americans United for Palestinian Human Rights, when the question came up, whether anyone there wanted to appear at Joe Walsh's trial, in order to express solidarity for someone arrested at a demonstration called for and organized by AUPHR. The consensus in the room was, that by getting arrested for not following the directions of the police, Joe had behaved badly, overstepping the peaceful line and co-operative behavior the organizers wanted to maintain. That's how isolated Joe was, even within the community of protesters; and he alone stood up for our rights. Welch ein Mensch. Michael Meo visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

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

Wu didn't say how he'll vote on singl;e payer by Michael Munk Tue, Aug 11, 2009

Oregon AIPAC's illegal arrest of protester by Michael Munk Tue, Aug 11, 2009

Today, Steve Duin writes about the legal consequences of Oregon AIPAC's illegal arrest of Jim Walsh by rent-a cops of Mittleman Jewish Community Center. Read it at http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/steve_duin/ Better late than never: the Big O ignored the entire protest when it happened back in March. ---------------------------------- Oregonian blacks out AIPAC protestr 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 March 29: Protest Oregon's Likudniks by Michael Munk Thu, Mar 19, 2009 Oregon's Israeli war crimes deniers--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 and 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). visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

Another bamboozle at PGE Park by Michael Munk Thu, Aug 6, 2009

RE: Oregonian front page story today on PGE Park http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2009/08/renovated_pge_park_will_showca.html Portland taxpayers are still holding the bag for a $28.5 million debt (of the original $38.5 million) their political leaders gave to a gang of rich white guys to renovate civic stadium in 2000. Speculators calling themselves "Portland Family Entertainment" bamboozeled Mayor Vera Katz (and her assistant Sam Adams) to do it for their baseball and soccer teams (Beavers and Timbers). The gang was led by Marshall Glickman, Mark Gardiner and Peter Stott (Crown Pacific)and their main speculators Scott Thomason (Thomason Auto Group), Hank Ashforth, (Ashforth Pacific) John Von Schlegell (Endeavour Capital Managing), Roger Krage (Crown Pacific), Golf entrepeneur Peter Jacobsen and Jay Zidell (ZRZ Realty) plus three silent speculators from Chicago. After piling up losses for a few years, the gang reneged on its contract to operate PGE Park for the City and dumped their debts on the taxpyers.. That opened the door to the Paulson family who bought the teams. The Paulsons call themselves "Perregine Sports LLC".and have hired Don Mazziotti,the former executive of the speculator-friendly Portland Development Commission, to front for them. They are also "working" with Turner Construction and Ellerbe Becket on the stadium plans--who, if they get Paulson's contracts, will be tearning down what they built on the taxpayer's dime in 2000. Their chances are good; Portland has even waived its requirement for open bidding. It now turns out that much of that $38.5 million renovation will be removed so Paulason can take his Beavers out of Portland to bolster any subsidized profits for his Timbers. And bamboozled Portland taxpyers will be on the hook for another $11.2 million in high interest municipal bonds on behalf of another gang of rich white speculators. Is this a crazy scanrio or what? Remember, Adams and every commissioner except Fritz are responsible for it. RECALL ADAMS! visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

Town Hall schedules for OR Dems by Michael Munk Wed, Aug 5, 2009

Woody Guthrie Trail in Portland? by Michael Munk Tue, Aug 4, 2009

Rollin' in Woody's shadow Folk singer Woody Guthrie, who spent a month in Lents, could lend his = name to I-205 bike path. By Steve Law,The Portland Tribune, Jul 30, 2009 = http://www.portlandtribune.com/features/story.php?story_id=3D124889622308= 888900 =20 JONATHAN HOUSE / Portland Tribune=20 Nick Sauvie, director of ROSE Community Development, bicycles along the = I-205 bike path. Sauvie is spearheading an effort to name the pathway = after Woody Guthrie.=20 Back in June 1941, Woody Guthrie slung his guitar on his shoulder, = strolled out the front door of his rented house in Portland's Lents = neighborhood, stuck out his thumb and hitchhiked to New York. The 28-year-old folk singer only lived in Lents one month, but created a = musical heritage for the Columbia River and Pacific Northwest that's = arguably second to none. Hired by Bonneville Power Administration to write songs promoting = Columbia River dams and public power, Guthrie penned 26 tunes in 30 = days. For $266.66 pay - $10 a song - Guthrie completed such folk = classics as "Roll on, Columbia," "Pastures of Plenty" and "Grand Coulee = Dam," plus lesser-known tunes such as "Portland Town" and "Talkin' = Columbia Blues." Nick Sauvie, who has long toiled to improve the hardscrabble Lents = community and nearby east Portland neighborhoods, has an idea to honor = Guthrie's local ties and preserve some important history. ROLL ON WOODY Click to hear Woody Guthrie sing "Roll On Columbia." =20 =20 =20 Sauvie is rallying community support to name the foot and bike path = along Interstate 205, which passes through Lents and leads north to the = Columbia River, after the famous onetime resident. "People are interested in building a history of the neighborhood," said = Sauvie, executive director of ROSE Community Development. "East Portland = doesn't have the strong identity and cohesion that a lot of other parts = of Portland have. I just got to thinking about that and said, 'Hey, why = don't we name that the Woody Guthrie Trail?' " Guthrie's brief but productive stint in Lents "is something that's a = source of pride for people that have known about that history," Sauvie = said. After coming up with the idea, Sauvie sent a note to neighborhood = leaders in March to gauge their interest. Lents Neighborhood Association = liked the idea. So did some organized labor leaders and Justin Douglas, = a Portland Development Commission senior project manager spearheading = redevelopment of a Lents parcel alongside the bike path. Peter Yarrow of = the folk group Peter, Paul and Mary also offered to lend his support. Portland City Commissioner Randy Leonard, a blue-collar champion for = east Portland, told Sauvie he liked his idea. But Leonard urged a = go-slow approach, in light of community agitation over the renaming of = 39th Avenue for farmworker leader C=E9sar Ch=E1vez. Sauvie's campaign hasn't progressed much beyond the trial balloon stage, = but he's not yet encountered the type of opposition the Ch=E1vez = initiative provoked. "One obvious difference is people don't have any kind of sentimental = attachment to the I-205 Multi-use Path" name, Sauvie said. "And nobody = has an address on the path." Guthrie also had more of a personal connection to Portland than = Ch=E1vez, though it's not well-known. In 1941, the BPA wanted to build popular support for the then-radical = notion of publicly owned dams and hydro power. The agency concocted a = plan to get a ballad singer to narrate a film and sing songs about = Columbia River dams. Steve Kahn, BPA's acting information division = chief,asked Alan Lomax, a musicologist at the Library of Congress, for = ideas, and Lomax suggested Woody Guthrie. The BPA contacted Guthrie, then unemployed in Los Angeles, about taking = a one-year job for $3,200. He hopped in his Pontiac and drove north to Portland with his wife Mary = and three children. Second thoughts Kahn had second thoughts when Guthrie arrived, worried the bearded = radical wouldn't pass muster with the higher-ups in Washington, D.C., = according to biographer Ed Clay in the book "Ramblin' Man: The Life and = Times of Woody Guthrie." Washington bureaucrats had to approve Guthrie's appointment for a = one-year contract, but Portland BPA staff could hire him for a 30-day = gig on their own. Kahn directed Guthrie to be on good behavior and pick his songs = carefully when he visited with Kahn's politically conservative boss, = Paul Raver, Clay wrote. After a 45-minute audition, Raver hired Guthrie on the spot. Before the = day was done, Guthrie penned one verse for "Roll on, Columbia." Guthrie's family rented a house split into four units on Southeast 92nd = Avenue in Lents, a few blocks south of Foster Road and a couple blocks = from the present-day I-205 bike path. After going to work one day at BPA headquarters in the Lloyd District, = Guthrie told Kahn his Pontiac had been stolen, said Michael O'Rourke, = who produced a radio documentary on Guthrie's stint in Portland. They = later realized, however, that the car had been repossessed - Guthrie was = behind on making car payments. Guthrie didn't need a car to get around, because BPA asked employee = Elmer Buehler to play chauffeur, showing Guthrie the sights from = Portland to the Hood River Valley and out into the Columbia River Gorge. Their first stop, Clay wrote, was a homeless encampment, known as a = Hooverville, in Sullivan's Gulch, five blocks from BPA headquarters and = next to the present-day Banfield Freeway. Guthrie was awed by the scenery and farms he saw while touring the area = with Buehler. "I can't believe it; I'm in paradise," he said. After his one-month stint, Guthrie pined to hit the road, but his wife = wanted to stay in Portland a while, according to Clay. Folk singer Pete = Seeger had invited Guthrie to join a new band called The Almanac = Singers. So Guthrie left his family and headed out on the road. Portland lawyer Gus Solomon picked up the hitchhiker on the edge of town = and drove Guthrie as far as The Dalles, O'Rourke said. Solomon, namesake = of Portland's federal courthouse, later became a prominent federal = judge. Film project delayed The BPA never needed the original film it intended to promote public = power. The war effort was popular, and the dams provided electricity for = Portland shipyards, Northwest aluminum plants, and the Hanford nuclear = complex. But after a 1948 flood leveled Vanport, a hastily assembled town for = wartime production workers, Kahn recast the film, Clay wrote, to = advocate for public power, flood control and land reclamation. In 1953, the heyday of McCarthyism, there was pressure from Washington, = D.C., to destroy the relics of Guthrie's stay here. Buehler, Guthrie's = former driver, was asked to gather the materials and chuck them in the = furnace, said Bill Murlin, a former BPA media specialist.He tossed most = of the material, but secretly saved a master copy of the documentary. When the BPA was planning its 50th anniversary in 1984, Murlin suggested = the agency resurrect the songs that had been lost. "I said, 'Let's use = the Woody Guthrie songs; they were written for us,' " Murlin recalled. He wound up locating many of the lost recordings and lyrics, including = the only known recording of Guthrie singing "Roll on, Columbia." An = album of 17 songs, nine of them recorded in Portland, "Woody Guthrie, = Columbia River Collection," was released on Rounder Records. Naming hurdle Naming the I-205 bike path after Guthrie is up to the Oregon = Transportation Commission. But the state has a high hurdle for naming = transportation features after people, and hasn't done it for a decade, = according to Patrick Cooney, Oregon Department of Transportation = spokesman. There has to be demonstrated statewide support, and the = person must have made a lasting and significant contribution to Oregon, = Cooney told Sauvie. Sauvie reasons that the bike path leads to the river so closely = associated with Guthrie's music. Many argue that Guthrie, inducted into = the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988, had the most creative month of = his songwriting career here. "Portland can claim to be part of the Guthrie legacy," said O'Rourke, an = oral historian who recently produced a video about Guthrie's local stay = for the Pacific Northwest History Conference. "It's a really colorful chapter of Portland's history," O'Rourke said, = "and it really infused his work in a really big way." stevelaw@portlandtribune.com visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

Where to lobby Blumenauer, Schrader and Merkley for 676 in Portland by Michael Munk Tue, Aug 4, 2009

Wed, Aug 5: Obama listening tour in Portland by Michael Munk Mon, Aug 3, 2009

Exposed: The Paulsons bamboozle of Portland taxpayers by Michael Munk Mon, Aug 3, 2009

Only Commissioner Fritz saw through this fraud. Shame on Leonard, Fish and Saltzman and RECALL Adams. The Paulsons' Edifice Complex By Dave Zirin & Jules Boykoff The Nation, August 3, 2009 http://www.thenation.com/doc/20090817/zirin_boykoff For Henry Paulson and his son Merritt, the taxpayers of Portland, Oregon, must look like geese with an infinite supply of golden eggs. .The Paulsons own the Portland Timbers, a second-division soccer club that was recently allocated a much-coveted slot as an expansion team in Major League Soccer (MLS). Merritt, the 36-year-old son of the former treasury secretary, owns 80 percent of the team, while his father owns the other 20 percent. In a story that has had more twists than a David Beckham corner kick, the Paulsons have doggedly pursued public financing to renovate PGE Park, the mass-transit-friendly stadium in the heart of downtown Portland, in order to make it soccer-specific. Initially they demanded $85 million to revamp the stadium and build another one for their other team, the AAA-baseball Portland Beavers. An economic meltdown and grassroots outcry later, the Paulsons have been forced to scale back their stadium-building dreams. Now they intend to relocate the Beavers outside Portland and limit PGE Park renovations to $31 million, with the City of Portland kicking in $11.2 million from its spectator fund, a money pool derived from ticket and parking revenues. It's a stark reversal for the Paulson gang, who claimed repeatedly that public stadium money could be the solution for Portland's economic ills. Unfortunately, they are still playing that tune, and the Portland City Council continues to dance. On July 23 the Portland City Council voted four to one to move forward with the "public-private partnership." Despite Portland's reputation for innovative urban planning, city officials have yet to demonstrate the courage and ingenuity necessary to venture beyond the standard-issue financial model whereby the Paulsons cough up some of their millions and the city uses its bonding power to fund the rest. The junior Paulson recently crowed, "I challenge people to find a better deal out there for the city." As it turns out, numerous alternative funding options exist, as long as Portland is willing to live up to its reputation as a creative city. Call us purveyors of the obvious, but we think one "better deal" for the city would have the Paulsons paying for their own sporty ventures. With Goldman Sachs--Henry Paulson's former firm--making $38 million per day and doling out the heftiest executive bonuses in its 140-year history, it shouldn't be difficult to find investors, especially if Major League Soccer is the money-maker the Paulsons have promised it to be. Perhaps it's time Henry Paulson went out and beat the silver-frosted bushes for some capital. In 2006 he bestowed $100 million to an environmental charity. Why can't he make a much smaller donation to his son? Another option for filling the funding gap is to pursue a better naming-rights agreement. PGE Park is named after Portland General Electric, a Fortune 500 company that had the misfortune of being an Enron subsidiary. In recent times PGE has thrived, raking in $145 million in profits in 2007 alone. Earlier this year CEO Peggy Fowler was handed an $11 million golden parachute upon her departure--coincidentally, almost the exact sum Portland residents are being asked to fork over. PGE secured a decade's worth of http://wweek.com/editorial/3536/12825/">naming rights at a bargain-basement price of $8.5 million, but the deal expires after 2010. If the naming-rights agreements signed recently by other MLS teams are any indication, Portland could get a lot more bang for its corporate buck. In Toronto, the Bank of Montreal paid http://www.denverpost.com/headlines/ci_4619599">$24 million for a ten-year naming-rights deal. The Los Angeles Galaxy scored $70 million over ten years from Home Depot for soccer-stadium naming rights. Real Salt Lake signed a ten-year deal with Rio Tinto for approximately $20 million, while Dick's Sporting Goods agreed to pay the Colorado Rapids $30 million over fifteen years for http://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/article/60140"> stadium naming rights. If PGE were asked to fork over $19.7 million for the next decade of sponsorship--a figure in line with other MLS agreements--there would be no need to finagle the city for money. And using the surplus naming-rights funds to pay for stadium building would help impose a shred of authenticity into what is otherwise a public-relations fleecing festival. The resolution passed by the Portland City Council is riddled with problems. To name only a few of them: . Merritt Paulson has not agreed to pay a fair wage--let alone a living wage--to stadium employees. Rather, the city will "top-up" subpar wages to raise them to fair-wage status. . The agreement relies on zero-coupon bonds, which allow principal and interest payments to be shoved off into the future--2017, in this case. In the world of stadium financing, zero-coupon bonds are the equivalent of subprime mortgages with massive balloon payments, a huge factor in the housing bubble's catastrophic pop. To support public financing for stadium construction using zero-coupon bonds is to advance the same flawed ideas that got us into this economic meltdown in the first place. On top of that, there's no guarantee anyone will want to purchase these taxable bonds, which would bring us back to square one. . The resolution states that the city and the Paulsons "agree to evaluate in good faith opportunities to enhance attendance and fan experience at the MLS Stadium with additional improvements in the future." That sounds more like a threat than a promise, making this $31 million plan sound like phase one of a multiphase project, the gateway drug to a future of addiction to such "public-private partnerships." . The resolution flaunts the falsity that stadium-building will jump-start the Portland economy. Yet there's not a shred of evidence from independent academic sports economists to support this claim. Just because you say something a million times doesn't mean it's true. . The deal hinges on a steady flow of money from the spectator fund. While boosters of the deal argue that fans will pay off the bonds, what happens if this money pool dries up--via a lockout or an economy that continues to sour? Ultimately, the spectator fund is backed by the city's general fund, which is to say it's backed by taxpayers, so the people of Portland would be on the hook, not the Paulsons. Moreover, every penny of bonding power put toward stadium-building is money that could be spent on other programs that benefit a wide range of Portlanders--not just its sports fans--and that actually boost the economy. As the Paulsons pounce on Portland to wrest public funds for their escapades, it's a great time to ask ourselves if this model of "public-private partnership" is the best we can do. The stadium-financing imbroglio in Portland is a test case in the postmeltdown era. Will we see ersatz public-private partnerships continue as before? Or will a new era of equity and vision emerge in which we will cease socializing the costs of business while privatizing the profits? Portland Mayor Sam Adams recently said, "There's a lot more work to be done on this deal, but we are moving forward." The people of Portland should take that as their cue: it's time to get the Paulsons' hands out of our pockets. ---------------------------------------------- Dave Zirin is The Nation's sports editor. He is the author of Welcome to the Terrordome: the Pain Politics and Promise of Sports (Haymarket) and A People's History of Sports in the United States (The New Press). His writing has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Sports Illustrated.com and The Progressive. He is the host of Sirius/XM's Edge of Sports Radio. Jules Boykoff is a former professional soccer player who represented the US Olympic Team in international competition. He is an assistant professor of political science at Pacific University in Foest Grove. visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

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

Army Looking Into Monitoring of Protest Groups Recommend 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 was the only Oregon Dem among the 57 who signed that letter. Will he, Schrader, Wu or DeFazio 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

How Rep. Wu could save the public option by Michael Munk Fri, Jul 31, 2009

Blumenauer only OR rep to demand strong health bill by Michael Munk Thu, Jul 30, 2009

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

Friday July 31: Hawthorne Blvd. March for Single Payer by Michael Munk Thu, Jul 30, 2009

Correction: tonight's opening on SE Stark by Michael Munk Thu, Jul 30, 2009

Thursday July 30: Icky A and others open at Goodfoot Gallery by Michael Munk Wed, Jul 29, 2009

Icky is famous for his pioneering Zine in the 90s, for designing the = cover for the Portland Red Guide and much more. The opening party at Goodfoot, 2845 SW Stark is tomorrow 5-11PM abnd = the show and book, titled The Pack Vol 1, is up until August. The book is $30-$40. Details at 503. 238.9292. Check out WWeek article at http://wweek.com/editorial/3538/12858/ 4. Icky A., Bring the War=20 "I like his interest in using his artistic abilities for social change. = He uses simple, generally flat characters and settings to have a subtle = influence rather than shoving messages down your throat."=20 visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

LA man follows Dr Grossman to Cuba by Michael Munk Sat, Jul 25, 2009

Dr Grossman was also folowed by two OHSU medical students Man trying to challenge Cuba travel ban still free Seattle PI.com July 24, 2009=20 By AMY TAXIN AND WILL WEISSERT ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITERS http://www.seattlepi.com/national/1110ap_us_cuba_travel_violation.html =20 LOS ANGELES -- A U.S. citizen trying to challenge the ban on travel to = Cuba on Friday bemoaned his inability to get arrested or cited - even = after having his passport stamped in Havana and bringing back Cuban = memorabilia. Mytchell Mora, a 39-year-old freelance entertainment news producer, said = he told U.S. customs officials he broke the law after flying through = Costa Rica home to Los Angeles early Friday. Officials punched some information about him into a computer and sent = him home without punishment, Mora said. They didn't even confiscate his = Cuba T-shirt or postcards. "I am just so surprised nothing happened to me," Mora, who lives in West = Hollywood, said in a phone interview. "What can you really do when = you're saying, 'take me to jail or give me a ticket,' and they do = nothing to you?" Jaime Ruiz, a spokesman for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, said = customs officers don't issue citations for violations of the U.S. Cuba = policy, but rather refer cases to the Treasury Department's Office of = Foreign Assets Control. "We'll never deny a U.S. citizen entry," said Ruiz, who wouldn't comment = on the specifics of Mora's case. "If he's in violation of a U.S. law, we = report them to another federal agency." The Office of Foreign Assets Control did not respond to calls and = e-mails seeking comment on Mora's case. Most Americans who travel to Cuba do so on the sly, sneaking in and back = without permission from U.S. authorities. But Mora is trying to make a point, hoping to get arrested or cited = after his fourth trip to Cuba so he could challenge the country's travel = ban, which he says discriminates against anyone who isn't Cuban-American = and punishes Cuba's people, not its government. He traveled to Cuba without permission in 1999 and 2000. About six = months after the second visit, he got a letter from the U.S. Treasury = Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control saying he had to explain = why he went to Cuba, who he stayed with and how much money he spent - = and could face fines or jail time if he failed to respond within 10 = days. He wrote back asking to exercise his Fifth Amendment protection against = self-incrimination and never heard back. Mora returned to Cuba in 2002 and told the Communist Party newspaper = Granma which flight he would take to return to the United States. Upon = arriving in Los Angeles, he was pulled out of line by U.S. authorities = who said they were waiting for him. After answering questions about why he went to Cuba, Mora was released = and his bags were not checked. On Friday morning, Mora said he immediately told U.S. authorities that = he broke the law and should be subject to a secondary inspection and = have his bags checked. Mora said a supervisor was called over and typed = information into a computer, but let him keep his souvenirs and leave = the airport. Mora said he hopes he may still be cited so he can challenge the policy = in U.S. courts. During his eight-day trip to Cuba, Mora spent about $50 in = government-controlled stores on a green and red Che Guevara beret, a = Cuba T-shirt, Cuban flag refrigerator magnets, and postcards featuring a = picture of Fidel Castro shaking hands with author Ernest Hemingway. "They say if you buy these clothes or anything else, it goes to Castro's = hands," Mora said in Havana. "I don't think $30 for a shirt is going to = make or break this guy. The money I spend goes to the people and their = homes, not the government." --- Will Weissert reported from Havana. Ban-Challenging Doc Returns from Cuba Thursday, May 14th, 2009=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? Cuba or Bust For This 94-Year-Old Doc Friday, May 1st, 2009=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. 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.). (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 = 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 =20 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 30-31: Labor events in Portland by Michael Munk Wed, Jul 22, 2009

Sisters and Brothers - Attached is a flyer for the July 30 discussion in Portland with Steve = Early, a long-time organizer with the CWA and an astute analyst of = what'd been happening in the US labor movement. Steve has been a strong = advocate for rank-and-file unionism, and has helped to make that = commitment real in various struggles that he's been involved with = through the CWA Please share this information with others, and join = Steve and other Portland-area labor activists: Meet the author of: Embedded with Organized Labor: Journalistic Reflections on the Class War at Home From Monthly Review Press Thursday, July 30 7:30 P.M.Powells Book Store 3723 SE Hawthorne Boulevard, Portland Sponsored in Portland by: ILWU Local 5,CWA Local 7901, Teamsters Local = 206, and Portland Jobs With Justice--plus Monthly Review, WorkingUSA, = and Labor Notes. Find Out More About: = =EF=BF=BD=EF=BF=BD=EF=BF=BD=EF=BF=BD=EF=BF=BD=EF=BF=BD=EF=BF=BD=EF=BF=BD=EF= =BF=BD Workers and the economic crisis = =EF=BF=BD=EF=BF=BD=EF=BF=BD=EF=BF=BD=EF=BF=BD=EF=BF=BD=EF=BF=BD=EF=BF=BD=EF= =BF=BD The fight for health care and immigration reform = =EF=BF=BD=EF=BF=BD=EF=BF=BD=EF=BF=BD=EF=BF=BD=EF=BF=BD=EF=BF=BD=EF=BF=BD=EF= =BF=BD The fate of =EF=BF=BDEmployee Free Choice=EF=BF=BD = =EF=BF=BD=EF=BF=BD=EF=BF=BD=EF=BF=BD=EF=BF=BD=EF=BF=BD=EF=BF=BD=EF=BF=BD=EF= =BF=BD Current struggles for union democracy and rank-and-file control = =EF=BF=BD=EF=BF=BD=EF=BF=BD=EF=BF=BD=EF=BF=BD=EF=BF=BD=EF=BF=BD=EF=BF=BD=EF= =BF=BD The future of national labor federations like Change to Win and = AFL-CIO Refreshments will be served. For more information, call: 617-930-7327 To order the book online, visit: www.monthlyreview.org = -------------------------------------------------------------------------= -------------------------------------------------------------------------= -------------------------------------------------------------------------= -------------------------------------------------------------------------= ---------------- And the next evening, please join us at a very special fundraising = party=20 =20 Friday, July 31, 2009 5:30-9:00 pm =20 Home of=20 Bill Resnick & Johanna Brenner 1615 SE 35th Place (just south of Hawthorne Blvd) =20 Presentations at 6:00 and 8:00. Many labor activists and supporters = are joining together to help the National Union of Healthcare Workers = organize members and create a democratic, member-led union for the = healthcare industry.=20 . Steve Early will be there, and also briefly talk. The 5017 people = are invited. Find out how you can participate. =20 Light refreshments and great conversation guaranteed. Note also that evening the single payer people will be marching to the = Baghdad Theatre to pack an Ed Schultz taping of a show for Air America; = their goal is to generate a discussion of health care reform and = Medicare for All , on which Schultz has been vacillating. So we extended = the NUHW event to 10 PM or later and plan to repeat the program, but = more briefly, if the folks come over from the Baghdad when that event = ends .=20 visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

OHSU's link to Spokane's torture consultants by Michael Munk Tue, Jul 21, 2009

Thursday: Protest Wyden's delay of healthcare refrom by Michael Munk Mon, Jul 20, 2009

Sen Wyden is one of the reactionary "Gang of Six" who wants to hold up healthcare reform (see *).MoveOn.org will hold a nationally synchronized event at Pioneer Square (just across from Nordstrom) on Thursday July 23rd at 7pm to 7:30pm in support of a strong Health Care Bill with a guaranteed Public Option! Please come, sign our petition that will be delivered to Senator Wyden's office.We are looking to have Tom Hartman from 620AM Radio and KGW Channel 8 TV too, so come on down and show Portland a REAL Public Option Day of Action Pioneer Square - Downtown Portland, SW Broadway Portland, OR 97204 Thursday, July 23th, 6:45 PM Health care reform is at risk in the Senate. Conservative Senate Democrats like Wyden and Nelson have joined Lieberman to escalat their efforts to delay action on health care1-an age-old trick to kill reform. We need to respond quickly to show Wyden that Oregonians stand with President Obama on this: we need real health care reform, and we need it now. So Portlanders are coming together for a R.E.A.L. Public Option Day of Action this Thursday-to make sure Sen. Wyden knows we can't have real reform without a R.E.A.L. public health insurance option-right now. A R.E.A.L. public health insurance option is critical to help lower costs and expand health care coverage across America. To be effective, the public option should meet the following criteria: Right away: Every day we wait on real reform, health care costs continue to rise. A strong public health insurance option right out of the gate is key. Proposals that would delay implementation for years-like the so-called "trigger"-would undermine the public option's potential to help control costs and provide widespread care. Everyone: A strong public health insurance option should be broadly available, and a core piece of an overall reform plan that will help guarantee access to quality health care for everyone in America. Accountable: To ensure it's held to the highest standards, a public health insurance option must be publicly accountable and transparent to Congress and to voters. Large enough to lower costs: In order to truly control costs, a public health insurance option must be available nationwide with a broad network of providers so that it is competitive and able to bargain on a level playing field with private plans. The real public health insurance option is the key to real health care reform and it has overwhelming popular support from the American people. But it will only become a reality if Sen. Wyden hears our voices-and prevents it from being delayed or watered down. * "Gang Of Six Centrist Senators Demands Delay On Health Care Reform."The Huffington Post. July 17, 2009. http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51637&id=16611-8646861-cJo1_6x&t=8 visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

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

July 18-21: Single payer tour in Portland area by Michael Munk Sat, Jul 18, 2009

In case you can't make it at 7:30PM tonight (Saturday, July 18) at SEIU Local 49 Auditorium 3536 SE 26th Ave. Price: donations OR Jobs with Justice is organizing this! Contact Margaret Butler - = margaret(@)jwjpdx.org You can still catch the =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! In McMinnville, Astoria or Vancouver=20 Schedule below 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 =20 Sunday, July 19th, 2009 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 Monday, July 20th, 2009 7:00 PM Astoria =20 Sing Out for Single Payer with Anne Feeney, Jason Luckett, = Bluegrass Dave Wilmoth, Wickline and more! Blue Scorcher Cafe & Bakery 1493 Duane St Price: donations katree@pobox.com or tduncan@pacifier.com for more = information=20 =20 Tuesday, July 21st 7:00 PM Vancouver=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 360-254-8703 Price: donations Cindi Fisher @ cindipacha@gmail.com - Sponsored by Vancouver = Health Care Now! and later that week in Washington (schedule to be sent)=20 =20 =20 =20 visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

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

Tom Potter blasts Sam Adams in recall letter by Michael Munk Thu, Jul 16, 2009

Saturday July 18: Portland Sings Out for Single Payer by Michael Munk Thu, Jul 16, 2009

Radical historian William Appleman Williams and Oregon by Michael Munk Wed, Jul 15, 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=usThat'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

NW Oregon labor Council endorses Single Payer, Teamsters dissent by Michael Munk Sun, Jul 12, 2009

NW Oregon Labor Council the latest union group to back HR 676 Northwest Labor Press, July 3, 2009 http://www.nwlaborpress.org/2009/0703/7-3-09Health.html The largest central labor council in Oregon has endorsed House Resolution 676, the single-payer health care bill introduced by Michigan Congressman John Conyers. Delegates to the Northwest Oregon Labor Council voted June 22 to back the bill. The resolution was brought to the council by affiliates United Food and Commercial Workers Local 555 and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 48. The endorsement wasn't unanimous, as a delegate representing Teamsters Joint Council No 37 voted against it. HR 676 would institute a single- payer health care system by expanding the Medicare system to all U.S. citizens. The system 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. Its sponsors say HR 676 would end deductibles and co-payments, saving hundreds of billions annually by eliminating the high overhead and profits of the private health insurance industry and HMOs. HR 676 has 93 House co-sponsors, in addition to Conyers. Jim McDermott of Seattle is the only congressman from the Pacific Northwest supporting the bill. HR 676 has the backing of 541 union organizations in 49 states, including the Oregon AFL-CIO and Washington State Labor Council. NOLC is the 128th central labor council nationwide to endorse the legislation. Also on board in Oregon are the Southern Oregon Labor Council; Central Oregon Labor Council; and Marion, Polk, and Yamhill Counties Central Labor Council. Nineteen international unions are backing the bill, including United Steelworkers of America; United Auto Workers; National Education Association; International Longshore and Warehouse Union; National Association of Letter Carriers; Machinists; Plumbers and Fitters; American Federation of Musicians; Sheet Metal Workers; Office and Professional Employees; American Federation of Teachers; Service Employees International Union; American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees; California Nurses Association; Communications Workers of America; Utility Workers Union of America; International Federation of Professional and Technical Employees; United Transportation Union; and United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America. For more about the bill, go to: www.unionsforsinglepayer.org -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

Pastors for Peace: Oregon 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 Portland and Oregon. 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 =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 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

July 17: Art & Labor by Michael Munk Sat, Jul 11, 2009

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

Bill Gordon and Pete Seeger by Michael Munk Thu, Jul 9, 2009

From: "Steve Einhorn" Subject: Re: [pdx] Bill Gordon: 1908-2009 I met Bill Gordon in the early 80's. Pete Seeger, a friend of Bill and Helen Gordon, came out to Portland to do a concert as a gift to Helen who was ill at the time. I helped organize the concert at Benson High School, and my band Wild Oats opened the show. The place was packed and the concert was wonderful. When Bill turned 80, I sang some songs at his birthday party at the Community Music Center. Fast Forward several years; Kate and I were back in Woodstock, NY visiting family about 5 summers ago and Pete Seeger just happened to be giving a free morning concert at the Colony Cafe'. We were there and got to chat with Pete and Toshi after the show. When I mentioned that we were from Portland, Oregon, Pete's face lit up and he began talking about Bill and Helen. We slipped him a copy of our latest CD and said our goodbyes. A few weeks later we got the most wonderful letter from Pete telling us how much he loved the CD, and in with the letter was a check from him for more CD's for his friends. He also invited us to come play at one of his little festivals in Beacon on the Hudson. So, for the last two summers we've played at the Corn Festival. This fall we'll play at the Pumpkin Festival. I always make sure to mention Helen and Bill, and Pete always lights up has something nice to say about them. Just thought you'd enjoy this little Bill Gordon memory. Steve Einhorn

Bill Gordon: 1908-2009 by Michael Munk Wed, Jul 8, 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 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

What Portland should be spending on by Michael Munk Sun, Jun 28, 2009

Bill Bigelow recommends the attached fine piece by Dave Ziinn on the = dire consequences of building venues for profit sports with taxpayers = money.Sam Adams, Randy Leonard etc still want to foist this on Portland = because the Paulson billionaire Paulson family declines to risk its own = money. visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

News from the Portland waterfront by Michael Munk Fri, Jun 26, 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.

Economic Town Hall June 30 by Michael Munk Thu, Jun 25, 2009

Single Payer Actions June 24,25 27 by Michael Munk Tue, Jun 23, 2009

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

June 24: Push Wyden toward 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

Why DeFazio voted for the wars by Michael Munk Thu, Jun 18, 2009

Blumenauer, Schroeder and Wu didn't even need any pressure to vote for war. 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

OHSU prof linked to CIA torture by Michael Munk Wed, Jun 17, 2009

Joseph Matarazzo retired from OHSU in June 2007. From 1957 to !996, he = was head of the Department of Medical Psychology and then Professor of = Behavioral Neuroscience until retirement to emeritus status. A former = APA president, both he and his wife, Dr Ruth Matarazzo, received = Presidential Citation at the 2007 convention of the American = Psychological Association. He was a member of the Spokane torture = consulting firm Mitchell Jensen's board and a CIA professional standards = board.=20 From Jane Mayer's interview with CIA director Panetta = http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/06/22/090622fa_fact_mayer?current= Page=3Dall "In April, Panetta fired all the C.I.A.'s contract interrogators, = including the former military psychologists who appear to have designed = the most brutal interrogation techniques: James Mitchell and Bruce = Jessen. The two men, who ran a consulting company, Mitchell, Jessen & = Associates, had recommended that interrogators apply to detainees = theories of "learned helplessness" that were based on experiments with = abused dogs. The firm's principals reportedly billed the agency a = thousand dollars a day for their services. "We saved some money in the = deal, too!" Panetta said. (Remarkably, a month after Obama took office = the C.I.A. had signed a fresh contract with the firm.)=20 According to ProPublica, the investigative reporting group, Mitchell and = Jessen's firm, which in 2007 had a hundred and twenty people on its = staff, recently closed its offices, in Spokane, Washington. One employee = was Deuce Martinez, a former C.I.A. interrogator in the black-site = program; Joseph Matarazzo, a former president of the American = Psychological Association, was on the company's board. (According to = Kirk Hubbard, the former head of the C.I.A.'s research and analysis = division, Matarazzo served on an agency professional-standards board = during the time the interrogation program was set up, but was not = consulted about the interrogations.)=20 Lawsuits against abusive contractors remain a possibility, and any one = of them could expose a line of authorizations leading directly up the = chain of command at the C.I.A., and into the Bush White House. George = Brent Mickum IV, a lawyer representing Abu Zubaydah, a C.I.A. prisoner = who was repeatedly waterboarded, said, "I'd like to sue Mitchell and = Jessen in a minute." (Mitchell was an adviser on Zubaydah's = interrogation.) After Zubaydah was waterboarded, his lawyers say, his = mental state deteriorated, and he has since been prescribed the = antipsychotic drug Haldol.=20 visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

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

Date correction on WPA bike tour - June 28th! by Michael Munk Tue, Jun 16, 2009

Sign up for WPA bike tour, July 28! by Michael Munk Tue, Jun 16, 2009

From: Marc Moscato=20 Good hello, On Sunday, June 28, the Dill Pickle Society, a newly-formed experimental = education/ cultural center, warmly invites you to "ART FOR THE MILLIONS: = THE ENDURING LEGACY OF THE WPA," a leisurely bicycle tour of Works = Progress Administration (WPA) projects in Portland. The ride will make = several stops along the way to hear from leading scholars and examine = the WPA=92s relevance to contemporary society. From 1935-1943, the WPA put more than 8 million people across the United = States back to work, many in Western states, including Oregon. While = many are familiar with Timberline Lodge, the WPA also helped create and = improve Portland city parks, public school buildings and a variety of = other public projects.=20 Among the tour stops are Paul Grellert=92s mural at the Morrisson Street = post office, the Portland Art Museum, Woody Guthrie Circle, Skidmore = Fountain (where David Milholland will talk about C.E.S. Wood and the = history of public art in Portland) and Abernathy School (where Friends = of Arts in the Schools will show us their efforts to restore a WPA = mural). The ride will also stop for lunch (provided) at Westmoreland = Park (itself a WPA project), where attendees will participate in a = discussion on the feasibility of implementing a federally-funded arts = program today.=20 Registration is required to attend and space is limited to the first 40 = participants. A $10 donation goes towards lunch, admissions, a =93merit = badge=94 and supplemental materials. To RSVP, e-mail: = yes@dillpickleclub.com. For more info, check out the attached poster (feel free to forward on to = friends, colleagues, neighbors etc) or visit us online at: = www.dillpickleclub.com. See you there, - Marc --=20 marc moscato www.marcmoscato.com tough stuff from the buff:=20 experimental & activist video from the fringes of buffalo, ny bike film tour 2009: july 17- aug 2 http://tuffstuffbuff.wordpress.com/ dill pickle club experimental education/ cultural center portland, ore. http://dillpickleclub.com/ 5216 se salmon st portland, or 97215 p: 503.235.2159 ------------------------------------------------- visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

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

News from Unions for Single Payer http://unionsforsinglepayerhr676.org/ Since May 20, the following Representatives have signed on to single payer HR 676: Rep Norton, Eleanor Holmes [DC] - 5/20/2009 Rep Lofgren, Zoe [CA-16] - 5/20/2009 Rep Fudge, Marcia L. [OH-11] - 6/2/2009 Rep Serrano, Jose E. [NY-16] - 6/9/2009 Rep Hare, Phil [IL-17] - 6/11/2009 Rep Holt, Rush D. [NJ-12] - 6/12/2009 Rep Markey, Edward J. [MA-7] - 6/12/2009 That brings the total including Conyers, to 83. The full list is here: http://unionsforsinglepayer.org/ Click on 111th Congress. However, it is a scandal that the only one from Oregon or Washington is Jim McDermott (D-WA) Congressman Conyers was able to get the first official single payer congressional hearing in decades. It took place in a House subcommittee on June 10, 2009. The witnesses included Congressman Conyers, Chair of the Judiciary Committee and chief sponsor of HR 676; Marcia Angell MD, former Editor of the New England Journal of Medicine; Walter Tsou MD, National Board Advisor of PNHP; and Geri Jenkins, Co-President of the CNA/NNOC, plus David Gratzer of The Manhattan Institute who testified against single payer. Don't miss the questioning by Representatives Phil Hare and Dennis Kucinich. CSPAN video with transcript: http://www.c-spanarchives.org/library/includes/templates/library/flash_popup.php?pID=286942-1&clipStart=&clipStop= Conyers at 7:50 Jenkins at 22:37 Tsou at 29:15 Angell at 40:24 Hare at 1:11:16 Kucinich at 1:19:32 Congressman Conyers is requesting that there be single payer hearings in every House committee with jurisdiction over health care prior to deciding on health care reform so that the most popular plan can be fully heard and considered. You can call or fax Committee Chairmen Rangel and Waxman to urge them to hold hearings on single payer health care. If your congressperson is on either committee, you can encourage him or her to speak to the Chairmen in favor of single payer hearings. Rep. Charles Rangel, Chair of Ways and Means, Ph: (202) 225-3625; Fax: (202) 225-2610 Ways and Means Members here: http://waysandmeans.house.gov/members.asp?cong=19 Rep. Henry Waxman, Chair of Energy and Commerce (202) 225-2927 Energy and Commerce Members here: http://energycommerce.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=160&Itemid=61 visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

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: Why do Wyden, Merkley, Blumenauer, DeFazio, Wu and Schroder all oppose it? !. 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 =20 =20 a.. Home b.. About Us=20 a.. Our History c.. Issues d.. News e.. Resources f.. Calendar of Events g.. Contact Us =20 visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

June 28: Portland WPA Field Trip by Michael Munk Fri, Jun 5, 2009

upcoming event(s) FIELD TRIP #1! ART FOR THE MILLIONS: THE ENDURING LEGACY OF THE WPA=20 Sunday, June 28, 12-4 PM Meeting location TBA During the height of the Great Depression, the Works Progress = Administraion (WPA) provided economic relief to to millions of idle = workers by employing them in the creation of public works projects and = arts education programs. Although highly controversial in its time for = its leftist political leanings, the WPA is cited as a major factor for = the re-stabilization of the American economy leading up to WWII. Join = the Dill Pickle Society for our grand opening event, Art for the = Millions: The Enduring Legacy of the WPA, as we take a bicycle field = trip/ tour of WPA-sponsored projects in Portland and hear from leading = authorities on the subject. What is the WPA's relevance to contemporary society, especially to a = city known for its young professionals and "creative class"? What would = Portland look like if it spent its public funding on employing idle = creatives for public works projects, over other budgetary expenditures = such as Major Leagure Soccer? How can we learn from the past in creating = a more cooperative and less individualistic arts community? Above (left to right):=20 Adrian Voisin's bronze sculpture commemorating Lewis & Clark (Jefferson = High), abandoned WPA restroom in Forest Park, Joseph Stella's Factories = at Night (Portland Art Museum). Visit and learn about WPA public works such as the Paul Grellert's mural = at the Morrisson Street post office, East Moreland Golf Course, works at = the Portland Art Museum and a spooky abandoned shack in Forest Park. = Along the way the ride will stop at for lunch at East Moreland Park = (itself a WPA project), where Matthew Stadler will lead participants in = a discussion and interactive activity on the feasibility of implementing = a federally-funded WPA arts program today. Space is limited to the first 50 attendees. A $10 donation gets you = lunch, a "merit badge" and accompanying materials. RSVP to: = yes@dillpickleclub.com. Discussion and findings will be documented and = published in a print publication and online. visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

Today, Friday :Demo for single payer by Michael Munk Fri, Jun 5, 2009

Anyone get tickets for Friday health forum? by Michael Munk Thu, Jun 4, 2009

SIngle Payer Action is hoping that some courageous individuals who were able to get tickets to the Dean/Blumenauer Health Care Town Hall will come forward and contact pmkauffman@gmail.com to discuss possible actions that can take place at the Town Hall. We will be there rallying for Single Payer and need to be represented inside. Thanks, Philip Kauffman visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

Deatils on Blumenauer/Dean event Friday by Michael Munk Thu, Jun 4, 2009

June 7: March for Oregon Economic Justice by Michael Munk Wed, Jun 3, 2009

Friday action for Single Payer by Michael Munk Wed, Jun 3, 2009

Obama's Portland area health care house parties June 6-13 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 shout down Wyden too 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 visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

Lottery for Blumenauer health form by Michael Munk Thu, May 28, 2009

Blumenauer's office has announced the number of people signing up for his PCC-Cascade event exceeds the space available, so he's holding=20 a lottery from among the signers-up on June 3. Overflow space will be = available and all can submit questions at this site. =20 visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

Dying for Healthcare at Blumenauer's Office by Michael Munk Thu, May 28, 2009

Note: Blumenauer's event with Dean at PCC Casacde is correctly dated June 5 as below; I earlier sent out June 6 by mistake. Mike From: "Philip Kauffman" May 27, 2009 www.singlepayeraction.org Mass Single Payer Action at Blumenauer’s Office About 75 to 100 single payer activists surrounded Congressman Earl Blumenauer’s Portland office this afternoon. The activists insisted that the Congressman from Oregon’s third district join 77 of his colleagues in the House and sign on to HR 676 – single payer legislation in the House of Representatives. The protest was organized by Single Payer Action and included doctors, nurses and activists from Physicians for a National Health Program, Portland Jobs With Justice Healthcare Committee, and local unions. Twenty of the protesters entered the Congressman’s office, delivering a letter signed by over sixty citizens asking again that he co- sponsor HR 676. The twenty activists then laid inert in his office for twenty-two minutes – in memory of the 22,000 who, according to the Institute of Medicine, die every year due to lack of health insurance. See video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eInXh87dfEA Those who couldn’t fit in the Congressman’s office were strewn across the hall outside and scattered on the sidewalks in front of his office. Portland police were present, but the protesters were allowed the entire twenty-two minutes of the “die-in” without anyone being asked to move. The event ended peacefully with a call to those present to mobilize for a town hall meeting on healthcare to be held by Congressman Blumenauer and Howard Dean on June 5 at 3:00PM at Portland Community College’s Cascade Campus. “Sixty Americans die every day due to lack of health insurance,” said Single Payer Action’s Philip Kauffman. “Sooner or later, we will get single payer in this country. To save lives, it’s better that we have it sooner rather than later. Congressman Blumenauer needs to get with the single payer program and put the lives of innocent Americans above profits for the health insurance industry.”

June 6: Blumenauer/Dean Portland Health Care Meeting by Michael Munk Thu, May 28, 2009

If you want to attend and submit a question for single payer-- which = Blumenauer and Dean do NOT support, you must sign up at this website Health Care: It's About Choice=20 http://www.earlblumenauer.com/media/health_care_signup.html Please fill out the form below to request tickets to the Health Care = Town Hall with Congressman Earl Blumenauer and Governor Howard Dean.=20 Health Care Town Hall with Congressman Earl Blumenauer and special guest = Howard Dean Portland Community College, Cascade Campus, Moriarty Auditorium June 5, 2009 3:30 p.m.-5 p.m. * first name =20 * last name =20 * email =20 * postal code =20 =20 Please keep in mind that due to overwhelming interest, filling out the = request form does not guarantee you will receive tickets. Should you be = unable to secure tickets, we will be hosting an overflow room adjacent = to the event, where you can still participate.=20 The health care system in the United States is reaching a crisis point. = While the effects of the deepest recession in decades magnify the = weaknesses in our system, this is not a recent problem. A disaster years = in the making, we must address a health care system in need of major = reform in order to provide Americans with safer, healthier, and more = economically secure communities. Please join Congressman Earl Blumenauer and special guest Gov. Howard = Dean, M.D. at a Town Hall Meeting on the topic of Health Care Reform = from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. on June 5, 2009 at the Moriarty Auditorium on = the Portland Community College Cascade Campus. Space is limited, so send = in your request now. To read more about health care reform, click here. Ask a Question This form needs Javascript to display, which your browser doesn't = support. Sign up here instead=20 Have a question for Congressman Blumenauer and Governor Dean? Ask it = here! =20 =20 first name=20 last name=20 * email=20 * questions/comments=20 Mobile Number=20 * required =20

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

Sunday: protest Wyden on health care in Forest Grove by Michael Munk Sat, May 23, 2009

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?npcBy MATTHEW DALY, Associated Press WriterWASHINGTON (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

$100 off your next legal visit to Cuba by Michael Munk Fri, May 22, 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

Why should Portland subsidize land sopeculators? by Michael Munk Wed, May 20, 2009

If you haven't read The Oregonian's front page story Wednesday, "Portland Development Commission delays projects" go to http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2009/05/post_7.html and then consider: What's wrong with this story? It says Joe Weston is "one of Portland's wealthiest developers," having "made his millions building low-rent apartments in east Portland in the 1960s and 1970s and bankrolled much of the Pearl District's growth." So why did he ask for (and get) the Portland Development Commission's permission to delay building a 31-story condo on a vacant lot near the Convention Center? Because, reading between the lines of the less-than-clear Oregonian story, the PDC owns that vcant lot and made a deal to sell it to Weston on the cheap so he could add even more to his wealth by selling those condos. And why did the PDC agree to subsidize a project for one of Portland wealthiest land speculators and then allow him to reneg on his agreement to build it?. It turns out the PDC has a bizarre program to subsidize Weston and his like that: is intended to bribe land speculators with the taxpayers' money to build projects that they wouldn't risk their own money on. And Mr. Weston asks for its sympathy, pleading that the current condo market is so bad his Pearl District Encore has sold fewer than 10 of its 170 units. So he needs even more help. And in return fior the PDC's understanding, he even offered to plant a victory garden in that vacant lot.. Well, brothers and sisters, that's just one of the sad stories in our town today. Llike the offered corporate welfare to the billionaire Paulson family for its professional sports teams and to other speculators for a convention center hotel-- even though the PDC also had to allow The Nines luxury hotel to delay paying back the money it lent it. My question is: if Portland can't find speculators to build projects it considers benefit the public on their own dime, why not build them itself? It doesn't ask speculators to own public housing, schools, roads and other necessary structures. It hires architects and construction workers and then operates them for the public benefit. If it really think the public needs more condos, why not build them itself and profit from their sales.? visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

Know Your Rights tommorow May 21 by Michael Munk Wed, May 20, 2009

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

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.

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

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. The current tax is the same (9%) on all earning $10,000 +/yr Proposal would add a long-needed 11% bracket for the richest (over $250,000). Today's story on the proposed reform of the state's unprogressive income tax, notes that while it has significant support from House Dems, 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

Calling the shots in Washington County by Michael Munk Fri, May 15, 2009

The article that this responds to is at http://www.oregonlive.com/washingtoncounty/index.ssf/2009/05/washington_county_quickly_chan.html To the editor, The Oregonian Congratulations to the Oregonian reporters for smoking out the fake growth estimates Washington County officials blatantly used to inflate the profits of their land speculators.("Washington County quickly changes flawed population growth analysis", May 13). Still to be decided by the county's voters is whether planners such as Brent Curtis and Steve Kelley are simply incompetent or whether they were following instructions from corrupt County Commissioners to cook the books. The real culprit is the discredited "growth" mantra of some suburbs, peddled by elected officials obliged to speculators for campaign funds. That's why "two dozen elected officials and planners," including Commission Chair Tom Brian and mayors Lou Ogden (Tualatin) and Jerry Willey (Hillsboro) claim not to have noticed the 125 absurd estimates on which they argued for expansion of Metro's Urban Growth Boundary. Most outrageous is that even after being caught out, the perps continue to demand more "growth." This scandal provides further evidence that those who stand to profit from those fake numbers are still calling the shots in Washington County. Michael Munk 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

Thelma Johnson Streat's Art on Alberta by Michael Munk Wed, May 13, 2009

For more info on Streat, go to = http://www.artonalberta.org/ArtHop09TJStreatBioFinal.pdf and see p. 104 = of my Portland Red Guide. Streat attended the Portland Museum Art School = on a scholarship from Paul Robeson. Onda Gallery 2215 NE Alberta Street Portland, OR 97211 503.493.1909 http://www.ondagallery.com Dear friends,=20 Come to the Art Hop this Saturday to kick off summer on Alberta Street! = In our tenth year of Art Hop, we are planning a bigger event than ever, = with our featured artist Thelma Johnson Streat (1911-1959). Streat was = an artist, dancer, performer and educator who pioneered a multicultural = understanding with a focus toward youth. This Portland resident went on = to international acclaim, working on murals with Diego Rivera and danced = for the Queen of England. She was the first African American woman to = have her artwork displayed at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Art = on Alberta is presenting 50 original works in five venues on Alberta - = the largest show ever mounted of this artist featuring works from the = family's private collection.=20 Art Hop is a family-friendly, all day event. This year we are shutting = the street down from NE 12th Ave through 30th Avenues to make way for = over 150 vendor booths, a parade, street performers, and several music = stages. Zipcar is providing shuttle vans to bring people to and from the = city buses, since their normal routes are slightly altered for the = street closure.=20 See you soon, Allan and Pablo

NARAL's Pro-Choice Oregon Online Auction Open by Michael Munk Wed, May 13, 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

Obama supports for-profit health insurance companies by Michael Munk Thu, May 7, 2009

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

Wu defies 24 Oregon unions on single payer by Michael Munk Tue, May 5, 2009

The 24 Oregon labor organizations now endorsing HR 676: Oregon AFL-CIO, 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, IBEW, Portland Amalgamated Transit Union Local 757, Portland Carpenters Local 247, Portland United Steelworkers Local 8378, McMinnville Local 290, United Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters, Portland Oregon AFSCME Council 75, Salem Local 5 International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU), Portland Oregon Area District Council, ILWU, Portland Local 483, Laborers International Union of North America LIUNA, Portland Southern Oregon Area Local, American Postal Workers Union (APWU), Medford Local 7901, Communications Workers of America CWA, Portland AFSCME Local 3214, Eugene Branch 82, National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) Portland Portland State University Faculty Association, AFT Local 3571, Portland The Active Ballot Club, Political Arm of Local 555, UFCW, Tigard Local Unions attending the Regional Council of United Steelworkers (USW) in Oregon, Washington and other states Portland Community College Faculty Federation, AFT Local 2277, Portland . Oregon Congressman David Wu doesn't foresee a single-payer health care system in the United States. NorthWest Labor Press, May 1, 2009 http://www.nwlaborpress.org/2009/0501/5-1-09Wu.html The Obama Administration has put reforming the nation's health care system front and center in its strategy to revive the struggling economy. But Wu, a Democrat representing the First District, told nearly 60 union leaders at a breakfast meeting April 15 sponsored by the Northwest Oregon Labor Council that Obama is likely to retain the current employer-based system. Wu said 150 million to 190 million Americans are currently covered under an employer-based system. "Most people like it and they want to keep it," he said. "To doom any type of reform is to say you are taking that away." A majority of unions support a single-payer health care plan as proposed by U.S. Rep. John Conyers of Michigan. HR 676 would institute a single-payer health care system by expanding and making improvements to Medicare. As for labor's top legislation - the Employee Free Choice Act - Wu said there is still work to be done to get it through the Senate. Until then, it won't come up for a vote in the House, where it has strong majority support. Wu is an original co-sponsor of the Employee Free Choice Act. On trade, the six-term congressman said it's time to "re-think what we do" in regard to trade treaties. "Working folks have suffered a lot" under free trade agreements that have been signed over the last 10 to 15 years, he said. "Shareholders and investors are the winners." Wu supports an amendment to the TRADE Act, a bill that was introduced last year by U.S. Rep. Michael Michaud of Maine. HR 6180 did not come up for a vote in the 110th Congress, and has yet to be reintroduced this year. Wu has been working with Michaud to incorporate new language into the bill before submitting it. Overall, the TRADE Act would require the Government Accountability Office to review all existing U.S. trade pacts, and based on the review, would allow the renegotiation of those deals. The bill would also set the terms for future trade agreements, including labor, environmental, and human rights standards. During a question and answer period, Wu reiterated his opposition to a labor-backed liquefied natural gas plant near Astoria unless the community supports it and until it is proven to be safe. visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

May 9: Challenge Blumenauer on single payer by Michael Munk Mon, May 4, 2009

Canvass for Single Payer Health Care Saturday, May 9th, 12:30 - 3:30 pm Jobs with Justice office at 6025 E. Burnside HR 676, a bill for comprehensive health care for all Americans, has now been endorsed by 24 Oregon unions and other labor groups. We plan to canvass in Representative Blumenauer's district to build support for a single payer plan. We are building a movement for real reform of our broken system. For more information and to RSVP, call Jobs With Justice 503 236 5573 The 24 Oregon labor organizations now endorsing HR 676: Oregon AFL-CIO, 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, IBEW, Portland Amalgamated Transit Union Local 757, Portland Carpenters Local 247, Portland United Steelworkers Local 8378, McMinnville Local 290, United Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters, Portland Oregon AFSCME Council 75, Salem Local 5 International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU), Portland Oregon Area District Council, ILWU, Portland Local 483, Laborers International Union of North America LIUNA, Portland Southern Oregon Area Local, American Postal Workers Union (APWU), Medford Local 7901, Communications Workers of America CWA, Portland AFSCME Local 3214, Eugene Branch 82, National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) Portland Portland State University Faculty Association, AFT Local 3571, Portland The Active Ballot Club, Political Arm of Local 555, UFCW, Tigard Local Unions attending the Regional Council of United Steelworkers (USW) in Oregon, Washington and other states Portland Community College Faculty Federation, AFT Local 2277, Portland . Southern Oregon Jobs with Justice, Ashland Portland Jobs with Justice, Portland 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

Giving birth on Mother's Day: An invite to our 1st meeting in 77 years by Michael Munk Sun, May 3, 2009

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

-Single Payer Event Sun., May 3rd by Michael Munk Thu, Apr 30, 2009

This film is was made by the same man whose film on US health care was heavily edited recently by PBS to give the for-profit health insurance industry a propaganda platform. The filmmaker diowned it United Nations Association Single Payer Event VIA msbeech@easystreet.net> Sunday, May 3rd 3:15PM-5:30PM First United Methodist Church Collins Hall 1838 SW Jefferson St Portland, OR 97201 FREE THE TWO WORLDS OF HEALTH CARE: How we can fix ours by learning from other U.N. member nations? The United Nations Association of the USA, Oregon Division will screen the Frontline film, “Sick Around the World,” which shows the health care systems of other industrialized countries. A discussion of our health care crisis, and proposed solutions will follow. Health professionals will discuss our current problems and available solutions, answer questions, and engage audience members in working together to build grassroots support. Information tables by Single-Payer supporters -- Jobs with Justice, Physicians for a National Health Plan.

Starts May Day: Oregon Film Festival at Marylhurst U. by Michael Munk Thu, Apr 30, 2009

A really neat collection of films by Oregonians or made in or about Oregon. Check it out at http://www.mufilmfest.com/ visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

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

How Oregon's reps are sabotaging health care reform by Michael Munk Fri, Apr 24, 2009

May Day in Portland! by Michael Munk Thu, Apr 23, 2009

MayDay!=20 A celebration of workers' rights. We have economic issues on the table, and this is a critical forum. Things to bring: Yourself, your friends and family, your organization or union, posters, puppets, music, banners, information, and inspiration. For more information: email MayDayOutreach@gmail.com or call 503-236-5573. Mayday!=20 PDX May Day: Friday May 1st 2009 South Park Blocks,downtown Portland 1:00 PM - Posters and Party 4:00 PM - Rally (speakers and entertainment) 5:00 PM - MARCH!Help us get the word out Color Flyer1 -download, print out,and hit the streets and your favorite cafes! ColorFlyer2, Colorflyer3 ! To download a handbill click here. or visit http://www.thewordsmithcollection.org/

Another OR rep against single payer by Michael Munk Wed, Apr 22, 2009

Big O 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

Portland IBEW joins unions for HR 676 by Michael Munk Tue, Apr 21, 2009

Hope they let Blumenauer know they disagee with him. Portland IBEW Local Endorses HR 676 Portland, Oregon. The 4,000 member IBEW Local 48 has voted to endorse HR 676, single payer healthcare legislation introduced by Congressman John Conyers (D-MI). Dana Welty, Oregon Nurses Association, and Tom Leedham, IBT Local 206, made a joint presentation on HR 676 to the February membership meeting but the endorsement of HR 676 was tabled until the next meeting so that members could familiarize themselves more on the issue, reports Ray Kenny, a member of IBEW Local 48. Kenny led a group of activists in the local who then worked the phones, leafleted the bigger job sites and distributed single payer buttons. Their work paid off with the overwhelming endorsement of HR 676 at the following membership meeting. Kenny said: "Our members were outraged that Senator Wyden's plan would not only keep insurance companies in the mix, but would actually tax the value of the negotiated coverage we have now." #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 509 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 04/21/09

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

Retired OHSU prof had links to torture enablers by Michael Munk Mon, Apr 20, 2009

I don't know whether Dr Matarazzo is still on the board of the Spokane pyschology company (or even if he;'s stuill alive) but I was not aware that this 2007 news was ever reported in Portland. The recent release of the torture memos should focus attention on the docvtos and pychologists who participated in torture. The second article is about four months old. Expert has stake in cryptic local firm Consultants tied to CIA interrogations Bill Morlin, Spokane Statesman-Review August 12, 2007 http://www.spokesmanreview.com/tools/story_pf.asp?ID=204358 The former president of the American Psychological Association is a partner in a Spokane-based firm linked to the CIA's reported use of harsh interrogation techniques on suspected terrorists at secret detention centers around the world. Joseph Dominic Matarazzo, an 81-year-old former psychology professor at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, said in a statement Friday that he serves on the board of Mitchell Jessen & Associates and owns 1 percent of the firm. According to public records, Matarazzo is one of five "governing people" in the Mitchell Jessen firm, which does secret interrogation consulting work for the CIA. Matarazzo refused repeated interview requests but said in an e-mailed statement that he "is not and never has been involved in the company's operational decisions," and that he only "attends brief and infrequent company meetings." Matarazzo added in the e-mailed statement: "I have never been involved in the use either of torture or the legal or illegal interrogation of prisoners or anyone else. And I would strongly advise against it. I also have no knowledge of anyone who has been involved in such torture or interrogation." The statement was relayed by a spokesman at the Portland medical school where Matarazzo taught behavioral neuroscience for 50 years before his retirement in June. The nationally renowned psychologist helped establish the University of Oregon's Department of Medical Psychology before the school evolved and was renamed. The program became Oregon Health & Science University's Department of Behavioral Neuroscience. "He is very well respected at OHSU and among his peers in the area of neuro-behavioral science," said university spokesman Jonathan Modie. The ethics surrounding the issue of psychologists involved in torture interrogations will be a prime topic of debate next weekend when the 90,000-member American Psychological Association that Matarazzo once headed holds its national conference in San Francisco. Matarazzo isn't expected to attend, nor are the two psychologist-managers of the Spokane firm, James E. Mitchell and John Bruce Jessen. "This news of our former APA president being closely tied with the notorious Mitchell and Jessen group is shocking and distressing," said Brad Olson, chairman of the APA Divisions for Social Justice. "This leads to, more than anything else, many, many more questions," said Olson, a Northwestern University psychology research professor who will be at the forefront of the conference debate. APA President Sharon Brehm and Stephen Behnke, the director of APA's Ethics Directorate, both declined comment last week when asked about Matarazzo's ties to the private psychology firm working for the CIA. "Dr. Matarazzo was president of APA 18 years ago," Rhea Farberman, the organization's director of public affairs, said in a prepared statement. "Since that time, he has had no active role in APA governance but has been actively involved in the American Psychological Foundation (APF), the charitable giving arm of APA. Dr. Matarazzo currently holds no governance positions in either APA or APF," the statement said. Matarazzo's "professional activities are outside and independent of any role he has played within APA and APF," the statement said. "We have no direct knowledge about the business dealing of Mitchell's and Jessen's company; however, APA's position is clear - torture or other forms of cruel or inhuman treatment are always unethical." Matarazzo, in his e-mailed statement, said, "I firmly subscribe to and abide by the APA Code of Ethics that torture or other forms of cruel and inhumane treatment are unethical." James Mitchell and John Bruce Jessen, who once claimed APA ties, are both former Department of Defense psychologists who taught and monitored SERE training - survival, evasion, resistance and escape - for military and other government personnel at Fairchild Air Force Base. According to various published reports, Mitchell Jessen & Associates specializes in "reverse engineering" of SERE techniques such as sleep and sensory deprivation, starvation and simulated drowning. The techniques are reportedly used on detainees in Guantanamo Bay, Iraq, Afghanistan and other "black sites," or secret prisons. The Senate Armed Services Committee is expected to hold hearings this fall into whether the techniques violate anti-torture provisions of the Geneva Conventions. Mitchell Jessen has business offices in Alexandria, Va., and in the American Legion Building in downtown Spokane where work goes on behind key-carded security doors monitored by video cameras. The top floor of the building is off-limits to the public and reportedly is used by Mitchell Jessen and three affiliated businesses. It's not known how Mitchell Jessen established its business relationship with Matarazzo. Mitchell and Jessen have refused interview requests but haven't denied their company's contract work for the CIA, which they likely would be prohibited from discussing. Through a spokeswoman, Mitchell, who now lives in Florida, and Jessen, who lives in Spokane, say they are proud of their work for the U.S. government and deny any connection to torture interrogations. They formed their consulting business in 2005. Although they didn't register their limited liability corporation as required with the Washington secretary of state's office, they did file necessary documents with the state Department of Licensing and the Department of Revenue. Those documents list the "governing people" of the company as Mitchell, Jessen, Matarazzo, David M. Ayres, Randall W. Spivey and Roger L. Aldrich. Spivey, who lives in Spokane, has declined comment on his work with Mitchell Jessen. Ayres, who lives in Alexandria, Va., and Aldrich, who lists a Spokane Valley address, couldn't be reached for comment. Matarazzo's link to Mitchell Jessen will come as a surprise to his fellow APA members, said Olson, of the organization's Divisions for Social Justice. The University of Pittsburgh's Department of Psychology has a scholarship named after Matarazzo, who attended Brown University before getting his master's and doctoral degrees from Northwestern University. Matarazzo was an assistant professor of medical psychology at Washington University in St. Louis and was a research associate in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School before moving to Oregon. Olson said a recent Vanity Fair article portrayed Mitchell Jessen as amateurs lacking APA credentials, who weren't perceived as scientists possessing data. But the Vanity Fair report and other published accounts, Olson said, "suggest that SERE connections to interrogations were all about science, or at least some form of it." 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

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

Judge questions state secrets defense in Oregon case by Michael Munk Mon, Apr 20, 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

Blumenauer against single payer. Pass it on. by Michael Munk Sun, Apr 19, 2009

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

Should lefties join the Adams recall? by Michael Munk Fri, Apr 17, 2009

From today's (Friday) Oregonian: Recall-worthy effort When the recall movement against Mayor Sam Adams began based solely on his lies about a personal matter, I dismissed the effort as probably led by conservative, homophobic interests. I intended to vote against it. But now that the mayor has staked his political future on an outrageous offering of taxpayer welfare to the billionaire Paulson family's private corporate interests and inexplicably extended the city's support to the Clark County private car lobby's toll-free, 12-lane bridge to tax-free shopping, I am reconsidering my opposition to the recall. If opponents of all the mayor's misguided boondoggles become the unlikely bedfellows of the recall movement, he might see the political wisdom of changing his mind. MICHAEL MUNK Southwest Portland I also included the mayor's push for public money to subsidize a private Convention Center hotel. Tom "Pink Martini" Lauderdale,an early Adams supporter, now supports the recall in view of the mayor's policies. He told the Tribune,"The mayor has lost it." visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

April 16: Blumenauer healthcare forum in Portland by Michael Munk Tue, Apr 14, 2009

April 16: Blumenauer's fiscal forum at Reed by Michael Munk Sun, Apr 12, 2009

He says: "I hope you’ll join me and a few expert panelists for a community conversation about federal fiscal fitness and the values that should guide fiscal policy. Thursday, April 16th 2:30 to 3:30 pm Reed College, Eliot Hall Chapel RSVP: to Sarah Masterson at sarah.masterson@mail.house.gov or 503-236-7702 Office of Congressman Earl Blumenauer 729 NE Oregon Street, #115 Portland, Oregon 97232 PH: 503-231-2004 FAX: 503-230-5413 visir my website www.michaelmunk.com

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. But 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

April 17: George Mann's Portland concert for Vets by Michael Munk Wed, Apr 8, 2009

George Mann, inspired by the voices and poetry of our men and women sent = to war and especially by soldiers from the current conflicts in Iraq and = Afghanistan, has written new songs in tribute to their suffering = humanity, songs of witness to the Soldiers=E2=80=99 Heart as they = struggle for healing and reintegration on their long journey home. =20 =20 He will share these new songs along with classics from the labor and = antiwar movements in this special concert! =20 =20 A project in collaboration with Education WithOut Borders to produce a = Veterans Tribute CD compilation series of songs to help them heal and = readjust to life after war. A former union organizer, George has toured = for years and produced the =E2=80=9CHail to the Thief!=E2=80=9D = anti-Bush CD series. He sings songs from the last century of labor and = social activism as well as his own powerful and humorous songs. See Attachment for Flyer=20 All the way from New York City=E2=80=A6 George Mann in Concert Friday, April 17 @ 7:00 PM AFM Local 99, Musicians Union 325 NE 20th in Portland A Benefit Concert for the Education Without Borders Veterans Project Suggested Admission $10 - $15, all welcome regardless! For advanced tickets (limited seating) please contact Dan Shea: Email: djshea@hotmail.com Phone: 503.661.1317 Sponsored by Education WithOut Borders & the Labor Arts Festival = Committee =20

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 hotel in Iraq! by Michael Munk Mon, Apr 6, 2009

Oregon Laborers Union Endorses HR 676 by Michael Munk Sun, Apr 5, 2009

Oregon Laborers Union Endorses HR 676 Portland, OR Laborers Local 483 (LIUNA) has endorsed HR 676, single payer healthcare legislation introduced by Congressman John Conyers (D-MI). The local represents 900 City of Portland workers in the Maintenance, Parks and Environmental Services Bureau. Wesley Buchholz, Director of Political Action for the local who made the presentation to the membership meeting, said: "Like the rest of the nation we are in dire economic times and facing layoffs. Relief must come for all working people. HR 676 is the most sensible way to provide massive aid both economic and physical. Our members want to add their voices to the demand for social and economic justice and join this groundswell movement attempting to amend the tyrannical system that values profits before people." #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 502 union organizations in 49 states including 123 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 04/05/09

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

From Unions for Single Payer HR676 Oregon unionists 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.

Former Pullman porters by Michael Munk Sun, Apr 5, 2009

Amtrak is trying to contact former Sleeping Car (Pullman) Porters. Many porters were active in Portland's Black community during the last century. Anyone with info can contact Sauyna Connelly at (202) 906-4164 or connels@amtrak.com. visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

Farewell to Portland's House of Sound by Michael Munk Sun, Apr 5, 2009

It was sad to learn that the old time House of Sound building on N. Williams Ave was demnolished on the last day of last year. But you can still contemplate its famous sign at Vanessa Renwick's "The House of Sound" installation through April 19 at the New American Art Union, 922 SE Ankeney. The Oregonain's review http://blog.oregonlive.com/visualarts/2009/04/review_vanessa_renwicks_house.html says it opened in 1964. But My Portland Red Guide (p. 161) says the store sold tickets to a Paul Robeson concert in 1958. Since I personally made the arrangement for that ticket sale, I can attest to its existence at that time, although it may have been at a different asddress on N. Williams Ave. visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

Oregonian blacks out AIPAC protestr 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

Get on Wyden & Merkley for S. 703 by Michael Munk Mon, Mar 30, 2009

Tomorrow! March 29: Protest at Oregon AIPAC by Michael Munk Sat, Mar 28, 2009

NYC Rabbi renounces Nadia Matar after illegal West Bank occupier Matar's call to assassinate Mahmoud Abbas at his Safra Synagogue in Manhattan March 18. Today J Street sent out Rabbi Elie Abadie renounciation of Matar’s call and Americans For a Safe Israel, the organization that sponsored the event:. Our Congregation shares in rejecting wholeheartedly the odious and repugnant remarks made at an Americans For A Safe Israel (AFSI) event that took place at our Synagogue on Wednesday March 18, 2009. On a personal level, I am horrified at such hateful statements, and I have made this clear to the organization. We did not sponsor or support that event, and neither I nor any member of our congregational staff was present. While the use of the premises has always been available on a non-discriminatory basis, the nature of the remarks made disqualifies the AFSI from any further use of the space. Rabbi Elie Abadie, M.D. Do Oregon's elected officials speak in the interests of Oregonians, when they address the AIPAC lobby group? How do you feel about human rights abuses, military occupation and the illegal and indiscriminant use of white phosphorous on civilian populations? Shouldn't our Oregon elected officials be questioning such things as spending $7 million US dollars a day to fund Israeli military aggression? Now, is the time to speak up! Chris Henry critter@riseup.net> Demonstration Protesting the Annual Oregon AIPAC Dinner http://www.pacificgreens.org/2009/03/22/change-to-draft/ The Metro Portland Chapter of the Pacific Green Party will be joining — the demonstration at 4:30 pm on Sunday 30 March 2009, protesting the annual AIPAC dinner at the Mittleman Jewish Community Center, 6651 S.W. Capitol Highway, Portland, co-sponsored by Americans United for Palestinian Human Rights. As the premature withdrawal of the nomination of highly-qualified Charles Freeman for the post of chairman of the National Intelligence Council shows, the Obama Administration continues the long record of subservience by Democratic Party politicians to the most aggressively militant and expansionist advocates in Israel, represented tenaciously by AIPAC. He is joined in this subservience by the local leaders of the Democratic Party, such as Governer Kulongoski, then-Oregon House Speaker Jeff Merkley (D-Portland), Oregon Senate President Peter Courtney (D-Salem), Senator Ben Westlund (D-Tumalo), Senator Vicki Walker (D-Eugene), and Democratic Representatives Greenlick and Witt, all of whom attended last year’s AIPAC dinner. We call upon all American citizens who support the United States of America, human rights, and peaceful reconciliation to join us in protesting the leading political arm of support for constant warfare in the Middle East. Please, wear black and bring a friend! http://www.auphr.org/ http://www.pacificgreens.org/ http://www.endisraeliapartheid.org/

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

Murnane Wharf plea in StreetRoots by Michael Munk Mon, Mar 23, 2009

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

Streetroots on forgotten labor leader's memorial by Michael Munk Fri, Mar 20, 2009

Smile and the whole world smiles with you! Give it a try, starting with = your neighborhood vendor who is always happy to see you. The new paper = comes out today March 20, the first day of spring, and a perfect way = celebrate is to pick up your copy hot off the press. Here's a sneak = peak: The Murnane Wharf: Is it forgetten? Portland author Michael Munk (The = Portland Red Guide) writes about the man behind the long-neglected = Murnane Wharf near the Burnside Bridge. Francis J. Murnane was a = Portland organizer and activist with the longshoreman; the Wharf was = named in his honor. But that memory risks being lost to renovations if = the city falls back on its promise. visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

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. The Big O carefully avoided making that connection--presumably to protect that 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 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 and 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

To the editor, The Oregonian Your editorial "Unlease the accountants of war" (March 15 http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2009/03/unleash_the_accountants_of_war.html)is right to question why members of Congress routinely waste precioustaxpapyer dollars> for Pentagon boondoggles like the F-22 fighter jet, but why do call outthe names of the Oregon political leaders among them?.>> Letters http://www.f22-raptor.com/advocacy/index.htmlasking President Obama to approve billions for the useless aircraft> were recently signed by Gov. Ted Kulongoski and Rep Greg Walden andinclude what look to be the signatures of Senators Wyden and Merkley.*>> Michael Munk

JWJ Health care meeting March 18 by Michael Munk Wed, Mar 18, 2009

Hi, AfDers and friends, =20 Following is a report on the continuing efforts to address the health = care crisis, developed as a result of the Town Hall on the Economic = Crisis which was at the First Unitarian Church back at the end of = January. =20 David e. Delk, Alliance for Democracy - Portland Chapter 503 232 5495 = www.afd-pdx.org =20 -------------------------------------------------------------------------= ------- Health Care - We decided to create a political outreach/theater activity = beginning with the May Day demonstration and to join the Jobs with = Justice Healthcare committee. Our idea is to have a contingent in the = May Day march with a banner supporting Single Payer National Healthcare. = At the Rally at the end of the march we will have a table and handout = wallet-sized National Health cards with Single Payer talking points on = the back. We will also have postcards on which people can send a message = to their representatives about their personal experiences in the current = healthcare system. In addition, we will have a sign up sheet to = =93enroll=94 people in the new Single Payer National Health System.=20 Our next meeting will be at the Jobs With Justice healthcare committee = meeting, 6:30 pm, Wednesday, March 18 at the Portland Association of = Teachers offices at 345 NE 8th Ave. in Portland. _______________________________________________ Justeconannounce mailing list Justeconannounce@enabled.com http://lists.enabled.com/mailman/listinfo/justeconannounce ------=_NextPart_000_0034_01C9A804.62BF75A0--

March 19: NW History Network at Red & Black Cafe by Michael Munk Tue, Mar 17, 2009

Michael Munk=20 -------------------------------------------------------------------------= - Thursday, March 19, at the Red and Black Cafe, 400 SE 12th Ave.=20 7 - 9 p.m.=20 This event is in partnership with the Red and Black Cafe=20 -------------------------------------------------------------------------= - This is our General Meeting, and it is open to the public. =20 -------------------------------------------------------------------------= ------- Return to NHN Home Page - =A9 Northwest History Network - Site updated = March 2008

Portland March 30: Hidden History of the Korean War at L&C College by Michael Munk Mon, Mar 16, 2009

Portland observes International Womens Day: 1935 by Michael Munk Sun, Mar 15, 2009

Oregon State Archives: State Agency Records Guides: Oregon Military = Department Records Guide: Image Slide Show - International Women's Day = Flyer Secretary of State home | State Archives home 800 Summer St NE Salem OR 97310 503 373 0701 | Mon-Fri: 8am-4:45pm Oregon State Archivesa.. = Administrative Rules =20 Legislative Records =20 Records Management =20 Genealogy Records =20 Governor Records =20 Archives Holdings =20 State Agency Records =20 Local Govt Records =20 Web Exhibits =20 Archives Tour =20 Oregon Blue Book =20 -------------------------------------------------------------------------= ----- About Archives =20 Contact Archives =20 Search Archives =20 Oregon Military Department Records Guide descriptions | history | scope | appendix | images | links | military = home | agency guides home | search guides Image Slide Show - International Women's Day Flyer On to La Grande street scene A 1935 flyer announces the celebration of International Women's Day = under the auspices of the Portland Section of the Communist Party. = (Oregon Military Department Records, Communist Activity Intelligence = Reports, Brochures, Pamphlets, Publications, 1932-1936, Box 57, Folder = 28) On to La Grande street scene descriptions | history | scope | appendix | images | links | military = home | agency guides home | search guides a.. admin rules b.. legis c.. rec mgmt d.. genealogy e.. holdings f.. = state agency g.. local govt h.. exhibits i.. contact j.. search k.. = oregon.gov

Portland protests OHS library closure by Michael Munk Sun, Mar 15, 2009

Brains vs. Brawn: Report from the Front Lines of Budget Cuts =20 Brains vs. Brawn: Report from the Front Lines of Budget Cuts March 15th, 2009=20 This past week I attended two emotionally charged events related to the = city=E2=80=99s economic crises. On Thursday, the Regional Arts & Culture = Council presented its =E2=80=9CState of the Arts=E2=80=9D report to a = packed City Hall, making the case for renewed funding despite the = city=E2=80=99s financial planning office recommendation that RACC = funding be cut by 10% this year. On Friday, the following day, a rally = was held in support of the Oregon Historical Society=E2=80=99s Research = Library. OHS laid off 23% of their staff this past week, including all = of their library staff, and closed their archives to the general public. At the RACC presentation, Carol Morris, the board chair, gave an = overview of the organization=E2=80=99s programs and how it allocated its = budget this past year. This was followed by a series of testimonials = from arts leaders, civic leaders and a firefighter, Fred Williams, who = concluded, =E2=80=9CArt is not fat to be trimmed. Art is muscle. To cut = it is to ultimately diminish the quality of life for our = community.=E2=80=9D This was followed by several comments from City Council members, = including Nick Fish, who stated he has considering resigning due to the = Oregon Legislature=E2=80=99s recent breach of faith involving the sale = of Oregon Cultural Trust license plates. Adams stated the council will = review the budget for this fiscal year sometime in the next 40 days. The next day, about 60 people gathered in the park blocks opposite the = Oregon Historical Society. Mounting a soapbox, speaker after speaker = told of the value of OHS=E2=80=99s holdings. Michael Munk, author of The = Portland Red Guide, spoke out against City Council, which this past week = gave the go ahead on an estimated $35 million renovation to PGE Park to = bring Major League Soccer to Portland, despite little evidence that the = investment will bring money to the city. Others pointed to decisions = made by OHS=E2=80=99 board, which may have favored exhibitions as = opposed to research. Rachel Schoeing, Marketing & Events Manager, stated = the library will be closed until at least March 31. At that time, OHS is = considering reopening to the general public, possibly as little as one = day a week. The past two days has given me a lot to think about. How much money does = art deserve, especially in times of economic distress? Can art = rejuvenate an economy? Many are looking back at history, in particular the WPA programs of the = New Deal, which provided jobs for artists to teach ordinary people = skills while building public art projects. The programs are cited as a = major reason for America=E2=80=99s return to economic stability from the = Great Depression. I urge you to contact your elected officials and visit these sites to = become more informed and involved: CAN: Creative Advocacy Network http://www.theartscan.org/ Northwest History Network http://blog.northwesthistory.org/ photos courtesy of Sarah Mirk/ Portland Mercury Tagged: ecocomic recession, Oregon Historical Society, RACC, Works = Progress Administration =C2=A7 Leave a Reply Click here to cancel reply.=20 Name (required) Mail (will not be published) (required) Website =20 What's this? You are currently reading Brains vs. Brawn: Report from the Front Lines = of Budget Cuts at whittlin=E2=80=99 away. meta a.. Author: marc moscato=20 b.. Comments: No Comments=20 c.. Categories: Uncategorized=20 Oulipo by Mignolo Powered by WordPress

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

The confidential International Committee of the 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. 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

Friday: Rally for OHS library in Park Blocks by Michael Munk Tue, Mar 10, 2009

Rally in support of the Oregon Historical Society Research Library, a state historical and cultural treasure threatened with closure 4-5:30 p.m., March 13, 2009 March 10, 2009 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Contacts: Janice Dilg, associate, Northwest History Network, 503-735-5911; dilg@teleport.com or Kathy Tucker, board president, Northwest History Network, 503-347-5706, kathydtucker@gmail.com On Friday, March 13, 2009, the last day of work for the staff of the Oregon Historical Society Research Library, the Northwest History Network, invites the public to join them in showing their support for the staff and holdings of this superb Oregon institution. From 4-5:30 in the park block opposite the Library (1200 S.W. Park Ave. in Portland, Ore.), historians, archivists, librarians, library lovers, and other supporters of the Oregon Historical Society's research library will stand on a soapbox and give powerful, personal testimonials about the materials that they have produced using the unique and amazing materials of the OHS library. And, as the library's staff leaves work for the last time, they will be personally thanked and given a small token of appreciation for their amazing work over the years in preserving Oregon's history and making it accessible. Some of Oregon's most well-known authors and historians are scheduled to speak on behalf of the library and its staff. Presenters include Portland writer Martha Gies, author of Up all Night, Michael Munk, historian and author of The Portland Red Guide, Harry Stein, author of Gus J Solomon: Liberal Politics, Jews, and the Federal Courts and co-author of Merchants, Money, and Power, and Sandy Polishuk, historian and author of Sticking to the Union: An Oral History of the Life and Times of Julia Ruuttila, and Good Work, Sister! Women Shipyard Workers of World War II (DVD). On February 26, 2009, the board of the Oregon Historical Society announced the closure of the library citing severe financial circumstances due to the current economic crisis. This unfortunate decision, coming in the year Oregon celebrates its sesquicentennial, cuts Oregonians off from the most important repository of their history and culture. Researchers, writers, filmmakers, and a wide range of professionals from all over the world use the holdings of the library. Its unique and soon-to-be-inaccessible materials include over 2.5 million historical photographs, more than 32,000 books, 25,000 maps, 12,000 linear feet of manuscripts, 3,000 serials titles, 16,000 reels of newspaper microfilm, 8.5 million feet of film and videotape, and 10,000 oral history tapes. Without access to these materials, not just the history of Oregon, but also the history of the United States cannot be properly told or analyzed. "On the 150th anniversary of our state, we cannot quietly sit by while the Oregon Historical Society closes its research library," says Kathy Tucker, the president of the Northwest History Network. "The library is the core of the Oregon Historical Society. For more than a hundred years, Oregonians have donated their diaries, letters, photographs, and other archival materials to the Society for preservation and sharing." The closing of the library has also struck a nerve with the public. More than 700 people have have joined a Facebook page in support of the library, and an online petition has garnered over 200 signatures. Many of those who added their names have written powerful statements of support for the library. The Northwest History Network is a non-profit consortium of regional professionals that seeks to provide professional support, foster collaboration, and expand the public environment for historical education. To learn more about the Northwest History Network, visit: http://www.northwesthistory.com To view the petition in support of the library, go to: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/Save-the-OHSRL-and-staff To see the Facebook page in support of the library, go to: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=66575438392 For more information on the event, contact: Janice Dilg, 503.735.5911, dilg@teleport.com visit my website www.michaelmunk.com

Oregon 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 pe