National Teach In- Sacramento Site

Campus Progressive Alliance

On Tuesday, April 5, over 100  universities,  schools and community groups will participate in a teach-in on debt, austerity and how people are fighting back hosted by Cornel West and Frances Fox Piven from 11Am- 2PM.  A national teach-in will be streamed live from New York City, followed by local teach-ins and strategy discussions around the country.

Our Sac State  event will be in the Foothill Suite  of the  University Union from 11am- 2pm, April 5. Sponsored by DSA and the Campus Progressive Alliance.

It will be used to build for CFA day of Class Action on April 13.

Please see http://www.fightbackteachin.org for more information. 
and http://talkingunion.wordpress.com/2011/03/29/national-teach-in/


Wall Street Banks, American corporations and their political allies have declared a one-sided war on the American people. This war is being waged at our schools and colleges, the workplace and in our communities.
 
Today, we are all  working harder and earning less while corporate profits soar . A teach in is an opportunity for all to learn the background to the current crisis and to plan for opposition. 

Please encourage your friends, colleagues, co-workers and students to participate.

A Debate on U.S. Military Intervention in Libya: Juan Cole v. Vijay Prashad

[Editor's Note: This is a fascinating and informative debate between two scholars who are both progressive and very well-informed on the unfolding events in Libya, but who disagree on the U.S. intervention. Must viewing for progressives who are trying to get our heads around the third U.S. attack on a Muslim nation in less than a decade.]

The Legacy of Cesar Chavez at ARC

Viva La Causa; The Legacy of Cesar Chavez. (Video)

Duane Campbell. Dolores Delgado Campbell. Sac. Progressive Alliance.

 Discussion of current labor crises in Wisconsin, etc. See. www.choosingdemocracy.blogspot.com

American River College. Raef Hall. 162.  Thursday, March 31.  12:15- 1 PM.  Free.

Juan Cole- An Open letter to the left on Libya

As many know, Juan Cole is a well informed analyst of Middle East events.
An Open Letter to the Left on Libya, Juan Cole

Posted on 03/27/2011 by Juan Cole

http://www.juancole.com/2011/03/an-open-letter-to-the-left-on-libya.html

As I expected, now that Qaddafi's advantage in armor
and heavy weapons is being neutralized by the UN
allies' air campaign, the liberation movement is
regaining lost territory. Liberators took back Ajdabiya
and Brega (Marsa al-Burayqa), key oil towns, on
Saturday into Sunday morning, and seemed set to head
further West. This rapid advance is almost certainly
made possible in part by the hatred of Qaddafi among
the majority of the people of these cities. The Buraiqa
Basin contains much of Libya's oil wealth, and the
Transitional Government in Benghazi will soon again
control 80 percent of this resource, an advantage in
their struggle with Qaddafi.

I am unabashedly cheering the liberation movement on,
and glad that the UNSC-authorized intervention has
saved them from being crushed. I can still remember
when I was a teenager how disappointed I was that
Soviet tanks were allowed to put down the Prague Spring
and extirpate socialism with a human face. Our
multilateral world has more spaces in it for successful
change and defiance of totalitarianism than did the old
bipolar world of the Cold War, where the US and the
USSR often deferred to each other's sphere of
influence.

Read the entire post. 

Triangle Returns

Today marks the 100th anniversary of the tragic Triangle Shirtwaist fire in New York City, which in many ways launched the modern labor movement and laid the groundwork for the New Deal. Sadly, a similar tragedy occurred just a few months ago, for many of the same reasons, but most of us heard nothing about it. Check out this powerful video from the Institute for Global Labor & Human Rights which connects these two tragic events and makes the case for a new global movement to protect workers today.

Noam Chomsky: Strikes will 'antagonise' many in Arab world

Irish Times.com
Mon, Mar 21, 2011

Military intervention in Libya is a serious mistake, activist Noam Chomsky tells SAUNDRA SATTERLEE

NOAM CHOMSKY wrote about the Spanish Civil War at the age of 10 for his school newspaper, was briefly jailed with Norman Mailer in 1967 for an anti-Vietnam protest at the Pentagon, and last May was detained by the Israelis when he tried to enter the West Bank via Jordan.

A world-renowned scholar and retired professor of linguistics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he remains, at age 82, a robust political activist and a stinging critic of US foreign policy.

Chomsky warns that direct military intervention in Libya will turn out to be a serious mistake.

“When the United States, Britain and France opt for military intervention, we have to bear in mind that these countries are hated in the region for very good reasons. The rich and powerful can say history is bunk but victims don’t have that luxury,” he says.

Libya Intervention Threatens the Arab Spring

Published on Wednesday, March 23, 2011 by Al-Jazeera-English

Despite its official UN-granted legality, the credibility of Western military action in Libya is rapidly dwindling.

by Phyllis Bennis

Western air and naval strikes against Libya are 

threatening the Arab Spring. Within just 48 hours of

the start of the bombing campaign, the US and its

allies have lost the support of the Arab League. (AFP)

Ironically, one of the reasons many people supported the call for a no-fly zone was the fear that if Gaddafi managed to crush the Libyan people's uprising and remain in power, it would send a devastating message to other Arab dictators: Use enough military force and you will keep your job.

Instead, it turns out that just the opposite may be the result: It was after the UN passed its no-fly zone and use-of-force resolution, and just as US, British, French and other warplanes and warships launched their attacks against Libya, that other Arab regimes escalated their crack-down on their own democratic movements.

In Yemen, 52 unarmed protesters were killed and more than 200 wounded on Friday by forces of the US-backed and US-armed government of Ali Abdullah Saleh. It was the bloodiest day of the month-long Yemeni uprising. President Obama "strongly condemned" the attacks and called on Saleh to "allow demonstrations to take place peacefully".

But while a number of Saleh's government officials resigned in protest, there was no talk from Saleh's US backers of real accountability, of a travel ban or asset freeze, not even of slowing the financial and military aid flowing into Yemen in the name of fighting terrorism.

Similarly in US-allied Bahrain, home of the US Navy's Fifth Fleet, at least 13 civilians have been killed by government forces. Since the March 15 arrival of 1,500 foreign troops from Saudi Arabia and the UAE, brought in to protect the absolute power of the king of Bahrain, 63 people have been reported missing.

Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, said: "We have made clear that security alone cannot resolve the challenges facing Bahrain. Violence is not the answer, a political process is."

Left Forum Unemployed Panel - PART 4 - Sam Talbot, flashmobs4jobs.org

Governor Brown Checks In With the People of California 3.21.2011

Governor Brown's view of the alternatives to budget cuts.

Debt, Austerity, and How to Fight Back

    By Frances Fox Piven and Cornel West
The Nation
March 17, 2011

http://www.thenation.com/article/159309/debt-austerity-and-how-fight-back

Editor's note: On Tuesday, April 5, hundreds of schools
and community groups will participate in a teach-in on
debt, austerity and how people are fighting back. From
2-3:30 pm (EST) a national teach-in will be streamed
live from New York City, followed by local teach-ins
and strategy discussions around the country. Read the
call to action by Frances Fox Piven and Cornel West,
check out the organizing guide and join the movement by
attending or hosting a teach-in near you. Please see
http://www.fightbackteachin.org for more information.

Wall Street Banks, American corporations and their
political allies have declared a one-sided war on the
American people. This war is being waged at our schools
and colleges, the workplace and in our communities.

Today, Americans are working harder and earning less
while corporate profits soar. As homeowners, consumers
and students we see our wealth being stripped away by
banks. Our government plunges into debt waging
trillion-dollar wars. Meanwhile, our infrastructure
erodes and climate change proceeds unchecked. Schools,
daycare centers, senior citizen facilities, clinics,
parks and firehouses are starved for funds so that
corporations and the rich can get billions in tax
breaks!

Tunisian Labor Leaders call for support of Libyan Revolution

 By Duane Campbell 

  Leaders in the Tunisian Federation of Labor, themselves organizers  of the mass mobilization that led to the overthrow the Tunisian Dictator called for support of the Libyan revolution and for support of Tunisian unions and the  Egyptian Democracy Movement  at a solidarity dinner held by  the Sacramento Central Labor Council and the California Labor Federation  in Sacramento on March 20, 2011.  Delegates and members of community based organizations heard a direct report from the leaders of the labor side of the mass mobilizations.  The Tunisian revolution was the first of the over 6 major revolutions presently changing the nature of politics and freedom in the Middle East.  The success of the Tunisian revolution sparked the hopes and encouraged the other revolutions.

            Labor unions in Tunisia have been suppressed by the government for over two decades.  The limited labor unions have been active in the resistance to the dictatorship for these decades.

             As of today, the Libyan revolution is still being resisted by the armed forces of Colonel Gadafi with planes, tanks and guns.  Non violent  revolutions are shaking Yemen and Bahrain (where oil workers are on strike), among others.  The revolutionary movement in Egypt has won initial success, by toppling the Murbarak dictatorship,  but consolidation of the revolution is still precarious.

Barbara Ehrenreich, "Nickel & Dimed"

Great video clip based on Barbara Ehrenreich's award-winning and ground breaking book, "Nickel & Dimed." Keep in mind this is describing the American working class during the "boom."

Barbara Ehrenreich, "Nickel & Dimed"

Great video clip based on Barbara Ehrenreich's award-winning and ground breaking book, "Nickel & Dimed." Keep in mind this is describing the American working class during the "boom."

Rep. Kucinich Fires Up Madison Workers' Rights Rally

Michael Moore: This is class War

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Rally to Support the American Dream

Labor & Civil Rights groups to protest Republican/Corporate attack on workers rights at every level of government 

Participants to stand in solidarity with Wisconsin workers!  

On Tuesday, March 15, local MoveOn members will gather on the South Steps of the State Capitol to defend the American Dream. The event will urge ALL Labor Unions, Community Organizations and concerned individuals to stand strong against attacks on the American Dream and workers’  rights by Republicans, at both the state and national level, and will highlight the potentially disastrous effects of the Republican budget. 

The Republicans recently proposed more than $100 billion in cuts to the federal budget. At the event, participants will also stand in solidarity with Wisconsin workers, who had many of their rights stripped from them last week in a Republican power grab. 

On top of cutting dozens of government programs that hundreds of millions of Americans rely on, the proposed Republican budget cuts would also fire 65,000 teachers, kill 700,000 jobs, and send 10,000 veterans  into homelessness. 

Two Weeks In Madison: A Tribute

Not a Union Member? Why You Should Care About Wisconsin (or Ohio or Michigan)

by Amy B. Dean
Huffingtion Post, March 1, 2011

After two weeks of protests in Wisconsin, we are now watching demonstrations spread across the country. Over the weekend, the online advocacy group MoveOn.org helped mobilize tens of thousands of people, who marched in all 50 state capitals in support of Wisconsin workers. Demonstrators are speaking out against attacks by Republican governors in Ohio, Indiana, and Michigan and their own states.

It is entirely appropriate that protests should spread, because recent events in Wisconsin are only a window into what is happening in states scattered across the country. It is important that we understand the scope of this debate. This is a discussion that has impact on all Americans, not just union members. One point should be clear: This is not a story of public employees trying to feed at the trough. It is a story about whether or not governors can take away fundamental workers' rights.

Everyone in this country is entitled to their opinion about politics and public policy. Every governor is free to propose policies that he or she feels are in the public interest, even if others might disagree with those actions. But they must follow the rule of law.

In this case, newly elected Republican governors can certainly negotiate contracts with public employees. But there is a lawful process for such negotiation. It involves sitting down at a bargaining table, talking through disagreements, and coming to a mutual agreement. Instead of engaging in this process, governors like Wisconsin's Scott Walker want to unilaterally take away people's rights, while claiming that they are doing something entirely different. He and others like him are using budget issues as a subterfuge for their power grab. That is not acceptable. And it is why they have stirred the passions of so many.

Many people may not see collectively bargaining as relevant to problems in their own work lives. You might think, I don't need a union because I'm a professional. Even if this is the case, you are nevertheless affected by a growing imbalance of power in today's workplaces.

Keith Ellison: Jobs And Justice Tour

Michael Moore,"America Is NOT Broke!"

By Michael Moore

America is not broke.

Contrary to what those in power would like you to believe so that you'll give up your pension, cut your wages, and settle for the life your great-grandparents had, America is not broke. Not by a long shot. The country is awash in wealth and cash. It's just that it's not in your hands. It has been transferred, in the greatest heist in history, from the workers and consumers to the banks and the portfolios of the uber-rich.

Today just 400 Americans have the same wealth as half of all Americans combined.

Let me say that again. 400 obscenely rich people, most of whom benefited in some way from the multi-trillion dollar taxpayer "bailout" of 2008, now have as much loot, stock and property as the assets of 155 million Americans combined. If you can't bring yourself to call that a financial coup d'état, then you are simply not being honest about what you know in your heart to be true.

Walkouts, Bank Boycotts and Recalls: Wisconsin Protests Intensify as Union-Busting Legislation Pushed through State Assembly (Democracy Now)

Campus Progressive Alliance

The Friday Night Film Series Presents

South of the Border

A film by Oliver Stone

"I loved this documentary!" -- Bill Maher

"Provocative" -- New York Times

“Interesting and Revealing” -- Financial Times

“A valuable and interesting corrective to the mainstream media’s coverage of Latin America” -- Salon.com

Free Film!   Free Popcorn!
Free Drinks!

Friday, March 11, 2011

Hinde Auditorium
Sac State University Union

Shorts--6:00pm
Feature Film--6:30pm

Info: paub1221@sbcglobal.net
or  916-248-3970

Michael Moore Discusses the Conflict in Wisconsin (March 9, 2011)

Naomi Klein: Wisconsin's Shock Doctrine

At a time when Citizen’s United has made it possible for corporations to dominate the political arena, unions serve as the last line of defense against the privatization of the public sector and as one of the few remaining voices for the working class. That's why the right is trying to take labor down. The Nation’s Naomi Klein joined MSNBC’s The Rachel Maddow Show last night to talk about how the GOP has manipulated the current financial situation to push through unpopular policies that would have never gotten them elected.

Wisconsin isn't alone in their fight against the GOP's attempt to end collective bargaining for public workers: sixteen states currently face similar assaults. A particularly egregious bill that recently got an OK from Michigan’s House of Representatives would allow the governor to declare a state of emergency on any city, town or school district, in which the governor could then appoint an emergency power that could dismantle contracts and dismiss elected officials. The most frightening thing about this proposal: it could be used to put a corporation in charge of a whole city. According to Klein, conservatives are trying to consolidate power so that they can begin auctioning off public services, and in Michigan's case, entire municipalities.

“What this fight is really about is not unions vs. taxpayers, as we’ve been told. It’s a fight about who is going to pay for the crisis created by the wealthiest elite in this country,” Klein says. “Is it going to be regular working people? Or is it going to be the people who created this crisis? That’s the debate we need to have.”

—Sara Jerving

'America Is NOT Broke': Michael Moore Speaks in Madison, WI -- March 5, ...

AFL-CIO's Trumka: No American Should Face Choice Between Rights, Job

Save Ethnic Studies: Arizona

CFA Latino/Latina Caucus

“Save Ethnic Studies” 

For the past four years, Arizona Superintendent of Public Schools,

Tom Horne, and the Arizona State Legislature have relentlessly attacked the Tucson Unified School District’s (TUSD) Mexican American Studies Department (MASD). Tom Horne and the Arizona State Legislature have accused that Mexican American Studies classes are: “promoting the overthrow of the United States Government; promoting resentment toward a race or class of people; designed primarily for pupils of a particular ethnic group; and advocate ethnic solidarity instead of the treatment of pupils as individuals ”

Tues. March 8.  University Union.  Sac State.   12 Noon.  Orchard Suite.

                          6 PM.  Sol Collective.  Sacramento

This past May 11, 2010, AZ Governor Jan Brewer, signed into law AZ HB 2281, the anti-Ethnic Studies law, which will in effect eliminate TUSD’s MASD on December 31, 2010. A major provision of the law calls for a 10% withholding of the State of Arizona’s monthly allotment to TUSD if MASD continues to teach Chicano Studies classes.  After exhausting our efforts through lobbying, community activism, and public relations, we are left with no other option than to file a federal injunction in the Federal District Court in Arizona to stop AZ HB 2281.