Urban Foraging Workshop
Urban Foraging Workshop
10 a.m. to noon Saturday, Sept. 17
Garfield Park, Madison & Burton SE
Look for the Farmers’ Market Tents!
Our Kitchen Table and The Bloom Collective are sponsoring an Urban Foraging Workshop from 10 a.m. to noon this coming Saturday, Sept. 17, during the Southeast Area Farmers’ Market at Garfield Park. Just like the grocery stores have helped us forget that food comes from farms, cultivation of domestic crops has helped us forget that many of the native species we see around us (and label as weeds) once were a prize source of both food and medicine.
The Southeast Area Farmers’ Market has already held two presentations with two area master gardeners who shared which common plants growing in our yards, parkways and abandoned lots can be used as food. One of these presenters, OKT’s Yvonne Woodard, who is also the market master for this farmers’ market, will share again this Saturday. In addition, anyone who comes to the workshop with knowledge of foraging will be invited to share their skills with the rest of those attending.
The economic climate continues to push working class people into poverty. In addition, Gov. Snyder’s so-called “austerity” measures like the 48-month cap on welfare eligibility will push many of our neighbors who are already poor to the point of starvation. Did you know that on October 1, an estimated 40,000 Michigan residents will be cut from the welfare rolls by this measure? In addition, on average, each of these people support two children in thier households. In other words, an additional 80,00o Michigan children may soon be going hungry.
While organizations like Our Kitchen Table continue the good fight for food justice and food security in our urban neighborhoods, the fight will not be won in time. So, let’s learn how to grow and share our own food and take advantage of the free foods growing all around us.
The Michigan ACLU and Equality Michigan both sent out action alerts to people across the state to ask them to contact their State Legislators on House Bills HB 4770 and 4771.
Equality Michigan writes:
Anti-gay Republicans like Representative Dave Agema (Grandville) and Attorney General Bill Schuette have been trying to strip away health care benefits for gay and lesbian couples since February. The move would put more working families at risk, destroy the ability of our public service unions to bargain for health benefits, weaken Michigan’s public sector, and make our state even more hostile to gay citizens.
The Michigan ACLU believes “House Bills 4770 and 4771 would bar public employers from doing what they think is best for their employees — providing domestic partner healthcare benefits. In a brazen attack on collective bargaining agreements, the bills would also make these benefits a forbidden subject in all negotiations.”
The ACLU is also providing an online mechanism to allow people to contact their state legislators and ask them to vote NO on HB 4770 and 4771.
Staged Town Hall event with Snyder just a show
Last night WOOD TV 8 hosted a one-hour live broadcast with Michigan Governor Rick Snyder.
There was an invited audience that the TV station said represented a cross section of the viewing audience of the NBC affiliate. WOOD TV described the selection process online, where people were asked to submit questions ahead of time for pre-approval.
These kinds of forums seem to be the rule of the day, where politicians and commercial media outlets don’t want unscripted and uncensored possibilities. The hour-long broadcast is posted online, so you can see for yourself how it looked and the process they followed.
WOOD TV’s political reporter Rick Albin moderated the event and he began by introducing elected officials that were in the audience. Albin then turned over the floor to Snyder to make some opening remarks before people asked questions. Snyder said he was there to listen and figure out ways to best serve the public, which he referred to ask customers. He also said the public “hired” him and that the future is all about us and we.
There were a total of 16 questions asked, 3 by Rick Albin, 3 via some form of social media and the other 10 by people in the TV studio.
The questions followed themes, such as jobs, education, taxes, health care and immigration. The first question was asked by an unemployed worker from Lowell who wanted to know what the Governor was going to do to get laid off and older people back to work. Snyder said that Michigan needed to create more demand to get our economy going, which didn’t really answer the man’s question. He then said that we need to innovative and look at ways to create jobs. He mentioned that there are some hospitals in the Michigan, which outsource their laundry to other states.
The CEO from an Executive search firm in Kalamazoo then asked about how the Governor was going to match talent pool with companies. Snyder said he was all about talent pools, not workforce development. He wants government to create incentives to match people with jobs based on their talent.
A man from Jackson asked what the Governor thought about Obama’s jobs proposal. Snyder said there were some good elements in the speech, because Michigan is doing some of the things the President mentioned. Snyder then went on to talk about Relentless Positive Action, which he says can make Michigan be a role model for the rest of the nation.
A Hudsonville student and a Northview School District Superintendent asked questions about education funding. Snyder said the problem is we are focusing on adults & money and not on kids. “Changing the tax structure is how we solve the education funding problem,” said Snyder. He also said we need to create best practices and reward incentives for schools. However, it seemed that both of these answers did not address either of the education questions.
The Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce President told Snyder he was doing a good job. Snyder said thanks and then says the role of the government is not to create jobs, but provide a climate for businesses to create jobs. What about the function of government protecting the rights of citizens, particularly the most vulnerable in society?
There were people who also asked about job cuts, such as a Battle Creek police officer and a UAW member. In response to the police officer Snyder said. “we need to create demand, grow the private sector, which will allow us to get more funds to hire more public safety officers.”
When questioned about the film incentive program, Snyder said that is was a bad investment and was too costly. In contrast, the Governor said that the Pure Michigan campaign generates funds for the state.
Two different people from the studio audience asked about Snyder’s position on Right to Work, but in both cases Snyder said it was too divisive an issue and it was not on his agenda.
Rick Albin asked Snyder to address the issue of immigration, which Albin framed as controversial. Snyder said it is an issue the federal government must solve. Carlos Snachez, with the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce was concerned about an Arizona-style legislation in Michigan. Snyder said he didn’t support the proposed legislation.
At the very end of the show Rick Albin thanked the audience for their patience and at one point said, “I didn’t know what the questions were going to be.” This seems to contradict their own process, which said that everyone had to submit questions ahead of time fore approval.
Snyder agreed with Albin and said, “too often we get filtered information.” On the contrary, there was a great deal of filtering, but more importantly, the forum did not allow for any serious dialogue or for people to ask follow up questions. In many ways it seemed like nothing more than a show.
Covering the protest
WOOD TV, did come out after the forum to do a short story on those protesting, but only cited one person. WXMI 17 covered the channel 8 event, but did not mention the protest outside the event and the Grand Rapids Press only devoted on sentence to those demonstrating Snyder’s job cut proposal.
Protestors say “shame on you Snyder” for cutting jobs
Last night, about 40 people gathered outside of WOOD TV 8 to protest Michigan Governor Snyder who was attending a “town hall” meeting inside.
Most of those protesting were members of Council 25 AFSCME Local 261, all of which worked at the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans. Their particular grievance was the proposal by Snyder to further privatize the care giving jobs at places like the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans.
According to Ronnie Skorupski with Local 261, 170 care-giver jobs at the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans are at risk because of the privatizing proposal. He said they are not just trying to protect their own jobs at the veteran’s facility, they want to “protect quality care for those who served in the military.”
“Snyder wants to privatize and offer the jobs to the cheapest bidder, even if it means people are coming from Pizza Hut jobs,” said Skorupski. Other care-givers at the protest said that some of the privatization has already begun, which has meant that there are now more staff who have no prior experience working with people who have the needs that veterans do. Another woman said, “we have a long term relationship with our patients, which would end if the privatization proposal goes through.”
Another worker from the veteran’s home said that a member from their staff was initially going to be part of the “town hall” meeting, but earlier in the day they received a call saying, “they were no longer needed.”
We also spoke with Norm Tope, a Vietnam Veteran, who was also at the protest. Tope said that he is concerned about the quality of care that will diminish if the privatization plan goes through. “We’ve already seen new people come in with no qualification and no knowledge of those of us in the vets facility.”
The Vietnam Veteran, who has been at the Grand Rapids facility for 2 years, also said, “how could Snyder possible know what our reality is like and what it means to live with diminished quality care. I have yet to see him or any other politicians come to our facility to see first hand what we are talking about.”
There were also a few folks with Recall Snyder signs and clipboards for people to sign their petition.
During the time before and during the “town hall” meeting at WOOD TV 8 there were security people standing at the road entrance to the TV station making sure that only those on a list could get in. There were also security personnel located by the front door. In addition, there were several Grand Rapids police officers patrolling the area and checking in with the security personnel working with WOOD TV 8.
Snyder’s claim to accept no PAC money now in question
A few days ago the Detroit News posted a story questioning Governor Snyder’s claim that he won’t be beholden to “special interests.” According to the story, Snyder “has set up three new funds that can accept unlimited corporate donations.”
“One of the funds, called the Governor’s Club, was set up under Section 527 of the Internal Revenue Code to pay certain expenses Snyder incurs as a result of being governor, records obtained by The News show.
A second, called the New Energy to Reinvent and Diversify Fund, is a “civic action and social welfare” fund set up under the same section of the code as the Kilpatrick Civic Fund created by former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick. Unlike donors to the Governor’s Club, those who give to the NERD Fund don’t have to publicly disclose their identities or how much they give.
Snyder’s third new fund, the Foundation to Reinvent Michigan, is a charity set up to pay for repair and maintenance to the governor’s official residences. Donors to that fund also don’t have to be publicly disclosed.”
The article also states:
“Money donated to the Governor’s Club will be used to pay for job-related expenses that are more political. Examples include travel to meetings of the Republican Governors Association, the Republican National Convention and the Michigan Republican Leadership Conference on Mackinac Island.
The Governor’s Club, formed in March, disclosed $117,500 in receipts in its first report to the IRS on Aug. 1. Donations included $25,000 each from AT&T of Michigan; the Michigan Health and Hospital Association; former U-M athletic director Bill Martin; and Credit Bureau of Ypsilanti President Peter Fletcher; and $10,000 from the Michigan Beer and Wine Wholesalers. Paid expenses included $25,000 to De Witt Communications, an East Lansing consulting firm headed by Chris De Witt.”
It would appear that Snyder is beholden to special interests with the limited information we have, since there is limited transparency on which entities are contributing to the Governor’s three new funds.
War Costs Campaign kicks off with new video
Brave New Films just announced a new campaign to target the Defense Industry, which is lobbying to make sure that there will be no cuts in military spending.
This new campaign, War Costs, just finished a new video that looks at the efforts of the war profiting industry to lobby the new deficit commission. The war profiting industry has even created a new PAC called Second to None, which has spent millions already lobbying Congress.
According to the War Costs campaign:
“War spending costs us jobs compared to other ways of spending the money. For every billion dollars we spend on war instead of education, renewable energy technology, or even simple tax cuts for consumption, we give lose between 3,200 and 11,700 jobs, at least. War spending is terrible at job creation, period.
Now, keep that several-thousand-jobs cost per billion dollars in mind when you look at the following list. It’s the amount in revenues that each of the top five military contractors made in 2010 strictly through doing business with the U.S. government, according to their annual reports:
- Lockheed Martin: $38.4 billion (84 percent of total 2010 revenues)
- Northrop Grummon: $32.1 billion (92 percent of total 2010 revenues)
- Boeing: $27.7 billion (43 percent of total 2010 revenues)
- General Dynamics: $23.3 billion (72 percent of 2010 revenues)
- Raytheon: $22.3 billion (88 percent of total 2010 revenues)
These companies have proven track records of doing or saying anything to protect profits. Every one of these corporations was cited for misconduct in 2010. The committee members should remember that when these guys come calling on Tuesday with talking points in hand, especially since one of the instances of corruption for which these jokers were cited last year was a violation of the False Claims Act in an attempt to grab more taxpayer money. The truth is no obstacle for these companies when profit is on the line.”
The War Costs campaign is asking people to call the co-chairs of the deficit committee and tell them that the defense industry doesn’t need more government hand out.
Call:
Senator Patty Murray (D-Wash.): (202) 224-2621
U.S. Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas): (202) 225-3484
One of Many Good Reasons to Attend Tuesday’s Protest Against Governor Snyder
As we reported last week, a Michigan Stand for Democracy protest is planned for Tuesday, September 13, in front of the WOOD-TV 8 facility on College Avenue just north of Cherry Street. The protest will now begin at 6:30 PM.
The event is to protest Governor Snyder’s policies, his presence in Grand Rapids. It will take place during Wood-TV 8 “town hall” broadcast with Snyder.
Here’s a reminder of one of the violations against the democratic process that Snyder and his legislature have perpetrated since his election. It’s an excellent short film that was created by Michigan Forward titled “Dictators Over Communities of Color.” The 7-minute film recaps Snyder’s changes to the Emergency Financial Manager law, and shows in particular how minority communities are being targeted by Public Act 4.
Take a look, and plan to attend the protest at 6:30 PM on September 13.
Erik Prince – Profiting from war and now war games
It is now official. There is a new video game that was approved by former Blackwater CEO Erik Prince.
MLive posted a story today announcing the release of the new first person shooter video-game, Blackwater. In the brief MLive story it quotes Prince who says his father inspired him to create the game. “He taught me to appreciate the opportunities that America offers to innovators.”
Erik Prince is of course referring to Edgar Prince, founder of the family business and funder of numerous far right causes such as anti-gay, anti-abortion and political entities such as the Council for National Policy and the Free Congress Foundation.
In this case it seems that Erik Prince is suggesting that he is an innovator by licensing a game based on a company he created that was essentially a group of private mercenaries. Not only was Blackwater a private mercenary group, it made most of its money from taxpayer funded government contracts to do work in places like Iraq and Afghanistan.
The brief Mlive story ends by saying that Prince sold Blackwater, “after it became embroiled in controversy over its role in supporting the U.S. military’s efforts to combat terrorism.”
Such a statement not only sanitizes the role that Blackwater played in the so-called War on Terror, it ignores the facts.
As Jeremy Scahill, author of the best book on Blackwater has noted, the company was charged with murdering numerous Iraqi civilians in Baghdad, Iraq several years ago. Blackwater has also been implicated in killing civilians in Afghanistan and CIA sponsored assassination programs.
The murder of civilians and targeted assassination programs by Blackwater employees in no way should be referred to as “controversy” and lending your name to a first-person shooter video game does not absolve you of crimes against humanity.
Who Justin Amash is spending his weekend with?
There are numerous reasons why I don’t like the Political Polpourri section of the Grand Rapids Press. News should never be sound bites or tidbits, especially when it has to do with politics.
Yesterday’s polpourri got my attention because of the sound bite about 3rd Congressional Representative Justin Amash. The less-than 100-word blurb mentions that Amash will be a speaker at the Liberty Political Action Conference this weekend in Nevada.
The only other information shared was the naming of a few other politicians that will be in attendance and a sentence from the conference website. Oh, and one of the conference sponsors is the John Birch Society. The John Birch Society is not some wishy-washy non-profit organization, they are an anti-government “patriot” groups according to the Southern Poverty Law Center and they make one of their goals the repeal of the civil rights legislation.
But wait it gets better.
Other sponsors of the Liberty Political Action Conference are the anti-union National Right to Work Committee; Freedom Works – a Tea Party affiliated entity that has fought against health care reform, global warming legislation, immigration and taxes; the Future of Freedom Foundation and various companies.
Beyond the politicians that the Press article mentioned there are numerous speakers that are also worth mentioning. First, is Howard Phillips, one of the founding members of the Council for National Policy. The CNP has a long history of supporting ultra-conservative political and religious leaders. Both Richard and Dick DeVos have been members and financial supporters of the CNP for years.
Another speaker is Jack Hunter, known on the air as the “Southern Avenger.” Hunter is a far right radio pundit who is a favorite source for Tea Party listeners and is also a regular guest on the Michael Savage radio show.
A third speaker is Ivan Eland who is with the conservative think tank, The Independent Institute. The Independent Institute is one of those think tanks that denies global warming and has had a cozy relationship to the tobacco industry for years.
There are only a few women presenters at the conference and one of them is Nicole Kurokawa Neily with the Independent Women’s Forum. The Independent Women’s Forum is an anti-feminist entity that receives its’ funding from far right foundations and in 2004 received $10 million grant to IWF for “leadership training, democracy education and coalition building assistance” to women in Iraq.
This is just a sample of who Rep. Justin Amash will be spending the weekend with. Unfortunately, the Grand Rapids Press doesn’t think that such a line-up of far right speakers and organizations is important enough for them to inform their West Michigan audience.
IWW Film Night this Thursday: Capitalism is the Crisis documentary
The 2008 “financial crisis” in the United States was a systemic fraud in which the wealthy finance capitalists stole trillions of public dollars. No one was jailed for this crime, the largest theft of public money in history.
Instead, the rich forced working people across the globe to pay for their “crisis” through punitive “austerity” programs that gutted public services and repealed workers’ rights.
Austerity was named “Word of the Year” for 2010.
This documentary explains the nature of capitalist crisis, visits the protests against austerity measures, and recommends revolutionary paths for the future.
Special attention is devoted to the crisis in Greece, the 2010 G20 Summit protest in Toronto, Canada, and the remarkable surge of solidarity in Madison, Wisconsin.
After the film members of the IWW will facilitate discussion.
Thursday, September 15
7:00 PM
IATSE Labor Hall 931 Bridge St. NW, Grand Rapids
