Anti-War Activist Arrested at the home of Erik Prince
(This is a Media Release is re-posted from the anti-war group CODEPINK.)
CODEPINK cofounder Medea Benjamin and other DC area activists were detained at the home of Blackwater Founder Erik Prince. The group dropped by to deliver a letter urging Prince not to flee the US to extradition-free UAE.
His move, though couched by his PR team as a much needed break from the US would in fact eliminate the possibilities that he could be held accountable for the crimes perpetrated by Blackwater while under his control. Benjamin was invited into the Prince home, she then proceeded to explain to Prince’s wife why she was delivering the letter; Mrs. Prince then pushed Benjamin out the door and told her to “leave the house immediately”.
Police soon arrived, entered the house to speak with the Prince family. While statements were being taken by other eyewitnesses, Benjamin was quickly hand-cuffed and arrested.
In light of the combat troop withdrawal from Iraq this week and the ongoing build up of private security forces by the State Department in Iraq, CODEPINK wanted to deliver the message to Prince that his fleeing to a country that does not have extradition treaty with the US was highly suspect given the violent and illegal history of his former company.
“The combat troops are being withdrawn from Iraq, yet 75,000 contractors remain and Clinton wants to bring in another 6-7,000 more arms-for-hire. The Iraqi people kicked Blackwater out of their country and they are still making a killing off of US taxpayers. The fact that Prince is allowed to cut ties and skip town is criminal,” says Jodie Evans, CODEPINK Cofounder.
Blackwater and Prince have been the subject of ongoing investigations and litigations surrounding illegal and violent tactics used against the Iraqi people. On Jan 30, 2009, The U.S. State Department told Blackwater Worldwide that it will not renew its contract in Iraq, though Secretary of State Clinton has awarded the company (now known as Xe) several lucrative contracts in Afghanistan.
OKT Hosts Free August Garden Tours
OKT 2010 Garden Tours
- Tues. 8/24 SECA Walking Tour
SECA, 1409 Madison SE- Thurs. 8/26 ECA Walking Tour
Barefoot Victory Garden, 1350 Wealthy SE- Sat. 8/28 4th St. Garden Oasis Walking Tour
4th St. at Stocking and Pettibone NW
As part of its Food Diversity Project, Our Kitchen Table hosts its 3rd Annual Garden Tours. All are invited to view food gardens, discuss food issues and connect with gardeners. Each tour concludes with delicious samples of grilled garden foods at the last stop. OKT will also provide water to fill water bottles.
“The purpose of the OKT Food Garden Tours is to illustrate that many folks in our urban neighborhoods are engaged in growing healthy foods and eating healthy foods,” said Lisa Oliver-King of OKT. “OKT seeks to support these folks and make it easier for other urban neighbors to access the know-how and resources needed to eat healthy, whole foods—and growing your own vegetables is one way to do that.”
OKT hosting a gardening seminar at the Barefoot Victory Garden last spring.
Each one- to two-mile walking tour stops at eight to ten diverse gardens. Tours will begin at 5:30 p.m. with a gathering time and set off from 6 – 7:30 p.m. A small communal garden meal of fresh garden foods will take place from 7:30 – 8:30 p.m
Neighbors with food gardens in any of the above neighborhoods are encouraged to join as a tour stop. Tours will be canceled and rescheduled if weather is inclement (rain or heat alert).
During each tour, OKT invites folks partipating to:
· Join OKT’s Food Buying Club. No cost for membership.
· Join OKT’s Free Seed Saving Bank.
· Bring used household batteries and CFL light bulbs for recycling.
· Exchange mercury thermometer for a free digital thermometer
· Sign up and receive free recycle bins
For information, contact Lisa O-K lisask1@aol.com or 616-719-9779
Grand Rapids “Urban Market” Part 3
Last month the Grand Rapids Press ran a short article announcing that the entity behind the proposed downtown “urban market” (Grand Action), has now hired an architect.
The architect, Hugh Boyd, is a New Jersey-based architect who will partner with local architects Design Plus and engineers from Fishbeck, Thompson, Carr & Huber. The article mentioned that the project will be completed in 2012 or 2013 and cost an estimated $27 million.
The Press article also mentions that the Downtown Development Authority (DDA) has already agreed to give Grand Action $100,000 towards development plans and it is believed that the DDA will also donate the land where the development project will go along Ionia by the Wealthy St. ramp to US 131.
Since the DDA uses public money, some people have been calling for more transparency with this project. As a result of some public concerns the consultants did interview people who addressed concerns.
GRIID spoke with a few people who were interviewed more recently and they expressed concerns that both the consultant (Ted Spitzer) and the Grand Action representative (John Canepa) were dismissive of the issued they raised. Some of those issues had to do with how accessible the food at this new urban market would be for people of low income, particularly residents in Heartside, the Southeast part of the city and the Grandville Avenue corridor.
Spitzer said that this project is not about local food and will only have an estimated 40 food vendors. Those involved in the project also made it clear that this was primarily about “economic development” and what they called “agro-tourism.” The folks at Grand Action see the “urban market” as a way to bring more suburbanites into downtown Grand Rapids, which is why the project is more about trendy bars and restaurants.
Long-term Development Consequences
One could certainly argue that this $27 million-plus “development” project will greatly alter the make up of the neighborhoods that surround the proposed site. The “urban market” project will no doubt increase the likelihood of further capital investment into the area, which will be a benefit to some and a negative impact on others.
First, there is the issue of parking and increased traffic. Anyone who spends anytime near the intersection of Wealthy & Division or trying to get on or off US 131 at Wealthy knows that this is already a congested area. Adding a project, which is design to bring people from the surrounding communities to the downtown area, will further exacerbate the need for more parking and traffic congestion. For those who live and work in this area that will only add to more frustration, stress and other health issues related to air pollution and traffic congestion.
Second, these kinds of development projects always seem to displace marginalized populations. There is already some concern from Heartside residents and service providers about how this new development and the clientele it will serve will impact those of low income who live in the Heartside area.
In addition, this project and the economic ripple effect it will have will no doubt impact the long-term future of the residential area just east of Division and south of Wealthy. This is a neighborhood that currently has a tremendous amount of recently vacant land with residents of moderate and low-income levels. Will the “urban market” project potentially force people out of the area because of property tax increases, land purchases, potential re-zoning and class pressures.
A good example of how all this can impact low-income and marginal communities from 15 years ago was when the arena was proposed in Grand Rapids (also a Grand Action project.) The land that the arena now sits on used to be a City parking lot and since the parking spaces would be swallowed up by the arena, they needed to find other land to fill those spaces.
At the same time the land where the new YMCA sits and surrounding parking was once a neighborhood of some 80 houses. This was a primarily working class neighborhood with some of the residents receiving government assistance. All these houses were then bought by local real estate developer Jack Buchanan (of the Hangar42 fame) with the intent of rehabbing the houses for more upscale housing and office space.
Buchanan and his associate at the time then decided that the project wouldn’t work and they then offered the City the opportunity to buy the land for a City parking lot. It is difficult to say whether or not this was the intent of Buchanan all along, since there isn’t much in the public record. But what is clear is that at the time that there was still housing there I had the opportunity to interview numerous residents about the plans to bulldoze the neighborhood.
Many residents said that landlords were “purposely allowing properties to decline” and refused to do even basic repairs. For their troubles residents who signed an agreement to leave were given a 20-inch TV in order to pacify people who might otherwise complain. Again, it is not critical to the point I am making in terms of whether or not the displacement of these people was part of the development plan all along, but it clearly is an example of how development projects can have that affect.
Third, there are always consequences of development projects in terms of class conflicts and this project has the potential to add to that conflict. As someone who has lived near the Heartside district for 25 years I can tell you that there are many people I know who are economically struggling who have had to deal with the consequences of development project.
You can bet that with the “urban market” going in that there will be an increase of police presence in the area. People who current live under the Wealthy St, highway ramp will no doubt be removed from that area. Heartside residents who utilize the park space on Ionia will also likely be confronted by law enforcement due to increased consumers coming to the area. Indeed, one of the person interviewed by the project consultant said that the Grand Action folks “there’s going to be surveillance on the premise that the GRPD can monitor.” The person interviewed was also told, “they don’t own it, referring to those who are homeless who hang out in the Heartside Park where they want to do family fun activities.”
Lastly, there is the issue of ongoing transparency and public accountability, especially since there is already public money being used in this project. It is difficult to get information about the full project at this point, but there is information from the August 11 DDA meeting (pages 14-15) regarding who will run the “urban market.”
The plan is to set up a Michigan limited liability company named Grand Rapids Urban Market Holdings, LLC. This non-profit entity will be under the direction of a 9 member Board of Directors, which will serve at least a 3-year term. It is in this memorandum that the DDA states that it will turn over this property for the “urban market,” which underscores another area where public funds may have been involved. Having said that to date there has been limited transparency of this project and it will not likely become more transparent unless the public holds them accountable.
You will recall from a previous posting that on Monday at a public meeting with local Democrats in Big Rapids, Michigan Senator Carl Levin was confronted by someone who read a statement about Levin’s support for war in Iraq, Afghanistan and the US support of Israel. After the statement was read a young woman through a piece of pie at the Senator to further protest his support for what she called “War Crimes.”
Initially, just the woman was arrested, but on Wednesday the young man (Max Kantar) who read the statement was also arrested. Both of the protesters are being charged with felonies and stalking. The state is arguing that since both of the protesters were arrested outside of Levin’s office in January, that this new protest constitutes stalking. Formally, they are both being charged with aggravated stalking and conspiracy to commit aggravated stalking.
The young man was released today on a $10,000 bond and has hired a lawyer. The young woman, Ahlam Mohsen, is being held on a $250,000 bond and is still in the Mecosta County jail at least until Tuesday when there is a hearing.
Today in Detroit there is a protest in support of Ahlam, calling for all charges to be dropped. Supporters of Ahlam are calling on people to contact Senator Levin’s office “to demand he contact the Big Rapids prosecutor’s office and demand that all charges against Ms. Mohsen be dropped immediately: (313) 226-6020 / (313) 226-6948 (Fax).”
In addition, supporters are asking for people to pressure the jail where she is being held and ask that Ahlam be provided vegan food, which as of right now she is not receiving. The 24-hour number for the jail is 231-592-0156.
This issue should concern anyone and everyone because of its clear use of state intimidation and repression against people who want to hold elected officials accountable. If the state can charge people who on more than one occasion confront a specific legislator, then that could silence or limit the kinds of resistance that people are willing to engage in.
We will continue to follow this story and provide updates on the cases and any actions that develop. It should also be noted that the Michigan ACLU was notified and will be involved in the cases.
Green Hospitality?
The greening of the market has become a pretty shameless display of economic huckstering. As we have begun to document in our new section Dissecting Green Capitalism. Examples of Green Capitalism are being praised on a daily basis and we came across a new one that is worth looking at.
The business press MiBiz ran a story recently entitled Green Hospitality. Before looking at the story what came to mind were images of people welcoming others with open arms and offering them a place to stay because it is the humane thing to do. However, upon reading the article what we discovered was that MiBiz was singing the praises of some local hotels, which are now engaged in “green” practices.
Apparently the Michigan Department of Energy, Labor and Economic Growth’s Green Lodging initiative will certify hotels that engage in “green” practices, but the certification comes about through a self-assessment checklist. Seems easy enough.
The article then sites several area hotel administrators, one who says, “We are committed to being leaders in our community in regards to sustainability.” So, what do these hotels do that makes them sustainable leaders?
According to the MiBiz article the restaurant in the Kalamazoo Radisson hotel recycles its grease. In addition their IT department is having staff delete old e-mails so they can save on energy. The Radisson also now has computers track empty rooms so that energy can be shut down when not in use.
At the Holiday in Express in Holland they are keeping the setting on the boiler at a certain level and even recycling boxes and bottles. In Grand Rapids at the Amway Grand recycling is also practiced and the hotel’s magazine is printed on recycled paper.
It is this kind of superficial action that exposes the absurdity of green capitalism. These hotels seem to be taking small measures in order to market themselves as businesses that practice sustainability. The measures themselves are so minor that it borders on absurdity, but the larger issue as we have pointed out in previous articles is that there is no questioning of the very nature of these large hotel operations.
I looked at the cost for rooms at places like the Radisson and the Amway Grand and rooms range from $150 to $250 a night. Add to that the cost of meals in the restaurants these hotels house and you can factor in an additional $15 – 30 per meal. How many people in this community can easily pay such a price merely to have a place to sleep while traveling?
Beyond the cost, these places require significant amount of land use for parking, do not use locally grown food, and still operate their spaces on fossil fuels. The very nature of such places is unsustainable and certainly not based on a pre-capitalist notion of hospitality. Upscale hotels are designed to accommodate those in the business class who travel to do work or make deals that continues to perpetuate environmentally destructive practices. Think of the kinds of business people who are staying at these hotels and what they are doing – bankers, real estate reps, sales reps, lobbyists, trade association people, etc. Do you think for a moment that they are on a quest to make the planet more peaceful and green?
A truly sustainable notion of hospitality would be to offer people, particularly people with limited economic resources, a place to stay at no cost, which is what people do when you have guests stay at your house. To call what the Amway Grand or the Radisson hotels as sustainable or hospitable would be a distortion of both those terms.
Tell NBC: Sunday Morning Needs a Real War Debate
(This Media Alert is re-posted from FAIR.)
The war in Afghanistan has re-emerged as a major news story, thanks to the controversies surrounding the removal of Gen. Stanley McChrystal and the WikiLeaks release of classified documents. But on NBC‘s Meet the Press, the opportunity to engage in a robust debate about the war has taken a back seat to promoting the views of the military and supporters of Obama’s Afghanistan policies.
The most recent example came on August 15, when Meet the Press devoted the entire episode to a profile of Gen. David Petraeus. Host David Gregory’s opening indicated it wasn’t going to be a feet-to-the-fire interview: “At 57, General David Petraeus is easily America’s most famous warrior. On this morning we find him in the middle of physical training as this fiercely competitive four-star general works over soldiers half his age with the same intensity as he works the war plan.” Gregory questioned Petraeus about the timeline for withdrawal of U.S. troops as if it were an irritant: “How stifling is the concept of this deadline and this Washington debate to what you’re trying to do here?” At the close of the broadcast, Gregory echoed that sentiment and worried about the public’s lack of support:
“General Petraeus is a military leader with great commitment and great intellectual rigor, but you have to wonder whether he has enough time politically to achieve what he thinks is possible here…. The question now for the American public is whether it has the stomach and the will to do what it takes to succeed here, and whether it has the stomach for what could happen here if the U.S. and its allies fail.”
The hour with Petraeus was in keeping with recent patterns on the show. Right after the WikiLeaks disclosure, the show’s August 1 broadcast led with Gregory announcing, “The leaking of secret Afghanistan war documents has enraged U.S. military officials who warn of serious consequences for the leaker and the man behind the Web site WikiLeaks.” The featured one-on-one interview was with Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. There were no guests on hand to comment from an antiwar perspective.
On July 11, the program featured a one-on-one interview with White House press secretary Robert Gibbs that touched briefly on the war. The show’s panel discussion featured MSNBC host Rachel Maddow, who offered a somewhat mild critique of the war, mostly stressing that a withdrawal timeline improves the performance of the Afghan government. Her co-panelists were conservative pundit David Brooks and Ed Gillespie of the Republican State Leadership Committee, both of whom support the war effort to varying degrees (Brooks called himself a “strong supporter,” while Gillespie opposes any talk of a withdrawal timeline).
On June 27, Meet the Press devoted significant time to Afghanistan, thanks to the McChrystal controversy. The one-on-one interview was with Republican Sen. John McCain, a die-hard supporter of the war who opposes a withdrawal timetable.
The panel discussion that followed was notable in that it featured a rarity: a bona fide anti-war voice in Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.). But Lee was surrounded by pro-war guests: writer Sebastian Junger, retired U.S. Army captain Wes Moore, retired general Barry McCaffrey and Tom Ricks of the Center for a New American Security. Any talk of leaving Afghanistan was outnumbered by the pro-war majority. Junger stated that if U.S troops leave, the Taliban are “going to be right back in Afghanistan.” Ricks added, “I think if you want an endless war, Congresswoman, leave Afghanistan right now, and you’ll find us having to go after Al-Qaeda again and again there for decades.” At one point Junger even objected to Lee’s terminology, arguing that “the word occupation really is not accurate.”
So in weeks when public support for the war has continued to drop (CNN‘s most recent poll shows 62 percent oppose the war–8/6-10/10), why has NBC been so intent on promoting the war? It is hard to overlook the fact that NBC‘s parent company General Electric is heavily involved in weapons-related contracts with the U.S. military, and has also benefited from reconstruction contracts in Iraq and Afghanistan (Center for Public Integrity, 10/31/03).
On one recent show (7/11/10), Gregory mused that “finding the ideological fault lines here are difficult between left and right, frankly.” But the host of Meet the Press can’t “find” a debate only because he refuses to have one on his show.
Insecurity Impedes Afghan Election Campaign
(This story is re-posted from Al Jazeera.)
The deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan has made some regions inaccessible for candidates campaigning ahead of the country’s parliamentary elections, due to take place on September 18.
Many candidates have been forced to travel with bodyguards and armoured vehicles, but despite taking these precautions some areas remain too dangerous to campaign in.
Although more than 130,000 coalition forces are reinforcing the Afghan government, the spread of instability has left a large segment of the population at risk of being either not represented at all in the poll or having their ballot subjected to fraud.
Al Jazeera’s Clayton Swisher reports from Kabul, the Afghan capital:
Eat, Prey, Spend
(This article is re-posted from PR Watch.)
The movie “Eat, Pray, Love” is the story of a woman who travels the world in search of personal fulfillment, enlightenment and love. Despite the noticeably non-materialistic theme, though, Sony Pictures and Home Shopping Network (HSN) inked a deal to use the movie as a vehicle to hype an amazing amount of female-targeted merchandise.
In the run-up to the film’s August 13 release, HSN staged a three-day shopping event that showcased over 400 “Eat, Pray, Love” movie-related products including kitchenware, teas, jewelry, clothing, spices, shower gel, bed sheets, furnishings and cookware. Moviegoers are invited buy Eat, Pray, Love “I deserve Something Beautiful” T-shirts for a whopping $39.90 apiece, or an “Eat, Pray, Love” Sony Pocket Edition E-Reader with case for $229.95 (in three easy payments), a gelato maker, Sony laptop computers in movie-themed colors, gourmet candies, flat-panel TVs and much more.
Sony Pictures gets a cut of the profits generated by the merchandise, and HSN is helping out by bringing the movie to the attention of its 95 million household viewers and five million or so mostly female active customers who seek fulfillment by shopping. HSN screened the movie for its employees, and gave them copies of the novel to help them discuss the book and movie with customers and thus encourage sales.
This is the first time a movie studio has entered into a direct merchandising partnership with a TV shopping channel. Toy makers have long targeted kids with toys based on animated movies, but women are a relatively new target for movie-related merchandise, let alone on this scale. A tremendous amount of merchandising accompanied the release of the movie “Sex and the City 2,” but Warner Brothers, which made the movie, never launched a merchandising promotion like Sony’s for SATC. Instead, it left the job of pushing SATC-related merchandise — panties, martini glasses, parties, tours and such — to others.
The Press and its Back to School “Guide”
We are just a few weeks away from school starting again and as we mentioned in a recent post the level of back to school advertising is off the charts. Parents might be worried about the financial future of their school district, but JC Penny and Meijer are interested selling stuff to your kids.
The back to school advertising has escalated in recent years as has been documented by groups like Campaign for Commercial Free Childhood and Stop Targeting Our Kids (STOK). We see it in magazines, on billboards, TV, online, even through text messages. You can now add to all these advertising mediums, journalism.
Yesterday, the Grand Rapids Press ran as its feature story in the “Your Life” section an article that essentially was a commercial ad for back to school items. Entitled, “An Untraditional Guide to Going Back to School,” the story by reporter Linda Odette reads like advertising copy, since it provides all sorts of consumer tips and suggestions for branded products.
The article also included a contest that the newspaper is hosting to win a backpack and other “goodies,” plus a plug for the Shop Til You Rock tour for teens, which will be at a local mall. This teen music tour is being sponsored by numerous companies and is designed to do nothing more than to get teens and pre-teens to buy clothing and other items that young singers like Demi Lovato have.
The Press article ends with links to several sites that have coupons and shopping deals, like Savings Angel, which the Press includes in the Your Life section daily.
To add insult to injury, the Press reporter talks down to some parents early on in the article when talking about what “good parents” do: “Make a shopping budget. Make sure they get a good breakfast. Make lunch the night before. Seriously. If you’re a good parent, you’ve probably been doing this stuff for years. If you’re a not-so-good parent, it’s probably too late to start.”
Instead of insulting parents and acting as a promotional wing for companies trying to profit off of targeting children maybe the Press might consider providing information about how parents can deal with the hyper-commercialism that their children are confronted with.
Grand Rapids Institute for Information Democracy 