Climate Justice Day in Grand Rapids
On Saturday, about 60 people gathered in Rosa Parks Circle to be part of an action in conjunction with International Climate Justice Day. Students from several colleges brought people together to be part of the international 350 Campaign.
People gathered in rainy weather and listened to music and several speakers. One speaker was a student at Kendall College and belonged to the Green Council. Another student from GVSU was the event host. She said that she would be a youth delegate at the Climate Conference in Copenhagen in early December.
A woman from the West Michigan Environmental Action Council also spoke, but didn’t have much to say about climate change other than their organization was distributing energy efficient light bulbs. The only speaker to address the major causes of climate change was Lee Sprague, an organizer with the Sierra Club.
Sprague is working on a campaign to prevent the construction of eight new coal-fired power plants that have been proposed in Michigan. So far organizing efforts have prevented two of the plants from being built. The Sierra Club organizer said that 40% of the carbon emissions in the world are created from the burning of coal. Sprague also asked those in attendance to go online and counter the messages of the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity (ACCCE), a coal industry front group.
Once the speakers were done people marched over to the Calder Plaza so they could participate in forming the numbers 350 with their bodies and bikes. This picture would be shared with activists around the world as past of the 350.org campaign.
After most people went home a group of 13 people participated in a Critical Mass bike ride from downtown Grand Rapids to Consumers Energy near 36th street. The bike ride was designed to draw attention to one of the main polluters in the area, Consumers Energy, which distributes electricity that was generated from a coal-fired power plant. Those who organized the bike ride and banner drop talked a bit on camera about what motivated them to take this action.
Kalamazoo Peace Week Features Phyllis Bennis
Phyllis Bennis, with the New Internationalism Project at the Institute for Policy Studies, spoke at Western Michigan University last night. The occasion for her talk was the 28th annual Peace Week Celebration that has been taking place on campus in Kalamazoo. The focus of the night was on the US Occupation of Afghanistan.
Bennis began her talk by saying, “9/11 was a crime against humanity, but it was not an act of war. No nation attacked the US.” She continued by acknowledging that this war that began 8 years ago is called the “Good War,” even though it was never that. “After 8 years, it has now become Obama’s war,” Bennis said, “What he has called a war of necessity.” Then Bennis pointed out that those of us in the peace movement can’t claim he didn’t tell us, because he said during his campaign that this would be the war he would focus on.
Bennis criticizes the fact that 21,000 troops were sent by the Obama administration earlier this year before they determined a strategy. “Now they are discussing a strategy, but it is narrowly focused.” The author/speaker said that within the current strategic discussions there are two main options are: 40 – 80,000 additional troops or maintain the current 68,000-troop level and use more un-manned drones. Gen. McChrystal, Obama’s top military advisor on Afghanistan, is advocating a troop increase to engage in a major counter-insurgency campaign. McChrystal is saying that while we need to “win hearts and minds,” we also have to hunt down and kill the terrorists.
For Bennis, having an exit strategy is not enough, because there needs to be a plan for massive reparations – for all the destruction the US occupation has done. And this cannot be done while the US is occupying the country. She says that early on there was a major bombing campaign, in 2001 and early 2002. One of the weapons used were cluster bombs, which are bombs, which when explode send out thousands of smaller bomblets. Many will not explode and remain on the ground as mines, which civilians and particularly children are at risk of picking up. The US has still not signed on the international ban on cluster bombs.
Thousands of people were instantly turned into refugees because of the US bombing in 2001-02. The only response by the US government to this humanitarian crisis was the airdrop food, which was essentially a photo op, according to Bennis. The food packages were only in English, Spanish & French and they were also yellow, which made them look a lot like the cluster bombs. The speaker said that the military would not change the color of the packages because “too many of them were made and had to be used.”
Bennis went on to says that 54-57% of the US population is now opposed to the US occupation of Afghanistan, according to recent polling. There has been a 10% drop of public support in the last month alone. “Yes, he promised escalation, but we need to tell the administration that the occupation will not work and the human cost is too great.”
Bennis also said that part of the counter-insurgency strategy is to get the people to support the local government. The problem is that the US has been backing Karzai, who is a “thug” and “corrupt.” Karzai is often referred to as the “Mayor of Kabul,” because he doesn’t really control much else of the country.
Another justification for the US occupation Bennis said, was that the US needs to be there to save the women of Afghanistan. But this is a myth, since the very misogynist sectors in Afghanistan are remnants of the Mujahideen, that the US trained and funded in the 1980s. The worst could be Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, who as a student through acid on a woman’s face to voice his opposition to women in the university. These are facts that women’s groups like RAWA and the Afghan Women’s Mission continue to point out.
Bennis continued by saying that US troops deaths have increased and Afghani deaths have in the tens of thousands. “In addition, the monetary cost of the war has been tremendous.” Phyllis gives the breakdown of how much money has come from Kalamazoo to fund the war in Afghanistan, based on the data provided by the National Priorities Project. “Money could have been spent on health care and education, but instead it is to fund this brutal war,” Bennis said.
Then there is the amount of money that has been committed to Pakistan as part of this war. The Obama administration bragged about sending $7 billion in humanitarian aide, but failed to mention the $100 billion sent for military purposes.
Bennis said, “We need an exit strategy, which means a couple of things. There needs to be real diplomacy, which involves the surrounding countries, like Iran and China.” Those governments have to have something to say about what happens in Afghanistan, so there really needs to be a regional strategy. Bennis also said that the impact of the US policies in Iraq and its support for Israel also impact how these regional countries view the US. “Ask people who saw US made and US supplied weapons bombing Gaza earlier this year. The planes, the helicopters, the bombs, the white phosphorous, are all from the US. So how do you think those people view the US?”
Bennis points out that both the outgoing Bush administration and incoming Obama administration have promised $30 Billion to Israel. Obama has asked for a freeze to Israeli settlements, several times, but Israel has consistently said no and has said they don’t feel pressured by the Obama administration. “These are the things that we have to think about when dealing with the war in Afghanistan, because the rest of the world thinks about this.”
“There are some legislative bills pending, which are calling for an exit strategy before doing anything else, but those members of Congress who are calling for this have not been included in the discussion with the administration on the Afghanistan strategy,” said Bennis. “We need to get the US out of Afghanistan and to pay massive reparations for the damages done. We need to speed up the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq, we need to stop US support for Israel. This is the task of the US Peace Movement.”
The Perfect Storm Election of 2010
A lot is up for grabs in 2010. At least that’s what Bill Ballenger, Michigan’s “crown prince of pundits” and editor of Inside Michigan Politics, said Wednesday evening at a Progressive Women’s Alliance meeting.
It only happens once every 16 years, that rare occurrence when there’s an opportunity to reevaluate the very constitution of Michigan. 2010 is that year. In the past, change has been voted down 3-1. Yet Ballenger believes this margin may be closer this time around.
- It only happens once every 16 years, that rare occurrence when there’s an opportunity to reevaluate the very constitution of Michigan. 2010 is that year. In the past, change has been voted down 3-1. Yet Ballenger believes this margin may be closer this time around.
- 2010 is also a census year, which will lead to redistricting, offering Democrats a key chance to get better districts.
- All 4 of the constitutional officers (Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, and Secretary of State) will be on the ballot, and there will be no incumbents.
- 2 seats out of the 7 on Michigan’s Supreme Court will be open. As the Federal Supreme Court nominations have shown, Supreme Courts are rarely nonpartisan. Democrats will have a chance to gain more control of the Supreme Court.
- The Republican control of the State Senate may end after 26 years of control. Ballenger predicts Democrats have a good chance at taking the 4 seats needed to do so.
Ballenger is known as a political predicator, and a good one at that. When asked about the gubernatorial race and who to keep an eye on, Ballenger had encouraging words about current Speaker of the House Andy Dillon. While Dillon hasn’t declared whether he will be running, Ballenger thinks he would make an excellent general election candidate. Although Dillon is a Democrat, he is often seen as more nonpartisan on a lot of issues. The Democratic gubernatorial candidate, John Cherry, has a good chance of winning the Democratic primary, yet Ballenger believes he is too closely linked to Gov. Granholm, who has been receiving a lot of flak lately. The filing deadline is in seven months, plenty of time for many upsets and surprises in the political arena.
Ballenger said if Democrats maintain the Governorship and win the Senate, they will really be in the driver’s seat in Michigan. However, Ballenger continually emphasized that this will not be possible without the help and determination of such groups as the Progressive Women’s Alliance.
Media Bites – Music Video “Kiss With a Fist”
Broken jaws, black eyes, a burning bed . . . these are some of the images Florence and the Machine sing about in the alternative music hit, Kiss With A Fist. But, what are the realities of teen dating violence? Watch this deconstruction of the music video to find out.
Report from the DC Immigration Rally
Last week we posted a story about an immigration rally and send-off for people going to Washington, DC to promote comprehensive immigration reform. A member of the Michigan Organizing Project (MOP) wrote this summary of what took place on that trip.
Last week, a group of 52 people from Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, and Sturgis traveled 24 hours, to Washington, D.C. and back, to tell our congressmen in Washington that it is time for comprehensive immigration reform NOW.
Beginning with a meeting at Garfield Park in Grand Rapids, a diverse group including college students, immigrant families, and the press gathered to send off the travelers. We heard the stories of families that have experienced the incredibly negative effects of the current immigration system, and with the blessings of five different pastors, we began our “pilgrimage” to the capital.
Upon arrival, we went immediately to the office of Representative Fred Upton to ask for a clarification of his position on comprehensive immigration reform. We are very pleased to report that his staff member, Deke Thompson, affirmed that Representative Upton definitely supports comprehensive immigration reform.
We continued on to the office of Representative Vern Ehlers. Although our meeting there was not as positive as the meeting with Upton, it seems that Representative Ehlers is also in agreement with the necessity of immigration reform.
We finished off the day by gathering with hundreds of people from 26 different states at the Church of the Reformation. From there, all of the groups that had gathered marched together to the west lawn of the Capitol building of the United States.
At the Capitol, various congressmen, families, and individuals shared their stories and their commitments to comprehensive immigration reform. Perhaps the most exciting part of the rally was when Representative Luis Gutierrez of Chicago spoke, committing to introduce an immigration reform bill in Congress before the end of this year. Si se puede!
We returned that night, tired, but encouraged, with the sounds of our chants and the memory of the unity we had witnessed in our minds and hearts. Friends, we have achieved much in the fight for comprehensive immigration reform. However, we still have lots of work to do. Without the support of everyone, we will not achieve the reform that we so want and need.
We urge you to take action now, in any or all of the following ways, to help advance immigration reform and let our government know that we mean business! Join the Reform Immigration for America text network. All you need to do is send a text message with the word “unity” in English, or “unidad” in Spanish, to the number 69866.
Visit the Reform Immigration for America website at www.reformimmigrationforamerica.org to email your congressmen, send them faxes, and sign up to receive action alerts via email. Call your congressmen personally and tell them that you want comprehensive immigration reform!
Si se puede! Yes we can!
National Media Coverage is not much better than Local News
We have conducted dozens of studies looking at what local TV stations and the Grand Rapids Press report on and how they cover major issues. One reason why GRIID does not track national media outlets is because there are several credible organization who already do that important work. Groups like Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting, Media Matters, News Dissector, Project Censored and the Project for Excellence in Journalism all provide excellent documentation and analysis of national news reporting.
Last month, we completed a 100-day study of the Grand Rapids Press coverage of the US war in Afghanistan/Pakistan. Many of our findings were similar to the analysis that the national media watchdog groups while the US administration gets ready to make decisions on sending more troops in the ninth year of that occupation.
Currently we are working on a 30-day study of the Grand Rapids Press coverage of elections in Kent County. The study began the day that the top 10 finalists in the ArtPrize competition were announced and will conclude the day after there are local elections (November 4). There are 43 candidates running for a variety of local city council seats, as well as 3 ballot proposals for a few communities within Kent County. We want to make a comparison of how the Press reported on the ArtPrize entries/voting and the local political candidates/voting.
The Project for Excellence in Journalism (PEJ) documents what topics were covered on a weekly basis. For the week of October 12 – 18, fund that health care was the lead story, due in part to the Senate Finance Committee vote on Health Care. After Health Care, the ongoing economic crisis received the second most coverage during the week of October 12 – 13, followed by the “Balloon Boy” story.
The “Balloon Boy” story received more coverage last week than US policy in Afghanistan or Pakistan, despite the fact that the US administration has been debating sending 40 – 80,000 more US troops to fight in that war. Another indication of how the media fails to inform the public about the crucial issues of the day, but instead chooses to make a boy in a balloon, ongoing national news.
AT&T Fights back on Internet Neutrality Battle
Two weeks ago we posted a Media Alert asking people to support new federal legislation that would prevent telecom companies from further privatization of the Internet.
Yesterday, FreePress sent out notification that telecom giant AT&T is fighting back on this issue. FreePress staff person Tim Karr wrote:
The company’s top policy officer sent a memo to workers on Monday urging them to hide their company affiliation before posting anti-Net Neutrality comments to the Federal Communication Commission’s Web site.
“We encourage you, your family and friends to join the voices telling the FCC not to regulate the Internet,” AT&T Senior Executive Vice President James Cicconi wrote in an internal communiqué forwarded to Free Press (and posted here). “It can be done through a personal e-mail account by going to www.openinternet.gov and clicking on the ‘Join the Discussion’ link.”
The notice that FreePress sent out yesterday also states, “Last week, several dozen members of Congress put the interests of AT&T ahead of yours and signed a letter to the FCC opposing the agency’s efforts to protect Net Neutrality.” It isn’t known at this point which members of Congress signed a letter, but according to the Center for Responsible Politics, AT&T has given money equally to both Democrats and Republicans. In the 2008 election cycle AT&T gave $4,464,263 to candidates, the most by any of the telephone companies.
If you haven’t signed the online petition in favor of Internet Neutrality, do so today and encourage people you know to do the same.
Media Bites – US Chamber of Commerce Ad
In this week’s Media Bites we take a look at a commercial that is part of a new ad campaign by the US Chamber of Commerce called the American Free Enterprise Campaign. This campaign is designed to promote the idea that the free enterprise system is what will create new jobs in America. We point out that the US Chamber has supported policies that have resulted in a loss of US jobs as well as their lobbying of Congress for anti-worker policies. The Center for Responsive Politics has documented that the US Chamber of Commerce has spent more money lobbying Congress than any other entity since 1998.
Global Climate Justice Day of Action – Saturday, October 24
This Saturday there will be millions of people participating in over 3,700 different actions in 162 countries demanding climate justice. Grand Rapids is among those communities who have joined in to participate in this historic action.
A group of mostly GVSU students have organized an event in conjunction with the International group 350.org. The Grand Rapids event will start at 11:00am at Rosa Parks Circle with information tables, music and a few speakers. At 12:30 there will be a march to Calder Plaza and at 2pm there will be a Critical Mass bike ride to a local energy company. The local 350 group has a facebook page where you can get more details and sign up to participate.
These actions are all taking place just weeks before the big international climate conference that will be taking place in Copenhagen, Denmark. The heads of state from around the world will gather to decide on what actions to take to reduce carbon emissions, but as Bill McKibben – one of the 350.org organizers says, “the politicians have failed us” on climate justice. Environmental activist Vandana Shiva talked with us last week about climate justice and she affirmed McKibben’s point by saying, “climate justice must be citizen-led.”
Another group, Beyond Talk, is asking people to commit to taking action, even participating in civil disobedience. Beyond Talk is encouraging people to join affinity groups and use a consensus-based process to determine actions. They also have great resources on Direct Action, organizing tools and legal support.
