aum

Rally for Local Living-Wage Jobs and Worker-Affordable Housing

2007-12-04T19:17:14Z

Rally for Local Living-Wage Jobs and Worker-Affordable Housing
tell Rick Talbert & Tacoma City Council to Support Sustainable Growth
Wednesday, Dec. 5, 5:15pm
37th Street and South D St., Tacoma (Pierce County Health Dept)

Luxury high-rises and hotels are going up in Downtown Tacoma and condos are
listed for $1 million and up. Developers get millions of our tax-dollars in
subsidies to increase these projects' profits. Yet, these projects are also
built and serviced on the backs of mostly immigrant workers in poverty-wage
non-union jobs. None of these condo projects are affordable for
mixed-income workers.

This scheme is causing a job and housing crisis in Pierce County, more
poverty, environmental damage, an eroded tax base, and a widening gulf
between rich and poor as explained in a previous JwJ email. Unfortunately,
that's the way most developers and government officials hope to keep it so
far.

Deputy Mayor Talbert Pits Luxury Developers over Workers and Environment
The Tacoma City Council has refused to link good jobs and affordable housing
to these subsidies despite respectful proposals and dialogue. Deputy Mayor
Rick Talbert leads the charge for this subsidy scheme to high-end property
developers while fending off a sustainable growth plan. It doesn't have to
be this way. We can coexist well if we implemented responsible development
policies already practiced in scores of growing West Coast cities despite
developer protests in almost every instance as "the end of the world."

Now Mr. Talbert is keynoting a public forum to school us on how to make our
"political system more responsive," on "influencing policies," and how to
become environmentally sustainable and promote "environmental health
policy." This is the same Rick Talbert who so far is not responsive, obeys
the influence of money over people, and whose development scheme generates
more green-house gas and climate change.
see below for more background

Our plan
We will model for Mr. Talbert how to make our "political system more
responsive" by holding an outside picket and leaflet before the forum. The
Pierce County Health Dept has welcomed the entire public to attend this
forum at which Mr. Talbert is scheduled to field questions from the
audience. If you liked our protest at the Maersk Port of Tacoma terminal
earlier this month, this one promises to be even more creative and fun.

Background
Corporate Welfare Gone Wild
While Tacoma officials pioneered this poverty-generating development model,
it is now a virus overtaking Pierce County and is potentially spreading
statewide. In a race to the bottom, Lakewood and Puyallup have recently
implemented similar tax breaks. Current government subsidies include:
· 8 and 10 year full tax breaks for new developments
· Low interest loans such as for converting the Winthrop to a
five-start hotel and condo complex
· Over $60 million in free environmental clean-up for exclusive Thea
Foss waterfront property
· Below-market rate land sales such as the downtown Marriott
Courtyard Hotel
· Above-market rate land purchases such as bailing out the ill-fated
Crosswater Condominium
· Eminent domain threats such as the "Tombstone" parking complex
· Free infrastructure like underground parking and utilities.

Who Does Rick Talbert really represent?
· At least 3 times, Mr. Talbert was a "no show, no call" at meetings
with delegations of labor and community leaders to discuss this topic.
· Rather than explore common ground, Mr. Talbert has campaigned to
defend the current tax, job, and housing scheme. In public forums, he has
opposed standards such as living wages, union apprenticeships, and local
resident access to jobs at these subsidized projects.
· Mr. Talbert publicly claims that the luxury property projects
"won't pencil out" unless developers operate with poverty-wage non-union
jobs and are not required to build a single affordable housing unit. This
is the same thing developers said in scores of West Coast cities before
proven wrong by working sustainable growth policies. Just like earlier
bogus claims that these subsidized luxury projects benefit all residents, we
want to see the data to support this claim.
· Mr. Talbert has run from informal approaches by old friends on
this topic. Instead of chatting, Mr. Talbert indirectly accused one friend
in an awkward professional setting of raising inappropriate topics
· Mr. Talbert claims to support urban density to reduce commuting
but his scheme has people working far from homes they can afford and living
in places far from the jobs that finance this high-end living. His plans
are adding thousands more polluting commuters to our already clogged roads.

Job and Housing Crisis in Pierce County
For the last 3 years, Jobs with Justice has helped organize public forums
hosted by our region's elected and community leadership to expose this
crisis driven by a new low-wage service economy and property development
scheme, local disinvestment and deindustrialization brought on by "free
trade" treaties, broken immigration policies, and union-busting. Local
governments have produced voluminous studies to identify and address this
crisis. Even the pro-developer News Tribune admits to this crisis. As
Tacoma Housing Authority Executive Director Michael Mirra says "if our local
housing crisis was measured in food terms, we have widespread malnutrition
and pockets of starvation." Development industry specialists agree that the
local workforce is not paid enough to buy the newly built and soon
over-saturated condos. When local workers at Tomlinson Linen, Alan Ritchey
Inc, Toray Composites, Pierce County buildings, Marriott Hotels, Columbia
Bank Building, and almost all local residential construction sites have to
endure the scientific terrorism of the modern union-buster campaign to
exercise their rights to organize for a living wage, we wonder how we
reverse this crisis without worker-friendly elected leaders.

Time To Take Action
We have worked to build consensus around effective strategies to end this
crisis among our region's elected and community leadership (see below JwJ
Workers Rights Board findings and resolution to act). Sometimes we need to
reconcile the "consensus to act" with real action. These are the times JwJ
mobilizes to hold decision-makers accountable.
South Sound office of Washington State Jobs with Justice3049 S 36th St #201
Tacoma WA 98409Phone: 253-459-5107 Fax: 206-441-5059Email:
southsound@wsjwj.org Website: www.wsjwj.org

Washington State Jobs with Justice Workers Rights Board
Findings and Resolution To Act

The Washington State Jobs with Justice Workers Rights Board makes the
following findings based on the hearing testimony on December 9, 2004:
· That living wage jobs and high levels of employment are integral
to the health of our communities and economy
· That exporting living wage jobs from our community without an
effective strategy to replace those jobs and provide laid off workers
transition to future decent living standards is cause for serious concern
· That not enough statistical information has been collected about
how much job exporting is happening and how it impacts us
· That we are concerned about whether job exporting actually
benefits our community as well as communities, such as India, receiving
these exported jobs
· That both government and the private sector should develop local
sustainable economy and community strategies to address the impact of job
exporting.

Be it resolved that we will work to build a sustainable economy of living
wage jobs and stable high employment in our community of Pierce and south
King Counties by:
· Identifying and focusing government subsidized development (such
as business recruitment and special worker training) in industry clusters
(such as biotech and enviro-energy) that provide living wage jobs
· Coupling corporate disclosure of job creation statistics and
government audits with direct and indirect government subsidies to
companies.
· Cataloguing business reasoning and how we respond to companies
that resist disclosure, audits, commitments to quantifiable living wage job
creation goals, and other programs that encourage and evaluate job retention
and creation initiatives.
· Reforming how government subsidizes the private sector to favor
rewarding and growing businesses that have a track record of investing in
stable living wage jobs in our community
· Engaging business community leaders who support our resolution to
join us in visits with local corporation leaders to discuss balancing values
of profit and sustaining our community. We will also educate about an
employee involvement model that evaluates and compares alternatives to job
exporting on a case-by-case basis.
· Approaching major media outlets to publicize the social impacts of
job exporting and solutions put forth in these findings especially the
employee involvement model that evaluates and compares alternatives to job
exporting on a case-by-case basis.
By: — Congressperson Adam Smith — Outgoing Chair of the House Trade &
Commerce Committee Velma Veloria — Pierce County Executive John Ladenburg —
President of Tacoma Ministerial Alliance Rev. Paul Warren — Vice Chair of
the House Financial Institutions Committee Rep. Geoff Simpson — State Rep. &
Business Retention Mgr of Pierce Economic Development Bd. Derek Kilmer —
Executive Director Associated Ministries Rev. David Alger — Tim Strege
Executive Director of William M Factory Small Business Incubator — Pierce
County United Way President* Rick Allen — Tacoma Mayor Bill Baarsma —
Pierce
County Council Member Tim Farrell

RIP Washoe (an amazing chimp)

2007-11-01T06:47:08Z

RIP Washoe (an amazing chimp)

Washoe, born in 1965 in the rainforest of Africa, was the first nonhuman to acquire a human language (American Sign Language). She also passed this language on to her adopted son.

Washoe has been at the Chimpanzee & Human Communication Institute in Ellensburg, Washington with Dr. Roger Fouts (an awesome vegan primate rights activist).

She died Tuesday October 30 2007 at 42 years old. She was the matriarch of the chimpanzee family at CHCI. You can visit the remaining chimps Loulis, Tatu, and Dar and see if they'll sign with you. You can also learn about chimpanzee communication and the issues they face as a species and how to help them.

I recommend a visit to CHCI (http://www.cwu[dot]edu/~cwuchci/visitor_information.html)

Washoe was an amazing being and she'll be missed. I'm glad I got to meet her a few times.

RIP Washoe

Tacoma Anarchist Bookfair Nov 3-4

2007-10-27T07:20:32Z

Tacoma Anarchist Bookfair Nov 3-4

The bookfair is taking place the weekend of November 3-4 at Pitchpipe Infoshop 617 S 17th St (at G St) Tacoma, WA 98405

We have around 10 tables of different distros/booksellers. Workshops will run throughout the weekend.

Some (but not all) workshops are:
-anti-eurocentrism
-consent
-diy reusable menstrual pad making
-neighboorhood organizing
-street medic
-port militarization resistance

Saturday night there will be a show following the bookfair. Touring band The Wayward and Olympia artists Onyx and The Pasties are playing.

Sunday evening after the bookfair we'll play anarchist games!

Food Not Bombs will be cooking throughout the weekend.

We'd love to see people from all around the country, in particular the Northwest (and if possible, people from around the world). So be prepared for delicious free, vegan food, and some good anarchy. Get more information at myspace.com/tacomabookfair or tacomabookfair@gmail.com

Contact us with questions, comments, etc. If you are a traveler and need somewhere to stay while you are in town for this event, we will try to find someone to accommodate you. tacomabookfair@gmail.com

See a flyer for the Bookfair at http://tacomafnb.info/bookfairflyer.gif

Protest War Contractors in Tacoma June 4-6! Call to NW activists!

2007-05-28T09:23:23Z

Protest War Contractors in Tacoma June 4-6! Call to NW activists!

This is a call to NW activists to mobilize in Tacoma for a war contractor exhibit that will be visiting our city within the next two weeks. The defense industry has registered for a trade show at the Greater Tacoma Convention Center, June 4-6 billed as "SpecOps West 2007 ExpoTrade Show and Symposium" at which it will share new tachnologies and products for "today's war fighter." There will be approximately 75 exhibitors including Lockheed Martin, Nortrop Grumman, and Raytheon. Below is an article detailing the event in Tacoma as well as speakers.

We will protest outside the trade center each day. Come express your outrage that NW cities are using our facilities to glorify war and destruction. Our cities cannot keep using our ports and convention centers to promote war and atrocities against other people. Come prepared for anything. Affinity groups welcome.

PROTEST TACOMA WAR CONTRACTORS

-Monday June 4 @ 4pm
-Tuesday June 5 @ 12pm
-Wednesday June 4 @ 12pm
Greater Tacoma Convention and Trade Center
1500 Broadway, Tacoma, WA 98402

Wherever you are in the northwest, please come. We can find you a place to sleep. See you there!

DRIVING DIRECTIONS

From I-5 Southbound/Northbound:

1. At exit 133 (City Center Exit) turn RIGHT onto the ramp towards I-705/ City Center.
2. Keep LEFT to stay on ramp towards I-705/ City Center.
3. Turn LEFT onto ramp towards A Street/ City Center.
4. Keep LEFT to stay on ramp towards S. 15th Street/ Pacific Avenue.
5. Follow S. 15th Street two blocks, the GTCTC will be on your left at 1500 Broadway.
6. To access onsite parking, Turn LEFT on Market Street.
7. Turn LEFT again on S. 17th Street to access Parking Lots A, B, C, D & E. Lot G is accessed off of Commerce Street.

PARKING

Those parking lots may cost money, so free parking is available in neighborhoods up the hill a few blocks (west) or park at the Tacoma Dome Station parking garage (free) and take the light rail over (free).

For information about the Tacoma Dome Station see http://www.soundtransit.org/x1349.xml

For more information about parking see http://www.tacomaconventioncenter.com/plan_directions.html

CALL IF YOU CAN'T MAKE IT

If you cannot make it, consider calling the Convention Center and city officials to express your outrage that the city is using our facilities to promote war profiteering and killing.

-Tacoma Convention Center: 253.830.6601
-Mayor Bill Baarsma's office and city council members: 253-591-5100

For schedule of conference events see:
http://www.defensetradeshows.com/SPECOPSWEST07_schedule.html

For more info about the trade center:
http://www.tacomaconventioncenter.com/

Let's shut down the conference! They won't make war plans in our neighborhood!

Aberdeen port militarization protests

2007-05-05T01:11:10Z

Aberdeen port militarization protests

     Two months after the military came through the port of Tacoma, the
military is at it again, this time using the small port of Aberdeen,
Washington. We've pushed them away from Olympia and Tacoma and if we
get it together we can make them never want to use the port of
Aberdeen again. In every town the military has entered, hundreds of
people have been radicalized after seeing the response of the police.
This is an extremely valuable opportunity to spread our ideas, our
energy and our dreams to a small, economically depressed lumber town.
    Today, Strykers were seen entering the port. As of now there are two
rows of six vehicles. Apache helicopters also landed in the port to
be shipped out. We have no word as to when the boat will be in, but
using the Port of Tacoma shipment as a reference, they will most
likely be arriving during the next few days, waiting there and then
being loaded onto the boat. So we basically have a week, perhaps a
week and a half.
   So far, the plan is this:

   Meet at the corner of 28th and John Stevens Way (directions below) this
Saturday and Sunday at 2 pm (until whenever). From there we can figure
out what to do and those with plans can relate them to others. The
cops have nicely set up a free speech zone for us which we should all
kindly ignore. We are in a much better location than in Tacoma. The
port is pressed up against neighborhoods (exactly on block away) and we
are not trapped in a wire cage, giving us a lot more to work with.

   Please bring every one you know. If you HAVE to pick one of the days
to come, then come on SUNDAY! Things will be continuing after Sunday,
but this will be our first burst of energy. More details will be sent
out when they arrive. Hope you all can come down.

Directions:

>From I-5 take exit 104 into Highway 101.

Follow 101 until it merges with Highway 8 (there should be signs for
Aberdeen near the split)

Follow until you reach Aberdeen.

After you enter the city, continue down main road through downtown. 101
suddenly appears downtown in the form of the main road (just look for 101
signs). Follow it until you reach 28th.

Take left on 28th and follow until you hit the water.

We will be meeting at the end of 28th. There is an observation tower
there and a public boat launch. We will gather there and decide what to
do.

Drive carefully.

Military using Port of Aberdeen right now - tear it down!

2007-05-02T23:33:18Z

Military using Port of Aberdeen right now - tear it down!

The Army is sending helicopters through the Port of Aberdeen right now, and it may continue. Hundreds of activists and community members came out to the Port of Tacoma this March to resist the military's use of our public ports to export war and occupation. Hundreds of people resisted the military machine at the Port of Tacoma in May 2006.

It may be time to take our struggle to the next port: Aberdeen. The next military shipment could go through other ports in Washington, and it could be coming to your town.

People are meeting Wednesday (May 2) at 7pm in Olympia to discuss strategies, tactics, campaigns, and what to do.

I encourge people to attend the meeting if they can make it, and if not, keep informed of the situation, as protests and resistance may form at the Port of Aberdeen very soon. Stay informed, tell your friends and family, and see where you can plug in.

Wednesday meeting about Port of Aberdeen:
Wed, 5/2 @ 7pm
Traditions Cafe (5th & Water St)
Olympia, WA

Updates will probably be posted on seattle.indymedia.org, http://olyimc.infotage.net/, and tacomasds.org

Together we can resist the war machine and shut down whatever cities the military thinks they can use to export immoral, illegal war and occupation.

tear it down!

URGENT: Port of Tacoma Action Sun 3/5 @ 9pm

2007-03-04T10:16:20Z

URGENT: Port of Tacoma Action Sun 3/5 @ 9pm

Saturday night, 30-40 regional activists observed multiple convoys from Ft Lewis coming through the Port of Tacoma to be shipped to Iraq. Riot cops had a big presence, probably 30 or so. Activists had a presence there to show that we do not want the military using our port. We need more people!

Another action is planned Sunday night @ 9pm for the next expected set of convoys. The more people that come, the more of an effect we can have. If we have enough people, we can possibly take direct action and stop or slow down the militarization of our port.

There is a teach-in about the Iraq war during the day in Tacoma, including a discussion about the port militarization, with a free Riot Folk! show afterwards. So come down to Tacoma for the day, and we can find you a place to stay if you need to spend the night. In addition, there are actions planned for the whole week. For more details about the teach-in and this week, see http://seattle.indymedia.org/en/2007/03/258076.shtml

It's not only possible but quite probabale we can delay or even stop the shipments from coming through Tacoma. All we need is a large presence. That was perhaps the most frustrating thing last year during the Port of Olympia protests: people were not there when we needed them the most. All we needed at one point was 100 people total to take non-violent direct action to stop the military convoys. We should really take advantage of the privilege we have - if this were Iraq, we'd got shot from being even a mile away from a large US military presence. If the weapons ship out, PEOPLE WILL DIE...

(There should be a lot of folks there tonight. Bring instruments, warm clothes and blankets, cameras... for good times.)

Also, bring still cameras and video cameras.

To get to Port of Tacoma:

I-5 to exit 136 B (Port of Tacoma)
Follow to Port of Tacoma Rd
Take Port of Tacoma Rd until E 11th.
Left on E 11th
Follow until Milwaukee. Find our people and park there.

If you can't come at 9:00pm, come later. We'll still need you. Come later this week.

-tear it down-

See http://seattle.indymedia.org/en/2007/03/258076.shtml for important upcoming events this week in Tacoma and Olympia.

Upcoming Events to oppose Tacoma Port Militarization

2007-03-04T04:41:28Z

Upcoming Events to oppose Tacoma Port Militarization

PLEASE FORWARD!

Saturday, March 3, 2007

Last year the military exported war and occupation through the Port of Olympia in broad daylight. The Olympia community responded with strong resistance. Fort Lewis was scared enough to avoid Olympia this year and has decided to export war through Tacoma instead, under the cover of darkness. Army Stryker vehicles began moving to the Port of Tacoma late Friday night, early Saturday morning and are not yet finished.

Tacoma Port Militarization Resistance (PMR) is working with Olympia PMR to protest and stop the shipment of more military vehicles (and consequently, more troops) to Iraq.

OUR ACTIONS ARE NOT AGAINST THE TROOPS. They are directed at the approximately 300 Stryker vehicles that are being shipped to Iraq from the Port of Tacoma in advance of the deployment of the 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division from Fort Lewis. The 4th Brigade is being deployed earlier than planned, as part of George Bush's suicidal "surge." They are being deployed so quickly that they are forced to skip their final desert training in California.

THE WORST THING that will endanger the troops is to ship them over to Iraq. Our actions are being conducted out of concern for the lives of US soldiers and, equally, the lives of Iraqi people.

We expect the Strykers to be loaded onto a military ship bound for the Persian Gulf on Friday. That gives us less than a week to act.

GET INVOLVED!

Here are the actions planned so far. More to come.

SATURDAY, MARCH 3
Party at 9:30 PM at the Port of Tacoma. We'll keep ourselves warm and entertained as we wait for more Stryker vehicles to arrive. DIRECTIONS: Take Exit 136B off I-5. Go down Port of Olympia Rd. Turn Left on E 11th. Follow until you reach Milwaukee.

SUNDAY, MARCH 4
IN OLYMPIA: Nonviolent Direct Action/Civil Resistance training. Learn to empower yourself with these basic tools of democracy. 10 am to 6 pm, at Evergreen, Seminar II, E3105. (cosponsored by SDS Olympia and EPIC student groups)

Following the training at 6:15, there will be a meeting of Olympia PMR (at the same place) to discuss plans for the week.

IN TACOMA: Iraq War teach-in. University of Puget Sound, Wyatt 109, 4 pm. At 5:30 there will be a discussion on the actions at the Port of Tacoma. Sponsored by SDS Tacoma.

MONDAY, MARCH 5
Vigil at Pacific and I-5 in Tacoma, from 4 to 6 PM. Bring signs to oppose war being exported from the Port of Tacoma.

TUESDAY, MARCH 6
Noon: Rally at the Federal Courthouse on Pacific, in Tacoma.
2:30: Following the rally, there will be a meeting at University of Puget Sound to plan for the rest of the week. Go to the Main Student Center.

THURSDAY, MARCH 8 & FRIDAY, MARCH 9
Second Nonviolent Direct Action/Civil Resistance training in Olympia. If you couldn't make the Sunday training, here's an additional workshop split into two evenings, both from 5:30 pm to 8:30 pm. Thursday at United Methodist Church (1224 Legion Way SE). Friday at Unitarian Universalist Congregation, 2200 East End St NW. These dates, particularly the Friday one, is subject to change due to actions at the Port of Tacoma.

FRIDAY, MARCH 9
Ship begins loading Stryker vehicles?

Check the Tacoma SDS website (tacomasds.org), olyblog.net, and olyimc.infotage.net for action updates throughout the week.

For more information, including sleeping accomodations in Tacoma for the week, email facilitator@tacomasds.org

Action at Port of Tacoma 9:30 tonight (SAT) !!!

2007-03-04T04:31:39Z

Action at Port of Tacoma 9:30 tonight (SAT) !!!

Meet at the Port of Tacoma 9:30 tonight!!!

It was decided at the meeting held today in Tacoma that people should meet at the Port of Tacoma at 9:30 tonight to disrupt the war machine.

It's not only possible but quite probabale we can delay or even stop the shipments from coming through Tacoma. All we need is a large presence. That was perhaps the most frustrating thing last year during the Port of Olympia protests: people were not there when we needed them the most. All we needed at one point was 100 people total to take non-violent direct action to stop the military convoys. We should really take advantage of the privaledge we have - if this were Iraq, we'd got shot from being even a mile away from a large US military presence. If the weapons ship out, PEOPLE WILL DIE...

(There should be a lot of folks there tonight. Bring instruments, warm clothes and blankets, cameras... for good times.)

Also, bring still cameras and video cameras. Stay tuned for more actions this week.

If you would like to participate in any of these activities, keep your eyes open for news in your Inbox. If you want to be kept up on the latest information, I’m told that http://www.olyblog.net http://olyimc.infotage.net are good bets.

To get to Port of Tacoma:

I-5 to exit 136 B (Port of Tacoma)
Follow to Port of Tacoma Rd
Take Port of Tacoma Rd until E 11th.
Left on E 11th
Follow until Milwaukee. Find our people and park there.

-tear it down-

EXTREMELY URGENT! ACTION TODAY (Sat 3/3) AT PORT OF TACOMA

2007-03-03T11:02:07Z

EXTREMELY URGENT! ACTION TODAY (Sat 3/3) AT PORT OF TACOMA

Military vehicles are coming through the Port of Tacoma en route to Iraq. The military's decision to send convoys in the middle of the night on Friday is an obvious response to the militant resistance they encountered May 2006 at the Port of Olympia, which was met with pepperspray and other methods of assault as well as 22 arrests of civil disobedience activists, and a reaction to the recent organizing in preparation for resistance to the next military shipment.

50+ military vehicles were observed Friday night, including 22+ Stryker vehicles, in addition to the other hummers, trucks, soldiers, and vehicles with missiles. Up to 300 vehicles may be expected in total this weekend. The war machine is in our backyard.

Be present and take action now. We anticipate activists from throughout the Northwest.

Port of Tacoma resistance meetup
Sat 3/3 at 12 noon
inside Port of Tacoma at E 11th & Port of Tacoma Rd, near terminal 4

To get to Port of Tacoma:
I-5 to exit 136 B (Port of Tacoma)
Follow to Port of Tacoma Rd
Take Port of Tacoma Rd until E 11th.
Left on E 11th
Follow until Milwaukee. Find our people and park there.

If you can't come to the meeting, come to the port as soon as possible.

The military knows they're not welcome in Olympia, and they need to know that Tacoma will not be complicit in their plans for war. Regardless of the tactics we choose, we must do something.

They are counting on your absence.

US Soldiers Caught Torturing a Dog in Iraq - Send a Letter!

2007-02-14T06:19:33Z

http://getactive.peta.org/campaign/iraq_dog_abuse

Dear Friend,

An alarming video allegedly taken from a CD found in Baghdad's Green Zone shows what appear to be American soldiers who are flinging rocks at a crippled dog and then laughing as the dog yelps in pain and staggers away on two legs.

Please help ensure that this sort of horrific abuse is not tolerated by the U.S. military by clicking on the link below to send an e-mail to the secretary of defense and demand that the Department of Defense investigate this matter and hold responsible any soldier found to be involved in this incident.

http://getactive.peta.org/campaign/iraq_dog_abuse

Suzanne Swift Support Rally

2006-12-29T04:40:28Z

Suzanne Swift Support Rally
Freed from the brig at Bangor, confined in the military until 2009.
Wednesday, Jan. 3rd
11:30 am
Bangor Naval Base
Ground Zero
16159 Clear Creek Rd
Poulsbo, Washington
Directions are available at www.gzcenter.org/directions-gz.htm

Specialist Suzanne Swift, after suffering sexual assault while deployed in
Iraq, went AWOL to escape the commanding officers who exploited her.
Currently, she is being held at the brig at Bangor Naval Base serving 30
days for going AWOL, while her perpetrators are free. For more information
visit www.suzanneswift.org.

We welcome Spec. Swift's scheduled release on Wednesday, Januray 3rd and
join the call for an immediate medical discharge with full benefits. We will
gather at Ground Zero near the main gates of Bangor Naval Base and then line
the streets with signs supporting Spec. Swift and other women soldiers as
they face double danger in the military. Please remember that our message on
January 3rd is about sexual assault in the military and support of Spec.
Swift, not about the war.

This event is being organized by South Sound Project for Military Resistance
and Justice. Please contact us at suzanneswiftaction@yahoo.com or call
(360)485-5745.

Carpools
Lacey - 10:00am at Martin Way Park and Ride, one block from the movie
theater
Olympia - 10:30 am at Harrison & Division at the Grocery Outlet parking lot

SOLIDARITY RALLY AND MARCH FOR THE PEOPLE OF OAXACA (Olympia, WA)

2006-11-16T06:22:28Z

SOLIDARITY RALLY AND MARCH FOR THE PEOPLE OF OAXACA

November 19th @ 1pm
Sylvester Park, Olympia Washington
Speaker: representatie of the Comite Oaxaquena-Seattle
Musical preformance: Politcal Hip-Hop Group from Seattle

WE DEMAND:
1. An instant withdraw of federal forces in Oaxaca
2. Ulises Ruiz to step down as Governor in Oaxaca state
3.Immediate and unconditional liberation of all political prisoners

www.narconews.com

We will march on Washington's capitol to demand that the people of Oaxaca are heard. Meeting at 1pm, Sylvester Park (Capital & Legion).

Hip-hop from local artist, Xperience (XP), and speeches from representatives of the Seattle Oaxaca Committee.

We will then march to the capitol to hold a press conference, and deliver demands.

Our demands include:
the immediate withdrawal of federal forces (PFP) from anywhere in Oaxaca with an APPO presence;
an immediate investigation of any and all officers involved in the shootings and any case where excessive force was used in Oaxaca;
the immediate release of all political prisoners in Oaxaca and Chiappas;
and finally the immediate resignation of Ulises Ruiz, govenor of Oaxaca State.

Endorsing groups include: Oaxaquena Comite - Seattle, Olympia chapters of MEChA, CISPES, and SDS; OMJP, Leonard Peltier Support Group, Tacoma IWW, and FnB. I hope you can all stand in solidarity with the People of Oaxaca, because if we don't who will? Please post widel

Protest at NW Detention Center, Tacoma Sat. 11/11

2006-11-04T02:35:54Z

Protest at NW Detention Center, Tacoma Sat. 11/11

Melt I.C.E.!

Peaceful Protest and Vigil for Human Rights

4-6pm, Sat. Nov 11th

Northwest Detention Center

1623 E. J Street - Tacoma, WA

(360)752-3344 - notinmycounty@qwest.net

http://WWW.NOTINMYCOUNTY.ORG

Federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents continue to terrorize immigrant communities in Washington State and across the country with increasingly militaristic raids, armed arrests, covert detentions and deportations. We ask that you join us in protest of these aggressive
enforcement tactics and violations of our neighbors' civil and human rights. Many of our friends and neighbors are being held in the privately-run Northwest Detention Center, we want to show them and our community that we do not condone I.C.E.'s terrorist actions against hard working immigrants.

Bremerton gallery hosts sitar concert

2006-09-09T07:48:32Z

Bremerton gallery hosts sitar concert

Some arts communities host monthly art walks. Collective Visions, an artist-owned and operated gallery in downtown Bremerton, hosts concerts on the third Friday of each month. Coming up Sept. 15, 7-9 p.m., is a program of classical Indian sitar music. Pandit Debi Prasad Chatterjee will be accompanied by Vishal Nagar on tabla. Advance tickets are $22, at the door $25. For information, call 360-377-8327 or see www.collectivevisions.com.

Brian's photos from Malaysia/India are online!

2006-08-03T06:10:52Z

Brian's photos are finally online!

Out of 1400(!) photos taken on the trip, I selected just under 300 to put online and print. I also put online about 20 photos taken by our friend Kris in India. Most are pictures of Bharatanjali (Gandhian village in India we visited) that I didn't get to take myself. So thank you to Kris for his photography skills and sending me copies of the pictures!

You can view them at http://www1.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=48042380/a=57013521_57013521/t_=57013521

You have to create an account with snapfish to see them, but it's easy and free.

You can also view Michelle's photos at http://www1.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=46573045/a=57013521_31436017/t_=570135201

This should be our last post on this travel blog, so thank you for reading! We hope to see some of you in person to show pictures (and some videos).

Brian

PROTECT YOURSELF FROM GOVERNMENT SPYING!

2006-07-26T20:49:20Z

PROTECT YOURSELF FROM GOVERNMENT SPYING!
(from http://help.riseup.net/security/measures/#use_secure_email_providers)

Simple Measures for Email Security

1. Practice secure behavior!
2. Use secure connections!
1. What are secure connections?
2. How do I use secure connections?
3. The limits of secure connections
3. Use secure email providers
1. What is StartTLS?
2. Which email providers use StartTLS?
3. What are the advantages of StartTLS?
4. What the limitations of StartTLS?
4. Use public-key encryption

Practice secure behavior!
These pages include a lot of fancy talk about encryption. Ultimately, however, all this wizbang cryto-alchemy will be totally useless if you have insecure behavior. A few simple practices will go a long way toward securing your communications:

1. Logout: make sure that you always logout when using web-mail. This is very important, and very easy to do. This is particular important when using a public computer.
2. Avoid public computers: this can be difficult. If you do use a public computer, consider changing your password often or using the virtual keyboard link (if you use riseup.net for your web-mail).
3. Use good password practice: you should change your password periodically and use a password which is at least 6 characters and contains a combination of numbers, letters, and symbols. It is better to use a complicated password and write it down then to use a simple password and keep it only in your memory. Studies show that most people use passwords which are easy to guess or to crack, especially if you have some information about the interests of the person. You should never pick a password which is found in the dictionary (the same goes for "love" as well as "10v3" and other common ways of replacing letters with numbers).
4. Be a privacy freak: don't tell other people your password. Also, newer operating systems allow you to create multiple logins which keep user settings separate. You should enable this feature, and logout or "lock" the computer when not in use.

Use secure connections!
What are secure connections?
When you check your mail from the riseup.net server, you can use an encrypted connection, which adds a high level of security to all traffic between your computer and riseup.net. Secure connections are enabled for web-mail and for IMAP or POP mail clients.

This method is useful for protecting your password and login. If you don't use a secure connection, then your login and password are sent over the internet in a 'cleartext' form which can be easily intercepted. It is obvious why you might not want your password made public, but it may also be important to keep your login private in cases where you do not want your real identity tied to a particular email account.

How do I use secure connections?
In the web browser, if the location starts with https:// then you have a secure connection. Your web browser should also display a little padlock icon either in the location bar or in the bottom corner of the window.

In order to make best use of secure connections to riseup.net, you need to install the CACert root certificate: otherwise, someone could pretend to be riseup.net and you would be none the wiser. Also, installing the root certificate eliminates any annoying error messages when using secure connections with riseup.net.

For POP and IMAP, your mail client will have the option of enabling SSL or TLS. For sending mail (SMTP), both SSL and TLS will work, but some ISPs will block TLS, so you might need to use SSL. For more information, see our mail client tutorials and SMTP FAQ.

The limits of secure connections
The problem with email is that takes a long and perilous journey. When you send a message, it first travels from your computer to the riseup.net mail server and then is delivered to the recipient's mail server. Finally, the recipient logs on to check their email and the message is delivered to their computer.

Using secure connections only protects your data as it travels from your computer to the the riseup.net servers (and vice versa). It does not make your email any more secure as it travels around the internet from mail server to mail server. To do this, see below.

Use secure email providers
What is StartTLS?
There are many governments and corporations which are sniffing general traffic on the internet. Even if you use a secure connection to check and send your email, the communication between mail servers is almost always insecure and out in the open.

Fortunately, there is a solution! StartTLS is a fancy name for a very important idea: StartTLS allows mail servers to talk to each other in a secure way.

If you and your friends use only email providers which use StartTLS, then all the mail traffic among you will be encrypted while in transport. If both sender and recipient also use secure connections while talking to the mail servers, then your communications are likely secure over its entire lifetime.

We will repeat that because it is important: to gain any benefit from StartTLS, both sender and recipient must be using StartTLS enabled email providers. For mailing lists, the list provider and each and every list subscriber must use StartTLS.

Which email providers use StartTLS?
Currently, these tech collectives are known to use StartTLS:

* riseup.net
* resist.ca
* mutualaid.org
* autistici.org/inventati.org
* boum.org
* squat.net
* tao.ca
* indymedia.org
* eggplantmedia.com

We recommend that you and all your friends get email accounts with these tech collectives!

Additionally, these email providers often have StartTLS enabled:

* universities: berkeley.edu, johnhopkins.edu, hampshire.edu, evergreen.edu, ucsc.edu, reed.edu, oberlin.edu, pdx.edu, usc.edu, bc.edu, uoregon.edu, vassar.edu, temple.edu, ucsf.edu, ucdavis.edu, wisc.edu, rutgers.edu, ucr.edu, umb.edu, simmons.edu.
* organizations: action-mail.org, no-log.org.
* companies: speakeasy.net, no-log.org, easystreet.com, runbox.com, hushmail.com, dreamhost.com, frognet.net, frontbridge.com, freenet.de, blarg.net.

What are the advantages of StartTLS?
This combination of secure email providers and secure connections has many advantages:

* It is very easy to use! No special software is needed. No special behavior is needed, other than to make sure you are using secure connections.
* It prevents anyone from creating a map of whom you are communicating with and who is communicating with you (so long as both parties use StartTLS).
* It ensures that your communication is pretty well protected.
* It promotes the alternative mail providers which use StartTLS. The goal is to create a healthy ecology of activist providers--which can only happen if people show these providers strong support. Many of these alternative providers also also incorporate many other important security measures such as limited logging and encrypted storage.

What the limitations of StartTLS?
However, there are some notable limitations:

* Your computer is a weak link: your computer can be stolen, hacked into, have keylogging software or hardware installed.
* It is difficult to verify: for a particular message to be secure, both the origin and destination mail providers must use StartTLS (and both the sender and recipient must use encrypted connections). Unfortunately, it is difficult to confirm that all of this happened. For this, you need public key encryption (see below).

Use public-key encryption
If you wish to keep the contents of your email private, and confirm the identity of people who send you email, you should download and install public-key encryption software. This option is only available if you have your own computer.

Public-key encryption uses a combination of a private key and a public key. The private key is known only by you, while the public key is distributed far and wide. To send an encrypted message to someone, you encrypt the message with their public key. Only their private key will be able to decrypt your message and read it.

The universal standard for public-key encryption is Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) and GNU Privacy Guard (GPG). GPG is Free Software, while PGP is a proprietary product (although there are many freeware versions available). Both work interchangeably and are available as convenient add-ons to mail clients for Linux, Mac, and Windows.

For information configuring your mail client to use public key encryption, see our mail client tutorial pages. In particular, see the tutorials for Apple Mail and Thunderbird. Otherwise, you should refer the to documentation which comes with your particular mail client.

Although it provides the highest level of security, public-key encryption is still an adventure to use. To make your journey less scary, we suggest you keep these things in mind:

* Be in it for the long haul: using public-key encryption takes a commitment to learning a lot of new skills and jargon. The widespread adoption of GPG is a long way off, so it may seem like a lot of work for not much benefit. However, we need early adopters who can help build a critical mass of GPG users.
* Develop GPG buddies: although most your traffic might not be encrypted, if you find someone else who uses GPG try to make a practice of communicating using only GPG with that person.
* Look for advocates: people who use GPG usually love to evangelize about it and help others to use it to. Find someone like this who can answer your questions and help you along.

Although you can hide the contents of email with public-key encryption, it does not hide who you are sending mail to and receiving mail from. This means that even with public key encryption there is a lot of personal information which is not secure.

Why? Imagine that someone knew nothing of the content of your mail correspondence, but they knew who you sent mail to and received mail from and they knew how often and what the subject line was. This information can provide a picture of your associations, habits, contacts, interests and activities.

The only way to keep your list of associations private is to to use an email provider which will establish a secure connection with other email providers. See Use secure email providers, above.

-------------------------------------

PS If you haven't learned about Anarchy lately, check out this awesome FAQ!
http://www.infoshop.org/faq/secA1.html

travel journal and postcards

2006-05-26T03:08:47Z

Hey everyone,

This is Brian. As some of you know, Michelle and I are travelling to Malaysia, Singapore, and India for about 6 weeks in June and July. We leave in just a few days!

We set up an online travel journal that you will be able to visit and see where we've been and what we've been doing. We hope to contribute to this semi-regularly, and hope to add pictures.

If you would like to see the travel journal, go to http://www.planetranger.com/brimich/ and check it periodically.

And if you would like a postcard, send your address to anarchoprimate@riseup.net.
Thanks and take care!
Brian & Michelle

Autonomous space in Tacoma forming right now! Join us!

2006-03-28T00:19:39Z

Autonomous space in Tacoma forming right now! Join us!

An activist and his 85 year old mother have chained themselves to the Federal Courthouse in downtown Tacoma in protest of war and its effects on children. They've been there since Friday. The son has been fasting since March 1st. Other activists and community members have been hanging out, visiting, and spending the night with them.

Let's use this opportunity to reclaim public space, create an autonomous zone, set up a tent city. Come now or as soon as you can.

The activists may be arrested tonight (Monday) or tomorrow morning (Tuesday), but we can make it harder for the cops to arrest them, and we can keep going and maintain our public space. This is our chance!

Bring musical instruments, skills to share, signs, banners, sleeping bags, tents, whatever you want! Let's take back what is ours.

Federal Courthouse
1717 Pacific Ave, Tacoma, WA.
Parking across the street and at the free parking garage on 24th & E. Take free Link lightrail to Courthouse.
Mapquest.com for directions

In Solidarity,
BS

THIS SAT 2/4: 13th Annual NW Leonard Peltier March

2006-02-04T03:33:41Z

From:
TACOMA LEONARD PELTIER SUPPORT GROUP
P.O. BOX 5464
TACOMA, WA 98415-0464
Tacoma-lpsg@ojibwe.us or bayou@blarg.net

As individual fingers we can easily be broken, but all together we make a
mighty fist.
--Sitting Bull-

"I have no doubt whatsoever that the real motivation behind both Wounded
Knee II and the Oglala firefight, and much of the turmoil throughout Indian
Country since the early 1970s, was-and is-the mining companies' desire to
muffle AIM and all traditional Indian people, who sought-and still seek-to
protect the land, water, and air from their thefts and depredations. In this
sad and tragic age we live in, to come to the defense of Mother Earth is to
be branded a criminal."
-- Leonard Peltier, Prison Writings --

I'M STILL HERE. I am all at once saddened, exhilarated, angry, proud,
defiant, and puzzled by that fact. Here in prison, after 28 years (30 years
now) of unjust incarceration, I am a living example of the injustice,
racism, fear, and inequity that still exists in some parts of the United
States of America. This is particularly true when it comes to America's
views and actions towards Indian people. Residing in the best hopes of all
of us is the dream that America has moved away from the days of hostility
towards the Indigenous people of this land. And yet, we are shown with daily
regularity, a reality that defies this dream. A reality that American
Indians are incarcerated at a disproportionately high rate. A reality that
American Indians are denied decent health care, housing, and education. A
reality so dire, that the United States Civil Rights Commission has had to
address it, calling it "A Quiet Crisis."
Leonard Peltier

13th ANNUAL NORTHWEST REGIONAL
INTERNATIONAL DAY OF SOLIDARITY WITH LEONARD PELTIER
MARCH AND RALLY FOR JUSTICE
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2006, TACOMA

12:00 NOON: MARCH FOR JUSTICE
Portland Ave. Park (on Portland Ave. between E. 35th and E. Fairbanks Ave.
Take Portland Ave. exit off I-5 and head east)

1:00 PM: RALLY FOR JUSTICE
U.S. Federal Court House, 1717 Pacific Ave.

AFTER RALLY POTLUCK MEAL AND GET TOGETHER-YOUTH EMERGING
Around 4:00 pm. At the First United Methodist Church, 423 Martin Luther
King Jr Way. From the rally go south up the hill to Martin Luther King Jr
Way and turn right. The church is right next to a large hospital. The meal
and gathering is hosted in support of Leonard by the local Tacoma group
People for Peace, Justice and Healing. We will be providing a Spaghetti
dinner as previously. We welcome salad, desserts and traditional foods, or
other foods that people would like to contribute to the dinner. Please
contact Sol Riou at sparkingwaves@hotmail.com or 253-377-6078. if you plan
to bring food for the meal and for other information on how you can help.
SALMON MUST BE COOKED. We will have three places that you may bring the
food, our preference is that you bring it to the beginning of the March, by
11:30 am if possible. However, we will have a pickup location at the
Courthouse, by 12:30 pm if possible, with the exact corner to be announced
later. We will accept donations at the Church also.
PROGRAM FOR RALLY AND AFTER RALLY MEAL

Co-MC's:
Harold Belmont: Coastal Native Elder, Native People's Alliance With Friends
and Allies
Pete Sanchez; Ktunaxa (Kutenai)

Spiritual Opening and Closing Words:
Dorothy Ackerman; Lakota Elder

NW AIM Drum

Performances by:
The Aztec Dancers
United Nations: Native Rap Activists

Speakers:

Opening:
Shelly Vendiola: Indigenous Women's Network.

Carter Camp; Wounded Knee II Vet, Oklahoma AIM
Matilaja: Yu'Pik/Yakama
Wolverine: Shuswap Elder
Arthur J. Miller, Tacoma Leonard Peltier Support Group
Kerwin Hemlock: Longtime Native Activist
Vic Camp: Owe Aku, Pine Ridge
Juan Jose Bocanegra: Every Worker's Movement
Donna Denina: Coordinator for the Gabriela Network Seattle Chapter
Zoltan Grossman: Olympia Movement for Justice and Peace, Faculty Evergreen's
Native American Studies
Fr. Bill Bichsel: Catholic Worker, JWJ, IWW, SOAW
Josh Reisberg: Spoken Word Artist
Gifted Grizzly

AFTER RALLY MEAL: YOUTH EMERGING

Steve Hapy: MC, Tacoma Leonard Peltier Support Group
Poj Camp; Pine Ridge
B.J. Gleason: Turtle Mountain Anishinabe
Billie Pierre: Vancouver Native Youth Movement
Performance by:
United Nations: Native Rap Activists
Closing words:
Dorothy Ackerman; Lakota Elder.

CARVANS FOR JUSTICE (Carpools)

SEATTLE: Meet at the Red Apple parking lot at 23rd and Jackson. Will be
leaving at 10:00 am.

OLYMPIA: There will be a carpool leaving from the parking lot at Harrison
and Division at 10:30.

Animal Rights and Capitalism

2005-12-03T03:13:01Z

According to Erik Marcus, the animal rights movement, for the most part, despite apparent increases in the number of vegans, has been failing to meet its ultimate goal, the liberation of animals. This is evidenced in the ever-increasing levels of meat consumption in the US. Erik Marcus also discusses the economic pressures that facilitate increased meat consumption. I have learned some ways of seeing the world and analysing the political-social-economic structure of society in my Alternatives to Capitalist Globalisation program at Evergreen that help shed light on this issue and make things clearer to me.

The capitalist economic structure under which factory farming and slaughterhouses operate emphasizes, above all, the production of profit. As such, animals, being part of the means of production owned by the corporations, and workers, who are treated as objects for produce profit, are treated as commodities. An example of this view is explained in the "September 1976 issue of the industry journal Hog Farm Management... John Byrnes advises: 'Forget the pig is an animal. Treat him just like a machine in a factory'" (Why Vegan, 4). This principle also applies for the use of animals in the entertainment, clothing, and biomedical research industries.

To continuously maximise profits, the cost of production must constantly be lowered. This happens in the forms of worse conditions for workers---by means of decreased wages, on-the-job-safety, and benefits (if they have any at all)---and intensification of the cruel treatment of animals. This intensification means faster production lines, which results in, among other practices, animals who are not rendered completely unconscious---and thus sentient and capable of feeling intense physical suffering---while they are killed by means of electrocution, skinning, dismemberment, boiling, and other methods. This intensification also includes closer confinement in smaller cages, stalls, and crates, use of pesticides, hormones, and antibiotics, use of the automated "rape rack" on dairy cows, and other clearly unethical practices that are standard in the meat industry. As Bernard Rollin, PhD, explains, it is “more economically efficient to put a greater number of birds into each cage, accepting lower productivity per bird but greater productivity per cage... individual animals may ‘produce,’ for example gain weight, in part because they are immobile, yet suffer because of the inability to move... Chickens are cheap, cages are expensive" (Why Vegan, 2).

The point is that under the capitalist regime, these practices are inevitable consequences of a system that seeks to maximise profits. Demands for legislation that "improves" the conditions of animals in factory farms by guaranteeing larger cages with more space for animals, the rendering fully unconscious of animals before slaughter, and the like---also known as animal welfare---while saving animals some suffering, ultimately do not stop the unnecessary slaughter of sentient beings. However, because welfare measures can lessen the suffering of animals in confinement, they are important, though this should not comprise the total of the movement's energy, time, and resources. Capitalism requires the commodification and objectification of aspects of life that could potentially make money for the owners. So long as animals are viewed as objects and commodities, they will be raised and killed, in unnatural environments, for food.

The reason that the animal rights movement has thus far failed is because it does not challenge the capitalist system under which animals are exploited as commodities, and works primarily within this system to seek welfare reforms. By the nature of the capitalist system, meaningful reforms will not occur. If reforms meaningful enough to challenge the modus operandi, or basic operating principle of the system, were proposed, the capitalist owners would not allow this as it would end their bourgeois way of life. In conclusion, in order for the animal rights movement to be effective in its goal of total animal liberation, it must embrace real change and include in its platform the struggle toward the end of capitalism, while working toward welfare reforms; additionally, the movement must create prefigurative, alternative spaces free of animal products that support the vegan lifestyle and provide opportunities for nonvegans to experience veganism (ie vegan restaurants, clothing stores, cooking classes, activist groups, and networking and support for vegans).</lj-tag>

REMINDER: NW ANIMAL RIGHTS MARCH - PLEASE COME!

2005-10-20T23:45:05Z

South Sound Animal Rights March, Howard Lyman & Erik Marcus coming to Tacoma

2005-09-20T12:23:39Z

March for Animal Rights!

South Sound Animal Rights March and Rally

Saturday, Oct 22, 1-3pm

Starts in Tacoma at McKinley Park and ends at the Federal Courthouse on Pacific Ave.

In support of the national and international day of Action, World Farm Animals Day, South Sound Organization for Animal Rights urges you to participate in a nonviolent call for an end to the pointless suffering and death of 50 billion cows, pigs, turkeys, chickens, and other innocent, sentient animals in the world's factory farms and slaughterhouses.

Be part of Tacoma’s FIRST animal rights march.
Come and show your opposition to animal exploitation.

Signs will be provided, but feel free to bring additional signs and banners. Also bring drums, didgeridoos, and other instruments and noisemakers.

Take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim.
Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.
-- Elie Wiesel

How To Get There…

McKinley Park is on “D” Street directly across from the Tacoma Dome on the south side of I-5. Parking available on surface streets near the Park or at the Tacoma Dome Transit Station. McKinley Park served by Pierce Transit Route 42. Routes 41 and 500 operate between the Tacoma Dome Transit Station (on Puyallup Ave) and downtown Tacoma.

For More Information…

Learn more about WFAD at http://www.wfad.org. Get more information about the march and SSOAR at http://www.hemp.net/~ssoar.

Sponsored by South Sound Organization for Animal Rights (SSOAR)

---------------------------------

UPSTART presents An Evening with Howard Lyman
Wednesday, September 21, 2005, 7:00 p.m.
Rotunda, Wheelock Student Center, University of Puget Sound
Tacoma, WA

Howard Lyman was the former president of both EarthSave International and the International Vegetarian Union, as well as the director for a Humane Society of the United States campaign. He is founder and current president of Voice for a Viable Future.
"When former cattle rancher Howard Lyman appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show in 1996 to share his insider view of the danger of Mad Cow Disease spreading to this country, his revelations about the beef industry prompted a group of Texas cattlemen to file a lawsuit charging Lyman and the talk show host with 'food disparagement.' That wasn't enough to silence Howard Lyman, and in the stirring account of his journey from meat-loving cowboy to vegetarian environmental activist, he tells the whole truth about the catastrophic consequences of an animal-based diet."
--from the sleeve of Mad Cowboy by Howard Lyman

For more information, contact UPSTART at upstart@ups.edu or go to http://upstart.kalistongue.com

The official address of UPS is 1500 N. Warner / Tacoma, WA 98416. It's on Union Ave, between N 11th and N 18th. The Rotunda is on N 15th and on the other side of campus, opposite Union. It's by Alder Ave. The Rotunda is in the Wheelock Student Center, and is a big round room. Visitor parking is nearby, in the circle around the fountain.

There are directions here: http://www.ups.edu/directions.xml

There is a map of UPS and Tacoma here: http://www.ups.edu/x553.xml

There is a campus map here: http://www.ups.edu/x556.xml (The Student Center is #20). There is a link to a printable PDF version.

If you get lost or need directions, call us at 206-550-6945 or 253-677-5675.

--------------------------------

UPSTART presents An Evening with Erik Marcus
Tuesday, October 4, 2005, 7:00 p.m.
Rotunda, Wheelock Student Center, University of Puget Sound
Tacoma, WA

Author of Meat Market: Animals, Ethics, and Money and Vegan: The New Ethics of Eating, Erik Marcus exposes and clears away the exaggerated claims and counter-claims put forth by the meat industry and its opponents. In the process, he presents a thorough examination of animal agriculture’s widespread cruelties and its far-reaching social costs. Marcus then considers the discouraging progress made by the animal protection movement. He evaluates where the movement has gone wrong, and how its shortcomings could best be remedied. This groundbreaking and pragmatic analysis is likely to be of interest to both activists and unabashed but compassionate meat lovers as well. "A handful of books have played a critical role in redefining how the public perceives agriculture," says John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods Market. "Meat Market admirably furthers this tradition, and — rarely for a book on this subject — is beautifully written as well."

For more information, contact UPSTART at upstart@ups.edu or go to http://upstart.kalistongue.com

The official address of UPS is 1500 N. Warner / Tacoma, WA 98416. It's on Union Ave, between N 11th and N 18th. The Rotunda is on N 15th and on the other side of campus, opposite Union. It's by Alder Ave. The Rotunda is in the Wheelock Student Center, and is a big round room. Visitor parking is nearby, in the circle around the fountain.

There are directions here: http://www.ups.edu/directions.xml

There is a map of UPS and Tacoma here: http://www.ups.edu/x553.xml

There is a campus map here: http://www.ups.edu/x556.xml (The Student Center is #20). There is a link to a printable PDF version.

If you get lost or need directions, call us at 206-550-6945 or 253-677-5675.

DONE WITH TCC SUCKERS!!!!

2005-08-16T05:10:20Z

I AM DONE WITH TACOMA COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOREVER SUCKERS!!!!!!!!!!!!

that's right. I have officially received a higher education.

You may now call me "Mr. Brian Smith, AA"

thank you very much.

next, on to Evergreen. I am very very very excited. Though I will probably be busy, it will be awesome.

Peace first, then justice

2005-06-21T07:35:13Z

Politicians tell us that we must fight certain wars for the sake of justice. For example, the American Civil War to free the slaves, or WWII to liberate the Jews. But I tell you now, friends, that no cause is greater than Peace. Peace is the most noble form of Justice. When we have Peace, Justice will surely follow. As Martin Luther said, "Peace is more important than all justice; and peace was not made for the sake of justice, but justice for the sake of peace."