Bob Morris @ Jan 20th 2004 23:58 - Category: Unfiled ;
Suspicious trading preceded bank megamerger
Exchanges saw a huge spike in the purchase of Bank One options even before news of the huge J.P. Morgan acquisition broke. The transactions were enormously profitable for a fortunate few.
Bob Morris @ Jan 20th 2004 09:39 - Category: Unfiled ;
AFL-CIO joins grocery strike at national level
This is wonderful news
The AFL-CIO is taking control of national strategy for the California supermarket strike and lockout, assigning two veterans of labor wars to turn around a battle in which employers seem to have gained the upper hand.
The plan is to pressure the supermarket companies by hounding executives and directors with phone calls and visits, staging demonstrations across the country — including a pray-in outside the Northern California home of the chief executive of Safeway Inc. — and persuading major grocery-company shareholders, such as pension funds, to take stands in the union’s favor.
On Friday, top AFL-CIO officials and representatives of 40 national labor unions discussed strategy and plans for fundraising during a conference call. More than $600,000 was pledged, Trumka said.
ILWU donates over one million to emergency fund
In addition, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union will announce at a news conference today that it plans to raise more than $1 million for health benefits for the picketing grocery workers; the longshoremen’s union will ask its members to pay an extra $25 a month in dues for six months.
This money is for striking workers who are in desperate financial condition, who are in imminent of losing their homes, having the utilities turned off, etc. The ILWU, one of the most militant unions in the country, are my heros. One more time, they’ve put their union motto, “An injury to one is an injury to all”, into action.
Some of you who don’t live in LA have written asking what can you do. With the AFL-CIO organizing at a national level, there will be lots for us all to do. I’ll keep you posted. And if you hear of organizing in your area, let me know! And maybe you could do what some Green friends are doing, and raise money and build support by showing films.
Salt Of The Earth benefit for strikers in LA
Thursday Jan 22, 7:30 pm
Laemmle Monica 4-Plex
Santa Monica
$20
Laemmle Theatres and the Los Angeles, Arroyo Seco and Westside chapters of the Green Party are proud to present a special screening of the classic, blacklisted 1950 film SALT OF THE EARTH as a benefit for the striking grocery workers. The movie portrays the true story of a Zinc mine strike, and how the workers overcame an injunction, and won! Many of the roles in the movie were played by the actual strikers.
All proceeds will go to the strikers. The movie will be followed by a panel discussion of the movie and the current strike.
PS As an example of the miltancy of the ILWU, the San Francisco ILWU will shut down San Francisco port on March 20 in sympathy with the worldwide antiwar demonstrations happening that day.
Bob Morris @ Jan 20th 2004 00:12 - Category: Unfiled ;
Camejo for President
A campaign is underway to draft Peter Camejo as Green Party candidate for president. Camejo ran for governor of California in 2002 and 2003. A lot of people noticed him. He has recently initiated the Avocado Declaration, which is a serious, direct attack on the inherent corruption of the current two party system. Camejo is smart, focused, and committed. If he wants the Green Party nomination, he might well get it.
Interestingly, person #3 to sign the petition is Ben Manski, Co-co of the national Green Party. Hmmm.
If a pro-war Democrat like Kerry, Edwards, Clark, Lieberman wins the Democratic nomination, the chances of a serious Green Party run, as well as Nader running as an independent, then become probable.
Kerry, Clark, and Edwards voted for the war as Senators. Clark cheerfully bombed Yugoslavia for fifty days straight. They can hardly be considered antiwar.
And the antiwar vote will be heard.
Bob Morris @ Jan 20th 2004 00:08 - Category: Unfiled ;
What happened to Dean?
From Political Wire
Dean’s “outsider campaign” had trouble assimilating insiders. His plunge coincided almost perfectly with endorsements from Al Gore, the ultimate insider, and Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA), the most coveted endorsement in the state.
Negative ads by Dean and Rep. Dick Gephardt worked perfectly in that nearly destroyed each other.
The capture of Saddam Hussein made the pro-war votes by Sen. John Kerry and Sen. John Edwards more palatable to many Democratic voters. In addition, Dean’s first reaction to the news raised many eyebrows
From Kos
Ouch. Word on the ground is he had the worst media, and far too much of it. Lost his message. All those endorsements (Gore, Bradley, Harkin) directly contradicted his anti-establishment message.
From BOP News
As I said before, I don’t think Kucinich people are going to go for Dean. This is very bad for Dean; he’s not even getting the youth vote.
Edwards just told Larry King on CNN that he had some kind of agreement with Kucinich around getting K’s folks if they didn’t make the required 15% in the caucuses. Also vice versa, not that it mattered.
In other words, Kucinich’s people slipped to Edwards. Probably.
Bob Morris @ Jan 20th 2004 00:06 - Category: Unfiled ;
Israeli envoy trashes art exhibit
An Israeli envoy to Sweden sabotaged a piece of artwork on exhibit, saying it was anti-Semitic.
Let’s look at the facts:
The artwork, titled “Snow White and the Madness of Truth”, “featured a pool of blood-red fluid upon which floated a portrait of the woman who blew herself up in a crowded restaurant.”
How is this anti-Semitic? It would appear to be open to any number of interpretations, including being opposed to the suicide bombings.
Also, the artist is Israeli:
The envoy then exchanged harsh words in Hebrew with the Israeli-born artist, Dror Feiler — a former paratrooper in the Israel Defense Forces — shouting that the work was “praise of a suicide attack and the whole institution of suicide.”
“After the first Holocaust, you are starting a second Holocaust,” the ambassador yelled on the tape. “Shame on you! You are an obvious hater of Israel.”
Nonsense. The artwork is ambiguous, and simply because someone doesn’t like the current policies of a country doesn’t mean they hate that country.
Bob Morris @ Jan 20th 2004 00:04 - Category: Unfiled ;
Cluck cluck cluck
California Democrats take no stand on Arnold’s 15 billion bond issue.
Bob Harmon rose in protest Sunday when state Democratic leaders signaled that they would not fight the $15-billion debt proposal that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger put on the March ballot.
“If this party stands for nothing, then we can expect nothing from the voters in return,” the Marin County law student told fellow delegates at the state Democratic convention.
Harmon lost the battle: The party took no position on the ballot measure.
Today California Democratic Party chair Art Torres was on KPFK talking about the already severe budget cuts, about the hugely increased college fees and slashing of social net programs, about Arnold’s refusal to raise taxes at all, about the 15 billion bond issue that will put California in debt for years - and although he says he opposes all of this, there’s no fire, no protest, no plan of action. His big idea was we should send postcards to Arnold in protest. Wow. How daring. How committed.
George Skelton, canny political observer for the LA Times, notes -
No sign of a savior for state Democratic party
This is a party in transition. Nobody knows whether it’s rebounding or in free-fall. Democrats still hold most partisan offices, but there’s a whiff of interior rotting.
Democrats need a charismatic savior. None was apparent Saturday.
Bob Morris @ Jan 20th 2004 00:01 - Category: Unfiled ;
Mike Feinstein sued in small claims court by Green Party of Los Angeles County
Long time readers will remember this story. Several months back I, while a member of the Green Party of LA County filed a complaint against Mike Feinstein with the FPPC and the Santa Monica Police. The DA chose not to prosecute, the FPPC still hasn’t responded, I resigned from the council for reasons not related to this, and now the council is asking for the money back.
The LA Green Party isn’t giving up on the $10,000 it claims a city councilman took three years ago, suing Mike Feinstein in small claims court and demanding he return a January 2001 donation intended for the party. Feinstein allegedly deposited the funds into a personal account.
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