Progressive Democrats–East Bay is sponsoring a lecture on June 3 by William Rivers Pitt on “The Iraq War: Domestic Costs.”
William Rivers Pitt is an internationally known best-selling author of three books: War on Iraq - What Team Bush Doesn't Want You to Know, The Greatest Sedition is Silence, and Our Flag, Too – The Paradox of Patriotism. He is the Managing Editor and Senior Writer for truthout.org. Mr. Pitt is a political analyst for the Institute for Public Accuracy. He spent several years as a high school teacher of English Literature, Writing, Grammar, Journalism and History, and was a Dean.
Friday, June 3, at 7:00 pm
Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists
1924 Cedar Street, (Cedar and Bonita),
Berkeley
Directions
Donation: $5-15, no one turned away.
For further information: Contact Bill Lawler, wjlawler@hotmail.com, (510) 524-4244,
The next general meeting for PD–East Bay is Saturday, June 4 from 1:00–3:00 pm.
The PD–East Bay Anti-War Action Group has put together a panel to present information about local anti-war activities covering the law, schools, the GI Hotline, and other topics. Speakers for this event include:
PD–East Bay general meetings are held at :
Temescal Oakland Library
5205 Telegraph Ave., Oakland, CA
Directions
Wheelchair accessible. The Oakland Public Library does not advocate or endorse the viewpoints of meetings or meeting room users. For more information, contact Sara.
Friday evening, May 27 Professor John Harte will discuss the threats to the Earth's ecosystems from Global Warming. What will be the result if the world does not stop Global Warming? What are the consequences of the failure of the U.S. to ratify the Kyoto Treaty?
Dr. Harte has conducted extensive research to understand how human actions affect climate change and how it is linked to global warming. His overarching goal is to comprehend the interdependence of human well-being and the health of ecosystems.
Friday, May 27 at 7:00 PM
Westminster Hills Presbyterian Church
27287 Patrick Avenue, Hayward
Directions
Speaker: Professor John Harte, Ph. D. U.C, Berkeley Energy and Resources Group and Ecosystem Sciences Division, College of Natural Resources. Dr. Harte has written over 150 scientific publications, including six books, on topics including biodiversity, climate change, biogeochemistry, energy, and water resources.
Join a celebration of conscience, courage, resistance and truth in a time of war with Iraq War Veterans, military families and GI resisters. This event features a historic and diverse lineup of military voices against the war, including slideshows and presentations by Aidan Delgado, Camilo Mejia, Stephen Funk and others.
Sunday, May 29, at 6:00 pm
King Middle School,
1781 Rose St., Berkeley
Directions
Tickets $12 advance on-line (www.notinourname.net/mv)
$15 door, $9 for students
For info call 1-800-95-NOWAR (x710)
We have tabled the last two weekends at two locations: Grand Lake and Berkeley (Sat.) Farmer's Market. In all we've collected 165 letters in support of SB 840. Thanks to Linda Riewe, Gene Herman, Delores Helman, Sheila Goldmacher, Molly Stollmack and Nikki Pooshs.
For Memorial weekend we will continue at these and other locations. Please feel free to table at the event of your choice to gather letters of support. Contact Moria at moriala@hotmail.com for more information.
Mainstreet Moms, aka The MMOB (www.themmob.com) in cooperation with Working Assets and ACORN, has a new campaign, Leave My Child Alone. They're informing individuals and communities about the military's use of high school records for recruiting purposes. Find out more about the campaign and the ways you can be involved, at www.leavemychildalone.org. Come to a party or host your own.
To sign up as a host or find other parties, go to http://www.partylaunch.com/working assets. If June 1 doesn't work, there will be a big back-to-school push in September.
Party to Opt Out in Berkeley
Wednesday, June 1, 7:00 - 9:00 PM
30 Avis Road, (between San Luis and San Antonio)
Berkeley, CA
Directions
At 7:20 PM, we'll participate in a nationwide conference call with moms of soldiers and former military recruiters.
Bring your favorite pen, a few stamps and some cookies.
RSVP to Bobbie Steinhart bobbie@themmob.com
The Peace and Justice Commission of the City of Berkeley will be considering a resolution supporting the Department of Peace Legislation at their next meeting on June 6 at 7 PM at the North Berkeley Senior Center.
Mon, June 6 at 7 pm
North Berkeley Senior Center
1901 Hearst Avenue (at MLK), Berkeley
Directions
All are welcome!
Letter writing to the Commission in support of the resolution is encouraged. Write Manuel Hector at mhector@ci.berkeley.ca.us. For more information contact Linda Sikorski at (510) 525-6105.
The May 25 meeting of the East Bay Social Security coalition, Social Security Action, has been re-scheduled for Thursday, June 9. A number of our leading people want to attend the final rally against the Special Election in Sacramento on May 25th. Details for the next Social Security Action meeting:
Thursday June 9, 7:30 pm
Niebyl Proctor library
6501 Telegraph Ave., Oakland
Directions
Get the new brochure, hear plans for going to RED counties to fight for social security. All invited.
Kenneth Tomlinson, the Republican chairman of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) -- the government-funded organization that was designed to shield PBS from political pressure -- is aggressively pressing PBS to correct what he considers "liberal bias."
This top-down partisan meddling goes against the very nature of PBS and the local stations we trust. Let the people speak and decide the future of PBS, not secret dealings by White House operatives.
Read or listen to Bill Moyers' eloquent and moving speech to the National Conference for Media Reform.
Sign this petition sponsored by Free Press to demand that Congress, the CPB and PBS station managers remove Tomlinson and support town meetings in your community on the future of PBS.
To learn more, read the recent report on "Building a Public Broadcasting System that Deserves Public Support" by Free Press, Consumers Union, Common Cause, Media Access Project and the Consumer Federation of America.
Letter from PD-East Bay Co-chairs
To friends of Progressive Democrats of the East Bay:
We now have a thriving and growing East Bay Chapter of PDA. We have successfully held four monthly general meetings. We have Action Groups busy on many topics: saving social security, providing universal health care, ending the war in Iraq now, public financing of elections and safe balloting, reforming the mass media, and dialoguing with religious progressives. Soon we will start precinct organizing. We have a membership of over fifty and a mailing list of over one hundred forty.
Many of you have been to our meetings and are involved in the Action Groups, but many of you are not. We urge you to come to our next meeting (June 4th, from 1-3 at Temescal Library at Telegraph and 52nd St., in Oakland) to join an Action Group or form a new one. (Please see our web page at www.pdeastbay.org and become a member.)
We realize that many who support our cause and endeavors cannot make meetings and are too busy with other activities to be involved in an Action Group. Please, if you support our work become a member. Our funds make it possible to create flyers, literature and banners, rent the meeting room, and enable us to mail notices about events. These are all essential activities to our functioning as a progressive voice.
Dues are on a sliding scale: 2 hours or more of volunteer work during the year or $10-$100 per year.
Make checks to PDA-EB and send to:
Sara Shumer
1610 Kains Ave
Berkeley, CA. 94702
Include:
Name Address
E-mail Phone
Interests/Skills
Thank you,
Bill Lawler and Sara Shumer
If you have items you would like listed in this newsletter or on the PD-East Bay web site at www.pdeastbay.org, submit them to pdebListAdmin@PDEastBay.org. Events, activities, and action alerts about local progressive causes will be considered for inclusion. Note: All submissions subject to editing.
The next PD–East Bay newsletter will go out on or around June 13. Please submit items for inclusion as early as you can!
Check out www.pdeastbay.org regularly for updated information on progressive politics!