More than a thousand RNs and other activists marched on Wall Street Wednesday, chanting "Wall Street got bailed out! We got sold out!"
They stood on the steps of Federal Hall across from the New York Stock Exchange and held signs - "Take it Back! Tax Wall Street" and "Heal America! Tax Wall Street" - so crowds of curious passersby got the message.
For the past couple months I have been talking a lot about "taking it back", and I have two great chances for you to do just that over the next two days.
One of them involves actions that are taking place all over the USA-but the other is a very special and particular event which will be taking place in Vancouver, British Columbia on Wednesday.
This'll be a short story...but by the time we're done, you'll have stuff to do this week.
It's almost trite to point it out by now, but if there's an enthusiasm gap out there, it's not evident in the early voting, and it's not evident at rallies like this one today at USC, where an estimated crowd of 40,000 is thronging to hear the President talk about what's at stake this election season. Even though things are getting started more than a wee bit late and getting in through security was a hassle, this eclectic crowd of voters is eager in anticipation. Sitting here on the media riser, the atmosphere is electric.
Liveblog is below the fold.
Our own Calitics alum and current FDL correspondent Dave Dayen in the press pool
EDIT BY BRIAN: I added the press release from OFA about the speakers at the rally below David's wonderful commentary.
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger received a gift of nine works of art by local school children yesterday. The artwork was created "to save public education" by children and their parents at the Davis farmer's market and third-graders at Dry Creek elementary in Roseville and included a piece titled, "Evil Money-Grubbing Robot Seeking to Destroy Public School."
Twenty students participated in the presentation and asked for the governor's help to get the framed paintings put on display in the Capitol.
Today, Seth Hemmelgarn of the Bay Area Reporter (BAR) ran a story titled "Growing pains seen in grassroots work" which describes some of the tension in the marriage equality movement as the power begins to shift from the old guard leadership to the new generation of powerful grassroots leaders heading the charge for change.
Specifically, the story focuses on Robin McGehee, the head organizer for the large event "Meet in the Middle 4 Equality" or known as MITM. (Disclosure: Unite the Fight is the official blog covering the event.) The tension described in the story rose when Robin was informed by local community member Sandy O'Neill of Visalia, CA, that Geoff Kors, President of Equality California (EQCA), had mentioned to her at the Dinah Shore fundraising event in Palm Springs that they were supporting buses to transport people to Fresno for MITM. In fact, no monetary support from EQCA for the event had been given.
"I went [to the Dinah Shore fundraiser] to tell Geoff and Kate [Kendall, Exec. Director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR)] how excited I was to see MITM on their websites, especially after their absence in the valley during the No on 8 Campaign," Sandy told Unite the Fight.
Hundreds of people, nurses, doctors, medical students, grassroots activists, and California School Employees Association members gathered in downtown Los Angeles Monday to deliver an unequivocal message about the nature of the healthcare reform Americans so desperately need.
For those inside the tightly scripted White House Forum or anyone watching the live feed on line, that message was blacked out. Inside the pre-selected speakers kept within the accepted framework: we need reform, costs are out of control, Americans are hurting, and preventive care will solve all our problems ('fraid not). Unfortunately nothing proposed in the forum is likely to cure this crisis.
(keep 'em coming. It's a beautiful weekend for equality. - promoted by Dante Atkins (hekebolos))
It was an amazing day for a rally. The sun was warm and the skies were clear for the Anti-Prop 8 Rally in front of the City of San Rafael City Hall. Organizers put the the crowd at least 500 which is plenty given the venue and perhaps many in the County chose to go to San Francisco rally. Everyone in the crowd was friendly and in good spirits despite the major setback of the passage of Prop 8. There was a sense that out of this defeat that the real movement had begun.
The voices of the casino workers were heard within the Capitol today. Hundreds of red-shirted workers gathered on the North steps for a rally and then marched inside in an orderly fashion to do some lobbying. The event culminated as over two hundred UNITE-HERE members chanted from the second story of the rotunda "¡Si, Se Puede!" just steps from the office of Speaker Fabian Nunez. The dome amplified the chants as staffers poked their heads out of their office doors and the CHP scrambled to ensure the direct action did not get out of control.
The events today were the last big push by the workers to ensure that workers rights were included in the Indian gaming compacts that the legislature is about to vote on. At issue are the basic workers rights protections that workers have under California law. In particular, the right to use check cards to indicate the desire of workers to form a union.
It is that exact right that is actually being heard in the U.S. Senate ironically today, as part of the Employee Free Choice Act. The Democratic leadership here in the state legislature has been indicating that they are siding with the tribes on the establishment of right to work colonies in the casinos. Dozens of labor leaders, including Working Californians' co-chairs Marvin Kropke and Brian D'Arcy signed on to a letter to Senator Perata and Speaker Nunez recently. Here is an excerpt from that letter:
(Add pics of your rally experience! - promoted by blogswarm)
UPDATE II:Didn't see Biden despite the fact he was speaking six blocks away an hour after it started. Pics of SF after the jump -- please add yours too!
President Bush vetoed a deadline to start bringing the troops home from Iraq! Most Americans want a date to end this awful war, but President Bush doesn't seem to care. So, tonight, we have to show all our leaders we mean business. Come rally to tell Congress this is the key moment to stand strong against the President's veto.
I'll be with camera at SF Rally (5PM, Market & Powell), there are 353 other protests so find one near you and snap some pics to share at Calitics.
This past Saturday, 12,000 of my closest friends and I gathered in Oakland to see (or in some cases, just hear...) Barack Obama speak. It's nice to see Senator Obama giving the public some face time while he swings through our state to do what we know every presidential candidate must: make a withdrawal from the ATM that is California.
After the rally the senator headed off to the Mark Hopkins Hotel in SF for a fundraiser but not before wowing the crowd in Oakland. As one would expect, Obama gave a variation on his stump speech in which he rails against cynicism and offers something different, what he calls the politics of hope. And judging by the crowd's reaction, at least those who were close enough to see the senator, hope is much more than just a buzzword...the optimism in the air was palpable. It felt almost celebratory. As Frank wrote HERE, this phenomenon is real.
Over the flip, my take with video of most of his speech and some photos. I think I can safely say that Saturday will go down as my most memorable St. Patrick's Day ever.
On March 8th the pro-war group, Move America Forward (MAF), staged a rally at the Lafayette Hillside Iraq War memorial that was built and is maintained by anti-war activists. MAF awful group with horrible credentials. Read about them at sourcewatch or a well informed comment on my home page.
This video contains the Speeches from the pro-war rally. With anger and threats they proclaim that the troops can only be supported with blind-faith in the administration. To them appropriating our memorial of peace bolsters their self-righteous belief that their way is the true American way. Download or link to video of speeches.
The only thing I enjoyed about the pro-war rally was the presence of about 2 dozen bikers. Despite their politics I thought they were fun and they were the most chilled out pro-war folks at the rally. Regarding the bikers, jimstaro posted this on dailykos:
`Crowds gather to denounce, support war Veterans, some from the Rolling Thunder motorcycle group, lined up at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
"I'm not sure I'm in support of the war," said William "Skip" Publicover of Charleston, South Carolina, who was a swift boat gunner in Vietnam and lost two friends whose names are etched on the memorial's wall.
"I learned in Vietnam that it's difficult if not impossible to win the hearts and minds of the people."'
Rolling Thunder, at least the leadership and many who aren't Vets are running with the so called 'Move America Forward' group.
I won't go into the History of 'Rolling Thunder' except to say that Many of the Real'Nam Veterans held this as a Great Tradition, once started, till they figured out the extreme right swing of the leadership and that many allowed to join weren't veterans. Some still participate but stay clear of using 'The Wall' or any other Memorial as a Political Statement
Will also add that some of those, who are 'Nam Vets, and run with these groups, like this 'Move America Forward' were in Total Opposition of even having 'The Wall' Built!!
On March 8th the pro-war group, Move America Forward, staged a rally at the Lafayette Hillside Iraq War memorial that was built and is maintained by anti-war activists. The rally was the groups first stop on a cross country caravan to DC. They used our spatial representation of the cost of the war to serve their anger and agenda, unquestioning aproval of the Bush regime and continous warfare and attacking the peace movement as cowardly. Many of the Move America Forward protesters have or have lost love one in Iraq and as the blogger, Insane Begger, commented on my last post, they express their pain as anger at those who want to honor the soldiers but not the war. Perhaps, they see the Lafayette Memorial as simply an attack on the Bush war policy and not as an attempt to create a culture that is aware of what war really means. What comes across is there agression and as one anti-war activist observeded "I've never seen so much machismo on International Women's Day." For sights and sounds from the Pro-War rally link to or download this video.
At the Move America Forward rally a Goldstar father found his son's name on a cross. Understandably, he became very offended that his son's name was being used for a memorial with goals that ran counter to his own politics. However he dealt with the situation in an agrressive and bullyish way using the situation to attack the anti-war movement and the memorial organizer. Memorial volunteers and Goldstar Mothers for Peace had put the names of fallen Californian soldiers on various crosses on the hillside. Among the volunteers the use of names was debated and the majority wanted them taken down. The anger of the pro-war Goldstar father brings into perspective the problem with having names on the crosses. The names and his anger at anti-war activists shifts the memorial to specific people and away from the policy of war in general. The altercation between the Goldstar father and anti-war activists also reveals the problem with the pro-war rally itself, it attacked peace-activists as people and did not address their goals for government and foriegn policy. For one story from the culture war link to or download this video.
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger received a gift of nine works of art by local school children yesterday. The artwork was created "to save public education" by children and their parents at the Davis farmer's market and third-graders at Dry Creek elementary in Roseville and included a piece titled, "Evil Money-Grubbing Robot Seeking to Destroy Public School."
This past Saturday, 12,000 of my closest friends and I gathered in Oakland to see (or in some cases, just hear...) Barack Obama speak. It's nice to see Senator Obama giving the public some face time while he swings through our state to do what we know every presidential candidate must: make a withdrawal from the ATM that is California.
