So what's going on this week for the politically minded? Quite a bit actually.
TV viewers with cable or satellite might want to tune in
Tuesday, May 22nd
9:30 pm e/p
Forest For The Trees (U.S. Television Premiere) -- Directed by Bernadine Mellis. Mellis follows her father, civil rights lawyer Dennis Cunningham, as he goes to federal court in 2002 on behalf of his client, the late environmental activist Judi Bari.
A leader of EarthFirst!, Bari was injured in a car bombing as she prepared for 1990's "Redwood Summer," a peaceful action protesting the logging of old-growth redwoods in Northern California.
Arrested for the crime but never charged, Bari believed she was targeted in order to discredit her organization and sued the FBI and the Oakland Police. A suspenseful chronicle of an important trial, Forest for the Trees is also a profile of a dynamic and funny woman, who earned the respect of loggers as well as environmentalists.
An important topic, an important documentary. One of the reasons why Sundance is a needed channel is because you won't see PBS touching anything like this in the current climate.
To listen to? Mark your calendars, this airs tomorrow:
Monday, WeThePeopleRadioNetwork.com airs Questioning War-Organizing Resistance from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm PST and will address the issue of war resistance with guests including Pablo Paredes, Michael Wong, Jeff Paterson and Camilo Mejia. More information can be found in Carol Brouillet's "Questioning War- Organizing Resistance- War Resisters Radio Show" (Indybay IMC).
If you're able to stream online, this is something you won't want to miss.
But what to do, what to do?????
Plenty and we'll note this from the Green Party of Suffolk (we noted a partial of this last week):
The Green Party of Suffolk is holding a "Summer in Setauket--Green Fundraising Party" on Friday, June 22nd at the scenic Setauket Neighborhood House.
The evening's events will include: A Silent Art Auction; display of youth and adult poster contest entries; music by "Blacklisted and the Banned"; and a vegetarian/vegan potluck dinner.
This event was originally scheduled for St. Patrick's day, and was snowed out. We are excited to hold it in June, when guests may enjoy the porch at the Setauket Neighborhood House.
For information and directions, see details below, or go to: http://www.gpsuffolk.org/.
Pictures and videos of some of the art to be auctioned can be found at:
http://wilderside.wordpress.com/art-auction/ Pieces include:
A steel sculpture of a peace sign by the artist, Portugie. It is made from rolled steel and is about 12 inches in diameter. Portugie, aka John Phillips, is a Babylon sculptor, musician, and public access producer.
"Jardin du Luxembourg" by Peter Josyph. Media: acrylic, oil, and wax-oil crayon on handmade French paper. Artist notes: "I chose a nice abstract (one of a few post-9/11 works) that happens to be on the best paper made in the world: extremely heavy handmade paper from a mill somewhere in France, paper I've only seen in Paris and have had to carry back with me. Its also of a series that enables me to double-sign it: once vertically, once horizontally: very user-friendly for accommodating wallspace!"
A painting, "Escaping the Fire", by Amityville poet/painter Lois V. Walker. The painting is acrylic and multimedia, and measures 15x21. More works by Lois V. Walker can be found at http://www.loisvwalker.com/.
A birch weaving by Manorville naturalist/puppeteer/ farmer/artist Tom Stock. It is mounted on a curved piece of wood. The weaving is made from Adirondack Birch Bark that naturally peels off the trees. It measures 8 x 14.
A pastel by Huntington artist/musician Gary Ivan. The piece measures 8 x 11.
Four pieces donated by Ron Thomson for the Silent Art Auction. More works by Ron Thomson can be found at http://www.ronthomson.net/
A photograph, "End of the Road", by Long Island photographer Robert A. Kelly. The Photograph is 10 x 10. More works by Robert A. Kelly at www.pbase.com/rakelly
A photograph, "Shep Jones Lane", by Robert A. Kelly. The Photograph is 10 x 10.
The Silent Auction will also include a number of autographed books, some of them by the artists whose art is also represented. Amityville scholar/poet Pat Falk has also donated a signed copy of her most recent book It Happens As We Speak:A Feminist Poetics and a book of her poetry.
"Summer in Setauket--Green Fundraising Party" Information and Directions:
The Green Party of Suffolk will be holding a "Summer in Setauket--Green Fundraising Party" on Friday, June 22 from 7pm to 10pm at the Setauket Neighborhood House, 95 Main Street, Setauket. (Main Street is north of 25A and 6/10th of a mile west of Nichols Road) http://www.setauketneighborhoodhouse.com./
The evening will include a performance by the music group "Blacklisted and the Banned." There will also be a potluck dinner, a silent art auction, and a display of entries from the "Bring Home Our Troops" poster contest.
Vegetarian and vegan dishes will be served. Admission is $15 (with a dish) and $20 (without a dish). Children are welcome. There will be a Silent Art Auction of work by local artists.
Blacklisted & The Banned will perform their unique style of original, political music. Blacklisted features local musicians Sonny Meadows, Bob Westcott, Jon Foreman, Bob Campbell and Robert Langley. The Banned has a new CD out: "I Never Thought I'd Miss Richard Nixon." You can purchase the CD at http://www.cdbaby.com/.
The Green Party is an alternative to the Democrats and Republicans. The Green Party's values can be described by the four pillars of: Nonviolence; Grassroots Democracy; Ecological Wisdom; and Social and Economic Justice.
Donations and/or requests for advance tickets can be sent to: Green Party of Suffolk, 14 Robin Drive, Huntington, NY 11743. Please note that political donations are not tax-deductible. For more information call Roger at (631) 351-5763 or go to http://www.gpsuffolk.org/.
Background:
Green Party of Suffolk: http://www.gpsuffolk.org/
Information on Blacklisted and the Banned: http://www.sonnymeadows.com/
Setuaket Neighborhood House: http://www.setauketneighborhoodhouse.com/
Information on poet, Pat Falk: http://www.patfalk.net/
You say, "Sounds cool but it's not in my area." Well here's something that will be going to four cities:
Don't miss award-winning journalist and film-maker John Pilger (http://www.johnpilger.com/) on tour this June. He will be making appearances in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Chicago.John Pilger is one of the world's pre-eminent investigative journalists and documentary film-makers. His best-selling books of reportage have in the words of Noam Chomsky "been a beacon of light in often dark times."
Full details below.
*NEW YORK CITY
FREEDOM NEXT TIME: AN EVENING WITH JOHN PILGER AND AMY GOODMAN
Pilger will discuss his new book, Freedom Next Time (Nation Books), with Amy Goodman, host of Democracy Now! They will consider Iraq, Palestine, India, South Africa, and the island of Diego Garcia, where the long struggle for freedom has taken place, but the people are still waiting for its dream to be realized.
ThursdayJune 77 PM
Doors open 6:15 PMThe New School
Tishman Auditorium66 West 12th Street$5 admission; free for students with IDA book signing of Freedom Next Time by Pilger and Static by Goodman will follow the event.
Presented by The New School, the Center for Economic Research and Social Change, and The Nation Institute, with support from the Wallace Global Fund.For ticket information, contact (212) 229-5488 or boxoffice@newschool.edu.
For media inquiries, contact (212) 209-5407 or ruth@nationbooks.org
For more information, visit http://www.newschool.edu/publicprograms or e-mail pilgerny@gmail.com
*LOS ANGELES
FREEDOM NEXT TIME: AN EVENING WITH JOHN PILGER
Pilger will discuss his new book, Freedom Next Time (Nation Books) and show his film Breaking the Silence: Truth and Lies in the War on Terror. This film, set in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Washington, looks at President Bush's "war on terror" and the "liberation" of countries where bloodshed and repression continue.
MondayJune 117 PM
Doors open 6:00 PM
Japanese American Cultural and Community Center (http://www.jaccc.org/)
The JACCC is located at: 244 S. San Pedro Street (between 2nd and 3rd Streets) in the historic Little Tokyo district of downtown Los Angeles, just blocks away from the Los Angeles Music Center and the new Disney Hall. Followed by audience dialogue and a book signing.
$5 admissionA book signing of Freedom Next Time and other books by John Pilger will follow the event.
Directions, maps, and parking info at:
http://www.jaccc.org/directions.htm
Presented by The Center for Economic Research and Social Change, and The Nation Institute, with support from the Wallace Global Fund.For ticket information, call or visit the JACCC. Box office: 213-680-3700 (Box Office Hours: Monday - Saturday: Noon - 5 pm)
For media inquiries, contact (212) 209-5407 or ruth@nationbooks.org
For more information, email pilger.la@gmail.com
*SAN FRANCISCO
FREEDOM NEXT TIME: AN EVENING WITH JOHN PILGER
Pilger will discuss his new book, Freedom Next Time (Nation Books) and show his film Breaking the Silence: Truth and Lies in the War on Terror. This film, set in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Washington, looks at President Bush's "war on terror" and the "liberation" of countries where bloodshed and repression continue. Followed by audience dialogue and a book signing.
WednesdayJune 137 PM
Doors open 6:00 PMYerba Buena Center for the Arts (http://www.ybca.org/)
701 Mission Street at Third$15 general, $5 students
A book signing of Freedom Next Time and other books by John Pilger will follow the event.
Presented by The Center for Economic Research and Social Change, The Nation Institute, and KPFA, with support from the Wallace Global Fund.
For ticket information, call 415-978-2787 or order online at http://www.ybca.org/. In person tickets at YBCA Box office located inside the Galleries and Forum Building, 701 Mission Street at Third. (Hours: Tue, Wed, Fri, Sat & Sun: noon - 5 pm; Thu: noon - 8 pm.)
For media inquiries, contact (212) 209-5407 or ruth@nationbooks.org
For more information, email pilgersf@gmail.com
*CHICAGO
FREEDOM NEXT TIME: A DISCUSSION WITH JOHN PILGER
In his morning session, Pilger will discuss his new book, Freedom Next Time (Nation Books) and also engage in a conversation with Anthony Arnove, author of Iraq: The Logic of Withdrawal. Followed by audience dialogue and a book signing.In his evening session, Pilger will speak at a rally with other prominent international activists fighting for justice.
SaturdayJune 16two appearances at the Socialism 2007 conference (http://www.socialismconference.org/):
11:30 AM (followed by book signing) and 7:30 PM
Chicago Crowne Plaza O'Hare5440 North River Road, Rosemont, IL 60018
http://www.crowneplazaohare.com/
Regular registration - whole conference: $85
Weekend Rate - Saturday and Sunday only: $70Single day: $35
Single session: $10
Presented by The Center for Economic Research and Social Change, The Nation Institute, with support from the Wallace Global Fund. Co-sponsors: Obrera Socialista, Socialist Worker, International Socialist Review, and Haymarket Books.
For ticket information, call 773-583-8665 or e-mail info@socialismconference.org
For media inquiries, contact (212) 209-5407 or ruth@nationbooks.org
For more information, email info@socialismconference.org
*About the book: "This highly informed, thoughtful and passionate work is an important a thread in the world's growing tapestry of political counter-narratives as those of Dee Brown or Howard Zinn."--Publishers Weekly (STARRED review)
"Pilger draws on meticulous research and interviews to uncover the human cost of the skullduggery of the imperial powers in Diego Garcia as well as Afghanistan, Iraq, South Africa, and Palestine as the U.S. and Britain have heartlessly put their interests ahead of those citizens of weaker nations." --Booklist
"Freedom Next Time allows us to hear the personal testimonies of those challenging power. The array of interviews with the voiceless and abused provides an indispensable corrective to the litany of disinformation we are fed by the media, and for this achievement Pilger is surely the most outstanding journalist in the world today.--The Guardian (UK)
Freedom Next Time: Resisting the Empire is award-winning journalist John Pilger's vital examination of five countries' struggle toward freedom. When Nelson Mandela was released from prison in 1990, elation swept South Africa as its people finally dared to dream that a different world was possible. But as John Pilger movingly describes, true freedom remains a dream deferred.
In Freedom Next Time Pilger examines five counties -- South Africa, India, Palestine, Afghanistan and the forgotten Chagos Islands -- to reveal populations for whom the promise of true democracy remains elusive. His vivid eyewitness reporting and incisive interviews expose the lies of our rulers, turning a piercing searchlight onto events that would otherwise be consigned to the shadows by an unrecognized, yet virulent censorship.With his signature compassion and keen eye for detail, Pilger gives his reader a close study of the realities of these war-torn nations. In one of the most revealing chapters, Pilger offers one of the few journalistic studies of Britain's forced depopulation of the Chagos islands in the 1960s and 1970s. He describes a document drawn up by British planners in 1968, titled "maintaining the fiction," that argued that the islanders were not permanent inhabitants. When Pilger asks Olivier Bancoult, the Chagossians' leader in exile, "What upsets you most?" He replies, "the lie that we didn't exist." Today the island remains a U.S. military base, to which the Chagossians have been unable to return, despite a grant from the High Court.
In Freedom Next Time Pilger gives voice to those who would otherwise remain silent, and in so doing salutes those who refuse to be defined as victims.
For more information, visit: http://www.johnpilger.com/.
John Pilger is a world-renowned journalist, author, and documentary filmmaker who began his career in 1958 in his homeland, Australia, before moving to London in the 1960s. He has been a foreign correspondent and a front-line war reporter throughout his career, and currently writes for the New Statesman, The Guardian, New York Times, and Los Angeles Times, among others. He has twice won British journalism's highest award, Journalist of the Year, for his work all over the world, notably in Cambodia and Vietnam. He has been International Reporter of the Year and winner of the United Nations Association Peace Prize and Gold Medal. For his broadcasting, he has won France's Reporter Sans Frontieres, an American television Academy Award, an Emmy, and the Richard Dimbleby Award, given by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. He has made 57 documentary films, most of them shown on ITV network television in the UK and around the world. In 2003, he received the prestigious Sophie Prize for "thirty years of exposing deception and furthering human rights." He holds numerous honorary degrees from British, Scottish and Irish universities. He is a Frank H.T. Rhodes Visiting Professor at Cornell University, New York. He is the author of many books including The New Rulers of the World.
Freedom Next Time: Resisting the Empire
by John PilgerNation Books / June 5, 2007
ISBN 1-56858-326-5 / 376 pp./ $16.95 / trade paperback
*For more information, visit
http://www.johnpilger.com/http://www.nationbooks.org/http://www.cersc.org/