Jill Stein stands with the teachers

Jill Stein is the Green Party presidential candidate.  Her campaign issued the following:

Jill Stein joins Chicago strike for public education

Earlier today, Jill Stein joined the picket lines at Amundsen and Lane Tech, two Chicago high schools. On her way from Ohio, she cancelled her morning appearances in Minnesota in order to visit Chicago teachers, parents, and students who have been engaged in a citywide strike since Monday.
The battle the teachers of the Chicago Public Schools are fighting is not one of their choosing. It is one which has been foisted on them by politicians who have been bankrolled by, and who therefore represent the interests of, the 1%.
Rahm Emanuel’s war against the Chicago Teachers Union is not about wages or benefits. It is about the future of quality public education in Chicago and beyond. President Obama and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, with their “Race to the Top” initiative, are seeking to destroy the influence of the teachers unions, to reroute public dollars to corporate interests, and to undermine the core fabric of public education in America.
Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein is a staunch defender of public sector workers and for quality public education from pre-school through college. “Obama and Romney have made it  clear that they think our kids don't need a quality education,” says Stein. “They expect middle class people to bear the tax burden, and are not willing to make the wealthy pay a fair share, in order to fund our schools. The situation in Chicago is about whether the superrich pay their share, or whether we have underfunded schools.”

Stein, a Harvard-trained physician who once ran against Mitt Romney for Governor of Massachusetts, is proposing a Green New Deal for America - a four part policy strategy for moving America quickly out of crisis into a secure, sustainable future. Inspired by the New Deal programs that helped the U.S. out of the Great Depression of the 1930s, the Green New Deal proposes to provide similar relief and create an economy that makes communities sustainable, healthy and just.

Stein grew up in the Chicago suburb of Oak Park, Illinois.

Mumia Abu-Jamal fights life imprisonment (WW)

Repost from Workers World:

Mumia Abu-Jamal fights life imprisonment

By LeiLani on September 13, 2012 » Add the first comment.

As activists gear up for a Sept. 14 event in New York promoting the struggle to free Mumia Abu-Jamal, the state of Philadelphia has lodged another attack against him. On Aug. 15, this internationally revered political prisoner was illegally sentenced to life imprisonment.
Abu-Jamal, a MOVE Organization supporter and a former Black Panther Party member, is known as the “voice of the voiceless” for his continued anti-racist, anti-capitalist and anti-imperialist journalism. After being framed and convicted for the 1981 killing of a Philadelphia police officer, Abu-Jamal spent decades in solitary confinement, as a worldwide movement coalesced to free him. In December Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams announced that the state was no longer seeking a death sentence for Abu-Jamal, and he was released into the general prison population.
While the state backed off in the face of continued activism in support of Abu-Jamal – and perhaps in the hope that the movement for his freedom would dissipate — it resumed its assault on Abu-Jamal’s life nine months later. Without any notice to Abu-Jamal or to his lawyers, Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas Judge Pamela Dembe sentenced him to life imprisonment without parole on Aug. 15.
A press statement from the International Concerned Family and Friends of Mumia Abu-Jamal and the Free Mumia Abu-Jamal Coalition (NYC) notes that “all sentences … require a formal proceeding allowing the person to be sentenced the right to be heard and to challenge his sentence.” (Aug. 21) The sentencing is therefore illegal and, as with many of the state’s maneuverings in this decades-long case, in violation of Abu-Jamal’s rights.
Dembe had shown her willingness to deny Abu-Jamal justice in the past. In 2001, she refused to hear a legal challenge regarding the racist bias of convicting Judge Albert Sabo, who was overheard by a stenographer saying that he was going to “help them fry the n——-“ before Abu-Jamal’s trial.
Abu-Jamal filed a Post-Sentencing Motion on Aug. 23. Rachel Wolkenstein, Abu-Jamal’s attorney, reports: “Mumia’s motion not only attacks his own sentence to ‘slow death row,’ but makes the constitutional challenge to life imprisonment without parole, solitary confinement for death-row inmates and solitary confinement in general. Mumia is fighting with and for the entirety of ‘incarceration nation.’” (Aug. 24 email)
In addition to the demand to free Abu-Jamal and all U.S. political prisoners, the Sept. 14 event will focus on ending mass incarceration and solitary confinement and on closing New York’s infamous Attica prison. Speakers will include ICFFMAJ leader Pam Africa; Michelle Alexander, author of the book “The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness”; activist and former political prisoner Angela Davis; attorney Soffiyah Elijah; Jazz Hayden, a community “cop-watch” activist who is currently being framed by the New York Police Department; Marc Lamont Hill, who with Abu-Jamal co-authored the book “The Classroom and the Cell”; and Princeton University Professor Cornel West, who has been active in the campaign against the NYPD’s racist “stop-and-frisk” policies.
For more information, tickets and to sign a petition supporting the closing of Attica, visit freemumia.com.

Articles copyright 1995-2012 Workers World. Verbatim copying and distribution is permitted in any medium without royalty provided this notice is preserved.

Cheri Honkala rallies for voting rights

Cheri Honkala is the vice presidential candidate for the Green Party.  The Stein-Honkala campaign notes:


Cheri Honkala rallies for voting rights

At a press conference today in front of the Municipal Service Building in Philadelphia, Green Party VP candidate and National Coordinator for the Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign, Cheri Honkala, made the following remarks about the state’s proposed new voter ID law, currently being challenged in the courts:

“Politicians should be our servants. It says in the Declaration of Independence that in America power is derived from the consent of the governed. And that consent is granted, formally, by our vote that elects people to office. So politicians have no just power except that which we award them by our vote. That's why the right to vote is fundamental to the legitimacy of our government. If you don't let me vote, you have no right to exercise the power of office.

“Yet the politicians don't respect our right to vote. They pass laws to avoid accountability to the voters. They use gerrymandering to redraw districts so that they can't be defeated by the vote of their constituents. They pass restrictive ballot access laws to keep independents and third party candidates off the ballot.  They find excuses for denying the vote to people in prison, to college students, and to immigrants. And they pass laws like the Pennsylvania voter ID law to discourage people from trying to vote.

“In their arrogance, they view voters as annoyances, as people to be manipulated and disempowered and kept in their place. It's up to us not to let them get away with it. We must defend the right of every person who lives, works, and pays taxes in America to register to vote, to cast their vote, and to have their vote counted. We must not accept anti-voter laws like the Pennsylvania Voter ID law. 

“We, the people, are not committing vote fraud. We, the people, are not trying to manipulate elections. We just want to exercise our right to vote.  It's the politicians who are guilty of infringing upon the sanctity of the democratic process. We can't allow them to get away with it.

“Let's demand that this voter ID law be suspended. Let's demand that it be repealed. Let's demand that everyone be allowed to vote. And if we want to run for office, let's demand that they not put obstacles in our way.

“The patriots who founded our nation by rebelling against their colonial masters had a rallying cry: No taxation without representation! Well, if you don't allow us to vote, or to be on the ballot as candidates, then you are denying us representation. How dare you do that, and then try to tax us,  or regulate us,  or impose laws to imprison us.   

“Mr. Politician, remove the barriers and let the people vote!”

Also at today’s rally were representatives from: United, NAACP President Ben Todd Jealous joins the Pennsylvania NAACP State Conference, United Steel Workers, TWU 234, PA Voter ID Coalition, National Action Network- Philadelphia Chapter, Communication Workers of America Local 13000, United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1776, The Advancement Project, PA ACLU, Faith and Clergy Leaders, Neighborhood Networks, Committee of Seventy, Local Elected Officials. MoveON - Philadelphia, Fight for Philly/SEIU, APRI Pittsburgh Chapter

Background on the poll tax and Supreme Ct. hearing can be found in the Sept 11 York Dispatch article.

Highlights

This piece is written by Rebecca of Sex and Politics and Screeds and Attitude, Cedric of Cedric's Big Mix, Kat of Kat's Korner, Betty of Thomas Friedman is a Great Man, Mike of Mikey Likes It!, Elaine of Like Maria Said Paz, Ruth of Ruth's Report, Marcia of SICKOFITRADLZ, Stan of Oh Boy It Never Ends, Ann of Ann's Mega Dub, Isaiah of The World Today Just Nuts and Wally of The Daily Jot. Unless otherwise noted, we picked all highlights.


 "Continued violence, continued protests" and "Was Mitt wrong? Who knows?" -- two most requested highlights of the week.  One got one more vote and it's the second one Ty says.


Isaiah's The World Today Just Nuts "Tom Hayden Dem..." -- Isaiah takes a look at Tom Hayden Democrats.


"Iraq snapshot" -- C.I. reports on the House Armed Services Committee hearing.

"Barack released the terrorists threatening the US today," "and they focused on mitt romney?,"

 "Was extra security requested?" and   "The attack" -- Betty, Rebecca, Kat and Elaine on the press and the terrorism.

"Idiot of the week: Max" -- When a point is missed, look for Max Blumenthal to be staring off into space, holding an empty catcher's mitt.

"Journalist of the week: Richard Engel" -- and Mike picked a journalistic all star for the week as well.

"THIS JUST IN! BARRY SHOOTS 1ST, AIMS LATER!" and  "Barry shot his mouth first, aimed later" -- it's not easy posing for the cameras, Barry makes clear.

 "Oh, Tom, you've never been Whiter," "Economy," "Drunken Tom" and "The racist Tom Hayden" -- Betty, Ann, Marcia and Stan weigh in on Tom Hayden's latest drunken rant.





"5 of my favorite books," "full service: hollywood and prostitution" and  "Hepburn, Tracy, Burr, prostitutes and more" -- Rebecca and Marcia cover books.


 "Sauteed Basil & Garlic Vegetables in the Kitchen" -- Trina offers a quick and easy recipe which is also high fiber.






"West Nile" -- Ruth continues her West Nile coverae.



"Paul Simon's Graceland" -- on its 25th anniversary, Kat notes a landmark album from Paul Simon.





"21 Jump Street," "Natalie Wood,"  "James Bond songs,"  and  "Lauren Bacall turns 87 Sunday" -- Ruth, Betty, Kat and Stan go to the movies.

"Jan Crawford and Ari Shapiro are ridiculous," "NPR's biased to which party,"  "NBC disrespects 9-11 twice today,"  "Krys Boyd's Non-Think," "Terry's fluff and nonsense," "THIS JUST IN! THE SWEAT SHOP!"  and  "Pre-chewed 'news'" -- Stan, Ann, Ruth, Elaine, Wally and Cedric offer media critiques.

"The Pig-Pen Ambassador" -- Isaiah digs into the archives.

 "i'm a victoria grayson!" -- Rebecca writes about Revenge.

Truest statement of the week

You can't really spoil something that's already rotten.

-- Green Party vice presidential nominee Cheri Honkala refuting Bill Moyers & Company's assertion that votes belong to either the Democratic Party or the Republican Party.

Truest statement of the week II

Most people don’t want to be a perceived as party-poopers – which is why the principled folks that have protested the evil antics of the corporate, imperial parties, in Tampa and Charlotte, are so much to be admired. Frankly, who wants to be the one to point out, in the middle of the festivities, that Michelle Obama was just a Chicago Daley machine hack lawyer who was rewarded with a quarter million dollar a year job of neutralizing community complaints against the omnivorous University of Chicago Hospitals? She resigned from her $50,000 seat on the board of directors of Tree-House Foods, a major Wal-Mart supplier, early in her husband’s presidential campaign. But, once in the White House, the First Lady quickly returned to flaking for Wal-Mart, praising the anti-union “death star” behemoth’s inner city groceries offensive as part of her White House healthy foods booster duties.

She also serves on the board of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, the corporate foreign policy outfit to which her husband dutifully reported, each year, in his pucker-up to the presidency. The Obamas are a global capital-loving couple, two cynical lawyers on hire to the wealthiest and the ghastliest. They are no nicer or nastier than the Romneys and the Ryans, although the man of the house bombs babies and keeps a kill list. Yet, former “green jobs” czar Van Jones, a convention night chatterer on CNN who was fired by Obama for no good reason, chokes up when he speaks of the Black family that fronts for America – a huge act of national camouflage.

-- Glen Ford, "What Obama Has Wrought" (Black Agenda Report).

A note to our readers

Hey --

Another Sunday.



First up, we thank all who participated this edition which includes Dallas and the following:

The Third Estate Sunday Review's Jim, Dona, Ty, Jess and Ava,
Rebecca of Sex and Politics and Screeds and Attitude,
Betty of Thomas Friedman Is a Great Man,
C.I. of The Common Ills and The Third Estate Sunday Review,
Kat of Kat's Korner (of The Common Ills),
Mike of Mikey Likes It!,
Elaine of Like Maria Said Paz),
Cedric of Cedric's Big Mix,
Ruth of Ruth's Report,
Wally of The Daily Jot,
Trina of Trina's Kitchen,
Marcia of SICKOFITRDLZ,
Stan of Oh Boy It Never Ends,
Isaiah of The World Today Just Nuts,
and Ann of Ann's Mega Dub.


And what did we come up with?

• Truest statement of the week

Cheri Honkala, the Green Party's vice presidential nominee.

• Truest statement of the week II

Glen Ford with another truest.

• Editorial: It Takes A Xenophobe (named Tom!)

We were toying with something else for the editorial.  When we started leaning towards this, Isaiah said, "I've got a comic I'm doing on that tonight."  So the comic was published right then so we could include it in the editorial.

• TV: Pig In A Poke

Ava and C.I. look at the DNC, The Diane Rehm Show, Bill Moyers new show and a lot more confidence games in their latest.

• As if last week's DNC didn't have enough problems

Rebecca said, when Dona was asking for short features, "Debbie Wasserman Schultz finally washed her hair but did anyone see that mascara?"  That led to this.

• Roundtable

We roundtable the political campaign developments of last week.

• Oh, Joe

Joe Biden was rousing, we will all give him that.  It's a shame he wasn't more factual.

• Big Lie Of The Democratic Party convention

John Kerry also repeated this lie.  We didn't include John Kerry.  Why?  We assume we'll be calling him out soon enough as the man who should have stayed home with his ailing wife.  SO we just focused on Rahm instead.

• Jorge Rojas on the realities of the American dream...

Repost from the Jill Stein campaign.

• Protests in Charlotte (Workers World)

Repost from Workers World.

• Highlights

Mike and the gang wrote this and we thank them for it.

See you next week.
Peace.

-- Jim, Dona, Ty, Jess, Ava and C.I.  

Editorial: It Takes A Xenophobe (named Tom!)

Tom Hayden's the joke on the left that just keeps on giving.  Then candidate Barack Obama, in 2007, saw just how ridiculous Tom was prompting Barack to deride "Tom Hayden Democrats."  Tom Hayden Democrats are worthless whores who can't be trusted when a Democrats in the White House.


 






 The always worthless Tom-Tom showed up last week to spew and whore. 

Among his talking points?  Barack did so end the Iraq War -- did so!!!!


Tom Hayden's such a creep.  He really is.  He's a sexist and he's a xenophobe.  When he tries to cover one, he usually lets slip the other such as in his claim that when the US government declares that the Iraq War they started has ended that means it ended.

Tom Hayden is a worthless piece of s**t.


AP reports at least 82 people dead today from violent attacks in Iraq.

What war ended?

That is the height of xenophobia and highly offensive, to claim that just because the perpetrators have largely left, the war has ended.


The US unleashed the war and then they realized they couldn't afford it on the grand scale anymore so they reduced it.


It takes a real whore to ignore the dead and wounded Iraqis who continue to be harmed in this US-started war.



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Illustration is Isaiah's The World Today Just Nuts "Tom Hayden Democrats."