An archive from the Northbay Uprising about Malcom Shabazz
[northbayuprising.blogspot.com/2013/02/political-prisoner-fbi-arrests-malcom-x.html]
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
R.I.P. Malcom Shabazz. Uphold his legacy! Work towards unity!
An archive from the Northbay Uprising about Malcom Shabazz
[northbayuprising.blogspot.com/2013/02/political-prisoner-fbi-arrests-malcom-x.html]
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Solano PFP supports Mohammad "O" Arif's election campaign in Southern California
Mohammad "O" Arif
Candidate for California State Senate, District 16
Donate to his Campaign [gofundme.com/2mhlto]
[661-549-0786] [senate16@mohammadarif.com] [mohammadarif.com]
Founder, United Moderate Muslims of America for Peace [umma4peace.org]
* Double the minimum wage, and index it to the cost of living.
* Guarantee the right of all workers to organize and to strike; forbid striker replacement.
* Socially useful jobs for all at union pay levels.
* Equal pay for equal work, and for work of comparable worth.
* A 30-hour workweek with no cut in weekly pay; longer paid vacations.
* Guaranteed dignified income for those who cannot work.
* A Universal Basic Income to alleviate poverty and homelessness.
* Tax the income and assets of the rich to meet human needs.
* International trade agreements must guarantee the protection of workers and the environment in all participating countries; abolish NAFTA, GATT and the World Trade Organization (WTO).
* End homelessness; abolish vagrancy laws; provide decent affordable housing for all.
* Social ownership and democratic control of industry, financial institutions, and natural resources.
* The United States should take the initiative toward global disarmament by eliminating nuclear, chemical and biological weapons.
* Withdraw U. S. troops and weapons from other countries, and reallocate the resulting "peace dividend" for social benefit.
* Abolish the CIA, NSA, AID and other agencies for interference in other countries' internal affairs.
* Convert from a military to a peace-oriented economy, with jobs for displaced workers.
* Self-determination for all nations and peoples of the world, including Puerto Rico and all U. S. territories.
* Defend and extend liberties guaranteed in the Bill of Rights.
2013-05-08 "TBC: Editorial Board #1: California 16th Senate Race - Mohammad Arif"
from "Bakotube" [youtube.com/user/bakotube] [youtube.com/watch?v=0RRQBbwWqB4]:
The Bakersfield Californian's Robert Price interviews California 16th Senate Race candidate Mohammad Arif from the Dignity Health Studios of The Bakersfield Californian. NOTE: Due to audio glitch, there is NO SOUND for the first minute or two. Good audio from that point on. We're sorry for the inconvenience.
2013-04-30 "Man on a Mission: Peace & Freedom Hopeful Stumps Vigorously in California Special Election"
by Darcy G. Richardson [uncoveredpolitics.com/2013/04/30/man-on-a-mission-peace-freedom-hopeful-stumps-vigorously-in-california-special-election]
While Democrat Leticia Perez and Republican Andy Vidak are receiving the lion’s share of media attention in California’s 16th State Senate District special election, at least one of three long-shot candidates in the race is running like a man on a mission, one who doesn’t believe that defeat at the ballot box on May 21 is necessarily a foregone conclusion.
Meet Mohammad Arif, a 43-year-old immigrant rights advocate from Bakersfield who hopes to become the first Peace & Freedom Party member of the California legislature in history.
An immigrant himself — he has was born and raised in the Punjab region of Pakistan before emigrating to the U.S. in 1991 — Mohammad Arif is no stranger to politics. At the age of sixteen, he joined the Peoples Students Federation (PSF) and later became actively involved in the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), a center-left, democratic socialist party founded in 1967. Long led by members of the prominent Bhutto-Zardari family, the Pakistan People’s Party is currently affiliated with the Socialist International.
Arif’s lifelong interest in politics continued after relocating to the United States and gaining his citizenship more than a dozen years ago. In fact, he was one of 135 candidates who ran for governor of California in 2003 in the circus-like recall election that replaced incumbent Democratic Gov. Gray Davis with Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The good-natured Arif vied for the state’s highest office again in 2010, finishing third in the Peace & Freedom Party primary with 14.5 percent of the vote. He was understandably disappointed by the outcome and believes that his candidacy that year might have been damaged by the inadvertent misspelling of his name as “Mohammed” — with an “e” instead of an “a” — in the ten million voter pamphlets mailed out by the Secretary of State.
“If you Google ‘Mohammed Arif,’” he said wistfully, “you won’t find me. You’ll find the bad ones,” including, it just so happened, an individual by that very name who had been recently convicted of waging jihadist attacks in western India under that country’s Prevention Of Terrorism Act.
It was one of the first names that popped up in a Google search.
Arif is hoping he’ll have better luck in this election. At least the Secretary of State’s office spelled his name right this time.
The affable Arif, who earned a Master’s Degree in Economics from Punjab University in Lahore, Pakistan, and later studied law in the United States, refrains from publicly criticizing his opponents, focusing instead on his own background and attributes, stressing that he has much more in common with the district’s struggling residents than either Perez — a protégé of disgraced former State Sen. Michael Rubio — or Vidak, the lone Republican in the race, both of whom are considered ahead of the pack in the five-candidate field.
He even refuses to criticize Perez, the presumed frontrunner, for running for the seat only three months after being sworn in to her first term as a Kern County Supervisor. He also preferred not to comment on the fact that Perez had to change her residency just to qualify for the race.
“Both major parties are only interested in obtaining power,” he said. “They’ll do whatever it takes to achieve it.”
The Peace & Freedom candidate and founder of United Moderate Muslims of America for Peace — a national organization he helped to launch this past year — is more concerned with the substantive issues facing the district.
“I want to represent the working class, not the tiny wealthy minority who fund campaigns,” said Arif, who’s fluent in several languages and conversant in several others. “I am an immigrant, like many residents of this district. I have known hard times, like most of the people in the San Joaquin Valley. And I want to help bring peace to our people, equality and respect for people of all religions and backgrounds, and unite people rather than divide them.”
In a recent interview, the Peace & Freedom aspirant told Uncovered Politics that he wants to be “the voice for the downtrodden and the impoverished in Sacramento. I want to fight for them. I’ll be a one-man lobby for poor and working people in the legislature.”
Reminiscent of muckraking author Upton Sinclair’s EPIC (End Poverty in California) movement during the Great Depression — a crusade that nearly carried the plucky, lifelong Socialist into the governor’s mansion — one of Arif’s four campaign cards includes Sinclair’s famous slogan.
If elected, he said that he’ll use 75 percent of his legislative salary to create a non-profit foundation to help poverty-stricken residents of his district, providing legal assistance, temporary shelter, and drug treatment for the chronically unemployed, the homeless, victims of domestic violence and others who are simply down on their luck.
“Everything I do,” he said modestly, “comes from my heart.”
The lawmakers in Sacramento — Republicans and so-called “business-friendly” Democrats alike — have it completely wrong, he says. “They’re beholden to the rich and powerful who fund their campaigns. Everybody knows it. The role of government should be to protect those who need protection, to be a power for the powerless, to restrain those who, when they are not restrained, prey upon the weak.”
In addition to calling for higher taxes on the wealthy while trimming taxes and “user fees” that hit poor and working-class people the hardest, Arif’s platform — mirroring that of his time-honored party — calls for higher wages, including a sharp increase in the minimum wage, which, contrary to what conservative economists at the Heritage Foundation or the libertarian Cato Institute and those employed by major corporations claim, would actually help create jobs.
Arif believes the state’s current $8.00 minimum wage should be closer to $16 per hour.
The Peace & Freedom candidate also maintains that infrastructure improvements are the quickest and most effective way to create jobs and stimulate California’s sagging economy. As of March, California’s official jobless rate stood at 9.4 percent — the fourth-highest in the nation and well above the national unemployment rate of 7.6 percent.
“We have thousands of bridges, water lines, and other basic units of our infrastructure that need immediate replacement or repair, and we need to build much more advanced city and rural communications and transportation systems as soon as possible,” he said, citing the recent report by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) estimating that the U.S. needs at least $3.6 trillion in infrastructure investment by 2020 to maintain a passing grade.
According to the ASCE’s 2013 Report Card, which gave the U.S. a less-than-stellar D+ grade, California alone has a staggering 2,978 (12%) structurally deficient bridges and another 4,178 (16.8%) that are considered “functionally obsolete,” while 68% of the state’s roads and highways are in “poor or mediocre condition.” Moreover, the ASCE estimates that the state will need to spend $39 billion in drinking water infrastructure improvements over the next twenty years and projects an additional $29 billion in wastewater infrastructure needs.
There’s a lot of work to be done, said Arif, arguably the most pro-labor candidate in the race — the recent endorsement of Perez by the powerful SEIU (Service Employees International Union) of California notwithstanding.
“Both nationally and at the state level, we need to develop full-employment policies that should lead to a shorter workweek with no cut in pay, and more vacation time for all workers,” he added.
Peace & Freedom Party leaders are encouraged by the progress of Arif’s long-shot candidacy.
“As Arif gathered his signatures as a Peace and Freedom Party candidate, the official Democratic Party apparatus decided to support a candidate whose mentor was the disgraced former senator. Arif found himself suddenly popular, and a local paper covering the first debate called Mohammad Arif the ‘crowd favorite,’” said Kevin Akin, the party’s state chair.
“With support from many immigrants, and a good reaction to his campaign from working people in general, Mohammad Arif is getting the Peace and Freedom Party message across to tens of thousands of voters from Fresno to Bakersfield.”
Despite being vastly outspent by his two leading opponents — as of two weeks ago, Perez had raised $429,900, including $320,000 from the California Democratic Central Committee, while Vidak reported receiving a not-too-skimpy $323,407 — Arif insists that his bare-bones campaign, relying exclusively on small contributions, will make up the difference in shoe leather and sweat equity.
“I’ve been campaigning 70 hours a week, visiting every neighborhood in the district,” he said, adding that he has probably met and spoken with more residents of the sprawling district than all of the other candidates combined. “I’m campaigning seven days a week, morning ‘til night,” he said with a hint of pride in his voice.
“It’s been exhausting,” he continued, “but I will work just as diligently as a State Senator. I plan to be the hardest working and most accessible public servant possible.”
That would be a nice change for the underrepresented and ill-served residents of the district.
“This district was cheated of real representation in the past by a state senator who actually represented Chevron,” said Arif in a reference to ex-State Senator Michael Rubio of Shafter, who abruptly resigned from office in February to accept a government affairs job with Chevron Corp., thereby leaving the district unrepresented in Sacramento and temporarily denying the Democrats a super-majority in the State Senate.
Rubio, once seen as a rising star in California politics, was chairman of the Senate Environmental Quality Committee at the time of his resignation.
Unfailingly polite and courteous and armed with a dry, self-deprecating sense of humor and the determination of a man committed heart and soul to a greater cause — the cause of “humanity,” as he says repeatedly, meaning a better life for impoverished and working-class Californians — the hefty Peace & Freedom candidate continues to pound the pavement in search of votes as the campaign enters the homestretch.
“I’m running to lose my weight,” he jokes, “and I’m running to win my race.”
Echoing a similar remark by comedienne Roseanne Barr, the party’s 2012 presidential candidate, Arif also said that he plans to “keep running until I win,” whether it’s this year, next year — or in 2018.
The May 21 special election is being conducted in the old 16th Senate District, using the same boundaries that were in place when Rubio was elected in 2010, before the most recent redistricting of the state legislative boundaries. The district includes all of Kings County, about half of Fresno County, the western portion of Tulare County, and a western portion of Kern County, including part of Bakersfield where Arif resides.
2013-04-15 "'First Look': 16th District candidate Arif pitches candidacy"
by Louis Amestoy from "The Bakersfield Californian" [bakersfieldcalifornian.com/local/x1891154015/First-Look-16th-District-candidate-Arif-pitches-candidacy]:
Mohammad Arif, a Peace and Freedom candidate for the 16th District Senate seat, appeared on "First Look with Scott Cox" on Monday.
Saying "in my eyes, people are power, money is not power," 16th Senate District candidate Mohammad Arif pitched his candidacy Monday during an appearance on "First Look with Scott Cox."
Arif, a Bakersfield businessman in the social services field and Kern County chairman of the Peace and Freedom party, said he believes local representatives will solve people's problems, not corporate America.
"I want to run for the people. I don't want to run with the help of money," Arif said. He said he believes both Republicans and Democrats should support him.
Arif said that, if elected, he plans to spend most of his time in the 16th District, saying that sitting in the Senate isn't good enough. He'd have complaint boxes on street corners to help him hear from local people. Issues that need to be combatted, he said, include "kids going in the wrong direction," dropouts and joblessness.
"You have to mingle with the people. You have to listen to their issues. You have to listen to them," Arif said.
Show host Scott Cox asked Arif if he had a "game plan" going into a Tuesday debate featuring all five candidates. Arif said he's not making a game plan for the event, but rather trusting in God.
American General Media's 1180 KERN is hosting a debate with all five 16th Senate District candidates Tuesday in the ballroom of the Bakersfield Marriott at the Convention Center.
Cox and KERN's Jeff Lemucchi will host a live show on the race from 6 to 7 p.m. The debate follows from 7 to 8:30 p.m.
In addition to Arif, the candidates seeking to fill the spot left vacant by the resignation of Michael Rubio are Democrats Leticia Perez, Paulina Miranda and Francisco Ramirez and Republican Andy Vidak.
2013-04-15 "FIRST LOOK: Mohammad Arif"
[youtube.com/watch?v=8Rw3rOOdEMs]:
2010-05-25 "Make peace, not jihad, says local candidate for gov"
by Robert Price from "The Bakersfield Californian" [bakersfieldcalifornian.com/columnists/robert-price/x1008889488/Make-peace-not-jihad-says-local-candidate-for-gov]:
Mohammad Arif can't catch a break. Seven years ago, his quest for the governorship was derailed by an action-movie hero and 133 other characters on that colorful, circusy ballot, all supposedly trying to replace about-to-be-recalled Gov. Gray Davis.
Now Arif, a Bakersfield entrepreneur, is up against two billionaires and a former governor -- as well as 19 others. At least his odds are improving.
As if the size of the field weren't enough of a challenge, however, Arif just realized that his name has been misspelled on the official voter Information guide that the Secretary of State's office mails out to millions of California households. The pamphlet has him listed as Mohammed, not Mohammad. "If you Google 'Mohammed Arif,'" complained Arif, "you won't find me. You'll find the bad ones."
By "the bad ones," Arif means "the wrong ones," but unfortunately there are at least a couple of "bad" Mohammed Arifs out there. One was convicted last week of jihadist attacks in western India in violation of that nation's Prevention Of Terrorism Act.
That would be an unfortunate coincidence in any setting, but Bakersfield's Arif is a Peace & Freedom Party candidate. He didn't choose that party because of the melodic name. He chose it because it means something to him.
"War is a waste of America's resources," said Arif, who is 41. "I am kind of a modern Muslim. The teaching of Islam is that you belong to where you are. The people who are doing all this violence (in the name of Islam) are sick."
It's partly because of the threat of terrorism that Arif holds fast to this pillar: America must develop a coherent immigration strategy. "Secure the borders," he said. "Secure the loopholes."
Thing is, that position doesn't jibe with what the League of Women Voters listed as his position in its Easy Voter Guide pamphlet: "Free immigration."
"It was supposed to say 'fear-free immigration,' not 'free immigration,'" Arif said. "I would not suggest we remove all barriers."
So, what is this, then? Some kind of plot? "They are just innocent mistakes, but it's frustrating," said Arif, who was born in Lahore, Pakistan, immigrated to Los Angeles in 1991, and then moved from Culver City to Bakersfield last year.
For the record, the misspelled name appears only in the the voter information guide, according to the Secretary of State's Office. It's spelled correctly on ballots, including those that have already gone out to absentee voters, and it's been fixed in the online voter guide. Spokeswoman Shannan Velayas said Arif had plenty of time to flag the error but missed his three-week window of opportunity.
As for the League of Women Voters pamphlet, Linda Davis, the state LWV's vice president for voter service, provided a copy of the electronic document Arif e-mailed on or about March 15, and it reads "free immigration." So, let's settle it this way: If you've got a copy of the Easy Voter Guide, grab it and scribble "fear" in the appropriate spot on page 7. And no, I don't mean next to Barbara Boxer's photo.
Arif, who makes a living selling imported merchandise on eBay (hold the Meg Whitman jokes, please), admits that friends and acquaintances have asked him why he didn't launch his political career with less lofty goals.
"People laugh and say, 'Why don't you run for mayor?'" he said. "'Why don't you run for Assembly?' I say, 'Because this is America. Before, I was nothing. If I were living in Pakistan or India, I would not be able to run for (city) councilor. Here I run for governor -- twice."
Back in October 2003, running as an independent in the special election, Arif got 1,709 votes statewide, including 21 in Kern, for 46th place. (For those keeping score at home, David Laughing Horse Robinson of Bakersfield finished with 6,496 votes for 15th. They both trailed porn model Mary Carey, who placed 10th in that memorably silly campaign.)
Arif (find him at calgov2010.com) isn't the only Central Valley political candidate aiming higher than prudence might recommend. I won't name names, but you'll find over-their-head folks in races all across the valley. Some might even win, "because this is America."
For now, Arif need only outpoll his rivals for the P&F nomination: Stewart A. Alexander, who was the Socialist Party USA's 2008 vice-presidential nominee, and Carlos Alvarez, a 23-year-old grocery worker and antiwar activist. Here's hoping he advances to the next level and writes another chapter in his uniquely American story. Hopefully, his name will be spelled correctly.
Candidate for California State Senate, District 16
Donate to his Campaign [gofundme.com/2mhlto]
[661-549-0786] [senate16@mohammadarif.com] [mohammadarif.com]
Founder, United Moderate Muslims of America for Peace [umma4peace.org]
* Double the minimum wage, and index it to the cost of living.
* Guarantee the right of all workers to organize and to strike; forbid striker replacement.
* Socially useful jobs for all at union pay levels.
* Equal pay for equal work, and for work of comparable worth.
* A 30-hour workweek with no cut in weekly pay; longer paid vacations.
* Guaranteed dignified income for those who cannot work.
* A Universal Basic Income to alleviate poverty and homelessness.
* Tax the income and assets of the rich to meet human needs.
* International trade agreements must guarantee the protection of workers and the environment in all participating countries; abolish NAFTA, GATT and the World Trade Organization (WTO).
* End homelessness; abolish vagrancy laws; provide decent affordable housing for all.
* Social ownership and democratic control of industry, financial institutions, and natural resources.
* The United States should take the initiative toward global disarmament by eliminating nuclear, chemical and biological weapons.
* Withdraw U. S. troops and weapons from other countries, and reallocate the resulting "peace dividend" for social benefit.
* Abolish the CIA, NSA, AID and other agencies for interference in other countries' internal affairs.
* Convert from a military to a peace-oriented economy, with jobs for displaced workers.
* Self-determination for all nations and peoples of the world, including Puerto Rico and all U. S. territories.
* Defend and extend liberties guaranteed in the Bill of Rights.
2013-05-08 "TBC: Editorial Board #1: California 16th Senate Race - Mohammad Arif"
from "Bakotube" [youtube.com/user/bakotube] [youtube.com/watch?v=0RRQBbwWqB4]:
The Bakersfield Californian's Robert Price interviews California 16th Senate Race candidate Mohammad Arif from the Dignity Health Studios of The Bakersfield Californian. NOTE: Due to audio glitch, there is NO SOUND for the first minute or two. Good audio from that point on. We're sorry for the inconvenience.
2013-04-30 "Man on a Mission: Peace & Freedom Hopeful Stumps Vigorously in California Special Election"
by Darcy G. Richardson [uncoveredpolitics.com/2013/04/30/man-on-a-mission-peace-freedom-hopeful-stumps-vigorously-in-california-special-election]
While Democrat Leticia Perez and Republican Andy Vidak are receiving the lion’s share of media attention in California’s 16th State Senate District special election, at least one of three long-shot candidates in the race is running like a man on a mission, one who doesn’t believe that defeat at the ballot box on May 21 is necessarily a foregone conclusion.
Meet Mohammad Arif, a 43-year-old immigrant rights advocate from Bakersfield who hopes to become the first Peace & Freedom Party member of the California legislature in history.
An immigrant himself — he has was born and raised in the Punjab region of Pakistan before emigrating to the U.S. in 1991 — Mohammad Arif is no stranger to politics. At the age of sixteen, he joined the Peoples Students Federation (PSF) and later became actively involved in the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), a center-left, democratic socialist party founded in 1967. Long led by members of the prominent Bhutto-Zardari family, the Pakistan People’s Party is currently affiliated with the Socialist International.
Arif’s lifelong interest in politics continued after relocating to the United States and gaining his citizenship more than a dozen years ago. In fact, he was one of 135 candidates who ran for governor of California in 2003 in the circus-like recall election that replaced incumbent Democratic Gov. Gray Davis with Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The good-natured Arif vied for the state’s highest office again in 2010, finishing third in the Peace & Freedom Party primary with 14.5 percent of the vote. He was understandably disappointed by the outcome and believes that his candidacy that year might have been damaged by the inadvertent misspelling of his name as “Mohammed” — with an “e” instead of an “a” — in the ten million voter pamphlets mailed out by the Secretary of State.
“If you Google ‘Mohammed Arif,’” he said wistfully, “you won’t find me. You’ll find the bad ones,” including, it just so happened, an individual by that very name who had been recently convicted of waging jihadist attacks in western India under that country’s Prevention Of Terrorism Act.
It was one of the first names that popped up in a Google search.
Arif is hoping he’ll have better luck in this election. At least the Secretary of State’s office spelled his name right this time.
The affable Arif, who earned a Master’s Degree in Economics from Punjab University in Lahore, Pakistan, and later studied law in the United States, refrains from publicly criticizing his opponents, focusing instead on his own background and attributes, stressing that he has much more in common with the district’s struggling residents than either Perez — a protégé of disgraced former State Sen. Michael Rubio — or Vidak, the lone Republican in the race, both of whom are considered ahead of the pack in the five-candidate field.
He even refuses to criticize Perez, the presumed frontrunner, for running for the seat only three months after being sworn in to her first term as a Kern County Supervisor. He also preferred not to comment on the fact that Perez had to change her residency just to qualify for the race.
“Both major parties are only interested in obtaining power,” he said. “They’ll do whatever it takes to achieve it.”
The Peace & Freedom candidate and founder of United Moderate Muslims of America for Peace — a national organization he helped to launch this past year — is more concerned with the substantive issues facing the district.
“I want to represent the working class, not the tiny wealthy minority who fund campaigns,” said Arif, who’s fluent in several languages and conversant in several others. “I am an immigrant, like many residents of this district. I have known hard times, like most of the people in the San Joaquin Valley. And I want to help bring peace to our people, equality and respect for people of all religions and backgrounds, and unite people rather than divide them.”
In a recent interview, the Peace & Freedom aspirant told Uncovered Politics that he wants to be “the voice for the downtrodden and the impoverished in Sacramento. I want to fight for them. I’ll be a one-man lobby for poor and working people in the legislature.”
Reminiscent of muckraking author Upton Sinclair’s EPIC (End Poverty in California) movement during the Great Depression — a crusade that nearly carried the plucky, lifelong Socialist into the governor’s mansion — one of Arif’s four campaign cards includes Sinclair’s famous slogan.
If elected, he said that he’ll use 75 percent of his legislative salary to create a non-profit foundation to help poverty-stricken residents of his district, providing legal assistance, temporary shelter, and drug treatment for the chronically unemployed, the homeless, victims of domestic violence and others who are simply down on their luck.
“Everything I do,” he said modestly, “comes from my heart.”
The lawmakers in Sacramento — Republicans and so-called “business-friendly” Democrats alike — have it completely wrong, he says. “They’re beholden to the rich and powerful who fund their campaigns. Everybody knows it. The role of government should be to protect those who need protection, to be a power for the powerless, to restrain those who, when they are not restrained, prey upon the weak.”
In addition to calling for higher taxes on the wealthy while trimming taxes and “user fees” that hit poor and working-class people the hardest, Arif’s platform — mirroring that of his time-honored party — calls for higher wages, including a sharp increase in the minimum wage, which, contrary to what conservative economists at the Heritage Foundation or the libertarian Cato Institute and those employed by major corporations claim, would actually help create jobs.
Arif believes the state’s current $8.00 minimum wage should be closer to $16 per hour.
The Peace & Freedom candidate also maintains that infrastructure improvements are the quickest and most effective way to create jobs and stimulate California’s sagging economy. As of March, California’s official jobless rate stood at 9.4 percent — the fourth-highest in the nation and well above the national unemployment rate of 7.6 percent.
“We have thousands of bridges, water lines, and other basic units of our infrastructure that need immediate replacement or repair, and we need to build much more advanced city and rural communications and transportation systems as soon as possible,” he said, citing the recent report by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) estimating that the U.S. needs at least $3.6 trillion in infrastructure investment by 2020 to maintain a passing grade.
According to the ASCE’s 2013 Report Card, which gave the U.S. a less-than-stellar D+ grade, California alone has a staggering 2,978 (12%) structurally deficient bridges and another 4,178 (16.8%) that are considered “functionally obsolete,” while 68% of the state’s roads and highways are in “poor or mediocre condition.” Moreover, the ASCE estimates that the state will need to spend $39 billion in drinking water infrastructure improvements over the next twenty years and projects an additional $29 billion in wastewater infrastructure needs.
There’s a lot of work to be done, said Arif, arguably the most pro-labor candidate in the race — the recent endorsement of Perez by the powerful SEIU (Service Employees International Union) of California notwithstanding.
“Both nationally and at the state level, we need to develop full-employment policies that should lead to a shorter workweek with no cut in pay, and more vacation time for all workers,” he added.
Peace & Freedom Party leaders are encouraged by the progress of Arif’s long-shot candidacy.
“As Arif gathered his signatures as a Peace and Freedom Party candidate, the official Democratic Party apparatus decided to support a candidate whose mentor was the disgraced former senator. Arif found himself suddenly popular, and a local paper covering the first debate called Mohammad Arif the ‘crowd favorite,’” said Kevin Akin, the party’s state chair.
“With support from many immigrants, and a good reaction to his campaign from working people in general, Mohammad Arif is getting the Peace and Freedom Party message across to tens of thousands of voters from Fresno to Bakersfield.”
Despite being vastly outspent by his two leading opponents — as of two weeks ago, Perez had raised $429,900, including $320,000 from the California Democratic Central Committee, while Vidak reported receiving a not-too-skimpy $323,407 — Arif insists that his bare-bones campaign, relying exclusively on small contributions, will make up the difference in shoe leather and sweat equity.
“I’ve been campaigning 70 hours a week, visiting every neighborhood in the district,” he said, adding that he has probably met and spoken with more residents of the sprawling district than all of the other candidates combined. “I’m campaigning seven days a week, morning ‘til night,” he said with a hint of pride in his voice.
“It’s been exhausting,” he continued, “but I will work just as diligently as a State Senator. I plan to be the hardest working and most accessible public servant possible.”
That would be a nice change for the underrepresented and ill-served residents of the district.
“This district was cheated of real representation in the past by a state senator who actually represented Chevron,” said Arif in a reference to ex-State Senator Michael Rubio of Shafter, who abruptly resigned from office in February to accept a government affairs job with Chevron Corp., thereby leaving the district unrepresented in Sacramento and temporarily denying the Democrats a super-majority in the State Senate.
Rubio, once seen as a rising star in California politics, was chairman of the Senate Environmental Quality Committee at the time of his resignation.
Unfailingly polite and courteous and armed with a dry, self-deprecating sense of humor and the determination of a man committed heart and soul to a greater cause — the cause of “humanity,” as he says repeatedly, meaning a better life for impoverished and working-class Californians — the hefty Peace & Freedom candidate continues to pound the pavement in search of votes as the campaign enters the homestretch.
“I’m running to lose my weight,” he jokes, “and I’m running to win my race.”
Echoing a similar remark by comedienne Roseanne Barr, the party’s 2012 presidential candidate, Arif also said that he plans to “keep running until I win,” whether it’s this year, next year — or in 2018.
The May 21 special election is being conducted in the old 16th Senate District, using the same boundaries that were in place when Rubio was elected in 2010, before the most recent redistricting of the state legislative boundaries. The district includes all of Kings County, about half of Fresno County, the western portion of Tulare County, and a western portion of Kern County, including part of Bakersfield where Arif resides.
2013-04-15 "'First Look': 16th District candidate Arif pitches candidacy"
by Louis Amestoy from "The Bakersfield Californian" [bakersfieldcalifornian.com/local/x1891154015/First-Look-16th-District-candidate-Arif-pitches-candidacy]:
Mohammad Arif, a Peace and Freedom candidate for the 16th District Senate seat, appeared on "First Look with Scott Cox" on Monday.
Saying "in my eyes, people are power, money is not power," 16th Senate District candidate Mohammad Arif pitched his candidacy Monday during an appearance on "First Look with Scott Cox."
Arif, a Bakersfield businessman in the social services field and Kern County chairman of the Peace and Freedom party, said he believes local representatives will solve people's problems, not corporate America.
"I want to run for the people. I don't want to run with the help of money," Arif said. He said he believes both Republicans and Democrats should support him.
Arif said that, if elected, he plans to spend most of his time in the 16th District, saying that sitting in the Senate isn't good enough. He'd have complaint boxes on street corners to help him hear from local people. Issues that need to be combatted, he said, include "kids going in the wrong direction," dropouts and joblessness.
"You have to mingle with the people. You have to listen to their issues. You have to listen to them," Arif said.
Show host Scott Cox asked Arif if he had a "game plan" going into a Tuesday debate featuring all five candidates. Arif said he's not making a game plan for the event, but rather trusting in God.
American General Media's 1180 KERN is hosting a debate with all five 16th Senate District candidates Tuesday in the ballroom of the Bakersfield Marriott at the Convention Center.
Cox and KERN's Jeff Lemucchi will host a live show on the race from 6 to 7 p.m. The debate follows from 7 to 8:30 p.m.
In addition to Arif, the candidates seeking to fill the spot left vacant by the resignation of Michael Rubio are Democrats Leticia Perez, Paulina Miranda and Francisco Ramirez and Republican Andy Vidak.
2013-04-15 "FIRST LOOK: Mohammad Arif"
[youtube.com/watch?v=8Rw3rOOdEMs]:
2010-05-25 "Make peace, not jihad, says local candidate for gov"
by Robert Price from "The Bakersfield Californian" [bakersfieldcalifornian.com/columnists/robert-price/x1008889488/Make-peace-not-jihad-says-local-candidate-for-gov]:
Mohammad Arif can't catch a break. Seven years ago, his quest for the governorship was derailed by an action-movie hero and 133 other characters on that colorful, circusy ballot, all supposedly trying to replace about-to-be-recalled Gov. Gray Davis.
Now Arif, a Bakersfield entrepreneur, is up against two billionaires and a former governor -- as well as 19 others. At least his odds are improving.
As if the size of the field weren't enough of a challenge, however, Arif just realized that his name has been misspelled on the official voter Information guide that the Secretary of State's office mails out to millions of California households. The pamphlet has him listed as Mohammed, not Mohammad. "If you Google 'Mohammed Arif,'" complained Arif, "you won't find me. You'll find the bad ones."
By "the bad ones," Arif means "the wrong ones," but unfortunately there are at least a couple of "bad" Mohammed Arifs out there. One was convicted last week of jihadist attacks in western India in violation of that nation's Prevention Of Terrorism Act.
That would be an unfortunate coincidence in any setting, but Bakersfield's Arif is a Peace & Freedom Party candidate. He didn't choose that party because of the melodic name. He chose it because it means something to him.
"War is a waste of America's resources," said Arif, who is 41. "I am kind of a modern Muslim. The teaching of Islam is that you belong to where you are. The people who are doing all this violence (in the name of Islam) are sick."
It's partly because of the threat of terrorism that Arif holds fast to this pillar: America must develop a coherent immigration strategy. "Secure the borders," he said. "Secure the loopholes."
Thing is, that position doesn't jibe with what the League of Women Voters listed as his position in its Easy Voter Guide pamphlet: "Free immigration."
"It was supposed to say 'fear-free immigration,' not 'free immigration,'" Arif said. "I would not suggest we remove all barriers."
So, what is this, then? Some kind of plot? "They are just innocent mistakes, but it's frustrating," said Arif, who was born in Lahore, Pakistan, immigrated to Los Angeles in 1991, and then moved from Culver City to Bakersfield last year.
For the record, the misspelled name appears only in the the voter information guide, according to the Secretary of State's Office. It's spelled correctly on ballots, including those that have already gone out to absentee voters, and it's been fixed in the online voter guide. Spokeswoman Shannan Velayas said Arif had plenty of time to flag the error but missed his three-week window of opportunity.
As for the League of Women Voters pamphlet, Linda Davis, the state LWV's vice president for voter service, provided a copy of the electronic document Arif e-mailed on or about March 15, and it reads "free immigration." So, let's settle it this way: If you've got a copy of the Easy Voter Guide, grab it and scribble "fear" in the appropriate spot on page 7. And no, I don't mean next to Barbara Boxer's photo.
Arif, who makes a living selling imported merchandise on eBay (hold the Meg Whitman jokes, please), admits that friends and acquaintances have asked him why he didn't launch his political career with less lofty goals.
"People laugh and say, 'Why don't you run for mayor?'" he said. "'Why don't you run for Assembly?' I say, 'Because this is America. Before, I was nothing. If I were living in Pakistan or India, I would not be able to run for (city) councilor. Here I run for governor -- twice."
Back in October 2003, running as an independent in the special election, Arif got 1,709 votes statewide, including 21 in Kern, for 46th place. (For those keeping score at home, David Laughing Horse Robinson of Bakersfield finished with 6,496 votes for 15th. They both trailed porn model Mary Carey, who placed 10th in that memorably silly campaign.)
Arif (find him at calgov2010.com) isn't the only Central Valley political candidate aiming higher than prudence might recommend. I won't name names, but you'll find over-their-head folks in races all across the valley. Some might even win, "because this is America."
For now, Arif need only outpoll his rivals for the P&F nomination: Stewart A. Alexander, who was the Socialist Party USA's 2008 vice-presidential nominee, and Carlos Alvarez, a 23-year-old grocery worker and antiwar activist. Here's hoping he advances to the next level and writes another chapter in his uniquely American story. Hopefully, his name will be spelled correctly.
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Resist the Surveillance Drones, a threat to Freedom of association!
(Maureen Smith, member of Peace & Freedom Part of Santa Cruz, wrote the following)
Drones Are Coming to Someplace Near You
As Californians, we may not have to worry about the the immediate threats to life and limb nor the psychological problems of existing under Obama's drones that those living in the U.S. invaded Middle East experience, but we do need to be prepared for drones coming to California.
Since the passage of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012, Public Law 112-95, at least four bills have been introduced in our state legislature; SB 15, AB 1326. AB 1327, and AB 737. The first of these bills to go to a committee hearing is AB1326 which will be heard in the Assembly Revenue and Taxation Committee on April 22nd.
AB 1326 is a simple bill to allow drone manufacturers and their companion contractors to be exempt from taxation in California. The revenues lost to local jurisdictions such as cities and counties will not be reimbursed by the state. Those of us who don't want the drones here in the first place see this bill as adding insult to injury.
A companion bill by the same authors, Gorell and Bradford, AB 1327 which addresses the use of drones by public agencies in California, leaves the specifics of the acquisition of drones to local jurisdictions. The bill allows law enforcement agencies, CAL-Fire and some others to acquire drones for law enforcement. fire-fighting, geological and pollution fighting activities but forbids the retention of images, footage or data obtained with drones for more than 10 days unless needed as evidence of a crime, part of an ongoing investigation of a crime, or for training purposes, or pursuant to a court order.
AB 1327 does prohibit an individual from using a drone to spy on another individual without consent from that person. Furthermore, an individual who is spied on without his/her consent, may seek and obtain an injunction prohibiting the use of images, footage, or data obtained through the surveillance.
The liquidated damages from such surveillance would be set at $5,000 per day of surveillance and more if actual damages are in excess.
AB 737, introduced by Fox with many coauthors, is an emergency measure which requires the Director of the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development to prepare a proposal to establish a test site in California and would authorize the director to consult with the Governor's Military Council and other specified entities in developing the proposal. The administrator of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act has requested proposals in order to select six sites across the United States for testing domestic drones.
SB 15 is an attempt to regulate the misuse of drones for spying and personal gain such as selling the photos, videos or recordings obtained for profit. The wording does not stay with unmanned ariel vehicles (drones), but includes any trespass on private property to obtain photos, videos etc of a non consenting victim.
This bill also identifies a "person" as including "an individual, business association, partnership, corporation, limited liability company, or other legal entity, and an individual acting or purporting to act for or on behalf of any government or subdivision thereof, whether federal, state, or local, but excludes an individual known by all parties to a confidential communication to be overhearing or recording the communication." We who support Move to Amend are repulsed by language that supports corporate personhood.
SB 15 throws some potential funding to the Arts and Entertainment Fund for grants by the California Arts Council by stating "Fines collected pursuant to this subdivision shall be allocated as followed: (a)
One-half shall be allocated to the prosecuting agency. (b) One-half shall be deposited in the Arts and Entertainment Fund, which is hereby created in the State Treasury."
While this bill seems comprehensive in covering privacy issues, it also seems filled with questionable
language and limits on fines for offenses. It raises the question of whether a wealthy person or other entity would actually be deterred from future offenses by a $5000 fine.
At this time we cannot support any of the bills currently introduced until such time that safety, liability,
and both private and public use of drones are adequately addressed. Therefore, we join with the states of Virginia and Idaho in supporting the a ban on the use of drones.
Drones Are Coming to Someplace Near You
As Californians, we may not have to worry about the the immediate threats to life and limb nor the psychological problems of existing under Obama's drones that those living in the U.S. invaded Middle East experience, but we do need to be prepared for drones coming to California.
Since the passage of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012, Public Law 112-95, at least four bills have been introduced in our state legislature; SB 15, AB 1326. AB 1327, and AB 737. The first of these bills to go to a committee hearing is AB1326 which will be heard in the Assembly Revenue and Taxation Committee on April 22nd.
AB 1326 is a simple bill to allow drone manufacturers and their companion contractors to be exempt from taxation in California. The revenues lost to local jurisdictions such as cities and counties will not be reimbursed by the state. Those of us who don't want the drones here in the first place see this bill as adding insult to injury.
A companion bill by the same authors, Gorell and Bradford, AB 1327 which addresses the use of drones by public agencies in California, leaves the specifics of the acquisition of drones to local jurisdictions. The bill allows law enforcement agencies, CAL-Fire and some others to acquire drones for law enforcement. fire-fighting, geological and pollution fighting activities but forbids the retention of images, footage or data obtained with drones for more than 10 days unless needed as evidence of a crime, part of an ongoing investigation of a crime, or for training purposes, or pursuant to a court order.
AB 1327 does prohibit an individual from using a drone to spy on another individual without consent from that person. Furthermore, an individual who is spied on without his/her consent, may seek and obtain an injunction prohibiting the use of images, footage, or data obtained through the surveillance.
The liquidated damages from such surveillance would be set at $5,000 per day of surveillance and more if actual damages are in excess.
AB 737, introduced by Fox with many coauthors, is an emergency measure which requires the Director of the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development to prepare a proposal to establish a test site in California and would authorize the director to consult with the Governor's Military Council and other specified entities in developing the proposal. The administrator of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act has requested proposals in order to select six sites across the United States for testing domestic drones.
SB 15 is an attempt to regulate the misuse of drones for spying and personal gain such as selling the photos, videos or recordings obtained for profit. The wording does not stay with unmanned ariel vehicles (drones), but includes any trespass on private property to obtain photos, videos etc of a non consenting victim.
This bill also identifies a "person" as including "an individual, business association, partnership, corporation, limited liability company, or other legal entity, and an individual acting or purporting to act for or on behalf of any government or subdivision thereof, whether federal, state, or local, but excludes an individual known by all parties to a confidential communication to be overhearing or recording the communication." We who support Move to Amend are repulsed by language that supports corporate personhood.
SB 15 throws some potential funding to the Arts and Entertainment Fund for grants by the California Arts Council by stating "Fines collected pursuant to this subdivision shall be allocated as followed: (a)
One-half shall be allocated to the prosecuting agency. (b) One-half shall be deposited in the Arts and Entertainment Fund, which is hereby created in the State Treasury."
While this bill seems comprehensive in covering privacy issues, it also seems filled with questionable
language and limits on fines for offenses. It raises the question of whether a wealthy person or other entity would actually be deterred from future offenses by a $5000 fine.
At this time we cannot support any of the bills currently introduced until such time that safety, liability,
and both private and public use of drones are adequately addressed. Therefore, we join with the states of Virginia and Idaho in supporting the a ban on the use of drones.
Friday, March 15, 2013
Peace and Freedom Party Endorses Cindy Sheehan for California Governor in 2014
Registration and Organizing Committee, PO Box 22234, Sacramento CA 95822
Contact: Marsha Feinland, 510-845-7251
The State Central Committee of the California Peace has endorsed anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan for Governor of California in the 2014 election.
The vote on the endorsement motion, taken at the committee's March 9-10 meeting in Riverside, was unanimous.
Sheehan said she wants to run "primarily because I believe that California should be leading the nation in peace, education, health care, sustainable/renewable energy and democracy. I was born and raised in California and have lived my entire life here. I love my state and know it can be doing far better than it is now. I have lived in a California that was in the vanguard of education and job creation. However, with the disastrous advent of corporate supremacy, those days are passed for the vast majority of Californians."
"Secondarily," she continued, "but just as importantly, I am running for governor because I think the corporate stranglehold can only be broken by breaking its collaborators: the two major parties. Top Two elections are an assault on democracy, but I plan on being in this until the general election."
She added that "the Peace and Freedom Party has a long tradition of principled activism and electoral experience."
Sheehan's prominence in the popular movements against war and imperialism began in August 2005 when her extended protest outside President George W. Bush's Texas ranch gained world-wide media attention. She ran for Congress against pro-war Democrat Nancy Pelosi in 2008, winning almost 50,000 votes as a first-time candidate and an independent. In 2010, she registered as a member of the Peace and Freedom Party. She was the party's candidate for Vice President in the 2012 election.
She is the host and director of the on-line radio show Cindy Sheehan’s Soapbox and has published seven books. She travels the world working for peace and justice from her home base in Vacaville, California, where she loves spending time with her three surviving children and four grandchildren.
For further information on Cindy Sheehan, visit [http://cindysheehanssoapbox.blogspot.com].
The California Peace and Freedom Party is the only socialist and feminist political party on the ballot in California. It is the largest socialist party (as measured by voter registration) in the United States. For more information, visit [http://www.peaceandfreedom.org].
The 2012 elections brought us more of the same: war and oppression abroad, austerity and repression at home. Across the nation progressive community activists are responding by working at the local level to effect the change we’ve learned not to expect from our elected representatives. A Gallup poll shows that over half of voting age Americans want a third political party.
The Peace and Freedom Party was born of the anti-war and civil rights movements in the 1960s. We have run candidates who have supported reductions in the military budget, single payer healthcare, full employment, and free education as a right. Our activists build local clout and awareness on these issues and more, connecting the peoples movements to electoral politics without knuckling under to the super-rich who control both big parties.
Peace and Freedom is again going national. We are now a ballot qualified party in Florida as well as California, and working toward ballot qualification in several other states, and we are building a national organizing committee.
Due to changes in election law, the Peace and Freedom Party must sharply increase our voter registration numbers from approximately 62,000 registrants to about 105,000 registrants by the end of 2014 in order to stay on the ballot in California. We will do it, but it is a difficult and costly process, and we anticipate raising and spending about 85 thousand dollars on it. If you care about having a voice for peace and economic justice on the ballot, we urge you to help in the following ways:
Register to vote as “Peace and Freedom Party” if you live in California by filling out a new voter registration form, either by picking one up at a library, DMV office, or Registrar of Voters office, or by registering online at: registertovote.ca.gov. It would also be very helpful for you to encourage supportive friends and family to register Peace and Freedom. (In California today, you may vote for candidates of any party in both primary and general elections regardless of the party in which you are registered.)
Donate to the Peace and Freedom Party Registration Drive, no matter where you live. Your donation enables Peace and Freedom to train teams of youth organizers throughout California to register Peace and Freedom Party voters. Please join in enabling a new generation of progressive activists to secure a ballot alternative that reflects their ideals, addresses their concerns and champions their future. Checks made out to “PFP Registration Drive” should be mailed to PFP Reg Drive, PO Box 22234, Sacramento CA 95822, or you may donate on-line at [www.peaceandfreedom.org/home/regdrive].
Please spread this message to your friends. We appreciate any support you can provide. Thank you!
Yours for peace and freedom, [signed] Cindy Sheehan
(Organizations listed for identification purposes only.)
* Gerald Horne, PhD, JD, University of Houston
* John Reiger, President, Veterans for Peace, Sacramento Chapter
* Gloria La Riva, President, Typographical Sector, CWA Local 3952
* Mike Roskey, SEIU Local 1000, District Labor Council 767, President
* Alice Stek, MD, University of Southern California School of Medicine
* Kevin Akin, California State Chair, Peace and Freedom Party
* Paul Krasner, Satirist and publisher
* Kathleen Williams, Attorney at law
* John Fugelsang, Host of “Viewpoint” on Current TV
* Scott Camil, President, Veterans for Peace, Gainesville Chapter
Contact: Marsha Feinland, 510-845-7251
The State Central Committee of the California Peace has endorsed anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan for Governor of California in the 2014 election.
The vote on the endorsement motion, taken at the committee's March 9-10 meeting in Riverside, was unanimous.
Sheehan said she wants to run "primarily because I believe that California should be leading the nation in peace, education, health care, sustainable/renewable energy and democracy. I was born and raised in California and have lived my entire life here. I love my state and know it can be doing far better than it is now. I have lived in a California that was in the vanguard of education and job creation. However, with the disastrous advent of corporate supremacy, those days are passed for the vast majority of Californians."
"Secondarily," she continued, "but just as importantly, I am running for governor because I think the corporate stranglehold can only be broken by breaking its collaborators: the two major parties. Top Two elections are an assault on democracy, but I plan on being in this until the general election."
She added that "the Peace and Freedom Party has a long tradition of principled activism and electoral experience."
Sheehan's prominence in the popular movements against war and imperialism began in August 2005 when her extended protest outside President George W. Bush's Texas ranch gained world-wide media attention. She ran for Congress against pro-war Democrat Nancy Pelosi in 2008, winning almost 50,000 votes as a first-time candidate and an independent. In 2010, she registered as a member of the Peace and Freedom Party. She was the party's candidate for Vice President in the 2012 election.
She is the host and director of the on-line radio show Cindy Sheehan’s Soapbox and has published seven books. She travels the world working for peace and justice from her home base in Vacaville, California, where she loves spending time with her three surviving children and four grandchildren.
For further information on Cindy Sheehan, visit [http://cindysheehanssoapbox.blogspot.com].
The California Peace and Freedom Party is the only socialist and feminist political party on the ballot in California. It is the largest socialist party (as measured by voter registration) in the United States. For more information, visit [http://www.peaceandfreedom.org].
The 2012 elections brought us more of the same: war and oppression abroad, austerity and repression at home. Across the nation progressive community activists are responding by working at the local level to effect the change we’ve learned not to expect from our elected representatives. A Gallup poll shows that over half of voting age Americans want a third political party.
The Peace and Freedom Party was born of the anti-war and civil rights movements in the 1960s. We have run candidates who have supported reductions in the military budget, single payer healthcare, full employment, and free education as a right. Our activists build local clout and awareness on these issues and more, connecting the peoples movements to electoral politics without knuckling under to the super-rich who control both big parties.
Peace and Freedom is again going national. We are now a ballot qualified party in Florida as well as California, and working toward ballot qualification in several other states, and we are building a national organizing committee.
Due to changes in election law, the Peace and Freedom Party must sharply increase our voter registration numbers from approximately 62,000 registrants to about 105,000 registrants by the end of 2014 in order to stay on the ballot in California. We will do it, but it is a difficult and costly process, and we anticipate raising and spending about 85 thousand dollars on it. If you care about having a voice for peace and economic justice on the ballot, we urge you to help in the following ways:
Register to vote as “Peace and Freedom Party” if you live in California by filling out a new voter registration form, either by picking one up at a library, DMV office, or Registrar of Voters office, or by registering online at: registertovote.ca.gov. It would also be very helpful for you to encourage supportive friends and family to register Peace and Freedom. (In California today, you may vote for candidates of any party in both primary and general elections regardless of the party in which you are registered.)
Donate to the Peace and Freedom Party Registration Drive, no matter where you live. Your donation enables Peace and Freedom to train teams of youth organizers throughout California to register Peace and Freedom Party voters. Please join in enabling a new generation of progressive activists to secure a ballot alternative that reflects their ideals, addresses their concerns and champions their future. Checks made out to “PFP Registration Drive” should be mailed to PFP Reg Drive, PO Box 22234, Sacramento CA 95822, or you may donate on-line at [www.peaceandfreedom.org/home/regdrive].
Please spread this message to your friends. We appreciate any support you can provide. Thank you!
Yours for peace and freedom, [signed] Cindy Sheehan
(Organizations listed for identification purposes only.)
* Gerald Horne, PhD, JD, University of Houston
* John Reiger, President, Veterans for Peace, Sacramento Chapter
* Gloria La Riva, President, Typographical Sector, CWA Local 3952
* Mike Roskey, SEIU Local 1000, District Labor Council 767, President
* Alice Stek, MD, University of Southern California School of Medicine
* Kevin Akin, California State Chair, Peace and Freedom Party
* Paul Krasner, Satirist and publisher
* Kathleen Williams, Attorney at law
* John Fugelsang, Host of “Viewpoint” on Current TV
* Scott Camil, President, Veterans for Peace, Gainesville Chapter
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Women's Spring
Stop Violence Against Women Everywhere! The Status Quo Must Go!
Join or organize a protest in your area March 8-9 and join the Women's Spring!
[http://www.defendwomensrights.org/news/stop-violence-against-women.html]:
Rise up! We hold the power to bring an end to sexual violence. Every single gain, every single right we as women have today is the result of struggle. We have to fight back. The status quo must go!
In the United States, 1.3 million women are raped every year. One in every four women experience severe violence at the hands of a current or former partner. Thirty-seven percent of reported rape cases are prosecuted and only 18 percent end in a conviction. Women face intimidation in the workplace. Women in the U.S. military face a record number of sexual assaults. Our sisters in U.S. prisons face horrendous threats and have nowhere to turn. Young women in high schools and on college campuses are regularly forced to contend with intimidation, assault and rape.
This has to end!
From the streets of India to Steubenville, Ohio, mass protests have been organized against sexual violence against women. In both cases, the horrific crimes that were then ignored or covered up have sparked an outcry, a rallying cry against a culture and a society that protects victimizers and alienates victims.
In India, these protests have galvanized a mass movement. We can do the same.
Sexual violence against women isn't “normal.” It's not human nature. Oppression against women—the violence, the objectification, the impoverishment and inequality that women experience—isn't just the way it is. It is a function of patriarchy and of institutionalized sexism, of the sexual objectification of women for corporate profit and of a society that tolerates—and often condones—sexual intimidation and violence.
The time is now to rise up and stop sexual violence against women. Last year, the Occupy movements took on the 1%—the wealth owners—and defended the rights of the 99%—the wealth-makers. The year before, a series of revolutionary movements in the Arab World took on oppressive governments in Egypt and Tunisia in the Arab Spring. We need a Women's Spring all over the world.
Friday, March 8 is International Women’s Day. On that Friday and Saturday (March 9) women and their allies in the struggle against violence and for justice will take to the streets all over the world.
There will be demonstrations and protests throughout the United States on March 8th and 9th to say: Stop Violence Against Women Everywhere – The Status Quo Must Go!
Join a demonstration on March 8th and 9th where you are. If no action has been announced in your area, get together with your friends and organize one. Every one of us can take action and make a difference in building this new movement against violence and in support of women’s rights.
San Francisco, CA
Saturday, March 9
March & Rally to Stop Violence Against Women Everywhere!
Assemble at UN Plaza, 12 noon
Sacramento, CA
Friday, March 8
March & Rally: No More Violence Against Women!
Assemble at Southside Park (2115 6th St), 4 pm
Join or organize a protest in your area March 8-9 and join the Women's Spring!
[http://www.defendwomensrights.org/news/stop-violence-against-women.html]:
Rise up! We hold the power to bring an end to sexual violence. Every single gain, every single right we as women have today is the result of struggle. We have to fight back. The status quo must go!
In the United States, 1.3 million women are raped every year. One in every four women experience severe violence at the hands of a current or former partner. Thirty-seven percent of reported rape cases are prosecuted and only 18 percent end in a conviction. Women face intimidation in the workplace. Women in the U.S. military face a record number of sexual assaults. Our sisters in U.S. prisons face horrendous threats and have nowhere to turn. Young women in high schools and on college campuses are regularly forced to contend with intimidation, assault and rape.
This has to end!
From the streets of India to Steubenville, Ohio, mass protests have been organized against sexual violence against women. In both cases, the horrific crimes that were then ignored or covered up have sparked an outcry, a rallying cry against a culture and a society that protects victimizers and alienates victims.
In India, these protests have galvanized a mass movement. We can do the same.
Sexual violence against women isn't “normal.” It's not human nature. Oppression against women—the violence, the objectification, the impoverishment and inequality that women experience—isn't just the way it is. It is a function of patriarchy and of institutionalized sexism, of the sexual objectification of women for corporate profit and of a society that tolerates—and often condones—sexual intimidation and violence.
The time is now to rise up and stop sexual violence against women. Last year, the Occupy movements took on the 1%—the wealth owners—and defended the rights of the 99%—the wealth-makers. The year before, a series of revolutionary movements in the Arab World took on oppressive governments in Egypt and Tunisia in the Arab Spring. We need a Women's Spring all over the world.
Friday, March 8 is International Women’s Day. On that Friday and Saturday (March 9) women and their allies in the struggle against violence and for justice will take to the streets all over the world.
There will be demonstrations and protests throughout the United States on March 8th and 9th to say: Stop Violence Against Women Everywhere – The Status Quo Must Go!
Join a demonstration on March 8th and 9th where you are. If no action has been announced in your area, get together with your friends and organize one. Every one of us can take action and make a difference in building this new movement against violence and in support of women’s rights.
San Francisco, CA
Saturday, March 9
March & Rally to Stop Violence Against Women Everywhere!
Assemble at UN Plaza, 12 noon
Sacramento, CA
Friday, March 8
March & Rally: No More Violence Against Women!
Assemble at Southside Park (2115 6th St), 4 pm
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