Thursday, November 27, 2014

Solano Peace and Freedom Party

A Community political party on the California state ballot!
Contact us at [SolanoPeaceFreedom@gmail.com]
Get active with the Solano Peace, Justice & Freedom Coalition [solanopeacejustice.blogspot.com]
Register to vote with Peace and Freedom [link]!

Join the Resistance! Defeat Climate Change with System Change! [link]
Visit our Peace and Freedom Party of California website
* Site map [peaceandfreedom.org/home/home/site-map]
* Historical Information [peaceandfreedom.org/home/about-us/historical-information]
* Biographies [peaceandfreedom.org/home/about-us/historical-information/biographies]

Peace and Freedom Party Statement for November 6, 2012, General Election Voter Information Guide
**************
The Peace and Freedom Party is a working-class party in a country run by and for the wealthy and their corporations.  We should not have to sacrifice our health, our livelihoods and our planet for our bosses' profits. We can tax the rich, whose wealth is entirely created by workers, to pay for the people's needs. We favor:
·    Decent jobs and full labor rights for all.
·    Free education for all from preschool through the university.
·    Free health care for everyone.
·    Good services for disabled people.
·    Bringing all troops home now.
·    Ending all discrimination.
·    Full rights for immigrants.
·    Real democracy and fair political representation.
·    Restoring and protecting the environment.
As long as our system puts the wealthy first, we will suffer war, police brutality, low wages, unsafe workplaces and pollution. We advocate socialism, which we see as the ownership and democratic control of the economy by working people. If we join together to take back our industries and natural resources, we can work together democratically and cooperatively for the common good, rather than being slaves to the rich and their corporations.
Vote for those who will fight for what you need, the candidates of the Peace and Freedom Party.

Cindy Sheehen for Governor, An EPIC Campaign

Peace and Freedom Party's Cindy Sheehan is running for California State Governor in 2014 in "An Epic Campaign".
Campaign website [www.cindy2014.org] Campaign volunteer coordinator Andy Conn [andy@systemsnspace.com]
[
2124 Kittredge St. # 104, Berkeley Ca. 94704]

Twitter @SheehanforGovCa
Facebook [facebook.com/pages/Cindy-Sheehan-for-California-State-Governor-2014/1401864400028969]



[http://www.cindy2014.org/epic_people_power_bike_tour]
Her campaign announcement was themed "The Need for Left Unity in the Age of the Two Parties of War and Wall Street"


Silk Screen Poster created by Eddie Lampkin an incredible young political poster artist from Woodland CA. His iconic poster, Monsanto is part of an exhibit put on by the Center for the Study of Political Graphics that will travel the nation for 3 years. We will be giving the posters to supporters who donate more than $ 25.00 to the campaign. More info contact Andy Conn [andy@systemsnspace.com]
Make checks made-out to: "Cindy Sheehan for Governor 2014", and p
lease write Lampkin Poster on the memo section. Send donation to  [2124 Kittredge St. # 104, Berkeley Ca. 94704]


"Peace Mom Cindy Sheehan Formally Launches Campaign for Governor Tuesday at State Capitol; Calls for EPIC (End Poverty in California) Reforms Statewide"

2013-08-27 from the campaign press office: SACRAMENTO--
Cindy Sheehan will formally announce her campaign for Governor of California at a news conference *Tuesday/August 27 at 10:15 a.m. at the State Capitol (North Steps area)*.
Ms. Sheehan said she plans to unseat incumbent Gov. Jerry Brown, and to bring California"peace, economic equality and environmental sustainability," and reforms through an EPIC (End Poverty in California) campaign.
(see: http://cindysheehanssoapbox.blogspot.com/2013/08/10-million-reasons-to-vote-for-me-by.html)
Ms. Sheehan, whose son was killed in Iraq and has devoted her life since then to fighting for peace and social justice, is a former Vice-Presidential candidate and Congressional candidate. She outpolled the Republican candidate in her 2008 run against Rep. Nancy Pelosi, finishing second in a race with 7 candidates.
More details will be provided Tuesday. More information at [www.Cindy2014.org].
(Note: As part of her environment focus, Cindy will be biking to Sacramento to join supporters Tuesday. For more information about this contact the Press Office).

"Arrests Possible Tuesday When Cindy Sheehan Launches Campaign for CA Governor; Peace Mom Bikes to State Capitol"
2013-08-27 from the campaign press office:
SACRAMENTO--
Arrests are possible when Cindy Sheehan holds a news conference Tuesday *(10:15 a.m., North Side, State Capitol)* to announce her candidacy for Governor of California.
Ms. Sheehan has refused to obtain a permit to hold the news conference, maintaining that if Gov. Brown and other elected lawmakers can speak with media without one then she can as well.
Ms. Sheehan is biking to the press event from Davis -- part of her commitment to the environment.
Ms. Sheehan said she plans to unseat incumbent Gov. Jerry Brown, and to bring California"peace, economic equality and environmental sustainability," and reforms through an EPIC (End Poverty in California) campaign.
(see: http://cindysheehanssoapbox.blogspot.com/2013/08/10-million-reasons-to-vote-for-me-by.html)
Ms. Sheehan, whose son was killed in Iraq and has devoted her life since then to fighting for peace and social justice, is a former Vice-Presidential candidate and Congressional candidate. She outpolled the Republican candidate in her 2008 run against Rep. Nancy Pelosi, finishing second in a race with 7 candidates.

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

November 2014 Recommendations on Ballot Propositions

For more information, to register Peace and Freedom, or to donate, visit our website: [www.peaceandfreedom.org]

NO on Proposition 1: The Water Bond
Proposition 1 will not give us the water we need. It will put us, our children, and our grandchildren deeper into debt. With interest (tax-free to the wealthy bond investors), the $7.5 billion bond will cost us $360 million each year for 40 years. 36% of the bond money is devoted to the construction of dams and pipelines that will send Sacramento River water to big agricultural companies in the Central Valley. Only 6.9% is earmarked for safe and clean drinking water, some of which will benefit low-income communities. There is no guaranteed funding for much needed projects to replace crumbling infrastructure (like sewer systems) in urban areas.Proposition 1 will not make rain fall from the sky. But it will take our money and use it for the benefit of big agricultural corporations,while building dams will impact the few natural resources we have left.

NO on Proposition 2: Restrictive “Rainy Day Fund”
This is a major revision of a state government "rainy day fund" that voters approved in 2004. Its net effect is to make the state'sbudgetary straightjacket even tighter than it already is. A rainy day fund might be useful as a way to soften the periodic blows of thedepressions and recessions that are built in to capitalist economies. But only if it is funded from steeply progressive taxes on the rich and their corporations that generate budget surpluses when the economy is growing and government is doing its job. With our currenttax structure and meager state budgets, everything that goes into these reserve accounts is being taken away from desperately needed services and infrastructure projects. We urge a No vote on Proposition 2.

YES on Proposition 45: Brake on Health Insurance Rate Increases
There is no "independent commission" which can regulate excessive health insurance rate hikes. Rates have gone up 185% in the last decade. Right now, no one in California has the authority to regulate excessive health insurance rate hikes. We need Prop 45 to fix that hole in healthcare reform.
Proposition 45 would simply impose the same health insurance rate regulation system that Prop. 103 (1988) imposed on automobileand homeowner's insurance. The Peace and Freedom Party supports a single payer model as a step toward a National Healthcare System. In the meantime, we must give the Insurance Commissioner the same advance approval authority over health insurance ratesthat 35 states and the District of Columbia already have. Proposition 45 is a modest step toward reform of a dysfunctional system that, for the present, includes private healthcare insurers.

NO on Proposition 46: More Mandatory Drug Testing
Proposition 46 increases the cap on medical malpractice awards and imposes mandatory drug testing of doctors. In addition to requiring all doctors to submit to drug testing, it requires all medical personnel to report any doctor they suspect of taking any drug to the authorities. The writers of this initiative included the drug testing provision to get people to vote for it. We think the expansion ofthe police powers of the state tells us to just say “No.”

YES on Proposition 47: Decrease Criminal Penalties
Proposition 47 is a step towards making the California criminal justice system less unjust. This proposition would reduce theclassification of certain non-serious and nonviolent property and drug crimes from felonies to misdemeanors. It also calls for theconsideration of re-sentencing those currently incarcerated for the offenses changed to misdemeanors. However, if the defendant hasprior convictions for murder or rape, or is a registered sex offender, that person is not eligible for reduced classification of the newlesser crime. The Peace and Freedom Party is committed to the end of the prison-industrial complex, and civil rights and humanetreatment for all human beings. We support Proposition 47 as a step in the right direction, but we are concerned that ruling outindividuals with certain prior convictions, without consideration of the circumstances of the crime, is fundamentally unjust andunnecessarily draconian.

YES on Proposition 48: Uphold Negotiated Compact
A coalition of rival gambling interests and people who oppose expanding Native American reservation land are trying to overturn thecompact negotiated in good faith by the Wiyot and North Fork Mono. This would be unfair, and a violation of Native Americansovereignty. We urge a "yes" vote to uphold the properly-negotiated compact, which is supported by the unions representing casino and construction workers.

Sunday, September 28, 2014

Support Norma Harrison! Peace and Freedom Party Candidate in Alameda County


Norma J F Harrison - 2014 Candidate for Berkeley School Board
Part of the "Why Vote for Me?" series produced by the "League of Women Voters", Sep 27, 2014
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqHswg_35w4]

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Good News about California Assembly Bill AB 2351

On Monday, August 25, AB 2351 passed the State Senate on a 28-0 vote, although it was left open so more Senators could add their vote.  Because it was amended in the Senate, it will be sent back to the Assembly, where it passed the first time 77-0, for concurrence before it is sent to the Governor.  If the Governor signs it or lets it become law without his signature, Peace and Freedom Party will remain on the ballot in California until 2018.
AB 2351 will move the vote test from the general election to the primary and lower the registration test.  The vote test will remain at 2% and since our candidate for Insurance Commissioner, Nathalie Hrizi, received 5.4% we have met that test.  We also have enough registrations to meet the registration test, but without an organized registration drive our numbers are falling.
But the good news is we are on the ballot until 2018 if the Governor signs our bill.

Monday, June 9, 2014

"Fake socialists" in California politics

2014-06-09 from Stephen Argue of the Revolutionary Tendency (Santa Cruz):
I've debated the mayor, Mike Rotkin, or former mayor now, who claimed to be a socialist, but was the most vocal supporter of the city's anti-homeless laws, including one that makes it illegal for the homeless to sleep at night.
Yes, sometimes when left wing politics are popular, the right claims the that mantle in order to continue the status quo. When I ran for city council in Santa Cruz I said I would use my position to rally the working class to fight to double the minimum wage. In response, fake socialist and establishment Democratic City Council member, Mike Rotkin, responded to my campaign saying it was impossible for a municipality to raise the minimum wage. In addition, Mike Rotkin claimed that if it was possible, they [the city council) would have done it long ago. Rotkin was lying on both counts. As I knew when I ran, municipalities can raise minimum wages. In addition, when an initiative was placed on the ballot to increase the minimum wage, Mike Rotkin campaigned against it.
Similarly, small businesses in Santa Cruz see homeless people as a problem and the Santa Cruz City Council, working on their behalf, directs the police to harass the homeless, in part under laws that make it illegal for homeless people to sleep at night, cover up with blankets, pitch a tent, sleep in a car, or sit on a sidewalk.
It will take a higher level of working class consciousness, organization, and resistance to set these things straight, in the meantime, those who rule have a lot of cards up their sleeves, including fake socialists to do their bidding.

Wednesday, April 30, 2014

ELECTIONS 2014: Can’t afford your own politician? Come listen to ours.

The Alameda County Peace and Freedom Party and Movement presents...
Real solutions to the real problems caused by corporate capitalism.
Saturday, May 3, 2014 • 2:00pm-4:30pm
At the Starry Plough Pub, 3101 Shattuck Ave, at Prince St in Berkeley
FREE!   (But please buy food & drink at the Pub.)   FREE!


This is part of our on-going Socialist Forum Series on the first Saturday of every month.
Doors open at 2 pm and the featured panel will start promptly at 2:30 pm.
The forum will end by 4:30 pm, but folks can stay and talk as long as you like.
For information, contact: 510-465-9414

Friday, April 25, 2014

Cindy Sheehan speaks on a National Approach for Making the Minimum Wage a Living Wage

This Sunday, April 27, 2014: 8-10pm EDT / 7-9pm CDT / 6-8pm MDT / 5-7pm PDT 
Telephone Call-in: 857-232-0157 • Access Code: 353711
A bold livable wage policy must be viewed as a “keystone” fiscal mechanism that will
trigger subsequent structural changes in the U.S. economic system to achieve an
equitable distribution of wealth and income for all members of our society.
Each panelist will give a 5-minute presentation during the first hour.
The second hour will be open to discussion with Q&A between callers and panelists.
* Cindy Sheehan, California Peace & Freedom Party Gubernatorial Candidate
* Lena Buggs, Minnesota Green Party State Legislative Candidate
* Alan Maki, Director of Organizing, Midwest Casino Workers Organizing Council
* Theresa Sanchez, Union Steward, Local #1, Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union
* Frank “Pancho” Valdez, retired trade unionist, Texas Green Party activist
* Curtis Buckanaga, Asst. to District III Rep. for Leech Lake, Ojibwe Reservation
* Bill Leumer, former President IAM Local 565, Labor Fightback Network Steering Committee member
* Luis Diaz-Perez, member of Chicago Political Economy Group
Moderator: Devon Nola, Justice Party of New York
Uniting People for Peace, Equality, Full Employment, Universal Healthcare and Environmental Protection
[unitingpeople1@gmail.com] [www.unitingpeopleworks4us.blogspot.com] [www.facebook.com/USlivablewage]

National Lawyers' Guild Show on KPFK Radio interview Peace and Freedom Party candidate for Governor

On Thursday, 4/24 at 3:00 pm, Cindy Sheehan, along with Marsha Feinland and Kevin Akin, were interviewed on the hourlong National Lawyers' Guild Show on KPFK in Los Angeles. Here is the link:
[http://archive.kpfk.org/mp3/kpfk_140424_150045lawyersguild.MP3].
\For more information about the California Peace and Freedom Party, please visit [http://www.peaceandfreedom.org].

Monday, April 21, 2014

End the Wars & Tax the Rich AND SAVE THE PLANET

Statement on Earth Day by Peace and Freedom Candidate Eugene E Ruyle, Candidate for State Assembly, 15th District [http://ru4peace.wordpress.com/2014/04/19/203/]:
As we celebrate Earth Day, it is important we keep in mind just who is threatening our beautiful plant. As Dr. King might say, the biggest purveyor of pollution on this planet is our own government, specifically the U.S. military. This was made clear in a report on one of the most unreported stories of 2010 by Project Censored, which states, in part: “The US military is responsible for the most egregious and widespread pollution of the planet, yet this information and accompanying documentation goes almost entirely unreported. In spite of the evidence, the environmental impact of the US military goes largely unaddressed by environmental organizations and was not the focus of any discussions or proposed restrictions at the recent UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen. This impact includes uninhibited use of fossil fuels, massive creation of greenhouse gases, and extensive release of radioactive and chemical contaminants into the air, water, and soil.“ (“US Department of Defense is the Worst Polluter on the Planet,” October 2, 2010)
World’s Worst Polluter?  The U.S. Military.

Perhaps it is time that we ask that leading environmental organizations, such as 350.org, the Sierra Club, and Greenpeace, recognize this fact and call the U.S. war machine to task. While it is essential that we continue to protest fracking, the Keystone XL Pipeline, and GMOs, we can’t let the war-mongers themselves off the hook.
But the worst environmental impact of the military is its role in maintaining the global system of corporate capitalism that puts profits before people and the planet and is destroying our Mother Earth. The Peoples of the Earth would have put an end to capitalism before now had it not been for the military invasions of places like Korea, Vietnam, Panama, Yugoslavia, Iraq, and Afghanistan as well as CIA subversion in Iran, Guatemala, Cuba, Chile, and everywhere.
Our Peace and Freedom Party was concerned about the destruction of our planet even before the first Earth Day, and our earliest platform in 1968 included a clear statement on Ecology. Our continuing concern is made clear on our latest Platform, passed in March 2014: "The same corporate forces and economic system that exploit and brutalize the world's working class people are destroying the world's biosphere. These social policies and ecological destruction often overlap. Socialism is necessary to end the ecological destruction caused by capitalism. Our goal is a society that is in harmony with nature as it is in harmony with its own people."

The Peace and Freedom Party therefore calls for:
Restore and protect air, water, land and ecosystems.
* Outlaw destructive practices such as clear cutting, fracking, mountaintop removal, tar sands extraction, and offshore drilling.
* Promote conservation and develop solar and other renewable energy to replace nuclear power and fossil fuels.
* End environmental racism: no toxic dumping in anyone's back yard.
* Massive development of public transportation available free or at nominal fares.
* Promote an environmentally sound agricultural system which meets human needs and protects farm workers' labor rights and standard of living.
* No genetically engineered organisms in food production.

The date of the first Earth Day, April 22, was chosen because it coincided, approximately, with the Spring Equinox, long a time of celebration of the powers of our Mother Earth. It is no doubt purely a coincidence that it also coincided with the 100 anniversary of the birth of Vladimir Lenin, a National Holiday in the Soviet Union. Perhaps this is why the FBI sent its agents to spy on Earth Day activities around the nation in 1070. Perhaps also it is time to make Earth Day a subversive idea once again and realize that organizations such as NASA, Wells Fargo, Southwest Airlines, Reagan Wireless, and Chevrolet are no friends of the environment, even though they sponsor Earth Day.
And it is definitely time we make the rich and their corporations pay for the destruction they have caused to our planet and the people on it. That’s why our slogan on Earth Day should be: “End the Wars and Tax the Rich AND SAVE THE PLANET!”

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Emidio “Mimi” Soltysik for the 62nd Assembly District

Voters in California's 62nd District will have a socialist choice in the June Primary Election!
[http://mimiforstateassembly.wordpress.com] [https://www.facebook.com/RadandRedinLA]  


UCLA Government and Community Relations and Loyola Marymount University Government Relations wish to invite you to participate in a 62nd Assembly District Candidate Forum to be held Wednesday, April 30, 2014, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.  The forum will take place in University Hall on the campus of Loyola Marymount University (LMU), located at 1 LMU Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90045.
The purpose of this forum is to provide local residents and voters with the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the candidates for the upcoming 62nd Assembly District election and to help them determine who best represents their needs and interests.  It will also allow candidates to communicate to voters why they are the best-qualified to represent them in the California State Assembly.

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

The Peace and Freedom EPIC Campaign update


March 7th was the final day that any candidate for the California 2014 Open Primary in June could declare as a candidate and my campaign met that deadline.
These are the requirements for Governor of the California Constitution, which I have fulfilled:
A.  Be a U.S. citizen. Cal. Const., art. V, §§ 21 & 9
B.  Be a registered voter and otherwise qualified to vote for that office at the time that nomination papers are issued to the person. § 2012
C.  Not have been convicted of a felony involving accepting or giving, or offering to give, any bribe, the embezzlement of public money, extortion or theft of public money, perjury, or conspiracy to commit any of those crimes. § 20
D. Not have served two terms in the office sought since November 6, 1990. Cal. Const., art. V, §§ 2 & 11

But with the passage of the so-called Top Two Primary here in California in 2010, there was an additional and very heavy burden put on candidates of all political parties, and potential candidates with no party affiliation: to qualify for any office (besides POTUS which is exempt), each candidate has to pay a filing fee of 1% of the first year’s salary of the office that he/she is seeking, or get 10,000 signatures in lieu of the filing fee.
For example, in my case, rounding up, the first year salary for the Gov. of California is an incredible and immoral (public servant, my eye) $350k per year! So, that means that I had to pay almost $3500 for the filing fee, or try to get 10k signatures. Each signature is “worth” 35 cents.
This new requirement puts a horrible onus on grassroots campaigns and effectively eliminates many otherwise qualified and good candidates from even trying to run for office here in the Golden (for the Democrats and Republicans) State.
The incumbent Jerry Brown (D apparently, but R realistically) has already raised over 17 million for his re-election campaign, so he can, without blinking an eye, walk into his County Registrar’s office and deliver a check for the entire amount for the filing fee (democracy?). Most campaigns of the establishment parties can also do that. We who challenge the corruption of the status quo don’t have that “luxury.”
The voters of California passed Proposition 14 in 2010 and we fought against it then and we struggle against it now. Instead of the hype that it would “increase participation” it is predictably killing it.
For my own race, there are 20 candidates running for Governor in the primary and only the top two vote getters will advance to November. There’s a candidate with 17 million in his campaign account right now and one of the Republican candidates Neel Kashkari is a former Goldman-Sachs executive! Jerry Brown is a multi-millionaire also and our “democracy” should not be stacked in favor of the wealthy and against candidates like me who struggle and sacrifice to truly make a difference!
Saturday, March 8th was our first day of campaigning as an official candidate and, although it was long and hot, it was very successful and invigorating.
I have to give some more background before I continue: I was a registered Democrat until 2007 when I feel that the Party used me specifically and the energy of the anti-Bush; anti-Iraq War movements to get a majority in the House of Representatives, then repeatedly stabbed us in the backs! I publicly left the Party and that’s when the concentrated attacks by Democratic Party hacks joined the concentrated attacks of Republican Party hacks against me.
I then ran for Congress in San Francisco against Nancy Pelosi (D-1%) and subsequently subjected myself to the most humiliating rudeness from the “liberals” that live there. I ended up coming in second with a respectable 50k votes, but I will never forget how mean many of the Democrats were to me.

“FRACK YOU, BROWN! I’M VOTING FOR CINDY SHEEHAN”
When my campaign heard about the California State Democratic Party holding its convention (DSC) in Los Angeles from March 7th to the 9th, even though I had a commitment to be in San Francisco in the evening on the 8th, we thought it would be very important to have a presence there at the L.A. Convention Center. We were positive that most of the 3rd party campaigns (and some Republicans) would also be out to show that there are alternatives.
However, Cindy Sheehan for California Governor was the only other campaign there and the only other protest was an anti-fracking protest. Many of the
ANOTHER DEMOCRAT AGAINST FRACKING” protesters sauntered surreptitiously over to our area to inform us that they would be voting for me instead of Brown. We probably had about 30 convention attendees tell us that, as well. The DSC wasn’t the only thing that was happening that day and we were able to do some amazing outreach with the dozen, or so, volunteers that joined us.
With all my past bad experiences with Democrats, I was leery of attending this event, but was so pleased with the positive responses to my campaign and seeing some old friends that I am very glad we took the time and expense to be there.
After the protest at the DSC, I was taken to the airport and flew to San Francisco to what I knew would be a wonderful time kicking off the Vote Socialist Campaign with two of my fellow Peace and Freedom Party candidates: Nathalie Hrizi (Insurance Commissioner) and Frank Lara (running for Congress in SF against Nancy Pelosi).

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Peace and Freedom Party campaign kickoff (with our allies, the PSL)!

Cindy Sheehan for Governor of California!
Nathalie Hrizi for California State Insurance Commissioner!
Frank Lara for Congress 12th District, San Francisco!

Campaign Kick-Off
Sat. March 8, 6:30-10pm
at 2969 Mission St., near 26th St., SF
Join us on the evening of International Women’s Day for a campaign kick-off event for three activists who have been deeply involved in the people’s movement. The event will feature music, poetry, food and drinks, and discussion about the key issues confronting the people of California, the country and the world today.
Frank Lara is running against long-time establishment political leader Nancy Pelosi in San Francisco’s 12th District. [http://www.franklara4congress.org/]

Cindy Sheehan is running for Governor on an EPIC – End Poverty In California – Platform. [http://www.cindy2014.org]

Nathalie Hrizi is running for State Insurance Commissioner on a program of Healthcare for All – Abolish the Insurance Companies!
[http://hrizi2014.org/en/]

All three have been active the struggles against endless war, racist police brutality, attacks on working people and for women’s rights, LGBTQ equality, immigrants rights and jobs, housing, healthcare and education for all.
Cindy Sheehan, Nathalie Hrizi and Frank Lara have all been endorsed by the Peace and Freedom Party and the Party for Socialism and Liberation, as well as other organizations.
The Party for Socialism and Liberation is a member organization of the ANSWER Coalition.
More info: Facebook Event page [https://www.facebook.com/events/1451310001767049/], 415-821-6171 or www.PSLweb.org.

Thursday, February 6, 2014

Join us in Santa Cruz for Cindy Sheehen, and her EPIC Campaign for Governor

Please Join Cindy Sheehan, Mark Levy, and Mystic Truebudoors
in Celebrating Her EPIC Campaign for Governor
* End Poverty in California
* Eliminate the Prison Industrial Complex
* Empower People Instead of Corporations
7 P.M. Thursday, February 13th
at the Resource Center for Nonviolence [612 Ocean Street, Santa Cruz]
Sponsored by Santa Cruz Peace & Freedom Party
Contact:  688-8692

Cindy Sheehan, aged 56, is an internationally renowned peace and social justice activist.
Sheehan’s oldest son Casey was killed in Iraq on April 04, 2004 and many came to know about her and her work when she set up a peace camp near the faux-ranch of then president George W. Bush in Crawford, TX in the summer of 2005.
Since then, Cindy Sheehan, has traveled the world working with fellow activists demanding peace and working with others to help create a world that is peaceful and more economically secure and equal.
Cindy Sheehan is a native Californian who was raised in a California where education was excellent and other social safety nets were not as small and filled with holes so big, millions of Californians fall through while the rich and corporations keep exploiting more of this state's wealth and resources.
Sheehan majored in California History at UCLA and envisions a state that leads the world in peace, economic stability and equality, environmental sustainability and delivering high-quality public education from pre-K through university. She knows it can be done because it has been done before.
Cindy Sheehan has published seven books, been arrested for peace about 21 times, is currently a resident of Vacaville, CA and the mother of three surviving children and four grandchildren who are her love and her inspiration.

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Cindy Sheehan and Friends in Santa Cruz, Thursday, February 13th



Please join Cindy Sheehan, Mark Levy, and Friends in Celebrating Her EPIC Campaign
* End Poverty in California
* Eliminate the Prison Industrial Complex
* Empower People Instead of Corporations
* Establish Peace in California
7 P.M. Thursday, February 13th
Resource Center for Nonviolence
612 Ocean Street, Santa Cruz

Sponsored by Santa Cruz County Peace and Freedom Party Contact: 688-8692

Monday, January 6, 2014

"Cambodian police break up garment worker camp"

Solidarity with the People of Cambodia [link]

2014-01-06 from "UPI" newswire:
Phnom Penh, Cambodia -
Cambodian police removed about 1,000 anti-government protesters, including garment workers, from an industrial park in Phnom Penh after deadly clashes with security authorities.
Demonstrating workers were demanding the employers' organization Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia double their monthly wages to $160 this year.
Police moved into the camp on the weekend, pulling down temporary speaker platforms, overturning food stalls and pushing people away from the park, the BBC reported.
The break-up of the camp ended nearly a month of mostly peaceful protests, but not before four people were killed in fighting with police last week.
The government of Prime Minister Hun Sen remains sensitive to unrest in the country's garment sector because of its importance to the economy, accounting for up to 80 percent of exports.
Because business has been booming for factory owners, many of the industry's 500,000 workers want to see this success translated into higher wages and improved living accommodation services.
The demonstrating garment workers' demands have been supported by the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party.
CNRP members quickly joined the garment workers last month as part of the party's call Prime Minister Hun Sen to resign after what it claims was a fraudulent national election in July, the BBC reported.
The protesters' mood changed last week after the Labor Advisory Council -- which consists of government, union and factory representatives -- raised pay from $80 to $95 for full-time workers and $90 for temporary workers, Radio Free Asia reported.
The Ministry of Labor also announced a plan for an annual pay rises in the minimum wage so full-time workers would get $160 and temporary workers $155 by 2018.
But the workers representatives rejected the plan, demanding an immediate hike to $160 dollars.
Radio Free Asia reported the government also issued a statement urging "workers and employers to remain calm, continue their operations [and] avoid falling into the political traps of opportunists."
But Rong Chhun, president of the Cambodian Confederation of Unions, appealed to workers to reject the increase and continue their protests.
"We are demanding [a much higher minimum wage] for the workers," he said. "Please, workers, join the strike so that all factories will close their doors. This is to pressure the government to raise the workers wages to $160 dollars."
CNRP President Sam Rainsy backed the union, calling for a nationwide strike by garment workers unless the $160 a month demand is met.
Radio Free Asia reported tensions and protests inside and outside the camp increased after the CCU dismissed the pay rise and Rainsy called for more strikes
About 3,000 workers from the garment maker Medtecs Cambodia in Kampong Cham province, north of the capital, and 5,000 workers in the Manhattan Special Economic Zone in the southeastern province of Svay Rieng demonstrated against the low wage increases.
Also, at least 500 workers from the Pak Sun Knitting Factory surrounded the Ministry of Labor building in Phnom Penh, RFA reported.
In Phnom Penh, protesters threw rocks, used slingshots and built barricades of scrap, lighting some on fire. Police responded with live rounds of gunfire, killing at least four people, the BBC reported last week.
The CNRP has been a thorn in the side of the ruling Cambodian People's Party since Rainsy, 64, returned from self-imposed exile on July 19 to fight the national election.
However, Rainsy, French-educated and a former investment manager in French financial companies, was ineligible to run in the election. In 2010 he was sentenced in absentia to 11 years in prison on charges he says were politically motivated.
Upon his return -- thanks to royal pardon issued at Hun Sen's request -- tens of thousands of people greeted Rainsy at the airport and along a route to a park where he spoke to supporters, Time magazine reported at the time.
Sen, 60, has been in power for 28 years and won another five-year term in July, but the party's grip on the National Assembly was weakened considerably.
The CPP won 68 of the 123 seats in the elections, 22 fewer seats than it picked up in 2008.
Rainsy, who's CNRP won 55 seats, claimed major voter irregularities.
"The CNRP doesn't recognize the result announced by the ruling CPP or the very similar National Election Commission results," Rainsy told reporters at his headquarters in Phnom Penh after the election.
 "Fifteen percent of voters -- about 1.3 million -- were unable to vote because of [voting] list irregularities. There also were about 1 million ghost names on the voter list and about 200,000 duplicate names."

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Campaign for the Homeless Bill of Rights

The Peace and Freedom Party of California has sponsored the campaign for a (very minimal) Homeless Bill of Rights. Here is a link to information on Homeless Bill of Rights. [http://wraphome.org/work/civil-rights-campaign].    
"Our organization supports a Homeless Bill of Rights Campaign in California & Oregon that will create bills to protect the following rights and prohibit the enforcement of any local laws that violate these rights:  
(1) the Right to move freely, rest, sleep, and pray in public spaces;  
(2) the Right to occupy a vehicle;  
(3) the Right to share and eat food in public;  
(4) the Right to legal counsel for infractions; and  
(5) the Right to 24-hour access to existing hygiene facilities."