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

"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."

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."  

Join us for an EPIC holiday party!

Join us at the Peace and Freedom Party Potluck holiday party!
January 4, 2014. 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
at the Niebyl Proctor Marxist Library. 6501 Telegraph Ave. Oakland.
Anyone may attend.
You can say hello to Cindy Sheehan. Also, please sign a petition at the party to help put her on the ballot.
If you want more details or can come early to help set up the party, please phone John at (510) 703-4625.

"Why I am running for State Assembly, 15th District, in 2014" by Eugene E. Ruyle

For more information on Eugene E. Ruyle's Campaign for Peace and Socialismgo to my campaign website [ru4peace.wordpress.com]
---
As a working class, socialist party in the heartland of world imperialism, the Peace and Freedom Party should be raising issues of peace and socialism in every partisan and non-partisan election. As long ago as 1850, Marx and Engels wrote that: "Even where there is no prospect of achieving their election the workers must put up their own candidates to preserve their independence, to gauge their own strength and to bring their revolutionary position and party standpoint to public attention. They must not be led astray by the empty phrases of the democrats, who will maintain that the workers' candidates will split the democratic party and offer the forces of reaction the chance of victory. All such talk means, in the final analysis, that the proletariat is to be swindled. The progress which the proletarian party will make by operating independently in this way is infinitely more important than the disadvantages resulting from the presence of a few reactionaries in the representative body." - Karl Marx and Frederick Engels. Address of the Central Committee to the Communist League.  London, March 1850)
This year, after four decades of running working class, socialist candidates and putting our revolutionary position and party platform before the people of California, the Peace of Freedom has only two candidates for statewide office—Cindy Sheehan for Governor, and Nathalie Hrizi of the Party for Socialism and Liberation for California Insurance Commissioner. One more local candidate is planning to run: Robert Soloway, running in the 48th Congressional District in Orange County against right wing incumbent Dana Rohrabacher. In all the years we have had ballot status this is our fewest Peace and Freedom Party candidates. It does not provide a very good argument for our staying on the ballot.
In 2012, I ran for State Assembly in the 15th Assembly District that surrounds the Berkeley campus of the University of California and includes Richmond, Berkeley, and North Oakland. After the election, I wrote in what was "Definitely Not a Concession Speech:" "With over 13% of the vote, I refuse to concede to the incumbent, whose re-election was just part of the normal functioning of a corrupt and undemocratic electoral system. While the twin parties of capitalism spent billions of dollars to convince the American people to vote for politics-as-usual, our low-keyed Campaign for Peace and Socialism refused all campaign contributions and received 22,779 votes, or 13.2% of the total."
In 2014, the incumbent Nancy Skinner will be termed-out. At latest report, there are five Democrats and one Republican running in a district that is 64% Democrat, 8% Republican (SEE: “As Nancy Skinner's Assembly term nears end, 2014 hopefuls step forward - The Daily Californian” http://www.dailycal.org/2013/10/06/nancy-skinners-assembly-term-nears-end-2014-hopefuls-step-forward/). If the Democrats split their registrants equally, each will receive just under 13% of the vote, while the Republican will get 8%. The bulk of the remaining 28% are No Party Preference or one of the smaller parties (Peace and Freedom registration is under one percent. There is no particular reason to think I will get 13% of the vote as I did in 2012, but no reason to think I won’t. If I do, It could have me coming in second and advance to the General Election in November. Unlikely, it is true, but it is not the principle that motivates my campaign. As in my earlier campaigns, in 1982, 2008, 2010, and 2012, I will basing my campaign in 2014 on the principle set forth by Marx and Engels 160 years ago.
The requirements for running for state assembly are the least of any partisan office in California. The filing fee is $952.91, or 1,500 valid signatures in lieu of filing fee, gathered between December 27, 2013, and February 20, 2014. The in lieu signature requirement of 1500 may seem high, but they do not need to be registered Peace and Freedom. Anyone registered to vote in the 15th AD can sign. Considering this, the in lieu signature requirement does not seem any more stringent than the old requirement of 60+ Peace and Freedom registrants.
My campaign will support the campaigns of our statewide candidates by collecting signatures for Cindy and Natalie while I am collecting the 1500 for myself in Oakland, Berkeley, and Richmond. My primary method of signature gathering will be on college campuses. I suspect UC, Berkeley and Contra Costa College are the best places. Perhaps Berkeley City College is also a possibility, but they don’t really have a campus. Political gatherings and other venues will also be utilized for signature gathering.

Petition to add Cindy Sheehan to the ballot!

Help Get Cindy Sheehan on the Ballot,
Join the People’s Power Petition Campaign!
For more information on the Cindy Sheehan for Governor campaign, visit Cindy2014.org. For more information on the Peace and Freedom Party, visit PeaceAndFreedom.org.

What do YOU want for the future?
• CREATE THOUSANDS OF NEW JOBS IN CALIFORNIA BY CONVERTING TO PEACE TECHNOLOGY
• GET THE PROFIT MOTIVE OUT OF HEALTHCARE: IT'S TIME FOR SINGLE-PAYER
• LIVING WAGE FOR ALL CALIFORNIANS
• RESTORE FREE QUALITY EDUCATION IN CALIFORNIA

California allows candidates to get on the ballot in one of two ways:
• Pay a substantial sum of money, a “filing fee”
or
• Take your case to the people their signatures on a petition to show they want you on the ballot.
To get on California’s ballot as a gubernatorial candidate, Cindy Sheehan needs 10,000 signatures from registered voters.
So, if 100 people get just 100 signatures each we can get Cindy Sheehan on the ballot and spread the word about the campaign and the type of future we want to build in California.
Together we can make this work.
Volunteer Now!

"Peace and Freedom’s Cindy Sheehan Petitions for CA Gov"
2013-12-15 from [http://www.oppositionnews.org/articles/2013/q4/peace-n-freedoms-cindy-sheehan-petitions-ca-gov/]:
Sacramento -
Famed peace activist Cindy Sheehan is gearing up for a run for California Governor in 2014. Her supporters are already lining up volunteers to circulate ballot access petitions when the window to do so opens in a couple weeks. Once again, Sheehan is running under the Peace and Freedom Party banner.
For those who don’t remember, Cindy Sheehan first came to national prominence when she waged a public anti-war campaign targeted at President George W. Bush. Her heartfelt and touching story of having lost her son in the Iraq War hit home with many Americans. She has since run for Congress, Vice President and now California Governor.
It’s also worth reminding readers of her son’s final weeks on Earth. As detailed by Wikipedia, Casey Sheehan enlisted in the US Army in 2000, prior to 9/11. When the Iraq War began, he reenlisted. In 2004, his First Cavalry Division was deployed back into action. Two weeks later, Sheehan volunteered to be part of a Quick Reaction Force put together to rescue trapped American troops under heavy fire. Casey Sheehan was killed on that mission and posthumously awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze Star with Valor.
Cindy for Governor 2014
It’s too soon to know if Cindy Sheehan will have any challengers within the Peace and Freedom Party of California in her bid for Governor. But it’s not likely considering the longtime peace activist’s political following and the fact that she’s already received the official endorsement of the Party’s state Central Committee. And if her social campaign against George W. Bush or her political campaign against Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) are any indication, Gov. Jerry Brown is in for a fight.
When Cindy Sheehan took on George Bush in 2005, she literally moved to his home town of Crawford, Texas. When she ran for Congress against then Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Sheehan moved to San Francisco. It’s safe to say, when Cindy Sheehan does something, she does it 100 percent.
“Please help with the Cindy for Governor 2014 campaign,” a recent email from Peace and Freedom organizers reads, “Our first priority right now is signature gathering to ensure Cindy gets on the ballot. We need 10,000 signatures in order to avoid paying a steep filing fee.” The window to collect petition signatures starts on December 27 and ends on February 20.
Cindy on the Issues
At the top of Gubernatorial candidate Sheehan’s platform is the environment. She opposes drilling, fracking and dependence on fossil fuels and instead supports a transition to, “sustainable, clean and renewable” energy sources. The candidate even lists two specific suggestions to support her position.
First, Sheehan proposes expanding public transportation, and most importantly, making it affordable for everyone. Second, she supports removing the laws and stigmas against industrial hemp. It’s long been known that one acre of hemp can produce as much paper as hundreds of acres of trees, if not more. The all-natural product was a staple of society until the mid-1900’s and is used to make things like clothes, paper, rope and a number of construction materials.
What Peace and Freedom candidate’s platform would be complete without a public position on world peace. And that’s second on Cindy Sheehan’s list. The campaign website explains, ‘Peace in our cities, communities and neighborhoods begins with economic and social justice. Free education and job programs will be at the forefront of our program so our young people will not have to feel that joining the US Military or California National Guard is an option. The California National Guard will only be used for state emergencies and not be sent over to foreign lands for the wars for Empire.’
Showing she’s not one to dodge the issues or play the ever-popular game of ‘smoke and mirrors’, Sheehan’s platform continues with positions on ‘Education’, ‘Prisons and the Police State’, ‘Agriculture’, ‘Healthcare’, ‘Immigration’, ‘Senior Citizens’, and in a nod to California’s Native Americans, ‘Indigenous Rights’.

The ground game -
Already, the California Peace and Freedom Party has launched a voter registration drive to sign up new voters. Research shows that most new voters, if they show up at the polls, will vote for the person or party that registered them. That could prove to be a boost to the party in the coming 2014 elections.
Illustrating their strategy, the Peace and Freedom Party website explains, ‘Registering PFP is an effective way to send a message to every politician, every day, that more and more Californians reject the two parties of war and big business, and support our pro-working class program. Having your name on the voter list as "Peace and Freedom" is like signing petitions for good causes every day, even when election day is far away. Politicians may pay attention to other things now and then (especially money), but they definitely pay attention to voter lists and voter registration statistics.’
Combining Cindy Sheehan’s support network with the Peace and Freedom Party’s precinct army may prove to be a successful combination. The candidate already has a large following from last year’s Presidential campaign where she was Roseanne Barr’s running mate. She also has an existing voter base from her 2008 Congressional run against Rep. Pelosi, an election that saw her finish second in a seven-way race, capturing over 46,000 votes.

"Cindy is running for Governor starting December 27, 2013"

For more information on the Cindy Sheehan for Governor campaign, visit Cindy2014.org.
For more information on the Peace and Freedom Party, visit PeaceAndFreedom.org.
---
December 15, 2013. Sacramento. Famed peace activist Cindy Sheehan is gearing up for a run for California Governor in 2014. Her supporters are already lining up volunteers to circulate ballot access petitions when the window to do so opens in a couple weeks. Once again, Sheehan is running under the Peace and Freedom Party banner.
For those who don’t remember, Cindy Sheehan first came to national prominence when she waged a public anti-war campaign targeted at President George W. Bush. Her heartfelt and touching story of having lost her son in the Iraq War hit home with many Americans. She has since run for Congress, Vice President and now California Governor.
It’s also worth reminding readers of her son’s final weeks on Earth. As detailed by Wikipedia, Casey Sheehan enlisted in the US Army in 2000, prior to 9/11. When the Iraq War began, he reenlisted. In 2004, his First Cavalry Division was deployed back into action. Two weeks later, Sheehan volunteered to be part of a Quick Reaction Force put together to rescue trapped American troops under heavy fire. Casey Sheehan was killed on that mission and posthumously awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze Star with Valor.
Cindy for Governor 2014
It’s too soon to know if Cindy Sheehan will have any challengers within the Peace and Freedom Party of California in her bid for Governor. But it’s not likely considering the longtime peace activist’s political following and the fact that she’s already received the official endorsement of the Party’s state Central Committee. And if her social campaign against George W. Bush or her political campaign against Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) are any indication, Gov. Jerry Brown is in for a fight.
When Cindy Sheehan took on George Bush in 2005, she literally moved to his home town of Crawford, Texas. When she ran for Congress against then Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Sheehan moved to San Francisco. It’s safe to say, when Cindy Sheehan does something, she does it 100 percent.
“Please help with the Cindy for Governor 2014 campaign,” a recent email from Peace and Freedom organizers reads, “Our first priority right now is signature gathering to ensure Cindy gets on the ballot. We need 10,000 signatures in order to avoid paying a steep filing fee.” The window to collect petition signatures starts on December 27 and ends on February 20.
Cindy on the Issues
At the top of Gubernatorial candidate Sheehan’s platform is the environment. She opposes drilling, fracking and dependence on fossil fuels and instead supports a transition to, “sustainable, clean and renewable” energy sources. The candidate even lists two specific suggestions to support her position.
First, Sheehan proposes expanding public transportation, and most importantly, making it affordable for everyone. Second, she supports removing the laws and stigmas against industrial hemp. It’s long been known that one acre of hemp can produce as much paper as hundreds of acres of trees, if not more. The all-natural product was a staple of society until the mid-1900’s and is used to make things like clothes, paper, rope and a number of construction materials.
What Peace and Freedom candidate’s platform would be complete without a public position on world peace. And that’s second on Cindy Sheehan’s list. The campaign website explains, ‘Peace in our cities, communities and neighborhoods begins with economic and social justice. Free education and job programs will be at the forefront of our program so our young people will not have to feel that joining the US Military or California National Guard is an option. The California National Guard will only be used for state emergencies and not be sent over to foreign lands for the wars for Empire.’
Showing she’s not one to dodge the issues or play the ever-popular game of ‘smoke and mirrors’, Sheehan’s platform continues with positions on ‘Education’, ‘Prisons and the Police State’, ‘Agriculture’, ‘Healthcare’, ‘Immigration’, ‘Senior Citizens’, and in a nod to California’s Native Americans, ‘Indigenous Rights’.
The ground game
Already, the California Peace and Freedom Party has launched a voter registration drive to sign up new voters. Research shows that most new voters, if they show up at the polls, will vote for the person or party that registered them. That could prove to be a boost to the party in the coming 2014 elections.
Illustrating their strategy, the Peace and Freedom Party website explains, ‘Registering PFP is an effective way to send a message to every politician, every day, that more and more Californians reject the two parties of war and big business, and support our pro-working class program. Having your name on the voter list as "Peace and Freedom" is like signing petitions for good causes every day, even when election day is far away. Politicians may pay attention to other things now and then (especially money), but they definitely pay attention to voter lists and voter registration statistics.’
Combining Cindy Sheehan’s support network with the Peace and Freedom Party’s precinct army may prove to be a successful combination. The candidate already has a large following from last year’s Presidential campaign where she was Roseanne Barr’s running mate. She also has an existing voter base from her 2008 Congressional run against Rep. Pelosi, an election that saw her finish second in a seven-way race, capturing over 46,000 votes.