Monday, October 12, 2015

The October 2015 Portland Alliance

 The October 2015 Portland Alliance

Mantra for 9/11:
Exceptional Pain Dispensed
by the Indispensable Nation

Fourteen Years Later, Improbable World
by
Tom Engelhardt

(Photo: Cyril Attias/flickr/cc)
Fourteen years later, don’t you still find it improbable that... 

Fourteen years later and do you even believe it? Did we actually live it? Are we still living it? And how improbable is that?
Fourteen years of wars, interventions, assassinations, torture, kidnappings, black sites, the growth of the American national security state to monumental proportions, and the spread of Islamic extremism across much of the Greater Middle East and Africa. Fourteen years of astronomical expense, bombing campaigns galore, and a military-first foreign policy of repeated defeats, disappointments, and disasters. Fourteen years of a culture of fear in America, of endless alarms and warnings, as well as dire predictions of terrorist attacks. Fourteen years of the burial of American democracy (or rather its recreation as a billionaire’s playground and a source of spectacle and entertainment but not governance). Fourteen years of the spread of secrecy, the classification of every document in sight, the fierce prosecution of whistleblowers, and a faith-based urge to keep Americans “secure” by leaving them in the dark about what their government is doing. Fourteen years of the demobilization of the citizenry. Fourteen years of the rise of the warrior corporation, the transformation of war and intelligence gathering into profit-making activities, and the flocking of countless private contractors to the Pentagon, the NSA, the CIA, and too many other parts of the national security state to keep track of. Fourteen years of our wars coming home in the form of PTSD, the militarization of the police, and the spread of war-zone technology like drones and stingrays to the “homeland.” Fourteen years of that un-American word “homeland.” Fourteen years of the expansion of surveillance of every kind and of the development of a global surveillance system whose reach -- from foreign leaders to tribal groups in the backlands of the planet -- would have stunned those running the totalitarian states of the twentieth century. Fourteen years of the financial starvation of America’s infrastructure and still not a single mile of high-speed rail built anywhere in the country. Fourteen years in which to launch Afghan War 2.0, Iraq Wars 2.0 and 3.0, and Syria War 1.0. Fourteen years, that is, of the improbable made probable.
"All [the experience of September 11, 2001] opened us up to was bringing pain to others."

rest of the story: 


Speaking Truth to Power Since 1981

This issue includes critical information about  what happened at Oaks Park on Labor Day, Doctors Without Borders, A Peace Rally coming up, Homeless Action Day, commentary on the Twin Towers, Keaton Otis Vigil and much more...

Monday, February 23, 2015

The March 2015 NW Alliance: The Portland Alliance

  Vol. XXXV, Number 3  March 2015       http://www.ThePortlandAlliance.org/2015/March
ThePortlandAlliance.org/police 
PDX Police Updates

       Speaking Truth to Power Since 1981
Feb 2015Jan 2015Dec 2014Nov 2014Oct 2014
Featuring: Healthcare, War & Peace, Earth Day-Mayday, Wal-mart, Postal, News Bytes, Immigration, a fossil free future for Portland: ThePortlandAlliance.org/anybody
__________________________________________________________________________________


The fate of the socialist left is tied
to that of the working class movement
—and the last four decades of one-sided class war have had dire consequences for both. The thread linking today’s generation of young workers to U.S. labor’s proud history of class struggle has been effectively broken and must be developed anew. This is a daunting but necessary task for rebuilding the working-class movement. Get the whole story
http://www.theportlandalliance.org/iso 
  An ISO View of the Future of the Left  by Jennifer Roesch and Sharon Smith__________________________________________________________________________________
A community forum of 
     leaders and activists
   discussing vision and
   strategy for liberation


   Sunday, March 1 at 1pm - 4pm at  
          3536 SE 26th Ave,
        Portland, Oregon 97202

more info:
http://www.ThePortlandAlliance.org/blacklivesmatter

 
WinterBlues4

"Winter Blues" Music Festival is pleased to announce that after three successful years,
WBMF is returning with another weekend of great music to chase away the wintertime blues.

The Fourth Annual "Winter Blues" Music Festival will be held on
March 14, 2015
more info: http://www.ThePortlandAlliance.org/winterblues
                    A Portal to Winter Blues Music Festival

Native American Tribes
Take on Pot, Consider Gambling on Legalization:

Studies and possible votes loom on American Indian lands. 
A budtender pours marijuana from a jar at Perennial Holistic Wellness Center medical marijuana dispensary, which opened in 2006, on July 25, 2012 in Los Angeles


The Department of Justice has said federally recognized tribes may grow and sell marijuana. 
By Steven Nelson + More
Native American tribes are eyeing marijuana legalization as a potentially lucrative business opportunity in the wake of a green light from the Department of Justice in December.
_________________________________________________________________________________

  https://sp.yimg.com/ib/th?id=HN.608047346712510740&pid=15.1&P=0
Will the U.S. Government Stand Alone
in Rejecting Children’s Rights?

By Lawrence S. Wittner

Within a matter of months,
the U.S. government seems
likely to become the only nation
in the world still rejecting the 1989 UN Convention on the Rights
of the Child
.  Sometimes called “the most ratified
human rights treaty in history,” the Convention has been ratified by 195
nations
, leaving the United States and South Sudan as the
only holdouts.  South Sudan is expected to move forward
with ratification later this year.   But there is no indication
that the United States will approve this children’s defense treaty.

How the US Helped
Create Al Qaeda and ISIS

by GARIKAI CHENGU
vol 22 no 1 coverthumbMuch like Al Qaeda, the Islamic State (ISIS) is made-in-the-USA, an instrument of terror designed to divide and conquer the oil-rich Middle
East and to counter Iran’s growing influence in the region.
The fact that the United States has a long and torrid history of backing terrorist groups will surprise only those who watch the news and ignore history.
...The director of the National Security Agency under Ronald Reagan,
General William Odom recently remarked, “by any measure the U.S. has
long used terrorism. In 1978-79 the Senate was trying to pass a law against international terrorism – in every version they produced, the lawyers said
the U.S. would be in violation.”

         the rest of the story:
http://www.ThePortlandAlliance.org/counterpunch
               at the NW Alliance Portal to Counterpunch
________________________________________________________________________
03/06/2015 7:30 pm
A Portland Police Memoir,
with foreword by crime writer Phil Stanford, is a fascinating first-hand account of the Portland Police Department during the gritty 60s & 70s. DuPay's compassionate and insightful book paints compelling--and sometimes disturbing-- portraits of a cop, a police department and a city.  Join us for the launch of this book, enjoy treats with us, and hear Don's anecdotes about the St. Johns of 40 years ago.
Location: 8622 N Lombard St / Portland, Oregon
97203-3731   /   United States

Sterling Trial Opens in Security-State Matrix

jeffrey-sterlingWhen the trial of former CIA officer Jeffrey Sterling got
underway Tuesday in Northern Virginia, prospective jurors
made routine references to “three-letter agencies” and
alphabet-soup categories of security clearances. In an
area where vast partnerships between intelligence
agencies and private contractors saturate everyday life,
the jury pool was bound to please the prosecution.
...From what I could tell, none of those with direct connections to intelligence agencies ended up in the jury box. But affinities with agencies like the CIA seemed implicit in the courtroom. Throughout the jury selection, there was scarcely a hint that activities of those agencies might merit disapproval.
                  more info:  http://www.theportlandalliance.org/solomon
________________________________________________________________________
Alliance Prison Radio Portal 

America has Got a Prison Problem    (5:35) by Kenneth Hartman

spend five  minutes at: http://www.ThePortlandAlliance.org/prisonradio

..Audio evidence has Keaton Otis screaming, his are hands up. An officer shouts, “Let’s do it!” and three members of Portland's anti-gang HEAT Team open fire...
http://hippasus.wordpress.com/2012/05/11/the-killing-of-keaton-otis/#video
Keaton Otis Portal
Rally for Justice: March 12, Thursday 6pm
http://www.ThePortlandAlliance.org/keatonotis

An Obituary:  Preserved in Memory:
I wanted to pass along the message
so that others who knew Chris
through the Portland
Central America
Solidarity Committee
could help us all
remember him.

I was working with PCASC
when Chris got involved
as a volunteer.
He was brilliantly
creative and always
challenged himself
to learn new things.


C-bear was a friend- a loving and fun-loving friend. The kind
who would make you a mix-tape and find a bed on the side of
the road for you. He gave great hugs, even though I could
pretty much only reach his waist.

He was gentle. He listened. He loved his Grandma. In fact,
I think there is a story-corp interview somewhere that he
did with his Grandmother. There were moments when he
would share a little of the pain he felt. That vulnerability
was a gift. C-bear, know you are loved my soooo many.
I hope you have found the peace you were looking for. xxoo, Megan
more on Chris: http://www.ThePortlandAlliance.org/chris

The Northwest Writers & Publishers Association (NWPA)
and the Tualatin Public Library are proud to present:
Tuesday, March 10, 2015     Producing Pitch-perfect Project Promotion
Where: Tualatin Public Library at 18878 SW Martinazzi Ave. / Tualatin, OR 97062
     When: Tuesday, March 10 from 6:30 - 8:30pm

with J. Wandres  more info: http://www.ThePortlandAlliance.org/library


Book Review   American History 101 
Conspiracy Nation
by Mike Palecek ... art by Allison Healy
"Mike Palecek writes with passion, wit, and always with a strong social conscience."   — Howard Zinn

"Terse and funny and dry as a dead Iowa corn snake baking in the sun. Palecek delivers a quick, deadpan slap to reactionary, mindless post-9/11 America. The sting is delightful."   — Mark Morford, San Francisco Chronicle

More Alliance Book Reviews!    http://www.ThePortlandAlliance.org/bookreview

"People have only as much liberty as they have the intelligence to want
and the courage to take.”
Emma Goldman



The right to rebellion is the right to seek a higher rule... GEORGE ELIOT
Help support local media!

                    And Checkout The Alliance Community Action Calendar

Too Much Coffee Man
http://www.ThePortlandAlliance.org/tpp
Checkout the newest information on challenging the TPP!

consciousness/       kindness/       on-creative-art/       love/

       New Page!  Silicon India Portalhttp://www.ThePortlandAlliance.org/india

Sunday, February 22, 2015

Vol. XXXV, # 3: March 2015 Issue of The Portland Alliance

http://theportlandallinace.blogspot.com/2015/02/march-issue-of-portland-alliance.html


Vol. XXXV, Number 3  March 2015       http://www.ThePortlandAlliance.org/2015/March
ThePortlandAlliance.org/police 
PDX Police Updates

       Speaking Truth to Power Since 1981:  Feb 2015Jan 2015Dec 2014Nov 2014Oct 2014
Featuring: HealthcareWar & PeaceEarth Day-MaydayWal-martPostalNews BytesImmigrationa fossil free future for Portland: ThePortlandAlliance.org/anybody

Republicans work for the Fortune 500 and brag about it.
 
Democrats work for the Fortune 500 and lie about it.

The fate of the socialist left is tied
to that of the working class movement
—and the last four decades of one-sided class war have had dire consequences for both. The thread linking today’s generation of young workers to U.S. labor’s proud history of class struggle has been effectively broken and must be developed anew. This is a daunting but necessary task for rebuilding the working-class movement. Get the whole story
http://www.theportlandalliance.org/iso 
                  An ISO View of the Future of the Left  by Jennifer Roesch and Sharon Smith
State of the Black Union
     A community forum of 
     leaders and activists
   discussing vision and
   strategy for liberation


   Sunday, March 1 at 1pm - 4pm at  
          3536 SE 26th Ave,
        Portland, Oregon 97202

more info:
http://www.ThePortlandAlliance.org/blacklivesmatter

 
WinterBlues4

"Winter Blues" Music Festival is pleased to announce that after three successful years,
WBMF is returning with another weekend of great music to chase away the wintertime blues.

The Fourth Annual "Winter Blues" Music Festival will be held on
March 14, 2015
more info: http://www.ThePortlandAlliance.org/winterblues
                    A Portal to Winter Blues Music Festival

Native American Tribes
Take on Pot, Consider Gambling on Legalization:

Studies and possible votes loom on American Indian lands. 
A budtender pours marijuana from a jar at Perennial Holistic Wellness Center medical marijuana dispensary, which opened in 2006, on July 25, 2012 in Los Angeles


The Department of Justice has said federally recognized tribes may grow and sell marijuana. 
By Steven Nelson + More
Native American tribes are eyeing marijuana legalization as a potentially lucrative business opportunity in the wake of a green light from the Department of Justice in December.


                  more info: http://www.theportlandalliance.org/nativeamericanportal

China Is Building a

$1.85B Methanol Plant
in ‘Cancer Alley’ Louisiana
but nobody bothered to inform
the Predominantly 
Black Community

 The company slated to run the plant in St. James Parish, Yuhuang Chemical Inc.,
      is seeking expedited permits to construct and operate a plant on the sprawling
      1,100-acre site and is awaiting the Louisiana Department of Environmental
      Quality’s determination of the environmental impact of the project, a decision
      that is expected on March 6, 2015.


more info:  http://www.ThePortlandAlliance.org/blacklivesmatter

and here more info:      http://www.ThePorlandAlliance.org/aljazeera

Breaking News & Views for the Progressive CommunitySingle-Payer: It's What the People Want
Published on Tuesday, January 20, 2015  by Common Dreams

New poll shows majority of Americans support such a system.
by  Andrea Germanos, staff writer
check it out:  http://www.ThePortlandAlliance.org/commondreams

 https://sp.yimg.com/ib/th?id=HN.608047346712510740&pid=15.1&P=0
Will the U.S. Government Stand Alone
in Rejecting Children’s Rights?

By Lawrence S. Wittner

Within a matter of months,
the U.S. government seems 
likely to become the only nation
in the world still rejecting the 1989 UN Convention on the Rights
of the Child
.  Sometimes called “the most ratified
 human rights treaty in history,” the Convention has been ratified by 195
nations
, leaving the United States and South Sudan as the
only holdouts.  South Sudan is expected to move forward
with ratification later this year.   But there is no indication
that the United States will approve this children’s defense treaty.

How the US Helped
Create Al Qaeda and ISIS

by GARIKAI CHENGU
vol 22 no 1 coverthumbMuch like Al Qaeda, the Islamic State (ISIS) is made-in-the-USA, an instrument of terror designed to divide and conquer the oil-rich Middle
East and to counter Iran’s growing influence in the region.
The fact that the United States has a long and torrid history of backing terrorist groups will surprise only those who watch the news and ignore history.
...The director of the National Security Agency under Ronald Reagan,
General William Odom recently remarked, “by any measure the U.S. has
long used terrorism. In 1978-79 the Senate was trying to pass a law against international terrorism – in every version they produced, the lawyers said
the U.S. would be in violation.”

         the rest of the story:  http://www.ThePortlandAlliance.org/counterpunch
                              at the NW Alliance Portal to Counterpunch
Checkout the March Portland Alliance!ll
Real News…  http://www.ThePortlandAlliance.org/2015/March

Saturday, April 5, 2014

April Alliance! Radical, Underground, PDX Newspaper

Vol. XXXIV, Number 4 April 2014       http://www.ThePortlandAlliance.org/2014/April
         Distressing Portland's Elite Since 1981


Speaking Truth to Power  2014 March  February  January 2013 December  November  October
Scroll Down: HealthcareWar & PeaceEarth Day-MaydayWal-martPostalNews BytesTruthoutImmigration, Unions, PDX Black Leaders, etc.



"We troublemakers keep hoping for the spark that will set a wildfire of workers in motion."

Monday, March 31, 2014

March Alliance: Speaking Truth to Power....

http://laborradiocollective.blogspot.com/2014/03/taxfairnessandincomedisparity.html

Sunday, March 30, 2014

ThePortlandAlliance: March 2014 & Labor Radio!

Vol. XXXIV, Number 3 March 2014       http://www.ThePortlandAlliance.org/2014/March

Pacific NW Social Forum Open House at Sisters..


https://scontent-a-sea.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/t1.0-9/1982272_648028511926942_1759032373_n.jpg

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Pacific Northwest Social Forum! 
Sisters of the Road... 133 NW 6th in Portland
 
 
 
 
 at 1:00pm - 5:00pm in PDT

More information at http://www.ThePortlandAlliance.org/activecommunity

Sunday, March 30, 2014

ThePortlandAlliance: March 2014 & Labor Radio!

Vol. XXXIV, Number 3 March 2014       http://www.ThePortlandAlliance.org/2014/March


Today, a top US military official candidly admitted
what we have known for years...
The  war in Iraq was about oil. 

US Uncut's photo. Source: http://bit.ly/1htrcNb  Thank Global Climate Convergence for the meme. 

Admiral Dennis Blair said:  We Sent Troops to Middle East...
Because of Oil-Based Importance of Region."

At the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs hearing titled, “The Geopolitical Potential of the U.S. Energy Boom,” Admiral Dennis Blair — former Director of National Intelligence, President and CEO of Institute for Defense Analyses and Commander in Chief of U.S. Pacific Command — admitted the Iraq war was about oil.  more:  http://desmogblog.com/   (Old News!)

          LABOR RADIO SHOW
http://www.ThePortlandAlliance.org/laborradio
 KBOO Community Radio  90.7 FM presents: Labor Radio Show
 6:00-6:30 pm Every Monday Night!
CALL-IN and join the conversation! : 503-231-8187  March 31st, 2014
Host: Michael Morrow-- 5th Monday
Guests Juan Carlos Ordonez and Scott Moore

http://laborradiocollective.blogspot.com/2014/03/taxfairnessandincomedisparity.html

_________________________________
What the U.S. really needs is

universal single-payer
nonprofit health care!

metzmad.JPGhttp://www.ThePortlandAlliance.org/healthcare
Checkout The Alliance Healthcare Portal


Anesthesiologist Samuel Metz addressed the crowd at a rally in Pioneer Square in 2009. He was joined by a number of doctors, all in white caps, who support healthcare reform.  And right now, in March 2014, nothing has changed.  We need and deserve universal single payer nonprofit health care.  And this does not require anything but courage and a presidential signature.
(Picture above and story excerpt below by Faith Cathcart & The Oregonian)
on March 17, 2014 at 4:00 PM, 
By Samuel Metz, M.D.
Imagine all your medical information imprinted on one wallet-sized card. Then you lose it. Is this an inconvenience, or a catastrophe?
In France, Taiwan and other countries providing universal health care at lower cost, it’s an inconvenience. Get a replacement, and all is well. No harm, no foul.
But not here. In Oregon, and anywhere in the U.S., your medical records determine the kind of care you get, and maybe if you get any care at all.
  It’s a life or death issue.          http://www.ThePortlandAlliance.org/healthcare

Camillo Mac Bica, Truthout: "March 29 has been designated 'Vietnam Veterans Day,' according to a proclamation issued by President Obama in 2012. Now, I have no problem acknowledging the debt owed to all whose lives were affected by this war. What I find intolerable is that our leaders are incapable of telling the truth about the war."

Connecting Earth Day to May Day

Next month's convergence calls for "a solution as big as the crisis barreling down at us."
Nurses protest the possible Keystone XL Pipeline as a threat to the health of people and the planet (Steve Rhodes)Nurses protest the possible Keystone XL Pipeline as a threat to the health of people and the planet (Steve Rhodes)
"PEOPLE, PLANET and peace over profit."
That's the slogan for the Global Climate Convergence, a campaign of education and activism set for later this month, with 10 days of action running from Earth Day on April 22 to May Day, the traditional holiday celebrating workers' struggles.
The Global Climate Convergence marks an important moment in the broadening ecological struggle--a recognition that climate change is inextricably linked with capitalism, and that our struggle for environmental justice must be just as closely linked to the struggle for social justice and workers' rights.
http://www.ThePortlandAlliance.org/socialistworker