Because People Matter

Progressive News and Views May / June 2009

¡Si, Se Pudo!
Notes from an election observer
By Susan Scott
Yes, we could! That is the new slogan of El Salvador’s These articles also
FMLN (Faribundo Marti para la Liberación Nacio- claimed that an FMLN-
nal)—the party that led the guerrilla opposition through headed government
the right-wing repression of the 1980s. The March 15th would be declared a
victory for the FMLN’s presidential candidate, Mauricio “Terrorist State”—effec-
Funes, marks the first time since the Peace Accords of tively preventing Salva-
1992, halting a 12 year civil war, that the right wing dorans living in the US
from sending remittanc-
“Saturday papers duly reported es to their families in El
the US pledge of neutrality Salvador. Given that US
remittances constitute
[over presidential candidates] 18% of the Salvadoran
and the FMLN went on to GDP and that an esti-
mated one quarter of the
win the election by three Salvadoran population
percentage points.” is living and working
in the US, this packed
Alianza Republicana Nacionalista (ARENA) party has a powerful punch. This
been defeated. It is also the first time in El Salvador’s his- was the same message Victory night celebration.
tory that the left has achieved true political power. A pre- the US ambassador in Photo: Ted Lieverman
cious victory indeed, but the FMLN has yet to achieve a 2004 had used to derail
majority in Congress and ARENA and other right-wing El Salvador’s last presidential election and it was starting dent radio correspondents calling into the station from
parties still have control over much of the country— to look like déjà vu. around the country with reports of an “invasion” of
including the majority of its capital, San Salvador. But CISPES (Community in Solidarity with the People presumably fraudulent Nicaraguan and Honduran vot-
of El Salvador) and other US ers. Because ARENA had refused to supply equipment
groups were hip to what was allowing poll workers to verify DUIs, there was no way
happening; the State Department to check the real identity of any voters. We may never
was flooded with complaints know how many ARENA votes were fraudulent.
and demands that Secretary of See Victory for FMLN, page 7
State Hillary Clinton and Charge
D’Affaires in El Salvador Robert
Blau declare US neutrality and its
intention to work with whichever
party was elected.
Our delegations of election
observers held a press confer-
ence denouncing the media’s
fear campaign, explaining how
two right-wing Congressional
Chief Wiggum of The Simpsons says “Vote with wisdom [the ARENA outliers could not affect TPS or
slogan]—don’t vote for the ex-policeman [Avila]. interfere with remittances, and
Photo: Susan Scott demanding that Blau and the US
State Department speak out clearly
March 15, 2009 was a gratifying time for international and forcefully. The same afternoon—two days before the
solidarity allies to be in El Salvador. Our 20 member election—a strong statement of neutrality came from
delegation from the National Lawyers Guild joined the US embassy, distancing the Obama administration
thousands of other international election observers and from the threats of the two Congressmen and promising Mauricio Funes and his wife, Vanda Pignato,
thousands more national observers for several days of to work with whichever party won. The Saturday papers celebrate the election victory.
training and certification by the ARENA-controlled duly reported the US pledge of neutrality, and the FMLN
Supreme Electoral Tribunal. We were part of the largest went on to win the election by three percentage points.
number of election observers in El Salvador’s history. While on lunch break at the voting center, we met a
When we arrived at the polls at 5 am, the situation was woman from Washington DC, several of whose Salva-
tense due to weeks of an escalating fear campaign in the
media. The US embassy was predicting a close election
doran family members had been told by their employers
that they would lose their jobs on Monday if the FMLN Inside this issue:
and widespread violence in the streets for the day follow- won the election. We wondered how many families Editorial..................................................... 2
ing the election. FMLN’s comfortable lead in the polls shared the same experience.
had shrunk to almost nothing. We will probably never know the true scope of the
Take the Pledge With Code Pink................ 2
But the election was uniformly peaceful and Funes’ FMLN victory. In addition to an orchestrated fear cam- Peace Needs Truth...................................... 2
victory was accepted by the ARENA candidate within paign, the ARENA party is believed to have arranged for She Works Hard for Her Housing............. 3
hours after the polls closed Sunday. Monday looked like massive fraudulent voting. ARENA retains sole access to California Universal Health Care Act....... 3
any other day in San Salvador, except for the noticeable the formation of the Electoral Registry (the Organiza-
increase in smiling faces and cars flying FMLN flags tion of American States severely criticized the ARENA
Life Under Occupation.............................. 4
despite the fear campaign waged before the election. government for its lack of transparency in the registry) The Drought Snow Job.............................. 5
This was a welcome surprise, since when we arrived in and to the technology used for the national identity cards Hate Crime Protested................................. 6
San Salvador the Tuesday before the election; we woke used for voting called Documentos Únicos de Identidad Bloody History of “Race Management”.... 6
up to headlines on the three major daily papers full of US or DUIs. Because over one third of the population lives
threats. The front page of the right-wing Diario de Hoy outside the country and cannot vote in the elections,
Constitutional Convention........................ 7
had two-inch high headlines warning: “EEUU: Para a there was a golden opportunity to bring foreigners from Location, Location, Location!..................... 7
TPS con FMLN!” [US: Stop TPS (temporary protection neighboring countries to vote using fraudulent DUIs. Because Raza Matter..............................8-9
status) with the FMLN!] The articles went on to describe In the days before the election, FMLN partisans set Sacramento Area Peace Action: Apartheid
how Congressmen Dana Rohrbacker (R-CA) and Dan up barricades across the roads leading into El Salvador
Burton (R-IN) were threatening that if the FMLN won, from Nicaragua and Honduras, stopping busloads of and Racism: Legacy of the Nakbah...... 10
the US would eliminate temporary protected status people with phony DUIs. One member of our delega- Educational Homestay Programs............ 11
(TPS) for Salvadoran residents in the US despite the fact tion went to the border area to observe the barricades. I Book Review: Ayatollah Begs to Differ.... 11
that according to the US Citizenship and Immigration spent much of the night before the election with a local
Services, TPS is safe for Salvadorans through September journalist who interviewed an ARENA official whose The Green Gov? Think Again!................ 12
of 2010 when it will likely be renewed. TPS agreements van was stopped by FMLN activists outside ARENA Lemon Hill Neighborhood........................ 13
exist with countries like El Salvador to grant temporary headquarters in central San Salvador, allegedly full of You Said It—BPM reader commentary... 14
status to those in the US that can prove it would be Nicaraguan “workers.”
unsafe to return home due to armed conflict, natural While waiting to be interviewed at the studios of Calendar................................................... 15
disasters or other extraordinary temporary conditions. Radio Cadena Mi Gente, I heard dozens of indepen- Progressive Media.................................... 16
2 Because People Matter May / June 2009 www.bpmnews.org

because
People Matter Editorial Page
Volume 18, Number 3
Published Bi-Monthly by the Jacqueline Diaz, Coordinating Editor for this issue
Why BPM?
Sacramento Community for
Peace & Justice
P.O. Box 162998, Sacramento,
CA 95816
(Use addresses below for
correspondence)
Editorial Group: Jacqueline
How I found my way to the editorial table memories of working with people from BPM.
Diaz, Jeanie Keltner, JoAnn Over the years, I’ve had the honor of working
Fuller When I moved to Sacramento from the Bay Area, people of color. An MA student at Sac State, I’d with many editors. Some were John Rowntree,
Coordinating Editor for friends and family both told me to prepare myself sent my résumé out for internships I was more Mary Schleppegrell, Dorothy Wake, JoAnn
this Issue: Jacqueline Diaz
for neighborhoods full of right-wingers and rac- than qualified for and heard nothing back. And Fuller, Charlene Jones, Seth Sandronsky and Rick
Design and Layout:
Ellen Schwartz ism. Once here, I checked out signs, news stories, then, thumbing through more places to intern, I Nadeau.
Calendar Editor: attitudes, bumper stickers and other “data” to see found a file on BPM. I read the paper, spoke with Today BPM is in transition. We are working to
Chris Bond if they matched up with the stories I’d been fed. an editor, Jeanie Keltner, and decided it would be find and integrate new editors, distributors and
Advertising and Business After a few months, I realized these claims a good fit for me and a welcome experience. writers. We are working to renew the paper so
Manager: Edwina White were at least partly true. One neighbor described My first editorial meeting was oddly like walk- that it continues to thrive and carry on a near-20-
Distribution Managers:
Jean Hammett, Britney Wright.
her house to me as “the one between the Mexi- ing into my own family room back home—smart year tradition of providing the Sacramento region
Distribution Manager Emerita: cans and the Blacks,” which I didn’t find overtly people, political debate and general arguing with a local progressive news outlet for free.
Paulette Cuilla racist, but did make me wonder if that was the about the best way to do things—a little progres- In this issue of BPM, as always, you will find
Subscription Manager: only way she could have explained where she sive oasis in Republican country! So seven years the voices of activists, advocacy groups and
Gordon Kennedy
lived. And the first time at my new polling place later, BPM is still a good fit for me. The editorial Sacramento writers whose viewpoints are left
a “decline to state” voter was offered the choice board and volunteer staff have become my local of mainstream media. BPM isn’t a traditional
HOW TO REACH US: between party ballots and responded, “Repub- progressive family. community paper since we cover national and
Subscriptions, letters,
lican of course, I’d never vote for Democrats— My 6-year-old loves Jeanie Keltner’s toy col- international topics, but it is a paper made by the
punditry:
they’re communists.” lection and my new baby loves Jeanie’s soup. community and that’s what is most important.
403 21st Street
We’d also had our car broken into and found Layout person Ellen Schwartz has abandoned What do you care about progressive Sacramen-
Sacramento, CA 95814
the Sheriff ’s office less than helpful, and walked editorial meetings for “story time” in the next to? BPM is still looking for new volunteers, hands
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event. Description (1–2 lines). Take the Pledge with Code Pink Julia Ward Howe wrote the Original Mother’s Day Procla-
mation calling upon the women of the world to unite for
Be a mother for peace
Time. Location. INFO: phone#;
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peace. Today, with war and violence igniting across the
This Mother’s Day, we are standing up for peace by globe—from Iraq to Darfur, from Gaza to Somalia, from
HAVE A STORY? creating a “Virtual Mother’s Day Quilt”—an online photo Afghanistan to the US-Mexico border—the call for peace
We start planning the next mosaic—that weaves our strength as mothers and women has never been more pertinent. Join us in declaring:
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COPY DEADLINES:
For the July / August 2009
Issue:
Articles: Please tell us about
Peace Needs Truth series of lies,“ which, Cristison continues, has trol of energy resources and pipeline routes and
your article by May 20; article
must be received by June. 1,
(9/11 truth that is) tragically determined the entire course of US the violent worldwide projection of US military
foreign and domestic policies since that date. A force that keeps military contractors happy and
2009. By Jeanie Keltner, Editor-at-Large quickly growing list at rich.
patriotsquestion911.org “I desperately want
Calendar Items: June 10, 2009
Cultural events welcome! It hurts to hear Obama playing the 9/11 card And victory in Afghan-
For details, see our website, just like George Bush, as he intensifies the war he of top foreign military, Obama (and you, dear istan is impossible. Or at
www.bpmnews.org was elected to end: “Our nation is at war against a intelligence, business and least no other great power
far-reaching network of violence and hatred.” “Al- government figures shows reader) to go to www. of the many who’ve tried
BECAUSE PEOPLE MATTER is an all-
volunteer endeavor to present Qaida and its allies—the terrorists who planned widespread urgent inter- patriotsquestion911.org” has achieved it, no mat-
alternative, progressive news and supported the 9/11 attacks….” We must fight national concern at this ter how enormous their
and views in Sacramento. We the Taliban and al-Qaida or Afghanistan “will expanding, endless US war that is now returning military investment—which is why Afghanistan
invite and welcome your re- again be a base for terrorists who want to kill as focus to Afghanistan. is called “the graveyard of empires.”
sponses. To discuss a proposed
many of our people as they possibly can”—all This is not to say that terrorism is not a threat. Osama Bin Laden was helped by the CIA and
article, or help distribute the
paper, inquire about ad rates, Obama quotes. But turning the Middle East and Central Asia Zbigniew Brzezynski under President Carter to
or help out in some other way, These wildly oversimplified words aim to into battlefields is not the way to deal with it. create al-Qaida to fight the Soviets in Afghani-
call or write using the phone rekindle the horror of that fateful September Quite the opposite! The nation’s most seasoned stan. But the deeper strategy was to bleed the
number and address listed un- 11th—that nineteen minimally armed terrorists high level intelligence analysts in a 2006 National USSR of money and manpower in an unwinnable
der ”How to Reach Us” above.
Please reproduce from any of
could bring down the center of New York and hit Intelligence Estimate on Global Terrorism said war—which, Brzezynski later bragged, ended by
the written contents, but do the Pentagon. invasions and occupations, as in Iraq, not only bringing the Soviet Union down (www.globalre-
credit the author and BPM. I desperately want Obama (and you, dear read- did not make us safer but led instead to an search.ca/articles/BRZ110A.html).
Printed at Herald Printing by
er) to go to www.patriotsquestion911.org where upsurge in terrorism (McGovern, www.informa- Osama Bin Laden predicted a similar fate for
Graphics Communication Union over 2000 extremely qualified experts—archi- tionclearinghouse.info/article22307.htm). the US.
DC2 pressmen. tects, engineers, firefighters, lawyers, medical Our increased military attacks in Afghanistan There’s still time to stop this horrendous
professionals, military and intelligence officers, and Pakistan are creating ever more terrorists. As mistake—but we must act. We can’t continue
religious leaders, scientists, and pilots—speak out the bumpersticker said, “We’re making enemies to wage wars rooted in the 9/11 folklore. See
about radical discrepancies between the official faster than we can kill them.” Robert Greenwald’s brilliant short video at www.
9/11 account and what they, as independent But then Afghanistan was never about 9/11— RethnkingAghanistan.com for the history, rami-
researchers, have learned—establishing beyond war was planned for Afghanistan and threatened fications, and necessary actions.
reasonable doubt that the official account is false months before 9/11. Like Iraq, it was about con- Call the White House: 202-456-1414.
and official “investigations” were cover-ups.
On the cover On that site William Christison, a 29-year high
Chuy Ortiz-Ocelotl, Director of level Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) veteran,
Quetzalcoalt-Citlalli. See pages writes, “There is now a strong body of evidence
8-9 for story. showing the official US government story of
Photo: Chris Duran September 11 to be almost certainly a monstrous
 www.bpmnews.org May / June 2009 BECAUSE PEOPLE MATTER 3

She Works Hard for Her Housing

Sacramento County’s rent too high for hard workers
By Rachel Iskow The estimated mean (average) wage for renters
needed to earn $3,273 monthly or make $39,280 living in Sacramento County is $14.40 an hour.
One third of US households are renters, yet we annually. Assuming a 40 hour work week, 52 This is still not enough to afford the FMR for a
continue to hear about the crisis for homeown- weeks per year, this level of income translates two bedroom apartment. At this wage, a renter
ers. What about renters? How are they faring? into a housing wage of $18.88. The housing wage would have to work 52 hours per week to make
At least one nonprofit orga- is the hourly wage a worker rent.
nization looks at data to help “According to NLIHC, must earn to afford a two bed- The situation is more alarming for the disabled.
answer these questions. Each in Sacramento room apartment. Monthly Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
year the National Low Income In Sacramento County, a payments for an individual last year were $870 in
Housing Coalition (NLIHC) County last year Fair minimum wage worker earns Sacramento County. If SSI represents an individ-
publishes a report called Out Market Rent for a two an hourly wage of $8.00. In ual’s sole source of income, $261 in monthly rent
of Reach. The report compares order to afford the FMR for is affordable, but the FMR for a one bedroom
wages and rents in localities bedroom apartment a two bedroom apartment, a home is $805.
throughout the country. The was $982.” minimum wage earner would For the full report and to research the situation
stark reality for families seek- have to work 94 hours per in other counties throughout the US, go to Out of
ing rental housing in our region was revealed by week, 52 weeks per year. Or a household must Reach on the NLIHC’s web site www.nlihc.org.
these numbers. include 2.4 minimum wage earners working 40 Rachel Iskow is the Executive Director of
According to NLIHC, in Sacramento County hours per week year-round to afford a FMR two Sacramento Mutual Housing Association which
last year, Fair Market Rent (FMR) for a two-bed- bedroom home. This is an unrealistic expecta- provides housing for 2,600 low income individu-
room apartment was $982. In order to afford this tion, particularly since some families in need als. Other programs include foreclosure interven-
level of rent and utilities without paying more of two bedroom homes are single mothers with tion, financial education, urban farm stands and
than 30% of income on housing, a household modest incomes. youth development. www.mutulhousing.com.

It’s Back! Meet the California Universal Health Care Act of 2009
Senator Leno introduces SB810
“For decades we have watched
By Charlene Jones ernor Schwarzenegger’s desk twice, only to
Legislation to provide Californians with universal be vetoed each time. an industry of lobbyists and
health care using a single-payer financing struc- But because President Obama has made incrementalist reformers grow
ture was reintroduced in March by Senator Mark health reform a national priority and
Leno (D-San Francisco). Senate Bill 810 (SB810), research points to single-payer feasibility, while the number of uninsured
the California Universal Health Care Act of 2009, California advocates see passage of SB810 and underinsured climbs…” 
would guarantee comprehensive health care to as the clear solution, said retired nurse Car-
every California resident and provide savings olyn Negrete of the California Alliance of Retired on Health, and Assemblymember Dave Jones,
for businesses, government and consumers, said Americans, and Health Care for All of Sacra- chair of the Assembly Committee on Health.
Leno. “As a nation, we spend twice as much per mento Valley, which advocates for a single-payer For more information: Health Care for All,
person on health care as other wealthy countries, plan. “For decades we have watched an industry Sacramento Valley (916) 0424-5316, www.dist03.
with the hope that our families will be protected of lobbyists and incrementalist reformers grow casen.govoffice.com, www.healthcareforall.org,
from illnesses. Yet most insured Americans still while the number of uninsured and underinsured www.calnurses.org, www.conyers.house.gov,
worry about how they will afford critical care climbs and denial of care is now the norm. The www.pnhp.org.
if they become sick,” Leno said. “In California, answer is a single-payer, universal health care Charlene Jones is a member of the Sacramento
7 million people do not have health insurance. system. When enough people know what it is Media Group.
With the money we spend today on health care, and how it works they will demand that it be our
California can have a modern, universal health health care system.”
care system that provides high quality care for California isn’t the only state where grassroots
everyone.” organizing and economic practicality is advanc- Pizza by the slice
Modeled after former Senator Sheila Kuehl’s ing the health care reform dialogue. Single-payer
seminal work SB840, newly purposed SB810
would save billions by emphasizing preven-
legislation has been introduced in 18 states. On
the federal level Representative John Conyers
PIECES
tion and primary care, reducing administrative (D-MI) reintroduced his single-payer HR 676 “The most delicious and
waste and using the state’s purchasing power for with 73 co-sponsors and Senator Bernie Sanders socially responsible
medicines and medical equipment. With a focus (I-VT) has initiated S.703 in the Senate. pizza in town”
on improved technologies, the plan covers every Mainstream news and the Obama adminis- —Jeanie Keltner
Californian with medical, dental, vision, hospi- tration however, appear to have steered clear.
talization and prescription drug benefits. The bill According to the watchdog group Fairness and 1309 21st St between M and N
also preserves the right to choose doctors and Accuracy in Reporting, of the hundreds of stories
hospitals. in major newspapers and on television, a week
Combining what government spends on health before the president’s health care summit “only
care into a single fund with a simple “payroll” tax five included the views of advocates of single-
less than what most people and businesses now payer health care—none of which appeared on
pay for all health insurance and out-of-pocket television.” Most opinion columns opposed the
expenses would finance the plan, according single-payer solution. Journalist Amy Goodman
to the Lewin Group, a human service systems of the news program “Democracy Now” wrote in
research organization. Physicians for a National March that only two single-payer advocates were
Health Program, a nationwide advocacy group, among the 120 people at the summit and they
agree. Conversion to a single-payer system also were invited only after public outcry demanded
promotes national economic recovery by creat- it.
ing 2.6 million new jobs, reported the California Despite this, Americans in a New York Times/
Nurses Association from their recent study by the CBS poll early this year expressed preference for
Institute for Health and Socio-Economic Policy. a national plan by two-to-one over a privatized
It would add $317 billion in new business and system. And for California, SB810 is the only
public revenues and $100 billion more in wages thing to do, according to Negrete. “Although
into the US economy. we have known what to do and research sup-
One Care Now, a single-payer advocacy ports it, the answer is buried under a hail of
coalition, insists a system that removes control disinformation because it would eliminate a very
from the private health insurance industry over profitable—for some—financial system called
eligibility and rates— increasing five times as fast insurance. And politicians too frequently depend
as wages in California, according to the nonpar- on these companies to help fund their campaigns.
tisan group Families USA—is key to solving the So they need to hear from us now because single-
health care crisis. Their broad alliance of patients, payer must be on the table. We are the political
nurses, doctors, teachers and school employees, will.”
retired workers, local governments and school SB810 is co-authored by 43 legislators in
districts support SB810 as it did earlier proposals. both houses, including Senate Pro Tem Darrell
With their grassroots backing, Kuehl was suc- Steinberg, Assembly Speaker Karen Bass, Senator
cessful in moving her single-payer SB840 to Gov- Elaine Alquist who chairs the Senate Committee
4 Because People Matter May / June 2009 www.bpmnews.org

Life Under Occupation

Beit Ommar, West Bank, Occupied Palestine
By Maggie Coulter and Patricia Daugherty
A Sunday ride from Bethlehem to Beit Ommar The IOF incursions are also lethal. The March
takes us along the historic Jerusalem Road, now 13th shooting of Oakland resident Tristan
Route 60, south toward Hebron. We are delighted Anderson by IOF soldiers, three days before the
by green orchards and vineyards growing in the sixth anniversary of the murder of 23-year-old
aged stone terraces. American peace activist Rachel Corrie, reminds
These lands, tended for thousands of years Americans that the US-financed IOF shoots and
by indigenous farmers, are coveted by Israel. murders civilians with impunity. This is under-
Encouraging its Jewish-only colonists to “take scored by recent statements from Israeli soldiers
the hilltops,” Israel has built illegal settlements about the horrific things done to people in Gaza.
on thousands of acres of stolen Palestinian land. In Beit Ommar, the IOF shot and killed two
This directly violates the 4th Geneva Convention, young men last year; one was shot in the head,
which prohibits an occupying power from trans- the other in the back. This year, on March 4,
ferring population to the lands it occupies. the IOF shot a 15-year-old boy in the head; he
remains in a coma.

Guantanamo, Israel Family home ransacked by Israeli

Currently 180 residents of Beit Ommar are in forces during arrest in Beit Ommar,
Israeli prisons; nearly all are young men 15-26
January 19, 2009.
years old. Twelve are among the 540 Palestinians
Photo: palestiniansolidarityproject.org
in “administrative detention,” under which they
can be held indefinitely without charge, like the
prisoners at Guantanamo. The rest have received He recounts an incident in 2006. He and his
sentences of 4-15 months. They are among 8,400 family were asleep at 2am when four Israeli sol-
Palestinian political prisoners currently being diers kicked in his door, dragged him out of the
held by Israel. house, terrifying his wife and children. Soldiers
Basically, political prisoners are “charged” with tied his hands behind his back and took him to
engaging in or supporting armed resistance to the military watchtower at the village entrance.
the occupation. This includes throwing stones They body-searched him, then took him to a
at military vehicles, buildings, or the Apartheid nearby illegal settlement jail for over two hours
Wall. They are “convicted” in an Israeli kangaroo of interrogation. The soldiers blindfolded him
military court which metes out sentences hav- and put a bag over his head and moved him to
ing already decided the prisoner is guilty. All of another prison. After five days he was released.
the West Bank is under military law, where the In 2007 the army abducted Yousef again and held
The military watchtower at the entrance to Beit Ommar “rules” are set by the Israeli army which even him for a month with no charges.
Photo: palestiniansolidarityproject.org ignores decisions by the Israeli High Court. Less than a week after our visit to Beit Ommar,
Through the help of Defense of Children Yousef was taken again by the army. At the time
Ten miles later we reach the agricultural com- International, we witnessed a trial in February. A of this writing he has not been released.
munity of Beit Ommar, home to about 14,000 teenage boy was “charged” with throwing stones. Sacramentans Maggie Coulter and Patricia
Palestinians. Turning into the village, we are When the boy’s lawyer disputed the charge, Daugherty have been living in the West Bank,
greeted by an imposing ugly concrete military explaining that the boy was in fact somewhere Palestine since October 2008.
watchtower, erected by the Israeli Occupation else at the time, the judge simply stated again, “It
Forces (IOF) in the late 1980s after the first Inti- says here that you were seen throwing stones.”
fadah. From this outpost, the IOF controls the The teen was sentenced to three months in an
village entrance and stages its regular incursions Israeli military prison.
against the townspeople. The right of the Palestinians to resist occupa-
tion, with or without arms, is recognized under
It is ironic that Israel the First Additional Protocol of the Geneva
Conventions. Like Israeli settlements, the IOF’s
violates international abductions, vandalism, killing, and brutalization
human rights laws set up in of the Palestinians are all against international
law.
response to the atrocities “It is ironic that Israel so flagrantly violates
committed by the Nazis. international human rights laws when these laws
were set up in response to the atrocities commit-
ted by the Nazis,” commented Wolf, who is Jew-
Routine military incursions ish. “And of course, they are led by the example of
A look through reports of this year’s invasions their greatest benefactor, the United States.”
of Beit Ommar is heartwrenching (www.palesti-
nesolidarityproject.org). “Scores Beaten, Dozens Beit Ommar is not alone
of Homes Invaded … Elderly Couple Shot During Residents of several West Bank villages suffer
Night Invasion… Israeli forces ransack family the brutality of the Israeli army on a regular basis.
home during arrest.” And 16-year-old Ahmed Like Beit Ommar, these villages are near illegal “My Name is Rachel Corrie”
Awad’s account of abduction by the Israeli army, Israeli settlements, the route of the Apartheid May 15–June 14
being beaten, and put in a cage outside in the Wall and/or settler by-pass roads, where Israel
Beyond the Proscenium Productions
rain. wants to grab even more Palestinian land. Since
presents “My Name is Rachel Corrie”, co-pro-
Five days before our visit, the IOF again invad- Israel began its occupation in 1967, it has illegally
duced by the Sacramento Chapters of Jewish
ed Beit Ommar after blocking the town’s access confiscated nearly half of the West Bank.
Voice for Peace and the Palestinian American
roads. As it had done the week before, nearly 100 On February 25, 2009, the IOF issued an order
Congress, at the Three Penny Playhouse, 25th
Israeli soldiers forced their way into homes in the to build a 290-meter heavily fortified barrier
and R Streets.
middle of the night, kicking in doors, terrorizing through Beit Ommar lands along the Jerusalem
adults and children. They rounded up 40 young road. The barrier would sever the villagers from This play, starring Tygar Hicks and directed
men between the ages of 15–26, holding them at their agricultural lands; access would be allowed by Karen Nylund, is a dramatization of the
gunpoint. After a few hours, half were released; at the whim of the Israeli army. Beit Ommar is journal entries of Rachel Corrie, a 23-year-
the others were blindfolded and taken to a prison already boxed in by illegal settlements to the old American who was crushed to death in
in the nearby illegal settlement of Kfar Etzion. north and south and by the 1949 armistice line to April 2003 by an Israeli bulldozer while trying
Except for two, the rest were released after six the west. to protect a Palestinian home from demoli-
days; those two remain imprisoned. The town tion.  While the play enjoyed two successful
was held under strict curfew until the following Attacking the community’s runs in London, it was at first deemed too con-
night. leaders troversial for New York. BPP is proud to offer
“These military incursions are a routine part audiences the opportunity to dialogue about
of the brutal Israeli occupation,” states Bekah We sit with Yousef in his garden. His children the interplay between the political implica-
Wolf, a US activist with the Palestine Solidarity play while we sip tea. Yousef is actively involved tions of Corrie’s work, her death and the cen-
Project (PSP) who lives in Beit Ommar. “The IOF in promoting community development and orga- sorship of her words.
is a foreign, occupying army and it comes into nizing unarmed resistance against Israel’s occu- For tickets, call 916-456-1600. Shows are
town almost daily. Under curfew no one can go pation of his community. Like indigenous leaders Fri-s Sat 8pm, Sun 2pm. $18 general admis-
to work or school. The soldiers smash up people’s and activists elsewhere, he has been targeted by sion, $15 seniors/students/active military.
homes; they urinate on the floors.” the military.
 www.bpmnews.org May / June 2009 BECAUSE PEOPLE MATTER 5

The Drought Snow Job

Schwarzenegger official tries to “Snow”
public with drought claims
By Dan Bacher
Lester Snow, the Director of the State Depart- ern California water.
ment of Water Resources (DWR), tried to “snow” Fortunately, February
the public by making false claims of a California and March rain and
drought scenario in an April 2 announcement. snow runoff raised
“A below-average snow pack at this time of reservoir levels to much
year, especially following two consecutive dry higher levels than those
years, is a cause for concern,” said Snow in a news recorded in January,
release. “Our most critical storage reservoirs 2009.
remain low, and we face severe water supply The DWR release also
problems in many parts of our state.” stated, “Storage in Cali-
On February 27, 2009, Governor Schwarzeneg- fornia’s major reservoirs
ger declared a “drought state of emergency,” is low. Lake Oroville, the
directing DWR and other state agencies to principal storage reser-
provide assistance to people and communities voir for the State Water
impacted by the “drought.” On March 30, DWR Project (SWP) is only at
provided the Governor an update on “drought” 56% of capacity.”
conditions and recommended strategies. View However, Bill Jen-
the report and transmittal letter at www.water. nings, executive director
ca.gov/news. of the California Sport-
fishing Protection Alli-
“If there is an economic ance (CSPA), noted that
impact to Westlands, it’s Lake Oroville is actually Peace Action
75% of the 15-year aver- on the Web
from farmers changing age, by no means a catastrophic level for this there is only an average of 29 million acre feet of Keep up to date
from planting the row crops time of year. runoff in the Central Valley, while the State Water on peace activism
in Sacramento.
DWR also failed to mention the other reser- Resources Control Board has allocated 245 mil-
of the past, to planting voirs that supply water for the state and federal lion acre feet of water rights.” Check out
www.sacpeace.org.
permanent crops…” water projects. Central Valley Project reservoirs Jennings condemned the campaign by the
are in relatively good shape, with Shasta at 77% Governor, DWR and Senator Dianne Feinstein
Snow touted Schwarzenegger’s plan to build a of the 15-year average, Folsom at 117% of the to build a peripheral canal and said that we need
peripheral canal (“improved conveyance”) and 15-year average, New Melones at 74% of the to compel our regulatory agencies to enforce the
Temperance Flat and Sites reservoirs as the “solu- 15-year average and Millerton at 95% of the water code and Clean Water Act.
tion” to California’s water problems. 15-year average. “The canal would transfer pumping impacts
“Governor Schwarzenegger has outlined steps The actual precipitation in state and federal to the last viable salmonid river in the Valley
to safeguard the state’s water supply through a project watersheds also tells a different tale than (the Sacramento), eliminate critical habitat
comprehensive plan that includes water con- the one Snow is spinning. Precipitation on the and send numerous species into oblivion, and
servation, more surface and groundwater stor- Sacramento River at Shasta Dam is 77% of aver- increase the concentration and bioaccumulation
age, new investments in the state’s aging water age, the American River watershed at Blue Can- of pollutants,” said Jennings. “It would increase
infrastructure, and improved water conveyance yon is 93%, the Stanislaus River at New Melones salinity, severely reducing yields of hundreds of
to protect the environment and provide a reliable is 88% and the San Joaquin River at Huntington thousands of productive farmland, and eliminate
water supply,” the release stated. “Today’s drought Lake is 83%. tens of thousands of fishing, recreational and
and regulatory restrictions underscore the need “This is a slightly below average water year, but agricultural jobs.”
to take action to safeguard tomorrow’s water it is not a dry year and not a critically dry year,” I hope the public and mainstream media is not
supply.” said Jennings. “snowed” by Lester Snow’s claims of a “drought”
However, a careful review of DWR data reveals The doomsday scenario that DWR has con- based on the April 2 snow survey. A peripheral
that Snow is not telling the entire truth about jured up is completely inaccurate since many canal and more dams would do environmental
California’s water “crisis,” but is carefully selecting Central Valley contractors will receive 100% of harm while costing an estimated $12 billion to
data to cultivate unfounded fears of a “drought” their water. $24 billion in a state already hit hard by the eco-
and promote Schwarzenegger’s peripheral canal “The Central Valley Project (CVP) contractors nomic crash and a spiraling deficit.
and dam proposal. north of the Delta and Friant Unit contractors For more information on DWR’s “overblown” CAAC Goes
Manual survey results taken on April 2 at in the San Joaquin Valley will receive 100% of drought, read Mike Fitzergerald’s article in to the Movies
four locations near Lake Tahoe, combined with their water,” said Jennings. “The only people the Stockton Record: www.recordnet.com/ ALMOST EVERY
electronic readings, documented statewide snow not receiving their full water allocations are apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090311/A_ MONTH
pack water content of 81%. The water content is Westlands and the Metropolitan Water District NEWS0803/903110320. The Central America
87% in the Northern Sierra, 80% in the Central (MWD). And MWD is receiving a reduced Action Committee
shows interesting
Sierra, and 77% in the Southern Sierra. amount of water because they gave up the urban
and informative
“Last year at this time, snowpack was 95% preference in the Monterey Agreement.” videos on social
of normal, reflecting a drop of over 20% from The corporate agribusiness operations that are justice, labor
March 2008 caused by the driest spring on being hurt the most are the most junior water struggles, and so
record,” according to DWR. rights holders in Westlands who chose to convert Ask the Socially much more! Call to
see what’s playing
DWR blamed court-ordered restrictions on from annual row crops to permanent crops.
Delta water exports, needed to protect wildlife, “If there is an is economic impact to West- Responsible Therapist this month…
WE ALSO HAVE A
for depriving farmers and urban residents of lands, it’s from farmers changing from planting VIDEO LIBRARY YOU
water. “Continuing dry conditions and regula-
tory agency restrictions on Delta water exports
the row crops of the past, to planting permanent
crops like fruit and nut trees—crops that can’t
Coming soon to CAN CHECK OUT.
1640 9th Ave (east
are limiting water deliveries to farms and urban
areas,” DWR claimed. “A forthcoming Biological
handle drought years and require constant water
to keep them alive,” said Jennings. “Westlands
BPM! off Land Park Dr)
INFO: 446-3304
Opinion from the National Marine Fisheries Ser- Water District deliberately planted crops that
vice to protect salmon and steelhead may further suffer the most in dry years in an effort to have Shauna Smith, MSW, MFT, is an
reduce pumping capability. DWR expects it will their junior water rights trump the senior water author and family therapist in
only be able to deliver only 20% of requested rights holders and public trust resources of riv-
State Water Project water this year to the Bay ers, streams and estuaries.” private practice in Sacramento. She
Area, San Joaquin Valley, Central Coast and Thus, the claims of a “drought” by Lester Snow coordinates Therapists for Social
Southern California.” and the Governor are false and are being used to Responsibility:
What Snow failed to mention was that the bolster Schwarzenegger’s claims that a peripheral
reason many reservoirs were at record low levels canal and dams are needed to create a “win-win” www.therapistsforsocialresponsibility.
until the February rains was because DWR and scenario of “ecosystem restoration” and “solving” org. Have a question for her? Send
the Bureau of Reclamation nearly drained Shasta, water supply needs at the same time. your questions to bpmnews@
Folsom and Oroville reservoirs in 2007 and 2008 “There is no win-win solution,” Jennings said
to supply Westlands Water District, the Kern after receiving the “Delta Advocate” award at the nicetechnology.com. Write “Q & A
County Water Bank and Southern California, Restore the Delta Symposium in Lodi on Febru- for Shauna” in the subject line.
including Diamond Valley Reservoir, with north- ary 28. “We live in a water-limited state where
6 Because People Matter May / June 2009 www.bpmnews.org

Hate Crime Protested

Undocumented worker murdered in Sac County
By Gail Ryall
In Sacramento, CA, a poster-sized photograph the press conference.
with flowers and votive candles Holly Cooper, Associate
formed a sidewalk altar in front of “Had he not been Dean of Immigration Law,
the Sacramento County Main Jail an undocumented University of California at
Feb 26, as more than 40 activists Davis, reminded the media
held a press conference and protest- worker he would that Ramirez Ventura was
memorial for 22-year-old Evaristo be alive today.” a civil detainee and should
Ramirez Ventura, an undocumented not have been placed in a
worker murdered Feb 17 in a jail holding cell. cell with an accused criminal. Eric Vega of the
Ramirez Ventura had been arrested for driving Sacramento Justice Reform Coalition called the
under the influence, and was held for pickup by murder “one part of the harassment and crimi-
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) nalization of the immigrant community across
because he had no immigration documents, the country.”
according to a statement made by Efren Guttierez The group demanded meetings with Sacra-
of the Chicano Consortium after meeting with mento County Sheriff John McGinness, the Sac-
the Sheriff ’s Accountability Department. ramento County Board of Supervisors and ICE.
Later that day, Richard Hardin, arrested for “Is the Sheriff ’s Department part of the ICE or
assaulting a Latina woman, was placed in the here to protect us?” Guttierez asked.
same cell and 24 hours later, Ramirez Ventura “We won’t be quiet,” Rojas added. “They’re not
was found dead in the cell, having been beaten going to pay attention to us until we show up on
and strangled with a t-shirt, allegedly by Hardin. the street, and say to Obama, Where’s that change
“This was a hate crime. Had he not been an we voted for?” Candles and flowers in front of a
undocumented worker he would be alive today,” The press conference was attended by Anna
photograph of Evaristo Ramirez
Al Rojas of the Sacramento Chapter of the Labor Ramirez, Ramirez Ventura’s mother, his brother,
Ventura, outside the County Jail.
Council for Latin American Advancement AFL- sisters and other family members, as well as other
photo: Estevon Rojas
CIO told the few media representatives attending immigrant rights and social justice organizations.

The Bloody History of US “Race Management”

Interviewing David R. Roediger
By Seth Sandronsky American family wealth gap reaching 9 to 1 and for raising antislavery politics and for discussing
similar figures describing the relative lack of women’s freedom. However, the result in short
The notion that the US is anywhere near “getting wealth of Latinas/os and American Indians. And order was a reconsolidation of white supremacy
over” race is foolish, unhistorical and only useful yet we astonishingly live in a and of patriarchy. When the
to elites who would hide our own history from us, nation in which a large enough “I would emphasize new nation extended the
argues David R. Roediger, author of How Race
Survived US History: From Settlement and Slav-
minority of whites joined huge
majorities of voters of color to
that much changed “empire of liberty” with the
Louisiana Purchase, it created
ery to the Obama Phenomenon, Verso, 2008. elect a Black president, some- and that white the conditions for producing
David R. Roediger is a leading scholar of race
and class in the US today and the Babcock Chair of
thing unfathomable in the
1950s when I learned about the
supremacy survived decades of mutating forms of
the patriarchal “Indian-hater,”
History and African American Studies at the Uni- US political system. only by changing, so brilliantly captured on gen-
versity of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. This is an
excerpt of an interview conducted via email.
So we need to find ways to
think about both what has
often in the face of der terms in Herman Melville’s
The Confidence Man. A tripled
changed and what has not—to stirring challenges.” population of slaves would
Seth Sandronsky: Your new book looks at be proud of the role of social be sexually exploited and
the language of transcending race in the US as movements, popular creativity and day-to-day threatened with sale in new forms of patriarchal
the racial gap widens for employment, impris- challenges to racism in making such change management between the Louisiana Purchase
onment and wealth. How possible even as we live in a nation that still is and the Civil War.
does the election of Barack highly unequal racially and deeply committed The capitalist production chain featuring
Obama to the White House to empire. In particular the growth of immigra- Southern, slave-grown cotton and Northern
change this rhetoric and tion, of interracial families and of a Black middle textile factories directly exploited white women
reality of skin color and class is embodied in Obama’s triumph, as is a workers, creating new patriarchs in the factories.
social class? deep association of the heritage of Black freedom At the same time, it made the work of the vast
David R. Roediger: politics with the possibility of change in all of the majority of women in white households less
When giving talks as I United States. valued than home production had been before
started writing the book SS: White patriarchy and supremacy grew the market so fully dominated society. As white
some years ago I’d some- after the American Revolution, you write. How men lost the capacity to fulfill the revolutionary
times encounter progres- did these ideologies mesh with a regime of pri- dream of self-employment through “free labor,”
sives who were very eager vate property and post-revolutionary activity in and were reduced more often to lifetimes of wage
to say we could begin to put the new republic? work, they increasingly claimed status as both
race behind us. They had all DRR: At every turn from the late 1600s—with “white workers” and patriarchal breadwinners in
sorts of often well-motivat- the tying of the racial slavery of newborn chil- new ways. The forging of alliances between Black
ed reasons for thinking that dren to the status of the mother and with the abolitionists, often escaped slaves, and radical
way: weariness, hope, desire series of laws inventing a color line in order to middle class women should therefore be no sur-
to focus on class divisions punish (unless they were powerful and coerc- prise. But neither perhaps should the difficulties
manifestly being ignored, ing sex) those crossing it—race in the US has of maintaining alliances among those oppressed
reflecting on the real prog- been intimately tied to gender and reproduc- in very different ways.
ress they’d seen in their tion. Often—the mid-nineteenth century and SS: An “anti-racist rainbow” after the US Civil
lifetimes and often in their families. the 1960s are the best examples—challenges to War met capitalist production, and new forms of
In respectfully disagreeing that race was almost patriarchy and to white supremacy also matured workplace control. You write of slavery and plan-
over, I often encouraged people to focus on the together. Not only did abolitionism express tations giving rise to industry and plants. This
“two sevens” of white supremacy. At that time, feminist goals and help solidify the first women’s process divided and in some cases united workers
white family wealth was seven times higher than movement, but excellent recent scholarship across gender and race lines. How does this his-
African American family wealth on average and shows that campaigns against Indian removal tory open our eyes to directions and solutions to
Black male teens and young adults were seven were also central points of origin for women’s such divisions today?
times more likely to be imprisoned than white rights in the US. DRR: This is another excellent question. Any
male teens and young adults. Did it really seem However, and the post-Revolutionary US most reply should begin with the question’s emphasis
likely that amidst such glaring material inequali- clearly showed this, expansion of settlement, on unity and change, even on rainbows. While
ties that the three centuries-old ideology of slavery and capitalism also could and did solidify arguing for the deep structural and ideological
race, honed to explain and justify such terrible new and powerful forms of patriarchy, oppress- persistence of race and racism in US history, I
inequalities would disappear? ing people of color and white women together, would emphasize that much changed and that
When I finished the book, as Obama was being but in quite distinct ways. The Revolution itself white supremacy survived only by changing,
nominated for president, those inequalities were created a politics of hope (and a fear of slave often in the face of stirring challenges. When
worse, with the white family wealth/African revolts) that led to a brief period of possibility See Roediger, page 13
 www.bpmnews.org May / June 2009 BECAUSE PEOPLE MATTER 7

Constitutional Convention in the Works

Progress? Or stalking horse for anti-labor agenda?
By Roger White
More Californians are concluding that only a states BAC. Jim Wunderman, the president of “The real agenda behind
constitutional convention can fix what’s wrong this public policy group frames this as a “govern- this idea is to disrupt
with our electoral and budgetary system. In Feb- mental efficiency issue,” but the state would have
ruary over 200 people gathered in Sacramento to to create a bigger monster to slay their proposed regulatory oversight
discuss what a convention would look like and bureaucracy beast. and accountability over
how to move the concept forward. How many hours and resources and how
There are plans to put the question before vot- much unilateral authority would it take to cre- industry.”
ers next year. ate and run a “commission” that has to evalu-
An early consensus among the political class ate every board, commission and agency in
is emerging around the ideas of reducing the California every 12 years? How much time and ward, a center-right public policy reform group
legislative supermajority needed to pass a budget resources would it take for the legislature to also promoting a constitutional convention,
from two-thirds to 55%, lengthening term limits have hearings on each recommendation from would like to see “the tax base broadened and the
and initiative reform. But other proposals flying the commission for each agency, commission tax rate reduced as one way to increase stability
under the radar could have detrimental effects and board? There are literally thousands for little and align the revenue system with a service-
on workers and taxpayers if their supporters governmental and quasi governmental bodies based economy.” Need a translation? Even though
are able to slip them into the Constitution at a in this state. This doesn’t sound like a recipe corporate taxes make up only 11% of the state’s
Some of the
convention. for more government efficiency. It sounds like tax revenue, and according to the California Places You Can
Under the general headings of “tax relief ” a state works project for Sacramento consul- Budget Project, income tax has provided the state Find BPM
and “civil service reform,” these proposals seek tants, termed out legislators and out-of-work “the strongest growth of any of the state’s major Sacramento Area
to eliminate boards and commissions that are administrators. revenue sources,” California Forward would like Coffee Works
charged with the oversight of agency and indus- The real agenda behind this idea is to disrupt to see a more regressive system that taxes the Crest Theater
try regulation compliance and could also further regulatory oversight and accountability over poor more. If California’s progressive income tax Dimple Records,
Arden Wy
shift the tax burden away from industry. industry. Since the business community has been is killed or scaled back at a convention it could
Flowers Restaurant
The Bay Area Council, a pro-business non- unable to roll back environmental and labor turn California’s budget crisis into an ongoing Galleria (29th & K)
profit based in Silicon Valley, is leading the laws in the legislature, a convention could be an disaster. Grinders
charge for a convention. What’s their agenda? opportunity to blow things open.   If the proponents of a constitutional conven- Hart Senior Center
Well, they’d like to see “a system in which all state Another gem being tossed around is the idea tion aren’t able to limit its scope to questions Lido Cafe
agencies, commissions and boards are up for that the California state’s tax base is too narrow of governance rather than fiscal and regulatory Light Rail:
review every 12 years and are automatically abol- and hits the rich and corporations too hard, issues, we might look back fondly on 2009 as the 65/Folsom
4th Ave/Freeport
ished unless the legislature acts to keep them,” thereby discouraging investment. California For- budgetary golden years. Los Jarritos
Luna’s Cafe & Juice Bar
Mercy Hospital, 40th/J
Pancake Circus, 21st/

Location, Location, Location! Broadway

Planned
Parenthood:Franklin
Poorer neighborhoods still bear the brunt of environmental burdens Blvd, Watt Ave., 29th
St.
Queen of Tarts
By Rick Bettis Quick Market
The old real estate cliché “location, location, residents? Tests conducted by UC Davis research- South Sacramento demanded and received com- Sacramento Bagel,
location” remains one of the most regretfully ers have concluded that those living, working, or pensating benefits for the community disruption 47th/H
accurate facts of life. Socioeconomic status as going to school near freeways or other high traf- caused by the construction of the large Freeport Sacramento Natural
Foods Coop
exemplified by wealth and property values is fic roads such as Sacramento’s Watt Avenue are Water Authority diversion and pumping plant on Sacramento Public
often a determining factor subject to a much higher the Sacramento River. These efforts have resulted Library (Main & many
with regard to the potential “There is a long risk of lung disease and in similar consideration and mitigation measures branches)
for adverse environmental,
health and safety risks that
standing practice of heart attack than those
living at least 500 feet from
in Sacramento’s low income Meadowview neigh-
borhood, where the construction of pipelines to
Starbucks (B'wy & 35th)
The Beat
may be experienced by locating undesirable the road. Most at risk are deliver water from the Freeport Project is impact- The Bread Store
Time Tested Books
residents. That’s why the
Sierra Club joined others to
facilities in areas where the young and the elderly.
The research also found
ing residents.
We have made gains in our efforts to protect
Tower Theater (inside)
Tupelo (Elvas & 57th)
critically review and success- land values are low that consistently high noise the environment and residents of all socioeco- Underground Books
fully oppose a “Plasma Arc
Gasification” facility proposed
and the community levels also have significant
impacts on residents.
nomic areas, but there is still much evidence
that “He who has the gold rules” remains a near
(35th St. near B'way)
Weatherstone Coffee
to “gasify” Sacramento’s members do not have Railroads in the truism. Chico Area
municipal solid waste at more the means to oppose Sacramento area were Rick Bettis is a retired Civil Engineer and Davis
than 6000 degrees Fahrenheit, constructed prior to most member of the Sierra Club and Breathe Espresso Cafe Roma
producing energy and poten- projects.” urban development. Noise California. Davis Natural Food Coop
tially valuable by-products. and air pollution near the Newsbeat
This could have been a valuable facility since railroad corridors have resulted in nearby indus- University Mall
Sacramento currently contracts to have its solid trial development or relatively low income neigh- Grass Valley
waste trucked to a landfill in Nevada. However, borhoods. Employees in these areas and residents Briar Patch
investigations indicated that the gasification tech- are at higher risk of poor health due to their work Sacred Bee

Victory for FMLN

nology is not yet proven, and the facility could be environment and economic status. This is exacer- Greenhaven area
hazardous due to harmful emissions and poten- bated by the higher concentrations of polluted air Buckthorn’s Coffee,
tial accidents. from railroad engine emissions. 7465 Rush River Dr
from page 1 For a more complete list,
Other opposition to the gasification project The list goes on. For example, needed projects
visit our web site:
included Green Action, the Verde Group, and for flood protection may not be implemented Funes was all over the airwaves the day after www.bpmnews.org.
La Raza who were correctly concerned that this due to low property values in a given area, since the election describing his plans to turn the Sal- Where would you like to
project would be located in a lower income, pre- federal regulations require that the economic vadoran government’s focus to its impoverished see BPM?
dominantly minority neighborhood. benefits from a flood control project exceed the majority, while working with the business classes Let Paulette Cuilla know,
The environmental and social justice concerns cost when evaluated on a long term basis, such as to keep them from fleeing to Miami. The FMLN 916-422-1787.
raised were certainly valid since there is a long a “100 year economic life.” The economic benefits will now focus on getting a working majority
standing practice of locating undesirable facilities are determined by the value of the flood dam- in the next congressional election in 2012 and
in areas where land values are relatively low and ages prevented by the project, which is directly amending electoral laws to ensure the electoral
the community members do not have the means related to the value of the protected structures registry and financing are more transparent.
to effectively oppose projects. The same has been and homes. The cooperation of the Obama administration
true of freeway projects, such as Interstates 5 and In Sacramento, the Rio Linda area has been will be essential to Funes’ and the FMLN’s suc-
80 and Highway 50 and 99 in Sacramento, where subject to frequent flood damage, but flood con- cess—necessitating ongoing vigilance and activ-
locating the road through areas of lower land trol has never been economically justified due ism from the solidarity community.
values and less community resistance minimized to the semi-rural and less than affluent nature of
costs. Highway 99 cuts through more low income the area. Only recently, following new upscale Susan Scott is an attorney, formerly from Sac-
areas than any other, including Sacramento’s Oak development in the area, has a serious effort on ramento, who currently co-chairs the National
Park community. However a similar attempt to correcting the areas flooding problems been Lawyers Guild’s International Committee and
construct a new crossing of the American River pursued. Task Force on the Americas and who participated
in Carmichael was stopped by opposition from Occasionally, economically depressed areas can in the National Lawyers Guild’s Election Del-
vocal, affluent community members. benefit from the efforts of more advantaged com- egation to El Salvador for the 3/15 presidential
Do things like roadway projects really harm munities. Active residents in the Pocket Area in election.
8 BECAUSE PEOPLE MATTER May / June 2009

Because Raza Matter

Help keep Washington Neighborhood Center open

Aztec Dancer Marty

Navidad at the WNC
Photo: Andrea “YaYa” Porras
By Gia Moreno
The Washington Neighborhood Center
(WNC) is one of Sacramento’s oldest commu-
nity centers. Opening its doors to the commu-
nity in 1955, the center has provided cultural,
legal and educational services and assistance to
numerous generations in Sacramento. Today
this center provides services for over 200 people
each week. The majority of those benefiting
from WNC’s services are working families and
children coming from single-parent homes.
At a recent fundraising event, WNC supporter
and poet Jose Montoya explained that at one
time the center was controlled by outside hands.
But through community activism, the residents
(predominantly Latino) were able to win control
of the center and push its purpose to meet the
needs of their diverse and changing community.
Some of the programs provided at WNC
today include English classes, children’s art
classes and art classes for teens and adults. The
center houses Sacramento’s longest-standing
Aztec dance circle, a boxing program, a home-
work lab, a mentoring /tutoring program
through UC Davis, and provides recreational
sports, homeless assistance and music programs.
The main goal of the center is to be a safe and
fun environment for the community to enjoy.
Working together with various organizations
including the CSUS Barrio Art Program, Danza
Azteca Quetzalcoatl-Citlalli and Food Not
Bombs, it provides resources to educate partici-
pants, encourage healthy life choices, support
continued on page 9

Adult and teen students at Barrio Art

Photo: Gia Moreno
 November / December 2005 BECAUSE PEOPLE MATTER 9

Familes enjoyed children’s

programs at the WNC
Photo: Andrea “YaYa” Porras

Above: Quetzalcoalt-Citlalli making gifts for their October dance

ceremony.
Photo: Gia Moreno

education and promote active participation in their community’s

future.
An example of this goal is the art program offered at the center,
which is the result of a 30-year partnership between the WNC
and the CSUS Barrio Art Program. This program was created to
help Sac State students gain teaching experience while provid-
ing art education to the community. The art produced is also
purposeful, teaching students about their cultures and exploring
identity.
Likewise, the center’s boxing program has been in place for
several decades, producing numerous title winners and offering
young men a structured sport. Local boxing legends Willie Jorrin,
Miguel Pantoja, Richard Duran and World Champion winners
Tony Lopez and Loreto Garza all trained at the WNC. The boxing
program is currently home to several young boxers on their way
to title winning careers. Caring staff trainers guide youth so that
they become capable boxers as well as capable young men.
But like most non-profit organizations, the WNC has taken
many economic hits over the years, including a costly lawsuit over
facility rental and has struggled to recoup and raise funds as the
economy has worsened. Today the center is working fervently Quetzalcoalt-Citlalli member Amber Benavente at
to keep its doors open and its lights on. At a recent fundraiser, DQU Sunrise Ceremony
Director of Quetzalcoalt-Citlalli Chuy Ortiz Ocelotl, one of two Photo: Andrea “YaYa” Porras
Danza Azteca groups housed by the center, shared that the center
has been open to Danza since he began dancing over 20 years ago.
“This is my house, it’s our house, it’s for everyone” said Ortiz Oce-
lotl, encouraging supporters at the event to continue their efforts
to keep the center up and running.
Currently WNC is hosting a Spring/Summer Concert Series to
raise money and offer a monthly Saturday night activity for the
community. Find information about these concerts and other
WNC activities at www.freecal.brownbearsw.com/wnc.
The WNC is always open to new members and volunteers. Help
keep this grassroots organization going and preserve WNC, a
center that’s been working for its community for over 60 years.
Donate and find out how you can help at www.akathecenter.com
or call (916) 444-6833. WNC is located at 400 16th Street, Sacra-
mento, in the Washington Neighborhood.
Gia Moreno is a CSUS student, current WNC board member and
active participant in WNC programs, including Danza Azteca

Donate to the Washington Neighborhood Center

400 16th Street, Sacramento, CA 95816
916.444 .6833
www.akathecenter.com.
Youth playing hoops at the WNC.
Photo: Gia Moreno
10 Because People Matter May / June 2009 www.bpmnews.org

Sacramento Area Peace Action (SacPeace)

916-448-7157 • [email protected] • www.sacpeace.org

Apartheid and Racism: The Legacy of the Nakbah

“We must expel Arabs and take their places.” all land transfers moved in one direction—from held a protest rally regarding the deliberate policy
—David Ben Gurion, Israeli Prime Minister, Palestinians to the state—and never vice versa…. of ‘importing’ foreign workers which leads to
1937 [the result was] the encirclement of most Pales- unemployment among Arab Israeli women.
“[T]he state of Israel practices its own, quite vio- tinian villages by exclusively Jewish settlements One of the protesters stated, “We have nothing
lent, form of Apartheid with the native Palestin- (where non-Jews are not permitted to purchase against foreign workers, but their import must be
ian population.” housing) and the practical ghettoization of the stopped—slave labor at NIS 13 (just over $3) per
—Shulamit Aloni, former Education Minister Palestinian minority.” hour must be stopped. Is it any wonder they are
of Israel, January 8, 2007 hired over us? We demand to be paid the mini-
“The State of Israel is the Jewish people’s state.” Institutionalized Discrimination mum wage.”
—MK Michael Ben-Ari, Jewish-Israel par- (aka Apartheid)
ticipant in March 24, 2009 march against the In February, 2007 Adalah, the Legal Center What you can do
Palestinian-Israeli residents of Um Al Fahm for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, presented a More and more Americans want to know how
report to the United Nations addressing Israel’s a modern day state that calls itself a democracy
Palestinian-Israelis violation of the International Convention on the can get away with ethnic cleansing (population
As people learn about and become active in Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimina- transfer), apartheid, discrimination and the
ending the Israeli occupation of Palestine, they tion, to which Israel is a signatory. Among these indiscriminate wholesale slaughter of innocents
often don’t realize that there are nearly 1.5 mil- violations are: the allocation of land to Jews only, as witnessed recently in Gaza. While putting
lion Palestinians who hold Israeli citizenship. the denial of certain social and financial benefits pressure on the US Congress and President is
They are a significant minority (20%), and most to Palestinian-Israelis, allowing severe interroga- important, people are also looking to the success
live in Palestinian villages and towns or in seg- tion methods against certain detainees (most of of the boycott, divestment and sanctions cam-
regated neighborhoods of mixed Palestinian & whom are Arabs), extreme discrimination in the paign against the South African apartheid regime
Jewish-Israeli cities. They are the survivors and budgets allotted to Arab towns, the demolition of as a way to get Israel to end its apartheid, occu-
their descendants from the Nakbah (catastrophe) Arab homes in the Negev and unequal standards pation and denial of the right of the Palestinian
of 1947-48, when well-armed Zionist colonial for accepting Arab students into higher-educa- refugees to return to their homes and lands.
militias drove about 800,000 Palestinian men, tion institutions. You can participate by not buying items
women and children from their homes and lands. Israel’s 2003 Citizenship Law bans family marked ‘Made in Israel,’ or those with 729 at the
Palestinian-Israelis do not have the same rights, reunification between any Palestinian citizen beginning of the barcode and by participating
protections or benefits as Jewish-Israelis. They of Israel and West Bank or Gazan Palestinians. in campaigns directed at specific companies like
are subjected to discriminatory treatment by Palestinian-Israelis who marry Palestinians that Motorola, L’Oreal, Caterpillar and others. For
the police and courts, and violent attacks from are not Israeli citizens are prohibited from bring- more info, check out: bdsmovement.net, break-
Jewish-Israelis. Israeli party leaders including ing their spouses to live with them inside Israel. thesiege.net and endtheoccupation.org.
Tzipi Livni and Avigdor Lieberman advocate for As stated on Adalah’s website: “Israel never
an Israeli state without Palestinians. sought to assimilate or integrate the Palestinian
Until 1966, Palestinian-Israelis were under population, treating them as second-class citizens
military rule, which restricted their movement, and excluding them from public life and the
prohibited their political organizations and cen- public sphere. The state practiced systematic and
sored their publications. In 1956, the Israeli army institutionalized discrimination.”
killed 49 Palestinian farmers returning home
from their fields in Kufr Kasem for “violating” a Attacks by Jewish-Israelis
curfew they did not know about. Palestinians citizens of Israel not only have to
fear their government but their fellow citizens.
Land Theft The Mossawa Advocacy Center for Arab Citizens
Before the Nakbah, Zionists owned about in Israel reported a tenfold increase in racist inci-
6% of the land in Palestine, mostly purchased dents against Arabs from 2007 to 2008. Accord-
from absentee landlords. After 1948, the Zion- ing to their March 2009 Racism Report, “almost
ists seized the lands of the Palestinians they had every day another citizen in Israel becomes a
evicted and about 2/3 of the land of the Palestin- victim of racist action. Most of these victims are
ians who remained. By the end of the 1980s, 80% Arab citizens.”
of lands taken by force from Palestinians were An example is the pogrom that Jewish-Israelis
reserved for the exclusive use of Jewish-Israelis. in Akka waged against their fellow Palestinian-
Between 1949 and 1950, Israel passed laws Israeli townspeople in October 2008. It started
Above, logo of the UK Israel Boycott Campaign.
institutionalizing their land theft. Israel’s Absen- when a Palestinian-Israeli drove into a pre- Note: you should also check products for a “country
tee Property Law denied Palestinians the right dominantly Jewish housing project to pick up his of origin” label. The bar codes seem to be purchased
to return or claim their personal property. The daughter from her fiancé’s just before midnight in blocks by trade associations, so some Israeli goods
might not have 729, and some with 729 might not be
“Law of Return” guaranteed every Jew in world on Yom Kippur. Although it is legal to drive on made in Israel.
the right to immigrate to and settle in Israel on Yom Kippur, a group of Jewish youths attacked
land stolen from the Palestinians. The Transfer of the car and then the fiancé’s home, chanting
Property Law prohibits land which belonged to a “death to Arabs.” Clashes between Palestinian-
Jew from being sold to an Arab. Israelis and Jewish-Israelis ensued; several Arab
As Israeli Professor Oren Yiftachel writes in his and Jewish businesses were damaged. Hundreds
article, “Democracy or Ethnocracy,” “With the of Jewish-Israeli youth threw stones at and set Palestine Speaker
establishment of the state, the Jewish settlement
project swung into full gear with a mission to
fire to Palestinian homes; three homes were com-
pletely destroyed. Series
de-Arabize the country…. Israel created an insti-
tutional and legal land regime whereby confis- Employment Discrimination Third Tuesdays, 7PM
cated land did not merely become state land, but Sawt el-Amel/The Laborer’s Voice, reported 909 12th Street, Sacramento,
jointly belonged to the entire Jewish people, and that most Arab railroad crossing guards in Israel Info: 916-448-7157, www.sacpeace.org
was prohibited from being sold. This ensured that were to lose their jobs on April 1, 2009. Many May 19 - Current Realities/One State, 
had been employed for years. The mass layoff was Dr. Jess Ghanam, Clinical Professor of Psy-
the result of Israel Railway now requiring work- chiatry, UC San Francisco, and board mem-
ers to have a permit to carry weapons, thereby ber of the Gaza Community Mental Health
Join Sacramento Area Peace Action! excluding nearly all Palestinian Arab citizens of
Israel. While the job does not involve bearing
Program.
June 16 - Two Sacramentans’ Impressions of
arms, the recent layoff is an instructive example Palestine, 
Send your Name, Address, Email and Phone, of how Palestinian workers are systematically Maggie Coulter, Sacramento Area Peace
with your check made payable to SAPA: excluded from the Israeli labor market and Action president, and Patricia Daugherty,
$30/individual; $52/family; $15 low-income explains why they are grossly underrepresented Peace Action member and community
to: in public sector jobs. (These jobs also require a activist.
permit to carry a weapon). In an act of further Organized by Sacramento Area Peace Action,
Sacramento Area Peace Action discrimination, it was reported that workers Al-Awda Sacramento, and National Council
909 12th St, Suite 118 meeting the new requirement were to be given a of Arab Americans.
Sacramento, CA 95814 15% raise.
Recently, dozens of Palestinian-Israeli women
 www.bpmnews.org May / June 2009 BECAUSE PEOPLE MATTER 11

Educational Homestay Programs

Two French boys learn
to grind grain the old
“Californian” way at Fort
Host families needed for this summer! Sutter.
Photo courtesy of Education First

By Elle Bustamante
also have a network of host families to help with
Education First (EF)’s Educational Homestay car-pooling, emergencies and scheduling situa-
Program is a non-profit organization dedicated tions. Our staff provides 24-hour support to host
to promoting international student exchange. families and students.
In today’s world it is exceedingly important for This is a once in a lifetime experience! We care-
young people to expand their horizons. Our fully select host families and work to match the
Below: Students on a ride
programs allow students ages 12-18 to experi- right student with the right family. We ask that
ence life North American style as they improve you provide a bed, three meals a day and trans-
in Santa Cruz.
Photo courtesy of Education First
their English by attending 2-8 week language portation to their bus pick up. Most importantly,
programs. we want students to be treated as family, to eat
You can help break down language and cultural what your family eats, to do chores, and to get to
barriers by hosting an international student. In know and interact with your family and friends.
return, you’ll learn about your host student’s This is where much of their learning happens.
culture, language and customs. Over 120,000 stu- Your family will develop a meaningful relation-
dents from 30 countries have participated in the ship and learn about a new culture. You will also
program over the last 40 years. receive 10% off any EF program and earn points
This summer, we have 93 students coming towards travel vouchers. It is never too early to
from Russia, France and Spain. They arrive July sign up. If you do not have time this summer,
1st and leave July 27th, just 4 weeks! contact us about future programs.
They’ll attend English and cultural courses
during the weekday mornings and have orga- For more information, contact Maryann Wal-
nized and escorted afternoon activities after- ton, Site Director, 916-969-9162 or go to www.
wards. Weekends and evenings are open. We efhomestay.org.

Book Review
The Ayatollah Begs to Differ: The Paradox of Modern Iran,
by Hooman Majd, Doubleday, 2008, hardback, 260 pages.
Reviewed by Brigitte Jaensch
the Shah and his maternal grandfather was an Iran and about 90% of Iranians are
United States-Iran troubles date from 1951 Ayatollah and theologian, among whose Uni- Shia Muslim, but Islam, Judaism,
when Iran’s democratically elected Prime Minis- versity of Tehran students were many of today’s Christianity and Zoroastrianism are
ter, Mohammad Mossadeq, began to nationalize Ayatollahs. the country’s four officially recog-
Iran’s industries. To stop that, the Central Intelli- The book takes us to meetings with govern- nized and constitutionally protected
gence Agency under President Eisenhower staged ment officials and to gatherings in the homes of religions. And Majd tells us, “The
a coup d’état. The prime minister was ousted Majd’s friends. Along the way, we learn about the Islamic Revolution was as much a
and a monarch, Shah Reza Pahlavi, was put in literal and figurative walls between private and social revolution as it was political.”
power. Twenty-five years later, in 1979, Iranians, public space. We also learn that the Shah, who For example, President Ama-
who had suffered enough under the Shah and his insisted “on peering over the walls, was doomed dinejad, the son of a blacksmith,
notoriously brutal SAVAK (National Intelligence to fail,” writes Majd, and the Islamic government “elevated himself above what would
and Security Organization), revolted and brought succeeds “despite its restrictions on public behav- have been his social status in the
the Islamic Republic to power. ior” because it usually respects private space. Iran of yesteryear.” There is no
After this the Shah fled to the US and when We are introduced to ta’arouf, the long-winded presidential palace or anything like
President Carter refused to return the Shah to small talk that prefaces “serious negotiation or the White House, explains Majd,
Iran to stand trial, a group of Tehran students insincere but well-intentioned politesse” and to and “the presidential automobile is
took some 50 US Embassy personnel hostage gholov, “boastful exaggeration which is almost a a Peugeot (albeit armored).” Majd
and kept them for more than a year. In 1980, the national trait,” according to Majd. And we also goes on, writing that Amadinejad “lives in the
US encouraged Iraq to attack Iran and a horrible find out that the kind of reform people want is same house he always has in a lower-middle-class
eight year war ensured. And for more than thirty incremental change, nothing unsettling like the neighborhood.” He is aware that his man-of-the-
years, the US, with the help of some other coun- 1979 revolution. people image, although ridiculed by some, makes
tries, has crippled the Islamic Republic of Iran Majd also presents us with the fact that Islam him popular particularly to non-elite groups.
with severe economic and trade sanctions. and democracy are complementary, not oppo- Written in a conversational style, The Ayatollah
After 9/11, relations between the two countries sitional. Or as one Iranian in Majd’s book put it: Begs to Differ provides insight and understanding
could have improved. Iran provided the US “Islam is one of the foundations of our culture, through examples and experiences. The book
with intelligence information about Al Qaeda and it will influence our democracy. Of course makes no excuses for Iran’s failings and is often
and helped drive out Afghanistan’s Taliban. But Islam must adjust to democracy as well.” critical, but never spiteful.
President Bush branded Iran part of the “axis Iran has a proud 2,500 year history. Its people
of evil” with claims that are essentially a replay are “Persians, Turks, Turkmen, Arabs, Kurds
of US accusations against Iraq in the lead-up to and a slew of other races, often intermingled to
the invasion: weapons of mass destruction, state the point where it is impossible to say with any
sponsor of terrorism, regime change. certainty what one Iranian’s heritage is” explains
Since the November 2008 election, Congres- Majd. For at least 250 years, Iran hasn’t initiated

Green
sional Democrats, principally Gary Ackerman attack on any country. But the horrors of the
(D-NY), and folks like Steny Hoyer (D-MD), 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq War (a war started by Iraq
Howard Berman (D-CA), Henry Waxman with the support of the US) remain so fresh in
(D-CA) and Robert Wexler (D-FL), have headed people’s memory that they hope never to experi-
the “get Iran” campaign. For his part, President
Obama is sending mixed signals. In mid-March
ence war again.
Today Iran is called the Islamic Republic of INVESTING
he sent Iranians New Year’s congratulations
(albeit laced with scolding and warnings) and Align your investments
maintains that he is interested in diplomacy. But
worryingly, it’s American Israel Public Affairs with your values
Committee-toady Dennis Ross, whom Obama
tasked with reviewing US Iran policy.
So now’s definitely an important time to learn 916/444.2233
more about Iran and The Ayatollah Begs to Differ: Midtown Sacramento Bob Dreizler
Chartered Financial
The Paradox of Modern Iran is a good primer. Consultant
Investment Management &
Its author, Hooman Majd, was born in Tehran, Hourly Financial Consultation Author of Tending Your
raised in the US and England, lives in New York Money Garden
City, and has spent time in Iran throughout Registered Representative and

his life. He’s neither pro-Shah nor pro-Islamic Investment Advisory Representative www.bobdreizler.com
with Protected Investors of America.
Republic. His father was a diplomat under
12 Because People Matter May / June 2009 www.bpmnews.org

The Green Gov? Think Again!

Schwarzenegger links wilderness bill to
destructive peripheral canals
By Dan Bacher  declining estuary when dramatic cuts in water 1990 and 1999 and increased to an average of 6
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, in yet one exports to corporate agribusiness and the retire- MAF between 2000 and 2007, a rise of almost
more sickening attempt to portray himself as ment of drainage-impaired land in the Westlands 30%, according the California Sportfishing Pro-
the “Green Governor” while Water District are urgently tection Alliance (CSPA). 
continuing his unprecedented While Schwarzenegger needed to restore Central While Schwarzenegger once acted the role of
war on fish and the environ- once acted the role of Valley Chinook salmon, the Terminator, now he’s playing the “Fish Ter-
Noon Hour ment, praised President steelhead, green sturgeon, minator” in real life. When he leaves office, he
Witness Against the Obama’s signing of the Omni- the Terminator, now delta smelt, longfin smelt, will leave behind an unprecedented toxic green
Death Penalty. bus Public Land Management he’s playing the “Fish Sacramento splittail, striped path of salmon and other fish populations on the
Third Mondays Act while incongruously link- bass, threadfin shad, Ameri- abyss of extinction, rivers devastated by siltation
12noon to 1pm. ing it to an environmentally Terminator” in real life. can shad and other fish that and suction dredge gold mining, poisoned wells
11th and L Streets destructive peripheral canal depend on the estuary for in the San Joaquin Valley and no-fishing zones
State Capitol proposal.  their survival.  on the coast. 
INFO: 455-1796 It shows how the Governor can give even a At the same time, Schwarzenegger is doing When are the leaders of national environ-
good bill, one that provides funds for San Joa- everything he can to pull the biggest defenders mental groups going to have some courage and
quin River salmon and steelhead restoration and of fish and the environment—sustainable com- expose the Governor for the environmental
grants wild and scenic status to more California mercial and recreational fishermen and seaweed fraud that he is? When is the mainstream media
rivers, a toxic green taint!  harvesters—off the water by creating massive going to wake up to the fact that there is nothing
“Preserving and restoring California’s wilder- marine protected areas on the North Coast of green about Schwarzenegger other than the cor-
ness and waterways has been a top priority California, a region already devas- porate money that he and his staff worship? 
of my Administration tated by de-facto marine protected For more information about what you can do
and I am pleased that areas and fishing closures, in a to save Central valley salmon, southern resident
our environmental privately funded process rife with killer whales and the Delta, go to www.calsport.
goals will be fur- conflict of interest, mission creep and a org, www.water4fish.org and www.restorethe-
thered by many lack of transparency.  delta.org. 
aspects Grass roots environmentalists from the
of this North Coast, in contrast to corporate funded
“environmentalists” that gush about how “green”
the Governor is in their press releases, are fight- Organic Consumers Association
ing Schwarzenegger’s fast track MPLA (Marine News you can use!
Life Protection Act) because it would devastate
bill, specifically the San coastal communities and pave the way for cor-
Joaquin River Restoration Act,” porate aquaculture, PG&E’s wave energy projects
claimed Schwarzenegger. “This and offshore oil drilling in remote areas such as
bill preserves 700,000-plus acres of California’s Point Arena. 
pristine wilderness and also provides additional Schwarzenegger’s “green” record on restoring
funding to supplement the millions of dollars California’s waterways and fisheries includes: 
California has already invested to restore the • Vetoing legislation to limit the destructive
San Joaquin River—helping rejuvenate a critical impact of suction dredge mining on salmon
fishery, restore a devastated habitat and improve and steelhead in northern California rivers, 
a water-delivery network that is the lifeblood of a • Sending layoff notices to 98 game wardens The Organic Consumers Association (OCA)
Central Valley farming economy all Californians and cadets from the California Department sifts through the media smog and brings
Sacramento depend on.” of Fish and Game (DFG) at a time when fish you the top news and analysis of the day and
Soapbox The operative phrase is “improve a water deliv- and wildlife populations are under attack by forums for consumers like you.
Progressive Talk Show ery network.” When Schwarzenegger talks about poachers and California has the lowest ratio With a website posting 10 or more news
Access Sacramento,
“improving” water delivery, he means building of wardens to state residents of any state in articles each day, and a library of over 40,000
Channel 17 with
Jeanie Keltner. a peripheral canal and more dams—a goal that the country, articles covering issues including health, jus-
he shares with Senator Dianne Feinstein and • Pressuring the Central Valley Regional Water tice, food and farming, politics and the envi-
Monday, 8pm, Tuesday
the Nature Conservancy in their questionable Resources Control Board to grant waivers to ronment, make it a bookmark!
noon, Wednesday, 4am.
Now in Davis, Channel alliance to destroy the Sacramento-San Joaquin agricultural polluters at the expense of fish www.OrganicConsumers.org
15, Tuesday, 7pm. River Delta, the largest estuary on the West Coast in the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers
of the Americas. Schwarzenegger’s version of and farm workers in rural communities with An OCA Supporter who lived through the
“environmentalism” is nothing more than corpo- poisoned wells, Great Depression offers sustainability advice
rate greenwashing on a massive scale in collusion • And allowing tens of thousands of striped and praise
with “Gang Green” groups such as the Nature bass, Sacramento blackfish, Sacramento “I eat all natural foods and I’m still active
Conservancy. splittail and other fish to perish during the and healthy at age 86… Last week I planted
His claim that, “preserving and restoring Prospect Island fish kill in November 2007. 3 more dwarf fruit trees so I now have 12 of
California’s wilderness and waterways has been a various kinds. I COOK my food and don’t eat
top priority” of his Administration is simply not However, the most egregious attack that the out of a box. I home-can, dry and freeze my
backed up by his actual record in office. Schwar- Schwarzenegger administration has launched on surplus summer foods just like your great-
zenegger’s administration has presided over the California’s fisheries was when he allowed the grandmother used to do. I grow a small vege-
collapse of Central Valley Chinook salmon, delta Department of Water Resources, in collabora- table garden and also a medicinal herb garden.
smelt, longfin smelt, green sturgeon and other tion with the Bureau of Reclamation under the Everything is organic. I’ve studied herbs for
fish populations, along with imperiling the south- Bush administration, to export record amounts some years. I grew up during the Depression
ern resident population of killer whales (orcas).  of water to Westlands, the Kern County Water of the 30s and I can do it again. People can be
Resources Secretary Mike Chrisman and Bank and southern California at great expense surprised by how many things they can do,
Schwarzenegger are working to exacerbate the to Delta fish and Central Valley salmon. Record and do without, when it comes to food. But we
imperiled status of these fish by pushing for the water export levels occurred in 2004 (6.1 Million NEED small organic farmers too. I’m thankful
construction of a peripheral canal and more Acre-Feet), 2005 (6.5 MAF) and 2006 (6.3 MAF). I found your website. Keep up the good work.”
dams. They want to divert more water out of the Exports averaged 4.6 MAF annually between —Ruth C.

Mention Because People Matter or Sacramento Soapbox when

making a purchase, and 50% of the purchase price will be The City of Sacramento Neighborhood
donated to that project!
Services Department
proudly presents a FREE Green
Gardening Class
Sunday, May 3, 2009 from 2-5pm
South Natomas Community Center
2921 Truxel Rd, Sacramento
Class will be taught by professionals
including the UC Cooperative Extension,
Sacramento County Master Gardeners
and local gardeners. For more information
call 916-808-6789.
 www.bpmnews.org May / June 2009 BECAUSE PEOPLE MATTER 13

Lemon Hill Neighborhood Teens’ Question on the Street

This question was produced by 15 year old Alejandra Lopez and 17 year old Alicia Garcia.

What would you tell President Obama?

Name: Yvonne Name: Seraiya

Age: 14 Age: 16
Name: Alexander Grade: 9 Grade: 10
Age: 16 “I would ask him to silence the violence in my “I would tell Obama to help the schools in my
Grade: 10 neighborhood.” community because they are poor and kids aren’t
”I would ask him to help raise the economy getting the education they deserve.”
because a lot of people are suffering.”

Name: Izzy Name: Desire Name: Sarah

Age: 16yrs Age: 16yrs Age: 15
Grade: 10 Grade: 10 Grade: 10
“EMPLOYMENT!! We need more jobs.” “Ask him for grants for our schools and help “I would ask him to clean up our parks so more
maintain peace in our neighborhoods.” families could have more fun outdoors.”

New Opportunities for the Youth of Lemon Hill

South Sacramento coalition offers leadership opportunities, hope
By Rachel Iskow
survey revealed top concerns as the need for realize you are listening to tomorrow’s leaders. Coffee from
At a recent meeting of the South Sacramento increased safety, jobs for youth and exploring You realize the enormous impact of these pro- Nicaragua
Coalition (SSC) for Future Leaders, young arts and music. grams. Young people in Lemon Hill are working
Support Sacramento’s
people participated side by side with adults who Based on survey results the SSC developed to divert their peers from the criminal justice
sister city, San Juan
represented various organizations dedicated to strategies and programs, including a mini-grant system and in the process, developing personal de Oriente, Nicaragua,
working with Lemon Hill community youth. program whose funding decisions are made pride. You can’t help feeling optimistic! by purchasing organic
Funded in part by a grant from the Sierra exclusively by youth participants. One program See a short photo story made by Lemon Hill whole-bean coffee
Health Foundation, the coalition is coordinated receiving funding is a peer mediation program youth at www.mutualhousing.com. And for grown in the rich
by Sacramento Mutual Housing Association and born out of the Healthy Start program. Here, this issue of BPM, Lemon Hill youth conducted a volcanic soil on the
includes residents, community organizations, youth are trained to provide intervention and “question on the street” among their peers found island of Omotepe,
Nicaragua.
educational institutions and service agencies in support for students experiencing harassment below. Thanks to the efforts of
Lemon Hill. With the Sierra Health Foundation with the goal of de-escalating disputes before the Bainbridge-Omotepe
grant, the group is building youth leadership they turn violent. For more information about the South Sac- Sister Island Association
opportunities. Talking with the trained students who proudly ramento Coalition for Future Leaders, contact in Washington, we are
Two years ago, youth surveyed their peers to describe their work and contributions toward Emily Bender at SMHA Emily@mutualhousing. able to bring you this
identify the top concerns in Lemon Hill. The creating a safer community, you can’t help but com. wonderful medium roast
coffee.
Your purchase helps the
farmers on the island
and helps support
Sacramento’s long
relationship with San
Roediger from page 6 Juan de Oriente.
All profits go directly
back to the Nicaraguan
slaves transformed the Civil War from one seem- ing back of the “jubilee” of Black emancipation in not only homeowners, but white homeowners, communities.
ingly over constitutional issues to one effecting the South, wedges between labor’s, women’s and not only as workers but as white workers. $9.00 a pound.
emancipation—they did this by finding ways African American struggles appeared nationally. We live with the results of the advances, the Available in Sacramento
to move to the Union Army, or at least off of Moreover, the post-Civil War Republicans, seem- incompleteness of the advances, and the fact that at: The Book Collector,
plantations, well before that army considered the ingly a promising vehicle for abolition-democra- some unities have been premised on exclusions 1008 24th St.
escaped slave anything but “contraband” prop- cy, proved far more a party of capital and rapid of those most oppressed. We struggle not just to
erty—their freedom struggle provided what Marx expansion onto Indian lands. complete half-done struggles, but to reverse the
called a “moral impetus” to workers and dream- Many of the new unities that were forged, results—and continuing practice—of building a
ers generally. Among whites, suddenly demands for example among workers from countless sense of commonalities based on excluding the
for an eight-hour day and for women’s suffrage European nationalities coming to think they had most vulnerable, whether the so-called “illegal,”
went from being utopian hopes to the objects of things in common, stopped short of challenging the incarcerated, or poor people of color in
electrifying struggles. the inegalitarianism of the whole social order, so general.
However, even as terror and the successful that they might be tempted to see themselves as Seth Sandronsky lives and writes in
courting of capitalist interests allowed for a turn- not only Americans, but also white Americans, Sacramento.
14 Because People Matter May / June 2009 www.bpmnews.org

You Said It
BPM reader commentary

No Bailouts Here Let’s Fix a Broken On the Levee

Housing crisis contributes to jail
over-crowding
System! Bottle collectors and
hedge-funders
By Rachel Iskow US criminal justice system has to By Michael Stavros
Sacramento, CA
change Sacramento, CA
Get out of jail…free? Well, it never was free
By Karl Halfman Walking along the levee, I spotted a person, off
Sacramento, CA
for those accused of most crimes. Families have in the distance stopped at a dumpster. I slowed
always had to come up with money to pay bail or US Senator James Webb (D-VA) recently my pace. I could see now—he was about 40 years
a bail bond. But journalist Jonah Owen Lamb of introduced The National Criminal Justice Com- old. He reached into the dumpster and pulled out
the Merced Sun Star made an interesting observa- mission Act of 2009 (S. 714). According to two big black plastic bags that had come from the
tion after speaking with Merced bail bondsmen. Senator Webb’s website, S. 714 would “create a park trash cans. My pace slowed to a full stop.
Lamb explained in a March 30 article that blue-ribbon commission charged with conduct- Unexpectedly, the man jumped into the dump-
there is a growing “inability to post bail [that] has ing an 18-month, top-to-bottom review of the ster. I sat down, mesmerized. I could hear the
been made worse by job losses and the increas- nation’s entire criminal justice system and offer- clanking of bottles. “Good one!” I thought, as if
ingly high cost of living. The result has been more ing concrete recommendations for reform.” he’d struck gold.
crowding in county jails and an increase in early My cheering soon turned to embarrassment
releases as well as bail reductions...” “I’ve been increasingly and anger—not at him, but at those who had
How do family members ever manage to disturbed by the rate at gambled and hedged and optioned our economy
obtain bonds when bail is set at tens of thou- into this sad state, those who had made off with
sands of dollars? Large bail bonds are usually which the US incarcerates our nation’s wealth—like Bernard “Made off.”
secured by deeds of trust on real property. Now, its citizens…” How could they place others in the same des-
increasing numbers of homes are “upside down,” perate survival situation that caused this man to
meaning they are worth less than the mortgages Senator Webb’s effort to radically overhaul the stumble around in a dumpster? He jumped in
owed on those homes. Lamb’s report found that criminal justice system is refreshing! I’ve been and out of the dumpster several times over the
as homeowners end up with upside down mort- increasingly disturbed by the rate at which the next half hour, pulling out bottles and cans and
gages, they lose the equity in their homes and bail US incarcerates its citizens—citizens who hap- eventually accumulating them into the big black
bond companies can’t use these properties as col- pen to be disproportionately of color, under-edu- plastic bags.
lateral. This leaves family members helpless when cated and poor, for crimes that are largely rooted Finishing, he efficiently collected all the gar-
it comes to getting their loved ones out of jail. in drug use and mental illness. The US has the bage that had made its way out of the dumpster,
It’s starting to sound like there is a good argu- world’s highest incarceration rate (756 out of returning every last scrap to the smelly container.
ment for using federal stimulus dollars to help every 100,000 people), more than Russia (626), He delicately balanced two heavy bags over his
low and moderate income people get out of jail, Rwanda (593), Cuba (531) and China (423)! shoulders. The weight of the bottles slowed him
at least until they have their day in court. As an When I was summoned for jury duty in down as he climbed over the top of the levee and
alternative, why not set up those funds by taking March, I decided it was time to take a stand! disappeared down the street.
a percentage of profits from those companies that During jury selection, I would state that I would I calculated the distance of the nearest store
received federal “bailouts”? nullify any law with which I disagreed. If it was where he could redeem his bounty. I figured the
a non-violent drug possession case, for example, man did all this for a meager $3.
I would vote “not guilty” regardless of the facts How could those deregulated hedge-funders
of the case because locking up another person in and debt traders so heartlessly cheat and scam
our overcrowded prisons diverts taxpayer money and gamble—and plunge hard-working, innova-
Great Holiday from other societal needs, denies a family a par- tive people like this man into an utter desperate
Gift Idea! ent and makes it difficult for the convicted to
find employment and housing upon release.
struggle for survival? How could those profi-
teers—who already had more than they could
While Senator Webb’s bill is a good start, we ever spend or count—walk away with their extra
need to do more. But politicians want to be re- millions?
elected and won’t risk being labeled as “soft on When did work become so devalued and the
crime” by their opponents or losing financial sup- quest for wealth so corrupt? How could this
port from prison guard unions, prison construc- immorality happen? Perhaps we all should have
tion and supply companies and victims groups. been more involved and gotten angry sooner.
Formerly Simply put, jurors must act as the Fourth
the
Branch of Government and reject laws that are Michael Stavros is one of the Producers of
bad public policy. Only when juries exercise their Media Edge (Ch 17, Sundays 8–10pm) and the
No longer distributed free: right of nullification will lawmakers act. owner of Alliance Audio-Visual & Video.
It was either switch to subscriptions or
go out of business. The good news:
we’ve added a lot more great content,
and it’s CHEAP! Just $17.95/year Straight Out Scribes Reunion!
(12 issues) when you sign up online! On a rare visit to the Capital City, Staa- maican American Student Cultural
jabu will join daughter V.S. Chochezi Exchange (JASAC).
in delivering some of their energetic, They have produced 6 books of
it gives rhythmic, speaking-truth-to-power poetry and two spoken word CD’s.
us hope - poetry at several popular poetry Their poetry, stories, features and
and it’s venues. articles have appeared in numerous
darn funny The Scribes were more than the publications.
too!
most dynamic award-winning poetry
duo in the city and the only mother/ Vibe with the Scribes at one or all of
Current issue available daughter poetry team in the area from the following events:
at Newsbeat and 1990 to 2006. They were producers,
coordinators and moderators of a Thursday, May 7, 8pm - Luna’s Café,
fine comic book stores. ten-year-long poetry series and many 1414 16th Street. 916-444-3931. Mario
local cultural staples. Ellis Hill will host.
w w w. H u m o r T i m e s . c o m They are proud supporters of the
campaign to Save Mumia Abu-Jamal, Saturday, May 16, 7pm - Carol’s Books,
V.S. Chochezi (l) and Staajabu
the MOVE 9, Loaves and Fishes, the 1913 Del Paso Blvd. 916-565-3845.
Mustard Seed School and the Ja- Vince Kobelt will host.

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 www.bpmnews.org May / June 2009 BECAUSE PEOPLE MATTER 15

Send calendar items for the July /August 2009 issue to [email protected]

May / June Calendar by June 10, with “calendar item” in the subject line. Make it short, and PLEASE use this
format: Day, Date. Name of event. Description (1–2 lines). Time. Location. Price.
INFO: phone#; e-mail.
For the most current listing of Sacramento peace & justice events, go to www.sacpeace.
ONGOING EVENTS org. For weekly updates, email [email protected] and put SacPeaceUpdates in the subject.

11th OF EVERY MONTH: 1st WEDNESDAYS: Peace & 1st SATURDAYS: Health
Sacramento 9/11 Truth Freedom Party. 7pm. INFO: Care for All. 10am–noon. COMMUNITY CALENDAR
Demonstration. 11th and L 456-4595. Hart Senior Ctr, 27th &
Sts. INFO: www.truthaction. 3rd WEDNESDAYS: CAAC J. For single-payer uni- Sunday, May 3 Sunday, May 17
org, 916-372-8433. Goes t o the Movies. versal health care. INFO: PSR/Sacramento Scholarship Essay Contest Din- Human rights lawyer, author, professor and
MONDAYS: Sacramento 7:15pm. INFO: 446-3304. 916-424-5316; cnegrete@ ner and Finals. Hear the ten student finalists pres- activist Ann Fagan Finger, founder and execu-
Poetry Center hosts poetry comcast.net. ent their essays. They will receive over $10,000 tive director of the Meiklejohn Civil Liberties
THURSDAYS: Urban Farm in scholarships. Dinner at 6 pm, presentations Institute in Berkeley, will talk about her latest
readings. 7:30pm. 1719 Stand, 4–7pm, River Gar- 1st SATURDAYS: Sacra- at 7 pm. Dante Club at 2330 Fair Oaks, Sac. Cost book, “Undoing the Bush-Cheney legacy.” 3:30
25th Street. www.sacra- den Estates, 2201 North- mento Area Peace Action (includes dinner) $30 ($15 student). INFO: www. pm. Time Tested Books, 1114 21st.
mentopoetrycenter.org. view Dr. Vigil. 11:30am–1:30pm. sacpsr.org, [email protected], or 916 955-6333.
Arden and Heritage (en- Monday, May 18, (and every 3rd Monday)
1st MONDAYS: Organ- THURSDAYS: Daddy’s Here. Monday, May 4 Noon Hour Vigil against the Death Penalty.
ic Sacramento: Counter trance to Arden Mall). INFO:
Men’s support group: cus- 916-448-7157. “The Salvadoran Elections—Eye-witness Re- 12–1pm, North Steps/State Capitol, 11th & L
ongoing threats to our tody, divorce, parenting. port” by Susan Scott, who will speak and show Streets, Info: G. Lyga, 916-455-1796.
food. 6:30pm. INFO: www. 7–8:30pm. Free! Ctr for 2nd & 4th SATURDAYS: slides on her experience as a certified election
organicsacramento.org. SPC Poetry Workshop, All observer in El Salvador’s March election with the Monday, May 18
Families, 2251 Florin Rd, National Lawyers Guild, as part of a delegation Sacramento 9/11 Truth: Questioning the War
3rd MONDAYS: Capitol Ste 102. INFO: terry@fa- levels, all poets. 10-11:30 on Terror, monthly meeting, 4–6pm. Denny’s
am. South Natomas Com- organized by SHARE. 7pm. Southside Park Co-
Outreach for a Moratorium ther sandfamilies.com. Housing Common House, 434 T St., Sac. Free. meeting room - 3rd/J Sts, Sac, afreedmind@
on the Death Penalty. 12 568-3237x 205. munity Center, 2921 Truxel INFO: Central Am. Action Committee, 916-457- yahoo.com; 916-372-8433.
noon–1pm, 11th & L Street. Rd, Sacramento FREE. 5018 or [email protected].
1st and 2nd THURSDAYS: Monday, May 18
INFO: 916-455-1796. Storytelling at the Hart 2nd & 4th SATURDAYS: Nancy T. Price, advocate with the Save the Water
Thursday, May 7,
3rd MONDAYS: SAPA Peace Senior Center, 27th & J Community Contra Dance. Straight Out Scribes Reunion. 8pm. Luna’s Cafe, Campaign of Women’s International League for
and Sustainability Commit- sts. 7pm. Free. INFO: 916- 8–11pm; 7:30 lessons. Co- 1414–16th Street. INFO: 916-444-3931. See Peace and Freedom, speaks to the Sacramento
tee. 6–8pm. INFO: Peace 362-9013, or PaulIdaho@ loma Center 4623 T Street. story page 14. Chapter, United Nations Assn., on UN efforts to
INFO: 916-395-3483. provide clean water for millions. 7pm. SMUD
Action, 916-448-7157. comcast.net. Friday, May 8 Headquarters, 6201 S St, Conference Room.
3rd MONDAYS: Sacto 9/11 4th THURSDAYS: Sac Media 3rd SATURDAYS: Writers of SacPeace Annual Meeting & Speaker. 6pm Info: 916-482-1354.
Truth:Questioning the “War Gr p. 6–8pm. Coloma the new Sun/Escritores del potluck, bring a dish to share and a plate/cup/
Nuevo Sol. Writing group. tableware, followed by a brief business meet- Tuesday, May 26
on Terror.” 6–8pm. Denny’s Comm. Ctr, 4623 T Street. 4th Tuesday Films, Posada Carriles: Terorism
10am potluck. La Raza ing. 7:30pm, speaker: Gloria LaRiva, co-director
3rd & J St. INFO: sac- INFO: 916-443-1792, of the ANSWER Coalition of San Francisco, will made in USA. Exposes Posada Carriles role with
[email protected] 916- [email protected]. Galeria Posada, 1024 22nd
speak on Latin America. 909 12th St., Sacra- the CIA financed terror network used in Latin
372-8433. St. INFO: 916-456-5323. America. 7pm. 909 12th St. Info: 916-448-7157,
FRIDAYS: Oil, acrylic and mento. INFO: 916-448-7157, [email protected].
3rd SATURDAYS: Sacra- [email protected].
3rd MONDAYS: Lesbian watercolor painting class Saturday, May 9
Cancer Support Group. for experienced and be- mento Area Peace Action Thursday, June 11
Vigil. 11:30am–1:30pm. Reception for art by Janice Nakashima of Sacra-
6:30 Bring partners or sup- ginner painters ages 50+. mento and artists from the West Bank, Palestine. Sacto 9/11 Truth Demonstration. 11th and L
port people with you. INFO: 9:30am-11:30am. Ethel Marconi & Fulton. INFO: 6–9pm. Axis Gallery, 1517 19th St, Sac. continu- Streets, facing Capitol north entrance. INFO:
Roxanne Hardenberg; ROX- Har t Center, 915 27th 448-7157. ing weekends to May 31, noon to 5pm, or by www.truthaction.org, 916-372-8433.
[email protected]. Street. $20 for 4 lessons. 3rd SATURDAYS: Under- appt. INFO: 916-443-9900, or 916-393-7690.
Thursday, June 25th - Sunday, June 28th
TUESDAYS: Tuesdays, on- INFO: 916-808-5462. ground Poetry Series, open Monday, May 11 The Coming Home Project: Staying Connected
going. Pastel Landscape FRIDAYS: Movies on a mic plus featured poets. U.S./Nicaraguan Relationships: Sustainable During Deployment, A Retreat for the Families
drawing class for ages 50+. Big Screen. Independent, 7–9pm. Under gr ound Development - Empowering and Hopeful Part- of Deployed Service Members. INFO: www.
Books, 2814 35th Street (at nerships, by Sarah Junkin Woodard. 12–1pm. cominghomeproject.net. Deadline: May 29.
2:30m-5:00pm. Ethel Hart quirky movies and videos.
Center, 915 27th Street. 7pm. 600 4th St, West Sac. Broadway), Sacramento. Newman Club, 5900 Newman Ct. across J St from
$3. INFO: 916-737-3333. CSUS. Ms. Woodard is with the Nicaraguan proj-
$25/lesson. INFO: (916) INFO: www.shiny-object. ect of Jubilee House Community. RSVP for lunch
916-808-5462. com/screenings/. 4th SATURDAYS: Sierra reservations ($8) by May 3. INFO: 916-730-7967. Demand Peace Now!
TUESDAYS: Call for Peace 1st FRIDAYS: Community Permaculture Guild gen- Saturday, May 9, 6–8pm,
eral mtg. 6:30–9pm. The Monday, May 11 Saturday, June 13, 6–8pm,
Vigil. 4–6pm. 16th and J St. Contra Dance. 8–11pm; Sacto 9/11 Truth demonstration. 11th & L Sts,
INFO 916-448-7157. 7:30pm beginners lessons. Sacred Bee, 1451 E. Main Peace vigil and demonstration at the 2nd
St., Grass Valley.INFO: Sier- facing Capitol north entrance. Time and INFO: Saturday Art Walk. Bring your signs or use
TUESDAYS: Improv work- Clunie Auditorium, McKin- www.truthaction.org, 916-372-8433. ours. Warm weather and later sunset bring big
ley Pk, Alhambra & F. INFO: raPermaculture.org
shop. Solve the world’s Saturday, May 16 crowds. Come early for good parking. 20th &
problems through improv 530-274-9551. SUNDAYS: Zumba fitness J, Sac. Info: Veterans for Peace, 916-698-8131.
Israel, Palestinians and US—panel and discus-
games! 7–9:30pm. Geery 2nd FRIDAYS: Dances of class for people 50+. Ethel sion about this conflict and what we can do
Hart Senior Ctr., 916 27th Sunday, May 17, 1:30 – 3:30pm,
Theatre, 2130 L street, Sac. Universal Peace. 7:30– to promote peace. Sponsored by Peace in the Sunday, June 21, 1:30 – 3:30pm
$5.00, first time free. INFO: 9:30pm. Sacr ament o St. 916-808-5462. Precincts. 9:30–11:45am. Arden Dimick Library, Demonstration and vigil organized by Vet-
916-821-4533, dsharpe- Friends Meeting House SUNDAYS: Sacto Food Not 891 Watt Ave (at Northrup). INFO: Glenda, 916- erans for Peace (VFP); use our signs or bring
[email protected]. 890 57th St. $5–$10 do- Bombs. 1:30pm. Come 452-4801 or [email protected]. your own. Tabling is okay in this location.
nation requested. INFO: help distribute food at 9th Saturday, May 16 16th & Broadway, Sac. Info: 916-456-4595.
2nd TUESDAYS: Gray Pan-
thers. 1–3pm. Hart Senior Joyce, www.sacramento- and J Streets. California Lawyers for the Arts presents Artistic
Ctr., 27th & J St. dancesofuniversalpeace. 1st SUNDAYS: Zapatista
License Awards, honoring those who serve and
org, 916-832-4630. support the arts in our community. 5–7:30pm,
2nd TUESDAYS: Peace Solidarity Coalition. 10am– Sierra 2 Center, Curtis Hall, 2791 24th Street, Zumba Gold, every Sunday!
Network (speakers and dis- 4th FRIDAYS: Dances at noon. 909 12th St. INFO: Sacramento, . INFO: www.calawyersforthearts. Zumba fuses aerobic exercise with Latin
cussion), 6:30pm. Luna’s Christ Unity Church, 9249 916-443-3424. org/artisticlicense.html. rhythms for people age 50+. Work out,
Cafe, 1414 16th Street. Folsom Blvd. All Welcome 2nd SUNDAYS: Atheists have fun, and get hooked on this fun form
$5–$10 donation request- Saturday, May 16
INFO: Sac Area Peace Ac- & Other Freethinker s. Straight Out Scribes Reunion. 7pm. Carol’s of fitness! Please register in advance at
tion 916-448-7157. ed. INFO: 916-457-5855, 1:30pm. Sierra 2 Center, the reception desk M-F or at our website.
Books, 1913 Del Paso Blvd. 916-565-3845. See
www.sacramentodanceso- Room 10, 2791 24th St. story page 14. 12:30pm. Ethel Hart Senior Center, 915
4th TUESDAYS: Peace and funiversalpeace.org. 27th Street. $20 for 4 sessions. 916-
Justice Films. 7pm. Peace INFO: 916-447-3589.
808-5462. www.cityofsacramento.org/
Action, 909 12th Street. hartcenter.
INFO:916-448-7157.
The Marxist School of Sacramento
4th TUESDAYS: (Odd num-
May / June 2009 Activities Sierra 2 Center,
bered months) Amnesty
Int’l. 7pm. Sacramento
Garden Room, 2791–24th Street, Sacra- Resources for Enlisted
mento, 7-9pm
Friends Meeting, 890-57th Personnel & Veterans
St. INFO: 916-489-2419. Point of View Speaker Series Discharges • DEP • Discrimination • Gay
Thursday, May 21 • AWOL/UA • Harassment • Hazing•
Conscientious Objection
Minqi Li, “The Rise of China and the Demise of the Capitalist World
Free, confidential information from The GI
Economy.”
Rights Hotline, www.girights.org, 800-394-9544
Taking the subject from his new book, Li tells us that historically the
spread and growth of capitalist economies has required low wages, Counseling: free & confidential: 916-447-5706;
taxation, and environmental costs, as well as a hegemonic nation to www.therapistsforsocialresponsibility.org;
prevent international competition from eroding these requirements.
With the decline of the economic power of the United States, its cur-
rent hegemonic role will deteriorate and the unprecedented growth
of China will so erode the foundations of capital accumulation—by
pushing wages and environmental costs up, for example—that the en- Sacramento Area Peace Action
tire capitalist system will be shaken to its core. Palestine Speaker Series  
Minqi Li is Assistant Professor of Economics at the University of March 17, 2009   Environmental Issues
Utah. April 21, 2009   Divestment
May 19, 2009   Current Realities/One State
Discussions: June 16, 2009   Two Sacramentan’s Impressions
Tuesday, May 12 and Tuesday, May 26, Room 11, Sierra 2 Center,  
2791-24th St. See website or call for details. Third Tuesdays. 7pm, 909 12th St. Sacramento.
INFO on classes and discussions: www.marxistschool.org; 916-799-1354. 916-448-7157. Details, see page 10.
[email protected]. All activities are free and open to the public.
 May / June 2009
Because People Matter

Which Sacramento community centerneeds your

help? See story, pages 8-9.
Progressive News and Views

Progressive Media
Editors’ Picks! Progressive Radio Stations Great Speeches and Interviews: Local
and national speeches and interviews
Online News Sources:
www.Truthout.org: Essays on current events,
ä Soapbox!—Jeanie Keltner talks with äKVMR 89.5 FM
ä The Voice, 88.7 Cable FM; and streaming to challenge your thinking. An in-depth some videos, like Keith Olbermann’s MSNBC
activists and analysts from Sacramento and audio on www.Accesssacramento.org; SAP radio program on the current issues. Countdown shows.
beyond about the issues of the day. Comcast Channels 17 & 18 Where to listen and/or download: www.CommonDreams.org News Center:
Where to watch: ä KYDS 91.5 FM Listen Sundays 6-8pm on Comcast Channel Breaking News & Views for the Progressive
Access Sacramento Cable Channel 17. äKDVS 90.3 FM 17, 18, set your TV menu to SAP or listen Community.
Every Monday at 8pm. Call in comments ä KPFA 94.1 FM Berkeley on The Voice www.AccessSacramento.org www.Brasscheck.org: Progressive videos
äKZFR 90.1 FM Chico L i s te n o r d ow n l o a d f ro m w w w. on many subjects, from Steven Colbert’s
on 2nd and 4th Mondays. Repeats Tues-
People Powered Radio! managed and archive.org/bookmarks/sgl speech at the White House Correspondent’s
day at noon, Wednesday at 4am. Blogged on www.SacramentoForDemoc- dinner and speeches by leftwing MP George
operated by volunteers, provides mostly
In Davis, on Channel 15, Tuesdays at 5pm. locally-produced and community-oriented racy.org Galloway, to extensive information on 9/11
ä Media Edge—Sacramento’s own programs. and the attacks on our civil liberties.
magazine format show, covering local www.TheRealNews.com: A nonprofit progres-
progressive events and speakers, as well as (Other) Progressive Newspapers sive website offering daily news videos
ä The Flatlander: A free community newspa- Don’t bitch at the media— including interviews and debates. They plan
internationally known commentators, with
per of fun, opinion and politics in the Davis become the media! soon to expand to television.
clips from some of the best independent www.GoLeft.tv: Progressive Online Television.
area. [email protected]. Publication Have you taken the TV production
political videos being made now. every 2 months, next issue is April/May. In the world of media monopoly, news has
training at Access Sacramento? Would
Where to watch: The Flatlander been replaced with a new invention called
you like to learn or put your technical
Access Sacramento Channels 17 and 18 P.O. Box 72793 “infotainment.” GoLeft.tv is a progressive
talents to use? Soapbox! urgently needs political T.V. news source that fills that gap
and Davis Channel 15. Sundays 8–10pm Davis, CA 95617
ä Likewise, we are greatly impressed with crewmembers to help set up, run cam- between the media’s dumbed down info-
Nevada County Channel 11 Mondays
the lively, good looking Midtown Monthly. eras, and take viewers’ phone calls on tainment and real news reporting.
10:30pm–12:30am, www.innworldreport.net: Daily professional
It’s not political, but it has the kind of use- the 2nd and 4th Monday of each month.
West Sacramento Channel 21 Mondays ful and delightful information about life, viewer/listener-supported journalism
Call 916-444-3203 if you’re interested
9-11pm. art, food and music in Sacramento and available in over 20 million homes across
in taking the training or joining us at
See scheduled segments at beyond that creates the sense of commu- America.
Soapbox! for fun—and the best pizza in www.whatreallyhappened.com: 9/11 and
www.wethemedia.org. nity needed for an uncertain future.
town, from Pieces. other coverups.
ä Democracy Now—Amy Goodman’s
award-winning magazine format show.
Where to watch: Look for the Rock Creek Free Press in
Access Sacramento TV, Cable Channels 17 the back of some BPM stands and other
and 18, weekdays 6pm, 12midnight, 5am. places where you find BPM (always at
the downtown main library). It’s a great Sacramento and Central Valley INDYMEDIA: www.sacindymedia.org.
Dish Network Satellite TV, Channel 9415,
Free Speech TV, M–F: 9am, 4pm, 9pm, progressive paper with emphasis on the
5am, Pacific time. Link TV, Channel 9410, undernews.
Monday–Friday, 8am, 3pm. KVMR 89.5 FM And just like BPM it needs support from
Mon–Thu 7pm. KDVS 90.3 FM Mon–Fri noon. the people who are sick of the disinfor-
KPFA 94.1 FM Berkeley, M–F 9am. mation news. Check it out and subscribe NON-PROFIT
(after subscribing to BPM). ORGANIZATION
US POSTAGE PAID
PERMIT NO. 2668
Here’s a hot tip! If you don’t have cable TV, and you do have a PC (doesn’t work on Mac), you can
watch Access Sacramento programs as they are being aired by going to www.accesssacramento. SACRAMENTO, CA
org and clicking on the “Watch Channel 17” button at the top of the first page.