Social Feminists Working Group: Abortion Rights News

Hello comrades,

Abortion rights in the US are under accelerating attack. Abortion advocates in states like Iowa, Georgia, and Mississippi continue to battle against attacks on abortion access. The possibility of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade looms closer since the confirmation of Trump-appointed anti-choice advocate Brett Kavanaugh. Pregnancy crisis centers continue to spread misinformation on the taxpayer’s dollar. We must continue to build the resistance to the anti-choice movement. It will take direct action and a mass movement to save abortion.

DSA chapters and DSA’s Socialist Feminist National Working Group will be joining the Movement for Abortion Defense, a newly formed network of abortion defenders that includes members of Twin Cities DSA and NYC DSA, for their first National Day of Action for Reproductive Justice on April 6, 2019. We invite your chapter to participate in an action on behalf of reproductive justice and in defense of abortion on that date, demonstrating mass support in the face of attacks by the anti-choice movement on clinics through their biannual 40 Days of Life campaign.

Chapters can participate in the day of action in a variety of ways:

• Flyer a Crisis Pregnancy Center
• Organize a fundraiser for an abortion fund through the National Abortion Access Bowl-a-thon
• Host a speak out where people can share their abortion stories in the tradition of the Redstockings (50th anniversary of their speakout is this year!) and the more recent Shout Your Abortion movement
• Organize a film screening and discussion about abortion rights. Options include: I Had An Abortion, Trapped, She’s Beautiful When She’s Angry, etc.
• Organize a mass training of volunteer clinic escorts from within your chapter
• Ask your local abortion provider about options for strategic counter-protests of anti-choice clinic protests
• Work directly with your local abortion provider to ask how you can best support them and their work.

The Movement for Abortion Defense is united by the following principles:

1. We believe abortion is critical to reproductive freedom, and reproductive freedom is central to liberation.
2. We believe in an unapologetic demand for full abortion rights and for reproductive justice.
3. We fight for free abortion on demand as a critical part of the broader fight for universal healthcare, free childcare, and ending sexual violence.
4. We believe that anti-racism is central to reproductive freedom.
5. We believe in gender justice and bodily autonomy for all genders and all bodies.
6. We believe in opposing right-wing, anti-choice protests in the streets.
7. We believe in reclaiming space and confronting antis. We defend clinics to keep them open and ensure patients can get inside the door without harassment.
8. We believe that we can win.

The Movement for Abortion Defense Coalition currently includes:

Twin Cities Clinic Defense

Madison Abortion Defense

Seattle Clinic Defense

NYC For Abortion Rights

Jane Sidewalk Supporters for Choice (Everett, WA)

If you will be participating in the National Day of Action for Reproductive Justice, be sure to post about it on social media and contact us to spread the word about your work! Contact movementforabortiondefense@gmail.com or socialistfeminism@dsausa.org to get involved with planning or with questions.

In solidarity,
Interim Steering Committee, SFWG

$$ in Politics - part 345

The following video is an excellent lesson in what's wrong with the current political system. The video is about 18 minutes in length but worth watching. 

The video features Alexandria Ocasio-Cortex during a Congressional oversight committee hearing. It is obvious why many established politicians dislike her. She is smart, brave, and surgically investigates the issue. This is in contrast to many congressional hearings where the participants skirt the central issues.

The source of the video is David Doel's "Rational National". Importantly, watch the video to the end. One of those providing testimony, unwittingly rebuts Ms. Ocasio-Cortez demonstrating the big problem that she is highlighting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFhgXP2lze4&frags=wn

Contrary Brin

Here is a sample 'post'.  And Brin doesn't just post, he researches and creates and prescribes exhaustively.

http://davidbrin.blogspot.com/2013/12/the-chief-threat-to-our-great.html

Do not get the idea that this article is some kind of fluke of genius for him.  He is absolutely on the top of the news, thinks about this stuff very deeply, and has very little to lose by saying what he likes.

Brin, way, way back, explained myself to me, why I am a knee-jerk libertarian / anarchist yet have this deep belief that civilization would ultimately prevail.  I have long been leery of any beliefs, and it was a great relief to finally be steered to the facts and reasoning that put my assumptions on a solid basis.

He did this is any number of ways, mostly by reminding me that a civically-minded PhD physicist that is also very successful writer can have a lot of skill in SYNTHESIZING what he knows into new conclusions.  I do my very best to emulate his methods, and that's 'easy'; I just go back 30 years ago to my first year of college, where I finally learned how to think critically...and then decided to learn everything.  Work in Progress....

He and Steven Pinker have taught me the libertarianism isn't bad, just technologically premature: a lover of liberty MUST realize that until we have the cultural maturity and the communications capability to broadcast and enforce a personal social contract, we must content ourselves with the best of European Socialism/New Deal/Green Deal liberalism.  Our day will come: the days of thuggish oligarchs are numbered, and we need to give government the chance to kill them off permanently and inject our culture with the institutions we will need to squash any rebirth of them.  After that we can worry about the 'withering of the state'.

We've gotta put all this pressure we can on the oligarchs now, or we are going to exchange a 2020 for a 2050 fight, or worse.  But we must do this within the law, and with patience.  AOC is just one gal, but she's doing our thing within the law.

The DSA "Book Club" met on 19 Mar at 6:30 pm. This is the first of a series of gatherings to read and discuss the Howard Zinn book, A People's HIstory of the United States, 1492 - Present. Tonight's four attendees decided on the following logistics for future "book club" (I don't know what else to call it at present) gatherings.  -- Paul

• The "book club" will gather regularly twice per month on the first and third Wednesdayof the month. So the next meeting occurs on 3 April.
• Gatherings begin at 6:30 pm and end at 8 pm.That is, they run 90 minutes in duration.
• The "book club" will gather at George and Dro's house (707 NW 10) unless otherwise noted.
• The "book club" anticipates reading and discussing one chapter of Zinn per gathering (two chapters per month).
• While there is no formal plan to provide refreshments at the gatherings, don't let hunger prevent you from participating. Feel free to bring something to eat if you do not have time to eat prior to gathering. 
• The "book club" will be setting up a separate blog on Blogger.com devoted exclusively to the "book club".
• Invite friends to join the "book club".
• All of the above logistics are subject to change to make the experience as meaningful and accommodating as possible to participants.

(From Colleen over at EOC3)

Hello.

Sorry for our Winter Duldrums delay/last minute request.  Next month we will be more ahead of the game. I promise.  

Anyway, I appreciate your patience, understanding, and willingness to partner on spreading the word on topics, issues, and events, where our missions converge and align.  If you could share the attached with your members, constituency, social media, network/partners, etc... if you are able. That would be greatly appreciated. More and bigger things to come from us this year.  We R looking to Set Up Streaming some events via social media here soon as well, so we can reach a larger audience throughout Eastern Oregon, beyond. If the knowledge we gain through that process could be of value or if you guys are already doing that let me know.

Thank you again, look forward to talking more proactively, soon.

DSA Meeting

Agenda for March 17^th, 2019

@Great Pacific

12:00pm

1. Bring Meeting to Order:  This meeting of the Pendleton Chapter of DSA will come to order no later than 12:10.

Statement of Purpose of Meeting:

The purpose of this meeting will be a gathering of information for organizing the Pendleton DSA Chapter. This agenda may extend into the next meeting as we are going to try to limit the time for these meetings in order to accommodate everyone’s time and life. 

Group Song led by George Winter

1. Announcements - (5 min) Time allotted – how long will we spend on this topic.
1. -Eoc3 meeting will be held this Tuesday, March 19^th at 12 (noon) at Prodigal Sun. 
2. -Remember there is a blog where a lot of information is being shared the link is www.pendletondsa.blogspot.org There are articles on the topics we have discussed or will. And a lot of information. 

1. Reports (0 Min) 

1. Tasks: Review the Seattle Platform (45 Min?)
1. Discuss each stance round the table and how they affect us locally 
2. Choose which ones we want included or may not apply to a local platform or adopt the Seattle platform
3. Develop our own Pendleton Local platform
4. Do we want to be an action group, and if so, where can we be most effective or needed?

1. New Topics: Open the floor to all attendees for the purpose of introducing and discussing any other ideas the group would like to address

1. Wrap up
1. Set next meeting date

Clean up

Snacks are still encouraged as well as coffee, but we are going to try and limit our food to smaller items (i.e. Crackers and cheese, muffins, cookies, etc.) that we can snack on while we talk to encourage time management. Thanks again and hoping to see everyone there!

Seattle DSA

Platform

Everyone should be able to live a full and dignified life.

Yet wealth – the means to do so – cannot be justly gained from another’s suffering. We recognize that modern capitalism is a holistic system which inherently creates inequalities, dismantles and destroys communities, isolates individuals and precludes the fulfillment of dreams for millions. As Dr. King said, “Capitalism has outlived its usefulness.”
We demand a society where all participate as equals and are respected for their worth as human beings. A society where, through democratic processes, a full life for all may be achieved. With this maxim in mind and in solidarity with Democratic Socialists of America nationally and like-minded anti-capitalists everywhere, we fight for the following demands:

The economy must be run democratically; none shall be poor so another can be rich.

As it stands, the overwhelming majority of people have little power over the nature of their work or their compensation for it. We demand that people have control over how they work, when they work and how their labor is applied.

The abolition of poverty.

Both in the United States and globally, the world is more productive than it has ever been. Yet millions upon millions remain mired in poverty. Coerced by necessity into destructive arrangements at work and at home, they lack adequate access to the necessities of human life. Increased productivity can eliminate poverty and satisfy everyone’s material needs. We demand a system that can achieve this.

Affordable, humane housing for all.

A home is not a commodity; it is a human right. We demand that everyone has access to housing that meets their needs and neighborhoods that foster vibrant communities.

Universal Medicare-for-all.

No one should risk financial ruin when they consider going to the doctor. Everyone must have access to quality government-financed medical care throughout their lives. This is most immediately achievable through a single-payer system.

Free education: from pre-K to trades, college and beyond.

We reject wealth as a criterion for receiving quality education at any level. We must not only guarantee access to higher education but must also ensure students are provided with the tools to take advantage of that guarantee.

Democracy in the workplace; all workers have the right to organize.

We see the primary means to improve everyday life through democratic control, manifested in a socialist system. We must resist dismantling of workers’ rights to organize and instead bolster them by supporting unions in the fight for living wages, equal pay and safe workplaces. We demand an economic system in which workers control their labor.

Complete reproductive freedom in all forms.

Everyone should have the support and tools to decide if and when to have children. We must ensure access to birth control and safe, legal abortion and all forms of family planning. We must provide material support to ensure every child is raised free from discrimination, violence and oppression.

An end to racial, gender and all other forms of oppression.

Whether it be on the basis of race, gender, religion, orientation or disability, we must fight alongside those who face violence and exploitation. We recognize that the exploitation in our society is as intersectional as its members and our struggle must therefore be intersectional as well.

An end to punitive justice and mass incarceration.

We demand an end to prisons as a weapon of domination, an end to the Drug War, an end to broken families and an end to our barbaric treatment of inmates. We cannot confront these issues unless we recognize the systemic racism at their very core. We fight for a justice system that prioritizes rehabilitation over punishment.

An end to military and police aggression.

Both at home and abroad, violent force is used as tool of racist oppression and capitalist exploitation. As our imperial domination extends on foreign soil, so too does brutal, murderous repression grow in our own communities. We demand an end to American imperialism and police militarization.

Democratic control over the environment to preserve the planet.

If left unchecked, capitalism will destroy our planet and those least responsible will suffer the greatest consequences. We must ensure everyone has access to clean and affordable food and water. We demand environmental justice for the living and responsible stewardship in the name of those yet to be born.

Total freedom to migrate; humanity has no borders

We reject a global system that facilitates the movement of capital across borders but denies human beings the freedom to live with dignity in the communities of their choice. We demand full and equal rights for all regardless of citizenship, an end to all forms of immigrant detention and imprisonment, and a humane, publicly funded immigration system that actively supports people who choose to move to the United States.

The Raging Gorilla

LemmingsLeap #26: The Raging Gorilla

I have read several articles about how we can tame global warming if only people would all go vegan. It sounds a lot like another “if only” that was going around a few years ago and that was if only we could stop driving our cars so much and turn down the thermostat, we could help stop global warming. I’m not the one who is going to say these measures would not help. In recent years I have cut back on my meat consumption and have always tried to lessen the need for driving. What I will tell you is that there is an 800 lb. gorilla in the room that no one wants to talk much about: military expenditures combined with the pollution and use of resources by the military.

We spend almost $700 billion a year on the military and what do we get in return? War. Disease. Crumbling infrastructure at home and bombed out infrastructure abroad. Dead and wounded soldiers by the thousands. Dead and wounded civilians by the million. Destruction of vast areas of the planet. Pollution of vast areas of the planet. Plus, as an added bonus, we get the largest contribution to global warming on the planet. We cannot stop global warming without stopping the American war machine.

The military serves an economic purpose in this country in that it makes jobs for people. This is one of the pushes that are used to justify the huge amount of money we spend on war. Those who are raking in the profits don’t want it to stop. In order to keep it going we have to have more wars and that is exactly what we get. Since the end of the last century we have had war after war chewing up billions of tons of resources, killing millions of people, severely injuring tens of millions of people and traumatizing millions more. In the meantime, bankers and makers and dealers of weapons have raked in trillions of dollars. But it’s not enough. They need more. To get more, they start more wars. The truth of the matter is that all those jobs “created” by the military are negative sum jobs, that is they don’t produce something that is lasting yet they use up an inordinate amount of resources that ultimately get destroyed or stored somewhere.

Why would we continue to support this waste of human life and resources? That can be summed up in one word: fear. Ebola. Avian influenza. Russia. Communism. Terrorists. Muslims. We have been made to fear our own shadows. Our leaders and those who have bought them use fear to keep us in line and because capitalism does not like competition. Look at what happens when a small company gets popular and starts to grow. They are bought out or if they refuse to sell they might find their suppliers less willing to give them good prices or any materials at all. Look at what has happened to our many grocery stores that now are owned by larger concerns. Look at any industry, any provider of goods or services and you will find that some larger concern has bought them up or is planning to. Look at what we did to Venezuela. We tried to subvert their election and failed. We tried to hurt them economically, socially and politically. Our rich don’t play fair and don’t want competition at all and playing fair is only for losers. That is why we have so many monopolies controlling so many of our industries.

Meanwhile, a gorilla is raging through the planet creating death and destruction everywhere as well as those massive profits as the people on the planet become more impoverished. The United States sells a large number of weapons and this stimulates other countries to manufacture and sell weapons as well. What do you think this does to the peace of the world? How can it possibly affect Mother Earth and the other beings on this planet that are non-human?

While I do agree that we can lessen the impact of global warming and other pollution problems if people go vegan, it’s only 10% of the problem. Concentrating on this one area and making individuals feel guilty for eating meat will not come close to solving the problem even if the effort is successful. We cannot begin to be successful unless we ramp down the military.

Check out the list below of what we consume because of the US military keeping in mind that this is just the US and that resources used for military purposes are wasted and provide only destruction.

Gasoline used by the US military in one year: 100 million gallons

39,000 areas within the US that are polluted by the military

10–15 tons of depleted uranium, a weapon considered illegal by the UN, used in Yugoslavia

1,000 tons of depleted uranium used in Iraq during 2003

900 of the 1200 superfund cleanup sites are military

Note: I tried searching for the amount of steel, rare earths and pesticides used by the US military and found no numbers to report. The military’s secrecy has kept it from an accounting of the resources it has used and prevents the public from a real assessment of the use of these materials.