Prez hopeful Stein (G): Obama State of the Union “subverts New Deal”

Posted on January 26, 2012 by wilderside

Jill Stein, Green Party presidential candidate, called today for a Green New Deal to counter the “trickle down economic agenda” laid out by President Obama in his State of the Union address. Stein plans to release her alternative at 8:30pm Eastern Time in a “People’s State of the Union: A Green New Deal for America” that will be given via her campaign website.

After viewing President Obama’s address, Stein commented that

It is startling how the candidate who four years ago promised to be an agent of change has morphed into the candidate of more of the same. The key features of the President’s State of the Union address were drawn from the centrist Republican agenda. He’s glorifying militarism, calling for more business tax cuts, promoting offshore oil drilling and hydrofracking, pushing trillions in cuts to discretionary Federal spending, promising cuts to Social Security and Medicare, and putting American workers into a struggle for survival in a global economy dominated by big corporations.

Read more »

Filed under: Election 2012, grassroots democracy, Green Party, News, presidential race, progressive politics, video | Tagged: , , , , | 3 Comments »

Music Legends @ Port Wash Lib 1/26/12

Posted on January 24, 2012 by wilderside

LIMHoF Presents an Evening with Ervin Drake and Oscar Brand

The Long Island Music Hall of Fame (LIMHoF) announces the launch of LIMHoF At The Library on Thursday, January 26th (7:30PM). The series at the Port Washington Library (One Library Drive, Port Washington NY) kicks off with two veteran songwriters who have shared a decades-long friendship, Ervin Drake and LIMHoF Inductee Oscar Brand. In this multimedia program, Mr. Drake and Mr. Brand will speak about their incredible careers and accomplishments. Residents of Port Washington will be seated first.

Oscar Brand, a youth of 91, is a folk singer, songwriter, and author. Throughout a career spanning over 60 years, he has composed at least  300 songs and released nearly 100 albums. His music runs the gamut from novelty song to serious social commentary, and spans an incredible number of genres. In his long career he has played alongside such legends of folk music as Leadbelly, Woody Guthrie, Josh White, The Weavers and Pete Seeger. He has written various books on the folk song and compiled numerous folk song collections. Brand’s catalog of songs includes the Canadian patriotic song “Something to Sing About” (actual title: “This Land of Ours“), one of the country’s national folk songs. He has also collaborated on a number of successful musicals, and served on the board that created the Children’s Television Workshop (CTW), the genesis of the creation of the Sesame Street television show.  Read more »

Filed under: Calendar, events, Long Island Music, long island music scene, music, News | Tagged: , , , | Leave a Comment »

Valentines Day Gifts: Book suggestions | Peace Couple

Posted on January 23, 2012 by wilderside

Rose: A drawing

When I was seeking a life partner I knew I wanted someone who was both passionate and compassionate. Someone who cared deeply and broadly.  I was lucky enough to find someone who would stop to play flute for a group of strangers to calm them after there was a fire at their nursing home.

This project is our way of caring deeply and broadly about humanity.  It is our daily Valentine to the world.  One way we show our love is in how we engage in mercantile transactions, what we call compassionate shopping.  We want to share with you places we have found where our dollars feed our values.

One of those place is Powells bookstore.  Why a bookstore for Valentine’s Day?  Since it’s invention, language has been an expression of love.   Visit Powells.comWhat makes buying these books from Powells an act of compassionate shopping?  They are all being sold through Powells.com.  Powells is a socially responsible, environmentally conscious,union bookstore.

From Powells, we present a collection of books for everyone’s Valentine’s Day:

via Valentines Day Gifts: Book suggestions | Peace Couple.

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Filed under: Books, Ecology, economy, Holidays, Labor, News, social & economic justice, sustainability | Tagged: , , , | Leave a Comment »

Long Island: Super Bowl poetry event on Sunday, Feb 5th

Posted on January 22, 2012 by kwilder

Come to
The Walt Whitman Birthplace
where
Long Island Poetry Collective will host…

Super Poem Sunday IV
Sunday, February 5th, 2012!
1pm to 5pm

Photos from last year’s event at our onthewilderside Flickr: here.

In honor of both Super events, you can find a collection of Sports Poetry books here.

Link to a collection of football poems at VoicesNet.org: here.

Before going off to the same old boring Super Bowl party, join the LIPC at the Walt Whitman Birthplace State Historic Site and Interpretive Center from 1pm until 5pm to take part in our own spin on championship!  At this event, there will be no lopsided, blow-out scores or off-color commercials, no relentless time-outs, or boring commentary – only getting together with people who get bored by that stuff, but love language!  This is a great way to enjoy the atmosphere of Super Bowl Sunday-but without the football!

This is a fun event geared toward those of all ages who may want to celebrate the idea of competition, but with an alternative to watching football. Never fear, however, because the event will end early enough so that all who wish, should be able to attend other Super Bowl parties afterwords. Read more »

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Thinking about Odetta: Peace Song for 1/21/2012

Posted on January 22, 2012 by wilderside

You Don’t Know My Mind, as sung by Odetta  (b. 1930 – d. 2008), is the Peace Song of the Day for January 21, 2012. This song expresses a strong sense of self and purpose. And, it brilliantly conveys the human condition of complexity of feelings, which is so important to conflict resolution, patience with ourselves and others, and Nonviolent Communication/NVC.

Click here for the video and the rest of the Peacecouple.com post.

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Occupy Long Island occupies the courts (video and info)

Posted on January 22, 2012 by kwilder

Occupy Long Island visits the Federal Courthouse in CI

Story and video at Long Island Press: here.

Occupy Wall Street activists from Long Island participated in the “Occupy The Courts” January 20th action inspired by Move To Amend. Occupiers gathered outside the big, white, Federal Court in Central Islip. They were  protesting Citizens United, the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that legalizes unlimited corporate spending in political campaigns.

Read more »

Filed under: activism, campaign finance reform, elections, grassroots democracy, local, long island, Long Island Politics, New York State Politics, News, Occupy Wall Street, politics, progressive politics, social & economic justice, video | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Prez hopeful Stein (G) rallies movement to “Occupy the Courts” at steps of U.S. Supreme Court

Posted on January 21, 2012 by wilderside

Occupy the CourtsTo restore the rights of the people, we must take our Constitution back from the corporation.

Tens of thousands of Americans in over 130 cities gathered at federal courthouses and in public squares, nearly the two-year anniversary of Citizens United v. FEC, to reject the doctrines of corporate personhood and money is speech. Dr. Jill Stein, Green Party presidential candidate, is a lead speaker in Washington, D.C., where she joins protesters on the steps of the court building of the Supreme Court of the United States. Dr. Stein joins leading members of the Move to Amend coalition, as well as Thom Hartmann, and others in this role.

Stein said:

Since 1996, the Green Party has called for a constitutional amendment to abolish the doctrine of corporate personhood. Greens have been ahead of the curve, but today, the curve has caught up with us, and now this movement for a constitution that serves we, the people, has gathered a historic momentum.

Read more »

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Censored

Posted on January 17, 2012 by wilderside

Strike against SOPA & PIPA

Filed under: Action Alert!, activism, Convention 2008, News, politics, US Politics | Tagged: , , | 1 Comment »

Some updates and links for Occupy Congress in DC #J17

Posted on January 17, 2012 by kwilder

The numbers: A Washington Post report says 500 occupiers during the day and 1,000 occupiers by night.

It is upsetting that the DC Police (I think it is the Capitol Police) played games with permits for Occupy Congress/Occupy DC. And, now the police have arrested one occupy activist.

(Number of arrests may be up to two. [Final county seems to be four arrests as of about 9pm EST. ]See LiveBlogging at Washington Post: here) (Of course, with the new, National Defense Authorization Act, one of the folks could simply have been disappeared and indefinitely detained…)

Looks like Occupy Oakland Live Stream has live video from DC:
http://www.ustream.tv/occupyoakland

Please watch live-stream video on this DC Ustream station:
http://www.ustream.tv/occupydc

An amusing event (after the arrest): An occupier managed to climb up a tree. His colleagues chanted, “Who’s tree? Our tree!”

This event was listed at the Occupy Wall Street site, occupwallst.org. Here is more about today’s, January 16th, Occupy Congress action from www.occupyyourcongress.info: Read more »

Filed under: Action Alert!, activism, congress, News, Occupy Wall Street, politics, progressive politics, social & economic justice, US Politics, video | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Exit 39 by Ian Wilder plus video

Posted on January 17, 2012 by wilderside

Ian Wilder performed his poem “Exit 39″ at Thanksgroovin, a part of The FOLK-GROOVIN’ CAFÉ
The night was Hosted by JIM FRAZZITTA. and it featured BOB WESTCOTT, IAN WILDER, WALTER SARGENT, SCOTT JAMES, & RADIUM DIAL. The event took place at The Conklin Barn, 2 High Street (corner of New York Ave. at High St.), Huntington, NY.  Read more »

Filed under: ian wilder, long island music scene, music, News, poetry | Tagged: , , , | Leave a Comment »

Bulletin of Atomic Scientists: Obama = Bush

Posted on January 16, 2012 by wilderside
In December 2010, the Doomsday Clock read 11:54pm.

Image via Wikipedia

Reading betwen the lines when the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists moved the clock back to where it was during the GW Bush administration. They have said Obama’s peace-prize hope was false hope, and that the current preident is as dangerous as the one before.  Or in there own words:

It is five minutes to midnight. Two years ago, it appeared that world leaders might address the truly global threats that we face. In many cases, that trend has not continued or been reversed. For that reason, theBulletin of the Atomic Scientists is moving the clock hand one minute closer to midnight, back to its time in 2007

Both of their press releases are below.

DOOMSDAY CLOCK MOVES 1 MINUTE CLOSER TO MIDNIGHT

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists: It is Now 5 Minutes to Midnight

WASHINGTON, D.C. — January 10, 2012 – Faced with inadequate progress on nuclear weapons reduction and proliferation, and continuing inaction on climate change, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (BAS) announced today that it has moved the hands of its famous “Doomsday Clock” to five minutes to midnight.

The last time the Doomsday Clock minute hand moved was in January 2010, when the Clock’s minute hand was pushed back one minute from five to six minutes before midnight.  Read more »

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Prez hopeful Stein (G) Embraces Dr. Kings’ Call to make Health Care a Right, Promote Economic Justice and End War

Posted on January 15, 2012 by wilderside

Jill SteinDr. Jill Stein, running for president as a Green Party candidate, said if elected she would honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’ s legacy by not only embracing his call for civil rights and racial equality but continuing his struggle for peace, economic justice and universal health care. Dr. Stein, a graduate of Harvard Medical School, said she would make health care a right and enact a single payer, expanded and Improved Medicare for All. In 1968, Dr. King said that

Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane.

Stein stated:

All Americans are entitled to quality health care. We need to also control the excessive costs of health care, starting with eliminating the expensive and wasteful practice of health insurance, where profits are increased by denying access to health care. It is a scandal that President Obama, who has long admitted that single payer is the best solution, instead copied Mitt Romney and mandated that all Americans buy health insurance.

The last major speech Dr. King delivered, “Remaining Awake Through a Great Revolution”, was on poverty. Speaking at the National Cathedral in Washington D. C., King talked about how the poor were invisible in America. When he was killed in Memphis four days later, while supporting the striking garbage workers, King was organizing a massive march in D. C. to launch a new campaign to end poverty. King called for

a campaign for jobs and income, because… the economic question was the most crucial that black people and poor people, generally, were confronting.

King added:  Read more »

Filed under: 3rd party, Anti-War, economy, Election 2012, Green Party, health care, News, Peace, US Politics | Tagged: , | Leave a Comment »

Occupy Wall Street (NYC) MLK Day Events

Posted on January 14, 2012 by kwilder

OCCUPY WALL STREET RECLAIMS THE DREAM: CONTINUING MARTIN LUTHER KING’S FIGHT FOR ECONOMIC JUSTICE

On the eve of his assassination, Martin Luther King launched a campaign against economic injustice, calling for an encampment on the lawns of Washington D.C. — much like the Occupy encampments across the country today.

On January 16th, Occupy Wall Street continues Martin Luther King’s quest for economic justice through nonviolent action. At 10:00 a.m., together with unionists and members of the black faith community led by Benjamin Chavis, Occupy Wall Street embarks on a journey of liberation starting at the African Burial Ground, winding over the streets of the financial district to the Federal Reserve, and heading up to Madison Square Garden in time to catch the Knicks game crowds.

African Burial Ground: Read more »

Filed under: Action Alert!, activism, local, Long Island Politics, News, politics, progressive politics, social & economic justice | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments »

Martin Luther King events with Occupy Wall Street

Posted on January 11, 2012 by kwilder

Dr. King said “A true revolution of values will soon look uneasily on the glaring contrast of poverty and wealth. With righteous indignation, it will look across the seas and say: ‘This is not just.’”

Occupy Wall Street resonates with the vision of Dr.  Martin Luther King. There are many occupy events in New York City and worldwide to celebrate Martin Luther King’s birthday. For these and other events, you can check out the official calendar at the New York City General Assembly site: www.nycga.net

Martin Luther King Jr./Occupy Events
for January 15th and 16th

Sunday, January 15th

1. Actions around the city

2. 2pm to 7pm Liberty Plaza
#J15 March to Occupy The Dream

3. 7pm Riverside Church in Harlem
#J15 MLK Day Worldwide Vigil for Change

(And, at 7pm in each Time Zone Globally) See more about the Worldwide Candlelight Vigil at Occupywallst.org

Monday, January 16th

1. Gather at 9am (Starts 10am?)
African Burial Ground National Monument
Reclaim MLK:
A Journey of Liberation from the African Burial Ground

2. Occupy The Federal Reserve
10am to 1pm
Federal Reserve Bank of New YOrk
33 Liberty

3. 1pm to 5pm
Union Square
Occupy 4 Jobs on MLK Jr. Day

A post about these and more actions in NYC on Jan 16th: here.

____________________________

Also, coming up…

January 17, 2012: Occupy Congress! Read more »

Filed under: Action Alert!, activism, events, international politics, News, Occupy Wall Street, progressive politics, social & economic justice, US Politics | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

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