Will Obama Meet the Resistance in Portland?
author: ri5er 
e-mail: redistribution@comcast.net
e-mail: redistribution@comcast.net | Call for Organization of Protest at the Oregon Convention Center, Wednesday, October 20, 2010 |
There is a handful of future public school educators organizing to send a message to Obama regarding his Administration's endorsement of the recent film "Waiting For 'Superman'" and the broader agenda it promotes to further corporatize the public education system in the United States for the benefit of multinational corporations that need semi-skilled labor at ever-lower prices. We plan on posting up outside the Convention Center with signs and loud voices.
If there are any other activists who would like to join with us, regardless of your issue/reason for protest, please reply to this posting or contact me via email.
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Short-Changed in the Obama-nation? Tell Barack About it.
Progressives,
On October 20, President Obama will speak at the Oregon Convention Center to stump for Democrats only.
A counter protest is planned for 3:30!
Meet at the NE corner of NE Oregon St (800 Block NE) and Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, across the street from the entrance to the Convention Center.
Saying we are disappointed in the current administration would be a massive understatement.
We've been short-changed and hope-winked.
Whether it's the continued wars, enlarged occupations, Wall Street bailouts, or rearranging the deck chairs on various sinking ships (the economy, healthcare, global warming, and others too numerous to mention)--we all have something that needs to be said.
Come out to the Oregon Convention Center and let the President know how you feel. Raise awareness that there is a choice other than the corrupt ways of the Democrats and Republicans who consistently bow to their corporate paymasters and ignore the will of the people.
Obama now complains that corporations are funnelling hundreds of millions of dollars, from secret sources, into Republican campaigns. But the Democrats could have prevented that by using their majorities in the House and Senate to require disclosure or even to add 2 more members to the Supreme Court and reveerse the Citizens United decision. But they did not, because the Democrats thought they would be the ones riding the corporate gravy train. After all, they got more corporate money than the Republicans in 2008 (reported the Wall Street Journal). But the corporations know better. They are buying Congressional seats for real Republicans who openly adhere to their agenda.
But doesn't action in the Senate require 60 votes? No. The Justices curcial to the Citizens United decision were themselves confirmed by 52 votes (Thomas) and 58 votes (Alito). Action requires 60 votes only when the majority party Senators want to fool people into believing they are impotent to protect the public interest. Impotence allows them to argue, "Make us stronger with a bigger majority." But the problem is not impotence. It is their allegiance to big money, which bigger majorities would not change.
Many groups are coming together for this one: See the note below from Dan Handelman of Peace and Justice Works Iraq Affinity Group.
Onward!
Philip Kauffman
philip@progparty.org (503) 250-0327
Progressive Party of Oregon
ProgParty.org
320 SW Stark Street #200
Portland, OR 97204
503-548-2797
Dan Handelman of Peace and Justice Works writes:
Yes, we have to deal with these realities:
there will be massive security and we may not get our message out as directly as we'd like
there will be protestors there from the Tea Party and other communities who do not seek peace or economic and social justice
no matter how large of a crowd we have, the mainstream media will say we're a "handful"
Over 40,000 people flooded Waterfront Park in 2003 to try to stop the invasion of Iraq. About 100 stalwarts came out in the rain last week to say the US must complete its withdrawal from Iraq, get out of Afghanistan, and redirect its financial priorities.
We have a chance now to make our message clear and be sure that the President and his supporters, as well as candidate Kitzhaber, hear our voices.
We will have the signs about "Get the Hell Out of Iraq," "Stop the War on Afghanistan" and "Close Guantanamo," among others. Those will not be the messages carried by others planning to protest.
I hope to see you out there on Wednesday. We've got the word out to other groups who may or may not also be a part of this call to action.
Please take public transportation, or walk or bike to the protest as it will be very busy with supporters
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