life in cascadia

pumpkin pie

2009-11-26T10:55:00.001-08:00

Amazing Vegan Pumpkin Pie

Crust:
   1 1/2 cups flour
    1/2 teaspoon salt
    2 tablespoon sugar
    1/2 cup canola oil
    2 tablespoon plain soy milk (rice or almond would also work)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 F.
Mix pie shell dry ingredients in food processor. Add liquids and mix fully (will be crumbly).
Pat into 9-inch pan with fingers. Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes and remove.

Pie Filling:

    1 can (16 ounces) pureed pure pumpkin
    1 package (12 ounces) silken/soft tofu
   1/2 cup vegan sugar (or 1/3 cup maple syrup)
    1 pkg vanilla pudding mix
   1/2 teaspoon salt
    1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    1 teaspoon ground allspice
   1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
    1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
    1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
    1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
    3 tablespoons cornstarch to firm up the pie filling

Directions:

Put all pie filling ingredients into food processor and blend thoroughly a couple minutes.
Pour mixture into pie shell.
Lower heat to 375 F and bake for 1 hr 15 minutes. Test and make sure that knife inserted comes out cleanly. If not, continue baking.
Chill and serve at room temperature.

PETITION: AFSCME Workers and Supporters for Women's Reproductive Rights

2009-11-11T11:09:00.000-08:00

Online Petition for a Health Care Bill that doesn't erode women's reproductive rights:
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/afscme-for-womens-rights/

We are AFSCME members and supporters who are angry that the House of Representatives passed a bill that would make women worse off under health care reform than they are today. Our union has fought so hard for health care reform that will benefit our members, our families, and our communities, and we cannot allow the restrictions on access to women’s reproductive care that have been included in the House bill. We will not stand for this radical departure from the status quo and we ask that you stand with us.

Why?

1. AFSCME has historically taken a stand on women’s reproductive choice (see AFSCME endorsing the "March for Freedom of Choice" in 2004: http://www.afscme.org/issues/7... and should continue this brave tradition now by opposing the Stupak-Pitts amendment.

2. We have fought too hard at the bargaining table for the health coverage we currently have (more than 85 percent of private insurance plans today cover reproductive choice services) and won contracts for benefits fair and square. We can’t allow Congress to take that all away from us with the swipe of their pen.

3. We need to be clear that women are not second-class citizens, and that our right to safe reproductive care starts with our benefits. As a union whose membership is a majority female, we must stand up for our union sisters (and all women in America) and demand that we have national health care coverage that covers all of our medical needs, not just some.

AFSCME needs to ensure that lawmakers support health care reform that protects women's access to reproductive care as the next round of debate and voting occurs in the Senate. Our elected representatives in the House let us down when they passed a health care reform bill that will undercut women's access to comprehensive health care. We can't let it happen in the Senate, and implore AFSCME to lobby the Senate and President Obama to pass comprehensive health care reform that does NOT include the Stupak-Pitts amendment or any similar language.

Please join us and our AFSCME sisters and brothers to stand strong in protection of women's reproductive rights today and every single day until reform is passed.

welcoming our new president: inauguration day

2009-01-20T16:02:00.000-08:00

on the way to DC on the train, i changed trains in chicago. that final train was 100% full, and almost every passenger was on their way to the inauguration. it was a celebratory ride, full of excited conversations and high energy.

inauguration day started for me (and my friends from portland, molly and tony) at 4:30a. we ate breakfast in the hotel lobby and boarded the metro red line into downtown DC. as groggy as we were, our spirits were high and we were surrounded by enthusiastic people. we had mapped out our route and proceeded in the dark to the washington monument. the cold was biting, but there were already swarms of people, pouring through the streets towards the mall. we arrived at our destination, had a big jumbo screen to watch and settled in for a long wait. an endless river of people flowed into the mall, until every available space was filled up. the sunrise warmed us and and a new day was begun.

as the inauguration ceremony began, the crowd went wild. surrounded by people as far as the eye could see, the sounds were overwhelming. the first major thing that struck me was that our constitution held, the transition of power succeeded once again. even though the previous president's administration undermined the constitution in many ways, even though we moved closer to facism as a nation, even though 9/11 pushed this nation into fear, power was transferred peacefully to our new president.

throughout the ceremonies, speeches, music and events, so many emotions flowed through me. people all around me--myself included--alternated between cheers, tears, and silent reflection. we all worked so hard and believed that this day was possible. in the darkest hours, when we were most discouraged, we imagined this day. overall i ultimately come back to what this means to me most of all: it is a time of renewal and a time for each of us to rise to the challenges we face. cynics say that our "hope" will be shattered when obama doesn't "turn out". but they miss a fundamental reality that has truly shifted for me and hundreds of others who i know personally who worked on this campaign. this campaign was a training ground for so many of us--most of us gen x or gen "we"--a training for a new america and a new planet. while we respect and admire obama, none of us are living with delusions that he is going to "solve everything for us". the election of obama is a symbol of hope and change, but it is up to all of us to roll up our sleeves and create a new future. i am reminded of the quote from lin-chi: "if you meet the buddha on the road, kill the buddha". it is now--and has always been--up to us.

and now, off to celebrate, drink, dance and shout!

welcoming our new president: cross-country train pt. 2

2009-01-18T10:50:00.000-08:00

late last night, somewhere in north dakota, i had a long conversation with the porter reggie. it started by him asking me where i was going, and i replied "to DC to welcome our new president". he gave me a broad smile and said "i grew up in chicago, used to ride my bike past the house where the obamas live now. this inauguration means so much to me in so many ways." we were off and running.

we talked for quite some time into the nite, along a wide range of topics. when we felt drowsy he would pause and open one of the window hatches to look outside, as a blast of refreshing frozen air would light up our senses. he told a story of being on the train one night during the worst blizzard of the season, and how the train kept pushing on, didn't skip a beat, with a total whiteout outside that same window. planes, cars, and buses were all at a standstill, but his train kept right on trudging across the countryside. he said it made him proud to be part of something so beautiful and simple.

then we got on the subject of the future. in his spare hours in his cabin, reggie has been writing long essays and creating charts and graphs for a "rail renaissance" in america. he dreams of a time when rail (including high speed rail) is clean, ubiquitous, efficient, safe, accessible to all and a core part of america's transportation system. like france's TGV but everywhere. he has been preparing for months now, and has a presentation scheduled with some amtrak executives in chicago soon. he knows that this is his part to play in a new america, and he credits obama's story of coming from nothing to now being president with giving him the extra courage to fight for his own dream. "if he can do that, i can do anything too. and nothing is going to stop me at this point."

and i explain how i have felt much the same recently, and how this type of conversation keeps getting repeated. i am simply no longer going to keep doing the things i don't want to do in my life. i will relentlessly pursue my dreams, knowing that i am only limited by my courage and imagination. i will spend my energy on real relationships of depth and honesty with people. i will work hard, but retain a commitment to fun along the journey. i feel like a sleeping dragon is awakening within many of us, and just in time because the problems we face are unprecedented. and our dreams are not idle fantasies, they are grounded and attainable, accompanied by a personal fierceness that says "this is OUR time!" time to roll up our sleeves and do what each of us--ordinary humans--came here (this planet, this time) to do.

welcoming our new president: cross-country train pt. 1

2009-01-18T06:10:00.000-08:00

last summer, as the hard-fought democratic primary was drawing to a close, i knew right away that i wanted to go to D.C. for the inauguration of the new president in january 2009. i was optimistic that obama would win over mccain (hillary was a much more formidable opponent), but i figured that i would book my transportation and hotel 7 months in advance and i would be coming out to either celebrate or protest. as i travel across the country on the "empire builder" train, i am thankful that this journey is about celebration.

as i stepped on the train, i was greeted by reggie, the sleeper car porter. he pointed me to my room and asked where the other passenger was. i had to quickly figure out how much i wanted to explain to reggie. "yi was my wife, but she is not coming with me on this trip. it's just me now." he looked at me with an understanding look, and just nodded his head "oh". as soon as i entered my sleeper, i threw down my bags and got to the first order of business, putting up my "oregon for obama" signs in the windows. gotta represent.

i slept soundly as my train plowed through the snow and ice of the rockies, as trains had done 100 years ago on this same route, as they hopefully continue to do for at least another 100. i occasionally awoke to haunting images or feelings, peering out the window as snow covered trees and cliffs flashed by before drifting back to sleep. the next morning i talked to the conductor and asked about snowstorms and other intense weather, and he said nothing external stops this train. powered by three powerful diesel engines, it gets through anything, even a snowpocalypse. mechanical breakdowns sometimes cause delays, but that is mainly due to the infrastructure neglect of the nation's passenger rail system.

long hours spent reading and reflecting, watching the plains of montana and abandoned rusty equipment pass on by. like a river, continuously flowing, the thoughts and emotions rising and then fading, i feel light and at ease. as always happens on the train, conversations with strangers flow easily. i meet jordan, a heart-broken man who just said goodbye to his girlfriend to return to ohio (some complicated story involving the law and an overbearing girlfriend's mother). but i could see the pain in his eyes, his story punctuated by pauses as he looked out the window fighting back tears. we were quick to connect as i explained my recent separation, and efforts to start a new life. soon he grabbed his bottle of jack daniel's, and we were taking shots to a brighter future, him with his budweiser chaser and me with my corona. we watched a beautiful sunset in the big cold sky, both eventually feeling pretty close to OK.

end of the primary: three candidates...true colors

2008-06-04T09:11:00.000-07:00

wow, what an amazing night! a year ago i would never have imagined that i would be writing this post. so many of us worked so hard, and last night brought the democratic primary to an end, and also gave us a closer look at the 3 candidates who have fought to make it to this point (and things looked better from afar for some).

mccain: since his speech was the first of the night, i will lead off with him. one has to wonder what mccain's operatives were thinking by staging this speech of his tonight, during prime time. i imagine there was some intent to draw a contrast between him and obama, but i couldn't get past his monotone repetition of his lame phrase "that's not change we can believe in". a note to mccain's handlers: "PLEASE get mccain some training on the teleprompter and speaking skills, you are embarrassing the man." speaking of "true colors" and embarrassing, green was mccain's color, and since that is also afscme's color, i kept wondering what his set design people were thinking. the best review of his speech tonight comes from an online comment:

'Oh, Go with the Green Background. It’ll make you look like the cottage cheese in a lime jello salad.' Always a good look for an older gentlemen. The aesthetics of McCain’s speech, just mercifully completed before a slightly energized crowd of literally dozens, was awesome in how dreadful it was.

now i am reminded of what almost every obama staff person has been repeating for the last several months: "we just want this primary to be done so we can turn our sights on mccain". let that game begin!

clinton: oh hillary, what have you done? i went into the night with hope for you and bill. i didn't want to believe the cynics who said you would not concede and would make the night about you. i didn't want to believe that you were going to continue your divisive games. i wanted you to go out with honor. i wanted to remember the bill and hillary that i respected so much in my college years. i watched your speech from the obama office in portland, surrounded by a room full of very smart data analysts. we listened to your every word. what would you do? what would you do? we were all tense, the room was quiet. you were on the goal line, you kicked the ball for the goal posts and it started out looking like it was going to go in...and then...and then...it veered away from the posts...and you did not just say what i think you said...no, no...you really did, you really did. you dropped the [expletive deleted] ball. you turned what could have been a beautiful ending into the "sourest grapes ever" speech. you played the enabler with your die hard supporters, letting them chant "denver! denver!", and you plugged your website so you could pull in more donations to pay off debt, and bask in the "praise" from online comments. i didn't think i could get more disappointed in you than i already had been, but as gasps were heard around the room in the portland obama office, you proved the cynics right. hilary rosen, one of her strongest supporters, and a frequent author on huffingtonpost.com, demonstrated grace and honor with her post today:

She had an opportunity to soar and unite. She had a chance to surprise her party and the nation after the day-long denials about expecting any concession and send Obama off on the campaign trail of the general election with the best possible platform. I wrote before how she had a chance for her "Al Gore moment." And if she had done so, the whole country ALL would be talking today about how great she is and give her her due. Instead she left her supporters empty, Obama's angry, and party leaders trashing her. She said she was stepping back to think about her options. She is waiting to figure out how she would "use" her 18 million voters. But not my vote. I will enthusiastically support Barack Obama's campaign. Because I am not a bargaining chip. I am a Democrat.

disappointed. saddened. what a pathetic end to the clintons' political career, with a missed goal in their final moment.

obama: what can i say? a beautiful end to an epic primary campaign. as his voice rang out, and the crowd cheered (including in the office), i was once again so thankful that obama was now the nominee. what a clear distinction between him, hillary and mccain--it had never been sharper for me. his praise of hillary was sincere and honorable, the contrasts that he drew with mccain where sharp and forceful. and the closing of his speech was heard around the world:

The journey will be difficult. The road will be long. I face this challenge with profound humility, and knowledge of my own limitations. But I also face it with limitless faith in the capacity of the American people. Because if we are willing to work for it, and fight for it, and believe in it, then I am absolutely certain that generations from now, we will be able to look back and tell our children that this was the moment when we began to provide care for the sick and good jobs to the jobless; this was the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal; this was the moment when we ended a war and secured our nation and restored our image as the last, best hope on Earth.

and now the next journey begins, to take back the white house...and our country--to make ourselves and the rest of the world proud.

political assassination: not to be taken lightly

2008-05-24T01:07:00.000-07:00

senator clinton's very unfortunate remark today about bobby kennedy's assassination has resonated around the world:

"My husband did not wrap up the nomination in 1992 until he won the California primary somewhere in the middle of June, right? We all remember Bobby Kennedy was assassinated in June in California. I don't understand it," she said, dismissing calls to drop out.

and it wasn't the first time either. back in march, she said nearly the same thing in a time magazine interview:

"I think people have short memories. Primary contests used to last a lot longer. We all remember the great tragedy of Bobby Kennedy being assassinated in June in L.A. My husband didn't wrap up the nomination in 1992 until June, also in California."

exactly a week ago (may 16), mike huckabee effectively ended his chances of being a mccain vp choice with his reckless and very inappropriate joke at the national rifle association:

"That was Barack Obama. He just tripped off a chair. He's getting ready to speak and somebody aimed a gun at him and he — he dove for the floor."

and just yesterday, senator tom carper was pushing for clinton to be obama's vp, but made this remark:

"I'll encourage [Obama] to ask, and if he does, for her to say yes. She would be a good president if something ever were to happen to him."

...if something ever were to happen to him...if something ever were to happen to him...what the hell is up with the clinton campaign team and their surrogates right now? why on earth would senator clinton ever even use the term "assassination"? why on earth is tom carper using the possibility of something happening to obama to help "make his case" for why clinton should be vp? well, after the events of today, senator feinstein, senator carper and bill clinton can focus on other asks, because like with huckabee last week, this puts to rest any further talk of an obama-clinton ticket. i am not suggesting that the clinton campaign is secretly hoping for obama to be assassinated, but i am suggesting that they are very sloppy with their words, and senator clinton will be perceived as considerably less "presidential"--and possibly not even "senatorial"--after today's "misspeak".

the assassination of bobby kennedy was a national tragedy, like the assassination of jfk, like the assassination of martin luther king, jr. my father was in his early thirties when bobby kennedy was killed, and had been a supporter of his campaign. he was a teacher and was excited about the prospect of a bobby kennedy presidency. my father and i have talked about the similarities with obama's campaign now, the excitement that so many of us feel for change, the willingness of average citizens to get involved to move this country forward. but bobby kennedy's death changed my father's life forever, and he boarded a plane for europe the day after bobby was killed, and has lived most of his years since in europe. he will never forget that day, just as many older volunteers have stated to me during my time volunteering for the obama campaign--that they remember the day king died and they remember jfk, and their hope for obama is tempered by the nagging fear that it could happen again.

on may 18, the 75,000 person obama rally in portland was the biggest of the campaign so far, and one of the biggest political campaign rallies in history. after the event, the volunteers were cleaning up the litter and re-stacking all the barricades that we had setup the night before. i was next to the podium where obama had stood and watched as the secret service were dismantling it. the waist high railing had been reinforced with metal plates of some kind, and as they removed them a chill went down my spine--these were there to protect obama from an assassin. the words of my father echoed in my mind, and there was a sense of deja vu.

so, in this context, i am deeply disappointed to hear huckabee, senator clinton and her surrogates so carelessly feed the conscious or unconscious political assassination fears of millions of americans. we don't need another national tragedy. now--more than ever--we need "change we can believe in".

union divisions - part 3 - afscme president's response

2008-05-23T22:06:00.000-07:00

in response to the anonymous email that was sent out this week to afscme staff and members (see previous blog post), afscme president gerald mcentee sent out his own broadcast email today. i can't help but notice the irony in the fact that the anonymous email service was supposedly "outsourced" to a service provider in japan. the clintons have long been big proponents of corporate globalization, and thus it is interesting that their friend--mcentee--is now taking heat via anonymous emails sent from an offshore corporation that makes money by benefiting from the jurisdictional and legal limitations of the internet age.

one thing about mcentee's email that i agree with is when he states: "When there are disagreements, we should be able to debate face-to-face." it is no fun and unfair to be attacked anonymously and not be able to counter the arguments. that is why i make no attempt to hide my identity on this blog. i certainly have my disagreements with mcentee--especially as he continues to spend our members' money on the clinton campaign and continues to attempt to drive a wedge between working families with his "electibility" arguments against obama--and so i can't wait to get to the afscme convention in san francisco and "debate face-to-face" about these and other issues.

this is mcentee's email response:

Dear Brothers and Sisters:

You may have received an anonymous email (attached) that is circulating around the country making false and outrageous claims about AFSCME's political program and finances.

I am personally offended by the falsehoods included in the e-mail, including the suggestion that the rights of our members "have been trampled on by some of our union leaders," including members of the International Executive Board.

As you know, our decision-making process is democratic and our finances are transparent.

It is especially disturbing to me that this email is being sent anonymously. We have a proud history of open and honest debate. False accusations and name-calling have no place in our union, and no one should be making unsubstantiated charges from behind a curtain.

The email writer went to extreme lengths to remain cloaked in secrecy. When we looked into the matter, we learned that they outsourced their lies and distortions to Japan. Specifically, they used a Japanese website designed to allow people to send anonymous emails. The purpose of the site is to hide the identity of the user and to skirt American liability and privacy laws. The company gets paid to send anonymous emails and they promise to delete all traces of the transaction.

The Japanese company even tells prospective customers that they "will absolutely not release any kind of user data without a court order from the Supreme Court of Tokyo, Japan."

I hope you will let us know if this email from Japan makes its way to you or your members. When there are disagreements, we should be able to debate face-to-face.

In solidarity,

GERALD W. McENTEE

union divisions - part 2 - afscme anonymous email...

2008-05-23T21:48:00.001-07:00

the internal strife within afscme got cranked up another notch this week when someone sent out an anonymous email to afscme staff and some members about president mcentee, his friend hillary clinton and the millions of members' dollars that have been poured into the clinton campaign. news of the email spread like wildfire on wednesday morning, 5/21. at first i thought it was only sent to oregon afscme people, but then was highly amused to find that it had been sent out nationwide. some people who know i have been a vocal critic of afscme international's handling of the clinton campaign endorsement asked me if i was involved. some of the issues that are raised in the email are certainly ones that i have raised before, but those who know me well know that it was not me for two big reasons:

1. the language used and style of writing in the email is not mine. people can look back through my blog posts to see that i clearly have a different writing style.
2. if i sent out such an email, i would not hesitate for a second to put my name on it. i wouldn't need to use an anonymous email service. i would sign it proudly: michael o hanna, vice president of afscme local 88 in portland, oregon.

so, without further delay, here is the email that has been circulated this week (i will follow up in the next post with mcentee's email response):

If you're going to San Francisco for the AFSCME Convention be sure to bring a calculator. The Bill of Rights for Union Members in the Preamble of the AFSCME International Constitution (p.8, sub. 6) provides:

"Members shall have a right to a full and clear accounting of all union funds at all levels. Such accounting shall include, but not be limited to, periodic reports to the membership by the appropriate fiscal officers and periodic audits by officers elected for that purpose or by independent auditors not otherwise connected with the union."

The same Bill of Rights (p.8, Sub. 2, second sentence) provides:

"Active discussion of union affairs shall be encouraged and protected within this organization."

We know as trade unionists rights exist only on paper until we fight to make them a reality. Get ready for a fight in San Francisco. Our rights have been trampled on by some of our own union leaders.

We began this political season with millions and millions of dollars designated by the membership for political action. We also began the political season with the three top Democratic candidates who all have 100% AFSCME voting records. Sadly, as the first phase of the political season ends, we have have squandered our millions of earmarked political dollars in a irrational struggle to deprive Barack Obama, a US Senator with a 100% AFSCME voting record, the Democratic endorsement. Our leaders have squandered the money to the point where we have now borrowed millions from the banks to finance this massive waste of our resources. Resources that should have been saved for the general election in the fall or spent in primaries that really mattered to the membership.

President Gerald McEntee was elected to shepard our resources. Instead he has been feeding the wolves, the in-laws of the wolves, the cousins of the wolves, and the distant acquaintances of the wolves.

We are entitled to an answer to a simple question to the International President:

"What did AFSCME members gain by spending all our political money, and more borrowed money, in a futile attempt to defeat Barack Obama?"

We are entitled to the answer to another simple question:

"What was the TOTAL amount of our money spent (political money and other non-political money) on this futile effort?"

We are entitled to have a full, fair, and active discussion of this fiasco at the convention.

We are entitled to know if McEntee, as a DNC member, first voted to disenfranchise Florida and Michigan voters and now claims to be concerned about counting our votes in those states. The only reason he is on the DNC in the first place is because of our union. It surely is not due to his political genius. He is on the DNC because of our clout.

We are entitled to know how our International Vice-Presidents voted on spending all our money and then borrowing more money from banks to attack Obama.

We are entitled to all this because we are AFSCME. We are union members and we have a national constitution where we established rights to make sure future generations of AFSCME members would always have the best and most democratic union in the country. We put it down on paper. We wrote it into our constitution. We voted to ratify the constitution. Now it is time to stand up for our unions constitution by demanding answers.

We will undoubtly face a fight in San Francisco to enforce our own constitution. Be prepared to stand up for our union. McEntee is right about one thing. This IS an internal AFSCME problem and we need to fix it in San Francisco so it never happens again.

union divisions - battle for afscme's future

2008-05-15T09:02:00.001-07:00

for many of us within afscme there has been a battle behind the scenes for months over afscme president mcentee's personal endorsement of senator clinton. yesterday, this battle became even more public with an article on huffingtonpost.com here.

while i agree with some of what the author said, i am not convinced that race is a primary factor in these divisions within afscme. i am proudly one of clinton's white, hard-working americans, i just voted for obama in oregon's primary, and i am one of the members who pushed the issue of whether oregon should break with afscme international and endorse obama. there is no question that mcentee's early endorsement of clinton has caused a rift within afscme, and in states such as oregon where obama has been polling among our members at an average rate of 2 to 1 over clinton, the rank and file members have become increasingly pissed off at afscme international and mcentee--even those members who are supporting clinton or mccain.

to me, the fundamental issue here is not about race, but about whether unions and their political endorsements are democratically driven or not. no one was surprised that mcentee pushed through the early endorsement of senator clinton, his longtime friend. for him, i imagine it was an issue of loyalty to the clintons, combined with a desire to end his career once again having personal access to the white house and another clinton administration (mcentee's endorsement of bill clinton was highly successful and earned him special access). some have joked that mcentee just couldn't wait to take another ride on air force one. but that clashes with the fundamental reality that we pretend that afscme is a member-driven organization, and in oregon certainly--and in many other states across the country--afscme members are overwhelmingly supporting obama. in oregon, we have sent official letters and made phone calls to mcentee and the afscme executive board, requesting that they not campaign for clinton in our state, but those requests have not been honored. and thus we have a situation where our oregon afscme money and staff resources are being spent to support the candidate that our members have chosen--senator obama--while afscme international has spent tons of money on their personal candidate--senator clinton--to counter our efforts, while also personally attacking oregon afscme's leadership.

afscme international's efforts in oregon will fail, however, because obama will clearly be the democratic nominee. in the longer term, however, we will never forget the way that mcentee forced his personal choice on our union and our members, and the sharks are circling to take him out. and his "yes men" on the executive board need to be worried for their positions as well. a new generation of afscme leaders are rising, and one thing is crystal clear to us: afscme will be a member-driven democratic organization. top-down unionism died in the 20th century, some of the afscme leadership just don't realize it yet.

obama campaign trail in pittsburgh - part 2

2008-04-17T21:27:00.001-07:00

the level of intensity within the obama campaign in pittsburgh continues to build. the pittsburgh area is divided up into two main offices, one north and one south, and there are small satellite "staging offices" in almost every small township and suburb in the area. the hours are ridiculously long, and the vast majority of the staff get paid little or nothing, but the level of commitment is unwavering. the eating habits are terrible for most of us, eating whatever is quick and available, whenever they can. but food and drinks keep arriving day and night from local supporters, which is much appreciated.

one major edge of the obama campaign over the clinton campaign is the ground campaign. over a month of work on the ground here doing canvassing, phone calls and other organizing has created a impressive list of supporters and volunteers. and this week all that pre-work is put in overdrive, and the people have been coming out in droves to make it happen here in pittsburgh.

tonight i will go to a "steelers for obama" rally, which promises to be huge. got the video camera, and will be filming in between volunteering. the obama staff have joked about wanting to get a hold of "steelers for obama" gear, because that alone could win pittsburgh given how much the residents love their football team.

people of all ages stream in and out of the office at all hours of the day. and there are a handful of staff whose main job is to route the volunteers and get them working. younger residents have been making a splash here, including this group of kids who are making phone calls for the campaign (what an amazing education in grassroots democracy!).

pittsburgh, pa: wifi cloud and abandoned parking meters

2008-04-15T09:03:00.000-07:00

this is my third day on the campaign trail here in pittsburgh, pa. as i drove across one of the 446 (!) bridges in the "city of bridges" for the first time sunday morning, i immediately liked the city. the architecture is striking, the rusting metal everywhere, the worst transportation situation of any city i have been in, and yet the gritty determination of this place is palpable. the contrasts of the city are what i noticed first, a mix of old and new, sparks of rejuvination amidst a sea of despair and economic hardship. i write this connected to the city's wifi cloud (works much better than portland's metrofi) and yet the city run parking lot next to the obama campaign office where i park the rental car has rusting and abandoned parking meters. yesterday i did some obama canvassing in one of the poorest neighborhoods i have been in in a long while, and yet 90%+ of the people i talked to where very friendly and respectful.

the afscme factor here in pittsburgh is confusing and strange, however. i have been hunting for an afscme contact--any contact, including hillary supporters--and can't find one. i spoke with an seiu organizer who is working on the obama campaign and asked her if she knew of any afscme contacts, and she didn't. i drove down to the pittsburgh afscme council headquarters, and entered a very clean and professional--and empty--office and spoke with the receptionist.
she looked at me a little strangely when i said i was an out of state afscme member looking for any local members volunteering on either hillary or obama's campaign, and said there were no longer any campaign activities in their office, and directed me to the hillary headquarters down the street. so i entered the hillary headquarters and was greeted by a very professional and friendly woman and i proceeded to ask whether she had seen or knew of any afscme volunteers and she had not, but she directed me to one of the hillary campaign staff. i then spoke with this earnest young man and asked him and his response was "well, they endorsed hillary but we don't really communicate or work together." so i gave him my contact info and asked him to call me if he found any afscme contact. so, in contrast to other cities where afscme members are actively involved in political campaigns, i can't find a single member or staff person yet in this "city of bridges".

oh well, i'm off to do more campaign work, alongside volunteers from other unions...

other unions condemn mark penn, while my union remains silent

2008-04-05T21:06:00.000-07:00

i have spent no small amount of time trying to educate people about the extremely shady character who is hillary clinton's "chief strategist", mark penn. sourcewatch wiki gives a small taste of his misdeeds and highly questionable clients and allegiances, and a google search will yield a mountain of troubling information. i have always been amazed at how gerald mcentee, president of afscme, is able to ignore penn's role and still tirelessly claim that the clinton's "will fight for working families". as recent as april 1, mcentee was fulfilling his role as clinton apologist by claiming that she opposed nafta originally, when there are many, many documented instances of hillary clinton supporting nafta.

and most recently, mark penn was doing what he does best, being a shill for global corporations and powerful elites, while promoting a "free trade" deal in colombia. in fact, penn's p.r. firm, burson-marsteller signed a $300k contract with the colombian embassy. yes, the same colombian embassy and colombian president uribe that oversees the assassination of labor leaders in colombia. as my friends and family know, i visited colombia at the end of 2006 as part of a union delegation, and spoke with many union activists who have faced brutal repression from the uribe government, and the paramilitary that do their dirty work for them. my hate of mark penn and what he represents is direct and personal. i try not to swear on this blog, but you all know what i mean when i say "[expletive deleted] mark penn!"

so, given this recent revelation about mark penn, two of the country's most prominent unions have strongly condemned him and questioned the hillary campaign as well, which has paid penn's firm more than $10 million so far. these statements by these unions are appropriate and timely. but it is with sadness that i see that my own union, afscme, remains SILENT. gerald mcentee--president of afscme--has never disappointed me more than right now. it is time for mark penn to go, and it is time for the clintons to go, and finally it is time for gerald mcentee to [expletive deleted] go! thats right, i have finally publicly said it. in no uncertain terms, i am saying: "26 years is enough, your time is up mcentee, time to go!" i will welcome your retirement at the afscme convention this summer.

here are some quotes from unions with more courage and honor than mine.

from the teamsters:

“How can we trust that a President Hillary Clinton would stand strong against this trade deal when her top advisor is being paid by Colombia to promote it?” Hoffa said. “To support this so-called ‘free trade agreement’ is anathema to the labor movement and to anyone who supports working people, social justice or the environment.”

“This has caused us to question Clinton’s stated stances on everything from human rights and environmental issues to very basic labor issues,” Hoffa said.

from change to win:

“It’s time for Senator Hillary Clinton to send her vaunted ‘chief strategist’ Mark Penn packing -- back to his job consulting for union busting corporations and anti-labor governments for good.

“We have questioned Penn’s role in the Clinton campaign in the past for his representation of union busting employers like Cintas. At that time, Penn said there was a wall between him and his firm’s representation of union busters. The latest revelation that Penn -- whose firm represents the Colombian government in its effort to secure passage of a so-called free trade agreement -- is actively involved in securing its passage in the middle of Senator Clinton’s presidential campaign is outrageous. It also suggests that he has been playing a double role – advising the Senator on what to say to curry Democratic voters and advising the Colombian government on what to say to curry a majority of votes in Congress.

thank you, once again, alice walker

2008-03-31T00:35:00.000-07:00

one of my all time literary and personal heroes is alice walker. at 20 years old, in my first year of college, i read "the color purple", and that began my embrace of her writing and spirit that carried me all through my twenties. it has been quite a few years, however, since i have read anything from her, and likewise she has not crossed my thoughts much either. so it is with great joy that i stumbled upon a recent essay of hers about race and the obama campaign. who else but alice walker could write about this crazed campaign season with such grounded perspective and wisdom:

Imagine, if he wins the presidency we will have not one but three black women in the White House; one tall, two somewhat shorter; none of them carrying the washing in and out of the back door...

We have come a long way, Sisters, and we are up to the challenges of our time. One of which is to build alliances based not on race, ethnicity, color, nationality, sexual preference or gender, but on Truth. Celebrate our journey. Enjoy the miracle we are witnessing. Do not stress over its outcome. Even if Obama becomes president, our country is in such ruin it may well be beyond his power to lead us toward rehabilitation. If he is elected however, we must, individually and collectively, as citizens of the planet, insist on helping him do the best job that can be done; more, we must insist that he demand this of us. It is a blessing that our mothers taught us not to fear hard work. Know, as the Hopi elders declare: The river has its destination. And remember, as poet June Jordan and Sweet Honey in the Rock never tired of telling us: We are the ones we have been waiting for.

so here we are. america at a crossroads. humanity at a crossroads. what path will we choose? further destruction, death and extinction...or something else?

another author/activist who i embraced during the 90s was starhawk. one of my favorite stories is her novel "the fifth sacred thing". in this near future world, the san francisco bay area has undergone an "uprising" and has broken free from a totalitarian united states. i haven't read the book in more than a decade, and i have no idea how i would perceive it today. but here is starhawk describing what they did about defense:

After the Uprising, the city recognized that it did not have the resources to both repair its infrastructure, develop the new systems of energy and food production it needed, and mount a standing army.

“We chose food over weapons and so here we sit, lovely but as unarmed as the Venus de Milo.” p.3

They do, however, have a Defense Council, comprised of ‘nine old women who listen and dream.’ Older women were chosen because they were seen as least likely to be carried away by emotion or testosterone. They spend most of their time in deep meditation, watching the currents of probability and weaving a protective, energetic shield for the region.

when i read alice walker's essay today, i immediately imagined her being part president obama's administration, serving on the "defense council". in terms of defense of the united states, this is symbolic of course. but what a beautiful thought, to dream of a u.s. president's administration where the wisdom, courage, compassion and vision of someone like alice walker would even be valued. maybe, just maybe, in the "currents of probability" that are swirling all around us these days, the hope that alice walker would have a role to play is not such a far fetched dream.

to see alice walker speak about her support of obama, check out this video.

oregon afscme endorses obama!

2008-03-16T01:19:00.000-07:00

afscme council 75--which represents 22,000 workers in oregon--voted today at its executive board meeting to endorse obama for president. this is a major event given that afscme international which represents 1.4 million workers endorsed hillary clinton back in october 2007. this was a difficult vote, with a lot of debate and strong opinions for and against. but in the end, the vote was nearly unanimous to support the resolution.

a pdf copy of the resolution is here. a news article about it is here.

i am humbled and proud to be a part of this.

yet another nail in the clinton coffin

2008-03-13T01:03:00.000-07:00

in a swirl of controversy, geraldine ferraro resigned from clinton's campaign. there have been a lot of "apologists" who have been defending ferraro's comments, insisting that her 40 years of hard work as a "feminist icon" shouldn't be flushed down the toilet. and to all of that, i will just say that ferraro is a political animal, who's comments were calculated and intentional. ferraro--and the clinton campaign--made her bed so she can lie in it.

and what the heck does it mean to be a "feminist icon" in 2008? so many paleo-feminists (glorial steinem, et al) are railing against young women who are not supporting hillary as "confused" and "ungrateful" for all that feminism has given them. but it is actually the straight, rich, white women--ferraro, hillary, steinem--who are "out of touch", because many young women and men understand that in 2008 "feminism" is multi-dimensional, complex and personal, with the intersection of gender, race, socioeconomic status, education, sexual orientation, culture and many other issues. for a real example of young female empowerment, check out the movie "girls rock", which is merely one slice of the infinitely complex reality that is 21st century "feminism".

and then back to the political perspective, keith olbermann captures the issues well, better than i could say it:

the "long tail" of the internet

2008-03-12T01:02:00.000-07:00

again and again i keep being reminded of the "long tail" of the internet, the ease with which anyone with an internet connection can search for past statements and actions of public figures. and even as i write this blog, i am conscious of the fact that every word i write is being logged in the world's largest database, courtesy of google, inc (google owns blogger). so, even though i might have only a handful of readers (thanks mom :), what i write will probably outlive me in some database somewhere...

and so it is with a smirk that i see that geraldine ferraro is being skewered by the "long tail" all across the intertubes. there was an intense exchange between the clinton and obama campaigns after ferraro was the latest political figure to show her true colors with these statements:

If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position. And if he was a woman (of any color) he would not be in this position. He happens to be very lucky to be who he is. And the country is caught up in the concept.

this is in march 2008, but 20 years ago, in 1988, during another presidential campaign, ferraro had this to say about another african-american candidate:

...if Jesse Jackson were not black, he wouldn't be in the race...

ouch! so, apparently, we can't just dismiss ferraro's 2008 statements as poor judgement or chock it up to a "misunderstanding" from another member of the clinton campaign (she is one of clinton's fundraisers, and speaks often on the campaign trail). no, actually given her statement from 1988, we can dismiss ferraro as one who has been bitter and divisive for decades.

so let that be a lesson to you kids: be careful what you say or write in the information age, because it can and will come back to haunt you, showing your true colors for all the world to see, and for as long as those bits are digitally archived.

has clinton crossed the point of no return?

2008-03-11T21:53:00.000-07:00

the clinton camp has been floating the idea of a "dream ticket" with hillary as pres and obama as vp, but obama made it crystal clear yesterday that this would never happen:

"With all due respect, I've won twice as many states as Sen. Clinton. I've won more of the popular vote than Sen. Clinton. I have more delegates," he said. "So, I don't know how somebody who is in second place is offering the vice presidency to the person who is in first place."

and now nancy pelosi today has drawn a hard line in the sand with the democrats by saying this dual ticket is also impossible:

"I think that the Clinton administration has fairly ruled that out by proclaiming that Senator McCain would be a better commander-in-Chief than Obama," she said.

so, there will be no "dream ticket" with clinton/obama, putting that meme to rest once and for all. the race remains a winner-take-all, last-person-standing fight. with all of the recent statements from other prominent establishment democrats, the sharks are starting to circle, as the impression is emerging that clinton really f*!#ed herself this time by proclaiming bush-dog mccain more ready to be president than fellow democrat obama (and not only once, but repeatedly). and if her campaign keeps hitting obama with these types of attacks, not only will she lose the presidential nomination, but she may be nailing the coffin on the clinton's political career period.

and what has been clear to me and many others for a long time now, if clinton steals this thing, huge numbers of americans who are already hesitant democrats to begin with (myself included) will be willing to turn our backs on the federal democrats forever. only time will tell how this thing plays out, but i will just stay focused on obama's win, just as his campaign has always done, with a 50 state strategy, valuing every vote, every delegate, every dollar, taking nothing for granted, all the way to november.

canvassing at the edge of the world

2008-03-03T10:25:00.000-08:00

i've done a fair amount of canvassing in my day, for lots of different issues, politicians, etc... while i can't say that i ever "love" canvassing, usually i will have a couple households that are very supportive and really energize me, and that neutralizes the much larger number of negative and unsupportive households. unfortunately, it has not been so here in texas. almost all of the canvassing i have done here is in white working class/middle class neighborhoods, and i will not sugar coat it, it has been really difficult. i have walked miles in the last couple days, and it has been lonely and discouraging. those few who do support obama tend to mention it to me in hushed tones, almost like they don't want their neighbors to know. and i am pleased to note that the republican households have been polite and respectful for the most part, and have said things like "obama seems like an honorable man, good luck" or "sorry, but i have always voted republican, so i am supporting mccain". but those two types of households have been in the minority, while the clinton supporters and outright racist anti-obama households have been more the norm. and each one of those takes a little wind out of my sails.

yesterday, one of the out of state volunteers (peter, 23, who just graduated from columbia university) got attacked by a white supremest while canvassing. when he mentioned that he was an obama volunteer, the man yelled at him and three his beer bottle at him, shattering it on the wall. then he jumped up and chased him off his property, and even got in his car and followed him further, harassing him. but this didn't deter peter, and after a brief break to shake it off, he was back to finish his canvassing route, and he returned to the obama office and continued working with us until 1am. and he was back at the office first thing this morning, with a smile and determination.

there have been several points over the last two days where i have been walking down these quiet streets, alone and discouraged where i didn't want to continue, didn't want to face any more. i don't remember feeling so out of place, such a stranger in a strange land. walking alone in a foreign country, in a completely different culture never felt this alien to me. and i just had to take a deep breath and push on, reminding myself that the only way out is through, the only break is to finish my list of households and head back to the warm embrace of the obama office, where african american volunteers outnumber any other group and all in the room dream of a brighter future. and the irony of this situation is not lost on me, as an educated white male, a person of high relative privilege--i do not mean to sound like i am complaining. the contrast is just hard to take, and i just have to keep focused on the future and not the past.

bill clinton endorses obama!

2008-03-03T08:13:00.000-08:00

in october 2004, bill clinton was on the john kerry campaign trail speaking about the politics of fear (george bush) versus the politics of hope (john kerry). now, it is march 2008 and the hillary clinton campaign is playing on the politics of fear, while the obama campaign is embracing hope and change. so, with a bit of editing, someone has created this nice little video where bill is clearing endorsing obama in 2008!

there will be internet in the obama office

2008-03-02T01:04:00.001-08:00

nate from florida, wiring up the campaign
Originally uploaded by nada.cascadia

so after a brief conversation with the obama organizers back at the office, i went back to "the barking dog coffee lounge" and asked them if i could tap into their wireless and beam it over to the obama office. they might have thought i was crazy, but they were willing to let me try. next thing i was on google maps, locating a computer store, jump in the rental car, and two hours later nate and i are running wires in the cafe, and mounting a wireless access point in the window.

(as a side note, nate--in this photo--is getting his phd in engineering in florida, and at 29 he is the oldest of the obama campaign team here in beaumont. he is working on a new type of solar cells that are cheap to manufacture and mass produce, which hold the potential to revolutionize renewable energy. this is the first time he has ever gotten involved in politics. he is working on america's future in two ways, for the obama campaign and for energy independence and sustainability.)

and one block down the street, the obama campaign office is now pulling in the wireless signal that we are transmitting, with the ssid of "obama2008". a little out of the box thinking and a little determination. and after a long day of walking miles and miles, knocking on endless doors (our small volunteer team hit 1000+ doors today, and are expected to visit more than 2000 tomorrow), and some angry texans with comments like "you can tell obama to go back to africa" or "i would rather shoot obama than vote for him", it was damn nice to end our day over a couple beers and a fast internet connection. si se puede!

EDIT: a huge thanks to joey and tanya crawford for supporting the obama campaign with their internet connection, fair trade organic coffee, great music, and yummy sandwiches. i hope their new coffee shop (they have only been open 3 weeks) is successful. it is little connections like these between creative, hard working americans that will win this campaign, from the grass roots to the white house. more of this is what i want for americas future.

stumptown coffee, wireless links and barking dogs

2008-03-01T22:03:00.001-08:00

the crawford family
Originally uploaded by nada.cascadia

when i arrived at the 2nd obama campaign office in beaumont this morning, i found a room full of phones and volunteers, but no internet connection. gasp! they had just been donated this big office, but they didn't have the time to secure an internet connection. i have been in this situation many times, so the gears in my mind started to turn...i knew there must be a way...

we went out to do canvassing in a working class neighborhood for a few hot and challenging hours. mid day we stopped back at the office, and i walked down the street to a new cafe called "the barking dog coffee lounge". i grabbed an iced americano, and began chatting the with the owner (joey crawford, in the photo with his wife tanya, co-owner, and their kids). when he found out i was from portland, oregon, he asked me about stumptown coffee (my favorite!). and then i saw that they had highspeed wireless, and the light bulb went on. there now might be a way to get internet to the obama office! to be continued...

1972 vs 2008 – full circle, in texas

2008-02-29T18:01:00.000-08:00

typing this on my flight to texas. before i boarded the flight, i read a cnn article about how bill and hillary clinton (before they were married) started their political careers in texas in 1972, working on george mcgovern's presidential campaign, who lost the race to richard nixon. and now, more than three decades later, the irony of the state that clinton's campaign finds itself in is palpable:

sen. clinton's lifelong political journey has come full circle in texas. with the march 4 primary just days away, the place where the new york senator got her first job in presidential politics may become her launching pad to the white house -- or perhaps one of her final battlegrounds.

i just can't help but smirk, who woulda thunk it? texas—home state to the village idiot president—on the verge of becoming the clintons' last stand. the young clintons in 1972--newly in love and determined to change the world--now find themselves on the other side more than three decades later...cynical, bitter, devisive, running a fear-mongering, race-baiting, hope mocking campaign like it was still 1972. and here in 2008, young people from all over america are rising up to say “enough!” and throwing their support behind a new generation of leadership, symbolized by obama, resoundingly rejecting what the clintons (and the republicans) are pedaling. at the backspace cafe in pdx, there was an art installation a while back showing middle-aged men in suits and in huge bold letters it read “dying to become what we once despised”. and so it is today with the clintons—they have become what they once despised. in 2008, at 37, i'm older now than the clintons were in 1972. but i recognize the fire they once had in their eyes and bellies, because i feel it too. will obama's message win out on march 4, or will hillary's? this weekend, the lines are drawn, and thousands of us volunteers in ohio and texas are fighting for the former. if obama's message suceeds, we spend our next 30 years fighting to transform america.

and will things again come full circle in the 2040s in texas? will that future generation be rejecting the era of generation x and digital native generation leaders? if we have sold out and become what we once despised, and if we have failed them, leaving a future world of scarcity, climate catastrophe and suffering, then they SHOULD reject us. but in the meantime, i'll do my best to make those young political activists of the 2040s proud.

call and response - barack obama

2008-02-25T22:45:00.000-08:00

wow, it has been 15 months since my last post. i have been considering jump-starting my blog again, and given that the majority of my non-work time revolves around politics these days, now is as good as any. so i expect the majority of my posts to be politically oriented.

so, i will come right out and say it: i have been bitten by the obama phenomenon. early on in this presidential race, i found myself undecided, with aspects about edwards, kucinich, and even ron paul that i found interesting. i have long had strong reservations about hillary clinton, and was very disappointed to see afscme international endorse her candidacy so early back in october 2007 (i will write more about this disaster in a future post). i attended a rally for obama in september 2007 with a large group of afscme members all in our green shirts, and he certainly got our attention. so many of his points rang true to me, but i had not done my homework yet. then in november i read an article about how obama--at 46 years old--is largely a product of the views and realities of generation x (my forgotten, largely invisible generation). i then researched his policy positions and his background, and downloaded "the audacity of hope" audio book from our kick-ass county library, and i was completely and totally hooked.

and now a couple months later, i find myself increasingly involved in the obama campaign. i don't know how to describe it, other than that his campaign has made the "call" and i am "responding". a week ago i received a broadcast email from the obama campaign, with an invitation to come down to texas to volunteer before the march 4 texas vote. and yesterday i booked my flight to houston on 2/29 to stay for the weekend in beaumont, tx and volunteer around the clock for 72 hours. we will be reaching out to latino voters, and i have never been more thankful for my ability to speak spanish.

there have been several times in my adult life when a pivotal event was about to happen, and i knew that i needed to be there. the seattle anti-wto protests in 1999 (which got me to move out to portland from colorado), the anti-wto biotech ministerial in sacramento in 2003, the anti-wto protests in cancun in 2003, the anti-ftaa protests in miami in 2003, the labor delegation to venezuela and colombia in 2006, and others... at all of these, i made an instant decision to "show up", and ended up playing a key role. and my trip this weekend to texas feels like one of those times. next weekend, there is no place on the planet and no activity that feels more important to me than to be helping the obama campaign make history. i am not "running away with the circus", and will be back to work on tuesday, march 4th, but like the other events above, i expect that part of me will be changed forever.

venezuelan workers

2006-11-15T15:21:00.000-08:00

every day (and in transport between meetings) we talked with workers about their life in venezuela, whether they were better or worse off since the beginning of ¨el proceso bolivariano¨ (the bolivarian process or revolution) that started when chavez took power in 1999. it was amazing how many different stories and answers we got, and it really depended on who you asked. i intend to write a lot more about these very interesting conversations, but here a couple clips.

i talked to a middle class family one day, and they said that they were neither better nor worse off, but that since the social changes and programs had helped so many poor, that they were supportive of the chavez government.

i talked to some wealthy members of the opposition parties, who had been majorly affected by the nationalization of the oil company--pdvsa--and they were very against the chavez government and very resentful of being marginalized (not even the right word, more like ¨less priviledged¨) for the first time in their lives.

i talked to a syrian businessman who sold nike shoes that he got wholesale from direct trade with china, and he was very positive about the country of venezuela and was a strong chavez supporter (he showed me his mvr party registration card, just like mine). he said that ¨el proceso¨ was excellent for small business owners like himself and the poor. he mentioned that he was muslim and i asked him if he felt racism or discrimination in venezuela. he said that venezuela was the least racist county he had ever been to and that he felt very accepted and a part of ¨el pueblo¨ (the people).

and then there were the conversations with the campesino activists and cooperative owners, but that is a whole other story...

its just a souvenir!

2006-11-14T07:27:00.000-08:00

on our second day, our plans suddenly changed (we are constantly reminded to expect changes) and we were taken down to a beautiful square. next to the square was a voter registration booth, where they had a digital photo/card station setup. i guess anyone in venezuela can register to vote, even if not a citizen? anyway, we jumped in line and about an hour later, after some great line converstations and an exchange of my passport and 2000 bolivares (about us$1), i was given my voter registration card for the mvr. i joked that it was bound to become "exhibit a" for my future enemy combatant/terrorist trial ("did you or did you not register to vote in a nation led by a known terrorist, hugo chavez?", blah, blah, blah).
whatever, it is a great souvenir. and for the record i am neutral on mr. chavez, and it is just a damn souvenir. for my n.s.a. and c.i.a. friends that i support with my taxdollars, please read this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Souvenir.

get on the bus

2006-11-14T07:15:00.000-08:00

it has been a non-stop whirlwind here, with every hour something new and unexpected. two days ago we were stuck in traffic downtown in our van, and a chavez motorcycle/bus rally was passing by. no strangers to political campaigns, our group ran up to the bus to take pictures and talk with them. the next thing we knew, the back of the bus opened up and we were piliing in. red shirts and hats from the mvr party passed around and all of a sudden we find ourselves on the top of the bus, ourselves now no longer spectators but participants.
to the right is a pic from the top of the bus. i took a bunch of video, which i can't wait to edit and share. we rode for several miles, music blaring, horns honking, motorcycles corking the cross-streets for our caravan. one of those experiences i will remember for life.

revolutionary coffee

2006-11-13T04:32:00.000-08:00

on the second day, we visited "la plaza de la revolucion" (revolutionary plaza). a woman outside the plaza was selling "revolutionary coffee", and we all enjoyed the damn good coffee. something good for this monday morning.

the first full night after arrival, there was a huge political rally just across the street from our hotel. massive stage and live salsa and other dance music, packed with people. it was put on by the mvr, which is one of the political parties supporting chavez. i had more than my share of 50 cent cervezas, and danced and talked to many people. one of the venezuelans i talked to was a cement worker from outside the city. i asked him if his life was better or worse in the last 5 years since chavez's government took power. he said that he has two children and before chavez his children had no chance of going to college. now, they will both go for free, and his family has a chance for a better life. got that.

best laid plans

2006-11-13T04:25:00.000-08:00

so much for being able to update the blog every day. the ability to use the internet has proven difficult, mainly due to the logistics of our trip. every day our agenda has changed, but this has led to some wonderful opportunities that we never would have had otherwise. more about those later.

the last couple of days have been incredibly intense. it will be a long time before the experiences more fully reveal themselves to me. i only have a few minutes right now, but i will catch up on the backlog later. i have taken hours and hours of video and can't wait to be able to distill that into something interesting.

day 1 - orientation and community radio

2006-11-10T14:46:00.000-08:00

our morning began with breakfast and an orientation to venezuela's social customs and political situation by our guide, leo. leo is highly entertaining and has an excellent grasp of u.s. pop culture and slang. one of the things that he said that stood out to me was "i never trust a person in uniform, police, military, whatever. i use them for one thing only, just like i use mcdonalds. i use mcdonalds for their bathroom, and i use uniformed persons to ask directions. other than that, i avoid both at all costs. police will often approach you and ask for your passport, and then say that they need 'money for coffee' to get your passport back. they are seeking a bribe, do not trust them, ever." similar to police in most countries for sure, and the same in parts of the u.s. depending on your class, skin color or other attribute.

our first stop today was at a community radio station, called radio libre. they are an alternative station, neither funded by the government nor the corporate media. it was bustling with activity and people of all ages when we got there. there was some orientation to media for school children. the founder was an impassioned activist who is able to be both supportive of the social changes going on at a community level in venezuela, but at the same time willing to be critical of the government when needed. will write more about our visit on the next post. someone from portland had also been here, as this pic shows...

touchdown in caracas

2006-11-10T14:32:00.000-08:00

had a smooth flight into caracas via atlanta. sat next to a woman whose husband recently died, but they had been married for 63 years. can't imagine that.

when we landed in caracas, the first thing that struck me was how similar most international airports are, and this was no exception. tgi fridays, subway and a whole bunch of chain stores, and some huge video screen with music videos playing on it. the second thing i noticed was that the largest group of non-venezuelans seemed to be chinese businessmen, they seemed to be everywhere. i was very curious what they were up to, but didn't have time to figure it out. the third thing i noticed was that there was the absolute minimum government/official presence at the airport. customs was quick and indifferent, and that was it. the last time i returned to the u.s. from abroad we waited in lines for hours and were under constant surveillance, with countless checkpoints and armed guards. but of course there are not nearly as many people trying to get into venezuela as there are the u.s. similar to mexico, the last time i drove over the border into mexico, the customs posts were abandoned and everyone just drives straight on through.

then piled into the van and to the hotel for checkin, beer and food. fell asleep to the familiar sound of most foreign cities, with odd vehicle/motorbike horns and a sustained buzzing of people and activity. exhausted, excited.

labor delegation press release

2006-11-08T00:01:00.000-08:00

November 8th, 2006
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media contact:

Daniel Denvir, Coordinator (info@pcasc.net; 971-227-3527)
Northwest Union Delegation to Venezuela and Colombia Departs November 9th

Portland, Oregon (November 8th, 2006)–The Portland Central America Solidarity Committee (PCASC) sponsors a delegation of 8 Oregon and Washington union leaders and members to Venezuela and Colombia, this November 9-20th. The press is invited to meet the delegates at a send off breakfast on November 8th at 8am at the home of Steven Toff (4815 SE Caruthers St., Portland), Organizing Director for the Association of Western Pulp and Paper Workers (AWPPW).

These union delegates will meet with workers, activists, government officials and opposition figures in Venezuela to determine how workers and the labor movement have faired since President Hugo Chavez was elected in 1998. Delegates will look into claims that poor Venezuelans have increased political power, along with unprecedented access to good healthcare and education. In Colombia, delegates will meet with workers and farmers and investigate the effects of U.S. military aid and a proposed bi-lateral free trade deal has on average Colombians. Colombia is the most dangerous place in the world to be a labor activist.

The delegation includes leadership and members of 7 unions, including the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Locals 4 and 8, the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Local 88, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 503, the Association of Western Pulp and Paper Workers (AWPPW) and the Oregon Education Association (OEA). Daniel Bonham, a former carpenter, will be representing the Fair Contracting Foundation, of which he is the Director.