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Tidbits - August 31, 2017 - How to Help - Harvey Relief - How You Can Help; Problems with Outlook; Reader Comments: Racism, Hatred, Slavery, Those Monuments; Populist Victory in Birmingham, AL; Today's Socialist Movement, DSA; 4,000 Rabbis Berate Trump; a

How to Help - Harvey Relief, Texas AFL-CIO, Not Red Cross, Organizations on the Ground that Need Help; Problems with Outlook; Reader Comments: Racism, Hatred, Slavery, Those Monuments; Populist Victory in Birmingham, AL; Building Today's Socialist Movement, DSA; California Hate Crime Tracker; 4,000 Rabbis Berate Trump; Announcements - Voting and Partisan Gerrymandering; Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression; MEDICC 20th Anniversary Conference in Cuba

Tidbits - Reader Comments, Resources, Announcements and Shorts - August 31, 2017,Portside
Resources:
Announcements:

Hurricane Harvey, a storm of historic proportions, is the biggest natural disaster working people in Texas have faced.
First and foremost, we hope you are safe. If you are, we are asking for your help.
The Category 4 hurricane's winds destroyed many homes and businesses in the Coastal Bend area, but Harvey's slow movement and a resulting deluge has taken greater aim at Houston, Galveston Island, parts of Central Texas and many areas in between. The Houston area's flooding is catastrophic. Some areas may receive 50 inches of rain -- a good year's worth in a matter of days. And the danger from the torrential downpour is far from over at this writing and could last several more days.
First Responders have operated heroically in the giant arena of this monster. A huge contingent of working people whose jobs involve logistics of rescues, maintaining power and communications, and movement of resources are working around the clock to minimize loss of life and prepare for a long aftermath. Countless volunteers from the labor movement are assisting at shelters and other locations.
As always, union members affiliated with the Texas AFL-CIO are participating in rescue and relief efforts. The state labor federation and our affiliates, including the Gulf Coast Area Labor Federation and Central Labor Councils across the state, are beginning to assess how and where we can help.
We know from experience that union members are extraordinarily generous in tough times. This is the toughest of times. Several charitable organizations are well deserving of your help. We ask that you consider directing some of your giving to the Texas Workers Relief Fund, a 501(c)(3) charitable fund overseen by the Texas AFL-CIO.  
As with past natural disasters, we will be assessing needs and making sure union families are supported in this time of crisis
What lies ahead is new. We have never seen a Texas tragedy on this scale. We cannot make anyone whole, but our movement can send a message of solidarity, a message that we are with working people badly harmed by Hurricane Harvey in heart, in soul and in spirit. 
Please help if you can. Any amount would be appreciated. Go to this link: www.texasaflcio.org/donate.
In solidarity,
John Patrick, President
Rick Levy, Secretary-Treasurer
and the Staff of the Texas AFL-CIO
NoRedCross.org is a repository for links to organizations doing on the ground work --- most from a community organizing and POC (People of Color) background. The low income community organization Texas Organizing Project and unions like CWA have started a c3 fund for Harvey -- https://act.myngp.com/Forms/-3833118145683060992
Your donation is vital to ensuring that we have the resources we need to organize and fight for Texans devastated by Hurricane Harvey!
Rebuilding in areas impacted by Harvey will be most challenging for marginalized communities. Nearly a quarter of Houstonians live in poverty - approximately 550,000 people. We also estimate that there are 575,000 immigrants in the Houston metro area. We will work to move the material aid the most vulnerable hit by Harvey to ensure their access to critical services - from first response and basic needs to healthcare, housing, transportation, immigration. 
Together we will organize and advocate for our devastated communities, shining a spotlight on inequalities that emerge in the restoration of lives, livelihoods, and homes, amplifying the needs of hard-hit communities, and providing legal assistance for residents wrongfully denied government support.
This webpage is being continually updated and is serving as a central information source for frontline-to-frontline direct resource & support mobilization. 
WHERE TO DONATE MONEY
And...
Extremely important article! Don't let it be forgotten!!!
Cassandra Martínez
Nick Anderson
August 27, 2017
[Nick Anderson of The Houston Chronicle is an independent-minded liberal who covers politics and contemporary cultural issues in a way that connects with readers. In 2005, Anderson was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning. Anderson has pioneered a method of coloring his cartoons. Using an advanced computer program, he creates digital paintings characterized by subtle textures and striking images. Prior to joining The Houston Chronicle in 2006, Anderson worked for the Courier-Journal in Louisville, Kentucky. Anderson majored in political science at Ohio State University and was editorial cartoonist for the school's newspaper, The Lantern.]
E-mail from MFPL servers [this includes portside posts] sent to recipients whose mail is hosted by Microsoft Outlook servers is being flagged as Junk mail/Spam. While we have made every effort to ensure MFPL mail servers comply with industry deliverability standards at this time the most effective method to ensure delivery of your mail directly to the Inbox of recipients hosted on Outlook's servers is to ask them to login to the outlook.com web mail interface and manually flag your e-mail as Not Spam.  Please direct then to follow the "Stop messages from going into your Junk Email folder" instructions listed in the following help document:
Correo enviado desde los servidores de MFPL a destinatarios cuyo correo es hospedado por Microsoft Outlook esta siendo calificado como Junk mail/Spam. Mientras hemos tomado todas las medidas para asegurar que los servidores de correo de MFPL cumplen con los estándares de entrega en este momento el método más efectivo para asegurar entrega de su correo directamente a la bandeja Inbox de sus destinatarios hospedados por Outlook es pedirles ingresar directamente al interfaz web de outlook.com y fichar sus correos como "No Spam". Favor de dirigirlos a seguir las instrucciones "Detener mensajes vayan a la carpeta correo electrónico no deseado" en el siguiente documento de ayuda:
Thank you.  Truth is power, crushed to earth, will rise, always!
Velva Spriggs
Pepe the Frog cartoonist forces withdrawal of 'alt-right' children's book
Matt Furie, whose `peaceful frog-dude' has been co-opted as a far-right meme, has stopped distribution of book that lawyers say espouses Islamophobia
By Alison Flood
August 30, 2017

`It's a nightmare' . one of Matt Furie's drawings of Pepe the Frog.
Photograph: Matt Furie // The Guardian
The cartoonist who created Pepe the Frog has taken legal action to force the author of a self-published children's book that uses the character to espouse "racist, Islamophobic and hate-filled themes" to give all of his profits to a Muslim advocacy organisation.
Pepe, created by Matt Furie in the early 2000s as a "peaceful frog-dude" with the catchphrase "feels good man", was adopted as a symbol by supporters of the US "alt-right" last year. He has since been designated by the Anti-Defamation League as a hate symbol, but Furie has been attempting to end the association, even killing off the character in one comic strip and subsequently launching a Kickstarter to raise money to "save Pepe".
"Pepe became a meme around 2010, then stuck around the internet long enough to become an institutionally recognised hate mascot. Needless to say it's a nightmare so I killed him off. But now I'd like to bring him back, and I'd like to ask your help in funding a new zine celebrating a resurrected Pepe, one that shall shine a light in all this darkness and feel good again," wrote Furie on the Kickstarter platform, which raised more than $34,000 (£26,000), substantially more than his $10,000 goal.
Furie's lawyers have also successfully stopped the distribution of Eric Hauser's children's book The Adventures of Pepe and Pede.
Read more here
Correcting history, not destroying it
Cleo Ellis
    ====
The monuments represent a divided nation, that's why they must be removed.
Hector Sierra Hernandez
First we forget and then we forget we forgot......so is it with Reconstruction and the rise of African-American senators and teachers and leaders to the dismantling of reconstruction and the rise of Jim Crow. Eric Foner has written a reminder for us!
Diana Porter
    ====
My concern, if we destroy these monuments instead of erecting plaques explaining in detail their infamy, we will forget how horrendous they were, and how hard people of color have to work STILL.. because of these legacies, just to break even.
Sophia Schooley
    ====
It is very odd that right wing people writing on the Civil War and similar topics refer to "the people of the South" without including the large African American population in the former Confederate states in that category.
Emile Schepers
    ====
Correct, Emile---OR the over 100,000 white male southerners that fought for southern org'd units of the union army, the thousands who fought in irregular units agst the slaveholder regime.
Bruce Bostick
    ====
True but I was not referring just to the Civil War era but today. Living in Virginia i constantly hear whites especially conservative ones, refer to "the southern people" in a way that suggests that the 20% of Virginians who are African Americans are not "Southern people' or part of "we people of the South'.
Emile Schepers
    ====
"As far as national law was concerned, the question was resolved by the Supreme Court in the infamous Dred Scott decision of 1857. Blacks, wrote Chief Justice Roger B. Taney (a statue of whom was removed from public display in Baltimore this week), were and would always be aliens in America."
Ni Ke Hura
    ====
Those statues were meaningless, just a part of the background. Their removal is made necessary because of the racist hate from the far right who are using them as a totem. Now they must be removed for the sake of the Nation.
Tom Dugan
    ====
I presume, Tom, that you meant that those statues were meaningless to you, just a part of the background to you. They weren't meaningless to the people that erected them. They aren't meaningless to the people that want to preserve them in the public eye.
I, too, am privileged in this American Dreamworld. I don't have to pay attention to racism. It doesn't enter my life every day. It's just part of the background here in Dreamworld. Unfortunately, some people do have to pay attention, because for them it's not just a part of the background; it's part of their everyday life.
Michael Thelen
We are not going to solve the problem posed by white supremacists by erecting competitive monuments or counter-protesting.  We don't have monuments to lynching because nobody takes pride in that, not even the lynchers.
The monuments to the great South represent a need for recognition.  That need is always present in all of us.  We need to understand why now this need is greater than it has been.  And the  answer must go beyond the current president who is more a symptom than a cause.
Beth Holden
Harlem, NY
Randall Woodfin, the progressive candidate for Mayor in Birmingham, AL through a grass roots -door to door effort, comes in first. Thanks to Our Revolution for standing up, to Zaid Jilani for the report and to Portside for the link. Can we do this in NYS?
Daniel Millstone
Several things happened to create this turning point. The first was the cold war against communism both internationally and domestically We lowered our tariffs on goods from our allies but didn't require  our allies to lower tariffs on our good, this ultimately lead to a negative balance in trade in 1971. Factories moved to these countries in order to compete. This lead to a loss of manufacturing jobs second we went off the gold standard which allowed the dollar to float a d lead to slow decrease in the internal value of the dollar and reduced purchasing power of workers salaries
Third the fight against communism was used to justify union  busting which ultimately led to lower wages third there was an economic decision to focus of finance as a way to make money as opposed to manufacturing.
Lastly the opening of china and the attempt we borrow from the many to fund the few. This is the capitalist form  of   
banking and economics.
In order to compete factories moved to these countries
David Eberle
As a certified firearms instructor I am in agreement.
Morris Edward
    ====
I just watched a program on Wyatt Earp and all guns had to be surrendered before riding into town. When did it change?
Lisette Renée
It was a great demo, and I hope the word spreads so that the whole country will force the NFL to become less controllingly racist!!!
Judith Ackerman
    ====
We say Whiteballed, Whiteout, Whiteouted
M Decime
Is there one just man among these three? As the father of two beautiful daughters with grandparents who are immigrant Jews, I am concerned. 
Bob Zellner
    ====
These Jewish Trumpistas are not just a "shanda," they are a "taka shanda" for remaining silent in the wake of all the anti-semitism targeted directly a them... as in Dr Ben Carson and all the other Trumpistas of African descent.
SHAME SHAME SHAME
Larry Aaronson
    ====
Slumlord millionaire!
Howie Leveton
    ====
Beyond the "court Jew" was the "Judenrate."
These were the Jewish councils that helped the nazis register, round up and select their fellow Jews for murder.
The Jewish members of the Trump Administration are rapidly advancing from court Jews to Judenrate.
As to David Shulkin, he's obviously a court Jew. His loyalty to Trump trumps all.
David Berger
Portside asked a diverse group of delegates who attended the recent DSA National Convention in Chicago to give our impressions. Among the contributions was one by Helena DSA member Marshall Mayer, but all contributions are excellent.
    ====
An important take on Socialism, Sanders, DSA
Bernie Sanders is the most popular politician in the country, and the DSA convention just made national news. But U.S. socialism has to find a viable path to power.
Marc Beallor
    ====
I see lots of enthusiasm for good developments, but no discussion of the enthusiastic BDS chanting "From the River to the Sea, Palestine Will be Free" which was a call to wipe Israel off the map and an implicit call for genocide as that's the only way that could happen.  If DSA's international socialism is going to endorse a major goal of national socialism it has no more legitimate place on the left than the Nazis do.
Stan Nadel
And then in the middle of the night, trump's gestapo comes knocking...Clearly against what America is supposed to stand for. He won't produce his tax records as all presidents have, but he can demand private info on people who MIGHT oppose his nazi agenda?
Nancy Rogan
Less than Nurses, that's for sure
Kathleen Walsh-White
    ====
Nothing. They shouldn't exist. Elected committees of Doctors, nurses, and patient representatives should run hospitals.
Jeff Booth
    ====
I don't get it non profit yet everyone got there hands in the cookie jar
Rafael Maldonado
"I would say that (people) need to come and see for yourselves what is happening in Venezuela. You can not rely on CNN or any other international communication or papers like the New York Times or the Washington Post, because they are only reflecting the story of the ruling classes, the oligarchy of this country, that want to preserve their interests," Vazquez explained.
 
"They're reflecting the voices of the 1 percent, while 99 percent of the Venezuelans support the process, support their government and they want peace and they want to continue the social gains they have made under the Bolivarian Revolution," Vazquez concluded.
(posted on Portside Culture)
Another example of what mass incarceration sounds like, looks like, feels like, IS like.
Larry Aaronson
    ====
so many lives destroyed by this system...this insanity needs to stop...
Pat Benabe
Here are some stunning graphics to copy and print!
Helena Harlow Worthen
Fox News viewers and Trump supporters doubtlessly patted themselves on the back and exchanged high-fives when they saw a carefully situated African-American man conspicuously standing behind Donald Trump at his rally in Phoenix Tuesday night.
"Michael the Black Man" aka Maurice Woodside has been a fixture at Trump rallies from the get-go, always directly behind Trump impossible to miss and no doubt planted.
Much like the tiny number of Republican women in Congress who are habitually trotted out for bill-signing ceremonies and other GOP publicized events, for propaganda purposes Woodside is perfectly placed to instill the idea that Trump's supporters are not just a cadre of the most virulent racists in the nation, but are in fact "diverse" and "attractive" to minorities. Woodside is put forward as the face of all African-Americans -- living proof that Trump could not possibly be a racist. The reality, of course, is that Woodside is about as representative of African-Americans as hard-core Trump supporters are representative of decent human beings.
Most curiously, "Michael the Black Man" was a former member of a cult that sported a Confederate flag and that eventually turned violent.  In the 1990s, Woodside was charged, then acquitted, of conspiracy to commit two murders.
Puzzle: Why does Secret Service permit a man with such history in direct proximity to the president ???
James E Vann
Political-Housing-Community Activist
Oakland, California
I am wanting to thank all of you so much for your work and the dissemination of profound and much needed articles/perspectives!!! You are contributing so much to the breadth of the so-called American fabric as well as in the advancement of justice.
Thank you!!!
Peace,
Heather Gray
Justice Initiative
Atlanta, GA
With the country still reeling from last weekend's white supremacist march and its shocking aftermath, many Americans are taking a hard look at the persistence of racist symbols and ideology, from Confederate statues to the growth of the alt right.
Though California has long been seen as a bastion of tolerance, it has more than its share of far-right extremists who trade on bigotry and intolerance. In fact, California has more hate groups than any other state, and has seen a significant increase in hate crimes.
As part of our continuing coverage of white nationalism and other forms of discrimination, Capital & Main today launches a California hate crime watch. This new feature will provide a list of hate crimes that have been documented by reliable sources. In the weeks ahead, we will also produce coverage of the state's extremist movements and coverage of those who are fighting to counter them.
We encourage you to send us information on any hate crimes in your community by contacting us at hatecrime@capitalandmain.com.
Rabbis Forgo Annual High Holy Days Call with President
August 23, 2017
The High Holy Days are an opportunity for reflection and introspection. As the leaders of major denominations in American Jewish life, we have been deeply engaged in both, considering the events of the Jewish year that is ending and preparing spiritually for the year to come.
In so doing, we have thoughtfully and prayerfully considered whether to continue the practice in recent years of playing key roles in organizing a conference call for the President of the United States to bring High Holy Day greetings to American rabbis. We have concluded that President Trump's statements during and after the tragic events in Charlottesville are so lacking in moral leadership and empathy for the victims of racial and religious hatred that we cannot organize such a call this year.
The President's words have given succor to those who advocate anti-Semitism, racism, and xenophobia. Responsibility for the violence that occurred in Charlottesville, including the death of Heather Heyer, does not lie with many sides but with one side: the Nazis, alt-right and white supremacists who brought their hate to a peaceful community. They must be roundly condemned at all levels.
The High Holy Days are a season of t'shuvah for us all, an opportunity for each of us to examine our own words and deeds through the lens of America's ongoing struggle with racism. Our tradition teaches us that humanity is fallible yet also capable of change. We pray that President Trump will recognize and remedy the grave error he has made in abetting the voices of hatred. We pray that those who traffic in anti-Semitism, racism, and xenophobia will see that there is no place for such pernicious philosophies in a civilized society. And we pray that 5778 will be a year of peace for all.
Central Conference of American Rabbis
The Rabbinical Assembly
Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association
Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism
[About the CCAR  -- The CCAR, founded in 1889, is the oldest and largest rabbinic organization in North America. It projects a powerful voice in the religious life of the American and international Jewish communities.  The CCAR's unique contribution to a continued vibrant Jewish community and Reform Movement lies in its work fostering excellence in Reform Rabbis; enhancing unity and connectedness among Reform Jews; applying Jewish values to a contemporary life; and, creating a compelling and accessible Judaism for today and the future.]

September 15 -- 8:30 am - 10:30 am
The Joseph S. Murphy Institute
25 West 43rd Street
18th floor
New York, NY 10036
In light of the Supreme Court's decision to hear Gill vs Whitford, this panel will be asked to explore the history of gerrymandering and the effects of recent changes in technology, data mining, and dark money, to understand the implications of potential Supreme Court decisions. Before this case made it to the Supreme Court, what work had been taking place on the ground to address the effects of gerrymandering? How has the US Census influenced redistricting? What can we expect from the Supreme Court and how will this impact the future of electoral politics?
Speakers
  • David Daley, author, Ratf**ked: The True Story Behind the Secret Plan to Steal America's Democracy and former Editor-in-chief of Salon.com
  • Joanna Cuevas Ingram, Associate Council, LatinoJustice PRLDEF
  • Michael Li, Senior Counsel for the Brennan Center's Democracy Program and co-author of the report, Extreme Maps
  • Deuel Ross, Assistant Counsel at the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund
  • Moderator: John Mollenkopf, Distinguished Professor of Political Science, CUNY Graduate School and consortial faculty, Murphy Institute
More information and reservations, click here.

This year's CAARPR Human Rights Awards Dinner and Program promises to be one that you surely will want to attend. It will take place on Saturday, September 23, 2017 at Sixth Grace Presbyterian Church, located at 600 E. 35th St. Dinner will be served at 5:30 PM and the Program will follow in the Sanctuary at 7:00 PM.
You will want to hear our keynote speaker, Dr. Gerald Horne, Chair of History and African American Studies at the University of Houston and noted author of more than thirty books and one hundred scholarly articles and reviews. Among his latest books are Paul Robeson, the Artist as Revolutionary and The Counter-Revolution of 1776: Slave Resistance and the Origins of the United States of America.
You will want to honor the recipients of this year's Charlene Mitchell Human Rights Award, Reverend (Queen Mother) Helen Sinclair and Alderman Carlos Ramirez-Rosa. Approaching a century of life, Queen Mother Sinclair has carried on the Prison Ministry founded by her late mother Rev. Jessie Watson "Ma" Houston, giving aid and assistance to inmates in Cook County and Illinois correctional centers. After volunteering with the Prison Outpost for forty years, she was appointed Chaplain of the Illinois Department of Corrections and worked there for seventeen years. She continues to advocate for the imprisoned. She is especially active in the defense of her son-in-law, Johnnie Veal, wrongfully convicted in 1971 of the murder of two police officers in the Cabrini-Green Homes.
The other recipient is 35th Ward Alderman Carlos Ramirez-Rosa, the youngest and progressive member of the Chicago City Council. A former Community Organizer, he puts priority on the expressed needs of his constituents using his district office and staff budget to organize community defense committees. He supports the right of citizens to control the police and has supported the efforts of the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression by introducing the legislation in the City Council creating an all-elected Civilian Police Accountability Council (CPAC) that the Alliance has proposed.
You also will want to join us in celebrating the 75th birthdays of Frank Chapman and Ted Pearson, steadfast and longtime leaders of our organization, NAARPR/CAARPR. You will want to meet our newly elected members of the Executive Committee, Jeff Baker, Nataki Rhodes and Brian Ragsdale and also observe a moment of silence in memory of our late leader, Josephine Wyatt.
We appreciate the support you have given in the past to make it possible for us to carry out our mission to secure legislation that establishes an elected Civilian Police Accountability Council (CPAC), to free prisoners-victims of torture and false imprisonment, and to insure that proper health care is provided for those still incarcerated.
We look forward to your continued support.
Please download the pdf form to order tickets and place your greetings (or greetings from your church, union, or community group) in the Program Book.
Chicago Alliance Against Racist & Political Repression
1325 S. Wabash Ave., Suite 105, Chicago, IL 60605
(312) 939 - 2750
December 3-9, 2017  At the Melia Varadero Hotel in Matanzas Province

This event will make your December unforgettable!
On-site interactive offerings on health and culture, plus community and historical visits in Matanzas Province, and MEDICC's 20th Anniversary Gala!
Conference travel is fully legal under US travel regulations for Professional Meetings.
EARLY, EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION AS LOW AS $2,000 PER PERSON for six days/nights in Cuba, including all Conference activities.
Early, early bird registration deadline August 31, 2017
Early bird registration deadline:September 21, 2017
Final registration deadline: October 28, 2017
FULL PAYMENT OF CONFERENCE FEES IS DUE UPON REGISTRATION.
See full pricing details under DATES & PRICES Tab, on the REGISTRATION form, and in Conference FAQ
  • Morning exercises that promote health and relieve stress
  • A virtual tour of Cuba’s ever-changing urban landscape
  • Demonstration sessions and discussions with young Cuban artists
  • Cuban linguists discussing the role of humor in mental health.
  • Pioneers in Cuban health care, biotechnology and global health cooperation, sharing their personal and collective stories
  • Cuban author Dr. Jorge Pérez launching the English translation of his landmark book, A Doctor and His Patients Talk About AIDS in Cuba.
  • Cuban dancers and percussionists teaching community traditions in workshops
  • Cuban chefs and dietary specialists preparing healthful dishes in Cuban cuisine
  • Visit Cuba’s part of UNESCO’s Slave Route in Matanzas Province
  • Visit Cárdenas: a town at the heart of Cuban pride, where you can explore in the locals’ still-favorite mode of transportation: horse-drawn carriages, finishing your ride with a special seminar in rumba by Columbia del Puerto.
  • A spectacular walk through one of Cuba’s Protected Areas, a natural paradise of endemic flora and fauna.
The conference helps you support MEDICC programs: through your registration, participation and thoughtful insights, share ideas on how to build MEDICC going forward from this, our 20th Anniversary Year.
REGISTER soon!  Your family members 16 years and older may accompany you.
For more information, please see the Conference FAQ,  or contact Christian Vigil at cvigil@mediccglobal.org or 510-350-3054