Calendar of All Events & Activities - List of Weekly Upcoming Events GA Announcements Within Minutes Click to View GA at home on LIVE STREAM!
- Directory of Issues – Take Action Now! Petitions, Your Articles & Petitions, Your Editorials, YouTube Occupy Ashland Channel, Learn: Medford Teach In Videos: Topic Presentations
- Stop U.S. going to war with Iran before the bombs, killing, maiming begin.
- Sign Petition to repeal indefinite detention of a U.S. Citizen – that’s you you’re protecting.
- Drop the “Aiding the Enemy” Charges Against Pfc. Manning
Call the Department of Defense: (703) 571-3343 or email at link (more info) - TODAY, tell your representatives exactly where you stand on corporate personhood and and corporate buying of elections.
EVENTS
| Joyce Segers Town Hall InvitationFebruary 14, 2012 Medford, Oregon: PRESS RELEASE2ND DISTRICT CANDIDATE SEGERS HOLDS TOWN HALL AND SPEAKS ON CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONSMEDFORD – Segers will hold a town hall meeting from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, February 19 at the Medford Branch Library, 205 S. Central Ave., Medford. Invitations have been extended to people from varying political affiliations in order to present an open forum of views and concerns within the 2nd District.Joyce Segers, U.S. Congressional candidate for Oregon’s 2nd District, has announced that she will accept no campaign contributions from special interest groups to fund her election. In addition, Segers says she is limiting personal contributions to $500.Segers says she bases her unconventional decision on the “end of the Democratic process” brought on by the Citizen’s United Supreme Court ruling in January 2010. Opposition to the ruling has garnered increasing public support from all corners in the past two years.“I am offering people a choice to vote for a candidate that is not bought off by big business. When I am elected, I will be representing people, not institutions.”Segers announced her candidacy in late October at the Democratic Party headquarters in Medford. This is her second bid to replace incumbent Republican Greg Walden.For more information or to volunteer, go to www.segersforcongress.org or phone 541-601-1100.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ You Can’t Wage a War on an Idea (and this is from Forbes!) |
Monday, February 20, 5 to 6 p.m. SOU Prof. Michael Niemann on conflict with Iran The Playwright Public House 258 A Street in Ashland (map)The history of U.S.-Iran relations; state of Iran’s nuclear program; Israeli government push for war. Michael Niemann, Adjunct Professor of International Studies at Southern Oregon University, will discuss these aspects of the current conflict. Author of A Spatial Approach to Regionalisms in the Global Economy (Palgrave/Macmillan, 2000) and numerous articles in journals like New Political Science and Journal of African Policy Studies, Niemann did his undergraduate work at Rheinishe Friedrich Wilhelms Universität in Bonn, then earned a PhD from the Graduate School of International Studies at University of Denver. He was Associate Professor of International Studies at Trinity University in Connecticut from 1988-2009 before moving to Ashland. Come relax after work, enjoy the fellowship of peace activists, and become a more informed advocate for averting another “war of choice” in the Middle East.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Petitions SIGN NOW!!! Sign the Petition to Prevent War with Iran. We won’t wait for the bombs to drop to make our voices heard. Tell President Obama that another war isn’t what this country needs! The crisis in the Straits of Hormuz and reports the US is backing off efforts to stop a military strike by Israel represent a threat to our security greater than that posed by Iran’s alleged nuclear weapons program. Recent history proves war isn’t working. We expect the US to use every means at its disposal to prevent a strike on Iran by Israel and pursue a diplomatic resolution to the dispute over Iran’s alleged nuclear weapons program. Iran. NO MORE WARS OF CHOICE.  Green is Iran, red are countries with U.S. Military bases (yellow dots). The drumbeats for war on Iran are getting louder. In some ways armed hostilities have already begun. Either the U.S. or Israel is assassinating Iranian scientists in car bombings. U.S. drones areinvading Iran’s air space. Commando operations may be in progress inside Iran.Three U.S. carrier groups are in the area. Troops are staging nearby.The U.S. has already invaded the nations bordering Iran on its east and west. The U.S. and Israel both possess nuclear arsenals. It isn’t clear whether Iran will develop a bomb, but such hostility almost assures that its government will feel the need to. SAY NO TO CONTINUED U.S. AGGRESSION IN THE MIDDLE EAST. Read more on front page at http://www.peacehouse.net/ Contact Herbert Rothschild, Peace House, herbertrothschild@hotmail.com, 541 531-2848 ____________________________________  Sign to Oppose SOPA & PIPA!!! Millions of Americans oppose SOPA and PIPA because these bills would censor the Internet and slow economic growth in the U.S.Two bills before Congress, known as the Protect IP Act (PIPA) in the Senate and the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) in the House, would censor the Web and impose harmful regulations on American business. Millions of Internet users and entrepreneurs already oppose SOPA and PIPA.The Senate will begin voting on January 24th. Please let them know how you feel. Sign this petition urging Congress to vote NO on PIPA and SOPA before it is too late. |
Topic Presentations
| Medford Occupy Teach-In All VideosThe first ever Occupy Medford Teach-In was held on January 7th from 1pm to 4pm in the Medford Library meeting room. Organizations and individuals from across our community and as far away as Salem spoke on subjects important to Occupy: Robert Doell “Mortage Game” The ponzi scheme is outlined in detail where the rich banksters made a killing and plundered the rest of us. If you think this doesn’t affect you (devalued homes is just the start of it), think again by watching this highly infomative video. Questions answered. Nancie Koerber (Good Grief America): “What You Need to Know About the Foreclosure Crisis”. Nancie exlains in detail how the banksters made a killing, how you are affected, and what you can do if you or friends are facing foreclosure. Answers questions. Rich Rhode (Oregon Action): “Democratizing Our Financial System”. Rich talks about having a state bank for Oregon and why it is needed, the history behind the need and how Montana is our example in having a more stable economy because of their own state bank. Answers questions. Pam Vavra “Legal Defense Training:Police Encounters and Civil Disobedience. What every activist should know when engaging the police….you have rights, protect yourself with knowing how the law works for you and the powerful right words to say….and what not to do. |
Allen Hallmark (CPJ): “Citizens for Peace and Justice” speaks as to why he and the Medford 6 occupied Representative Greg Walden’s office as an act of civil disobedience to gain the attention of media and the public that Walden does not represent the 99%, but, the special interests of the 1%. Jim King “How to Affect Change” using and developing the occupy movement groups. Jim talks about the process of any group and how it applies to the occupy movement groups. So, you thought your group has difficulties….no worries, you’re prefectlly normal. The trick is to deal with it…it’s a learning process and who said democracy is easy? And, what’s the alternative?And here’s some more excellent teach in videos from Oregon Action Rich Rhode Move Ashland’s Money, Nancie Kroeber Good Grief America Banks & Foreclosure, video of presentatons hosted by Occupy Ashland at Peace House. Andy Seles using humour and facts as he explains the Exploitation of 99% (at Peace House). |
On Dec 6th Los Angeles became the first major city to call for an amendment reserving constitutional rights solely for human beings, endorsing the 28th Amendment. Move to Amend Petition.The first cities. Boulder, Colorado and Missoula, Montana have also passed similar resolutions. Polls say that 80% of the US electorate supports the idea of getting corporations and their money out of our government. See Move To Amend for more information. Above in the video is where we’ve been and where we are. Now, where are we going to? Article: Occupiers About How to Keep on Going: How the People Got Their Groove Back “What a Bunch of Farmers Can Teach a Bunch of Occupiers About How to Keep on Going”.– Submitted by Andy Seles |
Occupy Wall Street’s Livestream Operators Arrested 1/5/12 Roaming Reporters of Occupy Ashland – From Washington D.C. “Hello! Anti-torture activists are to go on trial for speaking out against Guantanamo, indefinite detention, and the National Defense Authorization Act. Five activists are charged with unlawful conduct in the citizen’s gallery at the House of Representatives on June 23, 2011. The defendants will put Guantanamo and torture on trial this week. Please follow this case and the campaign to shut down Guantanamo at www.witnesstorture.org Thank you very much, Deb Van Poolen” _____________________________________________________ Despite the obvious differences we have more in common between the teaparty and occupy than not when you look at this venn diagram. The intersection of circle overlap is where we need to focus our conversations to bring us together. Indefinite detention of a U.S. citizens under the NDAA is one issue we can unite on. . |
Speech: Indefinite Detention provisions in the NDAA – By Marge Zettler.
Focus on what we can do together rather than on what we can’t. Be a proactive change agent with EVERY person you meet by finding one thing to agree on. The Indefinite retention of a U.S. Citizen is against our Constitution – EVERYONE, left and right, agrees on this! Work together as AMERICANS to repeal this! Sign Petition to Repeal Indefinite Detention of a U.S. Citizen – that’s you you’re protecting.!
Scroll down to the end of the comments and Make Your Comments Below – We want YOUR input! Democracy only exists if you participate to keep it alive and well!
I found this fascinating and inspiring:
http://occupywallst.org/article/too-small-fail-occupy-mosier/
There are no stoplights, the only gas station closed years ago and there is not a single multinational corporation within five miles. With a population of just 430, Mosier, Oregon will become the smallest U.S. town to have an active Occupy camp.
. . .
Yours,
Pam
That is so cool Pam! BTW, also check out the facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/groups/occupyashland/ as I think you’d really enjoy the discussions there (and so much info posted). This movement isn’t going away and little towns like this one are active all over America. Democracy is alive. Thanks for the info!
The Occupy Wall Street is part of a world-wide movement of true emerging democracy. We must “Vote the Rascals Out” of Congress on November 6th, 2012 and elect local men and women who will truly represent the people of America. We can create jobs by rebuilding our aging infrastructure that the taxpayers paid for and Corporate America has been profiting from. Our electrical grid needs to be “hardened” against natural and man-made events (war) that can put us back to 1850. We must recognize that the jobs and technology that went overseas will never come back. America must work out a realistic plan to protect those who may never have a job.
Just received confirmation on the room, so we WILL have a “Know Your Rights” Training tomorrow (Monday, 11/14) at 6 PM at the Center for Creative Change, 320 E Main St, Ashland. The training is made possible by the Civil Liberties Defense Center and is offered free of charge. See cldc.org for more information.
Next Monday, 11/21, will be training on “How to be a Legal Observer” at 6 PM at the same location.
Thank you Pam for a very eye opening training on our rights as U.S. citizens. Next Monday at the Creative Center 320 Main St, Ashland, we will be trained in how to be a legal observer, to know how to take records of what is legally happening to people peacefully protesting who are being arrested and how these records aid them in their court case, or can be a powerful deterrent against arrest just knowing that accurate notes have been taken by a witness.
I am so impressed by all the brave positive folk who are working so hard to make our world the joyous place it can be. Keep looking for ways in which I can be helpful, and in the meantime, a few songs, a few signs, talking to neighbors, and learning to respect and love myself. May love prevail.
Regarding My letter to Tidings + December 5th – Occupy District 2 – Dot Fisher-Smith https://docs.google.com/document/d/1F333Fc75rAAnPmJU_Ru3oimeJ0kHI_i3lmj2F6mi3nA/edit?hl=en_US# :
Dot, you’re directly on the pulse “This democratic structure keeps showing up and persisting nationwide, despite concerted, premeditated, top-down, co-ordinated efforts to eradicate it, including the use of brutal police tactics, which, in fact, seems to be unifying and strengthening the movement. ” The people, the 99% will prevail….we’ll see you at Vogel Plaza (Central Ave & Main St) , Medford, Mon Dec 5th at 12 Noon!
http://howdt.blogspot.com/2011/12/occupy-dome-ocracy.html
http://communities.earthportal.org/Exist/galleries/view/170707/?topic=22864
http://occupycafe.org/
http://communities.earthportal.org/Exist/video/view/171002/?topic=22864
A few site of interest.
If we have any real expectation at all to effect real change in our nation–an “American Spring”, then we have to to organize nationally and call for a march on Congress. THAT is the place in our tattered Democracy where the laws governing the behavior of institutions (banks, political movements, etc.) were enacted and, unfortunately, where they have been been undermined by the monied self-interest. Would 10,000,000 marchers be too much to expect?
I suggest this march be scheduled to occur in Washington D.C. on March 20th, 2012, the first day Spring and the start of the “American Spring.”
Hi Matthew, that would be great to have 10 million on the DC Mall in protest. Answering is 10 million too much to expect? Probably. 1 million showed from around the world and U.S. for nuclear disarmament in 1982 in NY. Course, I’m an optimistic pragmatic (one foot on the gas, one hovering over the brake for quick stop:). 307,006,550 is our U.S. population. California is our best bet for participation with pop at 36,961,664 (so if we got a third who’d all travel). I think that if we got one million we’d we looking incredibly strong and that we all need to be working for that. Good objective to be working toward. Did you see the Venn diagram of where Teaparty and Occupy comes together – that’s where I think our strength is (“The first ever GAO(Government Accountability Office) audit of the Federal Reserve was carried out in the past few months due to the Ron Paul, Alan Grayson Amendment to the Dodd-Frank bill, which passed last year. Jim DeMint, a Republican Senator, and Bernie Sanders, an independent Senator, led the charge for a Federal Reserve audit in the Senate, but watered down the original language of the house bill(HR1207), so that a complete audit would not be carried out.”http://www.dailypaul.com/188540/audit-teh-federal-reserve-reveals-16-trillion-in-secret-bailouts). Look what these two ‘opposing camps’ did together – they overthrew the status quo and that’s what the people, occupiers and teaparty (whatever the identity or label one carries) need to do – work on the corruption….follow the money!
Thanks for giving me an opportunity to address the gathering on MLK Day. I appreciate the chance to inform our town about the ongoing local struggle for workers’ rights.