Author: Mike

61 arrested in White House demonstration against war and torture

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This afternoon, an estimated 82 61 people Americans were arrested outside the White House while protesting the Obama administration’s continuation of Bush-era policies of war and indefinite detention.

More photos

Video of the demonstrations, including incorrect arrest estimate:

McClatchy video

More video

CNN blog:

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said that neither he nor the president were aware of the protest until it was mentioned in the daily briefing to the press, adding: “I think the president has long believed that whether your opinion is on one side of this issue or the other, that this is the greatness of our country, is that you get to amplify that opinion.”

More coverage:

Update: Why the inaccurate early arrest estimate? It seems that 20-odd people, the National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance affinity group, approached one of the White House gates, seeking to meet with someone and discuss a letter they’d sent Obama. Nobody came out to meet them, so they had a die-in. After many minutes, it seemed they would finally be arrested, so some of them stood and sang. Members of law enforcement then shoved the group out of the area; none was arrested, though some of the organizers had assumed they would be.

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508 #86: More Worcester Journalism

508 is a show about Worcester. This week, we talk about Worcester Magazine News Editor Scott Zoback leaving, what it would take to beef up accountability journalism in Worcester (inspired by a Clay Shirky lecture), and legalizing medical marijuana in Massachusetts.

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508 contact info

In the coming weeks we will be interviewing Bill McCarthy and Rob Diaz. Feel free to suggest questions in the comments below.

508 #85: Grace Ross

508 is a show about Worcester. This week, Brendan Melican and I talk with Grace Ross, candidate for District 4 City Councilor.

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Also: Mike reads a great letter in Worcester Magazine and begins a Clay-Shirky-inspired rant he doesn’t have time to finish.

The “85%” number suggests 2 projects I didn’t have time to mention on the show.

  1. Figure out how the number was calculated, then apply it to our local situation. I’ve measured the T&G against the Worcester blogosphere in the past. How do they compare by this measure>
  2. Figure out if there are ways Worcester’s bloggers can be one of the 17 5%s Shirky suggests we work towards. Along these lines, start guessing how many reporters are needed to cover City Hall, the police, the schools, and so on, and estimate how a nonprofit doing that job would compare in size with other local nonprofits.

508 contact info

In the coming weeks we will be interviewing Bill McCarthy and Rob Diaz. Feel free to suggest questions in the comments below.

Continue reading “508 #85: Grace Ross”

508 #84: Mary Keefe

508 is a show about Worcester. This week’s panel includes Brendan Melican, Tina Zlody, and Worcester City Council candidate Mary Keefe.

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Gary Rosen plans to run for State Rep; Bill Coleman plans to run for U.S. Senate.

Tina talks about the upcoming stART in the Street art fest and last week’s Pecha Kucha night.

Mike recaps his analysis of City Council websites.

Mary is running for an At-Large seat on the City Council.

508 contact info

More conversation about this episode at Paulie’s blog.
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Worcester City Council candidate websites and signs, 2009

For a blast from the past, take a look at the 2007 candidate websites. More election info at the Worcester Activist wiki.

Please send any comments to pieandcoffee@gmail.com or post a comment. I’ve taken screenshots of the candidate websites I could find, and photos of the candidate signs I’ve walked past when I remembered my camera.
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Worcester area peace calendar, September and October 2009

(Events shamelessly lifted from Michael True’s latest e-mail. Please send your events to pieandcoffee@gmail.com or post a comment.)

There is an antiwar vigil every Tuesday in Lincoln Square from 3:30-4:30pm.

  1. Saturday, September 26, “Rally Against the War in Afghanistan,” Noon-1 p.m., Elm Park, Highland St. and Park Ave. Sponsored by Worcester Peaceworks: Tel. 508-757-5873
  2. Saturday, October 3, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., “Stepping Into the Tragic Gap: Nonviolence and Reconciliation with Nations at War,” the annual St. Francis Day Celebration of the Agape Community, Ware, MA with Kathy Kelly, Rabbi Sheila Weinberg, Raymond Helmick, S.J., Skip Schiel, and other activists involved in efforts to resolve the conflict in Israel/Palestine: peace@agapecommunity.org
  3. Saturday, October 10, “Creating Positive Change Through Action,” The Tri-State Youth Conference on Nonviolence at the College of the Holy Cross, Worcester: email: robtlejones@rcn.com Tel: 508-508-344-8166
  4. Saturday, October 17, 9:30-11 a.m.the first public event of the Center for Nonviolent Solutions, Saxe Room, Worcester Public Library, with Colman McCarthy and Congressman James McGovern.

Also: Worcester Veg Events from VegWorcester…

  • On Saturday October 10, Buddha Hut is hosting an all-you-can-eat vegetarian buffet as a fundraiser for VegWorcester. It’s $10 for the buffet and 10% of your bill will be automatically donated to VegWorcester. Come anytime between noon and 7pm. (Join the facebook event.)
  • On Sunday October 18, VegWorcester and Worcester Earn-A-Bike are hosting a 20 miles bike ride out to Maple Farm Animal Sanctuary’s annual open house. (Don’t worry, the ride will paced for casual bikers not racers.) There will be food, speakers, rescued farmed animals, tours of the sanctuary, lots of fun. The open house starts at 1pm and our bike ride is leaving downtown Worcester at 9am. More details will be posted on VegWorcester.com soon.
  • On Saturday October 31 and Sunday November 1, we’re carpooling out the Boston Vegetarian Food Festival in Roxbury. We may rent a van and take a big group out to Boston together. Check the VegWorcester blog for news.

508 #83: Kola Akindele

508 is a show about Worcester. Today’s panel includes Brendan Melican, Cha-Cha Connor, and City Council challenger Kola Akindele.

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The latest round of debate over Worcester’s pools ended in a contentious City Council meeting this week. Some are seeing the issue as a litmus test in the upcoming City Council election. It has also spurred new calls for a change in the city’s charter.

508 contact info

Upcoming candidates should include Mary Keefe, Rob Diaz, and Grace Ross. Feel free to post questions to them in the comments to this post.

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Radical priest Carl Kabat profiled in NYT

Carl Kabat at the 2008 Catholic Worker national gatheringNice profile in today’s New York Times of Fr Carl Kabat, OMI, a Catholic priest with longstanding ties to both the Plowshares and Catholic Worker movements:

At 75 he continues his crusade against nuclear weapons at missile silos across the United States, armed with a hammer and a pair of bolt cutters. He usually wears a clown suit, in homage, he says, to St. Paul’s words: “We are fools for Christ’s sake.”

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Subsequent protests led to Father Kabat’s spending more time in prison than out, raising questions about the effectiveness of his approach.

Liz McAlister, who married Philip Berrigan, has an answer. “We live in a culture where we want to measure everything to know how successful things are,” Ms. McAlister said. “It’s beautiful to see people who don’t spend time wondering and worrying about that and are willing to do what they think is right regardless of the consequences.”

Photo: Carl Kabat at the 2008 Catholic Worker National Gathering in Worcester.