[SDCPJ] [Fwd: MAY DAY - A SPECIAL Day for workers]

[SDCPJ] Sign up by May 6 for Work-a-thon for Peace & Social Justice

 

 

 (Please note: The deadline is May 6 to register for this event and help two very important local peace organizations.)

 

Annual

2009 WORK-A-THON FOR
PEACE and SOCIAL JUSTICE

Saturday, May 16

THERE ARE TWO WAYS YOU CAN HELP:

1. VOLUNTEER for a day to help construct the new Friends Center in San Diego, an exciting project that combines environmentalism, peace activism and social justice organizing. The environmentally friendly, energy-efficient building will house the Peace Resource Center, Friends Meeting and AFSC U.S.-Mexico Border Project, and also provide meeting space for other community organizations and projects. To volunteer, complete and return the registration form that can be downloaded here:

http://www.prcsd.org/pdf's/Workthfl09.pdf

2. SPONSOR a volunteer worker. Your donation as a sponsor will give encouragement to those donating their labor and also benefit two organizations financially: the Project on Youth and Non-Military Opportunities and Peace Resource Center. Send your check made out to “PRC/Work-a-thon”, and we will match your donation with a worker. Mail it to: Peace Resource Center, 3850 Westgate Pl., San Diego, CA 92105.

For more information, visit www.prcsd.org, email info@prcsd.org or call 619-265-0730.

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Coalition Events

Please take a few moments to become aware of some important events. Please foreward to your constituents. Ask them to send it out to their mailing lists. If you have not already, join us at http://www.meetup.com/sdcommunitycoalition. Thanks! Walter 760-917-1251 We have upcoming events that need your support.   See Brief video here:   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0c1xfCoSs4     Movie Night - Afghanistan Before the War 7PM at 8Teen Cultural Center, 3925 Ohio Street, San Diego, 29 April 2009. See documentary on Afghanistan before the wars with Russia and the United States.     Technology Class Saturday, 2 May 2009 1000 AM to 2 PM, 8Teen Cultural Center....3925 Ohio Street.   Learn about Internet TV, Blogging, Facebook, YouTube, Alternative Media. $20.00 donation includes a meal...no one turned away.     Progress in San Diego TV show - See Pamela Perkins and Nancy J. Mitchell of Human Communication Institute along with Raymond Lutz of the Citizens' Oversight Project Committee.   Volunteer for our TV crew....we need your help! See the simulcast at www.helloworld.com/videoconsultant. If you want to be part of the crew, you will need to be at COX Communications in El Cajon at 6:30 PM. Call me to get directions, information and instructions (required).         See Raymond's Democracy Now Video            NJ Mitchell grew up in a small town forty miles east of Orlando Florida the eldest of six children. She traveled the United States playing semi-Professional softball for 17 years which includes many individual and team trophy awards. She has her MBA complimented with a degree in communication. Since then, opportunity has knocked twice more, first at the Human Communication Institute, LLC and then in the Entertainment Industry. She is a Company Principal, VP of Operations & Marketing and brings to the professional HCI team a special brand of organization, motivation, personal coaching and team confidence building skills. Secondarily, she manages the HCI, LLC practitioner PASS IT ON Film project and is the R&D Manager of the Diversity Works Magazine. She can also be seen in a few movies and HBO shows if you look hard enough. She is a student at Van Mar Academy Hollywood. (Ivan Makota). She received the National Campaign Billboard for Mother's Against Gun Violence (Photography: Jeffery Lamont Brown). She is also apart of the large Mural at Encinitas Beach Mobil Gas Station (Artist Kevin Anderson). She is active with the San Diego Film Festival SDFF. Her passions are to jump through hoops until she sees the lights come on in a child's eyes, to sit at the feet of recorded history - our elderly and you can find her studying scholarly spiritual works in nature with a hot cup of fresh brewed coffee. Her hobbies are play by play calling NBA games (favorite team the Miami Heat), international travel with friends, research work, writing and sharing notes about thoughts that invade her mind and beg to be remembered. Have a wonderful day. It's always your choice! We encourage you to visit our site   www.hci-global.net and contact us to create a specific communication training support program for your team. Co-Host NJ Mitchell, Human Communication Institute, LLC practitioner     P amela S. Perkins, M.A., Founder & CEO of the Human Communication Institute, LLC www.hci-global.net is a graduate of the well-renowned University's of North Carolina Chapel Hill and New York University. Pamela has over 20 years of experience as a Human Communication Management Specialist, Professor of Communication, Corporate Training Consultant, Lecturer, and academia and corporate curriculum developer. Pamela is a featured practitioner in the Film; Pass It On along with Visionary Dr. Michael Beckwith, Motivation Speaker Les Brown and Productivity Consultant Denis Waitley. She has made Guest Appearances on KPBS, MTV, NBC, Cox TV, Voice of America, Talk Radio WHCR 90.3 FM New York and Big Media USA - Smart Talking Women Inc. Her current list of clients include: San Diego State University, Urban League San Diego, San Diego City College, SD Health and Human Services, EMBRACE Program, SD Black Engineers, Qualcomm, and SD KPBS, to name a few. She is currently Editor-in- Chief of Diversity Works Magazine and a contributing writer for the Personal Development Magazine www.hciglobal. com/pdmagazine Her cultural studies are extensive and includes an international post with The Instituto Italiano, Florence , Italy. Past Co-Director of the prestigious World Cultures Program, Pamela produced, directed and facilitated cross-cultural programming for audiences and participants from around the globe. Specializing in Intrapersonal, Interpersonal, Nonverbal and Intercultural Communication practices, she is creator of the HCI Communication Staircase. Author of the Spring, 2008 hardcover New York Time review release of: The Art and Science of Communication: Tools for Effective Communication in the Workplace, publishers John Wiley & Sons www.wiley.com her unique and effective approach to healing the communication environment has positively affected the lives of thousands. Co-Host Pamela S. Perkins, M.A, Human Communication Institute, LLC, Founder & CEO Please forward this email to all of your constituents and encourage them to join the San Diego County Community Coalition http://www.meetup.com/sdcommunitycoalition   Walter Davis 760-917-1251

Fwd: Coalition Events

Please take a few moments to become aware of some important events indicated below. Please foreward to your constituents. Ask them to send it out to their mailing lists. If you have not already, join us at http://www.meetup.com/sdcommunitycoalition.

Thanks!

Walter 760-917-1251

 

We have upcoming events that need your support.

 

See Brief video here:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0c1xfCoSs4

 

 

Movie Night - Afghanistan Before the War 7PM at 8Teen Cultural Center, 3925 Ohio Street, San Diego, 29 April 2009. See documentary on Afghanistan before the wars with Russia and the United States.

 

 

Technology Class Saturday, 2 May 2009 1000 AM to 2 PM, 8Teen Cultural Center....3925 Ohio Street.

 

Learn about Internet TV, Blogging, Facebook, YouTube, Alternative Media. $20.00 donation includes a meal...no one turned away.

 

 

Progress in San Diego TV show - See Pamela Perkins and Nancy J. Mitchell of Human Communication Institute along with Raymond Lutz of the Citizens' Oversight Project Committee.

 

Volunteer for our TV crew....we need your help! See the simulcast at www.helloworld.com/videoconsultant. If you want to be part of the crew, you will need to be at COX Communications in El Cajon at 6:30 PM. Call me to get directions, information and instructions (required).  

 

 

 

See Raymond's Democracy Now Video

    

  NJ

Mitchell grew up in a small town forty miles east of Orlando Florida the eldest of six children. She traveled the United

States playing semi-Professional softball for 17 years which includes many individual and team trophy awards. She has

her MBA complimented with a degree in communication. Since then, opportunity has knocked twice more, first at the Human

Communication Institute, LLC and then in the Entertainment Industry. She is a Company Principal, VP of Operations &

Marketing and brings to the professional HCI team a special brand of organization, motivation, personal coaching and team confidence

building skills. Secondarily, she manages the HCI, LLC practitioner PASS IT ON Film project and is the R&D Manager

of the Diversity Works Magazine. She can also be seen in a few movies and HBO shows if you look hard enough. She is a student

at Van Mar Academy Hollywood. (Ivan Makota). She received the National Campaign Billboard for Mother's Against Gun

Violence (Photography: Jeffery Lamont Brown). She is also apart of the large Mural at Encinitas Beach Mobil Gas Station (Artist

Kevin Anderson). She is active with the San Diego Film Festival SDFF. Her passions are to jump through hoops until she sees the

lights come on in a child's eyes, to sit at the feet of recorded history - our elderly and you can find her studying scholarly spiritual

works in nature with a hot cup of fresh brewed coffee. Her hobbies are play by play calling NBA games (favorite team the

Miami Heat), international travel with friends, research work, writing and sharing notes about thoughts that invade her mind

and beg to be remembered. Have a wonderful day. It's always your choice! We encourage you to visit our site

 

www.hci-global.net

and contact us to create a specific communication training support program for your team.

Co-Host NJ Mitchell, Human Communication

Institute, LLC practitioner

 

 

P

amela S. Perkins, M.A., Founder & CEO of the Human Communication Institute, LLC www.hci-global.net is a graduate of

the well-renowned University's of North Carolina Chapel Hill and New York University. Pamela has over 20 years of experience

as a Human Communication Management Specialist, Professor of Communication, Corporate Training Consultant,

Lecturer, and academia and corporate curriculum developer. Pamela is a featured practitioner in the Film; Pass It On along with

Visionary Dr. Michael Beckwith, Motivation Speaker Les Brown and Productivity Consultant Denis Waitley. She has made Guest

Appearances on KPBS, MTV, NBC, Cox TV, Voice of America, Talk Radio WHCR 90.3 FM New York and Big Media USA - Smart

Talking Women Inc.

Her current list of clients include: San Diego State University, Urban League San Diego, San Diego City College, SD Health and

Human Services, EMBRACE Program, SD Black Engineers, Qualcomm, and SD KPBS, to name a few. She is currently Editor-in-

Chief of Diversity Works Magazine and a contributing writer for the Personal Development Magazine www.hciglobal.

com/pdmagazine Her cultural studies are extensive and includes an international post with The Instituto Italiano,

Florence , Italy. Past Co-Director of the prestigious World Cultures Program, Pamela produced, directed and facilitated cross-cultural

programming for audiences and participants from around the globe.

Specializing in Intrapersonal, Interpersonal, Nonverbal and Intercultural Communication practices, she is creator of the HCI

Communication Staircase. Author of the Spring, 2008 hardcover New York Time review release of: The Art and Science of

Communication: Tools for Effective Communication in the Workplace, publishers John Wiley & Sons www.wiley.com her unique

and effective approach to healing the communication environment has positively affected the lives of thousands.

Co-Host Pamela S. Perkins, M.A, Human

Communication Institute, LLC, Founder & CEO

Please forward this email to all of your constituents and encourage them to join the San Diego County Community Coalition

http://www.meetup.com/sdcommunitycoalition

 

Walter Davis

760-917-1251

[SDCPJ] UPDATE: Freedom For Palestine! Seventh Annual International Al-Awda Convention

Having trouble viewing this email? http://al-awda.org/convene7.html

FREEDOM FOR PALESTINE! Growing our Global Movement Seventh Annual International Al-Awda Convention Embassy Suites Hotel Anaheim South 11767 Harbor Boulevard Garden Grove, California 92840 May 22-24, 2009 Among the featured speakers: George Galloway, British Member of Parliament William Ramsey Clark, Former US Attorney General Ghassan Ben Jeddo, Al-Jazeera Beirut Burea Chief and Talk Show Host Yvonne Ridley, Viva Palestina UK, Respect Party, Press TV and Free Gaza Movement Khaled Dawoud, Al-Jazeera Arabic NY-based Correspondent Ron Kovic, author of Born on the 4th of July and joint leader of Viva Palestina USA Cindy Sheehan, anti-war activist Fernando Suarez del Solar, anti-war activist Dr. Jamal Nassar, Specialist in Middle East Politics and Dean of the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences at CSUSB Dr. Hatim Kanaaneh, Galilee Society and Ittijah founder and author of 'A Doctor in Galilee' Strategy & tactics discussions: Activist panels will include experts in the following campaigns: Viva Palestina USA; Boycotts, Divestment and Sanctions; Refugee Support; Student/Youth Activism; Al-Awda Educational Resources; Chapter building and registration among others.   Youth program includes educational sessions such as Palestine 101 and learning Dabke.   Film screenings to include the widely-acclaimed award-winning "Salt of This Sea" by Annemarie Jacir, starring Suheir Hammad and Saleh Bakri and "Amreeka" by Cherien Dabis, starring Nisreen Faour.   Dinner Banquet with Keynote address, Fundraising, plus Dabke Contest! Convention Information Program: http://al-awda.org/convention7/program.html Speakers: http://al-awda.org/convention7/speakers.html Reservations: http://www.al-awda.org/convention7/reserve.html Venue: http://www.al-awda.org/convention7/venue.html Sponsorship: http://www.al-awda.org/convention7/sponsor.html Flyer: http://al-awda.org/convention7/2009color.pdf (color)           http://al-awda.org/convention7/2009bw.pdf (b&w) Advertising: http://www.al-awda.org/convention7/ads.html Exhibitors: http://www.al-awda.org/convention7/table.html Hotel Accommodation: http://www.al-awda.org/convention7/hotel.html This year's convention is hosted by twenty seven local and national organizations. For a listing, see http://www.al-awda.org/convention7/hosts.html   For other information, visit: http://al-awda.org/convention7/index.html and keep revisiting that page as it is being updated regularly   JOIN US to work together to bring the days of RETURN closer!    DON'T DELAY! RESERVE YOUR PLACE TODAY! Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to Return Coalition PO Box 131352 Carlsbad, CA 92013, USA Tel: 760-918-9441 Fax: 760-918-9442 E-mail: info@al-awda.org WWW: http://al-awda.org   Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to Return Coalition (PRRC) is the largest network of grassroots activists and students dedicated to Palestinian human rights. We are a not for profit tax-exempt educational and charitable 501(c)(3) organization as defined by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) of the United States of America. Under IRS guidelines, your donations to PRRC are tax-deductible.

Forward email Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to Return Coalition | PO Box 131352 | Carlsbad | CA | 92013

[SDCPJ] THIS SATURDAY (4/25) La Otra SD & the Free Skool present: Mayday Dinner and a Movie!

please forward widely

On Saturday, April 25, we'd like to invite you to the City Heights Free Skool Cafe, a dinner and movie that is part of La Otra San Diego's May 1st Film Series (http://otrasd.insurreccion.org). Food will start at 6 pm. There will be vegan enchiladas, beans and rice available for $5 ($4 if you bring your own plate and silverware).

We will be showing Bread and Roses at 7 pm, a movie about the victory of Justice for Janitors, a union of predominantly immigrant workers who clean the skyscrapers of downtown Los Angeles. /// http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bread_and_Roses_(film) ///

City Heights Free Skool
4246 Wightman St, SD
Directions/Map http://tinyurl.com/freeskoolmap
(619) 528-8383
http://cityheightsfreeskool.org
cityheightsfreeskool@riseup.net

Don't forget to check out the other film in La Otra San Diego's May 1st Film Series, Gigante Despierta, which will be shown at Cine en el Barrio, a monthly event organized by Colectivo Zapatista. It will take place on Thursday, April 30 at 6:30 pm at Chicana Perk in Sherman Heights (http://chicanaperk.com). This documentary is a compilation of footage from all over the United States of the historic 2006 May 1st immigrant rights demonstrations (http://gigantedespierta.org).

And of course the annual May 1st Immigrant Rights March will be be starting at City College at 2:30 pm on Mayday. We will be marching to Chicano Park...See you there!

amor y solidaridad,
la eskuela libre

[SDCPJ] NO Mtg. 4/27; next mtg. May 11

We will not hold our regular 4th Monday meeting on April 27; we will
resume our regular meeting schedule of 2nd and 4th Mondays on Monday,
May 11, 7 p.m., 3850 Westgate Place, SD 92105.
_______________________________________________
Sdcpj mailing list
Sdcpj@lists.quantumimagery.com
http://lists.quantumimagery.com/listinfo.cgi/sdcpj-quantumimagery.com

2009 Tommie Awards Tonight, 5:30pm

Thanks to you, our many progressive allies, who have contributed to our grassroots organizing, GOtV efforts, listening campaigns, and public forums on progressive principles, Progressive San Diego has grown and blossomed! Last summer, we formed EMPOWER San Diego, a 501(c)3.

Come Celebrate Our Progressive Community with

EMPOWER, a New Non-Profit Organization,
at the
2009 Tommie Awards
Recognizing activists working toward an equitable, sustainable San Diego/Tijuana Region
Thursday, April 16th
5:30pm Doors Open
Local, Sustainable Food/Live Music by the Marcia Forman Band
Award Ceremony and Farewell to Tommie Watson

At the home of Linda and Carlos LeGerrette
1359 Grove Street | San Diego, CA 92102

We thank these sponsors for their contributions:
Big Kitchen, Garden of Eden Organics, La Milpa Organica and Old World Deli.

Schmooze with:

Tommie Watson
Outgoing Executive Director, Progressive San Diego & EMPOWER San Diego

Annie Lorrie Anderson-Lazo, Ph.D.
Incoming Executive Director, EMPOWER San Diego

Emily Serafy Cox
Incoming Development Director, EMPOWER San Diego

& All the Recipients of the 2009 Tommie Awards

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EMPOWER San Diego, a non-profit 501(c)(3) education organization, will continue to support the efforts of residents and communities working together for an equitable, just and sustainable society.

Progressive San Diego, a non-partisan political action committee that works to create more equitable and sustainable society in the San Diego region by promoting progressive candidates and policies.

For More Information Contact: Emily@EmpowerSanDiego.org

[SDCPJ] Reminder of event: Israel's War Crimes in Gaza, Sunday April 19, 6 pm

National Lawyers Guild, San Diego Coalition for Justice in Palestine (CJP), American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), Middle East Cultural and Information Center (MECIC), Activist San Diego, and San Diego Coalition for Peace and Justice (SDCPJ) 

Invite you to a lecture on: 

Israel's War Crimes in Gaza 

The legal case 

Speaker:  Radhika Sainath

Video footage of Gaza war crimes investigation

Download flyer:  http://cjpsandiego.org/img/SainathApril19Flyer.pdf

Radhika Sainath is an attorney at Hadsell Stormer in Los Angeles, California, where she specializes in civil rights, housing and human rights law. She recently returned from a 7-day National Lawyers Guild delegation to Gaza to investigate potential Israeli war crimes during the December 27 invasion. Prior to becoming an attorney, Ms. Sainath organized low-wage workers with the Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees (now UNITE HERE). From 2002-2003, Ms. Sainath lived and worked in the West Bank, where she worked with Palestinian and Israeli nonviolent resistance groups. Ms. Sainath traveled to Pakistan in January 2008 -- days after Bhutto's assassination -- on an NLG fact-finding mission to assess the status of the judiciary and the prospect of free and fair elections. Ms. Sainath received her J.D. from the University of California Berkeley, School of Law and her B.A. in political science and sociology from the University of California, San Diego. Sainath is an editor of Peace Under Fire: Israel/Palestine and the International Solidarity Movement (Verso 2004).  

Sunday April 19 2009, 6 PM 

Four Points Sheraton 

8110 Aero Drive, San Diego, CA 92123 

Free event (donations welcome); free parking 

For more information: 858-459-4650 or 619-840-1945 

[SDCPJ] 10 Things to do to Oppose the War in Afghanistan

>From the Nation Magazine, April 27, 2009

The war in Afghanistan is a quagmire bordering on a catastrophe. With a current price tag of $2 billion a month, this drawn-out conflict took the lives of 155 American soldiers and 2,118 Afghan civilians last year--the bloodiest year of the war to date. Western airstrikes alone killed 522 civilians, fueling hostility toward the United States and causing more Afghans to join and support the Taliban insurgency that has spread into Pakistan. President Obama has escalated our military presence by committing an additional 17,000 US troops and 4,000 trainers to work with Afghan security forces. Where is the public outcry? The Nation and Z.P. Heller, editorial director of Brave New Films, have put together a list of things you can do to oppose the war:

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20090427/ten_things?rel=hp_currently

[SDCPJ] [Fwd: MAY DAY! MAY 1st, 2009!]

[SDCPJ] ASD 4/20 GENERAL MEETING

Activist San Diego

420

GENERAL MEETING

4.20.09

Monday 7:00 PM

 

    Topic: Marijuana Prohibition & Legalization

  As the war on weed rages on:

• What are the facts?

• What are our rights?

• What forces are really driving prohibition and who stands to gain?

What can we do about:

• The persecution of medical marijuana caregivers?

• Legalizing marijuana?

• Protecting our civil liberties?

• The racial profiling involved in drug-related arrests?

• The disproportionate incarceration of marijuana users?

• Who's getting rich from it?

Confirmed Speaker to date:

Dion Markgraaf - Member Americans for Safe Access

 

Joyce Beers Center

1230 Cleveland St., Hillcrest

Activistsandiego.org

619-528-8383

 

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[SDCPJ] Peace Building Conference April 24-25

 

Join the San Diego Council of Hostelling International USA for

“Peace-ing Communities Together”

A Gathering for Emerging Leaders

 

In the midst of major world challenges, something profound is being reborn—a recognition that ordinary people with concern, vision and commitment can make significant contributions to changing the world.  And young people are at the precipice of this shift.

 

Join young adults (ages 18-30) from around San Diego and other parts of the United States for a gathering on April 24-25, 2009 for "Peace-ing Communities Together," the second annual Hostelling International-USA Peace Building Conference in San Diego.

 

This event will bring together a diverse community of young adults who share a passion for creating positive change.  Through interactive conversations and workshops, participants will discover their personal strengths, develop leadership skills, inspire others, and create an action plan for the future.  We will use cutting-edge leadership and facilitation techniques to engage and focus the participants with integrative tools for deep listening and quiet reflection.  If you are ready to embrace your leadership and become a committed, active citizen, do not miss out on this amazing opportunity!

 

The conference will be held as part of a weekend of peace building events, including a “World Café” dinner on Friday evening, keynote address by “creative activist” Joey Borgogna, and the San Diego City College Conference for Peace Education and Activism on Sunday.

Registration for the entire weekend is only $35 including all meals.  

 

For complete details and registration information, please visit www.peacebuildingsandiego.org. 

 

 

 

 

Tiffany Olson

Event Coordinator

Hostelling International USA, San Diego Council

739 4th Ave. Suite 203

San Diego, CA 92101

Office: 619-338-9981 Ext. 15

Cell: 619-851-2993

Fax: 619-525-1533

http://www.sandiegohostels.org/

http://www.sandiegomidnightmadness.org/

 

 

 

Our mission: To help all, especially the young, gain a greater understanding of the world and its people through hostelling.

 

[SDCPJ] [Fwd: Silent Vigil - Save Friendship Park - Wednesday, 4/15 12 noon]

[SDCPJ] Defeat AB 351, demilitarize California schools

[Californians should act on this ASAP. If we get just 1/3 of the state Assembly to vote against this bill, we will defeat it and then be able to eliminate JROTC from many, if not most, schools in the state. PLEASE CONSIDER that letters to legislators that emphasize the physical education aspect and health needs of students will be more effective than letters that make political and moral arguments against JROTC. -Rick Jahnkow, COMD www.comdsd.org]

 

HERE IS WHAT YOU NEED TO DO, NOW:
http://www.NoMilitaryRecruitmentInOurSchools.org

Defeating AB 351 is key to winning the fight to get the military out of our schools. Please communicate immediately with your Assembly representative. Let them know that you expect them to oppose AB 351. This bill could be voted on at any time, so the time to ACT is NOW.

The most effective and quickest way to communicate with your Assembly person is to fax them a letter. If you represent an organization, let them know. If you can't fax a letter, then call their office. Follow that up by putting a letter in the mail, or sending an email, or both.

If you don't know who your Assembly representative is, or need contact information, check your local telephone book, or check online at http://www.assembly.ca.gov.

You will find attached a sample letter which you can print, fill out, and fax. Use it to help you craft your message. Feel free, of course, to add your own comments, or draft your own letter -- but... ACT NOW!  Let us know what your Assembly person tells you.

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JROTC, Physical Education and Assembly Bill 351

The San Francisco Board of Education voted over two years ago to phase out the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps. JROTC is scheduled to end this June at all seven San Francisco high schools.

JROTC is run by the Pentagon and their hand-picked military instructors. It is one of their primary military recruitment programs, aimed at 14 and 15 year old students. Ending this program in San Francisco will be a tremendous victory for those who believe that students this young should be getting a well-rounded education and learning critical thinking skills, not being subjected to military indoctrination, or the military's discriminatory "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy.

JROTC and Physical Education. The military has historically been allowed to give physical education (PE) credit to JROTC cadets, enticing freshmen and sophomore students into the program. But bipartisan efforts in Sacramento in recent years have tightened up PE standards and curriculum, to counter the growing decline in physical fitness among youth. These new PE standards led State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell to issue a statement last year declaring that "JROTC programs do not fulfill California Education Code requirements for physical education."

San Francisco stopped giving PE credit to JROTC cadets this school year. Enrollment in the program has dropped from a high of 1,600 to about 500.

The Pentagon and its allies want to overturn the school board decision to phase out JROTC. San Francisco School board members Jill Wynns and Rachel Norton have introduced a resolution to keep the military program. But this resolution does not have the votes to win.

The fight turns on the PE credit issue. The school board will not restore JROTC if the program does not have PE credit, because the school district would be forced to pay one million dollars per year for just a handful of JROTC cadets. So this fight has moved to Sacramento. Three bills have been introduced in the Assembly in an attempt to turn the tide in the Pentagon's favor.

The most immediate threat is AB 351. This bill would reverse the bipartisan effort to fight the decline in physical fitness among our youth, and would dangerously weaken PE standards in California. It would allow school boards to ignore the health and safety of our youth, and allow them to grant PE credit to JROTC cadets.

AB 351 is now before the state Assembly, and could be voted on at any time. It is classed as an "urgency" bill. This means that it takes effect immediately upon being passed by both the Assembly and the Senate, and signed by the Governor. This also means that it requires a two-thirds majority to pass. The Pentagon is in a big hurry to save its San Francisco program before it ends in June.

This is a fight we can win, but it needs the help of every concerned person in California, right now.

---

MORE ON AB 351:

State law requires that physical education (PE) credit only be given for classes that include PE curriculum and are taught by credentialed PE teachers. AB 351 creates several exemptions to this standard, allowing school districts to give PE credit to JROTC cadets, and to certain other classes that don't meet PE standards, such as marching band, drill team, color guard, and cheer leaders.

JROTC curriculum is controlled entirely by the military, not by school districts. In addition, JROTC instructors, all retired military officers, need only a high school diploma or G.E.D.

AB 351 is sponsored by Mary Salas (D-San Diego), Fiona Ma (D-San Francisco), and Michael Duvall (R-Yorba Linda). Salas is from San Diego, the most military of cities in California. Duvall is a Republican from Orange County. On the same day he signed onto this bill, Duvall introduced two other bills, one to "provide equal access to military recruiters at public school career fairs," and another to make it illegal to use "the names of fallen soldiers on political paraphernalia [think T-shirts] without the consent of the next of kin."

Ma is from San Francisco, but AB 351 is opposed by San Francisco's other Assembly representative, the popular Tom Ammiano. Ma recently made news by calling school board members who won't vote to restore JROTC "renegades." JROTC is opposed by almost the entire elected Democratic Party leadership in San Francisco, despite Ma's insulting and incendiary rhetoric.


OTHER STATE BILLS:

AB 554, authored by Warren Furutani (D-Long Beach), goes AB 351 one better, allowing JROTC cadets to skip not only PE classes, but also art and foreign language studies. Furutani's bill is currently scheduled for a hearing before the Assembly Education Committee on April 22. More on this bill soon...

Assemblywoman Ma has also introduced AB 223. This bill would require San Francisco to keep the JROTC program. It would make San Francisco the only city in the nation required by law to have JROTC. Ma's bill is a clear violation of local control of schools. The state should not be telling individual school districts what electives they must offer. Even many JROTC supporters oppose Ma's bill. It is currently waiting for a hearing before the Assembly Appropriations Committee, and has a good chance of being killed there.

---

MILITARY OUT OF OUR SCHOOLS!
http://www.NoMilitaryRecruitmentInOurSchools.org
NoJROTC@yahoo.com
510-326-1961

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A Good Credit Score is 700 or Above. See yours in just 2 easy steps!

[SDCPJ] Important report on National Lawyers Guild delegation to Gaza: April 19

The complete report of the National Lawyer Guild's Gaza delegation is available at www.nlg.org/NLGGazaDelegationReport.pdf.

 

[SDCPJ] Toxic waste behind Somali piracy

 
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2008/10/2008109174223218644.html

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Zeitgeist Movement Radio Address | Wed. 4/8

From: noreply@thezeitgeistmovement.com <noreply@thezeitgeistmovement.com> Subject: Zeitgeist Movement Radio Address | Wed. 4/8 To: wdavis@walterdavisenterprises.com Date: Wednesday, April 8, 2009, 7:08 PM Friends, This Wednesday, 4/8/09, from 3:00-5:00pm will be our Bi-Weekly Radio Address. http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Peter-Joseph http://www.thezeitgeistmovement.com/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=438&Itemid=952 First Hour: Peter will address the new "Teams" and "Projects" idea and also answer Forum questions. Second Hour: Jacque Fresco, along with Roxanne Meadows, will talk about the issue of how 'Environment Shapes Behavior'. Please tune in and tell other about it as well. In Solidarity, Peter -- If you do not want to receive any more newsletters, this link To update your preferences and to unsubscribe visit this link Forward a Message to Someone this link powered by phplist v 2.10.5, © tincan ltd

[SDCPJ] Volunteers needed for Earth Day April 19

We are looking for volunteers to help staff the Peace Coalition's
outreach table at this year's Earth Day, Sunday, April 19, in Balboa
Park. Earth Day hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. If you can do a 2 hour
shift, please let me know right away what time slot you would like.

This is a wonderful, fun event attended by thousands of people and is a
great way to spend the day! Come work a two-hour shift and spend the
rest of the day enjoying the exhibits and music! Thank you!

Carol

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[SDCPJ] [Fwd: Civilians flee major airstrike in Pakistan]