Because People Matter
Progressive News and Views September / October 2008
Botox Nation
Applying The
Cosmetic Fix
by Richard Nadeau
W
hile Botox is derived from a bacteria that
carries a low risk of botulism, many Ameri-
cans spend millions every year injecting it
to reduce wrinkles around the eyes with the hope that
it will make them look younger
and hide their years. In fact, the
cosmetic fix permeates every
We cannot see our own
nook and cranny of American violence and its impact
society and is propped up by a
multi-million dollar industry.
on the rest of the world.
Tummy tucks, facelifts, breast
implants, liposuction, hair implants, and penis enlarge-
ments are readily available to change our appearance and
make us feel better about ourselves.
We are indeed a Botox Nation, and every day we
celebrate the big lie and the big fix. The cosmetic fix is America.” So what does Congress do when the Botox has
applied everywhere—to our politics, our wars, our envi-
ronment, our news. We are incapable of seeing who we
are, what we do.
We cannot see our own violence and its impact on
the rest of the world. We are a nation that needs to lie
about our war in Iraq. The war is now in the process of
being “Botoxed’—the wrinkles are being removed and a
smooth brow now shows. The environmental crisis has
also been Botoxed—all we need to do is drill for more
oil, buy up Iraqi oil contracts, and we can drive our big ther weakened support for the war.
trucks and SUVs as carelessly as before. In politics, it
is the same—presidential candidates are symbolically
Botoxed and polished to remove obvious wrinkles and
contradictions. Reality must not be allowed to intrude.
DWB
Alive in Sacramento
by Roger White
We’re all familiar with the popular stereotype of the
overly touchy black who has made “the White Man” the
center of his obsessive racial paranoia. But periodically a
study comes out that confirms the worst fears of blacks.
Sacramento’s Community Racial Profiling Commis-
sion released such a report in August from Lamberth
Consulting confirming that blacks are twice as likely to
be pulled over by Sacramento police
as non-black drivers. According to
the study “Asian and white motorists
are stopped less often than would be
expected by their presence in traffic
and Hispanic motorists are stopped
at about the rate expected. black
motorists are stopped at a higher
rate than would be expected by their
presence in traffic.” Is this because
blacks are speeding at rates higher
than others? Apparently not. “There
was no evidence that either black or
Hispanic motorists are more likely
to exceed the speed limit by 15 mph
or more than were any other drivers.
In fact slightly more white motorists
were exceeding the speed limit by 15
mph or more….”
Such studies are regularly dis-
missed by critics who claim that racial justice advocates
ignore the outcomes of these stops. If a higher rate of
black motorists are actually up to no good while they’re
behind the wheel (as evidenced by higher citation
rates after traffic stops) then why shouldn’t the police
target black drivers more than others? As it turns out,
black citation rates are lower than their stop rates by 4
percent. Whites, Asians and Hispanics are stopped and
cited at roughly the same rates. The report also found
that the percent of searches that result in a seizure of
contraband—the “hit” rate—was highest for “Hispanic
motorists, with white and black motorists closely bun-
dled at a fraction of a percent point below them.” The
Let’s face it, the Bush Presidency has been a Botox Presi-
dency par excellence—everything we were told and sold
actually served to hide reality from our eyes.
And what do the wrinkles represent? On an individual
level they represent the realities we don’t want to see, the
wear and tear of living and aging that eventually leaves
us with a furrowed brow. But we can’t face aging so we
Botox the reality as if we can fool mother nature and
postpone the inevitable. People do this for practical rea-
sons (jobs, love), but now we have a whole industry tell-
ing them they should, that they must do this. And why
not? After all, every other aspect of reality in America
has already gotten the cosmetic
fix.
Just take a look at our Botox
Congress. They are incapable
of impeaching the President
because they themselves can’t
face reality—that they sent over
4000 US youths and over a million Iraqis to their unnec-
essary deaths. They prefer the “culture of make believe”
which says that there was something honorable in our
mission in Iraq, that our boys are fighting to “defend
worn off and the realities of war become visible? They
vote over and over again to refund the war, and apply
more verbal cosmetics and nostrums to make it look
better than it really is! The mass media didn’t want us to
hear about the real ongoing violence so they completely
blacked out the 2008 Winter Soldier testimonies last
March. The picture of the war and its everyday brutality
that the soldiers testified about would have interrupted
the ongoing cosmetic fix, shown the wrinkles, and fur-
The network news is the biggest supplier of symbolic
Botox to our make believe world. Most of them, includ-
ing the so-called “liberal” New York Times, lied us into
this 6 year Iraq war. They told us it was about WMDs,
When drivers get pulled over
for no good reason …they
sometimes have an attitude
about it.
authors pointed out that the differences between the races
were “statistically insignificant.” In other words, blacks are
no more likely to be engaged in traffic violations or crimi-
nal activity while driving than any other racial group in
Sacramento.
It’s important to also point out that even if blacks were
more likely to be involved in criminal activity that by
itself would not be grounds to disproportionally stop
black drivers. Violations of the
vehicle code should drive traffic
stops not one’s membership in
a race presumed to have higher
rates of criminal activity.
I took part in the first racial
profiling study of disproportion-
ate traffic stops in Baltimore,
Maryland back in 1996. We also
found that blacks were being
stopped at higher rates than
whites on I-95 without justifica-
tion. We also found that whites
were actually more likely to be
speeding than black motorists.
Since then studies from Akron,
Ohio, Oakland, California, and
Massachusetts have showed the
same thing—blacks singled out
by police for stops, searches, and
arrests while driving. Unfortunately, Sacramento is not
alone.
Getting stopped is often more than simply an inconve-
nience for African Americans. When drivers get pulled
over for no good reason—like because of their race—they
sometimes have an attitude about it. That encourages cops
to get an attitude back which can lead to ugly confronta-
tions, harassment, and in some cases police brutality and
misconduct. The number one road (excuse the pun) into
the criminal justice system is the traffic stop.
We are regularly told by conservatives that what
is holding back blacks more than anything else is an
insidious victim mentality that cripples our initiative and
told us that Iraq had a role in 9/11, told us that Iraq was
an immediate threat to the United States, even though
the country had been militarily devastated in the first
Gulf War. We were told that if we didn’t launch a pre-
emptive war and attack first, we would be seeing mush-
room clouds outside our bedroom windows. Of course,
we were told that our own motives were exemplary. We
now know that we actually fought the war to liberate the
Iraqi people and sow the seeds of democracy throughout
the Middle East. Only in a Botox world could this pre-
posterous lie be given even a smidgeon of credibility.
Few of the media or politicians have really accepted
responsibility. They may soon be lying us into another
war against Iran, or Venezuela, or some other chosen
enemy of the Botox oil hungry empire. Since the Iraq
war and occupation, the media have been systemati-
cally applying the cosmetic fix to the war—the military
slaughter in Falluja and Haditha, the realities of the
“surge,” were deliberately hidden from our perceptions.
I guess such depictions would have been just too real for
us to see.
Remember the attempt by the Bush administration at
the beginning of the war to prevent us from seeing pic-
tures of caskets filled with dead Americans? That’s what
I mean when I say this war has been “Botoxed.” Its been
made to look a lot better than it is.
The war is in reality a crime against humanity, an
unnecessary war of aggression, according to the standard
set down at Nuremburg. But we cannot be allowed to
see or grasp this reality, can we? So Congress keeps on
funding the war. And why not? In the Botox nation no
one’s responsible because no one has been or will be
made accountable! Everything in America finally gets the
cosmetic fix!
Richard Nadeau has been a peace and environmental
activist since the 1960s. He lives in Sacramento and is an
editor with Because People Matter.
retards our willingness to take responsibility for our own
lives. One way for our society to help blacks move from
victimhood to selfhood is to stop race-based victimiza-
tion. A good place to start is by holding police depart-
ments accountable for failing to address racial bias in
traffic enforcement.  
Roger White is a criminal justice researcher with
the Service Employees International Union. He lives in
Sacramento.
Inside this issue:
Editorial.............................................. 2
Teach Peace.......................................... 2
Living Green in Sacramento............... 3
Eat Local............................................. 3
Lower the Dropout Rate...................... 4
Home in the Projects........................... 5
Will the Votes Be Counted?................ 5
Media Edge Moving Out.................... 5
Immigrant Communities fight back.... 6
Public Education................................. 7
Ballot Propositions/Mayoral Race/Bill
Durston............................................ 8-9
Prop 11/Gerrymandering................. 10
Joan Lee remembered......................... 10
Free Speech Victory........................... 11
No One is Leaving Iraq..................... 11
Sacramento Area Peace Action 12
Israel/Palestine.................................. 13
Big Media.......................................... 13
You Go Hugo.................................... 14
The Frozen Six.................................. 14
Calendar............................................ 15
Progressive Media............................. 16
 Because People Matter September / October 2008 www.bpmnews.org
because
People Matter
Volume 17, Number 5
Published Bi-Monthly by the
Sacramento Community for
Peace & Justice
P.O. Box 162998, Sacramento,
CA 95816
(Use addresses below for
correspondence)
Editorial Group: Jacqueline
Diaz, JoAnn Fuller, Charlene
Jones, Jeanie Keltner, Rick
Nadeau
Coordinating Editor for
this Issue: Jeanie Keltner.
Design and Layout:
Ellen Schwartz
Calendar Editor:
Chris Bond
Advertising and Business
Manager: Edwina White
Distribution Manager:
Paulette Cuilla
Subscription Manager:
Gordon Kennedy
How to Reach Us:
Subscriptions, letters,
punditry:
403 21st Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
444-3203
Ads or other business:
446-2844
All e-mail
correspondence:
bpmnews@nicetechnology.com
HAVE A CALENDAR
ITEM?
Send an e-mail with “calendar
item” in the subject line. Make
it short, and in this order,
please: Day, Date. Name of
event. Description (1–2 lines).
Time. Location. INFO: phone#;
e-mail.
HAVE A storY?
We start planning the next
issue of BPM the day the
current issue hits the streets.
Let us know by e-mail as soon
as you have an idea for a story
so we can consider it early in
the process.
HAVE SOME time?
(HA HA HA!) Well, you might
have, and BPM always needs
help with big and small tasks.
Call 444-3203.
Copy Deadlines:
For the Nov. / Dec. 2008 Issue:
Articles: Tell us about your
article by Sept. 15; article must
be received by Oct. 1, 2008.
Calendar Items: Oct. 10, 2008
Cultural events welcome!
For details, see our new
website, www.bpmnews.org
Because People Matter is an all-
volunteer endeavor to present
alternative, progressive news
and views in Sacramento. We
invite and welcome your re-
sponses. To discuss a proposed
article, or help distribute the
paper, inquire about ad rates,
or help out in some other way,
call or write using the phone
number and address listed un-
der ”How to Reach Us” above.
Please reproduce from any of
the written contents, but do
credit the author and BPM.
Printed at Herald Printing by
Graphics Communication Union
DC2 pressmen.
On the cover
The children of Tricia and
Shane Stirling join Archna
Sharma and Aaron Grace’s
three boys at the July 26
peace rally at 16th and B’way.
Say Peace! (Thanks to Keith
for the photo.)
Editorial
Jeanie Keltner, Co-coordinating Editor for this issue
Ted Olson and the disappearing phone calls
9/11 myth continues to unravel
“Give up on all that 9/11 stuff,” a friend says.” spiracy” excoriated by Hillary when Whitewater org. Almost daily more highly qualified people in
It’s going to be like the Kennedy assassination. and Bill’s sex life were being dragged across TV high positions dare to reject the official story and
We’ll never find out what really happened.” screens. And who turned up that dirt? Ted Olson call for a new investigation.
But I’m not giving up. The story is as gripping and Ken Starr in the Scaife-bankrolled Arkansas The truth of 9/11 is not tangential to our strug-
as a John Le Carré novel, and as a former Lit. Project. Before that, in the Iran-Contra investiga- gle for peace and justice, as some lefties assert. It
professor, I can’t resist the plot’s exciting twists tion, Olson had been Reagan’s personal lawyer. is central to the way power operates in this world
and surprises. Take, for example, the story of the And no one who deeply studies Iran-Contra right now, the brutal gangsterism of late stage
disappearing phone finds it hard to believe capitalism.
calls. that 9/11 was an inside Imagine: the people behind 9/11 not only had
Many people “They don’t come any more par- job. Iran-Contra was planes fly into buildings and then blew them up,
remember that the first tisan and power-grabbing and likewise a covert grab they placed bets in the stock market in the days
named 9/11 victim for executive power before so the disaster made them hundreds of
ruthless than Ted Olson. There
was Barbara Olson, against the Constitu- millions!
wife of the Solicitor
isn’t a more consummate Bush tion—a practice run We will not stop the neo-Orwellian war
General. The blond insider… .” for the Bush regime, regime’s bloody pursuit of control of the planet’s
baby-faced conserva- —David Neiwert which is staffed with resources until we destroy the myth of 9/11.
tive TV personality, (http://firedoglake.com/2007/09/12/ted- the (unpunished) law- More info at http://unansweredquestions.
CNN reported Sep- olson-and-the-pushovers/) breakers of that bloody org/index.php/2008/04/08/ted-olson-report-of-
tember 12, called from operation. phone-calls-on-911-undermined/.
the plane that allegedly But Olson truly
ended up hitting the Pentagon and asked her changed the history of the world when he argued
husband to tell the pilot—who she said had been the Supreme Court case of Bush vs Gore in 2000
driven to the back of the plane with the other and forced Florida to stop counting the lawful Learn the true news and then
Teach Peace
passengers by dark men with box cutters—how votes that in fact had chosen Gore president. The
to stop the hijacking. Her call made the tragedy president owes Ted a lot.
immediately real and personal and gave the pub- Consider what it means to the official story if Check out www.teachpeace.com the
lic its first picture of the highjackers. Olson was lying about those phone calls. And did website of the same-named organiza-
But from the start Ted Olson couldn’t keep his his wife die at the Pentagon? tion in Davis. If you’re a teacher, you’ll
stories straight. Consider what Rumsfeld told a Parade maga- be especially interested in their materi-
He first told CNN that his wife had “called him zine interviewer at the Pentagon a month after als for teaching peace to people of all
twice on a cell phone.” Two days later, he was 9/11: “…a terrorist can attack any time, any place, ages. But here we want to point out the
saying, “[Barbara] had trouble getting through, using any technique and it’s physically impossible site’s other extensive resources. Along
because she wasn’t using her cell phone—she was to defend … against every conceivable technique. with important articles from the world
using the phone in the passengers’ seats. I guess Here we’re talking about plastic knives and
press on crucial topics in the news (like
she didn’t have her purse, because she was calling using an American Airlines flight filed with our
collect, and she was trying to get through to the citizens, and the missile to damage this build- Russia, Georgia and Ossetia), there is
Department of Justice, which is never very easy.” ing and similar (inaudible) that damaged the also an extensive library of all the latest
But cell phone calls from planes at high alti- World Trade Center (emphasis added). http:// political documentaries to watch with a
tudes were only made possible in 2004. And www.defenselink.mil/transcripts/transcript. click of your mouse.
according to an official at American Airlines, the aspx?TranscriptID=3845.
plane she was flying on was not equipped on Sep- So truth is coming out.
tember 11 with airfones. For one we have an incredibly rich trove of
That no supporting records exist—from the on-the-spot real time video and interviews full of Have you volunteered
airline, the telephone or credit card company, evidence that doesn’t match the official story—
or the Solicitor General’s Office which allegedly and it’s plastered all over the internet, where it for BPM and NO ONE
accepted her collect calls—is clear from their can be and has been poured over, analyzed, slow- EVER CALLED YOU
absence in the report the FBI prepared of all calls mo’d, evaluated, probed—by thousands of earnest
from all four planes for the Zacarias Moussaoui researchers. BACK?
trial in 2006. The FBI said of Flight 77 that only And there’s the internet itself—which enables
one call from Barbara Olson was “attempted” and the discoveries to be shared, disputed, supported,
Well, we get overwhelmed
it lasted 0 seconds! added to. (And in VIDEO for the millions of sometimes, and don’t fol-
So there were no calls? And Ted Olsen was
lying?
intelligent compatriots deficient in reading skills.)
Most importantly, the JFK assassination didn’t
low up on the good help
Well, when I looked into his history, it would precipitate a war and surveillance state promised energy that many readers
have been more surprising if he had been telling
the truth. Years ago Olson told a congressional
to be global and endless.
The 9/11 Truth movement has become inter-
have sent us. So would you
investigation that he could easily “imagine an national. Many of the millions worldwide who consider trying again? We
infinite number of situations where government
officials might quite legitimately have reasons to
marched against the US attack on Iraq have
joined the movement, as have former and current
can use help proofreading,
give false information out.” Indeed he has made defense ministers, prime ministers, intelligence distributing, organizing
volunteers.
his career lying in public to advance the power of analysts, military leaders and legislators from
the executive branch. Canada, Italy, Germany, England, Japan.
Famous in conservative Washington for their I beg you to read their stories and the stories Email bpmnews@
lavish parties, Ted and Barbara often joked they
were at the center of the “vast right-wing con-
of other experts in aviation, finance, explosives,
architecture, and politics at Patriotsquestion911.
nicetechnology.com. with
“volunteer” in the subject
line. Or call 916-444-3203
We appreciate your support! Please fill out this form and mail to:
BPM, 403 21st Street, Sacramento, CA 95814
 This is a great paper! I’ll gladly subscribe for a mere $20. Help keep BPM on the streets:
 WOW! You sound desperate! I’m enclosing $ extra to
help out! Subscribe today! Already a subscriber?
 This is my opportunity to break into journalism and help get the Buy a subscription to BPM for a friend
truth out! I’ll help: Writing, Editing, Distributing, or family member!
Proofreading, Anything! Place an ad for your business or non-
Name........................................................................................................................ profit group: continuing business card
Address.................................................................................................................... size ads are only $30 per issue.
City............................... Zip........................ Phone.................................................. Volunteer! We need distributors to help
Email........................................................................................................................ get the word(s) out!
 www.bpmnews.org September / October 2008 BECAUSE PEOPLE MATTER 

Living Green in Sacramento

Kill your lawn!
By Kevin Wehr
This June, Anne Hartridge and Matt George
decided to “do the right thing.” When the Gov-
ernor declared an official drought—after many
years of dwindling water resources—the East
Sacramento couple let their lawn die, planning
to move towards environmentally-friendly
landscaping. But before they could move to the
second step, a neighbor reported them. The
City’s civil code requires yards to be “irrigated,
landscaped, and maintained.” The two were fined
$746 (later rescinded).
This shows how difficult it can be to go green
in this city. City officials are trying to encourage
environmental responsibility—albeit in fits and
starts. J Street was repaved partially with recycled
tire rubber and meters reconfigured as bike lock
stands. Urban infill projects fight sprawl. Of
course much more needs to be done, especially
in terms of zoning and building—the forces for
blind development still favor building in delicate
green spaces, flood zones, and sprawling towards
the Sierras, and city officials are beholden to
developers for election money. Our garbage
is still trucked all the way to Nevada, and our
per-capita water use is among the highest in the
nation.
So while we must continue to push our elected
officials to do the right green things (including
getting rid of silly un-environmental codes),
there are many things we can do ourselves,
often without spending a lot of money. Like our
East Sac neighbors we can replant lawns with
drought-tolerant native species and never water
again. Or better yet, use a recent code change and
existing irrigation to grow a vegetable garden in
your yard—it’s not too late to plant chard, kale,
spinach, lettuce, or even butternut squash! Bury
soaker hoses at the rooting level or under mulch,
…there are many things
we can do ourselves,
often without spending a
lot of money.
or use drip irrigation, and savor the flavor of
homegrown veggies.
I have replanted my lawn with native Califor-
nia poppies and other wildflowers—with a beau-
tiful range of colors and times of bloom—but of
course some of the year they die off, perhaps to
the ire of my neighbors (please don’t fine me!).
But that is what the landscape looks like here in
summer. Nowadays, unnatural emerald green
lawns scream environmental irresponsibility
instead of “neighborliness”!
And when my 90 year old house needed new
drain pipes, I put in several diversions and now
my grey water flows to those plants needing
year-round water. This was easy enough to build
into the system, with the bonus of reusing dish
and laundry water and easing my impact on our
water resources. But no bleach down the drain,
please!
If you have the means, buy a hybrid or put
solar panels on your roof—but even these
expensive endeavors are not necessary to have
a relatively large impact on your environmental
footprint. There are many simple things we can
do: install compact fluorescent bulbs and turn
them off when not in the room; keep car tires
properly inflated, and even better buy a cheap
bike and ride it around town; put in a timed
thermostat, or better yet keep the windows open
at night for the cooling delta breezes, then close
everything up in the morning to keep cool in and
heat out—you might not even need much AC
with this easy routine. And of course we should
buy locally and organic, or grow our own.
We should save water and energy wherever
and however we can, but we should also not
martyr ourselves for the environment. While
consumer choices and individual actions can
help a lot (both in aggregate and for our own
pocketbooks), it is worth noting that these little
steps will not solve our problems, and the larger
economic and political systems must continue to
be our main target for thorough-going change:
capitalism requires continued growth and use of
natural resources and unless we slow that down
we are headed off a cliff.
Similarly, elected officials are embedded in that
same economic system in order to finance their
campaigns, and we need to step off of that tread-
mill as well. So get out and tend your garden, ride
your bike, and plant trees. But don’t miss the for-
est for the trees!
Kevin Wehr is an Assistant Professor in the
Department of Sociology at CSUS.

Eat local and change the world

Get healthier too
By Archna Sharma and Aaron
Grace
“In a world where life itself is a commodity to be
sold to the highest bidder, those of us who decide to
pick up a shovel and work the unused land around
us, to take back our stolen land and lives, to grow
our own food, literally hold the seeds of revolution
in our hands.”
‘Anonymous, Earth First’
farms, dairies or grocers, leaving us stranded and
powerless. Community self-sufficiency means
supporting local farmers’ markets as the manda-
tory first step in this revolution. Some of us may
have a yearning to grow the foods that we enjoy;
others may feel the need to grow for the nourish-
ment of the local multitude.
Consider the vision of our own local, urban
Sacramento farm, Soil Born, reflecting a national

S
o you say you wanna a revolution? It’s 2008
and change is the mantra political drums
are incessantly beating. But no single can-
didate or policy decision or ballot measure holds
more impact than the actions of the food con-
sumer. This is where the revolution begins.
As food consumers we have a profound power
to demand that our food be conscientiously
grown, not genetically modified, and with as
little negative environmental impact as possible
in production and distribution. It is our duty to
consider the consequences of allowing a global
food monopoly. Supporting the local food econo-
my goes far beyond the freshness of our produce.
“Long-distance food” means the breakdown
of our social and psychological consciousness.
Long-distance transport of food promotes extra
packaging, over-refrigeration, excessive fuel con-
sumption and enormous waste.
Our own bodies suffer from consuming food
that has traveled across continents and oceans.
Long-distance transport and long-term storage
demand preservatives and additives. In recent
decades, food scientists have successfully extend-
ed the storage life of easily perishable foods
by altering plant biology using safety-untested
approaches such as genetic engineering.
Meaningful human connections are an aspect
of food choices. Shopping in a supermarket we
lose face-to-face interaction and we are left with
feelings of oblivious indifference. Besides losing
the security of knowing exactly what it is that we
are eating, we sacrifice natural human contacts
and diminish our own mental and emotional
capacities.
Long-distance food means no locally owned
movement of creating smaller farms. They desire
to co-op a small network of local urban growers
to create a source of fresh organic foods especial-
ly for underserved neighborhoods in well-popu-
lated areas where land and water is available.
José Hernandez does the vegetable honors at the Sunday Farmer’s market at
What’s interesting about local farming, urban
W and 8th.
gardening, and organic growing in general is photo by Doug Austin
that nothing here is frighteningly new. For mil-
lennia we have provided for ourselves locally.
The convenience of on demand eating, however,
has created the de-evolution we now suffer. For
Sacramento residents the solution starts with
the continued support of our ever-growing local
farmers’ markets throughout the region. Let’s
stop waiting for our politicians to enact change
and act ourselves in our own best interests.
1. Shop the farmers’ markets
2. Eat in season
3. Demand locally grown food at your
favorite restaurants
4. Visit a local farm
5. Plant a garden
6. Utilize CSA (Community Supported
Agriculture)
7. Stop wasting food
8. Learn how to compost
9. Initiate guerrilla gardening by planting in
areas bereft of life
It all starts with a seed.
There’s a Certified Farmers’ market in Sac every
day but Friday (see www.marketlocations.com)
Archna Sharma and Aaron Grace are a mar-
ried couple, the parents of three boys, advocates
of home birth, members of the 9/11 truth move-
ment and work at the Sunday downtown farmers’
market.
 Because People Matter September / October 2008 www.bpmnews.org

Nature’s Way to Lower the Dropout Rate

Get D in School and Save Billions
By Lauren Ayers with Ginny
Jones

H
they discovered D-rich foods to compen-
eadlines recently bemoaned that one out sate for reduced sun exposure: lard (pork
of four California high school students fat), salmon, sardines, herring, fish liver oil
do not graduate. Worse, black and (some in beef liver, free range egg yolks, and
Hispanic kids are two to three times more likely cheese).
to drop out than Asian and white kids,1 which is In the old days people took cod liver oil
related to the Achievement Gap, in which black containing both D and omega-3s in winter.
and Hispanic students are, on average, up to four Unfortunately removing mercury and PCBs
years behind Asian and white students in school. in fish oil, also removes vitamin D.
People of color also have a higher incidence of Sardines are a wonder food, providing
cancer, heart disease, diabetes, asthma, and men- the essential omega-3s DHA and EPA, cal-
tal health problems. cium, protein,
True, racism is Vitamin D…increases and vitamin
undoubtedly a cause of D. And low on
the Achievement Gap, calcium absorption the food chain, photo: National Marine Fisheries Service
and the constant stress twenty-fold, and the thus without the
of racism (overt and risk of mercury. For America’s health plummeted in recent decades
CAAC Goes subtle, personal and calcium circulating in our five months I offered compared to other countries—from 14th place
to the Movies institutional) is a factor blood is absolutely crucial my second grade for life expectancy in 1980 down to 29th by 2007.
Almost Every in higher rates of illness.2 students sardines as a Now we’re 30th in infant mortality. Illness costs
Month &3
But there is another for a whole range of brain snack (lemon juice or American business more than $1 trillion a year
The Central America
Action Committee
profound yet overlooked functions. salsa makes sardines in lost productivity19 and billions in prescrip-
influence rather easy to more appealing). tion costs. In 2002, the top 10 pharmaceutical
shows interesting
fix. Namely, vitamin D Their parents and I companies made more money than the other 490
and informative
videos on social deficiency. think it made a difference in their school suc- companies in the Fortune 500 combined.20
justice, labor Dr. Michael Holick, in The UV Advantage, cess. Fortified milk, on the other hand, has only
16
As a teacher, it is frustrating to see the state
struggles, and so explains that blacks make five to 10 times less a paltry amount of D and 70 percent of African spend hundreds of millions on curricula, after
much more! Call to vitamin D in their skin from sun than whites, due Americans, 50 percent of Hispanics, and 90 per- school programs and teacher training when a
see what’s playing to having more melanin, which blocks UVB rays. cent of Asians are lactose intolerant.17 fraction of that money could improve school
this month… The Center for Disease Control found 10 times Most people, and especially growing children, meals. Better brain chemistry would make test
WE ALSO HAVE A
VIDEO LIBRARY YOU
more blacks than whites D deficient.4 Hispanics should get D supplements, especially in winter scores shoot up,21 and improve behavior.22As
CAN CHECK OUT. are also lower than average in D. Asians—with
5
when, regardless of skin tone, anyone north of Pollan explains, USDA-subsidized school meals
1640 9th Ave (east highest test scores and lowest dropout rates— Los Angeles makes less vitamin D. But you don’t are nothing more than price-supports for Big
off Land Park Dr) have more melanin than whites, but also con- need to swallow cod liver oil; powdered D (made Ag. Drop by a school at lunch and see how food
INFO: 446-3304 sume much more D-rich fish than all groups. from lanolin) mixed into food has no fishy taste. is loaded with trans fats, corn syrup, and artifi-
So why is Vitamin D so important? Anyone Michael Pollan, in The Omnivore’s Dilemma cial colors and flavors while skimping on fresh
who researches nutrition is aware of the huge and In Defense of Food—An Eater’s Manifesto, vegetables.
attention now being given to this factor—more lauds Dr. Weston Price’s discoveries about tradi- Even with reports of widespread D deficiency,
than a “vitamin,” a hormone essential to the func- tional diets and health. Price, a dentist, studied the FDA has resisted the pleas of experts to raise
tioning of almost all bodily systems. A good in- indigenous communities from the Outer Heb- the recommended daily allowance (RDA) from
depth presentation of Vitamin D benefits is www. rides to African tribes in Nutrition and Physical its inadequate 200-600 IU. Compare that to the
lifespannutrition.com/30MinutesSunshine. Degeneration (1945, Price-Pottenger Nutrition 20,000 IU that a (pale) person wearing a bath-
pdf, but news about this gift from the sun is Foundation, San Diego, CA (619) 574-7763). Dr. ing suit can make at noon during summer in
widespread in alternative and mainstream health Price, and hundreds of researchers since, shows only 15 minutes!23 Sadly, because most vitamin
news. Tuberculosis, cancer, asthma (chief
6 7 8
that Vitamin D is crucial for health. D research has been very recent, informa-
cause of school absence), diabetes,9 high blood tion—especially about the need for much larger
pressure,10 coronary disease,10 muscle weakness,11 Saving Billions doses—is not yet always included in medical
osteoporosis,12 depression,13 and schizophrenia14 Over half the state budget’s General Fund courses, so you may know more than your doctor
are just some of the health conditions that can be goes to education, K-12 and higher education.18 about D. Research shows that even 10,000 IU a
alleviated, cured, or prevented by this essential Improving student nutrition would mean less day is safe.24
nutrient. Vitamin D is especially important for need for intensive tutoring, special ed (Seriously To sum up, most Americans need more vita-
students because it increases calcium absorption Emotional Disturbed and children at the extreme min D, crucial for countless aspects of health.
twenty-fold, and the calcium circulating in our end of the ADHD spectrum), and retention But school breakfasts and lunches provide too
blood is absolutely crucial for a whole range of (repeating a grade). Students who eat well grow little, which is a major, but invisible, factor in
brain functions.15 up less impulsive (lower crime rates) and more the high dropout rate and the Achievement Gap.
Vitamin D comes from two sources: sunlight productive, and need less health care. And as The return on investment of adding tasteless D3
and food. Ultraviolet rays (UVB, not UVA) make adults, their better food choices and better health (from sheep lanolin) to school meals would be
D in natural oils in our skin—if you don’t wash would boost our nation’s productivity and cut the huge, a few dollars a year per student would sup-
the oil off before being in the sun or too soon current 16 percent of the Gross Domestic Prod- port lifelong health and success for our youth.
afterwards. As ancient humans moved north, uct spent on medical care.

Best   Burger
Want to check your
vitamin D level?
Ask your doctor to order a
25(OH)D test. Then com-

The burgers and fries are  described  as   legendary

pare your results to the Ca-
nadian Paediatric Society
(CPS) chart 26 (www.cps.

Biting into this feast, the Harris Ranch Steak freshly ca/english/statements/II/
FNIM07-01.htm).
first thing you notice is that ground and formed into a
you can taste the beef. The 1/3 lb. patty. Stop by soon.
French Ground Steak Burger Nationwide Freezer Meats For more info and list of
1, 2, etc.

w/cheese is the thing to order. 1930 H Street, Sacramento footnote sources, go to www.
goodschoolfood.org
That is a mouthful to say, (H and 20th Streets) 444-3286.
and it’s definitely more than Just remember H20 stands for Lauren Ayers teaches elemen-
tary school and is writing a nutri-
a mouthful to eat. Featuring H and 20th Street «««« tion curriculum for kids.
Ginny Jones is a writer and
activist.
 www.bpmnews.org September / October 2008 BECAUSE PEOPLE MATTER 

Home in the Projects

Demythologizing poverty
by Tessa Janian

P
rojects! And ghettos! And slums, oh my! … public housing was a
High crime rates! And poverty! And
gangs, oh my! To hear the general public
place of real community.
talk about public housing, one would think
these are the worst places in the world to live, was clear that people could sense public disap-
that there’s nothing but proval and suspicion. Again and again, people
crime and despair. But, told stories of being “looked down
to hear from people on” or experiencing the judg-
who’ve actually lived ment of people seeming to say,
in public housing, you “Oh, those poor unfortunates
come away with a dif- living in the projects” or absorb-
ferent perspective, a ing ridicule for being “the down-
perspective of hope, of trodden Mexican family looking JoAnn Anglin addresses guests and writers on
understanding, of pride. for a handout.” These stories left the myths of public housing.
The concept of public a sense that we tend to slip into Photo: Tessa Janian
housing has been so judgment, into superiority. We
demonized in our cul- prefer to look away, to not want
ture throughout recent to see. We deny that people in
decades. Sacramento public housing are trying to have
Stories set out to dispel a better life, make a better life.
some of the myths by Yet, those judgments didn’t
hosting a public housing stick. Those were just an outsid-
forum featuring stories er’s views. What people living
from people who know in public housing knew about
from personal experi- themselves was immeasurable.
ence the benefits of get- Great lessons of humanity, kind-
ting a hand up. ness to those without and feeling
Speakers from World wall-to-wall love were the foun-
War II to Vietnam to the dation of growing up in public
Reagan Revolution housing.
told their stories of So often we
growing up in public forget that
housing and the rich- America is
ness of life that can about extend-
come from experienc- ing generosity,
ing and accepting about giving a
the generosity of hand up when
community. people are in
According to Mary need. Public
Ellen Burns, Co-Cre- housing was
ator of Sacramento established to
Stories, public hous- provide our
ing was a place of real veterans, the
community. People poor and the
helped each other find working poor
jobs, food and clothes. with a way
It wasn’t charity; it to overcome
was community,” she obstacles, to
said. “We never felt raise a family,
poor.” “We knew everyone was in the same boat.” to have a roof
“It was the last great childhood.” These are words over their heads.
used to describe growing up in public housing. Over the years, public housing became some-
Sac State professor Sam Rios shares his story of
But not all stories reflected fond memories. It thing else. We demonized and separated our pub- growing up in public housing.
lic housing neighbors from the rest of America. Photo: Tessa Janian
We’d come to think that providing for the basic
dignity of people isn’t worth doing, that some-
how people don’t deserve to have opportunity projects are not a place you end up. They’re a
to be lifted up. And we filled our streets with the place where you begin.”

Will the votes be homeless. It’s easy to dismiss what is presented

as a drain on society, to discount its value. It’s a
Tessa Janian is a freelance editor and writer
living in Folsom. She focuses on issues of social

counted? whole other story when a human being looks you

in the face, grabs you by the hand and says, “The
justice and public interest. Visit her website at
www.polishedediting.com.

by Jeanie Keltner
Those who get news from the independent
press are aware that the elections since 2000 have
been compromised by the use of Diebold voting
machines. Watch these eight short segments of
Stephen Spoonamore, a conservative Republican
cybertheft expert for the big credit companies, as
he explains why no election without paper ballots
can be trusted. Spoonamore is expert in statistics
as well as computers and asserts that statistics
alone show many stolen elections—for example
the Max Cleland/Saxby Chambliss contest in
Georgia— since the machines came into use.
Thanks to Debra Bowen, our Secretary of State,
California now has voter-verified paper trials in
all precincts, but voters in other states are not so
lucky. Which means that the country as a whole
is not so lucky either.
Without paper ballots, it’s a sham democracy.
See http://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=9vNvweInGFs&feature=related.
Moving the Edge outward
Act locally—then grow!
By Jeanie Keltner
Congratulations to “Media Edge”! Following the example
of “Democracy Now!,” “Media Edge,” Sacramento’s own fast-
paced progressive magazine show on Access Sacramento (see
back page for times) is creating a network of local community
access stations. It will soon be seen in Humboldt County and
also in Palo Alto, with other cities in the works.
The “Media Edge” folks, Randy Van Dalsen, Michael Stav-
ros, Bob Dreizler, Mary Brasell and Anni Wilson, can inspire
us all to become the media. We must break the monopoly of
the corporate entertainment-news that has so much to answer
for in our current dire situation.
You can see many of the gripping segments at any time by
going to their website www.wethemedia.tv..
 Because People Matter September / October 2008 www.bpmnews.org

Standing up to Fear
Immigrant communities push back
Some of the By Felicia Martinez
Places You Can On May 12, 2008, US Immigration and Cus-
Find BPM toms Enforcement (ICE) conducted the largest
Sacramento Area single-site immigration raid in US history at
Coffee Works Agriprocessors Inc, a meatpacking plant in
Crest Theater Postville, Iowa. Nearly 400 people—including
Dimple Records, 18 minors—were arrested. While immigration
Arden Wy raids are not new, their frequency and size have
Flowers Restaurant
Galleria (29th & K)
increased considerably in recent years. In “FY07
Grinders Accomplishments,” ICE claims to have removed
Hart Senior Center “a record 276, 912 illegal aliens [sic]” from the
Lido Cafe US during fiscal year 2007. Even though stakes
Light Rail: are increasingly high for non-citizen immigrants
65/Folsom and their families, grassroots efforts such as
4th Ave/Freeport
know-your-rights educational campaigns and
Los Jarritos
Luna’s Cafe & Juice Bar community patrols, have helped immigrant com-
Mercy Hospital, 40th/J munities push back against the fear ICE’s tactics
Pancake Circus, 21st/ are intended to create.
Broadway Immigration raids like Postville are part of a
Planned Parenthood: larger strategy ICE dubs “interior enforcement,” a
Franklin Blvd, Watt Ave.,
A woman looks on in horror during the ICE raid in Postville, IA.
smorgasbord of policies and practices to find and photo: Fair Immigration Reform Movement www.fairimmigration.org
29th St.
Queen of Tarts
remove undocumented and even certain legal
Quick Market permanent residents from the US. In response,
Sacramento Bagel, immigrant rights groups have adjusted their work Castañeda, CAUIL member. “People are not
47th/H to help community members to prepare for and very well informed about their rights. Most don’t
Sacramento Natural respond to the intrusion of immigration enforce- know that they have a right not to open the door
Foods Coop ment into their daily lives. to officers without a warrant. Many are surprised
Sacramento Public
to know they have a right not to answer questions
Library (Main & many
or self-incriminate.” During a May ICE raid in
branches)
Starbucks (B'wy & 35th)
Many residents, equipped the Canal neighborhood of San Rafael in Marin
The Beat with knowledge of their Country, know-your-rights trainings conducted
The Bread Store by organizations such as Canal Alliance paid
Time Tested Books rights, kept their doors off. In a post-raid summary, the Canal Alliance
Tower Theater (inside)
Tupelo (Elvas & 57th) locked during the raid and reported that many residents, equipped with
knowledge of their rights, kept their doors locked
Underground Books
(35th St. near B'way)
did not open them even during the raid and did not open them even
Weatherstone Coffee when ICE officers pounded when ICE officers pounded them. One resident,
for whom ICE had a warrant, was reportedly told
Chico Area them. by ICE officers that they would break down the Know-your-rights information is available
door if he did not open it. Instead of letting the from the National Immigration Law Center,
Davis
Bogey’s Books officers in, the man stepped outside of his apart- www.nilc.org.
Espresso Cafe Roma One such response is the formation of rapid ment and into ICE custody while locking the
Davis Natural Food Coop response networks. When a Van Nuys toner door behind him in order to prevent ICE officers
Newsbeat manufacturing plant was raided by ICE earlier from getting to the rest of the household. In some
University Mall this year, a coalition of seven LA based commu- of the know-your-rights trainings that CAUIL Voice, these Community Patrols claimed a vic-
nity, legal, and labor organizations united to form has conducted locally, CAUIL members give tory in 2002, the year that Border Patrol agents
Greenhaven area
Buckthorn’s Coffee,
a comprehensive rapid response team which participants the opportunity to prepare for such a began boarding San Diego’s public transporta-
7465 Rush River Dr assisted the apprehended workers in multiple situation by participating in a mock raid. “People tion in order to conduct ID checks. Through an
ways, including securing the release of two-thirds are very shy at first,” reports Castañeda, “but with organized effort, community members forced the
Nevada City of the people initially detained. As a result, these encouragement…their passion to feel respected Border Patrol to cease its operations on public
US Post Office workers were able to prepare for their pending comes out. They begin to assert their rights and transportation. Most recently, the Community
immigration hearings at home instead of in ICE for that moment, they look proud and feel safe. Patrols have monitored and documented ICE
For a complete list, visit
custody. They feel human.” operations in the neighborhoods. According to
our web site:
www.bpmnews.org. A rapid response network, however, can only In the San Diego communities of Barrio Logan Adriana Jasso, Program Coordinator for Project
be implemented once a raid in progress. Thus of Sherman Heights, another model of com- Voice, the Community Patrols have “exposed
Where would you like to another essential component of response to munity empowerment has been in place since ICE taking mothers, fathers and leaving children
see BPM? interior enforcement has involved know-your- 1992. In response to aggressive police presence, behind. The ability to capture this on camera and
Let Paulette Cuilla know, rights educational campaigns, which empower the Raza Rights Coalition trained community then make a public statement about the moral
916-422-1787. community members to take control of their volunteers to document police abuse. Local character of such policy has been very effective.”
own reactions to the presence of immigration residents were organized into Community But perhaps more importantly, as Jasso explains,
enforcement. Here in Sacramento, Community Patrols, equipped with video cameras, pens, “It has also sent a clear message to police, Border
Advocates United for Immigrant Liberation paper, and knowledge about how to document Patrol, and ICE agents that communities will not
(CAUIL) has distributed know-your-rights police actions. Some years later, the Border Patrol give in entirely to fear.”
materials and has conducted know-your-rights began to make itself present in these communi-
trainings at schools, community groups, and ties, and the Community Patrols went to work Felicia Martinez is a poet and attends Mills
churches. “There is a lot of fear and uncertainty monitoring the “migra” itself. Supported by the College. She has worked with immigrants and
in the immigrant community,” explains Fátima American Friends Service Committee’s Project immigrant rights organizations.

  


 




  
  







 




  

#" %
-&*'
"%+()$%)( 


,")!
-&*'
+#*( 

)

")&,%
'$%)&
Registered Representative for securities and
Investment Advisory Representative, Protected
"*+)
()*&++"-
."+!
)'++
&-*+')*
'
%)"
%)


&-*+%&+
-"*')0
()*&++"-
'
")*+
")%+"-
"&&"$
+.')#

")*+
")%+"-
"*
&
"&(&&+
Investors of America. 
   
 
 "*+)
&-*+%&+
-"*')
) "*+)
."+!
+!
,)"+"*
&
/!& 
'%%"**"'&
*
"$
  


")*+
")%+"-
"*
&'+

*,*"")0
')
"$"+
'
)'++
&-*+')*
'
%)" 
 
 www.bpmnews.org September / October 2008 BECAUSE PEOPLE MATTER 

What’s the future of public education?

St Kevin, St Hope and Sac High
by Murray Cohen

I
n September 2003 Sacramento Unified
School District (SUSD) handed over Sacra-
mento High School to St. Hope, Inc, a private
corporation headed by Kevin Johnson, retired
NBA star and local entrepreneur, now running
for mayor. St. Hope’s petition for an Independent
Charter school had been accepted by SUSD,
including its request that the new school be sited
at Sacramento High School, Sacramento’s oldest
high school. Parents, students, and teachers could
stay at Sac High under the new regime or attend
other district schools. Many parents and students
had been satisfied with the school, especially
its successful Performing Arts Unit. Others had
philosophical and political objections to turning
their school over to a private corporation with
a religious affiliation. Teachers had similar con-
cerns, along with the threatened loss of seniority
and union protection.
Johnson has bought
into the neo-liberal,
“free” market,
privatizing agenda
A group of parents and teachers challenged the
board’s decision and lost. A severely truncated
version of the Performing Arts Unit was tried at
the 65th St Armory. It didn’t work out.
St. Hope’s Sacramento High opened with one
third its potential students. Angry parents were
promised an equivalent comprehensive high
school within the attendance area by Sept. 2008.
But that turned out to be a small former
elementary school without “comprehensive high
school” facilities. Parents rejected the offer of
some portables and filed a new complaint against
the District, which withdrew its offer. And that is
how things stand.
St. Hope calls its campus Sacramento High
School and considers it a “public” school.
Indeed, it and two St. Hope elementary schools
are administered by a subsidiary,“St. Hope
Public Schools.” Administrators at the new Sac
High, who, like teachers, are employees of St.
Hope, Inc, encourage disaffected parents to stop
whining and send their kids to “Sac High,” as
though nothing has changed. Current school
population (800) is about half pre-charter
enrollment.
Sacramento High School was privatized in
2003, when George Bush was riding high in his
wars on terror and social security. But privatizing
a large urban high school with a long tradition
wasn’t easy. True, it
was “underperforming”
according to District
criteria. But some schools
were doing worse.
Certainly the board
was under lots of pres-
sure to join the charter
movement. But why Sac
High and not Johnson
or Burbank? And why
an Independent Charter?
Most people involved
will probably tell you:
Kevin Johnson, the
homegrown NBA star
who remained clean and
earnest throughout his
career and had come Will it ever be Sac High again?
home to serve his com- Photo: Seth Sandronsky, 2003
munity as an educator and
redeveloper. “Saving” the
“underperforming” high school he had starred ambitious young man from the old poor neigh-
at by privatizing it under his own brand name fit borhood might see a privatized Sacramento
in perfectly with the mood of basketball crazy High as centerpiece of his dream of an Oak Park
Sacramento and the country. renaissance, a “win-win” way of doing good,
Though Johnson’s public image has been sul- while doing well for himself, almost like multi-
lied by recent scandals, he may well be elected nationals in the “third world.”
mayor. Even the progressive-minded who are Johnson, like Obama, lends our crudely
basketball fans might be persuaded by Johnson’s selfish system some style and grace, and both
grace on the court. And Johnson seems sincerely may even retain the ghosts of the sort of con-
troubled and angered by the long festering victions that a Rice or a Gonzales would think
historical crimes and injustices against African “quaint.” Here’s a scenario for Frank Capra:
Americans and others in the not so distant past. maybe as mayor, Johnson would see the light,
But he stops there, blind to this same history’s that undermining weakened public, democratic
deep connection to the deindustrializing, war- institutions—like our limping schools—is really
mongering present, with its greedy, sadistic not the way to fight injustice, ignorance, and
corporate culture eating the heart and soul out poverty. Leaving the dark world of market solu-
of working people. Johnson has bought into the tions, he’d return Sac High to its rightful own-
neo-liberal, “free” market, privatizing agenda, ers, the people living in the neighborhoods, and
which has sold the country on the idea that greed reinvent Sac High, say, as a Dependent Charter,
is good, private is better than public, and the in which “petitioning” parents and teachers,
problems of the “poor” are best addressed by transformed by the mayor’s vision, would cre-
rewarding one deserving individual at a time, ate a school that educates minds beautiful and
starting with oneself. strong enough to seriously confront the violence
The US has never seriously attacked its racist and ugliness created by untrammeled greed.
core. What better proof than that the task was Maybe as mayor he would also be point man
assigned to the country’s most often underfunded for rebuilding public education in California by
public schools. The project was designed to advocating adequate funding and a just distribu-
fail, and it has. At the same time, privatization tion of wealth. Now that would be an admirable
was pushed as the only solution to social prob- goal for a retired point guard, who clearly, and
lems—by just the sort of people who created maybe not cynically, has learned that life is nei-
them—people with power, too much money, ther a game nor something to be merely owned,
and wanting more investment opportunities in a bought and sold.
world of desperate billions willing to work for
a lot less than even poor Americans. It’s easy Murray Cohen is a retired teacher and a
to understand how an idealistic but personally member of BPM’s editorial group

Charter schools
Public Money, private agendas
By Murray Cohen
California State law designates two types of charter schools: Depen-
dent and Independent. Dependent Charter Schools are controlled by
the granting authority, usually a school district. Employees work for
the District, maintain seniority, and are protected by a union contract.
Students have the same rights and privileges as any other public school
students. Dependent Charter Schools are usually “petitioned” by groups
of parents and teachers whose approach to curriculum is outside the
mainstream and might require certain district or union waivers. Depen-
dent Charter Schools are special, but are clearly public schools.
Independent Charter Schools are the offspring of the school voucher
movement. The “petitioning” entity tends to be a private corporation.
What makes an Independent Charter School “public” is its access
to vast amounts of local, state, and federal tax dollars. For instance, St.
Hope’s projected revenue for Sac High for 2008 is $8,597,766, all public
money—for a projected enrollment of 800 students—$10,747 per stu-
dent! Public high schools in Sacramento budget about $700 per student.
In addition, Independent Charters have many wealthy private and
institutional donors who want them to them to compare favorably with
public schools to further the privatizing movement.
St. Hope Corporation selects 11 of the 12 board members that
administer St. Hope Public Schools (SHPS); one is selected by the
School District. Anyone can be fired at any time, just as in any non-
union private business. SHPS also indirectly decides which students
to admit and who to dismiss by demanding adherence to its peculiar
culture and protocols.
Given the relationship between the “petitioning” corporation, which
controls the public funds, and the educational entities it establishes,
ethical and legal lapses would seem to be expected. And St. Hope has
had a few of them—mostly minor incidents in which students from
Sac High “volunteered” or were paid with public money to work for
one of St. Hope’s fuzzily related “entities.” Things can get more serious.
A few years ago, 60 of LA’s 150 Independent Charters went bankrupt
and $100,000,000 went down someone’s lucky drain. In ways such as
this, Independent Charter schools can be “public” like Halliburton and
Blackwater are “public” institutions. All are private corporations that
have well-connected (and not necessarily Republican) friends who want
to grow rich privatizing public institutions.
 Because People Matter September / October 2008 www.bpmnews.org
LAST DAY TO REGISTER TO VOTE IN
NOVEMBER 4 ELECTION IS OCTOBER 9!!
People’s Democracy?
State Ballot Measures, November 4, 2008
by Rick Bettis
I
n a great wave of popular reform at the
beginning of the 20th century, California vot-
ers in 1910 approved the initiative, referen-
dum, and recall processes, as part of a progressive
reform movement led by Governor Hiram John-
son and the California Direct Legislation League.
The movement was motivated by the all-powerful
Southern Pacific Railroads’ stranglehold on state
government.
Originally intended as a “people’s reform,” the
initiative and referenda processes unfortunately
can now be made to serve moneyed special inter-
ests due to ubiquitous use of paid signature gath-
erers earning one to two dollars per signature.
With $2 million an interest group can qualify
almost anything for the ballot.
The numerous ballot measures typical in
California’s statewide elections may be placed on
the ballot by legislative action or by initiatives
that require submission of valid signatures of reg-
istered voters (5 percent for Statutes and Bonds,
and 8 percent for Constitutional Amendments,
of the total votes in the most recent gubernato-
rial election). Most campaigns try for a “safety
margin” of at least 25 percent. A period of 150
days is allowed to gather these signatures. Bond
measure financing is for 30 years and measures
usually end up costing, with interest, double the
stated cost.
The ballot measures are sometimes difficult to
understand and advertising is often misleading,
so it is important to learn who the actual sup-
porters and opponents are and understand their
“agendas.” This can be determined by going to
the Secretary of State website www.sos.ca.gov.
and clicking on “Campaign Finance,” “Proposi-
tions and Ballot Measures” and “Contributions
Received.”
As of August 12 there were 12 measures on the
November Ballot. For Proposition 4 see page 9;
for Prop. 11 see below. Following are brief sum-
maries of the remaining ten.
Marriage Equality: Vote
NO on Prop. 8
Proposition 8 would amend the California Con-
stitution to provide that only marriage between a
man and a woman is valid or recognized in Cali-
fornia—denying gays and lesbians the respect, dig-
nity and responsibility that come with marriage.
Our California Constitution promises the same
basic rights and freedoms to everyone; no one
group can be singled out for unfair treatment.
Equal protection under the law is a founding
principle of the United States of America. Prop. 8
undermines that principle, and singles out a single
group of people—gays and lesbians—for unequal
treatment under the law.
Like freedom of religion and freedom of speech,
the freedom to marry is fundamental to our soci-
ety. Marriage allows couples to make legal their
lifetime commitment to one another, and gives
couples the opportunity to fully take responsibil-
ity for each other.
Protecting the freedom to marry is about
upholding the ideals of equality, freedom and fair-
ness for all. Vote NO on Proposition 8.
(This material excerpted from The Equality
for All website. The Equality for All campaign
includes ACLU of Northern California, Anti-
Defamation League, National Council of Jewish
Women, Asian & Pacific Islander Equality,
California NOW, California NAACP and many
others.) (www.noonprop8.com. )
Prop 1—High–Speed Rail Bonds—A $9.95
billion dollar bond measure to partially fund a
$40 billion high speed rail system to eventually
connect major urban areas from San Diego to
Sacramento. The first phase is between Los Ange-
les and San Francisco. At 200 miles per hour, a
trip from Sacramento to LA would take 2 hours.
Running on electric power the rail system could
displace both auto and airplane travel, reducing
fossil fuel use and greenhouse gas emissions.
Opponents feel it would not be cost effective and
construction would have negative impacts.
Prop. 2—Treatment of Farm Animals—
Requires enclosures or tethers that allow animals
to stand, sit, lie down, and fully extend their
limbs. This measure is supported by animal
rights and humane societies and opposed by
some ranching and food processing businesses.
Prop. 3—Children’s Hospital Bond
Act—Authorizes $980 million in bonds to fund
children’s hospitals which provide specialized
care for serious illnesses. Eighty percent would
go to eight non-profit hospitals and 20 percent to
the University of California hospitals. Supported
by numerous children’s healthcare advocates.
YES on Proposition 11
Hold politicians
accountable
By JoAnn Fuller
Voting “yes” on Proposition 11 means ending
the conflict of interest of politicians drawing
their own election districts. It means fair election
districts drawn by a diverse group of citizens, not
politicians, so we can hold our leaders account-
able and throw them out of office if they aren’t
doing their jobs. A “yes” vote is a vote for change.
A “no” vote means more of the same gridlock
with politicians continuing to draw their own
gerrymandered districts.
Prop. 11 was drafted by the League of Women
Voters and California Common Cause, in con-
sultation with consumer, labor, and minority
groups. For several years political leaders assured
the public that they understood that redistrict-
ing reform was necessary and they would pass
a reform bill. Like Lucy pulling the football out
from Charlie Brown, each year something hap-
pened to stop reform. So, these trusted “good
government” organizations formed a broad coali-
tion to ensure real reform.
Why was this important to California Com-
mon Cause and other reform groups? We
were involved in the last redistricting process,
encouraging voters to come to hearings and
testify where the lines should be drawn to give
their communities the most clout. Instead, vot-
ing districts were drawn behind closed doors to
help certain incumbents, both Republicans and
Democrats, hold their seats and exclude potential
challengers from the district.
Gerrymandered districts mean cities and com-
munities are often divided into multiple, oddly
shaped districts solely to protect incumbent
legislators. Large cities will need to be divided
into multiple voting districts. But now, cities such
as San Jose, Long Beach, Stockton and Fresno
are split many ways. This means it is hard for
organizers to bring neighborhoods together
and lobby for what they need. Because they are
divided among several representatives, they can’t
focus their demands on one politician, and their
power is dissipated.
After the last census, the Democrats were the
majority party in the state legislature. They drew
Prop. 5—Nonviolent Drug Offenses. Sentenc-
ing, Parole and Rehabilitation—Would require
the state to expand treatment and rehabilitation
for nonviolent drug offenders and parolees and
reduce the criminal consequences of nonviolent
offenses. Social justice advocates indicate that
additional costs of prevention and rehabilita-
tion would be offset by reductions in prison and
parole operating costs and the cost of new prison
facilities.
Prop. 6—Police and Law Enforcement Fund-
ing, Criminal Penalties and Laws—Requires
that nearly $1 billion annually in state general
funds be used for local law enforcement pro-
grams and facilities. It would also require the
prosecution of more 14 year olds as adults and
would give counties less flexibility in the use
of drug and mental health funds for juveniles.
Proponents want a strong “crackdown” on crime.
Numerous social justice advocates oppose this
measure and call for increases in rehabilitation,
education, and other prevention programs.
Prop. 7—Renewable Energy Generation—
see Ballot Propositions, page 10
voting district boundaries to keep the status
quo. Any seat that was Republican became super
Republican, and the same for Democrats. This
change locked in Republican seats, and even led
to an increase in Republican representation to 47
in the Legislature, despite declining registrations.
A community-centered redistricting process
drawn more equally might change representation
as people move into new areas. Drawing districts
for specific candidates means that elections are
no longer responsive to voter intent.
Proposition 11 creates a diverse, qualified,
independent Commission to draw fair districts
that truly respect California’s diverse population
for the first time. Commission members are
selected by a three-step process.
Beginning January 2010 and every ten years
thereafter, the California State Auditor will initi-
ate an application process open to registered
voters in a manner that “promotes a diverse and
qualified applicant process.” This could mean
advertising in newspapers or other publications
in communities, professions, etc.
From this group of applicants, persons with
conflicts of interest will be removed, and a three-
person auditor panel will pick 60 finalists, 20
Democrats, 20 Republicans and 20 others, who
are qualified and represent California’s diversity.
This group is submitted to legislative leader-
ship, and they can strike up to two each from
each group of 20. The Auditor will then draw
eight commissioners from this pool. The eight
commissioners will choose the final six based
on diversity and qualifications for a total of 14.
Potential commission members could include
university professors, CPAs, nurses, community
advocates and more. There are also provisions in
the initiative requiring the Commission to rep-
resent the state’s significant diversity, including
ethnic and regional considerations.
Prop. 11 also mandates that the Commission
operate under open meeting rules, publicly post
potential maps and hold hearings so the public
can present its case for drawing district lines in a
certain way.
One of the most innovative aspects of the ini-
tiative is the criteria for drawing lines. Proposi-
see Yes on 11, page 10

LAST DAY TO REGISTER TO VOTE IN
NOVEMBER 4 ELECTION IS OCTOBER 9!!
Prop 4 Puts our
Teens at Risk
Vote NO
By Katharyn McLearan
Does Prop. 4 sound familiar? It should. We
defeated similar propositions before—Prop. 73
and Prop. 85.
Parents rightfully want to be involved in their
teen’s lives. We want our daughters to come to
us if they become pregnant—and most do. But,
tragically, some live in dangerous homes. Prop.
4 would put such vulnerable teens in jeopardy of
being kicked out of their homes, beaten or worse.
Prop. 4 is dangerous. It may sound good but
in the real world it would have terrible conse-
quences. Laws like Prop. 4 can’t force teens to
talk to their parents, but may force them to seek
illegal, unsafe abortions, go over state borders or
even consider suicide. Research shows teens have
delayed care and counseling in states with forced
notification laws. That is why the CA Medical
Association, the CA Nurses Association, the CA
Teachers Association, the American Academy of
Pediatrics, the CA School Counselors Association
and others, all oppose Prop 4.
“Research shows teens
have delayed care and
counseling in states with
forced notification laws.”
Prop. 4 is not about family involvement. “Fam-
ily notification” can be simply a state-scripted
form letter sent to another relative who may not
live in the same town. Involving another family
member doesn’t protect a teen in a dangerous
home or create family support. Notifying another
family member, however, will trigger an inves-
tigation and her parents will still find out. She is
trapped. A scared pregnant teen may not seek
care at all.
Prop. 4’s provision of judicial bypass is also
absurd. A scared pregnant teen who can’t tell her
parents isn’t going to navigate a crowded court
system and reveal intimate details about her life
to an unfamiliar judge in an impersonal court-
room. And, with Prop. 4 doctors would be at risk
of lawsuits where they could be sued decades
later.
In the real world, we know what does work.
The real answer to teen pregnancy and reducing
abortion starts with caring families. We should
try to foster an atmosphere that assures our
daughters that they can always come to us. We
must emphasize prevention through professional
counseling, as well as comprehensive, age-appro-
priate sex education that includes abstinence and
birth control.
To learn more, visit: www.NoOnProposition4.
org. To learn how you can help protect teen safe-
ty, contact: sacramentopa@ppmarmonte.org
Katharyn McLearan is Director of Public
Affairs, Planned Parenthood, Mar Monte.
www.bpmnews.org September / October 2008 BECAUSE PEOPLE MATTER 
Our Race to Take Our Country Back
Will you help?
by Bill Durston, MD
Democratic Candidate for House of Represen-
tatives, California 3rd Congressional District
Are you upset, as I am, that Congress continues
to write blank checks for the Bush Administra-
tion to waste $200,000 a minute of our taxpay-
ers’ money, not to mention countless lives, in
the war and occupation in Iraq; that the US is
the only industrialized democracy that doesn’t
have universal access to medical care, yet we pay
twice as much per capita as other countries for
health care; that gasoline has gone from $1.46 a
gallon to over $4 since Bush took office, while
the oil companies make record profits; that we
have government of, by, and for special interests
instead of of, by, and for the people? If so, as civil
rights leader, Florynce Kennedy, said, “Don’t
agonize, organize.” Please join me in taking a vote
in Congress away from the neocons and winning
it back for the people who understand the issues
discussed in Because People Matter.
I am running for Congress in California’s 3rd
Congressional District(CD) against a career poli-
tician, Dan Lungren, who is in lock step with the
Bush-Cheney Administration. When Lungren
flew Cheney out to fundraise for him last April,
he said Cheney was “one of the finest public
servants we’ve had in my lifetime…I happen to
believe in the policies he’s most involved with.”
Lungren takes big contributions from oil compa-
nies like ExxonMobil. At the Elk Grove town hall
meeting, Lungren stated, “Do I take contribu-
tions, have I gotten some from those companies?
Yes I have. If I could get more I’d take more.” Like
most “hawks” in Congress, Lungren never served
in the military himself. His father was Richard
Nixon’s personal physician and got him a medical
deferment during Vietnam.
I am a Vietnam combat veteran and Emer-
gency Physician. Concerned citizens who knew
me from my work as past president of Sacra-
mento Physicians for Social Responsibility and
my opposition to the Iraq war asked me if I’d run
for Congress against the carpet-bagging, neocon
Lungren, and I accepted this challenge as the
most immediate and tangible thing I could do to
help take back our democracy. For a full listing
of my background and positions, please go to the
The Sacramento Mayoral Race
A Clear Choice
By Rick Bettis
The Mayor’s race offers Sacramento voters a
clear choice between a two term incumbent with
over twenty years experience in our city govern-
ment and a wealthy celebrity developer.
Mayor Heather Fargo, a UC Davis graduate in
Environmental Planning, helped local govern-
ments plan parks before becoming a city council
member and then mayor. She has provided lead-
ership in
• Revitalizing the central city with new
residential and commercial development while
emphasizing transit oriented pedestrian and bike
friendly growth.
• Passing city resolutions critical of the
ill-conceived Patriot Act and the Iraq War.
• Adopting Living Wage and Affordable
Housing ordinances.
• Adopting an Affordable Sustainability
Master Plan that includes conservation of energy
and other resources.
• Providing flood control for the city and
Dr. Durston with his family in 2007, l–r daughter
Annie, wife Diane, son Jeff, and Bill.
photo courtesy Bill Durston
Durston for Congress website at www.durston-
forcongress.org.
But this is not my campaign, it is our cam-
paign—and with your help, it is a winnable one.
California’s 3rd CD, stretching from eastern
Sacramento County to the Nevada border, now
has the narrowest Republican registration advan-
tage of any district in the state with a Republican
incumbent.
To be sure, Lungren has more money in his
campaign coffer, on top of using taxpayers’
money for partisan politicking. But we can win
this race through old-fashioned grassroots activ-
ism—phone banking, precinct walking, social
networking, emailing, blogging, and using other
non-corporate media. And of course, monetary
contributions can be made via the website or by
mail to Durston for Congress (5429 Madison Ave,
Sacto, CA 95841).
Whatever Congressional District you live in,
please get involved in our campaign to take an
important step toward taking back our democ-
racy by winning back a vote in the 3rd CD. Go to
the “Events” and “Action Alert” on our website,
call our Fair Oaks office at 916-479-7001 or our
24 hour campaign line at 916-622-VOTE, email
info@durstonforcongress.org, or just drop in to
our office at 4146 Sunrise Boulevard in Fair Oaks
to find out what you can do to help.
the region.
• Enhancing Commu-
nity Oriented Policing in the
city and the Neighborhood
Services Department.
Her opponent, former
NBA star Kevin Johnson,
has promised “change” and Heather Fargo
said he will stimulate eco- www.fargoformayor.com
nomic growth by attracting
more private investors. He
has loaned his campaign
$500,000 and his campaign
has received three times more
money than Fargo’s from
developers and other busi-
ness interests.
Rick Bettis is a frequent
contributor to Because Kevin Johnson
People Matter. www.kevinjohnsonformayor.com
10 Because People Matter September / October 2008 www.bpmnews.org
Ballot Propositions Yes on 11
from page 8
Requires private and public utilities to generate
Noon Hour 50 percent of their power from renewable energy
Witness Against the sources, wind solar, geothermal, by 2025. Cur-
Death Penalty. rently the Public Utility Commission mandates 20
Third Mondays percent by 2020. Supporters, including alternative
12noon to 1pm. energy producers, believe this mandate is neces-
11th and L Streets sary to meet greenhouse gas reduction goals.
State Capitol Opponents, including affected utilities, believe
INFO: 455-1796 the mandate is unrealistically high and the mea-
sure is poorly drafted and unenforceable.
Prop. 8—Eliminates Right of Same-Sex
Couples to Marry—Defines marriage as being
between only a man and a woman, negating the
recent California Supreme Court ruling. Propo-
nents include conservative religious groups and
individuals. Opponents include civil and human
rights advocates. A similar measure was defeated
in 2000.
Prop. 9—Criminal Justice, Victims Rights,
Parole—Requires victims notification and an
opportunity for input during the criminal justice
process, including bail pleas, sentencing, and
parole. It reduces the number of parole hearings
and increases the number of people permitted
to testify on behalf of the victim. Supporters are
victims rights advocates who believe that these
rights must be enhanced and included in the
constitution so they cannot be easily be changed.
Civil liberties and social justice opponents believe
that existing law adequately protects victims
Sacramento rights and that the rights of the accused should
Soapbox not be degraded.
Progressive Talk Show Prop. 10—Alternative Fuel Vehicles and
Access Sacramento, Renewable Energy—Authorizes $5 billion in
Channel 17 with
bonds from the General Fund to be used for
Jeanie Keltner.
high fuel economy and alternative fuels vehicle
Monday, 8pm, Tuesday research, development and purchase, as well as
noon, Wednesday, 4am.
alternative energy research, education and devel-
Now in Davis, Channel
15, Tuesday, 7pm. opment. Proponents say this funding is needed
to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and provide
energy security. Opponents say use of General
Funds is not justified, and such spending should
be subject to the legislative process.
Prop. 12—Veterans Bond Act—Provides $900
million in bonds for farm and home aid for Cali-
fornia veterans. Supporters say that this funding
is necessary to meet the needs of returning war
veterans.
The full text of all propositions as well as in
depth analyses and support and opposition state-
ments are at the Secretary of State website given
above.
Rick Bettis is a member of Sacramento Media
Group and Sacramento League of Women Voters.
Joan Lee: 1927-2008
By Margie Metzler
Joan B. Lee, beloved and admired
advocate for all issues of peace and
justice, died peacefully on Saturday,
July 26, at the age of 80. Chair of the
Sacramento Gray Panthers, Legislative
Liaison of Gray Panthers California,
and a Board member of the National
Gray Panthers, she was also the local
rep of the National Committee to
Peace Action Preserve Social Security and Medicare,
on the Web and worked with many other social
Keep up to date justice groups. She was an articulate and
on peace activism well-known local and national voice for
in Sacramento. improving healthcare, nursing homes,
Check out workers’ and disabled people’s rights,
www.sacpeace.org. public transportation and affordable
housing. Most recently, she advocated
tirelessly for SB 840, Senator Sheila Kue-
hl’s truly universal health care bill which
will bring full coverage for everyone for
everything, forever, for less!
Assemblyman Dave Jones’ descrip-
tion of Joan in the Bee obituary captures
both her toughness and compassion:
from page 8
also makes bringing people together more dif-
tion 11 creates clear, ranked criteria that must be ficult. Prop. 11 will make it easier for people to
followed, including Constitutional requirements, come together to work to solve the problems in
compliance with the Voting Rights Act and keep- their communities because they will know who
ing cities, neighborhoods and communities of to reach out to in their community, and they will
interests together. For the first time, Prop. 11 have a leader who clearly represents them.
puts the Voting Rights Act into the California YES on 11 sends a message to politicians that
Constitution and requires it be followed in draw- voters have had enough and it’s time for change.
ing districts. Also for the first time, districts are Proposition 11 will put voters back in charge and
required to keep neighborhoods and communi- force politicians to work together to solve real
ties of interest together. problems like healthcare, education, and water
Requiring that communities be kept together allocations. For a complete list of endorsements
will be especially important to efforts to organize and to read the text of the proposition, go to
people where they live. As it is now, voting dis- www.yesonprop11.org or contact California
tricts often break up cities and communities. Not Common Cause at (916) 443 1792.
only is it difficult to get a politician to listen to a JoAnn Fuller is associate director of California
community or city split into multiple districts, it Common Cause and a community activist.
How Gerrymandering Hurts Minority Communities:
A deluge of problems for a divided Watts
On November 12, 2003, a freak storm politician to another. Since the neighborhood
dumped over five inches of rain and hail on had been split between three voting districts,
Watts, overwhelming storm drains and flood- they couldn’t get anyone to pay attention to
ing the community. Over 150 buildings and them.
homes were heavily damaged, over 50,000 Watts is a historically black community in
people lost power, and about 6,000 people southern Los Angeles with a large Latino pop-
sought aid from the county’s emergency center. ulation. The community has long suffered from
Many people had lost everything: mattresses, high rates of poverty and crime. If redistricting
clothes, cars. protected communities instead of incumbents,
However, the government was slow to aid Watts could demand to be kept intact and
the people. When residents asked their repre- receive the services and investment that other
sentatives for help, they were passed from one undivided communities get.
The shaded regions represent the borders of Watts, while the bold lines represent district
divisions in 2001.
Info thanks to Nicolas Heidorn of the Yes on Prop 11 Campaign.
Fiery Compassion
“Joan conveyed the plight of seniors
and families and poor people in ways
that policymakers and legislators could
understand. She had a real grasp of facts
and figures and policy, but she was very
effective at putting a human face on
issues.”
Joan earned her degree in Gerontol-
ogy and Communications in her 50s,
and in addition to her activist passion,
she was a single mother and profes-
sional working woman—as well as an
artist, musician/cellist, poet.
Joan is survived by her husband and
co-organizer, Arnie Godmintz, and by
her three children, John Lee and wife
Debbie and their son Anthony; Cathy
and her daughters Calliope, Amethyst
and Eleanor; and David and wife Linda,
and their daughter Patricia.
Joan was a long-time active member
of the Unitarian Universalist Society in
Sacramento where a memorial service
was held Friday, August 15.
 www.bpmnews.org September / October 2008 BECAUSE PEOPLE MATTER 11

On the free speech front

by Cres Velucci
ACLU Sacramento strikes again
Supervisors axe ‘No Free Speech Zones’ plan
The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors—
after fierce, last minute-pressure from the ACLU
of Sacramento—dropped plans to, in effect, cre-
ate “No Free Speech Zones” in county buildings.
The failed attempt brought back memories of
the ill-conceived “parade ordinance” the Sacra-
mento City Council approved too quickly in 2003
before an international conference in Sacramento
targeted by anti-WTO, fair trade activists. It took
years to overturn that mistake.
But the ACLU, which has re-formed in Sacra-
mento and has taken on big causes, stepped into
action this spring, convincing the City Council to
rescind a staff decision and allow the display of
120,000 flags along Capitol Mall commemorating
civilians and US military killed in Iraq.
More recently, the ACLU said a County plan to
ban flyers, brochures or other printed materials
not produced by the County in county buildings
would be patently “draconian,” according to a
letter from the ACLU to the Board of Supervisors
only minutes before a vote was scheduled.
Jeff Kravitz, constitutional law professor at
Patino Law School and member of the Sacra-
mento ACLU Board of Directors, addressed the
Supervisors, calling the proposal a “direct assault
on the First Amendment of the US and Califor-
nia Constitution” and a “violent attack on the
values of free society…it is somewhat shocking
anyone would propose such an ordinance before
a democratically elected government board.”
When Supervisor Roger Dickinson learned
there had been only one “incident” involving
non-County literature, he said, “It sounds like
we have a solution crying out for a problem.” The
board agreed, voting to reject the proposal.
The ACLU charged that the law is so “unconsti-
tutionally vague and overbroad” it would prohibit
any flag from being displayed, even flags flown in
the board chambers. It also would not ban sticks
generally, but sticks that carry free speech mes-
sages, and would restrict labor activities.
For more info: www.ACLUSac.org.
Zoe Lackemacher (kneeling left), Alani Colmenarez
The last three flags placed on the Iraq Body Count Exhibit, May 2008.
(striped shirt), Hannelore Colmenarez (right front).
photo: Daniel Costa
photo: Bill Lackemacher
As a result of Raley’s assaults, the California
No Petitions! Healthy Communities Network has started a
Raley’s threatens to arrest free speech “Free Speech Project” to examine these kinds
activists of attacks. Some activists in Sacramento have
Raley’s could soon become a high-profile target said they will be boycotting Raley’s until it
of labor and civil libertarians because of a stance stops threatening to arrest and suing peaceful
it is taking throughout its chain threatening with individuals.
arrest and suing free speech activists. For more info: www.CalHCN.org.
In Suisun City recently, Raley’s repeatedly Cres Velucci is a member of Veterans for Peace
threatened to arrest and eventually sued commu- in Sacramento.
nity activists attempting to circulate a petition to
recall the Suisun City Council for, among other
things, approving a Wal-Mart SuperCenter over
objections of voters and public safety experts.
Raley’s is the only grocery store in the only mall
in Suisun, leaving citizen members no place to
gather signatures.
Raley’s, according to Sacramento civil rights
lawyer Mark Merin, is making a habit of harass-
ing and suing activists on private but still quasi-
public areas, which is not a allowed under key
cases in California, including the noted “Prune-
yard” decision which allows free speech activity
on private property such as malls.

Don’t Fool Yourselves A couple views the Iraq Body Count Exhibit at sundown.
photo: Daniel Costa
No one is leaving Iraq…. except impoverished Iraqis
By Paolo Bassi

F
be immune from Iraqi law, control Iraqi air space, markets and possibly real estate for permanent
ive and a half years after violating inter- carry out military operations and have the power use. It is a vicious, violent fraud but perfectly
national law and invading Iraq, the Bush to arrest and hold Iraqis? No nation littered with rational for the pursuit of corporate profits.
regime shows no sign of handing Iraq back foreign military bases is free in any sense.  To believe that, now as Iraq lies prostrate, US
to anything resembling an independent sovereign The violence in Iraq is almost always portrayed corporations and military will simply walk out
government—at least not until Iraq has served as ethnic and religious strife, as if the invasion is is delusional and misjudges the nature and logic
its purposes. Recently Barack Obama claimed he a mere sideshow. This strife has been furthered of imperialism and predatory capitalism. As
will begin ending the military occupation. How- by Washington and plays directly into the Bush Thomas Friedman, a major cheerleader for the
ever, a mere reduction in troops does not end regime’s hands. The confusion and insecurity invasion and corporate globalism, stated in his
the occupation. Iraq is firmly in the grip of over- provide the necessary cover under which the book, The Lexus and the Olive Tree, “The hidden
lapping corporate and military interests which occupation continues. Peace and a stable, secular hand of the market will never work without a
will lay down the law, and Iraqi government com- hidden fist…and the hidden fist…is called the
should Obama even think
about interfering with their
Empires by nature mitted to the welfare of
its people is the last thing
US Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps.”
Sometimes the corporatocracy’s intelligentsia
plans, he would be naïve feed off both the Washington wants. tell the truth. 
about presidential power.
No one is leaving Iraq except
home nation and the Contrary to the distort-
ed liberal view that Iraq is
Imperialism is, of course, far more than the
pursuit of temporary profits. The fifty or so new
impoverished Iraqi refugees. conquered peoples. an expensive mistake, Iraq military bases are not intended to control only
And ratcheting up the war in is in fact a great victory Iraq. Continued US military presence also serves
Afghanistan—“the graveyard for corporate globalism to intimidate Iran, Syria and any others who
of empires” —is hardly peace. and the neo-cons. Events in Iraq have unfolded may resist Washington’s hegemony in Central
Far more significant is what both Obama and in accordance with the nature and methods of Asia. Iraq is also likely to be a base for future
John McCain do not say. Neither utters a word imperialism. Only the weapons and sophistica- corporate wars in Asia.
about a future Iraqi government’s control over its tion of the propaganda have changed since the Since no country is left that is both capable
massive oil reserves or its trade and investment conquests of Cuba and the Philippines by US and willing to aid Iraq directly, Iraqis are essen-
policies. Likewise, there is silence over the future forces just over a century ago. Iraq is simply busi- tially alone. The only foreseeable hope for Iraqis
of billion dollar construction and security con- ness as usual.  is a mass, secular non-cooperation movement,
tracts and Iraq’s now-privatized essential services, Considering the mind-numbing human and one which makes the country unmanageable.
handed out to mostly US corporations as lucra- financial cost, it may appear that empire is coun- It has worked before, and if history teaches us
tive spoils of war. ter-productive. Empires by nature feed off both anything, it is that occupations, like empires, do
If anything reveals Washington’s real inten- the home nation and the conquered peoples. end.
tions, it is the dozens of permanent military bases The home country is manipulated by its political
being built all over Iraq. Even if most of the US elites to pay the cost in money and blood. The Paolo Bassi is a member of the Sacramento
Military pulls out, will its remaining forces still conquered nation then provides resources, future Media Group.
12 Because People Matter September / October 2008 www.bpmnews.org

Sacramento Area Peace Action

Voices of Justice for the World
Below are reports on the August, 2008 talks
by Iranian-American Mazda Majidi and Jewish-
American Anna Baltzer and the June, 2008 attack
on Palestinian Mohammed Omer who spoke in
Sacramento in December 2006.
Iran/US Who’s the Bully?
Excerpted from an article by Mazda Majidi.
Reversing the roles of aggressor and victim has
been a central part of the Bush Administration’s
Iran propaganda campaign, willingly endorsed by
the US mass media. In early June, Israel conduct-
ed a military exercise involving over 100 fighter
jets. It was a provocative maneuver that a Pen-
tagon official called
a “dress rehearsal”
for an Israeli aerial
bombardment of
Iran’s nuclear plants.
This was shortly
after Shaoul Mofaz,
Israel’s deputy prime
minister, said, “If
Iran continues its
Mazda Majidi nuclear arms pro-
photo: Bill Hackwell gram we will attack
it.”
On July 9 and 10, Iran test fired long and mid-
range missiles. Coming on the heels of the Israeli
aerial exercise and renewed Israeli threats, the
obvious purpose of the tests, as clearly stated by
Iranian officials, was to demonstrate Iran’s capa-
bility of defending itself if attacked.
The US has repeatedly carried out war games,
using aircraft carriers, warships and nuclear
powered submarines in the Persian/Arabian Gulf,
off the coast of Iran, with the obvious intent of
threatening Iran. But in the corporate media,
Iran is portrayed as the aggressor and the US and
Israel as defending themselves from this danger-
ous bully. However, the US “victim” happens to
outspend the “bully” militarily by 100 to one.
The “bully” has no nuclear weapons while the US
“victim” has 10,000 nuclear warheads.
There is no question that Bush would like to
bomb Iran. Not just to destroy the nuclear facili-
ties but to destabilize the government. This is
consistent with past US actions including the
1953 overthrow of the democratically elected
government and reinstallation of the Shah’s
dictatorship. If past US bombing campaigns
are any indication, an attack on Iran would kill
thousands of people and destroy much of the
country’s civilian infrastructure.
How Washington continues to behave toward
Iran and if it will attack depends on its estimates
of the consequences. To be sure, Washington
must be weighing what the American public will
tolerate. Now is the time to let legislators know
that another costly pre-emptive war is not accept-
able. Call your Congressperson: 202-224-3121
and organize!
A Jewish American Woman in the Sacramento Speaker Mohammed
Occupied Territories Omer brutalized by Israelis
(Based on an interview Anna Baltzer gave to by Brigitte Jaensch
KDVS radio host France Kassing in conjunction
with her August talk in Davis.)
The granddaughter of Jewish holocaust refu-
gees, Anna Baltzer at first did not believe what
Palestinian refugees told her about Israel treated
them. She developed a different view of reality
from doing her own
research and living
in Palestine.
Two realities are
checkpoints and
the wall, which as
Baltzer discovered,
are about “debilitat-
ing Palestinian life”.
Both are located
within occupied
Palestinian lands
and serve to stop
Anna Baltzer
Palestinians from photo courtesy A. Baltzer
getting to jobs, to
school, to their farms, to their villages, and even
to the hospital. The wall, made of concrete, razor
wire and/or electric fencing also illegally con-
fiscates more Palestinian land and steals critical
resources, especially water.
Both are part of Israel’s effort to make life so
miserable for the indigenous Palestinian people
that they will abandon what little is left of the
lands Israel has not already taken.
Palestinians who live inside Israel can lose their
right to be there and refugees are not allowed to
return to their homeland, while she, “as a Jewish
woman could move to Israel tomorrow and have
more rights to Palestinian land than Palestinians
do.” This is “the result of Zionism” an attempt to
create an artificial majority of Jews on land, “in
which the majority of people who have rights to
the land are not Jewish. This process will not end
until this notion of Jewish state is challenged for
what it is, inherently undemocratic.”
“Rights should not depend on your religion or
ethnicity. It is the equivalent to having a state in
which your rights depend on your skin color....
As a Jewish person, I simply can’t support a sys-
tem that seeks security for Jewish people at the
expense of other people—the idea that somehow
for our refugee, diaspora population to have a
home, we have to deny a home to another refugee,
diaspora population. It does not work. Might
does not equal right.”
As a US citizen, Baltzer acknowledges, “We
are very much responsible and complicit in what
is happening. And we have the clout—with the
money that we give to Israel—to change things.”
Anna Baltzer’s website: annainthemiddleeast.
org; she also recommends fiveforpalestine.org.
In 2006, Mohammed Omer commemorated
the anniversary of the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights with us. Some of what he talked
about that Sunday afternoon in 2006 is that, like
all 1.5 million persons in Gaza, his life is at risk.
Now, this “voice of
the voiceless” will
be a specific Israeli
target.
On June 26, 2008,
after meetings with
officials and citizen
groups in the Neth-
erlands, Greece and
England, and being
awarded the Mar-
tha Gellhorn Prize
for Journalism in
London, Omer was
on his way home
With his bulletproof
to Gaza. Israeli
vest and Cannon D20 in
border police took hand, Mohammed is on
him into an inter- the front lines.
rogation room. photo: courtesy Mohammed
Riffled his luggage. Omer
Mocked that he’d
brought gifts for “those I love.” “Oh, you have
love in your culture?”
They made him strip naked. Did invasive full
body searches. Held a gun to his head, threaten-
ing to pull the trigger. Jack-booted him in the
throat. Pinched and jabbed the soft tissue around
his eyes and ears. Dragged him by his feet,
though his own vomit, making his head bump on
the cement floor. He needed to be hospitalized
for days. He’ll need some surgery.
One Israeli government version is that he “lost
his balance.” Another version is that although
they treated him humanely, he was stressed and
had a nervous breakdown.
Dutch official Jan Wijenberg disagrees: “This
is by no means an isolated incident, but part
of a long term strategy to demolish Palestinian
social, economic and cultural life... I am aware of
the possibility that Mohammed Omer might be
murdered by Israeli snipers or bomb attack in the
near future.”
Several groups met with Congresswoman
Matsui’s staff about what happened. They stressed
that per the US State Department website, if it
chooses, Israel will treat US citizens like it does
Palestinians—like it did Mohammed Omer.
Matsui has consistently supported aid to Israel,
including the $170 million that was passed by
Congress on the same day that Omer was beaten.
She can be reached at 202-225-7163.
Mohammed Omer writes for Washington
Reports on Middle East Affairs and international
newspapers. His website is www.rafahtoday.org..

Catch these Fall Events: Get your Stop War

And bring your friends, family, and col- Lawn Sign!
leagues. (See calendar or www.sacpeace.
org for details.)
Order from SacPeace,
Gloria LaRiva, September 7, recently 916-448-7157
Sliding scale $5-10.
Join SacPeace! returned from Venezuela and Bolivia,
speaks on: Revolutionary Movements &
US Intervention in Latin America
Send your name, address, email Richard Becker, Oct 6: War, Global
and phone, with your check to Warming & Economic Crisis -- Will the
SacPeace for: $30/individual; Election Change the Course?”
Antonia Juhasz, Oct 30: The Tyranny of
$52/family; $15 low-income to:
Oil: The World’s Most Powerful Industry,
Sacramento Area Peace Action and What We Must Do To Stop It.
909 12th St, Suite 118 Forum Series on Palestine/Israel Cov-
Sacramento, CA 95814 ering history, US foreign policy; Zion-
More information: 916-448-7157, ism, environmental degradation, recent
sacpeace@dcn.org. events, campaigns to end the occupation.
FMI sacpeace@dcn.org

Israel/Palestine
Two-state rhetoric, binational reality
By Brigitte Jaensch
B
etween the Mediterranean Sea and the
Jordan River, there are 5+ million Jewish
Israelis and 5+ million Palestinians. In
the part called Israel, plus land taken over by the
Separation Wall, there are 1.3 million Palestinian
citizens of Israel and another 280,000 Palestinian
residents in Jerusalem who aren’t Israeli citizens.
In the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, the
so-called occupied Palestinian territories (oPt),
there are almost 500,000 Jewish Israeli settlers.
The level of the apartheid,
the racism and the
brutality are worse
than the worst period
of apartheid [in South
Africa].
And as Professor Virginia Tilley explains, the
Palestinian and Israeli parts are “bound inextrica-
bly by trade, labor, and natural resources…. Most
of the West Bank aquifer is tapped for use inside
Israel…. Any visitor looking at these massive
planned [Israeli settlement] communities and
their huge road network, promptly loses any idea
that the Israeli government has any intention of
removing them—or that it even has the capacity
to do so.” Israel would never move its settlers out
and let Palestinians move in. And to bulldoze or
otherwise destroy all that construction would be
environmentally and ecologically ruinous.
Israeli journalist Akiva Eldar writes, “… a bina-
tional reality exists, in which one ethnic group
[Israeli] rules by force over another ethnic group
[Palestinian].” According to Mondli Makhanya,
editor-in-chief of the Sunday Times of South Afri-
ca, who observed things in the West Bank this
July with a South African delegation: “The level
of the apartheid, the racism and the brutality are
worse than the worst period of apartheid.… The
apartheid regime viewed the blacks as inferior;
I do not think the Israelis see the Palestinians as
human beings at all.”
Still politicians remain wedded to the rhetoric
of two-states, i.e., creating a Palestinian state in
the oPt, albeit in a West Bank modified by “facts
on the ground.” Those facts on the ground, i.e.,
the massive Israeli encroachment into the West
Bank, have killed the two-state option. A viable
state cannot be made out of the disconnected bits
of land Israel has not taken, and those bits are
Should Big Media Get Bigger?
FCC hands it over again
By Charlene Jones
Racial and ethnic minorities make up 34
percent of the US population.Yet they own only
7.7 percent of full-power radio stations and 3.15
percent of television stations, according to the
media reform organization FreePress. While
women comprise 51 percent of the population,
they own just 5.87 percent of full-power com-
mercial broadcast TV stations and just 6 percent
of commercial radio stations. The Federal Com-
munications Commission December 2007 deci-
sion to again lift media ownership rules makes
everything much worse.
The FCC vote to allow “cross-ownership,”
would lift a ban that has stood for decades pro-
hibiting one company from owning a broadcast
station and the major daily newspaper in the
same market. Further ownership consolidation
would continue to, in effect, ban opportunities,
smother voices, marginalize divergent views and
ignore issues that matter to millions, especially
women, people of color, working class and the
nation’s poorest.
www.bpmnews.org September / October 2008 BECAUSE PEOPLE MATTER 13
Palestinian Loss of Land 1946 to 2005
completely encircled
by land Israel has
taken.
All this happened
during the decades-
long “peace pro-
cess,” which Henry
Siegman, former
executive director
of the American
Jewish Congress,
says is perhaps “the
most spectacular
deception in modern
diplomatic history.
… [It is] a fiction that
has served primarily
to provide cover for
[Israel’s] systematic
confiscation of Pales-
tinian land.” Moreover, he says, “Israel will never
allow the emergence of a Palestinian state,” but
it “would allow—indeed, it would insist on—the
creation of a number of isolated enclaves that
Palestinians could call a state, but only in order to
prevent the creation of a binational state in which
Palestinians would be the majority.”
But the only legitimate future for the bina-
tional reality is a binational state even though
a binational state would be opposed virulently
and almost certainly violently. It would not be
the “Jewish” state, which is the raison d’être of the
120-year Zionist effort, and realists like Professor
Tilley are sensitive to the “compelling psychologi-
cal and political character” of the “Jewishness
of Israel.” And they also recognize the desperate
need of the Palestinian people to have a safe
haven in which to heal from the physical and
emotional exhaustion of 60 years of exile and 40
years of occupation.
But a fully democratic binational state most
satisfactorily addresses the two-state stumbling
blocks: there’d be no demographic reason to
oppose the right of return of the Palestinian fam-
ilies who were ethnically cleansed to make Israel.
Jerusalem would be shared, not divided. And no
new borders would be needed.
By undoing the Jewish-preferential construct,
two domestic Israeli problems would also end:
The Palestinian citizens of Israel would no longer
be considered Israel’s “cancer from within” and
a demographic “threat” or “time bomb.” And
Israel’s Palestinian citizens would finally be given
equal status, rights and services.
Fortunately, the US Senate, by a near-unani-
mous vote in May, vetoed the Federal Commu-
nications Commission’s December decision to
enable the biggest media conglomerates to grab
even more. The “Resolution of Disapproval,” SJR
28 introduced by Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-ND),
would nullify the FCC’s new rules if passed by
Congress and signed by the President. Intro-
duced in the House as HJRes 79 by Reps. Jay
Inslee (D-Wash.) and Dave Reichert (R-Wash.),
its passage is the next struggle to push back Big
Media.
Members of the House must hear from their
constituents about how critical a vibrant media
is to the health of community and country.
Under-representation of minorities and women
in the ownership of broadcast media is one more
condition that will only worsen if the FCC deci-
sion is allowed to stand. An onslaught of recent
corporate media concentration continues to erad-
icate public discourse and debilitate an unsteady
democracy.Thousands of phone calls and more
than a quarter million letters from members of
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s govern-
ment interjected impediment after impediment
to the Annapolis talks (as the latest round of the
peace process is called). Now he has resigned,
stalling the talks for months before a new Israeli
government is installed. And the priority for the
pro-Israel community in the United States is not
peace talks, but an attack on Iran before Bush
leaves office. And the Palestinian factions remain
divided, too.
A binational state is surely the only viable
future for Israel/Palestine, but the same ideolo-
gies and political jockeying that brought about
the “binational reality” compel politicians to
remain faithful to the two-state rhetoric.
Brigitte Jaensch is a Sacramento-based human
rights advocate.
Five excellent information sources about the
“binational reality” are:
Married to Another Man: Israel’s Dilemma in
Palestine by Ghada Karmi
One Country: A Bold Proposal to End
the Israeli-Palestinian Impasse by Ali
Abounimah
Overcoming Zionism by Joel Kovel
Palestine Inside Out: An Everyday Occupa-
tion by Saree Makdisi,
The One State Solution: A Breakthrough for
Peace in the Israeli-Palestinian Deadlock by
Virginia Tilley
FreePress’ “Stop Big Media” campaign made a
difference in the Senate. Support HJR79 and take
back the media. Put the pubic back into public
airwaves. For more information, contact the Sac-
ramento Media Group at 916-443-1792 or smg@
commoncause.org or www.freepress.net.
Charlene Jones is a member of Sacramento
Media Group.
Time Tested Books
now buying
Political posters, handbills & pamphlets
Books on history, labor, & politics
Records of blues, jazz, rock, punk, world, R&B, & spoken word.
And, of course, we are selling books & records, too!
We are located at 1114 21st Street, Sacramento.
Our new hours are M–Sat: 11am–7pm, Sunday: 11am–3pm
(Please call for appt. if selling.)
916-447-5696.
www.timetestedbooks.net
14 Because People Matter September / October 2008 www.bpmnews.org

You go, Hugo, and take your goody-goody goodie bags with you
By Mark Drolette

V
enezuela’s anti-American, thrice freely- housing and food during the patients’ 10-day stay been true.
elected dictator, Hugo Chávez, strikes in Venezuela. Costa Ricans need only pay the $26 Doe-eyed Chávez supporters even unbelievably
again. According to The Tico Times, Costa Rican airport tax.” paint the silver-tongued despot as some sort of
Costa Rica’s leading English language newspaper, If Helpin’ Hugo were really sincere, he’d eat that peacemaker, citing his indispensable assistance
“[S]ome 800 Costa Ricans have traveled to Ven- departure tax, too. Whassa matter, Huey, keepin’ last January in getting FARC to release two long-
ezuela for free eye surgery over the last few years, some el dough-o for yourself-o for a bunch o’ held hostages. Well, if Hugo’s such a miracle
93 in June alone, on a gift from President Hugo new red camisos, or maybe more copies of that worker, let’s see him mediate my divorce. Which,
Chávez’s government.” Venezuelan constitution your nannified citizens come to think of it, reminds me of at least one
Only an anti-democratic, manipulative low- love to sit around and read? You’d never catch person FARC can keep in the jungle for a few
life like Chávez would give people something industrious Americans doing that, no sir-ree, not years, or until the statue of limitations on spousal
for nothing just because it’s, like, the right thing even back when we had a constitution. abuse expires, whichever comes last. (My attor-
to do. Please! Everyone knows people improve My favorite: “Each patient also receives a ney tells me that was a joke. OK.)
their lousy little lives only when they take per- goodie bag with pajamas, underwear, slippers, To advance his subversive agenda of compas-
sonal responsibility seriously. If Costa Ricans deodorant, soap, shampoo and talcum powder.” sion and fair play, Chávez is shameless. Articu-
want better eyesight, then instead of lazin’ under Goodie bag?? How low can Chávez go? Even late, funny, charismatic, innovative, popular,
pineapple trees all day long, they oughtta go to lower, apparently, than last winter’s tawdry little intelligent—hell, if we’d wanted someone like that
medical school and learn how to operate on their stunt, when, according to former Massachusetts directing our policies, you think we’d have elected
own damn selves. When I get a splinter you think Congressman Joe Kennedy whose non-profit cor- George W. Bush, even though we, uh, didn’t?
I whine and say: “Oh, please, please, please, Mr. poration provides energy assistance to 250,000 Twice?
Coffee from
Dictator, fly me to your decrepit little country poor people in fifteen US states and the District And let’s not forget impressionable American
Nicaragua and take my sliver out, free of charge?” NO! I of Columbia, Chávez was the only one among kids who might read about Chávez’s “good”
Support Sacramento’s go to the country club and ask one of my doctor every “oil company…, OPEC nation and…major deeds—that is, if they could read. Do you want
sister city, San Juan friends there to remove it, just like everybody crude oil exporter in the world” to whom Ken- them thinking it’s acceptable for the leader of a
de Oriente, Nicaragua, else. nedy had written who responded—by discount- nation with eleven percent of our oil to squander
by purchasing organic The article again: “Under the program, Ven- ing $100 million worth of heating oil. So, what revenues from same on wild extravagances like,
whole-bean coffee ezuelan doctors travel to Costa Rica to examine do we get this year? The oldest trick of the tyrant say, free education and universal health care, as
grown in the rich
volcanic soil on the
Costa Ricans with eye trouble. Patients with trade: free toiletries. if people are entitled to those things? Remember:
island of Omotepe, cataracts or pterygium—a benign growth on the Monster! Dealings, not “feelings” (yecch!), make America
Nicaragua. eye—qualify for a trip to Venezuela.” An opthal- Poorly-sighted Costa Ricans benefiting from the great corporation, er, country it is today.
Thanks to the efforts of mologist explains that “cataracts and pterygium Chávez’s largesse may be blind to his true com- Free eye care for Costa Ricans, cheap heat-
the Bainbridge-Omotepe are common in Costa Rica, in part because of the mie colors, but not so Venezuela’s neighbor. ing oil for Americans, peacemaking efforts in
Sister Island Association strong sun.” Seems a laptop found in the jungle proved irre- Colombia—unchecked, Chávez’s leftist namby-
in Washington, we are
This is exactly my point about personal respon- futably Chávez had given FARC revolutionaries, I pambyism squarely targets that greatest of Amer-
able to bring you this
wonderful medium roast sibility. Hey, Einstein-itos! Stay outta el sol! Didja mean, terrorists, $300 million to fight the death- ican values, the profit motive. Kill that and you’ve
coffee. ever think about only going out at night? Or squad-supporting, check it, American-friendly killed profit—and that, people, is as un-American
Your purchase helps the working graveyard? Or working period?  government of Colombia. Sure, turned out later as it gets.
farmers on the island There’s more: “The Venezuelan government the story was utterly fabricated but, still, it doesn’t Mark Drolette writes political satire from
and helps support pays for the charter airplane, the surgery and diminish how damning it would’ve been had it Costa Rica
Sacramento’s long
relationship with San
Juan de Oriente.
All profits go directly
back to the Nicaraguan
communities.
$9.00 a pound. For six demonstrators arrested at Capitol Bldg June 26
Available in Sacramento
at: The Book Collector, Charges Dropped “In The Interest of Justice.”
1008 24th St.
By Paulette Cuilla, one of the
frozen six
Is this a democracy that arrests citizens for
speaking out and calling for an end to this
illegal, immoral, occupation of another coun-
try? 4,143 American soldiers dead, countless
numbers grievously wounded. Over one million
innocent Iraqis dead. And all justified by lies.
I don’t understand how the American people
can allow this to go on. It is our jobs, as citizens
of a democracy, to speak out when our elected
officials are not carrying out the people’s requests. 
Remember, democracy is an action, something
you do, not something you have. If we don’t act
now, we (the people) will lose. The men and
women who stood with me the day six were
arrested are heroes and sheroes of democracy.
They were willing to speak out against this war,
in spite of intimidation and demand for silence.
We are not the criminals; the real criminals are
the warmongers who started this war and the war
profiteers who insist that it continue.
Paulette Cuilla is a human rights and envi- On June 26, about 20 people froze in random poses for 10 minutes in front of the Governor’s office.
ronmental activist working with many groups in At a signal they unfurled signs saying “Stop War,” “Troops Home Now.” Six people were arrested,
Sacramento. including the writer, above. (photo courtesy Paulette Cuilla)

Pizza by the slice

PIECES Your working for
subscription ALLIANCE PEACE & JUSTICE
and a proud sponsor of
“The most delicious and keeps us going!
AUDIO-VISUAL & VIDEO
“Because People Matter”
socially responsible
Have you
pizza in town” LCD COMPUTER & VIDEO PROJECTORS
sent in your SLIDE & OVERHEAD PROJECTORS
offering a
—Jeanie Keltner PA SYSTEMS – WIRELESS MICS – MIXERS
30% to 50%
subscription SCREENS – TV MONITORS – PODIUMS
discount
<> <> <>
1309 21st St Between M and N form??
AUDIO & DIGITAL VIDEO RECORDING
for Peace &
(916) 451-2658 Justice events
 www.bpmnews.org September / October 2008 BECAUSE PEOPLE MATTER 15

September / October Calendar Send calendar items for the Nov. / Dec. 2008 issue to bpmnews@nicetechnology.com by
Oct. 10, with “calendar item” in the subject line. Make it short, and PLEASE use this for-
mat: Day, Date. Name of event. Description (1–2 lines). Time. Location. Price. INFO:
phone#; e-mail.

ONGOING EVENTS
11th OF EVERY MONTH:
Sacramento 9/11 Truth
Demonstration. 11th and
L Streets, facing Capitol
nor th entrance. INFO:
www.truthaction.org, 916-
372-8433.
MONDAYS: Sacramento
Poetry Center hosts poetry
readings. 7:30pm. 1719
25th Street. www.sacra-
mentopoetrycenter.org.
1st MONDAYS: Organic
Sacr amento: Counter
ongoing threats to our
food. 6:30pm. INFO: www.
organicsacramento.org.
1st MondayS: Sac Media
Group. 6–8pm. Coloma
Community Center, 4623
T Street. INFO: 443-1792,
smg@commoncause.org.
3rd MONDAYS: Capitol
Outreach for a Moratorium
on the Death Penalty.
12 noon–1pm, 11th & L
Street. INFO: 455-1796.
3r d MONDAYS: SAPA
Peace and Sustainability
Committee. 6–8pm. INFO:
Peace Action, 448-7157.
3rd MONDAYS: Sacto
9/11 Truth:Questioning
the “War on Terror.” 6–
8pm. Denny’s 3rd & J St.
Info: sac911truth@gmail.
com 372-8433.
3rd MONDAYS: Lesbian
Cancer Support Group.
6:30 Bring partners or sup-
port people with you. Open
discussions with everyone.
INFO: Roxanne Harden-
berg; ROXANNE1040@
aol.com.
TUESDAYS: Call for Peace
Vigil. 4–6pm. 16th and J
St. INFO 448-7157.
TUESDAYS: Improv work-
shop. Solve the world’s
problems through improv
games! 7–9:30pm. Geery
Theatre, 2130 L street,
Sac. $5.00, first time free.
INFO: Damion, 916-821-
4533, dsharpeproduc-
tions@hotmail.com.
2nd TUESDAYS: Gray Pan-
thers. 1–3pm. Hart Senior
Ctr., 27th & J St.
2nd TUESDAYS: Peace
Network (speakers and
discussion), 6:30pm.
Luna’s Cafe, 1414 16th
Street. INFO: Sac Area
Peace Action 448-7157.
4th TUESDAYS: Peace and
Justice Films. 7pm. Peace
Action, 909 12th Street.
INFO:448-7157.
4th TUESDAYS: (Odd num-
bered months) Amnesty
Int’l. 7pm. Sacramento
Friends Meeting, 890-
57th St. INFO: 489-2419.
1st WEDNESDAYS: Peace
& Freedom Party. 7pm.
INFO: 456-4595.
3r d WEDNESDAYS:
CAAC Goes to the Mov-
ies. 7:15pm. INFO: 446-
3304.
THURSDAYS: Urban Farm
Stand, 4–7pm, River Gar-
den Estates, 2201 North-
view Dr.
THURSDAYS:Daddy’sHere.
Men’s support group; info
on custody, divorce, raising
children. 7–8:30pm. Free!
Ctr for Families, 2251 Flo-
rin Rd, Ste 102. INFO: terry
@fathersandfamilies.com.
568-3237x 205.
1st and 2nd Thursdays:
Storytelling at the Hart
Senior Center, 27th & J
sts. 7pm. Free. INFO: 916-
362-9013, or PaulIdaho@
comcast.net.
Fridays: Movies on a
Big Screen. Independent,
quirky movies and videos.
7pm. 600 4th St, West Sac.
INFO: www.shiny-object.
com/screenings/.
1st FRIDAYS: Community
Contra Dance. 8–11pm;
7:30pm beginners les-
sons. Clunie Auditorium,
McKinley Pk, Alhambra &
F. INFO: 530-274-9551.
2nd FRIDAYS: Dances of
Universal Peace. 7:30–
9:30pm. Sacr amento
Friends Meeting House
890 57th St. $5–$10
donation requested. INFO:
Joyce, www.sacramento-
dancesofuniversalpeace.
org, 916-832-4630.
4th FRIDAYS: Dances at
Christ Unity Church, 9249
Folsom Blvd. All Welcome
$5–$10 donation request-
ed. INFO: Christine 457-
5855, www.sacramento-
dancesofuniversalpeace.
org.
1st SATURDAYS: Health
Care for All. 10am–noon.
Hart Senior Ctr, 27th & J.
For single-payer universal
health care. INFO: 916-
424-5316; cnegrete@
comcast.net.
1st SATURDAYS: Sacra-
mento Area Peace Action
Vigil. 11:30am–1:30pm.
Arden and Heritage (en-
trance to Arden Mall).
INFO: 448-7157.
2nd & 4th SATURDAYS:
Community Contra Dance.
8–11pm; 7:30 lessons.
Coloma Center 4623 T
Street. INFO: 395-3483.
3rd SATURDAYS: Sacra-
mento Area Peace Action
Vigil. 11:30am–1:30pm.
Marconi & Fulton. INFO:
448-7157.
3rd Saturdays: Under-
ground Poetr y Series,
open mic plus featured po-
ets. 7–9pm Underground
Books, 2814 35th Street
(at Broadway), Sacramen-
to. $3. INFO: 737-3333.
SUNDAYS: Sacto Food Not
Bombs. 1:30pm. Come
help distribute food at 9th
and J Streets.
1st SUNDAYS: Zapatis-
ta Solidarity Coalition.
10am–noon. 909 12th St.
Info: 443-3424.
2nd SUNDAYS: Atheists
& Other Freethinkers.
2:30pm. Sierra 2 Center,
Room 10, 2791 24th St.
INFO: 447-3589.
For the most current listing of Sacramento peace & justice events, go to www.sacpeace.org.
For weekly updates, email sacpeace@dcn.org and put SacPeaceUpdates in the subject.
COMMUNITY CALENDAR
Sunday, September 7
Lecture. Union activist and presidential can-
didate Gloria LaRiva,recently returned from
Venezuela and Bolivia, speaks on: Revolutionary
Movements & US Intervention in Latin America.
7pm. 909 12th Street. INFO: 448-7157.
Thursday, September 11
Paul Zarembka speaks on “The Hidden History
of 9/11.” 7-9pm. Sierra 2 Ctr, Garden Room, 2791
24th St. Free. See Marxist School box below.
Saturday September 13
Poetry Workshop. Bringing poetry to Sacra-
mento and Natomas, encouraging writers of
all backgrounds. Bring 10 copies of your one
page poem for critique. 10-11:30 am. South
Natomas Community Center, 2921 Truxel Rd,
in the Natomas Room. Free.
Saturday September 20
Motivational Speakers. Terry Moore, Claudia Ep-
person and Jim Nolt speak on the importance of
education, life’s struggles, positive friendships,
and being successful in life. 5-6:30, Underground
Books, 2814 35th Street. Free. INFO: 737-3333.
Saturday September 20
Dinner. The Teach Peace Foundation annual
awards dinner for special contributions to our
community. 6-9pm. 600 Alhambra Blvd. Tickets:
$60; $45 in advance. INFO: (530) 554-7061.
Sunday, September 21
“Hands off Iran!” monthly demo & vigil. Noon–2
pm. 16th and Broadway. INFO: Veterans for
Peace, 916-698-8131 or 916-613-1106.
Saturday September 27
Poetry Workshop. Bringing poetry to Sacra-
mento and Natomas in a new way, encouraging
writers of all backgrounds. Poets should bring
10 copies of their one page poem for critique.
10-11:30 am. South Natomas Community Center,
2921 Truxel Rd, in the Natomas Room. Free.
Wednesday, October 1
Fundraiser. Beyond the Proscenium Productions
presents “Beyond Pasta”, a fundraiser featuring
pasta with homemade sauces by gourmet
members of the board of directors and a sneak
preview of“Matt and Ben”, by Brenda Withers and
Mindy Kaling. (Show premieres October 16th at
California Stage.) 6pm. Luna’s Café, 1414 16th St.
INFO: 916-743-1640. $25.
Monday, October 6
Lecture. Richard Becker, Coordinator ANSWER
Coalition, speaks on Global Warming & Economic
Crisis: Will the Election Change the Course?
7pm. 909 12th Street, Sacramento. INFO: 916-
448-7157.
Thursday, October 9
Progressive Forum. Join us for a dialogue on
current issues facing the progressive move-
ments and their allies in our region. Confirmed
speakers: Bill Fletcher, David Bacon, Renee
Saucedo.9am-2pm. Walnut Suite: University
Union. CSU –Sacramento. INFO: Duane Camp-
bell 361-9072. Free.
Saturday October 11
Poetry Workshop. Bringing poetry to Sacra-
mento and Natomas in a new way, encouraging
writers of all backgrounds. Poets should bring 10
copies of their one page poem for critique.
10-11:30 am. South Natomas Community
Center, 2921 Truxel Rd, in the Natomas Room.
Free.
Sunday, October 12
7th Annual Freethought Day Fair. Noon-5pm.
Front & L Streets, Old Sacramento. INFO: 447-
3589.
Sunday, October 12
“Hands off Iran!” monthly demo & vigil. Noon–2
pm. 16th and Broadway. INFO: Veterans for
Peace, 916-698-8131 or 916-613-1106.
Thursday, October 16
Todd Chretien speaks on “Marxist Theory of the
State.” 7-9pm. Sierra 2 Ctr, Garden Room, 2791
24th St. Free. See Marxist School box below.
Saturday October 25
Poetry Workshop. Bringing poetry to Sacra-
mento and Natomas in a new way, encouraging
writers of all backgrounds. Poets should bring 10
copies of their one page poem for critique.
10-11:30 am. South Natomas Community
Center, 2921 Truxel Rd, in the Natomas Room.
Free.
Thursday, October 30
Lecture. Antonia Juhasz, author of The Bush
Agenda: Invading the World One Economy at a
Time, speaks on tour with her new book: The
Tyranny of Oil: The World’s Most Powerful Industry,
and What We Must Do To Stop It. 7pm. Location
TBA. INFO: 916-448-7157.
Saturday, November 8
5K Fun Run and Walk. My Sister’s House hosts
“5th Run for a Safe Haven”. All proceeds will go
towards My Sister’s House and its efforts to stop
domestic violence. 8-11am, William Land Park,
Sacramento. INFO: Nilda Valmores, 868-7820.
Karl Marx meets Henry George

The Marxist School of Sacramento

G o t Po l i t i c a l
Humor?
It’s an election year – arm yourself
with the world’s funniest paper!
/ Thursday, October 16, Todd Chretien, former Green Party candi-
This election season is producing some of the
BEST political satire EVER! Don’t miss out!
Now available only by subscription, the Humor
Times (formerly the Comic Press News) is
bigger and better than ever, with more pages
containing many hilarious new features!
Send a check or money order for $18.95 for
one year (12 issues) to: Humor Times,
P.O.B. 162429, Sacramento, CA 95816
Or call 916-455-1217, or Save a Buck by ordering online!
they’re
experienced!
published since
1991!
it gives us
hope - and it’s
darn funny
too!
w w w. H u m o r T i m e s . c o m
P.O.Box 160564 Sacramento, CA 95816
September / October 2008 Activities The Henry George School presents
a Georgist-Marxist dialogue to dis-
Point of View Speaker Series
cuss the causes and solutions to the
economic downturn. Henry George
Lectures are held in Sierra 2 Ctr, Garden Room, 2791 24th St., will be portrayed by Wayne Luney,
7–9pm Karl Marx by Leon Lefson.
Thursday, September 11—Paul Zarembka speaks on “The Hidden
History of 9/11.” Zarembka is professor of economics at SUNY, Thursday, September 18th, 7pm.
Buffalo. Copies of his book, The Hidden History of 9/11, a collec- Arden-Dimick Library, 891 Watt Ave.
tion of essays and analysis, will be available for sal at the talk.
date for State Senate, will speak on “Marxist Theory of the State”
Classes on “Progress and Poverty”
will begin in November. All pro-
grams, classes and film nights are
free and open to the public.
INFO on other events: www.marxistschool.org; info@marxistschool.
org; 799-1354. All activities are free and open to the public. For more information, call726-7268.
Justice 4 All Includes Women of Color
Resources for Enlisted Conference To Establish A National
Personnel & Veterans Women of Color Agenda
Friday–Saturday, September 26 -27, 2008
Discharges • DEP • Discrimination • Gay •
AWOL/UA • Harassment • Hazing•
All events will take place at Christ Unity
Conscientious Objection
Church Center
Free, confidential information from The GI Rights
9249 Folsom Blvd., Sacramento, CA 95826
Hotline, www.girights.org, 800-394-9544
Counseling: free & confidential: 916-447-5706; An Alcohol Free, Smoke Free Event
www.therapistsforsocialresponsibility.org; see www.justice4allincludeswomenofcolor.com
 September / October 2008
Because People Matter
Progressive News and Views
Progressive Media
Editors’ Picks!
ä Soapbox!—Jeanie Keltner talks with
activists and analysts from Sacramento and
beyond about the issues of the day.
Where to watch:
Access Sacramento cable channel 17.
Every Monday at 8pm. Call in comments
on 2nd and 4th Mondays. Repeats Tues-
day at noon, Wednesday at 4am.
In Davis, on channel 15, Tuesdays at 7pm.
ä Media Edge—Sacramento’s own
magazine format show, covering local
progressive events and speakers, as well as
internationally known commentators, with
clips from some of the best independent
political video being made now.
Where to watch:
Access Sacramento channels 17 and 18
and Davis Channel 15. Sundays 8–10pm
Nevada County channel 11 Mondays
10:30pm–12:30am,
West Sacramento channel 21 Mondays
9-11pm.
See scheduled segments at
www.wethemedia.org.
ä Democracy Now—Amy Goodman’s
award-winning magazine format show.
Where to watch:
Access Sacramento TV, Cable Channels 17
and 18, Weekdays 6pm, 12midnight, 5am.
Dish Network Satellite TV, Channel 9415,
Free Speech TV, M–F: 9am, 4pm, 9pm,
5am, Pacific time. Link TV, Channel 9410,
Monday–Friday, 8am, 3pm. KVMR 89.5 FM
Mon–Thu 7pm. KDVS 90.3 FM Mon–Fri noon.
KPFA 94.1 FM Berkeley, M–F 9am
Here’s a hot tip! If you don’t have cable TV, and you do have a PC (doesn’t work on Mac), you can
watch Access Sacramento programs as they are being aired by going to www.accesssacramento.
org and clicking on the “Watch Channel 17” button at the top of the first page.
Great Speeches and Interviews-Local
Progressive Radio Stations
äKVMR 89.5 FM
ä The Voice, 88.7 Cable FM; and streaming
audio on www.Accesssacramento.org; SAP
Comcast Channels 17 & 18
ä KYDS 91.5 FM
äKDVS 90.3 FM
ä KPFA 94.1 FM Berkeley
äKZFR 90.1 FM Chico
People Powered Radio! managed and
operated by volunteers, provides mostly
locally produced and community oriented
programs.
(Other) Progressive Newspapers
ä The Flatlander: a free community newspa-
per of fun, opinion and politics in the Davis
Area. yolocats@yahoo.com. Publication
every 2 months, next issue is April/May
The Flatlander
P.O. Box 72793
Davis, CA 95617
ä Likewise, we are greatly impressed with
the lively goodlooking Midtown Monthly.
It’s not political, but it has the kind of use-
ful and delightful info about life, art, food
and music in Sacramento and beyond
that creates the sense of community
needed for an uncertain future.
Look for the Rock Creek Free Press
in the back of some BPM stands and
other places you find BPM (always at
the downtown main library). It’s a great
progressive paper with emphasis on the
undernews.
And just like BPM it needs support from
the people who are sick of the disinfor-
mation news. Check it out and subscribe
(after subscribing to BPM).
SAY PEACE!
and national speeches and interviews
to challenge your thinking. An in-depth
radio program on the current issues.
Where to listen and/or download:
Listen Sundays 6-8pm on Comcast Ch. 17,
18, set your TV menu to SAP or listen on
The Voice www.AccessSacramento.org
L i s te n o r d ow n l o a d f ro m w w w.
archive.org/bookmarks/sgl
Blogged on www.SacramentoForDemoc-
racy.org
Don’t bitch at the media—
become the media!
Have you taken the TV production
training at Access Sacramento? Would
you like to learn or put your technical
talents to use? Soapbox! urgently needs
crewmembers to help set up, run cam-
eras, and take viewers’ phone calls on
the 2nd and 4th Monday of each month.
Call 444 3203 if you’re interested
in taking the training or joining us at
Soapbox! for fun—and the best pizza in
town, from Pieces.
Sacramento and Central Valley Indymedia: www.sacindymedia.org.
Home in the Projects, Election issues, and of course,
Inside: Botox Nation, Living Green in Sacramento,
Last Day to REGISTER to VOTE in NOVEMBER is OCTOBER 9!!
much more
Online News Sources:
www.Truthout.org: essays on current events,
some videos, like Keith Olbermann’s MSNBC
Countdown shows.
www.CommonDreams.org News Center:
Breaking News & Views for the Progressive
Community.
www.Brasscheck.org: Progressive videos
on many subjects, from Steven Colbert’s
speech at the White House Correspondent’s
dinner and speeches by leftwing MP George
Galloway, to extensive information on 9/11
and the attacks on our civil liberties.
www.TheRealNews.com: a nonprofit progres-
sive website offering daily news videos
including interviews and debates. They plan
soon to expand to television.
www.GoLeft.tv: Progressive Online Television.
In the world of media monopoly, news has
been replaced with a new invention called
“infotainment.” GoLeft.tv is a progressive
political T.V. news source that fills that gap
between the media’s dumbed down info-
tainment and real news reporting.
www.innworldreport.net: Daily professional
viewer/listener supported journalism
available in over 20 million homes across
America.
www.whatreallyhappened.com: 9/11 and
other coverups.
NON-PROFIT
ORGANIZATION
US POSTAGE PAID
PERMIT NO. 2668
SACRAMENTO, CA