I am currently reading the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Stride Toward Freedom. The book is an account of the bus boycott of 1955-56 in Montgomery Alabama. It's a fascinating read, and I recommend it to anyone and everyone. There are some interesting parallels between the situation in the South in the 1950s and the situation today in Israel/Palestine. Some of the ideas in Dr. King's account helped me to formulate this statement to the Olympia Food Co-op Board of Directors in regard to the ongoing boycott of products from Israel:

Thank you to the Olympia Food Co-op Board of Directors for holding fast on the boycott of products from Israel.

This boycott amounts to noncooperation with injustice. The way that the government of Israel and some Israelis are treating Palestinians is unacceptable.

The decision to boycott was correct. Israel needs to change, for the good of both Palestinians and Jews.

When our government is unaccountable to the interests of human rights (and even life itself,) a courageous and principled and strong stand like this of the co-op is truly awesome and inspiring—and necessary.

Human rights are for everyone.

Thank you again for this courageous act of noncooperation!

Sincerely,
Berd Whitlock

Thousands of Israelis protest against the war in Gaza

Roger Waters—"We Shall Overcome"

Projects Sought for United Way's 2010 Day of Caring

Thurston County nonprofit organizations can receive volunteer help for hands-on projects as part of United Way of Thurston County's 18th annual Day of Caring on September 24.

Day of Caring is an annual event where hundreds of volunteers from throughout Thurston County join local nonprofit and other community organizations to work on service projects. Participating organizations are matched with volunteers who give their time, talent and services to change our community for the better in one day.

Not only does Day of Caring have a significant impact on the needs of local nonprofits, it also enables volunteers to meet new people, work as a team and gain new experiences. Day of Caring also kicks off United Way's annual campaign which raises funds to meet local health and human service needs.

Day of Caring also coordinates with The Evergreen State College's "Community to Community Action Day", which engages incoming college freshmen in local volunteer projects during their orientation week.

United Way, in partnership with the Volunteer Center of Lewis, Mason & Thurston Counties, invites agencies to submit a project through an easy online registration process. To sign up to host a project, go to www.volunteer.ws . The deadline for applications is August 1.

Projects Sought for United Way's 2010 Day of Caring

Thurston County nonprofit organizations can receive volunteer help for hands-on projects as part of United Way of Thurston County's 18th annual Day of Caring on September 24.

Day of Caring is an annual event where hundreds of volunteers from throughout Thurston County join local nonprofit and other community organizations to work on service projects. Participating organizations are matched with volunteers who give their time, talent and services to change our community for the better in one day.

Not only does Day of Caring have a significant impact on the needs of local nonprofits, it also enables volunteers to meet new people, work as a team and gain new experiences. Day of Caring also kicks off United Way's annual campaign which raises funds to meet local health and human service needs.

Day of Caring also coordinates with The Evergreen State College's "Community to Community Action Day", which engages incoming college freshmen in local volunteer projects during their orientation week.

United Way, in partnership with the Volunteer Center of Lewis, Mason & Thurston Counties, invites agencies to submit a project through an easy online registration process. To sign up to host a project, go to www.volunteer.ws . The deadline for applications is August 1.

Recent discussion on OlyBlog got me to thinking about the problem of big business influence over politics and government. I have been to thinking about the lack of practical difference between Republicans and Democrats. For example, the failure of the Obama Administration to live up to the President's high-minded rhetoric, and promises (think about the promise to close the Guantanamo Bay torture center,) makes it possible to argue that the differences between the two parties are more often in the realm of rhetoric, rather than of material substance.

In America we don't have a political party that represents the interest of common people, nor the interests that all people have in common. What we have is a system that represents interests of the owning class. Both major parties, as well as some minor parties, represent the singular self-interest of some, at the expense of others. And it is important to remember that the wealth of some, including the wealth many of us in America enjoy, is dependent on the mistreatment of the planet, and of many people.

Maybe part of the answer toward successfully organizing against the unjust and destructive status quo is the development of new political parties—parties that go to the heart of the problems in order to radically challenge the unjust status quo. One example of a political party that is organizing to achieve a society that serves the common interests of life and of all people, and for liberation from the multitudinous oppressions of today's world, is the Freedom Socialist Party.

The FSP is holding its National Conference STARTING TOMORROW (FRIDAY JULY 9) AT THE EVERGREEN STATE COLLEGE. I encourage you to check in, you're sure to meet organizers whom are very brilliant and talented, as well as kind and courteous! Following is more information about the conference, from the FSP website and from a press release. And there is also more information on the FSP website: www.socialism.com. ~Berd

July 4, 2010—Peace Arch Park, Blaine Washington, Vancouver B.C. 15 people traveled from Olympia and Seattle to meet a Canadian delegation to the Pastors for Peace Cuba Caravan. PFP organizes an annual Friendshipment in an effort to provide supplies directly to Cubans, and to raise awareness by breaking what many consider to be an immoral US blockade of Cuba.

Over the years, PFP has transported from the USA, Canada and Europe hundreds of vehicles (many buses and ambulances) and tonnes of other basic supplies (like notebooks for students.)

The Canadian delegation made it safely across the border on Sunday, July 4, and are currently in Olympia. There will be a pizza party to welcome the group tomorrow evening at Fertile Ground Guesthouse. More information about that here.

I also uploaded some photos to flickr, and posted a slideshow of them at Peace is Possible, here.

The Mural Speaks 

Event Marks the Completion of the Olympia‐Rafah Solidarity Mural 

6 p.m. Saturday, May 8, Labor Temple, Olympia WA  

The Olympia‐Rafah Solidarity Mural is a community building memorial honoring all who have lost their lives in struggle and all who are resisting oppression.  The mural was inspired by the killing of Rachel Corrie, a resident of Olympia who was crushed to death by an Israeli army bulldozer while defending the home of a Palestinian pharmacist and his family.  The mural tells a tale of two cities linked through tragedy, Olympia WA and Rafah, Palestine.  It is the tale of people working together for a better world. The mural uses technology and advancements in printing processes to include artists from Palestine who are forbidden to travel. 

http://olympiarafahmural.org/ 

Synergy – A Local Event with a Global Message Aims to Build Support for Equity, Ecological and Economic Sustainability May 17 to May 22
The Synergy conference, a local event organized by the students of The Evergreen State College, brings together the community to achieve a common goal of working to establish sustainable systems and build on sustainable ideas and practices for equity, ecology and economy.
Events feature talks and presentations on earthen structures, biodiesel, bioenergy, sustainable food, wild food, alternative transportation and youth as essential advocates in the sustainability movement. Complete event lists, times and places are noted at
http://blogs.evergreen.edu/synergy/eventinfo/

Synergy was introduced because the founding groups and individuals believed in combining issues of culture, design, ecology, agriculture and social justice and critically analyzing their interconnectedness. The goal of Synergy is to create a community opportunity to discover its capacity to foster change and contribute to a collective vision for sustainability, resilience, mutual inspiration and support.

The Evergreen State College is located at 2700 Evergreen Parkway, NW, Olympia, WA 98505. Directions to campus are available here:
http://www.evergreen.edu/tour/gethere.htm

Students have funded this conference through their Student Activities and Clean Energy Fees. Many academic programs and community organizations also support the event. The Synergy coalition is made up of members from the following campus groups:

• The Clean Energy Committee
• Black Student Union
• Students of Color Coalition
• Environmental Resource Center
• Developing Ecological Agriculture Practices
• Evergreen Health Society
• The Evergreen Bike Shop
• Women of Color Coalition
• Women’s Resource Center
• Student Green Energy Association
• The Sustainable Prisons Project
• WashPIRG

[now updated with photo link to the Dow Chemical Golden Skeleton.]

April 26, 2010 — Olympia, Washington

The South Puget Sound Community College student group B.R.I.C.K. (Building Resistance by Increasing Community Knowledge) hosted Andy Bichlbaum of the Yes Men at the Capitol Theatre.

The Yes Men are composed of Andy B. and Mike Bonanno. During the presentation, Andy mostly talked about what the Yes Men have done, how they work, and also about their recent film, The Yes Men Fix the World.
Andy Bichlbaum of The Yes Men
at the Capitol Theatre in Olympia Washington

Thursday, April 15, 2010
Olympia, Washington
Scott Yoos distributes WRL (War Resisters League) Where your income tax money really goes flyers at the Olympia Post Office.