Vol. XXXVI, Number 2 The PortlandAlliance: Feb. 2016 http://www. ThePortlandAlliance.org/2016/February

Vol. XXXVI, Number 2   February 2016 http://www. ThePortlandAlliance.org/2016/February Speaking Truth to Power Since 1981

Does Bernie Sanders' Imperialism Matter? by Shamus Cooke   Critiquing Bernie Sanders from the left can be a lonely project. There is a "hope"-powered hysteria surrounding his campaign, and bursting the "hope" bubble can produce a fierce backlash. The Sanders "hope" explosion is so fierce because capitalism has become a hopeless place.

Visit Our Website http://www.ThePortlandAlliance.org/2016/February

Jobs with Justice Update! Event Calendar Thursday, February 18   OregonSOS - Fight High Rents & Low Wages   Oregon State Capitol 900 Court St NE, Salem, Oregon 97301 #OregonSOS Oregonians are sinking, and it's time to do something about it! Join us as we build a tent city on the steps of the capitol building to highlight and call for a housing state of emergency in Oregon. Demand solutions to this state of emergency such as rent control and a moritorium on no-cause evictions, a statewide $15 and local control of minimum wage laws, and an end to ODOT sweeps of houseless camps. Sponsored by Right to Survive, Right 2 Dream Too, 15 Now PDX, Don't Shoot PDX, Portland Rising Tide, Jobs with Justice, PSUSU, Hazelnut Grove, International Socialist Organization, and more. Endorsed by NW Alliance for Alternative Media and Education, The Portand Alliance, The Peaceresource and The Wordsmith Collection and others... more ______________________________________________________________ Monthly Steering Committee Meeting Monday, March 7, 2016 at 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm 1500 NE Irving Street, Suite 585 Portland, OR 97232                             First Monday of the Month Unless    info:  http://www.theportlandalliance.org/jwjupdates

Contact DEQ and Bullseye regarding carcinogenic and neurotoxic emissions W ednesday, The Portland Mercury reported that Bullseye Glass, located at 3722 SE 21st St, has been emitting "a monthly a verage of 49 times the state air-safety benchmark level for the neurotoxin and carcinogen cadmium, and 159 times the air-safety goal for the carcinogen arsenic." The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) plan to announce specifics of their collected data on Bullseye's toxic emissions recorded at nearby measuring stations. Also nearby are schools and a children's daycare located at Fred Meyer's headquarters, KinderCare Education LLC. rest of story:  http://www.theportlandalliance.org/breakingnews

 

Be sure to check out this issue!

http://www.ThePortlandAlliance.org/2016/February

And please send articles, essays, events, meetings, rallies and actions for March no later than February 21.  And thanks for all you do.  editor@theportandaliance.org.

https://thewordsmithcollection.wordpress.com/2015/08/03/the-portland-alliance-august-2015-speaking-truth-to-power/

August Portland Alliance:
http://www.ThePortlandAlliance.org/2015/August— at St John’s Bridge….Cathedral Park.

by Bette Lee                                                        pictures by Bette Lee
What an awe-inspiring, daring and utterly breath-taking direct action by Greenpeace activists at the St. John’s bridge in Portland, OR. 13 courageous and determined GP activists rappelled from the bridge, and were suspended for over 40 hours in their attempt to stop or delay the Fennica, an ice-breaker owned by Shell Corp., bound for the Artic to be used for oil-drilling. They were supported by the “kayaktivists” who bravely tried to block the Fennica from sailing past the bridge, but were overwhelmed by the coast guard in their motorboats. We will always remember the beautiful image of this remarkable direct action of these activists hanging from the bridge, with their colored flags flying in the wind.
see more:  Bette Lee Portal  http://www.ThePortlandAlliance.org/bettelee

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Stop Drilling in the Arctic! Obama betrayed us Again…

Why do people support Obama when he supports drilling in the Arctic, offshore drilling, murdering prisoners, 27 unnecessary wars of choice, the suspension of habeas corpus, sending illegal drones knowing each kills an average of fifty innocent people.
If you want this irresponsible drilling stopped, contact the most powerful man on the planet… as if if would do you any good.
https://thepeaceresource.wordpress.com/2015/07/26/stop-drilling-in-the-arctic-obama-betrayed-us-again/

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Revolution and Liberation… ~OO~

At home, American police bureaus, militarized and armed with machine-guns, have been provided a license to kill at will and our president claims a “right” to kill anyone, anywhere, any time, for any reason or without providing any reason at all. This amoral and extralegal extortion has been extended abroad in more than 25 corporate wars of choice. And what is most terrifying is that the American people have surrendered to this betrayal and treason.  With innocents executed at home and abroad, we are under attack and must stand up and fight back.
The revolution has begun.  ~OO~       http://www.ThePortlandAlliance.org/afewwords
     Take Action!  We are the change we seek!
more info:  www.theportlandalliance.org/activecommunity

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Black Lives Matter Portland 

 There was an African funeral at the Mississippi Street Fair  (aka the White Celebration  of Black Displacement)
for our siblings, Kendra James and Keaton Otis, lost to racist police murder.
We love and remember them.    find out more and get connected! http://www.ThePortlandAlliance.org/blacklivesmatter

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                                            Much More in the August 2015 Portland Alliance:

click here: http://www.ThePortlandAlliance.org/2015/August
We are walking the talk and producing a vehicle for progressive Portland.  Don’t let mainstream corporate media continue to ignore our community and provide inaccurate and dishonest versions of the news.  Please send suggestions, critiques, copy-edits, breaking news, events, ideas…  editor@theportlandalliance.org
Community Calendar: http://www.theportlandaliance.org/communitycalendar 

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Shannon Wheeler of Too Much Coffee Man fame!
http://www.ThePortlandAlliance.org/tmcm

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The Wordsmith Collection: Writing & Creative Arts

writingresource.blogspot.com/p/please-donate-to-keep-these-resources.html

The Portland Alliance Occupation Update... A few words

Portland Alliance Reports:  Portland, Oregon, November 17, 2011

Re: The Occupation


Last August we received some communication from Occupy 2011.  We committed the resources of The Portland Alliance to this movement. 
Everyday people, from across the geopolitical planetary spectrum, have come together in thousands of cities (billions untold) in one unified and vital voice. No amount of dismissive corporate blather can diminish this development.  
This revolutionary uprising will not go away.

Committed individuals have come together to raise their voices and speak truth to
power.  They refuse to be sold out and lied to while corporate interests are bailed
out on our dime by government officials who remain aloof and unaccountable.

Occupy Wall Street and Occupy Portland are not alone.  Nor are they merely parts
of a national movement.  Civic Occupations are global movements for solidarity and justice:

"The truth is Occupy Wall Street was already global and had been since it began. The organizers themselves launched an occupation action because they were inspired by what citizens in Tunisia, Egypt, Spain and Greece had done this year. They saw what they were doing as part of a global revolution that had to happen against the forces of greed and corruption in the world, which are forcing austerity measures on people in many, many countries.

Who knows where the “Occupy” movement is headed? That is the beauty of the moment. Possibilities for a better future in America are more possible now than ever before. Young people are stepping out and putting their bodies on the line all because they believe in the revitalization and reinvention of democratic society. They understand that the power has to be shifted from the few—the corporations, the political class and the richest 1%—to the many—the citizens, who should be more included in the decision-making process. They understand that citizens have to take responsibility for putting this country on the right track so that casino capitalists, greedy bankers and war profiteers are not allowed to expand their adventurist, entrepreneurial, neo-liberal agendas, and ambitions.

Rebellion is changing the terms of the debate. The presence of people out in the street is influencing what politicians and talking heads say on news programs.

It is only the beginning. It will only continue to escalate and grow because Americans are angry, they’ve had enough and they see the system is rigged by two parties that operate in service to Wall Street, the military or the security industrial-complex, which protects the financial and ruling elites. They will deliberate over what to do about the systemic problems in this country and rebel until they think these systemic problems have been addressed."
~~~from Kevin Gosztola's  musings on Sunday October 16, 2011

Occupy Portland and and associated movements are global, dynamic, and growing.  Because our political processes are corrupt, this populist revolution has captured the imagination of everyday people.  Taking it to the streets with marches and demonstrations has captured the media spotlight.

The occupations at Wall Street, in Portland, Oregon, and in thousands of cities across the globe will not be ended by police force or political machinations.  There is no going backwards because the people who occupy this planet have spoken.  We are sending notice to the banking community, congress, the executive branch, the Fortune 500, and judicial systems everywhere: 
We want jobs, health care, education, and justice.

Disproportionate suffering, hunger, and poverty are not acceptable.  Our demands for an intact social safety net to provide jobs, health care education, and justice must endure, survive, and prevail over the brutish responses of city officials and police authorities. We may have been evicted, but we continue to rise and stand.  Inequity, intolerance, ignorance, and intimidation are no longer the order of the day.   We assert our civil rights and demand that human rights become a priority.    

We will be back.