The Story of Cap & Trade from Story of Stuff Project on Vimeo.
The Story of Cap & Trade is a fast-paced, fact-filled look at the leading climate solution being discussed at Copenhagen and on Capitol Hill. Host Annie Leonard introduces the energy traders and Wall Street financiers at the heart of this scheme and reveals the "devils in the details" in current cap and trade proposals: free permits to big polluters, fake offsets and distraction from what’s really required to tackle the climate crisis. If you’ve heard about Cap & Trade, but aren’t sure how it works (or who benefits), this is the film is for you.
I think Annie Leonard is on point with this one. How can you trust the people who got us into this mess (the entire mess - all messes -every single, pile of sh*t) to be the ones who are going to come up with a plan to solve it?
Fool me once, shame on... shame on you. Fool me twice... shamon!
-Chris G.
For more info, peep activism.ucsc.edu
Here's a little promotional video I chopped up for the conference. Directed by Arlene Park. Music by Blue Scholars.
Don't Go To The Practical Activism Conference from Chris Guevarra on Vimeo.
-Chris G.
I can't believe I just heard about my fellow comrade and friend, Devin Cohee, passing away in February. I miss both you and Audrey very much. I can only hope that you two are slam dancing and skanking away in a punk rock heaven somewhere. As my friend Alex said, you and Audrey's spirit will continue with us "in the streets." Here's a piece Alex wrote for her:
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OUR COMRADE Devin Cohee died tragically in Santa Cruz, Calif., on February 28. She was a loving friend, a driven activist and an unyielding revolutionary. Her passing is a mighty loss to the antiwar and socialist movements.
Devin was a true revolutionary in the way that she identified all oppressed and exploited peoples' struggles as her own.
She proudly expressed her sexuality in the face of gendered bigotry. She organized against the racist death penalty as if every inmate was a member of her family. Every march for immigrant rights left her with a strained voice after hours of yelling on the bullhorn. She never shied away from defending the right of the Palestinian people to resist.
Devin's biggest passion was ending U.S. imperialism. She protested the first Gulf War as a child with her father, and got involved in Students Against War (SAW) at the University of California-Santa Cruz as soon as she arrived at college. During her time in SAW, she helped organize a kiss-in against military recruiters, a march that kicked them out and several teach-ins.
There will be a wake for Devin in Santa Cruz on Friday, March 6, at the Zami Co-op (807 Laurel St.), starting at 4 p.m.
Messages of sympathy and solidarity may be sent to Devin's parents at 25 Via Athena, Aliso Viejo, CA 92656.
Early this year, she helped found the Santa Cruz chapter of the Campus Antiwar Network. Devin worked very hard to bring antiwar vets to speak on campus and build bridges with Arab and Muslim students to build the movement.
Devin was, above all, an unapologetic and committed socialist. Almost as soon as she joined the antiwar movement, Devin joined the Santa Cruz branch of the International Socialist Organization. In no time, she led with her keen intellect. She was open to talking politics with anyone, she made theory accessible to everyone, and she utilized her sass and smile to make activism fun.
Sometimes, Devin's political energy and enthusiasm was unexplainable. She would stay up all night at the annual Socialism conferences, arguing politics with comrades and strangers, then using a few spare moments, she'd touch up her makeup, grab a cup of coffee and head to the first sessions of the morning, as sharp as a tack.
Unfortunately, she didn't fulfill her personal goal of being named one of the top 10 security threats to the state of California by Gov. Schwarzenegger.
In the past few years, Devin had faced incredible hardship. In 2006, she was hospitalized after a car wreck that killed her friend, Audrey Castellanos, and injured both her and her friend Jacquie. From an early age, she was diagnosed with arthritis, which caused her severe pain that she tried to treat with many different medications, all of which caused awful side effects. Even when she was in pain, she still went on long marches, paper sales and picket lines.
Devin would sometimes--half-joking and half-serious--declare that capitalism was killing her. It may be reckless to say that universal health care and free college tuition would have saved Devin's life, but she would be the first to point out that such things are necessary and must be won. Then, she would wrap up by calling for workers' power.
Our struggles won't be the same without her. Devin has and will continue to inspire her friends, allies and comrades to carry on the fights to which she devoted her life.
Comrade, we will miss you, but we will never forget you. Devin Cohee: Presente!
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RIP Devin
-Chris G.
On July 30, 2009, Melissa Roxas speaks to the crowd that gathered at the Court of Appeals. She thanks friends, colleagues and comrades for their support throughout her ordeal.
And I'm loving the new album "The Ecstatic." One of the few new albums on constant rotation for me this summer.
Mos Def - "Casa Bey" - The Ecstatic - 6.9.09
-Chris G.
July 30, 2009 6 pm
St. Patrick’s Catholic Church
756 Mission St.
San Francisco, CA
On the night of Philippine President Gloria Arroyo’s meeting with President Obama, we’re gathering to remember human rights victims and to pray for meaningful change in the militarized situation in the Philippines . Clergy, musicians and concerned advocates from around the Bay area will meet to reflect, sing, light candles and sign a letter to Barack Obama asking him to hold the Philippine Government and its military accountable for the abduction and torture of hundreds of activists, including American citizen Melissa Roxas.
Since Arroyo came to power in 2001, hundreds of clergy, activists and human rights workers have been illegally harassed, abducted, tortured and murdered. Reliable sources such as the United Nations and Amnesty International put the total at 600 disappeared or killed in the last eight years, with additional hundreds of thousands indiscriminately displaced by military exercises and fear-mongering.
In May 2009, an American citizen, Melissa Roxas, was illegally abducted and tortured while on a medical relief mission in the Philippines . President Obama must demand justice for her and for all the other human rights victims in the Philippines . The US taxpayers do not want to support corrupt foreign governments! Demand justice for the Philippines and stop funding the Philippine military!
We ask you to join us for this time of sharing and prayer.
Contact Lindsey Kerr, USA-Philippines Ecumenical Advocacy Network Coordinator, at
lkerr@psr.edu or 412-576-5763
For more information see www.usapan.wordpress.com
The short 8-minute version of my film, "The Untold Story of The Lower Ninth Ward" (still debating whether or not this will be the title) will be premiering THIS FRIDAY, 7:30pm @ UC Santa Cruz's Media Theater! Please come support me and my fellow film students as we finally put all our hard work on the big (HUGE) screen.
June 12th, Friday 7:30pm UC Santa Cruz Media Theater
-Chris G.
Just received this update about the abduction and torture of Pilipino American activist Melissa Roxas thru email. With a new administration based on "CHANGE" there is no real reason why The U.S. government should overlook this.
"“Her abduction should give Congress and the Obama administration even more reason to stop pouring billions of dollars into a regime that abducts, tortures, and kills innocent people. If the Obama administration and Congress are serious about creating real change, they should cut off all aid to the Philippines during the budget appropriations process this summer.” (From the article below)
-Chris G.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 2, 2009
Reference: Rhonda Ramiro, Secretary General, BAYAN-USA, 415-377-2599, secgen@bayanusa.org
U.S.-Trained and Funded Philippine Military Implicated in Abduction and Torture of American Citizen
Alliance of Filipino American Organizations Vows to Hold U.S. and Philippine Governments Accountable and Demands End to U.S. Taxpayer Support for Philippine Military
The U.S. Chapter of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, or BAYAN-USA, denounced the abduction and torture of Melissa Roxas by suspected elements of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. An American citizen of Filipino descent, Roxas is a well-known Filipino American human rights advocate and was BAYAN-USA’s first Regional Coordinator in Los Angeles, CA and a founding member of the Los Angeles-based cultural organization Habi Arts. Roxas’ sworn affidavit about the torture she experienced from May 19-25, 2009 while in captivity was made public today when she filed a Petition for a Writ of Amparo and Habeus Data with the Philippine Supreme Court, seeking protection from further harm for herself and her family.
In the affidavit, Roxas describes being abducted by approximately 15 armed men, thrown in a van, handcuffed and blindfolded for six days, and dragged from jail cell to jail cell. She recounts being subjected to torture via asphyxiation using a doubled-up plastic bag, repeated beatings to the face and body, and having her head banged repeatedly against the wall by her interrogators. Roxas said that one interrogator stated those who tortured her were from the Special Operations Group (SOG), and she heard one of her interrogators addressed as “Sir.” She also heard gunfire from what she believed to be a firing range as well as the sounds of aircraft, pointing to the high probability that she was held in a military camp. She was denied legal counsel despite her persistent requests and forced to say that she was a member of the New People’s Army.
Roxas was dropped off near her relative’s house around 6:30 AM on May 25. Her captors left her with a SIM card and phone, which one of her interrogators used to contact her after she was released.
“We are distraught that Melissa was subjected to such cruel, inhuman, and blatantly illegal treatment as a result of the Philippine government’s counter-insurgency witch hunt,” stated BAYAN-USA Chair Berna Ellorin. “We must hold the perpetrators of this torture accountable, up to and including the U.S. government which is providing military aid and training to the Philippine military.”
Rather than conducting an investigation into the torture of Roxas and the abduction of her and her companions Juanito Carabeo and John Edward Jandoc, the Philippine Presidential Human Rights Commission (PHRC) issued a statement claiming that the incident was fabricated by BAYAN Philippines and human rights group Karapatan, and that the disappearance of the three involved immersion with the New People's Army (NPA). The statement from the PHRC was posted on the website of the Philippine Embassy in Washington DC on May 28, 2009. Evidence such as official police reports clearly show that the statement was filled with serious factual errors and erroneous speculations; the PHRC statement even falsely cited the non-governmental organizations Asian Federation Against Disappearances (AFAD) and Coalition Against Involuntary Disappearances (CAID). In an open letter to Philippine Ambassador to the U.S. Willy Gaa regarding the PHRC statement, AFAD wrote,
“Our Federation is shocked by the content of the said statement, citing us as one of the sources of the information related to the above-mentioned case. We categorically deny ownership of the information mentioned in the statement as a source of our alleged initial investigation…We find it appalling to be considered as a more credible human rights organization compared to Karapatan, since we believe that such a statement is divisive and therefore, uncalled for… While our Federation independently works on the issue of enforced disappearances and despite our differences with other organizations, we also coordinate with the CAID as well as with Karapatan, whose constituency bears the brunt of enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings during the present administration.”
Despite the public outcry for a retraction of the statement, the Philippine Embassy has yet to remove the statement from its website.
“We are incensed that the Philippine government continues to deny that Melissa’s abduction ever took place,” said Ellorin. “The Philippine government's attempted cover-up of the triple abduction is consistent with their constant denial of responsibility for the more than 1,000 extra-judicial killings and 201 enforced disappearances, despite condemnation and documentation from international human rights groups like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, as well as the United Nations,” said Ellorin. “The tactic of red-baiting and vilification of the victim by Philippine authorities, now also being employed against Melissa, is a common finding in the numerous reports written by international human rights monitoring agencies.”
Roxas’ exposé comes on the heels of the visit of U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates to the Philippines. During his meetings with Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro, Gates affirmed the Obama administration’s commitment to so-called “counter-terrorism efforts” in the Philippines as well as for the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA). The VFA is an agreement which BAYAN-USA views as the red carpet which paved the way for U.S. military advisers, troops and equipment to train and equip the Philippine military which has been implicated in 1,017 extra-judicial killings and 1,010 cases of torture.
“The torture of Melissa and the triple abduction of Melissa, Juanito and John Edward are directly linked to the VFA and U.S. military aid to the Philippines,” said Ellorin. “The U.S. government cannot claim ignorance or wash its hands of responsibility, when it is U.S. advisors who are training the Philippine military. The recent uncovering of ‘the torture papers’ shows that the U.S. has never stopped employing torture as an ‘enhanced interrogation technique.’”
“It is utterly apalling that Gates is pledging more support for the Philippine military, in light of Melissa’s sworn testimony,” continued Ellorin. “Her abduction should give Congress and the Obama administration even more reason to stop pouring billions of dollars into a regime that abducts, tortures, and kills innocent people. If the Obama administration and Congress are serious about creating real change, they should cut off all aid to the Philippines during the budget appropriations process this summer.”
BAYAN-USA is an alliance of progressive Filipino groups in the U.S. representing organizations of students, scholars, women, workers, and youth. As an international chapter of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN-Philippines), BAYAN-USA serves as an information bureau for the national democratic movement of the Philippines and as a campaign center for anti-imperialist Filipinos in the U.S. BAYAN-USA’s online petition against the VFA can be found at http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/JunkVFAnow/. The online petition to demand justice for Roxas, Carabeo, and Handoc can be found at http://www.gopetition.com/online/28021.html.
# # #
-- FOCUS MISSION As a broad grassroots community organization, Filipino Community Support of Silicon Valley (FOCUS-SV) defends the rights and interests of Filipinos in Santa Clara County against social and economic injustices. FOCUS VISION We, the concerned Filipinos residing and working in Silicon Valley with our families and friends, realize the need to protect, assist, and advocate for our mutual and collective interest against exploitation, oppression, violence, and injustice. We come together to build a broad comprehensive grassroots organization that defends the rights gained by previous struggles and upholds the welfare of Filipinos. With nationalist and democratic values, we envision greater social, cultural, and political resources for the Filipino community in Santa Clara County that would benefit everyone and promote greater equity and justice.
Our friend Melissa Roxas and her companions Juanito Carabeo and John Edward Handoc were abducted at gunpoint last week in the Philippines.
Melissa is a Filipina American from Cerritos who moved to the Philippines in 2007 to dedicate her life to working for human rights and serving the people as a community health worker.
After a barrage of press releases, Facebook and Twitter posts, Roxas and Carabeo were soon released from captivity, but Handoc is still missing.
It's important to recognize the power we have to affect the situation in the Philippines so thank you all for spreading the word.
We are holding a vigil for them and the more than 200 people who have involuntarily disappeared as a result of government repression since Gloria Macapagal Arroyo became president in 2001.
Please come and show your love and support tonight..
Vigil in front of the Philippine Consulate
Wednesday, May 27, 2009, 7:30 PM
3600 Wilshire Blvd. (a few blocks east of Western)
Los Angeles, CA 90010
This is an outrageous story out of Iowa... Lori Phanachone is a Laotian American high school senior at Storm Lake High School. She's a member of the National Honor Society, has a 3.9 grade point average, ranks seventh in the her class of 119 and has been offered a number of college scholarships.
But to school officials, she is considered illiterate and has been serving three days of in-school suspension. Why? Lori refuses to take the complete the English Language Development Assessment, a test she says is demeaning and racist: Student rejects 'demeaning' test, is suspended.
According to administrators, taking the test is mandatory because Lori indicated on her school registration that English was not the first language spoken in her home. Her parents are Laotian and still speak little English. These adminstrators obviously don't know a damn thing about growing up Asian in America.
So speaking Lao at home automatically puts Lori's English proficiency in question? If that's the policy, it's flawed to the core. Does the school district not realize that it's entirely possible that Lori somehow earned that 3.9 GPA while also being completely fluent in something other than English?
No doubt, she could rock that exam, but that's not the point. Lori was born in California and lived in New York before moving to Iowa with her family. She has apparently never been enrolled in any English Language Learning or ESL program. But she refuses to deny her family, culture and identity, and that's why she's taking a stand. She shouldn't have to take this damn test.
Now, she faces another three days of suspension for continuing her refusal to take the exam. She could be suspended again and then expelled for a fourth refusal. According to school administrators, her college scholarships -- $86,000 at Buena Vista University and more at Iowa State University -- could also be at risk.
This is utter bullshit. Ridiculous, racist, and an absolute insult to someone who is obviously bright, accomplished, and completely proficient in English. I give mad props to Lori Phanachone for standing up for what she believes in. I wish I had her kind of conviction when I was in high school. Fight this, girl.
By the way, the assistant principal, Beau Ruleaux, actually told Lori to give up her refusal to take the exam because she's "no Rosa Parks" and wouldn't succeed in her protest. The guy sounds like an ass. How about he takes the English Language Development Assessment and we see how well he does?
There's more on this issue here: Protest of language test gets student suspended. And here: Storm Lake, IA student refuses to take 'demeaning' test. I understand that there are a lot of forces working against her, and a lot at stake that could affect her future. I hope she hangs in there.
If you'd like to support Lori Phanachone's fight and speak out against this ridiculous, useless English exam, here's some contact information for administrators at Storm Lake. Let them know that you stand by Lori, and this is indeed an issue worth protesting:
Paul Tedesco - Storm Lake School District Superintendent
ptedesco@slcsd.org
Mike Hanna - Principal
mhanna@storm-lake.k12.ia.us
Beau Ruleaux - Assistant Principal
bruleaux@slcsd.org
The phone number over at Storm Lake High School is: (712) 732-8065.
http://www.angryasianman.com/2009/03/student-fights-idiotic-english-language.html
