The Bay Area is commemorating the 90th anniversary of women's suffrage this week with speakers, films, costumes, and concerns. Members of the national organization Radical Women put out a call on the occasion of Women's Equality Day this year saying, "It's time to reclaim and re-energize a fighting, militant feminist movement!" In San Mateo, US Congresswomen Jackie Speier and Anna Eshoo warned that women's reproductive rights continue to be threatened. They held a reception attended by guests in voting-theme costumes in the San Mateo County History Museum.

Pictured: Rep. Jackie Speier in 1920's costume

On the 18th of August, Communities for Education Organizing held a forum for mayoral and city council candidates. Mayor Fenty did NOT show up, and neither did Vincent Gray.

Related: Ann Wilcox demands alternatives to JROTC at same candidates forum

August 13, 2010 — A long-time West Virginia politician and progressive activist is running in the Democratic primary Aug. 28th against incumbent Gov. Joe Manchin to be the party’s candidate in the Nov. 2 special election to replace the late U.S. Senator Robert C. Byrd. The former legislator has been a long-time foe of surface coal mining, introducing legislation to abolish it in the early 1960s. He was also principal sponsor of the 1969 Coal Mine Health and Safety Act. Read More from Between the Lines | Audio (Real Audio)

Photo from ilovemountains.org

How important is the Latino Community to local elections for Mayor and city council? Listen to our audio show with Mario Cristaldo, Political Analyst Daniel Del Pielago, Empower DC Roxana Oliva, with the Latino democratic caucus

Last night Green Gubernatorial candidate Howie Hawkins, insurgent Democratic State Senate candidate Mike Kuzma, and former Presidential Candidate and Consumer activist Ralph Nader stood side by side at Dnipro Ukrainian Center on Buffalo's east side. Their message for Buffalo was: be defiant, reclaim your vote, and there is no choice in a two-party monopoly between two neoliberal capitalist parties. One key difference between them and the Democrats and Republicans is the issue of the "Stock Transfer Tax".

The state of New York, that is in over $90 billion in deficit is expected to cut thousands of public sector jobs and slash everything on the budget, many things that New Yorkers depend on to get by every single day; yet the Stock Transfer Tax that would add and estimated $16 billion dollars that Wall Street is given tax-free through a 100% rebate cumulatively every year, goes unmentioned.

The local Green Party chairman, Eric Jones, introduced the speakers and pushed the petitioning effort for the NYS Green Party's Gubernatorial run. Succeeding Eric was Mike Kuzma , who was described by Eric as the "Ralph Nader of Buffalo". Mike is a local lawyer and activist who is often known for challenging city hall for their corporate puppetry. As more NYS national guard soldiers are sent to Iraq and Afghanistan to protect our colonial holdings Mr. Kuzma, unlike State Sen. Stachowski demands that the NYS national guard is brought home immediately. Senator Stachowski, the incumbent has not raised the issue.

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It was supposed to be a demonstration that the Tea Party was not an all-white affair. It was mildly successful in that regard.

Minneapolis is one of four cities in the running for the 2012 Democratic National Convention, just one cycle after the metro-wide suspension of civil liberties that accompanied the Republicans' national party in 2008.  This time around, local organizers are mobilizing in an effort to sabotage the bid before a decision is even made.

Last Sunday, 20-25 people rallied outside the Minnesota Twins game downtown before heading to the Metrodome, the city's preferred DNC site.  On Thursday, organizers from the 2008 Coalition to March on the RNC and Stop the War staged a press conference at the dome to announce that they'll host a major anti-war protest if the DNC chooses Minneapolis. Speaking to the selection committee, Meredith Aby of the Anti-War Committee warned, "We're ready. If you choose us, we're good to go." | noDNC.org | MPR: Officials visit MPLS, met by protest

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Saying that Meg Whitman's election would threaten their meal and rest breaks and put patient care in jeopardy, nurses protested in front of the Republican candidate's home on July 15th. Nurses decided to take to the streets in large numbers after Whitman mailed letters and fliers to nurses' homes telling them not to believe statements made by the California Nurses Association. The day of action started with over 1,100 people chanting in protest in front of Whitman's Atherton home and ended with a rally and speakers' event at Cañada College.

NYC Councilman Chares Barron is running for Governor, Buffalo's highly awarded educator/historian Eva Doyle for Lt. Governor and the Harvard educated attorney and former Administrative Judge, Ramon Jimenez is the candidate for Attorney General - November 2, 2010 elections.

I was recently talking to a neighbor of mine about the role of race in politics, and about, more generally, the status of race relations in the United States. He told me a short anecdote about his job at a city school. He said he met the school’s newest principal who asked him (he cooks there) whether he “Only cooked Black, or [if he could] cook American, too.” Stories like these aren’t difficult to find. In the mind of many white Americans, such a question seems legitimate and inquisitive, rather than horribly offensive, and implicitly derogatory towards Black Americans. While debates in the public sphere about who constitutes valuable citizens plays themselves out like a, political awareness and activism are on. Debates in the public sphere have given rise to the worse sort of reactionary politics. The most recently awakened activists have tended to expend their energies quibbling over what constitutes viable citizenship, rather than focusing on issues that are actually affecting our communities. The Tea Party is not least among the notable movements to spring up in the wake of the election of Barrack Obama to a post held only by wealthy, white males for the previous 220 years of this country’s existence. Tea Party members are mostly white, mostly wealthy, and overwhelmingly conservative.

Video: Raw Footage from Tea Party Rally on May 15 in Rochester, NY

From the Indymedia Network: Protesters greet Sarah Palin at book signing | December 16, 2007: Portland Tea Party! | Independence Hall Tea Party PAC Rally fell short | April 15: Crash The Tea Parties! | Chicago Tea Party Draws Rightwingers and Grassroots Counterprotest | Tea Party Leader to Racist Doctor: "We've Got Your Back, My Friend" | Single Payer Health Plan Advocates Face Angry "Tea Party" Protesters

Additional Information: Poll Finds Tea Party Backers Wealthier and More Educated | How Your Tax Dollars Are Spent | H.R. 1388 Passed “Behind Our Backs?” | Busting a Myth: Does Facebook Water Vapor Comment Disprove Global Warming?

Reflections on the 2010 Campaign. The 2010 campaign has drawn to a close, and it’s time to distill my experiences after registering hundreds of miles by land, sea, and air crisscrossing the country as a party-list candidate.

On March 23rd some San Francisco Board of Supervisors, community groups, and local residents held a press conference on the steps of City Hall to denounce the "lies and manipulations" in Pacific Gas and Electric' mailers and television commercials over Proposition 16. Supervisors also took this time to re-iterate their commitment to Clean Power SF, which is a plan adopted in 2007 that will set San Francisco on the path to using clean renewable energy from cheaper sources.

Former Jackson County Commissioner Jeff Golden will enter the race for the seat now held by longtime Republican commissioner Jack Walker. On Wednesday, March 3rd, Golden's announced his candidacy for Jackson County Commissioner at the Jackson County Democratic Headquarters in Medford, Oregon.

Just yesterday, I heard about Governor Paterson coming to Rochester to announce his bid for reelection. A few concerned friends who are working to raise awareness of the dangers of hydrofracking in the Marcellus shale brought it up, and two of us were able to get over the union hall in time to get seats. We brought signs that simply had the word "FRACK" in a circle with a line through it, and we put them under our seats, waiting patiently for the public event to begin. Within minutes, an organizer asked us to bring our signs and speak with her, saying "you're not in trouble." She explained that this was a "happy event" and they wanted to make sure it stayed "peaceful," then offered us a couple of minutes with the governor after the speeches if we allowed her to take our signs away during the event. Surprised by the direct request, I wanted to take a few minutes to talk it over, but she said no, we had to relent right then, and she did not present us with other options. Another aide came over, saying "this isn't the time or place for you to bring up your issues." I disagreed, pointing out that clean water is a critical issue for as long as we exist, and this is an important time to take a stand for it. But we gave up the signs.

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Additional Information: Shaleshock | Haudenosaunee Environmental Task Force | Letter from an EPA whistleblower concerned about fracking contaminating underground aquifers | Congress Launches Investigation Into Gas Drilling Practices

January 19, 2010- Oregonians marched on US Bank in Ashland to protest the bank's disrespect for its unemployed customers. For the bank its nothing but greedy profit that drives its huge contributions to the NO on Measures 66 & 67 campaign. At the same time they spend big bucks to defeat these measures the US Bank gets money and unemployed customers because it has a contract with the State of Oregon to automatically receive unemployment compensation bucks from people who have been laid off from work. The bank actually stands to gain as unemployed ranks swell.

Southern Oregon Jobs with Justice organized this action. Protesters included 42 WRAP travelers mainly from Portland on their way to San Francisco for a west coast convergence calling attention to the national travesty of homelessness. Most of the travelers are without homes or jobs so the protest at the bank has direct implications for them. The WRAP travelers were joined by Southern Oregonians and the crowd of over 60 presented over 1000 names on a petition calling on US Bank to stop abusing its unemployed customers. Passing measures 66 and 67 will help the most effected in this recession.

The demonstration took place during a wind and rain storm. Protesters chanted loudly: "We got sold out. Banks got bailed out." A bank manager refused to accept the petitions so they were taped to the teller window.

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