From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Tidbits - August 21, 2007
* more on the John Conyers debate Am I the only one who thinks that this debate over the John Conyers sit-in has become thoroughly embarrassing for both sides? All of the articles against the protesters have claimed that they treated an ally as an enemy. They also frame the protest as a direct attack on the Representative's own character. I wasn't at the protest, but it seems obvious to me that (1) the protesters were at that particular office specifically *because* they consider him an ally, and (2) that they were there to beseech John Conyers rather than to attack him. Almost everyone on the liberal left has a lot of respect for John Conyers, and this is well-known. He also "wrote the book" on impeachment, and has made documented statements in the past indicating that, with a certain level of pressure or support, his current opinion on impeachment might be subject to change. He's also a respected leader in Congress whose opinion has the capacity to influence many others. I'd say that combination of factors makes him a very good person for impeachment activists to lobby. Whose office should they have been at, Rick Santorum's? If that's not convincing enough, you can reverse it to show that the argument itself is equally "counterproductive". Why are the authors of these articles attacking Cindy Sheehan, calling her a counterproductive racist? Don't they realize she's one of our greatest allies in the anti-war movement? As for the "vitriolic" statements that might have been shouted by some attendees at that protest, or the use of words too strong (such as "betrayal")... well, those are mistakes. But it's easy to get carried away when you're in an activist environment and standing up for something you're passionate about. So I think that can be understood and let go as well. I don't believe racism had anything to do with it. Robin Gold San Francisco, CA *** From: All the News That Doesn't Fit <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [NYTr] TIME on Hugo Chavez - Don't get your panties in a twist excerpted from VIO Venezuela Daily News Roundup - August 20, 2007 [Constitutional reforms proposed last week by President Chavez are not a detriment to democracy in Venezuela, according to a Time Magazine article. The possibility of continual reelection has caused alarm among those opposed to the reforms; however, the article points out that Brazil and Colombia have made similar reforms without incident. An egalitarian vision for "21st Century Socialism" would not mirror communism, either; Chavez biographer Bart Jones is quoted as saying, "Chavez does want to create a more equitable society, even a socialist society, but I think he can only create a mixed economy. He inherited a very capitalist-minded country that has always aped U.S. culture." -VIO] Time Magazine - August 17, 2007 http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1653937,00.html Chavez's Push for Permanence By Tim Padgett As Hugo Chavez was being re-elected to a second six-year term as Venezuela's President last December, I had a long talk with National Assembly Deputy and constitutional lawyer Carlos Escarra inside the legislature's colonial-era chamber in downtown Caracas. Escarra, a close Chavez ally, is a driving force behind the campaign to eliminate presidential term limits in Venezuela ? a reform that Chavez's critics fear would let him rule for life and create a left-wing dictatorship. You've got to admit, I said, given Latin America's brutally autocratic history, that whenever an oil-rich, radical populist like Chavez makes it easier for himself to rule indefinitely, it raises more flags than a Caribbean regatta. "But we're not Cuba," Escarra insisted. "How many times do we have to prove that? President Chavez has now won three elections [including his original 1998 victory] and a recall referendum, and all were declared transparent by international observers. So he could still lose the next election [in 2012] because it's still up to a majority of the voters." Escarra was telling me then what Chavez himself told his critics this week from his lectern at the National Assembly, as he formally proposed the term-limit reform and a host of other constitutional changes: "I recommend," said Chavez, "that they take a Valium." In other words, Chill out. If French Presidents can seek re-election indefinitely, say the chavistas, why can't Venezuela's? If Americans could re-elect Franklin Roosevelt four times, they ask, why can't we re-elect Chavez as many times? On the one hand, they've got a point. If Chavez had a reputation for winning the presidential palace by trashing the ballot box ? like, say, most Mexican Presidents of the 20th century ? then the news this week would be genuinely alarming and the Bush Administration's attempts to pair Hugo with his buddy Fidel Castro might be more credible. But respected groups like the Carter Center in Atlanta have deemed his victories fair, the result of a remarkably incompetent Venezuelan opposition rather than rigged voting. And rather than ramrod the constitutional amendments by fiat, he'll put them to a national referendum. Just as there was a good chance that Chavez could have been ousted by the recall referendum in 2004, there is at least the possibility ? one that would never exist in Castro's Cuba ? that voters could reject his term-limit proposal as well. "At the end of the day," says Bart Jones, author of a new Chavez biography, Hugo!, "it's still a democratic process." Nor does the argument completely hold that unlimited re-election for Hugo would somehow create a destabilizing trend in Latin America. A chronic succession of caudillos, dictators and other strongmen in the region's history did lead it to embrace the one-term presidential limit for much of the latter 20th century. But in the past decade, four major South American countries, including the biggest, Brazil, have changed their constitutions to allow re-election; and one of them, Colombia, may even permit a third term. Still, unlimited re-election is another matter. More of a concern, says Jones, is the reason that Chavez's measure will probably pass. Jones notes that one of the fundamental weaknesses of Chavez's leftist, anti-U.S. Bolivarian Revolution is "its inordinate dependence on Chavez, its one-man show aspect. If he were to leave the scene, there's a feeling the whole revolution would unravel tomorrow." That's why Chavez supporters, especially the majority poor who feel politically and economically enfranchised for perhaps the first time in the nation's history, may be more prone to give him the presidential multi-ride ticket ? and just as willing to tolerate what many Venezuela observers call an erosion of governmental checks and balances. Already, every member of the National Assembly is a Chavez ally ? which is largely thanks, however, to the opposition's boneheaded boycott of the last parliamentary elections ? as is just about every Supreme Court justice. As a result, keeping Chavez in power until 2021 (his stated goal, the 200th anniversary of Venezuelan independence) if not longer could eventually make him, by default, a kind of "democratator," a democratically elected dictator. At the very least, says Jones, "it's bound to set off some alarms about the constructs of democratic government." Those bells are louder after Chavez recently revoked the license of an opposition television network, RCTV. The problem wasn't that RCTV was pulled off the air ? it loudly encouraged a coup attempt against Chavez in 2002, something the FCC probably wouldn't condone in the U.S. ? but that Chavez failed to put the license up for bidding by independent broadcasters. Instead, he used it to create another pro-government network. In an interview with TIME last fall, after he called President Bush "the devil" at the United Nations, Chavez almost gushed about free expression in Venezuela: "My God," he said, "'Devil' is the least of things the opposition is allowed to call me on the air." And he was right. But filling RCTV's air with a chavista mouthpiece wasn't the best way to make the international community feel good about his bid for unlimited re-election. Critics say other constitutional reform proposals ? like one that appears to let Caracas suck governing authority from the very states and municipalities Chavez once pledged to empower ? are part and parcel of the harder left turn he's taken after his re-election, which has seen the nationalization of utility companies and oil ventures. But backers point to his proposals to reduce laborers' working hours and create new grassroots governing councils as proof of his more egalitarian "21st-century socialism." Either way, Chavez can't yet be fingered as the new Fidel Castro. "For one thing," says Jones, "the Venezuelan people would never accept it. Chavez does want to create a more equitable society, even a socialist society, but I think he can only create a mixed economy. He inherited a very capitalist-minded country that has always aped U.S. culture." But nor can Chavez be stroked for leading, as he claimed this week, "a democracy more alive" than any "on this planet." As Escarra stressed, the democrats of the world shouldn't freak out over Chavez. But, Hugo being Hugo, they're not likely to chill out, either. *** Celebrate the Art of Resistance pARTy AuCTION Saturday, October 13, 2007 6:30pm Union Station, 800 North Alameda Downtown L.A. The Center for the Study of Political Graphics (CSPG) invites you to celebrate 18 years of using art to inspire social change at the historic Union Station in Downtown Los Angeles. There will be a fantastic dinner, entertainment, great company, a dynamic poster presentation, and a unique auction of vintage posters and original artworks. Please join us as we honor these outstanding individuals: - Barbara Hadsell, civil rights attorney, and Douglas Hadsell, history professor, will receive the Culture of Liberation Award. - Barbara Kruger, feminist artist, will receive the Art of Resistance Award. - Rudy Acuña, activist historian, will receive Historian of the Lions Award. CSPG is an educational and research archive that collects, preserves, documents, and circulates domestic and international political posters relating to historical and contemporary movements for social change. With more than 60,000 domestic and international graphics, CSPG has the largest collection of post-World War II political graphics in the country. Through traveling and online exhibitions, presentations, and publications, CSPG is reclaiming the power of art to inspire people to action. Visit our website www.politicalgraphics.org to find digital exhibitions, descriptions of traveling exhibitions, online shopping, and more. If you need more information, contact Mary Sutton or Katy Robinson at 323.653.4662. We look forward to seeing you on October 13! Order your Sponsorship Package or Tickets and Ads ONLINE! Volunteers Needed! Upcoming Annual pARTy AuCTION - October 13, 2007 WE NEED YOUR HELP! We need volunteers in the weeks before and on the day of the event. Before the event we need help running errands, acquiring, organizing and mounting auction items, coordinating volunteers, and calling CSPG supporters to support the event. On the day of the event, we need people to set-up tables and decor, set-up the silent auction, deliver items to Union Station, clean-up, and work various stations at the event: the bar, guest tables, welcoming, auction, registration, and sales. If you have a specific talent that might be helpful, let us know. Our events are a lot of fun, even for the volunteers! If you would like to help, please respond to this email or call Katy, Megan or Mary at 323-653-4662. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- LAAMN: Los Angeles Alternative Media Network --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unsubscribe: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Digest: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Help: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Post: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Archive1: <http://www.egroups.com/messages/laamn> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Archive2: <http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yahoo! 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