Protesters Being Extracted from Redbud Woods/ Cornell University

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Wednesday July 20, 2005 · 2:27 AM PDT

2005/07/20 · 02:27

At 2:00 a.m., police began the extraction of a hunger striker who had chained himself into the ground at the gate in the security fence surrounding Cornell University's Redbud Woods. The woods are to be turned into a 176 acre parking lot. The hunger striker was using a lock box created by a group of Cornell University students who has occupied the woods, and who finally left peacefully on July 18 after negotiating a settlement for their amnesty, and a series of agreements with the university administration to provide bus passes for new students and increase the accountabililty on issues of sustainability in the university. The agreement is regarded by most people in this protest as a significant accomplishment and the students are to be commended.

Protesting faculty did not sign the agreement, though many expressed their support for the students, while reserving their rights of protest. Read More

Security Fence Goes upat Cornell University's Redbud Woods

Percheronwoman

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Saturday July 16, 2005 · 4:22 AM PDT

2005/07/16 · 04:22

As a heavy security fence was being constructed to the sounds of drills, jackhammers and chainsaws to clear the fence line, people stood in line to get citations for violating the "NO TRESSPASS" order at Cornell University's Redbud Woods. The woods, consisting of 90 year old walnut trees and a growth of Redbud trees, comprises 9 acres of the former Treman Estate, one of the founders of Ithaca, NY. Among those receiving citations were over forty faculty, including the eminent entymologist Thomas Eisner, the former mayor of Ithaca, Ben Nichols, a large number of people from the town, and students. Interim President Hunter Rawlings is moving ahead with the plan to build a parking lot for first year students. (Cornell's former president Jeffry Lehman resigned suddenly, June 30, and so Rawlings stepped in.) Read More

Cornell NOT Ruling Out Pain Compliance Against Non-Violent Protesters

Percheronwoman

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Wednesday July 13, 2005 · 8:21 PM PDT

2005/07/13 · 20:21

For those not familair with my Redbud Woods story, please see my earlier diary at:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/7/13/2046/77631

Today I had a conversation with Susan Murphy, a Cornell University Vice President about the students' safety. Students are on tree platforms and in lock boxes with their arms inside pipes cemented into the ground. I asked her for an assurance that " pain compliance or violence" (and I explicitly used those four words) would not be used against these non-violent students. She said she could not give that guarantee if they resisted arrest. I then asked her, in quick succession, this same question again four times, and all four times, her answer was the same. In the end I said, "Then I can take it that you would condone the use of pain compliance and violence against students." Her answer was, "If they resist arrest, yes." Read More

Cornell University Police Moving in on Activists Defending Historic Forest

Percheronwoman

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Wednesday July 13, 2005 · 5:04 PM PDT

2005/07/13 · 17:04

Cornell University, after years of resistance from faculty, students, the City and Town of Ithaca and Historic Ithaca has announced today that it will pave the historic green space known as Redbud Woods. This decision came as a large contingent of senior faculty, including some of the best minds in ecology, historic preservation, urban planning and horticulture, as well as faculty from across the unviersity, pleaded with the president for a moratorium to get a better process and hopefully a better outcome. Student protesters occupied the forest in the spring, and forestalled the building of the lot until today. The polcie have moved in. Why does this matter? Read More

Rebecca and Bernie March On: Universal Health Care

Percheronwoman

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Monday June 27, 2005 · 2:51 PM PDT

2005/06/27 · 14:51

I have been posting news of a march across New York by two retired people who are tireless and unretiring activists: Rebecca and Bernie (also avid swing dancers). Read their schdeule below and TAKE THE POLL to perk them up.

They are walking to highlight the need for universal health care. In the sweltering New York heat, they are marching on. Here is a quick report from Rebecca: Read More

Introducing Rebecca and Bernie: Walking Across New York State for Universal Health Care

Percheronwoman

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Friday June 24, 2005 · 2:53 PM PDT

2005/06/24 · 14:53

This is the first diary of what will be the saga of two wonderful, loving. committed activists who have been walking New York state since June 10 to raise awareness about the need for universal health care. More beyond the flip. Read More

Grasstops Activists Ramp Up to Keep DeLay

Percheronwoman

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Wednesday April 20, 2005 · 12:58 AM PDT

2005/04/20 · 00:58

Yesterday I had a diary about how the right wing Christian internet group organized by Chris Carmouche called GrasstopsUsa is appealing to all its recipients to use their BLAST FAXES to try and pressure all Republican Senators to defend Tom Delay. There I outlined how Chris is using the tactic of geting his flock to believe they are personally being attacked when Tom Delay is attacked. That diary, complete with the e-mail text, is here:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/4/19/74631/8131

Now, apparently, they are coming all unglued and urging their recipient list to send the faxes to every Republican in Congress. Read More

Defending DeLay: Or Political Lying 101

Percheronwoman

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Tuesday April 19, 2005 · 4:46 AM PDT

2005/04/19 · 04:46

I am always stunned and amazed at how easy it is to lie to some people, and how happy some people are to do that lying. When I was about nine years old, there was a very accomplished liar living in my neighborhood (he was about eight) and he told us all one day, with pride, that he followed a simple strategy: Act righteous, accuse everyone around you of doing exactly what you intend to do and be all indignant about it, and act hurt and misunerstood if you get caught. It worked for JC for a time (though he ended up in prison by the time he was 21 for a series of money escapades).

I am always amused by the way that JC's tactics seem to be getting used by the right, until my amusement wears off and I realize we aren't talking about who painted "kick me" on the neighbor's dog or jumped on the neighbor's flower bed, but about who is making off with the constituion. So I share with you the latest BLAST FAX coming out of the Christian Coalition's Grasstops group, run by Chris Carmouche. Read More

Framing Taxes for Education: My letter to the PTA in Ithaca, NY

Percheronwoman

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Friday April 01, 2005 · 8:58 AM PST

2005/04/01 · 08:58

One of the overt agendas of the current administration's plan or our country is to weaken public education. There are even people who would propose that we abolish the Department of Education. (See http://www.theocracywatch.org/schools2.htm )

Because public education is one of the first warriors of a civil society to fall in the war being waged against taxes by our tax cutting/burden shifting president and his crew, we need to look carefully at what happens to school budgets this spring. All over the country, we are facing higher local taxes as tax burdens from the tax cuts are being shifted onto property taxes. And when property taxes go up, people look for easy targets, and when your kids are no longer in school, school taxes seem like soft targets. And they are. In some palces, they are the only budgets tax payers get to directly vote on. People get mad as hell, think "taxes are bad" and vote donw the budgets without ever looking at 1) how they got that high, 2) what they cut in and cut out and 3) what happens to the schools in the long run if you cut those taxes.
Read More

Introducing Chris@grasstopsusa.org: The Religious Right's on-line "laptop activist"

Percheronwoman

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Thursday March 31, 2005 · 11:35 PM PST

2005/03/31 · 23:35

A good while ago, long before it was fashionable to know such things, I figured it out: The religious right is mighty well organized and they are coming to make us a god-fearing nation. So, I did what any intelligent person about to be assaulted and rendered senselesss by ignorance and bigotry would do: I started spying on the,. I went to Christian Coalition meetings. I signed up for newsletters. I started learning the names of people on the back pages of their church bulletins and mass mailings. Then these hell spawned people discovered the internet (a few years ahead of the progressives, from waht I can tell).

I now have an in-box that would make the pages of Free Republic look mild. Let me introduce you to one of the people in my in-box: Chris Carmouch, better known as Chris@grasstopsusa.org (You may have heard of him:
http://www.pnionline.com/dnblog/extra/archives/001269.html Read More

Putting Some Positive into the Blogosphere

Percheronwoman

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Tuesday March 29, 2005 · 9:44 AM PST

2005/03/29 · 09:44

(Sung to the tune of "No Good Deed Goes Unpunished")

There is something in here for you to actually do and feel good about yourself afterwards, so keep reading.

Reading the complaints about KOS having the audacity to (shudder, perish the thought) not go BROKE while he keeps this website running by putting up ads, and then thinking through my own political activism, and the kind of flack I sometimes get from both enemies who send me hate mail and death threats and friends who feel obliged at every turn to tell me in minute detail every flaw in my political theory that post-dates Das Capital, I had a simple thought: We all need a little lovin.' You know, the John Kerry-I'd-give-you-all-a-hug kind of lovin. Does this merit a diary? Read More

Blogging for Our Politicians: A Cry to Kossacks for Help

Percheronwoman

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Monday March 28, 2005 · 8:16 AM PST

2005/03/28 · 08:16

This morning I met with elected officials concerned about the media, how it fails to get their issues out, distorts the news, demonizes them, or simply fails to get the story at all. All of these people are solid progressives. NONE of them know how to use blogs for their news, let alone maximize the internet to get their message out. They asked me to meet with them to help them get around the rightwing mainstream media in our region. I have agreed to help, following up on the workshop I did recently, diaried here:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/3/26/18272/7700

Now, I am asking for your help, and hope you will help me in your comments. Read More

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