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Daily Archives: March 6, 2018

War, what is it good for?

War, what is it good for? Absolutely nothing. Edwin Star sang those lyrics in 1970 on his album War & Peace. The song “War” was No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for 15 weeks. In 1970, the U.S. was deeply involved in the Vietnam war. I was 19, prime age for feeding the war machine. The lyrics have influenced my life ever since. Massive spending on our military hasn’t resulted in peace. Instead, we have more war and terrorism. Funding peace-building and peace-keeping should be a top priority of every member of Congress.

‘Farrakhan’

He was born in 1933. He, of course, is Minister Louis Farrakhan but, like Oprah or Prince, one name is enough to garner recognition. Say “Farrakhan” – and everyone knows of whom you speak. This has especially been so since Oct. 16, 1995, the day his call for the assemblage of a million Black men was met by at least a million Black men. What other Black leader could have done this?

A loving farewell to Anita Labossiere, champion of environmental justice

Anita Corine Sanderson-Labossiere, beloved mother, caring grandmother, dedicated daughter, loving sister and friend, departed on Thursday, Feb. 22, at the age of 62. She was active as a rank-and-file union member of IFPTE Local 21, as well as in a number of other organizations. Among those, Anita was very passionate about one in particular, the Shafter Avenue Community Club, a community organization dedicated to environmental justice in the Bayview Hunters Point District in San Francisco.

Rally, press conference and court solidarity to end sleep deprivation

On Feb 8, 2018, Northern District Judge Vince Chhabria held a hearing on a motion by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) to dismiss civil rights lawsuits brought by two prisoners, Christopher Lipsey and Maher Suarez, who are suing CDCR for violation of their Eighth Amendment rights against cruel and unusual punishment. Specifically, they have brought their lawsuits to put an end to the sleep deprivation of prisoners caused by “security/welfare checks.”