Dear Representative Story,
Don’t you understand that gambling brought down the world economy back in 2008? Gambling is a form of inebriation. The police tell us in ads on TV and on billboards not to let our friends drive drunk. Why the heck should we then let the whole society drive drunk by basing our resources to fund government on gambling?
Continue reading Casinos and Lotteries Are a Fraudulent Way to Run a SocietyDear Representative Story,
Don’t you understand that gambling brought down the world economy back in 2008? Gambling is a form of inebriation. The police tell us in ads on TV and on billboards not to let our friends drive drunk. Why the heck should we then let the whole society drive drunk by basing our resources to fund government on gambling?
Continue reading Casinos and Lotteries Are a Fraudulent Way to Run a SocietyApparently inspired by certain Democrats voting against the health insurance reform, the Service Employees International Union – a union representing over 2 million workers – is surprisingly planning to work against Democrats this election season.
Perhaps the strongest challenge to Democrats, if not the Democratic establishment itself, will be in North Carolina. The national SEIU is working with the State Employees Association of North Carolina, its state affiliate, to form the North Carolina First Party.
Continue reading SEIU challenging Democrats who voted against health bill, forming third party in North CarolinaHey Green Mass Group,
I’ve heard a fair amount of talk about how Deval Patrick has been a big disappointment, and how he foreshadowed Obama by promising big change, then delivering more of the same.
My question is: what beef do progressive Bay Staters have with Deval Patrick? I’m writing about Jill Stein’s challenge to politics as usual, and some specifics about the incumbent’s failings would be useful.
Sadly, it’s not easy to do this kind of research on one’s own, since most media outlets like to sum up the progressive viewpoint with one-liners like “The far left has complained that the serious centrist governor is not far enough to the left.”
So what can you give me?
Continue reading So, how about that Deval Patrick fella?Got the following email and thought I’d pass it on in case somebody here might be interested:
Continue reading Green Building CourseDo you want to know more about green building? Do you know a student who might want to earn college credit to learn about green building?
My name is Ryan Harb. For those of you who don’t know me, I’m a finishing graduate student from UMass and in May I will become the first person in the country to receive a MS in Green Building. I have a strong interest in ecological design and for 4 years I have been transforming my single-family home in Amherst, a college rental property, into a model sustainable residence. One project I’m working on now is a front yard transformation – creating a 5000 s.f. highly productive, food producing, permaculture garden at my home. Designing sustainable (food and other) systems is one of many aspects of green building.
This summer I will be co-teaching a 3-week Sustainable Design and Construction course at Sirius Community in Shutesbury, MA – a model educational and sustainable ecovillage in scenic western Massachusetts. This is one of the few opportunities in the country to receive college credit while learning experientially about sustainable design and construction. All students will receive natural building certification upon completion of this course.
I want to respond to a few comments made by folks in the labor movement who do not agree with the position on casinos that has been disseminated in a recent petition that I have helped bring to people’s attention. I will say at the outset that I am not the sole author of the petition and that the wording and choices were a collaborate effort.
Continue reading Casinos are not the Answer for the Labor MovementAs we enter political fund-raising season, Speaker DeLeo and Governor Patrick are pushing hard to bring government sponsored predatory gambling into Massachusetts. If they succeed, it will be a BIG WIN for casino lobbyists and a BIG LOSS for the people of our Commonwealth.
Disturbingly, Speaker DeLeo has declared there will be no public hearings on his bill – shielding this latest boondoggle from desperately needed public scrutiny and debate.
They claim casinos will create jobs. But the facts show that casinos are jobs killers and community-busters. We need a secure green economy, not more of the failed predatory casino economy of the past.
The incumbent State Representative whom I am challenging in the 4th Berkshire District, William “Smitty” Pignatelli (D) – joined five other members of the Economic Development Committee in not casting a vote either FOR or AGAINST the casino bill today, according to the State House News Service. The 12-2-5-1 vote advances the bill with a “favorable recommendation” from the committee.
I am against casinos. So is the Berkshire Eagle, according to an editorial today:
http://www.berkshireeagle.com/…
I would have voted against the bill. I look forward to hearing my opponent’s reason for being mum on this issue when votes were cast today.
Continue reading Casinos – Inaction by an Incumbent
Hey everyone,
I had an idea the other day, and I’m going to put it together. Basically, I’m creating a map of people all over the nation who are willing to donate something – their home, some food, some time, etc – to resistance to war, big business’ greed, and other injustices. Google Maps makes this surprisingly easy, and although I’m not entirely sure how to do it, I’m sure I’ll figure it out as I go.
All I need now is names. If you’re interested in being listed so that people can contact you if they need some help in your area, please email me at rossmlevin at gmail dot com. Or just put the info in the comments, if you want. What I need is:
Your name
What you’re willing to provide
Your contact info (email and phone are preferred, but whatever you want to put is OK)
Your zip code
I don’t want to get too specific, because we all know how snoopy the CIA is 😉
Seriously, though, if this comes together I think it could be a useful tool for activists all over the place. Say you’re traveling to Philadelphia to help out the striking nurses at Temple University and you need a place to stay for a few days – you could check the map and see that, hey, rossl lives near Philadelphia. Then you could call me up and see if it’s all right if you crash at my place for a few days while you’re helping these nurses.
In short, if this works out, it could potentially make organizing these things easier. In a best case scenario, that would mean more action is taken.
Continue reading Help me create democratic infrastructure with google maps