Founding Co-chair of the Nebraska Green Party, Dr. Charles Richardson, died on Monday, March 7, 2016, in Hastings. Thank you, Charles, for your early Green Party support, your tireless District 3 work gathering hundreds of signatures in each petition campaign, convening meetings, and providing NGP visibility where we needed it most. Members of the Nebraska Green Party extend sympathy to your family and friends.
Tag Archives: Decentralization
People’s Film Festival March 15 in Omaha
The next People’s Film Festival showing is next Tuesday, March 15 , at 7 p.m. at First Unitarian Church, 3114 Harney Street, Omaha. The film is “Pay 2 Play,” which documents filmmaker John Ennis’ quest to find a way out of the system where politicians reward their donors with ever larger sums from the public treasury. The topic could not be more timely!
Super Tuesday: The empire strikes back, but the rebellion lives
From Jill Stein and Jill2016.com:
Super Tuesday was a big win for oligarchy, as the Democratic Party establishment delivered over 60% of available delegates for Hillary Clinton and billionaire demagogue Donald Trump stomped to victory in 8 states.
But despite the dominance of Clinton and Trump, the millions of votes for Bernie Sanders show that Americans are hungry for sweeping changes to a broken system that’s throwing workers, students, the middle class and the poor under the bus.
I agree with Bernie and his supporters that we must take our democracy back from the billionaires, win economic justice for the 99%, confront the existential threat of climate meltdown, adopt an improved Medicare For All healthcare system, provide a welcoming path to citizenship, and end racist violence in our criminal justice system.
On many issues, we must go further – for example, by canceling all student loan debt, urgently transitioning to 100% clean renewable energy by 2030, nationalizing the Federal Reserve, and reforming the electoral system with measures like proportional representation. And we must roll back the military-industrial-surveillance complex that is undermining our liberty and security while bankrupting us financially and morally.
Read more at Jill2016.com.
Two upcoming events with Open Harvest Co-op Grocery in Lincoln
KZUM Donation Day
- Wednesday, January 27, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.
- At Open Harvest Co-op Grocery, 1618 South Street, Lincoln.
Did you know KZUM started in Open Harvest’s basement many years ago? On Wednesday, January 27th, we are sending some noise their way by organizing our first ever KZUM Donation Day. It’s really simple: at the end of the day, 5% of the store’s net sales will be donated directly to KZUM. You don’t have to do anything, except stop by Open Harvest and pick up the food that you love. Come shop with us on this special day, and support two long-standing community organizations at the same time. It’s a win-win. Please help spread the word.
Seed Swap
- Saturday, January 30, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
- At 2 Pillars Church, 1430 South Street, Lincoln.
The Open Harvest Co-op Grocery and Community Crops Annual Seed Swap falls on National Seed Swap Day, January 30th. We will be hosting a space for the Lincoln gardening community to bring their seeds saved from last year and swap them. This is a great opportunity to see what everyone has been growing and maybe branch out and try planting something new. Hope to see you there!
Read more at www.openharvest.coop/events/
Elevating agriculture in the city
From the Lincoln Journal Star and written by Tim Rinne, Nebraskans for Peace State Coordinator:
After all the fine cooking we just feasted on over the holidays, I’m probably not the only one carrying around some unwanted extra pounds. It’s hard to restrain yourself when the food’s right in front of you, smelling and looking heavenly, just crying to be sampled.
And yet, with all these calories having gone straight to my waistline, there’s something about this annual rite of indulgence that more and more leaves me mystified.
How is it we so utterly relish the food but evince such little regard for the farm? (Because you can’t have the one without the other.)
Yet that’s what we do. Between Thanksgiving and New Year’s, I oftentimes stuffed myself so much I felt bloated, but couldn’t have told you where a single one of those calories came from.
We never think about the farm being the source of our food. We city dwellers, pulling up at the drive-thru or pushing our carts down the grocery aisle, are so barricaded from the process of food production that the closest most of us ever get to a farm anymore is driving past one on I-80. We prefer not to think about our grains, vegetables, nuts and fruits having grown in dirt or that our meat came from animals that pee, poop and bleed. We like our food attractively packaged, without any of the actual backstory.
The corn and soybean operations we see outside our car window, though, don’t give an accurate picture of where all that food we eat originates.
Dr. Jill Stein: People’s State of the Union
From jill2016.com:
The Precarious State of Our Union: A Bipartisan Disaster We Can Fix
From the viewpoint of everyday Americans, the State of our Union, in point of fact, is not strong. In reality, we are in a state of historic crisis – for our economy, ecology, democracy and security.
Thankfully, these crises are still eminently solvable. With a majority of Americans disapproving of both establishment parties, there is unprecedented momentum for a new way forward, based on principles of democracy, justice and peace, towards an America and a world that works for all of us.
Republicans have long been recognized as unabashed servants of the economic elite, leading the charge against the public interest. But they have not been alone.
Democratic priorities were clear when President Obama had two Democratic Houses of Congress to support him, as the party went to bat for trillions in Wall Street bailouts, tax cuts for the rich, job-killing corporate trade agreements, austerity budgets, health care reform that locked single payer out and private profits in, mass deportations of hardworking immigrants, privatization of schools, expanding wars for oil and regime change, climate-killing “all of the above” energy policies, and unprecedented assaults on privacy and press freedoms.
As a result of this bipartisan assault, we have not had a recovery by any measure.
TransCanada sues U.S. and files NAFTA claim for KXL rejection
From the Lincoln Journal Star:
TransCanada has filed a lawsuit and a $15 billion NAFTA claim seeking to recover costs and damages in response to President Barack Obama’s rejection of a permit for its Keystone XL pipeline.
The lawsuit was filed Wednesday in federal court in Houston and says Obama’s November decision to deny a cross-border permit for the $8 billion pipeline violated his power under the Constitution.
The Calgary, Alberta-based company spent $3.1 billion trying to bring the project to fruition. The $15 billion figure takes into account what it says is the lost value of its investments and its lost economic return.
People’s Film Festival Dec. 15: ‘Consumerism & the Limits to Imagination’
The People’s Film Festival (now monthly) will be held next Tuesday, Dec. 15th at 7 p.m. at First Unitarian Church, 3114 Harney St., Omaha. This month’s film is described below, and as always, there will be an opportunity for discussion after the showing.
The December film will be Consumerism & the Limits to Imagination.
Consumer capitalism dominates our economy, our politics, and our culture, even though a growing body of research suggests it may be well past its sell-by date. In this illustrated presentation based on his latest critically acclaimed book, media scholar Justin Lewis makes a compelling case that consumer capitalism can no longer deliver on its promise of enhancing quality of life, and argues that changing direction will require changing our media system and our cultural environment. After showing how consumer capitalism has become economically and environmentally unsustainable, Lewis explores how our cultural and information industries make it difficult to envision other forms of human progress by limiting critical thinking and keeping us locked in a cycle of consumption. And he argues that change will only be possible if we take culture seriously and transform the very way we organize our media and communications systems.
Global Climate March in Omaha Nov. 29
Think globally, act locally: Join the Global Climate Match Sunday, November 29, at the Crossroads Mall in Omaha, 72nd and Dodge streets.
Bill McKibben of 350.org explains why showing worldwide support this year is more important than ever:
“Things happen in the world, and a big terrible one happened last week in Paris. Along with the rest of you, we’ve spent the past week or so grappling with the aftermath of November 13th’s horrible attacks. It’s been a week of terrible sadness — and of renewed resolve.
“After the attacks, French authorities banned big public gatherings for a time in the city. Although activists in Paris are working hard to figure out alternatives, there won’t be a French repeat of last year’s mammoth New York procession.
But that makes it all the more important that our voices get heard outside of Paris. The problem is global warming, we have a global movement, and now we need to show it.
“Next weekend, when we would have been marching in Paris, we need everyone who is not there marching everywhere else. It’s going to be a test of our nimbleness. Already there are more than 2,000 rallies scheduled around the world.
“It doesn’t need to be huge — it just needs to be inspired by the hope that our leaders might actually do something in Paris, and by the certain knowledge that they won’t if we don’t push them.
“If you have wondered what you could do for the people of Paris — well, there are 400,000 or so of them who wanted to march for climate action next weekend. You can march on their behalf, and in the process help build some kind of hope. The world needs that now more than ever.
“This October was the hottest month the world has ever measured, and 2015 is now certain to be the hottest year in earth’s recorded history. It’s time for us to turn up the heat too — from every corner of our shared planet.“
Join a discussion of solutions to poverty and inequality Oct. 10 in Lincoln
From Nebraskans for Peace:
Don’t miss a daylong discussion of poverty, inequality, and solutions organized by local members of the Religious Society of Friends, or Quakers, at Pioneers Park in Lincoln. The event will be Saturday, October 10, 2015, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Lincoln, Omaha, and Central City Friends Meetings (Quakers) are hosting a day of challenge, inspiration, and community building with Don Reeves. Nebraska native Don Reeves brings a lifetime of experience working on issues around poverty and inequality. Don has served on the boards of Friends Committee on National Legislation, Bread For The World, and American Friends Service Committee where he also served as staff.
Morning discussion followed by lunch, small group discussion and music. Aaron Fowler and Laura Dungan, touring musicians, build community through songs that address issues of the time and matters of the heart. Lunch is provided by Nebraska Friends.
Suggested Donation: $10 (basket will be available at the event)
Questions? E-mail Jean, ludyeden@gmail.com (Please contact us by October 5th for childcare and lunch count)
Directions: Follow Van Dorn street to Pioneers Park and follow the signs. (For further Direction: Google “Pioneers Park Nature Center.”)