The 2015 Annual Peace Conference, presented by the University of Nebraska Omaha’s Grace Abbott School of Social Work and Nebraskans for Peace, will be held October 17 at Trinity United Methodist Church in Grand Island. The event runs from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30. It includes a panel presentation by local experts on housing, economic opportunity, education, health, and legal rights issues. The event is free and open to the public; lunch is $10.
Tag Archives: Decentralization
Earth Day rally against TPP at Ashford’s office
From BOLD Nebraska:
Saturday, April 18 is Earth Day, and before we head to the Earth Day Omaha celebration in Elmwood Park, we’ll be making a short detour to Rep. Brad Ashford’s office, to join a broad coalition calling on him to vote against TPP (the “Trans-Pacific Partnership”), a secret “trade” deal that would give corporations powers to trump a country’s environmental and labor laws.
- WHAT: Rally Against Fast-Track & TPP at Brad Ashford’s Omaha Office
- WHEN: Saturday, April 18th at 10:00 a.m. (before Earth Day at 11:00 a.m!)
- WHERE: Brad Ashford’s Office, 7126 Pacific Street, Omaha (map)
- SHARE: Click here to share the event on Facebook.
Take action on net neutrality
From callthefcc.com:
There’s some great news and some terrible news: President Obama has answered our calls, and just made a strong statement urging the FCC to adopt real Net Neutrality rules under “Title II reclassification” — the strongest authority possible.
But FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler is dug in: He’s trying to delay and still considering passing rules weaker than what we and Obama want — but are great for the cable companies for which Wheeler used to lobby.
What can you do? Call the FCC, sign the petition, or join a protest.
Petition: End subsidies for mega-farms
From the Center for Rural Affairs:
In the final hours of debate on the 2014 Farm Bill, Congress stripped the popular bi-partisan reform that would have tightened what it means to be “actively engaged” in farming. This definition is important, because without it, mega-farmers use this as a loophole to multiply their payments for every acre they add to their operation. Instead of acting, Congress punted the issue to the administration. The time has come for the Obama Administration to fulfill their 2007 campaign pledge and close the loopholes mega-farms use to get around farm program payment limits.
Step forward by adding your voice today! President Obama and Vice President Biden need to deliver on the promise they made to Iowa farmers when working for their vote in 2007.
Jill Stein to speak at Midwest gathering June 13-15
The Greens of Kansas City and the Progressive Party of Missouri invite you to a five-state Green organizing meeting. Held June 13 to 15 just outside of Kansas City, Transforming Politics on the Prairie: Building the Green Party in the Midwest will feature Jill Stein as keynote speaker.
The venue is the Heartland Center, a beautiful rural conference center at 16965 NW 45 Highway, Parkville, Missouri. It is located very close to the K.C. International Airport. Attendees arriving at reasonable times will be provided a free shuttle service.
Never in the history of our country has there been a greater need for a new, vibrant party. With 60% of the people saying “We need a third party,” our holistic message and strong moral foundation put us in a unique position to accept the challenge. The Greens are leading the way in many parts of the country, and this meeting is intended to bring multi-state leadership together, to confer and develop plans for rejuvenating our Green Parties in the Prairie States.
Registration will begin at 4 p.m. on Friday night, June 13. Dinner is at 5:30 with a keynote address by Jill Stein, followed by conversations with Jill Stein, other workshop leaders, and meeting attendees. Saturday will be filled with workshops on topics important to Greens. On Saturday night we will explore how to build the Green Party in our states and how to incorporate the workshop issues, politics, and related movements into a strong force for change. On Sunday, we will meet in small groups to discuss multi-state, multi-issue collaborative efforts. Conference ends at 10:00 Sunday morning.
Workshops will include: Single-payer health care, Fighting the Grand Bargain, Transforming Food/Farm Issues, Running Green Campaigns, Climate Disruption.
Confirmed speakers include:
- Jill Stein, Green Presidential candidate, 2012
- Ed Weisbart, MD, Missouri Chair PNHP, St. Louis, MO
- David Kinsley, PhD, Professor of Health Policy and Management at KU Medical Center
- Mark Swaney, Green candidate for US Senate from Arkansas
- John Fish Kurman, Coordinator of 350KC
Cost:
- Full Conference (includes 5 meals and lodging for 2 nights, triple occupancy): $180.00
- Early registration (before May 15): $160.00
- Students: $125.00
- Saturday only: $40.00 (Please add any of the following: Breakfast $8.00, Lunch $10.00, Dinner $13.00)
There are scholarships available. Let us know what you can afford.
For more information contact Ben Kjelshus, bkjelshus@gmail.com, (816)623-3006.
Study: “Donors” get more access than “constituents”
From the WaPo’s Post Politics:
It’s a widely accepted truism in Washington: Campaign donations buy access. While that belief governs much about the way politics operate, there’s a surprising lack of scientific evidence to bolster that assumption, which is the subject of substantial academic debate. Two political science graduate students are now seeking to bring some precision to that discussion through the kind of randomized, controlled study used to test the impact of pharmaceuticals. Read more.