Reportback from the Women's March on the Pentagon weekend

I went to the rally at the end of the Women's March on the Pentagon 2018 ( www.marchonpentagon.com ) Sunday, October 21^st and a distribution of food to the homeless/protest of restrictions on free speech in front of the White House the following Monday, and I interviewed some people who were at the march itself and workshops the day before. According to the schedule ( usmlo.org/arch2018/VR181018.htm#03 ) there were workshops on civil disobedience, the US-backed war on Yemen, women's self-defense, songs against imperialism, independent media, etc. at the St Stephen and the Incarnation Episcopal Church, in north-central Washington, east of the National Zoo, from 12 to 8 pm Saturday. Sunday there was a pre-march gathering starting at 11am outside the DC Metro's Pentagon City station, followed by the march to the Pentagon, and a rally 1 – 4pm in a parking lot north of the Pentagon. Monday's event was supposed to start at 11:30am and I think it ended around 2pm. This is the 51^st anniversary of a 1967 march on the Pentagon, 50,000-strong, during the Vietnam War, and the demands were: The complete end to wars abroad; Closure of foreign bases; Slashing of the Pentagon budget; The funding of healthy social programs at home; And end to violence – from beds to bombs.      

I missed the march, but I got off at the Pentagon City Metro station and took what seems to have been the same route as the marchers. Pentagon City is an urban, probably upscale area with large office buildings and a lot of construction (but the route passed at least one apparently vacant office building) just south of the Pentagon. If it had been a really large march, there might have still been a crowd when I got there, but things had already settled down. This being a large demonstration, I went towards the nearest police car after I came up from the subway, probably at the corner of 18^th and 12^th streets. I saw a small group with yellow signs who must have been returning from the event, so I went up 12^th Street and turned north on to South Fern Street. At the time it was sunny with some clouds, but when I got to S Fern Street there was very strong wing and the wind chill made it feel pretty cold at the rally, exposed out on a very large and treeless parking lot. It probably wasn't a very cold day otherwise; I saw a monarch butterfly trying to migrate south by the Pentagon, perhaps coming from a large bed of dark red Lantanas near the Potomac, but the wind carried it back north. I crossed under I-395 going into Washington and negotiated the confusing Pentagon grounds. I imagined the Pentagon as being on flat ground, but there is actually a lot of topography, along with spike-topped black fences. I passed Abraham Lincoln, who seemed to be talking about 9/11 truth, in a group probably leaving the rally. Another person who must have been coming in late showed me the way to the rally. The rally was of course visible from the Pentagon, as well as two highways, South Washington Boulevard and Virginia Route 110, but a participant I know had the criticism that the rally wasn't located where it could reach other people. I saw a man in a gray suit, who might have been a civilian employee arriving at the Pentagon, come over to see what was going on, but very few people were around beside activists and police personnel. I might have seen a counter-protester far away with the police.

A steady trickle of people were leaving the rally as I arrived, so it must have been larger at the beginning. I had hoped it would be a major demonstration, but my impression was that there were more than 100 people, but less than 500, maybe less than 200, when I tried to estimate the size. Cindy Sheehan was one of the organizers and said there were 1200 people at the march, the best part of the event, 500 at the start of the rally and 30 at the end. Another organizer put the march at 2000 people. A participant told me there were about 1000 at the march, while another participant said there were at most about 300 (and around 75 on Saturday). This would be a pretty large peace demonstration in Durham or Raleigh, but was much smaller than national demonstrations against attacking Iraq that I participated in, with turnout in the tens or hundreds of thousands. There were apparently a lot of police at the march, but few and mostly in the distance at the rally. Several college students, maybe from George Washington University, are surveying participants in mass activist events, left and right, for a professor Michael Heaney at the University of Michigan ( lsa.umich.edu/ncid/people/diversity-scholars-directory/michael-heaney.html ). Videos, photos, and articles about the events have been linked at www.marchonpentagon.com/march . Many famous activists and organizations endorsed the March, including the Green Party of the US and seven Green groups (including the Pennsylvania and Texas state chapters and Utah's Green Women Rising), unfortunately not including the NC Greens or any other local organizations, though there might have been an NC Green contingent, carpooling from Asheville and Greensboro/Winston-Salem. I did meet some people from North Carolina, but I don't know if they were Greens. There was a vigil in solidarity with the march 12 – 3pm in Asheville's Pack Square that Sunday.

There were many speakers and musical performers, but I didn't hear all of the names. They included former Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein, a leader of the Movement for a People's Party, Dakotah Lilly, Ann Wright, Kevin Zeese, Margaret Flowers, Medea Benjamin, Yahne Ndgo, Alison Weir, Cindy Sheehan, Sameera Khan, a leader of Students and Youth for a New America, the Raging Grannies, a band from Vermont, and the DC Labor Chorus. One woman mentioned the “military occupations of Palestine and Kashmir,” referencing an issue the US left rarely talks about. The SYNA speaker might have been the one who pointed out Honduran coup resistance banners in the audience. The woman who spoke last said something along the lines of “you're still on top of a s--- pile” on the question of who is elected to head the government (there weren't any children around by that time, since this was supposed to be a family-friendly event) and predicted that there will be a war on Iran in a year.

No one was circulating literature or tabling (or collecting donations, which are probably needed) when I got there, other than a water table, but I found literature from the US Marxist-Leninist Organization, the Green-Rainbow Party of Massachusetts (a fusion of the state Green Party and Rainbow Coalition Party, a state chapter of the GPUS), Movement for a People's Party, #New Jersey AntiWar Agenda (NJAntiWarAgenda.org, a very informative newspaper for organizing published by Bob Witanek), Women for Racial and Economic Equality, the Black is Back Coalition, and postcards referencing If Americans Knew (ifamericansknew.org) and their blog, www.israelpalestinenews.org. I heard that the Party for Socialism and Liberation was represented in the march. I saw yellow ANSWER (the Act Now Against War and End Racism Coalition) signs against attacking Syria, a Veterans for Peace flag, and a blue flag with an image of the Earth. There was a Honduran flag imprinted with “Fuera JOH” and a red flag with FNRP in yellow and a portrait, representing the movement against the US-backed coup in 2009 ( www.liberationnews.org/fuera-joh-stolen-honduran-election-sparks-massive-protests-2/ , laborrights.org/fuerajoh , and peoplesdispatch.org/tag/fuera-joh/ ). Code Pink donated some of the equipment and was represented in the march. All sorts of people were there, half or more women when I looked around.

I got to the “act of Civil Assistance” Monday (the 22^nd) at Lafayette Square, across Pennsylvania Avenue NW from the White House, in early afternoon. This being outside a center, or the center, of US imperialist power, there were several demonstrations at the same time, and it wasn't obvious where the Women's March on the Pentagon event was as I walked over. In front of the White House around 100 or more people with the Human Rights Campaign were protesting the Trump Administration's actions against trans rights. When that demonstration dispersed, another relatively large, but smaller group, took over the street to denounce President Paul Biya of Cameroon. The leader with a megaphone spoke mostly in French and their signs were in French (Cameroon is predominantly francophone, but English is also an official language) and they had a Cameroonian flag/banner. There must have been an organizing group, but a woman I asked said there wasn't one. A small group protested the treatment of the Uighur ethnic group in western China. They had East Turkistan flags, sky blue with a white crescent and star in the center, and a US flag, and at one point played the US anthem and another anthem I didn't recognize. Presumably they were from a nationalist organization; their pamphlet refers to an online petition, but doesn't say what group they represent. According to Wikipedia, there was an independent East Turkestan twice in the first half of the 20^th century, inhabited by several ethnic groups, but it is now China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Province (the protesters date the loss of independence as December 20, 1949). I found out that there has been an anti-nuclear weapons/peace encampment or vigil directly across from the White House since 1981 [8/27/2022 edit - Rare coverage of the vigil:  covertactionmagazine.com/2022/08/12/meet-the-man-jesse-ventura-called-the-bravest-man-in-washington/ ]. Individual people were also holding signs. Christine Travis talked about how Agent Orange has harmed the health of multiple generations of her family and the lack of adequate aid for victims of this poison from the Vietnam War. She mentioned the Children of Vietnam Veterans Health Alliance ( www.covvha.net ) as a good resource and I think she mentioned the Second and Third Generation Agent Orange Coalition ( www.facebook.com/groups/1505293713104045/ ). A veteran with a cape showing a design with marijuana and the medical caduceus, possibly famous on social media as the Duke of Hemp, etc., was talking about voter registration and marijuana. A white homeless man had a sign about the “agent orange” currently in the White House. A black homeless man who might have been protesting as well harangued the Cameroonians for asking for US help, though he might also have been a little mentally unhinged. Someone was soliciting money for Haitian children; his sign seemed very familiar from other trips to DC, but I don't know if it is a real charity. There might have been even more protests I missed. As I was leaving I thought I saw a sign about freeing someone from prison.

The Women's March event ended not long after I got to Lafayette Square (it ended at about the same time as the Human Rights Campaign event). They gave out sandwiches, tangerines, etc. to homeless people and then to anyone in the park, and some extra food was left on a bench. A participant told me that 10 to 15 people turned out. She also talked about Basque political prisoners held in Spain, accused of being terrorists, from the town of Altsasu. Marchers from beyond the Beltway were urged to do civil assistance actions of some kind in their own areas. The police closed Pennsylvania Avenue not long after the Human Rights Campaign protesters left, and later all of Lafayette Square, after an influx of tourists had arrived (some seemed to be Chinese, and I wondered if they noticed the Uighur protest and what they thought). A helicopter could be heard on the other side of White House. Travis said the park's sprinkler system had been on earlier, but it might regularly activate in the morning. It was interesting and exciting to see so much protest in Lafayette Square, but I had to head back to Durham in mid-afternoon, so I wasn't there very long.
   

There are photos on the Women's March on the Pentagon, ANSWER, USMLO, and other websites and the hashtag is #WomenRise4Peace. Here are some photos from the events Sunday and Monday ©:





A striking and seemingly vacant office building, with a lot of leaves and litter on the sidewalk, near the Pentagon ©.
 

 



A purple martin house given to the Pentagon by a town or company in Canada for Earth Day 2008 (?).  I don't know if purple martins actually nest in it during the summer ©.



 

 

 

The DC Labor Choir at the rally ©.

 

At Lafayette Square:

 

 

 

 





 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Women's March on the Pentagon, Circle K pickets, and other fall events and anniversaries

This calendar lists mostly local events of general left interest and cultural events, along with historical anniversaries.  Check back for items added after this is initially posted. 

ReBuild NC

I don't think Hurricane Florence caused much damage in the Triangle (though much of Jordan Lake State Recreation Area is still closed due to flooding, but this is artificial flooding, to reduce flooding downstream on the Cape Fear River), but for assistance with recovery from Florence, or earlier Hurricane Matthew, or to donate to recovery efforts, one site to visit is:  www.rebuild.nc.gov/

UNC seeks input on what to do with Silent Sam

Send ideas to uncmonument at unc period edu (with the caution that the emails received will be classified as public records, though I'm not sure how easy it would be for the media, etc. to access them).  UNC - Chapel Hill's leadership has to offer a proposal to UNC President Margaret Spellings and the Board of Governors by November 15th ( www.unc.edu/posts/2018/09/24/message-from-chancellor-folt-and-the-board-of-trustees-on-the-confederate-monument/ ). 

The Durham City - County Committee on Confederate Monuments and Memorials will also release its recommendations in November. 

Fort Bragg's 100th anniversary

NPR is marking the 1918 founding of this major base for imperialist adventures abroad, from the Caribbean to Asia ( www.wunc.org/post/century-life-ft-bragg ).  It was renamed from Camp to Fort Bragg as a permanent Army base September 30, 1922.  Apparently it was named for NC native Braxton Bragg, based on his role as an artillery officer in the Mexican - American War, rather than his generally poorly-rated leadership as a Confederate general.  In another example of militarism accidentally serving conservation, the vast military base preserves endangered species such as the red-cockaded woodpecker and St Francis' satyr butterfly, along with now rare longleaf pine-dominated habitats and historical sites, although if there were a major war, the whole area would probably be one of the first places turned into a desolate if not uninhabitable moonscape, and it was military base expansion that killed the last Xerces blue butterflies in California around 1943. 

Library booksales

The Friends of the Durham Library has sales October 27th (10am - 12pm is restricted to members, and 12 - 4pm is open for all) and December 1 - 2 (10am - 12pm is members only on the 1st, and 12 - 4pm is open to all; the 2nd is a bag sale, from 1 - 4pm) at the usual Northgate Mall location ( durhamcountylibrary.org/friends/ ). 

The Friends of the Chapel Hill Public Library has a sale December 7 - 9th.  December 7th is 3 - 5:30pm and for members only (I think people can join at the door, as they can at the FODL sales above), December 8th is 10am - 5:30pm, and the bag sale December 9th is 11am - 3pm.  There will also be a Holiday Sip and Shop event, free for members and guests, December 7th 7 - 9pm with wine, appetizers, and dessert.  Next year there will be sales April 5 - 7, September 13 - 15, and December 6 -8 ( friendschpl.org/FCHPLevents ). 

The Wake County Public Libraries' Annual Book Sale for 2019 will be at the State Fairgrounds around May. 

Plant sales

This calendar was put together too late to include the NC Botanical Garden's Fall Plant and Book Sale September 28 -29, but there are others in October.

UNC - Charlotte Botanical Gardens' Fall Plant Sale will be October 4 - 6 (October 4th is a preview sale for members, 12 - 3pm, while the sales October 5 - 6th are open to the public, 9am - 3pm) at 9090 Carver Road, Charlotte ( gardens.uncc.edu/fall-plant-sale/ ).

Winghaven Gardens' Fall Plant Sale will be October 3 - 6 (October 3rd is a preview sale for members, 9am - 5pm, and the sales October 4 - 6 will be 9am - 5pm) at 248 Ridgewood Avenue, Charlotte ( winghavengardens.org/ ).

The Paul J Ciener Botanical Garden's Fall Plant Sale will be October 6th, 8am - 12pm at 215 South Main Street, Kernersville ( www.cienerbotanicalgarden.org/events ).

Studio tours

The 2018 Orange County Studio Tour will be November 3 - 4 and 10 - 11:  ocagnc.org/tour/

The 5th Durham Pottery Tour will be November 10 (10am - 5pm) and Novenber 11 (12 - 5pm):  www.durhamcountypotterytour.com/

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea was founded 70 years ago, September 9, 1948 (South Korea was founded in May 1948). 

October 1st is China's National Day, marking the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, after the Kuomingtang was defeated on the mainland.  According to Wikipedia, the PRC was founded September 21st, but October 1st marks the ceremonial founding at Tiananmen Square, Beijing.

The most recent referendum on Catalonian independence from Spain was October 1st last year, and was followed by Spanish government and rightist repression against Catalonian self-determination.  There will be a pro-independence demonstration today, October 1, 2018. 

There will be events to mark the 35th anniversary of the Triangle Land Conservancy in early October: www.triangleland.org/explore/events

No Torture Interfaith Prayer Vigil in Johnston County

There will be a vigil outside the Johnston County Courthouse (212 East Market Street, Smithfield) Monday, October 1st 4:30 - 5:30pm, to remember the victims of the government's rendition and torture programs, many carried on Aero Contractors' jets, based at the Johnston County Airport, with connections to the Johnston County and State governments.  The North Carolina Commission of Inquiry on Torture (www.nccit.org) released its report last Thursday with events in Raleigh and Greensboro.  At 6pm Monday the report will be hand-delivered to the Johnston County Commissioners, responsible for the Johnston County Airport, by NCCIT Commissioner and constituent Patty McGaffagan.  The vigil was organized by the North Carolina Council of Churches ( www.ncchurches.org ) and NC Stop Torture Now ( www.ncstn.org ) For more information  see: www.facebook.com/events/2121494794767558/

The Tlatelolco Massacre was October 2, 1968 in Mexico City's Plaza de las Tres Culturas; the Mexican government attacked a student demonstration, possibly killing hundreds and arresting more than 1000. 

VUSE boycott picket at Circle-K in Chapel Hill

As part of the Farm Labor Organizing Committee's VUSE boycott, there will be a picket Tuesday, October 2nd 5 - 5:30pm at the Circle-K at the corner of East Franklin Street and Estes Drive.  Participants are asked to bring cell phones to call Circle-K's main office after the event. 

Sputnik 1 (Russian for satellite) was launched into Earth orbit October 4, 1957, becoming the first known artificial satellite.

The Shakori Hills GrassRoots Festival of Music and Dance ( shakorihillsgrassroots.org/ )will be October 4 - 7th in Chatham County.  The Carrboro Music Festival ( carrboromusicfestival.com/311/Carrboro-Music-Festival )and the IBMA's World of Bluegrass ( worldofbluegrass.org/ ) festival in Raleigh were the weekend of September 28th.

The Cominform (Information Bureau of the Communist and Workers' Parties), a partial replacement for the Comintern, was founded October 5, 1947 (disbanded April 17, 1956). 

Big Sweep NC 2018

There will be a trash cleanups along waterways and shorelines throughout the state in October.  The official date in Durham is October 6th, but cleanups from September to October count as part of Big Sweep and the City/County will pick up piles of trash from roadsides ( keepdurhambeautiful.org/events/2018/10/6/big-sweep-2018 ). 

Keep Space for Peace Week is October 6 - 13th ( www.space4peace.org/ ; there will be an action in Asheville).

The US and later NATO Afghan War was launched October 7, 2001 (as Operation Enduring Freedom), justified as retaliation for 9/11, al Qaida being based in Afghanistan, but there are arguments that it was launched for fossil fuels and geopolitical goals, as with the Iraq War in March 2003.  Barbara Lee, a Democratic member of the House from California, cast the sole vote against the Authorization for the Use of Military Force Against Terrorists in 2001, presciently arguing that it was too broad, and the Bush - Obama - Trump "War on Terror" continues today, in some cases against groups that didn't exist in 2001 and in ever more countries.   

Festifall

Chapel Hill's annual Festifall Arts Festival, with some political content, will be along West Franklin Street Sunday, October 7th, 12 - 6pm ( www.chapelhillfestifall.com/ ).

October 8 is Indigenous Peoples' Day.

Argentinean-born Cuban revolutionary leader Che Guevara was captured by the Bolivian military October 8, 1967, with CIA participation, and killed without trial October 9, 1967.

October 10th is Taiwan's National Day, marking the beginning of the Wuchang Rebellion in 1911, part of the Xinhai Revolution or the Chinese Revolution of 1911, which led to the founding of the Republic of China.

October 10 is Party Foundation Day in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, commemorating the 1945 conference in Pyongyang that created a predecessor to today's Korean Workers' Party. 

World Mental Health Day is every October 10th, bringing attention to mental health issues and discrimination against those with mental health problems.  It was first declared in 1992 by the World Federation for Mental Health ( wfmh.global/world-mental-health-day/ ). 

October 10th the US Fish and Wildlife Service, responding to pressure from the Center for Biological Diversity, proposed listing the Atlantic pigtoe freshwater mussel as threatened in NC and Virginia ( www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/press_releases/2018/atlantic-pigtoe-10-10-2018.php ).  Among other rivers, Atlantic pigtoes are found in both the Cape Fear and Neuse rivers, so they might live, or once have lived, in waterways in Durham and the rest of the Triangle.  This region of the US has the most freshwater mussel species in the world, but 36 species have already been killed off and 75% of the rest are at risk, according to the CBD.  The government of North Carolina does not seem to have much consideration for the endangered dwarf wedgemussel still found south of Raleigh (in the Neuse River basin), where 540 is being extended.  I have heard other examples of the State government intentionally damaging waterways where the mussels live, but I am still researching those allegations.  

The NC State Fair is October 11 - 21 [opening delayed to October 12 due to Hurricane Michael]:  ncstatefair.org

UNC - Chapel Hill's University Day is Friday, October 12th (the building of UNC began October 12, 1793, after being chartered December 11, 1789), and many alumni do volunteer work as part of Tar Heel Service Day, October 12 - 14th: alumni.unc.edu/things-to-do/volunteer/tar-heel-service-day/

3rd Annual Durham ReUse Rodeo

Several nonprofits will be on hand to take donations of clothes, books, furniture, appliances, art supplies, baby supplies, etc. and people will also be able to have papers shredded and safely dispose of electronics and plastic film Saturday, October 13th 8am - 2pm at the Durham County Stadium, 750 Stadium Drive ( keepdurhambeautiful.org/events/10/2018/13/durham-reuse-rodeo ).

The People's March in Raleigh

There will be a march Saturday, October 13th at 11:30am from the Raleigh City Plaza to the Bicentennial Mall, followed by a rally until 2:30pm.  This is organized by the Carolina Peace Center ( carolinapeacecenter.com/ ) and seems to be mainly a get out the vote (GOTV) exercise, but organizations are welcome to table at the rally.  For more information see:  www.facebook.com/events/701609183544585/   

Albanian revolutionary, statesman, and First Secretary of the Party of Labor of Albania, Enver Hoxha, was born October 16, 1908 in Gjirokaster, in southern Albania, at the time part of the Ottoman Empire. 

Up to 300 Algerian protesters, peacefully demonstrating against the Algerian War (November 1, 1954 - 1962), were killed by French police in the Paris Massacre of 1961, on October 17th.  The related Charonne Massacre happened February 8, 1962, when the police killed nine trade unionists demonstrating against a French terrorist group.  Only in recent years has France admitted that torture was systematic during the war, and even French citizens were tortured and killed extrajudicially. 

VUSE boycott picket at Circle-K in Durham and TFF meeting

There will be another picket, Thursday, October 18 5:30 - 6pm at the Circle-K at 3301 Guess Road (at the intersection with Carver Street).  There will also be a call-in protest after this picket.

The Triangle Friends of Farmworkers will meet at 7pm in Durham the same evening.   

NATO - backed rebels captured and summarily executed Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi October 20, 2011.  Obama's Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, is said to have enjoyed the video of Gaddafi being captured and apparently stabbed, though there are claims that he died from a gunshot.  Many others captured with Qaddafi were also killed without trial. 

Tens of thousands of demonstrators (maybe 50,000) participated in the March on the Pentagon October 21st, 1967, protesting the Vietnam War.

Women's March on the Pentagon

51 years after the 1967 event, and a 1980 women's march on the Pentagon, there will be workshops and an open mic event Saturday, October 20th and a Women's March on the Pentagon (but male protesters are welcome) Sunday, October 21, with events from 11am - 4pm, along with solidarity events elsewhere in the US (such as in Asheville) and internationally.  The demonstration demands the end of US wars abroad, closure of US bases in other countries, and deep cuts in the military budget, the savings be used to fund social programs here.  This is organized by Cindy Sheehan, whose son was killed during the Iraq War, and many other groups and individuals (see www.marchonpentagon.com and www.facebook.com/events/184236778838247/ ).  Jill Stein of the Green Party, Medea Benjamin, Ann Wright, Kevin Zeese, the Raging Grannies, and many others will be there. 

American journalist and revolutionary John Reed was born October 22, 1887 in Portland, Oregon.  He wrote Ten Days That Shook the World, a first-hand account of the Great October Socialist Revolution, and he is one of three Americans honored with burial in the Kremlin Wall Necropolis. 

The Outer Space Treaty, banning the placement of nuclear weapons in space, military activities on the Moon, claims of sovereignty over celestial bodies, etc., came into effect October 10, 1967.

The International Festival of Raleigh will be October 26 - 28:  internationalfocus.org/

Native Plants Week 2018 in North Carolina is October 28 - November 3.  The proclamation by Governor Roy Cooper is online at:  files.nc.gov/governor/documents/files/Native%20Plants%20Week_0.pdf , and notes NC's very diverse flora (over 3900 native plant species, 26 of them Federally threatened or endangered), supporting, among other animals, over 350 bird species, a number of them harmed by human activity and climate change.  Speaking of birds and climate change, a few days ago there was a report on the BBC that several bird species found around a mountain in Peru 30 years ago aren't there now.  It wasn't entirely clear if they meant that the birds are presumed completely extinct, or just locally extinct around one mountain.  If an animal lives around a mountain, it might depend on a local climate and habitat, which will move up the mountain as the climate warms, and eventually it might reach a point where the conditions a species needs no longer exist on that mountain, and it goes extinct.  Many plants, birds, and other species typical of the northern US and Canada can live this far south, high in the Appalachians, and there are salamanders found around particular mountains that could go extinct because they can only migrate up as the climate changes.  It probably isn't exactly the same situation, but this could relate to the extinction of the golden toad in Costa Rica's mountain cloud forests, none being found since May 15, 1989.

Fundraiser for WCOM - LP 103.5 FM November 1

There will be a fundraiser for the non-profit, volunteer-run radio station ( wcomfm.org/ ), broadcast over Carrboro and Chapel Hill, Thursday, November 1st 5 - 9pm at the Hickory Tavern (inside the Hampton Inn, 370 East Franklin Street, Carrboro).  10% of profits from food sales will be donated.  I think this is also the station's annual birthday party, and there will be raffles, etc.  The local Women's International League for Peace and Freedom has a show on WCOM, and I think it carries Democracy Now!  It is an interesting station, but I don't think it reaches Durham, though it has a more powerful signal than it did in its first years.        

General election

Candidates for local, State, and Federal will be on ballots in the general election Tuesday, November 6th, 6:30am - 7:30pm.  According to a mailing from the State Board of Elections ( www.ncsbe.gov/index.html ), the deadline to register to vote (and probably to change your information) is October 12th at 5pm, but early voting is October 17 - November 3, and allows same - day registration.  The regular deadline to request an absentee ballot is October 30th at 5pm.  Sample ballots are available at BOE and sometimes newspaper websites; for example, see the Durham County Board of Elections website at:   www.dconc.gov/government/departments-a-e/board-of-elections .       

The NC Green Party, which gained ballot access only this spring, is already fielding four candidates, two running for local office in Mecklenburg and Forsyth counties, one for the NC House of Representatives (in District 66), and one for the US House (in District 13), and is seeking donations and volunteers (see: ncgreenparty.nationbuilder.com/ ).  As always, people can join the NC Green Party, and it is now possible to officially register as a Green with the Board of Elections, but unlike with the Democratic and Republican parties, this is not the same as joining the Green Party. 

The 101st anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution in the former Russian Empire is November 7 - 8.

The Communist Party of Albania (later renamed the Party of Labor of Albania) was founded November 8, 1941 through a merger of earlier groups.  At the time Albania was occupied by fascist Italy.   

Soviet revolutionary and statesman Vyachesalv Molotov died November 8, 1986.

November 11 is Armistice Day, marking the truce that (more or less) ended World War I 100 years ago in 1918.  In the USA Armistice Day has became more pro-war Veterans Day.

There will be events November 9 - 11 in Washington, DC to reclaim Armistice Day, including a vigil on the Mall, Veterans Occupy Washington, a Peace Congress:  End US Wars at Home and Abroad, and a March to Reclaim Armistice Day, as well as events in other countries( notrumpmilitaryparade.us/ ). 

Sun Yat-sen, a founder of the Republic of China, created by the Revolution of 1911, was born November 12, 1866. 

There will be a Conference Against US/NATO Military Bases November 16-18th in Dublin, Ireland ( nousnatobases.org/ ).

The School of the Americas Watch Border Encuentro 2018 will be the same weekend in Nogales, Arizona and across the border in Nogales, Sonora ( www.soaw.org/border/border-encuentro/ ). 

Albania has two national days, November 28, 1912, when Albania gained independence from the Ottoman Empire, and November 29, 1944, when Albanian partisans drove out the German occupiers.  Subsequently the Albanians were unique in liberating their own country and then helping to liberate neighboring Yugoslavia. 

December 21st is the winter solstice.